Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Parts of New Jersey Still Reeling From Flooding; AT&T, T-Mobile Deal Hits Roadblock; Security Gaps, 10 Years Later; Wildfires Ravage Texas, Oklahoma; Using ADD Meds as Study Aids
Aired September 01, 2011 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Live from Studio 7, I'm Suzanne Malveaux. Want to get you up to speed for Thursday, the 1st of September.
Want to get you started with this amazing video that you're about to see. So what is this? this is violence on the streets of Istanbul, Turkey, today.
Ethnic Kurds were holding a peace rally when dozens of young men en masse apparently hijacked that rally. Well, this set off a confrontation with police, and Kurds are the minority in Turkey, and they've been out on the streets protesting because many are angry that the Turkish military have been attacking their villages.
President Obama is moving his big speech on jobs from next Wednesday to next Thursday night. House Speaker John Boehner turned down the president's request to address a joint session of Congress on Wednesday. Why? Boehner says it would be hard to get set up for a presidential speech at the same day the House returns from vacation. But also, the Republican presidential candidates have a debate that night.
Well, winds whipping at 25 miles an hour are spreading a wildfire west of Dallas/Fort Worth. Now, firefighters -- take a look at that picture there -- say some 39 homes have now been destroyed in Palo Pinto County, Texas. Now, already, 125 families are being forced out of their homes, and we have just learned that some evacuation orders, however, have been lifted with at least half the fire now contained.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's ugly. It's real ugly. It keeps flaring up, the wind is crazy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The smoke was so thick, you really couldn't see. You had to just crawl through it as slow as you could in your truck.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: But check this out. A fire in Oklahoma City is threatening to jump Interstate 44 and spread into the suburb of Edmond. Close to 400 people in Edmond have been urged to leave. The Oklahoma City fire had been contained, but winds fanned it back to life. More than a dozen homes now have burned.
And National Guard helicopters are dropping supplies for folks in Vermont who are stranded still by Hurricane Irene. About a dozen communities are still cut off. Crews have temporarily patched up roads to all but one of the towns. And in New York, 600 homes were lost in the Catskills.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It wiped out not only my father's -- my family's gas station business, but many, many families in this town are homeless that have lived here their whole lives, that had businesses here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: President Obama is going to be in Paterson, New Jersey. That's on Saturday. He's going to be inspecting the flood damage.
Also, we've got double trouble now in the tropics. Katia grew into a hurricane far out into the Atlantic. Now, top winds are just above hurricane speed. We're talking 75 miles an hour. And forecasters say that a disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico is likely to become Tropical Storm Lee. There is some hope that Lee might dump rain on Texas, which, as you know, is going through a severe drought.
A television station friendly to Moammar Gadhafi says that it will be broadcasting a message from the Libyan leader. We're going to get those details as soon as it happens.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, she's in Paris today. She's meeting with U.S. allies on what they're calling a new Libya.
Now, the group is going to focus on a establishing a government and democratic institutions, and rebuilding Libya after its civil war. A man claiming to be Moammar Gadhafi's son wants Libyans to fight on for his father's sake.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAIF AL-ISLAM GADHAFI, MOAMMAR GADHAFI'S SON (through translator): We'll tell everyone to move now. Everyone should move now. Begin to attack these gangsters of the rats.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Some of Gadhafi's relatives have fled to Algeria, but that country's foreign minister says that Gadhafi himself is not there.
Tennis pro Venus Williams is dropping out of the U.S. Open after playing just one match. Now, Williams says she's been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that causes fatigue and joint pain. She's won seven Grand Slams, but Williams hasn't made it to a U.S. Open final since 2002.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VENUS WILLIAMS, TENNIS PLAYER: I lost a lot of feel. Like, I would miss shots by feet, and I just couldn't feel my hands, and my hands would hurt when I was playing. And I had swelling and numbness, and then fatigue, which is really debilitating.
I just didn't have any energy. And it's not that you don't have energy, you just feel beat up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: We wish her the very best.
Well, many engineers at Apple, maybe they should swear off happy hour. An iPhone 5 turns up at a tequila bar near San Francisco a month before it goes on sale. Now, at least that is the story.
Sound familiar? The same thing happened last year, before the iPhone 4 came out. So a lot of tech bloggers, they're kind of suspicious now. They thinking Apple might be trying to whip up publicity. If that's the case, it's working.
And here's your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. Carol Costello, she's joining us from New York.
Carol, you know, it's not surprising, but it's another ugly dustup in Washington between the president and Congress. But this time it's not the economy, jobs, debt? Right? It's over a scheduling conflict.
Really? Really?
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Really. I wish I could say it isn't so, but it is.
You know, Suzanne, President Obama's jobs plan is not exactly off to a fantastic start. The president has already had to postpone the unveiling of his plan by 24 hours to avoid a clash with Republicans.
As a "Washington Post" op-ed put it, "This spat sums up so well the images problems that Obama has faced since the start of his term. If the White House has spent months working to appear above the fray -- as they insist they have -- then pulling a blatantly partisan stunt like this torpedoes all of that PR work."
And don't think the Republicans running for president didn't pile on.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Now, does this show maybe a little insecurity on the part of the president? Either, A, he wants to distract the American people so they don't watch him, or, B, he doesn't want the American people to hear what the next president of the United States is going to say about the president's job plan.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Whether you think that's fair or not, it may resonate more than a statement from the White House saying, "The president is welcoming the opportunity to address a joint session of Congress on Thursday so our nation's leaders can focus 100 percent of their attention on doing whatever they can to help the American people."
Yawn.
Obama's critics say he may want to look Congress in the eye and challenge them on jobs, but any dream of bipartisanship is just naive. "The Daily Beast" called the president "The wimp in the White House" for expecting Republicans to compromise.
"The Daily Beast" says, "The plan can be bold, the plan can be modest. The point is that he has to fight for it like hell, but he won't. Please, Mr. President, you're the guy who ran on change. Well, change."
So the "Talk Back" today: How can Obama end the partisan bickering?
Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll read your comments later this hour.
MALVEAUX: Yes, that's a tall order to ask the president. All right. Thank you, Carol.
COSTELLO: Sure.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Want to bring you something that we are just getting now here. This is an audio message that is airing on a pro-Gadhafi station, and it is Moammar Gadhafi urging Libyan people to fight the rebels. And I believe that there is an English translation. Let's just listen in here to what they are hearing.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
MOAMMAR GADHAFI, LIBYAN LEADER (through translator): I want to communicate. They are frightened. Please help. You can hear my voice now.
Remember, don't let them get influence like that. Don't let this get influenced. They'll influence you. Go. Use guns. Go and fight and fight.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: We'll be monitoring this audio message. This is coming from a pro-Gadhafi station out of Libya, a message allegedly by the Libyan leader. And as soon as we get a translation that we can understand, and actually authenticate whether or not this is Gadhafi, we're going to bring that back to you, potentially a message, an audio message coming from the Libyan leader.
Nobody really knows where Moammar Gadhafi is. Still in hiding, but it certainly sounds like, if you're to believe this message, that he is urging people to fight the rebels, fight the people who are trying to overthrow his government.
Well, on the East Coast, 1.5 million people are still without power after Hurricane Irene. Now, this weekend, President Obama, he's planning to tour Paterson, New Jersey. That was a place that was hit really, really hard, and the area is still covered by lots of water.
For some of the flood victims, the only way to see the damage is actually by boat.
Our national correspondent, Susan Candiotti, she is in Little Falls, New Jersey, with that story.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Suzanne, coming to you from Wayne, New Jersey. We're in one of the heavily flooded areas.
And just over in this direction, the banks of the Passaic River. And on the other side of it, Little Falls, New Jersey. Now, you can see that it is difficult to tell where that river bank starts and where this parking lot begins.
As you look over this way, we can tell you, however, that the waters are receding. It's come down at least a couple of feet since we were here late yesterday afternoon.
And down in this direction is a neighborhood that is accessible only by boat. We were lucky enough to get a ride back there with some locals who showed us how bad things are.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is Lake Passaic.
CANDIOTTI: Yes, it's now called Lake Passaic. I'm seeing what are probably the tops of fences leading up to the front door. But that's not a house on stilts, that is a garage that's under water.
They stayed around that house, of course lost the car. Oh, a classic Mustang lost, yes.
You've gone through this time and again. I mean, why do you and other people still live here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, what are you going to do? You can't sell the house, you can't give them away down here.
CANDIOTTI: Here is a sign over here that has a double meaning now, "Road closed a few hundred feet ahead, local traffic only." At this point it's local boat traffic only. You're about to start school, your senior year in high school coming up in just a week.
LAURA SHAKIRI, LITTLE FALLS RESIDENT: Yes.
CANDIOTTI: What's going through your head?
SHAKIRI: Well, how am I going to prepare for school? My clothes, everything is stuck at home. I don't even know how I'm going to get them. Everything is closed to go shopping. The mall is down and I don't know where to go.
CANDIOTTI: So all you have is the suitcase you were able to run out with.
SHAKIRI: Yes. Like, five pants, five shirts. That's it. That's all I have. And school starts in one week.
CANDIOTTI: Probably won't be the only one, you'd have to say, huh?
SHAKIRI: Yes, plenty of them. Plenty. I have so many friends that live on this street, too.
SAM SHAKIRI, LITTLE FALLS RESIDENT: Wow.
CANDIOTTI: Is this the first time you're seeing it?
S. SHAKIRI: Yes.
CANDIOTTI: How do you even begin to think about the cleanup that's involved here? What's going through your head?
S. SHAKIRI: I don't want to think about that right now. As long as we're safe, that's good. That's the main thing, is to be safe. Then the cleanup comes next.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: Standing by along with the local police, the National Guard. They're throughout the area, assisting when and however they can, ready to go in to bring food and water and medicine, or to bring people out if that is needed.
Now, the waters again are receding, and with any luck, they could be down significantly enough by the weekend to allow people to go in and start their cleanup.
Suzanne, back to you.
MALVEAUX: Thank you, Susan.
Well, the Justice Department is now putting the brakes on a bill cell phone merger. We're going to tell you more about where the deal between AT&T and T-Mobile stands now and what it could mean for jobs, as well as your wireless bill. And are you living in a safe driving city, or one where it seems like there's an accident that happens on every corner? I know what that's like.
Allstate's "America's Best Drivers" report finds that the safest driving city in America is Fort Collins, Colorado. A typical driver in that city will be involved in a collision only once every 14 years. Now, Boise, Idaho, came in second for safest for drivers, and Lincoln, Nebraska, third.
So, the question is, what's the worst driving city in America?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: We showed you the safest driving cities in America. Fort Collins, Colorado, made the top of that list. Residents of smaller towns get into car crashes a lot less than big city drivers, so of course that makes sense.
So what is the worst driving town? Washington, D.C. The nation's capital has an accident rate more than 60 percent higher than the national average. Each driver on average is involved in a collision once every six years.
That makes sense. Spent most of my life in D.C., got into a couple fender-benders. Not my fault. Not my fault.
Now we're giving you a chance to "Choose the News." We want you to text "22360" to vote for the story that you'd like to see in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM.
Number one, if you can, imagine hearing "Stairway to Heaven" sung by a Mongolian throat singer. An ancient art form getting a pop culture makeover. We're going to listen in.
And number two, no time to plan a date with your significant other? Well, now there's a Web site that's going to do it for you. It's a new spin on online dating for couples.
Or number three, attention nerds, or folks like me. Imagine a world where Clark Kent has never met Lois Lane or where Batman doesn't even drive a Batmobile. Anything is possible, because DC Comics is starting their superhero storylines over, from scratch.
So, you can vote by texting "22360." Text "1" for "Throat Singing Goes Pop"; "2" for "Online Date Night for Couples"; or "3"for "Rebooting Comic Books." The winning story is going to air in the next hour.
We are also following CNNMoney.com's lead story, "Irene Destroyed Me." This is Mickey Daniel's (ph) crab business, along with many other companies wiped out by this hurricane.
We're also taking a quick look here at the stocks. The Dow Jones, down by seven points or so. Not so bad, six points. Keeping a close eye on that. We are also looking at a deal that would create the largest cell phone company in the country. But the Justice Department says it would mean higher prices and fewer choices. So, it is now suing -- the Justice Department is suing to block that proposed merger between AT&T and T-Mobile.
Karina Huber, she joins us from the New York Stock Exchange.
Karina, so, is this deal dead now that the government has got involved with this anti-trust lawsuit?
KARINA HUBER, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Suzanne, at this point it does not mean the deal is dead. The deal can be reworked and potentially still go through.
The government says its door is open, but exactly how AT&T can satisfy concerns of regulators is unclear at this point. So the options right now are, go back to the drawing table or go to court, and what will happen next is really hard to gauge, though, because this kind of lawsuit is very rare.
What we can say with some certainty is that AT&T is likely to fight this. There's a lot of cash at stake right now, $3 billion in cash on the line, and that's because AT&T has to pay T-Mobile's parent company a $3 billion breakup fee if the deal doesn't go through.
And what do analysts have to say about this? Well, they are expecting a legal battle, one that could be the biggest antitrust case in years, and they say it could drag on for months or even years. So we might be talking about this for quite some time -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: So, Karina, AT&T, they tried to sweeten this deal, right, by saying it would bring back thousands of jobs to the United States? Is that a convincing argument for the government here to sign off on this deal?
HUBER: Well, yes, they've definitely been dangling that carrot to try to get this deal to go through, but so far the government hasn't caved in. AT&T's offering to bring back 5,000 jobs if the deal goes through. But the government says this isn't about jobs, it's about competition.
The AT&T/T-Mobile deal means there would be three carriers out there that would control 90 percent of the market instead of the four that we have currently. The government says less choice means higher prices for you and I, the consumers. And the FCC is also worried about innovation. That's because more competition brings innovation and forces companies to stay on top of their game.
The bottom line, Suzanne, is, if AT&T wants to get this deal done, it has to answer the concerns about competition and protecting consumers.
MALVEAUX: All right. It's going to be an ongoing battle, as you said, huh, Karina? We're going to keep our eye on it. Thanks a lot, Karina. Appreciate it. Well, we've spent a fortune on airport security and other safety measures, right? But are we any safer 10 years after the September 11th attacks? Well, the 9/11 Commission warns of security gaps that still exist. We're going to tell you what they are.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
MALVEAUX: Well, we are just 10 days away from the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack on the United States, and the 9/11 Commission is warning of holes that still exist in this nation's security system. A report by the commission says the country is safer, but it highlights several recommendations that haven't even been put into place.
We've got our details from Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The 9/11 Commission's new progress report says 10 years later, some emergency responders still can't communicate by radio in a crisis while some cops can't talk to firefighters, who can't talk to EMTs.
THOMAS KEAN, CO-CHAIRMAN, 9/11 COMMISSION: They died because of that on 9/11. They died because of that in Katrina. And they will die in the future unless this particular problem is not solved.
LAWRENCE: The report gave a thumbs down to the airport's new whole body scanners, say they fail to detect some explosives hidden within the body.
LEE HAMILTON, CO-CHAIRMAN, 9/11 COMMISSION: Our conclusion is that, despite 10 years of working on the problem, the detection system still falls short in critical ways.
LAWRENCE: The report did credit the government for better screening passengers before they get on planes and doubling its spending on intelligence.
JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: If you look at the number of recommendations the commission made and the number that it filled, it's a very high percentage.
LAWRENCE: But the commission issued its original list back in 2004. And of the 41 shortcomings, nine have still not been addressed.
CARNEY: Which doesn't mean that we don't constantly look for ways to improve.
LAWRENCE: But that improvement will have to come in an economic environment where every dollar counts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The question should be not, how much is this, but is this worth paying for? Is this good security? Is this the best we can get?
LAWRENCE (on camera): The commission says that a more powerful director of National Intelligence could cut through the bureaucracy and also keep some of the costs down. It also recommends a more security form of I.D. and a national entry/exit system that relies more on biometrics.
Chris Lawrence, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: So, the question is, just how safe are we 10 years after the September 11th attacks?
CNN National Contributor Fran Townsend, she joins us from New York. Fran is both a member of the CIA, Homeland Security external advisory boards.
Fran, you know, you hear Chris's report here from the 9/11 Commission. Does it surprise you that, like, basics like radio communications, we still have failed in trying to make that work?
FRAN TOWNSEND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CONTRIBUTOR: Suzanne, I should start by saying I participated -- this is a bipartisan policy council. I'm on the board of directors, and participated with Kean and Hamilton in creating the report card.
We should be outraged by the lack of first responder communications, because this is one where the solution exists. We know it exists. We know the bandwidth is available. The question is only how you go about distributing it. Do you distribute it directly to first responders, or distribute it to a telecommunications company and require them to make it available.
This is crazy. There's no excuse for us not to have solved this problem 10 years earlier because as Governor Kaine points out, in an emergency people will die. We just had the earthquake in Washington and I can tell you, Suzanne, my cell phone didn't work. I can't imagine what the first responders were going through.
MALVEAUX: Who is responsible for this, Fran? I mean, is it those who are in the communications business? Is it the government? I mean, who is in charge of making sure that that actually happens?
TOWNSEND: Well, there is a bill in Congress right now, the Obama administration said they support that bill which gives the bandwidth directly to emergency responders. And so, Congress has the ability to solve this issue.
They also have the ability to solve another one of these, which the reorganization of Congress to streamline their oversight and they haven't done that either.
MALVEAUX: What is the biggest threat to us, Fran, going into the anniversary of September 11th?
TOWNSEND: Pardon me? Suzanne, I'm sorry.
MALVEAUX: What's the biggest threat, do you think, Fran, going into the anniversary of September 11th?
TOWNSEND: Look, I think Americans should take some real comfort in the fact that because we have had so many successes, including the recent killing of bin Laden, we're unlikely to face another massive attack on the scale of 9/11. That said, we do see these individuals who are or small groups who are inspired by al Qaeda. It's the Times Square bomber, it's the Christmas day attempted underwear bomber, it's the guy -- the Nidal Hassan in Fort Hood who is successful shooter and the one who was caught. These individuals who are inspired and radicalized over the Internet I think right now tend to be the greatest threat.
MALVEAUX: And, Fran, let's turn if we can, and there's a new report that's out to say that says no American troops, none were killed in Iraq the last month, that is a first. But the flipside says there are more American troops who died in Afghanistan last month since the beginning of the war. What does that mean?
TOWNSEND: Well, some of this frankly the increase in deaths in Afghanistan is regrettably was predictable. I mean, there was no question as troops began drawing down the Taliban and its forces were going to show its strength. It's also a matter of the time of year. You know, we're still in the summer season and the fighting season there.
Look, the thing we've got to focus on is making sure that we have a capable, trained, adequate army and police force in Afghanistan to pick up the slack. And that has been a real challenge for multiple administrations, not just this one. And there's a weak central government in the Karzai government. All of those tend to favor our enemies there and we have to be careful that we don't create or permit to be created again a safe haven in Afghanistan like there was prior to 9/11.
MALVEAUX: All right. Fran, thank you so much. And those are questions we're going to be raising and focusing on as well.
Now, 10 years after the September 11th attacks, and 10 years since this war in Afghanistan began, we will take a look at what's gone on over there, you know? I'll be heading to Afghanistan next week to find out. I'm going to be investigating the training of Afghanistan troops, are they prepared to take over once the U.S. troops have all gone home?
We're also going to be talking with American men and women who were just children on the days of the attacks, reporting live from Afghanistan. That is starting on Friday, September 9th through the weekend of September 11th.
He's a man with a plan -- a jobs plan that is. Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman, he's unveiling his proposal to getting American working again. We've got details on that plan on the Political Ticker.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Firefighters in Texas and Oklahoma are just hoping for a break from the hot, dry winds that are spreading across several big wildfires. The flames have destroyed dozens of homes. The biggest fire is just west of Dallas.
CNN's Jim Spellman, he is live from Possum Kingdom Lake. He and his crew had to pull back in a hurry from the front lines after the fire started spreading east. Now, they're back at the fire lines.
Jim, what does that mean, the fact you guys have been back and forth here? Is that good news?
JIM SPELLMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is good news. They're telling us here is that this fire is now 50 percent contained largely because it burned out a lot of the areas all the way up to the lake.
This is where we were yesterday, watching the fire burn, active fire, walls of flame on this crest of woods over here, and as it moved its way down it was thick, billowing smoke and embers coming across the lake to our side here and starting spot fires. That's when they decided they had to abandon this command center and take us with it and get out of here and pull back and expand the evacuation areas.
Overnight, the winds died down. They were able to get a handle on it. But you can see, still a little bit of smoking area and just the devastation of the fire coming through and wiping out what was a dense forest of trees here.
Now that's good news that this is coming, they have this portion of the fire together but the sheriff here told us a short time ago that all the conditions remain to have more fires. It's already about 10:40 in the morning and it's about 103 degrees here on our little thermometer and they've been at this month after month. And this drought is so extensive that literally they've told us that a single spark from a chain hanging behind a truck or something can start this cycle all over again, until there's meaningful rain, not just a shower or two. They're going to have these conditions. And that's why we're seeing these fires across Texas and all the way up into the Oklahoma City area -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: So, Jim, what should folks do? Does that mean they should evacuate homes if they're in that area, even if the fire isn't there yet because the conditions are ripe for another one?
SPELLMAN: You know, they'd have to evacuate maybe 90 percent of the state because that's how big the severe drought area is here in Texas. They're actually trying to reopen -- this is kind of a resort area they're trying to get reopened for Labor Day.
But with this kind of condition so prevalent they just have to be super vigilant. They have burn bans, no campfires, no burning trash or anything like that, try to stay super vigilant. It's way too big of an area to evacuate everything. They do encourage people to be ready -- the people that come back here to try to enjoy Labor Day weekend. They know any minute they may have to move out -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: And I guess they have to protect their homes, right? I mean, what kind of things can you do if you're staying in your house the fire could come?
SPELLMAN: Well, the main thing is just to be ready to get in the car and get out. One of the problems with fighting the fire and evacuating people here is it's kind of a one road in, one road out situation to a lot of communities along the lake, and they have lake on one side, yesterday when the fire was going, the day before yesterday rather, people had to use a boat to go across the lake because the land access was blocked by the fire.
So, they have to just be aware of the stuff and ready to go. All of the authorities here, firefighters here, they'll be keeping a close eye on everything. But again, I mean, where do you go? I mean, you have to go sometimes 500 miles away to get to an area where you don't have these conditions.
MALVEAUX: All right. Jim, be safe. We're watching pictures of the fire, very menacing. Be safe this holiday weekend, as well those who are out there.
Improving the job market, it is the top priority for President Obama, as well as Republicans who want to replace him.
Brianna Keilar, she's part of "The Best Political Team on Television." She is live from the White House.
Brianna, good to see you.
GOP contender Jon Huntsman, he's got a plan, right? What do we know about his plan? What does it include?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right he unveiled it. And this, of course, a week before President Obama unveiling his jobs plan.
So, this is a plan from Jon Huntsman that would dramatically shrink the scale of government. And its intention to that would be through eliminating tax deductions. Now, keeping in mind this would include that popular mortgage deduction so many people enjoy, also just streamlining the tax code, reducing it into three brackets.
And then a widespread regulatory overhaul, scrapping the president's signature health care reform plan, which he calls, of course, Obamacare. Huntsman does I should say. As well as the financial reform we saw in the last Congress, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: And, Brianna, we know everyone is looking for some sort of solution here. The Huntsman plan, when you look at those details -- does it seem like the American people would be ready for some of those changes?
KEILAR: You know, there's no polling specifically on his plan. Some of these ideas we've heard before. We know that there's some -- certainly some opposition to those, the mortgage deduction tax break, pulling that away. We've seen opposition to that before.
But yes, Americans are very hungry for something, Suzanne, and that's reflected right now in some of the recent poll numbers that we have on the president's approval. In fact, the newest CNN/ORC International poll shows that only one-third of Americans poll approved of the president's handling of the economy, three-quarters in this poll say that the country is in bad shape.
And while that's actually a slight improvement from August, it's significantly worse than we saw at the beginning of the year, just giving you a sense of where Americans are. Bright spots for the president international affairs, on that issue, we have a handling of terrorism, as well as just foreign affairs in general, Libya specifically and the president serving his role as commander in chief. You have between five and six out of 10 Americans surveyed saying that they think he's doing a good job in those regards, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: All right. Brianna, thank you.
For the latest political news, you know where to go, CNNPolitics.com.
Well, a state police officer in New Mexico, he's now on administrative leave. We're going to tell you why, and why these pictures have caused such a stir on the Internet.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: There's still time to weigh in on today's "Choose the News" winners. Text 22360 to vote for the story that you like to see.
Text 1 for your favorite pop songs sung by Mongolian throat singers. It's a modern take on an ancient art form. Text 2 for online date night -- a new site helps busy couples plan an evening out on their smartphones. Or text 3 for comic book reboot, DC Comics is restarting all of their comic lines at issue number one, and can change everything for Superman, Spider-Man, the rest of our favorite superheroes.
Winning story is going to air in the next hour.
Well, this story is really an unusual one. A surveillance camera catches a New Mexico state police officer in a compromising position. CNN's Jeanne Moos explains why these pictures have gone viral.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If you think they're shocking pictures --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh!
MOOS (on camera): Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh!
MOOS (voice-over): -- imagine the mortification felt by the state police officer caught having sex on the hood of a car with a brunette woman.
(on camera): This has gone viral.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God!
MOOS (voice-over): In broad daylight in uniform. At least he still had his clothes on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm just glad it wasn't one of my deputies.
MOOS: The two surveillance photos were given to Santa Fe County Sheriff Robert Garcia. They came from a camera aimed at deterring vandalism, pointed at the entrance to a county-owned ranch. But instead of graffiti vandals, the cameras captured a New Mexico state police officer having sex on the hood in this desolate spot.
(on camera): The state police have conducted an internal investigation. A spokesman says they don't believe there was any criminal activity but that the action on the hood in uniform does violate the state police code of conduct.
(voice-over): The unidentified officer has been placed on administrative leave with pay as his fate is being decided, but there's something else.
(on camera): Do you see anything else odd about this picture?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A very voyeuristic animal?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look at the animal watching him.
MOOS (voice-over): The only eyewitness was variously described as a prairie dog, small mammal pervert.
(on camera): What is the creature that's watching? Is it a Chihuahua? Is it a prairie dog? What is it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would say it looks like a little dog. It looks like a little Chihuahua.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a squirrel watching them have sex, right?
MOOS: We think it's a Chihuahua.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gathering nuts? Oh, I'm sorry.
MOOS (voice-over): Either it belongs to one of the participants or it stumbled on the scene.
(on camera): Some have even said they thought they recognized the Chihuahua.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ay yi yi!
MOOS (voice-over): Nah, the Taco Bell Chihuahua died of a stroke years ago.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The dog is participating.
MOOS (on camera): No, the dog is not participating.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's, like, getting upset.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's probably hot and sexy and with all the stress in the world right now, it's somebody's fantasy and escape. So, obviously, it's working for all three of them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mucho mucho, baby.
MOOS (voice-over): Jeanne Moos --
(on camera): Wait.
(voice-over): -- CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: All right. One of the odder stories that we have here.
So, take a look at this picture. Watch this. Major League Baseball jocks going soft on us.
We're going to explain the colorful kitty accessories.
And our "Talkback" question of the day, how can President Obama end the partisan bickering? We're going to read some of your responses after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: You have been weighing in on the "Talkback" question of the day, how can President Obama end the partisan bickering?
Our Carol Costello -- she joins us from New York.
So, Carol, have our viewers found a solution to all of this?
COSTELLO: I am depressed by these responses. I know.
MALVEAUX: Depressing?
COSTELLO: Let me read a couple. Yes. Let me read a couple and then you can tell me if you are with me. The question was: what can President Obama do to end the partisan bickering.
This from Rich: "I don't know if anything he says would make any difference as long as this generation of politicians are in office. If Obama were a Republican, the Democrats would be out to get him, just as the Republicans are out to get him now."
This from Isaac: "He could stop doing it himself and lead by example."
This from Terri: "He can't. The ideological beliefs of the two parties are now so polarized that nothing short of a true third party would fix the problem, because it's not about the people -- it's about the money and the lobbyist."
And this from Erin: "There is nothing he can do. In a Congress that has openly set the goal to be his defeat rather than helping the American people, the partisan atmosphere will persist until he and other Democrat for that matter is out office."
Facebook.com/CarolCNN, if you want to continue the conversation. And give me a solution, people! There has to be one!
MALVEAUX: You know, every president tries to do this. It doesn't happen. It doesn't work. President Bush tried it before as well. President Obama said he tried to do same. It's still essentially where it is. Who knows what to do?
COSTELLO: I know. There has to be something that can you do, though. I mean, we're Americans for God's sakes.
MALVEAUX: All right. Maybe they'll come up with something. There's still more time. Another hour to get more folks to weigh in on all of this. Carol, I want you to see the pictures here. It's kind of funny. These are grown men wearing this bright pink, hello kitty back packs.
Why is this happening, right? You might wonder what's this is all about? Judgment free zone, that's it. Tradition now for rookie, relief pitchers to bring snacks out to the dugout. Well, their teammates, they are giving these little bags school girl backpacks featuring all kinds of kids' characters. This is across Major League teams.
The rookies are saying, well, you know, we got to do what we have to do. I think it's kind of a little bit of hazing thing going on there, huh, Carol?
COSTELLO: I know they do it in the Detroit Tigers organization, as you know, I'm a Tigers fan. Sometimes, the rookies can't talk to anybody else on the team until a certain amount of time passed.
MALVEAUX: Really?
COSTELLO: So, I'd choose a backpack any day over that.
(LAUGHTER)
MALVEAUX: Yes. But, you know, judgment free. If they got to wear the kitty backpack, that's OK. How long does that last, by the way? Do you know -- that kind of hazing?
COSTELLO: Maybe it depends on what your batting average is or what kind of relief pitcher you are. If you are not doing great, then the backpack goes. If you're not doing great, you got to wear that backpack forever!
MALVEAUX: We'll just keeping laughing. All right. Thank you, Carol.
On a more serious story, college crack, the marijuana of the new millennium, that is how some blogs are describing medications for attention deficit disorder. We're going to examine in-depth at how students were using ADD drugs as study aids.
And yesterday, we told you about the top-paying college degrees, all of them in engineering. Well, today, we've got to look at the degrees that pay the least on average. Number two: elementary education. That is actually not surprising, with an average mid- career salary of about $44,400. Number three is social work. Average salary also about $44,000.
Find out which one is number one when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: So we told you two of the three college degrees that pay the least on average, they are elementary education and social work with mid career salaries of about $44,000. Number one is child and family studies with annual salary of about $38,400.
So, some college blogs refer to them as college crack, and compare them to acid and marijuana in '60s and '70s, or ecstasy in the '90s. We're talking about medications for attention deficit disorder. It's part of our in-depth look at higher education.
We're examining how students are using ADD meds to help them study.
Here is senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): College senior Jared Gabay has a business finance test tomorrow and he's all ready. He's got his book, his notes and his pill.
It's a prescription drug that was not prescribed to him. It was prescribed to a friend and Jared bought it for $5. It's a generic form of Adderall, an amphetamine meant for people with attention deficit disorder. Jared doesn't have ADD, but he loves what he says Adderall does to his report card.
(on camera): So, Jared writing a paper not on Adderall -- what's going on your head?
JARED GABAY, STUDENT: I'm kind of on YouTube, kind of on Facebook, listening to music.
COHEN: So, when you take it, how does it -- how does it change you?
GABAY: I would say more driven. I'm kind of don't focus on anything else.
COHEN: You are just focused on getting that paper done?
GABAY: Right on the paper. Nothing is going to distract from me from doing, nothing is going to bother me. And it's going to get out and it's going to be good.
COHEN (voice-over): Jared feeling good as he studies all night and into the morning right up until he leaves for class.
GABAY: I feel very prepared, got a lot of formulas memorized, a lot of stuff that I crammed for, and I think I'm going to really rock this test out.
COHEN: Jared says a lot of his friends take Adderall like he does. A study at the University of Kentucky found half of juniors and seniors say they use stimulants like Adderall. The drug is so common among millennials it's popping up on MTV.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have been up on my reading web sites --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How much Adderall have you had today?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot. It doesn't matter. Hey, just listen.
COHEN: This has doctors like Raymond Goodwikie (ph) worried.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At the short term, those kind of stimulant medications can often feel good. In the long run, there are significant problems, both in terms of thinking, and mood problems.
COHEN: Adderall can be addictive, and cause seizures, hallucinations, aggressive behavior. But Jared says he's been taking it for two years and he's fine. He doesn't think he is doing anything wrong.
(on camera): After talking to lawyers, it appears you are breaking the law by doing this.
GABAY: I see how it is that the law is there, but it's just kind of -- I consider it kind of an unwritten rule, you know? It's accepted.
COHEN (voice-over): So, did the pill help with Jared's test?
We caught up with him after class?
GABAY: I know I did great on the test.
COHEN: And he says he has Adderall to thank for that. (on camera): College students just don't think that Adderall is a big deal. In a survey of students at the University of Kentucky, they said that they considered Adderall, an amphetamine, about as dangerous as an energy drink.
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: This footnote on the story. We learned from our medical producers that Jared (ph) did get that A on his exam.
