tv CNN Newsroom CNN September 25, 2010 4:00pm-5:00pm EDT
4:00 pm
>> you could see the colonel. he got very uncomfortable and he's like, we can't do that. >> so i wasn't able to give mark a certificate, but during my speech i was able to present mark with a shadow box that represented the years that we were together while i was in the air force. and i recognized him as my best friend who had been behind me most of the time. the don't ask, don't tell bill had passed, the 21 years served will not have been in vain. in the future, men and women will be able to serve openly and not conceal who they are. it would have been really great to have seen this pass. a look at the headlines. the obama administration wants to keep national security intelligence secret by urging the dismissal of a suit filed against the u.s. government.
4:01 pm
and bishop eddie long is facing another allegation of sexual misconduct. a fourth lawsuit has been filed against the pastor. and a federal judge has ruled against a military's don't ask, don't tell policy. we'll hear from an openly gay former air force nurse who was just reinstated years after her discharge. up first, national security and the case of yemeni american clairic al awlaki. the obama administration is asking the judge to dismiss a case filed on behalf of the cleric's father. chris, what is this suit about and why is this administration trying to have it dismissed? >> what's going on is the fact that the u.s. government is claiming that they have a state secret privilege. in other words, they feel that to grant this injunction would expose a lot of the ways in
4:02 pm
which the military and intelligence officials are operating around the globe to fight terrorists. you've got two issues here. on one hand, the aclu is saying awlaki, even though he lives in yemen, is still a united states citizen and u.s. officials have confirmed he is on a cia hit list to be captured or killed. the aclu is saying he has a right not to be assassinated by his own government, that the executive branch should not be given a blank check when it comes to deciding the criteria by which it can assassinate american citizens. on the other hand, you've got the government arguing that to inject the courts into decisions being made to fight terrorism would be unprecedented and that if awlaki wants to avail himself of the american justice system, he's capable of just surrendering. take a look at what the white house counterterrorism director
4:03 pm
had to say about this. >> individuals shouldn't be able to hide mind their u.s. citizenship. if they present a threat and challenge to us, we need to make sure we're able to address that threat. >> so what he's saying is awlaki's citizenship is irrelevant. he's claiming what is relevant is the fact that he could be an enemy combatant and should be able to be targeted. >> chris lawrence, appreciate that, from washington. >> you're welcome. so the case is controversial, and it raises some complex legal issues as well. the obama administration invoking its state secrecy privileges and the cleric being a u.s. citizen. so earlier we asked our experts their opinions. how often is this state secret privilege actually used? >> well, it's been raised in a
4:04 pm
number of very important cases. this is especially significant because al awlaki is a very powerful cleric, advocating jihad. what the plaintiff is arguing is that because al awlaki is a citizen of the united states, you can't kill him without a hearing, a notice, a 5th amendment right under the bill of rights. i any what's going to happen is that the federal court will never get to the issue of state secrets. why? because the suit brought by his father is going to be challenged as not asking standing, meaning that he doesn't have the right to bring the lawsuit in the first place. >> so richard, the obama administration says going forward with this case would mean requiring the disclosure of national security information. they don't want that to happen. so what court would make this decision whether indeed the government is making a good argument to have this father's case dismissed?
4:05 pm
>> a federal court, fred, that's the answer. the federal court is going to dismiss this case based on standing as avery just said. but isn't it a dangerous precedent? this guy is on a kill or capture list, and his father is saying, look, let's just stop at this point in time and get a little due process here. just because allegations are made about his criminal activity, don't we need to vet it and litigate this? aren't we entitled to discovery? can the government be wrong? what happens if they're wrong and kill this guy? i don't know these answers but this is the united states, and it seems contra to our values and laws that a mere allegation can result in a perhaps kill list. >> how long will this process last? how long before the federal court determines whether indeed the department of defense has a good argument here? richard, you first.
4:06 pm
>> i think this is going to move very quickly, fred. i think maybe 60 to 90 days this is going to be disposed of. >> avery? >> i totally agree. this is high priority, dealing with national security. the court's got to move right now. >> avery freeman and richard herman, thanks again. a case that is certain to be in the news in the coming days. al awlaki was born in new mexico and lived in virginia until late 2001. no charges have been publicly filed against him. freed american hiker sarah shourd is pinning her hopes on iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad to get her fiance and friend out of jail. she made her case yesterday in new york where ahmadinejad attended the u.n. general assembly. >> i just wanted to thank president ahmadinejad for this gesture of allowing my mother and i to meet with him and for the mothers of shane and josh to
4:07 pm
meet with his envoy. it was a very gracious gesture and a good meeting. for me to be able to talk to the president, something i've been waiting for a long time and i prayed for in prison. so it's a good feeling to tell him my story directly. so i'm thankful for this and hopeful it will make a difference for shane and josh. >> shourd says for now, her focus will be to push every minute for the release of her companions. bishop eddie long is set to address the allegations himself tomorrow. the announcement comes just a day after a fourth young man filed a lawsuit against the popular atlanta pastor. >> this shows how closely this story is being followed by members of the public and his congregation, but also those who
4:08 pm
are close to his leadership. we were contacted in the interim between last week spoke and now by art franklin, who is eddie long's spokesperson. what he wanted to point out is give a reasoning as to whether changing things a bit. bishop long is expected to address the congregation at 8:00 and 11:00 tomorrow. he's got 25,000, a mega church. and it was expected that he was going to relate to his congregation about what these allegations, how serious they are and whether he intends to refute them. we were told that we could cover all of that. now it appears we will be barred, they will stop a feed at a certain time and told to leave before he makes his explanation. however, there whether be a news conference which eddie long will be there with his wife and attorneys. the reason they want to do it this way is bishop long wants to speak to his family first, meaning to his congregation,
4:09 pm
without any disruption from the media. they believe by allowing the press conference, this will allow the openness and the disclosure to go forward. so this all comes after friday, where we have this fourth lawsuit that came to light. this is now 23-year-old spencer lagrant. he lives in charlotte. he was a member of a satellite congregation and he alleges when, at age 17, he began this relationship with eddie long that developed into a sexual relationship and the story is very similar to the other three lawsuits brought forward. of course, all of this, denied by bishop eddie long. >> what's interesting here is, the four young men are all consistent in their message, in that they were in this relationship with the pastor, but none are saying it's without their consent. none are trying to imply that criminal charges should be imposed. but instead they're saying that eddie long kind of used his
4:10 pm
leadership, he used the church -- >> he used the trust is what they're getting at here. >> what is it that they're seeking, though, out of this case? >> these are civil suits, not criminal suits. the main reason for that is because all of them as far as we know were over the age of 16 when this sexual relationship, if it occurred at all, would to have developed. which means they were of legal age to go forward. the difference here in the civil suit is you're seeking some sort of damage as a result of this. the charges that seem to be brought forward in these suits is that there was negligence, there was what they would imply sex coercion, the misuse of trust here on the part of bishop long and by the leadership of the new birth church who they believe would have helped facilitate. again, these are allegations, they have not been proven. the threshold here for a civil
4:11 pm
case is different, beyond a reasonable doubt is what it has to be in a conviction. in a civil case, it is a preponderance of the evidence. >> it's interesting that he would come out for the press conference tomorrow, his attorney also be with him tomorrow, his attorneys think it is okay to have this q and a, because that's going to be the format of this press conference tomorrow and that wouldn't jeopardize the case and make it more difficult for bishop long to continue this position. >> i thought the same thing. we thought we were just going to hear him speaking from the pulpit, which is an environment he obviously knows very well. now he's going to speak in a press conference where you have no control over the questions asked. it will be very interesting. >> this is super fascinating. we didn't know that the last hour things would change, and it
4:12 pm
did within the hour. so who knows what's going to happen in the next hour? thanks so much, marty savage. also, much more ahead on the controversy surrounding bishop eddie long. we'll be talking to an expert on the black church and celebrity preachers and also much about the lessons that have been conveyed how the black church accepts or doesn't accept the lifestyle of homosexuality. [ male announcer ] one look can turn the everyday into romantic.
4:13 pm
♪ an accidental touch can turn ordinary into something more. moments can change anytime -- just like that. and when they do men with erectile dysfunction can be more confident in their ability to be ready with cialis for daily use. cialis for daily use is a clinically proven, low-dose tablet you take every day, so you can be ready anytime the moment is right. tell your doctor about your medical condition and all medications, and ask if you're healthy enough for sexual activity. don't take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain,
4:14 pm
as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. [ man ] don't drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache, or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than 4 hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, stop taking cialis and call your doctor right away. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if cialis for daily use is right for you. for a 30-tablet free trial offer, go to cialis.com.
4:15 pm
just before the break, we were talking about the allegations surrounding bishop eddie long, the leader of an atlanta area mega church. shane lee is a professor at tulane university where his research includes african-american churches and he's joining us right now from new orleans. shane, so good to see you. >> oh, great to be here, fredricka. >> a lot to talk about. perhaps you heard where there have been changes how to bishop long is going to approach the
4:16 pm
general public, approach his family of new birth church tomorrow morning. he will be in church. there will be a sermon. but the cameras are not going to be on. the general public will not be able to hear his sermon. yet he will have a press conference after that 8:00 a.m. service. so do you have any thoughts on how bishop long is handling these allegations in such a public way when he's the leader of a mega church, when it seems as though his word would be out there for his congregation to hear, yet now many of his i guess followers who are outside the church won't be able to hear him immediately respond to those allegations. any thoughts on that? >> i think bishop long, being a savvy professional leader that he is, and he knows that he has
4:17 pm
to control the message, control the brand. there's no better place to control your message than at your own church, where people love you, where there's going to be support and applause. i think we have to watch for the tone in the sermon and the way bishop long approaches this. because if he wants to survive, he's going to have to make a fervent, rigorous attempt, so i think his tone, his temperament, if he's defiant, cocky as he usually tends to be, we're going to have a long fight. if he decides to step down, if he comes with some humility, we know that there might be some life to these allegations. >> what's interesting here, pastor long had an interview with our don lemon last year at about this time. and there have been other forms in which he's spoken out and been asked about whether the
4:18 pm
church embraces homosexuality. and here's just a little snippet of what he had to say. bottom line he said it's not god's way and this is what he said just last year. >> we've had members of our congregation with a gay lifestyle, et cetera, and that's nothing we can deny. a lot of times we never addressed it, we acted like it wasn't there, et cetera. when you get in the body of christ, people of faith, i'm finding that the way you interpret scripture. but if my conviction was, well, i don't believe in the gay lifestyle and i believe it's not god's way. >> so what's interesting here too, shane, is this suspect the first time we've heard a pastor say this, particularly in the black church. we've heard it in many black
4:19 pm
churches that condemn homosexuality. i wonder if this case might directly impact that message coming from many black churches, whether this investigation will kind of change the tone of how some black churches approach the discussion, the reality of homosexuality. >> well, interesting thing to think about it. first of all, bishop long's opinion does fit in with the context of majority of black churches. the national pew study, their recent data on the issue shows that a large majority of black christians and black churches affirm the possible statements against homosexuality. so it's kind of an issue of biblical hermaneutics. how do you deal with the passages that seem to preclude homosexual activity as being from god. i think if there is a silver lining in this whole thing, besides the scandal and the
4:20 pm
salacious details that are going to come out, it's the fact that a powerful leader like bishop long being associated with the potential of yielding to same-sex erotic urges is going to validate a lot of other people in the church who secretly struggle with that. if we look at the statics -- >> but it will only validate it if bishop long comes out tomorrow, for example, during that press conference or to his congregation and says, you know what? i need to be honest with you, let me tell you something, the allegations coming from these four young men have merit. but would there be validation if he doesn't do that? >> not necessarily. i think the fact that we are all talking about this issue, talking about same-sex erotic urges and the potential for a powerful leader to be associated with that, to some degree puts the discourse in the forefront where it's been under the table. we know there's homosexual activity in black churches, yet it's been silent.
4:21 pm
the fact that the discourse now is elevated to the population, to black churches all over the country, on e-mail, i think what it does is it says that if you're secretly struggling as a homosexual christian and you're feeling the struggle from that and you see that somebody who is a more powerful christian than you linked to that, the silver lining might be that it gives that person maybe a greater understanding of the complexity of their feelings and not to condemn themselves and live in shame. so that might be something good out of all the conversations that have taken place about these salacious details. >> shane lee, fantastic discussion. appreciate your time. >> thanks for having me. just a reminder, bishop long will have a press conference as we know it tomorrow after his 8:00 a.m. service. no longer is the church now allowing cameras to videotape, to stream live his sermon, his
4:22 pm
first sermon tomorrow morning after these allegations have surfaced. keep it right here on cnn. we'll keep you posted on what was said at least during that sermon and during that press conference scheduled for tomorrow. out of jail and on a mission. michael douglas reprizes his oscar winning role in "wall street." is greed still good?
4:23 pm
in 2008 i quit venture capital to follow my passion for food. i saw a gap in the market for a fresh culinary brand and launched behindtheburner.com. we create and broadcast content and then distribute it across tv, the web, and via mobile. i even use the web to get paid. with acceptpay from american express open, we now invoice advertisers and receive payments digitally. and i get paid on average three weeks faster. booming is never looking for a check in the mail. because it's already in my email.
4:25 pm
4:26 pm
weekend. and pete hammond joins us from los angeles with more on this week's movie preview. good to see you. >> good to see you. >> let's begin with "wall street." talking about michael douglas. let's take a little peek at what to expect. >> if you want to be in the family business -- >> which is what? >> pay back. i'm not in this business anymore. the one thing i learned in jail is the money is not life. your time is just about up. >> okay. so is this -- well, you know, this is "wall street, money never sleeps." but is this a perfect take off from the first "wall street"? did you like it? >> it's been 23 years between the first one and this sequel and in answer to your question earlier, "greed" is very good this time. it's timely, pertinent again,
4:27 pm
especially with the financial meltdown we've had. i think oliver stone has perfectly timed this to go back and explore this story. douglas is just great. it fits him like a glove. he may be in contention for an oscar again, it's that good. and it's a wonderful task and a big adult drama. it's different than what we've had all summer. so i highly recommend it. >> this is great anticipation for this. so your grade? >> i give it an a minus. i think the only problem is a little towards the end. i won't give it away. but basically, the movie just sails along wonderful script, and it's very entertaining. >> good. also entertaining, to have jamie lee curtis and sigorney weaver
4:28 pm
in the same movie. let's take a quick peek. >> are you insane? >> wow, kitty likes to scratch. two can play at this game. >> so is this great comic relief or ridiculous or just fun? >> it's a little ridiculous. the clip we just saw there shows what this movie really is. it's a lot of slapstick and degradation of the feminist movement quite frankly. this just shows you what you were in high school, you still are, no matter what. and nobody grows up. unfortunately they've wasted a terrific cast. if you love them, go see the movie. it's just another formula comedy.
4:29 pm
it should be called "this again." >> oh, no. okay. how about "buried." nobody wants to envision themself being in a coffin buried alive with just a few things in which to -- i don't know, get out or survive. >> my convoy was ambushed, i'm buried in a coffin. >> how did you end up in the coffin, sir? >> steve, what did you think? >> don't see this movie if you have claustrophobia. ryan reynolds is in a coffin with only a cell phone and a lighter. but he gets great reception down there. it's a great product placement
4:30 pm
for blackberry. but he's intense and wonderful in this movie. it shows another side of his talent. but it's sweat inducing. >> makes me think a little "kill bill." what was your grade on this? >> b plus. it's a tricky movie to pull off. it's basically for his performance. it's one of the year's best by an actor. >> okay. steve hammond thanks so much. good to see you. i'm ready to go to the movies now. >> have fun. >> two out of three, i'm ready to go see. appreciate it. good to see you from l.a. >> thanks. experts call it a strike against the military's don't ask, don't tell policy. what a judge's ruling means for a former air force nurse who lost her job because of her relationship with another woman. getting stuck month. sweat every day to make an honest buck...month.
4:31 pm
and if you're gonna try and do this in anything other than a chevy... well, good luck...month. great deals on the complete family of chevy trucks all backed for a hundred thousand miles. it's truck month. now, during truck month, get 0% apr financing on all trucks and full-size suvs like this 2011 silverado. see your local chevrolet dealer. if you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes,
4:32 pm
you may also have very high triglycerides -- too much fat in the blood. it's a serious medical condition. lovaza, along with diet, effectively lowers very high triglycerides in adults but has not been shown to prevent heart attacks or strokes. lovaza starts with omega-3 fish oil that's then purified and concentrated. it's the only omega-3 medication that's fda-approved. you can't get it at a health food store. lovaza isn't right for everyone. tell your doctor if you're allergic to fish, have other medical conditions and about any medications you're taking, especially those that may increase risk of bleeding. blood tests are needed before and during treatment. in some, ldl or bad cholesterol may increase. possible side effects include burping, infection, flu-like symptoms, upset stomach, and change in sense of taste. ask your doctor about lovaza, the prescription that starts in the sea.
4:33 pm
4:34 pm
gay rights activists call it a blow against the government's don't ask, don't tell policy. a judge has ordered the u.s. military to give an openly lesbian nurse her job back. keith eldridge with komo when margaret witt got the word. >> smile. >> can you express what you feel? >> i'm thrilled. i mean, all i ever wanted to do is go back to my unit and do my job. just for that chance i'm really excited. >> reporter: former air force major margaret witt fought to convince a job to give her her job back. she was a decorated flight nurse. but when the air force found out she was a lesbian, they kicked her out. six years later, she convinced a
4:35 pm
judge that not only did her sexual preference not affect her unit's military readiness or cohesion, just the opposite. former unit members say her dismissal caused harm. he ordered the air force to reinstate her and said she was blessed to have loving parents stand with her. >> i think he understands how important that is, and i -- i love them. >> she's courageous, she's dedicated. >> reporter: her attorneys say the battle isn't over. the government is likely to appeal the decision. but in the meantime, they hope the air force does what the judge has ordered. >> i think she should be reinstated and soon. >> reporter: as far as the other members of the military who are gay and lesbian, she says they have to continue to serve in silence. >> they do, they do.
4:36 pm
stay strong. it will happen. >> it was a tough week for those wanting to overturn the military's don't ask, don't tell policy on homosexuals serving openly in the military. on saturday, the senate turned aside legislation to repeal the law for gays serving in the military. the white house says the obama administration remains committed to ending the policy, but wants it done by congress. much more right after this -- actually no, we're going to talk to bonnie schneider and talk about some nasty weather coming up here. take a look at these strong storms and heavy rains, causing very serious flooding in western and central wisconsin. this is just happening over the past couple of days. this is out of wausau. wisconsin's governor issued a state of emergency and the storms caused flooding, downed power lines and washed out bridges and roads. just a real mess. that's a very frightening weather, too.
4:37 pm
>> this is the kind of stuff, i know it's tempting for folks to wade in the water because it's weird to see your street turn into a lake, but don't do it. it's so dangerous to do it. it's even dangerous to wade in the water in your own basement. is best thing to do is be on a high level floor until the water recedes and let professionals help you. the threat's not over yet. while the rain has subsided for parts of the midwest, i can show you that we have flood warnings for minneapolis across areas into wisconsin. and south of minneapolis is where we saw some of the worth flooding. some areas in minnesota received 10 inches of rain. it takes a long time for water like that to recede, because you have the runoff from all the streams and rivers trying to settle back to normal. look what's happening in iowa, into areas of indiana. the rain is a little lighter towards areas northward toward
4:38 pm
minnesota, wisconsin. but it's still going to be tr h treacherous out there. parts of texas and louisiana, just south of dallas, some of the rain has been a little hard. let's zoom in right here and i'll show you low pressure across parts of areas of the south. that's what's causing the thunderstorms across that region. that's where we're looking at stormy conditions in the south. now, it's important to note that the front that is working its way through the east is going to make a big difference in temperatures. some of the numbers have sored into the upper 90s yesterday. today, a little better, 8 3 in new york. look at the temperature in chicago, 60. that's a taste of what's to come. it's almost october, so it's going to feel that way. a slow start to the fall season but it's going to get cold. so if you like the heat, just another couple of days and it changes like that. >> it's like a little light switch.
4:39 pm
thanks, bonnie. >> sure. new health care reform changes just went into effect. find out what they are and how it just might impact you, next. sure i'd like to diversify my workforce, i just wish that all of the important information was gathered together in one place. [ printer whirs ] done. ♪ thanks. do you work here? not yet. from tax info to debunking myths, the field guide to evolving your workforce has everything you need. download it now at thinkbeyondthelabel.com.
4:42 pm
a look at our top stories. the obama administration is fighting national security to keep the case against a militant cleric from going to court. al awlaki has been linked to al qaeda terrorists and he's on a cia and military hit list to be captured or killed. al awlaki's father is suing to prevent the u.s. from going after him. the obama administration wants the suit dismissed saying it
4:43 pm
requires the u.s. to disclose classified national security information. and the clock is ticking on what's being described as intense negotiations to salvage the middle east peace talks. at issue is an end to an israeli moratorium on new settlements in the west bank. it is set to expire tomorrow. the u.s. is urging both sides to take the negotiations seriously. the palestinians have said a construction restart would be reason enough to end the talks. an american astronaut tracy dyson and two russian cosmonauts are safely back on earth. their spacecraft landed safely this morning in kazakhstan. the three spent almost six months on the international space station. the return was delayed for a day. key provisions of the health care reform law kicked in just this past week, and that means major coverage changes for many americans. health care expert andrew ruben
4:44 pm
joins us now live from new york. andrew, good to see you. >> good to see you, too. >> lots of new changes that took effect on thursday and some folks need some reminding. beginning with say you have a child who is age 22, 23, 25. they don't have health insurance. now you, a parent, can have your children up to the age of 26 as dependents on your coverage. >> yeah, this is a big one. we talk about it a lot. any child under age 26 can go on their parent's policy. it's a dependent child defined as anyone who is a dependent of the parent and they don't have to be living in the home and they can be married. >> that's huge. >> but the suppose -- yeah, it's huge but the spouse of the dependent child cannot go on the policy. one little catch here, fredricka, is if you're in a grandfather plan, as many americans are through their
4:45 pm
employers, they may not be eligible for this if their employer is offering health insurance on their own and they choose not to take it. >> so this is for the case if you do not have some kind of private plan extended through your employer? >> correct, exactly. >> very good. and then say your children have had preexisting conditions, they haven't been able to get coverage or they were dropped. no longer the case, right? >> we hear about -- exactly. we hear about this in the news a lot. these horrible stories where children get sick or born sick and can't get on their parent's policies. insurance policies can no longer deny any child under 19 for preexisting conditions. >> same goes for you as the adult, you cannot be dropped just because you are sick. >> that's correct. it's called rescission. if you get sick while you have insurance and you completed your
4:46 pm
application honestly, the insurance companies can no longer drop you and have to keep paying four bills. and relative to preexisting conditions, as we talked about before, in 2014, that's when all americans will be able the get health care insurance without having a preexisting condition clause. >> now there's some free preventative care that will be accessible to a lot of people. these are major perks, especially if you've been going for so long without this kind of preventive care. >> i like to clarify it a little bit. you still have to pay insurance premiums to be eligible. a lot of stories have shown if you invest in preventative care, you can improve the quality of your health and in fact reduce health care costs long-term. so you will be eligible for mammograms without co-payments, without co-insurance amounts. the one catch here, it doesn't apply to grandfathered plans.
4:47 pm
>> what does this mean, the elimination of lifetime limits on health insurance? >> it doesn't happen often, but when it happens, boy, is it bad. if you get sick, most insurance policies come with a million or two million lifetime caps. that means you're covered up to $2 million. but if you get sick, you can hit your cap quickly. so the health care provisions in fact say you can no longer drop someone once they reach their annual -- there are no more annual lifetime caps and those caps are gone and the insurance companies have to keep paying your claims. relative to annual caps, some insurance plans, not many, have an annual amount that you can spend in one given year. over a sliding scale, those amounts have to be raised each year up through 2014. >> so there are so many things that are now available, but there is talk after the november elections that republicans in particular feel like if they
4:48 pm
gain a significant majority, there's going to be an effort to repeal a lot of these changes. what is the likelihood of that? and how easy or difficult would that be? >> listen, without getting into the politics, there are a lot of people who can talk about the politics of this. but what i would like to tell you is that someone works in the health care industry and understands it pretty well, health care reform does not work if you start picking apart pieces of this. what republicans are talking about doing is they're latching onto public opinion polls which say a good chunk of americans don't support health care reform. but what they want to do is quote fix it, and take provisions out of the bill that was turned into law and quite frankly it won't work. health care is so interconnected and so complicated. so to start picking apart pieces of it, the whole thing will collapse. i don't know what's going to happen. i got to tell you, if they start picking it apart and they succeed in the political
4:49 pm
circles, then health care reform basically you have to start over because it won't work. >> andrew ruben, thanks for joining us from new york. appreciate it. >> good to be here. black families in america are facing a wealth gap, earning less, saving less, leaving less for their kids. a special "black in america" report is coming up next. ♪
4:50 pm
4:51 pm
mom: pix. ...maxwell! mom: you're home. piy:h,ol, anks mrs. a. anncr: geico. minutes could save you 15% or more. but, i'm a home. i'm always outside. i make being inside possible. look, do me a favor. get flood insurance. floods can devastate your home. fred, how you doing over there? i think this is gonna be a problem. see what i mean? hey, i know what i'm talking about. because i'm a home people. and, there's no place like me. [ female announcer ] only flood insurance covers floods. for a free brochure, call the number on your screen.
4:52 pm
time for a cnn equals poll sick -- politics update. here's what's crossing right now. bill mauer has kept his promise to release more clips of delaware senate hopeful christine o'donnell's appearances on his old show "politically incorrect." last night he showed a clip from 1998 where o'donnell said evolution is a myth. when pressed, she asked "then why aren't monkeys still evolving into humans? "south carolina senator jim demint is attacking his republican counterparts in a fund-raising pitch. he's criticizing what he calls the washington establishment for
4:53 pm
not removing lisa murkowski from her committee post this week. murkowski lost her republican primary last month but says she will run as a write-in candidate. president obama used his weekly address to criticize the gop's pledge to america. he called it an echo of a disastrous decade we can't afford to relive. for the latest political news, logon to cnnpolitics.com. when it comes to making and saving money in this country, black families have less than one fourth the median wealth enjoyed by american families. we introduce you to one black family working to improve its financial fortunes. >> reporter: chris rock has
4:54 pm
joked about black people and their money. >> shaq is rich. the white man who signs his check is wealthy. wealth is passed down from generation to generation. >> reporter: there's a sad truth in his humor. studies show black people make less, save less and pass less money on to the next generation than their white counterparts. if you don't have assets, you can't pass them on. marvin and cathy dickerson are making sure their family doesn't follow the same pattern. >> one or two bad moves and it's going to follow you. >> reporter: married for nine years, they started planning their finances well before welcoming their children. >> how is this a fair fight? >> we knew we had to invest, because we knew one day we were going to have kids. and we wanted our kids to have more than what we had. >> reporter: they developed a
4:55 pm
budget, paid off their debt, began investing and set up a will, a trust and 529 plan to pay for their kids' college education. >> we can pass that wealth or those assets onto our kids $1.5 million tax exemption. >> reporter: but this family is the exception. according to the brookings institution, the media net worth of black members is about $ $28,000. compare that to $140,000 for the median household nationwide. what were your parents saying to you to make sure it was so important that you knew it? >> you work, you save. >> reporter: while marvin is a spender, cathy is a saver. so they make all big financial decisions together. >> cathy had this guiding principle, you know, she spent $100 she got a headache. as we got married and had more resources, you can add another zero. it was a few thousand dollars.
4:56 pm
>> reporter: valley morris points to a couple of reasons black americans are so behind in creating wealth and passing it on. >> money is still a very much off-limits topic in the average family. but in african-american families, it's almost taboo. the second thing is the 401(k). we are not participating and when we do, we are contributing far less than most other people. but in re decisiaddition to tha is this need to become financial literal, but we're not. >> i'm talking about wealth. >> reporter: it's more than just talk for the dickersons, it's a way of life.
4:57 pm
4:58 pm
chances are, state farm has them too. see, state farm insures more drivers than geico and progressive combined. 40 million drivers, more savings and discounts of up to 40%. so talk to your neighbors. then call an agent at 1-800-state-farm or go online. [ jeff ] my wife called again, then there's my neighbor. [ cellphone rings ] hold on. it's my daughter. hey, schmoopie woopie! [ laughing ] hey, schmoopie woo...pie. [ boy humming ] ♪ [ humming ] ♪ [ humming ] ♪ [ female announcer ] the simple joy of a happy meal. [ boy ] ♪ ba da ba ba ba
256 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
CNN Television Archive Television Archive News Search ServiceUploaded by TV Archive on