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Stocks Lost Again; Wanted Siblings Caught In Colorado; Super Committee Takes Shape; Fugitive Siblings Caught; A Fight Back Is Underway; Recall Vote Controversy; Starvation in Eastern Africa
Aired August 10, 2011 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, Suzanne, thank you very much.
The big story that's breaking this hour, fear sweeping through Wall Street again today, essentially wiping out all of yesterday's big gains. We'll get to that in a moment.
But first, breaking news, three siblings on the run after a crime spree in Florida and Georgia have just been captured in Colorado after a high speed chase and a crash near the town of Pueblo. Ryan Edward Dougherty, his sister, Lee Grace Dougherty, and half brother, Dylan Dougherty Stanley, are accused of robbing a bank in Valdosta, Georgia and the attempted murder of a Florida police officer.
Joining us on the phone, Heather Cobbler with the Colorado state police, the unit responsible for capturing these three. Heather, if you can, tell us exactly how they were spotted and how they were taken into custody.
HEATHER COBBLER, TROOPER, COLORADO STATE PATROL (on the phone): Well, good morning, first of all. These three suspects were taken into custody after what was about a 20-mile high-speed pursuit. Initially, this morning, a witness said they spotted someone who matched the description of the suspects that we were looking for. Troopers that were in the area tried to initiate contact on I-25, just south of Pueblo. It was then that the suspects fled, engaging a high- speed pursuit, crashed and rolled their car, just north of Walstenburg (ph) which is about half way between Pueblo and the Colorado state line.
KAYE: The three of them were considered armed and dangerous. Is there any word on injuries or a shoot-out?
COBBLER: During the pursuit, there were shots fired at law enforcement from the suspects. I have confirmed that law enforcement has not been injured in this incident.
KAYE: Were any of the suspects injured?
COBBLER: That we're still trying to find the facts on how they were injured. I believe that at least one of them was, we don't know if that's a result of the crash or being taken into custody.
KAYE: And we don't know how serious that injury might be then? COBBLER: Right now we have medical personnel on scene. I believe at least one party is being transported to a medical facility near Walstenburg.
KAYE: Heather, do you know if any weapons were recovered in their vehicle, and any cash, possibly? We know they were suspects in a bank robbery and also a shoot-out with police?
COBBLER: Absolutely. You know, this whole incident is really fresh. It's happened in the last couple of hours this morning. We still have people on scene that are investigating and searching those vehicles. I do know that there were weapons that were recovered after the crash and after the suspects were taken into custody.
KAYE: And I also understand from the sheriff in Pueblo County that they changed the plates on the car. Had they changed their appearance at all, do you know? Had they done anything else to try and blend in?
COBBLER: You know, that I really can't answer. I know that they were driving a white Subaru, that they were the two brothers and the sister that we've been looking for for the last few days, beyond that, I don't have descriptions of what the suspects or the vehicle.
KAYE: And what was the demeanor as they were taken in?
COBBLER: Like I said, when they engaged in a high-speed pursuit with their car and the state patrol, there were shots fired at the law enforcement officers.
KAYE: Did they make any statements?
COBBLER: Sorry?
KAYE: Did they make any statements?
COBBLER: That I do not know, nor could we actually release those if they made any.
KAYE: And where are they now? What is the next step here?
COBBLER: The next step from here, after we attend to any injuries that they may have incurred from being taking into custody or as a result of the crash, they will be booked in most likely to the Pueblo county jail.
KAYE: Is there any word on how they got -- obviously they had a car, but any word of how they may have gotten from Florida and Georgia to the state of Colorado without being noticed?
COBBLER: You know, I have heard that there have been several sightings in the last few days, as far as any of those that are confirmed if it was or if it wasn't, I think we were just in the right place at the right time today. We had some really great community members that were able to spot these individuals from news casts and relay that to law enforcement officers who could really do something about it.
KAYE: Heather Cobbler, appreciate your time and the new information. Thank you very much.
COBBLER: Thank you.
KAYE: And now to Wall Street where the fear that seemed to ease yesterday is back in full force right now. Alison Kosik joining me from the floor of the New York stock exchange. Alison, how are things looking there?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You know, they are looking a little better, Randi. We got as low as the Dow dropping 468 points, the Dow has recovered a bit now, down 325 points. There are a couple things moving the trade today. For one, those European debt issues are back in the forefront.
There are worries about problems in the European banking sector could spill over here to U.S. bank, it's the reason we're seeing U.S. Bank shares fall anywhere from six to nine percent. And then we've got that fear trading, that emotional trading going on. That's really what's behind these huge losses. You know, people feel like they are flying blind.
You know, no one really knows what's coming next, they don't know where the economy is headed, especially after the fed in the statement yesterday said, get ready for more slow growth in the economy. The good news, though, Randi, is that we're not seeing these wild swings, that chaotic trading that we saw yesterday. We're seeing these losses kind of settle in around the 300 point level -- Randi.
KAYE: And what was behind those swings? Because yesterday the market was down and then ended up. So, what exactly is behind the giant swings even though we're not seeing them right now?
KOSIK: Well, when you saw those giant swings right after the fed came out with its statement, you were really watching Wall Street digesting that fed's statement. At first they took it negatively and then they took it more positively. And then in a broader sense, you're seeing those big swings because most are computer driven. There's these levels that -- let's say the Dow gets to you. When they get to certain levels, they trigger more selling and that's why you see these huge selloffs happen in a matter of minutes. It's really -- a lot of it is computer driven -- Randi?
KAYE: Alison Kosik at the Stock Exchange. Thank you, Alison.
And as the market turns and investors fret, all eyes turn towards the super committee that is supposed to figure all this out by Christmas, how to get a meaningful handle on U.S. deficits and debt. We now know nine of the 12 lawmakers that will make up the committee. The Democratic senators are Patty Murray, and Max Baucus and John Kerry. The Republican Senators are Jon Kyl, Pat Toomey, and Rob Portman. The Republican House members are Jeb Hensarling, Dave Camp and Fred Upton. And the Democratic House members, well, minority leader Pelosi hasn't exactly told us those yet. (Inaudible), John Avalon is senior political columnist for "Newsweek" and the "Daily Beast", also a CNN contributor. John, I know you've written about this for the "Daily Beast", how much does the roster that we have, at least for now, matter?
JOHN AVLON, SENIOR POLITICAL COLUMNIST, "NEWSWEEK", "DAILY BEAST": The appointments we have seen to date matter a lot and they are cynical and pathetic picks in my opinion. The S&P report was clear, it blamed the Downgrade on the political breaksmanship in American politics, the hyper partisanship. But these picks are people with no clear record of bipartisanship. members of the gang of six, that principle group of bipartisan Senators who came up to reach across the aisle to come up with their own deficit reduction plan have been entirely cut out from the super committee because of their principled independence.
The only members of the Bowles/Simpson committee, who have been appointed to this today, are people who voted against its recommendations. So, it raises the question how stupid Congressional leaders think they are. That they think we won't notice that they are actively punishing the folks who've taken a risk to reach across the aisle and propose solutions, and instead, they're picking people who are clear party line partisan votes who are going to opposed to entitlement reform on the left and tax reform on the right if it raises revenues. It's a recipe for further political paralysis and people should be furious, in my opinion.
KAYE: You've actually written that Harry Reid, in particular, has dissed (ph) the gang of six. So, why single out Harry Reid? And do you think then we will end up right back where we were just a couple weeks ago come December?
AVLON: It is very hard to see how this group of senators is going to be able to find a way to really take on the fundamental structural problems. When I wrote that column this morning, we only had Harry Reid's nominees. And what was clear to me is that, you know, as a co-chairman -- you know, Patty Murray has a political appointment within the DSCC. She -- Max Baucus has the -- is the head of the budget committee, and a long-record on bipartisanship, but he voted against the Bowles/Simpson commission on which he stood, because in part, they were going to take on farm subsidies. That is not the record you want.
The gang of six was the obvious pick for this, because those senators had already done the hard work. They had sat there and reasoned together. And you had liberals like Dick Durbin, and conservatives like Tom Coburn, but instead, now we see Mitch McConnell's pick. He picked the head -- the former head of the Club for Growth instead of someone like Tom Coburn. What message does that send? It's sends precisely the message that the base wants to hear which is that this is going to be more business as usual, so forget the rhetoric. This is being set up to fail, and we're going to see more political paralysis I'm afraid.
We need this to succeed, but if this urgency of the downgrade doesn't promote -- doesn't inspire the party leaders to pick more generally responsible reach across the aisle personalities, it shows just how much of a problem we are in Washington D.C. right now because of hyper partisanship.
KAYE: John Avlon, great to have you on and great column as well, very interesting read. Thanks again.
AVLON: Thank you.
Kaye: Next stop, London. Will tonight be the night the rioting stops? I'll speak with a member of parliament right after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Breaking news here on CNN. We have been telling you the three sibling suspects have been picked up in Colorado. We want to get right to our Brian Todd who has been following this story for us, he has some new information. We just spoke to somebody from the Colorado police there, but Brian, what can you tell us? Can you fill in some of the blanks for us?
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A little bit, Randi. Some additional detail we have gotten from the Pueblo County Sheriff, to go along with the information you just got from the Colorado state police. Officials at the county sheriff in Pueblo county tell us the incident started at about 9:36 a.m. local time, 11:36 a.m. Easter time, when the suspects were spotted at a convenience store. This was apparently near exit 74, south of Pueblo, around the area of Colorado City, Colorado.
As you've been hearing, a high-speed chase ensued. They were spotted at the convenience store in a vehicle that had Texas plates on it, and the Pueblo County Sheriff told me that they had changed license plates to those plates. Again, a high-speed chase ensued. We're told the chase got up to about 100 miles an hour.
As you were told moment ago, the vehicle crashed and rolled. I was told by the Pueblo County Sheriff that one of the suspects then got out of the vehicle, and I asked if any of them tried to flee the scene,the sheriff did not have that information. But as we have been reporting, there were shots fired at law enforcement by these suspects. We are told that one of these suspects is injured, that the injuries are not life threatening. We're not sure exactly which one is injured.
But again, spotted at a convenience store this morning with a vehicle -- a white vehicle matching the description that we've heard in the last several days. This vehicle now having Texas plates, the sheriff indicating to me that the suspects had changed plates. The speed got up to 100 miles an hour in the chase, the car crashed and rolled, suspects, at least one of them, got out of the vehicle, and they are now all three in custody. They may still be getting transported back to Pueblo County at this point.
KAYE: And let me ask you this, I'm not sure if you know how long they might have been in the area, but from what I understand, they might have been spotted at a store buying a tent?
TODD: Well, that's right. Last night, the FBI in Colorado said the suspects, based on what the reports that they had gotten of the supplies that they had bought, camping supplies, a tent, other things, they believe that they were headed out to a remote area in order to evade law enforcement and maybe do some camping in some of the more remote areas of Colorado in order to evade detection by law enforcement.
So yes, that was a suspicion on the part of law enforcement authorities as of last night. But again, they were spotted at a convenience store this morning, and maybe they were making the rounds to try and get additional supplies. The sheriff did tell us earlier that they may have been at several stores this morning, so maybe picking up some supplies to head into a remote area out there in Colorado. And there's a lot of that out there they could have -- they could have -- if they had gotten away this morning, it may have taken a little longer to find them at least.
KAYE: Well, law enforcement across the country had said, Brian, they were going to find him -- find them and they certainly did. I'm sure there's a big sigh of relief across the country right now.
TODD: Right.
KAYE: Brian Todd, thank you for the update on the information.
Up next, very harsh words from the British prime minister today as rioting spreads in the U.K. I'm going to talk with a member of parliament next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: It is after 6:00 p.m. in Britain and nightfall is coming on fast and Brits are on edge. They've now seen four straight nights of rioting, looting, arson. What a furious prime minister calls thuggery, warranting a fight back from British police.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We needed a fight back and a fight back is underway. Whatever resources the police need, they will get. Whatever tactics the police feel they need to employ, they will have legal backing to do so. We will do whatever is necessary to restore law and order on to our streets.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The violence began in London after a protest over a deadly police shooting. But when Cameron sent in 10,000 extra police from other parts of the country, the trouble spread as far north as Manchester and Liverpool. Hundreds of people have been arrested, an 11-year-old boy among them. And three men are dead in Birmingham, run down by a car while trying to protect their homes and businesses from looters. It's not yet clear if they were deliberately targeted. I want to get some insight now from a member of the British parliament, but not just any member, actually. David Lammy represents the Tottenham District where a young father of four was shot and killed by police last Thursday under some pretty murky circumstances. He joins me now by phone from London.
Mr. Lammy, the government says this explosion of rioting has nothing to do with the death of Mark Duggan. Do you agree?
DAVID LAMMY, MEMBER OF BRITISH PARLIAMENT (via telephone): I do agree. What happened on Thursday for us here in Tottenham was serious. There are some serious answers and questions that people need in the coming days. And the initial stages of how the family of Mark Duggan were treated, I'm afraid, was not good by the police. They were not told, for example, that he had died. They found out about it by watching television.
Nevertheless, the looting, the criminality, the homelessness has been caused by burning people's homes down, by burning stores down. And this is not just retail chains, this is independent stores. People's livelihoods. It's totally, totally unacceptable. And I think the vast majority of people, certainly in the community I represent in Tottenham and in Britain as a large, say not in my name is this happening. It must stop. We must get order back to our streets. This is not the way to conduct yourself. This is just, I'm afraid, criminality.
KAYE: Where is this frustration coming from. Certainly seems to have been building. Tell me a little bit about that and a little bit about Tottenham so we can have some context here.
LAMMY: I represent here in Tottenham a community with the highest unemployment in London. It's the most diverse community in Europe, with over 30 languages spoken. There are challenges here. There is poverty here. This is, you know, a bit like the south side of Chicago or, you know, parts of Queens or the Bronx in New York.
Nevertheless, there was, prior to this, much hope, big community spirit, lots of effort to rebuild and turn our community around following the riots that we experienced in 1985. Yes, it was always going to be the case that the death of a young man involving the police was going to be a very, very sensitive issue. It original protest was a peaceful protest. What then happened on Saturday night and is happening across England is totally, totally unaccepted and unacceptable. Of course it had its origin in a dispossessed youth. A minority of youth who feel totally excluded from the mainstream and seem not to have the set of values and morals that the rest of society has. And there are big questions that we must ask ourselves. And we, as members of parliament, we can't be (INAUDIBLE) about this. This is -- whether it's labor (ph) (INAUDIBLE) or it's the conservative (ph) in power there, it's a big question for all politicians.
KAYE: Mr. Lammy, let me ask you about a solution here. I know -- I understand that there is an emergency session of parliament taking place tomorrow. What will you tell the other members? How will you find a solution to put this to rest? LAMMY: Well, we need to restore order. The young people are out foxing the police because they are using technology, Twitter, Blackberries, and others to communicate among themselves. And there are questions about the technology that the police have that I think we need to get on top of. Cameron has increased the police numbers and that will help substantially to bring order back to our streets.
I think we may need some kind of voluntary curfew so that people aren't on the streets in the evening and the police can deal with those that are intent on causing harm. Those are the things that we need to get order back. And once we've got order back, and I think we will have to ask some certain (ph) questions about how this happened, i.e. the nature of the policing. It's clear to me that the lack of policing has led to more criminal damage than was necessary and this could have been nipped in the bud earlier in Tottenham. It was not -- it was not dealt with early enough and we are now dealing with the consequences of that.
KAYE: David Lammy, a member of parliament there in London. Certainly you have a lot on your hands to deal with. Best of luck and we will continue to watch that situation. Thank you.
A bit of a victory and a little defeat in Wisconsin. Democrats fall short in a recall election, but the battle, well, it isn't over yet. Details next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Four out of six Republican state senators in Wisconsin get to keep their jobs after a recall election. Tuesday's vote comes after a bitter state battle over union rights. Remember pro-union protesters camping out in the state capital and Democratic senators leaving the state in an effort to stop what they called anti-union legislation. Democrats were hoping to win GOP held seats in this election. They needed three to gain control of the upper chamber, but they only got two. Ted Rowlands joins us live now from the Wisconsin capital building in Madison.
Hi there, Ted. So Democrats don't see yesterday's vote as a total loss, right? How is that?
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, obviously they're going to spin it in a positive matter. But the point that they want to make is that, hey, after they were so upset in February, their only recourse was a recall. They threatened it. They were able to organize, made it happen. And they say that just those two senators that lost their jobs should send a message to other people, and other states, too, that they're think about tinkering with union -- with labor laws in different states. They say what they accomplished was of note and they vow to keep fighting. And, in fact, they vow a recall effort against Governor Scott Walker when he is eligible after his first year in office.
KAYE: And Wisconsin Democrats face a similar challenge, right?
ROWLANDS: Yes. Well, you know, the funny thing about this is, it was both sides were calling for recalls because Republicans said because of those 14 Democratic senators that left the state, well they should be recalled. So they launched successful efforts and two of the Democratic senators that left the state during all this in February will face the same fate next week.
So if you do the math, if they happen to lose their seats, there would be a zero net gain after all of this with all that money spent. But, you know, both sides are defending their actions, saying that this is what their constituents wanted and they made it happen.
KAYE: Yes, I'm just wondering how they do defend all this to voters because you mentioned the money. All that money spent. It's actually $30 million. I mean that is mind boggling considering the job cuts and the state budget shortfall. So how are the voters reacting to this whole recall?
ROWLANDS: Well, the voters here are well aware that that $30 billion came in from out of state. I mean this is a labor issue that permeated other states across the country and the money that came in for this recall effort came in from across the country. There is no way that kind of money would have been spent in Wisconsin for local elections. So this was more than just what was happening in Wisconsin.
Turnout was huge. So people were engaged here in the state. They knew that the country was watching. But the money, boy, it sure makes you shake your head when you talk about those deficits, to blow $30 million on these recall elections, it makes some people upset, no doubt.
KAYE: Yes, no doubt. All right, Ted Rowlands there in Madison. Ted, thank you.
Many malnourished children have to walk for days to get the medical attention that they need in the middle of the worst drought in 60 years. What is happening to their tiny bodies as they're starving and what's being done to try and save them. Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us from the frontlines after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Thirty-two minutes past the hour. Let's check headlines and other news you may have missed.
Just in: the three siblings accused of a Georgia bank robbery and the attempted murder of a Florida police officer have just been captured in Colorado. The Colorado State Patrol says the fugitive siblings were taken into custody after a 20-mile high speed chase on Interstate 25 that ended in a crash. Lee Grace Dougherty and her brothers, Dylan and Ryan, all of them in their 20s, were considered armed and dangerous.
U.S. stocks are down sharply today, wiping out most of the gains from yesterday's rally. Take a look at the board there. Right now, you can see the Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 336 points. The plunge is blamed in part on the resurfacing of fears about Europe's ongoing debt crisis.
The two California men charged with brutally beating a San Francisco Giants fan at Dodgers Stadium in March both pleaded not guilty today. The men are each charged with three felonies. They arrested in their homes on July 21st, and are being held on $25,000 bail. The victim, Bryan Stow, still hospitalized with a traumatic brain injury that has shown some recent signs of improvement.
A new blood test can reveal the sex of an unborn baby just seven weeks into pregnancy. While avoiding the safety concerns associated with more invasive producers. Researchers say the test is based on fetal DNA taken from the mother's blood and is more reliable than urine based test. The study published in the journal of the American Medical Association says the test correctly detects a male fetus 95 percent of the time when performed between seven and 20 weeks into the pregnancy and has a near perfect rate of determining a sex of a child after 20 weeks.
The famine in east Africa is spreading just as aid agencies feared. Hundreds of thousands of children are facing death from starvation in Somalia. Many of them are forced to walk for days trying to make it to food camps.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta introduces us to some young new arrivals who barely made it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the middle of a famine the sickest of the sick come here like Ahmed (ph). He's 6 years old and he's just spent 10 days walking under the east Africa sun. His tiny prone body robbed of nutrition for too long. His doctor can only hope he arrived in time.
(on camera): What happens to a child like this if you weren't here, if he wasn't at this facility?
DR. HUMPHREY MUSYOKA, INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE: This child probably in a few weeks or so we'll have lost this child.
GUPTA: You would lose this child?
MUSYOKA: We would lose this child.
GUPTA (voice-over): You know, when the doctor talks about death by starvation, I can tell you -- it's neither quick nor it's painless. When you come to a place like this you see it just about everywhere. You can hear it sometimes as well.
You can also smell it. It's in the air. It's this acrid sweetness that is a reflection of the body literally starting to digest itself.
Little kids like Ahmed simply stop growing. They become stunted in time. And the tools to save him are basic, it's not like they have much choice, but they do work.
(on camera): I want to show you something else that I think is very important here. And this is what doctors use -- a simple measuring device to try and determine if a kid needs acute medical care. You can tell if a kid is malnourished simply by using this.
This is Ayon (ph). She's 8 months old. You simply take this. You put it around her arm about 10 centimeters down from her shoulder and you measure, just measure this.
And if the number comes back below 11 that means the kid is in real trouble. In Ayon's case, you can see here, the number is actually about 9.5. That's part of the reason she's getting these feedings through an NG tube into her nose.
(voice-over): Ahmed's was 10.5. One in five kids will not survive with a reading that low.
It's grim duty for Dr. Musyoka, the only doctor caring for all these children.
(on camera): I have three kids, you have a 5 year old.
MUSYOKA: Yes.
GUPTA: How do you -- how do you do it? I mean, how do you see -- these kids who are suffering so much?
MUSYOKA: It's difficult, especially since the kind of suffering they're going through and (INAUDIBLE) own kids. But what keeps you going is that you have to come back and do something for them for them to survive.
GUPTA (voice-over): Ahmed was one of the estimated 600,000 kids on the brink of death by starvation. But today that may have changed. Ahmed may have been saved. He made it here just in time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: And Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins me now from a feeding camp in Kenya. Sanjay, those pictures, they're just so tough to see that children struggling that way. There are so many on the brink of starvation.
What exactly happens to their little bodies?
GUPTA: Well, I don't think there is a dignified way to describe this, Randi. You are right, the numbers are extraordinary -- 600,000 kids, they say, on the brink of death. I mean, when you think about those numbers -- anywhere else in the world if that was happening, it would scream for international headlines, but not here for some reason.
When you are starving -- I mean, the body looks for energy in some way. It starts to take energy from the liver, from your fatty tissue first. After that has been expended, then it looks for calories from your muscle, trying to get protein, even your heart muscle.
And that's why they become restless and lethargic as they go longer and longer without food, your blood pressure drops, your temperature drops, your heart rate drops. And you saw on Ahmed's case, they simply stop growing. I mean, it's a very tragic way to die. And again, there is nothing dignified about it, Randi.
KAYE: Yes. And you mentioned Ahmed. I mean, it looks like he may get through this. But when you think about the malnutrition and the food shortages, what type of impact does it have on those children who do survive?
GUPTA: Well, you know, that's a very interesting point as well, because after Ahmed, I mean, there's literally 2,000 people coming to these camps a day. So, there's plenty of patients, and potential patients.
But children who undergo such severe malnutrition at such a young age, even if they get food ultimately, even if they, you know, restore those calories and restore their body weight, and there's been a new study that has shown that has a permanent impact on the brain. They find that these children's brains actually are shrunken, and they stay shrunken despite being fed.
The brain, there is so much being developed at this particular age, and this lack of nutrition seems to have a life-long effect, which, you know, just increases the urgency of trying to get calories into these children as quickly as possible.
KAYE: And are there more and more children coming into these feeding camps every day?
GUPTA: Yes, there really seems to be. And, you know, they are trying to expand this area. They are trying to get more aid and more resources into this area.
But there seems to be two important points. First of all, the World Food Programme, a big world provider has just announced this week that within the next three weeks, they may run out of food, they may runt out of funding and they may not be able to continue to supply this particular camp.
And the other thing is that the real journey, that some of the kids have to take from Somalia, walking for days on end to get to these camps, it's because the resources are getting into Somalia where these people are. That probably, Randi, is the biggest key to all this. Instead of having those people walk and become famish and even more undernourished, to try and get to some of these resources to where people need it the most. That's probably going to be the key, Randi.
KAYE: You know, Sanjay, I couldn't help but notice that you asked that doctor who you interviewed tin the story, mentioned that he had children and asked him how difficult the job was.
What about for you? I mean, you have children yourself. How hard is it for you on a personal note to see these children suffering?
GUPTA: It's -- I mean, it's impossible, Randi. I mean, you cannot -- you see your own kids looking back at you when you look in these kids' eyes. I mean, these are -- these are the world's children, and we cannot feed them. So, it's very disheartening and it's very frustrating, and I think on a personal level, I think whether you are a parent or not, it's just intolerable. It's just -- feeding the world's children, this we should be able to do. And here, you know, it's just not happening.
KAYE: So very sad. I certainly hope they get the aid that they need.
Sanjay Gupta, thank you very much.
CNN's Anderson Cooper is in East Africa, along with Dr. Sanjay Gupta. He's reporting on the region's devastating drought and famine. Tonight, he'll be live from Somalia and at a new time, 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
Celebrities and social media are joining the fight to save the millions of starving people.
(MUSIC VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: It's the "I'm Going to Be Your Friend" campaign. Stars including Beyonce, lady Gaga and Justin Bieber will promote this project, via Facebook and Twitter. They are hoping hundreds of millions of people like you will donate with proceeds going to Save the Children. You can find the Web site at imgoingtobeyourfriend.org.
And you can also help by visiting our "Impact Your World" page. You can find that at CNN.com/impact.
She was born in Somalia. Now, supermodel Iman is appealing to rich countries to help Somalia's starving children. Iman in her own words, right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Her story is a rags to riches tale like no other. Former supermodel Iman was born dirt poor in the Somali capital of Mogadishu. But she says she never went to bed hungry. If there was no money, someone in her community would bring them some food. Now, Iman, who is a mother of an 11-year-old daughter, is speaking out for the hundreds of thousands of Somali children facing starvation. She praises public donations to aid groups struggling to help millions of Somalis gripped by the worst drought in 60 years.
But she's very critical of the world's richest countries, who she says have failed to deliver on promises of cash for the crisis.
Now, as I mentioned, Anderson Cooper is in Mogadishu, and he spoke to Iman last night. She warns that an entire Somali generation is in danger of being wiped out. Here's part of what she had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IMAN, SUPERMODEL: My fear, really, is about the children, because we are hearing that one million children, Somali children, are at stake of losing their lives.
What I really would like to see is that United Nations, the international community, the Arab world, to step up and really start thinking about the food -- the need of food, because that is the urgency of it now. But also, what I would like people to know, and want the international community to really think about, is that the long term. I want the communities to be able to be able to feed themselves. I want people to be able to help local communities so that they become self-sufficient so there is not this food aid on a constant basis.
But also more importantly, as you said, regardless of the conflict and regardless of the political issue that's happening in Somalia. What is happening for a fact, for a fact, that is it a humanitarian catastrophe, and this famine will be remembered as a famine that destroyed generations of children.
And we have -- I think we are in a place now that we can actually turn it around. And nobody knows this more than you, Anderson, because you're live there on the ground, is that there's a generation of children that will be wiped out. And what I want people to understand, this is a catastrophe that was preventable, but it is not not salvageable.
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KAYE: Well said. As we mentioned, you can see more from Anderson Cooper reporting live from Somalia tonight. Watch "AC360" at its new time. That's 8:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
To find out how you can make a difference to help the victims of the famine in east Africa, visit our Impact Your World page. That's at CNN.com/impact.
And coming up, bridging the digital divide. How a cable giant plans to help low-income families benefit from the Internet. That's next in today's "Big I."
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KAYE: If you think computers and Internet access are a way of life for most Americans, well, think again. According to the U.S. Census, 47 percent of Hispanics and 45 percent of African-Americans have no Internet use at home. 29 percent of white households and 19 percent of Asian homes are without the Internet.
Cable giant Comcast is launching a new program designed to help bridge the so-called digital divide. Internet Essentials as it's called, will offer low-income families Internet access for $9.95 a month and a voucher to buy a Netbook computer for just under 150 bucks. David Cohen is executive vice president of the Comcast Corporation. David is joining me now from Philadelphia for today's "Big I."
David, this sounds like a wonderful program. How will this work and who exactly qualifies?
DAVID COHEN, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, COMCAST: Thanks very much, Randi. And you've summarized the program perfectly.
The eligible families here are those who have a child who is eligible for a free meal under the National School Lunch Program. It's really that simple. If you live in a household and one of your kids gets a free meal under the National School Lunch Program, you're eligible to participate.
KAYE: And how far of a reach is this? How many families do you hope to help?
COHEN: Well, Comcast, as you know, is the largest cable company in America. We have operations in 39 states and the District of Columbia. And we'll be offering this program across our entire footprint, starting right now with the back to school season. We estimate that there is somewhere between 2.5 million and 3 million households in our footprint who would be eligible to participate in the program.
KAYE: Why do you think bridging the digital divide is so critical?
COHEN: Well, you know, that of course, is the bottom-line question here. I think as we move into the 21st century and our kids are competing against other kids in the country who have access to the Internet and kids internationally who have a greater rate of participation with broadband adoption than we have in the United States. The basic life skills, the enhancements to the educational experience, access to healthcare, access to vocational opportunities, are equalized through access to the Internet.
But if you have the ability to connect to the Internet but you don't subscribe, whether because you don't understand the value or the price or the service or you don't have a computer, you're being deprived of that equalizing opportunity that a transformative technology like the Internet has to offer.
And I think that's the public policy underpinning, if you will, of all of the efforts that exist in America to try and close the digital divide. To equalize opportunity, level the playing field and give every kid in America the opportunity to compete and to succeed, regardless of the zip code where they live or the income level of their parents.
KAYE: Well, we certainly appreciate you coming on and telling us about this. And congratulations to you for taking a big step here. Maybe other companies and other technology firms will follow your lead. David, thank you. Appreciate it.
And for much more about Internet Essentials, you can check out my Facebook page at Facebook.com/RandiKayeCNN. And of course, don't forget to tune in tomorrow. Same "Big I" time, same "Big I" channel.
How do Americans really feel about raising taxes when it comes to the deficit reduction bill? Paul Steinhauser joins us with some new polling hot off the political ticker. That is next.
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KAYE: Welcome back. The new congressional supercommittee is supposed to figure out a way to get a handle on U.S. deficits and debt. Good luck with that, right?
Paul Steinhauser joins me now from the political desk in Washington. Paul, when it comes to debt reduction, what do Americans really want the supercommittee to do besides clean up the mess?
PAUL STEINHASUER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes, they definitely want Washington to clean up the mess. I don't think they thing Washington will do that.
But Randi, we asked that. CNN/ORC, we went out in the field; we did a poll. Check out this brand new results just out today.
Right off the bat, let's talk about taxes. Do Americans want increased taxes on the wealthy and on businesses? Do they want the supercommittee to do that? Take a look right there. And I think the answer, at least according to our poll is yes. 63 percent say they would be fine if the supercommittee proposed increasing taxes on the wealthy and businesses.
But Randi, definitely a partisan divide on that one, with Democrats saying yes to taxes, Republicans saying no.
But here's one thing they agree on. Go to the next number. No way, no how, they don't want new taxes or increased taxes on middle- class or lower-income Americans. You can see right there, 87 percent of all Americans saying no. And it's pretty wide agreement in both parties on that one, Randi.
KAYE: And what's the feeling about spending cuts?
STEINHAUSER: They like them to a degree. Check out this first number right here: 57 percent say yes to spending cuts, whether the supercommittee should come up with more spending cuts to domestic programs. You can see only four in ten saying no.
But here's the kicker here on this one. When it comes to the entitlement programs, like Medicare and Social Security, you can see right here, Americans do not want to see major changes to those programs. So, I guess Americans are saying yes, it's OK with spending cuts, but wait, don't touch this, don't touch that.
That's what makes it so tough for the super committee as the members are being named over the last couple days, Randi.
KAYE: It certainly makes for some interesting polls, though. Even if we don't like what's going on in Washington, it's interesting to follow.
STEINHAUSER: It definitely is.
KAYE: All right. Paul Steinhauser, thank you.
Forget about Wall Street's dramatic rebound yesterday. The fear is back. Fear took over again today, sending the Dow down more than 350 points in early afternoon trading. At one point, it fell more than 460 points. Analysts point the finger at Europe's ongoing debt crisis. The S&P 500 dropped 34 points. And the NASDAQ composite fell 64 points. And right now, if you take a look at the Dow, it's still down 284 points. Right there on the screen.
Three siblings accused of bank robbery and attempted murder in Georgia and Florida have been captured in Colorado. They were the target of a nationwide manhunt. It all came to a crashing halt today. They were spotted at a convenience store in Pueblo County earlier today. Police moved in, triggering a chase, a high-speed chase on Interstate 25 that reached speeds up to 100 miles an hour. It ended when the car rolled over near the town of Walstenburg. Officials say one of the suspects was injured.
The three have been identified as Ryan Edward Dougherty, his sister, Lee Grace Dougherty and half-brother, Dylan Dougherty Stanley. They're accused of robbing a bank in Valdosta, Georgia and the attempted murder of a police officer in Florida.
The Pentagon says in the next 24 hours, it will release the names, ages, hometowns and military units of all 30 American troops killed when their Chinok helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan on Saturday. A spokesman says the public announcement has been delayed for security implications. Twenty-two of those killed were Navy SEALs.
And we're now hearing that the Taliban insurgents who shot down that chopper have been killed. That's the word today from the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan. General John Allen says they were killed in an airstrike on Monday in Wardak Province, the same area where the Chinok chopper was actually brought down. Allen says the strike killed a Taliban leader and the insurgent who fired the rocket- propelled grenade that apparently brought it down. Several other Taliban insurgents were also killed. He says the insurgents were located during an extensive manhunt by Special Operations forces.