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Hero's Welcome for US Airways Pilot; 3-D Detective; True Fashion Victim
Aired January 24, 2009 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right America's financial crisis and our school bus routes cut, orders for new textbooks cancelled. Principals pinching pennies. Money woes creating a new generation of homeless children. How can they focus on their studies when they don't have a place to lay their heads? And belt tightening making it tougher to pay for college.
A financial aide expert has priceless tips that you don't want to miss. A focus on kids and the economy this hour in the CNN NEWSROOM.
WHITFIELD: Hello again, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield and you're in the NEWSROOM.
First this hour, a hero's welcome for the man that we've come to known as Sully. The pilot who safely ditched that U.S. Airways jet liner in the Hudson River. Our Dan Simon in Capt. Chesley Sullenberger's hometown of Danville, California. Dan, has the guest of honor arrived, as of yet?
DAN RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He just arrived just seconds ago. And there was just an incredible amount of applause, as soon as he took the stage. I'm going to try to quiet down here a little bit because everybody is trying to listen to what the town mayor has to say right now but we're going to be hearing from the captain in just a little bit from now.
This will be the first time we heard from him publicly since he ditched his jetliner in the icy Hudson on January 15th. And really the outpouring of affection here in this community has been overwhelming. There are thousands and thousands of people here. I'm not sure they even expected to see this many people come out and support the pilot. But really an incredible spectacle here.
Right now, speaking on the stage is the mayor of Danville, Mayor Newell Arnerich in just a short time from now. But we're actually going to be hearing from the captain. He's expected to make some brief remarks. He's not expected to really talk about the crash, but really just thank people for the outpouring of support.
And Fred, if you look at the qualifications of this pilot, truly incredible. If you sort of scan his experience. He'd been with U.S. Airways for nearly 30 years. He spent four years flying airplanes, including seven years in the Air Force. He attended the Air Force Academy. Got the top cadet award for his airmanship excellence. Certainly, an impressive resume. They had the right guy in the cockpit when this occurred. And really when you look at some of the things on the internet, 200 dozen Facebook pages devoted to him, fan pages. And so this community out here to honor him today. We should note that originally the town wanted to put out on a parade for him. But he said he didn't want that to happen. He wanted it to be kind of a muted celebration. But it doesn't look too muted to me when you see all these people out here.
So, we're going to be hearing from the captain in just a few minutes.
WHITFIELD: The reluctant hero. All right. Dan Simon, thanks so much. Of course when Sully, Captain Sullenberger does take to the mike and begin to speak, we'll, of course, take you there live as soon as that happens here on CNN. Thanks so much.
All right. President Obama's first weekend in office is being dominated by the recession. The President met with his top economic advisers today. And he used his first radio address from the White House to talk about the economic stimulus legislation. CNN's Elaine Quijano is at the White House. So Elaine, some republicans are a bit skeptical about what they've been hearing.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That 's right. They certainly are skeptical, Fredricka. President Obama on his first weekend in office, first of all, as you noted met with top economic advisers to talk about the budget but also that massive $825 billion economic stimulus plan. It was also the focus of his first weekly address as president.
Mr. Obama on the heels of his meeting Friday with congressional leaders here at the White House said that if the United States does not act boldly and swiftly, a bad situation, in his words, could become dramatically worse. But some republicans are still skeptical, including House republican leader John Boehner. He is concerned about the spending and whether some of these projects are actually going to stimulate the economy. Well here is part of what President Obama had to say on the that front.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES: I understand the skepticism which is why this recovery plan must and will include unprecedented measures that will allow the American people to hold my administration accountable for these results. We won't just throw money in our problems. We'll invest in what works. Instead of politicians dolling out money behind a veil of secrecy, decisions about where we invest will be made public and informed by independent experts whenever possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Now in addition, the White House insists that this plan will create or save up to four million jobs over the next few years. President Obama, we should note, Fredericka, is going to be taking his case to lawmakers, meeting with Republicans on Capitol Hill in the coming days. Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Elaine Quijano, thanks so much, appreciate it.
Well, some republicans in Congress are not on board with President Obama's economic plan. House GOP leader John Boehner explained why during the republican's first weekly address since Mr. Obama took office.
(BEGIN AUDIOTAPE)
JOHN BOEHNER (R), OHIO, HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: Unfortunately the trillion-dollar spending plan authored by congressional democrats is chockfull of government programs and projects, most of which won't provide immediate relief to our ailing economy, according to the nonpartisan congressional budget office.
(END AUDIOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Republicans want tax cuts, tax credit for home buyers, and tax incentives for small businesses to expand.
All right. Well, New York's new junior senator is on a getting to know you tour of her home state. Kirsten Gillibrand kicked off her tour with a visit to the Reverend Al Sharpton's headquarters in Harlem. Gillibrand who is from upstate New York is largely unknown in New York City. And her visit is seen as part of the campaign to win over liberal democrats.
New York Governor David Paterson appointed Gillibrand yesterday to the seat vacated by Hillary Clinton, now confirmed secretary of state.
All right. With the start of his impeachment trial just two days from now, Illinois Governor Rob Blagojevich has hired a public relations firm to tell his side of the story. Blagojevich is accused of trying to sell President Barack Obama's once vacant Senate seat. And as he pushes for some good P.R., Blagojevich has also lost his lead attorney in his corruption case. Ed Gensen quit yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ED GENSEN, FORMER BLAGOJEVICH ATTORNEY: I never require clients to do what I say, but I do require them to at least listen to what I say. I believe in this case it would be better off and I intend to withdraw as counsel in this case. I wish the governor, good luck and god speed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right. You can hear the governor's own side of the story right here on CNN. They'll be talking with "Larry King Live" Monday night at 9:00 Eastern, 6:00 Pacific.
And of course, we want you to stay with us this hour as we focus on kids and the economy. Their needs pose a special challenge to the Obama administration as it grapples with the money crisis. Listen to this campaign speech given by then candidate Barack Obama.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PRES. BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES: If we want to see middle class incomes rising like they did in the 1990s, we can't afford a future where so many Americans are priced out of college. Where only 20 percent -
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: Where only 20 percent of our students are prepared to take college-level English, Math, and Science. Where millions of jobs are going unfilled because Americans don't have the skills to work them, and where barely one in 10 low-income students will ever get their college degree. That kind of future is economically untenable for America. It is morally unacceptable for our children and it is not who we are as a nation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So things you'll learn this hour. Next President Obama's education plans including no child left behind. And in five minutes from now, a spike in homeless students created by subprime mortgages. And help for parents and for students worried about the cost of college.
Believe it or not, financial aid is out there. We have insiders advice on exactly how to get it. So let's first get right to CNN's senior political analyst Bill Schneider in Washington. We're in the middle of a money crisis. Bill, what kind of education policy can we expect from the Obama administration?
BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: An expensive one. He's planning to put big money in education. It's a key part of his economic stimulus plan. He plans to devote $142 billion to education, including aid directly to local school districts and financial relief for hard-pressed states so that they will not have to cut back services to their local schools. He wants to expand early childhood education.
He has a "zero to five plan" so states can adapt universal funding for head start and early head start programs. And finally you mentioned the no child left behind law. He thinks it has significant flaws. The one that President Bush of course supported with a lot of democrats on board. He said it was never sufficiently funded and left schools with unfunded mandates and it was too narrowly focused on standardized testing. He wants to support schools that are under performing and need improvement, rather than just punish them.
WHITFIELD: And then what about this about performance pay for teachers.
SCHNEIDER: That's a bit controversial because some teachers are very critical of that. He says he wants to negotiate performance pay with teachers so they feel that they're being judged fairly and create a higher baseline for teacher pay. But he wants to reward excellence in teaching and get bad teachers out of the system. He also wants teacher service scholarship to cover four years of undergraduate education for prospective teachers. Two years of graduate education. And in return, teachers will commit to teaching in a high-need field or location.
WHITFIELD: Interesting. Equally controversial has been the whole performance pay for even students. We're seeing that already take place in some parts of the country.
SCHNEIDER: Right. Exactly.
WHITFIELD: Our Bill Schneider, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
SCHNEIDER: Sure.
WHITFIELD: Well, it is fallout from the recession and some people probably don't even think about. A record number of foreclosed homes creating a new generation of homeless children. And keeping many out of school. So one of the topics in our special look at kids and the economy will be delving more into that.
Plus, a hero's welcome for the pilot on the flight called the miracle on the Hudson finally breaking his silence. The ceremony just getting under way in his hometown. We'll take you there to listen to Captain Sully Sullenberger when he speaks to the crowd.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Jobs, houses, our sense of security. All victims of a bad economy. So this hour we're focusing on how these issues actually impact our kids. A recent report found a startling spike in the number of students left homeless in the subprime mess. Phillip Lovell is with First Focus, the national group that conducted the study. He joins us now from our Washington studio. So Mr. Lovell, just how many kids are we talking about?
PHILLIP LOVELL, FIRST FOCUS: Well, that's a good question. Back in April we had an estimate of the number of young people that would lose their homes as a result of the home foreclosure crisis. And our estimate is about two million young people will be directly impacted by the foreclosure crisis.
WHITFIELD: Wow.
LOVELL: Exactly how many of those will be homeless, we don't know but what we do know is that school districts are seeing an incredible spike in their homeless population.
WHITFIELD: OK. Let's go in that direction.
LOVELL: Sure.
WHITFIELD: Because we may not know exactly by number how many kids are left without a home, because of the subprime mortgage but we know it's happening. So these kids trying to go back to their regular schools, maybe that's the only sense of I guess stability in their lives at that point. But how in the world does a child concentrate on school, on homework, when they're either returning to a homeless shelter or they're staying somewhere else temporarily. They don't have what's considered kind of home. LOVELL: Well, that's exactly the problem. I mean these kids are facing what no kid should have to face in the midst of this horrible economy that we're facing now. You know, kids shouldn't have to face homelessness and a startling number of them are. We did a survey of school districts along with the National Association for Education of Homeless Children and Youth.
And what we found is that, first, we heard back from over 10 percent of school districts. So over 1700 school districts responded to us.
WHITFIELD: And what do they think?
LOVELL: Of those 330 school districts have already served the same number or more homeless students in just the first few months of the school year than they enrolled all of last year. That's on top off an increase the school districts saw last year.
WHITFIELD: So everyone is feeling the pinch. So you've laid out the problem. Then if you have an opportunity to speak with President Obama, who has made it very clear that education, that the upbringing of a child is paramount in his view. What do you tell him is absolutely necessary? What can the federal government do to help all of these school districts across the country.
LOVELL: A few things. First I say thank you for the stimulus package that's currently under discussion in the house and senate. There's a lot of money in there for school districts, including, really thanks to the efforts of Senators Menendez, Kennedy and Murray.
Money in there for school districts to help with the education of homeless kids. On top of that education money, though, there's really a gap in the pending legislation. There really is not enough money in there to deal directly with the spike in homelessness that the kids are facing.
WHITFIELD: So what is the solution? You know, what - I mean, we all need to be solution-driven. And we heard that from President Obama actually during his inaugural speech, which is everyone can play a part. So how does everyone play a part in this situation? Because there is a ripple effect. It is impacting everyone in some capacity. What do we all need to be doing to try and ensure some sort of stability for young people?
LOVELL: Sure. First the federal role. One thing that the federal government can do is provide more (inaudible). They can provide an infusion of funding to the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund so there can actually be more affordable housing for families who are low income. Secondly, schools can do as much as they can to identify young people who are experiencing homelessness. Make sure that they stay in their schools if it's in their best interest to do so.
WHITFIELD: And that's going to be tough to do. Because a lot of kids may be a little embarrassed or parents too. They don't want to raise the flag and say oh and here's another thing. We don't have a home right now. LOVELL: Exactly. But you know, school districts often have trained staff that are there to identify the young people, provide them with the support they need to so they can stay in school. And parents need to know that they're not alone in the situation. It's OK to ask for help. And if they do so, their kids could be a lot better off.
WHITFIELD: All right. Phillip Lovell, thanks so much, with the First Focus. We're going to try to have you back within this hour as we continue to talk about the economy and children, how it's impacting kids in so many different ways. Education is one. Thanks so much. Appreciate it.
LOVELL: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: And college tuition still under the umbrella of education. But college tuition and financial aid that too being directly impacted. But yes, there is still some money out there, say some. It's tough to find, but our expert does know some of the secrets to share with you.
Plus the man that many say President Obama should talk to when it comes to improving inner city schools.
This is pictures right now of the homecoming celebration in Danville, California. A hero's welcome. For the man they're calling the hero on the Hudson. We're awaiting Captain Sullenberger to take to the microphone and speak. We'll take you there live.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And I'm CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras. This is (inaudible) delight across parts of the west, also arctic air up to the north. Find out what happens when the two get together. Not a good forecast. We'll let you know. Coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES: ... a million dollar short of its full capacity which translates into more than $12,000 in lost income for a family of four. We could lose a generation of potentials as more young Americans are forced to forego college dreams or the chance to train for the jobs of the future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right, we're talking about how to help our these kids and the economy. When money is as tight as it is right now, how do we actually continue to educate our children? Child advocate, Phillip Lovell is in Washington. He's joining us again. And Robert Smith is a superintendent of schools in Arlington, Virginia. The "Washington Post" says that this is the person that President Obama should be listening to.
If anything, he needs to be giving you a call. Right, Mr. Smith? We know the Arlington School district is very diverse. You got a little bit of everything going on in terms of lifestyles. But what is it in particular you want to hear from the president to help out your school district and others just like yours?
ROBERT SMITH, SUPERINTEDENT, ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA: I think it's a very important that the revised legislation for no child left behind provides sufficient support particularly for school districts that have large concentrations of students who are experiencing difficulty in learning and struggling. And it's also important that he follow up on the line that he's adopted previously, which suggests that we've had too much emphasize on standardized test scores and too little emphasis on supporting schools that are struggling. And I believe that's very important.
WHITFIELD: And what are you seeing in the student body right now. What are you noticing or is there something very noticeable about the changes in behavior, the performance of kids, particularly in this past year when we have seen a remarkable number of jobs lost. People have lost their homes. How does that translate into the behavior of the young people?
SMITH: Well, I have to tell you that we have been relatively resistant to the effects of recession. But even in our situation, we're seeing increasing numbers of families experiencing stress because of loss of jobs. We're seeing some up tick in both homelessness and reduced and free lunch rates.
I was just talking to a principal recently who indicated that some families who have been fairly high-powered families with large salaries have been unemployed for some time. And that creates stress on the job. And then among other families less well off, increasing number of students who need assistance in just participating things such as field trips.
WHITFIELD: And so, Mr. Smith, you say, you know, you're relatively resistant to the recession mostly because we're talking about the proximity of Arlington to the nation's capitol. A lot of federal jobs we're not seeing necessarily a shrinking government. People are not being laid off in the public sector as we have seen in the private sector. Is that why?
SMITH: Well, certainly not to the extent that we've seen in some of our other communities. We're also very, very fortunate in the Arlington county to have a very balanced real estate base. And we haven't seen as much decline in property values as have other communities. That could come.
WHITFIELD: All right. So Mr. Lovell, let me bring you back into this. Talk to me about what we end up witnessing or seeing in children, the behavioral difference, if there's anything in your studies across the country that you've noticed about the particular vulnerabilities of a lot of these young people. Are you still there, Mr. Lovell?
All right. Looks like he can't hear us very well. We can see you, obviously you can't hear us. We're going to try to work that out. So Mr. Smith, back one more time. When we look at this administration to promote some sort of solution, what's the timeline that you're looking for? Do you need a real injection into public school systems in a matter of months? Or can it afford to wait a year or two? Because we know things on this scale don't always happen overnight.
SMITH: I don't think we can afford to wait even until the end of this school year. We have school districts in the state of Virginia, and I'm sure it's true across the country, who need money right now, need assistance right now. We're looking forward to a year next year in which many school districts are talking about actually cutting back on salaries. Almost all of us are talking about cutting back on staff.
WHITFIELD: What about this whole performance pay? You know the incentive for teachers performing particularly well. Do you like the idea?
SMITH: Actually, I do. The problem is defining performance. And finding a fair way to measure it. We've turned toward knowledge, skills, and performances measured by teachers, expression of their talents through a portfolio that's judged by colleagues. National board certification is one form of that. And we're great supporters of that as well. So we believe it's important to recognize performance, knowledge, skills, teachers who do well with students. We don't believe that it's possible to have a fair system that's based upon test scores. The variability is just too great.
WHITFIELD: Arlington, Virginia school superintendent Robert Smith, thanks so much for your time. And Phillip Lovell also from First Focus, even though we didn't get a chance to hear from him this second go-round. But thanks to both of you for your input.
SMITH: You're welcome.
WHTI We're not done with this entire topic. We're going to talk about financial aid. Because a lot of young people who want to go to college are feeling a little bit reluctant about that possibility happening. But there is still financial aid out there. And we have an expert who will be joining us to help you navigate where to find some financial assistance.
All right. Meantime, other stories we're following now across the world. Part of a sports center collapsed in high winds in northern Spain today. Four children were killed. The storm is being blamed for six other deaths across Spain and France.
A top Brazilian model has died from a rare drug-resistant bacterial infection. Miss World finalist Mariana Bridi's illness began as an ordinary urinary tract infection. But her condition rapidly deteriorate, doctors had actually amputated her hands and her feet earlier this week in an attempt to actually save her life.
And in this country, a hometown hero. That man right there. The town of Danville, California, welcoming back Captain Chesley Sullenberger. Celebrations under way right now for the U.S. Airways pilot who safely ditched a crippled jetliner on New York's Hudson River.
And a close call in central Oklahoma, a wildfire burned right up to the home, right near Oklahoma City. Firefighters managed to put out the flames before the house was actually damaged. Another fire nearby burned along the busy interstate, bringing traffic to a standstill. Witnesses say a crash actually sparked that fire.
Jacqui Jeras is in the weather center. I learned something from you. I want to learn something from you all the time. This time here I was thinking winter, you know, how in the world could you spark a fire? Because there's moisture in the air. But you told me, no, it's actually a lot less.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: All right. This is Danville, California. And this is the wife of Captain Sullenberger, who we've been telling you how it's a hero's welcome for him.
Well, let's listen a little bit to what she has to say.
LORRIE SULLENBERGER, WIFE OF PILOT: I seem to have this uncontrollable problem with my tears lately. So I'm so sorry.
To say that we are completely overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and love and cards, there are no words that we can express to say thank you to all of you.
I want to thank you all for coming today. We were breathtaken (ph) when we walked around the corner and saw all of your faces. It really took my breath away, for both of us, I know.
We were thrilled to come home to Danville. I have to say, we love Danville.
(APPLAUSE)
We moved here 13 years ago, and we have said almost weekly since then, we are so privileged to live in such a community that's so beautiful, with our wonderful family and friends. And we've enjoyed the years with Easter egg hunts and the parade in Danville and the tree lighting. And we absolutely love it here. And it felt so great to come home the other day to such a safe place.
I also want to take a quick moment to just thank all the friends who helped can telephone calls, with carpooling, with helping our lives stay somewhat normal during this time. I want to say a thank you to our neighbors for the craziness that went on our block for the week. So I apologize and thank them for their patience.
People have said a lot of things about my husband in the last couple of days, so my comment will be brief. And this is where I cry.
I knew when I married Sully the one thing for sure was that he was the most honorable man I knew. I've always known him to be an exemplary pilot. I knew what the outcome would be that day, because I knew my husband. But mostly for me, he's a man that makes my cup of tea every morning.
I would like you to meet my husband, Sully.
(APPLAUSE) AUDIENCE: Sully! Sully! Sully! Sully!
CHESLEY SULLENBERGER, PILOT: Lorrie and I are grateful for your incredible outpouring of support. It's great to be home in Danville with our neighbors and our friends.
Circumstance determined that it was this experienced crew that was scheduled to fly that particular flight on that particular day. But I know I can speak for the entire crew when I tell you we were simply doing the jobs we were trained to do.
Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, we said he was a reluctant hero. Captain Sully Sullenberger keeping it very quick there in this huge hero's welcome there in Danville, California, for him.
It's the first time that any of us have heard from the captain, and the first time we've seen him since the investigation released him after the US Airways made that splash-landing on the Hudson River.
Our Dan Simon is there.
And Dan, Captain Sully's wife Lorrie had a lot more to say than the captain did. But you made it very clear earlier that he really didn't want a whole big deal made out of him.
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As he just said, "We were simply doing the jobs that we were supposed to do."
This is a remarkable event here attended by thousands of people in the Danville community. It was quite extraordinary to see the police chief and the fire chief each give Captain Sullenberger some medals. We saw the mayor here present the captain with an American flag that had flown over the capitol.
And you can just imagine really what it's been like over the past several days for the pilot, going from this obscure pilot, who had been doing his job all these years, to being hailed as a hero, then being invited to Barack Obama's inauguration. Then coming home to the festivities here.
It just has to be an incredible whirlwind that he's been going through. And of course, obviously, his remarks were brief today. But I would expect in the days to come we'll be hearing a lot more from the pilot about the actions that he took.
WHITFIELD: Well, short and sweet. But you know, his wife had said early on, Lorrie Sullenberger did, early on, immediately after that splash landing that, you know what, he's a pilot's pilot. So clearly he's just focused on the job at hand. He's not looking for a particular pat on the back, even though everyone wants to give him a big old bear hug for all that he did. He and the rest of the crew, pretty fantastic, all of them. What was it, 155 people on board including the crew, Dan, who all managed to escape unscathed?
SIMON: That's right. And the mayor noted that there were 155 reasons to have this celebration today. Of course, Mrs. Sullenberger said that he's a pilot's pilot, but you also heard her say that he makes her tea in the morning.
WHITFIELD: I love that.
SIMON: And so you can tell...
WHITFIELD: That's the quote of the day.
SIMON: Yes, you can tell -- no question about it, you can tell that they are a very, very close couple, and obviously deeply honored by the outpouring of support here.
WHITFIELD: So sweet. I think there's a double entendre on that -- he's her cup of tea, and he makes her cup of tea every day.
All right. Dan Simon, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
All right. Much more straight ahead in the NEWSROOM right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: I guess it can't be said enough, what a historic day in Washington when Barack Obama was sworn in as the nation's 44th president. So if you were there, somewhere in the crowd, you can actually go online to find yourself.
Our Josh Levs is here to show us how to do it.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right, Fred, let's just tell everyone, we are really psyched for this thing.
WHITFIELD: Yes. It is the coolest thing.
LEVS: This is so cool. I'm...
WHITFIELD: I don't know a better word.
LEVS: So Fred was among those in the crowd. You're about to be able to close in on her. I mean, this is incredible. Let's just go in on it, because I don't want to keep telling you before we actually show...
WHITFIELD: Did you find it? Because I did find it earlier.
LEVS: Check it out, Gigapan.org. You know it's going around right now, Gigapan.org.
So you start off with this broad image of what it looks like; right? Well, watch what happens here. You can control it. So let's say we want to zoom in first on where this ceremony itself was taking place. When you get in, you end up getting a crystal clear picture of every person there, no matter where.
WHITFIELD: It's amazing.
LEVS: It's astounding. I mean, you can see it. And here's Barack Obama over here taking the oath, or giving a speech at that point. It's unbelievable.
Now, take a look at this. I'm going to show you, Fred. There you are.
WHITFIELD: Oh, you did find me. Yes.
LEVS: See, we -- right? That's you, right?
WHITFIELD: I'm using my binoculars. See, now we were only 100 feet away...
LEVS: And there's your dad.
WHITFIELD: ... but I wanted to see people's pores in their skin.
LEVS: Now, I want to show people how we got there, so I'm just going to zoom out.
WHITFIELD: And there's dad and my husband, John.
LEVS: We understood the general area that Fred was sitting in, so we kind of just used this to move around the entire crowd, anyone you want to see.
WHITFIELD: Isn't this crazy?
LEVS: Pick any area, wherever you were, wherever your friends were, zoom in, Gigapan.org. You get a crystal clear image of hundreds of thousands of people. I've never seen anything like this.
WHITFIELD: I haven't either. What an incredible invention.
LEVS: Yes, I know. We're going to keep playing with this all night. We'll tell you more about it tomorrow when we figure out the science to how this actually works.
WHITFIELD: Oh, no. I think you did a great job of figuring that one out very quickly.
LEVS: Click, click, click. That's how it works.
WHITFIELD: It's neat. Thanks. That was a lot of fun.
LEVS: Thanks, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, Josh. Appreciate it.
LEVS: You got it.
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, the presidential inauguration, you know, when Barack Obama was there, well, our producer Eddie Williams said he had to be there, too. He was working, but from the swearing in to the inaugural parties, he got an inside view of everything, up close and personal. And he's quite the photographer, too.
You'll be a little impressed. Maybe a lot impressed.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You may have seen it first on NBC's "Law and Order SVU."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, "LAW AND ORDER SVU": The lasers are capturing every detail in 3-D.
FEYERICK: But this 3-D laser scanner is no Hollywood prop. At least not in the hands of law enforcement agencies like the California Highway Patrol.
LT. DAVE FOX, CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL: It's enabled us to do our job in a more efficient way. We're able to collect more data. It's helped us to open our roadways faster.
FEYERICK: In complex investigations like this tragic tunnel collision involving dozens of vehicles, no critical evidence is overlooked.
SGT. DON KAROL, CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL: The tunnel was full of molten metal and debris everywhere. The scanner allowed us to be able to collect accurately the positions of all the vehicles. We were able to establish diagrams and three-dimensional models that we wouldn't have been able to do without the scanner.
FEYERICK: That's because the scene is scanned with laser precision, and line by line, millions of points of data measurements are recorded. In mere minutes, a three-dimensional perspective emerges.
DEPUTY STEVE TILLMANN, L.A. COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPT.: Picking up things that you don't even think about or that may have some bearing on the case down the road.
FEYERICK: And down the road in the courtroom, the ability to reconstruct and virtually revisit the scene of the crime may help jurors separate fact from fiction.
Deborah Feyerick, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Besides the president and past presidents at the inauguration, there were political stars, there were Hollywood stars, and then there were hordes of media people, including our own star producer, Eddie Williams.
He was there in the thick of things. He was working. He was working the crowd. He's a photographer extraordinaire.
What happened with your experience, Eddie?
EDDIE WILLIAMS III, CNN PRODUCER: You have, let's see, about a minute and 30 left in this segment. What do you want to know?
WHITFIELD: I want to know about the functions that you went to. You shot pictures, particularly at the 101 Black Men event. Why? Why was that so important?
WILLIAMS: Mike, can you show the video of 100 Black Men's inaugural reception here? This was one of the reasons that I went up there,. was to cover the 100 Black Men's inaugural reception, because back in -- I believe it was in January, T.J. Holmes and I went to cover the Democratic National Convention debate when it was down to three candidates. And they were one of the cosponsors of it, so it was real interesting to kind of wrap the story up, as you know we like to do in this business.
WHITFIELD: We like to do a full circle.
WILLIAMS: Exactly. And we had a great time.
There was a star-studded event. And as you can imagine, there was a lot of jubilation, although they do not endorse candidates, but, of course, they were elated about the historical aspects of the event. And that's why we were there.
WHITFIELD: Yes. And you don't endorse candidates either.
WILLIAMS: No, not at all.
WHITFIELD: You were there strictly as a working journalist. You know, there were journalists from all over the world.
WILLIAMS: Yes.
WHITFIELD: And everyone prided themselves with the moment and the pictures captured. We saw just hours...
WILLIAMS: You have one minute left, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: ... after the event. You're not going to be this fast. We saw hours of the event.
WILLIAMS: Right.
WHITFIELD: Only "The Washington Post" among those who came out with...
(CROSSTALK)
WILLIAMS: Right. Yes. This was incredible. Let me show you this. Let me show you this.
Right after -- take a look at this. This was the cover -- and naturally, you know I'm going to buy a newspaper.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
WILLIAMS: This was the first cover right after the event at about 6:00, six hours after the event. They did this cover and made a special inaugural addition. Then right after that, the next day, they changed the cover and put this cover on "The Washington Post."
WHITFIELD: Yes.
WILLIAMS: And, man, it was hard. It took us literally two, three days to get copies. And I promised a bunch of people that I would bring them copies back.
So me and my friend Ed Sergeant (ph), who is up there, we went through like three or four different stores over three days to get just 10 or 12 copies. They were just selling like hotcakes.
WHITFIELD: Wow. Well, it is remarkable how "The Washington Post" came out with that commemorative -- or the inaugural addition, really just hours after the swearing in.
WILLIAMS: Right. Absolutely.
You know, this one actually captures the moment. His hand, his bare hand, ungloved hands, on the bible, actually becoming the president of the United States. It was incredible.
WHITFIELD: Yes. Well, that was the moment captured in so many different ways.
WILLIAMS: Yes. And this is your favorite here; right?
WHITFIELD: I didn't say that, but I do like it.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: All these pictures were fantastic.
WILLIAMS: Yes, right. All right.
WHITFIELD: I don't think there was a bad one.
The minute's up, Eddie.
WILLIAMS: Yes, the minute's up.
WHITFIELD: You did good.
WILLIAMS: Thank you very much. Oh, one last thing, Fredricka.
When we were both up there, I text you e-mails. I was trying to catch up with you so you could take me to some of those inaugural balls you went to.
WHITFIELD: You did not. I didn't do any balls.
WILLIAMS: You did not call me back.
WHITFIELD: I didn't do any balls.
WILLIAMS: What happened?
WHITFIELD: I don't remember the text or the...
WILLIAMS: Thank you. Wrap. We need you to wrap. Fredricka, wrap.
WHITFIELD: None of that. Yes, enough already. Bye-bye.
WILLIAMS: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Hey -- all right.
Much more of the NEWSROOM straight ahead with Don Lemon. He was there, too, in the thick of things covering the inauguration, as well as everything else that followed.
Don, what do you have for us.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: OK. So Eddie, who is producing the show, Eddie, you just took some of my tease time, buddy. Are you going to give it back to me?
Did he bring you anything, Fred? Because look, I brought you back some candy bars here.
WHITFIELD: Oh, you're so sweet.
LEMON: This is the official inauguration candy bar. So...
WHITFIELD: Oh, really? I didn't see that.
LEMON: Yes, I got you one. And I also have this. It was very interesting to see what they were doing. Actually, the hotel left this in our room, Fred. And you can see Barack Obama's shoes on the back, worn from the election.
WHITFIELD: Oh. And you know, Michelle Obama had made comments about that early on, that, you know, it's difficult for him to get him to shop or get new clothes.
LEMON: Yes.
WHITFIELD: And she said, you know what? He's got holes in the bottom of his shoes.
LEMON: Yes.
WHITFIELD: But I guess that speaks for a very practical man.
LEMON: All right. I'm being told to move on by the same person who took all my time.
WHITFIELD: Eddie.
LEMON: But this is the official inauguration. Everyone is laughing. Yes, there's the program right there.
So let me tell you what we're going to have coming up.
It was an amazing week that I spent in Washington, Fred, covering the historic inauguration of President Barack Obama. And what a week it was. And he seems to have hit the ground running.
We're going to catch up on all the president's actions this first week, including the latest on the economy. He's meeting with advisers now.
First Lady Michelle Obama seems to be the new "it" girl. I hate to say that. It seems disrespectful. But it does seem that way. There's much, much more to this woman than just a beautiful face and, of course, some fancy clothes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was really amazing. And all the students at Ron Clark Academy, we tried to do our best to make Atlanta proud. And so we hope we did you good!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Ron Clark, those kids, the students there, a trip of a lifetime for them. We will take you on their journey and catch up with them, see how they're doing now.
And as always, we want you to be part of the conversation on the show. Join the community. Make sure you log on to Twitter, to Facebook, MySpace, or ireport.com. Tell us what you're thinking and we'll get your responses on the air.
We are live tonight, 5:00 p.m. And then at 6:00, a new "SITUATION ROOM," Fred, with Wolf Blitzer.
WHITFIELD: Good lord.
LEMON: And then 7:00 p.m. and then 11:00 p.m., live tonight in the NEWSROOM.
WHITFIELD: I am laughing, Don...
LEMON: I'm here, Eddie, talking...
WHITFIELD: ... because I know everyone is screaming, "30 seconds, 15 seconds!"
LEMON: Wrap!
WHITFIELD: It just goes on and on. LEMON: Here's your candy. Come get it. Come get it.
WHITFIELD: But we can't get enough of our Don Lemon. So we appreciate it.
LEMON: I love you, too.
WHITFIELD: We'll watch more of you.
All right. Thanks so much, Don.
All right. Well, you may like the way they look. Those things, right there. But doctors -- I'm talking about the handbags. But doctors say, you know what, it could be hurting your back. Lighten up the load, ladies.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Fashionable big bags, you may like the way they look, ladies, but doctors don't like what they're doing to your back.
CNN Medical Correspondent Judy Fortin reports on painful purses in today's "Help for Her."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JUDY FORTIN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fashionistas, beware. Those new, trendy, super-sized purses may be hurting something more than just your wallet. They might be taking a toll on your body.
DR. SPERO KARAS, ASST. PROF. ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY, EMORY UNIV.: What happens when you load your shoulder with a heavy handbag is that the weight of the bag will depress one shoulder. And when the shoulder's depressed, your body's natural compensation will be to hike that shoulder up. Hiking the shoulder now changes the tilt of the spine, so whether the spine being straight and erect, now we have got a spine that's angled.
FORTIN: And putting that spine at an angle might cause your body to react in a variety of ways you might not want.
KARAS: Trying to hold that bag up, it results in a spasm and spinal malalignment.
FORTIN: But how do you get that look without also getting that pain?
KARAS: It's important to take a look at your bag and decide what's really important. Things like extra keys, coins, extra makeup and things like that that maybe are unnecessary. Also, you can wear your shoulder bag across your body, and that helps distribute the weight a little bit more evenly.
FORTIN: And men aren't immune to the dangers of bulky baggage. KARAS: We can't forget about the fellows. Wallet, sciatica. Imagine sitting on a three-inch rock, which really you can compare your wallet to.
Again, what happens is your hips are maligned. And then as your body compensates to tilt your pelvis and bring the pelvis in alignment, those abnormal forces are transmitted up the spine and can also cause problems with the lower back and the spine.
FORTIN: In the end, when it comes to carrying all your stuff, where your body is concerned, less really is more.
Judy Fortin, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. I'll see you again tomorrow.
The next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM begins right now with the "DL." That would be Don Lemon.
