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Families of 9/11 Victims Protest Upcoming Terrorist Civil Trials in New York; Senate Continues Floor Debate on Health Care Bill; American Exchange Student Convicted of Murder in Italy; Nightclub Catches Fire in Russia; Alternative Medicines Combat Cancer

Aired December 05, 2009 - 14:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: A lower unemployment rate -- not exactly a whole lot of comfort if you have been laid off. What should you do? We will ask the Dolans.

The police investigation is over, but the PR nightmare is still strong. You know him, Tiger Woods. How does he get out of the rough here?

And American college student Amanda Knox convicted on all counts of murder in Italy -- why some critics call the verdict a miscarriage of justice.

You are in the "CNN NEWSROOM." I'm Brooke Baldwin in today for Fred Whitfield.

I want to begin first with what's happening in Washington, D.C. a health care reform bill, they hope at least by Christmas time. That's what some Senate leaders want.

The Senate is in session right now this weekend. We are looking at live pictures here of Senator John Kerry arguing his point. They are talking health care. And they need these 60 votes to pass this thing they're hoping by Christmas.

President Obama will be there on Capitol Hill tomorrow to meet with the senators and really help push more of these more moderate Democrats to embrace the party's health care proposal.

Well, it has a big price tag here. The $848 billion bill has two points of disagreement. One, federal funding of abortion and, two, the government option or government run health care insurance.

CNN Senior Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash has more on the president's meeting. She's joining us there from Capitol Hill. Dana, you have had a busy day. What do you make of the news that the president will be on Capitol Hill tomorrow?

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's something the president's fellow Democrats really say they really need. These are Democrats on both sides of the divide in the party.

You mentioned two of the biggest issues that are the most contentious. Look at the Senate floor. Certainly the Senate is debating all kinds of issues. Medicare and cuts in Medicare. It's what they are debating in public right now.

But the reason, the real reason I can tell you why the Senate is here today and the fact they will be here tomorrow and they are inviting the president here to speak to them is the primary issue that really is going to stop this health care bill from going through, the issue of a government run health insurance option.

And while the debate is going on in public, I have been staking out meetings that have been going on in private with Democrats, the most liberal Democrats, those who tell us they don't think they can support a bill without a robust public option, a government run health insurance option and moderate or conservative Democrats who say they can't support a bill that has one.

Right those 60 votes are not there. That's why these discussions are going on behind the scenes. It's been very interesting to talk to the most liberal Democrats, the most conservative Democrats, and the fact that they are in a room off the second floor just off the Senate chamber discussing their differences.

They are deep, philosophical differences, Brook, there's no question about it. Every senator will tell you it's whether or not the government should be involved or not. It's hard to bridge, but the senators tell me and tell other reporters here that they are making progress, that there's potentially some compromise down the road.

But many senators, many Democrats say they really think the president has to get more involved to help broker that compromise -- Brook.

BALDWIN: We talked last hour, we don't just need the president's presence, we need decision. Dana Bash, Senior Congressional Correspondent, thanks for taking the time to sort this out for us. We appreciate it.

Meantime, Defense Secretary Robert Gates formally signing the deployment order to send the first wave of troops to Afghanistan. It follows President Obama's national address Tuesday on his new military strategy which he laid out to end the eight-year-old war. About a thousand marines are expected to deploy there later this month.

A protest in New York City organized by families, those who were killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. You can imagine they are angry that this trial of five of the alleged terrorists from 9/11 will be held blocks from ground zero.

CNN's Susan Candiotti is live there with the latest. And Susan, I know you've been talking to some of these families there in the rain. I know they are very concerned. What are they saying?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is rainy, it's cold and bitter. And I think "bitter" is the best way to describe the feelings of the majority of the people here today. This is a group The 9/11 Never Forget Coalition. A rally just wrapped up that lasted two hours.

We are in the area where the U.S. federal courthouses are located and where those terror trials are supposed to take place. People here are very, very angry during this rally, many speakers who are opposed to the decision by the U.S. attorney general Eric Holder to stage the terror trials here.

Joining us now is one of the organizers of this event. Deborah Burlingame, your husband Chris was one of the pilots whose plane was hijacked and crashed into the World Trade Center.

BURLINGAME: No, my brother was the pilot of the plane that hit the Pentagon.

CANDIOTTI: I apologize for that error.

BURLINGAME: That's all right, there were a lot of planes that crashed that day.

CANDIOTTI: I know safety is one of the main objects here, but also one of the others is these people will be tried in a civilian criminal court here compared to the military tribunal. Why is that objectionable?

BURLINGAME: I have great confidence in the New York Police Department. They are one of the best in the world, really, for dealing with any kind of terrorism.

Yes, it makes New York City a target. It has been a target. But the main objection I have is it turns the war on terror into criminal action. We did that in the 1990s. We served warrants, we arrested and brought them to trial, most of them, maybe 29 convictions that were tried in 1990s. And still, we had a 1998 bombing in Africa that killed 224 people. And then we have 9/11.

We can't fight this in a courtroom. We have to recognize this is a war and to bring the enemy, a war criminal, the attorney general recognizes he's a war criminal, and reward him for targeting civilians in an atrocity by giving him full constitutional rights and allowing him to rally his fellow Islamists, jihadis at the site of his greatest victory, that is going to cause grave danger to our troops and to the Americans here who will be targeted. It's simply a bad foreign policy.

And aside from that, the families who lost loved ones feel they are being targeted, again, by bringing the war criminals to the scene.

CANDIOTTI: There are other 9/11 families who alternately say they think it's good that after eight years, finally, they are getting off the dime and moving the trials forward, because Gitmo, in their views, did not work. They say they have faith in the attorney general's decision. What do you make of the dissention even within the 9/11 family?

BURLINGAME: You had a woman who spoke here today who represents over 800 victim's families. The families are overwhelmingly supporting of us and want these cases tried in military commissions.

It's regrettable a handful of people are misled by the ACLU into believing there will be trials here swiftly. They will not. It took the military commissions three years to prepare for trial because they are so complicated. There are over 500,000 documents and pieces of evidence.

If these cases are brought here it will be years before they will be tried. Everyone in the Department of Justice understands that. These unfortunate families do not.

Not only will it take three years to prepare the cases for trial. There will be an avalanche of pre-trial motions, and some of those are dangerous motions. These cases could disintegrate.

CANDIOTTI: Ms. Burlingame, thank you very much, and I'm sorry about the loss of your brother. Thank you very much.

Needless to say, there are different viewpoints, as we mentioned as well. Yesterday there was a group of 9/11 families as well as some politicians as well and former military veterans who said bringing the trials here is the right thing to do. And they point out this as one of their points they are trying to make.

This is Congressman Jerry Nadler.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JERROLD NADLER, (D) NEW YORK: Every time they try to conduct the military trial, the Supreme Courts, and say you don't have all the rights, all the normal rights, the Supreme Court said wrong, you can't do that. After 9/11, we convicted 195 terrorists and sentenced them to long terms in prison in regular courts and managed to get three minor charges plea bargained in military tribunals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: So at this point the trials are scheduled to go forward. Will the rallies make a difference? The people who attended them say yes. More rallies are planned nationwide. Back to you, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Obviously, still a divide over the stories. But it speaks volumes that these folks standing in the bitter cold to make sure their voices are heard. Susan Candiotti for us, Susan, thank you.

Have you heard this story today? Tragedy strikes the Warren County, Ohio fairgrounds. Two people have been killed and 65 horses killed has well. Here is John Paul reporting.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN PAUL, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: The call came in at 4:50 from a passerby, but it was already too late.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bar number 16 was fully involved in fire. The roof had collapsed into the building.

PAUL: Inside upwards of 65 horses and at least one person, an adult male. His body was found in the rubble along with all the horses. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have no idea who this individual could be. Of course, we have some circumstantial things, people that may have been there last night. It changes daily.

PAUL: Investigators are looking at the possibility that a second man was in the pole barn at the time. but finding the body could prove to be difficult.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The other thing that will complicate looking for victims and animals is because of the similar bone structures of animals to humans. We want to be thorough, methodic, and take our time.

PAUL: Word spread fast and people began gathering to try to see what was happening. Right now investigators are using earth movers to put out remaining hot spots to begin a more thorough investigation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: John Paul reporting there.

By the way, we will have much more on this horrific story coming up in the 4:00 eastern hour. We will take you live there to Ohio to find out and dig a little deeper on this investigation. Again, two people dead, 65 horses killed.

In Italy, an appeal is in the works for Amanda Knox. Last night a jury found the American exchange student and her former boyfriend guilty of killing her roommate. Jurors deliberated for about 11 hours after nearly a year of temperature.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANET HUFF, AMANDA KNOX'S AUNT: All they did, they listened to the media, live, that were put out there. They didn't listen to the facts and go on the facts. That's all they were supposed to do, and they didn't have the courage to do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Her parents and sisters also visited Knox in prison. They say she has a very difficult night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EDDA MELLAS, AMANDA KNOX'S MOTHER: Amanda, like the rest of us, is extremely disappointed, upset about the decision. We are all in shock. We are all heartened by the support, not only from the people of Perugia, many Italians all over. People have been sending us messages of support all through the night.

The media has been supportive. Amanda got great support when she came back to the prison.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Paula Newton is live where both families have been speaking out -- Paula.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You have the Amanda Knox family emerging from a visit with their daughter in prison, saying she's innocent, we will fight on. Then, you have the Meredith Kercher family saying we're satisfied with the verdict, but this isn't a time for celebration or triumph. This is a tragedy, and they wanted people to remember that Meredith Kercher was a vibrant British exchange student and they still miss her.

The next phase here is the appeals process. The jury releases its written motivations, reason for why they reached this verdict. After that the appeals process starts. And that's when we get to the issue of reasonable doubt, what are they and how are they exploited by the Knox defense.

We don't expect a hearing of substance for several months. The entire month will go on perhaps for as long as it has, another couple years, maybe even longer. It's not unheard of -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Amazing. Paula Newton for us in Italy.

The victim's family spoke publicly about this case today. Meredith Kercher was killed more than two years ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LYLE KERCHER, BROTHER OF MEREDITH KERCHER: We're very satisfied. The prosecution put together a case they worked very hard for. It has reached a climax, as it were, if not the ultimate climax, because I'm sure there will be some ongoing appeals and so on, which I'm sure will be discussed later.

But ultimately, you know, we are pleased with the decision, pleased that we've got a decision. But it's not time, you know, it's not time for celebration at the end of the day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Now, we still haven't heard from the family of Amanda Knox's former boyfriend. His lawyer says punishment, 25 years in prison, makes no sense. In such cases, the defendant is sentenced are either sentenced to life in prison or acquitted.

Snow in December, not so much of a big deal unless you live in the deep south. Take a good look here. We'll talk more about this snow here.

Also, out of a job? You are not alone. Some advice to get you back on your feet.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Winter, at least the official beginning of the season still a couple weeks away. But, some places you can see in the south getting an early dose of it, the snow definitely coming down. This is Knoxville, Tennessee. Five inches could fall before it's done. Also the Blue Ridge Mountains or near about -- that's obviously the White House -- but snow falling, pretty pictures. It looks like a nice greeting card, doesn't it?

(WEATHER BREAK)

BALDWIN: We all remember the story out of Rhode Island, that horrible station nightclub fire back in 2003 where 100 people died and 200 more injured.

There are some eerie similarities between that and this nightclub fire in Russia where investigators say more than 100 people died there as well, another 130 were hurt. Officials say the club's roof caught fire as a performer juggled some fireworks. That's what we are hearing.

The criminal investigation is already underway with five people in custody, including the club's owners, two employees, and a businessman who provided these pyrotechnics.

Sean Thomas is on the scene there. Perm is about several hundred miles east of Moscow. Sean, tell me, what's the latest you know as far as the investigation?

SEAN THOMAS, REPORTER, RUSSIA TODAY: Well, right now, it's a little less than 24 hours after the tragedy took place. And investigators are still on scene, the area is still sectioned off, and fire crews are going in, sorting through the rubble to make sure they are not missing any small detail.

Away from the scene, investigators are doing what they can to identify the bodies and basically make sure they know who is in the club.

Around 300 people were estimated to be in the club at the time. It was called The Lame Horse. It was supposed to be a night of celebration. They are celebrating their eighth anniversary.

That's when things went terribly wrong. Eyewitnesses say, as you mentioned, they saw someone juggling fire, which possibly caught the ceiling on fire.

Investigators are also looking at another possibility where they took cold fireworks, which is an indoor safe kind of firework use compressed gas to ignite instead of a spark.

Needless to say, the ceiling caught fire, which caused a toxic smoke because of the material the ceiling was made out of. Investigators say the people inside panicked. Some of them passed away through the smoke inhalation and others passed away from a stampede effect trying to make it out the door.

BALDWIN: You can get a sense of the stampede, the sense of urgency to get out of there based upon some of this video.

Sean Thomas with Russian TV, thank you. Appreciate it. New arrests in last weekend's slaughter of four police officers in Washington state. We will tell you who and what's behind all these new charges.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Today, we are talking jobs. That was at forefront of the president's mind. Yesterday Mr. Obama spoke to the unemployed people of Pennsylvania. Today, the topic of the weekly presidential address was job creation, President Obama taking note of a dip in the national unemployment figures and concluding more needs to be done to get millions of Americans back to work.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We are no longer losing jobs at a rate of 700,000 a month. The economy is growing for the first time in a year.

But too many of our neighbors are still out of work because the growth we have seen hasn't translated into all the jobs we need. Stung by the brutal recession, businesses that kept their doors open are still wary about adding workers. Instead of hiring many are simply asking their employees to work more hours or are adding temporary help.

History tells us this is usually what happens with recessions. Even as the economy grows, it takes time for jobs to follow. But the folks looking for work without luck for months and in some cases for years can't wait any longer. For them I am determined to do everything I can to accelerate our progress so we are actually adding jobs again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Coming up in a couple minutes, we will talk to "the first financial family," the Dolans in just a couple minutes, talking about if you have been laid off, we'll talk 401(k). That's coming up in a couple minutes.

Meantime, medicine, therapy, surgery, conditional treatments that work in many cases. But some patients add alternative ways to get better. Our Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Aliya Wade became interested in energy medicine after her mother died of breast cancer. Years later, when she got her own breast cancer diagnosis, Wade thought conventional therapy was not enough. Nearly 40 percent of U.S. adults are using alternative therapies either alone or with conventional medicines says Dr. Brent Bauer of the Mayo Clinic.

DR. BRENT BAUER, MAYO CLINIC: Bringing other things to the table to kind of round out the care that they're receiving .

COHEN: Wade combined chemotherapy with supplements and herbs, and a technique called Raike. The movement of hands over the body releases blocked energy which some believe spawns disease.

ALIYA WADE, USED ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES FOR CANCER: If there are blockages, they are gone by the time I'm finished.

COHEN: The usefulness of some therapies like Raiki is hard to study. Also difficult, assessing the value of supplements, vitamins, and herbs that have not been proven to work.

BAUER: Any herb that's strong enough to have benefits are also strong enough to have side effects and can actually cause problems.

COHEN: Wade says doing Raike and hypnotherapy alleviated her fear and was just as useful as chemo for shrinking her tumors. But each person is different, so evaluate your options wisely.

For today's health for her, I'm Elizabeth Cohen,

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Still to come, the Dolans, "the first family of finance," will be talking 401(k), what to do when you have been laid off, and what about the homeowners, that $8,000 tax credit? Might it extend into next year? Find out coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: On the economy beat, let me give you some good news first. The national unemployment rate has improved. The not so good news is it improved by not so much.

The Labor Department says the unemployment rate for November fell to 10 percent from 10.2 percent. Employers cut only 11,000 jobs lost last month. That is the smallest monthly loss in two years time.

So, if you were recently laid off, the first couple personal finance Ken and Daria Dolan, they are both here with some advice. It's nice to meet you all through the TV here. I'm a big fan. You give good advice.

KEN DOLAN, PERSONAL FINANCE EXPERT: Thank you.

BALDWIN: You're welcome. We are seeing this fall in unemployment by two-tenths of a percent.

KEN DOLAN: Don't get too excited about this. Don't forget the 11,000 people who are not working and the 4 million people who lost their jobs. Everybody gets really excited. Don't get too excited.

BALDWIN: We are cautiously optimistic. Let's talk to those people who have been laid off, right?

DARIA DOLAN, PERSONAL FINANCE EXPERT: Yes.

BALDWIN: What are the first steps people should take to get their lives on track?

KEN DOLAN: It's a tough time.

DARIA DOLAN: There's two groups because 52,000 of those jobs that were created last month are only temporary, so they could end up back in the unemployment line when this employment ends, Brooke.

But for the people that are unemployed right now, the big problem is people lose their skills. They lose their edge.

KEN DOLAN: They lose their edge.

DARIA DOLAN: You have to take the bull by the horns.

BALDWIN: What do you do?

KEN DOLAN: Keep a schedule.

DARIA DOLAN: You have to keep looking.

KEN DOLAN: Keep a schedule. Don't sit in your pajamas all day. Check your financial situation. Brooke, it's going to take at least three months to get employed, again.

By all means check your health care coverage. Hopefully your spouse has coverage. Check that and COBRA and the portability of your health benefits.

DARIA DOLAN: And start reworking your resumes. It's all done practically online. Tutors read them. You need to tailor your resume for every job application you submit to.

KEN DOLAN: With keywords.

DARIA DOLAN: With the keywords for the want ads. Computers are going to read it and spit out the ones that have none of the words.

BALDWIN: Resume, set the alarm, don't stay in your pajamas, and make sure you have health care.

What about 401(k)? You have lost your job or are going on to another job. What do you do with the 401(k)?

KEN DOLAN: That's a good question. I would say, I'll give you my opinion, Daria will agree or disagree. Get it out of there and get control of it. Either roll it into the new company if they have it or roll directly into an IRA or a Roth IRA, but you have to pay taxes on the Roth.

BALDWIN: Definitely roll it over. I tell you, right now I'd be a little worry about opening up new Roth accounts. They are looking for tax dollars where ever they can get it. I'm not convinced there won't be a tax on the tax-free Roth plans in the future.

KEN DOLAN: Take control. Don't leave it there.

BALDWIN: What about people who are lucky enough where they can be a first time homebuyer and purchase that house, and we talked about the $8,000 tax credit, which is definitely helpful. My question to you is, might that be extended into next year?

KEN DOLAN: I love when she sounds excited about this stuff.

DARIA DOLAN: It's already been extended. It's good now through the end of May as long as you close by the 10th of July.

KEN DOLAN: It's good up to April 30th. You have to have a binding contract April 30th, May 1, and you must have effectively moved in by July 1 -- $8,000, not bad. And you have not to have had principle residence in three years. I like it.

BALDWIN: We'll take what we can get, right?

DARIA DOLAN: It's $8,000 at the max if you buy an $800,000. It's 10 percent of the value of the house you buy.

KEN DOLAN: Maximum of eight percent.

BALDWIN: All right, Dolans, hang around. We'll see you in just a couple minutes.

First, let's talk about Tiger Woods, really a master of controlling his game on the golf course, right? In the wake of this infidelity scandal, is he developing a bunker mentality? Some expert advice that could get him out of the PR rough.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Taking a look at the day's top stories.

Five people detained after this deadly nightclub fire in Russia's Ural Mountains facing some tough, tough questions now, at least 109 people -- there's a change, 109 people killed in the blaze. Dozens of others were injured.

Investigators believe flaming batons juggled by a performance artist inside there set the ceiling on fire, triggering this massive inferno.

Former NBC anchorman Tom Brokaw and his wife are OK after this three vehicle accident in New York City yesterday. It left the driver of a sports utility vehicle dead. The SUV reportedly swerved to avoid something on the roadway and slammed into the postal truck, the Brokaw's car, and then hit that truck.

The Brokaw's say they are greatly saddened by the loss of life.

Some tough numbers for President Obama. For the first time here since taking office, his approval rating dropped below 50 percent. According to a new CNN Opinion Research poll only 48 percent of Americans actually like the way he's handling things. Many people blaming the recession as the reason his popularity has taken a hit.

Perhaps this man's popularity is taking a hit as well. Tiger Woods flying under the radar now as he weathers was has got to be one of the worst times of his life. After he issued an apology for his, quote, "transgressions" on his Web site, he is keeping mum even as rumors are flying as more of these alleged mistresses are emerging here. Basketball great Magic Johnson says there's only one way to deal with the public scrutiny. Listen to what Magic Johnson told our own Larry King.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAGIC JOHNSON, FORMER NBA PLAYER: This probably is a tough situation right now for him. I'm hoping that he can get his wife and they can huddle up and try to work it out. And he should be just focusing on his wife and his kids right now.

LARRY KING, CNN ANCHOR: When you had a difficult situation, though, you came right forward with it. Should he have gone public right away?

JOHNSON: I know he's different than me, but I hope one day, soon, he would come publicly and say, "I made a mistake," you know, and tell the honest truth, and then just move on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Sounds like good advice, right? But is it really the best way to deal with this growing scandal? Let's ask my two guests here. Marshawn Evans is a sports and entertainment lawyer. It is her job to polish the reputations of entertainers, personal and professional athletes. She'll weigh in.

And Anne-Renee Testa is a psychologist and a relationship coach. And she knows why famous people tend to cheat and helping women here work on their self-esteem issues. So this will be interesting.

First Marshawn, my question is for you, and Magic Johnson touched on this. We heard from Tiger, he came out days later in a statement on his website. So my question is could this circus have been avoided if he had been more transparent, or is this just part of the territory of being in the public eye?

MARSHAWN EVANS, SPORTS, ENTERTAINMENT LAWYER: Well, there's no perfect way to deal with an imperfect situation. What I will tell you is that honesty is certainly the best policy and the biggest mistake that was made is a lack of honesty.

What I mean is, as a professional, a lawyer who represents people and a branding expert, I can't do anything if I don't know what I'm working with. You can't fight a battle if you don't know what the enemy is. And so you have to be honest with you publicity team so they know what to do to help you. And that's why they're behind the ball.

At this point they are in a crisis management mode. They don't know if somebody else is going to show up and say "I was another person involved in this." And so they have a lot they don't know. The more he can be honest the more prepared his team can be. BALDWIN: Anne, let me ask you this. And we all know, there's a long list of men and women who have cheated who are in the public eye. I think of Kobe Bryant, Bill Clinton, Senator John Edwards. I believe it was Senator Edwards who said when you think about the driving forces behind cheating, he mentioned narcissism. Does that play at all?

ANNE-RENEE TESTA, PSYCHOLOGIST, RELATIONSHIP COACH: Definitely. There's narcissism. And they are so indiscriminate. And they are filling a need that they have to constantly fill over and over again.

But the thing that strikes me is it's not only with famous people in the news, but it's also with a truck driver, a salesman or woman for that matter. People are looking to fill a void and they think they can do it and not be caught. It's very simple.

And that's what it was, what it is historically, if you think of every president but one has had affairs up the kazoo (ph). So I think that it's a problem that needs to be solved with understanding, deep understanding of who they are as people and also what their responsibilities are, because they are not thinking of that.

BALDWIN: And do you think --

EVANS: I think it's so much deeper. Athletes are held to a different standard. We tell them that they have permission to do whatever they want. And I say that as someone who represents them.

I have some excellent clients I have the pleasure of working with. But I notice that they are rich. They get everything for free. They are told the rules don't apply to them. Not only do -- I think athletes are very different than the average truck driver because they are told they are different.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Let me jump in. Marshawn, what would you --if you could bend Tiger's ear, you talk about honesty. But he's a human being. He has a private life. What would you say to him? How would you coach him?

EVANS: I think there's three steps. The first is honesty. He has to be honest with himself and his family. But second, if he wants to resume a public life and be back in the good graces of the American people, he has to show humility.

And the third thing he has to show is consistency because right now the Tiger brand has always stood for perfection. And now this type of imperfection is going to be difficult to overcome. It can done, but it has to be sincere. This is about not doing good things, it's about being a good person so that people can fall back in love with the brand they have come to know and trust.

BALDWIN: Anne, really briefly, you get the last word. What are your thoughts? TESTA: I really think he is a good person. He's the darling, and we never expected for that to happen. But I think they can mend fences and do some good therapy. I'm a relationship therapist. That's what I do. If they do it independently and together because it's him, her, and the marriage, then I think they can save it.

BALDWIN: You think maybe therapy can save it?

TESTA: No question.

BALDWIN: We'll see.

EVANS: Everybody needs therapy.

BALDWIN: Therapy is a good thing. Ladies, thank you.

Tax tips, investing, questions about your money, you ask the Dolans. They will be back with some answers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Let's talk finances once again and bring in the first family of finance, Ken and Daria Dolan, live for us. Guys, we want to go ahead and bring in Josh Levs. He has a couple good questions.

KEN DOLAN: Good.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Hey, dynamic Dolan duo, you guys ready to hit it?

KEN DOLAN: Yes. Five minutes of money truth.

DARIA DOLAN: And go.

LEVS: Oh, man. That's quite a set up. I heard what you were talking about with Brooke. Jill says "I'm single with no children in my 40s, own a house with a mortgage and want to know what you recommend for life insurance and estate planning."

Talk to me. What should she do?

KEN DOLAN: Dynamite question, Jill!

DARIA DOLAN: Married no children. OK.

KEN DOLAN: Let's talk about insurance, first.

LEVS: I'm sorry, she's single. My bad.

KEN DOLAN: Yes, single. She certainly needs, depending on how much money she has, she certainly needs a base of term insurance to begin with. She'll find the greatest value, the greatest amount of insurance to protect her family with, her kids in term.

DARIA DOLAN: No children. No children.

KEN DOLAN: It doesn't hurt to have some.

DARIA DOLAN: She needs that term life insurance, because what she wants to do is not leave her estate to, if she has brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins she wants to leave it to, to cover the bills, including the house mortgage.

What I might recommend, because she is single and a homeowner as well, that she investigate, it's expensive but important, disability insurance, because if she's the only one, she needs to be sure the mortgage can be paid and the bills can be paid.

KEN DOLAN: Estate planning, at minimal, get a will.

LEVS: To the minimum is to get a will, and definitely get the term life insurance. You answered a good question about disability insurance.

KEN DOLAN: There's nobody else to make that mortgage payment right now, Josh.

LEVS: Let's get to the next question. I want you to see this. This is from April. "What will happen when millions of people's unemployment benefits run out? How will states handle all the people who need assistance?" She says "I feel like moving to China to get my job back."

Yes, it's from 10.2 percent down to 10.0 percent. Even President Obama said there will still be struggles ahead. Will states struggle so much it will impact everyone?

DARIA DOLAN: It's going to impact the states because every time they increase the unemployment benefits, two phenomena happen -- number one, people unemployed put off looking for that job the longer they have benefits. They have done documented studies on this. It's not a pretty picture.

On top of that, with the mandates coming from the federal government, that money is coming out of, number one, out of the employers who let the people go. They have to continue paying in. They are not going to create jobs for us.

And the states are going to be on the hook because of the added benefits that the federal government said yes, go ahead and give them.

KEN DOLAN: We're moving to Italy, Josh.

LEVS: You guys can.

But let's say this happens to the states, right? So the states are strapped, how is it going to impact April?

DARIA DOLAN: I tell you --

KEN DOLAN: The state is in bad shape to begin with.

DARIA DOLAN: -- here in Florida, where they said if this continues as it is right now, the state may have to investigate a state income tax which has never been here. There's all sorts of ways the states are going to have to up the ante on those who are working to try and cover the people who aren't working until nobody gets covered anymore.

KEN DOLAN: Josh, the bottom line for anybody, including this person sending in this question, start saving. Cash is king -- emergency fund, period.

LEVS: Are you both feeling, from your perch, do you see a serious possibility of the states with no income tax creating them?

KEN DOLAN: Maybe.

DARIA DOLAN: How else are we going to pay for it?

KEN DOLAN: Josh, it certainly is a possibility. A number of states are bankrupt, Josh, almost.

DARIA DOLAN: The other big problem here, the municipal debt that comes out of municipal bonds, how are these state going to continue to pay the bondholders?

LEVS: All right. I think we have time for one more quick one.

BALDWIN: Do you have a question, Josh?

LEVS: Yes. Let's do it. This is from Omar. "What are good funding sources for working capital with companies with no mortgage collateral?"

I find that interesting. Funding sources for working capital, what do you guys think about that? Where do you look?

KEN DOLAN: It's very, very difficult. About $500 billion worth of credit have shrunk in the banks and lending institutions. I think one of the best ways to do it, although money is still tight there, there are dozens and dozens of loan programs from the SBA, Small Business Administration, sba.gov. There's money there, not a lot, but it's there if you have patience with the form.

LEVS: You can send your questions to the blog, CNN.com/josh. Facebook and Twitter, Josh Levs CNN. Dolan's I'm not two-timing you, but Brooke, I'll be back with you next hour with some more questions for the smart cookies.

BALDWIN: Five ladies.

LEVS: Five wonderful ladies each with a very interesting take on the economy. We'll have even more advice.

BALDWIN: We'll have more on the smart cookies. Dolans, thank you so much.

KEN DOLAN: Thank you, Brooke.

DARIA DOLAN: Thanks, Brooke. BALDWIN: Let's let everyone know how they can find you. If you want to ask a question of the Dolans about your personal finance, go to their Web site. It's Dolans.com. They have a lot to say, they have tips and answers to your questions -- again, Dolans.com.

If you have questions about your personal spending, personal financial issues, perhaps, we'll have the smart cookies providing you some sweet financial advice. As Josh just mentioned, you can e-mail your questions to weekends@CNN.com. We want to hear from you here. And we will get through as many of those questions as we possibly can.

We will be live with the smart cookies, present and accounted for. That is coming up in the next hour. We are really looking forward to seeing them. They are flying out today. We appreciate it. That's coming up in the "CNN Newsroom," the 3:00 hour.

Meantime, the job picture is improving. President Obama is somewhat encouraged here, but Republican leaders are not so much encouraged. A closer look at the numbers and their reaction coming in this hour.

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