Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Moammar Gadhafi Defiant After Attack; Apple Launches iCloud; The Help Desk; Sweet 16 Turns Sour
Aired June 07, 2011 - 12:19 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(INTERRUPTED BY LIVE EVENT)
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Suzanne Malveaux. I also want to get you up to speed.
Defiant words from Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi as smoke rises from his compound in Tripoli. In an audio message played just moments ago, Gadhafi said, "We will not surrender. We will not give up."
The message follows reports by Libyan state television of intense bombardment of Gadhafi's compound by NATO forces.
In Yemen, more than 400 tribal fighters stormed the southwestern city of Taiz. Just another major setback for that government. President Ali Abdullah Saleh was injured on Friday when a bomb exploded inside his compound. He is now in Saudi Arabia, where U.S. officials say he is being treated for burns and a collapsed lung.
Congressman Anthony Weiner says he's not resigning, but his political future may be in jeopardy. Weiner admitted posting a lewd picture on his Twitter account and lying to cover it up. But he says he did not break the law.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ANTHONY WEINER (D), NEW YORK: I engaged in inappropriate online conversations with people that included photographs. And it was a mistake to do that. But I didn't -- I don't believe that I did anything that violates any law or any rule.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says she'll call for an ethics investigation. Pelosi issued a statement saying, "I am deeply disappointed and saddened about this situation for Anthony's wife, Huma, his family, his staff, and his constituents."
A red flag fire alert is out for Tucson, Arizona, this hour. And smoke from one of the state's largest wildfires in history is drifting into New Mexico now. That has triggered air quality alerts. More than 230,000 acres now have burned. More than 3,000 people have been evacuated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN YORK, FIRE EVACUEE: We packed up everything that we could --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Memories.
YORK: -- memories and clothes.
RUTH BLAKESLEE, FIRE EVACUEE: When they tell us to leave, we have to leave. We don't want to leave. I'm going to cry. We don't want to leave, but we know for safety's sake, we have to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Here's what's ahead "On the Rundown."
Fans call him "The Dude." Jeff Bridges joins me live to talk about ending child hunger.
Plus, computing on a cloud. Apple unveils its next generation software.
Then, hope for cancer patients. Dr. Oz tells us about new treatments for skin and breast cancer.
And a volcano lights up the skies above Chile.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Here are the choices for today's "Choose the News."
First, Afghanistan drawdown. A growing debate among top leaders in Washington could impact every U.S. troop fighting in Afghanistan.
Second, faked airstrikes? People in Libya show reporters damage in their neighborhood. They claim NATO airstrikes hit their homes and injured civilians. Hear about a secret note given to a journalist that put their story in doubt.
And third, party chaos. Yes, a sweet 16 party with a social media lesson, how one teen accidentally invited thousands of party guests, and the chaos that forced her to flee her own party.
You can vote by texting 22360. Text 1 for "Afghanistan Drawdown"; 2 for "Faked Airstrikes?"; or 3 for "Party Chaos." The winning story is going to air later this hour.
Well, CNN crews on the ground now in Tripoli are reporting 35 NATO airstrikes today. And there are reports from Libyan TV that some targeted Moammar Gadhafi's compound.
Now, the Libyan leader took to state TV with a defiant message. That happened just a short time ago.
I want to bring in our Dan Rivers, who joins us from Tripoli.
Dan, tell us about this message from Gadhafi. What did he say? How was it delivered?
DAN RIVERS, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it was a message of defiance again, Suzanne.
He's been on state TV talking about, "We will not surrender. We will not give up. Martyrdom is a million times better than surrendering."
After his address, which lasted several minutes, there was a cacophony of automatic gunfire across the city in sort of celebration, to sort of punctuate that speech, if you like. And all the while today, there has been an incredibly intense amount of bombing.
We've been counting the number of explosions, the most so far since the NATO campaign began, 31 explosions so far we've counted. Some of them, very, very close and loud, indeed, rattling the windows of our hotel here.
We're being told by officials on the ground that they have hit a number of military compounds, and also Colonel Gadhafi's compound itself. And there's another explosion just there, and I don't know if you heard that.
Meanwhile, civilians have been coming into this hotel, screaming about the civilian casualties that have been caused. But it's very difficult for us to get out on the ground to verify all of this with the constant explosions now echoing across Tripoli.
MALVEAUX: Dan, please be safe. And obviously, we'll get back to you as that story develops. Thank you, Dan.
Well, there are hard times, and those hard times often hit children the hardest of all. Oscar winner Jeff Bridges, he wants to do something about it. And I'm going to speak to the cult hero and Hollywood A-lister about what he is doing to help fight child hunger.
But first, guess how many American kids are at risk of going hungry? Is it one in 10, one in eight, or one in four? We're going to have the answer and Jeff Bridges' solution after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATT DAMON, ACTOR (acting): You missed your shot --
JEFF BRIDGES, ACTOR (acting): I missed my shot?
DAMON: You are more handicapped without the eye than I without the arm.
BRIDGES: I can hit it 95 yards.
(GUNSHOT)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: His most famous roles have been as The Dude in "The Big Lebowski," Bad Blake in "Crazy Heart," and the hard drinking cowboy in "True Grit." But now Oscar-winning Jeff Bridges is taking on another role, as spokesman for "No Kid Hungry." It's a campaign dedicated to ending childhood hunger in America by the year 2015.
Jeff Bridges joins me now, along with Bill Shore. He is the founder and executive director of Share Our Strength. We're going to talk to both of you.
Jeff, thank you so much for joining us here on CNN. Let's talk --
BRIDGES: Well, thank you for having us.
MALVEAUX: My pleasure.
Let's talk first about the problem. I don't know if people are even aware of this. But one in four American kids are at risk of going hungry. That's according to the Food Research and Action Center. And a lot of the kids who are in tough situations, they count on getting these reduced, free -- free, reduced meals at school each day during the school year. But summer break comes around, and these kids aren't getting fed.
What are you hoping out of your program? What do you hope to do this summer?
BRIDGES: Well, we're hoping to let families know that there are programs that are available to assist them in feeding their kids. That are sites all around the communities here that will feed kids during the summer.
And like you say, you know, there are so many kids depending on school meals for nutrition. And when school is out, they don't have that. So, these summer meals are so important. And we want to encourage families to take advantage of these free summer meals.
MALVEAUX: And Jeff, why did you get involved in this?
BRIDGES: Gee, I guess because, you know, I don't like people going hungry when they don't have to. You know, it's not a matter of not having enough food or enough money or enough know-how. We have great programs in place. The problem that we face right now is, you know, raising awareness about those -- about these programs, so people know that they have access to them.
MALVEUAX: And Bill, how does this work?
BRIDGES: You know, feeding - oh.
BILL SHORE, FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SHARE OUR STRENGTH: Well, we've got -- we've got 21 million kids in this country who are on school lunch. But only three million are getting summer meals. You mentioned, Suzanne, that the Food Research and Action Center had these statistics. One of the things they're releasing today are statistics that show if we increase the percentage of kids who are getting summer feeding right now from the -- just 18 percent that are getting it, if we move that up to 40 percent -- still less than half the kids that deserve it -- we would actually ad 4.7 million children to this program and drive $331 million into the states.
One of the things that Jeff and I are doing today is meeting with Governor McDonnell and doing a big launch in Virginia of this program so that Virginia can start to increase their summer meals participation.
MALVEAUX: And Jeff, this is something -- I mean, you could have picked any cause. This is really something that you have invested a good part of your life, some three decades now in helping fight hunger. What is behind that?
BRIDGES: Well, I guess just momentum has something to do with it. You know, being involved in it as long as I have, like you say, I have been involved in it since 1983. And back in those days, we were concerned about ending world hunger. But about, oh, 20 or so years ago, we shifted our attention to here in America because hunger raised its head here in our country, and we -- you know, we felt we have to do something about our country here.
MALVEUAX: Does it surprise you that that's a problem here in a country that has so much?
BRIDGES: It is -- it's amazing to think of this -- you know, the wealthiest country in the world and having one in four of our kids struggling with hunger. It seems -- well, insane is the word that pops into my mind.
MALVEAUX: Jeff, we want to thank you so much. We're sorry, we're out of time.
Bill, want to thank you as well for bringing this to our attention. And obviously for the program and the good work that you do.
And, of course, keep up the great work. Thanks.
BRIDGES: Thanks.
MALVEAUX: All right. Thanks.
SHORE: Thanks.
MALVEAUX: Well, everyone knows him as Dr. Oz, but he's also been a patient. We're going to talk live with Dr. Mehmet Oz about his scary brush with colon cancer.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JILL DUGGAR, "19 KIDS AND COUNTING": Hi, I'm Jill Duggar.
JOSH DUGGAR, "19 KIDS AND COUNTING": And I'm Josh Duggar.
JILL DUGGAR: And we can make a difference with search and rescue.
JOSH DUGGAR: And tornado relief in Joplin, Missouri.
So, we were here in Arkansas where we live when the tornado hit.
JILL DUGGAR: You know, thoughts started coming. OK, what - what can we do to help?
JOSH DUGGAR: So, basically, we packed everything up. We got water bottles, Gatorade. You know, I have been around emergency situations and working as a volunteer firefighter. Being that Jill and Jana, and John are active duty volunteer firefighters, they were able to plug right in, giving them hope by being there, I think, really inspires them to continue on.
Join the movement.
JILL DUGGAR: Impact your world.
JOSH DUGGAR: Go to CNN.com/impact.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: New treatments to extend the lives of melanoma patients and to help prevent some forms of breast cancer were announced over the weekend. Here to talk about that and his recent personal scare is Dr. Mehmet Oz. You know him from the "Dr. Oz Show."
Dr. Oz, thank you for joining us again. We really appreciate it. We want to talk about your personal story. But first want to talk quickly about the significance of these new cancer treatments that we have heard regarding skin cancer and prolonging the life of those with skin cancer and then the breast cancer study. Can you talk a little bit about those two?
DR. MEHMET OZ, HOST, "DR. OZ SHOW": Well, briefly. We're making a lot of progress customizing cancer care. So, historically, we thought all cancers were the same. Breast cancer was a breast cancer was a breast cancer, no matter who it was in. Same for melanomas.
We're learning much more about how your genome, your genes, color your own personal cancer. So, everyone has their own pet cancer, and we have to go after it with that context. So, customizing therapy rather than a shotgun approach is going to dramatically improve survival rates with most of the cancers, we believe. It's the frontier in cancer therapy.
MALVEAUX: And there have been some drugs, two different drugs, we understand, at least when it comes to skin cancer, melanoma, that seem to be prolonging some patients' lives. Is that correct?
OZ: That's correct, and it's encouraging. But I want to focus on something really big here. We have new drugs, I'm excited about them. It's giving us confidence, beginning to understand how these complex cancers work.
But as I outlined in that "Time" magazine cover piece talking about my own issues, I wasn't a very good patient. And a lot of folks watching today, it's not about whether you get the right special melanomaa cancer drug, it's about whether you find cancer in time. Because if you find cancers in a timely fashion, take colon cancer as an example. Survival rates are 95 percent-plus. But if you find it once it's invaded through the wall and this is true for melanomas and breast cancers as well, the survival rate drops dramatically. In colon cancer, it's about a five percent survival.
So the real question, and I struggle with this all of the time, Suzanne, on my own show, is why are people who are perfectly rational like you and me and a lot of our viewers do irrational things?
MALVEAUX: Well tell us about that. Tell us about your own experience. I know you said even you admitted in that article that you were in denial, and it really took a lot to get you to that point.
OZ: Well, one part of my head was I didn't take some of the stuff seriously. And I had lentils and beets the night before my colonoscopy. So, that does not make a clear view for the colonoscoper! I should warn you, the second time around I was much more serious. You could have eaten tapas off my colon.
But the reality is, like a lot of folks, I procrastinated. I delayed. I found ways to avoid dealing with reality. And I think it's not because I think I'm immortal. And I think a lot of guys as well, women as well will agree, it's not because we think we're immortal.
I think it's because we don't want to disrupt the nice, organized life we have. Who wants to get a diagnosis that's untoward when you have a busy life in front of you? And the real challenge, I think, Suzanne, for a lot of people to acknowledge is it's not about you. It's about the people in your life. That's why you get the screening test done.
MALVEAUX: And what did you learn from that experience?
OZ: Well, I learned a lot about the bad decision making process. You know, I have a new book that came out today, called "You The Owner." It's a manual for teens. And you know, we have written 10 million copies of these books, these owner's manuals. But kids were using them and they shouldn't be. These books we wrote were for adults. They were for menopause patients and people going through prostate issues.
So, we actually wrote something just for teens. And I realized it wasn't about pimples or studying for homework or sleep issues. It was about the bad decisions that teens make because their brains aren't mature till they're in their 20s. Well, you know what? Adults have the same issues. Adults make irrational decisions because we're not nurturing our brain the right way.
So action steps range from the nine hours of sleep we know teens need to the omega-3 fatty acids that all teens require in order to allow their neurons to prosper. When you get into that nitty-gritty, you can have a conversation about what you need to do in your life - and before I forget, we have a live webinar tonight at 7:00 that I'll link to the CNN site on so you can come ask personal questions to me directly. See me for an hour-and-a-half.
But it comes down to having the conversation and being up front about the embarrassing things we do. Whether it's not getting your colonoscopy in a timely fashion like me or avoiding some basic things you should be doing in your life.
MALVEAUX: Well, Dr. Oz, we appreciate your own personal story, and obviously really kind of a lesson to all of us to be aware and that nobody is beyond actually improving and becoming a better patient.
And we also want to remind our viewers to visit DrOz.com. Dr. Oz is going to be holding a live chat tonight. That is happening from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. That is tonight. He'll be talking about a range of issues and obviously has a book out as well. His daughter, Zoe contributing to it, specifically addressing some of the teenagers' concerns.
Thank you, Dr. Oz. Appreciate it.
Well, Apple had kept the iCloud hanging over its customers for some time now. Well, the long wait ended with a big announcement and a special appearance by Steve Jobs. We're going to get plugged in from Silicon Valley.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Apple finally unveiled its heavily anticipated iCloud service. CEO Steve Jobs took a break from medical leave yesterday to officially introduce it to the world. Our CNN Silicon Valley correspondent Dan Simon is in San Francisco.
Dan, tell us, what is this iCloud do? What is this cloud computing?
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Suzanne, if you asked 10 different people in technology, you might get 10 different responses. But the way Apple is defining cloud computing, it's basically having your content with you on any device. Your music, photos, no matter where you are, and the user doesn't have to do a thing. The cloud takes care of it for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVE JOBS, CEO, APPLE: Thank you very much.
SIMON (voice-over): Cloud computing has long been a buzz word in Silicon Valley. But with a highly anticipated, high-profile announcement --
JOBS: We've been working on this for some time now and we're really excited about it.
SIMON: Steve Jobs may have truly brought the concept to the masses.
JOBS: And we're going to move the digital hub, the center of your digital life, into the cloud.
SIMON: Apple's new service will wirelessly push content, including music and photos, to all your Apple devices. Something before the company required you to do manually with a cable.
JOBS: Keeping these devices in sync is driving us crazy.
SIMON: While analysts applauded the company's unveiling, some other Silicon Valley companies have been offering cloud-based services for years.
DREW HOUSTON, CEO, DROPBOX: People actually save 1 million files on DropBox every five minutes.
SIMON: Case in point, DropBox, a service that lets you drag any file to a folder on your computer, which will then show up automatically on most phones and other PCs. CEO Drew Houston says he invented the service after getting tired of e-mailing himself documents so he'd always have them.
HOUSTON: You can, you know, be working on a document at the office and when you open up your Mac book at home, it's just there.
SIMON: The four-year-old company has 25 million active users.
FRANK GILLETT, FORRESTER RESEARCH: Twenty-eight percent of U.S. consumers that use computers are already engaging in behaviors like the ones on iCloud. So, in effect, the computer industry, including Apple, is a little bit late in terms of getting to the place where customers want them to be.
SIMON: But technology analyst Frank Gillett says with Apple's clean iCloud interface, combined with the company's global reach, Apple will be perceived as taking a giant leap forward. And he says users will appreciate the new features.
GILLETT: And what consumers should take away is that the way they think about and store their information and their content is changing. We're going to stop thinking about which gadget it's on and have services, such as iCloud, that put our stuff where we need it, on the right devices at the right time.
JOBS: We are ready, we think, for our customers to start using iCloud. And we can't wait to get it in their hands.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SIMON: And it will be in your hands beginning this fall. And while Apple, they weren't the first ones to get into cloud computing, now that they're in it, you could say it's going to reach a whole new level.
Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: All right, Dan, thank you. Dan Simon.
Well, leaving everything behind in the path of a massive wildfire with zero containment. Even the thrill seekers are now running.
CARMEN WONG ULRICH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Time now for "The Help Desk," where we get answers to your financial questions. Joining me this hour, Manisha Thakor is a personal finance author, and Doug Flynn is a certified financial planner and founder of Flynn Zito.
Let's get to the first question, guys, from Randy in Cameron Park, California. Randy asks, "our house is about 41 percent under water and we will struggle to pay the $2,800 a month mortgage when I retire in nine years. What are the down sides of walking away now?"
Manisha.
MANISHA THAKOR, PERSONAL FINANCE EXPERT: Oh, there are a lot of down sides. The first, we've got the whole moral issue and how you're going to feel about doing that. Another one is just the impact that it's going to have on your credit score if you ever are needing to borrow money and going forward.
I noticed Randy said he's planning on retiring in nine years. And I'm wondering, why -- think about retiring, if you've still got this situation. What I'd rather him do is talk to somebody, maybe at the National Foundation for Credit Counseling or the Homeowner Crisis Resource Center, and really try and figure out what they can do with their budget. Can they refinance? Can they do a short sale? Are there other things they can do to get in a position where walking away doesn't feel like the only option.
ULRICH: All right, great advice.
Now, from Terry in Belvidere, Illinois. Terry asks, "if I retire at 62, and collect Social Security, I'm allowed to make $14,400." That's this year, right. Now, "can I continue to work and contribute all of my $14,400" of those earnings "to my 401(k)?"
Doug.
DOUG FLYNN, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER: Well, the first part is, I think it's actually this year, $14,160. Beyond that, they take back one of every $2 that you make from Social Security. So you do -- you do have that.
So the second part of his question is, is this. You can, if it's -- if your plan allows it. And what that means is, you can, absolutely, put 100 percent of your income away up to the limits this year for people over 50. It's $22,000. And wipe out that taxable income. But your plan has to allow it.
See, there are federal rules and then each plan is approved by the Department of Labor. Your plan might be an old plan where it only allows 15 or 25 percent of your earnings. If that's the case, even though you should be able to, you may not be able to. So -- but if the plan has been updated and allows you 100 percent, you can do exactly what he is looking for.
But here's the thing. You have to get the summary plan description or an SPD. They legally have to give it to you. Although it is difficult to get, they have to give it to you. And that will tell you exactly what you can do.
ULRICH: Plan by plan. Thank you guys so much.
Now, do you have a question that you want us to answer? Well, send us an e-mail any time to the cnnhelpdesk@cnn.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: More than 364 square miles are burning in Arizona, and firefighters have yet to get a handle on it. At least 3,000 people have now been evacuated. Smoke forced several flights to be diverted. Just last hour, I spoke with a man who left his home with the fire less than 30 minutes away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARSHELL REED, FIRE EVACUEE (voice-over): When I was young, I was kind of a thrill-seeker. I rode bulls and climbed poles and painted multistory buildings when it was just iron framework, no floors or stairs. And so I don't scare easy. And this had me boogered (ph).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Take a look at this. This is not Mars or even a scene from a sci-fi movie, right? Is this a dazzling light show in Chile, courtesy of mother nature. A volcano erupted there this weekend, shooting ash six miles high. The volcanic ash and static electricity are grounding flights in Chile and neighboring Argentina. About 3,500 people have fled that area. Chile sits on the so-called ring of fire where there are lots of active volcanoes.
Well, you told us what you wanted to see. Your "Choose The News" story. That is just moments away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: You told us what you wanted to see. Here's your "Choose The News" winner. A wild frenzy at a sweet 16 birthday party in Germany. All because the birthday girl miss clicked on a social network website. Colleen McEdwards shows us the chaos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was supposed to be a small, sweet 16th birthday party for Tessa (ph) in Hamburg. She sent a party invitation to close friends on FaceBook, but she forgot to mark it private.
And this is the consequence. Fifteen hundred random and unwanted guests actually showed up. All of them ready to party.
With Tessa t-shirts, balloons and posters, this massive crowd turned this German neighborhood upside down. Complete chaos. Police tried to control the situation. Tessa fled to her grandparents'. An angry family member attacked a TV camera.
Day turned to night. And with the amount of booze being consumed, things just went from bad to worse. A few partiers were detained. The neighborhood trashed. The cause? Social media. So perhaps one lesson learned here, don't forget to use your privacy settings.
Colleen McEdwards, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
