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Ranks of Homeless Growing; Rihanna/Chris Brown Controversy; Scam Artists in Bad Economy; Obama Calls on Congress to Make Health Care Affordable

Aired March 07, 2009 - 17:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Almost a trillion dollars later, and today still no assurance from the president of the United States on when the economy will get moving. He's at Camp David. We're at the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're already out here. You know, I mean, we can't go a whole lot further down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: No news, but jobs are down, foreclosures up, and so are the number of people homeless in this economy. Tent cities becoming the newest neighborhoods. This is boom time for at least one industry. One that could be taking money right out of your wallet, your credit cards, and even your bank accounts, taking advantage of the unsuspecting.

And Barkley in prison. But his mouth breaks free.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLES BARKLEY, ATHLETE: let's be realistic. I'm not going to kill myself. This is a screw up on my part and that's it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right, later on in that press conference, he talked about the president, Rush Limbaugh, Bernie Madoff, Chris Brown, just to name a few. You know we're going to have fun with this one. All of it starts right now.

Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

President Barack Obama is preaching hope and optimism today and for good reason. When it comes to the economy, it has been a brutal week by almost any measure. Yesterday, we learned that the nation lost more than 650 jobs in February. And the unemployment rate is now 8.1 percent, the highest rate in a quarter century. In a word, the job market is simply brutal. More than 12 million people are now unemployed. And more than 4 million jobs have disappeared since December of 2007. Hope we're not depressing you too much. But that is the news. Those numbers are weighing heavily on the president's mind. And as he and his family, the first family, spent the weekend at Camp David, without question, the administration has quite a week ahead. Elaine Quijano joins us now from the White House with more on that. Elaine, the numbers are not good. The president vacationing, it's going to be a busy week starting next week for him.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right and today the focus of the Internet address, the weekly address was on the economy, including those job numbers that you just mentioned. Well, what's even worse is that some economists say those numbers could go even higher.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

QUIJANO (voice-over): The U.S. economy has shed nearly 4.5 million jobs since the country slipped into a recession last year. Unemployment last month soared to 8.1 percent, its highest level in a quarter century. Economist Mark Zandi says get ready for even worse.

MARK ZANDI, MOODY'S ECONOMY.COM: Well, I think 10 percent, I think that now seems likely. And that probably won't happen until all the way into the spring or summer of 2010. So all indications are that the job market is in for a rough ride.

QUIJANO: Against that backdrop, President Obama hopes to restore hope.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will continue to face difficult days in the months ahead. But I also believe that we will get through this. That if we act swiftly, and boldly, and responsibly, the United States of America will emerge stronger and more prosperous than it was before.

QUIJAMO: Obama says his administration is already taking action to create jobs, spark lending, and slow down home foreclosures.

OBAMA: That's why my administration is committed to doing all that's necessary to address this crisis and lead us to a better day.

QUIJANO: But in an interview with "The New York Times," the president avoided predicting when the better day might come. How long it will take before recovery actually translates into stronger job markets and so forth is going to depend on a whole range of factors, Obama said. Some experts say the crisis is so bad, the president will need to do much more beyond the massive $787 billion economic stimulus plan.

ZANDI: Yes, I'm afraid so. You know, the $800 billion package that was signed into law, it was a good package, a reasonably good sized package, pretty well designed. I think it will be helpful. We'll see that later in the year. But if I were constructing it, I would have made it larger.

(END VIDEOTAPE) QUIJANO: Now the Obama administration has left the door open to another economic stimulus package. And Don, with these latest jobs numbers out, there could certainly be a higher priority on a second package.

LEMON: Yes, no doubt, thank you very much for that, Elaine Quijano in Washington.

After awhile, the raw numbers in this recession can be a little bit overwhelming for you. So let's take a quick look, a quick look at the people behind all of these stats that we tell you about. You know what, African-Americans are taking the hardest hit in the economy. More than 13 percent are unemployed. Almost 11 percent of Hispanics are hurting. And more than 7 percent of whites. The rate for Asians is 6.9 percent.

And looking at it by age, this is by age. Eight percent of adult men are unemployed, and 6.7 percent of adult women are unemployed. More than 21.6 percent of teenagers are out of work at this time. OK, enough of those numbers and we want to talk about the real people who this economy is hitting hardest, the people who are joining a rapidly growing group. Guess what that group is? Homeless people. Our Dan Simon explains. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are in Sacramento, California, in the industrial area. The state capital is just a few miles away. And we are in a place you might call tent city because there are literally 300 tents here and they are filled with homeless people.

When you talk about these homeless people, about 10 percent of them are newly homeless. In other words, these are people who had jobs, who had homes and now find themselves living in a tent.

(voice-over): One is 50-year-old Jim Gibson. He's a construction worker and says he cannot find work. He says he made about $45,000 a year, but then home building and construction slowed. Gibson downsized first from a house first, and then to an apartment. And when the recession stopped construction altogether, he ran out of money.

JIM GIBSON, HOMELESS: So this is kind of a mess. I didn't clean it this morning.

SIMON: Now, he lives here, in a 3x6 tent.

GIBSON: The only thing that I can really say about my situation is that I'm not the only one out here. There's a lot of people that are homeless because they choose to be. But I'm not one of those. We don't want to be out here. All we ask for is basically to be given a chance at, given a job, some kind of work situation. And just let us take it from there and take care of ourselves.

SIMON: Gibson's wife died 12 years ago. He has five grown children, but he won't tell them he's here. He is too embarrassed, he says.

And just a little ways away, another new resident in this tent city, 50-year-old Tina Garland. They was a construction truck driver and the work is gone. Her husband is also not working. They pitched their tent here 11 months ago.

TINA GARLAND, HOMELESS: It's so scary because you look at the economy and see that we're already out here. You know. I mean, we can't go a whole lot further down. But we're going to be joined by hundreds, thousands of people because they're losing their houses. And after the shelters run out, they're going to be out here like we are.

SIMON (on camera): So you might ask why are the people not in a homeless shelter? Well, there's a good reason for that. There are only 2,000 beds for homeless people in Sacramento. And they're all full. Dan Simon, CNN, Sacramento.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Well tonight make sure you don't miss this. It's a CNN money summit. Ali Velshi, Anderson Cooper, and the CNN money team will focus on your job, your money. Your jobs, your money. Hopefully they can help you out there. That's tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern, 8 p.m. Eastern only here on CNN.

And we have a somber service today to tell you about. It is in Florida. Family and friends gathered to remember William Bleakley. He is one of the three men missing and presumed dead in last weekend's boat accident off the coast off Florida. Well, Bleakley and his friends Marquis Cooper, Corey Smith and Nick Schuyler had gone fishing on a 21-foot boat that capsized in rough seas. Schuyler was the only one rescued. He's in good condition at a Tampa hospital.

Former First lady Barbara Bush has been moved out of the intensive care unit at the hospital in Houston. She had a heart surgery this week and doctors replaced her aortic valve with a pig valve. Mrs. Bush's medical team called the procedure routine and they expect her to make a full recovery. Her husband, George H.W. Bush, well he choked up and held back tears at a news conference with her surgeons. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE H.W. BUSH, PRESIDENT: It went so well. And I've been a nervous wreck about it. Today we heard from four presidents of the United States, Obama, Clinton, Jimmy Carter and George Bush, George W. Bush, and me five. And I think there's a lot of interest because of who she is.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Well, the former first lady who is 83-years-old is visiting with her husband today. We're told that she's forbidden -- has forbidden all of her children, including George W. Bush, from visiting her until she leaves the hospital. We certainly wish her well and the family as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Former NBA star and current TV analyst Charles Barkley, well he is serving a three day sentence in Arizona for drunk driving. We have been following this story. He is spending today and tonight in Maricopa County's infamous tent city. He has a private tent for his own safety, they say. That's according to the sheriff. He spoke with reporters last hour in a very unusual press conference that we're going to play for you. He had lots to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARKLEY: I don't discuss the DUI anymore. It was 100 percent screw up on my part. It was unacceptable. And I let down a lot of people, that's 100 percent on me. I'm here. I'm going to do my time. I'm looking forward to getting past this. I am used to being famous. I accept the good with the bad. This is just one of those things. But like, I know you guys get overly dramatic on things. But let's be realistic. I mean, I'm not going to kill myself. This is just a screw up on my part and that's it.

You know, the guys here have been fantastic. They wanted me to sign some autographs for their families. And that was cool. That was pretty much it. Just been reading a lot, got a lot of free time. Never realize how much time is in a day when you've got nothing to do. But like I said, everybody has been fantastic. This is 100 percent screw up on my part. I'm here. I'm going to do my time and get this behind me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: It went on after that. He mentions everyone from the president to Bernie Madoff, to Chris Brown, Rush Limbaugh and others, 7 p.m. Eastern, we'll play more of it for you.

Barkley is, by the way, spending all of today in custody. But he's allowed out of jail for 12 hours tomorrow, that's on work release. And all total, he will spend about 36 hours behind bars.

All right, more news from out west. It involves Chris Brown and Rihanna. Word is they are back together again, but after seeing the police report, many are wondering why would she even consider it? Plus, we'll have this for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm trapped. I feel like I'm almost like a prisoner in my apartment right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: That is the grim reality for people living without health insurance. But what will President Obama's health care reform plan do for them, and hopefully for you as well? Also, time to tell us what you're thinking about, get in touch with us, we're waiting. We're waiting at Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, iReport. We'll get them on the air.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right, time to check in on what you guys are saying about what we're putting on the air and other stories you find interesting. Here's what Bigdogmike says, yes, you just used the word brutal. That intensity in tent cities and my kind of news, Don.

SoWhatChaSayin is saying, why not ask your experts and recruiters why are blacks doubled the rates of unemployed whites? I would like to hear their excuse.

We'll check in on that for you. Thank you very much for getting your responses to us. We'll try to get them on the air for you, if they're interesting, if we like them, even if we don't like them. If they're interesting, we'll get them. Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or iReport.com is where you can send them.

Let's talk some weather now. Floods, winds, snow, heat, a mixed bag of weather across the U.S. tonight. I say that, I smile only with exasperation because there's a lot going on. Jacqui Jeras, you have a lot on your shoulders.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LEMON: Let's talk now about singer Chris Brown. He's had his first of what could be many court dates in all of this. He answered charges of battering his girlfriend, fellow musician, Rihanna. You've heard about this story. But the story behind the story is really what's important. That's the one that really has people talking. It's the couple's recent reconciliation, a possible reconciliation. We need to find out for issue. And Chris Brown couldn't be happier about it, we're told. Here's our Randi Kaye with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you understand that, sir?

CHRIS BROWN, MUSICIAN: Yes.

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Wearing a gray suit and showing little emotion, Chris Brown stood before a judge to hear his arraignment pushed back until April. The complaint against Brown charges the 19-year-old with assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury and criminal threats, both felonies, in an attack against his 21-year-old girlfriend, the singer Rihanna.

The alleged attack happened the night before the Grammys when the couple was riding in his Lamborghini. According to a detective's sworn statement, Brown became enraged after Rihanna red a text message on his cell phone from a woman he had a previous sexual relationship with. The affidavit says Brown took his right hand and shoved her head against the passenger window, punched her in the left eye, and continued to punch her in the face, causing her mouth to fill with blood and blood to spatter all over her clothing.

The affidavit says Brown then told her "I'm going to beat the blank out of you when we get home. You wait and see. Now I'm really going to kill you."

This photograph obtained from the gossip and entertainment Web site TMZ shows the victim's battered face. Young, rich and immensely popular, the pair are known as the prince and princess of R&B.

TOURE, ACCESS HOLLYWOOD: He's the boy who you could bring home to mom. Or at least he seemed so before all this. She's become this pop/R&B sort of icon. Definitely one of the top young female singers around. Chris and Rihanna together was like too good to be true. At first, it was like this has got to be a publicist's dream to put these two together.

KAYE: That clean cut image landed brown several endorsements, including one with Wrigley. But the company has since suspended him as a pitch man.

TOURE: That just murders your image. And for a guy who had this really clean cut sort of image, this just -- a cloud like this over his head is just devastating.

KAYE (on camera): Devastating, but it hasn't divided the pair. And that's what is so stunning. Weeks after the attack, the two are reported to have reconciled. A source tells "People" magazine while Chris is reflective and saddened about what happened, he's really happy to be with the woman he loves.

(on camera): Back together, shocking to some, but not to everyone.

LISA BLOOM, HOST, LISA BLOOM, OPEN COURT: I used to work at a battered woman's shelter. Two of the three women returned to abusers. It's a very difficult sociological phenomenon that domestic violence survivors typically do go back.

KAYE (voice-over): If convicted, Brown faces up to four years and eight months in prison. Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Wonder how that's affecting record sales? That would be interesting to find out.

All right, is a new job waiting in your inbox? In your e-mail? We're going to tell you. You know those work at home opportunities? Are they really opportunities? Are they scams? Should you even bite? We're going to talk to someone who knows, who really knows, just moments away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right, well I don't really have to tell you this, but you know when people are out of work, you or someone you know, you get desperate. You don't know exactly what to do. And that makes room really for people to come in and try to take your money. Let's go to Christine Durst now. She's the CEO of Staffcentrix, it's a firm that specializes in finding legal home-based jobs. But Christine, I bet in this economy, you have become really adept at spotting the growing number of scams. So if I'm at home, Christine, right, and I'm on my computer and someone says oh, we can get you a job this way. How do I know if it's legitimate or not? Because I want a job, I'm desperate.

CHRISTINE DURST, CEO, STAFFCENTRIX: Of course. One of the first things you need to be aware of, Don, is there's a 54-1 scam ratio on the Internet right now among work at home job leads. That means for every 55 opportunities you look at, only one of them is going to be legitimate. So bear that in mind. There's a very good chance that what you're looking at is not real.

LEMON: So the probability with the 54 to 1 probability, just don't even do it, just scratch it? Is that what you're saying, whenever you're approached online about this?

DURST: When you're approached. If you go out and find the job yourself and do the research, you have much better luck. If it arrives in your inbox, it's probably a scam and I would just hit the delete button. The delete button can be your friend where that's concerned.

LEMON: You just keep in mind that nothing in life is free. Let's go on and talk about, there are hidden charges. One of the easiest ways that you can be taken in with these things because when you click on it, then you end up having to money. Tell us how that works.

DURST: Absolutely. We're seeing a lot of offers that are supposedly free. They claim that they're free. Maybe you have to pay a shipping and handling charge, usually around $1.95, sometimes a little bit more. But take the time to look for the terms and conditions. They're not always obvious. Sometimes they're in very small print and often times in colors that almost blend with the background.

More often than not, if you're paying a shipping and handling fee, you're providing them with a credit card number and the terms and conditions will say that if you don't cancel within seven days or 10 days or 30 days, they're going to hit your credit card with another charge, exactly.

LEMON: Let me ask you this. So which one is that? There are a list. It's the secret shopper, listing process. You say that's a secret shopper. There's also a data entry one, home typers. These are the types of jobs. Freelance writing, all of those, no.

DURST: Right. And again, as with all of them, Don, there can be legitimate jobs in those fields. These are ones that are very -- they're above on the scam ratio.

LEMON: One of the most expensive things is sending kids to college. And a lot of parents want to know about that. But one of the fastest growing scams really has to do with college scholarships. What's that?

DURST: Well above all else, people need to realize that scammers are opportunists. And right now with college financial aid packages decreasing, people are trying to figure out how they're going to pay for college. So a lot of people are turning to scholarships. And as a result, the scammers are hitting folks who are looking for those scholarships. They're sending out e-mails that tell you things like we'll do all of the work for you. Which of course, anybody who has gotten a scholarship knows that that's not the case. There's work involved with landing a scholarship.

LEMON: Yes, any time you say something that says guaranteed, nothing is life is guaranteed, so that should be a red flag right there. Hey, I know you have much more to talk about and we're going to talk about it in a little bit. So I want you to stick around, Christine. Thank you very much. Good information. Because I want to ask you about another scam that is really hot this year. I'm talking about these urgent e-mails that appear to be from the IRS. You need to watch out for that and they can really look real. So we'll tell you what to look for.

Meantime, President Barack Obama promised to change the way Washington spends your money. But is keeping his word? Is he really? We'll get a reality check.

Also this --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm trapped. I feel like I'm almost like a prisoner in my apartment right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP0

LEMON: The reality. That is a reality for people living without health insurance. I'm sure many of you are as well. But what will the president's health care reform plan do for all of us?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)




(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DON LEMON, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: No one can afford to get sick anymore. We'll hear from the person in charge of fixing the economy. That's the president. He's going to talk to us about health care. He called on congressional leaders to the White House this week. He said the time has come to make health care affordable for everybody. At one point, he made a joke to drive home how serious this point is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Senator White House said this isn't a Harry and Louise moment. It's a Thelma and Louise moment. (LAUGHTER). We're in a car headed toward the cliff and we must act. Now, I just want to be clear. If you actually saw the movie, they did drive over the cliff. (LAUGHTER). So I want to be clear, that's not our intentions. (LAUGHTER).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: I heard that like three or four times this from the president and from leaders as well as in Washington. Good point.

There's no denying here the bottom line. Reforming health care is going to be tough and it's going to be expensive. According to "Families USA," nearly 87 million people under 65 were without health insurance at some point in 2007 and 2008. That averages out to about one in three people. If you're sitting around at dinner with a couple of people, one in three of you don't have it.

And if you're a young person under 25, do you have insurance? You're not alone if you don't. About 14 million young adults are without health insurance in America. They are the fastest growing group of uninsured.

20-year-old Bree Honey is one of them. Can the health care system help someone like Bree?

CNN's Kate Bolduan checked it out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Maryland resident Bree Honey says all she can do for her chronic back pain is exercise at the gym where she works and take Tylenol P.M. instead of other medicines. Why? She has to put all her money towards expensive drugs for depression.

BREE HONEY, MARYLAND RESIDENT: I'm buying prescription drugs by myself. I have to pay out of pocket every month.

BOLDUAN: Honey doesn't have health insurance. At 20, she's too old to be covered by her parent's policies since she's no longer in school. She makes too much to qualify for public health care, but can't afford private insurance and doesn't yet qualify for coverage at the new job.

HONEY: I'm a struggling student out of college trying to make my way. I can't -- I don't have the money for insurance.

BOLDUAN: Many other 20-somethings, early in their careers, don't have jobs that offer health benefits.

SARA COLLINS, COMMONDWEALTH FUND: Only about half of young adults that are working get coverage, are offered coverage through an employer, compared to 75 percent of adults who are offered coverage through an employer over age 30.

BOLDUAN (on camera): It's a common problem. More than 13 million young adults are uninsured in the U.S. It's the fastest growing group of the estimated 46 million uninsured Americans today.

(voice-over): And reducing those numbers is a top priority for President Obama.

OBAMA: Health care reform is no longer a moral imperative, it's a fiscal imperative.

BOLDUAN: What right now can young people do? Sarah Collins, of a nonpartisan health care research group, says first check with your state. About 25 have increased the age of dependency.

COLLINS: New Jersey extended their age of eligibility to age 30. Most states have clustered around increasing that age to 24, 25, 26. This is a big help to many young adults who had coverage through their parent's employer plan and lose the coverage.

BOLDUAN: As for Bree Honey, she will just keep working and hope for the best. It's never far from her mind.

HONEY: What about me? What if I get hurt? I don't have the insurance. I'm strapped. I feel like I'm a prisoner in my apartment.

Kate Bolduan, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right, Kate.

We're going to get back to health care and the economy in a moment. We have breaking weather news to tell you about.

Jacqui Jeras, what's going on?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We have a report of a tornado on the ground in Kansas. We were showing you the watch box area early. Storm spotters now about four miles southwest of the Hutchinson area in Kansas. Our Doppler radar picture will show you exactly where the area is, if we could take that quickly and show you the area. This is a confirmed tornado on the ground. Trained spotters have actually seen it. It's moving in an easterly direction so the town of Hutchison, Kansas, needs to take shelter immediately. If we hear of more reports or damage, we'll continue to update you and bring the information along -- Don.

Jacqui Jeras, on top of the breaking weather news, tornado. We'll get back to you if something develops.

Back to the economy now. No one wants to see the government waste your tax dollars. That's obvious. That's why so many people are frustrated when they hear billions of dollars are going to lawmakers, their pet projects. President Barack Obama promised to do something about that. Is he now breaking campaign promises or that promise to do that?

Our Josh Levs is here to take a closer look.

Josh, you are getting the facts here. What are you finding out?

JOSH LEVS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: You didn't call me by my new name.

Oh, come on. You didn't call me by my new name.

LEMON: Oh. The answer man.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: It is ubiquitous and you are the answer man.

LEVS: OK. It's all good. I know it confused a lot of people. We're not talking about the stimulus. We're talking this giant spending bill, this $400 billion spending bill the president has said he will sign.

Let's zoom in here. I want you to see this story. Does Obama have a double standard on earmarks here? I have a key quote for you in a graphic. They say, despite the fact that congressional Democrats crafted much of the bill after Obama was elected, the White House argues that the port-laden bill is part of the prior administration's legacy.

This is the idea here, Don. This bill, the spending bill, the omnibus is to keep the government running through 2009. The White House says President Obama's first budget will be for 2010. He does not have to sign this bill, this way, if he doesn't want to. That's why you get into this, the question of whether he's following ultimately here a double standard.

LEMON: He talked about this during the campaign, Josh.

LEVS: He did. It's interesting. We're going to take a look now at a sound bite during a debate in September. At the time, Senator McCain was accusing then-Senator Obama of down playing the earmarks by saying they accounted for $18 billion in federal spending.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R), ARIZONA: The point is that -- I hear this all the time. It's only $18 billion. Do you know that it's tripled in the last five years?

OBAMA: John, nobody is denying that $18 billion is important. Absolutely we need earmark reform. When I'm president, I will go line by line to make sure that we are not spending money unwisely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: You heard that, Don, line by line. So is he keeping the promise? We like to check the Obamater here at politifact.com. The have what they call the Odometer, keeping track of his promises. They're calling this number 512, go line by line over earmarks to make sure money is spent wisely.

I have a graphic here that shows how they're weighing in on this. Did he keep it? Did he break it? They're going with compromise. They say on the economic stimulus bill, which we were talking about recently, they say, then Obama took the strong and vocal stand against them. The bill was not earmark free as he claimed. They were in there. But it was close. On this new spending bill, the omnibus, they say that's loaded with earmarks. They say Obama and the White House could have used the bully pulpit to criticize them. They've not been very critical, nor have they indicated any attempt to go line by line through the bill.

Don, that's why they're saying, you put those two bills together, in their view, it was ultimately a compromise.

LEMON: Josh, obviously in just two minutes, we can't give people everything they need to know. So for more information about earmarks, what do we do?

LEVS: Sometimes I try, though. Pack it all in. Let's do this. I want to zoom back in. We'll do one of your favorites. Some networking tools over here, Facebook. I finally, as you know, got on this finally. I have all the links I just showed you here. You can see everything basically that we were just talking about and more on my Facebook page, JoshlevsCNN. You'll be able to get there and see the link to it right in the front.

LEMON: All right, appreciate it, Josh Levs. Thank you very much.

LEVS: Thanks, Don.

LEMON: President Barack Obama's stimulus plan is meant to kick start the economy. That's what it's meant to do. But also kick starting a lot of stands as scams as well. We'll tell you about it. Christine Durst, she gave us great information moments ago. She's back to tell us about more scams and to keep you from getting scammed. Keep money in your wallet.

See you, Christine, in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right, take a look. Here's what you're saying. We appreciate your feedback.

Chris324 says, "I am a young uninsured person who is concerned about my situation. Thank you for covering this topic. Thank you."

You are welcome.

BenJoBubble says, "What about us not so young and uninsured due to preexisting condition and being self-employed?"

Very good question. We appreciate it. Jpoltrack -- and we'll check into it obviously -- "I get the free offers all the time. I show the catcha on my blog."

Good for you, helping out.

And dmclennan says "Enjoying your investigation on online scammers this weekend."

And we're glad you are enjoying it because we're going to have more right now and once you log in to Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or iReport.com.

We've been talking to Christine Durst, who is a founder of StaffCentrix.

Not everybody, Christine, is sorry to see people lose their jobs. It was installed right outside the Oval Office so the president can keep an eye on the girl while he works. CHRISTINE DURST, FOUNDER, STAFFCENTRIX: They sure are. We're hearing an awful lot about a $787 billion economic stimulus package. Last year, a lot of people got stimulus checks in the mail. This year, they're expecting something similar. The scammers are seizing on the opportunity to send out e-mails to people telling them, for a small fee, they will help them get their part of the large economic stimulus package.

LEMON: April 15th, a month and a couple days away, a month and 15 days away, a month and ten days away. So scammers know the letters that really all of us, when we see the letters, we go, what did I do wrong? Everyone does that. IRS, scams with that, especially right now so close to tax time.

DURST: Right. There are folks actually making phone calls and sending out e-mails claiming to be IRS representatives or Department of Treasury officials, claiming that you made a mistake on your tax return. And they found it for you. And now they're contacting you to let you know that you have a return coming to you or that you qualify for a stimulus check that you were not aware of. In these e-mails, they want to solicit from you personal information, items like your social security number, your bank account number, your passport number, pin numbers, pass words.

LEMON: And they go right into these things, these numbers that you gave them and take the money right out. So just don't do it. Don't click on it.

DURST: Exactly. Exactly.

LEMON: Christine, you always have great information. We appreciate it, especially when it's very relevant. We may get you onto talk more about it gets closer to tax day. Thank you.

DURST: Thank you, Don.

LEMON: Let's talk more now about gang violence. It's corrupting thousands of teenagers across the world. But one young man proves you can make a difference. And we will show you how. He's a hero.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: If you're multitasking and doing something other than watching the new right now, I want you to sit down. It could save your life because many times in these situations, our weather reports can, especially in the Kansas area.

Jacqui Jeras, breaking news. What do you have?

JERAS: They just extended the tornado warning. Still in Reno County right now. It's pushed over now to Harvey and McPherson Counties. They're anticipating the storm holds together as it pushes off toe the east. Trained storm spotters did report a tornado on the ground southwest of Hutchinson and said it was near the airport as well, as the rotation area is now over Bueller. But no longer confirming it's still again at any time. We've been in contact with the Reno County Sheriff's Department.

If we get any more information of damage reports, we'll keep you up to date on this storm -- Don.

LEMON: Jacqui, keep on top of that. Thank you very much. We'll get back to you if we have anymore news. Thanks, Jacqui.

Tonight. We're going to introduce you to the third "CNN Hero" of 2009, the third one. All of them are first in our hearts though. His name is Afren Penaflorida and he's from the Philippines. He was bullied into joining a gang in high school, but instead of caving in, he created an alternative for all teens struggling to stay out of or leave a gang.

(CNN HEROS)

LEMON: We told you he was a hero. All of them, again, number one in our hearts. You can learn more about Efren Penaflorida's work on our "CNN Heroes" web site. All of our "CNN Heroes" are chosen from viewer nomination, so if you know of someone deserving, tell us about them at CNN.com/heros.

Here's what some of you are saying tonight about what we're reporting.

Bigdogmike says, "It's hard for me to believe that people still fall for e-mail scams. If it's phishy, delete it."

Ashleydavidson says, "Doctor office charged me $1,000 to tell me I had bronchitis, intern, no insurance, self-pay."

Sorry about that.

RStone385 says, "Young and insured" -- maybe doctors can help out. They hurting too, but maybe they can do something. "Young and uninsured, and people don't want universal health care? Unbelievable."

Spiderbite says, "These days, Don, if an employer doesn't offer insurance, get another job. Lots of good companies are hiring with insurance."

If you know about them, send them to us because a lot of people are out of work. Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and iReport.com, we'll get it on.

"The Situation Room", straight ahead.

Wolf Blitzer, what do you have for us, sir?

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Don, we've got a lot coming up at the top of the hour right here in "The Situation Room." A serious debate going on in Washington over those earmarks. Senator Russ Feingold says they should be eliminated, but Republican Congressman Peter King, of New York, defends them and defends them strongly. We'll hear from both of them. Also get an economic fact check from the economist, Mark Zandi.

And a special treat. The former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair. He'll talk about the Obama agenda and a lot more.

All that coming up right here in "The Situation Room." Don, back to you.

LEMON: Thank you, Wolf. We look forward to that.

You know, there's a new arrival at the White House. The first daughters, they're going to be enjoying it. You know the first lady is going to be enjoying it as well. I wonder if the president's getting on board with this. We're not talking about a puppy either. We'll show it to you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: OK. America's most famous resident has an addition. Look how cool that is. I could use some of that today. It's a beautiful day here in Atlanta and I would be playing on my neighbor's, who has one just like that, if I didn't have to work today. That is a wooden swing set with a play fort for President Obama's daughters, Sasha and Malia. It was installed right outside the Oval Office so the president can keep an eye on the girl while he works. I wonder if he's going to hang out with them as well. Those are really cool. Swing sets have really gone topnotch since I was a kid. It used to be just one little slide that you always hurt your knee on and a swing. That one's pretty fancy.

A lot of swing sets when it comes to recess and schools, right? It's more than just fun and games now, this whole recess thing. It could be the key to a child's lifelong commitment to a healthy lifestyle. And now some unlikely allies are teaming up to rescue recess. CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, has tonight's "Fit Nation."

(FIT NATION)

LEMON: All right. Dr. Sanjay, thank you.

You are weighing in. Your comments are really great today. Thank you, by the way.

Robby says, "What does the stimulus and the IRS have to do with one another? Nothing! Never give out important information online."

Andrewbd says, "I'm young and unemployed, and thanks to that, uninsured. Just had temporary fillings put in. Now those are in for good."

They don't last for ever, so you're going to have to pay up, brother.

Meglyn, "When will we see Madoff in a tent or jail? He ended lives in his own way, and yet he continues to wake up every morning in luxury."

That is a good point.

Paprika5041 says, "Recently I took a job because it offered insurance, but now that it's time to enroll it, I can't afford it. Depressing."

All right, keep your comments coming. You know where to send them, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, iReport.com.

I'm Don Lemon at CNN world headquarters here in Atlanta. "The Situation Room" begins right now. See you at 7:00.