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Tornadoes Ravage South; Rallying against Immigration Law; Desperate for Jobs; Goldman Sachs 101; How to Improve Schools

Aired April 25, 2010 - 19:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello everyone; top of the hour here. Good evening, I'm Don Lemon.

Massive tornadoes have left behind grotesque piles of splinters and dust all across Mississippi and Alabama. State officials still don't know exactly how bad it is.

One tornado touched down last night near Albertville, Alabama. One woman narrowly escaped death when a large tree branch crashed through her bedroom ceiling while she slept. Clean up will take days, recovery maybe even longer than that.

Mississippi may file a state of emergency tomorrow, making federal assistance possible. Yazoo City, Mississippi, probably took it the worst. And Governor Haley Barbour who lives in Yazoo City says at least 100 homes in the town and the surrounding county are no longer habitable.

CNN's Ed Lavandera is in Yazoo City for us tonight. Ed, you heard the governor tell us the magnitude of this tornado and now people are witnessing it today firsthand for themselves.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And everywhere you go across this area you can really see the intensity of the damage and the areas that were hardest hit. We spent the day driving not just around Yazoo City, but about 100 miles north east of here into the other hardest hit area of Mississippi, Choctaw County, a little town -- where a little community outside of that town is where three of the youngest victims were killed by this storm -- three young girls, ages 13, 9 and 3 months.

We drove along the road where their homes once stood, and Don, what we saw there was absolutely amazing; homes that just don't even exist anymore. One of the mobile homes where two of -- the 13-year-old and the 9-year-old lived doesn't exist. It was blown away over the tree line. In fact we spoke with the girls' grandfather who told us we don't even know where the home is right now.

So that continues. And we also spoke with another couple that owned a little grocery store, a very popular grocery store right there, six people inside that grocery store, Don, when that -- when the storm hit. They said they had no time to react and the store just exploded, throwing Rob Sullivan some 15 feet across his store.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ROB SULLIVAN, STORE OWNER: You always talk about you hear the train. There was no train. There was a bomb. That's two customers were walking in the door approximately five feet away from me. When they opened the door it hit and blew me back. And we're just lucky to be alive. We're very thankful. And --

LAVANDERA (on camera): What goes through your mind when something like this is happening?

SULLIVAN: The only I -- went through my minds -- two things, please don't let anything else fall on me and I hope my wife is ok.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: Don, it's really been interesting in that area where we were today in Choctaw County, we heard that from several people that they had no time to react. They knew the storms were coming. The warnings had been put out there, but it's very hilly terrain, with massive trees overlooking so it's not like you can see over the horizon and see a tornado coming your way so it just felt like out of the blue these storms had fallen right on where they were.

We've talked with another couple that was in their home, they had tried to jump into a bathroom and their home was literally moved some 40 feet off the foundation, just straight back. The front steps of the house is just standing there and the house is 40 feet away. Absolutely amazing -- Don.

LEMON: Ed Lavandera, ten dead so far and let's hope that is it with this. Thank you, Ed, joining us from the ground of this disaster.

Lingering weather from that deadly storm cell is still prompting tornado watchers in southern Florida at this hour.

Our meteorologist Jacqui Jeras following the storm's track and she joins us now with the very latest. What's going on, Jacqui?

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey Don, yes we are watching some active weather across central parts of Florida, and also the mid- Atlantic states as well. We've got a watch here across parts of Maryland and West Virginia and Virginia, this includes you in the Washington, D.C. And we're also monitoring this area through the Carolinas for the potential of some severe thunderstorms popping up over the next couple of hours.

We'll start out by showing you the radar kind of close in, into just to the northwest of D.C., where these thunderstorms are becoming very intense. And there you can see some severe -- we're expecting damaging winds in excess of 60 miles per hour. We may see some hail with us as well.

A new severe thunderstorm watch just issued south of our tornado watch across central Florida, so this includes you now in Tampa, St. Pete, extending down near Ft. Myers and over towards the Palm Bay area. We've been watching this intense line. We had two actually waves that moved through earlier today, one that moved through Gainesville causing some tree damage and the power lines down and were also getting word now just north of Tampa that there are some power lines down here as well. This is a very intense line of storms so we could see some winds in excess of 70 miles per hour.

And you know that in of itself can cause some serious damage. So if you do get the severe thunderstorm warning even you need to take it very seriously and certainly stay indoors until that's storm passes. The severe weather threat extends then from parts of Pennsylvania, all the way down through Florida, through tonight and then we think the energy is going to pull offshore so no severe weather anticipated tomorrow but our low pressure system here is going to stall out, so it's going to be cool, windy and wet in the northeast, and that's not real fun for your morning commute tomorrow -- Don.

LEMON: Oh, you better stay tuned especially at 10:00, as Jacqui will tell you what it's going to be like in your commute tomorrow. Thank you, Jacqui.

We want to go to West Virginia now where President Barack Obama attended a memorial service just a couple of hours ago for those 29 coal miners who died earlier this month.

The workers were killed in an explosion, the nation's worst mine disaster in decades. Today's service features the photo of each of the men with their families placing miner helmets atop 29 white crosses.

In his remarks, President Obama talked about the men who chose to take on such dangerous work.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: All that hard work, all that hardship, all the time spent underground, it was all for the families. It was all for you, for a car in the driveway, a roof overhead, for a chance to give their kids opportunities that they would never know, enjoy retirement with their spouses; it was all in the hopes of something better. And so these miners lived as they died, in pursuit of the American dream.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: The President also called for better safety measures for coal miners to prevent future disasters.

Protesters rallying against Arizona's new immigration law today. Governor Jan Brewer signed the strict measure two days ago. It requires police to question anyone they believe might be an illegal immigrant. And legal immigrants have to carry their papers on them at all times. Police say they'll exercise restraint but critics call this racial profiling.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOSE ACOSTA, PROTESTER: What is reasonable suspicion? I mean are we going to get pulled over just for a broken tail light or just because of the color of our skin? And if so, is everybody going to get stopped, white people, you know? Are they going to be looking for Europeans as well or is it just the brown people?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you have to say to those concerns?

CHIEF JOE MARTINEZ, KEARNY, ARIZONA POLICE: They're really -- they're really unfounded. The Arizona law enforcement community is made up of many Hispanics, and the State of Arizona has a very high Hispanic population. We've never had a policy of racial profiling, in fact, quite the contrary, it's been outlawed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: The new law takes effect this summer.

You know, immigration has returned as a hot topic in Washington right now. So we want to head to the Capitol and bring in our political editor Mr. Mark Preston.

Mark Preston, always good to see you, sir. There he is, smiling as usual. So Mark, first question to you. Democrats now want to move immigration back to the forefront as a political priority here. But Republicans are saying they don't want it, at least many of them are saying that.

Here's what we heard just today on CNN's "State of the Union." Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. SAXBY CHAMBLISS (R), GEORGIA: Here's the problem with trying to deal with an immigration reform bill now, Candy, from a realistic standpoint and from a legislative standpoint. We know, because of what we tried to do back in 2007 that trying to deal with the immigration issue, particularly those that are here illegally today is not practical because we still haven't sealed the border, and until you secure the border, trying to really have an overall reform package on immigration just simply can't be done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Mark, here's a question. Are we looking at in the works here a partisan battle over immigration shaping up?

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: You know, Don it really seems that way, and in fact, we might have the first casualty of the Democratic talks of this immigration reform legislation they're talking about, trying to get through during this election year. You had a senator from South Carolina, a Republican by the name of Lindsey Graham who was working with Democrats on energy, on climate change.

He seemed to be able to serve as the bridge to try to get an energy bill through; very complicated piece of legislation. When he heard that Democrats wanted to try to push through immigration reform, he said this weekend that he is pulling out of talks on the energy bill. He says that Democrats are just playing politics on immigration, and there's no way that you're going to get an energy bill through as well as an immigration reform bill, two very complicated subjects.

LEMON: All right, let's talk about this issue because we spoke about it last week, it concerns the Goldman Sachs. And now we're talking about it again, this is going to be a very big issue for the foreseeable future, financial reform. What's happening on Capitol Hill this week? Will Democrats have the votes to get this package through that the President wants?

PRESTON: Sure, let's give you the tick tock very quickly. We heard this on the Sunday shows this is morning. It appears that Republicans and Democrats are getting closer to some kind of deal on financial reform. However, they don't appear to be at that point yet and in fact, they're probably right behind me on Capitol Hill trying to hammer out those details.

Tomorrow, Don, we expect a vote in the Senate, this is what you call a test vote, something that will happen in the late afternoon, if Democrats are able to get the 60 votes needed tomorrow afternoon on financial reform, then we're probably off to the races. However, if you were to hear Republicans this morning talk, they said that they're not going to deliver the votes.

And remember, when Scott Brown from Massachusetts was elected back in January, he gave Republicans that very important 41st vote to prevent Democrats from trying to get through any piece of legislation that they wanted.

LEMON: All right, Mark Preston, thank you very much. We'll see you tonight at 10:00 p.m., ok, sir?

PRESTON: Thanks, Don.

LEMON: You know the lengths some people will go to get work, a long line of people camping out on the streets of New York for days just to get an application.

Earth Tones by Sting and some of music's best as they raise their collective voices to sound off to lawmakers. Sting talks with me one on one coming up.

And don't just sit there, be a part of the conversation, logon to the social networking sites. I'm reading your comments right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: This is what it looks like when you're hungry for work. This is in New York City, those pictures that you're looking at. Some of these people have been camping out all weekend for the chance just to fill out a job application on Monday morning. Most of these people have little chance of getting a job, not because they're not qualified, there are simply too many other people competing for the same opportunity. CNN's Susan Candiotti has the job description for us -- Susan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): If you are lucky, this is where you want to wind up: getting inside this door, because inside that door if you're one of 750 job applicants, you will get to apply for a job as an elevator mechanic.

They're only going to hand out about 100 applications, and you'll start off as an apprentice, if you're lucky enough to get the job, earning maybe $15 an hour.

If you get the job full time as a full-fledged mechanic you could earn up to $40 an hour.

Now, Jeremy Fernandez, you were number one in line here. People have been camped out since before dawn on Friday. How long have you been out of work?

JEREMY FERNANDEZ, UNEMPLOYED: Well, I've been out of work for six months. We started here at Friday morning at 4:00 a.m., and we're here until Monday at 9:30, just waiting to get the application, just a chance. That's all, that's all we want, a chance to get a good job to provide for our family.

CANDIOTTI: You really were lucky to be number one in line here.

FERNANDEZ: Lucky, no, maybe determined.

CANDIOTTI: To make number one.

FERNANDEZ: Yes.

CANDIOTTI: And now, this is where you've been staying for the past couple of nights?

FERNANDEZ: This is a house. This is the address right here, number one and two.

CANDIOTTI: Look at this tent.

FERNANDEZ: This is the living room -- living room over here.

CANDIOTTI: Let's take a look inside.

One reason why an impromptu tent city has been set up in this neighborhood of Queens, New York? Well, there's a 10 percent unemployment rate in New York City right now.

This gentleman is one of the unemployed. You've been without a job for how long?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A year and a half.

CANDIOTTI: And the last job you did was? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Construction.

CANDIOTTI: So construction to possibly getting a job as an elevator mechanic, is this your dream job?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, not really. Not really. But there's the opportunity right now, and I just here trying to see if it will happen for me.

CANDIOTTI: This is Andrew Grenevic (ph). He used work in a deli. How do you go from that to (AUDIO GAP)? Do you think you could pull this off?

ANDREW GRENEVIC, UNEMPLOYED: Well, with all of my family experience and everything in electrician unions I think I can. So I'm just hoping while waiting on line, I just hope I can get the job. I mean I've been unemployed for two years, and this is like the last hope. I have to go for it.

CANDIOTTI: These union jobs are so sought after, that whenever a call goes out, lines like these are not uncommon and these lines are so (AUDIO GAP) we can't show them to you at one time.

Come Monday morning, 100 of these job applicants may be lucky enough to start a new career.

Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right.

And you know, on the flipside we're talking about Goldman Sachs in this economy, maybe making billions, but (AUDIO GAP). After years of denying accusations that it was making money as the housing market imploded in 2007, documents released just this weekend prove otherwise. They show Goldman Sachs profited from the mortgage meltdown by betting that mortgage securities would go down in value. It is the latest evidence to back up a federal civil suit that Goldman was defrauding its investors and Tuesday the firm's top brass will have to answer to a Senate subcommittee.

Still on Wall Street Goldman Sachs continues to keep its gold standard reputation as a top investment bank around. So here to explain why is Samuel Hayes, Professor Emeritus of banking in Harvard Business School. Thank you for joining us Professor.

I see this as Wall Street -- maybe it is, maybe it isn't -- Wall Street versus Main Street thing. I think when most people hear Goldman Sachs they know it as a financial firm and that's what it's about. Explain in simple terms why Goldman Sachs is so important and why we're talking about it so much.

PROF. SAMUEL HAYES, HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL: Yes, I can do that. Goldman Sachs affects all of us in our daily lives. For instance, it provides the brokerage services to the pension funds and the 401(k)s that a lot of us are invested in. It's also providing research and other services to those pension funds. It is also raising money for cities and towns where we have something at stake. And it is, of course, very active in making, facilitating new issues of stock for companies that many of us work for or (AUDIO GAP).

LEMON: OK, so listen, as an outsider, you know, you look at the list of Goldman alumni -- it's a very influential list, a who's who of influential politicians. Let's look at it real quick, (AUDIO GAP) Hank Paulson is on this list, the former treasury secretary. Jon Corzine is also on the list, the former governor and senator of New Jersey. (AUDIO GAP), another treasury secretary -- treasury secretary; he's on the list. Josh Bolten, who was Bush's chief of staff, on and on.

Here's the question. How much influence does Goldman have (AUDIO GAP) to think about the scope of their power in Washington?

HAYES: It has a lot of influence in the nation's capitol, no question about it. The people who have worked for them in the past and who are now situated there, as well as through the lobbyists who Goldman and other investment banks have hired to promote their interest. Don't forget either that they have an alumni group that is now in powerful positions all over the United States and all over the world, so they can influence through any number of different channels.

LEMON: Yes, so listen Professor, you study investments, in your opinion, is there some culpability on the part of Goldman or do you think that they are just sort of a scapegoat for the overall frustration and resentment and outrage toward Wall Street that's going on in the country right now is.

HAYES: Well, I'm sure that there are elements of both, the resentment towards Goldman because it is the pre-eminent investment bank in the world and also a lingering resentment at the whole investment banking community. But I think Goldman must know that the perception of misbehavior is almost as damaging as the actual conviction of a felony or some -- not a felony in this case, it's a civil suit -- a civil suit in terms of their reputation and brand name. So I think that this is going to be something which Goldman is going to have to live with for quite a while.

LEMON: All right. Thank you, Sam Hayes professor emeritus (AUDIO GAP) at Harvard Business School. Get out and enjoy your day now, sir.

HAYES: Thank you.

LEMON: A controversial way to get better results in our public schools; a big payoff for the teachers when their work pays off.

And money going up in smoke, there's a lot of cash in cannabis. We're talking marijuana, Mary Jane, pot -- much more than you would ever imagine. We're going to tell you about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: It is a very busy weekend, so I want to check your top stories now. Crews are using a robot submarine to try stop an oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico; (AUDIO GAP) about 1,000 barrels a day are leaking from a rig that sank following an explosion 30 miles offshore. The cleanup was put on hold for a second straight day because of high seas.

A desperate plea today from a pair of Illinois state lawmakers, we told you about it in our last hour. Send in the National Guard, they say, to stop the bloodshed in the streets of Chicago. The city has seen more than 100 murders this year already but local authorities are coming out against that idea of sending in the National Guard. Police Superintendent Jodi Weiss says Chicago's safety is a law enforcement issue, not a military issue.

Al Qaeda in Iraq confirms two of its top leaders have been killed. In a statement posted on Islamist Web sites the terrorist group announced the death of Abu Ayub al-Masri and (AUDIO GAP) Baghdadi. The two were killed in a joint U.S./Iraqi operation a week ago in Tikrit. The U.S. military called their deaths a potentially devastating blow to al Qaeda in Iraq.

And in North Carolina police arrested a man at the Asheville Airport after President Obama flew away aboard Air Force One. Here's what airport police say, they tell CNN that the man has been charged with impersonating a police officer and additional charges are still pending for him. An airport police captain says the President was never in any danger (AUDIO GAP).

A great math teacher making six figures? Newark Mayor Corey Booker gives his ideas on improving schools to CNN education contributor Mr. Steve Perry in this week's edition of "Perry's Principles".

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAYOR CORY BOOKER, NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: I have no formal authority, I don't appoint board members. I don't have any kind of say in what happens or how those dollars are spent.

STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR: what strategies would you suggest if you had control?

BOOKER: We've got to stop paying our teachers as wage workers. They're not. They are professionals and we should pay them to get a job done, we should pay them based upon results. That's blasphemy to a lot of people to pay in a way that incentivizes behavior and you get paid based upon outcomes. And I believe in this era of 21st century standards we can create fair ways to judge our teachers.

PERRY: We know that better teachers run by -- in schools run by principals who have more autonomy --

BOOKER: Yes.

PERRY: Create more effective learning environments. BOOKER: Yes.

PERRY: Period.

BOOKER: Period. Good teachers, radically pay them more, hold them accountable for results. Here in Newark, New Jersey we have some of the highest performing schools in the state out-performing suburbs.

PERRY: Some of these high performers include traditional public schools like Science Park High and charters like North Star Academy.

BOOKER: So I want to be the best, and as American, I'm willing to make that investment and I want that math professional coming out of graduate school to say you know what? I could take -- I could go work for Microsoft and make $200,000 a year. Or wait a minute, I could go work in Newark, New Jersey, and if I evidence (AUDIO GAP) great teacher I could make six figures in Newark, New Jersey, as well.

PERRY: Steve Perry, CNN, Newark, New Jersey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Thank you very much, Steve.

Welcome to the Hotel California. You know that song. That's not the Hotel California. It is a hotel in California, the first of its kind for allowing its guests to use marijuana. I went on a tour and I'm going to take you inside and give you the back story, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: OK. So listen, this is going to be, you're going to be hearing a lot about this in the coming months because when Californians go to the polls this November, they'll be voting on pot, to smoke or not to smoke recreationally.

Tonight, you know, I have a preview of the first of its kind hotel where smoking is welcome. We did this story about the Normandie Hotel in Los Angeles, because it is thinking of catering towards users of medical marijuana, which is already legal, already does that.

But here's what the owners are doing, they're hoping their rooms will stay full if golden state voters decide it's time to legalize marijuana in November, not just for medical marijuana users. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON (on camera): The Normandy Hotel right there. It's at Sixth and Normandy, it's a great neighborhood. So we want to know what it's like to see the first hotel that caters to pot smokers? Let's go in and meet the owner, John Evangelista.

Are you, John?

JOHN EVANGELISTA, NORMANDY HOTEL: Yes. Hey, Don. LEMON: Hey, nice to meet you. This is really cool, man. I like these.

EVANGELISTA: Crystal chandeliers.

LEMON: That's original?

EVANGELISTA: I think it's original from about 1926, when it was built.

LEMON (voice-over): The Normandy in California have come a long way since Hollywood's golden era when alcohol was illegal. Now, not only is medical marijuana legal here, but the state may be on its way to allowing adults to use it just like liquor. Already there is interest.

(on camera): What are you guys doing here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're actually looking at the building, walking around having a look.

LEMON: hat do you think of his idea?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like it a lot. This is the only hotel that allows that, that's huge.

LEMON (voice-over): But a tour of the four-story, 106-room hotel reveals a major overhaul is needed.

(on camera): You got a lot of work ahead of you.

EVANGELISTA: Yes, that's true.

LEMON (voice-over): He hopes to be ready if voters approve the ballot measure in November but medical marijuana users are already welcome at the hotel.

(on camera): I'm Don, nice to meet you. It smells like pot in here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, it does.

LEMON: Can we come in?

(voice-over): Caroline says she uses pot medically to relieve aches and pains, stemming from complications from four C-sections. This is where you -

CAROLINE LEWIS, NORMANDIE HOTEL GUEST: Yes, it is.

LEMON (on camera): So you're a medical marijuana patient and you can use it here? What does that mean to you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, it means a lot to me because I have not only safety but I'm comfortable here. I don't worry about nobody coming into the room disturbing me. I don't worry about no chaotic people knocking on my door, asking me for things. I don't worry about the police coming into my room telling me they need to search for something or being arrested. And that's one thing that a lot of medical patients really look forward to. We have nowhere to go.

LEMON (voice-over): But the owner hopes people like Caroline soon won't be confined to their rooms to smoke, a new roof deck is in the works.

EVANGELISTA: The lobby is nice and the ballroom is nice, but the roof is really, you know, it says this is the dream.

LEMON: A dream he hopes to realize even if Californians vote no.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: There are downsides to legalizing drugs and some fear the impact of more and more medical marijuana users on their community but others say you can't ignore the reality. Many legit businesses are cashing in on cannabis during these tough economic times and those who cover the marijuana industry say in the 14 states that now allow medical marijuana, pot businesses are taking up vacant storefronts and providing local towns much need revenue.

That is according to Michael Lerner, he is a publisher and editor in chief of "Kush" magazine and dailybuds.com, trade media for marijuana dispensaries. Mr. Learner, thank you for joining us.

First of all, we're not just talking about places that sell to patients who use marijuana as medicine, right? There are a lot of businesses like your magazine for instance that are making money from marijuana legitimately like some in the food industry. I see ads in "Kush" for a place called Ganga Gourmet.

MICHAEL LERNER, "KUSH" MAGAZINE: Yes, absolutely. There are so many ancillary businesses that have to do with this, from restaurants to all different facets of the business, not just distribution of the cannabis but the real estate, and all the different facets of the business.

LEMON: All right. So let's focus on the shops that sell medical marijuana. We've compiled some of your data. And you say in your conservative estimation, this is according to you, there are at least 3,000 dispensaries, boutiques, caregivers, whatever you want to call them, whatever your name for them in varying states that sell medical marijuana, on average, each place employs about seven people and serves anywhere from 10 to 300 patients a day.

Is that right?

LERNER: That's correct. In fact, there's over 30,000 jobs that have been created most recently amongst the states of California and Colorado by themselves.

LEMON: Some people can serve as many as what, 300 people a day. So how much money are these places making a day here? LERNER: Well, they go anywhere from 10 patients a day to 300 patients a day but there's two different facets here. Colorado is a for- profit state and California is a not-for-profit state. So it's a business, absolutely a business. I mean, we're talking about the gold rush of 2010.

LEMON: Local towns and states, are they collecting taxes? You've observed that states are learning from each other such as Colorado, you saw what was happening in California, and you decided to do things differently. Explain that.

LERNER: In Colorado, there's over 100,000 patients right now that have paid the state fees of $90 per person, that's over $9 million. As reported last week in the "USA Today," it's gone from 270 new patients per day in Colorado to 1,000 patients per day which brings $90,000 a day into the state just in registration fees for the cannabis patients, not, let alone the registration fees of $5,000 apiece for each and every collective that is opened in Denver, Colorado.

So it's bringing an enormous amount of revenue into the state of Colorado. It's got commercial real estate has been taken across the board. It is doing a huge boost to the economy and you're talking about over 30,000 jobs that have been created with no federal assistance but these are the revenue generating, tax generating dollars and putting people to work.

LEMON: Yes, I want to talk to you about that because you said, you have personally visited more than 2,000 dispensaries all across the country. Can you tell me any stories of people who have been economically saved by marijuana that, you know, that they've been able to find legal work from pot?

LERNER: Yes, on dailybuds.com, which is the world's largest social network for medical marijuana, there's a story after story, we did a then and now stories of people that were unemployed two years ago, people that were on welfare, people that were on various assistance programs that did not have work, that did not have income, could not feed their families and are well employed within this industry right now and a lot of them also have health benefits and so forth with the primary caregivers and collectives they work with. Their life has changed because of cannabis.

LEMON: Thank you very much, Michael Lerner, editor in chief of "KUSH" magazine. We appreciate it.

LERNER: Thank you.

LEMON: Very interesting interview, very interesting story out there covering it. I'll share a little bit about it on twitter. So go there and I'll show you my experience with you, on Facebook, our blog, as a matter of fact, we'll put that on. Glenn, if you're listening, the blog producer, let's put that on the blog I'll share my experience about the pot hotel or potel.

Meantime, President Barack Obama's big task at hand, filling a vacancy on the nation's highest court. We'll tell you about a governor who may be on the short list.

And music with a message to legislators, save the planet. Sting is making his voice loud and clear, and he tells me why in an exclusive interview next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Some of your top stories now on this busy Sunday, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm says it might be wise for President Obama to look outside the courts for his next Supreme Court pick. She made the comment this morning on CNN's "State of the Union." Granholm was asked about her status as a potential pick but didn't answer directly. She did say she was vetted last year before Sonia Sotomayor was nominated.

In Afghanistan, more than 80 girls and teachers suddenly became ill at three girls schools last week. Authorities are trying to determine if they were poisoned by Taliban militants who oppose education for girls. Afghan officials were able to gather a sample of a gas which they suspect was used to make the students sick. The girls reported a strange odor in their classrooms, then complained of dizziness and nausea.

Mississippi officials are still assessing the damage from a massive mile-wide tornado that ripped through Yazoo City and other communities. The death toll stands at 10, including sadly three children. A state of emergency could be declared soon.

No deaths have been reported in Alabama but one medical center reports treating about 20 people for storm-related injuries.

D.C.'s National Mall was the stage for music with a message today. Thousands gathered for a climate rally, which featured performances from stars like Bob Weir from the Grateful Dead, John Legend, the Roots and josh Stone. Organizers say they hope the big names and the big crowds will tell lawmakers to act, because the effort to end global warming has been waiting long enough.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATHLEEN ROGERS, PRESIDENT, EARTH DAY NETWORK: We've been really dragging our feet, and so this is going to send I hope a little message to the U.S. government and to Congress in general that they need to pass climate legislation, good climate legislation and they need to do it now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Among the activists, musicians at today's rally, Sting seen here last year at a United Nations concert. He is now lending his voice to help the environment, something he has long supported.

Now earlier he and his wife, Trudie Styler, spoke with me before his performance at the climate rally. They say they want big government because it's the only way to make the changes that are needed before it is too late. Take a listen. ((BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STING, MUSICIAN ACTIVIST: Why are we doing this?

LEMON: Yes.

STING: Well, we've been in this struggle for over 20 years, Trudy and I, you know, trying to get the message out, and as you can see, this is like a green tea party out there, people who care, people who care about clean water and fresh air for the children to breathe, food that doesn't kill you, a better planet, a safer planet and it is a tea party movement.

LEMON: Yes. Trudy, what do you think about what he said?

STING: A real one.

TRUDIE STYLER, WIFE OF STING: Well, of course I agree with him, not because I'm the little wife, but because you know, we've been on this mission together. We went to the rain forest in the '80s, we've been a foundation for 21 years now, and really speaking on behalf of the people who are in the rain forest whose rights are being abused and exploited by big business.

It's very hard to see that and we care passionately about all those indigenous groups that we've met and become friends with over the years, so that our rain forest fund really fights on their behalf.

LEMON: Yes, What do you think of what he said, it's a green tea party. What do you make of that? What are you saying by that, Sting, and then you can respond, Trudy.

STING: Well, you can see the enthusiasm out there, and people are here to really tell big government that we want big government to make big decisions about the most important problems we face, and also to pressure corporations to behave properly as consumer, but we're asking for big government, basically.

LEMON: You want big government?

STING: Of course we do. This is a huge problem and only government is going to solve it. You know, the man in the street can do a little bit, but big governments need to make decisions. We need to stop clear-cutting forests, protect the forest. It's the simplest way of cutting greenhouse gases.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Yes, I have to ask you, either of you can respond, but what do you make of those who say that, who question climate change or global warming, because Trudie, you said you have been in the fight for years.

STYLER: Well, I addressed the U.N. general assembly five days before they went to Copenhagen and there was a great feeling from the representatives of the U.N. that something was going to happen in Copenhagen and I think all of our hopes were dashed when not one government member was prepared to say, not one government leader was prepared to say we are really going to do something about climate change. We're going to cut our carbon emissions by "x." Nobody came forward and that was just a terrific, terrible waste of time and resources and money, and has left everybody feeling I think quite rebellious now that we really, this is the time, we cannot wait any longer.

We have to really lean on our governments to do something. Because I think that we're going to maybe not in my lifetime but towards the end of our children's, we're going to reach a tipping point that we will no longer be able to support life on this planet earth. I believe in that defiantly and passionately and strongly.

STING: So I think the climate skeptic - I want to say this.

LEMON: Yes, go ahead.

STING: A climate skeptic is somebody who jumps out of the 20th floor of a hotel and for 19 floors he tells everybody, hey, it's fine, nothing's wrong. He's crazy, but I can't imagine a more serious problem than climate change frankly.

STYLER: I was going to say because we've been part of the Rain Forest Foundation for two decades now that we really see that the carbon emissions could be cut by up to 25 percent just by halting deforestation now. That is something that we could do cheaply, and quickly, if we had this global accord to say this is what we all agree to do. Just in a year, this could be ended, the deforestation could stop between 12 percent and 25 percent of our carbon emissions.

LEMON: Sting, you're going to be singing tonight. What are you going to sing and maybe you can hum a few bars for us?

STING: I'm going to sing a song called "Fragile," which I supposed is appropo and then I will sing "Message in a Bottle" also appropo as is "Driven to Tears" and I'm going to finish with a song called "One World is Enough." One world is enough for all of us. It may seem a million miles away but it gets a little closer every day. Come on, Trude.

LEMON: Come on, Trudie.

STYLER: I'm allowed to sing in the car.

LEMON: Hey, guys, thank you so much, we appreciate you joining us, OK.

STING: Good-bye. Thank you.

STYLER: Bye.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: What a nice couple. Thanks to them again. I really enjoyed that. I hope you did, too, at home. A high school student battling cancer teaches his classmates a life lesson about love, perseverance and what's truly important. You should see this story. You will not forget it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: You have probably never heard of high school senior Connor Olson, but this week, he touched the hearts of his entire Kansas town. He died the other day. It wasn't a shock nor a surprise. He had been battling cancer for a long time. His friends knew Connor did not think he'd survive to the end of the school year. So they did something extraordinary. They made sure Connor got his diploma.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bottom line, my kids - I'm proud of you guys. When we go in there, we're going to be strong for our kids. We're going to be strong for our kids.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He - when he was diagnosed, I looked him in the eye and I said, you will graduate with your friends. He look at me back and said, I know. It was, you know, there was a foregone conclusion that this would occur.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You ready?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's go. We're going to do this, Connor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Basically we were finally giving Connor what he deserved. He's earned his high school diploma. And if we can give him everything that he's earned and every bit of recognition that he's earned, why not give it to him? I mean, we're simply just giving him what he was due at this point.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today, actually came about because of a sense of urgency. You know, when Connor had a stroke and became paralyzed on his left side, we knew that time was of the essence. And we also knew what the right thing to do was in this particular case. And that was to honor Connor and give him the option to walk across the stage.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I stand here before you and I certify that Connor William Olson has met all of the requirements as set forth by the state of Kansas and by our own school board, USD-464, and Connor Olson, ladies and gentlemen, has earned the right to receive this diploma and be proclaimed a member of the graduating class of 2010.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Connor has graduated now. He is a member of the graduating class of 2010. And how awesome is that? He reached a goal of his. And, you know, Connor is going to continue to teach. He's going to teach through his actions, he's going to teach through his perseverance, he's going to teach through his strength.

More importantly, though, he's going to teach now through all of the things that he's accomplished up to this point. That's going to be Connor's legacy. Who he was, how he treated people. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Connor, I used to be your principal. I guess, I'm not your principal anymore. Congratulations, man. Proud of you. Proud of you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Severe weather, the big story we've been covering all week. There are reports of tornados in South Carolina at this hour. Take it away, Jacqui.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, we just got a report from the National Weather Service that a tornado potentially touched down in the town of Darlington and producing some damage to the home and several mobile homes were flipped. We're still getting touchy information about that.

As we get more, we'll pass it along too. But Florence and Darlington counties are both under a tornado warning and this storm is moving eastward. It's going to be moving into Mechanicsville. That's next. And it's also going to be crossing i-95 and this could be clipping northern parts of Florence. So be on high alert on Florence and get to the lowest level of my home away from doors and windows at this time if you can, please.

We do have a severe thunderstorm watches in effect across parts of Maryland, in the Delmarva region and then we're also watching severe storms, potentially across Florida. We'll break in if necessary through the evening, Don.

LEMON: We'll see you back here at 10:00 p.m. Eastern. Jacqui, thank you very much. Again, we'll see you at 10:00 Eastern. I'm Don Lemon. Good night. "State of the Union" with Candy Crowley begins right now.