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Obama Urges Congress to Act on Jobs; U.N. Observers Visit Syria Massacre Site; Top Horse Pulled From Belmont Stakes; Young People Skipping Medical Treatment; GOP Leaders Respond To Obama On Economy; DNA Blueprint For Fetus; Egypt's Street Fighters

Aired June 08, 2012 - 12:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, thanks so much, Kyra.

Hello, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Suzanne Malveaux.

Let's get right to it. There will be no Triple Crown winner this year. That's because the horse named I'll Have Another, the heavy favorite to win tomorrow's Belmont Stakes, has been pulled from the race. This just happened in the last half hour.

The horse did work out at the track earlier this morning. You're seeing the images. But no reason has been given yet for the scratch. We'll have a live report from Belmont later on this hour.

And trying to contain a deadly e. coli outbreak, close to a dozen cases now in four Southern states. One of them, a toddler in New Orleans, died. Investigators say they know the cases are linked. They are now on the hunt for a common source.

And conservatives say they're taking the fight for the country's future to President Obama's back yard. The Conservative Political Action Conference, known as CPAC, is meeting in Chicago today. The conference brings together a who's who from Republican politics, including some possible vice presidential contenders. Results from a VP straw poll are expected later on today.

And President Obama pushes Congress to take action on the economy. He says the U.S. is facing headwinds from Europe and Congress needs to pass a jobs bill and other measures to boost the economy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They left most of the jobs plan just sitting there. And in light of the headwinds that we're facing right now, I urge them to reconsider because there are steps we can take right now. There's work to be done. There are workers to do it. Let's put them back to work right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, let's bring in chief White House correspondent Jessica Yellin. So Jessica, what's the president's strategy here to deal with the weak recovery in the U.S. and the possible fallout from the crisis in Europe?

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. Well, his goal is twofold. One, it is to alert the American people to the unfolding crisis in Europe and make everyone aware of the fact that if it gets worse, it could impact the U.S. in a bad way. Two, to press Congress -- essentially hammer Republicans -- for perceived -- for their inaction.

The goal here is to say that things could get worse and that there are steps that Congress could take to cushion the U.S. from any blows that could come from Europe, and if the Republicans in Congress don't take action, the U.S. economy could suffer.

Now, of course, Republicans will see it differently, but this is the strategic move by the White House at this point both to help with the economy and also to help the president in an election year, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And then one of the final questions that the president was asked was about those leaks on intelligence matters, and the president was very forceful in his response.

YELLIN: He said that he has a zero tolerance policy for leaks. He said that he believes these leaks make the work of people in the intelligence community around the world much harder. And to any accusations that these leaks were in any way from his White House and deliberate, here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: The notion that my White House would purposely release classified national security information is offensive. It's wrong. And you know, people, I think, need to have a better sense of how I approach this office and how the people around me here approach this office.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YELLIN: Now, when asked twice if there is an investigation going on, he didn't say -- if there was an investigation going on in the White House, he did not say. And he referred us to the authors of the articles in saying that there were no leaks at all from anyone in the White House.

You notice his wording was that, The notion that my White House would purposely release classified information is offensive. To the exact question, did anyone -- well, he says the authors of the books (SIC) say they didn't.

I'd finally point out, Fredricka, if you'll just allow me this, we're all focusing on how the information got out, but we should not lose sight of the actual information itself. We in the media do have an interest in whistle-blowers -- folks in this building would call them leakers -- and we would never have the opportunity to know about so-called "kill lists" or drone strikes if it weren't for leakers, if you will.

So there are two sides to all these stories, and some of us might want to be able to question whether we should necessarily punish all leakers at all times. Something to consider.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jessica. Meantime, you know, what's on tap for the president looking forward as he tries to strike a balance between his job as the president and candidate for presidency, a second term?

YELLIN: Well, he is both taking his job as president -- I mean, he's working here throughout the day. He has a meeting with the leader of the Philippines. And I think -- is today he welcoming the Giants, perhaps, as, you know, part of his ceremonial duties? And then he'll also be hitting the campaign trail next week, sorry, raising money.

And he's going to visit -- well, he's -- I'm not sure what I can and can't say because it's all in the schedule. But the bottom line is it's an ongoing balance between governing from here and constantly hitting the campaign trail and raising money.

I think we'll see a lot more campaign events coming up, a lot more pressure on Congress to pass the jobs bill which has been languishing there mostly since September.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jessica Yellin, thanks so much, in Washington at the White House.

All right, today the world's top diplomats sum up their frustration with Syria with three words, a "real, real challenge." That's Kofi Annan's trademark understated style after he and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met today at the United Nations. They talked about one thing, Syria, and how to galvanize the world community to step in, stop the killing in Syria and prevent all-out civil war there.

This is the city of Homs today. It's anything but peaceful for a country operating under a so-called U.N. peace plan. Syrian military artillery rained down today in Homs and in other cities. Furious Syrians poured into the streets and fought with riot police.

Also today, we learned that the United Nations observers finally were allowed into the village where nearly 80 people were killed in what witnesses say was a massacre of civilian men, women and children.

Arwa Damon is in Beirut, Lebanon, since CNN crews are not allowed in Syria these days. Arwa, how were those U.N. observers able to see the massacre site finally?

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it seems as if they were able to navigate through the various government checkpoints, and in fact, not get shot at on the route. Those were the two things that took place yesterday that prevented them from accessing the site.

We are still waiting to hear from them directly as to what they were able to see, but some of the other reporters who have been granted visas and who were able to accompany the team have been saying that they witnessed buildings that were burned, some had clear indication that rocket-propelled grenades and other artillery had been fired into them, describing scenes where blood was on the floor, where it seemed like people were trying to clean things up, pushing all sorts of debris and clumps of brain matter into corners, trying to clean up the aftermath of this truly horrific massacre.

As you said there, nearly 80 people killed, and more than half of them, according to opposition activists, were women and children, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Arwa Damon, thanks so much, joining us from Beirut, Lebanon.

All right, meantime, we want to take you out to Council Bluffs, Iowa. You heard earlier the president of the United States, who spelled out from the White House his view of the economy. Well, now the man who wants his job, Mitt Romney, is in Council Bluffs with his response to some of the president's talking points this morning.

MITT ROMNEY (R-MA), FMR. GOV., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Median income in America has dropped by 10 percent over the last four years, where there have been record number of home foreclosures! For the president of the United States to stand up and say the private sector is doing fine is going to go down in history! It's an extraordinary miscalculation and misunderstanding by a president who's out of touch. And we're going that take back this country and get America working again!

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

ROMNEY: And his answer for economic vitality, by the way, was, of course, pushing aside the private sector, which he said is doing fine. Instead, he wants to add more to government. He wants another stimulus. He wants to hire more government workers. He says we need more firemen, more policemen, more teachers.

Did he not get the message of Wisconsin? The American people did! It's time for us to cut back on government and help the American people!

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

ROMNEY: Now, he said something else pretty interesting the other night on a fund-raising speech in Beverly Hills. He said -- he said, I keep a little checklist in my desk at the Oval Office. I've got a to-do list, he said, and every so often, I take a look at it, and I say, You know what? We're doing OK.

Isn't that amazing? Again, I just -- these comments he's making just suggest someone who doesn't understand what's happening in the country he has been elected to lead!

The people in Iowa saw his campaign launched here in Iowa. It was a campaign of hope and optimism. It was a campaign of getting America stronger again and cutting back on the deficit. How disappointed the people of Iowa have become over these last three-and- a-half years and how committed we are to having real change that gets the American people back to work again and sees rising incomes again!

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

ROMNEY: I got a -- I got a copy here of his to-do list from his desk. You see, I was able to sneak that out and...

(LAUGHTER)

ROMNEY: There are a few things that are missing. Missing is lead a real recovery. Missing is reduce the deficit. Missing is save Medicare and Social Security. Missing is help small business. But let (INAUDIBLE)

(APPLAUSE)

ROMNEY: There were some things on the list, though, that I wish he'd take off. One was pass "Obama care." That one shouldn't have been there.

(BOOS)

ROMNEY: No. One was stall the development of coal, oil and natural gas. One was multiply regulations on small business. And one was divide the American people.

It's time to have a president who remembers that we are one nation under God, and I will be!

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

ROMNEY: And I won't -- I won't have to have a long to-do list in my drawer at the White House. My to-do list is written on my heart, and the first three entries are these, jobs, jobs, and jobs. I'm going to go to work to get America working again!

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

ROMNEY: You see, I've traveled the country over the past couple of years and seen people of all walks of life. And these are tough times for a lot of people. People are having a hard time making ends meet in corners of our country. I was in Fort Myers, Florida, met a guy named Chris Davis (ph). Chris Davis and his son traveled with me...

WHITFIELD: All right, Republican candidate Mitt Romney there taking a kind of point, counterpoint method to the president's remarks earlier today during a press conference, Mitt Romney saying, you know, the president underscored the private sector has grown under him. In Romney's views, he says -- he's calling it, quote, "a miscalculation by a president who is out of touch."

We'll continue to monitor the sentiments of Mitt Romney there in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Meantime, momentarily somewhere in this hour also, the Republican response coming from John Boehner and Eric Cantor on Capitol Hill. We'll bring that to you live as it happens.

All right, here's what we're working on for this hour.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): It's all in the genes. The latest science tells pregnant women exactly what they can expect on the big day.

It's called stop and frisk.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The police officers pull up really close to the curb, very aggressively, hop out oft car...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right over here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, right over here, very aggressively, stop, and say, You, stay right here.

WHITFIELD: Now the Justice Department is being asked to investigate if New York has gone overboard.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're saving lives here and we're saving lives in a big way.

WHITFIELD: And the youngest of the Flying Wallendas plans his latest death-defying high wire feat.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: There will be no Triple Crown winner this year. That's because the horse I'll Have Another won't have another. The heavy favorite to win tomorrow's Belmont Stakes has been pulled from the race. This happened in just the last half hour. No reason has been given yet for the scratch.

Richard Roth is at the track for us. So Richard, what are the rumblings as to what could have possibly happened?

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, from various reports, people who have spoken with the trainer of I'll Have Another and his camp, it's an injury problem with the left hind leg. We're going to hear more at a press conference in a little while.

The importance of this race is certainly known, but the people behind I'll Have Another, they want to take care of this horse. They want to be able to have him go to a successful breeding career, a lucrative breeding career, and they're not going to take a chance despite the momentous occasion tomorrow, the Belmont Stakes.

He was on the verge of possibly becoming the 12th Triple Crown winner in history. There's been none since 1978. Now, there's been a lot of buzz and talk. We saw the horse gallop practice early, two hours ahead of the normal schedule, in early sunlight here at about 6:15, 6:20 AM, a little bit surprised. We have video of the horse.

A trainer of Dullahan, a leading contender in the Belmont, has told reporters that he was suspicious this morning when he saw an ultrasound machine in I'll Have Another's barn, Dale Romans, the trainer of Dullahan, saying devastating for him, for the race, for the opportunity to get to the Triple Crown. Quote, "I thought it was going to be one of the biggest races in history, and we wanted him to be a part of it."

So everybody loses, really, on this. It would have been an exciting race late tomorrow afternoon with at least 100,000 people here. No Triple Crown, as you said, this year.

WHITFIELD: Wow! Incredible. OK, so there was the sight of the ultrasound machine. That was an indicator. But when that horse was training this morning, did it appear to limp? Did anyone mention or comment that it didn't look like it was comfortable on the track?

ROTH: No. I couldn't tell. You didn't hear anybody say anything. But I talked to one friend who's a veteran racetrack writer, and he talked to D. Wayne Lucas, one of America's most famous and successful trainers, and said you don't tamper with a horse's schedule and routine, that it's not good for the horse. And that could have been -- from the people who are well versed on the track, when somebody tries out a horse at 6:15 in the morning away from many prying eyes, it could be an early indication of a problem.

WHITFIELD: Now, what about the horse's trainer, O'Neill? Because there had been a lot of discussions about his, you know, pending suspension, not related to this horse but others. Where is that?

ROTH: Well, Doug O'Neill -- I asked him this week about that -- Doug O'Neill I talked to. He denied when I said, Have you ever made a horse go faster? From all reports, certainly, I'll Have Another has had no link to any substance problem.

The Doug O'Neill situation in California -- he was suspended for 45 days on an issue that the California racing board said was not necessarily O'Neill's fault. He'll serve the suspension later.

But right now, the focus on I'll Have Another and what happened. They -- I'll Have Another was loaded into a special detention barn with horses set up by the officials at Belmont to make sure there was no chicanery or some suspicious activity involving anything by putting for the first time that I can recall, days ahead of time, loading all the contenders for the Belmont Stakes in one special barn.

A lot of trainers were not happy with that. They didn't like their horses getting acclimated to different situation.

WHITFIELD: Yes, I heard about that yesterday. And I was wondering how often that took place. That was kind of news to me. But so apparently, that was an unusual thing, a measure taken this go- around that isn't usually taken, this detention barn.

ROTH: Oh, it's you don't often see it, but they were -- everybody dealt with it. They knew the problems. They knew of O'Neill's issues. But they also wanted -- if there was -- whoever's going to win this Belmont Stakes, they didn't want any accusations of any problems. The racing industry and drug use, that's been something for decades. Different states have different rules.

But right now, the focus is on I'll Have Another and the shocking announcement that on the eve of the race, he's not going to run. Four years ago, when Big Brown ran for the Triple Crown, he was eased up near the end of the race, and there were a lot of suspicions about the trainer and that horse and Big Brown, but we don't even get a race this time.

WHITFIELD: Wow!

ROTH: Everybody thought I'll Have Another had a very good chance. So you remember the names, Smarty Jones, War Emblem, Funny Cide, Silver Charm. These are all horses that since 1997 have failed on the track behind me at Belmont to achieve the elusive Triple Crown of American horse racing.

WHITFIELD: Yes, and everyone thought this one just might have another. All right, big disappointment not just for the -- you know, all the fans, of course, but you know, for the horse, and of course, all the trainers and the jockey who was looking forward to, hopefully, riding it to that Triple Crown. All right, Richard Roth, thanks so much.

And again, there's going to be a press conference involving some of the parties there what, in about 30 or 40 minutes?

ROTH: I'm sorry?

WHITFIELD: Is there a press conference that's scheduled in about 30 or 40 minutes?

ROTH: Oh, yes. Yes. At the barn near us, there will be a press conference at 1:00, o'clock.

WHITFIELD: All right, perfect. Keep us posted on that. Richard Roth, thanks so much, at Belmont.

All right, why more young people than ever are avoiding visits to the doctor.

And don't forget you can watch CNN live on your computer while you're at work. Head to CNN.com/tv.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, millions of people in their teens and 20s are skipping medical treatments they need because of sticker shock. Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange to break down a just released report.

So Alison, just how widespread is this problem?

ALISON KOSIK, CNNMONEY: You know what, Fredricka? It's a huge problem. You know, recently, more than 40 percent of 19 to 29-year- olds who have insurance said, No way, I'm not getting medical care because of how much it costs.

And listen to this. It's even worse if you don't have insurance. Sixty percent of young people said, You know what? I'm not going to take medical care if -- especially, since we don't have insurance.

And one thing is a thing that sticks out here is that doctors are noticing that more of these young people, they just tune out their doctor's advice altogether when they hear how much it's going to cost. So what they're doing is they're not filling prescriptions, they're skipping recommended tests and they're not getting specialist care even when they need it.

And we're seeing also once again that these people who have insurance are struggling because many employers are cutting back on health care coverage and benefits, and you know, there's this big shift in cost to workers. Those deductibles are higher along with those co-payments and co-insurance, as well, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. So wait a minute. That means if there were problems, they're only exacerbated by ignoring them, not getting the medication, et cetera. So clearly, that's going to have an even bigger impact on their finances, wouldn't it?

KOSIK: Oh, yes. Oh, yes. It's going to be huge. I mean, the survey found that 43 percent of young people with medical debt used up all of their savings just to pay their bills. About a third took on credit card debt or had to actually put off paying back student loans or tuition.

Even worse, many said because of their medical bills going higher and higher, they couldn't pay for basic necessities like food or rent.

But let me give you some good news. The Affordable Care Act -- that lets young people stay on their parents' insurance until they're 26 years old. That's actually helped with the cost of insurance itself.

But the bad news, it's just a provision right now. It's not a law. It could make things a lot tougher for a huge population of young people if the Supreme Court strikes it down. The Supreme Court is going to be making a ruling -- is expected to make a ruling at the end of the month -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: OK. All right. Very good, Alison. All right, thanks so much on that.

All right, stick with me here. You know, you've probably interviewed or met billionaire investor Warren Buffett, right?

KOSIK: I have. Yes, I have.

WHITFIELD: That's what I figured. And even having had that kind of close encounter, you probably would still want to do lunch with him, right?

KOSIK: Sure. You know what? You can never have enough interview time with a guy like that.

WHITFIELD: I know. Well, this time, if you do have lunch with him, when you meet him again, it's going to cost you! Bidding on a charity lunch with him is now north of $410,000 on eBay. Can you believe this?

KOSIK: That's amazing.

WHITFIELD: It is huge. The winning bidder and seven of their companions will actually do lunch with Buffett at Smith and Wollensky (ph) steakhouse in New York. You know that joint?

KOSIK: Yes, I do. Yes, I do. Very nice joint.

WHITFIELD: OK, so hoping it's worth it.

KOSIK: You know what's funny is when he sits down to this lunch -- I remember when I interviewed him, he carries a bottle of Coca-Cola on him. By the way, he owns a big stake in Coca-Cola. But he carries his own bottle of Coca-Cola with him. I wonder if he'll go to this lunch with his own bottle and bring it to the table.

KOSIK: Is that a reflection of his, you know, frugalness -- frugality?

KOSIK: Possibly. Possibly. Yes. Yes. I think so.

WHITFIELD: Wow! That's incredible. So bidding is ongoing right now, but it ends tonight 10:30. It's an annual benefit for Glide (ph), a foundation that serves meals and runs a church in San Francisco. So I'm sure...

KOSIK: I'll have to -- I'll have to sit this one out because I don't think I can afford it, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: I know. Well, you don't have to because you've already had a close encounter with him of a very different kind. That was very special. Lucky you, indeed.

All right, Alison, thanks so much.

KOSIK: Sure.

WHITFIELD: All right, the latest in genetic breakthroughs. All you need is saliva from the dad and a blood sample from the pregnant mom to get a blueprint of a baby.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: All right, we're going to switch gears a bit here and have a look at some radical new developments in genetics. Could this be our future? Have a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Neurological conditions, 60 percent probability, manic depression, 42 percent probability, attention deficit disorder, 89 percent probability, heart disorder 99 percent probability, early fatal potential life expectancy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, sorry to tease you a little bit, but we're going to have to go to Capitol Hill now with John Boehner and Eric Cantor and their response to the president's remarks about the economy earlier today.

(BEGIN LIVE FEED)

REPRESENTATIVE JOHN BOEHNER (R), HOUSE SPEAKER: We're going to vote next month on extending all of the current tax rates, and the president should assure the nation that when this bill gets to his desk, he will sign it into law.

Now, we also know that the president's health care law is making it harder for small businesses to hire, and we know that it must be repealed in its entirety.

This morning, we learned more about the back room deals that were made that led to its passage. E-mails obtained by the Energy and Commerce Committee show that the White House traded billions of dollars in policy concessions to Pharma for millions of dollars worth of advertising.

The administration created and managed a "Super PAC" paid for by Pharma and run by Jim Messina out of the west wing of the White House. This is wrong and the administration must be held accountable for their actions.

REPRESENTATIVE ERIC CANTOR (R), MINORITY LEADER: Good afternoon. As the speaker said, we just listened to the president say that the private sector is doing fine, and my question would be to the president, are you kidding?

Did he see the job numbers that came out last week? The private sector is not doing fine. And, frankly, I'd ask the president to stop engaging in the blame game. It's not because of the headwinds of Europe. It's not, despite his attempt and his party's attempts here in Congress. It is not because of House Republicans.

It's because of the failed stimulus policies and other items in his agenda that small businesses in this country just aren't growing. And we know as the speaker said, it's too tough right now to start a small business.

Small businesses are struggling because of the uncertainty. They're facing prospects of the largest tax increase in American history. They're facing uncertainty connected with health care costs because of Obama care.

And they're facing uncertainty because of a very hostile regulatory posture being taken by the Obama administration here in Washington. And our summer agenda is going to be directly focused on how we can make the environment better for small business men and women to grow and create jobs in this country.

We're going to take a bill to the floor that will ensure that taxes won't go up on anybody. We're going to take several measures to the floor that begin to cut the red tape and roll back the regulations that this administration continues to churn out making it more difficult for businesses to create jobs.

And, yes, we're going to take to the floor a bill that calls for the total repeal of Obama care so that we can start over and we can tell the American people we're on your side.

We care about your health care, we want quality care and affordable price for as many Americans that are there looking for that to happen. Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Speaker Boehner, do you think the lack of federal money, state and public sector jobs is hurting the economy?

BOEHNER: No, I believe that government continues to spend money that we don't have. And the fact is that with these looming tax hikes and the regulations coming out of Washington, we have frozen employers in place.

And if we would have a moratorium on regulations and extend all of the current tax rates, we would free employers, provide more certainty for them to go out to begin to hire the American people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you disagree with what the speaker stated yesterday, that Europe is a drag on the economy?

CANTOR: Sure, Europe is a problem. There's no question. It's providing a liquidity issue to global -- to the global economy. There is certainly is sense that governments on that continent are not addressing their problems, and it should be a signal to all of us that we've got to get serious.

I agree wholeheartedly with the speaker. We have continued as a House majority to put forward solutions and to tell the truth and to say we're here to help solve the problems and lead.

BOEHNER: But just because Europe has problems doesn't mean that we can't begin to solve our problems. We can help American job creators by taking the actions that we've outlined. There's no excuse why we should wait for the convenience of an election. Let's get to work today. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: - one of the reasons that Europe is in the situation it's in is because of the austerity measures they took and are House Republican advocating for the same --

BOEHNER: The reason Europe is in the shape that it's in is because they waited too long to deal with their problems. It's why I was insistent last summer that we address our deficit and our debt problem.

It's why again last month I called for us to address our deficit and our debt problem. Remember one thing, it's the debt in Europe, and if we don't get busy dealing with our debt, we're going to be in the same shape.

We have time to deal with this. But understand that the debt is also tied to jobs. This $16 trillion worth of debt serves like a wet blanket over our economy, scaring employers of all size.

And if you want to create more certainty for employers, let's extend the tax rates. Let's stop the regulatory onslaught, and let's deal with our debt. Then we'll give job creators in America the freedom to go out there and create the jobs that they want to create. Thanks.

(END LIVE FEED)

WHITFIELD: All right, in concert there on Capitol Hill, John Boehner and Eric Cantor critical of the president of the United States' assessment of the economy as it pertained to the private sector growth and even the European financial crisis.

And also making a pledge of the summer agenda, Eric Cantor saying that Republicans in Congress will be focusing on how to make things better. Also number two, taxes won't go up on anybody he says, and there will be a total repeal of the health care reform sponsored by the president and pushed by the president of the United States.

So we'll continue to monitor the developments there, the back and forth between Capitol Hill, the Republicans, and the president in the White House. We'll keep you posted on all those developments.

And all you need is a little saliva from the dad and a blood sample from the pregnant mom. We started to tell you a little bit more about that earlier. We're going to revisit that. How you can get the genetic blueprint of your baby. We'll get a look at the brave new world of parenthood.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: Hi, there. Thanks for joining us. Today on the "Help Desk," we're talking about student loans.

And joining me to help explain all of it, Lynette Khalfani Cox is a personal finance author and founder of the financial vice blog askthemoneycoach.com. And David Novick is a certified financial planner and adjunct professor of finance at NYU.

So, David, we got this interesting question on the street from someone who just graduated. Take a listen to what he asked.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a teacher and I have quite a bit of student loan debt. I'm trying to find out what programs are available to help me pay down that debt.

HARLOW: How much debt do you have?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Quite a bit, enough to buy a BMW.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: All right, so let's say he has $30,000, $40,000, $50,000 at least in student loan debt. What's your advice?

DAVID NOVICK, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER, PROMETHEUS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT: Well, my advice would be, first of all, depending on the type of school or institution he's working for, there may be programs where they may forgive some of the debt.

But assuming that's not the case, he should probably take a look at what debt he has and focus on paying off the highest interest debt, although he may have a lot of student loan debt.

Many of those debts may be tax deductible as well as at a fairly low interest rate. So if he sets up a repayment schedule, it's reasonable, he should be able to pay that off.

HARLOW: And the highest interest first obviously. Lynnette, you know, a lot of student debt isn't forgivable even through bankruptcy.

LYNNETTE KHALFANI COX, FOUNDER, ASKTHEMONEYCOACH.COM: That's right. And you know, it doesn't matter if you have private loans or federal loans, you really can't discharge that in bankruptcy court.

You know, another strategy to think about is picking the shortest repayment plan. If you enter the standard loan repayment program for federal student loans, you'll knock out those loans in 10 years.

But if you can't afford your student loan debt, pick the income-based repayment option and it lets you pay about 15 percent of your discretionary income.

HARLOW: He's a teacher so obviously he's not making that much money, but he's doing good that's for sure. All right, thanks, guys.

If you have a question you want our financial experts to tackle, upload a 30-second video with your "Help Desk" question to ireport.com.

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WHITFIELD: A look into the future? Researchers now say they can create a genetic blueprint of a fetus just from the saliva of the father and a blood sample from the pregnant mom.

I want to bring in Robert Klitzman, he's a bioethicist at Columbia University. Good to see you. And author of the book "Am I My Genes?" Professor Klitzman, what kinds of questions does this raise for you?

DR. ROBERT KLITZMAN, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: It raises all kinds of questions because on the one hand this technology can enable us to eliminate some very serious diseases like down syndrome and even diseases that can kill a child.

But there get to be difficulties because we all have mutations in us for about six diseases that may or may not occur based on other things in the environment.

So we may find that a child has a mutation that will give him or her deafness and some parents may say, I don't want to have a deaf child. There's a lot of uncertainty as I describe in the book, a lot of genetic information is not going to be black or white but more like predicting the weather.

We'll be able to say a child has 50 percent chance of developing breast cancer. The fetus has a 20 percent chance of developing autism. Some parents may say yes, some say no.

So we need to start think being these issues and educating ourselves to know what to do.

WHITFIELD: You made a giant leap there. You said potentially eliminating something like down's syndrome. Is it eliminate down's syndrome or what it is, is it equips people to know there's a potential for down's syndrome?

KLITZMAN: No, that's a great question. So we have a choice. What we'll be able to is look by just getting a little blood stick from the mother, just like when you go to the doctor's office, nothing invasive, and a little saliva from the father. They'll be able to say that your child will develop down's syndrome. Some parents may say, OK, I'm willing to live with that. That's what God gives me. Other parents may say, you know, I have a child with down's syndrome now. It's too hard for me. I don't want to have another child like that. And they may say, you know, I don't want to have that child and they may terminate the pregnancy.

And, again, parents may decide, OK, I'm going to be prepared or they may decide, no, that's something I don't want. And there's a slippery slope. Some parents may say, you know, I don't want to have a boy baby, I don't want to have -- or, I don't want to have a girl, or I don't want to have it, as we develop tests, for instance, for homosexuality, there may be genetic testing we develop for that. Some parents may say, I don't want to have a gay child. And again, these are larger social questions that we all need to start thinking about.

And there's also issues about false paternity. If we get this saliva from the father, in about 3 percent of cases we'll find that that father is not really the father of that fetus. WHITFIELD: Oh, my.

KLITZMAN: Of that child, and then that's a whole other set of issues as to how we deal with that.

WHITFIELD: OK. Then, you know, here's another question then. I wonder, you know, has our public policy held up to these rapid developments in genetics?

KLITZMAN: Right. Well, as we go forward, our understanding of genetics is going like this. Literally every week there is discovery of other markers. And there are questions. They could -- there is a genetic information non-discrimination act, but this technology will give parents' information about their own genes and that could lead to discrimination potentially or life insurance or disability insurance. And there's also the question that in Europe these technologies are heavily regulated and they're not in the United States. Here in the United States, if doctors want to do it, parents want to do it, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine self-regulates itself, but many people say that given the case of octomom a few years ago, for instance, and now this technology, that we, as a society, should begin to think, and maybe have policymakers or others say there's certain things that we should not allow and certain things that are OK to allow. And so we -- as we go forward, we, as a society, need to think about this. There may be room for policy and we need to begin to think, as we just heard, many people are against regulations, but other people may say, no, we shouldn't be eliminating, terminating pregnancies because a child may be gay or have low intelligence or be deaf. Should we leave these decisions up to just parents what they want to do and doctors? Should there be a role for government? These are complicated issues that we all need to start to consider and educate ourselves about. And it's hard, as I said, because much of the genetic information is going to be uncertain. It's going to be you have a 20 percent chance of autism, a 50 percent chance of this disease.

WHITFIELD: Right.

KLITZMAN: And if we know that, some people may say, that's too much for me. I don't want a fetus who may develop breast cancer.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

KLITZMAN: Others may say, sure, why not.

WHITFIELD: Yes, the responses have really run the gamut. You know, some finding it very fascinating, some very frightening. So, Professor Robert Klitzman, thanks so much for bringing this to us. Appreciate it.

KLITZMAN: My pleasure.

WHITFIELD: A crackdown on child predators around the world. We'll tell you about a huge international raid.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: All right, 18 victims of child pornography were rescued during a nationwide sweep that happened last month. Federal authorities say they arrested 190 suspected child predators, most of them in the U.S., but some also in the U.K., Spain, Argentina, and the Philippines. The arrests were made over child pornography charges. The government says that some of the suspects also sexually assaulted minors. The director of Customs and Immigration Enforcement says many of the exploitation cases started with children chatting with someone they met online. So parents are being reminded to pay extra attention to how much time your kids spend on the Internet this summer.

Brian Banks is getting a shot at a pro football career. Banks is a former high school football superstar who spent five years in prison on a rape conviction. A judge threw out his case and cleared his name last month after his accuser admitted that she lied. Banks is in Washington state today attending minicamp with the Seattle Seahawks. We wish him the best.

All right, the young people who fought for Egypt's revolution will see what happened to one young street fighter.

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WHITFIELD: To Egypt now and you're about to see the most unlikely warrior in the people's struggle for justice just a year into the post Mubarak area. CNN's Ben Wedeman in Cairo.

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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Asmaa Mahfouz hardly looks like a street fighter, but her attitude has always been that the battle for change in Egypt must be in the street.

ASMAA MAHFOUZ, FOUGHT OPPRESSION IN EGYPT: Here's my son (ph). They -- he bring me a tent.

WEDEMAN: She's joined a hunger strike/sit-in outside the Egyptian parliament to demand implementation of the so-called political isolation law which outlaws the participation in politics of figures from the regime of ousted President Hosni Mubarak. In particular, Ahmed Shafiq, Mubarak's last prime minister, who's one of the two candidates for the presidency.

A week before the outbreak of the Egyptian revolution in January of last year, Asmaa posted this emotional appeal on FaceBook. Her message of dignity and defiance galvanized hundreds of thousands of Egyptians fed up with the oppression of the aging Mubarak regime.

But that was then, and this is now. The joy that greeted Mubarak's fall has been replaced by uncertainty and upheaval. Egypt's new rulers, the generals of the supreme council of the armed forces, sometimes using methods as brutal, if not more so, than the old ruler.

MAHFOUZ: This our mistake because we trusted them.

WEDEMAN: While recently traveling aboard, the dominative Asmaa was convicted and sentenced in absentia to a year in prison for assaulting a man during a demonstration last year. She's due in court next Tuesday, hoping to appeal or overturn the sentence.

MAHFOUZ: They are trying. Like trying to (INAUDIBLE) and they're trying to make us very tired.

WEDEMAN: Hers is typical of the story of many of the young firebrands of the Egyptian revolution, initially cheered as idealistic heroes, then vilified in the state-run media as troublemakers.

MAHFOUZ: We had no justice in Egypt. And we are -- we will not stop our struggle. And we will not fear from them. We didn't do it before Mubarak and we will not fear now from them.

WEDEMAN: Given her track record, the authorities may, however, have reason to fear Asmaa Mahfouz.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Cairo.

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WHITFIELD: And 14 people have been affected by a new E. Coli outbreak in the south. It killed one toddler. We have more on the search for a source.

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WHITFIELD: All right, picture this graduation. One minute you're fighting back tears watching that special young person cross the stage and reach for the diploma, and then seconds later you're running for your life because of this. This is in New Jersey.