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Last Chance for Convicted Cop Killer; Solar Company Loan Investigation Continues; Republican Jobs Plan?; Rachel Zoe's New Project; Tent City For The Homeless; Talk Back Question; Questioning Celibacy
Aired September 15, 2011 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, top of the hour. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Let's get you up to speed.
A green company championed by President Obama will cost the taxpayers a pretty penny. The solar panel company the president visited in 2010 is now bankrupt. It's doubtful the half-billion-dollar stimulus loan can be recovered. E-mails suggest the administration rushed the loan to approval. The FBI, Treasury Department and Republicans in Congress are now investigating.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. STEVE SCALISE (R), LOUISIANA: Just Solyndra alone was touted to create 3,000 jobs. The president touted that; it is going to be a great success story. And, of course, we have seen the failure there and a lot of us are questioning this kind of double-down, son of stimulus approach where they're going to come back and do more of this kind of same failed policy of just spending money we don't have.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The administration defends the loan and says it's inevitable some new companies will fail in this economic climate. Officials insist federal investment in alternative energy companies must continue.
Switzerland's largest bank is watching its stock fall hard today. UBS says one of its traders treated the bank's cash like "Monopoly" money. He allegedly lost $2 billion on rogue trades. A 31-year-old UBS employee in the bank's London offices was arrested today. London police say UBS tipped them off to the trader's identity.
And next hour, House Speaker John Boehner puts out a Republican plan to create jobs. He will reportedly call for corporate tax cuts. Some Republicans were warming to the president's jobs bill until they found out that he would raise taxes on the wealthy in order to pay for it.
President Obama has been out stumping for his jobs bill for a week now. The president was feeling the love at a campaign-style rally at North Carolina State University yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AUDIENCE MEMBER: I love you, Barack!
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I love you back.
(LAUGHTER)
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: That starts...
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: But if you love me -- if you love me, you got to help me pass this bill!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Texas Governor Rick Perry talked Republican presidential politics over dinner with Donald Trump in New York last night. The billionaire/reality star defended Perry's decision to mandate the HPV vaccine for girls to prevent cervical cancer. Perry has since rescinded his executive order.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, CHAIRMAN & CEO, TRUMP HOTELS & CASINO RESORTS: I'm not sure that he would have done it again. I think he said he sort of indicated that, but he also said that he believes in saving lives. And that's a pretty poignant statement. He believes very strongly in saving lives. And that was the way it was given to hi, and a lot of people agree with him and some people don't.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: You will remember Sarah Palin shared a pizza with Trump back in June. Perry and Trump went decidedly more upscale, dining at a chic restaurant overlooking Central Park.
An explosion and fire in the engine room of a Norwegian cruise ship killed two crew members today. Nine ship workers were hospitalized. The liner's operator says all 207 passengers were evacuated safely. The fire is out, but the ship is taking on water. Crews are trying to keep it from sinking.
A yellow sign posted on a bridge is a ruthless warning for bloggers from Mexico's drug cartels. That's the only part of the message that we can actually show you. The main message was the bodies of two young people who criticized the cartels on social sites. The woman was hog-tied and disemboweled, strung up by her feet. A man next to her was hanging from his hands. Both had been tortured.
The leaders of Britain and France are visiting Libya today. David Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy pledged to release billions more in frozen assets to the new Libyan rulers. They also promised NATO would help hunt down Libya's fugitive dictator, Moammar Gadhafi. And White House party crasher and reality TV star Michaele Salahi has not been kidnapped after all. That's what her husband actually, Tareq, had told Virginia police. Well, no, she's just fine, and apparently with another man now, a guitarist for the rock band Journey.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANNY MCEATHRON, WARREN COUNTY SHERIFF: Mrs. Salahi advised that she did not want Mr. Salahi to know where she was. Ms. Salahi advised Deputy Glavis that she was very sorry that the Sheriff's Office had to be involved, but did not want to go home right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Michaele Salahi is reported to be in Memphis, where Journey is performing a concert. Her husband says through his attorney that he is -- quote -- "devastated."
Capital punishment, it's been a big issue on the campaign trail lately and a big issue here in Georgia. That's because in less than a week, convicted cop killer Troy Davis is set to be executed despite serious questions about his guilt.
Our David Mattingly reports that includes witnesses who have recanted testimony and even a juror who regrets convicting Davis.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Three times scheduled for execution, three times delayed. Now, with all legal appeals exhausted. Supporters of convicted cop killer Troy Davis makes a final push for clemency.
(on camera): What makes you think you still have a chance to stop this execution?
LAURA MOVE, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL USA: Can we be sure that this man is not innocent? Can we be sure that the conviction of Troy Davis back in 1991 is still reliable? The thing that is so difficult to understand is why the legal process hasn't asked that question.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): Davis was sentenced to death for the 1989 murder of a Savannah, Georgia, police officer Mark MacPhail. Seven of nine eyewitnesses have since recanted, changed their stories. Some say they were originally pressured by police.
DARRELL COLLINS, WITNESS: I told them over and over I didn't see it happen. They put what they want to put in that statement.
MATTINGLY: Others have come forward implicating another man. One juror who convicted Davis questions her decision.
BRENDA FORREST, DAVIS JUROR: If I knew then what I know now, Troy Davis would not be on death row. MATTINGLY: With only a week to his execution, critics of the case against Davis include 51 members of Congress, the Vatican and former president, Jimmy Carter.
JIMMY CARTER, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We believe that, in this particular case, there's enough evidence to the contrary to prevent this execution taking place.
MATTINGLY: An online petition supporting clemency for Davis exceeded 200,000 signatures in five days. But state and federal courts have all upheld Davis' conviction. The former DA who prosecuted Davis says the courts got it right.
SPENCER LAWTON, FORMER CHATHAM COUNTRY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: I'm just disappointed that so many people have been led to believe that nobody has paid attention to these recantations. It is, as I explained earlier, simply not the case. It's just not the case. On what ground are the recantations more believable than the testimony in court? None. None.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: CNN's David Mattingly joining us now live from the federal courthouse in Atlanta.
So, David, the Pardons and Parole Board will decide on Monday whether to delay or stop Troy Davis' execution. What will his attorneys try to argue?
MATTINGLY: Well, they feel like they have two very compelling things to go toward them with.
First of all, the seven of nine eyewitnesses recanting their statements in the last 20 years, also another eyewitness coming forward saying he saw someone else commit that murder. They're hoping that will be enough to show this board that they cannot allow this execution to go forward.
And make no mistake about it, this five-member board will be voting on whether or not Troy Davis lives or dies. And once before, they denied him clemency. But this time, there are three new members on that board who will be hearing these arguments fresh and supporters of Troy Davis think they have a shot, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: So, David, you had mentioned an international petition drive was under way. Has that been successful in any way?
MATTINGLY: Well, they just delivered that massive petition in multiple boxes to the prison parole board for them to consider with their decision on Monday.
Those boxes contain signatures from all over the world. The tally was over 600,000. And they believe that that shows that this issue goes beyond the usual organizations that are just against the death penalty. People are arguing that the facts are not here in this case and this execution should not go forward because of that reason. WHITFIELD: All right, David Mattingly, thanks so much in Atlanta.
All right, here now is your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. What if Congress took a pay cut?
Carol Costello joining us again from New York -- Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What if Congress took a pay cut? Stop laughing, because I know you are.
A nonpartisan group called the Taxpayers Protection Alliance sent this letter to lawmakers urging them to cut their extravagant salaries of $174,000 a year by 10 percent. They say it would save taxpayers $100 million over 10 years.
Before you say fat chance, consider this. Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown has introduced legislation calling on lawmakers to wait until the age of 66 before receiving a pension. Right now, lawmakers can retire as early as age 50 with a full pension depending on years of service. You're still laughing. And I know why, because you have heard it all before.
Last February, as Americans faced the possibility of a government shutdown, Senator Barbara Boxer had a dandy idea.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARBARA BOXER (D), CALIFORNIA: If the government is forced to shut down, members of Congress and the president should be treated the same way as all other federal employees. We should not be paid.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Well, the government didn't shut down, so I guess Congress got a pass on that one, but seriously if lawmakers did take a pay cut or raised their retirement age, dare I say it, would that be patriotic? Responsible? Moral?
We'd like to hear it from you. So, the "Talkback" question today: What would it say to you if Congress took a pay cut? Facebook.com/CarolCNN. Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I will read your responses later this hour.
WHITFIELD: All right, we look forward to that. And we will see if people are laughing or not.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: Carol, thank you.
All right, here's a rundown of some of the stories that we're covering over the next hour.
First, a candid interview with former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy is made public after more than 40 years.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
JACQUELINE KENNEDY ONASSIS, FORMER FIRST LADY: Someone said, where do you get your opinions? And I said, I get all my opinions from my husband.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And talk about losing control, unbelievable video of a driver plowing through a bike shop right there.
Then, new concerns about getting X-rays at the dentist.
Also, just a week after the president unveiled his jobs plan, House Speaker John Boehner is getting ready to lay out a Republican plan.
And later, what schools are doing right and how others can copy them.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, here's your chance to "Choose the News." Text 22360 for the story that you want to see.
Text one for culture clash. There's an emotional battle raging in Arizona right now to save Mexican-American studies in the state schools. We will hear from both sides of the melting pot. Text two for the progressive priest. A bishop in Ireland says it's time to let priests get married. Can a revolution in the church help heal the wounds left by its child abuse scandals? And text three for made in China. Forget cheap knockoffs. A made in China label could soon be found on high-end items designed within the economic superpower's own borders.
You can vote by texting 22360. Text one for culture clash in Arizona, two for the progressive priest, or three for the new made in China. The winning story airs at the end of the hour.
Jacqueline Kennedy in her own words. We now have tapes of her speaking just months after her husband's assassination, the interviews that mark the most detailed and personal comments she ever made on the Kennedy White House years.
Let's bring in our Deborah Feyerick live from New York.
So, Deborah, what strikes you most about these tapes made by a very young woman at the time?
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, she was incredibly young.
But the first thing you notice is Jacqueline Kennedy's voice. It's very gentle, refined, patrician, and extremely engaging. It really just brings you in. She talks about world leaders, their wives, her husband's Cabinet secretaries, and of course, in the most loving terms, her husband, JFK.
But she never upstages any of them. She's very opinionated, as a matter of fact. France's President Charles de Gaulle, she calls here an egomaniac. Indira Gandhi, she called a real prune and a pushy, horrible woman. And citing her own emotional nature, she said woman were not suited to be in politics. That's something that she later changed her mind on.
She even calls the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. a phony when she found out that he was a philanderer. She doesn't spare herself, though, talking about how she was perceived by the media before she -- her husband was elected president.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
KENNEDY: I was always a liability to him until we got to the White House. And he never asked me to change or said anything about it. Everyone thought I was a snob from Newport who had bouffant hair and had French clothes and hated politics.
And then because I was off and having these babies, I wasn't able to campaign, be around him as much as I could have. And he'd get so upset for me when something like that came out. And, sometimes, I would say, oh, Jack, I wish -- I'm so sorry for you that I'm just such a dud.
And he knew it wasn't true, and he didn't want me to change. And he knew I loved him and I did everything I could. And when I did campaign with him, I did it very hard.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Really fascinating. While she recognized and says that she was a liability, she really became an asset, whether it was raising the kids, whether it was the way that she had a way with diplomacy and foreign languages and even her affinity for history, right?
FEYERICK: Absolutely. As a matter of fact, it was Jacqueline Kennedy that actually went on to define the role of a first lady by undertaking the restoration of the White House and by really turning it into a historical monument and museum really.
Also, it's so fascinating because she was on the front row. And you have to listen to what her take was on the Cuban Missile Crisis when she spoke to her husband.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
KENNEDY: I remember saying, well, I knew if anything happened, we'd all be evacuated to Camp David or something.
And I don't know if he said anything about that to me. I don't think he -- but I said, please, don't send me away to Camp David, me and the children. Please don't send me anywhere. If anything happens, we're all going to stay right here with you.
And, you know -- and I said even if there's not room in the bomb shelter in the White House, which I had seen, I said, please, then I just want to be on the lawn when it happens. No, but I just want to be with you and I want to die with you. And the children do, too, than live without you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FEYERICK: And this, of course, is when nuclear missiles were aimed -- were in Cuba aimed at the United States.
There are great details about John Kennedy choosing a 10-year anniversary gift, and picking out a bracelet and an ancient riding bit for a horse and how, of course, after they'd get into an argument and there was sort of a day of silence, she would throw her arms around him and all would be forgiven.
So it is really just kind of a warm memoir almost of her time, a time she calls the happiest of her life -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: Wow, incredible view of that Kennedy White House.
All right, thanks so much, Deborah Feyerick.
FEYERICK: Of course.
WHITFIELD: Checking stories making news cross-country now.
Surveillance video catching an 85-year-old woman driving right through a California bike shop. Her car smashed through a glass window, then plowed through the shelves and the bike racks. Two people inside just barely escaped being hit, as you see right there. Whoa. Everybody is OK, though. The shop, by the way, had just been remodeled.
And in Missouri, two kids came to the rescue when their 22-year-old cousin jumped into this pool, hit his head, and then could not move his arms or legs. The 9- and 11-year-old boys then jumped in the five-foot-deep water, then carried the man up even though he weighed more than both of them combined.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVEN ROMINES, 9 YEARS OLD: I was on the side of the pool, and I said, I think something is wrong with Tyler. And then Crichton went underwater to try to grab him up. And then he came up and he said, "Steven, I need help."
I was thinking he wasn't really going to live. I thought he was going to pass away.
TYLER BIRDSONG, SAVED FROM DROWNING: After a little while, I made peace. I was like -- I was like, this is really how I'm going to die.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Incredible. Tyler Birdsong fractured three of his vertebrae, but he has since regained feeling in his feet and legs and miraculously is able to walk again.
And from Phoenix to L.A., folks in the southwest got a rare treat last night. Take a look at this. What does that look like to you? A mysterious streak of light shot across the sky. And dozens of people in California, Nevada, and Arizona called 911 to report -- you guessed it -- a UFO. Well, experts believe that it may have been a meteor or a piece of an asteroid.
All right, Chad Myers with us now.
Yes, people see something in the sky like that and they just of course default to, it is a UFO.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, and you know about our story yesterday about the satellite that's going to fall to the Earth.
WHITFIELD: Right.
MYERS: But it's not going to fall to the Earth until probably September or October, at least the end of September, October.
And so people were trying to put two and two together. No, it was probably just a piece of something that was magnesium and nickel and -- at least a little bit of it, because it was green, burning green. That's the typical couple for magnesium and nickel to burn.
WHITFIELD: Wow.
MYERS: It was a little bit yellow an orange to other people as it burned up in the night sky. About the size somewhere of a volleyball is they're...
WHITFIELD: Oh, really?
MYERS: Yes. But it never hit the ground. It was in pieces by the time...
WHITFIELD: Dissipated.
MYERS: Yes.
And the reason why we don't think it was the satellite is because as the satellite will make its way back into space and through space and into the atmosphere, it will break up into many parts. And so we will see streaks in the sky like one, two, three like shooting stars all together breaking apart, and then falling toward the Earth, rather than with this thing, which is really just one big blob that came down.
WHITFIELD: Like a fireball.
MYERS: And we're not in the middle of any meteor -- the Perseids, nothing like that. So this is just something that was out there that Earth flew into it. And it's three-dimensional. Here it comes this way. And here our Earth is. And it was right over the Southwest.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: But the folks who saw it felt like, wow, they saw something very special. MYERS: It was very special.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
All right, well, if you visit your dentist on a regular basis, you have probably had a number of X-rays or two, right? Well, there is growing concern now about the radiation that you are actually getting. We will find out how safe those X-rays are and what you can do if you are still a little worried about that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, breaking news out of Pakistan.
We want to go to Barbara Starr at the Pentagon.
Barbara, what are we hearing about an al Qaeda operative?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: You bet.
Fredricka, U.S. officials are now confirming that the chief of operations for al Qaeda has been killed in Pakistan. This man's name is Abu Hafs al-Shahri. Now, they are not saying how he died as the chief operations of al Qaeda in Pakistan, but it is well known that the CIA operates armed drones with missiles over Pakistan and has conducted a number of those missile strikes in recent days.
As the chief of operations of al Qaeda, U.S. officials are saying the death of this man deals a blow to al Qaeda. But, look, in recent weeks and months, so many al Qaeda key operatives have been killed. The Pentagon in fact estimates now nine of the 20 top al Qaeda leaders dead. So many have been killed that they have been forced to put less experienced people into these top positions.
So this guy was chief of operations. He was involved in an awful lot, but how much power he had, how much control, his effectiveness probably would have grown if he had been alive and stayed in the job longer -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, Barbara Starr, thanks so much.
All right, this is something I think everyone can relate to. If you go to the dentist, you have likely had an X-ray of your teeth, right? Well, it might be the only medical radiation that you get on a regular basis and that actually worries quite a few people.
CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen with us now.
So, do people need X-rays? And if they do, do they need to be worried about them?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Unfortunately, the way it often works in this country is that you show up at the dentist and they say, OK, Mrs. Whitfield, it's time for your X-rays. And you have to ask, really? Are you sure? Why am I getting them?
Because too often they're just done. Often, they're done once a year on someone who has a perfectly healthy mouth.
WHITFIELD: So, unnecessarily?
COHEN: Well, a lot of dentists are really starting to question it. And they're starting to say. for healthy people, maybe they only need to be done once every two or three years, because this is radiation. And why would we want to radiate you if we really don't need it?
On the one hand, the X-rays are good. They help see stuff you can't see with the naked eye. On the other hand, do you really need to be irradiating someone once a year who has an otherwise healthy mouth?
WHITFIELD: So what are you looking for when dentists say they want to do it every six months or maybe annually?
COHEN: They're looking for decay on surfaces. They're looking for several things, but one of the biggies is decay on surfaces of the teeth that they can't see with the naked eye.
So I asked some dentists who study this. And they say, well, yes, you can see that, but on the other hand you can also see that by using an explorer that's sharp and good and good hands with a little mirror, that that should also help to do the trick.
WHITFIELD: So what are your options? What is an empowered patient to do?
COHEN: Well, an empowered patient should think about sort of the good and the bad side. This is very little radiation. It's one -- one set of bite wing X-rays is about the amount of radiation that you get just walking around in one day. So it's not a ton of radiation.
But if you get it over and over again, that's a lot of radiation and kids are especially susceptible to it and your thyroid is especially susceptible to it. An empowered patient wants to say, one, do I really need these? I just had them done last year, and I don't have any problems. Do I really these? And two, ask for a thyroid shield.
This is so important. Many dentists use them.
WHITFIELD: What would that look like?
COHEN: It looks like -- it is something that covers your neck. So, if you go to the dentist and if just get something that covers your chest, ask about covering your neck.
WHITFIELD: Really?
COHEN: That's where your thyroid is. The thyroid is so susceptible to radiation compared to the rest of the body. And thyroid cancer is a concern. And doctors who treat thyroid cancer are actually starting a task force where they will look at things like dental radiation and see if it's playing a role. (CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: When we talk about our kids, is there a certain age bracket where maybe we need to say, no, not necessary?
(CROSSTALK)
COHEN: Well, no, kids often do need X-rays. But I talked to one dentist who is a professor emeritus on this. And he said, what I do when I go to the dentist with my grandkids, I say, does she really need this? And if they don't use a thyroid shield, he said, I am jumping up and down.
WHITFIELD: Thyroid shield.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Got to remember that. I never knew.
COHEN: Covers the neck.
WHITFIELD: OK.
COHEN: OK.
WHITFIELD: That's my request from now on. All right, thanks so much, Elizabeth. Appreciate that.
COHEN: Thanks.
WHITFIELD: One week after President Obama unveiled his jobs plan, House Speaker Boehner plans to reveal the Republican' jobs strategy. He's speaking in Washington next hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Just a week after President Barack Obama unveiled his jobs plan, House Speaker John Boehner is getting ready to lay out the Republican plan to get Americans working again. He's speaking to the Economic Club in Washington at the top of the hour.
So, David Gergen is with us now from Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is CNN's senior political analyst and a former presidential adviser.
So what are we going to be hearing from the House speaker next hour?
DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, Fredricka, it is very likely what we're going to be hearing is the deep division and philosophy between Democrats and Republicans.
The Democratic response, President Obama's response has been to propose a big new stimulus program that involves both tax cuts and new spending and spending that is targeted various groups to give jobs to construction workers, to give jobs to teachers and that sort of thing.
The Boehner approach -- and it is going to reflect a more general Republican approach -- is very different. And that is that government essentially should provide the conditions in which business can thrive, that business can take the initiative. And for Republicans, that means tax reform that simplifies the tax system, gets rid of a lot of the loopholes without necessarily creating more taxes.
It also means they want to lower the general tax rates. They want to reduce the amount of regulation. Essentially, they want to cut the government more out of the way and create more certainty and they think that will -- quote -- "liberate" the economy. He's going to use the word liberation. That's the title to his speech, liberation of the American economy, that the government should liberate the economy, as opposed to doing things to help stimulate the economy, which is the Obama approach.
WHITFIELD: So, David, what happened to that bipartisan nodding and applause when the president was before Congress announcing this jobs plan?
GERGEN: Well, that's a very good question, Fredricka. And I think a couple of things. One is the Republicans remain in their rhetoric conciliatory and I think there is a chance they will -- I think there is actually a good chance that the Republicans will get together with Democrats and pass pieces of the president's program, especially those that lower taxes.
But something surprising has happened since the president gave the speech.
WHITFIELD: What's that?
GERGEN: And that has been -- well, the surprise has been that the president did not get a bump out of the speech. A CNN survey shows his numbers are essentially still flat.
When a president goes and speaks before a joint session of Congress, as Clinton did, Clinton routinely got a five- to 10-point jump in his own approval rating. And that would help his program. It would put pressure on Congress to approve it. President Obama didn't get the bump. And now he's out campaigning in a variety of states, just North Carolina yesterday, trying to get the public aroused to put pressure on Congress.
And so far it is not working as well as the White House has wanted. It may still work. It may catch fire. We will have to wait and see. But the president has also run into some reservations in his over party. Here is a president who has to win North Carolina and Virginia, at least one of those two, in order to win reelection probably.
And he's got a leading Democratic senator from Virginia, Jim Webb, saying the president's plan is terrible, terrible. That was the word, a surprise to me.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Which is a complete contrast, because you heard the president say that there were items in his proposal that both Democrats and Republicans had backed. And now he's got members of his own party who are saying, we don't necessarily like this, and then Republicans, too, are saying we have got to craft our own plan.
GERGEN: Well, that's right.
And so Kay Hagan in North Carolina, a Democratic senator, just said yesterday when the president was there that this has to be ultimately -- before I vote for it, it has to be a plan that both Republicans and Democrats can support.
That's a hard-work thing. So, the president has got a lot work cut out for him to generate the enthusiasm. Boehner has got a smaller task, and that is to put a bridge out there to make the Republicans look like they have something, an alternative. And then presumably their candidates for president will pick up that banner.
But for now, the pressure is on the White House, frankly, today to generate that public enthusiasm that's going to be so important to get the Congress to act.
WHITFIELD: All right, David Gergen, thanks so much from Massachusetts. Appreciate that.
GERGEN: OK, Fredricka. Thank you.
WHITFIELD: And, of course, John Boehner making -- revealing his Republican plan next hour. CNN will be covering that live.
All right, too often, we hear about what schools are doing wrong. Well, coming up, we're going to tell you what some of America's schools are actually doing right and the seven important ingredients to any school's success.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: There are so many ideas on how to fix our nation's schools and improve education, but there are a lot of things that schools are actually already doing right.
Here to tell us all about that, CNN's Student News anchor Carl Azuz.
So, what is the recipe for the success of those schools who have gotten it right?
CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: There are many ingredients to that recipe, Fredricka.
And it is so nice to talk about this because so often we are focused on the challenges facing schools...
WHITFIELD: Yes.
AZUZ: ... the things that are going wrong in America's schools. Here are a few of the systemic things in place in American school systems that are really working out well. First and foremost, you have a defined focus and curriculum in the nation's top schools. It is clear what's going to be covered, what students are expected to get out of that. Then you have high standards and clear assessments. This is as opposed to let's say a lowest common denominator approach. Let's make everybody pass. It is not like that.
At the top schools, students are pushed to achieve. and then, of course, and this does factor in, supplies, space and technology. Now, at a time when we have an economic climate like this, that's a challenge to a lot of schools. There are budget cuts. There's classroom crowding.
But I talked to some kids for the "Fix Our Schools" series last year who told me that even though they were using a chalkboard instead of a smart board, a good teacher can make up for that.
WHITFIELD: OK. So what about the human factor in all that?
AZUZ: And it plays in so strongly.
When you have that personal connection between a teacher and a student, between an administrator and student, it makes a world of difference.
WHITFIELD: Sure.
AZUZ: And a few things that factor in there include having qualified, effective teachers at the nation's top schools. These are teachers, they know their subject areas. They want their students not just to pass, but to succeed.
You have a positive environment. You have dedicated, strong administrators. These are people who can work with teachers and students to improve the educational climate. A positive environment on there, a place where kids feel safe, they can develop confidence in their learning. And then finally so important here, parental involvement and support. Study after study has shown that when you have parents who are involved in a kid's education, you have kids who get a better education, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Yes, that makes perfect sense.
And just that reinforcement, whether it be from a teacher in kind of a mentoring situation or a family member, it is going to make a kid excited about going to school and learning.
AZUZ: It does. And it is that drive to achieve that makes for a successful education.
WHITFIELD: Yes. All right, Carl Azuz, always good to see you.
AZUZ: Thank you, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, coming up next hour, 100 percent of its graduates go off to college -- how the nation's very first all-boys charter school in Chicago makes that happen.
Ted Rowlands reports on that 1:00 Eastern time.
All right, if you watch "The Rachel Zoe Project" on Bravo, you know all about her. If you don't, you at least know her Hollywood clients, A-listers like Kate Hudson, Anne Hathaway, Eva Mendes, to name just a few.
But now celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe is embarking on a new project and she says it is the scariest thing she will ever do.
Here's CNN's Alina Cho.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On TV, she's watched by millions on the Rachel Zoe Project.
RACHEL ZOE, STYLIST: I'm six months pregnant and I'm at the busiest point in my career right now.
CHO: On the red carpet, it's her stylish touch that's front and center. Rachel Zoe makes a mint dressing A-list stars in designer clothing. Now, those celebs are beginning to wear designs by Zoe herself.
(on camera): You've been dressing celebrities for so long. When Jennifer Lopez --
ZOE: Oh my God. Like I still get chills I can't even -- because I know where you're going right now and I can't even talk about it.
CHO (voice-over): Jennifer Lopez in a white Rachel Zoe tuxedo dress. That's right, Zoe's first collection for stores on the racks this fall.
(on camera): It's a big leap to go from stylist to designer.
ZOE: It is. And I have very high expectations of myself.
CHO: You call it the scariest thing you've ever done.
ZOE: It is 100 percent is the scariest thing I have ever done. This isn't something where I'm dressing someone and it's the Oscars. This is a very constant, constant process.
CHO (voice-over): She's in Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom's, Sacks Fifth Avenue and every Neiman Marcus in America. Something that company has never done for a first-time designer. And the clothes priced between $200 and $600 are already selling out.
JIM GOLD, PRESIDENT, SPECIALTY RETAIL, NEIMAN MARCUS: Because she works with all of the collections because she's in a fitting room all day long with her clients. She gets it.
ZOE: Everything has a hint of glitz. CHO (voice-over): Vintage inspired. Something Zoe is known for.
(on camera): You were inspired in part by the Charlie girl.
ZOE: Yes, I love Charlie girl.
CHO (voice-over): Yes, that's Charlie girl, the '70s is this 40-year- old's favorite decade. Her heroes, legendary designers, Halston and Yves Saint Laurent.
ZOE: And the tailoring is -- I mean, the fit is so tremendous.
CHO: You always say, if it doesn't fit, don't buy it.
ZOE: God, no. Don't. And -- and I stand behind that.
Unbelievable, it's got it.
CHO (voice-over): It's this unguarded love, passion for fashion that gets fans so excited. Now, the stylist to the stars is also a brand and Rachel Zoe isn't stopping at clothes.
ZOE: Home, beauty, more television. Maybe, I mean, just everything.
CHO (on camera): Talk show. ZOE: No.
CHO: Maybe.
ZOE: We'll see. We'll see.
CHO (voice-over): What is certain is that Zoe is a mother first, her latest venture, a family business.
RODGER BERMAN, RACHEL ZOE'S HUSBAND: Look!
RACHEL ZOE: Do you like that?
BERMAN: Mommy made this!
CHO: Her husband's the president. Her new son, Skyler, the heir apparent. That's if he's interested. Zoe says styling is still her first love.
ZOE: I always say I think I'll be dressing Jennifer Garner when I'm 75. Like I really do. I actually do. I think she'll actually, you know, she'll have a premier of some sort. And say, OK, I'm coming. I'm really dire, but I'm coming. I got to go see my grandchildren first.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Alina will have many more inside looks at the runway shows, the designers, the fashions and the trends that you won't see anywhere else. Watch the CNN special "Fashion: Backstage" airing this Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: The recession has forced a lot of Americans out of their homes. And for some of them, the only place to go is the streets. Or, in Lakewood, New Jersey, to a tent city set up in the woods. The camp is now caught up in a legal fight. Here now is CNN's Allan Chernoff.
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, right behind me is one of the main streets of Lakewood, New Jersey. But take a few steps with me into the woods and it's an entirely different world where dozens of homeless people have set up camp, created a community and they're trying to make it on their own.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANGELO VILANUAVA (ph), TENT CITY RESIDENT: Here's my punching bag. Another stress reliever.
CHERNOFF (voice-over): Angelo Vilanuava, a mason who lost his last job about a year ago, is among dozens of jobless and homeless Americans who have resorted to this -- trying to make a home here in the woods.
VILANUAVA: When you think of a homeless person, you think of some wino out on the corner. But it can happen to anyone. Anyone at any time.
CHERNOFF: Vilanuava stays in shape in the gym he built as he hopes for a pick-up in the economy to help him get back to work.
MARILYN BERENSZWEIG, TENT CITY RESIDENT: Oh, it's horrible. So depressing. CHERNOFF: Marilyn Berenszweig is a textile designer who worked in New York just two years ago. She and her husband Michael, a former public radio producer, have been living here for 16 months. Victims of the jobs recession.
BERENSZWEIG: It's very hard for a company to decide to use a 61-year- old trainee. I'm too young for Social security. So, yes, it's going to be a rough -- a rocky flight. It's been a rocky flight.
CHERNOFF: Five years ago Reverend Steve Brigham established what he calls Tent City where he lives in this converted school bus. He's seen the population nearly double to 70 in the past year.
REV. STEVE BRIGHAM, TENT CITY FOUNDER: It's a community here. They've got all their needs met here.
CHERNOFF (on camera): The residents here have some up with some makeshift solutions to some of life's necessities. This portable generator is hooked up to a pump that is actually driving up ground water to the shower here and to the washing machine. And what you see here is a hot water heater working off of a propane tank.
CHERNOFF (voice-over): Tent city residents recycle. The township picks up garbage once a week. But that's as much help as local government provides. Lakewood Township is suing Reverend Steve and his tent city residents to get them off public lands.
BRIGHAM: The government has a responsibility to be sympathetic to the plight of the poor and to the homeless. And to push them out is cruel.
CHERNOFF: The township referred CNN's inquiry to its attorney who did not return our calls and e-mails. As the legal battle drags on and the economy stagnates, the homeless, who have created a home here, maintain their hope of returning to society.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHERNOFF: But with the unemployment situation so severe, many residents of tent city anticipate they may have to tough out the winter right here.
Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, incredible. Thank you so much, Allan.
All right, well, you've been sounding off on today's "Talk Back" question. Our Carol Costello has your responses coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: You've been weighing in on our "Talk Back" question of the day. Carol Costello joining us now from New York with the responses.
Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the "Talk Back" question today, what would it say to you if Congress took a pay cut?
This is from Holly. "The slightest bit of faith that I do have in Congress would begin to be restored slowly but surely. Talk is cheap and that's what -- and in the past few years, that's what it's been -- cheap talk. It's time to show action."
This from Judy. "Not just a pay cut. They must be required to be on the job and voting. No absences from governmental duties. To have the same health insurance as their constituents and term limits."
This is from Brian. "It would tell me that they are making a token effort to appease people like me that would like to see an end to career politicians at all levels."
And this from Adam. "I'm concerned that if Congress took a pay cut hell would freeze over and the end of days would begin."
Oh, thanks for the conversation. If you want to keep the conversation going, facebook.com/carolcnn. And, as always, thank you for your comments.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks a lot, Carol.
COSTELLO: Sure.
WHITFIELD: Sometimes you've got to laugh just to maintain the sanity, right?
COSTELLO: I'm sorry.
WHITFIELD: Laugh is good medicine.
COSTELLO: That's right, it is.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Carol.
All right, well you told us what you wanted to see as well. Your "Choose The News" story just moments away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: You voted. We listened. Here's your "Choose The News" winner. Our Richard Green has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD GREEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One of Ireland's most respected catholic clerics is making a radical suggestion -- let Catholic priests get married. It has nothing to do with priests who abuse children, retired Bishop Edward Daly says --
EDWARD DALY, RETIRED IRISH BISHOP: I think the part (INAUDIBLE) to the church and to themselves and to their calling and, above all, as a betrayal of the Christ that they purport to serve.
GREEN: The abuse scandal and the subsequent Vatican cover-up is a separate issue, he says. The problem for him is that making priests stay celibate is hurting the church.
DALY: One of the most heartbreaking things I had to do as bishop was accept the resignation of priests who felt they could not live the vow of celibacy. We lost some wonderful and good men, friends of mine.
GREEN: Daly isn't just any bishop. He was on the streets during the bloody Sunday massacre in 1972 when British troops opened fire on a civil rights march, killing 14 people. Waving a white handkerchief, Daly helped get the wound out of harm's way and gave last rights to the dying. A mural in his hometown honors his bravery.
Now, in a new book, he's taking another brave stance, suggesting that the church consider dropping its ancient ban on married priests. Pope Benedict XVI's spokesman rejected the idea. "The position on celibacy is clear," he said.
Edward Daly is arguably the most prominent and respected bishop to suggest radical changes and he's taking the long view.
DALY: It possibly won't happen in my lifetime, but I hope it will happen sooner rather than later.
GREEN: Richard Green, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right, much more of the NEWSROOM straight ahead. Our Randi Kaye is here.
