Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Simpson's Sentencing; Blackwater Contractors Surrender; Holiday Blues; Desperate Times
Aired December 06, 2008 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CENTER: Next in the NEWSROOM, new information about the congressional battle over a multibillion dollar bailout for the automobile industry. And a sign of these tough times.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): Pride doesn't mean anything. You need to find work. I have to take care of my family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: One man takes his case for employment to the streets.
Plus --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
O.J. SIMPSON: I stand before you today a sorry, somewhat confused.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: O.J. Simpson headed to jail. But for how long?
We're looking all the all of the angles of how America's money crises affect you. Millions of Americans head into the holidays not knowing how they will feed their family. More than half a million jobs were slashed in November alone. President-elect Barack Obama is releasing some details of his economic recovery plan. He wants immediate action when he is sworn in, just about six weeks from now.
The grim employment numbers have apparently convinced Washington that it has to throw a lifeline to Ford, GM and Chrysler now. We have all of this and expert money manager with advice for you.
Nearly 2 million jobs had been lost so far this year. Economists warn that there is more cutting to come. So what should you do if you get a pink slip? Christine Romans has some advice for workers facing the worst.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The forecast are abysmal.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): I think unemployment rate going all the way to over 9 percent. ROMANS: That job loss is well under way. Month after month, American jobs disappear. Tig Gilliam the CEO of Employment Services Company ADECCO. His job is finding people jobs.
TIG GILLIAM, CEO, ADECCO: It's definitely going to be a tough 2009.
ROMANS: With a few exceptions.
GILLIAM: It's I.T., its engineering, its health care, its finance and accounting. Those sorts of skill sets are still in strong demand and will be going forward.
ROMANS: For example, health care has added 369,000 new jobs this year. Aging baby boomers and new technology mean jobs.
GILLIAM: The health care grows. It's not just nurses and doctors, its I.T. experts. Its finance and accounting experts.
ROMANS: Consider more training, more education. The unemployment rate for college educated workers is half what it is for the population as a whole. If you can, consider moving.
GILLIAM: We find candidates who would be willing to move but they're in a situation where they having difficulty selling their house.
ROMANS: If you can't move, be patient. It may take months to find a new job. Don't automatically reject an offer to keep your job for less pay.
GILLIAM: I think if all things about your employment situation are good for you, you like the industry you're in, you like the company you work for, you enjoy your job, and then this is a short-term situation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: The goal is to keep that gap on your resume as short as possible. Good advice for the 1.9 million people who have now lost their jobs this year.
Christine Romans, CNN, New York.
WHITFIELD: So the 533,000 jobs slashed in November alone apparently convinced Washington that it can't let the auto makers go bust. Officials familiar with negotiations tell CNN that the target is $15 billion to $17 billion in loans to get Detroit through March. One senior Democratic congressional source tells CNN that staffers are working on a bill providing up to $25 billion. Hopes for compromise were boosted when house speaker Nancy Pelosi decided not to oppose tapping a fund for research and to making cars far more fuel efficient.
The White House press secretary Dana Perino had issued this statement that says in part, "We have had constructive discussions with members of Congress from both houses, and both sides of the aisle. We hope to continue to make progress." Perino added there should be a strong likelihood that taxpayers will be back for assistance provided to the automakers.
Barack Obama did not mention the struggling automakers when he released some details of his economic recovery plan today. CNN's senior political correspondent Candy Crowley is with the Obama team in Chicago. Candy.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, you know there have been a lot of calls for Barack Obama to be more aggressive, more out there if you will, for the Democrats, as with each passing day, the economic news seems to get worse. What the Obama team has dong instead is take a longer look. That is what they can put in place that will be ready to roll as of January 20th when he's inaugurated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY (voice over): November brought the worst monthly job loss figures in more than 30 years. Barack Obama's transition office issued a written statement with the usual warning. The economy Obama says is likely to get worse before it gets better but now is the time to respond to urgent resolve. For Obama now is in 46 days, when he can begin to implement his plan to create jobs, that includes pumping federal money into states for road and bridge and public school projects, offering a temporary $3000 tax credit to companies that add jobs and eliminating the capital gains tax for investments in small businesses.
On Capitol Hill, there's a growing fear that 46 days will be too late to solve the most urgent business at hand, what to do about the big three. The president-elect says the auto industry cannot be allowed to go under but Democrats want more.
SEN. CARL LEVIN, (D) MICHIGAN: I hope that the president-elect would also take a more forthright and positive and public stand now that these hearings are over.
CROWLEY: This is as much about politics as policy. Obama's support for the plan could provide some cover for law makers who see the polls. In the latest CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll, six in ten Americans opposed federal assistance for the auto industry. But Obama's politics are different. He would put his stamp of approval on a plan, it could fail. A loss of political capital before he ever takes office.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): I don't think he wants to get drawn in. I don't blame. A situation he cannot affect wait.
CROWLEY: Still, Capitol Hill sources say the Obama team at many levels has discussed the bailout, including talks between the president-elect and the Congressional leadership.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWLEY: Surely president-elect Obama will be asked about the auto industry bailout negotiations as well as a large number of economic questions tomorrow at a news conference he's planned. He planned it because tomorrow is the anniversary of Pearl Harbor Day and he wanted to talk about a salute to those in the military and these who have served in the military. We are also told by a high-level source, it is also the day he will announce who he would like to head the Veterans Association -- I'm sorry, the Veterans' Administration.
WHITFIELD: OK, a lot to look forward to tomorrow. Thank you so much, Candy Crowley in Chicago.
All right. More now on how president elect Obama plans to deal with this economic crises. Obama said he doesn't want to just throw money at the problem. In his weekly radio address on the Internet as well, he laid out key parts of his economic recovery plan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENT ELECT: Today I'm announcing a few key parts of my plan. First, we will launch a massive effort to make public buildings more energy efficient. Our government now pays the highest energy bills in the world. We need to change that. We need to upgrade our federal buildings by replacing old heating systems and installing efficient light bulbs. That won't just save you, the American taxpayer, billions of dollars each year; it will put people back to work.
We will create millions of jobs by making the single largest new investment in our natural infrastructure since the creation of the federal highway system in the 1950s. We'll invest your precious tax dollars in new and smarter ways, and we'll set a simple rule -- use it or lose it. If a state doesn't act quickly to invest in roads and bridges in their communities, they'll lose the money.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right. Managing your money in this sluggish economy. Are your investments falling? Is your money safe in the bank? We'll talk with a bank executive in just a few minutes. Do you have any questions about your money or loans, how to get one? Send us your e- mails at WEEKENDS@cnn.com. We will get them on the air.
Topping today's political ticker, another Kennedy in the Senate? Caroline Kennedy is said to be seriously considering the U.S. Senate seat to be vacated by Hillary Clinton if Clinton is confirmed as the secretary of state. She is the daughter of the late President John F. Kennedy. Kennedy has spoken with New York Governor David Paterson, who will actually select Clinton's replacement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. DAVID PATERSON, (D) NEW YORK: We talked about a number of things. The seat did come up in the conversation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Short and sweet. That's it. That's all he will say. A number of pundits credit Kennedy's endorsement of Obama for him ultimately winning the party's nomination. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Welcome to my hanging.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
I will leave the cut out for that, Mr. President. The lighthearted, President Bush there. Mr. Bush got to see his presidential portrait this morning in Philadelphia. Boy, that's gorgeous, isn't it? Looks almost like a photograph. The president says the artist did "a fine job with such challenging subject."
All right, more than a month after Election Day, voters go to the polls today in Louisiana and two congressional races postponed for hurricane Gustav are to be decided. One there, Democratic Representative William Jefferson who faces corruption charges but is still expected to be re-elected.
We're still weeks away from Barack Obama's inauguration. We would like to look ahead to 2012 the race for the White House. A CNN research opinion poll of Republican leaning voters shows a 34 percent are very likely to support former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee; Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is right behind him at 32 percent.
Check out the latest in our political ticker for all of the campaign news. Just logon to CNNPOLITICS.com. Your source for all things political.
Senator John McCain is leading a senate delegation to Pakistan. It comes as tensions between India and Pakistan simmer over the Mumbai terror attacks. The group met with Pakistani Prime Minister, that happened today, and India was a big focus. India has blamed Pakistani militants for the terror attack. McCain said Pakistani's prime minister assured them that his government is determined to stamp out extremism and terrorism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) ARIZONA: At this time of tension between India and Pakistan, it's critical that the government of Pakistan take specific steps towards cooperation with India and in bringing the perpetrators to justice. If the terrorists succeed in enflaming relations between these two great countries, they will have achieved their aim. We cannot let that happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Senators Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham traveled to Pakistan with McCain.
A lot of you have e-mailed us your questions about what to do with your money during these very tough times. An expert will be joining us with some answers on how to keep your money safe in your bank and identify whether indeed your bank is a safe place to keep it.
And how about getting loans these days? Send us your e-mails at WEEKENDS@cnn.com. Answers on all of those inquiries.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(UNIDENTIFED FEMALE): And I haven't looked at my retirement fund returns, and I don't intend to look at them for at least a couple of years. I know people have lost half of their retirement fund, literally, 50 percent.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): I lost a lot of my portfolio, but, hey, other people are out of jobs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: That's one way of putting things into perspective. Oil and gas prices, how about those things? Two bright spots where consumers are getting a little relief these days. Oil prices settled at a four- year low on Friday, ending the day below $41 a barrel. Gas prices still falling as well. AAA said the national average price for a gallon of unleaded regular is about $1.75. That's down more than two cents from yesterday and the eighth decline in a row.
One industry exec said it could get down to $1 a gallon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE PETROWSKI, CEO, GULF OIL: Would I bet on it? No. Do I think we will be at that price long term, but can it get there? Absolutely.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Uh-huh. All right, well another bank failed. This is not very comforting at all. Federal and state regulators have seized the First Georgia Community Bank in Jackson, Georgia. Another bank is taking over its deposits of nearly $200 million. So how safe is your money in the bank during these very troubled times? We have a financial expert to talk about this. Marvin Cosgray, the president and CEO of Buckhead Community Bank. Good to see you.
MARVIN COSGRAY, PRES. & CEO, BUCKHEAD BANK: Good to be here.
WHITFIELD: This is nerve-racking for folks when you start hearing of banks collapsing, which we heard all year long, people want to know, is their money safe in the bank of their choosing?
COSGRAY: Fredricka, these are very uncertain and very unusual times. I will tell you that 98 percent of the banks in the United States are well capitalized, which means they have the resources to handle any downturns in the economy. We also have the safety net of the FDIC. As you mentioned there was another bank failure in Georgia. And there have been 23 to date this year in the United States --
WHITFIELD: An extraordinary number.
COSGRAY: It is except out of 8,000 total banks in the United States. That's actually less than one quarter of 1 percent of the total banks that failed. Here's the safety net that the FDIC has to offer. Whenever a bank does fail, they do a very good job of making sure that the failed bank is taken over by a healthy bank. They protect and insure all the deposits.
WHITFIELD: Even when people hear that. OK FDIC-insured, you want to see that label at the window of a bank. And when people hear that, they worry about the so-called 80 banks in the beginning of the year that were on this list of troubled banks. It was not being publicly revealed. Which banks are on that list? Everyone still wonders, FDIC insured or not, is my bank going to be open for my tomorrow when I go to make a deposit or make a withdrawal?
COSGRAY: I understand.
WHITFIELD: Not tomorrow but Monday.
COSGRAY: That's right. But they shouldn't worry. Just like the bank that was recently taken over. The bank failed Friday. They were able Saturday to have access to their money. They were fully protected and fully insured. They had access to their ATMs. Banks open for business Monday. It's under a new name but it is with a healthy bank. So there's no need to have those concerns.
WHITFIELD: Is there anything to look for? When I go to my bank, are there any telltale signs something may be awry here?
COSGRAY: Only if you see the FDIC bank examiners in there, you would have reason to worry then. But even then, they are taking the necessary steps to ensure that everybody is taken care of.
WHITFIELD: One of the services people are counting on from their bank, loans. They want to buy a car; they want to buy a home. They want to add on to their home. But we keep hearing that folks even with superb credit rating and scores of 750, not even they can get a home or a car loan. What's the reality?
COSGRAY: Here's the reality. I'm in the banking business, and I have been in it for 38 years. And I just returned from Washington, D.C., where I was in a meeting with the American Bankers Association with over 100 bank presidents from across the United States. We're loaning money. We make --
WHITFIELD: What does it take? What do I need to prove to you that I'm not a huge risk?
COSGRAY: Good question. Here's what you need to have. A very good credit score. Anywhere from 680 north of that, and also what you just have to show is the capacity to repay the loan. And those basic things --
WHITFIELD: Even on time in the past.
COSGRAY: And good credit history is very important. I would like to recommend also that people establish a very good relationship with their banker. Get to know them. Make sure they get to know you, too. That's very, very helpful, especially in times like this.
WHITFIELD: What do you look forward to, new administration, right around the corner. How hopeful are you of this administration on the appetite and the health of the lending industry, banking industry overall?
COSGRAY: I'm very hopeful, and as I said, I just came back from Washington, and the atmosphere there was very positive about the steps that president-elect Obama is taking in answering and addressing the economic downturn that we're having. The FDIC has a program through the Treasury Department where they're going to give banks additional -- you heard of it as bailout money but it actually it's capital money to give banks to continue to make loans and make more loans and also to address any problem loans that they have and to buy out failed institutions or institutions that are having trouble.
So it's very positive. Another move that he made, president-elect Obama, was that he appointed as treasury secretary the person that was the head of the New York Federal Reserve system. Timothy Geithner, he's very well respected.
WHITFIELD: You like him?
COSGRAY: I like him very much and we feel like he will bring trust and confidence back to the financial system, that's what we really rely on, that is what we need in our country.
WHITFIELD: We are hearing from people in so many different ways. We have been inviting people all day long to send us e-mails and questions and even comments about their confidence in the lending industry and the banking industry. We have one right now that I would love to read to you.
COSGRAY: Sure.
WHITFIELD: If I can see it, please. Need to see it. There we go. "I recently lost my job due to downsizing. Like many I now face the daily battle of feeding my family while staving off foreclosure. My lender has offered to reduce my payment of 50 percent for the next 90 days. However, they will have to report this to the credit bureaus as late/incomplete payments. So essentially saying by giving a little bit of a break, you get penalized. Here's the question is there anything being done to reduce the impact of the financial crises on average Americans in the eyes of the credit bureaus?
COSGRAY: I think this is an issue they need to address. We are glad to see they are reducing payments to help folks stave off the foreclosures. And I think the credit bureaus will react to that also in a positive manner so that people's credit is not dinged. That would not be fair and equitable to do that. Especially in these times and these circumstances. I'm glad to hear that is a concern and I will relay that back to the associations that I belong to.
WHITFIELD: What light do you see at the end of the tunnel because frankly, when you have 500,000 jobs lost in one month alone? One million plus foreclosures this year and a forecast of one to three foreclosures next year, it would seem that hardly anyone would be able to pay back a loan or get a loan? How can this cycle become smooth again? It seems like they're only rocky times straight ahead.
COSGRAY: There are rocky times straight ahead. People need to be patient and remain calm first of all and not panic. Then they also need to assess their personal financial situation. They need to retain and accumulate as much cash as they can, make the minimum ability of payments on their debt.
WHITFIELD: Minimum means you're paying forever.
COSGRAY: That's true. And I normally suggest that in the interim.
WHITFIELD: But it is better than nothing. You want it to be the default.
COSGRAY: I do believe things will turn in the next year. The government is making steps and taking steps to try to turn this around to get the economy stimulated again. There's an economic stimulus package being planned that should help people bridge through this problem period.
WHITFIELD: Marvin Cosgray of Buckhead Community Bank, thank you very much for your expertise. We appreciate it and you answered a lot of questions for a lot of folks who are wondering, what next? What do I do with my money? Is there potential to try to borrow again? It's scary for everybody.
COSGRAY: It is scary but remain calm and just carry on.
WHITFIELD: Thank you very much.
COSGRAY: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: I appreciate it.
All right. We will carry on with some snowy weather in the forecast. Karen Maginnis is watching it all.
KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLIGST: We have blizzard conditions wrapped around the Great Lakes. Double-digit wind chill factors and another developing snowstorm. I will have details on that right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. President Bush was at the start of the annual Army/Navy game today. It's the 109th match up of the rivals. The president is in the stands watching the game with wounded service men and women from Iraq and Afghanistan. And to be fair, the first half of the game tilted on the Army side and then he will switch to the Navy side. So everybody is happy.
Fans can see some brisk temperatures at that game. And elsewhere, a lot of cold weather on tap across the nation. I think we're looking at Detroit. I'm looking at the fine print, yeah, kind of cloudy on the left. Las Vegas, always sunny in the desert there. Meteorologist Karen Maginnis at the CNN Weather Center, you got a mix of sun and clouds wherever you are.
MAGINNIS: Yeah, actually, Detroit from the big cities, Fred, it looks like Detroit is just about the worst weather we can find. That's because we have blizzard conditions. Lost my footing there for a second. Blizzard warnings wrapped around the Great Lakes while Phoenix will be closing in on just about 60 degrees. But since it's a clipper system. We used to refer to them as Alberta clippers. We are clipping around a very good rate and wrapped around this area of low pressure that is where we are going to see the abundance of snowfall. Very enhanced lake-effect snow. There you can see the air moves across the Great Lakes region and it dumps that's moisture on land in the form of snow and it will be heavy in some places.
Right around Marquette and also Kalamazoo. Detroit will see lake- effect snow. Not nearly as dramatic as we're expecting right along the eastern edge of Lake Michigan and the southern edge of Lake Superior. There you are looking at it, winter storm warnings out, five to ten inches of snowfall possible. But snow is just the beginning of it. We are looking at wind gusts maybe on the order of 40 to 50 miles per hour so we could see whiteout conditions as well.
Just about split Michigan in half and the northern edges of Indiana and northwestern Ohio. Winter weather advisories, also portions of Wisconsin. We could see between two and six inches of snowfall. It will be breezy. Not quite as windy as in the U.P. of Michigan and some other sections of Wisconsin and Michigan as well. This is what we're expecting for tomorrow.
There's our little clipper system. On the back side of this in Montana, high winds warnings in effect in places like Helena. How about those temperatures? Phoenix right now reporting temperatures in the 60s, it will be about 54 there tomorrow. Still some of the worst weather will be wrapped around the Great Lakes, where tonight wind chill factors between 0 and 10 degrees below zero. I will show you the flight explorer. I just checked. We don't have any delays at major airports. There's de-icing in Cleveland and Pittsburgh. That will slow you down about 15, 20 minutes.
WHITFIELD: Gosh. Well, it is that time of year. It is December after all. Forget about that, man. All right, thanks so very much, Karen, appreciate it. Hopefully it will get righter for a lot of folks out there, soon.
Not to bright for O.J. Simpson. Very apologetic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
O.J. SIMPSON, FORMER ATHLETE: I stand before you today a sorry, somewhat confused.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Contrite at his sentencing, but is it too little too late? What's in his future?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: All right, the "Juice" gets nine years in the can. Yeah, that's kind of cold. Former NFL great, O.J. Simpson, was sentenced in Las Vegas yesterday for a hotel room confrontation with sports memorabilia dealers. CNN's Kara Finnstrom was inside the courtroom for Simpson's sentencing and she joins us now from Los Angeles.
And even though his apology was very heartfelt, it didn't move the judge.
KARA FINNSTROM, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: No, I think she actually walked into that courtroom very much knowing what she wanted to do. This sentence means O.J. Simpson will be at least 70 years old before he gets out of prison. But, considering the long list of convictions he had there in Las Vegas, his attorneys say both they and their client are relieved.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Conspiracy to commit crime, one year in the county jail...
FINNSTROM (voice-over): Former football great, O.J. Simpson, known for his remarkable agility on the field, has just side-stepped the threat of a life sentence in Las Vegas.
YALE GALANTER, SIMPSON ATTORNEY: We, you know, Gabe and I are pleased, you know, it could have been a lot worse. My expectations today were that it was going to be a much higher sentence.
FINNSTROM: We now know Simpson could face a maximum of 33 years behind bars. Courthouse officials originally figured that number at 15, but they say he will still be eligible for parole in as few as nine years.
Clarence Stewart, one of Simpson's cohorts in the crime, was given a similar sentence. Both convicted of kidnapping and armed robbery for their role in staging a holdup involving guns to recover sports memorabilia from a hotel room. Simpson told the judge he was sorry.
SIMPSON: I am sorry. I didn't mean to steal anything from anybody, and I didn't know I was doing anything illegal. I thought I was confronting friends and retrieving my property. So, I'm sorry, I'm sorry for all of it.
FINNSTROM: Judge Jackie Glass, who is known for issuing harsh sentences, lectured Simpson.
JUDGE JACKIE GLASS, LAS VEGAS DISTRICT COURT: And I said to Mr. Simpson, I didn't know if he was arrogant or ignorant or both. And during the trial and through this proceeding, I got the answer. And it was both.
FINNSTROM: But Glass then stretched her Simpson should no way be tied to Simpson's acquittal of the 1994 slayings of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. Ronald Goldman's family was there as the sentences were read. GLASS: Count two, conspiracy to commit kidnapping.
FRED GOLDMAN, RON GOLDMAN'S FATHER: There's never closure. Ron is always gone, and what we have is satisfaction that -- that this monster is where he belongs, behind bars.
KIM GOLDMAN, RON GOLDMAN'S SISTER: To watch him sit there in shackles to watch him walk back in that door, twice in our lifetime he's walked out the same door as our family and it's nice to see him walk back into his door, into his jail cell.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She could have t'ed (ph)off on these defendants and given them life sentences, but under these circumstances, I think she was well within her discretion.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FINNSTROM: And right now Simpson is in a local jail. He will be transferred to a nearby facility, where they will give him a medical and psychological evaluation and determine which facility in Nevada he will be serving his sentence at -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And Cara, what is it about a plea bargain? That there was one offered and how different might his fate have been?
FINNSTROM: Well, we did speak with one of the defense attorneys this morning, actually, a little bit about that. He wouldn't confirm what the details of that plea bargain were. He did say that negotiations continued throughout the trial and nothing was reached. But he did tell me, you know, usually when plea deals are reached, you have a better deal than you would have gotten if you were convicted. So, perhaps if he had been able to reach and accept a plea deal, he would have had a better situation than he has now.
WHITFIELD: Wow, and this sentence fairly typical across the board in terms of this type of crime in this offense, this sentence, in any other state?
FINNSTROM: No, Nevada actually is a bit tougher than most states in the country when it comes to both armed robbery and kidnapping. So in a sense, what he did in Nevada, well, it constituted kidnapping in Nevada, in California, it may not have constituted kidnapping. It may have constituted something like false imprisonment. It's just a much higher bar for kidnapping than most spatates. So, he could have possibly had lesser crimes with lesser sentences had this crime been committed elsewhere.
WHITFIELD: All right, Kara Finnstrom, joining us from Los Angeles. Thanks so much after spending quite a bit time there in Las Vegas during the case. Thanks so much.
Of course, we'll have more of Simpson apology next hour, in fact, in the NEWSROOM. You will hear his statement to the judge in its entirety.
Now, more than a year after 17 Iraqis were gunned down on the streets of Baghdad, new developments, five private contractors with Blackwater Worldwide will reportedly surrendered themselves to U.S. authorities. Indictments in the case are expected to be unsealed on Monday. CNN's Suzanne Simons has more on this case.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUZANNE SIMONS, CNN EXECUTIVE PRODUCER (voice-over): It's a company familiar with being under the gun, both in congress and in Iraq. Among its many contracts, Blackwater has the job of protecting State Department personnel in Iraq. Last year, its contractors with involved in a deadly shooting in a Baghdad traffic circle. An outraged Iraqi government said 17 civilians were killed and threatened to expel the company.
NURI AL-MALIKI, IRAQI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): It cannot be accepted by an American security company to carry out a killing. These are very serious challenges to the sovereignty to Iraq.
SIMONS: An FBI investigation into the circumstances of the shooting followed and its conclusions presented to a grand jury. CNN has learned that five Blackwater guards who were present had been indicted and a sixth is working with prosecutors on a plea agreement. It's not clear what charges they'll face.
The company says it will reserve comment until a public announcement has been made. Blackwater, owned by Erik Prince, has become a multimillion dollar business with government contracts in 13 countries, including Afghanistan and Iraq. It has about 1,000 contractors working in Iraq, alone.
Soon after the incident in Baghdad, Prince told CNN's wolf Blitzer that he believed his men did nothing wrong and that they were only returning fire.
ERIK PRINCE, BLACKWATER OWNER: Well, all I can say from the incidents reports I have seen, at least three of our armored vehicles were hit by small arms fire incoming and one of them was damaged, which actually delayed their departure from the traffic circle while they tried to rig a tow. So, there was definitely small arms fire from insurgents.
SIMONS: U.S. contractors have operated with immunity from prosecution in Iraq since a 2004 order by outgoing coalition provisional authority head, Paul Bremer. Sources tell CNN the prosecutors have been wrangling for weeks over what charges to bring against the men.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right, and CNN executive producer, Susan Simons, joins us for a little more on this.
So, we have a better idea who these men are that were indicted.
SIMONS: Right, we do. And the interesting thing too is, Fredricka, there were no indictments against the company, but indictments against these men, all in their 20s. Reportedly, Donald Ball (ph), 26 from West Valley City, Utah, Dustin Hurt (ph), 27 from Tennessee, Eban Liberty (ph), 26 from Rochester, New Hampshire, Nick Slaten (ph), he's 25, from Sparta, Tennessee, and Paul Slout (ph), 29 from Keller, Texas.
Now, there are arrest warrants issued for all of these men are they are expecte expected, as we said earlier, to turn themselves in to authorities on Monday. But there's a sixth guard, as well, who is reportedly in negotiation with prosecutors. So, we're very interested to find out a little more about him. The attorneys are really sticking to what Erik Prince said last year, which is that they were returning fire and that all of them are going to be vindicated from these charges.
WHITFIELD: Wow. And you know, it's interesting, too, when you mention their ages you can't help but think, wait a minute, 20 or 20- something, what's their level of expertise to be a contract - a security contractor at a volatile place like Iraq?
SIMONS: Right.
WHITFIELD: How did they qualify?
SIMONS: It's a very different environment. Now, all of these guys had military backgrounds, but it's very different when you're contracting because there are no rules governing you. So, you go from a code of ethics and everything in the military where you have a clear chain of command and if you do something wrong, you know what's going to happen. To maybe a code of ethics enforced by a company that there's really no clear chain of command. And that's why the Justice Department really struggled for more than a year on this in bringing around the investigation, trying to figure out what they're going to do in terms of bringing a charge that might possibly stick. What a nightmare.
WHITFIELD: Right, and you mentioned at least a couple of them were 20, so it really means maybe two years of experience in the military since many go in at 18. All right, well, that was the standard then in terms of the rules of engagement that Blackwater would have to admere to and who was employing them or was giving them the green light. Things are going to be different from this point on.
SIMONS: Very different rules.
WHITFIELD: New rules.
SIMONS: New rules and a big part of that as a result of this shooting in particular the Iraqi government was outraged, they were demanding the company be kicked out of the country. Now, that didn't happen. The State Department really needs them there right now. That's the truth on the ground. However, when they started negotiating this last fall on a status of forces agreement, as it's known, to get contractors and troops out of the country eventually, the contractors are going to lose their immunity from prosecution. And what that's going to mean is that the contractors...
WHITFIELD: You go at your own risk. SIMONS: Exactly. Under Iraqi law, you will go to court. You will be tried, you will be punished under Iraqi law. Now, just to give you an idea of how big of a deal that is, there are some 200,000 contractors in Iraq, right now, more contractors than troops, if you can believe it. About 30,000 of those contractors are private security contractors. So they are armed security contractors.
Now, a lot of those people, many are Americans, are suddenly being accountable to Iraqi law is really something that has a lot of people nervous. One of them is Doug Brookes. He's the president of the International Peace Operations Association. This is what he has to say:
"Iraq's legal system has come from under (sic) the Saddam era, but clearly the situation still warrants special consideration and protections for international employees -- the negotiated SOFA is significantly deficient in that regard."
So the next year is going to be really interesting, because the U.S. can't pull the contractors out.
WHITFIELD: But why would the contractors want to take such great -- I mean, if there are 200,000 now, something tells me, on their own volition, that number will be reduced significantly if it means they don't have that kind of immunity with the U.S. anymore.
SIMONS: And I think that's why it will be so interesting, because if that happens, reconstruction efforts will be severely held up. But keep in mind, one of the things driving a lot of these guys, a lot of them say they go for patriotism; they get paid a lot of money to do it. A lot of money to do it. And with the economy back at home, there are a lot of people who say, well if I can go make five, six, $700 a day, why should I be working at a fast food place, because the economy so bad for 10 bucks an hour.
WHITFIELD: Wow, all right, thanks so much, Suzanne Simons, for keeping us up to date on that.
SIMONS: Sure, I'll be back.
WHITFIELD: You know, it's just the beginning. It's not over yet with Blackwater or any of the contractors. All right, thanks so much.
All right, well the holiday season, it is upon us. It can be pretty wonderful, but at the same time it can also be pretty depressing, especially in these tough economic times. How to beat the holiday blues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everyone started feeling the pinch. I now our holidays, my family is celebrating the holiday very differently. We consciously decided to kind of scale back a little bit on gift giving, that sort of thing. So, it's a short-term way, and easy way of sort of dealing with it in the present and just sort of maybe leaving it to chance that it will get better in the future. Who knows.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Well, that's the hope for everybody. So in a normal year, the pressure of the holidays can trigger all kinds of things, including depression. So, you'll need extra care in a tough year like this. That's why we brought in clinical psychologist, Gloria Morrow, she's join us.
Hello. From Los Angeles. Good to see you.
Good to see you, too.
WHITFIELD: OK, so help me understand, why do we sometimes get the blues, whether we're talking tough economic times or not around the holidays?
DR GLORIA MORROW, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: Well, I think people are going through a really, really rough time with the economy being the way it is, with the mortgage crisis, with folks in Iraq. This is just a bad time. So, if we were just looking at this in a normal setting, we get the holiday blues sometimes because of shopping and having to stand in lines, but if you add all of those other things to it, it is a really tough time.
WHITFIELD: Right, and now comes with that, you know, I lost my job or money is tight but I still feel a little bit of pressure that we're supposed to do something special for someone, get a gift or, you know, prepare something that costs money, et cetera. So, what do I do to help alleviate some of the pressure? Am I as open as saying to my friends and family, look, this is the situation? I can't afford it? Or does that bring on yet another level of depression?
MORROW: Well, I need to tell you this, that sometimes people are not going to suffer from clinical depression because of the holidays, and in fact there is a myth that says that people who are depressed during this time commit suicide. And that is just not true. The rates are not any higher during this time.
But, I do want to say that when you have a situation in your life where your economy and your income has changed, you should tell the truth. You should talk to the children, you should talk to the friends...
WHITFIELD: How do you have that discussion with your little people? I mean, that's got to be the hardest conversation. How do you do it?
MORROW: Yeah, you just sit down with them and it's a wonderful thing to let your children actually assist in creating new things that you can do and the family around the holidays.
I think one of things is we have allowed our children to think that everything is fine when it isn't, so it is wonderful to bring them in on planning for how we can celebrate the holidays in a new way.
WHITFIELD: But, then isn't there that other psychology that says, you know what, you don't want to burden your children with the heavy duty big adult issues, it just kind of spoils it for them, too. And that's why a lot of adults say they are not sharing everything with their kid, especially if it pertains to money because you don't want to have them feel bad about it.
MORROW: Well, Fredericka, I disagree with that. I think we need to be honest with our children. I think they are resilient, they want our love, they want us to play games with them and have fun with them. And I think if we start changing the way we are celebrating the holidays, I think it will help us to not go in debt, even when the economy is better.
WHITFIELD: Gloria Morrow, a clinical psychologist, joining us from Los Angeles. Shoot, your smile just, you know, lights up the screen and there's sunshine. So, if I have the holiday blues, I feel much better now, already.
MORROW: Well, great, great.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Gloria. Appreciate it.
MORROW: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Well sadly, it is a sign of the times.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you are out of work and you face having nothing, I mean having no income, there's -- pride doesn't mean anything. You need to find work. I have to take care of my family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: He's doing whatever it takes to make ends meet.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Desperate times call for desperate measures. One unemployed man is taking his plea for a job to the streets of New York. CNN's Richard Roth caught up with him.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD ROTH, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He looks like a typical commuter wearing a suit and tie in the crowds of workers pouring into Manhattan. Paul Nawrocki doesn't go far to his office, it is right on the corner. His job news days is to look for a job, and he's making sure he lets people know he is available by wearing the large advertising board.
PAUL NAWROCKI, LOOKING FOR WORK: What I was doing wasn't working. When you are doing something and it doesn't work, you have to do something different.
ROTH: Nawrocki worked in toy industry, in operations for 36 years. He was laid off in February, shortly before his company went bankrupt. NAWROCKI: My daughter said to me, she said, you know, you should take some resumes and hand them out on the street.
ROTH: Paul's unemployment insurance will soon run out, his wife is partially disabled and his daughter has student loans.
(on camera): How humiliating is it for you right now walking on the streets of Manhattan with a sign like this?
NAWROCKI: When you are out of work and you face having nothing, I mean having no income, there's -- pride doesn't mean anything. You need to find work. I have to take care of my family.
ROTH (voice-over): Nawracki stands in the cold for hours. New Yorkers, use to the homeless and sidewalk pitchmen, looks but don't often stop.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel sorry for him. I wish I could help him.
ROTH: A passerby offers a suggestion to try down to the street at the United Nations. And it becomes a photo op for International media.
At Paul's favorite corners, some competition from charity groups and then from a young man searching for a girl he like who's phone number his roommate threw away.
There was one hopeful moment.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm the head of an executive search firm in New York, so why don't you give me your resume...
ROTH: Nawrocki takes a break at a nearby park to check e-mails.
NAWROCKI: Nothing so far. A lot of junk mail.
ROTH: It's a sign of the times.
Richard Roth, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And you can hear more about Paul Nawrocki's job tonight, his plight, his situation. He's going to be talking live with Don Lemon at 11:00 Eastern, this evening. Maybe you've got some tips or ideas for him or maybe even a job offer. That would be great. That's exactly what he's looking for.
All right. Life after the White House. Laura bush talks about what's ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: The American Red Cross is trying to make the holidays more brighter with warm wishes from home. Well, it hopes to collect at least one million holiday cards from you to send to U.S. troops. Today, First Lady Laura bush stopped by to help. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY: Thank you all for coming out. Happy holidays. I want to thank all the volunteers who are here behind me for volunteering. It was very sweet to sort and read these cards and see what Americans have written in to our troops. So thanks, everybody.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Mrs. Bush also briefly talked about her plans for after she and the president leave the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: Hopefully I'll be able to go back to some schools and volunteer, but I'm going to continue the work I've done with women in Afghanistan, through the Afghan-American Women's Council as one way I'll be able to, and then when the President's Freedom Institute is completed at SMU where his library will be, I'll be able to continue to work through that, especially with women in Afghanistan and the people of Burma.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM begins right now.
