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Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Address U.N. General Assembly; U.S. Stocks Taking a Beating Amid Gloomy Economic Outlook;

Aired September 22, 2011 - 11:59   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour. I'm Suzanne Malveaux.

I want to get you up to speed. We have got an eye on the United Nations, where Iran's president is about to address the General Assembly. You can count on Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to deliver a colorful, even controversial talk when he visits New York.

In the past, he's denied the Holocaust, insulted Israel, and suggested that 9/11 was an inside job. CNN's going to have live coverage.

Another story we are watching involves your disappearing money. That's right. A pessimistic economic outlook from the Federal Reserve has stock markets worldwide tumbling, tumbling hard today. Right now, blue chips are down by 394 points.

And the United Station -- States, rather, reopened its embassy in Libya today. Actually, embassy staff is working out of the U.S. ambassador's home in Tripoli. Moammar Gadhafi's soldiers trashed the embassy building back in May. Well, the Obama administration had closed the embassy in February when all the violence broke out.

Libyan rebels took a CNN team to two large military warehouses. That happened today. And, inside, thousands of barrels, some marked radioactive, that's what was found. CNN's Ben Wedeman saw two or three bags filled with a yellow powder. Now, he believes it could be yellow cake. That's a form of uranium which is a component of a nuclear weapon. Moammar Gadhafi had agreed to give up weapons of mass destruction back in 2004.

Well, Amnesty International is calling the execution of Troy Davis a catastrophic failure of the justice system. Georgia delayed the execution for four hours while the Supreme Court considered the case. Davis declared his innocence until the very end. He lifted his head from the gurney and told the victim's family they have the wrong man.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON LEWIS, JOURNALIST, EXECUTION WITNESS: He asked his family -- his family and friends to keep praying, to keep working and keep the faith. And then he said to the prison staff, the ones he said "who are going to take my life," he said to them, "May God have mercy on your souls." And his last words were to them, "May God bless your souls."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNELIESE MACPHAIL, MOTHER OF MURDERED POLICE OFFICER: It sounds awful but it's kind of a relief that is over for me now. But I have to kind of digest all the things that have happened. And today, too, which was very, very hard on me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Davis got the death penalty for killing that woman that you saw, her son, a Savannah police officer, in 1989. Davis' supporters felt his guilt was thrown in doubt when a majority of prosecution witnesses recanted their stories.

Freed Americans Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal are expected to spend a couple of days resting in Oman. They barreled off an airplane last night into the arms of loved ones after two years in an Iranian prison. Iran convicted the men of spying, but freed them on $1 million bail. It was paid by the Omani government.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH FATTAL, HELD BY IRAN FOR TWO YEARS: We're sincerely grateful that the government of Oman is hosting us and our families.

SHANE BAUER, HELD BY IRAN FOR TWO YEARS: Two years in prison is too long, and we sincerely hope for the freedom of other political prisoners and other unjustly imprisoned people in America and Iran.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Bauer and Fattal say they sprayed into Iran while hiking. A third American, Sarah Shourd, was freed a year ago.

Well, 2,000 striking teachers could be back in the classroom in Tacoma, Washington, tomorrow. They are voting today on a tentative deal reached after the governor stepped into those negotiations. Now, the governor's spokesman says that all the big issues from pay to class size, they have all been worked out.

Well, a heads up. NASA doesn't know exactly when or where a satellite will fall to Earth tomorrow. Most of it should burn up, but scientists think that 26 chunks have a pretty good chance of surviving re-entry. NASA says that the odds of the satellite bonking anyone on the head are astronomical.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK MATNEY, NASA ORBITAL DEBRIS SCIENTIST: Part of the problem is the spacecraft itself is tumbling in unpredictable ways, and it is very difficult to very precisely pinpoint where it's coming down, even right before the re-entry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: NASA says, so if a piece of satellite lands near you, give them a call. Don't touch. Do not touch it.

Well, any moment now, Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, could take the stage at the U.N. General Assembly. And what he has to say, well, that's anybody's guest. But if the past is any indication, it could be inflammatory.

Want to bring in our Reza Sayah to talk about it. He joins us from Pakistan.

And Ahmadinejad always seems to steal the show at the U.N., saying something to incite controversy. I remember covering this year after year from New York, where he's got something to say that really ruffles everybody's feathers.

What are the main issues this go-around that we might hear from him?

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you're right, Suzanne. It's always interesting when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad takes the podium at the U.N. There's not a lot of heads of state that get as much attention as he does when they go to New York every year, and that's because he makes a lot of statements that are viewed by the West and Washington as provocative and controversial, and it's very likely that he's going to make some more of those statements, and he's going to be applauded by his supporters and condemned by his opponents. In fact, I believe there is a protest right now as we speak outside of the U.N.

But if recent years, recent history is any indication, he is not going to say anything that's unexpected or earth-shattering. He's probably going to rail against the U.S., U.S. foreign policy, the U.S. occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Last year he railed against U.S. and Western capitalism. He could do that again.

He could use this opportunity to once again defend Iran's nuclear program, one that is viewed by Washington and Israel as a cover for a weapons program. But with all the focus this year on the Israeli- Palestinian conflict, the bid for Palestinian statehood, you can be sure that the president is going to put his support firmly behind the Palestinian cause.

Of course, Iran, one of the biggest, if not the biggest, supporter of the Palestinian cause. And you can be sure that he will say that Iran does indeed support Palestinian statehood.

So I doubt he's going to say anything unpredictable. He probably will say some of the statements from recent years. And maybe that's why in recent years some of the audience members at this U.N. General Assembly have dwindled. They haven't walked out, there hasn't been much of an audience, and that's perhaps why. It's because some of the statements are the same old things that he says over and over again. MALVEAUX: Well, part of it, too, I imagine, is because is he a weakened leader now, that there is a real rift perhaps between Ahmadinejad and Iran's supreme leader.

SAYAH: Yes. I mean, the speech comes at an interesting time.

Of course, things are always interesting in Iran, but Ahmadinejad is a lame-duck leader. There's indications that there is a domestic power struggle between him, the clerical elite, and some conservative factions, for example, within the Iranian parliament.

But there's also indications that Iran has emerged, analysts say, as an undeniable regional power broker in the Middle East, despite its struggles domestically. And ironically, that emerged largely as a result of U.S. foreign policy over the past 10 years.

When the U.S. decided to move in to Iraq and remove Saddam Hussein, when they moved in to Afghanistan and removed the Afghan Taliban regime, they removed two of Iran's biggest enemies. They extended Iran's reach.

Today, Iran has a say in the most crucial issues in the Middle East, Iraq, Afghanistan, they can make life miserable for Washington there, the Palestinian-Israeli cause. So they are an undeniable power broker whether Washington likes it or not.

MALVEAUX: All right, Reza. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

We're keeping a close eye on the United Nations. And when he is up to speak, we're going to bring it to our audience live.

Thank you.

Well, now is your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. The definition of patriotism is love for or devotion to one's country. Most candidates say they're patriotic. So why does it become such a big issue in presidential campaigns?

So that brings us to today's "Talk Back" question. Carol Costello to explain all that.

Carol, I remember when covering President Obama during the campaign, it was a big deal about whether or not he was wearing an American pin, this flag pin, how often, where, what.

I mean, really? Is it really still a big deal here, a big question?

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is a big deal. Remember in 2008 President Obama -- everybody asked, why doesn't he wear the flag pin? And finally, he was pressured into wearing one because, to show your patriotism is, I guess, a great thing.

And that's the "Talk Back" subject today. Today's "Talk Back" question: Why do politicians keep bringing up patriotism? I ask you this because of a new Web video featuring Texas Governor Rick Perry. It is compelling.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No more manufactured crises, no more games.

We are headed in the right direction.

I love these folks who say, well, this is Obama's economy. That's fine. Give it to me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Zero jobs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No jobs created. Zip, zero.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People are demoralized. What has happened?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Zero new jobs.

OBAMA: Change has come to America.

NARRATOR: President Zero.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: OK. So you get part of that ad, President Obama's hope and change thing is destroying America. But in about one minute into the ad, it's all about patriotism, right? When Perry says we don't need a president who apologizes for America, the ad emphatically states Rick Perry is an American.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RICK PERRY (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The United States of America really is the last great hope of mankind. It's time to get America working again. We don't need a president who apologizes for America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: It's a tactic that's been proved quite effective. Remember the infamous Swift Boat ads by a pro-Bush group questioning Vietnam veteran John Kerry's heroism?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KERRY, VIETNAM VETERAN: Crimes committed on a day-to-day basis --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He betrayed us in the past. How could we be loyal to him now?

KERRY: -- ravaged the countryside of South Vietnam.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He dishonored his country and, more importantly, the people he severed with. He just sold them out. (END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: President Bush eventually denounced that ad, but the damage was done. Kerry lost the election.

Patriotism has worked for Democrats, too. During the 2008 campaign, vice presidential candidate Joe Biden said wealthy Americans should pay more taxes because it's time to be patriotic.

Now, doesn't that sound familiar?

So, the "Talk Back" question today: Why do politicians keep bringing up patriotism?

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

MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Carol.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: It is shaping up to be a brutal day on Wall Street. Stocks taking a serious beating.

The Dow fell more than 300 points in the first 10 minutes of trading. It is now down, let's see, 418. Small print. Hard for me to see there.

Alison Kosik, she's at the New York Stock Exchange to give us a look at what all of this means.

Alison, you said the last half-hour the sell-off started when the Fed put out that weak assessment on the economy yesterday. A lot of economists have been saying it is -- the economy's now slowing.

What makes this so significant?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It's important, Suzanne, because when you think about it, these Fed policymakers that come out and talk, and come up with monetary policy, these are the nation's top economists. And what they say is often treated like gospel. And what's interesting here, what really got everybody's attention, is that the Fed is clearly getting more and more concerned about the economy.

Now, it issues a statement after every policy meeting, as it did yesterday. And most of the time, you know what? It's pretty much the same language.

But this time there was a change in the wording. I want you to look at it.

In yesterday's statement, the Fed said, "There are significant downside risks to the economic outlook, including strains in global financial markets." And you compare that to what they put out back in August, where they said, the "Committee now expects a somewhat slower pace of recovery over the coming months."

That's a small, but important, change. Look at the language: "somewhat slower pace of recovery," versus significant. It doesn't sound huge, but it is because it's the Fed. It's these top economists coming out with this very dire outlook, downbeat outlook for the U.S. economy -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: But, Alison, what about the stimulus program that the Fed announced? Wasn't that supposed to help?

KOSIK: Yes, that's the big question, isn't it, the $6 million question. It's called "Operation Twist." And you know what? It's already doing kind of what it's already meant to do. It's meant to lower long-term interest rates, and we're seeing that play out in the bond market, the 10-year bond yield. It's hitting a record low today.

But you know what? A lot of people, Suzanne, are real skeptical about how effective this stimulus plan will be.

The question is, will low rates encourage people to go out and refinance their mortgages, to spend more money? Will it encourage businesses to go out and expand, take out more loans and expand? Analysts say, you know what? The stimulus measure can't make the economy worse, but they also say we don't think it will make the economy better -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right, Alison. Quite a significant move there on the stock market today. Really appreciate it.

We're following another story. A hundred and ninety-three nations meeting today at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. But there is one -- one speaker that's set to take the stage and is certain to spark a bit of controversy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX (voice-over): With Gadhafi gone, perhaps the most controversial figure at this week's United Nations General Assembly meeting is now Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He's set to take stage at the U.N., a platform he's used before to spark both outrage and fear.

In 2006, he famously denied the Holocaust. At Columbia University in 2007, he claimed there were in gays in Iran. In 2009, he denied the Holocaust again, causing many U.N. delegates to walk out. And last year, Ahmadinejad implied 9/11 could have been an inside job by the United States. But beyond Ahmadinejad's words, Iran's actions matter to the U.S., because Iran proves itself time and time again to be a dangerous wildcard in a volatile region.

Just in the past year, Iran resisted the Arab Spring, launching attacks on protesters. It was reminiscent of the violent response to Iran's Green Revolution in 2009, when Iranians came out in droves to protest Ahmadinejad's disputed election victory.

Hundreds of thousands took to the streets, and many of those were shot. Others said they were jailed, tortured.

This woman, Neda, became the face of the revolution. She died during the brutal government crackdown.

The U.S. says Iran is also a key supporter of militant groups around the region like Hamas and Hezbollah, and the country's nuclear ambitions have outraged the West, becoming a constant source of anxiety for the U.S. and American allies, especially Israel, despite Iran's claims that it is for peaceful purposes.

OBAMA: Whether it is threatening the nuclear nonproliferation regime or the human rights of its own citizens or the stability of its own neighbors by supporting terrorism, the Iranian government continues to demonstrate that its own unjust actions are a threat to justice everywhere.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: But is what Ahmadinejad says today as relevant as his speeches in the past?

I am joined by Fouad Ajami -- he's a senior fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution -- to talk about all of this.

Professor, thank you very much.

FOUAD AJAMI, SR. FELLOW, HOOVER INSTITUTION: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: We've covered the United Nations General Assembly gatherings for the last decade or so. They're always interesting, very unpredictable affairs, world leaders jockeying for power and attention.

Everybody, I remember, used to hang on to every word of Ahmadinejad and what he had to say. Do you think that's still the case this go-around?

AJAMI: Well, Suzanne, I think it's no longer the case. And what's really interesting about Ahmadinejad -- and we know Ahmadinejad -- a colleague of mine, Abbas Milani (ph), one of America's leading experts on Iran, actually has the right explanation and the right interpretation of Ahmadinejad.

He is a narcissist. He loves attention. Like the rest of us, he loves airtime. And the United Nations gives him airtime.

But he comes this year in a very weakened position. There's even talk of impeaching him. There's talk of a great breach between him and the supreme leader.

Iran is not run by a president. It's not a presidential system. It's a theocracy. And the man who runs Iran is Ayatollah Khomeini. And that's really where it is.

MALVEAUX: So why do you suppose what he says today will be relevant, if at all? AJAMI: Well, I don't think it's particularly relevant. I mean, take the great issues that concern us about Iran, take the nuclear question. In fact, Ahmadinejad has nothing to do with the nuclear question. The nuclear file is beyond his power and beyond his office.

He said something which is very interesting. He said, look, we will abandon our nuclear program if we get 20 percent enriched uranium.

Well, the people who are in charge of the nuclear negotiations, the Iranian regime itself, the people entrusted with that, have denied that and rejected that. So you have this man who in fact began to believe after 2009 that somehow or another, he was elected, that he was re-elected, and that he now has tried to change the economy of Iran, to change the foreign policy of Iran, and that has not worked.

MALVEAUX: Professor, you say -- you call him a narcissist. Do you think that he still has an impact in what he says and what he does?

AJAMI: Well, look, he's a lame-duck president. And, of course, every person is entitled to his illusions. And this particular man is very, very prone and given to illusions.

He must believe this, but if you look at the Iranian landscape today, Ahmadinejad is no longer what he was before. And even the release of these two prisoners, these two young people from Iran, the two young Americans, in a way dramatized the isolation of Ahmadinejad. He promised that they would be released, and the judiciary took its time to do so.

MALVEAUX: And Professor, this is the one question that I have. Why is it that the Arab Spring, when you had these protests that erupted in Iran, why didn't it work there?

AJAMI: Well, you mean why does it work in the Arab world and it didn't work in Iran?

MALVEAUX: Absolutely. Why not?

AJAMI: Well, I think because the level of repression in Iran was much deeper. It was much more -- the Revolutionary Guard in Iran, finally they had the ultimate power, and they came out and they brought the goons, they brought the besieged, they brought these volunteers who were paid by the regime. So oil money on the one hand, religion on the other, and heavy dosage of repression nipped it in the bud in Iran.

MALVEAUX: Professor Ajami, thank you very much. We'll be keeping a close eye. I know you'll be watching it as well when Ahmadinejad takes to the podium.

AJAMI: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: We appreciate it. Thanks.

AJAMI: Thank you, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Well, what would you do if you found a big bear prowling around your house? Well, that happened to a California girl. We're going to tell you what she did.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

MALVEAUX: CNN reporters, right, anchors, producers, cover stories around the world. That means we also get to go to some great restaurants, hotels, travel spots.

In this week's "Travel Insider," we're off to San Francisco.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Dan Simon in San Francisco. One of my favorite places in the city is here, downtown at the historic Ferry Building.

I love coming out here on a nice day and checking out the views. For more than 100 years, this place has been used to ferry people to different communities across the San Francisco Bay. But now the Ferry Building is used for all different kinds of different things.

Inside the major theme is food, high-end gourmet food. From fruits and vegetables to caviar to olive oil to cheese, it's really a foodie's paradise in here.

But I think I like it outside even better. A few days a week they have a farmer's market, and this is the freshest stuff you can possibly imagine. I usually like to grab a sandwich, sit down at one of the picnic tables, and have lunch.

So that is the Ferry Building: restaurants, shops, good people- watching. I think it's one of the best places San Francisco has to offer.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: It was a case that attracted international attention. Georgia inmate Troy Davis was put to death late last night for the murder of a police officer in 1989. Since the trial, seven of the nine witnesses against Davis recanted or changed their testimony. But court after court upheld his conviction.

And, last night, the U.S. Supreme Court said no to a last-minute appeal. Davis was declared dead at 11:08 p.m. Eastern time.

Joining us from New York to talk about some questions raised by the case is CNN legal contributor Paul Callan.

Troy Davis, as you know, Paul, maintained his innocence to the very end. He lifted his head from the gurney before he received his lethal injection to tell the victim's family he didn't do it, to keep looking for the killer.

So, you have got a majority of these eyewitnesses recanting their stories. There's no physical evidence linking Davis to the crime. Is there something that we are missing here, something that we're not seeing that the Pardon and Parole Board saw or the prosecutor saw or the Supreme Court saw?

PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: Well, you pose a very, very interesting question, Suzanne.

And I think, in this case, the defense attorneys, they won the public relations battle in this case, because I think most people feel that this looks like a really weak case, and how could you put a man to death under these circumstances?

And I have to tell you, as a former prosecutor myself, when a man raises his head just before he is about to die and says he's innocent, it gives you pause to think. But they lost the legal war and...

MALVEAUX: How so?

CALLAN: They lost it because what happened in this case -- and we hear so much about these recantations and that seven of the nine witnesses changed their story.

MALVEAUX: Right. Right.

CALLAN: When that was tested in court -- and it was tested twice -- once, the Georgia Supreme Court looked at these recantations and found that there was no merit to the claim that these witnesses were really recanting.

But years later, in 2010, when the case was coming into its final stages, it gets to the Supreme Court of the United States. And in a very unusual situation, the Supreme Court looks at the case and says, we're going to order an actual innocence hearing, which they almost never do.

Usually, they just look to see if the lawyers made a mistake or the judge made a mistake on the law.

MALVEAUX: Right.

CALLAN: Here, they say, we want a federal judge to have a hearing, look at all of the evidence.

That judge, Judge Moore, issued a 172-page decision in which he said that it's nonsense to say that recantations suggested that Davis was innocent. In fact, he described the defense as smoke and mirrors. Most of the witnesses, virtually all of them, as a matter of fact, would not come into court to testify about the recantations.

Moore even says there was one witness sitting outside the courtroom, and the defense lawyers wouldn't call him to the witness stand. So, in the end, the federal Judge Moore said there's nothing to this claim of actual innocence. And he sent a report back saying, there's more than ample support for the conviction.

That's how it played out in the legal system.

(CROSSTALK)

MALVEAUX: Let me just understand that, because we keep hearing about this recanting here. So, what that judge said, a federal judge said, you know, that's not true? He said that there was no credibility to these eyewitnesses changing their stories?

CALLAN: Yes.

And he said it based on this, which I found to be very interesting. The so-called recanting witnesses, he said most of the recantations had to do -- remember, there are two shootings that take place here. One is the Cloverdale shooting, where Davis supposedly shoots somebody at a party, and a lot of the recantations pertain to the Cloverdale shooting, not the shooting of the police officer.

Secondly, the witnesses, the recanting witnesses, never said this under oath. They signed a piece of paper. Many of them were not even notarized affidavits. And they never came into court to say they were recanting.

So the judge said, you, the defense attorneys, have an obligation to call these witnesses. You never did.

So, for that reason, he did not credit the recantations. Now, of course...

MALVEAUX: Did it matter -- just real quickly, did it matter that there was no DNA evidence, physical evidence that linked Davis to the police shooting? Did that have any merit at all?

(CROSSTALK)

CALLAN: I think it does have merit because we always look for physical evidence, especially when we're going to put something -- someone to death.

But here's what the prosecutor in the case said about that. He said bullet casings were recovered at the first shooting, the Cloverdale scene. Casings were recovered at the scene where the police officer was shot, and they matched. And the evidence in the case was the person who shot at Cloverdale was the person who shot the police officer.

So he says there was ballistics evidence, even though the gun itself was not recovered, no DNA, though, and no gun ever recovered. Those are the real facts of the case. And there's a big difference between the public relations aspect and the legal aspect. And in the end, I still think there are lots of questions in this case, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: OK. Absolutely. But thank you for clarifying, at least addressing some of those questions. Paul Callan, appreciate it very much.

CALLAN: My pleasure.

MALVEAUX: Well, imagine going two years, right, two years without a paycheck. That is the reality for a lot of Americans. Up next, hear from the Hansons, who went from high times in real estate to now living below the poverty line.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: We are keeping our eye on the podium there at the United Nations. You see at the podium -- we are waiting for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, to speak before the United Nations. As soon as he takes to the stage, we will bring that to you live.

We're also keeping a very close eye on another big story happening in our hour. And that is the fall, dramatic fall, of the markets, taking a look, down now 395 points, the Dow Jones. We're going to be following that as well.

We're taking a look also, CNN, in-depth, the new face of poverty. We're meeting a couple who used to draw six-figure salaries while working in real estate. Well, now they haven't brought in a single paycheck in two years.

CNN's George Howell, he has got the Hansons' story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHON HANSON, LOOKING FOR WORK: She's daddy's girl.

(LAUGHTER)

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The proud parents of Ashley Hanson.

HANSON: Two months old, came into the picture somewhat unexpectedly.

HOWELL: Jonathon Hanson and Katina Wright are determined to give their daughter a bright and stable start, despite the cloud of uncertainty they face after years without steady work.

HANSON: You have to pick and choose what you want to do. It's either eat that day or pay a bill.

HOWELL: It makes these parents worried about what's ahead for their daughter.

HANSON: We don't have retirement. We don't have a job.

KATINA WRIGHT, LOOKING FOR WORK: The parents are supposed to be in better positions than the children. HOWELL: From a six-figure income, they say the last few years have been a downward spiral. They have had to sell off jewelry and nicer cars they owned. Even the home they're living in, they're trying to sell to survive. Neither would have expected to be living on the poverty line.

HANSON: We were both in real estate. We were both real estate agents, investors, and we made some good money.

And with new regulations in real estate and different laws and just the amount of foreclosures on the market, it literally took our business away.

HOWELL: Jon and Katina's story is an example of the millions of Americans who have slipped into what the U.S. Census Bureau defines as poor, a family of four making less than $22,000. Jon and Katina have been living on their savings and tell me for the last two years they haven't received a single paycheck.

KAREN LEE, FINANCIAL PLANNER: There's a lot of people suffering.

HOWELL (voice-over): Financial planner and author Karen Lee says it is important for people who have never faced poverty to keep a positive outlook that things can get better and to be versatile.

LEE: I have seen people go from riches to rags to riches to rags, and you can rebuild and you can completely change careers and rebuild.

WRIGHT: With this new baby, I can't be stuck in thinking about what I used to have.

HOWELL: Katina decided to teach herself Web development.

WRIGHT: I literally threw my Rolodex away, because it was all real estate-related. It is no longer of any use to me. So being able to let go is going to be a person's biggest advantage.

HOWELL: Jon is betting on a new business he started, building security cages for air conditioners to prevent copper theft, a big crime problem in cities like Atlanta.

(on camera): So this is how you're making a living.

HANSON: Yes.

HOWELL (voice-over): Adapting and retooling is their plan to overcome poverty, because they say times have changed and survival isn't just about them anymore.

George Howell, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Well, Facebook has another face-lift. Many users think it's ugly. But, first, this year is the fifth anniversary of CNN Heroes. Over the years, we have received more than 40,000 nominations from you, our viewers, in more than 100 countries. We have introduced you to an extraordinary individual every week.

And, today, we reveal our top 10 CNN Heroes of 2011. Each of these 10 will receive $50,000 and a shot at the top honor, CNN Hero of the Year, which will earn one of them an additional $250,000.

You get to decide who that person's going to be.

But, first, here's Anderson Cooper with the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2011.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Anderson Cooper.

All year, we've been introducing you to everyday people who are changing the world. We call them CNN Heroes. Well, today, we announce the top ten CNN Heroes for 2011.

The honorees are in alphabetical order by first name. Amy Stokes. She uses the Internet to match teens lacking role models with adults around the world. Bruno Serato is serving up a solution so no kids don't go to bed hungry. Derreck Kayongo collects discarded hotel soaps and reprocesses them to save lives. Diane Latiker, in a violent neighborhood, she opened her door inviting gang members in.

Eddie Canales helps young football players sidelined by spinal cord injuries. Elena Duron Miranda offers poor children a way out of the trash dump and into school. Patrice Millet diagnosed with incurable cancer, started feeding and coaching children from Haiti's slums. Robin Lim helps poor women have healthy pregnancies and safe deliveries.

Sal Dimiceli pays for rent, food, and basic necessities to keep the working poor afloat. And Taryn Davis, who built the Sister of Healing for a new generation of American war widows.

Congratulations. The top 10 CNN Heroes of 2011. Which one inspires you the most?

Go to CNNHeroes.com online or on your mobile device and vote for CNN Hero of the Year.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: The CNN Hero of the Year will be awarded $250,000. So, who's it going to be? You actually get to decide.

Go to CNNHeroes.com now to vote for the most inspirational hero online and on your mobile device. All 10 will be honored live at CNN Heroes, an all-star tribute hosted by Anderson Cooper on Sunday, December 11. But only one will be named CNN Hero of the Year.

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MALVEAUX: Well, a whopping 750 million of you are Facebook users. Today you're going to hear from CEO Mark Zuckerberg about what is next for the company. Already some controversial changes have rolled out. And you've probably noticed some of them. Our CNN Silicon Valley correspondent Dan Simon is in San Francisco with some of those details.

So, Dan, let's talk about some of these changes here, because a lot of us, you know, you click on, you realize -- whoa, is this the same Facebook I knew before? It looks totally different.

DAN SIMON, CNN SILICON VALLEY CORRESPONDENT: They've fundamentally changed the way you interface with the website and they managed to tick off a bunch of people. They think that over time these are positive changes. But I have to say, right now, I've been seeing a lot of complaints among Facebook users.

The main change is when you log in to the site, when you see that news feed of all the different status updates of your friends, what Facebook has done is they've changed the formula on us. And what they've said is, we know the algorithms and we know how they work. So what we're going to do is we're going to take what we think are the most important status updates among all your friends and that's what you're going to see. We think we know what's most important. So that's what they've done there on the news feed.

And then on the right-hand side of the screen, Suzanne, there's this new thing called the ticker. And so all of the different status updates that your friend are doing and things that you may not feel are as important as some of the other things, that's on your ticker. Say one of your friend's friends another friend, and that's what you'll see on the ticker.

So there is a learning curve here and it's just going to take some getting used to. The question is whether or not people will accept these changes. And if they don't, what's Facebook going to do?

MALVEAUX: So, Dan, a lot of us were talking about this, this morning. And I guess the one question that a lot of folks had is, how do you show everybody on the news feed, on your news feed, instead of just like a group or some people?

SIMON: Well, the bottom line is this. You need to play around with these settings. There are all these new tabs within Facebook that if you go in and select the tabs and select the right things, you'll get the right function.

The best thing I can say is, you really need to spend maybe about an hour of time just kind of going through and navigating the site and then you'll get the hang of it. But I think some people think that the (INAUDIBLE) is just a little too cluttered. That it's too busy. That's the main complaint that I'm hearing, and that people just don't understand why Facebook did this.

MALVEAUX: Yes. would a possibly reason be -- could this possibly Google Plus' opportunity maybe to take advantage of some folks who are not too happy with Facebook now?

SIMON: Well, if you're Google, you are loving this. I mean this is a little bit of a PR storm for Facebook. It's an opportunity for people who might be frustrated with the site to experiment with Google Plus. But I have to say, some of these changes that you're now seeing on Facebook are a result of Google Plus. So we're kind of coming full circle here.

But I also think that some of the announcements we're going to be seeing today from Mark Zuckerberg, I think some of the changes that we're seeing will make more sense when we see him on the stage because there are expected to be a number of announcements today.

MALVEAUX: And do we know what any of those announcements might be, those big announcements that might make some news?

SIMON: The big thing is there is expected to be wide music integration within Facebook. So you'll actually be able to listen to music on Facebook and be able to listen to music in real time with your friends, which could be kind of interesting. There's also expected to be some new video offerings and perhaps a long-awaited iPad app. We may see that come out today. But we'll know here in a few minutes. Mark Zuckerberg taking the stage at 1:00 Eastern, 10:00 local time.

Back to you.

MALVEAUX: All right, we'll be watching and waiting. Thank you, Dan. Appreciate it.

Well, we're getting a lot of responses to today's "Talk Back" question. We asked, why do politicians keep bringing up patriotism? Harry Allen says, "because they have no idea what the word means and are hoping that by using it they'll start to understand it." Carol Costello, she's up next with more of your responses.

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MALVEAUX: We understand that now United Nations, they're introducing the president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who will be taking to the podium very shortly after the others have wrapped up. We understand the others have finished their remarks. Each of these leaders gets about 15 to 20 minutes. We'll see how long he takes.

It's a very anticipated speech. He's made many controversial statements in the past, but this is a weakened leader since two years ago when there was a contested election that he won and that now he's taking the podium. Let's listen in to what he's got to say.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, PRESIDENT OF IRAN (through translator): In the name of God, the compassionate, the merciful, all praise be to Allah, the lord of the universe and peace and blessing be upon our master and prophet, Mohammed, and his pure household, his noble companions and on all the line (ph) messengers. Oh God hasten the arrival of Imamal Mati (ph) and grant him good health and victory and make us his followers and all those who attest to his rightfulness.

Mr. President, excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, I am grateful for the almighty Allah who granted me once more the opportunity to appear before this world assembly. I have the pleasure to express my sincere thanks to his Excellency Joseph Das (ph), president of the 65th session for his tremendous efforts during his tenure. I also would like to congratulate his Excellency Naser Abdal Aziz (ph) and his election as the president of the 66th session.

Let me seize the moment to pay tribute to all those who lost their lives during last year as a result of national disasters, particularly for the victims of tragic famine in Somalia and devastating flood in Pakistan. I urge everyone to increase their assistance and aid to the affected populations in these countries.

Over the past years, I spoke about different global issues and the need to introduce fundamental changes in the current international order. Today, considering the international developments, I will try to analyze the present situation from a different angle.

All you know the dominance and superiority of human beings over other creatures lie in the very nature and the truth of humankind. This is a divide gift and a manifestation of the divine spirit embodying faith in God, who is the everlasting creator and planner of the entire universe. Showing compassion to others, generosity, justice (INAUDIBLE) and having integrity, both in words and in deeds. The quest for dignity to reach the pentacles of perfection. The aspiration to elevate one's material and spiritual status and the longing to real eye liberty. Define oppression, corruption and discrimination in contrast to supporting the oppressed. Sick (ph) and happiness and lasting prosperity and security for all.

These are some of the manifestation of common divine and human attributes which can clearly be seen in the historical aspirations of human beings as reflected in the heritage of our search for our (ph) and literally (ph) words, both in pros (ph) and poetry, and in the socio-cultural (ph) and political movements of human beings in the course of history. All divine prophets and social reformers invited human beings to tread on this righteous path. God has given dignity to humankind to elevate his status to assume his successful role on earth.

Dear colleagues and friends, Mr. President, it is vividly clear that despite all historical achievements, including creation of the United Nations, that was a product of untiring struggles and efforts of free-minded and justice-seeking individuals, as well as the international cooperation. The human societies are yet far from fulfilling their noble desires and aspirations.

Both nations of the world are unhappy with the current international circumstances. And despite the general longing and aspiration to promote peace, progress and fraternity, wars, mass murder, wider-spread poverty and socioeconomic and political crisis continue to infringe upon the rights and sovereignty of nations, which leave behind irreparable damage worldwide against all nations in the world. Approximately 3 billion people of the world live on less than $2.50 a day. And over 200 million people even live without having even one sufficient meal on a daily basis. Forty percent of the poorest world's populations only share 5 percent of the global income, while 20 percent of the richest people share 75 percent of economic earnings worldwide. More than 20,000 innocent and destitute children die every day in the world because of poverty. 80 percent of financial resources in the United States are controlled by 10 percent of its people, while only 20 percent of such resources belong to the 90 percent of the population. What are the causes and reasons behind these inequalities? How can one remedy such injustice?

Those who dominate and run centers of global economic power put a blame on people's aspiration for religion and the pursuit of the path of divine prophets or under weakness of nations and the ill performance of a number of groups or individuals. They claim that only their views, approaches or prescriptions can save humanity and the world economy. Dear colleagues and friends, don't you think that the root cause of the problems must be solved in the prevailing international order? Or the way the world is governed?

I would like to draw your kind attention to the following questions. Who abducted forcefully 10s of millions of people from their homes in Africa and other regions of the world during the dark period of slavery making them a victim of their materialistic greed in the United States and in Europe? Who imposed colonialism for over four centuries upon this world? And who occupied lands and massively (INAUDIBLE) resources of other nations, (INAUDIBLE) talents and alienated native languages, cultures and identities of nations?

Who triggered the first and second world wars that left 70 millions killed and hundreds of millions injured or homeless? Who created the wars in the Korean peninsula and in Vietnam? Who imposed through deceit and hypocrisy the Zionist and over 60 years of war, homelessness, terror and mass murder on the Palestinian people and on the countries of the region? Who imposed and supported for decades military dictatorships and totalitarian regimes on Asian, African and Latin American nations and establish friendly relations with all of them? Who used atomic bomb against defenseless people and stockpiled thousands of warheads in their arsenals?

Whose economies rely on the waging wars and selling arms? Who provoked and encouraged Saddam Hussein to invade and impose an eight- year war on Iran and who assisted and equipped him to deploy chemical weapons against our cities and our people? Who used their mysterious September 11th incident as a (INAUDIBLE) to attack Afghanistan and Iran killing, injuring and displacing millions in two countries with the ultimate goal of breaking into its (INAUDIBLE) the Middle East and its oil resources? Who undermined the (INAUDIBLE) system and printed trillions of dollars that are in the bank of old reserves (ph) or equivalent currency, a move that triggered inflation worldwide and was intended to prey on the economic gains of other nations?

What country's military spending exceeds annually a thousand billion dollars more than the military budgets of all countries of the world combined? Which governments are the most indebted ones in the world and who is the government that threatens all nations and countries with any excuse? Who dominates the policy making establishments of the world economy? Who are responsible for the world economic recession and are imposing its consequences in the United States and in Europe on Asia, Africa, Latin America and all other nations?

Which governments are ever ready to drop thousands of bombs on other countries but ponder and hesitate to send a bit of food aid to famine-stricken people in Somalia or in other places? Who are the ones dominating the Security Council which is ostensibly responsible to safeguard the international security? There exists 10s of others similar questions and of course the answers are all clear. The majority of nations and governments of the world have had no role in the creation of the current global crisis, and as a matter of fact, they are themselves the victims of such policies. It is as elusive as daylight that the same slave masters and colonial powers that once triggered the two world wars have caused widespread miseries and disorder with far reaching effects across the globe since then, and they continue to control the international political centers and the security council.

Dear colleagues and friends, do these arrogant powers really have the confidence and ability to run or govern the world or is it acceptable that they call themselves as the sole defender of freedom, democracy and human rights? While they militarily attack and occupy other countries can the flower of democracy blossom from NATO's missiles, bombs or guns?

Ladies and gentlemen, if some European countries still use the holocaust, after six decades as the excuse to pay fine or ransom to the Zionists, should it not be an obligation upon the slave masters or colonial powers to pay reparations to the effected nations? If the damage and the losses of the period of slavery and colonialism they are indeed compensated, what would happen to the manipulators and behind the scene political powers in the United States and in Europe? Will there remain any gaps between the north and the south if only half of the military expenditures of the United States and its allies in NATO is cut to help solve the economic problems in their own countries? Will they be witnessing any symptom of the economic crisis? What would happen if the same amount is allocated to poor nations?

What is the justification for the presence of hundreds of U.S. military and intelligence bases in different parts of the world, including to 68 bases in Germany, 124 in Japan, 87 in South Korea, 83 in Italy, 45 in the United Kingdom, and 21 in Portugal and hundreds of bases in other parts of the world? Does this mean anything other than military occupation? (INAUDIBLE), deployed in the same basis undermine the security of other nations?

Ladies and gentlemen, the main question is the search for the root cause of such attitudes. The prime reason should be solved in the beliefs and tendencies of the establishment. An assembly of people in contradiction with inner human instincts and disposition who also have no faith in god and in the path of the divine prophets replace their lust for power and materialistic ends with heavenly values. To them, only power and wealth prevail and every attempt must refocus these sinicisms (ph).

Oppressed nations have no hope to restore or protect their limited (ph) rights against these powers. These powers seek their progress, prosperity and dignity through the poverty, humiliation and annihilation of others. They consider themselves superior to others enjoying special privileges or concessions. They have no respect for others and easily violate the rights of all nations and governments. They proclaim themselves as the indisputable custodians of all governments and nations through intimidation, recourse to threat and to force, and the abuse of international mechanisms.

They insist on opposing their lifestyle and beliefs on others. They officially support racism. They weaken countries through military interventions and destroy their infrastructures in order to plunder their resources by making them all the more dependent. They sow the seeds of hate and hostility among nations and people of different pursuits in order to prevent them from fulfilling their goals of development and progress. All cultural identities, lives, values and wealth of nations, human values, women, children and youth, are sacrificed by the (INAUDIBLE) tendencies and inclination to enslave and captivate other nations.

Hypocrisy and deceit are allowed to secure the imperialist and imperialistic intentions. Drug trafficking and killing of innocent human beings are also allowed in pursuit of such diabolicals. Despite NATO's presence in occupied Afghanistan, there has been a dramatic increase in the production of illicit drugs in this country. They tolerate no question or criticism and instead are presented a reason for their violations. They always put themselves in the position of a claimant by using their imperialistic media net (ph) war which is under the influence of colonialism. They threaten anyone who questions the holocaust and September 11th with sanctions and military action.

Last year, when the need to (INAUDIBLE) concerning the hidden elements involved in September 11th incident was brought up, an ideal which is also endorsed by all independent governments and nations, as well as by the majority in the United States, my country and myself came under pressures and threats by the government of the United States. Instead of assigning a fact finding team, they killed the main perpetrator and threw his body into the sea.

Would it not have been reasonable to bring to justice and try openly the main perpetrator of the incident in order to identify the elements and reason behind the safe space provided for the invading aircraft to the two world trade towers? Why should it not have been allowed to bring him into trial to help recognize those who launch terrorist groups and brought wars and other miseries into the region? Is there any classified information that must be kept secret? They view Zionism as a sacred notion or ideology and any question concerning its foundation and history is condemned by them as an unforgivable sin. However, they endorse and allow sacrilegious and insult against beliefs of other divine religions.

Dear colleagues and friends, real freedom, justice, dignity, well being and lasting security are the rights of all nations. These values can neither be achieved by reliance on the current and efficient system of world governance, nor through the intervention of the world arrogant powers and the gun battles of NATO forces. These values could only be realized on the independence and the recognition of other's rights an through harmony and cooperation.

(END LIVE COVERAGE)