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tv   CNN Newsroom  CNN  May 14, 2011 1:00pm-2:00pm PDT

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under the cover of darkness in the early morning hours of monday, may 2nd, two u.s. military blackhawks with 25 navy s.e.a.l.s descend on the combound believed to be hiding the world's most wanted terrorist. >> you've got endorphins being released, adrenaline being released. if you control that fear, you fight. >> an intense mission with no room for error. but after the s.e.a.l.s close in on their target -- >> something went very wrong. one of the helicopters lost lift and crashed. the whole plan was they would rope down from the helicopters overhead. it doesn't work anymore. the s.e.a.l.s on the helicopter had to get out and assault the compound from on the ground. >> all right, the hunt for osama bin laden spanned the terms of three u.s. presidents. who were the architects of such
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a re-sounding success. watch or dvr inside the mission, getting bin laden tonight, 8:00 eastern time. topping our news at this hour, louisiana's morganza spillway is opening. it's expecting to begin burdening the waters away from new orleans and baton rouge. while many homes will be protected, the homes and farms of 2500 people will be expected to be flooded. >> an arrest warrant may be issued for moammar gadhafi. an international close to the courts cells cnn to expect a formal announcement on monday. it's the first time the icc has investigated alleged crimes against humanity. and two islamic leaders in south florida and one of their relatives in california arrested
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today, charged with providing support to the pakistani taliban. that's a terrorist group with close ties to al qaeda, responsible for carrying out attacks on the pakistan border. three other people were indicted. a federal indictment said all six conspired to kill, injure, and kidnap people abroad. and welcome news for motorists struggling with high gas prices. president obama plans to speed up domestic oil drilling. he made the announcement in his weekly address to the nation. >> i'm directing the department of interior to conduct annual lease sales in alaska's petroleum reserve while respecting reserved yare yeas. we plan to lease new areas in the gulf of mexico as well and work to create inincentives for businesses to use their unused leases on and off shore.
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>> they follow similar moves by the gop in the house. they have opened up several areas for coastal drilling. >> thousands of people who thought they won a green card to stay in the country are now out of luck. the u.s. state department is invalidating results post eed o its website thanks to a computer glitch. every year, millions worldwide apply for just 50 green cards. a new lottery will be held in july. in the space center in florida, the countdown has begun for the last mission. "endeavor" is expected to get off on monday. mark kelly is commanding the flight. his wife, injured congresswoman gabby giffords is expected to attend the launch. more on the story of desperate measures along the mississippi river. they're opening the morganza
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spillway to protect new orleans and baton rouge, knut but it wi moon disastrous flooding for others. any moment now, the expectation is that spillway is being opened. ed? >> reporter: about a minute ago, we're going to zoom in, yeah, exactly, about a minute ago, the water started gushing out of the one gate that was opened up. we're going to zoom in there so you can get a good look at it. for now, about one gate will be opened. it takes about 15 minutes to fully open, but you can see how much water is starting to pour out of that one gate. to put everything in perspective. this flood structure is almost 5,000 fealt long. there's 125 of those gates. not all will be needed in the coming days relieve the pressure off the mississippi river, but you can see the force and pressure already coming through just that one gate. and this number we have been talking a lot about is 1.5
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million cubic feet of water per second. that's the pressure in the mississippi river. anything over that starts to compromise the levee integrity around badden ruch and new orleans, and that's the peak we have reached and what has triggered this moment and the order by the army corps of engineers to open this gate. 1.6 million cubic feet were second was the last reading, which is why this gate is soapen. you can see the water gushing out. you'll see that gush out over the course of the next 24 hours. thill will probably be filled up with 2 to 3 feet of water. the reason they're doing that is to give wildlife a chan to scatter and get used to how quickly things are going to change. to give you a sense of how slow and how much water is dpoig to be coming through the dpaets as they continue to open more and more gates, the crest of this is not supposed to reach morgan city, which is 100 miles south of where we are, until may 24th.
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the people south of where we are are going to be looking at almost a month of floods they'll be dealing with and having to stay away from their homes in the low-lying communities as they wait for all of this what toor dissipate. that's not even taking everything off the miss misriver. there's a great deal of water that is still moving through that region as well, and the bonnet carre spill way, a structure similar to this that has been opened up, is at full capacity. this structure is open up almost 600,000 cubic feet of water persecond. the authorities here in morganza say they won't need all of this to handle and by able to take the pressure off the mississippi river, but as one of the colonels here just described a while ago, this is a historic day. these gates have not been opened and needed for this flooding in almost 40 years. last time this was opened up was in 1973. this is not something that people see very often in hair
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lifetimes. you go around here, you hear a lot of people saying they hope they never see it again. >> 40 years ago, was there a lot of damage when they opened the spillway. if so, are people bracing for a repeat of that or did it demore good than harm? >> a lot of people had to readjust. for example, down in morgan city, they had a six-foot wall that surrounded part of the city. that's been changed dramatically in the historic downtown part of that city. there's now a 20-foot wall that protects it on the historic downtown side. there is concern on the other side of town where there are lower sized lievees that those could be compromised as it starts making its way down there. as i mentioned, it will take three days for the majority of the what toor reach morgan city, which is 100 miles south of where we are. >> ed, thanks so much, in
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morga morganza, louisiana. as ed said, likely, others will be open as well. more water will be released from the mississippi river. the downside to that is a number of homes and farmland will be sacrificed as this also helps protentially save new orleans and baton rouge. we're talking about watching this right now, but over a span of up to two weeks to see how much damage or how much protection this offers. >> absolute lay. we're going to be dealing with this rising water going downstream, but also want to point out to you, it's going to take a while before we see the rivers falling below major flood stage. we were talking about the morganza flood gate. they opened up part of the gate. is the area in the red, the spillway. this is the mississippi river. when they open up the spillway, we're talking about rushing water coming towards the west. they're doing this slowly so
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residents have time to get out of the way and also for the animal and wildlife to get out of the region, but we're talking about a 34-square-mile region. you'll see down toward the south a bit more. this water that's going to be coming is also going to be going over to the atchafalaya river and it's going to spill down to the gulf of mexico. before it happens, there is interstate 10. and interstate 10, say if you have driven from new orleans to houston, you have gone over this. we could see the water high there as well. as we go further into the graphic, we want to talk about morgan city. the good news is they do have a good levee system across this region. the problem is the levee holds up. morgan city should be good, and that's great news. as i continue to go on a bit more for you, i'm going to pill this out of the way and talk more about the levee system here. as we go over to this, this is going to show you potentially how a levee works.
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say if the levee fails, we'll see all this water rushing through, and you have to keep in mind with the morgan city and the atchafalaya basin, they're going to see the water coming through. if you have a levee there, of course, hopefully the water stays below it. by opening up the morganza spillway, that's going to need more protection downstream for areas like baton rouge and new orleans, and they need it because that's a low-lying area. you're looking at area of them opening up part of the morganza spillway. let's talk utwhat we're going to expect and how far we're going to see the rivers actually cresting above flood stage. for vicksburg, 12.8 feet. for natchs, 12.2, and we're talking about major flooding, may 22nd at 14.1 feet. >> people will be looking at the calendar as well as the clock as you tick toward that. thanks so much wroorb. separating children based on
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academic abilities. this is called tracking, and while some parents have embraced the system, others are calling it discrimination. down the hill? man: all right. we were actually thinking, maybe... we're going to hike up here, so we'll catch up with you guys. [ indistinct talking and laughter ] whew! i think it's worth it. working with a partner you can trust
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overseas. what more do you know? >> the fbi identified the 76-year-old leader of the miami mosque as the one who spearheaded the alleged conspiracy, and the fbi said they arrested him about 6:00 this morning when he was leaving the mosque after morning prayers. six people in all are arrested for raising at least $63,000 in donations to help the pakistani taliban. police call that the tip of the iceberg on their three-year investigation. you'll remember last year's times square bomber as well as a suicide attack yesterday in pakistan and another 2009 suicide attack that killed seven soldiers at a military basin pakistan. they say when one imam in the case heard of the attack, he wished 50,000 more would be killed. the fbi and prosecutors tracked a string of suspicious
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transactions sent from the united states to pakistan and at this point won't say who the donators are. the two florida communities themselves are not under indictment. authorities say the money was meant to help the taliban carry out terror attacks overseas. help them buy guns and support schools that train children to become taliban soldiers. law enforcement officials say this investigation has no connection to the killing of osama bin laden. and fred, we also spoke to the counsel of islamic american relations ipsouth florida when he heard about the indictment, and he wanted to make clear that islam never supports terrorism of any kind, and certainly not financing anything like this. >> susan, thanks so much in new york. some other stories making headlines around the world. a former pop singer has been
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inaugerated as hahaiti's new president. it was a stark reminder of the challenges facing haiti after last year's earthquake. and more than 1 hl people fleeing libya and tunisia arrived last night in lampedusl. people have fled the unrest in africa since february. and people were wounded in the protests in yemen. several others saw protests but those were largely peaceful. a controversial school policy called tracking in this country has sparked some heated debate. supporters say it makes sense to put students with a higher academic ability in the same class room, but some argue it unfairly targets others.
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when audrey took over as principal of long beach middle school three years ago, she was stunned by what she saw. >> we did have classes that seemed to be somewhat segregated. >> that's because students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade honored classes were primary white while in other classes, they were primarily latino and african-american. >> if she was getting honors, why wasn't she in an honors program? >> she was in the high-90s in every class, and i couldn't understood it. >> it's called tracking, separating people on academic abilities, but it became hard for educators to ignore. >> what is the danger for tracking somebody in sixth grade? >> in my opinion, it's developmentally inappropriate. >> it's also one of its most economically diverse. >> we were not providing equal
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opportunities and equal access to all youngsters, and that needed to change. >> in a controversial move two years ago, the superintendent did away with tracking, mixish sixth graders of all academic abilities and creating a more challenging curriculum. >> when we begin to prepare youngsters in this way in middle school, they're far more successful in high school. >> but some parents argue smart kids like his daughter are being unfairly penalized. >> if someone is intelligent enough that they belong in an honored program, they belong there. if someone doesn't belong in that program, shea should be in a program that that level. >> marsha has embraced the new system for her younger daughter. >> what they're really afraid of is opportunity for their children. opportunity to get scholarships to colleges. >> what is the message you're trying to give children who traditionally were not put in honors classes. >> the message is you can do it, you're bright, and you can perform well, and we expect you
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to. >> as proof it's working, school officials say a greater number of schools are enrolling in advanced classes. this week, the school board decided not to detrack the seventh grade in the fall. soledad o'brien reports don't fail me, education in america, the documentary that examines the crisis in the education system, and why our future is at risk if students can't excel in math and science. it premieres sunday night at 8:00 eastern. saturday night live cast members come together for a humorous look at being a brid bridesmaid. she wrote it, and she's one of the movie stars as well. so who is the brainchild behind this new box office hit. [ male announcer ] myron needed an mba to turn his technology into a business.
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civil rights movement this weekend in atlanta, just outside the dors of the cnn center. mlb offered young people the chance to meet major league players and play a game at a
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clinic in centennial olympic park. major league baseball will also use the weekend to honor its greatest african-american players including hank aaron, tj holmes asked aaron about the state of the game. >> it could be better. it could be a lot better. we don't have as many african-americans playing baseball as we used to have. anytime we have an economic struggle in this country, we, and i mean we, the blacks, are going to feel the pinch a lot quicker than anybody. and baseball is a very expensive game. >> turning on tv, they can see that instant fame or what not from basebaketball or football. >> i don't believe baseball has sold itself as much in the black area as it should have. somehow, i think football has been a terrific job and i think basketball has done another terrific job of selling its sports in the areas.
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>> mlb honored aaron with a beacon of life award at the civil rights weekend two years ago. and tonight, we'll be talking with this man right here, the most powerful man in baseball, commissioner bud selig. he's going to be sitting down to talk about the toughest issues facing baseball. he'll be talking about your questions you gave me via twitter. that will be 2:00 on cnn. if you have ever been in a wedding party, you know how crazy things can get sometimes. that's the premise behind one movie bringing together a few saturday night live alums for what they hope will be a big draw, bringing wig laughs at the box office. matt joins me right now from los angeles with today's previews. good to see you. >> hi, good to see you, too. >> there's a lot of pressure on
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"bridesma "bridesmaids" because some people are saying this is the female version of the "hangover" which was a huge hit. so let's take a quick look. and there's maya rudolph, everyone knows her from snl. let's take a quick peek at "bridesmaids." . >> will you be my maid of honor? >> of course i will, i don't know what i'm supposed to do. >> just throw the bachelor etd party and shower. >> what are we doing for the party? >> a princess party. >> i'm thinking tanned gentlemen who swallow fire. >> a female fight club. we grease up, surprise, beat the crap out of her. >> i don't hate it. >> okay, is it going to make me laugh, matt? >> absolutely. you know, a lot of people compared this movie to the hangover. i thing that's unfair. this movie is funnier than that. i really liked that.
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>> is that possible? >> absolutely. this is a really funny movie. and it's really honest, i think. not that i would know, not that i have been a bridesmaid, but from what my friends say, this is an honest portrayal of what it's like. she's asked to be maya rudolph's maid of honor, and her life falls apart. it's hilars. there's one scene that's a little gross, a little unnecessary, but i thought it was hilarious. that's the scene right there. they all proceed to get very, very sick in the dress shop. but this movie is great. i really liked it. i have to say, melissa mccarthy steals her scenes in this. she's from mike and molly. the whole cast is really funny. i strongly recommend it. i gave it a b. >> that's a high grade. everybody loves maya rudolph. she's oh, so funny.
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she played me on an episode of snl. i'll have to check this out. let's talk about another movie "priest." this one, a warrior priest defying the church to search for his niece in a war ravaged between humans and vampires. let's take a look at this clip. >> you promised me. kill them all. >> one of your own has broken his sacred vow, but we'll find him. >> he'll come after me. he'll come after you. >> that's something i'm absolutely counting on. >> it's a trap. >> okay, that just screams creepy, and man with the kraus on his forehead, i'm not seeing that. what did you think? >> i'm guilty to say this, i kind of liked this movie.
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i will admit, it's total schlock. you see elements of things like bladerunner and judge dread and mad max, and it's kind of slapped together of elements of better films, but in a weird sort of way, it worked for me. i kind of liked it. i will admit. >> you have some crazy tastes. all over. >> exactly. you know, but it's kind of fun. the fight scenes are well staged. it does keep you moving along. it's not as scary as it wants to be, but i kind of liked it. >> what was your grade, then? >> i gave it a c. it's not a great movie. it's not a central watching, but i don't thin you would be unhappy sitting through it. >> kind of liked it. all right, very fun. well, maybe you would rather stay at home and watch a movie on dvd, spng like that. justin bieber, never say never,
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is among those that is going to be out on dvd, as well as no strings attached. and there he is. this was a hit. people really loved this. is this a keeper, one i need to rend or own? >> if you have a young girl in your home, you have to own this. there's no question, right? if you want to rent it, this is a decent movie. i'm not a big justin bieber fan, but i came away with a real appreciation for his talent and how hard he works. and i thought this was a decent -- you know, it was a pretty good movie. i enjoyed myself watching it. >> and no strings attached, like it? there he goes, the new star of two and a half men, but for now, on dvd. >> yes, on dvd, this movie is not great. it's another example of an ashton kutcher movie that isn't that good. i didn't really enjoy this one.
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>> thanks so much. bru brutally honest, but that's why you're a movie critic. we like that. thanks so much. good to see you. we'll have much more right after this. membership rewards points from american express. they're a social currency with endless possibilities. hey, dad, think i could drive? i'll tell you what -- when we stop to fill it up. ♪ ♪
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[ son ] you realize, it's gotta run out sometime. ♪ [ son ] you realize, it's gotta run out sometime. somewhere in america, a city comes to life. it moves effortlessly, breathes easily. it flows with clean water. it makes its skyline greener and its population healthier. all to become the kind of city people want to live and work in. somewhere in america, we've already answered some of the nation's toughest questions. and the over sixty thousand people of siemens are ready to do it again. siemens. answers.
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when i realized that weight watchers online is for guys. all the guys, they think, "do some crunches. that'll just make you thin right away." that just doesn't work. so with weight watchers online, it teaches you about doing the right things when you're eating. there's something called a digital cooler. grab some beer, maybe some chips, and you can stay on plan. i lost 57 pounds. i pick up a 55-pound weight and i cannot believe that used to be right here. [ male announcer ] hurry, join for free today. weight watchers online for men. finally, losing weight clicks. a look at our top stories right now. the first bay of morganza spillway is open. it's slowly diverting dangerous flood waters from the mississippi river away from
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baton rouge and new orleans. it comes at a great cost to others as water gushes through the spillway, homes and farms across the atchafalaya river basin will be flooded. and jury selection in a sensational florida murder trial will continue today. lawyers are working a full day trying to seek jurors to hear the case of casey anthony. she's accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter nearly three years ago. she was missing for two months before her skeletal remains were found near the home. >> and etta james is in the hospital this evening with a blood infection. she's best known for "at last." her son tells cnn his mom was admitted to a hospital in southern california and she's doing a little better but she's not out of the woods just yet. an taems is being conducted to find out what killed new york
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rangers player derek boogaard. the hockey player's body was discovered yesterday in his minneapolis apartment. he began his nhl career in minnesota before joining the new york rangers. boogaard supported a foundation that gived the children of military families the opportunity to play hockey. he was only 28 years old. and it's been 64 years since jackie robinson broke major league baseball's color barrier. today, mlb marked how far baseball has come. atlanta is hosting the civil rights game this weekend. baseball legend hank aaron is taking part in the celebrations all week long, and his home run record may have been eclipsed by barry bonds, but not everyone thinks bonds is the new home run king because of accusations he used performance enhancing drugs. tj holmes got the chance to sit down with hank aaron to ask him about it. >> what would you say to those fans who say hank aaron is the
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home run king? he will always be my home run king, and they refuse to acknowledge anybody at this point that is above your name? would you say let it go, or would you say -- >> i would tell them thank you. i would thank them, first of all. thank them if they think that way, but here again, and we were talking about barry bonds. and you know,b barry bonds hit more home runs than i did, and she should be justifiably be the home run king. that's the way i look at it. i look at it saying he did everything he was supposed to do in baseball. now, people say, well,ia know, he was on this, he was on that. i don't know what he was on. you know, i have no idea. i'm not god. i don't have any idea. the only thing i know is that barry bonds was a terrific ball
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player. i hit 755 home runs. and no matter how you look at it, i'm not going to hit another home run, not in this era. i may ndo it somewhere else, no here. he hit more than i did, so he should be classified as the home run king. >> you don't believe he was on anything? >> i just said no matter what it is, i don't know. i don't know what he was on. i have no idea. as i said before, i'm not god. i don't make those kind of rules. >> you're the same guy who said once we got up to 60, 70 runs, it's funny. >> i said i think it's something funny. i think. there's a difference when you say you think. i didn't say i know. i think something is different. >> you're a scholar and a gentleman. i love it, i love it, i love it. >> all right, it's graduation season. hundreds of thousands of students are getting diplomas. can you guess how much they paid
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for their cap and gown? plus, five health lessons parents should talk to their graduates about. i've seen the sunrise paint the desert. witnessed snowfall on the first day of spring. ♪ but the most beautiful thing i've ever seen was the image on a screen that helped our doctor see my wife's cancer was treatable. [ male announcer ] ge technologies help doctors detect cancer early so they can save more lives. bringing better health to more people. ♪
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all right, before the break, we asked you if you knew how much a cap and gown cost for the graduates out there? you can spend from dpl 45 to $185. and that's without the tassels, honor cords, and stoles. so college graduation bay be the last great opportunity for parents to guide their young adults toward a young, healthy life. dr. bill lloyd joins me with advice on how we should do that.
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he's a graduate of life, i guess. >> it's been a long time since i have worn one of these. >> it looks so good on you. the first lessons parents need to, i guess, reconvey to their youngins is be safe. in what way? >> before they switch the tassel, parents need to tell their students to be safe. be safe in all that they do. that includes responsible driving, be sure to wear your seat belt. wear helmets when you're skateboarding or skiing, and in 2011, have the discussion about sexually transmitted diseases. you're not going to make it to 80 if you don't make it to 30. good point. then you say you need to reiterate the lesson about tobacco and smokers and being in a smoky environment? >> no tobacco in your life, and don't share your life with anybody else who uses tobacco. in addition to all the tobacco related diseases and we know the risks of lung cancer, there's serious risks for asthma and
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other conditions that may involve your children in the future. don't let anybody move in if they're puffing on a cigarette. >> and then you want to, i guess, warn them about we used to call it like the freshman tent or freshman 20. you have to worry about your weight or at least be conscientious of how you're eating and exercising. >> it's sfar easier to keep yourself from gaining the weight than trying to lose it 20 years later. a good combination between restricting the amount of calories you eat and burning those calories with exercise matters irn determining whether you're going to have diens or high blo blood pressure or elevated cholesterol in life, and as you gain weight, there's more wear and tear on your joints, which limits your physical activity and your sexual activity. >> and then the conversation the
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parent needs to have about alcohol. this is kind of good luck. it's going to be a tough conversation in which to have if they're heading off to college. what are you suggestions on this? >> well, of course, you know, the best education is leadership by example. your children are going to follow what you do. but you have to emphasize to your kids about restrithing the amount of alcohol because of the lifelong changes and damage that can happen to many organs in your body. the devastating consequences that come with a dui, and the problem of increased accidents and trauma with alcohol, and the changes that could affect your life, relationship, and career if you drink too much. keep it all in modrashz. if you want to drink, have a little red wine. iologisty mom and dad are reminding kids about the medical checkups. when you go to college, you forget about that. what kind of discussions need to take place? >> a lot of kids graduate from college and think they have a 30-year window where they don't
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need to worry about seeing doctors, but they need to have regular checkups depending on their family history and their own histories are. things like elevated blood pressure or cholesterol, women have to have their annual exam, and they need to be aware, and many college graduates are now older than 21, as they get past 40, about their annual checks, colon oskeepy, and ma'am august rfy. >> and i have to see the hat one more time. >> my mortarboard? we have graduated three collegians, and i have paid far too many tuitions. >> i'm hearing the pomp and circumstance right now. congratulations. you're off into the real world now. congrats to all the grads out there. all right, so we all knew, it might take a while for the housing market to bounce back, but it's taking longer than anyone expected.
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and for homeowners drowning in debt, anxiety is slowly turning to anger. that fly. but what if we could go to a place where real superheroes lived. ones who moved mountains. lifted an entire people. and taught the whole world how to fly. come see america's greatest history attraction, the henry ford. and ignite the spark of imagination in all of us. as we watch our heroes come alive in pure michigan. your trip begins at michigan.org.
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all right, time for a cnn equals politics update. we're keeping an eye on the headline s at the politics.com desk. newt gingrich is in. the former house speaker let his
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twitter followers know first he's running for president of the united states. his first official function as candidate, a homestate speech before georgia republicans last night in macon. and what about mike huckabee? is he in? he said he'll answer it tonight on his tv show, and has not given many hinlts as to which way he's actually leaning. and ron paul, definitely in. the texas congressman is 75 years old and said his age and, quote, irrelevant, and what matters is he deals with young ideas. for the latest news, you know to where, cnnta nrx nrnn politics.. some say the only issue likely to matter in the 2012 election is the economy. and one sector that hasn't bounced bag is the housing market. as sandra tells us what underwater homeowners are
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telling us now. >> this is what nancy logan is fighting for. a big backyard and a room to read in with her daughter. the place in nourj virginia they have called home for 12 years. >> i owe more on the house than it's worth, so that's my situation right now. kind of scary, kind of stressful to have that financial pressure. >> logan just found out her job is being eliminated and her mortgage is going up $1,000 a month in january after her loan modification terms expire. three years ago, she had to be inventive just to get her lender to hear her out. >> i actually sent a picture of my daughter and i to the mortgage company in front of the house and said we're not just a loan number. please help me because i wasn't getting any response. this time around, she took her plight to president obama, asking him for help at a cbs news town hall forum. >> my question to you is do you have any plans to help improve the housing market so hard working americans like ourselves don't lose our homes.
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>> we have more work to do so we're trying to expand the loan modification program to reach more people. >> millions of homeowners like logan are underwater in their properties. a new nationwide survey shows first quarter home prices declined 3%. the sharpest drop since 2008. the housing and urban development secretary says so far the administration helped grant nearly 4 million loan modifications for struggling homeowners but admits it remains fragile. >> there are encouraging signs and there are also signs of caution. we have accelerating job growth. that should help the housing market lift. the issue is that there was so much damage done in the crisis. >> some housing experts are trying to look at the silver lining. >> the decline occurring at the moment is in a single digit. this isn't a major decline, and in some markets based on the
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local economy, the prices are actually firming up. >> optimism logan is hanging onto. >> i'm hopeful, i always am. i'm a survivorer. >> and still on the economy, one state is hoping to boost cotton production in the u.s. to help create jobs. tom foreman takes us to north carolina in this building up america report. this man is laying in another crop of carolina cotton just as his family has for years. but this is much more than a job these days. >> it's a thrill. >> because a portion of his crop is going to cotton of the carolinas. that's an innovative program to build up the textile industry here by turning locally grown cotton into locally made clothing creating locally needed jobs. in places like ts designs. >> our shirts going from dirt to shirt in 700 miles or less.
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>> that matters because company officials like eric stress green production. using less fuel, which is difficult when cotton and cotton products are shipped back and forth to china, india, pakistan. >> st designs is a triple line business. they like to look after the three ps, people, planet, and profit. >> what crushed the textile industry was lower labor costs abroad. these shirts generally cost more than imports, but they have found fans in people who support local production, and the competitive edge may be coming. >> ultimately, with fuel costs and everything going way up, we're going to have a more sustainable supply chain and a consistent quality here that other people may not have. >> for runny burleson, it's simpler. >> we're going to church with people who works in the cotton mills all their lives, and all that sdree is going, i feel proud to be part of what can
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bring back some of those jobs. >> building up the fabric of his home town. tom foreman, cnn, burlington, north carolina. in ten minutes, we'll have have an update on the mississippi river flooding and the opening of the morganza spillway. live pictures right now. [ male announcer ] ready for the most amazing miracle-gro results ever?
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all right, much more ahead in the newsroom. don lemon is here because five minutes away -- >> i was talking to you. they still don't know. can we show the pictures, the morganza spillway. this isn't an exact science. they don't know where all this water is going to go, and it's going to flood a lot of people, fred, and we're going to be following that closely. >> anything can happen. it may not be an exact repeat performance of 40 years ago with opening the spillway. >> and just to show you how old i am, i remember when they opened it. i'm from that area. to hear the morganz a spillway and the bonnet carre, i'm like,
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am i going back to my childhood? and we're going to speak with a young man from georgia who some would say is trying to become an american citizen the right way. he's leaving the country tomorrow to avoid deportation and improve his chances of becoming a citizen. and we'll also have the conservative fury over common and his invitation to the white house reading. and we're going to talk to tim about this. some people are saying there might be a racial tinge to this. before this week, you never heard a controversial word about common. his name and controversy in the same sentence, but there's a fear of misunderstanding, so we're going to have a conversation about that. if you want the real deal, you'll have to tune in, and you have an exclusive. >> we're also going to have another conversation in the coming days or weeks about a book that you have authored.
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you have penned, it's called "transparent" don lemon, going to be on the book stands soon. >> where r i have it because the press starts next week. fred went to my first television taping about the book. you were there with me. there it is. >> fascinating book. a memoir into your life, your experiences in louisiana, as we were talking about, the morganza spillway, you being a louisiana kid, a lot more about that and your life as a journalist. >> and you being my friend, so next weekend, we'll have an in depth conversation, we'll laugh, cry, talk. >> we'll try not to cry. >> all right, thank you, fred. >> yeah, awesome. we'll see you again throughout the newsroom beginning in just three minutes from now. i'm fredricka whitfield. see you foorm. we are!
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