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Rising Mississippi River; Pakistani Prime Minister Blasts 'Blame Game'; Escape From Libya; Children Played in Bin Laden's Neighborhood; First Wave of Baby Boomers Hitting Retirement Age; Making the Best of a Buyer's Market; Decision Saves Town, Floods Farms

Aired May 09, 2011 - 12:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEZUX, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour. I'm Suzanne Malveaux. Want to get you up to speed.

Videotapes released by the Pentagon show a glimpse of the man Osama bin Laden. The tape seized at bin Laden's Pakistan compound show a terror leader concerned with appearances. He practiced his video messages in front of the camera and dyed his beard black. President Obama says that Osama's death may foreshadow the demise of al Qaeda.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're not done yet but we've got the opportunity, I think, to really, finally, defeat at least al Qaeda in that border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: A Pakistani boy tells CNN that he played the kids who lived at bin Laden's house, but never knew their names. Sometimes their ball landed inside the wall's compound. The boy thought it was strange it would take 20 minutes to get someone to answer the door.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZARAR AMJED TURK, NEIGHBOR (through translator): Whenever our cricket ball went into the compound, we knocked on the door and asked for the ball. But the guy always said our ball was lost, gave us 50 rupees, and asked us to buy a new one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: The Army Corps of Engineers took steps today to ease the flood pressure on the bloated Mississippi River. It opened a spillway northwest of New Orleans, allowing water to flow into Lake Pontchartrain and into the Gulf of Mexico.

The Mississippi is expected to crest in Memphis tomorrow, very near the record that was set in 1937. Hundreds of homes in the area have gone under water.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) KHALID AFFLIETTO, FLOOD VICTIM: Our house flooded in about six or seven feet of water. The water was about two my neck or about higher. We got clothes, shoes, material things, but whatever was really old and could be replaced, we just left it there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Federal investigators are looking into a pair of airline security incidents that happened over the weekend. Officials say a passenger flying on a Yemeni passport rushed the cockpit door of an American Airlines plane that was bound for San Francisco. Crew members and other passengers quickly grabbed him. A law enforcement official says the man appears to be mentally unstable.

And a Continental flight from Houston to Chicago had to land in St. Louis. That's because a passenger tried to open the plane's door during the flight.

Doctors say that 56-year-old Rita Chretien is recovering well considering she was just a few days from death. The Canadian woman and her husband got stuck in the northern Nevada wilderness on their way to Las Vegas. Well, he went for help and he now still remains missing. She stayed in the van living on melted snow and trail mix.

Hunters discovered Chretien on Friday. That was 49 days.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LORRAINE HOVING, RITA CHRETIEN'S SISTER-IN-LAW: I'll probably cry just seeing Rita, knowing that she survived seven-and-a-half weeks in a van and hung on to hope for all that time. Probably, words will not come, and probably tears will come and lots of hugs and kisses.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

Engagement -- good idea. Engagement and wedding ring sales, they're up 15 percent to 20 percent. That is in Japan.

And our CNN's Kyung Lah reports that Japan's earthquake, the tsunami, the nuclear disaster, they're reminding people that life can be precious and fickle.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KYUNG LAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: (voice-over): "Up until now, I've been devoted to work. But it's time to focus on my life. I need to act now before another disaster."

Matchmaker Miuki Uwakusa (ph) says Yoko isn't her only client. She's seen a 30 percent jump in business since the tsunami and nuclear crisis.

(on camera): Does this surprise you? Is this something that you were expecting?

(voice-over): "I didn't expect it," she says, "but the members of my matchmaking service all felt the same fear that they could die. Seeing the sad images on television reminded them of the importance of having a partner in life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Bracing for the worst. We are taking an in-depth look at the rising Mississippi River.

Just hours ago, the Army Corps of Engineers opened a spillway upriver from New Orleans to prevent the city from flooding. But, in Memphis, the floodwaters are already doing damage.

I want to bring in our CNN's David Mattingly, who is there. He is joining us live.

David, give us a scenario, paint a picture, if you will. How bad is it right now where you are?

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Suzanne, last hour you asked me, how deep was this water behind me? I'm getting into it now just so you can see.

I'm only halfway down this staircase, down into this area where tourists normally walk over to the river boats back there. But this is -- this water could be easily six feet or higher as we get down this staircase.

What we're seeing all around Memphis though, as this flooding continues to happen in historic levels, this river is normally a half- mile wide. Look at it now. It is three miles wide here in Memphis, and it's not going to be going down anytime soon.

We're looking at a crest today. The water, expected to come up just a few more inches, but cresting tomorrow morning, and that will be the height of the floodwaters here. But it's going to take weeks for that water to disappear.

So, right now, in Memphis, they're looking at low-lying areas, particularly on the tributaries that normally empty into the Mississippi River. Their water can't go anywhere. And that's where we're seeing some of the worst flooding in some of the neighborhoods.

We're seeing entire trailer parks engulfed with water, people having to grab their belongings and move out. But, fortunately, this has been a very slow-moving disaster, and authorities have been able to stay in front of this flood the entire way -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And David, I want to bring in our own Chad Myers, who has a couple of questions for you. CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I know you're a professional, David, and you have a CNN I.D. and all that, but I'm wondering whether the authorities there are saying stay out of that water. Because, let me tell you, there are sewage systems that have overflowed, there are septics that have overflowed.

This water is not clean. And you know what? If people are out there playing in it, that's one thing. If you're out there in your waders, I understand. But are kids being allowed to go out and play in it? Because this is dangerous stuff.

MATTINGLY: Absolutely not. This entire area is closed off by the police. They are making sure that the public does not get in here.

And let me say, after I've been in this water, in these waders, these waders get decontaminated before I take them home. We take this very seriously.

There's no telling what's in this water because it floods industrial areas, it floods cars. You get all sorts of petroleum products, pesticides, sewage, all sorts of things that can make you sick or worse is in this water. So, the public is advised to stay out of this, and police are taking that very seriously as they keep people out of these areas.

MALVEAUX: And David, I understand the levee systems in Memphis, they are still holding, but tomorrow we expect the river's going to crest at the highest level, what, in some 70 years or so?

Right, Chad?

MYERS: That's correct.

MALVEAUX: I mean, do we know what's being done to protect the people who are there, who live in that area?

MATTINGLY: Here in this area they've got an elaborate and very well built-up system of levees. This is part of a massive system throughout the Mississippi River, and that system is being tested to its limit right now.

Officials believe that their levees are performing just the way they're supposed to, and they're going to keep a very close eye on them in the weeks ahead, because this river is going to be around for a while, and it's going to have sort of an eroding effect as time goes on. But they have a great deal of confidence that these levees are going to keep this city high and dry.

MYERS: David, one of the big things that I'm concerned about here -- Chad again -- is one loose barge. Literally, that's all it takes, one barge to break loose and ram into one of those levees. The levee will be shot. Ask the people that are in Illinois how that could happen very fast. You don't even realize your city is getting inundated.

MATTINGLY: Right. MYERS: What are they doing to tie these barges down to make sure that this traffic, nothing's moving, that everything is double-tied, if you will?

MATTINGLY: Well, that's a lesson that everyone learned back in Katrina. You know there was a barge that got loose and opened up one of the levees there. We're still watching barge traffic. In fact, if we can pan over this way --

MYERS: No kidding.

MATTINGLY: -- that's very slowly moving upriver because of the tremendous current. But it's very -- it's a very quick move going down.

Barge traffic, river traffic has been shut off way to the north of here, but the big problem for these barges isn't so much navigating these floodwaters. It's that their destinations might be under water.

So, all of these barges that are on the river, everybody had plenty of warning down this way, and to the south, to make sure that everything was secure, or at least as secure as it could be. The Coast Guard, doing a great job going up and down this river, making everything the way it should be. But again, this was a slow-moving disaster. It wasn't a flash flood, and everyone's been able to stay out in front as best they can.

MALVEAUX: Thank goodness for that.

David, thank you very much.

Chad, you as well.

We'll have more information later.

MYERS: We'll talk about what all that stuff that's in that water is going to do to Lake Pontchartrain. And now that you talked about that spillway being open, the pesticides, the oil, the sewage, everything that's -- all the fertilizer that will make algae bloom, what that's going to do to Lake Pontchartrain.

MALVEAUX: All right. Good. Looking forward to that report. Thank you, Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

MALVEAUX: 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?

Our Carol Costello joins us with more on your responses -- Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a big bounty, too. About that reward money, was it painstaking intelligence work, or tips from informants that led 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: Now, 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, keep in mind, the bounty program has helped track down terrorists. Since 1984, it's paid out over $100 million to more than 60 people.

CNN national security analyst Fran Townsend said the New York lawmakers' idea is pure, unadulterated politics. No amount of money will be able to compensate the 9/11 victims. And besides, this wasn't what the money was intended for. It was meant to help us catch terrorists, and 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.

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

Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll read some of your comments later this hour -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right. Looking forward to it, Carol.

Here's a rundown of some of the stories that we're covering over the next hour.

First, concern from people in Pakistan after the world's most wanted terrorist was hiding out in their country. And the woman who dared to tell her story in Libya escapes now into Tunisia.

Plus, more than 78 million baby boomers hitting retiring age. How to enjoy the golden years.

And the first full-faced transplant patient now introduced to the world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Pakistan's prime minister says it is absurd to suggest his country knew about Osama bin Laden's whereabouts. He addressed the parliament today for the first time since U.S. forces killed bin Laden in a compound that was 30 miles from the Pakistani capital, and he blasted what he calls the blame game.

Our CNN's Reza Sayah is live from Islamabad.

And give us a sense -- these harsh words that are coming from the prime minister, what was the point here? Was he trying to play to the home crowd in the speech today? What was his message?

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think so, Suzanne. The fact that he was addressing parliament meant that he was targeting a domestic audience.

The only new thing that came out of this address was the announcement that Pakistan plans to investigate the presence of bin Laden in a compound north of Islamabad. Other than that, it was mostly rhetoric and very short on substance.

This was a prime minister that aggressively went on the defensive against Pakistan's accusers, including Washington. He made a couple of statements where he hit back against Washington.

At the same time, he reached out to Washington, saying Pakistan values its partnership with the U.S. and the two partners should press on. He rejected any allegation that Pakistan's security establishment had links with al Qaeda, and he certainly rejected allegations that Pakistan's military or elements within the military knew bin Laden was hiding out in this compound.

And here's how he hit back against Washington. The prime minister suggested that the U.S. is partly to blame for the creation of al Qaeda.

He said it was in the 1980s, Afghan jihad against the Soviet occupation in Afghanistan, where the U.S. supported, paid for and cultivated mujahedeen. And the prime minister suggested that it was that movement that gave birth to al Qaeda.

Certainly, a lot of people are going to dispute that claim, Suzanne, but that's what he claimed. So, again, an indication of how defensive he was. The U.S. was hoping, I assume, for the prime ministers to say they're going to go in a new direction, perhaps embark on a new policy, but that didn't happen.

MALVEAUX: And Reza, what do we think about -- was there any direct reference to President Obama's remarks that bin Laden had -- likely had support, a whole support network, inside of Pakistan?

SAYAH: Well, I think the fact that you saw a very defensive prime minister was in response to mounting pressure from Washington and the pressure coming on Sunday from U.S. President Barack Obama, who suggested that bin Laden and al Qaeda have a support network here. And President Obama, not ruling out that elements within Pakistan's security establishment could be part of that support network.

Again, I think Washington was hoping for Pakistan to use this episode with bin Laden to perhaps announce a new direction, a more aggressive policy on extremism. When you looked and listened to the prime minister's speech today, certainly no indication that that's going to happen.

MALVEAUX: OK. A message not only domestically for the people inside Pakistan, but also to Washington as well.

Thank you, Reza.

Well, escape from Libya. A woman who boldly and publicly accused Moammar Gadhafi's forces of raping her now flees to Tunisia, and she tells us how.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Freedom finally for the Libyan woman who garnered worldwide attention for publicly declaring that she had been raped by government troops. Eman al-Obeidy has fled now to Tunisia and is talking to CNN.

Our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hiding her face, Eman al-Obeidy shows how she fled to freedom. For the first time in almost two months, she is calm and happy.

EMAN AL-OBEIDY, ALLEGES BEATING AND RAPE BY GADHAFI TROOPS: (SPEAKING ARABIC)

ROBERTSON: It is eight weeks since she burst into a Tripoli hotel full of journalists alleging brutal rape by Gadhafi's forces, but the same time capturing the world's attention as Gadhafi's heavy-handed thugs tried to silence her. Hotel staff put a bag on her head. Another pulled a knife. Journalists, trying to protect her, were beaten as she was led away.

She has barely been seen since then.

In a Tunisian safe house not far from the border with Libya, she met with CNN's Khalil Abdallah to tell him how she got away. AL-OBEIDY (through translator): We left very normally, of course. I was wearing -- bring me that. It's a traditional tribal headwear, a maziria (ph), which was given to me by my friend's mother. I was wearing it and, indeed, you can't see anything apart from my one eye.

ROBERTSON: Across the room, two defecting Libyan army officers who made her dangerous escape across the border possible. She explains they took mountain roads at each of the many government checkpoints, the officers using their military identity documents to evade capture.

AL-OBEIDY: Even on the mountain roads when the brigades were stopping us, he was giving his military permit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At night?

AL-OBEIDY: No, it was during the day.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was it a hard road to drive on?

AL-OBEIDY: It was a little hard. There were checkpoints and the brigades. There were checkpoints.

ROBERTSON: Her freedom is already weighing heavily on her. Worried about Libyan agents, she is still not sure of her next steps, whether it's safe for her to go back to Libya to see her parents in the rebel- held east.

AL-OBEIDY: I still don't know what I'm going to do. Of course I'd like to see my family. I have called some relatives of mine in Egypt, but still did not hear back from them.

ROBERTSON: Her smile belies her confusion. Freedom has never tasted so good. Outside the safe house, diplomats are helping secure her safety. A French Embassy vehicle sent to take her on the eight-hour drive to Tunisia's capital.

(on camera): Since she arrived here at the French Embassy in Tunis around midnight Saturday night, Eman al-Obeidy has dropped out of sight. A source tells us that a diplomatic protection team is helping her and that President Nicolas Sarkozy is taking an intimate interest in her every movement.

The lady who came to symbolize the Libyan struggles is now, for the first time, getting the help she so long craved.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Tunis, Tunisia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: The many wives, now widows of Osama bin Laden, well, the U.S. wants to talk to them now, but Pakistan is saying no.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

First, playing with bin Laden's grandchildren. One Pakistani boy, he is talking about that.

Plus, working franticly to protect Memphis from floodwaters.

Then, at 12:45 Eastern, the world's first face transplant patient.

And the Obama administration is pressing Pakistan to let U.S. investigators question bin Laden's wives now. He had five. Three were captured at his compound in Pakistan.

Our CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom, he joins me from Kabul, Afghanistan.

Mohammed, give us a sense -- you spoke with a relative of one of bin Laden's youngest wives. What did you learn?

MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Suzanne.

Over the weekend, we had an exclusive interview with a relative of Amal Sadah. She's the fifth of Osama bin Laden's wives, a Yemeni. And her relative, somebody who knew her growing up in Hid (ph) province, which is in the south, told us that she was a quiet, confident girl, very modern. She comes from a traditional family, a conservative family in Yemen, but that it was a modern family, and that they had no ties to extremism.

Now, it had been reported before that the matchmaker who made this match and got Osama bin Laden married to Amal was in fact a member of al Qaeda. Ahmed (ph), her relative, told us he wasn't so sure about that. He also said that he believed they had more than just one daughter, although he did not have a lot of evidence to back that up. Now, he also suggested that Osama bin Laden -- that he was told Osama bin Laden married Amal because he wanted to strengthen his ties with his ancestral homeland of Yemen -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Do we know if she's going to go back to Yemen or her whereabouts? What happens to her? What happens to the potential kids that they had?

JAMJOOM: Suzanne, this is the big question right now, what will happen to Amal?

We've heard from Pakistani authorities that they will not consider turning over Amal or any other wives or relatives of Osama bin Laden to U.S. authorities until and unless they've heard from the governments, the home countries of those women, to know if those home countries want to repatriate them. Now, we've heard from Yemeni officials. They're not sure yet if Yemen is actually going to put in an official request to try to bring Amal back to Yemen.

There's a lot of speculation in Yemen that she will return. We know that she returned once before. She went to Afghanistan, she was with Osama bin Laden. She somehow made it back to Yemen, then she also made to back to Pakistan to be with Osama bin Laden.

Everybody's wondering where she's going to go next, what's going to happen. That will remain to be seen in the coming days -- Suzanne. MALVEAUX: And it may be too soon to know, but do we have any idea whether or not any of the wives are going to face charges, or if they've been connected or linked to terrorist activities regarding al Qaeda? Or are they seen as simply the innocent wives?

JAMJOOM: At this stage we just don't know. We had heard reports that Amal, as the youngest wife, that when they went into the compound, that she went to try to defend Osama bin Laden. She was injured in that raid.

People are wondering what amount of knowledge she would have. Would she have key intelligence? Would other wives and relatives have key intelligence that the U.S. could utilize? They're just not sure.

What I heard from Ahmed (ph), her relative, is that the family in Yemen has been told specifically not to speak to the media. The Yemeni government is quite concerned because Yemen is seen as a hub for al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, because this is just going to be seen as another bad public relations bit for Yemen, that the family has been put under pressure in the past not to speak about the fact that Amal was with Osama bin Laden. And now they're under even more pressure not to say anything because Yemen doesn't really want details emerging about this marriage -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And, Mohammed, what is the fate of the children in all of this? Do we know?

JAMJOOM: We just don't know at this point. A lot of speculation right now, as I said earlier, when we spoke to her relative, he seemed fairly confident he had heard from her direct family, from Amal's direct family, that Osama bin Laden and Amal had had more than just the one daughter that we know about -- but again not a lot of evidence to back that up.

And we're just going to have to wait for more details about the children that were in the compound, exactly who they are, where they're going to be. A lot of speculation right now, lot of details to come through in the weeks and possibly months ahead -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right. We appreciate you tracking all those details. Thank you very much, Mohammed.

We're also getting more insight on bin Laden's compound, not from government officials but from children who lived nearby.

Our CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has more on the life of bin Laden's neighborhood.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When President Obama says bin Laden had a Pakistani support network, it's simplest form would have been here -- in the neighborhood where he got 10 liters of milk a week and goats, where kids he lived with bought sweets at the local shop and from where dozens have been arrested already by police. (on camera): While the compound has been sealed off by the military for days, but for the people who live around here, there can be little doubt the Americans were here in force because of these pieces of helicopter they keep finding, this one particularly light and large. And it seems part of the fuselage in the stealth design used -- an example really of the kind of resources America was willing to risk to get bin Laden.

(voice-over): But away from the high-tech hunt for terrorist number one is a simpler story of life in his village that we went to find. The eight or nine children in bin Laden's house, some perhaps his grandchildren, played with others in the village, including this Zarar Amjed Turk, age 12.

ZARAR AMJED TURK, NEIGHBOR (through translator): The kids said the guy with them is their father, Nadin (ph). Once I saw his two wives, one speaking Urdu, the other Arabic. He had a brother, who is a fat guy with a goatee and mustache. I don't know why they had security cameras installed outside the house. We used to knock on the door for 10 or 20 minutes. Then someone used to come to talk. That was strange for us.

WALSH: He says he didn't know the names of the children he played with.

TURK: We used to place cricket next to their house. Whenever our cricket ball went into the compound, we knocked on the door and asked for the ball. But the guy always said our ball was lost, gave us 50 rupees and asked us to buy a new one.

WALSH (on camera): It seems now that Nadin is dead. Does that make you sad?

TURK: Yes, I feel sorry for Uncle Nadin. He never did anything wrong. He took my grandmother to the hospital and asked her to call him if she needs help, as he can drive her anywhere. He was a great person. I feel sorry for him.

WALSH (voice-over): A viewpoints of a child who until this week had never heard the name Osama bin Laden.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Abbottabad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: The class of 2011 is getting ready for the world, but the system could be setting them up to fail. This year's college graduates just broke a record. One hint -- it is all about the money.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: So, we told you the class of 2011 has broken a record. They owe the most money ever. With the annual rate of tuition rising at 5 percent, the student burden is now averaging $18,000. That's this year alone. Estimated total payment with interest now $22,900 -- now, that is 8 percent more just than last year and 47 percent more than a decade ago.

Well, children even as young as 5 are more likely now to be arrested at school than a generation ago.

Soledad O'Brien looks at that in "Don't Fail Me," our series on education in America.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tenth grader Messiah who asked that we not use his last name was in science class at a High School of Art and Design in New York City when he says boredom caused him to draw on his desk with a marker last month.

MESSIAH, STUDENT: I thought it was like no big deal. The act that I did, I know it was wrong.

O'BRIEN: His mom says her 15-year-old son is not a troublemaker. He was suspended. Three days later, while Messiah was taking a test, he was called to the principal's office.

MESSIAH: They arrested me, and then searched in my pockets and stuff again. Made me take my book bag off and then handcuffed me. And when I got to the precinct, they handcuffed me to a bench for a couple of hours.

O'BRIEN: Non-criminal offenses like this being handed over to the police is the basis for a class action lawsuit filed last year.

DENNIS PARKER, ACLU: We want something saying that you cannot place a child in handcuffs and arrest him or her because he has violated a school policy versus a criminal policy.

O'BRIEN: It's not just New York. Across the nation, police presence in school is on the rise, and students are more likely to be arrested at school.

RUSSLYN ALI, U.S. DEPT. OF EDUCATION, OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS: For disciplinary infractions, students are actually referred to criminal law enforcement and become a part of the juvenile justice system.

O'BRIEN: And disproportionately affects minorities.

ALI: There are places across the country where you're seeing upwards of 70 percent and 80 percent of African-American boys, in particular, not in school on any given day because they have been suspended or expelled.

O'BRIEN: Which can have consequences.

PARKER: Particularly for African-American boys, if they drop out of school, there is a close to 66 percent likelihood that they will be in jail or in prison by the time they are 35.

O'BRIEN: Schools say they are just trying to keep students safe.

(on camera): What's wrong with a zero tolerance policy?

PARKER: It imposes penalties in an unthinking way in which there's no discretion to recognize that not every infraction is a serious threatening infraction.

O'BRIEN (voice-over): In a joint statement, New York City's police department, board of education, and law departments said, "It's impossible to ignore the important balance, protecting children while keeping order. They -- school safety officers -- have helped reduce the number of weapons brought into schools, reduce crime in schools, and, by extension, improve the learning environment."

Messiah's principal dropped the charges, but he still had to go to family court and complete community service.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel like this is detrimental to my son's future. He hasn't even started a future yet.

O'BRIEN: Reporting for "In America," Soledad O'Brien, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Our CNN documentary, "Don't Fail Me: Education in America," examines the crisis in public education and why America's financial future is at risk if our students can't excel in math and science. Don't miss the full report from our Soledad O'Brien when it premieres Sunday, May 15th, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

Well, baby boomers hitting retirement. Many of them are facing the reality of now having to do it on a budget. Find out how one woman has learned to make her retirement money go a long way.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: They were the generation that was supposed to change the world -- and in many ways they did. They are the baby boomers and they reshaped politics, music, popular culture perhaps like no generation before. But today, they're also criticized as self- absorbed and privileged.

Well, this year for the first wave, they're actually turning 65. And this week, CNN NEWSROOM is focusing on the boomer generation.

Poppy Harlow of CNNMoney.com introduces us to a retiree on a budget who says that she's living the good life.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM (voice-over): Marilyn Lassiter takes great pride in her work at this Philadelphia library.

MARILYN LASSITER, RETIREE LIVING ON A BUDGET: They did -- did my book come in yet, dear?

HARLOW: And at 70 years old, she swears she's living the good life.

M. LASSITER: It's amazing -- the freedom of not having to be someplace at a certain time.

HARLOW: Marilyn retired back in 2007, right before the economy soured and millions found themselves out of work. Despite living on a fixed income, she was able to buy a new house and she travels extensively.

M. LASSITER: I live on $3,500 a month.

HARLOW (on camera): And is it tight? Is money tight or no problem covering your bills, plenty to spend?

M. LASSITER: No problem. No problem. I don't spend. At a certain time in your life, there's nothing that you should need.

HARLOW: Did you pass down your theory on the importance of saving to your kids?

M. LASSITER: Yes, I did. When they were little guys, I would give them 50 cent a week when they were young and they had to save a quarter, and they could not understand that. But I was running the ship.

HARLOW (voice-over): It was a lesson that wasn't lost on her son, Chad.

M. LASSITER: Is this a new suit?

CHAD LASSITER, MARILYN LASSITER'S SON: No, it is not a new suit.

HARLOW (on camera): What did your mom teach you that you really took away?

C. LASSITER: The importance of saving. But also, more importantly, the importance of making sure that you have a safeguard in place in the event that something emerges like the most recent great recession.

HARLOW (voice-over): But Marilyn doesn't think that frugality should only be taught at home. She believes retirement savings should be supported by employers and schools.

M. LASSITER: Whether you're hiring young people, start off with workshops on retiring. Some decisions that you make when you first start your career you would not have made it or waited for it.

HARLOW (on camera): So, you think we need more education?

M. LASSITER: Yes.

HARLOW: Early on?

M. LASSITER: Yes, I would like to see it in high school really about retirement.

HARLOW (voice-over): But with so many seniors living longer, surviving on a fixed income can be a challenge. Marilyn's secret: identify what you need, not what you want. LASSITER: It's incumbent upon each individual to do their own saving. You don't have to have that particular article that you just obsessing over. Take your time. Go home, sleep on it. Come back. Do you really need it?

HARLOW: Poppy Harlow, CNN Money, Philadelphia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: The first man to receive a full face transplant in the United States is out of the hospital today. He says the first thing that he's going to do when he gets home is to hold his daughter.

Dallas Wiens was horribly burned by a high-voltage electrical line. That happened three years ago. And doctors at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston transplanted everything from his forehead, nasal structure and lips to skin, muscles and nerves. He revealed his new face at a news conference just this last hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DALLAS WIENS, FACE TRANSPLANT RECIPIENT: There are no words to truly describe the depth of gratitude or love that I have for the donor's family. The choice that they made has in a very, very great way changed my life and my daughter's. And so I know from the bottom of my heart and I know from the bottom of hers, we thank you.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Wiens had his surgery in mid-March. The first transplant of its kind happened in Spain last year.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: $50 million. A lot of money. That is how much the bounty on Osama bin Laden could be worth which brings us to today's "Talk Back" question.

And Carol Costello with your responses.

Hi, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, what will happen to that bounty? Our "Talk Back" question of the day. Who should get the bin Laden bounty?

This from Timothy, "As a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, I believe that we should honor both the victims of the tragic 9/11 attacks and the Wounded Warrior Project."

This from Ashton. "You don't give a reward to victims. Sorry. But there are victims all over. The money should definitely go to the Navy SEALS who spend more time away from family than any ordinary American could imagine."

This from Kim. "Open trust funds for the children who lost their parents on 9/11. Or use it to get new equipment, i.e., fire trucks."

And this from Tanner. "All or part of the money should be split between the members of SEAL Team Six and supporting staff. We would pay the $50 million ransom to a U.S. paid contractor if they killed him and we would pay a foreign civilian if they took the shot. For once let's go ahead and give our soldiers what they deserve."

Continue the conversation, Facebook.com/carolCNN. And thanks as always for your insight. Appreciate it, as always -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Carol.

Well, nobody has to tell you if you're planning to sell your home, it is a buyer's market. But "Smart is the New Rich" author Christine Romans can tell you how to make the most of it in this financial climate. And it doesn't even have to cost you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yvonne Cammaro and her husband are looking to sell their home in western New York.

YVONNE CAMMARO, WANTS TO SEE HER HOUSE: It's been now a month but last year we had it on for a whole year, almost a year. And we didn't sell it.

STEPHEN SAINT ONGE, HOME AND STYLE DESIGNER: Right. Is there anything you did in between to get the house into shape so that it would be ready for the new real estate market that you're this in?

CAMMARO: Oh, yes. When we redid the kitchen and we fenced in the whole backyard.

ROMANS: But they priced it too high and have now lowered their asking price to $329,000.

It's a buyer's market and that means, number one, it has to be priced right. Number two, it has to look good.

Enter Stephen Saint Onge, home and style designer and author of "No Place Like Home."

SAINT ONGE: My first thought was, I wish this was a mirror. I wish this was here to bounce light into the room a little bit more.

ROMANS: We asked him how to help this house sell in a sea of homes for sale.

SAINT ONGE: You don't have a ding room so that's one thing in this house that you have to sort of make people feel like they have a space to gather in. When I see the table, I almost think, as you've got this great light fixture, that you guys obviously put it, it is the center of the table.

ROMANS: And spring is traditionally real estate's big selling season. But according to mortgage giant Fanny Mae, home sales are expected to remain soft in the near term. And the spring season could deliver disappointing results.

(On camera): So in this climate, when it comes to sprucing up your house to sell, it could be something as small and simple as paint color that can make a really big difference. For a couple hundred dollars you could redo the whole first floor or just paint the foyer, depending on what you can afford.

Here's a hint for you, though. Gray is the new beige. A cool modern gray right away tells perspective buyers that your house is different than all the other ones on the block.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think for very little money you can tweak a house all over the place.

ROMANS: And perhaps at the end of the day the most important thing to keep in mind, it's all about coming home.

SAINT ONGE: There are simple things that create that mental illusion for people coming in as a perspective buyer to say, I could see myself living in this home and that's really key.

ROMANS: Christine Romans, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: And Christine says to remember it's all about the simple things, pillows and a new color. If it's spring, lighter colors. You can also have coffee brewing even if, you know, a perspective buyer is coming to take a look at your home. Bottom line, make your space feel nice and homey.

Well, a decision to save an Illinois town by flooding thousands of acres of farmland -- farmland, rather, caused a lot of anger. We're going to tell you why some say that that decision was rooted in racial politics.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: CNN's "In-Depth," the Mississippi River's slow-moving flood disaster is forcing the government to make some tough choices. The Army Corps of Engineers chose to save the small Illinois town of Cairo by blowing up a levee downstream and flooding thousands of acres of farms.

Well, as Ted Rowlands found out, some people think that that decision was based, in part, on race.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Cairo, Illinois, sits between the Mississippi and the Ohio Rivers. Many believe the entire city would be under water if not for the controversial decision to blow open this levee.

The explosion opened a two-mile hole, flooding more than 130,000 acres of farmland in neighboring Missouri. (On camera): When you look at that, what do you think?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm very sad. I look at that and I don't have a home.

ROWLANDS (voice-over): Marilyn Nalis's (ph) farm has been in her family for three generations. It would still be dry if the federal government hadn't blown up the levee.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel like that we're having to suffer for somebody else.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lyn's doors were pushed out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

ROWLANDS: Farmers Ray and Roy Presson have 2,000 acres under water.

RAY PRESSON, FARMER: We've always lived with the idea that yes, some day they might have to blow it. The waters kept rising and we knew they would blow it. We don't like it but, you know, we have to accept it.

ROWLANDS: The plan since 1928 has always been that if Cairo, a city of about 15,000 at the time, was in danger of flooding, the levee would be opened to save the city.

(On camera): But back then, things were much different. Cairo was a vibrant river community. This is what it looks like now. Most of the businesses downtown here are gone. Most of the people have left as well. In fact, less than 3,000 people remain. Many believe this in fact is not a town that was worth saving.

REP. STEVEN TILLEY (R), MISSOURI: Would you rather have Missouri farmland flooded or Cairo under water?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cairo.

(LAUGHTER)

TILLEY: (INAUDIBLE) Cairo.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If the --

TILLEY: Have you been to Cairo?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

TILLEY: OK. You know what I'm saying then.

CONSTANCE PUCKETT, CAIRO RESIDENT: So you've been to Cairo lately? Yes. You know what I mean. What do you mean? I mean I want to know what you mean about it.

ROWLANDS (voice-over): Cairo is predominantly African-American. People on both sides say there is a racial component to the debate over whether the city or the farms should have been saved.

WILLIAM WHITAKER, CAIRO RESIDENT: It's nothing but blacks here. You know? This town here is built -- was built on races, you know, long time ago back in the years, years ago. You know, ain't nothing changed.

ROWLANDS: Cairo's history of racial tension dates back to the 1909 public lynching of Will James who was suspected of raping a white woman. In the 1960s the city closed the public pool rather than allow blacks to swim.

On the Missouri side, many people feel the federal government may have been overly sensitive to the race issue and pulled the trigger too soon to blow up the levee.

KAREN NALLY SEABAUGH, FAMILY FARM FLOODED: I do believe that the government was worried about some of that. I don't think that should have played any role in it.

ROWLANDS (on camera): People of Cairo seem to be out of the woods. Take a look at the water levels of the Mississippi. This is water from the Mississippi in a spillway. It has been dropping considerably over the last few days.

We should note that every person that we have talked to in the city of Cairo has been very empathetic. They absolutely feel bad for their neighbors in Missouri but they also absolutely agree with the decision by the U.S. government to open up that levee and spare their city.

Ted Rowlands, CNN, Cairo, Illinois.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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

Hey, Randi.