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CNN Saturday Morning News
Battle for New Hampshire; Teen Back Home with Family; Unemployment Dips to 8.5 percent; Slavery Used in Homework Assignment; New Fitness Gadgets; High Seas Rescue Down Under; Candidates Blitz New Hampshire
Aired January 07, 2012 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANNOUNCER: From CNN's World Headquarters, bringing you news and analysis from across the nation, and around the globe, live from Studio 7, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. And good morning to you. It's Saturday, January 7th, 2012, the day before Elvis Presley's birthday. Good morning. I'm Gary Tuchman.
An American teenager who was mistakenly deported is now back on U.S. soil. We'll tell you how the 15-year-old Dallas girl ended up in Columbia and how she was located.
Using slavery to teach a lesson about math: ahead you'll hear from some parents who are outraged about their children's homework assignments.
People in Indonesia are dumping flip flops over the brutal treatment of a teenager. We'll have details.
New Hampshire appears to be one of the busiest places on earth today, at least in the United States. The candidates and the Republican presidential race are making their final push ahead of the first in the nation presidential primary.
Mitt Romney has a solid lead going into Tuesday's primary, but if history serves any lesson, his victory is anything but certain there. CNN's Joe Johns is following the day's developments from Manchester -- Joe.
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Gary. You can call New Hampshire ornery, perhaps stoic, certainly very independent-thinking, that pinch-hit for voting against the front-runner has been well established over the years, but that all idea is going to be really tested here in New Hampshire. This time it's because of Mitt Romney. Not only is he the presumptive favorite in this race, the front-runner in the polls, he also has a house in New Hampshire and perhaps most importantly of all, he's the governor of the neighboring state, Massachusetts.
So he's a well-known commodity here in New Hampshire. Nonetheless, he has been running very hard trying to avoid any suggestions that he actually might be taking this state for granted or the voters. Let's listen to something he said very recently here on the campaign trail.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If we have leaders who will tell the truth and who will live with integrity and who know how to lead, have had the experience of leadership and know how to lead, if they will draw on the patriotism of the American people then we can overcome any challenge we have. And I intend to be one of those leaders with your help on Tuesday.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: That's Mitt Romney in Derry, New Hampshire, just this morning. Of course, he's going to be severely tested if he wants to be the leader who comes out of New Hampshire on top. He's got two debates in the space of 24 hours, one tonight another tomorrow. What he'd like to do of course is run the table from Iowa to New Hampshire to South Carolina and try to really get a leg up on the other candidates by the end of January.
Now, let's talk a little bit about those other candidates. Rick Santorum is a guy who did very well, surprisingly, in Iowa. He continues to spend a lot of time in New Hampshire, even though a number of pundits and others think he would do best to go to South Carolina where the crowd is more his type, including a lot of Evangelicals. He's spent a lot of time here.
Ron Paul, reaching out to the younger crowd, the college crowd. This is the oldest candidate in the field and he's got the youngest following, you might say. And then Newt Gingrich, this is a guy who is very upset about what happened in Iowa, upset about all the attack ads that were pointed at him, particularly from that super PAC that was run by people connected to Mitt Romney. Mitt -- I should say Newt Gingrich would really like to see something good happening for him in the state of New Hampshire.
So we're going to be following it all, Gary. And we wish you were out here and I bet you'll come back before the end of the campaign, if you will.
TUCHMAN: I'm thinking of coming back to New Hampshire maybe tomorrow, Joe. So I hope to see you there.
JOHNS: Excellent.
TUCHMAN: But before I see you -- but before I see you I want to ask you another question that's regarding Newt Gingrich. I mean it seems like he's swan dive in the polls coincided with the lack of debates. So now you have a debate tonight and a debate tomorrow and Newt Gingrich is a good debater, his friends and enemies acknowledge that. Do you think this could propel him back in the positive direction in the polls?
JOHNS: Yes. He's a great debater, quite frankly. And you know, you talk to people on the campaign trail both in New Hampshire and South Carolina and they say if they're concerned about somebody going into a debate with President Barack Obama, who would it be? The people who vote for Newt Gingrich are most concerned about debates because they think Newt Gingrich could stand up to the President.
And you know everybody has different reasons for supporting one candidate or the other, but debates are tops on the list, if you will, when it comes to Newt Gingrich.
TUCHMAN: Joe, I cannot believe how light of a coat you have in New Hampshire in January. It's remarkable.
JOHNS: Yes.
TUCHMAN: It's great.
JOHNS: The weather is incredible.
TUCHMAN: Yes.
JOHNS: You know I mean, it's balmy.
TUCHMAN: I know, we're loving it. It makes covering politics --
JOHNS: And we'll make it cold when you get out here.
TUCHMAN: Ok, thanks Joe. I do appreciate that. Joe Johns, everybody.
JOHNS: You bet.
TUCHMAN: Well CNN's live team coverage of the New Hampshire primary in balmy New Hampshire begins Tuesday night, 7:00 Eastern Time.
But before that coverage on Tuesday, join Fredricka Whitfield every Sunday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. Eastern for "THE CONTENDERS, 2012" an hour dedicated to the Republican presidential contenders, hence the name.
Well, right now, Penn State is introducing its permanent replacement for legendary Coach Joe Paterno. It's New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien. The official announcement expected this afternoon. O'Brien taking over for a program reeling from the sexual abuse scandal surrounding former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. The news was met by excitement from members of the team.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATT MCGLOIN, PENN STATE QUARTERBACK: I'm very excited about it. We heard the news late last night, I talked to a couple of my buddies on the team. They're excited, as well. It's a fresh start for Penn State program and that will make sure to get it going.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TUCHMAN: You'll remember that Joe Paterno was dismissed as part of the clean up from the Sandusky scandal. He'd been the head coach since the 1960s. O'Brien won't be coming to Happy Valley, Pennsylvania, right away, though. He's going to stay with the Patriots as long as they stay alive in the playoffs. The NFL playoffs begin today.
It looks like we'll have to wait until at least Wednesday to hear a plea from Joran Van Der Sloot. He was expected to plead guilty yesterday to murder in the death of a 21 year-old woman in Peru. But instead, Van Der Sloot asked the judge for more time to consider his plea and yawned several times while he was on the court. You may remember that Van Der Sloot was also a suspect in the disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway back in 2005.
It's a nearly unbelievable scenario, a teenage runaway convinces two governments that she is someone else and then ends up being deported to South America to Colombia, a country she's never been to. For months, her family searched. Yesterday, finally, she returned home to Dallas.
CNN's Ed Lavandera fills us in on the latest chapter of the story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we're so happy and we're ready to get her home. We're happy to have her back.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The stunning and embarrassing saga involving 15-year-old Jakadrien Turner culminated Friday night here at the Dallas Airport. With Turner walking out of the airport, walking hand-in-hand with her mother and grandmother. It was her grandmother who spent months and months scouring the Internet trying to find any kind of signs of her granddaughter who had run away from home back in November of 2010. And that was when the story all began to unravel.
When Turner was arrested in Houston in April of last year, gave authorities the fake name of Atika Cortez and said she was an illegal immigrant from Columbia. Essentially, the teenage runaway got herself deported and now almost 15 months later she is back in Dallas.
There are a still a great number of questions that remain unanswered as to how she could have fooled so many people in so many different ways. And her attorney says that someone will have to pay for that.
RAY JACKSON, TURNER FAMILY ATTORNEY: -- make the people who are responsible pay for the civil rights violations that Miss Turner has had to go through.
LAVANDERA: Jakadrien Turner walked out of the airport here visibly emotional and overwhelmed by the amount of attention that her story has received here. Her mother and grandmother left without saying anything, they were very quiet. But one person close to the family says that all she wants to do is sit around and watch television with her family and try to reconnect after so much time.
Ed Lavandera, CNN, Dallas, Texas. (END VIDEO CLIP)
TUCHMAN: Well, tomorrow will mark the first anniversary of Congresswoman Gabby Gifford's shooting. The tributes have already started. Part of a trail outside Tucson now bears the name of Gabby Gifford's aide, Gabe Zimmerman. He and five others died in the shooting that seriously wounded the Congresswoman. Giffords will attend the vigil tomorrow at the University of Arizona, one of several events planned.
Encouraging job numbers, unemployment of almost a three year low. But who got the 200,000 new jobs? We'll break it down.
But first, a new study shows which college degrees make it harder to find jobs. According to the Georgetown Center on Education in the Workforce, recent college graduates with engineering degrees have a 7.5 percent unemployment rate. Humanities and liberal arts degrees have 9.4 percent unemployment rates the third highest. We'll look at the two with the worst job prospects in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TUCHMAN: If you're looking for a job, you may find it tough with these college degrees. Art majors have an unemployment rate of 11 percent right now. That's according to a study by the Georgetown Center on Education and the Work Force. Graduates with architecture degrees have the highest rate of unemployment right now, 13.9 percent. It's way above the national average. Lower rates of home building and other construction are to blame for that number.
The December jobs report is out and the unemployment rate is down to 8.5 percent. That's the lowest number since February 2009 a month after Barack Obama took office. The good news is 200,000 new jobs were added. President Obama says it's the highest number of private sector added since 2005.
But he noted a lot of people are still hurting for work. Here's a breakdown of those new jobs: 7,000 in mining jobs; 21,000 in leisure and hospitality 23,000 in healthcare and manufacturing; and 28,000 in retail. The numbers look promising but African-Americans and Hispanics are still unemployed in the double digits.
I asked Georgia Tech economics professor Danny Boston why that is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THOMAS "DANNY" BOSTON, ECONOMICS PROFESSOR, GEORGIA TECH: There are groups that are struggling and a lot of it has to do with the industries that the various groups are located in, particularly African-Americans and Hispanics. Those are the industries that were hit hard, particularly in manufacturing and construction and in retail.
And if you look at the job picture as a whole, those industries, 30 -- 30 percent of the jobs that have not been recovered are in manufacturing. Another 30 percent are in construction and 15 percent in retail. So those are the industries where those groups are concentrated most heavily.
TUCHMAN: Now, what I've heard of a lot of people say and a lot of Republican presidential candidates on the stump is that hey, look at the month, December, its Christmas season, holiday, New Years, gifts, jobs are needed. This isn't going to stay this way, you know. We may see more dismal numbers in January and February. Is there some credence to that?
BOSTON: Well, you know, they'll have to adjust their strategy. As far as I'm concern because the numbers will get better and I think they will get significantly better. Because if you really look at the labor market as a whole, we have not been stalled because corporations were bleeding, they were not -- they are not hurting. In fact they're making record profits, they were just lacking in confidence and not spending. But the latest investment figures indicates that private investment went up 15.7 percent and now they are beginning to spend and the economy is going to grow very rapidly.
TUCHMAN: So your predictions for 2012.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TUCHMAN: That was Danny Boston, professor at Georgia Tech University.
Well, a very unusual and upsetting way to teach a lesson about mathematics. Ahead, you'll hear from some parents who are outraged about their children's homework assignment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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TUCHMAN: Some parents here in the state of Georgia are outraged over an elementary school's math homework assignment. The work used examples of slavery and beatings in word problems.
Kerry Cavanaugh with CNN affiliate, WSB has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TERRANCE BARNETT, PARENT: I had to explain to him why daddy was upset because of the words that were used in that problem.
KERRY CAVANAUGH, REPORTER, WSB: The problem appeared on a third grader's math assignment. Terrance Barnett was outraged when he read his son's homework.
One problem said, "Each tree had 56 oranges. If eight slaves picked them equally, then how much would each slave pick?"
Then there was another, "If Frederick got two beatings per day, how many beatings did he get in one week?"
BARNETT: I'm having to explain to my 8-year-old why slavery or slaves or beatings isn't a math problem. So that hurts.
CAVANAUGH: Dad, Christopher Braxton had the same reaction.
CHRISTOPHER BRAXTON, PARENT: It kind of blew me away. Granted, if anyone got any beatings, you don't put that into the homework of any source.
CAVANAUGH: Both fathers contacted the principal at Beaver Ridge Elementary School in Norcross and then they called us. They wanted to know how these questions ended up on a child's homework. I brought that question to the Gwinnett's school district officials.
SLOAN ROACH, SCHOOL DISTRICT SPOKESWOMAN: In this one, the teachers were trying to do a cross curricular activity.
CAVANAUGH: Spokesperson Sloan Roach said the third grade teachers were attempting to cross curriculums, adding some social studies lessons into math problems. But the problem with these questions, there's no historical context.
ROACH: We understand that there are concerns about these questions and we agree that these questions were not appropriate.
BRAXTON: Whoever put together this paperwork and everything else, the schools and everything, shouldn't teach it this way.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TUCHMAN: The school acknowledged its mistake and shredded the assignment.
Well, we want to hear from you about this. It's weird. Did the school do enough to handle the situation? Tweet me @GaryTuchmanCNN; that's Tuchman with an h. And we will read some of your comments.
Now to the New Year and your health. Your computer, tablet and Smartphone are about to get even smarter. We'll show you some gadgets you can use to sync up to track your workouts and your rest.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TUCHMAN: We've had our fun, but the holidays are over. It's time to start burning off all those extra calories we ate. In my case, all the pasta and seafood I had on vacation. We could with the use any of a number of fitness apps on our Smartphones, but now there's a smart watch.
Tech guru and HLN digital lifestyle expert Mario Armstrong.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIO ARMSTRONG, HLN DIGITAL LIFESTYLE EXPERT: It's called the Motorola Modo Active (ph). It's a smart GPS watch that also tracks your fitness. So you can track your jogging. You can track walking or cycling. And it will not only track all of your calories being burned, the amount of miles that you're going, your heart rate. It can also show you a GPS map of where you're going, where you've been, and it's just one of these incredibly smart watches because it also has an mp3 player.
And so what it can also do is over time, it learns with what music you perform best to. And so you almost end up with this performance playlist of music and sound. And it has some wireless features in it as well so you can do Bluetooth (INAUDIBLE).
It's really -- I've been impressed by it. I've been using it for the past week, I'm really impressed.
TUCHMAN: Are you old enough to remember the Dick Tracy show. Dick Tracey was a detective and he had this watch that you can watch TV on and he's talking to it. That's what it sounds like, the future has arrived.
(CROSSTALK)
ARMSTRONG: Yes.
TUCHMAN: Now, there may be a solution for people to go see a show for those of us who have trouble sleeping. Tell us about that.
ARMSTRONG: Yes. This is the Lark Sleep Monitor. I've been testing this out for the past few days and this is awesome. What this is, is a wrist band that basically you wear at night when you go to sleep. You sync this up with your computer. And so what it does is it measures your sleep activity. This is very important for health.
Many people stress out, many people don't get enough relaxation and get quality rest so they're having a rough time throughout the day or not being productive or being creative. So it links up to your Smartphone or your tablet and it actually can create a sleeping plan for you. It's almost like having a virtual sleep coach.
So over time, it shows you a chart and can progress exactly how many times you wake up in the night and how many hours you actually slept and whether that was good or bad. Really, really impressive stuff that kind of really give you an idea of what your sleeping habits are.
TUCHMAN: And regarding health, there's a way I understand to check your blood pressure from your telephone, right?
ARMSTRONG: Yes, that's right. See, the whole thing that's going on is that we want people to be able to have technology that can help them manage their health better. So you may have distance relatives or you may want to be able to get information to your physician faster.
So this is a blood pressure monitor made by a company called iHealth. This iHealth connects to a dot which then reads out the information on to your iPad or on to a Smartphone. So you can track your blood pressure progress over time and then e-mail these results to your doctor or to a trainer so that you can really make sure you're taking care of your health.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TUCHMAN: Mario is a guy who knows how to take care of himself.
Why is this Iranian fisherman hugging a United States sailor? The answer, an amazing story straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TUCHMAN: Time for top stories.
People are protesting in the streets of Nigeria as gasoline prices doubled, literally overnight. The government removing fuel subsidy on January 1st. It had kept gasoline prices artificially low for a long time. Nigerians reacted angrily staging mass demonstrations. Police responding with force killing at least one protestor.
Now to Kenya's capital, Nairobi, where British officials warned terrorists may be in the final stages of planning attacks. The UK statement says attacks may target places where ex patriots gather such as hotels, shopping centers and beaches. But it did not offer details on who might carry out the attacks. A Kenyan government spokesman says the attacks are not new.
Iran is calling the rescue of Iranian fishermen from suspected pirates by U.S. sailors a quote, "humanitarian act". The Pentagon praising Thursday's mission. The naval officials in the United States say fishing captain deserves credit for alerting them to the crisis. He spoke in a special dialect the pirates wouldn't likely recognize. After the rescue, one crew member embraced his American liberators.
That's quite a picture, considering what's going on between Iran and the United States right now.
Two men and two young boys are safe after a harrowing high-seas rescue off the coast of Australia. The men were out fishing with their 11- year-old sons when their boat caught fire and started to sink near Sidney Harbor. . A chopper crew quickly answered the call for help.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT SMILES, SURVIVOR: The boat was on quite an angle to the stern, grabbed the (INAUDIBLE), grabbed my wallet, ran out, by that time, Rick had life jackets on the boys. Grabbed the air ski, jumped off the back deck and the boat sunk pretty well straightaway.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How quick did it happen?
RILEY SMILES, SURVIVOR: Like two seconds before it disappeared. And I was just shocked.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TUCHMAN: Riley Smiles, that's his name and Riley Smiles is all smiles.
And still another rescue, this one off Oahu, Hawaii. 40 people were plucked from a sinking boat north of Turtle Bay. The boat started taking in water after it sustained a baseball sized hole in its hull. A coast guard rescue swimmer boarded the 186-foot vessel as a nearby cutter delivered pumps to keep it afloat.
The Republican presidential hopefuls are campaigning long and hard across New Hampshire today. Mitt Romney, the frontrunner going into Tuesday's New Hampshire primary met with supporters in the early morning rally in the city of Derry.
Ron Paul ate breakfast with voters at the Windmill Restaurant in Concord -- that's the state capital.
And Rick Santorum held a roundtable discussion at Saint Anselm College in Manchester. It was the first of four events Santorum plans to hold today.
Now we have some live pictures of still another rally. This is Newt Gingrich, a crucial, crucial weekend, maybe more for Newt Gingrich than any other candidate because he's plunged in the polls recently, but there has been a lack of debates lately. And he's rapid ascent in the polls coincided with a lot of debates because he's considered by friends and enemies alike a very strong debater.
There's a debate tonight, a debate tomorrow, and that is why this is an important weekend. This is Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, he is speaking at a veterans town hall. It's his only appearance today as he gets ready for that very important debate tonight.
Let's listen for a couple of minutes.
BOB SMITH (R), FORMER SENATOR FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE: Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You know, this is his show and I just want to say thank you for coming and thank you for all coming to see Speaker Gingrich. In 1984, when I was elected, I walked into the Congress, didn't really know where the bathroom was, and here is a congressman from Georgia who came over.
He says, before you really get involved with all the minutia that happens here, are you content to be in the minority here in fighting this liberal majority of Democrats, or do you really want to take the bull by the horns and take control?
And I said, I think the answer is obvious. He said, come on. And we met, about 10 of us, in a closet called the "Conservative Opportunity Society" in the Capitol. It's true. And we plotted the revolution, but it's not finished.
And the reason why I left the sunny area of Key Largo to be up here in the cold of New Hampshire is because I believe in this man. We need him so desperately right now. I can't tell you...
(APPLAUSE)
SMITH: I can't tell you. I couldn't even put into words how much I mean that. He and his wife Callista have produce this movie about Ronald Reagan. If you saw that movie and you realized all of Reagan's dreams, all the things that he wanted to do, we helped him in the House and in the Senate in those days when Reagan was there thanks to... TUCHMAN: That's Newt Gingrich being induced by Bob Smith, former congressman and U.S. senator in the Granite State, the state of New Hampshire. Once again, crucial day for Newt Gingrich, his only appearance. Tonight, a very big debate. He excels in the debates. We'll see if his poll numbers can go up again. If they don't, though, he may be in big trouble, not only in New Hampshire, but in South Carolina and Florida.
Rick Santorum is hoping to build on his stunning gains in Iowa, as he sets his sights on the primaries. The former Pennsylvania senator is no stranger to Washington, but his views are perhaps not as well-known on the national scene. Here is a closer look at his record and what the presidential hopeful sees for the future.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TUCHMAN (voice-over): Losing by just eight votes to Mitt Romney has certainly invigorated Rick Santorum. But we can already tell you quite a bit about his vision for this country. Santorum, after two terms as a congressman and two terms as a U.S. senator, has established a reputation as a conservative in every sense of the word.
Just this past Sunday in Iowa, Santorum was at all talking about entitlement programs.
RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't want to make people's lives better by giving them somebody else's money. I want to give them the opportunity to go out and earn the money.
TUCHMAN: Santorum's comment came in a state where by far most of the public aid recipients are white. Although he says he was tongue tied and didn't mean to say the word black.
But he did mention the word black in another situation. It was from January of last year regarding comments President Obama made as a candidate on abortion, saying it was above his "pay grade" to say when a baby is entitled to human rights.
SANTORUM: The question is, and this is what Barack Obama didn't want to answer, is that human life a person under the Constitution? And Barack Obama says, no. Well, if that human life is not a person, then I find it almost remarkable for a black man to say, no, we are going to decide who are people and who are not people.
TUCHMAN: Santorum received significant attention when he gave a quote to the Associated Press in 2003 about the Supreme Court and homosexuality. "If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery, you have the right to anything. Does that undermine the fabric of our society? I would argue that yes, it does. "
And he continued: "In every society, the definition of marriage had not ever, to my knowledge, included homosexuality. That's not to pick on homosexuality. It's not, you know, man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may be."
Santorum has said he wasn't equating homosexuality with all those other activities, but was trying to make a larger point about morality.
SANTORUM: I think based on the Christian teaching on the subject that one can have desires to do things which we believe are wrong, but it's when you act out those things that that is a problem. And I was simply reflecting that opinion and that belief structure that I happen to hold as a Catholic.
TUCHMAN: Santorum is a staunch supporter of Vatican policy when it comes to contraception. He said this to an evangelical blog site.
"One of the things I will talk about that no president has talked about before, is I think the dangers of contraception in this country. It's not OK. It's a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be."
It's a belief that may play well with many on the far right, but might be a harder sell among other conservatives.
And regarding national defense, he is certainly the antithesis of a candidate like Ron Paul. If elected as president, Santorum says he would tell the Iranians to dismantle their nuclear facilities and make them available to inspectors. And if not...
SANTORUM: We will degrade those facilities through air strikes and make it very public that we were doing that.
TUCHMAN: Many critics thought Rick Santorum's political career was over after he lost his U.S. Senate re-election in Pennsylvania by 18 percentage points. But his star is once again rising. He hopes his Iowa showing helps him broaden his reach in New Hampshire and beyond.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TUCHMAN: For a closer look at Rick Santorum's record as well as all those of all the other candidates running for president, go to cnn.com/politics.
(WEATHER REPORT)
TUCHMAN: Well, you think paying off your credit card debt all at once is a good idea, right? Well, think again. Money coach Clyde Anderson explains the credit game.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TUCHMAN: If you plan to settle all of your debt with a holiday bonus or a tax refund, you may want to reconsider. That's right, because, believe it or not, paying your bills off could actually hurt your credit score. Money coach Clyde Anderson explains that and some other stealth dings to your score.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CLYDE ANDERSON, FINANCIAL ANALYST: What you have to understand, it's a game. The credit system has been set up in a certain way, and if you understand the credit system, then you know how to work the credit system.
And generally if you pay down to zero it hurts your credit score. What they want to see is you keep some sort of balance on there. Just think about it. That's what actually benefits the creditors, that you're paying a little bit of interest on those cards, so you're now paying into their games.
TUCHMAN: When you say a little bit of balance?
ANDERSON: Generally, 30 percent. They want to see...
TUCHMAN: Really?
ANDERSON: So say, for example, if you have a card that you have a $1,000 balance, you want to keep about $300 on there. You want to be able to pay it down, but you want to control it. But also keep a little bit of balance if your goal is to increase your credit score and not damage the credit score.
TUCHMAN: Can you do that?
ANDERSON: Yes, definitely.
TUCHMAN: OK. I want to make sure that you practice what you preach.
ANDERSON: I do. I play the game.
TUCHMAN: OK. So what else can unwittingly cause our credit ratings to suffer?
ANDERSON: Well, I think there are several things. One is that I think a lot of people don't realize is rental cars. You know, if you go and buy -- or to rent a rent-a-car, and you use a debit card, it can hurt your credit score because they're pulling your credit. And it's considered to be a hard pull. When you have a hard pull, those are dings on your credit score. And so people don't realize that a lot of times. And it hurts them.
TUCHMAN: Is "ding" the scientific term?
ANDERSON: Yes, that's the scientific term, yes. Actually, the term I coined.
(LAUGHTER)
TUCHMAN: OK. I thought I've heard that before, well, maybe because you coined it.
ANDERSON: There you go.
TUCHMAN: It's all over the place. OK. So it dings your score.
ANDERSON: Yes, it dings your score.
TUCHMAN: I like that term.
ANDERSON: Yes, you like that.
TUCHMAN: It doesn't sound that bad as like, ruins your score.
ANDERSON: Right, dings it. And also, APR, you know, a lot of people go and say they want to reduce their APR. So they'll call the credit card companies and say, hey, I need a lower score -- I mean, a lower interest rate.
And so when they do that a lot of times what happens is sometimes they reduce your limit, as well. So now when your limit is reduced on a credit card, it can hurt your credit score, also.
TUCHMAN: So if you want your APR reduced, which is, I would think, a good thing, a great thing, you have got to make sure that they don't reduce your limit also.
ANDERSON: Do not reduce my limit, because what happens a lot of times, and we've seen in the last year or so with the economy shifting, is that some of the credit card companies are annoying to the customers, reducing those limits, and saying you had a $5,000, now they've reduced it to $2,500. So it reduces their risk, but it hurts your credit score.
TUCHMAN: OK. Now what should we do to improve our credit scores?
ANDERSON: Well, there are several things that you can do to improve your credit scores. One is paying your bills on time. I think that's the first one is pay your bills on time, but also, monitor it. Make sure that things aren't going on that you don't know about.
So sometimes people say, put a fraud alert. I think you always need to have some sort of alert to alert you before people use your credit or credit is extended. So understanding credit is one of the big pieces and leveraging it, making sure you know how to leverage that credit.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TUCHMAN: Smart guy, that Clyde Anderson. Got to listen to him. Got to pay those bills on time, and that's the key thing.
Well, coming up next, taking a stand with flip-flops.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TUCHMAN: Using scandals to make a statement, people in Indonesia are protesting the trial of a 15-year-old boy who admitted to stealing a police officer's sandals. They're protesting by dumping hundreds of sandals at police stations.
Nadia Bilchik explains in our "Morning Passport."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NADIA BILCHIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The significance of the flip-flops is that this week a 15-year-old boy was sentenced to a five-year term for doing what? For allegedly stealing some flip-flops from an officer.
Now, he stole them last year when he was only 14. And he only admitted to doing it after he was severely beaten. And then this week got the sentence of five years. So the National Commission for the Protection of Children has arranged a protest by dumping flip-flops in front of police stations around the country.
Let's hear what the National Commission for the Protection of Children had to say as to why they're doing this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We came up with the idea of a thousand sandals which we see as being the symbol of resistance, also as a compensation for the sandals that were allegedly stolen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BILCHIK: This is a country where over 6,000 young children a year, literally minors, are held in prisons. So it's very concerning. And this particular Commission for the Protection of Children, in 2002, they actually enacted the law for child protection, but it doesn't seem to have helped or stopped these kinds of things happening.
TUCHMAN: So what's going on with this child right now?
BILCHIK: Well, this child right now, after receiving his sentence, has gone back to his parents. Why? Because that's how effective the protests have been. There have been a lot more than a 1,000 flip- flops. And I think it just shows ingenious ways of protesting.
But I wanted you to hear from the Indonesian authorities as to what they say they are doing regarding minors.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The commission is pushing to abolish juvenile punishment in Indonesia. We hope it will be included in the bill. It means that first the child needs to be returned to their parents for guidance, then given training and education. And the harshest would be rehabilitation with the right intervention.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TUCHMAN: By the way, is this legal, this protest?
BILCHIK: Well, it's unprecedented, so it's not really illegal. If you think of the Occupy protesters...
TUCHMAN: Right. But that's the United States. BILCHIK: Exactly. But, again, when you look at creative ways of protesting, they are unprecedented. So it's not illegal, but what it's doing is causing a great deal of embarrassment for the Indonesian authorities. And certainly look at the video, it's causing a lot of worldwide attention, which is the pressure that it has caused them not to actually act at this point because the young man A.L.L., is back with his parents and not seemingly serving the prison sentence at this point.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TUCHMAN: The flip-flop drop. Well, NEWSROOM continues at the...
(CROSSTALK)
TUCHMAN: Yes, it is very interesting.
Well, NEWSROOM continues at the top of the hour with Fredricka Whitfield. Fred is -- she is my next door office neighbor.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: I know.
TUCHMAN: And Fredricka is the greatest office neighbor because I actually blare like '80s punk rock music in my office, she never complains.
WHITFIELD: I like it, I like it.
TUCHMAN: OK.
WHITFIELD: How are you? Good to see you.
TUCHMAN: Fredricka, it's great seeing you this weekend.
WHITFIELD: Yes, it's fun to change our locale of meeting.
TUCHMAN: Yes, I agree. It's usually in dark hallways.
WHITFIELD: I know, I know.
TUCHMAN: You know, it's a bright studio.
WHITFIELD: That's right. Good to see you. We have got a lot coming ahead beginning in the noon Eastern hour. Joran Van Der Sloot, we all know that he's now on trial in Peru. But you know what, he's not taking this one lightly, he's trying to, you know, maintain some controls of his destiny here. Everyone remembers him from being the prime suspect in the Natalee Holloway case in Aruba where now he's standing trial for the murder of another young lady in Peru.
But what's different here is he says, you know what, initially he was going to be pleading guilty, now he has second thoughts. He wants to think things over first. So we're going to expound on exactly how that's taking place.
And then our legal guys are always with us on the weekends, Avery Friedman, Richard Herman. And this time, you know how fantastic it usually is to have courtside seats at a basketball game, an NBA game, well, in one case we're going to explore an assault and battery case against Kobe Bryant of the Lakers, because a young man who sitting courtside alleges that he was hit, impacted by Kobe Bryant as he was going for a ball and he suffered a lung bruise. Three years later his estate is claiming that he died of those injuries and he now he is pursuing Kobe Bryant in an assault and battery case. It's extraordinary.
TUCHMAN: It's so sad, but it's a hard case to win. If you go to a game...
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Right, because one will also argue...
TUCHMAN: If you get hit by a baseball at a baseball game, and...
WHITFIELD: Sure, and one will argue, what about the venue? The venue, you know, has to protect the spectators, to what extent should they in a case like that, especially when you're talking about courtside seats. OK. We're going to talk about all that.
And then, you know, more than a third of American children or adolescents are obese or overweight. So we've seen a number of campaigns being rolled out to try and address that. One very popular fast-food chain is now rolling out a new kids menu which will be launched on Monday. We'll have a preview of that menu.
TUCHMAN: So I mean healthier food, you mean?
WHITFIELD: It is supposed to be healthier, lower in fat. It will not be fried like we see a lot of chicken nuggets, which are very popular for a lot of kids. So this will be grilled instead.
TUCHMAN: You know what, I like chicken nuggets, still.
WHITFIELD: I know, who doesn't?
TUCHMAN: I'm a kid at heart.
WHITFIELD: I know, and I love French fries.
TUCHMAN: They're the best.
WHITFIELD: OK. But no French fries on this menu either. So we're going to reveal which popular fast food chain is rolling out this new menu.
And then about now we're all receiving those credit card bills from that holiday shopping. So in many cases people are feeling like they overextended themselves. So why you should start and how you should start now to plan for your holiday shopping come 2012.
TUCHMAN: So we are going to learn how...
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: We are going to learn from whatever mistakes.
TUCHMAN: So by next year at this time we'll be much happier people because we'll know how to spend more wisely.
WHITFIELD: That's the idea. That's right. Your plan, your shopping throughout the year, everything from doing some interesting math, some equations on how to better prepare and save for that holiday shopping, and then how to shop throughout the year to take advantage of some of the sales that roll out in certain months depending on the item you're going for.
TUCHMAN: And I bet you'll be talking about politics, too.
WHITFIELD: Oh, of course. That's a given. That's why I don't even mention it. But, yes, we're going to do that because we are the politics headquarters. We have got an incredible team spanned out across from South Carolina to New Hampshire. So we have got all that covered as well.
TUCHMAN: Fredricka, it's wonderful seeing you.
WHITFIELD: Good to see you, too.
TUCHMAN: Thank you very much.
Well, high praise for people who work towards equality. Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Cory Booker will be among those honored tonight with a Trumpet Award in Atlanta. And I will talk to him about his work.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TUCHMAN: Now it's time for a look at some interesting stories our affiliates are covering across the country. First, to Massachusetts.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TUCHMAN (voice-over): Nothing ruins a robbery like a trooper in the store.
TROOPER JOHN MCKINNON, MASSACHUSETTS STATE POLICE: There was a man behind the counter, he had a hood up. It definitely didn't look right.
TUCHMAN: Massachusetts State Trooper John McKinnon walked into the CVS when the clerk told him something strange was happening by the pharmacy.
MCKINNON: I pulled my handgun and I said, let me see your hands. He turned and looked at me real quick and then he ran out and the chase was on.
TUCHMAN: McKinnon caught up with this man and blasted him twice in the face with pepper spray. The man now faces numerous charges after investigators say he demanded pharmacists give him painkillers. To Newport Beach, California, and a cheating scandal at a school there. Several students at Corona Del Mar High are accused of prepping for a history test by buying test materials for teachers on amazon.com. The students apparently found the book they were reading which included questions and answers. School officials say at least one student even tried to sell the material to classmates. By the way, these test documents are not on Amazon anymore.
In Chicago, 85 lotto winners cashed in their checks around Christmas and they bounced. Illinois lottery officials say the checks totaling about $159,000 did not have the proper security authorization. They blame short staffing because of the holidays. But they do plan to pay the winners, plus they will be reimbursed for any bank fees.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TUCHMAN: Tonight 26 people will be honored for significant contributions to the African-American community during the 20th Annual Trumpet Awards here in Atlanta. One of the honorees is Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Cory Booker. He joined us earlier to explain why the Trumpet Foundation's work and the recognition it gives are so important.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAYOR CORY BOOKER, NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: I think they are a remarkable foundation that is keeping people focused on the breadth of African- American achievement letting people understand that often what you get from traditional media is not the full texture, the full wealth of the African-American community in terms of their contributions, not just within the black community, but really their contributions to the country.
And so I've been watching the Trumpet Awards for years and years and years, seeing people who have inspired me, who have instructed me, who have helped to sustain me along my journey. And it's a privilege today to be really a part of that great community they have created.
TUCHMAN: Well, it's well-earned, because in addition to being the mayor, you're a community leader, a very positive role model. What makes a good leader?
BOOKER: Well, ultimately, you know, leaders are about not the traditional sense, I think, of leading people. It's really about demonstrating through your actions through what you do, not necessarily through what you say.
And I think the best leaders that I've seen in the African-American communities are the people that awakened in you the understanding that you, too, can be a leader. And that's what's really important.
TUCHMAN: You are talking to kids in Newark who want to pursue a career in politics, for example, what kind of advice would you give them? What do you give them?
BOOKER: Well, I tell people all the time life is not about pursuing a position, it's about pursuing a purpose and a passion. And especially for the generation coming up, they are going to have 10, 20 different jobs along their career. If they keep their moral compass fixed and really pursue with a great passion the purpose of their lives, to figure that out, then the world will come to them.
And what we really need to be doing though in America as a whole is preparing all of our children, giving them the solid foundation, and through education, early childhood education so that they can achieve whatever they set their minds to.
TUCHMAN: Technology is something you use a lot. And I want to read something that you've tweeted recently. I mean, last year you tweeted during a blizzard and you helped reassure stranded residents of Newark. But just I want to read a couple of your tweets, just yesterday you wrote.
For example you said: "We're working hard to solve what's still too big of a problem in New Jersey. But we're making progress. Carjackings down 50 percent compared to the same time last year."
You also tweet back encouragement to citizens. You tweeted: "You inspire, I'm doing the same in SpiritualDee (ph). Improving my diet and fitness by making time for exercise and importantly cutting out processed sugar."
I mean, we've seen politicians very recently tweet inappropriate things, they've lost their jobs because of it. How important is the technology, things like Twitter for you?
BOOKER: It's an invaluable tool. And I feel very proud that over a million people around the country as well as tens of thousands in Newark follow me and engage.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TUCHMAN: The Trumpet Awards tonight, big night in Atlanta.
WHITFIELD: Yes, big night. He's a fascinating individual, has always been. And then come to find out you all grew up in very similar communities.
TUCHMAN: We grew up five minutes away from each other. But there's a little age difference. We didn't hang out but...
WHITFIELD: Not much.
TUCHMAN: ... we would have if we were the same age. He's a good guy.
WHITFIELD: Yes, I mean, he was probably in elementary school when you were in high school.
TUCHMAN: Maybe when I was in college.
WHITFIELD: OK. You guys could have been on the blacktop together, and you didn't even know it. TUCHMAN: That's right, with a little -- and in New Jersey, we were likely at the mall at the same time. That's what you do, you go to Paramus Park Mall or the Garden State Mall, that's a very popular thing to do in New Jersey -- or the Jersey Shore.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
TUCHMAN: That's what we did too...
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Oh, OK, really? Yes, I see you as a Jersey Shore type.
TUCHMAN: I love the Jersey Shore. I'm not talking -- those people on the show, I don't know those people.
WHITFIELD: I know, I know, the Jersey Shore is beautiful, been there too.
TUCHMAN: There you go. Anyway, Fredricka Whitfield, as you can see, is here. Fredricka, take it away.
WHITFIELD: Have a great one, Gary. Thanks so much. See you tomorrow.
TUCHMAN: Thank you.
