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Lessons for 'Occupy Wall Street' Protesters; Study: Too Many Vitamins Not Good; Anger Over Bank Fees

Aired October 11, 2011 - 11:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Live from studio 7, I'm Suzanne Malveaux. I want to get you up to speed for Tuesday, October 11th.

President Obama is in a showdown with Republicans today over jobs. He's about to land in Pittsburgh to pitch his $447 billion package.

Back in Washington, bill looks like it is going down in defeat. Senate Republicans hope to block the stimulus measure when it comes up for the test vote that happens today. Now, paying for the jobs bill, that is the big sticking point.

Democrats want a surtax on folks who make more than a million dollars a year. Republicans are calling that class warfare.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are the United States of America!

MALVEAUX (voice-over): About 60 occupy Boston protestors are trying to get bailed out of jail today. That's right. Occupy Boston is an offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street. That is the group protesting the peg-out (ph) between the corporate executives and everyday Americans. Well, police arrested the Boston protestors for trespassing early this morning.They were trying to expand their camp to a second location..

Well, Occupy Wall Street protesters in New York, they're on the move today. They're marching to the homes of five prominent Manhattan billionaires. They include hedge fund mogul John Paulson; News Corps chairman Rupert Murdoch; JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon; and billionaire David Koch.

Opening statements are going on in Detroit today in the terror trial of the Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. The young Nigerian man, he is charged with trying to blow up a Northwest Airlines plane with explosives hidden in his underwear. He's acting as his own attorney.

Violence between Egypt's Christians and Muslims may lead to new legal protection for religious minorities. A group described as thugs attacked Christian protesters. That happened on Sunday. At least 25 people were killed after the army and police got into the mix.

Well, Egypt's prime minister says that he's going to push a law that is making religious discrimination a crime. But experts say there is only so much that he can do during military rule.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FOUAD AJAMI, SR. FELLOW, STANFORD UNIVERSITY: The problem, John, is you've got 24 men -- that's the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. They're like "The Wizard of Oz." They're behind a curtain. They're ruling Egypt without any responsibility.

So they have the power and no responsibility, and then you have this prime minister, a decent man, Essam Sharaf, who has got the responsibility but he's got no power.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Egypt has set parliamentary elections for November 28th, and a presidential vote has now been pushed back to 2013.

Well, New Zealand's environment minister calls it the country's worst oil disaster ever. You see the tar patties already washing up on the beaches. They're just a tiny amount of the crude that is leaking from a crippled cargo ship. Now, that ship is stuck on a reef about 12 miles off the coast, and rough seas are jostling the boat, could even break it apart.

Wow. That is unbelievable video there, an amazing snapshot.

This is nature in action. This is southwestern England. A chunk -- that's right, a chunk -- of Great Britain crumbles into the Atlantic. A group of people, including a geologist, happened to see the slide from an adjacent cliff, as you see there, and they caught it all on camera.

Well, this is bad news. If you're about the dunks, the lay-ups, this is a real downer. The NBA now scrubbing the first two weeks of the season.

Players and owners say they are nowhere near a deal on splitting up all the money that the league takes in. No new talks are set, and this lockout is going to continue.

So now a chance to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. As we mentioned, the president, he's in Pittsburgh. That is this hour. He's pitching his $447 billion jobs package to the workers there, hoping to win over the support of the American people.

Well, according to the latest ORC/CNN polling, more Americans trust President Obama to handle the economy. Just 37 percent trust the GOP.

So today's "Talk Back" question: Are you sold on the president's job bill?

Carol Costello, she joins us from New York.

And Carol, the president still -- he's got a long way to go to make sure that folks are on board with him, and he's trying to put pressure on members of Congress to embrace this. No chance, it doesn't seem like, this is really going to work. CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, putting pressure on Congress, I don't think that will work. But you never know, Suzanne, because the Senate is supposed to take up the jobs bill sometime today. You know, the jobs bill?

Hit it, Mr. President.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Let's put construction workers on the job. Let's put teachers in the classroom. Let's give small businesses a tax break. Let's help our veterans pass this bill. Let's meet our responsibilities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: How many times have you heard that? The president has said that, oh, a gazillion times in eight different cities.

Now, if you need a refresher course though, the president's jobs bill extends unemployment, cuts the payroll tax, provides money to hire more teachers and construction workers -- you know, infrastructure jobs -- and boasts a tax on millionaires to pay for it all. Republicans? They have their own mantra.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), MINORITY LEADER: What this week has shown beyond any doubt is that Democrats would rather talk about partisan legislation they won't pass than actually passing legislation we know would create jobs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Because of those tax increases on millionaires. But you knew that already.

What we want to know from you today is if you're buying what the president is selling. So the "Talk Back" question today: Are you sold on the president's jobs bill?

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

MALVEAUX: Carol, it seems like the Obama administration strategy is to travel around the country and try to convince folks to buy into his plan. We saw that doesn't necessarily work for the White House. Remember when Bush was trying to privatize Social Security? He spent nearly a year trying to convince folks. Ultimately, it didn't happen.

COSTELLO: That was not a popular plan. However, according to a poll that I just saw right now, most Americans seem to favor the president's jobs bill, or at least parts of it.

The problem for the president, he was expecting maybe the voters would put pressure on Congress to get this thing passed, but that doesn't appear to be working. In fact, most analysts think that the president's jobs bill is dead in the water when it comes to the Senate and the House of Representatives, especially.

MALVEAUX: I would be really curious to see what viewers weigh in on this. Thank you, Carol. Really appreciate it.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are unlawfully assembled. I command you, in the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, to immediately and peacefully disperse.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And without warning, police began arresting protesters from the Occupy Boston movement early this morning. Now, this demonstration is a spin-off from the Occupy Wall Street protest that is now in its 25th day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: The whole world is watching! The whole world is watching!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: About 60 people were arrested in Boston, mostly for trespassing. They had tried to expand from the area where they had been camped out.

Meanwhile, protesters in lower Manhattan plan to expand their reach today. They are heading uptown to march past the homes of billionaires and CEOs like hedge fund mogul John Paulson; News Corps CEO Rupert Murdoch; and head of JPMorgan Chase, Jamie Dimon; billionaire David Koch. People they are blaming for corporate greed and corruption.

Joshua Keating, he's an associate editor at "Foreign Policy" magazine and editor of "The Passport" blog. And he joins us from Washington.

So, Josh, you've written about this quite extensively, and we're very impressed. You talk about the lessons that Occupy Wall Street protesters can learn from the Egyptian protesters who forced out Hosni Mubarak. What do you see as the main lesson they can take away from this Arab Spring movement?

JOSHUA KEATING, ASSOCIATE EDITOR, "FOREIGN POLICY" MAGAZINE: Well, in some ways, the Occupy Wall Street movement almost has it a little harder, because in the case of the Egyptian protests, they could define a very concrete goal. And the criticism we've heard over and over again of Occupy Wall Street in recent days is that people aren't quite sure what they want.

And I think that's the challenge they've had, is sort of defining a set of criteria for what it is that constitutes a victory for them. And in Tahrir Square, it was a lot more clear. There was actually a large banner set up in the square that indicated what the group's goals were. And the activists who I spoke to for my piece suggested that a first challenge for Occupy Wall Street is really to express to the world what it is that constitutes a victory for them.

MALVEAUX: Sure. And Josh, you bring up a very unique point. You say that it's important for the protesters to keep a broad message to attract a wide base, that in some ways it's a good thing to have all these different kinds of folks with different messages in one place.

Is that right?

KEATING: Right. Well, while you need a kind of defined object, you also have to keep it broad enough that you attract a wide group of people to your movement. I mean, in Egypt, the challenge was they had student groups, leftist groups, the Muslim Brotherhood, trade unions, and all these people were united in opposing the Mubarak regime.

And I think we've seen that a bit with Occupy Wall Street last week, where labor unions joined in. But I think a challenge for them is also to expand their coalition somewhat.

MALVEAUX: And you also talk about keeping it friendly with the police, that that is something that is very important. When you look at it this morning, the arrest of those protesters in Boston, do you think that the movement is heading in the wrong direction here now that we are starting to see these scuffles with law enforcement?

KEATING: Well, I think a certain amount of it is inevitable. I me an, there is going to be an antagonistic relationship between protesters of this type and police no matter what you do. But I think it's important that they not make police the enemy, that even when they are being arrested, that they keep the focus on their objectives, because what we saw in Egypt is that they actually started to appeal to members of the police, and there were members of security forces that started to feel sympathetic toward their goals. And that's something for them to keep in mind, perhaps, as well.

MALVEAUX: And Josh, final question here. What do you think would be a victory for the Occupy movement? Because they don't have a clear objective that people are really grabbing on to. So when do they walk away and say, you know what, we made our point, we won?

KEATING: Well, here, I think perhaps you need to look not maybe to the Arab Spring, but to the recent protests we saw in India, where there was a movement to force anti-corruption legislation through parliament. I mean, that was a specific law they were pushing.

So, you know, I'm not going to define goals for this movement, but I think perhaps a legal -- a bill or a financial sector reform, something that they can kind of attach their names to and make that an object.

MALVEAUX: All right. Josh Keating, appreciate it very much. Thank you for your point of view. KEATING: Thank you, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Sure.

People started accusing the Occupy Wall Street protesters of living in filth and creating unsanitary conditions in the park, where they've been camped out for almost four weeks now. But a CNN iReporter says that he was amazed to see the infrastructure that the protesters have developed.

Rob Harper, he sent us several pictures, and he says that the park functions like a small community, that there is a doctor on site to handle minor medical needs. There's also security crews, mail clerks who take in the many care packages that are coming in from around the world.

In the middle of the park is a makeshift kitchen with cooks and other workers, along with a serving area. Plus, stations have been set up to provide free clothing, even massages and spiritual, legal advice.

You can see all the photos sent in by our iReporters on our Web site at ireport.cnn.com.

Another story we're watching, many people take a multivitamin a day, and a new study now shows it could have come harmful effects on your health. Our senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, she's here to explain.

And Elizabeth, what do we know about the study? What did they find?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's an interesting study.

It studied tens of thousands of women, and so that's a good sign, that they studied so many women. And what they found -- they were looking at these women around age 62, and they were thinking to themselves, the women who took vitamins, are they going to live longer? We're going to follow them for about 20 years. Will the women who take vitamins live longer? And, in fact, they found the opposite.

What they found is that women who were taking multivitamins were 2.4 percent more likely to die during this 20-year period. It's a tiny number, but it was a real number.

Folic acid, they were about 6 percent more likely to die. Vitamin B6, about 4 percent more likely to die. And iron, also about 4 percent more likely to die.

So, again, Suzanne, tiny differences between the vitamin users and the non-users, but still differences.

MALVEAUX: That's kind of surprising, actually.

COHEN: It is, isn't it?

MALVEAUX: You would expect exactly the opposite. So, ,what are the recommendations here, stop the vitamins, stop the supplements?

COHEN: There are no recommendations. I mean, the supplement industry says -- and rightly so -- there is no cause and effect in this study.

One study does not tell you, all right, vitamins are clearly what killed these women. In fact, it may be that the women who were taking vitamins were sicker than the women who weren't. So, what you're seeing is that they were sick to begin with, and that's why they were taking the vitamins.

So doctors we talked to, including the study author, said you don't want to change anything based on this. Maybe researchers just need to do some more research and see if these results are real or not.

MALVEAUX: Were there any supplements that actually helped folks out?

COHEN: There was one. It was interesting. The women who were taking calcium, they were about 4 percent less likely to die during these 20 years, so there was that one.

MALVEAUX: Bottom line, should patients be taking these vitamins? What do we think?

COHEN: You know, an empowered patient needs to take vitamins with her eyes open. And what I mean by that is that there aren't great long- term studies saying yes, vitamins help you, or no, vitamins hurt you. It's your choice.

You're taking a certain risk when you take vitamins, so go in with your eyes open. And if you say, look, I think it's possible these might help me, I'm going to take them, just remember, it's also possible they could hurt you.

MALVEAUX: All right. Elizabeth, thank you.

COHEN: Thanks.

MALVEAUX: I take vitamins, so I'm very interested in this.

COHEN: And you look great.

MALVEAUX: Thank you. Appreciate it.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: All right. So what do you think? Do more Americans attend classical music concerts or go bird watching?

Well, according to the Census Bureau's 2012 statistical abstract -- yes, that's a big, long title there, but the answer is bird watching. That's kind of surprising, actually.

I don't go bird watching. I'll have to check it out sometime.

Well, now is your chance to "Choose the News." Text "22360" for the story that you'd like to see.

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So, if you're like me and a lot of other Americans, they say they feel they're being nickeled and dimed to death at their own bank, furious over these fees. Last week, Bank of America got slammed with angry e- mails and petitions after announcing it's going to charge customers $5 a month to use their credit card.

Well, today, CNN is looking at al these fees that have crept into our lives just in recent years. We're going to start with the banks first.

Alison Kosik, she joins us from outside a Bank of America branch in New York.

And, Alison, that of course is where a lot of this fury is directed. Is this the beginning of something that we're going to see among many banks, perhaps even a trend?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, we're out at Bank of America, Suzanne, because Bank of America is really the trendsetter with this whole fee explosion, especially with banks.

You know, Chase and Wells Fargo, they're testing it in certain sites, but Bank of America is the first to actually do it. I'm talking about charging you $5 a month if you've used your debit card at Bank of America to actually make purchases.

There is really no way around this. That is, unless you only use your debit card for ATMs. So, yes, there's no way to get around it.

If you walk up to a cashier and hit "credit," no way. You're still going to get dinged that $5.

And we're not just seeing it with debit cards, though, we're seeing it with checking accounts as well. Citibank is charging you if you don't keep a minimum balance in your account. You will be dinged a fee. And you know what? It seems that free checking, it really is a thing of the past.

Bankrate.com shows us that in 2009, 76 percent of checking accounts were considered free, but this year it's only 45 percent of checking accounts are free. So we see where this trend is going.

And I talked with many, many people, customers of Bank of America, who say this whole bank fee gone wild is certainly making them furious.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The bank is making money off my money, so why am I being charged $5 a month? I don't think it's fair.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It probably wouldn't make me change. What's going to happen is all the banks are going to end up doing. One does it, they all do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: And Suzanne, many people say that they're going to go ahead and switch banks because they're so upset over Bank of America dinging them this fee, this $5 a month fee. But the question is, will they actually do it? Some people say yes, they're going to go to smaller community banks or credit unions where the fee structure is much less -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Yes, a lot of folks kind of annoyed by this.

Thank you very much, Alison. Appreciate the advice there.

There are ways to avoid paying debit card and checking account fees. You're going to hear about how to do that from a senior financial analyst at Bankrate.com. That's in just a minute.

But first, want to take a quick look at the markets. The Dow Jones, down about 29 points or so. We're going to keep an eye on the markets all day. You can check out CNNMoney.com for all of the latest business news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Here's a rundown of some of the stories ahead.

Up next, it is the collective groan -- that's right -- heard around the country over those new bank fees. If you're one who of those who is furious, you need to listen up.

And then you heard it here yesterday on our show, Princeton professor Cornel West telling presidential candidate Herman Cain to get of the symbolic crack pipe. Well, it didn't take Cain long to fire back.

And later, terrorized by their peers, finally speaking up. Students advise each other on how to deal with a bully. Well, last week, Bank of America announced a $5 a month debit card fee. And then Citibank announced it would charge customers for what used to be free checking accounts. Banking experts say that the fees are not going to end there. So, if you're angry about the fees, we've got some solutions.

Greg McBride, he's a senior financial analyst for bankrate.com.

Greg, let's start first with those debit card fees. I mean, they are charging you literally to get your money, use your money.

Are other banks likely going to follow this? Is this a trend? And how do we get around paying for this? Can we?

GREG MCBRIDE, SR. FINANCIAL ANALYST, BANKRATE.COM: Well, the bigger banks are going to follow this trend, for sure, because they're the ones that are being impacted by this new legislation that really cuts into their revenue. However, there are ways that you can get around this.

You can resort to other methods of payment such as cash, check, or even your credit card. A lot of credit card reward programs are far more generous than what you see on the debit cards.

If that's not going to work for you, if you're really tied to using your debit card, well, then take your business elsewhere. There are plenty of smaller community banks, credit unions, and online banks that are exempt from this recent regulatory change, and so they're not going to be instituting debit card fees.

MALVEAUX: And Greg, what do we do about the overdraft fees, the banks who charge for checking accounts?

MCBRIDE: Well, overdraft fees take the biggest bite, but they're really the most easily avoided. The key is, you have to know what's in your account before you initiate transactions, so take advantage of the 24/7 online and mobile account access that you have. Make sure you have enough money in the account and available for withdrawal before you initiate transactions.

And because anybody can slip up once, your lowest-cost line of defense is to set up a link between your checking account and your savings account. That way, it's your money that will cover any shortfall in the event that you overdraw the account.

And as far as free checking, look, free checking is not going to go away completely. It's still out there, but you're either going to have to work for it or you will have to search around and take your business elsewhere. Something as simple as setting up direct deposit could be enough to get that monthly fee waived, and then again, a lot of those smaller community banks, credit unions and online banks will remain viable alternatives for free checking.

MALVEAUX: All right, great advice. Thank you, Greg McBride. Appreciate it. Well, banks are not the only institutions charging more special fees these days. Next hour, we're going to take a look at cable companies, concert tickets and car rental fees.

So don't forget to vote for today's "Choose the News" winner. Text 22360 for the story that you would like to see. Text one for the blue penguin rescue. It's a creative way wildlife groups in New Zealand are rushing in to save birds from oil, essentially. Text two for bagpipes in Pakistan. CNN talks to one man in Pakistan who tests out the thousands of bagpipes that are sold around the world. Text three for movie magic in Macedonia. A world away, meet the small graphics design team behind some of Hollywood's biggest hits. So vote now. The winning story will air in the next hour.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: The Occupy Wall Street movement is made up of thousands of diverse activists in cities across the country, but they share in a common language, their choreographed hand signals. It can be mind- boggling to someone who just walks by.

But, luckily, we have got Jeanne Moos to play translator.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They are the concert pianists of protesters, flutter fingers playing upon thin air, but saying what?

UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: (INAUDIBLE) across the country.

MOOS: This is silent applause, the sign of approval.

On the other hand --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This --

UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: This --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- to show that we don't like what we hear!

UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: -- to show that we don't like what we hear!

MOOS: And if you're wondering why the Occupy Wall Street protester keep repeating themselves --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We use this human mike --

UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: We use this human mike --

MOOS: -- it's because they aren't allowed to use amplifying equipment. So --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We amplify each other's voices!

UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: We amplify each other's voices!

MOOS: And you constantly hear them saying --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mike check!

UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: Mike check!

MICHAEL MOORE, FILMMAKER: It warms my heart --

UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: It warms my heart --

MOORE: -- to see all of you here!

MOOS: As Michael Moore noted, the system --

MOORE: It saves on electricity.

MOOS: But what does silent applause save on? Time spent waiting for the crowd to settle back down so everyone can hear.

(on camera): And guess who else does this same signal?

(voice-over): It's used by the deaf to signify applause in American sign language.

Other protester hand signals --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For the process. MOOS: -- to signify a point of order at protester assemblies.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wrap it up.

MOOS: -- though not everyone is up to speed on the proper direction.

(on camera): Some of the signals could be misinterpreted.

(voice-over): When Michael Moore suggested those who brought down the economy should be --

MOORE: In handcuffs!

UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: In handcuffs!

MOOS: -- he inadvertently used the protester's most severe hand signal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a block, which means that you have some moral or ethical disagreement.

MOOS: Not quite as conflicting as the confusing as the conflicting hand signals sent to a batter in "A League of Their Own."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN")

TOM HANKS, ACTOR: Who is the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) manager here?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MOOS: The protesters take pride in not having a manager.

The police have their own signals.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Folks, please keep walking this way.

MOOS: And one officer ended up on Facebook giving that age-old symbol --

UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: Peace!

MOOS: Though on a police blog, someone suggested, "Maybe the cop is putting in his order for coffee. Yes! Two sugars."

Actually, the protesters' hand signals remind us of the ones used by the financial markets they're protesting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We do this --

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Not bad.

Well, you heard Professor Cornel West slam Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, telling him to get off the symbolic crack pipe regarding racism. It happened right here on the show yesterday. Now Cain is firing back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Well, it didn't take long. Republican candidate Herman Cain is firing back after being slammed by Professor Cornel West. You may have seen it yesterday right here on the show. Cain says West is out of touch with the real world. That's after this exchange.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MALVEAUX: What do you make of what Herman Cain said? He did acknowledge that racism exists, but he says, you know, it doesn't matter that much, that more of it is about actually working hard and making opportunities happen for yourself.

CORNEL WEST, PROFESSOR, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY: Well, one, black people have been working hard for decades. I think he needs to get off the symbolic crack pipe and acknowledge that the evidence is overwhelming.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: We should point out Labor Department statistics show that African-American unemployment is almost double the national average.

Well, Herman Cain and the rest of the presidential Republican candidates are preparing for another debate. That is for tonight, this one focusing strictly on jobs.

Senior political editor Mark Preston from the political desk in Washington.

So, hey, Mark, what are voters looking here from these candidates tonight?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Very simply, what they have been looking to hear, Suzanne, over the past year-and-a-half was how are they going to turn the economy around at this point and how are they going to put people back to work?

The national unemployment rate now over at 9 percent. In some states it is in double digits. What we will see in New Hampshire tonight is the rise of Herman Cain. Will he become the target of other candidates on stage, such as Rick Santorum, such as Michele Bachmann, who are in some ways feeding off of the same base?

What will happen with Rick Perry, who really had a meteoric rise at the beginning of his candidacy back in August? Now he's kind of leveled off. And Mitt Romney, who is leading in the New Hampshire polls at this point, but what will Mitt Romney do? Will he continue to talk in the way of a general election tone, not really criticizing the other candidates?

I think what we will see tonight, though, is we will see Rick Perry certainly go after Mitt Romney, especially on the issue of health care -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And, Mark, we all remember when Joe the plumber became a household name in the Obama campaign, when he challenged him on his jobs plan here.

Do we know what he's up to? I understand that he's now back in the news?

PRESTON: He's back in the news. Somebody who also had a meteoric rise and kind of fell off the face of the earth, but now Joe the plumber who came to fame back in 2008, when he criticized President Obama when they were talking about how to build small businesses, is thinking about running for Congress. In fact, he probably is going to run for Congress up in Ohio.

He's trying to run for the Republican presidential -- rather, the Republican congressional nomination. Look, he could run for president. Who would know.

(LAUGHTER)

PRESTON: Who he could face, though, could be Marcy Kaptur or Dennis Kucinich, who are locked in a Democratic incumbent primary fight up in Ohio because of redistricting. The districts have been eliminated so they have been tied together. So Joe the plumber who was a big name back in 2008 is trying to make his way to Washington, perhaps try to change things if he is elected -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Mark, do we think he has a chance here, or is it too early to say?

PRESTON: It's too early to say, and the big question is, is this one of these glamour candidacies, someone who has a little bit of name recognition, someone in some ways is maybe a C-level celebrity? Does he have a chance? Or the question is can he raise enough money perhaps to actually win the nomination and then go on to win the general election?

And that is quite possible. We just don't know at this point, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right, we will be watching. Thanks, Mark.

PRESTON: OK.

MALVEAUX: For the latest political news, you know where to go, CNNPolitics.com.

A reminder to vote for today's "Choose the News" winner. Text 22360 for the story you would like to see. Text one for the blue penguin rescue. Many of New Zealand's seabirds are covered in oil after a spill, but now rescue groups are rushing in. Text two for bagpipes in Pakistan. There is one small factory to thank for thousands of bagpipes sold around the world. CNN goes inside. Or text three for movie magic in Macedonia. A world away from Hollywood, a small graphic design team is making hit movies. So vote now. The winning story will air in the next hour.

So, you have been sounding off on our "Talkback" question today. Are you sold on the president's jobs bill?

Darrell says: "Am I sold? If I had a job, I would have money to buy it."

More of your responses coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER UPDATE)

MALVEAUX: Well, you have been sounding off on today's "Talkback" question: Are you sold on the president's jobs bill?

Carol Costello, what are folks saying?

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm telling you, Suzanne, people have a lot to say. I think we have over 250 comments so far and they're still coming in.

The "Talkback" question, are you sold on the president's jobs bill?

This from Katey: "I'm sold on the jobs bill. It needs to be passed to get people to work. Corporate America isn't helping in the least. It's time for this country to get back on track."

This from Lee: "How many times do people have to touch a hot stove before they realize it burns? Anyone, after all the money wasted on stimulus packages, should know they haven't worked in the past. And the so-called jobs bill, that is a stimulus package and it won't work."

This from Lucas: "The president was forever told that he needed a jobs plan, so he made one. Sure, it's weak, but it also combines ideas from both sides of the aisle. Now I would like to Republicans, where is your jobs bill?"

This from Scott: "I'm a Democrat and I voted for Obama, but no. The bigger issues needs to be getting everyone -- and I mean everyone -- in Washington on the same page, so that those of us who are not in Washington are properly represented."

This is from Tom: "Why even bother asking Republicans what they think? They have made it abundantly clear that they hate our president and will do anything to undermine him, including sabotaging our economic recovery in the name of cheap political gain."

Please keep the conversation going, Facebook.com/CarolCNN. And I will be back with you with more "Talkback" in about 20 minutes or so.

MALVEAUX: All right, Carol, I want you to check this out.

This is -- we all get blindsided by life every day, but not like this. Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoa! Holy cow!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: It is the strangest thing, right? OK. An antelope comes out of nowhere, rams this biker. It's a hit-and-run, right? It happened during this bike race through a South African game reserve. So the teenager, thank God, he only had a concussion and whiplash. It could have been a lot worse, Carol, when you think about it. Antelopes, they weigh like 400 pounds. So that's a bad day.

COSTELLO: I have to see it again. Oh.

(LAUGHTER)

MALVEAUX: Carol, you and I, we are both runners. Can you imagine if something like that happened, something knocked you over? You just don't expect it.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: That would be a good story.

MALVEAUX: Yes, but maybe at a game reserve, maybe you should expect something like that. I don't know. You're in their habitat. Maybe you should expect it. Isn't that crazy?

COSTELLO: True. But can you imagine at the dinner table, you know, telling your loved one, hey, you will never believe what happened to me today? I was run over by an antelope.

MALVEAUX: They're like, yes, really, right, sure. You just didn't win the race.

COSTELLO: Whatever.

MALVEAUX: But I think that antelope won. I understand the biker, he was in second place before that happened, so the antelope came in first, I think.

COSTELLO: Oh, man.

MALVEAUX: All right.

COSTELLO: Absolutely.

MALVEAUX: Carol, talk to you in a bit.

Reminder to vote for today's "Choose the News" winner. Text 22360 for the story you want to see. Text one for the blue penguin rescue, the desperate attempt to save New Zealand's seabirds after a devastating oil spill. Text two for bagpipes in Pakistan, the one man responsible for testing out, yes, thousands of bagpipes sold around the world. Or text three for movie magic in Macedonia, a tiny graphic design team that is making hits in Hollywood. Vote now. The winning story is going to air in the next hour.

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MALVEAUX: CNN in-depth, taking a stand against bullying.

To get a proper read on the torment -- literally, we're talking about torment that some of these kids are living through, well, we're talking to them.

CNN's Carl Azuz recently got insight on bullying from some high school juniors and seniors.

And, Carl, you and I were talking about this in the break. Explain to us who are these kids? And can they do something? Can they do something to become less vulnerable and less susceptible to being bullied by others?

CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: Absolutely. I mean, a lot of experts that we have spoken to have said that one of steps to stopping bullying in schools is getting kids involved in the solution to bullying.

Once you get students involved, they can have an impact where they see this in other students. The students we spoke to for this segment this morning are really stand-out kids. They're members of 21st Century Leaders, which is an organization that recruits the best and brightest rising juniors and seniors from throughout the state of Georgia. They attended a leadership conference this summer on the campus of Georgia Tech.

And we at CNN Student News work with these kids. We thought they would be excellent resources for finding solutions to bullying. What would they suggest? That's what they asked them. Here's what they said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC PERRY, DEKALB SCHOOL OF THE ARTS: Don't keep it to yourself. Find a friend, find a family member or somebody that you really trust, and really tell them what's going on and get other people's advice, because you can't handle it on your own.

JEBRIL REEVES, WESTLAKE HIGH SCHOOL: Have a teacher or administrator, someone they can go talk to when they're getting bullied, then we will stop a lot of the problems that's happening now, and students won't feel so alone.

SOPHIA BAUR-WAISBORD, LAKESIDE HIGH SCHOOL: I really think more people should report it, because I see at school so many times where kids are being bullied and everyone sees it, but no one does anything about it. They just keep walking. They're like, oh, they'll get over it. Nothing serious is going to happen.

ERICA MAYBAUM, ROSWELL HIGH SCHOOL: Even if it's a simple compliment in the hallway, like, "I like your shoes," that still -- that simple comment can make somebody's day so much brighter. And by doing that, I think that can kind of cancel out the negativity.

QUINTON CUMMINGS, JEFFERSON COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL: Start like a protest, you know, make people feel bad for bullying, you know, you know, make them feel real bad, and I believe that they'll stop it.

BAUR-WAISBORD: And also I think social media sites should be more filtered for this kind of stuff, like Facebook and Twitter and that kind of stuff, because people are posting stuff, and no one -- people see it, and they don't really do anything about it. But it's there, and the truth is, people see that, and they take those things to heart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: Absolutely they do. And cyber-bullying is sort of a newer challenge that we're seeing students face, Suzanne.

And one thing that Facebook has done, they have a new stop bullying pledge. We also know that Cartoon Network has gotten involved with their Stop Bullying: Speak Up campaign -- so these different groups trying to combat cyber-bullying specifically.

MALVEAUX: And those kids had pretty good ideas, it sounded like to me. Do their advice match up with what some of the experts are saying, the grownups?

AZUZ: Oh, yes. That's the best part of today's report, because what they are saying matched up beautifully with what experts advise in terms of combating bullying.

For example, you heard the first couple kids say speak up about this, tell somebody. And that falls under what we would say is spread the word. Everybody is agreeing that once you start experiencing bullying, one of the best things you can do is to start telling an adult, an administrator. Friends are good. People in authority are even better.

Another thing you can do that experts suggest, spread the love. You heard one story talk about how complimenting a victim, saying I like your shoes, can help. Experts at the International Bullying Prevention Association had actually said that can make a difference. If another student comes up to a victim and says, whether it's I like your shoes or even something you didn't deserve that, that can help a bullying victim get through the day.

Another thing experts suggest, stand up, stand up to the bully, make the bully feel isolated so they are not getting that sense of reward for bullying the kids. And another thing when it comes to cyber- bullying specifically, take a picture, take a screen shot of what appears on the Internet.

If there's a way to isolate a video on YouTube, that's a good idea, because once people start going after bullies, it helps to have hard evidence in hand.

MALVEAUX: Yes, that is really smart.

You and I were talking about this. How do you know? What's the difference between a kid who is picked and a kid who is bullied? Is there any kind of way of understanding the degrees on how some of these kids are really tormented in school?

AZUZ: It's a very difficult question to answer. I remember we had a student at CNN Student News in our blog said to me, show me a kid -- the phrase sticks and stones may break my bones, but words would never hurt me. They said whoever said has never been to middle school, because everybody is mean in middle school.

I didn't know very many nice kids in middle school at all. And I think that's true for middle schools around the country. It's very difficult for experts to agree on where that stops, where being picked on stops and where bullying starts.

It's very difficult for them to come to a consensus on bullying. The good thing here is the advice they have for combating it is trickling down, at least to the students we spoke to, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: That's great. We really need to deal with this.

(CROSSTALK)

MALVEAUX: Thank you so much, Carl. Really appreciate it.

AZUZ: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: Well, all week long, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, Anderson Cooper and CNN bring attention to America's bullying crisis.

Then, CNN, Saturday night, don't miss "BULLYING: IT STOPS HERE." It's a town hall hosted by Anderson, right here on CNN at 8:00 Eastern.