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Terror Suspect to be Arraigned; Much of Nation Affected by Winter Weather; Creature Comforts

Aired January 08, 2010 - 12:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And time now for your top-of-the-hour reset. I'm Tony Harris in the CNN NEWSROOM.

It is noon in Detroit, where the young Nigerian charged in the plane bomb plot goes to court in two hours.

Across America new unemployment numbers in December, just as the jobless get a boost from the 2010 census.

And in Miami the arctic blast is bringing the zoo animals down. Don't worry, the iguanas are just in a cold-blooded stupor! They're not dead.

All right, let's get started.

He is accused of trying to blow a U.S. airliner out of the sky over Detroit. Today, terror suspect, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab goes to court to face charges in the Christmas Day plot. CNN's Deborah Feyerick is at the federal courthouse in Detroit where the arraignment is just about two hours away.

And Deb, security is a big concern for many who think it is a bad idea to try this man in federal court. Talk about the security at the courthouse.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, first, we do want to tell you that about an hour ago, there was a flurry of activity, a number of vans going into the courthouse. We're still waiting for confirmation as to whether Abdulmutallab has indeed arrived.

He was at a facility about 45 minutes from here. We were expecting him about that time, but we are still waiting for an official confirmation. It is believed that he is in the building.

Now, as for security, yes, it is very tight. There are barricades that are set up here just outside the federal courthouse. Down the road, police have set out sort of a viewing station just to keep an eye on the front of the courthouse. Now, it's been in place about 25 minutes ago.

I mean, there's been a lot of discussion, do you do it in a civil court? Do you do it sort of as an enemy combatant?

But remember, there's never been anybody tried as an enemy combatant. Even Jose Padilla, who was sort of the closest person to get that, obviously, label, and then to go through the process, he was tried in a civilian court and he was convicted.

So while there's a history of sort of putting them within this frame of an enemy combatant, there's been no cases actually successfully tried as far as that goes. All of it has been in federal court, so they believe this is exactly the place to be doing it -- Tony.

HARRIS: Deb, any sign of the suspect's family?

FEYERICK: No. And that is really the outstanding question, whether they're going to come here.

The father, it's very interesting, the dynamic between the father and the son. The father knew that his son was going down a bad path. There are reports that he had threatened to cut his son off.

His son wanted to go to Cairo and to Saudi Arabia, where there's a huge sort of militancy to study there. The father said, no, you're not going to go there. He went to Dubai instead.

So, it does appear that the family was involved in keeping an eye on him, trying to keep him on the right course. Unclear when exactly he became radicalized, whether it was during his time in London, when he was at university there.

It's interesting, because he graduated in June of 2008. And just before leaving London, he applied for a multiple entry U.S. visa. So all of that is under investigation right now -- Tony.

HARRIS: OK.

Deborah Feyerick for us in Detroit, just outside of Detroit federal court.

Deb, thank you.

President Obama calls for tighter airport security and better intelligence methods to prevent future terrorist attacks. The president released a declassified report on the missteps surrounding the attempted bombing on Christmas Day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The U.S. government had the information scattered throughout the system to potentially uncover this plot and disrupt the attack. Rather than a failure to collect or share intelligence, this was a failure to connect and understand the intelligence that we already had.

I am less interested in passing out blame than I am in learning from and correcting these mistakes to make us safer, for, ultimately, the buck stops with me.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HARRIS: And here are some key points on how security will be beefed up.

The government will deploy another 300 full-body scanners at U.S. airports this year. Right now there are only 40 scattered around the country.

Also in the works, more bomb-sniffing dogs, more metal detectors, and more technology to detect explosives. And the security enhancements will also be felt on board the airlines. Hundreds of law enforcement officers will be trained as federal air marshals.

The unemployment rate didn't budge in December. It remains at 10 percent.

The Labor Department says companies cut 85,000 jobs last month, 10 times the number analysts predicted. That said, the November report was revised to show the economy actually created 4,000 jobs.

Much of the nation still coping with bone-chilling temperatures reaching into the Deep South. Ice and snow creating a travel nightmare at airports and on the roads.

This morning, 27 vehicles slid into each other south of Atlanta, injuring at least three people. Brutal winds ripped (AUDIO GAP) and wind chills on the East Coast.

Armies of snowplows and salt trucks have been deployed across the country, but some cities have dodged the snow front anyway. Chicago being one of them.

Let's go there live now. Jessica Gomez is there for us.

Jessica, good to see you.

Now, I've got to ask you, since snowfall was less than expected for Chicago, has the city been able to sort of clear the streets and get things back to normal?

JESSICA GOMEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Yes, things are actually looking pretty good, a lot better than was expected.

The snow tapering off earlier this morning. And here on Michigan Avenue, in downtown Chicago, as you can see, traffic is moving along pretty well, pretty steady.

All in all, about four to eight inches fell in the Chicago area, still less than predicted. Some lake-effect snow still coming just southeast of Chicago, in northwest Indiana.

The city's full suite of salt trucks are out on the roads clearing things up. Travel times yesterday, about an hour above normal. Today's morning commute, slow, but not bad. And most of those major thoroughfares have been cleaned up, and the crews are now concentrating on those side roads, which are still slick. The big story now becomes this biting cold that is on the way. Temperatures right now are in the 20s, but it feels a lot colder with those wind chills. And tonight's low expected to be around zero -- Tony.

HARRIS: OK. Ms. Jessica Gomez. So the streets are pretty good. How about the airports?

GOMEZ: Airports are looking pretty good. Both Chicago O'Hare and Midway Airports are reporting slight delays and cancellations, but nothing like what we saw yesterday, where there were hundreds of cancellations.

HARRIS: All right, Jessica. Get back to us when there's some problems in Chicago. Things are looking pretty good.

Jessica Gomez for us in Chicago.

More severe weather coverage straight ahead. Our Chad Myers is gathering the latest information on strong winds and intense wind chills paralyzing parts of the U.S. And we'll talk to Chad in just a couple of minutes.

But first, though, our "Random Moment" in 60 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: OK. So, so, so, so, so, our "Random Moment of the Day" adds up to big money. Richard and Mary Morrison claimed the $165 million Mega Millions jackpot. But, wait. Before they cashed that check, Suffolk County, New York, wants nearly $1 million of it.

Officials say the Morrisons' business over-billed the county. Well, that ruined an otherwise lovely lottery moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Richard, we're wondering if you plan to repay the million dollars to Suffolk.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That is not about the check presentation. Moving on to the check presentation...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Check presentation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hang on a second. The money is in escrow until a court decides. In the meantime, the Morrisons are going ahead with the big, splashy wedding they couldn't afford 40 years ago.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT) HARRIS: You know, it's not only humans shivering and running for shelter in this deep freeze. As CNN's John Zarrella reports from Florida, the apes are bundling up, the turtles are slower than ever. And the iguanas, well...

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just throw me a blanket, will you? Even with all that hair, Bonnie, the orangutan, wasted no time wrapping up against the cold at Miami's Metro Zoo. Her buddy, Mango, sipped on a cup of hot chocolate, vet approved.

The tortoises, well, they're not too swift with their feet or their brains.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have to take, actually, plywood and lock them in there because they're not bright enough to know to stay in there. They'll go out and then they'll freeze, and they'll be stopped and their frozen, and that's it.

ZARRELLA: In Florida, the animals are no more used to this kind of cold than people. Zoos are doing what they can to provide creature comforts -- space heaters for the parrots and the Komodo dragons, boxes for the primates.

This little guy shut his own door. Don't ever say "dumb animals."

For beekeepers in Tallahassee, where the temperature has been in the teens, the only hope, save the queen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As long as the queen and some of the bees make it through the winter, then we're fine.

ZARRELLA: No, you're wrong. That's not protozoa under a microscope. They're manatees, 300 of them. The heating system at a power plant was turned on to warm the waters for them. \

Sea turtles, lethargic and stunned by the cold, are being rescued and brought to marine life sanctuaries. Nearly 100 so far.

(on camera): Now, to be honest, there are some animals here in Florida that just don't get and won't get any love.

(voice-over): So, how do you feel about rats, maybe a foot long? They're not crazy about the cold either. Well, they're scrambling and slithering and squeezing their way into nice, warm homes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The kind of rat that should be in New York. It shouldn't be in Florida. And it certainly shouldn't be in my apartment with my kids.

ZARRELLA: And there are the iguanas, invasive species overrunning south Florida. The cold weather puts them literally in a state of suspended animation. Not good when you live in a tree.

Florida's version of Groundhog Day -- when the iguana falls out of the tree, six more weeks of winter.

John Zarrella, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Oh, man.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, a down economy, high unemployment, yet hundreds of thousands of jobs. Hundreds of thousands are jobs are going unfilled.

We'll find out why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: You know, we keep hearing there aren't enough jobs. Well, it turns out there are -- oh, let me hang on for just a second here -- good, good, good.

All right. We keep hearing that there aren't a lot of good jobs. So, come to find out, there are plenty of good, blue-collar jobs for the taking.

But as CNN's Carol Costello shows us, many young folks hesitate to take them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the '80s movie "Flashdance," Alexandra Owens can't wait to leave blue-collar work behind. It wasn't long before she said goodbye welding torch, hello fame. Yes, old fiction, but it neatly sums up where we are today.

Kim Barbano graduated from the University of Miami with a degree in public relations in 2008. She has yet to find a job. And even though she's struggling economically, the thought of taking this time to learn a trade is incomprehensible.

(on camera): Is there some kind of negative connotation to it?

KIM BARBANO, UNEMPLOYED COLLEGE GRAD: I think there is a lot of pressure to go to college and to get the typical day job and that isn't the working with your hands field.

COSTELLO (voice-over): Let's face it. There is little real passion for becoming electricians, manufacturing engineers, high-tech welders, plumbers or custom construction workers, even in this economy.

CHRIS KUEHLS, CHIEF ECONOMIST FABRICATORS AND MANUFACTURING ASSN.: There are still hundreds of thousands of jobs in manufacturing, but unfortunately, the people that are looking for jobs don't necessarily have the skills necessary to get into this field now. COSTELLO: According to a 2009 study by Deloitte in the Manufacturing Institute, manufacturing topped a list of seven key industries as most important to the U.S. economy. Yet only 17 percent of young Americans desire a job in manufacturing and only 30 percent of parents said they'd encourage their kids to learn a trade.

MATTHEW CRAWFORD, AUTHOR MECHANIC: I had to fabricate some brackets here.

COSTELLO: Matthew Crawford who has a Ph.D. in political philosophy proudly works with his hands. He's saddened by that attitude and has written a book about it, "Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work."

CRAWFORD: I think we've developed the kind of -- this idea that if the work is dirty it must be stupid.

COSTELLO: Crawford says working with your hands and using your brain to create something then seeing the finished product can be much more satisfying than a life behind a desk, and yes, it can pay more too.

CRAWFORD: I think we've developed a kind of -- a sort of one- track educational system, where just about every kid gets pressured to go to college. And I think the truth is that some people, including some who are plenty smart, would rather be learning to build things or fix things.

COSTELLO: The challenge for the skilled labor industry is to change that perception, and to get people to run to blue collar jobs instead of away from them.

(on camera): The manufacturing industry is working hard to convince young people to become skilled workers. They're recruiting kids in junior high school. They've convinced community colleges to offer courses and things like electrical engineering. And there is even a camp for kids who are interested in working with both their brains and their hands.

Carol Costello, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: You know, there are lots of growing fields you should know about. Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis joins us in just a couple of minutes to talk about where the jobs actually are.

Let's get you caught up on our top stories now.

Bitter cold temperatures from the North, deep into the South. Forecasters say this is the worst cold snap in 15 years for most states east of the Rockies. Ice is shutting down roads and causing flight cancellations in some cities, including Chicago and Atlanta.

The mother of the suicide bomber who killed seven CIA officers in Afghanistan describes him as a loner since childhood. He was a Jordanian doctor, recruited as a counterterrorism intelligence source. His wife said she was shocked to hear what he had done, but proud of her husband's suicide mission.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEFNE BAYRAK, WIFE OF CIA SUICIDE BOMBER (through translator): In fact, I am proud of my husband. My husband accomplished a very big operation in such a war. If he is a martyr, may God accept his martyrdom.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Jordanian officials say they thought he had been rehabilitated from his extremist views and he was being used to hunt down al Qaeda's number two.

Gay rights advocates are vowing to fight back through the courts after the New Jersey State Senate voted down a bill to legalize same- sex marriage. Right now, five states recognize gay marriage: Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont.

We will get another check of our top stories in 20 minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: So, the push is on to add 300 full-body scanners at airports across the country. But are these scanners really a full- body health hazard?

Our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there are a lot of questions about these type of technologies in airports. We're already starting to see them, and the question that everybody seems to be asking is, you know, how safe are they and how much radiation do they actually emit? So, let me just go through two of the machines that are going to become the most common that we're hearing.

First of all, this is the millimeter wave technology. Take a look at that type of machine.

It's pretty expensive, about $150,000 to $175,000, which is part of the reason we may not see as many of these because of the cost. But this really uses what's known as radio waves.

You're actually using radio waves to generate an image. Think of this more like an ultrasound rather than an x-ray machine.

And in terms of the amount of energy it delivers, it's about 10,000 times less than even a cell phone. So very little energy there.

This is the one that's probably going to be more common. This is called the backscatter technology. These are the types of images it generates. That's what the machine looks like.

What happens here is you do have radiation, but the way the machine is designed is to actually take the radiation and bounce it off the scan, and then create an image on the other side. So, you're not actually penetrating the skin with this type of radiation.

They say it would take about 125,000 trips through one of these machines in a year to hit the acceptable safety level, so they both seem pretty safe. Both of these should be distinguished, incidentally, from regular x-rays.

This is what we're used to seeing. This is an x-ray of a bone implant, a hip implant. This is ionizing radiation. This does penetrate the skin. That's how you get those types of images.

Now, obviously, there's still a lot of people who will be concerned about this. The TSA has told us you can still decide to opt out, not go through either machine, pregnant women, young children, for example, if they're concerned about this. But for the most part, based on the radiation levels, based on the energy levels, they seem pretty safe.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: All right, Sanjay. Appreciate it.

And be sure to tune in this weekend for the premiere episode of Sanjay's new program, "SANJAY GUPTA MD." That is Saturday and Sunday, 7:30 a.m. Eastern Time.

They don't want to come in, so he goes to them. A minister cares for the homeless in the bitter cold.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Got to tell you, much of the nation is in the grips of a deep freeze. Forecasters say we could see some relief Sunday. Until then, really, bundle up.

Take a look at these school buses in Nebraska. Chad Myers showed us these pictures just a short time ago. Had to show them to you again.

Some cities report highways leading in and out of town are blocked by ice and snow. The cold has cut like a knife into the Gulf Coast of Florida. The freezing weather isn't just slowing or stopping traffic, it is also a big problem, as you can imagine, for fruit crops.

And check out all the transformers exploding in Oklahoma City. Any sound on that? That is crazy. Strong winds ripped out power lines in parts of Oklahoma.

You know, there's a real danger for frostbite and hypothermia for people unprepared to cope with this cold snap. The homeless, as you would imagine, are especially vulnerable.

Martin Savidge reports on a group in St. Louis helping the homeless survive the freeze.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Darkness falls in St. Louis. And with it, the temperature.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Blowing snow as well, the wind chill index five below downtown at the arch.

SAVIDGE: And at the New Life Evangelistic Shelter, the homeless have begun showing up for the night. But despite the bitter cold, there are some who refuse to come in. They're the ones that the Reverend Larry Rice wants to find.

(on camera): Do you try to bring them in or do you just try to look after them in place where they are?

REV. LARRY RICE, NEW LIFE EVANGELISTIC CENTER: We often look after them in place, letting them know that we have a place available that they can come. But as meager their belongings may be, and as primitive as their place may be, that's still home.

SAVIDGE (voice-over): Our first stop is an abandoned home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have to check on these people regularly. OK?

SAVIDGE: That's not abandoned at all.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, how are you doing there?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. How are you all doing? Staying warm, are you?

SAVIDGE: Inside, we find a community of young people in their teens and 20s.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you all doing? I've got a new coat here for you. Can you all use a sleeping bag?

SAVIDGE: Thanks to roaring fires and gas heaters, it's warm. For Susan Fanter, it's heaven compared to the street.

(on camera): How many people are in the house here?

SUSAN FANTER, HOMELESS WOMAN: I don't know, 15, 20. I don't know. I haven't really -- I never count.

SAVIDGE (voice-over): At the next stop, we realize Susan was right about the heaven part. This is where she was living, in a tent, in a tunnel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, Larry? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Larry Rice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes.

SAVIDGE: And as the temperature heads toward zero, we find others still here.

(on camera): What do you do to stay warm?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My lantern.

SAVIDGE: That lantern is your source of heat?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. When I have fuel for it.

SAVIDGE (voice-over): Next door, the tent has no ceiling.

(on camera): And why don't you go to a shelter?

DAVID HUCKSTEP, HOMELESS MAN: We prefer to stay out here. We don't like to be around a whole bunch of different people that we don't know. We're kind of like a small group of people that get along good.

SAVIDGE (voice-over): A small group of people living in the stone age, just beneath a modern American city. Surviving a night so cold it could kill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: By the way, this frigid January marks the 38th year that Reverend Rice (ph) has been preaching and reaching out to those who are homeless here in the city of St. Louis. And, as you can tell in this weather, Tony, he is not just saving souls. He's probably saving lives.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes, you're right about that. Hey, Marty, what, 11:30 a.m. in St. Louis right now. Has it warmed up at all?

SAVIDGE: I think it has. And I think we might be up around 9 degrees, which the problem is, though, the wind. You can't see it, but the wind is blowing fairly steadily here. And that means that tonight there's going to be another wind chill warning. And as a result of that, that means that the temperatures probably going to feel like 10 to 15 degrees below zero. It's going to be colder tonight than it actually was last night.

The patrols that you saw, those that look after the people who are living away from the shelters, they're going to be out in force again tonight. So far, no reports of any fatalities. In fact, no reports of anyone having to go to the hospital, at least according to the emergency operations center. But I'm tearing up just because it's very cold.

HARRIS: Wow, 9 degrees, that has to feel like no warm-up at all.

Marty, good to see you. Martin Savidge for us in St. Louis.

SAVIDGE: Thank you.

HARRIS: And let's get to Chad Myers now.

Chad, how do you -- I guess you -- at some point you figure out how to do it, but 9 degrees?

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: New unemployment numbers show more Americans lost their jobs last month. Personal finance editor Gerri Willis, there she is, gives us news we can use and tells us which sectors are actually hiring.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: The nation's unemployment rate stood still really at 10 percent in December. Today's Labor Department report also shows the economy didn't lose jobs, as we initially thought in November. It created 4,000. Where are those new jobs? Our personal finance editor, Gerri Willis, is back and she's going to tell us.

Gerri, good to see you again.

What sectors are actually hiring right now?

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Well, we know that health care sector, engineering, technology, they're all hiring. But we wanted to get a list of the top job growth for the next decade. And here's what the Labor Department told us.

Biomedical engineer. That is the highest-demand job in the country. Over the next 10 years, 72 percent more engineers will be hired. Home health aide will be up 50 percent in the same time period. Athletic trainers up 37 percent. And vets, believe it or not, are going to be up 33 percent. Now, a financial category here, personal finance advisors, up 30 percent.

Now, what's interesting about this list is that the best jobs require more education. Among the 30 fastest-growing occupations, according to the Labor Department, almost half of those jobs will require at least a bachelor's degree. And among those jobs that are expected to decline the most, Tony, telemarketer and postal workers.

HARRIS: Yes. I mean, the U.S. Postal Service is fighting for survival right now.

WILLIS: Absolutely.

HARRIS: How can a candidate, Gerri, stand out in this kind of economic environment?

WILLIS: Well, a-number one, you've got to get smart about your resume. Tailor your resume to the exact job you're applying for. Use the same words that are used in the ad. That's because the companies use a software program to do an initial sort on those resume and they're looking for that -- if you have that language, you're telling the company, I know what I'm doing as a job candidate.

HARRIS: Yes.

WILLIS: Then, get together with other folks. Don't sit on the couch. Go to meetup.com. That website has a way of hooking up with local groups that have the same interests you do, the same jobs that you want to have.

And I have a piece of good advice here. A good piece of information for people who are worried about getting that job in the next six months, next year, next week. According to a survey by Yahoo!, one in three hiring managers say they will do more hiring this year. So there's going to be some hiring going on. Some talent's going to get a new job. So I think we're all looking forward to that day, right, Tony?

HARRIS: I got to hang in there. Be proactive and hang in there. All right, Gerri, appreciate it. Have a great weekend. Thank you.

WILLIS: You too.

HARRIS: And checking our top stories right now.

The suspect accused of trying to blow up a U.S. airliner on Christmas is due in court today. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab faces arraignment on six federal charges. Among them, attempting to murder the 289 people on board the Detroit-bound plane.

The arctic weather has people shivering from Minneapolis to Miami today. The upper Midwest will fall into the minus 20s tonight. South Florida could see rare 30s this weekend. Light snow is on the ground as far south as Atlanta and Birmingham.

NBC may move Jay Leno back to his old time slot. Have you been following this story? His 10:00 ratings have cut into NBC affiliates' revenue for their late newscast. Leno ribbed the network for tinkering with the top-rated "Tonight Show," which is now number two.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY LENO, "THE JAY LENO SHOW": As you may have heard, there's a rumor floating around we were canceled. I heard it coming in this morning on the radio.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I heard it too.

LENO: Yes, yes, yes. So far, nobody said anything to me. But, Kev (ph), you know, if we did get canceled, it would give us time to maybe do some traveling.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That would be wonderful, man.

LENO: Yes. In fact I understand Fox is beautiful this time of year. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It really is.

LENO: Hey, Kev, what does NBC stand for?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's that?

LENO: Never believe your contract.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: So under one scenario, Leno would get a half hour at 11:30, followed by "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien."

OK. Secure communities. A new Homeland Security program takes a closer look at illegal immigrants in an effort to get dangerous criminals off U.S. streets. CNN's Rafael Romo has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Evans Mesadia (ph) has been in the United States illegally for at least three years. Even though he's been convicted of 12 charges, including battery on a law enforcement officer and cocaine possession, the 32-year-old was never deported because he lied about his status. He was only identified thanks to a new Homeland Security program.

ROMO (on camera): So this machine here is going to connect you immediately with the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security right away.

CAPT. JOHN SPEARS, GWINNETT COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: Yes, it is.

ROMO (voice-over): In Gwinnett County, Georgia, Captain John Spear oversees the new program, called Secure Communities, which checks a suspect's fingerprints against federal databases.

JOHN MORTON, ASST HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: What we're introducing to the process is the digital exchange of the fingerprints so that we can run the databases, not only at the FBI, but at the Department of Homeland Security for immigration purposes in a matter of minutes and get them back to the law enforcement officials.

ROMO: But immigrant rights activists say the program targets migrants unfairly.

JERRY GONZALEZ, GEORGIA ASSN. OF LATINO ELECTED OFFICIALS: It's open season for Latinos in Georgia.

ROMO: Jerry Gonzalez says the program takes away local law enforcement's flexibility to decide whose fingerprints are run, essentially reporting everyone to ICE, even people with minor offenses or extenuating circumstances. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has repeatedly said one of her department's priorities is the removal of illegal aliens who have committed serious crimes.

GONZALEZ: They're deporting people for minor traffic violations. That's outside the scope of what Napolitano wants to accomplish.

ROMO: The Department of Homeland Security insists its focus is on capturing the most dangerous criminals here illegally.

MORTON: Secure Communities is all about public safety and it's all about trying to identify, for removal from this country, serious criminal offenders in local communities.

ROMO: Mesadia, who habitually drove without a license and used 15 aliases in Georgia and Florida, was charged thanks to the program and will be deported to his native country after serving his sentence.

ROMO (on camera): So, to those who have fears about racial profiling, what would be your response?

SPEARS: Don't break the law. If you're not in custody, you're not going -- you're not going to be checked.

ROMO: So far the program is available in 108 counties throughout the nation. In Gwinnett County, Georgia, it started last October. Officials at the Department of Homeland Security say their hope is that it will be available throughout the country by 2013, but Congress would have to approve significant resources for the Security Communities program to continue.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And as the bitter cold weather grips most of the country, some people are getting help with their energy bills. But is money running out? We will show you how to get help while it is still available.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Checking out cnnmoney.com right now, top story, let's see, the Detroit Auto Show starts next week and the lead story says "Detroit Auto Show gets turbo charged." Where are my glasses here? I need a bigger font. "Auto show forecast, cloudy with patches of snow." OK, cnnmoney.com, if you want the latest financial news and analysis.

Let's get you to the big board now. New York Stock Exchange. Better than three hours into the trading day and we are down. We've been down most of the day. Down 23 points. The Nasdaq is up. So, a mixed day. The Nasdaq is up nine. Following these numbers with Susan Lisovicz throughout -- thank you, Chad -- throughout the day right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

As freezing temperatures -- thank you, sir blanket much of the country, more Americans are getting help paying their heating bills. And, boy, we could all use some help, really. But the need for assistance just keeps growing. Stephanie Elam has our "Energy Fix." She is in New York.

Good to see you, Miss Stephanie.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Do I need to yell, too, so you can hear me, Tony, or just speak loudly or something so, you know, to go along with the glasses?

HARRIS: You are just mean with that! Good to see you, Stephanie.

ELAM: You're the one. You're showing all those antics.

But, you're right, despite lower energy prices, the economic downturn and high unemployment forcing a lot of Americans to seek help paying their heating bills. And it's a true problem here. Nearly 8 million American households got help in fiscal 2009. And that was a record number for the second year in a row and a 33 percent jump from 2008.

Now applications are flooding in for the current fiscal year, which actually started in October. The National Energy Assistance Directors Association predicts a 20 percent jump in the number of families seeking help. More than $5 billion has been set aside for heating assistance this year, but the association is worried that's not going to be enough, so it's planning to ask Congress for another $2.5 billion if applications keep pouring in. Otherwise, it warns assistance actually may be cut, Tony.

HARRIS: Huh? Oh, so Stephanie -- see, when it comes back to you?

ELAM: Oh, you can't hear. (INAUDIBLE).

HARRIS: So how -- yes, that I can hear, too. So, how can people who really actually need help paying their bills get it and -- at least while it is still available? We need that information.

ELAM: Right. You're right. The Low-income Heating Energy Assistance Program is federally funded. But here's the thing, it's run by the states. So to get help you can call this toll-free number, show it here on the screen for you, it's 1-866-674-6327. You can also send an e-mail to energy@ncat.org. They'll refer you to your state agency.

And keep in mind that eligibility is actually based on income. The majority of families receiving this assistance make less than $25,000 a year, but many states have raised the ceiling so families making more can qualify.

And, remember, this is not the only way you can find help out there. If you think you're not going to be able to pay your bills, call your utility company. Many of these companies are willing to work out a payment plan with you. So that's something to keep in mind as well.

Of course, for more energy fixes, check out cnnmoney.com. And you can also follow CNNMoney on Twitter now, Tony.

HARRIS: All right. And, again, having a little fun here because I can't see. But, again, all that information is at cnnmoney.com? ELAM: That is correct. You can find it at cnnmoney.com.

HARRIS: All right, thank you, Stephanie.

Still to come, in with the new. And will you know what to do with the old gadgets? A look at what's hot at the consumer electronics show this year. We're back in a moment.

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HARRIS: Let's get you to the daily White House briefing with White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs.

ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Remind you backwards, but, again, in December, the president outlined some very specific examples of exactly what he'd like to see. Today's program being one of those examples. Investment in small businesses for additional hiring, infrastructure spending, things like that. So I think the president has -- has been quite clear on that.

Look, we have, you know, today's -- today's jobs report is obviously disappointing. Eighty-five thousand people last month lost their jobs. We are in a very tough economic environment. Since this recession officially began more than two years ago, 7 million jobs have been lost. I honestly doubt, Jeff, that had a report showed, you know, 40 -- or 20,000 or so jobs created, I can't imagine that the president would say, well, what I thought we should do in December is now wiped away because of the jobs report.

We've got a long way to go. And as we talked about this last month, and I think if you look back as we've talked about it each month, we knew this was going to be a long road. And we knew that along that road there would be ups and downs and bumps along the way. I think if you look through and analyze some of the numbers, there are some bright spots, which I think are at least encouraging. Understanding that there are, as I said, millions of people that have lost their jobs and are hurting.

If you take the average of what we were losing in the first quarter of 2009, January, February, and March, we were losing on average in those months 691,000 jobs a month. If you take the average of what we're losing the last three months of the year, October, November, and December, that number is 69,000. One-tenth of that job loss. So, that trend, obviously, is moving in the right direction.

But, again, if that number was above the ledger on the positive side, I doubt you'd find anybody in this administration, because I doubt you'd find anybody in this country that believed our economic problems had vanished.

QUESTION: Even (ph) the (ph) trends. Is the president worried about gasoline getting closer to $3 a gallon and how that will affect the economy?

GIBBS: Well, obviously, anything that is perceived or believed that will do damage to our economy or choke off some positive trends in the economic recovery would be concerning for the president, yes.

Jake.

JAKE TAPPER, ABC NEWS: Economists like Jesse Stieglitz (ph) and Paul Krugman (ph) say that they're worried there's going to be -- the economy's going to contract in the second half. How worried is President Obama about a double-dip recession?

GIBBS: Well, I mean, again, I think that -- I would say the president is worried about today and worried about the future.

TAPPER: Does he think it's likely? I mean is he . . .

GIBBS: I would simply say the president is -- wakes up concerned every day about where this economy is, understands that millions are hurting, whether they are in last month's job losses or the job losses stretching past those two years since this recession officially began. But understand, Jake, people were hurting long before a board said there was a recession in this country.

TAPPER: Right, but obviously you plan differently if you expect a, you know, another contraction of the economy coming up, as opposed to the line that we're on right now.

GIBBS: Well, but I also think that the president, again, I'd refer you back to what the president talked about in December, him not being satisfied with where we were and wanting to change that -- the direction of that line.

TAPPER: So he is preparing as if there is going to be a contraction? He's . . .

GIBBS: No, no, no. I . . .

TAPPER: He's -- you're not saying that?

GIBBS: He's not an economic prognosticator. The president is concerned about the economy, concerned about the stories of people hurting that he has heard for many, many years, and he's working to do all that we can to create an environment for businesses, small and large, to hire more people.

TAPPER: You know, the administration this weekend announced that it was going to temporarily at least, or for the time being, suspend the transfer of detainees from Guantanamo Bay to Yemen. You did transfer six in December. Are you -- do you know where those six are?

GIBBS: I'm not going to get into the -- I think Christie asked these questions the other day and I'm not going to get in to discussing transfers.

TAPPER: (INAUDIBLE) well, OK. Given the need to talk to Congress and get them on board with the transfer of the prisoners to the Thomson Correctional Center, you need to convert that prison from a maximum security prison to a supermax. Do you have any realistic timetable as to when you think Guantanamo can actually be closed? GIBBS: I think Christie also asked that question. I didn't have a timetable answer. Obviously we'll work with Congress in the upcoming session on many of the things that you talked about, not just retrofitting, but purchasing a prison in Thomson, as well as other issues relating to the movement of prisoners from Guantanamo to Thomson.

TAPPER: OK. And one last question. I'm sorry. In recent days, Qais Khazali, who was a member -- the leader of the League of the Righteous in Iraq, he was arrested by U.S. forces in 2007. He was responsible for an attack in Karbala that killed five U.S. soldiers. In recent days the U.S. military has turned him over to the Iraqis and the Iraqis have freed him as part of the reconciliation going on there.

GIBBS: Jake, let me ask somebody to . . .

TAPPER: This is (INAUDIBLE) from the Pentagon (ph).

GIBBS: OK, let -- well, let me ask -- let me get some information on the -- on that case. I don't have anything in front of me.

TAPPER: Well, it's just a general question. Is it appropriate for the U.S. military to turn . . .

GIBBS: Jake, let me -- let me -- other than what you've told me, I'm not overly familiar with the details of the case.

TAPPER: Just the general principle. Should you . . .

GIBBS: And I don't want to -- I don't want to generalize about something with which you've just asked me with great specificity.

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Robert, I want to ask you about Secretary Geithner. Republicans on The Hill are saying they've found some evidence suggesting that, under his leadership, the New York Fed pressured AIG to conceal information about billions of dollars of the counter party payments that were made with taxpayer money. And they're suggesting that he was hiding information from regulators. I wonder, does the White House believe that Secretary Geithner should testify on The Hill, turn over any documents he has, to sort of clear this up?

GIBBS: Ed, I'd point you to the Treasury Department. I'm sure you've already talked to them. Secretary Geithner was not involved in any of these e-mails. These decisions did not raise to his level at the Fed. These are e-mails and decisions made by officials at an independent regulatory agency.

HENRY: But how do you know that he wasn't involved? He was the leader of the New York Fed, sir.

GIBBS: Right. But he wasn't on the e-mails that have been talked about and wasn't party to the decision that was being made.

HENRY: Republican Congressman Issa says there are probably thousands of more e-mails. That he may not be on some that some people have looked at. In the interests of transparency, would the White House want more? I mean you run AIG now essentially.

GIBBS: I would point -- I would point you to the Department of Treasury, which I think will tell you . . .

HENRY: But what does the White House believe . . .

GIBBS: That -- I just gave you what the White House believes.