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Unemployment Rate Drops; Stars Regret Gadhafi Performances

Aired March 04, 2011 - 10:00   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Big stories happening right now at 10:00 Eastern.

Libyan rebels, they have Benghazi and now they are on the move toward Tripoli.

Hundreds of state jobs on the line in Wisconsin. The governor says pink slips will go out if Democratic lawmakers don't come back now and fill in those seats in the capitol.

And virginity may be catching on with young people. A new study from the CDC shows fewer teens and young adults are having sex.

Good news on the unemployment front this morning. The U.S. economy added 192,000 jobs in February, and the unemployment rate dropped below nine percent for the first time since April of 2009.

CNN's Christine Romans joins me from New York with some perspective. So tell us what these numbers mean.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: What these numbers mean is that things are slowly but getting slightly better. We thought this would happen in January, and it just didn't. It only had about 63,000 jobs created in January but this is finally enough jobs creation, Carol, to absorb all the new entrants into the workforce, and try to begin eating into that unemployment rate which at 8.9 percent is still too high.

So let's look at job growth over the past six months, and you can see what I mean. August and September, I mean, really flat lined. Then October, November, December and January, you're seeing that growth begin. Now, you want to see this trend continue and you want to see it actually magnified from here. One economist calling this morning calling it healthy enough. And another one saying don't break out the bubbly, this is just treading water but at least it's not losing jobs again.

And private sector jobs growth was 222,000 jobs in the private sector, and that some economists say is pretty good news. One CEO of an outsourcing company I talked to this morning, Carol, he was actually very encouraged by these numbers, and he said they're seeing really brisk activity with companies calling these outsourcing and recruiting companies and saying we need permanent workers for permanent jobs, and that's a real change. That's showing some action there. One thing though if you have been out of work six months or longer and you've heard me say this, it's still very, very tough. The length of unemployment is now 37.1 weeks. So if you are out of work, the average length of unemployment is 37 weeks. That is really tough, to pay a mortgage, to feed a family, especially with home prices down and with the price of everything else seeming to go up.

But let me show you where there is some action in the sectors, Carol. Health care, we've seen this for more than a year, 34,000 jobs created in health care, manufacturing, 33,000 jobs there. Construction as well. And there you go, state and local governments, that's a trend that's likely to continue as these budgets at the state level have to be balanced, and you'll see public sector workers losing job. You are already starting to see it here, Carol.

COSTELLO: We are. Christine Romans, many thanks, live in New York.

A deadline today in Wisconsin. The governor says if the Democrats don't come back to the state right now and vote on his budget repair bill, hundreds of state workers will lose their jobs. Other lawmakers want those same Democrats arrested. CNN's Casey Wian is in Madison. So Casey, let's start with the arrest threat. Is that for real, is it just show?

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think it probably is more just for show, Carol, because the reality is they can't arrest any of these 14 Democratic state senators unless they're inside of Wisconsin state lines, and these Democratic senators remain outside of the state in Illinois. There's also some question about the constitutionality of this arrest order that the Republicans and the legislature sent out yesterday because the Democrats say that there is a provision in the Wisconsin State Constitution that prevents the arrest of a lawmaker for any non-felonious crime while the legislature is in session. So it is just another example of Republicans trying to turn up the heat on these Democrats, trying to bring them back across state lines to vote on this budget repair bill.

COSTELLO: The other big thing that's supposed to happen today. Pink slips are supposed to go out. Have any gone out as of yet?

WIAN: Not that we're aware of but the governor held a press conference last night saying he will send out notices to the labor unions that if this budget repair bill is not passed by April first, then 1,500 state employees are in danger of losing their jobs. To be clear, there had been no specific layoff notices going out to any individual workers but they will be putting the unions on notice that if this deal is not done by April 1st, people will lose their jobs, Carol.

COSTELLO: Casey Wian, live in Madison, Wisconsin, many thanks.

Americans are feeling the pinch of rising gas prices, you know that. They've risen yet again. At this time yesterday, we told you the national average for unleaded was $3.43 a gallon. Today's new average is $3.47 a gallon. That's an your night increase of a little more than four cents per gallon.

Of course, it's all linked into the price of crude oil. Yesterday it closed down a bit just under $102 a barrel.

The spike in oil and gas prices is, of course, because of the instability in much of the Arab world. In Libya, demonstrations have been growing since the end of Friday prayers, and opposition sources tell CNN that those protesters clashed with government forces in at least two cities. The White House says the increasing volatility shows one thing is clear, Moammar Gadhafi must go.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Colonel Gadhafi needs to step down from power and leave. That is good for his country. That is good for his people. It's the right thing to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Patience may be running out inside Libya, though. CNN's Nic Robertson, we're going to get him on the phone momentarily. He's in Tripoli. When we get him on the phone, of course, we will take him live for you.

Talking about Libya, the numbers grow, the crisis deepens. 200,000 people have fled the violence of a land teetering on civil war. Many more stuck in limbo. We'll go to the border for the latest.

Three weeks after ousting Egypt's president, a heroes welcome for the new prime minister. This is what it looked like a short time ago in Cairo's Tahrir Square, calling himself the prime minister of the people, he vowed to resign if he cannot deliver the reforms that have been promised.

Big paydays and now big regrets. We'll show you the stars are who wish they had not performed for Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi's family.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Some big names in the entertainment world are coming forward in shame as words gets out of their private performances for Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi.

CNN entertainment correspondent Kareen Wynter is live in Los Angeles this morning. Some of these big stars, they're now saying they're sorry, and they're giving the money back.

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Carol. They are trying to say we may have done it but now we're coming clean. Beyonce, Carol, well, she is the latest star to publicly come out and basically come clean and say that she appeared at a Gadhafi-related event. She reportedly performed at a New Year's Eve party on Saint Bart's in 2009. The party was for one of Gadhafi's son. Now the event got a whole lot of attention at the time. And Beyonce wasn't alone in being there. Past performances at that party reportedly included Timberland, Enrique Iglesias and Mariah Carey and the guest list at that party included Usher, Lindsay Lohan. That's right. She was there and Russell Simmons.

Beyonce says she was booked to appear through a third party and that once the Gadhafi connection became known well, she donated all of that cash she received to the Clinton-Bush Haiti fund and CNN also confirmed that she made a $1 million donation to that fund. Another star, by the way -

COSTELLO: I was just going to ask you, it makes you wonder who else they've performed for.

WYNTER: Absolutely. You know they're not going to tell unless, you know, there's some big headlines and they're forced to come out. That's what I'm thinking but I mentioned some of the stars there who had done it. Nelly Furtado was actually the first star to publicly admit that she performed for the Gadhafi clan. She tweeted that she also received $1 million for get this, Carol, just 45 minutes.

COSTELLO: Wow.

WYNTER: That's how long she performed in Italy and she also said that she - no surprise here - donated the cash. And you know, again, another thing that's no surprise, Carol, these stars are playing these private parties and if you got enough money, you can probably get the Rolling Stones to play at a bar mitzvah. These performers they do a fair amount of events for these kinds of huge fees. It's just really tough for someone like Beyonce to turn down a million bucks if it's just for a few minutes.

COSTELLO: Well, yes, you probably have a point there. A million bucks for 45 minutes. That would be hard to turn down. Let's talk about Oprah Winfrey. Word is that people in Egypt really want her to go and do her show live there.

WYNTER: They do, but it doesn't seem like it's going to happen. That's because Harpo representatives, they just told us that those reports are simply not true. That would be very cool TV with Oprah surrounded in the big square by all of these people, if you think about it but the story really doesn't make that much sense and that's' because Oprah, she is winding down her talk show. Her last episode, Carol, it's scheduled to air on May 25th. So she is already pretty booked between that and you know, her big cable network.

So you can understand all the amount of logistics involved in taking Oprah on the road. It's not just something that can be thrown together so quickly. Maybe she will do something perhaps with satellite with an audience there, but as far as that, we are just squashing all that.

COSTELLO: Oprah can do anything.

WYNTER: That's a little to much for even Oprah's plate. Come on. She's human like us.

COSTELLO: It would be great PR for her too. I mean, it fantastic for her new cable thing.

WYNTER: It would be, but you know, it must be too much for Oprah to juggle if she's turning something down. You know, she never turns anything down but she's probably thinking, well, that's a stretch.

COSTELLO: I understand. Kareen Wynter, many thanks.

For more information on everything breaking in the entertainment world, then check out "Showbiz Tonight" at 5:00 p.m. Eastern and 11:00 p.m. Eastern on our sister network, HLN.

Flood watches in effect from northern Mississippi to upstate New York, and there is another chance for still some - oh, say it isn't so, Rob -

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, it's so. I mean, you know, it's March. We get it all. Don't we?

COSTELLO: We do.

MARCIANO: A lot of rain across pars of the midsection of the country. Not a whole lot of snow with this. But looking ahead towards next week, we could se a bit of a blizzard in some spots of the upper midwest. But right now, it's all rain where it doesn't really need it. The radar has been filling in all day long and that's not good news for folks who live say in Indianapolis, southward and eastward towards Cincinnati and Dayton, up towards Pittsburgh. This is an area that has already seen a ton of rain, and because of that, flood watches have been reposted for this area, about a dozen states from western Pennsylvania all the way down to the mid south for anticipation of this rainfall on top of already saturated ground.

Also we may see some severe weather across parts of the mid south into the heartland, eastern parts of Oklahoma, and through southern Missouri and through parts of Northern Arkansas. 77 in Dallas. It will be 44 degrees in New York City today, so much more mild than it has been or was yesterday at least and tomorrow is going to be mild as well but tomorrow is going to be a little bit on the wet side going into especially Sunday, I think, and Sunday night into the northeast.

All right. I want to talk about this. All right. This is a rocket. Who doesn't love rockets, right? Do we have the video lined up of the launch that happened this morning at 5:00 a.m.. Check it out. This is a Taurus XL rocket and on the very tip of it is a very important climate study satellite that was supposed to be in orbit by now.

There was a problem, and about five minutes in, they alerted everybody that the - this cover, basically, of the satellite, did not release, didn't eject, didn't get off of there, so the thing was too heavy to get into space, and they assumed that it crashed into the southern Pacific. This is, I think, the second or third time that this particular type of rocket has failed, and that is a huge blow to NASA and the climate study community.

Just to give you an update, a close-up look at what this rocket look it before it took off. It is about 100 foot tall and this is the cargo area right here, and you san see some guys there though, the tip of the cargo area may be 25, 30 feet. And this is the satellite in there and this door was supposed to release. That's what didn't release so that the satellite can take its little rockets and get into orbit. But those little rockets they didn't have enough juice with basically the garage doors on them to get them into orbit. A sad day for NASA and the climate study community. And what's awful, I'll just come over to say hello.

COSTELLO: Come on over

MARCIANO: This has happened before with the same rocket.

COSTELLO: That's not good.

MARCIANO: So when you don't learn from your mistakes, it's a little bit frustrating for everybody.

COSTELLO: Yes, that makes people way frustrated with NASA. I was just going to say that it's a good thing that the satellite fell into the Pacific Ocean? It could have been worse, right?

MARCIANO: That's why they launch them over the Atlantic or the Pacific, just in case.

COSTELLO: Yes, but it could have like malfunctioned on the ground and that could have been bad.

MARCIANO: Yes. That hasn't happened in a while, thankfully.

COSTELLO: Yes.

MARCIANO: They're good (INAUDIBLE).

COSTELLO: Yes. Thank you, Rob.

The biggest wedding of the year may be the biggest television event of all time. But who will be there? Who is on the list? Who is not? Coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: I don't think that was our fast forward movement but it will work. Let's take a quick look ahead at stories we are keeping our eyes on for later today.

At 3:00 p.m. Eastern, one of the men arrested on charges related to the killing of ICE special agent Jamie Zapata is scheduled to appear in a Dallas courtroom. Ron Ferry Osario, his brother and another man, were arrested earlier this week on firearms charges.

Today at 3:30 p.m. Eastern, Harvard University President Drew Faust will take part in a signing ceremony with the Navy secretary to formally reinstate the Naval ROTC program on campus. The military program has not been allowed in Harvard since the Vietnam War. And at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, the 42nd annual NAACP image awards takes place at the Shrine Auditorium in Hollywood. Awards are given in the category of film, TV, music and literature.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

COSTELLO: That's more fitting, isn't it? It's the most talked about wedding of the year, and potentially the biggest television event of all time, the royal wedding. Prince William and Kate Middleton tie the knot on April 29, just them, their family friends and an estimated 2.5 billion people watching at home. So who will be there physically and in person? That's what I'm trying to say. Mark Saunders is a royal biographer. Welcome.

MARK SAUNDERS, ROYAL BIOGRAPHER: Hello.

COSTELLO: So who makes the list?

SAUNDERS: Well, we've actually now have our first celebrity confirmation, Elton John and his partner, David Furnish, will be attending the wedding. Elton has gone on the record and said that. It's not that surprising because my theory is Elton has appeared in every royal event since Battle of Hastings in 1066. At the moment, the list of people who haven't been invited is actually somewhat more interesting.

As you know, the former Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson, Fergie, has been given an absolute no-no. She will not be showing which is surprising because both of her daughters, Eugenie and Beatrice are going, as is her former husband Prince Andrew.

Now, I'm not quite sure what Fergie has done, although Fergie has done a hell of a lot wrong, she was dishonorably discharged from the royal family about 15 years ago and has stumbled from one disaster to another. It appears that she has not been forgiven. It is quite a controversial snub for Fergie.

COSTELLO: That's kind of sad, too. I mean, does the royal couple themselves even have a say in who is invited to the wedding?

SAUNDERS: Well, it does appear so, yes. There are two organizers, if you like, of the guest list. The first is obviously, her majesty, the queen. She's taking care of the heads of states, the kings and the queens. On the other hand, William and Katherine have invited many of their friends, we're told up to 1,000 of the guests are by William and Katherine's invites. William has invited not one but two of his ex-girlfriends, and not to be outdone, Katherine has invited Rupert Finch, her ex-boyfriend, and also from Katherine's hometown, the splendidly named town of (INAUDIBLE) village of Bucklebury, we have the local butcher, the local postman and the landlord of the local pub, the old boot, the old boot of Bucklebury which sounds very Charles Dickens to me.

COSTELLO: It certainly does. Mark Saunders, many thanks for joining us. He'll be joining us throughout next week and the weeks to come leading up to the big event. We appreciate it. SAUNDERS: Thank you, Carol. Thank you.

COSTELLO: We begin our morning "Fast Forward" in London where security preparations are in full swing for that royal wedding. In addition to the guests we just talked about, thousands of visitors are expected in the British capital for the big day. Experts say the wedding is a prime target for terrorists and security will be a huge challenge.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to be a considerable nightmare because when we bear in mind how many people, a, are going to be watching this event around the world and secondly, the number of people that will be coming into London to actually be part of the whole celebration, it makes for an incredibly complex policing operation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: A search is under way for an American student missing in Spain. Authorities say Austin Bice went to a popular disco with friends on Saturday night. He wasn't allowed in and he left the club and he has not been seen since. Bice was in Spain to study business for a semester at Madrid University.

Now to Kabul, Afghanistan. Actress Angelina Jolie has been in war-torn Afghanistan this week and she's calling for a greater focus on the reintegration of former refugees. As part of her mission as a goodwill ambassador to the United Nations.

In Libya, civilians rushed to the border to escape the fighting but run head first into a new crisis. Becky Anderson has their story ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The economy, it's the number one concern for most Americans, and today we have a bit of good news. The unemployment rate fell below nine percent, for the first time in nearly two years and the economy is adding jobs by the tens of thousands.

Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange with more details. And Alison let's start by looking at the bright spots.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the bright spots, the real standout here, Carol, is that we're seeing widespread hiring in this report. It's not just confined to one sector like we've seen in the past. Let's start with what's known as the goods-producing industries. We're seeing hiring in areas like mining, logging, the oil and gas industry and then construction, which as you know, has been really battered from the poor housing market. We're seeing 33,000 positions added there.

Manufacturing, that's another huge bright spot of recovery, added almost 200,000 jobs over the past year or so, and analysts are saying manufacturing will actually continue hiring because the economy is rebounding, people are buying and so production is up. In fact, manufacturing, here's the one plus, manufacturing tends to have good- paying jobs and not only are we adding jobs, we were adding good paying jobs to the economy as well. Carol.

COSTELLO:. Aren't there still companies who are cutting jobs? Industries who are cutting jobs?

KOSIK: There are. You know, not too many sectors are cutting which is a good thing, it's a reversal from where we were just a few years ago. We saw some cuts in the retail sector, not so surprising after the holidays, it's typically slow season for stores. But here's the biggest concern, in state and local governments, they cut 30,000 positions, and the worry is that this is a trend we're going to see continue as these states try to balance their budgets. State and local governments, if you look at it this way, they are basically in their own little recession here. So we're really going to need to see the private sector pick up steam and we could wind up seeing the strength in the private sector as we keep this recovery going. Carol.

COSTELLO: Alison Kosik live at the New York Stock Exchange, many thanks.

It's now just about half past the hour. Checking our top stories now.

Education tops President Obama's agenda today. He's traveling to Miami to visit central high school. The president will talk about the importance of out educating the competition. Central high has been awarded a grant which support the improvement of low-achieving schools.

In Germany, an arrest warrant indicates the man suspected of killing two U.S. air men Wednesday was seeking revenge against the United States military for the war in Afghanistan. German authorities say Arid Uka was a recently radicalized Muslim.

And in Libya, troops loyal to Moammar Gadhafi clashed with opposition fighters in the eastern part of that country. This coming as Libya beefs up its military presence along the Tunisian border.

Let's get our Nic Robertson. We have been trying to get him on the phone all morning long. We finally have him. He's in the capital of Tripoli. Actually, you're live and in person. I'm glad to see you. You are able to move around more freely in Tripoli. Tell us how that came about.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's principally because the Friday prayers finish and security forces have shown they've been able to take control of anti-government protesters who try to come out on the streets.

In the morning, we wanted to go to the Tanjura (ph), which is in the eastern part the city. It's a very large suburb in the east of Tripoli, but government officials wouldn't let us go there. They told us it was too dangerous. A handful of journalists - print reporters -- did manage to get out there and they told us what they were able to see. They saw government gunman in open flatbed trucks driving through the streets after Friday prayers. Police firing tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters there. The protesters had hoped to march from there into the center of the city. We have just driven that route now. There is nobody out there, and we can see is very clear. That the government here has been able to clamp down on any anti-government protests in the city.

Will things pick up again tonight? Possibly. That's what we have seen in the past. They've been prepared for it - (AUDIO GAP)

COSTELLO: We just lost Nic's signal, but he is perfectly fine. Thank you. Nic Robertson, reporting live from Tripoli.

As the nation of Libya teeters on civil war, a sea of tents, houses, and the men, women and children who are seeking safety. But what they are finding along Libya's border is more uncertainty and new dangers. Becky Anderson is along the border of Tunisia with their story. Becky?

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we are actually about five kilometers down from the border at the moment in what is an emergency tented camp set up by the UNHCR. And as far as the eye can see over my shoulder here, tents galore, most of which will be occupied by Bangladeshis tonight. The Egyptians have been moved out of here. They have been able to evacuate them to airports.

A lot of Bangladeshis, thousands of them if not tens of thousands of them, are here now. And their stories are extremely painful, amongst the most painful we heard. They walked often the 40 kilometers from Mount Zarwerei (ph), where they worked on the Libyan side. Many of them tell me they haven't been paid for about two months, and when the fighting broke out, they said they were just were too frightened. They just decided that was it.

They say they were robbed by the Libyan army on the way. They had their mobile phones and any money they did have has been taken from them. They got to the border and spent three days there with nothing. They were on the floors and nobody helping them out. Their government has done very little. I mean, it's a difficult one for their government, of course. They're not able to do much for them.

The international community now, though, hoping they will be able to get these guys out as soon as possible. So, they are a bit more optimistic, and they are certainly still a long way from home.

Carol, you allude to what is going on there on the other side of the border, and we're hearing the same thing. There are real concerns that pro-Gadhafi forces are now pushing up towards the Libyan border. Let's just consider what we have seen over the past few days. At one point, about 72 hours ago, there were as many as a thousand people coming over this Libyan/Tunisian border an hour. And then suddenly, it seemed to stop completely. And the concerns from professionals here, the aid agencies and the Tunisian army, is that people are being prevented from getting up to this border. And that is where this talk of the pro-Gadhafi supporters comes in, the idea that they're pushing up here and preventing guys from getting to the border is a really, really bad one.

But, as I say, here, at least, yesterday we were being warned by the U.N. that this could turn into a humanitarian catastrophe. It's grim here. It's desperate. But at this point, at least, things are organized and calm. Those who are here, including let me tell you - I've just been talking to some Somalians who are also desperate about how they are going get out of here. They got from Libya, they got to here. They don't know where they're going to go.

COSTELLO: Oh, terrible situation. Becky Anderson, reporting live from the Tunisian border. Thanks very much.

When is a child old enough to ride in the car without a car seat? Lawmakers in one state say six years old isn't old enough. They think eight is more like it.

And more young people might be content to just hold hands. A new study suggests that virginity is hot, sex is not. We'll talk to a sex expert about this, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Well, it is Friday. So, let's talk about sex. The two big stories that caught our eye.

One is about teens and young adults. A new study says they're actually having sex less or not at all. We're going to dive into those numbers in just a second.

But first, let's talk about Oscar winner Natalie Portman. She is unmarried she is expecting a child. And that's apparently a symbol of degraded American values, if you ask possible GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. Here's what he told radio host Michael Medved this week.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

MIKE HUCKABEE, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: One of the things that's troubling is people see a Natalie Portman or some other Hollywood starlet who boasts of hey, look, we're having children. We're not married, but we're having children and they're doing just fine.

But there aren't really a lot of single moms out there who are making millions of dollars every year for being in a movie. And I think it gives a distorted image that not everybody hires nannies and caretakers and nurses. Most single moms are very poor, uneducated, can't get a job. And if it weren't for government assistance, their kids would be starving to death and never have health care.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Dr. Laura Berman is a sex and relationship therapist. She's live in Chicago. Welcome, Dr. Berman. DR. LAURA BERMAN, SEX AND RELATIONSHIP THERAPIST: Thanks. Thanks for having me.

COSTELLO: You know, Mike Huckabee has a point. He was specifically talking about single mothers, and let's face it: most of them don't have the money Natalie Portman does. Many single mothers do live in poverty.

So, why does this continue to be a factor in American life? Why so many single mothers?

BERMAN: Well, I don't think it's Natalie Portman's fault that there are so many single mothers, and, quite frankly, she's engaged to be married. So, it's not like she's going to be single for long.

But I think a lot of single mothers -- you're absolutely right, there is a tremendous amount of single mothers out there. The demographics are not typically those of Natalie Portman.

But also, a lot of these single mothers are not single mothers by choice. And I think instead of putting our attention on the poor values that Natalie Portman is allegedly setting forth for us, we should be putting our attention on the education of our children and teaching our daughters -- and our sons, for that matter -- about the implications, the long-term implications of unprotected sex, about the responsibilities of raising children.

But I don't think that the majority of single mothers are going out there planning on being a single mother. It's either because they didn't know or plan for or understand how to prevent pregnancy or they were left by the father.

COSTELLO: OK, so, kind of along that theme, because it seems as if younger people --- and I'm talking about teenagers -- are becoming more conservative when it comes to having sex at all. We are talking about this new CDC study showing more teenagers than ever are choosing not to have sex until much later.

I mean, I thought "Jersey Shore" was driving young people to have more sex. So, how could we be so wrong?

BERMAN: Right. Well, the good news is that we can't necessarily snap our fingers and change what's being presented in the media. But we can use that as teachable moments with our kids.

You are absolutely right, the good news is that about one-third of boys and girls, men and women, 15 to 24, are not or have not had any sexual activity at all. And also, the teen pregnancy rate in this country according to this study is about 40 percent lower than in 1990. Even though we still have one of the highest unplanned pregnancy rates of any industrialized nation, it still is good news.

At the same time, what's a little bit concerning is that seven percent of girls 15 to 24 and 10 percent of boys are engaging in oral sex in lieu of having intercourse because they assume it's maintaining their virginity or it's not really sex, and they're not using protection, either. And they assume that it is safe. We have to put our attention on that element of sex education for sure.

COSTELLO: OK, but going back to the more positive numbers. I mean, a lot of people are wondering if it's abstinence education? Is it they're sexting instead of having sex? I mean, what is it?

BERMAN: We could come up with all sorts of themes. I think it may be all of those things. I also think that we're starting to see the pendulum swing back in a different direction.

I'm sort of talking to this age group all of the time. And what I've heard for many years, especially from young women is that I want to be just like -- I'm liberated. I want to be just like the guys. So I'm going out to have casual sex, too.

Unfortunately, for lots of chemical reasons and pregnancy reasons, we can't go out and easily have casual sex in the same way that boys might. So, I think we're starting to see a kind of backlash from that. A lot of these young women have been hurt and they're seeing their friends hurt and they're learning from experience that maybe the sexual economics in our country are off a little bit. And women and men, for that matter, should slow down.

So, there's probably a million reasons for it, and one of them definitely is education. But we are still sorely underserved when it comes to the education in the schools, and parents really need to be the primary sex educators for their kids. So, I say we take the good news and run with it and use this to start a conversation with your own children.

COSTELLO: We'll do it! Dr. Laura Berman, thanks for joining us this morning. We appreciate it.

Donald Trump is giving more hints on a possible White House run. Our political ticker, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: We have another midnight deadline tonight for the NFL and the players union to try to reach a deal. The talks over a new collective bargaining agreement have been extended in an effort to save the upcoming season.

Last hour, I spoke with sports attorney David Cornwell, who previously took part in NFL labor negotiations. We talked about one group that does not have a place at the table, the fans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID CORNWELL, SPORTS ATTORNEY: The fans are the reason that the game is so popular and so profitable. So both the owners and the rep -- and the players recognize that up until this point, they have been expressing their positions in negotiations.

I think last night, we got a substantial break-through to the extent that both sides, instead of expressing their competing positions, are recognizing their shared interests and, frankly, their obligation to the fans to keep this game going.

COSTELLO: So they really care about their obligations to the fans and they don't just care about the money?

CORNWELL: Absolutely. Listen. I've been in meetings with players and the commissioner where his -- his primary focus is how the fans perceive the game and the players who play it. And -- and players recognize that obligation as well. The players are partners for the owners. But our customers are the fans.

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COSTELLO: We'll see. Speaking of fans, President Obama says he is one, but he also says he is not going to use the power of his office to force the two sides to reach a deal.

Our deputy political director Paul Steinhauser is here now. So, Paul, what do you think about the president deciding not to step in.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Maybe a smart idea, Carol. You know, when I look at the public opinion polls, and we ask the most important issues out there for American voters. The NFL and a labor disputer are not top on the agenda. You know, dealing with the economy, jobs, deficit are. So maybe for the president, a smart move not to get involved right now.

Carol, talking about the president, he's heading to Florida this afternoon. He's got an education event, teaming up with Jeb Bush and the education secretary. And then becomes fundraiser in chief. He's got two fundraisers today for the senator down there, Democratic senator Bill Nelson, who could face a pretty tough re-election. So, the president doing official duties and campaign duties, Carol.

COSTELLO: So the jobless report came out today, and it was positive. So is there any reaction from Republicans?

STEINHAUSER: Yes, you have been talking a lot about the jobs report. I can tell it was positive from the reaction from Republicans. Because look how they all started. The RNC chairman: "while today's job numbers are encouraging ...". John Boehner, the House speaker. "Any improvement in the job situation for our country is welcome news." Another top Republicans in the House: "Today's job report is an encouraging sign."

So, when they say it's encouraging off the bat, you know it's pretty good because normally, these guys slam the president and his policies. They did today, but they all had to say encouraging, encouraging, encouraging off the top.

COSTELLO: But you wonder how this will effect the debate over the federal budget and the $61 billion in cuts the Tea Party is pushing.

STEINHAUSER: Oh, yes. That is not going away one bit. That's going to be a fierce argument. Remember, we are less than two weeks - or two weeks away -- from a possible government shutdown, Carol. COSTELLO: That's right, Paul! Looming out there.

Let's talk about Donald Trump because he is giving more hints on a possible White House run.

STEINHAUSER: Yes, and these include Iowa. He was talking to "The Des Moines Register," the big paper out in Iowa. Remember, that state kicks off the race for the White House with caucuses. He says if he jumps in, he'll go big in Iowa. He'll shake hands with everybody. Stay tuned, Carol.

COSTELLO: We will. Paul Steinhauser, many thanks.

We'll have your next political update in one hour. And a reminder, for all of the latest political news, go to our Web site, CNNpolitics.com.

The trial of self-help guru James Ray is underway in Arizona, and several participants of the sweat lodge purification ritual will testify. Our legal expert will weigh in.

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COSTELLO: People overheating, suffering dehydration and heat strokes and then dying. That's what prosecutors say happened as the trial gets underway for self-help guru James Ray. He's charged with manslaughter in the 2009 deaths of three people in a sweat lodge purification ceremony near Sedona, Arizona.

Let's talk more about this with Beth Karas from "In Session" on our sister network, TruTV. Welcome. What do we expect to hear today?

BETH KARAS, CORRESPONDENT, TRUTV: Well, good morning, Carol. Today will be the second witness on the stand. She barely started her testimony yesterday when court broke for the day. Her name is Jennifer Haley, and she was one of seven volunteers who made up what was called "the dream team." These were James Ray followers who had been through all of his seminars and events over the course of several years, actually, so they qualified to be these volunteer assistants helping others.

She's barely gotten into the substance of her testimony, so we don't know exactly what her role was and what she saw. But the first witness who finished yesterday did paint a very gruesome picture of things outside that sweat lodge after the eight-round ceremony in October 2009. And the distress people were in when the ceremony was still going on, and James Ray wasn't stopping yet. She, in fact, this first witness, called out for help five times for someone who eventually was found dead.

COSTELLO: Oh, that's just so awful! You know, I have been to Sedona, Arizona. It's incredibly hot there anywhere. What do people get from this purification ritual? What's the appeal?

KARAS: You know, it wasn't all that hot that the day. The high was 67, but it was hot inside. No one has testified to the temperature, but there were hot rocks that were brought in and put in a pit and heated and hot water poured on it to make steam, which made it even hotter.

This - the whole purpose was sort of -- it's a dome-like, low, dome-like structure. Fifty-five people went inside it. It was supposed to be going into the womb of mother earth and shedding some of the bad things in your life that you wanted to get rid of. One victim wanted to quit smoking. That's why he was there. You come out and you are reborn. So, it is a purification, it's a rebirth.

COSTELLO: So, I mean, there was testimony yesterday - I mean, I might be wrong about this -- that one woman actually saw angels?

KARAS: Well, a lot of the folks here are very spiritual, and, yes, this is Melissa Phillips, the first witness who said she was assisting a friend of hers named Theresa who was in distress after the ceremony. And Theresa was on the ground, and Melissa Phillips called on the angels, she said. She was helping her, calling on the angels, putting her energy into her friend Theresa.

COSTELLO: Understood. So, the trial is going to last a couple more months. You'll be covering it. And thank you for joining us this morning. We appreciate it.

KARAS: My pleasure.

COSTELLO: Moms and dads, remember how you felt were your child was old enough to ride in the car without the car seat? Georgia law maker want to extend the mandatory car seat years by another two years, from age six to eight. And other states might follow suit.

Elizabeth Cohen is here. And -- is this really necessary?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, we talked to safety experts, Carol, and they said look, most kids, most seven- and eight-year-olds aren't really tall enough to sit without a seat belt. So, what happens - and I've seen it in my kids. I mean, granted, my kids are kind of short, like me, but still, other kids are the same way.

That arm - the shoulder belt cuts across their neck. All right. It is supposed to cut across here but cuts across their neck. You can only imagine what would happen if God forbid, there were an accident. That's why in Georgia, as well as in other states, they are proposing that kids sit in something like this. So, it's not a full seat. Doesn't have the back, but it just literally boosts them up a couple of inches so that that shoulder strap lies in the right place.

COSTELLO: So, I'm just wondering, is there any evidence to prove that that will be safer?

COHEN: Yes. They actually have looked at accident rates and looked at -- hard to get a big study because not enough kids are using them. But they have seen that kids that age are not tall enough to have that shoulder belt lie in the right place.

COSTELLO: So, since you have all of those cool props and you are a mother of a gazillion children -

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: -- give us like, a 101 on car seat safety.

COHEN: All of whom, by the way, were in car seats until age eight. Even though we live in Georgia and it's not the law, we do it anyhow because we listen to safety experts. We don't listen to the state. We listen to what safety experts say.

Anyhow, from birth until around age one, depending on the size of your child, this is what's called a bucket car seat. When they are bigger, they move into the toddler car seat, which is this one here. And again, depending upon the size of your child, they say in until let's say, 3 or 4 years of age. And then they move in they move into a booster seat like this one.

And you know, sometimes, kids sometimes do complain. I mean, I'll be honest. Like, if my child is in a car seat -- booster seat and her friend isn't, and she complains, I say, it's for your own health. Be quiet, sit down.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: You sound like my mother did years ago. Hardcore. I like that! Elizabeth Cohen, thank you so much.

COHEN: Thanks.

COSTELLO: Sometimes a monogram just won't do. We'll show you one former leader wore his name in the pinstripes of his suit.

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COSTELLO: Lots of normal people have monograms on their clothes, but a simple HM wasn't enough for Egypt's former president. If you look really closely, you can see that Hosni Mubarak's pinstripes actually spell out his name over and over and over again. Like it or not, that's one heck of a fashion statement.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not like they had a spool of fabric and printed his name on it. They created a fabric that has his name woven into it.

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COSTELLO: Mubarak wore that suit during a state visit back in 2009. I guess if the suit got lost, there is no doubt whose suit it was.

Now you know what he spent lots of that money --

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: You got to wonder, like, how much does that cost? But then he has a lot of money, so maybe it doesn't really matter.

COSTELLO: Maybe not so much anymore since most of his assets have been frozen now.

MALVEUAX: Yes. Reminds me of when you're a kid and you put your marker and tag your name there on your clothes for summer camp?

COSTELLO: Yes. But this is a whole new territory.

(LAUGHTER)

MALVEAUX: Thank you, Carol. All right. We'll see you soon.