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On Alert for 9/11 Weekend; Honoring the Heroes of Flight 93; Fighters Attack Gadhafi Stronghold; Made in America; Celebrating the Volunteer Spirit
Aired September 10, 2011 - 14:58 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Thousands of U.S. military men and women deployed to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will pause tomorrow to reflect on the ten years past since the 9/11 attacks. Suzanne Malveaux is on a military base in Kabul.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred, you may recall it was 10 years ago, the September 11th attacks actually brought the men and women here to Afghanistan. They're commemorating this anniversary tomorrow. You can see behind me there are 35 nations, their flags represented all involved in this effort, in this international effort.
It will start tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. local time. That's 8.5 hours ahead of Eastern time, local time, that the ceremony will begin. About 5:16 p.m., that is when there'll be a moment of silence marking when the first plane went into the Twin Towers.
There will also be some prayers, the U.S. national anthem, lowering of the colors, bag pipes, performance of "Amazing Grace," as well as soldiers telling their own personal stories about that day, the impact that day had on them, the painful memories, but also, being emboldened to go on with this mission.
I want to read for you just a little bit from the program. They will say that today on this 10th anniversary of 9/11. "All of us here in Afghanistan continue to be affected by those attacks regardless of where we were on that day. Men and women from 35 nations, not just Americans, are here as a result of that tragic day. 9/11 continues to impact the entire world. We are resolute to finish the mission we began."
That mission, of course, Fred, is to make sure that the afghans can protect and secure their own country when U.S. and NATO troops come home by the end of 2014 -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: Americans on U.S. soil are remembering the 9/11 attacks 10 years ago this weekend. A live picture right now from Ground Zero, the site of New York's World Trade Center. Take a look.
A memorial service at St. Patrick's Cathedral is also honoring the 343 firefighters killed when the Twin Towers collapsed.
And there is tight security in New York and Washington this weekend as people gather to mark the anniversary. Police and the FBI are on high alert, looking for any signs of a terror plot. U.S. officials say they received information of a credible yet unconfirmed plot to attack those cities.
Our Susan Candiotti joins us now from New York. So, Susan, do we know what law enforcement may be looking for? Any more details on that potential plot?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fredericka. Hello.
You know, CNN is learning new details about the timing of this possible conspiracy. At least two of the three men are now believed to have traveled from the Mideast region to the U.S. last week, according to a U.S. government official. And a third man, believed to be possibly part of this plot, was said to be traveling in Europe.
Now, as we've been telling you, two of those three men are believed to be U.S. citizens, and now we are also learning that there's a further description that the two of them are also of Arab descent. Now, tracking their names has been difficult because of the very common names in the Mideast. However, authorities are using tools that include flight manifests and - and flight logs to try to track down more information about exactly who these people are.
You will remember that this plot was only uncovered by U.S. authorities 72 hours ago, Wednesday of this week, and they learned about it after intercepting a communication from an al Qaeda operative operating in Pakistan. And intelligence agencies tell us that this is someone who has been credible in the past.
The two targets are said to be New York and Washington possibly, involving a car bomb, a truck bomb, or some other means. But, remember, this is still an unconfirmed threat - Fredericka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Susan. And tomorrow, of course, significant ceremonies to be underway. Give me an idea what - how security has impacted people getting from Point A to Point B, whether it be today or even potentially tomorrow.
CANDIOTTI: You know, Fred, it's been tough. It's been tough all around for both New Yorkers, especially, and also tourists because they continue to have very, very tough security check points set up around the city, at subways, tunnels, bridges, trains, randomly stopping trucks and cars, and people even checking their backpacks, looking for anything that looks suspicious. And that has slowed down traffic. So it's been very difficult all around.
So, you know, before, as we wrap things up too, I wanted to show you that, you know, just over my shoulder, you will see that there is an American flag hanging. And workers are in the process of bringing that down. They're going to actually move it up the building, and in its place is going to be what's described as the world's largest unfurled flag that will be hanging there in that spot.
It should be quite something, certainly emotional, during tomorrow's ceremony.
WHITFIELD: Susan -
CANDIOTTI: Back to you, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Susan, in Lower Manhattan.
Well, Twitter, by the way, has been very busy with New Yorkers tweeting about that added security and traffic. Here are a few of the tweets.
Pumas Teez tweets, "There are lots of security check points throughout New York City, keeping everyone on their toes."
And we get this from Cassandra Lavalle, "Wow. The amount of security and check points is unreal right now."
And Mary Durst tweeting this, "Supposed to have dinner in the city tonight but think I'll move it to midweek, not because of fear, but because of traffic."
And Jack Gray tweets, "Major gridlock in New York City assuming because of anti-terror check points. Happy to be running late if it means being safe."
All right, let's get you to Washington, D.C. now. Visible police presence, also very high there.
Athena Jones is at the FBI field office, and you spoke to Washington D.C.'s police chief just a short time ago. What's taking place in that city right now?
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, they have a lot more officers on the street. They have 200 to 400 additional officers from the Metropolitan Police Department out on patrol. They're on 12-hour shifts, these four overlapping shifts, to make sure they're covered.
And it's not just, of course, the Metropolitan Police you have to worry about here in Washington, D.C. You have the Capitol Police up at the Capitol; you have the park police, who are in charge of protecting the monuments and the memorials; you have Secret Service, of course; and the Metro Transit Police all - on all levels across all of these departments, you have a lot more officers out. Whether they're in plain clothes or in uniform, on foot, on motorcycle, on horseback, you have more of these specialty units out, like bomb squads and canine units.
And the city officials here say that Washington is safe. Here's what the police chief, Cathy Lanier, had to say to us a little while ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF CATHY LANIER, WASHINGTON METROPOLITAN POLICE: We have one of the highest trained, most capable police departments in the country. We've had 10 years of ramping up our training, our capabilities, our equipment. So we - we've got - we're one of the best police forces in the country. There's - this should be one of the safest cities in America, with the level of training and equipment that we have here in Washington, D.C.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: And, of course, one of the ways that officials rely on to keep a city like Washington safe is public vigilance. They've put a lot of emphasis on the idea that the public, as this anniversary approaches, and certainly, of course, with this added terror alert for this city in particular, that the public keep their eyes and ears open.
We just got a note from a producer a little while ago, who was on a metro, and they had the announcer come on - come on the metro P.A. and say as we approach 9/11, keep - keep watching, (INAUDIBLE) looking around. If you see something, say something, that sort of thing.
And, I'll tell you, the police chief told me that just yesterday, between - after their 4:00 P.M. news conference, they'd already seen an uptick in - in reports of suspicious activity. They've seen a lot more, they're checking out all leads. So the public vigilance will be important, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Athena Jones, thanks so much for that message.
And in the middle of this heightened security in Washington, D.C. this weekend, people are turning out in large numbers, taking part in the September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance. Volunteers are organizing food drives and neighborhood cleanups for people here in the States, and they're putting together care packages and thank you letters for troops serving overseas.
And Former President George W. Bush laying a memorial wreath at the Pentagon this morning. Looking on is Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. One hundred eighty four people died at the Pentagon in the 9/11 attacks.
And President Obama spent part of this morning at Arlington National Cemetery, as you see right there. He and the First Lady visited the section of the cemetery devoted mainly to U.S. military fatalities from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Last hour, presidents - Former Presidents Bush and Clinton attended the dedication of a memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. It honors 40 passengers and crew who died on Flight 93 on 9/11.
CNN's David Mattingly joining us now from Shanksville. So, the former president and the current vice president all speaking and unveiling this beautiful wall behind you.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fredericka. Some very powerful moments today, very emotional as they unveiled the massive marble wall that's down below behind me, containing the names of all of the people of the passengers and the crew aboard Flight 93.
We heard from Former Vice President - Former President George W. bush today as he was explaining that these weren't soldiers. These were just ordinary citizens who voted, and, when confronted with this problem, chose to act and turn against their hijackers and explained how their actions brought the plane down here and saved lives, keeping the plane from going to its target in Washington, D.C.
We also heard from Former President Bill Clinton, who pointed out that this memorial is still $10 million short of its goal for fund raising 10 years out, and this memorial is not finished. And he actually reached out today and said that it's time to have a bipartisan plan to start raising the money to get this done. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Since I am no longer in office, I can do unpopular things. I told the Secretary of the Interior, the head of your development program, that I was aghast to find out we still need to raise $10 million to finish this place. And Speaker Boehner and I have already volunteered to do a bipartisan event in Washington. Let's get this show on the road. Let's roll.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MATTINGLY: There, the former president recalling the - the line from one of the passengers onboard, "Let's roll," trying to get people motivated to get this project finished, to get this memorial done and finished, to honor the people who were on Flight 93 - Fredericka.
WHITFIELD: And David, you were among the first reporters on the scene there 10 years ago after that flight went down. Give me your impressions on the contrast of what it was like there 10 years ago and then returning to it now.
MATTINGLY: Well, I was on vacation here in Central Pennsylvania when it happened. I got here just a short time after the plane crashed. There was a great deal of confusion at the time.
And here, at the site, it's completely transformed now. at the time, there was this crater where the plane went down. There was smoke coming out of it. A great deal of confusion, a great deal of anger, a great deal of fear about what was going on.
Today is very peaceful. The hills around here are no longer an abandoned strip mine. They are covered with wild flowers and grass. It's very beautiful, very pastoral, very serene, a very appropriate way to remember the men and women who were onboard that plane.
And, today, not really a solemn occasion, but, again, very emotional and, again, Former President Bill Clinton bringing out what's on everyone's mind here, that this memorial is still unfinished and they need to get the job done here - Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: David Mattingly, thank you so muchm from Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
And more now of your tweets on how you life has been impacted by 9/11 over the past 10 years.
Shima (ph) writes, "9/11 affected all the families whose loved ones went to war and returned with PTSD and have never been the same."
And this from Sonia, "I never used to watch news when I got up in the morning. Ever since 9/11, it's the news as soon as I open my eyes."
Keep your comments coming, Twitter.com/FWhitfield.
All right, join us for our special "9/11, 10 Years Later," a live coverage of remembrance events beginning tomorrow morning, 8:00 A.M. Eastern, right here on CNN.
And an update from Libya is next. The fight is on for one of Moammar Gadhafi's last remaining strongholds. CNN's Ben Wedeman is with opposition fighters. You'll hear from him right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, some international headlines now.
The days before the 9/11 anniversary have been deadly in Afghanistan. Taliban militants attacked a coalition base in the province of Wardak today. The truck bomb killed at least one person and injured 10, all Afghan laborers.
Yesterday five soldiers died during militant skirmishes elsewhere in that country.
And officials in Tanzania have recovered the bodies of almost 160 people after a ferry capsized this morning. More than 500 have been rescued.
The boat was traveling from Zanzibar, a popular tourist destination. Officials say it was overloaded when it hit strong winds and waves.
And protesters are clashing with police in Greece. They are upset over new austerity measures. Ten thousand public workers are expected to lose their jobs immediately. Global economic confidence could take a hit if Greece defaults on its debt.
And opposition fighters in Libya gave Moammar Gadhafi supporters in a western town a deadline to surrender or face military action. That deadline has expired. Negotiations for the town surrender failed, so now it's a standoff in a town called Bani Walid.
CNN's senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman is there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: As soon as the deadline expired, opposition fighters fought their way to the edges of Bani Walid. But there, after making initial progress, they came under intense fire from Gadhafi loyalists, NTC officials saying they believe there are some special forces or elite forces of the Libyan Army inside that town and they were forced, the opposition fighters, to move back under fire.
ABDULLAH KINSHEI, NTC BANI WALID NEGOTIATOR: Our troops, they started to come out, the remnant of Gadhafi troops, at the entrance of the city. However - and they found a lot of weapons still there. They have been fired by - on by artilleries, rockets, GRAD, and also snipers all over the entrance. And they used the houses as their protective aid (ph).
WEDEMAN: Later in the day we heard overhead jets and saw large plumes of smoke on the horizon. It appears that that is NATO bombing on the town of Bani Walid.
In the meantime, opposition fighters pulled back, apparently waiting for more reinforcements before making another attempt to enter the town of Bani Walid.
I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN, reporting from Western Libya.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And, coming up, with all the talk about the need for jobs in the U.S., do you know how much of the goods and services that you buy are actually American made? Is it 30 percent, 50 percent, 60 percent perhaps? Or none of the above? The answer, after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Before the break, we asked do you know how much of the goods and services you buy are American made? Is it 30 percent, 50, 60 percent, or none of the above?
The answer, none of the above. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Americans buy 88 percent of American made goods and services. This includes your haircuts, going to the movies, and paying your electric bill.
But, the flip side, of course, shoes, clothing, electronics - well, most of those products come from overseas. And each week we focus on getting your financial house in order, and buying American made merchandise is this week's "Financial Fix." We heard it from the president earlier this week, saying we've got to invent more, manufacture more.
So Eric Amado is CEO of Amado Consulting, and he joins us now from Dallas. Good to see you, Eric.
ERIC AMADO, CEO, AMADO CONSULTING: Thank you. Good to see you also.
WHITFIELD: OK, so let's get started with where are most of these products made? We talk about shoes, et cetera, and beyond.
AMADO: You know, it's amazing. Most of the products that we purchase come from Japan, they come from China, they come from Europe, they come from Canada, and they come from India. As we all know, the manufacturing base in the United States is really down since the 1960s, so most of the things in our house come from other countries.
WHITFIELD: So what's happened? Why aren't Americans making these things?
AMADO: Well, the main reason why, it's cheaper to make products abroad than make them in the United States. So a lot of companies, what they're doing, they're building manufacturing plants, for example, like say in China. They'll make the product in China and they'll ship it back to the United States, and they'll still make great profits and they'll still make great margins, better than they do than manufacturing their product here in the United States.
WHITFIELD: So then, that brings the question of why does it cost so much in order to produce something in the U.S.?
AMADO: Of course, that's a great question. Well, the main reason why is because we have high labor costs in the United States. People like to make money in the United States.
Also, we have one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world right now. I think we just surpassed Japan as the highest tax rate. And also, we have stringent health care and safety regulations here in the United States.
So when you put all these variables together, it makes it very difficult to compete with other countries.
WHITFIELD: So how encouraging is it when you hear that the U.S., when it does manufacture things, the quality is much better when it pertains to drugs or airplanes or even textiles? Is that at least a push in the right direction, that perhaps we're manufacturing those things well, then those companies might be able to hire more Americans too.
AMADO: Yes. If we - if we have great manufacturing standards here in the United States, like you said, with - with those products, we can hire more Americans. But the main reason why we can't hire more Americans right now is several things.
For example, we have a lot of people out there that do not have the skills and qualification to meet some of the top-grade jobs that we need to hire in the United States. For example, Microsoft is always going across seas to find - getting good employees, good engineers.
And also, the change in the business landscape. Every day, you know, something's changing. Like, for example, the iPod is coming onboard, and that changes everything. And also, you know, there's a lot of debt with corporations.
So these are some of the main reasons why, you know, companies are laying off and we just don't have a good unemployment rate right now.
WHITFIELD: All right. Eric Amado, thanks so much. Always good to see you, from the Big D.
AMADO: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right.
And you can get more information from Eric by going to his website at AmadoConsultingLLC.com.
All right, and take a look, right now, live pictures from New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral. The Fire Department in New York is holding a memorial service for all the FDNY firefighters who perished 10 years ago in the terror attacks at the World Trade Center.
The 9/11 terror attacks renewed the American spirit as neighbors helped neighbors. Well, that spirit lives on, thanks to a CNN Hero. See his work, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: On the eve of 9/11, the tenth anniversary, we honor a New Yorker who is determined to build a positive legacy from the aftermath of that day of destruction.
Jeff Parness was deeply moved by the outpouring of help his hometown received after the attacks. Well, since 2004, he has been saying thank you by giving back to communities across the country, and that's the reason he is a CNN Hero.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: September 11th was a very tough time for the fire department. I lost some friends, guys I went to the academy with.
The day afterwards, people came from everywhere to help us out. It was incredible. You knew you weren't alone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, guys.
JEFF PARNESS, COMMUNITY CRUSADER: For a New Yorker to see that outpouring of kindness and generosity was more powerful than the terror that happened. That really changed me.
I'm Jeff Parness, and I just want to show the world that New Yorkers will never forget what people did for us following 9/11.
Every year on the 9/11 anniversary, we take volunteers from New York and send them to some part of the country where they had a disaster and help folks rebuild.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nice to meet you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You pull into town and the tallest thing there is the grain silo. It's definitely a bit of a culture shock.
PARNESS: Rebuilding homes or barns or churches, it's our way to say thank you. Now, more than half our volunteers are not from New York. People from all the small towns that we've helped, they keep showing up to help the next community. They're from Louisiana and California and Indiana and Illinois. Every year, you keep seeing more t-shirts from more locations.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to pitch in as much as we can.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After Katrina, we just jumped on his bandwagon. This whole paying it forward thing is just contagious.
PARNESS: It's like this big dysfunctional family reunion of all these disaster survivors who get together and do a barn-raising. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're banging nails and building something, but it's the relationships that'll help you heal.
PARNESS: It's about using the 9/11 anniversary to celebrate that volunteer spirit.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We'll see you all next year.
PARNESS: People say thank you for doing this. I say, you want to thank me? Show up on the next one.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Jeff's group has also restored an American flag from Ground Zero, now known as the National 9/11 Flag. Their group is in Joplin, Missouri this weekend, helping that town rebuild. And you can see more of their work as part of our 9/11 commemoration tomorrow morning, right here on CNN.
To find out more about Jeff's work or make a donation, go to CNNHeroes.com. And be sure to join the conversation on CNN Heroes' Facebook and Twitter pages.
Flood waters in Pennsylvania and New York are starting to recede, but the crisis is far from over. Our Jacqui Jeras will be along with the forecast, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories right now.
Last hour, Vice President Joe Biden joined Former Presidents Bush and Clinton for the dedication of a memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. It honors 40 passengers and crew who died on Flight 93 on 9/11.
Biden praised the heroic efforts of those who sacrificed their lives on that flight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSEPH BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And I hope you take comfort in knowing that a grateful nation understands that your loved ones gave their lives in pursuit of the noblest of earthly goals, defending their country, defending their families, and sacrificing their lives so we could live ours.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The 343 New York firefighters who died on 9/11 are being honored this hour in a memorial service at New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral. Active and retired firefighters lined 5th Avenue leading to the cathedral as a show of respect for the families as they arrive.
Former president George W. Bush laying a memorial wreath at the Pentagon this morning, as well. Looking on is former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. One hundred eight-four people died at the Pentagon in the 9/11 attacks.
And ask anyone where they were or what they were doing on September 11, 2001, and you'll probably get a very detailed answer. Our Fareed Zakaria asked former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld that very question. Listen to what he saw and felt inside the Pentagon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FAREED ZAKARIA, HOST, "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS": What memories do you have now of that day when American Airlines 77 crashed into the Pentagon? What's your -- what's the most vivid recollection?
DONALD RUMSFELD, FMR. DEFENSE SECRETARY: Well, I was in the Pentagon when it was hit. And we'd had the two planes hit the World Trade Center before that, minutes before. And the first plane hit, it was obviously an accident. And the second plane hit and it obviously was not an accident. And then the Pentagon shook, and it was clear that America had been attacked.
And I went down the hall until the smoke was so bad, I couldn't go any farther. And I went downstairs and outside, and there out on the lawn, the apron around the Pentagon, were just, you know, thousands of pieces of metal, little pieces. It's not like that plane stayed together. The plane just was pieces everywhere.
And people coming out with burns, and people going in and helping them out. I ran into a lieutenant colonel who said to me that he saw an airplane hit the Pentagon. I had no idea if it was a bomb or what had happened.
But it was a day we'll all remember throughout our lives. And after a decade, certainly we remember those who were killed and their families and their friends and what a terrible, terrible day for America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And you can watch Fareed's entire interview with Donald Rumsfeld on "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS" airing right here on CNN tomorrow 1:00 o'clock.
All right, President Barack Obama has declared a state of emergency in Texas. It frees up federal funding for wildfires scorching Bastrop County. Blazes have destroyed almost 1,400 homes since wildfires started there about a week ago.
Let's check with our Jacqui Jeras. Still very dry, maybe some wind, as well, too? That's still making it very difficult for those battling the blaze.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, you know, with the drought as bad as it is, it doesn't take much to keep this thing going. The weather's not really helping it very much today, the winds about 10 miles per hour, but it's extremely hot. We're talking about 95 degrees in Bastrop right now. And the humidity is critically low. And that's why it's not really helping the situation here. Also, the long-term forecast is not good. There's really no rain in the forecast the next week for most of Texas, particularly eastern parts of Texas, and the long-term outlook beyond that even worse. We'll tell you about La Nina, which could be redeveloping, in just a minute.
But first let's talk about the Northeast and the flood situation that's still ongoing. We have many rivers that are still outside of their banks. While most of them have crested and are starting to recede, they're not going to be back below flood stage until Monday or Tuesday. So still a lot of standing water.
Now, there is a little bit of rain still in the forecast. You can see some spotty showers across New York, as well as Pennsylvania. But the total rainfall is not going to be very much. We're talking about less than an inch for most of these areas.
Now, we think La Nina's going to be redeveloping in the upcoming late fall and the winter months. And that's what put us in this situation in the first place when it comes to floods and fires across the U.S. It really brings drier than normal conditions in the south, wetter than normal conditions across the Pacific Northwest and Ohio Valley. So unfortunately, it just means more drought for the drought-weary, more flooding for the flood-weary.
Things don't look good over the next several months or so, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Oh, boy, that's terrible news.
JERAS: I know.
WHITFIELD: All right, Jacqui, appreciate it.
Now, here's a question for you. What's your American dream, living in a mansion, driving a luxury car, buying anything you want? Now imagine selling most of that in order to help others.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, what if you had it all, the big house, big car, big checkbook, but decided to give up a lot of that so that you could help others? Well, it's what the Salwen family did, and they wrote a book about it, "The Power of Half." Now the lessons inside that book are actually teaching children in one Atlanta school that they have so much more to give. Here's CNN's Julie Peterson.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED MORRIS, SOCIAL WORKER: If we're going to make this work, we have to have the teachers...
JULIE PETERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Social worker Ed Morris teaches a message you won't find in textbooks.
MORRIS: The government is not going to solve your problems. The school system is not going to solve your problems. Our leaders are not going to solve our problems.
PETERSON: Over 80 percent of the kids at Bear Creek Middle School outside of Atlanta are impoverished.
MORRIS: So the solution to heal your communities, to heal your homes, and to heal your schools lies within yourself.
PETERSON: Morris teaches a new way of thinking. By enlisting the help of philanthropist Kevin Salwen, Morris leads students in a two- step process.
MORRIS: If you're going to achieve academic, excellence in these schools, then you first have to focus on the problem.
PETERSON: Step one, students talk about their big-time problems.
KEVIN SALWEN, PHILANTHROPIST: Kids who are talking about being raped or molested, or you know, kids who are growing up in poverty or kids growing up with no dads, or with moms who are involved in crack.
PETERSON: Step two, teaching the students that it's in the power of giving back that they'll move forward. Salwen knows a thing or two about giving back. It was back in 2007 that Salwen decided to make his own radical change when his 14-year-old daughter, Hannah, convinced the businessman to sell their house and downsize in half. He donated the $800,000 left over to two poor villages in Ghana and wrote about it in "The Power of Half," a story that caught the attention of Bear Creek Middle School social worker Ed Morris.
SALWEN: Ed approached me and said, Hey, Mr. Salwen, I know you wrote this book for white soccer moms, but let me tell you it's the -- you know, it's the inner city kid, the poor inner city kid.
PETERSON: Ninth-grader Destiny Fulcher says before the program, she was very low.
DESTINY FULCHER, HIGH SCHOOL FRESHMAN: I didn't really care about my school work. I didn't really care to come to school every day.
PETERSON: But after talking with her classmates about problems like bullying and issues at home, Destiny opened a new chapter in her life. She started volunteering, cleaning up trash, and doing community service.
FULCHER: I was distant from people before, and then I grasped how much people needed someone and not just money or things.
PETERSON: Destiny quickly realized that you don't have to be rich to give back.
SALWEN: All of a sudden, kids who have always lived their lives recognizing the things they don't have start to recognize the things that they do have.
PETERSON: Salwen says transforming attitudes transforms the bottom line. SALWEN: That 150 went down to 51 by the end of the school year.
PETERSON: The unlikely duo of social worker and philanthropist provides a one-two punch that students say works.
FULCHER: Who wants to give that much money away? Or who wants to help people the way they do? Like, it's not, Oh, I'm just going to give this money to them. No, they give theirself.
PETERSON: Giving and also believing.
SALWEN: We believe that you can -- that you have the power to succeed. Do you believe it? Because we believe it.
PETERSON: Julie Peterson, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And Hannah Salwen co-authored the book, "The Power of Half," and joins me live now from New York. So Hannah, you couldn't have anticipated that going half in your family's life would make such a huge impact, or did you?
HANNAH SALWEN, CO-AUTHOR, "THE POWER OF HALF": Not at all. I mean, when we set out to make a difference in the world, we thought that this project was just going to be our little family. I mean, little did we know we were going to be impacting kids not only in Ghana but also in inner city schools in Atlanta. I mean, it's shocking to me. It's shocking what this has brought upon. (SIC)
WHITFIELD: So it's a big idea that started out pretty small idea. It was as simple as you at the time you were 14. You were in a car with your dad, right? You were at a traffic light. And then you saw something that moved you. What happened at that moment?
SALWEN: So I was riding in the car with my dad on a really typical day, and we stopped at a really familiar stoplight about a mile from our house. And I looked to my left and I see a man sitting against a chain-link fence, holding up a sign, handwritten, you know, Hungry, homeless, please help, a really typical scene that I'd seen 100 times living in Atlanta.
But right at this moment, a beautiful black Mercedes pulled up on my right side, and then I was kind of toggling between the haves and the have-nots of the situation. And I looked at my dad and I said, You know, Dad, if that man in the Mercedes didn't have such a nice car, then that man over there, the homeless man, could have a meal.
And he thought about it for a second, then he looked back at me and he said, yes, that's right, but if we didn't have such a nice car, then that man could have a meal.
WHITFIELD: And so your dad kind of thought maybe this would go away with a fleeting thought, but you apparently were pretty persistent about this, and then, you know, posed a challenge to the family that, We need to give up more in order to help others. How did that go over dinner?
SALWEN: Well, as we were sitting at dinner as a family, we were kind of talking about the things that we were involved in. You know (INAUDIBLE) we work at Cafe 458, which is a restaurant for homeless men and women in Atlanta where we -- you know, we volunteer very frequently at the Atlanta Community Food Bank. But all of the things that they were saying just seemed pretty lame to me. And I felt like, you know, we have so much more, what can we do?
And so my mom really proposed a challenge and she said, Well, what do you want to do? You want to sell our house? And I said, yes. Yes, I do. That's exactly what I want to do. So that is what we did.
WHITFIELD: And it was a nice house, a $2 million home that you all were very comfortable in, didn't have any real complaints until you started thinking about how others might be able to benefit from half. So your family did just that, and half that money went to Ghana to help out people. But then all of this has turned into a book which has taken on a life of its own. It seems like this is never-ending, really.
SALWEN: I mean, it really never -- I mean, it really is never-ending. I mean, we're thinking about expanding the programs not just at Bear Creek in the 8th grade, but also moving it to the 7th grade, to other schools in Atlanta. I mean, everyone has something to give, and that's really -- that's really our motto. Everyone has the power to give.
WHITFIELD: And so real quick, if someone doesn't want to sell their home, what are your suggestions on how they can half or how they can help and feel good that they have done something for their, you know, brothers and sisters or neighbors?
SALWEN: Well, everyone does have the power to give, so it doesn't have to be money. It could be time. It could be talent. You know, if you spend 12 hours a week on line, which a lot of us do, maybe you could cut that in half and only use six hours on line, and then use the other six hours maybe volunteering at a cancer clinic, reading stories to kids with cancer. I mean, there's hundreds of ideas out there, just kind of finding what you have too much of it and cutting that into half.
WHITFIELD: All right, fantastic ideas. Hannah Salwen, co-author of "The Power of Half," thanks so much for your time. And Congratulations on...
SALWEN: Thank you very much.
WHITFIELD: ... what turned out to be a huge, huge, undertaking and effort. And great rewards.
SALWEN: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right, and of course, you can learn more about spending less and giving more by reading Hannah's book, "The Power of Half." All right, here's an interesting challenge, a discarded lottery ticket, a winning number in a world of legal trouble now. Our "Legal Guys" tell us what the answer might be. Who's pushing whose luck?
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WHITFIELD: A winning lottery ticket. What luck, right? Even moreso if you find it in the trash. Well, that's just what happened to one woman when she picked up a discarded ticket, but now the store owner is suing her for the money. Our legal experts weighed in.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Apparently, this was a discarded, half-scratched-off ticket in a gas station.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
HERMAN: And when the patron took it and finished scratching it off, saw it was a winner, she told the owner of the store and the owner made statements, Congratulations, you deserve it, congressional. Then the owner spoke to her lawyer and came back and said, Oh, no, she does not deserve it. We have a sign right above the trash can that says, Please don't touch these discarded lottery tickets.
So based on that "Please don't touch," the store is claiming that this basically was fraud, it was stolen from the store, and she should not be entitled to the money. This case is going nowhere. This person's going to get her million dollars...
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: So Sharon's going to get her money? Wait a minute! So Avery, the sign is there! This is private property, this is our trash, don't mess with it. Was that enough?
AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Except for one problem. The sign went up after she got the ticket.
WHITFIELD: Oh!
FRIEDMAN: Secondly -- secondly, there is testimony from other people that frequent this convenience store that the practice is once the owner throws it out -- I mean, you don't want to go through garbage...
WHITFIELD: It's a free-for-all?
FRIEDMAN: ... you could get a cold or -- well, what's that?
WHITFIELD: It would be a free-for-all, once the trash goes out? Is that what you're going to say?
FRIEDMAN: Well, that's the custom of this store. I know you don't want to go into garbage because you could get germs or a John Edwards sex tape.
(CROSSTALK)
FRIEDMAN: ... discarded or (INAUDIBLE) Good. But she got the ticket because that's been the practice. Sharon Jones wins this case.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Oh! You can catch our "Legal Guys" -- you never know what you're going to get -- you can catch them every Saturday, noon Eastern time.
All right, wouldn't you love a gym class where you didn't have to break a sweat, but how about instead taking a little nap? A napping class, in fact. That's what they're doing in North Carolina. We'll tell you all about it next in the "Chatroom" this Saturday.
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WHITFIELD: All right, we're changing things up a little bit. I know you're used to the "Chatroom" on Sundays, but instead, we thought we'd bring it to Saturday. Jacqui Jeras and I talking about all those things that are kind of off-radar. We think they should be on-radar. So here we go.
JERAS: Yes. We're starting out with a new trend at a few gyms in Charlotte, North Carolina, where instead of exercising, you actually nap...
WHITFIELD: Take a nap.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: An air nap. Isn't that fun? We're all so tired all the time, and sometimes we need to learn how to relax, right?
JERAS: Well, that's the whole idea of this, right? So you've had a hard work day. You go, you take a little air nap, you refresh, then you can go back to work.
WHITFIELD: Hilarious.
JERAS: But lookit, it's, like, in a little...
WHITFIELD: Little cocoon.
JERAS: ... cocoon thing.
WHITFIELD: You think you could do that? Could you relax?
JERAS: I don't think -- I don't relax easily!
WHITFIELD: No?
(CROSSTALK)
JERAS: But like, with other people around? Would you be able to...
WHITFIELD: Well, maybe not in a cocoon, but I have done that a few times, fallen asleep, like, in a yoga class.
JERAS: In yoga class.
WHITFIELD: At the end. It's the corpse pose. It does to me all the time.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: Because you're still, and then all of a sudden...
JERAS: People pay to do this.
WHITFIELD: I'm tired a lot.
JERAS: I love that.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: No, doesn't look that comfortable -- yes, I know. It doesn't look that comfortable to me. But hey, it's a class, so it must be working. All right, let's move on to something else that's maybe not very comfortable for a whole lot of people.
JERAS: Oh, yes...
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: ... San Francisco, a unique place where, you know...
JERAS: Yes.
WHITFIELD: ... it's legal to walk around nude.
(CROSSTALK)
JERAS: Right. But they're a little concerned about sanitary things.
(CROSSTALK)
JERAS: That's right. So now a city supervisor says that you got to put a little something on if you're going to sit down. Go ahead and do your thing, if that's what you want to do, but if you're going to sit on something, you need a little...
WHITFIELD: Yes, they're not talking about shorts, but you know, put a little towel or something. There's something about you know, bare buns on the seat, you know, on a public seat. So I understand.
JERAS: Yes.
WHITFIELD: I think most people could embrace that.
JERAS: All right. Good times. OK, let's move on, shall we?
WHITFIELD: Oh, I love this!
JERAS: I love this, too.
WHITFIELD: This is funny. Things not to do with over 50.
JERAS: Right. AARP has -- you know, every month, they put out their magazine. Well, in the September issue, they put out a list of things to do or not to do once you turn 50.
WHITFIELD: Yes, let's go through them real quick.
JERAS: Take a look.
WHITFIELD: That's fun. OK, handwritten letters -- this is something -- no, this is a to-do?
JERAS: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: OK, handwritten letters to your grandchildren. You can still do that. OK. Dancing outside in a foreign land. You can do that? That's funny.
(CROSSTALK)
JERAS: I like that!
WHITFIELD: You can't do that at home?
JERAS: Free spirit.
WHITFIELD: Yes. And then start telling the truth every day.
JERAS: Yes. You should start that before you turn 50, though, just like...
WHITFIELD: Yes, I think so. OK.
JERAS: OK, so things you should not say.
WHITFIELD: Do not say. Whatever!
JERAS: Whatever! Right? You're too old to say "whatever"?
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Whatever! That's what somebody says.
JERAS: Hammered, smashed or overserved, hot and kick it.
WHITFIELD: I don't know. I think those are kind of...
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: ... you know, to say, hip?
JERAS: I think so. And it also says never wear mini-skirts or skinny jeans, regardless of how good of a body you have.
WHITFIELD: Oh, OK. Well, I don't know if I agree with that one.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: All right, that's another "Chatroom." Good to see you, Jacqui. We'll see you much later on all things weather.
JERAS: Yes.
WHITFIELD: All right. We'll much more news after this.
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