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Jackson Memorial Finally Taking Shape; U.S. Goes After the Taliban; Veterans Coming Home From War Face Tough Time; Exclusive Video of Michael Jackson's Last Practice; Obama's Remarks from the Rose Garden
Aired July 02, 2009 - 13:57 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Now we're pushing forward. A rough road ahead for the U.S. economy. The jobless rate reaches a 26-year high. But it could have been worse without some businesses that are actually putting people to work. They're getting praise from President Obama this hour. We'll go live to Washington to hear what the president has to say.
Out-of-work veterans face some tough challenges mentally and physically when they're looking for jobs. We're going to find out what some of them are confronting. And remembering the King of Pop. We're told Michael Jackson's memorial service will take place Tuesday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
But first, the job situation. It's hard to be optimistic about the economy with numbers like these. Look at this: a 9.5 percent jobless rate for the nation last month. Employers cut a larger-than- expected 467,000 jobs. All told, 14.7 million Americans are out of work. And a lot of experts predict that the jobless rate will keep climbing into next year.
Now, if you've gotten a pink slip, and you know what it is like, so, what do you do now? And how can you -- what can you do, actually, to land a new job? Our personal finance editor, Gerri Willis, joins us now live from New York with some advice. Take it away, Gerri.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hey there, Kyra. Yes, look, if you're unemployed, you're certainly not alone. Reach out to other people in the same boat and go online for support. Check out meetup.com. This site will give you information on local groups of unemployed people who meet to exchange feedback on resumes, cover letters, interviews. You can also check out layoffMoveOn.com, even if it's just to vent your frustrations. It's important to have people who are willing to listen and understand you.
And don't be afraid to tell your colleagues, customers and friends that you're unemployed. Be upfront. One of the hardest things to get used to when you don't have a job is having an entire day with no structure. So, treat your job search project just like you would a regular full-time job. Get out of the PJs, put on something that you would wear to work. And if you can, do some volunteer work or take on a part-time job -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Should people consider going back to school? WILLIS: Well, absolutely. But you really want to think about how much it's going to cost you. Calculate if your career will pay off. Check out community colleges. Take classes online. That's the cheap way to do it. But don't go back to school just because you need something to do. That's an expensive lesson.
PHILLIPS: Well, as you know, we've been talking a lot about veterans and veterans' issues. And many of them, I mean, thousands of them are coming back home from Iraq, and a number of them finding themselves homeless and jobless. So, what advice do you have for them, Gerri?
WILLIS: As you say, they have been particularly hard hit. The jobless rate for vets between September, 2001, through today, 9.3 percent. And as part of the stimulus package, businesses that hire vets are eligible for a $2,400 tax credit.
The Labor Department has set up a special Web site focused specifically on helping vets find work. Go to HireVetsFirst.com. Now, on this site, you can get a list of military-friendly employers, get the latest info on career affairs, or even access resume-writing tips for vets. And, of course, there may be a number of local nonprofit groups out there dedicated to helping vets -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Great. Gerri, thanks so much.
WILLIS: My pleasure.
PHILLIPS: And you might be able to help a jobless vet within this hour. Two veterans are going to join me live. They're looking for work and they're going to be part of our "30 Second Pitch." Hopefully, somebody will be watching right now and has a job for them.
The location, southern Afghanistan; the target, Taliban militants. U.S. Marines say one of their own has been killed against a major offensive against the Taliban and several others wounded.
About 4,000 U.S. troops are leading the charge right now. They say Taliban resistance so far has been relatively light, mostly small arms fire.
Also in southern Afghanistan, U.S. troops are searching for one of their own, a soldier who is apparently being held by a notorious warlord clan. According to a senior military source, lower-level militants took the soldier and three Afghan troops this week and then sold them to the clan. It's believed the unidentified American left his small outpost on Tuesday with no apparent means of defending himself. The military believes that a video of him could surface at any time.
Afghanistan was the original front in the war on terror, and now it's back in a very harsh spotlight. Will U.S. troops accomplish their mission, and at what cost?
We're going to push forward with our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson. Well, after days of rumors, denials and speculation, Michael Jackson's public memorial seems to finally be taking shape. The latest from a person close to the Jackson family says Tuesday morning, at the Staples Center in L.A., it will take place. There will be room for 20,000 people in that arena, which is owned by the same company that was promoting Jackson's "This Is It" tour.
Meantime, President Obama has made his first public comments about the singer and his death and his legacy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK H. OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think that Michael Jackson will go down in history as one of our greatest entertainers. I grew up on his music. I still have all of his stuff on my iPod.
You know, I think that his brilliance as a performer also was paired with a tragic and, in many ways, sad personal life. But I'm glad to see that he is being remembered primarily for the great joy that he brought to a lot of people through his extraordinary gifts as an entertainer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: There are still some questions surrounding Michael Jackson's estate and how it will be divided.
For more on that and the new memorial plans, we go straight to Ted Rowlands, who's live at the Neverland Ranch -- Ted.
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, we know from the public document that all of Michael Jackson's assets have been put into the Michael Jackson living trust. But now what we have learned through a source that has knowledge of the particulars of that deal is that the trust itself is divided into three basic segments. Forty percent of it controlled by Katherine Jackson, Michael Jackson's mother, in a living estate scenario, meaning it's -- a life estate -- that she has control, but upon her death, then the money that is left over, all of those assets will revert back to the children.
The children then have another 40 percent, and then the other 20 percent is going to charitable contributions. But what's interesting, according to this source, is that the charities have not been designated, at least by Michael Jackson in writing. The charities will be decided, according to this source, by the executor or executors of that will. So that will be the big question, is what charities will actually benefit from Michael Jackson's estate?
Additionally, we're told that no additional beneficiaries have been named by name in this, and no death instructions were passed along by Michael Jackson as to what he wanted to happen in these days that we're now seeing play out. He apparently had nothing written down in terms of his burial or those death instructions.
Again, the memorial which you mentioned has been set. Our source tells us that it's at 10:00 a.m., Tuesday morning, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Let's talk about the memorial, if you don't mind, and a question for you with regard to who is going to pay for the security and all the support that it's going to need. Is the state going to pick up the tab? Because as you know -- you live there -- the state of California is in tremendous financial trouble, and there was a lot of controversy over taxpayer money going towards the Lakers parade.
ROWLANDS: Yes, that's a great example. When the Lakers won the championship there was --- for a while, they were going to cancel the celebration parade because people brought up the fact that the city of Los Angeles, the county of Los Angeles, and the state of California is having huge financial problems. So it's a very good question.
Inherently, if you think about it, there's going to be huge crowds there descending on downtown Los Angeles. Inherently, the city is going to have to pay for security. The county is going to have to pay at some level. And obviously, the state is going to have to pay.
That's not going to go over well with people, but there's just no other way around it. When something like this is planned, the bottom line is the state of California -- taxpayer money is there for a reason, and one of the things is to protect the people of this area. And they are going to have to be out there in force to deal with these crowds. There is just no other way around it.
Whether they're going to pay their officers with IOUs or with actual money, that's probably the question at hand. But clearly, that will be debated. And there will be some critics saying, we shouldn't be doing this if it's going to cost taxpayers a dime.
PHILLIPS: Ted Rowlands, thanks so much.
And Larry King will broadcast live right there from the Neverland Ranch tonight. He was granted special access and will take us inside the house and around the property.
That's tonight, 9:00 Eastern, 6:00 Pacific, only on CNN.
Coming back home, but to what? U.S. troops leaving the battlefield only to fight a war in their minds. An alarming trend and what's being done.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Vice President Biden is a long way from the White House, arriving in Baghdad a while ago. He plans to stay through Saturday, July 4th. He's going to meet with U.S. troops and Iraqi leaders. He also plans a speech to the U.S. troops on the 4th as well.
A drawdown in Iraq and a buildup in Afghanistan. Thousands of U.S. troops are on the attack right now in the southern province of Helmand, going after Taliban militants. One Marine has been killed, several others wounded.
And as our Nic Robertson reports from across the border, the road ahead won't be easy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Marines in Helmand are going to face a number of challenges. We were there last summer at exactly this time when marines in the same area of Helmand. It was incredibly hot. It means that operations during the day, the foot patrols are very, very difficult.
The Marines we were with a year ago only operating for about four or five hours. It was so exhausting, they were carrying very heavy equipment and they are very well-trained and very capable fighters, but the conditions will make it very difficult.
Another challenge facing the Marines. We are told that they are going to secure and hold these areas, stay in the area.
One of the things that they will be doing is trying to convince the local population too, that they had population to support them and should support the Afghan government. This is something new we're told for the Marines in this area of Afghanistan, but it's something British troops and other U.S. troops have been doing for some time in other parts of Afghanistan and the challenge for the marines is they're not going in supported by a large number of agricultural experts, doctors, vets, civilians -- these type of people who will bring the civil affairs projects that the military talks about into the communities and, thus, help win over the communities. We've heard commanders talking about that already.
So that is going to be another challenge facing the Marines and even in other parts of the country where troops have tried this before is met with very, very limited success. They're certainly able to go in and win the fight, certainly able to secure the area initially, but in other areas, we're seeing the Taliban moving back in after they have been initially chased out.
One of the things troops face in that area of Afghanistan, pressure plate IEDs, other source of IEDs and when we were there patrolling last year with troops in areas that they've secured, the Taliban were infiltrating back in and laying these IEDs right where the troops were walking. So that will be another very, very big challenge for the marines in this particular area and, of course, one of the greatest challenges is that there is such a huge distrust among Afghans for NATO and U.S. forces.
So, winning Afghans over is a going to be a very, very tough thing to achieve for those Marines.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Islamabad, Pakistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Now, from Afghanistan to Iraq, the handover earlier this week means some U.S. troops will be coming home. But to what? These veterans may have a harder time than any American vets before them. That's the word from a man who has fought to get help for veterans for decades.
CNN's Cal Perry joins me live from Washington.
Cal, this is coming from Bobby Muller, who heads the group Veterans for America.
What did he tell you?
CAL PERRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, he's been in a wheelchair since Vietnam. That was 40 years ago, when he was wounded. He has been a leader within the veterans' community ever since then. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997.
One of the things we talked about -- and I'm glad you just showed that clip from Nic Robertson -- is the catch 22 the Defense Department and the president of the United States, George W. Bush, found themselves in when George W. Bush asked his commanders for a two-front war, because it puts strains on the U.S. military, which has created this humongous problem now of veterans returning home trying to reintegrate into society.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PERRY: You said once that it's going to be harder for this generation of vets to come home than it was for Vietnam Vets.
Do you still believe that? And why?
BOBBY MULLER, VETERANS FOR AMERICA: You know that old saying that, you know, somebody dies and you say, gone but not forgotten. It's just opposite.
The troops today are forgotten, but not yet gone. So, you know, you have them over there going through this hellish circumstance for multiple tours, extended tours. They come home and nobody gives any evidence that the war is going on.
The disconnect between intense war experience of the troops and a society that's totally disengaged -- most people, I bet you, today don't even realize that we're still actually at war in Iraq -- it's too big a bridge. It's too big a gap. So, having created the National Group of Vietnam Vets years ago, and having dealt with hundreds, if not thousands, of vets, I can tell you honestly that I have never met a Vietnam vet with three combat tours that wasn't somewhat off.
Multiple tours is the standard today. These people aren't being deployed as they were during the Vietnam War, basically for a year. They are going back repeatedly.
You've got troops that are on their third, fourth, even fifth tours of duty. And these tours, particularly with the Army extending them to 15 months, shortening the amount of time between deployments, the Department of Defense's own national health task report two years ago said we are knowingly compounding the injuries to those who have served and have sacrificed through our policies of multiple deployments, extensions of these deployments, and the reduction of time between deployments. We are knowingly compounding injuries.
What are we going to do? We're not going to go to a draft. That's politically untenable. We've got a limited number of people, so despite the fact that we know that we are compounding their injuries, we send them back and send them back and send them back.
It's so unconscionable. But you know what? People don't really care.
You get some lip service -- yes, it's easy. Stick a little lapel button on or stick on a car. But in terms of actually caring about those in the service, no. It's a joke. It's hollow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: So, Cal, ultimately, who is going to be the savior here? Is it the government, the Department of Defense and the V.A., or will the private sector have to step up and be the main source to help these vets?
PERRY: You know, there are three entities, Kyra, I really think that are key here. And when you listen to Muller speak, he gets at all three of them.
You have the Department of Defense. They're going to have to get their heads together with this new administration. As I said, the previous administration wanted a two-front war. That's what they got. They got two wars simultaneously.
This new administration, Joe Biden, we see the vice president is in Baghdad today. Obama ran on veterans' rights. They're going to have to get their heads together and go through some policy changes on what this new government really wants to do overseas.
The final group, Kyra, I think is the media. We all in the international media, not just at CNN, had our hands raised up in the air to go into combat with these 18-year-old kids, these young men and women. Now, five, six years later, they are coming home.
We have a job. We have got to follow through, as you are doing, follow through, put these vets on TV and try to get people to give them help, because these private donors are going to come through the media and really deal with these veterans, we hope, in the future, because this is going to be, as we say in the business, a story with legs. Well, this is a story, Kyra, that this society in America is going to be dealing with for the next 40 years, just like it did with the Vietnam War.
PHILLIPS: I totally agree. And you're right; you and I and a number of people here are very passionate about this issue, and we'll stay on top of it.
Cal Perry, thanks so much.
Well, we know the military is very good at treating the physical wounds like the art of prosthetic and burn care. But as we heard in Cal's interview, the wounds you can't see, the psychological trauma, is just as devastating. Suicide, PTSD, substance abuse, all of it on the rise.
A recent RAND Corporation study even said that more than 300,000 Iraq and Afghanistan war vets suffer from PTSD or major depression.
Brigadier General Loree Sutton has been charged with tackling this, hoping to help service members before they become vets. Can she do it? Let's ask her.
General, good to see you.
BRIG. GEN. LOREE SUTTON, U.S. ARMY: Thanks so much, Kyra. Good to be with you.
PHILLIPS: Well, let me ask you, does the Department of Defense agree that deployment and specifically multiple deployments are causing the PTSD, the alcohol abuse, and the number of suicides?
SUTTON: Certainly, we know that it's a related factor. And we're very concerned about the tour lengths. That's why the department has taken recent steps, particularly the Army, to shorten the tour length, as well as to plan for extended dwell times between tours.
We know, our research has shown us, that there's a tremendous load on our families. And, of course, we also know that every time a troop goes to war, he or she brings their family with them. And that's the spouse, any children, brothers, sisters, moms and dads around the country, grandparents.
And so we know that it's a national challenge, and that when that troop comes back home, all too often, that troop then brings the war back home to the family. So that's really the heart of our challenge.
PHILLIPS: So, General, what programs are on bases right now? And are they on all the bases for troops to reduce the issues of suicide and substance abuse and all of these things that are on the rise?
SUTTON: There's a tremendous proliferation of programs that are on installations right now across the Department of Defense and all of the services.
Now, let me just take a moment, Kyra, and just say, for as much as has been done with the active component, we also are very concerned about the National Guard and our reservists. We could not have done what we have done during this conflict without their help.
And, of course, our guardsmen and reservists are located all over the country. And so there are a tremendous number of partnerships and programs.
Every service has put together a prevention program that provides an educational framework. We have hired many, many providers to be able to stand up programs. We've also invested in complimentary and alternative forms of therapy to mesh with the gold standards of treatment, which, for example, for Post-Traumatic Stress, are prolonged exposure therapy, cognitive processing therapy.
But here's the challenge: There is no such thing in this conflict, seven, eight years into it, of simple Post-Traumatic Stress or simple concussion.
What we have is we have troops who increasingly are on multiple deployments and who perhaps have experienced a combination of psychological stress. They have been in harm's way, they've seen the atrocities of war, they've done the stuff of war. They've lost a buddy, they've been, perhaps, exposed to multiple blast concussions. And so it really requires us to reorganize our systems of care to embed our behavioral health providers into the operational units, which we have done, as well as now to increasingly transform our systems of care on the home front, so that we're moving towards an integrative model, a team approach that's really embedded on primary care, and that takes full advantage of every single member of that team, from the front line, receptionist, through the nurse, through the assistant, through the physician, through the physician's assistant, as well as working with the chain of command and the family.
We're all in this.
PHILLIPS: And General, and you know this as well as I do, that stigma is a huge problem here. That you can talk about these programs on the bases, and that you are doing everything you can to inform them and dealing with PTSD, recognizing it, recognizing the brain injuries. But troops don't seek help because of this stigma. Stigma means discrimination.
So tell me what you're doing to fight the stigma and encourage troops to get mental health care?
SUTTON: You're exactly right. With all of the work that we have done to prepare programs and outreach in partnerships, this stigma issue is, first and foremost, in our sights as a challenge that must be overcome.
Stigma kills. Simply put, it is a deadly, toxic hazard that must be eliminated. So here is what we've done.
Just last month, we launched, for the first time ever, a national public health educational campaign, the Real Warriors Campaign. You can go take a look at it at www.realwarriors.net.
If you do that, I would encourage you and any of your watchers to please take advantage of being able to press the "chat" button. You can instant message 24/7 with our trained coaches.
You can call us up at 966-866-1020 (sic). In fact, let me get that back for you, Kyra. It's 866-966-1020. But this is a way to harness the power of real stories.
I would point you to Sergeant Josh Hopper (ph), a young Marine. We have a profile on the Real Warriors Web site which was just rolled out this last month that features his story.
He came back from his second deployment. He had seen a lot of trauma, been involved in a lot of tough stuff. You know, as with so many of our troops, he was doing well at work, holding it together, but things were not going well at home.
And it finally took when his awards citation was being read. He started to relive the trauma of his deployments. His chain of command saw what was happening, got him into treatment, and today, he is still serving, still a trusted member of the team.
PHILLIPS: And you just hit a very important point, and we're going to have to leave it there. But, you know, it's the commanders on the ground that have to recognize this and protect their men and women, and get them into that care way before they arrive home. That is such a point well made.
And it breaks my heart when I see these reports coming out about soldiers that complete or follow through on suicide because they hear they are going back overseas for the second time around. So we look to you, Brigadier General Loree Sutton, to really make a heartfelt effort in every way to do something about it.
I know you already are, but you've got a big challenge ahead. We look to you for that.
SUTTON: Well, and thank you so much. We're all in this together, Kyra. Thank you so much for your support.
PHILLIPS: Well, I appreciate your time.
We're getting first pictures now of Vice President Biden. He's arriving in Iraq.
Biden plans to stay through Saturday, July 4th, meeting with U.S. troops and Iraqi leaders. He also plans a speech to U.S. troops on the 4th.
And putting Americans to work. Some businesses are actually doing that in these tough times, and they are getting a lot of praise from President Obama.
We're waiting on the president to make some remarks at White House. We're going to listen in as soon as that begins.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
PHILLIPS: Well, it makes you dizzy just to think about it. Check this out -- America's tallest building, the Sears Tower in Chicago, has unveiled a new observation area. It's known as The Ledge. It's a total glass balcony and it's suspended more than 1,350 feet above the ground.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are you scared about?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Falling on those people.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, that first step you take, am I going down?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's see, it's terrifying. Terrifying.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, a tourist attraction that's certainly not for the faint-hearted.
They look like real government checks, but you might want to look a little closer. California's budget crisis is so bad that the state's getting ready to pay its bills with I.O.U.s. The multibillion dollar financial meltdown.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Live pictures from the White House. We're still waiting for the President of the United States to step up to the mike and give his remarks there from the Rose Garden on jobs, the economy and what he's doing to push forward on that.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
PHILLIPS: Well before his death was even confirmed, chatter about Michael Jackson and prescription drugs took hold and then took off. Now police and the DEA are tracking down the singer's doctors, helpers and pharmacists. And one of Michael's brothers is addressing all the drug rumors.
SIU correspondent Drew Griffin is in Los Angeles with more -- Drew.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, we've been talking about this since last night. The DEA asked to come into this investigation by the LAPD. Not unusual but it does tell us the direction this is going.
What the DEA drug diversion unit will do is look at the prescriptions that Michael Jackson had, look at the doctors who wrote those prescriptions and also look at the amounts, the supply, whether this was legitimate for one person or whether it was just too much for one person. And also be looking at just how many different prescriptions there were going to that house at the various different names that may be involved.
In many cases when we've seen people who are abusing drugs, they use various aliases. These are things the DEA will be helping the LAPD and the LA Coroner's Office in this death investigation. And amidst all those rumors and talks and friends coming forward that Michael Jackson did indeed have a drug prescription problem, his brother Jermaine, on the NBC "Today Show" was asked by Matt Lauer, what if it turns out that Michael Jackson did die from drugs, that drugs were involved.
And here's what Jermaine, his brother, had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JERMAINE JACKSON, MICHAEL'S BROTHER: I would be hurt.
MATT LAUER, CO-HOST OF "THE TODAY SHOW": Hurt, why?
JACKSON: Hurt, because Michael has always been a person who was against anything like that. But I'm not saying it's right because it's not right. But in this business the pressures and things that you go through, you never know what one turns too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: Kyra, I want to just give you a quick update.
I was on the phone with the LA Coroner's Office. And the spokesman Craig Harvey there, talking about the timeline of when we'll actually have some concrete, real information in this case.
Harvey said that the investigation is going fine. He sees no complications in meeting the initial deadline. That initial deadline for results to be announced -- four to six weeks. They remain on target for that. Now, that puts us at late July, even early August, before the medical examiner's office releases it. He said, there is still tissue testing in progress that should take another two to three weeks just for the results of that to be done. And at this stage, not experiencing any complications.
So, officially from the coroner's office, hold on. We are not going to know this for a while.
PHILLIPS: Got it. Drew, thanks so much. We'll stay on top of that investigation, of course.
Meanwhile, we're going to take you to the White House now, where the President of the United States is about to step up to the mike and make his remark on jobs.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I just held a meeting with the CEOs of some of the most innovative energy companies in America to talk about growth and progress of a sector that represents a big piece of America's economic future.
As our economy adapts to the challenges of a new century, new ways of producing and saving and distributing energy offer a unique opportunity to create millions of jobs for the American people. And obviously, this is a timely discussion on a day of sobering news.
The job figures released this morning show that we lost 467,000 jobs last month. And while the average loss of about 4,000 jobs (sic) per month this quarter is less devastating than the 700,000 per month that we lost in the previous quarter, and while there are continuing signs that the recession is slowing, obviously this is little comfort to all those Americans who have lost their jobs.
And we've taken some extraordinary measures to blunt the hard edges of the worst recession of our lifetime and to offer assistance to those who've borne the brunt of this economic storm.
But, as I've said from the moment that I walked into the door of this White House, it took years for us to get into this mess, and it will take us more than a few months to turn it around.
And that's why the discussion that we had today is so important.
It's men and women like these who will help lead us out of this recession and into a better future. My job -- and our job as a government -- is to do whatever we can to unleash the great generative powers of the American economy by encouraging their efforts.
And I'm absolutely confident that we can, at this period of difficulty, prove, once again, what this nation can achieve, when challenged. And I'm confident that we're not only going to recover from this recession in the short term, but we're going to prosper in the long term.
To do that, we have to act now to build a new foundation for lasting growth.
OBAMA: And energy is one of the pillars of this new foundation, essential both to our recovery and our long-term prosperity.
I'm pleased to say that we've achieved more in the last few months to create a new clean energy economy than we had achieved in many decades before. The recovery plan will double our country's supply of renewable energy and is already creating new clean energy jobs.
Thanks to a remarkable partnership between automakers, auto workers, environmental advocates and states, we also set in motion a new national policy to increase gas mileage and decrease carbon pollution for all new cars and trucks sold in this country, which is going to save us 1.8 billion barrels of oil.
And last Friday, the House of Representatives passed an extraordinary piece of legislation that would make renewable energy the profitable kind of energy in America. It will reduce our dependence on foreign oil, it will prevent the worst consequences of climate change, and above all it holds the promise of millions of new jobs; jobs, by the way, that can't be outsourced. The CEOs standing behind me know a lot about these kinds of companies. These are folks who -- whose companies are helping to lead the transformation towards a clean energy future. Even as we face tough economic times, even as we continue to lose jobs, the CEOs here told me that they're looking to hire new people; in some cases to double or even triple in size over the next few years. They are making money and they are helping their customers save money on the energy front.
So these companies are vivid examples of the kind of future we can create. But it's now up to the Senate to continue the work that was begun in the House to forge this more prosperous future.
We're going to need to set aside the posturing and the politics, and when we put aside the old ideological debates, then our choice is clear.
OBAMA: It's a choice between slow decline and renewed prosperity. It's a choice between the past and the future.
The American people, I believe, want us to make the right choice. And I'm confident that the Senate will.
For at every juncture in our history, we've chosen to seize big opportunities rather than fear big challenges. We've chosen to take responsibility. We've chosen to honor the sacrifices of those who came before us and fulfill our obligations to generations to come. That's what we are going to do this time as well.
Thank you very much, everybody.
(END OF COVERAGE)
PHILLIPS: The President of the United States with quick remarks there from the Rose Garden, as he's been concerned with the worst unemployment numbers in 26 years. 467,000 jobs lost just last month. He was talking about jobs for Americans, what he's doing to push forward to make a difference.
Let's go ahead listen to him again.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
OBAMA: -- businesses because of the extraordinary opportunities that are out there.
Another message is that they should probably contact some of these CEOs, because it turns out they can save small businesses and large businesses alike up to 20 or 30 percent on their energy usage.
And, you know, when you hear the innovation that's taking place -- everything from LED lighting that can save a huge amount on energy costs to new concrete materials that last longer and are waterproofed from the inside out and that can mean that bridges and roads and buildings can last 20 or 30 years longer than using conventional concrete; when you look at what's being done with solar energy, right now, in places like Houston and Florida and the fact that many of these companies are exporting their goods and their services.
But, unfortunately, their biggest markets, right now, are Europe and Japan because we haven't done enough to emphasize clean energy in our own country.
OBAMA: That gets you excited about the future.
And one of the things that I've consistently talked about since I took office, and on a day where, you know, we see that our economy is still having a tough time getting moving, is we're going to have to shoot for the future and not look backwards.
You know, so much of the debate around health care, so much of the debate around energy has been based on this idea that somehow if we stand still and we don't do anything that we're going to be better off. And that's just not how this world works. It's certainly not how the modern economy works.
We know we're going to have to change how we use energy. We know we're going to have to change how we operate our health care system. We know that we're going to have to change how we train our young people to compete in this new global economy.
And so to make the argument that somehow we should just lock in on the status quo or perpetuate the same policies that got us into this mess in the first place and that's somehow going to solve our problems just doesn't make any sense.
And what these folks are all about is the future.
And that's what America's always been about. We are not folks who are scared of the future or look backwards. We always meet the challenges by moving forward, and that's what I think's going to happen this time as well.
Thanks, guys.
QUESTION: When are you going to get solar panels and a wind turbine at the White House, sir?
OBAMA: I was just talking to Secretary Chu about how he is going to consult with these outstanding folks to figure out how we can improve energy efficiency here.
All right?
QUESTION: When will that happen, Mr. President?
OBAMA: I just told you. We're going to move it. C'mon, guys. I don't have a date certain.
(END OF COVERAGE)
PHILLIPS: All right. I just didn't want to cut him off again. The president coming back for additional comments. You know, the president's talking about jobs for all Americans. He is mentioning 467,000 jobs lost just last month, the worse in 26 years.
We're taking a bit of a special focus today and talking about our vets, the fact that they're coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan. They're having an even tougher time finding a job. You're actually going to meet a couple vets coming up in just a little bit. We are going to give them a chance to give their 30-second pitch.
Maintaining any type of business ace challenge. But how about a small business that offers products for less and also tries to turn a profit? Sound possible or impossible?
Here's CNN's Stephanie Elam with today's Money in Main Street.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
XAVIER HELGESEN, CO-FOUNDER, BETTER WORLD BOOKS: We thought, wow, like, there's all these books out there, that the bookstores would just say, no, I don't want it, but there's totally value in those books. You've just got to get them and efficiently get them up on the Internet, and then someone will buy them.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Building and maintaining a successful small business in this environment is a challenge, one that Xavier Helgesen and his partners Kreece Fuchs and Jeff Kurtzman know all too well.
When they were in school, the bookstore wouldn't buy back their used textbooks, so they tried selling them on Half.com. It worked and the idea took on a whole new chapter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's some great stuff in there. That I promise you.
ELAM: With more than two million books at any given time in this Mishawaka, Indiana, warehouse, the owners of Better World Books think they have a book for everyone and a small business plan others can follow.
HELGESEN: We bring a lot of stuff in, even in full truckloads, so we'll bring about 50,000 pounds of books in at once, drop it off in the bay here and then put it up on the shelves.
ELAM (on camera): After funding the business themselves for the first five years, the founders got a Small Business Administration credit line in 2004, followed by a $2.4 million venture capital investment in 2008. All to build up the website and the Better World Books brand. As other small businesses have struggled, Helgesen and partners have seen their revenues grow from $4 million a year in 2005 to a projected $31 million in 2009 and all the time helping others buy books at a cheap price.
HELGESEN: The cheapest they find would be $3.48 with free shipping.
ELAM (voice-over): The books are donated by libraries, bookstores and college campuses from across the country. Every day, Better World brings in 40,000 to 50,000 books, sending just as many out.
HELGESEN: We've sold orders up to 5,000 books at once and we sell a lot of single book orders. So our average order is 3,000 or 4,000 books.
ELAM: The Better World founders built the company on the foundation of the broke college student. So textbook deals remain at the heart of the business.
HELGESEN: What's cool about us is we price them at market level. So you may be getting a $100 book for $10. That happens every day here.
ELAM: And Better World Books believes in giving back. It donates five to 10 percent of its revenue back into the hands of libraries and literacy programs around the world. Stephanie Elam, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And you can see Money and Main Street segments every Thursday, right here in the NEWSROOM. And you can see even more Money in Main Street tonight at 8:00 Eastern, on CAMPBELL BROWN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Chad Myers -- tornado warning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, right at I-95, and almost North Beach. Here's Miami, right here. Here's Hollywood. Aventura would be right there. This tornado very well may be with a wall cloud right here at the I-95, heading to the northeast at 10 miles per hour. If you are in the North Beach, south of Hollywood, you need to be taking cover right now. A small tornado possible with this -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: We'll stay on it. Chad, thanks so much.
MYERS: Sure.
PHILLIPS: All right, we're going to take a quick break. More from CNN NEWSROOM straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: More now on the possible tornado in Miami.
Chad, what do you got?
MYERS: Well, you know, here's Miami. Miami Beach right here. We can drive across like that to the Venetian causeway. We're going top drive you a little bit farther to the north. This would be like the Aventura area here. We do know there was rotation and a wall cloud from a spotter, not just from the Doppler, although I have seen a little bit of rotation from the Doppler radar.
It is going to move offshore quite quickly. And the latest Doppler radar that I just saw -- I saw a gust front gust out, which means that the potential for a tornado probably coming down a little bit. But the potential for wind damage going up a little bit as this gust of air blows offshore.
I've seen this a number of times in South Beach, and also North Beach, obviously, as well. But you can actually pick up all the umbrellas that are on the beach and literally throw them on to the water. And it looks like as they're turned upside down, they look like there's little ships out there, little sail boats out there. But what they are, are all these umbrellas that have blown out to sea.
We'll keep watching it for you. I've had no reports of anything that has touched down. But certainly, with a wall cloud at I-95 and North Beach, we wanted to keep watching it for you, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Chad. Appreciate it.
MYERS: Sure.
PHILLIPS: All right. Well, apparently, it was the last time that he took the stage. I'm getting word now that we actually have some exclusive video on Michael Jackson's last rehearsal. It actually was recorded two days before he died. As you know, he was getting ready to go on tour -- the "This Is It" tour. And he had been practicing at the Staples Center there in Los Angeles, California.
As you know, we've told you about the memorial that is going to be held there. And Anderson Cooper is actually going to get ready to get this -- or do a show live from there this evening.
But Anderson, tell me about that rehearsal video that you actually had a chance to see. Are we going to see it now?
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: We have the tape. We are feeding it in. I'm not sure if you guys have it yet. As soon as you have it, let me know and we'll just air it. I have seen the tape. I saw it a short time ago after interviewing AEG officials.
Let's take a look at tape.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This will go down in history as the greatest demonstration of freedom in the history of our nation.
(SINGING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hold for applause, hold for applause. Slow umbrella. Fade out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Now, what you've just been watching is a tape that has just been released by AEG Live, which is a company that was working with Michael Jackson putting on the shows, his comeback concerts in London, a series of 50 concerts. The tape you've just seen came from Tuesday night that's -- Michael Jackson died on Thursday. Tuesday night was a dress rehearsal, a full dress rehearsal at the Staples Center here in Los Angeles. You've seen just about a minute and forty seconds or so from that rehearsal.
Now, Michael Jackson was also at the Staples Center Wednesday night, we know, rehearsing for several hours. But, it was not a full dress rehearsal. They were rehearsing separate elements of the actual stage show.
But what you're seeing -- what you've seen is just what we have seen in these last few minutes. It's the first videotape we have seen from that final full dress rehearsal that Michael Jackson had on Tuesday night.
I've talked to a number of people -- his choreographer, the artistic director, his collaborator on the show, as well as the music supervisor, as well as an official from AEG, all of whom say they did not see anything amiss with Michael Jackson in those final hours, those final days, in which we were working very closely with him.
This is a tape which no doubt will be watched very carefully by those who love Michael Jackson. What they will say it's Michael Jackson in his top form. Others might say that he looked thin. And we don't really see many dance moves. So it's hard to get a sense of whether -- what kind of shape Michael Jackson really was in. But the tape speaks for itself.
And Kyra, at this point, it's the first glimpse we've really seen. And they have many -- they have a lot more hours of footage. They have more than 100 hours of documentary footage of the whole process -- the rehearsal process, the actual dress rehearsals and a lot of the production elements in going into making this show. And that is something AEG Live certainly hopes to be able to produce something with in the future -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: It's interesting what you just said about looking at the video, Anderson. I was kind of listening to everybody here in the NEWSROOM as it was coming across because I got word this was exclusive to us.
And some people were saying, wow, he looks so good. He's dancing, his voice sounds good. And then you heard other people saying, wow, he's moving slowly, he looks pale, he looks like he's out of breath. I mean, I can just imagine that everybody is going to be looking at this video and just scrutinizing every ounce of it.
Needless to say, it's just sad and heartbreaking to see this. Michael Jackson on stage just two days before he died.
COOPER: Also keep in mind, I mean, this is a rehearsal. So it's not an actual performance. So there are those who will argue well look, he was in rehearsal-mode, not in full performance mode. Take that for what it's worth. But again, the people I spoke to who spoke with him said, look, he was getting up to speed, his voice was opening up, he was enthusiastic. They say some of the last words that he actually spoke to them the night before he died on Wednesday night, the night after this tape was taken, were words of enthusiasm about what lay ahead, feeling good about the concerts, feeling good about the performances.
So, again, obviously they have a vested interest in getting this tape out there and having people and drumming up interests for it that they can later on sell. But this is a tape, which, as you said, is going to be watched very, very closely by an awful lot of people, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Anderson, are you live tonight from the Staples Center?
COOPER: We'll be live tonight from Los Angeles, with more on this tape. We'll also have extensive interviews with Michael Jackson's choreographer, with the man, the collaborator on these shows, as well as his musical director. And we'll talk to an official from AEG -- the man Randy Phillips -- who actually is the one who negotiated the deal with Michael Jackson. I'll talk to him about the medical tests that Michael Jackson had to take to pass insurance. Medical tests which Randy Phillips said Michael Jackson passed with flying colors. He was told that by the insurance carrier.
A lot of other details about the final moments that they had with Michael Jackson. That'll be tonight on "360."
PHILLIPS: 10:00 Eastern time. Anderson Cooper, appreciate it so much.
That does it for us. Rick Sanchez takes it from here.
