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CNN Saturday Morning News

Storm Causes Power Outages in Kentucky; Election Day in Iraq; Job Hunting Tips and Which Companies Are Hiring; President Obama's Half Brother Arrested in Nairobi, Kenya

Aired January 31, 2009 - 08:00   ET

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

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN center in Atlanta, Georgia, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING for January 31st. Hello everybody. I'm T.J. Holmes.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen. Thanks so much for starting your day with us.

All right, let's take it straight to Kentucky because they are still trying to find a way to thaw out. Eleven people dead in that state. Residents are still without power.

HOLMES: Also, it's election day in Iraq, a big day across that country. Security is high, but very few incidents to report. We'll have a report from Iraq.

NGUYEN: And it is a very tough time out there if you are hunting for a job. But you're not without hope, because in fact this morning, we have some tips on where to start looking for a job and actually going to show you which companies are hiring.

All right. Let's get to the weather right now. It is a cold time of year to be without heat or even hot water, but that's what many in parts of the country, especially the midsection, are dealing with after just a blast of icy weather.

HOLMES: Susan Candiotti is in Kentucky for us now. That's an area we've been talking about, Susan that is seeing quite a mess right now. What is the situation? What's the latest there?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You can see your breath, it's so cold here, brutally cold overnight. Temperatures dipping down here in the Louisville area to the teens and in single digits in other parts of the state. Here, tens of thousands of people remain without power throughout the state of Kentucky, from north to south.

There haven't been garbage pickups. In some cases, mail deliveries are slowed down and the problem has been compounded by, as you heard, starting earlier in the week, with snow followed by ice followed by more snow. So these power outages continue to exist. Workers have been out throughout the night, continuing to work on this problem throughout every part of the state.

And the problem is also compounded by the fact that it's got icicles hanging from lines, utility lines as well as trees and as these branches break and as the ice melts in some cases, it can cause even further damage as the power company tries to get this problem corrected. A number of people, hundreds of them, have taken to shelters that are also being operated by the American Red Cross and others here and so now it's just a matter of getting through this, waiting until the power comes back on and bracing for the possibility of more snow at the beginning of next week.

The predictions have come down a little bit from what they were talking about, but nevertheless, they are hopeful that a little bit of a warming effect they're going to get tomorrow will help melt some of this ice and hopefully allow these utility companies to get more work done, more repairs done throughout the weekend -- T.J.

NGUYEN: Well Susan, they do have a whole lot ahead of them and hopefully they can get to it very quickly. People are without power and many of them still inside their homes. Thank you for that -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right, Betty.

The governor of Kentucky, Steve Beshear is getting a look, a firsthand look at the deep freeze there. Governor Beshear, we appreciate you giving us some time today. Give us the latest, give us the update. Just how many people are still without power there and also give us an update on the deaths and injuries that you know of in your state.

VOICE OF GOV. STEVE BESHEAR, KENTUCKY: T.J., we got up to, excuse me, over 700,000 without power. That's down to about 545,000 right now. That is good news. Of course, the bad news is is that there are about 200,000 and that number's gone up to -- without water right now. And without water, I mean, their water systems aren't working. We're delivering water to them and everybody's getting drinking water, but that's a tough situation right now, but we're making progress.

This is such a wide problem and all over our state, that it's going to take some time to dig our way out of this, but people are coming together. They're working together. Neighbors are helping neighbors as well as governments. It's a massive effort we've got.

HOLMES: And tell me, sir, you said pretty much every part of your state is being affected. Are some of the more populated areas, the ones that are being hit the hardest or more the rural areas where people are more spread out?

BESHEAR: Well, it's widespread. Louisville and Lexington were hit pretty hard, but they are digging their way out pretty well. Down in far west Kentucky is a real trouble area, because for about a couple of days, our communications were pretty much knocked out. Not only land lines but cell service and even emergency radio service in some areas were affected. And so that is a real trouble spot.

I'm heading that way today. I was down there two days ago and we're going to go back again checking and making sure we know an update. We're working hard to get some big generators in here to run these treatment centers and to heat these shelters and get our people through this. HOLMES: Are you getting all the help you need so far? I know the Red Cross certainly helping out, but also power crews from other states? I assume many of them are trying to help and flocking to you right now?

BESHEAR: Yes. We've got power crews the utilities are bringing in from all over the place. We obviously waived any requirements for their trucks to stop at the border on these weigh stations. They're rolling in fast. The Red Cross and other private organizations are doing a wonderful job. FEMA is in here working with us and trying to move stuff in here as rapidly as we can.

Everybody is really pitching in and I think we're moving about as fast as we can. I know it's not fast enough, but we're also, we've got about 1,600 National Guard. Other states have told us that if we need more, they will send theirs in. We're going door-to-door in some places checking on people in their homes to make sure that they're OK.

HOLMES: The last couple of things here sir. You said the number had gone down as far as those without power. I believe you gave me 545,000 right now. I guess, what is the word you're giving to your residents there about how long this could possibly take? I know it's tough to predict, but are we looking at a situation where it might be weeks before people in some areas have power back?

BESHEAR: Well, the utility companies obviously have different timelines depending upon where they are and whether it's rural or urban, but we're looking at a number of days. It's hard to guess how long.

HOLMES: All right. And one more thing, sir. Were you having any issues with your hospitals that you know of being without power and having patients having to be moved to other locations with power. I know a lot of hospitals have generators and whatnot, but just wanted an update to see if all the hospitals are doing all right.

BESHEAR: I think all the hospitals are doing OK. They had backup generation power. We don't have any word that we've got a problem there. We've had a few nursing homes where people have had to be moved out of those and moved into shelters and other places, but so far, that's working pretty well.

HOLMES: All right. Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear, I know you all are up against it there. Hope you all -- good luck in this recovery sir, and we are all thinking about you.

BESHEAR: Well, thank you and we appreciate your thoughts and prayers and the we're going get through this.

HOLMES: I know you will, sir. Thank you so much. Governor Steve Beshear. Thank you so much.

NGUYEN: Well, as the situation in Kentucky, people in other parts of the country might be experiencing a little bit of cabin fever, shall we say, because even in the southwest, some have been stuck inside for days. This is why. Just take a look that. Things though are starting to thaw a little bit in Oklahoma, where two people unfortunately died because of these storms, while authorities in Arkansas blame the storms for at least nine deaths there. The governor took a tour of some of the worst-hit areas yesterday. A lot of the ice melted but there's still a long list of repairs to do in the days ahead. Part of that region is what you see there, downed tree limbs. A lot of times they fall on those power lines and just knock out power to an entire neighborhood or community.

HOLMES: Those things are so -- they can be scary sometime. Just walking down that street. you see it right there?

NGUYEN: It can be dangerous.

HOLMES: It can be dangerous. These things essentially blades almost of ice falling down and can possibly hit you, so issues there. Reynolds Wolf back here with us. I guess we're not expecting this ice to necessarily melt in the next couple of minutes. So they got some issues to deal with.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Until this melts, they're not going anywhere. They're going to slowly see some power be restored. Certainly something they need, but we've got another storm that's ramping up bringing even more snow and more ice and that's the big kicker. That's the common thread we're seeing with many of these issues that we're having weather wise around the country. It's the ice, ice, ice, not the snow, not so much in terms of rain, but ice is the big kicker and it is again coming for round two.

Want to show you what we have out there with some video. This is what people are dealing with. We've been talking about just so many people across parts of Ohio and Kentucky. T.J. was speaking with the governor moments ago. One of the key things is not just the issues we've had with in terms of the ice, the power outages. But another big deal of course is, what was it, T.J., 200,000 people without water at this time? Just a tremendous, tremendous mess affecting so many people.

Now, they are going see those temperatures slowly begin to rebound, but will it make much of a difference in terms of the ice on the trees? Well, I don't know. I mean, it's got to get much warmer. Take a look at the map behind me. You see people shoveling, but we're going to move this out of the way and show you all these counties. The places that you see that are shaded red in parts of Kentucky, that's where you have the most power outages and this is of 9:00 a.m. yesterday. It has improved considerably. But still, a great deal of the population of the blue grass state is suffering, no question.

What we have today, more snow (INAUDIBLE) is going to be locked up in the northern half of the great lakes. High pressure building into the southeast as well as parts of Texas, maybe in the big bend area. In Texas, you might get a few stray showers perhaps in San Antonio and Austin before the day is over.

But high pressure forming over much of the great basin, central Rockies will give you plenty of sunshine, some scattered showers along the northwest Pacific coastline. If you happen to be, say, in Portland, maybe even into Seattle you might see some of that. But in the high elevations, it's going to be mainly a snowy event for you.

Now what we're going to see in terms of those temperatures today, the highs for you are going to be, well, not too comfortable in many spots, for Washington, DC, 32 degrees, Nashville warming up to 49, 34 in Chicago, 44 in Seattle. But that big storm system we're talking about, that's going to start ramping up. We're going to see a lot of things happen first.

A big shot of cold air moving in as we get into Monday and Tuesday and then the storm track, a bit little farther to the south. Very low pressure is going to be moving right across parts of the Florida panhandle, bringing a chance of some rough weather. Severe storms in portions of the southeast. But then mainly areas back along the eastern seaboard. You could see some coastal flooding.

But take a look at these near blizzard conditions. We're not going to have just a chance of getting some ice and maybe even some sleet and some snow, but also strong winds which should give you whiteout conditions. Keep that in mind, if the wind is strong enough to create blizzard conditions, many of these trees that are in a weakened state throughout parts of Ohio and back into Kentucky, well, those strong wind gusts could finally give some of those trees the final heave-ho, which means, yes, more power outages.

So certainly they are not out of the woods just yet. It's certainly going to bear some watching. Of course, we're going to do that for you here at CNN. Let's send it back to you at the news desk.

NGUYEN: All right. Thanks, Reynolds for staying on top of it.

WOLF: You bet.

HOLMES: Well, one President Obama's cabinet selections having some tax issues. Not that one, got another one to tell you about. This time we're talking about Tom Daschle. The Senate Finance Committee now taking a closer look at Daschle, who's of course, Obama's pick for the Health and Human Services secretary.

The questions now about unreported income and also had to do with the use of a limousine and a driver. All of this stuff has been corrected. He actually paid $150,000 in back taxes and also some interest he paid. But all this wasn't taken care of until after he was nominated. The committee must sign off on him before he goes for a full vote to the Senate. So that's what they're looking at.

You may remember that the Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner also faced some questions about his taxes and taxes he didn't pay. He did pay them later after he was nominated. Of course, Geithner had already been confirmed. He was confirmed earlier this week.

Well, one of President Obama's relatives is sitting in a jail this morning. We're talking about his half brother, his half brother who is in Kenya. He's in trouble for possible drug possession. He was arrested this morning in Kenya on that marijuana charge. Now, he did have an interview that he gave us from jail. He gave his interview to our David McKenzie. He said that he is innocent or McKenzie actually reporting that George Obama is the name, actually called CNN.

You're looking at video from a story we did with him during the campaign time and we did track him down. He actually called CNN after he was arrested. George Obama is scheduled to appear in court on Monday. He is one of the few relatives not to come to Washington for the inauguration. More on this in a live report coming your way in just a few minutes.

NGUYEN: President Obama says he plans a new strategy for spending the remaining $350 billion in a TARP program Congress approved for President Bush. And Mr. Obama says he will outline his new plans in the next few days.

Let's take you live now to CNN's Elaine Quijano who joins us from the White House. All right, Elaine, any word yet on what the president may be planning?

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: One thing the White House is making very clear, Betty is that President Obama wants at least part of this plan to zero in on the issue of Wall Street bonuses. There's a lot of public outrage, as you know, over the fact that some of these Wall Street executives whose companies are getting taxpayer dollars with that bailout money are also still getting bonuses.

So expect that to be a part of the plan. Beyond that, though, President Obama is not really laying out specifics. In his weekly address, he said that his Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, would announce the new financial strategy soon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We'll help lower mortgage costs and extend loans to small businesses so they can create jobs. We'll ensure that CEOs are not draining funds that should be advancing our recovery and we will insist on unprecedented transparency, rigorous oversight and clear accountability. So taxpayers know how their money is being spent and whether it is achieving results.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now in recent days Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner has been working to put the finishing touches on that $350 billion plan, but the question is, is it going to go beyond that? Is it going to extend beyond just the $350 billion that is left out of the original $700 billion, still very much an open question right now.

We should also mention, of course, separately there is still the matter of the $800-plus billion economic stimulus plan winding its way through Capitol Hill -- Betty?

NGUYEN: A lot of money to be dolled out. The question is, how will it be spent and will it be spent adequately? Elaine Quijano joining us live. Thank you, Elaine.

QUIJANO: Sure.

HOLMES: And coming up here, we'll talk to the reporter who got the phone call from George Obama. We just told you about the president's half brother in Kenya been arrested on drug charges. We'll talk live to the reporter who got the phone call from the president's half brother. Stay here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Two half brothers living a world apart. One went on to become the president of the United States. The other under arrest this morning in Nairobi, Kenya.

That's where CNN's David McKenzie joins us now on the phone. So David, what kind of charges are we talking about here?

VOICE OF DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Betty, the charges that the inspector told me that he's facing, he was arrested for possession of cannabis as well as resisting arrest. I went there when we got the call from George Obama himself (INAUDIBLE) from the police station that's in a slum in Nairobi.

We went there and walked to the station and asked them -- if we could see George Obama. He came out and we spoke to him. I found him in the slum last year and interviewed him then. We do know George relatively well.

He said he really thinks that they just took him from his home, that he didn't have any possession. He wasn't possessing any drugs. They didn't know why they were charging him. But what will happen now, Betty is that, most likely he will stay for the weekend in that holding cell and will have a court date on Monday -- Betty?

NGUYEN: George Obama, arrested for marijuana possession, actually called your producer there. Do you find that interesting? That he is in jail on these charges and decided his first phone call, I don't no if it's his first, at least one of them, he decided to pick up the phone and call CNN?

MCKENZIE: I think it is interesting also that, you know, in many ways, a lot of the media attention has gone to the rest of Barack Obama's family, when the president was inaugurated. There's a lot of close family from Kenya, particularly from Kegola (ph), in the west of Kenya that went to that inauguration.

George Obama didn't go for whatever reason and so we had interviewed him previously. I think he thought we did a fair interview (INAUDIBLE) there was some magazine articles about the fact that he lived in a slum. He was actually quite happy living there and looked after Barack Obama. So I think that's part of the reason he called us in some way, trusted that we would deal with the situation fairly.

Betty, that's why I think he called us. It is interesting that he called us, CNN, instead of someone else. But certainly he looked dressed up when we were there. I was speaking to him through the bars of the exterior section of the holding cell and he does deny the charges. We'll have to wait and see what happens.

NGUYEN: So that he is innocent of these charges and really doesn't know why they came to his home and arrested him. All right, David McKenzie joining us live by phone. David, we do appreciate that.

HOLMES: A lot of people will remember election day here in the U.S., back in November.

NGUYEN: How could you not?

HOLMES: How could you not? And what was it like for a lot of people? You had a lot of lines, a lot of waiting, a lot of standing around. Well, you didn't have security checkpoints. You didn't have police cordons. Another day at the polls for us here, but a day at the polls for the Iraqis.

NGUYEN: Exactly. That is the scene in Iraq as they cast their ballots and what is seen as a true test to the country's young democracy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Iraqis going to the polls today in provincial elections. The Iraqi military says the voting is going well so far. Security forces of course still staying on alert.

CNN's Arwa Damon following the elections. Arwa, hello to you. It sounds like so far so good today.

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It does, T.J. and that is definitely very exciting for all of those who are involved. We actually just got back from a tour with some of the U.N. observers. We went to the Sunni heartland of Al Anbar province. Remember, there back in 2005, only about 2 percent of the population actually voted.

It was al Qaeda dominated, just having purple ink on your finger meant that your finger would get chopped off or that you would be murdered. There a sense of jubilation very early in the morning. Most of the voters hadn't showed up, but those that were there we're saying they wished they'd been able to partake in 2005. They're very excited to be partaking in 2009.

This Sunni participation is very critical because many analysts are saying that it could serve to reverse some of the imbalances that we saw in the elections that were created by the elections in 2005. After that, we traveled over to Najah (ph), in Iraq's Shia heartland. There in 2005 elections saw a fairly large turnout.

There as well, voters coming to the polls, wanting to make their voices heard. Some saying this time that they were going to be voting for specific candidates. These elections are very critical for a number of reasons. First and foremost, because those who are going to be put into power are going to have regional control over essentials that the Iraqis have been desperate for, basic services and jobs -- T.J.?

HOLMES: All right, Arwa Damon for us. There in Iraq, again, like you said, a big day for this young democracy and it's going well. The first ones went off fine. Everybody was proud. The first election we saw four years ago like you said, but also this time around, might shift the balance, maybe a little more balanced this time. So a lot more to see. Arwa Damon, we're going to talk to you a little bit later. Thank you so much.

NGUYEN: Want you to take a look at this. Remember that? Ooh -- there's one. Wait, wait. Here comes another one. There it goes. It was the shoe toss seen around the world and, of course, we continue to play it. When an Iraqi journalist threw both his shoes at President Bush in December, not everyone was upset.

Look at this. You can see why. An Iraqi sculpture built a monument to commemorate actually the journalist in Tikrit. But that monument right there, did not stand long. Iraqi police tore it down a day after it was erected.

HOLMES: They actually tore it down. They say it was on government property and the government property outside an orphanage where it was built, should not be used for making a political statement.

NGUYEN: They say the orphans actually helped create that.

HOLMES: Yeah.

NGUYEN: $5,000 (INAUDIBLE) sculpture.

HOLMES: Are we going to get our money back? All right.

We'll talk about this ice, this nasty weather, causing some huge, really record power outages in the state of Kentucky.

NGUYEN: It's horrible in many places. You know what? More snow and ice may be on the way.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, good morning, and welcome back on this Saturday, the last day of January.

HOLMES: January.

NGUYEN: I can't believe the month has just flown by. I'm Betty Nguyen.

HOLMES: And hey there, everybody. I'm T.J. Holmes. Glad you could be with us on this Saturday.

We are going to be talking about a lot of stuff this morning, including taking a look at President Obama's idea for a middle-class task force. It's aimed at helping families through what are certainly some really tough economic times. NGUYEN: And if you're out of work, where's the best place to be looking for a job? Well, we have tips for you on how to make the search a little bit easier.

Also this week's deadly ice storm. Well, it's not releasing its grip on hundreds of thousands of people. In fact, large patches of the Southeast are still without power. So many people are looking for help that food and shelters, well, they are at a premium right now. We're seeing the worst of it in Kentucky. And it could be weeks until they get back to normal there.

We have been checking in all morning long on the relief efforts that are underway in Kentucky. Brian Quail from the Red Cross joins me now from that area that is really under the grips of a major winter storm.

Brian, I know that you've seen a lot of folks enter those shelters, but when we look at the numbers, 545,000 without power. Maybe even more important, 200,000 people without water. When you have that combination, it can be deadly?

BRIAN QUAIL, AMERICAN RED CROSS: It can be deadly. And that's why we're just very grateful for the American public and support of the Red Cross for us to open up our shelters. Our volunteers are working hard.

On a daily basis here in Kentucky right now, we're serving 10,000 to 15,000 meals a day as we do our work here. So it's, you know, there's a lot to do. And our communications can be spotty at times, but everyone's pulling together with our community partners to do a great job, just like the shelter in back of me here with the Walnut Street Baptist Church here.

NGUYEN: Yeah, with spotty communication, a lot of people without power. They don't have Internet. They don't have television. Are people going door-to-door to try to check on their neighbors? What kind of efforts are underway?

QUAIL: That's exactly what we're asking people here in our community and all across the state to do. Get out there, check on people. We are in partnership with our local government here. We've also established warming centers. So it's really an all-out effort to get out there and just neighbor helping neighbor.

I'm just so proud. And you know, I've got so many volunteers that are working on this operation here with us who have been impacted by the power as well. They don't have power at home. They're going back and forth. Case in point, same for me and my family, without power. But you know, just being here and helping your neighbor and doing this work is -- it's gratifying. And not to say we don't have our challenges. We do.

NGUYEN: Yeah, but it can be life-saving.

QUAIL: But as each day goes on, we're...

NGUYEN: Yeah, no doubt. But let me ask you this...

QUAIL: Yeah.

NGUYEN: You know, a lot of people without power. You talked about your family. And we mentioned over 500,000 without power in Kentucky. I'm reading right here that at least four people were reported dead because of carbon monoxide poisoning. Talk to us about what needs to be done, if you are at home and you're trying to stick this out. Give us some safety tips.

QUAIL: The safety tips are this. If you are using a generator, do not put it inside your garage. That's what happened with one of the deaths here in Kentucky. The folks had put it in their garage, closed the door. Carbon monoxide, you can't see it, you can't smell it. You become light-headed. You may think you have a cold. And what happens is in this particular case, three people passed away.

So you have to take it outside. Make sure it's well ventilated. We here at the American Red Cross have tips on how to do that, how to have a disaster plan for this time of year, have a safety kit that you gloves, your hats, to-go box, if you need it.

So these are all the things right now that we're working on and trying to get that information out to people. But please, please, please, if you see this and you're in an affected area, and you have a generator, take it outside. Make sure it's 12 feet away from your house. This becomes critically important. And this is how we're trying to save lives.

NGUYEN: Absolutely. All right, Brian Quail with the American Red Cross. Thanks for your time today.

QUAIL: Thank you.

HOLMES: All right, this isn't over by any means. It hasn't passed. Reynolds Wolf keeping an eye on this thing. When I say it hasn't passed, I mean, the temperatures still pretty cold out there. They said the ice not going to be melting any time soon, but more nasty weather could be on the way now.

WOLF: Guys, how do you like this noise? Right now in parts of Kentucky, we've got temperatures there in the single digits.

NGUYEN: Wow.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: All right. Thank you, Reynolds, thank you.

WOLF: You bet.

HOLMES: Well, President Barack Obama now putting the focus on the middle class. He's putting together a task force of middle class working families. Says the government needs to act boldly, needs to act swiftly to come up with economic solutions. The task force is expected to come up with recommendations for helping average families cope during these tough economic times.

And the focus certainly on the middle class. The bulls eye though on Wall Street. And the president criticizing executives for giving billions in bonuses while taking, of course, taxpayer cash. Now one senator is pushing the plan -- a plan to caps out on the companies that take bailout money.

NGUYEN: Responsible spending, well, that's the call now as President Obama's stimulus package heads to the Senate. CNN senior political producer Sasha Johnson joins us now from Washington this morning.

Thanks for getting up early with us, Sasha. Well, OK, let me ask you this. How is the administration actually using campaign tools to push this stimulus bill?

SASHA JOHNSON, CNN SR. POLITICAL PRODUCER: Well, organizing for America, which is essentially the campaign, the Obama campaign apparatus that is now over at the DNC is reaching out to the grassroots to sell this economic stimulus plan. And they're, you know, bringing back that idea of the house party, that was so popular in the campaign.

And what they're doing is they're sending out e-mails to everyone who participated in a campaign house party. And they're encouraging them to host house parties across the country next weekend to talk about the stimulus plan, to try to get support at that grassroots level.

In this e-mail, you can download talking points, how to discuss the president's stimulus plan. It talks about how 95 percent of working families will get a tax cut, that there are accountability measures in this stimulus plan. It also gives you a, you know, a sample party schedule, you know what -- how your house party should go.

And then it also encourages people who are hosting these house parties to share pictures, share e-mails, get those e-mail addresses of people who are at your party. So they're kind of, you know, bringing back that whole social networking aspect of the campaign that worked so well for them.

NGUYEN: You know, it's one thing to have these house parties to mobilize voters, but why do they think that this is actually going to work when it comes to the stimulus plan?

JOHNSON: Well, it'll be interesting to see how it works and how well it works, because some members of that much lauded Obama e-mail list have said that they're a little tired are getting e-mails. So it'll be interesting to see how well this works.

But you know, they're really bringing back that neighbor-to- neighbor contact idea, which was so crucial in their campaign, that if your neighbor comes to you and says I hear you're unhappy or you're concerned about the stimulus plan. Perhaps too much money. Let me tell you about it. And the idea is that if they can spread that word among the grassroots, and get those people to write to their senator or their representative to get them to support the bill, perhaps that they will, you know, generate some extra support that isn't found right now in Washington.

NGUYEN: All right, we'll see if it works.

JOHNSON: Yes.

NGUYEN: Sasha Johnson, as always, we really do appreciate it. Thanks for joining us today.

JOHNSON: Sure.

HOLMES: Have to put that really into action.

NGUYEN: I know, it's early. She has been up very early this morning since our show now starts at 6:00 a.m. ...

HOLMES: Yeah.

NGUYEN: ...on Saturday and Sunday morning.

HOLMES: And so you can see Sanjay Gupta's show. Comes on at 7:30 now instead of 8:30 like it used to.

NGUYEN: Right.

HOLMES: We're still...

NGUYEN: We need a whole list of that...

HOLMES: Yeah.

NGUYEN: ...to break it down in clear terms.

HOLMES: All right, well, President Obama, got a heck of a week coming up next week. He's hoping to get some support in the Senate for his stimulus package. Also a new bank and housing bailout in the works. So a busy week. See if he can get some support in the Senate.

NGUYEN: Yeah, that stimulus package is likely going to be a very hard sell to Republicans.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, the House passed that stimulus package this week that the president supports. Do you know how many Republicans voted for it? Zero. The president hoping for more support in the Senate next week when they begin debating a stimulus package there.

Our senior political correspondent Candy Crowley looks at the chances that the president will get some Republican support in the Senate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Republican party is in search of itself, an identity crisis playing out in the debate over a stimulus plan.

REP. JOHN DUNCAN, JR. (R), TENNESSEE: We simply cannot afford this so-called stimulus package. All it is is really, a short-term fix for our addiction to spending.

CROWLEY: After an eight-year run-up in the federal deficit, House Republicans are trying to relocate the party back to its Reagan roots. Less government spending, more tax cuts to grow the economy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The gentleman from California...

CROWLEY: And not this plan, which spends half as much on tax cuts as it does in additional government spending.

REP. KEN CALVERT (R), CALIFORNIA: Will it truly provide more middle class jobs or improve infrastructure? The answer, sadly, no.

CROWLEY: The House Republican Conference, which develops GOP policy, says the Democratic plan funds federal subsidies, pet projects, and bureaucracy. Objections include $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts, $1 billion for the 2010 census, $400 million for NASA climate change research, and $150 million for building repairs at the Smithsonian.

Politically, Republicans think this bill is less about creating jobs and about putting Democrats longtime agenda inside the urgency of a stimulus package.

REP. JOHN CULBERSON (R), TEXAS: This 4 -- excuse me, 647-page bill represents one of the worst abuses of power I think that we've probably ever seen in the history of the Congress.

CROWLEY: Some Republicans think Democrats have built a back door entrance to universal health care with $127 billion in health care spending. That includes access to Medicaid for anyone who get an unemployment check, regardless of income or assets.

Critics also see a significant shift in the federal role in education with $150 billion, which would double the current budget at the Education department. The problem in the second week of the Obama era is saying no, without seeming like a naysayer.

REP. PAUL RYAN (R), WISCONSIN: We are here not simply as the opposition party. We are here as the proposition party.

CROWLEY: The Republican stimulus plan has more tax cuts. They say it will cost half as much and create twice as many jobs. It was defeated. So in the first test of bipartisan spirit in the Obama era, no House Republican voted for the Democrat stimulus plan.

REP. JOHN KINGSTON (R), GEORGIA: We can do better. And I would like to work with the Democrats and the president, as would all the other Republicans, and try to make a better package than what we're looking at today.

CROWLEY: Bipartisanship is one thing. Rolling over is another.

Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: You know, some of you are choosing some lawmakers of hypocrisy.

HOLMES: Yeah, I've been asking you about it this morning. What do you think counts as pork in that stimulus bill? Josh Levs here with some of your answers -- Josh?

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, guys. Yes, the plan right off the kinds of things that Candy was just talking about. Let's zoom in on the screen. I'll get in as many of your e-mails as I can.

We're going to start off with this. "Pork and earmarks are projects in representative's home district, NASA's climate research, the Smithsonian, federal aid to prevent disease, these are just projects the GOP hates and the president, the Democrats and people support." That's from Frances.

Now this one from Carl. "No Republicans voted for the package, but had no problem the first six years of Bush to put us in a $12 trillion debt."

Another one a lot like that from Nancy. "I wonder why it was okay to hand over so much money to Bush at the end of his poor performance as president and now the Republicans don't cooperate with someone who at least has the trust of the people."

Now let's get to the other side here. We got a couple of those. "Any part of this bill, which does not create long-term jobs immediately or does not stimulate the economy is pork." I'm in complete agreement with the GOP. This bill represents the Pelosi Congress. It's from Gene in Connecticut.

Now one more. This is interesting. "I'm African-American, Democrat, and voted for President Obama. I disagree with a lot of the spending in the stimulus bill. I think it looks like a lot of pet projects. I'm disappointed. I want real change, as promised."

All right, now a couple of you broadening out this discussion. "Anything that saves money, such as prevention of disease, pregnancy, or future fuel consumption is a necessary part of any package. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Let's get in two more. "I can't believe we're even nitpicking proposals to improve our publicly owned facilities. Good grief -- we gave billions to privately owned financial institutions. Let's get on with it. Pass the stimulus and put the common people to work." That's from Mary in Oregon.

We'll end with this. "The Stimulus Bill as written is a killer for the economy. They should keep the tax cuts, make sure people who fuel the economy are encouraged by the tax cuts, and scrap the vast majority of the spending provisions." From George in Kansas City.

All right, I got a graphic for you here. Show how you can weigh in. Weekends@CNN.com. What do you think counts -- love this picture -- what do you think counts as pork? Specifically inside this -- oh my goodness -- specifically -- I hadn't seen that -- specifically inside this stimulus bill. Weekends@CNN.com. Include your name and city. We'll be reading some more.

NGUYEN: That is a horrible picture.

LEVS: It's hilarious.

NGUYEN: Gets the point across, though.

HOLMES: (INAUDIBLE) or something?

NGUYEN: No, but just a nicer picture.

LEVS: Yeah.

HOLMES: I'll find you some bacon. All right.

NGUYEN: Yeah, that might be better.

Well, you know, it is a court case that could change the way your kids play sports.

HOLMES: And this happened in Kentucky. A high school football coach facing reckless homicide charges in the death of one of his players.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Now coming to the defense of their coach, a march planned in Louisville, Kentucky today, in support of a high school football coach by the name of David Stinson. He is charged with reckless homicide after one of his players died in the heat last August.

Our sports business analyst Rick Horrow joining us now this morning, live from Tampa.

Rick, good morning to you. This is a story getting a lot of attention for a lot of reasons. But let's go back here and talk about what we do know about the situation. Practice, these two a days, happened in high school football all over. It's hot during the summertime. What do we know happened?

RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: Well, put the legal hat on. It's a very interesting case, because the allegation is the coach denied these kids water. There were some collapses in practice a few days before or the same day. It'll all come out in a trial, which I guess is scheduled for March 20th. And the issue is that this coach was known as being very tenacious. On the other side, he's known as a character-builder with a great heart. It's a very emotionally charged rally they're having in Louisville.

HOLMES: Yeah.

HORROW: And the prosecutor says it's not about football or about this man. It's about how to coach.

HOLMES: What happens here, because you know, quite frankly, how to coach? A lot of coaches do this. Now they're not trying necessarily deprive these kids, but you know, you'll get a water break after you run this sprint. You'll get a water break after you get this play right. You know? So have we seen other cases of coaches getting in trouble for, quite frankly, what might be seen as common behavior?

HORROW: That's why this is such a big case to watch. You know, there are 4 million kids playing organized football today. Over a million playing high school football. They al sign waivers. This may go above and beyond what a waiver protects you against, if it's reckless and if it's negligence.

And so, the pressures to succeed clearly becomes stronger. The youth football bowl, by the way, San Antonio eighth graders...

HOLMES: Wow.

HORROW: ...now may get college scholarships.

HOLMES: Wow.

HORROW: And they're talked about four years before college starts. Pop Warner, youth football organization does it right. They require water breaks every hour. And that's just the top of it. So this is a big issue.

HOLMES: Well, will something there, like you mentioned to Pop Warner, will something like that trickle up to -- trickle up, I say, up to the higher levels, to the older kids? Does some change, does some rule, does some law even, need to be put in place?

HORROW: Well, usually say the dramatic consequences may cause the change. There are over 100 deaths in the last few years, according to a North Carolina study, that are heat related illnesses and injuries on the field. So if that's not enough, Korey Stringer who died of a heat stroke, a Viking, Minnesota Viking in 2001, his wife ironically just settled that case the same day as this indictment.

And it calls for the NFL to have heat-related injury prevention programs. It's hoped that that plus the deterrent in this case, plus the example set by the Pop Warner-type institutions may cause some of these changes down the road. It's a very, very interesting issue legally, but also for the business of sports and high school football. HOLMES: All right. Rick Horrow for us today in Tampa there. Of course, the Super bowl taking place tomorrow. You're going to be back with us talking about the Super bowl. Rick, enjoy your Saturday. We'll see you in the morning.

HORROW: A little lighter stuff tomorrow. See you in the morning.

HOLMES: Oh, yeah. Thanks, buddy.

NGUYEN: OK, so we've been asking your response to the mother in California who gave birth to octuplets. Now the back story is as after she gave birth to those babies, we later learned that she had six other babies at home. So here is what you wrote this morning about this story.

HOLMES: And Nicole is one that wrote in saying "The actions of these parents and their doctors are truly despicable and should be criminal. The root cause of every environmental problem our planet is facing is human overpopulation."

NGUYEN: Well, Purnell writes this. "I don't see what's wrong with having 14 children or more. My grandmother had 13. Even if there are some health concerns, we still have the right to choose."

HOLMES: And Linda in Tennessee now saying, "I don't care how many babies anyone has as long as my taxpayer dollars are not used to help raise them." So emotions high on each side. But yes, the lady now has 14 kids at home all under the age of 7.

NGUYEN: Can you imagine all those diapers you have to change? All the feedings?

HOLMES: You cannot imagine.

NGUYEN: All the screaming babies. Hey, you got to love children to have that many. Let me tell you that.

Well, you know, it's pretty grim out there if you're looking for a job, but there are jobs if you know where to look. And we're going to help you find them.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: The song will come in just a second.

HOLMES: Wow.

NGUYEN: Basically, it's "Money." There it goes. You hear the cha-ching, the money. Well, this is where you can get and get some money, because they are hiring. Google, Methodist Hospital Systems and Wegmans supermarkets. Lots of jobs out there, folks. I know it's tough times, but people are indeed hiring. In fact, there are lots of jobs available.

And CNN's Allan Chernoff looks at the top companies on Fortune magazine's list of the best places to work.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Computer data and storage company Netapp gives employees like these 5K days a year to do volunteer work, provides adoption assistance and other generous benefits, and promotes an inclusive open culture that earned it the top spot on Fortune's 100 best companies to work for. Treating employees well, says President Tom Georgens, is at least as important as paying them well.

TOM GEORGENS, PRESIDENT, NETAPP: Pay matters. I'm not going to suggest otherwise, but I think that pay is more of a dissatisfier than a satisfier. I think if you have a bad work environment, where people don't enjoy their colleagues, people don't enjoy how they're treated, I don't think you can pay them enough.

CHERNOFF: Brokerage firm Edward Jones is number two on the list, followed by Boston Consulting, and Google, which had been number one for the past few years. Google has had to cut back on some of its legendary perks, like a free ski trip for all employees.

Fortunately, there are a lot of great places to work, Google told CNN. To be considered for the list, companies have to nominate themselves, then permit 400 employees picked at random to provide detailed critiques of their employers.

LEE CLIFFORD, FORTUNE MAGAZINE: We ask really brutally honest questions. What is the atmosphere like? What is your boss like? You know, what is the mood around the office? And because we really want to get a feel for what it's like to work at this place.

CHERNOFF: Among the top companies, Four Seasons has one of the most diverse work forces. Build-A-Bear Workshop is one of the top companies for female workers. And AFLAC is one of only six on the list that have never had layoffs.

In today's tough economy, many of the top companies like Starbucks, Microsoft, and Zappos.com are cutting employees. But 20 of the companies are hiring now. The full list is right here on the Fortune pages of cnnmoney.com including the exact jobs those 20 companies are looking to fill.

Allan Chernoff, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING for this January 31st. Good morning to you all, I'm T.J. Holmes.

NGUYEN: Good morning, T.J.

HOLMES: Hey, it seems I've introduced myself a lot already.

NGUYEN: Many times. Yes. We've been on since 6:00 a.m. folks and we'll continue to do that every single weekend. So keep it right here.

HOLMES: You make it sound so appetizing.

NGUYEN: I'm Betty Nguyen.

It's not bad and here's why we got a lot to tell you about. If you've been laid off, it can be tough finding a job, right? We understand that. But we have tips to make the process just a little bit easier.

HOLMES: Also, the story of people just cannot stop talking about. They've been talking about it for different reasons now. Out in California, a lady gave birth to eight babies. Octuplets. The latest on how they're doing. How the rest of the family's doing. And again, it got a little more attention because of some ethical issues that came up and also that the woman had six other kids at home already. So 14 is the new number.

NGUYEN: Plus, ice storms. They are paralyzing parts of Kentucky and many are still powerless and may stay that way for weeks. So let's start with this latest news that we're getting on the deadly storms. Many in the southeast and midwest, so let's start with the latest news that we're getting on the deadly storms. Many in the southeast or they are still without electricity, and that means no heat, and in some places no water.

CNN's Susan Candiotti joins us now live from Louisville, Kentucky this morning. And when you combine no heat with no water, Susan that is a deadly combination. We've already seen several deaths.

CANDIOTTI: That's certainly true. Here this morning in Louisville, we've got clear blue skies, but freezing temperatures, and Kentuckians are struggling to overcome the worst power outage throughout the state in its history.

Now, talking about what happens when you don't have power and you don't have heat, and people who are deciding to tough it out at home. As you indicated that is a dangerous combination. We are hearing from the governor there are at least nine storm-related deaths so far reported in the state. And some of them right here in the Louisville area, including one that we confirmed that happened in the early morning hours.

Police tell us that a man, 55-years-old, had used a charcoal grill to cook and then left it inside the house for warmth. That man died. His wife is seriously injured. She is recovering at a hospital. But, also, yesterday here in the Louisville area, they discovered a family of three inside their home, an elderly couple taking care of their adult daughter, and they had used a power generator, it was hooked up in the garage. All three died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

So again, this is something that authorities here are very, very concerned about for anyone who decides to stay at home and not seek shelter at a number of them that are open around the state. Most of them run by the American Red Cross. And they are warning people to, please, be very, very, very careful if they decide to use power generators, for example, to keep them outside, as you have heard time and again.

Charcoal grills, keep them outside. Be careful. And, of course, they're worried about what's going to happen as time goes on until they get more people back online. But good news to report. There were about 700,000 people statewide without power yesterday. And now that number is down to a half million. So they are making progress.

NGUYEN: Absolutely.

CANDIOTTI: Betty, back to you.

NGUYEN: Some 200,000 without water as well. Any efforts under way by emergency crews to go into these neighborhoods and make sure people have indeed survived the storm even though they don't have any power?

CANDIOTTI: Yes, indeed. They are out there and they are working around the clock. FEMA has also been delivering generators to help get some of these water facilities back online. And in addition to that, they were also delivering water to people who don't have it.

NGUYEN: Yes. That's very essential. All right. Susan Candiotti joining us live. Thank you, Susan.

And as you mentioned, things are getting a little better. A little more power, a little more lights coming back on. But Reynolds, are they getting any help from mother nature just yet? You talk about the temperatures still going to be bordering on freezing?

WOLF: Right. You know, they're going to get a little bit of a reprieve, but it's only going to last, shoot, about 24, 36 hours or so, and then we're going to see more changes back in the forecast. Not changes for the better but actually things going back towards the worst. What we have right now are currently temperatures in Charleston, West Virginia.

You're waking up at 19 degrees. Good morning to you in Cincinnati, you've got 4 outside. Lexington, about nine degrees. These temperatures are going to rebounds. They will warm up today. In fact, many locations up around say 20, 30 degrees or so. Parts of Kentucky, I would say especially in places like Lexington and Louisville, you should go up to about 34 degrees. So there will be some melting. The problem is tonight. Those temperatures will cool right down.

And then we're seeing other storm system to develop. Today, the storm system moving right to the northern half of the Great Lakes. It's going to bring some strong winds, also a few snow squall especially in parts of northern Michigan into Wisconsin and the area ahead of Minnesota.

Conditions couldn't be more quiet along the Gulf Coast, a beautiful day for you in Atlanta, back over to Birmingham and even into the Big Easy, New Orleans. However, West Texas, near the big band area, you have some splashes of these showers and still very dry out west.

In the Pacific northwest, it looks like a rainy day for you in Seattle, and as far south as the mouth of the Columbia River. In Portland, you could see some rain there. Daytime, ice(ph) Kansas City 64, 37 in Minneapolis. 34 in Chicago. 32 in our nation's capital. And then tomorrow, we see those temperatures warm up a bit. D.C., big time swing, going up to about 52 for tomorrow and then the bottom falls out literally and figuratively.

We're going to see a big change in the jet stream, almost like a big conveyor belt, atmospheric belt, and it's going to drop a little bit to the south. And as thing drops, that barrier in the atmosphere is going to allow a lot of cold air to rush it's way into the deep south. That cold air is going to stay right near the surface. And if we have some over running moisture, we could have some heavy snow. That's going to be the situation.

This area of low pressure is going to scoot right along parts of Florida and along the eastern seaboard. Once it moves down to say the outer banks of North Carolina, it's going to pick up a lot of that Atlantic moisture, bring it right over portions of the Appalachians and it will fall through that low layer of cold air at the surface.

That's we're going to see some of that snow develop, possibly some ice, too, with strong winds, you're going to have near blizzard conditions. We're talking whiteout conditions through much of Kentucky back into portions of Ohio, maybe even as far south as Tennessee, Alabama and maybe even Georgia including here outside the CNN Center, out at the parking lot.

Considering that T.J.'s minivan, is that nice, white color, might be hard for you to see T.J. as we get into ...

NGUYEN: Well, it does have a spoiler on the back of it, right?

WOLF: That's true. It does have the spoiler. That's right. And I'm thinking that may be the defining feature on T.J.'s ...

HOLMES: And you all love it.

NGUYEN: We do.

HOLMES: Love riding in my ride.

WOLF: The minivan rock, dude. Seriously.

NGUYEN: Think about getting one myself, T.J.

WOLF: Guess, I'm talking about.

HOLMES: They're just joking, folks.

WOLF: No, we're not.

NGUYEN: Not at all. Nope.

HOLMES: All right.

We will turn now to the confirmation for Tom Daschle. It hit a bit of a speed bump. President Obama's choice for health and human services secretary is under scrutiny now by the Senate.

CNN's Elaine Quijano joins us now live from the White House and Elaine, we know that taxes, paying your taxes every year can be a complicated thing, and so far a couple of members of, some of his appointees to his cabinet, are having a little difficulty with their taxes as well.

QUIJANO: Well, that's right. President Obama we should know, first off the bat, is standing by Tom Daschle. His pick for HHS Secretary, but of course this is an embarrassment for the White House. Senate finance committee members are -- who considering Daschle's nomination are concerned about a few things according to a memo that was obtained by CNN.

First, the use of a limo and a driver that was not disclosed as income. Second, some $80,000 that also was not disclosed as income and third the memo says that Daschle also once filed a tax form listing charitable donations to organizations that did not qualify for a deduction.

Now, at the same time, the report does say that Tom Daschle has paid $150,000 in back taxes and interest. None of this took place it appears, during the time that Daschle served in the Senate. Nevertheless, this is a second time, as you noted, that a cabinet pick under the Obama administration has had tax troubles.

The first, of course, was Tim Geithner, who is now the United States Treasury Secretary. And Robert Gibbs, the White House Press Secretary said that President Obama does have confidence in former Senator Daschle. He also expressed confidence that Daschle would be confirmed. We should tell you, T.J. that the Senate finance committee considering Daschle's nomination is going to be meeting on Monday. T.J.

HOLMES: All right. Before we let you go here on an unrelated note, though, we've been reporting this morning that the president's half brother, who he has only met a couple of times, is not close to, in Kenya, has been arrested on drug charges for marijuana possession. As the White House just had any, not a confirmation but rather any reaction to what is going on to the president's half brother in Kenya?

QUIJANO: No reaction just yet, T.J. We reached out to a couple of spokespeople. But we'll let you know as soon as we get something.

HOLMES: All right. Elaine Quijano for us at the White House. Thank you so much, Elaine.

NGUYEN: Meanwhile as people lose jobs and lose money and then lose confidence. The cities they live in suffer, too. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg proved that yesterday, unveiling a plan to counter plunging tax revenues and rising budget gap and massive Wall Street losses. Well it could result in more than 20,000 city workers being laid off.

The mayor says revenues could fall by $5 billion next fiscal year, and the projected budget gap is topping $4 billion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK: The last time we adopted our budget and then last November when we updated our -- our estimates on expenses and revenues, I think we all know that the economy has worsened and worsened significantly, in fact, since November. It's continued its decline and the economic numbers that were released today do not give us any reason to smile.

Unfortunately, they keep deteriorating, and with the deterioration in the economy, our tax revenues keep falling and there is an extra $800 million gap for the current fiscal year. And $2 billion to the gap, for the gap in the fiscal year 2010, just from the November update to now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: The mayor's plan also includes $955 million in new budget cuts, and a rise in sales tax. Bloomberg says losses from Wall Street firms last year well that could end up topping $47 billion and they could lose even more this year. Plus New York is projected to lose nearly 300,000 jobs through 2010.

Let's take you to California, because the news isn't much better. In fact, a budget crisis is statewide and the cuts, they do run deep. The state faces a $42 billion budget deficit and quite simply it is running out of money. State tax refunds are being delayed 30 days, and just yesterday a judge signed off on an order to force state workers to take two days off each month without pay. The order for forced time off takes effect next Friday, and it will affect nearly a quarter million workers.

HOLMES: All right. We're always talking about job cuts, it seems, as of late. But don't you know that some companies are also adding jobs. The dire job news against day in and day out, but a lot of new layoffs -- we saw announcements this weeks as well. there are some companies some companies are still hiring. Our personal finance editor Gerri Willis explains you can get a job, too, if you're willing to switch things up a bit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hi, T.J. Well, believe it or not, there are companies out there hiring right now. T- Mobile, Google, Microsoft, Walgreens, Warner books and many others are adding workers but landing that new job, it could require some re- training.

Check out your local community college or considering going on- line. It's a good option if you need flexible hours or don't have transportation. Distance learning allows you to use e-mails, communicate with your teachers and even return assignments. Go to the Council for Higher Education Accreditation at CHEA.org to find out which schools are really legitimate. And then polish your resume before that first interview.

Check out careeronestop.org to be view resume samples and templates or visit the Professional Association of Resume Writers and career coaches at parw.com. Join us for "YOUR BOTTOM LINE" at 9:30 a.m. Eastern.

And for more tips like these, we got a brand new web page, we'd like you to check out, CNN.com/yourbottomline. Drop by anytime to learn about coming guest, watch segments from the show or tips from my top tips that you may have missed. You also find links to send us e- mail and even i-reports. That's CNN.com/yourbottomline -- T.J.?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: You were you saying?

(LAUGHTER)

NGUYEN: They're telling me on that. What I'm saying is, here's a question for you -- do you know what the Muck Bowl is?

HOLMES: The muck bowl. She said it right. We'll explain exactly what that is and find out why, as one particular region of Florida seems to produce more NFL stars than any other area in the country.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: I wish the best to the Cardinals. They've been long- suffering. It's a great Cinderella story. But other than the Bears, the Steelers are probably the team that's closest to my heart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Hmm, OK President Obama making his pick for Super Bowl XlIII. And he counts Pittsburgh to his owner Dan Rooney among his supporters. Pennsylvania as you do a remember went for Mr. Obama back in November. I wonder if that had anything to do it ...

HOLMES: Because it is.

NGUYEN: Because Arizona, of course, went for John McCain.

HOLMES: And Arizona only has ten electoral votes, versus the I think 21 or is it -- 21 in Pennsylvania.

NGUYEN: It has nothing to do with his pick?

HOLMES: No, politics says, no.

NGUYEN: Nothing.

HOLMES: Some things, politics has nothing to do with.

All right. A lot of good story lines for you out of Super Bowl XLIII. Last hour, we heard more about Stealers quarterback, who, Betty, what's his name?

NGUYEN: Roethlisberger.

HOLMES: Very nice. Yes, We heard about Ben Roethlisberger.

NGUYEN: Got it out.

HOLMES: Next hour, will be profiling the Cardinals QB, who seems to defy time. Kurt Warner, and his improbable story. But right now, I want to tell you some players who found their way out of the muck.

CNN's Larry Smith down in Tampa, site of Super Bowl XLIII. I love this story, Larry, about these guys and how this little community is just turning out NFL stars.

LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's amazing, T.J. You head west from Tampa here, and pick up U.S. 27. It's the state highway that bisects the Florida peninsula and head down into an area that will have a very keen interest in the outcome of tomorrow's game.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH (voice-over): Just off Lake Okeechobee(ph) in southeast Florida lie vast fields of sugarcane, an area known at Muck City.

Tell me, what is much?

WILLIE C. MACDONALD, LIFELONG RESIDENT: It's a black soil and it's very rich. And you can grow anything in it.

SMITH: But beyond its sugar, Muck City produces something else -- football players.

JESSIE HESTER, GLADER CENTRAL FOOTBALL COACH: Football is a religion. No doubt about it. They live it. They eat it. You know, they breathe it. I mean it's everything.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can't really describe it to anybody. You have to take them there and let them see for themselves.

SMITH: Muck City will have two of its own in Sunday's Super Bowl. Glade Central's Santonio Holmes from Belglade and Anquan Boldin, Pahokee. Those two schools have combined for 12 state championships and it produced more than 50 NFL players. But none of that matters when the two rivals square off each year in the biggest game around, the Muck Bowl.

PATRICIA BROWN, SANTONIO HOLMES' MOTHER: The Muck Bowl was the game to go to. If you didn't go to football during the entire season, Muck Bowl was the game to go to.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The fans, a nice game to see and watch, the coach, man I tell you, where the coach, where we do not want to lose.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We play nine game. We don't care if we win or lose all nine games. But when you it comes down to the Muck Bowl game, that's the game you have to win.

BLAZE THOMPSON, PAHOKEE FOOTBALL COACH: Well, we lost this year. So, no. I don't -- I don't stop hearing about it.

SMITH: In Muck City, if you're not playing on the field, you're working in the field. U.S. sugar provides more than 1,700 jobs to the area but plans to sell its farmlands to the state and close its factory in six years making a tough place to find work even tougher.

ANQUAN BOLDIN, CARDINALS WIDE RECEIVER: That's what that town is built around. The sugar company employs a lot of people in that area.

There's no Wal-mart. There's no Target. There's no movie theater. You know, there's none of those things. Starbuck. There's no job, you know, opportunities there, for a lot of people.

SANTONIO HOLMES: We're heaping that it don't become a ghost town. In a sense, they don't want to leave it, but it's all that they know and all that they love, but you have to, when your livelihood is at stake.

SMITH: For many, football provides the only way out of an area where according to the 2000 census almost one-third of the population lives below the poverty line.

Either you're going to sell drugs or you're going to play football.

HOLMES: Either you're going to sell drugs or you're going to play football. Are you going to do sports or you're going to be on the corner. And I think a lot of those guys chose a different route, to just play sports. And it's helped us you know get out of there and provide for our families.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our kids come to school having gone through more things that I would like to imagine. But it's amazing to see how resilient they are.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of great people, a lot of hard working people. A lot of talent there. It's just unfortunate that there's not as much opportunity as there are in other places.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: It's amazing to get out there, T.J. I worked in West Palm Beach. That market, many, many days ago more than I cared to admit. And it was a stark contrast to go from the ultra rich on Palm Beach and then Wellington, and then to head west and look at the, out there, just the area and how stark the contrast was. Poverty, very hearty, good people out there, and two of their own in the big game tomorrow. HOLMES: Yes. Certainly proud of the big Muck City Bowl they down there, the two high school playing each other. That's for them probably a bigger game than the Super Bowl. But one more thing, on a related but unrelated to the story as well. Just the Super Bowl and how the town is right now. We discussed this a little yesterday's but still right now Tampa, You know they call it the recession bowl. Just tell us, give us a little flavor on how that town is compared to so many of the Super Bowls you've seen before.

SMITH: Yes. This the tenth time I've been at a Super Bowl. The sixth one that I've covered. And it's a stark contrast. Sorry to keep using that phrase. But it's early in the morning on Saturday. Compared to the past years.

NGUYEN: You don't have to remind us of that.

SMITH: You don't have as many fans walking around and doing as many things. I have seen a few fans coming out last night. So people are arriving here now. But not the volume that you've had before and again as we've talked about many of the big parties they have been canceled as well. They are saying the economy, it doesn't make sense to do it and they're going to retool and look forward to Miami next year.

HOLMES: So would you describe it as a stark contrast to what you've seen in the past, Larry? I'm just messing with you, buddy.

SMITH: I would call it a stark contrast.

NGUYEN: That, we are clear on.

HOLMES: All right. Hey, man. Larry doesn't kick in until about 10:00 either. So it's quite all right, buddy. We appreciate you. Enjoy yourself down there.

SMITH: All right. We'll see you.

NGUYEN: Poor guy, he's dealing with the cold, from inauguration day. He's trying to get through it. That's all right. You can't really do that much on this show because we're going to call you out on it.

HOLMES: We will. But the party was canceled, Maxim, Victoria's secret, Playboy. It gives you an idea what kind of partying they do down there.

NGUYEN: What's there to do? I guess it' just a game, right?

HOLMES: There's a game. Oh, yeah. That's a game.

NGUYEN: That's what it's all about. OK, so we are learning more about the woman, actually, who gave birth to eight babies. Now she is the mother of 14.

HOLMES: That's right. Folks, you heard it right. She had six at the house. Another eight are coming. We'll find out how the new babies are doing and take a look at some of her e-mail responses to our e-mail question today. What do you think about this whole thing? You can keep sending them to us at weekend@cnn.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: All right. We still don't know her identity but we have learned the California woman who gave birth to eight babies on Monday has six other children at home. That word came from her parents. Now doctors say the octuplets are doing well and already aware of their mother's touch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. MANDHIR GUPTA, NEONATALIST: They seem to be very happy and content and when the mom came, that's what I mentioned. When the mom came, she touches the baby, you can definitely see the expression on their faces, expression on their body, that they are very happy about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: I bet they are. In there, all eight of them, they're ready to you know, be out where they have a little room! Well, the babies will have to stay in the hospital for several more weeks. Their dad is a contract worker and due to return to Iraq.

HOLMES: All right.

NGUYEN: You know, there's no question, though, T.J., that it's tough out there when it comes to finding a job.

HOLMES: And a lot of reports, a lot of economists, a lot of smart minds, they are saying it's likely to get worse before it gets better.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: And as we've been telling you all morning, these are the companies who are adding jobs. We've been talking about so many layoffs, but the companies you see there, even Qualcomm adding up to 300 jobs, and we've seen earlier adding up to 1,000 jobs. So ...

NGUYEN: They are out there.

HOLMES: Yes. Information you can use this morning. As you know, certainly still a jittery job market, despite some companies are adding jobs. The roller coaster that seems to keep going down, however, these days.

CNN's Christine Romans reports some of the layoffs may just be for show.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OBAMA: Microsoft, Intel, United Airlines, Home Depot, Sprint Nextel, and Caterpillar are each cutting thousands of jobs. CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's raining job cuts. Economists say don't expect the deluge to stop anytime soon.

SOPHIA KOROECKYJ, MOODY'S ECONOMY.COM: The year will undoubtedly start on just as poor of a note as the last year ended.

ROMANS: And it ended very poorly, companies are reporting fourth quarter numbers and with it looking into their crystal balls for this year.

PAUL LAMONICA, CNNMONEY.COM: If you actually had a firm idea of how bad things could be, you could probably then just calculate exactly how many jobs need to be cut and just doll day. I think right now the problem is that no one really knows how much worst it's going to get.

ROMANS: Meantime, companies must show shareholders they're doing something to weather the storm.

JOHN CHALLENGER, CHALLENGER, GARY & CHRISTMAS INC: As companies reporting these earnings, poorer than expected they're almost pushed into a position of having to take actions, like layoffs, to show the markets that they're trying to control their costs, or bring their costs down.

ROMANS: Translation, those costs are your jobs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think they're trying to save themselves, and save the company, but it's tragic that the individuals have to lose their jobs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's a very difficult situation because something obviously needs to happen.

ROMANS: So, what do did if you've lost your job?

CHALLENGER: It's so important to get a fast start, be into the job market, be open to changing industries, to moving to a new location, taking a part-time job, maybe that will turn into a full time once they see how you work.

ROMANS: And if you have your job, but know layoffs are coming to your company...

CHALLENGER: Take on roles that nobody else can do so that if they have to lay you off they know there's going to be a big gap. Work long hour, early and late, make them see that you're just indispensable.

ROMANS: Christine Romans, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Well, speaking of money and jobs, Gerri Willis has "YOUR BOTTOM LINE," next.