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Strategy for Dominique Strauss-Kahn; Al Qaeda Security Warning; Homes Turned Into Islands to Protect From Floods; Obama Meets With Israeli Prime Minister; From Campus to Boot Camp; The Help Desk; Talk Back Question; Obama May Break Law; Al Qaeda Targeting U.S. Oil And Gas
Aired May 20, 2011 - 12:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour. I'm Suzanne Malveaux. Want to get you up to speed.
We are learning about a new terror alert. The Department of Homeland Security is warning police nationwide that al Qaeda remains interested in striking oil and gas targets. That could include oil tankers at sea, gasoline tankers on America's highways. The alert stems from information that was discovered in the raid that killed bin Laden. Homeland Security says it is not aware of any imminent plot.
We are waiting for former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn to make bail. He's going to leave Rikers Island jail for his luxury apartment in New York. Strict conditions of his $1 million bail require him to stay in his house, wear an electronic monitoring device as well. Well, a grand jury has indicted Strauss-Kahn on seven counts, but he adamantly denies sexually assaulting a hotel housekeeper.
We expect to hear from President Obama and his guest, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. That is happening very shortly. The two are having lunch, and there is a tense disagreement that is hanging over (AUDIO GAP) when Netanyahu says that would leave major Israeli population centers at risk.
(CHANTING)
MALVEAUX: New anti-government protests follow Friday prayers in cities across Syria today. Activists and witnesses say that security forces have killed at least 23 protesters today.
The Mississippi River is holding steady at Vicksburg today. The river is a foot above the record level there. It probably is not going to start falling until after Saturday.
Now, the next major crest is building today. That is happening downstream at Natchez.
This businessman is actually building his own levee system to protect his property.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Are you confident you can hold the river back?
HOWARD JONES, JM JONES LUMBER: Absolutely not. No.
I mean, I'm confident that it's not going to go over my levees, but I'm not confident that enough of this is going to cave off and I'm going to have a breach. I'd say it's 50-50.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Well, here's a movie preview. "Terminator 5," it's going to have to wait. Arnold Schwarzenegger is putting his movie comeback on hold while he works on his personal crisis. The former governor admitted this week he fathered a child outside his marriage to Maria Shriver.
No surprise here, but Republicans are about to get another official presidential candidate. A source tells CNN former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty will announce his bid for the GOP nomination. That is going to happen on Monday, and the rally comes in Iowa. That's the first state, as you know, to hold caucuses next winter.
And a couple of Endeavour astronauts take a six-hour spacewalk today. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This view of Drew Feustel from the helmet cam of Greg Chamitoff.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Well, like any home, the International Space Station needs some regular keep-up. And so astronauts have their main job behind them now. They installed a physics experiment that will scour the universe for evidence of the Big Bang.
While we watch for the release of the former International Monetary Fund chief on bail, we want to take a closer look at the case involving Dominique Strauss-Kahn. He faces several charges, including attempted rape, for allegedly attacking a hotel housekeeper.
Our CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin, he's joining us from New York.
And Jeffrey, you and I have been following this case very closely. A lot of questions here.
What do you think is likely going to be the strategy here for Strauss-Kahn's defense team?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SR. LEGAL ANALYST: Well, they have to make one big decision first. The decision is, what is the defense? Because it could be one of two main choices.
One is, it simply didn't happen. He wasn't there, there was no contact between them. That's what's known as an alibi defense. The other possibility is some sort of defense that said, yes, there was sexual contact, but it was consensual, a consent defense. Those defenses are inconsistent with each other. And after the defense lawyers talk to their client and, most importantly, look at all the evidence that comes in, the scientific tests, the DNA tests, then they have to decide which direction they're going to go.
MALVEAUX: And Jeffrey, I want you to stick around, because we're going to have more on this case in just a few minutes. We're going to talk about some of those gray areas whether it comes to the allegations, as well as the defense.
Here's your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. What would you do today if the world would end tomorrow?
Carol Costello is talking about doomsday.
Carol, you and I are making plans this weekend if this thing happens.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're going to party!
MALVEAUX: We need to make plans. Come on over. We'll celebrate together. I don't know.
COSTELLO: I know.
Well, in case you have not heard, the end of the world actually starts tomorrow if you believe Christian fundamental Harold Camping. Saturday, May 21st, will be the beginning of the end of the world.
The 89-year-old Camping and his followers predict worldwide earthquakes, followed by rapture, with 200 million true Christians joining Jesus in the sky. Camping says for the next five months, there will be "a world of horror and chaos beyond description, and God will destroy the earth in its entirety on October 21st."
The preacher also predicted the end of times, by the way, in 1994, and yes, we are still here. That is also predictable, says the president of the American Atheists, David Silverman, who says, "This weekend we will giggle at the fools who follow the preachers that earn their living spreading happy lies. Religion will have been proved wrong yet again."
Well, never mind him and never mind the jokes. Let's really think about this -- some people truly believe in doomsday. They've given up their life savings, their homes, even let their children spread the word. And we are obviously fascinated with the topic.
Hollywood made a movie about it, "2012." There have been dozens of TV documentaries and umpteen articles written about it. And let me tell you, if no one was reading or watching, you wouldn't see that stuff.
Could it be that deep down, the thought has crossed our minds? Maybe the world will end some day. And who's to say when that will be?
Which leads us to ponder, what would you do today if the world ended tomorrow?
Facebook.com/CarolCNN.
MALVEAUX: OK, Carol. Well, let's just have a good weekend, shall we? And I will see if you show up on Monday. Well, I guess if you're not here, I'm not here.
COSTELLO: No you won't. Of course I'd be one of the ones left on Earth.
MALVEAUX: Oh, no. I don't think so.
COSTELLO: I hope not. I'm going to go pray now.
MALVEAUX: I'll see you, Carol.
Well, we are getting some news here. Intelligence from the raid that killed Osama bin Laden is now resulting in a warning about potential terrorist targets. We're getting some more information just in now about al Qaeda's continued interest in striking certain targets.
I want to go to our Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence, who's joining us.
And Chris, what do we know about? What kind of targets are we talking about specifically?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Suzanne, we're talking about oil and natural gas targets. And the Department of Homeland security and the FBI have put out a warning to police departments all across the United States, just telling them that al Qaeda has a continuing interest in trying to strike oil and natural gas targets here in the U.S.
What that means is, last year, 2010, they got some intelligence that al Qaeda was perhaps targeting or looking for targets at oil tankers, commercial oil infrastructure in the United States. And what this is saying is, based on what they found in Osama bin Laden's compound, that interest has not abated. There is a continuing interest by al Qaeda to go after those targets.
Now, in the intelligence circles they've got something what they call actionable intelligence. They don't have that here. There's no specific date. There's no specific time.
There's no person that they can point to say they have a plan in motion. There's nothing imminent, so they're not going to put out a full alert.
But what they're doing is putting a warning out to all these police officers across the country to say, look, remember your procedures for reporting suspicious activity. Also, you know, random screenings, to continue those. And remember to keep briefing your personnel on ways to describe potential threats.
MALVEAUX: All right, Chris. Thanks for that update. Nothing imminent there, but clearly a warning to people to keep that on their radar.
Thank you, Chris.
Here's a look at what's ahead this hour "On the Rundown."
First, Dominique Strauss-Kahn is soon to be a free man, but in a limited way.
And keeping the floodwaters out, a family takes matters into their own hands.
Then high-speed cruising in a stolen police car. I'm going to show you how this chase ended.
And Elizabeth Smart's kidnapper is about to be sentenced. Has she forgiven him?
And finally, from a campus dorm now to boot camp.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've even tried to apply at local banks as just a basic teller, and because I haven't ever been given that experience of anything more than handling a restaurant cash register, I can't even get those jobs right now in this market.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Why college grads are considering the military.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: The former International Monetary Fund chief facing sexual assault charges gets out on bail today. We are looking ahead at the defense strategy in the case involving Dominique Strauss-Kahn.
Our CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin joins us again from New York.
And Jeff, if you could -- we've been talking a lot of different points on this, but legal observers point to some gray areas in this case. What are we talking about here?
TOOBIN: Well, there are a lot of them potentially. I mean, just for example, this case is not a rape case. It is a sexual assault case. And apparently the issue -- the claim in this case was that the defendant, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, forced oral sex on the maid, the victim.
That is something that is somewhat -- not entirely, but a somewhat unusual claim in a sexual assault case. How will that work? Will there be proof? Obviously, one of the big issues here is DNA tests. Will they be able to find Dominique Strauss's DNA in that room in some way? That would be a very important piece of evidence that we don't know whether it exists yet.
MALVEAUX: And the grand jury has indicted Strauss-Kahn on seven counts now. What does that say about the case that is being made against him? Does it mean it's a strong case?
TOOBIN: Not really. I don't think you can draw much of a conclusion from the fact that there's seven counts.
The underlying facts here are a sexual assault. And just given the way New York law is written -- and this is true in most states -- you can describe that conduct under various different laws -- assault, sexual assault, sexual misconduct. It's called different things in different states, but the fact is the underlying conduct here is a sexual assault.
What that does raise the possibility of is possibly a plea bargain down the road. Not pleading guilty to a sexual assault, what's known as the top count, the most important count, but perhaps one of the lesser counts. That is the kind of thing that the parties might want to discuss, but only well down the road, and only if the defendant is willing to admit some sort of misconduct. Again, we don't want to prejudge any of this.
MALVEAUX: Sure.
TOOBIN: That's for later, but that's how a seven-count indictment sometimes plays out.
MALVEAUX: And Jeffrey, just to be clear, you are saying that because it was the allegations of oral sex, that that makes it more difficult to prove that it was non-consensual?
TOOBIN: Potentially. Again, it's not all that uncommon.
Oftentimes, if there's a forced oral sex claim, there is a weapon involved, a gun, a knife. As far as we know, that's not part of the case so far.
I think it's important to emphasize just how early this is in the process. You know, we're in the news business, we want all the answers right away. I am certain that the tests, the scientific tests that were going to be performed in this case, haven't even been performed yet.
We don't know if there's DNA tests. We don't know if there's hair and fiber. We don't know if there are photographs of scratches on either one of those folk's bodies. Is there DNA under the fingernails of either person?
These are the kind of things that could loom very large in a trial. But given that this just happened in the last week, there is no way these tests could be done. Also, the defense might want to do its own tests on the evidence. That's why a trial in this case is almost certainly months away.
MALVEAUX: OK. Jeffrey Toobin, thank you so much. Appreciate it. We'll be following this case very closely.
A family in the flood zone, they're going to take matters into their own hands to save their home. We are going to go live to homemade levees. That report, up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Here are your choices for today's "Choose the News."
First, President Obama may be on the brink of breaking the law. The deadline he is facing today concerning the war in Libya and why representatives from both parties are angered by what he's not doing.
Second, from the infamous hooded sweatshirts and sunglasses, to the bow and arrows he used to hunt, well, personal items from "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski are now on the auction block. We're going to look at more of the unique items up for sale and hear from some folks who say the auction should never have happened in the first place.
And third, it's the Olympic games for injured American veterans, an uplifting story showing the strength and determination of our service members as they go for the gold.
So you can vote by texting 22360. Text 1 for "President May Break Law"; 2 for "Unabomber Auction"; or 3 for "Warrior Games." The winning story will air later this hour.
Well, the Mississippi River flood has claimed now its first victim. A 69-year-old man drowned in Vicksburg. That is where the Mississippi is at a historic high.
The river is beginning to crest today at Natchez. That is about 70 miles south of Vicksburg. Some people have even built levees around their homes now, turning them virtually into islands.
Our Martin Savidge is on one of those islands in Yazoo County, Mississippi.
And Marty, just give us a sense, what is it like out there? Are people panicking? What are you seeing?
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Nope, no panic here.
Welcome to Hart Island, essentially, I guess is what we would call it. And that out there, well, normally it should be acre after acre of cotton. I'm declaring it Hart Lake, although that is water coming from the Yazoo and the Mississippi River.
That had completely surrounded not only this home, but every other home that is out here. But the difference, of course, is that this family is deciding not to take flooding lying down.
Take a look at the house over there. That actually belongs to Todd Hart. His home is, as you can see, is surrounded by an earthen levee. It's probably about 12 feet high, and it is keeping his home completely dry despite the fact the water's all around it.
And then take a look at what we're standing on here. It would make the Army Corps of Engineers jealous.
The family was able to put this earthen dike all the way around. That's about 2,200 feet here.
They are saving three acres that includes their house and the out buildings. Not the big barn, but that side is just a barn. But they constructed all of this in about two weeks.
And here's the real mindblower. Up until last Sunday, there was no water here. Absolutely dry. And then, on Tuesday, is when the water came rolling in.
Five family members -- and they were also helped out by a construction crew -- were able to do all of this, and it is high and dry. They've got electricity. They've got television.
They moved all their furniture out just to be as a precaution, to be safe. But right now they are riding out the storm.
The only thing they are a limit concerned about as they look out on their lake -- former cotton field -- is that there is a strong wind blowing, and you're actually getting wave action out here. Waves are probably six inches to maybe a foot in some cases, and that tends to beat down on any levee system. But they've got plastic, so hopefully it will hold up.
MALVEAUX: Wow, Martin. That is unbelievable when you look at that, that one family was able to do that with some help here. Obviously, they're taking matters into their own hands.
Do they think, ultimately, that they're going to be able to ride this thing out?
SAVIDGE: Well, they're certainly hoping that they are, Suzanne.
I mean, one thing they have realized is that for two weeks, 12 hours a day, frenetic activity. Once it's in place, there's not a thing you can do. You sort of sit here and you wait, and you watch the water. And the problem is this water's going to be around a long time.
There were some projections that it could be the middle of June before it goes away. And so you can't do anything about it.
They shuttle back and forth when they need to get to town by a small boat. But otherwise, they stay out here on Hart Island, and the levee is doing a very, very good job. There's no sign of weakness yet. But of course there's still a long way to go.
MALVEAUX: All right. Well, we certainly hope that they're OK and that they ride this out as best they can.
Thank you, Marty. Appreciate it.
Here's a look at some possible storm days ahead.
NOAA now predicting three to six major hurricanes over the Atlantic Ocean. That, this year. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued its annual hurricane season forecast yesterday, and it says it expects 12 to 18 named storms.
Well, in 1967, Israel took control of key portions of the West Bank. Now President Obama says that land should be given back to the Palestinians in the name of peace.
Our Jill Dougherty is taking a closer look at a deeply disputed borderline.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Here's a rundown on some of the stories we're working on.
First, Elizabeth Smart's kidnapper will be sentenced next week, and she plans to speak at that hearing.
Plus, we're going to show you what led up to this.
Then, from campus to boot camp, why recent college grads are considering a military career.
And we are also now looking at live pictures of the White House, where President Obama is meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. That is the day after laying out his vision for the Middle East.
It could be a tense conversation. In his speech, Mr. Obama made clear his belief that peace could be reached if Israel would agree to a land swap with the Palestinians.
Our Jill Dougherty reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's an idea the U.S. has supported unofficially for years, but no president has ever before stated it as policy.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps so that secure and recognized borders are established for both states.
DOUGHERTY: In return, Obama called on the Palestinians to guarantee Israel's security and recognize its identity as a Jewish state. Those 1967 borders were in place before the Six Day War in which Israel captured the Golan Heights, the Sinai Peninsula, the West Bank, and Gaza Strip from its neighbors. Since then, nearly half a million Israeli-Jews have settled in those areas, and giving that land back to create a Palestinian state is an idea Israel rejects.
Mr. Obama's statement puts pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the eve of a high-profile visit to the United States. Immediately after the speech, Netanyahu called the idea "indefensible." But Mr. Obama had plenty to anger the Palestinians, too, calling for a non-militarized Palestinian state, criticizing the Palestinian unity agreement between Fatah and extremist group Hamas, and trying to head off their plans to seek recognition at the U.N. General Assembly.
OBAMA: Symbolic actions to isolate Israel at the United Nations in September won't create an independent state.
DOUGHERTY: The initial Palestinian reaction was positive, but they had a key question --
NABIL SHAATH, SR. PALESTINIAN NEGOTIATOR: What will be the American role in getting Mr. Netanyahu to accept this?
DOUGHERTY: The president's balancing act gave a little to each side, but one observer says Mr. Obama may have been too careful not to stick his neck out.
DANIELLE PLETKA, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE: I think he didn't want to displease any particular constituency, but what that meant was that he wasn't going to take a lot of risks. And when you're not willing to take risks on the Middle East, you're probably not going to make a lot of news.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: President Obama is hardly the first American president to try to broker a peace plan in the Middle East.
Our CNN's Wolf Blitzer is joining us now.
Wolf, and you have seen this before. You have seen it with President Clinton, with President Bush. We've covered these presidents, and they have tried and failed.
What makes us think that this is going to be a successful round with President Obama, his approach?
WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": I don't know a whole lot of people who think it is going to be a successful round of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations right now. There are so many issues, so many sensitivities. Neither of these parties, the Israelis nor the Palestinians, they have the confidence in the other to really think that negotiations are going to get off the ground. It's been, what, two years since there have been any substantive negotiations. Really, the most serious substantive negotiations were at the end of the Bush administration where Condoleezza Rice tried in her final few months in office to get something going. Ehud Olmert was the prime minister of Israel at that time and Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian authority. They got a little bit of traction, but it didn't wind up with a deal.
And as you remember, and a lot of our viewers will remember, they tried very hard during the final months of the Clinton administration, the end of 2000, to get a deal, the Israel prime minister at that time Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. They got close. And Bill Clinton has always said he was so frustrated that in the end they didn't get that deal. But I'm not convinced anybody's really upbeat that no matter what the president said yesterday, no matter what he says to Prime Minister Netanyahu at the White House today, that this is going to -- in the short term at least jump-start the negotiations.
MALVEAUX: Wolf, what do you think needs to happen? I know these two leaders, they're getting together, they're talking about these issues. You bring up a very good point that these are just the initial -- the initial phase of talks. There's a lot of work that needs to be done. Do you see that there's any way, any path of a breakthrough from the impasse that we're seeing regarding either Israeli settlements, the border, anything?
BLITZER: It's not going to happen unless either the president, the vice president, or the secretary of state personally get involved. They tried with George Mitchell for two years plus for him to broker some sort of negotiation and he's a high-level guy, former top senator and a lot of experience. He worked out the Northern Ireland agreement. He had a lot of credibility. Everyone knew he was speaking for the president, the vice president and the secretary of state. But, you know, his mission didn't go anywhere. It collapsed and he quit (ph) only within the past few weeks.
And to have some junior assistant secretary of state try to move this peace process forward is not going to do anything. If it's going to move forward, I suspect the president personally, along the lines of what Jimmy Carter may have done in '77, '78, '79, or what President Clinton did when he brokered that Israeli-Jordanian agreement and the whole Camp David accords that almost were successful at the end of his term.
You got to get that high-level involvement with the Israelis and the Palestinians. And right now, Suzanne, as you know with the Palestinians just forging an alliance, Fatah, the mainstream of the PLO, Mahmoud Abbas' group, together with Hamas, which still doesn't recognize Israel's right to exist, the Israelis are not going to negotiate with them and even the U.S. regards Hamas as a terrorist organization. It's not going to negotiate with them either. So I don't think anyone should be under any illusions that this peace process is moving forward.
If the president is serious about it, what he's going to do have to do in my opinion is personally get involved, have the secretary of state personally get involved, maybe Joe Biden, the vice president, he's got a lot of credibility, maybe he wants to do it -- someone at that level. And the president's going to have to go to the region personally.
I know there's some talk he'll go to Israel, for example, this summer. He hasn't been to Israel yet since taking office. He's been to Egypt. He's been elsewhere in the region. He hasn't been to Israel. He's going to have to convince the Israelis, the public at large, that he's their friend, he's their supporter.
There's a lot of suspicion right now about this president and Israel and certainly within the Israeli government and Prime Minister Netanyahu.
So I suspect we're going to see President Obama, at some point, finally visit Jerusalem, go to Tel Aviv, deliver a big speech, try to do something to convince them that, you know what, it's in Israel's own best interests to make these kinds of territorial concessions in order to get this peace process going.
MALVEAUX: All right, Wolf. Thank you so much for your perspective. Obviously we'll be taking a close look to see what President Obama and Netanyahu have to say after the meetings. As soon as we get that video, that tape, we'll turn it around for you.
Thanks again, Wolf. Appreciate it.
Reminder to vote for today's "Choose the News" winner. You can vote by texting 22360, text 1 for president may break law. President Obama facing a deadline today concerning the war in Libya. Text 2 for Unabomber auction, the infamous items of Ted Kaczynski now hitting the auction block. And text 3 for warrior games. These are injured U.S. veterans who show the remarkable resolve by competing in Olympic-style events. The winning story will air later in the hour.
Well, police dash cam video keeps a record of what goes on in an officer's day. So, for instance, take this -- high-speed chase, for example. This case though, it's not the police officer who's behind the wheel.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Sentencing is scheduled next week for the man convicted of kidnapping and raping Utah teenager Elizabeth Smart almost nine years ago. Prosecutors are seeking life behind bars for Brian David Mitchell. His lawyers want him committed to a federal mental health facility.
Well, Smart is now 23 and says she has moved on with her life.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELIZABETH SMART, KIDNAPPING SURVIVOR: Whether it's just punishment here, it will come one day.
MALVEAUX: Have you forgiven him? SMART: I certainly have moved on with my life and I don't dwell on it and I have forgiven him. I have forgiven him. I don't think that means that I would invite him over to my house to stay, but that is a part of my life that I lived have been there and I have a lot in front of me that I haven't lived yet. So I'm looking forward to the part that I haven't lived yet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Elizabeth Smart says she plans to speak at Mitchell's May 25th sentencing hearing.
Time to go cross-country for stories CNN affiliates are covering.
First stop, Pennsylvania where firefighters had to rescue a man who got stuck between a log and a dam after falling into a creek in Allentown.
They say the man was under the influence of some kind of substance.
In South Carolina, incredible dash cam video. Check it out. A police officer is unable to take down an armed robbery suspect who then steals the officer's cruiser, takes it on a high-speed chase. The chase ends with the car crashing into a truck, landing on top of a tree. The suspect told hospital officials he did it to get on the news.
And in Utah, what would you do if you bought a home and found $40,000 in the attic? A man in the town of Bountiful -- that is right, the town's called Bountiful -- puts the money in garbage bags, found the previous homeowner's family and gave it to them. Gave it back to them. Unbelievable.
Well, they're trading in their caps, their gowns for military fatigues. We're going to tell you about the growing number of college grads going from campus to now boot camp.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: All this week, "CNN In-Depth" has been focusing on American's job hunt. Today we look at college graduates considering careers in the military because of the economy. They say it not only provides a job but a chance to serve their country. Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence has more on the growing number of grads going from campus to boot camp.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ben Harris left campus thinking, I'll get a good job and a place of my own. But he graduated Ohio State in 2008, smack dab in the middle of an economic meltdown.
BEN HARRIS, OHIO STATE ALUMNUS: For the past couple of years, I've been finding myself mainly working in the food service industry. TEXT: Fast food.
LAWRENCE (on camera): Did you have any idea it was going to be this hard to get a job when you graduated?
HARRIS: No. That's the thing. I've even tried to apply at local banks as just a basic teller, and because I haven't ever been given that experience of anything more than handling a restaurant cash register, I can't even get those jobs right now in this market.
LAWRENCE: So Ben talked to a recruiter and enlisted.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now do you plan on trying to use that degree in the U.S. Army?
HARRIS: Yes, I do.
LAWRENCE (voice-over): He's not alone. Some of these recruits are also trading campus for boot camp.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 13:37.
LAWRENCE: In 2007, just before the economy tanked, about 3,500 soldiers joined the Army with bachelor's and master's degrees. By last year, well over 6,000 were signing up. The Air Force and Navy have seen increases, too.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The average recruiter age is 24 years old.
LAWRENCE: And that, recruiters say, is making the military smarter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They come into the Army with more experience, hands-on practice on some of the technologies that we're using than a high school kid wouldn't.
LAWRENCE: Sounds good -- except when you compare the U.S. to China. Their defense minister says more than 100,000 college students apply to enlist last year alone. He says the educated students have improved the combat power of China's increasingly high-tech army and help bring less educated enlistees up to speed.
America's numbers are naturally lower. But U.S. Army recruiters say they've got enough quality college grads like Ben.
HARRIS: I just want to place myself in the best position for me as far as what my education will allow, which would also, in turn, probably help me most benefit my country.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: And for more of CNN "In-Depth, America's Job Hunt," check out time.com and the all-new CNNmoney.com. Powered by CNN, driven by you.
Well, a lot of you are weighing in on our "Talk Back" question. What would you do today if you knew that the world would end tomorrow? Here's one from Snow. He writes, I would hug my momma. More of your responses just moments away.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARMEN WONG ULRICH, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Time now for "The Help Desk" where we get answers to your financial questions. Joining me this hour, Manisha Thakor is a personal finance author and Doug Flynn is a certified financial planner and founder of Flynn Zito.
Our first question today comes from Crystal in Tucson, Arizona. She asks, I've been paying on private student loans for over three years now and my loans have doubled in amount. The company won't let me consolidate the three loans and I can't get a private loan to consolidate them either. So what should I do? Manisha.
MANISHA THAKOR, PERSONAL FINANCE EXPERT: Crystal is in a pickle, and as are a lot of people with private student loans these days.
ULRICH: Yes.
THAKOR: And, Carmen, there's just no easy answer. One thing that struck me in Crystal's question, when she says that her loans have doubled in the last three years, which shocks me. So that tells me either she has an incredibly high interest rate or maybe there was some late payments in there that caused some penalty charges.
The other thing that struck me, she wants to consolidate. I want to make sure she knows that that doesn't make the payments --
ULRICH: Smaller.
THAKOR: Collectively -- yes, it will make that monthly payment smaller, but over the long run she'll be paying the same amount. The bottom line is, she only has three options, talk to her lender, see if she can work out some kind of other pseudo income-based repayment plan. Number two, investigate jobs that may, as an employee benefit, have some kind of debt reduction type bonus program. Or, three, bite the bullet, financial triage, move in with mom and dad, you know, tighten that belt and pay off that debt.
ULRICH: Do it -- do it the hard way.
THAKOR: Yes.
ULRICH: But it's a good way.
All right, great, thank you so much.
Now Robert in Columbia, Missouri, asks, "I'm 70 years old and have to withdraw money from an IRA. Where should I put the money that I don't need at this time?"
Doug, there's some rules once you're 70.
DOUG FLYNN, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER: There are. Once you're 70 and a half, you have to take the required minimum distribution from your IRA. That's probably what he's talking about. What we do a lot, because assuming that he already likes what he's invested in inside the IRA, is you can call your investment provider and say open up a regular account for me in my name and transfer the shares of what you're already in from the IRA to the non-IRA. Keep what you're already invested in, assuming that's what you --
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: What would you do today if you knew the world was ending tomorrow? A pastor with a lot of followers says that tomorrow is the beginning of the end of the world as we know it, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: OK.
MALVEAUX: So our "Talk Back" question, what are we going to do, Carol, this weekend? What are we going to do?
COSTELLO: I know what I'm going to do. But we decided this would be the best "Talk Back" question today, since doomsday is supposed to begin tomorrow. So what would you do today if the world ended tomorrow?
This from Steve. "I'd order an extra side of bacon for breakfast and not go to the gym."
This from JD. "Tonight is my 25th birthday party. I have undergone heart surgery, chemo, radiation and have a pacemaker/defibrillator. I have learned to live every day as my last. So I guess it will just be another day with an awesome party tonight."
This from Anita. "I would be good to everyone. This way I would die satisfied and happy not holding any dispute with anyone. Oh, how my soul shall rejoice to see my maker."
This from Ades (ph). "As long as we do not lose Internet connection, I'm fine with it."
This from Potter. "If I knew the world would end tomorrow, I would cancel my big and expensive August wedding and fly to Vegas today and marry my love. At least I will get to call her my wife for a few hours." I'm going to cry. "At least I will get to call her my wife for a few hours and be able to say I married the most loving, kind and beautiful woman in the world." Oh, my God, Potter, I want to marry you -- no, I have a nice husband.
This from Perzad. "Thank my wife for not paying off our credit cards." Isn't that nice?
MALVEAUX: That's so sweet. Yes, absolutely.
COSTELLO: Oh, that's so -- she is one lucky woman. Potter's fiance, you are one lucky woman.
MALVEAUX: Now I hear you have a couple offers. People have been saying, want do they want to -- they want to have lunch with you. They want to take you out, Carol. You're very popular.
COSTELLO: Hey, we have very interesting Facebook friends. It would be interesting to have lunch with some of them, actually.
MALVEAUX: Well, let's just have a party. I'm having a party this weekend. We'll just invite them.
COSTELLO: Seriously, I've been thinking about what I would do. I would try to get my whole family on the phone somehow because they're all over the country, right?
MALVEAUX: Uh-huh. Yes.
COSTELLO: And then I would sit with my husband, we would sip a nice glass of wine and we would just wait. And that would be enough for me.
MALVEAUX: Oh, that's nice. That's very nice. I like the idea of a little bit of the wine there. And a beach. I need a beach.
COSTELLO: Well, you'd have to drink. The world is going to end!
MALVEAUX: You know, Chardonnay and the beach will do it for me.
COSTELLO: Yes.
MALVEAUX: Yes. With friends and family.
COSTELLO: Yes.
MALVEAUX: OK.
COSTELLO: You get your twin sister.
MALVEAUX: Yes, absolutely. So we'll -- I'll see if I'm going to see you on Monday then, huh? I may not.
COSTELLO: I hope I do.
MALVEAUX: I hope so, too.
Wait, Carol, I want you to take a look at this story though. If 2012 manages to arrive, OK, big traffic lights going to start flashing outside many restaurants in Germany. This has nothing to do with cars. A new law requiring color-coded lights to announce the results in a restaurant's latest food safety inspection, right, to a green lights mean no worries, this restaurant is clean, safe food, eat all you want. Amber light means proceed with caution. Restaurant hit or miss. Sometimes you'll get a good meal. Sometimes a bellyache. Red light means eat at your own risk. This restaurant may and a culinary Armageddon for your tummy.
COSTELLO: I'd be using that, actually.
MALVEAUX: So if you're going to go out, you might as well just go out and eat whatever the heck you want to eat at any of those restaurants.
COSTELLO: No, is that a real story? They want to do that?
MALVEAUX: It's a real story! That is a real story, Carol.
COSTELLO: I think that's a great idea, because wouldn't you want to know?
MALVEAUX: You do want to know, but you just hope the restaurant's not open, right, if there's going to be food poisoning, you know, if they just shut their door?
COSTELLO: Yes, that would be bad. They would be shut down anyway, right?
MALVEAUX: All right, hopefully I'll see you on Monday, Carol.
COSTELLO: I'm hoping so, Suzanne. But if not, it's been real.
MALVEAUX: It's been great.
Thank you, Carol.
Well, you told us what you wanted to see. Your "Choose The News" story just moments away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Keep our eye on the White House. President Obama meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu there for discussions and statements. Later we're going to have that as soon as that tape comes out of their very important meeting.
You also told us what you wanted to see. Here's your "Choose The News" winner. President Obama may be on the brink of breaking the law for what he's not doing concerning the war in Libya. Our CNN's Dana Bash explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): (INAUDIBLE) month ago. Now the president may be on the brink of breaking the law if he continues the mission without congressional approval.
REP. BRAD SHERMAN (D), CALIFORNIA: Bring democracy to Libya while shredding the Constitution of the United States.
BASH: At issue, the 1973 War Powers Act which says if the president does not get congressional authorization 60 days after military action, the mission must stop within 30 days. The president formally notified Congress about the Libya mission in this letter March 21st, which makes Friday the 60-day deadline. Inaction is roiling lawmakers on the left --
SHERMAN: He cannot continue what he's doing in Libya without congressional authorization. And when a president defiantly violates the law, that really undercuts our effort to urge other countries to have the rule of law.
BASH: With rare agreement from the right.
SEN. RAND PAUL (R), KENTUCKY: I mean no more important decision than sending someone to war who can lose their life, and yet we're going to have no debate on it? The people's representatives would not be allowed to debate on it? I found that really appalling and it's a terrible precedent.
BASH: To be sure, presidents in both parties often ignored another part of the War Powers Act, that the commander in chief should get congressional approval before military action. But it's virtually unprecedented for a president to continue a mission beyond 60 days without a resolution from Congress. The administration is deliberating what to do.
JAMES STEINBERG, DEP. SECRETARY OF STATE: We are actively reviewing our role going forward. Throughout the president has been mindful of the provisions of the War Powers Resolution and has acted in a manner consistent with it. He will continue to do so.
BASH: Angry lawmakers in both parties say part of the problem is their own congressional leaders are not raising a stink.
PAUL: Very few people are talking about this. They're just letting the president do whatever he wants. And I think that's Congress abdicating the rule of law and abdicating constitutional restraints that they should obey.
SHERMAN: Some of my colleagues would just as soon not do our job because this is a difficult part of it.
BASH (on camera): The administration could try to get around violating the 60-day deadline for congressional action in Libya. They could argue that the U.S. only has a minor role in a NATO mission, ask for an extension, or even temporarily stop military action to restart the 60-day countdown. But some Republicans say they want to take this issue to the Supreme Court, which has never ruled on the War Powers Act.
Dana Bash, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: And if your choice did not win or you just want to check out the runners-up, I'll have links to them on my page at facebook.com/suzannecnn.
CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Randi Kaye, who's in for Ali Velshi.
Have a great weekend.
