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A Wildfire Spreads in Northern Texas; Hurricane Irene's Flooding Swamps Northeast; College Price Tag vs. the Payoff; Irene's Flooding Swamps New England; Left Powerless By Irene; Talk Back Question; The Smell of Succes

Aired August 31, 2011 - 12:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour. I'm Suzanne Malveaux. Want to get you up to speed.

Texas getting air support today as they battle a big wildfire. Flames have rolled over 3,500 acres and two dozen homes in Palo Pinto County. That is outside Texas.

Crews in Oklahoma City are watching a smoldering brushfire there. They have beat it down, but not before the fire destroyed several homes. This is the second time this year that a wildfire has hit the Possum Lake community in Texas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It happened so quickly, and I was thinking, not again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This time it happened like, now. Before, we knew it was coming. It was taking time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Extreme drought has parched much of Texas. The state had temperatures near or above 100 degrees for most of the summer.

Well, Hurricane Irene, long gone, but the tremendous impact of the storm is still being felt today. Forty-three deaths are now tied to Irene, 1.5 million homes and businesses, an updated number, still don't have electricity. And experts say that Irene is going to rank as one of the costliest hurricanes in U.S. history. Insurers say damage, lost sales, lost paychecks could be in the neighborhood of $20 billion.

Stretches of the Northeast from New Jersey to Vermont still dealing with floods from Irene. Now, forecasters are saying that the Passaic River in New Jersey has now crested, but it's probably not going to be back in its banks until Friday. Washed-out roads have trapped a CNN iReporter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PEGGY SCHOHLE, CNN IREPORTER: It took out our entire road. We ain't getting out of here anytime soon. We were bad preparers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: I'll be talking with iReporter Peggy Schohle in just a few minutes in the NEWSROOM to get her take on all of this.

And we've also got an eye on Tropical Storm Katia. It is gathering speed in the far eastern Atlantic today, and right now top winds are at 65 miles an hour. Forecasters predict that Katia will grow into a major hurricane this weekend. It's still too early to say where this storm is headed.

So Libyan rebels say that they have Moammar Gadhafi's hometown surrounded. They're giving Gadhafi's men until Saturday to surrender or face attack. Rebels say they have 10,000 fighters on the outskirts of Sirte, and they are taunting Gadhafi, who remains a fugitive on the run.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Moammar Gadhafi, we are here. But where are you now?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: The rebels say that they are open to negotiations before Saturday if Gadhafi's fighters want to talk.

Libya's capital, Tripoli, a city home to around two million people, a humanitarian crisis may be taking shape. The United Nations says that almost two-thirds of the people in Tripoli don't have drinking water or even sanitation. The Libyan forces sabotaged water pumping stations as the rebels took over the city, and engineers are now working to get them back on line. But the dicey security situation is making that a very slow process.

Not only is the Syrian government gunning down protesters in the streets, a new report says that it is torturing at least some of those protesters. Amnesty International says that investigators have documented 55 cases. They show burns, blunt-force wounds, whip marks, slashes. Some victims were boys as young as 13.

We're going to talk more about Syria with CNN International's Hala Gorani, who is going to talk about that in about 15 minutes or so.

A father who tossed his 7-year-old son off a southern California boat says he and the boy were just horsing around, but passengers saw things a bit differently. They claim that Sloane Briles hit the boy, threw him overboard because he wouldn't stop crying. Sheriff's deputies arrested Briles on child endangerment charges, and he's out on bond today.

It's no secret Tiger Woods, he's off his game a bit. He has fallen out of golf's top 20 rankings for the first time since 1997. So Woods blames injuries, he says, kept him off the course most of the summer. He talks about his return to the PGA tour in an interview with CNN's Fredricka Whitfield.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIGER WOODS, PROFESSIONAL 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)

MALVEAUX: We've got some breaking news here I want to give you. We understand that President Obama is going to be addressing a joint session of Congress on September 7th. That is when he is actually going to be outlining his jobs program.

He is going to be talking to the joint session of Congress, as well as to the nation. This is something that has been in the works, that he has been planning.

There have been a lot of teases as to when and where and how that is going to take place, but clearly the president wanting to convey that he is on top of the unemployment situation, the economic crisis that we are in, that he has a plan that he is going to be putting forward. And that is going to happen on September 7th. That is the breaking news that we are getting at this moment.

Now on to Texas and the latest on the wildfire that has driven hundreds of people from their homes near Dallas/Fort Worth. More than two dozen homes have burned to the ground.

Carrie Smith with the Texas Forest Service, she's on the phone with us now. She is from Gray Fear (ph), Texas, I believe, to give us an update on how big this fire is and what is being done to try and get a handle on this.

Can you give us a sense, first of all, what are folks dealing with where you are right now?

CARRIE SMITH, TEXAS FOREST SERVICE: Well, where I am at right now, the fire has actually grown to 5,130 acres. The increase in acreage is partly due to it becoming daylight and we're able to see. That's up from 3,500 acres overnight.

This is the fifth complex of fires the area has seen in the year, so they are not unfamiliar with what is happening, but they are also scared that it will turn into something like it did earlier in the year. Today we have three task forces with the Texas Forest Service on scene at this moment. That's about 100 folks spread across (INAUDIBLE), water tenders and dozers.

We're also bringing in three heavy aircraft later on in the day once the winds die down just a touch. Hopefully we can get a better handle on what's going on.

MALVEAUX: Carrie, it's a little difficult to hear you, but we're going to try to continue with this interview. Can you give us a sense of whether or not there are mandatory evacuations, if people had to leave their homes. What should people do in that area?

SMITH: There have been some evacuations last night and going into today. The exact number is not known at the moment, but the last count was 125 homes had been evacuated.

The best thing to do is keep up to date with what's going on locally. They don't foresee any more evacuations at the current time, but that is subject to change as we get hot this afternoon conditions change.

MALVEAUX: All right.

Carrie Smith, with the Texas Forest Service.

Thank you very much, Carrie. We'll be paying very close attention to see how people do, how those folks do.

Again, it's massive fires that are spreading in that area, and there are some evacuations that are taking place as officials kind of gear up for a really tough time there in Texas.

MALVEAUX: Here's your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. Today's question: Is it time for a third-party candidate to get into the race for the White House?

Carol Costello joins us from New York.

Hi, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Suzanne. I don't think I'm going to get a single person saying no, but here we go.

Are American voters waiting for Perot, as in Ross Perot, as in third-party candidate Perot? I'm talking metaphorically here.

But remember back in the 1992 campaign how Perot shook things up? He could say things and the party be damned. Who could forget how he characterized NAFTA, the trade agreement that some say sent jobs to other countries?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROSS PEROT, FMR. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to get a bubble surge building an industrial Mexico, and then we're going to have a giant, sucking, sound vacuum in industrial -- what used to be industrial America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Comments like that ended up splitting the Republican vote and putting Democrat Bill Clinton in the White House. What would a 2012 look like if Republican Sarah Palin ran as an Independent, or Democrat-turned-Republican-Independent New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg decided to give it a go?

I'm not spouting nonsense here. Some yearn for a third party. They really do.

There's even a Web sit called Americans Elect. It's asking people to name and fight for third-party candidates. Even Democratic political analyst James Carville told the "L.A. Times" the presidential race is ripe for a third-party entrant.

So, today's "Talk Back" question: Do we need a third-party candidate in 2012?

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

MALVEAUX: Carol, a lot of folks think that Washington is broken, that the two-party system just doesn't work anymore, that it's just a standoff, that you've got to have somebody to kind of shake it up a bit.

COSTELLO: And many of our Facebook friends say because the extremes are at work in the Republican primary, and they vote for a certain kind of candidate, that maybe an Independent candidate would be good on down the line. I don't know.

MALVEAUX: OK. Well, we'll see what folks have to say. Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: Sure.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Now we're getting some more information about President Obama's address to the joint session of Congress to take place on September 7th.

The president sending a letter to members of Congress. In that letter, he says to House Republicans, "I respectfully request the opportunity to address a joint session of Congress on September 7, 2011, at 8:00 p.m. It's my intention to lay out a series of bipartisan proposals that the Congress can take immediately to continue to rebuild the American economy."

Again, the president sending that official letter to members of Congress to say that he wants to talk to the American people, as well as to them, about a way forward in making sure that there are jobs that are created. A lot of folks who are suffering, and the president putting forward that plan.

This, after an incredible debate over the debt and the debt deal, and a lot of partisan politics that have been playing out. A lot of folks feeling like Washington is broken. So the president is going to address those folks in Washington, as well as the rest of us, on September 7th. We're now giving you a chance to "Choose the News." Text "22360" to vote for the story that you'd like to see in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM.

First, call it the smell of success. A grocery store in Brooklyn is bumping up its business by pumping artificial food smells into the air.

Second, he's probably the world's most famous penguin. Happy Feet on his way home to Antarctica, but will this little guy make it on his own?

Or, third, you know him from movies like "The Big Lebowski" and "True Grit," but now Oscar winner Jeff Bridges trying his hand at music. We're going to take a listen to some of his original songs.

So, you can vote by texting "22360." Text "1" for "The Smell of Success"; "2" for "Happy Feet Heads Home"; or "3" for "Oscar-Winner- Turned-Musician."

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

Along the East Coast, there is stunning destruction for folks who aren't used to a hurricane. Irene's impact is going to last for months, if not years, in some areas.

Most of the worst damage is from the flooding. Days after the storm, entire towns are still cut off by high water.

CNN's Chris Knowles is with us now from Little Falls, New Jersey.

Chris, tell us, what is happening there where you are? What is the situation? Are folks still trapped?

CHRIS KNOWLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Many folks are just evacuated from their homes. We think, Suzanne, that all those who had been trapped in nearby Paterson have now been taken safely away from their homes.

As you mentioned, the storm hit a few days ago, but the real flooding began here just last night, as the Passaic River and several others in the area crested. They are cresting now double over their normal flood stage. Just an absolutely amazing situation, as the water shows no signs of receding anytime soon.

It will be measured in inches rather than feet, and this won't be down, it looks like, until Friday morning. And those folks that are out of their homes won't be back in, I think, Suzanne, until this weekend.

MALVEAUX: Are there still folks who are actually trapped?

KNOWLES: Say it again. I'm sorry, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Sure. Are there still folks who are trapped? KNOWLES: We're checking that out. I'm sorry. The folks that have been evacuated -- I should have said the folks that we saw who were trapped were evacuated last night. But there are many people, some 1,300, still away from their homes and still waiting to get back in.

Now, once they do return home, they're going to find homes filled with water, basements, furnaces, boilers, all that stuff going to have to be tossed. It's going to be a messy and very long cleanup.

MALVEAUX: Chris, I know it's going to be a long cleanup. Any sense of how long it will actually take before people can get back to their homes and kind of assess and figure out what they've lost, what it takes to get their homes dried out, or is it like a complete wash?

KNOWLES: I think those folks are going to be into their homes this weekend. And speaking of personal experience from this storm, our home was flooded in Westchester County. The water is gone, but try finding a contractor now, try getting a hold of someone from the insurance company.

All of these things take time, and for the folks here in Little Falls, and in New Jersey, it's going to be quite a while before they get that relief.

MALVEAUX: All right, Chris. Yes, we have seen that before from Hurricane Katrina. We appreciate it, Chris. It takes a long time to rebuild.

It's that time of year when students are heading off to college, and CNN is taking an in-depth look at higher education. Enrollment is up at schools across the country, but tuition is as well. And if you've got unemployment at 9 percent, college grads, they've got fewer opportunities after they get their degrees. So what do they do?

Carl Azuz -- hey, Carl.

CARL AZUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Everybody is asking this question of whether or not college is still worth it and worth that money?

AZUZ: And I would say that's the $24,000 question, because $24,000 is the average amount of student loan debt in the United States right now, Suzanne.

The folks at the Pew Research Center got together, and they asked people what they thought of college in terms of the value, in terms of the payoff, and they found some interesting stuff.

This survey was conducted earlier this year, spring of 2011, and at Pew Research Center, when people were asked if they thought college was a good value, a majority said it was either a fair or poor value. Fifty-seven percent there, with 40 percent saying it was a good or excellent value. Then, 75 percent of over 2,000 Americans surveyed said college was too expensive, it placed a burden on American families. But here's the real kicker here.

Despite the fact that most people do not think college is a great value, despite the fact that they do think it's too expensive, 94 percent of parents said, my kid is still going. And 86 percent of graduates also felt it was a good value. So there's still a perception that it's something that most people should do.

MALVEAUX: Yes. My niece, she's a senior in high school, and a lot of debate among parents and students. She's going to college.

(LAUGHTER)

MALVEAUX: She is going to college.

MALVEAUX: And that's exactly what my mom told me.

And if you look at in terms of unemployment, the unemployment rate, you compare how people with college degrees are faring, versus people with high school diplomas, in August, 2010, unemployment was slightly higher than it is right now. You're looking at 9.6 percent.

For people with a college degree ages 25 years old and older, you are looking at unemployment at 4.6 percent. And check out this spread here. For people with just a high school diploma, 10.3 percent unemployment. You see the same pattern in terms of unemployment duration.

This, also from 2010. People who had a college degree were unemployed for around 18.4 weeks on average. People who just had a high school diploma, 27.5 weeks on average.

So all of this research would suggest that a college degree, or a trade degree, an apprenticeship of some sort, some sort of higher education, is still worth it, though it makes sense why people are asking the question if college is worth it with unemployment so high and student loan debt always on the up and up -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right.

Carl Azuz.

Thank you, Carl. Appreciate it.

And we're keeping a close eye as well as on the White House briefing. It is just starting. We are going to -- well, it's not started yet there. You see the podium, but we're going to bring that to you after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: We have gotten the two-minute warning for the White House briefing there. We are monitoring it, and sometimes two minutes can be a little longer for those warnings to the White House. So we'll bring that to you as soon as it starts.

You're looking there at the White House. We're going to keep a close eye on the podium. If Jay Carney shows up and gives us some news, we'll bring it to you as soon as we can.

And of course you have seen YouTube videos like this before in Egypt and Libya and in Tunisia, where new governments are now forming. But this footage is from Homs, Syria, where protests haven't worked out and the situation is growing bloodier.

A human rights group says that more than 2,000 people have been killed since demonstrations began in mid-March.

CNN can't enter the country, so we can't confirm those numbers. But joining me now is Hala Gorani from CNN International.

And Hala, thanks for being here.

You've covered this for years now. We see Syria erupting, bloody streets.

Why is this so different than what we saw in Tunisia or Egypt? Why isn't this working?

HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, one word: the military. The military is standing by the regime. The regime is a minority sect, and that's very important, because those presidential guards, those military commanders who are standing by the government are from that same sect.

Going down meaning the whole regime goes down, means that sect becomes the target for reprisals, possibly, and certainly is pushed away from power and has to stand down. The fight for this regime is a fight for survival, and that's what makes this uprising different.

You know that in Egypt, the military did not shoot on its own people. In Tunisia, it was the same. In Libya, it turned into a civil conflict where the rebels eventually gained the upper hand.

In Syria, it is different. That being said, the amount of pressure now applied on to this regime is starting to make a difference because they are being isolated more and more.

MALVEAUX: I want you to hold on to that thought for a moment.

I want to go briefly to the White House. This is where the spokesperson is talking a little bit about the president's aim at going before Congress and unveiling an economic plan to create jobs.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: There are significant things we can do if we work together in Washington, and that requires working with Congress. And he believes that if members of Congress, while they have been on their recess, have been hearing the same things from regular Americans that he heard when he was on his bus tour, then they will come back with a sense of urgency and a focus and determination to do the kinds of bipartisan things that we can do right now to increase growth and increase job creation. So he believes that the venue is appropriate because of the actions that need to be taken.

QUESTION: The timing of the speech, there's also (OFF-MIKE). Does the White House typically choose the date and time --

CARNEY: No, of course not. There were a lot of considerations. Once you decide you want to do a speech to Congress, and you have to deal with congressional schedules and other -- there are many other factors here, and obviously one debate of many that's on one channel of many was not enough reason not to have this speech at the time that we decided to have it.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

(LAUGHTER)

CARNEY: We make consultations obviously all the time with networks about the timing of presidential speeches.

QUESTION: I'm sorry.

Allison (ph), come on.

CARNEY: Do you yield, Allison (ph)?

QUESTION: Any concern that -- as you know, it's at the Reagan facility. Any concern of potentially upsetting Nancy Reagan by stepping on this?

CARNEY: I think that the sponsors of the debate control -- with the timing of it, they can make a decision based on how they want to handle this. There are many channels, there are many opportunities for the public to hear the president speak, to watch this debate, one of many, and we'll let that sort itself out.

Yes?

QUESTION: Thank you very much. Two questions on the speech.

The president said yesterday in a radio interview that the government took take steps that could spur growth by up to 1.5 percent, which means a million new jobs. Is that any indication of the scale of the proposals --

(CROSSTALK)

CARNEY: No. I think if you look at the full quotation, the full context of that comment by the president, he was speaking generally about economic models, the economic analysis and models that say that every -- roughly -- I'm not an economists -- but every one percent of growth generally equals this many million jobs, or a hundred thousand jobs. So that was not a reference to his proposal. I will leave the details and the projections of added growth and job creation to the speech itself and to the analysis afterwards. That was more a reference to general economic analysis that says if you take measures to increase economic growth by this percentage, it will result in this many jobs.

QUESTION: OK. And then, secondly, is this a jobs speech or is it a jobs and deficit speech? Because the president has referenced the importance of bringing down the debt. Is he going to include proposals for the super committee?

CARNEY: The president made clear his commitment to present to the so-called super committee, special committee, joint committee in Congress that is going to deal with further deficit and debt reduction his own specific and detailed proposals.

He will do that. This speech next week, he will certainly put the need for jobs, job creation and economic growth within the context of an overall long-term plan for dealing with growing our economy and getting our fiscal house in order. But the speech tomorrow -- rather, next week -- will focus on the immediate need to create jobs and spur economic growth.

It will obviously -- it will contain -- there will be many elements of it. I don't want to over-preview it here, but the commitment to present a detailed proposal on deficit reduction remains and that, as you know, I believe the committee meets for the first time the following week. Next week, he will focus on jobs and growth.

QUESTION: So, it will not lay out a goal for...

CARNEY: Again, I'm not going to get into the specifics. It will be a significant speech with many elements to it.

But I don't -- I want to be clear that we are -- that the president is focussed very much on steps we can take together, Congress, the administration, to grow the economy and create jobs at this important time in the American economy.

QUESTION: On housing, Jay, is the White House working on a new proposal at this point?

CARNEY: The -- as you know, restoring the health of the housing market after its dramatic collapse is an important goal and it is not an easy task.

We have been committed since the day this president was sworn into office to taking measures, taking steps that will help us do that, and we continue to look at new ideas for how to do that.

There's many measures that we have taken that have resulted in many, many families being able to stay in their homes, to restructure their mortgages and to allow themselves to stay in their homes. And we think that's very important. And we will continue to look at measures.

Most recently, over the summer, as you know, the president put forward an initiative of expanded forbearance for unemployed homeowners to allow them to stay in their homes. And he began a process to deal with the excess of foreclosed properties to help stabilize communities and home values. And we continue to look at new ideas.

QUESTION: But HAMP and the unemployed underwater and the state's help, those things are sort of incremental, and for HAMP especially, have served many fewer people, millions fewer people than the administration initially said they would.

How imperative is it from the president's perspective to help those people, millions of people who are underwater on their home loans to refinance?

CARNEY: The president, as I said, continues to be focused on this issue. It's not an easy task.

I would note that over 760,000 homeowners have obtained permanent re-modifications -- modifications, rather, to their mortgages under the HAMP program you referenced and that, on average, over the past six months, 25,000 to 30,000 more homeowners are obtaining permanent modifications each month.

And when you combine that with the assistance provided through HUD and the steps with the private sector, private sector has taken another five million families who have been offered modifications between April 2009 and December 2010. And we will continue to look at measures and to take steps that can improve the prospects for homeowners and to allow them to stay in their homes, and including -- evidence of the fact that we're constantly looking for new ideas on this issue is the two measures that I just referenced.

QUESTION: Sounds very decoupled, though, from jobs and deficit reduction. It's something maybe that is a lesser priority than those other things when you look at the timing?

CARNEY: I think these are all priorities. And the housing challenge that we continue to face is part of the economic challenge that we face, there's no question, and he is focused on that as part of his overall highest priority, which is the economy and jobs.

Yes?

QUESTION: The 9/11 report card being released virtually as we speak, three of the big concerns it addresses, intel sharing and coordination, particularly at the DNI, explosive detection and communications were three of the big lessons from 9/11 itself, the real issues then. Given that we are 10 years later, as we approach that anniversary, what happened and what is the president doing...

(CROSSTALK)

CARNEY: I haven't had -- spent a lot of time yet on this. I think it was just today it came out.

But the -- if you look at the recommendations the commission made and the number that have been filled, it's a very high percentage. Obviously, there are some that are still outstanding, some of them, I would -- are very detailed -- technical, the answers to which I would defer you to the Department of Homeland Security.

I think, overall, we continue to be intensely focused on taking the fight to al Qaeda and the terrorists who threaten the United States and protecting the homeland. And the record that this administration has in those tasks is one worth reviewing, which doesn't mean that we don't constantly look for ways to improve.

MALVEAUX: Mentioning the September 11 10-year anniversary and a report that came out about intelligence regarding that.

It has been almost 10 years now since the war in Afghanistan began after the September 11 attacks. And we take a look at what is going on there. I'm going to be heading to Afghanistan next week to find out the -- investigating the training of the Afghan troops. Are they prepared to take over once U.S. troops have all gone home?

I'm also going to be talking with American men and women who were just kids on the day of the attacks. I will be reporting live from Afghanistan starting on Friday, that's September 9, through the weekend of September 11.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Libyan rebels say that time is running out for fugitive leader Moammar Gadhafi. And they expect his regime to crumble within a week. Opposition forces have set their sights on Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte. And they have given government troops until Saturday to surrender.

Well, while the battle rages on between both sides, a humanitarian crisis is now growing in Syria. The U.N. chief says that 60 percent of the capital is without water or sanitation. Each day, more chilling stories are uncovered that demonstrate the horror of Gadhafi's regime.

CNN's Arwa Damon met one 19-year-old woman who says that she was raped by Gadhafi forces and she also was forced to kill for the government.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She's 19, with soft features, warm brown eyes, and full lips. And she became an executioner for Moammar Gadhafi's forces.

"One of them had facial hairs like this," Nisreen Mansour gestures, recalling the face of one of men she shot dead. Mansour now lies in a hospital bed with an armed rebel guard out front. She doesn't want us to show her face.

She admits she murdered 11 rebels, all prisoners of the Gadhafi regime. "They brought one person in at a time and they said, 'Shoot him,'" she tells us. "There was someone on either side of me and one behind, and they all said, 'If you don't shoot, we will shoot you. '" She speaks haltingly, often falling into a tortured silence. "I would turn my head away and shoot, and then I saw the blood dripping. It just kept flowing. "

Nisreen was a member of the female unit of Gadhafi's popular militia. She says she was forcibly taken from her mother who is battling cancer by the head of the unit, a family friend. She was trained here at the female military academy to handle weapons, banned from seeing her family. Some of the other women at the academy were ardent regime supporters. Nisreen says she wasn't, but she couldn't leave.

"My brother came and tried to get me out," she says. "He was threatened and told to leave. "

Nisreen says her commander kept her here at the headquarters of a brigade based next to Gadhafi's Bab Al Aziziya compound. She says that as the uprising began in February, she was brought to see the commander of the brigade. He raped her.

"I screamed," she tells us. "It happened twice again at the hands of two other commanders. " She says all the women were raped, but they were forbidden to speak about it.

As the rebels closed in on Tripoli, Nisreen was assigned to the Bousalim neighborhood where some of the heaviest fighting was taking place. It's with there, she says, that she was forced to be an executioner.

She finally escaped, jumping from a second story window as a firefight erupted. Although the rebels plan to put her on trial, many of them pity her. So do the hospital staff. One of her doctors, Nadia Benyounis, says she was speechless when she first heard about her case.

DR. NADIA BENYOUNIS, LIBYA: You think I get angry from her? I have maybe -- no. I feel she's also innocent, but she was manipulated by someone. Maybe she has no real intention to kill.

DAMON: "All I want is to go home," she says. "I want my mother."

Arwa Damon, CNN, Tripoli.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: It is something a lot of people in Vermont probably never thought they would see. Record flooding from Tropical Storm Irene has cut off entire towns. We are going to speak live with one of our iReporters who is now stranded.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Can you imagine this? Stranded by floodwaters with no way out. One of our iReporters is stuck in her hometown of Vermont after Tropical Storm Irene drenched the state.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PEGGY SCHORLE, VERMONT RESIDENT: It took out our entire road. We ain't getting out of here anytime soon. We were bad preparers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Peggy Schorle is with us on the phone.

And, Peggy, I understand that you are there in Pittsfield. That you -- your home still has a generator, but there are a lot of people that are coming to your house that you're helping them out and you're all essentially stranded at the top of this mountain.

SCHORLE (via telephone): Yes. We're actually able to drive down most of our road, but the road connected to our main road has been wiped out by the flooding. Our house is situated around the Tweed River, which is the one that overflowed and really took out much of the roads and access to the roads within our area. And it's the same thing happening in every small town in our area.

MALVEAUX: And, Peggy, I understand that your really -- your house is the central location for the neighborhood, right? That there are other folks who don't have electricity, they don't have a backup generator. So you're there -- are you feeding folks? Are they communicating via e-mail to talk to folks from your house?

SCHORLE: Yes. Well, actually, we have several homes that have generators. But, however, many, many homes do not. So we're kind of taking turns at different people's homes and putting our food supply together and making great dinners and keeping each other happy and figuring out how long this might take for us. So it's been an ordeal, but people are very optimistic with -- we are getting help now. We are seeing some things happen. And, thankfully, the weather has been beautiful.

MALVEAUX: And how are you getting help? How are people actually getting to you to get supplies, that type of thing?

SCHORLE: We have -- we're in a small town. We have a lot of ATVs and off-road vehicles that have been able to maneuver some of the roads. However, the first two days they weren't able to. And what we have is a bunch of local people working very hard and bringing out their backhoes, putting in dirt and layering areas so that they can get their ATVs around.

We had a chance to actually get to Rutland, which is a 30 minute type drive from (ph) -- however, ATVs were able to go and get medication and medical supplies back to us yesterday. So that's (INAUDIBLE).

People are very resilient. They're very out there doing all they can, staying up at night, cleaning (ph) the roads as much as they can until we can get the roadwork people here.

MALVEAUX: All right. Well, Peggy, we wish you the vest best, you and all of your neighbors, that you stay safe. I understand you said you're having good dinner there together, and that is good that everybody can help take care of each other during this rather difficult time. Peggy, thanks a lot for joining us and talking with us.

Crews, they're working hard to get the power back on, but still about 1.8 million folks don't have electricity because of the hurricane. For some it's more than just an inconvenience. Reporter Kimberly Bookman of our affiliate WCVB looks at how people in one Massachusetts town are coping.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KIMBERLY BOOKMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These are the stories of some of the powerful people living in the now dark houses on Foxboro's Chestnut Street.

KENDALL STOPA, (ph): I'm a Type 1 diabetic and my insulin has to be refrigerated.

BOOKMAN: Without electricity for days on end, the consequences could be deadly for 17-year-old Kendall Stopa. But about a year ago, her dad bought a generator for no particular reason and kept it in the garage. It saved his daughter's life.

STOPA: We hooked our refrigerator up to one of the generators and, I mean, it goes -- it keeps it cold.

BOOKMAN: Her mom, however, has her own power struggles.

GINGER STOPA, LOST POWER: I sell real estate. So the closings that were supposed to happen, you can't wire the transfers. They attorneys can't get their paperwork. They're -- you know, you can't do a walk through because there's no electricity in a house. It's, you know, it affects a lot -- a lot of people.

BOOKMAN: Like her neighbor Debbie Glynn.

DEBBIE GLYNN, LOST POWER: Fortunately, my daughter lives in Othadaboro (ph) and they have their own electric department. So I moved over with her.

BOOKMAN: She says her food was melting, so she packed it all up and took it too. She was thrilled to see Verizon out front to clean up the tree that took down their power lines, but says it would be so much better if it was a National Grid crew working to restore electricity.

GLYNN: When National Grid pulled up, all the neighbors were outside. We all started clapping. The poor guy got out and he was a little shell shocked because he said, I'm not the guy to fix this, I'm the scout.

BROOKMAN: Until it's on again, they're all persevering though a storm they never thought would impact their one street in their little town.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: And there are some power crews across the northeast that are making some progress. The number of people still without electricity is down about 1 million from yesterday.

Well, our "Talk Back" question of the day, do we need a third- party candidate in 2012? We're going to read through some of your responses after the break.

And, if you are not happy with the city that you live in, listen up. These are the world's most livable cities. That is according to "The Economist" magazine. Coming in at number three, Vancouver in Canada. Number two, Vienna, Austria. And the most livable place in the world is? That answer in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Looking for a new place to live. "The Economists" has ranked these cities as the most livable in the world. Vancouver, Canada, comes in third. Vienna, Austria, second place. What's number one? Melbourne, Australia. The survey ranked 140 cities based on stability, culture, environment, health care, education and infrastructure. By the way, no American cities made the top 10 list. That's too bad.

You've been weighing in on today's "Talk Back" question, and Carol Costello is in New York with your responses.

Hey, Carol, what are folks saying?

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, they have a lot to say, as usual. Today's question, is it time for a third-party candidate in 2012?

This from Rusty. "Yes, a third party would shake up the status quo and force others to genuinely work to help Americans rather than work to destroy the opposing party."

This from Jason. "Absolutely. And why stop at three? Americans are getting played by the two party system. It's people have real choices."

This from Ellen. "No, they can't win. What we need to do is make sure the two-party system we have works better with rigorous debate and scrutiny of candidates."

This from Nicole. "No, a third party would have just as much potential to hold extreme beliefs and be just as unwilling to compromise. A third party doesn't necessarily mean a centrist party."

And this from Hani. "Absolutely. It would be nice if there was someone with common sense and not extremely right or left actually working for the people and not just for the next election."

Please, keep the conversation going, facebook.com/carolcnn. And thanks, as always, for your comments. MALVEAUX: I think a lot of folks just want things to work in Washington, huh, Carol?

COSTELLO: I think that's an impossible dream. But, yes, you're right.

MALVEAUX: OK. Thanks, Carol.

Well, you told us what you wanted to see. Your "Choose The News" story is just moments away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: You told us what you wanted to see. We're listening. Here's your "Choose The News" winner. A Brooklyn grocery store gets a head up on the competition by dragging in customers by the nose.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you're passing the sour pickles, it smells good. We buy the olives here. They're delicious.

FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: About 75 percent of what we sense as taste actually comes from our sense of smell. It's a pretty important detail when it comes to selling food. And the folks here at Net Cost Market have figured out a way to actually boost that scent. And here it is.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't eat a lot of product (ph). They cannot attract me by a package. So the scent, that's what can attract me. So that's why I brought this in here.

TAYLOR (voice-over): Five machines are mounted on the walls throughout the store and pump out artificial scents like bread, chocolate, bacon and grapefruit.

TAYLOR (on camera): So we wanted to test the power of the aroma. So we asked Tonya (ph), one of our producers, if we could blindfold her and take her through the store and see what she can sense.

And keep in mind, she's never been in this store. She has no idea exactly where we're going or what aisle we're in.

TONYA: OK.

TAYLOR: Does any --

TONYA: I smell meat.

TAYLOR: You smell meat.

TONYA: Meat.

TAYLOR: Wow.

TONYA: I just got a whiff of meat. TAYLOR: That's amazing. That's exactly where we are.

TONYA: OK.

TAYLOR: And, again, there's the device.

TONYA: Mmm.

TAYLOR: Something changed?

TONYA: Yes. Are like in the bakery section, dessert aisle?

TAYLOR: Deserts. Yes. Absolutely.

TONYA: Yum.

TAYLOR: Yum.

TAYLOR (voice-over): Customers had a similar reaction.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I do smell different -- like bread smell different. Like cooked foods smell different, you know. Even like bakery smelled different, you know.

TAYLOR (on camera): And does it make you want to buy more things?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything is so yummy and you want to buy everything.

TAYLOR (voice-over): The company has stores in New York and Pennsylvania, and already has plans to install the machines in all other stores besides this one in Brooklyn.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The goal is very simple, to increase the sales by making our customers hungry, satisfied and happy. Everybody will be happy.

TAYLOR: For the folks at Net Cost Market, they've already seen results with sales up about 5 percent in the last three months. And that adds up to the sweet smell of success.

Felicia Taylor, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: That's a good idea. I'd go for the bacon.

Well, if your choice didn't win or you just want to check out the runners up, going to have links to them on my page at facebook.com/suzannecnn.

The CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Randi Kaye.

Hey, Randi. RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Suzanne. I'm right there with you. I'd go for the bacon too, no question.