Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
President Obama's New Recovery Plan; Push to Reform Health Care; U.S. Journalists Convicted in North Korea; Job Search Tips for New Grads; President Obama Meets with Cabinet; The Perfect Internet Search; Mac Conference; Air France Plane Crash; Life After Iraq
Aired June 08, 2009 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now at the White House, President Obama meeting with his cabinet. This session coming just as the president launched what he calls a roadmap to recovery. It's his latest economic initiative.
We are covering this story from the White House with CNN's Elaine Quijano. And our Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange.
Elaine, to you first, talk us through this new roadmap. What is it?
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, basically, Tony, what we're talking about here is the president's plan to create or save more than 600,000 jobs in the next few months. How? Well, with various projects and programs, some of which are actually already under way.
Now, here are just some of the examples of what we're talking about here and what we expect the president to be highlighting here very shortly at the White House -- improvements at 98 airports across the country. Also, more than 1,500 highway projects. In addition to that, funding for 135,000 education jobs, including teachers and principals.
So that's a little bit of what, again, we'll be hearing from President Obama here very shortly as he meets with his cabinet. We expect him to highlight some of the various projects under way.
But today's announcement, bottom line, Tony, is about the president really trying to make his case that that massive $787 billion spending package, recovery package, is working -- Tony.
HARRIS: OK. Elaine, stay with us. I believe we're about three minutes away from hearing from the president, and we'll want your thoughts on this.
Let's turn to Susan Lisovicz.
Susan, President Obama is saying this recovery plan will create 600,000 jobs. Boy, and a tight window here. We're talking about a quarter, three months. Last month alone, more than 345,000 people lost their jobs.
How is he going to accomplish this? SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think your question gives part of the answer, just how steep a challenge this is for the president.
Three hundred forty thousand jobs lost in May was considered a great thing on Friday, Tony, because we've been seeing double the loss each month. This economy should be creating in excess of 100,000 jobs each month just to keep pace with the population. And remember, the U.S. economy has lost six million jobs since this recession began.
So, 600,000 jobs, if they are created or saved, that's a good thing, but really, it is just a small ripple in the pond. As one senior economist just told me a few moments ago, this is not like taking the five-day zip pack of antibiotics. This is like long-term chemo, and he reminded me most recessions die of old age. This recession is pretty long in the tooth.
We are seeing some glimmers of life, no question about it. We were talking about the improving financial sector. We may be see hiring there because of all of the money that's been thrown in that sector.
And to give you another example, for instance, last month the CEO of Alcoa -- Alcoa is one of the world's largest producers of aluminum, which is used in everything from soda cans to airplanes -- he said that all the stimulus that's going to the housing industry and to the auto sector will be helping his business. So you see a ripple effect of that stimulus with other businesses. If Alcoa starts to see more demand for aluminum, it may create new jobs at Alcoa, or expand the hours that the workforce is working.
But the bottom line is 600,000 jobs in 90 days or 100 days is not a whole heck of a lot when we've given up six million jobs, Tony.
HARRIS: Boy, and the ripples throughout this economy.
LISOVICZ: And still losing -- and still losing jobs every month.
HARRIS: That's right.
Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange, Elaine Quijano for us at the White House.
And Elaine, we'll have you back when we get those comments from the president.
The future of your medical care. The push for health care reform is gaining momentum. President Obama says the time to act is right now, but opponents of creating a new government health insurance component are pushing back. The public versus private battle is shaping up to be a major focus of the debate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWT GINGRICH, FMR. HOUSE SPEAKER: But I think when the average American looks at the idea that we're going to have a government bureaucrat decide whether you get -- whether your daughter or your granddaughter gets the treatment you need, if you look at the death rate from breast cancer in Great Britain and the death rate from breast cancer here, I don't think that's a model we're going to accept.
A health board to ration health care so the government will decide whether or not you live and very severe restrictions on health care, and a government plan so the government can take over and run the whole system. If you think the government can't run General Motors, why do you think they could run health care?
DAVID AXELROD, SR. WHITE HOUSE ADVISER: Everyone should be interested in health care reform. Health care costs are crushing families, crushing businesses. And ultimately, it will crush the federal budget.
As we've seen, these costs are growing way above the rate of inflation and have been for a very long time. So we need health reform. I think the American people know we need it, and I would hope people in both parties would get together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Why don't we do this? Let's talk about some of the challenges and pitfalls facing President Obama in his push for health care reform.
Our Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here.
And Elizabeth, if you would, let's talk about the pros and cons of this government-sponsored health care proposal as we move forward.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: OK. What this option would be is that anyone -- you don't have to be poor or you don't have to be old -- anyone could get their health care from the government. They wouldn't have to, it's not required, but it would be an option. And here are the pros and cons, according to the people who are against and for this option.
So let's take a look first at some of the pros.
The people who are pushing this option say, look, a government- sponsored health insurance plan would be less expensive than the private plan so that the 46 million people who don't have insurance would be able to afford it. Those 46 million who everyone agrees needs to be insured could finally get insurance.
HARRIS: Why would it cost less? Because of the enormity of the government component, the ability of the government to price more competitively? Is that part of the reason?
COHEN: That's part of the reason. But also, you would have the government subsidizing it; right?
(CROSSTALK)
COHEN: I mean, the government -- so you'd have this huge number of people. Plus, the government would be underwriting it, so it makes it less expensive.
HARRIS: OK. I'm sorry.
COHEN: Oh, that's OK.
HARRIS: I wanted to see the rest of that -- the rest of that graphic.
COHEN: No, that's good.
HARRIS: What's the rest of the graphic there? Let's put it back up here.
COHEN: Well, let's put the graphic up without the -- so those -- here are the cons.
Now, the folks like Newt Gingrich, who do not like this option, what they say is, as he said, look, if you don't think the government can run General Motors, why do you think it can run health care? They say a health insurance option from the government would be very poor quality and it would make decisions that patients wouldn't necessarily like.
And also, he says -- or these critics say -- that it would be unfair competition. So that what they're -- the sort of nightmare specter that they are raising is, look, if a company, let's say our company, had the option of insuring you and me through a government-run option that is cheaper, they might take that option, and that you and I would end up with health care that is lower quality that what we have now through our private insurers.
HARRIS: But we don't...
COHEN: That's the concern. But we don't know that it would be lower quality.
HARRIS: Right.
COHEN: But I'm just telling you what the arguments are.
HARRIS: Medicare, is that the model that's out there now for a government-run insurance program?
COHEN: You know, in some ways it is. There is a government-run insurance program for the millions and millions of people who are over age 65. And I think sometimes people forget that.
This is not new. There is a government-run program out there for the elderly.
Has it worked? Well, a lot of people would say it has been a great success. I mean, the elderly have health insurance. And before the mid '60s they didn't have it. Other people would say Medicare is running out of money, it's been managed very poorly. It depends on who you talk to.
HARRIS: And obviously we're going to spend a lot of time with you as we sort through all the myriad issues connected with this proposal when we get details of the proposal.
COHEN: Right, which we would love to see.
HARRIS: We would love to see that.
Elizabeth, appreciate it. Thank you.
COHEN: Thanks.
HARRIS: Harsh prison sentences for two American journalists convicted by North Korea's highest court. Laura Ling and Euna Lee were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for what the court calls a grave crime. They were taken into custody nearly three months while working on a story along North Korea's border with China.
We heard from TV journalist Lisa Ling, whose sister is one of the women being held. Ling speaking yesterday after delivering a commencement address.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LISA LING, JOURNALIST: Quite honestly, the story that my sister went to do wasn't one that we were that concerned about because they had no intention when they left the United States to cross into North Korea. My sister is an amazing journalist and she's very passionate about what she does.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And courageous.
LING: Yes. She's -- I mean, she is a good person who wanted to tell a story, and this unfortunate event has happened. And we just hope that she's OK and that she'll be returned home to us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Laura Ling and Euna Lee work for Current TV, a media venture owned by former Vice President Al Gore.
Now, the White House and the State Department have issued separate statements saying they are engaged through all possible channel to secure the release of Laura Ling and Euna Lee. Many believe Pyongyang will use the journalists as bargaining chips. Their capture as Washington tries to decide how to punish North Korea for recent nuclear and missile tests.
Tonight, at 10:00 Eastern, Anderson Cooper goes inside this case and the family's emotional fight for justice. That's on "AC 360," tonight at 10:00 Eastern Time.
In northwest Pakistan, hundreds of villagers are said to be fighting back against the Taliban after militants bombed a local mosque on Friday. At least 40 people killed in that attack. A local official says since then, some 400 villagers have been battling the Taliban, even burning some homes where militants are suspected to be hiding. Fourteen militants have reportedly been killed; four villagers hurt.
Wicked weather tears through Colorado. A look at the damage and what people can expect today.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: So, you've graduated from college. Congratulations. But will you able to find work?
Look, we need you to find work. Your parents need your to find work.
Find work. What you need to know to put your best foot forward and land that dream job.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: So, you have that college degree but no job to go with it. You're not alone.
Look at this survey from the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Fewer than 20 percent of this year's grads had a job waiting for them when they were handed the sheepskin. Now, that is down from 26 percent last year and 51 percent two years ago.
Too many graduates, not enough work. But look, there is a little bit of hope here. A little more than half the grads say they expect to find work within three months.
We certainly hope so. Your parents certainly hope so.
If you're a new grad or soon to be one, we have got some advice.
Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis is in New York.
Good to see you, Gerri.
What should these graduates do? And quickly, I might add.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: All right. Well, this is for parents and for the students, right?
HARRIS: Yes.
WILLIS: OK. Let's be honest. Let's be up front.
You want those college students to stay active. Look, landing a job is as much about making connections as it about sending out resumes.
Go to your college alumni office to contact people who are in the fields you want to work in. Find out if there are professional organizations that you can join, trade journals you can subscribe to. You want to get in on that inside track.
Attend the career fairs. If you have time, volunteer. I know it doesn't pay. Volunteer to work in your field or, better yet, consider an internship. You know, the reality here is that you're going to have to scale back your expectations a little bit. It's not likely you're going to make six figures as soon as you graduate. You may not even be in the same field you studied in, but that's OK. You don't want a one-track mindset. You want to consider as many jobs as you possibly can, opening yourself up to a lot of possibilities.
And there's nothing wrong with experimenting. In fact, you could discover you have some hidden talents.
And Tony, I want to say one thing about being careful while you go through this process with your money. You need to squirrel away as much as dough as you can. Use credit responsibly.
Almost 73 percent of students surveyed have resorted to at least one risky financial behavior such as maxing out credit card limits or not paying bills on time. That's from the National Endowment for Financial Education. This puts you in even more trouble as you go forward if you have financial problems on top of being jobless.
HARRIS: You know, we parents want to kick these young people out of the door with the best chance to be successful. We want to polish them up then kick them out of the door here.
How can new college grads, Gerri, put their best foot forward?
WILLIS: Well, look, many job recruiters know how to use the Internet to find active and passive job seekers. So you've got to be online.
Make sure you have an online resume, an appealing social network profile or well-crafted blog that raises your profile. Remove all the embarrassing or less than professional pics of yourself that are on the Web. Make sure to call your friends, get those party pictures down.
HARRIS: Nice.
WILLIS: It's critical that nobody can see this stuff as you're looking for the job. They want to find somebody who is really professional, and that does not contribute to a professional kind of facade; right?
HARRIS: Yes. Well, and they've got a lot of people to choose from now, so you want to up your chances here.
Do you recommend seasonal work, Gerri?
WILLIS: Look, the goal is 40 hours a week, full benefits, but you may not get that right away. Keep active by taking on summer work. And you don't have to be flipping burgers during the summer. There are a lot more outdoor concerts. You can be a stagehand, sporting events.
Health care is another hot area. You may be able to be a pharmacy aid or work at the local hospital.
For some part-time job ideas, I've got some Web sites for you here. Get out a pencil -- snagajob.com, teensforhire.com.
And you could even start your own business. I know this sounds crazy in this market, but it's not a bad idea. SBA.gov, that's the Small Business Administration's Web site. They have free information there you can to go to, find out all about starting a great business if you have a great idea. Sometimes tough times are a good time to start those new ventures.
HARRIS: Yes. Why don't we do this, Gerri -- that's great advice, and the sites. A lot of folks may not have a pen or pencil handy to jot this down.
Why don't we take this segment, put it on the blog page...
WILLIS: Great idea.
HARRIS: ... and direct people there so they can get these Web sites. CNN.com, I've got a blog page -- I don't even know the doggoned -- what is it, CNN.com/newsroom? And then what do they do? They click on my big head and that will get them to the page and they could -- I've get to get on the ship here with this blog...
WILLIS: I'm telling you, Tony.
HARRIS: ... social networking.
WILLIS: This is the way people communicate now. And if you're looking for a job, you've got to be Web savvy.
HARRIS: All right. Gerri, appreciate it. Thank you.
WILLIS: My pleasure.
HARRIS: And still to come, new pictures of the wreckage of Air France Flight 447. What brought down the plane is still very much a mystery. We'll get you an update on the investigation.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: In northern Mexico the number of children killed in Friday's fire at a daycare center has risen to 43.
CNN's Thelma Gutierrez reports parents are demanding answers from the government as they bury their sons and daughters.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the first hearse drove up to the mass burial, this mother cried out, "My child, what will I do without you?" His tiny coffin was carried to the gravesite. People gathered around the family. Many like Evangelina Terrazas, complete strangers who share their pain.
She says, "I don't know any of the families, but it doesn't matter. I'm a mother of four, and I feel for all of them."
The mother cried, "Don't leave me! Don't leave me!" No one could control her grief.
Officials believe Friday's fire started in the nearby building, then quickly spread. No one is sure what caused the flames to engulf the day care center. One hundred forty-two children, the oldest 5, the youngest only 1, were trapped inside as witnesses say fire rained upon them.
Twenty-three-year-old Francisco Lopez watched in desperation as the day care center burned. With no accessible windows and only one door open, he jumped into his pickup truck and rammed into the building three times. When he finally punched through one of the walls dozens of children were able to escape, but not 2-year-old Paulette Padilla. The toddler died in the fire.
Her mother, Maria Jesus, played her youngest daughter's favorite music. She told me, when she kissed Paulette good-bye Friday morning, she never imagined it would be the last time she saw her.
Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Hermosillo, Mexico.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: A team from the U.S. Navy is headed to Brazil right now, armed with high-tech underwater listening devices that could help searchers find that Air France jet.
CNN's Karl Penhaul has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARL PENHAUL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Brazilian Air Force and Navy is clarifying today that the number of bodies so far recovered from the Atlantic Ocean is 16. Yesterday, they had said that 17 bodies had been recovered from that doomed Air France flight. That was due to a confusion over the number of bodies that a French Navy vessel had recovered.
In addition to that, today the Brazilian authorities have released a new set of photographs showing the extent of the search effort. In those photos we can see Brazilian Navy divers and Brazilian Marines recovering...
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And here we go. President Obama meeting with his cabinet, as we discussed this morning, talking about the economic recovery efforts.
Let's listen to the president.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
BARACK H. OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... agencies that have been involved in this process.
You know, your leadership, Joe, has been critical on this. I'm grateful to you and your team for helping to coordinate between all the agencies, because there are a lot of moving parts to this whole process.
On Friday, we learned that we had lost an additional 345,000 jobs in the month of May. That was far less than was expected, but it's still too many. That means that there are families who are still losing not only their jobs, but maybe losing their homes, finding themselves under extraordinary financial straits and it's a reminder that we're still in the middle of a very deep recession that was years in the making and that's going to take a considerable amount of time for us to pull out of.
Having said that, this was the fewest number of jobs that we have lost in about eight months. So it was about half of the number lost of just a few months ago. And it's a sign that we're moving in the right direction. The key is for us to build on the modest progress that has been made in the months to come.
When we arrived here, we were confronting the most significant recession since the Great Depression. It was bad and it was getting worse. Had we done nothing, I think it's fair to say that most economists believe we could have really gone into a tailspin.
We decided to move swiftly and boldly. And I signed a Recovery Act into law just over 100 days ago. And we've done more than ever, faster than ever, more responsibly than ever to get the gears of the economy moving again. We've created and saved, as you said, Joe, at least 150,000 jobs. Jobs of teachers and nurses and firefighters and police officers.
People who had been laid off are not being laid off. Folks who might have seen that plant close, as you pointed out in my home town, suddenly they started seeing orders coming back in. And that meant that they were retained.
We offered immediate relief to 95 percent of working families through our tax cut. We helped struggling state governments safeguard critical safety net programs and, in some cases, made them work better. So, Kathleen, as you know, a lot of people, they lose their jobs, they lose their health care. Because of the Recovery Act, even when they lost their jobs, many of them were actually able to use the COBRA program that was cost prohibitive previously.
So we've got some good news to report. I've been receiving the weekly reports from all of you and I thank you and your teams for your dedication in moving this forward.
Having said that, I'm not satisfied. We've got more work to do. The biggest concern that I have moving forward is that the toll that job losses take on individual families and communities can be self- reinforcing. People lose jobs, they pull back on spending. That means businesses don't have customers and suddenly you start seeing more job layoffs. Our whole task here with the Recovery Act is to reverse that negative cycle into a positive cycle. And it's going to take some work. So I'm pleased to know that having put the infrastructure in place, having gotten your teams up and running, many of the criteria by which money is going out in a responsible way that protects taxpayers having been created. Now we're in a position to really accelerate. And so the goal here is that we're going to create or save 600,000 jobs over the next 100 days.
Joe highlighted some of the specific commitments that we're making to keep the recovery moving forward, keeping teachers in the classroom, cops on the streets, providing summer jobs for youth that are particularly hard hit in this job market. Breaking grounds on hundreds of new projects all across the country and clean energy and transportation and so on. And we're going to do it continuing to operate in a transparent fashion so that taxpayers know this money is not being wasted on a bunch of boone dogles (ph).
And I think that, you know, sometimes good news comes in what you don't hear about it. And you haven't heard a bunch of scandals, knock on wood, so far. That doesn't mean that this thing is going to be flawless. But I think it is fair to say that given the speed with which we've acted, all of you can be proud that many of the safeguards and transparency measures that have taken place so far seem to have worked. We've got to keep that up because, you know, at a time when everybody's tightening their belts, the last thing the American people want to see is that any of this money is being wasted.
Now I know that there's some who, despite all evidence to the contrary, still don't believe in the necessity and promise of this Recovery Act. And I would suggest to them that they talk to the companies who, because of this plan, scrapped the idea of laying off employees and, in fact, decided to hire employees. Tell that to the Americans who receive that unexpected call saying, come back to work. Tell it to the Americans poised to benefit from critical investments that this plan makes in our long-term growth and prosperity.
In the end, that's the only measure of progress, is whether or not the American people are seeing some progress in their own lives. And so, although we've seen some stabilizing in the financial market and credit spreads have gone down, you know, we're seeing a reduction in the fear that gripped the market just a few months ago. The stock market's up a little bit. All that stuff is not our ultimate goal. Our ultimate goal is making sure that the average family out there, mom working, dad working, that they are able to pay their bills, feel some job security and make their mortgage payments. The small business owner there is starting to see customers coming back in. If they can make payroll, they can even think about hiring a little bit more and expanding. That's the measure. How ordinary families are helping to rebuild America once more.
We've got a long way to go, but I feel like we've made great progress. I'm grateful to you, Joe, for your leadership. I want to thank all of you for the good work you're doing. And now we're going to get into the nitty gritty of how we're going to make this happen.
Press, thank you. You're getting kicked out now.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: The president saying that there is some good news on jobs and the recovery plan. Adding to jobs, saying that teachers, nurses, firefighters who might have been laid off have been retained. The president has long said that the recovery plan is as much a job retention plan as it is a job creation plan. But also saying that now is the time to accelerate the jobs creation plan.
The president will create 600,000 jobs. That's the plan moving forward, 600,000 jobs in the next three months. The quality of those jobs, what kinds of jobs we're talking about, still to be determined. But you would imagine that this whole idea of shovel ready projects factor in that in some way.
There is a White House website that we want to direct you to. It is whitehouse.gov/recovery. There you will find a number of new programs that are being funded now by the Recovery Plan. The president saying that now again is the time to accelerate. There you see the vice president, Joe Biden, there. Now is the time to accelerate the jobs creation aspect of this plan.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Sorry. A little early there. Time for "The Breakdown." Google dominates the U.S. search market, but the company says there is a long way to go to perfect the search process. Cnnmoney.com's Poppy Harlow sat down with the CEO. I can't wait for this. And she has the breakdown from New York.
Hi, Poppy.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Hey there, Tony.
Yes, it was just a fascinating interview with Eric Schmidt, the man at the helm of Google. We spent about 45 minutes together talking about everything from what's next for Google, especially why he thinks search is just not where it will be in the future or where it needs to be. Talking about how your computer should know you. Take a listen to what he told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIC SCHMIDT, CEO, GOOGLE: Right now search is very primitive. And when we look back at it 20 years from now we're going to say, that's how we did it? Because you have to type in key words and we have to sort of guess which kind of answers you really meant. We want to go from textual search to really meaning. We really want to understand what you meant. And we want to be able to answer very complex questions. An example would be, what should you do tomorrow? Those are questions that are very hard to answer right now, but over time, with new developments in the artificial intelligence, we should be able to answer very, very thoughtful questions.
HARLOW: By looking at where someone is located when they're asking?
SCHMIDT: Or, more importantly, understanding a little bit about what the person cares about.
HARLOW: And how do you tell a computer what you care about? SCHMIDT: Well, partly because of thinks that you've looked for. Partly because of the things you've bought. Partly because of where you are. Partly because of your language and your cultural references. It's not perfect, but it's an awful lot better than talking to it in an arbitrary way.
HARLOW: So that's the perfect search, then, to know who you are and, therefore, to answer you in that way when you pose any question?
SCHMIDT: I'm not sure it's the perfect search. I think the perfect search is where you think the idea and we tell you the question to the question that you didn't even ask. That's a little harder.
HARLOW: I found it fascinating when you said that televisions are foolish.
SCHMIDT: Well, I think it always bothered me that my television doesn't know very much about me. And I know this sounds strange, but why would a television show me the same television show twice? Why does it show me ads about diapers when there's no baby in the house? Why doesn't it have a personal mode.
Well, the answer, of course, has to do with when televisions were invented 50 years ago. But -- all of these digital televisions now have computers inside of them. They're uniquely addressable, especially with a set top box. So it makes sense to me that television changes from the broadcast channel model, to the highly personal model. And that these set top boxes not only do they deliver the shows that you want, but they'll also show you the ads that are targeted to you. And that's probably a very lucrative business over time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: And, Tony, an incredibly lucrative business. It certainly has the potential to be. It's one, Tony, that Google already has its hand in. But a fascinating guy. And just look at what the future holds, Tony. Your TV is going to know what you want to see before you even sit down on the couch.
HARRIS: Are you kidding me? What should I do tomorrow? Is it also going to tell me who I am and what my purpose in life is and what kind of tree I am.
HARLOW: Exactly. Possibly.
HARRIS: Eric Schmidt, huh? Life is interesting there in Irving, California.
All right, Poppy, good to see you. Thank you.
HARLOW: You're welcome.
HARRIS: You know, Google is often seem as a bell weather for the tech sector and so is Apple. Who am I, Eric Schmidt? Nicole Lapin is back with a preview of what we can expect at their big conference in San Francisco today.
Save me from myself, Nicole.
NICOLE LAPIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right, friend.
Five thousand Apple developers in San Francisco right now. These are my people, Tony. Two things we're watching for to come out of the keynote address there. The first thing is Steve Jobs, you remember him last year looking very skinny. He's usually the head liner. This guy usually packs the house. This was him even alluding to his health problems and his blood pressure.
Reports do say that he's on track to return to the helm of the company after a six-month medical leave, which actually ends at the end of this month. So the marketing VP and a team of execs are supposed to lead things off, but there's a lot of speculation as to whether or not we're going to see a little cameo appearance by the CEO himself.
The second thing we're watching for, Tony, is the iPhone. They're expecting to unveil some new bells and whistles here. Some speculation about perhaps an auto focus camera, some cut and paste capabilities. We're waiting to see if they're competing with the Palm Pre, which I saw at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. It has similar functionality.
So, of course, looking at the stock here, whether or not Apple's CEO will make an appearance or not some same will do something to the stock. So we're waiting to see. That's at the top of the hour.
Tony.
HARRIS: Boy, that's $141 a share. That's looking pretty good there. I don't know what the all time high is, but that looks good.
All right, Nicole, thank you.
LAPIN: You're welcome.
HARRIS: The mystery of Air France Flight 447. We will get an update on the investigation.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: A team from the U.S. Navy is headed to Brazil right now, armed with high tech under water listening device that's could help searchers pick up signals from that Air France jet. CNN's Karl Penhaul has more on the search. He's in Reseef (ph), Brazil.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Brazilian air force and navy is clarifying today that the number of bodies so far recovered from the Atlantic Ocean is 16. Yesterday they had said that 17 bodies had been recovered from that doomed Air France flight. That was due to the confusion over the number of bodies that a French navy vessel had recovered. In addition to that, today the Brazilian authorities have released a new set of photographs showing the extent of the search effort. In those photos we can see Brazilian navy divers and Brazilian marines recovering a part of what Air France is saying is a tail section of that doomed flight 447.
In addition to that, French authorities say that the U.S. Navy is on the way to the search area to help the French and the Brazilians with the search effort. We're also told that a French nuclear submarine is en route to the area and that should arrive on Thursday to help in the search for those all important black boxes.
But the task is a mammoth one. The search area is at least 200,000 square kilometers we're told by Brazilian authorities. That's equivalent to the U.S. state of Nebraska or the size of Great Britain. Authorities also tell us in that area that the depth of water is up to 8,000 meters, around 20,000 feet. That depth is sometimes impossible for even most sophisticated submarines to operate in. So it will represent a huge challenge authorities say to recover the black boxes.
Karl Penhaul, CNN, Reseef, Brazil.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: An order from the general. How soldiers returning from war are being helped on the home front.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Five security contractors being held in the Iraqi capitol. They could go on trial for the stabbing death of another U.S. contractor found last month in Baghdad's Green Zone if an Iraqi judge gives the go-ahead. A hearing is scheduled for today.
Take a look at these exclusive pictures of the men being detained. They are with CTU, Corporate Training Unlimited. The son of one of the contractors told CNN Sunday that allegations against the men are completely false.
Life after serving in Iraq. The stress and the reality of readjusting. CNN's Barbara Starr takes us home with a squad from Fort Hood, Texas.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At Fort Hood, Texas, pure joy. After a year in Iraq, homecoming. But coming home can be tough. This squad, home for just a week, struggles to cope.
PFC. KEVEN ABBOTT, U.S. ARMY 1ST CAVALRY DIVISION: I've got anger issues, you know, to be honest. I get angry over a lot of little things.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really just find myself getting a lot angrier over smaller things.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Crowds really kind of get on my nerves.
STARR: After watching suicide and stress rates skyrocket across the Army, Fort Hood's commander general, Rick Lynch, said enough.
LT. GEN. RICK LYNCH, FOR HOOD COMMANDER: The pace of the deployments that we've had over the course of the last six years now has led to this condition.
STARR: Lynch has begun several programs to encourage troops to spend more time with their families. He believes that families are the key to reducing stress. This renovated church will be a new spiritual center for meditation and reflection.
LYNCH: A youngsters, like the ones you just talked to, have just came back, who have raw emotions based on what they experienced, they sit down in a group and they share with other folks who are wondering the same thing and they learn from each other.
STARR: Master Sergeant Guadalupe Stratman (ph), back from Iraq for four months, loves General Lynch's order that troops must be home for dinner.
MASTER SGT. GUADALUPE STRATMAN: I grew up with a big family, same as my husband, and so family is very, very important. Just being here and watching them grow.
STARR: But for the squad just back, the pain is still fresh.
SPEC. CRAIG MISIER, U.S. ARMY 1ST CAVALRY DIVISION: The same stuff that makes me mad is probably going to make him mad too or whatever. So, you know, we have each other.
STARR: I also hear a lot of laughter. There's good times.
ABBOTT: Some of the roughest and hardest times we had, we sit back and we laugh on it because we're very well together and you can't really -- you can't bring this down.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Barbara Starr joining me now from the Pentagon.
And, Barbara, I'm just curious, boy, we told the story not that long ago of the number of suicides at Fort Campbell in Kentucky and we know that this is a big problem across the military. Is there a hopeful sign here in the reporting you've just shared with us?
STARR: Well, you know, Tony, it's upsetting to see these kids. And, you know, from my point of view, they are just kids. They're all in their 20s, back from a year, 15 months at the front lines and they're all very fresh back, feeling pretty raw about all of it. They like to be together when they come back, they tell us, because they feel their buddies understand what they've all ben through.
But it might be a year before they go out again on deployment. So there will be some recovery time. Still, however, the military tells us about 15 percent of troops coming back do report symptoms of post- traumatic stress. Suicide rates are up. And if a young soldier or Marine or service members feels they do need to get mental health help and they ask for it, it could still be two or three weeks from the time they first say they need help to actually getting an appointment with a counselor. So, still, there's some pretty tough times ahead.
Tony.
HARRIS: And, boy, yes, I think you just mentioned it. I was going to ask you, if this squad that you spent this time with, are they facing another deployment in say the next year or so?
STARR: Yes, they -- you know, they all are. If they all decide to reenlist and stay in the military again, there's really only one future ahead of them, and that is going out once again probably to Afghanistan. It's a volunteer force. They know that that's what they're facing. And they all do struggle with making the decision whether they want to stay in and go out again on the front lines.
Tony.
HARRIS: A pretty extraordinary order to go home and have dinner with your family in your experience at the Pentagon?
STARR: Well, with General Lynch, it is mandatory. He has been known to go up and down the buildings, the hallways and the streets. And if he finds troops still on duty at the end of the day, he says, what are you doing here? Go home. His view is, that year that you're going to spend at home, you need to spend with your family, getting reacquainted. He feels that's the beginning of reducing the stress so you don't run into these problems.
HARRIS: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon for us.
Barbara, thank you.
STARR: Sure.
HARRIS: And we're pushing forward now with the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM with Kyra Phillips in New York City.
