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London G-20 Protests a Mix of Calm, Violent; Experts Advise Vigilance on Conficker Worm; Paychecks to Reflect Tax Credit
Aired April 01, 2009 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Anger grows and violence flares in the heart of London's financial district -- right there. Thousands of activists say that they are speaking for you, the everyday citizens who are now struggling to survive amid a global recession. Inside the G-20 summit, the world's economic super powers. They're searching for ways to diffuse the global financial crisis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES: All of us here in London have the responsibility to act with a sense of urgency, and every nation that will be participating has been affected by a crisis that has cost us so much in terms of jobs, savings and the economic security of our citizens. So make no mistake, we are facing the most severe economic crisis since World War II.
GORDON BROWN, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The truth is that today's global problems require global solutions, and at this week's summit, when leaders representing 85 percent of the world's economy are gathering together, this summit cannot simply agree to the lowest common denominator. We must stand united in our determination to do whatever is necessary.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: There is indeed a lot to cover, so we're everywhere. CNN crews are in place to break it all down for you. Suzanne Malveaux is in London with the big picture of the leaders' meeting, and Becky Anderson is keeping a close eye on the protests, as well. Let's begin with you, Suzanne. President Obama's message for the day?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, really what he is trying to do is reach out to the European community, as well as the rest of the world and say, I understand your frustration, your anger, there is a lot towards the United States as we saw those protests unfold. But essentially, he says, look, the blame is to be shared here. Yes, there were problems in the United States, problems in England. We are all in this thing together. We may have disagreements about how to solve and get beyond this global recession, but we've got to work together.
But he is, Fred, trying to at least acknowledge here some of the raw emotion, the passion that we've actually seen erupt in the streets here about what people are going through, Fred.
WHITFIELD: And he's also finding common ground. And I guess if I can use that term loosely, it seems as though - common ground with the British Prime Minister, as you mentioned, also with the Russian counterpart of his, and then soon to be meeting with China's president, Hu Jintao.
MALVEAUX: And there is progress already that's been made. We already have announcements that the president is going to be doing a lot of traveling. He's going to be going to Moscow later during the summer. He is also going to China, he has a lot on his plate. One of the things that came out of his meeting with the Russian president is that these two leaders are starting to renegotiate, and negotiate right away, in reducing nuclear arms. They are renegotiating a treaty that is going to expire in December.
That's a big step, Fred, for these two leaders to say, look, we are pressing the reset button, if you will. As the president said, that is the first thing that we're going to look at. We're going to have a summit in Moscow sometime in the summer, and they want to see some progress by July. That's some really concrete steps these two leaders are taking. So that is significant. Fred?
WHITFIELD: All right. Suzanne Malveaux in London. Thanks so much. And by the way, this is day 72 of the Obama presidency, and the president is at the center of the world's stage. Last hour, as Suzanne was underscoring, he did meet privately with Chinese leaders, and in the noon hour, Eastern time, he and the First Lady will actually meet with England's Queen Elizabeth. And next hour, the Obamas will attend a reception for the G-20 leaders.
Now, let's talk more about what else is taking place in London. This is becoming the familiar setting, the London streets turning to places of protest, threatening to overshadow the G-20 summit itself. Violent clashes, arrests and injuries. The latest now from CNN's Becky Anderson who is in the middle of it all, in the middle of the protests, but you seem to be on the fringe of the violent portion. You're closer with I guess the peaceful protesters.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's actually rather nice atmosphere down here today. Show you what we've got on my right hand side, because there is a police corps on my right-hand side, which is pretty indicative of what you'll see on this side of the city of London today. And you have here nature doesn't do bailouts.
This is the climate camp, and it's been established here for very obvious reasons. A lot of people are all fairly peaceful and very good-natured, I've got to say. Earlier on, though, myself and my producer, we're among the midst of it, which is a little further down, about 150 yards, 200 yards down road. I want to show you some of the pictures that we've been getting in, that we were involved in a little earlier on, outside the Bank of England. It was getting just a little bit antsy earlier on.
The police trying to hold protesters at bay. There are thousands and thousands and thousands of people outside the Bank of England today. Most of the banks and offices here are boarded up today, for all of the obvious reasons. The Rural Bank of Scotland, which has been in the midst of the anger as it were in the UK, its windows ransacked today. A number of arrests have been made. We're told by the MET that at one point, about a half or hour or so ago, 11 arrests have been made. They say missiles have been thrown. In accordance with the law, they will do their best to keep the peace, of course, and will act accordingly.
So that is what is going on. About 150, 200 yards down road in the center of the city of London, but I'm back here now at the climate capital. With them, is a legal observer here today, with a role that I want you to describe.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. There is a number of people here trained to LEGALLY observe. What they're doing is going around, making sure the activists here know what their rights are, what to do if they're arrested, what to do -
ANDERSON: All right. Of so what do you do specifically? If somebody gets arrested here for disorderly behavior, what happens next?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We would phone a support line we have, where we call in arrests. And that person is going to monitor them through the arrest process, check what police station they're being held at. Check their welfare, make sure when they're released someone is there to meet them. They may not have any money when they're released, may not have phones.
ANDERSON: All right. There is only 40 of you here, for what is an awful lot of people here doing a really tough job today. This is fairly traditional protest, isn't it, having legal observers here, who are just there to effectively look after people's welfare.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, that's right. In the UK, that's quite traditional.
ANDERSON: OK. Thank you very much, indeed. France's legal observer here. On the fringes of what as I say is a peaceful gathering of protesters protesting the issues of climate change, suggesting they aren't on the agenda, as they should be, at present the G-20 leaders get set to meet in London tomorrow. Back to you guys.
WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much Becky Anderson right there in London.
All right. The G-20 summit. Tensions are very high, as you heard Becky described, and the stakes are very high, as well. So what does it mean to you, exactly? We'll talk to a couple of summit veterans who will walk us through it all.
Check on the numbers right now. The Dow is actually down 53 pints. Hopefully sees a bit of a turn-around, maybe some inspiration from the G-20 leaders meeting in London, as they talk about the global economic crisis.
All right, putting a budget approval on the fast track. It looks like Senate democrats may adopt a controversial budget procedure to speed up passage on part of President Obama's budget, specifically health care reform and global warming. The fast track procedure is called reconciliation, and it would allow democrats to pass major legislation with a simple majority vote, and prevent any republican effort to filibuster. Some complain the tactic would damage bipartisan cooperation.
So on the hill this hour, lawmakers are battling mortgage fraud. The house judiciary committee is holding a hearing on ways to protect taxpayers from financial predators. Committee Chairman John Connors says he is committed to providing law enforcement with every tool they need to investigate and prosecute guilty parties.
And you'll soon start seeing more money in your paycheck, thanks to President Obama's economic recovery package. CNN's personal finance editor Gerri Willis will have details in about 30 minutes from now.
And this hour attorneys for Ted Stevens have a meeting scheduled with Justice Department officials. Court documents show the government wants to dismiss the case against the Alaska republican. Stevens was a fixture in the U.S. senate for nearly 40 years. He lost his seat after being convicted of corruption just last fall. The government accused him of trying to conceal hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts and home renovations. Stevens has maintained his innocence amid made accusations of misconduct by prosecutors.
All right. Parts of the south have been in a drought for so long, it's hard to say go away rain. We're seeing it in a very big way. Rob Marciano, however, I think there are people complaining.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN, METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Well, the folks who have got too much at any one time, the state climatologist for Georgia has said that the drought here, or at least the long-term drought is gone. These are pictures from Louisiana. Washington Parish, just north of New Orleans. The river there, flooded over the weekend with all of the heavy rain. Obviously sunny now, but there is more rain falling and more rain expected as we go through the next couple of days. So those folks can't get a break. Over to parts of Florida, where they also saw their fair share of rain.
Palm Beach Gardens is seeing it quite heavily the past two days, and this area flooded fairly rapidly, and more rain there, Fredricka, as you can see.
WHITFIELD: It doesn't take much sometimes.
MARCIANO: No, it's pretty flat down there, obviously. But when you're talking about some spots got over a foot of rain.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh!
MARCIANO: In just a few days. So you're talking about rainfall that would typically would come during a tropical system. So this is a decent amount of rain for this time of year, certainly. And so you get to this spot a little bit further north, that would do everybody good as far as the drought is concern. Obviously, we got flooding issues here. Some of these thunderstorms could have some gusty rain, and we have flood watches that are posted for much of that area of the world.
Some of that rain getting towards the north. Just some garden variety type of showers and thundershowers. And then some snow still left over from this dying storm that was the blizzard for the Dakotas the past couple days. And check out some of these snow totals. Pretty impressive. In Minnesota, 26 inches, Wahpeton, North Dakota, unofficially 20 inches, and Aberdeen, South Dakota, 12 inches, and Fargo, just under a foot. Today's forecast weather map does highlight another storm coming through the Rockies will is going to dump more snow, April 1st, and they're going to get at least a foot of snow.
WHITFIELD: No fooling!
WHITFIELD: You better believe it. Northern parts of Colorado and parts of the Wasatch, Utah. Dropping there.
WHITFIELD:. Oh my gosh. That's right. Sounds good. Heading there in a little bit.
MARCIANO: Are you?
WHITFIELD: Park City action. Uh-huh.
MARCIANO: Oh.
WHITFIELD: So I like that snowfall.
MARCIANO: Charlotte --
WHITFIELD: Don't mean to rub it in, but you know.
MARCIANO: Yes, you'll be in Breckenridge this time tomorrow, you want to go?
WHITFIELD: I'm game!
MARCIANO: Severe thunderstorms across parts of the south, the rest of the weather team will be busy tomorrow, Fredricka, potential for some pretty rough thunderstorms across the flood-ridden southeast.
WHITFIELD:. Yes. Pretty nasty stuff, too. Well, a combination of good and bad.
MARCIANO: Yes.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Rob.
MARCIANO: You're welcome.
WHITFIELD: Major tax hike on tobacco. Going into effect today. Making it more expensive to light up. Some say it's about time. But others say no fair. What do you think? We're reading your e-mails.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: Politics and money. Throw in some world leaders, and there are millions of unhappy citizens back home, and you have an idea of just how volatile this G-20 summit can actually be. So what are the stakes for President Obama and for your wallet? Breaking it down for us, the editor of "Time International" Michael Elliot. Good to see you. Joining us from New York along with Chrysta Freeland, the U.S managing editor of "The Financial Times." Good to see you as well.
All right, ladies first. Krista, begin with you. Interesting paradox, is it not? The U.S. is receiving much of the blame for the global financial crisis yet, attention is on the U.S. to help fix this global financial crisis. How do you see it?
CHRYSTA FREELAND, MANAGING EDITOR, "THE FINANCIAL TIMES": Yes. I think that's absolutely right. I mean, I think what we're seeing on one hand is the world really feeling that not only is this an economic crisis that has been exported by the United States to the rest of the world, and also a crisis caused in a way by an American ideological approach to financial capitalism that Americans are accustomed to teaching the rest of the world to follow. But at the same time, the world really is expecting America to lead.
So you do have this paradox that on the one hand, there is a lot of anger towards America. On the other hand, people really want the U.S., and especially this president, Barack Obama, to succeed. So the stakes will be high. It could be a moment where President Obama sort of patented conciliatory approach is really appropriate.
WHITFIELD: So Michael, stakes are indeed high? How do you see President Obama try to appeal to everyone? You certainly can't please every bit of the 20 leaders there.
MICHAEL ELLIOTT, "TIME INTERNATIONAL": I very much agree with what Chrysta just said. I'm not quite sure that the U.S. is in a position to lead. The U.S. is certainly in a position to kind of help -
WHITFIELD: But being put in that position to lead?
ELLIOTT: Well, certainly.
WHITFIELD: The occasion is there?
ELLIOTT: Certainly. As Chrysta said, I mean, the U.S. is the largest economy in the world. What happens in the U.S. affects everyone else. The U.S. consumer as always been the consumer of last resort in the world, and everyone wants the U.S. economy to be showing its animal spirits and be growing again at a past clip. That helps everyone.
There's no question about that. I think what President Obama is acutely conscious of, though, is that simply having star power and being in charge of the world's largest economy doesn't mean he can get his own way on every occasion. And as Chrysta says, you can see in the run-up to this, there has been a conciliatory approach. There has been an approach to provide bipartisanship. And there has to be, quite honestly.
Because a lot of the guys and women who are gathered in London have their own agendas, and they will not be shy about telling President Obama what it is that they want to see done.
WHITFIELD: Well, when you hear the British prime minister say already you have changed America's relationship with the world, just in the 72 days that he has been in office, Chrysta, I mean, that is a huge pat on the back. And I wonder how much that sets the tone of this entire G-20 summit, or sets the tone of the expectations, as well.
FREELAND: Well, I think it's helpful. And it is obviously helpful that Barack Obama is even more popular outside the United States than he is within the United States. But the fact remains that there are very serious differences of opinion between America and some countries that share the American economic approach, and other parts of the world. And the really serious divide is on this question of fiscal stimulus. The Americans have acted quite aggressively at home, and they feel strongly that the rest of the world has to do the same thing. They're view is America right now in this crisis can't be - the only engine of the world.
WHITFIELD: The point I wonder then, Michael, do the other countries like to hear that? OK. You've got to stimulus plan in your country, but is it necessarily applicable worldwide?
ELLIOTT: Obviously, there are some European countries who don't feel that the science of stimulus that has been seen in the U.S. is appropriate to them. And in nations like Germany, you have a long hatred of inflation. You have a society that values fiscal stability. And Chancellor Merkel has said consistently that she didn't want to see in Germany the sort of full-fledged fiscal stimulus to be seen in the U.S.
WHITFIELD: Specifically, so who does President Obama really need on his side here?
ELLIOTT: Well, I think he'll get everyone on his side.
WHITFIELD: You do.
ELLIOTT: I think that there will be a broad agreement. At the end of tomorrow in London to which everyone signs on. I mean, my own sense is that the stakes are sufficiently high here. That it's not going to break up in complete disarray.
WHITFIELD: All right.
ELLIOTT: But will President Obama get everything he wants? Probably not. Will the Germans and the French get everything they want? Certainly not.
WHITFIELD: Chrysta, do you see a broad agreement on the horizon for sure? FREELAND: Yes, I absolute - no, I absolutely do. And I think an interesting ally has emerged and that is Japan. We had an interview with the Japanese Prime Minister today, and he said, look, we have had this happen to us and we know the only way to get out of it is through fiscal stimulus. So you could find some interesting allies emerging as well.
WHITFIELD: All right. Chrysta Freeland, Michael Elliott. Thanks to both of you. Appreciate it.
FREELAND: Pleasure.
WHITFIELD: All right. President Obama's aunt made a brief appearance at immigration court in Boston this morning. A huge aside to what's taking place in the G-20 involving her nephew. So it is her second bid now seeking asylum from Kenya. Zeituni Onyango was ordered deported in 2004. Instead, she stayed, and has been living in public housing in Boston. She will be allowed to remain in this country at least until next February. That's when a judge will actually hear her case.
All right. Rumors about a malicious April Fool's day computer worm turn out to be no joke at all. What to look out for, and why.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: New incentive for smokers to simply give it up. The new federal tobacco tax goes into effect today, raising the tax from 39 cents to $1.10. A dime. CNN's Jim Acosta takes a look at what's behind the tax increase and how it may affect smokers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Smoke 'em if you got 'em has become smoke 'em if you can afford 'em.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can't do it anymore. I'm done. I'm done. I'm not smoking anymore after this cigarette.
ACOSTA: Last February, when President Obama signed a law that expanded health care coverage for millions of children. He did so on the butts of millions of smokers.
PRES. BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES: In a decent society, there are certain obligations that are not subject to trade-offs or negotiations, and health care for our children is one of those obligations.
ACOSTA: To pay for all of that new health care coverage, starting today, the federal tobacco tax on a pack of cigarettes is going up big-time. From 39 cents to $1.01. Anti-smoking activists who have been fighting the likes of Joe Camel for decades like the smell of that.
DANNY MCGOLDRICK, CAMPAIGN FOR TOBACCO FREE KIDS: All of the research shows one of the best ways to reduce smoking, particularly among kids is to increase price. Our model suggests almost two million kids will be prevented from becoming smokers just from this price increase.
ACOSTA: But critics argue it's a promise broken for President Obama who has said he would only raise taxes on the wealthy, and it's the poor who smoked the most.
CHRIS EDWARDS, CATO INSTITUTE: If you're a pack a day smoker, this 62 cents per pack increase is a $225 federal tax increase. For people with moderate income, that's a pretty big hit.
ACOSTA: And the tax is not a big hit with the dwindling number of restaurants that still sell tobacco products, like this Washington cigar bar just a few blocks from the White House.
BOB MATERAZZI, OWNER, SHELLY'S BACK ROOM: If we get a dramatic increase in a particular brand or particular line of cigars, we'll be forced to increase price somewhat in order to maintain our margins. So, yes, if there is a dramatic increase in a particular item, we will pass that on somewhat.
ACOSTA: The big cigarette makers have already done just that, raising their prices before the hike. Public health advocates say add that to the list of reasons for smokers to kick the habit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it's probably time to stop. It's just getting out of hand.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: So we want to know what you think. Is it, indeed, getting out of hand? Is it a fair tax? Send us your thoughts at cnnnewsroom@cnn.com. We'll read your e-mails in a few minutes from now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Fredricka Whitfield.
WHITFIELD: Anger in the streets of London ahead of tomorrow's G- 20 summit. Thousands of protesters are rallying outside banks, clashing with police, breaking windows, and spraying confetti and graffiti, that is. If the crowd made up of anti-capitalists, anarchists and environmentalists, different groups that share one common feeling today, frustration over the economic crisis.
And the people that they think are actually responsible for all of it. President Obama says he knows many people blame the U.S. for all of this. But during an appearance with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in London, the president said he is more interested in looking ahead than actually pointing fingers. He believes G-20 members have to act together and act now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: All of us here in London have the responsibility to act with a sense of urgency, and every nation that will be participating has been affected by a crisis that has cost us so much in terms of jobs, savings and the economic security of our citizens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: President Obama is spending part of the day meeting with other heads of state before the G-20.
So, leaders from the world's biggest economies are actually coming together in a city where all those protesters are getting pretty rowdy right now. And that's no the only security concern during the G-20. Becky Anderson joins us now from London. So, we know that preparations have been under way in anticipation of the protesters. But did police or security expect this?
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's morphing in some parts of the city of London into quite ugly scenes today. But here, the climate comes sort of on the fringes of these protests today. It's really very good-natured. You can understand the issues that the people here have got there all about -- it's all about climate change.
A little bit further on down behind me and to the right is the Bank of England, where some of the more ugly protests have been emerging today. There are tens of thousands of people in total around the city of London, but outside the Bank of England earlier today, had some scuffles, we've had 13 arrests, we're told, by the Metropolitan Police. Interestingly, 11 of those arrests were made for people who were actually carrying police uniforms. So, ultimately, protesters who wanted to infiltrate the police lines. Interesting there.
We also saw one of the banks here, the Royal Bank of Scotland, which has been at the heart of the bailout problems here, being ransacked earlier on today. Most of the businesses here have actually been closed down and boarded up today. And anybody who did come into the financial district was told in no uncertain terms not to wear a suit and tie. And you can understand why that would be.
I've got a guest with me now, a lady called Michelle (ph), who is here at the climate camp. And as I say, it is a peaceful and very, very good-natured event here today. And Michelle (ph), tell me why you bothered to turn up today.
MICHELLE, PROTESTER: Oh, because I feel it's a cause we should -- we're all behind, actually, really. It's to try and clean up our act. And you know, just to be here, I know it feels a bit futile sometimes, protesting, as if it's not going to change anything, but I wanted to show my support for it, regardless.
ANDERSON: Is this your partner that you're here with today?
MICHELLE: This is my friend, Martin.
ANDERSON: Martin, just show us what you've got in your pocket today. Because these, our viewers in the States...
MARTIN, PROTESTER: Funny money. ANDERSON: Funny money. These, our viewers in the states will recognize, or certainly think you recognize. It looks like a United States dollar bill, doesn't it, until you get on to the other side: "Capitalism means war." You see these all over the climate camp today.
And these guys all here protesting their issues. You won't get any of the G-20 leaders down here, I'm telling you that. They are all holed up in meetings and at their hotels in other parts of London. But here, the protests around in and about the city of London, fairly peaceful in this part. Morphing into some violence in others. Back to you guys.
WHITFIELD: All right. Becky Anderson, thanks so much. There in London. Appreciate it.
All right, meantime, this is day 72, even though he's abroad, of the Obama presidency. And the president is indeed at the center of the world's stage. So, last hour, he met privately with chinese leaders. In the noon hour Eastern time, he and the first lady will be meeting England's Queen Elizabeth. And then next hour, the Obamas will attend a reception for the G-20 leaders.
President Obama is going to Russia as well later on. He says he'll actually head to Moscow in July. Mr. Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev met face-to-face for the first time earlier today in London. The two leaders are in the British capital for tomorrow's G-20 summit.
In a joint statement today, they said their countries would soon begin negotiations on cutting their nuclear arsenals. Russia and the U.S. are hoping for a new nuclear agreement by July, just in time for that visit.
President Obama is also planning a visit to China later on. The White House says Mr. Obama will make the trip later on this year. His office says the U.S. and China are working together to address the global economic crisis.
A suspected U.S. missile strike in Pakistan this morning. A local official says 12 people were killed in northwest Pakistan. The supposed target was a compound connected with a Taliban commander who has threatened attacks on the U.S. The U.S. military has not commented on that claim.
Congress wants to know more about the U.S. policy on Afghanistan. General David Petraeus is on Capitol Hill this morning, ready to take questions from the Senate Armed Services Committee.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS, CMDR., U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: Disrupting and ultimately defeating al Qaeda and the other extremist elements in Pakistan and Afghanistan and reversing the downward security spiral seen in key parts of these countries will require sustained, substantial commitment. The strategy described last Friday constitutes such commitment. Although the additional resources will be applied in different ways on either side of the Durand Line, Afghanistan and Pakistan comprise a single theater that requires comprehensive poll (ph) of governments' approaches that are closely coordinated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Petraeus also said the new forces committed by President Obama last week will only be part of the plan going forward.
All right, maybe the hackers had a motive for sending out a tech virus on April Fools' Day, but experts say the dreaded Conficker worm is real and should shut down your computer if you don't take proper precautions. So, how do you know if your hard drive is infected? Our Josh Levs is here with some answers. Josh, help us out.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you said it right, Fred. That was it, the Conficker worm.
WHITFIELD: Did I?
LEVS: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Yes, the worm.
LEVS: Unfortunately, quickly becoming a household name. You know, what, check this out. I want to show you a picture that usa.gov has to represent how scary this thing could be. We've been hearing about it for days. They're saying it can take over your computer, basically eat up all its power.
But check this out. Our top story on CNN.com, "No problems so far as April Fools' computer worm awakens." So, what's the deal here? Are we safe? Well, we're going to get some answers now from Don DeBolt. He is part of what's called the Conficker Cabal fighting this thing. Hey there, Don.
DON DEBOLT, CONFICKER CABAL: Hello there, Josh.
LEVS: All right, so talk to me. Are we safe?
DEBOLT: Yes. Right now, everyone must know that Conficker is live and out on the Internet. This latest variant, Conficker C that was set to trigger on April 1st is trying to call home, but it hasn't been successful yet.
LEVS: OK, yet. So, you're saying it still could be.
DEBOLT: Yes, there is a potential. But through the efforts of the Conficker Cabal, otherwise known as the Conficker Working Group, efforts are taken to share information worldwide about this variant and take necessary precautions to protect the Internet at large.
LEVS: Don, has the threat been overblown here? There was a lot of horror stories about this suddenly appearing on April Fools' Day, taking over potentially millions of computers and using them in these zombie ways. Was that threat overblown? Did we hear too much about this?
DEBOLT: No, I don't think so. We're talking about a threat that infected an estimated 10 million systems worldwide. That's the definition of a very successful Internet worm, one that we haven't seen in years, five to six years since Blaster and Code Red.
LEVS: So, people should definitely not let their guards down. Let's do this for a second. I want to zoom in on the board, show you one thing that we have up at CNN.com live, which talks about some things you can do: Check your Windows auto update, perform manual auto Windows updates, update your anti-virus program.
Don, you're one of the leading experts on this. What do people need to know to protect themselves?
DEBOLT: Mostly, right now, if they're clean, if their PCs are clean from malware, they are safe from this Conficker threat today. Conficker C has reduced its attack posture or vector, and therefore, it's not trying to attack as much as stay resident on the system.
So, most importantly, patch your systems. Make sure Windows update is working and operational. Make sure you have security protection like the anti-virus protection, and that is operational and up to date, as well. Because remember, threats today attempt to disable those security controls.
LEVS: All right. Really great advice. Before I let you go, I want to tell everybody a couple Web sites you mentioned to me earlier, before we were on air, that might help people. Let's zoom in for a second so I can tell everyone a couple that you were telling me about. One, about the Conficker worm, there's the ConfickerWorkingGroup.net. What can they get there?
DEBOLT: Well, basically an understanding of what the Conficker Working Group is. And that's important to note because this is the most collaboration among the industry experts that we've ever seen in the history of the Internet.
LEVS: Wow. All right, and one more I want to tell everyone about quickly. It's isc.sans.org. What can they get there? What's that about?
DEBOLT: Well, that's the incidents.org (ph) Web site, and there they can get real-time information, 24 by 7, on the latest threats that are hitting the Internet today.
LEVS: OK. I know it's hard for people to memorize lots of Web sites. Here's what I'm going to do. As soon as I get off the air here, I'm going to walk over to a computer. I'm going to post all the links that we were just talking about at my Facebook page, Josh Levs, CNN.
Even if you're not on Facebook, if you Google "Josh Levs CNN Facebook," you'll get there. It will trace you through those steps, what you need to do to protect yourself. And Don, we're going to keep talking to you about this, because if this thing explodes, it could still cause problems for millions of Americans, right?
DEBOLT: Absolutely.
LEVS: All right, well, thank you so much for your time. And Fred, there you go. Back to you.
WHITFIELD: All right, creepy and scary stuff, huh?
LEVS: Yes, it's creepy. Yes, it is.
WHITFIELD: That worm. All right, thanks, Josh.
All right, a bump-up in your take home pay. Everybody likes that. Stimulus benefit coming soon, and just how much cash will you actually see? Well, it depends on a few things.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A new report says the private sector slashed jobs at a faster pace last month. Susan Lisovicz is on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange with the numbers and Wall Street's reaction. With the Dow up 46 points, that's good, at least in the past hour.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That is good. But there is reason for that, and it's not coming from the labor market, Fredricka -- 741,000 jobs were lost in the month of March, according to payroll processing firm ADP. Just to put that number in perspective, 741,000, Fred, is bigger than the population of Baltimore...
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh.
LISOVICZ: ... the city of Baltimore. Yes, that is a huge number. A lot of it coming from the services sector, which is the broadest part of the economy. Think retail, travel, leisure, a lot of those things fall into the service sector. But also manufacturing, and construction.
But why is the market rallying? Check it out. You just mentioned, the Dow is up 48 points, the Nasdaq is up 6. Because at the top of the hour, we got a better than expected report from the housing market. Pending home sales in February actually rose. And last week, mortgage applications rose, as well. A lot of that was refi, but we like the activity, and the market responded and reversed itself.
WHITFIELD: Oh, OK. Well, that's good. Meantime, you know, back to the whole job market. We're expecting yet another report, this one from the government, on what the latest numbers are, and I have a feeling what we just saw with that 700-something thousand figure, this might be sobering, as well.
LISOVICZ: No question about it. The government report, which comes out Friday, Fredricka, very closely watched here on Wall Street, is a more comprehensive report, because it includes private sector, as well as the government. The government's one of the places where jobs have been growing. The estimate is a loss of 650,000. But, look, that was the estimate for this private payroll firm, as well. And it was 100,000 more. We're also expecting the unemployment rate to rise from 8.1 percent currently to 8.5 percent. So, that will be on Friday, and you know we'll bring you the numbers on that, Fred.
WHITFIELD: And you know, the whole -- one of the purposes of the stimulus proposal and bill was to help stimulate employers to hire more --more projects, et cetera. Has it helped?
LISOVICZ: To create jobs.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LISOVICZ: Well, you know, there are signs of life with all these shovel-ready projects. "USA Today" says that there is a bridge being built in Louisiana, the road is being widened in Colorado. You need to see...
WHITFIELD: Yes, a lot of transportation projects.
LISOVICZ: ... these things on a mass scale. And there is hundreds of billions of dollars that is allocated to the state. It's going to take a while for that to factor into the overall jobs report and the unemployment number to go down. And that's why a lot of economists, Fred, think the secretary half of the year will be much better than this first half of the year, what we're enduring right now.
WHITFIELD: A little light at the end of the tunnel. That's not so bad. Let's hope so. All right, Susan, appreciate it.
LISOVICZ: You're welcome.
WHITFIELD: All right, more on the stimulus. How about a little stimulus for your wallet? Most low- and middle-income workers will actually start to see more in their paychecks. It's from a tax credit in that stimulus act. Our Gerri Willis is here to break it down for you. All right, break it down.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: All right, Fred. Well, let's get started with how much the tax credit is. Keep in mind that how much extra cash you see will depend on your marital status, your salary and how many allowances or exemptions you take.
Normally you take the tax credit. It's a dollar-for-dollar reduction in your taxes you file, but the administration here is trying to goose the economy right here, and that means getting money out faster, so a little less will be withheld from your paycheck for federal income tax purposes.
Here's what you can expect to see. Singles will get an extra 10 to 15 bucks per paycheck weekly. If you're married, you'll filing jointly, you'll get 15 to 20 bucks extra per paycheck. Annually, this turns out to be about 400 bucks a year for singles, 800 for joint filers. And there's nothing you have to do to claim this. When your employer adopts the new withholding tables, you get it automatically. Self-employed people can get the credit by reducing their estimated tax payments or claiming it when they file their '09 tax return, and that will be next year.
WHITFIELD: OK. So, will this be applicable to everyone? Everyone qualifies?
WILLIS: No, not by a long shot. Look, if you're high-income, for married couples filing jointly, the credit phases out after $150,000. That's the annual income. For singles, it phases out after $75,000 in adjusted gross income.
And, of course, people on Social Security, remember, you have to be making an income, earning an income to qualify. Dependents, your teenager, even if they have a part-time job, they can't collect this credit because they're listed as a dependent on your tax return. So, there are some people who will not get this money, obviously. They'll be, you know, limited in participation in this. But the good news is, if you are a part of this, going to get it right now.
WHITFIELD: That's not bad, for those who get it.
WILLIS: That's right.
WHITFIELD: All right.
WILLIS: Always good to see a little bit more in your paycheck.
WHITFIELD: That's right. And I guess the idea, the reason why they're trickling over the paychecks is that with that extra money, you actually go out and spend, hence helping to stimulate the economy, as opposed to getting one big check and, you know, putting in savings. That was the idea, at least.
WILLIS: Well, you know, I would say don't spend it. Save it. There's lots of things to save for right now. Or just pay off credit card debt. How many folks burdened with credit card debt?
WHITFIELD: White House is not going to like that from you, Gerri. All right.
WILLIS: I'm protecting you.
WHITFIELD: You are a financial adviser. That is the role that you're playing for us. We appreciate it.
WILLIS: My pleasure.
WHITFIELD: All right, Gerri, have a great one.
All right, a new tax adding 62 cents to a pack of cigarettes. Pretty high. Is it too much? We're taking your e-mails.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: We knew this would get you riled up. We asked some of you what you feel about the new tobacco tax hike going into effect today. Our Josh Levs is here with more details on your e-mails. I know some folks are really irate and others say, huh, oh well.
LEVS: You knew this was coming.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LEVS: You did. Yes, you knew exactly -- it's interesting, Fred. You know, so far I'm seeing a balance, about 50-50 on both sides of the equation here.
Let's zoom in. I want to zoom in and show some of powerful things people are saying. Christopher says, "Taxes on bad habits are a bad idea. Let's round it out with taxes on saturated fat and refined sugars." But then we got another one here: "I'm a smoker. Quite frankly, it just really isn't fair. This will be felt most by poor people. I find it quite sickening that the government wants to raise taxes on the small things that can make living in this world just a little more bearable." That was from Mark Mendel. One more e- mail here: "What a great time to quit." That comes from Annette.
Let's go over to the Facebook page. I posted here earlier. We got some of your responses there online, as well. We're going to start off with this one from Steven. "Tobacco tax increases used to fund lung cancer treatment and research would have provided a more appropriate and relevant message."
And I think we've got quick time for two more. Steve Caldwell: "They're going to make us all stop. This is the way to do it!" And we can end with this one from Jeff Clark, who says, "lol" -- laughing out loud -- "being from Puritan Connecticut, New England, it's just a classic sin tax. We've had those for 350 years-plus."
All right, you can keep your responses coming here. Facebook page is Josh Levs CNN or at our e-mail address, which is CNNnewsroomCNN.com. And we'll keep an eye on those, Fred, see what people have to say.
WHITFIELD: Thank you so much, Josh.
LEVS: You got it.
WHITFIELD: All right, well, the search is on for an armed robbery suspect and a young girl who was with him. Surveillance photos show the suspect and the girl entering a convenience store near Ellensberg, Washington, right there, and you can see it pretty clearly.
Another surveillance picture shows the man pointing a gun at the clerk. You notice the frightened look on the little girl's face right there. The clerk gave the suspect the money, and the man drove off with the girl. Now the search is on.
All right. When they tell you not to light up at the gas pump, they actually mean it. A man in Arizona found out the hard way while his friend was actually pumping gas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIP BUTLER, GAS STATION GENERAL MANAGER: He said that his friend was just messing around and evidently struck a match, and that's when everything blew up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank God they pulled the kid out in time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: That's right. A terrible experiment. And, yes, the kid. There was a baby inside the SUV. The man who was pumping the gas rescued the child, and a gas station employee put out the fire.
As for the man with the cigarette? Well, his mother says he's in critical but stable condition, with burns over 20 percent of his body. Very serious situation.
An Ohio man charged with drunken driving while on a bar stool. Yes, the bar stool actually motorized, powered by a lawn mower engine. I'm not kidding here. This is no April Fools', right? Police had responded to a report of a crash with injuries.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was just an accident. I mean, a little, minor accident.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Police say the driver told an officer that he had 15 beers. The driver plans to fight the charges. By the way, the driver says the bar stool can go as fast as 38 miles an hour. Really, no April Fools'.
All right. Even the reporter gets stumped on this street quiz.
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RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: That man is an important international leader -- wait a minute.
ROTH: You don't know Gordon Brown?
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WHITFIELD: Who are those G-20 guys?
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WHITFIELD: The decisions they make could affect the global recession, so who are the G-20 leaders? CNN's Richard Roth gives and takes the quiz.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ROTH (voice-over): The G-20 in London. The G-20!
(on camera): What is the G-20?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have no idea.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The G-20? I don't know.
ROTH (voice-over): The G-20 wasn't gee whiz to some Americans.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The G-20 is a summit of leaders...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... that gather together to decide on economic and environmental issues.
ROTH: World visitors get to stay.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the 20 industrial nations that meet and I guess basically decide our fate.
ROTH: But just who are these guys and gals?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's Angela Merckel.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who is this man? You know, I always see on TV. I might -- I can get these. I do not know who this man is.
ROTH (on camera): Who is this?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sylvester Stallone?
ROTH: No, that's not Sylvester Stallone. That's Sarkozy, the president of France. Maybe his wife calls him Rambo when we're not looking in the Champs-Elysees.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is the prime minister of Great Britain.
ROTH (voice-over): So many leaders, hard to keep up.
(on camera): Whoa, that was the...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Medvedev.
ROTH: That was the Russian president who almost fell off down Fifth Avenue.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is the dictator of Venezuela.
ROTH: No, it's the prime minister of Italy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Manmohan Singh.
ROTH: All right. You got that cold. Where are you from?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Indian. Next.
ROTH: Oh, yes, wise guy? Who's this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's a Japanese -- he's a Chinese guy.
ROTH: No, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Next.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bye-bye.
ROTH (voice-over): One leader was recognized by everyone.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: President Obama.
ROTH (on camera): You don't know Gordon Brown? Where are you from?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gordon Brown, right.
ROTH: Where are you from?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gordon Brown.
ROTH: Where are you from?
I'm not fighting with you.
(voice-over): One man heatedly criticized the TV street quiz.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The assignment is, go out and support the theory that Americans or people on the street are uninformed about world matters. OK, they're not informed. They're uninformed. But we already know that.
ROTH (on camera): Well, who is this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You going to test me now? Berlusconi.
ROTH: Very good. Who is this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very good? I don't think it's very good. Keep going.
ROTH: Richard Roth, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Yow, all right. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Join us again tomorrow morning starting at 9:00 a.m. Eastern. For now, CNN NEWSROOM continues with Tony Harris.
