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Economy's Turning Point; Bail Decision for Militia; Why Isn't Harrisburg Hurting as Much?; Man Who Wanted "I'm Gay" License Plate Found Dead; "I Hope My Child Dies Before Me"

Aired April 02, 2010 - 09:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, yes. OK. Moving right along.

Happy Friday all. Good Friday morning. And over the next couple of hours, we're going to show you just how tough it is to be a Rhode Islander right now.

Imagine dealing with this over the Easter weekend. The 200-year flood leaving scars that are not going away any time soon.

The girl bullied to death, two similar stories from other schools. Is it just us? Are we just hyper aware now or are these bully stories with the tragic endings happening more often?

And you think these pictures are worth a thousand words? Not even close. For the families of fallen soldiers, they are priceless beyond words. The guy drawing them says this isn't what he does. It's what he's become.

We begin this morning with the power of the paycheck. Just minutes ago, we learned that the nation's economy is showing new signs of strength. Employers added 162,000 jobs to the payrolls last month.

Here is some perspective. That's only the second month of gain since the recession began 27 months ago.

That's right, only the second time that jobs have been added. Any number of jobs at all since December of '07.

Economists say that this morning's news marks a significant turning point in the economy and that the worst may finally be over.

Now I know what you might be thinking right now. Kyra, I'm out of work. I don't have a job. I need help. Not a mash-mash of numbers.

Got it. And that's why Christine Romans is here. She joins us live from New York.

So, Christine, help our viewers who are out there saying, OK, what do I do? Where are these job losses? Where are the gains? And where can I get work?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, for the first time in three years, you've seen meaningful jobs creation, 162,000. That's something, Kyra. There is an awful long way to go.

And the unemployment rates, while steady for everyone, 9.7 percent as a whole, unemployment rates did creep up for blacks, Hispanics, and teens. These are three areas that have had very high unemployment.

Also the long-term unemployed -- I want to flag you to this, Kyra -- 44.1 percent of people out of work have been out of work for more than six months. That is, as one economist told me, off the charts.

It is a record high. It raises serious policy questions about how we are going to get people back to work who have been shut out of what may be a nascent little recovery here overall.

You know I have talked to you a lot, Kyra, about health care jobs, education jobs. Those have been coming back and are coming back again in this report. Also saw some gains in manufacturing, Kyra. For the first time since June 2007, we saw some construction jobs.

So there are these bright spots where they're showing that some employers are a little more -- a little more able to hire.

Also, census jobs, Kyra, 48,000 of those workers were added to the payrolls in the month.

PHILLIPS: And we've talked about certain states that are hiring more than others. I mean is there anything you could tell our viewers about, you know, where they should move to, what states have the most jobs right now. You know, who exactly is hiring?

ROMANS: That's a really good question. You see, we call it Eds and Meds. Education and health care. Any place in the country where there is a big health care facility that's growing, a big education facility that's growing, we've seen the south do better than the rest of the country.

We've seen the west lag with the rest of the country. We have seen some parts of the Midwest where the manufacturing, I would say, collapse has slowed a little bit. So, depending on where you live, and where you can move, there are some different and better opportunities.

One thing, Kyra, is that it's so hard to sell the house when you're under water. So it's one reason why last year was the second worst year on record for being able to move to find or take a new job.

So the hope here is that when companies start to hire again, people start to spend a little money again, and then hopefully you can start to try to move again and the housing crisis eases, and then you have that purely American flavored labor market that's very dynamic, people are quick and move around, that that will start to come back.

There's a lot of work to do. And I want to be really clear on this point. We lost 8.4 million jobs in the recession. If we created twice as many jobs as we did in March, it would take five years to get back to where we began in 2008. We have a lot of work to do. The president is going to talk in Charlotte, North Carolina at noon about the work we have to do. I'm going to be very interested to see what kind of language the White House employs. They want to celebrate the fact that we're creating jobs finally again.

And this is a turning point. We're finally creating jobs. Yet, we have an awful lot of work to do before people at home can hear these statistics and feel better about it.

PHILLIPS: I'll be tracking the president and what he has to say.

Thanks, Christine, so much.

And just in case you didn't know, but here in our program we try to help you every Thursday. It's called "30-Second Pitch." It's about you selling yourself to perspective employers.

All you have to do is send your resume and a letter to 30- SecondPitch@CNN.com and if you want to hire our 30-second pitchers, you just go to our blog, CNN.com/Kyra, and their pitches and e-mails will all be there.

Later this morning, President Obama talks about putting your tax dollars to work to create jobs. He'll be at a North Carolina company that has hired new workers with money from the economic stimulus programs.

We're going to carry his remarks live. As you know, Christine just mentioned. That's scheduled for about 11:55 Eastern Time.

And throughout the next couple of hours, we'll be focusing on jobs. At the bottom of the hour are, Poppy Harlow looks at one town where the jobs market is shining brightly.

So what's the secret in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania? Those answers, 9:30 Eastern.

Then next hour, what happens when the unemployment checks dry up? CNN's Brianna Keilar talks with some folks who are about to lose their jobless benefits. She tells us what you can do.

He's on the phone. President Obama called his Chinese counterpart to talk a little about Iran and possible sanctions. China has been opposed to actions against Iran. Nuclear negotiators from those two countries are actually meeting right now in Beijing.

And President Hu is coming to Washington later this morning for a White House-sponsored nuclear summit.

Israeli war planes on the attack hitting targets in Gaza this morning. The military says they hit suspected weapons factories and storage warehouses. Israel actually dropped leaflets to warn people around those weapon depots that an attack was coming. It's a response to recent rocket launches into Israeli neighborhoods. So here is a question for you. Were they really planning to overthrow the government or just playing war in the woods? A judge is actually deciding today whether eight Christian militia members arrested in Michigan should be released on bail.

Susan Candiotti is in New York.

Susan, there is still nine defendants, correct?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. One of them is not in Michigan right now. So that's why we are only talking about eight defendants at the moment, Kyra.

But as the government and the suspects wait for a decision, this interesting detail about how part of last weekend's roundup began. The FBI set up a fake scenario to lure at least five of the militia members to one spot in order to make a less dangerous arrest.

So the FBI says they wanted the men unarmed. They had them meet reportedly for a fake funeral according to a militia member. Actually, it was a wake following -- for the death of someone who had died.

But now that they're all in jail, seven men and one woman, expect a decision on whether they should be sprung on bail until trial. The government argues the Hutaree militiamen are way too dangerous to be set free.

They're charged with attempting to use homemade bombs. The charge causes them weapons of mass destruction to kill law enforcement officers, to stir things up.

Now prosecutors said the Hutaree appeared to mean it. The charges, sedition to overthrow the government.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW ARENA, FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: Their goal was not for these nine people to personally overthrow the United States government. The theory behind this and it's the same theory with any extremist group out there -- from any religious group or ethnic or racial, the concept is we are going to basically start the war. Knowing that we are going to be martyred.

But we're not going to defeat the government but the goal is to martyr themselves and to basically be the spark for the revolution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: Now defense attorneys argue their clients are all bluster and that they have a right to complain about the government all they want. So far, the lawyers say, they haven't seen any proof and claim prosecutors are just trying to scare people.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) WILLIAM SWOR, ATTORNEY FOR ACCUSED RINGLEADER: It's set to create an atmosphere of fear. The government has to prove that its evidence supports that claim. And our position at this point is that they have not. And we will continue to push the issue to force the government to prove its claims.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: Now was this just a bunch of lunatic talk from some people on the fringe? Could they have pulled this off?

The FBI had an undercover agent who they say was invited into the group and won its confidence. Detroit's top agent says they did not entrap the group. The FBI says the Hutaree had the idea to build bombs long before they got involved. Kyra?

PHILLIPS: OK. We'll follow with you. Thanks so much, Susan.

And forget the pat-down, we're talking about new rules for airport security. Overseas investigators getting something different to focus on before pulling people out of line.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And we've got some rough weather we may be dealing with today. A better day for the eastern seaboard. For the center of the country, we have a couple of severe thunderstorm watches in effect and maybe some tornadoes before all is said and done.

We'll have more on that coming up in just a few moments. You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: The worst flooding in about 200 years. You're not going to recover from that overnight. That's for sure.

Check out what many Rhode Islanders will be dealing with Easter weekend. City officials predict it's going to take tens of millions of dollars to actually deal with this mess and months to recover. Epic flood, epic heartache.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD NELSON, FLOOD VICTIM: It's just a heartache to see it stuck in the garage where the water was and you couldn't do anything about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano tours the flooded areas today. President Obama is offering as much federal help as needed.

And the wind, rain, and snow packing a punch in western Washington. Forecasters say that a storm like this is pretty uncommon for this time of year. The nasty weather probably going to make traveling this Easter weekend pretty tough.

What do you think, Reynolds?

WOLF: I'm absolutely with you. You know, it's kind of a hodgepodge around the nation. The Eastern Seaboard getting a much needed break.

Out to the west, things are kind of interesting to say the least, and right and smack-dab in the middle of the U.S., we've got a fairly intense storm system that's going to mean a lot of different things to millions of people.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WOLF: That's the latest. Let's send it back to you at the desk.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Reynolds.

Ever find yourself in a difficult situation like the fellow in this ultra light aircraft? He can fly, but can he land?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: A chilling quote. The blood of babies is in your hands. That comment coming from 52-year-old Scott Roeder, as he was led out of a Wichita, Kansas courtroom yesterday at his sentencing trial.

The comment was directed at the prosecuting attorney in his murder trial. Roeder was sentenced to life for killing Dr. George Tiller who performed abortions.

A wreath and black bunting for an Illinois mayor. Mourners gathered at city hall in Washington Park, Illinois to remember Mayor John Thornton. Thornton was shot twice in the chest while driving yesterday. Police have one person in custody. They are looking for a second.

It ain't the fall that hurts. Well, it's the landing. Maybe you might want someone else to teach you how to fly one of these ultra light aircraft. This pilot got stuck after hitting a tree at Valley Force Park just outside Philly.

The pilot, he's fine but maybe a little embarrassed. Our affiliate WPVI tells us the pilot uses his backyard as landing strip.

Honoring fallen heroes and noted artists moves past celebrity portraits now helping families heal. And there is no cost. But the rewards are immeasurable.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: A lasting impression for families of fallen heroes. Michael Reagan is a Vietnam vet. As an artist, he's made a living drawing celebrities and sports star. But now he's making his mark by turning to something that he feels is even more important. CNN all-platform journalist Patrick Ottman brings us this story. And I guarantee, this one will probably bring a tear to your eye.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL REAGAN, ARTIST: Last week, I was here two straight days without sleeping. You know, it hurts. There's days that I'm down in this room that's incredibly painful, looking into a beautiful young woman's eyes who I know didn't come home.

I am drawing free portraits of every soldier that dies in the war against terrorism. I work with dead people every day -- a different two every day -- who have stories and whose families love them and whose stories are not going to end, and whose families are going to miss them forever.

This isn't something I'm doing. This is something I've become.

So what I receive on a daily basis is envelopes like this. This is from Corona, California. And what will be inside of this will be photographs and a story and other pieces of information about the soldier that I'm going to draw. There he is right there.

Incredible love, compassion, sadness. There were tears when I started this morning. I've done pictures with daughters and sons, husbands and wives, and just trying to talk to them about everything I know about. Trying to assure them I am going to do the best I can to get this picture home.

The daughter -- when they get this picture -- is going to always now have this image of she and her dad way after she grows up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is for you. This is for you. It's just that it looks so perfect. It looks so the same.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And beautiful.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. He changed my day today, because when I saw that picture, I thought he was alive.

REAGAN: Imagine that. I am helping people who have suffered the greatest loss anybody can ever realize. And I'm doing it just by drawing a picture. It's worth every minute I spend.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: And if you want to know more about Michael Reagan and his Fallen Heroes Project, check out his Web site, FallenHeroesProject.org. There you can check out some of his pictures and even request one of your own.

(MUSIC)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Unemployment for March, same as February, 9.7 percent, unless you're in Pennsylvania's capital. Harrisburg is so below average and that's a good thing. So what's the secret? And can we put it in a bottle and sell it?

We'll ask Poppy Harlow for CNNmoney.com. She's always working hard -- working a hard day's night. And yes, wouldn't that be nice if we could bottle that up and sell it?

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Yes.

PHILLIPS: Create all kinds of jobs.

HARLOW: That's true. That's true.

(LAUGHTER)

HARLOW: Yes, you know, this is interesting. We're in Central, Pennsylvania. You see the Harrisburg skyline behind me, Kyra.

This is a town that, of course, they're reeling from the recession. But their unemployment rate is 8.4 percent. It's well below that national average. They didn't have the housing boom and the housing bust.

And what's also interesting is even as the rest of the country have been bleeding construction jobs, just a few months ago, this was the city that was leading the nation in construction jobs growth. So we decided to pack our bags and come out here and talk to the folks and try to figure out why that is.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JUSTIN WHITE, NEW HIRE, JEM GROUP: It's a good American town.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's been very stable, very good for the construction industry.

DAVID BLACK, HARRISBURG AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: We didn't have the boom. We didn't have a lot of speculation.

HARLOW (voice-over): And that's why residents say Pennsylvania's capital is faring better than many cities when it comes to jobs. Especially construction jobs, which are in short supply almost everywhere else.

BLACK: Our economy is based on government. It is based on health care. It is based on higher education. When you have a balanced economy that helps you when you hit a recessionary period.

HARLOW (on camera): All right, so Harrisburg, Pennsylvania is clearly bucking the trend. Their construction industry a lot stronger than other cities across the country. Their unemployment rate, a lot lower.

But you've got to talk to people that run businesses here to figure out why that is. We're going to see Jessica Meyers. She runs a construction management firm. She actually just hired employees.

Let's find out why.

Thank you for having us. Can we go see some of the projects?

JESSICA MEYERS, OWNER, JEM GROUP: Absolutely.

HARLOW: I know they're right around here, right?

MEYERS: Yes.

HARLOW: So this is -- this is, like, what, midway through renovation or so?

MEYERS: Yes. Let's see, we're probably two-thirds of the way through project.

HARLOW (voice-over): Jessica Meyers started her construction company here six years ago growing it to 18 full-time employees by expanding into property management, not just construction. That's allowed her to bring on three recent hires.

MEYERS: We had over 100 resumes for one position.

HARLOW: Justin White got one of those positions but only after being out of work for almost a year.

WHITE: It was definitely a humbling experience being out of work. No health insurance.

HARLOW (on camera): You said the first time you were unemployed was when?

(LAUGHTER)

WHITE: Last year was the first time ever. I mean, I've had a job since I was 14 years old. Never been without a job. I just didn't know how to react without one.

HARLOW (voice-over): But Myers hired him, just before the unemployment checks ran out. Another one of her employees Feron Clouser moved to Harrisburg back in the '80s for the job stability and stayed for the same reason.

(on camera): It is interesting when you look at the monthly jobs report, every month, construction, one of the worst sectors, but not here.

Feron Clouser, SUPERINTENDENT, JEM GROUP: Yes. We are very lucky. And I just attribute that to the local businesses, you know, the people who live here have a strong work ethic.

HARLOW (voice-over): But it takes more than that these days to find work, even here.

WHITE: Without jobs like this, people like me are standing in the unemployment line.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: And, thank goodness, Kyra that Justin is not in the unemployment line. You can really see it behind me. There is a baseball stadium over there that they are building for their minor league team. He is helping build that right now. What it comes down Kyra here, is that they've got a lot of government jobs. This is the state capital. They have a lot of universities around this town. They have education jobs and they have major health care centers. You've got that perfect combination plus the fact that as they like to say in this town, slow and steady wins the race, Kyra. They didn't make big housing but they are sure happy about that now. That is why this town is doing better than almost any in the country when it comes to the job picture -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Slow and steady, sounds like a mantra we need to all pick up, Poppy. Thanks so much.

And don't forget, you can improve your job situation starting right here. We give you 30 seconds to make your pitch on the air. Who knows, your dream employer might be watching. We do it every Thursday. Just send us your resume and a letter to 30second pitch@CNN.com and maybe we will see it on the TV. Also, if you want to hire one of our 30-second peeps, what you do is go to our blogs, CNN.com/Kyra. Their pitches and e-mails will be there.

A 15-year-old bullied to death, outraged parents calling for school staff to quit and now the school is fighting back against the parents.

And look at what Sheriff Joe is doing now in Arizona. He is the lawman famous for putting inmates in tends, charging them for meals and dressing them in pink underwear. Now, he is channeling Olivia Newton John, maybe Richard Simmons, maybe both. Jail birds, who want to watch TV have to get on the bike, pedal to power until 19 set. And then they get to watch any channel. Well, almost any channel. Sheriff says that he hopes this will inspire inmates to get off their dust and exercise. So, far away, the lady inmate has expressed interest.

Still in their prison striped duff watching the weather channel, food network or c-span.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: The priest sex abuse scandal nowhere has it rock the Catholic Church more than in Germany. And the accusations have exposed nationwide concerns about pedophilia and what's being done to confront it.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen takes a closer look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDRICK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Josef Haslinger says, he was 12 years old when priests in the Catholic Church school he was attending starting touching him. Now, Haslinger is saying something many believe he is unthinkable. He doesn't feel like a victim.

JOSEF HASLINGER, AUTHOR, PROFESSOR: I was placed there football, whatever and then the priest took you and went somewhere with you and started to play these things. So, it was some kind of introduction into sexuality which is not against my will. I was a part of it. I wanted to know that. I wanted to play these games as well.

PLEITGEN: Haslinger is a best-selling author and a university professor. But his comments made in editorial in one of Germany's biggest newspapers are causing outrage, especially among victims' rights groups.

Norbert Denef who says, he was abused by a priest and another church employee for nine years says, make no mistake, sexual relations between adults and minors are always a crime.

NORBERT DENEF, VICTIM OF CHILD ABUSE (through a translator): We are talking about love, friendship and pedophilia. But there is other wrong word, it has absolutely nothing to do with love and friendship. Those that have these criminal thoughts are trying to brush the severity aside.

PLEITGEN: As Germany is confronted with a massive child abuse scandal in Catholic Church. Many are calling for tougher laws and a crackdown on what some said as a pedophile culture among clergy. But others say, therapy could help prevent such cases. Berlin's Charity hospital was one of the first in the world to start a pedophile counseling project. In this TV commercial, they urge men to get psychiatric help before it is too late and they abuse a child.

GERARD SCHAEFER: There are many pedophiles who never cause any harm to any child. Stigmatizing them as perverts, criminals or whatever is completely wrong and won't help anyone.

PLEITGEN: The project does not accept men who have already committed crimes against children. Other cities in Germany are now thinking of starting similar projects. We spoke to a confessed pedophile who was part of the therapy and did not want to reveal his identity. We also used a fictitious name. He says, he has never abused the child.

MANFRED, CONFESSES PEDOPHILE (through translator): "If society could accept me the way I am, I could say publicly, I have this urge. I am sorry. Please understand the way I am."

PLEITGEN: Joseph Haslinger says, he understands the controversy his remarks have caused. But he says, one thing is not in dispute. Germany like so many countries in the world has to confront this problem, whether that is through therapy or prisons for pedophiles.

Fred Pleitgen, Germany.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: He should be burning in hell, that's just one of the critical messages that a Massachusetts School Superintendent says, he has received in wake of the 15-year-old Phoebe Princes suicide. Gus Sayer is pushing back against parents that say administrators should resign, Sayer says that the staff at South Hadley High only became aware that Prince being targeted by classmates one week before she hung herself. Superintendent also noted two incidents which resulted in disciplinary action against students.

And a really dramatic scene went down right here. Chicago police thought the shooting was all over. They responded to the crime scene. The ambulances had taken victims to the hospital. The officers were standing down. Then, down the block, somebody cussed. And as a video journalist said, that's when all he'll broke loose. Well, it started flying again, everyone hit the ground. Journalist says that it was a miracle that no officers were hurt. A couple of people were slightly injured in the second shooting, former seriously wounded in the first one. We are back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Leave office or else, you will be removed. What is that mean? A message was sent out to 30 governors by a sovereign rights group. The FBI is checking it out.

Now, CNN's Jeanne Meserve is at the Security Desk in Washington with more. Jean, what would you been able to find out?

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, there is no credible and immediate threat contain in the letters that have now been received by more than 30 governors across the United States. We have received a note, this was issued by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security talking about this situation. And it does say that these letters were issued by a sovereign citizen extremist groups. And it told the state governors to vacate their positions within three days. And it said, if they didn't do so, the plan, their restore America plan, would call for their removal who fails -- the removal of any governor who fails to comply. Dhs, it says, has no specific information that this removal refers to a specific plan to use violence.

However, law enforcement should be aware that this could be interpreted as a justification for violence or other criminal actions. We've talked to one governor's office that has received some of these letters. That's the office of Governor James Gibbons of Nevada, a staffer there said that they received one letter on Monday. Another three letters yesterday. One of them by fax. They were not handwritten. Although, they did contain handwritten signatures. So, this is a continuing story. Something the FBI and DHS very much keeping an eye on and we are too. Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: OK. Good, we will track it with you. Jeanne Meserve, thanks so much.

(WEATHER REPORT) PHILLIPS: Smacked down twice by autism. It's hard enough for parents to deal with the heartache of the diagnosis. Then, there is the worry of paying for treatment, not just now but for the rest of the child's life.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: We first told you about Keith Kimmel in February. Does that name ring a bell? He's the Oklahoma man who sued the state because it turned down his license plate request. Kimmel wanted, "I'm gay" on his tag, just like this. Oklahoma said, no way. Could be offensive to the general public, they said.

We have an update to this story and a pretty disturbing one. Keith Kimmel, dead at 28; his body found two days ago. The official cause of death, still a question; but apparently Keith had a run-in with Tulsa Police last week, spent the night in the hospital and filed a complaint days before his death.

Carla Wade from CNN affiliate, KOCO has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MEAGAN GOODE, FRIEND OF KEITH KIMMEL: I was on MySpace, you know, talking to Keith, hanging out with him. I had to go to bed. And then this morning, you know I put, "OK, the guy I just talked to not even six hours ago is dead."

CARLA WADE, REPORTER, KOCO (voice-over): Megan Goode was up Tuesday night chatting with Keith Kimmel in Kerri Logsdon's (ph) apartment. Kimmel, recently homeless and living at times in his car had been staying there since returning from Tulsa this past weekend.

That's where Kimmel said cops beat him up after breaking up a fight he was involved in at a gay bar March 26th. Logsdon then took these pictures of Kimmel and gave them to the Web site escapeokc.com just before he filed a complaint Monday against the Tulsa Police Department accusing them of brutality and using excessive force.

In that complaint, Kimmel says police arrested him and handcuffed him. Then, he says, they slammed him on to the hood of a car in the bar's parking lot. During this time, Kimmel said he was never read his rights. He says, at one point, officers threatened to dislocate his joints and made negative comments about his weight and sexual preference.

Kimmel also said when he complained about pain officers remarked that they were, quote, "experts at putting people in their place without leaving marks. They train us on that."

Everything he did he thought he was doing the right thing not only for himself, but for the gay community as a whole.

WADE: We called the Tulsa Police Department for comment, but they did not return our calls. There's no way of knowing yet if what Kimmel says happened to him in Tulsa may have contributed to his death, but Kerri thinks so.

KERRI LOGSDON, KEITH KIMMEL'S FRIEND: Well, I think it's possible. He could have had a subdural bleed, you know, leakage from his brain, blood into his brain because they didn't check that kind of stuff out when he was at the hospital.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: That was Carla Wade from KOCO TV in Oklahoma City. Kimmel's friend also points out that he weighed nearly 400 pounds and never went to a doctor. Norman police are waiting on the medical examiner's office to determine why Kimmel died. We'll fill you in as soon as that report comes out.

We've got a lot going on this morning in the CNN NEWSROOM. Let's check in with our correspondents to see what they're working on. Let's go ahead and start with Stephanie Elam -- Steph.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right Kyra, yes. Well, guess what? The jobs market is improving. U.S. employers added 162,000 jobs last month. That's the most in three years. And I'm here in New York and I'll tell you which industries are hiring. That's coming up in the next hour.

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: And the East Coast is finally getting a much-needed break in the action. They're going to be cleaning up from the floods, but right now it's the center of the U.S. that may be dealing with some strong storms in the mid-day and afternoon hours, possibly some tornadoes. The full story moments away.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, guys.

Also ahead, the girl bullied to death two similar stories from other schools. Is it just us or are we hyper-aware now? Or are these bully stories with tragic endings happening more often. We're going to talk to a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist who is studying the alarming problem.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Every parent worries about their children's future, but only the parent of an autistic child might say, "I hope she dies before I do." Those parents fear there will be nobody to take care of their kids and no insurance, either.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta looks at why it's so hard for them to get coverage.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Here's something maybe you didn't know. It's estimated that the life-long cost or caring for a child with autism is about $3 million. But that cost could also be reduced by two-thirds if the child is diagnosed at an early age and gets proper therapy.

Being able to afford the care is a huge challenge as you might imagine from any parent, in addition, of course, to coping with the actual disorder.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: When he was born, Darian Sepulveda (ph) had his mother's personality and his father's eyes. For 18 months he laughed, he cried, he even spoke. At two, it all disappeared.

ADA SEPULVEDA, SON HAS AUTISM: I was losing my child, basically, in front of my eyes. He was just dying on me.

Darian was diagnosed with autism. While his family began waging a battle against his disease, another fight was brewing with Darian's health insurance company.

A. SEPULVEDA: I had absolutely no problem with coverage until Darian was diagnosed.

OK, open the --

DARIAN SEPULVEDA, DIAGNOSED WITH AUTISM: Door.

A. SEPULVEDA: Door, very good.

GUPTA: Now Darian is 11. His diagnosis began a financial spiral for his family. Years of denied claims, unpaid bills, mortgages, loans and debt that has become untenable.

A. SEPULVEDA: I call him the billion dollar baby or the billion dollar boy because it's costly.

KEVIN WREGE, COUNCIL FOR AFFORDABLE HEALTH INSURANCE: Health insurance possible policies currently cover medical diagnosis and medical treatment for autism.

GUPTA: But many families say not all treatments are covered.

For example, Darian's speech and neurological problems and some medications were not paid for. Insurance companies say most autism treatments are experimental, unproven. Covering them would cause everyone's insurance rates to spike.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You don't tell a person that has a diabetic child oh, well, you know, there is no cure for this. You give them insulin. You treat them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good job. Keep your fingers up.

TYLER BELL, HAS AUTISM: Keep your fingers up.

GUPTA: Those insurance problems continue into the teenage years into adulthood. Seventeen-year-old Tyler Bell is about to graduate high school.

PETER BELL, FATHER OF TYLER BELL: Who is your favorite musician?

T. BELL: Tyler. GUPTA: Peter Bell is Tyler's father. He's also a spokesperson for the advocacy group Autism Speaks. He's been fighting for insurance coverage for most of Tyler's life. Now he's concerned about Tyler's transition to adulthood.

P. BELL: The face of autism is changing. We're talking about kids that are now starting to shave and do all those things that teenagers do and will eventually become adults.

GUPTA: Adults with autism, with no insurance coverage and no other safety net to provide for them.

P. BELL: I've heard some people say, "I hope my child dies before me," and I -- I don't know any other disease or disorder where that's the case.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: Now, while the new health care reform law doesn't specifically mention autism, behavioral health treatments are going to be required as a part of some health plans. As far as we can tell, it's not universal in part because many of the insurance companies consider some of the therapies experimental and won't cover them.

Back to you.

PHILLIPS: And coming up in the next hour, they thought she'd grow up to just work at a fast food restaurant. Well, at 15, she's already written a book and she's just getting started.

We're going to talk to an autistic author and her mom with a success story that is a real family affair.

Let's go ahead and check or logon, rather, to CNN.com. We love to go up to the News Pulse part of our Web page and it's the stories that you're clicking on to, the most popular stories right now that you're clicking on to.

First most popular story, "March Jobs Report Shows Growth" and, of course, we've been all over that. It's the lead story in both of our hours. We'll be talking more.

Most popular story number two, "Jesse James Cited for Vandalism". Apparently after an incident last week with a photographer near his Long Beach, California home. Well, pal, that's what happens when you cheat on America's sweetheart.

And the third most popular story, this was something we brought to you just a couple of days ago and the response has just been incredible. I'm not surprised. A video game called rape lay, that's right. You can logon and actually rape, molest and sock women and little girls. It's disgusting and it's coming out of Japan and you can actually get it here in the United States.

You're responding. Apparently, we got millions of reviews and hits on CNN.com and comments about the story. Those are the most popular stories on CNN.com news web -- or News Pulse page; every 15 minutes it's updated.