Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Arizona Battles Wildfires; Fate of Afghanistan

Aired June 08, 2011 - 15:00   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Well, apparently, this happens often.

"Stars and Stripes" says that the soldiers may have been misinformed about how many free bags they could check. Meanwhile, Delta has apologized and today increased the number of free bags allowed for the military on duty to four. So the soldiers do eventually get reimbursed by the military. We should point that out.

But that really doesn't matter to the guys who had to lay out $200 at the airport after risking their lives for this country.

But, Brooke, I got to tell you, it is that they, Delta did the right and they are helping these soldiers make it right.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Delta very quickly said, mea culpa, changed the rules, changed the policy.

KAYE: Yes.

BALDWIN: We have more on that actually later this hour.

Randi Kaye, thank you very much.

And hello to all of you. I'm Brooke Baldwin. CNN NEWSROOM continues on here with me.

Want to begin this hour with an extreme fire risk. That is what many, many people in Eastern Arizona and parts of New Mexico now are facing today. We talked about the red-flag alerts earlier with Chad Myers earlier this week. Well, they are up still as fire crews are struggling with a massive wildfire there.

Here are the pictures. It is called the Wallow fire. It has now burned nearly 400,000 acres. And there is no letup in these flames. Right now, this has now been upgraded, if we can use that word, to the second largest wildfire in the state's history. And, folks, it is getting bigger, one of several burning in the state.

In fact, we are getting all kind of video -- we appreciate it -- from you, the iReporters. You are sending us some pretty compelling images of the wildfires there. Look at the horizon. These images were shot by Lori Bailey from in Rio Rico, Arizona. She says smoke from the Murphy fire has covered her community for days. Firefighters are not getting any help from the weather.

Talked about high winds continue, low humidity making for a pretty tough fight for folks there -- 20 to 35 miles an hour in terms of the winds. They are spreading those flames.

And I want to bring in the guy who has been watching this for us all week long, Chad Myers.

We were talking about the winds and some of those backfires that they were trying to burn to sort of maybe head off the other lines of flames. They are continuing to do that and the winds still bad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, they are, during the day. Now at night, the winds almost go to zero. And that is when the firefighting effort really needs to ramp up.

BALDWIN: Ah.

MYERS: The problem is you can't get the air superiority at night like you can during the day.

And when the winds are blowing 30, 35 and you have got smoke everywhere, you can't get planes in there then. So you have these small windows of opportunity. When the sun rises, you have good visibility, you have low winds to get that air support in there.

They have made a very long line all the way from the south of these two towns, this Eagar and up into Springerville. And that line, they hope, 20 miles long, with bulldozers will keep it out of those cities. But you know what? Literally, a 30- or 45-mile-per-hour gust could make a spark jump over that line.

BALDWIN: Wow.

MYERS: And that line would completely useless, even though they have worked so very hard to make that break.

BALDWIN: Wow. You mentioned the two towns that are really the focus here thus far, Eagar and Springerville. You have been watching the numbers closely. How many evaluations are we talking so far?

MYERS: I wish we knew that everyone had left, but we don't. We know that people are still there. we know how many people should be gone, which is almost 4,000, but we know that people don't want to leave their stuff. They will risk their lives for their stuff. You see it in hurricanes. You see it in floods. You see it in fires like we have right now.

BALDWIN: Well, sir, you just provided me the perfect segue. I don't think you even knew what we had coming, but speaking of folks who don't want to leave, let's move on to this one.

And the Arizona wildfires have now sent more than 5,000 people fleeing their homes, many more on standby, told to be ready at a moment's notice should the flames head their way.

Karl Turley, he sent his family packing, sent them to safety, but, as Chad mentioned, he is one of the folks stayed behind just to protect his home.

He is good enough to join me on the phone from this home from Eagar, Arizona.

And, Karl, I know your wife, your daughter, your grandchildren, who are all adorable, and I have seen their pictures here, they have left you. Why did you stay behind, sir?

KARL TURLEY, RESIDENT OF ARIZONA: Well, I did a lot of thinking about this.

And I had the fire department burn the lot next to me in the early spring. I have watered it. I am watering my woodpile three or four hours a day. I have my home surrounded, well, the north side of it, by grass.

What I'm worried about are the embers that are coming in and starting small fires, and then they get out of control. And that is what I am here to stop from happening around my neighborhood.

(CROSSTALK)

K. TURLEY: So, I feel like I'm completely safe. I feel safer with the fire than I do here talking to you right now.

BALDWIN: Where -- where are you talking to me from right now?

K. TURLEY: I am in my front room. I'm looking out the window at the smoke.

BALDWIN: What do you see? The smoke?

K. TURLEY: Just a lot of smoke. The wind is blowing. It's come up a lot worse today than it was yesterday.

As I went out this morning, there were a lot of embers out on the charred pine needles, charred bark that had blown in overnight...

(CROSSTALK)

K. TURLEY: ... my yard.

BALDWIN: Karl, when you walk outside -- you mentioned the smoke -- I understand it is getting harder and harder for some folks to breathe. What does it taste like? How thick is it?

K. TURLEY: It is pretty thick. It is almost like you can taste it. And I don't know. I have never had any breathing problems or anything, so it doesn't bother me too much.

But I was outside for a while watering some of my garden and just playing around, just kind of watching. And it hasn't bothered me, but I know that there are many people it does bother.

BALDWIN: I understand that this has been -- it's pretty emotional for you, the fact that you have chosen to stay home to protect your home. Why -- why the high emotion?

K. TURLEY: Well, I have got good friends and family that have had to evacuate and their homes are in danger. I'm pretty emotional. I cry over those doggone movies that are sad, you know, or happy. So...

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: So, certainly your home sitting precariously close to the fire, I image, would bring a tear to the eye.

Karl, I have your wife on the phone. Hope you don't mind me bringing her in too.

Edie, you with me?

EDIE TURLEY, RESIDENT OF ARIZONA: I'm here.

BALDWIN: OK, Edie, so I know you're on the phone. You got out of there. You left Karl. You are now in Queens Creek about 230 miles away. How hard was it for you leaving your husband behind?

E. TURLEY: Oh, he is safe. Our home is not in that much danger. We are kind of right in the middle of the community there.

And we have been -- you know, there is irrigation all around us and the trees are pretty green. There's not -- I think the only thing that would be really in danger is the woodpile from the embers that are blowing in. And that is what he stayed to -- to save. If he had to, he could dive in our well.

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: He could dive in your well.

E. TURLEY: So, I think he is fine.

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: I like the sense of humor, Edie, but if you say that the house is fine, why'd you leave?

E. TURLEY: Well, because we have a little baby that is 1-year- old and the smoke was really bad. So we wanted to get him out so he could breathe. And I have asthma a little bit and it bothers me some, so I just decided to come with them.

BALDWIN: This is your grandson.

E. TURLEY: I knew Karl could do the home. So...

BALDWIN: Chad, jump in.

MYERS: Hey, Karl, I'm just wondering what the fire department and Red Cross, FEMA, I'm not even sure, what have they told you about your house? We see these wildfires in California a lot. Houses burn from the inside out when the curtains catch on fire from the heat through the window. Have they told you to put tinfoil on the outside of the windows to keep that radiant heat from coming inside? Have you helped you out with this? Are you just winging it?

K. TURLEY: Well, I am just winging it. I am about three miles from the edge of -- well, let's see -- about -- I'm almost two miles from the edge of town and in the middle of town. I live right across from the fire department. They are the ones that has helped me burn the fields around.

I felt that urgency this fall because it was so dry -- or this spring because it was so dry. And they built that fire station just for me, because they know how I am with fires. I have had a few fires myself in ditches and things.

So, no, they haven't told me anything like that, but I feel like I'm far enough away.

MYERS: OK.

K. TURLEY: And I have my hoses out. I have the sprinkler on my woodpile. And that was my big worry. If it got into the woodpile, then my home would burn.

I have a metal roof.

BALDWIN: Yes.

K. TURLEY: So, you know, I -- like I say, I'm not too worried about my home. I worry about my -- I have families -- families that I know real well that are real good friends...

BALDWIN: Your neighbors.

K. TURLEY: ... whose homes are right in the middle of the path of the fire. So, I worry more about them than me.

BALDWIN: Yes, Edie, I'm going to give you the last word here. I know you said your husband can hop in the well, if need be. But he is listening to you there on the phone. At what point do you pick up the phone from your perch some 230 miles away and say, honey, pack up and leave?

(LAUGHTER)

E. TURLEY: I don't think I would ever tell him that, because I think he is safe there. I really feel like he is safe.

Our home is OK where it is. There are lots of homes that are not there, though, because we are in the middle of the valley and they are on the outside in the woods. And there's just -- theirs are the ones that I worry about, but he is safe.

BALDWIN: Well, Mr. and Mrs. Turley, I appreciate you jumping on the phone. Well-wishes to your family and the little ones. And I hope what you say remains the same, that your house is safe. Thanks to both of you.

E. TURLEY: Thank you.

K. TURLEY: Well, we thank you very much.

Chad Myers, thanks to you. And, hopefully, that is how it goes.

Coming up next: We send more money there than any other country in the world. But all that cash could actually be making things worse in Afghanistan. And just think what will happen if and when U.S. troops leave. That is the warning Congress is giving. That is next.

And then, do you carry cash or perhaps a debit card? If the answer is debit, have you ever tried to use that card in a store and sometimes the clerk tells you, hang on a second, there is a minimum purchase for -- requirement to use your card? It looks like that is about to change. We will tell you about a vote that just happened on Capitol Hill. Stay right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Here is a number I want you to think about, $19 billion. That is how much the United States has spent in foreign aid in Afghanistan in this past decade. And it has gotten us almost nowhere. That is the conclusion of a report released just today by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The report prepared by the committee's Democratic majority also says Afghanistan will sink deeper into crisis after U.S. troops are pulled out by the year 2014.

Also keep in mind this report hits the same day President Obama had this hour-long videoconference call with his counterpart in Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, where they talked about everything from the troop drawdown to Osama bin Laden.

Want to go to straight to the Pentagon, to our correspondent there, Barbara Starr.

Barbara, I read pieces of this report where they talk about that this tidal wave of funding to Afghanistan, that, according to this report, local officials are simply incapable of spending wisely.

What is the main criticism leveled against how all this U.S. money has been used there?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, this report already has been criticized, if you will, by the White House. Let's get that out there first, the White House of course saying a lot of progress has been made in Afghanistan.

But this Senate Foreign Relations Committee report says, look, $19 billion and it is causing a problem, the sheer volume of money going into Afghanistan, because, right now, that foreign aid is amounting to about 97 percent of Afghanistan's economy. What does that mean? Well, what that means now is the economy is badly distorted, jobs, labor practices, prices in the economy all basically turned upside-down by this influx of foreign aid money, and that it's only going to get worse if and when U.S. troops leave, the money goes with them, and that Afghanistan could fall into a depression essentially of an economic security crisis.

So, a lot to deal with there, and a lot of concern that, as the U.S. is trying to help with money, it may be really hurting Afghanistan in the long run.

BALDWIN: Yes, 97 percent, that is a number that jumped out to me. That is a huge number. That is just the economics here. We know the president has some pretty big decisions to make about the size of the troop drawdown.

How, Barbara, how might this report affect his changes -- if choices, if at all?

STARR: Well, look at the politics of it just this way. This report from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which is chaired by Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, a leading Democrat, a close ally of the president, and his committee turns out a report that is critical of the U.S. effort there.

The president knows that there is declining political support on both sides of the aisle for the war in Afghanistan and declining political support here at home from many Americans. The old saying, they support the troops, but they are not so sure about the war itself.

The president's scheduled within the next several weeks to make that initial decision about the drawdown of troops in Afghanistan. And this political climate is really beginning to color all of that. How much will he feel the pressure from the Democrats on Capitol Hill, from his own party, to make substantial troop cuts in the war, Brooke?

BALDWIN: Well, someone who will certainly be dealing with the ramifications of those choices and changes, it's Ryan Crocker. There were confirmations hearings today on the Hill for him to become the next ambassador to Afghanistan.

And if you watched -- and I know you did -- Mr. Crocker did not pull many -- many punches. Let's hear just a bit of what he said today.

STARR: Sure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RYAN CROCKER, FORMER UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ: I'm under no illusions of the difficulty of the challenge. If Iraq was hard -- and it was hard -- Afghanistan in many respects is harder.

All I can promise to you and the other members is that, if confirmed, I will give you an honest assessment of what conditions and situations are, what are achievable ways forward and what may not be achievable. You know, that much, I certainly undertake to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Longtime diplomat. Barbara Starr, go ahead. What do you think of what he said?

STARR: Well, look, Ryan Crocker is one of the most respected career diplomats in the country.

This man served some very tough time in Iraq. He knows about the problems in rebuilding a shattered country due to war. In Afghanistan, though, he's talking about it being more complicated, Brooke, because really it is not just Afghanistan, of course, is it? It is also Pakistan right across the border.

And what Ryan Crocker is walking into, what Leon Panetta is walking into as the next secretary of defense is that regional problem in both countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan. A growing number of people think that the U.S. is going to pull up, leave them behind, go home again, and leave both these countries. And that may mean a resurgence of the Taliban and al Qaeda.

And that means people in both these countries are placing their bets where they think they can be the most secure. And if they think the U.S. is leaving, they may not place their bets with the U.S. mission. And that means Crocker and the whole Obama team is walking into some very tough roads ahead -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: You mentioned Leon Panetta. Those confirmation hearings, that is tomorrow, correct?

STARR: Right, Leon Panetta before the Senate Armed Services Committee tomorrow, probably going to be asked a lot of the same questions, what to do about Afghanistan, wrapping up the war in Iraq, and, of course, the emerging crises in Yemen, Syria, and across the Arab Middle East -- no shortage of hot spots for him to take a look at.

BALDWIN: Yes, or questions to be directed at him tomorrow.

Barbara Starr at the Pentagon -- Barbara, thank you.

Think about this. You are on your way home from work. The needle is almost on E., and all you need is one gallon of gas, but with no spare cash, you have to swipe your debit card, but you can't, because there is this minimum spending requirement and you just don't want to spend that much. It looks like that is going to change.

We are going to tell you about this vote that just happened in Congress.

Be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Anyone out there who uses a debit card -- and I bet there are a number of you -- you have got to listen to this.

Despite heavy lobbying from big banks, the Senate moments ago voted to let the Fed put a limit, in fact, even cut the fees that all the banks can charge stores every time you or I use our debit cards.

Let's explain this whole thing, what this means for you ultimately.

I want to bring in Colin Barr. He's a senior writer with "Fortune" magazine.

Colin, bottom-line this whole thing for me. What does this mean for folks who use debit cards?

COLIN BARR, SENIOR WRITER, "FORTUNE": Yes. It's -- well, it means that you -- you won't be paying as much money to the bank.

Whether it means that the prices of the things you buy will come down is another case. It is very -- it's very hard to see how this is going to play out, because, on the one hand, you have the banks. And then on the other hand, you have the big box retailers. And are they all going to just pass along the savings on the lower fees? It is not absolutely clear that they are.

BALDWIN: Because let's explain this, because sometimes you go into a store, you want to just swipe your credit card on something that costs $5. Store says no, because they are then hit with fees, right? If you want to buy something for $1.50, they might as well give it to you for free because they're going to end up paying more out of their pocket.

BARR: Yes.

BALDWIN: So this in essence means that they don't have to pay that, so ultimately the question is, does that mean you and I, you know, end up paying less for the product? And, ultimately, your answer is, we don't know yet.

BARR: Well, right.

And, I mean, I think that the legislation was aimed at stopping the banks from -- you know, what the banks do is they turn people upside down, they shake, and some change comes out. And the banks say, ah, record profits, so that the legislation was aimed at stopping that. So, it will do that.

I mean, we see Visa and MasterCard, for instance, which run the payment networks, they are down something like 6 percent today, because everyone on Wall Street had been hoping that this Tester amendment, which would repeal the -- the new law, Wall Street was hoping that that would go through. And it didn't.

So, this is -- this development today is definitely bad for the banks. It is another one of these things that says, no, we are tired of that whole thing with the $39 charges every time you are late for a payment and stuff like that. But in terms of passing things through, it is true that the huge retailers have an enormous amount of power, too. And it is not possible to say, yes, this is all going to go into your pocket as a consumer. It would be naive to think that.

BALDWIN: OK. So, we can't necessarily...

(CROSSTALK)

BARR: Maybe it will all go into your pocket. I don't know.

BALDWIN: That is fine with me, but something tells me that's not going to happen.

(CROSSTALK)

BARR: Right.

(CROSSTALK)

BARR: ... ideal.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Yes.

BARR: Right.

BALDWIN: Colin, Colin Barr, thank you so much for explaining that big vote there in the Senate. Appreciate it.

Coming up next: He is accused of hacking into computers in the FBI, and he is only 18 years of age.

Also, for the first time since Osama bin Laden was killed, al Qaeda's number two releases a video message. And we have got it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Another U.S. service member has been killed in Iraq. This death comes just two days after those five other U.S. service members were killed. Monday's U.S. death toll was the highest in a single incident in Iraq in two years.

And an 18-year-old suspect facing some tough questioning in Greece. He is accused of hacking into the secure systems of the FBI and Interpol. A raid on this young man's home also turned up more than 120 credit cards and thousands of euros in cash. Police say the suspect got new credit cards in the names of the victims whose computers he allegedly hacked. In addition to computers found at his place, police confiscated flares, shotgun cartridges, and a homemade bomb.

Here's a warning today from the man once considered Osama bin Laden's heir apparent. Ayman al-Zawahri releases his first video message since Navy SEALs killed the al Qaeda leader in Iraq. Al- Zawahri eulogizes bin Laden, but he warns the fight against America is not being waged by mere individuals or groups. He calls it -- and I am quoting -- "a jihadi awakening."

And al-Zawahri calls these political uprisings sweeping the Middle East and North Africa a catastrophe for the United States.

Take a look at this video with me. These are refugees in Syria today trying to cross the border into Turkey today. They are just some of the thousands fleeing the town of Jisr Al-Shugur, where dozens of people have reportedly been killed. According to the United Nations, more than 1,000 people have been killed in protests in Syria just over the past three months.

And Meredith Vieira can set her alarm clock to off. Take a look here. This was Vieira's last day this morning on "The Today Show." She has been there five years hosting with Matt Lauer. She is leaving the morning show to spend more time with her family. "Today" news anchor Ann Curry, there waving, rocking the "Ann Loves Meredith" T- shirt, slides into the hosting chair starting tomorrow.

Vieira will continue to emcee the game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire."

Now this:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WENDY WALSH, PSYCHOLOGIST: ... boys and girls, everything you type into your keyboard is set in stone on the Internet forever or in somebody's hands who now holds your private secrets.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Whew. Wendy Walsh was on fire with me yesterday. That was her lesson from the Anthony Weiner scandal.

And Weiner is an adult, but it got us thinking about teens and sexting. We know many of them do it, but did you know that getting caught in some places really has the potential to ruin young folks' lives? And now one lawmaker in New York wants to change that. We will speak with him live about his proposal coming up next.

And then, can you guess which issue is most important to voters right now? We have the results of a brand new poll coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Listen to this quote, and it really could be the understatement of the day here. Quote, "Representative Weiner has some problems," end quote. We will show you who said that here in a moment.

But first, look at the statement that prompted that. Here we go. "Lying publicly about something like this is unforgivable and he should resign." That is what former Democratic National Committee member Tim Kaine tells a Virginia radio station. He is the high profile Democrat thus far to call for Congressman Weiner to quit for trying to cover up what amounts to a sexting scandal. And now to the quote that could be the understatement of the day, the number two man in the Senate, Dick Durbin. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: May I have your thoughts on Tim Kaine's positions this morning on Representative Weiner?

SEN. DICK DURBIN, (D) ILLINOIS: I don't know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He said he should resign. Any thoughts?

DURBIN: I think that Weiner has some problems.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Problems in Washington, but maybe not with his voters back home. Look at this poll. This is a New York Marist poll that says that more than half says he should not resign. We took it live Monday afternoon, but his future may not be up to him or the voters for that matter now that Nancy Pelosi has formerly requested the for mall investigation.

But still, the worst that could happen to Congressman Weiner is far less than what could happen to kids caught sending explicit photos and messages with fellow kids. Some kids end up facing child pornography charges and the prospect to have to register as sex offenders. Parents did you realize that? That could change in a half a dozen states, including New York.

I want to bring in Nick Perry who is sponsoring this bill to give prosecutors and judges another way to deal with teenagers accused of sexting, and it is called the cyber-crime youth rescue act. Thank you, Senator Perry, for coming on. The first question for you --

NICK PERRY, NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY: Thank you for having me, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Sure. Would your bill completely change the way that teens get caught sexting and change the way they are prosecuted?

PERRY: It would provide a formal process to deal with that phenomena, and the, it would provide an alternative to prosecution for youngsters who get caught up in the texting and sexting.

BALDWIN: And that would be from what I understand, from what I read, we are talking about first-time offenders 18 years of age or younger, they could instead receive a mandatory, how are you calling it, anti-sexting education program?

PERRY: Right. The bill would create that educational reform program, and so that the youth who is caught up in the sexting would be diverted straight from the court to the program, and they would be required to complete that program which is educational program to focus on the legal and non-legal consequences of sexting, focus also on cyber-bullying and its links to sexting.

And the child would get an opportunity after completing the program to be considered for complete dismissal of the charge.

BALDWIN: Mr. Perry, let's just back up a moment, because we are assuming that everyone watching you and I know what sexting is. Define it for me.

PERRY: Well, sexting is a new phenomenon, and unfortunately the laws have not evolved with the new technology. And it is the transmitting of sexually explicit material or information mostly photos through the internet or other communication system.

BALDWIN: Mr. Perry, you are a father, yes?

PERRY: I am.

BALDWIN: And how would you be sure --

PERRY: I'm also a grandfather.

BALDWIN: And a grandfather, and we will include your grandkids in this, too, when they get older.

PERRY: Certainly.

BALDWIN: And how do you make certain that the children take this seriously?

PERRY: Well, parents can go to my website assemblymanperry.com, and we provide some tips that will help them in dealing with this situation. Also parents have to pay attention to what their kids do, because most of the kids that get involved in this sexting have no intention to commit a crime or are totally unaware that they are breaking the law, but the consequences are sometimes quite severe. They could mar their entire future.

BALDWIN: And we are talking kids and in some cases adults as well here. Nick Perry, assemblyman from the state of New York, thank you.

I wanted to add this on today, we checked back with family therapist Wendy Walsh to get some tips for you, the parents, and here is what she had to say. She said, "Number one, digital transmissions are written in stone, not crayon. Anyone can forward a picture at any time ten years down the road, and that can affect relationships that they are not contemplating yet or show up in a search when applying for a job."

And two, girls are more likely to be shamed by a text that is public, and they can be ostracized by other girls or expelled from school, and third. Girls should say no to every request to sext and should sound like a broken record every time she is asked to sext, and when boys replied to by no by a girl, they really mean no."

Now this. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARELIZ MARTINEZ-RODRIGUEZ, KISSIMEE, FLORIDA HOMEOWNER: And I'm stressed out, because I need a house for me and my kids and the bank does not want to work with me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: She is not the only one. Dave Mattingly is live in Florida with what folks are saying.

And pay up. U.S. Soldiers were forced to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay for extra bags when coming home from Afghanistan. We will have the late-breaking developments and changes just this afternoon on this one. Stay here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: All of this week, CNN is going in depth with a listening tour. We wanted to hear what issues will be front and center with you heading into next year's election. David Mattingly is in the villages of central Florida for us this afternoon. Let's check out the new poll, this is a new CNN/research opinion poll, and we asked Americans to rank what is extremely important for the vote for president, and by no surprise here, 51 percent economy, 35 percent unemployment, health care, and gas prices. But economy, is that what you heard today, economy number one issue for folks in Florida?

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Brooke. All of the big problems with the economy and the mortgages and keeping jobs and keeping your business going, and all of the problems have come here to roost in the sunshine state creating such a gloom that it wasn't long before I heard a very common theme among everyone who is having a problem in the economy, and they told me that they are looking for someone in government who is feeling the same pressure they are.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY: Four different people from four different walks of life all feeling the pain of a down economy. In Kissimmee, the mortgage crisis hit Areliz Martinez Rodriguez. The biggest investment of her life is withering away in a market shelled by the nation's highest rates of foreclosure.

MARTINEZ-RODRIGUEZ: I am trying to work with the bank, and the bank does not want to work with me.

MATTINGLY: Strawberry farmer Carl Grooms in plant city knows what that feels like.

CARL GROOMS, FANCY FARMS: Like most folks, I feel it in the pocketbook.

MATTINGLY: Rising costs from everything from labor the fuel leaves him thinking that people in Washington, D.C. GROOMS: I don't think they have a clue. They have never had to walk down here on this level and wonder what they are going to eat tomorrow or how they are going to live or how to get the fuel tank filled up.

MATTINGLY: Donna Thomas of the villages worries about that all of the time.

DONNA THOMAS, RETIREE: We basically had to give up our regular insurance and go to an HMO. And we have had to cut back on everything.

MATTINGLY: When her real estate company of 40 years went under in the mortgage crisis, she lost everything that she was saving for retirement. Harold Williams can't think that far ahead.

HAROLD WILLIAMS, FORMER TEACHER: The pressure is that you don't want the family to be without. They looked upon you to be the strong leader. I don't want to let them down.

MATTINGLY: In two months this former Orlando math teacher has had just two interviews. Williams says that the job market will affect his next vote for president.

WILLIAMS: I don't want to have sympathy for me, but empathy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: There it is, Brooke, he is looking for more than empathy. But it will take a little bit more than that from the government to get things going. We are looking at 10.8 percent unemployment rate here with seasonal unemployment, and people here say they need jobs.

BALDWIN: Unemployment, but I know specifically, David, where you are, the villages is an upscale Florida retirement community, and folks on in age have to be thinking about Social Security.

MATTINGLY: That is right. This big retirement community, everyone I talked to said don't touch my Social Security. In fact, we could use a raise in Social Security.

But at the same time they want more jobs created, because you would be surprised that there was a number of people I talked to living here who are retired but having to subsidize or support adult children who have lost their jobs in the economy. So they are pulling for someone who can create jobs just like their children are.

David Mattingly for us, listening, listening to folks on the CNN listening tour. Thank you so much.

BALDWIN: It all started when a couple of U.S. soldiers coming back from Afghanistan had to pull out their wallets and pay thousands of dollars to check their luggage, yes, on the way back from war. Well, at first, Delta issued an apology, but now they have done a step further than that, and we will tell you what the airline has just announced this afternoon next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Right, OK. So a lot of you are saying score one for a group of GIs who took on one of airlines' extra baggage fees. This afternoon Delta changed the baggage fee policy for troops. It did so after an army unit on the way home from Afghanistan got hit with these baggage fees and turned to YouTube to air out their frustration. Here is a portion of that video they posted.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARMY STAFF SGT. ROBERT O'HAIR, MAD AT DELTA FOR BAGGAGE FEES: We had four bags, but Delta Airlines only allows three bags, and anything over three bags, you have to pay for it. Do you know that there is a contract between the United States government and Delta Airlines when returning from Afghanistan or on military orders, you are authorized up to four bags.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you are saying that the on military authorized us to carry four bags, is that correct?

O'HAIR: Yes, that is correct.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What happened to the soldiers that actually had four bags?

O'HAIR: We had to actually end up paying out of pocket, our own money to allow that fourth bag to be taken on the plane.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How much did you pay?

O'HAIR: We paid $200.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How much did all of you out of pocket?

O'HAIR: Over $2,800.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Late today, Delta announced it would increase the number of bags troops can check for free. So before changing the policy, Delta did release an apology. In the case of today's situation, and I'm quoting, "We would like to publicly apologize to those servicemen and women for any miscommunication regarding our current policies as well as any inconvenience we may have caused."

Let's go to Alison Kosik. We know that Delta reacted pretty quickly on this one. I want you to run down some of the numbers for me in terms of how many bags troops can now check for free.

ALISON KOSIK, CNNMONEY.COM: You talked about how they completely changed their policy. They did. If you're in business class you can now check in five for free and if you're in coach, you can check four, that's up from three. They really made a statement and dialed back what they did. You can call it passion, good PR. If you ask me, it's good PR. There was a lot of buzz. Delta had no choice but to do something because the publicity and outrage has been brutal. You know how the airline industry is. Brand loyalty really matters. If the price is the same from one airline to another, people are going to go with the carrier that they like best, and Delta does not like the bad press.

BALDWIN: So many people were empathetic. We've got two more pieces of sound. First we're going to play what one of the soldiers en route to Atlanta explained what was inside of his fourth bag. It was a bag he initially had to pay for. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What was that fourth bag for you?

O'HAIR: A weapons case holding my M-4, a grenade launcher, and a nine millimeter, the tools that I used to protect myself and afghan citizens while I was deployed in the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: That resonated with a lot of people. Let's listen to the second soldier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STAFF SGT. FREDERICK HILLIKER, MAD AT DELTA FOR BAGGAGE FEES: We are actually happy to be back to America. God bless America. Not happy. Not happy at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So to be clear, Alison, Delta is not just making it right for this unit in that $2,800 that they paid. They are also making it right for anything prior to this incident, correct?

KOSIK: Exactly. Delta is coming out moments ago saying that they are going to make things right for the servicemen who were charged extra.

It's ironic if you think about t Delta winds up having the loosest roles for servicemen who are checking bags. Once again, in coach class, Delta only allows four checked bags but other airline carriers, continental, united, American, they only allow three checked bags. Now Delta can taught having the best bag policy for military personnel.

If you think about it, sometimes it depends on the travel agent thaw get behind the counter. These servicemen were told they could check four bags for free. They got to the counter and it was really three. The question is should the ticket agent have bent the rules? I don't know. It depends. It's a tough job market. They don't want to be cut bending the rules necessarily but you've got to have empathy for these soldiers, Brooke. BALDWIN: That's a good point. Delta and whoever it was following rules at time and now we know that the rules have changed. PR problem solved. Alison, thank you.

KOSIK: Exactly.

BALDWIN: Team Palin versus team Bachmann - but wait. Neither of these women are running for president. The Political Ticker is next.

And what is the government hiding from you? Assassination plots? Medical experiments? Jesse Ventura has theories about every single one of them. I'm talking about this new book that he has written straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Time for your CNN = Politics update. Let's go to Paul Steinhauser and Mark Preston with the latest news off the Political Ticker. Explain this to me. We have Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann and neither is in this race and there is bad blood brewing.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes, a lot of bad blood brewing. This involves someone you know very well, you've interviewed, and mark and I have talked to a lot. And that is Ed Rollins. He was the guy that helped Huckabee win Iowa. Rollins now is signed up to run Bachmann if she announces. We expect she will announce later this month and really not taking her seriously in some interviews that he's been doing.

I spoke to him this morning. He was kind of backpedaling a little bit. Saying we want Palin and her people as allies. But a Palin senior advisor is trash talking Rollins saying, he has a high track record of taking high-profile jobs and sticking his foot in his mouth and he's done it again. Stay tuned on this one. But tell me about Newt Gingrich. What is he is up to?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Brooke, Paul and I have been following the race and we in the how intense this guy has been. But one person that has come off the campaign trail has been Newt Gingrich. Newt Gingrich has been silent since May 27th when he was in South Carolina. Apparently he was on a cruise over in the Mediterranean on a ship called the Seaborne Odyssey, described as "luxury, stunning, expansive and lavish." He's back on the trail in New Hampshire and thankfully we'll see him up in New Hampshire on Monday for the CNN presidential debate.

STEINHAUSER: I almost forgot about that - not. One last thing, poll numbers, the most recent, brand-new approval rating in our CNN research opinion poll, look at that. His numbers have dropped. He was at 54 percent, and now he's down to 48 percent approval. It looks like the economy is behind this. This is interesting as well. This is an all-time high in CNN polling. Almost half the people we questioned say they are worried that there could be a great depression in the next 12 months.

BALDWIN: That's what a lot of people are talking about, unemployment at such a high. Gentlemen, thanks to you, Political Ticker.