at the u.s. capitol saying that the cuts unfairly target the poor. a statue honoring christina green will be unveiled tonight. the sculpture is shaped like an angel and it's made out of pieces of steel from the world trade center to mark the fact she was born on 9/11. "newsroom" continues now with suzanne malveaux and i'll join you in a bit to talk about -- >> we need you to anchor the next two hours. >> no, no, no. >> april aprils. see you in five minutes. thanks, carroll. live from studio 7, i'm suzanne malveaux. friday, april 1st. moammar gadhafi may be scrambling out for a way out. advisers say he has a political solution where he steps aside. sources tell cnn there is an emerging consensus within the regime that the old guard must give way to younger leaders.

sources say gadhafi's son would play an important role in any transition. well, whether it's coincidence or unrelated, we don't know but a rebel leader in benghazi offered the gadhafi regime a cease-fire today. our cnn's nic robertson tells us any deal to stop fighting would carry conditions. >> reporter: one of the goals of this cease-fire and any agreement they're saying must ultimately be regime change. this is a conditions-based cease-fire coming from the rebels and this is the first time we have heard talk of a cease-fire. >> reza sayad joins us shortly. gathered outside for the third day today, lobbying what little fire power they have at gadhafi's forces. analysts say libyan troops are intensifying the attacks driving

the rebels east. u.s. officials say that the opposition is outnumbered 10 to 1. "the new york times" journalists captured by the gadhafi forces describing six days of brutal physical and psychological abuse. they tell cnn they were sure they would die. >> when they demanded we lay on our stomachs, we all were begging no, we don't want to go. we're sorry. we're begging not to go on our stomachs. we felt once we were on our stomachs they start shooting and as soon as i went on my stomach, just waiting to hear gun fire and it was really a sinking and empty feeling. protests and new violence in the middle east today. government opponents flooded the streets in yemen, jordan, syria and egypt after friday prayers. syrian police opened fire to

drive demonstrators off the streets. egyptian protests returned to tahrir square today angry over proposed laws to criminalize protests. a japanese official says people living near the fukushima daiichi nuclear complex won't be going home for months. 78,000 residents from the 12-mile evacuation zone are now in shelters. the world's largest concrete pump is going to japan, the machine's 230-foot boom can be operated by remote control safely away from the radiation and use it to bury the crippled reactors in concrete. for now, they're going to spray some water. the unemployment picture brightened today in march. the labor department says the economy created 216,000 new jobs, more than the experts actually predicted. that pushed the national unemployment rate down just a notch to 8.8%. people around tampa bay are

busy cleaning up spring storm damage today. a possible tornado ripped through two dozen homes thursday. storms also flipped small planes at the st. petersburg scl/clearr airport. one week, just one week to go. either to come up with a budget deal or the federal government is going to shut down. all sides are feeling the pressure. we can imagine. which brings us to the "talk back" segment and carroll kos pel lo for more. carroll? >> oh, the budget battle. messier than ever. reports of a deal between republicans and democrats were premature. house speaker boehner is trying to be the voice of reason here. >> we control one third of the government here in washington. we can't impose our will on another body. we can't impose our will on the senate. >> with the democratically

controlled, right? house speaker under intense pressure from the conservative republican fresh men, many of them tea partiers who are elected to slash the budget. tea party activists want boehner to man up. >> i say to the republican leadership take off your lace panties, stop being noodle back s, take a strong, bold, unwavers stand for and with the american people. >> never mind that reported deficit. they want $100 billion in cuts to things like quote obama care, planned parenthood and npr. what's lost in all of this is reality. after passing six stop gap measures to keep the government going, lawmakers are arguing over a budget that started last year. now, senate republicans have a kind of new idea to force compromise. they want to add an amendment to

the constitution that requires congress to pass a balanced budget every year. we haven't amended the constitution since 1992. would adding a constitutional amendment force lawmakers to compromise on the budget? write to me at facebook.com/carolcnn. and i'll read your responses later this hour. >> amending the constitution is no easy task. not an easy thing to do. it would take some time, too. >> it's an interesting idea. >> sure. absolutely. all right, carol. look forward to the responses. >> cool. >> thanks. here's a look at when's ahead. cease-fire proposals now in libya. taking you live to tripoli. also, cries for reform spreading alg cross the middle east. why jordan is the newest hot spot. and more jobs created here in the united states. but are they coming fast enough? plus real fears over the royal wedding.

could anarchists make the big day a big nightmare? finally, a japanese town destroyed of a wall to protect it fails. introducing purifying facial cleanser from neutrogena® naturals. developed with dermatologists... it's clinically proven to remove 99% of dirt and toxins and purify pores. and with natural willowbark it contains no dyes, parabens or harsh sulfates. dirt and toxins do a vanishing act and my skin feels pure and healthy. [ female announcer ] new purifying facial cleanser from the new line of neutrogena naturals.

add listerine® total care for more complete oral care. ♪ it works in six different ways

to restore enamel, strengthen teeth, freshen breath, help prevent cavities, and kill bad breath germs for a whole mouth clean. so go beyond the brush with listerine® total care. the most complete mouthwash. and for visibly whiter teeth, try listerine® total care plus whitening. new developments in libya. signs that moammar gadhafi may be looking far political solution to the fighting that is raging in his country a. source close to the libyan leadership

says the regime think there is's still time for dialogue with the opposition and an opposition leader laid out conditions for a cease-fire. i want to bring in cnn's nic robertson on the phone with details from tripoli. tell us what we know about the conditions that are spelled out by the opposition. there could be some negotiations here. >> reporter: what they're saying is that the government must stop its attacks, must pull back from its sieging around misrata and other towns in the west, must remove its snipers, militias and mercenaries from the conflict. but ultimately regime change. what we're hearing here and something we've been hearing for a while in the background and i have to say this is something we've heard in the background but i have had it from a senior source that this is still something that's being considered by the leadership, that ultimately, when gadhafi feels that he's tidied up the

mess in his country and straightened everything out, he can see a future here to fade into the background. when i said this is probably not a whole lot different to regime change, the sources said, that's correct. this is essentially the same thing. the reality is, there's a huge gap and a lot of diplomatic legwork to be done to bring the two sides together over there. there's still a huge gap between where they are and how do you manage this? how do you get the language that both sides will agree on or even the people to agree to the language? that's where we seem to be at right now, suzanne. >> nic, does it look like to you the beginnings of an exit strategy for gadhafi? >> reporter: i think that this is something that in the language of the regime has always existed but never been fully explored and i'm not clear on how fully it's even being

explored right now. we do know that the leadership has had a senior envoy in london over the last few days, somebody i've known for a long time who's trusted by the leadership here. who is the right-hand man of saif al gadhafi and you expect behind the scene negotiations or talks of what avenues may be open in the future, what channels can be pursued but there's absolutely no firm indication that's what he's been doing. when i talked to him before he left, he said he was going to london to arrange for his family there. >> thank you for your insights. want to go to talk about the latest developments from libya from retired army general russell honore. thank you for joining us here in person. you've been listening to nic's reports and reza sayad and talking about a back door deal here, negotiations between

gadhafi's forces and the opposition. what is your reaction? do you think this is realistic? >> we'll have to see, you know, the last two days we were not able to prosecute the air campaign because of weather. that's given him an opportunity to go on the offense. it would appear to me that if he was serious, he would make a deal to start drawing his tanks back. that is not the case. on the other hand, the rebels are now trying to propose some type of a cease-fire from not from a position of strength but a position of weakness. you're better off negotiating from a position of strength. and that's where i think nato and our administration's got to come in and play the heavy hand to say it's time to stop. they're destroying the country. too many people are dying for a common cause. >> what do you make of the idea of one of the gadhafi's sons being involved in the negotiations, potentially?

talking to folks in london to arrange for, okay, stop the war, cease-fire and somehow his father will take a backhand to power and saif or one of the family or close advisers would step in that role. >> if that's true, that's good news but we can't confuse the idea of talking with actions on the ground and until they show some good faith and say putting forth a proposal where the fighting will stop, because lib why's going to turn into a major humanitarian problem we tried to prevent. we got misrata. about destroyed. most of the country they're doing no commerce, no ships coming in. limited food supply. this is going to end up being a big problem in a week so hopefully, suzanne, it's good news but we have to judge it by actions. >> what do you make of the fact we have not seen gadhafi in quite sometime? >> i think that's probably normal for a guy who now has cia

operatives on the ground, have the most powerful air campaign in the world to be prosecuted on a country and his own people who despise him. that's not unusual, particularly when you stop dropping million-dollar bombs within his court yard. >> talk about the cia being on the ground and highly unusual of u.s. officials acknowledging that you have cia on the ground in that country. they don't even acknowledge that there are cia in pakistan. is this a way for the administration to play a psychological game, a mind game, with gadhafi, play into his own paranoia to let him know we're watching you, we're keeping an eye on you and we got you? >> i think it's that, suzanne, and you have said it well. it's psychological. also a level of commitment. put the cia on the ground. they're going to work with the freedom fighters and we are committed to see the end to this

fight, whether it's through nato or we have to adjust plan and put u.s. emphasis back in there with a stronger air campaign and that's what we need right now. i'm afraid this backoff of u.s. air will create a gap that's going to give gadhafi's ground forces an initiative to continue to attack. we've got to keep the air up and pressure on and as of 3:00 today in libya, the weather is clear and we can get back in there. >> general russell honore, thank you for joining us here in person, too. appreciate it. after friday prayers finished today, the protesters hit the streets. skin look prety but there's one that's so clever, it makes your skin look better even after you take it off. neutrogena healthy skin liquid makeup. 98% of women saw improvement in their skin's natural texture, tone, or clarity.

does your makeup do that? neutrogena® cosmetics recommended most by dermatologists. we could've gone a more traditional route... ... but it wouldn't have been nearly as memorable. ♪ the morning after the big move starts with back pain... and a choice. take advil now... and maybe up to 4 in a day. or, choose aleve and 2 pills for a day free of pain. smart move. ♪

after weeks of unrest, the fire is not out in the arab world. once again we are seeing the region erupt in protest. today in syria, jordan, yemen and egypt people are taking to the streets. first, to jordan where as many as 1,000 police officers have been deployed to the capital. they're trying to keep the peace between pro and anti-government demonstrators. stan grant is there for us on the ground in amman. tell us what's taking place. >> reporter: just seeing a protest breaking up now, suzanne.

people have been here for four or five hours after friday prayers finished around 1:00 this afternoon and seen here the reformi reformists. they're calling for democratic change. they're looking for a change, freedom of expression, less restrictions on the media. they've been here but another group of protesters if we can call the loyalists carrying placards and chanting have been walking past here throughout the day and that's where the real problem has been in the post. the two groups of protesters coming together and clashing but what's kept them away today is this group of police. police in full riot gear trying to keep them apart. they have managed to do that. and as you can see behind us here, the protesters are now starting to disperse. they were thanking the security for averting any of the violence that we saw just a week ago. suzanne? >> stan, you mentioned a week ago. you had the lolists, protesters,

hurling stones, swinging sticks. is there a sense of progress on either side of this fight? >> reporter: the real concern here is that we could be seeing some division between jordanians and palestinians. now, there's a big contingent of palestinians, a big palestinian population inside jordan, more than 50% of the pcountry. there's protesters trying to fan the flames, trying to create division, blaming islamist groups for the violence last week. they reject that saying the violence came from the elements, in fact, within the government. so those tensions still remain. and there's tensions to remain until the reformists see the change they're after. they want to see change and more democracy, more representation. what they say they're tired of hearing simply talk about this and want to see action. king abdullah formed a committee

to look into change but they're saying, no, the time for that passed and want to see the change before we get to the situation in jordan that they have seen in other parts of the middle east and tunisia and egypt and yemen and now syria. they want to see the reform here to head that off and continuing protests until they see that change. >> stan grant out of jordan, thank you. we have three stories featuring slices of american life. which one would you like to see in the next hour? here are the options. dui defender. a state lawmaker says drunk driving laws destroy the traditional way of life. and he says they're bad for business. your next choice, a financial crunch means america's last island prison is closing after 138 years. charles manson and the famed bird man of alcatraz served time there. and finally, jane lang says she was born a yankees' fan and also

born blind but that doesn't keep her from making the trek by train and foot from new jersey to the bronx to cheer on her team, the dozens of times a year. vote by texting 22360, 1 for lawmaker defends dui, 2 for last island prison closing or 3 for blind and dead katded yankees fan. the winning story will air in the next hour. in boston, more than 2,000 women are homeless living transient, often chaotic lives but this week cnn's hero gives them something to count on. quality health care. right in the shelters for free. her name is dr. rosanna means. >> are you okay? every week i talk to women who are sleeping outside. it's only 17 degrees out so -- i didn't want you to get frozen. so much pain and suffering right on the fringes of our perspective.

do you need some help, hon? boston despite the medical resources i was seeing very few of the women using the services. for women who are poor, homeless or battered to deal with a system of health care becomes overwhelming. they don't have an address, they don't have a phone. there are lots of emotional issues, psychiatric issues. i didn't like the idea they were falling through the cracks. i'm dr. roseanna means and i bring high quality free medical care to the women in the shelters of boston. good morning. they come in to get warm, feel safe and we are there. come on in. there's no registration. we're not charging anything. if they want to come see us, we'll use that moment to try to build a relationship. >> this is my safety net right here. >> the women learn to trust us as ambassadors of the health care system. >> all right, hon. god bless. >> thank you. >> we can teach them to use the

system as intended and eventually they move forward. >> because i knew she cared i wanted to take care of myself. >> i love these women no matter what. you did a great job. that starts to take inside. if i matter to somebody else, maybe i matter to myself. >> remember, all of this year's cnn heroes are chosen from people you tell us about on the cnn heroes website. to nominate someone you think is changing the world, go to cnnheroes.com. more jobs added. fewer americans are out of work but is it happening fast enough to really make a difference? we'll look at the numbers. ♪ you're the one ♪ who's born to care this life was protected... ♪ seems you've always been right there ♪ this life was saved... ♪ soothing sadness ♪ healing pain and this life was made easier...

♪ making smiles appear again because of this life. nursing. at johnson & johnson, we salute all those who choose the life... that makes a difference. ♪ you're a nurse ♪ you make a difference osteoporosis treatment-- no big deal. so i have to wait up to an hour just to eat or drink. i've got time to kill. ah right! i'm a working woman. and i'm busy. why should osteoporosis therapy disrupt my morning routine? with new atelvia there's no wait. unlike other osteoporosis medicines... atelvia has a delayed- release formulation... so you can take it right after breakfast and help protect your bones. do not take atelvia if you have esophagus problems, low blood calcium, severe kidney disease,

or cannot sit or stand for 30 minutes. follow all dosing instructions. stop taking atelvia and tell your doctor if you experience difficult or painful swallowing, chest pain or severe or continuing heartburn, which may be signs of serious upper digestive problems. tell your doctor if you develop dental or jaw problems, as serious jawbone problems have been reported rarely. also tell your doctor if you develop severe bone, joint, or muscle pain... or any hip, groin, or thigh pain... as unusual thigh bone fractures have been reported rarely. with atelvia, the mornings are all mine.. talk to your doctor about new atelvia. and having a partner like northern trust -- one of the nation's largest wealth managers -- makes all the difference. our goals-based investment strategies are tailored to your needs and overseen by experts who seek to maximize opportunities while minimizing risk. after all, you don't climb a mountain just to sit at the top. you lookround for other mountains to climb. ♪ expertise matters. find it at northern trust.

to finish what you started today. for the aches and sleeplessness in between, there's motrin pm. no other medicine, not even advil pm, is more effective for pain and sleeplessness. motrin pm. here's a look at what's ahead. jobs numbers are up. unemployment down. we'll tell you what today's new report means for the economy. also, what does all the radiation in japan doing to the marine life? we're going to go to the georgia aquarium to get some answers. and some fear that britain's royal wedding could be ruined. we'll tell you why. good but not great. all in all, though, there's encouraging numbers today for the monthly jobs report, numbers better, in fact, than most of the experts expected. labor department reports 216,000

jobs were created last month knocking the unemployment rate down just a notch to 8.8%. that's the lowest, though, it's been if two years. christine romans joining us from new york. so, tell us what this means. modest growth but growth nevertheless. are people going to feel this? is this significant? >> i'll tell you where people are feeling it, suzanne. feeling it if you have just recently lost your job, finding that it's a little easier to get a job. if you have been out for work far very long time, you are not feeling it. it is this two-speed recovery here. almost two years after the recession ended, just now starting to get some growth and some momentum in jobs creation. people at the very front end who lost a job having an easier time finding a job. let's talk about where the jobs are created, suzanne. created in business and professional services, being created in health care and who is pi tallty showing an economy

gaining momentum. this is a big boom over the past year, temporary workers. companies instead of adding permanent workers, testing the waters on the economy and adding temporary workers and a lot of people in the outplacement firms tell me -- the head hunters and the like tell me many of the temporary jobs turning into permanent jobs and losing jobs in the local governments. state budgets have been really tough so government workers have been losing their jobs and that continues there. one last point i want to make, suzanne, something i think that your white house beat you know very well. that group of people who have been out of work for a very long time, they're now out of work on average 39 weeks. that becomes a political problem. when you have so many people out of work for such a long time, they're starting to really, you know, shake things up and say, what are you doing about this? we're starting to seen employment benefits cut back in the states. what to do about a really big group of people out of work so

long? 39 weeks the length of unemployment and that's still a problem in this report, suzanne. >> a tough one for the obama administration. do we think that the sign of the jobs numbers that it's a sign of the economy recovering or really too soon to tell right now? >> you know, there are some who are telling me that this is a -- the kind of improvement you want to see but, again and again and again and again. you need some bigger numbers than this and putting them back to back to back. this is the beginning of the recovery. high oil prices, something that ceos watch very, very closely. some saying we'll add some workers this year. wait, i have to see the impact of high oil prices on the business. there's still a lot of uncertainties out there and moving in the right direction and that's what's so key and critical. 8.8% is a best jobless rate in two years and the private sector job growth, 230,000 jobs private businesses, you've had 1.8

million of those jobs created in over a year. that's the right direction. >> what about the temporary workers? you said like 30,000 that were added. is that significant? >> we're watching the temporary workers because that's often kind of a foreshadowing of an economy that's going to be getting -- labor market, rather, that's getting better. it's a lagging indicator. the economy is getting better but not adding jobs because businesses are so scared. they have been adding temporary workers. they have been adding contract workers so that's been an area of some action. you want to see them turn into permanent jobs eventually, right? i will say something else. you have workers more and more saying i think i'll get a new job this year and showing activity and action in the labor market and a good thing to see, too. i'm saying bosses beware. your workers working really hard. when they see an opening, they might go. bosses be good to your peeps.

>> all right. that's a good message. bosses beware. thank you. appreciate it. well, the royal wedding may be a royal security mess. anarchists are promising trouble in london. cnn talks to one of the leaders about why. and the nuclear crisis in japan deepening. the latest on the spread of radiation and now it's affecting now sea life.

three unique looks at american life, you get to pick one in today's "choose the news. text 22360. 1 for the storin't a state lawmaker who says dui laws should be taken off the books. text 2 for america's last island prison closing after more than 130 years. text 3 for blind, but dedicated yankees fan who goes to dozens of games with the help of a guide dog. the winning story will air in the next hour. ♪ ah, the british royal wedding. less than a month out and already anarchists say they're planning large-scale protests. dan rivers reports. >> reporter: this is the nightmare scenario for those planning the royal wedding. anarchists attacking a car carrying the royal family. on this occasion, it was prince

charles and camilla. but this is the same car that will be used to take kate middleton to the wedding and anarchists are vowing to do their best to interfere with the event. >> we'll see what we call a disruption spectacular. >> reporter: charlie veech was laid off and now a committed anarchist protester. he was among this student protest against austerity cuts last year and is warning there will be more of the same on april 29th which he describes as -- >> shock and awe campaign, involve a lot of fireworks, a lot of people dressed in black. it will involve a lot of very, very loud music. >> reporter: security experts roy ram shows me the aftermath of the latest protest. >> you see them here doing this kind of damage. dhs just completely -- >> reporter:s with one window of hundreds. >> absolutely. >> reporter: he say it is royal wedding presents an incredibly difficult challenge. >> the police have not a job to

get the public in, close up to the wedding but they have to keep the people who want to cause disorder and damage like we have seen here away from the royal wedding. it could be immensely disruptive. >> reporter: the big problem for the police is getting enough evidence to stop the anarchists doing something before they get to the wedding route. there is talk of using stop and search powers, the problem is, who do they stop and search? experts say intelligence before the big day will be crucial. anarchist websites are already humming with references to the wedding. >> there are plans which are being passed around online in encrypted e-mails which the government cannot hack to basically disrupt the procession route, as well. >> reporter: knowing exactly where to deploy riot police is tough. the protesters could strike at almost any location in central london. >> there's chatter out there. no real intelligence but bear in

mind people have a right to protest. >> reporter: the anarchists will have to blend in with a crowd like this and these staunch royalists could be the best defense the police have. >> i don't think it will be very easy for the anarchists to infiltrate. the great majority would stop that happening. on the other hand, with a pot of paint thrown at the royal vips that would be a worldwide embarrassment. >> reporter: an embarrassment that the police are desperate to avoid, one that the anarchists would consider a huge victory. dan rivers, cnn, london. >> you can see the stories about the princess-to-be and prince william on cnn.com. there will be a royal wedding special every saturday at 2:00 p.m. eastern. he goes to kate middleton's quaint hometown, learns some lessons in royal etiquette and it is starting tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. eastern here on cnn. well, each week we introduce

you to ordinary people doing extraordinary things as part of the "human factor" series. for most of isaac's life he studies law but he was told he would be going blind but dr. sanjay gupta didn't let it slow him down. >> reporter: his job is taking care of the three beautiful new babies. that's a challenge for him because he can't see his children. he has a rare form of blindness that progresses over time. he got the diagnosis at 13, soon after landing a role on "saved by the bell: the new class." ♪ >> hasn't won in ten years. if you can make money losing, we would be millionaires. >> i loved acting, being on a set. and, you know, it's just exciting. >> reporter: but acting wasn't

his dream. law school was. >> as i started to experience vision loss it was more of a nuisance. >> reporter: he got in to harvard law school and made it to the supreme court. he clerked for retired justice sandra day o'connor as well as justice route bader ginsburg. >> it's hard to anticipate slowly losing your vision. >> reporter: at 31 he is legally blind. >> dealing with light and dark. maybe the occasional sort of shape. >> reporter: while he can't overcome the blindness, he didn't stop from doing what he wants to do. >> with a walking cane, a screen reading software, it really doesn't slow me down in any practical sense. >> reporter: this young lawyer hopes that one day people like him will see again. which is why he started hope for vision to raise awareness and money for research. >> at this point in my life really it's wanting to see my children. that motivates me to continue to

work to overcome this challenge. i want more than ever to find a treatment or a cure. >> reporter: dr. sanjay gupta, cnn. >> we wish him the best. researchers at the university of miami discovered the gene that caused the family's condition, affecting 1 in 3,500 people. the chief vet at the georgia aquarium, he is standing by, i'll be talking to him about new radiation concerns in japan and the impact on sea life. [ male announcer ] nature is unique... pure... and also delicious. like nature valley. granola bars made with crunchy oats and pure honey. nature valley -- 100% natural. 100% delicious. a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion.

staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. and celebrex is not a narcotic. when it comes to relieving your arthritis pain, you and your doctor need to balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen, and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. they all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors such as high blood pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods. nsaids, including celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death.

patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. do not take celebrex if you've had an asthma attack, hives, or other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. get help right away if you have swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing. tell your doctor your medical history and find an arthritis treatment for you. visit celebrex.com and ask your doctor about celebrex. for a body in motion. visit celebrex.com and ask your doctor about celebrex. host: could switching to geico or more on car insurance? host: would foghleghorn make a really bad boonaor? foghn (stammerg): it was the best of time it was the wor - y worst of times. and by worst i'm talkin athat stuffl yone.ad asau nny' p engineer: ok that was a little... foghorn: you gettin' all this in there son? i just added that last part it's called "adlibbin..."anyway...it was, i say it was... vo: geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurae. but one is so clever that your skin looks better even after you take it off.

neutrogena® healthy skin liquid makeup. 98% saw improved skin. does your makeup do that? neutrogena® cosmetics. now, the latest developments in japan's nuclear crisis. radiation was found in beef near the damaged nuclear plant in northern japan. officials say cows, chicken or pigs have eaten grass or feed that was contaminated. a japanese official says it may be many months before the people who live in the nuclear plant evacuation zone actually get a chance to go home. tens of thousands of people have been living in shelters and temporary housing since the quake and tsunami three weeks ago.

among the casualties of japan's disaster, a fishing village that built a 30-foot high wall to save it. did not work. our cnn's paula hancocks has the story. >> reporter: the fishing village is no stranger to tsunamis. 100 years ago a wave destroyed the town and it's believed to have killed 90% of its residents so they built a wall to make sure the sea would never again swallow their homes and families. the villagers had complete faith in the tsunami wall. it had been made even higher, it's currently 9.3 meters, that's around 30 feet and they believed it would stop any tsunami. but it didn't. this man used to live in the hills. but he moved to the coast after the wall was built. he said it made him feel safe. he breaks down when he remembers the wave coming over the wall as

he ran to the hills with his wife. he tells me this isn't a bad place and tsunamis don't happen that often but after seeing the great wave, my wife has decided we should not be here. he also lost his boat and his livelihood. fishing. fishing was one of the biggest employees in the iwaki prefecture. he ties up any fishing gear he can find just in case but at the age of 77 it's doubtful he'll build up a business again. more than 40 people are dead or missing here, the grim search for bodies is not over. an as survivors move away, it's hard to know if the village completely rebuilt after one tsunami can find the strength to start again. sifting through the debris of their lives his neighbor finds a clock.

it stopped at 3:22. the exact moment his life changed and countless others ended. paula hancocks, cnn, japan. up next, talking to aex pert at the georgia aquarium about the impact radiation has on sea life. alone there's been a 67% spike in companies embracing the cloud-- big clouds, small ones, public, private, even hybrid. your data and apps must move easily and securely to reach many clouds, not just one. that's why the network that connects, protects, and lets your data move fearlessly through the clouds means more than ever. [ female announcer ] splenda® no calorie sweetener is sweet... and more. if you replace 3 tablespoons of sugar a day with splenda® you'll save 100 calories a day. that could help you lose up to 10 pounds in a year. that's how splenda® is sweet...and more.

♪ ♪ stay inside? nah. not when you have a five-star overall vehicle score for safety. one more reason chevy traverse delivers more.

i want to go beyond the headlines, the nuclear crisis in japan will have long-term impacts, not just on human beings but for sea life in the pacific basin. a new dolphin exhibit is opening today and an authority on dolphin and whale disease in the wild. he joins us from the exhibit. doctor, thank you so much for being here. we appreciate it. as an expert in animal diseases, what does this mean? this nuclear crisis, what does it mean for the sea life around japan? >> well, at this point it's really unclear what it means. what we do know is that mammals in particular, like the dolphins here at the aquarium behind me are found around japanese waters where this nuclear reactor is.

mammals are exquisitely sensitive to radiation, more so than birds and fish or reptiles. but the bottom line is we don't know. we're concerned about the impact of the animals locally there now and then potentially down the road here, the impact on animals globally. >> tell us in the short term, are we going to see the dolphins or some of the sea life, are they going to die? are we going to see them floating to the surface? or is this more of a long-term impact? will we see immediate effects of this radiation? >> well, there are two effects of radiation. radiation sickness is based upon the dose of radiation and duration of radiation and type of radiation. it's very complex. typically the immediate effects of a high dose radiation effect really rapidly the dividing cells like our intestinal tract and bone marrow and skin.

the immediate effect you would have conditions like diarrhea, vomiting, skin rashes, loss of hair. down the road, the delayed actions are even more worry some because there you get into impacts like cancer, infertility, aneem yas, recurrent disease, impact on your immune system. the effects are very, very complex. the immediate effects we would expect to see fairly soon. the delayed effects can occur years or decades later. >> you're saying this would happen to dolphins, to whales and to fish and birds, the kind of things you just described there with skin and cancer? >> well, i think -- the bottom line is we just don't know. there's precedent here. we don't have a frame of reference. but based on studies, mammals are more sensitive. we know that there's radiation getting into the sea life area

there. now, what those impacts are we just don't know. we've detected the presence of isot isotopes in in country but well below the hazard. the book is being written as we speak here. we don't know what's going to happen but we have precedent for the impacts of radiation on animals in other scenarios. >> are we talking about hundreds of years, multiple generations of sea life suffering because of this radiation in the water? >> yeah, the delayed effects can be decades, many, many decades later. so that's the disturbing thing about radiation exposure, again, with a high enough dose, a long enough duration and right type of radiation, these effects can be very, very long lasting. we don't know in this particular scenario was going to happen. >> really quickly here, is there

anything we can do to protect these animals, those that are under water from the radiation, anything we can do now for them? >> at this point stop the leak. >> all right. doctor, thank you so much. we appreciate your time. >> today's talk back, would adding a constitutional amendment force lawmakers to compromise on the budget? they should pass an amendment saying if they can't agree they must vacate offices immediating. in here, machines tell factories when they're thirsty. so soft drink companies can manage thousands of vending machines in real time. ♪ and customers find what they want...when they want it most. it's the at&t network -- a network of possibilities, creating and integrating solutions, helping business, and the world...work. rethink possible.

you've been stuck in the garage, while my sneezing and my itchy eyes took refuge from the dust in here and the pollen outside. but with 24-hour zyrtec®, i get prescription strength relief from my worst allergy symptoms. it's the brand allergists recommend most. ♪ lily and i are back on the road again. where we belong. with zyrtec®, i can love the air®.

here's a reminder, three different stories, only one way air in the next hour. vote by texting us at 22360. for one, the story of a state lawmaker who owns a bar and says drunk driving laws need to be taken off the books. vote 2 for america's last island prison shutting down. and 3 for dedicated baseball fan who does not let her blindness keep her from making the trek to yankees stadium with her guide dog. the winner will air in the next hour. the clock is ticking for the budget deal. if congress can't come up with any plan by next friday, the government is actually going to shut down. carol costello is joining us with today's talk back. we've been talking about this,

every single type there's a stop gap budget and another budget, another budget. this is the final straw, yes? >> it is the final straw. i love the answers so much. it brings a tear to my eye. would adding a constitutional amendment to force lawmakers to compromise on budget. first you have to get them to agree on the amendment, which they won't agree, i would say no. julia, why can't they put their big boy girl pants on and elect them what we elected them to do. colleen, no, the only thing that will make them compromise is something that affects them personally. they need to grow up and do jobs. they should be like us, live on a budget and when it runs out, then get tough. this from graham, you can't legs late common sense, forcing congress to act like adults will not work any more than playing dressup makes 8-year-olds

adults. facebook.com/carol cnn. >> common theme, grow up. that's what i keep hearing. >> sit down and come up with a compromise. be mature adults. >> let's see if this happens. thanks. top of the hour, let's get you up to speed. retreating libyan rebels return today as both sides in the civil war are signaling possible concessions. sources tell cnn that the libyan regime is floating a political solution, one that ends with moammar gadhafi stepping aside. at the same time, rebel leaders across the country in benghazi are offering a cease fire with conditions. protests and new violence erupt in the middle east throughout the middle east today.

government opponents flooded the streets in yemen, syria and egypt after friday prayers. police open fire in syria. in jordan, police have to separate proand anti-government protesters. a brutal attack on a united nations aid center in north eastern afghanistan, a u.n. spokesman says 12 people were killed, eight u.n. stachers, four were afghans. japan is conducting new tests on beef, pork, poultry, all of that happening today. the concern comes after radiation levels in a single cow were above safe limits. japan has already barred the sale of produce from the fukushima region because of radiation contamination. grief still permeating japan as the country mourns 11,620

known dead. such an overwhelming number has led officials to bury unidentified bodies in mass graves. the notion has shocked the japanese who customarily cremate remains. >> i feel so sorry for the victims. i have to do something. this breaks my heart. >> reporter: why do you feel something so strongly for people you don't know? >> translator: what if this happened to me, i would want this sort of kindness. >> the unemployment picture, it brightened in march. the economy created 216,000 new jobs, that is more than the experted predicted. that pushed the national unemployment down just a notch to 8.8%. we're going to monitor a speech from president obama this hour. he's expected to touch on the unemployment rate. he's going to be at ups facility in landover, maryland to

announce the clean fleet program, what it does, encourages companies to switch to electric or alternative energy vehicles. the president is expected to announce u.p.s. and fedex and verizon and pepsi will be the first participants. jobs report impressed investors on wall street today. dow jones stocks moving up, right now up about 90 points or so. just hours after muslim prayers, friday prayers, jordan is boiling over in protest. as many as 1,000 police officers have been deployed now to the capitol trying to keep the peace between proand anti-government protesters. stan, what is the situation on the ground where you are right now? >> reporter: yes, you can hear the call to prayer behind me

now. this is for evening prayers and after lunchtime prayers today protesters gathered at this square you can see behind me. they've now dispersed. they are looking for political change and want democratic reform, relaxing of immediate restrictions and more free expression. there's another group of protesters as well who we can call the loyalists, people who were carrying pictures of king abdullah. in between them about 1,000 police trying to separate these protesters. some of the police in full riot gear. this was to avoid the violence that broke out here a week ago during similar demonstrations. today the police were able to keep the two groups apart. the protesters who were here were thanking the police for that. the issue still remains. the issues that divide these people and many are now pointing at these divisions and saying, aren't we seeing a split between

jordanians and palestinians, palestinians make up more than half of the population and complain some in the regime are trying to fan the flames and create the divisions to separate the people and potentially lead to more civil conflict. happily today they are able to avert that. >> i'm curious during the call to prayer, is that a time -- obviously many muslims praying. do they stop the protest? do they put if they have weapons, do they put them down? >> reporter: yeah and we saw that here today. in fact there were prayers mid-afternoon when the demonstration came to a stop and the square behind me was full of people who were bowing and praying and this went on for a good five or ten minutes. we saw it earlier today as well with the lunchtime prayers. the prayers stop and then the protests began again as you can hear behind me just a moment ago. the call for evening prayer and the streets are very quiet.

the issues still remain and the big criticism while king abdullah has talked about reform, set up a committee to try to look into electoral changes and constitutional changes, people are not going to be happy until they actually see the change come to fruition. they've had enough of the talk. they want to see action now. >> stan grant, we appreciate your report. thank you. just one week to go. either come up with a budget deal or the federal government is actually going to have to shut down. all sides are feeling the pressure now and debating it right now on the house floor. >> because of your insistence on cutting everything from pell grants to the national institute of health. this is in your hands. if you want to avert a shutdown, i have an idea, pick up the phone. send a note or better yet, engage in meaningful

negotiations with the senate and white house. enough pont tif kating, do your job. >> madam speaker, it's right here. as my colleague asks, pleads, in fact, that we negotiate with the senate, here's what the senate has offered -- how do you negotiate with that, madam speaker? how do you negotiate with that. this is what we learned about. this is what our students are studying across the nation. this is what the senate has given us to work with. now, you tell me as a freshman, what is it that i'm supposed to do? >> carol, i don't know. >> it's a good comedy, isn't it? >> is this effective? do you think people are paying attention to this? this is very serious but it feels like groundhog day, we keep doing this over and over. when will it get done?

>> suzanne, the budget battle is messier than ever. the reports on a deal was premature. house speaker john boehner is trying to be the voice of reason now. >> we control one half of one third of the government here in washington. now we can't impose our will on another body, we can't impose our will on senate. >> the democratically controlled senate, the house speaker is under intense pressure from those conservative freshman, many of them tea partyiers elected to slash the budget. they want boehner to man up. >> i say to the republican leadership, take off your lace panties and stop being noodle backs. take a strong bold unwavering stand for and with the american people. >> never mind the reported 7 $3 billion budget compromise,

conservatives want $100 billion in cuts to things like obama care, planned parenthood and npr, all things that the president would likely veto. what's lost in all of this is regality. after passing six stop-gap measures to keep the government going, they are arguing over a budget that started last year. now senate republicans have a kind of new idea to try to force compromise. they want to add an amendment to the constitution that requires congress to pass a balanced budget every year. we haven't amended the constitution since 1992. talk back today. would adding a constitutional amendment force lawmakers to compromise on the budget? write to me at facebook/.com/carol cnn and i'll read your responses this hour. >> not an easy thing to do. >> no, and not many people like to mess with the constitution but it's an idea that's floating out there. dozen of republicans are behind it. who knows.

we'll see. here's a look at what's happened. she's been hailed a hero by women in the middle east. will her message echo across the region? it's deja vu in egypt, why protesters are gathering in tahrir square again. the mystery in libya. who are the rebels? should we even trust them? plus a price hike for toyota and we'll tell you why. is the u.s. prepared for a nuclear disaster? >> rush hour in new york, heaven forbid there's a nuclear accident anywhere near here. there's no one everyone is evacuating quickly. it would be nuclear gridlock. ♪ [car horn honks] our outback always gets us there... ... sometimes it just takes us a little longer to get back.

♪ constipated? phillips' caplets use magnesium, an ingredient that works more naturally with your colon than stimulant laxatives, for effective relief of constipation without cramps. thanks. [ professor ] good morning students. today, we're gonna...

[♪...] >> male announcer: book now, save up to 65%. call 1-800-sandals. four "new york times" journalists say they felt certain that they would be killed. libyan authorities released them after holding them for about a week. in an interview on cnn's ac 360. the journalists talked about the ordeal. the only woman described an especially chilling incident when she was in the back of a vehicle with her hands bound. >> i was sitting like this and a guy reached over from the front seat and started to car res my hair like either like a mother would a son or daughter. then he started touching my face, very sort of gently and

saying this phrase over and over. i put my head down and he picked up and kept car resing me in this weird tender way and saying this phrase over and over. and i said to anthony, what's mort? right? what is he saying. he said, he's telling you you're going to die tonight. and i just -- what can you say? >> unbelievable. addario says she was constantly afraid of being separated from the group and being raped. a libyan woman who says she was raped by gadhafi loyalists is supposed to meet with journalists tomorrow. that is according to the libyan government. officials say she will hopefully be visited by two or three female reporters. she captured the world's attention when she burst into a hotel to tell her story to international journalists. the way she spoke out is highly unusual in muslim society. her morning also made headlines

by blast being moammar gadhafi. as we heard in a report from cnn. >> where are you going with her? >> reporter: moammar gadhafi's loyalists, forcibly taking her away despite her cries for help. the images have sparked a mother's rage. >> translator: i'm not afraid of gadhafi. if i were to see his face, i would strangle him. >> reporter: like most of the world, she saw the pictures on television, but this was her daughter. >> translator: i couldn't stop crying. i couldn't eat. i couldn't sleep. >> we want to go beyond the headlines for a closer look at women in muslim society and some of the unprecedented events unfolding in the middle east and africa. an egyptian journalist and award winning columnist who writes about arab and muslim issues.

you've been fighting the good fight for quite some time. i want to start off first, when you see this story about this libyan woman who says she was raped by gadhafi soldiers. how significant is it now that the world knows about this woman, that she has come forward and there are journalists waiting to see and hear from her as early as tomorrow? >> right, first of all, i'll believe it when i see it. i hope the journalists are nptd journalists and not libyan state television journalist. what she has done is incredibly courageous. it's important to remember that in libya there are so-called rehabilitation centers where girls and women and survivors of rape are kept as prisoners until either someone claims to want to mary them or a male relative takes them away. they face charges as we have seen with her who faces charges of the men she's accused of

raping her. her outspokenness is incredible. there are unfortunately many other women who have suffered what she suffered. i got kind of the tip of the iceberg in 1996 when i was in libya, during a news conference, one of gadhafi's mail body guards twisted my nipple in the middle of the news conference because they were trying to kick me out because i was considered a troublemaker. this is a regime that long practiced silences women through shame and sexual violence and they try to brush off by smearing basically the survivor of this violence as we've seen with her. >> i want to ask about your own experience. did you try to seek help or did you feel there was anything that you could do or just a lost cause when that happened to you? >> well, i think the reason that it happened to me was because two days before i tried to get out of the hotel where they were keeping us. and you can't leave the hotel in

libya without -- and i was trying to leave because i wanted to speak to farrah kahn who was in tripoli. i wanted to go to his hotel. wouldn't let me leave. they were trying to push me out and i fought back. that's when the guard twisted my nipple. i yelled out to moammar gadhafi, in egyptian we call her brother colonel, his rank. we looked at me and we made eye icon tact but did nothing. after the news conference, a journalist told me he heard them say, just shoot her. it's this very casual violence they brush off as if nothing had happened. >> the idea of honor, we heard there was an engagement party in her absence that her family actually came forward this with kind of ceremony. why did that occur? >> i think it's very important to put the idea of honor in the context, greater context. not just limited to islamic

societies. the idea of honor is usually connected to from a ternty and tribal times. it's very important to know who the father of the baby is, et cetera. a lot of silencing of women has to do with honor. it's very important with men in her context to appreciate how outspoken the family has been in her support. usually when a woman is attacked -- >> sure. >> finish your thought. >> when a woman is atashed, she's supposed to remain silent so she doesn't destroy the honor of her family. it is a way of trying to sur mount in obstacle of she's damaged goods and no one wants her. >> in egypt, we see protesters on the street and know women played a pivotal role in the protests there. do we expect changes?

>> absolutely. egyptian women since 2005 when the mubarak regime startwide sexual violence, women started speaking up. you see them speaking out in organizations, and i recently saw a film called cairo 678, where he speaks out against sexual violence against women. the fact that men and women are speaking out is very important. >> we appreciate your perspective, thank you, mona. >> thank you. pro testers in egypt are doing all they can to preserve the movement that ousted the dictator. thousands have gathered again in tahrir square. ivan wattson is in cairo with what some are calling the friday to save the revolution. just a minute and tunisia are credited with igniting other rebol ons against the world but

there still seems to be april sense of revolution in the air. what are you feeling? >> reporter: well, certainly what we're seeing here, the revolutionaries who helped topple a dictator during 18 historic days, trying to capture that energy again and reinject themselves into a political process that they feel they are being marginalized from. there's the world famous tahrir square where you have more than 10,000 people gathered right now. many of them criticizing the current ruling, egyptian military council that is running the show right now and has been entrusted with managing what is supposed to be a transition to democracy. and the demonstrators here worried that some of the decisions taken by the ruling military council are not in line with what they manage the future of egypt should be. there's a carnival atmosphere down there despite violence crackdown on previous protests

throughout the month of march where torture was used by soldiers defense demonstrators. so far it has been peaceful and even become a place for some smart egyptians to make a quick buck. it has become a tourist attraction. look at the t-shirts for sale, january 25th was the first day of the demonstrations and you see pictures for sale now. bumper stickers from dozens of dozens of people and then to show you of the pan arab quality of this, the flag of the opposition, the rebels of neighboring libya for sale and being waved by some of the demonstrators there showing this is truly an international phenomenon. >> ivan watson, thank you. we appreciate it. making the right moves, it's important in chess and in life. find out how one man is using

the game to teach life lessons.

keeping a close eye on the president's arrival in landover maryland, an event taking place at the u.p.s. plant, where president obama will address the latest adjustments and labor department now saying the economy created 216,000 new jobs. that is actually more than what experts had predicted and what this does, it lowers the unemployment rate just a notch to now 8.8%.

we'll give ut those live comments as soon as the president takes the podium to talk about a little bit of good news for the economy. a georgia man is inspiring inner city students across the country through chess. it's teaching them to make the right moves in life. randi kaye has the story in this what matters segment. >> i am somebody. >> i am a champion. >> reporter: after seeing a news report of several people being shot in a store robbery, a state trooper was compelled to action. >> i said to myself, young people are going up in the wrong cash, we need to teach people cash with a "k". >> chess is like life because

there's no blame in the game. i am responsible, i will win or lose in the decisions i make. if i make the wrong move, i get the wrong result. i can make one move and never recover. you want to think things through before you move one move can cost you the game. ♪ >> reporter: in an era where technology is king, hudson know this board game might not stack up with the latest video game. ♪ >> shake hands. >> reporter: he offers a fun challenge that always gets their attention. cold hard cash. >> often times i put $1,000 on the table. and i say, hey, look, anybody beats me they get $1,000 and whip out the $1,000 and show them, okay, i'll beat you. >> reporter: he knows the kids won't win but that's okay, as long as they learn that every move has a consequence just like in life. >> i succeed by learning. make it okay. >> make it okay.

>> to fail. >> to fail. >> who's next? >> after losing time and time again, the money doesn't seem to matter. >> $1,000. can he win it. >> reporter: because chess teaches kids to focus, think on their feet and plan ahead and look at things from the other person's perspective, but there is one more move he wants every kid to learn. >> it's less about chess more about making good decisions and creating value and more about never take. the good you do comes back to you. the bad you do will be sad for you. every move you make has consequences. if you make the right move, you will get the right results. >> reporter: decisions that will hopefully change the world one move at a time. randi kaye, cnn, atlanta. japan's nuclear disaster has many wondering if the united states is prepared for a crisis of its own. hear what the evacuation plans are at the indian point power plant that is close to new york city. [ female announcer ] it's lobsterfest.

when we turn lobster into irresistible creations like our new lobster-and-shrimp trio with a parmesan lobster bake, our decadent lobster lover's dream and eleven more choices. right now at red lobster. you've been stuck in the garage, while my sneezing and my itchy eyes took refuge from the dust in here and the pollen outside. but with 24-hour zyrtec®, i get prescription strength relief

from my worst allergy symptoms. it's the brand allergists recommend most. ♪ lily and i are back on the road again. where we belong. with zyrtec®, i can love the air®. where we belong. forty years ago, he wasn't worried about retirement. he'd yet to hear of mutual funds, iras, or annuities. back then, he had something more important to do. he wasn't focused on his future but fortunately, somebody else was. at usaa we provide retirement solutions for our military, veterans and their families. from investments... to life insurance... to health care options. learn more with our free usaa retirement guide. call 877-242-usaa.

but sometimes i wonder... what's left behind? [ female announcer ] introducing purifying facial cleanser from neutrogena® naturals. developed with dermatologists... it's clinically proven to remove 99% of dirt and toxins and purify pores. and with natural willowbark it contains no dyes, parabens or harsh sulfates. dirt and toxins do a vanishing act and my skin feels pure and healthy. [ female announcer ] new purifying facial cleanser from the new line of neutrogena naturals. now for the latest developments in japan's nuclear crisis. radiation was found in beef near the damaged nuclear plant in northern japan. officials say cows, chickens, pigs, may have eaton grass or feed that was contaminated.

a japanese official says it may be many months before those who live in the evacuation zone get a chance to go home. tens of thousands of people have been living in temporary housing and shelters since the quauk and tsunami three weeks ago. japan's nuclear disaster has many americans wondering, what if it happens here. alan chernoff looked at the indian point nuclear plant. >> reporter: in the event of an accident at the indian point nuclear power plant, some nearby residents fear they would be stuck unable to flee. by law they are required to have an emergency planning zone, a ten-mile radius from the plant. west chester county where the plant is located would try to evacuate residents gradually. >> the evacuation may initially be for the people living in a two-mile ring and five-mile

downwind span. >> reporter: the direction of the wind could determine who needs to evacuate. since indian point is located right on the hudson river in a valley between these hills, the wind tends to blow downstream towards manhattan. in japan u.s. authorities are urging americans within 50 miles of the crippled fukushima day chee plant to evacuate. it would encompass new york city, which is 25 miles away. rush hour in new york, heaven forbid there's a nuclear accident anywhere near here. there's no way everyone is evacuating quickly. it would be nuclear gridlock. >> practically speaking, we couldn't evacuate in new york city. >> there's not a scenario that we have where the radiation that would go out would require evacuation of new york city. that's been at least identified up to this point. >> reporter: the chief executive says they are well prepared for a ten-mile evacuation but if a

50-mile ee vak was were ordered -- >> we would have to go back to the drawing board and work day and night with multiple agencieses and jurisdictions. >> let's go now to president obama speaking at the u.p.s. plant in landover maryland. >> there they are over there. we're here today for a simple reason. ray wasn't home when they trieded to deliver a package yesterday so we thought we would just grab it and be on our way. i've been working them too hard. in addition to steve and ray, we also have the attorney general of maryland, doug gansler is here. [ applause ] >> and we've got one of the finest senators in the united states senate from maryland, ben

cardinis in the house. we actually didn't come here to grab a package. we're actually here to announce an exciting -- between federal government and -- that will help reduce our dependance on oil that will protect our planet and spur economic growth. i gave a speech about this earlier this week. and i laid out a blue print that will put america towards a clean energy future. prices lately, whether you're filling up your tank or running a business like u.p.s. and usually, it's times like these when everybody starts saying, we should do something about our dependance on oil and when prices go back down, we

forget about it and we move on. the point i made earlier this week is that we can't keep on doing that. that's not how we should conduct our energy policy in this country. we can't go from shock to trans, rushing the propose action when they go up and hitting snooze when they go down. we have to have a sustained smart strategy. at a time when we're addressing instability overseas, we know this is a national security issue. and it's a huge economic issue. nearly two years after one of worst recessions in our history, certainly the worst one in our lifetimes, our economy is showing signs of real strength. today we learned that we added 230,000 private sector jobs last

month. -- that's good news. that means more packages. [ applause ] right? that makes 1.8 million private sector jobs created in the last 13 months. and the unemployment rate has now fallen a full point in the last four months. the last time that happened was during the recovery in 1984 where we saw such a significant drop in the unemployment rate. now, despite that good news, everybody here knows we've got more work to do. there are millions of americans looking for a job that pays the bills. i know there's a lot going on in the world right now and so the news has been captured by the

images of the middle east and what's happening, the tragedy to our friends in japan, and i'm focused on those issues. but you should know keeping the economy going and making sure jobs are available is the first thing i think about when i wake up in the morning and last thing i think about when i go to bed at night. i won't be satisfied to everyone american who wants a job can find one and every american gets a shot at the american dream. that's what we're focused on and fighting for. [ applause ] so although we've got good news today, we have to keep the momentum going. and making the transition to a clean energy economy will help us do that in two very important ways. first, it reduces -- >> you're listening to president obama talking about the latest numbers on jobs, saying it's a piece of good news that people can take heart on.

the u.s. labor department reporting 216,000 jobs were created just last month. and that there are more -- the unemployment rate knocking the unemployment rate down a notch to 8.8%. that's the lowest it's been in two years. let's bring in alison kosic. it's a little bit of good news, u.s. stocks seem to be responding positively to the report. >> they are. in fact, suzanne, stocks popped after this report came out because it was better than expected. if you don't count the job gains we got last year from the census, the 216,000 job gain in march, it is the strongest that we've seen in four years. that's why we're seeing the general consensus is that the job market, it's expected to continue improving this year. of course, we still have a lot of issues to worry about the middle east. we have the high oil prices to weigh on the economic recovery as a whole with oil prices

sitting at $107 a barrel. they are resilient and can handle the shocks at this point. one good thing about the jobs report, we saw a lot of job gains in the private sector. where we saw employers hesitant to hire in the past during the recession and after, we're seeing them be a little more confident and that's a good sign for job growth. >> we like that. thanks. have a good weekend. >> more after the break. [ woman ] when you want a bank that travels with you. with you when you're ready for the next move. [ male announcer ] now that wells fargo and wachovia have come together, what's in it for you? unprecedented strength, the stability of the leading community bank in the nation and with 12,000 atms and thousands of branches, we're with you in more ways and places than ever before. with you when you want the most from your bank. [ male announcer ] wells fargo. together we'll go far. ♪

♪ stay inside? nah. not when you have a five-star overall vehicle score for safety. one more reason chevy traverse delivers more. what's the big news in priority mail flat rate boxes and envelopes from the postal service? over a billion used.

it is time for the help desk, john ults himer consumer education at smart credit.com. robert says i have no real debt except for rent and bills and don't use credit cards but i find it hard to save money. where do i start. what's your word for him? >> he's in a great position to start saving baugsz he doesn't have debt. i recommend starting with an emergency savings funds. that's where you want to save and put away six months of savings to cover any expenses that you have, things you're not sure you might -- if you lose your job or have an unexpected repair come up, great if he has a 401(k) in his job. any contributions would be matched. it can be really difficult to save. my advice there is make it automatic, like the 401(k) is, try to take the savings out of injure paycheck before you hit it then you'll be much more successful. >> ought mated savings is a

great advice. brent in missouri, he says my current job pays in cash. how much can i deposit before those taxes start coming out? o john? >> he can deposit as much as he wants before taxes come out but that is not a good idea because the irs will penalize you. he needs to go to irs.gov and download 1040 es. he wants to set aside a third of every dollar he receives in payment because that's the amount of money he'll pay to the irs every quarter. the first is due april 15th of this year. >> do you have a question you want answered? send us an e-mail at the help desk at cnn.com.

♪ we could've gone a more traditional route...

... but it wouldn't have been nearly as memorable. ♪ but sometimes i wonder... what's left behind? [ female announcer ] introducing purifying facial cleanser from neutrogena® naturals. developed with dermatologists... it's clinically proven to remove 99% of dirt and toxins and purify pores. and with natural willowbark it contains no dyes, parabens or harsh sulfates. dirt and toxins do a vanishing act and my skin feels pure and healthy. [ female announcer ] new purifying facial cleanser from the new line of neutrogena naturals.

a brutal attack on united nations aid center in north eastern afghanistan, a u.n. spokesman says 12 people were killed, eight were u.n. staffers and four were afghans. witnesses say the attack took place when a mob of angry people with knives broke off from a protest. the protest was against alleged koran burning at the united states last week. it is clear that while u.n. sanction air strikes may have knocked moammar gadhafi on his heels, it is not stopping his rampage in libya. what more should the u.s. be doing? should we be arming the rebels? the obama administration seems to be trying to answer the question and doesn't sound like everyone is on the same page. >> i'm not ruling it out but i'm also not ruling it in. >> all of us have to continue the pressure on and deep nt isolation. >> the president has no additional military moves in behind beyond what he has

already authorized. >> kate baldwin is in washington for today's white house press briefing. i know it's going to happen shortly. we're keeping a close eye on that. we're essentially looking for one message from the administration. why has that been such a challenge? >> reporter: the whitehouse will tell you they are speaking, the administration is speaking with one voice, that they have all along and continue to say that the united states has now moved into this supporting role with regard to the no fly zone, that they have no intention and don't have any intention continually to put any military personnel on the ground in libya, and that they are still debating whether or not arming the rebels is a good idea. why that continues to be the open-ended question as this progresses is that there seems to be a lot of questions remaining on who these rebels are and where their allegiance out. the spokesman was asked what

they know about the rebels and what that means for the end game in this conflict. listen here. >> it is important to remember that this is a broad and diverse opposition. i mean that in the sense that as we saw in other countries, these are lawyers and doctors and merchants and agricultural workers, mothers and fathers and sons and daughters. this is not a single segment of society or slice of society that represents only a small constituency. the opposition to gadhafi is widespread and broad in libya. >> reporter: suzanne, defense secretary robert gates did acknowledge that the administration has very little visibility into these groups. that they have varying agendas and that they remain very dispar rat groups. we know that from government officials that the cia is on the ground and part of their job on

ground is trying to get at these lingering questions to get more information that is lacking about who these groups are and that will obviously contribute to what the next step forward is for this administration. but a lot of questions remaining centering around who these rebels are. >> kate, we're going to be watching very closely. obviously you'll be in the briefing questions about the u.s. role in libya, sure to come up in today's white house briefing. and i know kate is going to go ahead and press a bit on that point. who the rebels are and whether or not the administration knows and should be more involved in supporting them. scheduled to get under way at the top of the hour at 1:00 p.m. eastern, live coverage here on cnn.

ooh, a brainteaser. how can expedia now save me even more on my hotel? well, hotels know they can't fill every room every day. like this one. and this one. and oops, my bad. so, they give expedia ginormous discounts with these: unpublished rates. which means i get an even more rockin' hotel, for less. my brain didn't even break a sweat. where you book matters. expedia. ♪ now the healing power of touch just got more powerful. introducing precise from the makers of tylenol. precise pain relieving cream works quickly to activate sensory receptors. it helps block pain signals fast

for relief you can feel precisely where you need it most. precise. only from the makers of tylenol.

the clock is ticking for a budget deal. if congress can't come up with a plan, the government is going to shut down. carol costello joining us with the talk back. >> our talk back question today, would a constitutional amendment force lawmakers to compromise on budget. michael, if we have to force them to do their jobs and not play partisan games, so be it. whatever gets business moving through a gridlocked congress. >> even if a constitution were amend not likely they would abide by the amendment. this from brian, maybe i'm jaded

but it sounds like an excuse to force the cuts to program that's democrats won't budge on. and this from jewel, they should be locked in a room, given paper pens and day of no outside influence to make the budget or lose their jobs. facebook.com/carol cnn. you told us what story you wanted to see, choose the news winner straight ahead. ♪ stay inside? nah. not when you have a five-star overall vehicle score for safety. one more reason chevy traverse delivers more.

♪ now the healing power of touch just got more powerful. introducing precise from the makers of tylenol. precise pain relieving heat patch activates sensory receptors. it helps block pain signals for deep penetrating relief you can feel precisely where you need it most. precise. only from the makers of tylenol.

precise. you know rheumatoid arthritis means pain. but you may not know it can also mean destruction. not just of your joints, but of the things you love to do. and the longer you live with the aching, swelling, and stiffness, the closer you may be to having your favorite things... taken away from you. but you can take action today. go to ra.com for your free joint profile so you can better talk to your rheumatologist about protecting your joints.

a montana lawmaker speaks out about drunk driving laws. here's jeanne moos. >> reporter: fz there's one thing you can drink to, that nobody will defend drunk driving, right? so it felt a little like watching a car wreck when montana state representative hail rose to speak against dui laws. >> they are not doing small businesses in our state any good at all. they are destroying them. they are destroying a way of life that has been in montana for years and years. >> that's insulting. >> reporter: the president of mothers against drunk driving was just getting warmed up. >> it's scary. it's a larming and ridiculous. >> these taverns and bars in the smaller community connect the people together. they are the center of the communities. >> reporter: they sure connected folks in classics like "hang

them high", when riding drunk was a lot less lethal than driving drunk from a bar. >> either you hitchhike or you drive. i promise you that they are not going to hitchhike. >> reporter: in arguing against dui laws, he stirred up a hornet's nest. >> his comments are just mind boggling that someone would still think that way. laura lost her husband mike to a drunk driver going the wrong way. we called representative hale several times for comment but got no reply. montana is a wide open stay that someone name dan posted to be fair, this is montana where you can drive across half the state drunk and pass maybe two drivers the whole time. someone named dave responded, and endanger both of them for perfectly selfish