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Verdict Watch in Conrad Murray Trial; Greece Crisis Dominates G-20; Herman Cain Accuser Could Release Statement; Companies Paying Zero Income Taxes; Jury Deciding Jackson Doctor's Fate; Woman Drops Weight to Save Life

Aired November 04, 2011 - 12:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour now. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

Let's get you up to speed.

We're on verdict watch now in the trial of Michael Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray. Jury deliberations are under way.

Did Murray give Jackson that lethal dose of Propofol? Or did Jackson give himself the drug? That's what the jurors are deciding. The attorneys have had their say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID WALGREN, PROSECUTOR: -- that Conrad Murray left Prince, Paris and Blanket without a father.

ED CHERNOFF, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: They want you to convict Dr. Murray for the actions of Michael Jackson. They just don't want to tell you that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The monthly employment report for October shows the jobless rate inched down slightly. The U.S. Labor Department says employers added 80,000 jobs. The unemployment rate dipped to 9 percent. Also, the jobs numbers for August and September were revised up.

Investors are disappointed by the report and anxious over the crisis in Greece. Right now the Dow is down 145 points.

The political turmoil in Greece reaches a critical point today. Prime Minister George Papandreou faces a confidence vote to determine whether his government will survive. Papandreou sent world markets into turmoil when he announced plans for a public vote on the European debt deal. Yesterday, he backed off plans for that referendum.

The turmoil in Greece is dominating the G-20 economic summit in France. In a speech last hour, President Obama called for cooperation to solve the European debt crisis and made a pitch for his own jobs plan in the states. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: -- excuse for inaction. That's true globally, it's certainly true back home as well, and I'm going to keep on pushing it regardless of what the politics are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Mr. Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy paid tribute to the military cooperation between the two countries, the U.S. and France. Just a short time ago, they attended a ceremony honoring American and French troops who took part in the NATO operation in Libya.

One of the two women accusing Herman Cain of sexual harassment could release a statement today. The Republican presidential candidate says he never sexually harassed anyone.

Here's what he said in a radio interview with conservative commentator Sean Hannity.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And when you look at the facts, and you look at the fact that Politico doesn't have any documentation, they've never talked to these women who are anonymous -- I didn't know there were so many women named "Anonymous" in America, to be perfectly honest with you, because they keep digging up others.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And a standoff now in the Middle East. Israeli sailors have climbed aboard two aid ships headed towards Gaza. The ships were on their way to the Palestinian territory on what activists say is a humanitarian mission. The ships were boarded after the activists refused demands to turn around.

More violence and a promise broken in Syria. Just two days after the government there said it would pull troops from the streets, Syrian security forces fanned out again this morning. Troops fired shots to disperse crowds and surrounded mosques to trap worshipers inside to prevent them from protesting. That's according to a London- based Syrian human rights group. At least four civilians are reported dead.

And this next video is like something out of an action movie. Watch as two Brazilian cops ram their patrol car right there into the side of a plane to stop some suspected smugglers from taking off with stolen cargo. They arrested the pilot and four passengers, and confiscated $200,000 worth of electronics stashed on board.

All right. Let's get you back to our lead story, verdict watch now in the Michael Jackson death trial. Jurors started their deliberations just about 15 minutes ago. They're deciding if Dr. Conrad Murray should be held accountable for Jackson's death.

CNN's Ted Rowlands joins us live now from Los Angeles.

Tell us, Ted, what the mood is like inside and outside the courthouse.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, obviously, Fredricka, a lot of anticipation now after more than a month of testimony. It is down to what the jury's deciding in terms of Conrad Murray's fate.

The jury's been given a lot of latitude from the judge in terms of taking breaks, but they can't deliberate after 4:00 local here in California, because they can't -- they don't want to go into overtime with the staff here at the courthouse unless they come to a verdict. The judge said, if you come to a verdict any time up until 4:00, then we will keep staff later.

And we understand that the judge is at this point giving a two- hour notice time to allow interested parties, specifically the Jackson family, to get here. They live on the west side of town here, so it will take them about an hour, regardless of traffic. So, the judge is allowing two hours, once a verdict is decided on, for that verdict to be read.

So, outside the courthouse, the regulars are all here, fan-wise and media-wise. Inside the courthouse, people are inside the courtroom. It is open during deliberations.

Just waiting word that this jury has come to a verdict. But as you've mentioned, they've only been at it about 15 minutes, so it's going to be a little while.

WHITFIELD: Well, did family members of Michael Jackson or supporters of Conrad Murray, did they arrive in court today, and do they remain while the jurors deliberating?

ROWLANDS: No, family is not here. They're at home, and they'll get a call from the court once a verdict is read. And then they'll have two hours to make their way to the courthouse.

Fans are up in the courtroom, and specifically the hallway outside the court. They've been there every day, and they're here again today, and they're outside the courthouse as well.

WHITFIELD: All right. Ted Rowlands, thanks so much. Keep us posted there from Los Angeles.

Here's a rundown of what we're covering in this next hour.

First, one of Herman Cain's accusers wants to set the record straight. So what does it mean for his presidential bid if she talks?

Then, zero, nada, goose egg. That's what some big corporations are paying in taxes.

Also, we'll hear from some real-life GI Janes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These troops have a new weapon. For the first time, women are joining elite commando units, going on raids into compounds, and even living in villages.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And a new discovery in the night sky. What scientists are learning from these spinning stars.

And speaking of spinning stars, Nancy Grace joins us with all the latest drama from the dance floor.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

WHITFIELD: The crisis in Greece is not only affecting the stock market, it's dominating discussions at the G-20 economic summit in France.

Just moments ago, President Obama spoke at the G-20 and stressed the importance of solving the European debt crisis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: All of us have an enormous interest in Europe's success, and all of us will be affected if Europe is not growing. And that certainly includes the United States, which counts Europe as our largest trading partner.

If Europe isn't growing, it's harder for us to do what we need to do for the American people -- creating jobs, lifting up the middle class, and putting our fiscal house in order. And that's why I made it clear that the United States will continue to do our part to support our European partners as they work to resolve this crisis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Ali Velshi joining us live now from the G-20 summit in Cannes.

So, Ali, are the leaders there making any progress dealing with Europe's overall financial crisis?

ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they are, Randi (sic). And the fact is, I think they are.

First of all, they are breathing a sigh of relief that this referendum in Greece is over and done with. So it gave everybody sort of a 72-hour scare. It caused them to come together and really put the knuckles to Greece to make sure that they did the right thing.

Everybody came around, offered help. There was definitely a different tone today.

And remember, part of the point, the agenda of this G-20, before it was derailed by this Greek discussion, was to deal with sort of unequal growth in the world and banking and things like that. So they actually got a fair amount of work done. This thing ends on a much higher note than it started.

I will tell you this though, Randi (sic), Greece is a tiny economy. It's the 32nd largest economy in the world.

Greece should not have had the whole world as hostage for the last few days. So this is an example, it's a warning that this financial crisis is not over.

Italy is now seeing some very, very serious problems. Italy's a really big economy with a lot of debt. So that is part of it.

Sorry, Fred -- I called you "Randi." But that's part of the issue, Fred, that we've got to start looking at a country like Italy, which really could pose a problem, as opposed to Greece, where the problem is almost theoretical.

WHITFIELD: Right. No problem. We're all family here. It's cool. And we're all interchangeable, too.

So, Ali, as it pertains to Italy, it certainly does have a lot more to lose. Greece, very small, it doesn't have the industry as perhaps Italy does. But are people -- I guess are other countries kind of crowding around trying to protect or try to gauge what Italy might do? Because certainly Italy's not going to take the lead of Greece.

VELSHI: Right. And so the talk around here is something called a firewall. How do you build a firewall around those 17 euro countries so that we don't end up with a credit crisis like we had in 2008?

Remember, Lehman Brothers failed. One American investment bank, and the whole world stopped lending money to each other. Banks and countries stopped lending. It shut the world's credit system down.

There was no firewall to contain it. So now they are saying, how do we get a firewall around Europe? While Europe continues to have economic growth problems and debt crises, how do you make sure it's contained so that other people still lend to other people? And that's what's sort of occupying the conversation right now, because what we don't want is global contagion of this fear that countries will default and banks will default.

I think everybody's attention is very focused on it right now, and we are looking for some announcements and some progress on how to make sure that happens so that this problem is contained in Europe and they can start to improve from it -- Fred. WHITFIELD: Meantime, earlier we talked about China. China is there. China's got deep pockets. China could certainly help bail out, but China's not necessarily volunteering.

VELSHI: No.

WHITFIELD: It's saying, I want to see how these European nations kind of work out their own problems first.

VELSHI: You know, on Monday, when I decided to head out here, the narrative was going to be that Europe had this deal that it agreed to on October 27th, and it was going to show up at the G-20, where countries like China and India and Brazil are represented. Their leads are all here.

And they would say, hey, look, we're not really such a mess. We need some investment. You all have money. Look, we got our house in order, why don't you invest in us?

That clearly didn't happen. That little gift box exploded.

And so now, Premier Hu Jintao and the leaders from India and Brazil are standing around, they've got the money, nobody's really asking for the money because they know that that's not reasonable, and they're not offering it. So these three leaders, I think, have found themselves with a little more time -- oh, it will come. The request will come, there's no question. But the Europeans have to rewrap that box before they offer it up.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Ali Velshi. Thanks so much from Cannes.

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain has been on the political hot seat lately over allegations of sexual harassment. We'll fill you in on some new developments in a live report from Washington, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, we're waiting to hear from one of two women who accused Herman Cain of sexual harassment. She could release a statement today. The Republican presidential candidate says he never sexually harassed anyone.

CNN's Jim Acosta is with us now from Washington.

So, where Cain will be speaking, at the Defending the American Dream Conference -- where will he be? Well, that's where you are, actually -- next hour.

Give us an idea of exactly what he is expected to say.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, he's going to be giving a speech here to a big Tea Party organizer, Americans for Prosperity, has been one of the leading groups organizing the Tea Party movement. And it is known because it has been partially funded by the Koch brothers. So we are expecting some Occupy Wall Street-type protesters out here at this conference.

But getting back to the event at hand, this is going to be really a chance for the Republicans to look at their two leading contenders right now, Herman Cain, who has obviously had a bad week. He's been really clamping down on his public appearances, only doing conservative media in the last day or so ever since those allegations broke that he sexually harassed some women at the National Restaurant Association in the late 1990s. Cain, as you said, Fredricka, says he did nothing wrong.

In his speech in about two hours from now, he's expected to talk about his 9-9-9 economic plan, which obviously he hasn't been spending a whole lot of time talking about lately, and national security. He's going to lay out some national security principles. That's according to his campaign.

We're also going to be hearing from Mitt Romney. He talks in about 45 minutes from now. So it's going to be interesting to hear from Mitt Romney as well.

But Cain, as I said, has been doing conservative media. He was on the Sean Hannity talk radio show yesterday, and he was asked about these allegations and whether or not it would derail his campaign. And Cain said no, there will be nothing there if these alleged accusers ever come forward. He says that his campaign is moving right along.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

CAIN: But I can assure you this, Sean -- this will not deter me. This businessman is not going to be deterred in his drive to basically do what I feel like I'm supposed to be doing, which is to win this nomination and win the presidency.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Now, obviously, Mitt Romney has something to say about that. He's going to be here giving his speech.

We have a sneak preview of his spending cut plan. This is something that the Romney campaign is really putting out there today.

He's talking about $500 billion in spending cuts for the budget year of 2014. So it's a little ways off, but he is talking about something pretty dramatic that may go over well with this Tea Party crowd, Fredricka, talking about sending Medicaid back to the states, talking about really changing Medicare the way the program is run right now, giving seniors vouchers to buy into the Medicare program, cutting funding for Amtrak, cutting spending for foreign aid, and of course eliminating the president's health care law.

So this is going to be a very sort of bold and in-your-face speech from Mitt Romney today on the economy, on spending cuts. And I think he's probably also looking to get some of the limelight away from Herman Cain and get it back on to what he would like to talk about, which is the economy and the president's handling of the economy.

WHITFIELD: All right.

ACOSTA: But as you were saying at the very start of this, Fredricka, this has been a tough week for Herman Cain. So obviously all of us are going to be watching Herman Cain to see what, if anything, he has to say about this week, about these allegations, at this speech today. He probably won't say anything, but we'll be watching.

WHITFIELD: OK. Jim Acosta, thanks so much in Washington, at the Defending the American Dream Conference.

And of course we'll all be listening to see what Herman Cain has to say.

So, all week long, as Jim just underscored, he has been in the hot seat.

With us right now from New York, CNN Senior Political Analyst David Gergen.

So, David, while Herman Cain has been in the hot seat, you wouldn't know it if you look at the latest polling, if you would look at his fund-raising efforts. He is surging in both.

How is this happening?

DAVID GERGEN, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, it sometimes happens, that there's a rally-around effect, especially among close supporters. I mean, he has a hard core of supporters who really like him. He is an inspirational figure, he's a motivational speaker. He's clearly motivated a lot of people.

WHITFIELD: I guess the fascination though with that question is, despite the fact that there are these rumors, and despite the fact that there are these allegations, he seems to be going along swimmingly with this kind of Teflon kind of approach.

GERGEN: I don't agree with that. I actually don't think that is the larger picture.

I think these polls are -- they are following polls. They're not early indicators.

As time goes on, what we know from other stories like this -- and we've seen a ton of them this year, haven't we? -- is that they have a corrosive effect on a candidate. And over time, their numbers start coming down. The shine goes off. They can't get their message out.

I think if we have a woman who comes forward and puts a name and a face on the allegations, and people have a chance to hear her, and if she has -- and if she in fact has a story -- and it may not be much here, but if she has a story of someone who was overly aggressive, we're going to be off to the races with three or more days of news stories comparing her to him, he said/she said. And the main thing he needs to do is to end this story, not to have it continue, because the longer it goes on, the more corrosive it is.

WHITFIELD: And how does he do that? Is it up to him to put an end to it, or does it all rest on this statement that may come today?

GERGEN: Well, I was really struck by the fact that even though the polls are holding out, Richard Land, who is a major evangelical figure, a Southern Baptist who has been the kind of person that Herman Cain depends on, said he must get this story behind him. He ought to call for full transparency, and that means he ought to ask the National Restaurant Association to release this woman from a confidentiality agreement.

Let all the facts -- get them all out there. Let everybody look at it. Yes, there may be a couple of embarrassing things, but if there's nothing serious, then his campaign goes on.

As it is, he's in this drip, drip, drip process. And yes, it hasn't shown up in the polls. Yes, he's still getting more money. But I guarantee you, over time, if this story continues for much longer, it will be very corrosive for his campaign. Everything in politics tells veterans that's what happens over time.

WHITFIELD: So Cain, you believe, is still in the driver's seat. It is up to him to kind of put this to rest. It's gone on for a very long time, in large part, in your view, because he hasn't addressed it head-on?

GERGEN: I think that Herman Cain looks to me like a very fine fellow who probably is a little -- he's a motivational speaker, he puts his arms around people, calls a woman "sweetheart" at the first meeting. He just comes out of that tradition. And I'm not sure he did very much that was wrong. I don't know that.

But what is clear is he's been terrible hand-fisted in dealing with it. I mean, his campaign has made a hash out of the defense. They've let this go on now. We're in the fifth day.

This should have ended two or three days ago, and it's likely to go through the weekend now if a woman comes forward. So this is not what a campaign wants to do. You want to cut these things off, boom, as quickly as you can, get all the facts. And the fact is, they had 10 days to be ready for this and they weren't ready.

WHITFIELD: Yes. So if anyone stands to gain from this kind of impasse of lack of information, or kind of these holes in this -- in these allegations, would it be a Mitt Romney?

GERGEN: Well, it could give life to Rick Perry to become the alternative to Romney. Right now, Herman Cain has gotten up in the polls. It looks like he's the alternative. If he falls, Rick Perry may be able to put his campaign back together.

He had a good interview yesterday with John King. He was more impressive in that than he was in the debates. But if Perry does not catch fire, then there is no question that Perry and Cain have cleared the field for Romney, and that maybe somebody else will catch fire, like Gingrich. But you'd have to say that the solid front-runner in that situation would be Mitt Romney, and we'll have to wait to see what he says today.

But, you know, he's been relatively in the background, but I think that's been smart by Romney, to be a little in the background. You know, he doesn't want to be out there every day between now and Election Day, a year from now.

WHITFIELD: David Gergen, thanks so much. Always enjoy your viewpoint.

GERGEN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Are you paying for income taxes than some of the country's biggest corporations? A new study says you may be because some companies aren't paying any at all.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Lower corporate taxes to boost job growth? We've heard that argument a lot in the economic back-and-forth in Washington, but according to a new study, a lot of companies are only paying half the current tax rate for corporations. And some aren't paying any income taxes at all.

Mary Snow has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As protesters rally against big corporations and big profits, there's talk of corporate tax reform. Authors are hoping the results may inspire action. Citizens for Tax Justice, along with the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, two left-leaning groups, found that 30 major corporations paid zero income taxes over the last three years.

How is that possible?

Robert McIntyre is the lead author of the study.

ROBERT MCINTYRE, CITIZENS FOR TAX JUSTICE: It didn't happen by magic. The corporations are good at lobbying and Congress is good at rolling over for them. And over the years, the last 25 or so years, loopholes have crept back into the tax code and companies have found ways to shift their profits offshore and invest in tax shelters that cut their taxes.

SNOW: The corporate tax rate is 35 percent. This study found that, on average, of the 280 companies studies, they paid about half that rate.

The report also finds that some companies had so many tax breaks, their tax burden went negative, meaning they got money back.

General Electric is near the top of the list. The report finds it paid zero income tax for the last three years, while their U.S. profits in that time amounted to $10 billion.

G.E. challenged the report, telling CNN, "The report is inaccurate and distorted. GE paid billions of dollars in taxes in the United States over the last decade, and we expect our overall tax rate will be approximately 30 percent in 2011."

"GE, which is a multinational company, favors tax reform," it says, "to close all loopholes and lower the corporate rate.

The author of the report is hoping for major reform like the kind he advocated for in the 1980s, at time when then-President Reagan rid the tax code of special breaks.

MCINTYRE: If you don't keep cleaning things up, the lawyers and accountants will beat you. And we haven't had a clean-up in 25 years, and we desperately need one.

SNOW: Tax law professor Daniel Shaviro isn't holding his breath, noting changes in policy since the 1980s.

DANIEL SHAVIRO, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY And they're not compromising, so we kind of have a different political environment today, and that makes taxes, along with a lot of other things, harder to do.

SNOW (on camera): While the low tax rates and in some cases zero tax rates may be surprising, they are all perfectly legal, all part of a system that tax reform advocates are pushing to change.

Mary Snow, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And stunning pictures from far out in space. We'll tell you about a new discovery by NASA.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Instinct would tell you to dodge a speeding car, right? Well, not this man. He actually flipped over them.

Yes, just like that. He jumps over the car going about 30 miles an hour.

What a gymnast and insane.

Aaron Evans hold the Guinness world record for fastest jump over three moving cars. Man! He is fierce!

Look at that, Reynolds!

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Unbelievable. My mother would kill me.

WHITFIELD: Yes. I just want to know how many times he probably impaled himself before he got it right just like that.

WOLF: That's true, because there is that like, you know, trying to achieve -- how do you start off -- you start off maybe jumping over like a go cart? Big wheel? That kind of thing, and you go to the sports car?

WHITFIELD: I think you've had a conversation with him. Maybe you know.

WOLF: I don't know.

WHITFIELD: He is amazing. He was recently featured in an episode of super human on history channel. Guess what? He got inspired as a kid watching Bruce Lee movies.

This is what can hatch when your kid watches things of super heroes or Bruce Lee and the like. They could become super human! Just like him. He's 23 years old now.

WOLF: But these are low-profile cars. I mean, I would want to see him try a minivan.

WHITFIELD: No, we don't want to see that. But let's hear what he has to say.

WOLF: Bring it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AARON EVANS: I paint the point everywhere I'm going to meet it. As soon as it get there and I'm at a certain point, I get ready to go an take off. Just don't think can you do it.

I don't want to put anyone down. Everyone has their own abilities. I just found mine. That's it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So, maybe -- maybe, Reynolds, it is as simple he'll visualize an SUV and you can master that, too.

WOLF: He certainly has mastered it.

WHITFIELD: Maybe he's heard your request.

WOLF: Maybe so. Maybe on to bigger and better, crazier things.

WHITFIELD: That's crazy stuff. All right. Well, some scientists are head over heels over something else. Pretty amazing stuff, far out in space.

A new discovery, this one right here, almost a dozen dead stars that spin at extremely high speeds and emit pulses of radiation. They're known as pulsars.

And, Reynolds, I'll let you pick it up from here because I know you know a lot more about it than I.

WOLF: Well, think about -- well, it's kind of like a caterpillar. You know how caterpillar becomes a butterfly goes from just a being a caterpillar to having a cocoon and it becomes a butterfly. Well, stars go through a life cycle also. This is toward the end of the life cycle of the star.

You saw how it was spinning. We saw the guy spinning over the cars? These stars -- pulsars tend to spin also. Amazing thing about these pulsars is they can spin from seven times a second to over 2,000 times per second. This latest one that's relatively close to us that we found is spinning 183.7 times per second.

This latest one we found that is relatively close to us is spinning about 183.7 times per second. So, this is moving very quickly.

What it also does -- it's very beautiful to see. What else is really cool, it is basically compressed mass. For example, this is really tightly compressed. Imagine all the matter, all the mass you have in the sun compressing to something about the size of a small city. Well, that space is very dense.

If you were to take, say, a teaspoon and dig into this and pick it up, there is so much mass in it that teaspoon would weigh as much as Mt. Everest.

WHITFIELD: What?

WOLF: Weird stuff. Pretty incredible. And this incredible star going through this process is about 27,000 light years away which means to get there you'd have to go at the speed of light, that's some 27,000 light years away, which means to get there, you'd have to go at a speed of light at some 27,000 years. So, it's a little more than taking a trip to Sarasota, Florida.

WHITFIELD: At least have the visuals on it.

WOLF: It's amazing stuff. Again the video of it is pretty incredible. And this is another great sight. The thing that's so important about this, the reason why this is important is because what we can study, what we can garner from seeing this gives us clues to our own universe and basically what we will be dealing with some day with our sun.

WHITFIELD: OK, great. The more we know, the more we grow.

WOLF: Amazing. Incredible.

WHITFIELD: I like it. All right. Thanks so much, Reynolds. Appreciate that.

All right. Dr. Conrad Murray's involuntary manslaughter trial is now in the hand of the jury. Who scored the most points at closing arguments? Nancy Grace will be weighing in.

But first, here's some free money advice from the CNN "Help Desk."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Time for the "Help Desk" where we get answers to your financial questions.

And joining me this hour, Lynette Khalfani-Cox, the founder of the financial advice blog askthemoneycoach.com. And David Novick, he's a certified financial planner and adjunct professor at NYU.

Thanks for being here, guys. We appreciate it.

And, Lynette, your question is from Kathy in Missouri. Kathy writes, she wants to find an honest an reliable credit repair agency. So, where can she find that?

LYNETTE KHALFANI-COX, FOUNDER, ASKTHEMONEYCOACH.COM: Is there such a thing?

No, here's the problem. A lot of these credit repair agencies tout benefits and make promises that they can't possibly keep, or they promise you things that frankly a consumer can do for him or herself.

The idea here is check out a company's better business bureau rating. Also maybe look at the credit counseling industry because the federal government does in fact certify credit counseling agencies. They can help you --

HARLOW: For free.

KHALFANI-COX: Free of charge. They can help you with your credit issues.

You might not get credit repair in that sense but can you get some credit education to improve your credit score.

HARLOW: And I think bottom line, if it sounds too good to be true, in the end, it probably is.

KHALFANI-COX: Yes.

HARLOW: David, your question comes from Ming in New York. Ming writes this -- his son started college this year. They paid over $10,000 in tuition. What kind of tax benefits can they expect?

DAVID NOVICK, ADJUNCT PROFESSOR OF FINANCE, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY: Well, depending on their income a couple options may be available. The most important one is probably the American opportunity tax credit which would give them up to $2,500 of the tax credit for the $10,000 of tuition.

The lifetime learning credit may be available, too. That would be a $2,000 tax credit.

There's also a tuition tax deduction. That could be $4,000.

The key is you can't use them together and if they've used anything such as a 529 plan or Coverdale account to pay for college, you wouldn't be able to use those credits for the same expense that.

HARLOW: You got to look at the fine print. Thank you, guys.

And if folks, if you have a question you want answered, send an e-mail any time to CNNHelpDesk@CNN.com.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The fate of Dr. Conrad Murray is in the hands of the jury now. They'll have to decide who is to blame for Jackson's death -- Murray or Jackson himself.

Nancy Grace always has an opinion. She joins us right now from Los Angeles with her "Dancing with the Stars" partner, Tristan MacManus.

So, Nancy, before we talk to both you and Tristan, let's talk about these closing arguments, which side made the bigger impression on the jurors in your view.

NANCY GRACE, HOST, HLN'S "NANCY GRACE": Well, I think especially given what they had to work with that the prosecution made a much stronger impact, especially when the prosecution brought up that Michael Jackson is not the only victim here. The three children he leaves behind without a father are victims, too. And I think that made a very strong impact on the jury. It certainly made a strong impact on me.

So those jurors that are parents are going to have to think about their own children going through life without a parent. We know these three children already don't have a mother. The mother doesn't want them. She's out of the picture.

They have no mother. Now they have no father. And, some of them witnessed their father lying dead. So, that is what they've got to live with for the rest of their lives.

Now the defense, granted, did their very best. But when you look at it, their whole defense is that he self -- Michael Jackson self-administered when we know for a fact that it was physically impossible for him to self-administer.

So, they did what they could. They tried to drag celebrity into it by saying if this had not been Michael Jackson there would not have been a prosecution. I think that fell flat. So, between the two of them -- and they're both very good lawyers -- I think the prosecution won the closing.

WHITFIELD: So, the defense tried to also convey that Conrad Murray was not complicity, was not negligent, even by having this storage of Propofol in the room with Michael Jackson with the defense trying to establish was an addict.

Is that an effective approach that they were able to say that while Conrad Murray may have been involved in providing that drug, he wasn't the one who actually administered it?

GRACE: Well, here's the deal. All he had to say to that is four gallons of Propofol. Dr. Conrad Murray claims he was trying to wean Jackson off Propofol -- and for those of you who don't mow what Propofol is. I had it once when I went under surgery. You put in your arm, you're out. You take it out of your arm, you're awake.

It's only to be used as a surgical anesthetic in an operating room. Conrad Murray had ordered four gallons -- think of a gallon of milk -- for Michael Jackson alone when he says he's weaning him.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

GRACE: So, after that came out in court, I think that all of their arguments fell flat. They also argued in his defense that he was a little fish in a, quote, "big dirty pond." In other words, a lot of doctors had Jackson hooked on drugs. But those doctors aren't the ones accused of killing him.

WHITFIELD: OK. Quick verdict in your view then?

GRACE: Well, remember, I was the one who said Simpson would go down on double murder, so consider the source. But I absolutely believe there will be a guilty verdict. I think it is all over but the sentencing.

However, in California that sentencing may be very lenient. He may get straight probation for killing Michael Jackson.

WHITFIELD: All right, let's switch gears a little bit. The other reason why you're out in Los Angeles, "Dancing with the Stars." You're still in the game! So you and Tristan, you had a very different competition this week. The big group dance. Lot of pressure on that.

Do you feel like there's greater pressure on the group dance versus when it's you and Tristan competing?

GRACE: Well, the thing about a group dance, that was a shocker, is that group score was added to everyone's individual score.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

GRACE: How does that work, Tristan?

TRISTAN MACMANUS, DANCER: Well, I guess we went in two teams of three. I don't know which one. I had a split opinion on first because I always thought that our own dance was the most important one. But again, it's kind of -- you take it into your own hand when you help the team out as well. You really need to work as a team in that scenario, so they were equally as important, I think.

GRACE: You know what? I hated that outfit. I was literally in that asylum cage, in a straitjacket outfit. It was a crazy wig. I didn't like that part.

I liked the dance a lot and it prepped me for this week because that was a tango and we're doing a tango this week. It was very hard. Tango's kind of hard.

WHITFIELD: Yes, it seemed very difficult, but very dramatic.

But, Tristan, in your view, why is it that Nancy Grace is such a good competitor on this dance floor?

MACMANUS: Because she's very determined. You know? I don't know. She's just really letting herself go a little bit now. So, it's fun. And you're having fun and you understand that it's fun. There's definitely reason why Nancy is still in the show.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And Nancy --

MACMANUS: I think that's the important thing more so than the dancing.

(CROSSTALK)

GRACE: To me, the whole competition is not only a lot of fun but it is an exercise and discipline because after my show last night on HLN, we both went back to the rehearsal hall and we practiced. And this morning, we got up super early so I could give the twins their birthday this morning, they turned four -- praise the Lord -- and I didn't know that I would be back to see them before they went to bed because we are going to be rehearsing the tango and jive for Monday night. It really takes all that.

WHITFIELD: OK! Well, we wish you the best. Sorry to be stepping on your toes here.

GRACE: Well, hold on! You forget to put out our voting number -- 868-3405.

WHITFIELD: OK. Got in there.

GRACE: (INAUDIBLE)

WHITFIELD: Oh, fantastic. Well all the best. Tristan and Nancy, thanks so much. We'll be watching.

MACMANUS: Thank you very much.

GRACE: Bye!

WHITFIELD: OK. Bye-bye.

All right. After a visit to the emergency room, this woman's battle to lose weight turned into a battle between life and death. Our Suzanne Malveaux has her story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: African-American women are more likely to be overweight than any other group in the U.S.

In this "What Matters" segment, meet a woman who turned her life threatening situation around and has now made it her mission to help others.

Suzanne Malveaux has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Trudy Jeffrey (ph) isn't the woman she used to be. She's lost 72 pounds and has kept it off with exercise and healthy eating.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In that journey that it took me to lose that weight, I learned all type of skills, how to choose and to be able to eat anywhere with anybody and make the best choices at the time.

MALVEAUX: But Jeffrey's transformation didn't happen voluntary. She got serious about losing weight after a visit to the emergency room. Her blood pressure was at stroke levels.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's when it became more than not looking good, can't fit in my clothes, having headaches. My mother had high blood pressure.

So, I saw myself at that moment there with my two kids thinking, oh, no. I'm doing exact same thing.

MALVEAUX: According to Centers for Disease Control, about four out of five African-American women are overweight or obese.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think those numbers are alarming.

MALVEAUX: Dr. Sandy Moore Waters (ph) threats African-American patients and says obesity is an issue she sees all too often with her patients.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it is due to the poor American diets which are high in fat, high in cholesterol, and also high in sugar. And it's also due to our lack of physical activity.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Definitely, we are going in the wrong direction over the past 20 years.

MALVEAUX: Dr. Garth Graham (ph) is with the Obama administration of Office of Minority Health.

(on camera): How much of it is the government's responsibility and how much of it is like, hey, you know what? I got to it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's all of our responsibility. Obesity epidemic, as you know, has been growing over the last couple of years. And that's why First Lady Michelle Obama launched the Let's Move campaign to make sure we educate all communities in terms of the things that we can do help fight obesity.

MALVEAUX (voice-over): And Dr. Waters has joined the fight, starting a cooking class to teach her patients how to prepare healthy meals. It is an effort she hopes will not only benefit her patients but their families as well.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Education is key, because if we don't know, then we can't make the changes. One of our mottos is better health for a better life. That's what we want them to have, a better quality of life.

UNDENTIFIED FEMALE: You will be able to have the type of results would you like.

MALVEAUX: Jeffrey has also made this her life's mission. Now an instructor for weight watchers, she encourages other women to be the best they can be.

UNIDENTFIED FEMALE: Go out there, seek it out, and make your mine up that you're going to do it but don't give up. Don't give up on yourself, and done give up on how you would like to be.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: And they say time is money and we've all had to wait on a cable guy or the repair man, sometimes for hours. How much is that lost time worth? Is it $380,000, $38 million or $38 billion?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. We asked, you how much money do you think Americans lost waiting for in-home services? The answer: close to $38 billion this year alone. Three-quarters of Americans, an hour is worth at least $15, and most Americans spend about four-and-a-half hours waiting for in-home services to arrive.

All right. "THE CNN NEWSROOM" continues right now with Randi Kaye -- Randi.

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, Fred. Thank you very much.