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CNN Sunday Morning
Dealing with the Economic Crisis; Campaigns Continue Grinding On
Aired October 12, 2008 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, there. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING, October 12th. Is that right?
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.
HOLMES: That didn't sound right to me (INAUDIBLE). But, hello to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: It's been a long weekend, a lot going on, especially with the economy.
Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen. It's 7:00 a.m. here in the east, 6:00 a.m. in Chicago where the big marathon is just a couple hours away. We want to thank you for starting your day with us. And overnight...
HOLMES: Yes, a big story.
NGUYEN: ... a chemical leak.
HOLMES: A chemical leak there, it scared a lot of folks. There are thousands that had to be evacuated. Good news, though, that they're being allowed back in. We'll tell you about the scary situation last night.
NGUYEN: And speaking of the economy, back to it now because the president made a surprise appearance at a meeting of world financial leaders this morning, they are focusing on the economic conditions and you, and what can be done about all of it. So, stay with us. We'll have some answers.
And, in our faces of faith: a genocide survivor from Rwanda. Boy, this story is going to really not only horrify you, but maybe even solidify your faith. You want to stay with us. She shares with us, I should say. This woman shares her incredible story.
And, we begin with a developing one that we're following out of western Pennsylvania. At least 2,000 people in the town of Petrolia told to evacuate after a chemical leak. Well, they've just been given the all-clear to return home.
HOLMES: Federal environmental officials say the chemical cloud created by the spill around dinnertime last night has completely dissipated and there's no trace of the chemical mist anywhere. The chemical that leaked from the plant is similar to sulfuric acid. Officials say they were worried about re respiratory damage and burns. So, a good news there that that situation seems to have been resolved.
NGUYEN: Well, this is a situation that is not resolved and that is the financial crisis. President Bush now facing the last 100 days of his presidency and, of course, his most pressing issue in these final days, rescuing a damaged economy.
We'll all be watching the opening of Asian markets late tonight and that should give us an indication of how tomorrow's trading on Wall Street might go. Finance ministers from around the globe had been meeting in Washington.
And CNN's Elaine Quijano has that part of the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Bush allowed cameras in just long enough to capture images meant to convey solidarity in tackling the financial crisis. He dropped by a meeting of 20 of the world's wealthiest and fastest growing nations, and spoke privately to the group after the cameras left.
Earlier, a similar image at the White House as President Bush surrounded himself with finance ministers from the Group of Seven industrialized nations.
PRES. GEORGE W. BUSH, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We're in this together. We'll come through it together.
QUIJANO: The president started his day meeting with officials for about 30 minutes and afterwards outlined broad principles but no details on how the international community would tackle the crisis together.
BUSH: We resolve to continue our strong efforts to return our economies to the path of stability and long-term growth.
QUIJANO: A senior administration official would only say the U.S. is in the early stages of reviewing ideas from other countries.
Meantime, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and his team are moving ahead with a plan to buy stock in banks and inject much needed capital into financial institutions.
HENRY PAULSON, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: We are working to develop a standardized program that is open to a broad array of financial institutions.
QUIJANO: The move is meant to encourage banks and financial institutions to lend money once again and help solve a now frozen credit market. As investors anxiously await that action, Secretary Paulson insists it will happen soon.
PAULSON: Trust me. We're not wasting time. People are working around the clock to deal with this. There is no doubt in any of our minds -- looking at the U.S. or looking at countries outside of the U.S. -- what we're dealing with is capital and U.S. financial institutions.
QUIJANO (on camera): President Bush again urged patience as the government gets this massive financial rescue plan up and running. A message he's aiming and not just at Americans but the broader global markets as well.
Elaine Quijano, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Turmoil over the economy, real causes and real effects. Do your children know what the Dow Jones industrial average is? Well, listen to this high school student in Kansas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, KTKA)
TROY KURTTI, HIGH SCHOOL SOPHOMORE: Isn't that a company that's going down?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: OK. So, he may not know what the Dow is, but young people are certainly feeling the effects of the nation's damaged economy. A social worker suggests talking to your children about family finances.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, KTKA)
JOYCE MARKHAM, SOCIAL WORKER: OK, kids, things are tight. We're not going to be able to do things like we used to. Well, what does that mean? I think kids need to be more -- you need to be more specific. You know, today, we're not going to be able to do this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Be specific but don't scare them she says. Also goes on to suggest that parents try to remain positive as possible in those discussions.
Well, on other news: Librarians will tell you hard times are their busiest times.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, NEWS 12, NEW JERSEY)
LYNNE OLVER, MORRIS COUNTY LIBRARY: They're out of a job. They don't have the money to go to Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com. Libraries are your tax dollars at work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Libraries in Morris County, New Jersey have seen a 13 percent increase in patronage. And it's not just books. Folks are flocking there to borrow movies, surf the Internet. The post popular books, of course, the ones with advice about job hunting, resume writing, money management, and careers.
And the Bush administration is counting on that $700 billion bailout rescue plan and the markets, though, they keep going south. So, why doesn't it seem like the plan is working? Well, in about eight minutes, we'll ask a longtime investment banker-turned-professor for some answers.
HOLMES: To the campaign trail now, some more controversial comments out there. These coming from Georgia Congressman John Lewis accusing the McCain campaign of creating an atmosphere reminiscent of segregationist Governor George Wallace in the '60s. Lewis said, I'm quoting here, "What I'm seeing reminds me too much of another destructive period in American history. Senator McCain and Governor Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division and there's no need for this hostility in our political discourse."
You may remember, George Wallace, the former governor of Alabama, who made famous that quote, "Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever." Well, Senator McCain called Lewis' comments "a character attack that is shocking and beyond the pale."
Meanwhile, the Obama campaign reacted as well, saying, "Obama does not believe John McCain or his policy criticism is in any way comparable to George Wallace or his segregationist policies."
Well, in the end of it all, this all came full circle with Lewis issuing yet another statement saying he did not intend to compare McCain and Palin to George Wallace.
Well, Americans will be heading to the polls to elect a new president in 23 days now.
Paul Steinhauser will be busy for the next 23 days. He, of course, is part of the best political team, and a friend of our show here on CNN SATURDAY and SUNDAY MORNING. He joins us now from New York.
Here we go. This -- on the campaign trail now, where did this come from with Congressman Lewis?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes, we've seen some heated language both by the crowds at the McCain campaign and by some of the action, some of their commercials.
And I think Congressman Lewis is probably just upset and wanted to blow up some steam. Well, he did and he created a controversy. But, T.J., like you just mentioned, at the end of the day, both the Obama campaign distancing themselves from those comments and Lewis himself kind of retracted them.
Listen, though, it's obvious -- race has been a factor in this race since Barack Obama jumped in at the beginning of 2007. It is always there. Sometimes, it gets a little too, you know, heated and this was one example.
What is also interesting, though, is this. Congressman Lewis is a hero of the civil rights movement in the 1960s and John McCain greatly admires him. In fact, at a forum this summer, McCain said that if he was elected president, Lewis would be one of three people he would turn to for counsel. So, there is a lot of admiration for Lewis. But, I think, this went a little too far and he retracted it.
HOLMES: Yes. And you talk about race being part of this race, another part of this race is often been (ph) religion, with a lot of people out there unsure, confused, or maybe just ignorant about Obama's religious background.
But something else has come up now at a McCain rally. Let's take a listen and we'll ask but it on the other side. Let's listen first.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP, POLITICO.COM)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would also pray, Lord, that your reputation is involved in all that happens between now and November, because there are millions of people around this world praying for their god whether it's Hindu, Buddha, Allah - that his opponent wins, for a variety of reasons.
And Lord, I pray that you will guard your own reputation, because they're going to think that their God is bigger than you, if that happens. So I pray that you will step forward and honor your own name with all that happens between now and Election Day.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HOLMES: OK. That, then you see there, Arnold Conrad, a pastor who was actually delivering the invocation at a McCain rally. Now, I'm not sure how our viewers took that, but you tell us now how other people are interpreting the words there of that pastor.
STEINHAUSER: Yes. I think others were interpreting it as the pastor saying that maybe, you know, the rest of the world who are not Christians want Barack Obama to win the election and maybe that's because they secretly think he is not Christian. This came at the invocation of that rally yesterday in Davenport. The man you just mentioned was a former pastor at an evangelical church there.
The McCain campaign distanced itself from those comments as well. McCain wasn't in the room when that happened. But listen, we've seen this before at other rallies, recently people mentioning -- speaking before McCain mentioning Barack Obama's middle name of Hussein. So, it has come up in the past.
You know, T.J. it was just the other day, was on Friday in Minnesota at a rally where a woman, at a McCain rally, said that she thought Barack Obama was an Arab. And McCain had to straighten her out. It is still there. This is another thing. It's been out there since the beginning of this contest. And it is troubling.
HOLMES: Yes, that woman at the rally, straightened her out. He essentially snatched the microphone from her hand when she started talking like that.
But finally here, the last debate this week. You know, the first debate that came around, there was so much hype and buildup. It kind of fell flat for a lot of folks. Then next one, we're saying, oh, this is one of the last few opportunities for McCain to make inroads. It kind of did the same thing. It ended up, even though the polls say one thing, a lot of people think they were pretty much a tie.
So, the last debate now, so, I'm sure we'll talk about this one as being a big build up and how important it is. So, what are they preparing for and what are expectations going in?
STEINHAUSER: Yes. I guess, you could say it is very important. This is the last chance, the last head-to-head meeting and last showdown after sundown, whatever you want to call it. Today, both candidates are actually down for the day, getting ready for it.
Barack Obama is in Ohio. A smart place to prepare since it's such an important state. He's preparing all day today for the debate.
John McCain is back at home in D.C., getting ready for it. The debate will be Wednesday in Hofstra University in Long Island in New York City. The format, T.J., they're both going to be sitting at the same table this time. And they will be also joined by Bob Schieffer from CBS News. He will be the moderator. The topics this time will almost be domestic issues, of course, the economy will be there and that will be a big issue -- T.J.
HOLMES: A big issue. Obama prepping in Ohio. Has he registered to vote there? He's been there awful lot lately, Paul.
Our Paul Steinhauser for us in New York, good to see you, as always, buddy. We'll talk to you again soon.
STEINHAUSER: Thank you.
HOLMES: And, of course, join the best political team on television for a debate night in America. The final face-off with John McCain and Barack Obama is Wednesday night as you just heard there form our Paul Steinhauser. It will be live from Hempstead, New York -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Listen to this, T.J. A California driver has a seizure and finds remember herself in a desperate fix. What would you do in this situation, getting out of a real hot spot?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Take a look at this. That gas pump crash and subsequent fireball. It happened near Los Angeles. My goodness.
Officials say the driver suffered a seizure and lost control of her SUV. That's when she slammed into the gas pump. Luckily, she had a guardian angel stand by, some off-duty firefighters, to be exact. She was rescued and had only minor injuries.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: It's an anxious time. But the American people can be confident in our economic future. We know what the problems are, we have the tools to fix them, and we're working swiftly to do so.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES: The tools to fix them but the tools do not seem to be working. That big bailout doesn't appear to be taking hold just yet. America's lack of liquidity is rippling out and being felt now on the world stage. If you have a 401(k), you're crying this morning. We're also losing faith with plenty of questions that still need to be answered.
And that's we brought in Raymond Hill. He's in our studio today. He works at (ph) with the Emory Business School, a former investment banker with Lehman. So, you know this stuff. You know it well.
Tell us, though, a lot of people are just in shock at what happened with the stock market. People are looking at that to come back, I guess, and think, hey, if this comes back then we know we're on the right tack but what are the other economic indicators? How big of a barometer, really, is that stock market, the Dow everyone is keeping an eye on, to let us know the economy is doing better or unemployment numbers, things like that or other things we should be looking at?
RAYMOND HILL, EMORY UNIVERSITY: You have to pay attention to the Dow if you're like me and you're near retirement...
HOLMES: Yes.
HILL: ... you got to pay attention to your 401(k).
But the real indicators and the ones that we're looking at, we'll be looking at are unemployment, inflation, and the rate of growth of the economy. The indicators there, inflation looks like it's going to get better. But, unemployment is probably going to rise in the next few months and the economy looks like it's going to slow down further than we've already seen.
HOLMES: What do the markets then need to hear? Because this bailout didn't make people feel better. All these other tools are being thrown, this money being thrown, and all these other announcements being made by the Fed, by the president, who spoken so many times on this. They're not hearing something they need to hear.
Is there anything they can hear or -- that could possibly help investors feel a little better about their market, or it's just going to take time for those other indicators to get people confident again?
HILL: Well, one of the things that Americans also like is instant satisfaction.
HOLMES: Yes.
HILL: And, you know, here (ph) we have a problem. You said it. We have a credit freeze. Nobody wants to lend the banks because they don't know that they're going to be repaid. The whole idea of the $700 billion bailout is to take the risk out of the system but it hasn't been implemented yet. There's going to be another three or four weeks before that happens and until it actually takes the risk out of the system, that credit freeze is going to continue. And I think what the market is reacting to is, we don't know how much damage another three or four weeks of that credit squeeze is really going to be.
HOLMES: We need to wait for it to start working, but in the meantime, does it not help as well that we have -- it seems like a lack of specifics coming out? Yes, that we could give them all this money that they can use; we don't know exactly how they're going to use it yet.
HILL: That's right. And so, why would I -- again, why would I start lending to my brother-in-law, my deadbeat brother-in-law because he says he's going get a job next week? I say you get a job and I'll lend to you.
So, I think that explains a lot of what's going on in the market. It's basically saying, show me the money. Start buying up toxic mortgages, let's see which banks are solvent and which ones aren't, and then we'll get back to business. But, until that happens, it's no surprise to me that the stock market is where it is.
HOLMES: Was it just not an option to allow these companies to fail? Fannie, Freddie, AIG, was it just not an option?
HILL: Well, Fannie and Freddie is not an option because, basically, we implicitly guaranteed them from the beginning.
It was an option and problem I see it is, there's a big cliff Bernanke, Paulson saying that if we let them fail, we'll fall off this cliff, and we don't know whether we're going to fall 10 stories or 10 feet. And they basically said we can't take the risk that the economy is going to fall 10 stories if we let them fail.
HOLMES: You also were with Lehman Brothers -- before viewers get upset -- a long time ago. A while back.
HILL: I didn't walk away with one of those packages.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: Yes, you did not. You're still working. But, tell me -- back then, it was '80s and '90s you're with the company in Hong Kong...
HILL: That's right.
HOLMES: But could you have imagined this great institution you're with, 160-year-old company, what is -- what did you think when you saw this company and the possibility of it failing?
HILL: Well, when we -- back in December, when the first rumors came out I said, "Oh, can't be. You're kidding me." And I was shocked -- absolutely shocked. What I don't understand is that at one stage, Lehman Brothers took very specific risks, that was part of its business, it's always part of an investment banking business, and somehow that got transformed into taking these betting the whole firm and concentrating the risk in the mortgage market.
And it's a very different model than the investment bank I knew, you know, back in 1990, for instance.
HOLMES: They're taking the greater risk hoping for that greater reward.
HILL: I think that's it. They basically said we're going to borrow short-term money and invest in these good high-yield mortgage securities...
HOLMES: Wow.
HILL: ... and that turned out to be fatal mistake.
HOLMES: All right. Well, Raymond Hill, so, we appreciate you giving us some time on this Sunday morning. And again, like you said, you didn't get one of those golden parachutes, is what they call them, back when you left Lehman Brothers.
Thank you so much for being with us. Good information for our viewers. And they certainly need it right about now. Thank you so much -- Betty.
NGUYEN: And talking about risky maneuvers, I want you to meet Dennis, the manatee. He was found swimming near Cape Cod, Massachusetts. I know what you're thinking. The water is really cold for a Florida manatee. Well, everyone rescuers got close, he'd duck away, under boats, below docks. Sometimes he'd swim almost out of the harbor.
So, where is Dennis today?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: OK. So, before the break, we told you about Dennis, the manatee, who swam all the way up from Florida to Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It is the furthest north a manatee has been known to make it. Well, after a week of chase, rescuers finally caught Dennis and just in time.
They say its temperature had dropped 24 degrees below normal. Dennis will be rehabilitated at Sea World and then he'll be released back into the wild. All right. Good for Dennis.
Let's go -- on a completely different subject. Does presidential candidate John McCain want tax breaks for companies that send jobs overseas? Sounds like a question for our truth squad.
HOLMES: Truth squad, you know, I just love the verdict. Just give the verdict first and then explain. Don't make me wait.
But, good morning to you, Josh Levs. How are we doing on this one?
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you. Can I ask guys something -- is U.S. politics really that different from the manatee story? NGUYEN: They're both challenging, right?
LEVS: OK. Let's just leave it that.
NGUYEN: OK.
LEVS: You know, this is really an interesting one. And you will be interested by the verdict. Let's first take a look at this sound bite.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D-IL) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It doesn't make any sense when John McCain says that he wants to keep giving tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas. We got to end those tax breaks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: Well, is that true? Does John McCain want to continue tax breaks for companies that are sending U.S. jobs overseas?
Let's start here with just a few facts about this. U.S. corporations are required to pay a 35 percent tax on income including what they earn overseas. But there are a lot of loopholes that let them defer the income use overseas, and tax experts say, that can often amount to indefinite deferrals, really, on paying those taxes.
Well, the Obama campaign is point to three times that McCain voted against repelling tax deferrals. And they he's not proposing any changes that would basically do anything about those loopholes.
But the McCain campaign says he's never advocated tax breaks for overseas companies and that his proposals would encourage businesses to invest more inside the U.S.
So, drum roll here. Here you go, T.J., our verdict on this one -- misleading. Well, he has voted against changing eliminating or changing tax deferrals at times, he has not said that he wants to keep giving these tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas.
And, of course, you can get a lot more details in the screen behind me, at CNN.com.
And coming up in just a few minutes, we're going to take a look at a claim from Sarah Palin that Barack Obama is trying to delay a U.S. deal with Iraq, guys.
NGUYEN: So, back to the verdict. That wasn't a yes or no...
LEVS: Yes.
NGUYEN: A true or false. It was -- maybe?
LEVS: It was a misleading. I can explain what misleading is, if you want. Basically, misleading means that sure, there is a way that that technically be justified if you look at a very narrow reading of it. But when someone hears it it's likely to mislead them to think something else. That's basically I was saying here.
NGUYEN: OK. That's crystal clear.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: Thank you, Josh.
LEVS: I know it's so lawyerly. All right.
HOLMES: The whole truth squad report was misleading.
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: Hey, we just call it like it is around here, Josh.
LEVS: Oh, man. I'll come up with a way to get you guys back (INAUDIBLE).
NGUYEN: All right. Work on that one.
LEVS: Yes.
NGUYEN: All right. A lot of folks, they are struggling to make ends meet, but believe it or not, I don't know if you want to meet this person, one of the folks who is not struggling...
HOLMES: At all. We were just talking about this. What you ask this guy? We got him coming up in an interview.
NGUYEN: For a job, maybe.
HOLMES: Yes, possibly that. And we'll talk to him shortly. You don't want to miss him.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Experts say one way that you can protect yourself during this economic crisis is to stockpile an emergency fund. Ali Velshi reports on safe places to put that cash in today's "Right on Your Money."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALI VELSHI, CNN SR. BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Protect yourself. When it comes to this economy, having easy access to cash gives you a safety net for the unexpected, like losing your job. So, you should have enough on hand to cover your lifestyle for several months.
WALTER UPDEGRAVE, SENIOR EDITOR, MONEY MAGAZINE: For my emergency reserves, these three to six months that I need, your primary concern here is safety. You're not trying to get the absolute highest yield.
VELSHI: The key is putting your money in an investment you can withdraw from any time without penalty.
UPDEGRAVE: Security is of utmost importance. So, you want to stick primarily to savings account, money market accounts, short-term CDs. You want to do the best that you can within those categories.
VELSHI: So, shop around. And remember, this is a low risk, low reward investment. That's why finding the best rate is your best bet.
UPDEGRAVE: You're still probably a little bit below 4 percent so you maybe still losing out a little bit to inflation, but you can still do a little bit better than, for example, just getting the average return, just going, automatically going to your local bank.
VELSHI: And that's "Right on Your Money."
Ali Velshi, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And winter officially gets under way on December 21st, which means -- you look at the calendar, it's a bit early, especially in parts of the northern plains and into the Rockies, where we could see upwards of one to two feet of snowfall. That's a big problem if you're shoveling off the driveway, but for kids in Salt Lake City, well, they're happy campers. Behave yourselves.
We'll have more coming up right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Little weirdos.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN, ANCHOR: Good morning and welcome back everybody on this Sunday morning. I'm Betty Nguyen.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN, ANCHOR: And hello to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: First up though. It's not just America's financial problems. This credit crunch is a global matter. European leaders are meeting in Paris today to work on a solution. And our Alphonso Van Marsh is in London monitoring this meeting. Alphonso, what's expected to come out of these talks?
ALPHONSO VAN MARSCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what they want to see is some kind of solution to keep this financial turmoil from lack of a better term going viral all across Europe. The French President Nicholas Sarkozy will be hosting those leaders from some 50 Euro zone countries. Those are countries that have adopted the euro just to try to find a way to keep and ensure that these banks continue to do business and restore confidence in customers across the European continent that their money is indeed safe and if they need to get some to buy groceries, that it will actually going to be there for them. Betty.
NGUYEN: U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown is attending that meeting. What can he say to the group in light of this bailout plan just a couple of days ago? What kind of influence is he going to have?
VAN MARSCH: Well to give you an idea of the kind of currency that he's holding at this meeting for lack of a better term. Just take a look at this her. This is an article in one of the British papers "Sunday Mirror" where Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister himself writes an article. He's basically saying that this is a global problem that requires a global solution. Keep in mind that Britain doesn't even use the euro. They are still on the pound and it is that pound that some 500 billion of them close to a trillion U.S. dollars that the U.K. is putting in as part of its bailout program.
Gordon Brown here is basically telling Europe they need to copy his plan in order for all of these European countries to work together to ensure that these economies stay on track. Betty.
NGUYEN: All right. We'll see how it plays out. Alphonso Van Marsch, thank you for that. You know, the Asian financial markets often are a good bellwether for U.S. markets and those markets are closed in negative territory. In fact, that's what happened on Friday. Well, they opened just about midnight U.S. Eastern time and we'll all be watching to see how those markets react to this weekend's big meetings in Washington.
HOLMES: Did Barack Obama try to delay an agreement with Iraq over the future of U.S. troops in that country? That is what Sarah Palin says. All right. Josh Levs, once again with the verdict.
NGUYEN: And we don't a maybe this time, Josh.
HOLMES: Yes.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, OK. I'll see what I can do for you.
NGUYEN: OK.
HOLMES: There's a maybe right there.
NGUYEN: Exactly.
LEVS: Yes. I'll do my best.
NGUYEN: It's hard sorting out the truth, isn't?
LEVS: It is hard sorting out the truth when you want to be fair to everybody and have to recognize that lots of interpretations can exist on things. We do our best. Let me just show what we're even talking about here so people know the topic. Here is what happened.
At a campaign stop just the other day in Ohio, critical battle ground obviously, Governor Palin said this. She said - we have a screen of this. She said "Iraqi officials are saying, excuse me, are saying that Obama tried to make a secret deal with the Iraqi government to delay an agreement that would reduce troop numbers until the next president takes office.
Now, obviously that's a real striking thing for her to say. That he was in this process of trying to create some kind of agreement. Well, what she was talking was this. It's an article in the "The Washington Times." I want you to see it directly. So I'll pull it up on the screen. The "Washington Times" reported that Obama tried to convince Iraqi leaders in private conversations that the president should not be allowed to enact this deal that they've been working on without congressional approval.
And I want to scroll down a little bit more so you can see one more thing. Let's say some of the specifics remain in dispute but Iraqi leaders purported to the times that Mr. Obama urged Baghdad to delay an agreement until next year when a new president will be in office. A message that he denies. Now, that was a pretty big thing to see at the "Washington Times."
As we know, a lot of people thinking about what will ultimately be the status of forces agreement to remove U.S. troops from there. But I will tell you, this article that we're seeing here was quoting an Iraqi official about a conversation that he did not directly take part in was between Obama and the Iraqi foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari in June. And after that we have a graphic here, after that conversation in June, the Iraqi Foreign Minister said there was a conversation but that Obama never said anything about a delay at least in what the ministry said. They never mentioned him asking for a delay in U.S. troops being - a deal for U.S. troops to be pulled out of Iraq.
So you can see complexities we're dealing with on this one. That's why I know you guys are going to hate this but our verdict on this one has to be right here. In dispute. And the reason is we do have this article out there saying that but at the same time Obama denies ever urging a delay involving the status of U.S. forces in Iraq. Obviously, if we can get something more concrete, we will. But right now, that's as far as we can go for you. It's in dispute. He certainly doesn't stand by what that article is alleging that he did but we were not inside that conversation. That's all I can give you, guys.
NGUYEN: OK. So that's different from misleading. So we've got true, false, misleading, in dispute, are there any other categories?
LEVS: There's five total.
NGUYEN: Working off of.
LEVS: There's five we work with. Here's what we got.
HOLMES: What's the other one?
NGUYEN: Yes, what's the other one.
LEVS: We got true. True but incomplete, right. Then you have misleading and false and in dispute. As a rule, it can be any one of those five.
HOLMES: Isn't verdict guilty or not guilty?
NGUYEN: Let's keep it simple, shall we?
LEVS: Well, if you guys want guilty or not guilty, I'm going to let you guys come up with that one. HOLMES: OK.
NGUYEN: Thank you, Josh.
LEVS: The Betty and T.J. squad. Thanks, guys.
HOLMES: All right. I like the ring, the sound of that.
NGUYEN: Yes. I like it, too.
HOLMES: I sounded easy.
LEVS: I do.
NGUYEN: Maybe we'll get some real answers. Kidding, Josh. I'm only kidding.
LEVS: You're killing me this morning.
NGUYEN: I'm only kidding because it is very difficult to decipher what is right and what is not
LEVS: Oh man, we secretly love each other.
NGUYEN: You're just misleading that's all.
LEVS: A big family here on CNN.
NGUYEN: All right.
HOLMES: We'll we're going to hit through the campaign trail now. Sarah Palin, Cindy McCain, Obama, running mate Joe Biden, they are going where the voters are. They're rubbing shoulders with sporting fans.
NGUYEN: The hockey mom Palin dropped the ceremonial first puck at the Philadelphia Flyers home opener against the New York Rangers and that's Cindy McCain, yes, in North Carolina. She presided over a Nascar race there and Senator Joe Biden took in a football game at the University of Delaware last night.
HOLMES: What's the mascot of Delaware, do you know?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: you know I am absolutely clueless -
(CROSSTALK)
WOLF: But their uniform scheme is very similar to the Wolverines.
HOLMES: Close to the Wolverines of Michigan.
WOLF: Well, I'm surprised we didn't have any candidates that showed up in Dallas yesterday for football.
NGUYEN: Texas. Oh, you are a Longhorn.
WOLF: And speaking of the Longhorn. Let's take a look at a great shot that we have of the UT Tower, believe it's all lit up in orange. Yes.
NGUYEN: Love it.
WOLF: This is grand morning if you happen to be a Longhorn but if you're an (inaudible), this morning is about as pleasant as being told that you've got diphtheria -
NGUYEN: Not good.
WOLF: Or maybe bubonic plague.
NGUYEN: Well, for (auburn) fans not such a good morning either, huh?
WOLF: Let's look at today's forecast.
(LAUGHTER)
WOLF: Speaking of Texas, it will be an interesting day there. Look toward the bottom of the screen. What you're seeing is Norbert. Norbert at this time is no longer a hurricane. It's a tropical storm. It could be a big rainmaker. What that could mean for parts of Mexico and into Texas could be that we could see some very heavy rain and the potential mudslides in some places and flash flooding certainly within the realm of possibility. Certainly, something we're going to watch very carefully for our friends that maybe say in (Vandorn) Texas, maybe over towards El Paso. You need to be prepared. The rain is coming down in buckets today. Some places could see well over say ten inches of rainfall.
But if you look farther to the north it's not going to be rain, it's going to be a big picture but you got a lot of cold air just coming in from the north combined with that moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific and it's going to mean something all together different. We're talking about some snowfall in billings this morning. You got over in Great Falls and even south in places like salt lake city you got a touch of snowfall. You got some video there of kids out there enjoying themselves. Like this rascal behind me. I'm going to step our of the way so you can see what they're doing. Having a great time throwing that. You know, it's always fun for kids but for the moms and dads who have to clean this stuff up, it's not really fun time.
As you go back to the weather computer what I'm going to show you is that this is going to drift it's way a little bit more to the east. Over in billings, low lying areas anywhere from 7 to 14 inches. But in the higher elevations up in Idaho Falls and places like say West Yellowstone, you could see anywhere from say one to two feet in the highest peaks, perhaps a bit more. That's a look at your forecast.
We're going to talk about something else. The storm system moving a bit more to the east and what it's going to mean for parts of the Great Lakes and very warm temperatures say for the Chicago marathon. We'll give that you forecast in just a few moments. Kids. Great times. Get out this morning.
NGUYEN: They're having a good time.
HOLMES: Weirdos you called them earlier though.
WOLF: Hey, I'm the weirdo of weirdos. If you are a weirdo, you can call others weirdo.
NGUYEN: All right. That's how it works. Thank you.
HOLMES: We go to some I-reporters now. In Mexico, we've bee watching the weather producing and Norbert specifically now a tropical storm. Video here from one of our i-reporters, Rodrigo Aguiar. He says that Norbert was downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it reached him by just 100 miles north it was still a hurricane. Aguiar says he's heard unconfirmed reports that at least one person is missing there.
Another i-report here. From Kabul, San Lucas. Violent seas though. We nay hear some one of the winds in one of these i-reports. Our I- reporter tells us local authorities estimated the wind was 55 miles per hour. Of course when the weather becomes the news, tune into us but also remember to send us your i-reports. Go to ireport.com. Type ireport.com to your cell phones is another way to do it as well. But please be safe out there as you're getting those pictures for us.
NGUYEN: Coming up, a survival of Rwanda's horrible genocide. What she had to do to stay alive.
HOLMES: She's sharing her unbelievable story with us as one of our "Faces of Faith." Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Today we bring you a story of true inspiration. I want you to meet a Immaculee Ilibagiza in her book "Led by Faith." She talks about her experience as genocide survivor in Rwanda. But to stay alive, she had to hide in a small bathroom for three months with seven other women. ()joins us now from Green Bay, Wisconsin. And you know, just looking through your story, it's amazing not only that you're here but that you have been able to keep faith alive through all of this. Again three months in that bathroom with other women. You came out of there, what, weighing 65 lbs. and then learned that nearly all of your family had been murdered, how do you keep your faith through such horror like that?
IMMACULEE ILIBAGIZA, RWANDAN GENOCIDE SURVIVOR: Thank you so much for having me. You know, faith was only thing I had. You know, we spent in that bathroom, all the seven women three months and we were not allowed to speak so we had to just had to be quiet. At one time when I started to feel like I couldn't do it anymore and I was so angry and there were so many emotions going through my mind, I started to pray. I opened a Bible and it was almost like I was talking to God and asking him things you say that those who believe everything is possible, what do you mean here? And slowly I felt like I got very close to god and really faith became the only thing that I could get me to today speaking and have me today being able to smile because seeing a million people dying in your own country and 98 percent of your whole family it was not easy.
NGUYEN: You know, your story is truly remarkable on so many levels. You talked about opening that Bible and reading. Isn't it true that you taught yourself English by reading the Bible in that bathroom? How did it happen?
ILIBAGIZA: No. There's a time when I felt that I - I feel like I trust god. You know, those who read my first book there's a passage where I completely came to conclusion that if I can't let go of the anger I had against the people in the other tribe I can't be there anymore. And I was praying to god to help me out and let go of this anger to ease my heart. When that happened, when I felt that I'm not being eaten by that poison of anger and I was able to feel that everything was possible. I'm going to (inaudible). I would find a job. Then I thought to myself maybe the inspiration came to me that you have to learn English because if you can't you will meet people who speak English. I asked the guy who was hiding us to give me a Bible, I mean to give me a book in English and a dictionary, English- French and I started to learn English.
NGUYEN: Well, because the guy that was helping you in fact was a pastor and you were living inside his bathroom. It's amazing what you've been able to undergo and then rise from because essentially you know when you see such horror a lot of people would ask god why would you let something like this happen? They would be eaten up by all that frustration and fear and anger. Yet at the same time though you said small miracles kept you going. Give us an example of one of those.
ILIBAGIZA: You know, that's so true. That's really this time where even the economy in this country and I live in this country now is going wrong and I meet people who are very fearful and myself went through that but the fear is our worse enemy. And miracles is the reason I wrote this book to just tell people don't worry. Don't go there. Because you don't have to get scared. Your way of thinking is paralyzed. You can't see ahead of you.
So one of the miracles that happened one time I was very scared. The killers who were looking for us they came to look for us to search for us in the house.
NGUYEN: They came to the bathroom?
ILIBAGIZA: In the house - yes, looking for the bathroom in the house of four bedroom they had 300 men searching for everyone from my tribe who might be hiding and I asked god in my heart if you exist, just give me a sign. I'm asking for this specific sign. Don't let the killers find the door of the bathroom. They went everywhere in the house. In the top of the house. In the ceilings. Under the beds. The last time they were going to find the door for the bathroom after two hours, they were searching in the house they came and touched the handle of the door of the bathroom and then the guy before he opened it he said you know what we trust you. You can't hide them.
NGUYEN: That's amazing.
ILIBAGIZA: And to me, how 300 people can miss a door in a four- bedroom home, so many miracles happen. Dreams about Jesus that I was having. The way I came into this country after the genocide and this is the little miracles I put in my book not just to tell people about miracles but to tell them if this can happen to me, it can happen to you.
NGUYEN: That is such a strong message.
ILIBAGIZA: ... in a situation especially when you are losing hope.
NGUYEN: This is your second book talking about the experience and in both of them you talk about that hope and that faith and this latest one is called "Led by Faith." It is really, truly an inspirational story. Immaculee, thank you so much for sharing just a little bit of it with us today. We do appreciate it.
ILIBAGIZA: Thank you so much. And I - People can reach me on my website immaculee.com with more information of what else is going on and I will encourage people to really hold on to hope.
NGUYEN: You also have a charity that helps children as well. Thank you so much for your time. T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Thank you. We were able to do that in our "Faces of Faith."
Nest we will turn back to the economy. We all know pretty tough times going on right now. A lot of businesses are struggling. A lot of people stretching their dollar. But some people are making money. One business is booming. Maybe immune to anything going on in the economy. We'll have the one guy who says he's not hurting at all. Find out what he's doing right. Stay here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. General Motors, Chrysler, Ford, these are the big wheels of the U.S. auto industry. They are driving with a bit of caution these days. However, there's another car business thriving right now. How is that, you ask? Well, we'll ask the guy who has the business that is thriving. His name is Macky Dancy, a home boy from Memphis, but right now living in New York, car salesman. It sounds pretty simple, car salesman. There's more to it than that. We'll do that reveal to our viewers here in a second. But you tell me this first, do you think you have found a business and a niche and a market that is immune really from a lot of these economic down turns?
MACKY DANCY, DANCY POWER AUTOMOTIVE GROUP: I do believe so. I do believe so. And I'll tell you why. We make it more than just a car buying experience. It's an experience in general. It's something where you can come inside and you can see phenomenal art, phenomenal cars, and it's in a neighborhood that's rich with cull culture and rich with history.
HOLMES: OK. That sounds simple enough, that everybody say yes that sounds easy but the other key to your market is that you are catering to a clientele that is always going to have money. Now let's show some of these cars now. You have the people that are buying your cars are not necessarily Joe Six Pack as Sarah Palin might say. They are the stars. They are these super rich athletes, these entertainers. So you tell me, has business slowed down one bit for you?
DANCY: Actually, business has increased. My partners and I, Rick Caplan and Tyrone Hill, we decided to come up with an expansion plan and then in an expansion plan, we determined it was the time to move forward and we opened up a 12,000 square foot showroom in the middle of Harlem. And I'll be quite honest, T.J., we haven't been affected at all. I don't want to sound arrogant. Go ahead.
HOLMES: No, no, I don't want to sound arrogant. Please finish that statement.
DANCY: I don't want to sound arrogant. I'm actually humbled by the opportunity that we're given to continue to succeed. It's that same passion and that same drive that all entrepreneurs have to succeed, that same passion and drive I think we need in order to continue through this economic times.
HOLMES: And again, you found something special here, but still even though your clients are uber rich, have you found that they're slowing down at all, maybe instead of getting the Mercedes S-6, they're getting the S-5? Maybe, you know, just downgrading a little bit at all?
DANCY: My guys are still excited to buy cars. We have a ton of celebrities, a ton of athletes that purchase from us and I'll tell you, they're just as excited about that Ferrari as they were three months ago or a year ago.
HOLMES: Now, Macky, does it ever get to you though, seeing, and we know a lot of this economic news is depressing, but does it ever get to you though. I mean on a human level, I know you're from Memphis, so you're a southern boy, you got some southern roots there. But just to see so many people going through so much and so much hard times and to see people really - these are extravagant cars. $400,000 cars. You see people just come in and essentially just - you got it, fine, knock yourself out. But still, does it ever get to think wow, just throwing this money out and throwing it away some might say when others are struggling so bad right now.
DANCY: No, it kind of, seeing it on the news and seeing it in just about every newspaper and what's going on with the economy. It brings you to reality and sometimes you focus and you begin to thank god for the opportunities and the blessings that he's bestowed upon me and my partners.
HOLMES: All right. Those are some blessings, those vehicles are some blessings, some special vehicles. Macky Dancy, again, car salesman in New York who has found a niche. The key, Betty, apparently, to success is to have a clientele that is always going to have money.
NGUYEN: Have money.
HOLMES: Macky Dancy, it's a pleasure talking to you this morning. Congratulations on the success you found. And good talking to you.
DANCY: Thank you. Thank you. NGUYEN: At least someone's doing all right these days.
HOLMES: He is doing well.
NGUYEN: Well you know some other businesses doing well in this economy, threat stores and garage sales. Yes, the art of finding a deal on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: From CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING, 8:00 a.m. here at the CNN headquarters, 6:00 a.m. in Denver, Colorado. Glad for you all to be here. I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: Yes, good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen. We do want to thank you for being with us today.
HOLMES: We are talking economy. We'll be talking about it for quite some time. A lot of tough times for a lot of people. We're going to focus on one community where General Motors plant is the focal point. General Motors certainly going through things as well as any other auto manufacturer these days.
NGUYEN: And the reality star who is actually through a lot of things. In fact, is going to Iraq not to help himself but to help children with a rare condition, a heart warming story you don't want to miss.
But in the mean time, President Bush today is facing the last 100 days of his presidency. His top concern, of course, the financial crisis. Last night, he met with finance ministers from the so-called G-20 group. Now, that group represents current and developing industrial nations.
Kathleen Koch is at the White House for us this morning.
Kathleen, anything significant come out of that meeting?
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Betty, a senior administration official says that the United States is in the early stages of reviewing ideas from the other countries, but at this point, no major announcements came out of that meeting last night. It lasted about 25 minutes.
President Bush and the world's financial leaders basically are doing what they can to calm investors around the globe. Earlier in the day, President Bush and his economic team met with finance ministers from the Group of Seven industrialized nations. The president acknowledging then that while the problem began here in the United States, he believes the world must clearly work together to solve it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. GEORGE W. BUSH, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We all agree that the actions we take should protect our taxpayers and we agree that with ought to work with other nations such as those that will be represented this afternoon in the G-20 forum. As our nations carry out this plan, we must ensure the actions of one country do not contradict or undermine the actions of another. In an interconnected world, no nation will gain by driving down the fortunes of another. We're in this together. We will come through it together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: At this point, it's looking like a quiet Sunday for President Bush, nothing public on his schedule today. And a senior administration official tells me not to expect to hear from President Bush at this point, at least, on the economy today, Betty.
NGUYEN: And, as for President Bush, a milestone today, huh, Kathleen?
KOCH: Indeed, yes. He now has just 100 days left in office. And President Bush certainly had had high hopes for the end of his presidency. There was certainly some unfinished business. No Middle East peace deal yet. No resolution to efforts to in North Korea's nuclear program. And certainly, no agreement yet with Iraq over the future presence of U.S. troops there.
It's interesting; President Bush is fond of saying he's going to sprint to the finish. Well, Betty, it's right now looking much more like a flog to the finish.
NGUYEN: It's going to be tough under these circumstances.
KOCH: Yes, very much so.
NGUYEN: All right, Kathleen Koch, thank you for that.
KOCH: You bet.
NGUYEN: You know, efforts to fix this global financial crisis move to Paris today. The leaders of 15 nations that use the euro currency, they are meeting in Paris, as we mentioned, but they're looking for a common response to the crisis hitting their countries and ours. This follows several weekend meetings in Washington, and among international finance ministers as well as banking officials.
Now, the leaders of Germany and France have said that they oppose creating a common financial rescue fund.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Reports that General Motors and Chrysler are talking merger have a lot of people in Warren, Michigan concerned, and for good reason. Warren is a blue collar town tied heart and soul to the giants but ailing automakers.
CNN's Brooke Baldwin spoke with some of the Warren's residents.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the weekend in Warren, Michigan where the local high school is holding its homecoming parade. But the band and beauty queens can't keep this man's mind off the bleak economy.
JOHN PAYNE, FORMER GM EMPLOYEE: I'm skipping from week to week to week. So, and you can't live like that.
BALDWIN: John Payne says life in this blue collar town isn't easy. Reminders of the ailing automotive industry are everywhere.
PAYNE: Where are these people going? (INAUDIBLE) anytime. Where -- if they leave this neighborhood, where are they going?
BALDWIN: Payne was a General Motors man back in the 1960s. He left as layoffs were looming.
PAYNE: (INAUDIBLE) and I knew I was next in line.
BALDWIN: Now with reports that GM and privately-owned Chrysler are talking about a possible merger, Payne says that could create an exodus.
PAYNE: I imagine if they go and get into to some kind of a dispute (ph), they'll start laying people off. That's the only way that I can think of and then when that happens, where else they going to go? There was no other industry to go.
BOLDUAN (on camera): A weak economy, slumping sales, and high gas prices are all putting the brakes on the American automotive industry, and now with a possible consolidation of two of the big three, workers are wondering if that move will help motor city roll forward.
HIRAM HENRY, CHRYSLER EMPLOYEE: I see it as a positive move.
BOLDUAN (voice-over): Hiram Henry is a Chrysler worker with 13 years of experience under his belt.
HENRY: It's like a baby. The baby falls, but the baby gets up, and continues to walk. And you keep on going forward and forward and forward. This country has been through hell and back and we're still here.
BALDWIN: Here, but hurting, according to a long time General Motors employee.
DARRYL DAVIS, GM EMPLOYEE: Because it seems like just yesterday, (INAUDIBLE) the economy was good, and this is like an overnight thing. So all we can do is just pray.
BALDWIN: Just like in hard times past, Payne knows life will go on.
PAYNE: We've been there, that's what you got to do. You got to enjoy life somewhere.
BALDWIN: If not in Warren, where else could he go?
Brooke Baldwin, CNN, Detroit.
(END VIDEOTAPE) NGUYEN: Well, like cramming for the big exam, the presidential candidates will spend the day getting ready for Wednesday night's final showdown. John McCain will hone his debate skills in Washington, while Barack Obama heads to Ohio to work on his.
Just 23 days until Election Day. Yes, we are counting; I bet you are, too. Well, next hour, we're going to talk to campaign insiders about what the candidates must do to close the deal.
In the mean time, you can always join the best political team on television for debate night in America. The final face-off for John McCain and Barack Obama. That's Wednesday night live from Hempstead, New York.
HOLMES: Now, Bill and Hillary Clinton, they are getting back out there on the campaign trail. It's a start of a high-profile -- effort by the Clintons to help Barack Obama in the final stretch before the election. Today they're in Scranton, Pennsylvania for a rally with Joe Biden. Both senators Clinton and Biden have ties to that working class town. Clinton's father lived there for several years and buried there. Biden was born in Scranton and lived there as a child.
Meanwhile, Sarah Palin, hockey mom, right? Look at the hockey mom, she's out there with the hockey puck. Last night, Philadelphia's Flyer's home opener against the New York Rangers, she got the drop that ceremonial puck.
Today, the Republican presidential candidate heads to Ohio for a late afternoon rally in St. Clairsville.
Well, whether there in Pennsylvania or Ohio, CNN has the Democratic and Republican candidates covered. Hear what they're telling voters in their own words, unfiltered. "BALLOT BOWL" airing this afternoon at 4:00 o'clock Eastern right here on CNN.
NGUYEN: Let's talk about North Korea because it says it will resume disabling its nuclear plant now that the United States has taken it off of the list of state-sponsored terrorism. The White House made that move yesterday after it said the two countries had agreed of several verification measures. And those measures include access to all of North Korea's nuclear facilities and restarting six-party talks.
At least 2,000 people told to evacuate after a chemical leak in a town of Petrolia, Pennsylvania. Well, they've been given the all-clear to return home. Federal environmental officials say the chemical cloud created by the spill around dinnertime last night has completely dissipated. There is no trace of the chemical mist anywhere, which is good news.
HOLMES: Well, Hurricane Norbert, sort of, or what once was, has weakened to a tropical storm after making landfall over mainland Mexico. At last check, the storm was about 140 miles southwest of --- let's see, where is it now? Weather watchers expert now Norbert to dump 46 inches of rain over parts of northwestern Mexico. Some places may see up to 10 inches of rain. That could cause flash floods or mud slides.
NGUYEN: Speaking of the weather, let's see how things are playing out around the nation. Reynolds Wolf has been watching that for us.
Yesterday, we were talking about Norbert.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, and we're still talking about Norbert, we're also talking about not just the rain that it's going to provide, but also some snow -- snow that we're going to see in parts of the northern plains, and perhaps north central Rockies. It can get pretty heavy at times.
We're going to begin, as I mentioned, with Norbert now is just a tropical storm, it is beginning to weaken, actually weakened considerably because it's away from its primary power source being that warm water in the, say, Pacific, or in this situation, the gulf of California. Now, as it moves a bit more to the northeast, it's going to provide some very heavy rainfall as T.J. mentioned moments ago; in some places, over 10 inches of rainfall. There's a threat for flash flooding and potential mudslides.
Now, in El Paso and back to, say, Van Horn, you're going to be dealing with some scattered showers, as far north as Albuquerque, some cloud (INAUDIBLE), but it looks like the heaviest rainfall is going to stay to your south.
Farther north we go, it is not going to be rain, but rather snow. We're going to see really pile up near Casper, Wyoming, Billings and even Great Falls, even Idaho Falls. The scattered snow showers are really going to intensify into the afternoon. Some places mainly north of Billings in the low lying areas, anywhere from seven to 14 inches snow fall, but in the highest peak near Idaho Falls and back over to west, Yellowstone, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, yes, it's going to be coming down like crazy, very heavy times, visibility very poor.
If you happen to be driving a high profile vehicle, not only that you'll have poor visibility but you're also going to have a lot of wind that maybe knocking the vehicle around. So, be careful.
Now, although we've got rough weather right in parts of the central plains and into parts of the northern Rockies, take a look at what we have for the eastern seaboard and into the Great Lakes. High pressure is building up, a southern (ph) breeze which is going to make for very mild conditions for parts of the Great Lakes.
Chicago today, big marathon, take a look at the high temperatures you can expect. Almost spring-like conditions with the high of 80 degrees, Nashville at 83. Atlanta, actually cooler than Chicago, the high today is 71 with a slight chance of scattered showers. That is a look at your forecast. Let's send it back to you guys.
NGUYEN: All right. Thank you, Reynolds.
WOLF: All right. Good times.
NGUYEN: Yes, as always with you. Making ends meet during a tough economy, though, that's not a good time. Some are returning to an age-old business venture.
HOLMES: Yes. Discounts store that's one thing, but a lot of people now, garage sales. That's the way to go.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, in this economy, just about all of us, are in need of cash. Some trying to make some, some trying to save some, but before you start digging around on those coach cushions, you might want to consider a garage sale.
Alice Gainer, with affiliate News 12 New Jersey takes us shopping.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE, NEWS 12 NEW JERSEY)
ALICE GAINER, NEWS 12 NEW JERSEY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Every garage sale in Edison, you can find just about anything. A snowboard, racks of clothing, DVDs and even Halloween costumes just in time for the holiday. But are people coming out in larger numbers to save a buck?
DAPHNE TARATUN, HOSTING GARAGE SALE: Hardcore garage sailors will come no matter what, because it's their hobby.
GAINER: Daphne Taratun has been having garage sales for 20 years. She says there are great way to get by especially now.
TARATUN: It's how they are able to live on a one income family like me. I go to garage sales every weekend because we're a one-income family, so that's the only way you can make ends meet. So, even before this happened.
GAINER: But even some garage sale enthusiasts are having to cut back on their bargaining. Daphne says one customer was so financially- stressed, she left empty-handed.
TARATUN: She looked at something that she actually didn't end up buying anything. I think she was too upset.
GAINER: But others say they're glad for the extra option of these almost discount discount stores.
SEVILLA LIMBITCO, METUCHEN, NEW JERSEY: You can buy things in small amount. Yes. You have no money to buy in the mall.
GAINER: You can come here.
LIMBITCO: Yes.
GAINER (on camera): Now, if you're thinking of having your own garage sale to make a few extra bucks during these tough times, Daphne has some advice.
TARATUN: They tend to price too high, and if they really want to sell what they have, they should just, you know, let it go at whatever price the person can afford because the main thing is to help other people out and to get rid of it yourself.
GAINER (voice-over): In Edison, Alice Gainer, News 12 New Jersey.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Secondhand ware is becoming really popular. In fact, Betty, the suit I'm wearing, you know...
NGUYEN: Yes?
HOLMES: Wolf Blitzer used to wear it when he covered the White House.
NGUYEN: I don't think it's the same size.
HOLMES: Yes, when he covers the White House, he used to wear this suit. So, thank you, Wolf.
NGUYEN: You (INAUDIBLE) down.
HOLMES: Yes, but next hour, we're going to introduce you to a business that is expanding while so many others are struggling right now. So, stick around for that.
NGUYEN: And, if you're unemployed right now and desperately seeking work, you might want to try a temp agency. Fort Wayne Labor Works in Indiana is one such company and it's been in business since 1988. Labor works provides general labor opportunities for almost anyone willing to show up to work. They also give you a ride to the job site. That's not a bad deal. And even cut you a paycheck the very same day.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, WPTA)
LARRY PAULEN, LABOR WORKS: We lease out our temporary employees to our clients who need to manage the picks in their workload. So not only do we put people out to work every day on a daily basis and pay them every day, but we also provide a cost effective labor solution to the business.
TONY WINSTON, WORKER: It's a great deal, being that, you have to take care -- I mean, in these times of need, you need something to take care of the bills.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Well, the manager at the Labor Works employment agency says he has seen an increase in people looking for work and he is happy to help.
HOLMES: All right.
Well, a reality TV star here in the U.S. is getting another real dose of reality -- actually going to Iraq to help children there with rare medical conditions. NGUYEN: And while there, he encounters as slice of life in Iraq that we rarely see.
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HOLMES: Well, some soldiers in Iraq asked a U.S. reality TV star to travel there and help children with the rare conditions. It turned into an eye-opening look and a slice of life in Baghdad that people rarely get to see.
NGUYEN: CNN's Josh Levs spoke with the star of the TLC show, "Little People, Big World."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Heading to a war zone to help people with the rare conditions, that's one U.S. reality TV star did.
MATT ROLOFF, "LITTLE PEOPLE, BIG WORLD" STAR: My unprofessional opinion is they have a grim prognosis without treatment.
LEVS: Matt Roloff, thanks so much for joining me.
ROLOFF: Well, thanks for having me.
LEVS: All right. So talk to me here. How did this happen that you took a trip to Baghdad?
ROLOFF: Well, a friend of mine was on patrol over there in the city of Baghdad, he's in the military and called me up and said, hey, came across a family that has like three little people and they're in desperate need of medical treatment and he sent me some photos and I'm kind of like, you know, what do you want me to do about it. And one thing led to another and I'm heading to Baghdad.
We hope that at some point we can get all of the procedures done in that they need to save their lives.
LEVS: Did you, as a little person, have security concerns that someone of average size might not have going into a war zone?
ROLOFF: Well, when that security consultant said, if that happens, run. I though, excuse me, but I'm going to have trouble with running. But, of course, I was amongst a lot of big top dudes over there and I just kept telling them, if anything happens, pick me up and carry me out.
UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER: (INAUDIBLE) on the way.
ROLOFF: Only emotionally.
LEVS: One thing that really strikes me about this video is we are seeing U.S. soldiers playing around with these Iraqi children, not something we see a lot.
ROLOFF: That was the most incredible thing to see, not just in this particular situation, but to see our soldiers aren't over there doing bang, bang, shoot them up, like we all think, you know. They're over there doing pencil drives to get kids' schools reopened up. And they're patrolling the neighborhood. It was amazing to me to see -- every time we went in the neighborhood -- the Iraqi kids would call these soldiers by their first names.
LEVS: The premiere episode in which we see this trip to Baghdad is Monday night at 8:00 o'clock on TLC. Hopefully, people will be watching CNN, but they can also TiVo it and watch your show later on.
Matt Roloff, thank you so much.
ROLOFF: Thank you. Thank you, Josh.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: That is great show. And he has such a wonderful family.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: I understand he's actually been back to Iraq to help some families, as well?
LEVS: He has. Apparently, during the fall season, we're going to see him make several trips to help these families. And he's trying to spread out his assistance to more people in Iraq.
NGUYEN: Oh, good.
LEVS: They don't have the same kinds of assistance that we do here in America for these families. So, they're really struggling. And you saw this family. They're living in a shack basically as he puts it. I mean, seriously impoverished and they need help.
So, part of what he's doing is trying to bring assistance from the United States, financial, medical, whatever he can do.
NGUYEN: And bring awareness.
HOLMES: And you talk about that assistance, a lot of people seeing this right now, wondering how they can help out, can they?
LEVS: They can. Yes, there are a couple organizations that are helping out, there's this Little People Association, and there's something called CoDA, which is basically is the agency for dwarfism in the United States. They're both have Web sites. And they're both doing some fundraising as I understand to assist his project in Iraq right now.
And he says we're going to keep hearing this throughout the season. And, you know, you can see, it is just really moving in seeing the soldiers how much they care about this family. Obviously, this (INAUDIBLE) right now to reach out and help this family and the others that are also being same (ph) situation there and around the world.
NGUYEN: Well, it is a great, great show and it's definitely a good cause what they're doing.
Thank you, Josh. We do appreciate that.
Back here in the U.S., debt free in 2010, do you think it is possible? You might want to guess again. We're going to meet a woman who now has financial freedom after owing thousands.
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ANNOUNCER: This is CNN: The news channel watched by more Americans. Now: Back to CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
NGUYEN: Look at this -- in Louisiana, more than 200 caskets and vaults were washed out of coastal cemeteries by Hurricane Ike last month. And since then, volunteers as well as parish officials have been trying to find them. They could use some help.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, KLFY)
CHARLES HUNTER, FORENSIC INVESTIGATOR: These people deserved to be buried in the rightful places. And it's hard, especially when and you have small crew going out every day and assess (ph) a number of caskets that are missing and things like that. You know, we're trying to do the best we can. But it gets aggravating because you expect the state and federal levels to come in and give us some assistance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: The governor's office has authorized the use of marsh buggies and whatever else is needed to recover the missing.
Well, evangelist Billy Graham is resting at home after being briefly hospitalized. Graham tripped and fell over one of his dogs Friday night at his home in western North Carolina The 89-year-old Graham did not suffer any broken bones, but his doctors says he is bruised and sore. He's expected, though, to make a full recovery.
HOLMES: No credit card bills, no I owe you's, nothing. What would that be like to be completely debt-free? Our Kate Bolduan report from Waldorf, Maryland on a woman who found financial freedom in 15 months.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Well, high anxiety and threatened economic panic spread throughout the country, Katrina Clements feels none of it.
KATRINA CLEMENTS, LIVING DEBT-FREE: It's carefree, but carefree with responsibility. Being able to actually breathe, to really, really smell the coffee, and smell the roses and not just look at it.
BOLDUAN: Ten years ago, Clements was $30,000 in debt holding about 100 credit cards with nowhere to turn. She finally found financial rescue in a surprising place, church.
With the help of this chorus of the First Baptist Church in Maryland, she was debt free in 15 months and remains so today. Weathering the current financial storm with ease because of what the class called "biblical financial principles."
CHARLES ELLERBE, FINANCIAL FREEDOM TEACHER: God tells us that life is cyclical, OK? Nothing is -- you're not going to be up all the time, you're not going to be down all the time. Life is cyclical. You have to prepare when life is good, knowing that the bad times are coming.
BOLDUAN: Clements worked out a deal with her credit card companies to pay down the debt. She also cut back to the bare necessities.
CLEMENTS: No more eating out. Simple things like coffee and Danish in the morning was a ritual that ceased.
BOLDUAN: It's the kind of discipline the former money watchman under the Clinton and Bush administration says the federal government desperately needs.
(on camera): It's not going to be easy, correct?
DAVID WALKER, FORMER U.S. COMPTROLLER: We have to get back to basics. We need to be able to re-establish tough budget controls. We need to reform Social Security, our tax system, our health care system.
BOLDUAN (voice-over): David Walker has been warning of the dangers of a debt-ridden government since he left office. He's now the star of a documentary on the topic called "I Owe USA."
WALKER: People need to understand how to budget; they need to prepare for a better tomorrow. And so does the United States government.
BOLDUAN: Clements says the road to debt freedom was long and tough. She made a credit collage as a reminder. And she hopes to serve as an example.
CLEMENTS: And a lot of people do try to keep with Joneses. But my advice to them is stop trying to keep with the Joneses because they're broke.
BOLDUAN: Kate Bolduan, CNN, Waldorf, Maryland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: So, what happens when you're driving down the road, all of a sudden you lose control and you head straight toward a gas station?
HOLMES: That doesn't sound like a good scenario.
NGUYEN: It's not.
HOLMES: But take a look here at what she's talking about. This driver, bam, that one right there, you see what happens there in this video. The gas pump crash and the fireball that followed. This all happened near Los Angeles.
Now, the driver actually suffered a seizure, lost control of that SUV and that's how this all happened. But would you believe, this lucky lady, not just bystanders are there to help her out and pull her out of the vehicle, they happen to be firefighters that help her out.
NGUYEN: My goodness, the timing.
HOLMES: Yes. She was rescued, only had minor injuries. But that video certainly tells the whole story.
NGUYEN: And talk about the wrong place at the wrong time, check this out. The wayward manatee, we like to call him Dennis, was found swimming in the frigid water off of Cape Cod and now wildlife officials says it has to go.
HOLMES: It's got to go. The water is too cold. Actually, manatees won't eat if they get too cold. I didn't know that. Reynolds probably did. But this young one was captured, has been sent south now, manatees usually found off the coast of Georgia and Florida.
NGUYEN: You know, it is October. We're heading into Halloween. And the great pumpkin search? Well, a Wisconsin man is taking his jack lantern on the road or on the waters, to being exact. Oh, my goodness, what is that?
HOLMES: Oh, my goodness.
NGUYEN: He's paddling on a carved out pumpkin 150 miles over eight days to raise money, this is good, for special needs kids.
HOLMES: OK, I thought he was just bored, OK? This is OK then. The pumpkin weighs 760 pounds before the carving. He has a chair in it as well as the heater. The charity he's involved with will send children on their own journeys of a lifetime. So...
NGUYEN: I didn't know you can use a pumpkin as a boat, though.
HOLMES: Now you do.
NGUYEN: Wow.
HOLMES: You got to find a big pumpkin though.
NGUYEN: A very large one.
HOLMES: Well, a voter registration scandal has been growing. Hundreds of forms filled out with the same handwriting, using phony addresses, some names of some Dallas Cowboys...
NGUYEN: Cowboys football players, yes.
HOLMES: Football players -- all kinds of stuff we'll be talking about.
NGUYEN: So, was -- here's the question: Was someone trying to steal the presidential election? We're going to investigate that.
First, "HOUSE CALL" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta starts right now.
