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CNN Saturday Morning News

Suicide Attack on NATO Convoy; It's A Wicked White Winter Forecast for the Northeast; Growing Population Strains Planet; New HPV Vaccine Recommendations

Aired October 29, 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 CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It's October 29th.

Good morning, everybody. I'm Alina Cho. T.J. Holmes is off.

A NATO convoy has been attacked in Afghanistan. Coalition troops are among the casualties. We'll get a live report in just a moment from Kabul.

Crazy, snowy weather is headed to the Northeast right now, bracing for a big storm in October. We'll tell you what to expect.

But we begin with breaking news.

A NATO convoy has come under attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, the target of a suicide attack.

Our Nick Paton Walsh is live for us in Kabul right now.

Nick, what happened?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It appears ISAF is reporting a several casualties, not just saying how many, when a vehicle car bomb ran into a convoy of NATO personnel, right in the center here of Kabul. It's not exactly clear what kind of vehicle was being targeted.

We understand two Afghan school boys and an Afghan policeman were killed in the explosion, but NATO not giving precise numbers at this time as to who they lost in the attack. Clearly, another sign that security in the capital is not how NATO forces would like it to be -- Alina.

Nick, this wasn't the first time this happened. I remember reading in my e-mail earlier this morning there was another incident in northeastern Afghanistan, right? What can you tell us about that one?

WALSH: Well, a slew of violence today, another incidence of suicide bombing in Kuna where a young woman in a burqa blew herself up outside the Afghan intelligence services headquarters there. Few number of casualties we understand as this point. But the more troubling instant is two dead ISAF soldiers in Kandahar, apparently shot by a man in an Afghan army uniform. Afghan commanders are telling us these ISAF soldiers were actually Australians training the Afghan and he turned his weapon on them. So, a bad day for NATO, indeed -- Alina.

CHO: All right. Nick Paton Walsh, live for us in Kabul with that update. Nick, thank you very much.

We want to turn back to the United States and the Northeast in particular. In particular, meteorologist Alexandra Steele has more on this nor'easter that is coming in October.

And I want to special welcome to our T.J. Holmes, by the way, who just e-mailed me. So, good morning, T.J., for watching.

ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, that's right.

(CROSSTALK)

STEELE: He's on his way right to the snow.

CHO: That's right.

STEELE: All right. So, it's certainly rare. Unprecedented, not so we have seen snow in October, but it's about a month and a half early for these big cities. So, yes. This isn't December. Look at this radar. Western New York, western Pennsylvania, western Maryland. -- the snow Elkins, West Virginia, Morgantown, State College. This is just the beginning of it.

You can see all where all the rain is, that's the green, of course, and the yellow, the heavier rain. But we're going to watch the cool air come in. Colder air comes in and it's going to change this rain over to snow.

But for the balance of everyone, it really won't happen along the Eastern Seaboard until tonight. So, here's a look at the big picture.

All right. New York City, here's the deal -- windy and rainy today. We'll mix with snow this evening. And the snow will taper off tonight in New York City, believe it or not, three to five inches. This is the first time in 59 years that we had October snow. So, pretty incredible.

Boston -- the later and the more north and east you are, the later it will come but the later it will stay tomorrow. So, rainy, windy day, it will turn to snow tonight. Still snow on the ground tomorrow morning. Snow forecast for you, three to five inches. Here's the big picture. Look at this pink, over 10 inches.

North and west of the big cities, that's where the heaviest snow will be. Of course, it's early and, of course, along the coast, like coastal Connecticut, it will be hard to kind of sustain that snow.

Twelve inches in Allentown, there's Philadelphia, between three to five. New York City, four to seven inches in 59 years. So, it's really is quite rare.

Boston, five inches. Springfield -- so it's interior areas, Hartford 13 inches. About a foot in Springfield. Poughkeepsie -- so, we're going to see in the Berkshires, in the Catskills, that's where we will see the foot-plus snow.

More on that and the power outage factor that will be a big player, especially tomorrow. Back to you.

CHO: Oh, yes, that's always the problem. Alexandra, OK. Thank you so much.

The high tide rolling into Thailand right now could mean even more flooding and more damage to the capital city of Bangkok. Residents were urged to leave but many stayed put. Many areas around Bangkok are already under water. Nearly 400 people have died with millions more forced from their homes.

Our Sara Sidner is in Bangkok.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This lady has told us she has run out of money. She is afraid for the safety of her animals. These are her dogs. She's got a few rabbits there. And she's just trying to get them to higher ground. She is starting to become very, very worried.

That's what's happening in a lot of this area. We are seeing some elderly people also getting into trucks that the army has brought and jumping in there because their homes are inundated with water.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHO: We also heard from Sara earlier that crocodiles and snakes are being seen in the floodwaters that have washed over city streets. This has been the worst flooding in Thailand in more than six decades.

Well, it's hard to be exact about these things, but on Monday, the U.N. estimates that the 7 billionth person in the world will be born. The birthrate is not the real problem. It's where many of the babies are being born that's causing concern. We'll explain when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: Seven billion people, that's a lot of pressure on this planet and it could pose serious challenges in terms of food, resources and the environments.

Our Jim Clancy has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): October 31st, 2011: that's the date the U.N. says the 7 billionth person will be born on Earth, 7 billion. That's a crowded planet.

JEFFREY SACHS, DIRECTOR, THE EARTH INSTITUTE: It took only 12 years to go from 6 billion to 7 billion, and it's expected to take maybe another 14 years to go to 8 billion. So, the trajectory is still rising quickly. CLANCY: Sachs says all those people mean more demands for food, more stresses on the land, and more loss of water. But that's not the biggest problem.

SACHS: The big problem is that in the poorest countries, families are still having six, seven or eight children. That's what's putting this tremendous growth of population continuing, because in the high income countries, fertility rates have come down to two children on average or even less.

CLANCY (voice-over): This map shows you birth rates across the world. Multiple births about five are centered in Africa. Most lower birth rates are in developed countries.

Dr. Sachs says rapid population growth in poor countries often creates conflict and political stress at borders.

And on top of that, cultural values and available health care in developing countries creates a barrier to proper birth control.

Jim Clancy, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHO: Dr. Sachs has an in-depth article on the 7 billion mark and what it could mean for the planet. Check it out at CNN.com/opinion.

Well, help is on the way for homeowners. The president has a new mortgage plan and he is helping out students struggling with debt. We'll tell you what it means for you.

But, first, what do you think the average student loan debt being carried by the graduating class of 2009 is? We're talking about four- year non-profit colleges. Is it $2,400? Is it $4,000? Or $24,000?

I have a sneaking suspicion I know what the answer is, but do you? We'll have it for you when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: Welcome back. It's 12 minutes after the hour.

So, we asked you before the break -- what do you think the average student loan debt is that's being carried by the graduating class of 2009? Cue the music. We're talking about four-year non-profit colleges. There you see the options there: $2,400, $4,000 or $24,000?

The answer is $24,000. That's according to Institute for College Access and Success.

It's true that it really is tough out there. Unemployment rates are high. There are record foreclosures, and as we just told you, the student loan debt is sky high. People need relief urgently.

This week, President Obama announced two major plans to ease the financial burdens of Americans, on one front mortgage loans; the other, student loans.

Financial expert Clyde Anderson is here to look at both plans.

We want to start with the president's announcement to help homeowners refinance their existing mortgages with lower interest rates. Let's listen and we'll talk on the other side.

CLYDE ANDERSON, FINANCIAL EXPERT: All right.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Through this plan, we will help between 7 million and 9 million families restructure or refinance their mortgages so they can afford -- avoid foreclosure. We're not just helping homeowners at risk of falling over the edge, we're preventing their neighbors from being pulled over that edge, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHO: All right. That sounds great. How does it work?

ANDERSON: Well, the main thing is, you know, he released something similar -- a plan that said you could only go up to 125 percent of the loan to value, meaning that people that are underwater, they need some help. They want to get out. They want to be able to refinance mortgages and take advantage of these low rates.

So, what they're doing is saying you can refinance even if you are underwater in your mortgage -- meaning you owe more than your house is worth. So, they are giving them an opportunity to refinance, which is huge.

CHO: You cannot be behind on your payments. That's one of the criteria.

What are some other criteria to qualify for this?

ANDERSON: It has to be a primary residence. So, you still have to be occupying the home. That's crucial. And it must be a Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac loan and it must be issued before May 31st, 2009. So, you want to check with your bank to make sure if it's a Fannie Mae loan or Freddie Mac loan. And those are mostly conventional loans. And you know, that's the organization backed by the government so they have the ability to do that.

CHO: So you see that it takes effect there on December 1st, 2011. So, not -- you know, you guys start working on it if you want to do it, right?

ANDERSON: Start working now.

CHO: You know, again, you see who qualifies. So, you know, a lot of people do qualify.

ANDERSON: Yes. CHO: But it doesn't work for everybody, does it?

ANDERSON: It doesn't work for everyone. I mean, again, you can't be late on any mortgage payments. I mean, that's big piece there in this economic climate. We have a lot of people are behind on their mortgages. And so, you can't be behind on the mortgages, that's key.

And so, you want to make sure you're current. You have this conventional loan product and that you're not under water, I mean, that you are underwater.

Now, the other piece is that, some people say, great, they're going to save and now, they're going to let me refinance. But, again, the loan amount does not change as far as if you owe more on the house than it's worth, you will still owe more than the house is actually worth, but you just will refinance it.

CHO: All right. And how do you think this is going to help boost the economy? Because that's the bottom line here, right? I mean, that's why the president is coming out with these plans.

ANDERSON: Exactly. They say the average -- you know, for taking advantage of the low interest rates, the average person will save about $2,500 a year, so what happens now if you're saving money on your monthly mortgage, you can actually now put that money back into the economy and boost the economy.

CHO: All right. Great. Thank you so much, Clyde Anderson. I appreciate all of that. Great tips to have.

And Clyde Anderson is going to stick around.

Student loan debt has surpassed credit card debt in this country. It's hard to believe but it's true. And, in fact, it is creeping towards the $1 trillion mark. President Obama says he has a plan to help ease that financial burden. Clyde will break down the president's plan on that and give us his opinion on whether or not it will work.

We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: Now, just before the break, we told you that student loans have surpassed credit card debt. This week, President Obama laid out a plan to help ease the burden for people paying off student loans. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: I intend to do everything in my power right now to act on behalf of the American people with or without Congress. We can't wait for Congress to do its job. So where they won't act, I will.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHO: Financial expert Clyde Anderson joins us again to break down the president's plan. You know, the president talked about how it took him and the first lady 10 years to pay off their debt. I've talked to students who are so underwater, hundreds of thousands of dollars, that they say they can't pursue their American Dream, you know? I mean, how does this become a huge problem?

ANDERSON: Well, it's a big issue. For a lot of Americans, it's taken more than 10 years. I mean, the issue is that we got high unemployment and the cost of higher education is surging, you know? So, we got this high costs mixed with unemployment, and so, we got more people that want to go to college because they want to compete for these jobs.

And so, now they are in the position where they go, all these debts and they can't afford to pay for them.

CHO: Right. And you know, in many cases, they are moving in with their parents again. You know, they can't even rent an apartment.

ANDERSON: Exactly.

CHO: You know, what does the president's plan do and who does it help?

ANDERSON: Yes. Well, the plan does it says that if you take on these student loans, they'll give you a little bit more time, as far as repayment. They'll also do a forgiveness, after 20 years, you could potentially have your loans forgiven.

CHO: And right now, it's 10 years.

ANDERSON: And right now, it's 10 years.

CHO: Right.

ANDERSON: And so, also what saying 10 percent of the income is maxed as far as what they can go and say this is your minimum payment. It's 10 percent. Before, it was about 15 percent. So, now, it's cutting down and to say, OK, let's work with you to get the payments a little bit lower. Let's also look at an opportunity maybe forgive the debt after a certain amount of time.

CHO: Let me ask you this because, you know, these kids are getting out of college. In many cases, they can't find jobs. If they do, in a lot of cases, they're low-paying jobs, you know?

ANDERSON: Yes.

CHO: So, is this really going to work?

ANDERSON: Well, we're hoping that it does work. I think it's going to help some people, of course, not going to hurt everyone. But it is something that's pushing in the right direction. You know, a lot of people out there just want total forgiveness -- don't think that's going to ever happen, but that's something they would like to have and like to see. But, again, a lot of people are hurting now, so it's hard for them.

And they say you shouldn't take on more than 10 percent of the income that you're going to receive after graduation from the job that you're going to have as far as loans.

CHO: Right.

ANDERSON: It's crucial to know what you're going to school for.

CHO: Yes, it's easy to say, but it's really hurt in practice for a lot of people, you know?

ANDERSON: It is.

CHO: I mean, a lot of people are trying to make ends meet. You know, it's impossible to avoid. Then it has a snowball effect, doesn't it?

ANDERSON: Right. So, you really have to weigh your decisions right now. This is the time it's crucial to think it through. Is it time for me to go to college? Can I really afford to go to college right now?

CHO: Right.

ANDERSON: And what kind of job is waiting for me on the other side. What are the other alternatives?

CHO: It's sad to think about it in those ways. But it's the reality right now.

All right. Clyde Anderson, thank you as always. Great to see you.

ANDERSON: Yes, my pleasure. Good to be here.

CHO: OK.

Coming up, a new hurdle for the Wall Street protesters in New York, it's not that the authorities have to be concerned with this, you know, there's the weather, too. You know that huge nor'easter that's headed here? We'll explain after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: Twenty-three minutes after the hour.

Checking our top stories:

The Northeast is getting ready for an early big dose of snow with forecasts of a foot or more possible for cities like New York later today. The snowy outlook has utility companies preparing for possible outages. The storm could impact upwards of 60 million people.

The impending storm could pose problems for those "Occupy Wall Street" protesters. They say they will keep the faith despite the falling temperatures. Protesters may want to bundle up first. New York police have seized power generators rather and gas containers from the "Occupy" camps, citing safety concerns.

And health officials in North Carolina suspect a festival there in Raleigh is the source of an E. coli outbreak. There are 10 confirmed cases so far. Another 16 are under investigation. Four of the confirmed cases are children. Three of them had to be hospitalized.

A spokesman for the fair says they are cooperating with health officials.

There are new guidelines this week for the HPV vaccine. You know, it's been controversial. Now, the Centers for Disease Control is deciding it's not just for girls anymore. We'll explain when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: Three minutes before the top of the hour -- before the bottom of the hour, rather. Let's turn back to the weather and get some information on the snowstorm for the Northeast

Meteorologist Alexandra Steele has more on that.

And the snow is already falling west of Washington, right, Alexandra?

STEELE: It's not even Halloween. This is like a December or January map. So, rare but not unprecedented. North of the big cities, we're going to see eight to 12 inches, perhaps. In the big cities, New York, Washington, Philadelphia -- yes, accumulating snow for you.

And that's what so fascinating about this. It's measurable snow. That's what we're going t o see and that's what we don't usually see.

So, one thing about this, it's going to be a quick-hitter. The balance of today for Boston, for Boston tomorrow morning and then it's done. With the strong winds coupled with the heavy snow, power outages will be a sure thing, especially tomorrow. Sixty million people will be impacted by either the snow, the winds or the rain.

So, who gets what and when?

All right, to New York City we go and Philadelphia, we go south to north along the 95 corridor. And, again, north and west of those big cities will see even more snow, again, we will get into the double digits.

But rain and wind in Philly today, mixes with snow tonight. Snow forecast for you, Philadelphia, two to four inches.

In New York City, now, mind you, it's been since 1959 that we had the last October snow. They only had three snows, measurable snows in October since records have been kept. So rain and wind today, mixes with snow this evening, maybe about five or so, tapers off tonight, three to five inches for you.

Boston, you will still see snow tonight and into tomorrow morning because you're further north and east, as this nor'easter moves away from you, you kind of will be the last to see it. Tomorrow morning, three to five inches. So, much more on the nor'easter. Very interesting and a lot of new facts about it, and we'll talk more about it coming up.

CHO: And, Alexandra, I want to stay with us because we want to look at Washington right now. You can see -- well, of course the sun has yet to fully come up. It just looks chilly, doesn't it?

STEELE: It does. And just west of Washington, the snow has already begun. We're already seeing it. So, they're close, so close, but temperatures have to cool down. Air has to get saturated a little bit more, but then they will.

CHO: All right. Keep us posted.

STEELE: Yes.

CHO: Thanks, Alexandra.

STEELE: Sure.

CHO: Moving on, a vaccine to help young girls fight off some cancers later on in life is now being recommended for boys.

CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Alina, this week, a CDC committee voted to recommend the HPV shot for boys. Now, that shot, if it sounds familiar, is already on the vaccine schedule for girls. But this committee said that boys ages 11 or 12 should also be getting the shot.

Now, the shot is given actually as a series of three shots. The vaccine will help boys and it will also help their future sexual partners.

Now, as far as the boys go, it will reduce the chances that they can get genital warts when they do become sexually active and also reduce the chances that they'll get certain types of cancers.

Now, as far as the girls go, boys give HPV to girls. The girls, in turn, can get cervical cancer from that virus.

So, getting the shot will reduce the chances that the boys will give the virus to the girls. Doctors in the CDC say that this shot is safe. They say it's been given to millions of people around the world without long-term side effects.

So, here's the thing, though. Some parents still think this vaccine is controversial, and they don't want to give it to their children.

Now, most states have not required the shot for school admission. The CDC recommends it, but most states, in fact 49 states, have said that you don't have to get the shot for your daughter if you want her to go to school. She doesn't have to have it. And I imagine many of those state also do the same thing for boys.

So, parents who don't want to get it in the end may be able to just say no -- Alina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHO: Elizabeth Cohen, thank you.

"SANJAY GUPTA, M.D." starts right now.