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CNN Saturday Morning News

Occupy Wall Street Goes Global; Fraternity Brother Remembers MLK Jr. College Days; Things That Hurt Your Credit

Aired October 15, 2011 - 07:00   ET

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

ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Good morning, everybody. I'm Alina Cho. T.J. Holmes is on assignment. It's 7:00 a.m. in Atlanta, 4:00 a.m. in Las Vegas. That's where T.J. is right now for the upcoming presidential debate. He'll be with us later this morning.

But first, Occupy Wall Street goes global. Protesters are taking to the streets all over the world. And in some cities, they're being met with strong resistance from police. We'll show you what's going on and where.

Imagine driving along and trash starts pounding your car in every direction. We'll take a closer look at a tornado caught on camera and tell you where it happened.

And, spot an error on your bill? You'll need to get it corrected, of course. We're going to give you some key tips on how to effectively complain and get results.

The Occupy Wall Street movement isn't slowing down. In fact, it has outgrown the United States. There have been more protests along with more arrests. In New York alone, 14 arrests and protesters staged a sit-in in the street, blocking traffic. In Flint, Michigan, dozens of demonstrators protests in front of a Bank of America building. And in Seattle, Washington, dozens more remain in a downtown park. Yesterday police in riot gear there arrested 41 people.

And in San Diego, police clashed with Occupy protesters who had formed a tent city. And things got pretty intense. Officers used pepper spray to make the demonstrators comply with an order to remove their camping gear. Here's Salvador Rivera of affiliate KGTV.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SALVADOR RIVERA, KGTV REPORTER (voice-over): Protesters try to hold their ground as officers try to hold protesters back. "We don't need police" is what they were saying as officers formed a wall and pushed protesters away.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shame on you!

RIVERA: A few minutes later, officers used more than just their might to get a handle on the protesters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ow! They (EXPLETIVE DELETED) when I was already on the ground.

RIVERA: Some protesters scramble to get water and other liquids to wash away the effects of the pepper spray.

DANTE, PROTESTER: And they shouldn't come in here and just do this (EXPLETIVE DELETED). Everything (EXPLETIVE DELETED). I mean --

ERIC HAUSER, PROTESTER: That's not right. We're trying to protect something we stand up for, we believe in, and they're coming in there with force?

RIVERA: Eric Hauser says the officers went too far. Only one person was arrested during the confrontation.

HOUSER: We're not the violent people. They are.

RIVERA: This all happened after officers began removing tents, especially this one, which, according to protesters, held a symbolic meaning.

"FISH", PROTESTER: To us, that tent represents every house that's being closed, that's being foreclosed on. That tent represents every kid that's going to be out on the streets.

RIVERA: Police say they were very patient, but the tents had to come down to prepare for the World of Dance event taking place this weekend at Golden Hall.

CHIEF WILLIAM LANDSDOWNE, SAN DIEGO POLICE: We understand that people have a right to protest, but somewhere along that line, people have a right to conduct business. That's what this is all about.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHO: Occupy Wall Street and the discontent behind it have even gone global. Protests happening today in Europe, North America and Asia.

In Japan, about 200 people marched through the streets of Tokyo. One target, the Tokyo Electric Power Company and its handling of the disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in the wake of the earthquake.

In Canada, organizers have been drumming up support for protests in at least 15 Canadian cities. Thousands of protesters are expected to turn out.

Two Afghan civilians were killed in a suicide attack on a U.S.-run facility in northern Afghanistan. Officials say four attackers armed with suicide vests and weapons tried to storm the base. One exploded his car at the gate. The others tried to rush in.

Two detonated their vests, and two were fatally shot by police before their devices went off. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The son of U.S.-born militant cleric Anwar al-Awlaki is dead. A security official says he was killed in a series of drone attacks in Yemen last night. The attacks killed a total of seven suspected militants. Al-Awlaki, once a key member of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, was killed in a drone strike a little more than two weeks ago.

Holding out hope, two towns in Maryland hold candlelight vigils for a missing 11-year-old boy. His mother, Jane McQuain, was found dead nearly two weeks after being stabbed and beaten to death inside her home. Police found no signs of her son, William. His friends in the community have this simple request.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOEY LINCOLN, TEAMMATE: We just want him to come home safe with no injuries. And if you know where you are, just please let him come home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHO: The victim's husband, Curtis Lopez, was arrested Thursday in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is charged with first-degree murder.

Prosecutors will ask for the death penalty against a California man charged in what they call a two-minute murder spree. Police say 41- year-old Scott Dekraai shot and killed his ex-wife and seven others inside a hair salon in Seal Beach, California. The district attorney said Dekraai wanted revenge for a custody fight he was having with his ex-wife over their 8-year-old son. The ex-wife was a stylist at the salon.

The Catholic bishop of Kansas City faces criminal charges for failing to tell police about child pornography he found on a priest's computer. Bishop Robert Finn pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor. If found guilty, the bishop could face up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. The diocese was also charged.

Imagine driving along the interstate and running into this, a massive tornado charging across I-95 in Virginia and debris flying everywhere. Take a look. A woman with a camera makes sure it's all caught on tape. We'll show you the rest of this incredible video when we come back.

But, first, Bonnie Schneider has a preview.

Hey, Bonnie. Good morning.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Alina.

Well, much calmer weather for Virginia and nearby Washington, D.C. as well. We could show a live picture of the Capitol. It's a little overcast this morning.

The winds will pick up today across the mid-Atlantic and especially the Northeast and Great Lakes. Look for it to be a windy day. Not so much in D.C. but more towards Michigan. We're going to talk more about that in just a bit -- Alina. CHO: That's right, Bonnie, including 30-mile-an-hour winds in my home state of New York.

But, first, are you all about job satisfaction? CNN Money has a list of the best jobs for saving the world.

At number five: medical case manager. You interview patients, help them with paperwork and work with their doctors and nurses to coordinate care.

At number four: social worker. You'll help find resources for people with emotional and social problems.

Number three job for saving the world: dietitian. Interesting. Advising people or groups about nutrition. You may work for a hospital or run a private practice.

I'm going to tell you about the top two jobs for saving the world right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: Before the break, I told you about some of the best jobs for saving the world. If you want job satisfaction and don't mind low pay and some stress, CNN Money says these jobs may be for you.

So far, I told you about medical case manager, social workers and dietitians. Now for the top two.

The second best job for saving the world: nonprofit program coordinator. In this job, you'll develop programs and oversee staff and volunteers who help others.

According to CNN Money, the best job for saving the world is public schoolteacher. How about that? This is the surest way you can impact your world.

For the rest of the list, you can go to CNNMoney.com.

Rescue workers are racing to prevent monsoon floodwaters from drowning Thailand's low-lying capital of Bangkok. It's already a losing battle in some areas. Rescuers are helping stranded residents to higher ground. Crews are stuffing sandbags and shoring up flood walls to try to protect Bangkok's inner city. Flooding has killed nearly 300 people so far and affected some 8 million across much of the country.

Imagine seeing this on your drive home. These stunning images of a tornado swirling near Quantico, Virginia. A driver took these pictures of the funnel cloud. It was one of three tornadoes, three, that touched down in Virginia on Thursday. At least a dozen homes were damaged. Fortunately, there were no reports of serious injuries.

Eight minutes after the hour -- time for Bonnie Schneider and a check of more of the weather.

And, boy, I didn't know there were three tornadoes in Quantico. They had a busy couple of days, didn't they?

SCHNEIDER: They did. And the tornado we were looking, 200 yards wide.

CHO: Oh, wow.

SCHNEIDER: This is a big tornado. It's lucky that we didn't have worse report for today. You know, even though it's October, tornadoes can happen any time of day, any month of the year. So, you always have to be alert for severe weather wherever you are.

Well, the threat for today is severe weather in terms of tornadoes, but it is wind related. That's OK, Alina.

All right. What we're looking at is definitely some windy conditions and a lot of rain over Michigan. You'll be finding that for today. But the rain isn't really the concern even though there are heavy downpours in the Detroit area. We're really watching for strong winds to just whip up today across the Great Lakes.

This is going to raise the waves pretty high. Lake Huron, Lake Superior, the wave heights could be 12 feet or even taller than that. And as you travel further off to the east, the winds are also going to be strong in the Northeast, in New England and even down through the mid-Atlantic expecting those winds to kick up.

And if you're wondering what does that mean, well, we are expecting a sizeable impact on travel for today. Take a look at the expected airport delays. And they are lengthy.

Boston, we could see showers and gusty winds, delays under an hour, though. In Philadelphia, strong winds, and back towards Chicago where the winds will be even more intense. The winds are going to pick up and that could cause airport delays. Also, Detroit, you're facing rain right now. Some showers, gusty winds and the winds will kick up in Minnesota as well.

This is a widespread system that's affecting many regions. And because of that, we have a lot of advisories that stretch from west to east really. You can see the winds picking up across the Great Lakes and down through the Northeast and New England.

But notice the advisories. They extend from Michigan to Maine, down through the south coast of Massachusetts, across Connecticut, Long Island, definitely facing windy conditions. And then down through the mountains of Virginia.

So, most of the country for this Saturday facing strong winds that will impact your travel and blow about those leaves. The leaves are falling and changing in this part of the country. So you'll probably have a lot of cleanup work ahead for you tomorrow -- Alina.

CHO: All right. Bonnie, thank you very much. That wasn't me falling off the chair, by the way. That was my microphone falling off the desk.

SCHNEIDER: As long as you're OK.

CHO: Thank you very much.

The children of Martin Luther King Jr. take a moment to talk about their father and his monument in D.C. Their poignant take on the process and the timing of it all.

Plus, a look back at King's legacy.

Stay here. We're back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: Long before the dream began to take shape, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had been charting the movement as a student in Boston. Even his fraternity brothers knew he was destined for greatness.

White House correspondent Dan Lothian spoke to the only surviving member of that fraternity. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Long before Martin Luther King, Jr. was carved in stone in the nation's capital, the foundation of his civil rights legacy began taking shape in Boston --

HERMAN HEMINGWAY, MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.'S FRATERNITY BROTHER: That itself was an experience.

LOTHIAN: -- where Herman Hemingway, the only surviving member of Dr. King's pledge class in the historic black fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha remembers a quiet, unassuming man whose intellect towered well above his height.

HEMINGWAY: We did have some degree of awe, but from the perspective of intellectuality. We knew he was going to go somewhere; he was going to be someplace.

LOTHIAN: Hemingway was a sophomore at Brandeis University in the fall of 1951, the first black male to enroll. King was pursuing his Ph.D. at Boston University. The young pledges combined from area schools would meet at Hemingway's home, where King, a few years older, had a way of making sure things got done.

HEMINGWAY: If there was an extra task that needed to be done, he would say in his notable voice, "Brother Hemingway will do it," that type of thing.

LOTHIAN: The determination Hemingway witnessed in their chaplain never faded as the marches and speeches began making headlines.

HEMINGWAY: This is a man that had his mind on doing a particular task to help others. You couldn't turn him around for any reason whatsoever, because that's what he was supposed to do. LOTHIAN (on camera): To change history, to make it possible for black man to become president, and another, a Republican, to become a top- tier contender to challenge him.

HEMINGWAY: I think that's the exciting part of the civil rights movement and its accomplishment, and basically it's a hope that Martin Luther King generated.

LOTHIAN (voice-over): As Hemingway honors an old friend; he'll be sharing the moment with his family's next generation.

AMARACHI IWUH, HERMAN HEMINGWAY'S GRANDDAUGHTER: It's going to be breathtaking experience.

LOTHIAN: -Granddaughter Amarachi Iwuh, a sophomore at Howard University.

IWUH: My generation, we still have a lot of work to do. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., he started the whole movement, but the movement is not done. We still need to be in the streets. We still need to be protesting.

LOTHIAN: A movement in motion and now set in stone.

HEMINGWAY: He's still here and the spirit is still there, and the determination also is still there.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHO: No one knows Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy more intimately than his children. Martin Luther King III and Bernice King spoke to Fredericka Whitfield recently about seeing the image of their father being memorialized on the National Mall. They say the 14-year process to build the memorial has a lot of symbolism.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERNICE KING, MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.'S DAUGHTER: This particular monument took less time than most of them, if not all of them. So I think that speaks volumes that we were able to move it along in that time period. But, you know, the irony is that his life span in terms of impact in this world was just about 14 years. So, there's some kind of parallel to the work that he did as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHO: Also, much more on the dedication of the memorial tonight when T.J. has an exclusive and emotional interview with six members of Dr. King's inner circle, one of them, Congressman John Lewis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN LEWIS (D), GEORGIA: And when Dr. King received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, he spoke about -- we cry for joy. We don't cry for pain. When the cup runs over, you talk about the world house. They were all in the state house. It's one house. Not just an American house, but the world house.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHO: "Freedom's Foot Soldiers," a conversation with T.J. Holmes. You won't want to miss it. It's tonight right here on CNN at 7:30 Eastern Time.

Now, if you've ever had to call a credit card company and complain about a mistake, you know the frustration. Coming up, financial analyst Clyde Anderson will tell us how to get what you want when the bills are wrong.

And there are a lot of ways you can hurt your credit score, making late payments or not paying your bills at all are obvious ones. But some choices could damage your score as well. Did you know the way you pay for a rental car could hurt you? I'll tell you how that works.

Plus, other surprising ways you can hurt your credit score after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: Before the break, I told you there are some surprising ways you can hurt your credit score beyond the obvious ones like not paying your bills.

Here are a few examples from dailyfinance.com:

Don't use your debit card to rent a car. The rental car is likely to pull your credit report, and that could cost you points off your credit score.

Don't say yes to a department store credit card.

Don't close out a credit card account with a zero balance. The formula for your credit score takes into account how much credit you have available.

And finally, be aware of financing a big item like furniture through the store. This is scored the same as a loan of last resort and can hurt your score.

And just about all of us have had this problem. You get bad service. You want a refund on an item or a bill corrected, and you get the run- around.

Financial analyst Clyde Anderson is here to help you get results.

So, Clyde, you know, what's interesting is people make mistakes on their bills all the time. And yet most people don't even know it, right?

CLYDE ANDERSON, FINANCIAL ANALYST: Exactly. A lot of times, we don't open the mail. We don't look at it. We automatically play.

So, what we really need to do is start looking at it. Last year --

CHO: Or auto pay.

ANDERSON: Or auto pay.

CHO: Right.

ANDERSON: So, last year, there were about $100 billion in billing errors on health care bills.

CHO: Wow.

ANDERSON: And so, we really got to look at these things because you could be giving out money that you don't need to be giving away.

CHO: On health care bills. That's interesting.

ANDERSON: Exactly.

CHO: So how do you go about fixing that?

ANDERSON: Well, there's a right way. A lot of times, emotion gets in the way. And we get all excited.

So, what we really need to do is first calm down and then pay attention to the billing changes. Realize that most people don't call for these errors because they just don't know about them. And then women are less likely to call because they don't like the confrontation.

CHO: Oh, interesting.

ANDERSON: Yes, yes.

CHO: OK.

ANDERSON: And, also, there's a language barrier or senior citizens. They won't call because they don't want that confrontation. Or sometimes they're not really understanding exactly what's going on.

CHO: What's interesting to me, is you say that there are some buzz words.

ANDERSON: Yes.

CHO: Words to use, words not to use. So, what words should you use?

ANDERSON: Well, you want to use words like "thank you." Can you please help me? And you don't want to throw insults out. You definitely don't want to go in there excited and angry. And you want to make sure that you're talking to them politely and you want to make sure, hey, can you look at my bill? I think there may be something wrong with my statement.

CHO: Oh, listen, I always say you can say anything. It's how you say it, right? ANDERSON: It's how you say it.

CHO: You can ask anything. It's how you ask it.

ANDERSON: Exactly, exactly.

CHO: So -- and things not to say?

ANDERSON: Yes. The thing that you don't want to say is, you guys have made a terrible mistake. I have a situation that needs to be resolved is how you want to do it. You don't want to go in there and just throw it around and say, hey, you need to help me. You guys messed up. You screwed up my bill.

You don't want to do anything like that. You want to make sure you're calm and you don't want to take no from someone who can't say yes.

CHO: You know, Clyde, what's interesting to me is a lot of my bills are frankly on auto pay.

ANDERSON: Yes.

CHO: And so does it make it harder, then, because once the bill is paid, once they have your money, what incentive do they have to give it to you back, right?

ANDERSON: Right. Exactly. Well, that's why you need to go in and you really need to have all your documentation together, have the bill statements and even put it in writing. But when you put it in writing, send it certified mail or registered mail so you make sure you get a return receipt as well.

So, you have your documentation. Documentation is crucial. So, make sure you have that. Have it in front of you when you're talking to 'em so you can talk intelligently about what's going on and what's the situation is.

CHO: And what are the most common mistakes? You talked about health bills.

ANDERSON: Yes. You see health bills. We see everything -- phone bills. We've talked about that before.

It's any kind of statement. Sometimes, it's an overcharge. Sometimes it's just an oversight where they messed something up or mixed up a statement.

And so, you really want to make sure that you're looking at it. So, sometimes you may have a charge on your account that's not even your charge.

CHO: Interesting. Really?

ANDERSON: These are humans that put the information in, and they make mistakes.

CHO: We think of them as just computerized, but there's a human behind it, right?

ANDERSON: There's a human behind it, and they make the mistakes.

CHO: If there's a human behind it, there's likely to be a mistake.

All right. Clyde Anderson, thanks for the tip. Nice to see you, as always.

ANDERSON: My pleasure. Good to be here.

CHO: The world' largest retailer is trying to grab more holiday sales. No surprise there. Wal-Mart bringing back layaway beginning Monday.

Now, they haven't offered it since 2006, but there are some limits. Layaway will be available only on toys and electronics. And a 10 percent down payment is required. Wal-Mart's layaway program will last only through December 16th, a sign of the times.

The legal battle over Alabama's aggressive immigration law hits a federal appeals court. Can it be in enforced? Both sides are winners and losers. We'll explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: Twenty-six minutes after the hour.

Here are your top stories:

A suicide attack targeting a U.S. base in northern Afghanistan has killed two civilians. Two local guards and a U.S. soldier were injured. Afghan police say the attackers armed with suicide vests and weapons tried to storm the base.

Two suicide attackers detonated their vests. The other two were fatally shot by police before their devices went off. The Taliban has claimed responsibility.

The Catholic bishop of Kansas City has been indicted for failing to report suspected child abuse. Bishop Robert Finn pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor. If found guilty, the bishop could face up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. The diocese was also charged.

And a federal appeals court has blocked the enforcement of parts of a controversial immigration law in Alabama, including a provision requiring state officials to check the immigration status of public school students. But the state is apparently allowed to try to find out someone's immigration status during lawful police stops.

You want to run with the bulls but aren't heading to Spain anytime soon? Don't worry, we've got an alternative for you, and it's a bit closer to home. We'll tell you where it's happening after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CHO: Stories across the country, a dramatic fire rescue caught on camera. A camera followed a firefighter as he rescued a bed-ridden woman and her caretaker. It happened yesterday in Concord, California. And nearly two dozen bulls will be chasing after hundreds of humans on a quarter-mile track this weekend in Cave Creek, Arizona -- even though animal advocates and town officials are against it.

We'll have more stories at the top of the hour. I'm Alina Cho. Thanks for joining us.

First, "SANJAY GUPTA, M.D." begins right now.