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President Obama Speaks to Troops; Isaac's Aftermath

Aired August 31, 2012 - 15:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And now this. Hour two as we continue on here. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

A big-time speech expected any moment now. That's where we want to begin here this hour with the president visiting the troops. Here they are, Fort Bliss, Texas. These are live pictures. He's there today marking the second anniversary of the end of combat operations in Iraq.

Ending that war was a promise that president made during his first campaign for president, in fact.

And CNN's Athena Jones is standing by as some of these soldiers are getting the rest of these guys and gals excited and ready to hear from the president.

Athena, I want to bring you in here on the phone. Talk to me just Alabama about the mood where you are today and where the president is right now.

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Brooke.

There certainly seems to be a lot of excitement in the room. A few minutes ago, people said the Pledge. They sang the national anthem. People have been in this group revving up the crowd for some time. The president upon arriving here had a roundtable with service members and their families.

One of the issues we expect him to bring up today in his speech is this idea of improving access to mental health care for service members and their families. He signed an executive order today that would set up a interagency task force and do a number of things to help on that front. It's one of the issues that returning troops face when they get back to the States.

But certainly what the White House is billing as an official event is a chance for the president, as you said, to remind the American people this is a promise, ending the unpopular war in Iraq is a promise that he made and a promise that he kept. As you know it's something that he actually ran on, that he campaigned on back in 2008.

This was a war he was against from the start. This is an opportunity for him to do that once again today. He was here at Fort Bliss two years ago to mark the date of the end of U.S. combat missions. This is a way for him to come back and kind of do it all over again with this two-year anniversary. BALDWIN: I'm just looking down at my notes because basically what we're waiting for -- obviously, we're waiting for the president but we're seeing Major General Dana Pittard. He will speaking. He's a commander general 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss. And then he will introduce General Lloyd Austin, vice chief of staff of the U.S. Army and he will be the person who then ultimately introduces the president. Again, we're watching for that.

Just to make it clear, the White House is saying this is not official business, that this is not campaign related. But the line at this point, we're 67 days away from the election on November 6. The line can be a bit blurry at times, can it not?

JONES: It's interesting. Of course, yes, they say this is an official visit, this is not a campaign stop.

We brought that up with White House spokesman Jay Carney in the briefing yesterday asking what make this official vs. a campaign. Certainly the line best would be drawn close here, but Carney said this is a chance, -- the president is allowed to go out and talk about his record.

It might seem like it's a fine line and it certainly is as we get so much closer to the campaign, and without a doubt this is something that the White House views as a positive for the president. But it is officially an official event.

BALDWIN: Athena, do me a favor and stand by. We want to make sure we get to top of the president's speech.

To do that, let's get a quick commercial break in, more -- seeing the president there at Fort Bliss in Texas after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: The president of the United States has just entered this room where he is about to speak there. This is Fort Bliss in Texas. Let's just listen.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hello, team Bliss.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Thank you so much, everybody.

To General Lloyd Austin, thanks for the introduction and your leadership, leading our troops in Iraq and taking care of our soldiers now that they are at home.

And right at the top, let me say that our hearts are obviously with all the folks who are down in Louisiana, and the Gulf Coast who are dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Isaac. Our prayers are with those who have lost loved ones. And I have directed the federal government to keep doing everything that it can to help our partners at the state and local level. As a country, we stand united with our fellow Americans in their hour of need.

I want to thank General Pittard and all your great commanders for welcoming me here today. I want to give a shout-out to the sergeant major of the Army, Ray Chandler and Command Sergeant Major Ronnie Kelley. These guys remind us that our noncommissioned officers are the backbone of our military, leading the finest enlisted force in the world.

It is great to be back at Fort Bliss, home to the Army Air and Missile Defense Command, swift and shore. We have got Guard and Reserve here. Of course, it's home to the legendary 1st Armored Division, Old Ironsides.

We got a lot of brigades here, including the Iron Eagles, Iron Brigades, Bulldogs and Ready First. And I also want to salute Lucille (ph) Pittard and Alice Kelley (ph) and all the extraordinary spouses and military families who are here. Give them a big round of applause.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: I know that all of you are grateful for the incredible support you receive from your civilian neighbors. So I want to acknowledge two champions of Fort Bliss. We have got Congressman Silvestre Reyes and we have got Mayor John Cook.

And we have also got all the great folks in El Paso and New Mexico. Give them a big round of applause.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Now, I have come back to Bliss for a simple reason.

Two years ago, I was here to mark a historic moment in the life of our nation and our military, the end of major combat operations in Iraq. It was a chance for me to say on behalf of the American people, to you and all who served there, welcome home, and congratulations on a job well done.

In every major phase of that war, you were there, the Iron Soldiers. Because of your speed and strength, American troops toppled a dictator in less than a month. Because of your commitment, you stayed on extended tours and went back tour after tour, year after year.

Because of your determination to succeed, you turned back an insurgency. You stood firm against sectarian strife. You helped pull Iraq back from the abyss and you trained Iraqis to take the lead.

That was the progress you made possible, with your service and your courage. And so two years ago, I was able to come here to Bliss and mark the end of our combat mission. And that night, I told the American people that all our troops would be out of Iraq by the end of the following year. At the time, I know some folks didn't believe me. They were skeptical.

Some thought the end of combat was just word games and semantics. But I meant what I said. So, you kept training up those Iraqi forces. We removed nearly 150,000 troops. And this past December, under General Austin's leadership, the last American troops came home, including the 4th Brigade Combat Team from Bliss.

You left Iraq with honor, your mission complete, your heads held high. After nearly nine years, our war in Iraq was over. And, today, Iraq has a chance to forge its own destiny. And there are no American troops fighting and dying in Iraq.

On this anniversary, we honor the memory of all who gave their lives there, nearly 4,500 American patriots, including 198 fallen heroes from Fort Bliss and the 1st Armored Division. And we salute all who served there.

When I was here two years ago, I told you something else, though, that we had more work to do, including taking the fight to al Qaeda. And there, too, I meant what I said. With allies and partners, we have taken out more top al Qaeda terrorists than at any time since 9/11.

And thanks to the courage of our forces, al Qaeda is on the road to defeat and bin Laden will never again threaten the United States of America.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Two years ago, I also told you that we'd keep up the fight in Afghanistan. And I know that some of you recently got back.

On behalf of a grateful nation, welcome home. Some of your buddies are in Afghanistan right now. And our thoughts and prayers are with all the troops from Bliss deployed around the world, including Afghanistan, the War Eagles and the Highlanders.

And I know that some of you will be deploying later this year. I have got to tell you the truth. This is still a very tough fight. You know this. You carry in your hearts the memory of comrades who made that ultimate sacrifice, including six heroes from Bliss who gave their lives on that awful day last month.

Now, I just had the opportunity to meet with some of our Gold Star families. And our message to them is this. Your loved ones live on in the soul of our nation. And we will honor them always.

Because of their sacrifice, because of your service, we pushed the Taliban back. We're training Afghan forces. The transition to Afghan lead is under way, and, as promised, more than 30,000 of our troops will have come home by next month.

Just as in Iraq, we are going to end this war responsibly. Next year, Afghans will take the lead for their own security. In 2014, the transition will be complete.

And even as this war ends, we will stay vigilant so Afghanistan is never again a source for attacks against America. Never again.

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: So we're not just ending these wars. We're doing in it a way that keeps America safe and makes America stronger.

And that includes our military. Think about it. Just four years ago, there were some 180,000 American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. By next month, we will have cut that number by nearly two-thirds. So most of our troops have come home. And as more Afghans step up, more of our troops will come home.

And what does that mean for you? Well, after 10 years of continuous operations, it means fewer deployments. It means more time for training. It means more time to improve readiness, more time to prepare for the future. And it means more time on the home front with your families, your spouses and your kids.

So, make no mistake, ending the wars responsibly makes us safer, and it makes our military even stronger. And ending these wars is letting us do something else, restore American leadership. If you hear anyone trying to say that America's in decline or that our influence has waned, don't you believe it, because here's the truth.

Our alliances have never been stronger. We're leading on behalf of freedom, including standing with the people of Libya that are finally free from Moammar Gadhafi.

Around the world, there's a new attitude toward America, new confidence in our leadership. When people are asked, which country do you admire most, one nation always comes out on top, the United States of America.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: And that's the progress we have made thanks to your incredible service.

We're winding down a decade of war. We're destroying terrorist networks that attacked us. And we have restored American leadership. And, today, every American can be proud that the United States is safer, the United States is stronger and the United States is more respected in the world.

Now, when I was here last, I made you a pledge. I said that, as president, I will insist that America serves you and your families as well as you have served us. And there again, I meant what I said, because part of ending wars responsibly is caring for those who fought in it.

That's why I wanted to come back to Bliss on this anniversary to reaffirm our solemn obligations to you and your families. You see, we may be turning a page on a decade of war, but America's responsibilities to you have only just begun.

Hey.

(LAUGHTER)

OBAMA: I hear you.

So, here is my pledge to you. In a world of serious threats, I will never hesitate to use force to defend the United States of America or our interests. At the same time, I will only send you into harm's way when it's absolutely necessary. And when we do, we will give you the equipment and the clear mission and the smart strategy and the support back home that you need to get the job done. We owe you that.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: With the end of the wars, our military will be leaner, but we will keep making historic investments to keep you the absolute best military in the world, bar none.

The United States will always maintain our military superiority. In you go, we have got the best-trained, best-led, best-equipped military in human history. And, as commander in chief I'm going to keep it that way.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: And, by the way, you have been hearing some folks out there trying to talk about the budget and trying to scare you.

Last year, Congress pledged to find a plan to reduce the deficit, and they said, if they couldn't agree, there would be big cuts across the board, including defense.

But understand nobody wants these cuts, and that's why Congress threatened them, to force themselves to make hard decisions.

Well, here is the thing. There's no reason those cuts should happen, because folks in Congress ought to come together and agree on a responsible plan that reduces the deficit and keeps our military strong. That's what needs to happen.

That's what you and your families deserve. And that's how we're going to keep America safe and strong and grow our economy all at the same time. That's a pledge that we need to make to you.

And just as we give you the best equipment and technology on the battlefield, we need to give you the best support and care when you come home.

We just had a roundtable with some soldiers and their families talking about how coming home can be its own struggle, especially for our wounded warriors. So, we have poured tremendous resources into this effort, unprecedented support for our troops with traumatic brain injury, for our troops and veterans with PTSD, more counselors, more clinicians, more care, more treatment.

And I know you have been a leader on this here at Bliss making it clear that everyone has a responsibility to help a comrade who is hurting.

So, today, we're taking another step. I have signed a new executive order to give our troops, our veterans and our families better access to mental health care.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: We're going to increase the number of folks manning those crisis hot lines, so help is there when you need it most.

We're going to add even more counselors and mental health providers. We're launching a new awareness campaign starting tomorrow. And I'm directing a new task force to find out what works best, so we're doing everything we can to help those in need and save lives.

And I know that you join me in saying to everyone who has ever worn the uniform, if you're hurting, it's not a sign of weakness to seek help; it's a sign of strength.

We are here to help you stay strong, Army strong. That's the commitment I'm making to you.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

BALDWIN: Army strong, so says the president.

I just want to let you know we're going to break away from this right now. If you would like to continue watching, you can. Just go to CNN.com/live.

But you heard the president there speaking in front of these soldiers at Fort Bliss, very much so a part of the beginning of the Iraq war and part of the ending the mission of which he made that announcement, the president did, exactly two years ago today.

And just quickly, he talks about winding down this decade of war and really now emphasizing what I know so many veterans, including a veteran I spoke this week with the IAVA said is so important to hear not only the president but also Mitt Romney talking about the war in Afghanistan, specifically, and getting help to these veterans when they come home.

You heard the president mention he's addressing or he's putting together this new awareness campaign when it comes to the unseen wounds of war, PTSD, traumatic brain injuries and jobs. Our brave men and women need employment when they come home.

Coming up next, the man who wants the president's job is in Louisiana today after changing campaign plans to tour the damage from Isaac. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: I want to take you back to the Gulf and tell you people there, they are digging out of a muddy, muddy mess. As a weakened tropical depression, Isaac is now churning northward. So many people evacuated, leaving precious parts of their lives behind.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is our house. This is where we live. I don't have another house to live in.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It just really got me shook up right now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We had to leave my dogs and my cat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So much emotion as so many people had to just up and leave.

The mayor of New Orleans says 11 people were hospitalized with carbon monoxide poisoning last night because they used generators inside their home. Others are without water, power, food. One woman who evacuated said she is never returning to her home ever again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm scared.

QUESTION: Where are you all going to go now?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to try to get a rent-a-car wherever we stop at and go to Georgia. I'm not coming back. I can't take no more hurricanes. I can't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: I do want to give you an update on this dam.

This is Percy Quin dam. It's holding up for now. Emergency officials tell us it's significantly damaged, but the dam is not leaking as of this moment. Two deaths are reported in Louisiana. The bodies of a man and woman were found floating in seven feet of water in a kitchen inside one of areas hardest-hit, Plaquemines Parish.

Meantime, Mitt Romney is in Louisiana right now touring some of the storm damage there. He is planning to thank first-responders. He is visiting a small fishing town called Lafitte, Louisiana. Talking to the governor as well, Governor Bobby Jindal.

You know the story. The floods hit this town particularly hard. The town's mayor was in his office inside City Hall with waist-high water outside the door near his office. That's how bad it was.

This is Mitt Romney's second big stop of the day. Earlier this morning, here he was in Lakeland, Florida, campaigning there with his running mate, Paul Ryan.

And you have seen CNN's incredible documentary of the life and the career of Mitt Romney. And as the Democratic National Convention inches closer to us, begins Tuesday, we're doing the same thing for President Obama.

And our chief White House correspondent, Jessica Yellin, got incredible access to the president. Hear what surprised her the most next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: We saw the president just a little while ago in Fort Bliss in Texas, but the big, big event on his schedule next week - that being, of course, the Democratic National Convention.

It begins, officially, Tuesday in Charlotte. DNC officials have been anxiously watching the weather for the next week as the big, final coup de grace, if you will, happening at Bank of America stadium where fingers are crossed that it doesn't rain.

A convention official tells CNN they are developing a contingency plan should bad weather hit.

Now, of note, the DNC announced today that Marc Anthony will be singing the national anthem. James Taylor and Earth, Wind and Fire will be performing. And Mary J., Mary J. Blige and the Foo Fighters will, as well. So, a star-studded event for the Dems.

And I want to bring in our own star in her own right, the chief White House correspondent, Jessica Yellin, here who is rarely in Atlanta, so it's a pleasure to see you.

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Thanks.

BALDWIN: I know you and a crew behind the scenes have been working, working, working on this documentary that's coming out Monday.

So, you've got this amazing access to the president. You've been covering him since 2008. Tell me something that you learned about him that you did not know.

YELLIN: Well, you know, Brooke, we interviewed Secretary Clinton. We interviewed Rahm Emanuel, Larry Summers, David Axelrod and all of them described President Obama as cool.

And, you know, that cuts both ways. It's both cool in advantage, cool under fire, calm under pressure and, you know, when he's doing, say, national security, taking on those kinds of issues. it's a real advantage because he can be very steady.

But, you know, it's also become sometimes a challenge because some people say he's been aloof in Washington, distant, when it comes to relationships with members of Congress, so we explore some of those issues in the documentary. BALDWIN: With some of the relationships, I just want to go to a quick clip. Let's take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YELLIN: Reggie Love knows the president as a strong mid-range shooter.

REGGIE LOVE, SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT: He'll take his mid-range jump and he'll attack the basket. He'll knock down open shots when he's got them.

YELLIN: The kind of guy you want on your side and Love has been on the president's team since the campaign days.

What's he like when he's just hanging out?

LOVE: He's like a guy, you know? He likes the Bulls. He likes the Bears. He likes sports. He likes cars. Like most guys that I know, which I think can sometimes be hard for some people because they're taken aback by it because they're like, oh, wait. He's just sort like me, but he's the president.

YELLIN: As his personal assistant and confidante, Love' seen the president as few others have.

LOVE: He's very much a person who enjoys the simple things in life and, you know, enjoys watching a good game, enjoys a good cocktail.

He's competitive at everything he does. If it's bowling or pool or shuffle board, there isn't anything I'd think he'd be OK losing at.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So, Reggie Love says he's just one of the guys. Is he really one of the guys? He's the president.

YELLIN: You know, it's an interesting questioning. I think, like many public figures, he has a public face and a private face.

What's a little different about him, Brooke, from most of the people I've spoken to is that he's unlike many politicians in that he doesn't seem to crave endless new relationships. He seems good being around his family and with his old friends.

And I asked him about that in my one-on-one interview with him. And you'll get to see a bit of that on "Sit Room" tonight at 5:00 p.m.

BALDWIN: Ah, ha. So, 5:00 p.m. tonight and then the big doc, it airs Monday night ...

YELLIN: At 8:00.

BALDWIN: ... 8:00 ...

YELLIN: Eastern.

BALDWIN: The night before ... Eastern time the night before the DNC.

Jessica Yellin, thank you. We'll look forward to it.

It is being called a flagrant abuse of the justice system. Hundreds of miners in South Africa absolutely outraged after prosecutors use apartheid-era laws to charge them in death of their own co-workers, victims who were actually shot by police. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Bloodshed, massacres and fear, this is what people living in Syria have been dealing with, coping with, really, for just about the last 18 months, Syria forces continuously battling these rebel fighters.

I want to show some images, but I just warn you they're tough to look at, very, very graphic stuff here. This is scene. Here, we go. This is the horrific scene in Aleppo, just a couple of days ago.

Human Rights Watch says these people were just waiting in line for bread and you see the bodies there on the ground. They were suddenly attacked by their own government.

At least 20 people were killed. They say it isn't the first time this has happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OLE SOLVING, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH (voiceover): On at least 10 occasions, government forces have attacked such bread lines, using artillery helicopters and fighter jets. Several of these attacks killed and wounded dozens of civilians.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: The United Nations security council met yesterday to discuss ways to help opposition force. President Bashar al-Assad's regime says, quote/unquote, "terrorists" are responsible for those killings.

And in South Africa, 270 miners are charged with murder and the deaths of their own workers, their fellow workers. You remember this? We showed you this horrendous video.

Police fired away on these striking miners about two weeks ago. Our correspondent in Africa, Nkepile Mabuse, tells the rest of the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NKEPILE MABUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The decision by the police service and the national prosecuting authority to invoke this very controversial apartheid-era doctrine of "common purpose" and charge 270 miners with "common purpose" murder has really sparked huge outrage here in South Africa.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions says this has exposed the police and the national prosecuting authorities lack of professionalism and lack of training, saying that it totally undermines the commission of inquiry that was set up by the president to really get down to the bottom of what went wrong on that day.

A prominent law professor calling this decision outrageous, bizarre and shocking, saying it's a flagrant abuse of the criminal justice system.

People on the streets are also talking and this is what they had to say.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's outrageous because it's clear that police are the ones who shot them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know why the prosecution have revived the doctrine of common purpose and it was something I know that the apartheid government essentially enacted so that they could prosecute groups of black people who were protesting.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's absurd for the state to charge miners who are exploited on a daily basis with murder. I mean, they have a right to protest.

MABUSE: The minister of justice has decided to intervene. He's requested the national prosecuting authority to furnish him with details of how they came to this decision.

We're expecting that, when these 270 men appear in court next week Thursday for a bail application, we'll hear arguments for and against the inclusion of this controversial charge and, at the end of the day, it is the court's here in South Africa that will make the final decision.

The police and the national prosecuting authority have been accused in the past of allowing political interference in their work, but people in South Africa still have confidence in the courts to rule fairly and independently and that's what they're looking for the courts to do.

Nkepile Mabuse, CNN, Johannesburg.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Jumpstarting the sluggish economy, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke gives a highly anticipated speech and hints at what moves might be ahead, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: I know sometimes we can dream. If we were to win the lottery, what would we do. Here, how about this guy? This former railroad worker out of Michigan comes forward as the winner of the third-largest Powerball lottery jackpot here in history.

He is Donald Lawson. Here, he is. He says he's just a simple guy who plans to keep his simple life. He says, no. No, thanks, to the filet mignon. I'm happy with McDonalds.

Lawson took the cash option, so he will be getting a very cool $224.6 million.

He says he does want to travel, wants to take care of his mom and sister and her family and he describes what happened when he played the lottery that very lucky day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD LAWSON, POWERBALL JACKPOT WINNER: I walk into the station and usually there ain't nobody up there, but there was a long line, you know, five, six people in front of me.

So, something from above, I do have to credit that, told me to go over there and pick my own numbers, which I didn't really pick them. My hand just went. So, that's what I did. Then I waited in line to play them.

I was guided. That's right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So, Lawson says the very first thing he bought when he found out he won was a pack of bubble gum.

Ben Bernanke has some harsh words for the U.S. economy, but he stopped short of announcing anything specific, any specific plan yet to revive it. The Federal Reserve chairman said today the U.S. economy is, quote, "obviously far from satisfactory" and the weak job market is, quote/unquote, "of grave concern, causing enormous suffering and waste of human talent."

Also, Ben Bernanke made his strongest pitch yet for more stimulus to help boost the economy. He hinted that the Federal Reserve may provide another round of quantitative easing or financial asset purchases, even if the U.S. economy stays exactly the same.

So, then you ask, so, what's the big deal here about Ben Bernanke's statement? Well, previously, the Fed pledged to do more stimulus only if the economy gets worse. So, now, Bernanke appears to be giving the Fed some room to act before any economic jolts, looking ahead.

And I know many of you are asking us about retirement planning. Is it ever too late to start saving? Poppy Harlow has answers now in CNN's "Help Desk."

Hey, Poppy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: Hey, there, everyone.

Today, on the "Help Desk," we're focusing on planning for retirement, very important, no matter what age.

Joining me this hour, Donna Rosato and Ryan Mack. Ryan, take a listen to this question.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My husband's self-employed and I would like to know if it's to late for him to get a retirement plan?

HARLOW: So, assuming her husband's roughly the same age as her, sort of middle-aged, what do you think?

RYAN MACK, PRESIDENT, OPTIMUM CAPITAL MANAGEMENT: Absolutely not. There are a lot of different options for individuals who are self-employed.

First of all, you have the Simple IRA, the savings incentive match program, but essentially, you can put up to -- if you have between five and ten employees, put up to maybe $12,000 a year of deferred savings, where your employees are contributing.

HARLOW: Right.

MACK: You've got the SEP IRA where you can put up to 25 percent of your income or the lesser value of $49,000.

You can have a solo 401(k), if it's just between him and his wife, a very flexible benefit program and then there's the dinosaur program, the defined benefit program. Not as much out there, if he has a mountain of money he can put away, but that could be an option for him as well.

DONNA ROSATO, SENIOR WRITER, "MONEY": Yeah, I think one of the positives when you're self-employed, if you do something like that, solo 401(k), you can actually sock away a lot more in a 401(k) than you can when you're working for a traditional employer where the contributions are capped at about $17,500 a year, so the opportunity is there, if you have money to sock away for retirement, you could actually be in better shape.

HARLOW: And it's never too late. That's what she's asking. Is it too late? Absolutely not.

MACK: Absolutely not.

ROSATO: It is never too late.

HARLOW: All right, guys, thank you. Appreciate it.

Folks, if you have a question you want our experts to tackle, just upload a 30-second video with your "Help Desk" question to iReport.com.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Poppy Harlow, thank you.

"No Easy Day," we've talked about this book. This is the so- called "tell-all" about the Osama bin Laden raid, already on the bestseller list on Amazon. It hasn't even come out yet.

But if officials at the Pentagon get their way, the author will not receive a dime of that money and we have just gotten a brand-new update on the back-and-forth. We'll take you to the Pentagon for that, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: The Pentagon is threatening legal action against an ex- Navy SEAL whose book on the Osama bin Laden raid just came out and, developing news here, the former SEAL is responding to this.

The book is called "No Easy Day." It's written by Mark Owen, whose real name is Matt Bissonnette, had some major, major revelations about the killing, the actual killing of the al Qaeda leader in May of last year.

And, like the detail, the directive was to detain him alive if possible.

The author spoke to CBS News in disguise. He was trying to conceal his identity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATT BISSONNETTE, FORMER SEAL: These crazies on either side of the aisle want to make it political. Shame on them.

This is a book about September 11th and it needs to rest on September 11th, not be brought into the political arena because this has nothing to do with politics.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Now, after reviewing the book, the Department of Defense is going after Mark Owen, I should say Mark Owen, the name used in its letter for violating his confidentiality agreement with the military and Owen's attorney has written back.

CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr is live for us at the Pentagon with this angle of the story. And, so, what is the attorney here, what is he now saying?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, whether you call him Mark Owen or Matt Bissonnette, it is remarkable, isn't it, to see one of the men that put a bullet into Osama bin Laden?

And the Pentagon never wanted you to see him. This was a classified mission. Everybody's identity, everything that happened that night was supposed to stay secret or, if the administration was going to talk about it, they would declassify the information.

They do not really take kindly to one of the SEALs on the mission doing it, so, the Pentagon position, let's get to that first.

Jay Johnson, who is the general council, the top attorney at the Department of Defense for the entire U.S. military wrote a letter yesterday and it says, quote, "You are in material breach and violation of the nondisclosure agreements you signed. Further dissemination of your book will aggravate your breach."

Now, Bissonnette or Mark Owen's attorney has fired back and he has said very simply that the SEAL author and I quote, "He has earned the right to tell his story."

His attorney, Bob Luskin, is making a very adamant case that the nondisclosure agreement was not all that mandatory and did not cover everything that Bissonnette wrote about in the book.

But when you talk to military people, I have to tell you, everyone I know in the U.S. military with a security clearance signs these nondisclosure agreements. They are mandatory and they are in violation of the law if they don't live up to them.

And one of the requirements is, if you are going to write a book and it's going to deal with anything that involved classified military information, you have to put it through security clearance at the Pentagon. The author did not do that, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Sounds to me as if this is the beginning of a legal road you will follow for us. Barbara Starr, thank you.

STARR: Sure.

BALDWIN: College football season, can you believe it's here? And for the players at Penn State University may not be a moment too soon. They can now focus on football.

Coming up next, hear what some of the players are saying.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: A fall tradition resumes tomorrow on the campus of Penn State University. Football is back, but this season is like no other.

It's all because of the changes put in place following that child sex abuse scandal involving Jerry Sandusky at Penn State and Jason Carroll sat down with some of the Penn State players who are getting ready for a new season.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JORDAN HILL, PENN STATE DEFENSIVE LINEMAN: This whole situation's been a life lesson, starting back in November. You know, you have to go through struggles to, you know, to have a successful life. MICHAEL ZORDICH, PENN STATE RUNNING BACK: You can place blame. You can say things were fair or unfair. You can do all that. But at the end of the day, it is what it is and this is the situation that we're in.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What are your thoughts on those who have decided to leave the team, transfer out?

MATT MCGLOIN, PENN STATE QUARTERBACK: It's definitely tough because you've built a relationship with those guys. You know, you've worked out with them the past couple years. You've hung out with them. You've gone out with them. You've had great times with them and you've built great relationships with them.

MICHAEL MAUTI, PENN STATE LINEBACKER: We lived with some of those guys. We're great friends with some of those guys, but at the end of the day, you know, doing what's best for you as an individual, as a man, that's what you've got.

CARROLL: Did any of you consider, maybe I will switch? Maybe I will transfer?

BILL BELTON, PENN STATE RUNNING BACK: As a younger guy, I mean, it runs through your head, but these guys right here, I'm not leaving these guys. These guys are my brothers and we went through a lot together.

CARROLL: Joe Paterno, a man larger than life in some respects, your thoughts? Do you miss him? What are your thoughts on Joe Paterno?

MCGLOIN: To have a guy like that in your life and to be, you know, the kind of man that he was and I'm just happy I was around him for the four years. He'll be greatly missed.

ZORDICH: You know, as crazy as everything was that happened and as much respect as we have for him, we have to understand that we're with Coach O'Brien right now and that's the guy who's helping us get through all of this.

MCGLOIN: September 1st is becoming so much more about football. It's -- you know, we're playing obviously for ourselves and our coaches, but now we're playing for the alumni. We're playing for the fans. We're playing for the past, present and future of the Penn State football program. And we have the opportunity to make history.

CARROLL: The players also discussed another important topic to them and those are the NCAA sanctions issued against Penn State in the wake of that last month.

Nine players have decided that they were going to transfer to other schools and I talked to the players about how that affected them, how that affected the team.

They say, because of what has happened here, because of this scandal, they say the team is actually stronger and closer, given all that has happened to them.

Jason Carroll, CNN, State College, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Jason, thank you.

And a final farewell today for Neil Armstrong, the first man who took the world with him to walk on the moon. That was 43 years ago.

Celebrities, politicians and fellow astronauts attended Armstrong's funeral today in Cincinnati, Ohio. Armstrong died Saturday at the age of 82.

Thank you so much for being with me this week as we were in Tampa, Florida, covering the Republican National Convention, it was a pleasure. Thank you, Tampa.

But now, "The Situation Room" with Wolf Blitzer, now moving to Charlotte, the home of the Democratic National Convention.

Wolf, good to see you.