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President Obama Urges Optimism; Gunman Kills Pastor Delivering Sermon; Stem-Cell Reversal; Dreams for Sale: One Man's Loss, Another's Gain; Oprah Warns Rihanna; The Victims of Human Trafficking; First Black Woman to Appear on "Vogue" Magazine Cover; First Family Likes to Entertain
Aired March 08, 2009 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, a pastor gunned down in the pulpit, right in front of worshippers.
(VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: One person's loss, well, it's another person's gain. We're at an auction where foreclosed homes are up for grabs.
Plus...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you pay the price you can get what you want, and I can get it for you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Children being bought and sold for sex right in your own neighborhood. We shed light on a dark world and a growing problem.
And a warning to Rihanna from Oprah: He's going to hit you again.
Plus...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWD (SINGING): Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: He sings, he dances and, oh, yes, he leads the country. President Barack Obama in concert. What's the occasion? We'll tell you. The news starts right now.
Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live here at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
When the markets open tomorrow, the optimists insist that there has never been a better time for bargains. But millions of people have seen their savings evaporate in this brutal downturn. And now the one question on everyone's mind, when will this economy finally turn around? We have an unemployment rate now topping 8 percent, and millions of people aren't focused on saving or investing. They, quite simply, just want a job. In an interview with "The New York Times" this weekend, President Barack Obama says he knows times are tough, but he urges Americans to see the glass half full.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What I don't think people should do is to settle and stuff money in their mattresses and pull back completely from spending. I don't think that people should be fearful about our future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, we need a little more optimism this week as we await the latest economic reports. Investors are on their own until Thursday when the February retail sales report comes out. Sales are expected to have fallen about 0.50 percent. Also, Thursday we find out how many Americans filed new claims of unemployment benefits. And on Friday, University of Michigan releases its widely read consumer sentiment index.
Minutes from now, we'll cover all of those issues and more with two of the best in the business, our very own political analyst -- senior political analyst Bill Schneider and "Chicago Sun-Times" Washington bureau chief Lynn Sweet. We break it all down for you.
Meantime, more news to cover here. A tearful memorial service tonight for a minister gunned down in the pulpit. Fred Winters was delivering the sermon this morning at the first Baptist church in Maryville, Illinois, which is near St. Louis. Police explain what happened next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY TRENT, DIRECTOR, ILLINOIS STATE POLICE: But right now, the only thing we know is that the suspect said something to the pastor and the pastor said something back to him. We don't know what that was. It was almost as if pastor may have recognized him, but we're not sure about that at all. There was something spoken, but people that were closest to them at the time couldn't say what that was.
Suspect raised his hand, fired the first shot, hit the pastor's bible. When it did, it hit the very top of the bible and exploded top of the bible into what many in the congregation thought was confetti.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, the gunman was wrestled to the floor and seriously wounded by knife. He had pulled out after his gun jammed. Two parishioners were slightly hurt in that incident.
Tonight, a crowd gathered at the church in nearby Edwardsville to mourn that tragedy. A pastor who worked with Winters described the killings as, quote, "An attack from the forces of hell." No word on the motive right now.
We turn now to the weather. It's been a very busy weather day around the country today, especially when it comes to tornadoes. Our Jacqui Jeras on top of it.
Jacqui?
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, Don. 19 of them overall so far reported for today. They just raked through the Midwest, chewing up houses, and leaving thousands without power.
We'll start you out in Indiana at this hour where they're trying to clean up the debris from a likely tornado that moved through the Lawrence County area. There you can see the video in the top right hand part of your screen. The bus there got thrown into a destroyed house. One person injured there. No fatalities to report. There were 19 homes damaged overall in Indiana, and several tornadoes reported throughout that area.
Into Illinois now and Kankakee. These were strong, straight line winds caused many trees to be uprooted, barns were damaged, and a few houses destroyed, as well. Power lines were down in the city of Kankakee, and three quarters of an inch hail was reported.
In Chicago, the problem there was the flooding. Check out the flooded streets into town. Record rainfall of 1.66 inches in O'Hare, but many areas around Chicago saw upwards of three to four inches of rainfall. The severe weather threat still ongoing here tonight. Severe thunderstorm watch remains in effect across eastern parts of Kentucky. We think this will be winding down tonight and into tomorrow. But as the storm moves into the northeast, your travel plans tomorrow morning certainly will become problematic.
Delays over an hour expected in Boston, New York City, D.C. Metros, and Philadelphia, problems with wind. And also wind problems from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. We don't expect the weather to be severe in the northeast tomorrow, but a new system moves into the plains. Dallas all the way up to Kansas City may see more tornados and severe weather.
LEMON: All right, Jacqui, thank you very much for that.
Thousands of U.S. troops will soon leave Iraq. The U.S. military announced that 12,000 troops will be redeployed over the next six months and will not be replaced.
President Obama's plan is to withdraw most U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of August 2010. And this is believed to be the first official reduction announcement since he revealed that plan. Right now, there are 142,000 troops in Iraq, 4,000 British troops will also be transferred from that country.
Separating science from politics. That's what the White House says President Barack Obama is doing by lifting the Bush administration order that limits federal funding for stem cell research. Proponents say the embryos typically from fertility clinic leftovers that are destined to be thrown away could help find cures for diseases. Opponents argue destroying human embryos ends a life. You can watch a live coverage of the president's announcement tomorrow morning right here on CNN. We'll bring that to you 11:45 Eastern.
School teachers become space cadets. The seven-person crew for Wednesday's scheduled launch of Space Shuttle "Discovery" will have not one, but two teachers. A historical first. Crew members arriving just a short while ago at Florida' Kennedy Space Center. Their mission installing more solar panels at the international space station.
A lot of you are weighing in on our coverage tonight. Here's what one person says. GoldieTaylor (ph) says, "In this market, one has to make their own recovery and not wait on government, though much needed to do the work."
Make sure you logon to Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, or iReport.com. We will get your comments on the air. You can be part of our community.
Getting down to business at the White House as the president and the nation wait for the first stimulus plan to kick in. Could there be a second stimulus bill in our future?
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LEMON: Hopes and dreams up for sale. More and more foreclosed homes on the auction block.
Plus, trying to shut down the child sex trade. We're not talking about overseas, we're talking about right here in Atlanta.
And a warning to Rihanna from Oprah: He's going to hit you again.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: A very busy week ahead for the Obama administration and the president, of course. On Monday, he's expected to lift restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research intensifying the debate over that issue. On Tuesday, the president will talk education reform at a meeting of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. And on Thursday, he and Vice President Joe Biden lead a conference on the stimulus package.
Talking about that and the economy, President Barack Obama is being very careful not to raise expectations about a rapid recovery of this economy. In an interview Friday with "The New York Times" he said, all he can promise this year is to get the, quote, "Pillars of recovery in place." An actual rebound could take a lot longer.
Lynn Sweet is the Washington bureau chief of the "Chicago Sun- Times," and our senior political analyst Bill Schneider, of course, works right here at CNN. He is, you know, a resident CNNer.
So here's the question is -- is the president trying to lower expectations, Bill Schneider?
BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, he's trying to walk a fine line. He's trying to remind people that they should be patient and this recovery will take time. At the same time, he's trying to express confidence that things will turn out all right. So one day he sounds optimistic, one day he sounds pessimistic. It's a very fine line there. But I think Wall Street and Washington are being very impatient. The public is anxious about the economy. They want to see signs of recovery, but they are a little bit more patient.
LEMON: Yes, they do. You said their anxious about the recovery. And Lynn Sweet, that "New York Times" interview, it really sort of left us saying, oh, my gosh, if the president doesn't know, how should we feel about it?
LYNN SWEET, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: Well, I don't know if that interview left things that up in the air. The president has said several times, including that joint address to Congress that he thinks at the end that there's a reason to think that there's going to be a recovery. You know, it's a bit of a roller coaster. You know, he takes -- and his rhetoric has shown that.
LEMON: But he's not offering much hope is what I'm saying. And right now people said they need optimism. It's all about confidence. He's not offering much hope in that interview.
SWEET: Not in the short term, but he is putting in place that there will be a better future. I don't think he's saying it will be the same future. And that's an important point to make here.
LEMON: OK. Getting Bill Schneider, I want to talk to you about getting some resistance on bills, spending bill, or what have you. Let's listen to John McCain this morning on one of the talk shows, and I'll talk to you about it, Bill.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: He clearly said in debates with me that line by line he would go through these bills and he would eliminate the wasteful and pork barrel spending. Obviously, he's not doing that. They're saying that this is last year's business. This is money we're going to spend this year. And he should, he should veto the bill.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Pork barrel spending, bill earmarks, the Republicans, and even critics of what the administration is doing. This is offering them ammunition to attack the president.
SCHNEIDER: Well, it is. And they are very angry about the spending bills, and they think they can make a big issue out of this. This bill was, of course, first passed, first put together last year by the preceding Congress when President Bush was in office. So the Obama administration is of the view that there is some pork barrel spending, a lot in there. It's about almost $8 billion, but it's been reduced, Nancy Pelosi said by about 15 percent. And their argument is, you know, the alternative to veto the bill would take the risk of shutting the government down. They don't want to do that.
LEMON: Here's what I found interesting this morning, Lynn Sweet, when I was watching some of these shows and they were talking about banks and the auto industry, and whether or not people should be bailing them out.
Senator Richard Shelby says an Alabama Republican talked about the banks being in trouble and bailing them out. He says I think they should close them down, get out of the business. If they're dead, they ought to be buried. And then he goes on to talk about it. That's a pretty bold statement.
SWEET: It is. But we're seeing, you know, this term that you hear all the time now. Too big to fail is applied to the banks. The Obama administration which is pro-market forces is drawing the line since it has come into office in January. And so far has been supportive of pouring more money into the nation's financial institutions. Maybe there will be a day when it will stop, we're not there yet.
LEMON: All right. Lynn Sweet, Bill Schneider, we appreciate it. Have a good rest of the weekend.
SCHNEIDER: Sure.
SWEET: Thank you.
LEMON: What little there is left.
All right, let's take a quick look at the people behind all those numbers that we have been talking about. African-Americans are hit hardest by this economy, more than 13 are unemployed. Almost 11 percent of Hispanics are unemployed as well. And more than 7 percent of whites. For Asians, 6.9 percent.
And take a look at by age. Here's the age break down. Eight percent of adult men are unemployed and 6.7 percent of adult women. Certainly hitting men harder. More than 21.6 percent of teenagers, teenagers are out of work right now.
Here's what some of you are saying about our stories. Gregcc123 says "All I know is that stem cell stocks are going to explode tomorrow when President Obama reverses the ban on its federal funding."
Utahsavage says, "A recovery will happen when it happens. You guys are making us crazy pushing the panic button. Give Obama's programs time."
Dwjauthor says, "I don't see us coming out of the recession until at least the end of the year."
Sadface says, "I had to downsize to maintain working capital. I'm closing one of my two small businesses. It was the newest on the two."
Become part of our community, join us here, get your comments on the air -- Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or iReport.com. You can see that. We will put them on.
This is a very disturbing story, selling children for sex. It is happening right here in Atlanta. We will tell you what the city is doing.
Plus, we'll have this for you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHARLES BARKLEY, FORMER NBA STAR: Bernie Madoff, Martha Stewart, Rush Limbaugh. President Obama is a good friend of mine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Never at a loss for words. What's with all the name dropping? He speaks out about his serving time, what little there is. What's this all about?
And from a superstar to a star now, but a future superstar we can say. Myron Rolle, football star and Rhodes Scholar, comments on Barkley behind bars.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Forty-four years ago, hundreds marched across the Edmund Pettis Bridge from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. The march is known as Bloody Sunday, and the event ultimately caused lawmakers to pass the Voting Rights Act, which opened southern polling places to blacks.
Well, today on the anniversary of Bloody Sunday, Attorney General Eric Holder and a few hundred others made the 50-mile journey across that same bridge.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIC HOLDER, ATTORNEY GENERAL: Some take the views that when it comes to civil rights that we have already reached the promised land. But we know better. And some take a view that justice and equality have been achieved for all Americans, but I know better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Very interesting to note here how things come full circle. Peggy Wallace Kennedy, daughter of the segregationist Alabama governor of the 1960s, George Wallace, introduced Holder at today's ceremony. Wallace later apologized for his segregationist views.
Out west in Arizona, Charles Barkley has always said he is not a role model, and you could say he is practicing what he preaches.
The former NBA star turned TV analyst is serving a three-day sentence this weekend in Arizona for drunken driving. He is spending it at Maricopa County's infamous Tent City. He spoke with reporters yesterday, and he was so entertaining, we had to show more today.
Barkley said his jail sentence is completely his own fault, but he says he's, quote, "not going to kill himself." He also did a lot -- a heck of a lot of name dropping. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARKLEY: Bernie Madoff is a crook. You guys aren't crooks. Martha Stewart went to jail. She came back out and she was Martha Stewart. President Obama is a good friend of mine, and I would just like to think about him. And, you know, I know Rush Limbaugh and a lot of jack (EXPLETIVE DELETED) are giving him a hard time right now. And you can never hit a woman. That's unacceptable. I wish both of them the best.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Obviously at the end there, he's talking about Chris Brown and Rihanna. Also talked about in the beginning Bernie Madoff. So, Barkley gets out of jail for good tomorrow.
A true role model in the meantime joined me right here in the CNN NEWSROOM earlier tonight. Myron Rolle is a former Florida state football star, and he's now a Rhodes scholar. He's putting off a lucrative career in professional football so he can study medical anthropology for a year in Oxford University.
I asked him about Charles Barkley's longtime refusal to act and consider himself a role model.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MYRON ROLLE, RHODES SCHOLAR: I love Charles Barkley but I have to disagree with him on this one. People look up to you, and you certainly should hold yourself as a role model the way you speak, the way you dress, the way you carry yourself.
One thing that the coach says to us all the time at Florida State is that, you know, you have the spotlight on you. If you make a mistake and it gets into the newspaper, it's front page. But if another student makes the same mistake it doesn't. So you always have the spotlight. People are always watching you especially young kids. They look up to you as role models.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Myron Rolle is a role model. He told me he leaves for Oxford in September. After that, he'll give pro-football a try.
Here's what you guys are saying JoseGomez1992 says "Charles Barkley is one of the most ignorant people I have ever heard speak. So long for the Alabama governorship run."
We want you to be part of our community here. It's very easy -- Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and iReport.com. If you have computer, very easy to sign up. You, too, can be on our show. Hopes and dreams, up for sale.
(VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: More and more homes are being foreclosed upon, and they are on the auction block.
Plus...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWD (SINGING): Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: They are out and about again. They are the busiest couple I think I've ever seen. We'll tell you later who the president and the first lady were serenading tonight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The number of tent cities are growing, the homeless people in this economy. The number of foreclosures, of course, on the rise, and this is also growing. Many Americans lose their homes, of course, to foreclosure. For others, those homes are the ticket to the American dream. We're talking about homes being auctioned off here.
And our Susan Candiotti followed one family as they showed up at an auction in New York today looking to buy a home they couldn't afford. Pay close attention to this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At any foreclosure auction, grab your ear plugs, your wallet, and prepare for a mad house. Victor Guevares's family is preparing for much more.
VICTOR GUEVARES, BUYING FIRST HOME: This is my dream.
CANDIOTTI: After 12 years of renting and saving, the Brooklyn native is ready to buy his first home in the foreclosure market.
GUEVARES: I just have a feeling that within six to nine months I think we're going to start to see a resurgence in the market. So, I think, now is the time for us to get into it if we can.
CANDIOTTI: He'd like to get his family into this three-bedroom, 1,300 square-foot home in Queens that was once valued at more than $500,000.
GUEVARES: Now it's asking bid $90,000.
CANDIOTTI: So the opening bid is $90,000. How much do you hope to get it for?
GUEVARES: $90,000. CANDIOTTI: Don't laugh. U.S. home auction says places are going for 50 percent to 60 percent off their highest values.
ROB FRIEDMAN, CHAIRMAN, USHOMEAUCTION.COM: I hate to say it but take advantage of the marketplace. Get in there and buy. Help us turn these houses back into homes for the communities.
CANDIOTTI: Eight-year-old Devon Guevares has his eye on his own bedroom and privacy.
DEVON GUEVARES, VICTOR'S SON: It's like I'm by myself. It's not like there's people living downstairs.
V. GUEVARES: I feel all this is happening to me is now. This is the time, Victor. This is your property. You're going to get it.
CANDIOTTI: Will he get it? Hold on. Guevares is at the auction with the required good faith $5,000 cashier's check but is competing against who knows? 375 properties in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania are on the block.
After more than four hours, his dream home comes up. Opening bid blows by. At least two others are challenging him. Guevares wins at $230,000, but he has to bring it up to code before he'll get a loan. He's almost too tired to celebrate.
GUEVARES: The first part of my journey. I've computed this. Now I'm on my second, final stretch.
CANDIOTTI (on camera): For winning bidders who need a loan, auctioneers predict a far better chance of awarding foreclosure again because banks are getting stingier. But will these properties hold on to their value?
Well, that's another issue.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Wish him well, congratulations to them.
Here's what some of you are saying. Mthorton1 says "The way to return confidence to our markets is through regulation that protects the public combined with real punishment."
Sugarrae says, "In short, the problem with the economy boils down to people having champagne taste with beer pockets."
OK. Be a part of our show -- Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, iReport. We'll get it on for you.
Oprah lays it on the line to Rihanna: If he hit you once, he will do it again. The Chris Brown/Rihanna drama has everyone talking. And you know, talk radio is buzzing about this.
I bet you guys heard an earful last week. Martha and Warren, our radio extraordinaire, in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. Now, let's talk about the drama. The Chris Brown-Rihanna drama has become fodder for an upcoming "Oprah Winfrey Show." She's going to devote an hour to the issue of domestic violence against young women. And she spoke out about the situation on Friday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OPRAH WINFREY, HOST, "THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW": Chris Brown and Rihanna, if I were your friend, I would call you up and I would say, give it some time, get yourself some counseling.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Both of you.
WINFREY: Take care of yourself, heal yourself first. And, also, love doesn't hurt. I have been saying this to women for years.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's right.
WINFREY: Love doesn't hurt. And if a man hits you once, he will hit you again.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's right!
WINFREY: He will hit you again. I don't care what his plea is. He will hit you again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: This drama playing out all over TV, in magazines and, of course, on the radio. Martha Zoller is here. Warren Ballentine is here as well. Radio host, you know, of course, you're on the right, Martha. You're on the left.
Oprah has spoken, and when she says something, Martha, people listen. It's like E.F. Hutton.
MARTHA ZOLLER, RADIO HOST, "THE MARTHA ZOLLER SHOW": Well, I started in radio in 1994 when, you know, with the Nicole Brown Simpson case. And one of the most poignant days I ever had on radio was when people were calling in about this kind of subject, but fast forward to this, this past Thursday, we talked about this also as it relates to domestic violence.
You can forgive a guy like Chris Brown. I'm a Christian, I believe in that. But if you are a woman that has been hit by a man like that, you don't give him another chance in a relationship. You know, you just find another guy.
LEMON: Coming from a woman, obviously, you know -- not that you understand it better. Well, in many ways you can understand it better being a woman, but it's a tough place to be, if that is happening to you. But Warren, let's talk about it. Because people have been saying, why are you guys covering this story? You know, because woman are abused all the time. But when -- if it brings it to the spotlight I'd say, it helps to bring attention to it, then why not do it? Why not help people? What are your listeners saying on this to that end?
WARREN BALLENTINE, RADIO HOST, "THE WARREN BALLENTINE SHOW": Well, my listeners are all over this. We talked about this almost for two weeks now, because one of the things people are not dealing with is that these young students in high school who are dating. 80 percent of them reported in a recent survey that they have some kind of verbal or physical abuse in their relationships, and their parents didn't even know anything about it.
This is an epidemic that we need to be dealing with. And I applauded for Winfrey for using her venue to talk about it.
LEMON: And you can hear it and see it and read it in the comments, when people are talking about it. You know, some people say, oh, it's entertainment. And others are saying, you know what, I know someone who is abused. I'm glad you guys are doing this. Record sales. We didn't talk about that.
BALLENTINE: Rihanna sales went through the roof right after this happen. Her sales went through the roof. Chris Brown is not playing on so much on regular R&B stations any more. But I will say this. Chris Brown is very lucky, because I have sisters. I have four of them. And if that was one of my sisters, Sonny from "The Godfather" -- you remember the scene, when he call his brother-in-law and has beat him in the middle of the street, Don, I'm a lawyer, I don't advocate violence at all. But, seriously, he's a very lucky young man, and I think Rihanna should just step away.
LEMON: Yes.
ZOLLER: I agree.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: This is really interesting. I want to move on here. Just real quick if we can -- if you can just give me a little bit. Charles Barkley. Did you see that press conference?
BALLENTINE: Yes. Yes. I think Charles is very animated, but I think, I think that it's good that he did do the press conference because it's showing one thing. It's showing that you cannot break the law in this country and get away with it. You need to go to jail. He needed to go to jail.
ZOLLER: It's like an example. And I think that they've done that.
LEMON: Enough about that. Let's talk now about what your listeners are going to be talking about next week. Obviously, it's going to be a big debate about stem cell research, especially on the conservative side, because they think that President Bush should be left into place.
ZOLLER: Well, I thought that President Bush's policy was a good balance. But the problem is this inconsistency. You've got Barack Obama reversing the Mexico standards, reversing stem cell research, but yet on the 9,000th pork barrel project he says -- oh, that's old business. We can't go in and change that. I think he needs to be consistent. If he really wants to reach out to conservatives, I know he's going to sign the stem cell or reverse the band. He could take the earmarks out and that would make a difference.
LEMON: Warren, when we were talking about the economy, African- Americans hit worst at the top of the list of people who were hit hardest by this.
ZOLLER: As usual.
LEMON: Yes. And African-American, Hispanic, men, this time because they are losing their jobs. African-American -- you have an urban audience.
BALLENTINE: Well, I think we got to look at this in three-fold, Don. First, we have to let the president's plan take effect. We're acting like, you know, he inherited this mess. It wasn't something he created. Give him a chance for his plan to come into place.
Two, this stem cell research is going to help a lot of people. I think this was a good move.
And three, when you look at what Martha was saying about inconsistencies, what's going on here is this. He's doing what's best for the country right now. Even if it's something he may not totally agree with. I don't think he agrees with the earmarks, but I think he understands that these states need them, because he has a connection to the people. He's not dealing with the Beltway, he's dealing with the people. And that's the key.
LEMON: Last word, very quickly, Martha, if you can.
ZOLLER: Well, I just want to see -- I want to see the consistency on the economy, too. We got to let it work, but I can tell you what, Tim Geithner is not eliciting any believing in him.
LEMON: Yes, any -- OK.
ZOLLER: Confidence.
LEMON: Confidence.
ZOLLER: That's the word?
LEMON: Yes. Sometimes you're like what's that word?
BALLENTINE: But we can believe in our president, that's the key.
LEMON: Yes, thank you. I wish I could talk to you guys more about a lot of things. I found it very interesting that John McCain and many other Republicans were saying let the banks go; some of them have to go. Some of the auto industry.
(CROSSTALK)
ZOLLER: Well, John McCain is interesting. He's carving a new role for a guy that lost.
LEMON: OK. All right. Thank you very much.
BALLENTINE: Thank you, Don.
LEMON: See you guys later. We appreciate you coming on.
You're going to remember this, both of you. This was, you know, our time. She was a pioneer. Look at her. She was the first black woman to appear on the cover of "Vogue" magazine, and you'll get to know her.
Plus, we'll have this for you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you pay the price, you can get what you want. I can get it for you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: It is a story that will certainly shock you and it is very disturbing. We're going to put the spotlight on child sex trafficking. It's happening a lot more than you think, and it could be happening right in your neighborhood.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: New tonight, a fire at a mental hospital near Baltimore today left a firefighter with minor injuries. This is what firefighters faced when they arrived on the scene. At Rosewood Hospital, a ranging fire was there, but no patients were hurt because the building was no longer in use.
Affiliate WBAL reports the state is closing the facility, but doing it in phases. It is likely to shut down completely by this summer.
OK, this is a story that you should pay attention to. Human trafficking has become a big city's dark and dirty secret. But enough is enough. One city is making a massive effort to keep women and children from becoming victims of sexual exploitation. And I have a warning for you, some of the stories and the images you are about to see and hear are disturbing to see and hear.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON (voice-over): Around the globe in hotel rooms, along alleys, on street corners, and in beach bars, women and children are bought and sold for sex.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you pay the price you can get what you want. I can get it for you.
LEMON: Child sex trafficking is both a global and a national issue. Kaffie McCullough, director of a non-profit organization dedicated to ending child prostitution, says the numbers in metro Atlanta are staggering.
KAFFIE MCCULLOUGH, DIRECTOR, A FUTURE, NOT A PAST: More girls prostituted and harmed by prostitution in one month than are killed in car accidents in an entire year.
LEMON: McCullough and her volunteers teamed up with advocates around the state of Georgia to stand up for the victims of sex trafficking, women and children under 18 years old.
CARLYN JACKSON, VOLUNTEER: We're here to give out 300 roses for the 300 girls that are trafficked every month in Georgia. Sex traffic. And we wrote a note to each senator.
LEMON: These volunteers are asking their state representatives to pass a package of new laws, which contain a $5 per person surcharge on patrons of strip clubs. The money raised from this fee would directly benefit victims escaping the sex trade.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I always feel like a criminal. I never feel like a victim at all. Victims don't do time in jail. They work on the healing process.
LEMON: Georgia State Senator Renee Unterman feels strongly about the rehabilitation of sex trafficked children. And is a key supporter of the state Senate bill.
RENEE UNTERMAN, GEORGIA STATE SENATE: It's not just girls, it's young boys. We found out that they want boys who are prepubescent before they develop hair but, unfortunately, after they develop their hair they're no longer wanted. So, basically, they're ruined for the rest of their lives. They have to deal with what happened to them when they were 12 years old.
LEMON: Experts estimate there are more than 10,000 child victims of sex trafficking in the United States.
ERNIE ALLEN, NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN: This is a problem that numbers in the tens of thousands, and that these kids have been victims. Most communities, people don't see it.
JACKSON: When I found out that Atlanta was one of the top cities for child sex trafficking, it just made me sick. So we're here today to say that we won't put up with it.
LEMON: Delivering notes and white roses and saving children, one volunteer at a time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Unbelievable.
Aaagape says, "Child trafficking is just unacceptable. We need to deal with this head on."
Scorpionsigma says, "It is time to bring about the death penalty for horrific child exploiters."
Maggithemagpie says, "Sadly a lot of Americans don't realize that child sex trafficking does happen in the land of the free. Thanks for doing this story."
And Scooprandell says, "We need to end this practice. Send the johns to Gitmo along with the ones who forced kids into sex."
Dlayphoto says, "This girl's disappearance could be trafficking. Two other girls disappeared from the same area."
Talking about someone that he wrote to us about.
We want you to be part of our community here. We really appreciate your comments. That's where you can send them to. Anyone of those platforms right there.
You know, she was told she would never be on the cover of "Vogue" magazine. Well, she proved everyone wrong. Tonight, my conversation with Beverly Johnson, America's first black supermodel.
Plus...
(VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Stevie Wonder rocks the house. The White House, that is. We'll take a closer look at the partiers in chief, some people are calling them, and how they're shaking things up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: As part of our continuing series, "Up From a Past: African-American Firsts," we profile Beverly Johnson. Beautiful, accomplished and an icon. The first African-American woman to grace the cover of "Vogue" magazine. I got the opportunity to spend some time with her at her Palm Springs home. It was a candid conversation about her successes and her challenges.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON (voice-over): 1974, the Jackson Five topped the charts. Nixon's resignation. And "The Godfather II." It was also the year of change for the American black woman and her image worldwide. Ushered in by this fresh face, the first black one on the cover of American "Vogue," Beverly Johnson.
(on camera): Did you know that you were the first?
BEVERLY JOHNSON, SUPERMODEL: No, no. I was like, I can't believe I'm the first black woman on the cover of "Vogue" in 1974? Where have they been?
LEMON (voice-over): That air of defiance, as well as her looks, fueled Beverly Johnson's modeling success. As a girl, she never thought she was attractive despite being 5-foot-8, lean, muscular, from years of being a competitive swimmer and swimming instructor.
JOHNSON: Very famous in Buffalo. A lot of people know how to swim.
LEMON: Just missing qualifying for the 1968 U.S. Olympic swim team, Johnson began studying law. She took a job at a Buffalo, New York department store, where a co-worker saw her modeling potential and slipped her the phone number of a New York boutique owner.
JOHNSON: He said, if you ever give up this idea about being this lawyer, I want you to call this woman.
LEMON: One year later at college in Boston, her swim instructor job was cut. Her $28 a week salary went away.
JOHNSON: So I'm like, I don't have a job. I don't want to go back to Buffalo. What am I going to do? And my roommates and classmates were from New York City. You know, I hang out with the cool girls from New York City.
They said what do you mean? You should be a model. A model. I mean what do they do? Go to a magazine and she said they do this. They stand there with their hands on their hips. You can do that.
(LAUGHTER)
JOHNSON: They make $75 an hour. I said, what? I said, I've got this number of this woman. I kept that slip of paper, and I called her.
LEMON: That woman got Johnson the audition with "Glamour" magazine. They hired her on the spot.
(on-camera): That's really, in the modeling business, that's like an overnight sensation.
JOHNSON: That's an overnight sensation. I would think so.
LEMON (voice-over): But that's where things got hard. Top modeling agencies like Ford and smaller ones turned her down. The one that finally signed her, still mocked her for daring to hope for modeling summit, the cover of "Vogue."
JOHNSON: This top agency, the owner said you'll never be on the cover. Who do you think you are? OK.
LEMON: Determined, Johnson left that agency, joined another. Five "Glamour" covers followed, then came "Vogue" twice. But under pressure to succeed, she became anorexic and bulimic.
JOHNSON: And I didn't know it until my mother kind of put me in a three-way mirror when I went home one time. And I was like, what's wrong with you? She took me in the room. It was a three-way mirror, I looked, I was like, ah! Because I really didn't know. LEMON: Even then she never slowed down. Achieved another first, the cover of French "Elle" in 1975. She even started her own wig company, starred in movies, marriage came and ended in divorce. She lost custody of her only daughter to her ex-husband because she traveled so much.
JOHNSON: I am Beverly Johnson. I was the first African-American to grace the cover of "Vogue" in August of 1974.
LEMON: She's slowed down a bit but is still working. "She's Got the Look," the modeling version of "American Idol" airs on TV Land. Johnson has reunited with her daughter, also a model, and is healthy.
And on a late-night round of golf behind her Palm Springs home, she confesses this game and her father's death helped her to get it together.
JOHNSON: For me that was one of the hardest things, for me.
LEMON (on-camera): Do you still talk to him?
JOHNSON: Oh, yes. My dad -- when I have a problem, I talk to him. He gets right on it, too.
LEMON: Does he?
JOHNSON: Yes.
LEMON: He pulls you through?
JOHNSON: He does.
LEMON: Now, looking back, because it's not all great, not all diamonds and roses and, you know, soft landings. Are you glad you did it?
JOHNSON: Oh, yes. Whew. Thank you. Yes, absolutely. Absolutely.
LEMON (voice-over): Beverly Johnson, an African-American first, still beating the odds.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: She's quite a lady.
Next week, my conversation with Diahann Carroll, the first African-American woman to have her own television show, and it was a hit. "Up From a Past: African-American Firsts" airs each Sunday, 7:00 and 10:00 p.m. Eastern right here on this show, right here on CNN.
You know what, I have four words for you -- earth, wind and fire. At the White House, the Obamas haven't even lived there 100 days yet, and they are setting a new agenda for parties and entertaining and just having a good time. You're invited, of course.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Well, you know what, he's not only the leader of the free world, but the leader of the choir, sort of.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWD (SINGING): Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Yes, everyone, that is the president. President Barack Obama meeting a group of famous performers tonight and serenading Senator Ted Kennedy at the Kennedy Center in Washington. He then joined the ailing Massachusetts Democrat in the balcony where they hugged each other.
The star-studded musical tribute marked Kennedy's belated 77th birthday, and to put the icing on the cake, Caroline Kennedy presented her uncle with the family's profile and courage award for his health care reform efforts. Happy belated birthday.
It has been described as an open-door policy. The new First Family's habit of having folks over to the White House almost every chance they get. And these are not the parties of past presidents either. Check it out. What CNN's Erica Hill found out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Change has come to Washington, and this change doesn't shy away from a good party.
OBAMA: This is a pretty big house so we get lonely. So -- and it's hard for me to move around out there sometimes, so I got to bring the world to me.
HILL: In just six weeks, the Obamas have hosted everyone from schoolkids to Stevie Wonder, and they're just getting started.
CYNTHIA GORDY, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, "ESSENCE" MAGAZINE: From day one the president and first lady have adopted a sort of open door policy for the White House. I mean, literally on the first day, their first day in the White House, they had an open house for hundreds of regular citizens.
HILL: The Obamas have pledged their White House will be a more inclusive, open one.
MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY: Walk around, touch some stuff. Just don't break anything.
HILL: Making White House social secretary Desiree Rogers a very busy and popular woman.
DESIREE ROGERS, WHITE HOUSE SOCIAL SECRETARY: They've been great sports at all these events and really, you know, have extended themselves to make people feel welcomed. HILL: Among those events a concert for nearly 200 D.C. school children to commemorate Black History Month. An award ceremony and tribute for Stevie Wonder, one of the Obamas' favorite singers.
And at the dinner they hosted for the nation's governors, as if Earth, Wind, and Fire, wasn't enough, the Obamas had the chairs taken away after dinner, forcing people to mingle and maybe even dance.
ROGERS: I think that our focus is really on making certain that everything we do is really reflective of them, as opposed to looking backwards. I think we're going to make this one our own.
AMY ARGETSINGER, COLUMNIST, "THE WASHINGTON POST": To have this youthful vibe, the kids are younger. They're younger. Their friends are younger. Their friends are more diverse. You're going to have the potential for a lot of pretty good parties.
HILL: And America will be watching.
Erica Hill, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Man, you guys are on it tonight, even weighing in on this story as it was on the air. Here's what Wlperry says, he says "The parties the Obamas are throwing look fun. I wish they would open them up to the general public."
Probably not. Alone and idiot, that would be fun, but there are security measures. Hey, only live once.
We always want you to be part of our conversation. You can get your comments on here on the Twitter board, Facebook or what have you. So make sure you get them to us. Back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: You guys are really weighing in and we really appreciate it. Here's what Latasha4destiny says: "Glad you brought attention to this tonight. We need to get the word out about the high sex trafficking within Atlanta."
The_Director says, "Strong show tonight. Every segment has been full of interesting topics. Great job, guys."
Hey, my team will appreciate that. We thank you for that.
Ashessehsa says, "It's horrifying to think child sex trafficking is happening in the U.S. I thought this was a foreign problem."
And Joesnow01 says, "Beverly Johnson piece very nice."
Thank you for commenting tonight. I'm Don Lemon. I'll see you back here next weekend. "D.L. HUGHLEY BREAKS THE NEWS" starts right now.
