American Morning
U.S. census reaching out to immigrants
There's no running water, questionable sanitation, and abject poverty. No, it's not Port-au-Prince, but towns along America's Mexican border, called "colonias," where many are illegal immigrants.
Near Laredo, Texas, the U.S Census Bureau is reaching out, hoping the desperately poor will participate in next year's census. And as our Ed Lavandera found out, many in the "colonias" would rather be counted out, than in.
Should Americans trust the Red Cross?
Americans have opened their hearts and wallets for Haiti. The biggest recipient has been the Red Cross.
Texting the word "Haiti" has raised $31 million so far. America clearly trusts the Red Cross, but should we?
Our Allan Chernoff investigated the Red Cross relief effort in this report.
U.S. security plan for Vancouver Games
A huge point of focus for security and intelligence officials here in the U.S. during the Olympic Games will be at the border.
That means more planes in the air, more boats in the waters and plenty of extra eyes on border crossings. Our Homeland Security Correspondent Jeanne Meserve breaks down the security plan in this AM original report.
The cost of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
By Carol Costello and Ronni Berke
Gay advocates are hoping that on Tuesday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates will unveil a new approach to the current policy of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which was put in place in 1993. More than 13,500 service members have been discharged under the law since 1994, according to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, an advocacy group seeking its repeal.
Critics say there are unseen and stiff costs involved in simply applying the law. The Government Accountability Office says "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" cost taxpayers $190.5 million dollars over its first ten years. However, a blue ribbon panel commissioned by the Palm Center at the University of California at Santa Barbara faulted the GAO figure as too low. The panel, which included former Defense Secretary William Perry, put the price tag at $363.7 million – factoring in the cost to recruit, train and then discharge gay troops.
"Repealing the ban would save money in the long run, absolutely," said Nathaniel Frank, senior fellow at the Palm Center. "We've spent roughly half a billion dollars kicking out competent gay people that we badly need just under 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.'" But some who support the current law say the cost doesn't justify repealing it.
"The discharge of 13,000 or so people is miniscule in comparison to the overall administrative burden the military pays every year – discharging 280,000 people a year," says retired Lt. Col. Bob Maginnis, who works as a Pentagon consultant.
Related: Sources: Joint Chiefs set to review 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy
Obama budget boosts spending for jobs, education
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/02/01/budget.gi.art.jpg caption="President Obama today announced a $3.8 trillion budget proposal that includes $50 billion to create jobs and a more than 6 percent increase in education funding."]
By Jennifer Liberto, senior writer
WASHINGTON (CNNMoney.com) - President Obama revealed a $3.8 trillion budget for 2011 on Monday that tries to balance two competing goals: continued government spending to boost the fragile economic recovery and controlling the nation's deficit.
"We simply cannot continue to spend as if deficits don't have consequences, as if waste doesn't matter," Obama said at a White House presentation. "It's time to save what we can, spend what we must and live within our means once again."
The budget assumes that the nation's unemployment rate will average 9.2% in 2011 and that the nation's gross domestic product grows by 3.8% next year. It also assumes that some sort of health care reform legislation will pass.
Included in the massive package are $53 billion in tax cuts and $50 billion job-creating measures, including small-business tax cuts, as well as new investments in green technology and infrastructure programs for work on roads and bridges.
Clooney film stars real people who lost jobs
Actor George Clooney is getting plenty of Oscar buzz for his role as a downsizing consultant in the new movie "Up in the Air."
The film tackles an issue millions of Americans are very familiar with right now – unemployment. Movie-goers may not realize it, but many of the laid-off workers in the film aren't actors, they're real people who lost real jobs.
Kevin Pilla, Arthur Hill and Marlene Gorkiewicz all appeared in "Up in the Air," and they joined us on Monday's American Morning.
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