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Jobless Rate Holds at 8.3 Percent; Wall Street Reacts to Jobs Report; GOP Candidates Battle for the South; Israeli-made Weapons Found Says Syrian Government; Mississippi High Court Upholds Pardons; Warlord Goes From Obscure to Infamous; Saint's Heart Stolen from Church; Homecoming Queen Tries Out for Kicker; Big Rock Ahead
Aired March 09, 2012 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We begin with a story affecting millions of us. Just minutes ago we learned the nation's jobless rate held steady in February at 8.3 percent. About 227,000 jobs were created last month. That's fewer than we saw in January.
Christine Romans breaks down these latest numbers and what they say about the overall economy. And Alison Kosik looks at the ripple effect on Wall Street.
Let's begin with Christine.
I ask you this every time.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I know you do.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: I know. So give us the big picture here.
ROMANS: The big picture is that the economy is adding jobs. Companies are hiring and the government lost only about 6,000 jobs last month. So it was private sector hiring. Companies hiring that drove jobs number here.
This is the last year, Carol. This is 2011. I want to show you. You saw that last spring things are pretty strong. We were having 200,000 jobs gained every month. In the summer it got real slow. We were worried about a double dip recession. Picked up again in the fall. And now we've got revisions. The bigger picture is even a little bit better. You've got better than expected, December, January and February, now it's about 227,000 jobs created, 8.3 percent is the unemployment rate.
There were jobs created in business and professional services. There were jobs created in mining. We see that every month. There were jobs created in health care, in social work. There were jobs created in computer systems design and technical consulting. Where you saw jobs lost was in retail, for example. So overall you're seeing a broad base of job creation. You want to see 200,000 plus again and again to show you that it is a trend, and what this tells us is that in an economy that was really reeling, quite frankly, from the great recession is doing a little bit better. Here is the great recession. Look at this, Carol. This is July 2008. The last months of the Bush administration. Coming into the beginning of the Obama presidency. This is terrible. This felt horrible. Then you had some setbacks. Again last summer worried about a double dip recession. And here we are now. These numbers are even better than these, they show right there, you've got a little bit of -- a little bit of pickup in the trend. And that's something you want to see overall -- Carol.
COSTELLO: So should I be doing the happy dance?
ROMANS: Well, you know, if you are in the job category, yes. The people who have a job category. But I'll tell you that the underemployment rate is still 14.9 percent. That's a little better than it was the prior month, but 14.9 percent, that means those are people who are unemployed, people who are working part time but want to be working full time. People who tested the waters for a job last year but are available to work but not really looking, 14.9 percent. That's double digits. That still -- that still hurts.
So there are a lot of people out there, when I say things are getting better, they tell me, not at my house. So a job and the jobs data is really personal, you know what I mean?
COSTELLO: Yes.
ROMANS: It's a very personal number. It depends on who you are, where you live, what kind of education you have. And that's why this is so tricky and so political.
COSTELLO: I know. I know. But you're right, we can throw, we can throw numbers at people all day but it's really how they feel about the economy that matters.
ROMANS: Your job market is one person. You're either 100 percent employed or zero percent employment in your house.
COSTELLO: Christine, thanks.
Now let's go to the New York Stock Exchange and Alison Kosik.
So, Alison, the unemployment numbers always seem to move the market but today Greece is also making headlines for an apparent bailout deal. So is it likely to be a rocky day or not so much?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It looks like we're going to -- that stocks are going to begin on a high note because the jobs picture is going to -- is going to still play a role in the trading day today. The way Wall Street sees it is this jobs number is really a solid number, but as you say, it's really not the only reason that's going to give stocks the lift to Greece.
Greece is the word again on Wall Street. You know an important agreement happened overnight to restructure Greece's debt. This is the last major step for Greece to get its $170 billion bailout. Now here's what happened while you were sleeping. Bondholders, they agreed to take a huge loss on their investments so now Greece is going to owe those investors less money, it's going to get its bailout. It may avoid a default. So then you wonder, well, gosh, why did these investors agree to take this big loss? Well, that's because the alternative is worst. Default. That is the market's worst-case scenario. And here's why. There's this ripple effect that could have happened if Greece defaulted. You know, clearly Greece, it's simple. It's kind of a blip on the screen some people would say. It's a small country. But the reality is Greece is intrinsically linked to all of Europe.
You know, it's sort of one of the dominoes of many. More than 20 countries use the euro. And you know how this is. You're only as strong as your weakest link. So if Greece defaults, Europe could slip into a recession if it's not in a recession already. So if Europe goes down, the U.S. would get hit. Remember, Europe is our biggest trading partner so this is why we've had our eye on Greece and the fact that Greece is one step closer to getting that bailout and try to get its debt situation in order, that's good news. And the way Wall Street sees it, it's good news for Wall Street as well -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, I know you keep watching the numbers there. Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange.
President Obama will hit the campaign trail later today to talk about jobs and the economy. His Republican opponents are already on the stump and our political editor Paul Steinhauser is hot on their trail. I understand Mitt Romney is in Jackson, Mississippi. He's either speaking or just about to. What do you think he'll say?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: I think he could be a little bit critical of the president when it comes to jobs. You know, Romney, Rick Santorum, and Newt Gingrich all have events this morning, Carol. And we expect all three of them to weigh in on the new jobs report.
But the Republican National Committee didn't even wait for that. They had a statement out about 20 minutes ago. And this is from the chairman, Priebus, and he says, "Today's jobs report is yet another reminder that too far -- that far too many Americans are out of work and the situation is clearly not improving. Millions of families continue to feel the pain of the sluggish Obama economy and the rising costs of gas, groceries, and health care."
As for the president, Carol, you mentioned that he's got a manufacturing event in Virginia later this morning. We expect he will probably talk about the economy and it could also come up again, the jobs report, when he's down in Texas at some fundraisers. You know I always say that the unemployment level and the number of new jobs created, probably the two most important economic numbers when it comes to politics and this re-election.
You know we're just talking about the Republican candidates. Most of them today in Alabama and Mississippi. Of course those two states having primaries on Tuesday. Here's what Mitt Romney had to say about his time in the south. Take a listen to what he said yesterday on a radio station in Alabama.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FORMER GOV. MITT ROMNEY (R-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I realize that it's a bit of an away game, but I also think we're going to -- we're going to pick up some support in these -- in the states that remain this month. We obviously had a terrific Super Tuesday and got a good -- got a good head start but, you know, I'd like to get some support from folks in Alabama.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEINHAUSER: Sounds like he's downplaying a little bit, you know, and I can understand why. It's not considered his strong suit down there in Alabama and Mississippi. He hasn't performed that well in southern states. More social conservatives down there that Romney may not appeal to. As for Rick Santorum, well, he is hoping for good results both in Kansas this Saturday, tomorrow, at a caucus there, but also in Alabama and Mississippi. And he's hoping maybe if he beats Newt Gingrich in the south maybe, maybe Gingrich will be out.
Take a listen to what Santorum said on the campaign trail yesterday, Carol.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FORMER SEN. RICK SANTORUM (R-PA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If you go out and deliver a conservative victory for us on Tuesday, this race will become a two-person race and when it becomes a two-person race for the Republican nomination, the conservative will win that nomination.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEINHAUSER: And Gingrich has said basically he's got to win Alabama and Mississippi to keep going. So we'll see what happens on Tuesday with that. The Gingrich campaign, as you can imagine, starting to pick up their attacks on Santorum. Carol, it's all politics.
COSTELLO: I know. Paul Steinhauser, thanks.
The candidates will be speaking this morning about the jobs report. We told you that. We're there with them. Mitt Romney is up at 9:25 a.m. Eastern. We'll bring you his remarks live from Jackson, Mississippi.
And join us Tuesday night for the battle of the South. Our coverage of the Alabama and Mississippi primary starts at 7:00 Eastern with Erin Burnett. Complete live coverage of the results begins at 8:00 Eastern right here on CNN.
In Syria today, more bloodshed. The opposition claims government forces are storming villages and killing soldiers who defected and now the Assad government says it found weapons from other countries.
CNN's Nic Robertson is in Beirut.
So, Nic, the government says the weapons are coming from Israel?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There's nothing better that the Syrian government would like them to try to say that Israel is somehow behind the opposition. Why? Because Israel is the enemy of pretty much everyone in their minds in Syria at the moment. So to say that would cast a huge shadow of doubt over the opposition and who was funding them and certainly try and build support for himself, Bashar al-Assad.
The reality is that we haven't seen any evidence from the Syrian government that there is any wholesale export of weapons coming from Israel into Syria. There's a real possibility there may be some Israeli made weapons in Syria right now. The Free Syrian Army is trying to get its hands on any weapons possible. The borders between Lebanon and Turkey into Syria are all quite porous.
A few weapons have been getting across from many different countries. But even if the Syrian government has found a few Israeli- made weapons, it certainly doesn't -- it certainly doesn't add up to their implication that Israel is somehow supporting the opposition. It just doesn't seem to hold water right now -- Carol.
COSTELLO: OK. And what about this other report that government forces are going after army defectors? Is that true?
ROBERTSON: They certainly have been. There have been cases where they have killed, according to activists at least, up to 40 defectors at one time. The defectors are the -- the most effective part of the Free Syrian Army. They know how to fight. They're trained. They often deserve and take their weapons with them. There have been reports that we can't verify but three brigadier general, senior army officers deserted the Syrian army, went across to the -- to the opposition, the Free Syrian Army.
And this is what the government has been trying to do. It tries to kill them before they -- before they can desert. So when the activists say that the government is going after officers from the -- and soldiers from the Syrian army chasing them down. It's often because they've jumped sides and they're with the Free Syrian Army now.
COSTELLO: Nic Robertson reporting for us from Beirut, Lebanon.
Syrians are under attack by their own government. Learn what it's like to be trapped in terror for "72 hours Under Fire" at "CNN PRESENTS" Sunday night at 8:00 Eastern.
Former Mississippi governor, Haley Barbour, angered a lot of people when he pardoned more than 200 prisoners. Now the state's high court weighs in. The ruling and the reaction after a break.
Plus, a dangerous confrontation between a sheriff's deputy and a suspect captured on a surveillance camera. The unexpected ending to this next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Checking stories "Cross Country" now.
Seven people injured in a shooting at a Pittsburgh psychiatric hospital are expected to survive. Authorities say a gunman opened fire inside the hospital lobby killing one person before he was shot and killed by police. No word on the gunman's identity or a motive.
A federal appeals court temporarily blocks two provisions of a controversial Alabama immigration law. One voided contract signed by illegal immigrants. The other prevented them from driver's licenses.
And in Florida, not one but three good Samaritans come to the rescue. Surveillance video captures a Broward County deputy in a dangerous struggle at a fast food restaurant with a crime suspect. The officer says he was in real trouble until three homeless men helped him subdue the other man.
A group of prisoners in Mississippi are expected to be released today after a controversial ruling by the state Supreme Court. In a 6-3 vote justices upheld the pardons of more than 200 prisoners by outgoing Governor Haley Barbour.
CNN's Ed Lavandera has been following the story. And of course we know that some of those pardoned convicts were murderers who've been free.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, four of them that worked at the -- at the Governor's Mansion as trustees. There's also another one -- and another one who's convicted of accessory to murder who will be released here by tomorrow. There's five more, they're still in prison.
COSTELLO: So this ruling means they will remain free?
LAVANDERA: Exactly. This is done. The Supreme Court in the state has spoken. And you know, the reaction, it's a big victory for Haley Barbour.
And his reaction was he said he was grateful for the decision that the Supreme Court had made. He also had gone on to say that it had settled -- reaffirmed more than a century of settled law in our state. He said it wasn't about the power of the pardon or the power of the office but the ability of the governor to grant mercy.
And that's what he's been saying all along is that this was -- he knew these men. He felt that they had repented and were ready to get a second chance. But there are a great deal of other questions that the governor has not answered about how this process was done and he's simply refused to answer those questions.
COSTELLO: And, of course, some state legislators want, you know, this to be changed, that the governor should not be able to pardon, especially murderers.
Why did the court side with Barbour?
LAVANDERA: Essentially what they're saying is that the Supreme Court, it is up to the governor, there's this -- the law that was fought about was whether or not these inmates had posted their notices for pardon 30 days before the pardons were granted. And the Supreme Court is saying that it is the governor's decision and governor's decision only to determine whether or not that was complied with.
And essentially in the vast majority of these cases, it didn't reach 30 days according to the attorney general and the Supreme Court is saying, well, it's up to the governor to decide whether 25 or 28 days is good enough. And if the governor says that's fine, it's a technicality, that's good enough.
COSTELLO: So those folks in Mississippi are probably sitting back and listening to you and saying, that doesn't make me feel any better.
LAVANDERA: No, it doesn't. For the victims' families that we've gotten to know very well over the last two months, this is a real blow. They had a real hard time taking this news yesterday.
We listened to Randy Walker, who was a man who was shot in the head by a man named David Gatlin, one of the men who worked as a trustee at the governor's mansion. And he's been one of the most outspoken critics of Haley Barbour. He spoke last night with us about what this decision -- how this decision affected him. And you could see and hear the emotion when he told us.
Listen to it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RANDY WALKER, VICTIM: David Gatlin only served 17 years six months and three days for a life plus 30 sentence. He should have never gotten out of jail. It happened for me. I'm still living it every day.
I can't be pardoned from the scars I have. I can't be pardoned from the nightmares. I can't be pardoned from look being over my shoulder wondering where this guy is.
You know, none of that. There's no magic pill for me to take. There's no magic pardon pill for me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: Like I said, there's five more inmates that will be getting out here. All that had been frozen. They'll be out by tomorrow. Gatlin is living in Mississippi. One of the other killers is now living in Wyoming. A couple others we've lost track of. So, they've kind of scattered around.
COSTELLO: Ed Lavandera, thanks for being here. We appreciate it.
Last week, most Americans probably never heard of Joseph Kony. But that's sure changing at the speed of YouTube. Now he's becoming infamous thanks to a short film next. How the U.S. is helping to hunt him down.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: An American filmmaker is trying to make a Ugandan warlord and his so-called army of kidnapped children famous or to be more accurate, infamous. And it's working.
He posted a short documentary this week on YouTube. It's already gotten 50 million views. CNN's Brian Todd says the film has its critics, though. Quick warning for you: there are some graphic pictures in this story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He's a warlord who experts say is responsible for the kidnapping of up to 70,000 people, many of them children, operating first in Uganda, now in three other African countries. He and his militants have killed and disfigured tens of thousands of villagers, forced young boys to become child soldiers, forced girls into sexual slavery.
Joseph Kony and his so-called Lord's Resistance Army have been doing this for a quarter of a century, trying to overthrow the Ugandan government in favor of a regime based on the Ten Commandments. He's on the run from African forces and their American advisers.
But Joseph Kony is getting more attention now than ever.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop the rebel group, the LRA, and their leader Joseph Kony.
TODD: That's thanks to a new video called "Kony 2012", a half hour long. It's gone viral, tens of millions of views on YouTube in just a few days. The filmmakers used the hacktivists group Anonymous and others to blast it out over the Internet. They sent tweets to celebrities like George Clooney, Rihanna, to American lawmakers.
The film highlights Kony's atrocities partly through the eyes of a former child soldier, who according to the video saw his brother murdered.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) I saw my brother once again, I don't --
(CRYING)
TODD: The video is produced by a nonprofit activist group called Invisible Children -- filmmaker Jason Russell's goal to gather momentum for Kony to be captured and brought to justice at the International Criminal Court.
JASON RUSSELL, FILMMAKER, "KONY 2012": He's been getting away with murder and what he does is he brainwashes them, makes them kill their parents, slaughter people, cut off people's faces.
TODD: But some say this popular crusade is misleading.
(on camera): Critics say the film manipulates the facts, ignoring the Ugandan military's human rights abuses and its war with the LRA, ignoring the fact that Joseph Kony and its forces have been significantly reduced in number and have committed far fewer attacks.
(voice-over): The head of Invisible Children responds.
BEN KEESEY, CEO, INVISIBLE CHILDREN: The scale of LRA violence has decreased, which is a good thing. It's the result of this effort.
TODD: Analyst Richard Downie applauds the group's effort to call attention to Kony. But --
RICHARD DOWNIE, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC & INTL. STUDIES: I take issue with their approach. Very much focused on the white Westerners' ability to parachute in and resolve a problem that Africans are unable to deal with themselves. I think by portraying Westerners as the only people who can crack this problem of Joseph Kony, it's simplicity, it's naive and it's a little bit condescending as well.
TODD: Invisible Children issued a statement saying they're not naive, never claimed a desire to save Africa. They just want Western youth to do more than just watch.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Now, the filmmaker says the United States basically has ignored Kony's crimes for years. But in October, President Obama said he would send 100 U.S. troops in Africa to help hunt him down.
Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon for us.
So, Barbara, has that happened?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, it has indeed, Carol. We know an awful lot about it now. Those 100 troops are on the ground as advisors training, helping, and assisting African forces. The goal of the Pentagon is to put those African forces in the lead. These are military forces in Africa that very much want to do something about this.
But, let's face it, they need some help. So, the U.S. trainers are there, U.S. Special Forces on the ground in Uganda. You see the map in the Central African Republic and south Sudan, operating out of some of the most remote areas in Africa. They are not in combat themselves although they are equipped if the threat comes, but they are working with the African forces, especially with the Ugandans who have made some progress by all accounts.
You know, until they get Kony the job is not done. And there is an effort on the part of the U.S. military to get some more reconnaissance equipment, communications gear in there, things that they can do to help the African forces. That's really the strategy for the U.S. military across the continent, Carol.
COSTELLO: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon for us.
Coming up, we'll take you live to Wall Street. The opening bell is just about to ring. How will investors react to this morning's new unemployment report? We'll have the answer for you. That's just minutes away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Checking our top stories now.
The Syrian opposition reports regime forces are storming villages to chase down military defectors. In the meantime, state media reports troops have recovered Israeli made weapons from so-called terrorists.
The last of 214 pardoned convicts could be released today in Mississippi. Four convicted murderers have remained free since their release in January. The state Supreme Court has upheld the controversial pardons made by the former governor, Haley Barbour.
And the NCAA says it has contacted the FBI about point shaving allegations involving Auburn's basketball. Auburn also contacted the FBI. Nobody is commenting in detail, though.
The opening bell is about to ring on Wall Street. Investors have had about an hour to digest the latest jobless numbers. The unemployment rate holds steady at 8.3 percent.
Christine Romans breaks down the latest jobs numbers, and she has the big picture for us.
Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange. She's going to look at the ripple effect on Wall Street.
But, Christine, I want to start with you.
The opening bell just ring, they're clapping in 20 seconds.
OK. So, you have 20 seconds and then you can do the opening bell. OK, Christine?
ROMANS: OK, you've got it.
Well, what do you want to know, Carol? You want to know, breakdown by race, where there was jobs created, long-term unemployment. You tell me and I'll show you first?
COSTELLO: Where did we -- OK, let's do the opening bell first. Go ahead. Take it away, Christine. Do that opening bell.
ROMANS: All right. There's the opening bell on Wall Street on Friday, big jobs day for February, right?
And, look, the jobs report was good, Carol. I mean, 8.3 percent unemployment, 227,000 jobs created. We have a visual representation for you. We'll take you inside the jobs report here.
I guess let's start with where are the jobs, OK? Let's take a look at where we saw job growth. The big one here -- 82,000 jobs in professional and business services. Those are things like office jobs, technology consulting, things like computer systems designers and the like.
Retail jobs saw a loss but you saw manufacturing pickup jobs, mining pick up jobs, whole sale trade and employment and health care also picked up a lot of jobs.
I want to talk to you a little bit, too, about some of the breakdowns here. Take a look with me. Men and women both about 7.7 percent unemployment rate overall, 7.3 percent for whites, 14 percent for African-Americans. That's up just a little bit but down from a year ago. And 10.7 percent for Hispanics.
It's been an interesting thing that we've seen this two to one ratio between white unemployment and African-American unemployment overall.
And I want to give kind of a bigger picture here as well of what this looks like when you take it all the way out, the politics of this, Carol. This is something we touched on about 30 minutes ago. This is that big downdraft at the end, last half of the year of the Bush administration, huge, 8.8 million jobs lost, that whole financial crisis. This is trying to rebuild, trying to crawl out of that huge jobs drought.
Anyway, if you want to see any of this yourself, Carol, and pick your own thing go to CNN.com. And we've got it all out for you so you can see where the jobs are, long-term unemployment, what kinds of breakdowns there are for education and demographics, all that stuff for you.
COSTELLO: That's very cool. Thank you, Christine. Thanks for playing today.
Let's head to the New York Stock exchange.
So, Alison, the bell rang and it's up a little bit.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It's up a little bit. Kind of a lukewarm response, right? But, look, you know, stocks are in the green and you're wondering, OK, this is a solid number. Wall Street actually sees this jobs report as pretty solid.
But the reality, the way Wall Street sees it is that 227,000 number, the number of jobs that were added, it's close to what was expected. So, yes, it's definitely good but the way Wall Street sees it, there needs to be more and more growth like this.
You know, you look at the job gains that have happened. There have been 200,000 job additions for three months. That's a great trend. But then you look at February. Last month wasn't as good as January where you saw 284,000. So we had 227,000.
The way the market sees it is it wants more, especially with the risks waiting in the wings meaning Greece. You know, Greece reached a debt deal overnight. Yes, it's likely to get its next bailout.
But the markets are kind of a forward looking indicator. Those risks are still out there that could rattle the global economy. Greece, yes, it's ready for its bailout. It's shoring up its balance sheet. But the reality is it's still years away from really shoring it up.
So, it's still a fragile situation, Carol, that could wind up impacting Europe as a whole and wind up impacting us here in the U.S. And then, of course, you look at that unemployment number. It's still high, 8.3 percent.
So, it's sort of the realistic picture that Wall Street is taking but we are in the green. Stocks are in the green and that's a good sign to start the day -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, the unemployment rate remains high even though we're adding jobs over the past several months because we have so many jobs to make up. Is that a fair statement?
KOSIK: Yes. Well, also the unemployment rate remained high because the labor participation rate actually went up. That's a good sign because if you see the unemployment rate, this sounds kind of skewed, but if you even see it go up, that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. It means that discouraged workers are getting back out there and handing out resumes and looking for a job.
They are counted in the labor force. And they in turn get counted in the unemployment number. That's probably why you're seeing the unemployment rate kind of hover and stay around 8.3 percent because those workers are actually -- those discouraged workers are feeling less discouraged and getting back out there trying to find a job. So, that actually is a good sign, Carol.
COSTELLO: Alison Kosik, thanks.
A saint's preserved heart. A religious relic stolen from churches across Ireland. The bizarre crime wave and the possible motivation behind it, that's just ahead.
And in an interview with Oprah, Whitney Houston's sister-in-law makes a startling statement. What she feared what happen to Whitney, that's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Whitney Houston's sister-in-law opens up to Oprah and says she worried drugs would kill the singer.
Showbiz correspondent Kareen Wynter has more on the Oprah interview. She's in Los Angeles.
Tell us more, Kareen.
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Carol.
Well, you know, we're starting to get more details about this interview that Oprah had with Whitney Houston's family. Yes, her sister-in-law did admit she thought ultimately drugs would be the cause of Whitney Houston's death. You've got to listen to what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: Did you think that drugs would end up taking her? Did you think that?
PATRICIA HOUSTON, WHITNEY HOUSTON'S SISTER-IN-LAW: The handwriting was kind of on the wall. I would be kidding myself to say otherwise.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WYNTER: Wow.
You know, Carol, this interview looks pretty interesting. You know, we haven't heard yet what Whitney's daughter, Bobbi Kristina, have to say to Oprah, although we do know Oprah asked Whitney's brother how he felt about Bobby Brown.
This all airs on Sunday on the Oprah Winfrey Network.
You can bet so many people will be watching, Carol.
COSTELLO: Absolutely. Let's talk about something more uplifting. Britney Spears, she's back, better than ever.
WYNTER: Better than ever. So I'm thinking from performer to judge -- will she actually make that move, Carol? That's what the Hollywood reporter is saying this morning, that Britney Spears is very, very close to a deal to join Simon Cowell and L.A. Reed as judges on "The X Factor."
You know, Britney's record deal is with Sony Music, RCA Records. It's the same company, Carol, that works with the show. Get this -- some reports say she'll be getting $10 million a year in this big deal.
No one's willing to go on the record to talk about it just yet though but "Showbiz Tonight" has reached out to everyone's reps. If it becomes official, it will be huge news. We'll have all the details for you, Carol.
What's also interesting is a few weeks ago, Cowell was pressed by reporters over a conference call -- I was actually on that conference call about the possibility of Spears joining the show. He carefully dodged the questions but certainly did not say no.
So, he's teasing all of us. We'll have to see if this big announcement actually happens.
COSTELLO: Ten million bucks, huh?
WYNTER: Big ratings for "The X Factor."
COSTELLO: Kareen Wynter, thanks so much.
WYNTER: Thanks, Carol.
COSTELLO: Thank you.
Kareen returns in the next hour with more showbiz headlines.
Remember this popular TV series from the '80s? Sure you do. "Hill Street Blues." Critics loved it. Now it has won a top honor, one you may disagree with. We'll have that coming up.
And a saint's preserved heart stolen from an historic Catholic Church, altar candles lit by the suspects before they fled. May sound like elements of a suspense novel, but it's actually a real life crime. Hear more, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Checking stories cross-country now.
A federal judge tells New York City to pay $128 million in back pay to firefighters. Minority firefighters accused the city of using an entrance exam to keep African-American and Latino Americans off the force. City also has to hire nearly 300 minority applicants.
In Utah, the state senate approves a bill from prohibiting schools from teaching contraception. They'll have to teach abstinence only. An online petition urges the governor to veto the bill which is expected to land on his desk today.
And in New Bedford, Massachusetts, check out what happened to this gas station after a strong gust of wind, nothing good. You see the canopy toppled over. It fell on a mini van. Thankfully the driver was not inside the vehicle at the time.
And now to a bizarre mystery in Ireland that's baffled police and outraged the Catholic Church. Several priceless religious relics have been stolen from churches across the country. Most recently thieves made off with the preserved heart of Dublin's patron saint.
Police say the thieves cut through an iron cage at Christ Church Cathedral to get to the relic. And then in an eerie twist, they lit prayer candles.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DERMOT PATRICK MARTIN DUNNE, DEAN OF CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL: It seems contradictory -- someone would steal a relic from a church because in my understanding, that's desecration.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Adding to the mystery, several valuable items near the relic were left untouched.
Joining us now from New York, Kenneth Woodward, former religion editor from "Newsweek" magazine and author of "Making Saints". Thank for being with us.
KENNETH WOODWARD, FORMER RELIGION EDITOR, NEWSWEEK: My pleasure.
COSTELLO: Kenneth, this is just the latest theft. A wood believed to be from Jesus' cross and a bone from Saint Bridget was also stolen. Why would someone steal these items?
WOODWARD: Well, Catholics have a long, long history of venerating saints and the relics. In Rome the Christians used to steal it after the -- after the lions had left the coliseum, pick up the relics, put them in the catacombs and then say mass at those tombs.
They also have a long history of stealing relics from one another. One monastery, the monks might steal the most important relics from another one and that way they would attract crowds and, of course, that commodifies relics. But stealing relics today for the sake of relics doesn't make a lot of sense.
My guess is that they're looking at the reliquaries, the cross or whatever else that -- that -- that held these things because those are usually made of precious metals and might have precious stones.
COSTELLO: So you think they're doing it for money. It was just bizarre because when they stole this preserved heart the thieves lit candles at the altar. So is it possible, I mean, we're speculating here, but could they be stealing these items because the thieves really believe they had healing powers? Or are they going to sell them on eBay?
WOODWARD: Well, good luck on eBay. I mean what -- I have to ask myself, what could you do? You could keep the heart in the basement. As soon as you tell your neighbor your neighbor is going to tell somebody else. And very soon you're going to be found out. It's like having a very expensive Picasso, you know, that you've stolen but you can't sell it to the Metropolitan. You can't do anything with it.
COSTELLO: It's just -- it's just -- so do you think the church is taking steps to protect other artifacts throughout the world?
WOODWARD: Well if you've ever been through the Vatican museum, you see an awful a lot of goodies out there. But I'm sure they're protected. You know, I guess they feel you shouldn't have to. And it occurs to me that maybe what they're -- what they're trying to do given the economy in Ireland today, that maybe they want to hold up the church. Maybe they're asking for a reward for the return of a petrified piece or petrified heart.
I mean, I can't imagine if I say -- if I say to somebody on the street, look, I've got some splinters from the true cross, they're going to look like splinters from a toothpick. You can't tell. They're only really relics when they're in the church, you see what I mean? Otherwise you can't authenticate them in any way.
COSTELLO: Fascinating though -- sad and fascinating at the same time. Kenneth Woodward, thank you for joining us. We appreciate it.
WOODWARD: You bet.
COSTELLO: Homecoming queen on the football field not for half time but trying to play full time for LSU. And her kicking is impressive. We will show you in sports; that's seven minutes from now.
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COSTELLO: Stories we're working on later today in the CNN NEWSROOM.
At 12:30 p.m. Eastern, President Obama gives a speech about the economy which almost certainly will touch on the new monthly jobs report.
At 2:15 p.m. Eastern, Attorney General Eric Holder will talk about federal efforts to protect Americans, especially the elderly from getting scammed.
And at 3:30 p.m. Eastern there will be a press briefing at the United Nations about six-party talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear program.
We're following a lot of developments in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM. Let's check in first with Arwa Damon.
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Coming up at the top of the hour, an inside look at the challenges of reporting from Syria.
ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans in New York where we're taking a close look inside the jobs report. You know the unemployment rate is steady at 8.3 percent, you know 227,000 jobs were created. I'll tell you exactly where. That's at the top of the hour.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Jason Carroll. We've already told you about James Cameron and his attempt to get to the deepest point on the planet. Now we're going to tell you how he plans on getting there. I'm going have that for you coming up in the next hour.
COSTELLO: Thanks to all of you.
The NCAA getting set to start its March madness but while fans are focusing on the tournament the FBI maybe looking at one school's alleged point-shaving. We'll talk about the potential scandal in the next hour.
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COSTELLO: I know we should be talking basketball, but let's talk college football for just a minute because there's a trial that is capturing the attention of the nation.
JEFF FISCHEL, ANCHOR, HLN SPORTS: Yes.
COSTELLO: This girl has got game.
FISCHEL: She does. LSU is looking for a place kicker, right? And they may have found one in the homecoming queen. Mo Isum is her name. She isn't just the homecoming queen; she's all the goalie on the LSU women's soccer team. She once scored a 90-yard goal. She says don't worry about her on the football field.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MO ISOM, TRYING OUT FOR LSU KICKER: Do you see my size? Everyone thinks I am the average size and weight of a female. I am 6'1" almost and weigh about 190 pounds. Yes, I just said that on camera. It is all muscle.
I'm working on becoming an avatar. That is the goal with the body type. I can take a hit. I'm just fearless. I'm not bound by fear, and I think I can handle a hit just fine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FISCHEL: It is easy to see why people are following her, rooting for her, isn't it?
COSTELLO: I love her.
FISCHEL: She's been seen booting 40- and 50-yard field goals in workouts. LSU coach Les Miles -- he says you know what; he has no problems with her making the team if she proves she's good enough. Good luck to Mo Isum; we'll follow her. See what she's doing.
All right. Peyton Manning is hoping to choose his new home within the next week. NFL sources tell ESPN a dozen teams are interested. Waiters and waitresses all over the country are surely hoping he chooses their town after they hear about this. Peyton Manning recently left a $200 tip on top of an 18 percent gratuity.
The server took a picture, posted it on Facebook. Yes, the restaurant management not happy; he was fired. But -- a huge tip and it's good to know Peyton spreads it around, doesn't it?
COSTELLO: Yes, I hope that $200 goes far for that poor waiter.
FISCHEL: I know.
Golf: Dustin Johnson teeing off on 18 at Doral. This is a shot you probably won't see again. Watch the ball because it's coming right at you. Hits the top of the camera crane. The camera operator -- fine. Not a great day for Johnson though; he's three over nine strokes back of the leaders.
COSTELLO: Well, we can see why.
FISCHEL: Yes.
All right. Now we can talk moves, Carol. Mountain West Conference Tournament, San Diego State with the ball, tied, final seconds against Boise State. Jamal Franklin with two guys in his face, buries it at the buzzer. That's good. Franklin shows why he's the conference player of the year, right? San Diego State moves on. I would say AsTechs (ph) are headed for the tournament even if they don't pull it out. But that's a great buzzer beater.
COSTELLO: That's awesome. I wish I could do that.
FISCHEL: And of course, when we talk tournament, you're studying, I know you are. 68 teams down to one. You know exactly who's going to win the title.
COSTELLO: Well, I'm going to cheat. We're putting brackets together. We're going to actually compete against you so check out cnn.com. But I'm actually cheating because I'm having an expert on today to tell me the best way to choose the teams to put into my brackets. He's got really cool suggestions, Jeff.
FISCHEL: Colors? Mascots?
COSTELLO: No, nothing like that. It has to do with statistics.
FISCHEL: Yes.
COSTELLO: This is all very mathematical, Jeff.
FISCHEL: It's beyond me. I don't know. I just close my eyes.
COSTELLO: That's probably the best way.
Thank you, Jeff.
FISCHEL: Ok.
COSTELLO: What's 340 tons and has its own Twitter account? A giant boulder making its slow move to the Los Angeles Museum.
CNN's Jeanne Moos has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Move over The Rock, because the real rock is coming through.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like billions of pounds.
MOOS: 340 tons, actually. It dwarfs mere man.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Isn't it big? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: God, I've never seen anything like that.
MOOS: Well, actually, she still hasn't seen it. It's covered in shrink wrap. They're calling it the biggest mega move since the pyramids. The rock came from this quarry in Riverside, California, where it's unluckier relatives are turned into gravel. But not this bruiser.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The piece is actually called levitated mass.
MOOS: It's destined to become part of an art work at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, but first it has to get there. It only moves at night when roads can be closed and traffic signals temporarily removed. Fans come out to shoot video of it even at 2:00 in the morning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here comes the rock making the turn.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's a lot of truck and engineering nerds.
MOOS: They want to know that 196 wheels are helping to carry the load. Usually there's one truck pulling from the front, two pushing from the back. The speed ranges from 5 to 8 miles per hour. The whole trip of 105 miles is supposed to take 11 days. When it stopped in Long Beach it was an excuse for partying and puns.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Definitely there's a party going on. They're playing music with the songs rocking it, I guess, right?
MOOS: People pose in front of it. People paint it. The security guard made a "That's a Big Rock Sign" to deter people to keep asking what is it?
But Sarah Cohen was inviting questions with an "Ask Me" T-shirt. She's from the museum where the rock was headed.
SARAH COHEN, LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART: There was a little bit of trouble making a turn so we stopped here instead.
MOOS: Which is ironic because --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's parked right in front of the church called Roca de Salvacion.
MOOS: The Rock of the Salvation Church with its rock. It must be a little jealous.
COHEN: I heard the wackiest questions. I had somebody ask me if it was going to be earthquake safe.
MOOS: Actually it will be because museum goers will be walking underneath.
A rock this big can make a kid's imagination run wild.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I imagine like it's going to knock all the houses down.
MOOS: No houses, but just moments later there was a rubbernecking rear-ender. Chock it up to the rock. A rock star, Queen" would appreciate it.
(MUSIC)
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: There's a hint of growing optimism in the job market this morning. New government figures show the unemployment rate held steady in February and in fact we saw more jobs created last month than experts had predicted.
Christine Romans breaks down these latest numbers and what they say about the overall economy. Alison Kosik looks at --
