Return to Transcripts main page
CNN SATURDAY MORNING NEWS
Toyota Apologizes for Making People Feel Uneasy about Recall; Super Bowl Super Ads; Haiti: The Fight for Food; Body Identified as Missing $17 M Lotto Winner
Aired January 30, 2010 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TJ HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR, SATURDAY MORNING: Hey, there everybody, from the CNN center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING for the 30th of January. I'm TJ Holmes.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR, SATURDAY MORNING: Good morning everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen. Thanks so much for starting your day with us. A whole lot of folks in the Midwest and southeast in fact, they are waking up to some heavy snow and ice this morning. I'm going to give you a quick look at Oklahoma. Power lines are down, snow-covered roads there as well. This storm though is continuing to move east. We're going to check in on the weather in just a second.
HOLMES: Also, who says you can't say who dat? There's a controversy over the Saints battle cry. Why? The NFL is claiming exclusive rights over that phrase. But even the senator from Louisiana is getting involved and he is daring the NFL to sue him. Those details straight ahead. Meanwhile, got a few stories we do want to tell you about, including one out of Texas this morning where inmates are hoping to make a break for it. They didn't get very far. This is in east Texas. It was a failed escape attempt last night by five prisoners. Corrections officials say guards opened fire on these would be escapees who had run for the fences. Three of the prisoners were hit by gunfire. They're now being treated for their wounds.
NGUYEN: Days after Toyota Motors massive recall impacting millions of cars and trucks, the company's president is apologizing for making customers feel quote uneasy. Eight Toyota models are being recalled for potentially faulty gas pedals. That can make the vehicle suddenly accelerate. Toyota is promising that it will fix the sticking pedal problem, although no repair procedure has been offered yet by the company. We'll stay on top of that for you.
And also asking this, are you affected by this Toyota recall? Let us know what you're dealing with, what are some of your concerns and maybe what you have been told by some of the dealerships. You can e- mail us on our Facebook page or just go ahead and send tweets to us on Twitter or you can even leave a comment on our blog. That's cnn.com/newsroom.
HOLMES: It's usually not a good thing when the meteorologist giving the forecast uses the word frightful, but that's what we got this morning from our Karen Maginnis. We're going to hear from her in just a second, but a lot of the Midwest getting slammed at this point. A nasty round of severe weather right now. It's snowy, it's icy. Show you some of these pictures here. Texas panhandle from the town of Amarillo, they got a whole lot of snow. Pales in comparison however to parts of Arkansas, upper Tennessee, western North Carolina where a foot of snow was predicted. Also, excuse me, ice brought down scores of electric lines in Oklahoma, 164,000 homes excuse me, homes and businesses without power. Betty, pick it up, I'm losing power over here.
NGUYEN: A little under the weather there with your cold or whatever it is you have. A lot of people feeling very cold right now. The severe winter weather is making it tough and potentially dangerous for people to get out and about. In fact, a lot of people told just stay indoors, stay inside. But unfortunately Karen, some of them who are being told to stay inside don't have any electricity.
KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, about 164,000. That was the last report as of last night from Oklahoma because the ice was so thick it brought down trees and power lines in Oklahoma. Now, a lot of that storm most of the energy has moved off into the southern Appalachians and towards mid-Atlantic states. I think the hardest hit area is going to be kind of the tri-state area but in particular, I think it will be Virginia that will see the heaviest snowfall over the next 24 hours. And an area that encompasses right around Richmond and Williamsburg and then tuck down into this extreme southwestern corner of the state. But also extending over into Kentucky and North Carolina. They're going to be some of the key areas that we'll watch. North Carolina primarily because in the southern portion of the state, there will be an icy mixture. They're already saying that there's probably been an ice-related fatality in Charlotte because the roads have been so, so incredibly messy. Here you can see the entire state of Virginia covered with this snowfall right now. In some cases there could be more than a foot of snowfall.
All right. Let's show you the pictures coming out of Chickashea (ph), Oklahoma. Some of the pictures are very dramatic with the ice- covered power lines and the streets. It has been very, very treacherous there. They closed down the Will Rogers airport. I think even this morning some of the flights were canceled, as you can imagine, because it was very difficult to get to the airport and then for the airplanes as you can imagine, those runways would have to be treated very sufficiently in order for those planes to take off.
But, let's go ahead and show you the tower cam that we do have. This is a live view as we take a look at what is happening out of Memphis. It is foggy. It should be some freezing mist or some frozen precipitation over the next couple of hours. Your temperature in Memphis is not going to get above about 25 degrees or so. But Memphis, I think you have dodged a bullet, at least so far. But that icy mixture is really going to create quite a problem, especially in North Carolina. And I think we'll have to watch that very carefully along with the snowfall in Virginia. Betty, TJ, back to you.
NGUYEN: All right. Pretty severe out there with this wintry mix. Thank you, Karen. We appreciate it. HOLMES: I want to turn to Haiti now. Of course, a lot of that recovery is still taking place. Even some rescues still taking place as we know. But plans are still being made to rebuild Haiti. Engineers, architects, workers, officials from Haiti's government, they are all part of this effort. They're working under a UN direction. The head of the rebuilding initiative actually says once Port-au-Prince's population reduced from about three million to 1.5 million, maybe 2 million, the government already plans to resettle about 400,000 homeless people east of the capital. More than a billion dollars in international aid has been pledged for Haiti so far. Plans for reconstruction must be approved by Haiti's government.
NGUYEN: Despite plans to rebuild, there are still lots of problems in Haiti and there's not enough tents for one thing to house the homeless and then there's not enough food. We've got that issue. Medical care, a huge concern as well. Our Barbara Starr takes a look at all of that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Desperate Haitians still struggling for food, water and shelter, nearly three weeks after the earthquake. More than 100 countries and 500 relief organizations and 20,000 American troops are here. But it's still not enough for the more than one million displaced. Listen to the top U.S. commander.
GEN. DOUGLAS FRASER, CMDR., U.S. SOUTHERN COMMAND: We're still not up to meeting the needs of the Haitian people as far as the amount of supplies that are there. We don't have an accurate number of exactly who needs -- still needs shelter, who needs food.
STARR: Many Haitians are trying to get out of Port-au-Prince to go live with friends or family. Relief workers are trying to figure out who is left and who needs help. CNN's Christiane Amanpour spoke to Haiti's prime minister.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's no heavy tents. Where are they?
JEAN-MAX BELLERIVE, HAITIAN PRIME MINISTER: I don't know. It's a good question. Normally we have a report that they're already sent 20,000 tents in Haiti and 20,000 on the way. The president himself asked to see the storage place. And we only counted 3,500 tents.
STARR: The situation remains grim. The Navy hospital ship "Comfort" has almost no room for more patients. Medical capacity in Haiti is now being maxed out. And the bottom line, no one can say how long it may take to meet the basic needs of Haitians or how much it may cost to do it. Barbara Starr, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, preying on the earthquake's most vulnerable victims, the big issue humanitarian agencies say in fact child molesters and traffickers are looking to exploit the chaos and confusion by stealing orphan children. Anderson Cooper is taking an in-depth look at this situation on "AC 360." It begins Monday night 10:00 Eastern right here on CNN.
HOLMES: The Obama administration has been saying they want the trial, the 9/11 trial, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, to take place in New York City, caused a bit of a stir. People say, maybe not here. It's a logistical nightmare, security, the cost. Well, now, some debate about whether or not it will still take place there. Maybe, maybe not. And a lot of people in New York City of course they want justice. Not so keen on the drama or the cost. We're going to get into this in just a second.
NGUYEN: Also, this, what will it take to get people back to work? We're really going to delve into a closer look at the president's plan to find jobs for the unemployed.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: New York Senator Chuck Schumer says it is obvious that the trial of five 9/11 terror suspects cannot be held in New York. The Obama administration is under some pressure to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others outside Manhattan while Schumer opposes trying to mend there (ph) another member of Congress says security should not be a problem for New York.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Would you be satisfied if this trial A, moves out of New York and goes for example to a military base in upstate New York, a civilian trial. Would that be OK with you?
REP. JOE SESTAK (D) PENNSYLVANIA: I guess it would be acceptable but I'd be surprised that we have to do it. I've heard these comments that it'll take 2,500 checkpoints or police officers. I served in the White House when al Qaeda was a problem as director of defense policy. I drove past the White House the other day. You can almost throw a stone and hit the White House. We're able to protect that bastion of our society so to speak quite well. I don't know why we can't do it downtown New York City.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Two administration officials say the Justice Department is considering other trial locations. We'll stay on top of this story for you.
HOLMES: President Obama kind of made a pivot this week. He said this year is going to be all about jobs. So much energy of course last year was put into health care. But in the state of the union he says jobs is number one. He talked about this in that state of the union speech on Wednesday and again when he talked to GOP House members yesterday. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In line with what I stated at the state of the union, I proposed a new jobs tax credit for small business. And here's how it would work. Employers would get a tax credit of up to $5,000 for every employee they add in 2010. They would get a tax break for increases in wages as well. So if you raise wages for employees making under $100,000, we would refund part of your payroll tax for every dollar you increase those wages faster than inflation. There's a simple concept. It's easy to understand. It would cut taxes for more than one million small businesses. I hope you join me. Let's get this done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Who is going to be opposed to that? Jordan Lieberman joining us once again talking about the jobs issue. Jordan, is the problem here, is it so tough to get something done because it matters who is going to be taking credit for it?
JORDAN LIEBERMAN: Just because it comes --
HOLMES: Is that it? Is that going to be our problem here?
LIEBERMAN: That's exactly what it is. This what -- what Barack Obama is suggesting is right out of the Republican playbook. This is something that, say, Jack Kemp from, you know, the empowerment days of the Republican party, this is exactly what they would want. And because it's Barack Obama suggesting it, the Republican leadership is kind of lukewarm.
HOLMES: Kind of lukewarm. Why is it and you go ahead and answer this, you cover politics, why can't they just all come to the podium and take joint credit for an idea like that or for passing that legislation?
LIEBERMAN: I think this will win over some Republican votes no, doubt. This is not the kind of thing -- this is really a zero sum game, where if Barack Obama wins, the Republicans lose on this legislation. It's really a difficult dance for John Boehner, Eric Cantor and the Republican House leadership. How exactly can they support or oppose this.
HOLMES: Let's talk about the president talking about he wants another jobs bill this time around, wants a jobs bill. How is this different? Is this going to be a Republican talking point? Wasn't the stimulus supposed to be a jobs bill? Is this some kind of admission that maybe the stimulus did not work?
LIEBERMAN: Good question, TJ. The difference is that I think the target for that was the economy, the economic recovery package, the stimulus. This is really jobs. The reason is that while the economy is starting to recover and we're seeing pretty strong growth among our overall economy, the U.S. unemployment rate remains relatively high compared to kind of the economy as a whole. So we're still talking about 5.7 percent GDP growth, but we're still talking also on the same hand about 10 percent unemployment. That unemployment will lag. So the concern is really for unemployment now and not necessarily the economy. HOLMES: You talked economy there, but you know when we were sold that stimulus bill, we were told it was going to create millions of jobs by now. The president and the White House still saying 1.5 -- excuse me, 1 1/2 to two million, excuse me. I'm a little under the weather here, but the say 1 1/2 to two million jobs have been created or saved at this point. That was in a lot of peoples' eyes, that stimulus, you say the bill for the economic recovery but still, they told us this was going to create jobs.
LIEBERMAN: They did, create or save and that's the difference. It's really impossible to measure exactly how are you going to save -- how do you count saved jobs? And that's a difficult thing to measure, of course. But this is really targeted towards small business. It's going to be about $30 to $40 billion if it happens. You know, 5 percent of the size of the original stimulus package.
HOLMES: So is this going to be the centerpiece of the proposal or how big of a piece the party is talking about with small businesses there, lowering taxes for them? Do you think that is something that maybe Republicans are going to get on board with and does that have a chance of working?
LIEBERMAN: Well, it's a difficult dance because it's in principle something they would support. But the reality is that they might not want to give this victory to Barack Obama. And the other reality is that this is again $30 or $40 billion in spending compared to the stimulus package which was almost $800 billion. So it's a difficult thing to say that this is a bad idea for the Republican party.
HOLMES: All right, Jordan Lieberman, we appreciate you being up early with us this morning and sorry for coughing in your ear there through the interview. We'll talk to you again soon.
NGUYEN: If you drive a Toyota or Honda you definitely want to stay tuned with us today because we have details on two major recalls that are coming up in our top stories.
Plus, cyber security. What Federal officials are doing to protect the White House and your house from hackers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: The president of car maker Toyota says he is sorry for making customers uneasy. Toyota has recalled millions of vehicles over concerns about sudden acceleration. The car maker is promising though to fix the problem.
HOLMES: We have another vehicle recall to tell you about now. Honda recalling 141,000 Fit hatchbacks sold here in the U.S. because of a problem with power windows that can cause them to overheat. This affects 2007 and 2008 models. Honda says owners should keep their windows up when it's raining or snowing until the problem is fixed (INAUDIBLE) get an answer, some clarity on shouldn't you have your windows up anyway when it's raining or snowing.
NGUYEN: It just kind of makes sense if it's raining outside you have your windows up. Who knows. Apparently it's caused problems.
And this is causing a little bit of a problem. A dangerous storm is moving into the southeast, parts of Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina. All of them could get up to a foot of snow today. Icy roads expected to make travel very difficult. Of course, there is always this, power outages, they are a possibility.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: John Legend and Green Light for you this morning. Congressional investigators are still trying to figure out how hackers posted obscenities on 49 House websites right after the president's speech on Wednesday. The thing is if hackers can access those websites, how safe is your computer? Technology guru Mario Armstrong took that question to the State Department this week and he joins me this morning from Washington, DC. All right, so you took it to the State Department, Mario and my question to you is this, what did they say?
MARIO ARMSTRONG, TECHNOLOGY COMMENTATOR: They're saying quite a few things. They're talking about their role in how it's trying to protect U.S. Americans from cyber attacks that are taking place. The bottom line is, Betty, we've seen over 600 percent increase in the amount of malicious software attacks happening to peoples' personal computers. The Department of Defense has even quoted figures from six million attacks back in 2006 in three short years to 360 million, so quite a bit of work still needs to be done.
NGUYEN: Yeah, OK, so you just outlined the problem even more so, what are they doing to prevent it, to protect us as we're on the Internet?
ARMSTRONG: So let's take a listen. I asked Alec that exact same question. Let's take a listen to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEC ROSS, STATE DEPARTMENT: Yeah, this is a big deal. This is a big problem. Cyber security has gone from something that would have maybe disrupted somebody's workday to something where it really is challenging our national infrastructure. And so as a practical matter part of what the U.S. government has got to do is we've got to educate our citizens more aggressively. We've got to help people protect themselves. We have got to get tools and resources out to constituents so that they know how to keep their system safe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: OK. So specifically, though, how do we keep our system safe?
ARMSTRONG: Yeah, Betty, three things really. Update your anti-virus software. Make sure you have a current anti-virus software one running on your computer. Number two, update your web browsers, Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer. Make sure that's the latest version and three, always have a healthy dose of skepticism. Too many people are still clicking on links in e-mails. They're being duped as (INAUDIBLE) scams so we want to use websites like snopes.com and others to make sure you're being safe online.
NGUYEN: If someone sends you an e-mail with no subject and you don't know this person, should you just go ahead and delete it before you even open it?
ARMSTRONG: I do it all the time. Yeah, I do all the time. If they didn't put a subject line in there, is it really something that I need to open?
NGUYEN: That is so intriguing. You just want to know who are you and why are you e-mailing me?
ARMSTRONG: Curiosity killed the cat, Betty.
NGUYEN: I know or it killed your computer.
ARMSTRONG: That's right.
NGUYEN: So that is one thing. And another thing that's been in the news, too, is this Google versus China or Facebook as well. What's going on with all of that?
ARMSTRONG: Very serious issue here. And now you're find that Google is basically alleging that Chinese, the government has hacked into g- mail accounts, their e-mail accounts from Google. So I had an opportunity to ask Alec Ross because they've been actually -- the State Department has actually stepped in on this particular issue. And I asked him about this issue and what the State Department is going to do.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROSS: I can't attach a calendar to this and I think it's also important to note that in specifically in terms of Google, this is principally an issue between Google and the Chinese government. So I think that the White House and the State Department have appropriately stated our concerns. I think that it's very good that we have a constructive and candid conversation with the foreign minister of China yesterday. But at the end of the day, the United States government has got to help American businesses, but when the primary -- when the primary linkages on an issue are between American business and the Chinese government, we also don't want to step in to a degree that isn't constructive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: That's a good point. I mean, it is between Google and China, but at the same time a lot of people are saying what the heck is going on with that?
ARMSTRONG: Absolutely. The State Department comes out, Secretary Clinton comes out with an Internet freedom policy and she kind of addresses this issue. So the bottom line is, tech companies are now saying, you know what, we're not only looking to the State Department or the Obama administration to bail us out of this situation. We're going to fight tech with technology. So I'm hearing from tech CEOs and others that they're just going the circumvent the issues where they want to do business in other countries.
NGUYEN: Very interesting. We'll keep on top of that as well. Mario, as always, we appreciate you being a contributor to this show. Good information. Talk to you soon.
ARMSTRONG: Talk to you soon. See you soon. Take care.
HOLMES: Some scary weather out there right now for a lot of folks that are going to be waking up to snow, ice, rain, all over the place, crisscrossing the country. We're going to get the latest on this winter storm and exactly where it's headed next.
Also, getting the needed food in Haiti to earthquake victims in Haiti. We're going to take a closer look, though, excuse me, at a food situation, the distribution center that ended in chaos.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Hello, everybody. Welcome back on this Saturday morning. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: And I'm TJ Holmes, 8:30 Eastern right now. Wherever you may be, thank you for starting your day with us. I want to give you a look at some stories we're keeping an eye on this morning. One about rhythm and blues singer Etta James, she is hospitalized in Los Angeles. Her son telling CNN she suffered from a bacterial infection that's become resistant to antibiotics. She's perhaps best known for that '61 classic "At Last." James is 72 years old. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's a year ago.
NGUYEN: Oklahoma's governor wants all of the state's 77 counties declared Federal disaster areas. Here's why. The state was slammed with snow. You're looking at some video of that, sleet as well -- some freezing rain over the past few days, in fact. And people there have been dealing with icy roads and power outages.
But there is some encouraging news right now. Conditions are gradually expected to improve today. Meteorologist Karen Maginnis will update us on the latest winter blast in just a few minutes.
HOLMES: Well, the president of Toyota says he's sorry for making customers feel, quote, "uneasy". And wouldn't you feel uneasy if your car has been recalled along with millions of other Toyotas because of a problem with the gas pedal, it could get stuck.
I think that would qualify as making you uneasy.
NGUYEN: Yes, especially if the brake is not working and there's nothing you can do -- my goodness.
Ok. So we're expecting to hear next week exactly how Toyota plans to fix its sticky pedal issue.
HOLMES: And if you own one of the recalled cars you probably have a lot of questions. CNN's Mary Snow trying to get some answers for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With millions of its cars recalled, Toyota now says it has a fix for its sticking gas pedals. In an e-mail to its dealers the automaker said it met with officials at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and presented a remedy.
Toyota didn't offer specifics to consumers, but senior automotive editor of "Popular Mechanics" says assuming its gas pedals that need replacing, it won't happen overnight.
MIKE ALLEN, POPULAR MECHANICS: Once a steady supply of those gas pedals is available, the dealerships are going to have to make appointments with all of their customers and get them to come into the dealership, take an hour or so probably from the time you get there until the time you can leave for the mechanic to get all the parts installed and all the paperwork done. And that's going to take months to cycle through the entire spectrum of cars that are involved.
SNOW: Millions of cars were recalled this week because of issues with sticking gas pedals, meaning the car may keep accelerating even after you take your foot off the gas. But this came on top of a separate recall in November of millions of other cars due to gas pedals getting stuck on removable floor mats.
There has been much confusion and adding to it, the supplier of the gas pedals, a company called CTS, in El Carte, Indiana, says the pedals aren't the problem.
MITCH WALORSKI, DIR. OF INVESTOR RELATIONS, CTS CORP.: CTS is not aware and Toyota has said this also, that there has been any accidents or injuries from that condition of those pedals.
SNOW: CTS says it supplied gas pedals to Toyota since 2005 and there are reports of problems before that.
Congressman Henry Waxman cites 19 deaths linked to sudden unintended acceleration in Toyota cars in the past decade based found federal data. Toyota hasn't confirmed that number. Waxman chairs the House Committee on Energy and Commerce which has called for a hearing on February 25th.
Questions are being raised about how Toyota handled the recall. Something the Transportation Secretary was asked about Thursday.
RAY LAHOOD, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: I have no criticism of Toyota on this. They followed the law. And they're doing what they're supposed to do.
SNOW (on camera): And another blow for Toyota. Influential Consumer Reports has suspended its recommendations for the eight Toyota models that were recalled this week. And it's advising used car buyers not to purchase any of the affected models until the issue is resolved.
Mary Snow, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: So are you affected by this Toyota recall? And if so, how are you dealing with and what have you been told by the dealerships? E-mail us you can do that on our sites or you can even go to our Facebook and Twitter pages as well. But there's our blog where you can go ahead and e-mail us. CNN.com/Betty or CNN.com/TJ; we'll be reading your responses on the air.
And one of the top stories this morning, of course, is the weather outside because, as Karen Maginnis says, it is kind of frightful in places. That's never a good thing coming from a meteorologist. She's hard at work over on the Severe Weather Center. We'll be talking with her very shortly.
And this controversy where we're going to be talking about as well, the 9/11 trial; well, the trial may not -- or why it may not happen in New York as originally planned. We'll delve into that.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: I didn't know we had a wiper on that thing.
NGUYEN: Apparently we do.
HOLMES: How did you do that, Deirdre?
NGUYEN: Can we do that -- can we push the button to make the wiper work?
HOLMES: We're in control of that? I did not know. That was cool. The little things here, they are...
NGUYEN: They're going to make the wiper go. There you go. Don't you love that? Technology.
HOLMES: The little things entertain us sometimes.
NGUYEN: It is still kind of early though. We get excited about small things.
All right. We're going to get to the latest on the weather outside with meteorologist Karen Maginnis in just a bit. She's filling in for Reynolds today.
HOLMES: And standing by -- we see the rain here -- but a lot nastier stuff in some places.
KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. We've got quite a bit of things to tell you about from a good swath of the country and as I did say earlier it is frightful. It still is, even in Oklahoma where the temperature is not going to rise above freezing.
So all of that ice that is stuck on those trees and the power lines and your car and your driveway and the roads and the overpasses, that's not going anywhere because the temperature stays at about 25 degrees or so today. And tomorrow we'll start to see those temperatures warm up just a little bit.
Speaking of temperatures, we'll show you the highs for today. Look at Miami, 80 degrees. That's not going to be a record. But it's just about normal for this time of the year. Temperatures in the 20s from New York to Washington, Memphis, only about 31 degrees, Dallas is going to be above freezing, 55 in San Francisco.
But I want to show you the weather story of the day. And that is the swath of snow that stretches across the mid-Atlantic. I think the worst area to be had will be Virginia.
But that is not to rule out what's happening in North Carolina right now. We've got some pictures out of Durham, North Carolina. They saw about three inches of snowfall. Very optimistic, that guy carrying his boat in the snow on the road. Somebody is looking forward to spring.
I saw my first robin the other day I think that's a pretty good sign that maybe spring is just around the corner.
But yes, three inches of snowfall there. Asheville, North Carolina, 11 inches plus already. Louisville, it's snowing there. Fort Campbell, Kentucky, snowfall already being reported there as well. And as we zoom in across Virginia, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, down towards Richmond, down towards Williamsburg, snowfall occurring there.
But Charlotte, icy roads -- Charlotte is one of those places where you have either got the snow or you've got the ice. And they get a lot of ice there.
And look at these temperatures, mostly in the teens. Charlotte, 28 degrees. I checked Eatonton, I checked Fayetteville, icy mixtures in all those places. It's very, very dangerous. We'll keep you updated -- Betty, T.J.
NGUYEN: All right. We have been warned. It is a serious condition outside there for a lot of folks. Not only are there accidents out there, there's downed power lines.
MAGINNIS: Right.
NGUYEN: There's just a mess in many parts. All right Karen, thank you for that.
MAGINNIS: Thank you.
NGUYEN: So checking our top stories right now.
Top White House officials say the administration is reconsidering the decision to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the four other 9/11 suspects in civil court in New York. It comes after concerns from several politicians including the city's Mayor Michael Bloomberg. New York police estimate it will cost a staggering $200 million a year for security. HOLMES: Well, three more Americans have died in Afghanistan. Two of them U.S. service members, another an American employee all killed yesterday in the eastern part of that country. Officials with the International Security Assistance Force say the incident now under investigation.
NGUYEN: Trials begin today in Tehran for 16 opposition activists; that's according to the country's state-run media. The defendants are charged with rioting during last month's protests. At least eight people were killed in the clashes with police. The violence was the deadliest since the crack down after the disputed presidential election in June.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right, the Colts versus the Saints in the Super Bowl. Yes, we know everybody is excited about the game. But of course, you want to see the commercials as well. This year almost all the 30- second ads that cost $3 million by the way are sold; and one of those ads a bit controversial.
We'll be talking about that; all those things with our sports business analyst and visiting expert at Harvard law, Rick Horrow. Because Betty, when you think Harvard law...
NGUYEN: You think Rick Horrow.
HOLMES: Yes, you do. Rick is kind of in the dark today, it's all right we usually like to see that shining face but we're going to make it through this just fine. Good morning to...
RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: Wait, wait.
HOLMES: Yes?
HORROW: I'm never in the dark. That's only a metaphorical to you I'm at the International Motor Sports Center at Daytona, the great American race. In two weeks, the Pro Bowl tomorrow, the Super Bowl, the next week. There is sunshine on the State of Florida even if I am metaphorically in the dark, how does that sound?
HOLMES: Yes, sunshine in state, just not on your face right now. That's all right, we're going to make -- this looks crazy. You see this, Betty?
All right, let's just get through this thing here; 95 percent, $3 million for a 30-second ad, I thought we were in tough economic times. These things are still going to sell no matter what, aren't they?
HORROW: We're in very tough economic times but getting better. But we're also at a time where advertisers feel like whether it's here at Daytona, Super Bowl, the premium events sell. And all of these ads, it's a lot of money. And don't forget the money it takes to produce the ads, too.
But companies are back in it, the banks not so much. The auto companies not much. Chrysler a little bit, Volkswagen in, the foreign companies in.
And so the big deal is, you've got to be real selective at what kind of events you want to have. Why not get into an event where 100 million Americans are watching, right?
HOLMES: Right, for these advertisers. You've got that many people watching, of course you're going to buy this ad.
HORROW: Yes, exactly. And the ROI, you know -- all the stuff, the complicated analysis, measures, the more ads these deal with, the better the sales quotient, a lot of risk. There are companies that are doing one big ad. If they succeed, they're in business. If they don't maybe it's over, high risk, high reward.
HOLMES: Well, who's buying this year? Anything different from what we're -- going to see anything different from what we're used to seeing, which is the potato chip ads, the beer ads and stuffs like that?
HORROW: Bridgestone have got a big ad, it corresponds with halftime, by the way, we'll all be singing along. Motorola has a big ad; you see that in the background as well.
You also have the U.S. Census Bureau using advertising to talk about everybody signing up and saying, yes, I'm an American and I'm here. You've got Boost Mobile, a prepaid cell phone company that's starting their whole business with a Super Bowl ad expensive.
And then you've got Tim Tebow by the way, he's doing an ad that has some religious overtones. It's generated some controversy but as you know, every year there's always a controversial ad that the network is pressured to pull. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't.
HOLMES: Well, controversial. Do we -- we're seeing things like this making, I guess, political ads in a lot of ways. And it's a political issue. It's personal of course, for Tim and his family. But it seems like a political issue. So -- do we see the networks sometime go this route and allow this? Or isn't the Super Bowl supposed to be the one place where we don't see stuff like this?
HORROW: Well, there is a pretty fine unwritten rule line about making sure we don't make political statements. But Focus on Family has a Tim Tebow ad and he talks about his faith. But he talks about in the context that may be too far for someone who just want to crack open a cold one and talk about third down and quarterback blitzing.
And so, we're going to have to see, A, if the ad gets modified and B, what the reaction is. We already understand that in the world of advertising the more you're on and the more people talk about it, T.J., you're already winning.
By the way, I'm looking at my face, it is dark. I'm sorry. I can't help that.
HOLMES: Still, on the same issue of ads, the network has, I mean, they have some say. They can accept an ad or they cannot accept an ad. They're allowing this one with Tim Tebow but there's another one, and it got a lot of buzz on our Web site. There was a gay dating Web site that wanted to do a commercial.
Here's the article. You can see it at cnnmoney.com. The name of the Web site is called mancrunch.com. Now they are crying foul because the network, CBS, rejected their ad. So how does CBS balance, okay, we'll take this one, we're not going to take that one. And is it totally up to them, they don't have to explain themselves?
HORROW: Well, it's not totally up to them because we've got FCC issues as you know. But hey, there's $3 million on the right side of the ledger for 30 seconds. There is taste, sensibility and avoiding controversy on the left side of the ledger. Sometimes it's here, sometimes it's here.
The bottom line is the more you talk about it before the ads get on just remember, these groups are winning because they're getting publicity no matter what.
HOLMES: You're right. The day before and the day after the Super Bowl, everybody is talking about which ads were the best, which one was the funniest and the networks and the TV we're all playing them again to laugh at them. What was that noise?
NGUYEN: I don't know.
HOLMES: This has been the strangest segment with you I think yet. We've had a lot of strange ones, Rick.
HORROW: We have a lot of -- are we talking about Senator Vitter and who dat? Or are you going to do that yourself?
HOLMES: No, no, no. We're going to do that, ourselves. We're going to go ahead and let you go. We can't see you anyway.
NGUYEN: We're done with you.
HORROW: I love that, by the way, he's got some guts. We'll talk about it anyway. You're going to see me quite clearly twice next weekend. So I love you all.
NGUYEN: All right. Yes.
HOLMES: All right, buddy. We will see you.
NGUYEN: I just love Rick. He's great.
HOLMES: We love Rick.
NGUYEN: All right. Yes, we're going to get to that as well. The who dat controversy. Here it is spelled out especially, basically, the Saints have been using that -- music going for us right now.
And, you know, they're going to the Super Bowl, the NFL says, no, you can't use "Who Dat?" because that belongs to us. So, Senator David Vitter down in Louisiana said, "You know what, you can't claim that. So we're going to use it. If you've a problem with it, sue me."
Well, we put this out on our Facebook and Twitter sites and we've got interesting responses from you guys this morning.
I just want to read some of them to you. Head injury kid, who wrote to me, says, "Good thinking, NFL. I own the slogan 'hello', so if you use it, please send me a license fee. Thanks."
You know, plenty of other people say this is down right ridiculous. How can you lay claim to a slogan that people are just using?
HOLMES: I'll read one from Spice Girl -- I think we'll be able to put it up. I'll just read. And she says she loves football but the NFL is getting to be like that fat uncle that eats up all the food at Thanksgiving. They want it all. And just talking about the greed there.
That's a lot of people have made comments about the fact that we've been using this for a long time down here in New Orleans.
NGUYEN: Some saying back to the 1800s.
HOLMES: People are saying this thing has been around for 100 years. But certainly the team has been saying it. I mean high school teams; everybody uses this in a lot of ways that the Saints have. They say now that the Saints are in the Super Bowl they see an opportunity to make some money.
NGUYEN: Yes. And the NFL says it's not just the slogan, if you just want to wear the slogan on your shirt, "Who Dat?" that's fine. But if you put the Saints logo on there well then, that becomes NFL property.
So it's an argument. We'll see how that plays out. But keep weighing in for us morning. Head us up on Facebook and Twitter and we'll be reading those responses.
In the meantime, let's talk about your money. We want to know how Uncle Sam is spending it -- tax money in fact. CNN stimulus project is tracking all of it. You've been doing a lot of that this week.
HOLMES: At our Stimulus desk. I learned a lot this week about where that money is going. And sometimes it's a little unnerving.
NGUYEN: Well spent or not?
HOLMES: A lot of it, on the surface, it doesn't look like it's well spent. You have to dig a little deeper and ask some questions.
NGUYEN: You know, is it actually create new jobs?
HOLMES: Yes and if it has -- sometimes if it looks good on the surface, you dig a little deeper and you say wait a minute, that's not right.
So, it was a good project this week. We're certainly going to be looking at that at the top of the hour. We're looking at some of those results, is the government getting the boast bang for your buck.
NGUYEN: Your buck.
I'll let you cough. Cough it out. That'll fine.
HOLMES: Excuse me. Sorry. All right.
NGUYEN: In the meantime, we want to shift gears because there's been a grim discovery. A lottery winner's body found buried under concrete. What the heck happened here and what was the motive? Was it money?
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, as Haiti digs out from the terrible earthquake, plans to rebuild the country, they're already progressing; engineers, architects and aid workers as well as officials from Haiti's government, they're all part of this collaborative effort and they're working under U.N. direction.
Now the head of the rebuilding initiative wants Port-au-Prince's population reduced from about 3 million to 1.5 million or 2 million. The government already plans to resettle about 400,000 homeless people east of the capital.
More than a billion dollars of international aid has been pledged for Haiti and plans for reconstruction must be approved by Haiti's government.
HOLMES: We've seen some of these scenes of desperation for the folks there in Haiti who are hungry. Some of them only eating once every couple of days. The World Food Program now saying it's launching a systematic food distribution system in Port-au-Prince.
NGUYEN: Yes. Starting today 16 sites will give out food only to women and only to those with coupons. The U.N. agency is trying to avoid mobs of desperate people violently fighting for food.
Here's CNN's Karl Penhaul.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The flood gate bursts open. Running and climbing. Food for only the fastest and the fittest.
Haitian government workers toss down bags of rice, beans, and oil. The hungry swarm up the sides of the truck. People were hungry before this; and on top of all that, this has happened. All their belongings run to the rubble.
It's normal, she says. But it's far from normal. At this aid point in downtown Port-au-Prince, a government agency is distributing supplies to people with no more regard than if they were animals. "The way they're distributing the aid is no good. They're making people suffer. Haitian people are always suffering," she says. Nine trucks, 2,000 rations, no control; strong men carry off full bags. Hungry women rip at each other for the scraps.
Not every food handout ends like this, but it's clear Haiti's hungry are on the brink.
"It's painful for me to see the country where I was born and the people suffering like this," he says.
Haitian police who did little to control the mob tell them the food is gone. Hungry mouths ask when the next load may arrive. The cop's response, clear out or they'll get batons and tear gas.
Karl Penhaul, CNN, Port-au-Prince.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Just a glimpse of the situation there and the desperation, in fact.
Also this, preying on the earthquake's most vulnerable victims; humanitarian agencies say child molesters and traffickers, they're looking to exploit the chaos and confusion by stealing orphan children.
Anderson Cooper takes an in-depth look on "360" beginning Monday night at 10:00 Eastern right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right. So a multi-million dollar lottery winner with just the world at his feet had a bull's eye unfortunately on his back.
HOLMES: That appears to be the case for Abraham Shakespeare. He got $17 million after winning a Florida lotto. But Kathryn Bursch from our affiliate WTSP now explains that his luck began to turn not long after he won that money.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We found human remains.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can tell you, it's been here for some time, yes. It's definitely been here for some time.
KATHRYN BURSCH, REPORTER, WTSP: It's the news that relatives dreaded. A body found buried, most likely that of missing lottery winner, Abraham Shakespeare.
CYNTHIA JOHNSON, LOTTERY WINNER'S COUSIN: He was a good person. And he was just used; they're manipulating him because they know he did not know any better.
BURSCH: Shakespeare picked the winning numbers back in 2006; took a lump sum payout of $17 mill. But all that money brought him not happiness but trouble.
A woman named Dee Dee Moore befriended Shakespeare and Moore ended up acquiring much of Shakespeare's cash and assets. Shakespeare disappeared last April, and Polk Sheriff Grady Judd calls Moore a person of interest.
A tip led investigators to this property in Hillsborough. The house here belongs to Moore's boyfriend. Using heavy equipment, investigators broke up a large concrete slab and for two days now they've been digging and sifting, digging and sifting inch by inch. And shortly before six Thursday this missing person case turned into a homicide investigation.
SHERIFF DAVID GEE, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FLORIDA: Prior to us meeting with you, we dispatched deputies to Abraham Shakespeare's mother's house to tell her that we have found human remains.
SHERIFF GRADY JUDD, POLK COUNTY, FLORIDA: Somebody has obviously put him there and we're going to get to the bottom of it. It's going to take some time, it's a complicated investigation.
BURSCH: The medical examiner will have to make a positive ID, but no one here expects any surprises. Relatives of Shakespeare say they want him remembered as a good man and whoever killed him, caught.
What do you say to this person who did this?
JOHNSON: I hope they rot in hell.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Emotions still very raw. Authorities say the woman they call a person of interest, Dee Dee Moore transferred more than a million dollars from Shakespeare's bank account into hers; she says the money was a gift.
HOLMES: And investigators say the cause of death probably won't be determined though until Monday.
Hello there everybody. From the CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING for the 30th of January. I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: Yes, good morning, everybody. Thanks for being with us. I'm Betty Nguyen. All right. All this week CNN has focused on how the government is spending billions of dollars, your money, in stimulus.
HOLMES: Yes. You hear that stimulus money. Remember, folks, that's your money. That's my money. That's our stuff there. So where exactly is all of our money going? It was supposed to help create jobs. Is it? This half hour we'll be asking those questions.
But first, we want to take a quick look at some stories we're keeping an eye on including the weather. A storm barreling into the southeast with heavy snow forecast for parts of the region, up to a foot expected in Arkansas, near the Missouri line. Travel on icy roads already a challenge for folks. Western North Carolina also could see a foot of snow by the end of the day.
Last night sections of two interstates in western North Carolina were closed because of icy roads. In Oklahoma, crews are trying to restore power to thousands of homes there. Heavy ice brought down scores of power lines. Several states have declared emergencies.
NGUYEN: All right. So let's get the latest this morning as you're waking up on this Saturday. You may want to venture outside. Some folks being urged, no, no, just stay indoors. But, power's out to several thousand, too. That's a problem as well, Karen. Problem on top of problem.
KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. And that south central United States, the panhandle of Texas and into Oklahoma, that's where we've seen thousands and thousands of people still without power when they saw an accumulation of an inch or more of ice in a number of areas. Well, now that storm system is rapidly moved towards the mid Atlantic region. But a big problem is not only going to be in Virginia. And I think that's where we'll see the heaviest snowfall.
But look at this pink-shaded area. In North Carolina and South Carolina, that's what we're looking at that ice and snow and they're already reporting perhaps one fatality related to the icy conditions in Charlotte, North Carolina. Very dangerous driving conditions. Not just there, but also in the Durham, Raleigh area, in that triad area.
While for Virginia we're expecting some cases more than 12 inches of snowfall. This system has had a lot of energy and has had a lot of life and has lasted a long time. Right now temperatures only in the 20s. Not really going to do a whole lot throughout the entire day. Lexington, Kentucky, is only 16 degrees right now.
It is fairly busier outside with wind gusts right around 15 to 25 miles an hour with some occasionally higher gusts. There you can see in that dark purple shaded area from Richmond, extending towards Washington, D.C., that's where we think the heaviest snowfall is going to be located. All right.
I want to show you what's happening as far as snowfall totals are concerned. Asheville, already 11 inches of snow. Betty and T.J., that is a record. The rest of these are also records that we've seen throughout the past 24 hours. Back to you.
NGUYEN: 11 inches in Asheville.
MAGINNIS: Yes.
NGUYEN: Goodness. All right. Thank you, Karen.
MAGINNIS: OK.
NGUYEN: You know, Republican House members on a retreat today in Baltimore, but yesterday they heard from the president and the president heard back from them. Did you see the question and answer session after the president's speech? Oh, it got a little intense. Just take a listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JEB HENSALING (R), TEXAS: But this is what I don't understand, Mr. President. After that discussion your administration proposed a budget that would triple the national debt over the next 10 years. Surely you don't believe 10 years from now we will still be mired in this recession, propose new entitlement spending and move the cost of government to almost 24.5 percent of the economy.
Now, very soon, Mr. President, you're due to submit a new budget and my question -
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know there's a question in there somewhere. Because you're making a whole bunch of assertions half of which I disagree with and I'm having to sit here and listening to them. At some point I know you're going to let me answer.
HENSALING: That's the question, you're soon to submit a new budget, Mr. President. Will that new budget like your old budget triple the national debt and continue to take us down the path of increasing the cost of government to almost 25 percent of our economy?
OBAMA: All right.
HENSALING: That's the question, Mr. President.
OBAMA: Jim, with all due respect, I've just got to take this last question as an example of how it's very hard to have the kind of bipartisan work that we're going to do, because the whole question was structured as a talking point for running - running a campaign.
Now, look, let's talk about the budget, once again, because I'll go through it with you line by line. The fact of the matter is that when we came into office, the deficit was $1.3 trillion. 1.3. So when you say that suddenly I've got a monthly budget that is higher than the - a monthly deficit that's higher than the annual deficit left by Republicans, that's factually just not true.
And you know it's not true.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Well, we're talking about this morning with our political editor Mark Preston, all of this sparring here. Things did get a little testy. Something you expected because, I mean, actually we have not seen presidents go before events like this in the past very often. So I guess these fireworks right away expected.
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Yes, I tell you what great political theater we saw yesterday just in the middle of the day. You're right, we haven't seen presidents take questions like this, certainly not in public, certainly not on national television. They didn't agree on very many issues yesterday, Betty.
We saw there there was a fight over the budget. They spared a little bit over health care. They also sparred over bipartisanship, who's not really working well with the other but you know something, I think they both walked away with this. I think they agreed to disagree on their issues. The president doesn't agree with what the Republicans are proposing and the Republicans certainly don't agree with President Obama's priorities.
NGUYEN: Yes, we saw a lot of disagreement. Someone called it partisan bickering. That's something we've heard both sides say we don't want to have anymore of that. Let's just work on a problem, try to solve it and keep away from the partisan bickering. Yet, we see it once again.
PRESTON: Yes. And you know, when they talk about wanting to work together and to talk about bipartisanship, there is a lot of truth to that. But let's not forget we are in a mid-term election year and come November, Republicans want to win back seats in the House and the Senate.
President Obama wants to add to his majorities in the House and the Senate. So you have to take a little bit of that with a grain of salt and say, you know something, they do want bipartisanship but neither side is going to cave and give the other one a win. And we're certainly seeing that in health care right now.
Republicans are adamantly opposed to it. And they're not just going to allow President Obama to get what he wants on that bill. And that's why we see Democrats struggling so hard right now in Congress to try to get that done.
NGUYEN: Well, back to that issue of sparring, we saw a little bit of a smack down at the "State of the Union" speech with the president and the Supreme Court. Surprising to you that it was taken on in such a forum?
PRESTON: Yes, you know, we haven't seen that in the past as well. I will tell you, I think a lot of people were surprised that President Obama called out the Supreme Court for their recent ruling on issue ads and corporations and unions being allowed to spend as much money on issue ads or on candidate ads for that matter right up to election day.
And then, of course, we saw Justice Alito, of course, take exception with that and mutter something under his breath and shake his head. So yes, we were certainly surprised about that. There was also a smack down by President Obama to House Republicans and Senate Republicans as well during the "State of the Union," where he said look, the fact of the matter is, if you want to work with me, work with me.
But certainly in the Senate now, where Republicans have a lot of power now, Betty, they now have 41 votes. They can stop pretty much any legislation through that chamber. President Obama said look, if you're going to start requiring 60 votes on every bill then you have to take responsibility for governing.
NGUYEN: And at the same time, the president is trying to create jobs in light of all of this. I mean, are they going to come together? Is this something that is going to be possible? What is he planning?
PRESTON: You know, look, he has this new jobs bill. There's a lot of talk about this new jobs bill right now that is being fashioned on Capitol Hill. But Republicans say that they're trying to create jobs as well. They're very frustrated by the stimulus bill that was passed last year. They say that it hasn't worked quickly enough. It was too much money, and the fact that it hasn't worked.
So will they come together? There could be some pieces of some kind of economic recovery that they'll agree on. But by and large, don't expect Democrats and Republicans to get along the rest of the year.
NGUYEN: It seems like a whole lot of disagreement going on there in Washington.
PRESTON: There certainly is.
NGUYEN: We are in agreement that we appreciate your insight. And thanks for joining us today, Mark.
PRESTON: Thanks, Betty.
HOLMES: All this week CNN has been looking at how the government is spending billions of dollars in stimulus money. But what is a very small portion of that money mean to those getting a piece of that action? CNN's personal finance editor Gerri Willis has the story of one family saved by the stimulus.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, heavenly father --
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR (voice-over): These days Aaron Ogden is counting his blessings. This time last year he was facing unemployment and mounting debt.
AARON OGDEN, HIRED WITH STIMULUS FUNDS: There are times where I couldn't even mow the grass because I couldn't afford it. I just couldn't do it.
WILLIS (on camera): Couldn't afford the gas?
OGDEN: Couldn't afford the gas to be able to mow. I had more important things, you know, making sure that this bill was taken care of. So I wouldn't do that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There were many nights when we would just sit down and cry.
WILLIS (voice-over): After being laid off from his job at American Standard where he made bathtubs, Aaron spent 15 months looking for work.
(on camera): Why did it take 15 months? That's a long time to get a job.
OGDEN: That's because all the jobs, businesses, companies in the area, they're just not doing well.
WILLIS (voice-over): But today, in a county where the unemployment rate is 13 percent, this Hanover (ph), Ohio resident is the face of the federal stimulus job.
OGDEN: What I'm doing right now is dense packing.
WILLIS (on camera): What does that mean?
OGDEN: What that means is I'm blowing the insulation up into this cavity.
WILLIS (voice-over): After a local weatherization program received a $2.3 million stimulus grant.
OGDEN: I like what I'm doing because I like to help people out.
WILLIS: The program helps out poor and elderly residents by insulating their homes. Aaron says he's earning a good wage, and learning new skills he hopes will help him stay employed in the changing economy.
CAROL BRETZ, COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY, COLUMBIANA CO.: Northeast Ohio was heavily dependent on manufacturing sector jobs.
WILLIS: Carol Bretz says the problems in northeast Ohio started well before the recession when local steel mills began to close, leaving behind a barren landscape.
BRETZ: What that did to these communities is it created a ripple effect. You didn't just lose basic manufacturing jobs, you lost jobs in industries that were producing other products for the mills.
WILLIS: Ten new jobs and two new trucks will be paid for by the weatherization grant. The extra help will allow these crews to insulate hundreds more homes and help tight budgets in tight times stretch just a little further.
OGDEN: People are able to do more with the money, instead of choosing between heating their home or buying food.
WILLIS (on camera): What happens when that stimulus money goes away?
OGDEN: Well, if it goes away and there's not enough income to keep everybody employed, of course, we'll have to have layoffs.
WILLIS (voice-over): A reality Aaron is well aware of. But for now, he's content to live a day at a time, describing in a word what the stimulus has meant for him.
OGDEN: A blessing. Because I'm able to take care of my family now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Gerri Willis is going to be talking pocket book issues in 20 minutes. "Your Bottom Line" takes a look at what President Obama plans will mean you're your finance issues. She's also got some info about credit card reform. "Your Bottom Line" 9:30 right here on CNN.
NGUYEN: So what do you think of the federal stimulus plan? Well, a recent survey suggests it won't win any popularity contests but there are a few things many Americans are in favor of.
A CNN Opinion Research Corporation poll finds 70 percent approve of the tax cuts. Almost three in 10 disapprove. 80 percent give a thumbs up for road and bridge projects while 20 percent give it a thumbs down. And with the nation's unemployment rate at 10 percent, this may be no surprise. 83 percent say money should be going to people who lost jobs. 17 percent disapprove.
And coming up, stimulus dollars, are they going where we expect them to go?
HOLMES: We're taking - excuse me.
NGUYEN: You need to take a cough drop and a bit of a break.
HOLMES: We're going to take an exclusive look at the search for Recovery Act scammers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All week long CNN has been looking into how your stimulus dollars are being spent. In the spotlight today specifically people trying to game the system. Stimulus funding is supposed to go to revving the economy, creating jobs, those sorts of things. But Allan Chernoff tells us how fraudsters are finding $800 billion in easily accessible funds impossible to resist.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kentucky construction magnate Leonard Lawson on trial this week for allegedly bribing a state official during the past decade to win bid projects but that didn't stop Lawson family companies from winning $24 million in Federal Recovery Act contracts.
Lawson companies should have been suspended from bidding for stimulus work within 45 days after Leonard Lawson was indicted, according to a Department of Transportation rule, even though he pled not guilty. But it took the Department 10 months to act, after the Lawson firms had won the contracts.
REP. EDOLPHUS TOWNS, (D), OVERSIGHT & GOVERNMENT REFORM COMMITTEE: When people see folks getting away and getting contracts even after they've been indicted, that, to me, does not help in terms of us in getting rid of abuse.
CHERNOFF: Auditors for the inspector general of the Department of Transportation warn there is a perfect storm for contractors intent on defrauding the government, giving the billions in Recovery Act dollars that Washington is doling out.
CNN has learned that federal investigators already are finding evidence of bid rigging and Recovery Act contracts for the Federal Highway Administration. Prosecutors are examining cases where contractors appear to have been colluding with each other to win road improvement jobs, repaving and expanding streets and highways.
No criminal charges have been filed yet, but the Department of Transportation inspector general has 25 criminal investigations under way, a dozen of which have been referred to the Department of Justice for prosecution.
Other cases involve what the government calls disadvantaged business enterprise fraud, companies owned by minorities or women bid for contracts and after taking a cut, passing the work to a non-qualified contractor. Inspectors general at all federal departments and agencies are aggressively searching for stimulus fraud. Certain that corruption will infect recovery act spending.
WAYNE MCELRATH, EPA ACTING ASST. INSPECTOR GENERAL: Fraud will occur. Typically we see false statements, false claims, (INAUDIBLE) gratuities, conflict of interests, anti-trust violations.
CHERNOFF: The latest stimulus fraud scorecard 10 months into the Recovery Act, 470 audits, 106 active investigations, and 25 cases accepted for prosecutorial review. And investigators say they're only just beginning. Every department is training federal, state and municipal workers in fraud detection, anticipating that corrupt contractors view Recovery Act fund as a potential gold mine.
$1 billion of your tax money going to a program that could be canceled. That's just one of the stimulus funded projects we're taking a look at today. We're following the money.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Checking our top stories right now. Rhythm and blues singer Etta James is hospitalized in Los Angeles. Her son tells CNN that she is suffering from a bacterial infection. Etta James is 72 and perhaps best known for the 1961 classic "At Last." She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease a year ago.
Well, the president of Toyota apologizing to customers over that just massive recall that they've ordered. He says the company is working on a plan to fix gas pedal problems. Now Honda also dealing with problems of a different sort. The automaker is blaming faulty power windows in decision to recall 141,000 of its Fit vehicles. Some of the 2007-2008 models have switches that can pose a fire hazard.
And Capitol Hill's newest GOP lawmaker is thanking the voters who got him to Washington. Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown is on a three-day victory tour across the bay state. Brown says his upset victory over Martha Coakley for the late Ted Kennedy's Senate seat should serve as a wake-up call to Democrats and the Obama administration.
Let's get the latest on the weather outside because, Karen, earlier today you said it is frightful, that's something we never want to hear a meteorologist say. But I guess it's the situation at hand. MAGINNIS: It is. Betty, it's been frightful all the way from the plains states now towards the mid Atlantic. We've got a live picture coming out of Washington, D.C.. Take a look at this. A little bit of snowfall. And yes, we will see a little bit all across it northern sections of Virginia, extending into Maryland. In some cases, it could be heavy. There you can see a few snowflakes in front of the camera.
Let's go back to those winter storm warnings. Extending from Nashville all of the way to Virginia Beach in this kind of blue- shaded area. That's the wintry mix already we had a report of a possible fatality due to the icy road conditions in Charlotte, North Carolina. But from Charlotte all of the way to the coast, kind of those icy conditions continuing.
We'll have more of CNN SATURDAY MORNING right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right. So we are tracking where all of your stimulus money has gone, and some of it was headed for space, in fact. NASA got a chunk of the federal money for a couple of programs. As it turns out, they may not have too much to show for it. We get more now from CNN's John Couwels.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three, two, one, zero, and liftoff of space shuttle "Atlantis."
JOHN COUWELS, CNN ALL-PLATFORM JOURNALIST (on camera): But not for much longer, the shuttle is retiring. The countdown clock will remain dark. NASA's replacement is called the Constellation pr9ogram but its primary mission is to send astronauts back to the moon.
(voice-over): And it received a quarter of a billion dollars in stimulus funds which is being awarded to contractors.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We received $165 million between last year and this year.
COUWELS: The stimulus dollars went towards building the astronaut's crew vehicle, Orion.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were facing a reduction in workforce and the stimulus money helped us to retain the employees that would otherwise have been reduced.
COUWELS: Between 15 and 100 Lockheed Martin jobs were saved. A lot of them were in New Orleans.
(on camera): Another $25 million came here to Kennedy Space Center, creating 125 new jobs.
Construction behind me is a launch tower. It's the first one to be built here for human space flight in decades. (voice-over): But now, of all that stimulus money, the whole Constellation Program may get scrapped next week. The local congresswoman is angry, saying that the Constellation Program has canceled America's space flight gap will become an abyss. Others bemoan the waste of money.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I think some of the things they're working on could be used regardless of what the program is. Some of it, however, I think is just going to wind up on the cutting room floor.
COUWELS: NASA officials insist that much of the new technology and facilities could still be used for other programs. Just like Constellation's first and possibly last test flight that went nowhere, so did the stimulus dollars.
John Couwels, CNN, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, the White House is expected to make an announcement about the future of the constellation program next week. And many in the space industry expect it to be abandoned or at least cut back despite those stimulus dollars.
Let's get the latest on the weather outside for you. Karen Maginnis joins us now once again in the severe weather center. It's named that for a reason. And Betty, here is the reason why. We've got different shades of purple on our map.
From the mid Atlantic stretching all the way from Kentucky toward the mid Atlantic region. But this dark purple shaded area from Richmond extending towards the east, we're looking at the heaviest snowfall there. We saw that beautiful live shot earlier of the Capitol building with some of the snowfall coming down.
Some areas could see more than a foot. But it is this area that we're watching out for the heaviest snowfall. Charlotte, I'm afraid ice is going to be the big problem. Very icy road conditions have been reported there.
I want to show you very quickly the Atlanta tower cam. If we can show you that. Some beads of water on it. Maybe we can get the windshield wiper, because, Betty, I know you really like that.
NGUYEN: I love that. I want to push the button that turns on the wiper.
MAGINNIS: Saving it just for you.
NGUYEN: I get excited about all these little things.
MAGINNIS: All right. We'll throw it back to you right now.
NGUYEN: All right. Thank you, Karen.
And "Your Bottom Line" with CNN personal finance editor Gerri Willis, that starts right now.
