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CNN Sunday Morning
9/11 Islamic Center Imam Speaks; Tracking your Fitness Online; Craigslist Censors Adult Services; Attacks in Baghdad; Veterans Face a Tough Time Finding Work
Aired September 05, 2010 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
Suicide bombers today are going after a target in Baghdad, the same recruitment center where 48 were killed just two weeks ago. This attack comes four days after the U.S. formally handed over military's command. So, how are Iraqi security forces performing?
Also, news we are getting this morning about an American Peace Corps worker killed in Southern Africa, in South Africa specifically. This young man was 24 years old, called an exceptional volunteer, teacher, and coach. Those details ahead for you.
From the CNN Center, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Eight a.m. here in Atlanta, Georgia, where I sit; 3:00 p.m. in Baghdad.
Wherever you may be, glad you're right here. I'm T.J. Holmes. Thank you for joining us.
Let me give a look at some of the other stories that are making headlines today. If you are looking for the adults services section on Craigslist? It's not going to be there for you today. The site has been blocked. Craigslist not exactly explaining this move, but it could be a crucial first step in preparing its image.
Last week, attorneys general in 17 states accused Craigslist of doing little to prevent ads allegedly for prostitution and child sex trafficking. We are told by Craigslist they will have a statement about this later this week.
Also, BP has removed the blowout preventer -- you know, that thing that did not prevent a blowout. The piece of equipment has been removed from the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico now. It's going to be a key piece of evidence in the disaster investigation. The Justice Department has taken custody of it. Another blowout preventer was installed on Friday.
Also, in Guatemala, at least 17 people have been killed in landslides there. One of those landslides buried a bus on a highway. It killed 12 people. You're seeing some video of it here. Thousands of homes have been damaged by the mud and the heavy rains. A state of emergency has been declared.
Let's turn to Iraq now where seven Iraqis have been killed in suicide bombings this morning and at least 20 people are wounded. Our Arwa Damon is live there for us in Baghdad.
Arwa, explain to us why this is such a popular target for insurgents.
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, it's just not the specific center, this military base, that has been a popular and regular attack for insurgents, but it has been the largely Iraqi security forces as a whole. Plus, this specific location was said to have lax or not up to par security at it.
Remember, it was hit by a suicide bomber some three weeks ago during a recruitment drive where 48 would-be recruits were killed.
What we saw happening there today was that three suicide bombers tried to enter the military base. They were, however, this time stopped by the Iraqi security forces who opened fire on them. Two of the bombers detonated. The third one was wounded.
We are hearing that the death toll for now standing, at least seven people killed, amongst them four members of the Iraqi military.
Now, the prime minister has put the country on high alert on August 28th, saying that they uncovered a plot carried out -- intended to be carried out by al Qaeda and other groups -- T.J.
HOLMES: Arwa, it was just days ago we saw the formal hand over of military command from the U.S. to the Iraqis. So, a lot of people have on their mind: how are the Iraqis performing? It's only been a few days, but still, how have the Iraqis been performing? And what has the mood been like, not just practical sense of what's been happening on the ground as far as the attacks, but frankly, what's the mood of people there been like since the formal handover of command?
DAMON: People have been fairly tense, T.J. One of our colleagues here was telling us about how a few days before that actual handover, American's official end of its combat mission here, was to take place, he was driving around in a taxi cab in Baghdad and the driver had said to him that for a week to two weeks after the handover was going to happen, he was not going to leave his house just trying to wait and see how the situation actually plays out on the streets.
Iraqis, especially in Baghdad are very tense. They're very anxious. They are aware that the insurgency still maintains this ability to strike and to a certain degree, everyone feels as if perhaps this might be the calm before the storm, that something big lies ahead in their future.
From the Iraqi perspective, even though when we look at the daily death toll, the daily number of attacks that has, of course, decreased. But for the Iraqis, they keep talking about how they are constantly fearful when they go up to these check points and they're sitting in a traffic jam waiting to go through -- they are aware that that is a prime target. They're constantly looking around, trying to see if something suspicious is going on.
And so, while some of them do say that they did welcome this U.S. troop withdrawal, they are still very anxious about the ability of their own forces to perform. They're anxious about the future -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Arwa Damon for us live in Baghdad -- Arwa, we appreciate you as always.
We want to turn now to Chile, and now today marking a month that those miners have been trapped in a mine. Thirty-three of them have been trapped for a month now. The miners -- they are getting, however, words of encouragement from family members who spoke to their loved ones again yesterday, thanks to a video conference that was setup by the Chilean government. Also getting some moral support from four members of Uruguay's 1972 rugby team. They met to console the miner relatives yesterday. Those rugby players were stranded for more than 70 days in Andes Mountains after their plane crashed. Their survival story was hailed in both the novel and movie, "Alive."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUSTAVO ZERBINO, 1972 ANDES PLANE CRASH SURVIVOR (through translator): We need to ensure this never happens again. But it already has happened. And now, we need to get them out. That is the most important thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: All right. We want to turn now to Reynolds Wolf.
We have been talking for days about one thing and one thing only. We can move on now, right?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Yes, we can. Thanks, heavens.
And people can get on to a very good holiday weekend. It would be pretty nice.
HOLMES: Still, some holiday left in this weekend.
WOLF: They're still quite a bit. I mean, there are some people that obviously are not crazy to work this morning.
HOLMES: Yes.
WOLF: Yes -- or tomorrow. And those folks are going to enjoy some really nice weather. Some places we might actually see a little few rain drops, actually some snow also in parts of the Rockies.
HOLMES: Snow?
WOLF: Snow in the Rockies. We're going to talk about that coming up in a few moments.
First, let's start up with what we have in the tropics. We've got Earl gone, but look at this, we still have some possible development. We've got the remnants of Gaston. We also have another wave. It's leaving the African coast. We're going to watch both of these over the next couple of days.
This storm, what's left of it, Gaston may actually reemerge back into possibly the Caribbean and may become Gaston again. Something we need to watch very carefully.
You know, this is the time of the year, from now all the way through November, where things tend to get a little bit interesting out in the tropics. So, certainly we need to keep an eye out.
We're also keeping an eye on some scattered showers up in parts of the Northern Plains -- something too heavy right now as we make our way back over towards parts of the Rockies. Later on, though, that cold air interacting with that moisture may give us some rainfall and rainfall also possible in parts of Florida as we have that colliding sea breeze, and the daytime heating combined with that stationary front that's right across in the I-75 and I-4 corridors as we might see some rain into the afternoon.
Your stationary front is not going to be a big deal obviously in the rest in the Southeast because this dome of high pressure is going to move in, very stable conditions there, back into the Rockies, especially up in Yellowstone. By late afternoon, we might see a few scattered snow showers. Same deal for Glacier National Park for anyone who's spending holidays up there.
Also, on the West Coast, it looks good. But we have a lull developing up in the Gulf of Alaska, very big waves expected off the coast of California. So, anyone skiing or -- skiing, I mean, surfing off the California coastline, should have great conditions. No question out there.
But a little bit on a cool side. Wet suits are going to be needed out there. And also, in San Francisco, the fog should lift by midday, sixty-nine is the expected high -- 81 in Los Angeles, 109 in Phoenix. For Dallas and Houston, it's still kind of muggy for you -- 93 degrees in Dallas, Houston with 91, 86 in Kansas City, 77 in Chicago, nice breeze up the lake for the afternoon, 77 in Boston and 88 in Tampa, Atlanta with 84 degrees.
Anytime you get 84 degrees in Atlanta this time of year is a good thing. Unfortunately, about a later on the week, the humidity is going to return to the Southeast, and the temperatures will be back in the 90s.
So, let's enjoy it while we can, T.J.
HOLMES: That's the key, the humidity. It was great yesterday. Almost feel like --
WOLF: Unbelievable. It really did.
HOLMES: All right. Reynolds, we appreciate you as always, buddy. Talk to you again here shortly.
WOLF: You bet. HOLMES: Well, the latest job numbers came out just two days ago and getting some mixed reactions. We're going to show you the latest numbers and why there might be some good news in the job market for this country's veterans.
It's eight minutes past the hour here on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, 10 minutes past the hour here on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
The August jobs report shows that unemployment increased slightly to 9.6 percent, up from 9.5 the previous month. But businesses added more jobs than expected and eased some fears about a double dip recession.
The private sector actually 67,000 jobs in August. A lot of those were in health care and food services. But there were also layoffs from the Census, so the government had to get rid of a lot of workers. So, overall the economy lost 54,000 jobs -- but again, the all important marker of the private sector adding 67,000 jobs.
Some of the statistics have an impact as well on the veterans who are returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Our Josh Levs looks at those numbers for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We have been talking a lot about veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan wars having a lot of trouble getting jobs, even more than the national average, which is why I was stunned by this yesterday.
I think we have a chart that lays it out for you. But the basic idea here is that unemployment among people who served in Iraq and Afghanistan had been up near 15 percent earlier this year. It's been in the 12s, and the 13s. And then it comes out yesterday, it's a little over 9 percent, at 9.4 percent.
Now, that is a big drop in unemployment. For our nation's veterans, those who are the most recent veterans, those who have been serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, a little bit of good news right there.
Now, that said, unemployment is still way to high for everyone, including for veterans. It's a sign of the times that I'm seeing 9.4 percent for any group as being a good thing.
I will also tell you that we can't read too much into those latest numbers. We would like to believe it means that more members of our military who are home now are managing to get jobs, it could mean that. But because of the way they calculate these things, it could also mean more people have been giving up looking for work, or as "Navy Times" pointed out, it could be a statistical anomaly. What we need to do is watch in the coming months and see if indeed more and more of these recent veterans are managing to get jobs and that would be very good news.
Now, there are a few things you should know about that I got on my screen behind me right there -- and that's what is going on in Congress to try to help people who have been serving, who are home now looking for jobs. I'm going to tell you these three things that are going on right now. One is a work opportunity tax credit. Business folks out there, pay attention to this. You get $2,400 for hiring veterans, $4,800 for hiring disabled veterans.
Some lawmakers now are pushing to extend this. It would expire at the end of this year.
And tow things in the pipeline that have not passed yet. One is the Veterans Employment Act, to provide job training and placement services. And another one is an Educational Assistance Act that would help members of our military who have been serving who are now home trying to figure out how to take the skills they have, translate them into practicable skills that will work for all sorts of jobs. And that act could potentially help. So, we'll see how well that does in Congress.
Last thing to tell you: if you are one of these people and you are a member of the military who's home now, a veteran, looking for work, there's a handful of Web sites that can help you a lot. And I posted them at Facebook and Twitter. So, here are my addresses, JoshLevsCNN. I have the links all set up for you. If you got a loved one who's a member of the military, who's home now as a veteran, looking for work, a series of Web sites designed especially for that group hopefully could help.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And we have less than three months to go now until the midterm elections. No holiday for the president this week.
Tomorrow, the president is going to be speaking with workers and their families in Milwaukee at a celebration to recognize organized labor.
And then on Tuesday, the president is going to be welcoming the NATO secretary general to the White House.
And then Wednesday the president is heading to Cleveland, Ohio, going to be talking about the economy and his plans to speed up recovery from a recession.
Then Thursday, the president is going to be attending meetings at the White House.
And then Friday, President Obama holding a news conference at the White House, and you can imagine a lot of questions about the economy among other topics.
Well, you go into your pharmacy just trying to pick up your prescription, and the next thing you know, bullets start flying. We will explain to you what happened in this particular shootout, and how it didn't end there.
It's 14 minutes past the hour. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right, all aboard this week. Well, just about four of us, though. We are going on the CNN Election Express bus heading out this week. I will be on that bus, along with John King, Gloria Borger, and our Jessica Yellin.
We are checking out the important races, and some important states as well -- not to put down any other states -- but these are some battleground states.
We're going to be stopping first in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We will be there live, first thing tomorrow morning -- moving on from there to Tuesday, in Columbus, Ohio. And then Wednesday, we're coming to see you folks in Covington, Kentucky. And then Indianapolis by all means -- make us a meal, would you? On Thursday, we'll be rolling into to your town. You can tune in all week this week for our reports from the road.
And like I said, making some stops in Ohio, that's certainly considered a political crossroad. The issues that matter to you are the same ones that matter to them there. My producer that I'm going to be working with, he's already made his way out on the road and caught up with some folks in Ohio.
Here are their concerns:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just think Ohio is a state that people look at because it has a huge mixed in one state.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I now hate politics.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're going to talk to different people and everybody is going to have different thoughts.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hard for me to figure out because I grew up in a very Republican family.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just too much plurality.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Sarah Palins is not part of what I want to be represented by.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I left -- I stopped like following it altogether because I think it's such a load of crap.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll certainly see some Republican candidates come out ahead, you know, good, strong, candidates, and I think -- and I think we're going to have a good run for it here in November. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jobs need to be brought back to America. I see that part. I don't see anything now. I've got a nice hat that says, you know, my boss is Jesus, and when I look inside and I look at the label, it says, "made in China." OK, where is "made in the USA" at?
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
HOLMES: Just a sample of what we expect to hear next week on the road. Again, the CNN Election Express kicking off CNN's midterm election coverage starting tomorrow morning.
It's 18 minutes past the hour here on the CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Quick break -- coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: At 19 minutes past the hour, take a look at some of the stories making headlines.
Take a look at that. This was a pretty massive fire on New York's 57th Street pier. This is on the Hudson River. Just broke out around 3:30 yesterday afternoon. Thanks to one of the iReporters who happened to be on the scene.
You could see a lot of people checking this out, all but smoke up into the air. A lot of firefighters showed up to battle this fire, but still, trying to figure out exactly what caused it. It's under investigation, but no word of any injuries associated with it.
Also, one man is dead. Another in critical condition after a small plane crash crashed in front of a car dealership in Florida. Witnesses say the plane hit power lines before it crashed on to East International Speed Boulevard. This happened on Saturday.
Also, I want to give you an update about a shootout that took place at a pharmacy in Sacramento, California. This was on Thursday. You are seeing some surveillance video of a person that police say was the suspect in this case.
Now, in that shootout at the pharmacy, a pregnant woman was wounded. Another person was killed. The gunman shouted out with an employee who happened to be armed at that pharmacy.
Well, you are seeing video of what we saw, the follow-up, the man, the suspect, surrendered to the police after a standoff at a nearby home. This was yesterday. The search is now on for other suspects who actually got away.
Well, one of our favorite segments here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. We get to check in with Carl Azuz. He's keeping an eye on what the students out there are keeping an eye on. He's up next. So, heads up, pencils down, "Extra Credit" is coming up next.
It's 20 past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HOLMES: Carl, you get the good open.
CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS: I love it.
HOLMES: You get the good graphics. This is great animation.
I'm here with Carl Azuz. We're wrapping up this week. The CNN had -- and a week-long.
And these were fun to watch, quite frankly, and a little depressing a little bit because we are highlighting, unfortunately, so much of what is wrong. We are trying to fix a lot of the schools. And a part of it, you went and talked to some kids who have some good ides quite frankly.
AZUZ: Excellent ideas. I spoke with about 11 students, all juniors and seniors high school students here in the state of Georgia -- some of the state's brightest.
And one of the thing that impressed me about these students was, they are engaged. These aren't the slackers that I used to hangout with in high school, T.J.
HOLMES: Were you one of those slackers?
(CROSSTALK)
AZUZ: I just hung out with them.
HOLMES: Just hung out with them, OK.
AZUZ: I set a good example for them.
HOLMES: Clearly.
AZUZ: But these students now, they're engaged in their education. In some sense is they actually want more out of their education than what they're getting. And I want you to see if you can hear a chord of frustration in their voices when they talk about some of the budget cuts they've seen in their schools.
Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
AZUZ: What one thing could best help fix American schools?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At my school, they lessened up the teachers. I think that was the worst idea ever. To take out teachers, that means that we have more kids in the classroom, which means that the teachers can't pay attention to all students (ph) any time. We're not rushing to get into the class anymore before the bell rings. We're rushing to get a seat.
We're going to need that, you know, one on one attention. I know we need the state money, but we definitely need to pay attention to education, because I think that's what comes first.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I also think, if you cut education, you're really cutting from the future generation. I think it's a very selfish move to do in the first place.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
AZUZ: And I would not say that these students understood that in a recession, there are going to be some things that need to be cut. The problem for them is: the first place many of them see it is in there schools. And when you have a group that cares about their education, you can understand why that so much of a problem.
HOLMES: We should all be caring about the education. That's amazing. I don't think anyone in this country would object to increased taxes if we knew those taxes was going directly towards those students.
AZUZ: Correct.
HOLMES: Who are these kids, by the way? I've been so impressed by the students you've been talking to. These just the regular knuckleheads you and I were used to hang out with? Who are these kids?
AZUZ: Not quite. These students are members of 21st Century Leaders, which is an organization that fosters leadership. They've been nominated by their teachers for the program. They've gone through an interview process. So, they're brought in from all over from the state of Georgia to participate in this program.
And CNN Student News as partners with the 21 Century Leaders, which is why I was able to -- which is why I had the privilege to sit down and talk to them.
HOLMES: Again, you are a big part of the "Fix Hour Schools" segments we did all week long. Great way to wrap it up. I'm seeing this week with you as well, and looking forward to what you have next for us, my man.
AZUZ: Thanks very much, T.J.
HOLMES: Carl Azuz, always good to have you. Always good to have you.
AZUZ: Thank you.
HOLMES: Well, coming up here: a quick look at our top stories when we come back. And also, he's at the center of the controversy surrounding the proposed Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero. We're going to be hearing from the imam behind the center. It's coming up in our "Faces of Faith."
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Coming up on the bottom of the hour here now. Welcome back, everybody, to this CNN SUNDAY MORNING. I'm T. J. Holmes.
I want to give you a look at some of stories that are making headlines right now.
BP has removed that blowout preventer, you know, the thing that didn't prevent the blowout that could have possibly stopped the whole Gulf oil disaster. Yes, it failed and now, it is a piece of key evidence in the disaster investigation. The Justice Department has actually taken custody of it and another blowout preventer has been installed.
Also, I want to give you an update about a shootout we reported on at a pharmacy in Sacramento, California. The shootout happened on Thursday. And a pregnant woman was wounded and another person killed in that shootout. It was a shootout between the person trying to rob the place and also, an armed employee.
Well, that suspect did surrender to police. This was yesterday and this is part of the standoff that happened at a nearby home. The search is now on for another suspect who got away.
Also, sad news out of South Africa where an American Peace Corps worker has been killed, this was in Lesotho. The investigation is under way but they believe this was a possible robbery. The man's name was Thomas Moresco (ph), he was called an exceptional volunteer, teacher and coach. He was 24 years old.
And now we turn to our "Faces of Faith" segment this morning. The imam behind the controversial Islamic center and mosque proposed near the 9/11 site has toured the Middle East and it's been going on in the middle while the protest over the planned mosque over the past few weeks.
Our Muhammad Jamjun is in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates with this morning's "Faces of Faith".
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MUHAMMAD JAMJUN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He may be making headlines in the U.S., but in the Middle East, the imam behind the controversial mosque and Islamic center near New York's Ground Zero was mostly unknown, until he toured the region as part of a U.S. State Department-sponsored outreach program.
PEOPLE: No mosque here. No mosque here.
JAMJUN: In the past few weeks as protests for and against the center were raging in the U.S., Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf visited Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates sharing his experiences of being a Muslim in the U.S.
In an interview with Dubai TV, Rauf said that despite the firestorm, he was committed to working for peace.
IMAM FEISAL ABDUL RAUF, AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR MUSLIM ADVANCEMENT: It's unfortunate that there are those who have sought for other purposes to -- for other agendas to -- politicize such a project and to make it a cause of division rather than healing.
JAMJUN: In the U.A.E., many residents have mixed reactions to the controversy.
AHMAD ISMAIL, EGYPTIAN CITIZEN: I think it's somehow understandable that some -- some people in America might feel this way, but at the same time, I think it's -- it's a shame that a country like the U.S. that has -- has been built on migration and inclusiveness to be so intolerant and so -- xenophobic in a way.
JAMJUN: Others express opinions similar to the opponents of the community center. Saying, it's simply too close to the site of the 9/11 terror attacks.
LAMA, JORDANIAN CITIZEN: Building a mosque, especially a mosque in this particular part of the state, maybe it creates a conflict between populations. So I disagree with building a mosque in this particular place. They can build the biggest mosque ever anywhere except this area.
JAMJUN: One Emirati citizen sees the imam's visit as a big step in the right direction.
SEIF OBAID, EMIRATI CITIZEN (through translator): It was a great idea if he was sent here by the American government. This means they want to improve relations with Muslims.
JAMJUN: But New York-born Muslim American Jamal Abdul Malik who attended Imam Rauf's lecture in Dubai believes anti-Islamic sentiment has existed in the U.S. for a while now, and he is discouraged.
JAMAL ABDUL MALIK, AMERICAN CITIZEN: This is my country. I have been born and raised there. Grandfather, and great grandfather, and great, great, grandfather. I mean, I'm American, and I don't like what I'm seeing happening to my country.
JAMJUN: In his lecture at the Dubai School of Government, Imam Rauf was asked repeatedly about the controversy, but chose his words carefully focusing more on the importance of inner faith dialogue rather than the intense scrutiny he has come under as of late.
He even recollected that he, like many other Muslims, had found his faith in the U.S.
RAUF: We are after all a nation of -- of immigrants, a nation that was established for the purpose of religious freedom and to protect such freedoms.
JAMJUN: A message he hopes will find resonance in his adopted homeland and beyond.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JAMJUN: And T.J., while the real purpose of this U.S. State Department-sponsored trip, was for Imam Rauf to discuss what's it's like being a Muslim in the U.S. at every stop along the way as you can imagine, he was asked more about the controversy surrounding the planned Islamic center and mosque.
Now, what he continued to say throughout the trip was that being a Muslim in the U.S., you are protected by the U.S. Constitution and that the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence protected the rights of Muslims much more than some of the regimes in the Islamic countries here in the region.
He did not weigh too deeply in the controversy surrounding the mosque and Islamic center, but he did try to say that he was committed to working for peace and insisted that he would continue to work for peace until the end of his days -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right, Muhammad Jamjun for us this morning. Muhammad, always good to see you. Thank you so much.
Well, more than a billion Muslims across the world is going to be observing the month of Ramadan. Have been doing so, the 9th month in the Islamic calendar and Soumaya Khalifa is joining us and being a part of the conversation this morning. She is the executive director for the Islamic Speaker's Bureau here in Atlanta. Ma'am thank you so much for being here.
I'm going to start with what you just heard Muhammad say there, that the imam was traveling around and trying to help people understand what it's like to be a Muslim in America. What is that like to be a Muslim in America today?
SOUMAYA KHALIFA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ISLAMIC SPEAKERS BUREAU OF ATLANTA: I think Muslims in America are very lucky in certain aspects and they have challenges in other aspects.
As the reporter mentioned, the Muslims are protected under our Constitution, the freedom of religion. So Muslims -- American Muslims are free to practice their religion, probably more here than anywhere else around the world.
HOLMES: You talked about the challenges --
KHALIFA: Yes.
HOLMES: -- some challenges, are those starting to become more difficult in these current climate that were in?
KHALIFA: I think they are, I believe Muslims are caught between two right wing ideologies, that of the terrorists and that of our right- wingers. And so the Muslims in the continental (ph) are saying for the terrorists, you don't represent us. This is not the spirit of Islam. Islam respects human lives and respects people.
And then for the right-wing people, it's bashing, bigotry against people, demonizing our religion and people that belong to that religion.
So both of them are -- are really extreme from the Muslim, mainstream majority Muslims are fighting both ends. HOLMES: Now, you mentioned right wingers there, do you find that -- or there is -- would you call it hatred or more so fear and ignorance, And by ignorance, I just mean people don't understand and don't know you and don't know Islam, so is it more so just fear or would you say there is actual hatred?
KHALIFA: I think there is both. A lot of it is not knowing and not being educated, but there is -- there is one -- a part of the population that just hates.
HOLMES: What do you expect this September 11th anniversary to be like? It's a time where we are used to stopping for a moment and remembering those victims, but because of this climate now surrounding the proposed Islamic center and mosque, what do you expect to see on this September 11th anniversary now?
KHALIFA: I think as Americans, as human beings we need to all come together and condemn what happened and turn a page and look at the future and see how can we work together to build our country and to build a more peaceful world.
We have so many issues going on around in our country that really impact us, such as -- not enough jobs, the economy. All of those things, fighting poverty, finding places for the homeless. So we need to concentrate on those things and it means everyone working together and pulling together to make that happen for our countries -- our country and our communities.
HOLMES: Last thing, wrapping up the Muslim holy month, with Eid (ph) it's going to be falling at the end of this week very close to September 11th. What is the rest of the country -- this an opportunity for us all to understand Islam a little better?
What can people expect to see Muslims in this country doing on Eid as we wrap up the Muslim -- Muslim holy month?
KHALIFA: And before we talk about I need to -- on September 11th, Muslims around the country are going to be working on a project that is called Muslims Serve, where Muslims around the country will be volunteering to clean up parks, to feed the hungry, to do all kinds of community service for -- for our fellow American citizens, our friends and family.
In terms of what Muslims are going to be doing in the Eid, they will be going to congregational prayers, they will be visiting each other, wearing new clothes, buying gifts for each other and basically celebrating their accomplishment of fasting the whole month or Ramadan.
HOLMES: All right, Soumaya Khalifa, we appreciate you coming in. Again, a big week for this country, a big week for Muslims of course in this country and around the world as well. But we appreciate you taking some time out on this Sunday being a part of our conversations.
KHALIFA: Thank you T.J.
HOLMES: It's good to have you here.
But we're going to take a quick break here at 38 minutes past the hour.
And we're right back.
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HOLMES: All right, 40 minutes past the hour. "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley is coming up in just a moment and as always proudly here serving as the warm up act to Candy Crowley.
Candy, it's so good to see you as always. Any chance, are you talking about the economy this morning?
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": I must say yes.
HOLMES: Yes.
CROWLEY: Is there any chance we'll talk about something else? Maybe, but yes. Yes -- look, it's Labor Day.
HOLMES: Yes.
CROWLEY: We're -- we're looking at a 9.6 percent unemployment rate. It's kind of a "give me" that at this point that's where you're going. Particularly since by the way Labor Day is the kickoff generally for fall election.
So it is getting certainly to a very crucial point particularly for Democrats who increasingly are looking at these poll numbers and are out in their home districts not liking what they see or hear.
HOLMES: Our Ali Velshi was talking to me this week about that 9.6 percent, he said to ignore it. But most people hear that the unemployment rate went up and hear 9.6 percent and that's bad. Is that a tough sell for the President to try to get people to look a little deeper into the numbers and pluck out the good news when you hear the rate went up and it's 9.6 percent?
CROWLEY: Listen, I think if you are going to vote for the President and his party, you're listening to that argument. I think if you are unemployed or if you are a Republican or has no intention of voting Democratic, that you are going to say, well, wait a minute, what about this 9.6 percent?
I think that the 9.6 percent is a symbol. It is not just and by the way this is about 15 million Americans, but it is not just about that figure, it is about the feel of things. And increasingly we saw this point early summer where it looked as though the economy was improving and increasingly there is this feeling out there that it is now getting worse. We have to talk about the double dip recession and that kind of thing.
So I think it just becomes emblematic and it's one of those statistics that people get. It's not one of those, you know, Gross Domestic Product figures that you're not --
HOLMES: Yes.
CROWLEY: -- really sure what that includes.
But if you say, look, 9.6 percent of the workforce is unemployed. That means something. So does it mean anything in the terms of the actual facts of unemployment? Probably not, I bow to Ali on that, he knows a lot more than I do.
But symbolically and politically, it means a lot.
HOLMES: All right, well, don't think for a second as well that Ali knows more than you do, you give him too much credit.
But as we kickoff this campaign season, we've got the Election Express bus rolling out tomorrow as well. What are these Democrats going to be running on? I assume they are not necessarily going to be running on the President's coattails, if you will?
CROWLEY: No, I think there's one thing and -- it's not just this President. Most presidents in mid terms don't have big coattails, and in fact, they tend to be more of a drag. And this President maybe -- well, increasingly what you're going to see particularly in these hard-fought districts, because let's face it, most of the districts are pretty well settled. They're either very Democratic or very Republican.
So we're looking at less than 100 seats where the balance of the House hangs. So what you are going to be seeing and what you're already seeing are Democrats running their own race. As in they're not going to run on health care, that's been a problem for many, particularly in swing districts, they can't run on the economy they don't feel.
What can they run on, what's wrong with their opponent, they can run on local issues, is that old Tipp O'Neill all politics as local, sometimes it is. This is where Democrats really want to make it about their district and -- and their view of what they can do for their district, not about politics as a whole across the country.
HOLMES: And who do you have this morning?
CROWLEY: This morning, Richard Trumka (ph), who as you know is a head of the AFL/CIO and Todd McCracken (ph), a head of a head of a National Small Business Association, trying to figure out a way of what they think would help move the economy and get some of those people employed.
HOLMES: All right. Candy coming your way in just about 16 minutes. Candy, always --
CROWLEY: Yes.
HOLMES: -- good to see you. We'll see you throughout the week as well as we're kicking off this political coverage. But you can check out Candy Crowley in just about 16 minutes, coming up at the top of the hour, 9:00 a.m. Eastern, 6:00 a.m. Pacific.
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HOLMES: Climb aboard the CNN election express hitting the road tomorrow. I will be aboard. We are heading to your town this week if you live in particular towns, of course. We are focusing on important races and issues out there.
First stop, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We will see you shortly starting our live coverage today or tomorrow; me along with Gloria Borger, John King and also Jessica Yellin will be aboard. And Tuesday, we are moving on to Columbus, Ohio. Covington, Kentucky, we will see you on Wednesday. And in Indianapolis, we will see you on Thursday. Tune in all week for our live reports as we kick off our mid-term election coverage.
Many people out there now turning to the Internet to help stay fit; you can find everything out there from nutritious meal planning to a virtual trainer online.
My doctor, Sanjay Gupta, examined some Web sites that help you keep track of your health.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: We live our lives online these days. We buy plane tickets, we pay bills, so why not fitness?
ROBERT DOTHARD, FITNESS EXPERT: When people want help, a lot of times the Internet is the best way to search for it. And if you can get that help immediately online, that's great.
GUPTA: So we put some of our "Fit Nation" experts on the hunt to look at some of the latest and greatest online fitness tools. Check out the Fit Orbit, a real life fitness trainer on line.
DOTHARD: I love the fact that you can pick the type of activity level you're in whether you have a desk, whether you're a frequent traveller
GUPTA: Your Fit Orbit trainer can adjust your fitness goals on a daily basis, and keep tracking your nutrition. The biggest downside?
DOTHARD: Once it's online, the intensity can be removed a little bit.
GUPTA: Next, if you're in the mood to run, G-map Speedometer. It's a cool free tool from Google.
DOTHARD: For a business traveller, it's great. As you travel, you map out your course, you see the distance and I guess once you check weather, you are good to go.
GUPTA: If nutrition is more your focus, check out a new online meal plan tool called Sensei.
CHERYL WILLIAMS, CLINICAL NUTRITIONIST, EMORY UNIVERSITY: Users have the option of choosing from frozen dinners, fast-food, and home-cooked meals. And each of those meal type options, there is an emphasis on healthy food choices.
GUPTA: The plan comes complete with recipes, shopping list and a cost per meal calculator. But if all you need is a little inspiration, a free health tips e-mail service called Healthy Mondays may be your one stop shop.
WILLIAMS: It really focuses on promoting small sustainable changes. Overall I think Health Mondays is a great program we can use in conjunction with other well initiatives.
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Forty-eight minutes past the hour. Quick break here on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING, then we're right back.
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HOLMES: Fifty-one minutes past the hour now.
Adult services censored now on Craigslist. Users across the country finding the link blocked with a bar that simply says, "Censored" on it. Craigslist not explaining the move just yet, saying instead that they will release a statement about this later this week, but it could be a crucial first step in repairing Craigslist image after repeated criticism that it promotes prostitution and child sex trafficking.
Our Amber Lyon caught up with the founder of Craigslist and confronted him not long ago in this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMBER LYON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): One of the big things going on with Craigslist right now is they're saying that they're monitoring all these ads that come through on adult services to check to see if any of these girls are underage or young.
So we put some words in here, "sweet," "innocent," "new girl"; and we're going to see what happens. We'll see if Craigslist is going to let our ad post. We'll also see what kind of calls we get.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw your ad on Craigslist.
LYON: Hello?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. What's your donation for an hour in-call?
LYON: So what is that now? We've had 15 calls, and the ad has only been up for three hours. Fifteen calls in three hours.
(voice-over): Craigslist says its staff manually screens all of these adult services ads and will reject any that make it look or sound like you're selling sex. That may not be easy, but when we looked through the ads, most of them were pretty blatant.
The Fair Fund investigates juvenile trafficking.
ANDREA POWELL, FAIR FUND: And most of the young people that we've worked with who have been exploited online, talk about Craigslist. They don't talk about the other sites. Craigslist is like the Wal- Mart of online sex trafficking.
LYON (on camera): So we're here at George Washington University, and we just found out that Craig Newmark, he's the founder of Craigslist, he's going to be speaking here today at a tech conference. He doesn't know we're coming. He's been very media shy lately about all of these allegations against him.
This guy is the Craig in Craigslist. It's his list.
So can people trust that children are not being sex trafficked on Craigslist?
CRAIG NEWMARK, FOUNDER, CRAIGSLIST: I think we explained that pretty thoroughly in our blog.
LYON: That's where Jim Buckmaster says that you will --
NEWMARK: Yes.
LYON: -- immediately contact law enforcement if you suspect any ad --
NEWMARK: Jim does a great job showing that we do more than anyone in this area; pretty good for a community of 50 million people.
LYON: This is inspector Brian Bray with the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. He's also in charge of the prostitution enforcement unit.
In Craigslist's blog they say that they're going to immediately contact law enforcement any time they see a suspicious ad. And you say you've never been contacted by them?
BRIAN BRAY, D.C. METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: That's correct. If they're -- if they're notifying, I'm not sure if they're notifying the right people because we're not getting the call.
LYON: What are you guys doing to protect these girls?
You guys say in the blog that you will remove any ad that looks like the person might be suggesting they're going to offer sex. Look at this ad. It says, "Young, sexy, sweet and bubbly." Clearly here, she writes "$250 an hour." I mean, what do you think she's selling in her bra and underwear, a dinner date? And she's in her bra and underwear.
NEWMARK: Have you reported this to us?
LYON: What are you guys doing? But you guys say you screen all these ads manually on your blog.
NEWMARK: Have you -- I've never -- I don't know what this is. LYON: But in Jim Buckmaster's blog, he says these are being screened.
NEWMARK: Have you reported this to us?
LYON: Why do I have the responsibility to report this to you when it's your Web site? You're the one posting this online.
I just want to know -- I mean -- OK.
It's just that we've run into a lot of victims and a lot of advocates that pretty much call your site the Wal-Mart of child sex trafficking.
(voice-over): In 2008, Craigslist agreed to report any suspicious ads to the Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which works with police to find and rescue trafficking victims. Two years and hundreds of thousands of sketchy ads later, the center says Craigslist has reported fewer than 100.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, Craigslist has not yet released an official explanation of what we are seeing on the Web site, but company reps do tell us that they expect to send out a statement sometime this next week.
Five minutes to the top of the hour. Quick break, right back, we'll look at some of the top stories.
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HOLMES: Candy Crowley coming your way in just about 45 seconds. First a look at a couple of stories that we've been keeping an eye on this morning.
Iraq's interior ministry says at least seven people were killed and another 21 injured in a coordinated suicide attack targeting an Iraqi military base earlier today. The same base where 48 people died in a bomb attack just over two weeks ago.
Also, New York City -- take a look at this picture -- fire at the 57th street pier, burned a couple of sanitation trucks and also charred parts of the wooden pier. Nobody hurt here. The cause of that fire is now under investigation.
As always, we appreciate you being here with us on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend.
Right now, though, I want to give you Candy Crowley and "STATE OF THE UNION".
