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Kentucky Emergency; Filling the Cabinet; Nurturing Democracy in Iraq
Aired January 31, 2009 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MELISSA LONG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Powerless. Over a half a million Kentuckians without electricity and many are seeking shelter from freezing temperatures that are gripping that state.
One official calls it truly a proud moment. Why today was a day like no other in Iraq.
And fear when it comes to the job. Are you worried about keeping yours? Worried about finding a new one? Some companies are hiring. We're going to show you this hour in CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm Melissa Long. Happy Saturday, in today for Fredricka Whitfield.
And caught in the icy grip of winter. Nearly a million homes and businesses from the Plains all the way into Maine still without power today. Utility crews are working 24/7. But it could be a couple more weeks before they reach everyone. We're really seeing the worst of it today in Kentucky. There's so much damage, in fact, emergency crews are having a tough time getting through. The governor is touring the hard-hit areas by air. And some local officials are urging everyone who can to pack a bag and head south. So far, 78 counties in Kentucky have declared emergencies and the death toll continues to climb. At least four deaths are blamed on carbon monoxide poisoning in Louisville. The mayor says the victims were improperly using generators or in one case a charcoal grill to try to heat their homes. A lot of agencies are rushing to help out people in Kentucky. Let's get the latest on those efforts from CNN's Susan Candiotti, who is in Louisville.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kentucky's governor says there's a lot of work to be done throughout the state, but at least some progress is being made. At its height, more than 700,000 people were without power as of Friday. But as of today, that number has been whittled down to less than 500,000. The hardest-hit part of the state are the western counties where we understand that people there are still without water and obviously a lot of people still without electricity as well.
The governor's emergency management office tells me this afternoon that FEMA teams are hard at work, generators are on their way, especially to critical care facilities, including hospitals and nursing homes and places where emergency officials are working as well. Those are the first priorities for those generators so that those people can be taken care of. And fuel that's coming into the state also servicing those generators first. They're also being used to get water treatment facilities back online.
But one of the early lessons that's already being learned, according to emergency management officials, is how badly their communication systems were working when all of the telephones went out. Cell phones went out. Phones went out. And so they found themselves relying on only satellite phones. And they found that so many places did not have access to hand radios because those, of course, were still working. So they said in the future, they're going to start equipping more emergency offices with those hand radios to get them through all of this.
Now, the temperatures are expected to warm up tomorrow. And so that could help. Certainly the utility crews that are working here around the clock to restore electricity to so many homes. This is Susan Candiotti, CNN in Louisville, Kentucky.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LONG: It is cold there in Louisville where Susan was just reporting, 100 shelters have been opened around the state where people can find some warmth, many by the American Red Cross. But the word is they're going to stay open as long as necessary. Joining us live on the line right now, Amber Youngblood, she's with the American Red Cross. Amber, thanks for your time.
AMBER YOUNGBLOOD, AMERICAN RED CROSS (on phone): Good afternoon, thank you for having me.
LONG: So you say you're going to stay open as long as you need to be open. What is the guess right now? How long will you be helping people?
YOUNGBLOOD: In most of the areas, we were told that seven to 10 days people could be without power. So as of Tuesday evening, we've had roughly 50 shelters throughout the Kentucky area that have been open. And we will continue to stay open as long as we see that there is a need.
LONG: What are people able to get when they show up at the shelter?
YOUNGBLOOD: The biggest component of what people can receive when they come to a Red Cross shelter is one, just warmth. And we also have TVs set up to where they can keep up to date information with news of what's going on in their area to see when electricity might be coming on at a sooner time and also warm food and activities for kids as well.
LONG: That's very important to keep the kids busy. What is the dynamic like when you're in a shelter? We're looking at pictures right now of a shelter with young people, older people. What is it like to be there?
YOUNGBLOOD: It is all across the board with the demographic. In Louisville, Kentucky, we do have several older citizens that have sought out shelter at a Red Cross facility. And we also do have young families as well. So there are a lot of young children, too. So anything that we can do to occupy their time and to kind of at least add some form of ease during this time of need, then we will try and supply that for them.
LONG: Amber, let me just wrap up talking about what it's like outside. So many people watching may never have been in an ice storm, may not know what the elements are like. Describe what it's like outside that shelter door.
YOUNGBLOOD: Right outside, it's hard to believe that the roads are clear, but the ice storm that did come through is just so thick that when it landed on the power lines and trees, that it's just hard to believe that there are still streets in a larger city area that still are unaccessible just because the workers are working nonstop and they have to go to so many different areas. Having 8,000 lines down is just a big momentous type of endeavor that everyone has to get through.
LONG: The crews are working 24/7. I know you're working hard as well. Amber Youngblood with the American Red Cross out of Louisville. Thanks so much for the update, appreciate it.
YOUNGBLOOD: Thank you.
LONG: And more bad weather on tap as well. Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras joins us now from the CNN Severe Weather Center. Jacqui, we're just getting over this nasty weather and now you have more in the forecast for Monday?
(WEATHER REPORT)
LONG: Now weather is not believed to be the factor in a tour bus wreck, happened yesterday. It left seven people dead and five more hospitalized. The bus carrying Chinese tourists overturned Friday afternoon near Arizona's Hoover Dam. Six people died right there on the scene, a seventh at the hospital. Bus drivers believed to be among the five people critically injured. Federal investigators are scheduled to arrive at that crash site today.
The National Transportation Safety Board, the NTSB, is already on the scene of a plane crash that killed all six people aboard. It happened yesterday near the West Virginia/Ohio state line. And only two miles away from the Huntington, West Virginia airport, after the pilot issued a mayday call saying that plane was low on fuel. The plane hit a power line as it went down.
President Barack Obama has a plea for the U.S. Senate in his weekly address. He wants lawmakers to get busy and pass his more than $800 billion stimulus plan. It goes, as you know, before the Senate next week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's time to move in a new direction. Americans know that our economic recovery will take years, not months. But they will have little patience if we allow politics to get in the way of action and our economy continues to slide. That's why I am calling on the Senate to pass this plan so that we can put people back to work and begin the long, hard work of lifting our economy out of this crisis. No one bill, no matter how comprehensive, can cure what ails our economy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LONG: President Obama says his administration will unveil a new strategy for reviving the financial system in February. It includes a crackdown on bonuses and other compensations for companies that receive financial bailout funds.
And whether you're a top executive or the average worker, we want to hear from you today. What are you doing to keep your job or maybe you're searching for a new one. What are you up to? E-mail your thoughts to weekends@CNN.com, or you can also send us an i-Report. To do that, go right now to ireport.com. The reason I mention this is because the 4 pm hour is dedicated to job seekers today. We want you to tune in for tips on finding a new job, coping with the loss of a job, learning how to reinvent yourself and learning how to still survive in today's marketplace. That and so much more during the 4 pm hour of CNN NEWSROOM.
Today, there are some new developments about President Obama's cabinet. One name emerging as a leading candidate for commerce secretary. That's New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg while another candidate having some tax problems and a third could be confirmed as early as Monday. Let's go to our CNN deputy political director Paul Steinhauser in Washington. This gentleman from New Hampshire, Senator Judd Gregg, also a Republican. That is in line with Barack Obama's promises of bipartisanship.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Exactly and right now he currently has two Republicans in the cabinet actually, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who was defense secretary in the Bush administration. He is a Republican. And Ray Lahood (ph), the transportation secretary.
As for Judd Gregg, he is the senior senator from New Hampshire. He is a fiscal conservative. He was a big backer, Melissa, of that $700 billion bailout for Wall Street and the financial institutions and he is known as somebody who can get along with the world of business, which is what the commercial secretary does.
That of course commerce secretary opened up when New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, who was Barack Obama's first pick, had to step down from the nomination because of an internal -- or a federal investigation going on in New Mexico right now. So here we have it.
But exactly where it stands is, the report from the White House, administration officials saying that it looks like or they say that Gregg would be the number one choice and it could happen as early as Monday that we're going to get a nomination, an official nomination. But Press Secretary Robert Gibbs last night saying it's no done deal yet. So stay tuned to this one.
LONG: So if he is nominated and confirmed, what about his Senate seat? Does this get us even closer to that filibuster-proof majority in the Senate?
STEINHAUSER: It could. Here's why. Gregg is a Republican. The governor, the very popular governor of New Hampshire, John Lynch, is a Democrat. So while he could do a couple of things, John Lynch, he could either replace Gregg with a Republican or a place holder. But he could also name a Democrat.
This is a seat the Democrats really wanted. They've been gunning for this seat. It's up in 2010. But if Lynch does name a Democrat and that switches the seat over from Republican to Democrat and if the Democrats do win that battle right now between Norm Coleman and Al Franken up in Minnesota -- remember, that's still not resolved, that recount -- if they win that and this becomes a Democratic seat, yes, you're right Melissa, they get to 60, Democrats get to 60. That's the filibuster-proof majority they would like to have. The filibuster is a method by the minority party to basically stall and stop legislation.
LONG: All right, quickly want to just talk about going through taxes. First, you were going through the tax forms of our now treasury secretary, now going into the taxes for the gentleman tapped to be health and human services secretary. What's the latest right now with the nomination of Tom Daschle?
STEINHAUSER: Yes, this is a problem. And on Monday, Tom Daschle will be on Capitol Hill and he will be meeting with members of the Senate Finance Committee. They want to review his tax records because, according to a committee memo obtained by CNN last night, here's some of the concerns, that Daschle used a limousine and driver that he didn't disclose on his income taxes and he didn't pay more than $80,000 that he earned in consulting fees after he left the Senate in early 2005.
Democratic sources tell us that Daschle has since paid what he owed. And none of this happened while he was a senator, but that's a lot of money we're talking about. This could really hurt another nominee. But remember Daschle served in the Senate for 20 years. For 10 of those years, he was the Democratic leader in the Senate. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid saying yesterday he's pretty confident that Daschle will be confirmed. Daschle of course a big supporter of Barack Obama right off the start and an adviser of his. And Obama wants him not only for health and human services secretary, but also to be the health czar in the White House.
LONG: Deputy political director Paul Steinhauser from Washington. Paul, we'll talk to you next hour about Governor Sarah Palin in Washington this weekend.
STEINHAUSER: Thank you.
LONG: Well, some are calling it a truly proud moment in Iraq. Election Day and many women seeking office, saying a woman's role is not only in the home.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LONG: For coalition troops who paid the price in the fight for Iraq, a dividend of sorts. For only the second time since the fall of Saddam Hussein, Iraqis going to the polls today in provincial elections. Voters choosing between more than 14,000 candidates and many of them women. Here's CNN's Arwa Damon in Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fundamentalists have taken over the country, Nibras Al-Mamouri, a secular candidate, argues. She has no problem voicing her controversial opinions, even on TV in the face of the country's influential men. She contends that it was the 2005 elections that brought fundamentalists into power and tarnished Islam's image in Iraq. Saturday's provincial elections are the first time Iraqis are voting since then and Al-Mamouri says it's time for change, which is why she's a candidate for the Baghdad provincial counsel.
NIBRAS AL-MAMOURI, CANDIDATE, BAGHDAD PROVINCIAL COUNCIL (through translator): Although a woman's role in the Arab world is mainly that of a mother and child bearer, she says, I want to prove that women are just as capable as men when it comes to challenging arenas.
DAMON: At first she thought just participating in the elections for a woman was enough, but now she says she's running to win, to defy those men who believe a woman's place is in the home.
"I've entered a battlefield where women have to prove they're competent," she states, adding, "I have to forget about fear."
In recent years, Iraqi women have been targeted by extremists for any number of reasons, from not covering their hair to entering the political arena. Under Saddam Hussein, Iraq was one of the more secular Arab countries. But America's 2003 invasion unleashed extremist militias, and now many activists say women have been forced back to the dark ages, turned into submissive, anonymous black shapes. Al-Mamouri believes these elections can help women improve their standing.
"An Iraqi woman can be an equal. She can participate in change," she says.
This is something you wouldn't have seen in the 2005 elections, the public image of a woman as a direct challenge to fundamentalists and their beliefs. And although not all women are using their image- fearing retribution, nevertheless there are still nearly 4,000 female candidates across the country, some of who will win guaranteed seats through an electoral quota system.
Masala Hadad (ph) looks over her speech just before she takes to the podium, also competing for a seat in Baghdad.
"Iraqi women form the core of society," she tells the crowd. Later, she passes out her campaign card, telling these young women she'll fight for their rights and these young men that she'll try to provide jobs for Iraq's largely unemployed youth. Halid (ph) knows the dangers of being in the public spotlight but says after witnessing years of blood shed in the country she, like many candidates, wants to play a part in saving Iraq's future.
(END VIDEOTAPE0
LONG: That was Arwa Damon reporting from Baghdad.
Now a shoe monument in Iraq gets the boot, coming just a day after it was unveiled outside of an orphanage in the northern city of Tikrit. A sculptor made this out of fiberglass and copper with the help of children orphaned by the war. It's an homage to this memorable incident in Baghdad. You remember this back in December when an Iraqi journalist hurled his footwear at President Bush. Many hailed that man as a hero, but local officials tell CNN the monument was taken down after a request from the central government. Charges are still pending against that journalist.
Now is it junk or a pot of gold? Sports memorabilia raking it in, if you've got the right stuff stashed in your attic.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LONG: Throughout the day, we're going to show you the companies that are still looking right now to hire new employees. One of these spots could just have the perfect job for you. Hopefully that is the case. We're inviting you to send in your questions about jobs. In fact, the 4 p.m. hour today, 4 p.m. Eastern Time, we're going to focus on finding jobs. We're going to answer some of your pressing questions. Josh Levs joins us right now with a preview of what we really have planned.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. It's going to be really interesting, Melissa. What's going to happen is we're going to spend the entire hour seeing to it that as many of your questions as possible gets answered. Zoom in on the board. I want to show you all three major topics to write us about. Job or career advice no matter what kind of situation you're in. How to cope. We'll have a psychologist on the panel. So if there's something that you're going through that's very difficult, that you feel is emotionally challenging involving your job, write us about that.
Also, how to reinvent. You're going to hear a really interesting story about someone who managed to reinvent himself and his whole career in a whole new way. If you want tips, if you want ideas, if you want suggestions, if you want some really pragmatic answers, information we can go grab for you, write it to us weekends@CNN.com. I'm going to be running over to the computer a lot along with the team getting some of your questions together. And Melissa, we'll spend part of that 4:00 hour presenting those questions, getting through as many answers as we possibly can.
LONG: Helpful information. You're right, the gentleman who we're going to highlight today, fascinating story of reinventing yourself. Really inspirational, too. All right, looking forward to that, thank you. Ever wonder what some of those old sports souvenirs you've been hoarding could be worth? Today, your chance to find out. Earlier I talked to David Hunt. He is auctioning football memorabilia this weekend in Tampa.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID HUNT, AUCTIONING MEMORABILIA: You can have something as simple as a program. A piece like this, a Super Bowl program from one of the early games can range anywhere from $100 to $300. But it's something that's more affordable for collectors but it's obviously something that anybody could have acquired.
LONG: What about that jersey over your shoulder? I imagine that's a coveted piece and going for quite a lot of money.
HUNT: Well, that's it. When you go to a higher level item, this is a piece that's worth about $10,000 to $15,000, worn by Gail Sayers (ph). This is one of the pieces in the auction this weekend. And again, the value is these pieces is really in the eye of the beholder, the purchaser, why they mean a lot to them.
LONG: I can see someone having a program at home, maybe a jersey. But what are some of the more unique trinkets that someone may have stashed away that they maybe even have forgotten about?
HUNT: Well, that's the thing. Some of the more valuable pieces are things you would never expect or never even visually understand are worth a lot of money. If you look at this, it looks like a movie prop from a Halloween mask or something. But this is actually called an executioner style helmet from the 1920s. And you can see why, and this is the type of thing that somebody might have in their attic from someone that played football. Wouldn't even know what it's worth. This is a piece that's worth anywhere from $7,000 to $10,000 being an extremely rare style of helmet from that period.
LONG: You're going back to before they had real protective gear for the football players. All right, so how do you know what to do? Say you have that terrific piece from the 1920s or that jersey. What's the next step if you do want to part ways and see if you can get some cash for it?
HUNT: Well, that's the thing. I think that's what we're here for and people like this. You want to identify what you have first, because you can't decide what you want to do with it until you know what it's worth. So once you've established what it's worth, then you have to decide really does it mean a lot to you sentimentally? Is it something that might be worth more down the road as an investment or is it something that is very cyclical and you want to sell now because sometimes that's the way to go because many of these things although they could be valuable for a period of time, the value might not always stand, much like investments today. And right now, it's been a great market for over the last 15, 20 years for us.
LONG: OK what about right now with the economy the way it is. Is there really a great market for items like these? These aren't necessities.
HUNT: I have to admit sometimes it even surprises us. But I think the one common thread that sports brings to this is sports really transcends just about anything. Right or wrong, if you look back into economic times, hardships, war, peace, it still ends up carrying through in sports. Just like the game that will be played this weekend. So I think the thing about that is that's why we've seen our values hold. And so far they've actually held quite well and we're still selling things, many one of the best items at record prices.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LONG: The Super Bowl is tomorrow, 6:30 kickoff in Tampa.
Now, allegations that a deadly salmonella outbreak in more than 40 states could have been prevented? Was evidence ignored?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LONG: A 4-year-old boy died in this crash on a snow-covered Kentucky highway near the West Virginia border. In fact, at least nine deaths in Kentucky have been linked to the winter storm. More than 500,000 people still without power today. In Louisville, the mayor has issued a warning about using generators inside homes. Three people were found dead inside of a home apparently from carbon monoxide poisoning. They had been running a generator in their garage.
And with another storm on the way, it's a race against time to get the power back on. Larry Holeman is on the phone with us now. He is the assistant director of emergency management services in hard-hit Grayson County.
Larry, thank you for joining us. Appreciate it. Larry?
VOICE OF LARRY HOLEMAN, EMERGENCY MGMT., GRAYSON CO., KY: Yes.
LONG: OK, just want to make sure ...
HOLEMAN: Have you got me?
LONG: I got you. You got me, hopefully, too.
HOLEMAN: OK. Go ahead. Yes.
LONG: Tell us how badly hit your community has been.
HOLEMAN: Well, we have -- we've really been hit. We're five days into the emergency. We have people coming in. We have volunteers coming in. We have food.
We feel like we're running uphill now instead of downhill. So far, we haven't had any deaths. We've managed to shelter people. It might not be the best accommodations in the world, but we have managed to shelter people. We've managed to feed them. And so we feel like we've turned the corner. We have a whole lot of assistance coming in today from our Kentucky National Guard. They stepped up and they're doing a wonderful job today. We've had our unit -- Kentucky Forestry Service, they've sent us chainsaw crews in. And we're beginning to clear the roads.
Our electrical companies, it's kind of a hard situation for them. They have trees to deal with, and we have wires to deal with, and they're intermingled due to the ice. And so we're working together ...
LONG: It sounds exhausting. It sounds overwhelming. How are the crews holding up because of all the work they have cut out for them?
HOLEMAN: Oh, they're -- you know, they're exhausted. But they know they have a job to do because a lot of folks just don't have heat. They don't have the electricity they need. You know, hot baths are really -- would really be good. The electric companies, they want to get folks back on as quick as they can.
LONG: I spoke earlier to the communications director of the American Red Cross in Louisville and she said -- she told me it would be a week or more before they get the power back on. What type of guidance are you getting?
HOLEMAN: We're getting it's possibly up to six weeks until it's fully restored. We're making long-term preparations for feeding, for housing ...
LONG: All right. Let's talk about that for a moment. Six weeks. What kind of preparations are you going through right now to prepare for that, that worst-case scenario?
HOLEMAN: Well, I understand from our Kentucky Emergency Management Agency that the federal government's stepping up and possibly, you know, going to render assistance to us in the form of possibly travel trailers or something of this nature that would be temporary housing to house these folks, to get them -- you know, still we can get power. We're still looking at shelters and we have -- we opened an additional two shelters in our county to accommodate ...
LONG: You got have a lot of challenges clearly.
HOLEMAN: Oh, yes.
LONG: You mentioned they may not be the best accommodations but you know what? They're warm places to stay with food as well.
HOLEMAN: Right.
LONG: Larry Holeman, Grayson County, Kentucky, assistant deputy management director. I know you're very busy. So, thanks so much for taking your time to give us this update. Appreciate it, Larry.
HOLEMAN: Thank you, bye-bye.
LONG: Bye-bye. Kentucky is clearly dealing with a lot of nasty weather. Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras in the CNN weather center for us right now.
And Larry is painting a picture that we may not have the power back on for some of the residents there for six weeks.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. That's -- I can't even imagine what that would be like, six weeks. I mean, that's where you're thinking about going to visit grandma and grandpa or mom and dad who live in another state and have power because that is a long time to go.
And you know, for those people who don't have power, just a reminder to follow your safety rules. A couple of things, you know, we've had at least four people who have died from carbon monoxide poisoning from their generators. So, if you're going to use a generator to help you get by through this difficult time, read that whole packet if you don't know all the rules, because it can be deadly, believe it or not. So you have to use a lot of caution.
Help out your neighbors. It's -- a lot of folks are bringing other people into their homes. In fact, one of our iReporters sent us a picture and she was -- kind of sent me a little e-mail describing her situation about how her neighbors have been coming over. They've got a wood-burning stove. And every two hours, they're having to wake up in the middle of the night to keep that stove going so that they have some heat.
This is from K.C. Dupps and she lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas. This isn't just a Kentucky thing. People in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Ohio -- still don't have power. And the reason why I wanted to show you this picture because you can see how those tree branches are kind of bending over and just shows you the sheer weight of that ice.
Well, one of the problems that we're dealing with now, as the temperatures start to warm up, is that this ice is melting. It's cracking. And it's coming down in big chunks. And that can hurt you very significantly. In addition to that, when you get a big chunk and all that weight comes off the tree branch, what happens to it? Snaps right back up, right? So, somebody could get seriously injured by that.
Now, we do have another system which is going to be moving through the area. We've got a south wind right now and that's why those temperatures are starting to warm up. We've got a clipper-type system which is going to drop on through. It may be bringing light snow showers Sunday into Monday. It's going to bring a change of the winds and bringing the north winds back and bring our temperatures back down a little bit.
So we've got a couple of days. We've got today and tomorrow, maybe even into Monday and those temperatures are going to be dropping down. We're looking at 26 in Lexington, 25 degrees in the Cincinnati area.
So these problems are going to be sticking around for a long time. We've got fluctuations of temperatures up and down right now, Melissa. The best thing I can tell you that, at least, with this next system coming on through, we're not looking at really heavy snow or really heavy ice.
LONG: That's good. We're getting to the point where people are like, "Is winter over yet?"
(LAUGHTER)
JERAS: No.
LONG: No.
JERAS: March.
LONG: I know.
JERAS: Got a couple of months.
LONG: Right. Thanks, Jacqui.
The peanut processing company linked to a salmonella outbreak could face criminal charges. Federal officials are looking into reports that the company's Georgia factory was dirty and had been contaminated with salmonella for more than 18 months. Officials say some workers knowingly sent out products that initially tested positive for bacteria. At least eight deaths and 500 illnesses have been linked to this salmonella outbreak.
A trade group for the industry says the public should not be concerned about national name brand peanut butter because that is sold in supermarkets.
The company that produced the tainted product has issued this statement. It says, in part, "We at Peanut Corporation of America express our deepest and most sincere empathy for those sickened in the salmonella outbreak and their families. Our top priority has been and will continue to be to ensure the public safety and to work promptly to remove all potentially contaminated products out of the marketplace." That's the official statement from the Peanut Corporation of America.
And we continue to follow this story out of Galveston County, Texas, where cadaver dogs are searching today for the missing four months after Hurricane Ike roared ashore. Search crews haven't found any bodies since December. The two-month long million dollar search ends this week with 34 people still unaccounted for.
And a close call yesterday near Seattle. A 55-year-old truck driver bailed from his ride just before his rig slammed into this freight train. He's unhurt, faring better than the two vehicles he was transporting.
And a police standoff in Southern New Mexico is over with one person dead. Lawmen went to that home Friday morning to serve an eviction notice. They were met with gunfire. Police say the homeowner told them he was willing to die before giving up his home to foreclosure. A dead body was found at that home this morning.
President Barack Obama is turning up the pressure now on senators who might vote against his economic stimulus plan. In his weekly address, Mr. Obama suggested Americans are sick of the economic mess and the partisan gridlock.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, WHITEHOUSE.GOV)
PRES. BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Rarely in history has our country faced economic problems as devastating as this crisis. But the strength of the American people compels us to come together. The road ahead will be long. But I promise you that every day that I go to work in the Oval Office, I carry with me your stories, and my administration is dedicated to alleviating your struggles and advancing your dreams.
You are calling for action. Now is the time for those of us in Washington to live up to our responsibilities.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LONG: Now, it's hard to even wrap your mind around $800-plus billion. But here's some of the numbers we can all relate to in the stimulus bill that is cleared through the House. The tax cuts included in this plan would add roughly $12 to $13 a week to paychecks of workers earning less than $75,000 a year. If you don't have a job, it would add about $25 a week to your unemployment benefit. If you're buying your first home, it could mean a whopping $7,500 credit on your income tax bill.
Do keep in mind, all of these numbers highly subject to change as this measure is making its way from the House now through the Senate and then, of course, back to the House again.
The Republican National Committee, the RNC, has elected its first African-American chairman. Former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele was chosen as the new face of the GOP after six heavily contended rounds of voting. The party chose Steele over four other candidates, including former President Bush's hand-picked GOP chief, who bowed out saying the winds of change are blowing. The party is trying to recover from crushing defeats in November's national election.
Another of President Obama's cabinet picks is having some tax trouble, former Senator Tom Daschle, the nominee for health and human services secretary. Daschle recently paid $150,000 in back taxes and interest, amid questions about his consulting work and the use of a borrowed car and driver. The Senate Finance Committee has been reviewing Daschle's records and now is expected to meet on Monday. This move is not expected to derail his nomination.
U.S. military commanders say the problem in Afghanistan is not the Taliban. It's what's making the people ripe for recruitment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LONG: Extreme poverty is driving many people in Afghanistan into the hands of the Taliban or criminal gangs. With a look here's CNN's Atia Abawi.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIA ABAWI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They're gathering drops of diesel spilled by a truck that's crashed. Drops worth at most pennies, collected in the freezing cold. Men, boys, and even young girls. They'll try to sell the diesel or use it for heat, anything to survive. They are the poorest of Kabul's poor. But they are far from alone.
At this roundabout, the faces tell the story. Men stand for hours every day waiting for work, any work. Seven years after the Taliban were ejected from Kabul, most people here still live well below the poverty line.
Said Kassem is 25 years old. He says he makes 60 cents a day.
SAID KASSEM, UNEMPLOYED AFGHAN (through translator): Everything's expensive. From the moment Karzai became president, he's been bad luck to the people. Because of unemployment, people turn to drugs. People are running insane. Murders, some are forced to kill and others to steal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This was the previous lesson we had studied before ...
ABAWI: The International Labor Organization provides training centers in various centers in Afghanistan that teach English and skills.
Kais had an education and speaks passable English, but he, too, has no job.
KAIS AL-RAHMAN, UNEMPLOYED AFGHAN: I wish for my government to help for poor people and they give jobs for all the people. They make a good (INAUDIBLE) for those people, they are poor people.
ABAWI (on camera): In 2007, the government reported the unemployment rate in Afghanistan at 35 percent. Aid agencies believe that number is rising, which is driving recruitment to criminal gangs and the Taliban.
(voice-over): A problem that may threaten President Obama's determination to forge what he called a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. His military commanders say the Taliban can only be beaten if poverty and unemployment are also tackled. Twenty-six-year- old Abdul Bashir (ph) says he is beyond desperate.
"Life?" he asks. "To be honest, death would be better than this."
Atia Abawi, CNN, Kabul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LONG: Right now, there are more than 30,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, many of them working with NATO troops also in the region.
"Fortune" magazine is out with its list of the top companies to work for. Some great perks and perhaps the best of all, some of them are hiring.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LONG: The next story is about female athletes. Winning the fight for equality on the playing fields but losing the battle when it comes to sports injuries.
Here's CNN's Judy Fortin to explain.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JUDY FORTIN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the sports playing field, young girls seem to be winning out in one area they probably weren't even trying to compete in, that of knee injuries. And these injuries become more of an issue as they go through puberty. For while boys grow stronger and more muscular, girls start making more hormones and grow more limber and more shapely.
DR. LETHA GRIFFIN, ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON: Well, women aren't straight up and down like men are. Their legs don't go straight up and down. They have wider pelvises. The angle of their knee comes in at an angle, and because of that, their kneecap doesn't go straight up and down. And so, if they don't balance out their thigh muscle well, the kneecap can shift to one side and could cause problems.
FORTIN: And those problems can be anything from shin splints, stress fractures or a much bigger problem, a torn anterior cruciate ligament or ACL. While a male's ACL can get torn, there are studies showing that females playing sports are up to six times more likely to sustain the injury.
GRIFFIN: We're not sure quite why. It may be part of anatomy. It may be the difference of how boys move and girls move.
If you look even when kids are little, little boys are down to the ground. They're scooping down. They've got their hip and knee bent. They're almost right there on the ground. Little girls are tiptoeing around on their tiptoes with their body upright.
And we know, when your hip and the knee is straighter and you twist, that's when injury can occur to the ACL.
FORTIN: But just how do you combat a problem caused by anatomy or posture? The first step might be by literally playing the field and doing it while girls are young.
GRIFFIN: Kids when they get to be about fifth, fourth, sixth grade, are starting to get into one sport rather than doing multiple sports. They have a predilection for a sport. Their parents encourage them to do it, the coach encourages them to do, and pretty soon, one sport is taking over their life. So, they're really not getting a broad base of muscle development. FORTIN: And it's that broad base you need if you want to stay in the game or at least until you reach a certain age.
GRIFFIN: Once they get into those middle years in high school, they've got the body they're probably going to have, and now, they can start sports specializing.
FORTIN: So, maybe, one way to keep an older female athlete uninjured and strong may be to let them remain kids just a little while longer.
Judy Fortin, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LONG: Throughout the day, we've been telling you just how bad it is in the state of Kentucky because of this nasty winter storm. More than half a million businesses and homes are without power. Still, utility crews are working around the clock.
And now, the Kentucky governor is calling up the entire National Guard, an unprecedented total call-up in order to help the millions of people that are stuck in the dark. Many of them are going to shelters, many of them are going to relatives' homes or friends' homes to try to find warmth and try to find food. They're going to be activating all members of the National Guard.
We're going to hear from the governor a little bit later today. He has scheduled a 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time news conference. But before that, we're going to hear from the mayor of Louisville. We've heard from both gentlemen quite a bit over the last few days. We're going to hear from the mayor of Louisville coming up likely after the top of the hour.
We'll bring both news events for you here on CNN and, of course, CNN.com as well.
It is tough out there. We're not talking about the weather in Kentucky today, even though it's tough there, but we're talking about the job environment. It's hard to find work. But there are still some great jobs available.
CNN's Allan Chernoff takes a look at some of 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 this 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 at the top spot on "Fortune's" 100 Best Companies to work for.
"Treating people well," says the 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. If you have a bad work environment where people don't enjoy colleagues, people don't enjoy how they're 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 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 for what it's like to work at this place.
CHERNOFF: Among the top companies, Four Seasons has one of the most diverse workforces. 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.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LONG: Talk about a dream come true, an eighth grader's essay wins him the trip of a lifetime. You can look for him Sunday on the field at the Super Bowl.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED KID: I'm (INAUDIBLE) even in on the contest because I was thinking, there's a lot better photographers than I am out there. So, I didn't think out of 10,000 I would be chosen for the final 14 and even win the whole competition.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LONG: Oh, yes, he was chosen. "Just a kid with a camera," he says, and now, he's a kid with a camera and tickets to the Super Bowl. Ben Quinn's (ph) photo, "The longest yard," won for his age group in a contest sponsored by Canon. He's an eighth grader, a self taught shooter. He's excited about the game, of course, but he says he's thrilled he'll be roaming the sidelines with his favorite photog, "Sports Illustrated's" Peter Reed Miller.
And then, he isn't the only kid with a lot of luck. Another eighth grader scored an all-expenses paid trip to Tampa not with the camera, however. He achieved it with a pen. More from Jennifer Miele of our Pittsburgh affiliate, WTAE-TV.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SAM KIMMEL, "SUPER KID" CONTEST WINNER: I play basketball, baseball, football, soccer, pretty much anything but then during like snowy days, I go sled-riding and snowboarding.
JENNIFER MIELE, WTAE REPORTER (voice-over): There aren't many sports 13-year-old Sam Kimmel doesn't like to play. The Homer City eight grader won the NFL "Super Kid" contest because of it.
KIMMEL: I had to write two short essays, one on how do I stay fit and all the different things I do, and then another one on how the NFL plays has inspired me.
MIELE: Sam says all that exercise helps him cope with asthma. Diagnosed just about two years ago, he says he doesn't let it stop him. He says his role model is Jerome Bettis.
KIMMEL: His old playing days really inspired me because it kept me motivated to keep moving because I had problems with my asthma. And he had even harder times with his asthma. So, that really motivated me to keep going.
MIELE: The judges included players Drew Brees and Santana Moss and the prize is a trip to the Super Bowl with three extra tickets for his two sisters and their mother. They'll get to spend a week in Florida attending NFL Kids Days and then Super Bowl Sunday, Sam will hand the refs the game bowl.
JACKIE KIMMEL, SAM'S SISTER: Excited. I can't believe that this actually happened.
SAM KIMMEL, "SUPER KID" CONTEST WINNER: My mom was the one that told me the news. And she was -- she was like crying when she told me. And I just couldn't believe it. My eyes watered up and I fainted in the chair behind me. It is a dream come true.
(UNIDENTIFED FEMALE): Also part of the prize, Sam's face will be on boxes of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes this spring.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LONG: Of course there's no place like home unless the power's out and the temperatures are freezing. Thousands seeking shelter elsewhere in Kentucky hoping for a thaw.
Remember this face. Don't count her out just yet. Sarah Palin in Washington this weekend. Is she laying the groundwork for a comeback?
And if a bank fails, the FDIC has your back, right? Not everybody. Some are finding out the hard way.
Hello, I'm Melissa Long in today for Fredericka Whitfield. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
