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CNN Saturday Morning News
Binghamton Community Still in Shock Over Deadly Shootings; North Korea Vowing to Launch a Rocket; President Obama Attending NATO Summit
Aired April 04, 2009 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everybody, from CNN center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORING, Saturday, April 4th. Good morning. I'm Betty Nguyen.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Drew Griffin. I'm in today for T.J. Holmes. Thanks for starting your day with us. It's 8:00 Eastern, 5:00 a.m. Pacific.
A New York community waking up this morning still in shock after what happened yesterday. A gunman killing 13 people, then himself. Police have now identified the man as Jiverly Wong. A press conference there is set at noon. We have two reporters there. We'll take you there live in just a few moments.
NGUYEN: Also, the window for liftoff has passed this morning, but North Korea still vowing to launch a rocket. They're calling it an experimental communications satellite, but the U.S. suspects it's a long-range missile test. President Obama has issued a stern warning against the launch.
Well, symbolism started the day at the NATO summit in Europe this morning. Check it out. President Barack Obama and the other world leaders coming together at the middle of a small bridge between Germany and France, welcoming France back to it as a full NATO member. Now, ceremony aside, the leaders sat down for some frank discussions on Afghanistan. President Obama has been pushing NATO nations to up their commitments to the war.
CNN's senior White House correspondent Ed Henry has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED HENRY, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Obama's European tour is starting to look like at campaign. Energize crowds in France and Germany. Yes, we can, signs, even a town hall meeting with local students, the kind that gave him the edge in the presidential race.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There have been times where America's shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive, but in Europe, there is an anti-Americanism that is at once casual but can also be insidious. America is changing, but it cannot be America alone that changes.
HENRY: The change message is getting refashioned for NATO, as he tries to sell allies on sharing responsibility for Afghanistan.
OBAMA: France recognizes that having al Qaeda operate safe havens that can be used to launch attacks is a threat not just to the United States but to Europe.
HENRY: While President Nicolas Sarkozy will not put more troops on the ground, he's willing to train Afghan police and provide development money. I wonder what you say to the president's message about bringing troops forward, maybe military training, helping in Afghanistan?
PRES. NICHOLAS SARKOZY, FRANCE (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): We totally endorse and support America's new strategy in Afghanistan.
HENRY: Eager support from someone who just days ago was at odds with Mr. Obama over the financial crisis.
SARKOZY: It feels really good to be able to work with the U.S. president who wants to change the world.
HENRY: It seems they've quickly patched up differences from the G-20 summit where Mr. Obama didn't get all he wanted but was building relationships for the future.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Ed Henry joins us now live from Strasbourg, France. Ed, let's talk a little bit about what we've been seeing this morning in particular, some of these protests that have been surrounding the event today. It seems like some pretty impressive pictures of people gathering to protest.
HENRY: Yes, certainly. I think what we've learned is that any of these large summits, NATO, here in France, the G-20 in London before that, become magnets for people around the world to come in and air their grievances. It's not always about the subject at hand.
There are some protesters out there today, some of them getting violent that are sort of focusing on trying to prevent the U.S. from getting some more NATO allies more deeply involved in the war in Afghanistan, anti-war protesters. Then we see global warming protesters, any number of protesters that want to air their grievances because they know that the world leaders are here. They can get their attention and they know the international media is here, getting our attention as well Betty.
NGUYEN: It's also gotten the attention of Mrs. Obama, in fact, it's kind of put a little kink in her plans for the day.
HENRY: She was planning to go to a hospital here in Strasbourg. Instead, she had to -- they sort of rejiggered the schedule because they were worried that hospital was going to have too many protesters nearby. So instead, she got a tour of this historic city with Mr. Sarkozy, of course, and Carl Bruney (ph) and it gives her a chance to see the city, do something a little different than what she was expecting. But they're going to be going to Prague later today, the Obamas, as will the press following them and the president is going to be giving a big speech tomorrow in Prague on proliferation, trying to rid the world of nuclear weapons, a subject we've heard him talk earlier in the trip when he met with the Russian president. He's going to have a particular focus on Iran and make sure that the European allies come together with the U.S. to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons.
What's interesting the speech in downtown Prague, some estimates are saying could draw 25,000 or 30,000 people in this outdoor area. What does that remind you of? Again, the American campaign, when Barack Obama gave some of these speeches to very, very large crowds. He's now taking that show to Europe -- Betty?
NGUYEN: And small town hall meeting as well. Ed Henry joining us live, thank you Ed, we do appreciate it.
Also waiting on a news conference from President Obama in France this morning. It was originally scheduled for 8:15 a.m. Eastern time, but things in Strasbourg are running a bit behind, so now it has been pushed back to 10:15 a.m. Eastern. Of course, we will bring that to you live just as soon as it happens right here on CNN.
I want to tell you about this -- a U.S. missile strike is being blamed for at least a dozen deaths in northwest Pakistan this morning. Local officials say the target was a house in a village in north Waziristan. The so-led coalition and NATO officials have said attacks are being launched from that area into Afghanistan. But officials offered no comment on today's suspected attack.
North Korea may be ready to fire off a rocket of its own. This is some satellite imaging of the launch pad, some imagery there. The launch window opened and closed today with no action. But tomorrow could see North Korea launching what they're calling a satellite headed for space, while the U.S. and other allies in the region believe it's a test flight for a long-range missile. We'll be watching that closely.
GRIFFIN: Back here in the U.S., the big story really, the shooting in Binghamton, New York, yesterday. Police still searching for a reason behind yesterday's massacre there. The one we're getting really doesn't explain the violence of all but could. A lone gunman shot and killed 13 people before taking his own life. As many as four others hospitalized with gunshot wounds.
We're learning more about the suspected shooter. Police and Federal investigators searched the home of Jiverly Wong in neighboring Johnson City, New York. They say the naturalized U.S. citizen was just recently unemployed. The community there in shock. People wondering how it could happen, a normally a quiet city.
Senior correspondent Allan Chernoff is there digging through the details, trying to find out some answers. Allan?
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Drew, we do have a lot of information about Jiverly Wong and maybe that at least puts this in perspective. There probably will never be any good reason, of course there can't possibly be a good reason, a good explanation. It is terribly mysterious as to why this exactly happened, but we can tell you this much. I spoke with two co-workers of Jiverly Wong last night, people who worked with him at Endicott Interconnect Technology, a high-tech firm here right nearby in Endicott and he was an engineer there. He was a master trainer.
He had worked with these two people. He helped them work on machinery that was involved in the medical technology. He trained people. This is a company that actually produces computer chips for use in those types of equipment and apparent was a very good job. I'm told that he was well respected. He was very intelligent. So he had a good position. This was four years ago, five years ago.
The police chief here is telling us that apparently he had most recently been working at a company called Shop Vac, which just cleaned industrial equipment, cleaned vacuum cleaners and it seems that might have been his last place of employment, a real come-down and then perhaps to have lost his job from that company. So it may have been something that was building for years. We discussed this just a little while ago with the mayor.
Let's have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR MATTHEW RYAN, BINGHAMTON, NY: Well, we understand that the gentleman had lost employment, that he was no stranger to the American Civic Association. He was probably taking some class there. His language skills were not, English language skills were not that good and he felt that people were looking down upon him. Obviously a very disturbed individual at the point where he came here yesterday and that's about all we know at this point.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHERNOFF: So it seems that he had suffered a terrible comedown. Of course that is no explanation for what actually transpired, the man clearly snapping, killing 13 people and then turning the gun on himself. And particularly mysterious that he would have done it at an institution that was helping immigrants like himself -- Drew?
GRIFFIN: And of course, we'll have to find out whether this economic downturn in his own life was actually because of the economy or was there something else going on where he began losing these kind of jobs? As far as you know, there's no history of any kind of mental condition or was he violent at home? Any domestic violence at all?
CHERNOFF: Actually, his former co-workers tell me that he was a very peaceful, quiet person. They were beyond stunned. One of them told me, it cannot possibly be him. This must be wrong.
GRIFFIN: Very interesting and Susan Candiotti also on the ground there in Binghamton says the autopsies are going to begin later this morning and along with Allan who's been keeping us up-to-date all morning. The Binghamton police will hold a news conference at noon Eastern. We're going to bring you that live as well as any updates we get in the meantime right here on CNN.
NGUYEN: Let's talk about your money for a minute, because scholarships for college, it's something every student could use or should I say every parent, someone like you Drew.
GRIFFIN: Talk about the students. The parents are getting soaked. Stay with us for that. Just ahead we're going to tell you how you can win that money for school.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right. So between the recession and the skyrocketing cost of college, more and more families are struggling to come up with money for school. Yours truly right here.
GRIFFIN: Exactly. Scholarships can change everything. The competition, though, is fierce. Josh Levs, you know that firsthand from just trying to get some money. Right?
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah and as Betty was just referring, you know that firsthand, because you're focusing on that right now. The truth is a lot of family are dealing with this. It's always been expensive, but for kids going to school, it's getting more and more expensive. A little bit earlier this morning we looked at what it takes to find scholarships.
Now, what we're going to do is tell you how to win them and to do that I got to speak with a woman whose job it is to help people find those scholarships.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TALLY HART, OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY: Winning scholarship really conveys who this person is. It talks about the honest background of the student and tells us a little bit more than just grades and a list of activities will convey. The scholarship source will tell you what they're interested in learning. So follow their lead and try to respond to their question, but be sure to include things that may be unique about you.
An example is lots of times students forget to include things that are part of what they consider their family duties. If a student's spent a lot of time helping care for younger children or maybe an ill grandparent, those are the kinds of things that help explain who the student is in the broader context and can be really helpful in winning the scholarship.
LEVS: Tally, I think you also have some advice for people out there who think that a certain thing about them might be kind of weird or quirky and they're kind of wary of sharing it and you said that when it comes to specifically scholarship applications, that's the time to take those quirks and put them out front and center?
HART: It has to be something that you feel comfortable in sharing that your uniquenesses may help distinguish you. Remember that there are going to be lots of people competing for those scholars. Especially if you've overcome some obstacle or found something that has really inspired you, don't worry if it doesn't fit the usual mode that you think describes the scholarship.
An example might be a student who has had to work to help finance part of their high school costs and plan for college and has worked flipping burgers, but took on a management task or became a team leader. Those things are really of interest in distinguishing a student in a scholarship process.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: Really helpful advice from her there. Let me show you a couple web pages really quickly. Two major ones that she says are among the best ones to find scholarships that are out there. One of them is fastweb.com, free registration, will trace you through some scholarships. Another one is collegeboard.com. It has a scholarship search within in. She says these are really good places to go. We also talked with her at length about what it takes to find good scholarships that are out there.
A lot of you weren't up at 6:00 a.m. We're going to have that again this morning in a few hours. Plan for our 11:00 a.m. hour here in the NEWSROOM. So obviously be with us then. We're trying to give you all the information you can as you start to plan especially this fall whether it's your kids or you are the people going to school yourself, how you're going to pay for school, as you guys were just saying, Drew and Betty, so astronomical these days.
NGUYEN: Yes it is.
GRIFFIN: You know how you're going to pay for school, Josh? Through the nose. That's what I determined.
NGUYEN: Loan, grants, hopefully scholarships.
LEVS: Whatever it takes.
GRIFFIN: Through the nose for a long time.
NGUYEN: (INAUDIBLE) Maybe they'll pay you back some day. Right?
GRIFFIN: But I won't be able to remember.
NGUYEN: Far in the future!
GRIFFIN: By the time I need my kids' help, I won't be remembering where I'm at.
LEVS: Maybe breathe a sigh of relief over that response.
NGUYEN: Thank you, Josh.
Listen to this, nearly 41 years after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, we have some never before seen photos taken on that fateful day. "Life" magazine has put these previously unpublished photos taken by photographer Henry Ruskinsy (ph) on its Web site. Among the pictures, King's open briefcase and a can of shaving cream on top. Maybe we have that picture for you. Also a lone individual on the balcony where King was shot and some of his anguished colleagues sitting in his Lorraine motel room. There's that picture. Some powerful photos never published until now.
Tonight, Soledad O'Brien reconstructs the evidence and the story behind the death of Martin Luther King Jr. "Eyewitness to Murder: The King Assassination," tonight, 8:00 Eastern.
GRIFFIN: That is a great show too.
NGUYEN: I've seen it several times. It's really worth watching. If you have seen it, definitely watch it again because it is good stuff.
GRIFFIN: And 41 years ago, a lot of people have been born and raised. They don't know the whole story of what happened. That, you know, that documentary put together by Soledad and Jim Pope is terrific. Just a little shout-out for those guys.
Interested in obtaining a home in foreclosure?
NGUYEN: There are loads of deals to be had out there and we're going to show you where the best deals are in your areas and the pitfalls you need to be aware of.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: The west was won in a cowboy hat. Now a Texas hat company is winning fans around the world, despite the economic slowdown. Rich Lui blows the lid off this story in his small and global.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD LUI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Few things are as American as a cowboy hat.
JOELLA GAMMAGE TORRES, TEXAS HATTERS: Texas Hatters started in about the late 1920s. As a family business, my grandfather made hats, sold hats.
LUI: (INAUDIBLE) is a third generation Texas Hatter. She's seen the business reach far beyond the lone star state thanks to her late father's persistence.
TORRES: My dad used to go out to nightclubs, shake hands, pass out business card and he kind of drew in the celebrities. Word of mouth is our greatest asset. It's worldwide.
LUI: Texas Hatters helps customers from Asia to Europe get a hat like Hank Williams Jr. or even Ronald Reagan. Their fedora is currently being featured in the movie "Watchmen." TORRES: We have a good reputation among movie makers and they call us from California or Canada. We've even sent hats for filming in Australia.
LUI: But how do you make a custom hat for a movie set half a world away?
TORRES: The trick to that is, we ask for pictures most of the time. You've got the customer's face and the top of the head.
LUI: Texas Hatters survived the great depression and business is strong now.
TORRES: We want the average person to be able to afford a custom-made hat or the guy who's got a few million in his sock drawer.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Bragging rights there. Well, with millions of Americans looking for work, CNN trying to give some folks a best chance to make their best pitch to everybody who's watching.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETER "GIANT" BOWLEG, JOB SEEKER: Hello. My name is Peter Bowleg, middle name Giant. Why, 12 pound baby, last name Bowleg, American Indian name. My background is sales. My background is also broadcasting, done voice overs, commercials and a little bit of this and a little bit of that.
Why you should hire me? I'm the hardest worker you'll ever find. I'll be there early, I'll be there late and I'm also creative, in the process of writing a book of poetry. So here I am. P under score bowleg at yahoo.com. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: The number of Americans losing their jobs is at a staggering rate. New numbers show unemployment is at a 25-year high. Gerri Willis joins us now with the latest to break down these numbers. Boy, it's not good, Gerri.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Betty, job losses continue to mount in March. And as you said, the unemployment rate hit a 25-year high. Employers trimmed 663,000 jobs from their payrolls last month and that was basically in line with forecasts. Consider this, 5.1 million jobs have been lost since the start of 2008, pretty bleak picture.
NGUYEN: Absolutely. For those who have lost their jobs, is there any kind of free help out there for them?
WILLIS: There is. Walgreens for example just rolled out what they're calling their take care program. Now this program offers free health care services at its Walgreen clinics. Keep in mind that they're generally staffed by nurse practitioners and/or physician assistants, not docs.
But here's how you would be eligible for this program. If you lost your job on or after March 31st, you have no health insurance and you can get treatment of colds, strep throats, allergies, skin conditions but it doesn't include Betty, vaccinations, physicals or health evaluation. They have a toll free number, 866 825-3227 if you want more info.
And there are also other free resources out there. If you have a computer at home, you're in good luck. Check out goodwill.org. They train people for people for jobs in IT, health care, retail, banking and even landscape and for info on retraining and career resources, go to careeronestop.org or careervoyages.gov. Great places to go to get info about what jobs are available in your community and how to prepare for them.
NGUYEN: That is so good to hear that there are some free resources out there especially for those who don't have a job to go to these days. What's coming up on your show later today?
WILLIS: We'll bring you the good news from the stimulus plan. You may get a little extra boost in your paycheck, plus you know that Washington is going to help the auto industry. What's in it for you? We'll break it down.
NGUYEN: Looking forward to it. Gerri Willis, as always, thank you.
WILLIS: My pleasure.
GRIFFIN: The mayor of Lancaster, California, is tired of the homelessness in his L.A. suburb so he's taking matters into his own hands. We're going to talk about why he's putting up money to help the homeless.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: A mayor in a Los Angeles suburb is fed up, so much so that he is donating $10,000 of his own money to get the homeless to leave the town and that is not all. Lancaster Mayor Rex Paris is also dealing with an unemployment rate of 15.5 percent. He joins us now live.
Mayor, we do appreciate your time this morning. First of all I want to get back to the homeless program where, in fact, you put up, what, $10,000 of your own money to bus homeless people out of your city and back to their own home cities. Tell me why you're doing this?
REX PARRIS, MAYOR, LANCASTER, CALIFORNIA: Well, first of all, we wanted to see if it would work, if it would be a benefit. And people have to qualify for it. They don't have to just be homeless. What you have to do is you have to have a support group some place else that's waiting to pick you up at the bus station, that can help you. And if they meet that criteria, then we provide them with a ticket and money to eat on the way home.
NGUYEN: Well, what do you say to critics who essentially argue that you're dumping your problem on other cities?
PARRIS: Well, I think that would be accurate, if there wasn't - if they didn't have a support group waiting for them. The fact of the matter is we do screen them. But you know, let's not make any mistake. Every mayor out there would like to dump their homeless some place, but that's not what we're doing. What we're doing is we're helping people who are stranded and find themselves with no money, no support group and no one to help them. And so what we're doing is helping them.
NGUYEN: So you've taken your time and resources to verify the support group in their own hometowns?
PARRIS: Yes, it's actually a screening process. It takes about two hours. But within that two hours, we've contacted the people that you - that they've indicated are waiting for them. We confirmed that they are there, that there is a place for them to stay and that there's a support group for them. And as soon as we've established that, we send them home.
NGUYEN: Well, how much of a difference has this made in your city? Have you seen a significant difference?
PARRIS: Yes, yes. You know, whenever you can take 20 homeless people off the street, there's a visual impact. And the visual impact is apparent to everybody. And that happened in the first week.
NGUYEN: Let's talk about the economic impact of this recession that we're all in. I understand that your city has done something quite unique. In fact that you're not just waiting on federal funding. You are indeed implementing your own stimulus package, if will you. Tell me how you're doing that?
PARRIS: Well, the first thing we did is with the auto dealers is we picked up the registration costs of everybody that purchased a new vehicle. And lo and behold, the first week of the program, you know, sales went up 200. And for a city of our size, that's a significant increase for.
The biggest thing we're doing with the economic stimulus project is recognizing that most businesses just need a little bit of help. And if you can give them that little bit of help, all of a sudden, they can become profitable. And so far, the results are truly exciting.
NGUYEN: Yeah, you've got a vehicle registration rebate program, a gift card program, meaning that these gift card can only be spent in businesses within your city. Also buying homes in lower income neighborhoods and giving some realtor incentives. So there's a lot of things within this program hoping to raise what, $110 million, at least put that back in your local economy. Where are you with that?
PARRIS: The conservative projections are that by the time the program's done is we'll have brought in $110 million. So far, the results seem to be almost $10 million. And that's within the first month.
NGUYEN: All right, and as of this hour on this date, you have received zero federal funding?
PARRIS: Zero. You know, the problem with the federal government is the bureaucracy is so thick, it takes forever for anything to happen. Right now, we're just praying that we get some of it.
NGUYEN: All right, well, best of luck to you. Mayor Rex Parris, mayor of Lancaster, California, we do appreciate your time today.
PARRIS: Thank you very much.
GRIFFIN: While many people are struggling, there are those pulling ahead in the economy. Some stand to make a lot of money off the collapse of the housing market.
NGUYEN: Yes. Buying up foreclosed homes could make some people winners, but how do you find the best investment? That is a good question. Our Josh Levs is here to show us how.
LEVS: And you guys have seen some of these amazing investments, right?
NGUYEN: Oh, yeah. I mean, you can buy a home that's worth what $150,000, to $200,000 for $50,000 if it's foreclosed?
LEVS: Exactly, yeah. Well, we always thought of it as being worth that much. It's incredible what we're seeing. In fact, take a look at this headline. CNN.com/living, look at this. $500,000 go for $200,000. And this is family that actually got one. It's an incredible deal.
One thing I want to show you guys, we actually link within this story to this map that traces you through where foreclosures are in the United States. And it takes you through the different years. You can back to 2007. Blue means more foreclosures. That's all you need to know for now. 2008 is here, 2009 already. And the folks who put together this map continuously update it.
So at any time, if you want to know how your state compares, how many are in your state, just come along and click. There's Texas for Betty. And you can just see how it's doing.
Now, if you want to find specific homes to bid on or potentially invest in, there a lot of websites that do this. But one of the best, very easy for you to remember, foreclosure.com.
I want to show you now how it works, because they're continuously updating as well. Here's foreclosure.com. Give you a map of the country. Pick any state. Let's go to California, for an example. We're clicking on California. It breaks you down within here to all of these places within California. Then I chose one at random. I said hey, let's check out Santa Barbara. I know it's tiny type on your screen. Doesn't matter. You can pick any one.
And once you're within that area, it not only lists which homes are in foreclosure, but it allows you to come click on them. You get the specific address, the name of the person to contact, the amount that is going for at that point, even some more information about it.
So obviously, there's tons of places getting a lot of traffic. And check this out, down here, you can make offers within the website itself. So you could literally be sitting at home learning about the house, and deciding you know what? I think this is worth investing on. And then maybe buy it, like Monopoly, four, five, six, seven, eight houses. That's what some guys are doing, some folks.
Let me say one more thing, I forgot. We have some video here. Have a foreclosure auction. Take a look at this. We went to a foreclosure auction last year. And you know what guys? When I was there, I saw homes that were selling, these were technically homes, as low as $6,000. They were called homes. $6,000, $7,000. There were I think more than 20 homes that we saw selling under $10,000 that night. And it really was like monopoly. There were people that night who bought four, or five, or six homes each just for themselves.
GRIFFIN: You know, but Josh, a home going for $6,000, $7,000, there's got to be a huge catch. What is the catch? What are the pitfalls here?
LEVS: Good point. Yeah, I mean, a lot of those were shacks that people wouldn't even want to go near. You've got to really hold onto it for a long time. "U.S. News and World Report" did a great thing. Let me show you this graphic here. What they set up, what they call the six major mistakes that people make. First of all, they say flying solo. And they're referring to this idea a lot of people think they know what they're doing, but they don't. They say you should work with a real estate agent who knows that area very carefully.
And number two follows along. Be familiar with the law wherever you're buying, not just nationally. Specific state laws as well. They say number three, one of the biggest mistakes people make is thinking short-term. Betty, talk to experts who say if you're not ready to hold on to this thing for ten years, you might not even want to get into it at all.
A banker, the others here quickly, seeing only the sticker price means if you're saying, wow, that house is only $6,000. That might look enticing, but the fact is you might discover that it requires $50,000 of expenses just to make it livable.
GRIFFIN: Right.
NGUYEN: Right.
LEVS: So do the investigating. Searching too broadly, they say. You should only work with agents who know specific areas and only buy in areas that you, yourself, have seen before. Otherwise you could be investing in an area that's just crazy. And finally, I like that one, take no prisoners, which pretty much is the attitude you've got have. You got to be steel when you're going into this, otherwise you might get taken very easily and you might be out that $6,000, $10,000 $20,000, however much it is, guys.
NGUYEN: Yeah, those are some good examples of what you should be doing when you're looking to buy, because I think that ten-year holding onto the property for ten years is really a good piece of advice, because if you can't sell it...
GRIFFIN: You can't.
NGUYEN: ...then you're going to be paying property taxes on it. So you need to know well in advance what you're going to be paying on it, just to own that piece of property, if it goes nowhere.
GRIFFIN: Yeah.
LEVS: Exactly. Really good point. You're paying taxes the whole time. You start to have responsibilities...
NGUYEN: Right.
LEVS: ...as the owner of that home, depending what happens in that area. And the price that it costs you before you're able to sell it could be more than you pay on the sticker price. You got it.
NGUYEN: Very true. All right, thank you, Josh.
LEVS: Thank you.
NGUYEN: Good advice there. All right, so jobless, broke, can't get to the unemployment office. What do you do?
GRIFFIN: In metro Atlanta, there is a career center on wheels.
NGUYEN: Oh. It'll come to you.
GRIFFIN: Rick Baldwin's going to explain that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICK BALDWIN, CNN CORRRESPONDENT (voice-over): These days, a good job is hard to find. According to the federal government, the national unemployment rate rose yet again, meaning more Americans are looking for work. All that economic gloom and doom doesn't deter Jim Montgomery. He knows desperate times call for mobile measures.
JIM MONTGOMERY, COBB WORKS: With the economy being what it is, we need to do everything we can do to reach people.
BALDWIN: Are you on the road every day?
MONTGOMERY: Pretty much every day.
BALDWIN: Meaning career centers like Cobb Works in metro Atlanta and 2900 others nationwide are hitting the highways, helping the jobless and often carless find work.
MONTGOMERY: We can take our mobile unit out and give them access to our computers, to the Internet. They can come on and do a job search. They can work on their resume.
BALDWIN: Montgomery doubles as the driver of this big, orange RV and a career counselor, helping hundreds every month.
CARL JOINER, UNEMPLOYED WORKER: This is something, this tool that you can use is right here in my own backyard.
PETER BOWLEG, UNEMPLOYED WORKER: I think it's a great idea, because so many times a lot of people, when they lose jobs, they lose their cars.
BALDWIN: According to Montgomery, this mobile concept is catching on in states like Ohio, Florida, Michigan and Maryland. This federally funded bus makes stops at local libraries, where computers are in high demand. Mario Mcgowan was sick of waiting.
What have you been doing so far today?
MARIO MCGOWAN, UNEMPLOYED WORKER: Just looking everywhere and posting my resume on the every job search that's out there, and applying a lot. So that's really what I'm here for until they put me out, you know.
BALDWIN: Until they kick you out of the bus?
MCGOWAN: Yeah, yes.
BALDWIN: Montgomery isn't kicking anyone off. With Georgia's unemployment rate setting record highs, this driver knows he and his RV won't be hitting the brakes any time soon.
MONTGOMERY: Every day, every day, we're busy now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: Yeah, the Cobb Works Mobile Career Center started serving the community just last fall. And when they compared a number of unemployed people they helped then to the first quarter of the year, they've seen an increase of 151%.
NGUYEN: Wow. We do have some breaking news to tell you about. Right now we understand there have been confirmed three officers shot in Pittsburgh. We don't have an exact location, but we understand that the gunman actually is holed up inside a home. The original call came in as a domestic dispute.
Again, we don't know the circumstances as to what exactly happened, or the conditions of the officers, but what we know right now is that three police officers have been shot in Pittsburgh. And of course, we'll continue to follow this story and bring you the latest just as soon as we get more information on it.
GRIFFIN: Well, the final four is in the Motor City, but will it be enough to give Detroit the economic boost it needs?
NGUYEN: Yes, it needs it!
GRIFFIN: Maybe we got somebody to tell us about that.
NGUYEN: Rick Horrow's sitting right next to us. He's going to tell us about all that. Yeah, exactly. And later, a proposal for the books. The story behind the man who popped the question on the Brooklyn Bridge and then dropped the ring.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: The economic hits just keep coming for the Detroit auto industry clinging to life. The state has the country's highest unemployment rate. And the city's major paper has drastically cut back coverage. That's too bad because there is one good headline to write for that city. It is hosting tonight's NCAA Final Four and Monday's college basketball championship. Will that be enough to boost the city's morale and fiscal fortunes?
Well, our resident sports business expert Rick Horrow is here with us in Atlanta this morning. Right here, Rick. And -- but the subheadline is home team.
RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: Well, home team. Michael Lipman, president of ticketsofamerica.com who knows this industry says that 50,000, 60,000, 70,000 crazy Michigan state Spartan fans are trying to get tickets for tonight. And obviously, if they win that first game against Connecticut, then who knows what's going to happen. There is a huge demand for Monday night. So it makes a difference between an economically successful game or not. Some would say the economic impact's a little less, because these people are driving, not flying.
GRIFFIN: Right. Where are they playing? Are they playing in the Ford Center? How many people can fit in there?
HORROW: Ford Field. 72,000 people. 72,0001, I'm getting on a plane in a few minutes...
GRIFFIN: Right, right.
HORROW: ...to do that. And the bottom line is it's going to set attendance records. And television wise, it's really big. You know, 70 years ago, they had no TV. Oregon won at Northwestern University's campuses. Now $6 billion goes into these TV rights. And that's almost the entire budget of the NCAA. So everything depends on people watching these games.
GRIFFIN: Yeah. So what is the viewership of these games? And you know, the Final Four, I've got to tell you, I've kind of been out of it this week. Doesn't seem like there's a huge amount of buzz?
HORROW: Well, there's not a huge amount of buzz on this set because, of course, Texas isn't in it. Betty's quiet over there. She's not saying a word. But that's another story. We don't have to talk about that.
NGUYEN: Of course you got to bring that up.
HORROW: Yeah, I did clearly. And wearing blue, three of the teams are blue teams today, this week. The ratings are up 6 percent or 7 percent for television.
GRIFFIN: Oh, good.
HORROW: Which is really good considering the economy isn't that great. Of course, the industries, General Motors and others down 60 percent in sponsorships for the event in their home city. $50 million of economic impact in Detroit for this, which is big, could be bigger, but people in Michigan, Michigan state fans, they'll take it. They'd rather have their fans drive than have this frenzy.
GRIFFIN: Yeah, and obviously, you've got your hat on.
HORROW: Well, we'll see. I'm a journalist clearly now. And you have to be objective. So I don't know what you're talking about, but this is North Carolina. And, of course, the president has North Carolina in his bracket still alive. Here's North Carolina and I don't know of anybody else...
GRIFFIN: Are you making a political statement here, Rick?
HORROW: I'm making a statement since my daughter went to school there that I'd better make this statement or I'm going to be in trouble.
GRIFFIN: Are they the favorites?
HORROW: Not sure yet now. They're the highest seed that's in the tournament right now, but you know, Connecticut looks like they have a legitimate shot. Obviously Michigan state. Villanova's playing well.
You see the video here. The other thing is "Forbes" magazine put out a study on net work of basketball programs. North Carolina is the most valuable program of any of the teams, including the only one in the Final Four right now. So it's a juggernaut and it's only getting bigger.
GRIFFIN: OK, Rick, thanks a lot. Have fun at the game.
HORROW: I can't wait to get the car and get to Detroit.
NGUYEN: All right, well, we need you to stick around for just a second because I want you to listen to this next story. This is a doozy, folks.
OK, listen to this. One New York man may be rethinking his bright idea of proposing to his girlfriend on the Brooklyn Bridge. OK, here's video of it. A relative actually took this. And you why she looks like that? Because the guy actually dropped the ring. Yeah. HORROW: What a chump.
NGUYEN: He proposed to her right here and just as he was doing -- I don't know if he was nervous or what, but he dropped the ring. And it actually fell through the grating on to the pedestrian bridge. And he had to climb down in the traffic way below to try to get it back. And the amazing thing is he found it. Can you imagine?
HORROW: Is she hugging because she accepted or because he found the darn ring?
NGUYEN: I think because she accepted, but the guy says, look, if I'm going to do this again, because I did find the ring, but it was kind of a little bent up and all that. So they've got to get it fixed. But when he does, I guess, repop the question, you're looking with her mouth open just amazed at this whole thing. When he does repop the question, he is going to do it in the safety of his own home.
GRIFFIN: You said that he's rethinking the bright idea of proposing to his girlfriend. I want to know what the girlfriend is thinking.
NGUYEN: Well, I think it's the way he proposed. Yeah, exactly, is that a bad omen that this happened?
GRIFFIN: I would think so. Wouldn't you?
HORROW: Yeah, put the string on the ring when you're going to do something acrobatic from now on when you're proposing.
NGUYEN: Just in case.
GRIFFIN: All right. Well, listen, thanks a lot, Rick.
HORROW: OK.
GRIFFIN: And what are we doing now? We going to break?
NGUYEN: We are going to a commercial break. We'll be right back, folks.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right, some breaking news out of Pittsburgh to tell you about. Three officers have been shot. We do not know their conditions, but what we do know is the gunman is holed up inside of a home. And this originally came down as a domestic dispute call. Again, three officers shot.
Let's get the latest now from Andrew Stockey with affiliate WTAE. He just filed this report. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDREW STOCKEY, WTAE NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, we are live and standing at the corner of Woodbyne (ph) Street and Fairfield Street, if you know this area. And this situation has been developing since 7:00 this morning.
We want to give you a live look now. Take a like down Fairfield Street. Right now, this is -- it's a quiet time after what has been a lot of gunfire. In fact, as many as 80 shots we understand in this location. Police responding to a domestic dispute about 6:30, 7:00 a.m. this morning. Neighbors tell us around 7:00 a.m., six or seven shots were fired.
We understand multiple officers were hit. At least one of those officers were injured. Pittsburgh police not telling us a whole lot right now. They say they're still trying to get their facts straight as to what's taking place. But as of now, we do know there were injuries listed. One officer, maybe more.
We have had county, state, city, emergency crews on the scene. Everybody in full riot gear. In fact, as we look up the road here, we can see to my left, Ken, if you can see down here, you see these gentlemen come up here with armed with rifles. They have obviously riot gear on, as police stake out positions around the house.
The house we're speaking of is 1016 Fairfield Street. That's where this is all going down right now. And police do have the house surrounded. The shots once again, which were pretty hot and heavy for about 20 minutes. As many as 80 shots fired. That has ceased at the moment. Don't know what's going on right now. Don't know if they're gotten into the house, if they have subdued the suspect or suspects involved in this case.
Once again it began, we understand, as a domestic dispute, but it's continued. And obviously got into what became a shoot-out between police and the suspects or suspects.
Once again, a very fluid scene right now. We're still gathering details. But all I know, there's been an awful lot of police action, a lot of police presence over the last hour or so in this location. So Janell, as we get more information, we will bring it to you. Right now a calm following a hail of bullets. 80 shots fired at one point over a 15, 20-minute span.
Live in San Heights, Andrew Stockey, Channel 4 Action News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: All right, that coming from our affiliate WTAE, that report that was just filed. Want to give you some updated information.
What we know so far, three officers have been shot in Pittsburgh. As he mentioned, the call came in as a domestic dispute. And at this hour, the gunman is believed to be holed up inside a home.
But what was really just riveting about all of this is for a period of about 20 minutes, according to Andrew Stockey that reporter there, 80 shots were fired. And then you can see in the video, some of the officers were in full riot gear. This is an ongoing situation. We are following it very, very closely. And as soon as we get more information, we'll bring it to you.
GRIFFIN: Also following the weather. Heavy rains in the southeast have lead to problems. Alabama's Mobile and Baldwin Counties had several homes flooded there. A dozen families trapped on a bridge that was washed out. And five people trapped in a home when the Sticks River spilled over its bank. For most, it was just frightening.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just woke up and the water ripping up under the house. My car's still down there. I can't get it out. Just scared for my kids.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, I'm sick of it, but hey, that's why you live on the river. I mean, it's a chance you take.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: Volunteer firefighters picked up those stranded residents and got them to safety.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: And of course, we are following the situation out of Pittsburgh, where three officers have been shot. We're trying to get the latest information on that and bring it straight to you. Stay with us right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: You know, you've probably heard this. Virginia is for lovers. I never got that. Did you, Betty?
NGUYEN: I've heard that in many states. Texas is for lovers, too. Georgia is for lovers.
GRIFFIN: Aren't there lovers everywhere?
NGUYEN: Yeah.
GRIFFIN: But now in Virginia, wine lovers.
NGUYEN: Oh.
GRIFFIN: As Melissa Long tells us, Virginia is home to a growing wine scene.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA LONG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When you think of Virginia, wine may not come to mind, but Virginia wine country now boasts more than 140 vineyards. STIRLING KELSO: Virginia's always been known for its horse culture. It's wonderful history. The Shenandoah Mountains, but it also has an established wine scene that's getting more and more popular.
LONG: Around every bend of the Blue Ridge and in the Piedmont region, you'll find scenic views, historic charm and wine.
LUCA PASCHINA, WINEMAKER: Great landscapes, history. The European culture of food and wine here is growing.
LONG: Only two hours from Washington, tours and tastings are easily found for $5 or less.
PASCHINA: A lot of people come and have lunch. They'll bring their own picnic and just lay down a blanket and have a glass of wine.
KELSO: The people there are friendly and inviting, and it's just the perfect spot for a relaxing getaway.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello everybody, from the CNN Center this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING, it's Saturday April 4th. Good morning everybody I'm Betty Nguyen.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Drew Griffin in today for T.J. Holmes on a busy news day on this Saturday.
NGUYEN: Let's start with this, we do have some breaking news out of Pittsburgh this morning. Three officers have been shot after a domestic call came in this morning. S.W.A.T. officers as you see are on the scene. But to give you a little more indication especially from a reporter that we listened to just a few minutes ago, he says that for a period of about 20 minutes some 80 shots had been fired. We understand that the mayor, Luke Ravenstahl is on his way to the scene. Another interesting development is this, reporters there on the scene with the photographers have been told to turn the cameras away because the gunman which is hold up inside of a home, has been watching all of this play out on television. This is a very much an active scene at this hour. Again, three officers confirmed shot. We do not know the extent of their injuries but we are following it very closely.
Also want to tell you about this, getting down to business at the NATO summit. On the agenda is President Obama's push for more support in Afghanistan. The president is hoping to walk away with some new commitments in hand. We'll see if that happens. CNN senior White House correspondent Ed Henry joins us now live from Strasbourg, France this morning. All right Ed, so do NATO members seem willing to provide the kind of commitment the president is seeking?
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Not exactly, Betty. He's getting some new commitments, but not in the form of combat troops necessarily for the war in Afghanistan. That's what the president really wants. This kicked off this morning on a little pedestrian bridge symbolically there on the Rhine River separating Germany from France, where I am now. That's where the summit is actually taking place. President Obama was on the German side with Chancellor Angola Merkel, and there were walking over to meet the French president Nicholas Sarkozy in the middle, because France is coming back into NATO for a full military partnership.
And so President Obama has been reaching out to the French president and other leaders trying to get them to provide more troops for the war in Afghanistan. As you know, there have been 21,000 more U.S. troops committed to the war in Afghanistan by this new U.S. president. But so far most of the NATO leaders are not too keen on adding more combat troops. Instead, people like President Sarkozy are saying how they will provide training for troops for either the Afghan army, Afghan police as well as developmentally. Which is also an important priority of the Obama administration, but not signing on for more troops.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who you see among those leaders, he has suggested he will provide more combat troops but the administration is still pushing for more. Meanwhile, we've been seeing some protests play out. As you know these kind of international summits become a magnet for all kind of protests. Some of the protesters are reflecting the sentiment of some in Europe that they don't want more of the U.S.' allies to put up more troops. They don't want them to get deeper involved in the war in Afghanistan. Other protestors have nothing to do with what's going on here at NATO. Again, it's become a magnet for having a soap box, protesting on issues like global warming. That may not be at the top of the agenda here. We've been seeing that play out as well.
Clearly, the broader picture for President Obama is trying to get his feet wet on the international stage. First in London where he focused on the financial crisis at the G-20 summit, got a lot of what he wanted, not all of what he wanted there. Here as well, getting so far some of what he wants, but, again, not all, and that's clearly what happens at these summits, Betty. You try and try to push and push, but you don't necessarily get everything that you came asking for. Betty?
NGUYEN: Yes, you aim high and leave somewhere in the middle. That's what he said in one of his town hall meetings. All right, Ed Henry, thank you so much for your information today. We'll be checking back with you throughout the morning.
Also this, day 75 in office has already been a busy one for President Obama. Right now he is attending the second day of the NATO summit in Strasbourg, France. The president is supposed to speak there at 10:15 eastern time this morning, and when he does, we will bring that to you live. And after that, the president and first lady leave for the Czech Republic. Tomorrow he is going to attend the EU summit there.
GRIFFIN: A solemn community this morning in Binghamton, New York, people there trying to cope with yesterday's deadly massacre at an immigrant center. Here's what we know, the suspect is Jiverly Wong, he killed 13 people according to police in the civil center before taking his own life. Police have searched his home in a neighboring town. They did that last night. Four other people were taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds. At least one listed in critical condition. CNN's senior correspondent Allan Chernoff is live in Binghamton with the latest on what's been happening there all morning. Allan?
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Drew, yes, as you said, last night the police, the FBI were at the home, Jiverly Wong lived with his parents and a younger sister in nearby Johnson City. I saw them take out a good load of evidence from the home. The police confirmed that they did take a computer, a hard drive, also an empty gun case. Now, the two handguns found at the scene of the crime actually were registered, according to police, were registered to Jiverly Wong. Who exactly was this man? I did speak with two of his former co-workers at Endicott Interconnect Technologies, and they described him as very intelligent, very quiet, a very peaceful person. They were just in disbelief that this could possibly have been the gunman.
According to police, though, more recently he worked at a company called Shop Vac in this area. We've not been able to independently confirm that, but apparently according to the police, he had recently lost his job, had been on a long decline, apparently, in his economic situation, and was simply distraught. Neighbors told us that they just cannot believe what's happened. Let's have a listen to one of them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK MONELL, SUSPECTED SHOOTER'S NEIGHBOR: I was home today, not feeling well, and my friend called me and told me, did you see what's going on in downtown Binghamton. I said, no. I turned on the news and I looked out the window and saw the police officers over next door and I'm going, wow. Then all of a sudden, everything started clicking together and they said it was an oriental man, I'm thinking, hope it wasn't the son. And it was.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
CHERNOFF: And that neighbor described Mr. Wong as a very, very quiet person. But the main mystery here, why, why would he possibly target the American Civic Association, an organization that helps immigrants in this town. Immigrants just like Mr. Wong who apparently had taken classes there, classes in English and other courses designed to help people just like himself. Drew?
GRIFFIN: Allan thanks a lot.
NGUYEN: The shooting spree put Binghamton on high alert for hours as police tried to find the gunman. Schools in the area on lockdown. City streets the were closed. Snipers they were even on the lookout.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was crazy, like, everyone was in there and, because I left fourth period and I heard about it and I was talking to people, and everyone said that they had to stay in fourth period for the rest of the day until they caught the people. And they couldn't -- they didn't eat at all yet. Just in lockdown all day. They couldn't leave, they couldn't do nothing. They had to stay in the classroom all day long.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So have you heard from your parents yet, are they concerned? What have you been talking about?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) since 10:30 and I seen everything.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What has the scene been like? What did you see, were you nervous, were you scared, were you worried?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah. Well -- we didn't know what was going on. We were just watching and all of a sudden we've seen -- we saw all the cops come and didn't know what was going on. We had this man in there and his wife was in there I suppose and she called, like, and was telling what's going on. He tried to get down here as fast as he could to get her, but the cops was already down here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You said that you were actually able to sort of sneak behind police barricades to get a little closer to the building. Tell me what you saw?
UNIDENTIIFED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) right in front of the civic center, we got army reserve down there, there are S.W.A.T. teams in the back, they're sighted on. You got snipers on the roof. This is the real deal here.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Yes, it was. Many in Binghamton are still trying to understand how a tragedy like this could happen. City leaders in the meantime are looking for a way to help the community move forward and heal. Binghamton council members Lea Webb and Sean Massey join me now live. And let me start with you Councilman Massey, any closer to figuring out why this happened? The motive behind it?
SEAN MASSEY, BINGHAMTON CITY COUNCIL: Right now the investigation is ongoing. There's a press conference at noon where we may find out some more information. But right now we're just waiting to hear and we don't have any other information.
NGUYEN: All right. Councilwoman Webb, let me ask you this. Any additional information about this shooter, any indication that maybe he had a violent past? What do you know?
LEA WEBB, BINGHAMTON CITY COUNCIL: Just to echo the sentiment of Councilman Massey, we're still in the unclear stage of this as to what the motivation was. As the councilman said, the police are still doing investigating. We'll hopefully get further information as the weekend goes by.
NGUYEN: Has there ever been any violence at that civic center in the past? WEBB: Not to my knowledge. This community is you know, quite safe. You know, we were just ranked as one of the safest cities in the country. So this is a shock to everyone here in the city of Binghamton.
NGUYEN: No doubt. Councilman Massey, let me ask you this, how is the community doing? I know that there were vigils last night. Is there still somewhat of a fear that is ringing out through the community or do they feel like the gunman was definitely found and there's no more threat to anyone there?
MASSEY: I think the way the community's reacting is in shock and sadness that this tragedy happened. I think all of our thoughts are going out to the families and we're just hoping that we can find out and identify who the victims were so the families can begin their grieving process.
NGUYEN: So far, how are these families doing? Are you getting an indication as to how they're coping and trying to make some sense out of all this?
MASSEY: Well, I don't know how you make sense of all of this, but I do know that, and quite frankly, we're trying to give the families privacy and the respect they need to deal with this, this horrific part of their lives.
NGUYEN: Councilmember Webb what kind of services are provided besides counseling, because I know a lot of the victims and those who did survive they were there learning, to become American citizens, they were taking those classes. Any other kind of efforts being made to help them, there may be language barriers, maybe cultural barriers?
WEBB: I know that the city is looking into acquiring some translators to help the families, in addition to Governor Paterson, he was here yesterday along with other state officials, as well as our county officials and city officials. Really just trying to pull all of our resources together to really help the families, and also the community at large. So this is going to have significant impacts on everyone, and just to echo that sentiment, we really are trying to begin the healing process at this time.
We are actually in the middle of organizing a community vigil interface vigil/service for the community. We actually have a meeting this morning to really plan that out. So on behalf of myself and the rest of the city of Binghamton, our city council representatives and the mayor, we're all working very hard on this issue and we're all deeply saddened by this.
NGUYEN: No doubt. We do wish you the best of luck and our hearts do go out to the victims there and even those survivors and the victims' family members. A lot that you're dealing with. Council members Lea Webb and Sean Massey, thank you so much for your time.
GRIFFIN: Even among the council people there, there's a lot of questions yet unanswered. Binghamton Police hopefully going to answer some of those questions today at noon when they're going to have a news conference. We, of course, will bring you that live and we'll continue to bring you updates on this terrible story as we get the developments from our reporters on the scene right here.
NGUYEN: Well, the first lady frenzy. Everywhere she nose goes the public seems to be in awe. We'll talk about what makes Michelle Obama such a hit?
GRIFFIN: And later, building a better resume. E-mail yours to us at weekends@cnn.com and we will have an expert take a look at it live on air.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: President Obama has been on the world stage this week, but all the buzz is surrounding the first lady. You know, from the hug with the queen to her wardrobe, people are absolutely fixated on Michelle Obama. Listen to this. A new poll just released shows that she is now more popular than her husband. But will she be able to evolve her role? For that we turn to Erin Vilardi, of the White House Project, which is a nonprofit group that grooms women to run for office. Erin thanks for your time today. All right, all of this talk about clothing. It's got to be more than fashion. Please tell me it's more than just fashion?
ERIN VILARDI, WHITE HOUSE PROJECT: Of course it's more than just fashion. She has been accomplished before she was first lady, but I think we need to think about Michelle Obama as more than one dimensional. She is more than just fashion. She is a Harvard lawyer.
NGUYEN: But that's what everybody's talking about.
VILARDI: We're in the fashion capital of the world, we're in Paris, this is fun. But we have a whole industry devoted to women and fashion. We have too many magazines devoted to women and fashion. What we do at the White House Project is talk about this from a leadership perspective. Why is she at the Fort Bragg, not what is she wearing? It's important for us to know why she's going to these places and what her issues are. I'm excited to see what she is going to put forth because, like I said, she's a multifaceted person I think she's going to take on a lot of issues and put her stamp on a lot of things that are going to make progress for women and families.
NGUYEN: All right, with that being the case and even with fashion in the mix here, what kind of image is she projecting on the world stage?
VILARDI: She is projecting I think a lot of things. A lot of grace, a lot of charisma but she's also very in tune with what's happening. Lots of articles I was reading, they're talking about how she might have modified some of her outfits for the recent economy and she's very aware of the protests that are happening. She's a smart lady. She is on the cover of "Vogue", she is on the cover of some of these magazines. But I think it's time for us to start looking at her agenda. She has gathered some really powerful people, men and women around her as first lady, I'm excited to see what she's going to put forth. NGUYEN: Yeah, I think we all are. We watched an emotional meeting there at the London School for Girls. This is where she talked a lot about empowerment. How is Michelle Obama setting herself apart from past first ladies?
VILARDI: Well I think first and foremost, she's our first African-American first lady and that is so powerful, that is such a positive image and such a positive role model for girls of all backgrounds to see that this woman of color representing the United States. She's not the first and she won't be the last, hopefully, but, again, were redefining women's leadership here. She is a new face, she has a new agenda and I think we're broadening what the leadership role of the first lady is going to be.
NGUYEN: You know something also that you say that I find interesting. You say she's the biggest hugger that you know. I mean we see it a lot. In fact, got a little flak for it when she came in contact with the Queen of England.
VILARDI: I absolutely -- I just love that. I think it was fantastic that she was able to sort of drape her arm on the back of the queen. I think she was a very modern woman doing a very modern action.
NGUYEN: Erin Vilardi with the White House Project. Thanks so much for your time this morning, we do appreciate it. Again, not all about fashion, Drew. I know people are fixated on it. It's more than just that.
GRIFFIN: But you know what, if it's not all about fashion, why don't these women just wear the same thing every day, like the guys? President Obama gets up, he puts on a dark suit, white shirt and a tie.
NGUYEN: Because we're female. And you know, there's a difference about it.
GRIFFIN: I guess. And that hugging thing. I'm telling you, that's Chicago there. That's south side of Chicago. That's where I'm from too. You know it's big bear hugs!
NGUYEN: I'm a hugger too. I like to hug.
GRIFFIN: She just went up to that queen and slapped her on the back.
NGUYEN: She didn't do all that. It was mutual. There was contact we should say. It wasn't a full-on hug.
GRIFFIN: Stay with us. We're going to have tips for job seekers, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Employers, they are getting more resumes than ever before and hey, we know why. The unemployment rate is so high these days.
GRIFFIN: Yep, dealing with the overload by changing a few things, for example, computer search for specific keywords, your resume goes right in the trash if there's no match.
NGUYEN: Really, I did not know that. Let's get some advice now from Michael Erwin, a senior advisor with Careerbuilder.com. Joining us now to talk directly with some of our viewers. Before we get to that, let me ask you this. Is that rue? It goes directly in the trash?
MICHAEL ERWIN, CAREERBUILDER.COM: Well, we like to say that it doesn't go directly in the trash, it goes to the bottom of the pile. So you want to make sure that you're using keywords that are in the job posting, so when it does scan it bumps you up to the top and you have a better chance of talking to a hiring manager.
NGUYEN: All right, well let's get right to it. Tim Smith is on the phone and he wants you to take a look at his resume. Tim, let's waste no time here, what are your questions?
TIM SMITH, JOB SEEKER: Do you see anything on my resume that would keep me from catching the attention of employers and do I need to explain the current gaps in my employment on my resume?
ERWIN: I think that you have a strong resume. I think there are a few tweaks that you can make right away that is really going to move you to the top of the pile. The first thing that I suggest is taking the blocks of information under your experience and bulleting it out. Hiring managers are getting hundreds of resumes now and they need to be able to run through the resume as quick as possible and pull things out. So use bullet points to explain your experience.
Also, consider maybe putting a section between your experience and your introduction that really tells what are some of the skills that you have. You have management. You have budgeting. You need to move that to the top so if someone's scanning your resume they see that and they want to bring you in. Lastly, I really think that you do a good job of explaining who you are in the introduction, but you need to explain how you're going to help the company, and what an asset you're going to be to the team. Put some information in there that really talks to the job posting.
You asked a question, if you need to explain the gap in your employment? Sure. In this day and age a lot of people are out of work. It's better to be up front and explain why there was gap and just address it in the beginning with the hiring manager and you'll be ok.
SMITH: Ok, thank you for your help.
NGUYEN: All right. Is that all you have Tim? This is your time to shine. If you have any questions, he's right here for you.
SMITH: One other question I do have.
NGUYEN: Ok.
SMITH: I've mainly been in the manufacturing environment and I will be moving to a new location within the next six months. Do I need to try to tone down the manufactures experience and key on something else?
ERWIN: Well, that really depends. I don't know what area you're moving into. If you are looking to switch industries, you're going to need to figure out how you take your great manufacturing experience and translate that into other positions, other industries that are hiring, such as health care and IT. You need to figure how you take your budgeting and your management and spin that over so when you get to your new area and you apply for a job you go after the jobs that have the sectors of hiring such as health care and IT.
NGUYEN: All right, that is some great information. Tim, we wish you the best. Michael, you're going to be sticking around. We're going to have some more job seekers ready to ask you questions. Thanks so much for your time. In the meantime though, we are still following that breaking news out of Pittsburgh. Three officers have been shot. We'll have the latest on that.
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NGUYEN: Breaking news out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania today we understand three police officers have been shot and a gunman is holed up inside a home. You're looking at some video of the scene right now. Now the call originally came in as a domestic dispute. What we understand from reporters on the scene, is for about 20 minutes, 80 shots were fired. Again, three officers have been shot. We do not know the extent of their injuries. This happening in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We'll continue to follow this breaking news story.
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NGUYEN: Coming up at the top of the hour we're going to get an update on the shooting that you see right here in Pittsburgh. Three officers have been shot. S.W.A.T. teams on the scene. We will have the latest on that.
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