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House Passes Stimulus Plan on Party Vote; More Icy Weather Causes Power Outages; House Passes Stimulus Package; Aging by Degrees; Top Places to Work; Doubts About the Stimulus; Obama to Sign Lilly Ledbetter Act into Law

Aired January 29, 2009 - 09:00   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: On to the Senate. The president's stimulus package gets a partisan push from the House. This hour, is there pork in the plan?

Plus, lights out. An ice storm puts more than a million people in the dark. Some may not get their power back for weeks.

It's Thursday, January 29th. Hi, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Day 10 of the Obama administration and a full schedule for the new president. Here's a quick now look at the top of the hour.

He's due to sign into law the Ledbetter bill which expands workers' rights for equal pay. Then next hour the president receives his daily economic briefing. In the afternoon he sits down with the vice president and his new treasury secretary. The president's busy day comes after a big victory on Capitol Hill.

Last night the Democrat-controlled House pushed through the massive stimulus bill but not a single Republican voted in favor of it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MARK KIRK (R), ILLINOIS: The president remains very popular. I like him. But up on Capitol Hill, details matter and some of these details don't pass mustard.

REP. JACK KINGSTON (R), GEORGIA: It is sad that while the National Endowment for the Arts gets $50 million, I don't know what kind of job creation that's going to do.

REP. STENY HOYER (D), HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER: It's a bill designed to put Americans back to work with tax relief for 95 percent of all Americans. Tax cuts for job creating businesses and job creating projects to rebuild our crumbling roads and bridges.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Well, now, everybody is looking to the Senate where the debate on the stimulus bill could begin as soon as Monday.

So let's go ahead and check in with our White House correspondent now, Suzanne Malveaux, to talk a little bit more about this.

Good morning to you, Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.

Well, President Obama is going to be using more of that political capital that he used before starting on Monday, and obviously, even before Monday, some behind-the-scenes meetings that are going to be taking place.

Obviously, this is a disappointment to the president. He got personally involved in the process in shaping this legislation, picking up the phone with some fellow Democrats to take some of the pork or some of those items out of this economic stimulus package the Republicans had objected to.

He also had a listening tour, if you will, on the Hill with Republicans, despite this, neither one of these things actually produced the kind of legislation that Republicans could sign on to.

And so I asked Robert Gibbs, the press secretary, this morning what does he make of what has happened here of the lack of success of the president in reaching out and convincing the Republicans to sign on to this package. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: He's a little disappointed that the Republicans decided to vote as a bloc in opposition to a plan that has garnered support from across the political spectrum, because economists know, liberals and -- liberals and conservatives that it will put people back to work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And so they're going to continue that, Heidi, obviously, to reach out. He says that this is not the end, but just the beginning of a process to reach out to Republicans and Democrats. They think they'll have an easier time on the Senate side. This will be a little bit more bipartisanship when it comes to their version of the bill -- Heidi?

COLLINS: All right. Well, I do wonder what's next for the White House because, obviously, we've been talking about this stimulus plan and this bill for a very, very long time. A lot of other stuff going on as well.

MALVEAUX: Well, yes. Obviously, I mean, they're going to be reaching out, as he did before, to Republicans and Democrats. One thing that happened here at the White House last night, a cocktail party. The president receiving and hosting about two dozen lawmakers from both sides of the aisle.

It was funny. A Republican congressman John Boehner joking that he -- I guess he was the skunk at the garden party. But he said he'd go and he'd be nice anyway. And Robert Gibbs said, yes, you know, that's exactly what the president is going to be doing, trying to reach out to both sides and get folks to talk to one another, perhaps in a social and in a civil way, before they end up listening to each other about some of these ideas that they disagree on. Heidi?

COLLINS: All right. Very good. Sure do appreciate it, Suzanne Malveaux, in front of the White House this morning. Thank you.

Before Republicans, the stimulus bill offers bittersweet opportunity. It's a big government price tag that's easy to attack but it is the top of the agenda for a president who has vast public support.

So let's begin the balancing act. Senior political reporter Candy Crowley has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Republican Party is in search of itself. An identity crisis playing out in the debate over a stimulus plan.

REP. JOHN DUNCAN JR. (R), TENNESSEE: We simply cannot afford this so-called stimulus package. All it is, is really a short-term fix for our addiction to spending.

CROWLEY: After an eight-year run-up in the federal deficit, House Republicans are trying to relocate the party back to its Reagan roots -- less government spending and more tax cuts to grow the economy. And not this plan which spends half as much on tax cuts as it does in additional government spending.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will it truly provide more middle class jobs or improve infrastructure? The answer, sadly, no.

CROWLEY: The House Republican conference, which develops GOP policy, says the Democratic plan funds federal subsidies, pet projects and bureaucracy.

Objections include $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts, $1 billion for the 2010 census, $400 million for NASA climate change research, and $150 million for building repairs at the Smithsonian.

Politically, Republicans think this bill is less about creating jobs than about putting Democrats longtime agenda inside the urgency of a stimulus package.

REP. JOHN CULBERSON (R), TEXAS: This four -- excuse me, 647-page bill represents one of the worst abuses of power, I think, that we've probably ever seen in the, in the history of the Congress.

CROWLEY: Some Republicans think Democrats have built a back door entrance to universal health care with $127 billion in health care spending. That includes access to Medicaid for anyone who gets an unemployment check regardless of income or assets. Critics also see a significant shift in the federal role in education with $150 billion, which would double the current budget at the education department.

The problem in the second week of the Obama era is saying no, without seeming like a naysayer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are here not as the opposition party. We are here as the proposition party.

CROWLEY: The Republican stimulus plan has more tax cuts, they say, will cost half as much and create twice as many jobs. It was defeated. So in the first test of bipartisan spirit in the Obama era, no House Republican voted for the Democrat stimulus plan.

KINGSTON: We can do better and I would like to work with the Democrats and the president, as would all the other Republicans, and try to make a better craft, a better package than what we're looking at today.

CROWLEY: Bipartisanship is one thing. Rolling over is another.

Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: The stimulus bill, could it provide a spark in the ice- cold housing market? That's one question. And one provision, a $7500 tax credit for first-time home buyers. Many in the housing industry believe this credit could to a lot to jump-start home sales. The credit faces out as income rises, though, above $75,000 for singles and $150,000 for couples. All you have to do is claim it on your tax return.

So lots of different ways to analyze the stimulus package, of course, but here's what most people want to know. What's in it for me?

CNN's Christine Romans is here now with some of those answers.

Yes, we found out yesterday, Christine, we did an e-mail question and we said, what do you not understand or what you really want to know about this, and nearly all of those e-mails sort of centered around people and themselves, their own families.

Of course, it's not surprising.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And every family is different. There's not the average American worker or taxpayer here. Everyone has a different situation whether you're filing jointly or whether you're unemployed or whether you could be unemployed.

So let's try to break it down for you. If you have your job today, it looks like, if they can get the mechanics worked out, that the tax cut will phase in and you'll get $12 to $13, around there, depending on the mechanics, right off of every paycheck. They're going to try to pull down the withholdings or what they take out of your paycheck and try to give it back to you that way. Of course, this is for people, individuals who make $175,000 or less and couples who make $150,000 or less.

If you lost your job and you were receiving unemployment benefits, you're going to be able to get unemployment benefits for a bit longer. That emergency unemployment benefits is going to continue to the end of the year. And it's going to be about $25 a week more in your unemployment check.

But the most important thing here, many economists are telling me, is that it's going to extend by a number of weeks how long you can get your unemployment checks. They've already done that one, trying to make sure that that stays until the end of the year.

Food stamps. If you are receiving food stamps for a family of four, there will be more money in that debit cards that you use. And economists say, many economists have told me, including an analysis by Moodyseconomy.com that that is a really good quick, direct way of getting money into the, into the economy, because people at the very lowest end of the income scale, when they get a dollar in the food stamps debit card, it's something that immediately goes to work at the grocery store.

And that is something that filters all the way through the economy like that.

About 30 percent of the stimulus is aid to states. It sounds like it's aid to states but that's aid to you because states help pay for the unemployment benefits, also for the food stamps, and also it will mean, for some people, hopefully, property taxes won't have to go up if states are really in big a budget crisis. So it could help...

COLLINS: Yes.

ROMANS: ... stave off higher property taxes. That's at least the aim, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes, we'll talk to you about the state of California another time. OK, Christine?

ROMANS: Yes.

COLLINS: All right.

ROMANS: Yes.

COLLINS: Thanks so much.

Christine Romans, appreciate that.

Well, unfortunately, more dismal economic news. The number of people getting unemployment benefits reaches an all-time high. Just moments ago the government reported 4.78 million workers continued to claim unemployment benefits last week. And the number of Americans filing new jobless benefit claims rose slightly to 588,000 people last week. That's up about 3,000 from the week before.

At the top of the hour, the president is signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Its goal, make it easier for workers to sue for pay discrimination even if the abuse first happened decades ago. You can see the signing live at 10:00 a.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

And just a reminder, who is Lilly Ledbetter? Well, she worked for 19 years as a supervisor at an Alabama tire and rubber plant. As she neared retirement back in 1998, she learned her male counterparts were being paid at a substantially higher rate. Ledbetter filed -- and you see there, of course, filed suit but the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2007. She had passed the 180-day time limit to file a discrimination suit.

The new law, though, passed by Congress this week will not help Ledbetter recover any of her back pay.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning. I'm Rob Marciano on the CNN Severe Weather Center. Over a million people now without power due to the ice storm and even more cold air coming in tonight. Details coming up when the CNN NEWSROOM comes right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: In the cold and out of power. More than a million homes now and businesses, too, across the Midwest have no electricity after a widespread winter storm. President Obama has signed emergency declarations for two hard-hit states, that's Kentucky and Arkansas. Utility crews are working nonstop in both states to repair power lines downed by thick ice.

The storm has been blamed for at least 17 deaths so far. And with power not expected to be back on in some areas for days or even weeks, people are worried there could be more victims of this storm.

Storm has left damage from the southern plains to the northeast. More than 1100 traffic collisions were reported in Oklahoma, 200 of them involve injuries. The Memphis area got hit with -- pelted actually by snow, ice and rain. Fire officials there say a good chunk of a Circuit City store roof collapsed. You can see it there. No injuries, though, reported.

And in Massachusetts snow from a highway overpass fell on a charter bus, shattered the windshield. The bus was carrying 35 schoolchildren. The driver suffered minor injuries. The children were not hurt.

Rob Marciano standing by now. He's been watching this storm for days, Rob. And boy, we're still seeing the after-effects.

MARCIANO: We are, and the problem is, with ice storms, as you mentioned, you know, some of the power outages may be there for weeks in some cases. COLLINS: Yes.

MARCIANO: I mean, the first order of business is trying to get that ice to melt off the tree limbs, off the power lines, off of trees that may be there across the road, and then clearing the road and getting those power crews to where they need to go.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MARCIANO: Heidi, back over to you.

COLLINS: Wow. All right. I know you're busy today, so we'll check with you should any of the -- this situation change up a bit. Thanks, Rob.

MARCIANO: All right. You got it.

COLLINS: Meanwhile, our iReporters are sharing their pictures of the storm's effect. Susana O'Daniel of Fayetteville, Arkansas shows how trees in her neighborhood are covered with ice. Twelve-year-old Kylie Watkins, also from Arkansas, took this shot from her home. The family said there are a lot of power lines down in the area and they fear a lot of trees will also be lost.

Finally, fun with a feline in the snow. Mittens, the cat -- of course, the name is Mittens, right? -- likes to sled, or at least puts up with it to get a treat. The video comes to us from Ford Shankle of Pittsburgh. Wait for it. OK, there we go.

(LAUGHTER)

COLLINS: There you go. All right. And a look at the scene from Phoenix, Arizona. This is a pretty crazy story. Out-of-control school bus rams a couple of cars while heading to an interstate overpass. The bus then crosses oncoming lanes, triggered a chain reaction collision. At least 26 people in 12 different vehicles were taken to hospitals.

Police say panicked children ran from the bus into a nearby neighborhood. None of the kids were hurt. No word at this point on what caused the bus to lose control.

Numbers are going up. But they aren't the kind of numbers the army wants to see. What's behind the rise in soldier suicide?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Often, they are in harm's way. And more and more, they are doing themselves harm.

Our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, is here now with a disturbing report on suicides in the army.

Barbara, good morning to you. These numbers are up.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, this is just such tragic news to report. The U.S. Army is going to officially report later today that suicides amongst its troops, amongst its troops are now at record levels. Sad to report that, in the last year, in 2008, 128 army troops took their own lives. There are another 15 cases of suspected suicide pending, so this number may even go higher.

That's 128 this year compared to 115 last year. These are now record levels since the army began tracking these numbers back in the 1980s.

Now why is this happening? That is a matter of top priority for the army to try and determine. Most mental health experts say that suicides continue to happen tragically for a couple of reasons. Substance abuse, money financial problems, relationship problems. But the army is the one place in society that has a lot of programs in place...

COLLINS: Yes.

STARR: ... in suicide prevention. So why are these numbers so high? Tragic news, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes. And I also wonder in this report if they are able to keep track of the number of soldiers who are going and using those services because it's true. You know, they have many terrific opportunities available for help, but it's hard to know if -- the folks are going and using them.

STARR: Well, this is, as you point out, quite right. This is one of the continuing problems, because while the military has all these prevention programs in place, there is certainly still, especially with young men in combat units, there is a lot of stigma about saying, hey, I'm in trouble, I need help, I need some counseling.

The Army, the military is trying to do an awful lot to remove that stigma and say to these young people, if you think you're having problems, please, please, go and get some help. But it's tough. And one of the issues that they're finding is that some certain percentage actually are not committing it in the war zone, but after they come home...

COLLINS: Right.

STARR: ... when a lot of problems settle in. Heidi?

COLLINS: Right. And that gets us into PTSD and many other things.

Barbara, I'd love to talk with you more about this important issue. Unfortunately, we have got to get to live pictures coming in now to us. This is Governor Rod Blagojevich. I'm sure you know who he is by now coming out of his home. We do expect him to go to the microphones once again.

He said he's going to be addressing reporters. I think he's looking for that microphone right now. We are in the fourth day of hearings today for his impeachment trial, as I am sure you well know.

Let's go ahead and maybe listen in and let's see -- he's deciding not to speak.

GOV. ROD BLAGOJEVICH (D), ILLINOIS: I'm looking forward to getting there, but you're going to make me late.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: At least give us your thoughts about going. What are you going to tell the state legislators?

BLAGOJEVICH: Watch the TV. Watch your hands. Look out. Look out.

COLLINS: All right. Well, now he is, as you can see, inside his vehicle there, likely heading over to the courthouse. We did expect him to talk today, and as you can see, all of the reporters gathered outside of his home.

As I mentioned, fourth day of hearings in his impeachment trial and also want to give you a time frame because the Senate is scheduled to vote today on whether or not he will be able to speak at this impeachment trial to defend himself at 10:45. Once again, that vote on whether or not Rod Blagojevich will be able to speak at his impeachment trial today will happen at 10:45.

We'll stay on top of it for you and have that vote live right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: All right. Just about time for the opening bell to ring on this Thursday morning and stocks appear ready to pull back from Monday's rally now.

Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with more on what investors will be watching today.

Hey there, Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Did you say Monday's rally, Heidi?

COLLINS: Yes. It was a couple of days, though, wasn't it?

(LAUGHTER)

COLLINS: I know. We're just kind of...

LISOVICZ: We're waiting for the weekend here.

COLLINS: Hanging on like by a little itty-bitty thread, right?

(LAUGHTER) LISOVICZ: That's right, Heidi. Well, we had a three-peat for the Dow, started on Monday but it looks, yes, the blue chips will get back and so will the broader stock market. One day after that 200- point rally for the Dow Industrials.

It's a pattern we've seen over and over again. Financial stacks rallying and hopes for bank rescue plan, only to fall back again. That's what we're likely to see in about a minute. We are well above 8,000, that's a good thing.

One thing that we are seeing all too frequently as well, and that is job cuts. Eastman Kodak increasing the number of jobs it plans to cut this year to between to 35 and 4500. The cuts will include executive positions and come as the camera and film company reports a nearly $140 million quarterly loss.

Meanwhile, coffee giant Starbucks planning to cut 6700 positions, close 300 underperforming stores, sell one of its jet, and scale back on new store openings.

Yes, folks are cutting back on expensive coffees.

And another common theme in this earnings season, red ink, Ford Motor, reporting a nearly $6 billion quarterly loss, maintaining, whoever, it does not need the federal bailout money already received by its competitors Chrysler and GM. Ford's credit union is cutting 1,200 jobs.

Quickly on the economics front, Durable Goods, orders fell more than 2.5 percent in December. It's a fifth straight monthly decline for big ticket items. Jobless claims increased by 3,000 last week, putting the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits at nearly 590,000. 590,000 in one week.

Let's take a look at the numbers. Yes, we're seeing the Dow off 76 points or about one percent. The Nasdaq is down about 1.3 percent. And seen a little bit of a pull-back, Heidi, but we did have a nice trend there, at least for the first half of the week.

COLLINS: Yes. I actually heard yesterday somebody saying, last night, I think, that the number we closed at yesterday is the same number that we had in October. It is October 12th or something like that.

LISOVICZ: What you call a churn. We're churning.

COLLINS: Yes, exactly. All right. And we are watching, too. Susan Lisovicz --

(CROSSTALK)

LISOVICZ: Like our stomachs are churning, too.

COLLINS: Yes, just like that. Thank you, Susan.

LISOVICZ: You're welcome. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D), HOUSE SPEAKER: On this vote the yeas are 244, the nays 188. The bill is passed without objection and motion to reconsider is laid upon the table.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi looking really happy as she announces the House passage of an $819 billion economic stimulus plan. No Republican voted in favor of the measure despite high profile pressure from the president himself. Mr. Obama says the plan will save or create more than 3 million new jobs over the next few years. Republican critics and some moderate Democrats, 11 in fact say the house bill is too heavy on spending. The Senate takes up the measure next week.

A lot of complaints are swirling around the stimulus bill, mostly from Republicans who say some of the money is going to pork barrel projects. They point to climate change research, government cars and repairs to the Smithsonian, among other things.

Our Josh Levs has been going through the bill and is here now to show us more about some of these projects.

So what is the deal? We're still hearing about this, kind of after the fact, yes?

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, exactly. I mean, we hear about these sound bytes. And what I want to do -- by the way, this is it behind me. The massive bill right here. The one that passed last night. I think you were just saying -- I looked through it, and I want to show you some of the sections that you were just referring to there. What this bill actually says. Let's start off with this -- STD prevention. We have a graphic for you here.

The bill provides $335 million for domestic HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted disease and tuberculosis prevention programs. Let's go to the next one here. It provides $400 million to NASA. And then of that, it says at least $250 million is for earth science climate research missions.

Let's see. You mentioned government cars. The bill provides $600 million for the acquisition of motor vehicles including plug-in and alternative fuel vehicle. And that is what the federal motor vehicle fleet. And one more I'm going to show you here is this one. $150 million for this Smithsonian, for deferred maintenance projects and for repair, revitalization and alteration of facilities.

Now you can see an argument there, Heidi, really for any of those and how they could create jobs and give the economy a boost. There's no way to fact check what kind of long-term impact each of those could have. But the question really is what belongs in this specific bill. And that's what they are debating.

COLLINS: Yes, absolutely. I understand, though, that this bill could ultimately cost more than $1 trillion dollars?

LEVS: More than $1 trillion. That's actually what the congressional budget office is saying. Let's zoom back in on the board. I want to show you something because our good folks at CNN money have written this up. Let me get out of the way. Check out the headline right here.

Stimulus with interest. $1.2 trillion, and that is because the head of the nonpartisan congressional budget office says when you factor in the interest of the U.S. will be paying on all that borrowed money, because, you know, $800 billion is going to have to be borrowed, you add in $350,000 in interest over time, and yes, it could be $1.2 trillion, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes. That's a lot of money. Nobody has any idea really how much that money is. You know -- when you talk that much.

LEVS: You can't, Heidi.

COLLINS: We are trying. We are trying to put it in perspective here, but it's tough.

LEVS: Right.

COLLINS: We are inviting viewers, though, to weigh in, right, today?

LEVS: Yes, and exactly that kind of thing. Yes, I'm going to be back next hour to read some of your e-mails. What do you think counts as pork. You know, you are hearing the debates. What counts as pork to you? What's legitimate spending? Cnnnewsroom@cnn.com. I'll see you next hour with those responses.

COLLINS: Yes, one more thing, though, Josh, before we go, there's a section of the bill that refers to Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich who we just saw climbing into his car and trying to make sure that none of the reporters slammed their fingers in the door.

LEVS: It's amazing, isn't it? I know. And it's a situation like that, a guy who wants to be interviewed become a nucleus and that everyone is just surrounding him everywhere.

COLLINS: Yes.

LEVS: Check this out. We're going to zoom in one more time. Because people are having a field day with this. It does, in fact, very specifically refer to Governor Rod Blagojevich. Here it is. No funds at all go to Illinois as long as Rod Blagojevich holds the office of the governor of the State of Illinois. Illinois is going to get a penny out of this. Apparently, he can no longer be governor. Reminder of the serious side of what we're seeing play out over there in Illinois -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes. And I think he is thinking he is pretty important right now. All right, Josh, appreciate that. Thanks so much.

LEVS: Thanks.

COLLINS: Day ten of the Obama administration and a full schedule for the new president. At the top of the hour, he is signing into law the Ledbetter Bill, which expands workers rights for equal pay. The next hour, the president receives his economic daily briefing, in the afternoon he sits down with the vice president and new Treasury secretary.

There's an awful lot to get a handle on as the president and lawmakers work on a financial rescue plan. Our own Lou Dobbs will go through these recovery proposals line-by-line, item-by-item tonight at 7:00 Eastern. Make sure you don't miss that.

And as we mentioned at the top of the hour, we will have live coverage of the president signing that Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. It's goal is to make it easier for workers to actually sue for pay discrimination even if the abused first happened decades ago. So, again, you could see it, live, right here when that bill is signed on CNN.

A lot of ice, but no heat and no power. And it could actually be that way for some people until the middle of next month. More than a million homes in 20 states are without electricity today. At least 17 deaths are blamed on the devastating ice and snowstorm. And emergency officials worry more could die from hypothermia or carbon monoxide poisoning. A good reminder to really be careful with those alternative sources of heat through something like this. Rob Marciano joining us now.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: No question. And the last thing that they want to be hearing was, you know, it's hard for them to hear is obviously they don't have power, but hopefully they have got those weather radios up because they will be getting information about when and what areas will first start getting their power back and it could be a while. So we'll stay on top of that as well.

Rob, thank you.

MARCIANO: You got it.

Aging by degrees. Did you know that as you grow older, your body temperature actually changes? CNN medical correspondent Judy Fortin has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JUDY FORTIN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It may be a cold winter across most of the country, but not everyone seems to mind.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's better than warm. You can get warmer.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can breathe and clear your lungs up and you can feel better about yourself. I don't like it freezing, but I like cold.

FORTIN: Yet there are those who can't stand the chilly weather.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm kind of a warm weather fan.

FORTIN: While doctors say your core body temperature may adjust depending on where you live, it's regulated by your hypothalamus, located in the central part of your brain. And your inner thermostat could be set within a few degrees, plus or minus, the average body temperature of 98.6.

DR. JOHN BUEK, WASHINGTON HOSPITAL CENTER: So as mammals, unlike reptiles where they have to seek out their environment to change their temperature, we change our core body temperature when we're too hot by sweating and if we're too cold by shivering.

FORTIN: But even if you are a cold or warm person, body temperatures begin to change. In your 30s, most body temperatures can be regulated by clothing. So unless you're on medication like blood thinners or blood pressure or thyroid medicine, most people in their 30s can keep their inner thermostat stable. Doctors recommend you get plenty of water. Water hydrates the body and regulates your body temperature. And as you get into your 40s, especially in women, body temperatures can rise.

BUEK: As they get older, they start having declining estrogen levels, which we don't actually know why but it's associated with hot flashes that usually will develop even two to three years before they go into menopause.

FORTIN: And in your 50s, three-quarters of us will begin to feel colder. Poor circulation is most likely the reason. Circulation problems can also be related to diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or other physical disorders.

BUEK: People who have vascular disease can sometimes with the smaller blood vessels, particularly in extremities, have decreased blood flow that could affect a sensation of feeling real cold, especially when there is environmental changes.

FORTIN: At any age, if you continue to be cold, see your doctor. Problems with your thyroid and the possibility of anemia could cause body temperatures to drop no matter what your age.

Judy Fortin, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: The best places to work. "Fortune" magazine putting out its list of the top companies. We'll get an inside scoop from one of those on the list. Here's a hint -- follow the duck.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: The vast majority of these jobs will be created in the private sector because, as these CEOs well know, business, not government, is the engine of growth in this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: President Barack Obama talking with business leaders yesterday, discussing the next step in his recovery plan. And admitting that some of the solutions are out of the government's control.

Well, that's the president's message to CEOs. But some company leaders seem to have a better handle on the economic downturn. CNN's Allan Chernoff takes a look at the top companies on "Fortune" magazine's list of the best places to work.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Computer data and storage company NetApp gives employees like these five paid days a year to do volunteer work, provides adoption assistance, and other generous benefits, and promotes an inclusive open culture that earned it the top spot on "Fortune" 100 Best Companies to Work For. Treating employees well says President Tom Georgens is at least as important as paying them well.

TOM GEORGENS, PRESIDENT, NETAPP: Pay matters. I'm not going to suggest otherwise. But I think that pay is more of a dissatisfier than a satisfier. I think if you have a bad work environment where people don't enjoy their colleagues, people don't enjoy how they are treated, I don't think you can pay them enough.

CHERNOFF: Brokerage firm Edward Jones is number two on the list. Followed by Boston Consulting and Google, which had been number one for the past two years. Google has had to cut back on some of its legendary perks like a free ski trip for all employees.

Fortunately, there are a lot of great places to work, Google told CNN. To be considered for the list, companies have to nominate themselves, then permit 400 employees, picked at random, to provide detailed critiques of their employers.

LEE CLIFFORD, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: We ask really brutally honest questions. What is the atmosphere like? What is your boss like? You know? What is the mood around the office? And -- because we really want to get a feel what it's like to work at this place.

CHERNOFF: Among the place companies, Four Seasons has one of the most diverse work forces. Build-A-Bear Workshop is one of the top companies for female workers, and Aflac is one of only six on the list that have never had layoffs. In today's tough economy, many of the top companies like Starbucks, Microsoft and Zappos.com are cutting employees.

(on camera): But 20 of the companies are hiring now. The full list is right here on the "Fortune" pages of cnnmoney.com including the exact jobs those 20 companies are looking to fill.

Allan Chernoff, CNN, New York.

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COLLINS: So a good list to be on. We heard in Allan's piece that AFLAC is there, and it's not just for their commercials.

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COLLINS: So, a company with no layoffs ever. Joining me now is Aflac's executive vice president, Audrey Boone Tillman.

Audrey, thanks for being here. We always love to hear the Aflac duck. It's a great campaign, but I think there's probably a lot of people wondering how on earth have you never had layoffs especially in this environment? Why is it so great to work at Aflac?

AUDREY BOONE TILLMAN, AFLAC EXEC. V.P., CORPORATE SERVICES: We've got a very people centered approach to how we do business. In fact, our company was founded on the principle that if you take care of the people, the people will take care of the business. So when we look at our employees, each one of them, we look at them as a whole person. Someone who doesn't just come to work at Aflac and give to the company, but people who have spouses and children and try to buy homes and take care of parents.

COLLINS: So specifically, are you talking about time off? Are you talking about morale boosters? I don't know. Rewards that you may get if you perform in a very successful manner?

TILLMAN: We're talking about a combination of all those things. When we design programs and perks for our employees, we really do so trying to acknowledge and support the entire lives of employees and helping them achieve that really critical balance that we're all talking about. So we'll have curriculum in our learning division, for example, that help people buy their first home, recover from bankruptcy, recover from divorce. Parents strong-willed children. Just the entirety of what goes on an employees' life.

COLLINS: All right. So back to this whole idea that even in this current environment where we seem to be announcing every day here at least on this show, new reports of companies that are having to lay people off, you guys have never had to do that. How can you be different from all of these others?

TILLMAN: Well, our approach has always been very conservative in terms of hiring, and times of plenty, we're very conservative about the people that we bring on board. And because of that, when times get a little strained, when we have to tighten the belt, we're never in a position that we have overage or extra people around.

COLLINS: In fact, you're hiring now?

TILLMAN: We are hiring now. We are still very much in business. We have major initiatives that we're undertaking, and we need good people and good talent to help us get that done.

COLLINS: All right, well, good for you. And I don't know if we were able to get the tight shot of that -- of the duck pin on your lapel. It goes with the ad, obviously. We sure do appreciate your time.

Audrey Boone Tillman, thanks so much from Aflac today. Thanks.

TILLMAN: Thank you.

COLLINS: Imitation. The sincerest form of flattery and marketing as we know. So how the president's daughters are launching a new industry of look-alikes.

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BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Obama administration, if they -- if we can get the banks lending again, I think we can do well. I'll make you a prediction. If we could get bank lending going again, of all of the stimulus things in this package, they'll create more jobs per dollar in the energy efficiency projects than anything else. By far, if we've got a financial system that works.

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COLLINS: That's former President Bill Clinton speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Clinton predicted the U.S. could emerge from the current financial crisis in a year to 15 months if there is bipartisan congressional support for President Obama's economic recovery plan.

The president's economic stimulus package is heading to the Senate now. The $819 billion bill passed the House yesterday without Republican support. But plenty of people say they doubt whether it will stimulate the economy and actually put people to work. That debate is the buzz on TV and blogs.

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ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER 360": Are you concerned at all about how this money is going to be spent?

DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, I am, Anderson. And I think a lot of Americans.

It's been interesting in reading your blog site over the last few days. There are these doubts that are creeping into the comments by many people on the blog site. And I think that's shared by a lot of Americans.

But, even so, you know, we can question fundamentals. I think the bill was sold to the country, basically, as improving roads and bridges, infrastructure, doing a lot of work like that. And it turns out less than 5 percent of the money in this bill actually goes into roads, bridges, transportation -- and urban transportation.

And there's -- so, there's a lot of Republicans, I think, who are voting against it do have deep philosophical differences, as Ed Rollins was pointing out last night.

Even so, I think most economists will support this, will support the thrust of it. And, as an economic matter, it doesn't make much difference whether Democrats or Republicans vote for it. When it passes by this margin, it's going to pass. And when those dollars go out the door, they don't have Democrat or Republican stamped on them. They just have Uncle Sam on them.

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COLLINS: As we mentioned. Also, once again, that was, of course, coming from Anderson Cooper who you can catch every night 10:00 p.m. Eastern.

As we mentioned minutes from now we'll have live coverage of the president signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. It's goal is to make it easier for workers to sue for pay discrimination, even if the abuse first happened decades ago. And you can see the signing live right here on CNN.

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COLLINS: A lot of girls want to look like models. Well, today models want to look like girls. Specifically, Sasha and Malia Obama, the president's daughters. CNN's Deborah Feyerick has that story.

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DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When it comes to fashion, there's nothing like a powerful brand to boost sales -- especially if that brand is a dynamic first family.

MARLENE WALLACH, WILHELMINA TEENS & KIDS: We have gotten several calls for look-alikes.

FEYERICK: Marlene Wallach is president of Wilhelmina Kids & Teens.

WALLACH: It's a trend because what little girl doesn't want to emulate the first kids?

FEYERICK: The modeling agency represents 6-year-old Ariel Bins (ph), who recently scored big in a Benetton ad.

(on camera): Is that Tyra Banks?

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Yes.

FEYERICK (voice-over): She then scored as a first daughter look- alike to foe Obama Mama Tyra Banks in September's "Harper Bazaar."

(on camera): This could really open up a lot of possibility for your daughter for other different ad campaigns.

DAWN CROOKS, ARIEL'S MOTHER: I think it will and I hope it does.

FEYERICK (voice-over): Unlike the Bush twins or Chelsea Clinton, global branding experts say the appeal of the Obama girls is unique and infinitely marketable.

DAVID ROGERS, GLOBAL BRANDING EXPERT: Marketers are finally waking up to it. You know, black is beautiful. It's just going to become part of the fabric of the fashion imagery of pop culture, which is a great thing.

FEYERICK: After the first kids appeared in their J. Crew outfits Inauguration Day, the company's Web site got so many hits, it crashed. But when a toy company recently tried selling unauthorized Sasha and Malia dolls, First Lady Michelle Obama's office called it inappropriate.

Still, many companies believe the look-alike effect will rub off.

WALLACH: You know, if all these young 'tweens are aspiring to be these girls, I would assume that that's their intention.

FEYERICK (on camera): And often that works.

WALLACH: And often that works.

FEYERICK (voice-over): Which will likely mean more work for kids like Ariel Bins (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I actually have a go see for you guys to go to right now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's for Saks. They're looking for size six girls.

FEYERICK (on camera): Some branding experts say there's a fine line between positive marketing and being tacky. But the feeling is because of the Obama's, there will be an increase in the number of African-American models in fashion magazines and ad campaigns taking diversity to a whole new level.

Deborah Feyerick, CNN, New York.

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