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CNN Sunday Morning
Heavy Gunfire Heard in Tripoli; Tracking Tropical Storm Irene; Shots Fired Outside Soccer Game
Aired August 21, 2011 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: From CNN Center, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Eight a.m. on the East Coast, 7:00 in the Midwest, 5:00 a.m. in the West.
Good morning, everybody. Thanks for joining us. I'm Alina Cho. T.J. Holmes is off this morning.
Here's a look at what's coming up:
Rebels in Libya celebrate gains they say they are making in the capital of Tripoli. Government officials call rebel claims lies. We'll have a live report just ahead.
And take a look at this: we are tracking tropical storm Irene. There is a chance the storm could affect the U.S. We'll tell you where it's headed.
And a soccer team scattered for safety after gun shots ring out in Mexico, sending crowds ducking for cover. We'll show you what happened and what sparked it.
But we begin in Libya -- and reports from our correspondents this morning of ferocious gun battles overnight in Tripoli, the capital city. Moammar Gadhafi's government and the rebels are offering very different takes on what's going on there. Opposition leaders say they've taken their revolution into Tripoli's neighborhoods. This video is from another city just about 30 miles from Tripoli.
One of Gadhafi sons says the rebels are losing every battle.
Our people there are hearing sporadic gunfire in several areas this morning.
Also, a senior U.S. administration person says Obama has been briefed on the situation in Libya from his vacation spot.
One of Gadhafi's sons went on Libyan state television and declared there will be no surrender.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAIF GADHAFI, MOAMMAR GADHAFI'S SON (through translator): The raising of the white flag, we will not talk about. It is rejected completely, and it is not because of Moammar or Gadhafi, Saif al- Islam. This is rejected by the people of Libya. (END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: I want to get the details now from our man on the ground, Matthew Chance, senior international correspondent with CNN.
Matthew, what else are we hearing from the Libyan government?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we had a press conference in the last couple of minutes with the government spokesperson saying that essentially that the NATO has been stepping up the air campaign in Tripoli and on the outskirts of Tripoli preparing, opening the roads, he said, for rebels to try and enter the city. But he also warned that Tripoli was protected by thousands upon thousands of professional soldiers, ready to defend the city. He also said there were volunteers alongside them.
There's some interesting video overnight from Al Libya television, the state's television, one of the state television channels here in the country. You see one of the hosts, one of the anchors of an overnight television broadcast brandishing a gun. There were reports that there was gun fire outside of the headquarters of that television station, and she said that the staff inside the state television would kill or be killed. They vowed to defend the station and to defend Tripoli.
So, this is the kind of rhetoric, this is the kind of defiant words that we have been hearing from Colonel Gadhafi, from his son, and as we've seen there, from even the state broadcasters in this country -- Alina.
CHO: Matthew, you said that things have changed pretty dramatically over the past 24 hours. Explain that for us.
CHANCE: Well, yesterday, Tripoli was fairly quiet. It was very stable. We were talking about the fighting that was raging elsewhere in the country, particularly to the west, 30 miles to west, in Zawiya, where there was that battle under way for that very strategically important town which controls the main road into Tripoli. That battle, as far as we can make out from our vantage point here, is essentially over. The rebels have established some majority control of that city, at least and perhaps they have control, by this point, over the whole of it, I don't know. We'll have to speak to the other team about that.
But certainly, what's happened since that rebel advance is that all hell broke loose essentially in Tripoli. There were armed gangs, according to the government, that have infiltrated or risen up in certain areas of Tripoli, and they battled the security forces on the streets, and all night, despite, the fact that the Libya government, the Gadhafi regime's situation was under control, we were hearing very ferocious clashes between groups, and machine gunfire, grenade explosions, things like that --that's continuing today as well.
And so, clearly, the situation outside the hotel, we're not permitted to go outside by our government minders, it's very volatile indeed. And Tripoli is not the quite capital that it was 24 hours ago.
CHO: Matthew Chance, we know you're monitoring the situation very closely -- Matthew, thank you very much, live in Tripoli.
Syria's embattled president meanwhile, Bashar al Assad goes on Syrian television today to talk about his country's future.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
CHO: That's a look at the scene on Friday in Damascus.
Yesterday, Syrian security forces fired on protesters in the city of Homs. The Syrian Arab news agency says Bashar al Assad is expected to address, quote, continuous step of the reform process. Just last week, the U.S. called on al Assad to step down, and also leveled stiff economic sanctions.
There's been another barrage of rockets and mortars fired into southern Israel today. This is video from the damage yesterday where one person was reported killed. Also, today, Israeli authorities arrested dozens of men suspected of either belonging to or supporting Hamas.
And in Cairo, Egypt, hundreds of people gathered peacefully outside of the Israeli embassy. Here's a look at the scene there. One group burned the Israeli flag. They are calling on Israel's ambassador to be expelled for the deaths of three Egyptian security personnel at the hands of Israeli forces.
And in Norway, they're just a couple of minutes away from a national ceremony remembering the victims of the July 22nd massacre. The service will conclude Norway's month of official mourning. Seventy-seven people were killed in what authorities describe as one man's bombing and shooting spree. Yesterday, survivors returned to the scene of the crime for the first time since the deadly rampage. The suspect has pleaded not guilty to the crime although has reportedly confessed to it.
There's a lot we're watching in the weather department. So, Harvey never became a hurricane, but tropical storm Irene just might.
Reynolds Wolf has the details.
And it's -- I know it's too early to say whether it's heading to the United States, but it's heading in that general direction, Reynolds?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It certainly is. And that's the best way to put it and the best tone to use, there's a lot of uncertainty. It is moving in that direction and is doing a sort of pretty rate about 20 miles per hour due west. It's one system we're dealing with, and I'm not really too optimistic about its future development because it will be interacting with land quite a bit.
A perfect example of what happened to the tropical system when interacting with land can be seen basically when you look at Harvey, or rather what's left of tropical depression Harvey. It made its way from the Caribbean, right to south Yucatan Peninsula. And now, it's just beginning to fizzle away. Still a heavy rain maker, but I'd give it a few hours, it's going to fall apart even more.
However when you look at Irene, it's a little bit of a different situation. It doesn't have a whole lot of shear interacting with it Notice the top half, the top two quadrant quadrants, the left, and actually the northwest, the northeast, a lot of deep convection there for the time being. But as the path continues to make its way a bit more to the west, at least in the latest path we have for the National Hurricane Center, their forecast shows that it will moving in area where it will be interacting with land, from Puerto Rico, back over Port-au-Prince, Haiti, the Dominican Republic.
And if it does indeed hopscotch from these islands, it's going to be very tough for it to maintain the same kind of power, certainly the same structure. So, it's kind of a wait and see sort of thing.
That being said, though, with this forecast, it does bring it into the Keys, possibly in the Bahamas, perhaps even into south Florida. And it's the time of years, folks, we have to really, really watch the Tropics very carefully -- and we always do that here at CNN, your hurricane headquarters.
Another thing to watch is we got some showers, we'll wrap things up very quickly, we got some showers that are moving into parts of the Northeast, along a frontal boundary, storms in places like New York, but the good thing is, as that move through, you're going to have a blast of cooler temperatures. We'll talk about that coming up at the bottom of the hour.
Let's send it back to you.
CHO: Sounds pretty good, Reynolds. Thank you very much.
Ahead on CNN SUNDAY MORNING: fighting to feed their four children.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I get up with my boxing gloves on every day for them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Hard times for families across the country. We'll tell you how one Washington family is making huge sacrifices.
Also coming up, a soccer match in Mexico comes to a grinding halt with gunfire. So what happened? We'll tell you.
And getting a fresh start in life. A lot of people are lining up at a temple in Thailand. They're trying to turn their luck around. But in order to turn to a new page, you have to do that. We'll have that extraordinary new story coming up in our "Morning Passport."
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Well, first, it was that basketball brawl in China. Now, bullets fired at a soccer match in Mexico?
Joe Carter here from HLN.
What happened?
JOE CARTER, HLN SPORTS: Imagine you are a fan of a soccer game enjoying the match, and all of a sudden, you hear machine gun fire rattling behind you. You're a soccer player on the field and you heard gunshots filling the air.
CHO: I am ducking for cover.
CARTER: Exactly. It's incredible. We got the video for you here now. Now, listen for the gun shots.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
CARTER: All right. So, there was the gun shots. You see the players scurrying off the field. Now, this is a stadium in northern Mexico. The area is known for being very violent. It's known for having levels of drug cartel-related crimes.
"Reuters" reports the shooting actually started when three vehicles with armed men failed to stop at a military checkpoint outside the stadium, and the soccer match, of course, was stopped, cancelled for the day.
CHO: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
CARTER: The Mexican president there says no one, fortunately, was killed. But what a scary moment for everybody involved inside the stadium, and the players just not knowing where it's coming from and what's happening.
CHO: Yes. No kidding. No kidding.
What is going on in sports world? What's happening with you guys?
CARTER: That's a whole another statement.
CHO: OK.
CARTER: All right. So, we'll transition here to college football.
There's a bar fight just the other night that landed several LSU football players in the doghouse with their head coach, Les Miles. He's totally furious. According to Baton Rouge police, 15 to 20 of his players, including his starting quarterback, George Jefferson, were involved in this brawl outside a bar, which is near campus. All the LSU players left before the cops got there. Four people who were injured took themselves to the hospital.
No charges have been filed, but the coach says no charges are charges. He's going to lay down the law his way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LES MILES, LSU HEAD FOOTBALL COACH: I can tell you that we have started disciplining our team because this was a team violation. This was not just a guy. This was the team. And so, we ran them, and we're running them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARTER: He's an old school coach. So, he's going to keep running them and running them some more and then running them again in that Louisiana heat. I wouldn't want to be a player for that team.
CHO: I've seen my old tennis teen days.
CARTER: Exactly, exactly. OK. So, finally, we got a nice, little -- a nice, little funny way to end this sports segment. Betty White, of course, she's become the queen of cameos lately.
CHO: She has.
CARTER: She's appearing in a video with Shaquille O'Neal, and they have a funny exchange where basically she says no to Shaquille O'Neal's proposal and kind of puts him in his place.
CHO: A wedding proposal?
CARTER: Yes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHAQUILLE O'NEAL, FORMER NBA STAR: Betty, will you marry me?
BETTY WHITE, ACTRESS: Don't be silly! You are too old for me!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARTER: Well, apparently, she likes him young, because Shaq, he is 39, while Betty White is 89. And she says you're too
CHO: Eighty-something -- 80-something.
CARTER: Yes, she's great, though.
CHO: She is great.
CARTER: She's really made a lot of --
CHO: Ever since she made an appearance in that television commercial, remember when she was tackled in a football game --
CARTER: It's a Snickers commercial, it's great.
CHO: Snickers commercials. That's right. And she hosted "SNL," and now, she's got her own show. Everything is --
CARTER: She's great.
CHO: Yes. Great. Joe Carter, thank you so much for that update.
Well, it's pretty tough got get a job right now, to say the least. And it's tough just getting your foot in the door.
In Georgia last week, thousands of people stood in line for hours at a job fair. Coming up after the break, we're going to talk to one of those people who said she certainly didn't get what she had bargained for.
Plus, an expert who will tells us how to stand out in this tough job market and land a job. That story is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: President Obama says he'll roll out a new jobs plan after Labor Day. He's working on it right now. And he said to be meeting regularly with key economic advisers during his vacation on Martha's Vineyard. A senior administration official says the plan is still a work in progress.
In his weekly address, the president said there are things the administration can do right now that will mean more jobs, more customers for businesses, and certainly, we need to see a drop in unemployment.
So, we will wait for that jobs report to come out.
Meanwhile, how to stand out in a tough job market. There's no doubt about it, it is tough out there.
Take a look at this. Last week in Atlanta, thousands of people stood in line for hours at a job fair that was sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus. Some camped out overnight. Others waited in the stifling heat. Many complained that when they did finally see a recruiter, they were just told to apply online.
Now, in a statement, the Congressional Black Caucus said it's going to follow-up with employers who were there to see just how many jobs they filled.
So, joining me now is Johanna Hill. She attended the job fair on Thursday.
Also here with us is Miriam Salpeter, a jobs search and social media coach.
Thanks to both of you to both for joining us.
Johanna, you waited 4 1/2 hours on line. You got inside, and then, what happened?
JOHANNA HILL, UNEMPLOYED WORKER: Basically, an aide just explained to us to go and visit the different recruiters. But as you got to each one, I only had one and I believe that was -- I think it was Verizon, was the only one that took a resume. And all the rest of them basically just explained to apply online and they gave you their Web site.
CHO: How did that make you feel?
HILL: Especially after waiting in line for over four hours, we really were -- and I think everybody else along with me, we really expected to speak to a recruiter. We were even told that there were 70 employers that would be hiring on the spot. And I didn't see any that hired on the spot.
CHO: Now, the Congressional Black Caucus said for some job seekers, it is let to them to follow-through with online applications. Part of the problem is you've been out of work for 18 months and you cut your Internet service to save money, right?
HILL: Exactly. Exactly. So, it's very difficult.
What I have been doing is basically following up -- there are places where you use their Internet. So, the Department of Labor, you have access, and all of the libraries, doesn't matter what county.
CHO: So, at least you're going to the library and trying to update your resume.
HILL: Exactly.
CHO: So, Miriam, that's where you come in. So, what is your advice then to Johanna? What should she be doing right now?
MARIAN SALPETER, JOB SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA COACH: The most important thing, first of all, is networking. So, that's first off.
But when you are applying for jobs online, it's crucial to make sure to have a resume that's targeted specifically for the jobs you're applying.
CHO: Right. Not the old paper resume.
SALPETER: Right.
CHO: Just one and done. You got to have several.
And what I found interesting when I was looking at the research is, a lot of times, you get screened out when you are applying for a job, just by the computer process before you even see a person, right? So, what do you do to prevent that from happening? SALPETER: You want to make sure that you use keywords in your resume. And what that means is you need to review job descriptions and see what it is they're looking for in the job descriptions -- make sure those words are in your resume, skills, job titles, computer programs -- anything in the job description needs to be in the resume or else the computer doesn't choose you for the interview.
CHO: And what I find interesting is even if you haven't held that job before, right, it's a way to trick the system, if you will?
SALPETER: Well, using headlines on your resume that are job titles, even if you never held that job title, it gives the system an opportunity to say, oh, this person could be qualified.
CHO: Of course, employers will deny this, but there has been a lot of talk out there that when people go to apply for jobs, they are told if you don't have a job, don't bother applying.
So what do you tell someone like Johanna, you know, when she might think, oh, you have to have a job to get one?
SALPETER: That is so frustrating and that's not true in all cases. But it's very important to appear to be involved in your field, even if you are not working.
CHO: What does that mean?
SALPETER: So, for example, even if you are not being paid to do your job, you can be active in social media. For example, in my book, "Social Networking for Career Success," I tell people how they can interact on Twitter, they engage on LinkedIn, and share information and advise with others, experts in their field.
CHO: Johanna, what have you done in terms of trying to make yourself more marketable to employers?
HILL: I haven't done the networking, more like she said like the Twitter and Facebook, but I've been networking with people. I'm just --
CHO: Are you out there just as much as you can?
HILL: It doesn't matter. I can meet someone standing on the corner, it doesn't really matter who they are. You know, I can like put myself out there and just up myself up a little bit, just to let them know that I am interested -- I'm looking -- I'm seeking employment.
CHO: Miriam, you know, obviously, there are a few sectors that are hiring. At this point, Johanna says -- you know, she's been out of work for 18 months. She'll do anything.
What's your advice in terms of companies or sectors she should be looking in all this?
SALPETER: Well, the number one thing is to say I can do anything. Employers don't want someone who seems desperate. And when you say, I can do anything you want. It makes you seem desperate. So focus in on what your specific skills are and then identify specific jobs. Don't say, I'd like to apply for any job in your organization.
CHO: Johanna, when you hear the numbers, the unemployment rate overall in the nation is 9.1 percent. For blacks, it's 15.9 percent. For whites, it's 8.1 percent. Nearly double for African-Americans.
What -- how does that strike when you see that number?
HILL: And it may be even more than that, because honestly, they are not really counting -- I think the numbers are sort of fudged. And the reason why I say that is because there are people who are still unemployed, but their unemployment benefits have been exhausted. So, they are not even counted in those unemployment numbers so to speak.
So, it's a little unfair, but, you know, it is -- hey, that's the way it is. You just try to keep your head up, keep going. I have had some good outlooks. So, o I think things are looking up for me and changing.
CHO: Well, I hope so. I wish you the very best of luck.
HILL: Thank you.
CHO: Eighteen months is a long time. You look great.
HILL: Well, thank you.
CHO: I wish you the best of luck.
And, Miriam, thank you so much for all of your advice.
SALPETER: Thank you.
CHO: And another key one is to network even when you have a job, right?
SALPETER: Absolutely.
CHO: All right. Thank you so much.
Coming up, looking for a way to get a fresh start in life? Well, try this. You can climb inside a coffin and bury the person you used to be. It's happening in Thailand. You have to see this story. It's next in our "Morning Passport."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: An unusual ceremony to say the least in Thailand. What's this all about?
NADIA BILCHIK, CNN EDITORIAL PRODUCER: Well, this is very interesting because it's the Pram Manee temple, which is about 66 miles northeast of Bangkok. And here what you have is people who literally have mock funerals as a way of erasing bad luck, getting rid of the old and bringing in the new.
So, you're seeing them beginning the ceremony. They lie with a bunch of flowers. For about 90 seconds, they close the coffin.
Now, look what's happening. They take the sheet, and they literally stay with the sheet going that way we pull out all the bad luck and then they bring in all the good luck.
And people pay around $6 to do this. And this is what they get.
CHO: They pay to do it?
BILCHIK: They pay to do it. (INAUDIBLE). Now, they are bringing back and in all the good luck.
So, what they are paying for is the chanting of the Buddhist priests. So, again, it's a death chant and then it's a birth chant.
CHO: Wow.
BILCHIK: Now, also interesting that in Thai culture, there are two things determine your fate. One is your name and the other is your birth date. So, think about this, if you are having bad luck, let's change your birth date and have a new birth date.
CHO: Now, it's making sense to me a little bit.
BILCHIK: Right. So, the concept, beginning again. Today is the first day of the rest of your life and some essence of revival is certainly not a new one.
CHO: Is this -- does this happen annually? Has this been going on for a long time?
BILCHIK: It has been going on for decades. There was a revival, though, when there was a movie in Thailand called "The Coffin" based on this ritual.
CHO: No surprise (ph).
BILCHIK: Now, some people will do it several times a year. They'll revive and renew and refresh. Some people only do it, let's say, once a year.
But it's certainly become increasingly popular and what you get for $6 is the chanting, the bunch of flowers. You always get little merit bag and in the merit bag is a toothbrush, toothpaste and food to get you through.
CHO: Also, you have a gift bag when you leave?
BILCHIK: Exactly.
CHO: Like going to a charity dinner?
BILCHIK: Exactly, as you say. But what is wonderful is that you have a psychological sense and a lot of psychotherapist and psychologists and psychiatrist weigh in
CHO: Is this popular?
BILCHIK: Very popular.
CHO: Wow.
BILCHIK: But they weighed in on the concept of saying let us have an opportunity to start again.
CHO: Well, that part I can wrap my head around.
All right. Nadia Bilchik, thank you very much, with our "Morning Passport."
Keeping the Sabbath. Senator Joe Lieberman is one of the people who observes it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (I), CONNECTICUT: Friday afternoon for me is to turn the BlackBerry off. Turn the television off. And be prepared not to answer the phone. But I'll tell you, I just would say to you, try it. You'll love it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Sounds like a perfect way to spend your Sunday.
Senator Lieberman has written a book about keeping the Sabbath. We'll hear from him in today's "Faces of Faith," after the break.
Also, next, take a look at this. The tropical storm Irene, and it could be taking aim at the United States. So, where? Meteorologist Reynolds Wolf is tracking the storm. He is live, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Welcome back to CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
Good morning everybody. I'm Alina Cho, in for T.J. Holmes. Thanks for joining us. It's 33 minutes after the hour.
And checking our "Top Stories": rebels in Libya now have their sights set on Tripoli, the capital. They say that Libya's capital city is next after they secure the town of Zawiya. That's about 30 miles away but Gadhafi loyalists paint a foreign different picture saying the rebels are fighting and losing each battle.
Vice President Biden wrapping up his five-day visit to China; he spent much of his time trying to reassure America's biggest foreign creditor that the U.S. would never default on its financial obligations. It's important. The Chinese roughly hold $900 billion in U.S. security. Biden stops in Mongolia and Japan before returning to Washington.
And the attorney representing two American hikers found guilty of spying says he hopes that Tehran will show them some lenience during this the holy month of Ramadan. Both Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer were handed eight-year jail terms yesterday. Their attorney says he will appeal the sentences.
So will tropical storm Irene become the hurricane that Harvey never was -- never was? Our Reynolds Wolf is watching it all for us, and it's headed in the general -- I want to be careful with my language, the general direction of the United States.
(CROSSTALK)
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely.
CHO: But still it's really early, right Reynolds.
WOLF: It really is and when you mention the general direction, it's so tempting to say, you know, as its moving from point A to point B. But these are giant rotating wobbling systems. They don't move smoothly at all, they kind of jar themselves around on the ocean waters.
And right now we're beginning to see a little bit of it and taking some of that shape. This is an enhanced satellite image where you can just see some of the outflow of way, way far to the south, almost to the coast of South America.
What we're going to be seeing with this thing is some -- really some developments, some deeper convection in parts of it. If you're going to take a tropical system you are cutting it in like in four slices. You'd have the northeast, the northwest quadrant, right now in the center and then the northeast and northwest quadrant, as we're seeing the deepest convection.
I would expect that we're going to see more of that over the time to come but there are a couple flies in the ointment in terms of this getting really strong. And a couple of those flies in the ointment would be the possibility of sheer and even more detrimental to the progress of the storm will be its interaction with the land masses. That's where the path from the National Hurricane Center brings it right over parts of the Puerto Rico, over Haiti, to the Dominican Republican and maybe even over Cuba.
If you look at that line, if it lowers, it brings a track that will go all the way in towards the Florida Keys and into the Bahamas as we fast-forward into Thursday morning -- early Thursday morning.
That being said, though, if you look at the cone of uncertainty, there is a chance the storm could move well to the north possibly drift farther to the south, and it could weaken all together and die very quickly or it could really explode in strength. We do anticipate though, at least the forecast of the National Hurricane Center brings with it winds of 70-miles-per-hour by Monday at 2:00 a.m. I'm very confident with that aspect of it but it gets a little bit shaky when you get into Tuesday, Wednesday, and certainly Thursday so certainly we're going to watch that for you very carefully and monitor it throughout the day here at CNN, your hurricane headquarter. So, stay tuned.
Let's pitch it back to you.
CHO: All right Reynolds, thank you very much.
Pope Benedict has ended his four-day visit to Madrid for World Youth Day. He announced during a mass today that the next World Youth Day will be held in 2013 in Rio de Janeiro. That makes a trisected for world events in Brazil. Rio is the setting for the 2016 Summer Olympics, and Brazil will also hold the World Cup Soccer Tournament in 2015.
Good for that country's economy.
Also in "Faces of Faith" today, "Keeping the Sabbath". Now, it means putting aside one day of the week away for rest, and spiritual enrichment. It sounds pretty good, and it actually comes from the Bible, it's one of the Ten Commandments, "Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord, your God, you shall not do any work."
Now Jews observe the Sabbath, so do hundreds of Christian denominations. And Connecticut Senator Lieberman is one of them, he is Jewish and he's written a book about observing the Sabbath. Here he is in own words.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (I), CONNECTICUT: I'm Senator Joe Lieberman. I am Jewish. Today we're talking about a very different kind of book I have written, called, "The Gift of Rest: Rediscovering the beauty of Sabbath".
This poor, long-suffering woman usually does this before I get home. The Sabbath is a -- is a very old institution. And in my belief, it goes right back to Mt. Sinai where God in the Ten Commandments gave the Fourth Commandment, which was to "Honor the Sabbath Day and keep it holy."
A lot of times people will say to me, how -- how can you be a United States senator and still take the Sabbath law? And I always say, you know, I don't know how I can be a United States Senator and not observe the Sabbath.
One of the toughest moments as we approach the Sabbath on Friday afternoon for me is to turn the Blackberry off and turn the television off and be prepared not to answer the phone. But I'll tell you, I just would say to you, try it. You'll love it.
Over the centuries, a lot of religious rituals and customs have developed which mark our observance of the Sabbath day. From a custom not a religious observance such as making sure that you bring your wife and your Sabbath table, flowers. We go to Synagogue we say prayers to -- to welcome the Sabbath, to bring us into the spirit of the day of rest, different from every other day.
We then come home and there is a Sabbath meal. So we have two colors, two twist breads, and this is a continuation of the idea from the Bible.
The parents bless our children every Friday night. We literally put our -- our hands -- I do, anyway, on their shoulders or on their heads, each one of them, and I say a traditional priestly benediction from the Hebrew Bible. But everyone who goes to a Jewish synagogue or a Christian church will recognize it, "May the Lord bless you and keep you. May he make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. May he grant you the -- the greatest of all his gifts, the gift of peace," and then, give each child a kiss.
I made a decision early in my career and public life way back in the early '70s when I was a state senator that I could not, should not, and would not be involved in political activities on the Sabbath. As much as my ambitions and my obligations would lead me to do that, it wasn't the right thing to do. It wasn't consistent with the Sabbath.
On the other hand if I had governmental responsibilities, in which -- not ordinary responsibility but one which I couldn't delegate, such as voting in the Senate, or ones that's related to security or safety of the people, who I was responsible for, I would find a way to participate in government.
Now, this is not fake. We're actually going to eat at this table tonight, folks. There's a way in which we feel that we're interacting in some special intimacy with God on the Sabbath.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Who knew? He doesn't have a bad voice either
You can read more about "Keeping the Sabbath" and share your thoughts on our belief blog at CNN.com\belief.
The President has one of the lowest approval ratings in history, so what's his campaign strategy with that hanging over his head? "STATE OF THE UNION'S" Candy Crowley has an idea and she is live with us next.
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CHO: Forty-four minutes after the hour. "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley, coming up at 9:00 a.m. Eastern right here on CNN. And Candy is joining us live from Washington with a preview.
Hey Candy great to see you as always. I know you've got a lot on your rundown this weekend, and we want to start with David Axelrod, the President's senior strategist. He is going to join you to talk about the re-election, the economy, the other candidates and all of that stuff, right? What have you got on your plate?
CANDY CROWLEY, HOST, CNN'S "STATE OF THE UNION": And all of that stuff, absolutely. I mean, you know, the question here is this is an uphill battle for President Obama in -- in this way. History sort of repeatedly shows that when the economy is bad and the President is up for re-election, it is a tough fight.
So what we have here now in the latest Gallup poll that we saw, the President's approval rating on how he's handling the economy is in the upper 20 percent. That's -- that is a pretty strong headwind. So the question is, how does the President run with the economy still struggling?
So that's one of the questions we want to put to David Axelrod because even as he struggles to kind of move the economy along the President is going to get hit from the left and from the right. So at this point certainly, a year and a half out, it's interesting to talk to the President's top strategists about how do you maneuver your way through all this.
But we also are going to go to the states and we want to talk -- we're going to talk to Governor Martin O'Malley of Maryland a Democrat, Governor Bob McDonnell of Virginia a Republican -- both head their Governor's Associations for their respective parties to say what do you need? In the states, what do you need from the federal government or do you want the federal government to back out of it. And what have they done in their states to try to keep the economy moving. Both of them have a jobless rate under the national average of 9.1. So we want to talk to them.
And Elijah Cummings is coming on. He's a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, a congressman from Maryland. As you know the CBC has been very upset with President Obama for not doing enough to help the very stricken African-American community where the unemployment rate is nearly twice that of whites. So we wanted to talk to him about that.
CHO: Candy, I found it interesting when Maxine Waters came up very strongly and expressed her disappointment in the President. Were you surprised by that?
CROWLEY: No, because they've been -- they've seen -- they've talked to the President several times this year alone to say you have to do something specifically aimed at the African-American community. I think the unemployment rate among black men is something like 17 percent, I mean it's horrid.
And they want specific programs aimed at that minority community. The President's answer has always been, listen, the best thing I can do for any community is to lift all of them.
So they've kind of reached their point where they feel like they have to address this in a public way and kind of pressure the President. Whether it will do any good is an open question, but certainly they have now brought what they said privately to the President into the open. CHO: Listen -- which brings me to my next question. I know it's this is an August habit for the media to criticize whatever president is in office for taking his vacation, but is there any teeth to this? Because, you know, there have been a lot of people saying listen, now is not the time. The economy is in shambles. Unemployment is so high. Look what's going on in Libya. Shouldn't he be in Washington?
CROWLEY: Listen. It was ever thus. I don't think I've ever covered a president, Republican or Democrat, who did not go on vacation at a bad time. Let's face it. The world is fraught with peril. There are a number of things that can go wrong at any minute, and that's why the President has basically a portable White House. He has his aides with him or at least able to instantly contact them.
So listen, I think the worst the President gets is when they go on vacation during an election cycle, and that's what this president has done is he is on vacation. And you have all these Republicans out there who are campaigning for his job, kind of taking hits.
He is not the first president to take hits for going on vacation when the country is in pain for one reason or another, and I can assure he won't be the last.
CHO: He most certainly won't be the last. The White House calls it a working vacation while he also recharges his batteries. Candy, as always, great to see you --
CROWLEY: Thanks.
CHO: -- we will be watching at the top of the hour. Keep it right here for "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley; starts in about 13 minutes or so, 9:00 a.m. Eastern, 6:00 a.m. Pacific, right here on CNN.
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CHO: We have this just in to CNN, our top story: an update on the American hikers just sentenced in Iran. This morning we're hearing from the families of those two Americans who were sentenced to eight years in prison. Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal were convicted of entering Iran illegally and spying.
The families of the hikers say, in part, quote, "Of the 751 days of Shane and Josh's imprisonment, yesterday and today have been the most difficult for our families. Shane and Josh are innocent and have never posed any threat to the Islamic Republic of Iran, its government or its people.
We are encouraged that Iran's foreign minister has said he hopes the case will proceed in a manner that will result in Shane and Josh's Freedom. We appeal to the authorities in Iran to show compassion and allow them to return home to our families without delay."
We'll keep you posted on that story.
Meanwhile, the economy, a big story as well: the ripple effects of the recession now spreading to the most vulnerable victims, our children.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I get up with my boxing gloves on every day for them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: We will introduce you to a family that is struggling. Parents sometimes forced to go hungry themselves in order to feed their children. That story when we return.
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CHO: Keep it here. "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley coming up at the top of the hour.
But first, listen to this staggering statistic: one in five children now living below the poverty line. Athena Jones caught up with a couple in Washington who have fallen on hard times.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the wedding dress.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ok.
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The ripple effects of the recession can be felt here at the Washington home of Nathan and Keana Wallace.
Both have been out of work for more than two years, and their unemployment benefits have run out. The Wallaces live in public housing and don't have to pay rent, but they have struggled to pay their utility bills and recently had their power cut off.
KEANA WALLACE, MOTHER: We did candles. We just, you know, some days during that six-week period, it was the kids eat what we eat, and we just had to make sacrifices.
JONES: Both of the Wallaces' cars have been repossessed and they will have to come up with $120 a month for metro passes for their kids once school starts. They once brought $5,000 a month and say they're determined to get back on track.
WALLACE: I get up with my boxing gloves on every day for them.
JONES: According to a study by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a national charity, one in five children lived below the poverty line in 2009. The Wallace family receives food stamps each month, but they run out after about three weeks. Nathan mows lawns and does other odd jobs. And Keana sells snow cones, hotdogs and candy to get by.
(on camera): Do you just go out outside right here? Or do you -- WALLACE: I go toward the street and I do it on the corner. And then with the candy, I do it all on the metro. I do it at subway stations. I do it up and down the street. I do what it takes to make sure we can survive another day.
JONES (voice-over): She brings in as much as $145 on a really good day. But that doesn't happen often.
13.9 million people were unemployed in July, and nearly half of them are like the Wallaces, people who have been out of work for 27 weeks or more.
Advocates for children and families don't want to see the focus on budget cuts hurt programs for the poor.
LAURA SPEER, ANNIE E. CASEY FOUNDATION: We can't forget about children as we make decisions in the fiscal crisis. We can't cut these programs thinking eventually we might put money back into them because childhood is a very short time.
JONES: Keana's 14-year-old daughter Danielle believes things will turn around for her family. And she has a lot of plans for her own future.
DANIELLE BEDNEY, DAUGHTER: First, I want to go to college for designer school and after I graduate from designer school I want to send my pictures in to be a model. After I've been a model for five years, I want to open my own school called Dannie101, a clothing store, and after I open my store I want to be a writer and write a few books.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JONES: Now, one more interesting finding from the study, 42 percent of the nation's children -- that's 31 million children live in low income families, those are families that live below twice the poverty line which is just $44,000 for a family of four. So a lot of people are struggling -- Alina.
CHO: Athena Jones, thank you very much for that report. We're just a couple of minutes away from the top of the hour.
Let's get our last look at today's weather. You're watching tropical storm Irene, Reynolds Wolf, right?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes.
CHO: Where is it headed?
WOLF: Well, it's still going west at 120 miles-per-hour. This system, again, may indeed become a named storm, and already is a named storm. May become a named hurricane, the first hurricane of the Atlantic basin -- Atlantic season, this season. The winds at 50, probably going to increase and I'll tell you the National Hurricane Center apparently agrees with that. Their forecast has this going a bit more to the west and as we get to Monday at 2:00 in the morning, winds of 70 miles-an-hour expected.
What's interesting thought is if you look at that cone of uncertainty, if it moves a little bit more to the north the center remains offshore, off and away from Puerto Rico. It may intensify a bit more. If it interacts with the land, it may weaken a bit so that may fluctuate a bit.
And as we fast forward into Tuesday, the forecast brings it right close to Haiti and the Dominican Republic with winds of 60, weakening a little. As then we fast forward into Wednesday and into Thursday, you will notice the very end of this cone of uncertainty going back towards the Bahamas, perhaps even south Florida.
A lot can change though. I guarantee you as we go from Monday all the way to Thursday, it could die out altogether, it could really intensify. A lot of changes, and of course, we will watch this very, very carefully.
No question Alina but the thing you remember too, Alina is that the season lasts all the way through November 30th. So we could see a lot of -- few more from this field -- a little bit more uncertainty, to say the very least, as we make way for the next couple of months.
CHO: Yes. But it is intensifying. Thank you so much Reynolds Wolf.
WOLF: You bet.
CHO: Thanks for joining us. I'm Alina Cho.
"STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley starts right now.
