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Jackson Death Trial Verdict Watch; Prolonged Sitting Linked to Cancer; More Young People Out of Work

Aired November 04, 2011 - 11:01   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right. President Barack Obama there in Cannes, France, underscoring that the international community is certainly there standing ready to assist whether it be Greece -- Greece now backing that bailout plan that has been offered by the European nations. And, of course, the president also answering a number of questions of domestic interests posed by a number of domestic correspondents there traveling with the president.

We're going to bring in our Washington contingent correspondents. Chief Political Correspondent Candy Crowley and Wolf Blitzer, joining us from Washington. John King, joining us live from Des Moines, Iowa. And Ali Velshi momentarily will be joining us as well from Cannes, France.

Let's begin with you, Wolf.

The president underscoring that the international community is working in concert to make sure that Greece goes about doing the right thing, accepting that bailout plan. But this really was the issue that upstaged the G-20 summit. They were supposed to be talking -- or being able to talk about a number of global issues, but it was Greece that kind of stole the show.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Well, because if Greece were to collapse its economic situation there, and if this resolution that they've worked out over the past several weeks and months were to simply go down the drain -- for political purposes, in Greece, the prime minister there saying he wanted to have a referendum, and backing out. There's a political crisis unfolding right now. It would have enormous ripple effects, damaging ripple effects -- Italy and Spain, Portugal, Ireland, the rest of the European continent -- it could potentially have enormous implications here in the United States as well, given the trade relationship, the enormous cooperation that the U.S. and the Europeans have.

The president said after two days -- he said that they did make progress. They are on firmer footing today, two days of this G-20 summit in Cannes. And he expressed confidence. He said he was confident that the Europeans could get their act together, although he said all these words that we're hearing have to be backed up by action.

This is a tough issue.

Candy Crowley is here with us as well, Fred. And Candy, you were listening to the president make his points. To a certain degree, he's addressing the international community. But to another degree, he's also addressing the American public. And as much as he says he's not interested in politics right now, he only wants to get the job done, we know that politics is always on every politician's mind.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Sure. And he has people to worry about politics for him at this point. You know, he has an entire reelection team doing that. So they are worried about re-election, let's face it.

But it was interesting, because I think he spoke to both audiences in his opening remarks when he said, "Europe has the capacity to meet this challenge." Europeans are committing to -- are committed to stabilizing.

This was very important for the U.S., to go in there and say, what's your plan, what's your specific plan here? Because the U.S. doesn't want a huge involvement from Asia. It wants Europe to fix Europe's problems, as the president argued, the U.S. fixed its problems or is in the process of fixing its problems with U.S. dollars.

So that's a message both to the U.S. audience, which is, we're not bailing out Europe, by the way. Europe's going to bail out Europe. And also just reiterating what he's been saying for two and three days, you guys need to do this. This is your home turf, and it certainly behooves all of us that you do that.

BLITZER: You know, it's interesting.

And Fred, as much as Candy's right, the president of the United States, the American Congress have no desire to bail out the Europeans right now. We have our own economic issues. The financial situation is bad enough here. Not a whole lot of money to go bail out the Europeans.

But it's interesting, Fred. You know who might help the Europeans? That would be China, because -- and they are turning to China for some help, because the Chinese have a lot of cash, and they might be able to help out this European economic crisis.

WHITFIELD: That's right. China has the deep pockets. But it was very clear, too, that China has been obviously very silent in all of this, trying to let European nations work it out first before raising the hand and volunteering to step in.

Our John King is in Des Moines, Iowa. I want to bring John into the equation, too.

The president was asked about the 2012 election, but he says, you know what? That's the least of his concerns right now.

He says while there are some signs that the economy is growing, it's not growing fast enough. Today's unemployment rate of 9.0 percent, an indicator of that. And he says the U.S. Congress, he's trying to put pressure on the U.S. Congress, even from France, saying now is not the time for inaction.

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And, Fred, I'll pick up where Candy left off. He says the least thing he's thinking about right now is the election. Well, I'm not saying that's a disingenuous answers, but it's not exactly an honest answer.

But the president knows that if he focuses on the challenge in Europe, and the challenge here at home, which is the economy, he will be trying to help himself politically. They are exactly connected.

It was an interesting argument, because the president was there in Europe, and you saw the dysfunction, the political dysfunction. The French are mad at the Germans. Everybody's mad at the Greeks. Now there's pressure on the Italians. There's a lot of dysfunction in the European political system.

Well, bring it home. There's a lot of dysfunction in Washington, D.C., right now, as our Congress and the president try to deal with a somewhat similar issue, the debt issue here, the debt and deficit and growth in the economy here in the United States.

So the president is clearly frustrated. He was a bit frustrated on this trip watching the Europeans. He'll be even more frustrated when he comes home, because not only does it affect his job as president, it does affect his re-election as president.

Just today, 9 percent unemployment. This president knows the unemployment rate, at best, will be 8.6 percent, 8.7 percent, when he's asking the voters one year from today to give him four more years. He knows he can't count on the Republicans to do much with him, working with him, in the meantime. And so that is the steep hill the president faces.

And trust me, Fred. I'm in Iowa today. It's a state President Obama carried last time. George W. Bush won Iowa once.

It's a small state, but it's a swing state. And you sense it when you talk to people. The uncertainty, the mistrust and distrust of the politicians, number one, and then the anxiety about the economy combines into what is almost a toxic political environment.

And the president's an incumbent. Maybe he deserves some blame, maybe he deserves less blame. Voters will decide that. He's the incumbent. Our political history tells us when you have such an economic funk, the incumbent pays.

WHITFIELD: All right. John King, thanks so much, in Des Moines, Iowa.

Let's go to Cannes, France, where we find out Jessica Yellin, White House correspondent, as well as our Ali Velshi, chief business correspondent, also there in Cannes.

Ali, let me begin with you, because let's talk about Greece and its positioning now. I wonder if at least the prime minister is irreversibly politically damaged even though he has changed course and is now accepting this bailout plan.

ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, he's done 360 degrees. He did 180 earlier this week, and then he did another 180.

It will be hard to tell, but we won't have to wait to long. Probably some time in the next 12 hours we'll have the results of the confidence vote, and that will have a major impact.

If he survives the confidence vote -- remember, he only leads by two seats in parliament -- he lives to fight another day and things could go on as expected. If that government gets defeated tonight on this confidence vote, or he has to step down, everything's back in the air.

And I think President Obama's comments here were interesting, because he was kind of making light of the fact that Europe's got a lot of decision makers. You think you've got a deal -- you think things are complicated in Washington? Around here you think you have a deal on October 27th, and clearly they didn't.

So, while the G-20's got a lot of things it wanted to accomplish, everybody's attentions have been on Greece. And they will continue to be for at least the next 12 hours.

WHITFIELD: All right. Ali Velshi, thanks so much.

Jessica Yellin, traveling with the president.

So, Jessica, you have to wonder why this is so important for President Obama to, A, make this trip, take the stand he did today on the economy of the U.S., as well as the global economies, and stand firm with France at a time like this.

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, he has said, Fredricka, that the biggest headwind facing the U.S. economy is the crisis in Europe. And the U.S. has played a role in helping all these nations work out -- or play an intermediary role helping them resolve some of their plans.

I'd like to point out a couple of the highlights of what I think I heard him say, because some of the officials I've been speaking with have -- give us a little more background on what the president meant.

When he says that they've sped up the process, they are very pleased that they think there's been a great deal of frustration in the U.S. that they didn't respond as quickly in Europe as we did in the U.S. to the crisis. And they think the U.S. has successfully prodded them to do that a little more quickly.

When he said we found tools through the IMF to back up the process, my understanding is they have gotten some other nations here to agree to provide money if there should be some sort of larger global crisis that should emanate from a European crisis, provide money to the IMF at a future date if needed. And then we've gotten a lot of indication that the Chinese are not ponying up money either directly or through the IMF at this point. A lot of, well, the Chinese will -- we don't have to worry about whether the Chinese will give money or not because they don't seem ready to do that.

And then, finally, if I could point this out, Fredricka, while the president dismissed a campaign question, he did give a very focused campaign answer at the end of this presser. I bet we'll hear this on the campaign trail a lot.

He did say, "When I came into office, the U.S. economy was contracting at 9 percent. A year later, it was growing at 4 percent, and it's been growing ever since."

Now, that seems like the most positive spin on the state of the U.S. economy you could possibly come up with right now. And that sounds like a distillation of what President Obama might be saying on the campaign trail over the next year. I think you heard it here first.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jessica Yellin, thanks so much.

And thanks to our John King and Ali Velshi, Wolf Blitzer, Candy Crowley, all for your input on this.

All right. We're going to be right back. And when we come back, more on this alliance between France and the U.S., with ceremonies taking place involving President Barack Obama and President Nicolas Sarkozy, right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's get you up to speed.

Right now, happening this hour, jurors begin deliberations in the trial of Michael Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray. Did he give Jackson that lethal dose of Propofol, or did Jackson give himself the drug? That's what the jury has to decide, and we're on the verdict watch.

And one of two women accusing Herman Cain of sexual harassment could release a statement today. The Republican presidential candidate is sticking by his story that he never sexually harassed anyone.

Here's what he said in a radio interview with conservative commentator Sean Hannity.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: But I can assure you this, Sean -- this will not deter me. This businessman is not going to be deterred in his drive to basically do what I feel like I'm supposed to be doing, which is win this nomination and win the presidency.

(END AUDIO CLIP) WHITFIELD: The monthly employment report for October shows the jobless rate inched down ever so slightly. The Labor Department says employers added 80,000 jobs. The unemployment rate dipped to 9 percent. Also, the jobs numbers for August and September were revised.

But stocks are down because the report wasn't stronger. And the financial and political situation in Greece is still uncertain. You see the Dow dipping now to 170 points.

All right. More violence and a promise broken in Syria.

Just two days after the government there said it would pull troops from the streets, Syrian security forces fanned out again this morning. Troops fired shots to disperse crowds and surrounded mosques to trap worshipers inside and prevent them from protesting. That's according to a London-based Syrian human rights group. At least four civilians are reported dead.

Jon Corzine resigns as CEO of the bankrupt brokerage firm MF Global. He announced the decision today.

Corzine is the former governor of New Jersey and former CEO of Goldman Sachs. He leaves MF Global in the middle of a financial mess. Regulators say more than $600 million is missing from the company's books.

And this next video is like something out of an action movie, right there. Watch these two Brazilian cops ramming their patrol car into the side of a plane to stop some suspected smugglers from taking off with stolen cargo. They arrested the pilot and four passengers and confiscated $200,000 worth of electronics stashed on board.

All right. More now on jobs and your money. The monthly employment report for October was kind of so-so. Not that great, not terrible, but there are some encouraging signs now.

Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange.

Alison, give us the kind of glass half full perspective on the jobs report.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: OK. Yes, here's some of the positive stuff that you can kind of glean out of this report.

Obviously, the fact that we're adding jobs, that's a good thing. We added 80,000 jobs in October. The unemployment rate fell to 9 percent from 9.1 percent.

Also, the gains are coming from the private sector, so that's good, because it shows that employers are growing more confident, they're hiring more people.

Also, the number of people who have been out of work for a long time now, for six months or more, that number is falling. So it shows more and more people are finding work. OK, but now the bad news. Got to get to that, too.

The reality is the 80,000 number is just not good enough to significantly bring down the unemployment rate. Take a look at how the job gains have been since October.

So, if you go ahead and you average it out, it ends up being 125,000 jobs are added a month over the past year. You know what we really need, Fredricka? We need at least 150,000 just to keep up with population growth.

So that is the real story, the good and the bad -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: That's double the number that we're seeing.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Alison Kosik.

Well, some live pictures right now out of Cannes, France.

So, while France is hosting the G-20 summit in Cannes right now outside city hall, an honor of a different kind, celebrating the alliance between France and the U.S.

Live pictures right there. The ceremony taking place, the singing. And, of course, President Obama there at attention listening. And President Sarkozy also there.

We're going to take you back to Cannes right after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. We're waiting to hear from one of the two women who accused Herman Cain of sexual harassment. She could release a statement today. The Republican presidential candidate is standing by his story that he never sexually harassed anyone.

CNN's Brian Todd is following this story for us from Washington.

So, Brian, what more can you tell us about any new twists, new turns today?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There seems to be a new twist or turn every day, Fredricka.

Yes, today is the day we could actually get a one-page press release from one of the accusers. The attorney for that accuser, Joel Bennett, says he hopes to release a one-page press release that will defend his client's reputation. He hopes to be able to release that today.

This attorney has been in negotiations with the National Restaurant Association to try to get her released from at least part of a confidentiality agreement. And he hopes to at least be able to issue a statement, just essentially for her to say that, look, my reputation should be maintained here, that Herman Cain's rebuttals of the claims of sexual harassment are not accurate. Cain has been very strongly fighting back against this all week since this was published.

Now, the attorney, Joel Bennett, says this statement, if and when it comes out, will not include his client's identity, because he says she wants to remain private, she just wants to set the record straight.

Meanwhile, Cain, pushing back in a big way against Politico. The Cain campaign telling us that they are considering filing a lawsuit against Politico, which, of course, first published these allegations this week.

The Cain campaign, not going into details about the basis for its potential lawsuit against Politico. But Cain himself has been publicly pushing back against that publication.

Take a listen to what he said yesterday on "The Sean Hannity Radio Show."

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

CAIN: When you look at the facts, and you look at the fact that Politico doesn't have any documentation, they've never talked to these women who are anonymous -- I didn't know there were so many women named "Anonymous" in America to be perfectly honest with you, because they keep digging up others.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

TODD: Now, we contacted Politico about those allegations from Herman Cain, and they delivered a point-by-point rebuttal to his comments there. This is from John Harris, the editor-in-chief of Politico.

To the comment that they didn't document this, Politico says, "We did review documents, as the story said. We declined a request from the Cain campaign to share those documents, as I would a request from anyone asking for our reporting materials."

On Cain's claim that Politico didn't talk to the women, Politico says this: "The Cain campaign is not aware of who we talked to. We are not in a position to tell them who our sources are."

And Cain also made a comment, saying that Politico would not divulge to them, the Cain campaign, who leaked the story to them. Politico responded by saying, "We did respond by declining to answer. We don't share our sources."

So a lot of pushback between Politico and the Cain campaign -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And again, it will be interesting. So a statement could come today. And if a statement is to come, we still will not know the identity of that person, which one would have to then think this is still going to add more fuel to the fire. TODD: Yes, it probably will. And a lot is going to depend on what that statement says.

It's one page. You can get a lot on a page. So we're going to see if there are any specifics about this alleged incident. We don't believe there probably will be too many, because there was a confidentiality involved. But the wording of this statement is going to be parsed very, very finely today, I'm sure.

WHITFIELD: OK. Brian Todd, thanks so much. Keep us posted on that.

All right. For many of us, times are tough. But one CNN Hero is making it his mission to help struggling people make ends meet.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGE LOPEZ, ACTOR AND COMEDIAN: Hi. I'm George Lopez.

Two years ago I had the honor at presenting at "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute." As founder of the Lopez Foundation, I'm committed to helping underprivileged children, adults, and military families. I'm also committed to increasing awareness about kidney disease and organ donation.

I am thrilled to help introduce one of the Top Ten CNN Heroes for 2011.

SAL DIMICELI, CNN HERO: When I go through suburbia America, or the small towns, everybody's trying to hold their head up with pride.

You've been looking for work?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

DIMICELI: OK. I know it's tough in a recession.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, anything.

DIMICELI: These people behind closed doors, they tell their neighbors they're fine. They'd sooner go in the house and starve.

How much you owe right now?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The gas bill? I owe about $800.

DIMICELI: I find this situation is getting worse. They need food. They need help with their utilities.

I mean, this is 2011 in America? We should be helping each other.

I'm Sal Dimiceli, and my mission is to help my fellow Americans who have fallen on hard times.

Here's $100 for gas. I help people with necessities of daily life, and at the same time, I get them together to do a budget, so they can continue to survive.

I want them to feel free of that pain.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm so happy.

UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: Thank you.

DIMICELI: I want them to feel the compassion that we're trying to share with them, to wrap our arms around them and say, come on, I have a little extra strength I want to share with you, and let's get you back on your feet.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Go to CNNHeroes.com now online and on your mobile device to vote for the CNN Hero who inspires you most. All 10 will be honored live at "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute," hosted by our own Anderson Cooper, Sunday, December 11th.

In just a few minutes, jurors will start deliberating the fate of Michael Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray. We'll have a live report from outside the courthouse in Los Angeles.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: We're now just moments away from the start of deliberations in the Michael Jackson death trial. After 23 days and 49 witnesses, the jury has to decide if Dr. Conrad Murray gave Michael Jackson that fatal dose of Propofol or if Jackson gave it to himself.

CNN's Casey Wian joins us now from Los Angeles. All right. Tell us what's happening right now outside that courthouse. It looks like a very huge gathering.

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Actually, Fredricka, it may look bigger than it is. There's a lot of media folks. We're all on verdict watch.

But these number of supporters of Michael Jackson, the number of supporters of Dr. Conrad Murray, much smaller than there has been in the previous days -- definitely much smaller than it was yesterday when the two sides delivered closing arguments. Inside the courtroom, jury deliberations are beginning now.

The way this is going to work is they'll begin deliberations. They will pick a foreman. The judge has instructed them that that should be their first order of business.

Then as they begin deliberating if they have any questions for the judge, if they want any testimony read back or if they reach a verdict, they will signal by a buzzer that will be audible in the courtroom and the judge will then figure out what the jury has decided or what the jury needs.

We will be given two hours notice if a verdict is reached or once a verdict is reached. That's to allow members of the Jackson family and others to get to the courtroom. Many of them live in the San Fernando Valley a little north of here. So, that's the way the procedure is going to go.

How long this is going to take is anybody's guess. Of course, it is a Friday and there might be, if there's a consensus a push by some of the jurors to get it wrapped up today. But there were so many witnesses and so much evidence it would not be surprising at all if this continued in until next week. If they don't reach a verdict today, deliberations will continue until 4:00 local this afternoon, 7:00 Eastern -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: So, Casey, has there been any instruction from the court if they don't reach a verdict by the end of today? And whether because they have not been a sequestered jury all this time, whether going into the weekend they will suddenly be sequestered and have to work throughout the weekend? Or are they able to go home, go about their business and then report back to duty on Monday?

WIAN: The assumption is that that's what's going to happen. It will be business as usual. Although we have not heard the judge addressed that specifically.

We do not know if they will be sequestration if it continues over the weekend. The expectation though is possibly not. But that is just speculation. Again, we have not heard the judge addressed that issue yet.

WHITFIELD: OK. Casey Wian, thanks so much. Keep us posted.

We'll look closer at the case later on this hour. I'll be joins by criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor Holly Hughes.

You may not want to take a seat for this. A new study says the consequences of lots of sitting are not pretty. A surprising serious health risk.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Time to get up out of your seat.

A new study says people who spend a lot of time sitting could be more likely to get cancer.

CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here to explain all of this.

So, draw the correlation, cancer and sitting too much?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. The data that exercise is good for you, not just for your heart but also for cancer is so strong that you and I are going to take a walk while we talk.

WHITFIELD: OK. Let's do it right now.

COHEN: OK.

WHITFIELD: Let's get up off our seat.

COHEN: A little bit of exercise. Let's go. I'll lead the way.

WHITFIELD: All right.

COHEN: This is a walking meeting.

WHITFIELD: Power walking.

COHEN: Power walking.

So, even just walking a little bit a day can help. Of course, we'd like for people to get more. But what this data shows from the American Institute for Cancer Research is that nearly 100,000 cases of cancer could be avoided if people had more physical activity.

WHITFIELD: Just exercise. Just work it in.

COHEN: Do something. Do half an hour at least let's say four days a week. That's what we want people to do. Or even more. But we know that that's not always possible.

So go for a quick walk. Do what you and I just did, even just a quick walk. Get up from your chair a couple minutes every hour.

WHITFIELD: Maybe break it up throughout the day.

COHEN: Yes, break it up throughout the day.

WHITFIELD: You can't get in 30 minutes in one day. I guess, you know, 10 minutes here and there. Take the stairs.

COHEN: Yes. Take the stairs. That's one of our

WHITFIELD: Not the escalators.

COHEN: Not the elevator. There we go.

WHITFIELD: OK.

COHEN: Have walking meetings. If you're going to have to sit and talk to someone, might as well be moving. Just keep moving.

That's important. Then the other thing you want to do is exercise in your office. I know this sounds crazy. With a chair or leave some weights or do stretches against the wall. Even that kind of thing can help.

Also if you're on the phone, you know, we all spend tons of time on the phone, get on your cell phone and walk around with it. Just walk around while you're on the phone. Easy enough, right?

WHITFIELD: That counts for something.

COHEN: That does. Also go to CNN.com/EmpoweredPatient and there's tips about ways to work exercise into your life and why it's so important.

WHITFIELD: And so, what is it about exercise or keeping things moving that cuts the risk of getting cancer?

COHEN: OK. Probably several different ways, but here's one of them -- just keeping your weight down can cut down on your risk of getting certain kinds of cancer. So, just losing weight in and of itself and especially that belly weight -- that belly weight can be really bad. That's one of the reasons why exercise is so important.

WHITFIELD: Men or woman --

(CROSSTALK)

COHEN: Both are good. Exercise is good for everyone.

WHITFIELD: Work it into the family regimen.

COHEN: You know, a doctor said, I was talking to one said, I wish I could write a prescription for exercise. It's actually more powerful than a prescription for drugs.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. And, of course, in the end, it makes you feel so good.

COHEN: It does. Right.

WHITFIELD: When you do keep yourself moving.

COHEN: Just make it a priority.

WHITFIELD: All right. Elizabeth Cohen, thanks so much. Appreciate that.

All right. This hour we're going to be shifting gears talking about the jury in the Michael Jackson trial set to start deliberating the guilt or innocence of Dr. Conrad Murray. How well did attorneys on both sides do with their closing argument. That's straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In today's "Human Factor," reducing the stigma that surrounds schizophrenia. A college student says she's come to terms with her mental illness and has learned how to manage it. She's sharing her story to help others.

Here's Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ASHLEY SMITH, HAS PARANOID SCHIZOPHRENIA: I heard voices. I saw images of people following me that scared me.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ashley Smith knows what it's like to nearly lose it all.

SMITH: I thought my life was in danger. I felt like my family members and strangers on the street were against me.

GUPTA: When she was in college, her sanity started slipping away.

SMITH: I thought everyone was against me.

GUPTA: Overwhelmed, Ashley blamed it on stress.

SMITH: I would pray a lot about it. And I thought that if I just continued to cope with it the best way I knew how, that I would get through it.

GUPTA: But she didn't. Ashley stole a military truck and led police on a high-speed chase. She ended up in jail.

Two months went by before Ashley received a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia, along with treatment.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness says more than 2 million Americans have schizophrenia. But in the African-American community, mental illness is often misunderstood and is not often discussed.

But Ashley did something remarkable. She decided to be open about her diagnosis with the goal of helping others.

SMITH: Do I look like a person with schizophrenia? There's no (INAUDIBLE) to illness.

GUPTA: Today, she helps train law enforcement officers. They learn to recognize signs and symptoms of people with mental illness to help the officers intervene in a crisis.

Ashley has also started her own nonprofit organization, Embracing My Mind, which helps low income and homeless people get help. She's studying to be therapist.

SMITH: It's a life-long process to overcome schizophrenia. I do it through my medication, my support network which is my treatment team and my peers and family.

GUPTA: Ashley hopes sharing her story will reduce the stigma surrounding mental health.

SMITH: Those who are newly diagnosed or are suffering or struggling with this illness, there are going to be ups and downs, but it is very manageable. And that you can succeed.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Check this out. Imagine getting this close to a beast this big. Yes. Right there. A whale nearly hit --

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: It's now up to the jury in the Michael Jackson death trial. Their deliberations are getting underway. Prosecutors say the evidence shows Dr. Conrad Murray caused Jackson's death by giving him an overdose of Propofol. The defense insists Jackson himself the drug.

Let's listen to some of the closing arguments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

DAVID WALGREN, PROSECUTOR: The evidence in this case is abundantly clear that Conrad Murray acted with criminal negligence. That Conrad Murray caused the death of Michael Jackson. That Conrad Murray left Prince, Paris and Blanket without a father.

ED CHERNOFF, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: What they're really asking you to do, just say it. What they're really asking you to do is convict Dr. Murray for the actions of Michael Jackson.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

WHITFIELD: All right. A criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor Holly Hughes is here.

Holly, apparently jurors have just now begun their deliberations in this case. So, we talked about this yesterday and you said it was going to important for the prosecution, as well as the defense to really weave a story. Prosecutors did that and when they wove that story they used the children as an example and how they are now fatherless.

Was that effective?

HOLLY HUGHES, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Of course it is, because what they do is they take it all out of the legal arena. This is no longer a legal argument. This isn't about technicalities and evidence. This is about real life and real life leaves three children without a father.

WHITFIELD: They made it so personal.

HUGHES: Of course you make it personal. And you have to, because you've got to make the jury care. You can argue the law all day long, but if they don't care about your case and your victim, they're not going to work as hard to apply the law to give you that favorable result you want.

WHITFIELD: But in order for the prosecution to get the kind of verdict it wants, it wants a guilty verdict on involuntary manslaughter, it also has to convince the jury that Dr. Conrad Murray was negligent. If not by administering the drug, by even having that drug available, even if it were the case that Michael Jackson were to inject himself.

HUGHES: Right. And the key here -- you said negligent, but the key is criminally negligent. Because Ed Chernoff, the defense attorney in his close was brilliant in that he owned what he had to own. He didn't hide from it.

He said, look, we're not going to tell you Dr. Murray did everything right. He was negligent but he wasn't criminally negligent and here's why -- because the intervening factors, like Michael could have done this to himself, like there is no causation, the state can't tell you exactly how that deadly drug got in there. And if they can't tell you, you can't convict.

It was a good argument. He did a very good job with what he had but I don't think it is going to be effective because I think those 17 points that Dr. Shafer talked about showing gross criminal negligence resonated with the jury and prosecutor Walgren did a great job of bringing it all home to him.

WHITFIELD: In your view, did the defense try to make it personal just like the prosecutors did by saying that there were people who admired, who loved, Dr. Conrad Murray, that he was compassionate, that he loved his patients?

HUGHES: Well, absolutely. And that's the other very important thing. You must humanize the defendant. If there is any way possible, if there's anything you can find that's redeeming about your client, you want to put it in front of the jury, you want the jury to like him.

So, again, they will work very hard on applying the law properly, because if they think he is a great guy, they're going to be like, hey, you know, we need to really be careful here and do the right thing under the law.

WHITFIELD: Will it be your opinion despite what closing statements there may have been, jurors already had their minds made up before hearing those closing arguments yesterday?

HUGHES: Most jurors do. Despite the admonitions -- the judge tells you at beginning of the trial, what we call the pre-charge, you know, don't make up your mind until you have all of the evidence in.

But we're human, Fred. And we listen to it and we're thinking wow, this doesn't sound good -- wow, that doesn't sound good. And it keeps piling on as the state who has the burden goes first and brings you all that evidence.

So there are some people who by the time you get to close might be able to be swayed. But by and large, they've heard what they need to hear, they've been taking notes, paying attention. They're smart people in the box. They know what they're going to do.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, the case is in the hands right now of the jurors. We'll see if this ends up being a very quick verdict or if it will go longer, beyond today.

Holly Hughes, thanks so much.

HUGHES: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: And our own Nancy Grace is going to weigh in on this as well. In the next hour, she'll be joining us live from Los Angeles.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Tough out there for job hunters, especially if you're looking for your very first job.

Our Poppy Harlow is going in-depth with how a look at desperation among unemployed young people is fueling the occupy movement.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRANDON COBLE, 22 YEARS OLD: They want people with experience. And, of course, you know, being as young as we are, there's no way we can have experience.

KARA DEMETROPOULIS, 20 YEARS OLD: That's a lot of the issues that a lot of my friends are facing back home. It's just -- it's so hard to find a job.

ANGELIQUE RICHARDS, 18 YEARS OLD: I've interned a lot. It's never been an issue of finding an internship. But a job that actually pays? Nearly impossible.

PETER VAUPOTIC, 22 YEARS OLD: It's just harder and harder, and you make less and less. And I think people just don't have much of the future to look forward to.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM (voice-over): A future to look forward to -- it's the promise of the American Dream. But in this sluggish economy, America's youth may be starting to lose hope. Unemployment among 16 to 24-year-olds has been higher in the last three years than during any time on record.

This year, over 17 percent of America's youth are jobless. Even 2010, college graduates faced a record 9.1 percent unemployment when they finished school. But for those youth with only a high school diploma, unemployment is more than twice as high.

(on camera): It's part of what's driving this movement -- the lack of a job for young people. It gives them a reason and a time to occupy cities across the globe.

(voice-over): It's not just an American problem. The world's largest developed economy cans have all seen sharp increases in youth unemployment since 2007. Except for Germany.

If you look at the most troubled European nations, the numbers are staggering. In 2010, unemployment for 16 to 24-year-olds in Italy was 28 percent, 33 percent in Greece, and over 41 percent in Spain.

But back here at home, 16 to 24-year-olds make up 26 percent of the unemployed.

What does it all mean? Studies show that being unemployed at a young age means several years of lower earnings and an increased likelihood of unemployment in the future.

DEMETROPOULIS: The last two times that I acquired jobs, it took two months straight of job searching.

RICHARDS: And I just showed up and I started working. One day after the show, my boss just said, you know, take the staff (ph), you're part of the team now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Poppy Harlow joining me now from New York. So, unemployment for people with a college degree is very high. Is it even worse for people without a degree?

HARLOW: Absolutely. I mean, it's twice as high if you don't have a college degree, and it is now 23.8 percent. That is the unemployment rate, Fredricka, for those without a high school degree. That is almost -- that is almost depression levels.

One economist that I spoke with said this is a, quote, "absolute disaster" and she told me that she believes this is really selling this generation short, because the longer you're unemployed, the harder it is to get a job. And the fear is, is this generation going to go from unemployed to unemployable? That's the big question.

We've got a lot more for you on this on CNN Money -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll look for that. Thanks so much, Poppy Harlow.