Debt Deal's Impact on Jobs; Worrisome For Hospitals Throughout America
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Let's get you up to speed. Egypt's ousted president Hosni Mubarak will return to court in 12 days. He faces the death penalty if convicted of corruption and conspiring to kill protesters. The 83-year-old was right there, as you see him, wheeled into a courtroom on a gurney, then put in a cage with his sons for the first day of trial. Many Egyptians say he looked well and alert at the proceedings.</s>MONA ELTAHAWY, EGYPTIAN JOURNALIST: I have got to wonder what kind of strings of public sympathy he is trying to pull today, because, as you say, he's on a hospital bed with an oxygen tank, but his hair is black. He's 83 years old. He's obviously dying his hair, so how sick is this man?</s>WHITFIELD: And then this -- the crisis in Syria. It's worsening. A resident who fled the besieged city of Hama says corpses remain on the ground after tanks rolled in to crush growing unrest. We're told people are running out of food and being cut off from communications. U.N. Security Council members plan to meet for a third day to discuss the crisis. A human rights group says almost 2,000 people have been killed since the uprising began in March. And bomb squad officers in Australia have secured the safety of an 18-year-old girl who was in a house with a reported suspicious device. The operation to free the teen lasted 10 hours. The girl is now back with her family. Police are examining the device which they described as a very elaborate and sophisticated one. Stocks fell sharply today before regaining some ground, but they are still in negative territory. Investors are worried about disappointing economic reports and concerns that the country could slip into another recession. The Dow is down for the ninth day in a row, down 105 points there, at 11,759. All right. In Washington, the Justice Department announces a major international porn ring bust. The online operation known as Dream Board involved pictures and videos of adults sexually assaulting children 12 and under. Right now, 72 people have been charged and 52 arrested. And parts of the northern Caribbean are bracing for possible floods and mudslides from Tropical Storm Emily. Right now, Emily is heading toward Haiti and the Dominican Republic. It's expected to dump up to 10 inches of rain on both countries and Puerto Rico. By tomorrow, forecasters expect Emily to be hitting the Bahamas, and by the weekend it could be skirting Florida's east coast. In Surrey, England, a very tough police officer was quite a story to tell. Check this out. Officer Dan Pascoe sets up a roadblock to catch a car thief. Yes, right there. Just after he gets out of his vehicle, a stolen car slams into his, tossing him into the air. He gets up and then runs after the suspect, as you see right there, eventually bringing the suspect down with a taser.</s>DAN PASCOE, SURREY, ENGLAND, POLICE OFFICER: I can't believe how lucky I am. Whenever I watch someone watching the video, yes, you can't understand how anyone can walk away from it, let alone run.</s>WHITFIELD: All right. The last-minute compromise on a debt deal kept the country from defaulting on its debts, but there is still a lot of concern about what it means for the weak economy. Today, we're taking an in-depth look at how the debt deal could affect the stock market, your personal finances, unemployment, small business, hospitals, you name it. Right now the focus is on unemployment and whether spending cuts will mean more job cuts. CNN's Sandra Endo is at an unemployment center in Hollywood. So, Sandra, what are you hearing from people there?</s>SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, people here are wondering, where are the jobs? At this job center, Fred, a lot of people here are spoofing up their resumes. They're searching databases to find those jobs. They've been out of work in some cases for months. And let's talk to Dave here, who has been looking for a job. How frustrating and how difficult has it been for you?</s>DAVE BARMORE, LOOKING FOR A JOB: I have been looking for work for a couple months now, and I have literally put in somewhere in the range of 75 resumes and haven't gotten a single call back.</s>ENDO: So this must be frustrating, the news out of Washington with the debt deal, cutting back on spending for programs. Do you think that will make it harder for you?</s>BARMORE: I am certain it will, yes.</s>ENDO: So not confident that there'll be a lot of jobs out there, unfortunately, Fred, and that's what we are hearing from a lot of people out here. Let's talk to Steve, who runs this place. And you have been following the news in Washington. What do you think the debt deal will do for the workplace and for people out there looking for a job?</s>STEVE MAGALLANES, MANAGED CAREER SOLUTIONS: Well, I think at present, it creates a lot of uncertainty for workers and employers, because employers don't know whether they're going to be able to hire people because they're uncertain of the buying power of people. And if there's less buying power, then they're not going to take on more individuals to do the work.</s>ENDO: And certainly the news of the cutbacks and spending on certain programs as well. What tips do you have for people? Because we have seen so many people throughout this morning come here looking for a job. What do you say to them?</s>MAGALLANES: Well, I say while it is a difficult even environment, we certainly -- what they can do is access a center such as ours. There are 18 operated within the city of Los Angeles, and 13 within the county of Los Angeles, so definitely try to access the centers --</s>ENDO: So go to a local job center. What else would you say are good tips for people looking for a job?</s>MAGALLANES: Well, also, identify in-demand occupations and train for those occupations. And also, to get a leg up within the industry that they are interested in, they might consider unpaid internships or paid work experience as well. And we offer those types of programs here, too.</s>ENDO: What are some of the in-demand industries that people should be really focusing on right now?</s>MAGALLANES: Well, certainly two of the ones that I think of offhand are one in the health care industry, which is burgeoning right now. And there is a big demand for various types of occupations within those industries. And the other one is solar technology. And we do offer programs in those industries as well. And the other one is information technology. There are programs if you have the appropriate training.</s>ENDO: All right. Thank you for those helpful tips. Fred, as you here, there are a lot of people out here looking for a job, and the jobs report is coming out on Friday. And so far, there is no predictions that that is going to look anything pretty or have some optimism in it. So, clearly, people here bracing for the worst.</s>WHITFIELD: Yes. It's a very frustrating time for so many people. All right. Thanks so much, Sandra Endo. Appreciate that. And we'll have more of our in-depth look at the debt deal and its impact later this hour. We'll talk with a small business owner about what it means for him and his company. And again, here is your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. Today's question: Do we expect too much of our political leaders? Carol Costello joins us from New York with more, because they gave you lots to talk about.</s>CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They certainly did. While the pundits argue over who won debtzilla, one thing is clear. If President Obama wants a second term, he has his work cut out for him. His approval rating is at 45 percent in the latest CNN/ORC poll. And in the swing state of Pennsylvania, things have sure changed since 2008, when President Obama got 55 percent of the vote. According to a Quinnipiac poll, 52 percent of Pennsylvanians say the president does not deserve to be re-elected. Independents, they're not happy with the president either. Joan Walsh writes on Salon.com, "Obama's best hope for re- election is the fact that Generic Republican won't win the nomination. He'll be running against either a Tea Party extremist or Mitt Romney. And in most polls he beats both of them." None of this is so unusual. Past presidents had great swings in the polls and they managed a second term. And in fairness, Mr. Obama knew the road would be rocky on election night.</s>BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be step. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.</s>COSTELLO: But are we willing to keep on climbing? With high unemployment and a stalled economy, Americans are impatient. And that sentiment seems bipartisan. Former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee says the atmosphere is toxic.</s>MIKE HUCKABEE (R), FMR. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Many people in my party, the Republican Party, are unrealistic. And what they want is something that no one can deliver, and that's a candidate that is going to solve every problem in an election cycle.</s>COSTELLO: So, the "Talk Back" question today: Do we expect too much of our political leaders? Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll read some of your responses later this hour.</s>WHITFIELD: All right, Carol. We look forward to that. Thanks so much.