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Living Like Refugees; Clinton Comes Home; African-American Firsts; Funky White House; Obama to Unveil Plan to Cut Deficit in Half; Citigroup in Talks; Pentagon Budget Axe; 22 Fishermen Saved from Sinking Ship; Microsoft Wants Alleged Overpayment Back
Aired February 22, 2009 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're raising two grandkids. We only have one income so it's a big, big blessing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Refugees in our own country. A food drop right here in America for hundreds of men, women and children in Ohio. How much worse can it get?
We laid you off. We paid you. But guess what? We want our money back now. A software giant says exactly that to former employees. Do they have the right to collect it? We'll tell you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The vessel was lifting to the port and the crew were getting ready to -- actually, were in the process of abandoning into life rafts. And many of the crew were actually going into the water.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: This is a survival story on the high seas on fire and sinking. A fishing vessel with 22 crew members tossed into the freezing water. What happens next is really short of a miracle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: We can also make a mean batch of french fries when you want it done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Want fries to go with that? Well, guess what? An aspiring chef, aspiring chef and an unexpected opportunity of a lifetime from the first lady when she opens up her home and her kitchen. We'll tell you about that. The news starts right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Don Lemon.
LEMON: Good evening, everyone. We start with a new promise by President Barack Obama who unveils his federal budget within days. That promise, to cut the $1.3 trillion federal deficit in half by the end of his first term. Now try to wrap your head around this one. A trillion dollars is the number one followed by 12 zeros or one trillion $1 bills stack on top of each other, it would reach nearly 68,000 miles into the sky or about a third of the way from the earth to the moon.
CNN's Kate Bolduan explains how the president plans to tackle that huge number reflecting the worst economic crisis in decades.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After signing a $787 billion stimulus package -- and announcing a $75 billion housing plan, President Obama is turning his focus to reining in spending.
PRES. BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES: I'll release 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 on 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: And 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 on 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.
BOLDUAN (on camera): And a busy week ahead for the president's economic agenda holding a fiscal responsibility summit, speaking before a joint session of Congress, and unveiling the 2010 budget, the full report to be delivered to Congress in April. Kate Bolduan, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right. Kate, President Barack Obama addresses Congress on Tuesday night at 9:00 Eastern. Of course, you'll see him live on CNN followed by Anderson Cooper and the Best Political Team on Television. And at midnight, a special edition of "LARRY KING LIVE." Remember, you can watch along with your Facebook friends at cnn.com/live. Check it out.
The president's upcoming address seems to us like a good time to take stock of the state of the union as seen through the eyes of everyday African-Americans. Make sure you tune in Wednesday and Thursday 8:00 p.m. Eastern for "BLACK IN AMERICA," an in depth look that you'll only see right here on CNN.
Important new development to tell you tonight about the financial markets that could affect the markets in the morning. "The Wall Street Journal" reports that federal government is in talks with Citigroup about taking a larger equity stake in the company. The journal citing unnamed sources says the bank is hoping the government's stake will be about 25 percent. But it could be as high as 40 percent.
It is a complicated transaction, but according to the journal no additional taxpayer money would be involved. Rather, the government would convert preferred stock it already owns to common stock. Preferred stock it already owns to common stock. The goal is to help shore up Citigroup's balance sheet. Citigroup's stock fell below $2 last week. The journal says no deal has been struck and the two sides are simply talking.
CNN contacted Citigroup for a response, and they replied with "no comment." And joining us now, the person who wrote part of that article in the "The Wall Street Journal" is David Enrich. He's a reporter who is on this story.
David, what does this mean to the average investor at home? How much should we be concerned about this?
VOICE OF DAVID ENRICH, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Well, I think it really could be troubling for investors and other bank stocks right now. In the immediate presumption I think from investors and bankers is going to be that they face a lot of pressure to potentially follow suit. And if that happens, and some of the banks including Citigroup investors, the reason their stock is below $2 right now is because investors have been assuming something like this is going to happen. And I think investors are going to start making that assumption in that a much broader range.
LEMON: Well, David, when this whole thing -- this whole bailout went for Citibank or Citigroup and all of these other -- many other companies, wasn't it part of that that the government would take over part of their assets? Is this just not one thing that was supposed to happen after that? Well, there was -- there's been some understanding that the government will -- and they already have stake investments in these companies, but the stakes have been limited. Right now the government owns about a 7 percent or 8 percent stake in Citigroup. And under what is being discussed now at Citigroup and in Washington and the size of that stake could increase five or six fold. And that leaves the government instead of owning 8 percent of the company like Citigroup, owning 20 percent, 30 percent. It's going to make the government a much more active shareholder and in a lot more financial institutions.
LEMON: They end up owning much more than they thought that they would own and what we thought that they would own. Tomorrow morning, the market is open. Do you have any idea on how this might affect the markets in the morning? They've been shaky lately obviously.
ENRICH: Yes. Well, I've long since given up trying to predict how the markets are going to react (INAUDIBLE) the developments. And I think as you said the markets are very jittery right now. And I don't think this is only be treated as an enormous surprise when it comes to Citigroup, but, again, my take is that it signals that more of these -- there's going to be pressure on a lot of banks to consider similar steps in the coming weeks.
And I think the question is to what degree investors already have been anticipating that would happen, which many have been, or if this is going to really ring alarm bells for a lot of other investors out there.
LEMON: All right. David Enrich with the "Wall Street Journal," thank you very much. "Wall Street Journal" is reporting that the government is in talks with Citigroup about taking a larger equity stake in the company. We'll continue to follow this story for you on CNN. And, of course, tomorrow morning on AMERICAN MORNING starting at 6:00 a.m.
Meantime, we're going to move on and continue to talk about the economy. The sour economy really will soon hit America's military where it counts, their spending budget. And Defense Secretary Robert Gates is preparing for the seemingly inevitable axe to begin swinging. The cuts could be deep.
CNN's Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has the very latest for us.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Don, tomorrow is that big White House summit on fiscal responsibility, and one of the biggest players may be the Pentagon. This week, the Office of Management and Budget will tell the Defense Department it can have $535 billion to spend next year. But that's going to require some scrimping and saving.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates is getting ready to swing the budget axe, telling the military he wants to make significant budget cuts. Fighter jets, new armored vehicles, war ships, all could be cut. But Congress would have to approve it, of course, and defense contractors already are lobbying Capitol Hill, saying -- don't cut my program, please, making the case, it's all about jobs.
But the bills are piling up at the Pentagon. Besides the more than $500 billion in new spending, the Pentagon also needs another $70 billion, maybe, to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that $70 billion may last only until October -- Don?
LEMON: All right. Barbara, thank you very much for that.
We have some breaking news to tell you about. It's from far out in the Atlantic Ocean tonight. The Canadian Coast Guard rescued 22 crew members of a Spanish fishing vessel when it caught fire and it began to sink. Well, some of the men were in the frigid waters without protective suits. And just a short time ago, we spoke by phone with Dan Frampton of the Canadian Coast Guard. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOICE OF DAN FRAMPTON, CANADIAN COAST GUARD: It happened this morning around 11:00 this morning as luck should have it. We had a medium coast guard patrol vessel (INAUDIBLE) in the area on patrol, and she happened to be about ten minutes away from the vessel that was reporting distress.
LEMON: It was really lucky. I mean, ten minutes away. What are the odds in these waters of a coast guard vessel being that close?
FRAMPTON: They were very, very lucky, actually. There were several fishing vessels in the area, but to have a coast guard trip is close was real good luck on their half.
LEMON: OK, so when you got there, when the coast guard got there, what were the conditions? I know that they were fighting really heavy winds and the boat was sinking and, again, on fire. Do you know how far it had gone down into the water?
FRAMPTON: Well, when the Coast Guard ship arrived on scene, the vessel was lifting to the port and the crew were getting ready -- or actually, were in the process of abandoning into life rafts and many of the crew were actually going into the water.
Wind on scene at that time was about southeast, 20 to 25 knots and the air temperature was zero degrees Celsius. So, it wasn't a good conditions to limp the water, but the weather itself was fine and clear so it was good visibility for seeing. And there was some significant waves.
LEMON: 22 men on board, all of them rescued correct?
FRAMPTON: It is correct. Actually, all of the crew ended up in the water or in life rafts. There's two life rafts deployed and several of the crew actually ended up in the water.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Dan Frampton just moments ago from the Canadian Coast Guard search and rescue. Meantime, Egyptian authorities have two people in custody after a blast left a 17-year-old girl dead and 23 other people wounded. It happened at a popular bazaar area in the capital of Cairo. Investigators say most of the victims were tourists from Europe. But they have not yet identified the nationalities of the two people arrested other than saying they are a man and a woman. As bad as it was, it could have been much, much worse. Security officers say they found another bomb that did not go off at a nearby mosque.
In rural western Pennsylvania, a jail warden will ask the courts tomorrow to remove an 11-year-old murder suspect from his custody. He says he can't adequately accommodate a child in an adult jail. The fifth grader is charged with the shotgun killing of his father's pregnant girlfriend as she slept. According to the Associated Press, a relative of the 26-year-old victim, says the boy became jealous after his father became involved with the woman last May.
It has been a grief stricken weekend of waiting for the family of Chandra Levy. Parents of the slain Washington intern have been told an arrest in their daughter's 2001 murder is imminent. A Salvadoran migrant already serving time for two assaults in the park where Levy's remains were found is reportedly the prime suspect, but no arrest yet.
In Coatesville, Pennsylvania, two arrests in the arson-plagued community have failed to halt the rash of fires. Early this morning, someone set fire to a group of school buses at a middle school and nearby West Brandy Wine Township. Officials say seven buses were damaged costing about $400,000.
It is a story that has a lot of you talking tonight. A company lays off workers, then claims it's overpaid their severance. Now they want the money back. And that's not all. A small town loses 8,000 jobs. 8,000 jobs. Now scenes right out of the great depression are playing out. Food lines for those in need.
Of course, we want to know what's on your mind tonight. We want you to be part of our show. Get you comments on the air -- Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, iReport.com. Tell us what you're thinking.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The Microsoft company, giant software company, may have a glitch in its accounting software. The company says it overpaid an underpaid severance to some of the 1400 workers who recently were laid off.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOU GELLOS, MICROSOFT SPOKESMAN: I can confirm that letters were sent to affected people whose severance package contained an overpayment and some who contained an actual underpayment. The details of this are private to the company and the people affected themselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: Can you imagine being laid off, no job, and then they're going to ask you for their money back? Well, for those who allegedly received too much, the company has a simple request. Give it back. No word yet on how much money was allegedly overpaid. How the former workers will respond or whether those who were underpaid will get more money. We'll stay on top of this story for you. And a lot of you are sounding off about it.
Here's what LmacTX says, "I don't understand the Microsoft group with overpayment and severance packages. It sounds like a company lost to me."
RichmondTitus says, "That's really sad, but I guess the president is right when he said it's going to get worse before it gets better."
Ctguy2675 says, "Looks like we're getting one step closer to nationalizing key banks."
Thanks for your comments -- Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, iReport.com. We'll get your responses on the air just like we got those guys.
Living like refugees in our own country. A food drop right here in America. This is a sad milestone for this economy. It will be President Barack Obama's first address to Congress next week. And it could help define his days in the White House so what does he need to say? That is a question for our political analysts tonight. And we're going to pose it to them.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: President Barack Obama has a very busy week ahead of him. Tomorrow, he's holding a summit on fiscal responsibility. Then on Tuesday, he speaks to a joint session of Congress. And Thursday, he'll present his budget for the coming fiscal year, which includes a deficit of more than $1 trillion he inherited from the Bush administration. And in the middle of all this, a massive stimulus package to help jumpstart a very sluggish economy.
Mary Mitchell of "Chicago Sun-Times" joins us and so does our political editor, Mr. Mark Preston. Let's talk about the stimulus and we'll start with Mark.
Mark, it is a governor's job who are meeting with the president. He may have left there by now, but he was meeting with them earlier. It's a governor's job to hand out that money.
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: It is a governor's job to hand out that money. And what we've been hearing from the governors this weekend is that they are in dire straits right now. They see tax revenue down. And I will tell you, this year, unlike any other year, they really are feeling it. And really when it comes down to it, Don, they are really the last line of defense. They're the ones that have to come up with the money at the end of the day. They have to balance budgets. We hear that often when governors come to Washington, D.C. We certainly have heard it this weekend. LEMON: OK. That's a tape right there of the president earlier tonight. But I want to got to -- and play what he said to the governors when he said -- he told them that times are going to be tough and they need to pay attention to this. So, Mary and Mark, take a listen. And I'll talk to Mary on the other side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're where the rubber hits the road. And you have to make tough decisions all the time, even when there's a lot of fussing and fighting here in Washington. The bottom line is you still have to make sure that schools are open, that children are learning, that people who are fallen on hard times are getting help.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Mary, it's kind of interesting because a person who would have been at that meeting would have been Governor Rod Blagojevich, but he is from your state. He will not be at that meeting. It will be Pat Quinn. But, you know, beyond that, some of the Republican governors are saying they may not accept the money because they don't agree with this package. They think it's bloated.
MARY MITCHELL, "CHICAGO SUN-TIMES": Well, you know, here's the strange thing about that. I don't know in what universe does the losing party get to decide what the agenda will be. I mean, you know, the American people know that it's been eight years -- this doesn't happen overnight. This is not something that happened under President Barack Obama's watch. We've never been here before.
And so now to try to score political points by looking like the person who cares so much about what's going on in the future, people want help right now. And they're hopeful that if we can pull the economy back on track, that they don't have to worry about their children's future or their grandchildren's future.
LEMON: OK, Mary. Mark, let's talk about Tuesday. Address to Congress, the State of the Union. What is expected? The president's tone. How will he act during that? What is he expected to say?
PRESTON: Well, Don, really he needs to come out and he really needs to instill confidence in the American people that we are on the road to recovery. And if you think about it right now, he's gotten everything he's wanted up to this point. He's gotten this massive stimulus bill through. He's gotten the housing bill through. He has been able to bail out the auto companies, has been able to bail out the housing and the banks, right? So everyone seems to have gotten their share.
Now, Barack Obama needs to go out on Tuesday night and he has say, look, we are on the road to recovery, it's going to be a slow process, but we really need to have some confidence. And really, that's his number one goal.
LEMON: This is an important speech, Mark. Very important. PRESTON: Yes. You know, it's the most important of his career. We'll be saying that for the next four years. But certainly for where we are right now, given where we are with the economy, Don, he needs to go out and he needs to calm some fears.
LEMON: OK. Mary, I didn't forget about you because this next segment I'm going to use you a lot in this. This panel is going to come back because our topic is going to be on -- we're going to talk about the heat is on for Senator Roland Burris meeting with the Feds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: So, Federal investigators looking into the corruption case against ousted Governor Rod Blagojevich are circling back to Roland Burris now, then man Blagojevich appointed to the U.S. Senate. The Associated Press and Chicago media report federal authorities have interviewed Burris as part of their probe into Blagojevich.
Burris is not accused of any wrongdoing and has said repeatedly he has no plans to resign, but he's not commenting on his meeting with the Feds. Burris sparked a firestorm when he revealed Blagojevich's advisers had asked him for fundraising help, something he didn't reveal in testimony to state lawmakers.
His support is also waning and at least one prominent person is publicly calling for Roland Burris to step down. Should he? Let's ask our guests. CNN political editor Mark Preston and a lady who is right there covering this story and probably broke some of it as well from the "Chicago Sun-Times, Mary Mitchell.
OK, Mary, so Chicago media reporting that he met with investigators. How did this come about, and do you know what was discussed in this?
MITCHELL: Well, the thing that was possibly discussed -- I wasn't a fly on the wall, so I can't say exactly and, of course, people are being tight-lipped about exactly what's being said. But for sure, he had to have been asked questions about whether or not Blagojevich, former Governor Blagojevich, or Blagojevich's brother or anyone connected to the former governor, tried to get him to raise money. And if he did, in fact, raise money or attempt to raise money for the former governor, that's going to lead to a lot of problems.
LEMON: And what would seem like, Mary, perceived inconsistencies in his statement in that really ill-conceived news conference last weekend. I'm not sure if you were there, but I'm sure...
MITCHELL: I was there.
LEMON: Tell us about that. I mean, it just seemed unbelievable that someone would put themselves in that position.
MITCHELL: Well, first of all, that meeting was set up a long time ago. But here's the problem for Roland Burris. The problem is he's a lawyer, and as a lawyer, he still thinks he can parse words. This is not the time for parsing the words. He should have come out and told the whole truth at the very beginning. Now he's backed into a corner and he's letting out these little bits and pieces, which makes him look not credible.
LEMON: OK. I need to get Mark Preston. Mark, you're in Washington. You know, at one point, this was seen as a distraction to the Obama administration. I'm not sure if that's so now, if they've moved beyond that. But is there anything the Democrats can do about this to sort of change the tone or to make sure that there's nothing, you know, out of the ordinary that's happening or illegal here?
PRESTON: Well, let me just sum it up right now. Democrats here in Washington, D.C. think that this is an Illinois problem and they're hoping that the Illinois Democrats can take care of it. In what we've seen so far from Illinois Democrats, they appear to be trying to do so at this point. What they are telling me privately right now, Don, is that they are frustrated. They're angry. They don't trust Roland Burris at this point. They don't think he's going to step down.
There is an ethics committee investigation right now into Roland Burris. But honestly, Don, they're not going to expel him. Fifteen people have been expelled from the Senate, you know, since it was created, 14 of them because it was aiding the Confederacy.
So, it's not going to happen. He won't be expelled. They're hoping he gets out, Don. But I will tell you this, mark my words, he will get a primary challenge if he decides to stay in and Roland Burris will have a hard time raising money if he does run for election in 2010.
LEMON: I think here's a question that everyone wants answered, and I don't think we have an answer for it. When is this story going to go away, because we have been talking about it, it seems like for months and months. I know you -- I see you want to talk, Mary, but...
MITCHELL: Two years.
LEMON: That's it. As long as he lasts. Mary, thank you so much. Mark as well. Have a good evening, you guys.
So, here's one of the questions of the day -- is Attorney General Eric Holder right?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIC HOLDER, ATTORNEY GENERAL: ... and I believe continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And here's another one for you. Were protests like this a reaction the "New York Post" was looking for when they published that monkey cartoon? Some answers from our radio active radio hosts -- next. It's getting really hot in here. Hope it's not getting combustible, though.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: You know, we saw this story earlier this week but it really caught our attention, and we felt that we were responsible. We had to be responsible enough to dig deeper in this because I don't know if we've ever seen anything like this in our country. We have heard of food drops in Third World countries, but what about right here in the United States?
An Ohio town hit hard by the recession is looking to outsiders for help. It is an unfortunate milestone in this recession, yet a sign of the times in a tough economy. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON (voice over): A blistering cold day in Wilmington, Ohio.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got a couple of bags for you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Those two bags?
LEMON: Yet, people wait outside for hours. They have no other choice. No benefits, no money, no job.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're raising two grandkids. We only have one income.
LEMON: That's one income more than most here. The giant delivery company DHL shut its doors, putting 8,000 people out of work, most from the Wilmington area.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's tough. It's just tough because we're helping support not only our family but our children's families, too.
LEMON: The story made headlines, nearly an entire town out of work with no other employer to pick up the slack. Larry Jones of Sugar Hill Ministries saw it and challenged others to help.
LARRY JONES, SUGAR HILL MINISTRIES: So, if you'll go to your Rolodex and find out people who have food, who have clothing, who have shoes, who have personal care items. We have 55 semis. We'll be there within 72 hours to pick it up, and we'll make sure that it gets into the hands of the needy.
LEMON: Jones's Feed The Children Organization did an old- fashioned food delivery right here in the United States, something Americans usually see happening overseas while watching from the comfort of their living rooms.
Wilmington City Council member Rob Jaehnig --
ROB JAEHNIG, WILMINGTON, OHIO, CITY COUNCIL: It's a very, very hardworking community. These are people that worked part-time shifts at night, you know, in the worst all kinds of weather -- snow, ice, sleet, whatever, to move the product.
LEMON: Hard-working Americans.
JAEHNIG: Very, very much so.
LEMON: Hardworking Americans who, like so many, now victims of economic circumstances beyond their control.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Truly unfortunate sign of the times in Wilmington, Ohio. Just to give you a snapshot of what Americans are going through right now -- relief groups and the government say more than 36 million people were "food insecure" in 2007, meaning they struggled to put food on their tables. They include more than 12 million children. 12 million children. Imagine what the recession has done to those figures.
And when it comes to the most "food insecure" Americans, in other words, the hungriest Americans, their numbers have risen 40 percent since 2000. Nearly 31.6 million Americans took part in the federal food stamp program late last year, an all-time high. And in nearly half the states, at least one in 10 people are getting food stamps. Again, an unfortunate sign of the times. So, we hope there's some relief soon.
It's time now to go to the radio and talk about drive-time buzz. Martha Zoller is here in the CNN NEWSROOM. Warren Ballentine joins us from Raleigh, North Carolina. Both of them hosts of syndicated radio shows with their own names on it.
OK. Martha, you saw that story. I mean, it's a sad story. We usually see that in developing nations, and we're the ones helping out. So what were the talkers this past week? Were people talking about the stimulus? Were they talking about issues like what's happening in Wilmington?
MARTHA ZOLLER, HOST, "THE MARTHA ZOLLER SHOW": Well, you're still -- you're still hearing people talk about the stimulus, whether the governors are going to take the stimulus or not, whether they're going to be a part of it, and where it's going to lead us as far as taxation and that sort of thing.
But on the previous story, we haven't talked about that one. But I have to say, I was optimistic that isn't it great that people get together, faith-based people, other, and take care of these needs right here? Because we are so good at doing it around the world. We ought to use those resources here, and that was encouraging.
LEMON: OK. Warren, what do you have for us?
WARREN BALLENTINE, HOST, "THE WARREN BALLENTINE SHOW": Well, I agree with Martha as far as the encouragement. But, you know, when I look at what some of these governors, like the governor of South Carolina saying that he won't take the money from the recovery plan, I mean, I think if a governor is in a position to take this money to help their economy, to help that state and they refuse that money, that governor should be impeached.
We're not just in a recession. We're in a depression. And we need to be stepping up as Americans to help each other, number one, and number two, if the government is going to come in and give some money to help out, we need to be taking that money right now because there's too many people not working.
(CROSSTALK)
ZOLLER: But it depends -- but, Warren, it does depend on what the strings are attached to the money. Because you don't need to take money that you don't need for a particular project.
(CROSSTALK)
BALLETINE: And now, the Republicans want to be fiscal and make sure --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: OK. We're going to -- we're going to have to end it there because I want to move on and talk about some other things...
ZOLLER: Sure.
LEMON: ...because I know, Warren and Martha, that last week this Eric Holder thing, the attorney general and saying that Americans were cowards when it comes to race, that was a real talker on the radio. I heard it both -- Martha, I was on your show...
ZOLLER: Yes.
LEMON: ...Warren, I was on your show, and people were talking about it. I'll start with Warren this time. What were they saying?
BALLENTINE: Well, my listeners, they agree with Eric Holder. They think that we need to have a conversation. We need to have a dialogue or a dialect about what's going on with race in this country. They want to move past race.
And to be honest with you, when you look at what happened with the "New York Post," this is why people want to have this conversation, because as far as we've come, you know, you still have people who are not foreseeing that people will be affected by certain things and certain images.
LEMON: And I've got to say this isn't, you know, scientific. This is an unscientific survey that I did myself and not everyone agrees with this. Most African-Americans I spoke to said, hey, you know what, what he said was right on, I don't see anything wrong with it. Others, some of my white friends said, you know what, I was offended by it. Well, why, Martha?
ZOLLER: Because it discounts all the progress that we have made. And you look at Eric Holder, whose story wouldn't be possible in most any other country in America. And to say we're not having dialogue about race, we are having dialogue about race. And we've got to continue to do that. It is a huge problem to sit and say the American people are cowards because there is no country in the history of the world -- do you see brown and black faces in the leadership positions in England or Europe or Germany? Can they start businesses? No. We have got to appreciate what we have.
LEMON: OK. I've got to stop you there -- I've got to stop you there because I think what's really happening is somewhere in the middle for all of this. We're a country that's made great progress, but, yes, we do need to talk more.
ZOLLER: But if the expectation is perfection, you're never going to be happy.
LEMON: It's never going to be perfect, but we can always be better. But real quick. We have to go. I just want to say most people took offense to that cartoon in the "New York Post." Right, Martha?
ZOLLER: Oh, yes. I mean, I think that it was misread in some ways because it was right the day after that terrible attack by the chimpanzee...
BALLENTINE: No way to misread that.
ZOLLER: Wait a minute, let me -- and I think that -- when you look at who wrote the bill, it was Nancy Pelosi, but it was the wrong thing to choose...
BALLENTINE: Martha, Martha, Martha, don't fall for that hype. There's no way to misread that. That was very offensive any way you cut it. And that's why African-American people took offense to it. Don, you know...
LEMON: Warren...
BALLENTINE: I want to say this. Next week, we're going to be introducing on my show -- save the economy. I want everybody go check out this Web site. I think it's a great way...
LEMON: It's called savetheeconomy.com, right?
BALLENTINE: It's savetheeconomy.com. To save our economy.
LEMON: All right. Thank you very much. I let you guys go on a little long because, I mean, really, there was a lot of controversy last week when it came to race, especially Eric Holder's comments and that cartoon. So, I'll let you talk a little bit more.
ZOLLER: We have lots to talk about with the president's speech next week.
LEMON: We got a lot to talk about and we should talk more about race in depth. Thank you all very much and have a great rest of your weekend.
BALLENTINE: Thanks, Don.
LEMON: If you have to go to class, this would be the one to attend. A day in the White House, in the kitchen, with none other than the first lady of the United States. She is really cooking these days.
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LEMON: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is back in Washington after wrapping up her week-long four-nation tour of Asia. It was her first official trip in her new role as America's top diplomat. The new secretary of state can forget any thoughts of jet lag, though. She hosts Pakistan's foreign minister and his delegation tomorrow.
It is not exactly America's top chef, but it's actually closer to the real thing than the TV show. First lady Michelle Obama, in her continuing efforts to open up to the surrounding community, did exactly that today with the White House kitchen, inviting students from an area culinary school into the mix. And by the sounds of the first lady, this kitchen staff is quite a challenge for any dieter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
M. OBAMA: There hasn't been anything that I don't like. There are some mean waffles and grits that are made in the morning that have become a regular staple for some of us. I don't eat waffles every day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: I know what she means. Man.
On a serious note, the White House chef left open the possibility that some of today's culinary students could pick up a part-time gig at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. A great addition for any resume and an unexpected one as well. Good luck to whoever -- to everyone.
She's a pioneer on her own right. What would child safety advocate Marian Wright Edelman say to President Obama? Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIAN WRIGHT EDELMAN, CHILDREN'S DEFENSE FUND: The job has got to be to end poverty, to invest in every child.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: We're looking back while looking forward with Marian Wright Edelman.
Plus -- funky, funky White House? The nation's governors getting down with the president.
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LEMON: We've heard so much in recent years about No Child Left Behind. But guess what? Before No Child Left Behind, there was Marian Wright Edelman. She was the first African-American admitted to the Mississippi Bar Association and she is the founder of the president and president of the Children's Defense Fund. She's part of our continuing series "Up from a Past: African-American Firsts." And I got the pleasure, the opportunity to talk with Edelman at the CDF headquarters in Washington, D.C.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON (on camera): You're wearing this necklace and you've got Sojourner Truth on it and you've got these women who are heroes. Do you realize that you're a hero to us, to people like me?
EDELMAN: Well, I just do my work, I just do my work, but thank you. I'm glad -- I'm glad I'm sort of standing for a little something.
LEMON: You could have done anything, the first black woman to practice law in Mississippi. You could have done anything. What motivated you to do what you're doing now?
EDELMAN: My parents who were great parents, my community elders who were great elders. They were people of faith, and they tried to live their faith. And my father always said, you follow the need and God runs a full employment economy. And if you follow the need, that you'll never be for a lack of a purposeful life.
LEMON: It's interesting how you met Dr. King and, you know, Senator Kennedy really inspired you to -- did he convince you in some way to work with Dr. King?
EDELMAN: No, no. I had known Dr. King since I was a senior in Spellman. I worked with Dr. King a lot during my entire stay in Mississippi and on the Million Man March. And it's amazing looking back at my diary and looking back at the experience, how accessible people like Dr. King were to young black folk.
LEMON: Will people do that today, you think?
EDELMAN: I don't know a whole lot of black leaders who would take the kind of time that they used to take in nurturing us and engaging with us.
LEMON: So, on a Tuesday in January, which was inauguration day, and you're here in Washington with your entire family. Hadn't worked with Dr. King, and, you know, this came the day after we celebrated his birthday, what were you feeling?
EDELMAN: Oh, I was just overjoyed. Many of us see this miracle that Martin said he was looking over and we would get to the Promised Land. He wouldn't be there, but that we would get there.
I also was thinking about what he told us, some 30 years ago, because we love to celebrate him and we love to follow him, which we don't do enough. He warned us about the evils of racism and excessive materialism and (INAUDIBLE). While he would be so, so pleased with this young man to help us go together, but, you know, he would say, go back to work now and finish the job.
LEMON: Is that what you would say to the new president? What would you say to him?
EDELMAN: Well, I would say to the new president...
LEMON: What do you say to him when you have a conversation as if we're sitting here with no cameras, what would you speak to him?
EDELMAN: The job has got to be to end poverty, to invest in every child, to create a level playing field, to make sure every child this year gets health and mental health coverage and a national safety net, to make sure that every child gets an early education that's of high quality so they can be ready for school, to make sure our schools don't continue to produce a majority of children of all races who can't read at grade level in fourth and eighth grade. We've got to invest in children. You know, but he gets it.
LEMON: Who's your hero? I'm sure you know, but who's your hero?
EDELMAN: I have a number...
LEMON: Who is your Marian Wright Edelman?
EDELMAN: Who is my Marian Wright Edelman? I've been so blessed to have a number. It's ordinary people with grace, with wit. It's the -- it's the people in --- who didn't have a whole lot of education. It's Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth, these brilliant but illiterate slave women who didn't lose a moment fighting against injustice.
I mean, Harriet Tubman didn't (INAUDIBLE). I mean, Sojourner Truth didn't (INAUDIBLE) anybody tell us, speak out against second- class treatment. The women are slaves. And so, they keep me going.
LEMON: If someone is looking at a history book and there's a headline that describes Marian Wright Edelman, what do you want it to say?
EDELMAN: She tried to live her faith and create a just world that was fit for every child.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: My conversation with Marian Wright Edelman in Washington, D.C. not long ago, just a couple of weeks ago. Make sure you tune into our series "Up from a Past: African-American Firsts," where we celebrate those who were first in their fields, first to break barriers. "Up from a Past" only on CNN, Sunday nights at 6:00 and 10:00 p.m. Eastern.
And we have this programming note for you. Tune in this Wednesday and Thursday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern for a CNN special, "BLACK IN AMERICA." It's a provocative in-depth look at a subject most networks won't even touch. "BLACK IN AMERICA." Only here on CNN. You can check it out at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Wednesday and Thursday night.
Storms are pounding both coasts tonight and you can see Jacqui Jeras working hard in the CNN severe weather center. And no storms, that means snow, that means rain and a lot of travel delays. We'll check in with Jacqui in moments.
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LEMON: All right. A lot of people are weighing in here. Check out what some of you are saying.
Here's what Wlperie. "I live about 30 minutes away from Wilmington and I know people who left 6 hours early just to get in line for the food."
And PEI_Annie says, "Reminds me of food lines after Katrina, except this time government aid will arrive before people die."
Here's what Mariohouston says, "I can't believe that there are some states turning down the stimulus money."
And also Ctguy2675 says, "Instead of going after the little people, Microsoft should try to get their money from Bill Gates and see what he says about that one."
We appreciate you weighing in tonight. Go to Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or iReport.com and we will get your responses on the air.
Meantime, we've talked about storms brewing on both coasts. Our Jacqui Jeras in the CNN severe weather center to tell us about what the commute is going to be like tomorrow and what we can expect overnight.
Jacqui?
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You don't even want to know.
LEMON: OK. I'm out of here.
JERAS: Hey, you know, I can't find you around this newsroom. You're moving all over the place.
Yes, it's been real ugly at the airports. If you've been trying to travel today, if you've been, you know, trying to get out of San Francisco, trying to get out of the northeastern airports, that's where the biggest problems have been, obviously, because of all of this rain.
Unfortunately, this is going to get heavier as we head through the next couple of days. We're talking several inches of rainfall in the valleys, three to five inches in the foot hills and a couple of feet of snow in the mountains. Delays still at this hour over 2 1/2 hours at San Francisco. And we're under an hour now into the New York area. Unfortunately, we still expect to see delays here tomorrow despite the snow starting to pull out. And that's because the winds are going to stay strong.
So, watch out into Boston, New York City, and even into Philadelphia. Nation's midsection, though, weather on a nice note, Don.
LEMON: So, if I want to go to D.C. or Washington -- D.C. or New York tomorrow, don't do it.
JERAS: D.C. might be OK. New York, you're going to have trouble.
LEMON: All right. Thank you very much, Jacqui.
President Barack Obama didn't just bring history to the White House. He brought the funk. I can't believe I'm saying that.
They've still got it, man. Earth, Wind & Fire.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We have all been singing our favorite Earth, Wind & Fire songs. I will spare you. But here's what CatDogMom says, "I wanted so bad to see Earth, Wind & Fire in the East Room. They do the best concerts. Every man has a place in his heart, there's a space."
I'm Don Lemon at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. "D.L. HUGHLEY BREAKS THE NEWS" next, but first, we want to leave you with Earth, Wind & Fire getting down at the White House as the President Obama hosted the nation's governors. Have a good night, everybody. Enjoy.
