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The President's New Plan; Adult Services Barred on Craigslist; Giving Hope to Trapped Miners; Drug Kingpin Arrested in Mexico; Bull Sharks Caught in Potomac River; Muslim Artist Tries to Improve Attitudes Toward Islam; Career Counselor Gives Advice on Job Hunting
Aired September 05, 2010 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Unemployment bad, the business outlook bad, our latest poll really bad -- and yet, President Obama and the Democrats this week will try to make it good and stave off a rout by the Republicans. The gun has sounded for the home stretch to the mid terms.
The Texas high school football star who is accused of turning into a drug cartel kingpin who authorities say is implicated in hundreds -- yes, hundreds, of murders. They've got him now.
And the legal eagles react. Craigslist has taken down the adult services part of its Web site but will that satisfy the attorneys general from 17 states who accused the popular service of promoting prostitution?
(MUSIC)
FOREMAN: Brand-new poll numbers out this Labor Day weekend are bringing more of what the Democrats nationwide are dreading: public confidence in the economy already low is dropping even lower. And it is happening on what is considered the start of the home stretch for the fall elections.
President Obama is traveling to Ohio this week to unveil a new plan to prop up small businesses reeling from the recession but look at the environment that he is stepping into. With unemployment still hovering around 10 percent, the latest CNN/Opinion Research survey finds 81 percent, four out of every five people now say the economy is in poor shape.
Let's bring in our deputy political director Paul Steinhauser. He's in Pittsburgh with the CNN Election Express.
Paul, the president's talking about the economy a lot this week. In addition to Ohio, he's going to be in Milwaukee tomorrow, he'll be holding a news conference in which he'll be having a lot of details, I'm sure, about what he's going to do to get the country going again. Tell us some more about these numbers in our latest poll because they're certainly not good for the president and his party.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: They are troubling, Tom. You know, when we take those numbers that just talked about and break them down, check this out: again, from the CNN/Opinion Research Corporation, this is a national survey, 44 percent, Tom -- 44 percent of people we questioned said the economic conditions right now are very poor, and that is a jump, Tom, of seven points from July.
Those are troubling numbers. Why? Because, obviously, the economy, jobs, number one issue by far, with Americans. You talk about the president on Wednesday in Ohio, there's going to be policy there but there's also some politics at play. Ohio, it's a state where Democrats are trying to hold onto the governorship and a bunch of House seats -- Tom.
FOREMAN: Paul, who are they really blaming for all of this? Because it's not like the Republicans are getting a pass. They're just not the party in charge.
STEINHAUSER: Right. The Democrats control the White House, they control Congress. In our brand-new poll, we asked, who do you blame right now? Who's most responsible for the current commission conditions? And Republicans are still ahead of Democrats, 44 percent blaming the Republicans, 35 percent blaming the Democrats, and 16 percent say, you know what, both of those parties are to blame.
But, Tom, take a look at this numbers, this is on the president. How do you think President Obama is doing? Do you approve or disapprove of his job on the economy? Only four in 10 approving, 59 percent disapproving. The 40 percent who approve, that's the lowest number in CNN polling since Barack Obama took over in the White House a year and a half ago.
FOREMAN: Paul, what can the Democrats do by this? Because it's too late to move the numbers. There's no way you're going to see a big change in the actual unemployment rate. It doesn't look like they can do anything about the reality in the next eight weeks.
What can they do about the perception, if anything?
STEINHAUSER: Well, I think that's why you're going to see the president this week, tomorrow in Wisconsin, Wednesday in Ohio and then Friday, he's holding a news conference at the White House, speaking out about the economy, showing that -- trying to tell Americans that they are on top of things.
Listen, the White House and Democrats in Congress say, we are trying to make a change. If it wasn't for what we've done, things would be worse. And they say, if you vote for the Republicans, they'll take you back to the policies that got us here in the first place.
Tom, Republicans say just the opposite. What Democrats and President Obama are doing and they're not working and they're trying to make this a referendum on the president and the economy.
And, Tom, hey, I'm here with the CNN Express. That's your second home.
We're here in Pittsburgh. Why? Because Pennsylvania is a great little microcosm of really what's going on here. The Democrats in Pennsylvania are trying to hold onto the governorship, a Senate seat. And the Republicans think they can win back maybe four or five House seats. So, Pennsylvania -- a little taste of really the whole country as general.
And, Tom, they miss you here on the bus.
FOREMAN: Well, I miss being out there with you, Paul, too. But I know you'll keep it nice and clean and taken care of well. Paul Steinhauser, as always, thanks for your insights in all of this.
As Paul said, keep an eye on the CNN Election Express. Our bus is on the road this week in four states starting there in Pittsburgh with members of the best political team on television.
Tuesday, the bus arrives in Columbus, Ohio. Jessica Yellin, John King, Gloria Borger, Dana Bash, and Atlanta anchor T.J. Holmes will all be making the trip.
On Wednesday, the CNN Express will roll into Covington, Kentucky.
And on Thursday, our team reports from Indianapolis.
This is our big kickoff to this big election this fall and this is important, folks. Pay attention to all of it. Keep up with the CNN Express as it travels with Paul and all the others because now, it is serious. Eight weeks until the big vote and we'll have a lot to say about what we do in the near future.
Moving on to other subjects here. BP's failed blowout preventer is in the hands of the Justice Department. The massive structure was brought up from the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. There it is finally. Look at that -- hauled aboard a ship.
The blowout preventer is suspected of playing a critical role in this summer's catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf. Investigators will now go over this device with a fine-tooth comb to figure out why it failed to shut off the flow of oil after the explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon. That explosion, as you remember, killed 11 men and caused the drilling rig to burn and sink and the big spill that came afterward.
Attorney General Eric Holder has said criminal charges will be pursued if the feds find any evidence of any wrongdoing related to the accident and the subsequent oil spill. Something to keep an eye on a as we move forward.
To Pakistan, where there's also more news this weekend. Massive flooding there, of course, has presented an immediate threat to human lives but now comes word of a long-range threat to the nation's food supply. More than 1,700 people are dead after a month of flooding in Pakistan.
Now, the high waters could ruin wheat planting season for many of the nation's farmers. If they miss that window, they won't be able to harvest until May of 2012. Add that to the millions of acres of crops already destroyed and many people may have to depend on food aid for some time there.
Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta has journeyed through Pakistan's flood zones. It has been a fascinating and dangerous journey in many ways. He brings us some unforgettable reports in a special CNN cover story coming up later this evening, "Washed Away." It's at 7:30 p.m. Eastern. We'll lead right up to it with this newscast. Stay with us because it's something you absolutely do not want to miss.
Now, critics have called the online classified ad site Craigslist the single largest source of prostitution in America. There's new on that this weekend. CNN challenged its founder on how he was trying to clean up the site.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMBER LYON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What are you guys doing to protect these girls?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: No answer there. This weekend, Craigslist pulled the plug. In a bit, we will have the reaction from those who demanded just that.
Plus, a new campaign to ease tensions over a proposed Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a New York City firefighter and I responded to 9/11, and I am a Muslim.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: That is just part of a new ad campaign from an Islamic group trying to get its message out. What are they saying? We will have that and so much more -- just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOREMAN: Advocates to protect women and children from sex trafficking are noting a major switch on the Web site many Americans consider America's bulletin board this weekend. The adult services section of Craigslist has shut down in the U.S. this weekend in what appears to be a response to allegations that it promoted prostitution. We say "appears" because the folks at Craigslist aren't giving us an exact reason yet, but they say they will release a statement later on. Seventeen state attorneys general called last week on Craigslist to take just this type of action, including Connecticut's Richard Blumenthal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, CONNECTICUT ATTORNEY GENERAL: Craigslist either cannot or will not effectively screen out the ads. And so, Craigslist really voluntarily did the right thing as a result of our jawboning and talking to them. But I think that it can be a model for other sites that may either enable or encourage prostitution ads.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Attorney General Blumenthal will be our guest in the next hour. We'll get much more of his reaction to this groundbreaking news this weekend.
You have to give credit to our own Amber Lyon for turning up the pressure on Craigslist about this and pushing this story forward. She investigated the practices on Craigslist and confronted the founder, Craig Newmark, about the site's safeguards. Amber's report originally aired just a few weeks before the adult section shut down.
Let's take a look at what she found.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMBER LYON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I want to show you how easy it is for these pimps to use Craigslist to sell their girls. So, we're actually going to post an ad for a fictional prostitute right now. Don't try this at home, OK?
It says right now that it will cost $10 for ad, 5 bucks to repost. One of the big things going on with Craigslist right now is they're saying that they're monitoring all these ads that come through on adult services to check if any of these girls are underage or young.
So, we put some words in here: "sweet," "innocent," "new girl." We're going to see what happens. We'll see if Craigslist kind of let our ad post. We'll also see, you know, what kinds of calls we get.
(PHONE RINGING)
CALLER: I saw your ad on Craigslist.
(PHONE RINGING)
LYON: Hello?
CALLER: Yes. What's your donation for an hour in-call?
LYON: What are you looking for, what type?
CALLER: Just -- just half an hour. Just a quick half an hour to get together.
LYON: OK. What's your name?
CALLER: Jeff or -- John. Jeff.
LYON: So, what is that now, we've had 15 calls? And the ad's only been out for three hours -- 15 calls in three hours. So, we're on the main page of the Washington, D.C. Craigslist section right now and to get down to the adult services section, you scroll past the "for sale" section. It's right underneath pet services is adult services.
(voice-over): Craigslist says its staff manually screens all of these adult services ads and will reject any that make it look or sound like you're selling sex. That may not be easy, but when we looked through the ads, most of them were pretty blatant.
(on camera): Look at that, she's sitting in her underwear.
(voice-over): On a single day last week, we counted 7,000 adult services ads in the major metropolitan area where craigslist is most active. Dozens had photos with young-looking females. Dozens more had words that used youth as a selling point.
The FAIR Fund investigates juvenile trafficking.
ANDREA POWELL, FAIR FUND: And most of the young people that we've worked with has exploited on line talk about Craigslist, they don't talk about the other sites. Craigslist is like the "Wal-Mart" of online sex trafficking right now in this country.
"M," FORMER UNDERAGE PROSTITUTE: We post ads around, like, four, five, and wait for you to get a call. Wait to get a call.
POWELL: From everything that we understand, when they are being exploited by a pimp or trafficker, more accurately described, the trafficker's keeping the money.
"M": And if I didn't get it, yes, he would be mean.
LYON (on camera): So, we're here at George Washington University and we just found out that Craig Newmark, he's the founder of Craigslist, is going to be speaking here today at a tech conference. He doesn't know we're coming and he's been very media shy lately about all of these allegations against him. This guy is the "Craig" in Craigslist. It's his list.
So, can people trust that children are not being sex trafficked on Craigslist?
CRAIG NEWMARK, FOUNDER, CRAIGSLIST: I think we explained that pretty thoroughly on our blog.
LYON: That's where Jim Buckmaster says that you will immediately contact law enforcement if you suspect any ads --
NEWMARK: Jim does a great job showing that we do more than anyone in this area -- pretty good for a community of 50 million people.
LYON: This is Inspector Brian Bray with the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. He's also in charge of the prostitution enforcement unit. In Craigslist's blog, they say that they're going to immediately contact law enforcement any time they see a suspicious ad, and you say you've never been contacted by them.
BRIAN BRAY, D.C. METROPOLITAN POLICE: That's correct. It does bother us from a law enforcement perspective because the problem's so rampant that, you know, to get a handle on it, we need all the assistance we can get. And if they're -- if they're notifying, I'm not sure if they're notifying the right people because we're not getting the call.
LYON: What are you guys doing to protect these girls?
You guys say in the blog that you will remove any ad that looks like the person might be suggesting they're going to offer sex.
Look at this ad. It says, young, sexy, sweet and bubbly. Clearly here, she writes, $250 an hour. I mean, what do you think she's selling in her bra and underwear, a dinner date? And she's in her bra and underwear.
What are you guys doing?
NEWMARK: Have you reported this to us?
LYON: But you guys say you screen all these manually on your blog.
NEWMARK: Have you -- I've never -- I don't know what this is. Have you reported --
LYON: In Jim Buckmaster's blog, he says these are being screened.
NEWMARK: Have you reported this to us?
LYON: Why do I have the responsibility to report this to you when it's your Web site? You're the one posting this online. I just want to know, I mean -- OK.
NEWMARK: This is --
LYON: It's just that we've run into a lot of victims and a lot of advocates that pretty much call your site the "Wal-Mart" of child sex trafficking.
(voice-over): In 2008, Craigslist agreed to report any suspicious ads to the Center for Missing and Exploited Children which works with police to find and rescue trafficking victims. Two years and hundreds of thousands of sketchy ads later, the center says Craigslist has reported fewer than 100.
(on camera): Thank you for your time, Craig.
(END VIDEOTAPE) FOREMAN: Obviously, we've reached out to Craigslist to hear what they have to say. They haven't come on yet, but we're hoping they will in the near future.
Just ahead, "La Barbie" is behind bars and Mexican authorities call it a victory against the cartels. We will have the latest on a former Texas football star accused of some terrible crimes.
But, first, 31 days trapped a half mile below ground, our Karl Penhaul reports on what lies ahead for those 33 miners awaiting rescue.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOREMAN: Think about all the places you've been, all the people you've talked to, all the things you have done in the past month and then think about this. Exactly one month ago, a mine collapsed in Chile, trapped 33 workers deep underground. The men are still alive but it could be months before they are rescued. They have a steady supply of food, water and air now, but hope is a harder commodity to come by.
(VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: To help boost their spirits, today, a group of visitors came to the mine site who know a lot about survival and adverse circumstances. Thirty-eight years ago, the Uruguayan rugby team survived more than two months in the Andes after a terrible plane crash. We'll have more on them in a moment.
But, first, the miners' families talked to CNN's Karl Penhaul about the moment they got this bad news.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
CRISTINA NUNEZ, WIFE OF CLAUDIO YANEZ (through translator): A friend phone and said the San Esteban mine has just collapsed and the miners are trapped inside. I said, "What? That can't be true." And I began crying.
I was crying and I couldn't talk. I was just crying and crying. I said, "My Claudio can't leave me like this. Claudio has to be alive."
HECTOR TICONA, FATHER OF ARIEL TICONA (through translator): I was stunned by the news, but I didn't cry. I'm not the kind to cry. Though my wife began to cry and I cried to calm her down. I said, "Take it easy. We don't know anything for sure just yet."
SCARLETT SEPULVEDA, DAUGHTER OF MARIO SEPULVEDA (through translator): I felt rage and pain and frustration. I thought, how can they be trapped like that? They're not animals. But here in Chile, they've always treated our miners like animals.
It's horrible. I miss him so much. He always cheered us up and made us laugh. I just feel so bad. JESSICA YANEZ, PARTNER OF ESTEBAN ROJAS (through translator): Those first days were unforgettable. It was huge uncertainty. (AUDIO BREAK).
Those were very bitter moments, I was crying day and night. I didn't want to sleep. I held out hope Esteban has been outside the mine.
When I was crying, I hoped he was going to come out and hug me and say, darling, I'm here. But the hours went by and they reported the names of the missing miners and Esteban never came.
LILA RAMIREZ, WIFE OF MARIO GOMEZ (through translator): I felt a lot of rage and pain and I felt powerless because I knew this was an accident waiting to happen. A lot of the miners said that they had heard the mountain groaning. I never doubted and I had a lot of faith that they were alive and that they were all together and that's how they found them, all together.
TICONA: I always had faith and I stayed calm. And then, what happened, what happened. Then, the miracle came.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
FOREMAN: Joining us live now from Copiapo, Chile, is CNN's Karl Penhaul.
Karl, we can't even imagine what it's like for these poor folks under the ground trapped there, but how are these families getting by? How are they preparing for the weeks ahead of wait something?
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, really, the families have played a fundamental part in all of this, Tom, because in the first 17 days, those miners were lost, feared dead, had no contact with the outside world. And at that point, the families came up to the mine head. They camped out here, they established a camp which they since call "Camp Hope."
They refuse to leave and, at the same time, pressured the government to continue the search, pressured the mine company and pressured the company. They said: you will not leave our miners underground dead or alive.
And so, it was that pressure to find the miners that eventually turned them up alive after 17 days. Now, of course, the miners, it's a close-knit community. They're talking to one another. They're sharing one another's pains. It's their own support structure, if you like.
But, of course, when they got the timeline that this could take three or four months, that this is uncharted territory, it's never been tried -- well, you can see, the impatience is there. The frustration is there. But, of course, overall, they say, we will do what it takes as long as it takes. We will not abandon our menfolk and we will stay here at the mine head until they come out alive -- Tom. FOREMAN: Karl, tell me about this visit by the Uruguayan rugby team, the survivors of that plan crash so many years ago? Did that lift spirits there? How do people react to that?
PENHAUL: Well, from one group of survivors to another. I mean, 1972, that plane crashed with 45 people on board, 29 died, 16 survived. And remember, the dramatic thing about that, the 16 survived eating remains of some of their colleagues who died. They were 72 days before they were found high up in the Andes.
These miners at least have now been discovered, so there is hope. And that's something that Uruguayan rugby players said. They said, you have hope because they found you. It's going to be a long haul, so be patient.
They said that for us, the Uruguayan rugby players, it was only destiny that dictated that we should live. Destiny has dictated that the miners should be found and now, the experts, the Chilean government, and also, international rescuers, including experts from NASA, are helping to keep them alive, keep them fit in body and in soul -- Tom.
FOREMAN: I'm sure it's going to be a long haul for you covering it as well, Karl Penhaul, but we're glad you're there doing important work. Thanks so much for joining us.
An accused drug lord known as "La Barbie" was captured this week in Mexico City, bringing a year-long federal manhunt to an end. Now in the hands of authorities, he is talking about his crimes. What he's saying -- next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOREMAN: This week, Mexico's federal police captured an accused drug kingpin described as one of the country's most powerful and ruthless cartel leaders. Edgar Valdez Villarreal, known as La Barbie, because of his fair skin and eyes, is American born and was wanted on both sides of the border. He was a high school football star in his home town of Laredo, Texas. Now he's said to have organized the killings of hundreds of people.
Fred Burton has been following Valdez's actions along the border. Burton is a former counterterrorism agent with the State Department and a vice president with Stratfor Global Intelligence. He joins us in Austin, Texas.
Fred, were we know there is an awful lot of drug running that exists on both sides of the border. How rare is it, though, for an American-born citizen to be this highly placed in one of these cartels?
FRED BURTON, STATE DEPARTMENT FORMER COUNTERTERRORISM AGENT & VICE PRESIDENT, STRATFOR GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE: It's very rare. La Barbie has managed to make his way to the top of a ruthless cartel. And I think that he certainly has earned that right based on his known viciousness. He was operating as a hit man in Mexico as well as a security chief for Beltran Leyva.
FOREMAN: We have some video of his interrogation. I want to play that and get your reaction. If you can. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): What was the route that you operated?
EDGAR VALDEZ VILLARREAL, ACCUSED DRUG LORD (through translation): Panama to Mexico.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): How did you manage the money? How do you do it to move so much cash?
VALDEZ VILLARREAL (through translation): Well, cash would come to me from the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): How do they send you the money?
VALDEZ VILLARREAL (through translation): In semi tractor trucks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Is this typical talk for these drug kingpins, Fred? Is this normally, with what he's talking about there, normal business?
BURTON: This is normal business. It's still very much a bulk cash business and, in essence, they ship the product north. It's a very efficient supply chain. and the bulk cash comes back south. And the money is just astronomical when you start looking at just the flow of cash into Mexico. In many ways, this is Mexico's economy.
FOREMAN: Do we have any idea, Fred, how this transformation happened with la Barbie? How did he go from being a high school football player in the United States to the person he is today?
BURTON: From looking at his past, it appears that, at age 19, he had his first brush with the law down in Laredo. And he was involved in a horrific car accident where he killed a middle school teacher and he wasn't indicted for that. And then, there was a series of minor arrests, possession of marijuana, drinking in public. And then he vanishes into Mexico where he surfaces as one of the security chiefs for the Beltran Leyva organization. and it's rumored that he was involved in several assassinations inside of Mexico as well as some of his cross-border activities.
FOREMAN: How did he happen to get caught, Fred?
BURTON: When you look at an individual like this, it's typically a dog-eat-dog business. Either an individual has ratted him off and led the Mexican authorities to his location, however, there's one theory that's running through the community that he, in fact, may have turned himself in or, in essence, set himself up. Because if you look at what happened to Beltran Leyva, there's no good outcome for most of these individuals. To be blunt, I'm surprised he was taken alive, without any shots that were fired.
FOREMAN: Fred Burton, thanks for joining us with this. I know there's going to be a lot more revelations, a lot more to this story. Thanks so much for your time.
Coming up, the Vatican appears to be working behind the scenes to stop a stoning in Iran.
Plus, it sounds like something out of a horror movie, at least a Steven Spielberg horror movie, massive bull sharks. There's one right there. Yes, the potentially man-eating type found swimming in the Potomac River. That story next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOREMAN: Let's check some of our top stories right now.
U.S. troops helped Iraqi soldiers repel an insurgent soldier attack in downtown Baghdad today. It happened at the Iraqi army headquarter for eastern Baghdad. A group of five suicide bombers and gunmen tried to storm the facility. The Iraqi military says at least 12 people were killed, another 36 injured. None was American. It was the first significant attack in Baghdad since President Obama declared an end to U.S. combat operations four days ago.
The Vatican may get involved in the case of an Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning. A Vatican spokesman says the pope would intervene if asked by authorities in another country. His participation, the spokesman says, would not be public but carried out through diplomatic channels. The woman was sentenced to death after being convicted of charges of adultery.
A Coast Guard helicopter crew pulled seven missing boaters to safety this morning about 25 miles off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina. They were aboard a 38-foot powerboat that started to sink after the engine compartment flooded. Three of the boaters were children. They'd been missing since last night.
There is a reason this dog is being cautious. Well, the dog was there a moment ago. It's this. It's an eight-foot-long shark hauled in by a fisherman this week from the Potomac River. Willie Dean says he realized there was something unusual and enormous in his net and it is a bull shark, one of the meanest ones out there, the second pulled from the river this week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was, like, oh, my gosh. My granddaughter was just swimming there two weeks ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is one of the four most aggressive sharks on the east coast. This is the one that attacks people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: That river runs right past my house. That really was the inspiration, movement by sharks like that, for the movie "Jaws."
Filmmakers have dreamed up all sorts of extraordinary worlds over the years, virtual reality words, in movies like "The Matrix" and "Avatar." Now you can experience your own alternate reality inside a video game.
Gary Tuchman shows us that in today's "Edge of Discovery."
(EDGE OF DISCOVERY)
FOREMAN: The ninth anniversary of the September 11th attacks is next weekend. In just a moment, hear how one Muslim-American artist is trying to improve attitudes toward her faith by using words of hate. It's an unusual story. She'll explain that, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOREMAN: Hard to believe, but next Saturday will mark nine years since terrorists struck the World Trade Center. Combine that with the growing controversy over a proposed Islamic center two blocks from Ground Zero and Muslims are feeling compelled to speak out in many parts of this country.
This week, the Council on American Islamic Relations, known as CARE, launched a national campaign. Its message: Muslims are Americans too.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a New York City firefighter and I responded to 9/11 and I am a Muslim.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: The group has released a total of four public service announcements.
As we mentioned we are nearing the ninth anniversary of the September 11th tragedy. In the months that followed, attacks against Muslims rose from 28 in 2000 to 481 by the end of 2001, an increase of 1,700 percent. That percentage is the title of one artist's efforts to work against religious bias. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
A woke to signs terrorists sprayed in red paint across their families' driveway. Terrorists on board written on their white car. Awoke to find freeway sign says, "Kill all Arabs." Elevator signs --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Anida Yoeu Ali joins us from Chicago now.
Now, The 1,700 percent project is your graduate these and it involved poetry, video, performance art, even a dance. What exactly are you trying to do here? Are you trying to reach out to Muslims, to people who aren't Muslim? Who's your audience?
ANIDA YOEU ALI, MUSLIM ARTIST: I think that it's everyone. It's Muslims and non-Muslims. It's a wider public that I feel needs to be educated about the diversity of the Muslim community.
FOREMAN: I'm sure you're aware of the resistance up in New York right now to this new Islamic center up there. You've seen other stories from around the country right now. What is your overall perception? Is hatred or hate crime against the Muslim community rising now, falling now, about the same? What do you think?
YOEU ALI: Well, definitely, there is a lot more attention being brought to specifically crimes that are being committed because somebody is Muslim. and I think that's indicative of a post-9/11 era. I think that the rise of these hate crimes and acts of violence have definitely increased. And that's something that my project has brought to life, is that these acts of hate have increased since 9/11. and they continue to manifest and to come out in terms of rallies against something like an Islamic center in downtown New York.
FOREMAN: Do you think this can really make any kind of a difference? I mean, it seems to me that people who are really hardened in opinions like this are probably not going to bend much in the face of a piece of art.
YOEU ALI: You know, I'm an artist and I have a lot of hope. And I think one of the reasons why I create the work that I create is that it's using art as a way to transform ideas and to get to somebody, so that it's truly an experience instead of drilling a kind of message in a didactic way. I think that if you experience a work of art, it's a different kind of sensation. And I hope that because my work has an educational element and a narrative element to it. But I hope it does make a difference. And even if it's to people who don't want to listen, I think it's still really important to tell the story because there are people who can relate to this both Muslims and non-Muslims, people who have faced acts of violence, that they can relate to it. And, hopefully, you know, through the work that people can start to at least have conversations about it. And I believe the video that I composed, "1,700 Percent Project, Mistaken for a Muslim," is definitely sparking dialogue.
FOREMAN: Best of like with that. Anida Yoeu Ali, joining us from Chicago. Good luck with your work.
Next weekend, CNN will mark the September 11th anniversary with a special investigative report, "Bin Laden's New Jihadists." We'll show you the current leaders of Osama bin Laden's campaign against America. Watch it next Saturday at 8:00 p.m. eastern.
Moving back to Labor Day weekend, which we're all celebrating now or trying to celebrate. If you're out of work, it may not feel that way. But don't let the sluggish economy keep you out of the job market. We have some expert advice just ahead on how to find a job now. And if you already have a job, just as importantly, how to ask for a raise, how to get promotions, how to move ahead despite these hard times. Grab a pencil and take some notes. It's going to be good.
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FOREMAN: Checking back with our top story tonight. Anyone who is out of work may not feel much like celebrating this Labor Day with all the down polls and all the down senses in the economy now. Even people who have jobs may feel trapped, like it's too risky to ask for a raise or promotion. But despite the tough job market, our next guest says you can find a job. And if you already have one, you can negotiate a better situation.
Roy Cohen is a career counselor and executive coach.
Roy, I've got to tell you, a lot of people will be glad to hear from you at a time like this.
Let's start with this question of getting a job on this Labor Day weekend. You're out there. You're trying to get one. You don't know how to do it. What do people need to change? What do they need to do in this environment to get the job?
ROY COHEN, CAREER COUNSELOR AND EXECUTIVE COACH: Tom, let me interject, and it is all about self-promotion. In addition to being career coach and an executive coach, I'm also the author of a book recently released called "The Wall Street Professional Survival Guide."
FOREMAN: All right, you're hired.
(LAUGHTER)
COHEN: On that note, I wanted to --
(LAUGHTER)
It's all about promoting oneself. A couple of key points. Be clear on what you want. What is your goal? I often find that new clients will approach me. Who are in crisis because they haven't figured out what they want to do next or what is the best strategy to pursue that goal. There's been a breakdown in the process.
FOREMAN: So it's looking for a job or a specific job?
COHEN: It's looking for the right job for you. So we want some clarity in terms of our goal. We need a simple strategy focused around that goal and steps that we can take in order to insure that we stay on track. And then we need to make ourselves as value as possible. We do that by demonstrating our training, that we have the right experience that qualifies us to pursue this goal, that we are engaging in strategic networking. And what I mean by that is establishing the most beneficial relationships. We need to convey our passion. That's critical in job search. If you have two candidates, both equally qualified, which candidate is going to be the one that is a lot more excited about having that job? We also need to make sure we have the right collateral material. The resume, the letters we write, our cover letters. We need to practice and prepare interview questions so that we present ourselves in the very best possible light.
(CROSSTALK)
FOREMAN: And I'm guessing you're also saying that you have to research the company you're dealing with. You better know what they're all about.
COHEN: Absolutely. Research is rigorous. And in order to figure out how to best position yourself for not only the job, but the organization --
(CROSSTALK)
FOREMAN: And very quickly, Roy, I want to get to one area before we get away. Just very quickly here.
COHEN: Yes.
FOREMAN: What about if you already have a job now? Is this just not the time to ask for a raise or promotion, or do you take all those same lessons and apply it to that in the company you work for and say, I know it is hard times, but, come on, this is good for all of us.
COHEN: You're right. They are hard times. It's less expensive for a company to give us a promotion or raise, to respond to some of the conditions we would like to have satisfied, than it is for them to go out and recruit and train a new employee. Yes, it has an opportune time. But we need to make sure we know their limits as well as our own. We need to be very practical in the requests that we're making.
(CROSSTALK)
FOREMAN: Roy, I'm going to have to cut you off there. I'm sure there's a lot more you can add and a lot more that people do need to hear, but we have to move on right now.
Thanks for your advice.
COHEN: You're very welcome.
FOREMAN: And best of luck to all of you out there who are trying to turn into action for your job or your hopes for a job.
What do you suppose it would sound like to hear world record set?
(SINGING)
FOREMAN: Oh, my. Thousands gathered to shake it all about in Iowa. That story, next.
(SINGING)
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FOREMAN: On Sunday we always try to catch you up on the news you may have missed in the past week. And we just love this one. A naked, homeless man sneaked into a community hot tub and called 911, asking for towels and hot chocolate. But he did not get much comfort. He also said he was the sheriff, but that didn't help. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
911 CALLER: I need a hug and, you know, a warm cup of hot chocolate with some marshmallows in it, would probably be pretty nice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Police in Beaverton, Oregon, responded, but without the hot chocolate. Mark Eskelson (ph) was charged with trespassing and misusing the 911 system.
And look at this.
(SINGING)
FOREMAN: It was actually about a whole lot more. More than 7,300 people in Iowa broke the world record this week for the largest hokey-pokey dance. Officials were on hand to make it official there.
