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No Jury in Trayvon Martin Case; Men Charged in Tulsa Shooting Spree; North Korea Plans Rocket Launch; Grassley Tweets President "Stupid"; Employers Are Hiring Again; Jennifer Hudson To Attend Murder Trial; U.S. & Afghan Night Raids Agreement; Hottest March On Record
Aired April 09, 2012 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Live from CNN headquarters in Atlanta, where it's 12:00 noon, 9:00 a.m. on the West Coast -- I'm Suzanne Malveaux. I want to get you up to speed for this Monday, April 9th.
We have new developments. Breaking news just minutes ago in the Trayvon Martin case, we have confirmation that special prosecutor Angela Corey is not using a grand jury in the case.
Martin Savidge, he joins us from Sanford, Florida, to explain what this means.
No grand jury. What does it tell us about the future of the case?
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're not quite sure at this point. It could mean that the time that many people looked at, which was tomorrow, the seating of the grand jury and the belief that very soon after we might get some sort of decision, now that may be thrown out the window.
Angela Corey basically had three choices that she can make. One was to charge George Zimmerman. The other was to clear him. And the third was to go and put it in the hands of a grand jury.
She's now ruled step three out of that process, but she says, look, just because it won't be going to a grand jury doesn't in any way impact or change the potential outcome of a decision. You shouldn't read anything differently to that.
We've known all along that she is a strong state attorney and that she told CNN herself that she generally in these cases has not used some process like this. And so, she is merely sticking to her words, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: And, Marty, can you give us a sense, has there been any reaction on the ground there? What's taking place behind you?
SAVIDGE: This is a demonstration. It's a group called the Dream Defenders. They are actually -- we are all standing in front of the Sanford Police Department and they've been here for a couple hours now. There are about six of them actually wearing hoodies that are sitting down in front of the main entrance to the police department, blocking access. It appears they were literally trying to challenge law enforcement to arrest them.
That has not happened. In fact, law enforcement going out of its way to prevent any kind of arrest. They have actually closed off the street in front of the police department to make sure there's no problems with traffic. And on top of that, they have closed the main police department here, even sending a notice out to the community that if you need to come to the police department, it is closed today as a result of this protest.
So, it appears that the city is doing everything it can not to cause confrontation, not to trigger arrests, but to allow, that is, this demonstration to go forward peacefully, and that's the way it's been.
MALVEAUX: Martin, I want you to hang on for a minute here.
We are getting from our own Roland Martin here a family statement from Trayvon Martin's family attorney Ben Crump, telling him just moments ago and I'm quoting here, "We are hopeful that this announcement will be followed by another of an arrest. The family is trying to be patient and have faith in the system the best they can. We need to have an arrest. We just think they've got enough evidence."
And that is the family statement from the attorney, Ben Crump.
Do you have any sense there whether or not people find this as a move from the state attorney that will help or hurt bringing those charges forward, the chances of charges coming forward?
SAVIDGE: I think people just don't know at this point, Suzanne. I mean, it has greatly sort of changed the dynamic. There were a lot of people that felt that this was a critical week. Today, they thought actually might have been a critical day. There was a rumor going around, I know city officials had heard and it was on the street, that there could be a decision today.
Well, now we know through this statement, it doesn't mean there cannot be a decision today, but we know it's a decision not going to be made by a grand jury. So, it does seem to have impacted the time frame somewhat. Now, people are starting to say, well, maybe it could mean midweek.
The reality is we really don't know and we wait to hear in some way, shape, or form.
The state's attorney's office had been very formal on this and that they don't say anything unless it comes in a release, and even at the end of their very brief release today, they said we're not saying anymore. So, until they have official information, they're not going to comment on this case. They were clearly upset by leaks previous from last week.
MALVEAUX: All right. Martin, thank you very much. Want you to hold on.
I want to bring in Sunny Hostin -- legal analyst Sunny Hostin -- to explain what this actually means, the fact that a grand jury is not weighing in on this decision to bring charges against George Zimmerman.
Does it help, does it hurt his case? What do we make of this?
SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST (via telephone): I don't think we can make anything of it. I don't think we can read into it. I -- was very, very clear in my view that this wasn't going to a grand jury. I think we need to remember that the grand jury date of April 10th was chosen by the prior prosecutor, chosen by the prior state's attorney's office.
Angela Corey made it very, very clear that in all her years of prosecuting cases, she makes her own charging decisions and that she hasn't used a grand jury to make that charging decision.
And let me say this, Suzanne, as a former prosecutor, I typically made my own charging decisions, and it's an onerous, onerous burden that prosecutors have, but many, many seasoned prosecutors, I'm not going to say most, but many, many seasoned prosecutors use their judgment and make charging decisions. Don't necessarily sort of punt the ball to lay people, to a grand jury, and let them make the charging decisions.
So I'm not at all surprised by this. I think it was the smart thing to do because so many people were still wedded to that April 10th date set by the former prosecutor. Now, Angela Corey is letting everyone know this is her case, this is her decision that she will make, and this is her investigation.
So a very, very smart move by the new prosecutor, by the special prosecutor, to make sure that everyone knows that this is her decision, her case.
MALVEAUX: And what do we know, Sunny, about Angela Corey? What do we know about this special prosecutor?
HOSTIN: She is a seasoned prosecutor. She's been doing it for a very long time. She has been of late a bit of a controversial figure because she tried a very young person, I believe he was 12 years old, as an adult. That was a charging decision that she made in a homicide case.
And so, she's come under fire recently, but I think what we can read into it again is this is an independent prosecutor. This is a prosecutor that takes her task very, very seriously and will make those decisions on her own without sort of being swayed by the court of public opinion or what other people think of her and her charging decisions.
So I am, again, not surprised that we are now hearing directly from her office that no grand jury will be used in the determination to be made in the Trayvon Martin case.
MALVEAUX: And, Sunny, the family statement from Trayvon Martin essentially saying that they are trying to be patient and have faith in the system the best they can. How much more patience do they need here? When is this decision going to happen? Do we know?
HOSTIN: You know, I don't think we know. I don't think we can say it's going to happen today. I don't think we should say it's going to happen this week.
This is a complicated case because we're talking about justifiable homicide. We're talking about "Stand Your Ground". We're talking about a defendant who is -- not a defendant, but a person who is saying that he was acting in self-defense.
And we have some conflicting evidence from ear witnesses, a 911 call that may, you know, lead us to believe that perhaps it wasn't in self-defense. But when you have conflicting evidence in an investigation, you have to be all the more thorough, all the more careful.
And so, again, this is an ongoing investigation. I don't think we should guess as to when and if any charges are going to be brought. I would suspect in a case like this she's only been investigating it, I believe, since March 22nd. So it hasn't been very -- it hasn't been a long time. So I don't think we should hazard a guess as to when we should expect anything to happen.
And, of course, you know, the Martin family has been waiting since February 26th. The wait may be a bit longer.
MALVEAUX: All right. Sunny Hostin, thank you very much. Appreciate it.
Two men accused of going on a deadly shooting spree in mostly black neighborhoods in Tulsa, Oklahoma, had their first court appearance this morning. Jake England and Alvin Watts were ordered to be held on more than $9 million bond each. They're accused of killing three people and wounding two others last week.
Now, the FBI has joined the investigation to figure out if the shootings were racially motivated. A racial slur was posted on England's Facebook page just a day before the shootings.
North Korea is thumbing its nose at the world. Any day now, it could launch this rocket which would violate a U.N. resolution. Now, much of the world sees this as a possible test for a long-range missile that would be capable of reaching the United States.
Now, South Korea is warning that the north is trying to provoke an angry international response. It says the North plans to use that reaction as an excuse to go ahead with a third nuclear test.
A team from the U.S. is helping with the rescue after a massive avalanche in the Pakistan/Indian border. One hundred thirty-nine Pakistani soldiers and civilians are now still trapped. Rescuers are searching with bulldozers and sniffer dogs at the disaster site in the Kashmir region. So far, there are no reports of anyone being found.
Crews are scrambling to free nine miners trapped on the ground near Lima, Peru. They have been stuck in a copper mine since Thursday. Now, the Peruvian government is asking local mining companies to help out, trying to get heavy equipment and experts at the site.
Easter not over in Washington until the eggs roll. Today, first family is expecting 30,000 people for the annual White House Easter egg roll. It's a good time.
This year's theme is: let's go, let's play, let's move -- as Michelle Obama's campaign to end childhood obesity in the United States.
The FBI and local police are looking into whether a deadly shooting spree in several predominantly black areas in Tulsa, Oklahoma, were hate crimes.
Jason Carroll, he was inside the courthouse when the two suspects were arraigned this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Jake England and Alvin Watts had their first court appearance. They were not physically in the courtroom. They appeared via video conference from jail.
They're both being held on more than $9 million bail each. They are charged with first-degree murder, as well as shooting with the intent to kill.
The question among many here in the African-American community in Tulsa is whether or not they'll be charged with a hate crime. Police at this point will be looking very closely at England's Facebook page as part of their evidence while they're building their case.
England never got over the death of his father. His father was killed two years ago, shot by an African-American man. On his Facebook page, England made reference to this. He used a racial slur. He also said get ready to have more funerals.
So these are some of the things police will be looking for as they put together the case and trying to determine whether or not these suspects will be charged with a hate crime.
In the eyes of one local city councilman, it is very clear to him.
JACK HENDERSON, TULSA CITY COUNCILMAN: I think I know pretty much a hate crime when I see it. We have an individual, white male, going to a black -- predominantly black community, shoot at five black people. And with the other evidence of the online stuff and some of the things that were said leads me to believe that that was totally a hate crime.
CARROLL: Ultimately, it will be up to the district attorney to determine whether or not hate crime charges are, indeed, filed against these two suspects. Their next court appearance is set for April 16th. At that point, they will be formally charged and they will enter a plea.
Jason Carroll, CNN, Tulsa, Oklahoma.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Here is run down of some of the stories that we are covering.
First, North Korea flexing its muscles on the world stage. We're going to get a close look at the rocket that some fear could be a missile in disguise.
And when things are looking up, right, jobs report has the stock market reeling.
And then just two guys -- they buy the smallest town in the United States for a cool 900 grand. Good deal? We're going to let you decide.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Sound the alarm about North Korean nuke. South Korea says that the North is getting ready to conduct its third underground nuclear test. Now, this comes as the reclusive nation prepares to launch a long-range rocket. That is going to happen time this week.
North Koreans have already moved the rocket into position. They insist it's just to put a satellite into orbit, but other countries fear it's actually a cover for testing a long-range missile. Both require similar technology.
I want to bring in Michael Holmes. He's been to the Korean demilitarized zone, DMZ, actually crossed into North Korea.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Yes, briefly.
MALVEAUX: Michael, good to see you here.
HOLMES: Good to see you.
MALVEAUX: What do we make of this? Is this a provocation?
HOLMES: Well, it's interesting. You got the new leader but the same old North Korea in many ways where they're, you know, sort of testing the boundaries of international reaction to this sort of thing. They say they've been planning this for years.
It actually is the 100th anniversary of the birth of the founder of communist North Korea. And they say that this was planned as a celebration. They also say that they need the technology, and that this is just an innocent satellite.
Now, as you point out, the U.S., South Korea, and others worry that what they are actually doing is they're honing their testing for a ballistic missile which one day would be capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and would have the sort of capability to even reach the United States in the Alaska region. This could go 4,000 miles if it all worked.
So, they're saying, hey, no big deal, they brought the journalists in. Our Stan Grant was there.
MALVEAUX: Right.
HOLMES: It looks like a satellite, all the rest of it, but everyone is very suspicious.
MALVEAUX: And they can hide those things, too. I mean, we'll talk to Stan about that as well.
But one of the things, these guys -- their own people are suffering.
HOLMES: Yes.
MALVEAUX: They are starving. They have been for years and years and years. Finally they get a deal with the United States. We're going to provide food aid.
Could that be in jeopardy now?
HOLMES: You know, they had these talks just in February, you know? The food aid was suspended after they did other testing.
So, here they are testing at a time when the resumption of food aid was being discussed. They ever already said if the U.S. won't help out with the food aid, this sort of goes back on its agreement to resume the food aid. They say they will consider all their agreements on the nuclear and testing front to be null and void. Well, people are saying they're already doing that anyway.
China, of course, is still a friend, even though China has even expressed concern about these latest developments. So they do get food aid from China as well.
But, yes, you make a good point. Their people are starving and yet they're spending millions of dollars on this and risking perhaps aid as well.
You know, one of the launch site spokesmen said if we don't develop our own technology, we will become slaves and it's all about sort of looking good in the rest of the world in developing their own stuff.
MALVEAUX: So, this is very symbolic, significant for them symbolically but they also want to be more powerful. Do we anticipate there's going to be an immediate response if we see a rocket launch from Japan or China or others in the region?
HOLMES: I mean, the trajectory of this launch if and when it happens goes by a bunch of countries. Japan, as you say, right down to the Philippines. And those countries have said if it strays into their territory, they're threading the needle basically with the trajectory of this rocket. They say if it comes over their territory, they will shoot it down.
In terms of worldwide response, really what else can the world do? There are sanctions in place. And this would violate -- if this launch takes place, it would violate an existing U.N. resolution.
So what else are you going to do? Are you going to go to the Security Council do another resolution? They don't really care.
MALVEAUX: Yes, they don't care. Just thumbing their nose at the world.
HOLMES: Pretty much. Yes.
MALVEAUX: Yes, we'll see if they launch that rocket.
HOLMES: I think they will.
MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Michael. Appreciate it.
HOLMES: Good to see you.
MALVEAUX: Next hour, we're going to take you inside of North Korea for a rare look inside the reclusive country and the rocket station just before launch time.
Ands just as 401(k)s are starting to recover, investors turning their nose up at the jobs report. We're going to tell you what it means to the markets as well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Following a developing story here. The Florida state attorney, Angela Corey, announced just moments ago that she would not seek a grand jury in determining whether or not charges would be filed against George Zimmerman in the case of Trayvon Martin.
I want to go to Roland Martin who is in New York, who's been reporting on this.
And, Roland, you actually spoke to Trayvon Martin's -- the family -- the attorney of the family who released a statement. What did he tell you?
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, first of all, Ben Crump said the family -- they are patient and they have faith in the system and that they're, again, hopeful that there will be an arrest. They believe there is enough evidence to arrest George Zimmerman right now.
In fact, in talking with Ben Crump and also with some of the other attorneys, even some attorneys who are not involved in this case, they always felt that this should not go to the grand jury. They did not want this potentially in the hands of 15 people who could decide yea or nay. They felt more comfortable with the special prosecutor actually making this decision.
So, they are very cautious but hopeful the special prosecutor, by making this announcement of no grand jury is likely on the path of deciding what the charges are going to be to actually arrest George Zimmerman.
MALVEAUX: And do they have faith in this special prosecutor, in this attorney, the Florida state attorney?
MARTIN: In talking with the attorneys, they have far more faith in the special prosecutor. Of course, remember, that was a meeting with Governor Rick Scott, when he informed the family that he was putting this particular prosecutor on the case. What Ben Crump has told me pointblank, the family has absolute no faith in the Sanford Police Department.
And so, they are hopeful the special prosecutor is going to be a lot more fair, will be more thorough, and when it comes to looking at all the evidence, talking to potential witnesses, whether it's Trayvon Martin's girlfriend, whether it's some of these other witnesses that have come forward. And again, they say that even right now that there's still probable cause to arrest George Zimmerman, but there's no doubt the special prosecutor wants to make sure all things are in line before going that route.
MALVEAUX: And you say that -- and they say as well that they are really trying to be patient in this case. Roland, do you think they're starting to run out of patience here, that this has been a difficult process?
MARTIN: Well, from day one, what the family has said is they felt Zimmerman should be arrested and that's the justice they wanted. There have been people who have been wanting to escalate this, and they have been saying, no, we don't want that to happen. You have heard talk about civil disobedience.
Right now, there are a group of students from Florida A&M University, (INAUDIBLE) who are in Sanford, Florida. They marched from Daytona Beach to Sanford. They arrived there yesterday. They spoke before a hearing.
And so, some of those students wanted to also, you know, create civil disobedience, wanted to actually get arrested. What the family is saying, we don't want that. We want to give this system an opportunity to provide some sense of justice.
And, again, a lot of people were putting the focus on this grand jury. One thing that Crump said they were fearful of, that the special prosecutor wasn't beholden to the April 10th date. That potentially could have been pushed back. Now with her saying I won't take it to the grand jury at all, then now the question then is, you know, when will she step up? How much more time?
But certainly, they want to see some type of action very soon. But they believe he should be in jail or at least arrested right now.
MALVEAUX: And, Roland, quickly here, what does the family want for people to do now? Because I know -- we saw the protests earlier today. We are seeing the marches. We see this growing into a movement.
Are they saying essentially -- hang tight, be still, we're going to see that potentially justice is played out, is that what they're saying?
MARTIN: No. In terms of the family, as well the attorneys, they believe that the public pressure is the reason we're at this particular point. When it came to the social media, when it came to they said pointblank, the Department of Justice would not have launched the investigation without all of this.
And so, certainly, the vigils and the marches taking place across the country, they say don't lose sight of this. Because what happens in these stories, Suzanne, we have seen it, after two or three weeks, it sort of dissipates all the energy. They say this type of efforts, as long as they are peaceful and nonviolent and still focused on the case at hand, they say those are good.
They don't want anything else -- no vigilante, no trying to go out and arrest Zimmerman. They say keep it on nonviolence, keep the focus on justice. And they say that's what's most important.
MALVEAUX: OK. And, Roland, we are getting statement. This is obtained by Marty Savidge, who is on the ground there, covering the story. This is George Zimmerman's attorney, Hall Uhrig, the response here, saying, "Not surprised. Don't know what her decision will be. Courageous mop on her part."
Again, "Not surprised. Don't know what her decision will be."
MARTIN: Right.
MALVEAUX: "Courageous move on her part."
MARTIN: Suzanne, here is what Ben Jealous says -- of the NAACP -- says, "We hope this means Mr. Zimmerman will finally be charged, arrested, ant brought to justice. There's always been sufficient basis for probable cause. There's never been a need for a grand jury. There has simply been a need for an arrest."
And that's what Ben told me about five minutes ago.
MALVEAUX: All right. Roland, thank you very much. Appreciate it.
MARTIN: Thanks so much.
MALVEAUX: As we get more news, we'll bring it. Thank you.
He's not getting out, but Newt Gingrich, he is admitting that his chances of winning the Republican nomination are slim to none. So why is he sticking around? We're going to ask our political panel.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: At the White House, President Obama has been talking trade and the economy with the president of Brazil. She happens to be the country's first female president.
And another woman has joined the ranks of world leaders. The African nation of Malawi now has its first female president, long time activist and former Vice President Joyce Banda.
She took charge of her homeland on Saturday -- which brings the total number of female world leaders to 19 that is president, prime ministers and a chancellor. You can them. More and more, women rule.
All right. Twitter battle erupting over the weekend. On one side, Republican Senator Chuck Grassley talking about the president's comments on the Supreme Court hearings over health care. Now, here is what he said. Quote, "American people not as stupid as this professor of constitutional law," referring to the president.
David Axelrod, the president's senior campaign adviser, who loves to tweet, he shot back. He asked Grassley, "If a 6-year-old had hijacked his account and was sending out embarrassing tweets." Here to talk about it Democratic strategist, Kiki McLean and Republican strategist, Ana Navarro.
So, wow, it's kind of surprising when you hear this type of language. Do we think this is politics and that this is just going to play out over the campaign or does this say something about the lack of respect for the office of the president?
KIKI MCLEAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, I'm hoping that --
ANA NAVARRO, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I think it says something about -- I think it says something about Twitter. You know, Grassley made a cheeky remark. Twitter is one of these things that you have to be witty and say something in 140 characters, and, you know, the Obama campaign seems obsessed in what are very small, little details.
They need to run on the record. This campaign on both sides needs to be about big issues. The big issues America is confronting, the economic difficulties, the unemployment. It's time we leave Mitt Romney's dog alone, that we leave Twitter feeds alone. We stop this tweet for tat and instead focus on the big issues our nation is facing.
MALVEAUX: Do you think it's appropriate he called the president stupid? I know you're saying it's a small thick and it says something about Twitter, but do you think it says something about him as well?
NAVARRO: You know, I think, first, he didn't -- I think it's inappropriate for the word stupid to be used and I think it's inappropriate for Axelrod to use the word foolish. We just have to be careful this doesn't turn into a playground food fight and that, instead, we focus on the big issues.
MALVEAUX: So you think it wasn't appropriate. Kiki, do you think it says more about the fact -- this is unprecedented in the way that somebody who yelled "you lie" to the president in the chamber there in Congress and now you have something like this. Does it mean more or is Ana right here, it's petty?
MCLEAN: Listen, I know Ana is in a tough place. She's between a rock and a hard place because you don't want to criticize the behavior of someone in your own party.
But, boy, Senator Grassley, a mature member of the United States Senate, calling anyone names let alone the president of the United States, calling him stupid, it's inappropriate, that can't be tolerated, whether it's on the floor of the Congress or if it's in the floor of the Senate or if it's through Twitter.
You know what does that say to the children of our country and you know, what I kept waiting for was some moment where somebody said actually it was a young staffer who was inappropriate and they've been reprimanded, but you didn't really hear that, which tells me a United States senator probably really said that.
And it's unacceptable under any condition and David Axelrod was exactly right to call him out on it. When Ana talks about let's have conversations about the big issues. This was a conversation about big issues, about health care and the economy.
And that's why lowering the standard to name calling let alone the president of the United States by a member of the United States Senate is unacceptable.
MALVEAUX: All right, let's move on to something else here. Obviously over the weekend, Newt Gingrich making some news here because he's not conceding the race to Mitt Romney yet, but here is what he said on Fox News Sunday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You have to be realistic given the size of his organization, given the number of primaries he's won. He's far and away the most likely Republican nominee. If he does get to 1,144 delegates, I'll support him.
I'll do anything I can this fall to help him defeat Obama. It is the primary goal of the entire Republican Party has to be to defeat Barack Obama.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: So, Ana, do you think staying in the race to push some of his personal platforms, does that help Romney in some way or is it time for him to, you know, exit stage left? NAVARRO: Well, you know, there are seven stages of grief. I think Newt Gingrich has gone through all of the stages of mourning and he's in the last stage, which is acceptance.
But, you know, there is not one stupid bone in Newt Gingrich's body and you can be sure there is logic to his madness. I suspect he's bargaining his conditions for getting out, I suspect he wants to be big time and prime time during the convention.
It's also -- there's also probably a fundraising component to this. If he can continue getting small donations, those are matchable and it will help him with his debt.
I also think there's a benefit to Mitt Romney of Newt Gingrich staying in through the month of May when there are still some southern primaries and he can peel off some points off Santorum.
MALVEAUX: Kiki, it's interesting, Ana said logic to his madness. Does that help Obama in any way the longer he stays in?
MCLEAN: Well, you know, I think you can look at it a couple ways. The only person who really knows what motivates Newt Gingrich is Newt Gingrich. But, you know, let's not forget there were reports that Newt Gingrich actually met with Mitt Romney several weeks ago.
What I heard in those comments was some messaging out of the Romney campaign about the most important thing they have to do and probably some value to Romney that he not allow any of the Gingrich oxygen to go into the Santorum campaign.
So I think there's some value to Mitt Romney for him staying in, and I think the longer the primary fight goes on, it's obviously a help to some extent to President Obama because he's out there talking about the big issues like he's talking this week about the Buffett rule.
And it makes it harder for Mitt Romney to get out of the process stories and into what his vision is because he hasn't really given us a lot of that yet.
MALVEAUX: All right, we're going to have to leave it there. Ana, Kiki, good to have you both here. We'll have you on again very soon. Thank you.
Economy starting to heat up again, but the outlook still pretty bleak for a lot of folks who are looking for work. We'll tell you how to get hired.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Here is a rundown to the stories we're working on. Next, real test of a good economy whether or not you can find a job. We're going to show you how to beat the odds.
And she is a music superstar who is about to stare down the man who allegedly killed three people in her family. And later, Afghans will be calling the shots during night raids on insurgents.
Here is something a lot of folks want to hear. Employers, they're hiring again, but who is having the best luck finding jobs and what can you do to make yourself more marketable? Are you even still looking? Christine Romans has got the answers.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Jobs, jobs, jobs, the private sector has been adding them now for 25 straight months. So who is getting hired? Baby boomers for one. Since the start of the great recession, employment for Americans age 55 and older is up by 3.9 million.
Things are looking better, too, for new college graduates. The National Association of Colleges and Employers says starting salaries are up 4.5 percent from last year and more grads are expected to be hired this year than last year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PROFESSOR KEN ROGOFF, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: I think the glass is half full for 2012. I think things are definitely a little better than in 2011. I would rather be looking for a job this year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Here are a couple of things you can do to improve your chances of getting hired. Don't sabotage those chances with an unsuitable social media profile. Google yourself to see what's there.
Join professional sites like LinkedIn and network offline, too. If you applied for a job months ago and haven't heard back, it's time to check in again. Companies are hiring. Most importantly, don't blame other people. Work on yourself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEDMAN GRAHAM, AUTHOR, "IDENTITY: YOUR PASSPORT TO SUCCESS": If you can begin to source your talents and your skills, which I call -- it's a development issue in a world where only the strong survive, it's not about weakness, it's about strength. Focus on what you can do, not on what you can't do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: And don't forget, your job market is a job market of one. The only job statistic that matters to you is whether or not you are employed. For smart is the new rich, I'm Christine Romans.
MALVEAUX: Jury selection begins today in the trial of a man accused of murdering three of Jennifer Hudson's family members. The singer, she is actually on the witness list. We're going to have a live report.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) MALVEAUX: Singer, Jennifer Hudson, could face the man who allegedly killed her family. Her mom, brother, and nephew were all murdered back in 2008. Well, now the man police say killed them is going to trial. Ted Rowlands has the background on the case.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In October 2008, singer/actress, Jennifer Hudson was told her mother, Darnell, and brother Jason, were murdered, and her 7-year-old nephew Julian, was missing. Hudson returned to Chicago where a frantic search was under way for Julian and for the gunman.
Three days later, the little boy's body was found inside this abandoned SUV. He died of a gunshot wound. And a police investigation led to the arrest of 27-year-old William Balfour.
ROWLANDS (on camera): The Hudson family knew William Balfour quite well. He grew up here in their neighborhood on the south side of Chicago and ended up marrying Jennifer Hudson's older sister, Julia.
ROWLANDS (voice-over): Balfour, known as "Flex" on the streets, has a long criminal history. And according to people who know the family, the Hudsons, including Jennifer, didn't want Julia to marry Balfour. Prosecutors say Balfour killed his ex-wife's family members because he was jealous that she was seeing another man. The defense says there are no eyewitnesses and no fingerprints linking him to the murder scene, which has Hudson's neighbor, Michael Jones, concerned that Balfour could walk.
MICHAEL JONES, NEIGHBOR: In a murder, especially in the black community, is so easy to beat.
ROWLANDS: Three and a half years later, the Hudson home in Chicago is boarded up. Jennifer Hudson has said very little publicly about the murders, but she recently talked to Piers Morgan about her mother.
JENNIFER HUDSON, ACTRESS: My mother was a very wise and strong person. And I feel like she raised us well. And she prepared me well. And so that's what I live by.
ROWLANDS: Opening statements are scheduled to begin April 23rd. Jennifer Hudson, who's on the witness list, is expected to attend.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Ted Rowlands, he joins us from Chicago.
So, Ted, I mean just so tragic there. The fact that Jennifer Hudson, she is a member of the witness list and she will be in the courtroom. What do we think that the impact is going to be? Do we think it's going to make a difference to the jury?
ROWLANDS: Well, I think so. Anytime you have a victim family member in a courtroom, it makes a difference with the jury. Prosecutors always want family members to come to court. And when that family member is a celebrity on the level of a Jennifer Hudson, I don't think anybody could argue it won't make a difference and it will help the prosecution's case.
MALVEAUX: Are they making any kind of special arrangements either for her arrival or is the judge giving the potential jurors any special instructions about how to deal with somebody who is a celebrity?
ROWLANDS: They -- all the potential jurors, there's a pool of 150, they were given a questionnaire last week and they filled them out. A lot of questions about Jennifer Hudson. Once a jury is impaneled, the judge will tell them that the fact that Jennifer Hudson is going to be in this courtroom or is a witness in this case, he'll ask, can you put that aside and not factor that in? That said, jurors are human beings, so there will be the human factor going on if she's in that courtroom, especially every single day. It will make a difference.
MALVEAUX: And, Ted, you covered the Michael Jackson trial and where a similar thing played out. I think Janet Jackson was there. Do they anticipate that there is going to be that kind of sway with the jurors there when you have somebody that high profile?
ROWLANDS: Yes, when -- during the Conrad Murray trial, where Jackson's family was there, Janet Jackson was there, Katherine Jackson. Whenever anything came up of significance, whether it was evidence or something emotional, jurors would look at Conrad Murray, the defendant, but then they would always look over and see what Janet Jackson thought or the Jackson family. It does play a difference because, as a juror, you're in a very small room and you react to all of that. When you go back to deliberate, you know that that celebrity or that family -- victim family member wants you to come back with a guilty verdict. It absolutely helps prosecutors in a case like this.
MALVEAUX: All right, Ted Rowlands. Thank you, Ted.
Afghans taking a tighter grip on their own security. But does this power play, what does it mean for the future of the war. We get a live report.
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MALVEAUX: U.S. and Afghan have reached a deal on the controversial night raids by American troops. It gives the Afghans effective veto power over those raids. Our Barbara Starr, she joins us from the Pentagon to explain a little bit more about how this would work.
Barbara, what do we know.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Suzanne, this is an agreement that had been in the works for some time. Very controversial. What you basically have here is Afghan forces will now be in the lead on all of these controversial nighttime raids, largely conducted by them and U.S. special forces. There will be an Afghan review panel that will have to look at the proposed raid and give a thumbs up before U.S. and Afghan forces can go into action.
That's going to be controversial, of course, because a lot of times they don't have all the intelligence, they don't have all the information way ahead of time and they do these things very quickly on a very quick turnaround. And what we don't know is the very point you raised. Is this now, for the first time, going to give the Afghan government essentially veto authority over U.S. military action in the war? Not a lot of clear answers on all of it, but the agreement was signed over the weekend and it's being hailed, at least here at the Pentagon, as a real step forward in cooperation with the Afghans.
MALVEAUX: And, Barbara, set the scene for us here. Why was this agreement so important?
STARR: Well, you know, for many years now, even though Afghan forces have been in the lead, these night raids into private Afghan homes, compounds, often in very remote villages, are extremely controversial. Look, in this very conservative culture, these people understandably do not want troops busting into their homes in the middle of the night, potentially searching women and children, and having them come outside and be subject to even any interaction with U.S. military forces. So it's the night raids that were the most controversial. And now at least it is set down that it will be Afghan forces that mainly go in and do those. But the parameters still seem to be sorted out, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: And, Barbara, is this in part, they're doing this agreement now, because the relationship, the United States and Afghan, is so tense right now on the heels of some of these incidents that took place --
STARR: Yes.
MALVEAUX: The soldier that shot the Afghan civilians and so forth, the Koran burnings?
STARR: You know -- sure. I think that it added certainly impetus to it. The discussion over an agreement had been in the works for some time and Afghan President Hamid Karzai, following all of these events that you've mentioned, had made it very clear that stress and strain with the U.S. relationship was really reaching all-time high levels. So they at least wanted to get this done, get this off the list of controversial items to be dealt with while they're working on all these other investigations. But again, I think we need to be very clear that there's a lot of uncertainty on the ground how this will actually sort out for U.S. troops.
Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: All right, Barbara Starr. Thank you, Barbara.
STARR: Sure.
MALVEAUX: Last month was the warmest March on record. I loved it. We're going to break it down and pull out our crystal ball to see if there's going to be a really scorching summer. We'll see. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: The town of Buford, Wyoming, population one, has officially been sold to the highest bidder. Two Vietnamese businessmen are now paying $800,000 for Buford, the town. What do they get? They get a gas station, a three bedroom house, and a little bit more for their money. A representative for the buyers wouldn't say what they plan to do.
So you've probably noticed it's a little warmer, right? You're not alone. According to new reports, last month was the warmest March on record in U.S. history since they've been actually measuring this, Chad. Wow. I loved it. It was fantastic, right?
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I know.
MALVEAUX: I mean it was winter but it was like 80 degrees.
MYERS: Right. It was a pattern that wouldn't change. It was warm every day. Maybe cold one or two and then back to warm again.
Did you watch the Masters this weekend at all? The azaleas were gone and the Masters -- the people at Augusta, they do everything they can to make those azaleas bloom right on the day of the Masters. They couldn't save them. Sometimes they ice them down. Sometimes they cover them up. It depends if it's warm or cold. They did everything -- those azaleas were long gone.
MALVEAUX: Why did that happen? Do we know why it happened? Why it was just so warm?
MYERS: It was a blocking pattern in the west. We don't have a reason. We don't -- we can't say El Nino or La Nina or southern oscillation index or whatever it might be. But we do know that the pattern was blocked for a very long time where it was cold in the west. In fact, it was colder than normal in Washington, Oregon, California, but warmer than normal in every state east of the Rocky Mountains. And in some spots, eight degrees per day warmer than it's ever been.
MALVEAUX: Wow. So what does that mean for the summer? Are we talking like really, really hot?
MYERS: It doesn't mean a lot for the summer, but it does possibly mean that spring may be over. So severe weather season may be over sooner. The clash between the warm and the cold. There's not that much cold to clash with.
It also may mean that hurricane season starts sooner because the warm water in the Gulf of Mexico is already almost warm enough to make the first storm of the season. That typically doesn't happen until the 1st of June. So those kind of things can happen.
But I'll tell you what, if this is any -- if 80 degrees is what we get in March, I mean, it could be 110 across parts in summer. Sure, it's possible. MALVEAUX: Wow.
MYERS: But, you know, one things kind of calm down -- there were record-breaking low temperatures across parts of the country, too, but that happened in Alaska. And they didn't add in that Alaska with the 48 contiguous states. Look at this, 7,755 record high temperatures were set in March alone, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: And I understand that there's snow -- a lot of snow in Alaska.
MYERS: Lots of -- yes, and, you know, 800 people died in Europe because of the bitter cold. It was the ninth coldest winter on record -- March on record for Alaska. So there were cold places. But when you add it all together, the eastern part of the United States was one of the hottest ones ever. And it was the hottest we've ever kept from 1895. And, yes, record snow was in Alaska. The Bering Sea is shut down with a lot of ice there. We'll see those pictures on -- you know, that deadliest catch? We'll be seeing some of those pictures as soon as they get that and put it into edit and get shows on some of these TV channels. We'll see how cold it was up there.
MALVEAUX: All right. Thanks, Chad. I hope it gets really hot this summer. I like the heat. Thank you.
MYERS: All right. You're welcome.
