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Tighter Security Around Nation's Governors; Largest Job Gain in 3 Years; President Obama Talks to China's President

Aired April 02, 2010 - 10:59   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Good Friday, everyone. The big stories in the CNN NEWSROOM for this Friday, April 2nd.

A radical anti-government group threatens the nation's governors prompting a security crackdown at state capitals, plus this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It starts now. It's desperate now.

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Look, the gloom is lifting. The nation gets its best jobs report in three years, but -- yes, there are big "buts."

And our CNN Hero of the week. A five-star chef walks away from the culinary glamour to feed India's poor.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris. Those stories and your comments right here, right now, in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Tighter security around the nation's governors today. Dozens, if not all 50, have received a written demand to leave office or they will be removed.

What does that mean?

Homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve now with this developing story.

And Jeanne, good to see you. What are you learning?

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Tony, first, let me emphasize that there are no threats of violence here, but more than 30 governors around the country have gotten letters from what's called a sovereign citizen extremist group. This is a group that believes that current government in the U.S. is illegitimate. It tells the governors to step down within three days or they will be removed.

In a notice that was sent out by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, it says, in part, "DHS 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."

So who's getting this letter? Well, we've been calling around to various states so far. Some of them that we know about, Virginia, Maine, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Nevada, where Governor James Gibbons' office said he had received a total of four of these letters, one of them on Monday, another three yesterday. They were not handwritten, but did have handwritten signatures on them.

And in Nevada, as a result, they have stepped up security around the statehouse. They've gone down to one entrance there. An x-ray machine and metal detectors were brought in. Boulders have been put in front of the capital so vehicles cannot drive in.

That's one example of how states are reacting to these letters. But let me emphasize again, no specific threat of violence in these communications that have been received by so many states -- Tony.

HARRIS: I know we're working on it, Jeanne, but how are we doing in finding out more information about this group behind the letters?

MESERVE: Well, the FBI identifies them only in this communication as a sovereign citizen extremist group. They say they have something called a "Restore America" plan.

We have found a plan that has a plan with that name on its Web site, but whether it's the same group yet, we don't exactly know. But let me give you a little context here.

I mean, you had nine militia members taken into custody over the weekend. They're accused of making threats against law enforcement. You've had threats against members of Congress recently.

I've been speaking to law enforcement officials about this, and they say they are seeing a lot more heated rhetoric at both ends of the ideological spectrum. But this poses a very special challenge for law enforcement, because, of course, there's freedom of speech in the U.S. And law enforcement can only step in when there's a real threat of violence, and that can sometimes be a little bit hard to discern -- Tony.

HARRIS: Jeanne Meserve for us.

Jeanne, appreciate it. Thank you.

Let's do this -- let's look at a couple of other big stories we're watching for you in the NEWSROOM.

(NEWSBREAK)

HARRIS: Look, encouraging news on the jobs front. Let's start there.

The economy actually added jobs in March. In fact, it was the largest gain in three years. But hold off on the balloons and confetti. And believe me, we were planning balloons and confetti today -- something like this. Right? That was the plan. But scrap that because here's the fuller story.

The Labor Department says employers added 162,000 jobs last month. That was fewer than economists predicted. And the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 9.7 percent. Signs the job market is healing, but the recovery is likely to be painfully, painfully slow.

Georgia Tech economist Thomas "Danny" Boston is here. We'll have a conversation with him later in the hour.

But right now, Danny, if you would, give me your quick take on the numbers.

THOMAS "DANNY" BOSTON, ECONOMIST, GEORGIA TECH: Well, the numbers are such that you have to look beneath the surface to see exactly what's going on. And you can almost have a party. That is, while we gained 162,000 jobs, and it remained constant, what is not seen is that there were 400,000 people who moved back into the labor market. And so that's what's going on, people are becoming more encouraged about the possibility of finding a job.

HARRIS: OK.

More of this conversation later in the hour.

And a programming reminder for you. President Obama discusses the jobs recovery in Charlotte, North Carolina, this hour. His remarks live at 11:55 Eastern Time.

Not many people get an hour-long phone call with President Obama, but China's president did last night. And we will tell you why.

And Reynolds Wolf is tracking weather including nasty storms in the Pacific Northwest. We will talk to Reynolds shortly.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: President Obama is welcoming China's decision to attend an upcoming nuclear summit in Washington. He expressed his appreciation to Chinese President Hu Jintao during an hour-long phone conversation last night. Mr. Obama stressing the need to stand together against Iran's nuclear program.

CNN's Emily Chang reports China may be ready to do just that, and that would be huge.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EMILY CHANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Iran's top nuclear negotiator arrives in Beijing. Saeed Jalili's main objective, to appeal to China to reject additional sanctions on Iran, maintaining, as usual, his country's nuclear program is peaceful. "We've told China to see to it the superpower countries abandon their mistaken approach," he said. "The Chinese said they would continue to negotiate and apply pressure."

In a meeting, China's foreign minister told Jalili, "Your visit this time is very important," but there are indications Jalili's timing may be too late.

(on camera): U.S. officials say China is now willing to discuss new sanctions on Iran. China is the only member of the U.N. Security Council to hold out support until now. Analysts say it could be a game-changer, but the key word is "could."

LINDA JAKOBSON, SIPRI, CHINA & GLOBAL SECURITY DIRECTOR: I don't think that China's going to easily or in any short time frame agree to sanctions. It goes against the grain of China's foreign policy. China does not want to see sanctions used, so I think China will continue to stall.

CHANG: Publicly, China continues to reiterate its usual stance.

"We oppose Iran's possession of nuclear weapons," said a government spokesperson. "And at the same time, we believe that as a sovereign state, it has the right to peacefully use nuclear technology. We hope all sides can resolve this through diplomatic negotiations."

China's trade relationship with Iran is vital. Last year, Iran was China's third largest oil supplier, but China may decide its relationships with the United States and the international community come first. The Chinese government just announced President Hu Jintao would be attending an upcoming nuclear summit in Washington, despite recent tension in U.S./China relations. Analysts say it's an attempt to show China remains strongly against nuclear proliferation.

JAKOBSON: China never wants to be the so-called odd man out. I think China will continue to favor talks, diplomatic talks, diplomatic means, but will not be the only one to stand alone against the rest of the international community.

CHANG: That could pave the way for a new U.N. Security Council resolution. President Obama has said he wants it within weeks, but China and its conflicted interests may be playing a longer game.

Emily Chang, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: So a high school student kills herself. It's the story we've been following all week for you here in the NEWSROOM.

Classmates are accused of bullying her for months. Parents blame school officials. Now the superintendent is pushing back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: Superintendent to the defense. In Massachusetts, some people want him and others to resign after a 15-year-old girl committed suicide. Her parents and friends say she was bullied to death and school officials did nothing. That's not how the superintendent sees it.

Here's Alina Cho.

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Tony. You know all this week we've been hearing from parents and others who are outraged. They've been calling for superintendent Gus Sayer and the principal of South Hadley High School to resign, saying if they had done more to stop the bullying, maybe Phoebe Prince would still be alive today.

Well, now the superintendent is speaking out and addressing his critics.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUS SAYER, SUPERINTENDENT, SOUTH HADLEY HIGH SCHOOLS: I have e- mails, anonymous e-mails, that I'm getting from all over the country. OK? Mostly, they're disgusting.

Mostly, they are things like -- people say, "You administrators should burn in hell," and stuff like that. And even worse. That's a mild one. OK?

CHO: And how do you react?

SAYER: I try to ignore them.

CHO (voice-over): Ever since the D.A. announced charges this week against South Hadley high school students, classmates who prosecutors say bullied 15-year-old Phoebe Prince and drove her to kill herself, the community has been desperate for accountability. Who's to blame?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rock 102. Good morning. Who's this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi. My name is Al. I just want to make a statement that I think the administrators should be held accountable for what's going on.

CHO: Some say Principal Dan Smith and Superintendent Gus Sayer should resign because critics say they knew about the bullying Phoebe Prince endured and did nothing to stop it.

(on camera): The D.A. was pretty harsh in her assessment of what happened. Do you agree with her assessment?

SAYER: No, I don't agree with that assessment.

CHO (voice-over): Gus Sayer says contrary to what the D.A. is saying, school officials did intervene in the Prince case, he says as soon as they were tipped off. The first hint, he says, was not months before Phoebe Prince died, as some suggested, but exactly one week before she committed suicide.

SAYER: One involved one girl walking into a classroom and calling Phoebe an Irish slut right in the front of the classroom. That girl was brought to the principal's office immediately, and she was disciplined by the principal.

CHO: But he did not elaborate on what action was taken. Parents say the bullying went on in plain view of faculty for much longer than one week, harassment so severe it drove a 15-year-old girl on January 14th to hang herself in the stairwell of her home.

SAYER: Phoebe didn't reveal to people what she was being subjected to, and unfortunately, until January 7th, we were not aware of what she was being subjected to. So it was very little way we could have intervened in the bullying that took place.

Do I wish that we had known more about what was going on with Phoebe? Of course I do.

CHO: In a statement to CNN, the D.A. said, "I do not intend to address Superintendent Sayer's assertions point by point. I will, however, say that Mr. Sayer does not have access to our investigative materials. Therefore, he can't have a basis for some of his comments."

Sayer says if anyone needs proof, this is it -- all of students charged in this case have either been suspended or expelled. As for his future --

SAYER: I work for the school committee here, and if they believe I should resign, they will tell me so. I'm not going to fight them over that.

CHO (on camera): Have they been supportive?

SAYER: Very supportive.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHO: Sayer tells me the principal of South Hadley High School, Dan Smith, also has no plans to resign. Administrators have created an anti-bullying committee, and Sayer says he plans to focus on programs designed to teach kids civil behavior and about the dangers of bullying -- Tony.

HARRIS: Oh, boy. Alina, appreciate it. Thank you. Boy, what a story.

A five-star chef is now a true star on the streets of India and a CNN Hero of the Week.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: You know, he was a five-star chef in India, but he gave up that successful career to serve people in the streets of his hometown.

Meet our CNN Hero of the Week, Narayanan Krishnan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NARAYANAN KRISHNAN, CNN HERO: Because of the poverty India faces, so many people have been abandoned by their own family and left uncared on the roadside of the city.

I saw a very old man eating his own human waste for food. It really hurt me so much.

I was working for a five-star hotel as a chef. I had all the ambitions. I wanted to excel in what I was doing, but the old man changed everything.

My name is Narayanan Krishnan. I feed and care for the abandoned and mentally ill in my hometown, (INAUDIBLE), India.

I get up at 4:00 in the morning. Every meal has been prepared fresh. They go distribute.

People are waiting for us.

They totally rely on the food which we give. It is a continuous process, cooking, distributing, t hen again coming. We are feeding almost about 400 people, three meals a day, around the clock, rain or shine, no holiday.

I don't feel difficult to do this. I don't feel it difficult. My mission and my ideas are very clear.

The happiness I see in their faces keeps me going. I take energy from them. I want to save my people, and I feel that is the purpose of my life.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: If you would like to nominate someone you think is literally changing the world, just go to CNN.com/heroes.

Talking jobs and touting the administration's plan to get America working again. Live coverage of President Obama's remarks this hour in Charlotte, North Carolina.

A sneak preview straight ahead for you in the CNN NEWSROOM. .

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: President Obama puts the focus on jobs when he speaks at a company in North Carolina in about 30 minutes. And we expect the president to comment on today's report showing the economy added jobs in March.

White House Correspondent Dan Lothian is in Charlotte, where the president will be speaking. I thought we would get him live, but it looks like we've got him on the phone.

Dan, are you on the phone with me here?

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I am on the phone.

HARRIS: All right.

LOTHIAN: We're having some technical problems with our signal, so we're doing it digital.

HARRIS: OK. No worries. No worries. Happy to have you however we can get you.

You know, I usually ask you at this time, "Dan, give us a preview of what we're likely to hear from the president." But let me try it on for size here.

My guess is the president will say something in the order of, while the March jobs report is encouraging, we won't rest until every American who wants a job has a job. Is that about it?

LOTHIAN: Bingo. I guess you wrote the speech, right?

HARRIS: I've heard that a few times.

LOTHIAN: Right. That's exactly what we'll hear from the president.

He'll talk about the fact that these numbers are encouraging. You'll probably hear language such as there's gradual labor market healing. That's something that one of his economic advisers used this morning.

But he also will talk about the fact that the market still remains severely distressed and that's why there's still a lot more work to be done. But, you know, listen, the bottom line is that the president, according to White House aides, will be counting economic progress that has occurred since he came to office, and will talk again about how the country was on the brink of a great depression and things are starting to turn around again.

What you'll also hear from the president is sort of pushing Congress to start taking action on some of these other job creation proposals. So it will be an upbeat tone from the president, but still laying out that there's still a lot of work to be done -- Tony.

HARRIS: You know what, Dan? Maybe you can tell us why the president is in Charlotte today? And maybe give us a little bit of a background on the economic situation in Charlotte right now.

LOTHIAN: Well, I'll start with your last point there. This is an area that's seen double-digit unemployment. They've been hit hard. While they've seen growth, new business industries coming to the region, they've also seen a downfall in areas such as construction. And so they've seen -- since the decline began, they have lost over 60,000 jobs. What the president is doing here today is sort of highlight the future. The company that he's going to be touring is Celgard Incorporated, they make parts for batteries. And this is a company that got about $50 million in stimulus money and so the president is going to highlight how government money is helping to turn the economy around and they haven't actually started any of the projects yet, as we understand it, but they're hoping to use some of that money to hire some 300 employees or so in the next five years.

HARRIS: OK, Dan Lothian with the president in Charlotte, North Carolina. Dan, appreciate it always. Thank you.

And a programming reminder, we will bring you live coverage as President Obama discusses the jobs recovery in Charlotte, North Carolina later this hour. His remarks set for 11:55 a.m. Eastern time; that's 8:55 Pacific.

The gloom and doom over the jobs market shows some signs of lifting, crunching the numbers on the March unemployment report with Economics Professor Thomas "Danny" Boston next in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Let's get going here. The economy turned out 162,000 new jobs in March. That is the best monthly showing in three years, yet the Labor Department says the unemployment remains static at 9.7 percent. How can that be? Georgia Tech's Economics Professor Thomas "Danny" Boston -- my man -- is here.

How is that be the case? One hundred and sixty-two thousands jobs for a month and yet the overall figure is at 9.7 percent. What gives?

BOSTON: That's right. Well, it's beginning to look like a normal recovery. In every normal recovery, we have this paradox that is large, dark gains on the one hand, the unemployment rate stays the same and sometimes it even goes up. And that's because during a recession hundreds of thousands of people get discouraged and drop out. You drop out, you're not counted. You re-enter, you're counted. Four hundred thousand people got back into the labor market.

HARRIS: I think we're finally getting a sense of how deep this hole is. We're talking about 8.4 million jobs in this recession lost and we're starting to see trend lines improve. We thought we would see the employment picture start to brighten in the Spring, it looks like it is.

This is going to take a long time, isn't it?

BOSTON: It's going to take a long time. And what's interesting is that one of the reasons that unemployment rate is so persistently high is if you look at the last quarter change in GNP, you find a great deal of investment took place in IT.

HARRIS: Right. BOSTON: Right? People investing in IT, so the workers being displaced, what firms are finding out is that they can get a lot more done with a smaller number of workers by simply replacing them with technology and that's the problem that we have to deal with.

HARRIS: OK. I want you to expand on that, because we're in a situation now where part of what I hear you suggesting here is that some of the jobs that have been lost in this downturn may not come back. The chart lines for the long-term employed, we're talking about six months where people are unemployed, those figures are stunning.

BOSTON: Right. Right.

HARRIS: And those jobs may not come back.

BOSTON: Those jobs may not come back. I've talked to many, many small business owners and I mean I've talked to small business owners with as many as 2,500 employees to down to 600 employees and so on. Those individuals say they're not going to ramp up their workforce again. So we have to find some way to address that. They're finding ways to substitute that by spending money on IT.

HARRIS: Companies are more efficient.

BOSTON: Right.

HARRIS: Productivity is better.

BOSTON: Right.

HARRIS: And essentially, companies are able to do more with less people.

BOSTON: Absolutely. Working us to death. That's what's happening.

(LAUGHTER)

BOSTON: That's what's happening, you know?

HARRIS: So what then becomes the new benchmark for unemployment? I remember we were talking about 5 percent as being full employment before the recession. Are we talking about 5.5 now? Are we talking about 6 percent?

BOSTON: I think that benchmark is going to move up significantly. I think more than 5 percent, probably 6 percent or 7 percent.

HARRIS: As representing full employment?

BOSTON: Right. It's going to be there and it's going to be there for awhile. And here's the interesting thing, the economy, I think, will recover much more robustly than most economists think it is. It's going to grow, very, very rapidly, but that's not going to have -- HARRIS: Four percent, 5 percent? What do you think in GDP, quarter to quarter?

BOSTON: I think we're looking at -- from quarter to quarter, I think we're looking at somewhere between 4 percent or above.

HARRIS: Yes. And there won't be jobs associated with that? Not in the numbers that we need?

BOSTON: No, because they're figuring out how they can generate output without hiring more workers. That's what's happening.

HARRIS: In order to get jobs going again in big numbers -- I hate to say this, but do we need something of another bubble without the negative connotations and baggage that --

BOSTON: Yes. You've got to have something that --

HARRIS: That's a driver.

BOSTON: Yes, that's a driver. Something that moves the economy forward. Now, it's interesting. Almost every sector of the economy is moving forward except the housing sector.

HARRIS: Except housing.

BOSTON: But, in the housing sector there are more values now, more opportunities now than ever history.

HARRIS: Yes.

BOSTON: After the economy recovers, people are going to figure that out and they get more stability in terms of jobs and income, they will invest in the housing sector. So we'll eventually move forward.

HARRIS: OK, there's just so much inventory.

BOSTON: There's a lot.

HARRIS: Danny, good to see you. As always, appreciate it. The doctor.

Top stories for you right now in the CNN NEWSROOM.

President Obama heads to North Carolina to tout green energy jobs, maybe that's the sector. Maybe that's the sector. He's touring a rechargeable battery plant that received a big chunk of stimulus money to hire workers and expand operations. Tea Partiers upset with the president's policies are planning a protest.

Gaza assesses the damage after Israel carries out retaliatory air strikes. Palestinian officials say a cheese factory and refugee camp were among the sites hit and three children were injured by flying debris. Israel says weapons factories and weapons storage facilities were targeted. For tech heads the wait is almost over. Apple's much-hyped iPad goes on sale tomorrow. The tablet computer can play movies, store e- books and surf the Internet. Apple isn't exactly saying how many orders it has taken. Some estimates say around half a million.

Hoping to land a summer job? Now's the time to start knocking on doors. Some tips on how to beat the competition. That's next in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: So, now that Spring is here, students, of course, are counting the days until summer, and for those planning to get a summer job, better start looking. Our Stephanie Elam is joining me with some tips on how to land one.

And I am assuming here it's going to be tricky, huh?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It is going to be tricky, Tony. That's a good way to put it.

According to a snagajob.com survey, almost half of hiring managers don't plan to hire any seasonal workers this summer. That's about the same as last year. So it's not good news if you happen to be a high school or college student looking for summer jobs right now. A record low 28 percent of 16 to 19-year-olds actually found work last summer, and it's likely to be just as bad or even worse this summer.

So start looking now. Be persistent and apply for as many jobs as possible. You really can't be too picky when it comes to this kind of seasonal work and you're not really -- you know, some people think they're too young to network, that's not the case. Figure out who you know and how they might be able to help you get the leg up. This could be in person, you could do it over the phone, you could use your e-mail or even through your social network.

Just remember one thing here, folks out there, if you are networking online make sure your act is a little bit cleaner. You know, get rid of those pictures or information from your profile that you might not want a potential employer to see. And also, Tony, this is really important, too. Consider an e-mail address that uses your real name. A hiring manager might get a little turned off by an e- mail address like PhonyTony@blahdeeblah.com or something like that or Tony Tone.

HARRIS: Why do you always personalize these things?

(LAUGHTER)

HARRIS: All right, Stephanie, what about pay? Money, money, greenbacks. How much can young people expect to get if they land a job here, if they're lucky enough to get one.

ELAM: Right, well that's the big question. If you manage to score a job -- and congrats if you do, cause that's good news -- the average pay will be about $10.20 an hour. But Charles Purdy (ph) of Yahoo! Hot Jobs says summer jobs should not be all about the money. These jobs are about career building, too. So if there aren't any great job opportunities in your area, think about volunteer work, if you could do that.

And interning, that's another option. This foot in the door might actually get you one step closer to a job after college. And employers are increasingly looking at the number of interns hired because it's a cheap way to bring on more labor, they get college credit and it works out for them. Nearly one-quarter of employers polled by CareerBuilder said they will be hiring interns in the second quarter.

So check out internships.com and indeed.com. These aggregator sites, they allow you to type in your location and name the kind of internship you're looking for to help you narrow down your search. And the non-profit internships, if you're interested in that, you can check out jobs.change.org -- Tony.

HARRIS: All right, we're having an issue with our system here, so I think what we'll do is we'll put those websites on our little blog page here so folks can access those.

ELAM: That's cool.

HARRIS: We can't get them up for whatever reason.

You're hosting "YOUR BOTTOM LINE" tomorrow. Give us a bit of a preview here, Stephanie.

ELAM: Yes, that's right, Tony. You know, we've just got two weeks until taxes are due for all those people out there. We're going to help them really avoid an audit.

Plus, sweeping changes to the way you pay off your student loan debt. We're asking and it's a question I've been asked over and over again, should I even bother for saving for college anymore with these changes. We've got answers to that.

Plus, where the jobs are and the money rules your kids need to know. All of this on the show that saves you money, Saturday morning 9:30 a.m. Eastern right here on CNN and I'll be with you spending some time, so tune in.

HARRIS: That's what I'm talking about! All right, Stephanie, have a great weekend. Thank you.

ELAM: You, too.

HARRIS: President Obama is in North Carolina. We are waiting to hear from him about green jobs and the latest job numbers.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: I need you to reach out to the program, talk to me directly. A couple ways to do it. First of all, CNN.com/Tony takes you directly to this -- bam -- our blog page. To send us your thoughts on Facebook, here's what you do. Tony Harris, CNN. Here's my Twitter address, tonyharrisCNN. Call us. Pick up the phone. 877- 742-5760. Let's have more of your thoughts on the program. CNN NEWSROOM with Tony Harris.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Oh, I love it. You know, a lot of people use music to motivate themselves, but what happens if you can't find the perfect song? CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta found a woman who simply makes her own.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For Silicon Valley entrepreneur Heidi Roizen, the days were long and nutrition was the last thing on her mind. But when she stepped on scale on her 50th birthday --

HEIDI ROIZEN, CREATOR, SKINNY SONGS: I hit this number and it was a real wake-up call for me, and I realized that all those years of being in the fast lane, working hard, not taking care of myself had taken its toll.

GUPTA: So she did what she does best, she started a company. A music company, of all things.

ROIZEN: I wanted, you know, chick empowerment music, some upbeat stuff about you go girl, you're going to get in your jeans and you're going to wear leopard print again someday. But I couldn't find anything about that, so one of the of the things I decided to change my life is decided music like that needed to exist and started writing music.

GUPTA: Along with the help of music producers George Daily and David Malloy, Heidi created "Skinny Songs."

ROIZEN: The song I get the most fan mail about is one called "You Da Boss."

GUPTA: And the songs have been a success.

ROIZEN: As somebody said to me, you could sing songs about lowering your cholesterol, but that wouldn't be very motivating. But talking about fitting into your skinny jeans, that's motivating.

GUPTA: Roizen is practicing what her songs preach. She's lost more than 40 pounds and is very much in charge of how she looks and how she feels.

ROIZEN: It was really about permanent changes that I could live with day in and day out.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HARRIS: I love that. You can get more information on health and fitness by going to CNN.com/FitNation. And be sure to watch Dr. Sanjay Gupta this weekend as he talks about health care reform and autism. It is "SANJAY GUPTA MD" at 7:30 a.m. Eastern Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Here's what we're working on for the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM.

President Obama talking about jobs at a rechargeable battery plant that's in Charlotte, North Carolina. He's talking about green jobs funded through the Recovery Act.

And Carol Costello reports on how to go to church in your pajamas. Church 2.0, where god is online and waiting for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: You know, 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 children and no insurance, either. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta looks at why it's so hard for them to get coverage.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: Here's something maybe you didn't know. It's estimated that the lifelong cost of caring for a child with autism, $3 million. But that cost could ultimately be reduced by two-thirds if a 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, for many parents in addition, of course, to coping with the actual disorder.

(voice-over): 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 very costly.

KEVIN WREGE, COUNCIL FOR AFFORDABLE HEALTH INSURANCE: Health insurance 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.

A. SEPULVEDA: 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.

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 insurance companies consider some of the therapies experimental, won't cover them.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: All right, Sanjay. Thank you. Right now we are waiting for President Obama. There you have a live picture from Charlotte, North Carolina. That's where the president will be talking about jobs shortly.

The Charlotte area has long been, as you know, a center for banking and has been hit hard with the unemployment rate there, above 12 percent. I believe 12.8 percent. The president is speaking at a company called Celgard. They make parts for lithium ion batteries, and thanks to a $49 million chunk of stimulus money that company plans to add 300 jobs to the payroll by 2014. We will bring you the president's remarks when they happen.