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Ice Storm Blackout; Pushing the Stimulus; Iraqi Election Day; A Mother of Fourteen; The Economy & Suicides; Barack Obama's Half- Brother Arrested in Kenya on Drug Possession; Cardinals and Steelers Face off for the Super Bowl
Aired January 31, 2009 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody.
Next in the CNN NEWSROOM, some tax issues for another -- another prospective member of Barack Obama's administration. Tom Daschle, you know the name, you know the face. We'll tell you what his issues are.
Also, a bus accident in Arizona. Seven people are killed. We'll give you the details.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, fertility treatments bring a bundle of joy times eight. This for a woman who already has six children. It breathes new life into ethics questions about these births.
From the CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM for the last day of January. Yes, it is the 31st.
Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: And hello to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes.
10:00 a.m. here in Atlanta. Let's get you caught up on what's happening. And we've got weather to talk about up first here this morning. Some icing going on.
People are still frozen solid in some areas of the country, and right now what they're going through, they're sitting in a home with no power. They're also sitting in a home with no water. And also, with the news that they might not get either of those things for weeks to come, maybe days if they're lucky, but possibly even weeks.
Hundreds of thousands of people are facing this, this morning, after a winter storm downed trees and snapped power lines across the nation's midsection. Kentucky alone, Kentucky's really been hit really hard. Hundreds of thousands of people there are without power.
So far the storm being blamed in at least 42 deaths in nine states. And as I mentioned, Kentucky seems to be getting the brunt of this storm.
Susan Candiotti is there for us. She's in Louisville, Kentucky.
And set the scene for us. And it is an icy scene. SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, yes. And the governor himself told CNN this morning that they have a lot of digging out to do in this state.
The sun is out, there are clear blue skies. It feels really good to be standing in the sun. But even so, I've got gloves on, bundled up, and my fingers still feel like they're numb, it is that cold. Temperatures in the teens here in the Louisville area, and throughout most parts of the state as well.
We're standing in front of a shelter now where about 200 people sought refuge here. They handle and see and help about 500 people throughout the day. This is one of a number of shelters set up throughout the city for people who still do not have their power back on.
And joining us this morning is the mayor of Louisville, Jerry Abramson.
You've been mayor for a good 20 years here. Aside from people in the shelter, I know you were also helping them out in another way.
MAYOR JERRY ABRAMSON, LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY: We opened another shelter for another 400. Only a couple dozen showed up last night. But, you know, the fact is we're moving in the right direction.
We had 175,000 households that were without power. We're now down to 135,000. So we're moving in the right direction.
At the same time, we had terrible tragedy yesterday with carbon monoxide that took the lives of two elderly folks and their special needs adult child. Today, last night -- and that was based on a generator that was improperly vented. Today, we find that a charcoal grill was used to warm a house. Carbon monoxide was put out, we lost another individual for that reason.
CANDIOTTI: It must be so frustrating, because you put out warnings all the time when these kinds of emergencies occur. Still, some people are not getting the message.
ABRAMSON: You know, you're right, frustrating is the right word. We have been saying it on the radio, we have been saying it in the newspaper, on television, we have been putting it out through the Spanish speaking radio stations, et cetera. We now have got the post office working with us, going door to door, being able to know exactly what to watch for as the postal folks go door to door.
We have got flyers up at every hardware store and every location where you can literally buy this equipment to let people know you can't take it inside. It can kill. And it has, unfortunately.
CANDIOTTI: A quick question. Have you made a decision on whether schools will reopen next week?
ABRAMSON: No, we're still -- we're working the roads today, the sunlight helps. We'll make that decision about 4:30, 5:00 tomorrow. CANDIOTTI: All right. Mayor Abramson, thank you very much for joining us this morning.
ABRAMSON: You bet.
CANDIOTTI: And again, we watch and wait for more information about how many people will come back on line. The sooner the better for many of them.
Back to you.
HOLMES: All right. Yes. Susan Candiotti, thank you so much.
And Betty, as we heard, and we always see in these stories, people finding any way to try to keep warm.
NGUYEN: Right.
HOLMES: To hear a story about someone actually have a charcoal grill inside...
NGUYEN: Inside the house. They're doing all they can. A lot of people not only without power, but without water as well.
And this storm is not over, folks. In fact, I think there's another one on the backside that's going to affect a lot of people.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: Well, President Barack Obama putting pressure on the Senate this morning, challenging them to act quickly to pass his stimulus package.
CNN's Elaine Quijano joins us now live from the White House.
So, Elaine, is there still room for compromise on the stimulus plan?
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You know, that's a good question, Betty. Republicans certainly hope so, but you're right, President Obama today did use his weekly radio and Internet address to talk about and make his case once more for the $800-plus billion economic stimulus plan.
Now, it passed through the House, of course, without any Republican support, and in the coming week it's heading to the Senate. But in the meantime, on a related note, President Obama did announce in his address that his treasury secretary, Tim Geithner, will soon be unveiling a new financial strategy for those $350 billion left in the financial bailout program.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK H. OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We'll help lower mortgage costs and extend loans to small businesses so they can create jobs. We'll ensure that CEOs are not draining funds that should be advancing our recovery. And we will insist on unprecedented transparency, rigorous oversight, and clear accountability, so taxpayers know how their money is being spent and whether it is achieving results.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Now, back on the stimulus plan, already some Republicans say they're very concerned about the spending that's contained within that package. In fact, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said today in the GOP address that the items in that bill look like a $1 trillion Christmas list. In other words, Betty, the Republicans do not believe that all of these items are going to give the economy the short-term boost they think the economy really needs right now -- Betty.
NGUYEN: All right. CNN's Elaine Quijano joining us live.
Thank you, Elaine.
HOLMES: Well, it was Election Day in Iraq. A big day for a young democracy. After a successful day of violence-free voting, polls to elect eventual leaders are closing now. Officials around the world are watching closely to see how this all plays out.
Our International Correspondent Arwa Damon watching this closely as well from Baghdad.
Arwa, we just saw it pass on the wire, AP was saying that the Iraqi state television says that the polls have closed with no major incidents of violence.
What message is this sending to the rest of the world?
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, T.J., anyone here will tell you that the fact that there was no significant violence today could perhaps be an indication that Iraq is beginning to embrace the Democratic process. Of course, it is too soon to really tell. This is such a fragile country. But that most certainly is coming as a relief.
Iraqis still braving many hazards to try to get out to the polls today. These elections are especially critical, because what we're talking about, and even though it is on the provincial level, is who is going to have regional power over essentials that Iraqis have been desperate for, things like basic services and jobs?
These elections are also critical because some analysts are saying that they could serve to try to reverse some of the political imbalances that we saw taking place after the 2005 elections, which some are attributing as being one of the factors that contributed to the sectarian bloodletting that we saw here. This is a very important point to make, Sunni participation.
In 2005, Iraq's Sunni population largely boycotted the elections. Now we are seeing them fully involved in the political process, and this is very important in terms of Iraq being able to move forward as a stable nation.
We were traveling to Al Anbar Province earlier today with the United Nations. Iraqis there jubilant. This is the first time that they're actually able to experience the electoral process, for the most part. In 2005, there was only a two percent voter turnout there. In Baghdad, people very optimistic, very excited as well -- T.J.
HOLMES: Staying here, quickly, you talked about people who are turning out, the big turnout. When will we see numbers about just how many people possibly turned out this time? And also, when will see results, the election results, to see who was actually elected today?
DAMON: T.J., the United Nations and the Iraqi Electoral Commission do have a press conference coming up shortly where we're expecting to see some sort of numbers about the initial voter turnout statistics. In terms of actual results, we'll see preliminary ones coming out within the next few days. Official results, though, not before the end of the month.
And this is a very critical point as well, and a very critical time period, because these results have to be credible. If they're not, it is likely and a concern that those parties that end up being the losers could end up turning to violence, as opposed to erasing the Democratic process.
HOLMES: All right. But a good day, nonetheless, with a young democracy.
Arwa Damon for us in Baghdad.
Thank you so much.
A lot of you will remember that shoe-throwing incident that happened to President Bush last year. You know, he was at a press conference in Baghdad, had to duck some shoes that a reporter from Iraq tossed at him. Well, that monument right there went up to commemorate that event.
It was put up at an Iraqi orphanage. Well, a day after it was put up, it's already been taken down. The order came from the Iraqi government. They were saying that, actually, this is government property, and such a political statement should not be made, so it has to come down.
Shoe-throwing and even showing someone the bottom of your shoe is a gesture of contempt in the Muslim culture. The journalist who threw the shoe remains in jail facing some charges, but he also got a lot of support after the incident from some people after he did it.
NGUYEN: Well, back here in the states, seven people were killed and at least nine others were injured after a bus carrying Chinese tourists crashed in Arizona. Take a look at some of these pictures.
Officials say the tour bus crashed at about 4:00 p.m. yesterday on Route 93, which is about 20 miles from Hoover Dam. The highway was shut down for some time in both directions. Officials say five of the injuries are life-threatening. They also say a cyclist was injured trying to avoid the bus.
Well, the company that makes the peanut butter linked to a deadly salmonella outbreak could face criminal charges. Federal officials are looking into reports the company's Georgia factory was dirty and contaminated with salmonella since as far back as June of 2007. And officials say come workers knowingly sent out products that initially tested positive for the bacteria.
At least eight people have died. Hundreds of others have been sickened in that outbreak.
HOLMES: Well, you certainly do not want to wait until you get laid off to get your financial house in order.
NGUYEN: Actually, we have one woman's recession survival story. Find out what she did to stay afloat when she got that bad news.
HOLMES: And a lot of people out there are looking for work. Stay right here with us. We have been showing you all morning a few companies that are still hiring. Here's a look at a few more, so get your resumes ready.
You see Scottrade there, KPMG, adding thousands of jobs, even. Hundreds-plus for Pricewater. So some jobs are out there. We've been sharing that with you. Hopefully you're using this information this morning.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Just sharing with you there some companies that are hiring these days.
We'll turn to another story that's gotten a lot of attention this week. It's been making the rounds in the medical ethics community, how a woman with six children under the age of 7 became a mother of 14 in a single day. Yes, octuplets. You do the math.
CNN's Ted Rowlands has the story for us in California.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The man who identifies himself as the grandpa of the octuplets confirmed to the media camped in front of his house that his daughter already had six children before getting pregnant with octuplets.
ED SULEMAN, OCTUPLETS GRANDFATHER: She did not seek to have more children, she thought she was going to have one more child. And it happened.
ROWLANDS: The octuplets' grandmother told the "L.A. Times" that her daughter had fertility treatments to get pregnant, which has raised some eyebrows in the medical ethics community. ALEXANDER CAPRON, USC PROF. OF LAW AND MEDICINE: Naturally occurring octuplets are so totally unheard of, that this was the result of a fertility treatment. Why a woman with six children would need a fertility treatment is certainly unclear and puzzling.
ROWLANDS: The mother of now 14 children released a statement through the hospital saying, in part, "We understand that you are all curious about the arrival of the octuplets. My family and I are ecstatic about all of their arrivals."
Back at his home, grandpa told reporters he has the financial means to support his daughter and her 14 children, but acknowledged it's going to be a lot of work.
SULEMAN: Financially we are OK. This is just an extra thing we have, this little house, for the kids because it's a special place for them.
ROWLANDS (on camera): Grandpa is apparently headed back to Iraq, where he works as a contract worker. That's what his wife told the "L.A. Times." Meanwhile, the hospital released a statement today saying all the babies are doing just fine, they're expected to stay here at the hospital for the next seven weeks.
Ted Rowlands, CNN, Bellflower, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: There's been a whole lot of talk about this story, especially after news broke that she did have six other children at home. And it leads to the ethics question, and that's been part of our question to you this morning, what do you think about the story, this California mother who gave birth to Octuplets? And we have been getting a lot of responses.
HOLMES: Yes. And here's one from Laura Reeder, who says, "The sad thing is this woman is going to be so overwhelmed, stressed out and economically taxed, she will never see the light of day unless she has an army of family and friends that don't have anything planned for the next 18 years and want to help her out. It's sad for her and her husband, but mostly the children."
I should point out, she is not married. Actually, used a sperm donor here. So no father helping her out, but the family helping her out.
NGUYEN: Yes, her parents are helping her out.
And this other e-mail coming to us from George. George says, "Why all the criticism of the woman having octuplets who already has six other children? Why don't we give her an award instead of persecuting her in an age where today's typical woman is putting career in front of family and waiting to reach 40 before conceiving? It is a redeeming quality to hear of a woman dedicated to life and child."
And we do appreciate your thoughts. And speaking of dedication, she will have to dedicate a whole lot of time to 14 children.
HOLMES: Fourteen. The others are between the ages of 7 and 2. I think the 2-year-olds are a set of twins, are the 2-year-olds already.
NGUYEN: My goodness. Wait until they go to college. Can you imagine those bills?
HOLMES: Oh my goodness.
NGUYEN: Holy moly.
All right. Well, congratulations. I think she's got a lot on her hands, but obviously she wanted another child. She was expecting one, and got eight. So quite a surprise.
HOLMES: And we were told she was told she was going to have eight and kind of had the option of -- I can't remember the exact term, the medical phrase they used.
NGUYEN: Terminating, yes.
HOLMES: But to terminate and take the numbers down, but she chose not to.
NGUYEN: Yes. You've got to respect that.
HOLMES: All right. Betty, would you take a pay cut to save your job?
NGUYEN: Take a pay cut to save my -- to keep a job?
HOLMES: To keep a job.
NGUYEN: Yes. Did I say that out loud? I hope my boss isn't watching.
HOLMES: To save my job?
NGUYEN: To save your job? Yes, I might take a few dollars less. Just a few though.
HOLMES: Well, we got some food for thought for you here. It's been a pleasure working with you these past two years, Betty.
NGUYEN: Oh, come on.
HOLMES: How much would you sacrifice to save your job? Well, this team we're going to introduce you went to some pretty impressive lengths.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, you heard a lot about the economy impacting restaurants across the country. A lot of people can't afford to go have -- especially if you've got a big family. You can't feed everybody.
NGUYEN: Right. Oh, yes.
HOLMES: But some fast-food restaurants doing a little better.
NGUYEN: That's true. Yes. McDonald's is actually expanding the stores that it has.
But even if the nicest restaurants are out of reach for you, you can have that quality food at home on the cheap. Our Josh Levs talked to a chef about that and got some really good tips.
Let me tell you, I need them because I'm not that great in the kitchen. So go ahead. Bring it on.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, tell me about it. I know. I don't think the stuff I cook would even qualify under the word "meal."
NGUYEN: As food?
LEVS: Yes. Not for other people.
You know what this is from? Check this out. This is where we got the idea. We're totally cribbing (ph) this from TIME.com Web site, in partnership with us.
Recession dining -- they spoke to a bunch of chefs about how to make meals for under $10 for a family of four. So one of our brilliant producers here said, "You know what? Let's bring in a chef." And I got to have a little fun on this one.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS: This is Kurt Bowling (ph) He's an executive chef.
You run your own catering company. Right?
And there's someone who works at CNN who was very well known for her sense of taste. Everyone asked her where to go eat at restaurants around town. Erin McLoughlin (ph) is going to be here. She's going to tell us how good this is.
Right?
Yes, I am.
LEVS: All right. Let's just get right to the food, because everyone around here is asking us, "What is this food?" You're going to show us some dishes you can make, family of four, $10 or less; right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly.
LEVS: Let's start off with this beautiful one right here. What have we got? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is red beans and andouille sausage. And it's simple. It's made with wonderful chicken stock. But it is something -- I mean, it is $6 right there for four people.
LEVS: So everything in here combined will feed a family of four?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly.
LEVS: Even if you have a pretty big appetite?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure. Soak the beans overnight.
LEVS: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then in the morning or the afternoon, when you get home from work, just put them on.
LEVS: Yes. Wait -- hold on. Keep talking.
Thumbs up, thumbs down, eh?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's amazing.
LEVS: Really?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's really good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's got to this next one here, cranberry chicken piccata. Right? What else have you got in here? What are the ingredients?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've got a little linguini. But you know, regular chicken piccata is made with capers. And a lot of people don't like capers.
LEVS: I don't like capers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But chicken is $3 a pound, and you've got about two pounds to serve four people.
LEVS: Everything it takes for a family of four to make a whole meal out of this, how much would it be, $9? Just about $10?.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Almost $10.
LEVS: See, that's amazing to me.
All right. How are we doing?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm doing very well.
LEVS: Are you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very well.
LEVS: I'm totally making her talk with her mouthful on TV. Is your mom watching?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hope not.
LEVS: How are we doing so far? Are we two for two?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Amazing.
LEVS: All right. Well, I want to get to the third one while we still have time, because this one I can actually eat.
This one is vegetarian.
What's going on here? What is this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Linguini, a little pesto. You've got vegetables.
LEVS: Lots and lots of vegetables.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right. And then have yourself a nice piece of cheese. Get a nice, good piece of cheese and it will go a long way.
LEVS: And you can make this whole thing, again, a family of four. And we're not talking a family of four mice. Like a family of four human beings with appetites.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
LEVS: Even potentially as big as mine.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then you spend about $3 on a nice loaf of bread.
LEVS: This is good.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's amazing.
LEVS: Are we three for three?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're three for three.
LEVS: All right.
Well, listen, Chef Kurt Bowling (ph), thanks for all the great food.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure.
LEVS: Everybody who works here at CNN is now about to attack us before we close off because they all want a little bit of this.
Erin (ph), thanks for your expert taste test.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Any time. (END VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS: And they did. After we shot that, all that food was gone in about five minutes.
Now, your mouth's watering, you want to make some of that stuff? Zoom in right here, masterpiecatering.com, the Web site we just showed you in there, they set this up for us. And they're explaining to you how to make everything you just saw right there, masterpiececatering.com.
And check this out, too, iReport jumped into this. They were very excited we're doing this. Now, guys, people are sending us their recipes, great meals that you can make during a recession. Less than $10 feeds your entire family of four.
Send us your pictures, especially your videos, if you're doing this.
And guys, we'll be back tomorrow. We'll show more of that great food that you guys were having.
NGUYEN: Yes, that's some great stuff.
Hey, and we know Erin (ph) is great, but if you ever need a volunteer food critic, we're always available. All you have to do is ask.
LEVS: It was late in the day. You weren't here.
NGUYEN: Is that what it is? All right.
HOLMES: Isn't that how it always works? Erin (ph), as we just saw, she works at our international desk.
NGUYEN: Yes, she's right over there at the international desk right now.
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: She's right over here, and it always works, some of the skinniest people have the biggest appetites.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: I mean, she's this little bitty thing, and it never fails.
NGUYEN: And what a job, though? Yes, I think I would love that if that were my job.
HOLMES: Yes.
LEVS: She did a great job for us. Superstar.
NGUYEN: All right. Well, pink slips, foreclosures, mounting bills, it's enough to make anyone feel desperate.
HOLMES: But is there actually a link between the economy and depression?
You actually sat down with a former surgeon general who has some answers on that. That's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: The new face of the Republican Party is that of a black man. Yes, the GOP has elected a new head of the RNC, the Republican National Committee. Of course, as we know, the GOP right now looking for some leadership, looking for someone to step forward, and they have turned to the former lieutenant governor of the state of Maryland, Michael Steele.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL STEELE, RNC CHAIRMAN: There is not one inch of ground that we're going to cede to anybody in delivering a message of opportunity, a message of empowerment, a message of ownership, a message that reassures Americans that in order to right this economy, we don't need to redistribute their wealth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: He is the new messenger, as we say. After the loss and the presidential election, really, they're looking for a face and a voice, and many people say he is more of a moderate voice and, you know, a new face, a brand new face. The first time an African- American has ever been elected to that post.
NGUYEN: Yes. A lot of history being made this time around.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: Well, you know, speaking of history -- and a lot of what we're facing has really been a historic time when it comes to the economy -- I want to get you more now on my interview with former Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher. You know, an alarming increase in suicide that seems to coordinate with the growing number of layoffs.
Now, conventional thinking begs the question, is the economy to blame? Well, here's what the former surgeon general has to say.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. DAVID SATCHER, FMR. U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: Let me just say again, 85 to 90 percent of people who commit suicide are suffering from some type of mental illness. And it wasn't caused by any one particular incident. And a lot of times, that mental illness has been there before, but it was exacerbated by the condition. So I just think we have to remember that the majority of people in this country who suffer from mental disorders are not under treatment. And so if somebody's suffering from a mental disorder, and then they experience severe stress, those people are obviously more likely then to become very depressed and maybe even to commit suicide. But I don't think the conditions alone would cause people to do that. There are many people going through those condition who will never do anything like that.
NGUYEN: We were looking at families this past week, one family with five kids. The father, according to reports, killed his wife, all five of his children, then himself. And initial reports is because it was over a job.
I mean, are these times that desperate that people are really saying, you know what? I'm not going to find a job out there, so let's just call it a day and be done with it?
SATCHER: Yes, it's very hard to comment on that specific case until we really have all the facts. But it is clear that some people are more susceptible to becoming severely depressed at times like this.
It's not just like anybody could get depressed and do harm to themselves. Some people have a predisposition to respond to stress in this way. So I want to make it very clear that this kind of stress increases the risk of suicide, but generally people who already have a predisposition, or really have a mental disorder, undiagnosed or untreated, are more likely to experience that kind of outcome.
NGUYEN: The research as of lately shows that the unemployed are two to four times more likely to kill themselves than the employed.
SATCHER: Yes. That means that the rate of suicide is about, what, 11 per 100,000? So you're saying that in that group, it may be as high as 30 per 100,000. So there's a lot of other people who experience similar things who will not commit suicide.
NGUYEN: And so when it comes to depression, what are some of the signs? What are some of the things that people need to be on the lookout for?
SATCHER: I think the first one is depression. And I think people who are depressed, when they begin to talk about wanting to end their lives, or they begin to make preparations, sort of a detailed scheme that we talk about in terms of people who actually start to make plans to no longer be around, giving away things that have been valuable to them, beginning to talk more about death and things like that. So there are ways to raise expectations about the risk of suicide.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And we're going to have more of my exclusive interview with the former surgeon general. Tomorrow, we're going to be discussing how the Army has reported record suicide rates and what's behind that.
Stay tuned right here tomorrow, on "CNN SUNDAY MORNING," beginning at 6:00 a.m. Eastern.
HOLMES: Well, times are certainly tough for just about everybody right now. But if your boss asked you to work a day without pay, Betty, would you do it?
NGUYEN: We do it all the time around here, don't we?
HOLMES: I did it on Thursday, actually.
NGUYEN: Yes. That's nothing new.
But up next, we do meet a guy who asked for a huge sacrifice, and one of the workers who came to the rescue.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. They gave up an entire day's pay to help their employer. Are you that good of an employee?
I'm talking about the staff at Mr. B's Pancake House in Michigan. The restaurant, like most places, has fallen on tough times, so the owner went to his staff for help and they responded. Seventeen employees spent an entire day working for tips only and not for their regular salary.
Joining me now, Mr. B, himself, Dave Barham, and his lead server, Mary Van Dam.
Thank you all so much for being here.
And Mary, I told you I was going to let you tell this story, where the idea for doing this came up with in the first place. Quickly, just tell me where the idea came from.
MARY VAN DAM, EMPLOYEE, MR. B's: Thank you very much. To clear up the air, Dave and I were in the ladies room at the restaurant one morning about 6:30, and Dave was changing a light bulb.
HOLMES: Yes. You've got to throw that part in there. OK.
VAN DAM: You've got to throw that in there. That's why we were in there.
And he was sharing with me an opportunity that he saw that the Federal Express employees had in order to give up maybe paid vacation and putting into 401(k)s by their boss, if you're willing to give that up to avoid cutbacks. And I believe they said absolutely.
So, he's like screwing in a light bulb. "Do you think anybody around here would do something like that?" And I said, "What do you mean?" And he's like, "Well, work a day for free." And I said, "I don't know. Bright idea, Dave, but I'll do it."
HOLMES: Yes, screwing in a light bulb and he came up with a bright idea.
Dave, how bad had things gotten? How desperate were you right now in the restaurant that you really needed to find a way to get some help?
DAVE BARHAM, OWNER, MR. B's PANCAKE HOUSE: Well, it's been a challenge. You know, obviously with the economy like it is and, you know, we're just not getting as many people coming out to eat. Things are tight. So, again, I saw this on the news and thought, you know, this is something I think I would like to give the employees an opportunity to donate their time.
HOLMES: Now, who made the pitch to the rest of the employees?
That's something I did. We had an employee meeting, and I got them all together and I said, "Hey" -- I shared where the business was at, and said, "You know, I have an idea here. If you guys are interested, fine. If you can't do it, that's OK. But I would like to know who would be willing to donate their time for a day."
HOLMES: And in that meeting, Mary, what was the initial response from everybody?
VAN DAM: It was amazing. Dave actually had our lead cook and our lead cashier, after Dave and I talked, we took them together and saw what they thought, and they're like, "We're in." It was amazing.
I looked afternoon the room, and one by one the hands are going up. I'm like, you know, "This is kind of crazy." But...
HOLMES: Do did everybody participate? I understand it was 17 employees. Is that everybody? Did everyone participate?
VAN DAM: Well, everyone wasn't given the opportunity because we have 31 employees, but that day we had 17.
HOLMES: OK.
VAN DAM: And it was amazing.
HOLMES: So Dave, how much money did this save you in a day? And did it make a real difference in your bottom line?
BARHAM: Well, our payroll on a Sunday runs about $700. So that's basically what the savings was, but it was so much more than just the money that we saved...
VAN DAM: Right.
BARHAM: ... as it gave the employees the opportunity to serve. But the amazing part was the customers that gave over and above because we had a tip bucket out for them to give. And we let them know that obviously the employees were working for free that day.
HOLMES: Yes. And the last couple of things here. Mary, I want to ask you, and give us an idea, just generally, how difficult of a sacrifice really was this for some of the employees there to really give up a day and have to sacrifice their salary for a day?
VAN DAM: For some of them, I'm sure it was very hard. For others, it was like -- honestly, it came from their heart.
And the reason we did that is because Dave, Dave has been blessed with a very successful career. And that has afforded him not only the finances, but the will to dip into his own pocket, and we know that.
This guy will put in out of his life savings to make sure that we have a job. And we're like, we're giving this guy back a crumb off of his own loaf of bread, and it's an amazing place. We love it. You know?
HOLMES: You know, that is wonderful to hear, and we're hearing more stories like this around the country, really people helping each other out in tough times.
VAN DAM: Amen.
HOLMES: So you all are helping each other out, helping him out, and then the customers also getting involved.
Guys, thank you so much for sharing this story.
Mary Van Dam, Dave Barham, we're so glad we can bring an uplifting and a positive story in these tough economic times.
Thank you so much for being here. You all take care.
VAN DAM: Our pleasure. Thank you.
BARHAM: Thank you.
NGUYEN: And as for her shirt, "The Big b" is an omelet contest that she won?
HOLMES: It's a 12-egg omelet that they offer at the restaurant. If you can eat it, you get your picture taken and it goes up on the wall.
NGUYEN: Then she did it.
HOLMES: She actually didn't eat it, but...
NGUYEN: Oh, she didn't?
HOLMES: No, she's just wearing the T-shirt.
NGUYEN: Oh, she's just advertising it.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: OK. I'm sure people at home were wondering.
But here's a story that we have been following this morning. We're going to have some new developments in the arrest of President Barack Obama's half-brother in Kenya. Stay with us for that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Want to give you an update now on a story we have been following this morning, word that we got that President Obama's half- brother in Kenya, George, was arrested overnight and taken to jail by Kenyan police. He was taken to jail on some drug charges.
Our David McKenzie standing by for us now in Nairobi.
David, you and your producer got the call actually from George Obama. You had interviewed him before during the campaign season. But he calls you up, told you what was going on.
What is the latest we have on him now?
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, T.J., the latest we have is what we're hearing from our sources. In fact, our sources are one of George Obama's family here in Nairobi.
He says that George Obama has, in fact, been released from the cell that he was being held by police. There will be certainly a very swift movement of Kenyan police system, because generally people, if they're arrested there, T.J., will spend some time, if not months, before they even go to trial.
So the police spokesman spoke to us earlier saying he might be released soon and that charges (INAUDIBLE) who we have been contacting on this story. So it seems like this is a hot political potato here in Kenya, but it seems like George Obama might have been released from his cell and might not face charges of -- on drug charges or the resisting arrest charges that we had been reporting earlier -- T.J.
HOLMES: And also, we do want to tell folks that this is President Obama's half-brother. The two barely know each other. I think they have only met two times -- as, David, you reported a little earlier.
But tell us, give us an idea, how serious of a charge was this drug charge? How serious of a charge is it there in Nairobi? And also, I think you mentioned earlier, he was supposed to be going -- he was going to be held in jail and possibly going to court on Monday, and it sounds like he might be out already.
MCKENZIE: Well, that was apparently -- he was supposed to have a court date on Monday. You know, possession can face anything from three months to a year on a first offense, I have been told by experts today, as well as a hefty fine. So it is a serious charge, it is often under the discretion of the magistrate, the person who's giving jail time.
But, you know, when I met George Obama today and spoke to him, literally through the bars, he told me these charges were false and he didn't do anything, he was just sitting outside his house. So it would seem that for whatever reason, he has been released from there, but this would corroborate his story. But certainly we'll bring you the latest when we can confirm that -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right. David McKenzie for us from Nairobi.
Thank you so much for your reporting this morning, David.
NGUYEN: Well, back here, he is the man who holds the Arizona Cardinals' Super Bowl dreams in the palms of his hands. Kurt Warner, the original comeback kid and veteran quarterback, returns to football's biggest stage. And CNN Sports Correspondent Larry Smith is right there in the thick of it in Florida -- Tampa, to be exact.
All right, Larry. This isn't the first time this 37-year-old is really shocking the critics, is it?
LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: No it isn't. What a great story.
This is a guy who, out of college, was stocking shelves overnight a grocery store, waiting for that phone call to come in from anybody to try to play football. He played in the Arena Football League, finally got a chance with the Rams, came out of nowhere to take them to a championship nine years ago. And now here he is again, trying to do the same thing with the loveable, losing every year, Arizona Cardinals.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH (voice-over): Kurt Warner knows what many people were saying about him when he joined the Cardinals four years ago.
KURT WARNER, CARDINALS QUARTERBACK: I think the perception around the league about me was that I couldn't play anymore anyway, that there was more football left in him, and, you know, he basically just trying to survive.
SMITH: Warner was a two-time league Most Valuable Player and a Super Bowl champion, all accomplished in three spectacular seasons with the St. Louis Rams from 1999 to 2001. The problem was, whether because of injury or inconsistency, he hadn't accomplished anything close to that in the years since.
WARNER: They did something that a lot of people didn't, took a chance on something that a lot of people wouldn't. And I knew personally that I could still play given the right opportunity.
SMITH: If the perception of Warner was bad, the reputation of his new team was worse. The Cardinals were long a dumping ground for aging veterans and had just allowed long-time Cowboy Emmitt Smith to finish his great career in forgettable fashion in Phoenix.
WARNER: I think a lot of people looked at it as more of -- kind of a black hole, a place that hasn't had success. You know, that, "If you go there, I don't know, if you're going to have success or what's going to happen to your career."
SMITH: But Warner refused to let perception become reality when he took over for former Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart's last season.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't think it was just one of those things where he was just coming to finish his career. I mean, he's been to the pinnacle, he's been knocked down, and he's back at that point again.
BERTRAND BERRY, CARDINALS DEFENSIVE END: He's a Hall of Fame football player, and it's that simple. And I don't know why people continue to try to say, "yeah buts" in reference to Kurt. I mean, the man has done everything that there is to do in this league. So I don't understand why people continue to doubt him.
SMITH: Now at 37, the deeply religious Warner hopes his once storybook career has the appropriate ending, although the moral of the story is what he really cares about.
WARNER: You know, "We were a better team, we were a better organization, I'm a better player because I was around that guy." That's what I want my legacy to be. I want people to remember me for the impact that I had on them and not necessarily the impact that I had on this game.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH: Warner becoming a free agent after tomorrow's game. He has hinted the season, that maybe if things go well in this final game here, that he might hang them up and call it a career. What a legacy though. Nine quarterbacks in history have won multiple Super Bowls, but only Warner has a chance now of winning Super Bowls with two different teams, the Rams and now the Cardinals.
Let's go back to you.
NGUYEN: All right. Larry Smith joining us live.
We'll be looking forward to that game tomorrow. Thank you, Larry.
There's much more to come right here on CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, the economic hits just keep on coming, and just about everyone is feeling the pain. A whopping 100,000 jobs were lost this week alone. Almost half of them came from top drugmaker Pfizer and construction company Caterpillar.
In just a few days, though, California may have to hand out IOUs to bill collectors and those who qualify for tax refunds. That is, of course, unless lawmakers can come up with an emergency budget proposal. And managers at AT&T can say goodbye to their dreams of a pay raise this year. Salaries, they are frozen. And the company's CEO is giving up his bonus.
Want to talk about surviving these tough times and give you a firsthand account from the trenches in a new series that we are calling "Survivor Stories."
Let's introduce you to Juliette Johnson. She's here with us this morning. She was recently laid off and forced to make some important changes.
In fact, you got that notification of being laid off on a conference call, of all things.
JULIETTE JOHNSON, RECENTLY LAID OFF: Yes.
NGUYEN: So it was a complete surprise to you.
JOHNSON: A complete surprise.
NGUYEN: What was the first thing you did?
JOHNSON: Well, the first thing I did was call my financial advisor, Charles Knox (ph). And we had been working on some plans over the last couple of years to kind of set me up for retirement. And fortunately, it really helped me to kind of put things in place so that I would able to kind of survive the next couple of months.
NGUYEN: Yes. So once you realized that income is no longer coming in, you decided to take some action right away to help with those bills. The first thing was to go ahead and turn in your car?
JOHNSON: Yes.
NGUYEN: Most people would just wait and see what they can do, maybe I can keep that car payment up. But you said forget about it, I'm trading it in.
JOHNSON: Yes. I went ahead and just got rid of all the major assets that I thought were going to be pains later. And that was the first thing that I got rid of.
NGUYEN: So you took your car back to the dealership, got a used car; right?
JOHNSON: Yes.
NGUYEN: So it's not that you're without transportation.
JOHNSON: Correct.
NGUYEN: You just have a cheaper form of it.
JOHNSON: Correct.
NGUYEN: What are some of the other things that you did?
JOHNSON: Well, the second thing that I did was contact my mortgage lender and let them know that I was part of a workforce reduction. And fortunately, there are a lot of programs out there that will help people in that situation. So I took advantage of that.
NGUYEN: So you had some options?
JOHNSON: So I definitely had some options.
NGUYEN: OK.
JOHNSON: The third thing that I did was contact all my creditors, everybody that I owed money to, whether it was credit cards -- there's actually an insurance that you can purchase with your credit cards a lot of people don't know about. Of course, everybody knows about the theft protection that they have...
NGUYEN: Right.
JOHNSON: ... but they also have, if you lose your job, you know, for whatever reason, whether it is workforce reduction or layoff, or what have you, there are insurance programs that you pay into. So I went ahead and had that on two of my credit cards, so I was able to take care of those without having that as a problem.
NGUYEN: Yes. That's good information, because I think a lot of people hold it in, they're fearful of contacting these different companies, thinking, well, there's no way I'm going to make this payment, so why go ahead and tell them? Let me just see what I can do.
JOHNSON: Right.
NGUYEN: But there are programs in place to help you out if you do find yourself in this situation.
You also got a roommate, something that a lot of people maybe haven't thought of before, but it's something to help you pay the bills.
JOHNSON: I had the space. I have a huge condo, and I was just like, you know what? I might as well make this a money maker versus a money pit.
So I went ahead and, you know, searched for a roommate, and fortunately my roommate was in a similar situation. She was renting, so it was easy for her to move in. And we have been making ends meet the best way that we can.
NGUYEN: And one of the best ways that people say, especially experts, once you do get laid off, the first thing you do, file for unemployment.
JOHNSON: That is the next thing I did. But I did it that Monday after, and it was very scary. I thought that the office opened at 8:00. It opened at 7:30.
NGUYEN: How was the line?
JOHNSON: I was like number 127.
NGUYEN: Really?
JOHNSON: It was really just mind-blowing. And it wasn't just people, it was people like myself, you know, professionals that were in the line trying to figure out what to do.
NGUYEN: Yes. In the meantime, you're updating your resume, trying to get that life back on track. And we have been posting jobs throughout the morning that are available.
JOHNSON: Oh, then that's good.
NGUYEN: It's also on CNN.com. So lots of good information here as well.
Thanks for sharing your story with us.
JOHNSON: Thank you very much for asking me.
NGUYEN: We do appreciate it.
JOHNSON: All right.
NGUYEN: And we want to hear your recession survivor stories. You know, your problems, your fears, even your solutions, just like we talked with Juliette. Just how are you making ends meet and staying sane throughout these tough times?
Send us your videos -- love the video, of course -- or your photos and comments, all of it to ireport.com.
