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American Morning
Statehood Showdown; Perry, Romney, GOP Rivals Attack; Missing Moon Rock Found; Credit Card Debt Back Up; Many Children in U.S. Malnourished; Bo Derek Lobbies U.N. To Protect Ecuadorian Rain Forest; Saving a Modern Day "Garden of Eden"; Latino in America: "In Her Corner"
Aired September 23, 2011 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Alina Cho.
The Palestinian president poised to make history today. He'll be standing before the United Nations in just four hours, requesting recognition as a state, fully knowing he doesn't stand a chance.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: A fierce GOP debate.
I'm Christine Romans.
But were all those claims true or false? We'll fact check these candidates on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(MUSIC)
CHO: Good morning. It's Friday, September 23rd. I'm Alina Cho, along with Christine Romans. Ali and carol are of today.
ROMANS: And it is Friday.
But we first begin with breaking news. You're looking at pictures of fighting going on right now in the West Bank. Palestinians throwing rocks and burning tires near a checkpoint. This as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas gets ready to speak to the U.N. General Assembly in just a few hours. He is expected to formally ask the world to accept the Palestinians as a member.
CHO: It's a measure the United States has pledged to veto.
Senior U.N. correspondent Richard Roth is with us again this morning.
Richard, good morning.
So, again, how is this going to play out?
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
As predicted by the Palestinians, they are going to the secretary-general of the United Nations and they will present this formal application for membership. Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian leader, will then speak to the general assembly and no doubt get huge applause because the large share of the membership of the U.N. is fully behind this formal statehood bid.
However, a U.S. veto awaits in the Security Council. And even yesterday, we saw permanent member, the United Kingdom, express high doubts about this Palestinian statehood bid.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: There has been much speculation about what will happen here this week. Let's be clear about one fact. No resolution can, on its own, substitute for the political will necessary to bring peace. Peace will only come when Palestinians and Israelis sit down and talk to each other, make compromises, build trust and agree.
So, our role must be to support this. To defeat those who embrace violence, to stop the growth of settlements and to support Palestinians and Israelis alike to make peace.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROTH: There are so many angles to this story. I mean, some credit Abbas and the Palestinians with a great strategic move, galvanizing efforts, ramping everything up to prompt maybe peace talks and get a timetable for agreement, pressure Israel on a lot of issues. Others see this as a legacy bid. You see violence you're mentioning on the West Bank. Some predict widespread violence.
A lot of people have a lot to lose, but so much frustration on this peace effort for decades now.
CHO: Meanwhile, there are fireworks at the U.N. yesterday, sparked in large part by Iran's president, right?
ROTH: Iran's leader, who also said he won't recognize, even if there is a two-state solution, again using what the U.S. says was anti-Semitic language inside the general assembly hall prompting walkout from many European countries. He questioned really who was behind 9/11 and what were the motives to get into a war with Iraq and Afghanistan. He also said European countries are paying ransom because of the Holocaust -- really despicable comments. Though many countries in the hall applauded heartily when it concluded.
At the end, the British Prime Minister Cameron with a one-word answer. Listen as he walked out of the building.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Mr. Cameron, do you have thoughts on President Ahmadinejad's speech today, sir?
CAMERON: Dreadful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROTH: Dreadful -- the one-word answer. This is about the sixth or seventh time Ahmadinejad has been there and he is even fiercer this time in his rhetoric, didn't talk about the nuclear program. But the big question for the U.N. is what's going on with those nuclear centrifuges, what's going on with the fuel.
So, this is sort of a side show. It's easy to talk, oh, people are walking out, but there's a larger issue at stake that we may learn about in the years to come.
CHO: Well, as Christine pointed out earlier, this is not new for Ahmadinejad. It's just interesting to note that they did have so many people walk out of the room.
ROTH: He even said that the famous protester that was shot and killed, the young woman Neda, that that was a staged scene and that she was killed later on.
CHO: Anyway, Richard Roth, thank you so much. Appreciate it.
United States is facing the real possibility of a partial government shutdown in just seven days. In fact, you're going to look live here in a moment to Capitol Hill where another example of partisan gridlock is raring its ugly head this morning. The Republican-controlled House passing a $3.7 billion disaster measure late last night, along with a key stopgap spending bill that would keep the government from shutting down.
Calls for massive Energy Department cuts to help offset the cost of helping hurricane and wildfire victims but -- and this is a key but -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has already promised to reject it, saying it's not an honest attempt and a compromise.
ROMANS: You can expect lots of silence at today's House hearing into the collapse of Solyndra. The company's two top executives informing committee members that they plan to invoke the Fifth Amendment. They will refuse to answer questions.
The California solar panel company went bankrupt after receiving a controversial half billion guaranteed loan from the energy department under stimulus.
The controversial No Child Left Behind law is about to get a makeover. President Obama this morning will announce plans to waive key provisions of the law to help states get around it. The Bush era initiative has grown increasingly unpopular as more schools risk being labeled a failure. The president's plan would require states to meet certain standards for getting students ready for college and their careers, and evaluating teachers and principals.
ROMANS: OK. In 25 years after winning the Super Bowl, the Chicago Bears will finally have their moment at the White House. The team's original post-Super Bowl celebration was canceled because of the shuttle Challenger disaster. President Obama will host Coach Ditka and the Bears on October 7th at the White House.
No word whether they'll do the Super Bowl shuffle for the president or not.
CHO: That's great, 25 years later. More than that, '85, '89, 2000 -- yes, something like that. Anyway.
ROMANS: Seems like yesterday, sort of.
CHO: They were taking swipes at the president and accusing each other of taking both sides on the issues. It was another testy GOP debate last night.
Jim Acosta joins us live from Orlando.
Hey, Jim. Good morning.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
Since Rick Perry got into this race, these debates have been a free for all on the Texas governor and last night's debate was no different. The big question is whether any of this abuse is having an impact on Perry's frontrunner status.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Governor Perry.
ACOSTA (voice-over): It may have felt like badminton to Rick Perry, but for the Texas governor, it was almost a game of one against eight.
ROMNEY: It's an argument I just can't follow.
ACOSTA: On the Perry-backed Texas law that offers in-state tuition to the children of illegal immigrants, it was Romney with the set up.
ROMNEY: That doesn't make sense to me and that kind of magnet -- that kind of magnet draws people into this country.
ACOSTA: And Rick Santorum with the overhead smash.
RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And why should they be given preferential treatment as an illegal in this country? That's what we're saying.
(APPLAUSE)
SANTORUM: Yes, I would say that he's soft on illegal immigration.
GOV. RICK PERRY (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't think you have a heart.
ACOSTA: The GOP frontrunner's defense of the law drew cheers and also boos from the crowd.
PERRY: This was a state issue. Texans voted on it and I still support it greatly.
(CHEERS)
CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS: Senator Santorum --
(BOOING)
ACOSTA: With the debate staged in Florida, where senior votes are on the line, Romney, once again, pounded on Perry's past statements on Social Security.
ROMNEY: There's a Rick Perry out there that is saying -- almost to quote, it says that the federal government shouldn't be in the pension business. That it's unconstitutional. Unconstitutional and it should be returned to the states.
So, you better find that Rick Perry and get him to stop saying that.
ACOSTA: At moments, it seemed the punishment was taking its toll. Perry seemed to get lost delivering one zinger on the health care law Romney passed as governor of Massachusetts.
PERRY: I think Americans just don't know sometimes which Mitt Romney they're dealing with. He's for Obamacare and now he's against it.
ACOSTA: Except that Romney has never supported the president's health care law.
ROMNEY: Nice try.
ACOSTA: But there were also standout moments for contenders trying to break through. On foreign policy, former Ambassador Jon Huntsman.
JON HUNTSMAN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Only Pakistan can say Pakistan. Only Afghanistan can say Afghanistan. All that I want right now at this point in history is for America to save America.
ACOSTA: An on the economy, probably the line of the night from former New Mexico governor, Gary Johnson.
GARY JOHNSON, FMR. GOVERNOR OF NEW MEXICO: My neighbors dogs have created more shovel-ready jobs than this current administration.
ACOSTA: Another defining moment didn't come from the stage. It came from a handful of people in the audience who booed a gay soldier for asking the candidates on their views on homosexuals in the military.
STEPHEN HILL, SERVING IN IRAQ: Do you intend to circumvent the progress that was made for gay and lesbians serving in the military?
(BOOING)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: It's unclear if this race has come down to Rick Perry versus Mitt Romney whether any of the abuse the Texas governor took last night actually changed this debate. Florida Republicans will have their say later on this weekend when they hold an informal, nonbinding straw poll on the state of the race.
One final note on that Gary Johnson quip on the shovel-ready jobs, it turns out Rush Limbaugh told that joke earlier in the day. Gary Johnson tweeted late last night that it's Limbaugh who deserves the credit for that joke -- guys.
ROMANS: All right.
CHO: Giving credit where credit is due.
All right. Jim Acosta live for us in Orlando --
ACOSTA: They got to do it.
CHO: -- great to see you as always, thanks, Jim.
ROMANS: There were some zingers last night, of course. But were they all true?
Tom Foreman with a little debate factor from Washington.
First up, Michele Bachmann.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning. How are you doing?
Our truth squad was up all night in the fortress of solicitude, sorting through some of the things that were said and there are a lot of things to choose from. I have to tell you that much.
Let's look first of all at a statement by Michele Bachmann. There are many of these, we'll have them all day long.
But just so you have a sense of it, one of the things she had to say had to do with Obamacare, as they call it.
Listen to what she said about that and jobs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R-MN), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The signature issue of Barack Obama and his presidency has been the passage of Obamacare. This week a study came out from UBS that said the number one reason why employers aren't hiring is because of Obamacare.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: So, she's calling Obamacare the top job killing in the nation. There are some things you have to understand about this.
First of all, what's UBS? UBS is an international investment firm that's based in Switzerland. As best we can find, this wasn't a study as such that concluded this as much as just an advisory that they send out to investors saying, we think this is happening. UBS has previously also been involved in talking about many other factors that have affected the economy.
So, to say that this comes down to the idea of Obamacare being the top job killer, we're giving that a rating of being misleading simply because there's more to it than that. Yes, UBS did say something about that, but to suggest this is some sort of large academic study that concluded through a lot of numbers that caused it, that just does not seem to be the case.
CHO: Tom Foreman, that's pretty fancy stuff there. Let's -- and good for you, you didn't sleep much. So, thanks for waking up.
So, Mitt Romney is next. So, what have we got there?
FOREMAN: Yes, Mitt Romney. I want you to listen what he said after he went after Rick Perry on the issue of illegal immigration. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROMNEY: Four years of college, almost $100,000 discount if you're an illegal alien to go to the University of Texas. If you're a United Nations citizen, from any one of the other 49 states, you have to pay $100,000 more. That doesn't make sense to me.
And that kind of magnet -- that kind of magnet draws people into this country to get that education, to get the $100,000 break.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: So, a discount if you're an illegal immigrant to go to school in Texas. What is that all about? Let's look at this statement because it really bears some looking at.
A magnet for illegal immigrants -- well, that's an opinion. We don't know if it's a magnet. We can't prove what draws everyone where they do. But, nonetheless, he's welcome to that opinion.
But we do know this, if you went to the University of Texas right now, Texas is one of those states that does allow you, if you're an illegal immigrant, you went to high school there for several years, to get in-state tuition. That's what he's talking about -- versus out of state tuition. Going to the University of Texas right now about $25,000 a year. If you were an out of state student, you'd pay an additional $23,000 or so per year to go there.
An illegal immigrant who live there doesn't pay that. So, if you add it up over four years, yes, it gets close to the $100,000 mark.
But one thing he leaves out here, many other states do the same. California, New Mexico, Kansas, Nebraska, New York, Maryland, Wisconsin to name a few -- I think, Washington, also. There are some states that have forbidden this, but to aim all of this at Texas, to suggest somehow that is really the problem, obviously, that was an attempt to get at Rick Perry.
So, we're going to call that one true, but incomplete. There is something going on, but that's not the whole picture if you look at it.
ROMANS: But the statement is true. The statement that he said is true.
FOREMAN: Yes, the statement is true. There is such a deal. There is such a deal there. But to suggest in a way that, gee, it's just Texas and Rick Perry and somehow they're coddling illegal immigrants, there are a lot of other states that feel the same way. That this is something they should do.
And Rick Perry said, look, it's unthinkable to tell young people that are learning that they suddenly can't be treated as in-state students. So, it's a dicey issue, no question. Truth at the core of it, but there needed to be a little bit more told if you wanted viewers to really understand.
ROMANS: Tom Foreman, thanks, Tom.
FOREMAN: Good to be here with you.
CHO: Thank you, Tom.
Up next, mystery solved. Thirty years after it went missing, a precious moon rock has been found. You won't believe where. Here's the weird part, former president, Bill Clinton's, files. That's where it was. We'll explain.
ROMANS: And new research says Albert Einstein may have been wrong, relatively speaking. One of the very pillars of physics rocked by new findings of one of the world's most foremost laboratories.
CHO: And a little later on, actress and activist, Bo Derek, is here in our studios live, and after she sits down with us, she's off to the United Nations. Why? She'll tell us. Stick around. It's 16 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Great choice of song, Michelle Murtoss (ph). Welcome back. A group of scientists is changing the speed limit -- oh, my goodness -- changing the speed limit of the universe.
ROMANS: An experiment that stern (ph) the world's largest physic's laboratory has found particles that, apparently, travel faster than the speed of light. That's 186,000 or so miles per second. Something Albert Einstein said couldn't happen. It would shake up the foundations of physics that have been there since he published that theory of relativity over --
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: Over 100 years ago. Of course, they said they need to do much more research to confirm this. And I will tell you, we reported the story a few times this morning and already my inbox is full of people debating the theory of relativity and whether this could even -- it's pretty funny.
CHO: You'll be busy answering those e-mails all weekend, Christine.
(LAUGHTER)
ROMANS: And what Einstein is responsible for is this a precious piece of moon rock missing for 30 years found at an Arkansas library inside a nondescript file box containing Bill Clinton's papers when he was governor. According to NASA, it's one of 50 so-called goodwill moon rocks that were presented as gifts to each of the 50 states. Now, it's in a library safe.
CHO: And another space news, what's left of the disintegrating U.S. space satellite is finally falling to earth. Now, NASA expects the crash landing later Today. just where it will hit, nobody knows exactly, but space scientists say it won't pass over North America.
ROMANS: All right.
CHO: That's we hope.
ROMANS: The cone of uncertainty. Rob Marciano in the Extreme Weather Center. Good morning, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, guys. It's a wide cone. I can tell you that. Though, we take the North America out of the equation. Here's where it is right now. Passing over the east coast of Russia and about to get back over Alaska, and the general orbit of this thing is like this.
And if it begins to get out of the orbit around seven, eight, nine o'clock, that would take it over to Pacific Ocean and out of the U.S., maybe over South America, potentially, over Western Europe and over Africa. So, you know, still all in all, about a 60 to 70 percent chance of it hitting water considering that's how much of the Earth is covered by it.
Speaking of, here's the Atlantic Ocean. Water temperatures here, very warm. Enough to sustain a hurricane. Tropical storm Ophelia has some strong head winds to deal with. So, it's not developing all that great. Forty-five-mile-an-hour winds right now and might even disintegrate to a tropical depression. It will head towards the U.S., may stay a tropical storm, but likely, with this strong cold front on the east coast push it out to sea.
That cold front developing some rain showers across parts of Georgia, the Carolinas up the Appalachians and up the I-95 corridor. Baltimore, Philly, D.C., that's where the rain is now, and it will begin to fill in as we go through time. So, rains will be on the increase across the Tristate area of New York City, and we could see enough to cause some flash flooding.
So, flood watches have been posted for the Delmarva, for the east coast, and right up through Eastern New England. As far as travel delays today, New York metros will see some and D.C. metros as well because of the light rain as it is expected there at daytime highs. We'll be on the cool side behind this front.
All right. Friday. Animal files. We start you off with a panda. You may remember, about five, six years ago was born in Atlanta. That was a historic moment. At the time, it was decided that the panda was a girl.
ROMANS: It was decided.
MARCIANO: It was decided.
ROMANS: It was decided. You know, this one is going to be a girl.
MARCIANO: After examining, they said it was a girl. Here's the problem with pandas. Their potatoes, so to speak, don't drop until they're about three or four years old. And so, now it's over in China, and they decided that the panda we thought was a girl here in Atlanta is a boy.
ROMANS: It's in China for breeding, right? I mean, because they're endangered, you know? They like to keep track of which ones are boys and girls for obvious reasons.
MARCIANO: Ship them back to where they're from so they can breed them a little bit more.
CHO: I think what's interesting is it took five years to figure it out. I mean, this panda was born in 2006.
MARCIANO: Yes. Well, there's slow development in that area, apparently, but, you know, dude looks like a lady, I guess --
ROMANS: I was going to say, they should change his name to Amanda the panda. But I guess, they didn't -- in the first 12 or 24 hours you could see much more clearly after they're born whether they're a boy or a girl because they're dehydrated. And in deference to a mother, the mother panda who didn't want anybody poking around her baby, they didn't do it right away.
MARCIANO: You guys know more about pandas than I ever did.
(CROSSTALK)
CHO: We have plenty of time. We're up at 2:30, Rob.
MARCIANO: I don't know if we have time for this, but from real cute to kind of nasty. Huge African snails have invaded South Florida. These things can grow up to eight inches long.
ROMANS: No way.
MARCIANO: Yes. Not only they're kind of nasty, unless, you're a snail lover. I'm guessing as escargot, they'll be kind of tough, but they leave nastiness over houses and, as a matter of fact, they eat stucco. So, this is doing some damage, and they're trying to eradicate them as soon as possible. This is all of part of -- there's a lot of invasive species across Florida. As a matter of fact, next week, I'll be going down to investigate the amphibious and reptile invasion that's happening.
CHO: Eat stucco, and there's a lot of stucco in Florida.
ROMANS: Eight inches long. All right. Thank you, Rob.
MARCIANO: Have a good weekend, guys.
ROMANS: Up next, a check of the morning markets.
Plus, do you fear your credit card bills every month? Are you knee-deep in debt? You're not alone, but we've actually got some good news about your plastic habit. We're watching your money. It's 24 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Welcome back. It's 28 minutes after the hour. Watching your money this morning.
U.S. markets now poised for a lower open. European and Asian stocks are down, too. This after a pretty miserable day on Wall Street yesterday. The Dow, NASDAQ, and S&P 500 all lost more than three percent. The two-day loss for the Dow, yes, the biggest since, oh, 2008.
Americans are swiping their cards like it's 2008 again, literally. The amount of credit card debt added in the second quarter is up 66 percent from the same time last year. Credit card research firm, cardhub.com, says it hasn't been this high since 2008 when credit debt was at its peak. But, people are paying their bills on time. That's the difference.
Mortgage rates are at a record lows for the third week in a row, and the fed bond twisting stimulus plan is expected to push down long- term interest rates for mortgages maybe even further. Freddie Mac says the average rate on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage is 4.09 percent. It has never been this cheap to borrow money to buy a house.
So, about jobs and Toys "R" Us is hiring for Christmas season, the holiday season. The company says it will add 40,000 temporary jobs to handle the holiday shopping frenzy. This is usually the case around the holidays, but it's worth noting that last year, Toys "R" Us said it wound up hiring 10 percent of those temp workers to work full- time. A California auction house hoping a pair of Dorothy's ruby red slippers will be a $3 million fit. They're one of four surviving pairs worn by Judy garland in the "Wizard of Oz." The slippers will be auctioned in December as part of a Hollywood memorabilia sale.
Still ahead, they're not old enough to have to pay the family bills, but the tough economy is hitting little kids across the U.S. hard. Our stunning CNN in-depth report, next. AMERICAN MORNING is back right after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Developing now, you are looking live at fighting going on right now in the West Bank. Palestinians throwing rocks, burning tires near a checkpoint. This comes as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas gets ready to speak to the United Nations general assembly in just a couple of hours. He is expected to formally ask the world to accept the Palestinians as a member.
ROMANS: Yemen's president, meanwhile, has returned after nearly four months in Saudi Arabia, this according to state TV. He was injured in an attack on his palace. He left the country back in June. This is new video of a massive rally in apparent support of the returning president. His return comes as the capital of Sana'a is gripped in bloody street battles that have reportedly killed dozens in just the past week.
CHO: President Obama offering states a way to get around the No Child Left Behind law. In just a few hours he'll announce a plan to provide relief from key provisions in exchange for a commitment to broader reforms.
ROMANS: The fight between the GOP frontrunners heating up in Florida, Mitt Romney and Rick Perry accusing each other of flip- flopping on key issues.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There's a Rick Perry out there that is saying, almost to quote, that the federal government shouldn't be in the pension business, that it's unconstitutional and it should be returned to the states. So, you better find that Rick Perry and get him to stop saying that.
RICK PERRY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think Americans just don't know sometimes which Mitt Romney they're dealing with. He's for Obama care and now he's against it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: All the candidates took their shots at the national leader, Governor Perry. Polls now suggesting former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman is gaining in a must-win state, New Hampshire, into the double digits now.
CHO: Interesting. An in-depth look at poverty in America. This morning we're visiting Boston, where the high cost of housing and heat have many families cutting back on food. Deb Feyerick is back with part two of our report. You were saying earlier that we often forget, it's right here in our backyard.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right. That's exactly right. We tend to think about malnourished children being in other countries, places like Africa and Somalia. But we don't have to go that far to look for children who are hungry.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK: Looking at Juvin (ph) Lewis, you would never guess this first grader suffers from chronic malnutrition. His mom earns less than $10,000 a year at her part-time job. And even though the single mom gets help from food stamps, she still worries constantly about not having enough to eat.
ROLANDE DECOSSA, SINGLE MOM: I'm shaking, shaking. It's like crazy. You know, number one thing, you have to take care of the house. But after that to see how I'm going to buy food for my kid.
FEYERICK: Figures show nationwide more than 16 million children like Juvin (ph) live in homes with parents struggling to put enough food on the table. Dr. Megan Sandel treat Juvin (ph) at Boston's children's clinic, which specializes in treating underweight and malnourished children.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Step right on the scale -- 37.2 pounds.
FEYERICK: Six-year-old Juvin (ph) currently weighs as much as an average four-year-old.
DR. MEGAN SANDEL, PEDIATRICIAN, BOSTON MEDICAL CENTER: People think about acute malnutrition and look at Somalia or something like that. What we see is chronic malnutrition and stunted growth, kids that are the size of a one-year-old when they're two-years-old. And that they're not going to be able to make that up for the rest of their lives.
FEYERICK: Emergency rooms in Boston are seeing a spike in severely underweight children ages five and younger, a crucial period for brain growth and child development. These kids are more likely to get sick and fall behind in school.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So where do I go next?
FEYERICK: Pediatrician Deborah Frank runs the Grow Clinic and sees as many as 40 children a week.
DR. DEBORAH FRANK, GROW CLINIC, BOSTON MEDICAL CENTER: Some kids it's pretty obvious. You can count their ribs and their arms and legs look skinny and their heads look too big. The scary thing is even when you re-feed kids and get them going again and get them physically growing, that you can often find deficits in learning and behavior are all the way into high school.
FEYERICK: In other cities like Baltimore and Minneapolis, many doctors say the number of malnourished kids have double in the last two years because of the recession. Boston's Grow Clinic opened a pantry where doctors now write prescriptions for food.
SANDEL: We thought we were going to serve 500 families a month and last month we served 7,500 families. So you can imagine we're handing out 75,000 bags of food every single month.
FEYERICK: More than 40 million people received food stamps in the summer of 2010 alone, a record high. Some in Congress are now talking about cuts in that and other nutrition programs.
FRANK: It's sort of like something saying we are about to have a plague epidemic, so the government is cutting back on immunizations and antibiotics to save money just as the plague is hitting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK: And so a lot have to believe that lawmakers will have to keep funding food stamps and other nutrition programs and be proactive to help children get the right start, or whether or in fact they're not and children are going to fall behind, develop problems that will cost more in the long run, emergency room visits, school dropout, unemployment, all that.
And so these doctors that we spoke to, they really said if you can get a child on the right path, and we're not even talking in the mid-range. They want to get them simply in the lowest range because they've fallen so far that it will do a lot to get these kids at least push them forward.
CHO: Interestingly, it's the same on the other side when you look at children who are obese or overweight. The big question is, do you help them now or pay later? And it seems to be the case with this, as well.
FEYERICK: Absolutely. What's so interesting about obesity and the doctor you heard there, Deborah Faye, she will see mothers with children in the emergency room, and the mothers are giving the children French fries and sodas because carbohydrates and bubbles fill up the belly so they feel full, because they can't afford foods we take for granted.
CHO: It's a quick fix.
FEYERICK: A quick fix, but a bad fix.
CHO: Thank you so much, Deb Feyerick.
Up next, actress and activist Bo Derek is heading to the United Nations today, but, first, she's right here in our studios. And we'll talk to her, next. It's 38 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CHO: Welcome back. It's 42 minutes after the hour. A big week at the United Nations. New york City is clogged with dignitaries, and dignitaries who have had the pleasure to be joined and lobbied by Bo Derek. Bo hopes to get these heads of state to open their countries while to protect a modern day Garden of Eden in a remote part of Ecuador. It's a rain forest that just happens to be on a billion barrels of oil.
And I'm pleased to say that Bo Derek joins me now. She is the good will ambassador for the ITT commission appointed by the president of Ecuador, and you'll meet with him and the Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon later today at the United Nations. I want to talk first, though, about this remote part of the world in the Amazon. You know, more plant species and tree species and animal species than nearly any other place on earth. What was it about this place that touched your heart? You could be doing anything. Why this?
BO DEREK, GOODWILL AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: First of all, it was a girlfriend. My best friend is leading this delegation and she's from Ecuador and I got her bug, her passion for this country. It's very beautiful. It has the Galapagos Islands. I think it's the only country in the world where nature is part of their constitution as having rights.
CHO: And it is a very tough place to get to.
DEREK: Very tough place to get to. After a car, helicopter, airplane. There's two tribes that live there in voluntary isolation and absolutely spectacular. What is interesting about it, as well, it is one of the few places in the world that did not freeze in the last ice age.
CHO: I think that's so interesting.
DEREK: I never knew there was any place that didn't freeze the last ice age. So, as a result, a lot of these animals are prehistoric, reptiles especially.
CHO: Let's talk a little bit about what else makes this place special. It is sitting on nearly a billion barrels of oil. The government stands to gain $10 billion in revenue by drilling, and yet have chosen not to do it. And in so doing they really set a precedent. Countries are sitting up and taking notice, aren't they?
DEREK: This program is completely unique. It came from the president himself. He has been working on it himself. I met with him originally four years ago about this. His passion is undeniable. But it's a developing country. They can't afford to just forego that $10 billion. So, he's asked for the world to contribute half of the income that would normally come to Ecuador.
CHO: That's $3.6 billion.
DEREK: Yes. $3.6 billion. And we're hoping over 12 years all completely secure at the United Nations development program.
CHO: You had incredible commitments, including from one woman who decided to donate her entire salary for the year.
DEREK: They did, yes. People who go there are truly moved and truly changed.
CHO: Let's talk about what you're going to do today. You're going to the United Nations and meeting with the secretary-general along with the president of Ecuador and lots of other dignitaries. You're so popular they had to open up another room.
DEREK: No, it's not me. It's the program. Once people understand it, they really become committed. Secretary Ban Ki-moon, I went in to meet with him to try to convince him how important this program was. He told me. I just nodded the whole meeting.
CHO: What do you plan to say today in that meeting?
DEREK: I think it's a -- it's a moment so that everyone can understand it. It's a reception at the United Nations hosted by the Secretary-General. And I think it's a -- it's a -- it's a show of how much the world does care about this idea and this program.
And I believe it will be a pilot program for other reserves in the rest of the world.
CHO: You're hoping to raise $100 million by December of next year.
DEREK: Yes.
CHO: Do you know how much you've raised so far?
DEREK: We're very near there.
(CROSSTALK)
CHO: You're kidding me. Wow.
DEREK: No. It's -- it's interesting in this economy at this moment it's probably the hardest time to raise money for something like this, especially nation to nation.
CHO: Yes.
DEREK: Now, we're just able, technically to open the funds to the NGOs, the private sector. So I think we'll be just fine.
CHO: Well, Bo Derek, I wish you the best of luck. It's great to see you again. If I can scoot over to United Nations after the show, I will.
DEREK: Oh please, please come.
CHO: I'll try to. Great to see you, again. And if you want to get involved in Bo Derek's cause and protect the Yasuni National Park in Ecuador, you can go to YasuniSupport.com.
Bo, thanks.
Your morning headlines are next. Its 46 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Its 47 minutes after the hour. Here are your morning headlines.
U.S. markets poised for a lower open. Futures for the DOW, NASDAQ and S&P 500 are all trading lower right now, this after a miserable day on Wall Street yesterday. The DOW, NASDAQ and S&P 500 all lost more than three percent each yesterday.
History will be made this afternoon at the United Nations. In just over three hours or so, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will stand before the leaders of the world and ask for recognition as a state. A request the U.S. has pledged to veto.
The United States is facing the real possibility of a partial government shutdown in just seven days. The House passed a $3.7 billion disaster aid measure last night, calling for deep Energy Department cuts to offset the cost of helping hurricane and wildfire victims.
But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid he has promised to kill it, leaving open of the possibility of a partial government shutdown next week.
The GOP candidates are going out at government's spending and what to cut in last night's GOP debate. The two frontrunners Rick Perry and Mitt Romney lobbed attacks at each other over Social Security and health care.
That's the news you need to start your day. AMERICAN MORNING is back right after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Women's boxing will make a debut at the -- as an Olympic sport at the summer games in London in 2012. The journey of remarkable young woman who is trying to be the first to win a gold medal is the subject of Soledad O'Brien's special report airing this weekend on CNN.
She joins us now, good morning, Soledad.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning too.
CHO: Hey.
O'BRIEN: Our documentary is called "LATINO IN AMERICA 2: IN HER CORNER." And the star of the doc is Marlen Esparza. Marlen is a young woman, 21 now. Who when we began the documentary is the five- time national boxing champion. And she allowed us to follow her for a year with cameras to document her struggles, her efforts to try to join the Olympic team; for the first time women are allowed to box. CHO: And what was her biggest obstacle, if you will?
O'BRIEN: You know what her biggest obstacle is actually money. It's very expensive to travel to be part of all these competitions. Her father who works 12 hours a day, seven days a week funds her boxing tournaments and all the travel, hotel stay, food all of those things no one covers.
USA does give him a small stipend, when you say boxing, but no one covers. So it's a very expensive sport. Most of the women who we see in boxing are, you know, poor to middle class, working class Latinos and African-Americans. So these are not people who come from lots of money.
So really is -- money is a big challenge and also I think the support. She has been boxing since she was 11. At 16 she won her first national champion. We call the documentary "IN HER CORNER" because it's really a look at who you need to support you to be successful. In addition to what they say in boxing which is your coach --
ROMANS: She's like 112 pounds soaking wet, right?
O'BRIEN: Yes she is, like -- we -- we all tower over her. She's this big, but she is so tough. I mean, her training regimen is ridiculous and her focus and her determination. She's someone you just want to root for even in the middle of the doc when she takes a devastating loss.
CHO: How is she doing? Is she doing ok?
O'BRIEN: She was doing great.
CHO: Yes.
O'BRIEN: And then things fell apart. And she has a devastating loss and I think she really starts thinking about maybe not continuing for a minute. So, we follow her, you know, her resilience and her ability to bounce back after something really bad happens in her career.
CHO: You've done docs on just about everything, but boxing is a first for you. So how did it strike you?
O'BRIEN: And you know, it's so funny. I -- I really enjoyed it. And I'm the kind of person like when people get hit, I'm sort of like this, it's not a boxing documentary. It's all about boxing, but it's not actually about boxing. It really is a documentary about what it takes to succeed and be focused and the community around you, especially for Latinas, which is why it's a "LATINO IN AMERICA" documentary.
My sons, however, having taken them to the now to the Garden to watch fights are so into it. So, I box at the gym. Are my arms getting buff? You know, I don't like to really hit people.
ROMANS: But she get all -- I mean, so, first you know, it's just now becoming a sport that --
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: Right. (INAUDIBLE) it's a sport first.
ROMANS: And then all of the expense and being sort of -- I mean, that's amazing that she just keeps pushing at it, pushing at it when she -- she's kind of alone.
O'BRIEN: And imagine this is a young woman who is a Mexican- American, first generation. Imagine if Marlen Esparza's face is on the box of Wheaties. She says, "I think that people in my community will be so proud." And so, I also think people will start thinking a little bit differently about Mexican-Americans in this country. She thinks, and I agree with her, that she can have a tremendous impact.
CHO: It's incredible. And when you put it -- when you bring up the Wheaties box, I mean that really is something that gives you chills. I mean the thought of that.
O'BRIEN: I'm taking 10 percent of that Wheaties.
ROMANS: She's thinking big and that's awesome to think big. That's sort of what it's all about here, you know.
O'BRIEN: It is. But I think that again, it's all about who is in your corner. Who supports your big dreams? I think the metaphor for not just if you want to be a boxer in the Olympics --
CHO: In life.
O'BRIEN: -- but if you want to succeed in life, I think it's a great story for everybody.
CHO: Soledad, thanks.
O'BRIEN: Thank you.
CHO: Great to see you.
ROMANS: Join us on Sunday night for Marlen Esparza's fight to make her Olympic dreams a reality. Soledad O'Brien's "LATINO IN AMERICA: IN HER CORNER" airs Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. Don't miss it.
ROMANS: It's about 56 minutes after the hour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Now that we've announced the Top Ten CNN Heroes of 2011, I want to show you how you can vote for the CNN Hero of the Year. This is the main page of CNNHeroes.com. Now down here, you'll notice, are the list of all Top Ten CNN Heroes. Each one will receive $50,000, plus a shot at becoming CNN Hero of the Year.
That's where you come in. Here's how you can vote for your favorite CNN Hero. First, you can learn more about all the heroes by clicking on their fan pages. I want to show you how to do that.
As an example, we're going to go over here. Click on Patrice Millet -- we're just using Patrice as an example to walk you through the voting process. Any of the ten nominees would be worthy of being CNN Hero of the Year. And that is entirely up to you.
Now after you look at each fan page pick the person who inspires you the most and click on "Vote Now", which is right over here on the right. Click on that and a new page comes up and it shows you all the Top Ten Heroes. Choose the person who you want to vote for.
And now I'm going to say randomly pick Taryn Davis. So if I pick Taryn Davis -- again, just as an example -- her photo will show up here under the "Your Selection" area. Then it shows you a security code over here. You type in that security code and you click on the red box, which is over here for vote.
Now, something new this year. You can vote online and on your mobile device, your laptop, your tablet, pretty much any Smartphone or cell phone with a browser. Just go to CNNheroes.com.
Now remember, you can vote up to ten times a day for your favorite hero through Wednesday, December 7th.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Welcome back. You're looking live there at Columbus Circle outside our New York studios where it is 72 degrees. We're going to have a lot of rain later today and unfortunately for all of us up and down the East Coast, a lot of rain all weekend long.
ROMANS: But the good news is, it's Friday. At least it's Friday. A rainy Friday is better than a sunny Monday any day. That's what I say.
CHO: That's true.
ROMANS: That's going to wrap it up for us for the week.
"CNN NEWSROOM" with Kyra Phillips starts right now.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR, "CNN NEWSROOM": Thanks ladies, happy weekend.
