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80,000 Jobs Lost in March; Front Row Seat to History; Kids with a Big Job
Aired April 04, 2008 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield. And Heidi continues maternity leave.
HARRIS: Watch events coming to the NEWSROOM live on Friday morning, April 4th. Here's what's on the rundown.
WHITFIELD: Twisters cut across Arkansas and storms could slam the south again today.
HARRIS: From the assembly line to the unemployment line, more Americans lose their jobs in March.
WHITFIELD: The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. gunned down April 4th, 1968. A talk live with King's driver this hour, 40 years after Memphis, in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: "ISSUE #1, THE ECONOMY" and the outlook getting bleaker. Just moments ago the government releasing its unemployment. Tens of thousands of jobs lost.
Our Ali Velshi is in New York to sort through the numbers for us.
And Ali, I'm thinking about it. I was thinking I was going to ask you, is this about what was expected? Is it worse than expected? But the number, 80,000 jobs, kind of speaks for itself.
ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It's substantially worse than expected and I don't mean to paint a bleak picture but this is for all of those people out there who won't get their heads out of the sand and face where we are in this economic cycle. We lost 80,000 jobs in the United States in March. That is the biggest single-month job loss in five years. 80,000 in March.
They revised the numbers of job losses in January and February. So now we have 76,000 job losses in February, 76,000 in January, 80,000 in March. That's 232,000 jobs lost in the United States since the beginning of this year.
Now most economists say that we need to gain, we need to add 100,000 jobs or more just to keep up with the increase in the working age population. The unemployment rate is up. It was at 4.8 percent. It was expected to go to 5 percent. It is now 5.1 percent. That's the highest rate in three years. So these are problems. Let me tell you where those jobs are lost, Tony.
HARRIS: Right.
VELSHI: Construction, we know we've been losing jobs in construction. 51,000 construction jobs are gone. In fact, mostly those were specialty trade construction workers. We've lost almost 400,000 construction jobs since the housing boom peak in September of 2006.
Manufacturing, 48,000. That is one of the biggest numbers we've seen in manufacturing job losses. That's in total, over a year, we've lost more than 300,000 jobs in the United States in manufacturing.
Employment services also saw some losses.
There were only four areas where we saw gains -- government, health care, food services and mining. That's it. That's the only place that we've seen gains.
HARRIS: Wow.
VELSHI: Now we've seen food services and health care have been pretty healthy over the last 12 months. But, boy, we are shedding these jobs. This is a serious problem and hopefully this makes those people who are still hedging about whether we're in a downturn or a recession or whatever you want to call it, admit that we are and let's do everything that's necessary...
HARRIS: Let's move forward.
VELSHI: ...to get us out of that.
HARRIS: Absolutely. All right. Ali, so much to ask you. But we've got a lot in the show this morning. We will check back with you later.
VELSHI: Sure.
HARRIS: Ali Velshi in New York. Ali, appreciate it. Thanks.
VELSHI: OK.
WHITFIELD: All right. Let's make time for severe weather. Dazed and confused in central Arkansas. At least one fierce tornado ripped through the Little Rock area last night turning homes into rubble and toppling trees and, of course, the power lines and tossing small planes around, just like that, like toys. Just look at what the twister did to the airport in North Little Rock. About 30 single- engine planes destroyed. A hanger left in ruins. And fires broke out after the twister ravaged a mobile home park.
CNN affiliate KLRK reports 50 homes were burned. No fatalities, but at least four people were hurt. The tornado had an emotional impact on many more. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED RESIDENT: All I could see at first was just -- it was on fire. And there was police everywhere. It was crazy. I couldn't get to my house. But I had to get to my family. So I got out and I came in the back way in my trailer park and as soon as I walked in around the fence, there was just -- it's a mess. There was roofs off trailers. There was whole sheds just everywhere -- pieces of sheds just completely gone, like, it was just like -- and then I moved into the trailer park to where it landed, there were trailers just like completely tipped over.
UNIDENTIFIED RESIDENT: Everything was tore up, bay doors were torn off the buildings, people's house, their roofs were taken off. I felt the wind literally almost take me off my feet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Wow. Well, look at this. The twister was caught on tape. A dash cam in a police car reported the tornado what used to be as it went through the parking lot of a car dealership. Hard to see right there.
HARRIS: Boy.
WHITFIELD: But just look at the flying debris. That'll give you some perspective. And you can see power lines there had been snapped as well. (INAUDIBLE)
HARRIS: Springtime -- yes, springtime.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
HARRIS: And this is definitely (INAUDIBLE)
WHITFIELD: This is what happens.
HARRIS: And you know this is a spring and fall pattern that we're in right now. Let's check in with the man who knows all about this.
WHITFIELD: And that's right in the middle of tornado alley.
HARRIS: That's right. Rob Marciano is in the Severe Weather Center.
Rob, good morning.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: Ripple effect.
HARRIS: Absolutely. Yes. All right, Rob, appreciate it. Thanks.
MARCIANO: Sure. WHITFIELD: Well, officials in Arkansas dealing with a massive clean-up.
Joining us on the phone now, Lieutenant Terry Hastings with the Little Rock Police Department.
Lieutenant, you know, with daylight comes the reality of exactly what is at hand. So now that you've got daylight, what are you seeing and what are the areas that you need to tackle first?
LT. TERRY HASTINGS, LITTLE ROCK POLICE: Well, we have some areas that were hit real hard with the storms last night. The northern part of our city was heavily damaged. We have that area sealed off. It is a residential area. We had a lot of trees down, power lines. Some of our main thoroughfares, traffic lights are out. Right now, our main concern is flooding. We have interstate is I-30 closed. It's flooded so we have no eastbound traffic coming through Little Rock at the minute.
We're checking secondary streets and we're finding they're just as flooded as the interstate.
WHITFIELD: Wow. And we take a look at these pictures that these images that we got overnight. The airport there where these small planes are just kind of toppled and tossed around. And there was a mobile home park that was hit hard. Miraculously, no fatalities that we know of still, correct, and we are dealing with injuries, however.
HASTINGS: That's right n. In Little Rock, we have no injuries, no fatalities. The tornado came down really in the center part of the city. When it first came in, it turned a car over on a parking lot. And that's about all the damage there. And then it picked back up and came down in the northern part of the city and did quite a bit of damage there. And then it traveled on into North Little Rock where it hit the North Little Rock Airport.
This is the same storm that came through Benton which is just southwest of Little Rock that did the damage there. There's a lot of damage there, especially with that trailer park.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
HASTINGS: It hit it head-on. And last night, there was a huge fire in it. They're still there this morning working.
WHITFIELD: Wow. So where are the greatest needs? What can your department or anyone else who's watching this do to help out?
HASTINGS: Well, right now, we've got manpower in place and we're doing pretty good. Now the main thing, people trying to get to work, this is not something you may want to try and transverse this morning is take your time. And if the roads are flooded, try not to cross it because we have a lot of people trying to cross these roads and stalling out in the water. And it's just going to get higher as the day goes on.
WHITFIELD: Wow. All right. Lieutenant Terry Hastings, thanks so much.
Reminder, so Interstate 30 is closed according to the lieutenant there, and really the best that anyone can do is just kind of stay off the roads.
HARRIS: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Because it takes quite the task for all the responders to get out there and helps clear up the debris so that folks can get on with the cleaning up.
HARRIS: Race and civil rights front and center in presidential politics today. All three candidates are marking the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination.
In two hours, Barack Obama talks about King's legacy during a speech Fort Wayne, Indiana. Obama has made racial unity a theme of his campaign. Hillary Clinton takes parts in events in Memphis where King was killed. She is trying to shore up support among African- American voters. Republican nominee-to-be John McCain also in Memphis today. He speaks to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference which King helped establish. McCain calls his vote in 1983 against the national King holiday a mistake.
We will bring you live coverage of Barack Obama's town hall meeting where he is expected to reflect on the MLK legacy. That is set for 11:00 Eastern in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. And John McCain's speech marking the anniversary of the King assassination is expected at noon Eastern. We will bring that to you live this morning.
WHITFIELD: A moment frozen in time. Where were you 40 years ago today?
Martin Luther King, Jr. was murdered. A stunned nation shoved even closer to the edge of chaos, the epicenter of the Lorraine Motel.
And CNN's Don Lemon is at the Memphis landmark where King was killed.
And Don, just watching all morning, there have been a lot of folks who have converged there and even more so right behind you despite the rain.
DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, more so right behind me despite the rain. And obviously they're here to mark the anniversary of Dr. King's death. You can see all of these folks here. And of course, over them, you see the balcony where Dr. King was killed and -- at the Lorraine Motel Room 306.
But we haven't had this many people standing around us this morning. And I have to tell you the reason why they're all standing around is because we have two heavyweights when it comes to the civil rights movement and people who were involved with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his life.
We have the Reverend Jesse Jackson here -- thank you for joining us - the Reverend Al Sharpton here who organized the recommitment march and much of what's going on here today.
Thank you both for joining us here today. And sitting here looking at my BlackBerry because I'm looking at a response. The set- up to us was a political set-up talking about the candidates, talking about being, you know, where they're going to be today. We're having this conversation with black America here. And I was listening to you on the radio (INAUDIBLE) joining us this morning.
Barack Obama is not here and some people are questioning why he's not here. You spoke to him. What's his response? I have a response from our folks on the campaign trail. But what did he say to you on the radio this morning?
REV. AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: First of all, he contacted Martin Luther King, III and reached out to him and I -- when we had put the march together for the day to say that he was going to be in Indiana and he is going to be where Robert Kennedy addressed America while he was running for president in '68 about Dr. King's death. In Indianapolis, he announced it to a crowd.
Earl Graves, the publisher of "Black Enterprise," we honor them tonight, was with him. He was with him and he said that they canceled their calendar and went to this spot in Indianapolis. So Senator Obama wants to show that this was a pervasive problem of violence because right -- two, three months later, Senator Kennedy was killed.
LEMON: Right. And -- but I've got to ask you, he's going to be criticized, Reverend, by some people who say he's not here. Is he taking the African-American vote for granted? Does he think he has it sewn up by not showing up here? Is it a mistake?
REV. JESSE JACKSON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: I don't know why he's not here. McCain is coming. Hillary's coming. But that's his choice to make. My concern is the irony that Robert Kennedy gave Hoover permission to invade Dr. King's house and to bug his house and to tap his phones in the house, in the office, hire a staff member, comptroller as double agent.
And Robert Kennedy really had been successful on this bogus idea about King's a communist, treason. We may not have had the Voting Rights Act. This is the place to be. That Voting Rights Act, let me tell you, is why Barack and Hillary are able to be where they are today. That Voting Rights Act were not for blacks only. White women conservative juries in Alabama, poor farmers, 18-year-olds couldn't vote. The disable couldn't vote. You couldn't have bilingual votings and so, the seasonal political hope grows out of Dr. King's work (INAUDIBLE).
LEMON: As I said, he's going to be criticized. You want to...
SHARPTON: Let me say this, though. First of all, neither Mrs. Clinton or McCain are going to march with us. None of them are going to sit down with the civil rights sentiment.
(CROSSTALK)
SHARPTON: They're going to come and deal with photo ops.
LEMON: Right.
SHARPTON: The question is who's going to do what Dr. King stood for, not the question of who's going to do drive-by appearances. None of them were standing on the agenda of Dr. King. I think Obama comes closest to that. So I don't think we should be caught up on who's coming before the march today rather than who after the march is going to do the things King fought...
JACKSON: Dr. King's point was we have these cost-free freedoms. This what must be addressed by both parties today. We have among blacks, higher (INAUDIBLE) rate.
LEMON: Right.
JACKSON: Shorter life expectancy, more unemployment, 2.5 million Americans in jail, a million are African-Americans. So we have an unfunded moral imperative to invest in healing the structural inequality.
LEMON: OK. I want to ask you, point blank. Should he be here today?
JACKSON: Well, it's his choice today. I respect his campaigning there. I wish all of them were here. But more, I wish all of them had an even stronger agenda to close the structural gaps.
LEMON: Should he be here today?
SHARPTON: He should be doing what he can to fulfill the dream. None of them are marching today.
LEMON: All right. Let's speak about...
SHARPTON: None of them are marching.
LEMON: Let's -- speaking about fulfilling the dream, because I had this -- I've been showing this all morning. But I want to show this picture which is from the paper yesterday, which is a beautiful picture of you two that I want to show here. And I just...
JACKSON: He came out and disrupted my nap...
LEMON: Disrupted -- yes.
And Al Sharpton has been doing a lot of events here.
But I tell you, we talked about these names here, and this is Robert Walker and then Echol Cole. I've been holding these up.
JACKSON: These guys (INAUDIBLE) our pension forms 40 years later.
LEMON: Right. And he's got -- these were the guys. Tell the story, died in the back of the truck because they were crushed by a trash compressor and that was sort of the last straw and after (INAUDIBLE) Dr. King came out.
JACKSON: And their (INAUDIBLE). But again I want to come back to King and (INAUDIBLE). He say we are free but (INAUDIBLE) cost nothing, the public (INAUDIBLE) cost nothing, right? The vote cost nothing. But here we have -- we are investing in war abroad and abandoning urban cities. So today, the King agenda is what requires economic investment, not just race conversation, but race healing by investing closing those gaps.
LEMON: And I want to ask you this. What do you think? By recommitting what you're doing 40 years later, what effect do you think this will have on us?
SHARPTON: I think -- well, we wanted to do -- Martin and I both were too young to be -- I was 13 when Dr. King died. (INAUDIBLE) knows his father. We wanted to save the generation behind Dr. King and his associates and the generation behind us that weren't even born, must be committed which makes Dr. King such a central historic figure. And those were the ones not even old enough to know him...
LEMON: Right.
SHARPTON: ...are coming in his name. That proves he's a star.
LEMON: I got to wrap out of this. I'll get you guys back on and we'll talk to you.
But Reverend Al Sharpton...
SHARPTON: Thank you, Don.
LEMON: Appreciate it. Thank you for coming over.
Reverend Jesse Jackson, thanks to both of you.
JACKSON: If you love him, massive voter registration. That's the King agenda.
LEMON: Thank you. Thank you.
JACKSON: Everybody has a right to vote now.
LEMON: Thank you very much.
Hey, we're going to be here all day having a conversation with black America.
Fredricka, Tony, you know that all day our coverage throughout the day is going to deal with his. We're going to talk to people about what's on their minds on this 40th anniversary of the death of Dr. King.
WHITFIELD: Very good, Don. And just to remind folks, that means from 1:00 to 4:00 Eastern CNN will be joining some of America's top black radio hosts for these "Conversations with Black America."
You can join in the conversation, e-mail us at CNN.com/blackinAmerica.
HARRIS: And breaking news now into the CNN Newsroom. Britain's Prince Philip rushed to the hospital with reports of chest pains. As you know, Prince Philip is married to Queen Elizabeth II.
Paula Hancocks is in London with the latest.
And Paula, what do we know?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, the details are sketchy at this point. What we know from Buckingham Palace is that Prince Philip, the duke of Edinburgh, has been admitted to a London hospital for assessment and treatment for a chest infection. Now we don't know at this point how serious this is. But we do (INAUDIBLE) from Buckingham Palace that over the next few days, all his engagements have been canceled.
And also we know that yesterday, on Thursday, he missed the Thanksgiving service for the Everest conqueror Sir Edmund Hillary. Sorry, that was on Wednesday. So certainly it's been over the past couple of days, he's not felt well. He's a fairly hearty soul, though. We have seen over the past year, he's with a military background, and it's very rare that we've have seen Prince Philip not next to his wife, the Queen, on her national and international engagements.
So at this point, still trying to find out more information from Buckingham Palace as to his condition -- Tony?
HARRIS: Paula, let me be clear about this. Is he 86 years old? I believe I have that correct.
HANCOCKS: He is 86, yes. And he's actually approaching 87. In June this year he'll be 87. So he is...
HARRIS: OK.
HANCOCKS: He's not young, but we do know that he is a hearty soul.
HARRIS: All right. Paula Hancocks following that story for us. Paula, good to see you. Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right. Straight ahead, Tony, a big weapons haul.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Approximately 13 firearms. Four of them were AK-47, two sniper rifles, seven semi-auto handguns and over 5,000 rounds of ammunition.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Wow. And -- so what was a 20-year-old doing with this arsenal? Answers in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: News as it develops as only CNN can bring it to you. See for yourself in the CNN NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: Enough firepower to take out a plane found in the home of a 20-year-old Florida man? That man, on the Internet, allegedly threatening a Virginia Tech-style massacre.
CNN's Susan Candiotti is in Miami.
And Susan, fill us in on this story, please?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Tony, this is an amazing case. It really is. And the police, very, very lucky -- because, in effect, this young man landed in their lap, this suspect. And here's how it all started.
About a month ago, this young man identified as 20-year-old Calin Chi Wong of Homestead, Florida, walked into the police department and said, you know, "I was ripped off over the Internet when I was trying to buy a gun from somebody." And the cops say, "Really?" And -- but then they start their investigation, police tell me. But it wasn't until a week ago when they got a call from the Oregon police that this young man had allegedly made a threat over the Internet to mimic the Virginia Tech massacre using words like, quote, "I'm going to show all those haters that police were able to go to the house and to act."
They went to the house and police say they were invited in by the young man as well as his parents without a search warrant. And they said they couldn't believe their eyes that these guns were stashed and stacked in several rooms of the house, in the living room, in his bedroom...
HARRIS: What?
CANDIOTTI: ...on homemade bookshelves. 13 weapons in all, including, as you heard, four AK-47s, some assault rifles with scopes on them, as well as -- and get this -- a book bag that police say the young man made himself that was lined with Kevlar. Also more than 5,000 rounds of ammunition including armor piercing bullets were also seized.
So this guy was arrested a week ago and bonded out the very next day because he was charged only at this stage with a state charge of making a threat over the Internet, having to do with ripping someone off for that original -- for a gun sale. Obviously, the investigation is continuing but that young man was immediately able to make a low bond of $7,500.
HARRIS: Well, Susan, where is he now?
CANDIOTTI: He's free. He is free. He works at a Chinese restaurant, we are told. And he did attend school for a time, we are told, in Oregon. But he's walking free. Obviously police insist that they're keeping a close eye on him.
HARRIS: Let's hope. All right, Susan Candiotti for us -- I'm curious about the parents as well -- in Miami.
Susan, appreciate it. Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right. Terror in the night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED RESIDENT: By that time, I jumped out of my car, had to hold on to the door because the wind was so strong. I ran to the door.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Whoa. Twisters, cutting across Arkansas. Extensive damage that we've got to show you straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Deadline in Zimbabwe. Officials have until the end of the day to release results from last Saturday's election. The lack of election results raising fears that President Robert Mugabe is trying to hold on to the power. A state-run newspaper reports a runoff is inevitable. An opposition party and human rights groups are expressing their concern about the government crackdown on opposition figures and as well as journalists. The government denies any crackdown is actually going on.
HARRIS: A funeral procession turns deadly in Iraq. An official with the provincial military command says 15 people were killed today when a suicide bomber struck the procession in Diyala Province. The funeral was for a police officer killed by a gunman last night.
Also today, Iraq's prime minister orders his security forces to stop raids targeting suspected Shiite militia men. He says the pause will give, quoting here, "repentant fighters a chance to lay down their weapons."
WHITFIELD: Ten family members gone. Survivors dealing now with grief in Brockway, Pennsylvania. The 10 died when their single-family home went up in flames early yesterday morning. The father was at work when the fire hit and two family members were able to get out of the house in time.
Doug Peterson Sr. talked about losing his nine grandchildren and great grandchildren and his daughter-in-law.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOUG PETERSON SR., LOST 9 GRANDCHILDREN: I don't know what to say. That I stood there and watched them burn up?
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: You were there?
PETERSON: Uh-huh. Yes. Couldn't do nothing. My one grandson couldn't saved his sister and him got out. That's the only two who got out. So I have two grandchildren left there. I don't know what else to say. I just -- I'm devastated. Of course, the neighbors are fine. They've been great.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: How is your son doing?
PETERSON: Not good. He's like in shock. You know?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Terribly heartbreaking. Investigators are still trying to determine exactly what caused that fire -- Tony?
HARRIS: And this developing story from Buckingham Palace.
Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth, is hospitalized in London. Palace officials say the 86-year-old prince is suffering from a chest infection. They did not release details on his condition or say how long he is expected to remain hospitalized.
We will keep you updated as more information becomes available.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN, the most trusted name in news. Now back to the CNN NEWSROOM.
WHITFIELD: Well, up next in the NEWSROOM, bottom of the hour...
HARRIS: Hey.
WHITFIELD: ...the opening bell with Tony Harris.
HARRIS: Well, here we go. The opening bell. New York Stock Exchange right now. And you know, this day really hinges on the market's reaction to the jobs report.
WHITFIELD: Which is not good.
HARRIS: (INAUDIBLE), 80,000 jobs in March of this economy just shed.
WHITFIELD: It's remarkable.
HARRIS: OK? The most in five years. The third straight month of losses, the unemployment rate rising from 4.8 percent to 5.1 percent. Do you need a clearer signal that the economy is slowing, struggling, perhaps in a recession? So we are going to be following the reaction to the jobs report throughout the morning. Susan Lisovicz and our money team all hands to that. Right here in the NEWSROOM.
WHITFIELD: Yes. She's reluctant to use the "R" word, recession.
HARRIS: Yes, absolutely.
WHITFIELD: Which more on that. Well, it is issue no. 1, the economy. No matter what word you want to use. The "R" or not and more recession warnings in government numbers out just last hour. Tens of thousands of jobs lost as we were underscoring. Allan Chernoff is at an unemployment office in Jersey City, New Jersey. It doesn't look that busy behind you. And I don't know what that means. Simply that folks have kind of given up or there are just no jobs in which to help out the unemployed kind of, you know, get hooked up with some of those interviews there.
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is an employment resource office, Fredricka. So some people are here trying to find jobs, looking at the computers, the listings. We've got a few people here. And it's filling up as the morning goes on. But let's talk a bit about this whole idea of recession you were talking about. Well, how do you really define one?
To me, and I think to millions of Americans, it's really all about jobs. If you've got a job, you're making good money, things are OK. But if you're out of work, that's when you really feeling your own personal recession. And if there are tens of thousands of Americans with you, the nation's feeling it. And we are there, as you said, the nation lost 80,000 jobs during the last month. Nearly, a quarter of a million since the beginning of the year. Let's talk to somebody who is looking for a job right now.
Greg O'Reilly, you are an environmental consultant.
GREG O'REILLY, LOOKING FOR A JOB: Yes, sir.
CHERNOFF: I would think that's a job area that's just booming.
O'REILLY: Well, it certainly is on the cusp of booming. It certainly on an upswing and...
CHERNOFF: But you've been out of work for a while since when?
O'REILLY: Yes, a few months. And the bills continue to stock pile, but the prospects for my future are quite bright.
CHERNOFF: So you're not worried right now?
O'REILLY: I'm worried every day, but, again, I'm optimistic. And the resources available from the state -- from the city -- Jersey City are excellent. And I encourage more people to take advantage of them.
CHERNOFF: A little frustrating, though? You're in a field that should be growing but no jobs at the moment for you.
O'REILLY: Absolutely. Definitely frustrated, but, again, my prospects are quite bright.
CHERNOFF: Fredricka, perfect example of what happens during a recession. People in fields that even should be growing can be having some real trouble finding work and that's what we're seeing right here.
Back to you. WHITFIELD: Wow. It is incredibly frustrating across the board. You know, whether you feel that prospects are good, just like he does, you know or not. I mean, the doors are shut everywhere. A lot of folks are turning.
CHERNOFF: Indeed. And you know, the chairman of the Federal Reserve the other day said it's possible we're having a recession. I think a lot of Americans, the vast majority, feel that we are definitely in one right now. The job picture is certainly saying that.
WHITFIELD: Yes. Allan Chernoff, thank you so much.
Tony?
HARRIS: And still to come, a front-row seat to history because seated behind him, a man who helped shape a nation. Fredricka speaks with Martin Luther King's driver and friend, next on the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: You know what, Fredricka, we've been looking at these pictures. I'm telling you, it feels like a month now. These pictures of flooding.
WHITFIELD: Severe weather, yes.
HARRIS: Yes. And we're talking about Texas. This is Denton, Texas. Look at this. I guess one on the ground there -- meteorologists there locally describe this as a super cell. And some of the damage in the past that was caused by this super cell as it passed through. Clearly, we are talking about the Dallas area here and just severe storms.
I know, Rob Marciano has been following this throughout the morning. Talk about someone who has been busy at his job this morning. But take a look at this damage, Rob. And I get confused here with the terminology straight line winds, super cells, tornadoes.
WHITFIELD: And is this the same system that then passed through Arkansas?
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Appreciate it, Rob. Let's see if we can get some I- reports going here. What do you say? Some I-reports. Here's what you do. Go to cnn.com, click on I report or what you can do is type I-report at cnn.com into your cell phone. Send us some I-reports that obviously help us tell the story more completely. But as always, at weather like this, be safe.
WHITFIELD: Let's talk about this anniversary date. This significant day in history. More than a dozen books will be released about Martin Luther King Jr. in the next year or so. One may be distinctively different next year. It's written by Dr. King's chauffeur. I sat down with Tom Houck to find out, why now? (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD (voice over): You know most of their names and faces, the men who marched in the civil rights movement alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. There were others, mostly in the shadows, sometimes literally in the driver's seat.
TOM HOUCK, MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.'S DRIVER: I'm Tom Houck, and I was Martin Luther King, Jr.'s driver.
WHITFIELD: You probably do not recognize him, but part of his story will sound familiar.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are you doing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm trying to drive you to the store.
HOUCK: We'll I'm not Houck of that Houck, I'm Tom Houck.
WHITFIELD: Tom Houck was just 18 at the time, 40 years later...
HOUCK: It still gives me goose bumps. So every day I still think about it and the fact that I was able to be that close to a man that has changed the world.
WHITFIELD: And changed this Massachusetts native. At an early age, he was both a witness and a participant in the civil rights movement, tagging along with the brother to picket Woolworth's in support of those in the South doing the same thing.
HOUCK: That was my first demonstration at age 12?
WHITFIELD (on camera): And did it feel right?
HOUCK: And, I liked carrying that sign.
WHITFIELD (voice over): That same year, his mother died. Houck moved South with an aunt. He left high school, lured by everything Dr. King's dream promised. In Atlanta, he joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the SCLC, which Dr. King founded.
Then, one Sunday, King invited him over for lunch with the family.
HOUCK: Coretta had asked me if I had my driver's license and said, would you mind taking the kids to school tomorrow morning.
WHITFIELD (on camera): This was also the start of a great relationship with the kids. What did they call you?
HOUCK: Well, Martin and Dexter called me Uncle Tom. It was his kid (INAUDIBLE) that would say, "Oh, don't call him Uncle Tom."
I'm hoping that this new computer will translate and I'm able to get -- I won't lose anything in the process.
WHITFIELD (voice over): Tom Houck, gregarious, politically savvy and proud of his roots in the 60s is now writing his memoir.
HOUCK: Marty and Dexter asked me to go out in the front yard to throw the football, pinching a pass.
WHITFIELD (on camera): What are you hoping yours will reveal that others haven't?
HOUCK: The human side, the fun side of Dr. King. Also, about this young white boy that found his own dream through Dr. King. He enjoyed music. I mean, Dr. King would -- you know, Dr. King used to like groups like the O'Jays, Gladys Night and the Pips. You know what I mean.
WHITFIELD (on camera): Which you would play in the car?
HOUCK: We would play in the car. We would listen to WAOK radio in Atlanta and this is before FM turned up.
WHITFIELD (voice over): Houck hopes his book will be in stores next year, in honor of Dr. King, his family and their impact.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And Tom Houck's friendship with the King Family didn't end with the assassin's bullet. It has endured over the years and he's here now in Atlanta to share the story. April 4th, forever emblazoned in your mind, in your hear.
What is this day like? It must be a very heavy day.
HOUCK: It's a somber day. It's one of real reflection. The birthday is a time to act and move. Today's a time to reflect and think. I was in Knoxville, Tennessee, organizing the poor people's campaign. I sort of went from driving Dr. King into the field and beginning to organize in the poor people's campaign.
Our effort was to bring poor whites, Hispanic, blacks and Native Americans to Washington to really challenge the government. Memphis was kind of a sideline, a trip that we all didn't expect to have happen.
WHITFIELD: Right.
HOUCK: And because we were focusing on setting up poor people's campaign in Washington (INAUDIBLE).
WHITFIELD: But you knew where he was giving you a right inside the camp.
HOUCK: Right. OK, (INAUDIBLE) two days, I haven't seen him before.
WHITFIELD: But then, how were you informed, what happened...
(CROSSTALK) HOUCK: I was in Knoxville, Tennessee, speaking to the Tennessee Council on Human Relations or getting ready to speak. And someone said Dr. King has been shot. And I said to Ernest Austin, a fellow worker at SCLC, I hope that's not true. And I said, what? And I went to found out and they said yes, he's been shot in Memphis. And I immediately called the house. And Mrs. Lockhart who was the housekeeper for Dr. King answered the phone. She said Tom, (INAUDIBLE) here, Mrs. King is heading to the airport.
WHITFIELD: But just prior to that phone call, when you heard the words at her, did you think, OK, this is a fear that everyone had had -- because everyone in the movement, particularly Dr. King was a target, always had threats. You did, too. And so, when you heard this, was it a moment where you said, Oh, my gosh, it finally happened, it really did happen? Or was it a, no, this is another false alarm, it couldn't have happened?
HOUCK: No. I mean -- the day before he went to Memphis, in Atlanta, the plane was delayed because of bomb threats for people going to Memphis with him. And he was -- Dr. King never lived under fear. He might have been a little depressed about the violence in Memphis, but he didn't live under fear. He was a very strong man. And he didn't live under fear.
But what I think happened when I heard that, it was like numbness. I mean, it was like, oh, my God, this is horrible. So after the phone call, a few minutes later, I heard that he had died in the hospital and I rushed back to Atlanta and helped organize a state of bereavement. I mean, the entire staff was in the state of bereavement. And so many were scattered around. Several were in Memphis, several in Washington. And I helped put together the transportation for what is probably the biggest funeral -- private funeral in this country's history.
WHITFIELD: And you were a pallbearer, too.
HOUCK: Yes, I was. I actually was not a pallbearer. What I was is I stood on the guard at Ebenezer Baptist Church the night before the funeral.
WHITFIELD: How did you -- how did others keep it together? You know, I mean, what an emotional blow.
HOUCK: You know, very quickly, Dr. Abernathy, you know, amazing. It was Martin's best friend. Dr. Abernathy was elected by acclamation, president of the SCLC to follow Dr. King. And Ralph handled it very, very well. He put together -- I mean, as I said, the bereavement, the pain, the fear. And having to put together a huge funeral in that process was extraordinarily difficult.
WHITFIELD: And that had to last for what seemed like an eternity. And then, somehow everyone had to pull it together again and say there is still unfinished business.
HOUCK: Well, you know, Mrs. King and others went back to have the march in Memphis two days after the assassination. And just think of how difficult that must have been for her and it was. And -- but I mean, they have so much help in so many places, Fredricka. I mean, I've never seen -- I was quoted the other day, I never saw so many white folk on Auburn Avenue in my life. I mean, everybody volunteered from everywhere and just came and...
WHITFIELD: And you maintain this relationship with Mrs. King.
HOUCK: I did.
WHITFIELD: And the family over the years. I mean, it became so close, so casual that she would pick up the phone, right? And you guys would just gossip or talk and you shared a lot of beautiful...
(CROSSTALK)
HOUCK: Yes. And she was a great talker and a wonderful woman. And when she was writing her book "My Life with Martin Luther King, Jr.," she was writing part of it up in New Hampshire. And she invited my nieces from Boston to come up and spend the day and meet them and play with the kids.
WHITFIELD: Are you amazed at how she handled the grief? I mean, this was a public person. Everyone felt like they had a piece of Dr. King because of just his greatness. Did she ever talk to you about how it was difficult to kind of share her grief with the world? Did she ever get a chance to really grief?
HOUCK: Yes, certainly (INAUDIBLE), she was remarkable in the composure that she had not only at the funeral but as the widow of Dr. King. And she started almost immediately putting his works together and the Martin Luther King Nonviolence Center for Social Change which is now still very much here in Atlanta. But Coretta King was a very, very strong human being.
And of course, when we talked about Dr. King and he think that the inevitable could happen. And he did think the inevitable could happen. And as a matter of fact, in many of his sermons, he talked about what it would be like. And then he was (INAUDIBLE) major for justice. And that at the end, at that mountaintop speech, which he had given two or three other times by the way, that was not the last and only time he gave it that night in Memphis, but it was the most important. Coretta King certainly knew the threats that they got. The bombings they went through.
WHITFIELD: And all of this is going to be in your book, which we cannot wait to read. And I feel privileged that you've given me a chance to read a couple of the sneak, you know, peek little chapters in it. But it's going to be extraordinary. And it really is a wonderful memory that you're able to share with us now, Tom. We've really appreciate it.
HOUCK: Thank you very much.
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much on this very tough, very somber day.
HOUCK: OK. HARRIS: Boy -- and this afternoon from 1:00 to 4:00 Eastern, CNN joins some of America's top black radio hosts for "Conversations with Black America." You can join the conversation. E-mail cnn.com/blackinamerica.
WHITFIELD: And don't forget, a primetime event, this weekend on CNN, "EYEWITNESS TO MURDER: THE KING ASSASSINATION." The whole story, Saturday and Sunday 9:00 Eastern, 6:00 Pacific.
HARRIS: Kids with a big job. Veronica De La Cruz talks with pre-teens working to protect your kids online.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: A Web site of games aimed at pre-teens. Even preschoolers are popping up almost everyday now. Should parents be a little concerned here? Veronica De La Cruz takes a look at young people on the front lines to keep their friends safe online.
Veronica, good morning. Good Friday to you.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN INTERNET CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good Friday to you. It's nice to see you, Tony. You know, it is not just about protecting teens online anymore. Thanks to Web site like webkids and clubpenguin. I mean, there are kids as young as the age of 5 years old online these days. So parents are probably wondering how do I protect my child when they are online? And that answer may be as simple as enlisting the help of other kids.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN, TWEEN ANGELS PROGRAM: I want to make a difference to make the Internet a lot safer for younger kids.
DE LA CRUZ (voice-over): 12-year-old, Ryan, is a cyber crime fighter. He's about one of 100 children around the country belonging to a group called Tween Angels. Their mission to teach other children about web safety.
PARRY AFTAB, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WIREDSAFETY.ORG: These kids are connected and they are connected all the time. And they're connected at earlier and earlier ages.
DE LA CRUZ: Parry Aftab is the creator of the Tween Angels program, something which grew out of her original program, Teen Angels for teenagers. I recently sat down with the kids from her Ridgewood, New Jersey, chapter.
(on camera): What do you tell your friends when you go into school?
UNIDENTIFIED BOY: We teach them about stop, block, and tell.
UNIDENTIFIED BOY: Stop what you're doing, block the person and tell a parent or guardian.
DE LA CRUZ: Show me.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILDREN: stop, block and tell.
DE LA CRUZ: What else can a person do?
UNIDENTIFIED BOY: Take five.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: You don't respond back and become a cyber bully yourself.
DE LA CRUZ: Almost all of you are wearing a Meagan T-shirt. What does the T-shirt mean?
UNIDENTIFIED BOY: You're honoring the pledge -- the Meagan pledge.
DE LA CRUZ (voice-over): They're talking about 13-year-old, Meagan Myer, who took her own life in 2006 after being cyber bullied.
In addition to informing kids about Meagan's tragic story, the Tween Angels have created skits and cartoons and there is an educational Web site. These kids say the reason they decided to get involved is simple.
UNIDENTIFIED BOY: You know that you're helping other people be protected. It's a pretty good feeling.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DE LA CRUZ: And Tween Angels founder Parry Aftab says cyber bullying is one of the greatest problems facing younger web users. And she says out of the more than 45,000 students that she has polled, 97 percent of them said that they have been cyber bullied. All of that 97 percent, Tony, only 5 percent tell their parents.
HARRIS: Yes. That is terrific stuff. That's disturbing there at the end there. But we love Parry. We love the work she's been doing. She's a great friend to this show. And have a great weekend, Veronica. Thanks.
DE LA CRUZ: You, too.
WHITFIELD: We want to take you out west now to Oregon. Take a look at this. This is the house clearly engulfed right here. Firefighters are on the scene. We understand from our affiliate there, KGW -- this is taking place in Tualatin, Oregon, which is not far from Portland. But according to our affiliate there, there are possibly injuries.
Of course, when we get any more information about how this started. You can see, this is a very aggressive fire that has taken over this entire structure. Let's hope that no one was indoors. And let's hope that if there are these possible injuries -- that they are minor. We'll keep you up to date.
HARRIS: And another story we're tracking for you this morning. In the hospital, what's wrong with the queen's husband, Prince Philip? Find out next in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Off the job. Tens of thousands of Americans get pink slips. Issue no. 1, in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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