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"Gang of Six" Debt Plan Provokes Critics/Wall Street Preps for Debt Crisis/NFL Owners Meet in Atlanta; Coping with Deadly Drought; Dealing with Terrorists to Save Lives; End of an Era for NASA: Shuttle Atlantis Glides Into History; China Abuzz Over 'Asian Tiger Wife'

Aired July 21, 2011 - 11:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, live from Studio 7, I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Suzanne Malveaux.

Let's get you up to speed for this Thursday, July 21st. The space shuttle era is over. Shortly before the sun came up, Atlantis came down.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Main gear touchdown (INAUDIBLE) now deploying.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Today's landing marked the end of 30 years of space shuttle flight. Twenty-three hundred NASA workers will be laid off within days. Almost 6,000 more will lose their jobs in the coming months. NASA's shuttles will go to the museums.

Homeland Security is warning state and local police to keep an eye on private utility companies, as well as their power grids and pipelines. Officials say nothing suggests an attack is imminent. They only say recent incidents reinforce the terror threat.

And hope for a grand debt fix was dimmed just a bit in Washington. Some Democrats and Republicans are picking apart the latest plan with the same old complaints. Liberals say it cuts Social Security and Medicare. Conservatives say it raises taxes. Republicans have refused to raise the nation's debt limit without deep spending cuts and no tax increases. The deadline now is just 12 days away.

Somalia's president is asking the world for immediate help to feed his country's people. The United Nations says more than 3.5 million Somalis are threatened by famine. Aid workers call the food shortage even worse than the Ethiopian famine of the mid-'80s.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK BOWDEN, U.N. HUMANITARIAN AID COORDINATOR FOR SOMALIA: Our children are facing immediate death unless we take immediate action, and immediate action is action today. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Almost half of this country's population will be sweltering in a dangerous heat wave today. Hot air and high humidity will make big cities along the I-95 corridor feel like a sauna. The National Weather service says the heat wave may have contributed to 22 deaths already.

And London police are expanding their investigation into the phone hacking scandal. An official says it now involves newspapers beyond Rupert Murdoch's media empire, including "The Daily Mail" and "Daily Mirror." The police task force has added 15 investigators, bringing the total working on the hacking scandal to 60.

NFL owners are meeting in Atlanta today to vote on a tentative labor deal with players. The reported 10-year deal, if finalized, would divvy up the league's $9 billion in annual revenue. Players were supposed to vote yesterday but never did, suggesting there's still a few details to work out. NFL fans say, Enough already.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHAWN SCHUSTER, FOOTBALL FAN: Ten percent unemployment in the country, right? Us poor folks scrapping and scraping to get by. Come on. It's billionaires against millionaires, right? Can you not meet in the middle somewhere?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And here's your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. Carol Costello is in Washington with today's question: Should politicians participate in religious events? Right, Carol?

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a good question, isn't it.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

COSTELLO: The country -- the country, Fredricka, is drowning in debt. Jobs are MIA. And lawmakers -- well, they're too paralyzed by partisanship to help much. So why not pray? At a stadium in Houston next month, Texas governor Rick Perry plans to lead a day of prayer at an event dubbed "The Response."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RICK PERRY (R), TEXAS: With the economy in trouble, communities in crisis and people adrift in a sea of moral relativism, we need God's help. That's why I'm calling on Americans to pray and fast like Jesus did and as God called the Israelites to do in the book of Joel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Now, the event is sponsored by the American Family Association, a conservative Christian organization. And that's got some folks in Texas mighty upset. They say a Texas governor should not be involved in a religious revival because it blurs the separation between church and state.

Thing is, that line is blurred plenty. Every year, the president of the United States speaks at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. And guess what? He talks religion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It was through that experience working with pastors and laypeople, trying to heal the wounds of hurting neighborhoods, that I came to know Jesus Christ for myself and embrace him as my lord and savior.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Still, the event in Texas has become the proverbial political hot potato. Perry will likely be there next month, but organizers tell us his role has yet to be determined.

So the "Talkback" question today: Should politicians participate in religious events? Facebook.com/CarolCNN, Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll read some of your comments later this hour.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Carol. Look forward to that.

All right, here's a rundown of some of the stories we're covering right now. First, it looks like the bipartisan "gang of six" debt ceiling deal may be in trouble. We'll look at why liberals and Tea Party conservatives won't buy into it.

Also, why getting food to starving Somalis may require dealing with terrorists.

Then, an emotional celebration as space shuttle Atlantis touches ground.

And NFL owners meet today over a deal to end the lockout.

And then later, they're calling her "Crouching Wendi, hidden tiger." Rupert Murdoch's wife is the talk of social media in China.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Some of the stories our affiliates are covering around the country. A 62-year-old wind surfer found clinging to her board in San Francisco Bay is hoisted to safety. The sail on her board failed. Her husband had reported her missing 12 hours earlier. The Coast Guard believes she survived the cold water because she was wearing a wetsuit.

Arizona has launched a Web site to raise money for a fence along the Mexican border. The goal is to raise $50 million in private money. Right now, about a third of the U.S. border with Mexico has some kind of fencing.

And Kansas City has set up eight cooling centers to help people survive the heat wave. Heat-related illnesses have killed 13 people in Missouri alone this week. The city is trying to get people who don't have air-conditioning to go to the centers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MINDY VALINES, COOLING CENTER DIRECTOR: We welcome people to come in and cool off, get a drink of water, use the restrooms, take some time out of being outside.

DENNIS GAGNON, KANSAS CITY COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER: We really want to see folks start looking out for their neighbors, start looking for places where they can get a little relief from the heat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness! And boy, do people need relief fast. Rob Marciano, it looks like this heat wave is just going to continue. It's got a lot of momentum.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is. Well, now it's kind of shifting. The folks that really had it bad the past several days across Minnesota and Wisconsin, they have seen a bit of a break. But now it's getting into Chicago -- we saw that yesterday -- and moving of towards the east. But still, 30 or so states are under a heat advisory or warning of some kind.

And now we're into the I-95 corridor, the heavy populated areas from D.C., Baltimore, Philly up to New York and Boston. The only areas along the immediate coastline, you get a little bit of an on- shore breeze. That will cool things off. But other than that, we're looking at dangerous levels of heat and humidity.

Obviously, try to get to those cooling centers. There's going to be strains on the power grid. And that's certainly going to maybe knock out some power, and you might be without air-conditioning or a fan. That's when things get dangerous. Check on your elderly neighbors, for sure.

All right, tomorrow a little bit of break in Chicago, everything again shifting off to the east. But 106 the expected heat index in Washington, D.C., 109 is what it's expected to feel like in New York City in the shade. So if you're outside in the direct sunlight, it's going to feel a lot worse than that.

Some computer models think that things may cool off a little bit come Saturday, but I doubt that. We're looking at 100-degree index, at least, in Washington, D.C.

Why are we making such a big deal of this? Well, believe it or not, heat is the number one weather-related killer. Hurricanes, flooding, those two big ones, are trumped by heat year after year.

And you know, in modern-day history, 1995 in Chicago, we had several hundred deaths, in 2003 in Europe, several thousand deaths. So this is a serious business that we certainly want you to be aware of.

That cool front is going to make slow progress, and it's not a very strong one. It doesn't go very far to the south. So I think the South is really going to be in it as far as the heat goes for the next -- well, not only several days but several weeks.

I want to touch on one other thing, to get away from the heat because it's just making me sweat just sitting here -- look at that storm, Hurricane Dora, almost -- almost -- a Category 5 storm. It is just off the coast of Mexico, but expected to stay off the coast and continue to go out to sea.

But nonetheless, try to get your mind off the heat. Sometimes it's a psychological thing. But stay hydrated and try to get in the shade when you can.

WHITFIELD: Yes, you can't drink enough water, especially now, right? Thanks so much, Rob. Appreciate that.

All right, time is running out in the search for a deal to raise the country's debt limit. If there is no agreement in 12 days, the government risks defaulting on some of its bills. With the clock ticking, the chance of a broader deficit reduction plan appears less likely. So where do things stand right now? And what are the stumbling blocks to this deal?

Joining us to talk about that is John Avlon. He is a CNN contributor and senior political columnist for "Newsweek" and "The Daily Beast." All right, so this plan from the so-called "gang of six" bipartisan senators seemed to be gaining traction. But now, you know, lawmakers are starting to criticize it, including reportedly Ohio Republican representative Jim Jordan and Representative -- and Republican senator Jeff Sessions.

So is there a chance that this deal really could succeed?

JOHN AVLON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Of course there's still a chance, and I think it's still the best deal that's put on the table. President Obama has critically said that he would be willing to sign a short-term extension to the debt ceiling if it -- (INAUDIBLE) folks saying later on, on this "gang of six" bipartisan deal.

What's really discouraging and what's, I think, really the ultimate indictment of this atmosphere of high partisanship in Washington is that a bipartisan deal, because it is embraced by President Obama as securing the broad outlines he supports, is being criticized by some Republicans as therefore being impermissible.

Well, "The Wall Street Journal" saying it would be the most important reform to the tax code since the 1980s and congratulates the Democrats on board for embracing not only lowering the tax rate but also entitlement reform. At some point, all or nothing. If you play that game, you get nothing. And then the country's economy goes off a cliff. So this is a critical moment right now. WHITFIELD: Well, John, what does that mean that the president would throw his support behind this plan, and that suddenly, there are some who say, Well, I don't even want to support this plan because I don't like the fact that the president has thrown some support behind it? What does that mean?

AVLON: Well, I think it's a complete indictment of the dysfunctional culture of hyperpartisanship in Washington, D.C., that these folks are trying to play political games, and we've got an objective deadline approaching, that -- you know, if anyone has a credit card should be able to understand this debt ceiling deal. If you -- it's not a stand for fiscal responsibility if you refuse to pay a bill after you already spent the money. All you do is end up getting your interest rates jacked, which puts you further in the financial hole. That's where we are as a nation right now.

And we can solve this problem. We should be able to solve this problem. It's going to take everybody giving a little bit. And that's why a bipartisan deal, an ambitious bipartisan deal like the "gang of six" deserves serious support. If you look at the proposals, tax rates are being lowered across the board. This is something that the pro-growth folks should be thrilled about. But instead, everything gets derailed by the hyperpartisanship and the country suffers. And there'll be real political consequences, as well as economic consequences, if we go over this cliff.

WHITFIELD: Well, does it say more about sort of the splintering of even the Republican Party with the Tea Party movement, that there is this commitment from Tea Party followers who say that, you know, Whatever the president puts on the table, we're going to oppose that, and thereby, it kind of creates this divide within the Republican Party for those who do want to go forward with a bipartisan plan?

AVLON: Look, to be fair, there are 70 Democrats in the House who oppose any entitlement reform, which would have to be part of any grand bargain. But you're right to the extent that there's a hard- core group of folks in the Republican House in particular who are approaching negotiations with an all-or-nothing mindset.

Now, look, it's a question of priorities. Tea Party members were elected by saying, in large part, they wanted to reduce the deficit and debt, which they believed was generational theft. Question is, is that your first priority or drawing an absolute line on taxes?

And if you take a look at the "gang of six" plan, you should be thrilled if tax is your priority because the rates would be lowered and cuts would be made first, not after. Now, that said -- so it really becomes a question of priorities.

If Republicans want to re-link (ph) fiscal conservatism with fiscal responsibility, they will be able to work with this president and deal with this deal because it does much of what they want. Bit all or nothing is never on the menu. And of course, the devil is always in the details. That's not news.

WHITFIELD: All right, CNN contributor John Avlon, thanks so much for your insight. Appreciate that.

AVLON: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, Wall Street prepares, just in case there is no deal to raise the debt ceiling. Find out what companies are doing and how it just might affect you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The deadlock over raising the nation's debt limit is making Wall Street a bit jittery. Now financial players are coming up with contingency plans just in case there is no deal and the government really does default on its debts.

Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange with details on this. So Alison, now, what kinds of steps are these companies taking?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, financial companies, Fredricka -- they're keeping an eye on the bond market. They're watching the bond market very closely. They're preparing for a loss of confidence. Treasuries are a type of investment. They're U.S. bonds. They're the gold standard. They're AAA-rated and they come with low risk. It's always been a sure bet that you're going to get your investment back and get paid interest. But if the government defaults, investors could head for the door and interest rates could soar.

So companies -- they're preparing by trying to calm nerves ahead of time. For one, you look at mutual funds, talking about retirement funds and pensions. They're working to persuade their boards to hold onto bonds, thinking everything is going to be worked through. That's what they're telling them. They believe a default at this point is unlikely. They still think the government debt -- that government debt is a good investment.

Now, we've also got the ratings agencies in this. They're trying to figure out who could be affected by a default so they can prepare, as well. So they're looking at insurance companies and states. They're really looking at this ripple effect. But you know, these analysts are saying, Fredricka, it's really hard to prepare for the unknown -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: OK, so what about those states, then? Are states putting some measures into place to try to prepare, just in case the government can't pay its bills towards them?

KOSIK: Well, they're coming up with a plan B, as well. You know, they're finding other ways to get cash. You know, like the federal government, the issue here for states is the bond market because states sell bonds to raise cash, but there may not be much demand if the federal government defaults.

Now, California is coming up with its own contingency plan. It's looking to have a $5 billion bridge loan so it will have cash on hand. And when things turn around, California plans to sell bonds to repay the loan, kind of like borrowing from Peter to pay Paul, Fredricka. WHITFIELD: OK. And now at least we're enjoying a little bump in the numbers in the markets right now. What is happening?

KOSIK: Yes, European leaders look like they're making good progress on a Greek bail-out, and the markets seem to like it a lot, the Dow up 145 points, the NASDAQ better by 26. Financial shares are really leading the charge. Twenty-nine of the thirty Dow components are in the green. That even includes Cisco Systems, top performer, up about 2 percent. So a good day for the markets overall, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Very good. Alison Kosik, thanks so much.

All right, three great stories, but only one can air. Here's your chance to vote for the story that you want to see next hour.

First, you watched the revolution, but have you seen the movie? A new film dramatizes the events of the Egyptian uprising. Second, they're training to be the first female pilots in the Afghan army, and they're getting their wings right here in the United States. Or third, a painter's passion for rescued pit bulls becomes high art in St. Louis and saves animals in the process.

You can vote by texting "22360." Text "1" for Egyptian revolution, the movie; "2" for first female pilots in Afghanistan; or "3" for pit bull painter.

The winning story airs next hour.

All right, are they ready for some football? That's the question right now as NFL owners meet in Atlanta to try to end a four-month lockout. A key vote could break the stalemate. Our David Mattingly is on the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Who gets how much of $9 billion in annual revenue? The numbers are so big, NFL fans in a tough economy had a tough time keeping score.

SHAWN SCHUSTER, FOOTBALL FAN: Ten percent unemployment in the country, right? Us poor folks scrapping and scraping to get by. Come on. It's billionaires against millionaires, right? Can you not meet in the middle somewhere?

MATTINGLY: In March, with owners and players reportedly $800 million apart, the owners voted for lockout. Even the president had something to say about it.

OBAMA: My working assumption, at a time when people are having to cut back, compromise and worry about making the mortgage, and you know, paying for their kids' college education, is, is that the two parties should be able to work it out.

MATTINGLY: The owners came to the table with three main demands: Give players a smaller percentage of annual revenues, play more regular season games, 18 up from 16, and no more top-dollar contracts to unproven rookies.

But four months later, word from inside the closed-door meetings was close, but no deal yet. Already, the first economic fallout -- some towns are losing millions because of training camps that won't be opening. And pressure builds by the day.

KEVIN MAWAE, NFLPA PRESIDENT: We want to play football. We want to go back to work, but we're not going to agree to any deal unless it's the right deal for all the players.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, CNN's David Mattingly joins us now from downtown Atlanta, where the meeting is taking place. So any indicators that they're close to a deal?

MATTINGLY: All we can say right now, Fredricka, is that there is a lot of hope here. When the owners and some of the top executives of the 32 NFL teams gathered here, they started their meeting at 10:00 o'clock. They had hoped that the NFL players would vote on their agreement and they would have that in front of them here so they could vote, as well. They are ready to vote. They are ready to move forward with this.

But the players did not go through with that last night, and now they're waiting and watching to see what happens in Washington, D.C., where the player representatives are meeting right now to see what they do and when they might have an agreement that everyone can finally ink and get this season going, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And if they don't reach an agreement today, then what?

MATTINGLY: Well, then the dominoes start to fall. The first team was supposed to report for training camp tomorrow. That's the Chicago Bears. They're playing the St. Louis Rams in the first game of the season, the Hall of Fame game. That's on August 7th, the very first Sunday of August. So they don't have a lot of time to prepare if they have any more delays.

Everyone now feeling the pressure, but no one saying there's any deadline here. But they know that if they have to start messing with the schedule, they're going to start losing money and that's going to affect revenues, and that's what this fight has been all about.

WHITFIELD: David Mattingly, downtown Atlanta, keep us posted. Thanks so much.

Deadly famine in a war zone. Will the international community have to make a deal with terrorists in order to get food to the starving people of Somalia? A live report from the Pentagon.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: I want to take you straight to Washington, where there's more talk of the debt ceiling. And there's John Boehner. Let's listen up.

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: I believe that the Congress must act before August the 2nd, and I hope that we're prepared to do that.

QUESTION: Speaker Boehner --

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: -- President Obama endorsed legislation that repeals the Defense of Marriage Act. Would you be open to bring this legislation for a vote (INAUDIBLE)

BOEHNER: The Congress has acted on this issue some number of years ago. And I think what the Congress acted on in a bipartisan way and is the law of the land should remain the law of the land.

QUESTION: Speaker Boehner, is tax reform under discussion between the meetings -- I mean, between you and the president?

BOEHNER: Well, I think I'll keep the contents of my discussions with the president between the president and myself. It would be -- listen, I always believed that keeping the lines of communication opened were important. And frankly, I think it would be irresponsible on behalf of the Congress and the president not to be looking at backup strategies for how to solve this problem. But in the meantime, the House has acted. We've pass our "cut, cap and balance" bill, and it's time for the Senate to act.

QUESTION: Mr. Speaker, do you believe that letting the Bush high-income tax cuts expire next year would be raises taxes?

BOEHNER: I believe that would be raises taxes.

QUESTION: Mr. Speaker, at the end of the vote at the "cut, cap and balance" the other night, Tim Gorton (ph), who is one of the leaders of this effort -- he said -- when asked if there could be a compromise, he said that was the compromise. Do you sense that some of your members are locked in and they cannot compromise, they can't go off of the "cut, cap and balance" position?

BOEHNER: Well, I'm sure we've got some members who believe that, but I do not believe that would be anywhere close to the majority. At the end of the day, we have a responsibility to act. And we have two problems. We have a debt ceiling that has to be raised. And if we don't deal with the size of our debt, our credit rating is going to be downgraded. If the United States of America's debt rating gets downgraded, every interest rate in America will go up.

It is -- it is important for us to act on both fronts if we're serious about getting our economy going again and growing jobs. Thanks.

WHITFIELD: All right. Very quickly, House speaker John Boehner there, underscoring a few points, saying the lines of communication remain open between he and the president. And he says, of course, We -- talking about those on Capitol Hill and in Washington -- have a responsibility to act on, number one, the debt ceiling, to raise it, and number two, to tackle the size of the debt. He says it would be irresponsible not to look at a backup plan. So that's where we are right now as it pertains to the debt ceiling and tackling the nation's debt.

All right. Right now, let's turn to the world's worst drought in half a century. It is causing widespread famine in the Horn of Africa. The U.N. says more than 10 million people are being affected across the region.

Our David McKenzie focuses on the heartbreaking plight of one woman on the front lines of this crisis.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Driving through bone dry northern Kenya, deep into Turkana. In the remote village of Kapur (ph), they're angry. With the world focused on famine in Somalia, they want to tell their stories.

Outside of the media glare, people like Alice Kordet are barely surviving. She lost all her livestock months ago to the drought. A proud nomadic herder her whole life, now, she depends on food aide.

"This is the worst year that I've ever seen," she said. "There's been no rain. And because of that, no water and animals have all died. Now, there's no food."

It's so bad she must feed Emanuel (ph) wild fruit and dirty water, which makes him sick. He was born with a twin sister, Miriam. She died in May.

"I'm doubly cursed," says Alice, "because I gave birth to twins during a drought. And Miriam died because of it. She died of hunger."

(on camera): The world is focused on this drought in the Horn of Africa. But here in northern Kenya, it's part of a downward spiral. The rains are becoming less frequent here, the droughts more often. This is a chronic emergency.

(voice-over): Tony Lake, the head of UNICEF, says we need to focus on the big picture.

ANTHONY LAKE, UNICEF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: While there are a lot of lives that are in danger here, there's also a way of life that's endangered here as well. And it's a damn shame.

MCKENZIE (on camera): It would seem like to me this is an extremely vulnerable population when compared, say, with the world's population. How would you assess the pastoralists of the Horn of Africa?

LAKE: This is the most fragile situation I've seen anywhere. MCKENZIE (voice-over): The dry season will last here for several more months, at least. And the longer term view is also grim. So the people of Turkana are asking one thing -- don't forget them.

David McKenzie, CNN, Turkana, Kenya.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: The famine is even more severe in neighboring Somalia. The United Nations says close to 4 million people are in crisis in that drought stricken country. That's almost half the population.

Somalia's president has issued an urgent appeal for international aid. That's in addition to an appeal from the U.N. Its humanitarian coordinator for Somalia fears tens of thousands of people have already died of starvation -- most of them, children.

Next, we'll explain why the international community may have to make a deal with terrorists in order to get food to the starving people of Somalia.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: To get food to the starving people in Somalia, donors have to go through a terrorist group affiliated with al Qaeda. And for that side of the story, we turn to CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.

So, Barbara, what can you tell us about this Islamic militant group controlling large pieces of Somalia?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, they are in control of the very area where millions of people are now at risk, Fredricka. And the Obama administration is making it very clear it wants this terrorist group to stay out of the way of international aid workers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STARR (voice-over): Nearly 4 million Somalis are facing famine and in the middle of it all, the terrorist group known as al-Shabaab, the Al Qaeda affiliate, the U.S. has been targeting with air strikes and raids.

Al-Shabaab, which controls much of southern Somalia, says it will now allow outside groups back in. It banned them two years ago calling them Western spies and Crusaders, but U.S. officials worry trouble is ahead.

SUSAN RICE, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UN: Neither the United States nor others in the international community are prepared to pay bribes or taxes to al-Shabaab while it starves its own people.

STARR: Al-Shabaab even while fighting in recent years attacked aid convoys, seized food shipment and charged to a group's fees. For its part, the Treasury Department bans aid that could benefit terrorist groups and al-Shabaab is one of them.

As a result, aid from the U.S. to Somalia has plummeted just as drought to cold. Aid organizations said they will help even with the physical risk of attack for the legal risk of inadvertently delivering aid to al-Shabaab supporters.

RAJV SHAH, DIRECTOR, USAID: It's no coincidence that precise geographies that have been labeled a famine and have met the technical determination of famine, are precisely those areas where al-Shabaab has limited access, has harassed aid workers.

STARR: Many think al-Shabaab is now pledging to let aid in for two reasons. To keep U.S. military attacks at bay and build support for itself. But many worry aid workers are at dire risk.

SETH JONES, SENIOR POLITICAL SCIENTIST, RAND: I think aid organizations that trust Shabaab are walking right into a civil war.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: Now, other countries, many European nations as well as Islamic aid organizations, have really tried to pick up the slack and help in Somalia in recent months. But this is a place where doing any kind of work is very tough. Al-Shabaab maintains its control. It is a very lawless, difficult region and so many need help now -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: So, Barbara, I wonder -- as long as there is this kind of lawlessness, I wonder if the only option for international aid groups to try and offer aid to a number of the Somalis who are leaving Somalia and then going into northern Kenya where many of them are starving along the way, if those international aid groups wouldn't just use the cooperation of Kenya and then put all of their supplies there so that people won't have to walk so far before they get to a refugee camp?

STARR: Right. I mean, what we know is that many of these groups are now coordinating amongst themselves. They're working through the United Nations, the World Food Program of the U.N., trying to get help to all the places that it is needed.

And I think you really put your finger on one of the big challenges. They can get the aid into Kenya. They can get the aid farther north into Ethiopia. But right in the middle with Somalia, it is so tough because that region is just very, very difficult now.

The problem is, nobody really knows what al-Shabaab will do. And getting in there remains tough. The World Food Program says it is going to try and start air lifting supplies right into Somalia in the coming days.

WHITFIELD: Incredibly sad. All right. Thanks so much, Barbara Starr. Appreciate that.

Well, to find out how you can make a difference and help the victims of famine in East Africa, visit our "Impact Your World" page. That's at CNN.com/Impact.

All right. Back on earth, but still looking to space and the future. The crew of Atlantis returned from the final shuttle mission. We'll show you the spectacular predawn landing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Main gear touchdown. Hurley now deploying the drag shoot. Ferguson rotating the nose gear down to the deck. Nose gear touchdown.

Having fired the imagination of a generation, a ship like no other, its place in history secured, the space shuttle pulls into port for the last time, its voyage at an end.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Beautiful, mission complete for the space shuttle Atlantis -- the spectacular predawn landing at the Kennedy Space Center marked the end of 30 years of shuttle flights for NASA.

It's a day of mixed emotions for workers at the Kennedy Space Center. An employee appreciation event is underway right now actually. Take a look at this, live picture.

NASA's administrator says the shuttle landing turns the page on a remarkable era and begins the next chapter of space exploration.

And CNN's John Zarrella joins me live from the Kennedy Space Center with more on the shuttle Atlantis and its sentimental journey into history.

So, John, what was it like when Atlantis touched down for the last time?

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, up until now, Fredricka, you always sit there and you say, well, there's always going to be another launch to come to, always another landing to come to, and that's certainly not the case anymore. This was it.

And you know, you just mentioned those live pictures, the Shuttle Atlantis being towed over to what's known as the orbiter processing facility, and it's going to be left outside that building for a while to allow the NASA employees to all come up to it and see the vehicle outside.

It will be brought inside and will spend a couple of years, pretty much, in there until the new building where it's going to be housed, the museum building, is ready. And that's just a couple miles away. Atlantis is going to be right here at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, and they're getting that building ready. They're going to ground break that probably in the late fall.

But, yes, you know, tomorrow some 2,300 workers are going to be laid off as well. So that's a real, real tough thing here. So very bittersweet.

And, you know, the crew, the four-member crew got off the orbiter about an hour and a half after it -- after it touched down. They walked around the vehicle, there were hugs, people were shaking their hands, and then Commander Ferguson came out and spoke a few words.

And we were actually taken out to the landing site, and I spoke with Lori Garber, who is the deputy administrator, because Congress is already talking about cutting NASA's budget next year. And Garber had some very, very stark words about what the future would be like if Congress goes through with more budget cuts for NASA.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LORI GARBER, NASA DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR: Additional hard choices are not going to come without a cost. We will either be counting on the Russians for a decade, or we will be not allowing the future generations to see that blue ocean on a distance planet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So, John, you know, I know it is -- it is bittersweet. And we see when they're having that appreciation day celebration -- we've been looking at the live pictures just as you were talking -- about how sentimental this journey really has been. You can hear in the distance there the singing.

What else will take place there during this appreciation day event?

ZARRELLA: Well, we're waiting for the astronauts themselves are going to come out and hold a news conference. There was already a news conference by the mission management team talking about what a great flight this was, how perfectly clean the vehicle was. And then that's going to wrap it up.

And as I mentioned, you know, tomorrow, 2,300 people, many of them who are at that event right now, are going to be saying goodbye because their jobs are over.

WHITFIELD: Yes, I'm sure there are a lot of tears there. The singing of the national anthem as well.

All right, thanks so much, John Zarrella. Appreciate that from the Kennedy Space Center.

And as John mentioned, now that the shuttle program is finally over, thousands of NASA employees will lose their jobs. We'll talk to some of them about their future plans. That's coming up in the next hour of the NEWSROOM.

OK, you have also been sounding off on our "Talk Back" question: Should Republicans participate in religious events? Carol Costello is back with some your responses -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Not just Republicans, though, Fredricka, all politicians, should they participate in religious events?

Adam says, "When the leaders of our country literally turn to god to solve our problems, it is a sad day for all of us. Maybe I'll ask Santa Claus to help me pay off my student loans. Wake up, people."

Diane says, "If they are religious, then why not? There is freedom of religion in this country and that should extend to every person."

Ash says, "No, and Americans need to stop pretending Christianity is the religion of this nation. It's unconstitutional. "

Christian says, "Absolutely. This whole church versus state thing has gotten so far out of control that I'm surprised god isn't on the FBI's most wanted list by now."

And Angel says, "The only guidance from above politicians receive is from the checkbooks of lobbyists."

Facebook.com/CarolCNN, please continue the conversation. I'll be back with you in about 15 minutes.

WHITFIELD: All right. Perfect. Thanks so much, Carol. Appreciate that.

So the debt debate stalemate, what does the public think about all that bickering in Washington? A new CNN poll tells who the American people are actually blaming. That's coming up in the Political Ticker.

And perhaps you're away from your television set, well we don't have to be out of your lives. There are other ways in which you can watch the CNN NEWSROOM right now, whether it be on your phone, your computer or, of course, your iPad.

You have one of these? It's very easy. Just use your CNN app that you want to download there. And when you get to that first page, there's going to be a "TV live" little tab right at the top. You click that and you will see this program live as it happens right here.

Of course, this is available to most cable subscribers no matter where you are. Just check out CNN.com/video or just download the app and then be on the go.

There's a little bit of a delay. That's why you're seeing me right there.

All right. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Here is a reminder to vote on the story you want to see next hour. You can text your to "22360."

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All right. It's a fight with no end in sight, but what does the public think about the debt debate?

Paul Steinhauser, part of "The Best Political Team on Television," live from the Political Desk in Washington.

So, Paul, I hear you have some new poll numbers for us today.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes, they just came out moments ago, Fred. And I guess the headline here is Americans want compromise to end this, to get an agreement to raise the debt ceiling. The clock is definitely ticking.

Take a look at this, this is from CNN/ORC poll, national survey. And we asked right there, OK, any agreement, what should it include. You can see right there, 34 percent say only spending cuts, and but a pretty strong majority right there, 64 percent say it should include a mix of spending cuts and tax increases. And, Fred, this is the sixth straight national poll over the last week to indicate that, that Americans want that combined approach.

But go to the next number, because this is the real problem here, there is a huge partisan divide. And you can see right there, Democrats overwhelmingly say, yes, we want the combining approach of spending cuts plus tax increases. Independents, nearly two thirds say that as well.

But look right there, Republicans and self described Tea Party supporters do not feel that way. Only a minority feel that way, most of them say any agreement should only include spending cuts and not tax increases.

One more number I want to share with you, the blame game. What happens if nothing happens by August 2nd and the government maybe starts defaulting on some of its loans? Who will get blamed? Well, take a look at this.

Yes, some people will blame President Obama and the Democrats, no doubt about that, three out of 10. But a slight majority there, 51 percent, say they will blame the Republicans in Congress more than the Democrats and more than the president. And that, that is also part of the factor here when it comes to these negotiations, Fred.

STEINHAUSER: All right, Paul Steinhauser, thanks so much, in Washington.

And of course, for the latest political news, you know exactly where to go, CNNPolitics.com.

All right, the woman alongside Rupert Murdoch, in an instant the lady in the pink blazer becomes superwoman in her native China.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Two days after Rupert Murdoch appeared before members of Parliament, much of the buzz is about his younger, feisty wife. She sprang into her husband's defense and smacked down an attacker armed with a pie.

CNN's Stan Grant shows how she is being viewed in her native China.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STAN GRANT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's the slap that's been heard around the world. Wendi Deng putting herself between her husband, Rupert Murdoch, and a protester armed with a shaving cream pie. The image has gone viral. Suddenly, it's no longer Wendi the so-called gold digger, but, as some are now calling her, 'Crouching Wendi, Hidden Tiger.'

Taiwan-based NEXT Media has her as a cartoon hero, the ultimate Asian tiger wife.

ANIMATION ANNOUNCER: Pounced to the defense of her husband.

GRANT: Chinese micro-blogs have gone into meltdown. One slap for Wendi, and one knockout blow for the pride of Asian women. As one writes, "The harder she slapped, the more we can tell how eager she was to protect her husband --she's still a woman who longs for love."

This from another, "People are starting to see the 'gold digger' differently --Wendi Deng has re-defined Tiger Mom."

But still others can't get past how this young Chinese woman snared one of the most rich and powerful media moguls in the world.

"If Murdoch was just one poor old man, would Wendi Deng stay with him and have his babies --Everything between them is about money."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I used to thing Deng only loves Murdoch's money, but her move yesterday was fast and a kind of instinct, so I think maybe we have some misunderstanding about her. This may be actually true love. She might really love him.

"I admire her courage," this man says. "She did it out of her obligation and responsibility as a wife, and she did it very well."

Rupert Murdoch was certainly singing his wife's praises in an interview on China Central Television just last month. A tough woman, he called her. The 80-year-old gushing about meeting Wendi when she worked for one of his companies, Star Television, falling in love with a woman nearly half her age, and his efforts to convince her to marry him. RUPERT MURDOCH, CHAIRMAN & CEO, NEWS CORPORATION: Well, I love her, don't I. I asked, and she said no. And it took me a long time to persuade her.

GRANT: They married in 1999, after Murdoch divorced his wife of 31 years; they now have two daughters.

Wendi's own romantic past has raised some eyebrows, including a former marriage, and there have been reports of Wendi's sometimes strained relationship with Murdoch's other children.

But as the pieman found, nothing comes between the slap-down sister and her mister.

Stan Grant, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)