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Libyan Revolt Death Toll Rising; Lesser-Known Presidential Hopefuls; Doctors Joining Wisconsin Protests; Plotting a Successful Career Change
Aired February 21, 2011 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Live from Studio 7, I'm Suzanne Malveaux.
Let's get you up to speed for February 21st, Presidents Day.
(CHANTING)
MALVEAUX: Libya's government sends armed supporters into the streets as Moammar Gadhafi's grip on power is shaken. Libya's former ambassador to the Arab League says that Gadhafi has "a day or two left." Libya will not let Western journalists into the country to verify any information, but Human Rights Watch says at least 233 protesters have been killed.
Moammar Gadhafi's son goes on state television to warn Libya it could fall into civil war. Many tribal leaders have reportedly switched allegiance to the protesters. The younger Gadhafi pledged the regime will fight until the last man and the last bullet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAIF AL-ISLAM GADHAFI, MOAMMAR GADHAFI'S SON (through translator): We're not Egypt. We're not Tunisia. We will all have weapons. Everyone has access to weapons.
Instead of crying over 84 killed people, we'll be crying over thousands. Blood will flow, rivers of blood, in all of the cities of Libya.
(CHANTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: For an 11th straight day, thousands clog the streets of Yemen's capital today. Protesters want Yemen's president to give up his long hold on power. But Ali Abdullah Saleh vows to stay until his term ends in 2013.
And American diplomat William Burns is in Cairo today. He is looking for ways to help Egypt's military leaders transition to democracy within six months. British Prime Minister David Cameron is also visiting Cairo today, and he is the first Western leader to go to Egypt since the Mubarak regime collapsed. A senior military source tells CNN that a U.S. Navy warship is trailing a hijacked yacht in the Arabian Sea today. Somali pirates commandeered the SV Quest off Amman on Friday. Scott and Jean Adam have made the yacht their retirement home. Two friends are also on board.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: Kill the bill! Kill the bill! Kill the bill!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: And teachers are protesting in Madison, Wisconsin, again today, shutting the city schools for a fourth day. Republican Governor Scott Walker wants to restrict collective bargaining for public workers. He also wants them to pay a bigger share of their benefits. Tea Party activists have now joined this fight, backing the governor's position.
And teachers and unions are protesting a similar bill in Ohio. Today, University of Cincinnati students plan a rally to support teachers and other public workers. Now, organizers plan a big rally tomorrow at the state capital in Columbus. That's when Republicans hope to vote the bill out of committee.
And a big snowstorm could be winding down today across the Midwest and great lakes as the system shifts east now. Pennsylvania, New York, New England, all going to get the most snow. Central Pennsylvania could see a half foot.
And a transplant patient is expected to leave a San Diego hospital in two weeks, and he's going to take both his hearts with him. That's right, 36-year-old Tyson Smith couldn't have a traditional transplant due to some complications, so doctors piggybacked a donor heart. It works in sync with the original.
Here's your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day, the showdown now between President Obama and congressional Republicans over the federal deficit.
Our CNN's Carol Costello, she's in Washington with our "Talk Back" question.
Carol, you and I, we were both in D.C. We remember the government shutdown back in the Clinton days. The Republicans paid for it then because they were in charge.
Do we really think this could happen again?
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It could happen, Suzanne. The specter of a government shutdown does loom.
The Republican-led House of Representatives passed a budget bill with $61 billion in cuts the Democratic-led Senate is sure to reject. You get the picture. Republicans and Democrats are in the midst of political warfare again, but at least they don't have to fight in the office. Congress is not just taking Presidents Day off, but presidents week off. But lawmakers assure us they are working the phones.
So that's fantastic, because if Congress doesn't reach an agreement by March 4th, the government will shut down. That could mean delays in Social Security checks, military veterans' checks, issuing new passports, and, oh, yes, nonessential federal workers will not get paid.
In a bit of political gamesmanship, Democratic Senators Barbara Boxer and Bill Casey introduced a bill saying that if the government does shut down, members of Congress and the president should feel the pain and not get paid. In other words, if you don't get your Social Security check in the mail, or you lose pay, Congress and the president should not get paid either.
So "Talk Back" today: Should politicians face the consequences if the government shuts down? Send your answers to my Facebook page, Facebook.com/CarolCNN. And I will read your responses a little later on in the hour -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: OK. Thank you, Carol.
Here's what's ahead "On the Rundown."
A grieving family in California, they take out their rage on a TV news crew.
Plus, a mother confronts a judge after her son commits suicide. You're not going to believe what the judge is accused of doing.
And a 20-year-old drives into the spotlight at Daytona. We're going to introduce you to the youngest winner in the race's history.
And, well, above the rim in L.A., this isn't your father's slam-dunk contest. We're going to show you the dunk that won first prize.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Checking some of our top stories the affiliates are covering across the country.
In California, emotions are running high when a news crew tries to get an interview with a grieving family. The family had set up a makeshift memorial where a man was killed. When the news crew tried to see if anyone wanted to talk, the family went ballistic. Both reporters shaken up, but are expected to be OK.
In Massachusetts, a doctor is charged with his secretary DUI. Now, if you take a look at this surveillance video here, police say that after smashing his SUV into a liquor store, he tried to grab one to go. But his arm was too short, so he left.
And in Boise, Idaho, an intrepid Jack Russell terrier stuck between his best friend and a hole in the ground. Eddie (ph) plunged down 30 feet down a pipe, and it took rescue crews 19 hours to get him out. We're glad he's OK.
And Rob Marciano, checking in on the winter storm that is hitting the Midwest.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MALVEAUX: Well, a grieving mother unleashes the anger at the judge who she blames for her son's suicide.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My kid's not here anymore! My kid's not here! He's dead because of him! He ruined my (EXPLETIVE DELETED) life!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANDY FONZO, SON TOOK OWN LIFE AFTER INCARCERATION: Judge Mark Ciavarella sent Sandy Fonzo's son to a private detention center for a minor offense years ago, and Fonzo says that her son never recovered from that experience. He took his life last year.
Ciavarella was found guilty on Friday of receiving almost $1 million in kickbacks from the builder of the juvenile center. Now, Fonzo expected to see him hauled away in handcuffs, and she was angered when he was allowed to go free pending his sentence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FONZO: There is no justice. He'll never receive my sentence, what I have to live with every day of my life without my son.
He left on that beautiful day yesterday to go back with his family. I have nothing anymore, and he still has nothing.
It was all for nothing. It was all for greed and for more and more. He never had enough, and he took everything from me. And I'll never, never forgive him, no.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Ciavarella faces a minimum sentence of 13 years. He says the payments were legal, and he plans to appeal. And he denies ever sending any youths to detention for money. He is now facing civil suits from hundreds of former defendants.
Well, it's a long list of people you probably don't know very well: Mitch Daniels, Jon Huntsman, Tim Pawlenty. The list goes on, but we're going to tell you why they all believe they have a shot at being the next president.
And we're going to reveal our "Most Intriguing Person of the Day," the man who is speaking out for the government of Libya as protests grow deadlier and demands for Moammar Gadhafi to step down grow even louder. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Our "Most Intriguing Person of the Day" is using a carrot and stick to try to end Libya's protest movement. He is Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, the second oldest son of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. He is promising the speedy implementation of Democratic reforms while also warning of a fierce civil war if these protests continue.
We're going to have more on the younger Gadhafi when I talk to former homeland security adviser Fran Townsend in about 10 minutes.
Protests sweeping the Middle East and North Africa enter a new week with new intensity. People from Bahrain to Yemen, Iran, now even Morocco are taking to the streets to demand freedoms in defiance of government crackdowns. But it's the crackdown in Libya that is most concerning right now. Reports say that hundreds of protesters have been killed.
Now, CNN has not been granted access to report from Libya, but our own Fionnuala Sweeney, she is monitoring the situation from neighboring Egypt.
Fionnuala, what do we get a sense? What is happening on the ground there? What are you hearing?
FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you say, we haven't been granted access, but we have been getting increasingly reliable, consistent information. So, for example, the death toll in Benghazi we understand now stands at 300 from yesterday alone. That city now in the hands of the protesters, reportedly, and the unrest a threat to the Libyan leader's Colonel Gadhafi's stronghold of Tripoli.
What we are hearing is that 70 bodies were taken to the hospitals overnight, but the hospitals, when we contact them, are saying that "Everything is fine" and that they haven't received any bodies. But we're hearing within the last few minutes from the "Al Quryna" newspaper, which is a privately owned Libyan newspaper, which in recent days has been less inhibited in terms of its reporting of the situation in Libya, that the parliament building in Tripoli is on fire. Again, we have no way of confirming that, but within the last hour in the same newspaper, we heard that the Libyan justice minister had resigned, the latest in a series of defections from the political and diplomatic elite of the country.
MALVEAUX: And Fionnuala, I understand as well that it was Gadhafi's son who put out a public statement, who actually took to the airwaves.
SWEENEY: Yes. He took to the airwaves in what we believe was a recorded statement on state television last night.
He spoke for about 40 minutes in which he really, if he was holding out the prospect of a carrot and stick, it was difficult to know which was which, because, ultimately, he was holding out the prospect of civil war if the country didn't return to peace, saying that the oil wealth that the country has been built on would be lost, and encouraging people to go back into their homes, saying that the demonstrators in Benghazi were essentially thugs, foreign elements, criminals, and drunks and drug addicts. And he warned them time and again that the army would not be like the army in Egypt, it would stand by Colonel Gadhafi until the last man.
MALVEAUX: Fionnuala Sweeney, thank you so much. Excellent reporting.
Now, as we had mentioned, obtaining independent confirmation on these events in Libya, it's very difficult. The Libyan government maintains very tight control on communications. It has not responded to repeated requests from CNN for access into that country.
Well, it's Presidents Day. No doubt, there are some contenders out there taking stock, thinking of their chances for the 2012 election.
The one thing that leading Republicans have in common is name recognition, but as Joe Johns tells us, there is still time for some lesser-known hopefuls.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One year out from the primaries, take a look at this crowd. Do you see a future president? Each of these potential contenders for the Republican nomination has some reason to hope 2012 might be the year.
NATE SILVER, POLITICAL BLOGGER, THE NEW YORK TIMES: You would rarely have an opportunity where the field is quite as wide open as it would be this year. That can be kind of self-reinforcing, right? Because you know, the better the opportunity looks, the more people get in and kind of you know, the more the votes split.
JOHNS: So let's break it down. Who are these guys? Past and present governors, Haley Barbour of Mississippi, Mitch Daniels of Indiana, Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, John Huntsman of Utah.
There are past and present senators, John Thune of South Dakota, Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania. And one man who ran for the nomination last time around, Texas Congressman, Ron Paul.
Seven potential candidates, no consensus. We asked the last Republican to get the nomination about them. He was as noncommittal as it gets.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I like all of them. And I think you're going to see a very interesting campaign coming up.
JOHNS (on camera): Translation, John McCain is not endorsing anybody right now and does anybody really know the field, anyway? They aren't exactly household names outside their home states, though low name recognition isn't so important this early, just as long as New Hampshire knows their name on primary day.
MCCAIN: The reason why the people of New Hampshire is so unique is they realize the effect of their votes and their support. My favorite joke, Mo Udall, the guy in Manchester said to the other one, what do you think about him for president? And he said, "I don't know, I only met him twice."
JOHNS (voice-over): Frankly, it's impossible to choose the most likely Republican candidate right now, though the resume of former Governor John Huntsman makes some Democrats nervous.
SILVER: He's been ambassador to China and served in a Democratic White House, I mean, that's pretty interesting, right? The fact that he's a Republican governor of Utah who supported civil unions for gay couples and you know, was moderate on environmental issues, I mean, that's interesting.
JOHNS: Interesting, but perhaps too progressive for the GOP's conservative base so another more classically conservative candidates like Santorum and Barbour have solid standing on the right, but will have to work hard to lure independents, which is where the campaign end game gets played.
At that stage, some say picking losers may be easier than picking winners. Nate Silver is betting against Tim Pawlenty and South Dakota Senator John Thune.
SILVER: It seems like he's a good, competent, you know, average senator. There's nothing wrong with that, but, you know, why would you pick one of 100 senators to be president when you don't have that much kind of unique standing out about you.
JOHNS: We asked Thune what's unique about him, but he declined an interview. Indiana governor, Mitch Daniels, has a different problem. He's a big budget hawk, which is a good thing in the eyes of Republican politicians, but he wants his party to declare a truce on social issues, and that includes abortion, which Daniels is said to be 100 percent against. That doesn't sit well with social conservatives like Frank Cannon.
FRANK CANNON, AMERICAN PRINCIPLES PROJECT: If that's what you really believe is a moral matter, how can you accept that as president, you will spend years not doing anything about something that you see as moral tragedy?
JOHNS: Full field, plenty of time to get in the game, get out of the limelight, make some progress or fall flat on your face. Welcome to the presidential race of 2012 or not.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Joe Johns joins me from Washington.
Joe, great to see you. I know you spent a lot of time with those guys.
Are there some other folks that we should be watching out for?
JOHNS: Well, yes. We actually have a graphic. And there are some people you can pick out and some people you can't.
Let's see. We've got Herman Cain, the former CEO of Godfather's Pizza; Michele Bachmann -- there she is. She is pretty well known. She's a Tea Party darling, as it were.
Gary Johnson is one of the guys you might not know very well, former governor of New Mexico. John Bolton, ambassador. He's been on the scene a long time. And then the two guys there on screen right are pretty well known, Rudy Giuliani and Donald Trump.
Sort of a mixed bag. All of these people, we're just sort of waiting to see what they do -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Very interesting group. Very eclectic group of people.
Joe, how important is name recognition? I mean, we remember you were covering Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson. They didn't get a single caucus or primary before they dropped out.
JOHNS: Well, it's a factor. It's certainly a factor. It's certainly no guarantee of winning.
However, it does help some candidates with, you know, voters who don't follow politics very well. But at the end of the day, everybody knows your name once you get into the late parts of the primaries and you're still there. So that's just one thing you look at early on. It also helps, of course, with fund-raising -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Yes, money is a big factor as well. OK. Thank you, Joe.
Coming up just after 2:00 Eastern this afternoon, you can see Ed Henry's take on the challenges faced by, of course, the biggest contender of all right now. That would be President Obama.
Well, it is now your turn to "Choose the News." We're going to tell you about three stories, and you vote, text message, for the one that you want to see in detail in our next hour, and we will air it.
Now, here are the choices.
Imagine living on a riverboat after you retire. There are some boat lovers who are building on that idea, all aboard to the Condo Boat.
Second, car enthusiasts, you guys are going to enjoy this one. The iconic Porsche made from spare parts. We're going to take you on a test drive.
And third, meet the ROMEOs. They're retired old men eating out. You get it, ROMEOs? They're part of a nationwide club whose members are mature enough to know just how to enjoy themselves.
So, here's what you've got to do. Vote by texting 22360. Vote 1 for condo boat retirement; 2 for the Porsche test drive; and 3 for the ROMEOs.
Now, Moammar Gadhafi, the invisible man. It's his son who warns Libyan protesters blood will flow. We're going to focus on the younger Gadhafi with a national security expert.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (CHANTING)
MALVEAUX: Now, these are the pro-government demonstrations the Libyan officials want the world to see this. State TV is not airing any of the opposition rallies. Anti-government protesters are demanding an end to the 42-year-old rule of Moammar Gadhafi. Human Rights Watch estimates the death toll from four days of protests across Libya has reached at least 233.
Gadhafi's second oldest son went on TV with an ominous warning to try to halt the protests.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GADHAFI (through translator): We feel good. Moammar Gadhafi, our leader, is leading the battle in Tripoli, and we're with him. The army is with him. There are tens of thousands who are coming, flooding to Tripoli.
We will never give up Libya. We will fight for the last inch, to the last shot. We will never leave our country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Many people outside Libya are wondering just who Gadhafi's son is and what his influence is in this restrictive country.
Our CNN national security contributor Fran Townsend, she joins us from Washington.
Fran, it's food to see you. I know that you visited with a high- ranking Libyan officials back in 2010, by the invitation by the Libyan government. You were also homeland security advisor in the Bush administration.
What do you make of Gadhafi's son, his power?
FRAN TOWNSEND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CONTRIBUTOR: Well, you know, Suzanne, when I was there, I was there at the time of the Al Afrikia (ph), air crash and I watched then the difficulty of journalists getting in and out of the country. As you'll recall, I was able to report because I was already inside.
But this is a country, a government, that very closely is controls all information, all access. And power is highly centralized in a way that people in this country don't really appreciate. Look, we have three -- by our Constitution three branches of power, right? The executive, the legislative and the judiciary and they're all checks on the other. There's no such thing in Libya. All power is centralized in Colonel Gadhafi.
And his son Saif, with whom I met in May of 2010, is sort of the heir apparent, if you will. He speaks, as you saw, fluent English, he's western educated, he was Libya's primary interlocutor with the British in securing the release of the al-Megrahi, the Pan Am 103 bomber. And so he is tremendously influential and very, very close to his father --
MALVEAUX: And Fran, very interesting, what you said, during what that trip that you took back in May of 2010.
I want you to listen what he told our Becky Anderson, who he spoke with back then.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GADHAFI: We need more freedom, more democracy, more -- that people participate more in the political game (ph) in Libya. But, if you talk to me about political parties, about a free election today, of course, I will say not. Not because I cannot invent parties, and I cannot invent that political environment in Libya overnight. You need time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: What do you think of that, Fran? He is calling for democracy. He has said just within sis statement before that he's going to ease restrictions, increase income, that type of thing.
Does he have the power to make those kind of changes?
TOWNSEND: Well, he does. What the real question in my mind, Suzanne, is, is he sincere about doing it? He says it will take time but we haven't seen -- since the time he gave that interview to Becky Anderson and now, where we see these protests, there haven't been many changes. There haven't been the sort of Democratic freedoms that talks about.
He was responsible, by the way, for bringing the Libyan/Islamic fighting group -- that is an al Qaeda affiliate -- into discussions, into negotiations. They were in -- he calls it a rehabilitation program that Libya put together. And so he's very influential. But whether or not they're actually going to implement these Democratic changes remains to be seen and there haven't been very many steps in that direction.
MALVEAUX: And Fran, real quick, obviously it's frustrating to get a sense of what is really taking place on the ground inside of Libya. Human Rights Watch, they say, according to medical sources, more than 230 people have been killed since the protests.
CNN has been able to talk to some witnesses, some medics on the ground. But for the most part, not been able to independently confirm just what is taking place there because it is so closed.
Do you suspect that the situation on the ground there is even worse?
TOWNSEND: I do. When I was there in the spring, I met with the minister of the interior, the head of their version of the FBI. Their security forces are incredibly well trained, incredibly well armed. And if they're directed by the Gadhafis, Colonel Gadhafi or his son, they will act on their commands. And so I suspect if they were told to put down the opposition, they will do it by all means available to them, including militarily.
MALVEAUX: Fran Townsend, thank you so much for your perspective. Obviously a very important story that we'll be following throughout the day.
A reminder now, about your chance to Choose the News. You get to vote. Text 22360.
Vote one for cruising on a riverboat condominium after retirement.
Vote two for test driving a Porsche.
Or vote three for the ROMEOs, retired old men eating out.
Tens of thousands of teachers flooded Wisconsin's capital this weekend, refusing to back down. We're going to have a live report on the budget cut showdown from Madison.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Teachers are defying a call by the state's largest union to go back to work in Madison, Wisconsin. Schools are closed now for a fourth day.
(VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Some 50,000 people protested over the weekend, and they're angry over the governor's budget plan that would cut teacher's benefits and limit their collective bargaining rights.
Our CNN's Casey Wian is in Madison, where there is another protest going on. Casey, I understand there's now entertainment, there's music.
Can you paint the picture for us? What's going on?
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. You can see over my shoulder here, the protesters are just beginning to gather today. Nowhere near in the numbers we saw over the weekend but we are expecting to see the crowds to pick up throughout the afternoon.
And, as you mentioned, there is some entertainment and some celebrities expected to join the fray today. Tom Morello, the guitarist from the band Rage Against the Machine is expected to perform here later today. Charles Woodson, defensive back for the Green Bay Packers is also expected to be here.
We have seen no evidence so far today of any of the supporters of Governor Scott Walker's plan to strip the collective bargaining rights of many of the state's public employee unions. But we are expected to see thousands of opponents gathers here again today.
A couple of big questions remain. One of those is what's going to happen tomorrow when the state legislature gets back into session. And people have been spending the night in this Capitol building behind me. They're still there. They've been there now for seven straight days and police are very concerned. I mean, the people have been very well behaved, but big numbers of people are continuing to gather inside. So they've got a lot of work to do to try to sort this out to see if they can get this legislation moving forward.
And that depends on whether the Democratic members of the state Senate return actually return to the state and even allow it to move forward. The other question is whether teachers are going to return to work. We're expecting that is going to happen. Teachers' unions have recommended they go back to work. Most of them will be back on the job tomorrow, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: And Casey, an interesting development. I understand that there are some doctors now that are joining this protests by writing sick notes for the teachers to say it's OK to be out here?
WIAN: Right. That happened over the weekend. There were doctors here who were writing out sick notes for some of these protesters, the doctors saying they're willing to risk whatever penalties they may suffer for doing that because one of their concerns is that there are also cuts planned to the state medical care programs. They're very worried about that and so they're also supporting the teachers and other public sector union members who are out her protesting, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: OK. Casey, thank you so much.
So what is the solution to the budget crisis? Our next hour, I'm going to speak to Michigan's former governor, Jennifer Granholm. She led her state through a brutal economic meltdown. That is coming up at 12:30 Eastern.
And it is President's Day and in honor of the holiday, the John F. Kennedy library web site has unveiled a new, interactive feature. It allows you to explore President Kennedy's desk in the Oval Office. Our Mark Preston, he's going to take you through it in just a minute.
But first, we wanted to see how much you know about this federal holiday, President's Day. You probably know it honors the birth of George Washington. But what year did Congress create the holiday? Was it 1789, 1885, 1969, or 1987?
See if you get the answer right, up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: It's President's Day so we wanted to see how much you know about this federal holiday. You probably know it honors the birth of George Washington. But what year did Congress create the holiday? Was it 1789, 1885, 1969, or 1987?
We're going to pose that to Mark Preston, part of the Best Political Team on Television. So, you've got to live up to your reputation here, mark.
Do you have any idea?
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, Suzanne, I have to say I'm a history major, as well, so if I get this wrong, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst's History Department's going to be very upset with me.
I would have to say 1889. Is that correct?
MALVEAUX: 1885.
PRESTON: '85. Excuse me.
MALVEAUX: You were close. You were close, Mark.
PRESTON: God, I was almost there, right?
MALVEAUX: That's OK. I think they'll still accept you. You're still part of the Best Political Team on Television. We're not going to kick you out of the club.
PRESTON: For now.
MALVEAUX: Tell us about the cool feature, the John F. Kennedy Library web site. What is that all about?
PRESTON: Yes, Suzanne, we talk about politics in these political ticker updates, but, you know, since it is President's Say, let's talk a little bit about some of the fun things. Just a few hours ago, the John F. Kennedy Library, up in Boston -- my hometown -- unveiled this new interactive feature to honor the fact that the president, President Kennedy came into office 50 years ago.
Let's take a quick look at it here. I'll kind of navigate you around this Oval Office. Now, this is a desk. Suzanne, that you know very well. You covered the White House for 10 years. It's called the Resolute Desk. It was made out of British timbers. It's very cool.
Seven interactive features on this desk. Let's take a look at the campaign days. Campaign posters, and how many states did the president win? And they also have campaign commercials up here. In fact, a lot of talk about the fact that celebrities are involved in campaigns. Look at this one from Henry Fonda back in the day who was endorsing.
MALVEAUX: Wow, really. Oh, that is Henry Fond. You're right.
PRESTON: A lot of talk about Hollywood being involved in campaigns, the Henry Fonda one. Another interesting one right here is the fact that Jacqueline Kennedy is talking to Dr. Spock. Of course everybody has that baby book, "Dr. Spock." But, here he is endorsing President Kennedy, again back in 1960.
But if you continue to move along the desk, we go over to his telephone right here, these are all phone conversations that he had while he was the president, including one with the attorney general, who was his brother, Robert F. Kennedy, talking about the failed Bay of Pigs invasion.
He also had another one with the Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara about having polygraphs potentially at the Defense Department. We talk about WikiLeaks but imagine that way back then, they had the same problem, about leaks coming out of the Defense Department. But just navigating along through the whole desk, they also have a little secret compartment down here.
MALVEAUX: Oh yes?
PRESTON: We'll let this kind of zoom up for you. Check this out. These are all of the secret tapes that he had, including his discussions about Vietnam, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the space program. You can see all this at JFKlibrary.org -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: That is awesome. That is awesome, Mark. Yes, great to check out. Thank you.
PRESTON: Thanks.
MALVEAUX: For the latest political news, you know where to go, CNNPolitics.com.
And a reminder about your chance to Choose the News. You vote on the story you want to hear by texting 22360.
Vote one for living aboard a riverboat condominium after retirement.
Vote two for test driving a Porsche.
Or vote three for the ROMEOs, and that stands for retired old men eating out.
So you got to vote, got to text.
The job market is getting tougher, and you have to set yourself apart if you want to crime the corporate ladder. Well, our Christine Romans, she's joining us on how you can plot a successful career change.
Christine, what can you do?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Oh, Suzanne, the president in his weekly radio address, Suzanne, he said that more than half of the jobs created over the next decade will require more than a high school education, and many of those jobs are going to require proficiency in science and math.
He gave that address from Intel, using it as an example of where America's workers can lead in a more competitive, globalized world.
OK, so are you ready for that world? The job market is changing faster than our workers can keep up. Frankly, we all need to examine our relevance, reinvent ourselves if necessary.
This weekend on "YOUR BOTTOM LINE" I spoke with Pamela Mitchell, the founder and CEO of the Reinvention Institute.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PAMELA MITCHELL, FOUNDER & CEO, THE REINVENTION INSTITUTE: Well here's the thing, Christine. There is no job security anymore, outside yourself. And I think that's the lesson of this whole new economy. People are looking for that safe industry or they're looking for that safe company. Doesn't exist anymore. The new form of job security is really about knowing your skills and talents and how they can be applied according to what's going on in the market trend.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: So here's your reinvention. Mitchell says honestly assess your skills and talents, try to figure out as best you can where the market's headed and ask yourself how can you repurpose the skills and talents to meet the demands of this new competitive global market, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Christine, thanks.
So, I want you to hold on. Because if you are ready to reinvent yourself, you have to have a plan. So we're going to talk about how to do it right after this quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: We're talking about career reinvention. The number one thing you need to have, a well thought out plan. Our Christine Romans, she is back now with some top tips.
Christine, what do we think?
ROMANS: A plan, you're absolutely right. And don't put it off.
Pamela Mitchell, Suzanne, from the Reinvention Institute, she said that the longer you put it off, the longer you wait, the less likely you are to do it. And if complete reinvention is just too scary, start small. Take a class. Work on a project. Speak with people within the industry that you're looking at. Just get in motion.
Learn the language of that new industry. Are you translating sales skills to software? Are you translating your computer training or your human resources experience to health care? Find people in that field and learn the lingo. And, be realistic. You're not going to become a chemist, a software engineer or statistician overnight. Those are the careers that are booming, frankly. But you can translate your background work experience into those areas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITCHELL: And what you want to do is you want to take a look at what kind of things you want in your lifestyle and then also look at what kind of industries have an application for your skills and your talents. If you're a good manager, you saved two percent off your costs, where can that be used in a place that you find interesting and engaging enough and it also delivers a lifestyle that you want? That's the intersection that you're looking to find. ROMANS: Oh, yes. Happiness. Happiness. A successful reinvention, Suzanne, means many more years working in a new industry. Finding that intersection between work and happiness, that's the holy grail -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: OK. We're working on that.
Thanks, Christine.
ROMANS: Right.
MALVEAUX: Appreciate it.
Well, here's your chance to Talk Back on one of the big stories of the day. The federal government faces a shutdown if President Obama and presidential Republicans don't actually come to an agreement here.
Carol's here with your answers to our Talk Back question.
Carol, we remember that government shutdown in D.C. back in the Clinton days. What are people saying?
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This question has done very well. People definitely have opinions. If Congress doesn't reach agreement on the budget by March 4th, the government could shut down. If that happens, Social Security checks will be delayed and federal workers will not get paid.
So Talk Back today. Should politicians face consequences if the government shuts down?
This from Tim. "Yes, they take a week off while elderly on fixed incomes face not receiving monies that they depend on? It's selfish."
And, by the way, lawmakers took Presidents' week off.
This from Laurie. "If any one of us ran out of money and owed trillions we'd go to jail."
This from Nick. "They shouldn't get paid. They work for the government too. We all have to make sacrifices, them included."
And this from Katii (ph). "I'd pay them to stay shut down."
Then she has a smiley face after it.
Keep the conversation going. Facebook.com/carol CNN. I'll see you again at the top of the hour.
MALVEAUX: OK, thank you, carol.
Well, he made history winning NASCAR's biggest race. He also made a big mistake. The Daytona 500's youngest winner tells us how he plans to be better prepared for the Victory Lane.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) MALVEAUX: A reminder about your chance to Choose the News. You vote by texting 22360.
Vote one for living aboard a river boat condominium after retirement.
Vote two for test driving a Porsche.
Or vote three for the ROMEOs, a nationwide club of, quote, "retired old men eating out."
Those are your choices. All you got to do is text.
Well, you're online right now. We are too. One of the top videos that you're clicking on is a slam dunk.
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MALVEAUX: Sweet. These first two, they're pretty good. But check out the Clippers' Blake Griffin. Now, he wowed the crowd when he slam dunked over a car. NBA fans picked the rookie as the winner of the competition held over the weekend.
And speaking of rookies, another trending story online, 20-year-old Trevor Bayne. He becomes the youngest ever winner of NASCAR's most prestigious race. He took the checkered flag at the Daytona 500 but he missed a crucial turn into the victory lane.
Listen to him trying to figure this all out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TREVOR BAYNE, DAYTONA 500 WINNER: I don't even know where to go.
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MALVEAUX: He's headed down the wrong lane. It's OK. He's young. He'll get it. Earlier today he talked about this momentary confusion on our CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BAYNE: I knew how to walk to Victory Lane because I was planning on going over to see whoever won. But, you know, I didn't know how to drive there. So I guess I better go start scouting it out and figure it out from now on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
