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Man Sues Former Employer for Age Discrimination; Congressmen Intervene to Help Homeowners; Airline to Charge More for Obese Passengers; Gay Republicans Also Fighting for Gay Marriage; Parents Should Use Instincts on Kids' Illnesses, Injuries

Aired April 16, 2009 - 13:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: We are pushing toward to one of the most dangerous places on earth. The pirate-filled waters off Somalia. An American ship captain still held hostage. The FBI steps in.

My school shut down, mom and dad. What if your child told you that? Well, thousands of parents might hear those words and we're going to tell you where and we're going to tell you why.

Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

President Obama's first presidential trip to Mexico isn't much more than a layover en route to a Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago, but it's not mere courtesy call. Drugs, guns, murder, it all grabs the headline. But trade, immigration, the environment also bind and sometimes divide the U.S. and its southern neighbor. Air Force One is due to land in Mexico City just a little over -- from an hour.

And from all the burning issues the president's objective for his quick trip south of the border is even bigger: to put the U.S. on better terms with its closest neighbors.

CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux sets the stage for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Obama's goal -- to forge a new relationship with Latin America.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are ready to turn a page and write a new chapter in this story.

MALVEAUX: As a candidate, he slammed President Bush for neglecting the region.

OBAMA: We need to be full partners with those countries, show them the respect that they deserve. That's how all of us are going to move forward.

MALVEAUX: Now he says it's time to reengage our southern neighbors. His first stop, Mexico, to show support for its president, Felipe Calderon, who's taking on his country's violent drug cartels.

FELIPE CALDERON, PRESIDENT OF MEXICO: We need to stop the flow of guns and weapons towards Mexico.

MALVEAUX: Here, Mr. Obama will reiterate what his attorney general and secretaries of state and Homeland Security have said visiting this side of the border. The U.S. shares the responsibility and blame for the deadly flow of drugs and weapons across the U.S./Mexico border.

HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Our demand for drugs is what motivates these drug gangs.

MALVEAUX: Immigration reform which collapsed under President Bush will be another hot button issue.

Friday, Mr. Obama heads to the twin island Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago for the Fifth Summit of the Americas. There, he'll be one of 34 world leaders addressing the summit's official agenda, which includes the global economic crisis, the environment, energy, democracy, and security.

But many political analysts say Mr. Obama's most important task will be to reconcile a bruised and neglected relationship with the western hemisphere.

PETER DESHAZO, DIRECTOR OF AMERICAN PROGRAM, CSIS: That's the key -- the key factor there. A desire to work with the United States just as the United States is going to demonstrate its desire to cooperate with the countries in the region.

MALVEAUX: Aides say the president's approach will be similar to the one he used in Europe last week, to listen and learn, as well as lead. But issues like immigration and Cuba could make changing U.S. relations with Latin America difficult.

Monday, ahead of the summit, the Obama administration announced it would loosen long-standing restrictions on Cuban-Americans who want to visit and send money to their relatives in communist Cuba. The move was aimed at fulfilling Mr. Obama's campaign promise to improve relations between the two countries, but it was also intended to blunt criticism from some Latin American leaders who want Cuba readmitted to the Organization of American States. Cuba is excluded because it is not a democracy.

Cuba's former president, Fidel Castro, called the softening of sanctions a positive although minimal development because it failed to lift the trade embargo between the two nations.

(on camera): Analysts say that the trip is not likely to produce any big breakthroughs. But it could set a new tone for relations between the United States and Latin America.

Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE) PHILLIPS: Well, before he left Washington, the president hired the country's first-ever border czar. He also sat down for a one-on- one interview with our sister network, CNN en Espanol. Here's what Barack Obama told our Juan Carlos Lopez about the U.S. role in the war against Mexican drug cartels.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: My budget has actually sought to increase by about 50 percent the amount of money that we're spending. We are already moving forward on, for example, Black Hawk helicopters to be sent to Mexico to help in the fight against the drug cartels.

So I want to put as much additional resources as we can into this effort. I think Mexico's been very serious about dealing with the problem.

There are a number of Central American countries who are going to need our assistance as well. And my commitment is to make sure that the United States, working in a multilateral fashion, with all the countries in the region, are finally putting an end to the power and strength of these drug cartels.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Juan Carlos Lopez joins me live next hour from Mexico City with more on the president's visit and his exclusive interview.

More now on trade, trucks and tariffs to businessmen of a long and lucrative relationship. The U.S. and Mexico had a deal to let Mexican truckers drive their rigs on American highways, but U.S. truckers objected over safety issues, and the program was scrapped.

That prompted Mexico to slap import taxes called tariffs on 90 American-made products. Year in and year out, Mexico sends 80 percent of its exports to the U.S.

I know what you're thinking. How can I be a part of the Summit of the Americas? Well, if you can't get to Trinidad and Tobago, just logon to Facebook. Believe it or not, the State Department has a page devoted to the hemispheric get-together. You, too, can be a fan.

And tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern, President Obama's trip to Mexico, drug trafficking and border violence topping the agenda. You're going to get a look at the war against Mexico's drug lords, live from the border on "LARRY KING LIVE."

And it might have been the longest trip to Mombasa, Kenya, ever but Captain Richard Phillips is finally there.

(MUSIC PLAYING, "Sweet Home Alabama")

PHILLIPS: Oh, yes. Turn it up.

They all turned it up. The USS Bainbridge played this Skynyrd classic as it pulled into port today with its hero passenger. Mombasa is where Phillips' ship, the Maersk Alabama, was supposed to dock last week before those Somali pirates got in the way. The next step, get them back to the U.S. The Maersk has chartered a plane to bring them home in style.

To borrow a line from "Sweet Home Alabama," the big wheels have turned and brought the crew to see their kin.

Let's check in with Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence. He's at the hotel just outside of Andrews Air Force base, where the crew has been staying and telling their stories.

Hey, Chris.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, we're really getting some fascinating new details about this pirate attack, probably our clearest view yet of what really happened on board the Maersk Alabama, especially when you hear from this one crew member who stabbed one of the pirates.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHID REZA, MAERSK ALABAMA CREW MEMBER: My (INAUDIBLE), it saved my life. I'm lucky.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As soon as you stabbed him, then what happened?

REZA: (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And so you held him?

REZA: I held him. I held him. I tied his hands by me. I tied his hands and tied his legs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How much did he resist when you were doing this?

REZA: He was fighting me and hitting me, too.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of yelling?

REZA: A lot of yelling and shouting and screaming. I kicked him (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You kicked him?

REZA: Yes, I kicked him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You said you were attempting to kill him?

REZA: Yes, I was attempting to kill him. They said, "No, no, we need him alive." He told me he was -- he told me he was planning to ask for $3 million ransom.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three million?

REZA: Three million. And that -- I got -- his name was Abdul. (INAUDIBLE) He was the leader of the gang.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you realize that you were going to have to take some sort of action, that you couldn't just watch everything happen?

REZA: From the moment (INAUDIBLE) was lost, I was thinking what to do. I was trying to save my life. I was confused. I think Captain also confused. I saw his movement. But Captain I think all the time he was playing with them, playing with the pirates.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So at what point did you decide you were going to act and you would stab this man?

REZA: I convinced him and I told him to trust me: "Trust me. You are Muslim; I am Muslim. Trust me, Abdul. I'm from Bangladesh. You're from Somalia. We're brothers."

Anyhow, I convinced him. I take him. I brought him to the engine room. To the engine room. It is dark. Everything was shut down, the engine was shut down. Then I saw the pirates lying on the floor and sitting on his back with the knife and it was hard to control him. And I jumped over the pirate. And I stepped in. And then hit him on the back here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you kill him?

REZA: No. No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is that when you stabbed him in the hand?

REZA: Yes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE: The thing that he couldn't know then was that trying to kill him probably saved that teenage pirate's life, because a couple days later, that pirate would ask the U.S. Navy for medical attention. They took him on board the USS Bainbridge, and that pirate was on the Bainbridge when those Navy SEALs opened fire and shot and killed the other three pirates.

PHILLIPS: Wow, Chris. Riveting. Riveting storytelling. Appreciate it so much.

Well, straight ahead, we give you 30 seconds, you give us your resume. Our 30-second pitch is straight ahead. But we're not stopping there. The man doing the pitching has a lot to get off his chest, and you need to hear his story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Remembering the victims of the Virginia Tech massacre. Two years ago a gunman shot 32 students and teachers to death before turning the gun on himself. On campus, somber anniversary events taking place throughout the day. And among them a 3.2 mile walk and run around campus, a memorial service, and an evening candlelight vigil. There's also an open house in the new peace center in a campus building where most of those shootings took place.

We remember each one that passed. And in the NEWSROOM today, we're paying tribute to all 32 of the students and teachers that lost their lives that day at Virginia Tech.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, we're giving our next guest 30 seconds to pitch his resume, but his story takes a lot longer to tell. And he's part of a pretty disturbing trend. We're talking about layoffs, and we're talking about age discrimination. Here's the big picture.

"The Wall Street Journal" says that age discrimination allegations by employees are at a record high, jumping 29 percent last year from the year before. Overall, job discrimination complaints are also at a record. But the biggest increase is in the age bias area.

Let's go behind the numbers now. Meet Eric Oliver. He's 53. He was on vacation when he found out that his Atlanta area software company had laid him off, along with seven other co-workers over the age of 40. Now he's suing.

Well, we didn't realize until we heard your story and started doing some digging how high the numbers were. You were on vacation. Tell me how it happened. And did you even see it coming?

ERIC OLIVER, SUING FORMER EMPLOYER: Actually, I didn't see it coming. I was enjoying vacation with my family in the panhandle of Florida. And got a call from the office, thinking that -- I had several active business deals going on. I was thinking it might be related to one of those. And I accepted the call and learned that my employment was being terminated immediately at that time.

PHILLIPS: What reasons did they give you, or did they got give you any reason?

OLIVER: They just indicated it was a reduction in force. And basically, that was the end of the discussion.

PHILLIPS: That was it?

OLIVER: That was it.

PHILLIPS: All right. We did get a statement from your company. VSoft said this when we called them about you. They said that "The company implemented a reduction in force as a cost-savings measure. VSoft chose Oliver because his sales performance had been poor during the months preceding the reduction in force. VSoft did not take into account its employees' races or ages when determining which employees it should terminate -- terminate. In fact, all of VSoft's sales representatives at the time were white and over the age of 40."

What's your reaction?

OLIVER: Well, there might be some truth to that. But there had been no discussions at that point about my performance or any reviews or anything to indicate to me. As I said earlier, it wasn't on my radar at all.

PHILLIPS: So a lot of people might sitting home thinking, "Wow, I'm in the same position as Eric Oliver. Can I sue?"

What did your lawyer tell you when he said, "OK, I'm going to take this on"? What was it that he said you had? What's your evidence? What's your case?

OLIVER: VSoft did something I had never seen before. They had provided information regarding the age and race of all of the employees that they laid off and all of the ages and races of the folks that didn't get laid off. And I provided that -- my best friend, Larry Pankin (ph), happens to be an employment law attorney. And I sent it over to him. And he called me back later and said there was a strong indication of bias based on several statistical models he ran the data through.

So at that point, we had no plans to sue for discrimination; however, we did draft a letter and sent it to them, indicating that they might want to reconsider the severance aspects of my termination. And there was a negative response in that regard, and so Larry instructed me to go to the EEOC, which I did. And I presented my case down there. And after several months, they gave me the right decision. And then in January of this year, or January/February time frame, the suit was actually filed.

PHILLIPS: So the EEOC supported your case?

OLIVER: No. You'll have to ask Larry about that.

PHILLIPS: OK.

OLIVER: Because he's handling everything. And he had power of attorney on that.

PHILLIPS: Were you and the other sales reps the only white employees in the company?

OLIVER: Well, there were folks throughout the various departments that were let go. Several project managers and so forth.

PHILLIPS: Is it a white-owned company?

OLIVER: Now, it's not. It's an Indian-owned company. In fact, the president lives in India, and it has Indian investors and so forth. So what I found interesting that I found out later is it came to my attention that, although I think there were 11 employees, I think, they stated and that may be, it's been a while. But one of the employees was younger than 40 and Indian, and he was hired back.

PHILLIPS: So he did not lose his job. He was brought back. Interesting.

All right. Well, we read the statement from the company. We've heard from you. This must have been a tough decision, though, because here you are coming on CNN. You're talking about your case. We want to give you a chance to give your 30-second pitch. Are you concerned that other employers might say, "I don't know if I want to hire Mr. Oliver. He might sue us."

OLIVER: I just didn't think it could hurt, because the way the economic situation is and the way my experience has been in looking for employment, I mean, it's kind of been like trying to nail JELL-O to the wall. Just nothing stuck. So any opportunity to get out here -- and I think it was explained to me by my attorney that any publicity is, you know, not bad. So having the opportunity to come out here and, you know, present myself.

PHILLIPS: It's a good thing.

OLIVER: Exactly. I didn't see anything wrong with that.

PHILLIPS: We're going to get right to it, then. I'm going to have you look over here at camera C, and Otis is going to start the clock. We've got 30 seconds. Are you ready to go?

OLIVER: So 30 seconds to say everything?

PHILLIPS: You've got it.

OLIVER: And if I have something left over?

PHILLIPS: You've only got 30 seconds, my friend.

OLIVER: All right. Well, let's see if I can knock this out.

PHILLIPS: You can do it. All employers, pay attention. Here we go. Your e-mail is on the bottom of the screen. Otis, go ahead and start the clock.

OLIVER: All right. I'm a seasoned sales professional who has enjoyed continued success by building trusting relationships with perspective customers during extended sales promotions.

Over the years, I've generated millions of dollars in software and hardware service sales by facilitating the buying process while staying focused on the prospective customers' unique business problems and applying advanced technical concepts to solve the specific problems.

Basically, I'm a sales guy with the technical aptitude and I've successfully sold into the public sector, commercial, and financial banking markets. So I believe it's difficult to propose a solution until you can adequately understand the problem.

PHILLIPS: Eric Oliver.

OLIVER: That was it.

PHILLIPS: There you go. That's it. There's the e-mail on the bottom of the screen. Will you keep us posted?

OLIVER: Is that separating (ph)? PHILLIPS: Is that the correct e-mail?

OLIVER: It certainly is.

PHILLIPS: There you go.

OLIVER: Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.

PHILLIPS: It was a pleasure meeting you.

OLIVER: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Keep us in touch and let us know what happens.

OLIVER: Absolutely.

PHILLIPS: We appreciate it. We'll follow up on the lawsuit, as well.

OLIVER: Very good.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Eric.

Well, have you been laid off? Afraid that you're going to be? Well, probably, you have questions about your legal rights, as well. E-mail them to us here at CNNnewsroom@CNN.com. We're going to bring our senior legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin, in next hour to answer your e-mails.

Big banks, better than expected profits. JPMorgan Chase is the latest to beat analysts' predictions, logging a profit of more than $2 billion in the first three months of the year.

Part of that reason: a jump in mortgage refinancing because of rock-bottom mortgage rates. The bank is still facing rising loan losses, and its latest profit is still down 10 percent from a year ago.

Earlier, profit reports from Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs also topped Wall Street estimates.

Well, the banking sector might be showing signs of stability, but the housing market still in crisis mode. The number of homes threatened by foreclosure jumped 24 percent in the first three months of the year to the highest levels on record according. That's according to RealityTrac, a foreclosure listing firm. Those numbers are expected to climb as major lenders restart foreclosures after a temporary hold.

And if you're worried about losing your home, you might want to ask your congressman or your congresswoman for help. Right now you're probably saying, "Yes, right. What have they ever done for me?" But guess what: some lawmakers are getting involved at a grassroots level.

Don't believe me? Well, our senior congressional correspondent, Dana Bash, found proof in the form of a struggling Virginia couple. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was Mary Theriault's last hospitalization that forced husband Stan to leave his trucking job, which kept him far from home.

STAN THERIAULT, HOMEOWNER: I honestly didn't think she was going to make it that time. That's when I decided to come off the road.

BASH: Mary suffers from emphysema.

MARY THERIAULT, EMPHYSEMA PATIENT: The life expectancy is ten years after diagnosis. I'm on borrowed time. I'm on my 12th year. So quitting your job to be here is -- that's what I need.

BASH: Stan had trouble getting another job, and they missed a mortgage payment. They contacted the lender but got the runaround.

M. THERIAULT: We never heard from them.

BASH: On the brink of foreclosure, a friend suggested something they never thought of: ask their congressman, Republican Frank Wolf, for help. They did. Suddenly, the bank called back and said...

M. THERIAULT: "Your congressman notified us. Can we ask what's going on?"

BASH: The lender agreed to restructure their mortgage.

S. THERIAULT: We had everything in hand within four days. It was incredible.

BASH: Congressman Wolf never met Mary and Stan, but at a food bank for his Virginia district, he told us it's his job to be a resource for struggling constituents.

REP. FRANK WOLF (R), VIRGINIA: Yes, I think a congressional office ought to find out what's going on in their district and be willing to help.

REP. ELIJAH CUMMINGS (D), MARYLAND: It's a mortgage company...

BASH: That's a bipartisan philosophy. Democrat Elijah Cummings represents inner-city Baltimore.

CUMMINGS: People looking for foreclosure help, that's increased probably maybe five or six times.

BASH: So he hired Harry Spikes to troubleshoot for constituents.

HARRY SPIKES II, ASSISTANT TO REP. CUMMINGS: Are heat and light being cut off?

BASH: He works the phones and walks the neighborhood.

SPIKES: Yes, these are hard times. But you can help somehow. You can try.

LUCY NORMENT, ASSISTANT TO REP. WOLF: Congressman Wolf's office returning your call.

BASH: Back in Wolf's Virginia office, it's Lucy Norment who answers calls for help.

NORMENT: Can you tell me what's going on?

BASH: She isn't always able to save constituents from foreclosure but can usually cut through red tape.

NORMENT: It's really just asking them to consider the circumstances as laid out, and the case comes on the front burner instead of sitting where it was.

BASH: That allowed the Theriaults to keep their house. They still struggle...

M. THERIAULT: I want to do it (ph). I just don't know.

BASH: ... but hope others learn what they did: your congressman can help.

M. THERIAULT: That's what they're for, is you know, to serve us. Wand we should use them.

BASH: Dana Bash, CNN, Sterling, Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, if you've flown, you probably have an opinion on this. Overweight passengers made to buy two tickets, even getting booted off flights. How does one airline's new policy sit with you?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, one of the legends of pro football is calling it quits. John Madden retiring from broadcasting after 30 years in the booth. Madden is 73 years old, wants to spend more time with his grandkids. That's understandable.

Could the guy be any more successful? Well, he's got 16 Emmys, a Super Bowl ring, a winning percentage that's still the highest of any NFL coach. And his Madden NFL Football is the most popular sports video game of all time.

Well, from football legend to fly boy. An American hero honored by his alma mater, the Air Force Academy. Captain "Sully" Sullenberger, who landed his U.S. Airways jetliner in the Hudson River after it was struck by geese, was back on campus to receive an airmanship award.

Sullenberger graduated from the academy in 1973 and was named the best aviator in his class. Well, we see why. He served in the Air Force until 1980, when he became a commercial pilot. And Sullenberger landed that jetliner on the Hudson three months ago. All 155 people on board survived.

Well, it's one of those issues where you kind of feel for both sides. Airlines charging overweight passengers for two seats or even bumping them from full flights, increasing comfort for some travelers, discomfort for others.

United is the latest carrier to get on board.

More now from Gaynor Hall of our Chicago affiliate, CLTV.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm sorry. I don't mean to be rude, but when I sat by someone who's been really heavy I didn't have any room. I couldn't even squeeze in.

GAYNOR HALL, CLTV REPORTER (voice-over): United got 700 complaints just like that last year.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why should I pay the same as someone who's going to take up more than one seat? It doesn't seem fair.

HALL: So the airline changed its seating policy. Starting today, overweight travelers who can't put the arm rest down and infringe on another seat could be booted from their flight. And they'll have to pay for a second seat on another flight.

A United spokesperson says, quote, "This will apply only after all other solutions are exhausted, meaning the flight is full, and we're unable to reaccommodate our guest next to an empty seat that is not occupied by someone else."

Even so, some frequent travelers say the new policy is insensitive.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't agree with it. I think it's unfair. I think it's a discriminatory act.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why fly if you're going to be treated that way, treated poorly?

HALL: United says eight other U.S. airlines already have similar policies. On Southwest, severely overweight travelers have to purchase two tickets. But if their flight is not full, the airline will reimburse them for the second ticket.

American Airlines says they handle each situation on a case-by- case basis, though they do charge travelers for two seats if there are no other options.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, wow. That would really be something for somebody overweight, you know, but look at little skinny me, I wouldn't know.

DR. ROBERT KUSHNER, OBESITY EXPERT: Currently, two out of three American adults are overweight or obese. HALL; Obesity expert Dr. Robert Kushner says airline seats are small by today's standards, even for travelers considered to be to be normal sized. And he says United's new seating policy will further embarrass people already struggling with weight.

KUSHNER: And of course, now you add the burden of walking on an airline and having the shame and humiliation of being asked to potentially get off the flight. It's very, very difficult.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, if you'd like more details on United's new policy, it's on the Web site united.com under "passengers requiring extra space."

Will New York be number five? Governor David Paterson introduces a same-sex marriage bill today, speaking passionately about discrimination, fear and equality.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: New York Governor David Paterson wants state lawmakers to step up and announce their position on same-sex marriage. He's just introduced a same-sex marriage bill, the same bill that passed in the assembly in 2007, then died in the Republican-controlled Senate.

It will need 32 Senate votes this time around, and while Democrats have a 32-30 edge, some have expressed reservations. Governor Paterson says he understands but that same-sex marriage is truly a human rights issue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. DAVID PATERSON (D), NEW YORK: We have all known the wrath of discrimination. We have all felt the pain and the insult of hatred. This is why we are all standing here today. We stand to tell the world that we want equality for everyone. We stand to tell the world that we want marriage equality in New York State.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Governor Paterson's hoping that New York will be the fifth state where gays and lesbians can be married. And just last week, lawmakers in neighboring Vermont legalized same-sex marriage. It's the only state where legislators, not the courts, have done that.

Four days before that, Iowa's Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage. Connecticut's Supreme Court did the same last fall. Massachusetts was the first courts ruling. That came down in November of 2003.

Now the momentum for same-sex marriage rights certain to be a talker at the Log Cabin Republicans National Convention. It gets under way tonight in Washington. And joining us now, Charles Moran, spokesman for the Log Cabin Republicans. Charles, thanks for being with us. CHARLES MORAN, SPOKESMAN, LOG CABIN REPUBLICANS: Hi, Kyra. How are you doing today?

PHILLIPS: Well, we hear a lot from the anti-gay marriage GOPers. Why aren't we hearing more from you guys, especially now with the issue so prominently in the headlines?

BRAND: Well, we're already moving. And obviously we have been waiting to hear from Governor Paterson what his intentions were. Log Cabin Republicans, which is reaching out to Republicans across the country, has targeted our efforts in the state of New York, knowing that we're going to have to win and fight for every vote that's on the ground there.

We just came out of Proposition 8 in California, where we had a separate organization, Republicans against Proposition 8, where we microtargeted and identified certain blocs of Republicans that we could move to supporting same-sex marriage and marriage equality.

And we're going to be replicating that effort again in New York. We have people on the ground. We're identifying our bases of support, looking at our polling, and looking at our research so we can be ready to assist the marriage coalition in New York with targeting those crucial GOP votes.

PHILLIPS: OK, well, you're kicking off your national convention today. The theme, the future of the GOP. So, let's talk about other ways that you're pushing forward your agenda within the party on same- sex marriage, gay adoption rights, "don't ask, don't tell."

MORAN: Well, we've just got a fantastic opportunity now being not only here in Washington, D.C. but being like other GOP organizations, where we really have the ability to look at our organization, look at what's worked in the past and really evaluate what the best methods are for promoting our message and what things are working and what things aren't.

And that's what the rest of the GOP is doing, and that's what we're doing. We're using a lot of new media. We're identifying our allies within the party.

And the most important part is that with the GOP going through this process of self-examination, it has really opened up so many different people -- who maybe before had been apprehensive about working with Log Cabin Republicans or allying themselves with issues where we have common ground -- to talking to us and opening those doors and...

PHILLIPS: Well, let me ask you that. Well, no, you bring up a really good point. This is a perfect segueway. You know, the division among gay Republicans, for example, this splinter group, GOProud, it just launched itself this week. Do you think you can sway the party mainstream?

MORAN: The party mainstream is already with us. And as much as I like to say that I'm a native Californian and I live in Los Angeles, being here in Washington, it's a lot of the same echo that we hear over and over and over again. Log Cabin Republicans has got people on the ground across this nation, chapters near and far, that are calling those -- that are calling on the behalf of Republicans, that are volunteering on campaigns.

We have proven ourselves useful most recently in the 2008 election with John McCain's campaign. We've got Steve Schmidt, who's going to be speaking tomorrow afternoon on our behalf, and he's recently come out in support of gay marriage. And we've got new media maven...

PHILLIPS: He's been campaigning for Schwarzenegger, right?

MORAN: He has been. He was the Schwarzenegger campaign senior adviser and manager in 2006.

PHILLIPS: All right. So, let me ask you this, then. Who do you see as your Republican players heading into 2012? And I'm talking about the presidency. Who will be the face of these types of issues for you?

MORAN: Well, we're still working on identifying some of those. Right now, the economic situation and the meltdown in America have absolutely consumed the political landscape. But we've got people who have, you know, maybe have not necessarily been with us before but are now. Like...

PHILLIPS: Can you give me a name? Can you see a...

MORAN: Governor Huntsman of Utah, a Mormon Republican, has called for the adoption of civil unions. He has welcomed Log Cabin Republicans into the governor's mansion.

Michael Steele, everybody saw his interview in "GQ" magazine, where he basically, you know, acknowledged the fact that gay Republicans are here and that we have a place at the table. We're hearing from their new coalition's director tomorrow night.

These are the types of leaders and luminaries within the Republican Party. The party must move forward, and, you know, regardless of where you are in the conservative spectrum, it is -- you definitely can be conservative and an openly gay Republican in this political climate. And we are being embraced everywhere we go because we don't just talk the talk, but we actually are providing the boots on the ground. We're making those calls, and we're loyal Republicans.

PHILLIPS: Charles Moran, I sure appreciate your time.

MORAN: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: It's a question that most parents face at one time or another: Is my child sick enough to take to the emergency room? We're going to give you some pointers on how to answer that question.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PHILLIPS: Well, your child wakes up in the middle of the night with a fever or is playing outside and gets hurt. Every parent has faced the question: Can I handle this on my room, or do I need to high-tail it to the emergency room? In this week's "Empowered Patient," our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has some tips to help us decide. What do you do?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You rely on your instincts. To a large extent...

PHILLIPS: A mom's instinct.

COHEN: ... a mom's instinct or a dad's instinct can really tell you whether your child is sick enough that it merits a trip to the emergency room. We put this question out to parents, and four moms tell their story on CNNhealth.com. These are moms who said they listened to their instincts, they went to the emergency room and their children are alive today.

It's a beautiful interactive done by my colleague, Sabriya Rice, here at CNN Health. It's terrific. Take a look at it.

In addition to instincts, here are some specifics that you want to go by. Kids get tummy aches all of the time. Most of the time, you can just handle it on your own. However, if your child's stomach is swollen or tender to the touch, you might want to just high-tail it to the emergency room.

Also, fevers. Kids get those all the time. New parents need to know, when a newborn has a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher, your child needs very quick medical attention. You can find more tips like these on CNNhealth.com.

PHILLIPS: All right, now, tomorrow "Empower Me Friday," so you're going to actually take viewer e-mails. Is that right?

COHEN: That's right because we're here to solve people's problems. A couple weeks ago, a woman had a $400 a month pharmaceutical bill for her drugs. We got it down to $100. So, send us your problems. We'll help try to solve them. Send that e-mail to empoweredpatient@cnn.com.

PHILLIPS: Wow, not bad, $400 to $100? Elizabeth!

COHEN: Yes, we saved her $300 a month.

PHILLIPS: That's fantastic!

COHEN: Not bad, huh?

PHILLIPS: That's expensive.

COHEN: Yes, she's sending us a check every week now for $300.

PHILLIPS: You're a consultant. Thanks, Elizabeth.

Well, save energy, save money, generate jobs, what could go wrong? Now, more than ever, it pays to weatherize, but who pays?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Remembering the victims of the Virginia Tech massacre. Two years ago today, a gunman shot 32 students and teachers to death before turning the gun on himself. Here in the NEWSROOM today, we're paying tribute to all those students and teachers who lost their lives that day.

Well, if you got leaky windows, a drafty attic, an aging refrigerator or water heater, there's never been a better time to insulate, upgrade and seal. The government will make it worth your while both to save energy and stimulate the economy, but watchdogs wonder, who will plug leaks at the Treasury? Here's Drew Griffin from CNN's special investigations unit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE UNIT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Want job creation? Get a caulk gun and get in line.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What he's doing, he is sealing the plumbing penetration from the attic from the crawl space to the house.

GRIFFIN: The State of Georgia is trying to teach would-be workers how to seal cracks in houses, increase insulation and eventually install washers and dryers, fast. The skies have just opened up for what are called weatherization programs. If your state can seal up homes, insulate attics and install energy-efficient appliances, it is raining federal tax dollars, $5 billion for weatherization in the new government stimulus bill.

PHIL FOIL, GEORGIA ENVIRONMENTAL FACILITIES AUTHORITY: This program's going to go from about $7.5 million of an annual budget to about $125 million.

GRIFFIN: Phil Foil, who runs Georgia's program, says this isn't just for the poor. There is so much money coming in from that federal stimulus passed in Washington that families of four with incomes as high as $44,000 could be eligible for as much as $6,000 in free stuff. Heating and air conditioners, attic insulation, caulking, all done free by the federal government with help from what Foil estimates is thousands of newly created workers.

And Georgia could use the jobs. Unemployment here is 9.3 percent.

FOIL: From a jobs perspective, this could create or save between 5,000 to 6,000 jobs in the state of Georgia.

GRIFFIN: Shea Hollifield, who runs the housing department in Virginia, expects a boom, too. Her weatherization program will swell to more than 22 times its annual budget.

SHEA HOLLIFIELD, VIRGINIA HOUSING DEPARTMENT: We've been calling it a tsunami of assistance. So, that's what we're looking at. GRIFFIN (on camera): It seems that big.

HOLLIFIELD: It's huge and, of course, it's huge in a good way.

GRIFFIN: But while many people applaud the program nationwide, critics say there's not enough good and a whole lot of already documented bad going on when the government starts weatherizing houses. Fraud has been a problem with many state programs in the past. The new stimulus money, say critics, is just more fuel for a growing hurricane of waste.

LESLIE PAIGE, CITIZENS AGAINST GOVERNMENT WASTE: I mean, you're talking about billions of dollars for this program. The potential for fraud and abuse and losses is going to make Katrina look like a picnic.

GRIFFIN: In the end, Leslie Paige with the watchdog group Citizens Against Government Waste, says thousands of families making $44,000 or less will have new appliances and caulk, courtesy of those making more than $44,000. As for all those jobs?

PAIGE: Obama's program was meant to be a jobs creation program. I mean, these jobs are, what, caulking windows? I mean, these are not, I don't think, the kinds of jobs he had in mind.

GRIFFIN: And once the caulk runs out, she says, so do the jobs.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: You mentioned it in your piece. How do you avoid the fraud?

GRIFFIN: Especially when there's $5 billion -- these are -- they've been small projects, all right, with fraud problems. Now you're going to inject tons of money in there. The Department of Energy says there is tons of money, but we're going to dole it out a little bit at a time and see how these programs are doing.

So, 10 percent goes out the door. We'll see how they manage that. Then we'll give them another 40 percent, and we'll see how they manage that. But really, you've got to wonder, are there enough people in the government, watchdogs, to check where the...

PHILLIPS: Yes, to monitor this.

GRIFFIN: ... $5 billion, Kyra. Huge.

PHILLIPS: It's a lot of money. Well, I know you'll be monitoring it, that's for sure.

GRIFFIN: Yes.

PHILLIPS: We'll look for part two here. Thanks, Drew.

GRIFFIN: Thanks. PHILLIPS: Well, we're just getting started in NEWSROOM. Drugs, guns, trade, a full plate for President Obama as he goes south of the border. He lands in Mexico just minutes from now. We've got an exclusive interview with the president as well.

Plus, it's one of the biggest real estate bankruptcies in U.S. history, and it could come to a mall near you.

Have you been laid off? Afraid that you're going to be? You probably have questions about your legal rights. E-mail them to us, CNNnewsroom@CNN.com. Our senior legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin, answers them this hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: The city of Juarez, across from El Paso, is said to be Mexico's dangerous -- most dangerous city, and the drug cartels take advantage of the city's most dubious attribute, its rich assortment of young and willing killers, as CNN's Karl Penhaul found out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: "We're arresting gang members before they get together, because then they'll there will be killings. A lot of them don't have any I.D., and they look like gangbangers."

Some of the gang members here have joined organized crime groups, and some are in prison because they were busted for selling drugs.

"Of course, it's easy money because you can earn serious cash, but it's dangerous, too. Like they say, it's easy money until they kill you."

"Thank God we're alive. We're going to show all the hit men that Juarez is number one."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Karl Penhaul hit those mean streets of Juarez with police. He joins us now live from Bogota, Colombia. Karl, put into perspective who the brutal killers really are. Is the it those teenagers that you talked to within your piece?

PENHAUL: It really depends how wide you want to take the argument, Kyra. Certainly, young men like the ones we saw in the piece become the triggermen. They become the gunmen and the hit men for the cartels.

But if you're asking who is putting the bullet in the chamber of those guns, maybe it's the Americans and the Europeans who are putting the cocaine up their noses, who are shooting up and smoking the heroin. And not only the consumers themselves, but also this whole chain, this whole feeding chain of people involved in laundering the proceeds of the drug traffickers: the bankers, the industrialists, the businessmen who are laundering money.

And they're not only in Mexico and Colombia. They're almost certainly almost all in the United States as well, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Oh, point well-made. The demand has to end. The question is, can it ever? So, let's talk about the recruiting and the training of these kids that you met while on the streets with the police. I mean, how is it happening?

PENHAUL: The recruiting is not very difficult at all. Take the fact that many of these young people live in depressed neighborhoods, in very poor neighborhoods or in poor parts of the country. They really don't have too much other outlets in terms of making a living, getting a job.

So, a rich drug cartel or their representative arrives, offering easy money. And a lot of these young men will just jump at the chance. After all, they've grown up on the streets. They're already in gangs. They peddle small quantities of drugs already. They fight with other gangs, using guns. They've already practically trained themselves to shoot weapons.

And so, if a cartel representative comes along and offers them a lot of money to go and kill somebody, well, it's just like another day on the streets for them, except that this time they're getting paid big bucks, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Karl Penhaul, fantastic work. Next hour, Karl's going to take us through the mean streets of that lethal city. We're going to hear more from the young gangsters recruited for their kill skills. It's a real eye-opener, but not for the faint of heart.

They're watching the skies in Mexico City right now, where President Barack Obama is about to start his first trip south of the border. His first trip as president, that is. Air Force One due to land moments from now for a one-day stop en route to the summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago. Guns and guns, trade and immigration, all well-known trouble spots in U.S. relations with Mexico and are sure to come up in the president's talk with Mexican President Felipe Calderon. That's later this afternoon.