Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Sexual Assault Charges for IMF Chief; Floodgates Open on Cajun Country; Federal Debt Reaches Limit; Making Home Tune-Ups Could Save You Big Bucks; Searching for Jobs After Age 50; The Hague Issues Arrest Warrant for Libyan Leader Moammar Gadhafi; Rahm Emanuel Sworn in as Mayor of Chicago
Aired May 16, 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. I want get you up to speed for Monday, May 16th.
Water from the Mississippi River is gushing now through nine floodgates on the Morganza Spillway today. The federal government plans to open as many as 20 more. The move spares Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Now the water will cut a 20-mile-wide path through Louisiana's Cajun country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EDDIE SONNIER, PORT BARRE, LOUISIANA, RESIDENT: We're fortunate we have what we have, and we have an opportunity to get out. Material things we can replace. Our family and what we believe in daily, can't put prices on that.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Did you put up the sign?
SONNIER: Yes, I put it up. I'm proud of that sign, because it's just what we say. We will be back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Almost a week after the Mississippi crested at Memphis, the river remains 11 feet above flood stage. President Obama is in Memphis today to get a look at the flood damage and to comfort families who have lost their homes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Zero, and liftoff for the final launch of Endeavour, expanding our knowledge, expanding our lives in space.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Shuttle Endeavour roared into space for a final time. That happened just two hours ago. Astronaut Mark Kelly is commanding the flight. His wife, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, watched liftoff at Kennedy Space Center. She is recovering from a gunshot wound to the head.
The head of the International Monetary Fund, the IMF, will be arraigned inside this Manhattan courthouse shortly. That is going to happen.
A hotel housekeeper accuses Dominique Strauss-Kahn of attempted rape. A law enforcement source says that she picked him from a lineup. An attorney says his client did nothing wrong and consented to a forensics exam.
Well, prosecutors are asking the International Criminal Court at The Hague to issue an arrest warrant for Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. They say that there is direct evidence that Gadhafi ordered attacks on people in their homes, put snipers on rooftops, and fired artillery at funeral mourners.
Egyptians rally outside the Israeli Embassy in Cairo to show support for the Palestinians. Police arrested dozens during the rowdy demonstration. The protest came on the day Palestinians mourn the creation of Israel in 1948. Well, protests along Israel's borders left at least a dozen Palestinians dead.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates says that President Obama's decision to launch the raid that got bin Laden was nothing short of gutsy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: I've worked for a lot of these guys, and this is one of the most courageous calls, decisions that I think I've ever seen a president make.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: In Canada, a runaway forest fire is threatening to burn the entire time of Slave Lake in central Alberta. All 7,000 residents have been told to get out or face arrest. Already, the town hall, the library, high school have now gone up in flames.
More details now on the arraignment of a powerful finance chief and politician on sexual assault charges. Dominique Strauss-Kahn is accused of attacking a housekeeper in his $3,000-a-night hotel suite in New York. Strauss-Kahn is head of the IMF -- that is the International Monetary Fund -- and he was considered a leading candidate for president of France.
Pamela Hayes is a former prosecutor with the Brooklyn D.A.'s office and former chief of the Sex Crimes Bureau. She currently is in private practice as a criminal defense attorney, and she joins from us New York.
Thanks for joining us.
First of all, I want to talk about the specific charges that he is now facing. What do we know about the accusations and how his attorneys are responding?
PAMELA HAYES, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I think one of the things that we have to do is we have to wait to hear the exact charges. I would think that there's going to be an attempted rape, there may be a sodomy charge, but there's going to be a lot of attempt. And until we can get the full story of actually what happened in the room, or what he did, it's really speculation.
But it could be as serious as a felony, where he's looking at, you know, an attempted rape, which could possibly be a C felony. Or it could be less serious as some type of sexual contact, which would be a misdemeanor in this case. So we have to see what the D.A. is saying happened in the room.
MALVEAUX: How does this work in terms of which country legally has jurisdiction over him, being a French citizen?
HAYES: Well, my understanding is he wasn't on the international fund business, so he couldn't claim diplomatic immunity. So I think what he's doing is, he's working with the local authorities, he has a fine attorney who knows exactly what to do. And his counsel for France is involved.
And basically, from what I can gather from the reports we've been getting off the wire, is he's undergo something type of psychiatric exam. And, you know, we'll just see what happens. But they'll have jurisdiction over him because they have his body.
MALVEAUX: And what about the forensics tests? I know that he said that he had gone through some sort of forensics tests. What have we learned about that? What do we know? What are they looking for?
HAYES: A what kind of test? I didn't hear you.
MALVEAUX: They said forensics tests. His attorney said that he was delayed because of a forensics test.
HAYES: Oh, that might be what we call a 730 exam, which means he's undergoing some type of psychiatric examination to find out whether or not he has some emotional problem or mental problem. It could be -- I don't know whether they would take some type of DNA testing. But the forensic is very, very -- it's a large term, so it could be any one of those things.
I don't think it's anything mental, but he might just be undergoing a DNA test or something of that nature.
MALVEAUX: OK. Pamela Hayes, thank you so much. We'll be following this case very closely. Thanks for your insight.
Politicians, infidelity, your vote. Carol, with the "Talk Back Question of the Day."
Why is this not surprising, infidelity, politicians, the whole messy theme?
COSTELLO: Sadly, it sort of goes together in modern times, doesn't it? But, in poll after poll, Americans say they care more about a candidate's ability to handle the economy than just about anything else. But character is also important, which leads to us the infidelity trap.
Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich began seeing his current and third wife while still married to his second. Gingrich is hoping voters will forgive and forget.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I clearly have done things that were wrong. I've clearly had to seek God's forgiveness. I believe people have to decide whether or not what I've said and what I've done is real. And I think that if people watch me and talk with me, get to know me, my hope is that the majority of Americans will decide that I can help this country get back on track in a way that no one else can.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: That kind of sounds like another presidential candidate from long ago defending himself against charges of infidelity on "60 Minutes."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You know, I have acknowledged wrongdoing. I have acknowledged causing pain in my marriage. I have said things to you tonight and to the American people from the beginning that no American politician ever has. Anybody who's listening gets the drift of it. And let's go on and get back to the real problems of this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Oh, yes, Bill Clinton. You know what happened there. Clinton's escapades with Monica Lewinsky almost derailed his presidency. Never mind that it was then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich leading the impeachment charge against him.
Still, despite the Lewinsky scandal, Clinton's presidency was successful if you judge it by the economy. It hummed (ph). Unemployment was four percent. And who's to say Newt Gingrich cannot do the same, despite his messy marital past?
So, the "Talk Back" question today: Should infidelity matter to voters?
Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll read your comments later this hour.
MALVEAUX: I'll be curious if people are more upset with infidelity or hypocrisy, if that's what it is.
COSTELLO: Yes. When it comes right down to it, maybe people will feel that way. We'll see.
MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Carol.
COSTELLO: Sure.
MALVEAUX: Here's a rundown of some of the stories that we're covering today.
Terror at a fifth grade graduation party. A children's bounce house blowing away.
Letter the water out to spare Baton Rouge and New Orleans. New communities around the Morganza Spillway are at the mercy now of the Mississippi River.
And the next move for the Treasury Department as the U.S. hits its legal borrowing limit.
And the shuttle Endeavour blasting off on its last mission. I'll have a conversation with astronaut and trailblazer Mae Jemison.
Then, "CNN In Depth: America's Job Hunt."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Always, always, always have resumes readily available. It's one of the Boy Scouts things -- always prepared.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
MALVEAUX: Even more floodgates are being opened to protect New Orleans and Baton Rouge, but that means that less populated areas are going to be flooded. And those who live there are frantically packing.
Here's our own Ed Lavandera.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Suzanne, here on the banks of the Atchafalaya River in Butte La Rose, Louisiana, we're already starting to see the water level slowly rise. And in the words of the parish president here, he says that looking at this is a slow and painful process.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAVANDERA (voice-over): This neighborhood in Krotz Springs could soon be sitting in as much as 15 feet of water.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We tried to get it out. We moved all our furniture yesterday.
JAKE NOLAN, KROTZ SPRINGS, LOUISIANA RESIDENT: It's going to be bad.
LAVANDERA: Jake Nolan knows it's time to get his family out.
NOLAN: We just moved everything in here. And now we're in the process of taking everything back out and bringing it to my other sister's.
LAVANDERA (on camera): You have no choice though.
NOLAN: No, I have no choice. I mean, if not, I'm going to lose everything.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): But Nolan and his wife have a bigger problem.
NOLAN: Today's actually her fourth birthday.
LAVANDERA: Little Maya (ph) doesn't have a birthday cake, and she's afraid of the floodwaters.
NOLAN: She can't swim, and she hears all the stories of everyone, the water rising, so she's scared she won't be able to make it out.
LAVANDERA: Since the opening of the Morganza Spillway, the massive rush of water is now taking a long, destructive path down the Atchafalaya River basin, away from the Mississippi River. In Saint Landry Parish, about 750 people in 240 homes were told to evacuate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Thank you.
CONNIE BOUDEAU (ph), RESIDENT: We've just about got it all out.
LAVANDERA: Eight years ago, Connie Boudeau (ph) moved on to the banks of Three Mile Lake, her little slice of heaven.
BOUDEAU: This is where I have home, family, kids come in, grandkids spend time, jet ski, four wheeling. This is my home.
LAVANDERA: She's packing it up, including her iguana named Booby (ph). Connie's been told to expect 10 feet of water and that it could take a month or even longer to dry out.
(on camera): What's the mood now that so many people are packing up?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's bad. It really is. It's sad and depressing.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): After days of warning, it's now the last chance to get out of the water's way.
Brett Ansley isn't messing around. He's moving his entire trailer to higher ground.
BRETT ANSLEY, KROTZ SPRINGS, LOUISIANA, RESIDENT: I've never experienced nothing like this before in my life, so it's crazy. It's unreal.
LAVANDERA: But Eddie Sonnier won't let the flood get him down. He looks forward to fishing here again with his boys.
SONNIER: We are fortunate we have what we have, and we have an opportunity to get out. Material things we can replace. Our family and what we believe in daily is just -- can't put prices on that.
LAVANDERA (on camera): Did you put up this sign?
SONNIER: Yes, I put it up. I'm proud of that sign, because it's just what we say -- we will be back. (END VIDEOTAPE)
LAVANDERA: Those mandatory evacuation orders were issued yesterday in St. Landry Parish, which is just upstream from where we are. The mandatory evacuation orders, we're told, probably won't be issued here in Butte La Rose until the end of the week. And that's when we'll start seeing the water rise and start creeping into these neighborhoods.
And we've done something interesting. On CNN.com/live, we're going to set up a live webcam here in this neighborhood, here in Butte La Rose, to give people a sense of what it will look like when these floodwaters start to creep in. So you'll be able to watch that as it happens -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Thanks, Ed.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MALVEAUX: Well, today's the day that the federal debt reaching its actual legal limit. We're going to tell you what is being done to keep the country from defaulting.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Let's check in with CNNMoney.com lead's lead story, where the jobs are booming. It's health care, federal government, education, hiring through the worse of the recession.
Also want to take a look real quick at the markets here. The Dow Jones, now up by 37 points or so.
Also, a major story today, you've got bills to pay. You've reached your borrowing debt, right? Your limit. So you can ask your lender, raise the limit or default on some of your bills.
Well, that's the situation today that is facing the country because it's the day that the U.S. debt reaches its legal limit. But Congress is still fighting over raising the borrowing cap.
I want to bring in Christine Romans to explain this. She's with our Money team.
And Christine, explain what we're talking about when we say we've got this deadline that we've hit. And what does it actually mean?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It means that our national debt has now hit the level that Congress said it couldn't go above without raising it again. And so, $14.3 trillion is where is that stands. And the Treasury Department, Suzanne, says we have hit it.
Now it's going to take some creative juggling from the treasury secretary and his team to try to hold on as long as they can before they have to start triaging what bills to pay for the U.S. government. So that means August 2nd. The Treasury thinks they can go until August 2nd.
How come they can go a little bit longer? Because the treasury secretary today said he's going to suspend investments into federal retirement funds. Until then, that's going to create some breathing room for the government to continue borrowing in debt markets.
Why are they still borrowing? OK. Look at it this way. The U.S. spends $118 billion more on average every month, Suzanne, than it brings in, $118 billion more.
That means we have to go out into the open market and borrow money to fund that difference. And so that's where we are here. We can't borrow more money until they raise that debt ceiling. The treasury secretary has got a little bit of breathing room here, but this is an impasse. It is definitely an impasse.
MALVEAUX: So, Christine, what happens if lawmakers don't raise the debt ceiling?
ROMANS: Well, the treasury secretary has said it would be catastrophic economic consequences for Americans. He has said it would mean that borrowing costs would go up. That means it would be more expensive to borrow for a house, for a car, for a college education. He said it would be more expensive for entrepreneurs to borrow for new equipment.
It would mean, ironically, that we would have to spend a lot more of our national wealth and the money that's coming in to pay our interest on our bills because our interest rates would go up. And so we would owe our foreign creditors and our creditors much more than we do today.
I mean, it would be, he says, catastrophic. Others do, too. They say the full faith and credit of the U.S. government is on the line here, there is nothing more secure and sacred, really, than U.S. debt, that we always pay our bills.
If nothing happens until August 2nd, then the treasury secretary and his team have to decide what bills they want to pay. And others have said that could mean you have to maybe give IOUs to people on Social Security, give IOUs to government employees. You would not be able to pay all your bills if you wanted to make sure you're always paying your debt payments first. It's a very ugly situation.
Another thing, Suzanne, that I will point out is that when you ask people what happens exactly if we don't raise the debt ceiling, no one knows because we've never done this before.
MALVEAUX: Unbelievable. A messy, unbelievable situation.
Well, Christine, thank you for explaining that to us.
ROMANS: Messy. Yes, messy.
MALVEAUX: And August is going to be really important as well, getting to that point to see what happens next. Thank you, Christine. Appreciate it.
ROMANS: You're welcome.
MALVEAUX: Well, a final blastoff for the shuttle Endeavour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Zero, and liftoff for the final launch of Endeavour, expanding our knowledge, expanding our lives in space.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: I'll talk to the first African-American woman to travel in space. Former astronaut Mae Jemison discusses Endeavour's final mission and the end of the shuttle program.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
MALVEAUX: The space shuttle Endeavour is now on its final voyage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Four, three, two -- zero, and liftoff for the final launch of Endeavour --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: It was picture-perfect. This liftoff happened about two- and-a-half hours ago at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Six astronauts are on the mission. It's commanded by Mark Kelly. He is also the husband of the wounded U.S. congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who traveled to Florida to witness the launch.
Well, former astronaut Mae Jemison, she's the first African-American woman to travel into space, and she joins us live from Houston.
Mae, very good to see you again. You and I spoke about a year ago out there, and we were just talking during the break, that this is really kind of a bittersweet moment for you. You flew in Endeavour. Tell us how you feel watching this.
DR. MAE JEMISON, FMR. ASTRONAUT: Yes, it's very bittersweet because it was a wonderful, beautiful launch. I was on the second mission of Endeavour. And things are transitioning.
When we spoke last year, we were there talking about the fact that the shuttle era was coming to an end, and now the United States was putting more of its research money into how to do interplanetary travel, how to come up with the kinds of engines that are needed to take humans to an asteroid. So that transition is great, but it's sort of hard to see the shuttle program ending. MALVEAUX: And as someone who is a trailblazer as yourself, the first black woman to go into space, I'm sure you can appreciate the historical significance of this coming to an end.
What did this shuttle mission accomplish?
JEMISON: Well, the shuttle -- this mission itself has a lot of things to do. So, for example, it's delivering a really interesting scientific payload that's going to help us try to understand dark matter and those kinds of things in the universe. It's also doing a supply mission. It's doing some things where it's going to help bring back other pieces of equipment for us to understand how to keep the Space Station going.
But I think really what it does, it puts a very strong exclamation point on the fact that humans are in space to stay because the space station is there. So now we have a space station that has people on board all the time, a large crew complement that does experiments. It looks back down at the earth, looks out at space. We've established our presence as humans in space.
MALVEAUX: And -- but I guess the mission itself is going to retire in June, the shuttle mission. It's going to be handled by private companies, as well as the Russians.
What does that mean for the future of our space program here? Are we really kind of flailing at this point?
JEMISON: Well, remember, the space station is -- the U.S. is part of the space station. In fact, it's a major partner of the space station. Russians are the partners with the spaces station, just like the Canadians and the Japanese and the European Space Agency.
So it's not all in that we're not in space. We've got to take a ride with one of our partners now, but at the same time, again, we're moving forward. We're continuing to into interplanetary missions with robotics. We're continuing to look at how do we get humans farther along? We still have a very rigorous space program. We're just not flying the vehicle up to the station ourselves. That's a big importance --
MALVEAUX: Sure. And Mae, what is your hope for when we get to Mars? What do you think? Is that possible, anytime soon?
JEMISON: I think that we can Mars very, very quickly. But it's a commitment that we have to have. Remember, it took us 10 years to go to the moon when we knew nothing about space travel. There's some more hurdles going to Mars, but we know so much about how humans react to space. We know so much about the surface of Mars. So I think there's a lot we can do. We can do it quickly. But it's the commitment that we need as a nation. It's the commitment we need as a society.
MALVEAUX: Do you think that the Obama administration is putting in the funds by making that kind of commitment to make that happen? JEMISON: The program right now has a commitment for looking at engines. I don't know exactly where we're going to do when people are going to finally say, hey, this is what we're going to do it and we're going to do it in five years, we're going to do it in ten years, but it has to happen.
It has to come as a leadership issue that leadership comes not only from the president, but it also comes from the Congress and Senate willing to fund this and understand how fundamentally and important it is for us to continue pushing forward, to continue improving our science, our technology, all of which space exploration does.
MALVEAUX: And Mae, something people might not know about you, you're a big "Star Trek" fan. And I want to show this clip, actually. I hope you can see this. You appeared in an episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation." The character Aurora was your inspiration. I think you can see it there, our viewers can see it, as well.
Do you think there's still a commitment to boldly go where no man has gone before? JEMISON: Or to boldly go where no human has gone before.
You know, I think sometimes we waver in that commitment because we don't understand what it means for us back on earth. Every day we listen to -- about satellite broadcasts. We look at whether we're studying what's going on in the Mississippi because someone had an inspiration about let's do something further, let's go beyond where we are now.
So I think we have to sort of reassess where we are and say that yes, this is important. That commitment, I think that wonder is in all of us. We all look at the stars and wonder what they are, but we also have to understand that just getting there making a tremendous difference to us.
MALVEAUX: All right. Mae, thank you so much. You remain an inspiration to many of us. So we appreciate it. Thank you.
Honoring NASA's shuttle program, CNN.com has condensed video from every launch. So you get 133 launches in 133 seconds.
(VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Pretty interesting video. All you have to do is check it out on our web site at CNN.com.
Moammar Gadhafi accused of war crimes. A live report from the Hague on the evidence and the action that's being taken against the Libyan dictator.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: An arrest warrant is expected for Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi. The national criminal court in the Hague is accusing Gadhafi of crimes against humanity. His son and brother-in-law are also accused. Our CNN's international correspondent Nic Robertson joining us live from the Hague.
Nic, good to see you. Tell us what you the evidence is in this case, against Gadhafi, as well as the regime.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what the chief prosecutor is saying is that Gadhafi has the absolute power in the country. And through his -- through his second son Saif al Islam and through his brother-in-law who's head of the military intelligence Abdullah Sanussi, they are implementing his orders.
And he says they've got direct evidence that Saif al Islam was recruiting mercenaries a month before the popular uprising began, showing some pre-planning and preparation. He said he's got direct evidence that the military intelligence chief was involved in planning and assisting on the attack on civilians. He says that the attacks on civilians were coordinated, widespread, that this was the regime deciding that they wouldn't put up with any dissension at whatever cost, that they were going to put down the civilian population.
So he says he has this direct evidence. And he also says that in the last few days, he's been receiving phone calls from people, senior officials in the regime, he said, that are willing to offer evidence against Gadhafi, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: And Nic, this is the first time that the International Criminal Court has actually taken action while there say conflict that is going on. Tell us why, why is this happening now?
ROBERTSON: Well, the reason the chief prosecutor said is because simply because right now Gadhafi is still persecuting people, still murdering people. They were enabled by the U.N. Resolution 1970, they started their investigation the 3rd of March. It's the first time they've done this while there's an active conflict going on. The investigation then requesting the arrest warrants.
But he said this is the only way he sees to try to stop Gadhafi continuing to repress his population. And what he hopes will happen is that people will feel embolden, that other members of the regime will give evidence and in this way stop Gadhafi's suppression, repression of the people, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: All right. Nic Robertson, thank you very much. Appreciate it.
Well, "Celebrity Apprentice" without Donald Trump saying you're fired? Well, what the network says about whether the show will go on if Trump runs for president.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Topping our political ticker this hour. Republican who says he's not running for president. Our Shannon Travis, part of the Best Political Team on Television.
Good to see you, Shannon, live from the political desk in Washington.
So, Mike Huckabee made news this weekend, yes?
SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: That's right. He made a really big bit of news. The field of people who are going to run against President Obama, Suzanne, as you know is slowly beginning to take shape. But one person who's not going to be in it is Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas.
He ran in the 2008 campaign. He announced on his show on Saturday on FOX that his heart is just not in it. A lot of people were speculating whether he would be in or be out. But there were a lot of signs pointing to him potentially not being in. He got residency -- him and his wife -- in Florida. He wasn't really building a ground game and a lobby early states. But he's made it official now that he will not be in it and he says that his heart is not in it.
One man who is in is, that's former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. Today, he's going to be in Las Vegas, visiting a phone bank, basically, for fundraising. He's also participating on an online town hall on Facebook, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: And also, NBC is talking about what happens to "Celebrity Apprentice" if Donald Trump runs for president? We don't know whether or not that's going to happen, but what is the network saying?
TRAVIS: Well, you know the saying, Suzanne, the show must go on. NBC is talking about the potential for Donald Trump running. If he runs, the network's entertainment chief says that the show will have to go on. Now, who will actually have to take over for Donald Trump if he does run for president is anyone's guess. But, I don't know about you, Suzanne, I actually can't imagine anyone else saying you're fired other than Donald Trump.
MALVEAUX: We could all give our best Donald Trump imitation, but I don't think it would work, huh?
TRAVIS: That was probably a bad one you just got from me.
MALVEAUX: OK. All right. Thanks, Shannon. Good to see you.
For the latest political news, you know where to go. CNNpolitics.com.
Well, looking to save some money? Making some tune-ups, upgrades in your home now could save you a lot of money on your summer energy bills. Our Carmen Wong Ulrich joins us for today's Top Tips.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARMEN WONG ULRICH, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Suzanne.
Well, get this. Air conditioning eats up almost 60 percent of American electricity bills during the summer. And it is approaching. But there are steps you can take right now to ease the stress on your home energy budget before the weather really starts to heat up. Now, experts say that one of the best ways to keep your house cool is to prevent the hot air from getting into your home to begin with. One of the most effective ways to do this is to insulate your attic effectively. If your home is due for an upgrade, consider putting in new, energy efficient fiberglass or cellulose insulation. Now, the right insulation could cost anywhere from several hundred dollars to over a thousand, but it could reduce your energy bills by a hefty 20 percent a year and that adds up year after year.
Now, there are also easier, smaller steps you can take to prevent your house from heating up. For example, if you're not using a room, close the blinds on super sunny days. And use less appliances -- fewer appliances that generate heat like your dishwasher, your drier and your stove.
Now, another easy way to save is let you A/C sleep when you do. If temperatures in your area drop at night, turn offer the A/C and instead, turn on a ceiling fan. Now, prices for A/C saving ceiling fans can range from $200 for a basic model, to $1,500 for industrial strength fan. Now, that's including installation. But, these fans use as little as 10 percent of the power of central air conditioning. Big savings.
Also, keep your air filters clean. Even just a small amount of dust can force you're A/C fan to work overtime. Now, for a central unit, change your filters every month or two. If you have a window unit, make sure to clean it every three months.
And when you do turn on your A/C, keep in mind every single degree counts. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, turning up your A/C temperature by just one degree can knock seven percent off your electricity bill.
Back to you, Suzanne.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Thank you, Carmen.
Politicians and marital infidelity. It's already coming up in the presidential elections for 2012. And our Talk Back question today, should infidelity matter to voters? Your answers just moments away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: President Obama's former chief of staff takes the oath of office as Mayor of Chicago. You're looking at live pictures now. This is of Rahm Emanuel waiting to be sworn in. Looks like they've got a musical selection going on there.
Emanuel announced last fall that he was leaving the White House. He was elected Chicago mayor in February, winning almost 55 percent of the vote. You're looking at the Bidens there, live pictures, the Bidens there with Rahm Emanuel.
Emanuel previously served three terms as a Congressman and was a key aide to president Bill Clinton. He's got a lot of experience. He is replacing outgoing mayor Richard Daley. You can see there's a lot of excitement in anticipation of this moment as they all begin to gather. And Rahm Emanuel there for the swearing-in.
Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich says voters should forgive his past infidelities and vote for him based on what he can do for the country. Should infidelities even matter?
Carol, with the Talk Back question. What are folks saying?
COSTELLO: They have all different sorts of opinions.
The Talk Back question, "Should infidelity matter to voters?"
This from Kim. "Absolutely. Infidelity speaks to your character. In Newt's case it wasn't just one indiscretion. How are you going to be morally corrupt and pass laws that affect my body and life? No."
This from Debbie. "It has a lot to do with hypocrisy. For Newt to think others to turn the other cheek when it comes to him but he couldn't do it for a fellow politician speaks volumes."
This from Kyle. "All that should really matter are the issues and what the politician plans to do about them, not their personal lives. Why should we force someone to be a saint just because they're running the country?"
And this from Dawn. "Our standards have become so lax and our expectations so low that voters seem willing to accept any behavior sort of homicide. The standard for public office should be much higher than it is. In short, yes, it matters."
Please continue the conversation at facebook.com/carolCNN and I'll be back in about 15 minutes.
MALVEAUX: All right. But I want you to stick around first for the Punchline here.
COSTELLO: I love this.
MALVEAUX: This is good stuff.
President Obama taking a lot of good-natured ribbing for crowing over his recent military accomplishment. Now, here's our Wolf Blitzer -- well, actually make it their Wolf Blitzer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Earlier this week, President Barack Obama spoke in El Paso, Texas. And while the topic of the speech was immigration reform, it also seemed as though the president was taking a victory lap after the capture and death of Osama bin Laden.
Let's tag along.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not sure if you heard the news. We killed bin Laden. Great to be back here in Texas, the Lone Star State, home of George W. Bush, the 43rd president. The 43rd president to not kill bin Laden, that is. We got him! We got bin Laden!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: This is great stuff. OK, this part is real though, Carol. This is what the White House has to say. So, they say it's entirely appropriate for the president to mention bin Laden in his speeches.
COSTELLO: Are they going to have a fake Wolf Blitzer, too?
MALVEAUX: Jay Carney, he says, the spokesman says, it's no different than listing other presidential accomplishments like health care reform. But, you know, we've gotten a lot of bin Laden mentions lately, huh? Don't you think?
COSTELLO: I'm just -- I just feel bad for Wolf Blitzer. He doesn't mumble like that.
MALVEAUX: No, he does not. Our Wolf is better than their Wolf.
COSTELLO: Absolutely.
MALVEAUX: Yes. All right, Carol. Next time they're going to probably -- they might do us. Who knows?
COSTELLO: I hope not. Anyway, I'll be back in 15 minutes.
MALVEAUX: OK. I'll see you.
Our CNN in-depth series continues. The focus today on America's job hunt. It is a different life in the job market for people who are over 50. You're going to hear about it from a former Navy medic who is out of work now for five months.
Well, it's no secret. We work hard in this country. But did you ever sit back and wonder what the least stressful jobs are? Well, here's what the guys at Careercast game (ph) came up with.
Number five, the people who clean your teeth. Dental hygienists.. OK.
Computer programmers come in at number four.
Software engineers, number three.
So what are the two least stressful careers according to Careercast? I'll tell you up ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: OK. So, what are the two least stressful jobs in this country according to Careercast? Dieticians, number two. And the least stressful jobs Careercast says audiologists. Those are people who diagnose hearing and treat problems. They make about $63,000 a year. This week CNN in depth focuses on America's job hunt. We're collaborating with CNNMoney.com and "TIME" magazine to look at where the jobs are, how to get them and how to keep them. So, watch our week-long coverage. Log on to CNNMoney.com and TIME.com for more reporting on America's job hunt.
Question -- is a college education even worth the money? Well, that is the big question behind a new Pew Research Center study. When asked to rate the job higher education is doing in providing value for the money, only five percent said it's doing an excellent job. Thirty-five percent said good. Forty-two percent said fair and 15 percent said poor. But when college grads were asked whether college has been a good investment for them, 86 percent say it has.
Entering the job market after 50, it's a different experience in today's digital age. A former Navy medic who's been searching for five months lays it all out.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NELSON FUENTES, JOB HUNTER: My name is Nelson Fuentes and I am 55 years of age. At this time I've been unemployed for about five months. I do try to sit here every morning. You know, I would rather get up, put on a suit and go. Now it is quite different. Well, it's not as personable. Now we are a digital age. Everything is done through the internet.
One of my primary search engines is Monster and no one wants to see you unless they've processed your resume through the internet first, where before you can go and visit a company, drop off your resume. Always, always, always have resumes readily available. It's one of the Boy Scout things -- always prepared.
Hey, Jan, it's me, nelson, how are you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good, Nelson.
FUENTES: I do have a headhunter that's looking for me as well. If she can find me a position in Tampa, then that's what I'll do.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is definitely difficult for people over 50.
FUENTES: I think that my age is not a factor to me. I do know that I come with a long history and I've had many successes in my careers. And so that may be something that they look at more than my age.
So my recommendation to anyone is don't give up on yourself. Keep your passion, keep your enthusiasm, even though we're coming up against people that are 20 and 30 years younger than us, that enthusiasm, that sense of purpose is timeless.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
So where are the jobs? Log on to CNNMoney.com for everything you need to know, from where jobs are booming to employment ghost towns, even reinventing yourself and your career. CNNMoney.com has got you covered.
