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CNN Saturday Morning News
Poll: GOP Holds Slight Edge on Economy; R.I. Floodwaters Slowly Recede; Dogs Become Essential in Fight Vs. Afghan IEDs
Aired April 03, 2010 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hey.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Hey.
HOLMES: Good to see you.
MALVEAUX: Good to see you, T.J.
HOLMES: Hey there, everybody. Just a little excited to have Suzanne Malveaux with us this weekend. I'll give her a chance to introduce herself in just a moment.
But hey, from the CNN Center here, it's CNN SATURDAY MORNING for this April 3. Six a.m. where we sit in Atlanta, and I'm T.J.
MALVEAUX: And I'm Suzanne Malveaux. Thanks for starting your day with us.
Just in this morning from Iraq, serious news: Twenty-five people killed execution style in a Sunni village south of Baghdad. The victims were found in handcuffs. They are being told that gunmen were wearing military uniforms, stormed the houses. We're going to have more on that story coming up in the hour.
HOLMES: Also this morning, take a look -- do you recognize this lady? Erykah Badu. Well, she has clothes on in this picture. The problem is, there's another picture of her without clothes on, and she has now been charged in the case. We'll explain to you why she was walking down the street in Dallas buck naked, and she was at the same location, actually, where President Kennedy was assassinated. You'll hear her explain herself this morning.
MALVEAUX: And there are published reports that say that the country's top high-school football recruit is now dead. Seventeen- year-old Matt James of Notre Dame fell over a balcony. This happened during the spring break at the Days Inn in Panama City.
HOLMES: We do want to give you up here first some of the stories we're keeping an eye on from overnight.
A 31-year-old Colorado woman arrested in Ireland has now been indicted on terror charges here in the U.S. Jamie Paulin-Ramirez -- you see her picture there. She's accused of conspiring with Colleen LaRose to provide support to terrorist. LaRose is the Pennsylvania woman who has known as "Jihad Jane." Now, Paulin-Ramirez's mother lives in Colorado. She was asked how her daughter got into all this trouble.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINE MOTT, MOTHER OF ACCUSED TERRORIST: She was looking for somebody to love her. They came in through that computer, and have ripped my family apart.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now, Paulin-Ramirez was arrested yesterday after voluntarily returning to the States from overseas.
MALVEAUX: And there's a new wrinkle this morning in the priest sex-abuse case that rocked the Catholic Church overseas. And now it's turning out that a top Vatican official that faced earlier complaints that he withheld sex-abuse allegations against a priest that he restored to duty in Oregon.
Now, Cardinal William Levada was an -- an archbishop in Portland, Oregon, at the time. He is now a central figure in defending the Vatican and its handling of abusive priests.
HOLMES: Well, air travelers coming into the United States will face new security measures. U.S. officials are abandoning the safeguards that were rushed into place after that Christmas Day bomb attempt in Detroit. Those measures included singling out passengers from 14 countries that have been home to terrorists.
The new rules will rely more on threat-based intelligence.
We turn to the big jobs report we got yesterday. Have we turned a corner, possibly, when it comes to the nation's dismal jobless numbers? Well, judge for yourself.
The Labor Department says we added 162,000 jobs in March. That makes only the third month of gains since the recession began in late '07. Now, we'll take it when we get it; those were positive numbers. Still though, the jobless rate -- the unemployment rate, still at 9.7 percent. It didn't budge.
So how will all this play into the heated political climate? Our Paul Steinhauser has it for us this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR: Good morning, T.J.
Why do we spend so much attention on the jobs report? Simple: The economy remains by far the most important issue on the minds of Americans when it comes to how they'll vote. It's more than 20 points ahead of health care, which is in second place. A tough economy means a rough political climate for incumbents running for re-election this year, and there are more Democrats than Republicans bidding for another term in office.
Our new poll indicates that Democrats have lost their edge on the economy. According to a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey out this week, 48 percent of people we questioned said the Republicans in Congress would do a better job fixing the economy, with 45 percent saying congressional Democrats would do a better job. That's a switch from last August, when our poll indicated that Democrats had a 13- point advantage on the issue.
This could be a reason -- an important reason, actually, why the Republicans now have a slight edge over the Democrats when we asked, 'Which party's candidate you would vote for in your congressional district?'
You know, last fall, the Democrats had a six-point advantage. Now, the Republicans are edging them out.
One thing about polls: They change as people change their minds. And remember, the congressional elections are still seven months away -- a long time in politics -- T.J.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. Thanks to our Paul Steinhauser.
And there's a question a lot of people out there are asking -- you probably have the same one, about the nation's unemployment rate. We heard that we added jobs -- 162,000 jobs that were created. So why in the world did the unemployment rate stay at 9.7 percent?
Here now, let us explain this to you.
First up, the jobs number and the unemployment rate based on two separate surveys. The jobs gained or lost, that comes from a survey of actual employers, while the unemployment rate, that number, compiled from a survey of actual households, the people actually working.
Also, the unemployment rate is based on the percentage of people who are counted in the workforce who are looking for jobs. Also, because of population growth as well, there are always new people entering that workforce, and economists say it takes 100,000 to 150,000 jobs each month just to keep pace with population growth and keep that unemployment rate from going up.
MALVEAUX: So T.J., I guess one of the big questions -- President Obama, he says that the number of jobs added in March is welcome news, but, you know, the ugly times, they're not behind us yet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This month's increase of 162,000 jobs was the best news we've seen on the job front in more than two years. (CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: Now, at the same time, it's important to emphasize, while we've come a long way, we've still got a ways to go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: So just to give you a little bit of perspective here, we have had a net loss of 8.2 million jobs since the start of 2008.
So there are still a lot of people who are out of work, you know? (INAUDIBLE)
HOLMES: A hundred and sixty-two thousand, that's -- that's something. But then, you -- where the jobs come from, they come from government, the census, a lot of those folks who were added. Those are temporary jobs. So it depends on who you talk to. Take it with a grain of sale.
MALVEAUX: And a lot of people still -- and they're still not looking for jobs.
HOLMES: Yes.
MALVEAUX: There are still a lot of people who are just, you know, staying home kind of dejected by this whole year. It's been really tough.
HOLMES: It's been tough. We'll see if we keep going the -- the right direction. A hundred sixty-two thousand is something.
MALVEAUX: Glad to have a job, T.J.
HOLMES: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: A lot of people right now -- speaking of jobs, they got their work cut out for them up in the Northeast. They're still having some problems. That heavy rain that hit, some of them still underwater.
MALVEAUX: And so the question, whether weather is going to cooperate with these cleanup efforts that are so critical.
Our Chad Myers is here with more of that.
Chad, what do we -- what do we think is going to happen here?
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, the sun is out, and it's been out for five days. But the rivers are still high in some spots, because the -- where the rain fell, the rain fell upriver. And now, all that water has to run downriver and then finally into the ocean. So some places are receding, some places still going up.
We'll detail another sunny forecast -- it feels like spring break everywhere in the East. That's coming up in two minutes.
HOLMES: All right. We're going to see Chad here in just a few more minutes. Thanks for being here with us as well, Chad.
But check this story out here. We're always talking about man's best friend. But this little guy is woman's best friend. This is a -- a unique dynamic duo that's actually keeping the streets safe in Afghanistan. You'll meet them both this morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Look at that.
MYERS: Hey, hey.
HOLMES: San Francisco this morning. Is that -- yes, that's the Bay Bridge, I do believe. Don't see the upper and lower deck though. But still, people crossing the bridge. Probably making their way home right now over in Oakland.
MYERS: Yes, that's kind of what it's like when we're going to work.
HOLMES: Yes.
MYERS: Yes.
HOMLES: Doesn't that drive you nuts?
MYERS: You -- you -- you either have -- you have to watch out for the other people that are driving, or else there are police. Those are the only two kind of people that drive when we're driving to work at this hour.
HOLMES: Well, good to have you here with us this weekend.
MYERS: Nice to -- nice to be here.
HOLMES: (INAUDIBLE)
MYERS: Reynolds is off today...
HOLMES: Yes.
MYERS: ...because he's celebrating the birthday of his youngest child today.
HOLMES: Yes.
MYERS: So -- and he worked. He was in Rhode Island doing all that coverage.
HOLMES: I understand.
MYERS: So, they said, 'Hey, can you come in?' I went, 'I -- if I don't have to go to Rhode Island to stand in the floodwaters, if he'll do that, I -- I can work on a Saturday morning.'
HOLMES: Well, we appreciate you being here.
But Rhode Island, how are they going to be this weekend? Are they still going to be standing in some floodwaters?
MYERS: No, water's coming down.
HOLMES: OK.
MYERS: Water's coming down. Every river that I've looked at this morning, has now come down from its major crest down below.
HOLMES: Great news.
MYERS: Now, make -- well, yes. Great news, except when you look at this i-Report video that we have, some of this stuff -- this is out of Wayne, New Jersey. Now we got a Wayne and Wyckoff, one of my favorite parts of the country.
HOLMES: All right.
MYERS: Here's a guy floating in a boat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, my name is Varis Astor (ph). Welcome to my neighborhood. As you can see, it's all underwater. And we had to take the boat for transportation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where -- where are we, by the way?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is Baird Ave (ph) on Wayne, New Jersey.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And everybody has been living like this for how long?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is three weeks. Steady water.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MYERS: Three weeks.
HOLMES: Three weeks.
MYERS: Three weeks. Three separate major rain events for them, and some sports in that region picked up between 16 and 20 inches of rain in March alone.
HOLMES: Wow.
MYERS: That's -- that's an entire season's worth of rain, almost a half a year's worth of rain in one month.
HOLMES: Well, we appreciate our i-Reports, went through some effort, certainly, there to get that into us. But it certainly tells a story, better than we can.
MYERS: And -- and you said it best yesterday: Do not put yourself in danger giving us an i-Report.
HOLMES: Yes.
MYERS: But we really would love to see them, because if you don't take pictures, then we can't tell you what's -- you know, what's in your neighborhood.
But we're not -- probably not in that guy's neighborhood. We weren't going to have a camera, right?
HOLMES: Yes (ph).
MYERS: But his camera was there, and we got it on because...
HOLMES: So we do appreciate that.
MYERS: So -- absolutely.
HOLMES: All right.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MALVEAUX: Well, he signed health-care legislation, and he also approved some offshore drilling for oil.
HOLMES: So the president's getting some things done, but is he keeping all of his promises, keeping his word on all of those he made out on the campaign trail?
Josh Levs has a reality check this morning. Josh, good morning.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there. Good morning to you guys.
So the place that tracks all the president's campaign promises now says there's been something of a milestone in recent days. How many promises has the president kept, and how many has he broken?
We've got the answers just seconds away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. We've got -- the health-care bill has been signed. It's law of the land now. A whole lot more on the agenda for the president. He's now looking ahead.
So what's next big on his plate?
MALVEAUX: And some people, of course, are looking back to see whether the president is coming through on what he promised.
Josh, I'm so glad to be with you here this morning, because I know you're one of these people, I'm one of those people... LEVS: We are.
MALVEAUX: ...covering the campaign. We want to know how he's -- how he's fared in terms of these promises. He made an awful lot of them during the campaign, and I know -- I know you have this "Obameter."
LEVS: Obameter.
MALVEAUX: Right?
LEVS: Yes.
MALVEAUX: To help us figure it -- all of this out?
LEVS: Isn't that great? I love the Obameter.
It's from this Pulitzer Prize-winning site called "PolitiFact." And they're tracking all these presidents -- the president's promises. They have hundreds and hundreds of them that he made during the campaign. They have something called a "Truth-o-Meter."
And over here -- we're going to zoom way in. I want you all to see this. This right here is what they call the Obameter. They have the "Obameter Scorecard." And we're going to get way in on these numbers here. Promises kept -- they say the president has now kept more than 100 of his promises. Right there to the right.
Now, promises broken, you see over here, 17 promises broken so far.
Let's do this -- to be fair, let's start off taking a look at some of the promises that he kept, and I have a screen that lists a few of them. PolitiFact that there are a few they want to highlight, that they think are particularly important.
One of them, requiring children to have health-insurance coverage. One thing he did say during the campaign, he supported a mandate when it came to kids. Also sending two additional (INAUDIBLE) -- brigades to Afghanistan.
Also, he said he would reform -- look at reforming mandatory minimum sentences in our prison system. And he did sign a bill into law that will be doing just that.
So a few things he has kept.
Now, that said, I have no qualms about focusing on ones he has broken, because candidates should keep their promises. They don't need to get lollipops for keeping them. We should call them out when they don't.
So let's take a look that PolitiFact says have been broken. One of them is one that the president himself says was a mistake, and that is, during the campaign, he promised that he would have all those health-care negotiations on CSPAN. Here's what he recently said about that promise. Let's take a look at what he said in this interview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: To a legitimate mistake that I made during the course of the year, and that is, we had to make so many decisions quickly in a very difficult set of circumstances, that after awhile, we started worrying more about getting the policy right than getting the process right.
But I had campaigned on the process.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: Now, he did go on to have a meeting, as you know, that was held on CSPAN -- a big bipartisan meeting. I know you were covering it, Suzanne. But that's an example of something that the president there did not end up keeping.
So they are tracking things like that, Suzanne. Good example of one thing that the president ultimately made a promise, didn't keep it in office.
Back to you.
MALVEAUX: Yes, we did see that offshore drilling this week.
LEVS: Yes.
MALVEAUX: Was something that during the campaign, it was not, "Drill, baby, drill," like McCain and Palin. It was -- you know, he was against that. And then he eventually amended his position on that.
So that's something that he's also -- he's changing his positions as he goes.
LEVS: He is. In some cases, they say that he's pulled a flip- flop. In that case, PolitiFact says, you know what? Because by Election Day, he had decided it was OK, they're not saying it was a total flip-flop.
But absolutely, you go back to the campaign itself, he was kind of on both sides during that. Ultimately, he took this position.
And there are some other places where he's changing his position as well. We'll keep tracking those.
MALVEAUX: All right.
LEVS: All right.
MALVEAUX: Thanks so much, Josh.
LEVS: Thanks, guys.
HOLMES: Well, a lot of people say, the problem with people often gaining weight, they just eat and sit in front of the TV.
Well, let's take you out to Arizona in just a moment, where they have found a solution -- at least one sheriff has found a solution to help people work off pounds while they're watching TV.
You've got to exercise to make the TV come on. We'll explain this gadget, the newest trick -- yes, Sheriff Joe.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, some of the top stories we're keeping an eye on.
A fifth person has died in a refinery explosion and fire in Washington state. Two other people still in critical condition. The fire broke out during maintenance work, and people who live miles away reportedly felt that blast.
The cause of this explosion under investigation now. The refinery, called Tesoro refinery, it was recently fined for safety violations.
MALVEAUX: Heartfelt tributes are pouring in for an actor almost as well-known for his voice as his face. John Forsythe died -- a yearlong battle with cancer. He was 92.
And Forsythe was the voice of Charlie on TV's "Charlie's Angels." He later played Blake Carrington on "Dynasty."
HOLMES: In Detroit, eight members of a Michigan military group will stay in jail until their trial. They are accused of plotting to kill police officers in an attempt to start a revolt against the government.
A federal magistrate ruled the suspects posed a flight risk.
Want to head out to Maricopa County, Arizona, now, where if you want to watch television -- which is considered by a lot of inmates kind of a luxury -- well, they have to work for it out there in Arizona.
MALVEAUX: Can you imagine if we had to do that?
Before the inmates can channel surf, they first have to pedal. The TVs are powered by a stationary bike that's hooked up to a generator. And it's the brain child of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who has come up with a lot of creative ways to grab headlines.
He said since inmates cannot be forced to exercise, this is an effective way to fight fat.
HOLMES: Apparently, the male inmates have so far refused to really do it. It's just the female inmates who have been signing up. They have to sign a contract before they do it.
This is the same sheriff, of course, who made the inmates famously wear pink underwear. MALVEAUX: If they watch CNN, they have to pedal 24 hours.
(LAUGHTER)
MALVEAUX: They would lose a lot of weight that way.
HOLMES: It's the 24 hours.
Actually, they only get a few channels. I don't think they get us. We're not big in the prison system out in Arizona.
MALVEAUX: Oh OK.
HOLMES: It's unfortunate.
MALVEAUX: (INAUDIBLE). I do get mails from -- you know, I -- letters from inmates that -- you know, we won't go into that.
HOLMES: That's a different story.
We're going to head over for another story as well. We told you about this -- this team, this one-of-a-kind team in Afghanistan that's really sniffing out danger. Apparently, it has -- really has a nose for keeping the soldiers out of harm's way.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC, ELVIS PRESLEY, "HOUND DOG")
HOLMES: Was our CD skipping just then? Did you hear that? OK.
Well, we are talking -- not quite a hound dog here, but we're talking about a dog of war. Animals and their handlers trained to keep soldiers out of harm's way.
And CNN's Chris Lawrence profiles a special pairing in Afghanistan's Helmand Province.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One Marine and her dog on the hunt for IEDs. It's the only partnership like it in all of Afghanistan.
CPL. ASHLEY ENTRIKIN, U.S. MARINE CORPS: Fourteen dogs that came out here, and I'm the only female.
LAWRENCE: Corporal Ashley Entrikin is the only female dog handler in country; Hugo is her Dutch shepherd. He can bring down an enemy and detect up to 17 scents -- explosives, detonation cord, and fertilizer used to make IEDs.
(on camera): Now the one thing we can't show you is how Hugo trains, the specific things he does and looks for as he searching for IEDs.
(voice-over): But he allows Marines to keep a safe distance from, say, a suspicious car.
ENTRIKIN: We can send a dog in there without anybody getting close to the vehicle and you're not risking harm to anyone directly. The dogs can indicate to me whether there's anything in the vehicle or not.
LAWRENCE: Hugo is OK. It's Entrikin who has to live on a remote base with tough infantry Marines deployed deep in Taliban territory.
ENTRIKIN: Honestly, you just have to prove yourself. You have to prove that you can hang in there.
LAWRENCE: Sometimes that means marching all day with fellow Marines hauling 70 pounds of gear in sweltering heat.
ENTRIKIN: The first couple of really long hikes that we went on, they -- they don't expect you to stay in them. But once you stay in the first couple or two, and -- you know, it -- it's -- it's is not that hard. You -- we condition ourselves along with our dogs.
So I'm used to wearing this gear doing training back in the States.
LAWRENCE: And Hugo doesn't get off any easier.
ENTRIKIN: Before we came out here, I would take him on runs. I would take him out in Southern California in the hottest parts of day and take him on a run.
LAWRENCE: Just like the Marines, he's got to be conditioned for long, hot days.
ENTRIKIN: It's definitely not your average house dog that we're bringing out here.
LAWRENCE: And not your average handler.
ENTRIKIN: I've been places with other females, and they just kind of fall into the background and they're -- they're scared to step up and say, 'This is my job; this is what I'm here for.' So it takes somebody that's willing to stand on their own two feet.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: ...dog later.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Stand by.
MALVEAUX: The debate over drilling is never ending. Still to come, the change in President Obama's stance, and a closer look at some of the controversial locations that now are approved for drilling.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Hello again. Welcome back to CNN SATURDAY MORNING everybody. I'm T.J. Holmes.
MALVEAUX: I'm Suzanne Malveaux. Thanks for starting your day with us.
HOLMES: Some of the stories we're keeping an eye on from overnight: A 31-year-old Colorado woman arrested in Ireland has been indicted on terror charges in the U.S. There's her picture. Her name is Jamie Paulen Ramirez. She is accused of conspiring with Colleen La Rose to provide support to terrorists. La Rose is that Pennsylvania woman known as Jihad Jane.
Paulen Ramirez's mother lives in Colorado. We asked her how her daughter got into trouble.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOTT: She was looking for somebody to love her. They came in through that computer and have ripped my family apart.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Paulen Ramirez was arrested yesterday after voluntarily returning to the States from overseas.
MALVEAUX: Iraqi officials are searching for the people responsible for an execution-style massacre in a Sunni village south of Baghdad. Now, police officials say that 25 people, including five women, were handcuffed and shot. Most of the dead were members of a Sunni group that revolted against Al Qaeda in late 2006 and 2007, and then joined American forces.
HOLMES: Air travelers coming into the United States now face new screening measures after U.S. officials dropped those rushed into place after that Christmas Day bombing attempt in Detroit. Those measures include subjecting virtually all travelers from 14 predominantly Muslim countries to additional screening. The new rules, though, are relying more on threat-based intelligence.
Well, health care reform, now on the books. But if it were left up to some Republican lawmakers, the law would be repealed, or possibly parts of it repealed and replaced with something else, they say.
CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser says the battle that you thought was over when the bill was signed, they may just be getting started.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEINHAUSER: Good morning, T.J. You know, the battle over health care reform is shifting. Now that the bill is law, this is what you're hearing from Republicans quite often.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) ARIZONA: Repeal and replace. Repeal and replace.
STEINHAUSER: President Barack Obama's response?
OBAMA: Now that it's passed, their already promising we're going to repeal it. They're going to run on a platform of repeal in November. And my attitude is, go for it. You try to repeal it.
(APPLAUSE)
STEINHAUSER: So what do Americans think? Our new poll indicates the public is split, 47 percent of people we questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Survey, released this week, say the new law should be repealed and replaced. But half of those polled said no to repealing the law.
One thing's for sure. You are going hear a lot more about health care. Other than the economy, it is the most important issue on the minds of Americans when it comes to their vote. Even though the bill is now the law, the political fight will rage straight through November's midterm elections -- T.J.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: And the president's also addressing a 20-year ban on offshore drilling in this country. He is now ready to expand oil and natural gas drilling in the Atlantic Coast, parts of the Eastern Gulf of Mexico, and as well as areas in Alaska. I want to show you what that means. All of these areas that are shaded, now that's going to be fair game under the president's proposal. He's selling new leases off the coast of Virginia. It is a green light to start the drilling.
Now, another green light off the Gulf Coast of Florida, as well. And green light for exploration out of the South Atlantic; green light, as well, for Alaska's Cook Inlet and red light for Alaska's Bristol Bay.
Here's the other half of the story. U.S. Department of Interior estimates that there could be more than $4 billion worth of fossil fuels off the waters of Georgia, South Carolina and Northern Florida. Those figures are based on 25-year-old research, that's pretty old, and even American energy icons like T. Boone Pickens has said that he has some doubts that this is really going to make a big difference.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
T. BOONE PICKENS, B.P. CAPITAL ENERGY: I'm ready to drill in the offshore. I don't have any problem with that, but don't look for big reserves off the East Coast of the United States. One, you know, if you try to compare it to the Gulf of Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma, and then you go off into the Gulf, there are big old fields all over the South Texas and South Louisiana. But off the coast of Virginia, South Carolina, there's no oil fields on shore there. Why do you think there are going to be big oil fields offshore?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Now, Republicans, they have long backed offshore drilling in the United States, supporting this. But when the prospect is made by a Democratic president, apparently it doesn't look quite as good. This reaction from John Boehner; he is the number one House Republican, the minority leader. He says that, "The Obama administration continues to defy the will of the American people. It's long past time for this administration to stop delaying energy production off our shores and start listening to the American people."
So it's still, you know, a hot debate out there. And this is something that the president changed his mind on, during the course of the campaign, and pushed forward.
HOLMES: We talked about it during the campaign. So much easier to campaign, it is a different thing now, to govern.
MALVEAUX: Deliver on the promises. A lot of people holding him accountable.
HOLMES: All right. A lot of people held accountable this weekend maybe. It is a big weekend, Easter weekend. A lot of people, often times, this might be the only time of year they even go to church. They call them CMEs, people that just go to church on Christmas, Mother's Day and Easter. So some people need a little motivation to go to church.
MALVEAUX: I'm trying not to be one of those, yes.
HOLMES: You were asking about church service this weekend, so no, you are not one of those.
MALVEAUX: I'm going to go.
Well, how about $2 million in cash and prizes as motivation? The service that can get some serious swag, that's coming up next.
MEYERS: And I'm Meteorologist Chad Meyers in for Reynolds Wolf. A beautiful sun rise over the nation's capital, but we'll also talk about what spring means to The Plains and that's severe weather. Pictures out of Oklahoma, from yesterday coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MEYERS: It's about 38 minutes after dark there, in Miami, still no sunrise. Waiting on a beautiful, though, awesome Easter weekend there. Temperatures in the 80s. Is you are on spring break in Florida, no problem. You better take some sunscreen though.
If you have been in Wisconsin, and you were driving by me on the interstate today, on the way to Florida, because there was all of you from Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan, I think were on the road this morning at 4:00 a.m., you need sunscreen because the sun is big down there. Way bigger than it's been for a while.
Look at that sunrise out of New York City. Nice shot there from our tower cam. Right there in Columbus Circle. Looking up the river, there's a little barge heading up the river. That is the GW Bridge up there. It is looking to the north, would be about 105th Street, there on that big building. And then one more shot, I never get to do sunrises on my shift. So, you are going to get to see all the sunrises I can find. Capitol building, there. A nice weekend, too. I know a lot of people do hit the nation's capital for spring break. Temperatures in the 70s and 80s all weekend long.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HOLMES: That is gorgeous, gorgeous. Thank you, Chad. Thank you for being here this weekend, and by all means come in for a sunrise anytime you want to on the weekend.
We'll turn to Detroit here for some stories we're keeping an eye on. Eight members of a Michigan militia group will stay in jail until their trial. They're accused of plotting to kill police officers in an attempt to start a revolt against the government. The federal magistrate ruled the suspects pose a flight risk.
MALVEAUX: Meanwhile federal and state investigators are searching for answers in the deadly fire at a Washington State refinery. A fifth person has died, and two more employees are in critical condition. The fire broke out during maintenance work and people who live miles away actually felt that blast. Tesoro refinery was recently fined for safety violations.
HOLMES: A top high school football recruit has apparently died in a spring break accident. According to several published reports, 17-year-old Matt James died after falling from a hotel balcony in Panama City, Florida. James was one of the top football recruits for Notre Dame. He signed with them not too long ago. He attended St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati.
MALVEAUX: Sad story.
A dangerous day at work for a police officer opened his eyes and he decided to followed his heart. The unique business venture he has now started.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: You could buy a house, I think, because we are showing you this story. It is unbelievable. OK. You show up for Easter Sunday Service in Corpus Christi, Texas, and you can drive away in a new BMW. Unbelievable.
HOLMES: Yes. The BMW actually is just one of 16 cars that will be -- look at that, folks. This is for real. The name of the church is Bay Area Fellowship. They are giving away cars. They are giving away laptop computers. They are giving away flat screen TVs. Kids are going to get those bikes. What do you have to do? You have to show up for church.
You're asking what's the catch? No, folks. That is it. You just show up. They're trying this as a way to get people into the church, into the pews, who don't normally come to church. Some might say, Suzanne, you shouldn't have to bribe people to get them to church. You shouldn't but whatever works to get people in for the message, right?
MALVEAUX: I would show up, but the motivation here. You have to ask about the motivation. Now, once you get into church, the idea is you listen to the message.
HOLMES: Yes.
MALVEAUX: And then you come away. Now, if you go back, to you get another prize?
HOLMES: I don't think so.
MALVEAUX: The follow up, the second car?
HOLMES: See, that's the wrong idea-that is not the Lord's message, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: That's my thinking here. We'll see if this works.
HOLMES: The pastor, though, you want to stay tuned for this. If you're going to be around a little later this morning, he will be with us 10:00 Eastern Time to explain the idea. Also, this is some $2 million worth of stuff. And we have been asking you out there, put the question out, got a ton of responses.
Do you think the church should use cash and prizes to try to get people in to attend church service? This is what we're asking this morning. You know how to reach us, on the blog or Facebook page, Twitter, as well. You can send me responses. Also, Suzanne, she Tweets, as well. Send those to her, this morning. We'll be sharing them throughout the morning.
Also, speaking of big bucks, how would you like to get paid for hanging out at the beach or visiting theme parks, maybe?
MALVEAUX: I could use that job. Six figures for drinking wine and blogging about it? I mean, come on? Are these real, Josh? You've got to tell us? Are these real jobs?
LEVS: These are real jobs. You know what's wild? There's more and more of them. More and more people even in this economy are starting to get paid to do things like this, right here. And what's even weirder about it, is it is actually a really smart investment. I'm about to show you dream jobs that really exist, and some of them are looking to hire.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Would you consider this, Suzanne, a dream job?
MALVEAUX: This is my dream come true, T.J.
HOLMES: This is it?
MALVEAUX: This is it. This is all I've ever asked for, all I've ever wanted. HOLMES: Which part, sitting next to and working with me ...
MALVEAUX: Right there.
HOLMES: ... or just working for the network in general?
MALVEAUX: Right there. There you go, you and I.
HOLMES: Let's tell you about one guy. We're talking about dream jobs for a reason here. Start off with one guy, it is growing now, more and more lucky people out there getting to live like Suzanne, like they're on vacation and they are getting paid well to do this stuff.
MALVEAUX: I don't think so. This is not like vacation. Vacation is the beach. But I think that some people are going to get those jobs. How do you get one of those jobs? Our own Josh Levs, he's looking into it.
What do you got, Josh? How do you get those beach jobs. Not T.J. job, the beach job.
LEVS: The real dream job, right? Now she admits it.
Here's the thing. This story, look at this. This is one of our the top stories, just the other day. Honeymoon tester. This is a real job. They are referring to this as the ultimate dream job, posted on this website called Runawaybrideandgroom.com. And what they're talking about here is from an Irish travel agency. I'll read you guys the description, what this job is all about.
It says, would you be able to sip champagne while lying in a hammock, slung between two palm trees on a white sandy beach, with your romantic partner in? If so, this job is for you.
They're hiring two people to hang out at resorts and to be treated like honeymooners and then to write about it for "The Irish Times" and all they have to do is write once a month. They're getting $27,000. So, it is not a ton of money, but that's just six months, and everything provided. Everything they eat, everywhere they stay, it is all given to them.
They got idea after this. This is something last that was called "The best job in the world campaign" out of Australia. This area called Hamilton Island, where Tourism Queensland paid this guy to live at Hamilton Island for six months. He got $140,000. All he had to do was live this resort lifestyle, blog about it, and promote tourism, and then that worked. It is a smart move, because they got so much publicity they didn't need to advertise. They got the publicity through the guy.
So, all these other places are doing it. Check out this couple over here, it is called "67 Days of Smiles". The Orlando-Orange County Convention and Visitor's Bureau in Florida, paid this couple $25,000 for 67 days to visit every theme park for free, and attractions in Orlando, and write about it. Here they are.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's a-coming. Star of the show. Star of the show.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look who is right behind us, Mickey and Minnie.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: So, they're living the dream, Kyle Post and Stacey Dornbos. And I have two more real-life examples for you of the ultimate dream job. Check out this one here. Murphy Good Winery, Healdsburg, California, paid someone $60,000 for six months to promote the winery through social media-hang out, drink wine, say it's great.
Finally, one that became the No. 1 story on dot.com; you guys may have seen this. T.J., Suzanne you guys will like this. The tanning butler, at the Ritz Carlton in South Beach, gets $20 an hour, plus gets lots of tips. Just slather sunscreen on people. That's generally a for a younger person, but $20 an hour, it all adds up fast, plus those tips are even more than $20 an hour.
All these things, real jobs that more and more places are doing and if you are interested in one, I posted the links, all of them right here for you. They are all on my FaceBook page, Facebook.com/JoshLevsCNN.
So what do you think? Want one of those?
MALVEAUX: That was me in Bali last week. I wish I knew I could get paid.
LEVS: Well, look at you. You got the tan to prove it.
HOLMES: But you don't get to pick who you slather all that stuff on, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: I want to be selective about that part, OK?
HOLMES: Thanks, Josh.
We're going to talk about a police officer who actually followed his passion. Maybe he has found his dream job now. He opened up a new business with a pretty interesting twist, actually.
MALVEAUX: We'll take you inside the car museum ice cream parlor next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: People that are switching careers all the time. Tough economy, people are having to flip things up a bit. You know? But one police officer in Atlanta actually, he really flipped things up. He went from chasing down bad guys to serving up ice cream in a unique museum. Check him out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WARREN PICKARD, FOUNDER, CAR MUSEUM: Decide what kind of ice cream you want?
Hey, how you doing?
My name is Warren Pickard. I've been an Atlanta police officer since 1989.
My passion for always wanting to find diners, find restaurants, cool places to just pull up in a convertible automobile. I said why can't I just create that for myself? I have all the stuff I've been collecting for years, and let me just find a location. I found this place by accident. I worked on it probably nine months to get it to look just right.
You know? I put a car in a place and tomorrow I come back where it is, so moved it to the other side of the garage.
I would call a kid coming up, because he couldn't find the apparatus, if you will, to let down the windows. He couldn't find the button. I walked him to the car and I showed him that, OK, this is old so you actually have to roll the windows down. Once I showed him that, he stayed with that probably about 20, 25 minutes, just rolling the windows up and down. Those are the thing that is give me thrills. Kids wanting to have the birthday parties here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Brain freeze.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What color is my tongue?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is like a rainbow.
PICKARD: I thought it would be guys my age, or older, just pure out car fanatics just want to hang around and just talk and drink sodas. My business concept never envisioned birthday parties. I had 40 something birthday parties, because somebody walked in one day and said, can I have my son's birthday party here? They told somebody, and they told somebody.
I having a passion, something that you love, something you don't mind doing. That is going to help. But do your due diligence, and just, you know, take a leap.
It won't ever start the first time, it like growls. Watch it start the first time.
Most of my financing I earned myself. I didn't take out a loan.
That is '72 Mustang convertible.
I just had a traumatic day at work. In fact, a guy had actually just pulled a gun on me. And I got through with that situation. I was riding down the street. I was like -- I looked over and saw this Corvette for sale, an '85 corvette. I said that Corvette might work if I paint it pink and put Barbie on the side. A I said, somebody just pulled a gun on me and I'm looking at a Corvette.
Thank you for stopping by. Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, hello, everybody. Second hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING. And Suzanne hasn't run away yet. She is still here.
MALVEAUX: I was tempted.
HOLMES: Hello to you all. 7:00 a.m. where we sit here in Atlanta. I'm T.J. Holmes.
MALVEAUX: And as T.J. mentioned, I'm Suzanne Malveaux. Thank you for starting your day with us.
Just in from Iraq this morning, 25 people kill execution-style in a Sunni village south of Baghdad. The victims were found in handcuffs. We are being told that the gunmen, wearing military uniforms, stormed their homes. And right now suspects are in custody.
HOLMES: Also this morning, people are wondering why in the world would R&B singer Erykah Badu strip down naked in front of the very spot where JFK was assassinated. She has now been now charged. And she is also explaining herself. You will hear her explanation this morning, so stay with us for that.
And also, you can move over, Dora the Explorer, and Fan Boy, and Chum-Chum, kids watching a new popular cartoon-
HOLMES: Now, she has now been charged and she's also explaining herself. You will hear her explanation this morning. So, stay with us for that.
And, also, you can move over Dora the Explorer and Fanboy and Chum Chum. Kids are watching a new popular cartoon. Our Josh Levs takes a look at how it addresses bullying in our nation's schools.
MALVEAUX: But first, stories following overnight. A 31-year-old Colorado woman arrested in Ireland has been indicted on terror charges in the states. Jamie Pauline-Ramirez is accused of conspiring with Colleen LaRose to provide support to terrorists. LaRose is a Pennsylvania woman known as Jihad Jane.
Pauline-Ramirez's mother lives in Leadville, Colorado. She was asked how her daughter got into all of this trouble.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOTT: She was looking for somebody to love her. They came in through that computer and have ripped my family apart.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Pauline-Ramirez was arrested yesterday after voluntarily returning to the states from overseas.
Well, there is a new wrinkle this morning in the priest sex case that has rocked the Catholic Church overseas. It turns that a top Vatican official had faced earlier complaint that he withheld sex abuse allegations against a priest he restored to duty in Oregon. Cardinal William Levada was an archbishop in Portland, Oregon, at the time and he is now a central figure in defending the Vatican in its handling of abusive priests.
Air travelers coming into the United States, they're going to face new security measures. U.S. officials are abandoning the safeguards that were rushed into place after the Christmas Day bomb attempt in Detroit. Now, those measures included singling out passengers from 14 countries that have been home to terrorists. Well, these new rules will rely more on threat-based intelligence.
HOLMES: Well, we got numbers just yesterday. And some certainly saw them as positive. One hundred sixty-two thousand jobs were added to the economy. That is a big deal to a lot of folks, including to the president who has really been touting his economic policies and he's saying they're finally starting to show signs that they are working.
We are happy to have our CNN political editor, Mark Preston, in the building, in the flesh here with us.
Good to have you here with us this weekend. You're here working with us all week. So, good to have you here.
These are good economic numbers but it always turns back to being a political story, as well. And the president came out yesterday talking about these numbers. We're going to let you listen to what the president said and we'll talk about it right after.
Ah. I'm going to tell you what the president said since we don't have that sound. But the president certainly came out and pretty much said, what I'm telling you here is that, we heard this plenty of times saying, one year ago, we were losing an average of 107,000. If he can say now, we are adding 100,000, 162,000 -- that sounds pretty good to people.
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Yes, it sounds pretty good to people. Certainly at a time when there's so many people unemployed at this point. And, T.J., you know, since the beginning of 2008, more than 8 million people have lost their jobs. However, politically, though, is this helpful?
You know, we've heard Republicans, T.J., over the past year talk about how President Obama has taken his eye off the ball. The fact is, President Obama has focused so much on health care which, you know, a big win for him. He just got recently.
However, the economy still has been pretty stagnant. Unemployment rate is still of 9.7 percent.
But look, I always look that this politically. And I look at this through polls.
HOLMES: It's your job.
PRESTON: Which is my job, you know, pays my mortgage. But yes.
So, we look at what the American people are saying and we have a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll that just talks about this issue. And, again, let's look towards the midterm elections because that's what everyone is focusing on in Washington. And if you look at that poll, T.J., it shows that Democrats right now are trailing Republicans at this point. In fact, from August, Democrats have lost seven points nationally and Republicans have actually gained nine points on the issue.
HOLMES: And where does the president go with this? Because as he was involved in health care and we kept seeing dismal economic numbers, he kept saying health care, you know, this is going to help the economy, as well. People weren't necessarily buying that. He can go out and sell these numbers. He can go out and talk about the 162,000.
But beyond that, where does he go as far as his policies? He's going to needs to push those and not just depend on new economic numbers.
PRESTON: Absolutely. And where did he go yesterday -- he was in North Carolina, at a lithium battery plant. And, you know, what he has done and what the administration has done is that they try to tie all of their policies together. So, we saw earlier this week President Obama came out and said, we'll do offshore drilling. That's an economic issue for him.
He talks about health care and all the savings. That's an economic issue for him.
So, his idea is, look, there is some pain right now. We heard him say in speeches. However, he says the long-term gain is worth it and he says that his policies are the ones that will get us out of the recession.
HOLMES: All right. We will certainly continue to follow those numbers. But positive, but at same time, we said some people came out and said, you know, so many of those jobs that were added were government jobs anyway. Some of them related to the census, as well.
PRESTON: Absolutely.
HOLMES: But still, anything positive. We will take it. Good to have you here. That's certainly a positive for us this weekend. Thank you so much.
Suzanne, I don't know what to do with ourselves here. We got all you Washington types in the studio with us this weekend.
MALVEAUX: We're trying to mix it up a little bit, T.J., here. We got another positive story for you. She is absolutely an inspiration and a survival story. She is one cancer survivor who's taking her story across the country and I mean by bike. Her amazing message is coming up next.
MYERS: And the good news is, some pretty decent weather for that ride. Not maybe through the plains, we're going to see some showers and thunderstorms. But look, it's even spring break in New York. You don't even have to go to Florida.
Forecast after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MYERS: Hi, everyone. I'm meteorologist Chad Myers. I know you're expecting Reynolds, but he is spending today with his youngest child's birthday party.
So, here we go. New York City, you're seeing a beautiful shot up the river. Temperatures for you are around 65 degrees.
You thought you had to get in the car and drive all the way down I-95 to see the sunshine. That is not true today. It is up and down the east coast. Boston, in fact, is all the 70. Washington, D.C., 75.
Nice day all the way through the plains. Memphis 77. You got showers and thunderstorms now. There maybe a couple of showers in Atlanta. I can't rule them out later on this afternoon. There's rain on the radar right now and we'll see if it really loses its energy like I expect it to.
Here's Tupelo, Columbus. I'll make this bigger. You can see it. Here's Columbus. Here's all of Alabama. So, the rain may slide into Atlanta for you.
But I would say that's at least six or seven hours away. Typically, what happens is when you get showers out here like this in the morning, they die off before they get too far to the east.
So, what else do we have in store for us? Well, I'll give you a 30-day forecast because we never really get them this too often. But above normal precipitation through the plains in April. Pretty much normal through the Northeast and then dry into Buffalo and also into the Catskills. So, that's your rainfall or your snowfall if you get some snow if it's cold enough to make snow.
So, what about the temperatures? Well above normal for the Great Lakes and below normal back out there to the west. This is almost exactly what we have going on right now today. The jet stream is up and then down like this. And that's how it's been past couple of -- this is how it's been all the way through, I would say, all of the winter, where the jet stream has been way down.
Now, how that has changed and why it feels like basically -- why it feels like there's a big change in the forecast and how it feels like we finally got to spring is what it looks like now for today, the jet stream is taking the dip in the west, allowing the cold air to be here. So, it's cold here. But the warm-up is all the way through the Northeast. Temperatures are well above average.
And you know what? Guys, as bad as winter was, we just lowered our standards to, hey, normal would be fine. We'll get above normal for a change for spring. I think everybody would probably go with that.
HOLMES: We would go with that.
MALVEAUX: Nice.
HOLMES: It's been really nice ...
MALVEAUX: Nice.
HOLMES: ... here in Atlanta. I mean, we hit 80 a couple of days, didn't we?
MYERS: Right. Yes. But you think about what the people in the Northeast went for the entire winter season, it wasn't pretty.
HOLMES: It was not at all. Glad the season is here, though.
Chad, thank you so much, sir. We'll talk to you again here shortly.
MYERS: All right. Sure.
HOLMES: Well, coming up, she beat cancer and now taking another challenge to help others battling the deadly disease.
MALVEAUX: And next, we are talking with that woman who is biking cross-country to raise money for research.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, there have been growing numbers of reports out there about bullying in our nation's schools and has a lot of people concerned, and the government now offering some help online, including some advice in the form of cartoons.
Josh Levs is joining with us this -- and I guess that's certainly one way to get at kids, is to talk to them in their language in some way with cartoons.
LEVS: Yes. And, T.J., you know -- I mean, for days and days as we've been looking at these bullying stories, one thing experts keep saying is, that you really have to start talking about this, focusing on it, dealing with it at a younger age. That's one thing that we're really seeing with this government Web site right here.
It's called Stop Bullying Now. It's packed with resources. In fact, of all the government Web sites I've ever looked at, this is one of the most complete. It has so much going on here. I'm going to show this. But first, let's take a look at one of the many cartoons they have that they're calling web-isodes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARTOON CHARACTER: Check this out. I'm going to squeeze this pudding down teeny-weenie's (ph) shirt.
CARTOON CHARACTER: OK. If I join you, Milton?
CARTOON CHARACTER: Yes. Sure.
CARTOON CHARACTER: So, how are your tuba lessons going?
CARTOON CHARACTER: I'm not playing tuba anymore.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: All right. This is the kind of thing we're seeing guys, keep taking a look at it. Basically what happens in each episode is you see a character that is dealing with bullying or in some cases, you're following the characters that are the bullies and seeing how they start to take on some of those actions and they're basically giving you some really clear lessons in each one.
In this case, it's -- hey, if you see someone who is being victimized by bullying, go be that person's friend, reach out to him. And it's just packed with lessons like that. They're encouraging the younger kids to see this in school, to see -- these parents to see this and hoping that this will make a difference.
Now, let's come back to the web for a second, I want you all to see what else is on here. I want you to know that's packed with tips for parents and for kids. There's the whole section here called what parents can do, another section -- "What Adults Can Do," another section on what teens can do.
And also, I know it's tough to memorize these Web sites. Here's what I've done. This is a really good one. There's also one here called Teens Against Bullying. That's from the PACER Center.
I put links for you. Right now, you can go to my Facebook page. It's JoshLevsCNN. That's me. Just go to Facebook, JoshLevsCNN. Anyone can get there. I linked it for you right there.
You'd be able to see the videos. You'd be able to check them for yourself. And if you know of other great Web sites to help bring an end to bullying, post them there, as well. Share with everyone.
So, T.J. and Suzanne, we're hoping that the Web can do its part here as more and more parents, more and more kids do what they can to get empowered to help bring an end to bullying.
HOLMES: All right. Josh, thank you. And for our viewers, we will continue with this particular topic coming up in our 9:00 Eastern hour. We actually have a couple of experts coming in to talk about this; also, a parent whose daughter was bullied. So, we're going to dedicate some special time this morning to that.
So, again, Josh, thank you so much.
LEVS: Thank you.
HOLMES: A thousand people out there paying a lot for their property taxes, but you might actually be paying too much. Our financial analyst Clyde Anderson explains how to make sure you are not one of them.
Stay here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We want to give you a quick check of some of the stories that are making headlines.
Eight members of a Michigan militia group will stay in jail until their trial. A federal magistrate in Detroit ruled the suspects pose a flight risk. They're accused of plotting to kill police officers in an attempt to start a revolt against the government. A ninth suspect is being held in Indiana.
In Washington State, a fifth person has died from yesterday's refinery fire and explosion. Two other people are in critical condition. The fire broke out during maintenance work and the blast rattled windows that were miles away. The specific cause is still under investigation. Tesoro Refinery was recently fined for safety violations.
HOLMES: And some really sad news for those who are fans of certainly some major shows in the '80s. Heartfelt tributes coming in for the actor who was well-known -- you see his face there. You recognize the face, but you probably more so recognize that voice, John Forsythe. He died after a yearlong battle with cancer.
He's 92 years old and he was the voice of Charlie in TV's "Charlie's Angels." I know -- I don't think you ever physically saw him on that show, but you always heard that voice.
MALVEAUX: Angels, angels. He used to always say angels and then give them the assignment. Do you remember that?
HOLMES: I do remember that. But I'm trying to think, did he ever make an appearance in the show? Or did you only hear his voice?
MALVEAUX: I never saw him. You just heard his voice and you saw the little voice box ...
HOLMES: Yes.
MALVEAUX: ... and then knew he was -- you know, speaking from somewhere.
HOLMES: And again ...
MALVEAUX: ... like the voice of God.
HOLMES: ... they're telling me, just telling me, our E.P., that, no, he never appeared in the show. But arguably, the biggest star of the show with that voice of his.
MALVEAUX: That's what made it so fascinating. You have no idea what the guy looked like.
HOLMES: And he also played Blake Carrington on "Dynasty," as well.
But again, John Forsythe, 92 years old.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Homeowners, listen up, we're trying to save you some money here. Property taxes, everybody has to pay those even though we might not like to do it so much. It turns out, though, a lot of people are paying too much in those taxes. In particular, minorities and low income households are being really affected here.
So, what can you do if you think your tax assessment is too high?
A friend of our show here, financial analyst, Clyde Anderson, is here this morning to help us with this.
Good to see you, as always. But this is one -- why the disparity in the first place? We're seeing a whole lot. Why?
CLYDE ANDERSON, FINANCIAL ANALYST: Yes. We're seeing a lot of it because mainly the foreclosures. You know, we've seen a lot of foreclosures in a lot of neighborhoods across the country. And a lot of these properties have not been properly reassessed. And in the past, I think a big piece of it is that they didn't have to include a lot of the foreclosures in their assessment. And now, that's changed the whole landscape of the market.
HOLMES: So, how big of a chunk of change are we talking about people are leaving on the table?
ANDERSON: We're talking huge chunks. I've seen the situations, and they're meant in the lower incomes. People averaging incomes of $27,000 a year are paying sometimes over $1,400 a year over in what they should be paying in taxes.
HOLMES: Now, how can you get them to look at this again? How can you get the county or whatever the local municipality is -- how can you say, hey, this is wrong?
ANDERSON: You have to go to that county or municipality and say, hey, I need to have my taxes reassessed. Most of them offer a step- by-step process on their Web site to tell you how to do it. So, you really want to go in, search the tax records, find the information and then compare it to what's around your neighborhood. There was a bill that passed recently -- Bill 55, the Senate bill -- that said that now they have to include these foreclosures which should help.
HOLMES: Now, are they compelled to actually lower it if you ask?
ANDERSON: They should. Now, you got to fight it some times. Now, a lot of people, you have to fight. You got to get all your documentation, sometimes to an independent appraisal, and you really have to fight and say, this doesn't make sense.
And when you really lay out your whole case, you can see it. A lot of time, it's obvious. But, you know, it's hard for these counties right now because this is a lot of revenue, too.
HOLMES: But again -- do they -- as an individual, do you have rights?
ANDERSON: Yes.
HOLMES: Or, on the other side, do they have the right to say, I see your documents but I don't -- I'm not going to take your assessment?
ANDERSON: No. You have a right. You have a right as a citizen, taxpayer, that it's just wrong. If you're paying more than the house is really worth or that you could sell the property for, you shouldn't be paying that much in taxes. So, you have that right.
HOLMES: And one more thing here -- is there a deadline at all? How much do you have time?
ANDERSON: Each county is different around the country. Some of them are May. Some of them, maybe November. I know, out west, closer to May.
And so, you really going to have do look at each county and make sure -- in some people, if the tax period has passed, go ahead and get the information together, because sometimes it could take time to fight this. So, you're definitely going to want do make sure, even if it has passed, be ready for next year. Go ahead and make sure you're saving that money because that's your money that you're really giving away.
HOLMES: This is important. Like you said, the counties -- I mean, all these local governments, everybody is hurting. So, you might have to fight a little harder. I mean, they don't want to -- they don't want to take anybody's money but -- screw anybody out of money, but still, they're hurting as well.
ANDERSON: It's hard. We're talking about $86 million in Atlanta's five metro areas -- $86 million and over it. So, you can tell what that will do to somebody's budget.
HOLMES: This is some important information this morning. Clyde, we appreciate you as always.
And you can send your financial questions to Clyde, as well. He has a Web site, Financiallifeconnection.com. We're going to -- don't pay attention to the graphic. Even though he's leaning, he is a straight shooter. You can also send your comments to us at our blog at CNN.com/T.J.
Clyde, always good do have you. Great information to help people save some money.
ANDERSON: My pleasure to be here.
HOLMES: All right -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Well, she made headlines with her racy music video and now, Erykah Badu is in trouble with the law because of her action. The punishment the R&B star could face -- that's up next.
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HOLMES: Well, Erykah Badu, she might end up paying for that eyeful that she gave people while shooting a music video in downtown Dallas. Here it is. This is Erykah Badu, part of a new song, a new video she has that's coming out and she's taking off her clothes as she walks through Daly Plaza before then collapsing close to where President Kennedy was assassinated. She shot this video March 17th.
Dallas police say they couldn't press charges because against her earlier because no one had called to complain. They've since now charged her with misdemeanor and disorderly conduct. If convicted, she could pay a fine of some $500.
She defends this as art, and says people have misinterpreted it really what it was supposed to be. It was supposed to be more about a rebirth is what she's saying and people having their character assassinated as she describes it. But again, she is now has been charged with -- Suzanne, as we know, this certainly got people talking and it shocked a lot of people quite frankly.
MALVEAUX: It's strange how she did this and people around her were not aware of what she was doing and they didn't seem to even react or respond until afterwards and then we saw a lot of comments coming in.
HOLMES: And that's a tourist area there. People go down there all the time to visit. And so, a lot of people around, people with children and I believe, that is one of the people who finally officially complained. Someone said they had the kids nearby who saw this.
And, you could imagine that? You just kind of shocked -- people don't react they're just kind of shocked.
MALVEAUX: And you don't -- and you don't really understand it, either what's happening when you're seeing this. And then she goes ahead and explains that there was some meaning, some symbolism behind this. But obviously, it's not acceptable in public.
HOLMES: Not at all.
Well, we've been talking about this other story this week. I know you're not one of these. These CMEs we talk about, people who just go to church on Christmas, Mother's Day and Easter.
MALVEAUX: I'm trying not to be.
HOLMES: You're not one of those. But a lot of people are going to be going to church tomorrow on Easter. But there's a church in Texas that is now trying to get people into the pews, not just by the message but by offering them payoffs -- essentially, cash, prizes, even cars. We described earlier.
MALVEAUX: It's a lot of moneys. I mean, it's about $2 million worth of this stuff that they're handing out here.
HOLMES: A lot of stuff.
MALVEAUX: Big motivation.
HOLMES: It is.
MALVEAUX: I mean, you know ...
HOLMES: It might work.
MALVEAUX: That might draw us in -- I'm telling you.
HOLMES: Can you imagine they do that every Sunday?
But we're asking you all out there what you thought about this. We put this out on Facebook and Twitter. We're going to share a few of the responses that I got here and got some interesting ones.
Most of the folks -- I'll start with Twitter here at the top. Lacytee is saying, "No, this is not all right. Then you're attending church for the wrong reason. But, I would like to have one of those BMWs," she adds.
One right under that, Charles, is saying, "Although the main focus of churches are to create a haven for worship, it's also a business and nothing is without its flock."
LexusLady is asking where my regular co-anchor is. That's different. We can skip that oe. That's not supposed to be in there.
But, no, we got a lot of responses.
MALVEAUX: Suzanne Malveaux.
HOLMES: Suzanne, what, if you want to be the regular, by all means, Suzanne.
(LAUGHTER) MALVEAUX: I'm going to check my schedule.
HOLMES: Continue to send in your comments this morning about that church giveaway. And again, we're going to have the pastor of that church with us a little later this morning. And also, send in some comments. Send in to Suzanne as well in her Twitter page, and beg her or convince her that maybe this is the shift for you, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: I got a job.
HOLMES: Well, Chad's got a job, as well. He's hanging in there for Reynolds today.
MYERS: I was the first one this morning that saw Suzanne and said, "Hey, are you staying?"
MALVEAUX: How were you recruited? How did you manage to get this morning shift?
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: We have to beg people.
MYERS: Hey, you know what, I did this morning shift for 11 years. It's OK. It wears on you though at times.
Hey, WKMG, our affiliate out of Orlando, has a live camera here. This is Daytona Beach. The water by the pier. It is 72 degrees in the water, and Orlando today all the way up to 85. For the rest of the week, if you are headed to the parks down there, temperatures are around 60 for morning lows, 80s for the afternoon highs. It doesn't get a lot better. The only problem we're seeing, an awful lot of pollen.
Back to you guys.
HOLMES: Chad, thank you, sir. We'll see you shortly.
And Suzanne and I will be back at the top of the hour. More live news when CNN ...
MALVEAUX: I'll come back.
HOLMES: ... SATURDAY MORNING continues. Maybe she'll be back. Maybe she won't. Stick around to see.
But, "SANJAY GUPTA, M.D." begins right now.
