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Judges Decide Constitutionality of Prop 8; GOP Contests in 3 States Today; Child Abuse In The Classroom; Slaughter In Syria Spares No One; Study: It's Hard To Resist Tweeting; Afghan Women Burn Themselves In Protest; Bootsy Collins Gets Funky

Aired February 07, 2012 - 12:01   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.

Want to get you up to speed.

A huge decision on same-sex marriage. We're waiting on a federal court ruling from California on the constitutionality of Proposition 8.

Now, it's the 2008 voter initiatives that said same-sex couples could not get married. A federal judge struck down Prop 8 two years ago, saying gay couples were being unfairly denied the right to marry. The people behind Prop 8, they appealed that, which brings us to today's milestone decision.

What we are seeing on the ground in Syria could be a turning point to ending the bloodshed or more of just the same. Syria's president wants to show that he's got support, too. The thousands of people waiting, Russian and Syrian flags welcoming Russia's foreign minister, it comes just days after Russia threw a lifeline to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by vetoing a U.N. resolution that would have condemned him for killing his own people.

Now, since then, the government attacks have even intensified. Syrian opposition activists say 128 civilians died in these rocket attacks that you're seeing on the city of Homs yesterday. Today's death toll has already reached 21.

The sheer desperation and determination of one Syrian activist stopped us in our tracks.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

ZAIDOUN, SYRIAN ACTIVIST: We might just face our death tomorrow morning or even after half an hour, or get arrested and die under torture. But this doesn't mean we're going to retreat. This doesn't mean we're going to give up.

We will stay even if it takes us just another 10,000 people killed or 100,000 people killed. We'll not stop.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Protesters back on the streets of Greece today. Now, they're furious over cuts in government spending.

Traders on Wall Street are taking notice. For months now, Greece has been at the center of a chaotic battle between European leaders who want to see the country get itself back on budget and Greek workers who think that these cuts are unfair.

Presidential politics now. Three states, 70 delegates up for grabs in today's Republican match-ups in Colorado, Minnesota, Missouri.

Rick Santorum may be the man to beat. Santorum says he has a shot at winning one or more of those states. Even some of his Republican rivals say this could be a pretty good day for Santorum.

This, a brutal crime caught on camera. An Atlanta teen viciously beaten in what appears to be a hate crime. You can hear the attackers yelling anti-gay insults at the victim.

The clip now has gone viral. Police are still looking for the attackers.

We have now learned about an hour ago that Karen Handel, the vice president of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation has resigned. This is after she came under fire in a controversy over funding for Planned Parenthood.

Komen reversed its decision to withdraw funding for some Planned Parenthood projects last week. "The Huffington Post" reported Handel had expressed anti-abortion views in the past.

The Komen foundation released a statement after the resignation saying, "We have made mistakes in how we have handled recent decisions and take full accountability for what has resulted. But we cannot take our eye off the ball when it comes to our mission. The stakes are simply too high, and providing hope for a cure must drive our efforts."

Want to get back to the huge decision today that is taking place in California, a federal court ruling on the constitutionality of Proposition 8. Now, it's the 2008 voter initiative that said same-sex couples could not get married. A federal judge struck down Prop 8 two years ago, saying that gay couples were being unfairly denied the right to marry.

Our Dan Simon, he's standing by as we're waiting for the ruling.

Dan, tell us what is the significance today of this decision.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, obviously, there's a lot of anticipation here in San Francisco. This is really the epicenter for the gay rights movement. And the significance is whether or not this court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, will hold up Proposition 8, which, as you said, define marriage between a man or a woman, or it will say that same-sex marriage is legal in the state of California.

Now, it was a little more than three years ago that California voters went to the polls and voted in favor of Proposition 8. It was by a narrow margin, a 52-48 percent margin. And it effectively ended same- sex marriage here in California.

Now, 18,000 couples had already gotten married, and those marriages were still valid. But no marriages, no same-sex marriages, could take place after Proposition 8.

Now, what we saw here at the court a few months ago, it seemed like the three-judge panel was siding with same-sex marriage. So, the question that many people here have is, if the court rules against Proposition 8, can same-sex marriages happen tomorrow in California? Can they take place immediately? And the answer to that is probably no.

They will probably put their decision on hold while this ruling will be appealed. But no doubt it's likely headed to the Supreme Court.

So, people here want to know if, in fact, Proposition 8 was thrown out, can they get married tomorrow? Can they get married immediately? And the answer is likely no -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And Dan, this is something that's been a long time coming. A lot of people waiting, anticipation on both sides of the issue.

What is the mood there?

SIMON: Well, I think people here are nervous, but I think they're cautiously optimistic. This is from the same-sex marriage side.

Obviously, you have people with a different viewpoint. Proposition 8 was taken up by a group called ProtectMarriage.com. Because you're in San Francisco, obviously a very liberal place, you don't have too many Proposition 8 supporters show up at the courthouse and in other places. But I think people here, cautiously optimistic, and I think that they feel like they're going to get a win today -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right. Dan Simon, we'll all be watching.

Here's your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. Everybody's talking about the Clint Eastwood commercial that aired during the Super Bowl. A lot of people wondering if there was a political message behind it.

Carol Costello is joining us.

Carol, you know, it's fascinating, because you talk to people, and it goes both ways. Some people see it as a pro-Obama ad, others saw it as a GOP ad. But a lot of people kind of missing the message that it was a car -- it was about a car company, right?

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a car commercial, right.

MALVEAUX: Exactly.

COSTELLO: It's an ode to Detroit, right. But I guess I have to ask our viewers this question: Are you tired of talking about Clint Eastwood's ode to Detroit? I'm not. I mean, it's endlessly fascinating, whether you believe Eastwood meant to be political or not. Detroit still has a long way to go, of course. The city teeters on the edge of bankruptcy. But the big three are thriving, thanks in part to a government bailout.

President George W. Bush seems on Eastwood's side. His administration gave the auto industry $25 billion in emergency aid. According to "The Detroit Free Press," Bush told the National Automobile Association Monday he'd do it all again, because "sometimes circumstances get in the way of philosophy."

It's a sentiment the Republicans running for office do not share. Mitt Romney made that quite clear in a "New York Times" op-ed entitled "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt." He was confronted by voters last month.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Bankruptcy is not going under and losing jobs. I believe the market works better than a president stepping in to take care of his friends.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Friends as in union friends. President Obama is all for the auto bailout. His administration also lent billions of dollars to the auto industry.

He often appears in Michigan touting the big three's comeback. After all, GM and Chrysler are turning profits. But Ford rebounded without government help. And last year, the Treasury Department reported taxpayers would lose $14 billion because of the bailout.

But does it matter? As Clint Eastwood said in that TV ad, Detroit is showing us it can be done.

So the "Talk Back" question today: Have you changed your mind about the auto industry bailout?

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

MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: Sure.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: All right. Republican presidential candidates facing off in three states today. Colorado, Minnesota holding caucuses. Missouri holding its primary, but delegates are going to be decided later. Rick Santorum could be the man to watch in today's match-ups.

Political Director Mark Preston joining us live.

Mark just told me -- I can ask you anything. MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Anything you want.

MALVEAUX: Anything. Really?

PRESTON: What do you want? Take a risk.

MALVEAUX: Oh, take a risk. We like that here.

Santorum, could he be the dark horse in some of these states today? Could he win? And what does that mean?

PRESTON: OK. So let's just break it down in real simple terms.

So, Rick Santorum is trying to be the conservative alternative to Mitt Romney. He's battling for that title with Newt Gingrich.

In Missouri today, where no delegates matter, it's really a beauty contest, Rick Santorum has been putting in a lot of time campaigning there. Newt Gingrich is not on the ballot in Missouri. So, Rick Santorum is putting this match-up between himself and Mitt Romney. If he were to win tonight in Missouri, Rick Santorum is going to use that to try to reach out to his conservative base, try to raise money from these real social conservatives, and add a little bit more gasoline to his gas tank and keep the campaign moving.

MALVEAUX: Could it -- since he doesn't get delegates, could it just be all about momentum? Is that good enough?

PRESTON: For him, absolutely. And in many ways, this month of February is about momentum because delegates tonight will not be awarded. We will allocate them based upon the results, but it's really about momentum, and it's more perception between what you think and what I think and what our viewers think about who actually has momentum moving forward.

MALVEAUX: How about Newt Gingrich? I mean, is he going to be basically kind of stuck for a while until he gets to some of those southern and western states looking for support?

PRESTON: Well, you know, interesting enough, he's not in Colorado today, he's not in Minnesota, and he's certainly not in Missouri. He's in Ohio. So he's already looking forward to Super Tuesday, trying to plant a flag now in Ohio. But he has said time and time again that he is waiting until Super Tuesday, until March 6th, where he can get down South, where he thinks he can do better in Georgia and Tennessee and some of these other states.

MALVEAUX: Is there a possibility anytime soon that we might see Santorum stepping down, stepping out?

PRESTON: I can't imagine it unless -- you know what? The only reason I could see him stepping out now is if something happens to his daughter. His daughter is very sick. He has a young daughter with an illness, and if she were to get really, really sick, I could see Rick Santorum saying enough is enough, I need to step aside, my family is more important. MALVEAUX: All right. And you haven't seen your family in a while. You know you've got to visit every once in a while, Mark.

PRESTON: Every once in a while. Maybe in a couple days.

MALVEAUX: We're going to see you here tomorrow, too, right?

PRESTON: We'll be right here tomorrow.

MALVEAUX: All right.

PRESTON: Any question tomorrow.

MALVEAUX: Well, maybe Thursday, just so you could say hi to your wife and kids. That's all right.

PRESTON: Thanks.

MALVEAUX: Thanks, Mark.

Well, the school at the center of these bizarre child abuse allegations is making some big changes now. But are parents going to be satisfied? We have a live update from L.A.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: When students go back to Miramonte School on Thursday, they're going to have all new teachers and staff members. That's the school that is in a poor, mostly Hispanic neighborhood of Los Angeles at the center of a bizarre child abuse allegation scheme. The school district is now replacing the entire staff after two men were arrested on the abuse charges.

Our Casey Wian, he's following the story.

First of all, Casey, I can only imagine how furious parents are at this point, saying the school didn't take any action sooner, and many believe because it's Hispanic, largely Hispanic, it's in a low-income neighborhood, and that it is underserved.

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now, Suzanne, that's what a lot of parents are saying and a lot of community leaders are saying. It's one of the reasons that this was able, allegedly, to have gone on for so long.

Many of the people who attended -- the children who attend this school, their families are from other countries, many from Mexico, and we're being told by parents that, culturally, they trust teachers. They don't question school administrators. And that's the way that they have been operating here in the United States.

They now believe, obviously, that was quite a mistake. So, those angry parents have met with the school -- the superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District at a meeting last night, a very tense meeting where, as you mentioned, the school district announced that they are going to replace everyone in that school over the next two days.

Now, these teachers and staff members are not being fired. They will actually be retrained, the school district tells us, and sent to another school that is now being constructed, not yet open.

They are bringing in an entire new set of staff members when school resumes after this two-day closing period to allow sort of a cooling off period and for these investigations to continue. School will resume on Thursday.

Now, here's what some of those parents had to say after they heard the news at the meeting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm stunned by the news, but it's something that needed to be done.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, disappointed because they didn't tell us, and we want our old teachers, not the new teachers, because we don't know how it's going to affect our kids.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIAN: The one thing the school district does know, however, is that these parents have lost confidence in the staff at the school and in the school district itself.

The district will continue its investigation into how these alleged acts could have gone on for so long. They have asked a former associate justice of the state Supreme Court to lead an independent investigation into how this all happened and what actions the school district needs to take down the road to make sure that this doesn't happen again. And, of course, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is moving forward with its criminal investigation -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right. Casey Wian, thank you so much. Appreciate that.

The slaughter in Syria continues and intensifies. I'm going to talk with someone who has firsthand knowledge about what is going on, on the ground.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: We're focusing on the horrific attacks under way in Syria. Nobody is spared. Women, children, the elderly, all being killed in this government bombardment.

Well, CNN's Arwa Damon, she has a disturbing look at what is taking place.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "What did we do for you to treat us like this?" this little girl asks, her head bandaged after injuries to her eye. We can't tell if she's being prompted to speak out against the Assad regime, but the pain and misery emanating from Syria is echoed in various videos posted to YouTube.

DANNY, ACTIVIST IN HOMS, SYRIA: They've been bombarding us with molar bombs and tank shells for the last --

DAMON: Danny, an activist that CNN has regularly be in touch with, knows it only too well.

DANNY: I saw really horrible things I've never seen in my life, kids in a hospital -- a kid with his whole jaw gone. A little girl, a kid, she's 4 years old. She's dead. Her sister is 6 years old. She lost her left eye and her mother is in intensive care.

DAMON: No one has been spared the violence that reached unprecedented levels just as the U.N. debated and failed to unite on Syria over the weekend. The vetoes by Russia and China of what was already a watered-down version of a resolution condemning the violence seemed to have emboldened the regime, although the Syrian government denies the crackdown.

These are chaotic scenes from a field hospital in Homs said to have been hit by rocket or mortar fire. The doctor, hysterical as he moves through the injured, pointing to a man whose legs had to be amputated, he says, and another who they were unable to save.

This clip was posted from the town of Rastan, just outside of Homs. A little girl lies in a hospital bed saying she is scared -- scared of needles and scared for Hasaan (ph) lying in the bed next to her.

DANNY: You don't know if the rocket is going to come in your living room or your kitchen. Everyone is becoming used to death here, blood in the streets. People think our blood is just like water.

DAMON: Many of the videos are simply too graphic to show. This clip, also from Homs, a child whose leg has been blown off.

No matter how Syria plays out, the suffering will be felt for decades to come.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Beirut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Syrians are determined to carry on despite the bloodshed. But one Syrian activist makes it clear that the world, he says, is culpable.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZAIDOUN: Let me say one word. I think that the entire world should be ashamed of what's happening here. Everybody is just silent and looking at us being slaughtered every moment for no reason, just for asking for our freedom.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Powerful words.

Fawaz Gerges joins us from London. He's director of the Middle East Centre at the London School of Economics.

Dr. Gerges, you've got an inside knowledge of what is taking place in Syria. You travel there frequently.

When you hear that man, that activist, say that this is the kind of sacrifice people are willing to make to obtain their freedom, does he represent what many Syrians are feeling?

FAWAZ GERGES, DIRECTOR, MIDDLE EAST CENTRE, LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS: He represents a significant segment of the Syrian people, but, of course, there are other Syrians who are deeply opposed to international intervention, military intervention.

There's one particular point I want to make, Suzanne, is that Syrians are deeply divided.

They're divided not only across sectarian lines, divided along idea local lines and class lines, and what you see in Syria today is basically a struggle, a struggle between a significant majority, which would like to have a different political system.

And an Assad regime determined with a critical segment to stay in power at all costs. I think at this particular moment what we are witnessing is a fight to the bitter end.

I fear that the sound of battlegrounds any kind of diplomacy, and the balance of power on the ground in Syria, the balance of forces will ultimately determine the outcome of this particular fierce political struggle.

MALVEAUX: That man says that the world is culpable, that we are guilty for allowing this civil war to happen, and for those people to die in the streets. Who is responsible, who needs to step in?

GERGES: Well, as you know, Suzanne, Syria is a very complex situation. Unlike in contrast to Libya where the international community was united, the double veto that we witnessed over the weekend shows a great deal how divide the international community, and how international and regional variables complicate, exacerbate and prolong the Syrian crisis.

Not only China and Russia vetoed the Security Council, Assad can count on major regional support. You have Iran, you have Iraq, I mean trade goes on. It's an open, really, road from Tehran to Baghdad.

So, the international community is not united. And even if the international community is united, I think President Barack Obama is absolutely correct. There is no military intervention option in Syria.

Military intervention in Syria could easily turn, transform itself into a region-wide conflict because both Iran and Iraq could get involved in this particular war.

MALVEAUX: Is there another way that the United States could get involved to the United States short of military action provide help assist with the opposition on the ground?

GERGES: Suzanne, let me be blunt. I'll say that the United States and the western powers and Turkey and other gulf states are waging a war by other means. All my respect to the activists, but the activists, it must know, is that war is being waged against the Assad regime, an economic war, financial war, and a psychological war.

And now the United States and its allies and its partners are trying to unite the opposition outside Syria and inside Syria, coordinate their activities, and also arm the opposition. And arming the opposition will likely plunge area into all-out war.

Already Syria has descended into a prolonged conflict. Arming the opposition, really the option what we're talking about is all-out civil war in Syria, no one, no one knows what the outcome of this particular civil war will be.

And it's, of course, on its neighbors. The reality is at the end of the civil war, Assad will not be with us. In fact even though Assad will be with us in the short -- on the long-term I really can't see how President Assad and the system on which he sits can really survive this particular fierce political struggle.

In particular, because you have a significant who are determined to fight to the bitter end to basically get rid of this particular system.

MALVEAUX: All right, Dr. Gerges, thank you so much. Appreciate your perspective. Obviously, a lot of concern over what is taking place in Syria.

As you say, a plan, hopefully a plan that could work to -- to continue economic actions, and diplomacy outside of that country possibly even arming the opposition. Thank you very much.

On to another story, you sometimes feel like you can't just put down the Blackberry or stop reading the Twitter feed? You're actually not alone.

A new study that says using social media is harder to resist than sex or sleeping. I don't know if I believe that, but I'm going to talk to psychologist, Jeff Gardere and see what he has to say about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Having trouble getting away from Facebook or Twitter? You're not alone. New study finds people have a hard time resisting social media.

Psychologist, Jeff Gardere joins us from New York. And the study says that Twitter is harder to resist than -- than -- than cigarettes or alcohol. Put it down, Jeff. Put it down.

JEFF GARDERE, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: I did. I did.

MALVEAUX: How did they come up with this?

GARDERE: Well, this was a study that was done in Germany where they took a look at respondents anywhere from ages of 18 to 80, and wanted to find out how often do they get involved in social media.

We're talking about being on Twitter. We're talking about using their Blackberries or their iPhones even watching television, anything having to do with the media.

And what they found out, Suzanne, was that we are much more -- it's much more difficult for us to give up the social media than actually getting involved in sex, smoking, or alcohol.

MALVEAUX: All right. With all due respect, Jeff, who are these people? In Germany where it's more difficult -- I mean, really?

GARDERE: Well, what they're looking at Suzanne is the idea that when it comes to something like social media, it doesn't have the same consequences, for example, as alcohol, smoking or sex.

There is a higher price to pay both financially and physically for getting involved in those activities. Social media, for the most part, yes, it can interfere in our lives.

But we all watch TV, thank goodness. We all listen to, watch videos, get on the phone. So as long as that doesn't get in the way of our social lives, occupational lives, it's OK. And that's why we choose that over the sex and the smoking and so on.

MALVEAUX: Is it really that satisfying? I mean, what are people getting out of the interaction when they're talking about tweeting, or Facebook as opposed to actually being with somebody, or enjoying a glass of wine or something?

GARDERE: Well, that's a great question. And something that we found in previous studies, that people who do not have that face-to-face interaction, studies have shown that they actually lose gray matter in their brains, and they have less cognitive abilities.

And in fact they don't learn the social skills that they need in order to interact with other people. However, we do know that being involved in social media, being able to tweet and to get on Facebook, and MySpace and all that kind of stuff, it is a way of communicating with the universe.

Communicating with others, and in many ways it becomes a catharsis. People actually work out some of their issues by just being able to tweet about it, to talk about it. And psychologists think just getting that stuff off of your mind, off of your heart, is actually healthy.

MALVEAUX: And Jeff, is there a way, are there things that you can do to kind of break the temptation, I suppose, in tweeting or Facebooking or using your Blackberry? Is that advisable?

GARDERE: Suzanne, absolutely. One of the things that this study advises, and as well as others, say monitor how much time you spend on your telephone, or watching videos, or watching TV. Keep a record, and if you're seeing that you're spending a lot of hours, that is a red flag.

Secondly, look at other activities that you can use as healthy substitutes such as being able to sit down with someone and being able to share dinner or getting involved in exercise.

There are better things that you can do with your time that can help you in reaching out to other people. It just doesn't have to be the electronics all the time.

MALVEAUX: OK. OK. Jeff, I'll get back to you on that. I got to go tweet, work out my issues here. All right, Jeff, thank you so much.

GARDERE: I know what you're talking about. Thank you.

MALVEAUX: So how hard is it, right, to resist temptation? It depends on your willpower muscle. Now, these kids, is that what you're doing? They're actually flexing it right now.

Join us again on Thursday and we'll talk to the author of the new book, "Willpower Rediscovering The Greatest Human Strength." This is about how you can change your life by improving your self-control. This Thursday at noon Eastern, CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Afghan women trapped in abusive relationships turn to the only form of protest that they can think of. They set themselves on fire. Those who survive such drastic and desperate actions still find themselves suffering in silence. A story from CNN's Nick Paton Walsh.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two-thirds of the women admitted to this burn unit in Herat die. But for the rest, survival normally means lying about what brought them here.

"The gas cylinder blew up," she says. "I was in the kitchen cooking. It burned me. I swear, no pain could be greater than what I suffer now."

Artifa (ph) was married off to her cousin, age 10. Doctors say after six years of abuse from her mother and sister-in-law, she became an opium addict. Her suffering silent. No one to cry to. Then one day she committed the only act of protest she could think of.

NAEEMA NAKZAAD, COUNSELOR: She burned herself because of domestic violence at home. For that (INAUDIBLE), she (INAUDIBLE), I burned myself, because of violence at home.

WALSH: It's taken months for her to admit what happened in private. In public, she insists she's another accident. Here, again, these women are silent. Bed 19, they say, is also a victim of self-immolation. Her wounds are still raw and her instincts of self-preservation still means she calls what happened another cooking accident.

DR. GHAFAR ABAWAR, HEAD OF BURN UNIT: Singing (ph) she's saying, but when the patient come to emergency room, here will smell the fuel. Self-immolation is a taboo in our society. The shame of it.

WALSH: The truth would bring shame on her family, and that could mean they'd kill her.

Self-immolation is almost an epidemic in Herat. Eighty-three suspected cases in this hospital in the last 10 months. A record.

WALSH (on camera): Many ask, why here? Some say it's because such abuse is common in nearby Iran. Others say the violence, the oppression, the stranglehold these women feel in their lives is so intense that this bid to die is the only way they can speak out about the brutality of their life.

WALSH (voice-over): They carry scars now forever from a devastating and brief moment in which they felt they had a voice, as their suffering in the past and future continues in silence.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Herat.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Time now for "The Help Desk," where we get answers to your financial questions. Joining me this hour, Donna Rosato is a senior writer with "Money" magazine, David Novick is a certified financial planner and adjunct professor of finance at New York University.

Thank you both for being here. We appreciate it.

Donna, mortgage rate question for you. Regina from Washington wrote in. "I have a 30-year fixed mortgage at 5.6 percent. I'm trying to refinance with my credit union. They insist on refinancing me for 30 years at 4 percent instead of 15 to 20 years that I want. Their closing cost is almost $10,000. How can I get better terms?"

DONNA ROSATO, SENIOR WRITER, "MONEY": Well, everybody, of course, wants to refinance today because rates are so low.

HARLOW: So low.

ROSATO: And, of course, if you can lop a few years off your loan, you're going to save a lot in interest over time. But not everyone's going to qualify for those low rates or a shorter term loan. You need to have a good credit score of like 760 or higher. And for a shorter- term loan, your monthly payment's going to go up. So you have to look at what your debt-to-income ratio is. HARLOW: OK.

ROSATO: So she should talk to the credit union and find out what's holding her back. But she can definitely shop around.

HARLOW: Yes.

ROSATO: Those closing costs sound very steep. They should really be 2 percent to 3 percent of the loan value. So look at improving your credit, reducing her debt, but shop around a little bit. She should be able to get better terms somewhere else.

HARLOW: Yes, I think she thinks her credit union is going to be the best term.

ROSATO: Not always.

HARLOW: So, absolutely, look around.

David, question for you comes from James in South Carolina. James wrote in, "I'm retirement age. Should I use my 401(k) to pay off my two cars and my house so I can retire debt free? I would have about $10,000 left over." Obviously he has to think about the tax implications.

DAVID NOVICK, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER, PROMETHEUS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT: Well, that's the first thing is that he's going to pay tax based on his going tax rate, whatever that is. If he has other money available, I'd probably advise him to use that first because of the tax implications. The other thing is that he'll exhaust most of his retirement savings. What's he going to live on?

HARLOW: Right.

NOVICK: And, finally, if the rates aren't that high, it may pay for him to just keep the loan to terms. So he may want to look at those factors before deciding on his 401(k). I'd probably suggest he look at other alternatives.

HARLOW: All right, good advice, guys, thank you so much.

And, folks, if you have a question you want answered, just send us an e-mail any time to cnnhelpdesk@cnn.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: You've been sounding of on our "Talk Back" question. In hindsight, was the auto bailout a good idea or a bad idea? Here's Carol Costello with some of your responses.

Hi, Carol.

COSTELLO: Hi, Suzanne.

The "Talk Back" question today and the answers. This one from Steven. "The commercial was spot on and I applaud Clint and Chrysler for their effort in showing that. One hundred and ninety- seven million people saw that commercial for what it was. The GOP saw it as political. Give us a break, we're intelligent adults, not sheep."

This from Tony. "Should have let them go bankrupt. Who bailed out the millions of Americans out of work and have lost their homes."

This from Karen. "I'll admit, even after living in the heart of auto territory in Michigan, I didn't think it was a great idea to do it. Now I stand corrected and am incredibly glad. I'm seeing the industry thrive again."

And this from James. "Had GM gone into bankruptcy and restructured, Detroit wouldn't have shut down. Chrysler shouldn't have gotten a penny from the taxpayer. It's a private company and its investors should have bailed it out."

Facebook.com/carolcnn if you want to continue the conversation. And thanks, as always, for your comments.

MALVEAUX: And, Carol, you know we've got to go in a different direction, because it's you and I and we talk about everything. And this is a great -- this is a great little segment we're doing here. Do you think you're kind of funky, Carol?

COSTELLO: Me, funky?

MALVEAUX: Funky. You know, like funky. This kind of funky. Yes.

COSTELLO: No, but I wish I was.

MALVEAUX: There -- we -- we are talking to one of the funkiest guys. We're going to hear from music's grand masters, Bootsy Collins about what funky means to him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOOTSY COLLINS, MUSICIAN: Funk is probably the very essence of life itself. But we all are in a state of funkiness. But it's only a few of us that recognize it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: All right, so are you in a funk? Well, the solution might be to get more funky. That's right. Nobody knows funky like Bootsy Collins. And if you couldn't guess, he's the guy in the hat in this picture from last year's Soul Train Awards. So, Wolf, Brooke, Fred and I got a change to hang out with him and he is a funk music pioneer. He started out playing bass for James Brown. Went on to be a member of Parliament Funkadelic. You remember that group. CNN caught up with the Rock And Roll Hall of Famer. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOOTSY COLLINS, MUSICIAN: Oh, the name is Bootsy, baby. Bootsy Collins, that is. The world's only rhinestone rock star, master of (INAUDIBLE) baby bobble (ph).

I started off playing guitar, and because of my brother Catfish, he was like eight years older than I and I want to play, you know, guitar. I wanted to be like him. One night he needed a bass player and, you know, I played guitar, but didn't have a bass, you know. So I asked him if he had four strings, you know, that I could put on the guitar and turn it into a bass. And he laughed at me. I said, well, just get me four strings and I'll show you. He got me four strings, and I went and played the gig with him. And since I played the gig with him, we've played together ever since.

From starting with him, we got with James Brown, because James Brown played in a -- well, he recorded in Cincinnati at King Records. That's how we got introduced to James Brown.

At first funk was a bad word. It was, you know, it was, you know, you couldn't -- you didn't want to say that on the radio, you know, because people didn't identify with funk as music. They only thought it was just a bad smell. We kind of took the word funk and made it something cool to say. And I think that's what P. Funk did for funk was make it cool to be funky, you know. And now everybody wants to be funky.

Funk is having a good time and you need to have a bass. Funk is creating something out of nothing. So it's bigger than just music. Funk is probably the very essence of life itself. But we all are in a state of funkiness. But it's only a few of us that recognize it. And know it.

Funk is the one with the one. But until you know the one, you never know you funked up. We all funked up. But we don't know it. We just happen to know we funked up. You know, once you find out that you are funked up, you jump on board, you say, yes. Waiting for the mother ship, man, you know. So that's where we at. That's what funk is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: We're doing something a little different here today. CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Zoraida Sambolin.

Hey, good to see you.

ZORAIDA SAMBOLIN, CNN ANCHOR: : It's nice to see you. Did they say funked up? Unbelievable. Thank you, Suzanne.