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Protests Engulf Middle East; Federal Government Could Come to a Halt; Violent Clashes in Libya; BP Plans to Pull Staff Out of Libya; Dog Rescued from Pipe; More Americans Getting Tattoos, OK With Employers?
Aired February 21, 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: OK. Well, it's 10:00 a.m. on the east now, 7:00 a.m. out in the west, 5:00 on the afternoon in Libya. Places were watching very closely right now.
Protests have engulfed the Middle East, it's boiling over and more than 200 people now reported killed in Libya. The son of long-time ruler Moammar Gaddafi promising death and chaos if the protesters don't back off. And while there is a showdown in Libya, there's a potential shutdown in the United States.
The federal government could come to a halt next week if Congress can't work something out. This is another big story we're bringing in just a few minutes.
PHILLIPS: Well, violent clashes are escalating in Libya right now where demonstrators say they have seized control of the second largest city, Benghazi, and now the protests have spread to the capital of Tripoli. The people have reportedly ransacked Libya state TV headquarters and they are apparently setting fire to government buildings.
These are the actual images of that uprising circulating now on social media sites. Tear gas, gunfire, clashes with government troops. At least 233 people reported dead, that's according to the human rights watch. And CNN is not on the ground in Libya and can't confirm of numbers. But the U.S. has issued a travel warning saying it's gravely concerned about the situation.
And oil giant BP says it plans to pull its staff out of the country. All of this means mounting pressure on Moammar Gaddafi, the country's controversial and erratic leader and now his son warns Libyans of a civil war, saying the regime will not give up and will fight until the very last bullet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAIF AL ISLAM GADDAFI (through translator): Blood will flow, rivers of blood in all the cities of Libya, and you will emigrate from Libya because petrol will stop, and tomorrow all foreign companies, all foreigners will leave tomorrow, all petrol companies will leave, and petrol will stop, and from tomorrow there won't be any petrol, there won't be any money. You won't even find a piece of bread.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, that speech seems to threaten Libyans with the prospect of civil war over its oil resources, and we are already feeling the effects here at home. Prices are up. Christine Romans, live in New York. So what does going to mean at the pump, Christine?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, in international oil markets, when you hear something like that, certainly it causes more uncertainty and certainly higher prices for oil, Kyra. You got oil prices up about four percent this morning. A barrel of crude, when it moves higher, that means down the line, days in week, you see a gallon of gas moving up as well. Why is crude oil so susceptible to uncertainty in Libya, in particular?
Well, we're talking about the Middle East now first time in weeks. But Libya is a major exporter of oil. It has the largest proven reserves in all of Africa, just ahead of Nigeria. And the U.S. last year imported 80,000 barrels of oil a day from this country. So that's one of the reasons why. It mainly exports oil to Europe, Italy, Germany, France and Spain are the biggest recipients of Libyan oil. So that's one what we're watching here.
Why people are so concerned about oil and gas prices. Gas prices as you know right now about $3.17 a gallon in this country and they are moving higher even before all this, Kyra. There are some analysts who are calling for $4.00 a gallon gas. Maybe we get to $3.50 or $3.75, according to (INAUDIBLE) sources that I talked to but clearly, it's moving higher, and this just adds to that. Kyra.
PHILLIPS: What about gold, Christine?
ROMANS: We are seeing gold and the metals moving higher as well today, Kyra. One of the reasons this whole theme of inflation, and also investors looking to put their money in the perceived safety of the metals as there is still geopolitical risk in the region. You know, the world economy is slowly growing, and that also means more demand for things like gold and some of these precious metals in manufacturing, for example. So you are seeing gold prices up $13 at $1,401 per ounce right now. That's where gold is.
PHILLIPS: All right. Christine Romans, live from New York. Christine, thanks.
ROMANS: Sure.
PHILLIPS: And naturally, the unrest in the Middle East has the attention of the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says that "Governments in the Arab world must be more responsive to their people's growing demands for human rights and greater freedom and democracy."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I think in general Americans are in favor of human rights, freedom, democracy. We know that ultimately, the most progress that can be made on behalf of human beings anywhere is when those individuals are empowered, when they have governments that are responsive. That's what we want to see.
At the same time, we recognize that this process can be hijacked. It can be hijacked by both outside and inside elements within any country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Mike Mullen has arrived in the Gulf region and also for a week-long series of visits with leaders from across the region. The administration says that the visit by the Joint Chief of Staff chair was planned well before the current protests but the recent protests will be discussed.
All right. Now, let's talk about the U.S. government. It could shut down next week if Democrats and Republicans can't find common ground on the 2011 budget. The thing is, lawmakers have to figure this out on their own time. Both chambers are off all week.
Let's go straight to the White House correspondent Dan Lothian. So Dan, not much time to hammer out a short-term spending plan.
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. The deadline approaching March 4th, that is when the continuing resolution which is currently funding the government expires. And you know, the last time that we saw anything like this happen was in 1995, and lawmakers are trying to make sure that doesn't happen again. We heard on the Sunday morning talk shows some of these lawmakers involved in negotiations saying that they hoped that they could reach a compromise, but there are still a lot of sticking points here.
Republicans want deep spending cuts, and Democrats think that some of those spending cuts are excessive. We saw over the weekend where House Republicans passed this spending resolution looking for $61 billion in cuts, and Senate Democrats saying that this doesn't stand a chance of passing.
Meanwhile, President Obama amid all of these finger pointing is urging caution considering what's at stake.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think people should be careful about, you know, being too loose in terms of talking about a government shutdown because this has - this is not an abstraction. You know, people don't get their social security checks. They don't get their veterans' payments. Basic functions shut down, and that also would have an adverse effect on our economic recovery.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LOTHIAN: So Kyra, you see there, from what the president said, this is something that really would impact all Americans. Think back in 1995, if you had any kind of government documents that you needed to get, a passport and so forth, the offices would be closed, or if you needed or wanted to go on a vacation to a national park or a national museum, those would be closed as well. So everyone would be impacted. Will it come to that? Most people don't think so. The most likely scenario is that there will be some sort of short-term solution, sort of a short-term extension, if you will, until a long-term solution can be negotiated, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Dan Lothian at the White House. Dan, thanks so much.
And speaking of budget battles, thousands of protesters expected in Madison again today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do your job! Do your job! Do your job!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: You saw the big demonstrations over the weekend. Thousands of people were there. Teachers and state workers angry with Governor Scott Walker's budget bill. Some tea partiers and parents showed up, too, to support Walker's bill. He wants to eliminate collective bargaining rights for everything but wages. And some teachers probably will go back to work this week, not all of them. Lawmakers have the day off, too. So it's doubtful the two sides will make any progress today.
CNN's Casey Wian is in Madison right now. We're going to check in with him just a little later this hour.
Well, snow keeps coming to Minnesota's twin cities, not like they need any more after getting a foot or more yesterday. Rob Marciano is following all of this for us. And it's not surprising, they get snow. This is typical -
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Right?
MARCIANO: But yet another city that's on track to maybe break some records. With that, all of the snow that they had yesterday, and like Kyra said, over a foot, in places just outside of Minneapolis-St. Paul seeing 17 inches and places in Wisconsin seeing similar numbers. This is what it looked like, just in case you forgot what snow looked like.
Even in Minnesota they have a hard time. At times, inter-states and other roadways are shutdown or at least traffic coming to a halt in some cases. Not only cars stopped, but people had to abandon them. So even the hearty northern Midwesterners having a hard time with this thing.
All right. What we are seeing now is more in the way of snow across parts of the Midwest, including Minneapolis, although the heaviest amounts of snow are coming to an end. As far as where we think it is going to go, it's heading toward the northeast. We have already seen a fair amount of snow across parts of New York, wet snow in the range of three to five inches so far. That's the first part of the system. The second part is going to make more of a subtle track slowly. So (INAUDIBLE) from the western great lakes to parts of the Delmarva, and then colder air coming in behind that. 38 degrees the high temperature in New York. It will be 57 in D.C. before the cold air comes in . We do have some problems with airport delays. Chicago O'Hare seeing three-hour delays right now, Minneapolis, an hour delay, and LaGuardia, because of the wet snow seeing some delays also.
Meanwhile, we broke some records across parts of the southeast. As you know, Kyra, it was a gorgeous weekend so. I don't mean to gloat but it is what it is.
PHILLIPS: Our Saturday was amazing but it got kind of yucky yesterday. It's kind of a (INAUDIBLE)
MARCIANO: You have to take a little bit of yuck to get the good stuff.
PHILLIPS: That's right. We appreciate at least one good day. Thanks, Rob.
MARCIANO: You bet.
PHILLIPS: A controversial movie set to air tonight. It's made for TV and it's about the Amanda Knox trial, you know, the American student charged with murdering her roommate in Italy. Find out why both prosecution and defense attorneys don't want it to see the light of day.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Despite mass protests and threats of legal action, Lifetime Movie Network will air its movie version of the Amanda Knox trial tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You will be tried for murder. It (INAUDIBLE) some sort of sex game.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is not true.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I believe Amanda orchestrated the attack.
(INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I didn't.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Under the angel face, she is capable of anything.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She is kind and she is gentle.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They threatened me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not calm. It is absolutely insane. Why are you doing this to me? (END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Knox is the American student who was convicted of murdering her roommate in Italy. She's now appealing that conviction, so it's no surprise that Knox's family and legal teams hope you won't watch. They worry the film could influence her appeal.
(INAUDIBLE) the victim's family says they don't want you to watch, either because they say it's inappropriate and insensitive and this could be why, apparently, the murder scene was so graphic it was cut from the final version that airs tonight.
Diana Magnay joins me live from Italy. So who was behind the decision, Diana?
DIANA MAGNAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra. Well, the decision to cut out that particularly graphic scene was pushed by (INAUDIBLE) victim's family and the Knox family lawyers, but there are still some flashbacks that you see in the movie which are fairly graphic in themselves, including the scene in which you see Meredith with somebody slitting or with her throat being slit. So there is still a fair amount of graphic content in the movie.
And as you can imagine, the Kircher family lawyers have said "It is absolutely inappropriate and incredibly bad taste." They want to put the memory of all of this behind them and be able to honor Meredith's memory. The Knox family say that it will be prejudicial to the jury as the appeals case is ongoing. They say that the film portrays Amanda as a killer, as a loose woman, and here is also what Edda Mellas, Amanda Knox's mother, had to say about the movie. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EDDA MELLAS, AMANDA KNOX'S MOTHER: Talk about, you know, ill timed. It's in the middle of Amanda's appeal. You know, I understand freedom of speech but I find it disconcerting that there's somebody out there who is playing me and playing Amanda that has never met us. They know nothing about us. They have not talked to anybody who knows us. I find that irresponsible. I think that if you were doing a movie and you wanted to portray this correctly, you would find out something about these people or talk to people who know them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MAGNAY: Right now, Kyra, the appeals process is ongoing and they are re-examining a lot of the forensic evidence that was used in that first trial, which is something that the defense has been pushing for, saying that it wasn't conclusive enough to convict Amanda of murder. So that appeals protest is on-going but of course, the movie won't be aired in Italy. It will just be aired in the U.S.. So big question marks over whether it really can prejudice a jury over here. Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Diana Magnay live from Italy. Diana, thanks.
Curiosity put a Jack Russell terrier into one really tight spot for almost a day. Animal control was on patrol and up for the rescue job.
More Americans getting tattoos. But are more employers really saying that that's OK?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: One last call just doesn't seem to cut it. Well, some incredible surveillance tape tops our look across country.
Wednesday, 1:30 in the morning, this SUV plows in front of a Massachusetts liquor store. The driver gets out, apparently looking to wet his whistle. He couldn't reach the bottle so he ends up just taking off, and later caught in a DUI arrest. Oh, yes, up until this point, by the way, he was well respected in the community. His name, Dr. Joseph Grillo.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. JOSEPH GRILLO, FACING DUI CHARGE: I feel very badly about what happened and you know, plan to take suitable action.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Animal control officers in Boise, Idaho took suitable action when they heard about a Jack Russell terrier caught in a tight spot, like a drainage pipe for some 19 hours. His name, Eddie. You can actually hear the one-year old pooch whimpering during the entire rescue process. But all's well that ends well. Eddie is now free and his owner ecstatic.
And from Inglewood, Florida, necessity is the mother of all inventions. Since Brian David was injured in a traffic accident decades ago, he found conventional wheelchairs to be a real pain. So he made his own type of transportation, something akin to a motorized gurney. He called it an IGMA, short for "it gets me around." Could be a prototype as Brian is thinking about building more to help injured service men and women.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, to call the Middle East a man's world has to be one of the biggest understatements on the planet. Horrific examples pop up all the time, like the Saudi woman who was gang raped and then sentenced to 200 lashes because she was in a car with a man who wasn't even a relative. How about the Iranian woman sentenced to be stoned to death for committing adultery or the Afghan woman mutilated because she tried to escape an abusive husband.
Just a handful of examples that women are second class citizens or lower in the Muslim world. And that's why it's remarkable to see women take part in the wave of protests and uprisings going on now in the Middle East, like these women in Bahrain. They know the repercussions, but for them, change is worth the risk.
This is a topic that Zainab Salbi knows very well. She experienced life under Saddam Hussein, but her full-time job is getting rights back to the Muslim women. She's with Women to Women International. That's actually her baby. She travels around the world and is still traveling, we're lucky to have her today. Zainab, you know, as you watch these so-called revolutions that are happening from country to country overseas, do you see this as much as a revolution for women?
ZAINAB SALBI, FOUNDER, WOMEN FOR WOMEN INTERNATIONAL: Well, thank you, Kyra. It is not yet a revolution for women. It is definitely a revolution for the people where women have taken a full and active role in it. They are in the streets, they participate in the social media, they sang, they demonstrated, they articulated themselves with the people.
Whether it is a revolution for women, to preserve women's rights, and to give women's rights more equality is yet to be determined, and it is actually to be determined on how the new transitional governments are going to handle women's role in it.
Just to give you an example, women are eight percent of participation in the reconciliation processes, and in the Middle East, women are still absent from participation in political reconciliation.
PHILLIPS: OK. So if you were - I mean, this is what you do full time. If you were to look at the countries that have had these uprisings, where do you see a progressive mindset happening quicker than others? If you look at Tunisia, Yemen, Cairo and Bahrain and Libya.
SALBI: Well, what happens in Egypt, generally, in the Middle East, determines the trend for the larger Middle East, and so it's very critical to what's happening to women in Egypt in the Middle East. Across the Middle East, the most critical thing that women are asking for are three things.
One is their constitutional rights as it relates to family law. In other words, their right to marry, get divorced equally, the marriage age for marriage. For example, it varies from 18 years old in Tunisia to eight years old, the marriage age in Saudi Arabia. So what happens to women in their family law in the constitution is very important. What happens in their ability to pass on their citizenship to their children equally to that of men, and most of the Middle East, women do not have the equal citizenship. If she is married to a non- citizen, she doesn't have the right to pass on her citizenship to her children or her husband.
The third one, and very crucial one is her equal treatment in economic opportunities. Most Middle Eastern countries do not give women equal rights in terms of wages, in terms of economic opportunities and even working opportunities. So how women are going to be handled or how they're going to handle the transition in terms of better rights for them is very crucial.
Most of them are watching Egypt where it is very crucial for them to preserve her rights and to deepen it. I'm least optimistic about countries such as Saudi Arabia or Yemen, where it is more chaotic and ambivalent of what's going to happen to women in these countries. PHILLIPS: And Zainab, as we, you know, follow these protests and hopefully we will see - obviously will take a long time for these rights for women developed. Isn't another really important thing to consider is how their men will support them. Because if they don't have the support of their fathers, their grandfathers, their husbands, their brothers, then that plays a huge part as well, correct?
it's going to take a long time -- more of these rights for women develop, isn't a more important thing to consider is how their men will support them? Because if they don't have the support of their fathers, grandfathers, husbands, brothers, then that plays a huge part as well, correct?
SALBI: Absolutely. So this is a major transitional moment in the Middle East, where people are breaking away from their fear and they are breaking their silence, and women are very much a part of the story. Whether the men in the Middle East understand that there is no way we can build stable nations and growing and stable economies without the full inclusion of women in all decision-making process and in all sectors of the society, then we are going to actually remiss on this transitional moment and this opportunity it presents.
The military government in Egypt at the moment, the transitional government in Egypt, has not reflected that understanding yet. It has excluded women from all decision making, and Egyptian women have protested and are protesting and saying this is important that we are part of the shaping of the new government and the new era in Egypt and beyond.
PHILLIPS: Zainab Salbi, founder and CEO of Women to Women International. It's always a pleasure to talk to you. You do amazing work. Thanks for your time today.
SALBI: Thank you very much.
PHILLIPS: You bet. More from the CNN NEWSROOM straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Violent protests rumbling across Libya where demonstrators are demanding an end to the rule of Muammar Gadhafi. Witnesses say Gadhafi's security forces have fired tear gas and bullets into the streets.
And protesters have ransacked the Libyan state TV building even set fire to a government building and police stations. Since last Tuesday, it's believed at least 233 people have been killed, and Muammar Gadhafi's son warned thousands more may die if these protests continue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAIF GADHAFI, SON OF LIBYAN PRESIDENT MOAMMAR GADHAFI (through translation): We're not Egypt. We're not Tunisia. We will have weapons. Everyone has access to weapon. Instead of crying over 84 killed people, we will cry over thousands. Blood will flow, rivers of blood, in all of the cities of Libya.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Foreign journalists are even banned from Libya, and the Libyan government continues to ignore requests from CNN for access. Fionnuala Sweeney doing her best to cover this story from Cairo. What are you hearing now, Fionnuala?
FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, just to update you on the death toll, the human rights watch, as you reported, saying 233 people have died, but we are now hearing reliably from Benghazi, the city (inaudible) to the demonstrators last night that the death toll there alone stands at 300.
There were clashes there, of course, beginning last Tuesday. Elsewhere in the country, we're hearing in Tripoli last night, the capital, as Saif Gadhafi was making his speech that 70 bodies were brought into the hospitals there overnight.
And as we told you a while back, the hospitals that we are trying to get through to there, when we do pick up, when we do get through, saying that they haven't received any bodies at all, but the expectation now in Tripoli, if the passion in Benghazi and what took there over the last week is anything to go by, is that once the sun sets there will be more demonstrations.
And this, obviously ramping up to be quite an evening in Tripoli for both the residents and the security forces of Colonel Moammar Gadhafi.
PHILLIPS: All right, Fionnuala Sweeney there live from Cairo covering the Libyan protests as best she can from there since they won't allow us access into that country.
As we watch the protests on our televisions, well, it may seem as if one uprising melts into the next. Bahrain and Jordan, Yemen and Libya, very different country with some striking similarities. Our Tom Foreman takes a look at a movement started in Egypt and Tunisia that is spreading across the Arab world.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If you look at the countries in the Middle East with problems right now, they all have slightly different reasons, but they also have commonalities. Chief among them, large, young populations and very unstable economic times.
Let's take a look right down here at Yemen, for example. Unemployment is 35 percent there. The youth compromise 64 percent of the population, and 45 percent of the people live in poverty. They also have dwindling resources, including water there.
Let's take a look up here at Bahrain, unemployment 5 to 9 percent, that's not so high, but the youth population, 36 percent. This country has been economically dominated by oil, but the global economy has crippled other projects, which might allow them to be a little bit more independent.
Look over here at Jordan, unemployment 13 percent, the youth population, 55 percent, 14 percent of the people living in poverty and a lot of reliance on foreign aid over there. If you go all of the way over here to take a look at Algeria, unemployment is 10 percent, but it's double that for the young people in the country.
The youth population is 34 percent of the people there, 23 percent live in poverty. All of that adds up to a deadly equation in many ways as the world economy teeters, all of those young people find themselves saying, how do we move forward and find a place in the economy.
And they start looking at their leaders and saying, you have failed us if you have not made our progress possible.
PHILLIPS: Other stories that we're talking about this morning, U.S. Navy warship and Navy helicopters following a yacht hijacked in the Indian Ocean and four Americans. The yacht, SP Quest is owned by Jean and Scott Adam of California. The other two Americans identified as Phillies Kay and Bob Regel. It's believed Somali pirates boarded that yacht Friday.
British Prime Minister David Cameron arrived in Cairo. He's going to have talks with the country's military leaders. The Egyptian military has been in charge since President Hosni Mubarak was forced to resign February 11th. The first visit by a head of state to Egypt since Mubarak's departure.
Well, if you filled up at the gas station the last few days, you've seen that the price of a gallon has risen five cents in the past two weeks. Lundberg's survey of gas prices finds the average price for regular now at $3.18, that's up 55 cents from a year ago.
The budget battle in Wisconsin's capitol rages on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS (voice-over): These demonstrators say they're not going to leave until the governor's proposed legislation to cut worker benefits and remove most union bargaining rights changes. Fourteen Democratic senators even fled the state, so the vote has to be postponed.
Schools have been forced to be shut down for four days because teachers aren't showing up for work, but even within these massive protests, there are supporters for Governor Scott Walker.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Casey Wian has been in the middle of the protests for days. So Casey, what do the supporters say?
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Their argument in favor of Governor Scott Walker's plan to severely curtail the collective bargaining right of state employees, teachers and others, and also to require them to contribute to her health and pension plans is simply that they believe public sector unions in this state and in many states of this country have simply too much power because of the collective bargaining process. They believe that it has hamstrung the ability of state lawmakers to balance budgets because of generous benefits that these public sector employee unions enjoy that the private sector does not benefit from. Now, we saw some folks from the Tea Party and other groups out here over the weekend demonstrating their support for Governor Walker, but they were outnumbered by the people from Wisconsin and other places who have come to protest this proposed legislation.
One of the more remarkable events we saw was a group of firefighters walk into the state capitol. They were greeted by raucous applause for the protesters who have been sleeping at that building for several days now. What's interesting is that these firefighters and other public safety workers are exempt from his proposal, but are still showing up to support the teachers and others. Now, the teachers held a meeting yesterday to decide whether or not they will go back to work this week.
General consensus is they are going to, some maybe even as early as today for the school districts that don't recognize president's day. But most of them will be back on the job tomorrow, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, so what's next in all of this? I mean, do you see an end any time soon, Casey?
WIAN: It's hard to see an end because both sides have dug in their heels. Tomorrow, the state legislature is scheduled to get back to business, but, of course, several Democratic state senators have left the state, which has stopped the legislation from moving forward because they don't have the quorum.
They need to advance this legislation in the Senate. The governor says he's not going to budge until those Democratic senators come back. The senators so far have shown no signs that they're going to come back. We have to wait to see what happens tomorrow if there is movement, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, we'll be watching. Casey, thanks. It seems more Americans are getting tattoos, and you would think more bosses are saying that's OK. But as we learn from our Stephanie Elam, employers may still have their doubts.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Renee Jennings interviewed for her job at a Brooklyn real estate office, she kept the six tattoos on her arms covered.
RENEE JENNINGS, EMPLOYEE, REALTY ON THE GREENE: Obviously with tattoos, you can't go into an office unless you are applying for something that requires you to be tattooed, you can't walk into an office that way. So I have on a full business suit.
ELAM: Once she had the job though, the jacket came off and the tattoos came out.
JENNINGS: I think when I begin to speak and communicate with people, they understand that I'm more than just tattoos.
ELAM: Kathryn Lilly is her boss. She says the tattoos have no impact on her performance.
KATHRYN LILLY, JENNING'S BOSS: She does her job well. She promotes the company well. She does everything above and beyond what you would normally expect.
ELAM: Well, this boss sees beyond tattoos. Some employers may not have the same vision.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like to think we don't judge books by their covers, but the reality is a lot of people do.
ELAM: But there is no doubt tattoos are more mainstream. A 2008 survey showed a quarter of U.S. adults in their 30s and 32 percent of 25 to 29-year-olds have at least one. But it's the placement of body art that could be the issue.
ROD KURTZ, AOL SMALL BUSINESS: You do have to be careful about that. Again, you want to take into account when you're getting a tattoo in the first place, you know, what kind of job are you in, what kind of career do you want to have.
ELAM: Despite their popularity, visible tattoos could still lead some to question your professionalism. Gabrielle Barns was hesitant to hire Renee Jennings as the PR rep for her women's empowerment group.
GABRIELLE BARNES, FOUNDER, DIVAS IN THE CITY: There are professional women, and I don't want them to, you know, not take us as seriously because of her tattoos and maybe think it was a bit unprofessional.
ELAM: That concern is not shared by her other boss.
LILLY: If they suddenly get shocked that here's this woman with tattoos, that's a fault of theirs. It's not mine or Renee's. That's something wrong with them.
JENNINGS: Who I am is who I am. I stand behind my tattoos. I stand behind the decisions that I make.
ELAM: Stephanie Elam, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, a blind Army officer still serving after losing his sight in a war zone explosion. He's the first blind active duty Army officer ever, and he's sharing his inspiring story with you next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, there are so many amazing stories within the ranks of our military, but none quite like Army Captain Scotty Smiley. He's decorated Army ranger, a family man and a thrill seeker.
Check out Scotty sky diving and now catching waves in Hawaii, and climbing Mount Rainier. A pretty amazing young man, isn't he? Well, the amazing factor just gets bigger. Captain Scott Smiley is blind.
The Army's first active blind duty officer ever and he's living life to the fullest. A car bomb in Mosul, Iraq, almost killed him. A bomb went off just yards away landing him in the hospital and cost him his sight.
He writes about it in his book "Hope Unseen" and I sure hope that you'll take a chance to read it. Captain Smiley joining us live from Baltimore.
Scotty, you know, you would think that going blind would slow a lot of people down, but not you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like to keep things moving. My wife keeps me on my toes.
PHILLIPS: Yes, she is. Tiffany is a true force to be reckoned with. But, you know, let's not sugarcoat it. I mean, this was not easy for you. You questioned your life, you questioned your purpose. You even questioned God. Give us a reality check of how tough this was, Scotty, to deal with at the beginning.
CAPTAIN SCOTTY SMILEY, NAMED 2007 SOLDIER OF THE YEAR BY "ARMY TIMES": Waking up in Walter Reed Army Medical Center not being able to see my life totally changed. I hated life, I hated God and I hated everything, and it took a real recognizing on my part to forgive and really understand what purpose God had for me and until I did, it was a dark and dreary time.
PHILLIPS: How did you make that turn? Do you remember a certain moment? Do you remember a number of moments that sort of led to this epiphany?
SMILEY: I do. One of my friends asked me to say a prayer before my eye surgery and I said, I don't want to pray and I don't believe in God and the room got quiet. My wife went back to her room and got on her hands and knees and prayed to God that my faith would still be there.
It wasn't until the next day that I really had a change of heart and really asked God to forgive me, but at the same time understand I had to accept the life and to move forward and to move on and to try and to be something bigger and better.
PHILLIPS: How did you convince the Army to allow you to still be active duty? I mean, this is a pretty amazing story because you're the only one, Scotty.
SMILEY: It was difficult. You know, just having friends by my side and understanding that I still had a job to do and pushing forward really allowed me to make that decision and have the Army agree and having big friends on my side like Lieutenant Antwerp and a lot of great friend that knew the system allowed me to move forward.
There are other officers that are blind and serving active duty, and again, just to begin to start that process is something amazing. PHILLIPS: Tell our viewers what you're doing now and how you're comrades respond to you, and is it a challenge getting them to not treat you differently? Because I know you, and I know you don't want to be treated differently.
SMILEY: You're right, Kyra. It is a challenge sometimes. I'm a company commander. I'm charge of over 200 men and women, in charge of their medical recovery and rehabilitation unit that I was in, and, again, inspiring them and motivating them to be better and using myself as an example really allows me to assist them in moving forward and accepting life in what they have been given.
PHILLIPS: Do you find yourself saying stop that, I don't need that done for me, back off, I'm an Army ranger, OK?
SMILEY: I try to leave the ranger part out, but, yes, it is - it does become sometimes difficult because I want to be treated normal. I wanted to be treated like everyone else, and you know, there are certain things that I do a little bit differently, but I've seen I have been able to do everything that the Army has called me to do. Pushing forward and moving on, I look forward to the opportunities in front of me.
PHILLIPS: Two questions, and you write about these both in your book. First of all, Mosul, Iraq, when the explosion happened what is the last thing you remember seeing?
SMILEY: The last thing I remember seeing is the man sitting in his car, raising his hands in the air, in a silver opal, and the back drop of Mosul, and that honestly was the last thing I saw before he and his car disintegrated, blinding me for the rest of my life.
PHILLIPS: And, now, fast forward, you've had to deal with the fact that you will never be able to see your wife again. You know how beautiful she is, but you can't see her. You can't look at your two children, and you write about this as well. How do you deal with that, knowing that you can't watch them?
SMILEY: It's hard to know that I can't see my wife or my children again but their love, both my wife's, her understanding, her care, her compassion, her heart for the Lord is something that's so amazing. My children, they're amazing kids. They take my hands and put them on their face or body to let me know what they're wearing. They're such a blessing.
It is hard but at the same time I've been gifted with such amazing gifts that I don't regret anything.
PHILLIPS: You're a pretty remarkable young man. How do you hope this book is going to encourage others?
SMILEY: I hope to inspire and motivate people and have people just understand that we all go through trials and tribulations and we all have tough times and it's about understanding them and moving forward.
We just had one of our good friends, Tyler McNamara from Hawaii come up to West Point, and he's an amazing musician and as I told my story to the West Point community, and again, it's just about letting them know we all go through trying times and it's about moving forward and moving on and accepting them.
So I hope the book continually does well and that I can be an example, much like many other people.
PHILLIPS: The book is "Hope Unseen." Captain Scotty Smiley, it's so wonderful talking to you today. Really appreciate you making the time for us.
SMILEY: Thank you so much. Have a great day.
PHILLIPS: Same to you.
All right, let's talk about medical news, shall we? Going on to the daily dose for the day. A new study says that HPV, a sexually transmitted disease is being linked to arise in oral cancers. They even pose larger risks now more than tobacco. Some forms of HPV are already known to cause cervical cancer in women and doctors are saying teens should pay very close attention to this new warning since many of them are under the impression that oral sex isn't anything to worry about.
And Rahm Emanuel is battling to become the next mayor of Chicago. We're going to take a look at his chances in tomorrow's election.
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PHILLIPS: Did Rahm Emanuel make the right move in leaving the White House for a shot to be Chicago's mayor? He's going to know real soon. Deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser is working that story for us. Hey, Paul.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes, he's going to know tomorrow, Kyra, because today is the last full day of campaigning for the candidates out there in Chicago. Tomorrow is the Election Day.
You know, the winner there will succeed long-time Mayor Richard Daley. As you mentioned, Rahm Emanuel, the polls indicate he is by far the overwhelming favorite. The question mark here is will the former chief of staff to Barack Obama win just over 50 percent of the vote.
If he does that, he avoids a runoff in April so a lot of attention tomorrow on Chicago, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right and some big political book releases and more than just about selling books, right?
STEINHAUSER: Isn't it that way in the world of politics? We got two book releases. They're both coming out this week. Let's start with Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor. Remember he ran for the White House last time around in the Republican side thinking of doing it again. His book, "A Simple Government" comes out, and guess where the book tour takes him?
Some of those early crucial voting states in the primary and caucus calendar. Surprised? Maybe, maybe not. And let's talk about Scott Brown, the senator from Massachusetts, the Republican senator from Massachusetts. "Against All Odds" is the name of his book. He has a big book tour and will take on shows, including our own "SITUATION ROOM," and people think this is the kickoff for his re-election next year. Kyra, back to you.
PHILLIPS: OK, Paul Steinhauser. Thank you so much. We'll have the next political update in just about an hour. You can always get all of the political news on our web site 24/7 CNNPolitics.com.
PHILLIPS: Not old enough to drink, but not too young to earn a trip to victory lane. Twenty year old Trevor Bayne wins a Daytona 500 and he's talking next.
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PHILLIPS: Well, the Super Bowl of NASCAR, the Daytona 500 has its youngest champ ever. Twenty years old, Knoxville, Tennessee's Trevor Bayne had to fight more experienced drivers to do it. But he won one of racings' most revered races, only his second big league race ever.
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TREVOR BAYNE, ON WINNING DAYTONA 500: It hasn't sunk in yet how big of a deal this is that we did win this thing. I never thought in what million years we were going to win our first one. I knew the 21 team knew how to get to victory lane. Donnie Wingo, our crew chief, was trying for 31 years and you know, the last time - was 35 years ago. I think so for us to get them back where they belong in victory lane is so cool. Everybody here deserves it so much. They put their work in, that's for sure.
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PHILLIPS: Trevor Bayne, 20 years old by one day. What a birthday present.
Suzanne, now that you left D.C. and you've moved to Atlanta, you're going to have to go see a NASCAR race.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Absolutely, you know, I saw a few, covering Bush. He was all over the campaign, went to a lot of NASCAR races.
PHILLIPS: You know how fun it is, that then?
MALVEAUX: Absolutely.
PHILLIPS: I'll take you one weekend. Have a great show.
