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Flooding Forces Evacuations; Slow Moving Natural Disaster; Al Qaeda Confirms Bin Laden's Death; Iraq Veteran On Bin Laden's Death; Silent Satisfaction; Making the Grade; Striking Out Child Slavery; Storytelling for the Smartphone Age

Aired May 06, 2011 - 13:00   ET

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

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there, Suzanne. Thank you very much.

We need to start with what they are calling now epic flooding. What we're seeing all along the Mississippi River right now. The river is rising and rising and rising. Look at what some of our friends in the south are dealing with right now. The highest many have seen this river in over half a century. Mandatory evacuations have been ordered in several communities.

It's not just along the Mississippi, however, it's also the rivers that connect to the Mississippi that are also rising as well. That water had nowhere to go. So, now it's starting to go over levees, and it's spilling into streets. Give you an idea here by looking at this map, this is an idea of some of the communities dealing with flooding.

And one hour ago, listen to this, the coast guard issued a traffic stop at Caruthersville, Missouri, that means no river traffic because they are afraid the wake from those ship will add to the flooding misery in the area. Shipping could be shut down up to eight days.

Rising waters also having an effect on traffic, not just on the river but on the ground as well. Look at this, this is Little Rock, Arkansas. Interstate 40 is a major artery through the Midwest for trucks, and I-40 runs straight across the state of Arkansas. And right there in Little Rock, this is the midway point to a very important artery here.

The road is washed out in some places, adding hours and hours to the drive for some folks. Some truckers forced to find another way through.

Let's turn, though, back to Memphis, Tennessee. That's where we have our Dave Mattingly, he has been keeping an eye on things for us there right now. You had to take a boat tour to get an idea of what's going on there -- Dave.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's hard to back up far enough just to get a perspective on how much damage is being done, because this is so slow moving and it's almost like there's a big lake around us and not a -- and not a flooding river. But we did go out in a boat, we looked at some areas, some industrial areas with equipment in the water, some raw materials in the water, a sewage treatment plant with some equipment in the water.

And this water is just inching up, and right now the concern is for about a couple of thousand pieces of property in the Memphis area, officials pinpointed those to figure out, well, the water is going to come up about two more feet, so we know exactly who will be hit by this.

So, they're going around right now as I'm speaking to these houses, and they're putting these fliers on them. Take a look, these are clear. The message behind them, evacuate, your property is in danger right now, don't wait, evacuate.

That's what they're trying to tell the people, to make sure they know don't be complacent when you see this slow-moving water coming into your neighborhood. It could be just a matter of minutes or a matter of hours before suddenly you're not able to pack up and get out the way you want to. So, they're saying don't wait until it's in your front yard or down your street, make the move now to pack up and move out.

Again, we're talking about 2,000 pieces of property. These are residential, these are commercial along the river. There's also some concerns in some of the tributaries where the water from the Mississippi is backing up into areas there. Back in those areas they don't have flood walls or levees like they have here at this park to keep the water back.

But this is supposed to be a near historic level of flood here in Memphis. Just a few inches away, they believe, from the peak in 1938 or 1937, and what they're talking about is that flood back then was really bad because they didn't have the flood protection they do now. It went four blocks into the city.

Now they have levees, they have flood walls, and they want to make sure that everybody knows they have a lot of confidence in this equipment, they think it's going to hold the river back, and they're ready just in case it doesn't. They've called in volunteers to start putting together hundreds and thousands of sandbags to be used just in case the levees don't work.

So, they're preparing for every bad thing that could happen right now and making sure that everybody gets the message, don't feel comfortable with this slow-moving water coming in your neighborhood, make plans to get out now. So, that's what they're looking at now in Memphis, and it's only going to get worse down river as the water continues to move down, they set high water marks all the way down to Baton Rouge. This is an enormous -- an enormous disaster.

HOLMES: All right. Dave Mattingly, and you teed it up for us there at end, this disaster it's making its way. You're seeing communities there in Memphis and I'll bring in Chad Myers, here. We're talking about Memphis, Mississippi, Iowa, Illinois, and Chad, this thing is making its way if you will. This is what they've been referring to, Chad, as a slow-moving natural disaster. CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It certainly is. You can certainly get out of the way of this. You can't move your house out of the way or your farm out of the way. Maybe you can get your tractors, your equipment, and maybe some cattle and some things out of the way, that would be great, but you know what? This is going to continue to go up.

And we are still monitoring WMC, we have live video right there. We just saw one of the interstates there just being -- the water was just so coming up here, and we have a couple more feet to go.

But look at these numbers. This is above flood stage. Flooding starts somewhere in here, in Vicksburg, and it's going to be 14 feet above where that flood starts. Natchez, 16 feet above flood stage so everyone will be covered with something, not all the cities, the cities will be protected by the levees.

And the levees are actually part of the problem. Part of a problem for the other side of the river if only one side of the river has a levee. Because now all of a sudden what would have spread out in both directions, now it only gets to spread out to the left or to the right, depending on which way you're going down the river. And so, these levees, and especially if they don't hold, will be part of the problem.

Memphis will be fine. I know we're going to talk about 1,000 or so houses, but the city of Memphis and Shelby County, other than Mud Island, you're all going to be just fine. Now, there are levees that could have problems all up and down this -- they're made of dirt, most of them. You pile a bunch of dirt on top, you plant some grass and trees, and hope that it all stays together.

Well, if you get days and days or weeks and weeks of water pushing on those levees, sometimes you can get water to come through, and when that water comes through, you start to get a breakthrough, that's when you need the sandbags. So, we have -- literally have warnings all the way from Still (ph), the Ohio River, the Mississippi River, right on down and even into the Gulf of Mexico.

So, here's what's going to go on for the next couple of weeks. As the water continues to go down, the rain is here. Everywhere that it's green - that is green. Now, this is from 2010.

Now, I'm going to push in where this blue is so you see that the inundation of the farmland, of the flood land, and T.J., honestly, it's the floodplain that is flooding. This has been flooding for hundreds of thousands of years, if not millions of years, but right now we've just put people, and towns, and houses, and farms and all that in the way. That's what we do, we put things in good places. This is the most fertile farmland in America.

HOLMES: Yes.

MYERS: And that's why we grow things there and this can happen sometimes. This is a big one though. HOLMES: I just hate to see them going through it right now, seems like we've had disaster after disaster in this country and same area here has been hit by tornadoes as we saw last week, some of the same areas getting this flooding.

Chad, appreciate you. We'll check in with you again. And we told you as well, there are mandatory evacuations ordered in many communities along the Mississippi and some of the rivers connected to the Mississippi. One of those communities, Cotton Plant, Arkansas, it's kind of the halfway point. You see it, there, between Memphis and Little Rock. Floodwaters there starting to top the levees.

Well in 1947, that was the last time they were told to get out because of flooding. Cleodis Smith was just a young boy then when his family refused to go. So, what is he saying now 64 years later? That is today's "Sound Effect."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLEODIS SMITH, COTTON PLANT, ARKANSAS: I'm not leaving, tonight neither. I saw a lot of people leaving, and I just laughed, I said they'll be coming right back because the water is not going to get here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, the National Guard, National Weather Service, they disagree with you.

SMITH: Yes, but having lived through one, I have to disagree with them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now, that is not advisable for a lot of folks. A lot of people look at him and you know, might applaud his resiliency. But no, folks, it's coming, you need to go, you need to get out. That's what a lot of people recommend, including our Chad Myers, and any other meteorologist that don't play with these flood waters.

Let's turn to some other major news -- other major news from today.

A lot of people, as you know, want to see those pictures of a dead Osama Bin Laden. They say that's what they need as final confirmation that he's dead. Well, we know that's not going to happen. The president and the White House saying they're not going to release those pictures.

So, how about this now as confirmation of his death. Al Qaeda is acknowledging Bin Laden is dead. Al Qaeda released a statement today, Tenuta's (ph) Web site, this is it, you're seeing here on one of those sites, an intelligence group that monitors these extreme Islamist forums translated the announcement, and in it, Al Qaeda praises its late leader and urging Pakistan to, quote, "rise up and revolt," end quote.

The militant group also threatens the U.S. and Bin Laden's death is a curse that chases the Americans and their agents. They vow to continue on the path of Jihad and warn that Americans will never enjoy security until our people, as they put it, in Palestine enjoy it.

We are also getting a glimpse of what Bin Laden was up to while hiding out in that compound. It appears Al Qaeda was plotting more terrorist attacks on the U.S. The department of homeland security released a notice Thursday alerting our rail systems.

Remember those hard drives, DVDs, thumb drives, all that stuff taken from the compound? Well, they revealed that Al Qaeda was working on a plan to derail trains in the U.S. by blocking the tracks with various obstructions. That was supposed to happen this fall on the tenth anniversary of 9/11. U.S. officials say this may be only the tip of the iceberg of potential plots they're uncovering from Bin Laden's files.

So, what does Osama Bin Laden's death means to veterans and military families? Next, I'm talking with a leader and founder of the nation's largest Iraq and Afghan war veterans group.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Every day we have been bringing you new details as we get them about Sunday's raid on Osama Bin Laden's compound in Pakistan. One group that's especially interested in all these developments, Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans.

Always good to talk to Paul Rieckhoff, he is the executive director and founder of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans of America, the first and largest group of its kind, joining me now from New York.

Sir, good to always see you. Let's start with the pictures. I'm not going to ask you really to agree or disagree with the president's decision not to release the photos of a dead Osama Bin Laden, but for you and members of our group and soldiers who have been fighting for years and years and years, do you just want to see them?

PAUL RIECKHOFF, EXEC. DIRECTOR & FOUNDER, IAVA: Yes, I think there are a lot of folks that do. I think that there are mixed opinions throughout the organization but I think that there is always the need for visual confirmation and I think there's a practical reality, too.

Some of us understand that there are parts of the Middle East that don't have the Internet, don't have CNN, and they need some kind of visual confirmation to be able to tell people on the ground throughout the Middle East, that he's dead.

But we believe the president. It's a really good day for America, it's a good week for America, and especially for our military and veteran's community that have been working so hard for this very moment.

HOLMES: And you mentioned, Paula, that it's part of confirmation but is it also a part of closure for you? RIECKHOFF: I think it is. You know, I was out -- down at ground zero on Sunday night, and I know a lot of folks who wanted to see it, that they wanted that actual confirmation. And also, we did it with Uday Qusay Hussein, we had visual confirmation with Saddam Hussein, so I think there was some expectation and there was a precedent sent with that.

But at the end of the day, you know, the president makes the call, we got to trust that he's got the best interest of the country in mind here, and we're really just, you know, happy about the news, and we are praising our brothers and sisters throughout the military for the fine job they did on this operation and all the years leading up to it to get us to this point.

HOLMES: Can you say this was -- will there be a bigger victory than this for Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans? Was this always kind of -- I guess there are bigger things that play and bigger goals to accomplish, and yes, he was just one man, but can there really be a bigger victory in your mind and some of the other veterans minds than this?

RIECKHOFF: Well, I think peace would be an ultimate victory, we all want that, but I think that this is a big one. And it's been a rough couple of years, and the toll on our community and on our families has been huge. So it's good to get some good news. And it's also great to have the support of the Americans people behind us. I mean I've gotten so many e-mails. All our members are getting so much support and so much tanks.

I think the key for us now is for the American public to keep that up. Memorial Day is coming in a couple of weeks and we want Americans to remember this feeling they have now, remember that support for our troops and veterans, carry it over into Memorial Day, carry it over into Veterans Day and throughout the next couple of years. We need folks to stay focused on our troops after this event passes.

HOLMES: You went down to Ground Zero the night of. Why did you go down there? What was that like down there?

RIECKHOFF: You know I was there working as a rescue worker 10 years ago. Never thought I'd go back and see folks celebrating and cheering in the same spot. So I wanted to be around other folks who were there. I wanted to experience it.

There were a lot of cops and firemen and veterans and first responders. And we -- you know, we weren't celebrating as much. I think we were down there reflecting and walking around, seeing the fire houses and spending time chatting with each other. But it was about closure and it was also about being around other people who understood your experience. You didn't want to just sit home on your couch. You wanted to be around other veterans who had been overseas and who you could talk to that experience about.

HOLMES: What is your thought now, because the debate has begun to rage a bit about what to do in Afghanistan. OK, we got this guy. We got the guy we were after. Let's high tail it out of there. What is your thought now on what the mission -- or how this might change the mission in Afghanistan? And should this speed up the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan?

RIECKHOFF: We should always be debating. I mean that's good to have the American public involved in that conversation. The troops talk about it all the time. I think it's clear we're coming home. You know, the president's made his time line clear. The question is whether or not that's going to be accelerated. And for our troops and veterans, you know, we just want to know what the expectation is. We want a clear mission. Whatever it is, we're going to achieve it.

And we also want folks to understand, there's still some heavy fighting going on in Afghanistan. We're preparing for a Taliban spring offensive. Iraq had the deadliest month in almost two years. So folks are still in harm's way. We need to make sure the American public keeps their eyes on what's happening overseas and they don't think there's some just -- some big plug was pulled and everybody's going to come rolling home. We're going to need support for the next couple years.

HOLMES: One more thing to you here. You said debate is always good. The other part of the debate going on right now is exactly how much credit goes towards this president, this administration, versus the last president and the last administration. In your estimation, is that even fair? Is that a silly argument to be having? Do you view it as, of course it took years of several administrations and a lot of people to make this happen? Or do you give a lot of credit to this administration and this president?

RIECKHOFF: Look, there's a lot of credit to go around. I know a lot of politicians are going to want credit. But the folks who deserve the credit are our troops. Those Navy SEAL operators and every other man and woman who's served since 9/11. Almost 2.2 million of them. And those are the folks who deserve the credit. And right now they need support, especially in the area of unemployment. We found out this morning the unemployment rate for Iraq and Afghanistan vets is still at 11 percent. That's two points higher than the national average. So we need folks to thank them for their service, thank them for this victory and, most importantly, give them a job, because that's what they need right now.

HOLMES: OK, that's a shame, that was the next thing I was going to be asking about. That 11 percent number. What do we need to do about that in your estimation? And often times we just put out that one number, 9 percent unemployment. It was 8.8 percent before. But should we also, every time we give that unemployment rate, make sure we give the breakdown of veterans, of minorities, of young people? What is your thought and why are we not focused enough on that number? It's a shame to hear that some of our veterans can't find jobs.

RIECKHOFF: I think it's a very important number. You know, bottom line is, there are over 200,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who are unemployed right now. IAVA's laser focused on that number this year and we're going to be for the next couple years. Our goal is to reduce veterans unemployment by Veterans Day. That's 11/11. We want to bring that number down way below 200,000.

Every American can help. You can hire a veteran. You can help train veterans. You can support organizations like ours that are spending them back to school and are setting them up for success. We're working with a lot of companies to try to hire them. And that's the bottom line there.

Understand that what you saw with these SEALs, you know, that's the type of community that our veterans are coming from. And those are the types of folks you want in your job. Whether it's a Fortune 500 company or a small business with five people, you want veterans on the front lines of this economy in the next couple years as well.

HOLMES: All right, Paul Rieckhoff. Man, it's always good to talk to you, buddy. Thanks so much.

RIECKHOFF: My pleasure.

HOLMES: You're passionate about what you do. I always applaud you for what you do. Thanks so much and I know I'll talk to you again soon. Enjoy your weekend.

RIECKHOFF: Thanks, T.J. Thank you. Always appreciate it, T.J.

HOLMES: All right. And we also want to mention that today is Military Spouse Appreciation Day. It's observed each year on the Friday before Mother's Day to honor the spouses who play, of course, a vital role in the nation's defense. It was first celebrated in 1984 during President Reagan's administration. And later today the first lady, Michelle Obama, as well as the vice president's wife, Jill Biden, will host a Mother's Day celebration for military connected moms, grandmoms and spouses. Also militaryavenue.com has an article on 101 ways to thank a military spouse.

I was just talking to Paul there about the unemployment rate. We did get new numbers today. The unemployment rate went up. But in two and a half minutes, I am going to explain why some people say that's actually a good sign. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right. Let me explain this. The unemployment rate went up. All right. But also we added a few hundred thousand jobs in April. How is it possible those two things happened at the same time? Let me explain this.

So, yes, employment, the recovery still picking up. Picking up some speed in the month of April. We just got these numbers today. Business payrolls added 244,000 new jobs for the month of April. That's up from 235,000 jobs that were added in March.

And it's more than most folks were expecting. Those experts out there, OK? Well, the biggest gains were made in professional services, but even manufacturing made a pretty big contribution to the overall number. But here is the other number of the day that people pay attention to. The unemployment rate. It went up to 9 percent. So, yes, added 244,000 jobs. So why is the unemployment rate going up? This actually ends four straight months of falling unemployment rates. So let me explain this. I know a lot of people are wondering how this works.

To put this simply, as the economy gets better, a lot of people start to feel better about the economy. They had given up looking for work before, but now they feel better about things. So now they get back into the job hunt. That is what pushes the overall rate a little higher.

Well, on "Your Money" this week, Christine Romans, Ali Velshi, spoke with former "New York Times" columnist Bob Herbert (ph) about the numbers and the perception of the economy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALI VELSHI, CNN: Take a look at this, Bob. The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll. Eight out of 10 Americans now feel that the economy is in poor shape.

BOB HERBERT, FORMER COLUMNIST, "NEW YORK TIMES": Right.

VELSHI: All right? Only 18 percent think it's good. Now when we break down what the most important issues are, they are, absolutely, the number one has been unemployment for a very long time. It's been years going on where unemployment is the number one concern. The number two concern is debt and deficit. The number three concern is gas prices. And that's relatively new because of this run-up in gas prices.

We've had a recovery. We've been in recovery technically for two years now.

HERBERT: Uh-huh.

VELSHI: What's wrong with this picture?

HERBERT: What's wrong with this picture is that we do not -- we tend not to focus enough, both in the media and the politicians, on employment, which is the most critical factor. That's why people think that the economy is not doing well because so many people are unemployed. Nearly 14 million people unemployed. A great number underemployed, working part-time because they can't find full-time jobs. And, a lot of the jobs that have been created in the co-called recovery have not been great jobs. They are service sector jobs, low- paying, without much in the way of benefits.

And then one quick point on the latest jobs numbers -- 244,000 is obviously a very encouraging number.

VELSHI: Yes.

HERBERT: It's an improvement over what we've seen. We need more, but it's an improvement. But, you know, if I recall, 50,000 or 60,000 of those jobs were McDonald's jobs.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN: Right.

HERBERT: These are jobs that average $8 an hour, sometimes less, and some of those jobs are actually part-time jobs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And be sure to join Christine Romans for "Your Bottom Line" each Saturday morning at 9:30 Eastern Time. You can also see the rest of "Your Money" with Ali Velshi Saturday at 1:00 p.m. and Sunday at 3:00 p.m.

Virginia Beach. That is the home of the Navy SEAL team that's credited with killing Osama bin Laden. Our Brian Todd traveled there. You can imagine some of these locals are very proud of their boys. But also he found out that there's one rule of the Navy SEAL team, you don't talk about the Navy SEAL team. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: SEAL Team Six. That is the special ops unit that carried out the deadly raid against Osama bin Laden. Virginia Beach, Virginia, is home to many of the team members, but it's a strangely quiet home. Nobody is really supposed to know who these SEALs are. Our Brian Todd has been following this for us, trying to follow these guys, if you will.

Brian, a lot of people would love to have them come out, do their big interview, give them a parade, but it doesn't quite work this way with the SEALs.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It does not, T.J.

You know, they do want to do those kind of things in Virginia Beach. They're not able to for obvious security reasons. Those SEAL commandos widely credited with killing Osama bin Laden are back on American soil. But in that town, where they're widely believed to be based, you would never know it, and that is by design.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): In a town where the buzzing of fighter jets is constant, where joyful reunions are a staple, America's most fearsome fighting unit goes unnoticed.

Unofficially called SEAL Team Six, they're the Navy commandos widely believed to have killed Osama bin Laden. SEAL training takes years. At least 75 percent of those who try out, wash out.

Despite their elite lead status, many of SEAL Team Six's neighbors here at Mary's Restaurant in Virginia Beach wouldn't know one of those warriors if they fell over him.

(on camera): When the SEALs come into a place like this, are they noticeable? HEATHER SKROBACKI, VIRGINIA BEACH RESIDENT: Personally, for me, I don't think they're noticeable beyond any other person in the military.

TODD (voice-over): John McGuire, a SEAL for 10 years, was once stationed near Virginia Beach.

(on camera): If I'm in a bar with a bunch of SEALs, am I going to know it?

JOHN MCGUIRE, FORMER NAVY SEAL: Hopefully, you won't. We're just Americans. You can't really put us in a box or in a category. We're just tall, short, large, not so large. We try to just blend in and be Americans.

TODD: SEAL Team Six is widely reported to operate out of this facility near Virginia Beach. We couldn't get on base. The unit is covered with such a degree of secrecy the military doesn't acknowledge that it's here or that it even exists -- and that code goes beyond operational security at the base.

When city officials here in Virginia Beach asked if they could honor the SEALs with simple recognition at a town festival this summer, the Navy declined.

(voice-over): City Councilman Bill Desteph isn't surprised. He's a former naval intelligence officer.

BILL DESTEPH, VIRGINIA BEACH CITY COUNCILMAN: There's no city, no matter where these individuals are from, that are -- will be able to confirm or deny or throw a ticker tape parade or anything else.

TODD: What will the ceremony be like? I mean, is it handing you something or say thanks, don't ever talk about this?

MCGUIRE: Well, I might be speculating. I maybe not even that.

TODD: Really?

MCGUIRE: It might be a beer and a hooyah!

TODD (voice-over): Then the SEALs will simply blend in, going to restaurants, stores, coaching Little League, until that next call comes. Then, according to Navy support group head Maryellen Baldwin, their wives or girlfriends won't even know much.

MARYELLEN BALDWIN, NAVY LEAGUE OF HAMPTON ROADS: Well, it's tough times, that's for sure, because at any given time, the families really don't know when they're going be deployed with it. It can happen on the middle of the night. It can happen on a holiday. It really doesn't matter.

TODD: A dedication that might compel these folks to wrap their arms around the SEALs if only they knew who they were.

LEILA BATMAN, GENERAL MANAGER, MARY'S RESTAURANT: We have the la creme de la creme in this area. And thank God we have them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: One local official in Virginia Beach told us they are concerned that the story, the bin Laden operation might draw too much attention and therefore, a heightened terrorist threat to that area, but they also say with so many military bases in that region already, they, frankly, have been dealing with the broader terrorism threat for many years -- T.J.

HOLMES: Brian, do you get a sense that a lot of folks you talk to there don't know that much about these SEALs in town? Or do they know a lot but quite frankly they want to protect these guys, their identities and, you know, keep this going?

TODD: A lot of them, they say, you cannot tell when they walk into a place because the SEALs, they don't necessarily groom themselves like military people a lot the time. They might have scruffy beards, a little longer hair. They're not always -- they're really almost never wearing their uniforms out in public. So, they don't -- they blend in that way and you can't tell.

But a lot of the places we went to -- we want to bars, restaurants, other places where they go, and the merchants, knowing that the SEALs were there and frequent there quite a lot, they tell us, look, we don't want to talk to you. We don't want you filming this place. They are concerned about security, but also, they don't want to lose the SEALs' business. They don't want to lose the SEALs' trust. So, that's a big element in the town.

HOLMES: Well, Brian Todd, digging as much as the town will allow there in Virginia.

TODD: Right.

HOLMES: Brian, good to see you as always. Thanks so much, buddy.

TODD: Thanks, T.J.

HOLMES: Well, coming up, folks, it was just last week -- these areas were getting hit by a historic outbreak of tornadoes. Now, we're talking about some of those same areas getting hit by historic flooding.

I'm back with you in 80 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, hello again, folks. I'm T.J. Holmes, sitting in today for Ali Velshi. We are at bottom of the hour now.

Getting you caught up on some of the stories you might have missed. You can't miss this, can you, folks?

Flooding in some parts of the South and Midwest, Memphis in particular we're showing you here -- people are being warned there that this stuff could get worse, part of the rainfall that one official says 600 percent more than normal.

The Mississippi River is the area likely -- in that area, it won't likely crest until this weekend well above flood stage. The Coast Guard says it will close a five-mile stretch of the Mississippi, at the Caruthersville, Missouri, to commercial traffic due to that high water.

And in Louisiana, Governor Bobby Jindal says he will enlist the help of the National Guard as floodwaters head downstream.

Well, a team of rescuers in Florida are working franticly now to save a group of pilot whales that stranded themselves in shallow waters. At least 16 whales stranded in a four-mile area about 20 miles north of Key West. Despite their efforts all morning, two whales have died.

The Marine Mammal Conservancy says the other whales are being brought into a holding pen where rescuers are monitoring their vitals, trying to keep them wet, keep them out of the sun. The situation for the whales is dire because workers say this kind of mass stranding can be a sign that the whales are actually sick.

Now, the employment recovery seems to have picked up speed in April. Business payrolls swelled, adding about 244,000 new jobs for the month. That's up from 235,000 jobs that were added in March. It's more than most people were expecting.

The biggest gains were in professional services. But even manufacturing made a pretty big contribution to the overall number. However, the unemployment rate, it went up to 9 percent. That ends now four straight months of declines in that rate. That rate often goes up as previously discouraged workers return to the labor force.

And President Obama, he's expected to meet with the secretive Navy SEAL team that killed Osama bin Laden and raided his compound, expecting that to take place in private at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, in just a few hours. The president is expected to honor and congratulate those men. Fort Campbell is home to the Special Operations Aviation Regiment that flew the stealth helicopters during the raid.

While the president is at Fort Campbell, he will also address troops who have recently returned home from combat in Afghanistan.

And former Olympic star Carl Lewis is keeping his political hopes alive. A federal appeals court issued an injunction to allow Lewis to remain on the ballot for the June Democratic primary for the New Jersey state Senate. That's for now. Political opponents argued he hasn't lived in the state long enough to run for office. He was ruled ineligible last week by the state's lieutenant governor. The court said the issue of whether Lewis (INAUDIBLE).

All right. If you got a lot of preconceived notions about school, get rid of them. Grade, grade levels, forget about it. Test scores, don't sweat it. That is what some school districts are saying now. You need to hear this, in just a minute.

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HOLMES: All right. We're never going to step too far away from the historic flooding happening in parts of the country right now. Also, the new developments on the Osama bin Laden story.

But we do want to talk about education here for just a moment. We often ask kids, what grade are you? We say, hey, what grades did you get on that report card? Some educators now say forget all of that.

There's a revolutionary new approach to education and it's just beginning to take root in schools across the country.

CNN's Deb Feyerick travels to one school district where some 10,000 students are redefining how teachers educate them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have a good day, guys. See you.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just outside of Denver, Colorado, something interesting is happening at Hodgkins Elementary School.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're working on measuring using a string.

FEYERICK: Kids discovering a different way of learning.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's an X-ray.

FEYERICK: Victor Perez and Dolce Garcia (ph) are both 11 years old. Ask them what grade they're in, you won't get a traditional answer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Level seven.

FEYERICK (on camera): And you are --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Six.

FEYERICK: What about reading?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Level seven.

FEYERICK: And you are?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Seven.

FEYERICK (voice-over): At Hodgkins, there are no grade levels. In fact, there are no grades, period. Kids are grouped on what they know, not how old they are.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are talking about a nonfiction book. FEYERICK: Jennifer Gregg's literacy class is made up of kids ages 8 to 10 with four different levels.

JENNIFER GREGG, LITERACY TEACHER: It's so individualized. We are filling in their gaps so they can move on.

FEYERICK: It's known as standards based learning, modeled on a belief every child learns in their own way.

SARAH GOULD, PRINCIPAL, HODGKINS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: Every student in every class is learning at exactly the spot that they're supposed to.

FEYERICK: Principal Sarah Gould helped put this system in place two years ago.

GOULD: For the first time, every child is getting exactly what they need, when they need it, and how they need it.

FEYERICK: No one moves to the next level without testing at the equivalent of a C or higher.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One hundred, you guys all got 100.

FEYERICK: And unlike traditional school, kids move up any time they're ready.

(on camera): How many of you have gone up a level this year? Wow.

(voice-over): The entire school district has been on an academic watch list because of below average standardized test schools.

Mother and school board president, Vicky Marshall, helped convince parents they needed to try this and make it work.

VICKY MARSHALL, SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT: Their biggest concerns were around -- how you would assign a grade point average.

FEYERICK: But changing course is not easy. Educators estimate it takes three to five years for standardized test scores to go up. So far, 300 schools nationwide have tried it, half couldn't stick with it.

Wendy Battino, who helps implement the model, says without strong leadership and community support, it won't work.

WENDY BATTINO, REINVENTING SCHOOLS COALITION: This is really hard. Superintendent lasts, what, two, two and a half years on average? It's really hard to lead systemic change when you have that much turnover.

FEYERICK: And though state test scores here haven't gone up, Principal Gould is still on board. Why? She says discipline problems dropped 76 percent since the change, and students now are more motivated than ever. Debra Feyerick, CNN, Westminster, Colorado.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: And we'll be examining the crisis in our public education system and why America's future is at risk. A CNN documentary called "DON'T FAIL ME: EDUCATION IN AMERICA," that premiers Sunday, May 15th, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, right here on CNN.

People have been fighting for years trying to find a solution. How exactly do you end slavery around the world? In two and half minutes, I'll explain why baseball might be part of the solution.

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HOLMES: Just days now after the killing of Osama bin Laden, a U.S. drone strike today killed 12 suspected militants in Pakistan. Pakistani intelligence officials say it happened in the tribal region of north Waziristan bordering Afghanistan.

The unmanned drone, perhaps like this one you're seeing here, hit a militant hideout and a vehicle carrying militants. The tribal region is a known staging area for Taliban forces fighting in Afghanistan.

Pakistan demanded a U.S. apology after 44 people were killed in a drone strike last month.

Today's attack was the 21st this year compared to 111 in all of last year. The right-wing political groups and Islamic fundamentalists have long used the drone attacks to stoke anti- American sentiments.

Well we think in this country of slavery ending a long time ago, but listen to these numbers now. An estimated 10 million to 30 million people are held in slavery today. In the fight to end it, baseball. Might seem like an odd weapon of choice, but not for a young pitcher with the World Champion San Francisco Giants.

Mark McKay has his story in a report that's part of CNN's year- long Freedom Project aimed at helping to end slavery.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARK MCKAY, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For Major League Baseball pitchers it's all about the strike, throwing that perfect pitch.

But off the field, San Francisco Giants pitcher Jeremy Affeldt is looking to strike out childhood slavery.

JEREMY AFFELDT, SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS PITCHER: To see what they have done to those kids and how they treat people was devastating to me. I wanted to try and figure out how I could use baseball to get the word out, you know, use my platform on what's going on and fight some of the injustice.

MCKAY: Affeldt teamed up with a non-profit group called Not For Sale, founded four years ago by Dave Batstone, a professor at the University of San Francisco. His organization launched Free to Play, as a way of encouraging professional athletes to support the global anti-slavery campaign.

DAVE BATSTONE, FOUNDER, NOT FOR SALE: I think everyone has this kind of gut sense that it's wrong to hold someone captive, to take away their future. So it's not that controversial of a subject, it's more about what can I do about it.

MCKAY: Last season, Affeldt donated $20,000, much of that coming from the $100 he pledged for every strikeout he pitched during the season. Now he's upping that to $250 per strikeout.

He's also raising awareness by recruiting teammates and opponents, tapping St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday, whose pledged $500 for every homerun he hits.

AFFELDT: you have so many different nationalities represented here. I mean, we're going -- we got some of the Asian ballplayers, we got some of the Latin guys. We got all these guys that there is slavery in all these countries.

MCKAY: Not For Sale has built a medical clinic, safe house and dormitories for former child slaves in northern Thailand. Here kids are now free to play on newly built basketball courts.

And in Peru, the group helped launch a surfing program for street kids.

Last season the San Francisco Giants won the World Series. Affeldt hopes the buzz surrounding his team will bring attention to a problem which many only rarely think about.

AFFELDT: It wasn't right in the 1880s. It's not right now and there's more slaves now than there was when it was legal. And to me, I don't get that.

MCKAY: A baseball player hoping to end modern-day slavery one strikeout at a time.

Mark McKay, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: And you can read more on CNN's year-long Freedom Project at CNN.com/freedom.

Well, imagine this, you're just walking down the streets and you're able to hear stories about the world around you. Maybe you hear about a terrible blind date that took place at the coffee shop you're walking by. Maybe you hear about a marriage proposal that was taking place on the very park bench where you're sitting.

How is all this possible? You guessed it. There's now an app for that. I'll tell you about it in two minutes.

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HOLMES: All right, a lot of you out there have probably gone through a museum before and you can buy that little headset, put that headset on and then listen to recordings about the different exhibits as you walk around. Can you imagine doing that just in your day-to- day life as you walk down the street?

Maybe you listen to the story of somebody's date that went wrong as you walk past the restaurant where it happened. Or maybe you learn about a historic event that took place on the very street corner where you are standing.

The GPS-powered application called Broadcaster now allows people to record their stories and link their recordings to specific locations on an interactive map for anybody to listen.

Joining me now, Scott Lindenbaum, he's a co-founder and president of Broadcaster.

Man, good to have you here. Did I explain that about right? How does it work? How is it possible that I could record something and then how is that linked up to somebody else who might just be walking down the street in that same location?

SCOTT LINDENBAUM, CO-FOUNDER & PRESIDENT, BROADCASTER.COM: Well, thanks for having me here, T.J., and I think that you did a great job explaining it.

You know, we are all walking around now with these things in the pockets, right, the smartphones, and they are incredible. They are receivers, they know where we are, and we can tell them what we are interested in. And based on that we can playback stories.

So Broadcaster is simple, it just lets anyone anywhere in the world tell a story with their own voice, they pin it to the map. And then when you go walking through the world and you get to a place where a story is pinned, it will automatically plays back and streams into your head, as you said, just like a museum tour, but of everything where everyone is contributing.

HOLMES: Now, Scott, can everybody do this? I know the app is up and running right now, but can anybody -- do you have to sign up? How does it work? Can anybody record a message?

LINDENBAUM: Absolutely, yes. If you have an iPhone or an Android phone, you can download the free application. If not, you can go to Broadcaster.com on the web and you just speak into the application, press the record button and pin your story to a map and it's there for everyone. It is a free platform.

HOLMES: And now, Scott, I have to ask, do you all screen these things and make sure that somebody is not giving -- I don't know -- giving some explicit description of something they did at the hotel a couple of weeks back? Do you make sure? And if a kid, you know, tried to listen to that message, do you have a safety method in place?

LINDENBAUM: Absolutely. You know, if Facebook showed us that people care very deeply about their friends and how their and how their friends' circle is represented, Broadcaster is going to show us that people care very deeply about the place where they live.

And when people use the application, the first thing they do is to go to the area they live and they listen to things about them. If they hear something they don't like, they can flag it and it is automatically pulled from the system. They can rate it down, and they can also rate things that they do like up. don't like it or rate the things they do like up.

So we're going to be telling the world what stories best represent the places where we live. And we are working with the 9/11 memorial to do that exact thing at the World Trade Center site right now.

HOMES: But do I hear it right, though, Scott? It sounds like you depend on the public to police this thing.

LINDENBAUM: Absolutely, yes. You know, the same people that are telling the stories about their world and their lives will be the people to tell us what is the most accurate representation of their neighborhoods. And we think that people will take ownership over their own space.

HOLMES: And, Scott, what about the privacy as well? Somebody could, you know, put on there, that hey, I'm going past Scott Lindenbaum's house right now, he is usually gone from here at about 3:00 a.m., you know, something like that.

Does that fall under the same category of the community has to police that kind of stuff?

LINDENBAUM: Yes, you know, and if something has not been rated and it gets flagged, it is automatically pulled from the service. If it has been rated, it goes up for review.

And we are not interested in breaking down privacy or endorsing hate speech or anything like that, so we're going to be monitoring very closely as we scale.

HOLMES: All right. Do we need this, man? Man, we got Twitter, we got Facebook, we got everything else in our lives and do we really need one more, Scott?

LINDENBAUM: Yes, well, you know it is interesting. We look at all of these different platforms, right, and we see text, we photos, we videos, et cetera, but there is no place right now for the human voice.

And myself and my co-founder asked ourselves, is the digital future going to exist without a place for the human voice, the way we have communicated for hundreds of thousands of years. And we believe that the answer is no.

So do we need one more? Well, maybe to support the most common form of communication, I think we do.

HOLMES: Well, Scott Lindenbaum, this is an interesting one. I'm going to check this one out myself. Again, it's called Broadcaster, I believe you said earlier it's a free app.

So, Scott Lindenbaum, we appreciate your being here, good luck with it. I'm sure we'll talk to you down the road.

And for our viewers, for more information about Broadcaster the app, you can check out CNN.com/Ali.

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