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President Obama Calls for Unity; Serial Killer Fears in NY
Aired January 26, 2011 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: 10:00 a.m. now in the East; the sun has been up for about five minutes in Los Angeles.
Here are some top stories we're talking. Toyota recalling 1.5 million vehicles worldwide, including a quarter million Lexuses in the United States. The problems this time around, possible fuel leaks.
New York Police think that a serial killer might be prowling Craigslist for victims. The bodies of four women were found last month on Long Island, all were prostitutes. They all advertised their services on the web site. Investigators think that there might be a fifth victim. They're waiting for a break in the winter weather to resume their search.
Anti-government protests are flaring up for a second day in Egypt. This video just got in to us. Organizers calling for demonstrations in more popular areas. Security forces having none of it even harassing the media in Cairo.
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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So, tonight, I am proposing that starting this year, we freeze annual domestic spending for the next five years. Now, this would reduce the deficit by more than $400 billion over the next decade and will bring discretionary spending to the lowest share of our economy since Dwight Eisenhower was president.
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PHILLIPS: Rolling back the clock and reigning in the spending. You have heard that promise before but have you seen this, big-time Democrats and Republicans crossing the aisle to sit with members of the other party. Is Washington really serious about getting along to get things done? So is the message resonating across the aisle. Earlier on CNN's "American Morning," we heard a top Republican house majority leader, Eric Cantor, weigh in.
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REP. ERIC CANTOR (R), HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER: I think we probably want to cut spending more than he does. You know I have a different view on how we improve health care in this country. But I do think that the president put forward some ideas that we Republicans can work with him on as far as job creation. He talked about lowering the corporate rate. He talked about simplifying the tax code. He talked about working together on these trade deals so we can get jobs going here at home. These are the kind of things that the American people want us to work on to get this economy going again and I look forward to working together.
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PHILLIPS: Well, the promise to work together, it is a grand idea but is it realistic? We want to ask someone who views politics from the inside. Steve Kornacki is the politics editor for the web site salon.com. So Steve, the president has definitely started shifting to the middle, almost as if he took a play out of President Clinton's handbook, "hey, I'm the compromise guy, here we go."
STEVE KORNACKI, POLITICS EDITOR, SALON.COM: Well, yes but I think he wants to position himself and he wanted to position himself last night as the compromise guy but I think he is doing that because he knows there is going to be a confrontation down the road. The Republicans, especially, the new Republicans who were elected last year who are in the House now have made it clear that they want to have really a showdown with the president over spending, over the deficit, whether it is the issue of the deficit ceiling or over the issue of funding for health care, perhaps funding for social security and Medicare and popular programs like that.
So I think what Obama was sort of taking the opportunity to do last night was to sort of set the tone in his view at least for that confrontation which will be coming in the next few weeks, the next few months and to just sort of establish himself as the most reasonable guy in the room. You know, very civil tone, a guy who is willing to sort of acknowledge the validity of some of the basic Republicans ideas but who is also going to draw a line and say, "hey I'm willing could to compromise this much but anything over this line starts to threaten the long term future of the country, starts to threaten the innovation agenda" that he sort of outlined last night.
So I think he is sort of setting the stage for that confrontation, to be able to say "hey, look, these guys are crossing the line I established in the "State of the Union" address.
PHILLIPS: All right. You've mentioned that Republicans are going to continue to hammer on health care and spending. He's definitely going to have his work cut out for him, all the while though still trying not to anger his liberal base. So, you know, how does he do that?
KORNACKI: Well, I think, first of all, the good news for the president from that standpoint, there is no polling evidence so far, even after December when he supposedly angered his liberal base by cutting the tax cut deal with the republicans. There is really no evidence yet that there is any drag with sort of liberal supporters and President Obama. And I think when you sort of shift into this confrontation that I am talking about, I think the liberals are sort of naturally going to be there for Obama.
If it is the Republicans saying, "hey, we've got to cut more" and Obama saying "we got to cut a little but we're not going to cut nearly as much as the Republicans are talking about, because that's just too far, that's just too extreme." You know, I think the liberals will be there with Obama and will go along with Obama. You know, because he sort of their last line of defense against what the Republicans are trying to do. It is similar. You draw the comparison to Bill Clinton. It is similar to the experience that Bill Clinton had in 1995 when he drew the line at Medicare with the Republican Congress that year and there is a big shutdown of the government over that and certainly the liberals stayed with Clinton during that.
PHILLIPS: You know, I guess it didn't surprise me as much because of the tone of the speech and how he was trying to shift to the middle. The fact that Republicans and Democrats were sitting together. It wasn't divided. Yet you say that stood out to you. Why?
KORNACKI: Well, it did in the sense of sort of the mood of the room and certainly how that mood came across on television. You know, whether it is Clinton in the past or Bush, the "State of the Union" addresses historically have always had a fair number of sort of partisan rah-rah moments where the president says something that is really designed to get, you know his party side of the House on, (INAUDIBLE) cheering and roaring and it will obviously get some negative reactions from the other side.
There have been those sort of intentionally choreographed moments in the past, we didn't have them last night. I think that had a lot to do with sort of this criss-crossing of the aisle by the members in a lot of cases, I don't think they were really sure when they were supposed to stand up and cheer very loudly.
But I think also, you know, it wasn't the tone that Obama was looking to set. Obama was looking to come across as a guy who was humbled a little bit by N November. The guy who is really intent on creating a civil tone, and a bipartisan tone. And I think all that builds towards this confrontation in a few months. Because he doesn't want Republicans looking back, you know, whether that confrontation happens. He doesn't want the republicans to be able to say, "hey, look, you know, he started the year with this fire-brand partisan speech where he basically, you know, declared political war on us." He wants people to remember that he started the year on a very sort of conciliatory note. And then if it gets into a confrontation, maybe it's the Republicans who were the ones that can look a little unreasonable for bringing it to that point.
PHILLIPS: Good talking to you, Mr. Kornacki. I always love your insight.
KORNACKI: Happy to do it.
PHILLIPS: All right. Mark Kelly, watched the "State of the Union" address as well. Right there at the bedside of his wife, Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. Kelly said that Giffords actual watched an hour of television. He called that a pretty good development, exciting, actually. Kelly believes that Giffords will make a full recovery. And the congresswoman, well, her transfer from the hospital to rehab there in Houston is expected this hour. We know that one ambulance has left already. We are not sure if it is hers. We are working that. But doctors have upgraded her condition from serious to good. That's great news. Giffords had been in intensive care while doctors drained some excess fluid from her brain. You remember, she was shot in Tucson at that live event back on January 8th.
All right. Check this one out. A woman had to be rescued from her car at a gas station here in St. Petersburg, Florida, after the canopy there collapsed in the bad weather. Firefighters were called in and actually managed to safely get her out of there. These lines of storms stretched east from Orlando as well, damaging a warehouse near Tampa, led to reports of several tornadoes and severe weather watches throughout the day.
And Jacqui Jeras is watching Florida, that's not the only place she is focused on today.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, things are winding down in Florida, so that's the good news, right? A couple of showers and thundershowers, that's going to be winding down in probably the next half an hour. And then this is what we have to worry about throughout the day today.
It's a beautiful picture though. Isn't that gorgeous? This is in Hartford, Connecticut, it's 19 degrees in Hartford. The snow is coming down. You are under a winter storm warning. This is just the very beginning. This is the easy part of the storm for you. Because later on this evening is when things are really going to kick in. The heavy, accumulating snow is going to start up. We are talking about a good six to 10 inches for you in that area.
Take a look at all the folks who are in the winter storm warnings and advisories throughout the day today. This covers like 19 states from Alabama all the way up into Maine. That's how many of you are being impacted by this thing. It is coming in two phases.
So here is the first part of the storm and here's the upper level feature, the second part of the storm where you think they kind of face together here and right up the coast.
The best thing I can tell you is that this is a pretty quick moving system. So in about 24 hours from now, most of you are going to be done with this. We have already seen the snow in New York, we've seen Philly, trying to mix over a little bit. Washington and Baltimore, you're going to kind of wind down a little bit before the rest of the stuff starts to kick in later on today.
In terms of the delays at the airports, it just keeps getting worse and worse only as we head through the morning. We've got a ground stop now until 10:15 for LaGuardia. Newark, ground stop until 10:30. That means planes can't take off from other airports to get into there. And delays here for Philadelphia, pushing three hours. And White Plains is now closed. They are trying to clear up those runways, hoping that's going to open up in about another 10 minutes or so.
How much accumulation can you expect? Here is what we are expecting, i-95 and westward, we think will be the heaviest accumulations where we're going to see those five, maybe six to 12 inches of snowfall. Most of the big cities, a little lesser than that. That has to do with some of the mixing that we've been seeing. And so big troubled mess, Kyra. Thankfully, at least, this thing is going to wrap up relatively quickly.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Jacqui.
JERAS: Sure.
PHILLIPS: Well, a second day of anti--government protests in Egypt. Take a close look here, demonstrators and government security forces going at it. CNN's senior international correspondent, Ben Wedeman, saw some of this first hand. Ben, bring us up to date. What's going on now?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (ON THE PHONE): The street battles in the heart of Cairo are if anything intensifying. Today was a normal work day so students were at the university, office workers were at their desks but the work day is over. And people are really coming out into the street. What we're seeing, Kyra, is a real brutal government crackdown. They are using stun grenades, tear gas, beating, not just protesters but passersby who expressed any reservations about what is going on around them. The ministry of interior said they would have a zero-tolerance policy for any protests today. They really are cracking down across the country, eve though we are hearing protests in many parts of Cairo and other cities in Egypt. Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Ben, we will keep an eye on it with you as this continues to develop the protests there in Egypt. Ben, thanks so much. Also ahead, walking and texting, why one state is putting its foot down.
OK. So, it is still there but what the - any ideas how this piano made it into Miami's Biscayne Bay. Apparently, it's been carefully positioned on the sandbar to stay above water during high tide. You know, cops have no plans to haul it away unless it becomes dangerous for wildlife or for boaters. We have been asking, how the heck do you think it got there? Loving your responses. Keep them coming, Twitter, Kyra, kyra@CNN.
And (INAUDIBLE) are hitting the road. Where in the world is Snooki going? Back to her roots, of course? And no we don't mean her hair, come on. We're going to tell you will tell you where "Jersey Shores" relocated.
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PHILLIPS: All right. Here's some great news as we look as we look at the big board, Dow industrials have topped the 12,000 mark for the first time since June of 2008.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the lifestyle, it's being Italian. It's representing family, friends, tanning, gel, everything.
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PHILLIPS: Well, that just says it all, doesn't it? When you think Italy, you think great food, fashion, history, art, and now Poly and Snooki and the rest of the "Jersey Shore" cast. That's right MTV says it is sending "Jersey Shore" to Italy for its next season. The network says it was looking for a fresh spin for the show and decided to send the cast to the birth place of the culture that they love and live by. They are even going to drop in for a visit on cast member, Vinny's Italian relatives. Projection on the show starts in the spring. And this Jersey shore announcement is getting a lot of attention, of course.
"Showbiz Tonight" Kareen Wynter with an update on the entertainment news. So Kareen what is the reaction been to this travel plan.
KAREEN WYNTER, CO-HOST "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Oh, Kyra, you know, whatever comes to "Jersey Shore" controversy, we know the fans are excited. They always are. They're nuts about "Jersey Shore." Get this the move seems to upset the Italian-American groups, targeting the JLT, that's the "Jersey Shore" slang for those who don't know.
And you know, Kyra, I didn't think it was possible for those groups to get even more worked up over the shore crowd but this seems to have (INAUDIBLE). Here's a snippet from (INAUDIBLE) and get ready this is just incredible. Unico (ph) by the way is one of the largest Italian American organizations in the country.
Here we go Kyra. "For our country to export the bad behavior of this anything for a buck celebrity hungry no talents to another country, in particular, Italy is not just an insult to Italian Americans but will mutilate the perception and reputation of all Americans. We will all be painted by the outrageous, violent, lawbreaking, insulting, inebriated sex wild bimbos and buffoons that inhabit the world of "Jersey Shore."
Let's take a break right here.
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WYNTER: It's not too subtle, Kyra, but the statement goes on, I got to finish here. We're not done. I'm sorry. It concludes "I didn't think that MTV could outdo itself in its craziness but was I wrong. First infecting our collective psyche with the (INAUDIBLE) of "Jersey Shore." And then descending to unparallel lows with their quasi pornographic teen dramas (INAUDIBLE) MTV, on you." And that's a mouthful.
PHILLIPS: Oh, my god. Where do I go from there. WYNTER: Where do we go?
PHILLIPS: Should we talk more about skins.
WYNTER: Skins now.
PHILLIPS: Yes, there you go. It's getting a lot of negative attention. I mean, we talked about it last week. I couldn't believe the BBC version and then looking at the toned down version, to air here in the states. That probably all the attention taking a toll on the show, right?
WYNTER: Yes. It's absolutely mind blowing and I'm not sure what's doing it exactly. What's going on here, Kyra, but the ratings for the show. They have fallen off the cliff. The new MTV show, it's been taking a lot of heat, as we mentioned for its depiction of teen behavior and now the second episode of the show, lost about half of the viewers who tuned in to the debut. The drop, it could be explained by the lead in of the second show, Kyra, followed the Jersey Shore Reunion or re-run. And the first followed the "Jersey Shore" special but the other big possibility being floated out there is that the show isn't that good.
Some critics are saying that this version isn't as nearly as strong as the original series, the one that aired in Britain but either way, the news, Kyra, it isn't good for MTV and on top of that, the money aspect, a big aspect here. Advertisers, you know, they start pulling out left and right from the show and you start to see the writing on the wall here that this show could soon be cancelled, which I'm sure a lot of people would be quite happy about.
PHILLIPS: Yes. A lot of parents too.
All right. Another MTV show that deserves your attention, it comes (INAUDIBLE) celebrity endorsement.
So tell us who loves teen mom?
WYNTER: Rosie O'Donnell does. She's a big fan of the show. She's actually at Sundance when she told "US Magazine," Kyra, that she watch the show with her 13-year-old adopted daughter. And Rosie says she thinks the show that it sends a positive message by showing how tough it can be to be a teenage mom, right? A lot of people can relate to that.
So she also says that it has a special meaning to adopted children, saying "I think the fantasy for adopted children is to have a baby of their own and then keeping in which their mother did not do. And so again, some people say that makes sense. It's nice to see Rosie having a warm side to her. She's usually so tough on the outside. So there you go. There's your entertainment news for the day.
PHILLIPS: We're all caught up. Yes. Of course, it's got to involve Snooki, any way we can. Thanks, Kareen.
WYNTER: Of course, every day. We're going to have a Snooki segment for you everyday. How about that?
PHILLIPS: OK. That scares me. Kareen, we'll see you later.
WYNTER: I know.
PHILLIPS: All right. If you want information, every thing breaking in the entertainment world, you can always find it on "Showbiz Tonight" at 5:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. on HLN.
So how many times have you seen someone walking down the street with their nose completely buried in a Blackberry or an iPhone. Well, one state is now saying, "enough is enough." We're going to give you the details and who is proposing a band talking and walking.
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PHILLIPS: Well, texting and walking, these are a great way to multi-task, no one ever gets hurt or makes a buffoon out of themselves doing that, of course, you know, you remember the (INAUDIBLE) last week. It just came out of nowhere, it wasn't here fault. All right. Let's throw out the (INAUDIBLE). Texting and walking clearly is not for everyone because not all multi-taskers are created equal. Let's (INAUDIBLE) to the distracted pedestrian and the state senator in New York now wants to do something about it. It wants to ban the use of electronic gadget, like cell phones while walking (INAUDIBLE) cross walk in the city of more than a million people. So you get busted texting or gabbing at a crosswalk and you pay $100 fine.
Also, he has seen to many people in Brooklyn get lost and their cell phones and find themselves face down on the pavement or kissing a light pole, in fact, Ohio State University did a study about this issue and found that more than $1,000 pedestrians actually went to the ER because they tripped, fell or banged into something. Well, they were texting or talking. Now the numbers keep growing. Of course, the fountain lady is OK although having your teachable moment splash all over YouTube and that couldn't have been much fun.
OK. Another Toyota recall could mean another debt in the company's reputation for safety. This time more than a million cars worldwide are being affected. We're taking a closer look at the problem and what this means for Toyota drivers.
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PHILLIPS: Stock market opening bell, rang just about an hour ago. Checking the numbers right now. The Dow industrial is up, 37 points. And a good company that is actually hiring. Hey, what a great combination. There are some firms out there with solid remberations (ph) and job openings. CNN's business news correspondent Stephanie Elam delivering some good optimism for us morning.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, definitely. Got some good optimism for you, Kyra, to get people out there, get them galvanized. Let them know about this 100 companies, that 150,000 jobs and this is coming form "Fortune's" best companies to work for. You can always check them out at Fortune.com to see exactly what this list is all about.
But take a look at this. We've organized this list based on the number of job openings that they have. So Cisco, you see, they need over 4,500 jobs there. They're looking for 407 software engineer position to fill among other jobs. Intel has 250 software engineers that they're looking to fill positions for. Netapp, they have company emphasizing engineering and sales. So the main thing that I really took away from looking at this list is the fact that they really do cross a lot of industries. They do cross a lot of career levels as well.
If you want to find out exactly what these recruiters are looking for, you can always go and check out the whole list, a lot of them, a lot of companies, the whole list and see what they have to say on fortune.com. But it's good to know that there are companies and good companies that you want to work for, that have these provisions open, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. So how do people get the jobs?
ELAM: That's the thing. That's what everyone wants to show, right? Is that how do you actually make it? And so for those little nuggets of information, to tell you what the company is like, you can see "Fortune" has done all research on this and you see exactly what kind of tidbits they like, what kind of people they're looking for, how specific in an industry you need. Maybe you know, some of these jobs here, if you look at (INAUDIBLE) "South Florida, they want registered nurses at a proficient level. So it's not just any registered nurse. You can get all that information by checking that out. But it's nice to know these jobs. Not just Google on top of it.
PHILLIPS: Yes, you're right. Also not just positive job news today. We got some good news for retirees, right?
ELAM: That is true, it's good news in a sense that we're seeing a shift in tone. We take a look at a survey that we got from career building today and they are basically pointing out that while a lot of people are still putting off retirement, a lot of people are feeling better about it. So take a look at this. Workers who are 60 and older who have put off retirement due to financial hardships.
Last year, 72 percent said that. Now, it's at 65 percent. So again, moving in the right direction even though there is a really high number. 55 percent of people said they believe they'll be able to retire in four years or less. And 34 percent see retirement in five years or more. And then we've got, one in 10 saying "you know what, I'm not going to be able to retire."
Well, Kyra, what I think you'll find interesting about this is some of the reasons that some of these, you know, more matured workers don't want to leave. Of course, there's you know, needing health insurance, liking the job that they have, like being needed but I think my overall favorite one of all these is afraid of being bored out of their mind if they will just go straight into retirement.
And I know some people who fall into that category like you know what, what am I going to do and then the spouses, "(INAUDIBLE) are going, what am I going to do if you're home all day long every day."
PHILLIPS: So true.
ELMA: I thought that was pretty funny.
PHILLIPS: All of a sudden, marriages kind of take a different turn when they've been together so long and then they're both at home and it's like, oh, boy. You're really getting on my nerves.
ELAM: Look at all of you on my me time.
PHILLIPS: Exactly. I needed my break. We got to figure something out.
ELAM: Yes.
PHILLIPS: All right. Steph, you and I will never get to that point.
ELAM: Never ever.
PHILLIPS: Yes.
Half past the hour now. Let's check out some of the stories making headlines. Egypt's government warning protesters they can't be arrested if they take to street like yesterday. Demonstrations today have been subdued compared to yesterday when thousands of people rallied against the failing economy and what they say is a corrupt government. Protesters are emboldened by the (INAUDIBLE) of the presidency and neighboring Tunisia.
And police in Long Island, New York may be dealing with a serial killer. Investigators can see that grim possibility after identifying a fourth body found near a beach. All were prostitutes who advertised on Craigslist.
And it may only be January, but I bet folks in the Northeast and New England are ready for spring. Yet another storm is targeting the East Coast. Let's check in with Jacqui Jeras to see what's shaking. Jacqui?
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JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: We'll continue to track this storm. The best thing we can say, Kyra, is at least it is kind of a fast mover. We should be done -- relatively -- in about 24 hours.
PHILLIPS: OK. That's good news. Thanks, Jacqui. Well, President Obama wants Republicans and Democrats to work together to keep America competitive. And he wants to do it by boosting the economy, creating jobs, cutting spending and keeping the U.S. on the cutting edge. Here's what he told Congress in his State of the Union address.
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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And half a century ago when Soviets beat us into space with the launch of a satellite called Sputnik, we had no idea how we would beat them to the moon. The science wasn't even there yet. NASA didn't exist. But after investigating in better research or education, we didn't just surpass the Soviets. We unleashed a wave of innovation that created new industries and millions of new jobs. This is our generation's Sputnik moment.
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PHILLIPS: Innovation was a key theme of the State of the Union address. Here is a word culled (ph) from portal.net. The bigger the word appears, the more it was used in the speech. You can see "new," "jobs," and "people" loom quite large.
Wisconsin -- congressman, Paul Ryan, gave the Republican response and he slammed President Obama's economic policy. His biggest words, "government spending" and "debt."
Hold that thought for a second. Happening right now, just want to let you know, this is Congressman Gabby Giffords. She has just been loaded up into the ambulance to be taken from one part of the medical center where she has been treated there at the University of Texas at the Memorial Herman Hospital. They are moving her, a quick drive, just to the other side of the campus there to a nearby facility, the Institute for Rehabilitation and Research. They are still at the Memorial Herman facility.
The great news here is she has been upgraded to good condition. Quite a switch from where she was when she was shot in the head at the first week of January.
Elizabeth Cohen is also there in Houston. She has been monitoring the progress of the congresswoman. So, Elizabeth, what exactly is she going to do in particular as she moves over to this new rehab facility, and what exactly does good condition mean? She keeps getting upgraded, which is fantastic. But put it into perspective, what it means.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, let's talk a little specifically about what it means for her. If they are letting her leave that intensive care unit, as clearly they are. She is in that ambulance, that means the hydrocephalus, the fluid in the brain, that that situation has been resolved. Because they always said once that fluid in the brain situation, once she is doing all right with that, they would get her into rehab. Now, Kyra, she is going to be coming down this street. I think you can actually see her. There is one car. And then you see the ambulance behind me. The ambulance behind that car. That ambulance is carrying her. And bomb-sniffing dogs checked out that ambulance this morning.
PHILLIPS: OK. We are getting word now that we are not exactly sure if it is, indeed, her. But it did have an escort. So, is that normal operating procedure, that every ambulance gets a special escort like that?
COHEN: No, no. Kyra, I'll tell you, I asked the head of security here at Texas Medical Center. He said, we are taking utmost efforts to ensure her security. We want to make sure she makes this four- block trip and everything goes perfectly. They had bomb-sniffing dogs check out her ambulance before it left the hospital. They had bomb- sniffing dogs check out that little area where she arrived. There have been a couple of different ambulances. We believe that she is in the one that had that escort. You can see right now that there is some activity around that ambulance that just arrived.
PHILLIPS: OK. Elizabeth, do we know if she is talking yet?
COHEN: Last we heard is that she is not talking. The hospital has been very, very quiet about her progress, actually. They haven't had a press conference since Friday. They are going to have one this afternoon.
But as of Friday, they said she wasn't talking. They thought she was trying, but he wasn't actually talking. And at that time, she had a tracheostomy. She had a hole in her windpipe, which would make it impossible really to get words out. But they said they thought she was trying.
PHILLIPS: Got it. Well, as you just saw --Elizabeth, thank you so much -- there were live pictures there. It was a quick trip. Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, moving from where she was at the University of Texas Memorial Herman Hospital just around to the other side of the campus where she has been upgraded now to good condition, which is fabulous news. She just arrived to the Institute for Rehabilitation and Research there at Memorial Herman. So, we will follow her progress and what happens from here as she continues to improve.
We are going to take a quick break. More from CNN NEWSROOM, straight ahead.
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PHILLIPS: Well, we heard in the politicians. So, what's the word on the street after the State of the Union? President Obama is going to find out in Wisconsin today, that's for sure. He is scheduled to land at noon. Once he is on the ground, he is going to tour three factories in Manitowoc, repeating his message of composition. And his first stop is going to be Orion Energy Systems. It's a renewable energy company. Neal Verfuerth is the CEO of that company. And Neil, the president focused a lot on energy during his speech last night. Did you hear exactly what you wanted to hear?
NEAL VERFUERTH, CEO, ORION ENERGY SYSTEMS: Absolutely. We are very optimistic as to what his policies will do for our business and the country as a whole as we strive to become more energy independent.
PHILLIPS: And you know, I used to live and work there in Wisconsin. And there are a number of companies like yours. I mean, this is the heart of many of these green companies. Hard workers, big blue collar area. And your company specifically actually works with larger companies to reduce their energy costs.
Just take for a moment why you think the president is so interested in what you do, what is it exactly about your company?
VERFUERTH: I think the way Orion has approached the industry is going to allow his vision, which is similar to my vision, to become a reality. Becoming more efficient and layering on the back side renewable technologies -- when you look at this holistic approach and combine these technologies together, as we've done in the past, we are now at grid parody (ph), which means we are able to compete with the traditional means of getting electricity. That will allow for these technologies, especially the renewables, to be sustainable and scaleable now that we can get the cost down and compete with the standard, you know, power plants grid infrastructure.
PHILLIPS: Well, as you know, the president has set a pretty lofty clean energy goal. Let's take a listen to a little bit of what he said last night. I want to get your response.
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OBAMA: So, instead of subsidizing yesterday's energy, let's invest into tomorrow's. Now, clean energy breakthroughs will only translate into clean energy jobs if businesses know there will be a market for what they are selling. Tonight, a challenge you to join me in setting a new goal. By 2035, 80 percent of America's electricity will come from clean energy sources.
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PHILLIPS: What do you think, Neal? Is that doable?
VERFUERTH: Absolutely. Given the fact that 65 percent of all the prime energy that is generated today is lost during the conversion process. And then the fact that the energy that strikes the service of the earth daily from the sun exceeds all known sources of fossil fuels, I think that's well within reach. It is just a matter of -- time for a new paradigm for the citizens of America.
PHILLIPS: Neal, finally, you know Wisconsin is considered a battleground state. What are your employees saying about the presidential visit today? What are they telling you? What's the talk about the company? VERFUERTH: The talk is just absolute excitement, it's buzzed. This is an event that folks that work here at Orion will be telling their kids and grandkids for many years to come. It's a once-in-a- lifetime experience, and they are very, just ecstatic about the privilege of having the president come here to Orion.
PHILLIPS: We'll see how it goes. Neath Verfuerth. Appreciate you Skyping in, Neal.
VERFUERTH: Thank you so much.
PHILLIPS: You bet.
Back in the 1980s, Toyota's slogan was, "oh, what a feeling." But that feeling today might be deja vu. After being plagued by recalls last year, Toyota has announced two new separate recalls involving its vehicles this morning. More than 1.5 million cars worldwide. 245,000 vehicles in the U.S. alone.
John Linkov is the car expert from "Consumer Reports." So, John, first, can you tell us what cars specifically are involved here?
JOHN LINKOV, CAR EXPERT FOR "CONSUMER REPORTS" (via phone): Well, there's three U.S. models. The 2006, the 2007 Lexus GS. That's the 300 and GS-350. The 2006 -- 9 Lexus IS-250 sedan and then also, 2006 to part of 2008 Lexus IS-350 sedans. And that's just different size engines between the two.
PHILLIPS: And we are talking about a possible fuel leak, right?
LINKOV: Right. There's a sensor, a fuel pressure Sensor that may not be properly installed so that the vibrations, the daily driving that we all do, could end up making it come loose and then it could be a fuel leak.
PHILLIPS: And so, what does this mean for Toyota as a company, and does this have any effect on U.S. automakers?
LINKOV: Well, the company, for Toyota, it's another hit. I don't know if it will necessarily result in more -- damaging the reputation simply because they've already taken such a drop. They are one of the few manufacturers who didn't post a year-over-year sales gain. So, I think the people who are going to be anti-Toyota or not considering a Toyota or Lexus product already have the previous recalls factored in.
This is just kind of the new paradigm we are in. Every manufacturer has looked at Toyota's CEO being put on the stand in front of Congress and grilled. They don't want to be like that. So, you will see more and more recalls coming out. I believe one of the auto publications called 2010 the year of the auto recall, simply because everybody is going to jump and put a recall out there as soon as possible.
PHILLIPS: Yes. It has definitely been a tremendous hit to their reputation; it's affected sales. This isn't going to help, that's for sure.
LINKOV: It won't help their sales. It will definitely give some people pause. I mean, one thing is, I'm looking to the "Consumer Reports'" liability on these cars, and we haven't really seen fuel problems with any of these models. It hasn't been something that's necessarily plagued people up to this point. But there have obviously been enough complaints for the database. People should check out ntsa.gov the complaints database and the recall database.
But we haven't really seen any problems like that affected in our data. At this point, it's still something people should be aware of and wait for the recall information to come to them from Lexus so they know when they can get into the dealership and get the parts fixed.
PHILLIPS: Got it. Jon Linkov, managing auto editor, "Consumer Reports." John, thanks so much for calling.
LINKOV: My pleasure. Thank you.
PHILLIPS: You bet.
The day after the State of the Union address, President Obama and Vice President Biden heading to the Midwest. Their mission could have more meaning than just creating jobs.
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CONAN O'BRIEN, HOST, "CONAN": The State of the Union address tonight, President Obama focused his State of the Union speech on how to bring prosperity back to America. That was the focus, yes. It basically involves all of us convincing Oprah we are her half-sister.
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O'BRIEN: That is the plan. That's the plan.
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PHILLIPS: Well, tonight, making church pastors - actually, no. We are going to go to -- talk about Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, actually, who is thinking about a White House run and making plans, rather, to head the first caucus state. Our deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser with us with that story. Hey, Paul.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Hey, and I am rolling up the sleeves. The microphone is working. We are all good here, Kyra.
So, yes. You saw her last the night, right? Michele Bachmann, Minnesota congresswoman, did the first ever Tea Party response to the State of the Union address. All right. Here's what I just confirmed earlier this morning. She is going back to Iowa. As you said, an important state. It's (INAUDIBLE) says kick off the presidential primary calendar. She is going back there in March. She is going to be at an event, a social conservative group there called the Network of Iowa Christian Home Educators, home school day at the Iowa capital.
Now, she was in Iowa just the other day on Friday when she had a big speech in front of a fiscally conservative group. She also met with Iowa's Republican governor and the head of the GOP out there. And as you said, she is flirting, saying she is considering running for the Republican presidential nomination.
Now, let's go to Illinois. That is where it could be decision day -- could be decision day -- for Rahm Emanuel. Remember, the former White House chief of staff, he's waiting to hear from the state supreme court there whether he will be able to stay on the ballot. A lower court said, no, Rahm, you are off the ballot because you have not been a Chicago resident for the last year. Of course, he was right here in Washington, Kyra, as he president's chief of staff before he went back home in October. Kyra?
PHILLIPS: And now, we have been talking about this all morning. President Obama going to Wisconsin, Vice President Biden to Indiana. So, let's talk about the political significance, shall we?
STEINHAUSER: Yes, because you know, I look through everything with that 2012 lens. Let's talk about these two states. The president and vice president, they won Wisconsin in 2008. But, the Republicans did really well there in the midterm November elections. They took back the governorship, a Senate seat and two House seats in Wisconsin.
In Indiana, the president - Obama, President Barack Obama, that he won that state as well. The first Democratic ticket to win Indiana in decades. But the Republicans also did great in Indiana in November. They won back the Senate seat and two House seats.
You know, Kyra, the Midwest is going to be so crucial, so crucial in the next presidential election. That's why I look at every state the president and vice president visit between now and November, 2012. Kyra?
PHILLIPS: Paul Steinhauser, thanks so much.
Your next political update in just about an hour. A reminder for all the latest political news, you can hit the Web site, CNNpolitics.com.
Now, tonight, megachurch pastors Joel and Victoria Osteen are going to sit down with Piers Morgan. And they answer some pretty tough questions about gays and the church.
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PIERS MORGAN, CNN HOST: What is your view? Because it seems to have changed, depending on the interview that I have read or seen. Is homosexualtiy a sin in your eyes?
JOEL OSTEEN, EVANGELIST: Yes. I've always believed, Piers, the scripture shows that it is a sin. But you know, I am not one of those that are out there to bash homosexuals and tell them that they are terrible people and all that. I mean, there are other sins in the Bible, too. I think sometimes the church -- and I don't mean this critically - but we focus on one issue or two issues. And there's plenty of other ones.
So, I don't believe homosexualtiy is God's best for a person's life.
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PHILLIPS: Joel and Victoria Osteen tonight, 9:00 Eastern, on "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT."
Down and dirty. We have the list of the most disgusting hotels in the country. find out where you may not want to book your next vacation.
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PHILLIPS: Let's "Fast Forward" and check out some of the stories on our radar. Next hour, World Economic Forum gets underway in Davos, Switzerland. Government and financial leaders there will address the global recession and its lingering aftereffects.
Vice president Joe Biden visiting Indiana. He will deliver themes of the State of the Union address. Two of those, innovation and investment, are now in place at a company he is going to visit. It makes batteries for electric vehicles. And it has received government stimulus money in 2009.
This afternoon, a hero of the Tucson shooting rampage will take a stand against illegal guns. Daniel Hernandez is the congressional aide who was credited helping to save the life of his boss, Congresswoman Giffords. Today, Hernandez meets with New York's mayor and will support a campaign to tighten background checks on gun sales.
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PHILLIPS: All right. You planning a trip? Because we have a list you will want to check before you even book a room. The travel Web site TripAdviser.com has released its list of country's dirtiest hotels.
OK, here we got. Topping the list the Grand Resort Hotel and Convention Center in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Out of 224 reviews on TripAdviser, 161 people ranked the hotel as terrible. 87 percent recommended against even staying there. Grand Hotel's CEO says, "Oh, please, be patient. Changes are coming!"
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NICK CHANEY, PRESIDENT AND CEO, THE GRAND RESORT: We are taking this very seriously. We are going to have this back to being what it was at one time, the Grand Hotel and Convention Center.
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PHILLIPS: Others are making the list too. Oakland's Jack London Inn, the Desert Inn Resort in Daytona Beach, The Hotel Carter in New York City, and the Polynesian Beach and Golf resort in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Carol, have you stayed in any of those hotels?
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: No, I have stayed in similar hotels and I've regretted the experience.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: A little bed bug action?
COSTELLO: Oh, you know that happened to me just last week.
PHILLIPS: It did?
COSTELLO: I won't mention the hotel because of course, we'll get sued, but yes! It was awful!
PHILLIPS: So, what did you do?
COSTELLO: Um, I scratched and itched a lot. That's all you can do!
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: That's a lovely thought.
COSTELLO: Isn't it? I will leave you with that, Kyra, as you make your way home.
PHILLIPS: Thank you, missy! I'm starting to itch already.
COSTELLO: I know! Thanks, Kyra.
