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Rick Santorum Jumping in Presidential Race; New Cancer-Fighting Drugs; Yemen's President Vows to Return; Getting Away from the Job; Discussing Troop Withdrawal

Aired June 06, 2011 - 11:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Thank you, Marty.

Live from Studio 7, I'm Suzanne Malveaux. I want to get you up to speed for Monday, June 6th.

Rick Santorum is about to kick off his run for the White House. The former Pennsylvania senator will officially announce that he is running for the 2012 presidential nomination. Santorum is popular among social conservatives.

More on his entry into the race ahead in a live report.

More than 2,000 people out of their homes this morning, chased out by one of the worst wildfires in Arizona's history. It's also burned almost 200,000 acres in the eastern part of the state. One man can only hope that the house he built with his own hands will make it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JESSE WALKER, WORRIED HOMEOWNER: A person doesn't realize just how hard it is to face something like that. You think you're prepared for it. You think you're mentally prepared for it, physically prepared for it. You're not. I cried all the way to town.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You did?

WALKER: It's hard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: In southwest Iowa, flooding is the big worry. About 600 people near Hamburg are evacuating as a levee between it and the Missouri River begins to fail. Heavy spring rains and melting snow packs are forcing the river out of its banks.

Well, week three of the Casey Anthony trial is under way now in Orlando. The focus is on forensics evidence. Anthony is charged with killing her 2-year-old daughter Caylee. Now, over the weekend, jurors heard testimony about a hair recovered from the trunk of Anthony's car.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAREN KORNSBERG LOWE, FBI LABORATORY EVIDENCE TECHNICIAN: What I was looking for were any hairs that exhibited composition (ph), and then that hair I compared to a hair recovered from the hairbrush which was identified as belonging to Caylee.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: Shame on you! Shame on you! Shame on you!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Protesters from a hotel housekeepers union chanted, "Shame on you!" as Dominique Strauss-Kahn arrived at a New York courthouse today. Strauss-Kahn is accused of sexually assaulting a hotel maid. He entered a plea of not guilty during the arraignment. The protesters say they are concerned about safety.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SONIA QUINONES, HOUSEKEEPER: It's always good to know what we are up against. And I hope that we come with a plan that, if we fall in a situation like that, we have one of those safety pins that, God forbid, that we're stuck in a room and we don't know what to do. Because when an incident like that happens, we freeze. We might say we're going to do this, but when the situation comes, we don't know how to act.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: In Iraq, the worst assault on U.S. troops in two years. Five U.S. service members died and five more were wounded in an early morning mortar attack at a U.S. military base in southeastern Baghdad.

Protesters celebrate in the streets of Yemen. Their president has fled the country, at least for the time being. He is in a hospital in Saudi Arabia. That is according to Saudi state TV. President Ali Abdullah Saleh was hit by shrapnel in a rocket attack on his compound in Yemen that happened on Friday night.

Eman al-Obeidy has been rushed out of Libya. That is according to the U.S. State Department. Al-Obeidy seized the word's attention earlier this spring when she accused Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's security forces of gang-raping her. She is currently in Malta, with her final destination unknown.

Initial tests at a German bean sprout farm find no traces of the deadly E. coli bacteria that has killed 22 people so far. Now, over the weekend, officials said that German-grown sprouts were the likely source of the outbreak. They say E. coli may have affected only one batch of sprouts. Now the testing is going to continue.

More now on Rick Santorum jumping into the presidential race. He makes the announcement in Somerset, Pennsylvania, any time now. We are waiting. The two-term senator from Pennsylvania registered in single digits in polls over the past year or so, but he does have some strong support among many socially conservative voters. Our CNN's Jim Acosta, he is joining us with more on Santorum's run for the White House.

Jim, tell us about the setting of the announcement today, why it is significant, and also a little bit about the new candidate.

ACOSTA: Well, Rick Santorum is going back to his roots by holding this event in Somerset, Pennsylvania. He's going to try to remind Republican voters that he was a part of that Republican wave of very conservative lawmakers that came into power in the mid-1990s.

And he held on to that Senate seat in Pennsylvania for 12 years, until 2006, when he lost rather badly by 18 points to Bob Casey. Of course, that was a big year for Democrats. That was sort of a tidal wave year for Democrats.

So it's got a lot of Republicans nervous that they can get behind Rick Santorum, that he has sort of a national appeal. But you're right, Suzanne, he does have a certain appeal with evangelical conservative voters, social conservatives who really want to hear about issues like gay rights, civil unions, abortion, those sorts of issues. Those are the issues that are really the bread and butter issues for Rick Santorum.

And I was just out in Iowa a few weeks ago and, you know, you talk to voters out there, they are taking a hard look at Rick Santorum. Now, if you look at the latest CNN polling, he shows up somewhere in the neighborhood of two percent among Republican voters in terms of what their preference is for a candidate.

Rudy Giuliani is at the top of the list, Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin. And then Rick Santorum is somewhere near the bottom.

So, he has got a huge uphill climb if he is going to make some noise in this race for the Republican nomination. But he has a very interesting life story.

He and his wife have endured many family tragedies. They lost a child. They also have another child who has some severe disabilities. And so Rick Santorum does have a compelling life story to tell. He'll share that, I imagine, with voters along the way.

But no doubt about it, Suzanne, this is going to be a tough race for Rick Santorum to win. There's a lot of other contenders out there, people like Sarah Palin, who are just going to make it very difficult for him to really make a dent in those poll numbers.

MALVEAUX: And Jim, we are looking at some live pictures of Santorum's wife, who had taken to the podium. We know that he's racked up a lot of frequent flyer miles visiting key primary caucus states.

ACOSTA: He really has.

MALVEAUX: What do we know about his travels?

ACOSTA: He is spending a lot of time in Iowa. And that is for good reason, because in Iowa, social conservatives matter.

I was just out in Iowa recently, and they sort of stop you when you say that. And they say, now, wait a minute, we're more about all conservatives here, not just social conservatives. But let's face it, this is a state that, you know, social conservatives do very well in, and Rick Santorum knows that.

He is going after the same voters that, you know, really got behind Pat Robertson a few Iowa caucuses ago. So Rick Santorum is really banking on Iowa. He will go down to South Carolina and do a lot of traveling down there, obviously. But he has been almost out there as much as any other candidate in Iowa.

Perhaps, you know, if you throw Tim Pawlenty in there, those two candidates right there are really gunning for these socially conservative voters in Iowa, and they will make a difference. Rick Santorum could surprise people and do very well in that state. Maybe not win the Iowa caucuses, but do very well and perhaps get some energy behind this campaign. That is what he is banking on at this point.

MALVEAUX: OK. Jim, thanks. We'll be keeping a close eye on that event that's about to unfold. Thank you, Jim.

ACOSTA: You bet.

MALVEAUX: A week from today, CNN will host the New Hampshire presidential debate. Join us as Republican hopefuls take on the issues, as well as each other. That is next Monday, June 13th, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, only here on CNN.

Well, it was a disagreement over jail time that led to the collapse of the plea negotiations involving former senator John Edwards. A source with knowledge of the talks confirms to CNN that Edwards did not want to be away from his children for an extended period time.

The "Raleigh News and Observer" says that the Justice Department was insisting that he serve six months in jail if he pleaded guilty. A grand jury Friday indicted Edwards on six felony counts. He's accused of using campaign donations to pay his mistress.

Here's a look at what is ahead "On the Rundown."

First, running from the flames. More than 2,000 people in Arizona flee from one of the worst wildfires in state history.

And a strand of hair found in the trunk of Casey Anthony's car, what it could mean for her murder trial.

And then, new hope for patients dealing with the deadliest form of skin cancer.

And as new members -- rather, a new wireless hassle-free way to listen to your music. Apple is preparing to unveil what is call it's iCloud.

Plus -- (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was getting hot dogs, and I just happened to turn around and I saw the slide blowing in the wind. And I just -- I couldn't believe it. It's like something out of a movie.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: It has happened again. This time, three inflatable bounce houses blown away with the children inside.

We also want to go live now to the announcement. Senator Santorum, Rick Santorum, making his announcement, jumping into the presidential race.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: But it is a beautiful day here. It's a Chamber of Commerce day here in Somerset County. And let me just thank everybody here in the local community for the great cooperation and support, and being here and showing up, and for -- well, for being where it all started for the Santorum family.

And that's why we're here, because our journey, our American journey, started here in Somerset County. And so it is great to be here. Thank you, Somerset County, for coming out for us.

(APPLAUSE)

You know, the most common question I've had over the past 20 months was, "Are you running?" And the answer I always gave -- it took me a while, but I came up with this -- no, I'm not running, I'm walking.

(LAUGHTER)

And the reason I was walking is because I wanted to get out and talk to Americans all across America, dozens and dozens of states over the past couple of years, with a heavy sampling on Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. But I was out talking to people, listening to people, trying to get a sense as to whether what I was feeling inside, the anxiety and the concern that I had for the future of the country, was something that was shared.

Well, the answer to that was what happened a little over -- well, almost two years ago now, with the birth of the Tea Party and people standing up at meeting after meeting and holding up their Constitution, and talking about -- those are balloons, not shots. Not that I haven't had my shots shot at me a few times.

(LAUGHTER)

But people understand that something is wrong, that there's something at stake in America that's important. It's important for us and it's important for the future of our country.

Now, what is it? It is the economy? Sure, it's the economy. Who can say it's not the economy when you're looking at this pathetic rate of growth and the incredibly -- just discouragingly high rate of unemployment? Not 9.1 percent, but 14 percent, 15 percent of people who really want to get work and they can't find work.

And you can look at this administration and say, oh, what did they do in response? They just sent money to state capitols and municipalities to keep their government workers on the payroll and forgot about the rest of America out here trying to survive and try to grow.

(APPLAUSE)

Is it gas prices? Yes, sure, it's gas prices. We're from here, from Somerset County, mineral-rich Somerset County. And we have coal and gas and all sorts of resources here, and we have a president who doesn't want us to access those resources, and then complains that prices of energy are high.

(APPLAUSE)

And if you look at the record of spending under this president, he came in -- sure, he came in with a problem. And then, in that hole he was in, he kept digging and digging and digging. Now, for every dollar we spend, thanks to this president, 40 cents is borrowed. Forty cents is going to be put on every man, woman and child to pay the interest on for the rest of their lives.

Who are we? Who are you, Mr. President? Who are you, Mr. President, to say that you and your administration should take 40 cents out of every dollar and borrow it from future generations to prop you up?

(APPLAUSE)

He's done worse than that. He's devalued our currency by pumping -- Fed Reserve currency pumping money, inflating our commodities, our food prices, our oil prices, which is a horrible penalty on working American, on saving Americans.

He's devalued our currency. And he's not just devalued our currency, he's devalued our culture through our marriage and for not standing up for the Defense of Marriage Act.

(APPLAUSE)

Through federal funding of abortions. He's devaluing our dollars, and he devalues our other currency, our moral currency.

All of this is bad enough, but I think Americans now realize there's even more. There's something more that is concerning America.

And that's why I'm here in Somerset County. I'm here in Somerset County because my grandfather came to this county way back in 1927. Did he come here because the government was promising him all sorts of benefits, promising him all sorts of handouts and bailouts? No.

No, he left a country where the government made all of the promises. He left a country, and I would add, a good job. He had a job on a mail train after World War I, which he fought in.

He had that job on a mail train. He lived in a beautiful, little, idyllic town in the mountains, right down on a lake. I visited it. It is truly gorgeous.

And I said, why would anyone want to leave nine brothers -- eight brothers and sisters, leave a stable job in a beautiful place at the foot of the Dolomite Mountains? One word, one reason -- freedom.

(APPLAUSE)

He was watching what Mussolini was doing. He was watching what he was inculcating into his oldest son. And he said, "I will not stand for this."

And so he left and he came here. Took a way late trip to Detroit, but he eventually came here. And he started in the coal mines here in Canama (ph) Township in northern Somerset County, in Carpenters Park, Pennsylvania.

(APPLAUSE)

And he worked and he worked to give his children, my dad, who was 7 years old when he came in 1930, the opportunity for freedom, to live your dreams, because he knew that America believed in him, believed in people, gave people a shot. If they worked hard, they could succeed.

That's the America that my grandfather came to. That's the America that my dad lived in. And that's the America that we need again today.

(APPLAUSE)

That is what is unique. The president of the United States, just a few weeks ago, in responding to Paul Ryan's budget, said this -- and he was talking about Medicare, Medicaid and unemployment insurance. And he said, "The country is a better country with those programs." "I'll go one step further," he said. "America was not a great country until those programs."

(BOOING)

Ladies and Gentlemen, America was a great country before 1965.

(APPLAUSE)

America was a great country before government decided that it had to start taking from those -- sorry, we have someone who -- I think the heat has got to them. So we'll make sure if there's any emergency personnel that can get here, I'm going to make sure this person gets some help.

Here you go. Hand that down. There you go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get some water.

SANTORUM: You OK?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe get a chair?

MALVEAUX: You're watching one of the people in the audience there, as Santorum makes his announcement, somebody who clearly -- the heat got the better of her. This often happens at various campaign events and big crowds.

Let's take a listen. The former senator has yet to announce his intentions, his formal intentions, but it looks like he is gearing up for it. So let's take a listen.

SANTORUM: America is a great country not because of our government. It's because our founders founded a great country.

(APPLAUSE)

I love our Tea Partiers who raised their Constitution up, that Constitution which is the owner's manual for America. But in that Constitution that they hold up is also another document that's always printed there. It's the Declaration of Independence.

(APPLAUSE)

The Declaration of Independence is the "why" of America. It's who we are.

We hear a lot of talk about American exceptionalism. What does that mean? The Declaration tells us -- "We hold these truths to be self- evident that all men are created equal and endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights" --

(APPLAUSE)

-- life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

Our founders did something revolutionary with that statement. You see, prior to that time, where they came from, rights did not come from God to every individual. That's not what those countries believed.

Rights came to the sovereign, to the king, to the government. And then the government would distribute the rights.

They left those countries because they didn't want a king to tell them what rights they had, because they knew what rights they had from God.

(APPLAUSE)

And in that Constitution, they established a framework to do one thing -- if you're going to sum up the mission of America, what transformed the world, what made this the greatest country in the history of the world, then in the 200 years of America life expectancy doubled, and in the 2,000 years previous, it did nothing. Why? Because the principle purpose of America was to make sure that each and every person was free. That is the purpose of America. (APPLAUSE)

Ladies and Gentlemen, that is at stake now more than it has ever been in the modern time. We are facing a time when we have a group of people, led by President Obama, who believes that America's greatness is in government, not as people. And there is one singular act that to me is the linchpin, and that is Obamacare.

Obamacare does something that no other entitlement has ever done, and that is, it obviously makes you buy something. But more importantly, it's the government, for the first time, that's going to have its clutches to create dependency on every single American. Not those in the margins of life, not those who are old or sick, but every single American now will be hooked to the government with an IV.

And they will come to you every time they want to do more and say, well, you want that IV? You want that health care?

MALVEAUX: You've been watching just the latest one to throw his hat into the ring. This is Santorum here. He's a favorite to religious and social conservatives.

It's not surprising that he took on President Obama over issues on abortion rights, gay rights, as well as the economy. He is a father of seven. He is known for his hard-charging and sometimes combustible language. And he is considered by some a long shot in the Republican Party for a candidate for president.

But again, Rick Santorum, now the latest one to say yes. He wants to grab it, he wants to give it a try.

We're going to have more after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Here are today's choices for "Choose the News."

First, adapting after a nuclear crisis. Japan relaxes its strict dress code, allowing workers to wear sandals and shorts to the office. Why? Because the government's energy-saving campaign, "Super Cool Biz," sets office thermostats at 82 degrees.

Second, finding a computer thief. A program hidden in a stolen laptop sends pictures and location back to the owner. Police don't help until the owner leans on them through social media.

And third, spending their lives in the clouds. Former military and airline pilots come together to write messages in the sky from the cockpits of World War II fighter planes.

You can vote by texting 22360. Text 2 for "Super Cool Biz"; 2 for "Nabbing a Thief"; or 3, "Air Show Skytypers."

The winning story is going to air in the next hour.

Well, new options in cancer treatment promise to extend or even save the lives of thousands of melanoma and breast cancer patients.

Joining us from Chicago, where a national oncology conference is happening now, is Dr. Otis Brawley.

Thank you so much, Doctor, for being with us.

He is the chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society.

Let's start first with melanoma. I understand this is rather significant. There are two new drugs that have been developed that I understand increase the life expectancy of patients with the deadliest form of skin cancer. How does this work?

DR. OTIS BRAWLEY, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY: Yes. It's been 40 years since we've had something good to say about melanoma treatment. These two new drugs, one actually looks at a specific gene within melanoma. It's good for about half of people who have metastatic or melanoma that's spread throughout their body and it actually makes them live longer. It clearly makes them live longer. It's not a cure. The other is a drug that actually modifies the immune system to help attack melanoma. That second drug's actually been FDA approved within the last several months.

MALVEAUX: So, doctor, when you say live longer, what kind of life expectancy are we talking about?

BRAWLEY: We're talking about in clinical trials where people got this drug, folks who you really didn't expect to live a year, you would see perhaps 30 to 35 percent live that one year -- to that one year mark. Maybe 15 percent living two years. And these are people you really expect would have only lived for six to nine months at most.

So we're talking about marginal extensions in life. But the important thing is, in melanoma, we haven't had a drug that really worked, or a drug that really helped us improve our treatment for 30 years. This is exciting because we've got, really, a foot in the door, and hopefully we can actually develop better drugs for melanoma.

MALVEAUX: It sounds like a very significant development. How soon can patients be treated with these drugs.

Are they available?

BRAWLEY: Well one drug has actually become available just within the last six to eight weeks. The second drug I would anticipate would be FDA approved within the next several months and would be available for doctors to prescribe shortly thereafter.

MALVEAUX: Is there a new drug, as well, when it comes to presenting breast cancer?

BRAWLEY: Yes. There's a drug called Exemestane which has been around a long time for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. Exemestane has now been shown, when given to women who are at high risk of breast cancer, it can reduce their risk of actually developing and being diagnosed with breast cancer. So this is actually the third drug that we have that shows that we can actually prevent breast cancer and people who at very high risk for it.

MALVEAUX: Dr. Brawley, thank you so much. Appreciate that there's actually a little bit of good news here.

Thank you, doctor.

BRAWLEY: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: Well there are fires that are raging in Arizona. Hundreds of people who are now evacuating, leaving behind their hopes, their dreams. We're going to hear one family's story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: More now on the serious wildfires that are racing across eastern Arizona. Hundreds of people are grabbing what they can, they are getting out, hoping that somehow these flames are going to spare their homes.

Reporter Katie Raml with KNXV met up with one of those families.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JESSE WALKER, WORRIED HOMEOWNER: A person don't realizes just how hard it is to face something like that. You think you're prepared for it. You think you're mentally prepared for it. Physically prepared for it. You're not.

KATIE RAML, KNXV REPORTER (voice-over): Jesse Walker is desperate for answers.

WALKER: I cried the whole way down. It's hard. I got to go.

RAML: He left behind the house he built with his own hands. His wife Holly was the one that told him it was time to leave.

HOLLY WALKER, WORRIED HOMEOWNER: And I told him don't take chances. If it gets to a certain point, come home -- or come down. And it took a lot to get down.

J. WALKER: Don't step on these.

RAML: So now everything they love is inside this trailer.

H. WALKER: Things like this. You know, were handed down.

RAML: Even her mother's pots.

H. WALKER: You want to take everything. We didn't have enough time to pack.

RAML: Still, their hearts lie with what's left behind.

J. WALKER: They said that fire would hit this afternoon, and it's probably there right now. And I still got a brother up there. He wants to fight for what's his, you know, and I don't blame him. (END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: The last word we have, the house is OK for now. We're going to be talking to the Walkers in the next hour.

On the phone with us right now is Brad Pitassi. He is with the incident management team that helped manage major fire operation around the country.

Brad you're also a veteran firefighter in Arizona. Give us a sense what you are seeing on the ground. We just saw, really, a very touching story, a moving story about people who have had to just lift everything and run.

BRAD PITASSI, FIRE INFORMATION OFFICER (via telephone): That's correct. And there are hundreds of thousands of those moving stories throughout this area and the areas affected by this very large, complicated wildfire. It's a very moving place to be. There's low- lying spoke that's in towns and communities and (INAUDIBLE). And then not too far away is some pretty active fire line.

MALVEAUX: How dangerous is this situation? Are folks and their homes and their lives at risk?

PITASSI: In the areas in the communities that are most at risk, we've put evacuations in place. The residents deserve a lot of credit for being as cooperative as they have been with our -- the local sheriff's office and team, as well.

We have pre-evacuation notices in some areas of the communities that are potentially threatened and we're trying provide the residents with as much a much heads-up or evacuation times as we can do it. But ultimately, mother nature is the one that is controlling the winds and the dry lightning conditions that we faced over the last day.

MALVEAUX: How is that complicating the rescue efforts there because of those winds?

PITASSI: Well fortunately we don't have any rescue efforts in place but it is complicating our fire suppression and fire containment. When we have these spotting fire, embers can travel for miles with the wind gusts. So we have fire actively burning through the tops of the trees, they get a good strong 30, 40, 50-mile-an-hour wind gust, it can blow a little, small ember three miles into a small grass field and all of a sudden can have another blow-up of the 60,000 acre advance of the fire like we had three, four days ago.

MALVEAUX: And Brad, I know that your crews trying to hold a 30-mile fire line near the border of the New Mexico/Arizona state line.

How are they doing?

PITASSI: The crews out there are extremely dedicated firefighters across the country and they're doing a very good job. Yesterday, we had an extremely active spotting event going on, where we had hundreds of spotting fires that jumped one of the main roadways, tying the communities together. Firefighters successfully contained those spotting fires and prevented the fire from moving to our neighbors here to the east in New Mexico.

So the firefighters doing a tremendous job protecting the structures and keeping the spot fires from going to other large fires.

MALVEAUX: Brad Pitassi, thank you so much. We obviously wish you and your crews the best in trying to contain those fires. Thank you.

A reminder now to vote today. Choose the News. Tell us which one you'd like to see by texting 22360.

Text 1 for super cool biz. Japan tries to conserve energy by making every day casual Friday at the office.

Text 2 for nabbing a thief using social media to lean on police to find a stolen computer.

And text 3 for air show skytyper. It's a group of pilots flying World War II fighter planes at air shows.

Now, the winning story is going to air in the next hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Yemen is on the brink of civil war. The country's President Ali Abdullah Saleh was wounded by shrapnel in a blistering attack on his compound. That happened on Friday night. Now he has fled to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment and protesters are celebrating his departure.

But, is he really gone for good? Our Mohammed Jamjoon, he is live from Abu Dhabi.

Mohammed, first of all, I mean, when you see those scenes out there on the streets, folks firing their weapons, these kinds of things, do you think that they're being overly optimistic here? I mean, do they really believe that Saleh is gone?

MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Suzanne, what I've heard today, you know, yesterday there was so much jubilation, there was so much catharsis out in the streets of so many cities of Yemen, people dancing and singing and setting off fireworks. And really, there was this collective feeling from those anti-government demonstrators that their peaceful revolution that they were calling it had succeeded, that they had driven President Saleh from office.

But some of protestors I was speaking with late last night were kind of having second thoughts, saying maybe they were celebrating too early, because it still was a very complex situation.

Today they're hearing from Yemeni government officials and Saudi government officials that President Saleh is coming back. So a lot of the enthusiasm and happiness from yesterday has turned into frustration today because, you know, these people who've wanted to drive President Saleh out of office and out of the country for so many months, even though he's out of the country they're saying he's going to be coming back and that's making his angry. They're basically feeling now that their work is only now just beginning. Sure, the vice president is in power. But really, President Saleh's son controls one unit of the military forces, his nephew controls the other. What does that mean? There's a power vacuum.

A lot of chaos still on the streets and a lot of frustration right now in the capital, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Let's talk about that power vacuum because the Obama administration is clearly worried about that. They would like to see President Saleh out of office but then if you have this power vacuum, the government collapses, this could embolden al Qaeda, because al Qaeda has been such a force there in that country.

What is the concern around that?

JAMJOOM: Absolutely. And, Suzanne, let me just try to break it down just the past week and few days regarding al Qaeda and Yemen. I mean, in the last week, there was a town in the southern part of Yemen that was overtaken by Islamic militant, completely seized.

In the last few days we've heard of more attacks by Islamic militants that are tied to al Qaeda, that have been killing soldiers in different parts of the country. So there has been a concern in Yemen and outside of Yemen that al Qaeda would try to take advantage of all the political turmoil and the strife and the violence that's going on there.

The Obama administration is really in a pickle here because even though they've been calling on President Saleh to step down, they've admitted on many occasions that there is no post-Saleh plan for Yemen. Nobody in the opposition has presented himself as somebody who could take Saleh's place.

The vice president is perceived to be weak politically, even though he's respected. And there's nobody from the youth movement that's come -- that everybody has been galvanized by who they're coalescing behind.

So nobody knows who's going to be able to fill Saleh's shoe. Saleh is still seen as a key ally in the fight on terror. And even though people want him out, they don't know if someone else can come in and pick up those reins where he would leave off -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right, Mohammed, we're going to be paying very close attention to that place, obviously because it could become very unstable.

We appreciate your reporting. Thank you, Mohammed.

Well, you know, millions of Americans say they feel guilty using vacation time? Come on, get over it. Others say they're just too busy to leave work. Well, next, guilt-free ways to get the time off that you deserve. We'll give you some tips.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Only 57 percent of American workers use up their allotted vacation days. Come on, guy. Compare it to almost 90 percent of workers in France. That's according to a recent poll.

So if you're feeling you're burnt out at your job, Alison Kosik, she's got some ideas on how to avoid the guilt trip and take your much- needed vacation.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Suzanne.

This is actually coming from CareerBuilder. Even though 36 percent of workers feel comfortable taking time off from their job, 24 percent of full-time workers said they can't afford to take a vacation this year, and 12 percent who can afford one have no plans to take time off.

Workaholics, listen up. Taking a break may actually be good for your job and your health. In fact, 34 percent of Americans say they come back from vacation feeling better about their jobs and are more productive. And another 53 percent of employed adults feel more rested after vacation. That's according to Expedia.com.

But apparently we just can't believe the work behind. Thirty percent of workers will contact work while on vacation, so if you want to actually detach from the daily grind, make sure you've gotten all of your responsibilities taken care of.

And use our out-of-office reply on your e-mail. Leave a contact for immediate assistance but just remember to tell your co-worker before they get bombarded with unexpected e-mail and phone calls about your job.

And if colleagues have to reach out to you, CareerBuilder advises setting limits on when you'll be available to chat and most of all, stick to them.

Now if you're worried about costs, check with your HR department if your company offers any discounts with airlines, hotels, museums or attractions to make your plans more affordable.

But if you really want to get out of town, Rick Finney from Fairandcompare.com, he says look for last-minute deals on Thursday to Monday or Friday, Saturday to Tuesday travel. And if you do opt for that vacation, it doesn't mean you have to be confined to your home. Organize day trips in your town as long as they involve fun and relaxation.

Don't make this vacation about chores and errands. Cleaning out the attic can definitely wait. And if your boss allows it, try to shorten your work week, get to work before your normal in-time and leave an hour or two earlier or work a few hours more during the week and leave early on Fridays.

Some good tips there, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Sounds great. Thank you, Alison. Standing ovation at a high school graduation but it wasn't for the valedictorian or even after a moving speech. It was for a teen who captured the attention of the entire student body with a simple step.

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MALVEAUX: It's rare when something at a graduation overshadows the actual ceremony. But in Michigan this weekend, one teen took center stage. Check her out. She's Angeline Lavasseur and she took her first steps in front of her fellow classmates walking across the stage to receive her diploma.

Angeline grew up using a wheelchair after being born with a spinal disorder that attacked the vertebrae.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANGELINE LAVASSEUR, HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE: Just because I'm in a chair, I still fit in, I still do everything everybody else does. If I can get through it with the challenge that I've got, there's no reason anybody else can't.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: That is truly inspiring. Thank you, Angeline.

Well, don't forget to choose the news. Text 22360 for the story that you'd like to see next hour. Text 1 for "Super Cool Biz." Every day it's casual Friday in Japan as the government tries to save energy.

Text 2 for "Nabbing a Thief." A computer's hidden program takes a picture of the person who stole it. And text 3 for "Air Show Skytypers" flying World War II fighter planes at air shows. Winning story is going to air in the next hour.

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MALVEAUX: Big news today in America's wars in Iraq. Five U.S. troops are dead after the worst attack on the American military in two years.

And in Washington, the president and his national security team are debating just how fast to pull troops out of Afghanistan.

Chris Lawrence at the Pentagon.

And, Chris, first of all, this attack in Baghdad comes just months now before, what, 46,000 U.S. troops are supposed to leave Iraq? What does this mean for that effort and for the stability in Iraq?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think, you know, if you put this in context, Suzanne, the two things that are really shocking about this is that, one, you know, the number of troops killed. As you mentioned, the largest number of U.S. troops killed in a single incident in almost two years.

Some of these American troops were sleeping in their trailers when these rockets or mortars hit the trailers. It happened about 5:30 in the morning Baghdad time.

And again, you know, when you put that in greater perspective, you know, you got 46,000 troops left there in Iraq. They're due to come home within the end of the year. Secretary -- Defense Secretary Robert Gates just a few weeks ago said, if the Iraqis were to ask us to stay longer -- and he said he hoped that they would -- he would also hope that the U.S. would say yes and agree to extend that, because he felt that the security situation there was still fragile enough and that the Iraqi army wasn't at the point where they could defend themselves in all ways.

So he wanted to see a continued troop presence there. Perhaps events like this might go some way to proving that case to try to get a continued presence, first convincing the Iraqis, and then the Americans who would have to make the call.

MALVEAUX: And, Chris, let's talk about Afghanistan here. Obviously the man we went there to get Osama bin Laden, he is dead. This is a very expensive war that we're fighting there, costing about $190 million a day.

Is the Obama administration really ready for a fast drawdown of troops in such an area and unstable country because of it?

LAWRENCE: Well, Suzanne, from what I've heard here at the Pentagon, the original thinking was that when you had this July drawdown, that it would be a minimal number. Maybe, you know, a few thousand troops, 3,000 to 4,000 troops. Now of course there is some talk about, you know, raising that rate in light of what happened with Osama bin Laden and some of the budget crunch that's going on.

But let's just bring people up to date. There were 70,000 American troops in Afghanistan. Then President Obama ordered the surge of another 30,000. That brought the number to 100,000. SO he's saying we're going to get out, start to pull out some of those numbers in July. But Defense Secretary Robert Gates in traveling in that region said, you know, people are getting so hung up on this July deadline, but what really is important is what happens after that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: I think that there's kind of two intermediate numbers that need to be resolved. One is, what is the size of the reduction of the amounts in July? But the other is, at what point do you bring out the surge? The whole word surge, as it did in Iraq, implies a temporary strengthening of the force. So how long should the surge last?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAWRENCE: So Defense Secretary Gates wanting a more staggered approach to this drawdown. Others, of course, who will be talking to the president want a faster withdrawal -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: OK. Chris Lawrence, thank you very much. Appreciate it.