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Digging Into a Shooter's History; Going the Distance for Work; Navigating the Job Market
Aired March 05, 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: All right, Fred. Have a great weekend.
It is Friday, March 5th, and a razor sharp focus on jobs in the CNN NEWSROOM for you today. Another bandage for the wounded economy. A new report shows unemployment lines weren't as long as predicted for February.
We are shining a spotlight on those who are hard at work, ordinary people doing extraordinary jobs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This would be my executive platinum card. It's fairly cherished considering how much sweat equity I have to put into earning it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Very nice. She is a consultant who, like the George Clooney character, lives life up in the air.
And he is a surgeon who operates on the uninsured for free.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These people don't have health insurance, and I think it's our duty to reach out and help those type of people as often as we can.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: It is go time. Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris.
Let's get to work in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(BUSINESS REPORT)
HARRIS: President Obama talks jobs and the economy later this hour. Live coverage of the president's remarks on clean energy jobs -- the next bubble, the sector that gets us back to pre-cession levels of unemployment, that five percent unemployment rate.
The president's remarks in the CNN NEWSROOM 11:25 Eastern. That's 8:25 Pacific Time. Let's check the other big stories we're following for you today.
A passenger bus wrecks near Phoenix, Arizona, killing six people. A state government spokesman says the bus veered off an interstate and rolled over after rear-ending a car. Fifteen people were injured, five seriously.
A pair of strong aftershocks rocked Chile's quake zone today. One set off brief panic near the epicenter of Saturday's earthquake at Concepcion. Chile's president says a three-day mourning period starts Sunday. Today, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrives to see the damage.
Iraq's leader flexes on a deadline as voters get ready to go to the polls on Sunday. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has not said he would ask U.S. combat troops to stay past August, but he left that possibility open in an exclusive interview with CNN's Arwa Damon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NURI AL-MALIKI, IRAQI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): It just depends on the future on whether the established Iraqi army and police would be enough or not. So this issue is depending on the developments of the circumstances and regulated by the strategic framework agreements between the United States and Iraq.
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, just to clarify, if the situation dictated it, you would be willing to have U.S. forces extend their stay in Iraq?
AL-MALIKI: Absolutely.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: Education is a right, right, right!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: So, NYU students, fed up with the rising costs of higher education, in one of dozens of walkouts held coast-to-coast yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is not a matter of budget, it's a matter of rights. We have a right to education. We have a right to affordable education.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Many of us have to work two jobs to support ourselves to pay school, to then buy our books.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: OK. Following up on yesterday's day of protests, later this hour we will hear from a student organizer in California, where this nationwide movement started.
Police are digging today into the background of a man who opened fire outside the Pentagon. He is dead. Two police officers wounded.
Pentagon Correspondent Chris Lawrence joins us now.
Chris, what do we know about this suspect and his motives?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, we're learning now that he was a well-educated man. In fact, on his Web site, he says he's got a bachelor's degree in physics.
He was apparently living out in California with his parents. He's 36 years old. And he started driving east, making his way east a few weeks ago.
In fact, in addition to the two .9 millimeters that he actually brought here to the Pentagon, when police searched his car that was parked at a shopping mall not too far from here, they found even more ammunition. But at this point they say this was not a terrorist attack.
HARRIS: Well, Chris, how did this guy get guns so close to the Pentagon? That's the question I hear over and over again this day.
LAWRENCE: Yes. Take a listen, Tony, to what the police said about him so we get a better idea of exactly, you know, what they think they're dealing with here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF RICHARD S. KEEVILL, PENTAGON POLICE: It appears he's had some issues in the past. He has had a couple of contacts with the law.
He's a very well-educated individual. Right now we don't know if we have a motive yet.
There is no indication at this point that there are any domestic or international terrorism nexus to this at all. At this time it appears to be a single individual that had issues.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAWRENCE: Yes, he had issues. He had anger, it appears, against the government in general. In fact, we've got some audiotape of him, you know, sort of raising this issue of the government being too intrusive and exerting too much authority over people's lives.
Take a listen. This is in his own words.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN PATRICK BEDELL, ALLEGED PENTAGON SHOOTER: To prevent themselves from being enslaved, the powerful masters of our existing governments use every means at their disposal, including bribery, theft, and murder, to control those governments, which are imperfect institutions operated by imperfect individuals. In order to properly address these very serious matters, it is necessary to recognize the importance of enduring principles for setting a positive direction that we can pursue, mindful of the real threats that we must overcome.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAWRENCE: So, I don't know how that translates to coming into the Pentagon to shoot two police officers, but, Tony, he walked up. They thought he was pulling out an I.D. out of his coat. Instead, he pulled out a gun and started shooting.
HARRIS: Yes. What do those words mean? My goodness.
All right. Chris Lawrence at the Pentagon for us.
Chris, thank you.
LAWRENCE: You're welcome.
HARRIS: You know, she flies all over the world for her job, and now there's a movie about her lifestyle.
And can it be a bit of a warm-up? Rob Marciano working the phones, double checking his forecast. We'll talk to him in a second.
But first, the latest on the Dow, New York Stock Exchange now. And we are in positive territory. The markets seemingly reacting positively to the jobs report. Unemployment holding steady at 9.7 percent.
We will check these numbers throughout the day for you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Unemployment unchanged, and the Labor Department's new report shows employers making fewer job cuts than expected. In this difficult economy, many people go to great lengths for our jobs.
Our Kareen Wynter introduces us to a woman who really goes the distance.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): George Clooney is the 10 million mile man in the Oscar-nominated film "Up in the Air," a frequent flyer whose life is one long business trip.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, "UP IN THE AIR": Oh my God. I wasn't sure this actually existed.
GEORGE CLOONEY, ACTOR, "UP IN THE AIR": It's a concierge key there. Thanks (ph) for being excited today that bad boy came in.
WYNTER: Hard to imagine, but some people actually live this hectic lifestyle and love it.
JENNIFER MOODY, FREQUENT FLYER: This would be my executive platinum card that I have here.
WYNTER: We're talking serious air mileage.
MOODY: This is earned by flying 100,000 miles a year.
WYNTER: That, for some, comes with big rewards. Business traveler Jennifer Moody has her own precious piece of plastic.
MOODY: It's fairly cherished considering how much sweat equity I have to put into earning it.
WYNTER: The health care consultant who travels the world advising medical facilities says her life is up in the air.
MOODY: It's funny, when the movie first came out, my friends would go see it, and then they'd call me and say, "You're not going to believe this, but they made a movie, and George Clooney is starring as you."
It's in my blood, it's my life, and it's something that I can't imagine not doing -- racking up miles.
WYNTER: More than 200,000 last year alone. That was just for work. This year, she hopes to fly past the three-million-mile mark.
(on camera): This is one of the many perks that comes with being a frequent flyer.
MOODY: Absolutely. Massage chairs in some airports. Even showers.
WYNTER (voice-over): Also private bars, comfy lounges, even nurseries.
Forget waiting in long airport lines, fighting for seats at cramped airport gates. The life of an ultimate frequent flyer means access to elite airport clubs like this one at LAX at a discount.
(on camera): So you're going to be boarding in a couple hours. We're going to give you a little quality time.
MOODY: Thanks.
WYNTER (voice-over): She needs it after her last trip that included stops in Miami, London, Chicago and L.A., all in one week.
Moody says she wouldn't have it any other way, and feels for Clooney, who gets grounded in the film when his company cuts back on travel.
CLOONEY: They're pulling us off the road. We're going home.
MOODY: I think I might be devastated. For me, it's my routine, and so being home is a little bit of a disruption.
WYNTER: At 38, she's single and admits there's a downside to the lifestyle.
MOODY: It's very hard to establish relationships. Friendships, I have to work at.
WYNTER: But has no intention of touching down. Her next stop, Vegas. First class, of course.
MOODY: Finally, now I can relax. This is my life, up in the air.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Boy, Vegas, good. I've had enough of it for a while, though.
Kareen Wynter is at the red carpet in front of the Kodak Theatre.
Kareen, great to see you. Any changes --
WYNTER: Hi, Tony.
HARRIS: Hey, good to see you -- in this year's Oscar show?
WYNTER: Just a couple. This year we're having two hosts, Tony, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin, funny men. And they have been playing off each other so well in the media.
And, you know, the Academy is hoping that will be a hit. We saw that happen with Hugh Jackman last year, a small spike in ratings, up to 36 million from 32 million the previous year. So they're hoping that the audience will definitely love it and people will tune in.
And also, Tony, this is really the biggest change -- OK? The best picture category, we're used to seeing just five nominees. Well, they have expanded it to 10 this year, and they're giving people a little bit of everything.
You have a little animation in the Pixar movie "Up." So many different things. Also a little bit of sci-fi with "Avatar."
So they're hoping more people will say, you know what? I have a favorite on that list. I'm going to tune in, I'm going to root for it and see if it will win. So we'll have to see what happens on Sunday, if all of this really plays a part in spiking the ratings.
In the meantime, we're out here, Tony, at the Kodak Theatre. They're laying the groundwork for Sunday's big show.
You have media from all over the country preparing. You have different reporters, camera crews. And if you can see in the backdrop -- at least he was there -- Wolfgang Puck and that amazing display. I'm hoping he can make his way down here so we can sample one of those gold-dusted chocolate statues. But getting quite busy out here. And a little bit of a -- if we can pan up, too, you can see it's tented. The canopy is up.
The good news is that it's not expected to rain on Sunday, but a little rain in the forecast for today and tomorrow. So fingers crossed that it will not rain on Sunday's big parade -- Tony.
HARRIS: Hey, Kareen, I ask you every year, and I don't know that you answer me every year, but I'm going to try it again. Have you picked out your dress? Who are you wearing?
WYNTER: I knew you would ask me this. I was actually sitting here a couple minutes ago thinking, darn it, who's the designer? Who's a big designer? But I can tell you it's red.
I don't go crazy about this stuff. I go in, and then I take five minutes, and whatever is comfortable, Tony.
So, I'm a tomboy at heart, but it's red. That's all I can tell you.
HARRIS: Tomboy at heart.
WYNTER: It's going to be a long day on Sunday.
HARRIS: It really will. All right, Kareen. Good to see you. Maybe I'll get to see you next hour.
Appreciate it. Thank you.
Next hour we focus on how Hollywood is being influenced by African-Americans. It's "What Matters." And the editor-in-chief of "Essence" magazine, Angela Burt-Murray, joins me here in the NEWSROOM.
"SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" will be live with two very special Oscar shows this Sunday, March 7th. Coverage begins with A.J. Hammer and Brooke Anderson live from the red carpet. That's at 7:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN. Coverage continues live on HLN at 11:00 Eastern. And go to CNN.com to rank your favorite celebrity styles.
Fed up with higher tuition and budget cuts, students took their message to the streets yesterday. So what now? We talk with a protest organizer. She's right there in the middle.
Is that right, Jen Cook (ph)?
First, some of your phone calls about the tuition hikes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Let's get you caught up on our top stories right now.
New unemployment numbers out today, and they are somewhat encouraging. Look, 36,000 jobs were lost in February. Fewer than expected. The unemployment rate, steady at 9.7 percent. President Obama discusses clean energy jobs in just a few minutes. See it live, right here in the NEWSROOM, at 11:25 Eastern Time.
The head of Toyota tells employees, let's fix our cars and fix our brand. Akio Toyoda spoke at company headquarters today. He says the automaker should start over.
Toyota's reputation and quality took a hit with the perception it moved too slowly on safety recalls. Federal safety regulators are talk with 10 Toyota drivers now. They say their cars experienced sudden acceleration after Toyota supposedly fixed the problem. That is raising new concern the flaw is in the software, something Toyota denies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEWART STOGEL, TOYOTA CAMRY DRIVER: So they did the computer software revamp, from what I'm told, as well as working on the carpeting and the gas pedal. But in the end, whatever they did didn't work because I almost got into a serious accident last week, after the fix was done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Navigating the job market can be tough, as many of you know, making contact with potential employers, avoiding scams and rip- offs.
Stephanie Elam has some advice on all of that and more in today's "Top Tips" report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Today we're focusing on job-related questions, and viewers have some great ones.
First up, Kyle. Now, Kyle writes, "I recently filled out a job application. I wrote my work e-mail address as a way to contact me. Should I have written another e-mail address?"
Here's the bottom line on this one, Kyle. Yes, totally.
Get a free personal e-mail address like hotmail or gmail when you're looking for work. You don't want to use company resources when you're trying to get a new job, and you never know if someone from your current job may come across e-mails you wouldn't want them to see. What if someone picks up your BlackBerry or maybe the higher-ups can actually scan employees' work e-mails? Don't take the risk, and definitely don't send out your resume from your work e-mail.
All right. Our next question comes from Kristen.
Kristen is in Georgia, and she asks, "I have an upcoming job interview, but the employer wants me to get a credit report before the interview date. They recommend using a specific Web site for this information. Is this legit?"
I'm really glad that this raised your red flags on this one, Kristen, because this is totally a scam. The employer probably isn't real.
We spoke to the Better Business Bureau, and this kind of thing has been happening for years. That Web site that you've been directed to isn't a place to get your credit record, it's a credit monitoring service that charges your credit card every month.
The only place to get your credit report is annualcreditreport.com. And further, if a legit employer wants to check out your credit, they're going to pull it themselves. And if you ever have any kind of doubt about a employer's legitimacy, check it out with the Better Business Bureau at BBB.org.
All right. Last question coming from Jim, who writes in, "I need help locating green jobs."
I have a feeling Jim is not alone, but, Jim, your best for finding a green job is to look locally. If conservation is your passion, join local conservation groups, look for nonprofit volunteering groups at idealist.org. And check out local networking resources like meetup.com or a nearby chapter of Green Drinks International.
There are also a number of job boards dedicated to finding green jobs. Check out sites like greenbiz.com, renewableenergyworld.com and treehugger.com.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Stephanie, appreciate it. Thank you.
Some patients in Kentucky who can't afford health insurance are extremely lucky. They are getting the care they need from our CNN Hero of the week. Dr. Andy Moore is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: All right. So you punch that time clock, do your job, and then you head home. For a lot of folks, work is just a routine part of life, right? But for some it is a chance to help others.
Our CNN Hero of the Week, Dr. Andy Moore. The Kentucky surgeon is reaching out to a lot of people in his community who don't have health insurance.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I went to go see Dr. Moore, this is what he had seen. Would you like to see it? I developed skin cancer from too much sun exposure. When I see this I just -- I have a hard time looking at this photo right now. DR. ANDY MOORE, PLASTIC SURGEON: This cancer was so far advanced, eventually it would have killed him. He felt that he could not afford to have the surgery. In this economic time, our friends and family can't wait. They need this health care now.
All right, bud. How you doing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A little nervous.
MOORE: Yes. Well, you'd be a little crazy if you weren't a little nervous. That's OK.
Today he's now back for that operation to reconstruct his nose.
We're going to give you some joy juice to take care of that.
I'm Dr. Andy Moore. I'm a plastic surgeon.
They perform free surgical procedures on people that have no health insurance.
When I started 26 years ago, now we just simply make the call to the hospital and say I've got somebody I'm going to do for free. It became more complex with computers and HMOs and insurance company. These people don't have health insurance, and I think it's our duty to reach out and help those type of people as often as we can.
It's about what I went into medicine for. It's about taking care of people and not necessarily expecting something in return for it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Boy, I've got to tell you, so far, Dr. Andy Moore and his organization have treated more than 3,000 patients free of charge. We have more on Dr. Moore and his entire family working in the OR at CNN.com/heroes. And while you're there, nominate someone you think is changing the world.
Clean energy, green jobs -- President Obama hopes they will help jump start the job market. We will bring you the president's remarks live from Arlington, Virginia, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Here's the question -- will democracy or religion rule in Iraq? As voters go to the polls this weekend, a lot riding obviously on this election.
CNN's Arwa Damon reports now from Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The vote is set to take place on Sunday, and what happens afterwards is described as the most decisive moment in Iraq's history since 2003. The government that emerges will determine if Iraq stays on this path of democracy, if that's what you want to call it, or if it moves towards being a more conservative religious state.
The race has proven to be very close. We've seen all sorts of dirty politics and smear campaigning. And there is also the threat and reality that the post-election period could prove to be even more violent, as several groups outside of the political process have said that they will launch significant attacks if the government that emerges is perceived to be by them as sectarian as this one. Security is definitely at the forefront of all voters' minds as they head towards the polls.
Now, we asked the Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki how he assesses the security situation -- he said that things were most definitely significantly better -- and also about the state of mind of Iraqis.
NURI AL-MALIKI, PRIME MINISTER OF IRAQ (through translator): I would ask you to listen to the people and how they are now staying until midnight on the streets. See the streets of Baghdad which were deserted and life used to stop early in the evening.
DAMON: Mr. Prime Minister, to respectfully disagree, people that we're talking to say they're still scared. They're still scared of an attack, they're still scared of being caught in the crossfire. Of course the situation is better, but they do carry that fear within them.
AL-MALIKI (through translator): They are talking about incidents like what we see happening now, but they are not talking about violence that used to happen when we wouldn't move between neighborhoods.
DAMON: But for many Iraqis, it's not about just having the ability to move from one neighborhood to another. Remember, this is a nation that has suffered through seven years of war, has seen some of the more brutal things that one man can do to another, so any attack, no matter how small, has a very significant impact.
The concern amongst many Iraqis is that perhaps the government that emerges will prove to be as ineffective as this one. Remember, most Iraqis are still looking for the basics from their government, things like water, electricity, jobs. But again, at the forefront of everyone's mind, security.
Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Arwa, appreciate it. Thank you.
A live picture now from where the president will be speaking momentarily. This is OPOWER, Arlington, Virginia, and this is a company -- let's see here -- that creates software products that promote energy efficiency. The president is all about green jobs today. The president is scheduled to start any minute now. When the president begins his remarks, we will take you back to Arlington live.
A very, very vocal protest against the rising cost of higher education moves across the nation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today, we are united. We are united at 13 other campuses today, all throughout Colorado, with a clear and coherent message -- Higher ed is dying and it is too valuable to lose.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Let's get you caught up now on our top stories as we await the president's remarks from Arlington, Virginia, on green jobs.
A bus wreck in Arizona takes the lives of six people and injures more than a dozen others. Several people were thrown from the bus when it veered off an interstate and flipped over.
Deadly gunfire at the entrance to the Pentagon. Investigators are digging into the gunman's background right now. He's been identified as 36-year-old John Patrick Bedell of California. Police say he was shot after slightly wounding two officers; Bedell died overnight.
Once again, let's see that live picture. OPOWER, that is in Arlington, Virginia. Clean energy and green jobs, President Obama hopes they will help jump start the economy and the job market more specifically. The president moments away from making his remarks.
We'll sneak in a quick break, we're back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Boy, CNN iReporters are sending us terrific images from the front lines of yesterday's National Day of Action. Protests like this held coast to coast. Students, educators and supporters challenging budget cuts and tuition increases. This video from one of our iReporters outside the state capital in Denver.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You guys deserve an education, right? We deserve, as faculty, the opportunity to be able to teach you guys.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: All right, let's take you now to Arlington, Virginia, and the president of the United States.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: -- it's generating jobs and it's putting America on the path to a clean energy future. And I understand last year that you doubled your workforce thanks to Bonnie - (APPLAUSE)
-- you're hoping to hire another hundred workers this year. And so this is a model of what we want to be seeing all across the country. Our goal for the economy is to show similar job growth in the months ahead.
This morning we learned that in February our economy lost an additional 36,000 jobs. Now, this is actually better than expected, considering the severe storms all along the East Coast are estimated to have had a depressing effect on the numbers. And it shows that the measures that we're taking to turn our economy around are having some impact. But even though it's better than expected, it's more than we should tolerate.
Far too many Americans remain out of work. Far too many families are still struggling in these difficult economic times. And that's why I'm not going to rest, and my administration is not going to rest, in our efforts to help people who are looking to find a job; to help business owners who want to expand feel comfortable hiring again. And we're not going to rest until our economy is working again for the middle class, and for all Americans.
And that's why my immediate priority is not only providing relief to people who are out of work, but also to help the private sector create jobs and put America back to work. Earlier this week, after breaking through a political logjam that some of you probably saw if you were watching TV, Congress passed and I signed into law a bill that extends unemployment insurance to help people who've been laid off get through these hard times. It also extended COBRA so that folks who've lost their jobs don't lose their health insurance, and it extended financing for small businesses, and makes it possible for 2,000 furloughed transportation workers to go back to work.
So signing this bill and getting relief out the door swiftly is absolutely essential. But it's only a temporary step. The relief I signed into law will last about a month. And that's why I'm calling [on] Congress to extend this relief through the end of the year. And because the best form of economic relief is a quality job, I'm also calling on Congress to pass jobs measures that cut taxes, increase lending, incentivize expansion for businesses both large and small.
Now, both the House and the Senate have passed a bill that would give businesses a payroll tax refund for every person hired this year. And for companies that are considering expanding, this credit could help them decide to bring an extra employee or two this year. So for companies like OPOWER that are doing pretty well and already expanding, the tax credit may help them decide to hire even more workers more quickly. So instead of a hundred, maybe we get 110, 115. We'll see.
(APPLAUSE)
This bill would also encourage small companies to expand by permitting them to write off expenses for new equipment. And while it's by no means enough, this legislation is an important step on the road to recovery, and I look forward to signing it into law.
Now, even as we fight to help the private sector create more jobs, and even as we fight to bring about a full economic recovery, we know that there have been success stories all across America. OPOWER is one of those success stories. This is a company that works with utilities to help folks understand their energy costs and how they can save money on their energy bills. And for the press, if you weren't able to hear, this board testifies to the number of kilowatt hours that have been saved, the amount of money that's gone back into consumers' pockets, and the amount of carbon that has been taken out of the atmosphere as a consequence of the great work that these people at OPOWER are doing.
Now, part of the reason I suspect you're growing is that you're doing your jobs well. But I also know that a big part of the reason is that you're seizing the opportunities of the future. The jobs of tomorrow will be jobs in the clean energy sector, and this company is a great emblem for that. That's why my administration is taking steps to support a thriving clean energy industry across this country -- an industry that's making solar panels, and building wind turbines, producing cutting-edge batteries for fuel-efficient cars and trucks, and helping consumers get more control over their energy bills.
And that's also why earlier this week I urged Congress to enact a new initiative we're calling Homestar that would offer homeowners rebates for making their homes more energy-efficient -- rebates worth up to $1,500 for individual home upgrades and up to $3,000 for retrofitting their entire home. So if they're getting this good information from OPOWER and they see that, boy, that drafty window is costing me a couple of hundred bucks a year, they're now going to have an incentive to go to Home Depots or go to Lowes to hire a certified contractor and make the changes that will ultimately pay for themselves, improve our environment, and improve our economy.
I want to thank, by the way, your home state senator, Mark Warner, for his great work on Homestar in the Senate.
Think about the way that the rebates we're talking about could help spur private sector job growth. It could not only help businesses like OPOWER to help consumers make their homes more energy efficient, it's also going to create business for the local contractors and the companies hired to upgrade homes. These companies then, in turn, have to purchase supplies and that creates business for retailers. These retailers would need to restock their shelves, and that creates business for manufacturers. And almost all the goods that are required to make homes more energy efficient are actually produced right here in the United States of America. It's very hard to ship an energy-efficient window across an ocean.
So, yes, people who are out of work right now need some immediate relief. Yes, we need to extend unemployment insurance and COBRA to help Americans weather these tough times. And, yes, we've got to do everything we can to help the private sector create jobs right now.
But even as we do, we also need to replicate the success of clean energy companies like OPOWER. We need to invest in the jobs of the future and in the industries of the future, because the country that leads in clean energy and energy efficiency today, I'm absolutely convinced, is going to lead the global economy tomorrow. I want that country to be the United States of America. I want companies like OPOWER to be expanding and thriving all across America. It's good for consumers. It's good for our economy. It's good for our environment.
It's wonderfully exciting to be here. And I think when you look at this group that's gathered here, you can see the future in this company. So thanks for the great work you guys are doing. Let's see if we can replicate your success all across the country.
Thank you very much, everybody.
(APPLAUSE)
HARRIS: OK, President Obama talking clean energy and clean economy at OPOWER in Arlington, Virginia. The president acknowledging the better-than-expected news from the jobs report but also saying that more needs to be done.
And here is what we're working on for the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM.
How did February's unemployment rate manage to hold steady when the U.S. economy is still shedding jobs? We've grabbed an economist from Georgia Tech to help explain that to all of us.
And "Essence" magazine honors black Hollywood at its annual Oscars luncheon. We will hear about the African-American influence on today's film industry next hour right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: California students are among the hardest hit, as you may know, by tuition hikes. Thousands took to the streets across the country to protest yesterday. Whitney Thompson is president of Students for a Quality Education at Cal State-Fresno.
Whitney, good to see you. Good morning.
WHITNEY THOMPSON, PRESIDENT, STUDENTS FOR A QUALITY EDUCATION, CSU-FRESNO: Good morning.
HARRIS: Hey, Whitney, what did you accomplish yesterday?
THOMPSON: Well, yesterday we had a wonderful turnout and a fantastic energy. I think we reached more people in telling them about how students are affected and showing them that we're really concerned about our future and our education situation right now.
HARRIS: Whitney, ultimately, what do you want done here? Come on, these are difficult economic times, as you know. What do you want done here?
THOMPSON: Well, we've had already like a billion dollars cut from the CSU funding in the past two years. So I mean I know it's tough decisions, but thousands of eligible students are being turned away right now from the CSU. And they -- basically, we're the job force of the future, so if we want grads to get in the job force, they are it.
HARRIS: Let's see here, I think we've got some full screens here. You've got a 32 percent hike in student fees set to go into effect this fall, is that correct?
THOMPSON: Yes. Oh, no, we just had a 32 percent fee increase, yes.
HARRIS: Yes, OK. So here are the numbers. Let's see you paid, what, $1,700 in 1999, then last year you paid $3,000. OK, you can see the increase there. Now with this hike you're paying $4,000.
OK, how optimistic are you that you can reverse the trend line here?
THOMPSON: Well, we're hoping really to get additional sources of funding, but also a freeze would be wonderful too. We really have just been hurt so much that we just -- I don't think we can face any more cuts without losing quality education at our schools.
HARRIS: OK, so are you going to keep this going? Are you going to keep the protests going?
THOMPSON: Oh, yes, we already have a bunch planned after this one. It's not over.
HARRIS: All right. Well, Whitney, appreciate it. We'll follow your efforts, all right?
THOMPSON: Thank you very much.
HARRIS: Thanks for being patient. We appreciate it.
You know, we are tracking the jobless rates across the country. Which states have jobs, which do not. Our CNN money team joins me next hour right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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