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Irene's Record Flooding; Romney Reaches Out to Tea Party; Libya Victory at Hand; Perry's Foreign Policy Vision; Folks Recalculate the Value of a Degree; Cost Versus Value of Higher Education; Time Running out for Gadhafi

Aired August 31, 2011 - 09:00   ET

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

FREDERICK WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you all of you. Thanks so much. We're going to pick up where you all have left off.

So, Irene, the floodwaters are receding. The storm's misery however is not. Four days after the hurricane first churned up the East Coast, more than 2.5 million homes and businesses are still without power. The death toll has risen to at least 43. And thousands of people have evacuated from flooded neighborhoods and communities.

Yet, flood advisories are still in place for portions of seven states.

So, one of the towns hardest hit is Little Falls, New Jersey, along the Passaic River.

Mary Snow is there with the very latest.

So, Mary, this is the worst flooding in a century there. Are things improving at all?

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Good morning, Fredricka.

You know, it's hard to believe looking at the river behind me that things are improving. We'll take a closer look at the Passaic River, some really incredible sight here. The Passaic River actually crested here on Tuesday, seven feet above flood stage, and the water is receding. But you can see the fury of this water and gives you an idea of what towns along the Passaic are coping with.

We have, I believe, a before and after shot in Paterson -- nearby Paterson. We were there all day yesterday and there are parts of that city just inundated with water. You can se restaurants and businesses just completely under. This morning, we are seeing a lot of water still there but you can tell that the water levels are receding.

But, you know, I talked to county officials last night and they were saying it could be days that some of these cities and towns are still inundated with water and it's very hard to predict when cleanup operations can really get under way.

WHITFIELD: And so, Mary, were people pleased with the evacuation effort, if there were any? And then how about even rescues that took place as well?

SNOW: You know, we were talking to the mayor of Paterson this morning, and he estimates there are 1,500 people that had to leave their homes. Some of it because people were in high-rises, the electricity was out and they had to leave. But he thinks that there still needs to be some evacuation today. It's a beautiful day. He is afraid that some people may come out, not realize how deep the water is in some parts of the city.

WHITFIELD: All right. Mary Snow, thanks so much for that update.

Homeland Security Chief Janet Napolitano and FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate will are set to tour flood-ravaged New Jersey today and they'll likely be paying close attention to the city of Paterson.

Tony Caputo from News 12 New Jersey shows us how bad things are there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TONY CAPUTO, NEWS 12 NEW JERSEY: We have seen a lot of flooding this week here in New Jersey. But this is the most devastating we have seen all week. Here in Paterson, you can see this Passaic River just destroying this part of the city.

Look at that bridge, folks. That's a bridge that takes cars and trucks over to Alfano Furniture. It's showroom on the other side of the Passaic River. Obviously, no vehicles will be on that bridge for some time and you have wonder the structural integrity of that bridge will be once officials get a chance to look at it.

Look at the debris building up. I mean, that's a large tree on the side of the bridge right now as this water continues to flow, and the wrath of Irene continuing to rush through Paterson.

In the distance, you see those three apartment buildings. Folks have been evacuated from there as well. The apartments themselves are fine, but it's the basements that have been flooded and officials had to shut down the power and get everybody out there yesterday and take them to local shelters.

So, a lot of people here in Paterson right now in shelters, waiting for these floodwaters to recede.

We are told this could continue through today, through tomorrow, perhaps even into Friday until the Passaic River starts to recede.

And this river has done damage to many towns here in northern New Jersey.

We'll continue to keep you up-to-date.

Reporting for CNN, I'm Tony Caputo, News 12 New Jersey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Now, let's head now to Connecticut's shoreline, where waterfront dream homes are now reduced to rubble. Alina Cho is in the cozy beach section of East Haven.

So, Alina, how extensive is the damage there?

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, my goodness. It's just awful, Fredricka. Good morning to you.

As you can see here, we are inside one of the homes that was just decimated during hurricane Irene and as we widen out, you can se there's not much of the home left, except, amazingly, the flat screen TV appears to have made it.

But all you have to do is take a walk along this stretch of beach and you can see many of the homes are now condemned. Many of them either damaged or destroyed.

And to give you a good idea of just how bad it is, take a walk with me and look at this home right here. It's now sitting at a 45- degree angle. And if you look inside this room here right now, you can see this is the kitchen. At one point, this was on the second floor of the home when the home was still standing. Now, as you can see, it is hugging the beach and at ground level.

Residents described this scene here post-Irene as a war zone. Amazingly, though, the mayor says there were no fatalities and there were no injuries -- and that's largely because many, not all, but many of the residents did heed the warnings and leave prior to the storm.

Now, as for the situation right now, there are a few residents here and there picking up, trying to clean up what they can and salvage what they can, although there is very little to salvage.

As for the power situation, Fredricka, nearly a half million people in Connecticut are still without power, 15,000 right here in East Haven. And when I asked the mayor when do you think the power will be turned back out? Fredricka, she said, "That's a very good question, I have no idea" -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Boy, for the long haul, all right, people were prepared for that.

Thanks so much, Alina Cho, there in East Haven.

So, we are keeping a close eye now on tropical storm Katia.

Meteorologist Rob Marciano joins us with more on that. We got to get used to a new name, new system.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. We might have another name before the week is up. We got a couple of things that we're keeping an eye on, Fredricka. Tropical storm Katia is the larger one but it's furthest away.

It's still, I don't know, about a thousand miles away from the Leeward Islands. So, three or four days from any sort of land mass. West-north, westerly movement at 20 miles an hour, winds are 65. So, it's almost a hurricane.

It should become a hurricane here in the next day or two. Friday, category 2. Category 3 by the weekend. Notice a bit of a recurvature. That's encouraging.

Over the next couple of days, we might be able to give the all- clear as far the U.S. is concerned. But right now, it's heading in our direction and that's certainly a concern. Not for now, not for this weekend, but potentially the end of next week.

What about closer to home? This weekend, there's a threat. Here's what is going on closer to home. The northwestern Caribbean, there's Cancun and Cuba. This thing will drift in the Gulf of Mexico. And what it does after that, we don't know.

At one point, some of the models were taking it to Texas. That would be good. We could use the rain. Now, some of our models are taking it more towards the Gulf -- the Panhandle of Florida later in the weekend, towards the beginning of next week.

If that were the case, Fredricka, it would give it more time to percolate and that wouldn't necessarily be a good thing.

Back over to you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Folks are bracing for whatever comes, right? Rob, thanks so much.

All right. Turning to the Republican race for the White House now. Rick Perry's poll numbers may be putting pressure on Mitt Romney.

CNN's Shannon Travis is in Des Moines, Iowa, with more on that -- Shannon.

SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: Hey, there, Frederika.

Yes. Rick Perry -- you know, he is topping most of the recent polls, even our CNN/ORC International poll, he is topping. He just got into the race just a few weeks ago and he's sitting on top, leading even Mitt Romney, the front-runner just a few weeks ago.

Here's what's happening with the scheduling snafu with Mitt Romney right now. He is reversing course and switching course on two major conservative events.

Now, here's what happen in the nutshell. There are two events happening this Monday on Labor Day. There's one event in South Carolina. It's hosted -- being hosted by South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint. He's a big Tea Party booster.

There's another event by Tea Party Express in Manchester, New Hampshire. Romney was headlined to speak at the Manchester, the Tea Party Express Event. This is basically his first huge address to a Tea Party group. That was supposed to be Monday.

We found out yesterday, I've been reporting, that he now wants to attend the South Carolina event, so he's going to attend a Sunday -- a Sunday event in New Hampshire, in Concord, with the Tea Party Express.

That little switch is not making the Tea Party Express very happy. I read a quote from Mitt Romney's campaign. They said, quote, "We were able to rescheduled Governor Romney's calendar to be in South Carolina and New Hampshire on both days." That's from the Romney spokesperson.

But when I spoke with the Tea Party Express, they basically said -- they are referring to our article that we put out there about Romney's appearance. Quote, "The CNN article has already gone out really wide. It's been sent around everywhere and we have been getting a ton of people asking about it." They say that some people might be upset about Mitt Romney switching course for another day -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Shannon, let's talk about Sarah Palin. And she, apparently, announced a few new plans. What do they involve?

TRAVIS: That's right. New plans -- she will be the same event on Labor Day. I don't want to confuse our viewers. The same event that Romney pulled out of, Sarah Palin is stepping up to headline that event on Monday at Labor Day for the Tea Party Express.

We already knew that she would be here in Iowa on Saturday for an Iowa Tea Party rally but now she is going to headline this same Tea Party express event in Manchester on Monday that Mitt Romney was originally supposed to headline -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Shannon Travis, thanks so much in Des Moines.

And we'll have your next political update in one hour from now.

And a reminder: for all the latest political news, go to our Web site, CNNPolitics.com

All right. Coming up, new developments coming up in the case of a missing American woman in Aruba. Her traveling companion who was a key suspect in the case could learn today whether he will stay locked up or be set free.

And Tiger Woods uses his golf talents for a good cause.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIGER WOODS, PRO GOLFER: One out of every two kids, you know, in the Native American community is going to have type 2 diabetes. And it's just phenomenal to think about this. I mean, this is -- we explained last night is, you know, this is basically an AIDS epidemic here in the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Tiger on the charge against childhood obesity. He is playing in the MD-3 Foundation Challenge today. We'll find out about the fund-raiser and about Tiger's tour plans straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Checking stories across the country.

A fast-moving wildfire has burned at least two dozen homes in Possum Kingdom Lake, Texas. Another 125 threatened. Back in April, wildfires destroyed more than 150 homes in the same area.

And firefighters in Oklahoma City say they have contained this wildfire that burned a dozen homes and 600 acres yesterday. Firefighters say drought conditions and strong winds are helping to fuel the flames. Several hundred homes had to be evacuated.

And authorities in Sacramento, California, say two maintenance workers were injured when a crane collapsed at a local amusement park Tuesday. One of the workers suffered a broken arm and leg.

And actress Daryl Hannah was one of more than a hundred protesters arrested yesterday outside the White House. Hannah was participating in a sit-in against an oil pipeline expansion project.

And new developments today in the disappearance of a Maryland woman vacationing Aruba. Robyn Gardner vanished on August 2nd and presumed dead. Her traveling companion is a suspect in the case and has been detained for weeks. Well, today, he could be set free.

CNN's Martin Savidge is covering the trial in Aruba.

So, Martin, an important hearing today. What's at stake?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Fredricka.

We are standing in front of the KIA that stands for the Correctional Institute of Aruba. It's basically the prison and is where Gary Giordano has been the last 16 days ever since the prosecution was granted the last extension.

We were down a lot closer, apparently a bit too close for the Aruban authorities, they kicked us out, put us up here and I'm sort of competing with the sun. So, sorry about that.

But here's what's at stake. He has been pretty much in captivity detained by Aruban authorities. No charges yet against Giordano for almost a month, remembering that Robyn Gardner's travelling companion disappeared on August 2nd he said in what was a snorkeling accident.

Authorities really doubt that story for a number of reasons. Eyewitnesses did not see them snorkeling in the water. Weather conditions that he described -- rough seas, strong currents -- the authorities said they didn't exist on that day at that particular spot. And then, oh, yes, there is the issue of the $1.5 million insurance policy that Gary Giordano took out on Robyn Gardner just days before they took the trip and he is the beneficiary of that money.

And, of course, when she goes missing -- well, authorities find that to be highly suspicious.

But the defense attorney would say that may be suspicious but it's not proof of guilt, that's not proof of anything beyond what he already said it was, an accident. So, that's what's going to play out. The defense attorney on one side, the prosecution on the other, the judge in the middle --all inside of that prison, Gary Giordano sitting in as well.

And then the judge will decide -- should they extend another 60 days, as prosecution has asked, or should he go free. And that's what we're waiting to hear. The answer will come in the news of a form released. It's a closed proceeding, we are not allowed inside. We'll watch from right here and let you know -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Martin Savidge, thanks so much in Aruba following this investigation.

All right. Some of the nation's biggest banks here are lending a helping hand to those affected by Hurricane Irene. Well go to the New York Stock Exchange for details on that.

And Tiger Woods is facing challenges on the golf course, but he also has time to help kids with their challenges. We'll talk with Tiger about combating obesity among Native American children. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Your showbiz headlines.

Just days after Kim Kardashian got married, a lawyer contacted Vivid Entertainment, looking to pull her infamous sex tape off the Internet, recorded with R&B singer Ray J in 2007. She agreed to split the tape's profit with Vivid. The lawyer's secret client wants to buy the tape and pull it off all pay sites.

Angelina Jolie tells "Vanity Fair" there are no secret plans for a secret wedding with Brad Pitt. Dispelling other rumors, she added that she is not pregnant and not adopting right now either.

Actor Ed O'Neill gets a star on the Hollywood's Walk of Fame. His "Modern Family" co-star Sofia Vergara said she used to watch him on "Married with Children." O'Neill thanked the fans, no fans, no show, no career.

And Tiger Woods hits the course today at Turning Stone Resort in Verona, New York, for a charity close to his heart. It's the fourth annual Notah Begay Foundation challenge being held on Oneida Indian lands near Verona. The foundation fights childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes among Native American children.

Well, this morning, I spoke with Tiger and his long time friend Notah Begay.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: 2009 was the last time you played. How meaningful will this time around be for you?

WOODS: Extremely gratifying to be a part of Notah's event. What Notah is trying to do for the Native American community, what is he trying to do for all of the kids, type 2 diabetes, as he'll explain, it's totally prevented. And that's one of the things that we don't realized obesity and type 2 diabetes can all be prevented. And you know, what he's trying to do for a lot of young kids who don't really understand, they don't have the knowledge for what they are -- what life is.

And what he is doing is, as I said, there is no one out there doing this and being a friend, knowing him since we were kids, to see what he is doing, I'm just so proud.

WHITFIELD: So, Notah, why are you taking the lead in this? What was the inspiration for you?

NOTAH BEGAY, NB3 FOUNDATION CHALLENGE: Well, just visiting a lot of the Native American communities and my philanthropy and community outreach work over the last few years really demonstrated to me that there is a lack of programming and a lack of well-researched evidence-based programming. And that's what we're after.

I mean, we've got partners like Johns Hopkins University that helps us design our research, implement our studies, process our data. And we're really taking a focus on targeted approach on this epidemic to push back and actually prevent type 2 diabetes.

One of the interesting things that I come across in doing a lot of these motivational talks with these kids is most of them don't understand that type 2 diabetes is completely preventable.

WHITFIELD: And, Tiger, you know, I know you and Notah have been friends for a long time and you have been involved on so many different levels in various philanthropic efforts.

But what is it this effort, tackling childhood obesity in the Native American community that really connects with you?

WOODS: I can relate to it because I dealt with it. You know, my father had prostate cancer but he also developed type 2 diabetes. So, I know what it can do. I know the damage it can do. I know the devastation that it can inflict on a family.

And to see kids have to go through this, when they don't have to. You know, that's the thing. It is totally preventable. It's about interesting and it's about knowledge and a lot of these kids don't understand that yet.

And that's what Notah is bringing to the table. He is bringing the kids the tools to understand what they need to do with their lives and how to do it -- and that's what's phenomenal.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. More one-on-one with Tiger Woods in the next hour. He talks candidly about his recent un-Tiger-like performances on the golf course. Plus, his future tour plans.

(MUSIC)

WHITFIELD: All right. Felicia Taylor is at the New York Stock Exchange, monitoring the nation's biggest banks and they have some good news actually for borrowers affected by Hurricane Irene.

Felicia, what are you hearing from these banks?

FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN BUISNESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, this is really good relief for people that have been affected. It's temporary, though, and it's only going to be in a few states.

For instance, Chase is waving fees until Sunday. There will be no late payment or overdraft fees on credit cards and loans. If you can't access a Chase ATM also, you're not going to be charged that usually $2 out of network fee. They are also allowing early withdrawals on CDs without penalty if people need to access cash. Chase is sending letters to customers in about 13 states.

Wells Fargo is offering similar benefits for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut residents.

Capital One, Bank of America, HSBC are helping customers but on a case-by-case basis. This is normal after a major disaster, but if you're not sure about what's being offered, don't assume anything. You know what they say about that? You got to contact your bank and make certain of what's available -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: So, Felicia, there are a lot of economic reports also being released today. How might they be affecting the markets?

TAYLOR: Well, so far, so good. I mean, believe it or not, the Dow, NASDAQ, and S&P futures are up 1 percent and that's following this ADP employment report. And, of course, that's the big -- the big issue this week is jobs. It was a big weaker than expected -- 91,000 private sector jobs were added in August. We've also got two reports on manufacturing that are due out after the bell.

And, of course, investors are hoping for a fourth straight day of gains. This has been a rough month, though, Fredricka, as you well know. The Dow is going to be off about 5 percent in August. The S&P has lost about 6 percent.

And, you know, the same concerns are still out there. We've got that debt ceiling debate that went on, the U.S. credit downgrade and still a lot of economic uncertainty.

The real concerns are still facing the marketplace but the marketplace this week is going to go back to fundamentals and take a look at jobs.

WHITFIELD: All right. Felicia Taylor, thanks so much. We'll check back with you.

Also coming up, a new and potentially deadly crisis in Libya. More than half of the capital city is actually without water or sanitation. And we'll take a look at the race to save the people of Tripoli.

And Rick Perry has vaulted into the lead among Republican presidential hopefuls. His foreign policy vision is still a work in progress. We'll tell but some of the familiar faces helping him to figure it all out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories right now.

Four days after hurricane Irene slammed ashore, more than 2.8 million people still without power. The death toll has climbed to 43 in 12 states.

And now, tropical storm Katia is getting stronger and it's almost a hurricane. Right now, it is moving through the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean. But, so far, it is not threatening land.

And, overseas -- Amnesty International accuses the Syrian government of persecuting its own people on a vast scale. The agency says its documented the deaths of about 90 detainees from the pro- reform movement. More than 50 showed signs of torture.

And in Libya today, rebels are now predicting the Gadhafi regime will fall within a week. They have given pro-Gadhafi an ultimatum to either surrender or face assault. With Tripoli all but under rebel control, they are focusing on remaining resistance including Moammar Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte. His son Saadi told CNN that he won't negotiate with rebels and will not surrender.

The Transitional Council giving Gadhafi supporters particularly in the Gadhafi hometown of Sirte an ultimatum. Is that a smart idea?

Fawaz Gerges is a professor of Middle Eastern politics at the London School of Economics, and has written extensively on al-Qaeda and the Middle East. He is joining us from London this morning.

Good to see you, professor.

FAWAZ GERGES, PROFESSOR, LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS: Good morning.

WHITFIELD: So, is this a smart idea on the rebels part, on the transitional council's part?

GERGES: I think it's a great idea, Fredricka. You might say why. First of all, you want to avert as much blood as possible. You want to avert all-out war for the Meisia (ph) tribal-based towns, in particular, in Sirte, in Bani Walid and Sabha.

Remember, it's not just about capturing the towns and cities. The last remaining towns and cities. It's about deepening and widening the divide, the tribal divides in Libya.

Two of the leading tribes basically inhabit Sirte and also Bani Walid, and Sabha. And what the NTC is trying to do is to basically appeal to the tribal leaders in order to be able to govern the post- Gadhafi Libya.

So it's not just about military tactics, it's about thinking about the future, the morning after. I doubt it very much whether the remnants of Gadhafi will surrender. I think in the next few days, we are going to witness very bloody battles in Sirte, in Bani Walid, in Sabha and other towns.

WHITFIELD: Might that back fire for this movement, particularly in the region?

GERGES: What movement?

WHITFIELD: Might the bloodshed that it comes down to, if the -- if this ultimatum is not met and it will result in a lot of bloodshed, might that kind of backfire for the National Transitional Council overall in the entire region?

GERGES: Well, you know, what we need to understand is that the NTC is trying very hard to basically avert a lost battle, a lost attempt. But the reality is, if Gadhafi's remnants don't basically surrender, don't really accept the authority of the NTC, the NTC and the rebels have no choice. They have basically to secure the whole country, to have to pacify not just Tripoli but Sirte and other towns. They have to provide governance and human security. They have to become the legitimate authority of Libya.

The Libyan people have spoken and the lost remnants of Gadhafi must accept basically the will of the Libyan people. I doubt it very much whether it would basically have any particular negative repercussions because the NTC has gone out of its way to avert a blood bath in both Sirte and Bani Walid.

WHITFIELD: Do the Libyan people, does the council want to see that Moammar Gadhafi is caught, captured and brought to trial at The Hague, or do they want to see him die from a struggle that could ensue over the next few days?

GERGES: Well, as you well know already, the NTC has called on some of the inner circle of Gadhafi to kill Gadhafi. So, obviously, they want to get rid of him, but the reality is for the sake of Libya, for the sake of the post-Gadhafi Libya, Gadhafi and his sons, painful as it is, must be given justice, because at the end of the day, you have to present a different model for the Libyan people and the international community, that is the new Libya will not be judged, will not be governed by vengeance and by tribal justice, but rather by real justice.

And that is why I would argue the best thing that can happen for Libya and the Libyan people is that for Gadhafi to be brought to justice, for his sons to be brought to justice. And I'm not just talking about summary trial like that of the late Saddam Hussein of Iraq. I'm talking about a mix body of jurist, international jurist and Libyan jurist, where Gadhafi and his sons can get a legitimate, fair and transparent trial.

Justice in Libya is a sacred good. It will convince the Libyan people that there is a new Libya, that the new Libya differs fundamentally from that of Gadhafi who was an oppressive and bloody leader indeed.

WHITFIELD: Professor Fawaz Gerges, always good to see you. Thank you so much from London.

GERGES: Appreciate it.

WHITFIELD: Libya and the rest of the Middle East will likely fall on the plate of whoever wins the presidential election come 2012. A poll of Republican voters this week puts Governor Rick Perry way out ahead among presidential hopefuls with Perry vaulting into lead. His political philosophy is getting a lot more scrutiny these days today.

CNN's Ed Lavandera looks at his foreign policy vision.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rick Perry tweeted this picture after a meeting with former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. Interesting because Perry's foreign policy philosophy is still very much a work in progress.

Ray Sullivan, one of the governor's longest-serving advisers, argues Perry is already on the international stage.

RAY SULLIVAN, PERRY COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: We are the largest exporting state in the country. We have a 1,200-mile border with Mexico. our energy industry is a world leader. So we have had an awful lot of interaction with international trade, international business and international relations.

LAVANDERA: There are clues into Perry's foreign policy thinking. We have learned former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has put the governor in touch with other officials from the George W. Bush administration.

JOSH ROGIN, "FOREIGN POLICY": Rick Perry is drawing upon a wealth of conservative, hawkish, militaristic foreign policy ideas and foreign policy personnel here in Washington that includes a lot of people who have been on the sidelines during the Obama administration who are more than eager to get back into the game.

LAVANDERA: Perry opposes timetables for withdrawing troops from the battlefield and on Afghanistan says only the United States needs to be sure that its interests are truly at stake before it commits troops. But aides dispute his foreign policy strategy will be just like the last Texas-governor-turned-president.

SULLIVAN: The governor has no interest in going backwards. He's interested in going forward.

LAVANDERA (on camera): Rick Perry's tough talk on foreign policy will probably go over well with staunch conservatives, but there is one particular issue that could cause him some political problems in his own party, and that's immigration.

(voice-over): Perry says strict Arizona-style immigration laws are not right for Texas. He has pushed for a guest-worker program, and he approved a law giving illegal immigrants the right to pay in- state college tuition, a Texas version of the DREAM Act.

REP. HENRY CUELLAR (D), TEXAS: I think some people would be surprised, at least on the far right would be surprised at some of the positions he's taken.

LAVANDERA: Henry Cuellar is a friend of the governor, a South Texas Democrat in Congress. He thinks Perry will soften on immigration.

CUELLAR: Inside of him, you still see what I call the -- the Perry that I know. And so -- but I think for now what you're going to see is see him running to the right so he can win the primary.

LAVANDERA: And that means a focus on security.

(on camera) People are going to want to know: does he support a guest worker program and support the DREAM Act? Where does he stand on those?

SULLIVAN: I think Governor Perry's focus will be on border security. It is broken.

LAVANDERA: The delicate dance around hot-button issues is in full swing.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Austin, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Also coming up, with the skyrocketing cost of college, some are rethinking higher education.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel that it wouldn't be sufficient as far as me to be able to go and spend the money to go to school when I've already had the life experience.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Next, we will go in-depth as some folks recalculate the value of a degree.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Parents hoping to pay for college often have to start saving even before their kids can even walk. Well, now as higher education costs skyrocket, some are rethinking long-held assumptions about college.

Ryan Smith goes in-depth to look at how some people are recalculating the value of a degree.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN SMITH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Meet Eduardo Sanchez, a rising senior at Compton High School who is working the summer in the family business.

EDUARDO SANCHEZ, HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR: I'd rather be in school than this.

SMITH: But this is one way he can afford to go to college like his three older brothers. Eduardo's father insists it's the only way for his sons to grab their fair share of the American dream.

SANCHEZ: He wants me to succeed, and he'll do whatever he has to do to be able to pay off my college.

SMITH: But thousands of miles away from Eduardo and his family is another young adult who has been working in his family business for years, but his take-away is different. 18-year-old Carl Wesley Daniel, a recent high school grad whose Georgia family is begging him to go to college has his own ideas about how to achieve his American dream.

CARL WESLEY DANIEL, HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE: I think college is an experience for certain people as far as for them being able to go and learn about life and learn about how to deal with people and deal with situations. And my whole life I have been dealing with about every situation has come to pass. And to some people it's really great for them, but for me, I feel that it wouldn't be sufficient as far as me to be able to go and spend the money to go to school when I've already had the life experience.

SMITH (on-camera): The crisis facing Carl in a sea of seniors today is this question -- is college really worth it? With the cost of tuition going way, way up and the employment rates of college grads plummeting, there's a growing movement that says college isn't always the answer.

(voice-over): Even Eduardo with his three college-educated brothers as role models is seeing that a degree is no guarantee for healthy employment. He has seen it play out in real life watching one of his college educated brothers, an architect, struggle.

SANCHEZ: The second one, he's the one -- he is having kind of like trouble working but he is always looking for jobs. He is trying to look for anything, anything to get money.

SMITH: And money-making is key here, especially if you do go to college, because for those getting grads, most of them will leave college with a degree and, on average, about $24,000 in debt. So the question facing seniors and their parents is, at this rate, will going to college really pay off for everyone? It won't, say many experts.

Among them, Dr. Robert Lerman. He thinks we need to rethink the way we view college.

ROBERT LERMAN, URBAN INSTITUTE: Well, we have a very strong education only bias, and so the educators look at academic skills mainly.

SMITH: Lerman is pushing among other things an apprenticeship program that is working in other countries.

LERMAN: An apprenticeship program is occupational training that comes in the form of work-base learning and you actually have a job. You're earning money while you're learning at the workplace.

SMITH: But other alternatives to overpriced schools might be community colleges, online courses, or even getting a job. Like Eduardo and Carl.

(on-camera): In the end, it might come down to the way those rising seniors and their parents rate the value of a college degree. If they think the bang of higher learning is worth all of the big bucks they have to spend to get it.

For "Education Overtime", I'm Ryan Smith.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, coming up, more of our in-depth series on higher education. Some are stunned by the amount of debt they can rack up by going to college. We look at one professional, her dad, and if she would have done anything differently. "College Loans, the New Mortgage" after 11:00 a.m. on CNN.

And Libyan rebels have an ultimatum for Gadhafi forces: surrender or face assault. We've got the latest straight ahead.

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WHITFIELD: Stories making news later on today.

On next hour, General David Petraeus officially retires from the U.S. Army. He'll begin his new assignment as Director of the CIA next week.

And at 10:35 this morning, President Barack Obama speaks from the Rose Garden. We'll have it live for you here on CNN.

And later this evening Secretary of State Hillary Clinton departs for Paris for a Thursday conference focusing on Libya's transitional government.

Rebels say that time is running out for Moammar Gadhafi. They predict his reign will soon crumble as the deadline looms for his supports to disarm or face assault.

CNN's Dan Rivers is in Tripoli. So Dan, it's been 11 days now since opposition forces stormed the capital city and still no sign of Gadhafi. Why this newfound optimism?

DAN RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I suppose they've got to keep hammering home this message that they are in charge and that they feel that they've got Colonel Gadhafi on the back foot and issue these kinds of ultimatums.

Their -- their kind of credibility has taken a little bit of a -- of a knock, it must be said. They keep on making claims about different things in terms of different defections or they think they know where Gadhafi is and none of them then turn out to be true. So I think you have to take everything with a little grain of salt here.

But they -- as you say, they are trying to maintain this message of optimism about Colonel Gadhafi and about their -- you know what they think is an inevitable victory and certainly they now have almost all of the coast depart from a few key towns like Sirte and Homs (ph) to the east of here.

WHITFIELD: All right, in meantime there's another big problem. People don't have water, they don't have sanitation. What will be done to restore that, if anything?

RIVERS: Well, there are efforts under way. The port behind me is now beginning to function again and this is going to be a vital lifeline in order to get, you know, water and supplies and fuel. And the queue for fuel has reduced dramatically in the last day or so. And the price has come down as well.

Well, that's mainly because the coastal highway to neighboring Tunisia is now open, again so fuel can come in. 60 percent or so of the city is still without running tap water but they're relying on tankers and wells in people's houses and sharing so they're getting by.

But it's -- it's not easy in the sweltering heat here. And I think a lot of people will judge the NTC on whether they can just deliver these basics as quickly as possible.

WHITFIELD: All right. Dan Rivers in Tripoli thanks so much.

All right, coming up in this country it's hard to see in the Big Easy. A nearby marsh fire actually is to blame and a choking New Orleans with a smoky haze, well, we'll tell you what they're doing as the city declares a state of emergency. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Checking stories "Cross Country".

Biologists in Juneau Beach, Florida say, they hope to return some 600 baby loggerhead turtles that were displaced by Hurricane Irene. The Loggerhead Marine Life Center estimates 60 percent of turtle nests were washed out by last week's storm.

And a state of emergency is declared in New Orleans. Take a look because of this, the nearby marsh fire. Today National Guard helicopters will dump water on the fire. The smoky haze is a real issue for people with respiratory problems.

And on to Orlando, a Florida state senator has a back-to-school gift for kids with saggy pants. Well he's handing out dozens of belts Monday at the Three Area High Schools. Florida State Senator Gary Siflin reminding students that a state law is now in the books allowing kids to be suspended from school if they don't pull up their pants.

All right, we're following lots of developments in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM. Let's check in first Alina Cho live in East Haven, Connecticut.

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey Fred, good morning. I'm inside one of the homes that was just decimated during Hurricane Irene. It's one of dozens of homes just like this, so bad residents are calling this a war zone. I'll have much more in a live report at the top of the hour.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm Brianna Keilar at the White House. President Obama taking to the Rose Garden in a little over half an hour, calling on Congress to pass a clean transportation as well as an FAA bill, trying to avoid another legislative showdown once Congress returns next week.

I'll see you at the top of the hour.

TAYLOR: And I'm Felicia Taylor at the New York Stock Exchange where the job market is the main focus this week. And a survey shows 91,000 private sector jobs were add in August. So why isn't the unemployment rate falling?

Fredricka, I'll have the details in the next hour.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, ladies. I look forward to that.

And I'll have more of my one-on-one interview with Tiger Woods in the next hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIGER WOODS, PRO GOLFER: Unfortunately I haven't played too much and when I did play, I haven't played too well. I think the best finish I've had is at the Masters this year but other than that, I really haven't played a lot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Well, he talks candidly about his recent un-Tiger- like performances and his future tour plans.

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WHITFIELD: All right, let's talk a little sports now. It's always bad blood when the Yankees and the Red Sox tangle.

Jeff Fischel is here with some of the highlights.

JEFF FISCHEL, ANCHOR, HLN SPORTS: They are the huge rivals, right?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

FISCHEL: Everyone knows it's one of the biggest rivalries in sports and sometimes it goes a little over the edge. They're battling for the A.L. East lead that's at a stake at the series at Fenway Park.

Let's go to top of the fifth inning. Boston's John Lackey, serves it up to New York's Francisco Cervelli, deep and gone over the green monster, homerun. Cervelli, look at that big clap right to home plate in front of catcher Jason Saltalamacchia, where -- where -- yes, Lackey didn't like that.

WHITFIELD: Oh -- oh boy.

FISCHEL: Cervelli's next time up gets hit with a pitch, and a lot of jawing, Lackey insists it was not intentional but tell that to the Yankees. Here comes the manager Joe Girardi, the rest of the benches is clear. No fights but there's always tonight's game, right?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

FISCHEL: The Yanks won last night 5-2.

All right. The angels Mike Trout he is the youngest major leaguer, he just turned 20, that's right he was up as a teenager. He goes deep against Seattle in the second inning, reached out and gone. The low and away pitch, it's his fourth home run of the year. In fact he hit two in the same game. Just turned 20.

WHITFIELD: He's a big 20-year-old.

FISCHEL: The youngest player with a multi-homerun game in the Bigs since Andrew Jones back in 1996. That's 15 years. The Angels win it 13-6.

WHITFIELD: Right.

FISCHEL: To the U.S. Open, Serena Williams, she's back and looking good in her round match against Bojana Jovanovski of Serbia, covering the court and putting it away, that's it for Serena. You know, everyone is wondering, will she be able last for two weeks? Can she stay healthy? Does she have the fitness. She looked great, 6-1, 6-1; she's shooting for her fourth U.S. Open championship. Also getting her fans behind her after her famous foot fault melt down a couple of years ago. But fans in New York, they forgive.

WHITFIELD: Makes you think they forget.

FISCHEL: Yes.

Each member of the Stanley Cup champion team gets a day with the cup, one forgettable moment. Don't blame Michael Ryder. He helped the Boston Bruins win the title, but be remembered mostly for that. There's infamous history around the Stanley Cup, but that one is tough to watch.

WHITFIELD: They'll never forget that moment especially because of that. All right, Jeff, thanks so much.