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Tornadoes Slam Massachusetts; Food Plate Replaces Pyramid; Piper Palin's 'Excellent Adventure'; Palin's One Nation Bus Tour & Mitt Romney Both in New Hampshire, Coincidence?; Jobs for the Class of 2011
Aired June 02, 2011 - 10:59 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 to get you up to speed for Thursday, June 2nd.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A tornado!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a tornado! Let me in! Let me in! Let me in!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: They're rare, but tornadoes do happen in New England. There was one swirling the life over the Connecticut River in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts. This is one of at least two tornadoes that ripped into western Massachusetts on Wednesday. At least four people were killed, 40 injured.
Video shot this morning shows the tornadoes leveled some homes and damaged others across 19 communities in the Springfield area. The governor ordered 1,000 National Guard troops onto the streets with help with search and rescue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw the whole storm coming, roofs slipping off the buildings. I was right there. I had to close the door, and my buddy had to hold it with me. If not, we would have been sucked right out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: CNN is your place for politics. Live this next hour, you're going to see former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney formally announcing that he's a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination. Staffers say Romney will tell a crowd at a New Hampshire farm, "Barack Obama has failed America." That in quotes.
New York Congressman Anthony Weiner keeps getting asked about a lewd photo on his Twitter account, but his explanations are only muddying the picture. Weiner told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that he did not tweet a picture of a man in his underwear, but Weiner would not dismiss the possibility the picture might be him. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: You didn't send that photo to that woman in Washington State?
REP. ANTHONY WEINER (D), NEW YORK: I did not send it to that woman in Washington State.
BLITZER: But you're not 100 percent sure whether the photo is actually you?
WEINER: What I am going to say is that we're doing everything we can to try to answer that question, but we're doing an investigation. I just want to caution you, photographs can be doctored, photographs can be manipulated, can be taken from one place and put in another.
And so that's -- and I want to make it clear, this is, in my view, not a federal case. In my view, this is not an international conspiracy. This is a hoax, and I think that people should treat it that way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: China may be trying to snoop into the personal e-mail of Washington's powerful. The White House is looking into a scheme that tricked hundreds of Gmail users into giving out their passwords. Google says the cyberattack originated in China. The company says senior U.S. government officials were among those who were targeted.
Dow Jones stocks are drifting between positive and negative territory this morning, one day after their biggest tumble in a year. Blue chips lost 280 points on Wednesday. Today, the Dow Jones is down about 20 points or so.
In Orlando, day eight of testimony in the murder trial of Casey Anthony, the young mother charged with killing her toddler. Anthony's brother told jurors about an explosive fight between his sister and mother. Lee Anthony says it ended with his sister admitting daughter Caylee had been missing for a month.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEE ANTHONY, CASEY ANTHONY'S BROTHER: She told me that she had not seen Caylee in 31 days, that she had been kidnapped, and that the nanny took her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Russia today banned all fresh vegetable imports from European Union countries. Officials also ordered supermarkets to clear European produce from their shelves. An E. coli breakout has killed 16 people in Europe and made 1,000 people sick. Chinese scientists call this particular strain of E. coli bacteria super toxic.
Washington is rearranging the food on our dinner plates. The trusty food pyramid that many Americans grew up with is now toast. First lady Michelle Obama revealed the new symbol for healthy eating just a short time ago.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, I want to see it!
MALVEAUX: It's a balanced dinner plate. The plate has four color-coded sections, one for fruits, one for vegetables, one for grains, and one for protein.
COSTELLO: Now we know.
MALVEAUX: Here's your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day, Mitt Romney announcing his bid for the Republican nomination next hour. So today's question: Can Romney shed his political baggage and actually win?
Carol Costello, you were here before injecting your comments before we even got to the segment.
COSTELLO: I've been waiting for that plate to appear for days. It was a huge buildup.
MALVEAUX: Now we know, fruits and veggies on one side, and then protein and grains on the other. You've been eating that way for years. Look at you.
COSTELLO: But now I know I was right.
MALVEAUX: Officially.
COSTELLO: Officially, yes.
MALVEAUX: OK. The Carol Costello plate. OK.
COSTELLO: Well, now, sadly -- well, not sadly -- excitingly, we have to talk about Mitt Romney. Mitt Romney is anything but a flashy guy. The former governor is a family man. He watches "American Idol," he listens to the Beatles, he's even dropped the tie.
But will Republicans turn out in droves to vote for him? Not necessarily.
In the latest CNN poll of Republicans, Romney came in second to Rudy Giuliani, who's not even running, at least for now. What's bad about it, his critics say Romney lacks passion and appears wooden.
But there are other issues that make Republicans squeamish. Romney says he'll fight to repeal the so-called Obamacare. But wait -- isn't Obamacare kind of like Romneycare, the Massachusetts plan under Romney?
President Obama sure thinks so.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Mitt Romney, who recently said he's proud of what he accomplished on health care in Massachusetts, supports giving states the power to determine their own health care solutions. He's right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And there's Romany's Mormon religion. Many Christian conservatives, the key Republican voting bloc, say they would not vote for a Mormon. Still, admirers, like talk show host Hugh Hewitt, think Romney can pull it off.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HUGH HEWITT, CONSERVATIVE RADIO HOST: The worse the country's problems become -- and they're pretty enormous right now -- the better he looks because his record of turnaround is what he's going to be running on as a job creator and someone who can solve very complicated problems.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So, while though Romney seem to be doing everything right -- he's spending lots of time in New Hampshire, he's raising tons of money -- he'll still got those monkeys on his back.
So, our "Talk Back" question today: Can Romney shed his political baggage and win?
Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll read some of your comments later this hour.
MALVEAUX: And running into Mitt Romney covering the campaign, can he be more interesting this go-around? A lot of people want to know.
COSTELLO: Well, he took the tie off.
MALVEAUX: Can he relate to people? People want to see that.
COSTELLO: He took the tie off and he's listening to the Beatles. What more do you want?
MALVEAUX: All right. Does he have a whole plate of fruits and veggies?
COSTELLO: I'm sure he follows that new food plate pyramid thingy.
MALVEAUX: All right, Carol. Can't wait to hear the responses. Thanks, Carol.
Here's a rundown of some of the stories we're covering the next two hours.
Deadly tornadoes tear through Massachusetts. We're going to go live to one of the hardest hit areas.
Also, good-bye pyramid, hello plate. The government tries to help Americans make healthier food choices.
Plus, frontrunners and possible contenders. We're going to talk about how the GOP race for the White House is shaping up.
And some economists are now scaling back their expectations. What that means for housing, jobs, and the economy overall.
And finally, Piper's excellent vacation. Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin takes her youngest daughter on the road with her.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What happened to your house? Have you been to your house?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. It got torn down by a tornado. Like, we went to the basement, and it got torn down by a tornado, like real hard.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you were inside the basement as it was being pulled apart?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What were you thinking? Were you a little scared?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Seems that no place is safe in this deadly tornado season. The latest state to get slammed, that is Massachusetts. Tornadoes hit the western part of the state, killing at least four people.
Our CNN's Jason Carroll, he's in Springfield.
And Jason, you are really at the heart, the center of where all of this took place. And I understand there were a lot of people who you spoke to who had some really close calls.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A close call for many people, especially in this particular neighborhood.
If you take a look, you've heard about that term "Tornado Alley." That's what this neighborhood looks like.
This tornado came straight through here, tearing apart homes as they came through, this home here and another one. And the woman -- I spoke to her this morning, Suzanne -- she was actually inside this house with her family. And like so many people here, she didn't take the warning seriously, because so many people here are not used to tornadoes coming through this area. The last major tornado that came through this particular was back in 1953, at least in the central part of the state.
I want you also to look at some video which is really incredible. This is from a man, Dave Mech. He lives just one block from here.
Yesterday, he was heading on his way home, and like so many people, got caught in the tornado, at least one part of it. And then once he realized how serious things really were, he tried to get out of his car, ran up to the house. You can hear him screaming there, "Let me in! Let me in!"
So that's what he's screaming. Eventually, he did get in. It was so loud, apparently when the tornado came through here it sounded like a freight train. I know you've heard that description before.
He safely made it inside. And this morning, when he came up to us, we were able to talk to him about his experience, about what he went through. I want you to take a listen to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID MECH, SPRINGFIELD, MASS., RESIDENT: It just happened so quickly. You know, people say they happen quickly. They happen quickly.
And by the time I got from my truck to the house, the tornado was already there. And I started banging on the door. You know, there was nothing between me and the rest of the trees that were coming my way.
People say your life flashes before your eyes. Well, the trees were flashing before my eyes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: And Suzanne, here's what it was with this particular tornado -- pockets of destruction. That's what we're finding here.
Dave Mech's house, again, just a block from here, untouched. He was frightened, but the house was untouched.
And then you look just a block away, look at what happened here to this particular house, which was destroyed. And this brick apartment building that you see over here, they have the area now cordoned off. That's been condemned because we're told that that building is now about to collapse.
So, pockets of destruction that the people are seeing here as they come back to assess the damage -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: And Jason, it's so rare for something like that to happen in that area. How's a city like Springfield actually coping with this?
CARROLL: Well, I think a lot of people are still trying to get their heads around what happened. You see people coming back to this particular neighborhood, and it's fascinating just to watch their faces. They look astonished at the amount of destruction. Again, a lot of people just thought it would not happen here. Clearly, it did.
MALVEAUX: All right. Jason Carroll, be safe. Thank you very much.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MALVEAUX: A new guide to healthy eating in the form of a dinner plate. We're going to tell you what's different about this new nutrition picture.
And the National Spelling Bee, it's tonight. So we wanted to see if you can spell out some words that trip up a lot of Americans. Absence is one of the most commonly misspelled words. Do you know how to spell it?
Take a good look. Choices are on your screen. See if you're right when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Here's your answer to our spelling quiz. We asked you the correct way to spell "absence."
Take a look at the choices. OK. Got it? Right answer is C, A- B-S-E-N-C-E.
We got it.
OK. The National Spelling Bee, that's tonight. In the next hour, we're going to talk to someone who has participated in the Bee and ask just how much preparation these kids actually go through.
(NEWSBREAK)
MALVEAUX: Remember when you were back in elementary school? The picture of good health looked like a pyramid, right? Well, the foods you needed to eat more were at the bottom, the grains, the vegetables. Meat, milk, they were towards the top.
Well, today, it was officially replaced.
Our CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us.
Elizabeth, tell us what's new here.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: All right.
For the first time on television, we have the USDA "My Plate." And so what this is a dinner plate. There you go. Way simpler, thank goodness, than that pyramid.
And as you can see, Suzanne, half the plate is fruits and vegetables. Now, that would seem pretty simple, right? I mean, obvious, I should say.
MALVEAUX: Sure. COHEN: But you know what? It has taken activists years to get the USDA to say make half of your food fruits and vegetables. People have accused them in the past of kowtowing to meat and dairy interest and lobbyists, and they didn't this time. Fruit and vegetables, half the plate.
MALVEAUX: OK. And do we think this will help Americans eat better?
COHEN: You know, Americans don't eat very well as a rule. The rates of obesity in this country are sky high. And there's real concern that this icon isn't going to be enough.
Sure, it's great to have, it's not going to be enough. We need to make good food more affordable. We need to make people more aware. We need to convince people that this is something they really need to do. So, no, the icon won't be enough.
MALVEAUX: OK. All right. Elizabeth, thank you very much.
COHEN: Thanks.
MALVEAUX: Appreciate it. This is obviously something the first lady is pushing and hopes it will change the behavior of many Americans in tackling obesity as well.
COHEN: That's right.
MALVEAUX: All right. Thanks, Elizabeth.
COHEN: Thanks.
MALVEAUX: Here are today's choices for "Choose the News."
First, Moammar Gadhafi's soldiers may have left, but their tools of destruction remain. But now children are playing on some of the very tanks that left them screaming in fear and unable to leave their homes.
Second, while a nuclear meltdown is the nightmare scenario, there's also potential danger from companies failing to maintain nuclear power plants as well as they should. It's led to leaks of radioactive water and questions of whether the public is even being protected.
And, third, a Marine in Houston may be on the verge of a victory as he fights the homeowners association in his neighborhood over a flagpole in his yard.
So, you can vote by texting 22360. Text 1 for "Tanks for Tots"; 2 for "Nuclear Plant Leaks"; or, 3, "Marine's Flagpole Fight." The winning story will air in the next hour.
Well, Mitt Romney gets ready to officially jump into the presidential race. He is not the only Republican, however, who is in the spotlight. We're going to talk politics with our Candy Crowley. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Here's a rundown on some of the stories that we are working on next.
The pack of Republican presidential hopefuls grows with Mitt Romany's expected announcement. The question is, who's on top?
Then, getting old does not necessarily mean taking it easy for this 97-year-old.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Once you sit in a rocking chair, you're done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: She is not in a rocking chair. Grandma's got a brand new job.
And a little girl who won't stop protecting Mama Grizzly. Don't miss this Jeanne Moos report on Piper Palin.
And as former Alaska governor Sarah Palin tours the country in her "We the People" bus, we see Palin's youngest daughter step up her game.
Here's CNN's Jeanne Moos with 10-year-old Piper's excellent adventure.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If a teacher asked Piper Palin what she did for her summer vacation, she can leap right into the "We the People" bus trip saga, though very few people have their very own bus. How many 10-year-olds can say they've been hounded by the press --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't step on the kids, please.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Make a hole.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Make a hole.
MOOS: -- or had pizza with Donald Trump --
SARAH PALIN (R), FMR. VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We had great pizza. Wasn't that good? It was real New York pizza.
MOOS: -- or went motorcycle riding with mom on the back of dad's bike?
Oh, sure, she had to entertain herself, cramming gum into her mouth while she listened to mom give interview after interview. And sometimes she had to physically drag her mom away. And occasionally, it took --
S. PALIN: And where's the school?
MOOS: -- not just one tap on the shoulder, not just two --
S. PALIN: In fact, Todd -- hold on one second, honey.
MOOS: Three taps and she's out, finally. But even a kid --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Piper, what did you think of the Statue of Liberty?
MOOS: -- isn't immune to the lure of the limelight. In a role reversal, mom watched while Piper described her favorite part.
PIPER PALIN, SARAH PALIN'S DAUGHTER: Seeing the torch.
MOOS (on camera): We haven't seen this much of Piper Palin since she first made her mark at the Republican Convention.
(voice-over): Made her mark on her brother Trig by licking her hand to slick down his hair.
A CNN producer was so smitten by her sassy behavior at the convention that she named her dog Piper. Here, Piper, the one in the Snoopy T-shirt.
The trip hasn't been all excitement.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Supporting the troops --
MOOS: Piper looked momentarily bored and hot on a scorching day touring Fort McHenry.
(on camera): Some say Piper is acting like her mother's miniature bodyguard.
(voice-over): She's been seen leading her mom with outstretched arm.
S. PALIN: Contemplating what --
MOOS: And FOX 29 in Philadelphia captured what looked like a body block as Piper wedged herself between a reporter with a mike and her mother. The move provoked tweets that Piper was head of Palin's security and a bouncer press secretary in the making.
Watch how she handles the media onslaught. Get that microphone off of me. When the media roll up, there's only one thing to do --
P. PALIN: Move off the window.
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN --
P. PALIN: Move off the window.
MOOS: -- New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: The man many consider the early Republican frontrunner is about to make it official. Mitt Romney formally announces his presidential campaign in New Hampshire about a half hour from now. Romney is just one of the GOP candidates and possible contenders in the spotlight today. And he isn't the only big-name Republican in New Hampshire.
Sarah Palin's mystery bus tour, she makes a stop there. Former New York governor (sic) Rudy Giuliani -- rather mayor -- holds events in the state as well. Also in the headlines, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. He has been courted by conservatives, but he is under fire for using a state helicopter to attend his son's baseball game.
A lot of political news to talk about. And who better to bring into the conversation than our own chief political correspondent, Candy Crowley? She joins us from Stratham, New Hampshire, where Mitt Romney is going to be making his big announcement.
So, Candy, let's start with Romney first. Why this particular place, and why now, do you suppose?
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, it's picturesque. It's a beautiful farm, suburban Portsmouth.
But message-wise, this is the second big announcement that Mitt Romney has made here. He did his exploratory committee announcement here as well. So what does that say? It says that New Hampshire is very important to Mitt Romney.
He used to be governor right next door. This is where, as we move closer to the primary season, beginning with those January caucuses in Iowa, this is where Mitt Romney has to win.
Now, you talk to his campaign folks, and they say, well, we have to win in a lot of places, but, boy, a loss here would be big. So this is a "New Hampshire is important to me" moment for Mitt Romney. Just in case New Hampshirites haven't seen enough of him, this is something that sends a very big message to New Hampshire -- I'm here and I'm competing big.
MALVEAUX: And we know from excerpts already from his campaign released earlier today that he's going to go after pretty hard on President Obama on jobs, the economy, saying that Barack Obama has failed America.
What do we make of that strategy now, Candy?
CROWLEY: Well, it does a couple of things.
First of all, as you mentioned, he's often been called the frontrunner or weak frontrunner. Nonetheless, he has a lot of money as name recognition. So he is the presumptive frontrunner. And certainly in the polls here in New Hampshire, he has a nice healthy lead.
So what do you do when you're that? You go after the president. He's not going after anybody else in this race or people who might be considering getting into this race. So there's that.
But it also plays to what the Romney camp wants to play to this entire election season. And that is the economy and jobs. Romney will position himself as I'm like the businessman. I know how to create jobs and contrast that with the experience that he believes President Obama did not have coming into the White House. And he believes that's why it's led to what he says is an economy that's still in trouble.
And one thing I want to point out. I don't know if you can see behind me the Mitt Romney banner, where it says "Believe in America." And part of his speech today is about, well, you know, America believed in Barack Obama and we put all our hopes there. To me, this is sort of a contrasting message to the president, you know? They believe in a person, believe in America. It's a very kind of Republican approach, as well as, I think, a little nick at the president.
So you're going to see Mitt Romney go after the president because that's who he wants people to see as his rival. And he's going to go after them on jobs, jobs, jobs, and the economy, hoping to put the social issues aside and move to his strengths..
MALVEAUX: And what do you make of the fact that Sarah Palin is in some ways going to be stealing the spotlight from her own bus tour pulling up in New Hampshire?
CROWLEY: Well, listen. Sarah Palin certainly attracts cameras wherever she goes. It's a good way, if she wants to be in the headlines, it's a good way to do it. She's going to be not far from here, as we understand it, for a clambake somewhere near Portsmouth. So that's not far from here.
On the other hand, this is the official announcement of the supposed frontrunner in this race so it tells you a lot about the state of this race, that people like Palin and people like Chris Christie and people like Rudy Giuliani still get a lot of attention. None of them are in the race, but they still get a lot of attention and it tells you that it's a very unsettled race at this point, that Republicans are still kind of looking outward, saying who would be cool to run? Oh, I like this person.
So it's an unsettled race and you're going to get these kinds of competing headlines.
MALVEAUX: It's interesting. Who would be cool to run in this race? One of our polls showed very recently New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani who's also in New Hampshire, was at the top of the list.
Do we have any idea whether or not, Candy, he would even potentially jump in this race? CROWLEY: Well, you know, the best we can do is tell you he hasn't ruled it out. He is coming here. He is going to do a fundraiser here for Republicans. That certainly keeps the talk going. Again, sometimes former headliners like to keep the mojo going because it keeps their speaking fees up and keeps them kind of high profile, and the same can be said of Sarah Palin.
So we don't really know because he has said, well, gee, maybe I'll think about it but there's no sign. I mean, there's no gathering up of staff. There's no raising funds for himself, that kind of thing
MALVEAUX: Sure.
CROWLEY: So it may just be, again, that we're just in that kind of period in a race where people are just kind of looking around saying, hmm, what about this person?
MALVEAUX: Yes. A lot of that going on. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie finally being urged by some Republicans to run. But he also, we're seeing, has some trouble over the allegations now of using state helicopter to fly to his son's baseball game.
Do we think there's any way that Republicans can persuade him to run? And do you think this is kind of a blip in the road here or there's controversy at all?
CROWLEY: Well it's not a blip in the road right now for Chris Christie, who's trying to do a lot of controversial things in New Jersey, at least a lot of hard things. He's been pretty adamant about saying, I'm not running. You know, there's no headline here. I'm not doing it. Yes, I'm going to Iowa but I'm not -- but he keeps his name out there.
There are other races to come. He's a young man. And do I think, say, four years from now or six years from now, I guess, that there might be another shot at it by someone like Chris Christie? Sure. And by that time, do I think we'll care about the helicopter? Probably not.
MALVEAUX: All right. The intrepid Candy Crowley in the wind covering this all for us. Thank you very much.
CROWLEY: Thanks, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Appreciate it, as always. Thank you, Candy.
Monday night, Mitt Romney sits down with Piers Morgan to discuss how he intends to capture the White House in 2012. That is Monday night, 9:00 Eastern, here on CNN.
For the U.S. economy, a slowdown on the road to recovery now. We're looking at weak jobs, housing reports help fueling a selloff on Wall Street. We're going to go live to New York to find out just how serious this so-called soft spot is.
And a reality show couple with 19 -- right, 19 kids -- helps the victims of tornado-ravaged Joplin, Missouri. It's just one of the ways people are impacting their world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JILL DUGGAR, "19 KIDS AND COUNTING": Hi, I'm Jill Dugger.
JOSH DUGGAR, "19 KIDS AND COUNTING": And I'm Josh Duggar.
JILL DUGGAR: And we can make a difference with search and rescu --
JOSH DUGGAR: -- and tornado relief in Joplin, Missouri. So we are here in Arkansas where we live when the tornado hit.
JILL DUGGAR: Thoughts started coming, OK, what can we do to help?
JOSH DUGGAR: So basically, we packed everything up and got water bottles, Gatorade. I've been around emergency situations, and, you know, working as a volunteer firefighter. Being that Jill, Jana, and John -- they're active duty volunteer firefighters. They were able to plug right in. Giving them hope by being there, I think, really inspires them to continue on.
Join the movement.
JILL DUGGAR: Impact your world.
JOSH DUGGAR: To CNN.com/impact.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: A reminder to vote for today's Choose the News story. Tell us which one you would like to see by texting to 22360.
Text 1 for tanks for tots, how children can find fun anywhere with anything.
And text 2 for nuclear plant leaks. Is the Nuclear Regulatory Commission protecting public safety?
And text 3 for Marine's flagpole fight. A Texan takes on his homeowner's association.
The winning story will air in the next hour.
On the economic front all eyes are on the stock market after the Dow and S&P 500 posted their biggest losses this year. A slump in housing prices and weak jobs creation helped fuel that drop. Another report is out today. First time jobless claims have dropped by 6,000, but they're still above 400,000.
CNN's Christine Romans is here with us from New York.
And Christine, first of all, a lot of economists now lowering their expectations for the economy.
What do these new reports actually tell us?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It's showing us that what we know is a fragile recovery is still fragile and might even be slowing down a little bit heading into the summer.
For eight weeks now -- you just showed the jobless claims. For eight weeks now, it's been above 400,000 and you'd like to see that starting to trend lower.
Also, we're going to get the big monthly jobs report. And there were some private sector indications this week that maybe we didn't create the private sector jobs that many people had hoped. Now, keep in mind, private sector jobs growth has been pretty good for five or six months. Can that pace continue?
That's what we asked Lakshman Achuthan earlier this morning and this is what he had to say about the pace of private business of creating jobs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAKSHMAN ACHUTHAN, ECONOMIC CYCLE RESEARCH INSTITUTE: It would be really odd for us to maintain the strength. I think you should be prepared that it's going to throttle back. It may have just been as good as it gets for the jobs market. It'll still grow, so there's no recession. That's a good thing. But it's -- slow and steady wins the race.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: So slow and steady wins the race, but we still don't have enough jobs for everyone and that's a big part of the problem for your personal economy and for an economic recovery.
Throw on top of that, the housing numbers that you mentioned earlier this week, and probably the biggest asset you'll ever have, the biggest investment you'll ever make, your house. There's still really no bright spots there either.
So all taken together, stock market investors are saying they don't really feel so great about the economic prospects right now, and they're just going to dial back. So, there you go. Down another 79 points today. But it certainly isn't a huge decline and that's good news. This is more like a pause after a big selloff and so that's good.
MALVEAUX: Do we have any idea, Christine, how long we're going to be kind of in the slowdown period? Does anybody have any predictions in terms of when we'll actually get on the other side this?
ROMANS: That's a really good question. And it depends on what you're looking at. Whether you're looking at jobs or housing or the overall economy and the overall pace of economic growth.
The worries about this have really been persisting really the whole month. I mean, in May you saw stocks keep limping lower because of concerns how strong the economic recovery was going to be.
I mean, to talk about something in your wheelhouse, Suzanne, this will start to have political ramifications as you head into the 2012 election. Who's going to address head on how you're going to create jobs, how you're going to create value again in a housing market, how you're going to make sure the economy is going forward. And you'll see the two ideological battles.
One will be cutting taxes and cutting services and cutting the budget. That'll be the Republican point of view. And then you'll hear, I'm sure, from Democrats that, no, this is not the time to be dialing back. We need to have stimulus in the economy. We need to have oxygen flowing. So, this will start to be political as much as it is economic.
MALVEAUX: We've already started to hear the political slogans.
OK. Christine Romans, thank you very much.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
MALVEAUX: All right, Felicia, thank you very much. We appreciate it.
It is tough going for a lot of folks looking for work, so you've got to admire this one woman from Rhode Island. She just landed herself a new gig, a new job at the age of 97. She is now working for a hospital as a greeter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NANCY PONCIN, RETURNED TO WORKFORCE: Well, you know, when you're trying to get unemployment, you have to go out looking for a job every day, and nobody's hiring. And even if they were hiring, you know, your age is a little bit against you, too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Good for her. Ninety-seven years old, she was laid off from her previous job last year, but she says she is now thrilled with her new job.
Well, at noon Eastern, Mitt Romney officially tosses his hat into the presidential ring. So today's "Talk Back": Can Romney shed his political baggage and actually win?
Nancy says, "No, the baggage is still there and he has no chance of winning in this country."
More of your responses up ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: We're just moments away from Mitt Romney announcing he's a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, which brings us to today's "Talk Back" question and our Carol Costello with your responses.
Hey, Carol.
COSTELLO: His big announcement about to come in New Hamphire, and he's excited. He's tried to reshape his image, he's tried to go more casual, be a more normal, fun and carefree person. So we'll see if that works.
But he does have some baggage. That's why the "Talk Back" question is: Can Romney shed his political baggage and win?
This from Bill, "As a GOP candidate, Romney is an empty suit, pandering to a base. He believes in things the GOP itself has been vilifying. In cases where he has an opinion, he shuts his mouth because won't play politically."
This from Matthew, "Mitt Romney can shed his political weight as long as he is honest and shows the faults of Obamacare. He is currently the most liked and respected candidate."
This from Glenn, "He could possibly win the Republican primary because he seems to be the only viable candidate that they have. But there is no way he could win the general election."
And this from Paul, "Romney's biggest flaw is his flip-flopping on some very key issues. He has the ability to appeal to more moderates, more so than anyone at this time, but his message needs to be more focused and consistent. He has a shot, though. America needs more problem solvers, not ideologues."
The most interesting thing, of all the comments we got, nobody mentioned his Mormon religion, which was a factor for Mitt Romney in 2008.
MALVEAUX: That's right, that's right. Well, that is interesting. Maybe that just doesn't matter anymore.
COSTELLO: Maybe not.
MALVEAUX: And I understand his campaign is leaner now, he's focusing on New Hampshire instead of a whole bunch of early states. So we'll see if people are focusing on what he wants them to focus on.
COSTELLO: And most importantly, he's raising lots and lots of money.
MALVEAUX: As always, yes. They need a lot of money to run these days.
COSTELLO: They do.
MALVEAUX: Thank you, Carol.
COSTELLO: Sure.
MALVEAUX: Some god news for the class of 2011, companies plan to hire more grads this year, but you still need to stand out, right, from the rest of your peers. Well, we've got a tip for you: Find out what the company culture is like. We're going to reveal more straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: It's graduation time, the class of 2011 is hitting the workforce, but a weak job market makes it tough for recent college grads. But Alison Kosik has tips to help new workers stand out and stay ahead from day one.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Suzanne.
I've got some good news for the class of 2011, companies plan to hire 19 percent more graduates this year than last year, that's according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Industries that are hiring include oil and gas, pharmaceutical, electronics manufacturers, insurance, financial, and real estate.
All right, but getting the job is only half the battle. The work really begins when you punch in on day one. So those at Monster.com say begin by familiarizing yourself with the company culture, observe everything from how your coworkers dress to how much they socialize, to whether they prefer e-mail or in-person meetings.
Next, take some time to build relationships. Learn about your coworkers' responsibilities, ask questions and learn how their job affects you. You don't want to step on anyone else's toes. Also, something as simple as remembering names will also help you make a good impression.
And we all remember the first big mistake we made on that first job, but the experts say come clean and admit them. Don't make the mistake of hoping no one's going to notice, instead, ask for help, make corrections, and move on.
Finally, talk to your boss to lay out expectations. Discuss your job responsibilities and learn how he or she will measure your performance, such as a written or in-person review, quarterly or annually. Ask for regular feedback to gauge your progress and keep your own list of accomplishments so you are ready to show the value that you've added to the company.
And grads, if you don't have a job yet, don't panic. Rutgers Universities Work Trends survey says only 29 percent of respondents had jobs lined up before graduation, 51 percent found work within two months, and 69 percent were employed within six months. So there is hope for them -- Suzanne.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Thank you.
Don't forget to "Choose the News" today, this winner. Text 22360 for the story you'd like to see.
Text "1" for tanks for tots, children are playing with Moammar Gadhafi's tools for destruction.
Text "2" for nuclear plant leaks, an investigation of nuclear plant safety in the United States.
And text "3" for Marine's flagpole fight, a Texas homeowner's backyard battle.
Winning story will air in the next hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Sarah Palin and entourage hit New Hampshire today, which coincidentally -- coincidentally holds the first presidential primaries seven months from now. So comedians say, if Palin's bus tour isn't a presidential campaign, maybe it's a fashion show on wheels.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE COLBERT REPORT" FROM COMEDY CENTRAL)
STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, COMEDY CENTRAL'S "THE COLBERT REPORT": Last night, I told you about semi-Governor Sarah Palin's new one- nation bus tour, her freedom wagon of PAC-funded professional tourism.
Well, it's only day four and she has managed to do the unthinkable, spend four days on a bus without looking like she's spent four days on a bus.
(LAUGHTER)
Here's what I look like after spending 15 minutes on the cross- town. Of course --
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Here are today's choices for "Choose the News."
First, Moammar Gadhafi's soldiers may have left, but their tools of destruction remain. Now children are playing on some of the very tanks that left them screaming in fear and unable to leave their homes.
Second, while a nuclear meltdown is the nightmare scenario, there's also potential danger from companies failing to maintain nuclear power plants as well as they should. It's led to leaks of radioactive water and questions of whether the public is being protected.
And third, a Marine in Houston may be on the verge of a victory, as he fights the homeowners' association in his neighborhood over a flagpole in his yard.
You can vote by texting 22360. Text "1" for tanks for tots, "2" for nuclear plant leaks, or "3" Marine's flagpole fight.
Winning story will air in the next hour.
