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Chasing the Cure for Cellulite; Call for Help Goes Wrong for Ex-Marine; Live Feed: Obama Talks Jobs, Education in Virginia; Sanford, Florida Has New Police Chief
Aired May 04, 2012 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips. It's 11:00 on the East Coast, 8:00 out West. We've got quite a busy hour ahead.
A number of live events taking place. President Obama on his way to Washington Lee High School right there in Arlington, Virginia. He's talking about the high cost of college and the need to head off a spike in student loan interest rates. We'll take the president as soon as he steps up to the mike.
Also, we are watching an animal preserve in Ohio. Any minute now, two leopards, two monkeys and a bear will be returned to the widow of the man who turned his exotic pets loose before taking his own life.
And Sanford, Florida, has a new police chief. We're watching the live pictures from there. Richard Meyers is being introduced at a news conference.
All three stories happening right now. We have them covered. We'll bring you the latest as they happen.
All right, we're also hearing from the escort who exposed a big fat secret at the Secret Service. Dania gives a TV interview in Columbia about her infamous liaison with the president's protectors last month in Cartagena.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANIA SUAREZ, CARTAGENA PROSTITUTE (through translator): My friends nor I, we didn't know they were agents, you know, Obama's agents for, you know, and then we left and we went to this place to buy condoms. and then we went to the hotel.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Who went?
Well, my friend, well, wait, she is not really a friend. She's an acquaintance and the agent who was with me and the other one. The four of us.
And then my friend, went with him because she liked him. No, I don't understand. Because she liked him. It wasn't the same thing I was doing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: So salacious, but so hard to turn away. CNN's Athena Jones watching that interview from her post at the White House. A bit of a different thing to monitor from the front lawn there, Athena. What is the reaction?
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. Well, you know, when you ask the White House about these sorts of questions, they send us to the Secret Service. The Secret Service right now has no comment on this at this moment in time.
But one thing I should mention before we go on and that is that our own Barbara Starr has learned that the investigation of the 12 members of the military who were part of this whole incident -- who were said to be part of the whole incident -- will be completed today and that investigation, that report, will be forwarded on to the SOUTHCOM commander. That's commander, General Douglas Frazier, so that is the latest.
But, no, Secret Service not commenting today. It was really interesting to watch this woman, Dania Suarez, give this interview this morning. She seemed kind of giggly, full of laughs. She seems quite pleased actually to have become sort of a local celebrity.
She talked about how she had gotten into the business of being an escort, as she calls it. And she also talked about how the business deal came down that day. Let's listen to that sound.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANIA SUAREZ, CARTAGENA PROSTITUTE (through translator): The truth is, it was a day like any. I wasn't looking for anybody. I was -- I wasn't walking the streets of Cartagena or anything like.
I was with my friends and we were just having a drink, like just four friends. And one of them, well, she met a man, one of them, we didn't know who they were. In a bar, yes, in a bar, just in a bar in Cartagena.
And in that bar, it was just a normal bar and my friend was there and this man came by and he asked us what we want to drink and she said vodka, that she wanted to drink vodka.
So we had first bottle of vodka, then the second bottle of vodka, and then one of the men asked me, he says that I look very attractive, that I'm very beautiful, and he asked me if I wanted to go out with him and I said yes, I can go out with you, but I want a little gift.
I mean, I didn't say how much. We just danced, we had drinks and, at the time that he wanted to leave, I told him well, dear, you have to give me $800. That is the gift that I want so I can go with you and he said, "OK, baby, let's go."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: And so there you have it, the way she says this all went down.
Of course, the next morning, when this woman, Miss Suarez, asked to be paid, she said that she and the agent got into a bit of an argument. The agent swore at her and said leave, used an expletive.
She didn't want to leave and so she says that she argued from about 6:30 a.m. until almost 10:00 to get the money. She ended up getting $250 to leave, which is much less than the $800 that she said she paid for.
So really interesting little details coming out from this woman in Columbia, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: It's hard to turn away. We'll follow the investigations, of course, as well. Athena Jones from the White House. Athena, thanks.
Jobs and unemployment crucial in an election year and the latest numbers out today drive home that point. Christine Romans, let's go ahead and start with the numbers.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, there. Good morning, Kyra.
Well, the numbers are this -- 115,000 jobs created in the period and that is less than people had thought. Economists thought 160,000, so that is not enough job creation to really absorb all the new immigrants, the people coming out of college and new entrants into the workforce. So a bit of a disappointment.
The unemployment rate, though, dropped to 8.1 percent, likely, Kyra, because people were dropping out of the workforce. Overall, you have 12.5 million people unemployed and, of the unemployed, 41 percent have been unemployed for six months or longer, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: OK, so, do we have time for one more question? OK. Sorry, Christine. I wasn't understanding what I was hearing in my ear there. If I was getting the wrap or if we had another moment.
ROMANS: Are you hearing those voices again, Kyra?
PHILLIPS: I'm hearing voices in my head. You know what it is? I'm just so fascinated by all the numbers, I want to know where can you get those jobs for all the people that e-mail us every day and say, hey, OK, you say things are sort of looking good, looking better, tell me where to find those jobs.
ROMANS: It depends where you live and where you're looking, right? So let's look at where we saw jobs created in this period.
You saw leisure and hospitality, 12,000 jobs created. But these are likely lower wage jobs, which goes to the core of the conversation about whether we're creating jobs that people can go to college on, that they can save for retirement on.
Health care jobs, 19,000 jobs created in health care. This has been a consistent grower in the economy, overall.
And retail jobs, 29,000. You remember last month when I told you that we had a big drop in retail jobs? They came back, 29,000 jobs in retail.
And business and professional services, likely to be higher wage jobs, 62,000 jobs created there.
We lost jobs again in the government. That continues, losing government jobs. So you've seen the private sector growing, slowly growing, but the government continuing to cut jobs, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Christine Romans in New York, thanks.
President Obama is expected to comment on those jobs numbers, live pictures now. He's going to address the Washington Lee High School folks here in Arlington, Virginia, coming up. So keep it tuned in to CNN. We'll bring it to you live when it happens.
A band member charged in the hazing death of a FAMU student, Robert Champion, is facing new charges for a second hazing. George Howell live with the details.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: New details about the Florida A&M University band members who now face hazing charges for the death of Robert Champion. Thirteen face felony charges. More than half of them turned themselves in, but we're learning that already some of them have gotten out of jail.
And better yet, FAMU is feeling the heat right now for sure as Champion's parents are taking on the university, right now pushing to put an end to the famed "Marching 100" band.
George Howell keeping an eye on all of this. I mean that -- we know how big the marching bad community bad is.
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's the school's money-maker. It's a big deal.
PHILLIPS: And this is a very well-known program. Could it really go away?
HOWELL: Well, the family at this point says, look, they have to clean house, from top to bottom. Given what happened to their son, they want to see some changes happen, changes within the culture of that band, the culture of hazing, as the family describes it.
And, Kyra, so far we know that five of those eight people who were taken into custody, five of those people have bonded out of jail. Remember, the bond set for felony hazing is $15,000, post 10 percent, $1,500 you can get out of jail.
There's one person, though, who is still in custody, though, Kyra, that I want to talk about, Aaron Golson. Now, Aaron Golson was charged in a different hazing case. This is a hazing case of Bria Hunter.
This happened weeks before Robert Champion was killed and Golson, apparently, according to the police report, beat Hunter so severely that it cracked her femur and left her with blood clots in her leg.
PHILLIPS: So why was he still in the band?
HOWELL: At this point we know that the FDLE, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, asked the university not to levy discipline until this investigation finished.
That could be one reason that he was still on campus, if he was on campus, but now we know he is in custody along with other people connected to this Robert Champion.
PHILLIPS: So are the parents sitting back, wondering, OK, this happened before, You know, was there a cover-up involved? Was there a conscious effort to keep this under wraps? And could their son have been saved if these members were held accountable?
HOWELL: That's the thing. Yesterday, they held a news conference and spoke publicly on this. Keep in mind they did their own investigation for a civil lawsuit and, through the course of that investigation, they talked to people.
And they came to the conclusion that some of these band members, some of the people we're seeing now in custody, may have been coached by alumni to cover this up, to say certain things, to have the same story.
Take a listen to this clip from Pam Champion, outraged at this possibility.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAM CHAMPION, ROBERT CHAMPION'S MOTHER: So I say that these people murdered my son on that bus and then for them to turn around and deny, run, scatter, hide and then to have people come back and say, "This is what you need to do to make sure you don't," that's wrong.
That is so wrong, to know that people would do that to another human being, that people would even conspire to do something like that.
So my opinion of those kind of people is again what I said many, many times. We have to examine the people's mindset, those mindsets. So that's why you have to do cleaning house.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: Clean house, that is what she wants to see. The FAMU band, nicknamed "The Best Band in the Land," she wants them disbanded until things change.
And we did hear from FAMU. At this point, we know that the band will stay on indefinite suspension. The university also making the point that it wants to and will eradicate hazing, altogether.
PHILLIPS: George, thanks.
He released dozens of exotic animals before taking his life. Now, the surviving leopards, monkeys and bear are returning home. Jason Carroll, live, right near the farm.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: He released dozens of wild creatures from his exotic animal farm and then he took his own life. Now, five of Terry Thompson's pets are being returned to his widow in Ohio.
Just before he died by suicide, he released about 50 of his lions, tigers, bears, wolves and monkeys, triggering a massive search for his pets and an investigation into his death.
Most of the animals were killed by authorities, but those that survived are returning home to the stump hill farm. Neighbors have mixed feelings.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, as long as she keeps them penned up, it's OK in my opinion.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As long as she can take care of them and they are healthy and taken care of, that's fine. Just not on the loose or be let out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Jason Carroll joins us live from Zanesville, Ohio. After such a threat to the community, why is she getting these animals back?
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The short answer to that, Kyra, is the law is on her side and, if the law had been written in such a way to help the folks at the Columbus Zoo who wanted to keep the animals, then perhaps zoo officials would still have them, but that is not the case. I'll talk a little bit more about that in just a moment.
First, I just want to update you, if I can, in terms of what is happening with these animals. We're told the trailer holding the animals is just leaving the Columbus Zoo. The animals were sedated and then they were woken up for their journey, about an hour-and-a- half to where we are right now.
We are hearing that the animals are expected to come to the Thompson farm. If you look behind me, you can see that is the Thompson farm. Those are cages back there, Kyra. That is where the animals were kept before.
We don't know, since Marion Thompson isn't speaking, if the animals this time around, those five animals that are being returned to her, will be housed in some of those cages that you see there.
But you've heard from some of the neighbors in this very rural community that are concerned about these animals coming back to this area. I spoke to the sheriff's department about all this going on and they say they believe this time the animals will be well cared for.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF MATT LUTZ, MUSINGUM COUNTY, OHIO: I know how devastated she was when we had to do what we did back in October and, if there is anybody here that -- she doesn't want anything to happen to those animals.
She really cares about those animals, so I'm sure she will go above and beyond to make sure they are safe and secure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: Basically what happened, Kyra, the five animals were rescued from the scene here back in October and they were put under state quarantine and they were under the protection of the Columbus Zoo.
And I spoke a little bit about the law here. The reality is the state of Ohio has one of the least restrictive laws on the books in terms of animal ownership and, so, because the quarantine is over, Marion Thompson, the widow of Terry Thompson, wanted the animals, back. The Columbus Zoo had no right to keep them. That is why they are being returned to Marion Thompson.
Kyra?
PHILLIPS: All right, returned to Marion Thompson, but what about the cages? Have they been inspected? Is there anything that has been done where neighbors can have confidence that this won't be a threat?
CARROLL: I'll tell you in terms of inspection, unless there has been a complaint, a specific complaint from a neighbor about seeing an animal that has been abused, that is the only time you'll get someone from the Humane Society or the sheriff's department to check on the condition of the cages, the animals, et cetera.
So, when these animals are returned this time, your question might be, well, is someone going to check on these animals a month from now, three months from now, the answer is no, not unless there has been a formal complaint.
PHILLIPS: Jason Carroll, in Ohio, we'll follow it. Thanks, Jason.
It's been a mystery, a scandal, even a made-for-TV movie. Now, Drew Peterson is back in court today, facing trial for murder.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: been a mystery, a scandal, even a made-for-TV movie starring Rob Lowe.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The results of the autopsy came back with the cause of death being accidental drowning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: But the untimely death of Drew Peterson's third wife in 2004 has never been the subject of a trial. Soon, however, it will.
Peterson is the former police sergeant from suburban Chicago who came under scrutiny in 2007 when his fourth wife disappeared. Stacy Peterson, on the left, hasn't been seen since and, while Drew is a suspect in that case, he hasn't been charged.
He is accused of murdering Kathleen Savio, though, on the right, whose death was originally ruled a drowning, even though she was found in a dry bathtub.
After Stacy went missing, Kathleen's body was exhumed, a second autopsy done and the death reclassified, homicide.
Peterson has been in jail under $20 million bond for three years. He hasn't had a trial because of a court fight over incriminating statements from both wives. Those are a big part of the prosecution's case, but technically, they are hearsay and Peterson tried to keep them out.
He cited his constitutional right to confront the witnesses against him and, since Kathleen is dead and Stacy is missing, they can't exactly be confronted. I can't help thinking of the kid who murders his parents and asks the judge for mercy because he's an orphan.
It turns out a state appeals court didn't buy that argument, either, so right now a hearing is underway to iron out the details of a murder trial that could start in weeks. We'll keep you posted.
Since 2007, more than 10,000 refugees have settled in the San Diego area, a lot of them from Iraq. They came for a better life, but finding that American dream has been a bit of a challenge.
But there is one man helping them to adjust and stay motivated with soccer. Meet this week's CNN's hero, Mark Kabban.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Living in Iraq, during the war was pretty hard, the explosions, the kidnappings. We wanted to come to the U.S. It was like a dream, you know?
MARK KABBAN, CHAMPIONING CHILDREN, YALLA: The United States was the most refugees in the world. Many of them are from Iraq and they're being resettled in San Diego in large numbers. When they get here, they're learning a new language. They have to find employment. Really, in a lot of ways, the struggle is just beginning.
When my family came from Beirut, I was 9 years old. Working as a refugee case manager, I saw a lot of kids just idle, alienated. Having a normal childhood is something that they really deserve.
My name is Mark Kabban and I use soccer to motivate refugees to succeed in the United States.
"Yalla," in an Arabic word which means, "let's go," and it's really what we're trying to do here with the kids.
We have 200 refugee youth in our program. These kids come from all over Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The families have endured the same struggle. When they realize it, they become like brothers and sisters.
CHILDREN (in unison): 1, 2, 3.
KABBAN: Soccer is an escape. It's confidence. It's making them feel like they belong. And it's just fun.
Yalla uses soccer as a hook and then we have them in our education program.
UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: Is that an "S"? No, it's a "C".
KABBAN: And try to get them on to college.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They helped me to find friends and they teach me how to speak English. Now with Yalla and Coach Mark, it's a fun life.
KABBAN: The families have sacrificed everything for their kids to have a better life. If we can do anything to help them, it's my honor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: You can nominate someone you think is going above and beyond for a cause at CNNHeroes.com.
Dimples, cottage cheese, you know exactly what I'm talk about -- cellulite. But do not fear, because Dr. Gupta is here. He will tell us about a laser that will zap that stuff, immediately.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: We all hate it, OK? Despite all the squats, diet, cellulite does not discriminate. As a matter of fact, 80 percent of us women have it. It's very annoying. But what if I told you that the first FDA-approved long-term treatment is on the market, an actual cellulite cure? Here is somebody that doesn't understand the pain because he has no cellulite, but he's a doctor and he'll tell us about us, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. JAY KULKIN, WOMEN'S INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH, ATLANTA: These are actually areas of fat that are protruding through the skin.
GUPTA: Cellulite, more than 80 percent of women develop it and spend millions of dollars on over the counter creams as a temporary fix.
SHEKIA RICHARD, 33-YEAR OLD CELLULASE PATIENT: I have been working out my entire life. Very athletic, have been forever, used to be in the military. I still have issues.
(LAUGHTER)
GUPTA: So Shekia Richard chose to get cellulase, a new FDA- approved procedure that targets cellulite from under the skin.
KULKIN: There are fibers in the fat that are actually pulling the skin down. And what we're going to do is going to release those fibers.
GUPTA: According to a small study of 10 women, with funding by the company, with one treatment, cellulite is gone. And results last a year or more.
The patient uses a local anesthetic, and is awake the entire time.
KULKIN: You feel a little needle there.
GUPTA: Once numb, a laser is inserted under the skin.
KULKIN: Right this moment, I'm melting the fat that is causing the bulges up in her skin. Cellulite has bulges and dimples, that cottage cheese appearance everyone complains about. What I'm first doing is melting the bulges.
All right, so we've done all of our green circled areas. Now we're going to go after those things that are pulling down the skin.
GUPTA: Here what is cellulase looks like from the inside. First, the laser goes in, melts the fat cells that cause bulges. Next it cut and vaporizes the fibers under the skin which cause the dimples. The laser heats the skin which allows new collagen to form.
KULKIN: This is nothing somebody that happened overnight a. Dynamic process and we get people who want the quick fix and we can't deliver that.
GUPTA: It can take three months after the procedure to see the full results. But too soon to say how long these results will last. (END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: That is what I wanted to ask you. The last line in the piece, right?
(LAUGHTER)
I'm watching going does this work, how long does it last, what are the side affects. Give me the scoop.
GUPTA: The study came out, which prompted the FDA approval, by reporting it. It looked at a year-long and had good results in terms of cellulite not coming back.
We did our own investigation, talked to a woman in one of the early trials, now three years out, a registered nurse, and says hasn't come back three years later. That is one person, that is anecdotal, but the FDA looked at this and the long term sort of effects.
PHILLIPS: You know what I want to know. So many women -- I've done it in the past --
(LAUGHER)
-- been a long time. For me it didn't work, the creams, the scrub things, they al say it takes away cellulite.
GUPTA: They're very expensive. Having watched that piece, you understand why a cream would not work.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Those creams do not work.
GUPTA: What they tend to do is plump up your skin, give it increased blood flow. So you look like the skin is plumper. You don't see the cellulite as much. Two things. It's not addressing the cellulite. Two, it's very temporary. The fibers pulling and puckering of the skin down, you saw in that piece, the reason this works is it addresses the problem from underneath.
PHILLIPS: How much is it?
GUPTA: It's not cheap. You get a lot of things to risk and benefits. About $2500 for a single area on both legs. If you're doing both front and back, it can get up to $5000.
PHILLIPS: A leg?
GUPTA: You can do a single area on both legs for $2500. Two areas on both legs, $5000. It's gets pricey. Not cheap.
PHILLIPS: Thank you, Sanjay.
GUPTA: Does that help? I don't know.
PHILLIPS: I'm still amazed the woman let you shoot video of her.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: She is a brave woman.
GUPTA: Very brave.
PHILLIPS: She looked good with the cellulite.
GUPTA: She didn't have much to complain about.
PHILLIPS: Exactly.
GUPTA: She wanted people to see how it worked.
PHILLIPS: That's pretty fascinating. Made me cringe a little.
(LAUGHTER)
Thanks, Sanjay.
For more medial updates, check out Sanjay's show, "Sanjay Gupta, M.D.," every Saturday, 4:30 eastern time, 7:30 eastern on Sundays, and you can catch more on this procedure.
An ex-Marine tased then shot and killed by police after accidently setting off his medical alert button. How a call for help went terribly wrong.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: The controversy surrounding the Trayvon Martin death isn't going away. The town of Sanford, Florida, where Trayvon was killed, has a new top cop now. Today, Richard Meyers' first day on the job as interim police chief for the Sanford Police Department. Meyers is the former police chief in Colorado Springs, and introduced himself at a news conference just a short time ago. He replaces former chief, Bill Lee, who was forced to step aside after the department came under extreme fire for the handling of Trayvon Martin's case. Lee remains on paid administrative leave, as the new chief steps in.
The son of an elderly veteran whom police shot to death said he's sad but not surprised the officers involved will not face criminal charges. Here is what happened in White Plains last November. 68- year-old Kenneth Chamberlain had accidentally set of his medical alert device, but when police and paramedics showed up, he very much did not want help.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KENNETH CHAMBERLAIN, SHOT BY POLICE: I'm OK.
UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: I need to see that you're OK and then we'll go.
CHAMBERLAIN: No, you leave.
UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: Can't leave.
CHAMBERLAIN: You leave.
UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: You called us. I can't leave
CHAMBERLAIN: You leave. I'm OK.
UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: All right, I need to see you.
CHAMBERLAIN: Do you hear me loud and clear?
UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: I need to see you.
CHAMBERLAIN: I'm OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: The back and forth continued and Chamberlain got more and more agitated. Finally, police fired a taser. Now it's hard to see, but when that didn't work, the police then fired bean bags. And then, when Chamberlain allegedly threatened police with a butcher knife, they fired real bullets. Yesterday, prosecutors announced police won't be indicted either.
Joining me on the phone is Richard Liebson, a White Plains reporter who has been on the story for months.
Richard, is the case closed or is the family pressing on at this point?
RICHARD LIEBSON, REPORTER, WHITE PLAINS NEWS (voice-over): The family does say that they are pressing on. They told us yesterday that they plan to contact the U.S. attorney's office today, in fact, to ask that they review the case and, in fact, try to indict him at a federal level. They also have filed a notice of claim for civil lawsuit, which they say they will expedite. We expect to see the lawsuit be filed very soon.
PHILLIPS: So a couple questions. First of all, the cops, what were you able to find out about him? Did they have a history of any kind of odd behavior or incidents?
LIEBSON: There have been allegations. There are, I believe, now it's two -- there were three lawsuits -- filed against three of the officers in separate cases alleging police brutality. One of the officers was acquitted just the day before yesterday in the case against him. And there are two others that are still pending. To be honest, I don't know a lot about those. I don't normally cover the federal courts. There are two cases pending.
PHILLIPS: Not just one, but more than one. That is interesting. When you listen to the recording -- and how do I say it respectfully? Mr. Chamberlain sounded belligerent, sounds like confusion on whether something was wrong, or there was an issue, a bigger issue. What is your take?
LIEBSON: From what I understand, he did have a history of, for lack of a better word, emotionally disturbed persons episodes. Had a few arguments with neighbors, a number of noise complaints. And he did have somewhat of a criminal history I'm just starting to learn. He had a few incidents in his past that we're pursuing right now.
PHILLIPS: Was he wanted for any crime?
LIEBSON: Not at all. If you listen to the tapes, he's agitate and upset and does threaten to kill police officers. He does say on the tape that he does have a weapon. Obviously, it was a tense situation that seemed to escalate.
PHILLIPS: Richard Liebson, a reporter for "White Plains Journal News."
Richard, thanks.
President Obama is courting young voters in Virginia right now, talking affordable higher education. Can he win them all back? We're checking in.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Live pictures now waiting for residential event. This is Washington Lee High School in Virginia. The president trying to woo the youth power. We're talking about high school students and also all peeps under the age of 30. They overwhelmingly voted for the president four years ago. And they could again play a crucial role in this election. So the president is courting them, at that D.C. school.
Here is the question, will they vote for him again? It's "Fair Game."
Democratic strategist, Robert Zimmerman, and conservative editor and blogger, Crystal Wright.
Robert, is this enough?
ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: It's the beginning. I think it's so important to remember even though the polls show young people overwhelmingly support President Obama's reelection it's determined by turnout. These appearances are critical not just to make it clear to high school students who are not voting age, that they have not only to vote but they have to knock on doors, because they have skin in the game. That is why the president's appearance is so important because while he's advocating keeping interest rates at 3.4 percent the Ryan plan calls for doubling the rates on student loans, $1000 a year more.
PHILLIPS: Crystal, who will get the youth vote?
CRYSTAL WRIGHT, CONSERVATIVE EDITOR & BLOGGER: I'm afraid it won't be Obama. Robert is absolutely wrong. It's the beginning of the end for the relationship between young people and the president. In 2008 he ran on promises of hopes and dreams and changing Washington as we know it, and that has gone bust. It's blown up in smoke for young people. 50 percent of college graduates are under-employed or unemployed. 85 percent living with parents. Tuition has gone up 25 percent at public universities, and al this tells us that things are bad for young people. Young people are going to look at Mitt Romney and say he's a candidate of opportunity. He can give me a job so I can pay of my student loans and out of mom and dad's house.
ZIMMERMAN: Actually, Crystal --
(CROSSTALK)
WRIGHT: Excuse me Robert. I didn't interrupt you.
I want to make one final point. I think what it shows the escalation of the student -- the price of colleges and universities shows us government needs to get out of student loans. It's one huge subsidy driving up colleges and universities, driving up the cost for young people.
PHILLIPS: Robert, quickly. I want to get on two other things.
ZIMMERMAN: One fact check, Mitt Romney's definition of opportunity is telling young people to borrow $20,000 from their parents and start a business. That isn't exactly a plan young people can count on to build their lives and be in the workforce.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Foreign policy, Obama's Press Secretary Jay Carney telling a reporter this about Syrian students firing on peaceful student protesters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: If the regime's intragence (ph) continues, the international community will have to admit defeat and work to address the serious threat to peace and stability being perpetrated by the Assad regime.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Crystal, was he giving up on Syria?
WRIGHT: It sounds like it, Kyra. It sounds like when you look at the president's foreign policy approach, unlike what Vice President Biden said, he doesn't govern with a big stick, he looks at foreign policy with a twig. Syria has been blowing up Assad has conducted a bloody attack on his own people over 7000 Syrians are dead. this has been going on for a year. The president and his secretary of state, the entire administration has been very slow in condemning Assad. that should have happened a year ago, calling for him to step aside. We saw this happen in Egypt and Libya. This president likes to sit on the sidelines, like Hamlet, brood and think what he will do. He'll talk about what is going on with Mr. Chen. We are a super power. What comes with being a super power, the largest power in the world, is we have to take a leadership role and condemn countries when they act like thugs and commit atrocities on their own people.
PHILLIPS: Robert?
ZIMMERMAN: Kyra, I hope there would be some topics we would engage in that he would go beyond talking points or partisan rhetoric. President Obama did call for Assad's removal from his position and worked to forge an international coalition to bring that about. We can't pursue the go-it-alone strategy that George Bush engaged in. It didn't work well for our country, or engage in another military intervention. This president has shown not just military toughness. The al Qaeda regime he's taken out proves it, and Gadhafi's removal demonstrates it. He's shown the ability to engage in coalition building to begin to bring down the Assad regime. If the Kofi Annan plan that the international community supports doesn't work, we'll find other strategies to work to bring peace and justice to the people of Syria.
PHILLIPS: All right, guys. I have about a minute so I'm going to turn the tables and have a little fun here, OK? The rivalry of expensive tastes. I'm going to bring up two images, OK? We have Ann Romney in her $990 designer T-shirt, by the way. I had no idea T- shirts went for almost a grand. And, you know, they have been getting a lot of heat, the Romneys, for being rich and out of touch, OK? So there's one image there. And then in all fairness, guys, Michelle Obama, talking a big game about buying clothes at Target and J. Crew. But unfortunately this pic was captured by "The Huffington Post" wearing $540 sneakers at a food bank in 2009.
Guys, what gives? Robert, Crystal, where do I begin? Robert, Crystal?
WRIGHT: OK. I'll take it, Robert, because I'm a lady and --
(CROSSTALK)
ZIMMERMAN: Ladies first, but I want to get in on this.
WRIGHT: I know, I know. I think we'll probably agree on this I hope. I'm a fashionista, Kyra. Can't afford it really unless it goes on sale, but, you know, what Michelle Obama has done -- look, she dresses well, she spends what we would all agree is a sizable amount of money on couture clothes. She stops at target once in a while and J. Crew and so does Ann Romney. They both have the ability to dress well and she should dress well. They're political figures, and I say more power to you, Ann and Michelle, and if I could afford $1,000 bag that Michelle Obama was sporting last year, I would buy it.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Jump in, Robert. $1,000 T-shirt and $540 tennis shoes. Are you kidding?
ZIMMERMAN: Great for them. I think it's great that -- that Ann Romney can wear that and dress that way. Frankly, I think it's great that Michelle Obama looks as good as she does and dresses so stylishly. Kyra, if you don't know where you can find $1,000 T-shirt, when you're in New York, you come hang with me.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Oh, my goodness.
WRIGHT: I was going to say, Robert, you're going to take us both shopping.
PHILLIPS: I will take you both to Target.
Zimmerman, Wright, thanks, guys.
ZIMMERMAN: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: It's one of the deadliest food outbreaks in the U.S. Bacteria in fresh cantaloupe. It killed 30 people. But Drew Griffin investigates and discovers it could have been prevented.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: You may remember that huge outbreak of bacteria- tainted cantaloupe last September. More than 30 people died making it the most deadly food outbreak in nearly 100 years. As CNN's Drew Griffin found out, it could have been prevented.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We now know, according to federal statistics, the listeria outbreak last September was the most deadly food outbreak in the U.S. in nearly a century, one of the worst three outbreaks ever. Nearly three dozen Americans died.
It should never have happened. Last fall, as people began to die, to fall sick, investigators from the food and drug administration and the centers for disease control fanned out across two dozen states interviewing those falling ill or relatives of those who died. They took samples of blood and samples of fruit still sitting in refrigerators and the trail of evidence, the cantaloupes themselves, led to this rural part of Colorado, near the town of Holly and one single farm, Jensen's.
JIM GORNY, FDA CHIEF INVESTIGATOR: It truly was an aha moment.
GRIFFIN: Dr. Jim Gorny was the FDA's chief investigator on the case.
(on camera): And you were able to go back to all these victim's families and they were told, look, cantaloupes grown on this particular small farm four hours southeast of Denver is what caused the death of your loved one.
GORNY: Yes. I mean, the evidence is very, very strong in this case. Son-in-law of the strongest evidence I have ever seen.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): Jensen Farms has been a fixture in this part of Colorado since the early 1900s when the first Jensen arrived from Denmark. Since then, this dry dirt has been passed from generation to generation. Two years ago, it went to Eric and Ryan Jensen. They grew up growing cantaloupes, knew the business by heart, but last year, they decided to make just a few changes, and it would cost them everything.
GORNY: What turned the operation upside down was some significant changes they made. It was a very tragic alignment of poor facility design, poor design of equipment, and very unique post- harvest handling practices. If any of those things would have been prevented, this tragedy probably wouldn't have occurred.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And, Drew, we're going to have to step away. I apologize. When is your piece airing?
GRIFFIN: Sunday.
PHILLIPS: This Sunday, 8:00. You can get more on Drew's piece and the fact this can happen again.
I have to take you to the president of the United States, talking jobs, better prices for college for these high school students there at Arlington, Virginia. Let's listen in.
(BEGIN LIVE FEED)
(APPLAUSE)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That's in the short term, but in the long run, the most important thing we can do for our economy is to give all of you and all Americans the best education possible. That's the most important they can do.
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: That means helping our schools hire and reward the best teachers. And you've got some great teachers here.
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: That means stepping up our focus on math and science, something I tell Malia and Sasha every day. You're solid on math? OK. I like to hear that. That means giving more Americans the chance to learn the skills that businesses are looking for right now, and in the 21st century it also means higher education cannot be a luxury. It is an economic imperative that every American should be able to afford.
Now, my grandfather had a chance to go to college because this country decided that every returning veteran of World War II should be able to afford it, and on a bipartisan basis the G.I. Bill was created that allowed him to go to college. My mother was able to raise two kids by herself because she was also able to get grants and loans to work her way through school. Michelle and I are only where we are where we are because scholarships and loans gave us a shot at a great education. We didn't come from a wealthy background. But this country gave us a chance at a good education. This country has always made a commitment to put a good education within the reach of everybody who's willing to work for it. That's what makes us special. That's the kind of investment in our own people that helped us lead the world in business and science and technology and medicine. That's what made us an economic super power.
But, unfortunately, since you guys were born, which doesn't seem that long ago to me, maybe it does to you, the cost of going to college has more than doubled. And that means students have to take out more loans. It's now to the point where the average student who borrows to pay for college graduates with about $25,000 worth of debt. $25,000. And Americans now owe more for their student loans than they do on their credit cards.
Now I want to -- I want to give you guys some relief from that debt. I don't want you to start off life saddled with debt. And I don't want your parents to be taking on so much debt as well.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: Because when you start off already owing a lot of money graduating from school, it means making a lot of really tough choices like maybe waiting longer to buy a house or to start a family or to chase that career that you really want. And like I said, Michelle and I know about this. We graduated from college and law school with a truckload of student loan debt. We got married, and together we got poor.
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: After we graduated we were lucky enough to land good jobs, so it was still a great investment for us to go to college and law school, but we only finished paying off our student loans about eight years ago. And I know some of your teachers here probably can relate.
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: When we should have been starting to save up for Malia and Sasha's college educations, we were still paying off our educations. So we can't priced the middle class out of a higher education. We've got to make college more affordable. That's why we fixed a broken student loan system that was giving tens of billions of dollars to big banks, and we said let's use that money to help more people afford college.
That's why we strengthened aid for low-income students.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: That's why we fought to set up a new independent consumer watchdog agency that's now working with every student and their parents to access a simple fact sheet on student loans and financial aid so you can make your own choices, the best choices about how to pay for college. We call it Know Before You Owe. Know Before You Owe. But making college more affordable isn't something government can or should do alone. I was mentioning to your classmates, we're talking to colleges and universities about doing their part. And I have told Congress to steer federal aid to schools that keep tuition affordable and provide good value and serve their students well.
If colleges and universities can't stop their costs from going up, then the funding they get from taxpayers, that should go down. We should steer it to the schools that are really giving students the best deal. And states have to do their part by making higher education a higher priority in their budgets.
Last year over 40 states cut their higher education spending. These cuts have been among the largest drivers of public college tuition increases over the past decade. So we told states, if you can find new ways to bring down the cost of college, make it easier for students to graduate, then we're going to help you do it. Which is good news.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: Congress also has to do its part.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: Right now that means preventing the interest rates on federal student loans from doubling, which would make it harder for you to pay for college next year. The three -- the three classmates of -- of yours that I met, they're all getting Stafford loans to help pay for college, and these Stafford loans right now have a very low interest rate because five years ago Congress cut the rate for these student loans in half. That was a good idea. It made college more affordable.
But here is the bad news. Oh-oh.
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: On July 1st, less than two months from now, that rate cut expires, and interest rates on those loans will double overnight. It's not good.
(CROWD BOOS)
OBAMA: It's not good. For each year that college doesn't act, the average student with these Stafford loans will rack up an additional $1,000 in debt. That's like $1,000 tax hike for more than seven million students across America.
Now, let me ask, is that something that you can afford if you're going to college? You guys shouldn't have to pay an extra $1,000 just because Congress can't get its act together. This is -- this should be a no-brainer. This -- we need to get done. So the good news is the Senate will vote next week on a bill that would keep student loan rates from doubling, and some Republican senators look like they might support it. I'm ready to work with them to make it happen, but, unfortunately, rather than find a bipartisan way to fix this problem, the House Republicans are saying they're only going to prevent these rates from doubling if they can cut things like preventive health care for women instead. So --
(CROWD BOOS)
OBAMA: That's not good. We shouldn't have to choose between women having preventative health care and young people keeping their student loan rates low.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: Some of the Republicans in the House are coming up with all sorts of different reasons why we should just let these rates double. One of them compared student loans to stage three cancer of socialism. Whatever that means, I don't know.
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: Another warned that this is all about giving you a free college education, which doesn't make sense because, of course, loans aren't free. You've got to pay them back. The spokesman for the speaker of the House said that we were, meaning me, we're just talking about student loans to distract folks from the economy.
Now this makes no sense because this is all about the economy. Making sure --
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: Making sure young people can earn the best possible education. That's one of the best things we can do for the economy. Making sure college is available to everyone and not just a few at the top. That's one of the best things we can do for our economy. And I don't think it's fair when they suggest that students like you should pay more so we can bring down deficits that they helped to run up over the past decade. They just voted --
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: We've got to do something about our deficits. You know the -- we paid for two wars with a credit card, debt that you're going to have to pay off. We gave two tax cuts to folks that don't need it and weren't asking for it. They -- the Republicans in the House just voted to keep giving billions of taxpayer dollars every year to big oil companies raking in record profits. They just voted to let millionaires and billionaires keep paying lower taxes, than middle class workers.
They even voted to given an average tax cut of at least $150,000 to every millionaire in America. And they want you to pay an extra $1,000 a year for college.
(CROWD BOOS)
OBAMA: No, no, that doesn't make sense. In America we admire success, we aspire to it. I was talking to folks. Rena wants to study business, and I'm confident she's going to be really wealthy some day and, you know --
(CHEERS)
OBAMA: We want all of you to work and hustle and study your tails off.
(END LIVE FEED)
