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Winter Weather Hampers Holiday Travel; Company Consolidation Continues as National City & Wachovia are Bought Out; Hot Jobs for 2009
Aired December 23, 2008 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): Walking in a winter wonderland is fine, but driving and flying? Now that is trouble. Don't know whether or not you will make it home for the holidays? We are checking the travel forecast with Chad Myers.
Hot jobs in a frigid economy. Learn what fields could resuscitate your career prospects and pump some cash into your bank account. An expert joins us with some timely advice for 2009.
And who is your mommy? A bit of a boom in single dads having kids, men, gay and straight, hiring surrogates to give them biological children.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Hello, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen live at CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Check it out, a huge mess and some scary moments in Maryland, drivers commuting through a D.C. suburb find themselves four feet of water, a result of a really bad water main break. At first, though, people were able to get to dry land themselves, but the water pressure got so great that rescue crews were rushing to the scene. Our Brian Todd joins us now live from River Road, and yes, that is the real name.
I imagine these folks just drove up, Brian, didn't really think the water was that bad and before they knew it, they just kind of got swept away?
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It came at them very, very quickly, Betty.
We will show you the scene behind me. A lot less dramatic than it was a few hours ago. But water is still gushing down River Road from this main break that happened just up the road from here. The water is gushing down about 600 to 800 feet down this steep incline. We are told that as of about 45 minutes ago, officials were able to get to the main water valve that burst and actually seal it off and stop it, but it takes a little while for water to actually stop cascading down the road.
There were very, very dramatic scenes earlier. The water was about four-feet deep at its deepest point and at its worst point this morning, gushing down at a very rapid pace. Now, an official told me, a short time ago, that it is not the really the depth of the water, that is the problem, but it is the speed with which it came down the street. And they said they had never seen anything like it before. We also caught up to a victim who talked to us about what it was like in those first moments in her car.
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SHARON SCHOEM, RESCUED FROM CAR: All of the sudden, I just saw a bunch of muddy water and rocks and parts of trees and coming toward me. I tried to turn around, but as I turned around, I was unable to turn around because the force of the water was just too high. It was going over my car. It was on top of my car, and I quickly -- I called 911, and it just kept moving. The car was moving little bit to the side and I was afraid I would go off of the embankment. I put it in park and I just prayed.
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TODD: Well, her prayers and the prayers of others were answered, we're told that about nine victims were pulled from those vehicles and that all nine are doing OK. Some of them were treated for hypothermia. The water temperature, we are told, was very, very cold. The air temperature was about 18 degrees at the time this happened. So the water was very cold. A lot of the water got inside of the vehicles when they were trying to rescue the people; very problematic rescue.
We talked about that with Captain Frank Doyle of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Department. This is a team that is used to extracting people from the Potomac River, which involves a lot of swift water rescues. And he talked about how this compared to that.
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CAPTAIN FRANK DOYLE, MONTGOMERY CO., WATER RESCUE TEAM: The water was extremely powerful and the water was extremely cold. The weather today makes the water very cold and the conditions on the side of the road, for rescuers, and for the down wash caused by the helicopters in assistance with the rescue made it very treacherous and hazardous condition for us.
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TODD: And the situation got so bad earlier that some of the rescuers, themselves, had to be helped out of here. One firefighter, who was in a boat, his boat essentially got swallowed up with water, and he had to be pulled out by the Park Police, we are told. But everybody got out OK.
The water situation around here, we are told, that the water service is going to be restored very shortly. A lot of people around here were without water after this happened. A lot of people still without pressure in their water, but we are told that a lot of that is going to get back to normal very, very shortly, so Betty, a fortunate situation here, no one seriously hurt and it looks like the water will be back online fairly soon.
NGUYEN: Some good news. Thank you for that, Brian. Do appreciate it.
It is not what you are wishing for as you head home for the holidays this day before Christmas, winter storms from coast to coast are creating some huge headaches for travelers. Parts of the U.S. dealing with some of to worst ever snowstorms.
I want you to check out the incredible scenes in Geneva, Ohio, along the country's northern border. The snow cover goes pretty much all the way from New England to the Pacific Northwest. And Washington State and Oregon, they are slipping and sliding as ice and snow from weekend storms coat roads and highways. Parts of the Seattle area got a foot of snow.
And that's making travel by car really treacherous in some spots, so a lot of accidents reported in both states. And it is looking like a white Christmas there with another round of snow expected. It is not over. And it will take more than just an aspirin though to cure all of the headaches that the air travelers are getting today. What a mess at some of the nation's busiest airports.
Here is reporter Kyle Iboshi with our affiliate KGW at Portland International Airport in Oregon.
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KYLE IBOSHI, KGW REPORTER: Betty, as one passenger described it, it is an absolute zoo here at Portland International Airport. After two days of being closed because of a brutal snow and ice storm. This is Alaskan Airlines ticket counter and you can see the hundreds of passengers lined up. What you can't see that this line zigzags all through the terminal and the into the mall shopping area here at Portland International Airport.
Half of these customers are checking in for regularly scheduled flights, they had tickets today and were heading out for their holidays. The other half are customers who are stranded. They have been here for the past two days sleeping on the floor, on tables and chairs, and now are looking to rebook and find another flight home, or their final destination. Luckily, everybody seems to be keeping their wits about them.
It is obviously a stressful time for many of these people with the holidays and thousands of people traveling. But also now with the challenging weather and questions about whether they will get to their final destination or not. They are anxious to get onto an airline and finally be heading to their final destination.
Betty, back to you.
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NGUYEN: Well, despite all the nasty weather, a good many planes are taking off. That is the good news. You can keep track of the latest conditions, forecasts and airport delays, right here on CNN all day today and tomorrow.
Our Chad Myers is tracking all of it as well as this frigid weather really starts to trap some folks around the U.S., Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Just looking at flight explorer, Betty. We have 5,600 planes in the air sky.
NGUYEN: In the air?
MYERS: In the air, right now. And 30 of them are from Portland, Oregon.
NGUYEN: Oh, goodness.
MYERS: Yesterday, it was three. So, we are doing better than three.
NGUYEN: Yes, a little bit of progress.
MYERS: We are ten times better out of Portland right now than we were yesterday.
We call this map, "Ants on candy". The good news is the planes aren't that big or you'd never see the sun. But there are a lot of planes out there. And the planes are full and the TSA is working as hard as they can. At least we don't have the frigid, frigid air that we had yesterday, where the baggage handlers and the carousels were slow, because you just could not get the bags off of the plane. Everybody was so cold outside.
A couple of different things happening right now. We could get a icing event for Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and Louisville, and back down to like Salem, Indiana, and then all the way back into parts of Illinois.
We have snow to the north. That is OK. We can deal with the snow. And then rain to the south. That is OK. It is above 32. But in the middle, in this pink zone, it is not snowing. It is precipitating either as a sleet pellet, like a small little BB; or a raindrop that is falling down into the ground, and onto the ground, at about 28 to 30 degrees.
So therefore we are getting that frozen stuff down at the surface. Not so much of a problem during the day, but in three hours when this sun sets, every road is going to freeze all at the same time. And that is going to be a mess across parts of the roadways.
To keep up to date if you want to go to www. fly.faa.com, and you can figure out all the airport delays as well from the FAA proper.
NGUYEN: Back to those roadways. That is some really good information, because a lot of people, Chad, actually hitting the roadways today trying to avoid the Christmas Eve traffic. And like you say, some of those roads going to be ice, by the time the sun goes down. MYERS: You know, what, there is a trick that the state troopers and the police use that most people don't even know. If you see a flare on the road, at night, it doesn't mean that there was a car broken down and now the car is fixed and gone. That flare, in many locations, especially the northern half of the country, means that there is black ice out there. And you need to slow down when you see those flares are burning on the sides of the road.
NGUYEN: Yes, that is one of the biggest problems when it comes to accidents, that black ice, because you just can't see it until you are spinning on top of it.
All right, Chad, thank you for that.
MYERS: You're welcome.
NGUYEN: Listen to this story. Dallas police are looking witnesses to a series of rush-hour shootings yesterday. The apparently random spree left two people dead, another wounded. Police say that the suspect first pulled up to a car at a red light and then opened fire. He drove on, targeting the drivers of three semi-trucks just miles and minutes away. Police have mounted a manhunt and hope to get some help from store surveillance cameras in the area.
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LT. CRAIG MILLER, DALLAS POLICE HOMICIDE UNIT: Well, we know we have some potential video from where the initial shooting took place. And we have looked at that video. There is some software issues and we are trying to get that downloaded, but we have had officers who looked at that trying to determine if indeed the tan car is going to be the best potential suspect. We are continuing to work with those people in that video, and I feel confident that we will be able to look at that more in depth and have more information.
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NGUYEN: Well, the police are also looking at a robbery suspect to see if he is linked to the shootings. We understand that he led the cops on a chase last night and reportedly he tried to commit suicide during a SWAT standoff. He is listed in critical condition today.
Let's take you to Colorado, for a closer look at the burned-out Continental Airlines jet that veered off of the runway at Denver International Airport. Investigators in Washington are trying to get answers from the cockpit voice recorder.
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ROBERT SUMMWALT, NTSB: We should have some overall characterization of what was said in the cockpit. We won't have exact phrases and all, but I think that we can be able to characterize for you, in general terms, what may have been said in the cockpit of that airplane.
Our goal is to be very methodical, to do it right. Once the airplane is moved we can't go back and say, how was this switch set or something. So we want to make sure that we carefully document things.
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NGUYEN: The NTSB says so far, it doesn't appear there were any problems with the planes landing gear, tires or brakes despite earlier reports.
Reaching out or crossing the line? We are soon to hear who said what to whom about a successor to the president-elect in the U.S. Senate.
And avoiding the unemployment line in 2009. A career coach joins us live right here in the NEWSROOM with the hottest jobs in the new year.
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NGUYEN: All right. Here's the question for you today. We have been talking about this. When you look at these layoffs and these companies cutting back, would you take a pay cut to save jobs at your workplace? Would you take less money so that the person working next to you doesn't lose his or her job? Is that something you are willing to do? E-mail us at the cnnnewsroom@cnn.com, and we will read as many answers as we can.
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NGUYEN: Surf is up in Hawaii, but don't expect more than a few ripples from a report due out today from Barack Obama's transition team back in Chicago. It is going to outline the contacts between the Obama camp and the scandal ridden Illinois governor over the U.S. Senate seat Rod Blagojevich allegedly wanted to sell.
The president-elect is on holiday in the Aloha State and that is where we find Ed Henry, who is not on holiday, at least, that is what he is telling the boss.
Aloha, Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hey, don't try to disrupt that. I don't want management getting any ideas, Betty. I want you on my side here.
NGUYEN: Look, you are fooling no one, OK. No one is buying this.
HENRY: All right. All right.
Well, you may hear those choppy waters behind me. The surf is a little loud, but the Obama team, as you note, is trying to sort of calm the waters a little bit on this whole controversy about their contacts with Rod Blagojevich. Specifically, there are sort of lingering questions about whether top Obama aides, like Rahm Emanuel, had any role whatsoever in this so-called pay-to-play scandal in Illinois, the alleged auctioning off of Barack Obama's old seat in the U.S. Senate seat, specifically, this report coming out today at about 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
We have to stress it is an internal investigation by team Obama about team Obama. So, you won't be surprised to learn that in fact, Democratic officials are already telling us that this report is going to say that while there was some contact between team Obama and team Blagojevich, that there was no wrongdoing.
And that was a point reinforced by Vice President-Elect Joe Biden when he got a question today from CNN Producer Erica Dimler (ph).
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JOE BIDEN, (D) VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT: Oh, I think the -- I don't thing there is anything to exonerate. It has been clear that the president-elect has had no contact Blagojevich, and anyone who is cheating (ph), that he has asserted and you will soon find the report being released today that there has been no inappropriate contact by any member of the, the Obama staff or, or the transition team, with Blagojevich. And, I think that the report that you will see will reflect that this afternoon.
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HENRY: But again, in is an internal investigation by team Obama, so it is not going to be the final word. The final word is likely to come from the prosecutor in the case, Patrick Fitzgerald, but we need to stress that so far he has given no indication whatsoever that there was any wrongdoing, criminal or otherwise, by anyone in the president- elect's world.
So what this is more about is sort of political exposure than criminal exposure. Team Obama eager to sort of turn the page so they are not associated with the any of this pay-to-play politics in back Chicago. That would certainly contradict with the message of change that we have heard so much from Barack Obama, Betty.
NGUYEN: All right. So you are doing some work out there. I applaud that.
HENRY: Come on, I'm digging around. You know, I am standing in the sand, but -
NGUYEN: Yes, don't pan down. Don't want to see those swim shorts.
HENRY: Please don't pan down.
NGUYEN: All right, thanks, Ed. OK.
So, while the boss is away, the running mate runs the meetings. We just heard from V.P.-Elect Joe Biden; he spoke at a meeting this morning of Obama economic brain trust. And topping their agenda was a recovery package that could top $700 billion. Over the weekend, Biden told interviewers a mammoth effort is needed to keep the economy from absolutely tanking, in his words.
Well, the battle of numbers rages on in Minnesota. The Minnesota's supreme court will hear arguments today on incumbent Republican Senator Norm Coleman's challenge on the recounted votes in his race against Al Franken. Senator Coleman says about 130 ballots might have been counted twice, and about 1,600 absentee votes may have been rejected improperly. Right now, Franken is ahead by four dozen votes. This is the only unresolved Senate race left in the country.
Well, the President and Mrs. Bush are doing their part to keep help the less fortunate stay warm and dry this winter. They delivered about 150 coats to a distributed center in Washington yesterday, as part of the One Warm Coat Holiday Service Project. All of the coats were donated by the president's staff and collected at the White House. Mr. Bush says that the project is an example of how a single person, or group, can make a positive difference in the lives of others.
Well, the holiday hustle, that is what a lot of travelers are facing today as they try to get home for Christmas. Bad weather, though, is causing a lot of flight delays and cancellations. Reporter Melody Mendez, with our affiliate KOMO, joins us now from Sea-Tac International Airport, just outside of Seattle.
How are things moving there?
MELODY MENDEZ, KOMO REPORTER: Well, Betty, they are very busy. I can tell you that. Take a look down here, you can see the line of cars waiting to get up here on the departure deck here at Sea-Tac. And this busyness that we have seen all morning that is about the only similarity to what we saw yesterday. Take a look down there, you can see the line of cars extends all the way down, around the airport, people checking in, getting ready for their flights.
Now, inside Sea-Tac, well, that is a dramatically different scene from what we saw yesterday. Yesterday, we were here all morning. There were people sleeping on the airport floor and families had set up camp inside. Today, we are still seeing the huge crowds and the very long lines, but certainly much happier holiday travelers today. And that is because the flights are finally on time. They are running as scheduled.
We took a look at the flight board just a little while ago and yesterday, it was hard to find any flights running on time. Well, today, we took a look at the flight board again, and really there are only a handful of cancellations here. Now the majority of yesterday and this weekend's delays were because of Alaska and Horizon Airlines had run out of deicer. We were told those tanks have now been refilled. So, the planes are good to go.
As we said, most are on time. The problem now is the airlines need to find empty seats and they need to put those passengers; the hundreds of passengers who were stranded here and booked on canceled flights, they need to find a way to get them onto airplanes and get them where they are heading for Christmas, as you said, so they can make it on time.
That could be a very difficult thing for them to do considering how full the flights are right now, because of the holiday travel season. There are not very many empty seats, so this could prove very difficult for the airlines to do. And we will keep a track of that and keep an eye on it, throughout the coming days and hope people get home for Christmas.
Reporting live at Sea-Tac, Melody Mendez.
Betty, back to you.
NGUYEN: All right, thank you, Melody.
A lot of people hoping to get home in time for Christmas. Especially folks on Amtrak. And some of them, in fact, stranded at this hour. Here is what we have gotten from reports so far today. That about 450 Amtrak passengers have been stranded at Union Station, for about 19 hours. First, in a cold waiting room, then on a train that they are saying that had no food, water and at times no functioning restrooms.
We understand this is in Portland, Oregon, and Seattle is where these stops are supposed to be. An Amtrak spokesperson said that the company had no immediate comment, but according to passengers, and from these reports, they say that they have been told that some of the problems include engine situations and as well as a conductor not being available.
So obviously patience running very thin there with passengers stranded, trying to get on Amtrak trains. About 450, that is what is being reported at this hour. We will continue to follow that story for you. There is much more right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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NGUYEN: So, if you think the third quarter was bad, wait until the fourth. That is the bottom line of the final government report on third quarter GDP, which is the broadest and best-known gauge of economic health. The nation's gross domestic product, as it is called, has slipped .05 a percent from July through September, but almost certainly has fallen much more since. The housing market sure has not turned the corner. Sales of both new and existing homes fell again last month, and more than expected. Prices sank, again, too.
Seems like the only thing that is on the rise is the percentage of Americans who think the economy is in terrible shape. A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation finds 93 percent of us describe conditions as poor; two-thirds say very poor. But we haven't lost all hope. A majority say things will be better a year from now.
We can all hope so.
Well, today, the fate of two major banks will be sealed and two major cities will be dealt a painful blow. The takeovers of National City and Wachovia are set to be approved. Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with details on how this recession is hurting some local economies more than others.
How is it doing that, Susan?
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is really rooted in the financial sector and we have talked time and time again about how this is the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.
Today, the Buckeye and Tar Heel states, Betty, will lose two hometown banks, that have been the source of jobs and community pride. Shareholders approving PNC's takeover of National City, a Cleveland- based bank, "The Wall Street Journal" says Cleveland had been the nation's fifth-largest banking center. But after this year the City will drop out of the top ten.
And in Charlotte, today, shareholders are expected to approve Wells Fargo's takeover of Wachovia. Both takeovers will likely translated into job cuts. Wachovia employs 20,000 people in Charlotte, and National City has nearly 8,000 workers in Cleveland, Betty.
NGUYEN: Well, Susan, isn't the auto sector having a huge impact on Ohio's economy as well?
LISOVICZ: Yes, that is one of the reasons why Ohio is such a pivotal state in many ways. Ohio has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country, Betty, more than 7 percent. Ohio is GM country. Today, GM workers in more Lorraine, Ohio, that is a Dayton suburb, will punch out for the last time. The SUV plant there is closing, putting 1,000 people out of work.
And in Cleveland, American Greetings plans to increase its store closings. The card company has already announced 275 job cuts this month. American Greetings shares are at a -- they're down 35 percent, and at a 21-year low. And GM shares are down 16 percent, trading under $3 a share. This is a stock that was $29 in the last year. It has lost 90 percent of its value this year alone.
The Dow industrials off just 30 points, or a .33 of a percent. The Nasdaq is down half a percent. And Santa Claus will be ringing the closing bell, Betty. I had to bring some cheer to this update.
NGUYEN: But you make it seem like even though he's there, things are not going to get any better.
LISOVICZ: Well, I think things will be better in the new year and Santa knows that. Santa is making a special delivery to Wall Street today.
NGUYEN: Is that what this is?
LISOVICZ: Yes.
NGUYEN: Yes, well, Santa may need some extra change, as well. It is tough in these markets today with the recession and all of that.
OK, thank you, Susan.
LISOVICZ: You're welcome.
NGUYEN: So despite all this doom and gloom, Santa is there and we have more reasons for you not to worry, because amid the recession wreckage, some industries are still hiring. We have a career coach that is going to help you find the hot jobs.
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NGUYEN: Coming up on 29 past the hour. Here are some of the stories we are working on in the CNN NEWSROOM. Several cars trapped this morning -- look at this -- by a water main break outside of D.C. Rescue crews had to use a helicopter and even boats to pull people to safety. At least three people were being treated for hypothermia.
The internal report is finally coming out at 4:30 Eastern, the Obama transition team releases its review of staff contacts with Rod Blagojevich, the Illinois governor is accused of trying to sell the Senate seat that had belonged to Barack Obama.
And messy weather could hold up lots of holiday travel. Freezing rain is in the forecast for parts of the Northeast, Midwest, and South. But things have cleared a little bit in the West, and stranded buses, planes, they are starting to head out.
But dozens of New York bound AMTRAK passengers reportedly stuck in Chicago for more than 12 hours. The sky? That is not any better there either. Some of the biggest delays right now are at O'Hare International. Let's get the latest now. Our Chad Myers is keeping track of what is happening weather-wise, outside.
And we talked about it being frightful -- oh, my, goodness, look at that map behind you.
MYERS: I guess that is the good news.
NGUYEN: Is it? That they're up in the air? These planes are moving?
MYERS: Yes, at least they're moving. At least the people here are getting to where they belong.
Isn't it amazing, though? I kind of fly a lot here for CNN, but when I'm on the ground and look at the plane, I go, man, I wish I was on that plane going somewhere. And then when you're on the plane, you're looking down going, man, I can't wait to get off of this thing.
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: We're never happy, are we?
MYERS: Exactly. Snow into Buffalo and also into Pittsburgh right now. Indianapolis seeing some light freezing rain. Cincinnati the same. Some sleet mixing in at times. Louisville, you're seeing rainfall. Evansville and all the way down into northern Kentucky, this is all rain. That's why it's blue. Extreme northern Kentucky up here by Cincinnati, that's where it's sleeting and freezing rain.
This rain will move into a very cold air mass. It's pink up here because it's raining or sleeting, and somewhere between 28 and 32. So, not above freezing. And it's going to be a travel problem around I-70, probably even the 80-90 corridor as well. That will be after dark tonight.
I know there are some slick spots now, but it's that right-at- sunset moment that we're going to freeze all the bridges and the overpasses. And when something looks white, it is not dry and it is not with good traction. When it starts to turn white, especially the bridges, that's when you really start to see, even if it's water, that's when you start to see the ice form, so we'll keep watching it for you right there.
Chicago O'Hare, some planes are three-hour delayed, but most planes are about 30 minutes. Midway, about 45 -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Hey, at least it is not a ground stoppage, right?
MYERS: It is not stopped yet.
NGUYEN: Oh, don't say that, Chad.
MYERS: I don't see enough snow to make that happen.
NGUYEN: OK. Good. We'll hold on to that hope. Thank you.
MYERS: You're welcome.
NGUYEN: Well, one community thrilled to see snow. That is Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Boy, that's a beautiful sight. I-reporter Todd Jones says nearly two feet have fallen around the ski resort there, and everyone's, quote, "pretty ecstatic." I'd be, too, if I was skiing right about now. They could do without the icy roads though.
Hurting markets, long unemployment lines across the country. 2008 is coming to a close as one of the worst on record for the American economy. But it is not all gloom and doom if you are looking for work in the new year.
Here to tell us the good news, career coach Maggie Mistal joining us with a look ahead at the hot jobs of 2009. Can I just tell you how popular you are right now, especially if you have the key to finding a job in the new year?
OK, let's look at the list, because you've got quite a few of them on there. They include health care, energy, education, management and consulting. Here they are, those hot jobs of 2009.
I want to start with health care. Why hasn't this sector been impacted by the economy?
MAGGIE MISTAL, CAREER COACH: Well, think about it, Betty. We have aging baby boomers who are living longer, and that's great news. It also going to mean that they'll need health care. And they're actually close to retirement age, so this is something that's been growing and has been actually recession-proof. And in fact, health care, because the costs are rising, there are some really interesting job opportunities. You don't necessarily have to just be a physician, although that's a great job, but there's a demand for things like physician's assistants and nurse practitioners, which have much of the autonomy of physicians, but cost less for hospitals and other clinics to employ. So they're actually really growing, and the demand for the areas is not going to stop.
NGUYEN: And home health care workers, that also has to do with those baby boomers aging as well, right?
MISTAL: Yes, and not necessarily wanting to go to assisted living, but having home health care come to them. It's really about quality of life, and these are definitely careers that are growing.
NGUYEN: All right. That's one on the list. Energy, obviously this is big on Obama's list when it comes, you know, to green-collar jobs and all of that. Where are we going to see the growth in that department?
MISTAL: Well, there's still a lot to be determined here. But if you look at President-elect Obama's plan, he talks about winterizing over a million homes.
And think about it strategically. That would involve administering that program. So there would be project management, government management jobs. And then there's also the technical aspects of figuring out what technology's going to be installed, strategizing that, and then actually doing the installation and maintenance. So there's a lot of technical jobs there.
And there's a lot of talk, actually, for mechanical or auto workers to go from blue-collar to green-collar.
NGUYEN: Really?
MISTAL: So there are some really big opportunities there.
NGUYEN: Is that an easy transition? I mean, do they have the skills that will let them just move right into one of those positions?
MISTAL: Well, in all of these cases, Betty, it's not an overnight transition. At the same time, what I tell people is to focus on your strengths. And if you look at auto workers as example, obviously, they have technical expertise, and they've had to be very adaptable and learn new things in their prior careers.
So, these are definitely skills and strengths that they can take into this next career to get some training, get some support. And if the government's behind these programs, there should be government training programs as well.
NGUYEN: And speaking of training, that leads into the next category, that being education. A lot of people going back to school during a recession. MISTAL: Yes, no, absolutely. I mean, universities are -- there's college professors in demand as they have droves of students joining the ranks. Postsecondary -- I mean, secondary education, sorry, and elementary ed are also growing. I mean, math and science teachers are still needed, special education, a lot of these areas.
And one of the important things, if you're thinking about teaching, is that if you have a bachelor's degree in any area, a lot of states, because there is such demand in the inner city and in rural areas for teachers, they'll do an accelerated training program where you can actually be teaching and earning an income while you're still getting your teaching certification.
NGUYEN: Oh, really? OK. That's a good idea. The last one on the list I found kind of interesting. It's management and consulting. But during a recession, when people are scaling down, aren't these consulting positions one of the first to go?
MISTAL: Actually, they're very competitive, but they're not the first to go actually at all. Even in financial services, which being in New York obviously is one of our biggest hit industries, management consulting is still going to be in demand because companies are changing. And they need to do more with less, which means there's room for efficiency and productivity gains.
And also with all the mergers and acquisitions happening in so many industries, consultants are really the ones who help grease the wheels there and make those things happen. So it's actually, that comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
NGUYEN: So, they're the ones to blame for all the job losses? Is that what you're saying? They're finding areas where you can slim down?
MISTAL: Well, when I think of that, actually, by the way that I look at it, it's for the financial services folks out there and other business professionals.
If you don't have full-time job opportunities, don't be afraid to go out on your own and be a consultant, because companies are apt to hire you on a project basis, perhaps more so than they would be on a full-time basis right now, because they'll know they need you for a project. They're not quite sure they'll need you full-time.
NGUYEN: Gotcha. Maggie Mistal, hot jobs of 2009, they are out there. It's a matter of parlaying your skills into what is available. Thanks for your time today.
MISTAL: Thanks, Betty.
NGUYEN: So in Watsonville, California, a city-wide shutdown. Listen to this. For the next two weeks, the library, rec center, some government offices all closed. Services like recycling suspended. City employees temporarily laid off. And it is all part of a plan to close a half-million dollar budget gap. And it is catching some people there by surprise. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In light of the whole situation, and nationally speaking, it's like this -- it's a trickle-down shutdown.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Well, the closure does not affect trash, water service, the airport, emergency services or the city's parking lots.
So here's the question to you. When we look at places scaling down, entire cities scaling back, laying off people, would you in fact take a pay cut to save jobs at your workplace? Would you take a pay cut so that the person who is sitting next to you, working next to you doesn't lose his or her job?
Is that something that you're willing to do? Well, e-mail us your thoughts at cnnnewsroom@cnn.com. We're going to read as many of those answers as we can. And so far, they are very interesting. Tell us what you think.
In the meantime, though, some environmental groups are raising groups about new regulations going in as the Bush team goes out. Our energy fix team is checking out the allegations.
And, entering the challenging world of single parenthood. More and more dads are signing up with the help of surrogates.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Environmentalists are up in arms over several Bush administration regulations calling them a parting gift for industries that have been friendly to the outgoing president.
CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow has our "Energy Fix" from New York. And she joins us now.
What's this all about, Poppy?
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: A lot of controversy over this, Betty. It's not new -- nothing really about an outgoing administration pushing through so-called midnight regulations, but environmentalists say this time with the outgoing Bush administration, the potential for environmental destruction is unprecedented. Let's go through some rules here.
One new one makes it easier for coal mining to dump debris from mountaintop mining into nearby rivers and streams.
Now the White House says it's just clearing up confusion over how the waste should be handled. The EPA says there's no conflict with the Clean Water Act, but environmentalists, they disagree. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOHN WALKE, CLEAN AIR DIRECTOR, NRDC: Ever since the Reagan administration, we've protected waters against this abusive coal mining practice, and it's just in the 11th hour that the Bush administration is pushing this through.
The Clean Water Act never intended coal mining waste and debris to be into rivers and streams.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: And under this rule mountaintop miners will no longer have to maintain that 100 foot buffer between their operations and nearby waters.
The rule also allows for waste to be dumped in streams if a company, this is important, has no alternative and if it tries to preserve the health of the stream.
Now the industry the rule has been in public review for quite a while. The White House tells us quote "it's ridiculous to call it and several other environmental rules last-minute."
Still though, environmental groups are suing in federal court, Betty, to stop this rule.
NGUYEN: OK. So if that's the case, what other rules are raising some eyebrows?
HARLOW: There's a lot of them going through right now. One that really caught our attention has to do with hazardous chemical wastes.
Companies will be allowed to burn it for fuel rather than having to pay an incineration firm to destroy it. The EPA says it eliminates some unnecessary regulation and it doesn't harm people's health or the environment.
The companies could face penalties if the materials aren't destroyed.
But critics say this takes away important hazardous waste oversight. The White House says, again, these changes have received public comment and full interagency review.
It could take the Obama administration or Congress still, Betty, years to undo these rules. So interesting -- very, very controversial right now.
NGUYEN: No doubt. CNN's Poppy Harlow. As always, we do appreciate it.
I want to get you to the ever-changing dynamic about what qualifies as an American family. Surrogacy clinics say they're seeing an increase in single men wanting to be dads. For many guys, it is a costly option.
Our Carol Costello talks to some of them. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANIEL GERR, LOOKING TO BE SINGLE DAD: What? I know you want to keep walking, don't you?
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mama's boy? Forget it. Daddy's rule in Daniel Gerr's world.
GERR: Are you OK?
COSTELLO: Gerr is just one of the many single men opting to have children of their own, on their own. No mom required. It's becoming a daddy baby boom.
GERR: Having a biological child was very, very important for me. It's not for everyone, but for me, it just felt like that's -- if I was going to do it, that's what I wanted to do.
COSTELLO: That's right. Gerr's son is his. he's among a growing number of single men, gay and straight, paying women to carry their children.
And it's slowly becoming socially acceptable. Singer Ricky Martin did it; he has twins now. Clay Aiken did it, too, with no regrets telling Entertainment Tonight ...
CLAY AIKEN, SINGER: I don't have a problem with diapers. And I don't have a problem with any of that stuff, so nothing bothers me.
COSTELLO: The end result is priceless, but expensive. Men can pay well over $100,000 to fertilize a donated egg. Then to have it implanted in anther woman's womb. It sometimes takes several tries, but it's often the only way for a single man to have a child.
ADAM PERTMAN, EVAN B. DONALDSON ADOPTION INSTITUTE: In some ways, in some context, there's some suspicion. A man wants to adopt a kid by himself, you know, as there's some nefarious motive.
JEFF WALKER, SINGLE & GAY, TRIED TO ADOPT: That dress looks really pretty.
COSTELLO: Several states either ban or severely restrict adoption by gay individuals and couples.
Jeff Walker knows that. He's single and gay. He tried to adopt and failed, so he turned to surrogates. And now he has two little girls. His only worry -- the lack of a mother figure in their lives.
WALKER: It's a tough question. You know, I wonder myself. I task myself to make sure that I try to do things that I think a mother would do. I don't know because I don't have estrogen what a mother would do in certain circumstances, but, you know, I try to be more tactile, to touch more.
COSTELLO: Walker's mother and his aunts are often the girls to make sure they experience a woman's touch. As for how these children will react when they understand how they were born. All of the men say the same thing, it'll be just fine.
"HARRIS," HAD CHILD THROUGH SURGERY: I going to start telling him the truth even before he understands what the truth. So as he grows into it, that'll be the natural progression of what his life was.
COSTELLO: Harris, who is single and straight, had 21-month-old Ben through surrogacy.
HARRIS: I thought getting married was the way to go because I did want a family. But having Ben, I really do feel complete now.
COSTELLO: These dads agree the process and the often resulting exhausting task of parenthood is worth it.
GERR: I can't believe that I wondered if I should do this or not? I can't imagine not having him in my life.
COSTELLO (on-camera): Now, it is true that single parenthood is stressful especially when you're strapped for cash.
But there is no definitive study that says single dads are any worse or better parents than single moms. In other words, dads can be just as nurturing as moms.
Carol Costello, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, as always 3:00 p.m., that team. Back there working very hard on the next hour of NEWSROOM.
T.J. Holmes joins me now. What you got cooking back there, T.J.?
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Well, I am visiting, while Rick is doing his thing (INAUDIBLE) the Christmas break.
But, coming up at 3:00, Betty. I'm sure, as kids, when you do things around the house. Maybe you break something, you get in trouble, you didn't wash the dishes or whatever.
Can you imagine if your mom said to you, Betty, why don't go investigate yourself. And come back and tell me what you come up with.
NGUYEN: Oh, that's easy, I didn't do it.
HOLMES: Yes, I didn't do it. Well, that's essentially what the Obama team has been doing. The Obama team has been investigating the Obama team to see if the Obama team did anything wrong.
Got this report coming out, of course, about the contact possibly any of his aides with Blagojevich. Expecting that report at 4:30, but we're going to be talking about just the relevance of it.
I mean, we expect them to come out, and say, hey, there's no wrongdoing. So, what does that mean. Does it mean anything right now?
Also, the story out of Dallas, a scary story right now. Motorists down there terrified because of these -- what seem to be -- random shootings. At least one person -- two people dead, actually, another couple injured down there. People just -- somebody -- a man down there, according to police, just randomly shooting people on the highway. Certainly going to be talking about that and much more of course.
Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, the conversations continue. The people's newscast, coming up at 3:00.
NGUYEN: The people's newscast. I love it. Technology overload.
HOLMES: I just coined that. You all can have that when I'm gone.
NGUYEN: OK, you're going to trademark that.
So, are you up to speed on Twitter? You good?
HOLMES: Not quite. I'm -- they're trying to get me there. By the end of the week I'll be good to go.
NGUYEN: Well don't ask me because I haven't a clue.
HOLMES: I know you don't.
NGUYEN: All right, thank you, T.J.
And you thought your morning commute was a nightmare, check this out, a scene in Maryland a few hours ago after a huge water main break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: OK, take a look. This woman was one of several motorists pulled from cars trapped by swirling waters in Maryland, the result of a giant water main break this morning.
Sarah Lee of affiliate WJLA was one of the first reporters on the scene.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARAH LEE, WJLA REPORTER: What you see behind me is what is left of appropriately named River Road in Bethesda, Maryland. This is a major commuting route from the Maryland suburbs toward the Capital Beltway and into downtown Washington, D.C.
Now at one point, after a 66-inch water main burst around 8:00 this morning, water came rushing down the street at what officials estimate was about 100 million gallons of water per minute, turning this road into a raging river with about a half a dozen cars stuck.
Now if we can go to some video from earlier this morning, you will see that there was a black SUV and a smaller white car at one point when we came on the scene, as one of the first camera crews here. And we saw that there were still two women trapped inside their cars.
In the black SUV, one woman who appeared to be absolutely traumatized by this -- what was going on -- by this experience was holding a piece of paper up to the window which turned out to be a telephone number to her husband. We were able to zoom in and get the number off of that piece of paper and called her husband and were able to reassure him that there were several highly skilled rescue personnel out here working to get his wife out of that car and to safety.
After an excruciatingly long wait, watching this dramatic rescue being played out before us, we were finally able to call that husband back and make that reassuring phone call that everything was going to be OK, that she was then on dry land.
But the rescue, itself, was very, very dramatic as the woman was brought out onto a rescue, swift water rescue boat, the second woman as well. They laid prone on their stomachs, holding on as tightly as they could as the water continued to rage around them, and they were pulled by cables to the side of the road, which at that point resembled a river bank.
Now, again, eventually the woman who the husband identified as Marcia (ph) was brought onto the shore, the second woman taken as well. Both clearly appeared to us to be doing fine, obviously exposed to the elements.
And we are told in total five people were actually rescued, pulled from their cars from this water main break this morning, some actually admitted to the hospital.
Again, as you can see behind me, the water has subsided but has not been shutdown entirely, but has been lessened considerably. And in this area officials do reassure us that the water quality has not yet been compromised. But they are still monitoring the situation.
There is water service cutoff in some of the neighborhoods here, but -- and in some places the water level is significantly low. But again, they do not believe that the water quality has been compromised.
Sarah Lee, reporting in Bethesda, Maryland, for CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right. During this economic crisis, we have been reporting on the tough financial decisions making many of us crazy in fact, because a lot of us don't know what to do, lost our jobs, being laid off, all of that.
So today, we pose this question to you: Would you take a pay cut to save jobs at your workplace?
And we got an overwhelming amount of e-mails. And you know what? Most of them said yes.
Listen to this, Lisa writes, "Yes, I'd take a pay cut. Who wouldn't? Oh, yes, people who live well beyond their means."
And then this one from Sarah in Florida. She says, "I would take a pay cut to save the jobs of the hardworking individuals in my office. I most certainly would not, though, take a pay cut to preserve a job for a lazy parasite with an unearned sense of entitlement."
OK. That is kind of a maybe then I guess.
But Randal from Hawaii writes this, "Everyone would say, yes, of course, I'd take a pay cut to other. Honestly though, in their minds they are saying, heck no. Let's all just be real."
Good question today and some really great responses. Some people staying very honest with it.
Thanks for your time today. But, it is not over because the NEWSROOM continues with T.J. Holmes.
