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Illinois Governor Under Arrest; National Urban League Introduces Job Seekers with Potential Employers
Aired December 09, 2008 - 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: The next hour of the NEWSROOM starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: (voice over): Another day, and another slew of jobs lopped right off of the economy. This is getting really old, isn't it? Let's get you a job and get you paid. We have people here who can help.
The land of Lincoln, a sea of alleged corruption, just yesterday, Illinois' governor was helping laid off workers at a window factory, and now he might be looking through windows with gray metal bars.
Let's not let the governor's issues trump what is going on at the window factory, that whole situation could be resolved any minute now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips live in the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Well, it is not everyday that a federal prosecutor claims a case would make Lincoln roll over in his grave, but if you have been watching CNN, you have heard that, and a lot more in the case against the Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich. Among other things, he is standing accused of trying to sell the U.S. Senate seat of the president-elect. And you heard it right, Barack Obama's Senate seat allegedly for sale to the highest bidder.
Investigators are not suggesting Obama knew anything about it, by the way, and in a lengthy news conference in Chicago, the U.S. attorney said that much of what the feds unearthed about the governor came from wiretaps, and much of it, he says, is appalling.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATRICK FITZGERALD, U.S. ATTORNEY: The tapes reveal that Governor Blagojevich wanted a number of things in exchange for making the appointment to the Senate seat. An appointment as secretary of Health and Human Services or ambassadorship, an appointment to a private foundation, higher paying job for his wife, or campaign contributions. At one point he proposed a three-way deal. That cushy union job would be given to him at a higher rate of pay where he could make money. In exchange, he thought that the union might get benefits from the president-elect, and therefore the president-elect might get the candidate of his choice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, this is hardly Blagojevich's first brush with a corruption probe, which makes the Senate seat story, and another, involving "Chicago Tribune" editorial writers, all the more shocking. Bruce Dold is the "Tribs"'s editorial page editor. He knows all about today's allegations and years of suspicion.
Bruce, I guess -- I mean this is a huge coupe for your paper. You broke the story and how did you know you had something and you were ready to go with it?
BRUCE DOLD, EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR, "CHICAGO TRIBUNE": I thought I had seen everything in Illinois politics before this.
Let me say, I'm the editorial page editor so I am not involved in the news decisions, on the decisions when to go with the story. But we have been very critical of the governor for a number of years now, pushing to create a recall mechanism so that the voters of Illinois could recall him. Apparently that got under his skin and he tried to do something about it.
PHILLIPS: Allegedly, he wanted to fire a number of your editors. Did that happen? Was anybody fired? And do you know how the conversations went? Did those at your paper hang up on him? Say, no way? Or anything that you can tell us about it?
DOLD: No, I don't know. I only know what is in the indictment, which says that the -- he tried to influence an unnamed adviser to "The Tribune" to get "Tribune" management to remove the editorial board because of what we had written about him.
I can tell you that no one in the "Tribune" corporate has ever tried to whisper about anything that we write. Never tried to pressure us to lay off of the governor, or go easy on the governor, and there was no move to fire any of us that I know. The editor and I -- we compared notes this morning and said, this is completely out of the blue. There was never any effort like that at the paper.
PHILLIPS: And just going back to in Illinois politics, I mean, this not the first time that a governor has been arrested for something illegal. What is going on here? What is it about politics there in your state, I mean, it is like you think of Huey Long in Louisiana, took the cake, and now you have part two here in another state.
DOLD: Well, seems to be a culture of corruption. We have had three or four governors in the last 30 years who have gone to prison either for acts while they were governor, or before they were governor, or afterwards. The last governor of Illinois, George Ryan, is in prison right now. And an earlier Governor Jim Thompson is trying to get President Bush to commute George Ryan's sentence.
You know, this governor, Blagojevich, came into office and said he would undo all of those bad things that George Ryan did, the pay- to-play politics, the political contracting, and all of that. And by all of these allegations, he just stepped up his game. He is making George Ryan look like a rookie.
PHILLIPS: Choir boy, Bruce Dold, "Chicago Tribune."
Appreciate it. Thanks.
DOLD: Thanks.
PHILLIPS: And as you heard Bruce mention, three former Illinois governors have gone to prison since 1973, but if the charges facing Blagojevich are proven against he'll be in a class by himself.
Isn't that right, Jeffrey Toobin?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SR. LEGAL ANALYST: Astonishing, breathtaking, amazing. I mean, this is not a typical political corruption scandal. It is a typical corruption scandal with some additional allegations, involving "The Chicago Tribune" and the Senate seat, the likes of which I have never seen. So, yes, he has put his predecessors to shame.
PHILLIPS: And I'm just -- you know there was talk on who will now -- you know, appoint the senator to Barack Obama's empty seat. I mean, that was supposed to be his job, but you have Senator Dick Durbin, who is calling for a special election. Now the lieutenant governor is saying that he should not be able to appoint the senator, because there was talk that Blagojevich still would go forward with his duties; lieutenant governor also saying he should step down and have the supreme court decide if he is even fit to serve.
You know, with your experience with regard to the Supreme Court -- you wrote a book about the Supreme Court, could that happen?
TOOBIN: Well, I think that Lieutenant Governor Patrick Quinn was talking about the supreme court of Illinois, not the United States Supreme Court. But it is a very unusual, to say the least, political situation right now. Because Governor Blagojevich is still the governor. There is no provision in Illinois in the law, as I understand it, for provision of an acting governor.
So he is still the governor. He could sign a bill. He could appoint someone to Obama's seat today, even though he is currently a guest of the federal government, until he gets out on bail. So, Illinois has to do something about this, and obviously, the best thing would be for Blagojevich to resign; lieutenant Governor Quinn simply to take over. But if he doesn't resign immediately, the legislature, it seems clear, is going to begin impeachment proceedings against him.
PHILLIPS: Well, we haven't obviously heard from him today, but just yesterday, when he was speaking in the big sit-in, at the window factory, supporting the workers there saying he would boycott Bank of America, and wanting to do everything he could, and he was saying how honest a person he is and he would never say anything -- or do anything that is illegal. All of this could totally backfire. Also, do you think he came forward doing this big push yesterday, because he knew something was going down, and this is sort of the last good deed?
TOOBIN: I am incapable of reading the mind of Rod Blagojevich. I, having read the excerpts on these tape, I think I'm a pretty cynical person. It didn't occur to me that a governor of the state of New York (sic) could behave so cynically and so outrageously. So what he was thinking in meeting with those workers, I can't tell you, but he had to know that the vice was tightening. And he got the call this morning at 6:00 a.m. that the FBI agents were outside of his window waiting for him to surrender.
PHILLIPS: When you look at say, Watergate, those tapings, I asked you this last hour, you look at the history of that, you look at Huey Long and Louisiana politics and how that continued for years, with other politicians as well. Where does this fit in? Because you are telling me how astonishing this is. You can't believe what he said on those tapes.
Is this worse than those parts of history?
TOOBIN: Well, what is so extraordinary about this story is two things. One, is you now have four governors, Otto Kerner, Dan Walker, George Ryan and now Blagojevich. Three of them were convicted of criminal activity. Blagojevich hasn't yet been convict, and he may not be. So the length of time that the political culture is the thing that is so extraordinary.
And the other thing that is the so extraordinary is the fact that Barack Obama's seat is one of the pawns in this game. It is not alleged that Obama, himself, did anything wrong, but the fact that the president of the United States, the president-elect, is a player in this story, not an accused one, but a player nonetheless, is just amazing.
PHILLIPS: And just to point out that the U.S. attorney coming forward saying, quote -- "We make no allegations that Obama was aware of any alleged scheming by the arrested Illinois governor."
I want to hit that home.
Well, Jeffrey, I see you next article for "The New Yorker" and probably your next book.
(LAUGHTER)
TOOBIN: Well, let's get through today first, and then we will see.
PHILLIPS: All right. Thanks, Jeffrey.
TOOBIN: OK, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, the governor is a definitely man of many faces that's for sure. Just yesterday he met with the laid off workers staging a sit-in at the factory, threw his support behind them. And as you know the plant closed last week. Those workers vow to keep sitting until they get severance and vacation pay. CNN's Susan Roesgen is there.
Susan, what do you think is going to happen now? Do they still have hope they will get what they want when they have a governor who has been arrested?
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Kyra, the charges and the allegations at least against Governor Blagojevich have been going on for months here in Chicago. But you are right in the sense that the momentum they had yesterday, the governor was here, and everyone was so excited that he was here to support them. They know that the attention nationally has shifted to the governor now with these actual charges, but they are still going forward with their sit- in, their protest.
There is a meeting under way, right now, between the union workers and the company here at Republic Windows & Doors, this is a window factory, and Bank of America, the major creditor. But, again, yesterday, there was so much positive energy. The governor was here he was going to make this public statement, which he did. And then, of course, reporters here had to ask him about all of these allegations that have been swirling around his administration for months. And here he is, as defiant as could be, and he's actually daring reporters and investigators to tape his conversations.
PHILLIPS: All right. Susan Roesgen, I apologize, a little hard time hearing you with all of the stuff going on in the background.
I notice that the volume did raise a bit. Is something happening there behind us, or are they just talking about the sit-in?
ROESGEN: Well, what is happening here is you have a lot of college students who have come in support. You think, don't they have classes today? But they are here in support of the workers. We also have some other union members from other unions and there were some religious leaders here, earlier, Kyra. They donated $5,000 to the cause.
People are coming now because it is around lunchtime to bring food and drinks for the workers who are here; 200 workers, total, of the union, 300 workers laid off at this plant, last Friday with just three days' notice.
So, you can see there are a lot of people here who still care about this story even though, once again, they know that Governor Blagojevich and the support that he gave them yesterday really doesn't matter much today.
Here is his sound yesterday.
PHILLIPS: OK.
ROESGEN: We do have a sound now, of yesterday, of the governor here, just saying, look at me, you know, I'm tough.
Oh, we don't have sound, OK.
PHILLIPS: OK, we don't have it. I apologize, Susan.
We will try and get up, though, because we were -- I was talking a little bit about that with Jeffrey Toobin as well. Hearing him sort of shamelessly coming forward saying he doesn't do anything illegal, now here he is being arrested.
Susan Roesgen, thank you so much.
And if it were a car, you might say the Big Three bailout package was in the detailing phase, come to think of it, detailing is exactly what lawmakers and the White House are up to; and we could see an agreement on the last few details any time now. Dana Bash watching and waiting on Capitol Hill.
Hey, Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, there, Kyra.
Watching and waiting is something we are getting used to doing here on Capitol Hill, listening to the lawmakers who are heavily involved in this promise that a deal is close. The compromise could come at any moment. So, obviously, we will let you know if and when that happens.
But what is going on right now, as we speak, is congressional aides and staffers from the White House are discussing some of the sticking points, that are left in giving these auto companies $15 billion in short-term loans.
The sticking points right now are surrounding the authority that this so-called car czar has. The car czar is somebody that would appointed by the president to enforce restructuring of Detroit. The concern that many Republicans have is that this person would not have the authority if in fact these auto companies did not comply, didn't prove that they could be profitable and competitive. This person would not have the authority to actually take the loans away, and basically, protect the taxpayers' money here.
The other concern that Republicans have, unclear if they will are going to have these concerns met, but it is about labor, about the autoworkers union and the fact that there is a lot of money spent, specifically on health benefits and pensions, for the long-term that many people think is hurting the viability of these auto companies. These are some of the things that we heard on the Senate floor from the Republican (sic) leader.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HARRY REID, (D) MAJORITY LEADER: The American people want us to try to resolve this issue, but my friend is right, it can't -- it can't be an issue as strongly connected as I am with organized labor, it can't be a one-sided proposal that is brought before the Senate.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL, (R) MINORITY LEADER: There are times when help is needed, but one thing that most people expect when they are asked for help is that the one asking makes a commitment to change. This proposal does not go nearly far enough. It holds neither management nor labor truly accountable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Now, before you just heard from the Republican leader, you did hear from the Democratic leader, the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and the point he was trying to make is that, he gets it. And that is sort of the word that we are hearing from Democrats here, as they talk extremely optimistically about the desire to get things done and to work out these differences that they do still have with Republicans. And I can tell you that this is just step one. That is the important thing to keep in mind, this compromise that is going on behind closed doors.
The next step is the most important step, once they get that, it is getting it passed in the House and the Senate. And we have learned from past experiences with the bailouts, quite a different circumstance, but still past experience is that these leaders may think they have the votes. And sometimes they don't. So that is going to be the next point of drama that we are going to be watching here, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Dana Bash on the Hill. Thank, Dana.
We want to help you find a job. That is our focus today. So e- mail us with your questions about today's job market, cnnnewsroom@cnn.com.
And political tongues are wagging as Barack Obama sits down with Al Gore in Chicago. Does this mean the former vice president might be eying a job in the Obama administration? We'll have a live report.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, Barack Obama and Al Gore are sitting down today in Chicago to talk about energy and climate change. But the question everyone is asking, is there more to that meeting than what we are hearing? CNN's Elaine Quijano joining us live from Chicago.
Hey, Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, hello, Kyra.
Well, Democratic officials insist that President-elect Barack Obama is not looking to tap former Vice President Al Gore for any Cabinet-level position, or any other position inside the Obama administration. Instead, transition aides say this is a meeting really focused on energy and climate change issues.
That would make sense of course, because Al Gore, in fact, won the Nobel Peace Prize for trying to raise awareness of global warming issues. Also, you will recall his documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" won a couple of Oscars, but it remains a fact that the president-elect has yet to name his picks for Energy secretary or EPA administrator.
At the same time, we should tell you, I talked to a spokeswoman for the former vice president. And she said -- I asked her whether or not the former vice president was interested in a position in the Obama administration. She said that the vice president feels now his calling is really to educate Americans about the climate crisis. She said he understands the importance of public service, but he really feels that right now his calling is in the role that he is serving now at the Alliance for Climate Protection, and environmental advocacy group.
But she didn't shut the door completely, Kyra. She didn't say, no, he is not interested. So, we will wait to see what comes out of the meeting taking place today, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And I'm curious if the Obama camp is saying anything about Rod Blagojevich at this point?
QUIJANO: Nothing yet. In fact, that is what we are waiting on right now. The last word from pool reporters and photographers is that they were holding at the Obama transition headquarters, that they had been advised perhaps -- perhaps, the president-elect might make a statement to pool. It is not at all confirmed that he will be saying something on camera, but those cameras, and the photographers, and the journalists, all continue to wait.
It is certainly been the news of the day here in Chicago, but so far, no comment from the president-elect or his transition team -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Elaine, thanks.
We are going to step away from the bad news for a minute. We're going to talk about, you know, in these troubled times there is a message from Barack Obama as he gets ready to deck out for his inauguration, by Americans. CNN's Lola Ogunnaike joins me now, live from New York. Of course, the fashion diva that she is.
There are reports that Obama has picked an American designer for his tux. And you have the inside scoop?
LOLA OGUNNAIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I sure do.
Apparently, he is going to go with a Hart Schaffner Marx suit. It is decidedly American. This is a company that is based right outside of Chicago. It has been around for well over 100 years. And it is very union friendly. So he is making both a fashion statement and a political statement, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. So, in no way shape nor form he is going for the stylish Italian suit? He's going to be completely 100 percent American?
OGUNNAIKE: I think he's going to make the right political choice here and decide he's going to stick with something that was born in the USA. Of course, he could blow say $5,000 on a great Zegna suit, of a Hugo Boss, but I think he's going to keep it classic, simple, all-American.
PHILLIPS: Michelle Obama, now, she has been making a lot of fashion statements with her outfits. We have had a lot of discussions in our morning team about the big night when she wore her little black and red number. So what can we expect to see her wearing? We have already taken our vote, by the way, on these dresses.
OGUNNAIKE: Oh, really?
PHILLIPS: Yes.
OGUNNAIKE: OK. What we are seeing here are sketches from "Woman's Wear Daily". They invited a group of designers, over 40 designers, to submit sketch ideas for possible dresses. People like Oscar De La Renta, Michael Kors, Betsy Johnson, Tracy Reese, Isaac Mizrahi, all decided that they wanted to figure out she would look her best on her big day.
PHILLIPS: All right, we like the blue number. Do you have a favorite?
OGUNNAIKE: I love the blue number. I completely agree with you. I love that cinch waist. It is a Michael Kors. It is long. I think it will play to her small waist. Show off her great toned arms. I think that is the one.
PHILLIPS: OK, so we have all picked it. Michelle Obama, I hope you are listening.
OGUNNAIKE: Michael Kors, that's for you.
PHILLIPS: What are you wearing, by the way?
OGUNNAIKE: Oh, nothing nearly as glamorous. Hopefully somebody can hook me up.
You got any hook-ups for me, Kyra?
PHILLIPS: I might hook you up, Lola.
OGUNNAIKE: Thank you. I will need it.
PHILLIPS: All right. Thanks for the inside scoop. We will be watching.
OGUNNAIKE: Thank you. Take care.
PHILLIPS: Well, the snow is piling up in the Upper Midwest and thunderstorms are rumbling across the Southeast. We will check in with Jacqui Jeras tracking the stormy skies.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Dangerous storms pounding the Southeast, and that snow is piling up in the Upper Midwest, and Jacqui Jeras is keeping up with it for us.
(WEATHER FORECAST)
PHILLIPS: It is the site of modern-day guerrilla warfare, the remote mountaintop jungles of Rwanda and the Congo where gorillas are becoming increasingly rare.
In today's "Planet In Peril" segment, our Anderson Cooper treks the steep, muddy hills to get a glimpse of these primates in their natural habitat.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): About half of the world's last remaining mountain gorillas live in forests in Rwanda's neighbor, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Just last year 10 gorillas there were slaughtered, shot to death. Some were even set on fire. The head of the park where the gorillas lived stands accused of masterminding the killings.
Congo has been battered by civil war for more than a decade now and some 5 million people have died as a result. The gorilla's habitat is literally a battleground. So unstable rangers can't even enter the forest to patrol and protect them.
(on camera): There are nine gorillas in this group.
(voice over): During a lull in the fighting we visited the Congo's gorillas in 2006, but today, no one is sure if these same gorillas are even alive.
That uncertainty makes the protection of Rwanda's gorillas all the more important. Veronica Bacelio (ph) has been monitoring the gorillas for three years as a director of research with the Dian Fossey Foundation. We are hiking with her up a steep mountain to go see what's called a research group. Gorillas never visited by tourists.
(on camera): We are not exactly sure what to expect. There is a large number of male blackbacks, they call them, males about to reach their full maturity. And a silverback, which had been in control of the group, it has been replaced by another silverback. So the scientists who study these gorillas say there is a lot of aggression in the group, and they are not really sure how they will react to our presence.
So, frankly if they charge, I'm going to hide behind the biggest cameraman I can find.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, you may have noticed something different on the bottom of your screen, the CNN logo has turned green. No need to call the TV repairman guy, it is not you, it is us. It is our way to mark the second installment of CNN's award-winning series "Planet In Peril". It debuts this Thursday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Right now it is 2:29 Eastern Time. Here are some of the other stories we are working on for you in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff under arrest. Both charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and solicitation of bribery. The FBI claims that the governor tried to sell President-elect Obama's Senate seat.
Another defeat for retiring Idaho Senator Larry Craig; he has lost his latest bid to withdraw his guilty plea. That plea was made after he was caught last year in a sex sting, in an airport men's room. Craig claims that nothing improper ever happened.
And protesters on the rampage in Greek cities for a fourth day. The outrage triggered by the fatal police shooting of a teenager. About 6,000 people turned out for the funeral of that 15-year-old today.
Hard times across the country. A deep recession, hundreds of thousands of people without jobs do. Do you give up? No way. We've got some tips that might help you land a job.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, hey, mister can you spare a dime? An all-too familiar plea in the dark days of the Great Depression. We are not there yet, but the latest government stats paint a grim picture.
Unemployment last month at 6.7 percent and nearly 535,000 jobs were cut. November's job cuts puts the year-to-date layoff total at a whopping 1.9 million.
President-elect Barack Obama has been talking about a new stimulus plan. That is all about job creation. And today, we have fresh examples of why we desperately need it. Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with the latest companies announcing layoffs and a look at how the stocks are faring.
Hey, Susan.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra.
Well an electronics giants and big name in the hotel industry among the latest to reduce their head counts. Sony says it is slashing 8,000 positions from its global workforce in an effort to cut costs by more than $1 billion per year. Sony, of course, makes the popular playstation gaming console. It plans to complete the cuts by the end of 2010. They'll vary from country-to-country. No word yet on just how many cuts the U.S. could see.
And Wyndham Worldwide, a hospitality company that franchises Days Inn, Ramada and Super 8, will cut 4,000 jobs and restructure its timeshare business. The layoffs represent 12 percent of Wyndham's workforce.
Also announcing cutbacks, No. 2 U.S. trucking company, Con-Way, slashing nearly 1,500 positions. Toolmaker Danaher is letting 1,700 go. Even the National Football League reportedly cutting 150 jobs from the league's corporate workforce.
Between those layoffs and a pair of profit warnings from Texas Instruments and FedEx, well, we're not seeing too much holiday cheer. Of course, we're coming off some nice gains for the Dow. But we're at session lows right now. The blue chips down 246 points, or 2.75 percent. The Nasdaq is down 2, the S&P 500 is down 2.5 percent.
It has been -- we're under pressure ever since the opening bell sounded, Kyra. It's one of those days.
Back to you.
PHILLIPS: I can feel it. Thanks, Susan.
But all is not gloom and doom. There are jobs out there, you just have to know where to look.
CNN's Allan Chernoff has some tips.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARIA TESSINARI, NURSE: Hi, Peppy (ph).
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT: Maria Tessinari changed careers to become a nurse, knowing that in her new profession she would be marketable no matter how bad the economy.
TESSINARI: I knew that I would graduate and have a job. And all my friends who I graduated nursing school with all have jobs.
CHERNOFF: Even during the worst recession in decades, health care professions added 34,000 positions last month while the economy was losing more than half a million jobs, an important reason more Americans are following Maria's example.
MARY MUNDINGER, DEAN, COLUMBIA UNIV., SCHOOL OF NURSING: Columbia has a program that is specifically designed for career changers and we have seen that program become more competitive every year. This year it was a huge increase. In November -- over November, applications were up 50 percent.
CHERNOFF: To meet demand for nursing education, Columbia is hiring instructors; many other universities are hiring in spite of the recession. Because in tough economic times, many people go back to school to boost their skills. In fact, some for-profit schools are thriving.
The stock of education company Apollo Group has climbed 60 percent in the past six months, while the Dow Industrial Average was plummeting. Beyond education, other fields are still seeing job growth: computer systems design, management and technology consulting, oil and gas drilling and logging. Accounting and financial analysis also remain in demand.
DAWN FAY, ROBERT HALF INTERNATIONAL: It will almost create more opportunity in the analysis, budgeting and forecasting area when times are tougher because people are watching every dollar that much more closely. So there is certainly opportunity that does get created.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHERNOFF: The takeaway here, don't be discouraged just because the economy is in recession. Many companies are still hiring, it is true. And also consider the season. A lot of people think, well, the holiday season, nobody is around, no reason to try to get an interview. But recruiters say this is the perfect time to be looking to get an interview. A lot of people maybe not quite as busy at the office, so they have the time to grant an interview -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Allan, getting a number of e-mails for you already, people wanting to know about jobs out there.
This guy -- actually John wants to know, "I'm in the third and final year of law school. The legal job market for new grads has dried up. Are there any industries that regularly hire law grads?"
CHERNOFF: Certainly, right now, first of all you can take advantage of what we just talked about, within health care. All health care companies need lawyers, hospitals, HMOs, et cetera. So that is one opportunity.
Another opportunity, and this is a huge growth area right now, bankruptcy law. Lots of lawyers put to work doing bankruptcy. In fact, a lot of lawyers who normally do securities work and they're not so busy with Wall Street, they are moving over into bankruptcies. That is where the action is right now.
PHILLIPS: That is a really good point.
Allan, thank you.
And my next guest is on a mission to connect job seekers with jobs. He is currently advising President-elect Barack Obama on job creation in urban areas. Marc Morial is also president of the National Urban League, whose economic empowerment tour is here in Atlanta. And I want to talk about that in a minute.
MARC MORIAL, PRES. NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE: Thanks for having me.
But you're a lawyer, you should have specialized in bankruptcy, you'd be good to go right now.
MORIAL: Be real busy.
PHILLIPS: Yes, it is true. It's great to have you here.
MORIAL: It's good to be with you.
PHILLIPS: Why don't we -- I want to talk about the job fair in just a second, but you made a number of recommendations to Barack Obama. And I picked out four, if you don't mind.
Let's start with create a major public works program. Why did you make this recommendation?
MORIAL: The president has talked about that because that is a way to create permanent, long-term jobs and jobs that are going to create a visible effect -- roads, bridges, sewers. But we also think, and we have encouraged the president to go even beyond that, and that is to propose the construction of schools, the rehabilitation of community centers, rec centers and libraries. Let's also rebuild some of the facilities that help people in urban communities.
So, we are excited about what he has talked about, and we strongly support that effort. And we want him to push it as far as he can.
PHILLIPS: I love when you say rec centers. That's what I grew up --
MORIAL: Me, too.
PHILLIPS: You and I both. I mean that's what --
MORIAL: And do something positive for the kids and they will give us something positive in return.
PHILLIPS: Absolutely. Hey, look at us, we are not doing so bad.
All right. Set up job training programs.
MORIAL: This is what's important. There are many, many people out there, particularly people at the bottom of the economic spectrum who need training to take advantage of the kinds of jobs that his jobs plans will in effect produce.
So we have recommended a strong commitment to job training programs, get the national, intermediary nonprofits involved,get local community-based organizations involved, community colleges, all sorts of people involved in training people for these new jobs, especially the green jobs he is talking about. We've got to train and retrain workers. We've got to make sure that people can take advantage of the kind of jobs that are created in the construction industry if the infrastructure investment is going to have the kind of effect we want it to have.
PHILLIPS: All right, green jobs -- interesting. Because I'm going to ask you about Al Gore. You just reminded me of something else.
OK, revive summer youth employment program.
MORIAL: That program which ran from the '70s to the late '90s was highly successful in giving young people a chance to learn the work ethic, to earn some money the real way.
PHILLIPS: I did it, too. You probably did it also.
MORIAL: I had so many summer jobs I can't remember them.
PHILLIPS: Exactly.
MORIAL: But it is a good way to stimulate the economy, because teenagers will spend those dollars, they'll spend them immediately. But also, it is a good way to get the teenagers involved in learning how to work.
We say put 2.5 million teenagers to work in the summer of '09, a $3 billion price tag, but what better investment than investing in our teenagers for the future.
PHILLIPS: I feel like we're going back to things we did as kids and bringing it -- because all of those things got cut out as the years went forward.
MORIAL: You know, Kyra, the watch word is proven strategies, proven methodologies.
PHILLIPS: Right.
MORIAL: We're in an extraordinary time. We are in tough times. So we need to do some things that we know work.
PHILLIPS: All right. I know it is working and that is the job fair. You've got all kinds of various recruiters and just -- I don't know if we have a live picture --
Val, do we have a live shot?
OK. Great.
And people are just now filing in. This is not far from where we are, Marc. Tell me why you are doing this. What is being offered up here?
MORIAL: Here in Atlanta, with the Atlanta Urban League, we have invited those who are looking to hire to come out and meet people who are looking to be hired at the Atlanta economic empowerment tour of the National Urban League series of economic empowerment tours around the country. So we'd encourage people who are looking for a job, or looking for a better job, to come out.
We've got about 15 employers who will be there. They are looking to meet people, they are looking to connect people. And we've got another four or five agencies there who will help people with career development, help you assess what your skills are in order to sort of advise where you might look for jobs. We are going to do our part to try to connect people with jobs while encouraging public policies that create new jobs.
PHILLIPS: All right. You mentioned green jobs, and this is obviously something that is hot now more than ever, which moves us into the secretary of energy and all of this talk about could it be Al Gore? Yesterday, some of our reporters were saying, nope, sources said, no way, he's not going to go down a notch. But you know what? That job could be up a notch because of how hot this is --
MORIAL: How important green jobs are and how important it is to the new president. And I think that Al Gore, Nobel Peace Prize winner, former member of the Senate, vice president, came an inch, or half an inch, or quarter of an inch away from becoming president --
PHILLIPS: Recount, recount. Right.
MORIAL: -- he has credibility on this issue. And I hope that he will play some role, whether it is formal or informal, in advising the new administration on this.
The other thing I know is that Al Gore understands American cities. And he will intersect how green jobs can benefit American cities. That is where we are at the National Urban League. We want to make sure that the green revolution doesn't bypass America's neighborhoods and America's urban communities.
PHILLIPS: So real quickly. You think Al Gore could be secretary of energy?
MORIAL: I don't know. Maybe the environmental czar, maybe --
PHILLIPS: OK, new job. New job creation --
MORIAL: -- maybe a special envoy on climate change.
PHILLIPS: All right. Well, you've got the inside scoop.
Marc Morial, good to see you.
MORIAL: As good as yours.
PHILLIPS: Appreciate it.
MORIAL: Thanks for having me.
PHILLIPS: All right. And get ready, we're going to show you what economic empowerment looks like. We are headed to the National Urban League's job fair next. Our Rusty Dornin is there. It might be just what your career needs.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, our focus this hour is jobs. And our next stop is the economic empowerment tour that we just talked about before the break with the head of the Urban League, Marc Morial.
CNN's Rusty Dornin is actually at the Marriott Marquee Hotel here in Atlanta, going to talk with some recruiters for us.
What do you think, Rusty? A lot of anxious people looking for those jobs.
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right.
And right now, Kyra, you just have some of the employers and the folks running the booths that are gathering right now. They are expecting anywhere up from 700, 900 people to come to this fair and really find out everything from trying to find a job, to financial information, about housing, that sort of thing.
And here to talk to us right now is one of the people whose company is hiring right now. State Farm Insurance is hiring. And we do have Nicole Billings-Turner with us to tell viewers a little bit about what they need to do.
NICOLE BILLINGS-TURNER, STATE FARM INSURANCE: Certainly.
DORNIN: So, tell us, what do they need to do to get a job at State Farm Insurance?
BILLINGS-TURNER: Well, first of all, they need to come down here today. We are here, we are looking for people for our State Farm agency opportunity. We also have opportunities on the operations side. So we are looking for people who want to be in claims or underwriting or other departments.
DORNIN: So what do they do? What kinds of things need to stand out on their resumes? People think, oh my God, I don't know anything about insurance. How can I get hired by State Farm?
BILLINGS-TURNER: Understandably. We recruit people from all different types of backgrounds, people who come from the educational field, I.T., other sales professions. So it really -- the core competencies that we look for is you being involved in your community, really have a passion to work with others. And, especially with our State Farm agents, wanting to be an entrepreneur and wanting to own your own business.
DORNIN: You were saying just -- one of the background things that is a plus, though, on a resume is what -- customer service?
BILLINGS-TURNER: It could customer service, sales, marketing and perhaps some management skills as well.
DORNIN: And how about for people who need a little bit more education, that sort of thing? Can you help out with -- we had an actual question from one of our viewers, Anna (ph), asking about that.
Do you get yourselves involved in tuition reimbursement?
BILLINGS-TURNER: Most definitely. One of the foundations of State Farm is educational advancement. So we do offer tuition reimbursement for many of our employees.
DORNIN: OK, great. Well thank you very much. That was very helpful.
BILLINGS-TURNER: No problem at all.
DORNIN: Nicole Billings-Turner with State Farm Insurance, just one of the 15 employers who are here at this job and career fair trying to people just get connected and find out what they need to do to get a job -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: So get a job and get your school paid for -- is that what I just heard?
DORNIN: Yes, exactly. Exactly.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Where were these fairs when you and I were in school? Yes, exactly. That is fantastic.
All right. Rusty Dornin, thanks so much.
Well, we want to help you find a job, that is our focus today. So e-mail us with your questions about today's job market -- cnnnewsroom@cnn.com.
We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: 500,000-plus jobs lost in one month alone. When you hear a number like that, it's hard to wrap your mind around it. But your next job opportunity could be knocking online. CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow joins us live from New York.
Hey, Poppy.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Hey there, Kyra. You know, online, that's is a great place to start your job hunt. But really, these days don't just put your resumes on big sites like monster Hot Jobs. Employment experts tell us you should really specify the sites you go to. Here are some examples. Let's pull these up for you.
Dice.com, you're looking for a technology job, this is great. I checked it out yesterday. Financial jobs, there are still some out there. There's a site called efinancialcareers.com. That can really help. And also, aggregators like indeed.com. That's my favorite. I went through it for about an hour. It pulls together jobs online and also, jobs from newspapers. That's good help.
There's also help here on out site, CNNMoney.com going through all the job cuts, et cetera. And also, on our site, you can actually search for a job, right here on our site teaming up with careerbuilder. And finally, this is a great piece. It's on our site. It's Ask Annie. It's the 30 best web sites for people that looking for jobs. If you're going to spend the time, do it right. Because only about four or five percent of jobs are even posted online.
Here are five tips to help you outside of looking online. First, you really want to network with your friends and family. Tell them what kind of job you're looking for. You'd be amazed at how much they can help. Write the company a letter, a handwritten note directly, even after you apply online. Also, you might want to consider contacting your college. You can look at your college alumni directory. You never know what your old roommate be up to, if they can help you.
Also, maybe get in touch with a head hunter. It actually who costs you nothing. They find where the jobs in specific industries. They get paid if you get a job -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Poppy Harlow, appreciate it.
We've got to get back to our top story. Apparently Illinois governor Rob Blagojevich just got to the federal courthouse after being arrested today on those charges of corruption. It was real quick. I understand, Drew Griffin, our investigative reporter is there.
Drew, were you inside the courthouse?
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Yes, inside of the courthouse -- 14th floor of the courthouse, here in the Dirkson Federal Building here in Illinois.
Blagojevich, the governor showed up in a blue exercise suit and jogging shoes. It looked like he may have been arrested just as he was heading out the door to go for a jog, although the hair was coiffed. A short hearing, Kyra, in which the prosecution laid out the two charges against him and John Harris, his chief of staff, who appeared in a black suit.
The governor and John Harris, both acknowledging the charges, and agreed to the terms of bail which is a fairly light $4,500 recognizance bond, basically a signature bond for both of them. They also had to give up the passports, check in with the pretrial services, and if they owned a handgun, they had to get rid of that handgun until the termination of their court case.
But, it was very interesting because the governor didn't seem like he was rattled at all. In fact, he had a -- as Illinoisans would know, a cocky look about him, as he acknowledged people, not so much as if he knew them, Kyra, but acknowledging that they knew him inside this packed courthouse.
PHILLIPS: Well, it is pretty interesting, Drew, when you listen to what he said yesterday, at that sit-in at the window factory talking about how he would never do anything illegal. You kind of wonder if he had any idea that this was coming. But a history of this type of corruption, four governor embedded in this state. So it's not surprising a lot of the investigative supporters there in Chicago.
Drew, you're an investigative reporter. What are you going to be looking into for us, and how are you staying on top of the story?
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: I think that the trail of the deal that is outlined in 76-page charging paper, just the web of contacts, all unnamed.
Keep in mind that while all of this was going on the most recent since the election, since the governor would have to appoint this U.S. senator, all sorts of politicians and people have been calling him on phones that we now know were bugged by the government.
So, all of those voices will be captured within this investigation. And whether they are involved or not, and certainly most of them were not involved in any pay-for-play deal. But you have powerful people, including Senator Harry Reid, who came out and said that he was talking to Governor Blagojevich, just recently about the U.S. Senate race.
So that is going to be very interesting to follow. But I think the stunning takeaway in all of this, Kyra, is that this investigation has been going on for five years. And even after it was reported last week that Governor Blagojevich's phones were tapped, he apparently continued to talk on those phones. There's somewhat of an arrogance factor here that I think that will prove to be stunning as the investigation goes on.
PHILLIPS: All right. Drew Griffin, we'll be following it, that's for sure. A lot of people wanting to know, will there be a special election, will the governor still be able to appoint someone to that Senate seat?
Who will fill Barack Obama's Senate seat? That's the big question. And what will happen to the governor?
Rick Sanchez is all over that coming up right now in the CNN NEWSROOM.
