Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Lockerbie Bomber's Burial Today; Obama To Visit Joplin Students; Police And Protesters Clash Over NATO; Obama Expects NATO nations to sign off on his Afghanistan exit strategy; Ex-Rutgers Student Sentenced To 30 Days; Gas Prices On The Way Down Headed Into Memorial Day Weekend; Facebook Shares Getting Hammered on First Full Trading Day; Aesha's Story; Judge Sentences Dharun Ravi to 30 Days; Just Deciding Fate of John Edwards; "Newsweek" Ranks Top 1,000 U.S. High Schools; Does Obama-care Raise 18 Different Taxes; Obama Says Romney Would Not Allow Gays the Right to Adopt; Chamber of Commerce Says 20 Million Including Medicare Recipients Could Lose Health Coverage Under Obama-care; Number of Teens with Diabetes, Pre-Diabetes Jumps.

Aired May 21, 2012 - 13:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Suzanne Malveaux. I want to get right to it here. The only person ever convicted in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 was buried today. The former Libyan intelligence agent died yesterday. Now, his death came more than two and a half years after he was released from prison on compassionate grounds. The 1988 bombing killed 270 people, including 189 Americans. Now, prior to September 11th, it was the deadliest act of air terrorism targeting Americans.

High school students in Joplin, Missouri, they're going to get a special guest at their graduation ceremony this evening. We're talking about President Obama. The president is going to deliver the commencement address almost a year to the day after a huge tornado ripped the town apart and flattened that high school, 161 people were killed by that storm.

The NATO summit in Chicago ground zero right now both for diplomacy as well as protests. A fierce confrontation yesterday between protesters and police left dozens of people injured on both sides. Today, more demonstrations are planned. Our Ted Rowlands has been basically in the thick of all of that. Protesters, Ted, vowing to shut down, I understand, Boeing's Chicago headquarters today. What is happening now? Is it fairly peaceful here? Have they managed to shut down anything?

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They're just finishing a march, Suzanne, arriving at Boeing headquarters, and there's a couple hundred people there, so at this point it's been very peaceful. They have just been marching through the streets of Chicago. But we'll see what happens in the next hour or two as they entrench themselves at Boeing. We've been hearing some reports that they are possibly shutting down some streets. If they do that, police may be forced to go in and clear people out. So, at this point, everything is smooth sailing, big difference from what we saw yesterday in that dramatic video of those hundreds of protesters going up against hundreds of police in riot gear, pushing and shoving. None of that yet today.

MALVEAUX: Ted, you know, we look at these summits every year, and there are always protesters, and it's usually for just about anything. Is there one particular thing or cause that the folks who have come out and said, look, this is why we are opposing the NATO leaders here? This is the one message we want to send to them?

ROWLANDS: No. There are multiple ones, and that's the key is you have so many groups coming in using this as a stage for their particular cause. We had 2,000, 3,000 nurses were in Chicago on Friday asking for a Robin Hood tax to help offset the cutbacks in Medicare across the country. Yesterday, you had Iraqi and Afghani war veterans who were opposed to the war, throwing their medals away. So, you had these different groups coming in and that's what makes it a bit chaotic because of course the communication between the police and the different groups is not as strong as you would hope.

MALVEAUX: And Ted, we're looking at these pictures here. It looks very violent when you look at the police and protesters going up against each other. And we're -- we heard from Chicago's top cop, Gary McCarthy, who seemed to be quite emotional when he defended his officers. Here is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GARRY MCCARTHY, SUPERINTENDENT, CHICAGO POLICE: These officers were highly trained, highly skilled, and if you think it's easy to ask people to do what they did, it's not. Asking people to put themselves in harm's way knowing that they're going to get assaulted and to be able to stand there and take it, these guys were amazing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAEUX: Ted, is that what you saw? Did you see guys standing there being ready to just take it and they just took it?

ROWLANDS: Yes. I mean, what the -- what McCarthy was saying there, basically, and the emotion he was showing was at the end of the long day yesterday, and it was emotional on both sides. You had protesters who desperately wanted to get closer to the NATO summit and they were being very aggressive. And then you had police pushing them back with the -- with the riot gear and being injured, four officers were injured. One was stabbed in the leg. And you could see the emotion in the commander's voice there as he was sort of wrapping up the day. He was very proud of the work that they did and although there were injuries on both sides, it could have been a lot worse, and could you hear that in his voice. He felt as though the planning did pay off and that his officers did a stellar job in keeping the violence to a minimum.

MALVEAUX: Ted, thank you very much. I want to turn to what's happening inside the NATO summit. For that, we're going to go to Jessica Yellin who is also in Chicago. And Jessica, as we know, those protests nowhere near where you are, where the meetings took place. That is not something that the leaders are actually privy to. We saw President Obama earlier today talking about his focus, the end of the war in Afghanistan. I want you to listen first and then we'll talk about it on the back end.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Today is also an opportunity to ensure our hard-won progress -- hard-won progress is preserved. The strategic partnership agreement that president Karzai and I signed in Kabul ensures that as Afghans stand up, they will not stand alone. Today, we can agree on NATO's long-term relationship with Afghanistan beyond 2014 including, our support of Afghan security forces.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: So Jessica, take us inside that room. Peel back the curtain, if you will. How are they responding to the president? Do they have an agreement here?

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: In a word, yes, Suzanne. I mean, there is different levels of commitment here, but, in essence, all these nations are in agreement that they're -- they have to exit Afghanistan in what everyone here is calling a responsible way . So today they've come out with what they call in these circles a communique, and they say they're ready to hand over combat operations to the Afghans by the end of 2013 and withdraw nearly all foreign troops by the end of 2014. The language they use in the communique, it says that this is a, quote, "irreversible course." So yes, they're on the same page, and one of the -- in a big -- in the broadest terms they are. And one of the big goals for the U.S. here was to work toward getting mutual funding for the years after 2014. There was a $1.3 billion fund raising goal, and CNN's Elise Labott is reporting they're even ahead of their time frame in reaching that. They have already collected about $1 billion worth of commitments toward that -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And Jessica, we're looking at pictures here, the president kind of working through the crowd, if you will. He looks like he's quite pleased, he's happy. Can you give us a sense of the mood? Was this a relief to a lot of leaders?

YELLIN: Well, the sense here is that everybody -- it's -- as unpopular as Afghanistan -- the Afghanistan war is here, arguably, it's even more unpopular in many European countries. And so, for many of these leaders, they don't want to commit too much, but they also don't -- nobody -- there's a mutual pressure, nobody wants to be the one to cut and run, if you will, or to rush to the exits. And so because they're here together, they're all in it together so to speak. And so they can all go home and say, well, we've all made a commitment here, and so there's a sense of this is a long historic alliance, NATO, and they are recommitting their nations to what this alliance is about. And so it's -- you know, the summit, it's a mood of agreement, cooperation, some relief that they're reaching agreement and agreeing to exit Afghanistan, which, as we all know, not at this point a war any of these nations wants to continue sacrificing blood and resource for it.

MALVEAUX: All right, Jessica, thank you. Well, we are watching, too, this class photo that they were just taking all the world leaders when they get together and stand side by side, sometimes they joke with each other. There have been times, I know president Bush used to do little bunny ears behind some of the others. It's a -- it's a lighter moment, the chance for -- you see the president there. You see German Chancellor Angela Merkel and some of the other European leaders gathered around the president. President Obama in the center there as they all pose for this traditional picture that is taken at the end of the summit, commonly known as the family photo.

Nice to listen in a little bit, see what they're saying. All right, it was an emotional day in a New Jersey courtroom. That is where a former Rutgers University student was sentenced in a case related to the death of his roommate. Tyler Clementi killed himself after Dharun Ravi secretly used a Web cam to spy on him in a gay relationship, and he used social Media to invite others to watch in on their encounters.

Our Jason Carroll, he is live outside the courtroom. And first of all Jason, I understand that the sentence was 30 days in jail. He could have faced 10 years in prison. Can you explain the emotion, the impact, how did people react to that?

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well Suzanne, a lot of tears in that court -- in the courtroom on both sides. Dharun Ravi's mother cried and teared up. Tyler Clementi's mother crying as well in the back of the courtroom. You could see some folks crying there as well. So, a lot of emotional moments in the courtroom during the sentencing. As you say, Dharun Ravi could have faced up to 10 years in prison. Turns out with what the judge decided, neither side was satisfied with what the judge handed down in terms of sentencing, 30 days in jail, 300 hours of community service, three years probation. And in addition to that, Dharun Ravi would have had to pay a $10,000 fine, that money going toward an organization to help those who are victims of bias crimes. The judge said in this particular case, Judge Glenn Berman, said that he hoped his response would be, quote, "measured" and his response would be balanced. But he also told Dharun Ravi not to take any offense as to what he was about to tell him. And what he basically said, Suzanne, is what he did not ever hear from Dharun Ravi was any sort of apology. And that was one of the things that the judge said that he thought was missing throughout this entire proceeding. No apology, no remorse, he called -- even said what Dharun Ravi did, he said it was a cold, calculated, methodically and conceived act, in terms of what he did to Tyler Clementi. But again, the most emotional moments came when both mothers stood and spoke about what they wanted to see happen in the court today. I want you to listen now to what we heard, starting first with Jane Clementi, Tyler Clementi's mother.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANE CLEMENTI: And I had no idea of the despair and torment Tyler must have been feeling, and I thought I knew him. Tyler and I had been very connected, so much so that I felt like a piece of me died in September of 2010. That connection became very real to me again during the trial as most of the time I was listening and watching as if through Tyler's ears, eyes, and mind. (END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SABITHA RAVI: Dharun's dreams are shattered, and he has been living in hell for the past 20 months. It is hard for me to say, but my son is sitting here physically alive in front of everyone's eyes while I'm sharing his pain. I made sure he knows I love him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: And at that moment, Sabitha Ravi got up and hugged her son, a very emotional moment there. It was the first time throughout this entire trial that we've seen Dharun Ravi show some emotion as well. Obviously, very emotional and sad day for him. But, again, neither side satisfied with the judge's decision. Both sides say they will appeal. The prosecution wanted to see Dharun Ravi spend more time in prison. Obviously, the defense saying he shouldn't be sentenced to any prison or jail time at all, they thought probation would have been best. I also want to point something out, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Sure.

CARROLL: In all of this, the judge could have also sentenced Dharun Ravi -- you know, there is a portion of this -- portion of this that said he could have been deported. He is not a U.S. citizen. He is an Indian citizen. The judge said he was not going to recommend that. And he said the reason for that is because there's another character in this whole sort of trial, and that is someone who is unidentified. He's only named as M.B. He is the man that Tyler Clementi had that intimate relationship with in his dorm room. And basically, he submitted a written statement that said despite everything that happened, he thought Dharun Ravi should be punished but that he did not believe he should be deported. If he could be rehabilitated in some way, he should deserve to be an American citizen and the judge said that is the only reason why he was not going to recommend deportation. But, as I said, neither side satisfied with the sentencing.

MALVEAUX: Yes.

CARROLL: They're going to have about 10 days to now -- to decide if they can put together some sort of an appeal -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Jason, was there any point when the Ravi and Clementi families got together, looked at each other, exchanged any kind of emotion with each other?

CARROLL: No. Not in the courtroom, not before this proceeding, and also -- I should also point out is that we did not hear from Dharun Ravi himself. He chose not to address the court.

MALVEAUX: All right, Jason Carroll. Thank you so much, Jason, appreciate it.

Here is what we're working on for this hour. (voice-over): Just in time for Memorial Day, drivers are getting some relief. But will lower gas prices hold out?

Then, it's an American epidemic, obesity is taking a toll on our kids and sending the rate of diabetes skyrocketing.

And did you see it? We've got amazing pictures of the moment when the sun went out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Gasses -- gas prices on the way down headed into Memorial Day weekend. They are skidding nationally. The price down 18 cents in just the last month. Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange. This is good news, Alison, don't you think? It makes you want to take of and go somewhere.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, let's go. Let's just take off.

You know, the reason behind it, there's a good side and a bad side. Let me start with the bad. Some of the reason you're seeing gas prices lower is because of the weak economy. Job market is continuing to be weak, much of Europe is in a recession. So, it means that there's lower demand for gas. So, it's kind of a trade-off. With a lackluster economy, you have lower gas prices.

But some of it is also good news. Concerns about Iran have eased. That caused a big spike in the spring, you remember, when those big worries over Iran, that it could close the Strait of Hormuz. Those worries have kind of gone away. We also have enough oil and gas supplies, and analysts say oil and gas supplies are at their highest levels since 1990.

MALVEUAX: Do we expect prices to continue to going down?

KOSIK: Analysts say yes, they do expect gas prices to go down, barring any major headlines from Iran. But don't expect anything huge. Because what happens after Memorial Day is these refineries switch to summer blend gasoline. It's cleaner, more expensive to produce.

But remember when they were predicting $5 a gallon gas when prices were rising? OK, now they're predicting $3 a gallon. So, what you see is a tendency to overreact to both extremes. One analyst tells CNN that he thinks $3.50 a gallon is pretty much as good as we can get at this point. Suzanne?

MALVEAUX: OK, well, I'll take it. I'll take it. Better than $5. You're watching the markets today. Tell us about how Facebook is doing after it started selling shares on Friday.

KOSIK: Okay. So today for its first full day of trading, Facebook shares are getting hammered. Right now, trading down more than nine percent below the IPO price of $38. Shares are at about $35. So much for all the hype, right, leading up to this big public debut on the NASDAQ on Friday? One trader said after this weekend of negative news where they said Facebook was over-hyped and overvalued, all of that is coming to fruition today on the markets.

What you're seeing not happen today is Morgan Stanley coming to the rescue. Morgan Stanley was that lead underwriter propping up the shares to not fall below that $38 mark on Friday. Well, guess what? Morgan Stanley isn't coming to the rescue today. That's why you're seeing the shares fall.

MALVEAUX: All right. Well, kind of glad I didn't jump into all of that. Good to wait. Everybody said just wait. I'm glad I waited. So, just saying. All right. Thanks, Alison.

She quite literally became the face of brutality against women in Afghanistan. While she is physically safe now, her troubles are far from over. We'll have her story Aesha when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: President Obama and world leaders are right now discussing an end to the war in Afghanistan. It is happening at the NATO summit in Chicago.

But many activists are worried that world leaders are not focused on the rights of Afghan women. Amnesty International asked supporters in Chicago to fly kites to show support for the rights of Afghan women who are often the victims of brutal attacks. We have a heartbreaking report on what woman who has become a symbol of what Afghan women are forced to endure.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AESHA, BRUTALIZED IN AFGHANISTAN (via translator): I think all the time why this thing happens to me and why they cut my ears and nose? If I had my nose, I could have my life now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is 19-year-old Bipi Aesha (ph). It was her husband who cut off her nose and ears.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Born in a village in southern Afghanistan, Aesha was forced in marriage at a young age. She was given as pay back for a crime committed by someone else in her family. After years of abuse from her in-laws, Aesha ran away but was caught. She spent months in prison. Her father-in-law retrieved her and with her Taliban husband and others, brutally cut off her nose and ears.

She appeared on the cover of "Time" and was brought to the U.S. for reconstructive surgery. But she was deemed to emotionally fragile to undergo through the procedure. Almost two years later, she has settled with an Afghan family who wants to give her the life she never had and the tools to become independent.

AESHA: Study, learn. I want to be a police officer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She wants to be a police officer. That's what she wants to be. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She wants justice and she thinks she found it by police officers and soldiers.

AESHA: I love police officers.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Aesha had arrived in America more traumatized than anyone had anticipated.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Somebody wants to kill me or somebody following me. Every second night, she has this kind of dreams.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For more than a year a strong support system of women surrounded her. But still Aesha struggled to find a sense of belonging.

In late 2011, she asked to move in with the family who cares for her now. But progress is slow, and Aesha's past is not easily overcome.

AESHA: Why are we practicing? I practice in classroom. Practicing, practicing English all the time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She is interested to learn the language. She is doing her homework. She's going to the English class.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So which do you like, do you like Miss or Ms.?

You like miss. OK, so we can choose.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Practicing English. Practicing, practicing. OK, let's count.

AESHA: I am from Afghanistan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We treat her like our own. She is part of this family.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She sees how the people have the relationships with each other, the respect.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE:: The family hopes Aesha will soon get the surgery to rebuild her nose and ears. If she does, it will be a grueling and complicated process that could take up to two years to finish. Aesha and the whole family have a long road ahead of them.

AESHA: I'm a little bit scared. I mean (INAUDIBLE) my nose, I hope they don't make it bad.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She said I hope they give me a very nice nose.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: An amazing young girl. To hear more of Aesha's story, you can go to CNN.com/aesha. Dharun Ravi has been sentenced in the Rutgers spying case. You will hear the tearful testimony from Tyler Clementi's mother before that sentence was handed down.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: A New Jersey judge handed down a 30-day jail sentences in the case of a former Rutgers student in the case related to the suicide death of his roommate. Dharun Ravi used a web cam to spy on his roommate, Tyler Clementi, kissing another man. He put it on line and used social media to invite people to watch it.

Tyler Clementi's mother, Jane, spoke in court about Dharun Ravi and her son.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANE CLEMENTI, MOTHER OF TYLER CLEMENTI: He never really new Tyler, not the smart, kind, articulate, humble, funny, talented, caring, thoughtful, generous, trustworthy and dependable person Tyler was. All he found out was that Tyler was gay.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Dharun Ravi's mother also spoke and made an emotional plea for her son.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAVI, MOTHER OF DHARUN RAVI: He was absolutely devastated and broken into pieces. The media misconstructed (ph) the facts to the public and misconceptions were formed. Dharun and his character -- I was watching him helplessly. All I could do was just hug him and cry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: I want to bring in our CNN legal contributor, Paul Callan, in New York to talk about some of this.

You have been watching the sentencing hearing. we have both been watching this. Did it surprise you, he could have got ten years in prison, he got 30 days in jail?

PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, it did surprise me. It especially because Judge Berman gave really an impassioned sentencing speech in which he denounced Ravi for not apologizing properly, for not standing at the time of his sentencing. All the hints seemed to be it would be a harsh sentence. The 30-day sentence was really quite mild given the emotion in that courtroom.

MALVEAUX: Does it send a message for cases like this? CALLAN: Oh, I think it does. And I think one of the reasons probably that the judge ultimately said 30 days would be enough was that the national press coverage of this case has sent a message about the use of the Internet to invade privacy. I think college kids now understand that if you use a web cam and broadcast something that's sexually embarrassing or that indicates bias against gays or other ethnic or religious groups, the law will punish you. This was an important case, a watershed case on cyber bullying.

MALVEAUX: Do you think these mothers, the emotional testimony on both sides -- do you think that impacted the judge's decision on the kind of sentence he ultimately handed down?

CALLAN: You know, yes, I do think it did, Suzanne. I was watching this, and I have tried a lot of murder cases myself as both a prosecutor and a defense attorney. I have never seen a situation where the mothers not only of the victims in the case -- or the victim in the case, but the mother of the defendant also spoke. They both gave impassioned speeches. This was a courtroom drenched in the tears of these mothers. And, you know, you couldn't help but feel that there was a terrible tragedy that both mothers were facing, although, of course, Mrs. Clementi, the far greater tragedy. And that had to affect the judge.

MALVEAUX: Paul, I want to turn to another case in North Carolina. The jury is deciding John Edwards' fate. You know, the former presidential candidate, he's accused of illegally using almost $1 million in campaign donations to cover up this affair he had with Rielle Hunter and hide the child that they had together. Jurors heard three weeks of testimony against John Edwards. The defense only presented their case in less than three days. Now day two of deliberations. What does this indicate to you?

CALLAN: Normally, when deliberations go for an extensive period of time, you think maybe there's going to be a defense verdict or a conviction on a lesser count. I'm not surprised though. This case was a complicated case. It went on for a lengthy period of time. It's a nationally publicized case. So I'm not going to read the tea leaves and see a defense verdict or a prosecution verdict. I think these jurors are just being careful and looking at all the evidence. This fact pattern, by the way, charging Edwards with this crime, it's never really been done before under this statute. No prominent politician has been charged criminally under this statute. So the jury has a difficult job to face, and I just think they're taking their time to make sure they get it right.

MALVEAUX: Explain to us what the process is normally, this kind of waiting process, if you will. I imagine that John Edwards, his daughter, and his parents are showing up every day sitting there just waiting in case there is a verdict.

CALLAN: Yes. It's a nerve-racking experience for the attorneys and for the defendant, for the prosecutors as well. You kind of pace up and down in the hallway of the courthouse sometimes. Or sometimes if the lawyer is close by, within 10 or 15 minutes of the courthouse, the judge will let you leave the courthouse, but it's really a nerve- racking experience. One, by the way, that John Edwards is very used to. He was one of the most successful, prominent civil attorneys, personal injury attorneys in the country. So he's waited for many verdicts in the past but never one involving himself.

MALVEAUX: Where he's on the other side? Probably a very different kind of emotion he's going through now.

Paul, thank you.

Paul Callan, good to see you.

CALLAN: Nice being with you.

MALVEAUX: Most parents -- good education is the number one thing they want for their kids. To find a quality school can be challenging. We're going to tell you where the best high schools in the country are. See if your child's school is actually making the grade.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: All right, time to turn the tables on high schools and actually grade them. "Newsweek" has ranked the top 1,000 public high schools in the country. Does your child go to the best one? Well, let's take a look.

"Daily Beast" reporter, Lauren Streib, is joining us from New York.

So let's get to it. Top five, what do we think?

LAUREN STREIB, REPORTER, DAILY BEAST: Hi, Suzanne. Thanks for having me.

MALVEAUX: Sure.

STREIB: The top five are some really phenomenal schools. I think what we're seeing, especially from the top five, they're a lot located in the south. 14 of the top 20 are in the south. But especially in the top 5, these are high schools where all the kids graduate, all the kids go to college, but they take an extreme number of college-level courses in high school before they even graduate.

MALVEAUX: And how did they get there? How did they get to be the top of the list there? What is the criteria?

STREIB: I think a great example is the high school that -- well, the criteria we look at, we look at graduation rates, the number of kids that go on to college, two-year or four-year programs, as well as the college-level courses they take while in high school. And then additionally we look at the average A.P. score, the average SAT score.

But a great example is the high school that landed at number one on the list, which is Gatton School in Kentucky. It's perfect for this list in that kids actually go to high school on a college campus. And it's very small, 126 students in the entire high school, but they are surrounded by college-level courses, so when they actually get to college, it's sort of a very easy transition. It's almost something they have been surrounded with for four years.

MALVEAUX: Do they rank the teachers any way. Any way they demonstrate how good the teachers are in this ranking of schools?

STREIB: Well, I think -- no, not directly, but implicitly. When you look at this, I mean, the schools that stand out are the schools that have exceptional teachers. And I think the thing we also learned while we put this list together is as we talk to teachers and principals and administrators, a lot of these schools land on this list because the teachers are putting in extra time. They're tutoring these kids before school, after school, on Saturday, before two weeks into the summer session. These are teachers who give an exceptional amount of time and effort to help these kids.

MALVEAUX: Are these schools -- are they relatively wealthy schools, schools with lots of means in districts that have a very high tax base?

STREIB: They do run the gamut. On average, the students of these schools have a higher socioeconomic status than the average kid in the U.S. About 18 percent of these kids get free or reduced lunch, which is a mark of wealth. But 77 percent of this list is totally open enrollment schools where it's the neighborhood school. It's the school the kids are walking to and busing to. So I think it's really remarkable, some of these schools are doing a lot with relatively little.

MALVEAUX: And I understand that some of the schools, in the top 10, you have two of those schools in Texas, two are in Arizona. Are there some states that have better schools overall?

STREIB: I think, again, it runs the gamut. The interesting thing about Arizona and Texas, both have very strong charter and magnate schools. So they have got these really strong systems to deal with, especially in Texas, where certain cities or localities have relatively bad public school systems. These charter schools are coming in and really improving the opportunities for education.

MALVEAUX: Anything surprise you when you saw this study?

STREIB: This is the second year we've done this list, and I do think schools are improving. Even the last year, the statistics we saw going from just last year to this year, a lot of schools are offering more A.P. courses. A lot of schools are really encouraging students to take college-level courses while they're in high school. And I think it's really remarkable if you compare year to year.

MALVEAUX: Lauren, I understand you found my school on your list there. Number 111, right? Centennial High School in Ellicott (ph) City. I have to give a shout out to my alma mater.

STREIB: Congratulations.

MALVEAUX: Yes. (LAUGHTER)

I knew it was a good school but that's pretty cool, when you see it ranked there, 111. That's not bad.

STREIB: Absolutely.

MALVEAUX: All right.

STREIB: Congratulations.

(LAUGHTER)

MALVEAUX: They did all of the work. I don't know.

Thanks again. It was really fascinating. It was a great study. Good to see. Appreciate it.

STREIB: Thanks.

MALVEAUX: Sure.

The tax limbo, gay adoption, the president's health care program, we dig to the bottom of issues and find out how political claims are holding up to the fact check.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Time to cut through the political rhetoric, get to the truth of the matter. We're putting the political claims to the test.

We're going to bring in Bill Adair, an editor of politifact.com.

This is from Crossroads GPS, a conservative advocacy group. a television ad by the group says President Obama promised that families making less than $250,000 a year would not see their taxes go up. But the ad says the health care reform law, which the group calls Obama- care, raises 18 different taxes. True or false? What do we know?

BILL ADAIR, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, TAMPA BAY TIMES & POLITIFACT.COM: We gave that one a mostly false on our truth-o-meter. Obama did promise that. And the quote that they use in the ad is correct, but it's really misleading to then say that the 18 taxes in Obama-care are the reason why that promise is broken. Of those 18 taxes, only a handful, about five or six, actually apply to individuals. Most of them apply to corporations or to the wealthy. And also it's important to point out that millions of Americans actually have gotten tax cuts because of Obama's policies in the stimulus and the payroll tax cuts. So overall, that one gets a mostly false on the truth-o-meter.

MALVEAUX: What about this web ad? President Obama says Mitt Romney would deny gay people the right to adopt children. How did that rate?

ADAIR: That got a false. Romney has never said that. In fact, if you look at what Romney has said, although he's been clear he is opposed to gay marriage, he has been supportive of adoption by gay couples and at least state laws that permit adoption by gay couples. So it's just inaccurate to say he opposes gay adoptions. That's false.

MALVEAUX: This is an ad from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce about the health care law. It says 20 million people could lose their current coverage, including our senior citizens who are on Medicare. What do we know?

ADAIR: Pants on Fire for that one on our truth-o-meter. That's just ridiculously false. The ad is mixing and matching two different things. First of all, it's the 20 million number it attributes to the Congressional Budget Office, but the CBO report does not say that. It doesn't say anything about Medicare. It's talking about employer- provided health care and it's talking about the maximum number of people who either might choose to have different health insurance or could be forced out of plans, and then applying that to Medicare in a way that's just not accurate. So Pants on Fire for that one.

MALVEAUX: Bill Adair, thank you for setting it straight. Appreciate it.

We want to show you a live picture we're looking at, the NATO class photo here at the NATO summit. It looks like they're just getting off the stage there. But they do this from time to time. Every year they get together and they pose for these pictures, the family photo, it is fondly called. They are filing -- it looks like there are about three rows of these world leaders. Many powerful and rich nations that get together and, of course, the main topic of discussion in Chicago out of this NATO summit was ending the war in Afghanistan and whether or not there would be a financial commitment from these world leaders from those countries to do so in the next couple of years.

A man wanted in connection with a massacre near the Texas border is now under arrest. Mexican police have a leader of one the most feared drug cartels and he is now talking.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: In Mexico, they call him El Loco, the "mad man." Police call him one of the main suspects in the brutal killings of 49 people. Daniel de Jesus el Zandovameriz (ph) is leader of a drug cartel in northern Mexico where 49 decapitated and dismembered bodies were found last week. Police say he gave them specific details about the killings.

A suicide bomber sets off an explosion that kills more than 100 soldiers in Yemen. It appears to be the deadliest attacks on people there. So far no one has claimed responsibility. But a Yemeni official in Washington says the suicide attacks are the hallmark in al Qaeda. Yemen has become a battleground for the terrorist organization.

Former international money chief, cleared of attacking a hotel maid in New York faces new legal troubles. French prosecutors say they've expanded the investigation of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, including gang rape. This happened in Washington. Attorneys for Strauss-Kahn say the investigation will prove he has never committed acts of violence or had any relationship without the consent of his partners.

This is something every parent needs to know. It's about overweight teens, their risk for heart disease. We'll have that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: A shocking statistic. 23 percent of teenagers are pre-diabetic or diabetic. That is according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

I want to bring in our Elizabeth Cohen to talk a little more about this.

We're talking about a pretty big increase in a very shot period. What is the significance of this?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: If you take a look at the numbers, in 2008, the prevalence was 9 percent of teenagers had diabetes or pre-diabetes. In 2008, 23 percent. That's a pretty big jump in less than a decade. When you look at that 23 percent you think nearly one out of four teenagers in this country has diabetes or pre-diabetes. Type-2 diabetes is something you think of as you age, especially if you're heavy. And now we're seeing it in really high numbers in teenagers. And this is very dangerous. Diabetes is, of course, a precursor to heart disease and all sorts of other problems. It's very disturbing.

MALVEAUX: So what did the researchers actually find when they took a look at this group?

COHEN: They found this number and then they found another scary number. That number is that 43 percent of teens have either diabetes, high cholesterol or hypertension. One, two or three of those. So for teens -- usually when we talk about these, we're talking about people in their 50s or something like that. These are teenagers. So 43 percent have at least one of those three problems.

MALVEAUX: And why is this happening?

COHEN: A lot of it is obesity. When one-third of kids are obese or overweight, that's what you end up with. That's why it's called an epidemic, a health crisis. When you see it that young, it's -- I think people are sort of floundering about what to do.

MALVEAUX: This is all about eating too much? Not getting enough exercise?

COHEN: It's all those things we already know. People eat too much. They often are eating the wrong foods. And also, they're not getting out and getting enough exercise. MALVEAUX: I'm sure parents are thinking, what do I do? What can I possibly do to protect my child? Or if you're a grandparent, to protect my grandchildren from growing up and having these kinds of conditions.

COHEN: Society, as a whole, is trying to do something. They're trying to get fatty foods out of schools. They're trying to get sodas out of schools. But in the meantime, you really do have to take it upon yourself as a parent to take care of this problem.

I think the way to think about it is, if you start to see your child getting too heavy, do something about it. Look at what they're eating. Think, is my child getting exercise every day? And really take action before it gets out of hand. It's not the cute and chubby kid, that's not OK. You want to do something. If your child were, god forbid, on their way to getting cancer, you would do something. You don't put your child in a car without a seat belt, right? If your child is starting to gain weight, you need to look at what they're eating and you need to look at their exercise.

It's really hard. I'm a parent. I get it. It's hard when you're running around and you're out and you're thinking what can we eat and your choices are all fast food that's really bad for you. It's really tough in this society to get your children to lose weight. But it's so important.

MALVEAUX: You have beautiful healthy daughters.

(CROSSTALK)

COHEN: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: You do a good job.

COHEN: Thank you. But it's a tough job. It's a struggle. When your child asks for soda at every single meal, which my children often do, and I have to say no, and they give me grief. I just say look, no, you're not having it. I look around and I see a lot of kids drinking soda. That is hundreds of calories a day if you're letting your kid drink a lot of sodas. And -- I'm sure the soda people are now going to be upset with me, but, I mean, to have your child drinking soda all day every day is an example of something that --