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Republican Presidential Debate; Pesticides in Fruits and Veggies; Thousands Flee Syria; Checking The Truth-O-Meter; Renting Eclipsing Buying; Talk Back Question; Clinton Cutting Trip Short; Rare Pink Dolphins On The Brink

Aired June 13, 2011 - 12:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Suzanne Malveaux. I want to get you up to speed.

New pictures of a bare-chested Congressman Anthony Weiner surface in his sexing scandal. According to the Web site TMZ, the photos were taken in the House gym.

Now, over the weekend, more top Democrats called for Weiner to resign. He says he is taking a leave of absence now to seek treatment.

The stage is set for tonight's showdown between Republican presidential contenders. Seven Republicans square off in the debate in New Hampshire. Among them, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann -- she has not even officially launched her campaign -- and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, considered the front-runner.

From all of the flames and smoke, it may not look like it, but firefighters are making progress against the so-called Wallow Fire in Arizona. It is now about 10 percent contained.

Jim Spellman takes us to the front line of this wildfire. This is the second largest in state history.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM SPELLMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What's it like when you're right up at the front facing a fire this big?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This one, one of the things that just amazes me is how fast this fire moved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Several people were injured and buildings damaged or destroyed after a series of earthquakes rattled New Zealand today. Three of them hit near Christchurch in under two hours. Now, that city was already on edge because you may recall, a massive earthquake struck back in February, killing more than 180 people.

Well, they have also got problems in the air above New Zealand. The volcano that erupted last week in Chile, it's still smoking, and it's creating a massive ash cloud that is disrupting flights across New Zealand and Australia. Now, particles in the ash can clog jet engines, which could cause them to fail. Thousands of people have fled their homes now in Chile.

Protesters have been back on the streets of California to express outrage over the release of a former subway police officer who shot and killed an unarmed man at a train station in Oakland in 2009. Johannes Mehserle served only 11 months of his two-year prison sentence for involuntary manslaughter. Now, he said he meant to use his Taser on 22-year-old Oscar Grant, who was laying face down on the platform floor. Mehserle says he used his gun by mistake.

California's battle over same-sex marriage goes back to court again today. Now, this time the focus is on the judge who ruled that the state's ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional. Backers argue that Judge Vaughn Walker should have recused himself because he's in a long-term gay relationship and he may want to marry his same-sex partner. But CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin says it is unlikely that the judge is going to be found to have done anything wrong.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SR. LEGAL ANALYST: Judges are human beings. They often have broad societal interests that are at stake in any case before them. Many African-American judges have sat on cases involving civil rights, many women judges have sat on cases involving women's rights.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Less than eight hours until tonight's Republican debate hosted by CNN. There are seven GOP contenders that are going to be facing off in Manchester, New Hampshire. Mitt Romney, he's considered the front-runner heading into the debate. That makes him a likely target.

Joining us for an inside look t the preps for the debate, our CNN's Don Lemon. He's live from Manchester.

Don, set the scene for us. There's a lot of anticipation about this first one.

DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, absolutely.

And I'm right in my element. I feel like a debate roadie.

Look, I'm back here with all these cases, and this is just a few that it takes. It takes many, many more to put this together. It's like a big concert, putting this all together, because essentially, we take over this entire arena.

Let's take you inside now.

This is the Sullivan Arena on the campus of -- hey, guys -- Saint Anselm University in Manchester. We're going inside. You can see they're still working on it. But when I got here a couple of days ago, Suzanne, I mean, there was nothing here. We had a couple of stages, a few things that were in place, but nothing like this.

Look. Doesn't it look beautiful?

So I'm going to tell you, some of the bigwigs here are getting it together.

We're on live, so don't do anything you don't want on television, guys.

These are the CNN honchos here.

So, listen, back here you see some of the names on the seats. You'll see "Pawlenty" and then "Paul." That's where people from their campaigns are going to sit. There's Cain's folks over there and invited guests.

And then if you come around this way -- let's go back over here -- you see that's where the two main cameras, the sound and audio and pictures, is going to be controlled from there. And then of course there's another big control room.

Let's walk this way.

So they will be doing that. That's two of 11 cameras.

Right here, these red seats, these are the lucky folks who get to ask questions during the debate. And then behind them will be some members of the media. You see there, CNN news source, CNN ad sales, all of that.

So let's walk up on the stage now. I feel like I'm walking the runway, Suzanne, here.

There's another one of the 11 cameras that are here again. And some more invited guests.

But as we go here, this is the important stuff. This is where the GOP candidates are going to be. Rick Santorum gets the first spot. Michele Bachmann, second here. There's Newt Gingrich. He'll be here.

Right in the middle, Mitt Romney. And then Ron Paul gets to be next to him. Tim Pawlenty, there, and then Herman Cain right here.

So it's -- I mean, it's really beautiful. Check this out. These are called, Suzanne, the chandeliers. I think they are new this year. There are two of them here.

I'm selling it. I'm like a real estate agent.

MALVEAUX: You are selling it. I love it.

LEMON: And then back here, on this wall --

MALVEAUX: I love that you are selling it, Don.

LEMON: -- you've got the cubes. Over 60 -- hey, real quick, let me just tell you this, and then you can get a question. Sixty of these, and then these are all new. We had them last time, but we got new ones here.

And then I want to point this out and you can get your questions. See these? I think it's, like, 26 feet 16 x 26 feet. That side is for social media. No, this side is for people who are going to be asking questions from remote questions, and then this side is for social media.

I may have them backwards, but essentially that's what those two giant monitors are going to be for.

Now your question? Sorry about that, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Don, you ran out of time. You don't get a question anymore. You took up your time.

LEMON: Oh, man! No!

MALVEAUX: Forget about it. Are you kidding me?

No, I was just going to ask --

LEMON: I'm sorry. I'm excited. It's great.

MALVEAUX: No, that's OK. It's OK.

Having done these before, have we seen any candidates yet? I know they do the audio checks, the sound checks. Anybody show up yet, or they're still just kind of waiting around?

LEMON: We almost had to cancel the live shot because the candidates are coming through. Herman Cain is on his way. He's supposed to show up at noon. He's a little bit late. And he's going to be here.

But we can't film. We can't videotape or do a live shot while they are here, because some of them don't want to be on, and that's understandable.

MALVEAUX: Right. OK. All right. Well, we'll see them later today.

Thanks, Don. Thanks for the tour of the -- the backseat tour there. Appreciate it.

LEMON: All right, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Appreciate it.

Here is your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. Today's question: What do you want to hear from the GOP debate?

Carol Costello joins us from D.C.

Carol, they are just -- Don showed us the behind the scenes there, and I guess they're just beginning to show up, so a lot of folks are going to be watching and wondering, what do these guys have to say?

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, let's get down to the nitty-gritty. Shall we?

Yes, yes, tonight's debate will be all about making the other guy look bad, or at least un-presidential.

Newt Gingrich will have to address why he went on a two-week Greek cruise at the start of the presidential run. Mitt Romney will have to explain what opponents now call "Obamneycare." You know, why Romney was for a health care mandate before he was against it.

And Tim Pawlenty will have to own up to why he once believed in fighting climate change and now does not. He'll also likely be asked about the Google litmus test to cut spending. You know, that if you can find a service on Google, the government shouldn't be doing it. At least the Google test addresses the deficit.

But what about jobs? As in creating jobs. We still need them. It's likely you'll hear a lot of this on that --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIM PAWLENTY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're not proposing to cut taxes and raise spending, as has happened in the past. We're proposing to cut taxes and dramatically cut spending as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We need a pro-growth policy. Reduce tax rates, get rid of this oppressive government that Barack Obama --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Reduce tax rates from here?

SANTORUM: Absolutely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON HUNTSMAN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think tax increases would likely stand in the way of that kind of positive economic growth that we so desperately need now.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COSTELLO: The question is, is that what Republican voters really want? In a recent "New York Times"/CBS poll, 55 percent of Republicans said they want a tax hike on the rich, along with 74 percent of Independents.

So, the "Talk Back" question today: What do you want to hear from the GOP debate?

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

MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Carol.

And a reminder -- CNN is going to host the New Hampshire Republican presidential debate. That is happening tonight. It all starts at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, only on CNN.

Here's a rundown of some of the stories that we are covering.

First, the grocery store's new dirty dozen. We're going to tell you which five of the 12 fruits on this list is loaded with the most pesticides.

Then, slow progress as firefighters battle the second worst wildfire in Arizona's state history.

And testing politicians' statements now in the Truth-o-Meter.

Plus, the joy of owning a home fading quickly from the American dream.

And then this --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The girls' young voices pierce the ear of what is an otherwise dismal existence. This is an old tobacco factory now serving as a refugee camp with tents crammed on two levels.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Refugees now fleeing Syria facing a new reality in Turkey.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: It is now time for you to "Choose the News." Here are your choices.

First, soda, medicine, even cars dropped into underground tunnels and smuggled to Palestinians living in Gaza. A rare look at this illegal trade carried out by Egypt's poor Bedouin smugglers.

Your second choice here, these low-income students attending a private high school in Maryland. They don't even have to worry about tuition. Companies are footing the bill and the kids work for them in return. See why it is a huge success.

And third, saving the pink dolphin, why tour guides in Hong Kong say this beautiful species is now on the brink.

So you can vote for your favorite story by texting 22360. Text 1 for "Smuggling Goods to Gaza"; 2 for "Paid to Go to School"; or 3 for "Saving the Pink Dolphin."

The winning story is going to air at the end of the hour.

OK. So you remember the food plate icon that the government unveiled earlier this month? You're supposed to fill half your plate with fruits and veggies. But a new report now says that many of these foods have a lot of pesticides in them.

So, we want to go to our senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen.

Thanks for joining us.

Explain to us, who are the worst offenders here? What should we be watching out for?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, I just want to say, when you go to the grocery store, if you are not buying organic, that produce likely has pesticides on it. We use pesticides in this country, and I think people are shocked, oh, my God, there's pesticides in my food? It's, like, yes.

MALVEAUX: Yes, there are.

COHEN: The industry uses pesticides. Unless you are buying organic, there's likely going to be pesticides.

So the Environmental Working Group, they looked at government data to see which fruits and vegetables have the most pesticides on them, and they came up with a list. And we're going to start down near you, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: OK.

COHEN: These are the five fruits and vegetables that have, according to this group, the most pesticides on them. So, spinach was number five. And then we go here with peaches. Then strawberries. Then celery. And they say that apples had the most pesticide, that about 92 percent of apples had at least two pesticides on them.

MALVEAUX: Really?

And what is wrong with pesticides? Are they harmful?

COHEN: Well, studies have linked pesticides to cancer and to other problems. But -- and this is the big "but" -- the government says, look, these are at such low levels, that they're not going to cause you any problems. And that's why produce manufacturers are saying, look, this report is highly sensationalistic and don't listen to it.

MALVEAUX: Can you rinse it off? Can you simply rinse it off?

COHEN: You can rinse it off, and you will get some of it off. You won't necessarily get all of it off. But there's a couple of things that you want to pay attention to.

Use lots of water. It doesn't matter which temperature. Just use lots of water. And use a scrub brush when appropriate, obviously. Scrubbing a strawberry probably isn't great.

And also, throw away the outer leaves, something like, let's say, a head of cabbage. Throw away the outer leaves, because that's where the pesticide would end up.

MALVEAUX: Should you end up buying organic? Is that the best way to go?

COHEN: You know, if you really don't want pesticides, buy organic. But it is pricey. And so one thought is that, for example, for these five here that have the most pesticides, only buy organic for those. I mean, that's one thing, one sort of strategy you can use if you want to save money.

MALVEAUX: And are there other ones in this report? What are the cleanest ones? Do you have actually clean veggies and clean fruit?

COHEN: Right. This is sort of the best five here. The five that have the least amount of pesticides are, in no particular order, onions, corn, pineapples, avocados, asparagus.

And if you want to see a list of more fruits and vegetables and more details, CNN.com/thechart. My colleague Georgeanne Caruso (ph) has all the listings. A terrific blog.

MALVEAUX: Great. If I wash this strawberry, can I have one?

COHEN: Oh, absolutely. No problem at all. I'll even wash it for you.

MALVEAUX: OK. Thank you.

Thanks, Elizabeth. Appreciate it.

Well, the violence in Syria is continuing. Refugees are flooding out of the country by the thousands. We're going to show you what life is like for people who have now been chased out of their homes by their own government.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Thousands have flooded out of Syria since the violence began there between protesters and the government. Now the refugees are overwhelming the border with Turkey.

Arwa Damon is taking a look at what life is like for the people who are essentially living on the run.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAMON (voice-over): The girls' young voices pierce the air of what is an otherwise dismal existence. This is an old tobacco factory now serving as a refugee camp with tents crammed on two levels. We're not allowed to film inside.

Abu Shadi (ph) and his family of eight fled for their lives Friday as the Syrian military launched its main assault against the town of Jisr-Al-Shugur.

"We don't know what is going to happen. We don't dare go back to Syria," his wife says. Our conversation ends abruptly.

(on camera): So now someone is coming out and is telling everyone to come inside.

(voice-over): Turkish authorities are trying to prevent the news media from talking to the refugees.

Last Monday, the Syrian government accused armed gangs in Jisr- Al-Shugur of massacring 120 Syrian security forces, a claim opposition groups say is a rouse to justify the crackdown which has raged on all weekend.

Thousands of terrified residents of the town and surrounding villages already had abandoned their homes and scrambled into neighboring Turkey, fearing a massacre at the hands of their own military. And they keep on coming.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Arwa Damon is joining us by phone from the border between Syria and Turkey.

And Arwa, I know you're on the phone now, you're not on camera because of the weather, the bad weather out there. How is that impacting what is happening with the refugees who are trying to flee Syria?

DAMON: Well, Suzanne, one can only really begin to imagine what the situation is like now inside those various tents, and for those that are trying to make their way across the border, it is literally raining down sheets at this point in time. And a lot of these refugees, even though they are inside Turkey, living under tents, you can only imagine what it's like for them. And then there is also this makeshift camp on the Syrian side where people are effectively living under tarps.

Now, the Syrians there are choosing to stay in Syria and not cross to Turkey because most of them, we are hearing, have relatives who have gone missing, and they're afraid that if they come into Turkey, they're going to lose all forms of communication to them. And we do now know that at least 6,800-plus people have fled into Turkey -- Suzanne. MALVEAUX: And what does the scene look like there where you are now? I mean, that sounds absolutely horrific.

DAMON: It is. I mean, the rain is effectively turning the area into something of a mud field. And from our vantage point that we had earlier, looking into that one refugee camp on the Syria side that I was talking about -- and people there don't have a solid ground underneath them. They have strung tarps up between vehicles, they were forced to do their laundry in the river.

They're sustaining themselves thanks to the villagers on the Turkish side who are ferrying food, sneaking across the border, bringing them bread and the bare basics. But what was already a dismal existence, most certainly being compounded by these weather conditions right now, and, of course, by the knowledge that not a single refugee who we have spoken to has any idea whatsoever of when they're going to be able to go back home.

MALVEAUX: Arwa Damon, there on the border. A crisis situation that we are following very closely, as well as the rest of the world, watching what is taking place there, clearly a humanitarian crisis.

Thank you, Arwa.

Well, we're also following a big story. We're counting down to the first Republican presidential debate. That is tonight, 8:00 p.m., here on CNN.

Who's in the race? Who is still on the fence? We're going to break it all down for you, up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

MALVEAUX: Well, it's a tough economy, and less than stunning poll numbers means that President Obama could be facing an uphill battle in the 2012 presidential election. But what does the president have on his side? There is still no obvious opponent.

So, going into the first Republican debate in New Hampshire tonight, the field of candidates and potential candidates still wide open.

Here's a look at the competition.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm announcing my candidacy for president of the United States.

MALVEAUX (voice-over): In this corner, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, once a formidable foe, now abandoned by most of his campaign team just four days ago.

GINGRICH: There's a fundamental strategic difference between the traditional consulting (ph) community and the kind of campaign I want to run.

MALVEAUX: The conservative firebrand is trying to wage a comeback.

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Now, we're going to return the responsibility and authority to the states for dozens of government programs. And that will begin with a complete repeal of Obamacare.

MALVEAUX: Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, with a strong showing in the polls, but handicapped by health care legislation he passed as governor. Critics say it's similar to Obama's health care law.

TIM PAWLENTY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: President Obama said that he designed Obamacare after Romneycare, and basically made it Obamneycare.

MALVEAUX: Also in the ring, another former governor, Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, on McCain's short list as running mate in 2008.

PAWLENTY: We're going to need a new and better president.

REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R), MINNESOTA: Making Barack Obama a one- term president!

MALVEAUX: And another from Minnesota, Michele Bachmann, the Tea Party superstar, who's not even yet officially in the fight, but making it clear she's ready.

RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Join the fight! Join the fight!

MALVEAUX: Former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum is coming out swinging. But as a staunch conservative, some question whether he'll appeal to the middle.

REP. RON PAUL (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: World history has never seen the monetary inflation that we have seen in the last couple of years.

MALVEAUX: And this is round three for Ron Paul.

PAUL: Thank you very much.

MALVEAUX: The first time he ran for president, it was as a Libertarian. While his fan base is loyal and growing, he faces the problem of being considered by many too radical.

HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The sleeping giant has awakened. It's called we the people.

MALVEAUX: And then there's Herman Cain, the former CEO of Godfather's Pizza, attracting attention, but not enough yet to be considered a contender.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: But what's missing from tonight's debate are the wildcards, the candidates who have not even declared yet but could prove to be some game-changers.

For instance, former governor of Alaska Sarah Palin; former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani; Texas Governor Rick Perry; former ambassador to China Jon Huntsman; New Jersey Governor Chris Christie; and Marco Rubio, the young first-term senator from Florida.

Want to talk about what we can expect during tonight's debate and during the campaign ahead. Seven Republicans facing off, with Mitt Romney considered the leader of the pack.

Joining us from Cambridge, Massachusetts, CNN senior political analyst David Gergen.

David, obviously, Mitt Romney launched a new Web video. It is called "Bump in the Road." This is just hours before this debate is going to be taking place.

I want to show our viewers a little bit of this ad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There are always going to be bumps on the road to recovery.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm an American, not a bump in the road.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: David, it kind of has a feel of some of the Reagan ads of the past. This theme is believe in America.

Do you get a sense that the voters don't have the same kind of confidence or optimism that they once had in America? Do you think this is a message that will resonate with voters this go around?

DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Suzanne, I think the country is demoralized. People are dispirited, but they would like to believe again. We saw that with the bin Laden episode, that great adventure, when college students poured out of their dorm rooms and came out and demonstrated and chanted "USA, USA!".

And clearly there is an underneath this disspirited public. There is a desire to come back and believe in America again. I think Barack Obama, frankly, touched on that with his "Yes we can" theme four years ago -- or three years ago now. And Romney is trying to revive it.

And what's interesting about tonight is that just a few weeks ago, it didn't seem much difference who was going to win the Republican nomination because President Obama seemed destined to go on to victory. But now things changed. These job numbers that Romney is hitting on, and the bump in the road response from the administration. You know, the president is more vulnerable today than he has been in eight or nine months. And suddenly on the Republican side, there is interest because this nomination may be worth a lot.

MALVEUAX: You know, imagine that all of the Republican candidates are going to go after Obama on the obvious target, which is the weak economy. But most of them agree on the party's fundamentals of limited government, lower cuts -- lower taxes, rather -- spending cuts. How do they distinguish themselves?

GERGEN: That's a very, very good question. You know, that was similarly true back -- we were just talking about Reagan. We were talking about Reagan, and that was similarly true in 1980. There were Republicans who were running then, all sort of talked from the same song sheet, but Reagan sang better than anybody else.

And I think that's going to be a critical question for Mitt Romney tonight. Can he distinguish himself as somebody who has the gravitas to be president, but also has the kind of energy and the insight and a sense of "I'm a business guy, I know how to do this. I know how to create jobs." Can he convince people of that, or is he going to seem like the flip-flopper of three years ago.

So, we will have to wait and see. I think there is actually lot at stake tonight. More than I would have thought only a few weeks ago.

MALVEAUX: David, who do you think is going to stand out in this group?

GERGEN: Well, Michele Bachmann and Cain are likely to stand out because they're both - they both are vivid individuals and they - you know, Michele Bachmann now is sort of becoming the second Sarah Palin. If Sarah Palin doesn't get in, I think that leaves an opening for her.

I think she and Cain will be fighting tonight to become the Tea Party candidate. You know, there's some - within the overall debate, it's like a three-ring circus. One ring, Romney trying to distinguish himself as the frontrunner whom you can believe in this time. Tim Pawlenty trying to emerge as the un-Romney, as the alternative to Romney. And then Bachmann and Cain fighting to say who will be the Tea Party candidate and maybe crowd Pawlenty if he's the alternative or Huntsman is the alternative. And take on Romney directly.

I think some of the rest -- you know, Gingrich is fighting for his life. I think there will be interest in that. But the other ones are, you know -- Ron Paul is interesting, but he's not -- you know, we have been there before.

MALVEAUX: And David, real quick here on Sarah Palin. Obviously, the wild card who's not going to be in the debate, the New Hampshire debate. But she released - they had all of those e-mails, thousands of pages of e-mails that were released on Friday, people poring through them.

What did you learn from those e-mails in her term as governor? Was there anything that stood out in your mind or anything that was interesting about her?

GERGEN: I learned that what we have seen is what we get. And that she was the same Sarah Palin, if anything a little more interested in the life in Alaska than we had assumed. She thought she was all sort of detached in it. She actually was sort of engaged in the governing of Alaska for a while there.

But there were no bombshells. I think that's what the media was looking for. There was no instances of Sarah Palin really looking awfully dumb. She is who she is. She has great followers, and she's also, as you know, her negatives have gone up a lot. She could be an exciting candidate. She would very much be an underdog if she were the nominee.

MALVEAUX: All right. David, thanks. We'll be watching the debate. It should be very fun and interesting. Thank you very much, David.

Reminder to our viewers, CNN is going to host the New Hampshire Republican presidential debate that is happening tonight. All starts 8 p.m. Eastern only on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: In eastern Arizona, it's still quite a fight for control of the so-called Wallow Fire. Right now, firefighters have contained just about 10 percent of it. The fire has burned more than 440,000 acres. That's more than half the size of Rhode Island.

Residents of two communities who were evacuated last week are now being allowed to go back home, but now at their own risk. We're talking about the towns of Springerville and Eagar.

On the phone now is Marshall Reed. He owns a home in Eagar, Arizona. Mr. Reid, thank you very much for coming back with us. We talked with you last week, and I know the last time we talked, you were trying to protect your property as long as possible. Finally you had to run, escape from this fire. You have had a chance to go back home to check on your home. And I understand all the chickens that you left behind?

MARSHALL REED, EAGAR, ARIZONA RESIDENT (on the phone): Yes, ma'am. And actually, we live in New (INAUDIBLE). We haven't been allowed to go back yet. But we did -- my wife left some medication, and we got the sheriff's department to let us go back and get her medication and take care of the chickens. And they were in good shape.

We have two dozen little baby chicks, and my wife really broke down and lost it about them growing up without her being able to be there and care for them and watch them. But they're doing fine and you know, they're healthy. Glad to see a human being. But other than that, they're all right.

MALVEAUX: Were you able to take the chickens out of the home and back to safety because you were just there for a little bit of time, is that right?

REED: Yes, ma'am. And it was hard to evacuate 60 chickens. You have to have an awful lot of cages to put 60 chickens in and get them down the highway. It's just -- it takes a lot of time. It takes a lot of time and cages, and in an evacuation situation, it's just not possible.

When I left, the firefighters said they would keep an eye on them as long as they were in the area, and the sheriff's department has been keeping an eye on them. They let us go back and take care of them. They're doing all right.

MALVEUAX: OK. What was it like to go back to your home -- I imagine with all the smoke, it must have been hard to breathe or even hard see?

REED: Yes, somewhat. It wasn't as bad as when I was there during the worse part of the fire when it was coming at our area. The first bit of percentage of the containment, they got was around the subdivision.

It wasn't too bad. It was a great relief to know that the homes were okay, you know. Not only mine but the neighbors. A lot of the fire in that area burned on the ground, so it doesn't look like -- I was afraid it might, like a moonscape, like a lot of this area will look like. So, it was a great relief.

MALVEAUX: We're very relieved for you, and that is very good news.

Very quickly, did they tell you when you can go back to your home for good, or no?

REED: They are talking two to four days. However, part of the conditions was getting electricity back up there and in Alpine. We're told late yesterday afternoon, they achieved that. So, I am waiting for the public meeting over here at the evacuation center to start now with hopes that they will let us back in. If not I will talk to the sheriff's department to see if I can get back and check on the chickens again.

MALVEAUX: All right. Well, Mr. Reed, we wish you the very best. We appreciate your taking the time to check in with us as well. Please let us know how it goes with your home, with your chickens and your family. We'll be talking with you in the next couple of days. Thank you, Mr. Reed.

Politicians say a lot of things that they expect us to accept as fact. Well, it's our job to call them out on it. The Truth-O-Meter is up next.

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MALVEAUX: As the election season heats up, so does the rhetoric. Several recent comments have been put to the test on the Truth-O- Meter. Here are the results.

Bill Adair, editor of PolitiFact.com and Washington bureau chief for "The St. Petersburg Times." Bill, good to see you.

BILL ADAIR, EDITOR OF POLITIFACT.COM: Thanks for having me.

MALVEUAX: This is one from Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain. He said, "When I became president and CEO of Godfather's Pizza, it was supposed to go bankrupt. We turned it around with commonsense business principles." And what do we know?

ADAIR: Well, we gave that one a mostly true on the Truth-O- Meter. We really dug in to this one. We talked to some former officials who worked with Herman Cain. We talked to pizza analysts who followed the pizza chain and found that indeed, Herman Cain really did reinvigorate Godfather's Pizza.

The one part that we found that was exaggeration was that it was not technically on the brink of bankruptcy, so we gave it a mostly true.

MALVEAUX: OK. And Congressman Paul Ryan's health care plan generate a lot of comment. Sandy Pasch, a Wisconsin state representative, said Ryan promised to, quote, "end health care for our seniors." True? False?

ADAIR: Pants on fire.

MALVEAUX: Wow.

ADAIR: That's our lowest rating. And we've heard this same claim from many Democrats in the past few months who have really mischaracterized Ryan's plan. Ryan's plan, no question, would dramatically change Medicare, would change the whole structure of the system, but it wouldn't end health care for seniors. And so she gets a pants on fire for that one.

MALVEAUX: Finally, something a little bit unusual. You fact checked a claim by anonymous Republican officials who were quoted in "The Daily Caller" saying, Commerce Secretary nominee John Bryson appears to "support world government." What did you find on that?

ADAIR: We gave that one a false. We don't usually fact check unknown claims, but we did in this case because we find this is often how falsehoods start. That people will sort of put things out there attributed anonymously. And so we thought it was fair game. There's just nothing to support what that claim was. It's true that Bryson has talked about the role of the United Nations in responding to climate change, but that's not the same thing as saying that he supports world government. So it was just a real far-fetched interpretation of his comments. And so that one earns a false.

MALVEAUX: All right, Bill, thank you very much. Keeping it honest. Appreciate it.

ADAIR: Thanks, Suzanne. MALVEAUX: Today's "Talk Back" question, what do you want to hear from the GOP debate tonight? Robert says, "something I have not heard for years, the truth. Not their ideology." More of your responses up ahead.

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MALVEAUX: More people are renting as homeownership looks like a bad investment. "Smart Is The New Rich" author Christine Romans outlined the negatives stacking up against the American dream.

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XANDER CLARKE, RENTER: If I own my own home, I would not have any of these amenities.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, AUTHOR, "SMART IS THE NEW RICH" (voice-over): Like a full service building and outdoor pool. But amenities aside, 23-year-old Xander Clarke is at an age when some people consider buying their own homes.

CLARKE: I thought about investing and purchasing a home. My father purchased a home when he was my age. So when I knew I was going to move to Baltimore, I looked at properties, but I just knew that in my line of work that I would need to be relocatable.

ROMANS: And as the housing market sinks, Xander has seen his friends, who own homes, struggling.

CLARKE: It's been on the market for a year, and, you know, they're not getting the price they're ask for. And that's scary to think that you have to keep lowering the price.

ROMANS: The numbers tell the story. Homeownership has dropped steeply from its peak rate above 69 percent in 2004, to the current, just above 66 percent. Homeownership is now at the level it was in 1998. But even those who have the money, and can withstand the tougher credit checks, are opting not to buy but to rent instead. Chris Mayer researches housing for Columbia University Business School.

CHRISTOPHER MAYER, COLUMBIA BUSINESS SCHOOL: I think a lot of people are looking and saying, you know, even if I can, you know, make the downpayment, even if I have the income and I've got the credit, is this really the best time to jump into the market?

ROMANS: Doug Bibby is president of the National Multi Housing Council.

DOUG BIBBY, PRESIDENT, NMHC: We're seeing some opting not to buy right now, even though they could afford it, because some are betting on housing prices falling farther. There are some predictions they will fall more. There are others who are betting on the ability to change.

ROMANS: And with the jobless rate at 9.1 percent, being able to pick up and go where the jobs are is critical. CLARKE: I prefer to rent. I like the flexibility that comes along with renting.

ROMANS: The face of a new generation of renters and perhaps the future of home dwelling in general.

MAYER: I think there's a lot of evidence that people need to have downpayments and so we should have viable options for people who are not in a position in their lives to be owners. And there's nothing wrong with that. And hopefully we'll, you know, start to eliminate some of the stigma. And so when people buy, they'll buy for good reasons.

ROMANS: Christine Romans, CNN, New York.

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MALVEAUX: And Christine adds, for many people it's their jobs that keep them on the move. Xander Clark works at the human resources department at a large store and he can definitely see another move now in his future.

We're about seven hours away from tonight's showdown between Republican presidential contenders, which brings us to today's "Talk Back" question and Carol Costello. She joins us from D.C. with some of your responses.

Hey, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Suzanne.

The "Talk Back" question today, what do you want to hear from the GOP debate?

This from Mike. "Has their economic plan of tax cuts ever helped? Carol, why won't you ask the real question? Why didn't their plan work under Bush when they controlled Congress?"

This from Joe. "I'd like to hear what they will offer that Obama doesn't and how they plan to take care of this economic crisis and national debt. And I hope there isn't any mudslinging."

This from Joshua. "I would actually like to hear Republicans talk about education. As a college student, I've witnessed this skyrocketing cost of attending a university. Start focusing on the backbone of America and tell us what you're going to do to make the American dream reachable."

This from Amanda. "I would like to hear what each candidate thinks of Obama -- I would like to hear what each candidate -- what each candidate thinks Obama has done well and what each thinks George W. Bush did poorly. It would be nice to see if they could answer just one question that would show the , minimal openness or willingness to do so, not just to campaign and kowtow to the extremes that decide the primaries."

Please keep the conversation going, facebook.com/carolcnn. And thank you, as always, for your responses. It's nice to be back.

MALVEAUX: Nice to see you, Carol. Thanks. Good to have you back.

COSTELLO: Sure.

MALVEAUX: A reminder, CNN is going to host the New Hampshire presidential debate. That is happening tonight. Join us as Republican hopefuls gather to size one another up, debate the issues as well. The New Hampshire Republican presidential debate all starts at 8:00 p.m. Eastern tonight. That is only on CNN.

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MALVEAUX: Got some breaking news here. We understand Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is cutting her trip short because of the volcanic ash and the troubles that it's causing with travel. Want to bring in our Jacqui Jeras to explain where the secretary of state is and what this weather pattern is about regarding this volcano and the ash that's been erupting.

JACQUI JERAS, METEOROLOGIST: Yes, right now Hillary Clinton is in Ethiopia. The actual volcano itself is in Eritrea (ph) up here. It's Nabro, Eritrea. She's down here. But she has some concerns this could be disrupting air travel. Right now it isn't. As we take a look at a satellite image, this is the plume that we're talking about. So right now it's moving up to the west, northwest and that's expected to stay that way, but it's something that could be of concern over the upcoming days. So that's why I understand she's trying to get back before that can happen.

MALVEAUX: All right, Jacqui Jeras. Thanks, Jacqui. Appreciate it.

Now, the winning "Choose The News" story, rare and beautiful. Pink dolphins are becoming even more rare in the waters off of Hong Kong. Our CNN's Kristie Lu Stout talks with a dolphin tour operator who blames a number of sources for their dwindling population.

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KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Scientists call them the Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin. They aren't just found here in southern China, but as far afield as South Africa, and even the western Pacific. But only the ones here in the Pearl River Delta are pink.

SAMUEL HUNG, HONG KONG DOLPHIN CONSERVATION SOCIETY: We're not quite sure why they're pink in color. When they're dead, they become white in color. So we think that the pink color may be sort of a blushing effect that that's how they regulate their internal heat.

LU STOUT: We set off to an area behind Hong Kong's busy international airport, which was built in dolphin habitat. As the anticipation builds, our guide says that declining populations has made her job harder.

JANET WALKER, HONG KONG DOLPHIN WATCH: The great, amazing sightings that we used to have fairly regularly are fewer and further between. And we probably would see three to five dolphins in an average day, whereas we probably would have seen six to eight 10 years ago.

LU STOUT: But then, a sighting, followed by many more. Now, dolphins are very social creatures, usually traveling in a small group. Here, they're often found near fishing boats trying to feed off some of the catch. The sightings are breathtaking.

LU STOUT (on camera): Now we have seen about five to six individual pink dolphins, which is absolutely incredible given the fact that off the coast of these waters in Hong Kong, there are only 100 of these creatures.

LU STOUT (voice-over): In the entire Pearl River Delta, estimates put the figure at 2,500. These dolphins are gray when they're born and they gradually become pink as they mature. It has been a successful outing, but the threats to these dolphins are very real.

WALKER: We've just sailed through a narrow channel here, but this was the ocean 15, 20 years ago. So you're destroying fishing grounds and dolphin territory. Pollution, obviously, is a main thing. We treat very little of our sewage in Hong Kong. We dump about 400,000 cubic meters every day into the harbor. That's about 4,000 truckloads.

LU STOUT: Plans for another airport runway and a new bridge connecting mainland China and Nepal could further impact the dolphins according to conservationists. The government, however, says the plans were approved after it passed the required environmental impact assessment. Even the busy sea traffic leaves hefty scars on these creatures.

WALKER: If you add all these up, they're all nails in the coffin. We're talking 25 years, yes.