Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Welcome Home for US Airways Pilot; Curing the Economy; The First Week

Aired January 24, 2009 - 17:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hometown hero. The man who steered dozens of lives to safety in the icy waters of the Hudson River, well, he's getting a warm homecoming. And it's happening right now.

Behind closed doors. No time off for the president, especially when the economy needs some fixing, and needs it fast. He and his advisers huddling this weekend.

And exploiting grief. Who is trying to cash in on the death of John Travolta's son?

Untimely death. A supermodel struck down in her prime. A rare and predatory disease that no one has heard about until now.

Well, it has been a warm and rousing welcome home this afternoon for the pilot who landed that US Airways jet in the Hudson River. Sully Sullenberger was at the controls when Flight 1549 made this emergency landing in the Hudson last week. Remember that? Well, as you know, all 155 people on board that plain survived.

Well, today, Sullenberger and the family are the toast of Danville, California. And that's where Dan Simon is standing by right now to tell us about the hero's welcome that he got in his hometown.

Hi, Dan.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Don. How's it going?

Here in Danville, California, and you can see things wrapping up behind me. Still a number of people here.

Thousands and thousands of people who live in the community came our here to give the pilot a hero's welcome. Perhaps you can see this sign behind me. It says, "Danville Welcomes Our Hometown Hero."

And as you know, Captain Sullenberger attended the inauguration Tuesday in Washington, but this is really the first time the public has really got a chance to see him, and, of course, hear from him. He has sort of been under a gag order from the Pilots Union and hasn't really been able to talk about what happened. But just a short time ago, Captain Sullenberger took the stage and said thank you to the crowd who came here to support him.

Take a look.

Well, apparently we are missing that piece of sound, but Captain Sullenberger made some very brief remarks, really to thank the crowd here, the outpouring of affection that people have here for this community for him. And apparently we do have that sound now. So let's take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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 on 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)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON: "Simply doing the jobs we were trained to do." Obviously brief remarks the from the captain. I suspect we'll be hearing more from him in the days to come.

We should note that the captain only agreed to participate if this were sort of a muted celebration. Originally, the town wanted to throw a parade for the captain on Main Street. Instead, this is what they got. It wasn't so muted because you had all these people who came to really say thank you to the captain, thank him for saving all of those lives.

And of course, Don, we're going to have a lot more coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM. And we're also going to be hearing from the crowd, people here who chanted, who held up signs. Really just an amazing outpouring of support for this captain.

Back to you, Don.

LEMON: Hey, you know what? We haven't heard a lot, Dan, about the co-pilot in all of this. Why is that? Did he mention the copilot at all in his speech?

SIMON: You know, he mentioned the crew, and certainly his wife mentioned the crew. But you're right, haven't heard a lot from the copilot. And, of course, as I mentioned earlier, the whole crew really has been sort of -- they're not allowed to talk about the crash itself. But we want to hear from the flight attendants, we want to hear from the copilot, and of course we want to hear more from the captain himself about the extraordinary actions that they took there on January 15th.

LEMON: Dan, I'm just looking at some of the wires here, because, you know, we need to pay tribute to him as well. And his name is Jeff Skiles. And as we're understanding, Governor Jim Doyle of Oregon offered him a commendation, a formal commendation for his accomplishments as well. So best of luck to both of them. And we congratulate them.

And thank you so much, Dan Simon.

Well, we just saw all those pictures on the Mall in Washington, all those crowds during Barack Obama's inauguration. And we want to go to Washington now, where the new president is focused on what else? The economy, of course.

It was the subject of his first radio and Internet address as president. And Mr. Obama, President Obama, held a meeting this morning with his top economic advisers.

We want to check in now with Elaine Quijano, standing by in front of the White House on a very windy day, it looks like, in Washington, Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It is windy.

You're absolutely right, though. President Obama, on his first weekend in office, sat down with his top members of his economic team to talk about that massive $825 billion economic recovery plan. As you noted as well, that plan was also the focus of the president's first weekly address to the nation.

Now, on the heels of that meeting Friday with congressional leaders here at the White House to talk about the economy, the president said that if the United States does not act boldly and swiftly, a bad economic situation could, in his words, get dramatically worse. But some Republicans are still skeptical, including House Republican Leader John Boehner. He is concerned about the massive price tag and whether some of these costly projects will actually stimulate the economy.

Here's what the president had to say about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK H. OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I understand that 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 at 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. We should also note, Don, that in the coming days, President Obama is scheduled to head to Capitol Hill to try to press his case with skeptical Republicans -- Don.

LEMON: Elaine Quijano, thank you very much. We're going to continue our conversation about John Boehner in just a second, because President Obama has had a whirlwind beginning to his term in office. And it has been nonstop, nonstop since Tuesday's swearing in.

I talked about that with CNN's political editor, Mark Preston, who also spoke with John Boehner.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: So Mark, you know, it's been a pretty interesting week. Of course, the inauguration was really the centerpiece of it, but a lot has happened. Barack Obama has had to get to work, and do it fast.

Run it down for us.

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, he absolutely has, Don. He did hit the ground running.

He signed a slew of executive orders. One that would allow U.S. money to be sent overseas for abortion providers, that they could actually use it. It had been rescinded by George Bush.

He also has put in some pretty tough lobbying restrictions on people who work within his White House. And probably the biggest one is he is closing down Guantanamo Bay. That is, of course, where we keep the terrorist combatants.

LEMON: Conservatives are really upset about the abortion issue. But also even with this ethics reform, his own secretary of -- is it undersecretary of defense?

PRESTON: His undersecretary of defense. I mean, this is one of the speed bumps that he has run into.

Barack Obama has talked a lot about not having a revolving door here in Washington, not having lobbyists come in to his administration who perhaps could be influenced to help their former employers. However, in this one case, his undersecretary of defense has been given a waiver, which has certainly infuriated some Republicans on Capitol Hill.

LEMON: It hasn't all been smooth. I mean, we had the oath of office, which really, you know, wasn't his fault. And then later there was sort of a gaffe there, but then later he had to take it twice. Not the first president to do that, but that was a little bit of a gaffe.

PRESTON: It was a little bit of a gaffe. But you know what the really big problem in that was? Is that he infuriated the media.

He only allowed a handful of reporters in. And guess who was not allowed in? Television.

LEMON: Yes, in this age of information.

Timothy Geithner, he was -- it's been delayed. But Hillary Clinton delayed a little bit. Finally, by the end of the week, she was sworn in or accepted, or what have you. By why the delay with Geithner?

PRESTON: Well, ,you know, of course, there was still some concern over his tax issues. And Republicans on Capitol Hill in the Finance Committee had asked for delay. He was voted out of committee at the end of this week. And he would be voted on next week.

Expect him to be -- he'll make it through the Senate. He'll be the new treasury secretary. He just didn't get there as fast.

LEMON: So, the economy on everybody's mind, especially the American people. And the president met with congressional leaders this week to talk about that. And then right after that, Republican leaders. You sat down with a Republican leader who had something to say to you.

PRESTON: Yes, absolutely, Don. You know, I sat down with John Boehner. He was at the White House on Friday. They were talking the stimulus plan. He said that the talk went well.

But he also said -- I guess what was on my mind, can you work with President Obama? And this is what he said to me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R), MINORITY LEADER: The country needs for the president to succeed, and for the president to succeed, Congress needs to work with him. And I think that we need to continue to work together to try to resolve issues that the American people expect their government to resolve.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Do you believe him?

PRESTON: I think John Boehner realizes that he is going to have to work with Barack Obama on some issues, but he won't be with him there on everything.

LEMON: Not a traditional interview, Mark.

PRESTON: No, it was an interview that I did on Friday. It was a live interview that appeared on CNN.com, live. It was in conjunction with the social news site called digg.com.

And I asked Mr. Boehner why he decided to come on and talk to me. And you know something? He has a lot in common with you, Don. He understands the need to embrace new technology.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOEHNER: The new social media technologies allow us to communicate with more of our constituents and more of our supporters directly. And so I think it's important for us to use these new tools, to go talk to younger voters around the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, so he likes the social networking like we kids do.

PRESTON: Well, Don, he likes to Twitter. And you know something? Perhaps you and him can have a conversation.

LEMON: He likes to Twitter. So maybe he'll follow us on Twitter.

PRESTON: I think he probably already does.

LEMON: Twitter.com/donlemoncnn. Mr. Boehner, we would love to get a comment from you in this broadcast, if you'd like.

Mark, thank you very much.

The economy, the economy next week.

PRESTON: The economy, the economy. I mean, that's issue #1.

LEMON: Mark Preston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And to look for more of that full interview, go to CNN.com and look for Mark Preston.

Also, we want to know what's on your mind tonight.

And John Boehner, if you're watching, if you want to weigh in, log on to Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or iReport.com.

Tell us what you're thinking. We'll get some of your responses on the air.

And tonight at 11:00 p.m. Eastern, we'll go in depth on President Obama's inauguration speech. What did he mean by that? We're going to break it down for you.

What are the policy implications here? What are the timetables, if any, in his speech?

We'll break it down for you tonight, 11:00 p.m. Eastern, only here on CNN.

Meantime, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is launching a PR defensive to defend his reputation just as his attorney has announced he is resigning. Blagojevich has hired a PR firm, and he's scheduled Monday appearances on several network TV shows, including our very own "LARRY KING LIVE" at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

Meantime, Chicago defense lawyer Ed Genson says he is quitting. Genson says he never requires a client to do what he says, but "I do require them to at least listen to what I say."

The governor's impeachment trial gets started Monday in the Illinois State Senate. And Blagojevich was arrested last month, just to remind you, on charges he tried to sell President Obama's vacant Senate seat. By the way, the lawyer wishes the governor good luck -- and this is a quote -- "Good luck and Godspeed."

Also tonight, a top young model dies from a bizarre bacterial infection. And no one seems to know why.

Also, if the death of John Travolta's son wasn't shocking enough, now we're hearing of an extortion plot involving his death. You won't believe this one.

And the movie "Slumdog Millionaire" shines a spotlight on Mumbai's notorious ghettos, but what is life really like there?

We'll meet one young man who's no millionaire, but he definitely, definitely has dogged persistence.

We're back in seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A Brazilian fashion model is dead from a little-known disease. Mariana Bridi was a young healthy woman just weeks ago, seemingly on her way to fame and fortune. What apparently started as a common urinary tract infection developed into something far, far worse, something resistant to drugs. Now, Bridi's health declined rapidly and doctors amputated her hands and her feet and removed both kidneys and part of her stomach in a desperate attempt to try to save her life.

Well, she died today at the age of 20.

In Miami right now, police are searching for at least one gunman who fired into a crowd last night with an assault rifle, killing two and wounding seven others. One person is in critical condition.

Police say the weapon was an AK-47. The shooting took place in the area known as Liberty City. Miami Mayor Many Diaz says he is outraged by this shooting.

Well, we were outraged by this next story, cashing in on a dad's grief.

CNN's Randi Kaye has more on an alleged extortion plot targeting John Travolta and his dead son.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Callous and coldhearted, but police in the Bahamas say it's true. Bahamian police tell CNN they are investigating an attempt to extort money, possibly millions of dollars, from John Travolta and his wife Kelly Preston as they mourned their teenage son. Police would not confirm details of the alleged extortion plot.

Sixteen-year-old Jett Travolta died suddenly January 2nd while on vacation with his family in the Bahamas. He had a fatal seizure and struck his head on the bathtub. He had suffered from seizures for years. Medication didn't help. The Bahamian assistant police commissioner tells CNN they have two people in custody who are assisting them with the investigation. A source close to the investigation says the two are considered suspects.

(on camera): And a senior police official told reporters those in jail include a Bahamian senator and ambulance driver Terino Liborn (ph). Liborn (ph) shared Jett's final moments with the tabloids, including personal details about how John Travolta was crying and praying as he fought to save his son's life. He said Travolta performed CPR on his son and cradled him in his arms after he died.

(voice-over): Travolta's friend, former Bahamian minister of tourism, Obie Wilchombe, was reportedly also at the police station to help authorities determine what to charge the suspects with. After Jett's death, Wilchombe told CNN he escorted Travolta to the morgue.

OBIE WILCHOMBE, TRAVOLTA FRIEND: And his words were, "That is my son." And then he asked for some moments, he and his wife, to spend with Jett. And they stayed in the morgue for several hours.

LISA BLOOM, ATTORNEY: It can be hard to prove, because usually what we're talking about are words, words that are just uttered verbally. There may be different witnesses conflicting as to what those words were.

KAYE: The actor's lawyers did not return calls but reportedly told a Bahamian newspaper, "Regrettably, in a time of such terrible grief, there are often a few individuals who attempt to make false claims in hopes of making millions of dollars. We will never let that happen."

Randi kaye, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Boy oh boy.

OK. Well, women's college basketball legend Kay Yow lost her decades- long battle with breast cancer today.

Yow coached the North Carolina State University's women's team for nearly 40 years. She was one of the only -- only a handful of women's coaches to win 700 games.

Now, because of her death, Monday's game against Wake Forest has been postponed until February 10th. She was 66 years old, and she will be missed. She's a trailblazer as well.

We want to know what's on your mind tonight. Make sure you log on, join our conversation. A lot of folks are getting involved in joining the conversation on our show, and we want you to get involved, too.

It's Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or iReport.com. Tell us what you're thinking. We'll get your responses on the air because we have, we think, some interesting stories in this broadcast.

Like this one, a freak wind storm in Spain. A sports arena in ruins and children are all dead because of it.

Also, wind, rain and dangerous cold across much of the upper Midwest. There she is, our meteorologist Jacqui Jeras, working hard on your forecast in the CNN Severe Weather Center.

And the first lady, Michelle Obama, well, she wowed the world this week. Her husband did as well. So how come who are clothes are getting all the attention and not her substance? And we're talking about her resume.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON (voice-over): Michelle Obama, first lady or the new "it" girl? Page after page of an Internet news search of her name, the first few hundred articles all about her clothes. And a whole lot of Americans aren't happy about that obsession.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's completely superficial.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would like to see media definitely emphasizing the community and cultural aspects of who she is.

LEMON: So why the focus on frills and fashion for a woman who has led a most substantial life -- Princeton University, Harvard Law School, and a resume that rivals her husband's?

First lady historian and author Carl Anthony.

CARL ANTHONY, HISTORIAN, NATIONAL FIRST LADIES LIBRARY: And I think it's the lack of balance which is dangerous because it's in these early days that that persona gets set. And oftentimes, the media doesn't depart from that.

LEMON: White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs says so far, Mrs. Obama appears to taking it all in stride, focusing first on making sure her daughters are settled into the White House.

ROBERT GIBBS, PRESS SECRETARY: I know the family has moved now three times in only a few weeks. But if you know them and you know their family, they have had a routine for a long time. This is a monumental testament to Michelle.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right.

Jacqui Jeras, what do you think?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I think she held herself very well. Absolutely.

LEMON: Yes. JERAS: But it is -- it's true. I mean, you look at her. First you get beyond her hair, then you get beyond her makeup, then you get beyond her clothes and what she's wearing. And then you start noticing what she's saying. And I think that's something that women have to deal with.

LEMON: Yes. I actually came up with this story -- I was having dinner in Washington. And everyone came over and said, you know, "We love Michelle Obama. There's a lot of focus on her, but why is everybody just talking about her clothes?"

JERAS: Exactly.

LEMON: Because this is a professional, smart woman. And she is very strong. And Barack Obama, the president -- President Obama, I should say -- always says that's the reason why he is where he is, because of her. So...

JERAS: Absolutely.

LEMON: ... thank you, Jacqui. I appreciate your opinion. Just want to know as a woman what you thought. Thank you very much.

All right. So just how bad is the economy? How bad is it? We're finally using the "R" word. Finally. But what about the "D" word? Are we going to start using that one soon? We'll take a look at that.

Also ahead, you may have seen the movie "Slumdog Millionaire." It is a fictional story, but we'll introduce you to a young man who wants to be the real thing in just moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DON LEMON, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: Let's talk more about "Issue Number One." Of course, that's the economy. The question is, has the stock market reached the bottom? We certainly hope so. But some analysts think it might have reached the bottom. But the Dow dipped below 8,000 each trading day this past week. It bounced back every time it did. That could be important. If the pattern continues, it could signal the market has bottomed out.

Adding to the volatility on Wall Street are massive layoffs all across the country. Harley Davidson and Microsoft were among those handing out pink slips. Unemployment figures on Thursday were the highest in 26 years. People filing jobless claims rose 62,000 from the previous week. That's just in one week. And that's 589,000 in all.

The term recession has barely worked its way into common usage. Already, some economists are using the dreaded "D" word. We're talking depression.

CNN's Christine Romans says it may have more to do with perception, really, than reality.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Obama knew he was taking office in the grips of a nasty recession. But is it something worse? There it is in back and white. "U.S. depression looking likely." From Albert Edwards, a London-based Edwards for French Banks Societe Generale. He wrote last week, quote, "Economic data has been truly dreadful, consistent with something far worse than a deep recession."

Scary stuff and the worst scenario.

Labor economist Peter Morici also recently declared, quote, "The U.S. is already in the claws of a depression."

PETER MORICI, LABOR ECONOMIST: We're in a depression because of structural issues in the economy. Our excessive dependence on foreign oil and the huge trade deficit are pulling us down. The stimulus package will give us some temporary relief but then the economy will sink back.

ROMANS: The very word depression conjures up the most unpleasant memories of the last century, 25 percent unemployment and an economy that shrank 30 percent.

Depressions are so rare, there really isn't really an official definition.

(on camera): Is this a depression?

ANIRVAN BANERJI, ECNOMIC CYCLE RESEARCH INSTITUTE: No, it's not.

ROMANS (voice-over): Anirvan Banerji studies economic cycles.

First, there was a downturn, then a slowdown, now an official recession. But a depression, he says, it is not.

BANERJI: the economy looks bad now, for it to be in depression means it will look much worse several times as bad.

ROMANS: Many wonder how can we be in a depression when the majority of Americans have not lost their job or home and every day life looks, on the surface, at least, pretty much the same.

But that fear of depression runs deep. Fear shared by the last treasury secretary and Fed chairman last fall.

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I was concerned that the credit freeze would cause us to be headed towards a depression greater than the Great Depression. That's what I was told, if we didn't move.

ROMANS: Out-going President Bush says his actions prevented it.

President Obama plans to spend hundreds of billions more to make sure it doesn't happen on his watch.

(on camera): This is all semantics really. We didn't start using the word recession until after the Great Depression. So call it a severe recession, a depression. It doesn't change what people are feeling. Economists agree there will be more layoffs, more businesses will fail, and there will be more foreclosures in the coming months.

Christine Romans, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Oh, boy. You want to stay right here with CNN and pay close attention to that. We'll be following the economy, all the news about the economy.

You're going to love the next story. Miller High Life is poking fun at the high-priced beer commercials during the Super Bowl. The company plans a one-second ad -- one-second ad during the game. Miller won't talk about what will air. Here's a few outtakes from some of those. Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WINDELL MIDDLEBROOKS, MILLER PITCHMAN: Hello, mucketey mucks. What's my line?

One Mississippi.

Bonjour, Milwaukie, bonjou.

(SINGER)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought it was funny. Hilarious. I don't really think it would be that effective.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought they were effective. You didn't need much to get the point, the message.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: OK, $3 million for a 30-second -- a 30-second Super Bowl ad. That breaks down to $100,000 a second.

When Israel launched the attack in Gaza, it wanted to knock out supply tunnels used by Hamas militants. Did that work? We will tell you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The U.S. military says 15 Afghan militants were killed Friday in a battle with coalition forces. It happened in eastern Afghanistan in the Longaman (ph) Province. The military says coalition forces came under fire from automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades as they approached a compound of suspected militants. No coalition casualties were reported. Local government sources report at least ten civilian deaths.

The Obama administration is wasting no time getting involved in the Middle East and politics there. Two administration sources tell CNN that U.S. Special Envoy George Mitchell could travel to the Middle East as soon as next week, including stops in Israel, the Palestinian territories and Egypt. The administration has not officially confirmed the trip. The diplomacy comes amid renewed hostilities between Israeli forces and militants in Gaza.

Tunnels -- they were a target of military's bombing campaign in Gaza. But days after the Israeli assault, some tunnels are still in place. Others are being rebuilt.

Robert Moore of Britain's ITN has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERT MOORE, ITN REPORTER (voice-over): It's an astonishing underground world that is being urgently rebuilt. I was winched down to meet the tunnelers. 60 feet deep, this tunnel like many others, is intact after an Israeli bombing campaign designed, above all else, to destroy the smuggling routes.

It's dangerous work. The diggers face the twin risk of tunnel collapses and Israeli attacks.

The only way to stop us, this man told me, is if the Israelis open up the borders and end the siege of Gaza.

Up above us, there is frenetic activity. They are not rebuilding the destroyed houses, but repairing the tunnels. Many are already up and running.

Under each tent is a tunnel entrance. Many items are brought into Gaza this way. Yes, weapons, but also ordinary supplies, food, and fuel.

Men and often children are digging into the Gazans sand. Their goal to reach Egypt half a mile away.

(on camera): It is quite literally an underground economy, pitching Palestinian ingenuity against Israeli high explosives.

(voice-over): Even the post-war plan to bring in international monitors along this border seems flawed. They may detect and close some tunnels, but as the Palestinians often say, those who live in a cage will always try and dig their way out.

Many ordinary and desperate Palestinians say these tunnels are a lifeline, and the only way to break the blockage.

Robert Moore, ITV News, in the Gaza strip.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: An Oscar front-runner's more humble roots. You've seen the side of the slumdog life in hit movie "Slumdog Millionaire." We're going to show you what conditions there are really like for more than a million people.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: Beautiful movie. Getting high marks as well, the rags to riches fairytale, "Slumdog Millionaire," that's what I'm talk about. It is continuing to dazzle audiences. Critics were so impressed by the films, it got multiple Oscar and other award nominations.

At CNN, we were impressed by what the movie is really based upon. It's based on real people in Mumbai's very real slums.

Here's CNN's Mallika Kapur.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALLIKA KAPUR, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Through narrow alleys and muddy lanes, passed open drains and tiny crowded rooms, Navenda Tunk (ph) takes us to his family home.

Nav (ph), as he calls himself, lives in Paravi (ph), a sprawling slum in the heart of Mumbai. More than a million people live here, squeezed into an area half the size of New York's Central Park.

The Tunks (ph), all six of them, live if one room. The kitchen and bathroom are here. Utensils are piled up from the floor to the ceiling. It's 225 square feet, barely 20 square meters.

NAVENDA TUNK (ph), MUMBAI RESIDENT: We sleep at this place. And then two of my sisters, we sleep facing the television. And three of us, my mom, dad, and the youngest sister of mine, they sleep towards the door.

KAPUR: Nav (ph) comes from a family of potters. Instead of following in his father's footsteps, Nav (ph) says his parents encouraged him to do something else.

"We decided to give our children an education," says his mother. "We wanted to give him what we never had."

Years of studying in the corner near the TV paid off. He, now 22 and the only person in his family to graduate from college.

College prepared him for the best step, a job. Thanks to on-campus recruiting, he got a job at a leading international investment bank.

TUNK (ph): Completely, other side of the alley.

KAPUR: Nav (ph) says balancing the two worlds is a challenge. After all, Mumbai residents refer to Paravi (ph) as Asia's largest slum.

TUNK (ph): For the people like me who want to become something in their life.

KAPUR: It's this ambitious that drives another young man to make it out of Paravi (ph). Lamar's, the subject of the film "Slumdog Millionaire," is winning getting critical acclaim and turning the spotlight back on Nav's (ph) slum, where much of the film is based.

Nav (ph) hasn't seen the movie yet, but he knows all about it. TUNK (ph): Somewhere down the line I think it's part of my life story. Even I live in slum. I hope something like that goes in my life.

KAPUR: Nav (ph) says he hopes his journey will lead him out of the slums, but he never wants to give up the one-room apartment here. Paravi (ph), he says, will always feel like home.

Mallika Kapur, CNN, Mumbai

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: You know the kids. You definitely know their song. We'll check in with the singing students from the Ron Clark Academy after their week of witnessing history. I have never seen that. I was there. I didn't see it on the air. Look at them. That was them performing live for us last week.

Also, we're going to take you on board Air Force One. Inside the presidential jet when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(CNN FIT NATION)

LEMON: You know, Wolf Blitzer is coming up today. This past week, I was in "The Situation Room." I should say, I had the pleasure of being in "The Situation Room" with Wolf Blitzer, and he gave me a special one-on-one briefing about his latest excitement.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: "The Situation Room" is moving to Saturday, adding another day. What's coming up? Right after this broadcast.

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Every Saturday, right after your broadcast at 6: 00 p. m. Eastern, we'll do a special "Situation Room." This week, we've got a tour of Air Force One, rarely seen inside. They've gotten it ready for the new president of the United States, Barack Obama. We have a special interview exclusive with the former president of Pakistan, Perez Musharraf. We also have Jay Rockefeller, the outgoing chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and we speak at length about Gitmo, prisoners, torture, a lot of important information. And you'll remember, on inauguration day, when we were together, Colin Powell -- he got rather emotional when we spoke about the history -- the historic importance of what's going on. We're going to bring that interview with General Powell up as well.

LEMON: And Wolf, on a personal note, it's been a very interesting week, a moving week for a lot of folks and we got a front row to history.

WOLF: That's one of the great things about our work. We do get a front row to history. And we're all very privileged, very blessed that we have this opportunity. I thank god every day for that. LEMON: Wolf Blitzer, we'll see you in a little bit.

WOLF: It was a pleasure working with you all week as well.

LEMON: Thank you, Wolf, see you right after this broadcast.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Wolf Blitzer, "Situation Room", five minutes away, 6:00 eastern, only here on CNN. You don't want to miss that.

And it was the trip of a lifetime and now they are back home. We'll check in with the kids from the Ron Clark Academy. They're singing the song of history.

(SINGING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: OK, you know what, that song is really catchy and we've been singing it in the "NEWSROOM." And some people have been saying, gosh, stop it, it's in my head, I can't get it out. It's a special serenade. This was at the CNN Express bus last Sunday night out of the Mall and that's the kids from the Ron Clark Academy. They are some amazing kids. We loved spending time with them.

And countless school children around the country were spellbound by the pageantry of inauguration day. But for one group of students from Atlanta, they didn't just witness history, they were a part of it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON (voice-over): They couldn't walk five feet without congratulatory shout-outs or people snapping their picture. The students of Atlanta's Ron Clark Academy were one of the breakout acts of the inauguration. The pint-sized creators of two political rap songs, one encouraging people to get out and vote. The other paying tribute to the winner, Barack Obama.

(SINGING)

LEMON: Their journey to D.C. Was like a fairy tale. First, the videos of them performing the song spread like wildfire on the Internet. Then came the invitations to perform at the inauguration.

RON CLARK, RON CLARK ACADEMY FOUNDER: Next week, we're going to the inauguration.

(SCREAMS)

AUJAHUNA SMITH, 7TH GRADER: I hope that the president gets to hear our song and that we could actually meet him.

LEMON: It was a day-long trip, first by plane from Atlanta to Raleigh, North Carolina. Then a six-hour car ride to D.C.

(SINGING)

LEMON: Just like any touring musician, the performances were nonstop, a brunch, a Martin Luther King event, a conservation gala, media interviews, and impromptu performances.

(SINGING)

LEMON: They were making such an inaugural splash that Barack Obama got wind of it and they got a phone call.

CLARK: I said he was from Barack Obama's transition team and that President-elect Obama has heard about what we're doing, has seen us on TV so touched by our students and their passion, he wanted to get a message to them.

LEMON: Understandably, it was a busy time for America's first black president. The students never got to perform for him, but watched with tears of joy as he was sworn into office.

JAMES WILLIAMS, 5TH GRADER: Speechless. It's amazing.

CHI CHI UGWUH, 7TH GRADER: It was so great, so amazing. I mean, how many kids my age are going to be able to say they were there when the first African-American president was inaugurated.

LEMON: One day they may get their wish and perform for the man who just like them beat the odds and made dreams come true.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: One last time, dear Obama, bah, bah, bah. It's in everybody's head. Their adventure is not over. In June, they'll travel to Kenya. Among the places they'll visit, the village where Barack Obama, President Obama's father, was born.

And special thanks to CNN producer John Murgta (ph) for all his help following the kids around the D.C. He worked 24 hours a day.

So John, thank you very much for that.

So, he has hologramed with us. What hasn't he done? Now he will relive history with us. You won't want to miss the world premiere of Will. I. Am's "Diary at the Inauguration." It captures Will. I. Am's thoughts, feelings, and images as he reflects on the inauguration of President barrack Obama. It debuts tomorrow on "State of the Union" with John King at 9:00 a.m. eastern time with John King. Make sure you tune in for that. And we'll run it again for you at 10:00 p.m. eastern right here on CNN.

So on my Twitter page, I said, we're going to be breaking down Barack Obama's inauguration speech tonight. And we wanted to know what's on your mind. And here's your responses and whatever put on there, we'll put it up, even if you disagree with us.

Attila says, "The speech, I'm over it. I work a full-time job with part-time benefits -- none. Let's talk about affordable health care, please!"

Thank for that. We appreciate it.

Gold says, "The devastation in Gaza, I haven't seen anything on U.S. news TV about Gaza in recent days."

We have many more responses, so thank you. We'll try to get them on for you later. Log on to any of those platforms that we tell you about.

I'm Don Lemon at CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

"The Situation Room" with Wolf Blitzer on Saturday begins right now.