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Osama bin Laden Videotapes; Mississippi River Rising to Record Level; Gas Prices Drop; Marriage is Top Reasons for Financial Stress; Too Early for bin Laden Jokes?; Newt Gingrich to Declare his Presidential Candidacy on Wednesday

Aired May 09, 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. Want to get you up to speed for Monday, May 9th.

The focus on Osama bin Laden shifts from the daring raid that ended in his death to new insight into the man itself. And the big mystery -- who helped them?

Videos taken from bin Laden's Pakistani compound show a degree of vanity. He watched news accounts of himself, practiced his on-camera delivery, and dyed his beard black. President Obama says that bin Laden obviously had help, but whether the Pakistani government played a role remains an open question.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We think that there had to be some sort of support network for bin Laden inside of Pakistan, but we don't know who or what that support network was.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Pakistan's prime minister says talk of government complicity or incompetence in the bin Laden matter is "absolutely absurd," in his words. He warned the United States today, Pakistan will defend its airspace if American forces mount another secret raid.

Federal investigators are trying to figure out what set off two passengers on different planes. It happened this weekend.

Now, police say that a man traveling on a Yemeni passport rushed the cockpit door during a Chicago to San Francisco flight. Crew members, passengers quickly corralled him. And a law enforcement official tells CNN the man appears to have mental issues.

A Continental flight from Houston to Chicago had to land in St. Louis. That was due a rowdy passenger. This man tied to open the plane's door.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I hear a scream from the stewardess, and I see her fly across the thing. And so I go running, and I see this guy with his hands on the door, these two guys trying to hold him, and they couldn't. The guy was a bull. So what I did, I just jumped on his back, put him in the choke.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I also have to say that Americans are not going down like that anymore. The men were all up and out in a minute, getting him subdued.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: The Mississippi River is expected to crest at Memphis. That's going to happen tomorrow, just inches shy from the 1937 record.

Now, engineers say that the levee system that protects the city remains in good shape today. The worst flooding around Memphis is along rivers that empty into the Mississippi.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This river is normally a half- mile wide. It is now three miles wide. But the most intense flooding we have seen around Memphis has been on the tributaries that try to empty into the Mississippi. With this water up, that water has nowhere to go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Engineers have opened a spillway in Louisiana to ease pressure on the Mississippi and reduce the flood risk to New Orleans. Water is being diverted to Lake Pontchartrain, which empties into the Gulf of Mexico.

Well, in Japan today, workers in protective suits spent about 30 minutes inside the number 1 nuclear reactor at Fukushima. They measured radioactivity to see if it's dropped since Thursday, when they put in a ventilation system. Well, once lower radiation levels are confirmed, workers will reboot a cooling system as they try to shut down that reactor.

Three hours from now, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer is going to announce the state's next move to rescue its controversial immigration law from the courts. A three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has blocked the law, calling immigration a federal matter. Governor Brewer could ask the full Ninth Circuit to lift the injunction or she could appeal directly to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Jury selection begins today in the capital murdered trial of Casey Anthony. The young Florida mother is charged with killing her 2-year- old daughter Caylee in the summer of 2008. Now, no one reported the girl missing for about a month or so, and Caylee's remains were found in a wooded area near the family home a few months later.

More now on the videotapes of Osama bin Laden recovered in that raid on the compound released by the U.S. government. One of these tapes shows an aging bin Laden watching a younger version of himself on TV.

Well, I want to bring in our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr to explain some of this. This happened over the weekend. And we're watching these tapes of bin Laden, this one in particular that struck our interest. He's wearing a knit sweater, he's rocking back and forth. He has a remote control in his hand and he's watching himself on television.

Barbara, what do you think this says about bin Laden as a man or even as a leader? What does the Pentagon really take away from this?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Suzanne, U.S. government officials, U.S. intelligence officials say this is the real bin Laden, that he was very vain, watching himself on TV, trying to check his image out all the time. When he wasn't on TV himself, he was dyeing -- he let his beard go gray, dyeing his beard black when he made those formal tapes.

But, you know, I think it's really important to understand, we are only seeing a fraction of material. We are seeing an edited version of the tapes there. There is no audio. The U.S. government took that off. They didn't want to be in the position of broadcasting bin Laden's words.

So, what we are seeing, clearly, is the U.S. government now trying to control the image of Osama bin Laden that the world sees.

MALVEAUX: Why are they doing that? Why are they so careful, so cautious about editing this and even taking out the audio, going as far as taking out the natural sound of the tape?

STARR: Well, they don't want to broadcast bin Laden's words, of course, because they don't want the U.S. to be in the position, the government, of giving him any air time, if you will, letting his words be another element of al Qaeda propaganda, in the views of the United States. They are going now through this vast amount of intelligence that the Navy SEALs grabbed on the way out that night, handwritten documents, computer files, thumb drives, DVDs, these videos, all of it, trying to determine what it all means.

Are there real plots and plans? Is al Qaeda really able to launch more attacks?

What we were told is that this all shows the amount of material. It shows that bin Laden himself was in operational control of al Qaeda, that he was in charge, that he was plotting and planning. But, of course, this material needs to be assessed to see if all of that is real.

Is this the computer rantings of a madman, or did he, in fact, have the organization, the money and the troops to carry out more plots and plans? And can the U.S. find those and get after them as fast as possible?

MALVEAUX: Barbara, you bring up a very good point, that the U.S. government is really trying to shape the image of bin Laden after his death, in fear that perhaps he'll be regarded as a martyr, a hero by some. Do we expect for the government, the Pentagon to look at more additional information, additional tapes, and release them to the public as they see fit?

STARR: I don't know the answer to that, Suzanne. I think we're all fascinated to see what comes next.

Clearly, there are more tapes, this is more information. There is now an interagency government task force, an alphabet soup, if you will, of intelligence community agencies going through all of this, we are told, as fast as they can to try and see what they can learn.

And, of course, one of the big issues is, who comes next in al Qaeda after Osama bin Laden? A lot of concern about al Qaeda in Yemen, of course, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, and that American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, he has been behind some plots and plans that have really reached out and touched, especially the underwear bomber, that failed attack in Detroit on Christmas Day a couple of years ago. He's shown he's got the ability to reach out.

They're going to be watching him, of course, very, very closely now.

MALVEAUX: All right. Barbara Starr, thank you for putting it into perspective. And obviously if there are additional videos or tapes, I'm sure you'll be the first to get your hands on them.

Thank you, Barbara.

Here's your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. Today's question: Who should get the bin Laden bounty?

Well, our Carol Costello, she joins us.

Carol, sorry you're not here in Atlanta with us, but it is good to see you. And as always, a provocative question on the table.

COSTELLO: Absolutely. What about that reward money? Was it painstaking intelligence work, or tips from informants that let the Navy SEALs to Osama bin Laden?

We may never know, but there may be up to $50 million out there in limbo. Two New York congressmen say don't just let the reward money sit there, give it to groups that helped 9/11 victims.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ANTHONY WEINER (D), NEW YORK: These programs are ones that desperately need funding, that are still every day dealing with the ramifications of September 11th. Hopefully they will now benefit from this reward money.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JERROLD NADLER (D), NEW YORK: It was allocated for 9/11 victims, in effect, and this is simply saying, use it more effectively for the purpose that it was set up in the first place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The money could go to first responders like John Feal, who lost part of his foot working at Ground Zero.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN FEAL, INJURED 9/11 FIRST RESPONDER: Widows on Mother's Day, children on Mother's Day, today, have no father or mother because of their illnesses they suffered at 9/11.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Now, the bounty program has helped track down terrorists. Since 1984, it's paid out over $100 million to more than 60 people.

CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin says giving the money to victims, no matter how good a cause that may be, defeats the purpose of the bounty. We need those tips to keep coming in.

And if you really want to get technical about it, didn't those Guantanamo Bay prisoners provide information that helped catch bin Laden? Nobody's suggesting they get any reward money, right?

So the "Talk Back" question today: Who should get the bin Laden bounty?

Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll read your comments later this hour.

MALVEAUX: Carol, I think you're absolutely right. Nobody anticipates the Gitmo detainees to get some of that money. But it is an interesting technical issue, if you think about it, legally speaking.

COSTELLO: Well, don't you want a huge reward, like, floating out there for people who have information about terrorist plots that are going down? That's what this reward money is really for.

MALVEAUX: All right. Carol, looking forward to all those responses. Thank you.

COSTELLO: Sure.

MALVEAUX: Here's the rundown of some of the stories we are covering in the next two hours.

We're going to debunk some of the myths spreading about bin Laden.

And watching helplessly as the river rises. Memphis is now bracing for historic flooding.

Then, lost in the Nevada wilderness since March. A 56-year-old woman survives. We're going to tell you about that.

Plus, baby boomers coming of age. The best time to start cashing in on Social Security.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think, honestly, he set the world record for the quickest time between someone dying and it being OK to make jokes about them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Bin Laden -- now the punch line. The comedians of the "Big Brown Comedy Hour" are not wasting any time.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: We're taking an in-depth look at the Mississippi River as it continues its devastating rise. Levee systems in Memphis are still holding, but tomorrow the river is expected to crest at its highest level in 70 years.

Our David Mattingly is live from Memphis.

David, tell us how bad it is. I know you've been in that water and you've seen people who have been evacuating. What are they dealing with now?

MATTINGLY: Well, Suzanne, we are just a few inches away from seeing this river crest, and that's going to happen sometime tomorrow. But look at all the water that's here. This is absolutely historic.

This Mississippi River, here in Memphis, is usually only a half a mile wide. Look at it now. It is three miles wide.

Mud Island, a popular tourist destination over here behind me, most of it under water. The flag's flying on a little island that's completely cut off.

But right now, here in Memphis, the biggest toll has been around in the outlying areas. Not so much on the riverfront here, but along the tributaries, where the water normally drains into the Mississippi. That water gets backed up when this river comes up, and we've seen sporadic flooding all around the city here.

In some of the worst areas, we've seen entire trailer parks submerged. We've seen houses in the water. As of this moment, we've got between 300 and 400 people in shelters, and it's likely they will be there a while because, Suzanne, this water took just days to get here, but it's going to take weeks to get out of here. It could be sometime in June before the Mississippi goes back down into its banks.

MALVEAUX: And David, how deep is that water where you are?

MATTINGLY: Oh, boy, I don't even know what's down there. I couldn't begin to tell you.

The only thing that has not been affected are the paddle boats for the tourists over here. Of course, they get to float on top of it. They've got those flat bottoms. They were built for a rising and falling Mississippi way back in the 1800s. So they've been OK, but there's all sorts of sidewalks and everything under here.

I couldn't begin to tell you exactly how deep it is right here, but we are about three or four inches away right now from seeing this flood crest here in Memphis. And once it's done here, this is all going to move south, join with more water, and we're going to see higher and higher records being set further down the Mississippi.

MALVEAUX: And how are folks dealing with this? I mean, is there a sense of calm, a sense of panic? I mean, now, we're looking at just hours away of what could potentially be very dangerous.

MATTINGLY: Well, first of all, let's point out that there is absolutely no panic. This has been a slow-moving disaster. Officials have been way out in front of this. They know exactly where the water's going to hit and they know who to get out of harm's way. So that's been going very orderly.

Of course, people are very upset when it turns out that their neighborhood is the one that's the next to fall to this flood. But right now there's been a lot of curiosity, people coming down here to the riverfront, taking pictures of this historic flood. But there's also a concern about an economic impact right now.

That's because they're going to have their big annual barbecue festival down here on the riverfront. That's had to be moved to high ground.

And now the mayor is telling us that he's worried that there's a certain amount of alert fatigue, that people might get used to the dangers being in their back yard and may start taking it for granted. Listen.

MALVEAUX: David, I don't think we have that.

MATTINGLY: Suzanne, we don't have that sound bite, yes. But the mayor saying that their big concern is that people will get too used to hearing them say, "Be careful," and they'll start to make mistakes.

This water's going to be around for quite a long time. They're going to be dealing with it for weeks as it goes away, and then there's the huge cleanup and getting things back to normal here.

MALVEAUX: All right. Well, we certainly hope that they heed the mayor's advice.

David, thank you very much. Please be safe.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MALVEAUX: We all cringe when we stop and fill up our gas tanks these days, but we're getting a bit of a break from gas prices now. We're going to tell you why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) MALVEAUX: We're following CNNMoney.com's lead story: "Google Misses on Gadgets." This is how the company is a master of Web software. When it comes to devices, however, they are struggling to come up with some gadgets.

We're also going to take a quick check of the markets here.

The Dow Jones, up 15 or so points. Keeping a close eye on that.

We are also looking at gas prices. This is amazing. It's down for the fourth straight day in a row. But even so, we're spending a heck of a lot of money, part of our budget, on gas these days.

I want to bring in our CNN's Alison Kosik, who joins us from New York.

Alison, this is good news. I'm excited to hear this.

Before we get to this drop in the gas prices, tell us, how much are we spending, do you think, on average, per month on gas? I know every time I fill up my tank it's about $50 or so.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, if you really count it up, it's really amazing when you look at it over a month's period of time.

You know, the average household, Suzanne, spent $368 on gas last month. You know, what can you do with $368? I don't know. You can buy two iPod nanos, or, hey, maybe buy a plane ticket from New York to L.A.

Want a bigger comparison? Look at this -- $368 is double what we spent two years ago. But, you know, gas was $2 then.

So what do you get now? Well, you get people cutting back where they can, especially on even filling up their own tanks. We've seen demand for gasoline drop because people are saying enough is enough with these prices -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And Alison, tell us why this is happening. We've seen these dips here. Is this something to come? Are we going to see this happen for a while?

KOSIK: Well, this is kind of the good news in all this. You know, gas prices are likely to keep falling. And then, the bad news, of course, it's not going to be a huge drop.

And analysts are all over the map on how much of a drop we could see. But most of these analysts see a decline of 10 to 20 cents over the coming weeks, so that keeps us in the high $3 range.

And to be honest with you, for most people, the difference between gas that's $3.76 a gallon and $3.96, it isn't huge, it's still high gas prices, because we've got these oil prices. They're still up there, or they're trading at $100 a barrel a day. So, the reality is, a modest decline may be in the cards, but that $2 gas, it's long gone -- Suzanne. MALVEAUX: All right. Every little bit counts, though. Every little bit helps if we can.

KOSIK: It does.

MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Alison.

Well, Osama bin Laden -- we are separating the man from the myths. We're going to examine some reported misconceptions about the terrorist leader.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Here's a rundown of some of the stories that we are working on.

Bin Laden, the terrorist and bin Laden the myth -- we separate fact from fiction.

Plus, cashing in on Social Security. Our Christine Romans tells baby boomers it's a question of timing.

And then, comedians performing at the "Big Brown Comedy Hour" in New York take shots at bin Laden.

President Obama says sending U.S. troops on the raid that took out bin Laden was worth the risk, even though it wasn't 100 percent certain that bin Laden was actually in that compound. In an interview on "60 Minutes," the president was asked what the success of the mission meant for his administration.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: Well, it was certainly one of the most satisfying weeks not only for my presidency, but I think for the United States since I've been president. Obviously, bin Laden had been not only a symbol of terrorism, but a mass murderer who had alluded justice for so long. And so many families who had been affected I think had given up hope. And for us to be able to definitively say we got the man who caused thousands of deaths here in the United States was something that I think all of us were profoundly grateful to be a part of.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Material recovered from the raid on bin Laden's compound provides some new insight into the terrorist leader and his organization. A "The Washington Post" editorial by CNN national security analyst Peter Bergen examines five myths about bin Laden.

Now, joining us to talk about that is national security contributor Fran Townsend.

Fran, thank you for joining us here.

I want to tackle these one by one. I found this to be a fascinating op-ed here, an article. Myth one: the CIA created bin Laden, that there was some kind of relationship between the CIA, that he was trained by U.S. intelligence, and it went bad, something that Michael Moore and other conspiracy theorists promoted.

Why do you think that gained so much traction? Does that sound preposterous having been a part of the intelligence community?

FRANCES FRAGOS TOWNSEND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CONTRIBUTOR: It sounds preposterous to me but I understand. You know, this goes back to the soviets and the myth was that somehow the CIA had been responsible for funding an army in the Arab mujahedeen in Afghanistan. Not true.

To the extent there was any U.S. involvement, the U.S. was working with the Pakistani intelligence service in terms of combating the soviet threat in Afghanistan during the Cold War. But it's pretty clear and Peter's op-ed makes clear, the CIA was not responsible for the creation and the funding, if will you, of bin Laden.

MALVEAUX: Now Fran, I want to press you on this one, myth, too, that bin Laden attacked the United States because of our freedoms. And this was something that we heard from President Bush all the time after September 11th. He even addressed Congress saying, they hate our freedoms. Our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote, assemble, disagree, all of those things.

But Bergen points out that in all the tens of thousands of words uttered by bin Laden, American freedoms and values didn't really come up that much. What he really hated was U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.

Now, how do you square that with what President Bush said many, many times?

TOWNSEND: Well, there's no question that bin Laden very much resented American presence in the region and often would speak about American troops being present in the land of the two holy mosques -- that's a reference to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

But let's be clear. Bin Laden's whole ideology is inconsistent with this notion of freedom of press, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, women's rights. And, I mean, so what President Bush was saying was, look, they also disagree very heavily. They're whole ideology, their whole ethos is inconsistent with our freedoms and our way of life.

MALVEAUX: Al Qaeda's -- myth number three, al Qaeda's ideology has nothing to do with Islam. President Bush very much to his credit was adamant that al Qaeda represented this perversion of Islam. But that was not true. But there are members of al Qaeda who say, look, that their struggle does have to do with defending what they consider to be true Islam.

So how do people square that? What should they take away from that?

TOWNSEND: Bin Laden and Zawahiri understood very well in order to garner support and to have recruits from the Muslim world, they needed to be sure that they convinced people, they persuaded people, that what they were preaching was not inconsistent with devout Islam. And so they cherry picked, if you will, versus from the Koran, which are believed to be the actual word of god. Not an interpretation, but the direction of Mohammed the prophet of the almighty.

And so what they would do is cherry pick verses. I mean, there are pretty gruesome verses in the bible that one could cherry pick, as well. And so that's what bin Laden was doing to try and give comfort to those he was seeing to recruit, to execute sort of his evil vision of the world.

MALVEAUX: Myth four. Ayman al-Zawahiri, not bin Laden was the real brains of al Qaeda. What do we know about who was really in charge?

TOWNSEND: This really astounds me, because what we know from intelligence and from our relationships with foreign intelligence services is that, in fact, bin Laden was very intimately involved in the planning of 9/11 and kept Zawahiri out of that. Zawahiri really wanted to focus on overthrowing the regime in Egypt and others regime throughout the Arab Gulf and bin Laden was much more focused on attacking the United States and establishing this caliphate (ph). And it was bin Laden's vision that prevailed over time.

MALVEAUX: And finally, real quick here Fran, myth number five. Bin Laden's death is symbolically important but irrelevant to the war on terror.

What do we know from what the CIA has gathered?

TOWNSEND: Well, we know very directly from the Saturday briefing of the CIA that bin Laden turns out to have be more operationally involved than we had believed for many years. And, look, bin Laden himself, people would swear when they joined al Qaeda, they swore bayat, that is loyalty, fealty (ph), if you will, to bin Laden, not just the organization. And so bin Laden's not being there takes away a source of recruitment, financing, and most importantly, the operatives to carry out the crimes.

MALVEAUX: And Fran, real quick, do we have any sense of what's happening with the three wives or any of the children that were there at the compound, the bin Laden compound, when he was executed?

TOWNSEND: We don't, really. The Pakistani government has said that they'll be returned to their countries of origin and they're denying U.S. officials access to them.

I will tell you, Suzanne, this is not unusual. We often had -- Pakistanis had people in custody we wanted access to and frequently they would deny us direct access. And so this is sort of an ongoing debate between the intelligence services and the countries, the governments of both countries.

MALVEAUX: All right. Fran Townsend. Thank you very much for breaking it down for us. Appreciate it. 2010 was a good year for CEOs at the biggest American companies. The "Wall Street Journal" reports salaries jumped 11 percent. Coming in at number three, the CEO of CBS made $53.8 million in his salary, bonuses and stock and options. CEO of Oracle, $58.6 million. Can you guess what the most highly paid U.S. CEO made last year?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Chief executives at the biggest U.S. companies might an average of $9.3 million in 2010. That is a whopping 11 percent jump over the prior year. Most of that was because of big increases in bonuses as profits recovered from the recession.

Can you guess what the highest paid CEO brought in last year? $84.3 million. We're talking million dollars. The award goes to Viacom's chief executive Philippe Dauman.

Well, they were the generation that was going to change the world and in many ways they actually did. They're the baby boomers and they reshaped politics, music, popular culture and like no other generation before. But today, they're also criticized as self-absorbed, privileged. Well, this year the first wave is now turning 65, and this week's CNN Newsroom is taking a closer look at the baby boomers and their impact. Today we are focusing on Social Security.

Christine Romans joins us from New York with advice on the best time to start cashing in.

Hey, Christine. Good to see you.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Good to see you, too. You know, 10,000 boomers every single day are turning 65, and they'll do that for the next 19 years. Think of that demographic. So for them, it's the most important financial decision a boomer will ever make. A middle income couple that waits as long as possible to collect Social Security benefits could receive up to $100,000 more over their retirement than if they began collecting right away.

Put most simply, Suzanne, work as long as you can and delay collecting Social Security and you'll draw the most money when you retire. For baby boomers bon between 1943 and 1954, the full retirement age is now 66. It'll go up to 67. Boomers are eligible to collect Social Security as early as 62 years old. But each year a boomer waits until age 70, they get more money in that monthly check. So it pays to wait.

MALVEAUX: So Christine, what if you're suffering, you have health issues or problems. What if you need the money right now?

ROMANS: And that's why so many people do choose to take it earlier. And anything involving money and mortality is not simple. So you need to consider these variables, boomers.

Health, whether you still have a job and have income coming in. How much money you have in the bank. Your pension, your 401(k). Can you live on an IRA until were you start drawing on the Social Security check later? You can check out these numbers from AARP, as well, for argument's sake -- the AARP.

If you claim benefits early, Suzanne, at 62, let's say for argument's sake you're getting $1,000 a month. OK, based on that number, if you claim instead at 67 you're going to get up to $500 more each month. Wait until 70 years old, you're going to get almost $900 more each month. Every single year you wait, you get an eight percent increase in your monthly benefits. So if you claim at 66 or 67 years old, benefits are going to be 33 percent higher than if you claimed early at 62. And if you want until your benefits are going to be 76 percent higher.

Every single month you wait past the official retirement age, there's a boost in credit. And a plus for married couples, Suzanne. The younger spouse can collect on the older spouse's benefits and delay collecting their benefits until they hit 70 so the couple literally reaps the benefits of waiting.

MALVEAUX: That's a good thing. Social Security, though, it's not supposed to be the only retirement money that you're living on, yes?

ROMANS: Yes. It's not supposed to conquer everything and it won't cover everything. The longer you wait, though, the more of your monthly expenses might be covered under this benefit.

According to AARP, wait until age 70, and about 82 percent of your living expenses are covered. Start collecting though at 62, it's going to cover just 36 percent of living expenses. So it's a pretty dramatic difference for waiting.

Of course, everyone can't afford to wait. If you don't have a job and don't have the income, you might have to draw on these benefits. If you're in poor health, I hear this a lot. If you're in poor health you want to start getting the benefits as soon as you can so that you can draw out of that benefit in case you don't live very long. But if you can put off collecting for a year or two, it's going to work in your favor.

And, Suzanne, calculators you can find for this at the Social Security Administration, also AARP. Every single person who's a boomer, thinking about retirement, thinking about this issue, needs to spend an awful lots of time deciding -- I'm not kidding -- how you decide this decision is going to be a difference between tens of thousands of dollars to live on in retirement. So it's a pretty weighty decision to make.

MALVEAUX: Wow. Great advice. Thank you, Christine.

Keeping up with the bills can take a big toll on your health. Ahead, how to avoid the financial stress.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: A Republican presidential contenders gets ready to make it official. Shannon Travis, part of the Best Political Team on Television, live from the political desk in Washington.

Shannon, great to see you. Tell us, which potential candidate are we talking about?

SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: Hey, Suzanne. Yes, this is big news for us here in the political unit. Newt Gingrich on Wednesday will make it official that he will enter the presidential race. He'll formally declare that he's a presidential candidate via Twitter and Facebook. This is coming to us via our CNN senior producer Kevin Bond.

Now you remember that Newt Gingrich has been exploring, he's been exploring to run for president for the past few months. He'll make it official on Wednesday and he will speak formally as a presidential candidate for the first time on Friday at the Georgia Republican Convention.

MALVEAUX: Big news. How about the Tea Party? Also making news on the ticker. What's happening there?

TRAVIS: Absolutely right. The Tea Party. On Friday, they sent out kind of cryptic press release, Suzanne, saying surprise announcement coming from the Tea Party Express next week for their first Senate endorsement for the 2012 race.

I have been working the phones, doing some reporting. I can tell thaw it will focus on the Nebraska race. Now, you know that the current Democratic Senator Ben Nelson there in Nebraska. He's been a target of the Tea Party for a while now. They're saying, my sources tell me, the person they pick is going to be in that race. More to come on that also, Suzanne.

And meanwhile, I just got back from a national press club event with other Tea Party members. They're pressuring speaker -- House Speaker John Boehner -- you know, he's going to be speaking tonight talking about the debt ceiling. These Tea Partiers said today, you know what John Boehner, we helped elect you house speaker, we helped get you a Republican majority in the House. Do not raise the debt limit.

MALVEAUX: Big news. Travis, thanks for bringing it all of it to us. Shannon Travis.

TRAVIS: You got it.

MALVEAUX: The latest political news, you know where to go, CNNPolitics.com.

Well, they say that money doesn't equal happiness but it can equal stress for a lot of people struggling to keep up with bills. Well, our Carmen Wong Ulrich has some tips on how you can keep your finances under control.

CARMEN WONG ULRICH, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Suzanne. Well, according to the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, when it comes to where you're experiencing the most financial stress, well, your marriage tops that list.

So if you're one of the 27 percent who say that money is putting a strain on your relationship, first remember that you are a team and it's in your best interests to work together to resolve money issues and to keep each other informed. Set up a date each month to sit down and review household finances together even if only one of you manages the day-to-day bills. Also, don't hide purchases from each other. If it's autonomy you crave, set a limit that you both agree on that you can spend under without reporting in. Or, if you're hiding your spending because it's a problem, consider the real cost of what you're doing, and it's effect on the goals and needs that you have together.

Also, when it comes to the kids, 13 percent say that financial distress has negatively affected their role as a parent. If you're worried about providing for your family, don't necessarily hide decision-making from the kids. Let them know that you're under some financial strain and let them know how they can help. For example, by respecting your limits and coming up with cheaper ways to get things done. Think of it as a family project to get more financially fit.

And finally, don't let your debts keep you up at night. Sixteen percent of folks say they've lost sleep over finances, with another 24 percent saying money problems were taking a toll on their health.

So tackle your debt head-on. Ignoring bills only delays your troubles and makes that debt grow. It can also cost you much, much more in late fees while your credit scores are going to take a big hit. And it's a hit that you can't afford. Remember, the more control you take, the better you'll feel.

And the best part, you don't have to do it alone. You can always talk to a certified credit counselor, a nonprofit one, by going to the NFCC's site, debtadvice.org. Call 800-388-2227 -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Thanks, Carmen.

We're getting a lot of your responses to today's Talk Back question. We asked who should get the bin Laden bounty?

Carol Costello is up next with your response.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: $50 million is a lot of money. That is how much the bounty on Osama bin Laden could be worth and brings us to today's Talk Back question and our own Carol Costello here with your responses.

Hey, Carol.

COSTELLO: Hi, Suzanne.

So the Talk Back question today, who should get the bin Laden bounty?

This from Lynne. "There is a bounty and no one really know whose gave up bin Laden. I say put the money back into the economy and help create new jobs because we're struggling right now here in our own country."

This from Chuck. "Give it to the 9/11 victims for medical bills. It really doesn't matter what we say anyone, they're going to do with it what they want."

This from Steve. "I think the bounty should go to food banks all over the country and to Habitat for Humanity.

And this from Funk Winkerbean. We don't believe it's the real Funk but it's our friend Funk. "The 9/11 victims have been compensated as much as possible. They've been paid money, they got justice. No amount of money will bring back their loved ones or make up for their loss. Put the money back into the economy."

Keep the conversation going, facebook.com/carolCNN. Facebook.com/carolCNN.

And I'll talk to you again in about 15 minutes -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right, Carol. Thank you.

Well, the comedians are certainly taking on Osama bin Laden.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They said bin Laden might have used one of his four lives as human shield which, of course, is really horrific. But when you think about it, I mean, living with your wife in one room for six years, I'm just saying, that's -- not a joke that I thought would go over but I figured I'd throw it out there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Comedians at the Big Brown Comedy Hour get payback one punch line at a time.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Osama bin Laden made plenty of videotaped appearances during his years as a fugitive but only "Saturday Night Live" has the tape of bin Laden's last will and testament.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Second, as to my place of burial, I leave the decision to my executers, provided that wherever it is, they do not bury me at sea.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As my family well knows, I have a deathly fear of being eaten by fish so I'm very serious about this. Do not bury me at sea.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Is it too soon for the bin Laden jokes? Not for a group of Arab, Indian and Pakistani funny men who call themselves Brown Comedians. They came together last night in New York for a night of standup and our Pete Dominick finds out that the Big Brown Comedy tour -- the comedy hour, that they weren't pulling any punches.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE DOMINICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): September 11th changed America and it changed comedy, as well. I'm going to take you inside the Big Brown Comedy Show where Arab-American, Muslim-American comedians will be telling their jokes on stage, sharing their experiences. And we'll also ask when is it too soon to joke about someone who's died even if that person is Osama bin Laden?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Big Brown Comedy Hour. Hi.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think our community needs a release, a catharsis. Our comedy in a way serves that purpose.

DEAN OBEIDALLAH, COMEDIAN: I think honestly he set the world record for the quickest time between someone dying and it being OK to make jokes about them.

(LAUGHTER)

OBEIDALLAH: There's a great weight lifted off our shoulders with the death of bin Laden.

AASIF MANDVI, COMEDIAN: Yes, So, wow, right? can you believe it? After all this time, Casey Abrams voted off "American Idol."

DOMINICK: How did the bin Laden material work?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was great. You know, I don't think they knew that he had been killed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think if we've learned any lesson from this thing, don't ask a Pakistani to help you find something.

(LAUGHTER)

OBEIDALLAH: I am not only happy he's dead, I think the whole community is happy because we know what he did to us here.

MEENA DIMIAN, COMEDIAN: The only bittersweet thing about catching bin Laden was that it didn't happen two days earlier to ruin that (EXPLETIVE DELETED) wedding, OK? That that is the only thing.

KAREEM, AUDIENCE MEMBER: The truth is funny. And if you cover up the truth it's not going to be funny, it's just going to be awkward. So I think comedians have a special power and have almost a responsibility to cut through that and just tell it as it is, because it'll be funny and it'll -- it's just, put everyone at a sense of ease.

DOMINICK: You're putting a lot of pressure on me.

They say bin Laden might have used one of his four wives as a human shield, which, of course, is really horrific. But when you think about it, I mean, living in your wife in one room for six years -- I'm just saying. That's not a joke I thought would go over but I figured I'd throw it out there. That is a wife-hating joke. It's not a bin Laden joke.

What's it feel like to be in a room with all that diversity and people that share some of your beliefs, but all laughing together?

EMAN AL-ZOGHBY, AUDIENCE MEMBER: Home. It feels like home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)