good morning, everyone, i'm christine romans. maybe it is just too early in the campaign season to be fair, all the focus is on debt, jobs, and health care, but on "your bottom line" it remains our priority. we've got some of the best minds debating how to fix america's schools here. >>> also ahead, for your college graduates moving back home, the parent trap. >>> and parenting and money lessons from a man who went from homeless to the boardroom, an amazing father's day story. >>> but, first, a fascinating first look at the 2012 presidential race. this week with seven republican candidates participating in the first new hampshire debate, hosted by cnn. debt, deficits, war, medicare, social security, all tackled, but education reform wasn't mentioned once by the candidates. maybe it's just too early in the campaign season, but candidates weren't asked about it. white house press secretary jay carney said president obama did not watch this debate, but carney told reporters on air force one this week he did, and said he, quote, was

christine romans joining me right now. christine, i get it.f i'm an investor in one of those banks, i'm worried about what greece might do. if i'm not, if i'm the average american, why do i care about what happens in greece? >> well, you care because if you have a break-up or a breakdown of the euro zone, that's a huge instability and uncertainty that goes into a fragile economic system already. if you've got european banks that are in trouble because of their exposure to greece, then you have an international banking system that has another weak spot, at a time when you're going get the banks to be healthy again. this week, we saw a couple of days when they were worried about greece and greek debt, u.s. stocks were going down. that's your 401(k) and your retirement. it's not uncertainty out there. people will say the u.s. is not greece, greece is not the u.s. that's true. the size of the economy of michigan is basically the size of the economy of greece, yes. but it is one of these important pegs or stepping-stones in the global economic syst

. >>> christine romans takes a look at buying versus renting. >> if i own my own home, i wouldn't have these amenities. >> reporter: amenities aside, 23-year-old zander clark is at an age when some people consider buying their own homes. >> i've thought about investing in purchasing a home. my father purchased a home when he was my age. so when i knew hifs going to move to baltimore, i looked at properties but i knew in my line of work that i would need to be relocatable. >> reporter: zander's seen friends who own homes struggling. >> it's been on the market for a year and they're not getting the price they're asking for. >> reporter: the numbers tell the story. homeownership has dropped steeply from its peak rate above 69% in 2004 to the current just above 66%. homeownership is now at the level it was in 1998. but even those who have the money and withstand the tougher credit checks are opting not to buy but to rent instead. chris mayer researches for columbia business school. >> a lot of people are saying, even if i can make the down payment, even if i have the income and i've got th

christine romans will be with me momentarily to tell us what it means to you. anna coren is joining us from hong kong to tell us what the effect is on world markets. we'll be keeping a close eye on what's going on live in greece. >>> here's a quick rundown of other news. starting with a wildfire getting uncomfortably close to los alamos national laboratory in new mexico. look at these incredible pictures. we're talking about an inferno moving toward one of the federal government's top national security research facilities. hazardous and radioactive materials are stored in there. the facility is closed again today, about 10,000 people have been evacuated from the area. firefighters have a battle on their hands. the winds and heat -- are conspiring to make their jobs a little bit tougher. government officials are saying, however, that the dangerous material there is safe. now to nebraska, you're looking at it now, the flooded missouri river has been threatening a couple of nuclear power plants. one plant has been shut down since april for refueling. officials say

you just have to let go a lot of your ideas. >> we're being flexible. >> christine romans, cnn, new york. >>> being flexible is quite an understatement, just days after we saw an suv crash into a restaurant, no one was hurt, but the restaurant will be closed for at least a couple of weeks. ♪ what do you see yourself doing after you do retire? client comes in and they have a box. and inside that box is their financial life. people wake up and realize. "i better start doing something." we open up that box. we organize it. and we make decisions. we really are here to help you. they look back and think "wow. i never thought i could do this." but we've actually done it. [ male announcer ] visit ameriprise.com and put a confident retirement more within reach. is best absorbed in small continuous amounts. only one calcium supplement does that in one daily dose. new citracal slow release... continuously releases calcium plus d for the efficient absorption my body needs. citracal. for the efficient absorption my body needs. we share. shop from anywhere. and are always connected. we live in a soci

well, today, our christine romans brings us more of chris gardener's life lessons. >> don't ever lety tell you you can't do something. >> reporter: you'll recognize him perhaps as played by will smith in the movie "the pursuit of happyness." it was based on his best-selling book of the same name. but even after the hollywood ending, chris gardener did not rest on his laurels. every day, he's hoping to pass on what he's learned. >> you know what? i learned so much about money from my mom who often said, son, i have done so much with so little for so long that i can do anything with nothing. and it wasn't just something catchy that she said. i got to see her do it. >> reporter: and that also means learning to manage expectations. >> i think one of the most important things that i have taught both of my children about money is that more money, more problems. just because you do acquire money does not mean that you're not going to have problems elsewhere in your life. >> reporter: according to a recent survey by the national foundation for credit counseling, 42% of people polled say they

christine romans is live in new hampshire, up bright and early ahead of the debate this morning. . >> reporter: you're right. we're here in the first primary state. it's introduction day for voter. this is not decision day. brand new polls back that up. one poll shows mitt romney going into tonight with the early lead. tonight you'll hear from mitt romney along with former speaker of the house, newt gingrich, congresswoman mish bachmann and former ceo of godfather's pizza. he did really well in south carolina in a debate last week -- last month rather but the underdogs already on the offense here. it's jessica yellin with us right now. sharpening his attack on mitt romney. this is the target that is on his back. >> tim pawlenty is considered the establishment favorite if mitt romney should stumble. depending what poll you look at, he is in the low to mid single digits. he doesn't want to be seen as going too aggressive against a solid republican but has to point out what all the other republicans think is mitt romney's weakness, which is that his health care plan that he proposed

i'm christine romans. eliot spitzer is on vacation.ident gave only his third public speech since syria's uprising erupted in march. the president said that the widespread national demonstrations were what he called those hijacking the syria's people for political reform and also called for thousands of syrians who have fled their homes to return home. not surprisingly, some demonstrators did not embrace his message. take a look. in this video said to be filmed today in a town bordering turkey, protesters threw their shoes at a picture of assad. will assad's speech have an impact in quelling the opposition? >> so far from everything that we have heard in particular from the opposition is that they do not buy the goods that he has offered. i think even though there was a new approach, even though there was a new language, this was a decisively different speech from the last two speeches that he has given in the last few months. this should have been the first speech as opposed to the last speech. even though he has offered a package of r

>> christine romans, cnn, new york. >> for more tips on talking to your kids about money, talk about book from christine, "smart is the new rich." >>> the story you chose just moments away. ♪ what do you see yourself doing after you do retire? client comes in and they have a box. and inside that box is their financial life. people wake up and realize. "i better start doing something." we open up that box. we organize it. and we make decisions. we really are here to help you. they look back and think "wow. i never thought i could do this." but we've actually done it. [ male announcer ] visit ameriprise.com and put a confident retirement more within reach. setting that goal to become a principal. but, i have to support my family, so how do i go back to school? university of phoenix made it doable. a lot of my instructors were principals in my district. i wouldn't be where i am without that degree. my name is dr. carrie buck. i helped turn an at risk school into an award winning school, and i am a phoenix. [ male announcer ] find your program at phoenix.edu. ♪ ♪ [ sighs ] ♪ [ male annou

christine romans. eliot spitzer is on vacation.nother candidate joined the crowded republican field. just who is jon huntsman. he was the ambassador to china and governor of utah. but is he a serious candidate for president of the united states? some don't think so. >> and the newest candidate, former utah governor jon huntsman is running. so we put together a segment for you folks called get to know jon huntsman. take a look. ♪ >> there's actually no reason to get to know jon huntsman. this has been get to know jon huntsman. [ applause ] >> others think he is such a threat to president obama that the white house sent him to china to keep him out of the race. chief political correspondent for the "the new york times" magazine, in upcoming issue has a fascinating profile of the candidate. >> hi, nice to see you. >> starting to get real interesting. he has been in china the last couple years, serving a democratic president. he missed a lot of things that energize his own party like the taerp and birthers. he has been away. does it he

>> thanks to christine romans.an catch up on all your financial news with christine romans on "your bottom line," right here on cnn on saturday morning. >>> and then we're standing by a vote for the funding being cut in libya. we're expecting a vote to take place. this would severely restrict the funding for the u.s., at least the u.s. role in the libya military effort. >>> president obama reiterated his support for the legal rights of gay couples. but it's what he did not say that is making the news today. we are going to explain when we come back. ♪ what do you see yourself doing after you do retire? client comes in and they have a box. and inside that box is their financial life. people wake up and realize. "i better start doing something." we open up that box. we organize it. and we make decisions. we really are here to help you. they look back and think "wow. i never thought i could do this." but we've actually done it. [ male announcer ] visit ameriprise.com and put a confident retirement more within reach. m

i'm christine romans from your job to your home your savings and your child's education, how do you get to the side that's getting ahead? let's start with jobs. the job market for the class of 2011 is better than it's been for several years. three out of four companies are planning to hire new grads in the coming year and every one of those jobs is needed. these kids have a mountain of student debt to pay. look at how average student debt has grown in recent years to more than $23,000. rick newman the chief business correspondent with "u.s. news and world report" tam mara, a vice president of policy and president with a public policy center and author of "strapped why america's 20 and 30 somethings can't get ahead." the america you live in might depend on the choices you're making when 18 years old. engineering, math, computer jobs, look at what kind of earnings you get the top of many of those filed fields. compare that with education, social work, and the arts, tamara, even if 2011 grads were wise enough to choose one of these majors, competition is tough and buried under a mountain o

good morning, everyone i'm christine romans. coming up we'll talk about the tough job of keeping teens in the classroom. should kids be in school year round. if your child needs inspiration, michael phelps drops by with his story. for some kids it's a dream come true no homework. a new wave in education, school districts and parents embracing an anti-homework movement because their kids are trapped in a meaningful cycle of busy work or too much pressure or learning for the sake of standards testing. high school english teacher is the 2010 teacher the year. the school board in new jersey will eliminate homework to ten minutes and ban assignments on weekend, vacations. the next minute our kids are over stressed. which is it? >> a little bit of both. i think the real crux of this conversation is what are we asking students to do when they are not in school. so often what we're asking students to do outside of school are tasks that are isolated from teachers. what we really need to do that some teachers are doing they are flipping a

i'm christine romans. here's what's happening on this "american morning." the u.s. reportedly conducting a secret war in yemen, intensifying its air assault on military groups using armed drones and fighter jets to keep al qaeda from rising to power there. >>> i'm kiran chetry. it took about 30 hours for a new photo of congressman anthony weiner to surface on the web. even his allies on capitol hill are bailing on this "american morning." >>> welcome to "american morning." good morning, everybody. it's thursday, june 9th. >> we're talking about the 30 hours, andrew breitbart who broke the story said he had this photo on our air. >> an explicit photo. >> that he was choosing not to release publicly for the sake of weiner's family, yet it's out. >> 30 hours is all it took for it to be sweeping across the internet. a lot of people opening up their facebook and getting links to it and the like. >>> the united states reportedly ramping up air strikes against al qaeda in yemen. "the new york times" is reporting

i'm christine romans. they helped the u.s. find osama bin laden. now they're in the custody of the pakistani government, a development that's driving a deeper wedge between two countries with an already troubled relationship. >>> i'm kiran chetry. there's a showdown brewing this morning between the president and the speaker of the house. the issue is the u.s. military operation in libya. speaker john boehner sending a letter to the white house warning president obama he may be breaking the law. >>> i'm ali velshi. ignoring the pleas of the gop, new jersey governor chris christie puts speculation to rest once and for all, he will not run for president, we'll tell you why on this "american morning." >>> and welcome to "american morning." it is wednesday, june 15th. i'm christine romans. good morning, you guys. >> good morning. >> nice to see you. >> an awful lot of news. we begin with breaking news, another deep fracture in the relationship between the united states and pakistan. pakistan's top military spy

"american morning" starts right now. >>> i'm christine romans. a lot happening overnight. let's get you caught up. the rivers no longer rising in minot, north dakota, but the damage is done. two nuclear plants in nebraska are under siege from the swollen missouri risker. >> president obama steps in to keep the debt talks alive. good morning to you. i'm carol costello. the president enters negotiations aimed at avoiding a first ever government default. >> good morning. christine and carol, i'm ali velshi, more drama in the court as the casey anthony trial begins its final week of testimony. we'll see the defendant who is accused of murdering her 2-year-old daughter, but will he take the witness stand on this "american morning." >> good morning, everyone. welcome to "american morning." it's monday, june 27th. kiran is off and carol joins us this morning. good morning, carol. >> good morning. >> nice to be here. are you exhausted already? >> no. i'm wound up. i'm ready to go. a busy, busy morning. >> i've never seen you not wound up. >> that's a point. >> i'm carol costello.

christine romans is in new york. e have all been checking our 401(k)s and a number of us talking this morning about the shock. >> reporter: yeah. you're right, kyra. seven weeks now that stocks have been lower and one of the ingredients of that formula is that greece is in trouble again. we have been here before. it matters for so many reasons because big european banks are exposed to greece and its financial troubles. just this morning, we heard the french president sarkozy and german chancellor merkel saying no time to lose in trying to get a bailout arranged for greece for the second time. means uncertainty in the euro zone which is a huge trading partner of the united states. if that economy were to slow further it would be difficult for this economy. concern over the european currency. these are 15 sovereign countries all in it together and maybe say only as strong as its leng and the weak link right now is greece and it's the second bailout. worried about exposure to this debt all at a time when the u.s. economy

. >> reporter: christine romans, cnn, new york. >>> casey anthony caught in a web of lies. guys are ready to jump in. ♪ what do you see yourself doing after you do retire? client comes in and they have a box. and inside that box is their financial life. people wake up and realize. "i better start doing something." we open up that box. we organize it. and we make decisions. we really are here to help you. they look back and think "wow. i never thought i could do this." but we've actually done it. [ male announcer ] visit ameriprise.com and put a confident retirement more within reach. >>> more emotional testimony this week in the trial of casey anthony. she is charged with killing her 2-year-old daughter, caylee, in 2008. this week, her mother and her brother took the stand. did they help her? did this hurt? let's bring in our legal guys. avery freedom in cleveland and richard herman from las vegas. this is the trial that it seems people cannot turn away from. and what really grabbed people this week was those jailhouse tape, these tapes of casey visiting with her family. we

our white house correspondent, from the east room, and a plit analysts out of washington, and christine romansan townsend back with us from new york. she's a member of the homeland security and advisory committee. i want to start off with you, jessica. are you in place? you're probably in the east room and getting set and ready. can you hear me? >> reporter: sorry, i hear you. will you repeat the question. >> first of all, congratulations on your new position, i understand, and we heard that the president gave you a little shout-out there in the beginning, and that was a very nice moment. you asked an important question and one that got the president fired up over the debt ceiling and whether or not it would be raised and the deadline here. you pressed him on this, whether or not august 2nd was a yellow light as the president was indicating before or a red light in terms of whether or not the united states will be able to pay its bills. what did you make how the president responded to your question? >> he sounded quite frustrated. he took pretty clear jab at congress for suggesting that it was

christine romans, cnn. >>> lot of developments in the trial this week.t it out, put it into perspective, attorney and former prosecutor holly hughs. another very impactful day in the courtroom. it really quite incredible when you take a look at all these recordings we are seeing here and the reaction from casey. but first of all, tell us about today. we saw some tapes of the parents, she was talking to the parents, from jail. what did it reveal about their relationship? she talked ability being emotional, upset, reading the bible and let's all get together and figure this out. >> wow. suzanne, these are what we call power-packed tapes. now remember, what the jury is looking at, they're not just hearing the words spoken between george and cindy, the parents and casey, the defendant daughter. what they are watching is the interaction, they're listening, watching the attitude, how do these people interact, what's the dynamic. i can come on and say to you i love your dress or say, i love your dress. it means two completely different things exactly words. wha

>>> i'm christine romans. a bombshell at the casey anthony murder trial. her parents don't think she's innocent. ahead, we'll tell you what else. >> after 16 years on the run, james "whitey" bulger has been caught. the crime boss is suspected in nearly two dozen murders. >>> welcome to "american morning." it is thursday, june 23. ali velshi is off this morning. >> we all stayed up late last night to hear the president speak about afghanistan. we will have the latest that. a stunning admission from the parents of accused child killer casey anthony. it is a cnn exclusive. mark lipman is the attorney for george and cindy anthony. he told gary tuchman they will do all they can to keep their dautder from getting death penalty even though they do not believe she is innocent. here is how gary describes his conversation with the anthony family lawyer. >> reporter: today i talked to their family attorney, mark lipman. mark hasn't wanted to talk about that but i explained to him we don't want to sensationalize this. george could be in a lot of trouble if the jury ul

christine romans tackles that issue ahead in "your money." my doctor told me calcium is best absorbed in small continuous amounts. only one calcium supplement does that in one daily dose. new citracal slow release... continuously releases calcium plus d for the efficient absorption my body needs. citracal. >>> welcome back. in today's your money, the struggling economy is front and center. what do we need to get it back on track? stimulus? taxes? maybe a little bit of both. >> america over spends. we have a debt that stands at more than $14 trillion and counting. will we spend more in the near term to avoid slipping back into a recession or worse? ken, do we need more stimulus in one form of another, the fed or congress to boost a slowing recovery. politics aside, should we spend more money now? >> i don't think we should have another big stimulus. we need to pull out of this one slowly. i don't think it's the problem. this is not a typical post world war ii recession. this is a post financial crisis recession. there's too much debt out there

it means the food you are packing is better, too. >> reporter: christine romans, cnn, new york. >>> youhoose the news" story just moments away. ♪ what do you see yourself doing after you do retire? client comes in and they have a box. and inside that box is their financial life. people wake up and realize. "i better start doing something." we open up that box. we organize it. and we make decisions. we really are here to help you. they look back and think "wow. i never thought i could do this." but we've actually done it. [ male announcer ] visit ameriprise.com and put a confident retirement more within reach. the two trains and a bus rider. the "i'll sleep when it's done" academic. for 80 years, we've been inspired by you. and we've been honored to walk with you to help you get where you want to be. ♪ because your moment is now. let nothing stand in your way. learn more at keller.edu. >>> just last hour the chief medical officer for the american cancer society told me there is a much needed development. >> it's been 40 years since we've had something good to say about melanoma treatment

. >> i'm christine romans. three pieces of duct tape front and center in the casey anthony murder trial. they were found with the remains of 2-year-old caylee anthony, but an fbi fingerprint expert says she can't positively connect that tape to the suspected killer. >>> and i'm kiran chetry. the president now weighing in on the anthony weiner sexting scandal and offering some advice. the new york congressman may not be able to ignore on this "american morning." >>> welcome to "american morning." it is tuesday, june 14th. good to be back, good to have you back from the debate. >> late night. >> wiping our eyes this morning. not a ton of fireworks actually, but we will get through what some of the candidates said and how people that were watching felt they rated. >> that's right. >> up first, jobs, health care, blasting president obama, seven gop presidential contenders faced off last night in the first major debate of the presidential race. it went pretty easy on the front runner, mitt romney, but focused on the

cnn's christine romans is here with us from new york. of all, a lot of economists now lowering their expectations for the economy. what do these new reports actually tell us? >> it's showing us what we know is a fragile recovery is still fragile and might be slowing down. for eight weeks now it's been above 400,000. you'd like to see that starting to trend lower. also, we're going to get the big monthly jobs report. there were some private sector indications this week that maybe we didn't create the private sector jobs that many people had hoped. keep in mind, private sector jobs growth has been pretty good for five or six months. can that pace continue? that's what we asked lachs this morning. here's what he had to say about the private business of creating jobs. >> it would be really odd for us to maintain the strength. it may be as good as it's been for the jobs market. it will still grow, so there's no recession. that's a good thing. but slow and steady wins the race. >> reporter: so slow and steady wins the race, but we still don't h

. >>> i'm christine romans. casey anthony's mother dropping a bombshell on the witness stand telling jurors she was the one doing a computer search for the word chloroform. what could it mean for the prosecution's murder case on this "american morning"? >>> welcome to "american morning." friday, june 24th. friday. >> i know. >> kiran and ali are off. i'm drew griffin. happy to be here. >> thank goodness it's friday, right. talks on the verge of collapse this morning. >> with weeks to go before the nation supposedly can no longer pay off its debt a key republican walked away from the talks hosted by the vice president biden. dan lothian following the president live in pittsburgh this morning, dan? >> yes, that key republican eric cantor walking out of those talks. you know, this is, obviously, a critical moment in the 7 week old talks and republicans are blaming democrats for talking about tax hikes. speaker boehner saying tax hikes are completely off the table. you heard the president while on the road last nigh

for christine romans, i'm e.d. hill from new york. "piers morgan tonight" starts right now. >>> the story that even hollywood couldn't make up. nobody would call their story happily ever after. at least not yet. drugs, scandal, trouble with the law. listen to what tatum o'neal told me about her own father. >> your brother said your father gave him drugs. did he do that to you? >> you would have to ask him. i don't want to say incriminating things that are going to make it harder to kind of make peace and have it appealing. i know for sure my dad made a lot of mistakes. i'm sure that he's living with them today. >> tonight it's ryan o'neal's turn. >> it's not true. why would she say? ing like that? i never saw her do a drug or drink or smoke and i saw her every day. >> ryan o'neal for the hour. this is "piers morgan tonight." >>> ryan o'neal's latest project is ryan and tatum on the o network. i got to thank you. i would say for most of the last years of life, whenever i needed to succeed with a woman, my tactic has normally been to pu

christine romans takes a harder line. you think sometimes babies should be kept separate?love it if the babies could be taken care of by somebody else in coach while we're in first class. how is that? are they providing a baby-sitter? that's what i want to know. you can't a your baby in first class. i don't think they're providing a baby-sitter. >> take a look at these pictures. this is greece, second day now that vote expected to take place in an hour and a half. >> that's right. so we'll be watching today to see if this is going to be a third day in a row of greece being an influence in u.s. markets. we have futures this morning that are up, but they're below pair value. and you know what that means. it's not really giving us an indication from the asian markets. and you're seeing some of the gains in other stock indices because of what happened in the u.s. yesterday, 140 point valley because of u.s. housing data. one stock i'm watching today and a lot of other people will be, too, bank of america. it's up more than 2% in pre-market trading. just above $11 a share. $8.5

catch christine romans saturday mornings at 9:30 a.m. eastern. catch us all week monday through friday 6:00 to 9:00 a.m. on "american morning." stay connected 24/7 on facebook and twitter, my handle@alivelshi. have a great weekend. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> you're in the cnn newsroom. it is sunday, june 5th. i'm martin savage in for fredricka whitfield. thanks for joining me. >>> in the northern plains this hour an anxious wait as flood levels rise above record levels. the missouri river threatens hundreds of homes. sandbags are in place in threatened areas. hundreds of people have already left their homes. the flooding brought on by heavy spring rains and melting snow. in iowa there's word of a levee breach along the missouri. right now fortunately no reports of any damage or injuries. >>> in arizona, the complete opposite. disaster brought on by flames. several big wildfires burning across the state. right now they've scorched more than a quarter million acres. hundreds of people have been told to pack up and get ready to leave.

you can also catch christine romans on your bottom line at 9:30 a.m. on saturday. stay connected on facebook and twitter. my twitter is ari velshi, and i read everything you post. have a great weekend. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> you're in the cnn news room where things unfold alive. breaking news this hour. a long-sought al qaeda figure has been killed by u.s. forces in somalia. this is an fbi wanted poster showed wanted posters. barbara starr, our pentagon correspondent is joining me now. barbara, this is something who dates back all the way to the bombing of the u.s. embassies in east africa. how long has the fbi been looking for him? >> they've been looking for him for years, deborah, and they're very pleased to final have this case resolved. in fact, a short time ago secretary of state of state hillary clinton said the killing of him was, quote, a significant killing of al qaeda. he was the architect of those 1998 embassy bombings in kenya a and he was responsible for other attacks throughout east africa. in fact, the u.s. wanted him so bad that

christine romans, i saw you covering it yesterday.dent obama is made about reaction over the debt ceiling. >> the debt ceiling debate as it ticks closer and closer to august 2nd, very important, ali. this is say money and personal finance story. the world is watching to see if the u.s. can get its long-term fiscal issues under control and short term can pay the bills. the president said it yesterday, we already spent this money. congress already spent this money. the world is watching to make sure the u.s. isn't at some point deciding what bills it's going to pay and what bills it's not going to pay. this is incredibly important to confidence overall. stocks have been up for three days. stocks and bonds and the markets have been pro session the fact that the u.s. economy is a little bit slower, processing greece, processing all of these other international issues. and have managed to find some footing here. so, you know, how we go from here will be really important. but we're looking for futures. futures are up, ali, looks like it cou

christine romans has their story in this edition of "smart is the new rich." >> reporter: this coupleed, never went to cook school and never owned a business. >> my parents were horrified that we were doing this because she has a ph.d. and i'm at least a college grad. >> it's a waste of education. >> yeah. >> reporter: but the two wanted a hands-on project they could do together. >> the interest rates were very low. so that helped. we had good jobs for quite a while before starting that. we did have savings. >> reporter: they cashed in nearly $200,000, took out a second mortgage and taught themselves to cook using friends as taste testers. it took a year to launch a plan that integrated low-fix costs. for starters, they found cheap rental space down a back alley. >> keeping it a bit quasiunderground makes it cool. >> reporter: they did repairs themselves. >> we spent weeks on it. >> reporter: they were frugal with the interior. >> we went to ikea and bought a bunch of chairs. >> reporter: and only offer a limited tasting menu instead of pricey ads, they blog and tweet. >> i add a litt

you can also catch christine romans on your bottom line at 9:30 a.m. eastern on saturday mornings. stay connected 24/7 on facebook and twitter. my handle is alivelshi and i read everything you post. have a great weekend. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> you're in the "cnn newsroom," sunday, june 12th. i'm debra feyerick in for fredricka white field. we begin this hour with new trouble for congressman anthony weiner who's already undergoing pressure to resign. tmz reports weiner took partially nude photos of himself in the house of representatives gymnasium and sent them to at least one woman. the website showed photos of a man who appears to be weiner taking pictures of himself in the mirror. cnn is working to independently verify the photos were, in fact, taken in the house gym. weiner's office had no comment on those photos. weiner has already admitted sending lewd photos and texts to several women, even before these latest photos surfaced there were demands for his resignation even from his own party. >> the statement i made speaks for itself yesterday. i think anthony

i'm joined by christine romans, head of cnn's bottom line, and pete dominic, host of serious xm stand-upyou. listen to this. a new bill from house republicans aims to slash the government work force by 10% over the next five years without laying off a single employee. how? for every three government employees who retire, the government would only be allowed to replace one. christine, if the government isn't hiring in the name of cost, does that give the government sector the green light to behave exactly the same way? >> the public sector doesn't need the green light, ali. that's exactly what's happening. i think what we're seeing in the economy right now is another jobless recovery. in some ways that's great because it means the private sector is becoming ever more productive. you know, people are investing in new equipment, in technology, and that's great for american companies, that's great if you're a shareholder in those companies, but the devastating consequence is the job situation is really, really dreadful. >> what do you think about it, christine? >> it's right they're paying f

i'm joined by christine romans, host of cnn's "your bottom money money money," chrystia freeland and pete dominic. slashing the government workforce by 10% over the next five years without laying off a single employee, how? for every three federal worker that retires, the government is only allowed to replace one. chryst chrystia, does this give the private sector the green light to react the same way? >> the private sector doesn't need the green light. that's what's happening. one of the things we're seeing in the economy is another jobless recovery. and in some ways, that's great because it means the private sector is becoming ever more productive. people are investing in new equipment in technology. it's good for american companies and great if you're a shareholder in those companies. but the devastating consequence is the job situation is really, really dreadful. >> what do you do about it, christine? >> they're paying for new equipment and not new employees because they know they need the new equipment. in terms of the government and this massive attrition program, republicans w

i'm christine romans. ali velshi is off today. cnn opinion research polls continue to show 4 out of 5 americans feel that economic conditions today are poor. will cain is a cnn contributor. will, numbers aside, people are not feeling this recovery. the republicans just had their first new hampshire debate seen here on cnn. what are they offering in terms of a solution that president obama is not? >> tax cuts. how about that, christine? ever heard of a republican offering tax cuts? what i wish i heard from them is tax reform. talking about taking all the deductions and dumping them in the trash. then you could lower rates. how about cumming that with even a little infrastructure and education spending and how about entitlement reform? >> new spending? those are fighting words for republicans, will. >> you're exactly right. these guys aren't idiots. that is a proposal that i just put together that you will not get elected on. so they'll stick with tax cuts. by the way, that's more than obama's offering. >> roland martin is a cnn con

christine romans joins me with a look at how the markets in the u.s. are doing. >> so far so good.own. people are really worried about the piece of recovery and also greece. it's interesting to mention that gas prices are going down. a lot of people are saying that's because of obama's new stimulus. also watch aing citigroup story this morning, guys. $2.7 million is now the loss from that 344,000. perhaps your credit card were hacked. ali, the company says you're covered. they are going to cover those losses. still, it speaks to security of all -- >> we've had new things like electronic arts. let's talk about mortgages. we continue to have a mortgage problem. we continue to have foreclosures, but there's sort of a new twist too people walking away from their homes. they're not the people you would expect. people who can't make their payments. >> the strategic defaulter. the profile is a little bit surprising. experian ran these numbers. you have home prices at 2003 levels. the strategic defaulter is more likely to be somebody with two mortgages or more, who makes more than $100,000

>>> i'm christine romans. breaking news this morning.its belt again, sparking chaos on the streets of athens. an important vote happening right now to secure a major international bailout. protesters right now dodging tear gas canisters. we are live in athens with the very latest. >> i'm kiran chetry. kabul's most luxury famous hotel, the target of a terror attack. ten people killed. the taliban claiming responsibility. eight attackers also killed. most in a four-hour standoff with nato police and with afghan troops, as well as nato troops. >> i'm ali velshi. a southwest airlines pilot apologizing for a bash fest nen flight attendants calling them an endless stream of gays and grannies and grandes. the conversation they weren't supposed to hear in the cockpit but they did on this "american morning." >>> good morning, it's wednesday, june 29th. i can't wait to hear from the apology from the southwest airlines pilot. i don't know if it will undo what did he but there you go. >>> we start, first, with the situation growing more tense on the

. >>> on beof half christine romans and eliot spitzer, good night from new york. "piers morgan tonight" starts now. >>> latoya jackson lived her extraordinary life in the spotlight, now she's starting over. her looks, love life, strained relationship with her family, all of it makes headlines. that's what you know about her. we want to know the real la toya. >> piers, there are certain things i haven't told anyone. tonight, of you and your brother, michael. because of course, the irony, you're starting over, michael can't. he is no longer with us. he is a big figure in this book. tell me about the motivation. was it michael dying that motivated you to write this new book? >> actually, piers, i started to write this in 2008, and i kept writing and kept writing. there was always something that was coming up that prevented me from actually putting it out. i finally got the nerve to put it out eventually, it was on the back burner awhile, then the tragedy happened with michael, that's when i moved forward because i felt it was something that was necessary. i think it

find me on facebook and twitter at christine romans. let's head back down to atlanta with the top stories of the day and cnn saturday. >>> from cnn's world headquarters, bringing you news and analysis from across the nation and around the globe, live from studio 7, this is cnn saturday morning with t.j. holmes. >>> and good morning to you all. the casey anthony murder trial is under way, as we speak. you are seeing a live picture inside the courtroom, but we're going to find out what's happening inside, but also, a lot that's been happening outside. >>> also, a lot of long lines and a lot of stranded passengers. united airlines saying it was a computer glitch. they say it's fixed now, but the pain may not be over for all of those passengers. from the cnn center in atlanta, georgia, this is your "cnn saturday morning." i'm t.j. holmes. thanks for spending part of your weekend with us. my buddy reynolds wolf will be along in just a moment. but first, there's speculation this morning about negotiations for a settlement in the long-running

to christine romans. back to saturday, with the stories making news right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> good morning, everybody. we have just witnessed an extraordinary scene on the streets of new york happen just a few minutes ago, representative anthony weiner, it's not the video you're seeing there, but we'll show it to you in a moment. he stepped out just to run a few errands and he was bombarded by reporters including our own jason carroll and surprised to see him step out this morning. also surprising that many of his supporters were following him along as well and were really emphatic in their support. we will check in with our jason carroll in just a moment. we are getting that video turned around for you and you will hear from some of those supporters on the streets who want their representative to be left alone. that's coming up in a live report in just a moment. >>> also out in arizona, fire fighters keep battling the flames, but the weather is not helping. conditions that have

. >> i'm christine romans. now we know what brought that casey anthony trial to an abrupt halt, but what's behind this defense motion questioning whether anthony is mentally fit to continue. >> i'm ali velshi. gabrielle giffords making her first public appearance in houston. we'll tell you where she was and what her staff is saying on this "american morning." >>> good morning. great to see you on this tuesday. it is june 28th. we start, though, with some very bad news when it comes to the weather. >> that's right. we're talking about some flooding in the midwest. floodwaters near two nebraska nuclear plants in nebraska, both sit along the swollen missouri river. the nuclear regulatory commission insists the fort calhoun plant and the the cooper nuclear power station, 80 miles away, are not in any immediate danger. just hours ago cnn's brian todd toured the fort calhoun facility. he joins us live now. brian, what did they tell you? what did you see? they gave you some pretty good access. >> they did, christine.

i'm christine romans. president salah undergoing surgery in saudi arabia after an attack on his compound. the u.s. with very serious concerns this morning about al qaeda potentially stepping up to fill that void. >>> and i'm kiran chetry. hackers hit nintendo. the gaming giant becomes the latest company to suffer an on-line security breach. find out if your personal information is at risk on this "american morning." >>> good morning. welcome to "american morning." it is monday, june 6th. >> good to see you all. breaking news out of yemen. right now the country on the edge of an all-out civil war. a cease-fire seems to be holding with thousands of people celebrating in the streets. the country's president ali abdullah saleh is now in saudi arabia. he's had two operations there after he was wounded during an attack on his palace. his supporters, though, are vowing he will return. >> mow mam head jamjoon is live in abu dhabi this morning. the u.s. not so sure he's ever coming back. growing concerns about the