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Examining the 2010 Budget; International Economic Summit; Hillary Heads Home; Roland Burris and His Senate Seat

Aired February 22, 2009 - 16:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield and you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

We begin with a story that's still unfolding. An explosion outside Cairo, Al Hussein mosque, a popular spot for tourists. The blast killed a Frenchwoman and wounded nine other Europeans. That's according to Egypt's health ministry. But there have been conflicting reports on the casualties. No word yet on what caused the explosion, but security officials say a man and a woman have been arrested. They also say an unexploded bomb was found nearby. Stay with CNN for new details as they develop.

And it sounds like a tall order, but President Obama seems to think that he can do it. Just days after signing a huge stimulus spending bill, the president is getting ready to announce a plan to cut the federal deficit in half. CNN's Kate Bolduan is standing by at the White House. So Kate, what is exactly on the agenda?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: A busy agenda and a busy week ahead, Fredricka, for the president and his economic policy. He's holding a fiscal responsibility summit, speaking before a joint session of Congress and unveiling the 2010 budget. A budget with some ambitious goals.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOLDUAN (voice-over): After signing a $787 billion stimulus package, and announcing a $75 billion housing plan, President Obama is turning his focus to reigning in spending.

PRES. BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES: I released a budget that's sober in its assessments, honest in its accounting and lays out in detail my strategy for investing in what we need, cutting what we don't and restoring fiscal discipline.

BOLDUAN: According to the White House, Obama's first budget to be released Thursday promises to cut the federal deficit in half by the end of his first term. That means slashing $1.3 trillion down to $533 billion by 2013. How? Obama proposes scaling back spending on the war in Iraq. Streamlining government and letting the Bush tax cuts expire for people making $250,000 or more a year.

OBAMA: We can't generate sustained growth without getting our deficits under control.

BOLDUAN: A proposal that's already facing republican pushback. SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), MINORITY LEADER: We've got to ask yourself whether increasing capital gains taxes, dividend taxes and taxes on small business is a great thing to do, in the middle of a deep recession. I think most of my members will think that that's not a smart move.

BOLDUAN: Meantime, governors set to meet with the president Monday are still fighting over stimulus dollars.

GOV. JENNIFER GRANHOLM (D), MICHIGAN: Most governors understand the importance of getting that money. So for those who don't do it, I can tell you Michigan will be first in line to use the stuff that they're going to lose.

GOV. MARK SANFORD (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: And I think that the bigger issue is who pays for it? I mean, a problem that was created by too much debt, I don't believe, will ultimately be solved by issuing yet more debt and printing more money here in Washington, D.C.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BOLDUAN: Now, in terms of the budget, we're told Thursday Congress will receive a summary of the budget and then the much thicker dense, full report will be delivered in April. But first, a big week ahead. First, the president is here at the White House this evening hosting the annual governors dinner. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Kate Bolduan, outside the White House. Appreciate it.

And just a reminder, President Obama talks about the economy in an address before the joint session of Congress Tuesday night, 9:00 Eastern. We'll bring that to you live. Of course, Anderson Cooper 360 follows with the best political team on television. And at midnight Eastern, a special edition of "Larry King Live."

European leaders are trying to find a way out of the recession as well. Meeting in Germany, leaders from eight European countries called for stronger International Monetary Fund and global oversight of financial markets.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANGELA MERKEL, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): Confidence can only be restored if people in our countries feel that we are pulling in the same direction and have understood that we really must learn lessons from this crisis. Therefore, we think the IMF and the foreign financial stability should be responsible for overseeing the implementation of Washington's plan and should grow into a new architecture of the future, institution which will take on more responsibility for the global mechanisms.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The proposals will be presented to the European Council next month and to an international summit in London in April. All right. Despite calls for his resignation, Illinois Senator Roland Burris is laying low and keeping quiet publicly, but the Associated Press reports that Burris met with federal investigators yesterday as part of the corruption investigation of former Governor Rod Blagojevich. You'll recall that Blagojevich allegedly tried to sell Barack Obama's senate seat. He was impeached and removed from office.

Burris sparked a new firestorm earlier this month when he revealed that he had spoken to Blagojevich advisers asking him for a fund- raising help. This after Burris had testified to an Illinois House committee that he hadn't had any contact with Blagojevich staffers.

All right. Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell is calling on the Senate ethics committee to quickly decide whether or not to expel Burris. The panel is investigating the matter and its recommendation will go to the full Senate for a final vote. Now under the constitution, the Senate can kick out a member for, "disorderly behavior" by a two-thirds vote. The last time that has actually happened was 1861.

All right. We're still awaiting an arrest in the murder of former Washington intern Chandra Levy. A law enforcement official says DNA links a man already in prison to that murder. Levy disappeared back in 2001. Her body was later found in a Washington Park. A person close to the investigation says police are expected to arrest Salvadoran immigrant Ingmar Guandinique in connection with the murder. In the next few days, that arrest may happen. Levy's mother talked with our Don Lemon about the eight-year-old case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOICE OF SUSAN LEVY, MOTHER OF CHANDRA LEVY: The situation for me as a family member, the mother of a daughter who is no longer here, but I want justice. I want to know that the person that did it is in jail and will not ever do it to anybody else.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Can you tell our viewers what you've been doing and what that's been like for you and your family?

LEVY: Every day, the elephant is there. Every day you get a knot in your stomach. It doesn't go away. It's a life sentence for the families and relatives that miss their loved ones. So we have a life sentence of hurt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Former California congressman Gary Condit says that he is relieved for the family that there may be some movement in the investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. GARY CONDIT, FMR. CALIFORNIA CONGRESSMAN: If you haven't already --

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: Condit and Levy had a romantic affair. And police questioned him many times in connection with the murder. Condit was never a suspect in her death. The negative publicity, however, was cited for his defeat in the 2002 election.

All right. The attorney for a fifth grader accused of a gruesome shooting wants to get the boy released on bail. The 11-year-old is accused of shooting his father's pregnant girlfriend in the back of the head while she slept on Friday. He's currently under arrest near Pittsburgh and is charged as an adult in the crime. You are looking at the victim. Police suspect the shooting may have been motivated by jealousy. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Thursday.

And more fires ignited overnight near arson-plagued Coatesville, Pennsylvania. The fires occurred despite their arrest of two suspected fire starters earlier last week. Federal officials say seven school buses found burning this morning in West Brandywine Township where they were all deliberately set. No one was hurt, thankfully.

The bus fires are just north of Coatesville, which has recorded 66 cases of arson since January of last year. Last week, authorities arrested and charged two men in ten of those arson cases.

All right. No doubt about it. It's getting hard to make a buck. But Josh Levs will tell us about one company that's actually looking for thousands of workers.

And CNN's Brooke Anderson is standing by to bring us all the glitz and glamour from the Academy Awards. All the activity already on the red carpet.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is heading home from China after wrapping up her first overseas trip as America's top diplomat. Clinton went to church in Beijing today. She also met with women's rights advocates and she told reporters that she would continue to press Beijing on human rights. But her talks with Chinese officials focused more on security, climate change and getting through the global financial crisis.

Secretary Clinton's tour of Asia took a page out of the campaign playbook in fact, changing the tone of the message. Here's CNN foreign affairs correspondent Jill Dougherty.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: On a popular youth TV show in Jakarta, Indonesia, she confesses what her favorite music is.

HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: It's the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

DOUGHERTY: At a women's university in Seoul, South Korea, she tells young students the meaning of love.

CLINTON: How does anybody describe love? I mean, poets have spent millennia writing about love.

DOUGHERTY: In Beijing, China, she tours a clean energy power plant, then shakes as many hands as she can. Welcomed as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's new world diplomacy campaign style. On her first international trip as secretary, Mrs. Clinton in Asia did what top diplomats usually do. She met with government officials and spoke at news conferences.

But with reporters struggling to keep up with her, Secretary Clinton also toured a crowded Jakarta neighborhood, highlighting projects funded by the U.S. government. America's top diplomat also is one of the world's top celebrities. Being a celebrity, she says, is an asset. Making people more receptive to American ideas. And she's promising to reach out to people in what she calls nonconventional ways. So with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, get ready for more town hall meetings. More hand shaking.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think we would like maybe to hear you sing?

DOUGHTERY: And more TV shows, as she campaigns for American diplomacy around the globe.

CLINTON: All of these people, if I start to sing, they will leave.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

DOUGHTERY: Jill Dougherty, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Very witty.

All right. Well, no rest for Mrs. Clinton. She is set to meet Pakistan's foreign minister during a visit to Washington starting tomorrow. They are expected to discuss terrorism and other issues of mutual concern. And just last week, President Obama approved sending 17,000 more U.S. troops to neighboring Afghanistan to fight Taliban militants.

President Obama's new diplomatic push isn't limited to Asia or the efforts of the Secretary of State. Senator John Kerry, chairman of the senate foreign relations committee, held talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad yesterday in Damascus. U.S. with relations -- U.S. relations, rather with Syria, soured under the Bush administration. And Kerry says President Obama is very interested in improving the relationship.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY, CHAIRMAN, SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS CMTE.: While we will disagree on some issues, for sure, what I heard and what I will take back with me and hopefully what we can put in place to take advantage of it is the possibilities of real cooperation on a number of different issues beginning immediately, beginning soon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Kerry is the fourth congressional delegation to meet Assad since President Obama took office just over a month ago.

All right. Closer to home, just a little closer. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez held talks twice with Fidel Castro this weekend in Cuba. Here's Fidel's younger brother and current President Raul Castro greeting Chavez at Havana's airport just Friday. Cuban state media say that Chavez met with Fidel Castro Friday night and again yesterday discussing the global economic crisis. The 82-year-old Fidel Castro stepped aside as president in 2006 after undergoing intestinal surgery.

All right. Hollywood's big night. It's almost here. Just a few hours away. As we wait for the Academy to dish out the gold, we'll go live to CNN's Brooke Anderson in Hollywood for a red carpet update.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: OK. The windy city of Chicago living up to its nickname. See that snow blowing? I-reporter Thomas Nava shooting this footage for us from his neighborhood on the north side of town. He says the area got a little more than four inches of snow but it was actually the wind making it so difficult even though the pups there look like they're having a good time.

And then out west, much further west, we should say, from where we are, Jacqui, very wet. And then for the northeast, more snow as well.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I know. I will say all dogs love snow, don't you think?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

JERAS: At least big dogs.

WHITFIELD: Dogs and kids.

JERAS: And kids. And me.

WHITFIELD: I do like it, too. Hey, I'm a big kid just like you.

JERAS: I know. It's fun. It's beautiful. It's the weekend. So why not? But people are trying to travel had a lot of problems with that across the midwest yesterday. Today, that storm system has pulled into the northeast. Yes, it's windy and it's wet into the big cities with snow into the interior. And this is problematic for you. And we also have a storm out west. So it's the coast of the country today that are really getting clocked with the worst of the weather.

Here we go. Here's what's happening in the northeast now, this is our current radar. And you can see some of the heavy bulk of the precips already starting to pull offshore. This thing is going to be out of there by tomorrow. So that's good news as you head back to work. You're going to be back to normal a little bit.

Now Boston, you're getting the rain. Just head a little off to the west along the turnpike. And you're going to be seeing that snow and some of that mix coming in. We're talking about anywhere between maybe six and 12 inches of snowfall in parts of Maine, into New Hampshire and Vermont and, of course, you get a little elevation going on with that. And it's going to be enhanced a little more and the interior will see lesser amounts where you see that blue. You're going to see more likely maybe three to five inches of snowfall.

Check out the delays. Lots of unhappy campers at the airports today. Look at that, over an hour at Boston Logan. JFK looking around an hour. Newark an hour and a half and then out west, delays because of the rain in San Francisco, 2 1/2 hours there. And Los Angeles, looking at delays around 45 minutes. This rain, this is really the bigger of the two storms here out west. And it's sitting offshore right now. It's starting to tap into what we call subtropical flow kind of pineapple express.

And that means we're looking at two to four inches of rainfall in the valleys, probably three to five into the foothills and the snow levels really high around 5500 to 5500 feet. But you're going to get at that level on up between maybe two, three feet of snow between now and into your Tuesday. So it's going to stay very active out to the west. At least through the middle of the week. This is going to be a storm to watch. We're real concerned about some of those burn areas and the potential for some urban flooding and some coastal flooding as well. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Sounds terrible.

JERAS: I know. Hopefully the red carpet won't get it today. 20 percent chance.

WHITFIELD: Well, we know we saw those images, right? On the kind of clear tent covering the red carpet because we don't want those hair dos to get messed up -

JERAS: That's right.

WHITFIELD: And the pretty gown.

JERAS: It's hard enough to walk in heels as it is without having the slippery -

WHITFIELD: you don't want to have to carry an umbrella, too. It just not look good.

All right. Jacqui, I know you are excited about the Oscars, as am I and everybody else. Live pictures right now of the red carpet. We'll be covering live the glitz, the gowns and, oh, yes, the politics.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. The gold rush is on. Isn't it fun, even if you aren't up for an Oscar yourself. Well, the statues are polished, the red carpet is out. Look at the live shot right there and the tons of activity. Folks in Hollywood are getting dolled up as we speak, if not already. Tonight's 81st annual Academy Awards begins just a few hours from now.

Our dolled up Brooke Anderson is there at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, looking very glam and gorgeous. So what's the buzz, besides you?

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Oh, well thank you for that, Fredricka. You're really sweet. You know, producers are hoping from some super magical moments this year to battle declining ratings. Last year's telecast the lowest rated ever. So could those moments come from some of the night's big winners?

Let's take a look at some of the main contenders.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON (voice-over): Will "Slumdog Millionaire" win the jackpot at the Oscars? Or does the "Curious Case of Benjamin Button" have the second sewn up with its leading 13 nominations.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How old are you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seven. But I look a lot older.

ANDERSON: The two critical favorites square off against "Frost Nixon," "The Reader" and "Milk" for best motion picture but momentum seems to favor "Slumdog" as well as its nominated director Danny Boyle.

DANNY BOYLE, BEST DIRECTOR NOMINEE: When you saw a film, there's always what I call the bathroom moment where you stand alone in your bathroom alone in front of the mirror and say, this is the one. This is the one but it never is, of course normally.

ANDERSON: In the best actress category, "Rachel Getting Married's" Anne Hathaway goes head to head with "Changeling'" Angelina Jolie and "Frozen River's" Melissa Leo.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's 12 years old, what could be private?

ANDERSON: But the smart money is on either Meryl Streep for her work as a cantankerous nun in "Doubt" or Kate Winslet who play a tutor with a secret Nazi past in "The Reader." Some have even dubbed Winslet the new Meryl Streep.

KATE WINSLET, ACTRESS: To be mentioned in the same breath as Meryl Streep, somebody who I have admired since I was a child.

ANDERSON: Despite strong performances by Richard Jenkins in the "Visitor," Frank Langella for "Frost Nixon" and Brad Pitt in "Benjamin Button," talk for best actor has centered on Sean Penn as gay rights activist Harvey Milk in "Milk" and Mickey Rourke as a down and out competitor who stages a comeback in "The Wrestler." It's a scenario Rourke knows all too well.

MICKEY ROURKE, ACTOR: I was out of the game for so many years. And it was all about having people trust me again after, you know, raising hell for 15 years.

ANDERSON And while best supporting actress is a wide-open field, for Amy Adams, Penelope Cruz, Viola Davis, Taraji Henson, or Marisa Tomei, best supporting actor seems to already belong to the late Heath Ledger for his haunting turn as the Joker in "The Dark Knight."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He would have been the favorite if he was still alive. I think everybody in the Kodak Theater will be astonished if he doesn't win.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: And, Fredricka in that best picture category, and if "Slumdog Millionaire" wins, we are told that all nine of the youthful performers, the youthful stars of that film will join the producers on stage. So that could be pretty special.

WHITFIELD: You know, I actually was wondering about that. Because I saw some images of almost the entire cast, or at least all the kids that played in this movie at the airport upon arrival and was wondering, wait a minute, do they all get to be on stage? So that's great. That will be a great treat for them.

ANDERSON: I think they're going to make an exception - yes, exactly, if they do take home that Oscar.

WHITFIELD: Well, very cool. I know it's a big favorite. All right. Brooke Anderson, thanks so much.

And of course, CNN is on the red carpet as you see right there by way of Brooke and the rest of the team. A.J. Hammer and Kareen Wynter there. They are there among the glamorous crew all on the red carpet. Of course, we'll be checking out what everybody is wearing. Don't miss "Gold Rush" starting at 7:00 p.m. at Eastern.

And before the awards tonight, be sure to check out cnn.com for all things Oscar. Click on to the link that says Oscars and vote for your favorite nominees. There are also clips there of some of the nominated movies to get a sneak peek of exactly what's up for an Oscar tonight.

All right. Another week, another fight for the stimulus battle barely over. Democrats and Republicans are getting ready to square off yet again. This time over taxes. CNN has learned that President Obama has unveiled a plan this week for cutting the federal deficit. It includes allowing some Bush administration tax cuts to expire, effectively raising taxes for Americans making more than $250,000 a year. And on CNN's State of the Union today, John King asked Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell what he thinks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOHN KING: Start with the basic premise. The Democrats have the votes in the House, but they need some Republicans in the Senate as we learned in the stimulus battle. Will that fly and do you think it's the right approach given the state of the economy?

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL, (R) MINORITY LEADER: I don't think raising taxes is a great idea. And when our good friends on the other side of the aisle say raising the taxes on the wealthy, what they are really talking about is small business. A vast majority of American small businesses pay taxes as individual taxpayers. So we've got to ask ourselves whether increasing capital gains taxes, dividend taxes and taxes on small business is a great thing to do in the middle of a deep recession. I think most of my members will think that that's not a smart move.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Stimulus, the deficit and taxes are all hot topics at the National Governors Conference in Washington this weekend. That's where we also find Carrie Budoff Brown. She's been hanging out there as she is a White House correspondent for Politico.com. Good to see you, Carrie.

CARRIE BUDOFF BROWN, POLITICO.COM: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: We know that on Capitol Hill people continue to debate the stimulus package. But apparently, it's also what many of the governors are talking about. Before I ask what folks are saying, I guess in your purview there at the meeting, let's have a look at what some of the governors said on morning television today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. MARK SANFORD, (R) SOUTH CAROLINA: I think that there are substantial strings attached in some instances. In other instances, the stimulus package basically causes you to dig a big hole you'll have to dig yourself out of come two years from now. And I think that's counterproductive in that you'd have to either raise taxes or then cut benefits when that time comes. So I think it has some problems with regard to the way it's structured. And I think the bigger issue is who pays for it? I mean, a problem that was created by too much debt, I don't believe will ultimately be solved by issuing yet more debt and printing more money here in Washington, D.C.

GOV. CHARLE CHRIST, (R) FLORIDA: Well, we're concerned about everything, especially these days. But having said that, the stimulus will be sort of a three-year rolling out. And that's good in my opinion. Instead of being a one-shot thing. It comes in over three years. Hopefully that gives the American economy enough time to rebound so that we don't have to count on stimulus anymore. It can just be the economy that gets us through.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So Carrie these governors were talking after they appeared on some of the morning talk shows. So have they been openly debating this issue during the meeting just like we saw there?

BROWN: Sure. There's been a lot of conversation about this and other issues, energy, and health care. I mean, this week, with Obama, he's not just going to be talking about the deficit and the budget. But also laying out key priorities for post-stimulus package agenda, which, right now, we're expecting it to be health care. And you hear a lot of conversation at the meeting right now about that issue because that's clearly, you know, a huge part of state budgets, entitlement spending, Medicare spending, and they are really looking for direction and there are a lot of folks that are going to be listening on Tuesday night and watching tomorrow to see what Obama is going to be saying about what he's going to do in health care.

WHITFIELD: Is it being expressed at all in the White House, whether the president is biting off too much? We're talking stimulus. We're talking tax cuts for some, tax increases for others, housing debacle. It's a lot in just a couple of weeks.

BROWN: Absolutely. I saw a good quote from a long time observer of the government, which is even in the best of times, a president tackling health care reform, energy, it's a huge -- a huge agenda, even when times are good. The fact that Obama is going to be talking not only about cutting deficit by the end of his first term to 533, you know, million, is tremendous.

WHITFIELD: How realistic does that seem, particularly perhaps in the audience of governors that you were with this weekend?

BROWN: They are looking for direction. Health care is a huge deal to them. And they really want to see the president address this in some way. I was just at a workshop where the debate is how exactly to do that. And it's extraordinarily complicated in the idea of mandates and required coverage. There are a lot of fault lines out there, which I think just previews the fact this debate isn't going to be easy. But it's one that Obama is going to start laying out the groundwork for this week.

WHITFIELD: Before we get to Tuesday, and he's addressing Congress, there's also this fiscal summit on Monday. Who is the audience?

BROWN: The audience is the American people. Obama has been talking about spending trillions of dollars for a couple of weeks now. Now he has to show people he's serious about getting spending under control. While that may see like contradictory messages, he's going to put across that message tomorrow that he's concerned as everybody else is about the ballooning deficit.

WHITFIELD: Carrie Budoff Brown, White House correspondent for Poltico.com. Always good to see you. Thanks so much.

BROWN: Thank you Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Of all things, the recession is causing a boom in one area. Enrollment at community colleges is way up. Laid off workers are learning new skills or brushing up on perhaps old ones. CNN's Kate Bolduan reports. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Janice McFadden, working nearly 20 years at Sylvan Learning Center. Larry Ackley a business analyst holding two masters degrees. Both out of work.

LARRY ACKLEY, STUDENT: was one of the thousand full-time employees that Aetna eliminated.

JANICE MCFADDEN, STUDENT: I was laid off in November. And I'm currently not working. I'm searching for employment.

BOLDUAN: back to square one and heading back to school with help from Montgomery County Community College in Pennsylvania.

MCFADDEN: Tuition assistance programs were very helpful. I wouldn't have come back to school if they didn't offer that free tuition credit.

BOLDUAN: In response to the struggling economy, the college is offering unemployed adults up to 12 college credits, tuition free. The goal, learn new skills on a budget and get back to work.

KAREN STOUDT, COMMUNITY COLLEGE PRESIDENT: The response was incredible. The day after we announced the program, our call center phone lines were clogged up. We had more than 300 calls in the first two or three days. We had information sessions that had standing room only attendance.

BOLDUAN: College campuses across the country are trying to meet that kind of need. Some giving textbook scholarships. Others offer emergency funds for food, rent and even gas. With the unemployment rate at 7.5 percent, heading back to class is becoming increasingly popular.

GEORGE BOGGS, AMERICAN ASSN. OF COMMUNITY COLLEGES: Many are reporting it's the highest ever enrollment that they've had at their college. And several are reporting waiting lists of students that they cannot accommodate.

BOLDUAN: Janice McFadden and Larry Ackley admit, after so long, they never thought they'd return to school.

MCFADDEN: And I'm taught by a teacher who may or may not be younger than me.

BOLDUAN: But this unexpected bump in the road may be pointing them in a new and better direction.

MCFADDEN: I think it's going to give me a lot more opportunities. I think it's definitely going to help me in the long run.

BOLDUAN: Kate Bolduan, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: Encouragement of another kind. One company is actually hiring thousands of new workers. Josh Levs is here to tell us about that. Where, who, what?

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I know. Not the kind of thing we hear all the time.

WHITFIELD: We like to hear this.

LEVS: We do. It's the kind of story that in another year might not have caught our eyes so much. This year, obviously, because of the context, it did. We spotted this from our affiliate News 12 New Jersey. It's a Six Flags there. They are hiring 4,100 people for this season. Of course, they are getting a lot of applicants. Seasonal workers may not be the exact kind of job everyone is looking for. But the truth is there are a lot of jobs out there.

Thousands will get jobs for the summer, maybe even into the fall through seasonal work and maybe have fun with this. I'll play sound from two of the people there to get jobs today. One woman who lost her job at a car dealership and a 14-year-old who wants to help out her family.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICOLE ROBINSON, JOB FAIR ATTENDEE: I figured I'd use the opportunity to do something I've always wanted to do. And that's work with the animals and work with people.

TONY WHITE, JOB FAIR ATTENDEE: Sometimes I can't go places because, like, there's not -- like I can't pay to get in. But -- because we don't have cash right now. But I'll have my own cash.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: She's doing what she can. She's going to help out. People seeing the bright side of this. That gets us to this. We're doing something neat here. Obviously, it's a really rough time in America. We keep having so much bad news. Foreclosures and everything else, the job losses. We are inviting you on my facebook page to tell us about great stories going on. What are the great things that we're missing that we should talk about? In a reality check way, not a cheesy way. Great things going on in this world. Let's show you the graphic. It's easy to find if you are on facebook. Go to Josh Levs CNN. You'll see a discussion about great things going on.

Let me show you a few of these. This will be a week-long project. We'll share them as they come. More on the weekend. Jeff writes us. Advances in treating inoperable brain tumors.

This one I love from James. It's a great time for a fresh start in life by going back to school full-time.

Families are learning how to appreciate and spend time with each other.

The Internet is still pretty much free for now.

And I'll end with this one from Elaine. There will be a baby boom because no one can afford to go out. If you are looking for a new home there are plenty to choose from.

And my favorite of all, Vegas is cheap.

WHITFIELD: Vegas is not cheap. Vegas you go and you blow a lot of money. That ain't cheap.

LEVS: People should know that. Like the nickels people give away their life savings. But there are ways that are cheaper, I guess.

WHITFIELD: The nickel slot machines. I've tried that. No luck. Not ever.

LEVS: I tried that, too. Then I realized it had been an hour, so never again. Keep them coming. We want to have great stories to share all week long. Because we're going to keep in mind there's the good out there, too.

WHITFIELD: We've got to share the love. Thanks, Josh. Appreciate it.

OK. They were slaves, and they were spies. A Civil War story you may not have ever heard about before.

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WHITFIELD: No response yet from "The New York Post" to demands that it fire its top editor and its editorial cartoonist. Critics are angry about this cartoon based on recent shooting of a violent chimpanzee in Connecticut. The newspaper says it's a satirical shot at the federal economic stimulus bill. Protesters say it's a racist reference to President Obama. The Post offered apologies to anyone offend bud also suggested that longtime critics are manufacturing the controversy that brought this response from the NAACP.

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JULIAN BOND, NAACP CHAIRMAN: This was, you know, tastelessness taken to the extreme, and it's something I think you expect from this publication. But for the publication to suggest that the only people who object to it are constant critics of the "New York Post" is beyond ridiculous.

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WHITFIELD: Critics say they'll organize a boycott if the Post fails to take some action.

All right. A tale of espionage it dates back to the Civil War and it involves slaves fighting for their freedom. CNN's Barbara Starr has this story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Manassas, Virginia. Nearly 150 years ago, the Civil War battle of bull run raged here. The north's uniarmy almost shattered. But Abraham Lincoln's war effort was getting secret help from some remarkable spies. African-American slaves and freed men spying on the confederacy, and then telling the north what they knew. William Jackson was a slave hired out to Jefferson Davis, president of the confederacy.

Retired CIA officer Ken Degler author "The Black Dispatches," a look at the espionage African-Americans conducted during the Civil War. Degler says Jackson, like most slaves, was treated as little more than a piece of furniture, a critical mistake for his master.

KEN GEGLER, RET. CIA OFFICER: Jefferson Davis would hold conversations with military and confederate civilian officials in his presence.

STARR: In 1861, Jackson fled north and told union commanders about their enemy. Slaves were forbidden to learn to read and write so they often relied on the African story telling tradition to memorize crucial details. It made them perfect spies. No one was better at it than Robert Small. A slave who guided vital supply ships in and out of Charleston Harbor. He finally escaped.

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): At a brief with him gave basically the union forces the entire fortification scheme for the interior of the harbor.

STARR: And the iconic Harriet Tubman. She ran the Underground Railroad bringing slaves north but she went south several times just to supply.

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): Probably the height of her intelligence involvement occurred late in 1863 when she actually led a raid into South Carolina. In addition to the destruction of millions of dollars of property, she brought out over 800 slaves back into freedom in the north.

STARR: This was a stop on the underground railroad. Slaves were hidden inside here until their passage further north could be arranged. It was the espionage conducted by African-American spies that helped the north win the war and helped so many slaves make it to freedom.

Barbara Starr, CNN, Washington.

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WHITFIELD: Entertainment and politics collide, and the result could be Oscar gold.

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WHITFIELD: You probably knew this. Plenty of politics behind the scenes at the Academy Awards tonight. Will the stars be glitzy? After all, we're in a recession. And then, how about the politics in front of the lens. We're talking about the story line. Our senior political analyst, oh, so handsome and dapper. Look at you, Bill Schneider, in Hollywood on the red carpet. Let's talk about this. This is a great year for movies with, I guess, the political life being profiled. You are so cool.

BILL SCHNEIDER, SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: That's right. This -- a couple of big political movies up for the best picture award this year at the Academy Awards. "Milk," which is the story of the first openly gay city official in any large city in America, Harvey Milk and "Frost/Nixon" about Richard Nixon and the aftermath of Watergate. There's a lot of continuing anger here in California over the passage of proposition 8 last November, which reimposed the ban on same-sex marriage. One question is how will "Milk" do and how will its star Sean Penn do; he is nominated for best actor because the anger here is very, very strong.

WHITFIELD: Oh wow. Well you know speaking of politics, not just on the screen but outside of, you know, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the governor, probably at the governor's meeting. I saw him in Washington earlier. He's not in California. But apparently another leader is very popular in California. He did well on election night. What's the buzz on the red carpet about the commander in chief?

SCHNEIDER: He ain't going to be here. And he's unlikely to run, people think, for senate next year. He can't run for governor again. The budget he passed is very unpopular. The California Republican Party is meeting this weekend in Sacramento. He's not there. He's very unpopular there, and they are running around that convention trying to figure out all the terrible things they can say because he committed the worst sin possible for a Republican. He signed a bill raising taxes. So his political future is a little cloudy right now.

WHITFIELD: Interesting. Do you think any of those actors those that might be accepting awards would venture to say anything, whether it be about Schwarzenegger or even Obama? Because we know it's happened in the past.

SCHNEIDER: I think Obama -- well, you might hear something about Schwarzenegger. Obama. They love Obama here in California. He took this state by more than 3 million votes. I think Obama's name could be mentioned. You know what they are trying to do here? They are trying to Obama fy the Oscars. A new host. They are trying to obamafy the Oscars. They want to appeal to younger viewers. They want to make it more hip. Can they do it? They hope.

WHITFIELD: Speaking of hip. I understand that your shoes -- you've got some Oscar shoes that are pretty hip. What's that all about? I want to see.

SCHNEIDER: These are my traditional Oscar shoes. These are my formal red Hush Puppies. I wear them on this occasion for the Oscars. They match the red carpet. So I'm with it for the Oscars. And you know what, Fredricka --

WHITFIELD: You look like you are walking on air. Is that why they are red?

SCHNEIDER: I'm watching, overlooking. Let me tell you something. You look marvelous.

WHITFIELD: No, you look marvelous. Bill Schneider thanks so much. Have a great time this evening.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

WHITFIELD: We'll have to make a date and hear that debrief on the Oscar night. Have a good time, Bill.

SCHNEIDER: OK.

WHITFIELD: CNN, of course, in a very big way is on the red carpet for the glitz, glamour and the drama. Of course, we'll be checking out what everyone is wearing, including another shot or two of Bill's red suede shoes. So cool. Don't miss "Gold Rush" starting at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

Well, she's got only weeks to live. Yet, one British reality star is having the best day of her life.

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WHITFIELD: We know you are going to be watching our Oscar coverage all night long. Because Jacqui and I can talk Oscar stuff all night long. This one British TV reality star --

JERAS: "Big Brother."

WHITFIELD: This is a huge night, or I guess day, for her. Very sad. A lot of people remember her because of being in this reality show. She made disparaging remarks about one of the other co-stars on the reality show. And then she was diagnosed with cervical cancer and, I mean, a huge outpouring of support for her. So this was apparently broadcast.

JERAS: Jake Goody is her name if you haven't heard of her if you don't know who she is. Basically had this big, huge wedding paid $2 million to do it. Said she wanted to do it publicly that way because she wanted to give the money to her son.

WHITFIELD: She's been very open about her terminal illness and said, you know what? She wants to do this in a big way. And it's kind of a big sayonara as well.

JERAS: She just found out last week and got married today. So happened fast.

WHITFIELD: Bittersweet.

Here in this country recession hitting everybody really hard. And that also means sometimes people with great wealth, it gets suddenly diminished to nothing. That has been the case for someone who say lottery winner in Indiana.

JERAS: So you think --

WHITFIELD: And then lost everything and, now, look. Everything that person that owned, auction block right here.

JERAS: It's such a sign of the times. This just gets me. Because they talk so much about responsibility and being accountable and just because you have a lot of money doesn't mean that you shouldn't budget and you can't be crazy with it.

WHITFIELD: We don't know a whole lot about this person's demise, exactly what happened. We just see the material possessions that are now suddenly being auctioned off.

JERAS: It's sad.

WHITFIELD: People were buying dozens and dozens of plates, table wear for just $1.

JERAS: I know so it's a big lottery for those people, I guess.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, it's sad.

Elliott's Hardware Store in Dallas throws out this incredible invitation to President George Bush awhile ago. He actually kind of takes him up on it. He's living or building a home now in Dallas. And he surprises everyone by actually showing up.

JERAS: A month ago, this hardware store, kind of as a gag said if you need a job, President Bush, let us know.

WHITFIELD: As a greeter, no less.

And there he is kind of greeting everybody. So he's sort of doing it. And he's got a great spirit about it all.

JERAS: A regular guy.

WHITFIELD: The days after being a regular guy.

JERAS: He bought flashlights and WD-40.

WHITFIELD: Now suddenly he's like everybody else. Jacqui Jeras, always good to see you. Thanks for playing this weekend in the Chat Room.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield. See you back here next weekend "Fareed Zakarigps" starts right now.