Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Senate Tackles Stimulus Bill; Inside the Numbers: Who's Working & Who's Hurting; Arsonists Strike Again; Layed Off Worker is Profiled; A-Rod Joins List of MLB Steroid Users; Ken Hudson is Profiled as an African-American First; Coupon Use Saves Money

Aired February 07, 2009 - 16:59   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Feeling the heat. Lawmakers frantically working in Washington on that stimulus package. Are they making any progress to help you and the people we're going to introduce you to tonight, the faces of this recession?

Ice trap. Hundreds of fishermen cast adrift in the middle of icy Lake Erie.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've got to have common sense. And if there was a section in the code about common sense, we would have had 150 arrests out there today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: We will tell you why the people who had to rescue them are furious tonight.

And hall of shame. One of the highest paid and most popular baseball stars slugged by allegations of doping. Where will this end?

And court pioneer. The first African-American NBA referee speaks out about what goes on behind the scenes and much, much more. He is live with us.

The news starts right now.

Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon.

America is watching and waiting to be bailed out of this financial black hole that we're in, and lawmakers, well, they know it for sure. So on this Saturday, senators work. Some in both parties say they don't like the $780 billion compromise stimulus bill that's been hammered out in the recent hours, but it looks like there will be enough senators who do like it, just enough to pass a measure on Tuesday.

Senators debated the bill for much of today, a rare Saturday work session that reflects a renewed sense of urgency, sparked by Friday's horrifying unemployment numbers. The compromise is more than $100 billion smaller than the original Senate bill. Moderates in both parties say the measure isn't perfect, but we need it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (R), PENNSYLVANIA: Some may argue that it's a bad bill, and notice I'm not saying it is a bad bill, but some may argue it is. But I think no one can argue with the fact that the situation would be much worse without this bill.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R), MAINE: Tonight is a victory for the American people. We demonstrated that we can come together to tackle the most important problem facing our nation. The economic crisis is dire, and it requires tough, immediate action.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: President Obama's chief of staff was in the room for last night's compromise talks on Capitol Hill. In the president's weekly radio address to the nation today, Mr. Obama turned up the heat on lawmakers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK H. OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Because if we don't move swiftly to put this plan in motion, our economic crisis 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)

LEMON: Senate Democrats had proposed a $900 billion stimulus package. After negotiations, though, the price tag dropped to $780 billion for now. Now, that package still includes $14 billion in Pell Grants, $3.5 billion for energy-efficient federal buildings, and $7.5 billion for education grants.

What's been taken out? Twenty-five billion dollars for education, $16 billion for school construction, and $122 million for Coast Guard cutters and icebreakers.

Let's get the very latest on where things stand right now. You saw them just a moment ago, and there they are again. Elaine Quijano is at the White House. Brianna Keilar joins us from the Capitol.

Brianna, let's start with you about the next step with this. And as I understand, you talked to Susan Collins just moments ago. Tell us about that and what she had to say.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and also, we should mention, Don, $780 billion, but there's also a couple of amendments that cost them money. So the overall price tag, $827 billion, which is close to what the House passed a couple weeks ago.

But yes, these negotiations involved bringing down that cost that had ballooned a bit in the Senate. And to do that, Democrats, in order to bring these few Republicans on, had to say, OK, we're going to give this a $100 billion haircut, we're going to trim tens of billions of dollars in education spending.

And I asked Susan Collins, because -- I asked her, looking forward -- because there is another step here, and that is assuming that there is this vote in the Senate on Tuesday and this passes the Senate, the House and the Senate have to hash out their differences. I said to her, "Looking forward, are you afraid that you might lose some of those things that you gained in negotiations in this past week?" And this is what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: That is a major concern for me. If the bill comes back from the conference committee with a lot of wasteful spending reinserted, or if it comes back in excess of the $800 billion, it will not have my support. So I hope that my colleagues will follow the outlines of the compromise that we negotiated this week. That is important to me. I don't want to see a bloated, overly expensive bill.

KEILAR: And if you do, there could be another standoff?

COLLINS: There could. And that would not be good for our country. We need to get going to help turn the economy around and create jobs. So I hope everyone will buckle down, negotiate, and come up with a bill that does the job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: And Don, we should concentrate on those cuts that you were mentioning. You know, there were a whole lot in the area of education, tens of billions of dollars, school construction, education grants. This is a bitter, bitter pill for Democrats to swallow in the Senate, but also in the House, when, assuming that this does pass the Senate, even as Republican sources are privately admitting that they will, the Senate and the House then hash out their differences, and they have got some hashing out to do. As one aide put it to me, Don, it would be foolish -- or only the foolish would make weekend plans for next weekend.

LEMON: All right. You heard it.

Brianna Keilar, thank you very much.

Let's go to the White House now and Elaine Quijano.

Elaine, what is the word from the White House?

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, obviously, the official word is that the White House is certainly pleased that the process is moving forward. But there's the understanding here that certainly this bill is not going to seem perfect to anyone. In fact, the president, in his weekly radio and Internet address, talked about that -- "Let's not let the perfect be the enemy of the necessary." In other words, there will be parts of this final bill that people on both sides of the aisle will not like. Nevertheless, the president pushed the need for urgency.

Now, we should tell you that the president is also going to be taking his case directly to the American people. He's going to be traveling Monday and Tuesday, first to Elkhart, Indiana, where the unemployment rate is a whopping 15 percent. And then on Tuesday, he'll be heading to Fort Myers, Florida. The unemployment rate there is 10 percent.

He's going to have these town hall meetings at each location, basically highlighting how this severe economic downturn has affected ordinary Americans, and again trying to put the pressure on lawmakers to act quickly. One more thing, Don. He's also scheduled to hold his first primetime news conference Monday night -- Don.

LEMON: Yes. That should be very interesting. Looking forward to that. And of course we'll carry it here.

Thank you very much for that.

Elaine Quijano at the White House.

The economy will no doubt be a big part of the president's first primetime news conference. That comes your way Monday night, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. As you heard Elaine say, Monday night, 8:00 p.m. Eastern. And of course, you can see it live, right here on CNN.

Well, the numbers can be numbing, but when it's your friends, your family, and maybe even you facing the recession, it is downright devastating.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't get me wrong, I love being here with my family. But there ain't a lot of money coming in. It's gone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: That's tough to listen to. His name is Cory Clapsaddle (ph). He is one of the many faces of recession.

After following his father into one of Maine's many paper mills, well, he is now out of work. We're going to hear more of his story a little bit later on this hour.

The latest jobs report from the government shows unemployment is soaring. We don't have to tell you that. You've been hearing it all week. It also shows differences between men and women. And believe it or not, the report contains bits of good news, too. We definitely would like to hear what that is.

Our Josh Levs has been piecing through it all. And here he is to tell us all about it.

Are you going to start with the good news or the bad? Obviously the numbers are bad, but everyone wants to know what the good news is.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We'll get to the little bright spots pretty fast. And actually, it relates to that man and woman thing that we were just talking about there.

It's interesting. When you stop and look at what's actually in the report, I mean, this is the headline on CNNMoney, as you've been hearing: "Job Loss: Worst in 34 years."

But I want to do is give you kind of the big picture here. And what we have to start off with is this graphic that will give you the overall number of people who are now considered unemployed in America.

It's 11.6 million. And check that out, Don. I mean, just over the past year alone, it's gone up 4.1 million.

I don't need to crunch the math there. You can see what a huge chunk of the 11.6 that 4.1 is. It's about a third of it, so -- or even more -- it's incredible how much it's gone up in the last year.

Now let's take a look at the difference in this report between men and women. You're going to see some different percentages there, how many men are unemployed versus how many women. We've got a graphic for that.

Take a look.

Among men, unemployment is at 7.6 percent, but among women, it's at 6.2 percent. And this gets us to this bit of good news that we've got on the next screen for you.

A couple of fields -- and we'll hear more about this, this hour -- in which jobs are actually up in January, Don, they're growing, they include health care and private education. Now, those are two arenas in which a lot of women work. I know we have some video just to show you.

The fact is, when it comes to nursing and some other fields, there are jobs for women in those industries. Men, too, but those industries do favor women.

Meanwhile, one of the toughest hit industries is this, it's construction. And the fact is, that is overwhelmingly men. That shows you why there's some of these big differences between men and women there, Don. So there are jobs that are opening in those other fields. But the ones that are dominantly men are the ones being hurt most, like construction.

LEMON: You talked about men and women, but I think this report also shows a break down on unemployment by race or ethnicity?

LEVS: Yes.

LEMON: What do those numbers look like?

LEVS: You know what? Those numbers are really interesting, too. I think we have a graphic of that one, too.

Look at this. Check this out.

Whites are 7 percent, 6.9 percent unemployment among there. Blacks is up at 12.6 percent. That's among blacks in America. Hispanics, 9.7 percent, and Asians, they say 6.2 percent.

These numbers are stark. And they are, you know, kind of shocking for a moment when you take a look at that.

I will say also this one other thing that kind of throws all this off, which is that there are figures for teenagers also who are considered unemployed if they're looking for work and available for work. But in general, the figures you're seeing are for adults.

And it is really interesting, Don, what you saw there. And I'll tell you, you know, the bits of good news can apply to everyone, and men can get jobs in those fields. I know we'll hear more about that, but those are fields in which a lot of women have gotten jobs. One reason unemployment is so much lower among women.

LEMON: Yes, I know, it's easy for us to sit here and say, but you just have to be diligent. And of course we wish everybody the best of luck. I mean, people are really hurting out there, Josh.

LEVS: And every industry. I mean, maybe two months from now we'll be saying a different industry is doing great. You know?

LEMON: And we say numbers. It's not really numbers. It's people.

LEVS: It's people behind all those numbers always.

LEMON: Josh Levs, thank you very much. We appreciate that.

LEVS: Thank you.

LEMON: A super saver shows us how it is done.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was 107 percent savings, $81.17. Paid me $3.94. It was like playing the lottery and winning every time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: That's a person you want to hear from, someone who can help you save. That's right; the grocery store actually paid her for her groceries.

But first, a dramatic rescue effort in northern Ohio, where scores of people were cast adrift on an ice floe. What were they thinking? And what's going to happen to them next?

And what is on your mind tonight? Make sure you log on to Facebook, Twitter, MySpace or ireport.com. Tell us what you're thinking. We want you to become part of our community. As a matter of fact, since we went on the air just a couple of minutes, people are responding.

Now, here's what Cool Luke says. "Senator Specter's comment ring a certain truth. The Congress is moving too fast and irrationally, which will result in waste."

Hank H. (ph) says, "I work in nonprofit. We are seeing that many people still want to give. Maybe less money than before, but more people giving."

We're back, seconds away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Well, happening right now on Lake Erie, about 150 fishermen had to be rescued this afternoon after they were stranded on a giant ice floe near Toledo. The Coast Guard says two people fell into the ice -- into the water, I should say. One of them later died. The fishermen were on a massive sheet of ice about eight miles long when it broke free from land.

A short time ago, CNN spoke with a local sheriff who says the fishermen had no business being out there in the first place.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF BOB BRATTON, OTTAWA COUNTY, OHIO: These people should not have been out there. I take a whole different approach.

In our financial status going across the country, this was wrong. These people endangered lives of volunteer firemen, the United States Coast Guard. I have estimated already we're well over $25,000 for this, and I'm sure that's going to climb. I'm sorry a man lost his life out there today. These people should have known better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, from the ice now to fire. It could be the worst outbreak of wildfires in a quarter century. That's what authorities in Australia say about this year's fire season.

More than two dozen people have died. People are warned to stay inside as crews battle the huge flames. An estimated 30,000 acres have already been charred by the string of fires. At least 30 homes reportedly destroyed there.

In Coatesville, Pennsylvania, a $20,000 reward has been posted to cash serial arsonists. Local officials now say at least 23 deliberate fires have been set this year alone, all of them in or nearby the city of Coatesville, not far from Philadelphia.

Now, the most recent was a mobile home last night. It was destroyed, but no one was hurt. State officials have given Coatesville $500,000 in arson relief. Coatesville officials last year logged 15 arsons. You know, this is a story we've been following right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. Jennifer Miller is a reporter with the Daily Local News in Coatesville, and she joins us by phone.

Jennifer, there seems to be more arsons every weekend, and even every week. Has that been a pattern, at least the weekend fires?

JENNIFER MILLER, REPORTER, DAILY LOCAL NEWS: It appears, looking at my calendar, the last three to four Saturdays, there have been arsons. And then, occasionally, fires are sparking during the week as well.

There was one in Coatesville on Tuesday, and then you're aware of the one last evening, just before midnight, in East Fallowfield, which is roughly three miles from Coatesville.

LEMON: Wow. OK.

So three miles from Coatesville. The one was a mobile home last night.

Now, I understand Coatesville had for young people under 18 and under, I think, 10:00 p.m. Now it's 8:00 p.m.?

MILLER: That is correct. The fire started in East Fallowfield just hours after Coatesville officials announced they were implementing this earlier curfew for juveniles. Originally, it was 10:00 p.m. Now it is 8:00 p.m. And they issued it yesterday about 6:00 at night, and it went into effect last night at 8:00.

LEMON: It sounds very interesting, though, that it's -- you know, it happens on a weekend. It sounds like someone who may not live there and who may be coming home, or what have you, for the weekend, or coming to the place on the weekend when they don't have to work. It's just sort of what I think.

Have you heard anything like that from investigators?

MILLER: Well, I've heard a lot of things. I think they're not ruling anything out at this point.

I mean, there are fires during the week. And that's the thing. Some of them happened as early as 5:30 or 6:00 night, whenever it's actually dark.

LEMON: Yes.

MILLER: And then others happened at midnight or 3:00 in the morning. So I think it's really hard to say who this person is and where exactly they live. And I think they're not ruling anything out at this point.

LEMON: Thank you.

Jennifer Miller, a reporter there with the Daily Local News in Coatesville.

We appreciate you joining us.

MILLER: No problem.

LEMON: Well, things are starting to get back to normal finally in Kentucky. About 100,000 people are still without power after a fierce ice storm, but that's down from more than 700,000. The storm system is blamed for 55 deaths nationwide, 28 of those in Kentucky.

President Barack Obama declared the state a disaster area earlier this week.

New Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano will visit next week to evaluate the federal response.

And while the warm-up is on if Kentucky, southern California is getting soaked.

Our Karen Maginnis is tracking both those stories. Her forecast for you in just a little bit.

But first we want to talk about taking the AIDS fight to the streets and to church. We'll take a closer look at what one woman is doing to battle the epidemic in the African-American community. It is unbelievable.

Plus, we'll have this for you...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With the economy and the lack of jobs, you know, there's people out there losing their homes left and right. And I was the sole breadwinner for this family. I think the biggest factor and the one that stressed me out the most, I didn't want to lose my family's home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: It was the only job he knew. Now it's gone, and he is fighting for his family and himself.

We'll take a closer look at one of the faces of the recession.

Also, we've been asking you what's on your mind tonight, and we want to know. Make sure you log on to Twitter, to Facebook, MySpace, or iReport.com, and tell us what you're thinking. Some of you are already weighing in.

DocMarty says, "My home is going into foreclosure soon. My business is very slow because people can't afford their deductibles. Praying a lot."

A lot of people are praying a lot, man.

And chitown8879 says, "I am out of work. Tax cuts mean nothing to me. I need a job."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. Here's the story that everyone needs to pay attention to, because it affects a certain segment of the population, but really everyone as well outside of that. You all can help.

Today is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. And the battle against AIDS in the African-American community is one of the biggest health care crises facing this nation.

Consider this: even though black Americans make up about 13 percent of the U.S. population, they account for nearly 50 percent of the diagnosed cases of HIV and AIDS.

And that's why we bring in Bambi Gaddist. She is one of the people on the front lines. She takes South Carolina's only mobile outreach van to the streets, reaching out to the community to help stop HIV/AIDS, and she is a 2008 CNN Hero.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BAMBI GADDIST, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HIV/AIDS COUNCIL: Our goal is to be in the community, testing at a nightclub. We're there when young folks are out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was my first time, very first time. I'm glad I did it. She takes time to explain things, actually break it down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When people that are scared see a place like this, it might make them want to go in and get tested.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Bambi Gaddist joins me now from Columbia, South Carolina.

Thank you so much for joining us.

Apparently we can't -- Bambi can't hear.

Bambi, can you hear me?

GADDIST: Oh, I'm here.

LEMON: Oh, you're there.

GADDIST: Yes, I can.

LEMON: OK. Thank you so much for joining us. How you doing today?

GADDIST: I'm great. I'm great.

LEMON: All right. Good.

GADDIST: We've had a great...

LEMON: Yes. So we see what you do. And, you know, I spoke to you when you were nominated for heroes. And congratulations on that, by the way.

GADDIST: Thank you so much.

LEMON: When you go out in that van, and that mobile unit, what's the response from people who might otherwise not even know about this or may not have it on their radar?

GADDIST: You know, there was a time when we first got started with the mobile unit, which is funded through the Centers for Disease Control, that people were afraid. But we have learned to start our relationships with the community before we go in with the mobile unit. And it has turned out to be a phenomenal way that we've been able to reach people who typically would never come in to get tested.

LEMON: And you obviously...

GADDIST: They are...

LEMON: You call it a crisis here. It's a crisis, especially among African-Americans. It's a crisis of many segments of the population, African-Americans. But women -- I spoke to you about a book I read, a young lady named Marvelyn (ph) who, a heterosexual, got it from her boyfriend from unprotected sex. And the number of people like Marvelyn (ph) growing, and it is a crisis.

GADDIST: We are deeply concerned about two populations, certainly our young people, 18 to 24, particularly young African-American males. We are deeply concerned about the increasing rates that we're seeing. But even more...

LEMON: So then what do we do? Because, you know, the last time I talked to you, we talked about the stigma that especially the African- American community and maybe even the Latino community have about this disease. And it's something that you don't talk about. You don't talk about it in church.

Your advice on this, on saving lives?

GADDIST: The direction that we've taken to not only save the next generation, but older women who are becoming infected, is targeting the faith community. And Project Faith, which is Fostering AIDS Initiatives That Heal, which is funded through our legislature, has created a momentum in our state where we are engaging the faith community.

And they are now becoming the Marines, if you will, who are now doing front line work in our communities. And they're making a phenomenal difference in how we're reaching out, how we address stigma, and the attitudes and beliefs that really unfortunately are quite dated, because who people think has HIV is no longer the case.

LEMON: Yes. Dr. Bambi Gaddist, thank you very much.

And I just -- real quick, there's a Web site that she wants us to go to. It's called www.livingquilt.org. And you can see stories of people... GADDIST: Yes.

LEMON: ... get some information.

We appreciate you going around in your mobile outreach van. You are indeed a hero, and we thank you for making a difference in everyone's lives.

GADDIST: Thank you. Thank you so much.

LEMON: Thanks very much.

Real people and their real problems.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The people that are out there that have lost their jobs, they feel like they failed. My heart is with them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Facing unemployment and an uncertain future. We are taking a closer look at one of the faces of recession.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DON LEMON, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: If you're under the age of 34, you haven't seen unemployment numbers this bad in your entire lifetime. The government says another 598,000 jobs were cut last month. That's the biggest one-month hemorrhage since 1974. Economists were bracing for the jobless rate to jump to 7.5 percent. Instead, it's now at 7.6.

The numbers are putting extra pressure on lawmakers. The Senate spent part of today debating the massive economic stimulus package after lawmakers reached a compromised agreement. A vote could come on Tuesday.

Regardless of when it happens, one thing is for sure, something has got to happen. We report a lot of facts and figures. This recession is downright personal.

Check out what one man from Maine is going through right now. His story through the eyes of reporter Bob Crowley.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CORY CLAPSADDLE, LAYED OFF WORKER: It's a nice community, a nice place to live.

Everybody knows everybody. The biggest part of the economy in these two towns is the paper mills. Jay Livermore Falls and Jay was built on paper. I wanted to work in the mill. I wanted to follow my father's footsteps.

You're looking at the backside of Warsaw paper, the oldest mill. That paper machine area was my work area. We all got complacent in our jobs. We were all comfortable, coming to the same place every day. I like what I did. I like the guys I worked with. I liked the jobs I did. I miss it all.

I picked it up at a used game shop. It's something to pay the time by. I'd rather be working than playing video games, but it's not quite the case.

It's a bad economic time. There's nothing out there.

It's not often you find a local job for the amount of pay that we was getting. There's the boys right there. What's up, pal. They like having dad around.

I love being here with my family, but there ain't a lot of money coming in. It's tough. It's tough. We're pinching pennies right now. Our money is really tight right now. We have to take a savings any way we can.

I don't believe there's going to be a mill in town left when my boys are out of school. We're heading to the Wilton Career Center.

Hi, how are you. Nice to meet you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's see if we have your TAA papers.

CLAPSADDLE: That allows us to get schooling, trade. Get out there and get a job.

Thank you very much. Appreciate your help.

with the economy and the lack of jobs, there's people out there losing homes left and right. I was the sole breadwinner for the family. The biggest factor that stressed me out the most, I didn't want to lose my family's home. There's no way I could have accepted feeling my family.

The people that are out there that have lost their jobs. They feel like they've failed. This flat-out stinks. It's sad you're not going back to a job you called home. It really stinks.

EVT

LEMON: Those are the faces of the recession.

We've been asking you what you think. By the way, that was Bob Crowley, our -- he's a photojournalist here at CNN. A very good story.

We've been asking what's on your mind, at Twitter, Facebook and MySpace and iReporters. A lot of you have been weighing in when you hear stories like the young man you just heard.

Here's what newjerseyFedup, or NJFedup, says, "I'm a self-employed contractor from new jersey. I'm about to lose everything. Now what? Mr. President, where is the change?" There are a lot of question marks after that.

Bejewels says, "In the restaurant hospitality industry, I suspect alcohol consumption is up with the high margins. Thanks for humanizing the stats."

Sterickson says, "I've been unemployed since April 7th. Had to be optimistic at this point."

We feel you.

Doping allegations against A-Rod? "Sports Illustrated" reports the baseball star tested positive for steroids six years ago. We have the details and new information straight ahead.

He may not have been the tallest guy on the basketball court, but he was certainly looked up to. His name is Ken Hudson. He was the first African-American ref in the NBA. The there he is standing tall in the NEWSROOM. He's going to share his story and some other stories, personal stories, coming up in the CNN "NEWSROOM."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: We got this news today. He's on the list. "Sports Illustrated" reports Alex Rodriguez, A-Rod, and 100 or so other Major League baseball players tested positive for steroids in 2003. This happened during A-Rod's stint as a Texas Ranger. Around the same time, he was recognized as the American League MVP. A-Rod isn't talking, of course. All inquiries are being funneled to the players union.

CNN Sport's Larry Smith joins me now with more.

You know, we hear about a lot -- not all the time, but we hear a lot about athletes and steroids. When it comes to A-Rod, who has had a fairly good image in baseball, it's shocking.

LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS: It is shocking. We were talking in another conversation, that Jose Canseco and the books he's written about steroids, has fingered so many people. A year ago he said, hey, A-Rod has done steroids. Here's the report of four independent sources saying this. This goes back to the Balco case when government officials, in trying to prevent if Barry Bonds perjured himself before a federal grand jury, in that case, got the subpoena to go into a couple of testing labs and they got these files.

This is an ongoing fight already with the player's union. They were saying the feds only need the files of the people who testified in the Balco test. They didn't need all 104. A-Rod did not testify. Now the information is being leaked, when it was supposed to be anonymous.

LEMON: Are we getting to a point where it's going to be news when a sports figure is not reported to have taken steroids?

SMITH: It seems like it.

LEMON: That's a very serious question.

SMITH: Good question. Major League Baseball is like a slow drip. They can't escape this. They put the Mitchell report out in 2007 hoping to stem the tide. Here are the names going forward. Last year it was Roger Clemens. Now it's Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds two years ago. You've got three of the biggest names of this era in baseball. None convicted of anything. There's no actual proof. They haven't admitted to it. But their name is attached to it. Their image as well as baseball's are tarnished.

LEMON: That means an asterisk, as we know, in the history books.

SMITH: Sure does.

LEMON: Also, we thought Andro (ph), that was bad. It started with that. You know what I'm talking about?

SMITH: Tip of the iceberg with Mark McGuire, who has not gotten into the Hall of Fame, and it seems right now, may not at this point.

LEMON: Larry Smith, we appreciate it. Thank you, sir.

SMITH: Sure.

LEMON: Beginning this weekend, we are taking a closer look at African-Americans who are trail blazers in their fields. It's our special series "Up from a Past," on African-American's firsts. Some of them you have heard of. Some you'll be meeting for the first time. Some you want to meet. You may not know anything about them. Like this next person, my next guest. His name is Ken Hudson. He was the first African-American NBA referee, and the author of the book you see there, "A Tree Stump in the Valley of Redwoods."

Is that how you felt out there?

KEN HUDSON, NBA REFEREE AND AUTHOR: I didn't have any feeling. It was a title that one Sunday in "The New York Times" wrote an article. They titled it "A Tree Stump in the Valley of Redwoods." It made sense. Me, out with Wilt Chamberlin and a couple others.

LEMON: He was a couple feet taller than you.

HUDSON: That was Bill Walton. I had a practice session with the Boston Celtics. It was interesting experience, something that I look back on favorably.

LEMON: This was in 1968, right, when you became the first -- and this was during the time when a lot of African-Americans were becoming a part of the game. Those guys looked up to you as a father and someone they could go to for advice.

HUDSON: It's interesting. There was a gentleman who came before me, Jackie White. He only stayed for a short period of time. Then I showed up on the scene. Everybody said, who is this guy? Uh-oh. I was fortunate. There was such great people around, Bill Russells, Oscar Robinsons, Jerry Wests. They allowed me to grow, help teach other people how to do this.

LEMON: Fast forward to today. You hear about sports stars and NBA players getting into trouble. Do you ever just want to go -- call them up and go, what are you thinking?

HUDSON: I've had several conversations with different individuals. We talk about those things, about character.

LEMON: What do you tell them?

HUDSON: Get your act together. You've been blessed to do this at a high level. Very few people have the opportunity. Since you have the opportunity, use it in the right way. Take full advantage of it. Make sure you appreciate the opportunities that you have.

LEMON: And act like what?

HUDSON: Act like you have good sense and wasn't raised in the backwoods somewhere like you didn't know better.

LEMON: People need the straight forward talk. Do they appreciate when you do that?

HUDSON: Oh, yeah. I've had interesting conversation with people, feedback, who appreciate the fact that I've taken the time to share a few words of wisdom with them. I try to do that with everybody. People like yourself. The coach at George Washington University, we talk every now and then to see how he's doing, the progress he's making. I need too get people to understand what this is all about. Especially now with the new era we're in, with a new president and the whole nine yards. It's a different perspective about how people perceive us. Our actions are more important than anything.

LEMON: A young guy like you who has seen so much, as an African- American first, as you were looking at the Mall for that inauguration, what was running through your head and your heart?

HUDSON: Unbelievable. Never thought I would live to see that. I also fortunate enough to see Senator Ed Brooke when he was elected, be involved with him. When I saw President Obama, I knew that we had turned a corner a little bit. Now it's up to all of us, black and whites, to move this country forward in the way it should be.

LEMON: A role model who is not an athlete. He is an athlete because he plays basketball as well. Maybe you'll ref for him.

HUDSON: I was always nervous with people who go to the left.

LEMON: Final thoughts, any final words of wisdom? I appreciate talking to you. Words of wisdom to all of us, players, or anyone who may be watching.

HUDSON: I like to see it this way. We have an opportunity now to move forward. This is a country that is moving forward. It's not about color. It's not about race. It's not about where you come from. It's about we are going as a whole. I hope people around the country, people around the world understand this is a new day. If we can work together, share together, we all become better people. The reason we were put on this earth is to make a difference. It's not about the car. It's not about the house. It's about, did we make the difference in the lives of the people we come in contact with? That's why I'm proud of seeing, people like yourself, and Fredricka do her thing.

LEMON: Thank you so much.

HUDSON: Thank you.

LEMON: Everyone should know your story. I wish we could tell much more, talk to you much, much more. I'm glad we're profiling folks like you.

Ken Hudson, fantastic, man. Thank you so much.

HUDSON: Thank you. Yes.

LEMON: And, many of you I'm sure are looking for your own personal bailout. You heard Mr. Hudson say it's not about the car. But it's hard right now. It is easy as getting in line for some people. We'll tell you where that is.

And a super shopper works the coupon angle and it adds up to huge savings. Believe me, we'll have you getting out scissors for this.

Thank you, Mr. Hudson.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(CNN FIT NATION)

LEMON: Yes, and you can do it inside in the winter and get some exercise.

Speaking of winter and weather, Karen McGinnis joins us now.

You've got some problems out on the west coast. They're getting soaked. But that ice floe in Ohio, what a story.

KAREN MCGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: The temperatures warmed up pretty quickly and now we're looking at some 40s, even some 50s across this area. A little further to the south in Kentucky where we saw that ice storm about ten days ago, they're looking at temperatures in the 60s. But this is that area. It was a miles-long ice floe and we had 100- plus people stranded on the ice floes. They were ice fisherman, fishing for walleye, from what I understand. But the ice is typically about two feet thick. But when the current changes underneath or the wind shifts and the wind is fairly gusty there now, then you can see cracks and you start to break off. And then we've got some problems.

We're looking across the Great Lakes region. There you take a look at Toledo, also Cleveland, temperatures in the upper 40s. So that is a dramatic change. All right, let's move on and show you what's happening as we move on a little bit further towards the west, where our temperatures are mostly in the 50s. We do have one storm system expected to move in, but tomorrow, Los Angeles, I think you'll see a few breaks in the clouds. But you could see one to two inches of rainfall in some favorable areas. Those snow levels, dropping down to around 4,500 feet. And some of those higher elevations could expect as much as two feet of snowfall.

Here's southern California. Yes, it's raining. Some of that pushing on in towards southern Arizona. And they are looking at a little wet forecast there for tomorrow as well.

Back to you.

LEMON: Thank you. You know what, Karen, this next person is the hardest-working man in the news business, because "The Situation Room" is straight ahead and our Wolf Blitzer tells us what he has for us.

What do you have, Wolf?

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Don, lots coming up right at the top of the hour. We'll speak with the always outspoken independent Senator from Vermont, Bernie Sanders. He's got a lot to say about what's going on in Capitol Hill right now.

Also, we'll hear from the new chairman of the Republican Party, Michael Steel. We'll also hear from the former U.S. ambassador to Israel about what's going on in the Israeli-Arab conflict.

And finally, more of my interview with the former president, Jimmy Carter. He's got some advice for the current president, Barack Obama.

All that and a lot more coming up in "The Situation Room" right at the top of the hour.

Don, back to you.

LEMON: All right, Wolf, thank you very much for that.

Meantime, a super saver shows us how it is done.

BVC

ANGIE CHILDS, COUPON SHOPPER: With 107 percent savings, $81.17. Paying me $3.94. It's like playing the lottery and winning every time.

EVC

LEMON: I want to be best friends with her, because, that's right, the grocery store actually paid her for her groceries. And you'll learn her secrets, coming up, seconds away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: You know, a lot of ordinary Americans, like us, like everyone, have been asking, where is my bailout? Everyday Americans. Well, for a couple of days this week, it was in Times Square.

BVC

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I heard about the free money. It was on my daughter's birthday, so I could buy a present.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So you're here to get something nice for your daughter and to get a bailout. You're a good father.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's see what "Bailout Booth" can do for you. OK?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today, we got $50 for you today.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

EVC

LEMON: Wow. Everybody who stood in the freezing weather, some for up to five hours, was given at least 50 bucks, no strings attached. A lucky few got substantially more if they could persuade the mystery man in the booth that they needed cash. The giveaway was a publicity stunt for a new web site, bailoutbooth.com. All you had to do to get the money was be 18 or older and explain on camera why you need the cash. Similar stunts are planned in Philadelphia, Washington, and Boston. People are getting free money, so good for them.

What if I told you it was possible to buy hundreds of dollars of groceries every week for just $20? To good to be true? Not at all. Not too good to be true. Anyone can do it.

Here's Steve Irwin of our affiliate, KNXV.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHILDS: We're going to start at the nonfood.

STEVE IRWIN, REPORTER, KNXV: Following Angie Childs around the supermarket is kind of like tagging along with a lioness on the hunt, a housewife with the eyes of a predator. Childs is a coupon queen, spending pennies on the dollar for her grocery bar. She shows up with portable file cabinets filled with coupons.

CHILDS: I have cleaning supplies, and then it goes through to like air fresheners, bathroom candles, glass cleaner.

IRWIN: Angie orders six Sunday papers a week. She browses coupon websites, searches sale items, and then shows up on double coupon day.

CHILDS: We need three of those dial pumps. IRWIN: Many items she gets for free. Take these cough drops. They're $1 a piece. She also has a coupon for buy one get one free, and 50 cent off coupon, which the store then doubles.

CHILDS: I get two bags free.

IRWIN: Angie says anybody can do this. In fact, she's teaching her daughter how. On this day, she buys $220 worth of groceries for just 19 bucks and change. That's nothing. Check out this receipt from November.

CHILDS: It was 107 percent savings, $81.17, paid me $3.94. It's like playing the lottery and winning every time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: I want to get that lady's number. I need to go to shop. That's what some people have been saying. We've been asking you for your comments on MySpace, on Twitter, Facebook, iReport. Here's what some of you are saying.

AndrewOhmes says, "I was unemployed since July and after sending out 70 applications, I finally landed a job. It really is bleak out there."

Mamma231b, "My husband lost his job last week and we lost our home one year ago after an illness and our 401K is losing money daily. Help. I fly jets. I lost my job post-9/11. I'll be losing it again. I've been unable to find work. It's a question of what you're willing to accept."

Starning says, "Recession feature on that family was very powerful, please do more."

We appreciate your feedback. Thank you very much for that.

Make sure to join our community, lock on to Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, iReport.com, tell us what you're thinking. We'll get your responses on the air, like we just did.

Coming up at 7:00 p.m. eastern tonight, their first and very violent meeting was fueled by racial hate. Now half a century later, a former clansman asks Congressman John Lewis to forgive him for brutally beating him at a bus stop. Tonight, Elwin (ph) Wilson and John Lewis join us together, live. It is an incredible story you don't want to miss, right here in the "CNN NEWSROOM," 7:00 p.m. eastern.

I'm Don Lemon. I'll see you then.

"The Situation Room" right now.