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Blair Underwood on Acting, Activism; Should You Sell, Rent Home; Thousands Flock to New Orleans "Essence" Music Festival; New Orleans Mayor Talks Challenges, Helping the City; Obama Bus Tour at Carnegie Mellon University; Severe Storms Hammer Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Aired July 06, 2012 - 13:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Suzanne Malveaux. This hour in CNN NEWSROOM, we are focusing on the jobs report and what it means if you are employed or underemployed.

Also New Orleans mayor, Mitch Landrieu, he is going to tell us what he is doing to try to combat the violence in his city.

And actor Blair Underwood, he's joining the fight against HIV and AIDS. They're going to be our guests in this hour.

Want to get right down to it here, jobs, jobs, not even enough jobs. We are talking about employers, they are hiring but not enough to bring the unemployment rate down. Let's take a look at the latest figures from the Labor Department.

So you've got 80,000 new jobs were added last month but the unemployment rate remains at 8.2 percent. That is because the June numbers, just a tad more than the 77,000 jobs that were added in May. It is a very different picture from the large number of jobs we saw added earlier in the year.

Now President Obama and Mitt Romney, they are talking about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our mission is not just to get back to where we were before the crisis, we have got to deal with what's been happening over the last decade, last 15 years. Manufacturing leaving our shores, incomes flatlining, all those things are what we've got to struggle and fight for.

FORMER GOV. MITT ROMNEY, R-MASS., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is the time for America to choose whether they want more of the same, whether unemployment above 8 percent month after month after month is satisfactory or not. It does not have to be this way. America can do better and this kick in the gut has got to end.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: I want to break down the good news and the bad news of the latest jobs reports. Danny Boston, professor of economics at Georgia Tech, joining us.

Danny, good to see you.

DANNY BOSTON, ECONOMICS, GEORGIA TECH: (Inaudible).

MALVEAUX: So when you take a look at these numbers here, a lot of people look at them and say this is a very bad picture. First of all, did it surprise you? What does it say about the state of our economic recovery?

BOSTON: Well, it is not surprising. We were hoping that the numbers would be better, because we have been sort of a three-month downward trend and we want to see the bottom of that trend so that the economy will come up again, and we did not see that this time around.

And in some sense, it's bad, but there's another side to that, because there were some enormous events happening over the last month particularly in Europe, and many people had expected that the unemployment rate would actually go up, would get worse, and it didn't. So you know, yes, bad, but it could have been worse.

MALVEAUX: It could have been worse. Tell us a little bit about how it was worse for particular groups, because I know it is an uneven recovery here.

BOSTON: It is very, very uneven. It is uneven across sectors and part of the problem is that we get one sector of the economy engaged at one time, and the other sector is not, and vice versa, and it's uneven across groups.

We see this particular time that when we look at, for example, whites, their unemployment remains the same. If we look at Latinos, it remains the same, but among African-Americans, it increased significantly from 13.6 percent to 14.4 percent, so there is a lot of unevenness in this recovery.

MALVEAUX: Talk a little bit about the sectors. Which of the sectors actually benefited here, because it seems like the kinds of jobs that people now have are in service industries, they're saying temporary jobs are not well paying jobs. They do not a lot of job security.

BOSTON: You are exactly right, Suzanne. They are in temporary help services -- that was the largest increase in jobs, so some 25,200 jobs.

Now let me look at the reverse of that, where we would have liked to have seen jobs being created is in construction and there were only 2,000 jobs there because construction. almost a third of the workers who were displaced by the recession came from the construction industry.

But there's sort of a slow increase in jobs, and in addition to temporary help services, we also had increases in jobs in the sort of the regular kind of industries, and so, you know, it is not sort of the kind of picture that we would like to see. Durable goods manufacturing increased about 14,000, that was all right, but we want to see a lot more than that.

MALVEAUX: And you and I talk a lot about the people who have given up, or are not even in these figures, some 88 million people, who -- they are not even looking any more. What does that say about how we are doing now?

BOSTON: Well, we would all -- and we talk about this all the time, most people don't understand that, we would prefer to see the unemployment rate increasing and people coming into the labor market than staying the same or decreasing and people exiting.

Now last month, there were some 650,000 people, who came into the labor market, and we were expecting to see that trend continuing, even if it meant the employment rate was increasing. This month we only had 129,000 coming into the labor market. So that means that if people are not coming into the labor market, they are getting more discouraged about their prospects of finding a job.

MALVEAUX: What does that do for people -- if people are getting more discouraged, they're not looking for work, what does that mean for the state of our economy overall?

BOSTON: Well, it means that we have this tremendous loss in human capital. Essentially, that is what it boils down to, the fact that the friend that you know or the friend that I know doesn't have a job.

That means that that's lost output for the economy, so there is trauma in terms of that person's livelihood, but there is also lost output in terms of economy, and so if you look at where we are today, this last -- since 2007 and the significant downturn that we've experienced, relative to where we could have been, what we call our economic potential, there is an enormous gap between those two.

MALVEAUX: All right. Danny Boston, thank you, we have a long way to go (inaudible).

BOSTON: We do.

MALVEAUX: We're going to talk to Alan Krueger of the Obama administration, the White House, to see what kind of ideas, what kind of strategy they have, moving forward, to get more people back to work.

BOSTON: Very good. I had the opportunity to meet with them recently there, and they are struggling to try to get a handle on it. And it is a tough problem. There's some solutions, but it is long run and there's no quick solutions.

MALVEAUX: All right. Danny, thank you, appreciate it.

BOSTON: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: In Paris today, leaders, diplomats from about a hundred countries, they are pretty frustrated right now that they cannot get more deeply involved in Syria, which is on the brink of a civil war.

Now this is the third gathering of this group. It's called the Friends of Syria, and they're representing the United States -- of course is Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Now she wants a united international effort to remove President Bashar al-Assad from power, but there is something very big that is standing in the way of that. As we know, our Elise Labott, she's in Paris right now; she's on the phone.

Tell us what Secretary Clinton is dealing with here.

ELISE LABOTT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Suzanne, she is pointing the finger directly at Russia and China and urging the international community to get them to get off of the sidelines and support the aspirations of the Syrian people, stop blocking any efforts by the U.N. Security Council to get tough on him. Let's take a listen to what she had to say to reporters just after the conference.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: That's why the entire world is now looking to those few nations that still have influence in Damascus. They need to step up and use all their leverage to make sure Assad sees the writing on the wall. Sitting on the sidelines or even worse, enabling the regime's brutality, would be a grievous mistake.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LABOTT: She was really tough, Suzanne, but the question is, there have been three conferences already, these Friends of Syria conferences, and the question is what is it really achieving? We heard from a member of the Syrian opposition today, said we're glad that we have all these friends, the Friends of Syria.

If we have so many friends of Syria, why are our people dying? They are looking for a much more robust action by the international community. They said, please give us aid and stop this massacre, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Do you think that the secretary, in meeting with the Russian counterpart recently, do you believe that she has some leverage? Does she have carrots or sticks to offer the Russians or even the Chinese to change their position here?

LABOTT: Well, I mean, I think that Russia and China are playing a double game. Last week in Geneva, they signed on to the quote, unquote "transition plan" for a post-Assad Syria, but at the same time, that's -- you know, this plan really has no basis of reality of what is going on on the ground, and how you get from Assad -- you know, how do you get the violence to stop, and Assad stepping down so you can actually implement that plan?

I don't really necessarily think that the U.S. is ready to put any consequences on Russia and China, because they need them for so many other things. They need them for Iran. They need them for economic issues and I'm not necessarily sure, even though she talks a tough game about Russia, what is the U.S. really prepared to do to get them to move?

I don't really think there are any fundamental consequences for the relationship, and that is part of the problem.

MALVEAUX: That is the bottom line. That is the question. Elise Labott, thank you so much, Elise, appreciate it as always.

Here is what we are working for this hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX (voice-over): The father of a mentally ill California man killed by police says he wants change. So he is suing the City of Fullerton and the police force.

Plus we have the president's campaign speech live from Pittsburgh later this hour. Hear how he responds to Mitt Romney's jabs on the economy.

And a huge party is starting today in New Orleans. The Essence Festival, four days of live music -- food, fun with a purpose. I'm talking to New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu and "Essence" magazine's editor in chief.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

MALVEAUX: I want to take a look at the latest figures from the Labor Department, 80,000 new jobs were added last month, but the unemployment rate remains at 8.2 percent, Mitt Romney quick to slam today's job report.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: We have seen the jobs report this morning and it is another kick in the gut to middle-class families. It is consistent with what I have heard as I have gone across the country and met with families in their homes, in cafes and restaurants and in breakrooms.

American families are struggling. There is a lot of misery in America today, and these numbers understate what people are feeling and the amount of pain which is occurring in middle-class America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Alan Krueger, he is on the President's Council of Economic Advisers. He is joining us from Washington.

And Alan, first of all, you hear Mitt Romney say this is a kick in the gut. When you take a look at these numbers, do you agree?

ALAN KRUEGER, CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT'S COUNCIL OF ECONOMIC ADVISERS: No, I don't. If you just take a step back, look at where the economy was and how it has improved since the president came to office, you can see that we are on a better path.

Now, we clearly have a long way to go. The problems that are affecting the economy, affecting middle-class families have been a long time in the making, but we are making progress. The economy is gradually healing.

The president has proposed measures to strengthen job growth, strengthen the economy, and I think that what is clear is that we don't want to go backwards to the kinds of policies that started the economic crisis in the first place.

MALVEAUX: When you look at these numbers, does -- is it discouraging at how slowly this growth is occurring here? You talk about it is better than it used to be, but it certainly looks like it has slowed down since the beginning of the year.

KRUEGER: Well, we have had over 900,000 jobs created so far this year. We now have 28 months in a row of private sector job growth, 4.4 million jobs over that period. Recoveries don't move in straight lines. We are going to have some months that are stronger than others. I think it is very important that we continue to expand.

The president has proposed steps to put more construction workers back to work rebuilding our nation's infrastructure, to provide funds for state and local government so they can keep teachers in the classroom and first responders on the job.

The president has proposed concrete steps that would create additional jobs. Independent economists have concluded that they would create more jobs in the short run. So we can strengthen the economy if we act.

MALVEAUX: And Alan, I want to -- obviously there's a lot of disagreement over the -- when you take a look at these numbers. House Speaker John Boehner issued a Republican response to the jobs report, saying "Today's report shows the private sector clearly isn't 'doing fine,' and that President Obama's policies have failed.

"The president bet on a failed 'stimulus' spending binge that led to 41 months of unemployment above 8 percent. He bet on a government takeover of health care that is driving up costs, making it harder for small businesses to hire."

So is there anything that you think the administration can do in the next three months before the election, the next four months? You have three more jobs reports out there to actually improve this economic picture?

KRUEGER: Well, first of all, those allegations really are not consistent with the facts. Since the health care reform act passed, we have had private sector job growth every month. You look at the job growth over the last 28 months and compare that to the comparable period of the previous recovery and it is about twice as strong in this period.

So it is not as strong as we would like it to be. That is why the president has been pressing Congress to pass remaining components of the American Jobs Act, such as investing more in our infrastructure, keeping more teachers and first responders on the job.

And then lastly, I would add, Congress can act on the president's proposal for additional small business tax cuts, to continue 100 percent business expensing, and also to provide a tax cut for small businesses that increase employment. And this is a type of policy that the Congressional Budget Office has concluded had very high bang for the buck in terms of creating additional jobs.

MALVEAUX: All right. We have to leave it there. Alan Krueger from the administration, thank you very much. Obviously, people are going to take a look at these numbers and make decisions based on how they are doing and where they believe -- what strategy they believe is best moving forward in the economy. Thank you very much, we appreciate your time.

KRUEGER: (Inaudible).

The father of a homeless man beaten to death by police, he is filing a wrongful death lawsuit on the anniversary of his son's death. Now the police involved, they say they are not guilty.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Brutal police beating caught on video a year ago. You might remember the disturbing surveillance video. This is showing a homeless mentally ill man, repeatedly kicked and punched by police officers. This happened in Fullerton, California.

The 37-year old, Kelly James Thomas, died five days after that beating. Well, a vigil was held last night on the anniversary of the beating, and Thomas' mother, seen there in the bottom right side of the screen, she reached a $1 million settlement with the city.

Now it's Thomas' father, who wants his own settlement.

Casey Wian, he is following the story from L.A.

And, Casey, we know that the father filed a lawsuit against the city, the police chief and the six officers allegedly involved in this beating. What is he asking for?

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He is asking, Suzanne, mainly for changes in the way the Fullerton police department is governed by the City of Fullerton.

That is one of the things that he is seeking. As you mentioned, there are a lot of folks being sued here, including two former police chiefs, the six officers who were involved in the beating, the City of Fullerton; the lawsuit also leaves room for many others to be added to this lawsuit.

Now, according to Ron Thomas, Kelly Thomas' father, the attorney for Ron Thomas, he said that those officers should have known that Kelly Thomas was mentally ill and was not a threat. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GARO MARDIROSSIAN, THOMAS FAMILY ATTORNEY: The important thing to remember is that Kelly had every right that all of us have. The fact that he was homeless, the fact that he was mentally ill did not reduce his rights. He has the same right all of us had and have. These police officers owed him an obligation to protect him and to serve him, not to beat him to death.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIAN: Now, as you mentioned, Suzanne, already Kelly Thomas' mother has settled with the City of Fullerton for $1 million, but Ron Thomas, the father, says that his lawsuit is not about the money.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Ron THOMAS, FATHER OF KELLY THOMAS: Primarily I want change. I have never talked about money. I'm still not talking about money. That is not what I am doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIAN: Specifically, the changes that Ron Thomas is looking for, as we mentioned, changes in the structure of the city. He may even decide to run for the city council and eventually try to become mayor of the city himself.

The lawsuit alleges that there is a culture or has been a culture of corruption and cover-up by the city for the actions of Fullerton police officers, who, over the years. they say have violated the civil rights of many people that they have encountered.

MALVEAUX: So, Casey, how ahs the city or the police department responded to these charges?

WIAN: Right now, they are not offering any comment. They say they have not had a chance to really study this lawsuit. They are not commenting at all, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right. Casey, thank you. Appreciate the update.

Well, you have seen him on "Law and Order." You have also seen him on "L.A. Law" and "City of Angels" but now Blair Underwood, he has a new role on Broadway and he is also taking the fight against HIV/AIDS to Washington. Don't forget, you can watch CNN live on your computer while you're at work. Head to CNN.com/TV.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: George Zimmerman could get out of jail today, but his family needs to come up with the $1 million in collateral to back up the bond set by the Florida judge. Now Zimmerman, he's going to have to pay 10 percent of that amount or $100,000 actually to get out.

He has got to remain under electronic surveillance, report every two days, can't have a bank account or a passport or go to an airport. The judge feared that Zimmerman might actually flee the country to avoid prosecution for killing the unarmed teen, Trayvon Martin.

Zimmerman's original bail of $150,000, it was revoked last month after he failed to disclose more than $150,000 in public donations to his defense fund.

A major development today in the Florida A&M University hazing death of Robert Champion. New documents reveal that campus police wanted the band suspended three days before Champion died.

The documents released today by the school show that police knew about hazing incidents on campus. The administration did not act on the recommendation to punish the band director. Drum major Robert Champion collapsed and died during a hazing incident in November.

Actor Blair Underwood has been in show business for more than 25 years, starring in television, film, now on Broadway. Well, everyone knows about his passion for his craft. You might not know about his other passion, and that is activism.

He has been involved in AIDS education and prevention for years. Later this month, he is going to help lead a "Keep the Promise March" in Washington in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Blair Underwood, he is joining us this morning from New York.

Blair, great to see you, everybody knows you are a fantastic actor, a superstar in your own right, but you have also been very passionate about this issue for years. Tell us why.

BLAIR UNDERWOOD, ACTOR AND ACTIVIST: I have been.

First of all, thank you, Suzanne, great to finally make it to Suzanne's NEWSROOM here on CNN. So thanks for having me.

You know, I think that my interest and passion and activism for HIV awareness started almost 25 years ago with an organization I co- founded with a number of artists in Hollywood, called Artists for New South Africa. So it was really the folks in South Africa initially, and then we have put so much time and resources into that country and awareness of HIV there.

You know, of course, at some point, you start to say, wait a minute, what about our own back yard? What about AIDS awareness and prevention here in our country? So that's when I started getting involved here in this country, specifically with an organization called AIDS Health Care Foundation.

And we have had a partnership for the last four or five years. We've done a number of campaigns in Los Angeles, especially we opened up our first clinic in Washington, D.C., about two years ago.

And it is the same organization Magic Johnson had been involved with. Now Magic, as you know, has about six or seven clinics all over the world. This is my first. And I just, you know, when they approached me about doing it, the realization that there, too, the statistics were mind-boggling, the fact that African-American women, especially -- oh, I think it was ages 24-35, somewhere in there, the leading cause of death in this day and age was HIV and AIDS, it's still unbelievable.

We have made some strides, but I felt that it was necessary to do whatever my small part could be to help broaden that conversation and broaden the narrative about who this disease affects and who it reaches.

MALVEAUX: And it is really is staggering when you think about the numbers still. I know that this March that you have done a public service announcement before it takes place on July 22nd, also happens to be the last day of the Broadway production that you're on, "A Streetcar Named Desire."

You star in the first multiracial production of this show on Broadway. I had a chance to attend the opening there, and tell us what it was like, really, as the first African-American man to play this role of Stanley in this Tennessee Williams classic?

UNDERWOOD: It's been amazing. I mean, of course, it's such an iconic role made famous by Marlon Brando in 1947, the Broadway production, and the 1951 movie. It's been an extraordinary experience, because it is my Broadway debut, number one. I started in the theater, I think our president is speaking at my alma mater, Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh right now --

(CROSSTALK)

MALVEAUX: That's right.

UNDERWOOD: -- or today. But I studied theater at Carnegie Mellon, and it's always been my first love, film and television and Hollywood came beckoning, and I have been able to build a career and life there, but have always had a love for the stage.

So to actually get a chance to come to the Broadway stage for the first time and in this production, and with these words, Tennessee Williams' words in "A Streetcar Named Desire," as Stanley Kowalski, minus the Kowalski last name. It's been an amazing experience.

So you're right, July 22nd, we close. We only have two more weeks. It's been a great success. We're moving on to London after this. You were there opening night, so you were there at the beginning. So we get to sign off here, you know, two weeks out.

(LAUGHTER)

MALVEAUX: It was -- it was a very powerful performance, from all of you. It's gotten wonderful reviews. There was an exception with "The New Yorker's" critic, theater critic, John Lahr. He actually said -- he called for no more all-black productions of Tennessee Williams' plays, he says, unless there could be an all-white production of August Wilson, who is African-American. When you heard that and some of the other cast of this production, what did you make of that?

UNDERWOOD: My first reaction is to laugh and dismiss it, because I have said it before, I really think that those sentiments are -- it is a dying breed number one. I think that artists should be able to do the work of any artist regardless of the cultural alignment and the race or wherever you come from. And you know, really, what people have to understand this is the first multicultural cast of "Streetcar Named Desire" on Broadway, but Tennessee Williams himself sanctioned all cultural casts since 1956. So it is like a faux controversy, because Tennessee Williams knew what he was doing, and he knew New Orleans especially, and this is set in New Orleans, and there is more intermingling of the races as you know, Suzanne Malveaux.

MALVEAUX: Yes, that is where my family is from, yes.

UNDERWOOD: And so it makes sense. And when people say I don't want to see this, but you have to understand that the man who wrote it is OK with it number one and the estate to this day sanctioned us the right the do it. As I said my first and last reaction is to laugh and just dismiss it.

MALVEAUX: Blair, you have been in the business for quite some time and close to three decades now, and we were used the seeing you as a nice guy character in "l. a. Law" but now in several of the roles, you have been aggressive and even playing abusive characters and hard for you to be a tough guy?

UNDERWOOD: Well, Suzanne, I should say it is hard and difficult to do, but it is not that hard.

(LAUGHTER)

It's not that hard. You know, I really feel, you know, all of us, as human beings, are capable of the most righteous acts and the most egregious acts and the job as a actor is to bring all of to elements to the fore. And that is what is great about being an actor that you get to bring all of the emotions and the characters and warts and all, bring it to light, and hope that the audience digests it.

(CROSSTALK)

UNDERWOOD: I feel -- wow, you are right, it is three decades, and 27 years in the business, and play good guys and bad guys and everybody in between, and I hope I continue to get those opportunities.

MALVEAUX: Blair, good to see you, as always. And we will look for you in London as well. Thank you, Blair.

UNDERWOOD: All right. Thank you, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Sure.

Tens of thousands of people are descending on New Orleans today for a musical extravaganza called the "Essence" festival. We will take you to New Orleans, talk about many things, including talking to the mayor about how he is helping the city and the new challenges up ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Getting the most out of your home, you are asking about it, and that is what Poppy Harlow and the "Help Desk" team are talking about as well.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: Hello, everyone. Here at the desk, we are talking about the home, likely your biggest asset.

Joining me is Ryan Mack and Carmen Wong Ulrich.

Ryan, take a listen to this question.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you own a home today, is it making sense to sell it or try to rent it?

HARLOW: Where is the home?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: New Jersey.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: This is going to differ from state by state, and you can't say that New Jersey is one way or another. But overall, what do you think in the market?

RYAN MACK, PRESIDENT, OPTIMUM CAPITAL MANAGEMENT: First of all, what are the long term prospects for the home? Did you plan to own it for a long time? Are you ready to be a landlord, and a lot of people don't understand the property maintenance expenses and do you want to bay a company to provide maintenance on that property if you want to be a landlord and what are the implications if you sell it? Do you have to do a short sell or pay a capital gains tax if you have made $250,000 as a single filer on that property, and so there are a lot of decisions to be made before you can make a sound decision on that piece of property.

(CROSSTALK)

CARMEN WONG ULRICH, PRESIDENT, ALTA WEALTH MANAGEMENT: A second home is different from the primary residents. And everything from the tax implications to this part of the whole investment portfolio. Look at it from the long term, along with everything else that you have your money in investing for retirement. Is this a smart thing or an asset that you want to keep? It is a lot of work and upkeep. And it can be expensive, like you mentioned. So you have to pay attention.

MACK: If you have a home under water, if you are planning to live there for 30 years, it is not the worst thing in the world.

ULRICH: Right. Right.

(CROSSTALK)

ULRICH: It's your home.

(LAUGHTER)_

HARLOW: It is a big, big difference.

Thank you, guys thank you very much.

If you have a question that you want the financial experts to tackle, upload a 30-second video with your "Help Desk" question to iReport.com.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: We will interview the mayor of New Orleans after this quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: New Orleans is putting out the welcome mat this weekend for the 18th Annual "Essence" Music Festival. Thousands are flocking to where music is the king, but crime also makes headlines day in and day out. New Orleans has the highest per capita murder rate in the country.

We are joined by the mayor of New Orleans, who is planning to usher in a new era of peace and prosperity.

Mayor, good to see you.

You and I were there together last year at the "Essence" festival and we talked about this last year as well, the situation of crime and how bad things have gotten. Give us a sense of how things have improved, if they have improved, and what you are doing about it.

MITCH LANDRIEU, (D), MAYOR OF NEW ORLEANS: Well, really, in so many ways it is a tale of two cities. You have been down here for "Essence." It is a fantastic event for the city of New Orleans. The economic impact is huge. Just last week, the Census Bureau said we're the fasting growing city in America. Unemployment is down. Property values are up.

But in the southern part of the city, things are not so good. I talked a little bit about this. You saw last week, in Chicago, they had 53 shootings and Philadelphia the same problem. But in New Orleans, we continue to have the relentless and the senseless violence on the streets that we have to deal with. It is a very difficult thing to talk about nationally, because people sometimes don't know how to talk about it in an appropriate way. But every year, in the city of New Orleans, since 1979, we have had an average of 241 murders. And this is taking place all over the country. So we want to get a handle on it. We are 10 percent down in the city of New Orleans this year, but the truth is that one murder is too many. It is catastrophic problem for the city and the nation. We really have to talk about it and get after it.

MALVEAUX: You know, Mayor, you gave an impassioned speech on what is taking place in your city before the National Association of Black Journalists last month. My executive producer tweeted something you said, "We can never rest until we save the next generation of black men." This is something that has resonated with a lot of folks here. The violence happening in other cities, as you mentioned, Chicago as well, and three other people were killed just last night. Do you see any similarities between what is taking place in Chicago, and what is taking place in your city and the urban areas that have such high poverty rates?

LANDRIEU: Well, they are actually identical. When you look at the statistics across the country, some of us have more of it than others, but generally, if you look at it from the cities, it is not as visible as if you look at it from the neighborhoods. In many neighborhoods across the country, where you have young African- American men between 15 and 25 years old, generally unemployed and some kind of brush with the criminal justice system early, what has happened is that we have a culture where the young men have learned how to resolve their differences with the tip of a gun, and turned into a culture of violence. And what I mean by that is behavioral patterns that have gone on over the last 30 or 40 years. Unfortunately, the nation has turned a blind eye to that. But last year, 7,000 young African-American men were taken on the streets in America and that is a catastrophic number. In some instances, it is statistically more likely to be killed on certain streets in our neighborhoods than if you are fighting in Afghanistan. And I think that the mayor of Philadelphia and Rahm Emanuel and I are saying this is unacceptable and we have to turn the nation's attention to this problem.

MALVEAUX: Mayor, I know it is difficult to hear because of the noise in the bad -- you're part of the festival. A lot of noise in the background. But if you can, is there one thing, is there something specific that you could do or we could do to change that around, turn that situation around?

LANDRIEU: Well, first of all, it is exactly not one thing. It is a lot of things, from the front of the house side to the back of the house side of it. And obviously strong police departments are important. And obviously good schools and recreation programs are important. But essentially, we have to teach kids the value of life and that they are loved and important to us, and the senseless killing is not good for them, certainly, and not good for the rest of the country.

It is not simple to say, stop the killing. But the first thing is to say, look, we have to stop the shooting.

A lot of places in the country where there are high poverty rates and low murder rates and high economy and high murder rates. It's something we've gotten used to and accepted. We have succeeded in doing this over time in some areas like in Boston. There is an answer, but we have the call everybody to purpose on the issue. And we are certainly going to do it in New Orleans because the young black men are valuable to us not only because they are intrinsically important, but because they are important to nation as well.

MALVEAUX: Finally, Mayor, would you tell us about the "Essence" Festival in your city. It's been there for 18 years. It brings money and jobs. My family is from New Orleans. Clearly, a lot of excitement where you are.

LANDRIEU: No question. Sorry that you can't be with us, but it is a great event. It is the largest gathering of African-American entertainers and business owners and citizens in the country. We love it. They are a part of us. They have been here 18 years. And the economic impact is huge at a time during a time in the summer months when most people would not like to come to New Orleans. We love them and thankful for it.

As you know, it is a party with a purpose. Yes, there's a lot of great entertainment at the super dome, but at the convention center, where I am sitting, we have four seminars four days long to talk about the toughest issues facing America and talking about the solutions. We love them and glad they are here and they are a part of us and we love them. We hope it lasts a very long time.

MALVEAUX: Mayor, good to see you. Appreciate your time.

We'll go back to New Orleans in a couple of months. 18 years and counting, as the mayor mentioned. People keep coming back. And we will talk to the editor-in-chief of "Essence" magazine.

And we are standing by waiting for President Obama to come out to address supporters at a rally at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. We will go live to him when he comes to the podium.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: President Obama is about to deliver a speech at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, and it is the latest stop in the so-called "Betting on America" bus tour.

Dan Lothian joins us.

Good to see you, Dan.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: This is the president's final stop on the two-day bus tour. He was supposed to be started a few moments ago, but he is running behind because he stopped by in Beaver, Pennsylvania, at a bakery, where he ordered apple pie and a dozen chocolate chip cookies. But he is focusing on the economy in the final stop here, and broadly talking about the economic policies that he said have brought the economy back from the brink, and he will talk about yes, there is a long way to go, but progress is still being made. This is coming in the wake of the remarks that the president made earlier today in Ohio when he addressed the dismal economic numbers that the president quoted saying it is still tough out there, and saying, in his words, that it is at least a step in the right direction. Of course, the Republicans are hitting on that, saying when you look at the unemployment at 8.2 percent, and the president is playing up private sector growth jobs, that is anything but a step in the right direction. In addition, the sort of broad strokes that the president will be delivering, talking about the economy and drilling down to specifically the ad, talking about how his administration has supported infrastructure improvements at the Pittsburgh Airport, roads, bridges across the city, even delivering a personal touch as he tries to hang on to the support he had not only in Pennsylvania but also in Ohio in 2008 -- Suzanne?

MALVEAUX: Dan, is there any concern from the campaign about these numbers today, the jobs numbers that this could be really difficult to overcome in the next three or four months?

LOTHIAN: If they are concerned, they're not saying it publicly. These are not numbers they're smiling about but they're trying to emphasize the positive. They keep taking us back to what the president has been saying for more than three years. Once the president came into office, he realized the situation was much worst, and it's going to take time. You heard that from other administration officials that there's no quick fixes to the problem. It's something that was created over a period of 10 years. It's not going to be reversed overnight.

Would they like to have better numbers? Certainly. Are they expressing that they are upset publicly that they're disappointed about these numbers? They are not.

MALVEAUX: A lot has changed back when I covered the 2008 campaign. The bus has changed. Not your typical bus. This is kind of tricked out. Can you tell us what they are calling Ground Force One?

LOTHIAN: That's right.

(LAUGHTER)

We talk about the beast. This thing really puts the beast to shame, this large, black bus. The last time around, when the president took it out for official bus, it didn't have the presidential seal on it. The door has the large presidential seal now. It has the flashing police lights on the front as well. It's escorted by the standard SUVs. This allows the president -- you know he's been doing the bigger events and fundraisers in big cities, but the bus allows him to get out to some of the small towns and he's been doing that, trying to get to blue collar voters.

MALVEAUX: Dan Lothian. Thank you, Dan. Good to talk to you, as always.

LOTHIAN: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: We're standing for President Obama to come out and address supporters at Carnegie Mellon University. We'll bring it to you live as soon as he steps up to the podium. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Music, food, A-List celebrities, they are all converging on New Orleans this weekend. It's the 18th Annual "Essence" Music Festival to showcase African-American talent.

Constance White is editor-in-chief at "Essence" magazine, which sponsors this festival. She is joining us.

Good to see you, as always.

We just spoke with the mayor about the festival. Why New Orleans? Why every year in New Orleans, first of all?

CONSTANCE WHITE, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, ESSENCE MAGAZINE: Another year in New Orleans, because New Orleans and "Essence" are partners. This is really home for us. It's a sea of black culture. So much started here. It has a rich history with the black community. It's perfect partnership.

MALVEAUX: It's a lot of fun. Obviously, a lot of great musical talents. The mayor also said there's very serious workshops and things that go on. Last year had an opportunity to have a discussion with the president's top advisor, Valerie Jarrett, who talked about if the president doing enough for the black community during these tough economic times. "Essence" magazine, the cover story was with President Obama. What are you hearing? What are your viewers saying? What are the folks saying about what kind of job he's doing?

WHITE: What our readers are saying is that there's some disappointment, but they support the president. They are concerned about jobs. The economy is a big issue. Health care is a big issue, education. And women are concerned about where the economy is going. They believe the president has done a fair to decent job against great odds. Are they hurting? Are they challenged? Yes, absolutely.

MALVEAUX: Do you think that, in light of the fact they are hurting and challenged, are they motivated to go to the polls? Will they engage in the campaigns? Will they be as active as they were four years ago?

WHITE: I can't say the extent to which they will be active, but they certainly will be involved. We're hearing from our readers that they want information on the election and campaign. They want to know what the president plans to do for them. And they're trying to assess what he has done. They are very engaged, very interested.

MALVEAUX: Constance, what would be the take away from the festival, the "Essence" festival? Obviously, it's a great time. There are people who are having very real conversations about what is important to them.

WHITE: The big take away from the 18th Annual "Essence" Music Festival this year will be about the power, the power of black women's voices, the power of the community. Black women are really so resilient. Black women were a key factor in the win for President Obama four years ago. Black women continue to be optimistic in the face of really difficult economic circumstances, and they continue to draw a lot from their faith and from their families. The big take away for us here at the festival is the power of the black woman's voice.

MALVEAUX: All right. Constance White, thank you so much. Good to see you, as always. Have fun. Appreciate your time.

WHITE: Thank you, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Rescue crews searching the back country of Tennessee's Great Smoky Mountains National Park. They are looking for people hurt from severe storms that have hammered the state just last night. Two people were killed by falling trees. Eight others were injured.

Our meteorologist, Alexandra Steele, she is here to talk about this.

How powerful are we talking about these storms?

ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: We're talking about 70 miles per hour winds moving through eastern Tennessee. Let me show you. This is the radar from last night. Time stamp from 3:00 yesterday to about 6:30. About 6:00 is when it moved free. You can see right there in eastern Tennessee, the microburst, the strong intense line of storms moving through, and very scary. But some of the rain there did help cool things off. We had this incredible record heat. St. Louis 105 yesterday. Today, the ninth 100-degree day. You can see where the heat is. It's where it will stay. Chicago to Washington, tomorrow, 105 in Washington, D.C. And 100 -- oh, it just changed now. Computer model is picking up a degree. This is the highest temperature Washington has every seen. We've broken so many records in the last two weeks, over 2,000 record high temperatures.

Here is this relief. There's this cold front on the backside of it. Much cooler coming through. Much cooler is relative. But 87 in Minneapolis. Chicago 100 today. 20 degrees cooler by the time we head toward Sunday. Still, Washington in the heat of it, 101. By Monday, things will cool down in the mid Atlantic.

MALVEAUX: OK. Yes, it's going to be another hot weekend in Atlanta.

STEELE: A hot summer because there's more heat to the west poised to move in.

MALVEAUX: Wow. We'll just have to endure.

Thank you. Have a great weekend.

STEELE: You, too.

MALVEAUX: CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Ashleigh Banfield.

Hey, Ashleigh.