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Memphis Schools Funding Fight; Fallout if Debt Limit is not Raised; Famine Crisis in Somalia; Crossing the Border By Zip Line; Catering To The Millennials; Stock Market Check; Talk Back Question; Paying For Stuff With Bitcoins
Aired July 20, 2011 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Let's get you up to speed.
A special and stormy session of the British parliament. Prime Minister David Cameron kept lawmakers from their vacations today to deal with the phone hacking scandal.
Opposition lawmakers accuse Mr. Cameron of a serious error in judgment. The prime minister hired former "News of the World" editor Andy Coulson as his communications chief. Coulson quit in January. He was arrested recently in the phone hacking investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Of course I regret, and I am extremely sorry about the furry it has caused with 20/20 hindsight and all that has followed, I would not have offered him the job and I suspect that he wouldn't have taken it. But you don't make decisions in hindsight.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Back in this country, President Barack Obama says he can live with a new debt reduction plan proposed by six senators. It would slash the debt by about $3.7 trillion over a decade. It cuts spending and increases revenue by re-writing the tax code.
It's not clear if Tea Party Republicans will accept the plan. They are insisting on deep cuts and no new taxes before they'll vote to raise the debt ceiling. The deadline on that is August 2nd.
Excessive heat warnings, watches or advisories are posted across 32 states today. That dome of hot air parked over the center of the country is only about to grow. Intense heat will spread out of the Midwest and invade the Eastern Seaboard today. Extreme humidity will make it feel like 120 degrees in many places.
All right. Texas is set to execute Marc Anthony Strohman this evening. The admitted white supremacist killed two men, one from India, the other from Pakistan. The shooting rampage happened shortly after the 9/11 attacks. Strohman apparently believed the men were Middle Eastern and he claimed patriotism as his motive. An event at the Capitol this hour honors congressional staffer Gabe Zimmerman. He was one of the six people shot and killed in Tucson in early January. Zimmerman worked for Congressman Gabrielle Giffords who is still recovering from the shooting. Giffords' staff wants Congress to name a room at the Capitol Visitors Center for Zimmerman.
The Texas Rangers plan to raise the height of guardrails at the baseball stadium. A fan fell 20 feet to his death earlier this month while trying to catch a souvenir ball. Another fan tumbled last summer but survived. The Rangers will also post signs warning fans not to sit or lean on those rails.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROB MATWICK, TEXAS RANGERS EXECUTIVE VP: We do exceed the code for rail heights, but obviously with two events in the course of basically a year we just felt like we had to take a different step at this time.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And today is the deadline. Thirty-eight principals and 140 teachers who work for Atlanta's public schools must resign today. If not the school board will fire them. A state investigation found the group changed answers on standardized test or gave the students answers out right. That made it appear Atlanta schools were improving.
Well, straight ahead of a new school year, thousands of students and teachers at Memphis public schools are caught in the middle of a heated dispute over money. And they don't know when or if they'll be heading back to class. The school board says the city has shortened the district of -- by about $150 million over the last few years, and classes won't start until they get $55 million the city has promised for this year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. KENNETH WHALUM, MEMPHIS CITY SCHOOLS COMMISSION: We might be talking about giving up the whole year, y'all. If we're serious.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Someone has to assume responsibility for the education of the children, and I don't think the city council can be exempt from the responsibility.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So we just heard from school commissioner, the Reverend Kenneth Whalum says schools could be closed indefinitely. He joins us live from Memphis. Also with us on the phone, Memphis mayor, AC Wharton.
Reverend Whalum, begin with you. This was your idea to suspend the opening of schools until the school board gets it's $55 million from the city. Why? WHALUM: Hi, Fred, it's Whalum. And when you see my hero, Uncle Andy Young, please tell him I love him. I'll see him soon. Here's the deal.
WHITFIELD: Will do that.
WHALUM: For the last four years, for the last four years, the city of Memphis has withheld illegally funds that the state Supreme Court now has said is due our children. Well, the school board on a vote to 8-1 decided -- on a vote of 8-1 decided were no longer going to wait for funds that the states says we are rightfully due and 8-1 was the vote to delay indefinitely --
WHITFIELD: But doesn't it seem like an extreme measure? In the end, who is being hurt the most from this measure?
WHALUM: What's extreme is the fact that even with a court order demanding that the payment be made that the city administrators would choose not to. Who's going to be hurt worst is all of us. You know it's very, very paradoxal that the president of the United States was here in May, to speak at a graduation of Book of Washington, and now we may just lose the special programs that help those same students achieve in the way that they have. It's very, very unfortunate.
WHITFIELD: And do you really mean that indefinitely? Say you don't get this $55 million come September, come October, come December, it's possible the kids will not be in school all that time?
WHALUM: It's possible that the mayor and the city council don't do what the courts have ordered them to do. The word indefinitely means just that. It would be indefinite until a certain trigger. And the trigger is the receipt of those funds which we need not just to operate school, but to submit a legal budget to the state of Tennessee.
The state of Tennessee provides about $400 million of our annual funding. So it's not just $55 million that's in question, it's a much larger amount of money that Governor Haslam has stated that he's very interested in providing for Memphis city schools.
WHITFIELD: OK. So let's bring in the mayor.
Mayor AC Wharton, you're able to hear all of what the reverend is saying. He is telling us that until the city does what the courts have ordered them to do, schools will be closed indefinitely. What is your response on this?
MAYOR AC WHARTON, MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE: Well, that's not going to happen. If it does happen, it will not be -- first of all, good morning. Good morning, Reverend Whalum. It will not be --
WHALUM: Good morning, Mr. Mayor.
WHARTON: It will not be because of the city of Memphis. We are currently working. We're going to avoid this. Our children are going to start school on time. Teachers will report on time if -- WHITFIELD: And that would be August 1st for teachers to report, and kids will be in school August 8th? All that's going to happen on time?
WHARTON: August 8th. Let me say this. I guess the political thing to do would be for me to say they threatened us, they bluffed us, let's just hold tight. I heard -- I think it was Commissioner Louise, children shouldn't be caught in the middle of this.
We're not going to let the children get caught in the middle of this. We're going to avert this. And I have been in contact with a number of council members. A matter of fact I had a previously scheduled meeting with one of the school board commissioners early this morning. And we're making progress.
The children will not be caught in the middle. The key thing is, I think particularly, in the case of the Commission of the school System, that's their job. I do not -- I do not resent at all the fact that they are bold and really firm on this, and we're not going to say, oh, they bluffed us, so we're not going to do anything now. That's not going to happen.
WHITFIELD: Mr. Mayor, I apologize for interrupting you, but you know, you said that school will go on as scheduled, there will be money. There have been these assurances, but it seems like there's a real mistrust here . The board is saying we want to see that money. We've heard this promise that there will be money, but it hasn't been delivered.
Where is the money coming from? And what's at issue?
WHARTON: It will come from the property tax proceeds. This is -- this is where the difficulty comes in. Unfortunately, folks do not pay their taxes on time, so we never have this huge pot of money at the beginning of school.
What we're going to do, there is some agreement that will allow me to take funds that we were holding in an effort to settle an old lawsuit, I don't want to get into the details of that, and set up equal installments so the coming year, we do not have $55 million, but we'll come up with something satisfactory to the board of commissions or the school system, and satisfactory to the council.
WHITFIELD: So --
WHARTON: And we'll get -- and we'll get this done. The school board is --
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: OK. Let me just ask reverend -- Reverend Whalum, then, if it's not $55 million, is there a portion of that money that is satisfactory? We just heard the mayor say right there, it may not be $55 million, but it may be an amount that's satisfactory to the board. What would be satisfactory?
WHALUM: The board resolution calls for $55 million, and I am not at liberty to make a statement as we won't -- we accept less but no.
Fred, this is not just endemic to Memphis. It's a nationwide phenomenon where local elected officials find the other things to do with money that should be directed to our children. I call it the deadbeat dad syndrome.
I'm not suggesting that Mayor Wharton (INAUDIBLE) deadbeat dad, but the syndrome is, well, I acknowledge those children, I acknowledge their mind, but I've got other things to do with my money, and that's the kind of things that local education agencies are coming against now.
And I think you'll see across the country that local school boards are going to begin to stand.
WHITFIELD: OK.
WHALUM: And do the only thing that they do.
WHITFIELD: All right.
WHALUM: And that is control the school year.
WHITFIELD: All right. Reverend Kenneth Whalum, thanks so much. Mayor AC Wharton, thank you so much for your time as well, joining us on the phone.
WHALUM: Thank you, Fred.
WHITFIELD: From Memphis, to both of you, I appreciate that.
All right, well, you will want to hear what the president of the Memphis Public School System has to say about this funding battle that could keep the classroom shuttered. He is lives in NEWSROOM in the 2:00 Eastern hour.
All right, here's a look at the rundown of some of the stories that we're covering for the next hour.
The first victims if Congress doesn't reach a deal in the debt talks.
And a father carries his 4-year-old body after hunger kills her. The U.N. declares famine in Somalia.
Then what Britain's lawmakers got out of grilling Rupert Murdoch and his son.
Also the NFL comes closer to getting their game back on.
And later, this trip over the river on a zip line isn't for fun. It's a border crossing. New ways smugglers are eluding the law.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: They way a lot of smugglers operate is that they will use smaller tunnels like this one, bringing anything from people to also drugs, risking their lives in many cases.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Here's a look at today's "Choose the News" stories. You can vote for the story that you want to see.
First, he calls himself the godfather of China's growing hacking world and even claims to have shut down the White House Web site. Now he describes why he's training a new wave of hackers to hit other sights around the world.
And second, it's a new way to pay for something without bills, coins or credit cards. It's called Bitcoin. A virtual currency that doesn't abide by rules of a bank or a government.
Or a third, a closer look at a girl's soccer team that made headlines before the U.S. Women's World Cup run. And meet the team nominated in 2008 by "Sports Illustrated" as sports team of the year. And hear their ultimate goal.
You can vote by texting 22360, text "1" for the Chinese hacker, "2" for the Bitcoin currency, or "3" for girls' soccer goals. The winning story airs later this hour.
The debt ceiling deadline is less than two weeks away. So what happens if Congress doesn't raise the limit? Besides ripples through the markets, some government programs could be immediately affected.
CNN's Carl Azuz joins us from Washington with details on that.
So, Carl, who would decide what gets cut?
CARL AZUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In short, Fredricka, it would be up to the Treasury Department. They would have some very difficult decisions to make in terms of what gets funded and what doesn't.
I think a really interesting way to illustrate this is to show you a couple of numbers right here. If you look at what money is coming into the government for the month of August. This is tax revenue, other government revenue. We're looking at about $172.4 billion. I'm not sure how well you can see that.
But $172 billion coming into the government. The government's bill for August is going to be $306.7 billion. Now the reason this works now is simply because we're deficit spending.
However if the debt ceiling is not raised, that $172 will be all the government has to work with.
Now take a look at this. If you were to take the five programs that require the most government funding, you're looking at Medicare and Medicaid with $50 billion combined, Social Security benefits almost the same, you have defense vendor payments, interest on Treasury securities, and the Department of Education. If you were to add up just those five government programs, your total would be $180.1 billion. You're already over the budget the government would have for August -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: OK. So if we stuck with those five programs, what would be left out?
AZUZ: A lot. And just to name a few of them. We would be looking at people who are employed by the government wouldn't get paychecks, people serving in Iraq and Afghanistan wouldn't get paychecks, Veterans Affairs programs, IRS refunds, Federal Highway Administration, there are many that wouldn't.
And this is sort of a simplification I want to point out, Fredricka. Because it's unlikely Treasury would decide to fully fund five programs and not give anything to anyone else. They would probably make do the best they could. Spreading the money around or maybe minimally funding some programs.
But it illustrates two things. One, the level of deficit spending the government is currently at. And two, why officials at the Treasury, why officials throughout the government are so adamant that the debt ceiling be raised so that all of these government programs can continue to be fully funded -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Carl Azuz in Washington, thanks so much.
AZUZ: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right. And here's your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day, that big story, the debt talks. Today's question, what's the solution to the political stalemate?
Carol Costello has more on that.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, the never-ending debt ceiling debate. You know the players, Obama, Boehner, Cantor, Biden, the Gang of Six, and the Tea Party, and generally speaking you don't like them much. Not necessarily because most Republicans don't want to raise taxes, or most Democrats want to protect entitlements, but because they just can't get it together. As in compromise. As in let's make a deal.
And Americans are sick of it. According to an ABC News/"Washington Post" poll fully 80 percent of voters -- I said 80 percent -- are now dissatisfied or angry about the way the federal government is working.
Lawmakers are aware of how you feel. Really they are. So what are they doing about it? They're calling each other names.
Democrats rolled out a video campaign citing Ronald Reagan's long-ago plea to raise the debt ceiling as an adult moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RONALD REAGAN, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: The United States has a special responsibility to itself and the world to meet its obligations. It means we have a well-earned reputation for reliability and credibility, two things that set us apart from much of the world.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And you'll see the script come up. There you see it. You see where the Democrats are going with that.
Some Republicans are much more direct. Congressman Allen West sent an e-mail to Democratic Congressman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz.
Here's the e-mail. West called Wasserman "the most vile unprofessional and despicable member of the U.S. House of Representatives." Why? Because they disagree over the Republican- backed cut, cap and balance bill.
And you thought things were going to get better after the midterm elections, when voters voted out so many incumbents.
So the "Talk Back" question today, when it comes to the debt ceiling, what's the solution to the political stalemate? Facebook..com/carolCNN. Facebook..com/carolCNN.
I'll read some of your comments later this hour.
WHITFIELD: All right. Expect people to unleash, as they say, some more, Carol.
COSTELLO: They will.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much.
All right. A little girl dies of starvation. It is hard to watch, but she is one of tens of thousands of famine victims in Africa. You'll hear from a father who had to bury his 4-year-old daughter.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: We want to focus now on a devastating famine that much of the world is unaware of. The United Nations is sounding the alarm about the worsening crisis in parts of war-torn Somalia.
Tens of thousands of people have already died from hunger. Almost four million others are desperately in need of food. Many of them are walking for days in scorching temperatures trying to reach refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia. The camps are already far over capacity.
It's a result of the worst drought in a half a century in the Horn of Africa. The U.N. says more than 10 million people are being affected across the region.
Our David McKenzie has one refugee family's heart-breaking story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Aden Ibrahim carries the limp body of Sarah. His dead child. She drew her last breath at dawn.
Sarah was just 4. Facing Mecca, they pray for her soul. And bury her.
Severely malnourished, Ibrahim tried to get Sarah to the nearest hospital, but a ride costs just over $1 here, more than any of these new refugees could afford.
Sarah's uncle say s they fled here hoping for better.
"We didn't come with money from Somalia. We didn't come with anything," he says. "We're refugees, but we're dying because we don't get enough help."
Ibrahim's family arrive tired and hungry, but he says they were forced to beg for food for two weeks. When they finally got given it, it didn't help.
"We haven't been given enough help," he says. "We've been given only flower and maze, and a child who is sick will not get better on that. She needed more help."
Now he worries that he could lose another child. And his daughter Deka is dangerously thin.
"It's in god's hands," he says. "It's not in mine. But if it stays this bad, more people will die."
They call this place Bola Bagti. It means carcass. It's where people leave their animals to die. But Sarah's father says they protected her well. The hyenas won't be able to reach her, he says, she's already in paradise.
David McKenzie, CNN, Dadaab, Kenya.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And tomorrow we'll focus on what's being done to help the refugees. Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr will join us to discuss how a terrorist group tied to al Qaeda is affecting international response to the crisis. Meantime, you can go to CNN.com/impact to find out how you can help.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Here's a rundown of some of the stories we're working on. Up next, the British prime minister is doing all he can to distance himself from the News Corp crisis. But where's the line between politics and the media?
Then it is the grid -- iron gridlock finally over? We've got the latest on the NFL lockout.
And later, check your inbox, a generation that doesn't remember a world before e-mail sends out wedding invitations online.
All right. CNN "In Depth." British Prime Minister David Cameron was on the defensive and firing back and Members of Parliament, they're critical of Mr. Cameron's close ties to top figures in the phone hacking scandal that has rocked his country.
The prime minister's former communications director was once editor of the tabloid at the center of the scandal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Of course I regret and I am extremely sorry about the fury it has caused. With 20/20 hindsight and all that has followed I would not have offered him the job and I expect that he wouldn't have taken it, but you don't make decisions in hindsight.
ED MILIBAND, BRITISH OPPOSITION PARTY LEADER: It's not about hindsight, Mr. Speaker, it's not about whether Mr. Coulson lied to him, it's about all the information and warnings that the prime minister ignored. He was warned, and he preferred to ignore the warnings.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: That exchange in today's parliamentary session follows yesterday's appearance by Rupert Murdoch. "New York Times" media reporter Jeremy Peters will be joining us from New York after our break for more on the hearing.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: At the hearings in front of Parliament yesterday, billionaire businessman Rupert Murdoch denied any prior knowledge of phone hacking in his massive media empire, and he refused to accept any responsibility.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Murdoch, do you accept that ultimately you are responsible for the whole fiasco?
RUPERT MURDOCH, CEO, NEWS CORP.: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're not responsible? Who is responsible?
R. MURDOCH: The people that I trusted to run it, and then maybe the people they trusted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: "New York Times" media reporter Jeremy Peters joins us from New York. So, convincing that Rupert Murdoch didn't seem to know much or anything about this phone hacking or even police bribery?
JEREMY PETERS, MEDIA REPORTER, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": This has been the party line for senior News Corp executives all along. They said this malfeasance occurred at levels far below them and they would have no way of knowing that it was going on.
I think what was less convincing in that testimony was that Rupert Murdoch said he was at times disengaged from the operations of his newspapers, which as anyone who has ever covered Rupert Murdoch knows, he's a very hands-on owner and his in communication with his editors. Often multiple times a day. Especially at titles like "The New York Post" and "The Wall Street Journal."
WHITFIELD: So was that the strategy to show that he was disengaged and his son, James Murdoch, would be the one who would kind of be in the driver seat of answering questions? Was that a way in which to say, you know, Rupert Murdoch, my dad doesn't really know a whole lot and I know all there is to know?
PETERS: Well, I think it was a strategy on both of their parts to put distance between themselves and people at the lower levels of the company who should have known this was going on? I think, you know, it's another question altogether, whether or not they didn't ask the questions they should have asked, or they just didn't know, period.
WHITFIELD: So, did you talk to any of your sources within the Murdoch company, any executives that have some opinions about the performance of James or Rupert Murdoch, or even Rebekah Brooks, for that matter?
PETERS: Yes, I did, and I think that there's a consensus inside the company that both Rupert and James performed adequately. I don't think anybody thought this was a runaway success. But t could have gone a lot worse. The questions could have got more intense.
If you watch the hearing again, you will notice that there is almost a certain deference that many members of Parliament paid to both men. It's not like hearings you see in Congress in the United States where members are grilling the people testifying before them.
So, I think that the expectations were very low, and that helped, but by and large inside the company, there's a feeling that this didn't do anything to hurt News Corporation.
WHITFIELD: OK. All right. Thanks so much, Jeremy Peters, appreciate that from New York.
PETERS; Thank you, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Relief for all of you armchair quarterbacks across America. The four-month NFL lockout could be drawing to a close. NFL players could vote on a collective bargaining agreement as early as today. Owners are expected to vote tomorrow during their meeting here in Atlanta. And among the deal's provisions, players would get almost half the $9 billion in revenue the league takes in every year.
And even if the lockout comes to an end, it won't change the fate of training camp host towns across the country, hit hard by this lockout. The New York Jets, for example, have already said they will not be going to training camp in Courtland New York. That's a huge blow for the town's economy, just under $6 million lost.
Here is CNN's Poppy Harlow.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM (voice-over): Last summer, Courtland, New York, looked like this. But this year, it won't look anything close.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like royalty coming in to town for us.
HARLOW: Population 19,000; it's been home to the New York Jets training camp since 2009.
REX RYAN, COACH, NEW YORK JETS: Coming up here, you know, it exceeded our expectations.
HARLOW (on camera): A year ago, this field was full of Jets players running drills, working out and attracting 41,000 spectators who filled the local bars and restaurants.
But this year, there's none.
(voice-over): In the midst of the NFL lockout, Jets management canceled training camp here. Telling CNN Money the planning is extensive, something they couldn't focus on during the lockout.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: America loves football and, you know, we really missed out big time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was heartbreaking, you know? You got 250- pound pro athletes walking down the street and it's amazing, you know. And they are in your restaurant.
HARLOW: It's a major blow to this tiny economy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I could have anticipated 20 percent loss. We're talking, you know, millions of dollars for these small businesses.
HARLOW: Jets training camp brought in $5.8 million to Courtland last year in just three weeks. Nearly five percent of the entire county's annual budget.
ANTHONY CARUSO, BUSINESS OWNER: It was the best month we ever had a couple of them (INAUDIBLE); of course he had just signed his contract.
HARLOW (on camera): Oh, really.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All of the fans that we see at Harry, Tony's and Garcia's and all of the restaurants we go to, it's really too bad.
HARLOW (voice-over): Jets training camp effectively created a tourism business where there wasn't one.
(on camera): Tell me what the moment was like when you found out the Jets were bringing their training camp here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I think my jaw just dropped. I think it's been my favorite team for years, over 30 years. I mean I just can't even explain the emotion.
HARLOW (voice-over): But Courtland isn't the only town hurt by the lockout. The Baltimore Ravens have canceled their training camp in Westminster, Maryland. At least a $2.2 million hit for the city. The New York Giants aren't training in Albany, New York meaning a loss of at least a $1 million bucks for the state's capital.
Between the Jets and the Giants, the economic impact in New York is so big, the state attorney general has launched an anti-trust investigation into the NFL lockout saying, "It will inflict significant economic injuries statewide."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right, Poppy Harlow with us now. OK, so I guess the Jets will miss the town and the town certainly missing the Jets.
HARLOW: Certainly, you know, it's interesting, the real sense you get up there about how this goes past money. Yes, this is almost $6 million in revenue for the town in three weeks. But Fredericka, what was really neat is that guy you heard talk, Mark, who runs Doug's Fish Fry in the piece, the Jets called him personally and said, look, because training camp is cancelled, would you please bring your restaurant to us? We're going to practice in New Jersey. Would you load up the traveling fan and bring us down to us at the restaurant? So, they've really connected with this town.
And another interesting point in terms of the attorney general's investigation here in New York about whether or not the lockout was legal and what effect that had on these local businesses that don't get the training camp, he said yet it's to be determined whether or not they're going to continue that investigation if we do see a deal reached between the players and the owners. But that's still a big if, Fredericka. Big vote tonight. We'll see what happens.
WHTIFIELD: And is it clear whether the restaurant said okay, yes, we will put our recipe on wheels and come to you?
HARLOW: They are going to do it!
WHITFIELD: Yes? HARLOW: He was loading up the truck and getting ready. They were loading up the truck when we were there earlier this week, and they will drive the four hours down to New York to do that next week for Jets' training camp. Assuming there's a deal, right? Assuming that the Jets can actually practice.
But you know, this guy, a 30-year Jets fan drives four hours to every single home game with his nine-year-old son. Talk about a die- hard jets fan.
WHITFIELD: No kidding! All right, well, that's what it takes. Thanks so much. Poppy Harlow, appreciate that.
WHITFIELD: All right. Life's a little different for this NFL rookie. Marcell Dareus, he can't wait to get on the field. Why? Because he has been mowing a lot of lawns. Because he can't practice with his team, the Buffalo Bills, until the lockout ends. His godfather put him to work this summer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCELL DAREUS, NFL ROOKIE, BUFFALO BILLS: He likes to wait until the sun is up. He might wait until noon, the sun beaming straight on you, and he feels like you lose weight that way. So, I'm like all right, all right.
I love being in the yard. Cutting the grass, pulling weeds. It's just -- it just eases your mind. Take the lockout out of it and the contract out of it, and everything away from me, and what else do I have going on in life?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And you've got to say yes to the godfather. Dareus says he is looking forward to the end of the lockout so he can fulfill his dream and play in the NFL.
All right. People go ziplining for fun, usually, sliding down a metal wire high above beautiful rivers and mountains, but these folks are doing it to escape their country.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Smugglers are finding new, creative ways to get people across boarders. One surprising way? Ziplines, normally used by hikers and outdoor adventurers.
Well, joining me now with this rather wild story, CNN senior Latin American affairs editor, Rafael Romo. So, this is very interesting. But when one system either doesn't work or somebody puts a stop to it, then you have to get inventive, and this is what this is.
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: Exactly. And it's just incredible. We have noticed a number of arrests of Central Americans in Mexico has increased dramatically. We wanted to know what was behind the increase, and this is what we found.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROMO (voice-over): It may not be legal, but it's definitely popular. For just a few bucks, you can pay your way across a river and into a new country. The zipline built at the border between Mexico and Guatemala was found by CNN affiliate Televisa.
A Guatemalan migrant admits he is crossing this way because he doesn't have a passport. The zip line connects the Guatemalan community of El Carmen to the Mexican town of Talisman. Once in Mexico, migrants travel on freight trains or by bus to the U.S. border. Many never get there.
Last week, Mexican authorities stopped a bus in the central Mexican state of Carreterro with 104 undocumented migrants onboard. And in August last year, 72 would-be migrants were killed by a Mexican drug cartel. Those who do get to the U.S. border have another river to cross or a 21-foot wall., although many go now underground. On a recent trip to Arizona, U.S. border patrol agents gave us access to this tunnel. It's meant to prevent flooding, but it has been increasingly used in recent years to smuggle immigrants and drugs.
AGENT MICHAEL CAMDRON, U.S. BORDER PATROL: We're usually trying to see some sign that someone's been coming through or pushing bundles of marijuana or something like that.
ROMO: We're inside what is called the grand tunnel. This is underground in Nogales, Arizona. Right next to me on the other side of this cage is actually Mexico. And the way a lot of smugglers operate is that they will use smaller tunnels like this one bringing anything from people to also drugs, risking their lives in many cases.
AGENT ARIEL MEDELES, U.S. BORDER PATROL: There was a group down here and then they got caught in the flash flood. And then hours later, they were looking for a body.
ROMO (voice-over): Some die trying to get across the border, or trekking across the desert, but thousands more will make it into the land of their dreams after a trip of hundreds, even thousands of miles. For some of them, a journey that included this zip line.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: So, Rafael, no one's keeping a close watch on this Guatemala/Mexico border?
ROMO: There are soldiers posted along the border. But what happens is the same situation that you have in the border between Mexico and the United States. They're giving priority to organized crime, drug traffickers, not necessarily these people you see here.
WHITFIELD: Wow. Incredible. All right, thanks so much, Rafael. Appreciate that.
All right, smart businesses are catering to the millennial generations every need, like sending wedding invitations online. How this generation is trying to stand apart.
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WHITFIELD: OK, so you know you're a member of the millennials, also known as generation y, if you were born roughly between 1978 and 1990. This group has different priorities than past generations. Many were practically born with a laptop in hand. Well, smart businesses are catering to their every need. Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange with more on that.
So, Alison, how are businesses tapping into this market?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You know, for businesses, it's really trying to figure out, you know, what makes these millennials tick. What really grabs their attention. And they're focusing online to do that. One company called the XO Group created websites The Knot, that's for weddings, The Bunk, for babies, and The Nest, for homebuyers. And this company is honing in on the things that really matter in the lives of millennials. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARLEY RONEY, XO GROUP CO-FOUNDER: Our business is all about the young people coming of age. And so millennials are really an important market for us. They are our market. And they are a very different consumer. They want things that are uniquely them, tailored just to them. They are not satisfied with taking something off the shelf. They need to customize it in some way. And so that expands from everything from their wedding to the baby names that they choose.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: And the millennials are a huge potential market for XO. Only 20 percent of millennials are currently married and only a third have children. But most of them say marriage, children and buying a home are very important. And that's really a huge market that XO could tap into because for each of these milestones, Fredricka, a lot of these people want information. They want lots of it. And that's what XO is delivering.
Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, so let's talk more about that marriage aspect. How are millennials changing the wedding business?
KOSIK: Oh, sure. You know The Knot said? It said almost every bride goes online to plan their weddings. And weddings are bigger and more expensive than ever, with the average one costing almost $27,000 last year. But David Liu points out, there is a reason for the bigger price tag.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LIU, XO GROUP COFOUNDER: The millennials are getting married older, and have had careers and salaries and they're taking control of their own budgets. And so I think that's one of the key differences.
RONEY: Parents are still chipping in, probably about 40 percent of the wedding, but the couples themselves, and even the groom's parents are now chipping in as well. So it's kind of a three-way deal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: And XO Group says once they've hooked a bride on The Knot, there's a 40 percent chance they'll sign up with The Bump, when the next milestone comes around. So that XO keeps these people coming and coming to all their websites.
Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. What an incredible business. OK. So how about stocks? We got a big jump yesterday because the president said a debt deal was close.
KOSIK: We did.
WHITFIELD: But it looks like euphoria fizzled out kind of a little bit, didn't it?
KOSIK: It kind of has. Now it's kind of the waiting game. Stocks were down. The Dow down 18. The Nasdaq off 13. They really are waiting to see, investors are waiting to see when this debt deal will actually happen.
We also got a downbeat report on housing. That's keeping us in the red a little bit. But, hey, we did have stellar earnings from Apple. Apple -- it seems like everybody just keeps on buying iPhones and iPads. Apple shares right now are surging 3 percent, going for about $388 a share. Now bad for those Apple shareholders.
Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. All right, Alison Kosik, thanks so much.
Well, maybe there will be a little bounce in the market after what we now have learned will be a meeting between President Obama and House and Senate leaders at 2:50 at the White House there. Just during the White House briefing just moments ago this was announced by the spokesperson, Jay Carney.
So, again, Obama to meet with Republican and Democrats later on today at 2:50, I was told, Eastern Time.
All right, so you have been sounding off on our "Talk Back" question. Carol Costello is here with some of your responses.
Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know what the president said earlier today about those talks with lawmakers?
WHITFIELD: What? COSTELLO: It was time to talk turkey. They're going to talk turkey today. That's what they're going to talk.
WHITFIELD: OK.
COSTELLO: And talk about the debt ceiling and hopefully they'll come to a conclusion. Our "Talk Back" question today, what is the solution to this political stalemate we're in?
This from Nancy. "Cut the politician's pay or don't pay them at all if they cannot come up with a good solution and pass it."
This from Clarence. "Congress needs to sign only one pledge, that is to defend the Constitution of the USA. All these sidebar pledges can be counterproductive as we have observed in the current debate."
This from Marsh. "Why does it look like the path to revolution? Dust off your college textbooks (Western Civ I and II). We're failing in economic and intellectual competition, overextended in conflict, and are about to become insolvent. Scary Times. Sad, really. I miss America."
This from Jo. "I am an independent and have been my entire life. Both sides are so screwed up now it isn't funny. Now, rather than continue to condemn the Republicans, let's change it by being in the middle of the road where most of the country is."
Please continue the conversation, facebook.com/carolcnn. And thanks, as always, for your comments. And it's nice to be back too.
WHITFIELD: All right, the conversation will continue whether you like it or not. Oh, and we're glad you're back. Thanks so much, Carol. We'll see you tomorrow.
COSTELLO: It was good talking turkey like the president wants to talk today.
WHITFIELD: OK. That will happen later. Thanks so much.
All right, you told us what you wanted to see, because we asked. Your "Choose The News" story is just moments away.
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WHITFIELD: All right, the moment you've all been waiting for. The "Choose The News" segment. Paying for something without hard cash, credit cards or checks. It's a new form of virtual payment known as Bitcoins. CNN's Felicia Taylor looks at how his works.
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FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the middle of the lunch rush at Meze Grill in Midtown Manhattan. Cold hard cash is being exchanged. But so is a virtual kind of currency called "Bitcoin." The payment takes place entirely over the Internet via anonymous encrypted code. This one being made with a mobile device. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seven zero three five Bitcoins.
TAYLOR: There are more than 6.5 million Bitcoins in circulation right now. Users can purchase everything from clothing to professional services to tech gadgets. Meze Grill is one of the few brick and mortar businesses accepting Bitcoins. Owner Marwan Salem says he began taking them in April and gets a handful of customers paying with them each day.
MARWAN SALEM, OWNER, MEZE GRILL: We've had a lot of customers who have come through just for that reason because they've said, you know, they've heard through the grapevine or through the Internet that we take Bitcoins.
TAYLOR: Salem started accepting Bitcoins after learning about them from customer Bruce Wagner, an IT expert.
BRUCE WAGNER, BITCOIN USER: I use it as much as I can. A lot of people are just getting into it to invest, but I use it, obviously, have lunch with it here. We try and support all the merchants who accept Bitcoin.
TAYLOR: Bitcoin is peer-to-peer. Money passes directly from user to user without any bank or government involvement. "Wired" magazine's Jason Tanz says that absence of regulation is one of the reasons why Bitcoin is so attractive to some.
JASON TANZ, "WIRED" MAGAZINE: Some of the libertarian arguments that are coming out these days are about, you know, worried about the fact that the Fed has so much control over monetary policy. And at any moment, the Fed can decide to print a ton of money and all of a sudden then you've got inflation. Other people just -- it's less of an economic argument. It's more of an ideological argument that, you know, the federal government should not have that kind of control over my assets.
TAYLOR: And for others, it's an investment opportunity, or something is something cool they want to try out.
Here's how it works. Users download Bitcoin software, which acts as a wallet. They then fill the virtual wallet with virtual Bitcoins, acquiring them through a process called mining. A series of complex mathematical calculations, or they get them from a Bitcoin currency exchange, which is the more popular method.
The way Bitcoins get their value is similar to the way stocks get their value. Bitcoin buyers drive the value up. Sellers drive it down.
Critics have said because transactions are, for the most part, anonymous, Bitcoin makes it easy to sell illegal drugs or launder money over the Internet. And some people say it amounts to a Ponzi scheme. But others say Bitcoin is legit and could pave the way for future digital currencies, one click at a time.
Felicia Taylor, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: So, if your choice didn't win or you just want to check out the runners up, I'll have the link to them on Suzanne Malveaux's FaceBook page at facebook.com/suzannecnn.
All right, the CNN NEWSROOM continues right now. Hey, Randi. How are you?
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Have a good day.
KAYE: You too as well. Thank you.
