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President Obama Talks Jobs and Energy; Is Washington Broken?; How to Save on Taxes

Aired February 16, 2010 - 11:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: You guys have a great day.

It is Fat Tuesday, February 16th, Mardi Gras. And here are the faces of the stories in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, he warns the United States and other world powers will regret any new sanctions.

Senator Evan Bayh bailing out of Congress, a Congress he calls dysfunctional. We put Washington's partisan grind in focus.

And biology professor Amy Bishop Anderson charged with shooting her colleagues. Chilling new details about the incident and her past.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris, and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

One minute he was posing for a picture, the next he was falling into a volcano. A big rescue effort taking place at Mount St. Helens. We will get to our all-platform journalist Patrick Oppmann in just a couple of minutes and we'll find out where the rescue efforts are going to intensify and what's being done here. We'll talk Patrick in just a couple of minutes.

And let's continue on here, checking our other big stories of the day.

We expect remarks just minutes from now from President Obama. He is talking jobs and energy after touring a union job training center in Lanham, Maryland. The president is expected to announce loan guaranties to build the first nuclear power plants in the United States in almost 30 years.

The most significant Taliban capture since the 9/11 attacks, that's how the Obama administration views the arrest of the Taliban's number two man, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. He was reportedly arrested in Pakistan in a joint operation with the CIA. The Taliban deny he has been captured.

Senator John Kerry is in the region.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: What is really important is not so much, you know, this one individual, as I think the clear indication from both the military and the civilian Democratic government of Pakistan that they are prepared to go the distance here. They are going to take on in western Pakistan those people who have engaged in violence not just here but elsewhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: A funeral in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, this hour for the late Congressman John Murtha. He was the first Vietnam vet elected to Congress and a powerful voice for the military. Former President Clinton, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and top military brass are in attendance.

Newly released film footage shows the president and Mrs. Kennedy's arrival in Dallas on November 22, 1963. Take a look here.

The day Kennedy was assassinated, it was recorded by a then 15- year-old high school student. He gave the home movie to a Dallas museum recently.

An aide says New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg is doing well after a fall at his home. Lautenberg was taken to the hospital and kept overnight for observation. The 86-year-old Democrat recently returned from a trip to Haiti as part of a congressional delegation.

Indiana Senator Evan Bayh says he is frustrated with a Congress that is just not working. The two-term Democrat has decided not to run for re-election. He talked about his decision with Kiran Chetry on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: You know, it's interesting, though, because a lot of people are disappointed at your departure because you were considered a moderate, a centrist, someone willing to move forward with bipartisan legislation. There's some independent analysts like Jennifer Donahue (ph) who says, basically, you've made it really difficult -- not you, but the atmosphere in Washington has made it very difficult for moderates or Independents to have a voice.

Did you consider that when you left, that perhaps a moderate is leaving, and as you talked about yourself, the ideologues are the ones left?

SEN. EVAN BAYH (D), INDIANA: Well, that has been on my mind, and we do need Independents and moderates, ultimately to lead us to the practical solutions the American public seeks. But that's just -- under the current rules it's very difficult to achieve that. That's why I'm saying we need aid couple of things.

Reform the institution so that it will work better and promote those kind of results, practical solutions. And secondly, if people are just pursuing narrow, tactical political advantage, vote them out. If people are being rigidly ideological and unwilling to accept reasonable compromises, vote them out.

That, ultimately, is how we will get the progress we need. Keep the good people who are trapped in the dysfunctional system and vote out the people who are leading to this kind of gridlock that is not delivering for the country. That's what needs to be done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: All right. I just want to remind you here, tonight the new do-or-die litmus test. Career politicians under attack because many think they just don't get it. A revealing "AC 360" series asks if they're "Not Republican Enough" or "Not Conservative Enough." Watch "ANDERSON COOPER 360" at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

All right. President Obama about to deliver remarks in Lanham, Maryland. Let's listen in.

(APPLAUSE)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want to acknowledge the outstanding governor of Maryland, Martin O'Malley, as well as his lieutenant governor, Anthony Brown.

(APPLAUSE)

We've got Mark Ayers from the Building Trades and Billy Hite (ph) from the UA Plumbers and Pipefitters. Give them a big round of applause.

(APPLAUSE)

Gregory Jaczko, who's the Nuclear Energy Commission is here. Where is he?

(APPLAUSE)

Ed Hill, president of the IBEW International.

(APPLAUSE)

And I want to thank Chuck Graham (ph) and everybody here at local 26 for their great hospitality.

(APPLAUSE)

Thank you for the warm welcome. Thanks for showing me around. I was just mentioning that I got a chance to pull the first fire alarm since I was in junior high, and I didn't get in trouble for it.

This is an extraordinarily impressive facility where workers are instructed on everything from the installation of sophisticated energy hardware and software to the basics of current and resistance. We need to look no further than the workers and apprentices who are standing behind me to see the future that's possible when it comes to clean energy.

It's a future in which skilled laborers are helping us lead in burgeoning industries. It's a future in which renewable electricity is fueling plug-in hybrid cars and energy-efficient homes and businesses. It's a future in which we're exporting homegrown energy technology instead of importing foreign oil. And it's a future in which our economy is powered not by what we borrow and spend, but what we invent and what we build.

That's the bright future that lies ahead for America. And it's one of -- it's a future that my administration is striving to achieve each and every day.

We've already made the largest investment in clean energy in history as part of the Recovery Act. It's an investment that is expected to create more than 700,000 jobs across America, manufacturing advanced batteries for more fuel-efficient vehicles, upgrading the power grid so that it's smarter and it's stronger, doubling our nation's capacity to generate renewable energy. And after decades in which we have done little to increase the efficiency of cars and trucks, we've raised fuel economy standards to reduce our dependence on foreign oil while helping folks save money at the pump.

But in order to truly harness our potential in clean energy, we're going to have to do more. And that's why we're here.

In the near term, as we transition to cleaner energy sources, we're going to have to make some tough decisions about opening up new offshore areas for oil and gas development. We'll need to make continued investments in advanced biofuels and clean coal technologies, even as we build greater capacity in renewables like wind and solar. And we're going to have to build a new generation of safe, clean, nuclear power plants in America.

That's what brings us here. Through the Department of Energy, under the leadership of Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Chu -- although just a quick side note.

When he was talking to some of the instructors here, and they were talking about currents and this and that and the other, I indicated to him that he could have saved a lot of money. Instead of getting a Ph.D., he could have come here and learned some of the same stuff.

(APPLAUSE)

But, you know, the instructors here were just keeping up, they were right there with him.

But through the Department of Energy and Secretary Chu's leadership, we are announcing roughly $8 billion in loan guarantees to break ground on the first new nuclear plant in our country in three decades. The first new nuclear plant in nearly three decades.

(APPLAUSE)

It's a plant that will create thousands of construction jobs in the next few years and some 800 permanent jobs, well-paying permanent jobs in the years to come. And this is only the beginning. My budget proposes tripling the loan guarantees we provide to help finance safe, clean nuclear facilities, and we'll continue to provide financing for clean energy projects here in Maryland and across America.

Now, there will be those that welcome this announcement, those who think that it's been long overdue. But there are also going to be those who strongly disagree with this announcement.

The same has been true in other areas of our energy debate, from offshore drilling to putting a price on carbon pollution. But what I want to emphasize is this -- even when we have differences, we cannot allow those differences to prevent us from making progress. On an issue that affects our economy, our security and the future of our planet, we can't keep on being mired in the same old stale debates between the left and the right, between environmentalists and entrepreneurs.

See, our competitors are racing to create jobs and command growing energy industries. And nuclear energy is no exception.

Japan and France have long invested heavily in this industry. Meanwhile, there are 56 nuclear reactors under construction around the world, 21 in China alone, six in South Korea, five in India. And the commitment of these countries is not just generating the jobs in those plants, it's generating demand for expertise and new technologies.

So, make no mistake, whether it's nuclear energy or solar or wind energy, if we fail to invest in the technologies of tomorrow, then we're going to be importing those technologies instead of exporting them. We will fall behind.

Jobs will be produced overseas instead of here in the United States of America. And that's not a future that I accept.

I know it's been long assumed that those who champion the environment are opposed to nuclear power. But the fact is, even though we've not broken ground on a new power plant, new nuclear power plant in 30 years, nuclear energy remains our largest source of fuel that produces no carbon emissions. To meet our growing energy needs and prevent the worst consequences of climate change, we'll need to increase our supply of nuclear power. It's that simple.

This one plant, for example, will cut carbon pollution by 16 million tons each year when compared to a similar coal plant. That's like taking 3.5 million cars off the road.

On the other side, there are those who have long advocated for nuclear power, including many Republicans, who have to recognize that we're not going to achieve a big boost in nuclear capacity unless we also create a system of incentives to make clean energy profitable. That's not just my personal conclusion, it's the conclusion of many in the energy industry itself, including CEOs of the nation's largest utility companies.

Energy leaders and experts recognize that as long as producing carbon pollution carries no cost, traditional plants that use fossil fuels will be more cost-effective than plants that use nuclear fuel. And that's why we need comprehensive energy and climate legislation and why this legislation has drawn support from across the ideological spectrum.

I raised this just last week with congressional Republican leaders. I believe there's real common ground here, and my administration will be working to build on areas of agreement so that we can pass a bipartisan energy and climate bill through the Senate.

Now, none of this is to say that there aren't some serious drawbacks with respect to nuclear energy that have to be addressed. As the CEOs standing behind me will tell you, nuclear power generates waste, ,and we need to accelerate our efforts to find ways of storing this waste safely and disposing of it.

That's why we've asked a bipartisan group of leaders and nuclear experts to examine this challenge. And these plants also have to be held to the highest and strictest safety standards to answer the legitimate concerns of Americans who live near and far from these facilities. That's going to be an imperative, but investing in nuclear energy remains a necessary step. So what I hope is that with this announcement, we're underscoring both our seriousness in meeting the energy challenge and our willingness to look at this challenge not as a partisan issue, but as a matter that's far more important than politics, because the choices we make will affect not just the next generation, but many generations to come.

The fact is, changing the ways we produce and use energy requires us to think anew, it requires us to act anew, and it demands of us a willingness to extend our hand across some of the old divides to act in good faith and to move beyond the broken politics of the past. That's what we must do. That's what we will do.

Thank you very much, everybody. Appreciate it.

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: All right, there you have it. President Obama announcing $8.3 billion in loan guarantees for two nuclear reactors to be built in Burke County, Georgia.

The president and the vice president on the road talking about jobs today while members of Congress are deciding the private sector is the place to be. We will talk all things politics with CNN Senior Political Analyst David Gergen. He's with me next, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: The president on the road pushing his jobs agenda the day after a prominent Democratic senator says he is fed up with Washington and getting out. And Senator Evan Bayh apparently isn't the only one who's had enough of the gridlock. Almost half of Americans say they are angry at both parties, according to this CNN/Opinion research Corporation poll taken a few weeks ago.

CNN Senior Political Analyst David Gergen, a man who has advised four presidents from both parties, joining me to talk about it.

David, great to see you.

DAVID GERGEN, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Good to see you.

HARRIS: Great to have you on the program. Great to have you in Atlanta.

First of all, let's talk about this speech just a moment ago. The president announcing $8.3 billion in loan guarantees to build two nuclear reactors here in Georgia.

The significance of this announcement today?

GERGEN: Well, it's a major change in policy for liberals and for environmentalists who, for a long time, have been opposed to nuclear power. There's been a real neuralgia in this country about nuclear power going all the way back to Three Mile Island, you know, decades ago.

But our competitors, as the president said, in Europe -- France is heavily dependent on nuclear power. China is building a massive number of nuclear power plants. And it's a good way to reduce carbon emissions.

But the president is going to take some heat from the left, but this is going to be welcomed by the Republicans. And I think it's exactly the kind of thing, by the way, that Evan Bayh stood for, that kind of working it out in the middle, which links us up to this whole departure of Evan Bayh and the disappearance of the middle in the Senate.

HARRIS: Yes. We're going to hear from Evan Bayh in just a couple of moments here.

But, boy, we love listening to your analysis on "AC 360."

GERGEN: Oh, you're kind. Thank you.

HARRIS: Well, but can I ask you why it appears -- you saw the poll numbers, how much dissatisfaction there is with Congress in the country right now. I really want your take on it, because we know it's there, and yet it seems so difficult right now in this environment to get major things accomplished, whether it's coming together on a jobs bill, whether it is working through health care reform, whether it is coming together to try to put together a bipartisan commission on reducing the deficit.

Why is it so difficult in this environment right now, David?

GERGEN: Well, we've been increasingly partisan through the '90s. And I think when Barack Obama was elected, there was this moment when everyone hoped he could bring the change that he symbolized and he called for.

And I think there was a real sense in the country, a sense of hope accompanying his inauguration. And I think one of the reasons why we see the frustration now is that moment of hope seems to have slipped away from us and we're back into the pit in which there are these clawing partisans on both sides who refuse to compromise, who sort of -- you know, and demonize the other side. And I think that's given everybody a sense of resignation, maybe we can't get out of this and maybe we're doomed to sort of continued gridlock.

I will tell you this, Tony. I've seen in the past instances when it's been very hard for the Congress to act. After all, on health care, Barack Obama is the eighth president who's tried this, so there are a lot of presidents who failed on it. But I think what's different now it seems to be so much pervasive going across so many issues at a time when America is facing some of the toughest challenges of a lifetime.

HARRIS: There you go, David. There you go.

Let's listen to Senator Evan Bayh and his conversation with Kiran Chetry this morning on "AMERICAN MORNING,": and then I've got a question for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BAYH: We've got a lot of good people in Congress, but they're trapped in a dysfunctional system. We need some real reform here, but the public's business is just not getting done, and at a time of desperate need for our country. So we've got to vote out the ideologues who are unwilling to accept half a loaf rather than none, and we've got to vote out the partisans who care more about their political fortunes than the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: David, why do the 100 percenters (ph) right now seem to be dominating the day? They get television talk shows, they get radio programs. And we know that, in our daily lives, we compromise all the time, what to have for dinner, what time is the curfew for the kids. We compromise in our daily lives every day, but we seem to be stuck with a system run by narcissists.

GERGEN: Well, you know, we, the voters, bear some of the blame. We vote for these people. We send them there knowing -- you know, frankly, those of us in the media world bear some of the blame.

You know, it's much more appealing to have people throwing things at each other than it is -- and it's much more exciting television than to have people agreeing with each other or searching for common ground. There's more electricity in the air. So we, ourselves, I think encourage -- we're enablers in some ways.

But the other part of this is that when you and I were growing up, we had a World War II generation that was sort of essentially in charge of a lot of the country. People who came of age during the war, they were young lieutenants, young enlisted. They came home and they were strong Republicans or they were strong Democrats, but because they had all engaged in common sacrifice, they thought of themselves as, first and foremost, strong Americans, and they understood that when the chips were down, you stand up together. And that sense has gradually disappeared as the World War II generation has left the stage. And we have a whole new -- the baby boom generation came in. And we came of age during the '60s and '70s, and we had culture wars even back then. We had all these differences -- the '60s and '70s had a lot to -- but they left us with a lot of scars. And the Vietnam War in particular left us with deep scars.

So we haven't been able to overcome these cultural -- I think the divisions we're seeing grow out of a deteriorating, almost a rotting political culture.

HARRIS: So how do we break this momentum? Because we're going to go through a midterm election cycle in which the public sentiment seems to be, throw the bums out so you'll elect a new class, and in the next cycle, they'll be the bums. So how do we break this cycle, the momentum, this track that we're on now?

GERGEN: Well, I have to tell you, the pessimists believe we're not. And there are a growing number of pessimists who think that we're in danger of American decline as a nation. I cling --

HARRIS: Where do you stand?

GERGEN: I cling to the hope. I am more discouraged than I have been in a long time, but I do cling to the hope that when you look over the abyss and see what's going to happen to the country and what's going to happen to our children or grandchildren if we don't fix these deficits, if we don't get this spending under control, if we don't get our schools in better shape, get our health care system fixed, and create jobs and compete, you know, if we're going to condemn our children and grandchildren to that, I think that people are going to say, wait a minute, that's not right, that's not fair, we have a moral obligation to the next generation.

And it's that hope -- and I also tell you, the younger generation is coming up. They're terrific. They're really terrific.

HARRIS: Help us with the light. Enough of the crazy heat. Help us with the light.

GERGEN: Sure.

HARRIS: David, good to see you.

GERGEN: Good to see you.

HARRIS: Good to talk to you.

GERGEN: Thank you.

HARRIS: And I know you're on again with Ali Velshi this afternoon.

(CROSSTALK)

GERGEN: But I'm glad to be with you. OK. Take care. HARRIS: Oh, my pleasure. Thank you, sir.

And tonight, the new do-or-die litmus test. Career politicians under attack because many think they just don't get it. A revealing "AC 360" series asks if they're "Not Republican Enough" or "Not Conservative enough." Watch Anderson Cooper at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: OK. You have less than two months to get your taxes done. To help you out, our personal finance editor, Gerri Willis, joins us now from New York with some free -- look, if it's free it's for me -- tax advice.

Gerri, good to see you.

Let's start with the first-time homebuyers. What's your advice there?

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: All right. Well, we get more e-mail about this than anything else.

The first-time homebuyer tax credit, it was increased in February of '09 to 10 percent of the cost of your house, ,to a maximum of $8,000. And yes, that is bigger than the original tax credit. Plus, it's refundable, which means you get the money even if you don't owe the taxes. In order to be eligible, the taxpayer must buy or enter into a binding contract to buy a principal residence on or before April 30, 2010, and close on that home by June 30th of this year.

Also authorized, the credit for long-term homebuyers buying a new principal residence. So you don't just have to be a new homebuyer. Income limits have also been raised for people claiming the credit -- Tony.

HARRIS: I got you.

And what about improvements to the house, Gerri?

WILLIS: OK. So you want to save a little green and a little dough. There are increased tax credits for homeowners making energy- efficient improvements to your house.

The new law increases the credit to 30 percent of all qualifying improvements, of course up to a maximum of $1,500. Those improvements had to be made in '09 and 2010. What you could have done, installed insulation, installing energy-efficient windows, energy-efficient heating and air-conditioning, solar hot water heaters and geothermal pumps.

HARRIS: Got you.

WILLIS: So, any of those things you can get the tax credit -- Tony.

HARRIS: And how about this one -- I love this one. It may surprise some folks. If you gave money to Haiti, you can actually deduct it.

WILLIS: Well, we've talked a lot about this. You can claim donations to provide earthquake relief as charitable contributions provided you made cash, not property contributions, by text message, check, credit card, debit card, after January 11, 2010, and before March 1st of 2010.

Look, all of these donations, they have to be made to a qualified 501(c)(3). And your phone bill is adequate proof of a text donation.

And, of course, if you have any questions, send them to me at Gerri@CNN.com. We love hearing from you.

HARRIS: Awesome, Gerri. Appreciate it. Thank you.

So, both the president and vice president are on the road pushing job creation. Michigan is one of the hardest-hit states for unemployment. So how are stimulus dollars being spent in that state?

We're going to check in with Josh Levs at the Stimulus Desk.

We're back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Weather is still causing some problems for rescuers trying to reach a climber at Mount St. Helens. The man was posing for a picture yesterday when he fell into the big crater. Our all- platform journalist Patrick Oppmann is there.

And, Patrick, what are rescuers saying about their ability today to get the climber out of, really, the mouth of the volcano?

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, some disappointing news that we just got. Rescuers just wrapped up a press conference, a briefing where they said, at least for the time being, they're not able to get up into this crater, weather conditions just don't allow it, simply too dangerous to try and go get this climber who is now being identified as 52-year-old Joseph Bohlig from nearby Kelso, Washington, just down the road.

You know, I'm not even that high up and you can tell the cloud cover behind me is so thick, I can't imagine being several thousand feet up higher and trying to put a helicopter down in those conditions. Rescuers just saying it's too dangerous. The possibility for avalanche, too great. They're hopeful, though, they'll get a break in the weather, get in rescuers just as soon as they can, hopeful that Mr. Bohlig is holding on.

They believe he was alive after the fall yesterday. I talked to a sheriff, David Cox, who said that they believe they man only fell about 100 to 200 feet, eventually came to rest about 1,500 feet. So, still could be very seriously injured, but they're hopeful. They got close to him yesterday, they're hoping to get lucky with this weather, but right now just a waiting game.

HARRIS: Hey, Patrick, so they still think that he could be alive? Is that what they're saying?

OPPMANN: Yes. You know, a significant fall, but late in the afternoon there were reports of a whistling being heard. They believe he may have had a small whistle. Doesn't have a lot of equipment. He took off his pack when he went to get the picture taken so he may not have much of anything.

But until otherwise, they're treating this like a rescue mission. They're hopeful that he survived the night, what must have been just a terrible, terrible night down near the bottom of that crater. So rescuers would like to be up there right now, but at this point, they're just reporting their lives at risk and probably not doing Mr. Bohlig any good.

They are hopeful, though, that once this heavy, heavy cloud cover and some of this weather breaks they'll be able to get in there. Bt not soon enough for them and certainly not soon enough for Joseph Bohlig.

HARRIS: Patrick, is there a way to reach this man from up above as well as from the ground? I'm wondering if you could put teams on the ground and work in the crater that way. Is that a possibility?

OPPMANN: I can't -- and that's what they did yesterday. I mean, this is an incredibly accessible area. It's really the top of a mountain that got blown off 30 years ago. They've got to insert themselves down into this 2,000-foot-deep crater and then work up, because he's not at the bottom, he's about 500 feet up at a about a 70-degree angle.

Yesterday, they were able to insert a volcano rescuer down into that crater. He was able apparently to see Joseph Bohlig but not able to make contact with him, not able to get close enough to effect that rescue. And conditions, wind conditions yesterday afternoon were just too dangerous to try to pull off that rescue. Now that the cloud cover, this drizzly rain that we've had all last night are just increasing the risk of avalanche.

Remember, it was something of an avalanche that caused this gentleman to fall. He was standing on -- about five feet from the edge of this crater and it all just went tumbling down. So a high risk in this area of avalanche. They just have got to be very, very careful because they don't want to increase the danger and increase the injuries that have already taken place.

HARRIS: All right, solid stuff. Patrick Oppmann for us. Patrick, appreciate it, thank you.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, U.S. companies are hiring temporary workers. Do you think permanent jobs are next? Think again. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: You know, in previous recessions, a rebound in the hiring of temporary worker was a sign that full-time jobs were right around the corner. Will that be the case after this recession? Alison Kosik is in New York with more. And the answer, for a sake of a lot of people watching us, needs to be yes to that question.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, but it's definitely not a sure thing, Tony, you know, that that temp job is going to wind up leading to a full-time one. But I'll tell you what, one thing is certain, temporary employment is on the rise. In fact, the economy has added temp workers for four straight months. And if you talk about people in jobs, that's almost a quarter million temps added since September.

Now, in the past, that's led to a resurgence in full-time workers. In many cases, employers would hire temp workers and then a few months later the economy would recover and those temps would become full-time employees. But we've yet to see the recent surge in temp workers transfer to full-time, and one reason is because of benefits, Tony. Employers are hesitant to spend on health care for their employees. Some may be waiting on Congress to pass reform measures and companies don't want to make a move until they see what's passed. So they're really reticent to make that commitment, Tony.

HARRIS: You've got to get something done on health care.

KOSIK: I hear you.

HARRIS: So if people out there looking for a job are taking this temp work and then three months later they have to find another temp job, are they better off holding off for the full-time gig? Of course, if they can afford to do that.

KOSIK: Well, let's point to a study. MIT is doing this study, it's been ongoing since 2005, of low-skilled workers in Detroit. And it's continually found that most temp work is exactly that, it's temporary.

The latest revision of the study found this. It found that temporary help jobs offer rapid entry into paid employment, but they are typically brief and it is unknown whether they foster longer-term employment. That's discouraging, of course.

And in the end, you have to think about the relationship on the plus side, that if you're a temporary worker in the workplace you do have a chance of fostering that long-term relationship -- Tony.

HARRIS: OK, Alison, appreciate it, thank you.

KOSIK: Sure..

HARRIS: Let's do this, let's get you caught up on our top stories now. U.S. officials say the Taliban's top military leader has been arrested in Karachi, Pakistan. The Associated Press quotes a Pakistan officer as saying Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar is talking to interrogators. The Obama administration calls it the most significant capture since the 9/11 attacks. The Taliban says the arrest didn't happen.

The reported arrest comes as NATO and Afghan forces battle the Taliban in one of the terror group's strongholds in southern Afghanistan. Fifteen thousand allied troops are taking part in the fight for Marjah, that is a heavily populated area in the Helmand Province.

Man, it looks like fun. Boy, up and down the streets of New Orleans just a few hours left as partygoers celebrate Mardi Gras. On tap today, the famous Zulu and Rex parades. All the fun ends at midnight when Lent begins.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: I really want to show you these pictures. An emergency in southern Italy as whole hillsides -- look at this -- give way. I mean look. It is certainly some of the most dramatic video into the CNN NEWSROOM so far today. Heavy rains are apparently to blame. This slide split a town in half, we're told, with 200 people having to flee their homes. Dozens of other slides are reported across the region. So far, no reports of any deaths or serious injuries. That's a blessing.

And today, both the president and vice president are on the road pushing job creation. Michigan, as you know, is one of the hardest hit states for unemployment. Live pics now from Saginaw where Joe Biden will soon be speaking.

Our Stimulus Desk and Josh Levs digging up some of the facts on stimulus projects. We'll check in with Josh in just a couple of minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: You know, if you had to pick one state hit hardest by the recession, you might say Michigan. Vice President Biden is there right now talking about how your tax money is helping.

Is it? Our Josh Levs is on stimulus patrol. And what about that, Josh?

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A lot of opinions on that one, Tony, aren't there.

HARRIS: Yes.

LEVS: Whether it's helping or not. Let's do big picture Michigan first, OK. I know you appreciate these numbers, and we all know, Michigan has been struggling. Take a look at the jobless rate in that state over the past couple of years. This was Michigan in December, 2007, 7.3 percent unemployment. And look where it is in the latest figures, which are from December. Tony, that's exactly twice what it was at the end of 2007, so it's really bad. But I will also say, in recent months there have been some improvement. There have been times when it's actually gone down a little bit. So what that's attributed to is what people battle about.

That's the big picture on Michigan, now take a look over here. I want you to see what's been given to Michigan so far from the stimulus. A reminder to everyone, we at the Stimulus Desk are following the massive $862 billion stimulus that passed -- well, was signed one year ago tomorrow. This is according to recovery.gov what Michigan's gotten so far, Tony. So, what you see is that according to those who are out spending this money who oversee it and have funded jobs, $7.3 billion and they say 20,000 jobs have been funded in the latest quarter by that amount.

So what you get here, Tony, is kind of a debate. You do have the administration and others who say, look, this is helping a lot. And they say this is just a tiny chunk of what the reality is, because you also have tax benefits and you have all these people out working and buying supplies for their jobs, which means more and more jobs. But you have other people on the flip side saying, wait a second, if the stimulus was doing what it's really supposed to do, why would unemployment still be right there.

So there you go.

HARRIS: Wow. Hey, why is the vice president in Saginaw today?

LEVS: Yes, you know, it's interesting, any time we see the vice president or the president go to a city to highlight the Recovery Act, we want to know what the reason is. So let's go to some pictures here. We're going to tell you about couple programs that we expect you to be hearing about.

First is this one solar project that's going on. The vice president will be at Delta College, and that is a place where hundreds of students have been getting trained to work in solar technology. There's a plant nearby that makes parts for solar energy, so this is an example the administration is probably going to highlight, Tony, for a stimulus project. These kids went to school using stimulus money; they were getting that training.

And finally, we can also expect them to mention this medical facility as well that's really interesting, it got a couple million dollars there. It's called Health Delivery, it's a community medical facility. They got a couple million dollars there to improve, they've been able to take more patients because of it. And that's something else we can expect them to highlight from the stimulus.

HARRIS: And let's get viewers weighing in. I need some more feedback from viewers. LEVS: Yes, you know, this one, anytime you say the word "stimulus" people weigh in like crazy. And this is where you can get in touch with us right now, CNN.com/Josh, also Facebook and Twitter, joshlevsCNN. But while you're looking at that -- you know, you can also get there by going to one of the best websites in the world, CNN.com/Tony, which is, of course, the best one to get there. Either way, it's all good.

We do want to know what you think for real. One year ago tomorrow the stimulus basically turns one. Has it helped you? Has it not? Weigh in. And, Tony, we'll be sharing some answers on this show tomorrow.

HARRIS: Has it helped the economy?

LEVS: Has it helped you personally? We want your story, your individual story out there.

HARRIS: And has it helped the economy?

LEVS: Right. Yes, and that too.

HARRIS: All right, Josh, appreciate it, thank you.

Iran's nuclear program -- international sanctions threatened and Iran's president speaking out.

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HARRIS: And here's what we're working on for the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM.

A professor's troubling past -- new details emerging about the University of Alabama, Huntsville professor accused of killing three colleagues. Our Brooke Baldwin will have details.

And an international manhunt -- police in Dubai search for 11 members of an alleged hit squad, they are suspected of killing a Hamas leader in what sounds like a plot from a spy movie.

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HARRIS: Russia now says it cannot exclude the use of sanctions against Iran if the hard-line state remains uncooperative about its nuclear program. The reports from Moscow follow a visit there by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He pushed Russia's president to support tougher sanctions. Moscow has strong trade and energy ties to Tehran. It has long resisted calls for increased sanctions, and for now Russia says that position is unchanged.

Iran's president is defiant as ever. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today seemed to threaten retaliation if stronger sanctions are imposed. What of this? Our Ivan Watson is following developments from CNN's Iran's Desk.

And, Ivan, let's start with what the Iranian president is saying. IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, he struck some familiar defiant tones today, Tony, during a press conference that lasted more than two hours.

So, take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, PRESIDENT OF IRAN (through translator): If anyone does anything against Iran, then our response will not be the same as the past. It will not be through advice and through explaining things. No, definitely we will show reaction that will put them to shame, like always.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: And, Tony, he went on to defend Iran's decision to begin enriching uranium last week to a level of 20 percent for what he says is purely scientific/medical reasons, rejected western pressure on Iran to give up its nuclear program.

He did say that the door was still open to some kind of a uranium swap, swapping enriched fuel, possibly even with the U.S. But he wanted to make sure that it was done with respect, and he again and again repeated the fact of what he called the age of hegemony and expansionism is now over -- Tony.

HARRIS: That statement, awfully strong. Is it any way, in your view, a reaction to the suggestion from Secretary Clinton that perhaps Iran is becoming a military dictatorship?

WATSON: Right. When asked about that, he came out and said, well listen, the U.S. has more than 300,000 soldiers, troops, armed to the teeth, in three different countries. Basically, who are they to accuse us of sliding towards military dictatorship.

HARRIS: OK, and one more quick one.

I understand some of the journalists pressed the president about the mass arrests from last week. How did he handle that line of questioning?

WATSON: Well, he said, you know, if somebody wants to be -- arrest somebody, they have to get a warrant first, and stressed that Iran respects human rights and the freedom of the press, for example. There are a lot of journalists who are behind bars in Iran right now.

That doesn't quite gibe, though, with what we're hearing from the wife of Ali Karroubi, he's the son of a prominent opposition activist. She says he was detained last Thursday, dragged to a mosque and beaten with electric cables and batons. Listen to this interview she gave to our own Reza Sayah.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) NAFISEH PANAHI, WIFE OF ALI KARROUBI (through translator): When he told them his name, they asked him if he was related to Mr. Karroubi and he said yes. From then on, they started abusing him. They wanted to strike fear in the others by saying, look, if we do this to Mr. Karroubi's son, imagine what we'll do to you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Believe it or not, Tony, Iran sent a representative to a United Nations Council for Human Rights. And he claimed today that, quote, "Iran is becoming one of the most democratic states in the region," despite the fact that two Opposition activists were executed three weeks ago for criticizing the government.

HARRIS: Amazing. All right, Ivan Watson at our Iran Desk. Ivan, appreciate it, thank you.