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Racism & Higher Education; Bunning Blocks Jobs Bill

Aired March 02, 2010 - 10:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The legislation not only affects millions of unemployed Americans but a nationwide transportation project. Emergency spending measures require (INAUDIBLE) to vote. We'll talk to Dana Bash coming up this hour.

Toyota executives and Transportation secretary Ray Lahood back on Capitol Hill this hour. It's the Senate panel's turn to question whether the automaker and the feds responded quickly enough to cases of sudden, unintended acceleration. Toyota has recalled more than eight million vehicles worldwide for acceleration problems and other issues.

Prepare for an empty mailbox on Saturday. The Postal Service announcing some changes today, including stopping Saturday deliveries. The agency also wants to close some branches and add self service kiosks outside its buildings. The moves are a way to cut debt. Congress must review the changes.

We begin this hour with a story that we've been following for a couple of weeks now, but worthy of greater time, scrutiny and context. I'm talking about the seemingly growing racial undercurrent at the University of California at San Diego.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: The campus has been a tempest of late, students protesting what some consider racially insensitive incidents, like a student organized party inviting participants to dress "ghetto style." Then the discovery of a noose hung in the campus library.

The big question here is how deep does the school's racism go, and are we only skimming the surface, or is the criticism superficial. Let's talk about this one. Let's talk it out and clarify any possible misconceptions that could muddy the discussion and hopefully find a teachable moment along the way.

Joining us live from San Diego this morning, David Richardson. He is the president of the Black Student Union on the UCSD campus and Sara Clark Kaplan, she's an assistant professor of ethnic studies at the university. Great to have you both. Thanks so much.

SARA CLARK KAPLAN, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF ETHNIC STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA: Thanks, Kyra.

DAVID RICHARDSON, PRESIDENT OF THE BLACK STUDENT UNION, UCSD: Thanks for having us. PHILLIPS: You bet. Well, I want to start off and ask you both about this. You know, the latest wrinkle to what's happening on the campus, the noose that was hung by a student. We've now found out it was a minority student that came forward and said that they hung it. Does it change the tact of this discussion and should it? Richard, let's start with you.

RICHARDSON: David, by the way.

PHILLIPS: David, I'm sorry. I apologize, David.

RICHARDSON: Don't worry about it. I didn't actually hear that it was a minority student but it definitely doesn't change the effects that it had on the campus community and the climate. I don't think it matters on what type of person does it, I just feel like the act was harmful in itself and actions need to be taken to ensure that something like this doesn't happen again because it does affect communities on our campus and it does affect the social and academic welfare of the students on campus.

PHILLIPS: Sara --

RICHARDSON: It definitely doesn't matter.

PHILLIPS: It doesn't matter to you. Sara, what about you? Because not only did the story break that it was a minority student that did hang that noose up there in the library. Now there's talk that it was possibly a black fraternity boy that encouraged the frat, to do this Compton Cookout, you know, dress ghetto style.

I mean, either way it's totally offensive, but does that change the discussion here, what's happening on campus if indeed it turns out that minorities are involved with these moves or these incidents that are highly insensitive?

KAPLAN: You know, I think one of the things that as a scholar of ethnic studies I constantly try to remind people is that racism isn't like being a hockey player or baseball player, you're not a racist. It's not as if we can sort of point to individual ostensibly white people who do bad things and are, therefore, racist.

What we're talking about are a broader set of campus climate issues and concerns. A set of beliefs that are not about one's individual identity as much as they are about maintaining a set of stereotypes and really deeply degrading ideas about African- Americans. And I think, you know regardless of the race of the person who hung the noose, and we can have a longer conversation about the frat party and whether in fact this sort of story about the African- American encourager is true.

But I think when we talk about the noose, the real question is what does it mean that we have a campus climate where even students of other racial minorities don't understand that nooses are acts of racial violence and terrorism.

PHILLIPS: Right, no matter what your color. David, let me ask you when the tension built up, a teach-in was called. The chancellor came forward and said we're all going to come together, we're going to talk about this and we're going to have a teach-in. And there were people that showed up from all over the place, all over the state in addition to you and other students.

But when you got there, you decided not to participate in that teach-in. You walked out. Tell me why you did that. Why didn't you stay and engage in a fruitful discussion while there were so many people there with open ears?

RICHARDSON: OK. Well, before the teach-in, the university sponsored teach-in, there was actually a press conference held by the students. So that's part of the reason why there were so many students out there for the teach-in. Initially when we found out about the teach-in, we were a little upset. We were a little dissatisfied because we felt like a teach-in is not something a chancellor of a university should hold.

A teach-in is for student organizations. A teach-in is for grassroots organizing. A teach-in is for people who don't have resources to put a few hundred students in a lecture hall. We felt like a two-hour teach-in is not going to do justice, a two-hour teach- in is not going to fully educate the community or educate the campus on why these issues affect our communities and why they have a detrimental effect on our education and our well-being on the campus.

So we felt like Chancellor Fox should have definitely taken more active measures in trying to alleviate some of the tensions and some of the pressure on the students and also the campus climate. So, yes, the teach-in -- we felt like we could do our own justice and walk out, have our own teach-in and educate our own students about how we feel as students as opposed to some university structured, university put- together teach-in.

PHILLIPS: Well, let's push forward here and talk about solutions. Chancellor Mary Ann Fox, we did try -- we did reach out to her and she declined an on-camera interview for this segment but there was a web site that was put together called Battle Hate and she made a statement on that web site. Let's take a listen to part of that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHANCELLOR MARY ANN FOX, UC-SAN DIEGO: I've personally met with students today and over the last several days and we are making significant changes based on the Black Student Union's recommendations. I am extremely proud of our students and other members of our campus community who have strongly and respectfully expressed their outrage over these incidents.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: David, what are those recommendations, and are you seeing some of those recommendations being put forward now?

RICHARDSON: Yes. OK, well, some of the recommendations have to do with student-initiated access and outreach programs that the students create and coordinate themselves along with a task force to hire more African-American faculty on the campus.

We feel like if we had more African-American faculty, it would be a better like learning academic environment for the black community on campus. Right now we have very few and very few tenured faculty at that so we'd like to increase that number and hopefully that would attract more African-American students on our campus and help the overall campus climate and environment.

And not just African-American faculty, other minority faculty and other faculty from other under represented, under served communities as well.

PHILLIPS: Well, we would love to see more professors like Sara Clarke Kaplan, that's for sure. She is a shining star on that campus, no doubt. And Sara, I would love for you to weigh in on this. Because, you know, I don't want this just to be a discussion about anger and going back and looking at these incidents but moving forward.

I mean, this is your classroom right here. Your class study is happening right there on campus live and with thousands of students. How do you move forward in a positive manner? How do you make a change here? How do you try and help the healing process as this has all come to the surface?

KAPLAN: Well, I think one of the most important things for us to remember is that before we even begin healing we need to really do that thing called learning, right? And in order for us to really learn from this, we need to have the resources available for every student on the campus to understand the continuing issues of race in the United States and across the world.

And so in order for us to even begin the healing, we really need to do our work as administrators and as educators and as the students have shown us at every step of the process, even on the ground to teach every student on the campus why issues of social justice and equity still matter today. That even in this sort of post-Obama era as everyone likes to say, this is still a country in which racial difference still often affects people's outcomes, their cultural background and their experiences.

And it's our job as educators, as administrators to make sure that students have the information that they need to be part of creating a campus climate that is welcoming and hospitable to everyone. I think the students have now done the work of getting us the resources that we need to do that, from increasing yield and retention for students to increasing faculty and research on these issues.

And now it's our job as administrators and as faculty to take up the reins and really use those resources to create the kind of UCSD we all know we can have.

PHILLIPS: Sara, I wish I had you as a professor. KAPLAN: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: David, you are very lucky to have her on your campus. I tell you what, we're going to follow this story. It's important to us. Great discussion. David Richardson, the president of Black Student Union there at UCSD and Sara Clarke Kaplan, assistant professor ethnic studies, thank you both so much. Appreciate your time today.

RICHARDSON: Thank you.

KAPLAN: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: You bet. Everything must go. That's not from store owners, that's actually from quake survivors. But Chile's president is talking tough.

And in Haiti, quake fears being replaced by concerns over possible floods and landslides. What's being done as the rainy season nears.

And "Healing for Haiti, anew album benefiting the recovery, is out today. One of the performers, Michael W. Smith, is here with us live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Proud patriot or pain in the butt? Kentucky Senator Jim Bunning causing a big brouhaha with his move to block a $10 billion Senate bill. We want to know what you think about it all. Go to our blog, read the whole story, post your comments. The address is cnn.com/kyra. I'll read some of your comments later in the hour.

We also want to hear from you. Give us a call and leave us a message. Have you been affected by the unemployment benefits? Call us 877-742-5760. Leave your first name and where you're calling from and please keep your document to 30 seconds or less.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Rob Marciano, what are you tracking for us?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: We've got the snowstorm, Kyra, that has now begun to intensify just a little bit. The National Weather Service is actually upped the ante for the winter storm warning, has extended to about the i-20 corridor. We said earlier in the program that basically everything north of i-20 would be snow and that certainly is the case now.

And they have extended the winter storm warning down to include some of the counties just south of i-20. But generally speaking, well south of 20 it will be mostly in the form of rain. Then two to four inches potentially across northern parts of Georgia.

One to two, in some cases three inches in some of the suburbs of Atlanta. Mostly on grassy surfaces, secondary roadways. Main roads should stay fairly wet and/or slushy but tomorrow morning things are going to be below freezing. So that's going to be a bit of an issue.

Pretty well-defined storm system here drafting some moisture all the way from the Gulf of Mexico. This has some wind as well. Over the weekend Texas through parts of Louisiana had a lot of wind with the wind gusting over 45 miles an hour in spots.

Now it's kind of morphed into a bit of a windstorm but also a bit of a snowstorm. From Nashville to Chattanooga we're seeing it, also parts of Alabama, Huntsville, the Birmingham seeing some snow as well. As far as what kind of temperatures we're seeing right now. Birmingham right now about 34 or so degrees. You get over towards Georgia, looking at temperatures right around the freezing mark. So we're seeing that column of air which was well above freezing earlier in the day begin to dip below freezing and you see the back edge of the moisture still back to Mississippi.

So several hours of this yet to come as this storm slowly makes its way across not only the Gulf Coast but move up the Atlantic as well. This will spread some wind and some snow across parts of the I- 95 corridor. Just how much snow right now, we think it will stay far enough offshore to where it won't be a lot but certainly will be close enough to get you a little bit of snow in D.C. and Philly and some wind as well, maybe some coastal flooding too.

That's a quick check on weather. The CNN NEWSROOM is coming right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Straight to the floor. The senator so many people have wanted to hear from, Senator Jim Bunning, the lone Republican senator blocking a million plus bill for Americans from receiving unemployment benefits. Let's listen in.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

SEN. JIM BUNNING (R), KENTUCKY: ... for rural satellite television and other things. It's really hypocritical of the Democratic side of this aisle passing a pay-go bill. What does pay-go mean? It means that you pay for the bills as they appear on the floor of the U.S. Senate. And then to present a bill that not only is not paid for, but just paid for a little bit. Paid for a third of.

And that was the Reid bill on the jobs bill that he presented to us. $5 billion was paid for, $10 billion was not. And then immediately to follow with a UC, which is not, which is not a bill that we normally deal with on a unanimous consent like this. We have unanimous consents that are much more different than this.

This is a House bill that you've asked unanimous consent for. Regular order could prevail and the leader of this Senate could put this bill under cloture and get his vote, he'll get his 60-plus votes and normal procedure will occur. That is the normal way to deal with this bill.

Now just so you understand that not everybody, all Americans feel like my dear friend from Maine and the majority leader of the Senate, I'm going to read a letter and enter it into the record, please. So I ask unanimous consent to enter this letter from a constituent of mine from Louisville.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Without objection.

BUNNING: And I'm going to read it also because it's very important that the people understand that there are other sides of this. Dear Senator Bunning, I haven't worked a full 40-hour week in probably two years now. But I fully support your decision to stand up to those in Congress who want to do nothing more than to spend the taxpayers' money, even the money they do not have on unemployment extension benefits.

So far this year I have worked a total of one week here in Louisville, Kentucky. My employer is a sheet metal fabrication plant with its main headquarters based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Normally the Louisville branch would employ upward to 50 people on any given day if business were good. Recently that number has dwindled to about four.

This country is sooner or later going to implode because of the massive amount of debt run up over the past 40 to 50 years. Selling the nation's soul to countries like communist China in order to finance our lifestyle and allow the government to further debase the currency is sure sheer lunacy.

Throwing hundreds of billions of dollars so executives on Wall Street can keep their multi-billion dollar bonuses while others in society worry about keeping the electricity on and their children fed only helps to move this country closer to a long overdue revolution.

The problem is by then we won't even own it anymore. Politicians on both sides enjoy getting up in front of television cameras and talking about their support of the pay as you go plan. But when it comes down to actually doing what they say, they all run for cover and vote for anything they think will win them another vote or another term.

Your stance in holding them to their words and expecting them to actually do what they voted for is a refreshing concept in an otherwise corrupt hypocrisy power base known as Washington, D.C.. It's too bad Senator Mitch McConnell and some of the elected officials on your side of the aisle do not have the backbone of your sense of decency when it comes to keeping their promises to the American people.

And for security sake, I'm just going to read his first name. It says sincerely, Robert. From Louisville. Now, there's no doubt in anybody's mind that I have supported extension of unemployment benefits, Cobra health care benefits, flood insurance, highway bill. I was the one who proposed the Medicare doc fix on a permanent basis in the finance committee. Small business loans, and all the other things that are in this temporary bill.

So I just want to set the record straight. The majority leader has all the tools in his kit and he normally exercises them, and I think he's about to do that on the bill currently before us, which we call the large job bill. He soon will invoke cloture to cut off the bait. He normally doesn't even allow amendments. He will file cloture, fill the tree.

By filling the tree, that means the amendment tree, which allows the Republicans no alternatives but just to vote for cloture or not cloture and then unfortunately we have 30 hours of debate immediately following cloture.

I'm going to propose one more time my unanimous consent request. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of HR 4691, that the amendment at the desk which offers a full offset be agreed to. The bill be amended as read for a third time and passed and the motion to reconsideration be laid upon the table.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is there objection?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Madam president. The majority leader.

SEN. HARRY REID (D), MAJORITY LEADER: Reserving the right to object. Madam president, I'm sorry that my friend from Kentucky has made this so personal because it really shouldn't be the case. But let me just review history a little bit.

The senator from Kentucky talks about a bill we voted on and passed last week as being very partisan. That bill received 70 votes. It was a very partisan bill -- a very non-partisan bill, I should say, was a bipartisan bill, it received 70 votes. Why did it receive 70 votes? Because it did some great things for America.

It extended the highway bill for years, saving a million jobs. It gave small businesses the right to write off $250,000 in purchases, stimulating small businesses all over America. It gave employers the ability to hire people who had been out of work for 60 days. And if they hired them, they wouldn't have to pay their FICA tax if they gave them 30 hours a week.

Not only that, they get a $1,000 tax credit at the end of the year, the other bill he talked about was really a good proposal. We also extended "Build America" bonds, which was so important in the American Recovery Act. And Democrats and Republicans all over the country, governors, mayors, county commissioners loved that proposal.

So it was a -- it was certainly not a partisan bill. And he was right, the other bill he talked about wasn't brought to the floor. I would also say this, madam president, it was paid for. Not a cent of deficit spending, not a cent.

It's interesting that my friend would talk about pay-go. He voted against pay-go. He's talking about pay-go now. He voted against it. He voted against it right here on the Senate floor. If he so liked pay-go, why didn't you vote for it. He voted against it. The senator from Kentucky voted against pay-go. That has no applicability to the jobs bill that passed because it was paid for. The doc fix. He talks about having voted for it in committee. He voted against it here on the floor.

PHILLIPS: Just prior to Senator Harry Reid there, a majority leader on the floor, you heard from the lone Republican, Senator Jim Bunning of Kentucky. As you know, for the past week he has been single-handedly blocking more than a million Americans from receiving unemployment and Cobra health insurance benefits.

It's a suspension of benefits that affects everyone from doctors to government employees to you and me. And you heard him give -- for the first time we actually heard him from the floor there live discussing this. And right after he stepped away from the mic, majority leader Senator Harry Reid stepped up, saying to the senator, who by the way will not be re-elected, has not received support from fellow Republicans, why are you making this so personal and I'm sorry that you are.

So once again Harry Reid stating his case and Bunning back once again probably to continue in this tit-for-tat.

BUNNING: Going to be violated in the first bill brought to the floor after you passed it. As far as the doc fix is concerned, I have a history with the doc fix that I don't need to defend to the majority leader or to anybody in this body. Just check with the Kentucky Medical Association and all my doctors that I represent in Kentucky.

I think the gentleman's letter from Louisville states the facts better than me. We want a country that my 40 grandchildren have the same abilities that I did growing up. We want a country that don't owe everybody in the world for our existence. I don't -- and the question I've been asked mostly is why now? Well, why not now?

What better time for it than to stand up when the majority leader has the ability to do exactly on this bill what he has done on 25 bills in the last five months? File cloture, fill the tree and vote yea or nay. Get the 60 votes, pass the bill and extend these temporary benefits. Rather than pass -- or we maybe pass this other bill -- I hope we do -- that will extend them on a permanent basis for a year, to the end of the year anyway.

I think it's very important that people understand that I have the same right that he does. He was elected by people in Nevada with fewer people than people in Kentucky. So, I have the same right as any other senator here on the floor. And it's not a filibuster when you object. And that ought to be brought out clearly. A filibuster is when you stand on this floor and you talk and talk and talk. I have not done that.

I yield the floor.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The majority leader.

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: I know my friend from Tennessee and Texas wish to speak, but I do have to respond because I was mentioned again. Madam president, I can't match now or ever in the past my friend's fastball or his curve ball or his 40 grandchildren. I do have 16 grandchildren. But I do think it's important to understand that the reasoning is a little unusual. He said, "I wouldn't vote for a bill that I thought would not be upheld at a later time or procedures in the bill not followed." I don't know why anyone is entitled to being the judge and the jury. When you pass legislation, and if it's the law, then there are ways of upholding that.

Now, Madam President, with pay-go we have some experience. We know it works. It worked during the Clinton years. We paid down the national debt as a result of what happened during the Clinton years. Pay-go was dismissed during the Bush years.

Now, my friend talks about the debt. He wants to make sure that the debt doesn't go up. Where was he during the Bush years? Unpaid wars, two wars unpaid for. Taxes unpaid for. Running up trillions of dollars of red ink for the American people.

I say this also, Madam President, we've tried to address that. We asked for debt commission to be established. We did that by legislation here on the floor. My friend didn't vote for that. He didn't vote for pay-go. So, we are trying on the floor. We have legislation that will resolve this issue.

Now, what my friend says is a little unusual. He said why doesn't the leader file for cloture, use up a week or ten days, waste that time and then hold off getting to all the other things. That doesn't make sense, Madam President. It just is without any sense, when in fact with his withdrawing his objection, we could get it done just like that. We wouldn't have to waste a week or ten days.

But he's made his stand. I think it's wrong, as does the American people, as does I'm sure the people of Kentucky in spite of the letter from Robert.

So, Madam President, I don't take advantage of my position here as being leader. I ask consent that the time that I consumed in my back and forth with Senator Bunning, which was under the Republican control, I ask that it be charged leader time. I'm wondering if the staff has heard whether or not Senators Sessions and Leahy wish to take the full hour time.

I don't want -- How much time does my friend from Texas wish? I just don't want to cut into any of your time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I need about ten minutes, Madam President.

REID: And the senator from Tennessee is here. If we have a shortage of time, we'll be happy to try to work it out some way with the minority.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just a brief statement.

REID: My friend from Texas --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Senate -- the Republicans control the time. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Excuse me.

UNIDETIFIED FEMALE: Senator from Texas.

SEN. JOHN CROYN (R), TEXAS: Thank you, Madam President. Madam President, I wanted to just take a few minutes to talk about today, which is Texas Independence Day. On this day in 1836, delegates from 59 Texas settlements signed a declaration of their right to live in liberty and to take charge of their own destiny. The document they produced shares much in common with the declaration signed in Philadelphia six decades earlier.

PHILLIPS: Okay. The back and forth, you saw it just unfold live there from the Hill. We finally heard from Senator Bunning of Kentucky, the lone Republican senator that's blocking that million- plus Americans from receiving unemployment benefits. You heard Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid respond to that, the back and forth. We'll try to make sense of all of that for you, tell you what it means and how long this back and forth could continue.

Quick break, more from the CNN NEWSROOM straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: A 41-year-old Denver man is in federal custody, allegedly threatening members of Congress through the U.S. postal service. The Feds say they linked Jay Devaneux's (ph) handwriting to disturbing letters sent to Colorado and Alabama lawmakers. Some of the letters were said to contain a white powder not thought to be dangerous. He faces up to five years if convicted.

Can cities or states legally big foot a citizen's Second Amendment right in an effort to combat growing gun violence? That's the crux of the case before the U.S. Supreme Court this morning. Specifically, the high court is reviewing Chicago's law banning handguns and whether it's at odds with a person's constitutionally protected right to bear arms.

Jay Leno, take two, tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": I'm Jay Leno, your host, at least for a while.

(LAUGHTER)

LENO: I've got to admit I'm a little bit nervous. Not because it's my first night back, but because I know Dave and Oprah are watching.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: But are all the old fans watching? That's what he really needs to worry about. Leno back after a failed attempt at primetime and a not-so-amicable time slot battle with Conan O'Brien. More from the CNN NEWSROOM straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Dana Bash, we have been listening to Senator Bunning, who everybody has been trying to talk to, about blocking this million- plus Americans from receiving unemployment benefits. We heard from Majority Leader Harry Reid there. Just this personal back and forth going on. I think Americans are wondering what is going to happen and how long could this continue?

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was very interesting. I mean, you know, the back and forth, as you said. But I think one of the most interesting moments on the floor there was actually the first time we saw one of Senator Bunning's fellow Republicans, Susan Collins of Maine, go to the Senate floor and said that she's worried about people in her state who are losing benefits for their COBRA, government subsidies to have health insurance. Government subsidies for unemployment insurance, things like that.

And Senator Bunning came back and did what he has done several times over the past many days, and that is he has said, look, I'm not against extending this $10 billion package of benefits, I just want to pay for it. Why not do that now?

And you saw the Democratic leader, Kyra, come back and say that he's not for that. He's just going to keep this going.

Now, let's give a reality check here. The reality is that if Democrats who run the Senate, if they wanted to work around Senator Bunning, they do have a process and Senate procedure to do that. It would take a couple of days, but they could do that.

They're not doing that. Why? We saw it on the Senate floor this morning. They feel that they're making a very strong political point. Senator Bunning has put his fellow Republicans in a bad political place. He's not backing down, he's retiring, he has a bad relationship with many of his fellow Republicans, so that's why you see again this morning the same scene you saw yesterday morning, and frankly, Thursday and Friday of last week. A stand-off.

Now, it has met at least temporarily some real people in the real world are affected with money that they really rely on because they are jobless.

PHILLIPS: Well, we'll definitely be monitoring the back and forth. Dana Bash, appreciate it. Also appreciate your attempts to chasing down Senator Bunning. You got a little bit from him today, but we appreciate it. That's right.

All right. Coming up next, very special guests are joining. Michael W. Smith, you may know his Christian music. Been around for a long time with some fabulous songs throughout the years, along with Franklin Graham. You know Samaritan's Purse has been highly involved in Haiti and now Chile. Well, guess what? A special album being released that Michael W. Smith produced and wrote with a number of other contemporary Christian singers. He's going to sing for us live. Franklin will tell us about the ministry, and hopefully we can all pitch in and help. Coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Coming up on two months since Haiti's earthquake. Rainy season there on its way. Aid workers asking for plastic tarps instead of tents to keep homeless survivors dry. The U.N. says more than 500,000 people have gotten emergency shelter, but more than that still need help now. Bill Clinton is the U.N. special envoy to Haiti. He says Haitians need more latrines and hurricane-proof shelter. Hurricane season just a few months away.

Starting today, there is a fresh way that you can help improve life there. All you have to do is download "Healing For Haiti" from iTunes. Fifteen songs from Christian artists. The relief group Samaritan's Purse will use that money to help get Haitians anything from clean water to medical care.

Christian singer Michael W. Smith helped put that all together, and of course, Reverend Franklin Graham is the -- how shall we say, Samaritans Purse is your baby, Reverend.

REV. FRANKLIN GRAHAM, PRESIDENT, SAMARITAN'S PURSE: Well, that's right. I'm the president of Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

PHILLIPS: That is right. We know how incredible the Graham family has been, what a ministry.

Michael, your music has been incredible ministry for so many years. The two of you have joined forces. I guess -- Reverend Graham, let me start with you. You've been to a lot of disasters around the world. But tell me about Haiti. How did this one mission trip move you in a very special way?

GRAHAM: Kyra, the damage that has taken place there is just unbelievable. The same thing of course in Chile right now.

But in Haiti, it is such a poor country. They had so very little and what little they had was taken away from them. And they need right now basic shelter. And Samaritans Purse is providing temporary housing, we're providing food. We have medical teams on the ground.

But for all the organizations that are working down there, every one of them needs help. There is more need down there than all of us will ever be able to meet. And the people of Haiti need our prayers. They need to know that God loves them and God cares for them, that he hasn't turned his back on them. And that he sent his son from heaven to earth for them. We want them to know that God is the God of all comfort.

I'm so appreciative of Michael and all the artists that have contributed to this project because what they're doing is they're reminding people to pray for Haiti and not to give up on Haiti. So, we need to keep that focus on Haiti right now because we're going to be there for several years. This isn't something we can just go in for a day or two or month or two, it's something that's going to take several years, Kyra.

So, I'm just very grateful to Michael and for Integrity Music and for them taking time to put this together to really make a difference in the lives of Haiti.

PHILLIPS: And, Reverend Graham, you know this, of course, Michael, you know this. I mean worship is one of the most amazing ways to build a ministry. And you've been doing that for a very long time.

You went to Haiti. You were extremely moved by the people with whom you met. Tell me, was there a person, a moment, an experience where you thought here it is, here are the lyrics, here's the song, here's what I'm going to do and that's how I'm going to give back?

MICHAEL W. SMITH, CHRISTIAN SINGER/SONGWRITER: Well, I actually wrote the song before I went to Haiti. I'm so grateful that the whole music community came together in Nashville, Tennessee. It was really an amazing project. Yes, what I saw on the ground in Haiti was disturbing. A lot of despair, a lot of folks with no shelter and starving basically --

PHILLIPS: So, wait, so you already had done the song? You had already written the song?

SMITH: I had already written the song about four days after the earthquake. I didn't really set out to write a song, but I'm in the middle of this new Smitty (ph) project but when I wrote this, I knew it wasn't for my record, I knew it was a song of hope, and I knew it was for Haiti.

PHILLIPS: Okay. So -- and then you went. So, talk about -- I mean here was this amazing song that you had put together, but you also went there and walked those streets and met those people. That must have just fueled your heart even more.

SMITH: Well, it does when you -- gosh, I just remember this one pastor I was with. He lost his wife, he lost his mother, he lost his mother-in-law, and he lost his three-month-old daughter. Fortunately, he rescued his six-year-old son. For him to give a play-by-play of what happened that day and trying to save his wife and just couldn't do it, I mean it was extremely emotional.

I mean you just -- and he's so stoic. His faith is so high. And he doesn't understand why it happened but he's moving on with his life. So, you know, that's probably just one of thousands and thousands of people who are just hurting, but they need us. As Franklin said, this thing needs to be on our radar screen two years from now, three years from now. We can't forget this country and these precious people. PHILLIPS: Well, I have an idea. As you guys know, we got cut short because we've been covering Senator Jim Bunning there on the floor talking about a million people that are trying to get unemployment benefits. I mean, there are people suffering here in the United States, there are people suffering over in Haiti. Reverend Graham, you've done an amazing job supplying those in need, not only here but overseas.

If you don't mind, can we save our remaining time and, Michael, will you sing for us live and take us to break? I want folks to hear the song. I want them to get onto iTunes. I want them to buy the album because five dollars from every album goes toward Haiti, and also now some of the money toward Chile.

SMITH: I think I can do that.

PHILLIPS: Let's do it. Thank you, gentlemen.

(MUSIC)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Usually when you think of the South, you don't think snow, but it's happening, Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEORLOGIST: You better believe it. Check this out, Kyra.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MARCIANO: I promise you, spring is going to get here at some point.

PHILLIPS: Yeah, right.

MARCIANO: Just not today.

PHILLIPS: Okay. We'll try to keep believing. Thanks, Rob.

MARCIANO: See you, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: We're talking about Senator Jim Bunning from Kentucky on the blog today. We asked you what you think about him single- handedly blocking a $10 billion Senate bill. Here's what some of you had to say.

Dean said, "Honestly, I think he did the right thing. He isn't against the extension, he just wants it paid for. Isn't that exactly what the president has requested?"

This came from Jerry. "I'm currently unemployed but I'm afraid I have to agree with Senator Bunning. The government keeps printing money that has know intrinsic value. Ultimately, our money will be worthless, and our economy will collapse."

This comes from Rainn. "My husband and I have a cattle farm in southwestern Virginia. In February of '09, he was laid off, and the income offset the cost of keeping our farm going. If Senator Bunning's block affects us directly, we will be devastated. Here I am, unemployed but hopeful because I've been job hunting and starting to get good feedback, and now this politician threatens what little economic stability I have to make a point."

Remember we want to hear from you. Just log on to CNN.com/kyra to share your comments. We also want you to give us a call, leave us a message. Have you been affected by the unemployment benefits? Here's the number: 877-742-5760. Leave your first name, where you're calling from, and keep your comment to 30 seconds or less. We appreciate it.

Thanks so much for joining us, everyone. See you back here tomorrow. Brooke Baldwin in for Tony Harris.