Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Troubled Waters; Iran Delays U.S. Hikers' Trial; On Again, Off Again Ceremonies; Musical Megabytes: President to Renew Muslim Outreach; Teaching Anti-Americanism to Young Afghan Boys; Iran Delaying Trial for Two Hikers; Baby Boomers & STDs; United States of Innovation

Aired May 11, 2011 - 13:00   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: They were so nice. Thank you, Don, appreciate it. Nice to see you as well.

We begin, of course, this hour, with slow motion disaster in the Mississippi valley, unlike tornadoes and earthquakes, huge and catastrophic floods can usually be seen coming, that also means they are a long time going.

This is Tunica, Mississippi, just south of Memphis where hundreds of people are out of their homes in some of the town's most important businesses, I'm talking casinos, are closed. Far down river, they're scrambling to try save Vicksburg where the worst is still days away. This is one of many towns bracing for a record crest.

Farther still, the people in charge of the Morganza Spillway are facing a tough decision. Opening floodgates just north of Baton Rouge could minimize the dangers downstream while swamping other populated areas. A separate spillway north of New Orleans was opened on Monday.

So, let me show you the big picture, all right? I'm going to set it for you right here. There we go, those are the towns in jeopardy. The river is expected to crest in Vicksburg on May 19th, that's more than 14 feet above flood stage. If you look at Natchez, 16 feet above on May 21st.

And then, we also have a situation here in Baton Rouge which is looking at more than 12 feet above flood stage, that is if the Morganza gates stay closed. The crest should actually reach New Orleans May 23rd.

Now, back in Tunica, the mayor says the still-rising river is actually painful to watch. Our Rob Marciano is there.

And, Rob, what are folks doing in self-defense?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, I tell you what, the folks in the area that got completely flooded, I think you showed those pictures, they are in shelters or they are with friends and family. There are homes that are completely -- pretty much inundated with the floodwaters, and they're evacuated, and then the bread and butter of this community, are the casinos, and there's about nine of them that line the strip of the Mississippi River.

And you know that the laws in Mississippi are you have to gamble on the water, but that doesn't mean that your entire property has to be on the water, just the gambling stuff. So, the resorts, the hotels, they're on dry land. And right now, in bars, especially here, they're surrounded by the Mississippi.

And this one, Gold Strike casino is doing a unique thing as far as protecting your property. What you're looking at are these aqua barriers, they're the big, blue bladders, basically, and they're filled each with 90,000 gallons of river water and this helps basically act as a sandbag as long as the quarter doesn't get too high to the point where they float away, this is an excellent way of protecting the property. And they've been able to do that and so no water has gotten this into this facility. And the best part of it is when the waters eventually do recede, they'll just be able to empty those out, roll them out, and put them on a truck, and get them out of here as opposed to have to clean up some sandbags. So, that's one way that they're battling this flood, but as you mentioned, the crest is happening now, and just like in Memphis, it's not dropping like that.

It's taking a long, long time and we're actually standing, you know, where the river is. It's been diverted around these casinos and over this parking lot. And it's moving pretty good right here, I can tell you that. So, there's no signs of it waning whatsoever -- Randi.

KAYE: But now Rob, in Memphis, as bad as the flooding is, most of the city is dry, is that the case in Tunica?

MARCIANO: No. Most of the -- you know, we've got about 400 people that are in shelters down to the Tunica area, and most of the people that are in those shelters are from this -- are from Tunica itself. Because it's so susceptible to flooding, it's so much lower than downtown Memphis, and the people here are certainly hurting much worse as far as where they are sleeping right now.

And also financially, the financial impact of these casinos being closed for up to a month is huge, upwards of $80 million in financial impact here. So, now with these folks, it's going to be quite a blow, but they'll get back on their feet, they all tell me that is that we'll get these casinos back open and we'll get their houses rebuilt and cleaned up here in the next couple of months. And they want to everybody that they're open for business eventually, but we have to wait for the river to go down.

KAYE: Sure. And you, Rob, have covered enough of these to know that those people do eventually get back on their feet, which we always like to see.

Rob Marciano, thank you, appreciate it.

Well, when you think about Osama Bin Laden, family man isn't the first phrase that comes to mind, but the world's most wanted terrorist did have a large and far flung family and some of his blood relatives are outraged at his bloody end.

CNN's Deborah Feyerick is following that story for us in New York.

Deborah, is Bin Laden's family questioning the fact that he's dead?

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they are questioning the fact that he's dead because they said that they haven't seen any conclusive proof, and they released a letter which was first published in the "New York Times."

This is it right here. Let me read you the first line because this is really interesting. I, Omar, Osama Bin Laden, that's one of his sons, and my brothers, the lawful children and heirs of the Osama Bin Laden, have noted wide coverage of the news of the death of their father. We're not convinced on the available evidence and the absence of dead body, photographs and video evidence that our natural father is dead.

And so, what they're doing is they're asking to see something to make sure that the man that was killed in that mansion in Pakistan in Abbottabad is in fact their father -- Randy.

KAYE: And how is the U.S. reacting to the family's claims?

FEYERICK: Well you know, it's interesting, the U.S. basically is -- what they are reacting to is the Bin Laden boys claim that the killing of Osama Bin Laden violated international law. And they are saying that it did not violate international law, but the Bin Ladens have said that they are questioning the propriety of such a assassination, and in their words in a statement they say, they are demanding an inquiry and to the fundamental question as to why our father was not arrested and tried but summarily executed, those are their words, without a court of law?

Again, they're wondering why they didn't get a trial, like Iraqi President, Saddam Hussein, and like Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, both of them were tried for crimes against humanity. This is what the White House press secretary, Jay Carney, had to say just moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We've addressed the legal foundation for the actions the president ordered. We feel very strongly that the successful mission against the mass murder of Americans and people around the world was entirely justified.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: And another U.S. official that CNN spoke with said that, in fact, this is entirely justified within the inherent right of self- defense which is in China and the U.N. Charter, Article 51.

So again, they put forth their reasons as to why this was a gummed (ph) action -- Randi.

KAYE: And what do we know, Deb, about Omar Bin Laden, his relationship with his father?

FEYERICK: We know -- Omar Bin Laden was one of the only brothers and only family members who really stood up and publicly condemned his father's violent actions and the things that he was doing, asking him to stop, asking him to seek peace.

The woman who initially got the statement from the Bin Ladens and Jean Sasson, she helped him write his autobiography "Growing Up Bin Laden." We spoke to her earlier today as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEAN SASSON, AUTHOR, "GROWING UP BIN LADEN": I think they always felt that some -- even Omar in the past has said, well maybe there can be a meeting and there be a truce like there was with the IRA with -- in England when there had been so much killing and then they had a truce and the killing was stopped.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: So, not only does the family want evidence that their father is indeed dead, they also want -- and they're asking the government of Pakistan to give them any minors, any children who may have been in the compound or may be in Pakistan, and they also want the women also repatriated there. They don't say where, whether it's Afghanistan, or Somalia, or Yemen, or any of the countries where Bin Laden was known to have ties. But they want the women, because again, the U.S. making an effort to question Bin Laden's wives -- Randi.

KAYE: All right, Deb Feyerick in New York, bringing us up to date. Thank you, Deb.

Also in the headlines right now, we still won't be able to see them, but some lawmakers will now have access to the graphic photos of Osama Bin Laden's body snapped after last week's raid, specifically members of the Senate and House intelligence committees.

Senator Feinstein confirms armed services and intelligence committee members will view the photos at CIA headquarters in Virginia, it's not clear when they will do so. The photos reportedly show Bin Laden with a gaping gunshot wound to his head.

Iran is once again delaying the trial of two American hikers accused of espionage. After it was initially postponed in February, Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer were supposed to go on trial today, but their lawyer and Swiss diplomat say they were not brought from the prison to the courthouse forcing a second delay to the trial.

The two were arrested nearly two years ago while hiking along an unmarked border between Iran and Iraqi Kurdistan. Iranian authorities give no reason as to why Josh and Shane were not taken to court, their mother spoke with CNN NEWSROOM yesterday about the uncertainty and the tension with Iran. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CINDY HICKEY, MOTHER OF SHANE BAUER: We are in contact with the attorney but he -- you know, he doesn't even know how this is going to happen.

LAURA FATTAL, MOTHER OF JOSH FATTAL: Shane and Josh are totally innocent. So, we really see what has happened here is a standoff, in a way, between two countries. You know Belgium bikers, British sailors, German reporters, French student, they have all been let out of Iran within three or four months. It's only our kids that are still detained.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: The third hiker, Sarah Shourd, who was released on bail refused to return to Iran for the proceedings.

Today marks the two-month anniversary of the March 11th earthquake and Tsunami in Japan, the recovery is painfully slow as Japan. As Japan's prime minister says, the government is rethinking its nuclear energy plans from scratch.

Tokyo Electric says they found a new radiation leak outside reactor three. The company cannot confirm if the radioactive water is leaking into the ocean. Some evacuated Fukushima residents were allowed to return from their homes earlier this week but for only two hours so they could pack one small bag.

Still nearly 80,000 people within 12 1/2 miles of the plant are still unable to go home and tens of thousands more who live farther out are waiting orders to evacuate. Displaced residents (INAUDIBLE) Tokyo (INAUDIBLE) president and top utility execs, who asked for forgiveness on their hands and knees yesterday.

Some stunning news from the horse racing world, Michael Baze, an up and coming jockey, was found dead in his SUV in the stable area at Churchill Downs yesterday. He rode Narrow (ph), this year's Kentucky Derby runner-up to that horse's only victory in a previous race.

Baze comes from a prominent family of jockeys. Police told local media there was no sign of foul play. CNN affiliate WLKY in Louisville reports he was due in court tomorrow on a cocaine charge stemming from a November arrest. An autopsy is being performed to determine the cause of death.

So, just when you think the Navy is moving closer to allowing same-sex marriages on military bases, the rules change. What's behind the about face? We're going to find out next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: The Navy is now doing an about face on same sex marries, a policy was in the works to allow gay marriages at base chapels once the Pentagon scraps the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy. But now, all planning has been put on hold. Barbara Starr joins me now from the Pentagon. Barbara, what is behind this on again, off again stance from the Navy?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, a lot of political pressure, frankly, Randi, melting from Congress about all of this. You're right, the Navy issued a memo to its Chaplin saying once Don't Ask Don't Tell is fully repealed later this year, they could in fact perform same-sex marriages or civil unions on military bases, that could have led to these types of ceremonies being performed at places like West Point or the Naval Academy.

But now, after this brouhaha from Congress and number of members opposing that move, the Navy and the Pentagon said, OK, stop, we'll take another look at it. So now all of that has been pulled back and they're trying to decide what to do. The real issue that Congress is raising is that the Defense of Marriage Act, which spells out that a marriage is between a man and woman, would take precedence, apparently, on federal property, such as military basis, that they would have to really adhere to the Defense of Marriage Act. The Navy had had the position that in state where's these types of ceremonies are allowed, they should be allowed to take place on military bases. All of it under review. All of it now very confusing, Randi.

KAYE: It certainly is confusing. I mean, so what happens next? We just wait for them to figure it out and the rest of the military waits?

STARR: Yes. You know, it's, in all honesty, I think that is part of it. There's a couple of things going on here. There will be this review. What do they want to do? And it can't be just the Navy, you know. The Air Force, the Army, the Marine Corps, everybody has to have the same policy. This has to be uniform.

So they're going to look at it. They're going to decide. They're going to come up with a policy. But there's an undercurrent that the advocates of repeal are really concerned about, that this is one of the first steps by those in Congress who opposed the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell," to make their move and to try and keep it from happening.

By all accounts, it is on track later this year. It will all be done. People who are openly gay and homosexual will be allowed to serve in the U.S. military. What some of these benefits and rules will be, still to be sorted out.

KAY E: Plenty to be sorted out still, it sounds like. Barbara Starr, well at least you helped us do that just a little bit. We appreciate it. Thank you.

STARR: You bet.

KAYE: Well, you already know it's costing a whole lot to fill up your gas tank. We don't need to tell you that. But do you know why you could soon be paying even more? Here's a hint. It's not because of oil prices. The answer two minutes away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: So, just when we thought gasoline prices might keep going down, they are on the rise again. AAA reports the national average for a gallon of unleaded has spiked 1.1 cent to nearly $4. That is compared to $2.90 at this time one year ago. Oil prices aren't to blame this time, though. The big reason now, all that flooding along the Mississippi River. As rising waters head south toward New Orleans, officials are concerned refineries could become overwhelmed in the coming weeks and may have to shut down or slow down production. If that happens, we could see gas prices go even higher.

Gas and big oil are also a big subject on Capitol Hill. Senate Democrats are opening debate today on a controversial plan to strip major oil companies of $21 billion in federal subsidies over the next decade. It comes a day before top executives from five oil companies arrive on The Hill to make their case for continuing the tax breaks. The five executives are Chevron's CEO, John Watson, Shell President Marvin Odum, BP America Chairman Lamar McKay, ConocoPhillips CEO Jim Mulva and Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson.

Now, as we've reported before, the world's six large oil companies reported combined profits of $38 billion for the first quarter of this year. That's up 42 percent from the same period one year ago. Exxon Mobil led the way with nearly $11 billion in earnings. The White House says it's time to end the tax incentives as gas prices rise and the oil industry posts record profits. Republican supporters argue the subsidiaries encourage domestic oil production and provide jobs for millions of Americans.

Well, be sure to join Christine Romans for "Your Bottom Line" each Saturday morning at 9:30 Eastern. And don't miss "Your Money" with Ali Velshi. That's Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. Eastern and Sundays at 3:00.

President Obama is preparing a speech for the Muslim world. Did the death of bin Laden have anything to do with this timing? Ed Henry will join us after the break with the back story.

But first, some Stanford University students are performing in a very different type of orchestra. CNN's Gary Tuchman tells us how they're making music magic one key stroke at a time in this "Edge of Discovery."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rehearsal day for Director GE Wang, and his performers are tuning their instruments. Their laptops. Meet the members of SLOrk, Stanford University's laptop orchestra.

GE WANG, DIRECTOR, STANFORD LAPTOP ORCHESTRA: We are here to make whatever music is fun to make, but it also takes advantage of both humans and computers.

TUCHMAN: Founded in 2008, the Mac Book's music making mission is pretty simple. WANG: Everyone's kind of, in a sense, getting their hands dirty programming, designing the sounds, figuring out the interactions for the instruments and just putting it all together into a piece of music and drafting it as a performance.

TUCHMAN: Each performer has a laptop, a controller and a uniquely designed speaker, made from an IKEA salad bowl, a low-tech amplifier for some high-tech playing. And conducting this ensemble is also a lesson in various gestures. More charade like than baton style.

WANG: This is actually a slider. This is a zero and this is 100 percent. And you're giving people basically a signal to where you are in that range and you can then say map that gesture to any number of parameters.

TUCHMAN: Whether you're in the laptop orchestra or the audience, the parameters of music are certainly changing.

Gary Tuchman, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Senior U.S. officials say President Obama is preparing to deliver a speech intended to renew Muslim outreach. CNN's senior White House correspondent, Ed Henry, joins me now with the back story on this.

Ed, I know you got the scoop. So was the bin Laden raid the catalyst for this upcoming speech?

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I think it's an important part moving forward because White House officials in private will say that they think President Obama, if he gives this speech as early as next week, he could offer an interesting contrast to people in the Muslim world between the hate and the death and the murder put forth by Osama bin Laden, who is now gone, versus the freedom and the aspirations of Muslim people, in particular, but others as well all around the Middle East and North Africa that we've seen play out in Tunisia, Egypt and in Libya as well.

And, in fact, "The Wall Street Journal" wrote about this. this morning. But Secretary of State Clinton, actually a month ago said publically that the president was going to give a speech like this. So that was long before "The Wall Street Journal" story. But also long before the Osama bin Laden raid. So I think bin Laden is going to be a key part of this speech, but I don't think it was the only catalyst.

KAYE: And any insight, Ed, on what the message will be here? I mean what is -- what is the goal of the president?

HENRY: Absolutely.

KAYE: What does he want to accomplish with this? HENRY: Yes, I just talked to one of the president's top aides who told me point blank that the president wants to figure out a way to kind of try and make sense of all of the change and upheaval we've seen in the Middle East over the last few months -- it's been confusing for a lot of people certainly -- and try to point out where he thinks the U.S. can be a partner and can help not just with sort of short term stability in some of these countries.

But in the words of Secretary Clinton, long term sustainability to make sure that maybe some new democracies that might flourish will actually survive and that this won't be a flash in the pan and someone like the Muslim Brotherhood could come in, for example in Egypt, and have extremists just take over. That really wouldn't be very much progress if that were to happen a few months down the road.

I think the other important piece to point out is that next week Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be here at the White House. He'll be giving a speech on Capitol Hill. It was back in September -- that's obviously a key piece here about the future of the Middle East is Israeli/Palestinian peace.

It was only a few months ago in September, President Obama hosted the Israelis and the Palestinians here at the White House. He essentially set a deadline of one year to see some progress. You don't need me to tell you that in the last few month there has basically been little, if any, progress. So I think a key part of any speech the president gives in the next week or so about the Middle East will also be, what's the way forward in terms of Israeli/Palestinian peace, because not a lot of people see a way forward right now -- Randi.

KAYE: Right, so he may actually revitalize those efforts.

How soon do we expect the president to actually deliver this speech? What's the timing?

HENRY: Well, you know, at the end of the month we're going to be going with the president to Europe. He's got a big trip where he's going to be doing a state visit in the U.K. He'll be going to Ireland, France and Poland as well, reaching out to some key allies, doing some summitry. And the expectation inside the White House is that he'll probably do this speech sometime before that trip. So possibly in the next week or so.

But I think it will be a lot different than the first time he sort of spoke to the Muslim world. That was much bigger, much grander. It was two years ago in June that he went to Cairo. I was there. That had much grander expectations and ambitions. Not all of them have been realized. I think they're hoping that this speech doesn't have the same kind of buildup. They want the president to try to make sense of the last few months in the Middle East, chart a way forward, if you will, but not be quite as grand as we saw two years ago in Cairo.

KAYE: And, Ed, if we could, I know that you've been at the White House, but I just want to ask you, just switching topics slightly, has there -- is there any buzz at the White House about these photos now of bin Laden that the members of Congress, of certain committees, will be able to see?

HENRY: Yes. Well, I mean, they're going to make those available, the administration says, privately over at the CIA in the next few days where key members of Congress can see them.

I think they wanted to make sure that while the president clearly made that call, that he didn't think it made a lot of sense to publicly put these photos that are quite gruesome of Osama bin Laden after he was killed, because it may just incite violence around the world, that in private, there are some very senior members of Congress who want to just see them for themselves. That if they can make that available at the CIA, they think that's something they should do.

KAYE: All right. Ed Henry, great to see you. Thank you.

HENRY: Great seeing you, Randi.

KAYE: It has been exactly two months since the disaster in Japan. Well, in one minute, we tell you who these men are and why they're on their knees begging the Japanese people for forgiveness.

Keep it here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: As catastrophic floods continue to wreak havoc as they move south, Louisiana's governor predicts three million acres of his state are going to be under water. And the Arkansas Farm Bureau estimates damage to the state's agriculture will top $500 million.

The Peace Corps turns 50 this year but there's growing concerns over the safety of its volunteers worldwide, especially over the handling of sexual violence against volunteers. According to "The New York Times" one volunteer said the reception she received from Peace Corps officials upon reporting a rape was as devastating as the rape itself. The House Foreign Affairs Committee is taking up the issue today. Stay tuned to CNN for updates throughout the hour.

It's been exactly two months since an earthquake and tsunami led to a nuclear crisis in Japan. According to officials, the death toll from the disaster is now approaching 15,000 and almost 10,000 people still have not been found.

Nearly 80,000 people from Fukushima have spent the two months away from their homes as power plant workers continue to try to restore normal cooling to the reactors. The Tokyo Electric president and top utility executives asked for forgiveness on their hands and news yesterday.

Iran is once again delaying the trial of two American hikers accused of espionage after it was initially postponed in February. Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer were supposed to go on trial today but their lawyer an Swiss diplomats say they were not brought from the prison to the courthouse, forcing a second delay to their trial.

The two were arrested two years ago while hiking along an unmarked between Iran and Iraqi Kurdistan. Iranian authorities gave no reason as to why the two were not taken to court.

When I say the words grandparents, well, it probably conjures up images of holidays and apple pies, right? Well, what about STDs? Yes. Seniors and STDs. That's in about 60 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: This story just in. Former NBA player Robert Traylor, nicknamed Tractor Traylor reportedly has been found dead in Puerto Rico. According to the website of the (INAUDIBLE) basketball team, Traylor has 34 and had undergone a heart operation back in 2005.

Now that Osama bin Laden is dead, a key question for the Obama administration and on Capitol Hill is what to do about Afghanistan? Many are saying now is the time to rethink Afghan war strategy. Democratic Senator John Kerry, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee minced no words during a hearing yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), FOREIGN RELATIONS CHAIRMAN : It's fundamentally unsustainable to continue spending $10 billion a month on a massive military operation with no end in sight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Kerry, who is expected to travel to Afghanistan and Pakistan soon says Afghanistan must never again become a terrorist sanctuary. If that depends in part on the U.S. winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people, there still may be a long way to go.

CNN's Stan Grant discovered one very troubling example at a mosque in Kabul. He joins us from the Afghan capital.

Stan, tell us about what the imam you met and what he's teaching young Afghan boys?

STAN GRANT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Randi. This is a very, very small mosque. It's a madrassa, a religious school. It was in a very typical, a very poor neighborhood in the middle of Kabul. Now, to even reach this mosque, you have to wind down dusty lanes, it really is a very typical and very poor part of the city. Going in there, this was early morning, it was dawn. The boys that arrived for their prayer. It just absolutely startling images. You know, you see the boys sitting there and they are reciting the Koran over and over, rocking themselves back and forth in this very rhythmic, trance-like motion.

And they are there to sort of chant the Koran ever louder. And you find the imam there, the mullah, the teacher, exhorting these boys to chant ever more loudly as a way of memorizing the Koran. But they're not learning about the Koran, they're not just learning about Islam, this come was a heavy dose of ante-Americanism, as well.

I spoke to the imam and he said, look, the westerners, the Americans do not share our faith. They are infidels, they can never, ever be our friends. When I spoke to the boys it can be more chilling. The boys are actually blaming America for the fight here saying America wants the Taliban and Afghans to fight each other and then Americans sit back and laugh at it.

They are accusing Americans of actually drugging imams and carrying them away, kidnapping them and taking them far away. These are the messages that these boys are getting over and over and really hardening their hearts to Americans, to the west in general, Randi.

KAYE: And Stan, is there any indication if this imam is an isolated case?

GRANT: No. You know, the people I spoke to here, it's a fairly general attitude that I find, particularly since the death of Osama bin Laden. People are saying, well bin Laden's been killed. He wasn't in Afghanistan, he was in Pakistan. Why don't foreign forces leave here and go to Pakistan, fight your war there. They simply want American forces gone. So, it's a very typical message.

But what makes it all of the more chilling here is you have young boys, young boys, another generation after 10 years of U.S. and foreign troops being here, yet another generation being bred with this sort of hatred. And just only a couple months ago they found explosive devices, they found weapons and they found suicide bomber vests in this very mosque.

The previous imam is now in jail. He's been linked to a Taliban network in Pakistan. The current imam and boys all plead his innocence. They say he should be released from prison and they say it's all an American conspiracy -- Randi.

KAYE: All right. Stan Grant for us in Kabul. Stan, thank you.

In another setback in Iran, we have two Americans held for nearly two year on spying charges. Well, their long delayed trial was postponed again today after they were not brought from prison to a courthouse. A Swiss diplomat in Tehran said no reason is given for their absence. You'll recall, Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer and their friend, Sarah Shourd were arrested while hiking along an unmarked portion of the Iranian/Iraqi border. Shourd who is Bauer's fiancee returned to the U.S. after playing $500,000 bail. Bauer and Fattal's parents say the latest is extremely troubling. Their mothers will speak with CNN's Brooke Baldwin on NEWSROOM later today.

Seniors and STDs, typically not something you would think go hand in hand, right? Well, times are apparently changing. We'll have that in 60 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: HIV, herpes and other STDs. It turns out Grandma and Grandpa, mom and dad aren't exactly immune. In fact, as baby boomer age, it's turning out to be a growing problem after retirement.

Senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here to talk about the baby boomers and sex. What is going on? Really? It's baby boomers and STDs?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDIAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, when you think about it, it makes sense. It's like this perfect storm. So you have these people who've been married for decades, and let's say one dies or there's a divorce and they're back out on the market. They're not necessarily thinking about safe sex. But even though they're , you know, 65, 70, 75 they may be in fabulous health, because these days elderly people are often in terrific health.

So they're ready to go. And if they're not quite ready to go, there's always drugs like Viagra to help them be ready to go and other drugs like that. So they're having sex but they're not thinking about safe sex and they're not getting screened for sexually transmitted diseases. So you're seeing outbreaks in nursing homes.

KAYE: Oh my gosh.

COHEN: And you actually see outbreaks of STDs in nursing homes. And nursing homes are having to bring in sex educators.

KAYE: So, wait. Not only are they having sex in nursing homes, but now they're spreading STDs in nursing homes?

COHEN: Right.

KAYE: Wow.

COHEN: And they're actually -- we were speaking to some nursing home directors who talked about bringing in safe sex educators to sort of reteach these folks who probably haven't been out there for a while what safe sex is and what it means.

KAYE: So how bad is it? I mean, what are the numbers on this?

COHEN: Well, there are numbers that definitely indicate that senior citizens are having sex. I mean, I know sometimes we like to think or we tend to think that they don't, but there are numbers that show that they are active.

If you look at 57 to 64 range, 73 percent are sexually active; 65 to 74 about half; 75 to 85, 26 percent. So those numbers are pretty high, and there are numbers that show that they are not using condoms. And so we know that they -- see it right there, 20 percent of men are using condoms; for women, 24 percent of partners are using condoms.

And there also numbers that show they are not getting screened for sexually transmitted disease. Sixty-four percent of men over 50 have not been screened in the past year; 69 percent of women haven't.

So, you know, these days, I think that younger people know that they -- they at least know they should get screened and they should use condoms.

KAYE: The numbers pretty disturbing.

COHEN: They are disturbing. And so, just because you're 70 doesn't mean you can't get an STD.

KAYE: So what's the message then for Baby Boomers? I feel like after talking with you we should almost speak to them the way we speak to teenagers and give them the same warning.

COHEN: That's what a lot of sex educators think, is that they just need to be taught, you know, hey, when you were out there, let's say back in the early '50s, early 60s, there was no HIV.

KAYE: It was free love.

COHEN: Right. It was free love and you were pretty safe doing free love. That's not the case now, you need to think about these things. You need to be tested and you need to use condoms when entering into a new sexual relationship. That's the bottom line.

KAYE: I can see the teenagers, it's a complete reverse. The teenagers sitting mom and dad or grandma down to the table and saying, this is what you to do.

COHEN: Or maybe it should be multi-generational, the teenagers and grandpa and grandma should be together and get the same education.

KAYE: Excellent idea.

COHEN: It's a family activity.

KAYE: All right, well, thank you, that was very interesting and a good warning as well. Good information.

Well, you may not know it, but every day incredible innovation is happening right here in all 50 states. Every day this week we're bringing you ten of the latest, greatest ideas. So what's coming out of your state, you may ask. We'll have the answer in two minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Really cool companies and ideas are being created every day in each of our 50 states plus, of course, the District of Columbia. So all week we're bringing you some of the top innovations from coast to coast featured in a recent "Fast Company" magazine article.

Joining me, Jeff Chu, an editor and writer at "Fast Company."

Jeff, thanks for coming on the show again today.

Remind us, if you can, how you went about finding great innovations and how you went really went about whittling them down to one per state?

JEFF CHU, WRITER & EDITOR, "FAST COMPANY": Well, we canvassed the country looking for great ideas of companies, startups, not-for- profits that are working to do good things in their communities. We were really looking for ideas that helped cities become better places. And then we just picked a good mix that represented a range of sectors from tech to the arts to environmental organizations, and came up with a list that we think would be good for any city anywhere in America.

KAYE: Well, we've been taking our viewers through the list alphabetically, as you know. We ended on Maine yesterday, so let's move on to Maryland.

What's going on there?

CHU: So, let's go to Baltimore. In Baltimore, there's an organization called The Baltimore Free School, and it is what it's name says. Classes are free, anybody can take them, anybody teach them. If you look on the schedule for May, they have got everything from yoga to Portuguese to creative writing.

And, Randi, I think that they would love to have a class on broadcast journalism, if you want to head up there.

KAYE: OK. I'm on my way up there soon as I get off the set here.

What about Massachusetts? What's going on there that impressed you so much?

CHU: There is a clinic called Health Leads in Boston, Massachusetts, that looks at healthcare from a very holistic point of view. It's not just about medicine in pill form. So the volunteers there can prescribe anything from better food to job training to help with their housing for the low-income patients that come into the clinic.

It is really a holistic way of looking at care, and it is something that I think that every city with low-income patients could use.

KAYE: Yes, I agree with you on that one.

And when you look at Michigan, what was it there that caught your eye?

CHU: This is a shocking but true fact out of Detroit. Of all of the metro areas in the United States, Detroit has the fastest growing job growth for tech jobs. It's really surprising to us that that's what we found when we looked at the numbers.

And one of the reasons for that is something called Tech Town, which was founded by Wayne State University. It's an incubator and a support research park place where entrepreneurs and investors can find backup for their technological ideas. And it's something that I think is helping to stoke job growth in Detroit, which, as we all know, really needs the jobs.

KAYE: Yes, I mean, that's actually really good news, considering that we report so much about so many people leaving Detroit and the mass exodus from there. So that is good news.

What about Minnesota?

CHU: In the Twin Cities, the public transit system has come up with the nation's first frequent rider program. So we have frequent flyer programs, we have frequent shopper programs, but this is the first time that a bus network has come up with the idea of giving free rides to the people who ride a lot. You can also can get free ride credits when you shop at partner stores.

And we think it is a pretty new idea, so it remains to be seen if people will take it up. But we I think it is a bold and innovative suggestion.

KAYE: Well, having lived there for seven years, I know how cold it is, so I would be jumping on the bus. I would be one of the frequent riders myself.

What about Mississippi? What do you like there?

CHU: Well, there's a great story out of Pass Christian, Mississippi. A journalist named Evelina Shmukler who went down to the Gulf Coast to cover the aftermath of Katrina saw the need for a community newspaper in Pass Christian. And she started the Gazebo Gazette, which has since become a really strong advocate for the community and almost like a town center in print form.

And we think that small cities need good, small weekly newspapers that can bring everybody together and advocate for the community. So we are thrilled about the work that Evelina is doing there.

KAYE: All right, Jeff. Great, great stuff. We'll have to continue this as we work our way through the alphabet. We will see you again tomorrow.

Want to learn more about what is going on in your state or check out the states that you missed? Well, for more on the "United States of Innovation" you can visit our blog, CNN.com/Ali, and tune in tomorrow. As always, same "Big I" time, same "Big I" channel. Yes, the producer wrote that for me.

Is he in or is he out? Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is expected to announce his presidential intentions any time now. Jessica Yellin will join us with all of the details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Time now for a CNN Political Update, national political correspondent Jessica Yellin joins me now from the political Desk in Washington.

Jessica, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, well, I guess he should be used to this, he was once again asked this familiar question.

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That is right. Hi, Randi.

I moderated this morning a panel discussion, it was actually about education reform sponsored by the folks who made the documentary "Waiting For Superman." And Chris Christie the governor of New Jersey, has made education reform a central piece of his agenda, and he is also something off a kingmaker in this political season. In 2012, all of the candidates are expected to come and meet with him.

So I asked him, is there any one presidential candidate or likely presidential candidate on the Republican side who is going to make education a central part of their agenda, and will you push them to. And I had to ask, are you certain you are not running for president.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: I am not getting anywhere near that.

(LAUGHTER)

YELLIN: Are you running for president?

CHRISTIE: No, my god.

YELLIN: I'm kidding. I'm kidding.

CHRISTIE: I am not running for president. Everyone remain calm, all is well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YELLIN: On a more serious note, Randi, it was interesting, because the panel had him who is a Republican, Jeffrey Canada from the Harlem's Children's Zone Project, and then Senators Bennett and George Miller and somebody from the Department of Education. And you know what? There's a lot of agreement.

This year there is going to be a major fight, political fight potentially, about reauthorizing the Central Education Bill here in Washington D.C. And the Democrats and Republicans agree that despite the differences, there is a sense that it has to get done this year. So we could see a coming fight on it, but a lot of will to get it done. It is fascinating and interesting opportunity.

OK, so also more dead-on politics. You know what is happening today? Newt Gingrich, he is officially throwing his hat into the ring and not just saying he's forming a exploratory committee. He is really saying I'm going to run for president. That's what he says -- well, that's what we're told.

When he was speaking to a reporter up on Capitol Hill this morning, he said he is going to make the announcement at 9:00 tonight on Twitter and Facebook and on "Hannity," the FOX News show. But guess what. Someone close to the process tells us it is actually happening at 2:00 this afternoon at 2:00 on Twitter and Facebook. So look for that and we will bring it to you when it happens.

Recent CNN/Opinion Research poll asked Republicans their opinion about Newt Gingrich, 44 percent had an unfavorable view, 30 percent had a favorable view. We'll see how those numbers move over the coming weeks, Randi.

KAYE: All right, well, he has about a minute and a half or so according to my clock to make that announcement, Jessica, so we'll be watching. I am checking my watch as well, and we will bring it to you, of course, as soon as we get it.

Thanks, Jessica.

Your next update from "The Best Political Team on Television" is an hour away.