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Geithner, Bernanke and Bair Testifying Before Senate Budget Committee; At Least 15 Wisconsin Schools Closed due to Protests; Update on Violence in Bahrain; Out of Work Americans; 2012 Battle for the White House; President Obama Meets with Jobs, Zuckerberg and Schmidt

Aired February 17, 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: All right. It's 7:00 a.m. out west, 10:00 a.m. in D.C., we are watching Capitol Hill right now. The Obama administration goes to bat for its budget. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner testifying before the Senate Budget Committee. The Senate Banking Committee hearing, also from Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke, we'll hear from him and Sheila Bair of the FDIC.

All right. Wisconsin's budget, it got a lot of people fired up. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CHANTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: At least 15 school systems in Wisconsin have cancelled classes today, and this is why. Thousands of teachers and other public employees are at the state capital in Madison protesting the governor's so-called budget repair bill. The employees say that the bill is on an attack on labor organizations, and it's going to kill their collective bargaining rights and make them pay for more benefits. Well, the governor says he's trying to fix a budget in crisis.

And Education secretary Arne Duncan talked about that situation a little earlier today on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARNE DUNCAN, U.S. EDUCATION SECRETARY: So I'm hoping that the situation in Wisconsin can come to a good to a positive solution. But where we fight each other, where we are divisive, where we are demonizing and vilifying any group including unions, I don't think that helps us get us where we need to go as a country.

We have to support the extraordinarily hard work and extraordinarily important work that teachers are going around the country every single day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Jason Carroll is on the story for us. So Jason, that was a huge turnout there inside the Capitol building?

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, a lot of passionate people on both sides of this. The reality is, as you know, Kyra, cuts are going to have to be made. It's not going to be easy either way. Wisconsin's governor, Scott Walker, is calling this the budget repair bill. Critics are calling it an attack on organized labor.

The budget battle causing a definite uproar out there. At least 10,000 angry union workers including teachers and supporters protested the bill at the state's capital. Yesterday, school was cancelled in Madison, Wisconsin because so many teachers called out sick.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I agonized over it and you know, I don't think there's a single teacher that could stand down here and say I loved calling in sick today. However, this bully needs to be taken care of, and this bully needs to be shown what it is that is important to the citizens of Wisconsin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: OK. Well, some of the bill's proposals, Kyra, union workers would have to contribute more to their pensions and health care benefits. The bill also limits the union's ability to bargain for wages and actually bans them from making members pay dues. It also forces the union to vote annually to stay organized. Some of the protesters believe the state's new Republican governor is using the bill to try and break the union.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have to kill this bill. If this bill passes, it is the end of collective bargaining for all public employees, and then, really, it will be the end of collective bargaining for all employees because the governor won't just stop there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Well, the governor argues there's no money to bargain with. The state is currently looking at a $137 million budget shortfall and a projected $3.6 billion deficit over the next two years. He says this proposal will actually help bring public sector benefits in line with the private sector.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. SCOTT WALKER (R), WISCONSIN: There's got to be some fairness and we have to be in balance with where the taxpayers are who foot the bill for all of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Well, the governor says the legislation will save the state about $30 million between now and the end of June, and an estimated $300 million during the next two years. The bill is expected to be voted on today in Wisconsin's Republican-controlled state Senate.

And Kyra, as you know, it's not just the state of Wisconsin that's dealing with potential budget cuts, we've also got California, New York, also grappling with how to deal with these monstrous budget deficits. No easy answers no matter how you look at it.

PHILLIPS: Yes, that's true. We will definitely follow the story and see what happens with that vote today. Jason, thanks so much.

And as Jason just mentioned, you know, Wisconsin isn't the only state with big budget problems. We were talking about California. That's about $5 billion from K-12 education. They're all at risk unless there's an extension of tax rates, and then there's that so-called dooms day budget that L.A.'s Board of Education approved. It would crowd classrooms with even more students, and students of public universities would actually look at fee increases up to 10 percent, and kids younger than five would be banned from kindergarten.

Now, a board member does tell "The L.A. Times" "we don't want to do any of the things on there." We will follow those story and more places that are smarting from deep budget cuts.

Illinois looking at a $13 billion shortfall, and a new budget calls for $8.7 billion for new loans for an enormous stack of unpaid bills. Connecticut has a $3.2 billion deficit. It's new budget has a $1.5 billion tax hike on everything from personal incomes to pedicures, and then in New York City up to 5,000 teachers there may lose their jobs. Mayor Bloomberg unveils his new spending plan today.

All right. We want to take you back now to Bahrain, the latest Arab nation to crush a peaceful protest with a barrage of violence. At least three people are dead and possibly hundreds more injured, and yet another regime faces growing outrage.

Well, as you can hear and actually see in this video, police and troops actually converged on the protesters in the dead of night when most people were asleep. Sounds of tear gas and gunfire echoed through the heart of Bahrain's capital this morning.

Joining us on the phone is the Mansoor Al-Jamri, editor in chief of the "Bahrain Daily."

And Mansoor, we were talking with a reporter from the "New York Times," Nick Kristof, who is there in Bahrain, saying that it is the king that is allowing these attacks on protesters. Is that true and is that what you are reporting?

MANSOOR AL-JAMRI, EDITOR IN CHIEF "THE BAHRAIN DAILY" (via telephone): What we see has been a move by the army and there is only one commander for the army. Of course, we are witnessing a small (INAUDIBLE) in Bahrain. The Chinese in the 1990s, early 1990s, end of '80s, they saw the east Europeans freeing themselves from the dictatorship and they went out demanding democracy. In Bahrain, they saw the Egyptians and the Tunisians and they said, "why, not, we want democracy and we are hungry for freedom, and let's go for it." And they went for it (INAUDIBLE) after suffering through this dive days ago, and then (INAUDIBLE) only to be attacked by the Shia force, use of sheer force killing at least three. There will be more. We have many people who are just in bad shape.

PHILLIPS: So, Mansoor, are you saying that King Hamid is calling for these attacks on the protesters?

AL-JAMRI: Well, what we have is the army has issued a statement, number one, and this is the first time that Bahrain will seize an army officer coming on TV to read a statement and to declare that the capital is under their control, and now that any gathering is illegal and will be dealt with harshly.

This means there is a different formula (ph) all together and will be dealt with harshly. This means there is a different formula altogether. We witnessed today the resignation of 18 members of Parliament, that means, this is reflecting itself on the political situation, and we will see mainstream political opposition parties coming, the youth on the streets, coming to make their views and possibly change the direction of the local political equation.

PHILLIPS: So you are saying that the protesters want 18 members of Parliament to resign. If that happens, will these protests stop?

AL-JAMRI: No, won't. It means that the leadership of the protest has shifted from youth to organize the group to basically those people who will look - now it all depends on what their senior figures in society and the parliamentarians will do and how will the government respond to them.

Bahrain cannot have moves like that. And I think it was a gamble to send the Army to kill innocent people in the way that we have seen.

PHILLIPS: We will follow the store. Mansoor Al-Jamri, editor in chief of the "Bahrain Daily," appreciate you calling in.

Still ahead, a stunning revelation from Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown. For the first time, he's telling the story of sexual abuse that he suffered as a child.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, if something Scott Brown says he never even told his mother. The Massachusetts senator who rocketed onto the national scene last year when we won the late Ted Kennedy's senate seat in a special election is now opening up about how he was sexually abused as a child.

Jim Acosta joining us live from Washington. Jim, it seems like an unusual way to reveal something like this. You wonder why now?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you do have to wonder why now. But I mean, he feels he has to talk about this at some point is in his life and so why not now? I guess, maybe how he would respond to that and it's interested you mentioned that he won that huge Senate race in Massachusetts just about a year ago, and it was just a year ago, but since then Scott Brown has kept a low national profile. He doesn't do many interviews, and he's following what's referred to in Washington as the workhorse rather than show horse model for freshman senators.

But all of that is changing in a big way with an interview that airs on "60 Minutes" on Sunday, sitting down with Lesley Stahl. Senator Brown talks about in great detail the physical and sexual abuse he suffered as a child and according to a clip that's been put out by "60 Minutes" Brown says he was sexually assaulted when he was 10 years old by a camp counselor who threatened to kill him if we he ever told anyone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You tell us that you were actually sexually abused more than once.

SEN. SCOTT BROWN (R), MASSACHUSETTS: Yes. Fortunately, nothing was ever fully consummated, so to speak, but it was certainly back then very traumatic. He said, if you tell anybody, you know, I'll kill you. I will make sure that no one believes you. That's the biggest thing, when people find people like me at that young, vulnerable age who are basically lost, the thing that they have over you is that they make you believe that no one will believe you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So you never reported it?

BROWN: No. My mom will read about it for the first time. My wife has just read about it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No one knew?

BROWN: No, I haven't told anybody. That's what happens when you're a victim. You're embarrassed, you're hurt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And Brown also told Stahl he was physically abused by one of his stepfathers. And he says he'd like to buy the house where that abuse occurred so he can burn it down. This dark moments, Kyra, in Brown's past are included in a new book from the senator, it's called "Against All Odds, My Life of Hardships, Fast Breaks and Second Chances." The book comes out next week. And we should mention he is running for re-election next year, so all of this is definitely going to raise his profile. Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Jim Acosta, well, we'll talk more about it when that happens. I'm sure there will be feedback, a lot of reaction. Thanks, Jim.

ACOSTA: Absolutely. You bet.

PHILLIPS: Sex abuse in the Catholic church. In Philadelphia, 37 priests have been identified in a major grand jury investigation, three charged with rape, but this time there's a big difference. It's not just the priests accused of abusing young men, but the men who may have been key in all of this covered it up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, it just never seems to go away, priests accused of sexually molesting the children in their care. Now it's Philadelphia. Three priests and a Catholic school teacher are charged with raping and assaulting boys in their parish. And here they are Edward Avery, James Brennan, Charles Engelhardt and Bernard Shero. But there's a twist to this case. We need to add one more picture - this man has also been charged, not for abusing these kids but rather for knowing about it and covering it up.

From 1992 until 2004, Monsignor William Lynn was the man the archdiocese put in charge of investigating these reports of sex abuse. Now he's the first Catholic leader facing criminal charges for trying to just brush those reports right under the carpet. It all came to light in a grand jury investigation. 37 priests were identified, all accused of child sexual abuse, all actively serving in the church, and if that isn't shocking enough, get this, only the three priests that we just mentioned out of the 37 named in that investigation have been put on administrative leave.

Joining me now, Vatican analyst John Allen. You know, John, we hear about this archdiocese investigator, the monsignor who was supposed to be helping these victims, and now he's charged with just shoving it under the rug. I mean, that's outrageous.

JOHN ALLEN, VATICAN ANALYST: Kyra, of course it's outrageous, and I think this is a story that is relevant not just for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, but I think it's in effect a kind of shot across the bow for the church across the country. What it says is if you are aware of credible allegations against a priest, of sexual abuse of a minor and you don't act on those allegations.

It's not just that the archdiocese at some point might have to cut a check but now it is very clear you might also end up doing real jail time, and I think that's a clear ringing of the bell from the civil authorities saying that the church needs to get its act together.

PHILLIPS: And you know, how many cases though is it going to take, how many stories like this are we going to have to tell before the church, as you say, gets its act together? I mean, this is absolutely ludicrous?

ALLEN: Well, I mean, I think it has to be said, Kyra, that since this crisis first erupted in its kind of massive form in 2002, the Catholic Church in the United States has taken massive steps forward. I mean, it has adopted what it refers to as a zero tolerance or one strike you're out policy. Hundreds of priests have been removed from the ministry and many of them have been formally (INAUDIBLE), that is removed from the priesthood by an act of church law. So it clearly is much further along than it once was but I think equally clearly what the Philadelphia investigation shows us is that there is still some work left to do.

PHILLIPS: So, we know - I guess, here's my question. Why are only three of these individuals being put on leave? I mean, there's 37 people that have been named here.

ALLEN: Yes, well, I think what's happening, Kyra, is that the archdiocese, which should be said that the acts of abuse documented in this report happened on the watch of the previous cardinal of Philadelphia, Anthony Bevilacqua and the current cardinal of Philadelphia Justin Rigali has said that he takes this grand jury report very seriously and the archdiocese is looking into it.

So I think you ought to look at those three suspensions as a first step. Now, the archdiocese has also said that it's not convinced that all 37 of the guys named in this report necessarily are guilty.

But I think Now that this massive spotlight has been shown on what's happening in Philadelphia, you can take it to the bank that the archdiocese is going to be looking at each one of these reports very carefully and it certainly would not be surprising if further suspensions and further (INAUDIBLE) are going to roll out in the days to come.

PHILLIPS: Good, because we want to see people held accountable. That's for sure. John Allen, thanks so much.

The Wal-Mart four. Four security employees fired after they helped wrestle a gun away from a shoplifter. They may even help save lives. Well done. They're all fired. Their heroics were a violation of store policy. So we're trying to help them now find new jobs. Their 30-second pitches coming right up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Fashion week still in full swing in New York. More than 250 designers unveiling their collections, and among them Victoria Beckham. Alina Cho examines the handy work of this former Spice Girl.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She burst onto the scene as Posh Spice, married soccer star David Beckham and then lived the glamorous life of a celebrity mom. But Victoria Beckham's passion is fashion.

(on camera): I've read many times that you say I'm a control freak.

VICTORIA BECKHAM, : Absolutely. I want to be. You know, my name is on the label.

CHO (voice-over): On dresses, jeans, handbags and sunglasses. Her line is carried by luxury retailers like Niemann Marcus.

It wasn't phenomenal, the dresses would not sell.

CHO: And they're not cheap, starting at about 1,000.

I put the dresses on and I look in the mirror, "would I wear this?" and if I would, then out it goes.

CHO: It's working to rave reviews, so much so that Kate Middleton has come calling.

BECKHAM: She has asked to try on some dresses.

CHO: Wedding dresses?

BECKHAM: No, no, no. I'm not ready for wedding dresses just yet. You know, she is asking for a couple of dresses. Should she pick one, that would be great.

CHO: Beckham admits her design aren't for everyone. They're for the girl who is willing to spend the money and has the body to pull it off. After all - they say -

(on camera): what does she look like, does she look like she eats.

BECKHAM: Just tell them yes. Ridiculously thin. Very thin.

CHO: You don't have to work.

BECKHAM: No, I don't have to work but I'm really happy doing this, making women look and feel beautiful. That's what I want to do. That's what it's about.

CHO: Alina Cho, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, nothing like a side of the flu to go with that burger and fries. If you think you got sick from your kids or the sneezy colleague at work, think again. It might be because the sous chef had a nasty cold when he or she was dicing your vegetables at your favorite place.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Chaos in the Middle East, and there's a new explosion of violence. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS (voice-over): That's heavily armed riot police squaring off with protesters in Bahrain. Clouds of tear gas and gunshots sent people running and screaming during an early morning crackdown.

At least three people are dead and more than 100 are hurt and not even journalists are in the clear. Listen as former CNN correspondent Miguel Marquez is roughed up while on he's phone reporting for ABC News.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no, no. Journalist, journalist.

PHILLIPS: Our own Nic Robertson had his gear confiscated at the airport in Bahrain. (END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: We will talk to him in a moment, but first check out this report that he filed. He actually shot it on his iPhone.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Doctors and nurses struggle to save lives. It's 5:00 a.m. in one of Bahrain's principal hospitals. The emergency room is overflowing, victims of a violent confrontation with police.

According to medical workers, hundreds wounded as police crackdown on peaceful protesters sleeping out at a makeshift protest camp in the center of the city. This 15-year-old boy with buckshot wounds to his abdomen and arms tells me he was asleep when the police attacked around 3:00 a.m. Friends carried him to the hospital, he says.

Another older man describes how he was awakened by tear gas being fired, explains where a canister of gas hit him high on his thighs. Outside the emergency room on the hospital forecourt, angry protesters chant "the people want to bring down the regime." Barely two hours earlier, more than 1,000 armed police in a carefully planned organization swarmed the camp.

Until then it had been peaceful, families, tents, foods, a festive spirit, protest placards being prepared. A defiant stand against the ruling regime being mounted.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In Bahrain, we need freedom.

ROBERTSON: They say they are modeling themselves on Tahrir Square in Cairo, but here in this tiny Persian Gulf nation, the protest is not simply about overthrowing an unpopular leadership, it's religious. Most are from the Shia Muslim majority long dominated by Sunni rulers, and are demanding jobs, including positions in the security forces. At stake, stability of this American ally on an island once claimed by Iran. Not just home to the U.S. fifth fleet, but at the choke point of the world's busiest oil shipping lanes.

(on camera): As day breaks over Bahrain, the battle lines are being drawn. The protesters say they are more determined than ever to overthrow the government. The government could not have made its position clearer. Protests will not be tolerated.

(voice-over): And with the sunrise, this, a convoy of about 50 army armored personnel carriers driving down the main highway towards the pearl roundabout in the center of the city. Alongside the battle vehicles and heavy machine guns, trucks of razor wire, the government has upped the ante.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Nic Robertson now joining us by phone from Bahrain. It's amazing what you can do with your iPhone there, Nic. First of all, have you gotten your gear back? ROBERTSON (via telephone): We haven't and we have been talking to government officials, and they say it's under review. Indeed, they've asked us to further curtail our reporting and limit it to telephone beepers as we're doing right now.

They want to take it under advisement and talk among the various ministers. The influx of journalists and the amount of attention has poured on this situation is something the government is not used to and they're struggling to figure out how to deal with it as indeed they are with the protesters at the moment.

So at the moment, we remain hopeful, but we still don't have our proper equipment back yet, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Nic, we talked with a reporter from the Bahrain newspaper, and he was saying that protesters want 18 members of parliament out of office. What are you hearing?

Do you agree with that? And what exactly is the king doing now? You mentioned he came out in his military uniform, so, obviously, he is overseeing this, and making the call to respond to the protesters in the way that this has gone down. So what do you know?

ROBERTSON: Well, the government is treating this as a security and law and order situation, and when we spoke to an official of the Information Ministry earlier, he told me that they were shocked and he appeared shocked, that they had found some weapons, knives and guns, they say, inside the protesters camp.

So from the government perspective, this is something that they are following through with because they believe that threatens the security of the islands and the people themselves. We have heard from the largest Shia Muslim party here who have 18 representatives out of 40 in the lower House of Parliament here.

We have heard that they have called out to the government at this time and it is in protest to the ongoing situation, and the government's response to these peaceful protests, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Nic Robertson, we'll follow the story with you. Appreciate it. Bahrain typically doesn't make international headlines, but that's all changed with this week's protest.

So here are key facts about the small island there off Saudi Arabia's coast. Bahrain has been led by the Al Khalifa family since the 1700s, but in 2001, the current king, King Hamid, supported a transition from an absolute none monarchy to a constitutional one.

Most people in Bahrain are Muslim, and as Nic said, well, most of the country is Shiite, the ruling family is Sunni. Now they control both the executive and legislative branches of government, and that's an ongoing source of tension.

Bahrain is a U.S. ally and a critical part of our operations in the Gulf. It's headquarters to the Navy's fifth fleet.

Stock market opening bell rang just about an hour ago. Checking the numbers for you, Dow industrials down almost five points there.

Well, 410,000 Americans filed first time unemployment claims last week, ticking up about 25,000 from the week before. Those numbers just out from the Labor Department this morning. It's higher than expected too. We are still lingering around the lowest jobless levels since July of 2008.

All right, there are so many Americans out there that are still searching for jobs. We've been talking about it for months, and this week we've got actually a special edition of our 30 second pitch. We want to help a handful of ex-Wal-Mart employees find work.

Lori Bolson, John Ray and Gabe Stewart were laid off, and they and a colleague were actually fired from a Utah store after tearing a gun away from a suspected shoplifter. Here is the play by play from the police report.

A customer apparently stashed a laptop in his closed then made a break for the front of the store, but he didn't make it. He yanked his gun after he was escorted to the loss prevention office. Now the workers ripped away the gun and held him until police arrived.

But the employees were let go a week later for violating company policy, which tells the employees to withdraw if a gun comes out. A Wal-Mart official tells us that our associates are trained on this policy to help avoid situations that put our customers and associates in jeopardy.

Simply we cannot condone associates taking matters into their own hands. So that brings us to today's 30 second pitch or should we say 90 second pitch today. There are three of them. Gabe Stewart, Lori Paulson and also Sean Ray.

I just want to mention before we start that there were supposed to be four of you, but it turns out Justin Richards landed some temporary work and he didn't want to miss his first day on the job today. So it's good to see the three of you. Thanks for being with me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks for having us.

PHILLIPS: You bet. So real quickly before we get to the 30 second pitches, guys, I just want to ask you, Lori, let me start with you, why did you take matters into your own hands?

LORI PAULSON, FORMER WAL-MART EMPLOYEE: At that time, I didn't really see any other option. I was fearful that Gabe was going to be shot or something worse could happen if we allowed him into the vestibule where we had hundreds of customers. At that point in time, we just decided without saying anything to each other that something had to be done and we decided to do it.

PHILLIPS: Gabe, why did you go along with the plan? And do you have any regrets?

GABE STEWART, FORMER WAL-MART EMPLOYEE: There really wasn't anything that I could have done. He pretty much rushed me and took me as a hostage. I couldn't stop something like that as it played out very quickly. I mean, it was 15 seconds within that time frame I got pushed up against the door, and he had me with the gun in my back. I wish I could change something about that, but it was just a very terrible situation.

PHILLIPS: Wow, we didn't realize that the gun was actually at your back. And, Gabe -- or Sean, how about you? I mean, any regrets. Why did you forego the policy and take matters into your own hands as well?

SEAN RAY, FORMER WAL-MART EMPLOYEE: My responsibility is to protect ourselves, customers and fellow associates and suspects. We did so. Nobody was injured and everyone walked out on their own accord. It went very well. There was no other option. When the suspect refuses to disengage with you, there is no way for us to disengage with him safely in a confined space.

PHILLIPS: Sure, sure. Here's somebody with a gun. You already feel threatened, and why would anyone allow someone to go back into the store and roam with a gun. Let's get down to it, shall we?

You know how we do things here. You get 30 seconds to make your pitch. I know a lot of people have been drawn to the story and want to help out and offer you work. So Gabe, why don't we go ahead and start with you. Brag about yourself for 30 seconds. Go ahead.

STEWART: Well, I have 12-plus years of retail experience, most of that, at least 10 years of that is done in management. I have a lot of skills and that I've learned in that time frame. I'm very dedicated and I just would really like a chance to prove myself in any retail-based environment.

PHILLIPS: You got it. That's Gabe Stewart. Lori, let's move over to you and let you do your 30-second pitch. We will start the clock and take it away.

PAULSON: Hello, my name is Lori Paulson. I have 12-1/2 years retail experience with the past five years being in retail management. I was recently being the manager over safety, shrink and asset protection.

In this role, I gained experience in creating and teaching shrink prevention presentations in classes. I would love to find work in retail management, banking or administrative services. I feel I would be a valuable employee due to my attention to detail, desire to learn and I'm energetic, and I love challenges.

PHILLIPS: All three of you are definitely pay attention to detail. That's for sure. OK, Sean Ray, we're going to wrap it up with you, my friend. You got 30 seconds. Make your pitch.

RAY: Thank you. My name is Sean Ray. I have asset protection and security force experience. I have 2 1/2 years of retail experience. I was a manager of an automotive service shop for 2 years. I have 4 years plus experience in construction and construction management and proficient in Auto Cad and most Microsoft Office applications. My net typing speed is between 45 and 50 wore per minute. Three words to describe myself is professional, honest and punctual. Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Sean Ray, Gabe Stewart and Lori Paulson, sure appreciate your bravery and what you did for all of those shoppers that remained in the store. We sure hope that people reach out on my blog. Look at all your information and that you get some job calls. You all three keep in touch and let us know what happens?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.

PAULSON: Absolutely.

PHILLIPS: Fantastic, thanks, guys. If you are out of work and you want to sell yourself to prospective employers just like these three, let us know. Just send us your resume and your letter to 30secondpitch@cnn.com.

Also if you want to hire our 30 second pitchers, and we sure hope you will reach out to this former Wal-Mart employees, go to our blog, cnn.com/kyra. All their information and their e-mails, it will be there.

Well, if you have ever gotten sick after going out to dinner, it may not be what you ate, but who prepared it. We're talking about why a side of the flu might need to be added to the menu at your favorite restaurant.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: You may lose your appetite when you hear this next story. It turns out a significant number of people who serve you food in restaurants have come to work when they were really sick.

CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joining me with the story. It's pretty widespread?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It is. It's a lot of people.

PHILLIPS: It's gross.

COHEN: It is gross. It is gross. I mean, obviously when you have diarrhea or vomiting, you shouldn't be working, but these guys were. So a survey of workers in nine states found 12 percent of the workers said, yes, at least twice in the past year, I have come to work while experiencing vomiting or diarrhea. And Kyra, these are the people who owned up to it.

PHILLIPS: Imagine those who don't say anything because they just want to get their paycheck. Are you more likely to get sick at some types of restaurants than others?

COHEN: You know what, not really, fast food, slow food, American food, ethnic food workers --

PHILLIPS: Upscale restaurants versus -- COHEN: It doesn't matter. It does matter the size of the restaurant. Big restaurants actually seem to have more workers who are working while sick than the smaller ones. But other than that, there's not much of a difference.

PHILLIPS: So pretty much just hose if someone is sick and comes to the restaurant? Is there anything we can do? They're preparing our food and giving it to us, and you'll never know.

COHEN: That's right and you know, that I'm all about being an empowered patient during this case, an empowered restaurants goer, but there's really not much you can do because if the guy in the back is chopping up your vegetables for a salad and has diarrhea, there is really not much that you can do.

This is really up to the restaurants and what happens is someone needs a paycheck so a lot of these workers don't get paid if they don't show up, and the National Restaurant Association has fought mandatory sick pay and this is the result.

Now we called the National Restaurant Association, and they say, we're all about safety. We're all about safety and we tell our members don't let your workers work sick, but if they need to get the money, they are going to work sick.

PHILLIPS: You know, they need to get the money, you know, when they call in sick and you know, when someone is really sick when they come in to work. OK, wow, you just scared us all.

COHEN: No, there isn't much you can do. You know, for most of us, getting some kind of, you know, food-borne illness is a really unpleasant day, right? But for people who are immune compromised or have diseases, going through chemotherapy, they are the ones who really need to be careful about eating out at restaurants.

PHILLIPS: We need to ask workers to be respectful when they are sick, don't come to work.

COHEN: Right, even if it means missing a paycheck.

PHILLIPS: Yes, that's hard.

Well, if President Obama had a personal Facebook page, he might be friending some high tech execs. We're going to tell you about his meeting today with Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg among many others.

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PHILLIPS: The presidential election is just about 20 months away, but already voters have some opinions about whether they would support President Obama for a second term. We have more from CNN political director Paul Steinhauser at the political desk in Washington. Hey, Paul.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Hey, good morning, Kyra. That's right. You know, we have polling about the 2012 election for a year and a half right now. Take a look at this, brand new numbers from Gallup. A hypothetical horse race, President Barack Obama versus whoever the Republican nominee is, well, look at that, Americans dead even a split right there divided, 45 percent say they would vote for the president and 45 percent say they vote for the Republican candidate and 6 percent say they're not sure it's just too early.

Kyra, a couple things about that poll. Remember, we don't have any official Republican candidates yet let alone a nominee, so things will change, and of course, polling is a reflection of, a snapshot of how people feel right now and people change their minds. We're going to continue to look at just about every poll on the 2012 election between now and November 2012, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: I know how much you love those polls.

STEINHAUSER: I do, I do.

PHILLIPS: All right, President Obama heads west today, right? And he's going to meet with some pretty big names.

STEINHAUSER: Yes, he's talking jobs with Jobs, Steve Jobs, that is, of Apple, and who else? Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Eric Schmidt the CEO of Google and some other top tech executives. So they are talking about jobs, the economy. The event is closed and will be held in the San Francisco area. The president is spending the night there and going on to Oregon tomorrow, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Paul. Good to see you. Your next political update in just about an hour. A reminder, you can always get all the political news on our web site cnnpolitics.com.

American history had a secret that is revealed just recently. A photographer who documented the civil rights movement for history was documenting it for the FBI, too. He might have been the perfect informant. A sneak peek at a fascinating documentary coming up next.

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PHILLIPS: Here's some stories that will be happening later today, 1:45 this afternoon, President Obama will sign a bill naming the new federal courthouse in Arizona for Judge John Roll. He's the judge killed last month in that shooting that wounded Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords

Also later today, comedian Bill Cosby will be honored as an honorary chief petty officer. Cosby served as a Navy hospital corpsman from 1956 to 1960.

And charged particles from a giant solar flare like this one are actually headed toward earth today. Possible fall out includes disturbances to earth's geomagnetic field that will impact GPS and telecom equipment.

The FBI was spying on fellow Americans including people active in the civil rights movement. Who better to help keep an eye on the community than a man with a camera, right? Fascinating story and part of a CNN documentary that Soledad O'Brien has been working on for us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The perfect informant would be someone good with names and faces, someone who could get inside both large community meetings and small strategy sessions. In Memphis, Tennessee, that someone was photographer earnest withers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As an established, universally known photojournalist --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Sorry about that. Looks like the piece kind of froze in our system, but I'll tell you what, a pretty awesome documentary "Pictures Don't Lie" Sunday night 8:00 Eastern, a minute and a half before the stop of the hour. That does it for us. See you back here tomorrow. Toss is over now to Suzanne Malveaux for the next two hours -- Suzanne.