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Stocks Bounce From Positive to Negative Territory; What To Do When Markets Go Crazy; Troubled Stealth Fighter Program; Billion- Dollar Natural Disaster; The Help Desk; West Memphis Three To Be Freed
Aired August 19, 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.
Right now, Dow stocks are seesawing today, but so far the swings between gains and losses have barely amounted to a much of a blip compared to the wild gyrations we have seen this August. Right now, you can see the Blue Chips are down just by two points or so four hours before investors can call it a week.
All right, the convicted killers known as the West Memphis Three are in a Jonesboro, Arkansas courtroom right now. Recent DNA evidence failed to tie them to the mutilation, murders of three boys back in 1993.
The Arkansas Supreme Court ordered today's hearing to determine whether the men should get a new trial. However, some sort of plea deal apparently has been struck, or is being discussed. The three may walk out of court free men today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN MARK BYERS, VICTIM'S STEPFATHER: To think that I'm disturbed and upset and mad over it, yes I am. I want justice, and I wanted the three of them to be free. And I have no animosity whatsoever towards the three.
I know they're innocent. I've been on their side and I've been fighting for them hard since 2007, when I realized I was wrong. And I had to make many amends to people. But I'm still standing and fighting for justice, because they are innocent. They did not kill my son.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And the man charged in Norway's shooting and bomb rampage went to court in Oslo today. A judge ruled Anders Breivik can continue to be held in solitary confinement. Police say keeping Breivik isolated has helped their investigation. Seventy-seven people were killed in the attacks July 22nd.
And anti-government protesters poured into the streets of Syrian towns today, boosted by the U.S. call for President Bashar al-Assad to step aside. Human rights activists say soldiers attacked protesters in several towns. They report around a dozen deaths, despite the Syrian government's insistence the crackdown has ended.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BASHAR JA'AFARI, SYRIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: We were expecting the American administration to go in a different direction, actually.
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER 360": Do you deny though that your president -- do you deny though that your president and his government has imprisoned and tortured and killed thousands of Syrian citizens in the past five months alone?
JA'AFARI: I deny categorically and equivocally all these wrong references to bloodshed and killings taking place in my country the way they are described by the media.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Boy, hard to forget those images from last weekend.
For the first time since Saturday's stage collapse in Indiana, country music duo Sugarland performed last night. Singer Jennifer Nettles opened the Albuquerque concert by remembering the five people killed in that incident there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNIFER NETTLES, SUGARLAND: In honor of those people who were wounded and those beautiful lives that were lost, we ask you to stand and join us now in a moment of silence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Most of Sugarland's extravagant set and instruments were lost in the Indiana accident. The musicians performed on a nearly bare stage in Albuquerque.
And royal newlyweds William and Kate are comforting riot victims in Birmingham, England, today. Three men were killed in the city during the unrest, run down by a car while trying to keep looters out of stores. Their funeral drew 20,000 mourners to Birmingham Thursday. Four men are jailed, charged with their murders.
And so much for international goodwill. A Beijing basketball game ends with punches. Chairs and bottles fly. The Georgetown University Hoyas played China's Rockets. It was a physical game from the get-go, and the aggressive competition boiled over.
The Americans left the court with 10 minutes on the clock and the score tied. Still unclear what sparked this melee. That was the end of the game right there.
All right. Watching the markets again today is like watching a bouncing ball, up and down and up and down.
Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange. Also, stocks have been moving between positive and negative territory. What's going on?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: A bouncing ball, that's a great analogy, Fredricka. You know, we saw the Dow drop as much as 121 points. Then it was up as much 96 points.
Sure, the volatility is there, even though things are pretty flat and quiet right now. The Dow, down only 22 points.
What's happening here, not much economic data out. There's no one thing that the markets are trading on, and that can cause the volatility that we're seeing. You know, traders that I'm talking to are saying we're just not seeing anything out there to give us incentive to move the markets higher at this point, especially with those worries about a possible recession still front and center.
The interesting thing is, we could see the Dow back in positive territory if it weren't for Hewlett-Packard, which announced some radical restructuring. It's spinning off its tablet, its personal computer biz. Hewlett-Packard shares are a big player on the Dow. They're falling 20 percent and keeping the Dow in negative territory -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: OK. So lots of day-to-day volatility. What should everyday investors take away from all this?
KOSIK: You know what? I turned to a survey from Fidelity. Fidelity manages millions of people's portfolios. And it says if it's your retirement money, you want to really keep a long-term view, because what this survey did is it looked at portfolios during the height of the recession, and it looked at what people did with their portfolios. And here's what it found.
It found that people who had those 401(k)s, who cleaned it out, who took everything out of their 401(k)s, their portfolios only rose two percent by this time. But for those who held steady and didn't touch their money in their 401(k), they saw a rise of 50 percent by this time.
So the lesson here is, don't sell at a bottom. And my other advice is, you know, don't of course watch the ups and downs of the market and take action right away. So that's really what Fidelity is saying out of this survey -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Yes, don't panic.
All right. Alison Kosik, thanks so much from the New York Stock Exchange.
And right now, here's a rundown of some of the stories that we're covering over the next hour.
First, we've heard the experts say not to panic with these stock market fluctuations. So what should you do? Our expert says buy.
And in these tough budget times, critics question two extremely expensive weapons programs. We'll look at the pros and the cons.
Then, this gives new meaning to baby on board. Wait until you see how an infant was transported on this truck.
Also, Christine O'Donnell has more to say about Piers Morgan after she walked off the set of his show.
And later, a heart patient takes a stand.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He said, "You're going to have to have open heart surgery."
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What Kins (ph) did next may surprise you. She turned the surgeon down cold, said no to open heart surgery.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Here's a look at today's "Choose the News" stories. Text "22360" to vote for the one that you want to see.
First, bookstores, video stores and now record stores. Add them to the list of dying industries. But independent record stores aren't going down without a fight. Will it be enough to keep their doors open?
And then, second, the cupcake craze is going global. Magnolia Bakery is a New York favorite. It was made famous by "Sex and the City." And now the world could get a taste.
Or, third, legends of Tuskegee. The story of the Tuskegee airmen is one of the most compelling of World War II. And you can hear their stories first hand.
So, you can vote by texting "22360." Text "1" for "Dying Industries"; "2" for "Cupcakes Go Global"; or "3" for "Breaking Barriers."
The winning story airs at the bottom of the hour.
All right. And we continue to watch the markets for you. The Dow has been up and down. Right now, it's down by about 30 points.
It's been a real roller-coaster since the markets opened, but when the stock market goes crazy like this, it certainly has tempted an awful lot of people to kind of pull their money out of long-term investments, short-term investments, and actually try and stuff their money right into the mattress. Well, financial experts say don't do that, but what you should do is you should be careful about your money in these wild times on Wall Street.
Author and finance expert Clyde Anderson joins us live from New York.
So, Clyde, how can people keep from hitting that panic button and wanting to get rid of everything when a lot of experts are saying no, this is not the time that you need to be selling at all?
CLYDE ANDERSON, FINANCIAL EXPERT: It's not. It's not the time to panic. And we just saw in the last segment we were talking about the benefits you have by going long and just kind of waiting it out.
And don't panic. Don't pull everything out. Just wait it out and just be patient. But we see that it's an emotion. And a lot of people are fearful right now because they don't know what's next and they don't know what to expect.
WHITFIELD: OK. So let's talk about the -- I guess some of the investments that you could be taking advantage of right now.
What do you see on the horizon as, you know, I guess good long- term and short-term investments?
ANDERSON: Yes. And I tell people often, invest in things that you purchase, that you buy in, that you believe in. But you've also got to look at trends, and some of the trends that we're looking at is people are staying in their homes longer.
So, Home Depot, I like Home Depot a lot, because people are using Home Depot to do home renovation.
WHITFIELD: Yes, home improvements.
ANDERSON: Home improvements. It's big right now. And so that's something that you want to look at.
And when you look at companies, again, that you are investing in, things that you use every day, necessities, there's certain things that people need and they're not going to stop buying. So, if you can invest in those things that you use, then that's a good way to kind of look at it as a strategy. And these companies are going to be around and people are going to continue to buy.
WHITFIELD: And what other sectors might be good places for investors?
ANDERSON: I love technology as well. And we look at some of the things that are going -- even look at what happened with Google. And then their purchase into Motorola and the tablet.
I think you've got to look at trends. You've got to look at what's happening. And some of the new technology that people are using, I mean, these are good indicators that we're headed upwards.
Now, we've got technology taking a lot of the jobs, which is a double-edged sword, but you've got to look at it from the other side. If I'm an investor now, I probably want to invest in technology, and I want to kind of watch and see what's hot, what's happening. Technology changes rapidly. So with smartphone technology and the apps that are happening, you want to know who's there and you want to make sure that you've got a piece of that in your portfolio.
WHITFIELD: And gold has been a real smart investment lately. Is it still?
ANDERSON: Yes, I think it's still a great investment. I think we're still on the uptick. I think it's still a great -- I mean, you look at it, $1,800 for gold right now.
You know, we can remember, again, when it was below $1,000, and it's going up because it's a safe investment. People are panicking, sometimes, and they don't know what to do, and they want to put their money in safe investments.
But again, I want to make sure that people aren't taking that money that is their day-to-day necessity or bill money, because this is a great time to buy when the market is low. You buy low, you sell high. But you don't want to use the money that you need every day to live to invest in. This is not Vegas, and so we don't want to come to the table and use it or act like it is.
WHITFIELD: All right. Clyde Anderson, thanks so much. Always good to see you.
ANDERSON: All right. My pleasure.
WHITFIELD: And of course you can get advice on your finances, follow the markets, get the latest business headlines online. Just go to CNNMoney.com, a service of CNN, Fortune and Money.
All right. Critics are lining up against an enormously expensive new U.S. weapons program. The Pentagon plans to spend hundreds of billions of dollars for stealth fighter jets. But in this age of debt battles and budget cuts, the program may never see the light of day. It's already plagued with problems.
Here is CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the most expensive weapons program ever, says the Pentagon, $384 billion earmarked for some 3,000 F-35 stealth fighter jets. Testing is resuming after a two-week halt, when an electrical problems emerged.
Then there is the F-22 Air Force stealth fighter, at more than $140 million per plane. The nearly 200-plane fleet has been grounded since May, after oxygen to the pilots kept cutting off. One pilot died.
With a half-trillion dollar price tag for both aircraft --
ANDREW KREPINEVICH, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND BUDGETARY ASSESSMENTS: The question is, are you really getting the kind of combat capability that justifies that cost?
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: We cannot afford aircraft that double and triple the original estimated cost.
LEON PANETTA, DEFENSE SECRETARY: I think we have to watch it very carefully.
STARR: The F-22 has never been in combat, the F-35 may go the same way. Both planes have serious limitations.
KREPINEVICH: These aircraft are relatively short range, which means they have to be based fairly close to the area of conflict. Well, what we have seen in recent years are countries like China, countries like Iran building ballistic missile forces that could easily target the forward air bases.
STARR: Winslow Wheeler, a Pentagon spending critic, says the planes are too expensive and not stealthy enough.
WINSLOW WHEELER, CENTER FOR DEFENSE INFORMATION: Against some radars it's detectable as soon as it comes over the radar horizon, and some of the radars that are best at doing that are quite antiquated technology from the Soviets.
STARR (on camera): Half a trillion dollars in new fighter jets, well, that means the F-35, which hasn't even gone into production yet, is likely to be in the crosshairs of Congress when it starts debating spending cuts this fall.
Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And here is something you don't see every day. It's a baby being driven around in the back of a pickup truck. Yes, right there, in the carriage as well.
The infant's babysitter has been charged with child neglect. What she said about it just might shock you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. We continue to watch the markets. The Dow, taking a dip there, 37 points. We'll continue to watch the markets as it goes up and down, and hopefully it doesn't go any further than this. That would be the good news closing out the week.
(NEWSBREAK)
WHITFIELD: She grew up in the projects and went on to be an Ivy League success. Timeica Bethal could have gone anywhere after graduation, but she decided to go home. And now she is teaching kids in her old neighborhood a valuable lesson.
Ted Rowlands has "What Matters" this week.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TIMEICA BETHAL, TEACHER: Remember when we move to the carpet, we sit in rows.
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's hard to understand for some why 22-year-old Timeica Bethal came back to the south side of Chicago to teach third grade.
BETHAL: A lot of people have asked me, why didn't I go to medical school, or why didn't I go to law school, or why aren't I on Wall Street making a lot of money?
"Grace knew who she wanted to be."
ROWLANDS: Timeica graduated with honors from Yale, but instead of cashing in, she is giving back. Timeica joined Teach for America, a program that recruits college grads to teach in underserved school districts.
JOSH ANDERSON, TEACH FOR AMERICA: She is going to be an incredibly persuasive role model for her students. Her students are going to look at her, they're going to identify with who she is, who she has become, and they are going to be very inspired by that.
BETHAL: Do you have a question?
ROWLANDS: Timeica grew up in one of Chicago's notorious public housing projects where kids often ended up going to jail rather than college. Timeica's mother was a drug addict, so her grandmother raised all four kids.
BETHAL: It was, you need to be in bed, asleep at this time. You need to be up, getting dressed for school at this time. She had schedules of when the four of us would take showers, what chores the four of us had to do, when homework needed to be done.
ROWLANDS: After attending public school through eighth grade, Timeica won a scholarship to attend Parker High School, a private school in high-priced Lincoln Park. It took 90 minutes, two buses, and a train one way to get there. For four years, Timeica traveled back and forth between these two opposite worlds, getting straight As.
BETHAL: I walked right to the bus stop and right back to my house every day.
ROWLANDS: The public housing project where Timeica grew up is now in an open field that's fenced off. It was demolished by the city of Chicago, along with other projects, in an effort to make the city safer.
BETHAL: We did not go outside. We didn't do the things that other kids did. And that was my grandmother's way of keeping us safe.
ROWLANDS: Timeica's grandmother Mary still lives in public housing.
(on camera): She says you ran a pretty tight ship.
MARY LEWIS, TIMEICA'S GRANDMOTHER: You got that right. You've got to get a good education, finish from grade school to high school to college. Otherwise, grandma's got to take care of you.
ROWLANDS (voice-over): Timeica is hoping that someday she'll be able to take care of grandma.
BETHAL: My family is very low income. It's been that way my entire life. My family still lives in public housing.
That's a daily struggle for me, to think that I could be somewhere making a lot of money to help move us out of that, but that's just not my calling. That's not what I'm meant to do right now. I belong here.
(APPLAUSE)
ROWLANDS: Ted Rowlands, CNN, Chicago.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: A volatile day on Wall Street again. We'll go live to the New York Stock Exchange for an update, and we'll find out what the traders say the market needs in order for it to calm down.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: The convicted killers known as the "West Memphis Three" are in a Jonesboro, Arkansas, courtroom right now. Recent DNA evidence failed to tie them to the mutilation, murders of three boys in 1993.
And right now, live pictures of a crowd that has gathered outside that courthouse, awaiting any word as to whether three known as the "West Memphis Three" would be released. The Arkansas Supreme Court ordered today's hearing to determine whether they should get a new trial as well. However, some sort of plea deal apparently has been struck or is being negotiated. The three men may be walking out free today.
So here is a rundown of some of the stories that we're working on.
Next, what do the markets need to hear to calm things down?
Then, two days after she walked off the set of CNN's "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT," Christine O'Donnell has more to say about it.
And later, a heart patient makes a drastic change when she was told that she needed surgery. Hear Dr. Sanjay Gupta's compelling story, a lesson all of us can learn.
And time for another check of the markets. It has been an up- and-down day so far.
Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange with another update -- Alison.
KOSIK: Hi, Fredricka.
You know, compared to yesterday, it's kind of like the markets are taking a bit of a breather today, though volatility is still king. At the opening bell, we saw the Dow fall 121 points. Then, during the session earlier, it rose 96.
You know, it's really been a headline-driven market, but we're not seeing that today, because there's not much news to trade on today and no economic data is coming out. So get ready for the volatility to pick up. That's what's expected to happen as we get closer to the closing bell, with many investors not willing to hold on to their stocks into the weekend, because the worries of yesterday that we have are still remaining today and will remain throughout the weekend especially about slow growth here in the U.S. and in Europe -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: So, Alison, what are traders saying needs to happen in order to kind of calm things down?
KOSIK: You k now, there are two big things that Wall Street really wants to see. They want to see something concrete come out of Washington, and they also want to see some better data on the economy.
They want to see the actual figures on, let's say, GDP manufacturing jobs improve. Also, with Standard & Poor's, Morgan Stanley and Citigroup. They're blaming policymakers for the weak economic outlooks that they've come out with.
You know, the debt ceiling debate may be over, but the reality is the debt issue is still a huge issue here on Wall Street. Policymakers are still deadlocked, and there's still too much spending and not enough income coming in to handle all of the amount of debt we have. And it's not just happening here in the U.S., it's happening in Europe as well.
You know, Wall Street just needs to see improvement in Washington and needs to see better news on the economy on those things like home sales and unemployment once again. And of course the list keeps going on and on, and that's why you see the market not really holding on to its gains for too long -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Alison Kosik, thanks so much. Appreciate that.
A reminder to vote for today's "Choose the News" winner. Text "22360" to vote for the story that you want to see.
Text "1" for "Dying Industries". And we'll tell you why Paul McCartney is helping record stores protest Jay-Z and Kanye West. Text "2" for "Cupcakes Go Global," to see how one dessert shop made famous by "Sex and the City" is cashing in on their cupcakes. Or text "3" for "Legends of Tuskegee," to hear how three Tuskegee airmen helped break barriers and change history.
The winning story airs in less than 30 minutes.
And a new explanation from Christine O'Donnell on why she walked out of a interview with CNN's Piers Morgan, and the response from Piers Morgan to what O'Donnell has to say. Their comments, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Tea Party advocate Christine O'Donnell is explaining why she walked out on CNN talk show host Piers Morgan. When he asked her about her views on sexual abstinence and gay marriage. O'Donnell was on "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT" Wednesday to promote her new book.
Here are the questions Morgan asked before O'Donnell put an end to the interview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PIERS MORGAN, CNN HOST: I'm about to ask you a question I don't ask most of my guests, I have to be honest with you. Do you still think masturbation is wrong?
CHRISTINE O'DONNELL, TEA PARTY ADVOCATE: Oh, let's not even go there!
MORGAN: Why? You went there.
O'DONNELL: Well, again, like I said, I address it in the book. At that time in my life, my goal was to reach out to young people, and there was a show, "Sex in the '90s" on MTV where it pretty much touted the philosophy that anything goes.
MORGAN: Are you still a supporter of total abstinence, even if you're on your own?
MORGAN: Are you the pro-masturbation talk show host?
(LAUGHTER)
MORGAN: Uh - yes! Why not? Yes.
O'DONNELL: Good for you for taking that stand! You know, right now --
MORGAN: If the option is to be the anti, I think I would be in the pro department, yes.
O'DONNELL: OK, good.
MORGAN: And I'm not afraid to say so! So, over to you, Miss O'Donnell.
O'DONNELL: Well, what I'm going to do -- my goal is now is to fight for the freedom of speech in America that allows you to say that. I mean, that's what my focus is right now to fight for the constitutional principles that made our country great because we do have a movement in Washington that is completely abandoning it, and --
MORGAN: Can I ask you -- have you committed lust in your heart and therefore --
O'DONNELL: Oh, let's not even go there! Let's get the conversation back to the book. That's why I am here.
MORGAN: Yes but this is - to me, it's a natural extension to ask you for an example. Very relevant question to any politician --
O'DONNELL: I address it all in the book.
MORGAN: For example, what is your view of gay marriage, for example?
O'DONNELL: Well, I address that stuff in the book.
MORGAN: You can't keep - you're here to promote the damn book ! So, you can't keep saying it's all in the book.
O'DONNELL: I am here to talk about the book.
MORGAN: Yes! I am talking about the book! You keep saying it's all in the book.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So now, this explanation from O'Donnell as to why she got up and left the interview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
O'DONNELL: When they are sitting you pressing on personal, intimate questions and you are saying I don't want to go there, he could have said, you know, what is your mother's name, and I would have been like c'mon, let's stop. I wanted to stop that borderline sexual harassment that was going on --
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, NBC HOST, "THE TODAY SHOW": Oh, okay --
(CROSSTALK)
O'DONNELL: -- wasn't stopping.
GUTHRIE: OK, but the point is is that he asked a whole line of those questions and you did attempt in one way or another to answer those questions. But it was only in the moment that asked you about gay marriage, which is in fairness, is an issue you raise in your book and you were there to talk about that book.
O'DONNELL: Sure. Yes, yes, actually, I have answered that question. I talked to "The Huffington Post" about it last night about it. I'll tell you right now my position is the same as Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Rudy Guiliani and Michele Bachmann. That I believe in states' rights, but I also think that the church has the right, the First Amendment right to define marriage as it wishes. So, it really is not about that question. It was about, you know -- he put me in a position that was very awkward and very uncomfortable, and we were late.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Piers Morgan has his side of the story, too. He called into the NEWSROOM earlier today to respond to what O'Donnell said this morning.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
MORGAN (on the phone): Her position she seems to have toughened overnight (INAUDIBLE). Originally, she was seeing the funny side and thought it was all something to be amused by. Now all of a sudden, it's become this very serious situation where she felt that I was being sexist and sexually harassing her and so on.
And the bottom line of it is that if you study the whole interview and of course, the (INAUDIBLE) of her comments, we are feeling compelled to re-air the entire interview tonight on my show so everyone can decide for themselves, you can see that actually all I do is play her her own public statements and ask her for comment. And she does discuss all these public statements in her book. And let me remind you the reason she was doing my interview was to promote her book.
So, the idea that somehow this is inappropriate or I think she called me "creepy," or any of these things -- the only thing that can be inappropriate or creepy are the very things she discusses in her own books that she has said. So, I found the kind of - the argument that she's putting forward today tenuous to put it mildly. And I suspect the reaction of somebody who realizes she made a rather big mistake.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So, you want to tune in to "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT," at 8:00 Eastern and like he said, see for yourself.
A reminder to vote for today's "Choose The News" winner. Text 22360 to vote for the story you want to see. Text 1 for "Dying Industries." Record stores are going after some of the industry's biggest artists to keep their doors open. Text 2 for "Cupcakes Go Global." After conquering New York City, one shop is taking its treats worldwide, and there's some big money in these small treats. And Text 3 for "The Legends of the Tuskegee." The Tuskegee airmen made history in World War II, but they told us they were just doing their jobs. The winning story airs in minutes.
All right. You've heard changing your diet can change your life, but get this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Once they start eating this way, you will make yourself heart attack proof.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Heart attack proof?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We know that if people are eating this way, they are not going to have a heart attack.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Wow! Well, a woman faced with heart surgery says no and changed what she ate instead. Wait until you hear the effect it had on her.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Heart disease kills more than half a million Americans every year. But we're learning how to present it. CNN's Chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, joining us live now. So, you spent more than a year now looking into heart disease. And you've got an upcoming documentary. We're going to see it this weekend. What's the takeaway?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Part of this, I will tell you, it's a bit selfish. Because I have a family history of heart disease as well, and I kept hearing murmurs and rumors we're getting to the point in our society where we can essentially eliminate most heart disease and heart attacks. So, that's what prompted the investigation.
And it was fascinating, this idea that your diet alone can make such a big impact. Here's Sharon Kentz, who's a delight, 66-year-old woman. A retired private investigator from Canton, Ohio. She had a heart attack and was told what most people are told. You needs to go on meds, you need to have surgery. All that sort of stuff. And she said I am doing none of that. I'm just going to change my lifestyle and see what happens.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA (voice-over): Like a lot of women, Kintz does not experience the classic chest pain, but rather fatigue and pain in her jaw.
SHARON KINTZ, HEART PATIENT: He said you're going to have to have open heart surgery. He said I can fix you today. I can just take you right down to O.R. and I can operate on you right now.
My son was in there and he was ready to wheel me down to the operating room because he is frantic. You know, it's terrifying.
GUPTA: What Kintz did next may surprise you. She turned the surgeon down cold, said no to open heart surgery. And decided to take a chance --
KINTZ: I bought some parsnips the other way. I always have sweet potatoes on hand.
GUPTA: -- using food as medicine.
KINTZ: I love these. These are my favorite. These are wonderful.
GUPTA: Like President Clinton, Kintz has given up the food she loves like butter and cheese. She's betting her life on Dr. Esselstyn's diet.
(on camera): She had a heart attack.
DR. CALDWELL ESSELSTYN, JR., CLEVELAND CLINIC WELLNESS INSTITUTE: I know.
GUPTA: Doctors recommended she had an intervention. She's not doing it. Is there a downside? Could she be putting herself at risk?
ESSELSTYN: No. In hundreds of patients data going back over 20 years and most recent study about a decade, once they start eating this way, you'll make yourself heart attack proof.
We know if people are eating this way, they are not going to have a heart attack.
GUPTA: Esselstyn thinks heart disease is completely preventable no matter what sort of family history you have simply by eating right.
ESSELSTYN: It's a food-borne illness and we are never going to end the epidemic with stents, with bypasses, with the drugs because none of it is treating causation of the illness.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: That's really his point more than anything else, Fred. Is that you can become heart-attack proof, but you have to treat the root cause of this biggest killer in this country of heart disease of men and women alike. She eats a lot of whole grains, she eats a lot of vegetables. Lot of fruits, but she has completely changed her life, and as a result, she lowered if not eliminated her risk of heart disease.
WHITFIELD: Well, she's amazing because there is a time issue, though. If someone says to you, your doctor says to you, you know, we're seeing some problems here and it's time for surgery, that usually means we have to do this now. You have to give yourself enough time if you are going to go the route of diet to make an impact on your body, don't you?
GUPTA: Yes, I think there's no question about that. And I think in Sharon's case, she was right on the cusp of that. There are people who are still going to need emergency surgery, no question about it. But if their lifestyle changes earlier.
And the point that he was making is that even if you have plaque in your blood vessels right now, anybody that's watching has that, they can start to reverse that plaque. Not just prevent it from progressing, but reverse it with these lifestyle changes. So, that's sort of his point.
He says don't eat anything with a mother. Don't eat anything with a face, no oils, no dairy. Basically, a pretty restrictive diet, but she says feels great doing it.
WHITFIELD: Wow, that's incredible! That's very encouraging.
GUPTA: Former president Clinton, by the way, had a very similar diet to this.
WHITFIELD: Really?
GUPTA: Yes. Says he feels great.
WHITFIELD: So, is it considered, like, an all-vegan?
GUPTA: It's basically a vegan diet. I mean, in some ways, maybe even more restrictive. No oils either. Like even the oils that have been considered healthy, they say that they could damage the blood vessel wall. So, that's probably the biggest change.
WHITFIELD: Incredible. Well, of course, we'll all be watching. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks so much.
For more on your heart health, be sure and watch Dr. Sanjay Gupta's "SPECIAL REPORT: THE LAST HEART ATTACK." this Sunday night, 8:00 eastern right here on CNN. He talks to doctors on the cutting edge of heart disease prevention, including a former surgeon who has developed a radical diet that he says can make anyone heart attack proof in a month. More of what you just saw.
Meantime, this information just coming to us now. You'll recall that it was just barely a week ago you saw those incredible pictures out of Indianapolis there at the Indiana State Fair. The collapse of that stage. Well, we now have confirmation that a sixth person has died as a result of the tragic accident there. A 22-year-old by the name of Jennifer Haskell. That information coming from authorities there in Indiana.
All right. The month-long drought in Texas is costing farmers there a fortune. The total dollar figure might shock you. So what do you think? $1 billion? $2 billion? What about $5 billion? We'll tell you the answer after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, this information just in. The three young men who have been known as the "West Memphis Three," three men who were convicted of the brutal mutilations and murders of three young kids in Arkansas, well, now we understand, according to our reporters and producers who are there in Jonesboro, Arkansas, that these three men by the name of Damien Echols -- you're looking at their mug shots from back in '93 -- Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin have all been just declared by the court free to go home. Their convictions overturned. Unclear whether they will be getting new trials.
Our reporter is still in the courtroom and we're still hoping to hear more information about the details of the release of the West Memphis Three, is what they have been known as since the 1993 mutilations and killings of three young boys. Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin had all been convicted of the murders of those three boys. Now we understand from the courthouse there in Jonesboro, Arkansas, that they are now free to go home and they are continuing to do some paperwork in the courthouse. When our reporter, David Mattingly, in the courthouse, is able to get out to give us more information about how this all came to be, we'll be able to bring that to you as soon as possible.
Meantime, now moving on to the state of Texas, where it is withering under a relentless drought that has lasted 10 months long now. Ahead of the break we asked, how much it has costs farmers in that state. $1 billion, $2 billion or $5 billion? The answer? A staggering $5 billion. The drought in Texas is just one of many very huge and costly natural disasters in the U.S. this year. The total cost, more than $35 billion from all of these disasters. Nine of the disasters costs $1 billion each or more. Chad Myers with us now.
This has been a devastating year.
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It has. And that's the number. That's the dollar number. And it's a staggering dollar number, don't get me wrong.
WHITFIELD: Yes, we're not talking about lives turned upside down.
MYERS: Five hundred and forty-nine people have died this year from tornados, lightning, weather, essentially, and also from flooding. Five hundred and forty-nine. That's more than ever since the advent of radar. Since 1936 there's never been that many people killed by weather.
WHITFIELD: Extraordinary.
MYERS: This has been an extraordinary year. Let's get to it here.
The biggest one, $9 billion, 327 deaths, Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Now there were nine basic tornadoes that day that killed people, including one that even went up into Georgia. That was a devastating day into parts of Alabama.
Joplin, Missouri. We had coverage of that on and on. That was like a five-day event. All the way from Oklahoma through Joplin, Missouri, and then points east. $7 billion. One hundred and seventy- seven people killed.
And then you just talked about the Texas drought. $5 billion right there because there's not a cotton crop. There's basically no wheat crop into parts of that state simply because it has not rained at all. Now, it rained everywhere across parts of the Midwest, and then the flooding down the Mississippi River. Better watch what you ask for, right? $4 billion it has costs in revenue and also lives and farmland.
And, of course, then we go down to the next -- there were five more events that had $1 billion or more from the Midwest tornados, all the way down to the Groundhog Day blizzard -- that was Chicago -- $2 billion from a blizzard. Twenty-four inches of snow, plus all of that rain and all of that eventual, you know, blizzard closing down the entire city.
And then the upper Midwest flooding, too. That's still going on. Those numbers are still (INAUDIBLE). The Dakotas, Nebraska, Iowa, that water is still coming down the Missouri River.
WHITFIELD: We're in August. We still have a long way to go before we close out this year and this has already been very devastating on so many levels.
MYERS: Yes.
WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Chad. Appreciate that.
MYERS: You're welcome.
WHITFIELD: All right, you told us what you wanted to see. Your "Choose The News" story moments away.
But first, some free advice to help you make the most out of your money in this troubled economy. Here's CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Time now for "The Help Desk" where we get answers to your financial questions. Joining me this hour, Manisha Thakor, a personal finance expert, and John Ulzheimer, the president of consumer education at smartcredit.com.
Guys, thanks for coming in. Got some interesting viewer questions.
The first for you, John, comes from Patricia in Phoenix, Arizona. Patricia asks, "I'm a grad student with about $13,000 in credit card debt and I'm considering taking out a student loan to pay it down. Is that a good move?"
JOHN ULZHEIMER, PRESIDENT OF CONSUMER EDUCATION, SMARTCREDIT.COM: Oh, man, I would love to say that's a terrible move, but I'm not going to say that because, believe it or not, there is a -- there are hidden gems of gold within that question. You're converting revolving debt to installment debt. Better for your credit score. You're converting not tax deductible debt to tax deductible debt, which is always better for you financially. However, you're also converting dischargeable debt to non-dischargeable debt.
You're essentially borrowing from Peter to pay Paul. You're still in the same amount of debt except its less expensive debt and more beneficial debt. So if she is disciplined and she will attack the debt as aggressively as she should attack credit card debt, not a bad move.
HARLOW: And we're talking about $13,000, not 300,000.
ULZHEIMER: We're not talking about some excessive amount of money.
HARLOW: Exactly.
Well, Manisha, your question comes from David in Chicago. David wrote, "my wife and I both have our 401(k)s set up through the same company. Should we keep things simple and mimic each other's investments or should we have a separate strategy for each?"
What do you think? I mean you think diversifying would be smart here.
MANISHA THAKOR, PERSONAL FINANCE EXPERT: You know, it's interesting, Poppy, this question comes up a lot in financial planning. And one of the things I like to point out is, people forget that women and men have different life spans and oftentimes an age difference. So, for instance, I'm 41 and my husband's 59. If we were at the same place, we should not have portfolios that look the same, not necessarily from a strategic standpoint in terms of value versus growth, but just an asset allocation standpoint.
So my advice to keep it simple is to be investing in target date retirement funds through their plans that are age-appropriate. That will adjust for any age differences they have that enable them, honestly, to have a chicken rotisserie type set it and forget it approach that hopefully will also add to marital harmony.
HARLOW: Which a lot of people want and marital harmony always is very important.
THAKOR: That is priceless.
HARLOW: I know you've written a lot about that. Thank you, guys.
If you have a question you want answered by our experts, please send an e-mail any time to us at cnnhelpdesk@cnn.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, this breaking story. Want to take you straight to Jonesboro, Arkansas, where the convictions of three men convicted of killing three young boys back in 1993 apparently have been tossed out. We have our David Mattingly who was there. These three young men about to be freed.
Give us the circumstances. What happened in court?
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, at this moment, the "West Memphis Three" are free men. They are just processing the paperwork with the Department of Corrections, and they will step out -- outside of the bars of prison where they have spent their entire adult lives. This after over 18 years ago being arrested, charged and convicted in the murders of three young boys.
This was a very complicated legal proceeding today to bring this about. It took agreement on both sides, the state and on the part of the defense attorneys.
What happened was, the defendants here, the "West Memphis Three," entered pleas of guilty. But to do so, they were able to maintain their innocence and still walk out of here with time served. It's a complicated legal maneuver. It has a name to it. It's something that they've never tried here in this district before. The judge, in fact, spent a lot of time trying to explain it. He had a private, closed door hearing to make sure every participant in this trial understood what was going on.
But in the eyes of the court, these three men are still guilty of the crime that they were charged with, but now they are free. The judge said it was in the best interest of everyone involved and he said this was a tragedy for everyone involved. He said he doesn't believe that this is going to make any of the pain go away for the parents who have suffered their losses. He doesn't believe it's going to make any of the pain go away for the three men who have served their entire adult lives behind bars.
But again, at this moment, Fredricka, the "West Memphis Three" are free.
WHITFIELD: OK. So just for clarity then, David, it's not that these convictions were overturned, they are still guilty but they were freed. Now this -- at the root of this change is DNA evidence or lack thereof, is that correct?
MATTINGLY: That was one of the last things that came to the court's attention this year. There was money that was raised by supporters of the "West Memphis Three" that was able to fund a new round of DNA testing. They tested every bit of material they could find that was collected in this case. And the DNA that was tested did not connect any of these three young men, are men now, to the crime scene. So that was the last bit of evidence that came to the court's attention.
Now, if they did not go through with this deal today, those three would have been probably granted a new trial later this year. But that trial could have taken years to complete. So the judge, again reiterating, this was in the best interest of everyone involved. In the eyes of the law, they're still guilty of that crime, but they are allowed to go free. It's a complicated legal maneuver called an offered case and right now the judge is saying no one's probably going to explain this, it's not going to answer a lot of questions, but it was in the best interest, he said, for everyone.
WHITFIELD: All right, extraordinary. David Mattingly, thanks so much, from Jonesboro, Arkansas. And I understand there is a possibility that these three young men, when they come out of the courtroom, they could, indeed, go to a microphone. Of course we here at CNN continue to watch that.
We're going to continue with the NEWSROOM right now with Alina Cho.
Alina.
