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How To Fix America's Schools; A Bipartisan Push For Education; President Greets Mayor-Elect; Medical Advice: A Click Away; Eye- Controlled Laptops; Unemployment Falls Below 9 Percent; Basketball Play Dies After Win
Aired March 04, 2011 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, we're going to start with this. We're keeping a close eye on the markets right now, gauging the impact of just-released, improved new jobs and unemployment numbers. Take a look now. The Dow is down 156 points.
You know, we want to see how this is going to affect the Dow. The jobs outlook brightened in February and unemployment is at its lowest level in nearly two years. So, we're going to keep an eye there.
And, you know, I want to start this hour with -- well let's have the headlines behind me tell you the story. Take a look at these jobs numbers. Jobs rebound in bloom -- in bloom, unemployment dips to nearly two-year low. U.S. employment rate sinks to 8.9 percent. U.S. employers add 192,000 to payrolls as jobless rate unexpectedly falls.
Those are the headlines. Is this news really as good as it sounds?
I want to bring in now Christine Romans. Christine, so let's get some perspective on this -- put some perspective on this for our viewers, for me as well. It looks like numbers are moving in the right direction, but is there more to it than this?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes and yes. They're moving in the right direction and there's a lot more to be done, Don, quite frankly.
I mean, let's look at the trend over a longer period. I mean, you've showed the headlines, but you can see for the past five months now, we have been adding jobs in the economy. Most recently, 192,000, but as you've heard me say over and over again, it takes a hundred to 150,000 new jobs every month just to keep up with population growth in this country.
So, it's not a significant enough amount to really eat into that eight million jobs lost during the recession. You have the White House painting it in a pretty rosy light, and I'll tell you why. They're focusing in on a year now of private sector jobs growth. Two hundred twenty-two hundred thousand private sector jobs, Don, created, that means companies, small companies and big companies, are starting to hire again -- Don.
LEMON: So, that's where the job growth is, just -- in small companies and in those sectors?
ROMANS: In small companies and also big companies. I talked to an outplacement firm CEO earlier today, he said that they were seeing really brisk demand from companies looking to hire permanent workers for permanent jobs, and that's a new -- that's a new step. We've seen a lot of temporary work, but it sounds like they're starting to hire for permanent jobs.
Let me show you some of the places where you're seeing jobs created. In construction and manufacturing, 33,000 jobs created there, that's good news for construction, for manufacturing, both of them 33,000. Twenty-two thousand jobs, there you go, in transportation. In medical jobs -- 34,000 jobs created in medical jobs.
So, factories, hospitals, construction sites, factory floors, those are where you're starting to see the jobs. And we've lost some retail jobs, but we also lost some government jobs -- 30,000 government jobs, Don. That's not really a surprise, and I think you're going to see that continue. You've been watching the headlines about Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, Florida, all these states are trying to balance their budgets. That means public sector workers losing their jobs -- Don.
LEMON: All over, ripple effect, to say the least. So, here's -- I'm sure a lot of people want to know the answer to this. What about the people who are currently out of work? Is there any good news in this for them?
ROMANS: OK, so, for the people who have newly lost a job, who have been out of work for days or weeks, things are getting better, slowly, but things are getting better.
For people who have been out of work six months or longer, these data show the length of unemployment now is at a post-World War II record. That yellow line shows you how long people have been out of work on average, in weeks, it's now 37 weeks out of work. So, you're seeing some action on the front end, people newly unemployed, and you're seeing people who have been out of work for six months or longer, spending even more time out of the job market.
So, what's -- the picture this paints for us, Don, is some optimism that things are starting to move. You're starting to see companies starting to hire again, but those 99ers, people out six months or longer, they're still feeling frustrated and the numbers would suggest they have every right to be.
LEMON: All right, Christine Romans, don't go far. I'm sure we will be needing you throughout the day here. Thank you very much.
ROMANS: Sure.
LEMON: Now, we're going to bring in Alison Kosik who's on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
So, Alison, we saw a big rally yesterday, how about the markets today? How are they reacting? We see that the Dow is down.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the Dow is actually down 149 points, we're pretty much erasing all of the gains we had yesterday. This is as oil prices are spiking at $104 a barrel. I've got Joe Greco here with Meridian Equity Partners to give some perspective with what's going on. You know, we got a decent jobs report that Christine was just talking about, why is the market reacting like this?
JOSEPH GRECO, MANAGING DIRECTOR, MERIDIAN EQUITY PARTNERS: Well, like you said, it was a decent jobs report, but I don't think it was really a surprise there. You know, the market basically has factored that in that we've already seen a bottom, and we're starting to lift of it as far as unemployment is concerned, so any incremental growth is not necessarily a real buoy (ph) to the market, but keeps it on the path.
If the number had been significantly larger, I think we would probably would have been able to sustain our gains from yesterday, or at least hold off on the selling that we're seeing today. And, of course, if it were negative, then I think we would have really seen some thrashing early on in the pre-market trading.
But, you know, the focus is on oil. It's all about oil right now. We have, you know, our big foe over there in Libya right now, and, of course, what's going on in the Middle East is still of a little bit of concern when it comes to production and, you know, delivery of oil, which we are very dependent upon.
KOSIK: Doesn't the market understand that the recovery in the job market is going to be gradual? That that boom, we're not going to get that one report that shows that we are really on our way?
GRECO: You know, it does and I think that's why even getting encouraging data like that pre-market today doesn't offset the concern that's out there with what's going on in, you know, the crude trade, and therefore, crude is up, because speculators and traders alike are trying to accumulate, especially on a Friday, going into a weekend, with uncertainty as to what's going on, you know, with Washington coming out this morning saying, we want you out, you know, to Gadhafi, I think that that's something that's wearing on traders. So, they buy up the oil, get out of the trade that the equities were up yesterday, and here we are.
KOSIK: All right, Joe. Thanks very much. Joe Greco with Meridian Equity Partners.
So, it is geopolitical events, Don, overshadowing a decent jobs report for today -- Don.
LEMON: Joe and Alison, thank you very much.
We have other big news developing right now, as well. Federal law enforcement officials are set to announce a superseding indictment against Tucson shooting suspect Jarrett Lee Loughner next hour. That's what a source familiar with the case is telling CNN.
Two murder charges against him that were dropped in a procedural move are expected to be reinstated along with additional charges. The 22-year-old is accused of shooting U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords and 18 others at a Tucson grocery store in January. Six people were killed.
Now, to a horrifying and heartbreaking story out of Michigan. A 16-year-old star high school basketball player had just made the winning shot of the game Thursday night when he suddenly collapsed on the court. Wes Leonard had stopped breathing and his heart had stopped beating. After failed attempts to revive him, an ambulance transported him to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead. A hospital spokesman says doctors hope an autopsy will determine the cause of his death. Leonard had led the Fennville High School Blackhawks to a perfect 20-game winning season -- very sad story.
A Wisconsin lawmaker gets pummeled by police when he tries to enter the capitol building in Madison, an assault caught on camera. More of the video up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: It is a game of cat and mouse in Wisconsin where the governor's warning layoff notices will start going out this weekend if those 14 AWOL Democratic senators don't return.
Governor Walker says as many as 1,500 state workers will receive pink slips if there's no vote on his budget repair bill. And there can't be a vote without those Democrats who left the state last month in protest, because a budget bill restricts workers' collective bargaining rights. The layoffs would take effect April 1st.
And I want you to check this out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POLICE: (SHOUTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So, that man being tackled right there, that's Wisconsin State Representative Nick Millroy, who was taken down by police last night as he tried to make it inside the capitol building in Madison. Reports say Millroy was attempting to retrieve clothes from his office and police tackled him to the ground before he was able to show his I.D.
A judge ruled yesterday that protesters could no longer spend the night in the capitol.
Millroy was one of four Democrats to move their desks outside the capitol Tuesday after access to the public was restricted. We'll follow up on that one.
In national politics now, he's been on a role this week with controversial comments about President Obama. Now, Mike Huckabee has a new target, a Hollywood starlet. In a radio interview, the potential presidential candidate took a swipe at actress Natalie Portman for, quote, "Glamorizing single motherhood." Listen.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
MIKE HUCKABEE, AUTHOR/FORMER GOVERNOR OF ARKANSAS: One of the most troubling things is that people see a Natalie Portman or some other Hollywood starlet who boast of, hey, look, you know, we're having children, we're not married, but we're having these children and they're doing just fine. But there aren't really a lot of single moms out there who are making millions of dollars every year for being in a movie. And I think it gives a distorted image that, yes, not everybody hires nannies and caretakers and nurses. Most single moms are very poor, uneducated, can't get a job, and if it weren't for government assistance, their kids would be starving to death and never have health care.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
LEMON: And we should say this, Portman, who won the best actress Oscar for her role in "Black Swan" hasn't responded to Huckabee's criticism. And by the way, she's engaged to her unborn child's father, who's a choreographer, who worked with her on that film.
A top college basketball player has been kicked off his team, apparently for having sex. Brigham Young University's athletic department is standing firm on its decision to boot forward Brandon Davies from their highly ranked team after he admitted to school officials that he had had sex with his girlfriend.
OK, here's a back story. Premarital sex is an honor code violation at the Mormon university. In the first game without Davies, third-ranked BYU was beaten by unranked New Mexico.
And that brings us to today's social media topic. We want to know your thoughts about BYU's decision to kick Brandon Davies off the team. Head to our blog, CNN.com/ali, to join the discussion, and you can also post on Ali's Facebook and Twitter pages.
It was supposed to be in orbit today, but instead this unmanned spacecraft now sits in the bottom of the sea. NASA's glory satellite and the Taurus rocket got off the ground at Vandenberg Air Force Base this morning, but it didn't get very far. Six minutes into the flight, the rocket's protective shell failed to separate, keeping it from reaching orbit. NASA officials believe it crashed somewhere in the southern Pacific Ocean. The satellite was supposed to help with climate study.
Eighteen hundred of the lowest performing schools in the country are only getting worse, and critics say 2,000 schools are practically dropout factories. Next, we break down President Obama's plan for a sweeping education reform -- don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: It's a battle we're seeing play out in one state after another after another -- teachers in schools fighting for money. President Obama has said we need to strengthen our education system if we want to out-innovate and out-educate the global competition. And today he heads to Florida to team up with former Florida Governor Jeb Bush to focus on reform. So let's bring in now, again, I should say, Christine Romans, who's the anchor of "YOUR BOTTOM LINE" and she joins me now.
So, Christine, what are President Obama's plan to fix the education system?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, they're focusing on Miami Central. A high school that is one of those low- performing schools they've managed to help try to turn around. There's still is a long way to go, don't get me wrong, but through federal grants they have -- of $800,000 in this case, managing to try to get this from one of those 1,800 worst of the worst schools in this country to something that's going to be more than just a dropout factory, is going to give kids a chance.
How do they turn it around at Miami Central? And that, of course, is going to be the focus of this meeting between Jeb Bush, Arne Duncan, and the president. They did a couple of things. First, they replaced the principal. Nearly half of the staff is new. They did a partnership with Teach For America. They had longer days, they had summer classes, new teachers and new teacher training and they're trying to get this central high school in Miami transformed.
There are four ways that these -- the federal programs are starting to push this way, or the White House is trying to push. Ways to think of these really worst of the worst schools and how to get them fixed. You can close the school, transfer the kids to schools that are performing well. It is so hard, Don. The hardest thing in education is to turn around a failing school.
LEMON: Yes.
ROMANS: These are some of the options that they think they have. Re-open a school as a charter school. You know, give it to, you know, publicly funded, but with private management. Replace the principal and the majority of the staff. I mean, start over. Or replace the principal, keep the teachers, but you spend the money on training and education of the teachers to try to give these kids a chance.
Don, you know, we had this jobs report today. It showed that if you have a college education, the employment rate is 4.3 percent. The kids in these schools, the 2,000 dropout factories in this country, have such a slim chance of ever being in that statistic of 4.3 percent unemployment. You know, this is -- the president's going to use this as his -- for his win the future and all of that. But a real hard part of this, Don, and I know you've covered this too, the states have to cut back.
LEMON: Yes. ROMANS: The states are running out of money, you know? At the same time we're told that for our students to compete in the world stage, they've got to be topnotch. So it's a real tough situation we're in here right now. The president going to use Miami Central as an example of a school that they have been incrementally able to turn around.
LEMON: Christine Romans, thank you very much. And as I understand, you're going to be focusing on education tomorrow on "YOUR BOTTOM LINE." And we will be watching. Thank you, Christine.
ROMANS: You're welcome.
LEMON: Make sure you join Christine Romans for "YOUR BOTTOM LINE" each Saturday morning at 9:30 Eastern and "YOUR MONEY" with Ali Velshi Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. Eastern and Sundays at 3:00.
It's time to check some of your top stories right now. American companies went on a bit of a hiring spree in February. The Labor Department says the economy added 192,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate dipped to 8.9 percent, its lowest level in nearly two years.
Gas prices jumped another 4 cents today and they're up 28 cents over the last 10 days. AAA says the average for a gallon of regular is now $3.47 a gallon. $3.47 a gallon. California has the highest price on average in the country, $3.85 a gallon.
While hybrid cars save on gas, one of the big worries is a possibility that the expensive battery pack might have to be replaced after a few thousand miles. However, new tests by "Consumer Reports" magazine indicate that Toyota Prius owners don't need to worry about that. Tests of a Prius with over 200,000 miles on it performed almost exactly the same as a comparable new car. And the magazine said the battery replacements are rarely need.
As we mentioned, the president holds an education event today in Florida and a potential 2012 presidential rival is appearing with him. Our Ed Henry will tell us about that next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The president begins a month long public push for America to out-educate the world. He is on his way right now to Florida where he will appear with former Florida Governor Jeb Bush. Ed Henry joins me now live from the White House.
And, Ed, this proves the old adage that politics make really strange bedfellows, right?
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It certainly does. I mean, look, this is good for the president, though, obviously, politically, it does show him reaching out to a Republican, specifically, pardon me, someone from the Bush family. He just had the first President Bush here getting the Medal of Freedom just a couple of weeks ago and Jeb Bush was around for that. And you'll remember, as Florida governor, his ally supporters kind of referred to him as the education president. So the president, this -- education governor, I should say. Now President Obama going down to Miami, to central high school.
White House officials say that Jeb Bush helped pick that school. It's a school that was in pretty rough shape, has come back, doing a lot better performance wise. This allows the president to talking about his winning the future campaign out there in a bipartisan way.
But, interesting, I talked to a very senior Republican close to Jeb Bush, because you just mentioned 2012 and the Teas, who insist, look, several big Republicans have gone to Jeb Bush, urged him to run. He has told them privately what he told our own Candy Crowley a few weeks back that he is not running in 2012. And that's disappointing some of these senior Republicans.
What that tells you is that this Republican presidential field, very early, but still is very unsettled. A lot of senior Republicans, especially people who supported the last President Bush, are still looking around. And where these, you know, strategists and fund- raisers go, whether they go with Huckabee or if they go with Gingrich, it may have a big, big role in this campaign, because there's a lot of these senior Republicans who are uncommitted right now and still hoping Jeb Bush will change his mind, frankly.
LEMON: OK. That's good stuff. Let's talk about who's in the White House now. Because before the president left for Florida, he met with Chicago Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel, his former chief of staff. So any idea what they chatted about?
HENRY: Well, you know things have changed in Rahm Emanuel's world. And you know him well from Chicago, Don, because we had our TV cameras here right at the stakeout position where I am with I do this live shot with Ali and you every day. And Rahm Emanuel never showed up. That's different for Rahm. We thought for sure he'd be attracted to the cameras. He was out there working hard in the mayoral campaign. He was, obviously, somebody who was not shy about getting attention when he was White House chief of staff.
But he was here meeting with the president, because he hasn't really seen him since October 1st, when he had that big sendoff here. He was obviously trying to focus very hard on Chicago. Didn't really want much to do with Washington because of those residency issues, of course. But now his kids are still in school here, so Lynn Sweet from "The Chicago Sun Times" says that Rahm will be staying here for a couple of weekends. And I think it was a chance to get back together with the president, get back with some old friends here at the White House and get a little R&R, frankly, before -- you know Chicago better than anybody. That's going to be one heck of a tough job and he gets sworn in, in May. So he's got just a small little window of a honeymoon and then -- that's a city like we've seen a lot of the state, like Wisconsin, a state like Ohio where they've got fiscal problems. Chicago is a city with some real fiscal problems and he's going to have a tough job.
LEMON: Yes, the state -- yes, the city and the state really in general. It's so funny, all these names you're rolling off, Lynn Sweet, Rahm Emanuel and Barack Obama. Am I sitting on the anchor desk in Chicago again?
HENRY: It's bringing you back.
LEMON: Yes, it is. It's bring back -- old times, old times.
You know, he's -- you said he's, you know, you thought he'd be attracted to the cameras. He's been hanging out, though, you know, with the guy who did that fake Twitter account --
HENRY: Yes. Who has the fake Rahm Emanuel on Twitter.
LEMON: Yes.
HENRY: We can't really talk too much about that account because it's pretty profane. It's actually probably more profanity laced than the real Rahm Emanuel, which is a tall order, as you know, coming from Chicago. And it's pretty funny because they actually met and Rahm Emanuel, the real one, had said that he would donate some money to charity if the fake Rahm Emanuel on Twitter came forward and revealed himself. He finally did. And they had a meeting, you're right, a couple of days ago. It went pretty well. And a charity there in Chicago got a little bit of money. So that's good.
LEMON: Yes, a 36-year-old college professor. Interesting. And it was funny. They met at a radio station. They did it on the radio.
HENRY: It's very clever. People should check it out. But we can't talk about it (INAUDIBLE).
LEMON: Yes, it is very clever. Very clever. And, you know, we'll talk about this later. But, man, what an interesting ride he's had since October. You're not a -- you're not a resident, you are a resident, you're not a resident, and now, you know, you're the mayor- elect.
HENRY: And just -- you're right, and think about for the president as well, Rahm Emanuel hasn't really been here around the White House since then. You had the shellacking in the election in November, the sort of presidential comeback in December with the lame duck session of Congress. Now all the unrest in the Mideast. And, by the way, the budget stalemate on The Hill. The kind of thing Rahm Emanuel used to love being in the middle. So a lot has happened. Oh, to be a fly on the wall in that Oval Office when the president and the mayor-elect got together.
LEMON: Yes, he will not be without controversy in politics in Chicago, though, let me tell you. Ed Henry, thank you very much.
HENRY: Have a good weekend, Don.
LEMON: Two American troops gunned down in Germany. The apparent motive originating thousands of miles away. Details next in what you missed.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Half past the hour right now and it's time to check some of the stories that you may have missed today. New information on the man charged with killing two U.S. troops outside the Frankfurt Airport. German authorities say the 22-year-old is a Muslim who only recently got radicalized. During his interrogation, he allegedly confessed and said he attacked the troops as revenge for the war in Afghanistan. According to the German intelligence -- to German intelligence, he has links to radical Islamists, but he insists he acted alone.
Harvard University is about to end its ban on the ROTC. The military training program hasn't had a formal presence on campus since 1969, when the school ended it over objections to the Vietnam War. Fast forward a few decades and members of the administration became vocal critics of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the ban on openly gay troops. Once Congress repealed it in December, Harvard President Drew Faust said she'd welcome ROTC, the ROTC back. This afternoon, she'll sign an agreement with the Navy; she's also started talking to other branches of the military.
The French government has announced that its so-called "Burqa Ban" will take effect next month. As of April 11th, any woman wearing a veil or other face covering in public can be fined 150 euros, that's almost 200 bucks. They'll also have to take a citizenship class to remind them of France's secular values.
Human rights groups say the ban clearly discriminates against Muslims. Still, most French people approve. A Pew poll found more than 80 percent support for that measure.
Fire crews in central Florida expect it will take a week at least to fully contain a blaze that started on Monday. The Iron Horse fire that we have been talking about and Chad Myers a lot here on CNN, it has burned more than 17,000 acres and forced I-95 to be shut down several times. Gusty winds are a big, big worry today; forecasters say they could hit 30 miles an hour.
And some incredible video to show you. It's just released by NASA , basically, letting us ride along on the Shuttle Discovery launch. Look at that. When the crew blasted off last week for the International Space Station, cameras attached to the solid rocket boosters caught it all.
Going slow because it's a great video and I want you to see it. The footage eventually shows the boosters separating, falling away, and crashing into the Atlantic. NASA installed the cameras to give mission control a look at any potential damage during the launch. Incredible pictures, always, from NASA.
Medical device, just a mouse click away on some of the most popular social media sites. But how much can you really rely on it?
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LEMON: All right. Welcome back, everyone. A survey released this week says one in five Americans are turning to social media websites like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter for medical advice. Sure, plenty of information is out there, but can you really trust it?
Our senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, is here with some answers.
So how useful are these social media sites? Is it helping or is it hurting?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know what, Don? I'm going to make a lot of doctors mad by saying that I think they're actually helpful because --
LEMON: Empowering patients.
COHEN: There you go, it empowers the patient. I just hear from so many people that they learned valuable lessons on social networking sites. Doctors are fabulous, but there is no one like someone who's been through your disease before you.
For example, if you were just diagnosed with diabetes, you go to DiabetesMine, go to her Twitter page. This woman is sitting at all of the big diabetes conferences and tweeting what she's learning. And you can also go to her website, you know, for more details. And you're going to learn something from this woman, she's been doing it for years, she's incredibly smart --
LEMON: Is she an advocate? Is this her job or something that she just picked up and -- ?
COHEN: No, she was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes and she has learned. You know, she knows what she's talking about and she, as I said, goes to these conferences, reads all the studies, and she does nothing but this. This is her full-time job now.
LEMON: Very interesting.
OK, so you said she knows what she's doing. How do you know? She's a great example, but how do you really know when you log into these social media sites if the person or the advice you're seeking is accurate and they know what they're talking about?
COHEN: Right, there are a couple of different ways of doing that.
One of the things you want to do is look at that number, see where it says 3,711 followers. That's a good number. If someone says that they're a real expert, a patient blogger on diabetes and they have 12 followers, that is not a good sign.
Another thing you want to look for, are they trying to you sell you something, cause that's a bad sign. If they're trying to sell you something, that's not a good sign. And another way to be an empowered patient and the other thing that you want to look for is do they source their information. Right? Because if they are just sort of saying things without sourcing it, that's not good.
LEMON: That's what we have to do.
COHEN: Right.
LEMON: We have to source the information.
COHEN: That's right, and if journalists have to, then, you know, people who tweet should have to as well.
LEMON: OK. And you said, big disease, few followers.
COHEN: That's not good.
LEMON: That's not good.
COHEN: Right, in other words, if someone is claiming that they are one of the big patient bloggers on diabetes or heart disease or whatever and they have 12 friends, that shows that they're not getting a lot of support and you might want to look elsewhere.
But I want to show you another one. This is a Facebook page for a woman named Jill Arnold who runs a group called The Unnecesarean, and so they women talk about cesarean sections. So let's say you're a pregnant woman and you want to talk about cesareans, you now, here's a Facebook page with these women, that's what they do. They talk about do I want one, don't I want one, how can I avoid one. I mean, you sort of have this instant group of like-minded group of people who you can ask questions of.
LEMON: And I'm looking at this stuff, this is a few things to keep in mind. Very good information. Please keep it simple. No flames. Also, spam is gross. Whatever. He's talking about the site, but if you need to tell another person, it seems like if they want to keep the site simple and they want to cite sources, then chances are --
COHEN: That's a good sign.
LEMON: And run it by your doctor.
COHEN: Right, that's a good sign. And they're not trying to sell you anything.
LEMON: I always learn so much with you. You know that?
COHEN: Oh, well, thank you.
LEMON: Have a great weekend.
COHEN: Thank you. You, too.
LEMON: Thank you. Good to see you.
Revolt in Libya, fierce fighting in the east, protesters killed just outside Tripoli and a refugee crisis deepens. A live report right after this.
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LEMON: All right, time now to do a segment that we call everyday here on CNN, it is the "Big I," where we talk about innovations, the latest innovations, and this one is eye-controlled laptops. So throw your mouse out the window and simply scroll around your computer using your eyes. Really, that's what they say that's what the latest is.
And here to show you just how it works, the head of Tobii Technology North America, Barbara Barclay.
So, Barbara, first of all, how does this work?
BARBARA BARCLAY, GENERAL MANAGER, TOBII TECHNOLOGY: Hi, Don, how are you doing?
LEMON: I'm doing great. Thank you.
How does it work?
BARCLAY: Well, the way it works is we actually have the technology embedded in the base of the laptop screen, and it has two infrared lights that illuminate the eye, similar who when you take a photograph and get red eye, only we like it. So we use that red eye and also the glint that appears on the eye, we takes images of the eye at a very rapid rate and we build a three-dimensional model. And then we know exactly where the eye is looking, and in knowing where the eye looks, we can then control what the computer does using the eyes.
LEMON: Can you give us a little -- show us how it works there?
BARCLAY: Sure, I'll give you a demo.
What you're looking at right here is the Lenovo Tobii laptop, and those are my eyes. You can just see very quickly if I just shut one eye and another eye what happens.
The first thing I'm going to show you is one of the most powerful things, and that is similar to a teleprompt. I can read this text, not using my hands, and the texts will scroll. And so you can see all sorts of advantages related to reading text.
This is the ability to move between screens. On these light bulbs, I can look at each light bulb. You see the red circle is actually my gaze point turning the lights on, but in a real-world application, you can flip between applications and use this to select files.
This next example, all of us have probably experienced using maps, where you would like to zoom. I can look at this location on the map, zoom in, zoom in farther, zoom out. I can look at this location on the map, zoom in, zoom in, zoom out. So it has all sorts of abilities for people who are trying to zoom in and don't want to use their cursor in order to do that.
LEMON: So I guess the idea is that, as much multitasking as possible for your hands up, so that you can -- or is it to have more control and be more specific about your use of the computer?
BARCLAY: Actually, that's a great application for it. Some examples in sort of normal day-to-day use might be the ability to look to the bottom of the screen and bring the tool bar up rather than having to use your mouse to bring it up. The ability to flip through files and flip through media, using your eyes, and then use those to select that media.
Also, a lot of times we have trouble managing different applications that are open. You can very simply use your eyes to look from application to application and with a simple key stroke, select which one you'd like.
LEMON: So is it very difficult to get used to doing that? I know when you go from using a mouse to using the track pad, but I would imagine using your eyes is something you really have to get used to.
BARCLAY: That's a good question. I think there are some things that are more natural than others. There are some people who have never really adapted to the touch pad on a laptop, for example.
But I have found, and I've been using this laptop for a few days now, that within moments, it was very, very simple and intuitive and natural for me to flip through applications, flip through images and things like that.
We have a feature called mouse warp, which when you look to the area where you want your mouse to go, instead of searching around for the mouse, which we all have done, you actually can find it right away, where your eyes are looking. And that's much more useful and very, very quick in terms of being able to adapt to it.
LEMON: Hey, Barbara, I have just a few seconds left here. When does it come to the market?
BARCLAY: Well, these are prototypes that Lenovo made together with Tobii. I would say it is about two years from being available in a price range that most consumers would want.
But at that time, I think it will be small enough and also cost- effective enough for people to buy it and use it in their everyday life.
LEMON: Barbara Barclay is the head of technology for Tobii North America. We really appreciate it. Very interesting stuff, keep us updated.
BARCLAY: Thanks so much, Don.
LEMON: And to check out the eye-controlled laptop technology for yourself, head to Ali's blog, CNN.com/Ali.
Want to catch you up on some of the day's top stories right now.
Federal law enforcement officials will announce a superseding indictment against Tucson shooting suspect Jared Lee Loughner shortly, that's according to a source at CNN, CNN has heard from source. Two murder charges against him that were dropped in a procedural move are expected to be reinstated -- reinstated along with additional charges.
The 22-year-old is accused of shooting U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords and 18 others at a Tucson grocery store in January; six people were killed.
American companies went on a bit of a hiring spree in February. The Labor Department says the economy added 192,000 jobs last month, and the unemployment rate dipped to 8.9 percent, its lowest level in nearly two years.
It's a game of cat and mouse in Wisconsin to tell you about, where the governor warning layoff notices will start going out this weekend if those 14 AWOLed Democratic senators don't return. Governor Walker says as many as 1,500 state workers will receive pink slips if there's no vote on his budget repair bill. And there can't be a vote without those Democrats, who left the state last month in protest.
Anti-Gadhafi protesters tell CNN that government forces today gunned down peaceful demonstrators in the city of Zawiyah, just outside the capital of Tripoli. A doctor described a hospital there as a river of blood.
Elsewhere, fierce fighting continues in the east between anti- Gadhafi rebels and government troops. And a refugee crisis may be taking a turn for the worst.
And for the first time, a U.S. military plane loaded with relief supplies landed today in Tunisia. Aid workers at the border with Libya are overwhelmed with tens of thousands of people, most of them foreign workers who have fled to safety. But the numbers fell sharply today amid reports of an increased number of pro-Gadhafi forces on the roads leading to the border.
CNN's Nic Robertson is in Tripoli. Nic joins us now. What's happening?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, that town 40 minutes west of here, Zawiyah, has seen the most intense fighting close to the capital.
Why is it important? It's an oil refining town. The center of the city's been controlled by armed rebels. We saw them there last weekend. Now it appears the government has gone in with force. There's been fighting; 15 killed, 200 wounded.
We're told by sources there that the fighting is still going on and that rebels still control the area. But state media here says that the government now controls all of Zawiyah, that they have killed what they described as a terrorist leader and have ended the control of the rebels in Zawiyah. It's not clear to us, we don't have any independent reporting in the city at the moment. But it does seem from the reports from the hospital there that the clashes have been very bloody. The doctor there describing rivers of blood and saying, essentially, that they were running out of medical supplies.
The protesters we met there last week, said this was their big fear, that the government would come in hard, Don.
LEMON: So, Nic, here's a question. Are people there, do they have any reaction -- have they even heard about what the president said yesterday about Gadhafi stepping down and about sending aid and also sending planes? What's their reaction? Is it making them feel stronger or are they even aware of it?
ROBERTSON: There's a mixed reaction. Number one, the government (AUDIO GAP) says it's a bad idea and Gadhafi's not stepping down and the people realize that -- and this is the government's message as well, that international intervention here, and U.S. intervention in particular, would mean a very high death toll in the country. And there's certainly concern on the part of some of the protesters that international intervention here could turn this into a very bloody conflict.
You have a lot of people in this country who would like to see Gadhafi go, at the very least -- or reform, rather, at the very least. And at the next best, go and be replaced. There's no doubt there's a ground swell for that.
But people differ. They're worried about a scenario of violence, as we're witnessing today, spreading across the country. A sort of civil war scenario, international forces involved in that. There's international forces helping in some way, but without getting involved.
So, it's really split. People have heard about it and it's a big, big topic here, and the government, of course, is trying to use it against the opposition forces here, and the opposition has divided opinions on it, Don.
LEMON: Nic Robertson in Tripoli. Thank you, Nic.
Staying in the region, hundreds of thousands of anti-government demonstrators took to the streets in Yemen today. As they have for weeks now, they called on the longtime president to step down. The president fueled their anger by rejecting an opposition demand that he transfer power this year. He's offering to give up power when his current term runs out in 2013.
In a town outside the capital of Sanaa, witnesses say security forces opened fire on protesters, killing two and wounded nine others. They also say army planes flying over the town fired on demonstrators. CNN has been unable to independently confirm the report.
Some analysts are now saying that growing protests may be reaching the point where it will be very difficult for the president to cling to power. The demonstrators say they're inspired by the unrest that toppled the governments in Tunisia and in Egypt.
It's be never been an easy job being a foreign reporter in China. Now it's getting even tougher with the government tightening controls on what correspondents are allowed to report. Security forces have been beefed up on the streets of Beijing and other major cities. This step taken apparently in reaction to an anonymous internet campaign urging citizens to follow the lead of anti-government protests in the Middle East and North Africa.
On Sunday, CNN's Eunice Yoon and Yoleen Kent were pushed and shoved by security forces as they were trying to cover a protest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EUNICE YOON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They pushed us, they grabbed us and had very -- were really difficult with us. OK. I'm not doing anything illegal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Yoon and Kent were shoved, dragged from the scene but were not injured. Their cameras were confiscated and footage deleted. The protests they attempted to cover never happened. China rejected American criticism of the treatment of the journalist. A foreign ministry spokesman said they did not follow relevant procedures.
Republican governor may be tipping his hand on his presidential aspirations. And our Mark Preston will explain, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Time right now for a CNN Political Update. Our senior political editor Mark Preston joins me now from Washington. Hello to you, Mark Preston, with no tie.
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey. Happy Friday, Don.
LEMON: It is! Yes, dress down for casual Friday, right?
Let's talk about Tim Pawlenty. Is he getting out and raising money now?
PRESTON: Well, he certainly is. The Republican National Committee is more than $22 million in debt from the 2010 elections. Some would say from the failure of Michael Steele to adequately handle the finances over there. But the new chairman, Reince Priebus, has been working very hard to raise money to try to dig out of the debt. And in fact, he's had Tim Pawlenty, the former Minnesota governor put out a fundraising e-mail on behalf of the RNC.
What's interesting is that Pawlenty is also thinking about running for president. He's also the first potential candidate who's penned a fundraiser for the RNC this year.
Up in Wisconsin, millions of dollars are being spent by special interest groups right now to try to sway public opinion up there, Don. Right now, those who oppose Governor Walker's budget have spent more than $1.3 million on television ads. Those who support Governor Walker's budget have spent another $1.3 million. The big spenders up there, the Wisconsin AFL-CIO -- against Walker. And for Walker the Wisconsin Club for Growth. So, trying to sway public opinion in that big argument over collective bargaining and budget cuts. Don?
LEMON: Mark, I'm going to see you on Sunday. And I hope you have a big scoop, a big exclusive for us.
PRESTON: I'm holding it right now. It's going to hold a few more days, just for you.
LEMON: All right. Thank you, Mark Preston. Appreciate it. Your next update from The Best Political Team in Television, just one hour away here on CNN.
So, don't ever mess with an angry lady and her liquor. Or this could happen. Find out what sent this woman on a ballistic bottle breaking binge.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: I really want you to watch this, okay? Because it's interesting. It's topping our "Odds and Ends" today.
Forget about 99 bottles of beer on the wall. How about just a whole lot of bottles of liquor on the floor? Roll it! There it is!
OK, this woman captured in the surveillance tape have turned herself into police after she walked into this New York State liquor store and went on a wrecking rampage. You see her there, right there. She was just walking down the aisle, leveling all the liquor bottles in one fell swoop. Apparently, she walked in and wanted to cut the line. She also wanted to use the restroom. And after being refused, well, she just went ballistic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was very scary. I was terrified.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm angry about it. I've never seen this happen in 25 years in the business. I've never seen anyone do something like this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Can't say we haven't, either. And police say the woman was probably drunk. You think?
All right. Now from that woman to this man. Laugh all you will at his rants this week. Charlie Sheen's not only making bank, he's breaking records. Winning!
After joining Twitter Tuesday, Sheen -
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: -- won quite an honor. He said a Guinness World record as the person with the fastest time to reach 1 million followers on Twitter. Sheen reached that milestone in just 25 hours and 17 minutes.
And get this -- reports say the actor's already signed a deal to deliver product endorsements on the site where he could rake in more than a million dollars this year after he posted this Twit pic holding milk. The owner of that milk company says he's been inundated with calls to his farm. Bring it!
