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Historic All Female, All African-American Flight Crew; Defining What a Trillion Amounts To; President Obama Sets Deadline for an End to the "Combat Mission" in Iraq; Recession Casualty: "Rocky Mountain News" Folds Today
Aired February 27, 2009 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Pushing forward, to the summer of 2010, when combat in Iraq officially ends for U.S. troops. But it's not the end that some members of Congress wanted.
Are you knee-deep in the recession? We can't change the economy, but maybe we can help you find a harbor in the storm. Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
And we're going to push overseas to the president's war plan in just a moment. We also have new evidence the recession is deepening back home. The government says the U.S. economy shrank at a rate of 6.2 percent in the last three months of last year. That's a staggering jump from the 3.8 percent that had been predicted. This is the biggest decline in more than a quarter century. One big reason? Americans are holding on to their cash and not spending it. What should you do? CNN's Gerri Willis has some advice for us straight ahead.
Mark your calendar, August 31st, 2010, that's the deadline for U.S. combat troops to be gone from Iraq. Essentially, officially, the war will be over and almost seven and a half years after it started. President Obama delivered news to U.S. Marines at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina today, his first trip to a military base as commander in chief. It comes on the 18th anniversary of the end of the first Gulf War.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So let me say this as plainly as I can. By August 31st, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end.
(APPLAUSE)
As we carry out this drawdown, my highest priority will be the safety and security of our troops, and civilians in Iraq. So we will proceed carefully. And I will consult closely with my military commanders on the ground and with the Iraqi government. There will surely be difficult periods and tactical adjustments. But our enemies should be left with no doubt, this plan gives our military the forces and flexibility they need to support our Iraqi partners, and to succeed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, remember the word "combat"? That's the distinction between the forces leaving Iraq over the next year and a half, and the 35,000 or more who will be staying through the end of 2011. Our Pentagon Correspondent Chris Lawrence looks at who will stay and who will go.
Chris.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: First off, Kyra, that whole idea of non-combat, that may be a little misleading. They're calling these enablers, support staff. But let's take a look at that.
First, a little bit of historical perspective here. This is basically where the U.S. forces were operating in Baghdad at the height of the surge. Over time, they have gradually pared back, mostly moving the bases along the perimeter of the city, with the exception of the Green Zone right there.
The troops that will remain behind will mostly work out of larger bases outside the major cities, like Balad, right there. We're talking about intelligence staff, surveillance staff, and all of their equipment. They will primarily be doing three missions. One, they're going to keep training and assisting the Iraqi troops and army. What does that mean? That means they're going to be embedding with them. That means they will also be in the line of fire.
Two, they're going to be protecting, supporting civilian operations; basically protecting U.S. assets; again, protecting means, defending. And finally, they'll be conducting some limited counterterrorism operation. What does that mean? That means going after the bad guys.
Again, we're being told this will primarily be the Iraqi forces take the lead. But again, you're talking about actively going after the bad guys. When you slice this up, you can say they don't have primarily a combat mission, but it's clearly still going to be operating in a war zone.
PHILLIPS: Now, Chris, what about the remaining troops? What's their long-term future?
LAWRENCE: Well, all of the American troops are supposed to be out of Iraq. According to the agreement that the United States has worked out with Iraq's government, all the troops are supposed to be out by the end of 2011. Now, Secretary Robert Gates, Defense Secretary Gates has gone on record as saying he would probably like to see a more moderate force remain in Iraq after that. But he admits, that would include, you know, going back and renegotiating this agreement and coming to some new agreement with the Iraqis. There's no -- nothing public been made about anything like that yet. But it's something obviously that's out there, that some people have talked about.
PHILLIPS: All right. Chris Lawrence, appreciate it. Well, juggling the war, shifting the focus, while setting in motion the departure of roughly 100,000 troops from Iraq. The president is sending 17,000 more troops to Afghanistan. Now, keep in mind, the Iraq drawdown will take a lot longer than the Afghan buildup.
Speaking of buildup, Americans think it's high time, a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll actually shows 63 percent of us support more troops for Afghanistan; 36 percent don't. But here's the twist, only 47 percent of Americans favor the Afghan war. It's a slim majority that opposes it.
All right. Let's go ahead and go back live to Wall Street and check the Big Board right now; Dow industrials, looks like they're up about 6 points, almost 7 points. That bleak gross domestic product report isn't sitting too well with investors right now. They're also worried about another attempt by Uncle Sam to bail out Citigroup. We're going to tell you about that in just a moment.
Well, "Good-bye Colorado", the headline, simple and sad as the last edition of "The Rocky Mountain News" hit doorsteps today. The 'Rocky's" demise coming after years in limbo, years of financial struggle, and just shy of its 150 anniversary. Staffers found out they would be losing their jobs yesterday. With us live from Denver, Assistant City Editor Luke Clarke.
And I'll tell you what, Luke, our heart goes out to you. I can't tell you how many times we have read your stories. We've garnered story ideas. We truly appreciate what you've done for us in the past decade that you've been there.
LUKE CLARKE, ASST. CITY EDITOR, "ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS": Thank you. That's good to hear.
PHILLIPS: Tell me how you got the word. I know you had a feeling that it was coming. Tell me how it all came down.
CLARKE: Well, almost exactly noon yesterday, an e-mail went out to all the staffers to assemble at the news desk for an important meeting. We knew what was happening as soon as we saw the heads of the company with the editor at the news desk. And sure enough, they gave us the word straight up.
PHILLIPS: And Luke, you had been covering these stories for months. And now you have become the story. Is that strange?
CLARKE: Yeah, it feels a little different. And -- but it's been very heartening. The response from the community has been quite strong, a lot of sympathy and a lot of sadness out there.
PHILLIPS: Sure. I mean, that paper has been an institution, my gosh, coming up 150 years.
I'll tell you what, we wanted to do, if you're OK with this, Gerri Willis, our personal finance editor, we want to bring her into the mix. Because we have been hearing so many stories like yours, Luke. And I'm sure you've got a number of questions since this has all gone down. I know you received a severance package, correct?
CLARKE: That's right.
PHILLIPS: All right. So Gerri, what's your first bit of advice for Luke?
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hey, Luke. First of all, I feel your pain. I once worked for a newspaper that went out of business, too. And we were all unemployed. We went down to the unemployment office together. It's absolutely no fun.
Now, you did get some severance, right?
CLARKE: That's correct.
WILLIS: Let's talk about severance for a second. Because that's important how you manage that money. Typically folks get maybe six months of severance, maybe two weeks, somewhere from two weeks to six months. Maybe a little unused vacation, maybe some sick leave, floating holidays. You could get it in one lump sum or regularly scheduled paychecks.
So here's what you need to pay attention to. Make sure you have enough saved up in the emergency fund. If you don't, this money can go to that. Put some of the money towards retraining. You might think about that. Careeronestop.com is a great place to go if you've got some extra money, and you really want to start looking around to find out where you might get retraining.
Ask if your severance package disqualifies you from receiving unemployment benefits, you can do that by contacting the department of labor in your state, and asking. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. So you need to ask serious questions about that.
But I guess I don't need to tell you that you need to manage your severance package carefully, because you have lots of financial obligations on you. Because you have a family, right, Luke?
CLARKE: That's right, I have two children.
PHILLIPS: That brings up a good question, Gerri.
Luke, you have two kids. One is in college, right?
CLARKE: That's right.
PHILLIPS: OK, so everybody's still dependent on you for health insurance?
CLARKE: Well, that's right.
PHILLIPS: OK. So Gerri, should he opt for CORA? Or his wife's insurance? Your wife's an educator, right, Luke?
CLARKE: That's right.
WILLIS: She still has her job, correct?
CLARKE: That's right. She's a high school librarian.
WILLIS: There are typically three things you can do. You can take up COBRA, which is essentially the continuation of your benefits where you have worked. You mostly pay for that, so it's expensive. Even though the stimulus package has some help for people out there in that situation. Or you can buy health insurance in the private market. Or best-case scenario, you jump on your wife's health plan.
Now, this is the best of all options. Why? Well, it's the cheapest of all options. What they do is, you know how there's typically a period of time, usually in the fall, where you can sign up for health care? Well, they've reopened that for you because you've lost your job. It doesn't have anything to do with, is it the right time of year, whatever.
Just by the sheer fact of you losing your job, you should be able to jump on her health care. For other people out there, the answer may be quite different and it could be expensive. But let's keep in mind here for people who are in the jobs market, maybe they've lost their job, having health care, health insurance is critical, because having a major health problem is the number one reason people go into bankruptcy. Because they have big costs that they can't pay. So you're in a good situation there, Luke.
CLARKE: Thank you. I looked at COBRA, and to cover the family would be more than $800 a month.
WILLIS: Get on your wife's plan. If it's a decent plan, this will tide you over until you find something else you can do. It's really the best-case scenario. And you're lucky to have it, even though you've been through a terrible situation here.
PHILLIPS: Luke, maybe with regard to maybe your daughter's tuition, or your mortgage, your situation?
CLARKE: That's a good question. Because I refinanced the home mortgage about a year ago. We got a rate of 5.78 percent.
WILLIS: That's good.
CLARKE: I used some of the proceeds to pay off debt for college for my adult son. But my daughter has just been accepted to the California College of the Arts, a very good art school in San Francisco.
WILLIS: That's great.
CLARKE: Yes, it's great.
WILLIS: The tuition will run --
CLARKE: The tuition will run about $30,000 a year.
WILLIS: That's expensive. All right. Well, your situation has changed, right? I mean, when she decided to go to school there, and she got into this exclusive school, you probably had to fill out some forms for aid. And what those folks want to know is, is what is the expected family contribution, because of your income. Well, your income has changed. You've got to go back to the financial aid office at the school, tell them what happened. You have to show them proof of what happened. So you're probably going to get a letter or something from your employer, so you definitely want to get that, take it to them. And say, look, my situation has changed. I need more aid.
And let me just send you to two really good websites here that could also be a help. Finaid.org is a fantastic website for financial aid for students whether they have money, they don't have money. And Fastweb.com is a great place to go for scholarship information. But Luke, I have to tell you, it sounds like to me you're supporting a whole lot of people. It may be time for the kids to help out here, too. Maybe they should pony up some money, get a second job, do something to help out.
CLARKE: Oh, they're paying their share.
WILLIS: Well, good. Good, good, good. But it's a very, very big bill. And I know it's intimidating. I wish you the best of luck, I really do.
CLARKE: Well, thank you. And thanks for your advice.
WILLIS: You're welcome.
PHILLIPS: Gerri, thanks so much.
WILLIS: My pleasure.
PHILLIPS: Luke, I really do want to wrap up on a high note. Gerri worked in newspapers, I worked in newspapers. A lot of people in this newsroom worked in newspapers. And I know there's got to be one moment you're always going to savor; maybe a story, a moment, a partnership that you've touched. What do you think will be the most memorable part of working at that paper?
CLARKE: Well, you know, the most memorable part was, it's not the high note that you're looking for, but it was probably the Columbine shootings about 10 years ago.
PHILLIPS: Oh, wow.
CLARKE: What I take away from this experience is people that can hold you up through a time like that and brought tremendous talent and energy to the storytelling that we did. And, you know, I'm proud to have been a part of it.
PHILLIPS: Luke Clarke, assistant city editor, "Rocky Mountain News". It will always be with you and also with us. And we appreciate your time today. My guess is, you're going to be just fine, Luke. We'll be looking for your daughter's artwork.
CLARKE: Thank you very much. PHILLIPS: Thanks, Luke.
Well, here's something that you don't hear every day, you're hired, actually, rehired. We actually found at least two places that are dusting off the equipment and getting back to work.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Here's a question for you. On this day in 1991, that was 18 years ago, what did President George H.W Bush announce had come to an end? You remember? Here's the answer: Operation Desert Storm.
That's the wordsmith taking part in the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in Brooklyn, new the answer. It's actually going on through the weekend. The oldest and biggest crossword competition in the country.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: It would be great if we had about, oh, 1,000 more stories like these. Remember in December, that window and door factory in Chicago that shut down with very little notice? About 200 workers staged a sit-in, upset over their severance and vacation pay. They sort of became symbols of the recession. And got what they wanted.
Fast forward to today. A California company has bought that factory, and the CEO now says that they plan to hire back all the former workers.
Here's more good news. Ford says it plans to restart an engine plant outside Cleveland that's been in park for about two years. It won't have as many workers as it used to. Ford plans to bring back about 250 that were laid off from the other plants in that area.
Now we hear a lot of reports that people are using these times to consider new careers, and why not? When you're out of work, just about anything is worth looking at. So we have a question for you men out there. Ever thought about being a monk? Here's CNN's Alina Cho.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The Franciscan Friars need a few good men, and they're going to the front lines to find them, the New York City subway.
FATHER BRIAN SMAIL, VOCATIONAL DIR., HOLY NAME PROVINCE: Day shift, night shift, how about a life shift?
CHO (On camera): That's great.
(Voice over): That's the catch phrase of this unusual ad campaign. Targeting men aged 22 to 38. A new generation of friars badly need. A 1,000 posters, 200 in Spanish, plastered all over the subways.
(On camera): You have to say, it's a little out of character. SMAIL: It is. But these days, if you're looking for people, the Franciscans, or anywhere else, you have to be creative. You have to go where people are.
CHO (voice over): The timing couldn't be better. Anecdotally the bad economy is driving more people to church, people suddenly having deeper thoughts. Father Brian Smail used to work at a bank.
(On camera): Do you feel like, if we're going to get them, we're going to get them now?
SMAIL: Absolutely. Or at least it's a very opportune moment. There's a lot of self-reflection going on in our society. People have seen that there are limits to the system.
CHO: Since the ads debuted in late December, traffic to the friars' website is up 40 percent. And so far, 40 men have called.
FATHER JOHN O'CONNER, DIRECTOR, HOLY NAME PROVINCE: Some people called and say, what does it pay? What's the salary? And others basically say, how do I sign up? But then we have to explain to them, well, no, it's a little more complicated than that.
CHO: For the record, six years of training. And outside of food and shelter, the only pay comes from high above. That has not deterred 29-year-old George Camacho. He recently lost his job, saw the ad on the subway, and something about those smiling faces grabbed him.
GEORGE CAMACHO, POTENTIAL FRIAR: It's not the stereotypical, priestly kind of activities. They're not super quiet or super formal, or incredibly serious. They're like so outgoing. They make jokes. They enjoy their life.
CHO: A brotherhood with a vow to serve.
SMAIL: What should I be doing with my life? And service is the big draw for people now, especially young people. They want to give something back.
CHO (on camera): If you look back on history, tough times have actually been good for Franciscan Friars. After World War II their numbers skyrocketed. Men were coming home from war, reevaluating their lives, and signing up. The same seems to be happening today. The recession has caused a lot of people to say maybe there's more to life than making money. Maybe it's finally time to give back. Alina Cho, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, the clock ticks on a foreclosure. A college grad wonders what, if anything is out there. When will banks start lending again? Great questions from real people who are about to get some expert answers from our help desk.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PHILLIPS: Finding hope amid tragedy, Carolyn Manning lost a family member on 9/11. But through her pain she found a connection to others, and to a worldwide crisis. Today she's helping refugees from all over the world rebuild their lives. That's what makes her a "CNN Hero".
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: This is "CNN Heroes".
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have an explosion in building number one. There's smoke all over the place.
CAROLINE MANNING, HUMANITARIAN: My brother-in-law was killed in Tower One on September 11th. After September 11th, I saw a picture of an Afghan family who had also lost a family member because of the Taliban and they had to flee their country.
Our family has five kids. We lost a family member, too. We've just naturally went from that to, let's show the refugees that we welcome them.
My name's Caroline Manning, and I started the welcome to America project to help refugees in Phoenix, Arizona.
How are you? Are you doing well?
The families that we help come from places where there's been war and genocide. Some refugees have never lived with indoor plumbing and they've never flushed a toilet.
All right. Let's go.
The Welcome to America Project is the community. And it operates by community volunteers. My husband and I, many a time, have been out here pulling furniture in before work, after work. This is our life.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you very much for all your help.
MANNING: All right. Let's go on to the next family.
When they step foot in the United States they have been invited here. I want the refugees to feel that this is their home.
Welcome to America.
(APPLAUSE)
MANNING: And that's what America has been built on. It's our history, it's who we are, and they're part of it.
ANNOUNCER: Tell us about your hero at CNN.com/heroes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
You can learn more about Carolyn Manning's work on our "CNN Heroes" Web site. All of our heroes are chosen from viewer nominations. If you know someone who deserves to be a "CNN Hero", tell us about them at CNN.com/heroes.
And may be not a bombshell today, but a major military announcement from the commander in chief, and a milestone for Iraq.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: The end is in sight. As you may have seen live here on CNN, President Obama promised U.S. combat forces will leave Iraq no later than August 31st, 2010. In his first appearance at a military base, as commander in chief, Mr. Obama didn't only look forward, he reflected on the past.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Next month will mark the sixth anniversary of the war in Iraq. By any measure, this has already been a long war. For the men and women of America's Armed Forces, and for your families, the war's been one of the most extraordinary chapters of service in the history of our nation. Many of you have endured tour after tour after, tour of duty.
You've known the dangers of combat, and the lonely distance from loved ones. You have fought against tyranny and disorder. You have bled for your best friends, and for unknown Iraqis. And you have borne an enormous burden for your fellow citizens, while extending a precious opportunity to the people of Iraq. Under tough circumstances the men and women of the United States military have served with honor, and succeed beyond any expectation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Suzanne Malveaux joining me now from the White House.
Suzanne, the president actually acknowledged that some wish the troop pullout would be faster. What are you hearing?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It's really interesting, Kyra, because really, what the Republicans are doing, they're coming out in support of the president. We've heard from Senator John McCain immediately after the speech saying he was applauding the president. We also heard from House Republican Leadership John Boehner, who put out a statement. So we're getting all kinds of feedback from the Republicans saying they think this is a good idea.
However, the Democrats, not so satisfied about this, a little hesitant, a little worried, quite frankly. You had Speaker Nancy Pelosi who came out after this, and talked about it, saying that she wished it wasn't up to perhaps 50,000 troops that were going to stay on the ground in that contingency force. But that it was perhaps even a third that number. So, they believe that as long as you have a significant amount of U.S. troops, whether or not they're combat troops, they are in harm's way, and they want to see them out as quickly as possible. That's one of the reasons we heard President Obama say, look, that the mission is going to be very well defined. He said that Iraq would be sovereign, stable and self-reliant. He turned to the troops and said, your job is done, it's over. He wants to give a clear message that this is not going to be some sort of a mission creep, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Suzanne, thanks so much.
And in these troubled times, job creation is one of the cornerstones actually of the Obama administration's economic recovery plan. Vice President Joe Biden chairs the administration's Middle Class Task Force, meeting right now at the University of Pennsylvania. This is the first meeting aimed at finding ways to create more green jobs, like putting up solar panels and wind turbines, and helping middle class workers find them.
And, hey, when it comes this economy, four heads are far better than one. CNN Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis and three of her wise friends answer your questions at "The Help Desk."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Time NOW to answer your emails with the help desk. Lynnette Khalfani-Cox is a personal finance author, Ryan Mack of is the president of Optimum Capital Management, and Paul Lamonica is with CNN Money.
Let's get right down to business.
From Dallas, Texas, Abene asks, "I graduated from college in May 2008 and still have not found a job. It's impossible to find a good entry level job now. Can you please tell me who's hiring college graduates?"
LYNETTE KHALFANI-COX, PERSONAL FINANCE AUTHOR: It's tough right now for anybody looking for a job. Certainly for college graduates, and recent ones at that.
Federal government is hiring. Pharmaceutical companies. Everybody in the health care industry. Not everybody, but a lot of employers in that industry. And also a lot in technology and IT. Those are the three biggest areas right now.
Do everything you can to keep that resume out there, to be active. Don't give up. It's taking a lot longer than it had in the past to find that job.
WILLIS: All right. Well, let's move on to Paul's question, "How will the economic stimulus or banking bailout make it possible for people to get access the credit they need to invest at terms that they can afford to reverse their financial issues?"
What do you say, Paul?
PAUL LAMONICA, CNNMONEY.COM: Unfortunately, in the stimulus package, I don't think there's really anything concrete. But the hope with the bank bailout is that as long as the government continues to support these struggling banks, they will eventually start lending again to consumers that are creditworthy. So, if you have a good job, and a good credit score, eventually banks are going to have to wake up and realize that they've got to start lending to these people again.
WILLIS: All right, help is on the way, but it could take awhile. Let's go to Ryan's question from Scott in Michigan, "We're foreclosing on our home and have to be out May 21st. How will this package help us afford this home before we have to move."
Brian?
RYAN MACK, PRESIDENT, OPTIMUM CAPITAL MANAGEMENT: Well, we're not going to know the exact date of when it's going to go into place until March the 4th when the full details come out. So he's cutting it kind of tight in terms of May 21st. But if the plan was in place now and your home value was $417,000 or less, then this would be able to assist you in trying to subsidize your payments and hopefully would be able to assist you and keep you in your home.
WILLIS: Well, lots of help to lots of people. Thanks, guys.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And there's plenty more from where that came from. Gerri tells you how to save, protect and build your money in these tough economic times. Catch her show, "YOUR BOTTOM LINE" tomorrow morning 9:30 Eastern on CNN.
So, how much is a trillion? Well, the U.S. government is planning to spend more than three times that much in the next budget. We're going to try to give you a sense of just how much that is.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Pretty miserable time to be out in the streets in Minneapolis. Another big winter storm, as some heavy snow on that city, a few areas in Minnesota actually got over nine inches, including 11 inches in one area, after the storm. Bitter cold, too. Temperatures at or below zero in the forecast for much of that state. A lot of stormy weather actually right now in the south and the east. We're supposed to get snow here on Sunday.
(WEATHER REPORT)
PHILLIPS: Listen to this, If you think the world of aviation is a man's world, well take a look at this picture and think again. Four African-American women fly into history, and you're going to meet them.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, flying into history. If you think the world of aviation is a man's world, a white man's world, four African-American women are about to set you straight. No doubt Bessie Coleman would have been proud of them. She was the first female African-American pilot. And these four little girls that you see here grew up to follow in her footsteps and to continue up the path that she pioneered. They are now the first all-female, African-American flight crew in the U.S. They flew together this month on Atlantic Southeast Airlines from Atlanta to Nashville and straight into the history books.
Now they've touched down right here. Captain Rachelle Jones, First Officer Stephanie Grant, Flight Attendant Robin Rogers, and Flight Attendant Diana Galloway.
Ladies, good to see you. I wish I would have been on that flight. That would have been one party.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We had a great time.
PHILLIPS: I can just imagine.
So Rachelle, I mean, you were a customer service agent for Delta, right?
CAPT. RACHELLE JONES, PILOT: Correct.
PHILLIPS: And someone said, why not be a pilot? And you said, no, only men are pilots, right?
JONES: Exactly.
PHILLIPS: Isn't that amazing? So, how did it finally happen? What made you decide to do it?
JONES: Basically, a friend of mine said you should think about being a pilot. I said, I've never seen anyone that looked like me that flew airplanes. And he just kind of put the thought in my head. And I said, well, I think I'll try this and go for this.
PHILLIPS: That's amazing.
And then, Stephanie, this is so ironic. You're first officer, but your cousin, back in 1986, I love this story, the "Soul Patrol." Tell me about your cousin Herman and how it influenced you.
STEPHANIE GRANT, FIRST OFFICER & CO-PILOT: We had a conversation about five years ago, and he told me it's now or never. And that's when I made the decision to become an airline pilot.
PHILLIPS: He's the one on the right here, he became the first - he was part of the first all-black, male flight crew, right?
GRANT: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Isn't that amazing? Don't you sit back and think, wow, this is destiny?
GRANT: Exactly. PHILLIPS: I joke about the "Soul Patrol", because that's how the article titled the story there when we read the article.
So I'm curious, with Robin and Diana, tell me the truth now, when you saw the ladies in the cockpit, did you think, oh, my gosh, we've got our soul sisters in the cockpit, this is going to be great?
ROBIN ROGERS, FLIGHT ATTENDANT: That's exactly.
PHILLIPS: Is that it, really?
ROGERS: Yes.
PHILLIPS: And so what did you say to each other? And did you come and meet Stephanie and Rachelle and say, oh, my gosh, this is amazing? Did you know it was historic?
ROGERS: Well, not at the time we didn't. It kind of became reality later, afterwards. But at the time, we just thought it was great. And it was a wonderful opportunity. We thought it was cool for all of us to be flying together, you know. It was spectacular.
PHILLIPS: Diana, you guys were all taking cell phone pictures, is that right?
DIANA GALLOWAY, FLIGHT ATTENDANT: Yes. When we landed in Nashville, we asked the gate agents take our pictures. We didn't think it was going to become such a historical moment. We just wanted to take pictures together, because we might never have this opportunity again. So she just started snapping pictures of us. And here we are today.
PHILLIPS: And it wasn't supposed to happen like this, because Stephanie, someone called in sick in the crew, right? You just - OK, so when you showed up, what were you thinking?
GRANT: I was just so excited. Because I met Rachelle just a few weeks prior. And we said, we hope we fly together. And we just didn't know it was going to be this soon. So, I'm so proud of the moment.
PHILLIPS: And you were actually inspired by Bessie Coleman. You read about her, learned about her. Why was she an inspiration to you?
JONES: She was definitely someone I had read about. And just her story was really amazing how she tried to, you know, get her flying started here in the U.S. and it didn't work out well for her. So, she went over to France and she was doing a lot of flying in France. And she was definitely an inspiration.
My mom is also my inspiration, though. For sure.
PHILLIPS: I know all of you, actually I was noticing, mentioned your moms. You all had amazingly strong moms and they were great influences on you. I'm curious, too, as pilots, because I have a girlfriend who is a pilot for an airline. And she's blonde and tall and blue-eyed. And she said every time she's standing by the cockpit to welcome everybody or thank everybody, they always say, oh, the food was great, thanks.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: And she's like, no problem. I'm glad you enjoyed the food. Do people, have they taken a double take, like, oh, my gosh?
JONES: We get a lot of double takes all the time. And passengers will stop in the middle of the aisle and say, did you fly us? Did you fly this plane? We're like, yes, we did. So a lot of people are very impressed and we get really positive reactions.
PHILLIPS: What have they said to you? What's memorable to you as you've started flying?
GRANT: They just want to know how did I get there. And I said just dedication and hard work, and it was a dream that became my reality.
PHILLIPS: And you ladies have talked about, you've been role models for young girls. They see you in uniform, you're so classy, you're walking through. I mean, now it's an entire crew. What do you tell young girls when they come up to you and say, boy, I want to look like you, want to do what you're doing?
GALLOWAY: Well, you know, nowadays you can be anything that you want to be with perseverance. If you have a passion for it, you set your goals, you pursue them. And you just, you know, reach for the stars and continue on up.
PHILLIPS: Well, ladies, we all look forward to flying with you. So, will you let us know your flight schedules? We want to be onboard that flight, all right.
And I know T.J. wants a private pilot, as you noticed. T.J. Holmes was over working the ladies, to our viewers, as you can imagine. Congratulations. Thank you so much for being here with us.
Caught on tape, a truck driver faced with hell on wheels makes a hell of a brave decision. Wait until you see what happens.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: An Ohio kitchen is missing a really nice saucepan. Why? Because a woman used it to sauce up an intruder's face. But thanks to the man behind the pan, she's getting a whole new arsenal.
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PHILLIPS: You heard live here on CNN from Camp Lejeune, the president of the United States actually setting the date for ending the war in Iraq. And our Dan Lothian, our White House correspondent, actually had a chance to sit down with the SecDef (ph) just after that speech.
Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: What General Odierno has wanted to maintain the maximum force possible through the national elections at the end of this year and for some brief period of time after that. To try and do that, and then get down to a change of mission and significant withdrawals of tens of thousands of troops between, say, the end of January, early February to May was both a logistical and a security challenge, just because of the speed with which that withdrawal would have to take place. The extra three months, the 19- month option as opposed to 16, gives us more time to do that in an orderly way. And, frankly, for a more gradual drawdown.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And T.J. Holmes, in for Rick Sanchez today, working on the next hour of NEWSROOM.
What you got going, T.J.?
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: You know I got a bone to pick with you, Kyra. We'll talk about this later.
PHILLIPS: You mean, because you were charming the first African- American female flight crew out here before the interview?
HOLMES: Kyra - Kyra, you got to give me a heads up. I just walk out there, you've got four beautiful women just lined up in the studio like that. You've got to let me know, so I'm better prepared. I wasn't together.
PHILLIPS: At least you had a good suit on. And they said they would be more than willing to be your private pilot.
HOLMES: I do fly a lot, as you know.
Kyra, all right, yes, coming up, Rick's out today. He's getting a three-day weekend, at least.
Coming up, of course, we're going to be talking about Iraq, and the announcement the president made today. But also, you might have remembered Rick was talking about yesterday, a mayor out in California, Los Alamitos in particular, sent out an email depicting the White House with a watermelon patch in the front of it. Well, that mayor, he came out and apologized for that, but he came out now and said something else. I'm out, essentially is what he's saying. We're going to talk about that.
And also, Andy Borowitz will be along today, he'll be talking about - comedian, satirist, that a lot of folks are familiar with, if not the name, certainly the face. He'll be along taking on the topics of the day.
So, a lot to get to, Kyra. I will hand it back over to you for now and I will be back out there in just a few minutes.
PHILLIPS: OK. Looking forward to it.
All right a follow-up time to a story that we reported yesterday. It's about an Ohio woman who found out just how versatile that Emeril Lagasse's cookware is.
Let's rewind.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Oh, and all the many uses of Emeril Lagasse's cookware -- Bam.
ELLEN BASINSKI, HIT ROBBER WITH SKILLET: And I whacked him. And he came up and looked at me like, lady, why did you do that? And I hit him again.
PHILLIPS: Hey, and his face didn't even stick. Thanks, Emeril.
This 70-something is now describing how she dealt with four intruders who broke into her Ohio house and tried to take her money and her Jack Daniels. The suspects ran off. Police arrested four teens later. They probably recognized one by the Emeril logo stamped on his face.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, back live with you now with an update. Police did take the saucepan as evidence. Emeril found out, and bam, sent Mrs. Basinski an entire set of his signature cookware.
And an update on another story we brought you yesterday. After bad press, the Colorado State Patrol revisiting their treatment of this good Samaritan. Denver bus driver Jim Moffitt (ph) pushed three people out of a truck's path and then he was hit himself. He found out in ICU that he had been hit with a jaywalking ticket. Now, police confirm they are, "reexamining the investigation and the $22.00 fine."
Sing it, Ringo. You've probably guessed this story is about an octopus. The one at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium is really an eight-armed prankster. You see, it started messing with a valve in its tank, and the next thing you knew, well, the place was flooded with about 200 gallons of sea water. Who says invertebrates don't have backbone?
Well talk about cool under fire. A truck driver is being called a hero for heading off a potential disaster. It was all caught on police dash cam yesterday. A big rig full of chemicals engulfed in flames, speeding away from a truck plaza. Witnesses just couldn't believe their eyes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVE GAAB, WITNESS: I looked in my rearview mirror and the truck behind me is fully engulfed in flames. I mean, just blazing. I jumped in my seat and got my truck out of there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: About 4:00 a.m., the sleeping driver woke to smoke and flames. Instead of jumping out, though, Randall Taylor started her up and steered clear of the crowded rest stop. Thankfully, Randall got out OK as well.
The staggering amount of money, more than $3.5 trillion in President Obama's proposed budget. So, what do all the zeros mean? And what could you buy with that kind of money? We're going to break it down for you.
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PHILLIPS: President Obama's proposed budget for next year calls for spending $3.6 trillion. Not exactly pocket change.
CNN's Tom Foreman tries to wrap our heads around how much money a trillion really is.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For Congress spending $1 trillion is pretty easy. Explaining that amount? Much harder. Stacked up as ones, they've said, it would reach a third of the way to the moon. As tuition, it would pay for college for every middle and high school student. And if money really were time?
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), MINORITY LEADER: If you started spending the day that Jesus was born and you spent $1 million every single day, you still wouldn't have spent a trillion dollars.
FOREMAN: But now we're talking about a $3.6 trillion budget and a new worry - if people can't comprehend one trillion, how can voters assess the value of one multitrillion dollar plan over another? And what if all those trillions are spent and the economy still gets worse.
Jeanne Cummings covers economics for politico.com.
JEANNE CUMMINGS, POLITICO.COM: There are truly consequences and ultimately it would be awful if our country found out what is the real meaning of all of these numbers. If some calamity came our way, we might actually have a real sense of it.
FOREMAN: By the way, Jeanne, do you understand $1 trillion?
CUMMINGS: No, I don't understand a trillion dollars.
FOREMANE: The fundamental issue is, even when you compare a trillion dollars to something you do understand, the comparison quickly becomes absurd.
(on camera): Let's say a family makes $60,000 a year. It would take more than 4,000 families to make $260 million, or roughly what Oprah makes in that same amount of time. But to make $1 trillion, that would take almost 4,000 Oprahs.
Confused? Well, now you see the problem. But maybe something else is at work, too.
(voice-over): The famed psychiatrist Sigmund Freud wrote about denial, which Webster's defines as refusing to admit the reality of something unpleasant. He wasn't talking about the economy, but if he were around these days, who knows, he might be.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Have a great weekend, everyone. We'll see you back here on Monday.
T.J. Holmes in for Rick Sanchez, and he starts right now.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Hello there, everybody. I'm T.J. Holmes sitting in for Rick Sanchez. Thank you for being with us here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
A lot to get to this hour. Including the talk that, yes, the war in Iraq is coming to an end just about as President Obama promised when he was out on the campaign trail. Stay with us here.
I'm listening to you, Chris (ph), what are you saying? Oh, there we go.
President Obama, a live picture here. Just arriving back, I believe this is, at Andrews Air Force Base after his trip...
