American Morning
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April 24th, 2009
06:00 AM ET
What's on Tap – Friday April 24th, 2009
Here are the big stories on the agenda today:
- Breaking now... The Defense Department will release "a substantial number" of photographs showing alleged prison abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
- Taking swipes at fees. Credit card companies are receiving millions of dollars in bailout money but they still nickel-and-diming customers to death. We want to hear your thought about the fees on your monthly bill. Call 877-MYAMFIX and share your outrage.
- Terror gaining ground. Pakistan on Thursday sent a small number of paramilitary troops to the Buner district, which was taken over by Taliban forces in recent days. The response by the Pakistani government comes one day after Washington said Islamabad gave in to the militants by agreeing to their demand to impose Islamic law in the region, and that Pakistan faced an existential threat to its existence if it failed to react to the Taliban threat.
- FAA: the bird strike files. The Federal Aviation Administration is reversing its course and said it will publicly reveal its records on bird strikes. The FAA said it will make its entire Bird Strike database available on a public Web site today, and is withdrawing a proposal to keep some data confidential. The FAA had argued that protecting certain information, such as the names of airlines and airports involved in bird mishaps would encourage airlines to participate in the voluntary reporting program.
- White house training. The first lady's take on the new White House puppy? He's "crazy." Michelle Obama says "Bo" the Portuguese Water Dog loves to bark and play… and also likes to chew on people's feet. Mrs. Obama says she spends lots of time walking and training Bo, the energetic six-month-old pup who arrived at the White House last week as a gift to the Obama daughters. Mrs. Obama gave her update on Bo during a White House program Thursday marking the annual “Take Your Child to Work Day.”
- Plus Size Teenwear. For years overweight teens had nowhere to shop. Not any more. The latest fashion? Plus size clothing for teens. Target and Forever 21 are tapping into a new growth market that is pleasing some teens and marketers but angering nutritionists. Is this a plus or minus?
About this Show
Welcome to the American Morning blog where you can get daily news updates from American Morning's reporters and producers. Join us for "the most news in the morning," weekdays from 6-9 a.m. ET, only on CNN.
I am home because I can not find a job. Do you really think I care about the Presidents dog? Or what his wife is wearing? Why not call BoA on the air and ask about lowering your rates on YOUR credit card and let everyone here BoA insult YOU.
Oops! My previous blog has math error. Regarding the “shuffle”. “there are 12 checks to pay.” Substitute correction “there are 8 checks to pay.” Thanks.
Stacking... Bank credit card fee excesses are a focal point at the moment but what about the day to day fees that are, in my opinion, outrageous. Take for example, stacking. Here's how it works.
Suppose the bank charges $35.00 for an overdraft. Lets say, a customer has a $1000 balance in his or her checking account. On that same day 10 checks hit the account. The total for the checks is $1000.01 overdrawing the account by 1 cent. What is the penalty? One would think that it would be $35 for that single check that overdrew the account. No. The bank "stacks" the debits and charges $35 for each check for that day and the total overdraft charge is $350.00.
Now the bank manager is wearing a mask and pointing a gun at the customer saying "got yeah!" "hand over all of your money!".
Shuffle... If the bank doesn't stack, then there's always the shuffle handy to maximize fees. Here’s how it works. When there is sufficient balance in the account, the bank pays in order of submission. When the balance is not sufficient to pay debits, the bank will shuffle, paying the largest debits first, guaranteeing its best chance of forcing a large number of small drafts into overdraw, each to incur an overdraft charge. Example: Couple has debit cards, check books and internet access to account activity. Relying on what is shown in the account ($402), each spends an amount close to the available balance ($200) at the end of the business day, believing that there is sufficient money available. The account overdraws and there are 12 checks to pay. The checks are $5, $5, $5, $5, $5, $5, $200, $200, submitted in that order. If paid in order of submission, the charges would only incur to a single $200 overdraft ($35). But when shuffled, the order of payment is $200, $200, $5, $5, $5, $5, $5, $5. In this case, there are 6 overcharges or a total of $210 in charges.
We need to leave the Taliban alone and deal with the terrorism taking place in our own country. The terrorism poor communities endure daily gum shots fired in the night, crime violence and the countless of children who are confronted with living in dangerous communities. If we mind our business and stop bullying the world then maybe they will leave us alone. Obama get an A plus, he carries his faith and good morals and we can see clearly that he at least will level with American and tell the truth, unlike Bush and the rest of the clan-that need to be sent to prison.
I saw Lifting the Veil last night and I wonder why we support a government that does nothing to defend women's and even little girls rights. We should demand that the government in Afghanistan prosecute men who treat their women and young girls in this manner! I know that the Taliban and al Qaeda are worse perpetrators of human rights and needs to be wiped off the planet but if Islamic laws are not changed to protect women and little girls then we as Americans should not be defending or supporting any government that treats women with disrespect! ISLAM NEEDS A TRANSFORMATION TO COMPLY WITH BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS!
I will bet you and DC that nothing will be done Joe bidden will not let that happen because he will lose his campaine money. that is why I agree with Texas I is business as usauseal. DC only looks out for it`s self Pennsylvania needs to look out for it`s self and leave the union. Let worry about the belt way and wallstreet and that is it .
I thought we have been looking for the Taliban. We know where many of them are at yet we are doing nothing about it. With Obama in control I guess we are scard of the Taliban now, what other excuse could there be ??????????