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Bomb in Baggage in Orlando; Flight Safety Inspections; Ruling Change in Zimbabwe

Aired April 02, 2008 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning again everyone. You are informed with CNN. I'm Tony Harris.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield in for Heidi Collins.

HARRIS: And developments keep coming into the CNN NEWSROOM on Wednesday the second day of April. Here is what is on the rundown.

WHITFIELD: Will you fly on time today? United pulling the 777s out of service for safety checks.

HARRIS: The Fed chairman in the hot seat in front of Congress right now. He is hinting at recession.

WHITFIELD: And "normal people scare me." We talked to a young filmmaker about autism. It's World Autism Awareness Day and you are in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: At the top of this hour, security watch in Orlando, Florida. An airport bag allegedly filled with bombmaking components, a brief hearing last hour as authorities try to piece the whole thing together.

Let's get to CNN's Susan Candiotti in Miami.

Susan, what did we learn?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Tony. Well not much because the government told the federal magistrate that it needs more time to put its information together before presenting it to the court. So there will be another hearing tomorrow afternoon that will handle both bond issues as well as some of the preliminary information that the FBI has gathered against suspect Kevin Brown.

Let's recap what happened. This is the guy that yesterday was checking in at Orlando International Airport. He had just passed the ticket counter, checked in his luggage and then he started acting strangely according to witnesses. So TSA employees who also noticed this and used behavior techniques, pulled him out of line, and checked him out and looked inside his checked luggage. Here is what they found. Two galvanized pipes of end caps, BB's, batteries, some kind of liquid, they haven't identified yet and two containers as well as bomb literature and a laptop computer now.

The FBI says that lately this guy has been living on the streets. Also, he has relatives apparently living in the United States as well. About a dozen flights were affected. It took several hours before everything got back to normal. This man is in custody. He is identified as a Jamaican national living in the United States legally with a green card. He was on this flight with these alleged pipe bomb components to Jamaica.

HARRIS: OK. And, Susan, just to be clear here, these are components. There was nothing in the bag that was assembled. Is that correct?

CANDIOTTI: Nothing assembled and it was in the checked baggage.

HARRIS: OK. Susan Candiotti for us in Miami. Susan, thanks.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well still on the subject of flying, if you are flying United Airlines today you may be in for a long wait. The airline pulling all its Boeing 777s out of service for safety checks. United says the cargo fire-compression systems are being examined. That can mean delays or cancellations. This comes two days after United announced wiring system problems aboard some planes. Last week, Delta and American canceled hundreds of flights for inspections. Three weeks ago, CNN broke the story about problem was Southwest Airlines, Boeing 737 and will continue to follow developments at United throughout the day.

HARRIS: Damage control and the economy. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke tries to calm your fears but also delivers his gloomiest assessment yet.

CNN senior correspondent Allan Chernoff following his testimony on Capitol Hill.

Allan, good morning. What are you hearing?

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. This is a little bit of a reality check that we are getting from the chairman of the Federal Reserve. He did say, yes, it is possible we are going to be having a recession here. He said that during the first half of the year, we are probably going to continue to contract and unemployment will probably rise. He said that in the second half of the year, we are most likely going to see a recovery thanks to the Federal Reserve lowering interest rates. But the bulk of the testimony has really focused on the Federal Reserve coming to the rescue of Bear Stearns, putting $30 billion of our taxpayer money at risk over there.

The Fed chairman talked about the depression. Remember, he is one of our nation's top scholars on the Great Depression. He said during the time period heading into the depression, the Federal Reserve basically just stood by and watched one-third of our nation's banks fail. He said we did not do that. We took very aggressive action over here and that's the reason the fed stepped in to help out Bear Stearns even when there has than been any bailout for homeowners. Let's have a listen to what he said a little while ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BEN BERNANKE, FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN: We did what we did because we felt it was necessary to preserve the integrity and viability of the American financial system which in turn is critical for the health of the economy. Anybody who wants to borrow for a mortgage for a house, or for other purposes, anyone who has an investment account with stocks and other assets in it, anyone whose company wants to acquire capital to expand employment needs to have a healthy, functioning financial system. What we did, always in my mind, was what was the best thing for the American public.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHERNOFF: Also saying the action that the fed took actually led to mortgage rates heading lower. It actually has benefited Americans in that regard.

Tony?

HARRIS: Allan Chernoff for us this morning. Allan, thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. The nation's economy and the latest measures of a possible recession. Government figures showing factory orders fell 1.3% in February. It came as a big disappointment to many analysts. Another surprise this morning, this one. Encouraging. Reports showing that businesses added jobs in Marc. Analysts had expected a decline and the caution is the watch word on Wall Street. U.S. markets hovering in negative territory. Most of the morning, but right now a little positive territory. Well, now it is 28 points, the Dow. That's good. Comes after yesterday's really big surge.

HARRIS: An endorsement for Obama, Clinton talks jobs and McCain recalls his navy days. A lot happening on the campaign trail. Barack Obama speaking to union members in Philadelphia this morning. Obama also picks up an endorsement from former Indiana Congressman Lee Hamilton. It could boost his national security standing. Hamilton was vice chairman of the 9/11 Commission and you may recall he was the co-chairman of the Iraq Study Group.

Hillary Clinton announces a $7 billion jobs program this morning. She outlined the plan at an economic summit in Pittsburgh this hour.

Live pictures now and Annapolis, Maryland, the latest stop on the John McCain biography tour. Republican nominee to be speaking this morning at the U.S. Naval Academy where he began his military career.

WHITFIELD: All right. Democrats focusing on jobs and workers. More on that and Obama's latest endorsement.

Dan Lothian is with the CNN Election Express in Philadelphia.

How meaningful is this endorsement for the Obama camp?

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is meaningful as Tony was talking about. It could really boost Obama's standing in terms of national security and foreign policy. This is an area where his opponents have been going after him. And not only Senator Clinton but also Senator John McCain. Senator Clinton obviously has been showing on the campaign trail and saying she has the experience Obama lacks the experience in foreign policy. So this is something that can really shore up that area for Senator Obama.

Now, Senator Obama continues to focus on the economy as well as Senator Clinton but Senator Obama was speaking this morning here in Philadelphia to members of the AFL-CIO. He was talking about a job creation, talking about fighting for working families, and also talking about fighting corporate interests. But he also took a swipe at a comment that Senator Clinton made yesterday when she compared her fight to stay in the race to Rocky.

Take a listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I know there has been talk about Rocky Balboa over the last couple of days. You know, we all love Rocky Balboa. We all love Rocky. And last time I checked I was the underdog in this state. So the -- you know I like the Rocky story. We have to remember, "Rocky" was a movie. And so is the idea somebody can fight for working people and at the same time embrace the broken system in Washington. Corporate lobbyists use their clout to shape laws to their liking. We need to challenge the system on behalf of America's workers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LOHTIAN: Senator Clinton is holding an economic summit in Pittsburgh. She's there live now. Let's dip in a little bit and listen to what she has to say.

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, there are places like Silicon Valley or Pittsburgh, innovation and communication technology hubs. When these areas reach critical mass, in terms of innovation and growth, wages shoot up, productivity soars and the whole economy benefits. So we will encourage businesses to collaborate with local universities. We'll create matching grants and tax incentives for state and local governments invest in new facilities and regional partnerships.

What the governor and I heard over at the greenhouse, the biggest obstacle to expanding is no facilities. And, of course, these are very high-end facilities with everything that must go into them and all of the clean rooms and other sorts of support. So we need to work with the executive and the mayor through the federal government to provide more support so that they can work with no only the greenhouse but privilege at businesses to actually create the facilities. So Pittsburgh grows the kind of facilities you have which that in turn becomes a magnet for even more people coming.

I met a gentleman at the greenhouse who helped to start a very successful large company in New York. And now he is in Pittsburgh starting another one which he thinks will have equal success.

We are also going to build on the work of Governor Rendell. He launched the Keystone Innovation Zones to invest in these kinds of clusters. And I really have to come end your governor. Whether it is --

LOTHIAN: That's Senator Clinton live in Pittsburgh. She will also be talking today about job creation here in the United States. And one of the ways she wants to do that is by stopping jobs from going overseas. She will be talking about a $7 billion program which create incentives for companies to tax incentives for them to keep their jobs there.

One other point she was asked or a spokesperson was asked for any kind of reaction to the Hamilton endorsement, a spokesperson saying in part that they respect the congressman's decision and that they look forward to his support in the general election. Certainly some confidence there on the part of the Clinton campaign. They will get the nomination. Back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Dan Lothian, thank you so much there in Philadelphia and of course, we will continue to monitor what Hillary Clinton is saying there. As you see in these live pictures out of Pittsburgh. You can, too. You can her comments live at CNN.com/live.

HARRIS: A major development in Zimbabwe's election this morning. Electoral commission now says results show the ruling party lost control of parliament. That could conceivably spell the end to the 28-year rule of President Robert Mugabe. Opposition officials had earlier claimed a victory but state-run media says a presidential runoff was likely. We must stress here none of the results can be verified at this time. CNN and other international news media are banned from reporting inside Zimbabwe.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Well, you just know that something is wrong. Well, now your autism concerns can be confirmed. Video glossary helps parents.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: They are profound words, I knew something was different about my child. It is what many parents say after an autism diagnosis is given. What's different can be hard to put into words. Researchers have come up with a video glossary to help parents figure it all out.

Our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here with more.

First of all, Elizabeth, this is just so heart wrenching. A, how do you know your child is autistic? How do you figure it out?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: There are certain things you can look for. Not just that you can look for but that you should look for because sometimes doctors miss the signs. You bring the child in for their annual checkup or whatever. And the doctor doesn't see it. You need to be on the lookout for it. That's what parents of children with autism tell us over and over again. The parent has to be on the lookout.

You actually can be on the lookout because there is this video glossary online that shows typical behavior, behavior of a typical child compared with the behavior of a child who has autism.

We can take a look, for example, at one clip, the first clip that shows you the difference between -- here is a typical child. So look how that child is hugging the bird and engaging and giving Big Bird to mommy. And takes the bottle and tries to give it to -- that's a clinician on the right there. You see, Big Bird. That child, even at a young age, the child is 15 months old, understands maybe Big Bird is hungry and maybe the teacher is hungry. Maybe mommy is hungry. So that child is interacting in very high levels.

However, when you look at a child who has autism, you see certain red flags. This child is really more interested in the bottle than he is with mom or the teacher or Big Bird. And they are trying to get him to interact and they are trying to get him to play make believe. Big Bird wants to drink. He is not going there. That's one of the behaviors that parents should look for.

WHITFIELD: What's the age here?

COHEN: This child is about 20 months. These children are about 1 1/2 to 2. Even at this young age, you can see it. Fred, it is so crucial to notice these behaviors early because the earlier you get your child help, the better it is. If you wait until they are 3, 4, or 5, it can be a problem.

WHITFIELD: You as a parent really have to pay attention and if your instincts say something is wrong, something is probably wrong.

COHEN: Right. Often it is. You may be wrong. You as the parent may be incorrect. Your child may be fine. Why not ask the question?

WHITFIELD: So there are other examples in the video glossary, right?

COHEN: There is another example we can give. The video glossary is autismspeaks.com. This is an important address to know.

Let's take a look at this one. This is a child has autism and shows another red flag a paper should be looking at. Again, they are trying to get child interested in Big Bird. But only interested in the bowl. And so there is an object has -- he's fixated on the bowl. One pediatrician I talked to said he had a child that raveled and unraveled a paper clip for a good 10 minutes.

WHITFIELD: I see a gray area. You may say wait a minute, my child is really fixated or kind of investigative about this thing. Just transfixed.

COHEN: I'm glad you brought that up. I know as a parent I look to these and I said my daughters have done -- I will call their name and I will want them to come do something. Instead they just want to look at a pen.

WHITFIELD: Enthralled in something.

COHEN: That happens. It does not mean your child has autism. It means that if you see that day after day, over and over again, bring it to the attention of your pediatrician. The worst thing that will happen is your child will get evaluated by a specialist. It does not hurt anybody. The specialist will say no, your child is fine, don't worry about it.

To some degree, many children do these behaviors.

WHITFIELD: There are so many different layers of, I guess, autism. There is no one, I guess, set profile of what it is autistic. That's what makes it so complicated.

COHEN: Right. It's a spectrum but the key is to just go to someone that knows what they are doing. If your pediatrician won't listen to you and says I think your kid is fine, don't worry about it, and you are worried, say refer me to a specialist and get someone else's opinion. We want to thank the folks at autismspeaksopinion.org and Florida State University for helping us with the video clips that are so useful.

WHITFIELD: This so eye opening from top to bottom.

COHEN: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: So many different ways.

COHEN: To be able to see the behaviors, see them for yourself and it is invaluable.

WHITFIELD: All right. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you so much.

Of course, we have a story of a remarkable woman with autism. Finding Amanda is a one-hour "ANDERSON COOPER 360" special report with Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Amanda is someone you will not forget. Watch her story at 11:00 p.m. Eastern.

HARRIS: Pay now, congressional earmarks topping $17 billion. The 2008 pig book out this morning. Elizabeth, stay close. We are checking out the pages.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The nation's economy and the latest measures of a possible recession. Government figures showing factory orders fell 1.3% in February. That came as a big disappointment to many analysts. Another surprise this morning, this one encouraging. A report showing that businesses added jobs in March. Analysts had expected a decline in that sector. And caution is the word on Wall Street. U.S. marks et cetera are in negative market most of the territory and back into it, too. Two points down on the Dow. That comes after yesterday's big surge. HARRIS: So $17 billion pork. Your lawmakers' pet projects all outlined in the annual pig book released a short time ago. Funny name for a book. A lot of serious spending here.

Here's CNN's Kate Bolduan in Washington. Good morning.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony. Yes, the pig book. Sounds like a children's story but it is anything but. We are talking about very serious cash here.

It is an annual report that comes out put out by the nonpartisan watchdog group, Citizens Against Government Waste and basically what they do is they -- it is they track the year's ear mashes, federal dollars directed to pet projects by lawmakers. And this year, we find out more than $17 billion went towards more than 11,000 pet projects for fiscal year 2008. That brings this total amount of congressional earmarks to $271 billion since 1991.

We break it down by state. The group says Alaska received the most money in earmarks and they are followed by Hawaii and North Dakota. The state to receive the least is Arizona.

When they released the book, the pig book this morning, the watchdog group, along with some Republican lawmakers, they did commend the fact that there is more transparency in the earmark process that's been happening this year. They do say there is much more reform need before they can put the pig book to rest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JIM DEMINT (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: As long as this book is this thick, the American people are not going to trust us to make the big decisions for our future. They are not going to trust us to make the right decisions about what spend for our military or how we handle Social Security and Medicare and for good reasons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: That was Senator Jim Demint of South Carolina. One of the senators that proposed a one-year ban on earmarks earlier this year. That measure was defeated.

We should point out criticism by the group is not one-sided. Democrats and Republicans are being held in the spotlight for their earmarks. But they do say while there are critics of the earmarks and the process, many of the lawmakers defend their projects saying that they are very worthwhile and they are critical to their home state which they know best.

HARRIS: So Kate, how about the presidential candidates? How much pork for the candidates?

BOLDUAN: Well, they are not the biggest purveyors of pork this year. But Senator Obama, he's -- 53 earmarks which came out to about $100 million. And then Senator Clinton, she had more that, she had 281 earmarks close to $300 million in earmarks. Senator McCain, he had none. He has been a longtime critic of the earmarks.

HARRIS: Hillary Clinton bringing home the bacon.

BOLDUAN: You said it. I did not.

HARRIS: I did. I apologize already. All right. Kate Bolduan on Capitol Hill for us. Kate, appreciate it. Thank you.

BOLDUAN: Thanks Tony.

HARRIS: And coming up in the half hour, welcome back everyone to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.

WHITFIELD: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

He wants more help in Afghanistan. President Bush in Romania today ahead of tomorrow's NATO summit. He's urging NATO members to put more troops on the ground.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRES. GEORGE W. BUSH, UNITED STATES: I'm grateful for any nation that contributes troops to Afghanistan as are the Afghan people. And clearly, some nations are more capable than others of sending troops into come into harm's way. We fully understand the politics that prohibits some nations from contributing but nations need to this mission seriously.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: President Bush also talks about his upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladmir Putin. And Mr. Putin's opposition to U.S. plans for missile shield near Russia's border.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: I'm going to meet with President Putin to make it clear to him the Cold War is over and Russia is not our enemy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Russia is opposing tonight owe membership for former soviet

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: And the Cold War's over and Russia's not our enemy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Russia is also opposing NATO membership for former Soviet Republic Ukraine and Georgia.

HARRIS: Just a heart-breaking in to a search for a missing Utah girl. FBI agents found the body of 7-year-old Hser Nay Moo last night in a neighbor's apartment. This comes a day after she was reported missing. Her appearance triggered a massive search and an Amber Alert. Five people have been questioned. Police are planning a news conference.

WHITFIELD: And a shocking story out of south Georgia. Police say nine third-graders at this school planned to attack their teacher. They say they brought a knife, handcuffs and duct tape to class. The alleged plan? Knock the teacher out, tie her up. Stab her? Police say the kids were mad because the teacher had scolded one of them for standing on a chair. The school has disciplined all of the students involved and police say that the three ring leaders, well, they now face criminal charges.

HARRIS: So the teenager didn't want to do odd jobs for money. He wanted to make movies and he did. Director with autism finds success.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: (INAUDIBLE), are they?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

HARRIS: Stories are amazing. We are learning so much today. If you are a typical person and are bothered by autistic behaviors, consider this movie title -- "Normal People Scare Me." It is a film by a young man with autism. That director -- there he is, Taylor Cross and his mom, Keri Bowers.

Good to see you both. They're here to tell their story.

Hey, Taylor, we're going to show everybody a clip from the movie, and then I've got a question for you, but have a look.

TAYLOR CROSS, FILMMAKER: All right.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CROSS: Tell me how you feel about having autism.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have first thought, because people don't understand me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It makes me feel OK because everyone is good at their own things.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Over the years I have come to accept it as a part of who I am. When I was younger I wanted to go away.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is not the biggest part of my life but knowing that I have something that makes me a little different, it sometimes makes me question myself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: And Taylor, you asked people that you featured in that film, how do you feel about having autism? Let me turn the question on you. How do you feel about having autism?

CROSS: It is tough, you know. I deal with it. But I don't think of it necessarily as a bad thing. I mean it has a lot of the attributes that I'm currently known for because of it, right?

HARRIS: Yes, yes. But you know, I'm curious. How long ago did you make the film?

CROSS: That was about roughly two years ago.

HARRIS: About two years ago. And I understand that you traveled the country showing, screening the film, and talking to people about autism. Is that correct?

CROSS: Yes, that's true.

HARRIS: So here's what I want to know. What have you learned about yourself, not necessarily about autism, but what have you learned about Taylor through this whole process?

CROSS: I have learned so many things. I think one of the most important ones is that I have learned to come out of it more and get out of myself (INAUDIBLE).

HARRIS: Yes.

CROSS: Like a lot of other people considering -- I mean, a lot of people my age. Right?

HARRIS: Yes.

Well, Keri, let me ask you. We are all on our individual journeys as you know. How much of Taylor's is defined by his autism? And the other side of that is how much of his life is about who he is, his aspirations that have nothing to do with autism?

KERI BOWERS, TAYLOR'S MOTHER: Oh, what a fabulous question. That's a good question. Oftentimes I was confused by what is the "ism," if you will.

HARRIS: Yes.

BOWERS: And what is the teenager or the young boy developing. I think that Taylor's spirit is wholly more advanced, if you will, maybe even than mine. He's a philosopher. He's very kind and gentle. That's Taylor. That's who Taylor is. The visionary, the person who has dreams beyond what we -- maybe were told by professionals when he was young.

The "ism" is when he gets stuck on things. He (INAUDIBLE), meaning to do the same thing over and over. He sometimes has a difficult time understanding things that are coming at him very quickly. So that would be more the autism, would be the receptive, if you will...

HARRIS: Yes. BOWERS: ...and cognitive understanding.

HARRIS: OK. Taylor, Keri, let's watch another clip from the film and then I've got another question.

CROSS: All right.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CROSS: Sometimes normal people are scary to kids with autism. They talk funny or too fast. Do normal people ever scare you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All the time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, because it is hard to keep up when people are talking.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not really.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. They do.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A little, yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Taylor, do normal people still scare you?

CROSS: That's a very good question, Tony. I mean, what is normal anyway? Right?

HARRIS: There you go.

CROSS: That's the best way I can put it.

HARRIS: Yes, that's a good -- that's a great comeback to that. If you would, would you -- how old are you now, Taylor?

CROSS: I'm 19.

HARRIS: And how you would describe your life now?

CROSS: I would describe my life as better than it was before and a little more outgoing, little more active within my own community.

HARRIS: Yes.

CROSS: And I'm definitely on the way to making friends and going -- I'm doing my public speaking tour which is basically me just going around without my mom.

HARRIS: Yes.

BOWERS: Taylor is living semi-independently right now. He's got a business coach that works with him part time. And he's got semi- supportive living.

HARRIS: Yes.

BOWERS: And he's soaring through the experience.

HARRIS: That's right.

Hey, Keri, what was the key early decision that you made that you think made the biggest difference in the Taylor we see today?

BOWERS: Yes. I think that that was me overcoming my death of a dream so that I could focus on what Taylor needed and what Taylor -- what interventions we needed to get. Sometimes we get stuck as parents with guilt and fear and so for me to overcome that and to finally accept Taylor as it was, not as I had dreamed it would be...

HARRIS: Yes.

BOWERS: ...was really where I was able to really make a transformation to a new level of thinking. And from that point on I made things in the arts, utilizing the arts as a way to teach him life and social skills.

HARRIS: And Taylor, what do you think of this woman next to you, your mother, and the journey you've been on together and the length she has gone to bring you to where you are today? What do you think of her?

CROSS: She is an inspiration. (INAUDIBLE)

BOWERS: Am I blushing? It's lovely to see you grow up and be able to -- we have a friendship.

CROSS: To be able to comprehend that, right?

HARRIS: It is great to meet you both. Look at that.

All right. Taylor Cross and Keri Bowers, great to see you both. Love the story and thanks for your time this morning.

BOWERS: Thank you, Tony.

CROSS: You're welcome. OK.

WHITFIELD: What a beautiful relationship.

HARRIS: (INAUDIBLE)

WHITFIELD: Well, she fought the insurers and she won. We're profiling people touched by autism on this, the U.N.'s first World Autism Awareness Day.

CNN's Drew Griffin looks at one parent's quest to help all parents struggling with autism cost.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How old are you? Yes, you're 7. DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): For Ryan Unumb, learning his age is part of a daily routine of intensive behavioral therapy. Since his diagnosis five years ago, Ryan's parents, Lorri and Dan, know this treatment has worked wonders.

LORRI UNNUMB, MOTHER OF AUTISTIC CHILD: And then you realize how incredibly extensive it is, and if you're like Dan and me, you think, at least we have insurance. Thank goodness. And then, insurance doesn't pay for it.

GRIFFIN: Like most parents with autistic children then found out the hard way. Medical insurance generally doesn't cover autism treatment. And it's expensive. For the 40 hours a week Ryan gets, the bills are $70,000 to $80,000 a year. That's Lorri's entire salary.

UNNUMB: It costs that much and yet I consider us the lucky ones because we have good educations and jobs and so we can sacrifice that much money for his therapy. The people that just break my heart are the ones who can't.

GRIFFIN: As a lawyer and a law professor, Lorris decided to do something about it to force insurance companies to cover autism. She wrote a bill, lobbied hard and this summer, Ryan's bill will become Ryan's Law in South Carolina.

UNNUMB: It will provide up to $50,000 per year for behavioral therapy through the age of 16. And it prohibits discrimination in insurance matters just because of a diagnosis of autism.

GRIFFIN: How she did it , how she and other parents went up against one of the most powerful industries in the nation and won has become legend among parents of autistic children who flocked to seminars to learn from the trailblazers how they could do the same in their own states.

The health insurance industry warns that making coverage mandatory is ultimately a bad thing for the public.

SUSAN PISANO, AMERICA'S HEALTH INSURANCE PLANS: We oppose the idea of mandates in general because we think, in the end, what happens is that health care is less affordable and less accessible when mandates are imposed.

GRIFFIN: But we wanted to know, why isn't autism treatment covered in the first place?

PISANO: Many of the services that are now being billed or being asked of the health care system are traditionally educational services. And the American Academy of Pediatrics, for example, lists the number of services as educational and lists other services as medical.

GRIFFIN: In some ways it's a public policy question. Either way the Unnumbs have fallen through the cracks. Surprisingly the family behind Ryan's Law won't actually benefit from it. DAN UNNUMB, RYAN'S FATHER: Not by this legislation.

UNNUMB: No. We -- and we knew that. We knew that going through it.

GRIFFIN: Dan's company is self-insured. The state law does not apply. They hope one day they will get coverage but for right now, one day at a time, one small gain at a time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So how old are you?

UNNUMB: How old?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you tell me?

RYAN UNNUMB, AUTISTIC CHILD: 7.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.

UNNUMB: 7. Good job.

GRIFFIN: Drew Griffin, CNN, Lexington, South Carolina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And we want to you stay with us all day for our coverage on autism including at noon Eastern, a one-hour special. "WE HAVE AUTISM," focusing on families living with autism around the world. And stay up for "Finding Amanda," a one-hour "ANDERSON COOPER 360" special at 11:00 p.m. Eastern. It's about a woman with autism and you won't forget her.

Also follow our coverage on CNN.com where you can see how you can help. Watch iReports and read blogs from families dealing with autism. It will really touch your heart, as all of us probably already has.

And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: For the first time Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke acknowledge it, that the economy may shrink in the first half of the year. Well, what will that mean for the job market?

Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with more details on that.

Susan?

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And as the economy shrink spread, Bernanke also says he expects to see the unemployment rate climb. A new survey done for Careerbuilder.com finds that 11 percent of hiring managers said they cut staff in the first three months of this year. But only 6 percent said they plan to cut staff for the next three months. Among the companies' increasing staff, the survey found that larger businesses have more plans to expand payrolls. So if you're looking for work keep that in mind.

Meanwhile, the payroll company ADP says that the economy added 8,000 private sector jobs last month. Most economists are expecting a third straight month of job losses when the broader jobs report is released from the government on Friday -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And Susan, even if the economy did add jobs last month, 8,000, terrible for any economy this size.

LISOVICZ: No question about it, Fred. Keep in mind, to just keep up with the growing population, the U.S. economy needs to add about 100,000 jobs just to break even. So 8,000 jobs in an economy this size means hiring isn't keeping up with the demand for jobs.

The demand for stocks, well, we're seeing it. Stock surge are staging a modest rally even after that nearly 400-point gain yesterday. Big rallies earlier in this volatile year were followed by losses. That's foolish.

Checking the numbers. The Dow Industrials up 28 points, or about a fifth of 1 percent. The NASDAQ up two-thirds of 1 percent.

One more piece of business to tell you about. Monday we told you about the financial woes involving a California lender named Fremont General. During the telling of that story, video and a spot from the Web site of Fremont Bank inadvertently appeared. The two companies are separate. We regret if any confusion resulted from this. There was a lot of interests if you go to Fremont Bank's Web site.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

LISOVICZ: There were a lot of folks that were concerned about that and they are separate.

WHITFIELD: Wow. We know we and they appreciate the clarification.

HARRIS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right. Susan, thank you.

LISOVICZ: You're welcome.

HARRIS: Parents who are there for (INAUDIBLE) worry about when they won't be.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMY DODSON, MOTHER: Hopefully I'll live forever, you know, because no one can take care of your child -- you know, better than you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: When the mystery of autism meets the uncertainty of the future. ANNOUNCER: "Stock Market Update" brought to you by...

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: You know one of the worries for parents of autistic children is, how will my child do as an adult?

Our coverage on autism "Unraveling the Mystery" continues with CNN's Judy Fortin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JUDY FORTIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): 12-year-old Andrew Dodson was diagnosed with autism a decade ago. His parents do almost everything for him. Yet, they don't know what they'll do when he becomes an adult.

DODSON: It is sad. It's very sad. I mean -- and if you let yourself think about it, you'll cry all the time. You know? So I don't think I've let my self think too far ahead in the future, because we don't know what the future holds for Andrew.

FORTIN: The future may seem a long way off for the Dodsons but some autism specialists tell parents not to wait to make plans.

GREGORY MACDUFF, PRINCETON CHILD DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE: Now is not too soon.

FORTIN: Experts say it's important to start thinking about a child's future the day they're diagnosed. It's recommended that they learn common skills early on so that they can be as independent as possible. Even with planning, psychologist Gregory MacDuff says society may not be prepared to manage the growing number of adults with autism.

MACDUFF: My experience is that there are not enough good science-based programs available to assist these people in acquiring the kinds of life skills that they're going to need to be successful.

FORTIN: The Dodsons believe Andrew's success comes one day at a time.

DODSON: I mean hopefully I'll live forever, you know, because no one can take care of your child other -- you know, better than you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Incredible stuff. We want you to stay with us all day for our coverage on autism.

At the top of the hour, a one-hour special, "WE HAVE AUTISM," focusing on families living with autism around the world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, Tony, we got some breaking news out on the West Coast, in Los Angeles. You know how I feel about dogs.

HARRIS: Oh yes, I do actually.

WHITFIELD: This one, a pooch in peril.

HARRIS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Just want to give you an idea what's taking place in Beverly Glen. A pretty sophisticated rescue effort is under way.

HARRIS: Wait a minute.

WHITFIELD: They're trying to retrieve -- yes, these are rescue teams right here.

HARRIS: OK.

WHITFIELD: And you see that -- you know what's being repelled...

HARRIS: I see a dog wagging its tail.

WHITFIELD: Right.

They actually used a helicopter in part to help get this 100- pound dog that was kind of stuck and has fallen down a ravine about 200 feet. And you look at the video now of how this chopper rescue team were used...

HARRIS: They had to bring in a helicopter...

WHITFIELD: Yes.

HARRIS: ...to get the dog out of the ravine?

WHITFIELD: Yes, because it needed some help.

HARRIS: Right. Right. OK.

WHITFIELD: Man's best friend. Come on.

HARRIS: Sure, sure.

WHITFIELD: Yes. I know you're all over it.

Well, anyway, you see the very happy dog now.

HARRIS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Alongside the rescue team there, there in the Los Angeles area, in Beverly Glen more specifically. Happy ending. No longer pooch in peril. Happy pooch now.

HARRIS: That's right in Beverly Hills, isn't it? OK. Happy that it ended well for everyone involved namely the dog.

WHITFIELD: Yes. We're all happy about that. HARRIS: OK.

WHITFIELD: CNN NEWSROOM continues one hour from now.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris.

A special presentation "WE HAVE AUTISM" is 90 seconds away.

Right now a check of the headlines.

Now in the news, a passenger at Orlando's airport was in court briefly this morning. He's accused of checking luggage containing materials for making a bomb.

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