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Lindsay Lohan in Court; U.S. & Israeli Leaders in Talks; Job Worries & the Economy
Aired July 06, 2010 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: I believe we've got this timed out just right. Let's get you back to court in Los Angeles, where the actress Lindsay Lohan is about to learn the decision from the judge as to whether or not she violated -- the actress violated her probation on a DUI charge.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
JUDGE MARSHA REVEL, L.A. COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT: -- a non-issue all together, other than her bill got increased. The court must set bail on a misdemeanor. And I did. I doubled the bail.
But when there's a denial of any alcohol consumption, that is relevant for a different aspect of this. So, as long as there's not -- as long as it's in question as to whether she really had alcohol or not, that's the concern the court has. And so, I will allow Ms. Myers (ph) to put on evidence regarding that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I should indicate before Ms. Holley that I take a different view than the court. I accept the court's view, but I would add that I believe it is a violation of probation, because the court ordered the defendant not to drink alcohol.
So, if the people prove up that there was alcohol in her system as a result of the bracelet going off, that's a violation. Yes, a bail -- of her continued bail -- but it's also a violation of the court order. That is, to obey all rules, regulations of the court, which is one of the provisions that she was ordered to abide by once she pled in this particular case.
It makes no sense not to violate a court order like that, because, quite frankly, you could order her to do 10,000 things as a condition of bail, and if she doesn't do any of those, there is no consequence. The consequence the people allege is that she is in violation of probation because she directly violated your order.
Your order was no alcohol, period. So the people's contention is, number one, there was alcohol in her system. And we have witnesses to prove the fact that there was alcohol in her system as a result of the bracelet going off. And not that it's a violation of continued bail, but it's a violation of your direct order, your direct order to her not to drink alcohol.
REVEL: Well, that's a valid point. Yes, Ms. Holley?
SHAWN CHAPMAN HOLLEY, LOHAN'S DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Thank you, Your Honor.
When we were here on the day that there was an allegation that this bracelet had gone off, and Ms. Myers (ph) and I were here and we had a conversation with Your Honor in chambers, I brought up the possibility of our contesting the SCRAM results, because there was a denial of alcohol intoxication. The court indicated very clearly at that time that the only outcome, if the defense were to prevail, would simply be that bail would no longer be $200,000, and would then be $100,000 again.
REVEL: Let's get to the second issue. And the second issue was, it would have relevancy as to any continuing course of actions regarding --
HOLLEY: Well, may I just continue my thought on that?
REVEL: Yes. Sure.
HOLLEY: As we continued our discussion in that regard, the court said the only remedy, since it was not a condition of probation, but a condition of bail, would simply be the reduction of the increased bail. When I spoke with my client and her other advisers about what to do, it became clear to me that if we were going to refute the SCRAM allegations, we would have to retain experts in order to come in to do that.
And an economic decision was made, based on the court's representation, that the only remedy would be a reduction in the bail, that it would be far more costly to present evidence that the SCRAM monitoring system had failed in this instance, given the court's indication that we would simply get $10,000 back. On that basis, the decision was made not to challenge it.
Therefore, no experts have been retained to refute any of this evidence. And I relied entirely on our conversations in that regard.
REVEL: Sure.
HOLLEY: So I think it would be unfair for Ms. Myers (ph) to be able to present evidence of that, given my reliance upon our conversations.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, Your Honor, there was another conversation previous to that when the court placed the SCRAM device on the defendant. And I recall the court looking at me and saying to me, well, if the device goes off, that's the violation that we're not going to have a problem with. Clearly, it's going to be a violation. And I recall that conversation with the three of us in chambers.
REVEL: Well, the question would be, did I say it's a violation of her bail versus a violation of probation? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, the consuming alcohol is a violation of her probation in that she is supposed to obey all rules and regulations of the court. We're talking about two separate issues here.
The issue of the fact that she violated the bail by drinking alcohol is one issue. The fact that she clearly violated your order, or any judge's order -- when the judge orders you to do something and you don't do it, it's an easy violation. It's a violation of your continued probation because you're not doing what the court told you to do.
And that's why that provision is in there for probation: abide by all the rules and regulations of the court. It makes no sense to have it there, and for the court to make orders if you're not going to abide by it and there is no sanction as a result of it. And that's the people's position.
HOLLEY: Your Honor, I don't have a clear recollection of the -- of what the court said at that time. However, if that was said, that was at the time the SCRAM bracelet was installed. A subsequent conversation was held more specifically at the time the SCRAM bracelet went off, which was in chambers. And I remember very clearly about what would happen if we were to challenge the results of SCRAM.
REVEL: I think that part of the problem is, is that it wasn't indicated to the court that there was going to be an absolute denial about why the SCRAM bracelet went off, and I think that SCRAM now has -- it's an issue as to whether it can just go off for various reasons or not. If you think that -- and what I'm saying is that even if the only violation of probation -- and I can see where Ms. Myers (ph) is coming from. If the only violation would be the reporting, the other still has relevancy to the court.
So there's not an admission that she had anything to drink. There is a dispute as to whether the SCRAM device works accurately. And I think that it would be proper to put on evidence as to whether it works accurately.
Now, if you want additional time to call experts, you could do that. But because there's some indication that she didn't have any alcohol at all, it's my understanding, I think it would be unfair to not address that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I should also indicate to the court that it's not only the alcohol as well that the people are going to put forth evidence about. It's also the fact that the device was tampered with while it was on the defendant's ankle.
HOLLEY: Well, Your Honor, the problem that I have is that I relied upon our conversation. And I'm not prepared to cross-examine her experts given a very clear conversation that we had in chambers. I mean --
REVEL: Well, what we will do first is we will go on the reporting aspect. HARRIS: OK. So we've got some good lawyering going on here; right? We've got two attorneys arguing back and forth here.
It's not clear to me that a decision has been made yet on whether Lindsay Lohan violated her probation. She is not in the courtroom. I think you noticed that. We saw her leave. But she certainly hasn't returned, so we'll continue to follow the story and monitor what's going on in the courtroom, and see if we can get some kind of determination for you here.
Very quickly here, we are following a couple of breaking news stories for you.
First of all -- my apologies here -- an administration official telling CNN that the Justice Department is expected to file a legal challenge today to Arizona's tough new immigration law. The Justice Department is not confirming that at this point, but, again, we're hearing from administration officials that the Justice Department is expected to file a legal challenge in Arizona today.
We will pass along any additional information on this story as we get it.
And this story out of Las Vegas. A metro police officer has been shot. We understand that the officer is in good condition at this point.
Metro police are looking for a gunman. And you're looking at video of the search as it is under way right now in Las Vegas. Several streets in the downtown area are closed right now.
We will continue to follow developments in this story.
President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are about to speak to reporters any moment now in the Oval Office. This is Mr. Netanyahu's first visit since the Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla at the end of May. The incident left nine people dead.
The international crisis that followed caused the Israeli leader to cancel his June meeting with the president. They relationship already stressed by Israel's decision to move ahead with housing projects on disputed land.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Barack Obama at this hour is meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. These are important discussions, obviously, on the table, whether or not these two leaders will improve their relationship.
They're meeting in the Oval Office. They will then take questions from journalists, and then have a working lunch with Vice President Joe Biden.
At issue, a couple of things, whether or not the blockade to Gaza will be lifted. Already, those restrictions have been eased by the Israelis.
The other thing, of course, is whether or not these talks will go from indirect talks between Israelis and Palestinians to direct talks over Middle East peace. All of that on the table this morning and through the afternoon.
Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And we are waiting for tape from the Oval Office, and we'll play that for you as soon as it is made available.
We are digging deeper on the jobs and the economy. Two very difficult pictures in flux right now.
We will get you the latest information just ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: OK. I'm trying to get my big head out of the way here. The Dow posting triple-digit gains today. Trading resumed for the first time since Friday, when economic concerns and a weak jobs report drove stocks down precipitously.
We want to dig a little deeper into the jobs report. Christine Romans of the CNN Money team live from New York.
Christine, if you would, we know that the unemployment rate went down from -- let's see -- 9.7 percent to 9.5 percent, but the reason that number went down is cause for concern.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Right. The reason the number went down, Tony, is because 600,000 people simply dropped out of the workforce. I mean, and that's because they had been looking at signs of private sector growth earlier in the year, were hoping they could find a job, couldn't, and so they dropped out again.
So, you had 125,000 jobs lost overall in the month, the first negative job creation of the year. That was cause for concern. You now have 14.6 million people still unemployed in this country. Too high for a modern western economy.
And here's the number that really is perplexing. Almost 46 percent of the people out of work are what we call the long-term unemployed. These are people who have been out of work for six months or longer.
This concerns economists, because after six months, you start to lose the contacts in the industry, you start to lose the contacts on the job. And other employers like to look at people who are currently in a job when they hire. So this is really a worrying situation for people.
On average, if you're out of work now, you're out of work for 247 days, Tony. That is a long time. For years, we said save three to six months of your expenses in case of a job loss.
HARRIS: Yes.
ROMANS: What you were told to save is not going to cover the amount of time you're going to be out of work in this economy.
HARRIS: OK, Christine. We're going to dig a little deeper. Thank you. Appreciate that.
ROMANS: Sure.
HARRIS: You know, the unemployment rate is high enough, but millions more people are struggling with underemployment.
Josh Levs is here with that part of the story -- Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. You know, Tony, it's easy -- like you were just saying, it's the easy for the numbers from a jobs report to kind of fly by you, and you hear that it's big and you get a very broad picture. But what I want to help all of you do right now is think about where you fit into this and what these numbers really mean, because, indeed, unemployment in America is a lot worse than that 9.5 percent when you really look at how many people in this country are desperate to find full-time work, let alone, Tony, work that actually satisfies them.
Here are some basics.
There is a term that flies around, "marginally attached workers." What this means is people who want work. They're available for full- time work, they're looking for it, they want it.
They might not have spent the last few weeks when they're surveyed for that unemployment number been actually actively looking there. But the fact is, they're ready for that work. Some of them have just given up, 2.6 million of them.
Then, those of you out there who have part-time work but can't get a full-time job, or can't get two jobs to kind of compile a full- time schedule. So look at this. Look how many workers, Tony -- 8.6 million Americans are in that situation.
And when you take all these people together, when you look at the unemployed and the underemployed in America, you are talking about 16.5 percent -- forget the million -- 16.5 percent. And what that means is that basically it's one in six people, Tony, who are in the workforce. One in six people who are in that situation, unemployed or underemployed.
And check this out. Those who are unemployed, the average length has gone up substantially. I mean, this is huge.
I was looking at how this has changed. We're at 32.8 weeks. In May, it was slightly higher, 35 weeks. But a year ago, Tony, it was at 22 weeks. So we're talking about a jump of 10 additional weeks for the amount of time people are spending unemployed, looking for that job. And this is on average, which means there is plenty of people even higher than that. That's how bad it gets.
HARRIS: OK. Boy, that frames it up pretty dramatically.
All right, Josh. Thank you.
LEVS: You got it.
HARRIS: We have a lot going on today, in case you hadn't noticed. And here are the developing stories of what we're following for you.
Lindsey Lohan in court this hour we're still waiting for a decision. OK live pictures? Is she back in court? OK tape from earlier, at last check she was not in the court room. And in Las Vegas, police are looking for suspect who shot a police officer there. Downtown streets are closed.
And remember the Arizona immigration law? And an administration official tells CNN the justice dept. is expected to file a legal challenge today to that law. The Justice Department not commenting,
And President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are about to speak to reporters in the Oval Office. This is Mr. Netanyahu's first visit to the White House since the Israeli raid on a Gaza bound Flotilla at the end of May. The incident left 9 people dead the international crisis that followed caused the Israeli leader to cancel his June meeting this the President.
The relationship already stressed by Israel's decision to move ahead with housing projects on disputed land. Let's take a quick break. A lot of things going on in the "CNN NEWSROOM". We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: OK. Just a few moments ago, we painted a pretty gloomy picture of the job market, all the lost jobs that probably won't be coming back, the slow pace of hiring.
So, what can you do to adjust the changing job situation and survive these difficult times?
Maggie Mistal -- she's terrific -- is a career counselor and host SIRIUS XM's "Making a Living with Maggie." She is with us from New York.
Maggie, great to see you again.
I'm going to do this in sort of bullet point. I'm going to throw out these headers, and then you explain your thoughts on these topics. OK?
MAGGIE MISTAL, CAREER COUNSELOR: OK, Tony.
HARRIS: The first thing you say to us is don't become a statistic. What do you mean by that?
MISTAL: Well, I'll tell you, Tony, I was listening to all those stats, and the behind the numbers that I think people really want to understand, there are a lot of people who didn't love the jobs they were in to begin with. If you've been watching job satisfaction numbers for years, we've had half of the population, the working population, really a lack of interest, they didn't like the work-life balance.
And I'll tell you, I'm talking to those long-term unemployed people. And a lot of them have said, oh, my God, I've got a lifestyle back now, I've got time with my kids, I've lost weight, I'm in shape, I'm actually enjoying the lifestyle piece, so I don't want to go back to the same job I had before.
So, part of me, Tony, is actually excited that the jobs aren't coming back exactly the same way, because people don't want to work the same way that they did before.
HARRIS: You mentioned in our phone call this morning that people, once they learn this news that they're no longer going to be employed, that they're losing their jobs -- let's be frank about it -- that they need to take some time and to do some soul-searching first. Right? To figure out what skills, unique skills they actually bring to the table.
MISTAL: Right, Tony. The number one message for job seekers out there, the people who do want to get back into the workplace, is do not blanket -- do not mass-market your resume out to every job. And don't also go for just the easy entry level jobs that you think you can get.
You know, there's a sense of, well, it will be a slam-dunk if I go for something I'm overqualified for. And that's not really the case.
So what I tell people is, don't just job search. Don't try to shoehorn yourself into what's out there, but rather think about it and look inside.
What are your best skills, abilities and talents? What's going to set you apart?
Because, Tony, I get to work with individuals and help them through this soul search, and every single person has a different dream, a different investigate vision for the ideal career. And you have to get clear about that, because that's the kind of job you can create in this economy.
That's actually one of the messages, too. I mean, as Americans, we have created the economy that we're in. That means we can change it. We can make it better. This is a real opportunity for us, even as individuals, to go out into the workforce in a new way to start to create the kind of situations where we can be of service in a way that we're interested and excited about.
HARRIS: You also say we should really think about volunteering our way into our next opportunity.
MISTAL: Absolutely. This is one of those secrets that people talk about, the hidden job market, Tony.
OK. So employers are doing -- you know, they're more efficient, right? We've got the best productivity numbers we've had in years. So employers are saying, well, we're getting along just fine.
One of the ways though to prove that that's not true is to get in and actually be working side by side with somebody in that job to demonstrate the value you can provide. One of my clients recently did this.
She informational (ph) interviewed with a department at a university, and they weren't hiring, but she knew it was the right fit, because she had soul-searched to know this was the place for her. So what she did was she said, well, I have some time, I can volunteer, I'll just help you guys out.
And what they did, Tony, was they saw that this person had value in their department right away, and they found money in their budget to hire her. It was a job she created. It wasn't a job that was listed. She created it. And this is the way people are finding success.
The same thing can happen with internships if you're looking for corporate jobs. I mean, there are blogs out there for interns over 40. You don't have to be a college student, you don't have to be 22. If you're looking to get in with an internship, think of that. It's another way to demonstrate your skills on the job, which is what employers really need to see to be convinced.
HARRIS: Maggie, love it. Love every moment of this. I'm going to put this on our blog page, CNN.com/Tony, for everyone to view it. And we're going to have you back frequently, if that's OK with you.
I know you're a busy woman.
MISTAL: Please. It would be great.
HARRIS: All right, Maggie. Appreciate it. Thank you.
MISTAL: I'm excited and motivated and I'm happy to help.
HARRIS: Yes, that was terrific, every moment of it.
The road to recovery, boy, it has certainly be slow and bumpy so far. But Georgia Tech economist Danny Boston remains hopeful.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANNY BOSTON, ECONOMIST, GEORGIA TECH: Things will turn around, because one of the good thing that's happening in the economy is that we see an acceleration in the rate of productivity and in new investment, particularly in technology. And those things, ultimately, have spin-offs that create new jobs. But it takes time for those jobs to work themselves through the economy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: OK. We have been asking you to share your frustrations with the economy on our blog, and we have gotten a lot of responses.
Josh, if you would, fire through some of those responses for us.
LEVS: Yes. I'll talk you through some right now, Tony, and then I'm going to show everyone some resources to help you. We're trying to do what we can here at CNN to help you find a job.
Let's go straight to this right here. This is from the blog, CNN.com/Tony.
"I am a small business owner that's trying to hire and grow my company. I could actually hire hundreds of people looking for work, but with the cost of using job engines, I'm stuck."
This one is really interesting, Tony. I haven't heard this before. This is someone saying that the engines out there that help you find available employees are an expense and he doesn't have that money.
That said, if it you want to take a lot of time, there's plenty of places online that are free that you can look where people have posted all sorts of resumes, videos, that kind of thing.
Let's go to Jade. "Not providing summer jobs for kids or extending unemployment benefits for those out of work will just cause crime to rise, and we all have to pay for that."
Let's get another one in here. From Nick, "I just graduated from college with my Bachelor's, summa cum laude. I cannot even get an interview."
Tony, I'm also interacting with folks at Facebook throughout the show today. Here's one that struck me from Gayle.
"My husband has been unemployed for two years, with little prospects. His only work experience is in sales. For all else he is called unqualified, overqualified, experienced in the wrong area, or too old to be taken seriously."
These are the kinds of things we're hearing from so many people, which is why I want to tell everyone about this: CNN.com/jobs. It's here to help you.
Look, nothing is a one-stop shop that's just going to instantly, necessarily get you a job. But this could do a lot.
And Tony, I know you're interested in the geography. Right?
HARRIS: Yes. Yes.
LEVS: People need to find the jobs in their areas that match their expertise. Well, what we have is a map here that talks to you about all sorts of things, including if you click by jobs by industry, this is a color-coded system to talk you through your industry, where you might want to go.
Let's say you're looking in retail trade. It will tell you where things stand in each state when it comes to retail trade. And if you are looking to make a move, this map, CNN.com/jobs, just might give you a lot of help.
HARRIS: So I may -- I don't know, I'm a bricklayer, and I'm looking. I'm not finding any work in Kansas. Go to CNN.com --
LEVS: Yes. And just click on "construction." That's where a bricklayer would be.
And then what you see here is, based on the color-coded system, you see where you're going to find more jobs. You might find way more in Montana than you will in North Dakota, just based on what's been happening there lately.
HARRIS: We are trying to help you, people. We are trying.
Josh, appreciate it. Thank you.
LEVS: You got it. Thank you.
HARRIS: The oil spreads. Cleanup crews fishing for BP tar balls. But this crude isn't in the Gulf of Mexico.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Day 78 of the BP oil disaster. A U.S. Navy blimp will arrive in the skies over the Gulf of Mexico Friday. It will monitor oil flow patterns and direct skimming boats. The blimp is more cost- effective, we're told, than helicopters.
For the first time, tar balls from the oil leak have washed up in Texas. Oil has now been spotted along some 600 miles of Gulf Coast from Galveston to the central Florida panhandle.
In Louisiana, Lake Pontchartrain is closed for fishing after tar balls were found.
Let's go live now to our Brooke Baldwin.
Brooke, what are you hearing from the people there along the lake?
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, people are sort of frustrated, and they're sitting around sort of twiddling their thumbs, because as you said, a portion of Lake Pontchartrain is now closed because of this. I mean, this is really kind of the best illustration as to what a tar ball here -- at least this kind of tar ball -- looks like.
You can see, it's kind of gross. And this is what is popping up in Lake Pontchartrain.
They first found it yesterday. It was reported coming through one of the passes over the weekend. And they are marble-sized, anywhere up to golf ball-size. And so, as a result, you know, you can't get in there, and you can't go fishing.
And you can imagine, Tony, it is devastating, some of these people whose livelihoods are just quite simply at stake.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL BORDELON, FISHERMAN: It's like resin, almost. It gets on your fingers, and you wash it and wash it, and it just smears and smears.
ROLAND MOLLERE, FISHERMAN: I didn't think we would see it in here, but it looks like we're going to. And that's sad, you know? It really is. What else can you say about it?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Some people, of course, are saddened. Some people not as much surprised, not as much alarmed.
I did speak with John Lopez. He is one of the directors of the foundation here, the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, and he had been worried about the inevitable, as he described it to me on the phone. And he said he had been going on these recon missions week after week, checking out the passes, seeing if the oil had quite made it in Lake Pontchartrain.
Here is what John Lopez says, and he references wind, specifically -- wind is the driving force to bring this oil in this lake.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN LOPEZ, LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN BASIN FOUNDATION: It was this east wind we had the last few days, kind of pushed it back toward the lake. Certainly not something that represents a catastrophic oil leak or threat, but it is maybe kind of the leading edge of maybe something larger that could be coming.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So, how much of these tar balls and how much oil really is in the lake? Tony, the good news is, not that much.
The latest estimate I heard was somewhere in the 100-barrel range. But today, really in an effort to prevent more of the stuff from coming into the lakes, they have had these cleanup workers. They're out right now. And now that the water is a little calmer and the rain subsided, outlaying (ph) even more boom and the barges to keep the oil from reaching even closer to New Orleans -- Tony.
HARRIS: Brooke, are you wearing a glove there, handling that mess?
BALDWIN: Gloves.
HARRIS: All right. Good. Good. Good.
BALDWIN: Yes.
HARRIS: That is nasty looking.
All right. Brooke Baldwin for us.
BALDWIN: Isn't it?
HARRIS: Brooke, good to see you. Thank you. Yes, it is nasty.
Got to tell you, it is crazy hot in the Northeast, the kind of heat that can be downright dangerous, even deadly.
We will look at how long it might last.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Hey, got to double time this and get you to the northeast in the middle of a blistering heat wave right now. We are just getting word from Philadelphia that an elderly woman has died because of the extreme heat. Man, is it hot.
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes.
HARRIS: Boy. Later today you can expect temperatures -- what cities are in the boxes here? We've got Boston. What do we have here? Temperatures really high today. One hundred degrees. Maybe a tick above in some areas?
MYERS: Yes.
HARRIS: Chad Myers is here.
And you factor in the humidity in some of these areas, it is - it is just unbearable.
MYERS: Yes. You're the only one doing double time.
HARRIS: Yes.
MYERS: Everybody else is doing single or quarter time.
HARRIS: I'm one of the crazy guys that really -- and this is even extreme for me, but I love the heat, but this, this is, this is too much. MYERS: I grew up in Buffalo, right, and so we didn't have heat. But now I like heat and I don't like the cold any more. So I don't know how that happened. I guess you get old and you just don't like the cold any more. So take the heat when you can get it.
We do also have some air quality issues all the way up and down the East Coast, too. Anywhere that you see yellow, that's a moderate air quality problem. Same for Philadelphia. And that's into the possibly stay inside if you really have bad asthma issues here. And that would be just these small areas here around Philadelphia, D.C., maybe into Baltimore as well. Those are very small. Other than that, we're not going to worry too much about air quality today. It's not nearly as bad as it has been.
But the temperatures certainly are. The forecast for today for New York City, 101. That is an old record that would tie it -- look at the record, at 95 forecast for Boston. I know that record says 101, but it will be warmer than that away from the water. Philadelphia, you're going to get all the way to 101. You're definitely going to break a record today, if you haven't already broken the record in many spots.
There you go, 97, New York City, 98 in Philly. And a live shot from Philadelphia, WPVI. I think that's a shot from Delaware, looking at Philadelphia. But that's OK, looking over at the river and through the woods, and you can see the sunshine. Can you imagine? Let's say you're a brick layer today or an asphalt engineer?
HARRIS: Oh. Oh.
MYERS: In the sunshine? In the heat? There's all that radiating off there and it has just been brutal. So, again, brutal for the pets, as well. No pets in the cars today, please. You know, let's not go through all of this. No kids in the car today. Again, heat index, 105.
HARRIS: That's right. All right, Chad, man, that's hot.
A royal visit for New Yorkers today. Britain's Queen Elizabeth -- in all that heat, wow -- coming to town. We will check in with our man, Richard Quest, who is ready and waiting.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: OK. Want to get you to the best financial news website. You're getting faster and faster with that thing every day. Cnnmoney.com, of course. And take a look at the lead story here at cnnmoney.com, "stamps may go to 46 cents." What's the story here? U.S. Postal Service proposes a two cent increase in the price of a stamp as part of a wider effort to close the budget gap.
OK. So that's cnnmoney.com. Take a look at the big board, New York Stock Exchange, better than three hours into the trading day now and we are still in positive territory. Triple digit positive territory, up 110 points, but we are off of session highs.
Got to tell you, it is the visit everyone is talking about. Her imagine, Queen Elizabeth, in New York today for a few hours anyway. And following every moment, our Richard Quest.
Richard, good to see you again, sir.
If you would, talk to us about the queen's first stop, the United Nations, and a pretty significant speech to come today.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. The first thing to say as a New Yorker might put it, Tony, it's shpitzing (ph) here in New York. Absolutely roasting. And to be standing in a hot wall suit in the heat of the midday sun. I promise you -- thankfully, her majesty is more used to this weather from her various tours.
When she lands in the U.S., she will then be, obviously, sped into the United Nations, where she is due to give an address in which she will be representing the common wealth and the 16 nations of which she's head of state. It is a speech about leadership, about the changes of the United Nations, and it is a rare opportunity for the queen to talk about international events in that rather bleak (ph), very subtle way that she will do.
From here, it's downtown to the World Trade Centers, where she will pay respects at Ground Zero. Now, there will be over 100 degrees, so the queen will certainly need to make sure she's in shade. And finally, she will dedicate the British Memorial Garden to the British citizens, the 67 citizens who died in 9/11.
Tony.
HARRIS: As I said, following every step, our Richard Quest.
Richard, as always, great to see you. Thank you, sir.
America's reliance on fossil fuels has gotten us in pretty big trouble this year. One engineer wants to change that by harnessing the sun.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LONNIE JOHNSON, ENGINEER, INVENTOR: The sun is the one single energy source that could meet all of the future energy needs of the world hands down. There's no other single source that could do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Lonnie Johnson's innovations have earned him engineering awards. Now people in government are starting listen.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: OK. We are monitoring several developing and breaking stories right now. The first out of Washington, D.C. An administration official tells CNN the Justice Department is expected to file a legal challenge today to Arizona's immigration law. The Justice Department not confirming. Out of Los Angeles, the actress, Lindsay Lohan, is in court this hour. A judge set to decide whether she violated terms of her probation for a 2007 drunk driving charge. If found guilty, Lohan could face jail time.
And in Las Vegas, police are looking for a suspect who they say fired shots at an officer. Several downtown streets are closed.
We could soon hear from President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Mid East peace talks. The two are meeting in the Oval Office right now. This is Mr. Netanyahu's first visit to the White House since the Israeli raid on a Gaza bound flotilla at the end of May.
A man spends seven years perfecting two inventions that could change how the world gets its electricity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LONNIE JOHNSON, ENGINEER, INVENTOR: This (INAUDIBLE) right up there with gasoline. It has a lot of energy potential. The key is to unlock it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Lonnie Johnson is famous for making a top-selling toy. Now he is breaking new ground in green energy.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: So the images of oil spoiling America's shores has a lot of people thinking more seriously about alternative energy sources. As part of our "Next Big Thing" series, meet Lonnie Johnson, a former NASA engineer with two potentially world changing inventions.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS (voice-over): Lonnie Johnson is what you would call a prolific inventor. The engineer holds more than 100 patents, inspired to create ever since he was a child.
LONNIE JOHNSON, ENGINEER, INVENTOR: I was always curious about how things worked. I would take my siblings' toys apart to -- sometimes I would put them back together. Sometimes I would put -- use parts to make something else totally different.
HARRIS: When he was a teenager, Johnson won an engineering contest with a robot he built while growing up in the segregated south.
JOHNSON: We were the only black school represented, but Linex was such an impressive piece of work that we were able to walk away with first place.
HARRIS: Years later, as an engineer for NASA's jet propulsion lab, Johnson helped design the Galileo mission to Jupiter and the Mars observer projects. But Johnson's biggest claim to fame was engineering this toy, the Super Soaker squirt gun. More than $1 billion in sales later, Johnson had the resources to work on his real life's mission, finding ways to power the world without polluting it.
JOHNSON: That was my strategy because I was having a lot of trouble getting investors or people to support the research that I wanted to do in the hard (INAUDIBLE) area.
HARRIS: The engineer started two companies, located them in what was once a blighted Atlanta neighborhood, and hired fellow scientists to work on his mission.
JOHNSON: We've done some things at the research level that a lot of people have predicted were impossible and could not work.
HARRIS: Johnson and his team spent seven years developing this lithium air battery. A battery, he says, provides ten times more energy than the most powerful batteries now on the market.
JOHNSON: Where the auto industry now is trying to get to 100 miles on a single charge, you'd actually be able to charge your car and drive up to 1,000 miles in one charge, nonstop. So that would eliminate the reservation that a lot of people have about electric cars.
HARRIS: Johnson has tested the battery's ability in the lab time and again. But in order to get the battery to work in an electric car, it needs to be larger. And scaling it up takes big money.
JOHNSON: Well, we could actually put it in a car and drive a car I'd say 12 to 18 months if we had adequate funding.
HARRIS: But Johnson says companies with far more resources are starting to catch up.
JOHNSON: Now we've got large entities like the national laboratories and the IBMs and others who have very deep pockets who are starting to focus on this technology. So we've got to run faster to stay ahead much.
HARRIS: The other potentially world-changing invention he's developed is this engine. The J-Tech converts heat to electricity. "Popular Mechanics" magazine awarded the J-Tech its breakthrough prize in 2008. And the National Science Foundation has said the J-Tech has, quote, "a good chance of being the best thing on earth."
JOHNSON: It took us a while to convince people that even the engine was real and it could work.
HARRIS: Johnson says the engine, which pushes hydrogen through a membrane, could power entire cities once it's scaled up.
JOHNSON: If we had a way of converting heat from the sun to electricity, as cost effectively as we can burn coal or gas or natural gas to produce electricity, then we would be using the sun a lot more. This would really literally change the world if we were successful. HARRIS: Johnson has received some funding from the Department of Energy and support from the Department of Defense, but not enough to get the project commercialized. That, he says, will take several million dollars.
JOHNSON: Everything depends on resources. I could have an engine working in inside of a year at this point.
HARRIS: So far, Johnson has mostly gone it alone. It has been a major personal investment the 61-year-old hopes will pay off in his lifetime.
JOHNSON: If it doesn't, it won't be for a lack of trying.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Got to tell you, we are rooting for Lonnie and we're keeping an eye on him, as well. And we will be there when he does his cross-country tour in an electric car.
Next week, on our "Next Big Thing," an engineering student shot in an attempted robbery uses his own invention to get well. Don't miss, "Wearing Strength."
So any moment Lindsay Lohan finds out if she is going to jail. An L.A. judge is deciding her fate right now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: OK. We've got to blast through this, because we've got a number of items to get to. It's "What's Hot" on the web right now. Ines Ferre is tracking that for us.
Oh, we're going to start with Lindsay?
INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And Lindsay Lohan. She went into court today. And the court's in recess right now.
HARRIS: And then she left the courtroom and then maybe she's back. OK.
FERRE: Exactly. And so a judge -- she's in there because they're trying to figure out if she violated her probation or the not and she could face jail time. So everybody is really watching this. This is what we've - they've went online -
HARRIS: No, it is a hot story. I'm kidding about it, but it really is a trending story for us.
FERRE: Right.
This next one is also -- FaceBook is testing out a new tagging technology. It's a pilot program right now. I'm not part of it, but this is my page. And --
HARRIS: The family Ferre. FERRE: The family Ferre. My sister's right there. I'm with some colleagues over here.
HARRIS: Right. Right.
FERRE: Hopefully nobody minds that I'm showing these pictures.
HARRIS: OK. And, if so, to bad.
FERRE: So, anyhow, so right now the way you tag a picture is you'll click on it, and, oh, that picture for some reason didn't --
HARRIS: Did we test this before we did this?
FERRE: Yes, I did. But for some reason it just -- well, look, I'll show you here.
HARRIS: OK.
FERRE: Let's say that you tag me right here. And this one, you'd have to click on it. Oh, there's my uncle. All right. Well, all right, you'd have to click on this picture. You see a square and then you tag it. This way, the way it would work is, it actually recognizes faces and it tags it for you, but then you have to type in the name underneath the tag.
HARRIS: It's (INAUDIBLE) -
FERRE: Yes, well -- it doesn't - it can't recognize the exact face, but it does recognize that there's a face.
HARRIS: OK.
FERRE: And this next one is so cool. These guys are trending online right now. They're called Kabul Dreams.
HARRIS: Oh, I love this. Yes.
FERRE: They claim that they're the first indie band from Afghanistan. They're three young folks right here.
HARRIS: Oh, there you go.
FERRE: You see them. Yes. And we're going to actually just play a little clip of their music.
HARRIS: Can we hear a little bit?
FERRE: Yes, we've got a clip of the music.
HARRIS: All right. Let's listen.
FERRE: Yes, there you go. You see them there. They're at a concert over in Kabul. And basically it's just amazing because they're saying, look, this kind of music was banned under the Taliban rule. And now they can play and they're playing about great things. HARRIS: Well, yes. I mean, so we've got the new music and it sounds pretty good, you know, drum, guitar and base. All right.
FERRE: Yes. And they're starting up the indie rock bands.
HARRIS: Let's get them some more hits.
All right, Ines, good stuff. Thank you.
FERRE: Yes.
HARRIS: Answers to your money questions from "The Help Desk" team in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Time now for "The Help Desk," where we get answers to your financial questions. Joining me this hour, Ryan Mack is the president of Optimum Capital Management and Laura Rowley is from Yahoo! Finance.
Let's start with a question from Ray. Ray says, "I'm 22 and will graduate from college next year. I want to start a business. How difficult is it to start up a franchise store? Is it worth going into a lot of debt at the age of 23?"
Laura.
LAURA ROWLEY, YAHOO! FINANCE: The short answer is no. There's a widely cited study that was done in the 1990s that found 40 percent of franchises fail in the first four years. And the capital investment required was in average of a half a million dollars.
So lending is still very tight out there. My question would be, go into the franchise you're thinking about opening. Work your way up from the bottom. Do every job. Become the manager. And then decide, do I really want to own? That will take a few years. By that time, hopefully the economy and lending will both have recovered and you can dive in if you want to.
ROMANS: Make you'll have a rich uncle who can give you some money along the way, right?
Jeffrey has this one for you. "My mom just got an annuity. How does that differ from a mutual fund or a CD?"
Ryan.
RYAN MACK, PRES., OPTIMUM CAPITAL MANAGEMENT: Well, first of all, Jeffrey, I've got to congratulate him for even being familiar with his mother's investments. This is one thing a lot of families don't do enough of is talking about their investments with their children.
Second of all, a CD is essentially the bank saying, hey, I'll pay you a little bit of money for allowing you -- to allow me to use your money. So the mutual fund is a portfolio manager saying, hey, I have a group of investments that I can invest for you if you pay me for that.
The annuity is almost a reverse of life insurance, essentially saying that as life insurance pays you when you die, the annuity pays you when you live. So you want to make sure that the annuity is not always a first best option when you want to invest. Individuals should say, you know, I have a little bit of capital left over. I've fully funded my 401(k). I filled up my 403B. I put money into an IRA. I have a little bit of liquidly. I have a long term investment strategy. I might want to consider an annuity.
But again, make sure that you're avoiding a lot of excessive fees. A lot of annuities have excessive fees. You're paying a hefty price in order to invest those dollars, so make sure you do the research and make sure it's a quality company as well.
ROMANS: So you should be asking some questions about his mother's annuity.
MACK: Exactly.
ROMANS: All right, Ryan Mack, Laura Rowley, thank you so much, both of you.
"The Help Desk" is all about getting you answers. Send us an e- mail to cnnhelpdesk@cnn.com. Or log on at cnn.com/helpdesk to see more of our financial solutions. You can also pick up the latest issue of "Money" magazine on newsstands now.
HARRIS: And just enough time to say, "CNN NEWSROOM" continues right now with Drew Griffin, in for Ali Velshi.
