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Obama Action Call; Ohio Ice Fishermen Rescue; Pennsylvania Arson; Dick Cheney Speaking Out; Whistleblower Accuses Regulators

Aired February 07, 2009 - 15:00   ET

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

WHITFIELD: And breaking news near Toledo, Ohio. Hundreds of people are trapped on an ice floe. A rescue is under way.

They're duking it out on the Senate floor over how to trim billions from the stimulus plan.

And Arod outed. "Sports Illustrated" reports he tested positive for steroids six years ago.

Hello again, everyone. I'm Fredericka Whitfield and you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Breaking news this hour, a dramatic rescue operation under way on Lake Erie this hour. Several hundred ice fishermen are trapped on a slab of ice that broke free and is floating away from the Ohio shoreline. The area is just east of Toledo and we understand that the U.S. Coast Guard as well as various county as well as state authorities are trying to carry out the rescue mission.

We understand from one of the reporters in the affiliate area did say that a couple of the fishermen had actually made their way back to dry land thus far. For the most part they were very embarrassed but so far no reports of any injuries at all.

All right. We're going to get back to that story as soon as we get any information to bring to you.

Meantime, live picture right now of Capitol Hill. Why? Because the senate held a rare Saturday session after an apparent breakthrough on economic stimulus legislation. Three moderate Republicans have thrown their support to a slimmed-down version of the bill. Democrats believe that will give them enough votes to pass the legislation next week. The senate debated the revised stimulus bill this afternoon. So CNN congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar is on Capitol Hill there. Brianna the Democrats now think they might just have enough votes to pass the stimulus bill, but why is the Senate still debating?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, basically, I guess you could say in short, Fred, they don't really turn on a dime. And this amendment, this compromise that came about last night, it's sort of standard that they go through this process. And Senate Democratic leaders have chosen to go through this process of debating this compromise, which is seen by these Democratic leaders as this real chance for a breakthrough to get this through the Senate, seen as the major hurdle. How did this compromise come about? Well, Democratic leaders agreed to a number of cuts, including $40 billion in education cuts overall, paring down this package in the Senate by $100 billion, that to get a few Republicans on board and also a couple of reticent Democrats who had their own concerns, fiscally conservative Democrats who had their concerns. The vast majority of Republicans, though, they are still not on board, saying that this still has wasteful spending in it, saying they'd like to see more tax cuts and saying, as well, that it's being rushed through Congress.

But you also have Democrats who say that voters endorsed this way forward when they increased the majorities of Democrats in the Senate, in the house, elected a Democratic president in November. And people like Amy Klobuchar a Democrat from Minnesota saying, actually, no, this cannot wait.

SEN. AMY KLOBICHAR, (D) MINNESOTA: It's not a perfect bill from my perspective and I don't agree with everything that's in it and everything that came out. But literally we can't afford to wait any longer to get something passed. At the core of this bill is jobs, this bill is about jobs, jobs and jobs. It will put Americans to work by rebuilding our road, highways and bridges that have been neglected for too long.

KEILAR: Democratic leaders pretty confident that this compromise is going to hold. In a key vote on Monday on this compromise amendment, it will go their way. And also in a final vote on Tuesday, they think this is also going to go their way because of this agreement forged last night, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Brianna Keilar on Capitol Hill. Thanks so much, appreciate it.

Senate Democrats have proposed a $900 billion stimulus package. After negotiations the price tag went down to $780 billion or so. The package still includes $14 billion in Pell Grants, $3.5 billion for energy efficient federal buildings and $7.5 billion for education grants. So what's been taken out? $25 billion for education, $16 billion for school construction and $122 million for Coast Guard cutters and ice breakers.

President Obama used his Saturday radio and Internet address to talk about the stimulus bill. He urged Congress to complete work quickly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE U.S: Because if we don't move swiftly to put this plan in motion, our economic crises could become a national catastrophe. Millions of Americans will lose their jobs, their homes and their health care. Millions more will have to put their dreams on hold.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. We've heard a lot about the stimulus plan. But are you still unclear about exactly what it means for you? Send us your questions at Weekends@CNN.com. We'll put some of those questions up on the air; pose them to our panel of experts in the next hour. We're calling it show me the money. A special hour mostly dedicated to understanding the stimulus plan.

And now the Obama administration's new foreign policy vision. It's a far cry from the one the Bush administration pursued. And today Vice President Biden laid out details to world leaders at a security conference in Germany. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The vice president arrived in Munich ready to tell the world what it can expect from the new U.S. Administration and what America expects from the world.

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S: I come to Europe on behalf of a new administration, an administration that's determined to set a new tone not only in Washington but in America's relations around the world.

PLEITGEN: The vice president told the delegates the U.S. is willing to engage the Iranian government.

BIDEN: We will be willing to talk. We'll be willing to talk to Iran and to offer a very clear choice -- continue down the current course, and then there will be continued pressure in isolation. Abandon the illicit nuclear program and your support for terrorism and there will be meaningful incentives.

PLEITGEN: Concerning relations between the U.S. and Russia, Biden made clear the United States will continue developing a missile defense system, which Moscow vehemently opposes, but wants to consult with the Russians and NATO in a bid to improve relations.

BIDEN: The last few years have seen a dangerous drift in relations between Russia and the members of our alliance. It's time, to paraphrase President Obama; it's time to press the reset button.

PLEITGEN: A view echoed by the French president.

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE), (via translator): Confidence must be restored. I don't think the Russia of today is a military threat to NATO or the European Union.

PLEITGEN: In a speech that covered a broad spectrum of issues, from global warming to the world economy, Biden also called on America's allies to do more to share the burden in conflicts like the war in Afghanistan. The vice president will hold bilateral meetings with leaders from around the world at the conference. But the central message is this. Yes, America will do more, but it expects its allies to do more as well.

Frederik Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: All right. Back to our top story that we're following, this out of the Toledo, Ohio area. Dramatic rescue operations under way there on Lake Erie because an ice floe simply broke away with roughly between 100 to 500 fishermen on that ice floe. The U.S. Coast Guard as well as local and state authorities are there trying to carry out this rescue mission. Taneiya Lewis is with WTOL Television she joins us on the phone from Toledo, what are you able to tell us about how the rescue operations are going?

TANEIYA LEWIS, WTOL REPORTER, (Via telephone): Well Fredricka it seems that they have gone pretty well. Right now all the rescue crews, they are breathing a sigh of relief, because most of those fishermen are now off the ice. It seems like right now they're just tallying the number, eating and trying to warm up. I even saw a couple of U.S. Coast Guardsmen giving each other a high five. As you can imagine, after such a huge, massive rescue effort, to be able to get almost everybody off of the ice with only one person injured, those guys are pretty happy today.

WHITFIELD: And so how were they able to get many of them off the ice? I understand earlier it was reported from the Coast Guard they were sending apparatus on the water as well as overhead. What's your understanding as to how they plucked most of these fishermen off the ice?

LEWIS: Yes, it took several trips back and forth from the shore out into Lake Erie to get those guys off of the ice. We actually talked to a couple of fishermen who saved themselves. They used their own four- wheelers that they were stuck on the ice on. Drove them self around the huge crack and got themselves back to shore. So they're just happy to be going home to their families today.

WHITFIELD: We heard some pretty huge numbers, from 100 to about 500 fishermen, ice fishermen. Do you have a more concrete number?

LEWIS: Yeah. It sounds like they're sort of narrowing it down to a number between 180 fishermen out there. Guess what, there's still about a dozen out there who are out there pretty much at their own risk waiting for private hovercraft to get themselves and their own motor craft off the ice, if you can believe that.

WHITFIELD: Wow. All right. Taneiya Lewis, thanks so much for that update out of Toledo. You're looking at some of the latest still images that have come in from our affiliate there WTOL. And of course, when we get more images, which we are expecting, we'll be able to bring those to you right away also.

Lots of big stories we're following, from Ohio to Washington. And now in the sports world, it's all the talk. "Sports Illustrated" is reporting that major league baseball star Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids six years ago. The magazine says in a story posted on its Website today the Yankees star tested positive for two anabolic steroids. Larry Smith with CNN sports joins me now. So what's to make of this report?

LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS: Well, what's to make of this right now -- WHITFIELD: Eye raising.

SMITH: It is but it's a 2003 test. Right now the question is what's going to happen now to Rodriguez. Really, there is nothing. Part of this agreement that was made between baseball and the players union is that they would test for players to determine if there was widespread enough use to institute some kind of testing policy overall. More than 5 percent tested positive, so, therefore, they went forward with this. But at the time the tests were to remain anonymous and no punishment would be given. So Rodriguez will not receive punishment for this.

WHITFIELD: What's interesting here is the reason or "Sports Illustrated" is saying that they received, I guess, these reports through at least four sources. There was a federal raid of a facility that had the documentation of these test results, right?

SMITH: Right.

WHITFIELD: That's how it was retrieved?

SMITH: And what happened was -- this goes back to the Barry Bonds, did he perjure himself in the Balco trial. The government went in. There were two lab-testing facilities, where they had subpoenas to get these to determine if Bonds committed perjury in the Balco case. The players union already right now is already fighting that, because they're saying, listen, the feds didn't need all 104 names. They only needed the names of the ten players who testified in that Balco case. Alex Rodriguez did not testify in that. So the fight for this is already ongoing before this story broke. And so that's the issue right now. Supposed to be anonymous results and now his name has been leaked.

WHITFIELD: What do you suppose this report does to Arod or maybe any of the other 104 whose names may eventually come out? But he may be having, I guess, the most to lose?

SMITH: Well Alex Rodriguez right now, that's the thing -- when you look at the biggest names we've seen that have been linked to steroids, let's face it, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, as we stand here, those names leaked through various sources. But there's never been a positive -- never been convicted of doing such in any way shape or form. Yet their names are tainted by this.

Alex Rodriguez also faces this. Only 33 years old. He's already 12th on the all-time run list; he is only 209 home runs shy of Barry Bonds' all time mark. So this is someone that we expect to be the all-time home run king at some point, but yet his name is already tainted. Can he get past that and get to the Hall of Fame down the line? Who knows?

We've seen Mark McGwire right now the last two years can't even get 25 percent of the vote to get into the Hall of Fame. He was a sure fire first-ballot Hall-of-Famer when his career ended. But as of right now, he is nowhere close to get that 75 percent that he needs to get there. A lot of it because of the connection, the allegation that he cheated.

WHITFIELD: And Arod and a lot of his fans don't want that asterisk by his name.

SMITH: People saying it ain't so, you got to be kidding. Many people didn't want to believe this because he's baseballs highest paid. Women love him because he's very handsome. Guys love him because he's very talented. They don't want to believe it.

WHITFIELD: Some see him as a total package. I know we're not done talking about this. Larry thanks so much for bringing us up to speed.

Coming up, also, we'll talk to one of the reporters from "Sports Illustrated" who helped break that story and talk a little bit more about the details they have about their investigation.

Perhaps you're looking for a job. So what is the best way to get noticed by a decision maker? We've got tips on making the Internet work for you.

And why men are getting more pink slips than women.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A very curious thing is happening these days as layoffs surge across the country. Men apparently are getting most of the pink slips and women are finding their status changing in the workforce and at home. Here's Tom Foreman.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Women may soon outnumber men in the workplace. For the first time in American history, about 68 million women are on the job, just under half of the workforce. Women like Janet Borgeson at this Minneapolis hospital, who says many families can't even consider mom staying at home like she once did.

JANET BORGESON, ABBOTT NORTHWESTERN HOSPITAL: I think it's become less of an option. Everyone I know feels like they have to keep their jobs and are working very hard to do that.

FOREMAN: In addition, women are catching up because male-dominated industries such as manufacturing and construction are being hit very hard in this recession. Men have lost more than 3 million jobs in the past year. That's 74 percent of all jobs lost. That means more families are relying on women to be the primary breadwinners. And that's difficult.

HEATHER BOUSHEY, CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS: In the typical married couple family where both spouses work, he brings home about two-thirds of the family's income. So if he loses his job, the families lost that big chunk of income and are left on living on one third of what they had before.

FOREMAN: The shift has been a long time coming. In the early 1940s, as World War II began, women made up less than a quarter of the labor force. But as millions of men went to fight, the female share of the job market started growing, bringing new opportunities, new aspirations. It's never really stopped. JONI REDFERN-HALL, ABBOTT NORTHWESTERN HOSPITAL: I'm better off than my mom was at this age.

FOREMAN: But neither has the soul-searching by men and women over precisely what this means to our views about gender at home and on the job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, if you're in the job hunt, you might look to the internet to get your resume out there. But what's the best way to get your information into the hands of people who actually do the hiring? Scott Steinberg is the publisher of the Website Digitaltrends.com. And he is also the author of "Get Rich playing Games." So e-mailing your resume, that seems to be the thing to do these days, but you have to know how to craft your resume.

SCOTT STEINBERG, PUBLISHER, DIGITALTRENDS.COM: You have to custom- craft your resume for every job and every employer that you're supplying it to. Basically one size does not fit all. And you have to use key words. An employer is going to be faced with let's say a stack of 1,000 resumes.

WHITFIELD: Yours has to stand out.

STEINBERG: So you have to be clear and you have to be concise and you have to say exactly who you are, why you're the best man or woman for the job and what the position is you're looking for and these key words. They'll use a search query like computerized box to find the right applicant or they will be outsourcing it. Take it from the job description. See what the employer is asking for and make sure --

WHITFIELD: See what their language is and try to apply that in your own resume.

STEINBERG: You got it.

WHITFIELD: That's interesting. What about things like videos, blogs? People are being very creative and want to show personality and stand out but sometimes you can go overboard.

STEINBERG: You have to be professional about it. But these days it's all about professional branding and making yourself more marketability. So if you have a job pool of a potential thousands of applicants you have to find a way to make yourself stand out and be memorable. One way is publish your own book. Go to lulu.com and you can publish your own videos. It's cheap to do that with a web camera. You can get a USB microphone, do your own pod cast. Make employers come to you.

WHITFIELD: You have to make this your job. This is your job to make this so distinctive and different and stand out that they have to say, you know what I really love this character, I want him or her.

STEINBERG: Exactly but you have to be careful where you draw the line of being a character. You have to stay professional, just as you would show up for work in a suit; you don't want to be there with pull my finger jokes. Keep things clean. If you're on face book. You have to make sure the party photos from the night before be separated and you need job recommendations, you need employers, co-workers.

Proactive is the buzz word. You have to let people know what you're searching for and, again, why you're the correct person for that job. You have to figure if they're sifting through thousands upon thousands of potential applicants what is, "a," going to make you stand out and, "b," make them remember you enough to call you back.

WHITFIELD: When you say party pictures, makes me think of facebook, myspace, people have this and this is where they put their social life up, too. But if you're looking for a job and you are casting the net, you're putting yourself out there with this very interesting resume or videos, et cetera; doesn't that mean that these places, myspace, facebook, all that is open season, too? They're looking to see what your public behavior is like.

STEINBERG: You have to be mindful of the image you are projecting and what people are seeing. In the same way you wouldn't go to work and show pictures of yourself passed out on the floor. You don't want that on your facebook page. Think about the impression that you are sending to a potential employer. What you would want to have on there is some examples of how you stood out, books, videos, and articles. Submit bylined articles to trade publications and put them on your linked-in profile.

WHITFIELD: Man!

STEINBERG: You can build it.

WHITFIELD: How far do you take it, though? Can you go too far? You can become like, you know a little too much attention and folks are going to say wait a minute --

STEINBERG: Well you're asking a guy who has 3,000 facebook friends. You can definitely take it too far. You have to be very careful about where you draw the line. It depends on the person and the industry. We work in technology and entertainment so obviously we tend to get away with a little bit more. Certainly if you're in a more stead industry like law or if you are looking at upper management, you probably do not want to show pictures from your fraternity days.

WHITFIELD: Probably don't. Toga parties out. Scott Steinberg. The place to get more advice digitaltrends.com.

STEINBERG: Yes, ma'am. All sorts of tips.

WHITFIELD: Fantastic. Good to see you. Good luck to all those looking for a job. Take his advice. Sounds good.

STEINBERG: Go get 'em.

WHITFIELD: Scorching temperatures, driving winds fueling deadly wildfires in Australia. Desperate for help, people taking matters into their own hands now. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. New video we want to share with you right now. The rescue efforts taking place right on Lake Erie. A number of fishermen apparently caught on an ice floe that simply broke away. Initially the numbers were between 100 and as many as 500 ice fishermen who got trapped on this ice floe. We are still trying to determine the exact number but we understand a good number have been safely rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard. You can see from the images there on the left you can see the number of what appear to be the ice fishermen there and on the right live pictures from our affiliate WDIV of the choppers in the air. They've used hovercraft as well as ATVs and helicopters as you see on the right.

We understand according to the reporting from our affiliate WTOL that one person was reported injured. We don't know the extent of the injuries but everyone else apparently uninjured. But again new images of the rescue efforts still under way there on Lake Erie as a result of a number of fishermen trapped on an ice floe that simply broke away while they were enjoying a weekend of ice fishing.

You can see the choppers being used and even those rescuers on foot as well and even by use of hovercraft. We're working on trying to make a connection with the U.S. Coast Guard to give us kind of a play-by-play of how their rescue mission is going. You can see a broader view from that live picture of WDIV the spans that they are searching there of this ice floe with the number of fishermen. And as we zoom in there, those look like the rescue apparatus that are being used there, but it's unclear exactly how far out this ice floe is. We did get initial reports that said that the ice floe was about eight miles long, I believe was the figure.

But quite a few hundred -- eight miles wide, in fact, of that ice floe. But a few hundred fishermen on it, many of whom have already been rescued. More information as we get it. These are the latest images live as well as tape from our affiliate WDIV as well as WTOL.

All right. Investigators are also on the scene of a terrifying construction accident in Boston. A crane collapsed on a downtown street today. Two men operating the equipment were injured, one of them critically. Officials are trying to determine what caused the crane to fall.

Let's check in with our Karen McGinnis. Lots of pretty touch and go scary moments taking place different parts of the country.

KAREN MCGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Exactly.

WHITFIELD: We already know that the weather picture has been pretty dicey in a lot of places, all of this taking place when it's very cold.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: All right Karen, appreciate it. Thanks so much. OK, weathering the recession, will the stimulus plan be enough of a lifeline for your city? We'll hear from three mayors who are seeing the hardships firsthand.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, 34 minutes after the hour and here's what's happening right, now. In Ohio, Toledo, you're looking at the air boats right there, just some of what's being used to rescue trapped fishermen on an ice floe outside of Toledo. We understand anywhere between 100 and 500 ice fishermen were out there enjoying a weekend when this ice floe just simply broke away. Rescue efforts have been underway now for quite a few hours.

We understand a number of people have been rescued. One reported injury according to our affiliate, WTOL. But the rescue effort has been underway via helicopter, as well as there on the ice and in the water. More information as we get it.

Meantime, also in the nation's capitol, the Senate held a Saturday session to debate the economic stimulus bill after reaching a compromise with some moderate Republicans, yesterday. Senate Democrats think they have enough support to pass the bill next week.

And there has been another suspicious fire in the Coatesville, Pennsylvania area. It destroyed a mobile home. Investigators say it is the 23rd arson in the Coatesville area since January 1.

And one of baseball's biggest stars has been hit with a steroids allegation. "Sports Illustrated" reports that New York Yankees' slugger Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids back in 2003. No comment so far from Rodriguez except to talk to the union. Coming up one hour from now, one of the reporters who actually broke the story from "Sports Illustrated" will be joining us live right here, in the NEWSROOM.

President Obama is at Camp David this weekend, but he's keeping a close eye on developments in Washington as senators debate his economic stimulus package. CNN's Elaine Quijano is at the White House.

Elaine, what is President Obama doing to encourage the senators to pass this bill quickly?

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, he's going to be hitting the road actually Monday and Tuesday to try to basically campaign, if you will, for a quick Congressional passage of this economic stimulus bill. He'll holding town hall meetings, one in Elkhart, Indiana on Monday and the next one on Tuesday in Fort Myers, Florida.

In between there, he's also going to try and drive home his message with a presidential news conference, the first of his presidency, that'll take place on Monday night at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

But in his weekly address today, President Obama basically tried to press his case with lawmakers, talking about the urgent need for them to act. And he pushed back, though, as well, against Republican criticism that there is too much wasteful spending contained in the legislation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA (D), UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: You can't rely on a losing formula that offers only tax cuts as the answer to all our problems while ignoring our fundamental economic challenges -- the crushing cost of health care, or the inadequate state of so many schools, our addiction to foreign oil or our crumbling roads, bridges and levees.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Meantime, Republicans continue to argue that more tax cuts are exactly what is needed. They argue that individuals, not the government, know best how to spend money. Here is the chairman of the Republican National Committee, Michael Steele.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL STEELE, RNC CHAIRMAN: American families are doing their best to balance their own budgets and pay their mortgages. The fastest way to help those families is by letting them keep more of the money they earn. Individual empowerment, that's how you stimulate the economy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, of course, all of this is happening against the backdrop of more bad economic news. It was just yesterday we learned that the U.S. unemployment rate is now a whopping 7.6 percent. President Obama said that any further congressional delay really is inexcusable and would be irresponsible. Of course, he wants a bill on his desk ready for him to sign, Fredricka, about a week from now -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Elaine Quijano at the White House. Thanks so much.

A group of 20 mayors went to the White House this week to drum up support for the stimulus plan and our T.J. Holmes talked with three of them this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR SHIRLEY FRANKLIN (D), ATLANTA: What I have seen in the House version is a bill that I think we that need to support, and it seems as if on the Senate side, that they have come close to the same decision, so investment in infrastructure, energy and education, and also looking at the tax benefits that would affect millions of Americans.

TJ HOLMES, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: And Mayor Cicilline, do you agree with that in that, you know, it's getting better, if you will? But, do you have, certainly, a different perspective than a senator would have or someone in the House would have in that you need something and you need it right now? You just want them to get something done?

MAYOR DAVID CICILLINE (D), PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND: Well, we want them to do it right. But, of course, I think all the mayors would say the same thing, that the first priority is to create jobs, to get Americans back to work again, and to stimulate the economy, to make investments in infrastructure that not only gets people back to work, but lay the foundation for future economic growth. That's what I think the president's plan does.

I think what we know, as mayors, we see this very personally. We know the names of individuals who have lost their jobs, we see them in our cities. We know the names of people who have lost their homes.

So it's much more personal to mayors, we see it and live with it every single day. And so we're in Washington saying, support the president's plan, get Americans back to work again. Make the right investments in infrastructure to rebuild our economy so we can compete in the global economy in the 21st century.

HOLMES: Well, Mayor, Plusquellic, Mayor Villaraigosa out in L.A., he had a comment saying that the bickering needed to stop. Do you see this in what we have been watching up in Washington, D.C., as bickering? Do you see this as, I guess, a lot of -- no Republican support here?

What is your problem with the debate you have seen so far, and what problems might you see with this particular bill?

MAYOR DONALD PLUSQUELLIC (D), AKRON, OHIO: Well, I think you learn early on as a public official that there's never a perfect plan. I don't care what size community, what the issue is, you can debate, talk, discuss on and on and on, argue, but there never will be a perfect plan. If we wait for that, tens of thousands, maybe millions, of more people will be out of work before we take action.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, our T.J. Holmes there, talking to the mayors of Atlanta, Providence, Rhode Island, and Akron, Ohio.

All right, well the economy is expected to be a big part of President Barack Obama's first primetime news conference, as well. That comes your way Monday night 8:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

Well, you heard a lot about the stimulus plan, but are you still very clear about what is and what isn't in this bill and what it all means for you? Give us your questions at weekends@cnn.com. We'll pull some of them and pose them to our panel of experts next hour. We're calling that show in the 4:00 Eastern hour "Show Me the Money," a special hour dead kated to understanding the stimulus plan. That's roughly 20 minutes from now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg plans to return to the bench late they are months after undergoing pancreatic cancer surgery. That's the word from a court spokeswoman. The 75-year-old justice is recuperating in New York. Sources say she continues to do well and is resting comfortably. The high court is in recess, but resumes oral arguments in 17 days. A spokeswoman says the court's on only female justice fully intends to be there.

Well, think you've heard the last of Dick Cheney? Well, think again. The former vice president was known to speak bluntly in office. Well, now he's even more blunt out of office. Here now is CNN's Tom Foreman.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Even in the bare-knuckled world of Washington this was a remarkably sharp attack by the former vice president. The plan to close the prison camp at Guantanamo amid complaints about human rights, a clear sore point in his interview with politico.com.

DICK CHENEY, FMR. VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When we get people who are more concerned about the -- let me think carefully how I describe this - but, more concerned with reading the rights to an Al Qaeda terrorist than they are with protecting the United States against people who are absolutely committed to do everything they can to kill Americans, then I worry.

Whether or not they can pull it off depends in part upon us and what kind of policies we put in place and whether or not we're prepared to do what we need to do.

FOREMAN: Even before President Obama took office, Cheney defended the treatment of terror suspects under President Bush. And now with Obama condemning torture and reversing many Bush policies, Cheney is insisting...

CHENEY: If it hadn't been for what we did with respect to terrorist surveillance program or enhanced interrogation techniques for high value detainees and the Patriot Act and so forth, then we would have been attacked again.

FOREMAN: Not only that, he says, time will prove it.

JOHN HARRIS, POLITICO: He says once the files are open people will be able to see the Bush administration policies, policies that he is closely linked with, those policies averted attacks.

FOREMAN (on camera): Still, the attack Washington is buzzing about right now is this one. Top former officials rarely have such harsh words for a new president and almost never so soon.

(voice-over): But Dick Cheney made it clear long ago the opinions of others don't bother him much and the Obama administration has not responded.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE) WHITFIELD: The Alaska Senate has found Governor Sarah Palin's husband and some of her top aides in contempt, but they won't be facing any punishment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, this just coming in as we continue to watch the rescue efforts. Live pictures right now from our affiliate WDIV, there, near Toledo, Ohio. We understand that among the dozens, if not hundreds of ice fishermen who were stranded in an ice flow, we understand now that there is one confirmed death. We don't know the circumstances, but we understand that the search and rescue efforts are still underway, there outside of Toledo, Ohio, there in Lake Erie.

And you're seeing the aerial pictures. The U.S. Coast Guard, as well as, state and local authorities are carrying out Hovercraft rescues as well as walking on the ice to get to the stranded fishermen as well as by way of helicopter. But the latest information now, we understand, one confirmed death.

And for the 23rd time this year, an arsonist, now, has struck in an suburban area near Philadelphia. The latest blaze just outside the city of Coatesville, destroyed a mobile home, no one was injured.

Federal investigators say since January 1 there's been 18 arson tables in Coatesville and five surrounding areas. There were 15 arson fires in Coatesville last year. Police are not made any arrests.

And the Alaska Senate found Governor Sarah Palin's husband and some of her top aides in contempt. But they won't be facing any punishment. Lawmakers found Todd Palin and nine state employees in contempt for failing to appear in the legislature's so-called "Troopergate" investigation.

All of them had been subpoenaed. Lawmakers were looking into charges that the governor and former Republican vice presidential candidate abused her power by firing Alaska's public safety commissioner. The commissioner claims he was dismissed when he wouldn't fire a state trooper involved in a divorce from Governor Palin's sister.

To southern California now, where people are cleaning up after mud floe moved through an area already burned bare by wildfires. In one neighborhood in the Los Angeles area, fire crews had to plow through mud about three feet deep. The weather isn't cooperating, either. Rain today could trigger more mudslides.

And take a look at this surveillance tape from Attleboro, Massachusetts. Police there are looking for a suspect who they say stole about $100 from a Donation jar, right there. Cameras caught a man grabbing the jar and putting it under his jacket when the clerk wasn't looking. The money was supposed to help provide heat to those in need this winter.

And scathing testimony in the Madoff Ponzi scandal. The whistleblower in this case takes aim and fires at federal regulators. Are they now ignoring his warnings of more Ponzi schemes? (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A whistleblower in the Bernard Madoff case is accusing federal regulators of allowing the financier's alleged Ponzi scheme to actually happen. He told members of Congress the SEC "roars like a lion but bites like a flea." With the rest of that scathing critique, here now the CNN's Allan Chernoff.

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ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): A damning indictment of the Securities and Exchange Commission from the man who tried to blow the whistle on Bernard Madoff.

HARRY MARKOPOLOS, MADOFF WHISTLEBLOWER: I gift-wrapped and delivered the largest Ponzi scheme in history to them and somehow they couldn't be bothered to conduct a thorough and proper investigation...

CHERNOFF: Over the past decade, Harry Markopolos, a certified fraud examiner, provided the SEC with memos detailing evidence of Madoff's alleged fraud, even names and phone numbers for the SEC to call. But he could never generate interest beyond Boston SEC staffer Edward Manion (ph).

MARKOPOLOS: In 2000, Mr. Manion warned me that relations between the New York and Boston regional offices was about as warm and friendly as the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry and that New York does not like to receive tips from Boston.

CHERNOFF: Markopolos, who worked at a Boston money management firm that asked him to replicate Madoff's supposed investment strategy, said it took him only five minutes to suspect Madoff was a fraud, four hours of number crunching, to be certain. But the SEC, he testified, is financially illiterate, over lawyered and far too cozy with those it's supposed to oversee.

MARKOPOLOS: The SEC is always captive of the industry it regulates and it is afraid of bringing big cases against the largest, most powerful firms...

CHERNOFF: Markopolos said he feared for his life as he investigated, convinced that Russian mobsters and Latin drug cartels were Madoff clients. Madoff, charged with running a multibillion dollar investment fraud, remains under 24-hour penthouse arrest at his luxury Manhattan apartment as he awaits indictment. Following Markopolos's testimony, SEC directors got grilled.

REP GARY ACKERMAN, (D) NEW YORK: You have totally and thoroughly failed in your mission. Don't you get it? I only have five minutes, someone's got to start.

LINDA CHATMAN THOMSEN, SEC ENFORCEMENT DIRECTOR: Let me start with enforcement. We began an investigation in 2006 and it was closed without action.

(END VIDEOTAPE) WHITFIELD: All right, well, after that Congressional testimony, Markopolos met with SEC investigators detailing evidence of two new potential fraud cases. The next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM begins right now.