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Obama Names Health Care Team; One of Four Missing Men Found Clinging to Boat; Snow Storm Slows Down East Coast; Children Uprooted Due to Foreclosures

Aired March 02, 2009 - 13:00   ET

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

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Today I'm proud to announce key members of the team I'm assembling to help do just that. Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius for my secretary of health and human services and Nancy-Ann DeParle as director of the White House Office for Health Reform.

Now, there's no easy formula for fixing our health-care system. There will be many different opinions and ideas about how to achieve this reform. And that's why I'm bringing together business and labor, doctors and insurers, Democrats and Republicans, as well as ordinary Americans from all walks of life to the White House this Thursday for an historic health-care forum.

What is required, however, is a commitment to reform that focuses, not on Democratic or Republican ideas, but on ideas that work to rein in costs, expand access and improve the quality of health care for the American people.

Kathleen Sebelius embodies such a commitment to bipartisan accomplishment. She is, after all, the daughter of a Democratic governor, and the daughter-in-law of a Republican congressman. But she's forged a reputation for bipartisan problem-solving in her own right. As governor of Kansas, she inherited a $1 billion deficit, but by eliminating waste and inefficiency, while making smart choices, she balanced the state budget without raising taxes.

And time and again on energy and education, jobs and health care, she's bridged the partisan divide and worked with a Republican legislature to get things done for the people of Kansas. And that's why I'm so proud that one of the most esteemed political leaders of our time, Bob Dole, is here, as well as my former colleague, Pat Roberts here, as well. People in Kansas, we stick together. And I've got my own Kansas roots here, so I'm particularly pleased to be joined by so many -- so many Kansans.

Now, Kathleen has also -- also knows health care inside and out. She's won praise for her expertise from stakeholders across the spectrum, from consumer groups to insurers. Over eight years as state insurance commissioner, she refused campaign contributions from insurance companies and protected the people of Kansas from increases to their premiums by blocking a takeover of the state's largest insurer. She helped draft a proposed national bill of rights for patients and served as the president of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. And as a governor, she's been on the front lines of our health- care crisis. She has a deep knowledge of what the burden of crushing costs does to our families and businesses. That's why she fought to guarantee Kansans access to quality affordable health care, and sought to secure it for every Kansas child from birth to age 5.

Kathleen has a remarkable intellect, unquestioned integrity, and the kind of pragmatic wisdom you'll tend to find in a Kansan. I know she will bring some much-needed grace and good humor to Washington, and she will be a tremendous asset to my cabinet.

Now, as critical the task of health-care reform is, Governor Sebelius will oversee a department with wide-ranging responsibilities essential to the well being of the American people. We rely on the Food and Drug Administration to ensure the safety of our nation's food and drug supply. We depend on the Centers for Disease Control to make sure our nation is prepared for a pandemic disease outbreak or bioterrorism attacks. We expect the National Institutes of Health to keep America at the forefront of research and work toward a cure for cancer in our time.

And for as long as I am president, these agencies will be led by exceptional individuals who stand on the side of the American people, who push politics aside in favor of proven science, who eschew stale ideology for sound ideas and a focus on what works.

I'm also proud to announce that Kathleen will have an excellent partner at the White House in Nancy, one of the nation's leading experts on health care and regulatory issues. As commissioner of the Department of Human Services in Tennessee, she saw firsthand our health-care system's impact on workers and families.

In the Clinton administration, she handled budget matters for federal health-care programs and took on the tremendous task of managing Medicare and Medicaid.

I have absolute confidence in her ability to lead the public and legislative effort to ensure quality, affordable health care for every American.

Let me close by saying one last thing. I realize that there are those who simply don't believe Washington can bring about this change, and the odds are long. It's failed too many times. There are too many special interests and entrenched lobbyists invested in the status quo. That's the conventional wisdom, and I understand those doubts.

But I also know this. I didn't come to Washington to take the easy route or to work for the powerful, the well-connected interests who have run this city for too long. I came here to work for the American people. I came here to deliver the sweeping change that they demanded when they went to the polls in November.

Kathleen and Nancy share my resolve. I look forward to working with them as we begin the urgent and immediate task of ensuring quality, affordable health care for every American. And we also know that we're going to need important partners there. So that's why I'm so proud that we have the outstanding member of the House of Representatives, Henry Waxman, and my own colleague in the head of the finance committee, Max Baucus. They have already shown extraordinary leadership in this process. The fact that we've got Democrats and Republicans here, I hope, is a symbol of how we can move this issue forward.

I don't think anybody has a silver bullet when it comes to health care. There are some difficult tradeoffs to be made. There are some difficult choices to be made. But what I do know is this. That people of goodwill, collectively recognize that the path we're on is unsustainable. So it's going to be Kathleen's job and Nancy's job to work with extraordinary leaders, like the ones on this stage, to make sure that we finally deliver health-care reform that will save our federal budget and help American families for generations to come.

Thank you very much.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Kathleen.

KATHLEEN SEBELIUS, NOMINEE, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: Thank you.

OBAMA: Don't mind the little thing.

SEBELIUS: Yes. Well, Mr. President, thank you.

The president's request that I lead the department charged with protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential services to some of our most vulnerable citizens is a responsibility I could not refuse. I'm deeply honored by your faith in me, Mr. President.

I've worked on health-care issues for more than two decades: as a legislator, as an insurance commissioner, and as governor of the great state of Kansas. Mr. President, I share your passion and personal commitment to health-care reform.

During the campaign, you talked about watching your mother spend her final days battling for her insurance benefits, a situation all- too familiar to too many Americans.

I spent time with the first lady as she reached out to ordinary women in cities and towns across America who came together to share their struggles and fears and voice hope for a change in the health- care system that could save families from bankruptcy and deliver quality care to all.

I share your belief that we can't fix the economy without fixing health care. The work won't be easy, but bringing about real change rarely is.

Business and labor leaders, teachers and health-care providers, policymakers at the state, local and national level, parents and children are ready to join this effort. This isn't a partisan challenge: it's an American challenge, and one that we can't afford to ignore. This election was a vote for change. And nowhere is that change more important than in reforming the health-care system of America. Nancy Ann DeParle and I have worked together in the past on health- care issues, and I look forward to having a great partner in the effort moving forward.

Now, the decision to leave my job in Kansas as governor of the great Sunflower State is not easy. But you, Mr. President, reminded me it's possible to help Kansas and help the United States at the same time.

I can think of no greater honor than to join you in this effort to transform our health-care system and improve the lives of all Americans. Thank you for giving me this challenge.

OBAMA: Thank you. You're going to be great.

SEBELIUS: Thank you.

OBAMA: Nancy, you want to say anything? Go ahead.

NANCY-ANN DEPARLE, APPOINTEE, WHITE HOUSE OFFICE FOR HEALTH REFORM: Yes. I'll just say I'm really honored to be asked by President Obama to be part of his team, working to lower costs and provide health-care insurance and better quality to all Americans and especially excited to be working with governor and now secretary- designate Sebelius. As she said, we enjoyed working together earlier in both of our careers, and I think it will be a great partnership. So thank you, Mr. President.

OBAMA: All right. Thank you, everybody. We're going to go get to work.

KYRA PHILLIPS, HOST: All right. Another do-over for President Obama. Just weeks after losing his first choice for health security and days before a White House summit on health care, as you see, he just announced Kathleen Sebelius, the Democratic governor of Kansas. She has agreed to take over a system that she'll also have to take on.

Suzanne Malveaux is standing by at the White House for us. Also senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen watching everything with me here in Atlanta.

Suzanne, let's go ahead and start with you. Why Kathleen Sebelius?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, she has the kind of experience that they were looking for, and that is obviously as the insurance commissioner of her own state for eight years, taking on insurance companies. That is going to be the real battle point here, taking on those health insurance companies. They've already said, look, you know, they don't -- they're not particularly pleased with some of the things they've heard of Obama's plan.

One thing that struck me is that you have two individuals now who are holding these jobs in place of one individual, Tom Daschle, the initial nominee, who would have held both the secretary position at HHAS, as well as this kind of health-care czar position.

And what it means here is that you have two people who have particular expertise, but neither one of them, really the candidate like Tom Daschle was. He had the health-care experience in dealing with legislation. He had the relationships with members of Congress. That is what you find with Nancy-Ann DeParle. She really has those kinds of relationships that they're looking for.

So together, they believe that these two individuals will make a very strong team, and it really underscores that this is going to be a battle for this president and for this administration -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Suzanne Malveaux, thank you so much.

And finding health insurance for 48 million Americans without it is just one of the new secretary's challenges. Let's bring in CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.

You know, Suzanne sort of raised the point a little bit about the fact that there's two positions here, where previously the initial choice, you didn't have to have two positions. So I was saying to you, OK, is that -- does that say more about her not being qualified, or is that OK, that's more taxpayer money for another salary, what's this reporter telling you that's been covering Sebelius for so long?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think first of all, you have to think about Daschle. And Daschle, sort of in one person you had a lot of expertise, including how to deal with Congress.

I was talking to a reporter from the "Kansas City Star," and he said, "Look, Sebelius is incredibly smart. She's a wonk." And wonks aren't always dealmakers, so to speak.

For example, in her own state when she tried to insure all children in Kansas, ages 5 and under, it didn't work. The legislature didn't do it. So you could look at that and say, gosh, she tried to do that and it didn't work. Maybe we need sort of a second person to work with her on this issue.

PHILLIPS: It wasn't just that, but also the cigarette tax you were telling me, as well, was something that didn't work out.

COHEN: She tried to enact a cigarette tax to fund health-care expansion. Didn't work.

PHILLIPS: OK. So success stories?

COHEN: Yes. There are some success stories. Let me tell you about one of them near and dear to everybody's hearts.

She managed to be able to allow Kansans to order prescription drugs from Canada and the United Kingdom. You can save up to 50 percent when you do that. She got a lot of kudos for that. I mean, that obviously, could be a big advantage for someone who doesn't have good prescription drug coverage.

PHILLIPS: and so many Americans deal with that.

COHEN: Absolutely.

PHILLIPS: It's incredible how much it costs now.

COHEN: Huge numbers. I mean, even if you have insurance, your prescription drug costs can still be sky-high. Absolutely. So to be able to order from Canada is no small thing.

PHILLIPS: All right. Elizabeth Cohen, thanks so much.

And we know that you have questions. We also have answers. Maybe not all the answers, but Elizabeth Cohen and Gerri Willis are going to come back next hour to share their knowledge and expertise. So go ahead and e-mail us your questions on health insurance, Medicare, the president's reform plans. Here's our address: CNNnewsroom@CNN.com. We'll read as many as we can. Elizabeth and Gerri will be right here with us to answer as many of them for you.

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PHILLIPS: You know, all morning we've been following the story about the Coast Guard out there searching about 16,000 square miles of the ocean off of Florida's Gulf Coast, looking for that fishing boat that has been carrying two NFL players, two other men, after they were reported missing, after they took off on a fishing trip.

Word now that possibly one of those individuals has been found clinging to the actual boat that they were fishing from. He's a former University of South Florida football player. John Zarrella working the details now.

John, you're just finding out this information. What do you know?

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kyra.

Well, the United States Coast Guard is confirming to us now that they have found one of the four men, and as you pointed out, clinging to the side of that vessel. He was wearing a life vest, and he was transported, air-lifted to Tampa Memorial Hospital.

They do not have many more details than that. They are saying that he, in fact, is not one of the two players. You can see that helicopter there. The United States helicopter, Coast Guard helicopter presumably heading, perhaps, in now to the hospital. Just guessing here that may be what it is.

But that the man that they found is Nick Schuyler, not one of the two NFL players, Corey Smith or Marquis Cooper. But Nick Schuyler, one of the other two men who was on that boat, along with Will Bleakley.

Now, the four men had gone out on that fishing trip yesterday, and they were overdue coming back in. One of the family members called the Coast Guard, reported that, and immediately a search began.

But of course, we've had that brutal cold front moving through. The weather was very rough in the Gulf of Mexico yesterday. It hampered the search efforts.

But again now, first details coming in from the United States Coast Guard that, in fact, they have found the boat and they have found one, but only one, of the four men clinging to that boat. Hopefully, all four were wearing life vests, but it's going to be a very difficult search out there in that large expanse of water for three other men who, presumably now, Kyra, are just floundering out there, just in life vests -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, John. Stay with me here as we follow these pictures. It's the first actual piece of video that we've been able to get since the news broke about these four missing in the boat. It's coming to us from our affiliate, WFLA.

And apparently, you were saying that Nick Schuyler, one of the four who were out on this trip, Nick being one of the South Florida players -- OK, we just lost the video there. I was hoping that we'd be able to get a shot, maybe, to see him being taken out of that helicopter.

So, I guess -- have they had a chance -- here we go. We've got the picture back up, John. Have they had a chance, do we know, to have any type of discussions with him since they were able to retrieve him here, via this basket?

ZARRELLA: No, the Coast Guard is not telling us that they have. You would assume, unless of course, he was suffering some form of hypothermia. The water may have been a little cold. We don't know what condition he is in, if he was -- we would assume he was conscious. We would assume, again, they were able to have some form of communication with him. But again, the Coast Guard is not giving us those details.

Now, it's not surprising, Kyra, that that boat, that 21-foot boat, a rather small boat, an Everglades boat, it's called, was still floating. Because it's one of these boats that's considered pretty much unsinkable. It's got pressed Styrofoam as part of the hull, pressed Styrofoam surrounded by fiberglass. So it makes it very, very difficult to sink that kind of a boat, which may well have been the reason why Nick Schuyler's life has been saved here today. But...

PHILLIPS: Can you see the video, John? Are you able to see the video.

ZARRELLA: I'm looking -- I'm looking at that, as well. I'm not quite sure...

PHILLIPS: It looks like he's talking.

ZARRELLA: It does.

PHILLIPS: It looks like he's able to move OK. ZARRELLA: It certainly does. It looks like he's actually sitting up a little bit. They've got him in that -- on that stretcher now, putting him back on that stretcher. In fact, yes, he is moving, and apparently, he was talking to the -- to those members of the United States Coast Guard that are bringing him in now.

So some pretty dramatic pictures there of the rescue of one of the four. So we can assume that, in fact, he was able to give them some information about what happened, how they ended up in the water, how the boat obviously capsized, and, hopefully, give them some news on what happened to the other three men, including those two NFL football players -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. So just to bring our viewers up to date, John, stay with me. These are live pictures from our affiliate WFLA. And it looks like we got exactly what we were looking for, and that was a shot of Nick Schuyler there, one of the boaters that was missing along with three others, including two NFL players. He was the only one so far found, clinging to that vessel, about 38 miles west of Tampa, Florida.

John, stay with me.

Chad Myers, you've also been following this story. The conditions out there, the temperature of the weather, also the Coast Guard's efforts. Why -- how did they get out so far? Why were they out as far as they were?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, good question. Because that's what they wanted to fish for. If you want to do inshore fishing, you can get red fish and bone fish down here in the bay. You can do a lot of great red bone fishing in here.

But if you want to get out there and get reef fish, you have to go a ways. You have to get 20, 30 miles into this sand flat. If you take your fish finder and you leave St. Pete Beach, or Clearwater Beach and you just -- you ping the bottom for miles and miles and miles, not see a single fish. And then all of a sudden you find a reef out here, and that's where the fish congregate. So you can't fish for much within ten miles of shore. You need to get out 30 miles.

And when you're out that far, then you're probably a one-hour run back in when you see the squall coming. This squall was moving very, very quickly, coming down from the northwest. Winds probably 20, 30 knots in this squall. And some reports now about seven-foot waves. And a 21-foot boat should be able to take care of a seven-foot wave, but if you lose power or if you get side waves, the boat could flounder.

He said it was clinging to the boat upside down. That tells you that there was some type of catastrophic event with that boat, probably some kind of a side swell, maybe some kind of a rogue wave. And when you get out that far, it's rough. I mean, the waves can come up very, very quickly. PHILLIPS: All right. And as you just saw right here on CNN, live pictures via our affiliate WFLA. Appreciate you bringing that to us, via your helicopter. We actually got the first pictures there of Nick Schuyler, the first boater to be found actually clinging to that vessel, as Chad said. Found upside down. Can't imagine what he's been going through.

Still, three of his buddies missing. Detroit -- the two NFL players, Corey Smith and Marquis Cooper, also Will Bleakley, who was a former University of South Florida player, along with Nick Schuyler. They were out on a guy's trip, a fishing trip.

You're seeing here Nick has survived. We'll, of course, be very eager to hear from him what he has to say and if, indeed, he knows what happened to the three other guys that were there on that boat with him. We'll follow up the story for you and continue our developing coverage.

Now, the snow. It sure is pretty, isn't it? But it's pretty hard work. They're actually shoveling and scraping and plowing all over the northeast today. Chad's been a busy man. So is our Jacqui Jeras. We've got a mega update on that mega storm, straight ahead.

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PHILLIPS: Well, on the second day of the third month, winter is still on the march. A mega snowstorm rolling through the northeast. It dumped about a foot on New York City, closing schools for the first time in five years.

And in Washington, a blanket of snow made for a tough morning commute. Authorities asked everybody who could take public transportation to do so.

This is the same system that smacked the southeast, as well. We don't see too much snow here in Atlanta, so kids were pretty thrilled to go out and play.

All right. We've seen a lot of what the storm has been doing. Let's see where it's going. Chad Myers handling that part of things, also Jacqui Jeras.

What do you think? I couldn't -- the first thing I heard on the radio, all the schools that were being closed. I couldn't even find news this morning. That was the big news here in Atlanta.

MYERS: You know, I was thinking about President Obama chastising D.C. for closing the schools about two weeks ago for getting two inches of snow. I can -- I can hear what he's saying about Atlanta for the one inch of snow that we had. Although, some -- honestly, some spots did get more than that.

That snow is now on up into the Hudson River Valley, also into Burlington and back down into the Delaware Water Gap. This is where the snow is going to be. There's a break in New York City right now. It's not really snowing in the city so much, so maybe get out there and clear it if you can. But if you get out toward the Long Island Expressway, you get out east of there, it is still -- really still coming down.

A little bit of light snow still filling back in here, which means just a bit more moisture coming in, but we're talking flurries now at best. There's no real significant accumulation going to go on from here, except if you're north of New York City and on up into New England.

Upton, New York, you've already got a foot, though. Brooklyn, New York, at nine inches. I know it's a big borough, but nine inches. Central Park, even at seven inches. That's something to shovel.

That's what we expect, that snow to continue to move on up to the north. We still expect I-87 and the Capitol district here to be very slick. Boston, you're in the clear for now.

And Jacqui Jeras has been covering this, covering the traffic and the snow and the airplanes, because they haven't been doing so very well.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Not even a little bit.

MYERS: I think the airplanes and drivers in the south do equally as well in a snow storm.

JERAS: That's a great analogy. Absolutely.

You know, the best thing we can tell you is that a lot of flights did get canceled, so that tends to keep the delays a little bit lower for those few planes that are still trying to get out and about.

But we still have, even the snow has decreased a little bit in intensity. We still have some visibility issues, and we have those low ceilings. So the planes have to line up and take their time to make their approach and get in.

LaGuardia looking at delays at three hours now. This is out by about an hour and a half since we talked last. JFK, nearly two hours. Newark, you've shaved down quite a bit, and you're looking at just over an hour for delays, an hour and a half in Philadelphia. And we also have a few delays out west: San Francisco looking at delays of over an hour, as well.

If we could get our Google Garth going and show you some of those delays that we're talking about, some of the highways, we've had some troubles in places like Baltimore, Washington, D.C., as well as into the Boston area.

Our iReporters have been doing a fantastic job getting things out. There we go. There's some of that Google Earth. This is actually the downtown Atlanta area. And one of the things I wanted to talk about, what's happening here, yes, for the most part, the roadways have been cleared out. A couple of patchy icy spots. But guess what's happening downtown? Some of these buildings here. This is 14th Street right between Crescent Street and also Peachtree. Ice is starting to melt off, and it's coming down the buildings. So they've had to close off a section of the roadway here, because they're worried about pedestrians and cars, having that ice fall on them and somebody getting hurt -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Jacqui, Chad, thanks so much.

Well, are you looking out at a gorgeous winter scene right now? Or maybe trapped in a travel nightmare? Either way, do us a favor: send us your iReport. It's quick; it's easy. Just log on to iReport.com, and you might see your stuff on the air and help us inform all of you better, as well.

A mantra of President Obama, green energy creates green jobs. But just where are those jobs? Personal finance editor Gerri Willis joining us with some hot tips.

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PHILLIPS: Well, they had been out fishing since Saturday at 6:30 a.m. This is the first sign we've seen of one of them since then. This is Nick Schuyler. He and his three buddies were out on a fishing trip. We got these live pictures eight minutes ago via our affiliate WFLA.

The Coast Guard had been searching for these guys, about 16,000 square miles of ocean off Florida's Gulf Coast, finding no sign of the fishing boat until just in about the last hour and a half we got word that possibly they saw one of the guys clinging to the vessel. Sure enough, it was Nick Schuyler. Still missing right now, Oakland Raiders Linebacker Marquis Cooper; also NFL free agent Corey Smith, he played for the Detroit Lions for the past three seasons; and then also still missing the third member of that boating trip, William Bleakley, he's also a former University of South Florida football player, along with Schuyler there.

Still don't know the condition of the other three. Hoping to hear more from Nick Schuyler. He looked like he was able to communicate with Coast Guard rescuers there as they got him out of the basket, onto the stretcher, headed to the hospital to get checked up on. Who knows what he or the other guys, since 6:30 a.m. on Saturday when they embarked on their 21-foot single-engine boat from the Seminole boat ramp near Clearwater Pass. That was information we were able to gain from the Coast Guard about when they left, what type of boat. And then that search for them was launched actually early Sunday, yesterday actually, after friends and relatives realized they had not returned from their fishing trip and got concerned.

The good news is Nick Schuyler looks to be alive and headed to the hospital for a checkup. He is talking with rescuers. Meanwhile, still the Coast Guard is trying to find three of the others. Nick was found clinging to the vessel that they had actually taken out on early morning Saturday. So, a lot of people wondering the condition now of the three other players, once again, Marquis Cooper, Corey Smith, and their other buddy, William Bleakley. We're following that story. We'll bring you more as we get it.

$51.7 billion. That mind-boggling figure is how much insurance giant AIG lost in the fourth quarter alone, making it the biggest quarterly loss in U.S. corporate history. In a bid to stop the insurance giant from going belly up, the U.S. government is loaning the company another $30 billion in taxpayer money. It's the fourth time since last September that the government has stepped in to help AIG and to the tune of more than $150 billion. Under this revamped rescue plan, the Federal Reserve will take equity stakes in the two AIG international companies.

Let's head straight to Wall Street now, see how investors are reacting to AIG's new bailout. Stephanie Elam at the New York Stock Exchange for us today.

Hey, Stephanie.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra.

Yes, you know, you're talking about AIG. Believe it or not, its shares are up right now by seven percent, although earlier they were up by about 15 percent. But keep in mind, that's only an increase of three cents, as AIG trades less than 50 cents. And that's quite a fall from the $50.00 that AIG was trading at about a year ago. Coupled with that, massive loss. It shows why the government is jumping in to help the insurer and, at the same time, why many taxpayers are so upset.

The fact AIG needs more help is raising big questions about the health of the broader financial sector. As a result, Dow quote on Bank of America down 14 percent. Citigroup is on the downside by 20 percent. JPMorgan Chase also down by more than six percent. And the Dow Industrials have tumbled well below the 7000 mark. Right now the blue chip average is hanging out a 6814, it's off 248 points, off 3.5 percent. Nasdaq off 3.5 percent as well. The S&P 500, which is a broader index, off four percent.

Today's sell off show the market is still looking to find a bottom. One analyst goes so far as to say as the Dow could fall to 5000. And the S&P 500, which many mutual funds track, will hit 500. Today, the S&P is just above 700, and just above that at right now. What Wall Street wants is to see some of these big financial bellwethers find a way to stabilize themselves, companies like AIG and CItigroup. But until that happens, analysts tell us that financial stocks in the broader market are likely to keep in the cycle of pain, Kyra. So, we'll keep our eyes on it, but definitely the snow is falling and so are the stocks here today in New York.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Stephanie.

Well, if we've heard it once from President Obama, we've heard it numerous times, going green is one way to beat this recession. But where are the green jobs? Joining us for some tips, personal finance editor Gerri Willis.

Hey, Gerri. GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hey, Kyra.

Yes, a green jobs. You know, you may be asking yourself what is exactly a green job? Well, it's a job tied directly to contributing to making something more efficient or generating energy more cleanly. Green collar jobs are often in the same area of employment that people already work in today, but these professions may just begin focusing more on the environment. We're talking about blue collar jobs like building inspector, roofer, insulator, sheet metal worker, electricians, but there also be a number of white collar green jobs as well.

So where will these green jobs be? Well, especially when it comes to the stimulus bill, there will be a lot more investment in areas like construction, manufacturing, solar energy, and wind energy. If you want a green collar job, make sure to look at what areas exists in your area. For example, if you're state or region has a lot of manufacturing activity like Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, where there are a lot of auto plants, or the northeast, then chances are there will be even more investment in that area in the future. Plants or factories may be refurbished or retrofitted or new green products may be made at those locations, meaning you may not have to move to find a new job. Construction and retrofitting jobs will be more common in the northeast where it's cold and the buildings are older.

Now, if you live in Arizona or Nevada, there's also a lot of sun, so solar energy resources are abundant. You can take care of opportunities there.

And in places where wind is more easily harnessed, wind technology is going to be a better investment. Look to places like Oklahoma and Wyoming.

So, you want to know who's hiring? Here's some companies that are actively recruiting, either for part-time work or internships. You'll find such job titles as engineering consultant, urban ecologist, environmental advocacy, environmental policy, or economics and law. And you can see the titles here, Booze Allen, Environmental Defense Fund, New York City Department of Transportation. These jobs are sort of everywhere in these white collar professions, but these institutions typically don't hire thousands of people, they hire one, two, maybe ten at best - Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Gerri Willis, thanks so much.

You may hide it from your boss during a boring meeting, but it may actually help you. We're going to tell you what scientists say about doodling.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right. So do you draw aimlessly in the margins of a page during a less than scintillating business meeting? Maybe you draw flowers and butterflies here like my producer Sonia (ph) during the meeting. Or, maybe a big diamond like this one like my writer Kerri (ph), who's buying a Mega Lottery ticket today. Guess what, doodling may help you remember more.

Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen with more on the science of doodle.

So, does this mean that they're really smart?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. You have a really smart staff. And I asked Anya (ph), did she do the sun with the smiley face in it? That's what I want to know. I don't see it there.

PHILLIPS: She didn't do any smiley faces, no.

COHEN: Well, that's a true sign of being a girl. Let me tell you about this study that folks in Britain just did. They wanted to know, is there a purpose to doodling? So they sat down 20 people, they played them this really boring voicemails messages that had all sorts of lists in them. And they said, hey, while you listen to this boring message, we want you to doodle. And they gave them shapes like you see right here. And they said, just shade in the shapes. That's it. Shade in the shapes. And then another group of people didn't do any doodling. The doodlers, the people who did what I'm doing now, those folks remembered about 29 percent more information than the folks who didn't doodle.

So, maybe there is a purpose to doodling, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. That's great. I love it. All right. Elizabeth, thanks so much.

I tell you, I apologize, we have to get to our developing story right now, and that is the missing boaters there off the coast of Florida.

The Coast Guard now finding one of those boaters that had gone out early Saturday morning. He was actually clinging to his vessel. You're seeing him here. This is Nick Schuyler, that was rescued by Coast Guard officials after they located him actually clinging to the boat the four of them went on.

On the phone with me now, Petty Officer Robert Simpson.

Robert, tell me, have any of you been able to talk with Nick about what happened and where the other three might be?

PETTY OFC. ROBERT SIMPSON, U.S. COAST GUARD: Well, we have some officers that were able to talk to Nick when they were able to get him off of the vessel. And just get a few questions, as far as trying to find out where the other men were and trying - due to witness state, they had to pull him off in a helicopter and taking him to a hospital in Tampa. As soon as he's there, get more oxygen, and be able to talk to him more to find out more information and we can be able to narrow down our search area.

PHILLIPS: So what exactly did he say happened?

SIMPSON: He said that sometime around Saturday evening they had been anchored out and they were overturned by a wave.

PHILLIPS: OK.

SIMPSON: And all four men were clinging to the hull.

PHILLIPS: OK, so they were overturned by a wave. Were there bad weather conditions at that time, Robert?

SIMPSON: There was a fairly large storm system that had come through the area Saturday evening around the time when they reported their boat had flipped over. But it was anchored out and we're trying to find out the general area where they were when the boat did overturn as it was in anchor, but was drifting when we came upon it.

PHILLIPS: So any indication as to why Nick Schuyler was able to hold on to or cling to that vessel, hold on to that vessel until this point? Meanwhile, Marquis Cooper, Corey Smith and also William Bleakley, did he say that they lost strength? That they let go? That they were swept away?

SIMPSON: Well we're still trying to find out more information from him, as soon as he's able to get medical care at the hospital where officers will be talking to him and find out as much information so we can narrow down the search area as it does continue now.

PHILLIPS: So did he say anything, Robert? Did Schuyler say anything about how he tried to hold on to his buddies or help them hold on to that vessel as he was able to do since Saturday night?

SIMPSON: No. I don't know a lot of the details as far as what he's been able to tell us so far, but we'll hopefully have some more information soon.

PHILLIPS: Do you know if he dealt with -- what kind of conditions he dealt with? Was he dehydrated? Was there hypothermia at all? Do you know how clear he is when it comes to talking and thinking at this point?

SIMPSON: I'm not sure. Hypothermia is definitely a factor in his condition as he was in the water for so long. So he's definitely going to be treated for that and try work through that and see what we can find out from him.

PHILLIPS: So what assets do you have right now out there looking for the other three? Do you still have C-130s in the air? Do you still have ships in the water? Give me an update on that.

SIMPSON: Well, we still have two ships out in the water with a third on its way. We have two C-130s our end, an Air Force C-130, as well as three or four helicopters searching, and there are shoreline searches going on as well.

PHILLIPS: Just for a little background, explain to our viewers why the C-130s are important in searches like these. They have special camera equipment on board, right? SIMPSON: The C-130s have special camera equipment that can look out through a little but longer range than can with the normal eye. They can also stay out eight to ten hours at a time with a much longer range than some of the other aircraft that we do have and some of the smaller boats. They can cover a much larger area in a much shorter period of time because they're able to get a bird's eye overview.

PHILLIPS: Petty Officer Robert Simpson with the U.S. Coast Guard. Sure appreciate you calling in. We'll stay in touch with you.

And just to quickly bring you up to date, you're seeing video here, it happened live here on CNN via our affiliate WFLA live. This is Nick Schuyler, one of the football players that was rescued as he was clinging on to his vessel. We're now finding out some new information via the Coast Guard. Petty Officer Robert Simpson telling me that apparently these guys got into trouble Saturday evening. Apparently, their boat was overturned by a wave while they were experiencing some bad weather. All four of them were clinging on to that vessel. Right now, as you can see, Nick Schuyler is the only one we're able to put eyes on to this point.

Meanwhile, the Coast Guard has assets out there from the air and in the water looking for three other of his buddies that were on that fishing trip - Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper, also NFL free agent Corey Smith, he played for the Detroit Lions for a number of seasons. Also missing, William Bleakley, he's a former University of South Florida football player that was Nick Schuyler at the same university. All buddies, all on a fishing trip. One survivor at this point, they're looking for the other three. We'll keep you updated.

Meanwhile, a soldier reports for duty with her kids in tow.

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I was ready at any time, till I had my daughter, to be called back. You know, so I didn't have any problems with it then, but now our situation has changed.

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PHILLIPS: And she says she has no other choice. Will the Army give her a pass? We'll tell you.

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PHILLIPS: A North Carolina woman is reporting for military duty at Georgia's Fort Benning along with her children. Lisa Pagan was honorably discharged from the Army four years ago. Now she, like thousands of other ready reserve troops, are being called back to active duty. Megan tried to appeal several times, but got nowhere. She says that her husband travels a lot for business and their family situation has changed. They now have two kids, aged four and two.

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LISA PAGAN, SOLDIER/MOTHER OF TWO: I was ready at any time, till I had my daughter, to be called back. You know, I didn't have any problems with it then, but now our situation has changed. My husband has been - he's been to Iraq, you know. It's not like our family hasn't already given some - has sacrificed many things. He missed like almost the first year of his daughter's life, just like many other soldiers.

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PHILLIPS: Pagan's lawyer sent us this statement: "Lisa is at Fort Benning. She is complying with the orders she received to report to duty. Over the next few days she will be processed. Presently we aren't clear as to the Army's plans to assist Lisa in finding someone to care for her children. We will know a lot more over the next few days."

It's one of the more depressing aspects of a recession. Families who lose their homes and the impact that it has on their children. We're going to introduce you to some kids who have had to say good-bye to their school and their friends.

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SIMON, CNN IREPORTER: It's very, very clear to most Americans that I speak to, at least, that one of the major, major problems with the American economy today is that there are no American consumers or that there's way less American consumers. And one of the major reasons for that is that jobs have been outsourced overseas.

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PHILLIPS: Well, outsourcing jobs, of course, is a big problem and one of many causing pain for many, many Americans during this recession. And saying good-bye to friends at school is probably one of the hardest things for a little girl or little boy to do. And in this recession, it's happening a lot as more and more families lose their homes to foreclosure.

CNN's Dan Simon reports from Modesto, California, a community hit really hard by these hard times.

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DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eunice is only 9 years old, but already knows about mortgages, bills and foreclosures.

EUNICE, FOURTH GRADER: The payments on our house that I'm living, my dad -- we didn't have enough money to pay them.

SIMON: She's a fourth grader at Fairview Elementary in Modesto, California. She says her family has had to move twice in the past year. Her story is all-too common in Fairview and other schools in Modesto. Drive around the neighborhood. And you'll see lots of for sale signs and homes that have been foreclosed. HEATHER SHARP, PRINCIPAL, FAIRVIEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: What we've seen in the last two months has been what you can call a revolving door as far as getting 50 students in in two months and 50 students out.

SIMON: Nationally, the statistics are grim. At least an estimated 2 million kids will lose their homes because of the mortgage crisis. And studies showed those children may be suffering more in school. One found that kids who moved twice in one year are half as likely to be proficient in reading, and have a higher chance of being held back a grade. Excessive mobility, the study concludes, can also reduce chances that a student will graduate from high school by more than 50 percent.

Suzelle Tougas is Eunice's fourth grade teacher. She says it's hard to teach with so many kids constantly coming and going.

SUZELLE TOUGAS, TEACHER, FAIRVIEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: And just having to start over and start over is really hard on a child. It takes six weeks for a child to just adjust with a move.

SIMON: Already this year, the class has gotten ten new kids. But eight of those kids have already left. The principal says when children leave the school, more often than not their parents haven't even given notice.

HEATHER SHARP, PRINCIPAL, FAIRVIEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: We had our community aide going out to houses. And they were boarded up. Windows boarded, yard, ground. She ended up having to go to neighbors to find out where the kids were.

TOUGAS: The kids -- they might say something to their friends. But they don't want to say anything to the whole class because they don't want to feel sad. You know, that's mainly what it is. They don't want to have to say goodbye.

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PHILLIPS: Looking forward on health care, food safety, medical research, insurance. President Obama names a new nominee to head Health and Human Services. She's not in Kansas anymore.

This may look like Kansas, but it's South Carolina. At this hour much of the eastern seaboard looks a lot like, only worse.

I'm Kyra Phillips at CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.