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CNN Live Today
Margaret Spellings Sworn In as New Secretary of Education; U.S. Troops' Role in Iraq
Aired January 31, 2005 - 10:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And a developing story we're watching through much of the morning, a freight train derailed outside Pittsburgh early this morning. Four of the cars plunged into the Allegheny River. Three of the derailed cars, including one in the river, where carrying hydrogen chloride. Those cars are not reported to be leaking at this time. Some roads in the area have been closed and some residents evacuated.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Let's now turn to the story that's been big news over the weekend and here throughout the day here on CNN, American support in Iraq can be seen in its continued military presence there. And the U.S. will now be entering a new phase there. Why? Because the first elections are over.
CNN's Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr is joining us with more on the military role as a result of all of this.
Barbara, good morning.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Rick.
Well, there is still a lot of euphoria here at the Pentagon the day after Iraqi election, but military planners certainly are still taking the long-term view.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STARR (voice-over): Even before Iraqis lined up to vote in the first Democratic election in decades, U.S. commanders were developing a post-election military strategy to deal with the expectations the insurgency will continue.
The overall goal remains: Get Iraq's 130,000 security forces capable of fighting the insurgency, possibly for years to come.
GEN. GEORGE W. CASEY, U.S. ARMY: Right now you have a situation where the coalition forces are in front and the Iraqi forces, because they're just in their development, are behind. And what we want to do over the next year is reverse those positions.
STARR: To make that happen army commanders could keep 120,000 U.S. forces in Iraq for the next two years, if needed. U.S. military training teams will start embedded into Iraqi units, training the Iraqis from the inside. BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY: They need to season. They need more maturity. They need more mentoring, making the Iraqi force more capable, let them take the lead in operations and take more of a mentoring role in the future.
STARR: If it all works, the Pentagon hopes it can bring some troops home overtime. But even after the election, top officials, at least publicly, won't set a schedule.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECY. OF STATE: We've always said that the conditions on the ground will dictate the particular mix of Iraqi forces and coalition forces. I really believe that we should not try and put artificial timetables on this. We need to finish the job.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STARR: So, Rick, what military commanders are emphasizing, is although the election went very well, they are going to stick with the strategy, stay in Iraq, finish their job, and not leave until the Iraqis really believe they can take over -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: We've also been following throughout the course of the morning, Barbara, a story about a British transport plane that apparently was downed. I'm wondering if you have any new information as to the number of casualties or the cause?
STARR: Well, Rick, the British government is now confirming that 10 personnel at least on the plane are missing and presumed dead. That British C-130 that crashed yesterday north of Baghdad, apparently approaching the airfield at Balad. The investigation remains under way. British government officials are expected to speak shortly on the floor of the House of Commons. I see we have that picture up now. Jack Straw, the U.K. foreign minister, speaking about all of this. They have not yet announced an official cause of the tragedy, but they have not, according to our sources, ruled out the possibility of enemy action, some sort of hostile fire. There are reports that there were some sort of ground fire in the region at the time, some sort of explosion seen by witnesses on the ground. All of that still being investigated, not confirmed. The investigation continues. But not yet are officials ready to rule out the possibility that hostile fire was involved -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: We'll be checking on that one throughout the morning. Barbara, we thank you so much for that report.
Meanwhile, as Iraqis plot their post-election future, there are questions about what happened to nearly $9 billion to help them rebuild. This money, you understand, was earmarked for salaries, and operating, and capital expenditures, and also for reconstruction of the country. But an inspector general's report now says that the Coalition Provisional Authority has been unable to properly track these funds, almost $9 billion. The former U.S. administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, is disputing these findings, by the way. We'll let you know.
KAGAN: Big day in central California. Just about two hours from now, jury selection begins in the Michael Jackson case. You're going to hear from an expert on why this could be the most important phase of the trial.
SANCHEZ: And the antidepressant defense. A teenager on trial for murder. You're going to hear why his defense team is blaming a drug, not just any drug. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: About two hours from now, jury selection is set to begin in the child molestation trial of singer Michael Jackson. About 300 people report this first day for questions that will help seat 12 jurors. Attorneys, such as prosecutor Tom Sneddon, who you see on the right, will seek those candidates most sympathetic to their case.
Earlier on CNN's AMERICAN MORNING, our Bill Hemmer spoke to a jury consultant about the critical process.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NONA DODSON, JURY CONSULTANT: Someone who has no bias, or holds no animosity or ill will towards Mr. Jackson, primarily, someone who can come to the jury table with a clean slate, listen to the evidence and decide the case based upon what's presented to them.
HEMMER: How do you find that out through an question-and-answer session in court.
DODSON: Well, they're not allowed to have individual voir dire. They're going to have to visit with these people. They have a good sense of where they are right now based on the questionnaire, because the jurors answered a seven-page questionnaire. So scale questions, more closed-ended questions would be proper, I think, in this case.
HEMMER: What about the prosecution? What are they looking for, Nona?
DODSON: I think they're looking for people who have a preconceived or are a preconception of Mr. Jackson. They want people who look at him as odd or strange or difficult, or possibly they bring into the courtroom an attitude that he might possibly be guilty of these charges.
HEMMER: When some suggest that an impartial jury is impossible in this part of California, what do you say to them?
DODSON: I say there's a middle ground in there somewhere. Mr. Jackson is sort of like liver, one either loves it or hates it. There's no middle ground for him. People really like him or they don't like him.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Nona Dodson often works for just the defense in criminal and civil cases. SANCHEZ: Jury selection will us also begin today in the case of a South Carolina teenager who shot to death his grandparents as they were sleeping, according to police. His lawyers blame his antidepressant medication that he was taking at the time. It was Zoloft. CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is looking at alarming questions over antidepressants in general, and whether they can trigger this type of violence in children.
Boy, this has been an ongoing question for quite sometime.
Elizabeth, how are you?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, controversy around this drug and drugs like it has been going on for years. Well, that jury selection is taking place right now in the courthouse behind me. And this case is not a whodunnit, it's a what- done-it. Can an antidepressant make someone kill? That question is so central to this case, Rick, that they have decided -- or they're expected rather, to ask jurors if they themselves are taking any psychiatric drugs.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COHEN (voice-over): Christopher Pittman was 12 when, by his own admission, he shot his grandparents to death as they slept, then used candles and lighter fluid to burn down the house.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This kid waved to his grandparents, went to bed, went to sleep, came in and shot them in the face, in the mouth with a shotgun, as cold, brutal an act as I've witnessed in 25 years of prosecuting.
COHEN: After a troubled boyhood and a brief psychiatric stay near his home in Florida, Chris had gone to live with the grandparents in rural South Carolina. After a school fight, they talked about sending him back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The shotgun my son used was the first gun my dad ever bought me when I was a boy. I let him bring it back with him, and...
COHEN: Chris' father was at a loss.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now, I don't see my son. I don't see that light in his eyes. I see darkness.
COHEN: The family blames a popular antidepressant he was taking, Zoloft. It's never been approved for children with depression, yet is often prescribed. This defense lawyer wants to put Zoloft on trial.
ANDY VICKERY, DEFENSE LAWYER: It drove him out of his mind, it put him out of touch with reality. It made him hear voices.
COHEN: Pfizer, which makes Zoloft, denies any connection to the deaths. It says, there is no scientific evidence to suggest that Zoloft contributes to violent behavior in either adults or children. Now 15, Chris Pittman goes on trial as an adult facing 30 years to life for murder. He gave this account of the shootings in a letter his father read at a Food and Drug Administration hearing a year ago.
J. PITTMAN: When I was lying in my bed that night, I couldn't sleep because my voice in my head kept echoing in my mind, telling me to kill them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COHEN: The trial's expected to last about two weeks, and at the end of it, jurors will be asked to look inside the mind of a 12-year- old boy and figure out what made him kill -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: What a story. Elizabeth Cohen, we thank you for that report.
KAGAN: Different issue concerning kids. A lot of today's high school students say the first amendment to the constitution is not all that important. Really? Well, we'll have results of a surprising new study.
SANCHEZ: One thing that is important for those students, if they want to go to college, that is, is mastering the SATs.
KAGAN: Oh, I'm getting a stomach ache, already.
SANCHEZ: An expert explains how to avoid the stomach aches right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Do we really know what democracy is all about? Well, here's a test that they've conducted. There's a surprising number of high school students who apparently think it might be OK for the government, for example, to censor newspapers and have control of what you believe or read. Three out of four students, that is, in this study, believe that flag burning is illegal.
A new study just released by the Knight Foundation also shows 36 percent believe that newspaper stories should approved by the government first. And more than a third of the students believe the first amendment goes way too far in the rights that it guarantees its citizen. The study found that schools generally do not make teaching the bill of rights a priority. Therein may lie the problem, young Daryn.
KAGAN: Yes, thank you for that. College-bound seniors will get first crack at a bland new SAT Test. Joy -- oh, joy for them. It's rolling out next month, and you can bet plenty of students, as well as their parents, are worried about the revamped SATs. Not to worry. We are here for you.
Adam Robinson's here to help unravel the secrets of the new test. He is the author of "The RocketReview Revolution: The Ultimate Guide to the New SAT." Good morning. ADAM ROBINSON, AUTHOR, "ROCKETREVIEW REVOLUTION": Good morning, Daryn.
KAGAN: So, I'm not to have a stomach ache just thinking but the SAT?
ROBINSON: No, no. It's like anything -- if you prepare it, you'll be set.
KAGAN: It's all about prep time. And I know you have some good tips for us. First of all, let's talk about, though, what the changes are. This is not our SAT that we took.
ROBINSON: No, no. This year, the big change is the addition of a writing section. So students will have a 25-minute essay on an assigned topic and grammar questions, which not a lot students study formally.
KAGAN: Well, let's go right to that. What are the tips of doing well on those new sections?
ROBINSON: Well, the big tip on the essay is to realize that's it's a persuasive essay and that it's graded by English teachers. And English teachers like to see that you've read books, that you've been awake in high school.
KAGAN: This could be a problem.
ROBINSON: This could be a problem. Yes, indeed. So you want to be sure to use good academic examples to back up your point of view on whatever the question is. So examples from "To Kill a Mockingbird," or "Death of a Salesman."
KAGAN: As I was reading in, la la la la la.
ROBINSON: Exactly right.
KAGAN: Not just to make it all about you.
ROBINSON: Right. You want to try to -- expressing your personal opinion is nice, but it doesn't impress English teachers. They like, again, like to see, literary, historical examples. Other academic examples.
KAGAN: And what about in the grammar section? How can you master that?
ROBINSON: Well, the key thing about the grammar is to realize -- to beware of using your ear. Like, I ask students, you know, if I say, knock, knock, who's there? It's me. And I say, no, no, but it should be, it is I. But nobody talks like that. And so I do that to make a point, that just using your ear is misleading on the grammar section.
KAGAN: So don't go with that. ROBINSON: It doesn't cover much. You know, singular, plural, agreement, pronoun agreement, grammatical basics. But you need to know what's being tested.
KAGAN: You need to know when your participle is dangling.
ROBINSON: Absolutely.
KAGAN: Pretty much. You don't want to be caught like that. OK, now, hold on, because appropriately enough, the new education -- the secretary of education, is being sworn in. Margaret Spellings at the Department of Education. President Bush is there. And they are long- time. Oh, well, we have the swearing-in. Let's listen in:
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thanks for coming.
Laura and I are pleased to be here at the Department of Education with Margaret Spellings.
Madam Secretary, thanks for inviting us over.
(APPLAUSE)
I have known Margaret for a long time, before we both came to Washington. When I was the governor of Texas, she was the senior adviser for education. And at the White House, she has been my senior domestic policy adviser.
For more than 10 years she's been right down the hall or by my side, and now I look forward to having her take her seat in the Cabinet Room.
(APPLAUSE)
It's good to be here with members of her family. I have known her husband for a while, Robert Spellings. It's good that Robert and Britain are with us. Mary and Grace are with us as well, Margaret's daughters. Her parents, John and Peg Dudar are here, as are other members of her family.
Welcome to Washington, D.C.
I'm pleased members of the Congress have come. I'm so grateful that Senator Ted Kennedy and Senator Mike Enzi are with us today.
Thank you both for coming.
BUSH: I appreciate Congressmen John Boehner, Ralph Regula and Matt Thornberry from Texas for being here.
You're very gracious to take time to be here. Thank you all for being here.
(APPLAUSE) Looking around, I see other nominees for the Cabinet and members of our administration, all fans of Margaret's. I see a few Texans have come up from the great state. Thank you all for being here.
We're honored you're here. I know Margaret is especially honored you're here.
She will be an outstanding secretary of education. She has been involved in all of our efforts to strengthen America's public schools.
She was instrumental in getting the No Child Left Behind act passed that will help raise standards in our public schools. She believes, as I do, that every child can learn and that every school must teach.
In the past four years we have made great strides. Today children across America are scoring higher on state reading and math tests. The achievement gap in America is closing.
We've made important progress, but Margaret understands there is still more work to be done. We will maintain the high standards of No Child Left Behind.
We will extend those high standards and accountability to America's public high schools. Today only about 68 out of every 100 students entering our public high schools ever make it to graduation four years later. Margaret understands, as do I, that is unacceptable.
We're committed to ensuring that every high school student succeeds and leaves with the skills he or she needs to succeed in college or the work place.
Because most new jobs in our 21st century economy will require post-secondary education or training, Margaret understands we need to make higher education more affordable and accessible for all Americans.
BUSH: We will reform the student aid system and increase college assistance for low-income students. We'll increase the maximum award for Pell grants and make them available to students year round. And we will expand access to community colleges so that more Americans can develop the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the workplace.
Margaret is the right person to carry out a reform agenda. She is talented, she is smart, she is capable and she is a lot of fun to be around.
(APPLAUSE)
She is a mom. She has a personal stake in the success of our nation's schools.
She knows that to build on the progress of No Child Left Behind, the government, the president and the secretary of education and those who work in this building must listen to those closest to our children: their parents, their teachers and their principals.
She will be a thoughtful and determined leader of this department. The people who work in this building will find out that they are very lucky to have been led by the likes of Margaret Spellings.
I am proud to welcome her into my Cabinet.
Margaret?
(APPLAUSE)
MARGARET SPELLINGS, U.S. SECRETARY OF EDUCATION: Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. President.
I've been honored to serve you and our great country these past four years and to have worked with you for the past decade going back to our days in Texas.
Thank you for your confidence and for your generosity and kindness to my family and me.
SPELLINGS: I'd also like to thank Mrs. Bush for being here today, and for her support and commitment to improving education in this country and around the world.
Thank you to Secretaries Chao, Jackson, Johanns, Leavitt and Veneman for being here today.
Thanks also to Chairman Enzi, Senator Kennedy, Chairman Boehner and Chairman Regula. Your presence means so much.
To all the United States senators, I thank you for my quick confirmation. Our positive experience portends well for our ability to work together.
I am eager to work with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle and in both chambers to continue the progress begun under Secretary Rod Paige, to whom I am grateful.
I'm grateful as well to the White House chief of staff, Secretary Andy Card, and my former colleague Jim Towey for their important roles today. And thanks to Deputy Secretary Gene Hickok for making me feel so welcome here.
Of course I'd like to thank my family: my parents, John and Peg Dudar, my sister Ellen, and sister and brother-in-law Nan (ph) and John Lawson (ph), and most importantly my husband Robert and our sons Britain and Robert and daughters Mary and Grace La Montagne.
Let me offer a special thanks to the department's 4,600 employees, my new colleagues. I look forward to our close collaboration and communication.
Mr. President, your passion for education has become our policy. Your belief that every child can learn has become our mission.
When you signed No Child Left Behind into law three years ago, it was more than an act. It was an attitude: an attitude that says it's right to measure our children's progress from year to year so we can help them before it's too late; an attitude that says expecting students to read and do math at grade level or better is not too much to ask.
Mr. President, you had faith that our teachers, principals and administrators can make it happen, and your faith is being rewarded. Across the nation, test scores in reading and math are rising, with disadvantaged and minority students leading the way. Yes, after long decades, the pernicious achievement gap is beginning to close.
We've learned a new equation: accountability plus high expectations plus resources equals results.
SPELLINGS: We must stay the course.
At the same time, we must work to close another gap, the skills gap faced by our high school graduates. We must introduce the reforms of No Child Left Behind to our high schools so that diplomas become tickets to success in the 21st century.
America enjoys many, many good schools and great teachers who share our passion and commitment to excellence. As someone who has worked for school boards, a state legislature and a Texas governor, I know that many solutions can be found outside of Washington, D.C. We will find and share them as we continue to build bridges to educators, public officials and parents.
Finally, let me say a few words about this department. One of the first things you notice is that there is no ivory tower. I pledge to run an open, honest and accessible department, one that operates with integrity at all levels.
I stand here today as a product of the public schools. I'm also an education consumer, the first mother of school-age children to serve as secretary of education. In carrying out my duties to the American people, I will be carrying out my duties as a mom, and there's none more important than to provide a quality education to our children.
Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
BUSH: Good job. Very well spoken, Madam Secretary. You read it just like they wrote it.
KAGAN: We have been listening in as Margaret Spellings sworn in as the new secretary of education. She and President Bush go way back to Texas days, where she's worked on education issues with the president, now president, and then-governor.
Now appropriately enough, as that was getting started, we were talking with Adam Robinson about the new SAT that changes next month for high schoolers.
Quickly, we have time for one question -- is there really any indication that the SAT is even an indicator as to how people will do in college, or even beyond?
ROBINSON: No, the SAT is only marginally better than your grades. when predicting freshman-year grades. In other words, your high school grades predict your college grades about 50 percent. When you add in the SAT, it comes up to about 54 percent. So it adds just a little bit of information, but not for all of the angst it causes.
KAGAN: Plenty of angst. And your big tip, whether it's the old SAT or the new SAT -- prepare, prepare, prepare.
ROBINSON: Absolutely prepare. Don't take any test just to see how you're going to do.
KAGAN: Give yourself, what, to two, three months lead time.
ROBINSON: Two to three months, and students might want to skip the first test in March and take the second one in May. I think there are going to be some kinks in the March test.
KAGAN: OK, there you go. Delay it, put it off.
ROBINSON: Put it off.
KAGAN: I think people will be willing to go with that.
Adam Robinson, thank you for those tips.
ROBINSON: Thanks for having me on.
KAGAN: We're going to take a break, and we are back, right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
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Aired January 31, 2005 - 10:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And a developing story we're watching through much of the morning, a freight train derailed outside Pittsburgh early this morning. Four of the cars plunged into the Allegheny River. Three of the derailed cars, including one in the river, where carrying hydrogen chloride. Those cars are not reported to be leaking at this time. Some roads in the area have been closed and some residents evacuated.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Let's now turn to the story that's been big news over the weekend and here throughout the day here on CNN, American support in Iraq can be seen in its continued military presence there. And the U.S. will now be entering a new phase there. Why? Because the first elections are over.
CNN's Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr is joining us with more on the military role as a result of all of this.
Barbara, good morning.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Rick.
Well, there is still a lot of euphoria here at the Pentagon the day after Iraqi election, but military planners certainly are still taking the long-term view.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STARR (voice-over): Even before Iraqis lined up to vote in the first Democratic election in decades, U.S. commanders were developing a post-election military strategy to deal with the expectations the insurgency will continue.
The overall goal remains: Get Iraq's 130,000 security forces capable of fighting the insurgency, possibly for years to come.
GEN. GEORGE W. CASEY, U.S. ARMY: Right now you have a situation where the coalition forces are in front and the Iraqi forces, because they're just in their development, are behind. And what we want to do over the next year is reverse those positions.
STARR: To make that happen army commanders could keep 120,000 U.S. forces in Iraq for the next two years, if needed. U.S. military training teams will start embedded into Iraqi units, training the Iraqis from the inside. BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY: They need to season. They need more maturity. They need more mentoring, making the Iraqi force more capable, let them take the lead in operations and take more of a mentoring role in the future.
STARR: If it all works, the Pentagon hopes it can bring some troops home overtime. But even after the election, top officials, at least publicly, won't set a schedule.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECY. OF STATE: We've always said that the conditions on the ground will dictate the particular mix of Iraqi forces and coalition forces. I really believe that we should not try and put artificial timetables on this. We need to finish the job.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STARR: So, Rick, what military commanders are emphasizing, is although the election went very well, they are going to stick with the strategy, stay in Iraq, finish their job, and not leave until the Iraqis really believe they can take over -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: We've also been following throughout the course of the morning, Barbara, a story about a British transport plane that apparently was downed. I'm wondering if you have any new information as to the number of casualties or the cause?
STARR: Well, Rick, the British government is now confirming that 10 personnel at least on the plane are missing and presumed dead. That British C-130 that crashed yesterday north of Baghdad, apparently approaching the airfield at Balad. The investigation remains under way. British government officials are expected to speak shortly on the floor of the House of Commons. I see we have that picture up now. Jack Straw, the U.K. foreign minister, speaking about all of this. They have not yet announced an official cause of the tragedy, but they have not, according to our sources, ruled out the possibility of enemy action, some sort of hostile fire. There are reports that there were some sort of ground fire in the region at the time, some sort of explosion seen by witnesses on the ground. All of that still being investigated, not confirmed. The investigation continues. But not yet are officials ready to rule out the possibility that hostile fire was involved -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: We'll be checking on that one throughout the morning. Barbara, we thank you so much for that report.
Meanwhile, as Iraqis plot their post-election future, there are questions about what happened to nearly $9 billion to help them rebuild. This money, you understand, was earmarked for salaries, and operating, and capital expenditures, and also for reconstruction of the country. But an inspector general's report now says that the Coalition Provisional Authority has been unable to properly track these funds, almost $9 billion. The former U.S. administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, is disputing these findings, by the way. We'll let you know.
KAGAN: Big day in central California. Just about two hours from now, jury selection begins in the Michael Jackson case. You're going to hear from an expert on why this could be the most important phase of the trial.
SANCHEZ: And the antidepressant defense. A teenager on trial for murder. You're going to hear why his defense team is blaming a drug, not just any drug. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: About two hours from now, jury selection is set to begin in the child molestation trial of singer Michael Jackson. About 300 people report this first day for questions that will help seat 12 jurors. Attorneys, such as prosecutor Tom Sneddon, who you see on the right, will seek those candidates most sympathetic to their case.
Earlier on CNN's AMERICAN MORNING, our Bill Hemmer spoke to a jury consultant about the critical process.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NONA DODSON, JURY CONSULTANT: Someone who has no bias, or holds no animosity or ill will towards Mr. Jackson, primarily, someone who can come to the jury table with a clean slate, listen to the evidence and decide the case based upon what's presented to them.
HEMMER: How do you find that out through an question-and-answer session in court.
DODSON: Well, they're not allowed to have individual voir dire. They're going to have to visit with these people. They have a good sense of where they are right now based on the questionnaire, because the jurors answered a seven-page questionnaire. So scale questions, more closed-ended questions would be proper, I think, in this case.
HEMMER: What about the prosecution? What are they looking for, Nona?
DODSON: I think they're looking for people who have a preconceived or are a preconception of Mr. Jackson. They want people who look at him as odd or strange or difficult, or possibly they bring into the courtroom an attitude that he might possibly be guilty of these charges.
HEMMER: When some suggest that an impartial jury is impossible in this part of California, what do you say to them?
DODSON: I say there's a middle ground in there somewhere. Mr. Jackson is sort of like liver, one either loves it or hates it. There's no middle ground for him. People really like him or they don't like him.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Nona Dodson often works for just the defense in criminal and civil cases. SANCHEZ: Jury selection will us also begin today in the case of a South Carolina teenager who shot to death his grandparents as they were sleeping, according to police. His lawyers blame his antidepressant medication that he was taking at the time. It was Zoloft. CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is looking at alarming questions over antidepressants in general, and whether they can trigger this type of violence in children.
Boy, this has been an ongoing question for quite sometime.
Elizabeth, how are you?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, controversy around this drug and drugs like it has been going on for years. Well, that jury selection is taking place right now in the courthouse behind me. And this case is not a whodunnit, it's a what- done-it. Can an antidepressant make someone kill? That question is so central to this case, Rick, that they have decided -- or they're expected rather, to ask jurors if they themselves are taking any psychiatric drugs.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COHEN (voice-over): Christopher Pittman was 12 when, by his own admission, he shot his grandparents to death as they slept, then used candles and lighter fluid to burn down the house.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This kid waved to his grandparents, went to bed, went to sleep, came in and shot them in the face, in the mouth with a shotgun, as cold, brutal an act as I've witnessed in 25 years of prosecuting.
COHEN: After a troubled boyhood and a brief psychiatric stay near his home in Florida, Chris had gone to live with the grandparents in rural South Carolina. After a school fight, they talked about sending him back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The shotgun my son used was the first gun my dad ever bought me when I was a boy. I let him bring it back with him, and...
COHEN: Chris' father was at a loss.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now, I don't see my son. I don't see that light in his eyes. I see darkness.
COHEN: The family blames a popular antidepressant he was taking, Zoloft. It's never been approved for children with depression, yet is often prescribed. This defense lawyer wants to put Zoloft on trial.
ANDY VICKERY, DEFENSE LAWYER: It drove him out of his mind, it put him out of touch with reality. It made him hear voices.
COHEN: Pfizer, which makes Zoloft, denies any connection to the deaths. It says, there is no scientific evidence to suggest that Zoloft contributes to violent behavior in either adults or children. Now 15, Chris Pittman goes on trial as an adult facing 30 years to life for murder. He gave this account of the shootings in a letter his father read at a Food and Drug Administration hearing a year ago.
J. PITTMAN: When I was lying in my bed that night, I couldn't sleep because my voice in my head kept echoing in my mind, telling me to kill them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COHEN: The trial's expected to last about two weeks, and at the end of it, jurors will be asked to look inside the mind of a 12-year- old boy and figure out what made him kill -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: What a story. Elizabeth Cohen, we thank you for that report.
KAGAN: Different issue concerning kids. A lot of today's high school students say the first amendment to the constitution is not all that important. Really? Well, we'll have results of a surprising new study.
SANCHEZ: One thing that is important for those students, if they want to go to college, that is, is mastering the SATs.
KAGAN: Oh, I'm getting a stomach ache, already.
SANCHEZ: An expert explains how to avoid the stomach aches right after this.
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SANCHEZ: Do we really know what democracy is all about? Well, here's a test that they've conducted. There's a surprising number of high school students who apparently think it might be OK for the government, for example, to censor newspapers and have control of what you believe or read. Three out of four students, that is, in this study, believe that flag burning is illegal.
A new study just released by the Knight Foundation also shows 36 percent believe that newspaper stories should approved by the government first. And more than a third of the students believe the first amendment goes way too far in the rights that it guarantees its citizen. The study found that schools generally do not make teaching the bill of rights a priority. Therein may lie the problem, young Daryn.
KAGAN: Yes, thank you for that. College-bound seniors will get first crack at a bland new SAT Test. Joy -- oh, joy for them. It's rolling out next month, and you can bet plenty of students, as well as their parents, are worried about the revamped SATs. Not to worry. We are here for you.
Adam Robinson's here to help unravel the secrets of the new test. He is the author of "The RocketReview Revolution: The Ultimate Guide to the New SAT." Good morning. ADAM ROBINSON, AUTHOR, "ROCKETREVIEW REVOLUTION": Good morning, Daryn.
KAGAN: So, I'm not to have a stomach ache just thinking but the SAT?
ROBINSON: No, no. It's like anything -- if you prepare it, you'll be set.
KAGAN: It's all about prep time. And I know you have some good tips for us. First of all, let's talk about, though, what the changes are. This is not our SAT that we took.
ROBINSON: No, no. This year, the big change is the addition of a writing section. So students will have a 25-minute essay on an assigned topic and grammar questions, which not a lot students study formally.
KAGAN: Well, let's go right to that. What are the tips of doing well on those new sections?
ROBINSON: Well, the big tip on the essay is to realize that's it's a persuasive essay and that it's graded by English teachers. And English teachers like to see that you've read books, that you've been awake in high school.
KAGAN: This could be a problem.
ROBINSON: This could be a problem. Yes, indeed. So you want to be sure to use good academic examples to back up your point of view on whatever the question is. So examples from "To Kill a Mockingbird," or "Death of a Salesman."
KAGAN: As I was reading in, la la la la la.
ROBINSON: Exactly right.
KAGAN: Not just to make it all about you.
ROBINSON: Right. You want to try to -- expressing your personal opinion is nice, but it doesn't impress English teachers. They like, again, like to see, literary, historical examples. Other academic examples.
KAGAN: And what about in the grammar section? How can you master that?
ROBINSON: Well, the key thing about the grammar is to realize -- to beware of using your ear. Like, I ask students, you know, if I say, knock, knock, who's there? It's me. And I say, no, no, but it should be, it is I. But nobody talks like that. And so I do that to make a point, that just using your ear is misleading on the grammar section.
KAGAN: So don't go with that. ROBINSON: It doesn't cover much. You know, singular, plural, agreement, pronoun agreement, grammatical basics. But you need to know what's being tested.
KAGAN: You need to know when your participle is dangling.
ROBINSON: Absolutely.
KAGAN: Pretty much. You don't want to be caught like that. OK, now, hold on, because appropriately enough, the new education -- the secretary of education, is being sworn in. Margaret Spellings at the Department of Education. President Bush is there. And they are long- time. Oh, well, we have the swearing-in. Let's listen in:
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thanks for coming.
Laura and I are pleased to be here at the Department of Education with Margaret Spellings.
Madam Secretary, thanks for inviting us over.
(APPLAUSE)
I have known Margaret for a long time, before we both came to Washington. When I was the governor of Texas, she was the senior adviser for education. And at the White House, she has been my senior domestic policy adviser.
For more than 10 years she's been right down the hall or by my side, and now I look forward to having her take her seat in the Cabinet Room.
(APPLAUSE)
It's good to be here with members of her family. I have known her husband for a while, Robert Spellings. It's good that Robert and Britain are with us. Mary and Grace are with us as well, Margaret's daughters. Her parents, John and Peg Dudar are here, as are other members of her family.
Welcome to Washington, D.C.
I'm pleased members of the Congress have come. I'm so grateful that Senator Ted Kennedy and Senator Mike Enzi are with us today.
Thank you both for coming.
BUSH: I appreciate Congressmen John Boehner, Ralph Regula and Matt Thornberry from Texas for being here.
You're very gracious to take time to be here. Thank you all for being here.
(APPLAUSE) Looking around, I see other nominees for the Cabinet and members of our administration, all fans of Margaret's. I see a few Texans have come up from the great state. Thank you all for being here.
We're honored you're here. I know Margaret is especially honored you're here.
She will be an outstanding secretary of education. She has been involved in all of our efforts to strengthen America's public schools.
She was instrumental in getting the No Child Left Behind act passed that will help raise standards in our public schools. She believes, as I do, that every child can learn and that every school must teach.
In the past four years we have made great strides. Today children across America are scoring higher on state reading and math tests. The achievement gap in America is closing.
We've made important progress, but Margaret understands there is still more work to be done. We will maintain the high standards of No Child Left Behind.
We will extend those high standards and accountability to America's public high schools. Today only about 68 out of every 100 students entering our public high schools ever make it to graduation four years later. Margaret understands, as do I, that is unacceptable.
We're committed to ensuring that every high school student succeeds and leaves with the skills he or she needs to succeed in college or the work place.
Because most new jobs in our 21st century economy will require post-secondary education or training, Margaret understands we need to make higher education more affordable and accessible for all Americans.
BUSH: We will reform the student aid system and increase college assistance for low-income students. We'll increase the maximum award for Pell grants and make them available to students year round. And we will expand access to community colleges so that more Americans can develop the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the workplace.
Margaret is the right person to carry out a reform agenda. She is talented, she is smart, she is capable and she is a lot of fun to be around.
(APPLAUSE)
She is a mom. She has a personal stake in the success of our nation's schools.
She knows that to build on the progress of No Child Left Behind, the government, the president and the secretary of education and those who work in this building must listen to those closest to our children: their parents, their teachers and their principals.
She will be a thoughtful and determined leader of this department. The people who work in this building will find out that they are very lucky to have been led by the likes of Margaret Spellings.
I am proud to welcome her into my Cabinet.
Margaret?
(APPLAUSE)
MARGARET SPELLINGS, U.S. SECRETARY OF EDUCATION: Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. President.
I've been honored to serve you and our great country these past four years and to have worked with you for the past decade going back to our days in Texas.
Thank you for your confidence and for your generosity and kindness to my family and me.
SPELLINGS: I'd also like to thank Mrs. Bush for being here today, and for her support and commitment to improving education in this country and around the world.
Thank you to Secretaries Chao, Jackson, Johanns, Leavitt and Veneman for being here today.
Thanks also to Chairman Enzi, Senator Kennedy, Chairman Boehner and Chairman Regula. Your presence means so much.
To all the United States senators, I thank you for my quick confirmation. Our positive experience portends well for our ability to work together.
I am eager to work with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle and in both chambers to continue the progress begun under Secretary Rod Paige, to whom I am grateful.
I'm grateful as well to the White House chief of staff, Secretary Andy Card, and my former colleague Jim Towey for their important roles today. And thanks to Deputy Secretary Gene Hickok for making me feel so welcome here.
Of course I'd like to thank my family: my parents, John and Peg Dudar, my sister Ellen, and sister and brother-in-law Nan (ph) and John Lawson (ph), and most importantly my husband Robert and our sons Britain and Robert and daughters Mary and Grace La Montagne.
Let me offer a special thanks to the department's 4,600 employees, my new colleagues. I look forward to our close collaboration and communication.
Mr. President, your passion for education has become our policy. Your belief that every child can learn has become our mission.
When you signed No Child Left Behind into law three years ago, it was more than an act. It was an attitude: an attitude that says it's right to measure our children's progress from year to year so we can help them before it's too late; an attitude that says expecting students to read and do math at grade level or better is not too much to ask.
Mr. President, you had faith that our teachers, principals and administrators can make it happen, and your faith is being rewarded. Across the nation, test scores in reading and math are rising, with disadvantaged and minority students leading the way. Yes, after long decades, the pernicious achievement gap is beginning to close.
We've learned a new equation: accountability plus high expectations plus resources equals results.
SPELLINGS: We must stay the course.
At the same time, we must work to close another gap, the skills gap faced by our high school graduates. We must introduce the reforms of No Child Left Behind to our high schools so that diplomas become tickets to success in the 21st century.
America enjoys many, many good schools and great teachers who share our passion and commitment to excellence. As someone who has worked for school boards, a state legislature and a Texas governor, I know that many solutions can be found outside of Washington, D.C. We will find and share them as we continue to build bridges to educators, public officials and parents.
Finally, let me say a few words about this department. One of the first things you notice is that there is no ivory tower. I pledge to run an open, honest and accessible department, one that operates with integrity at all levels.
I stand here today as a product of the public schools. I'm also an education consumer, the first mother of school-age children to serve as secretary of education. In carrying out my duties to the American people, I will be carrying out my duties as a mom, and there's none more important than to provide a quality education to our children.
Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
BUSH: Good job. Very well spoken, Madam Secretary. You read it just like they wrote it.
KAGAN: We have been listening in as Margaret Spellings sworn in as the new secretary of education. She and President Bush go way back to Texas days, where she's worked on education issues with the president, now president, and then-governor.
Now appropriately enough, as that was getting started, we were talking with Adam Robinson about the new SAT that changes next month for high schoolers.
Quickly, we have time for one question -- is there really any indication that the SAT is even an indicator as to how people will do in college, or even beyond?
ROBINSON: No, the SAT is only marginally better than your grades. when predicting freshman-year grades. In other words, your high school grades predict your college grades about 50 percent. When you add in the SAT, it comes up to about 54 percent. So it adds just a little bit of information, but not for all of the angst it causes.
KAGAN: Plenty of angst. And your big tip, whether it's the old SAT or the new SAT -- prepare, prepare, prepare.
ROBINSON: Absolutely prepare. Don't take any test just to see how you're going to do.
KAGAN: Give yourself, what, to two, three months lead time.
ROBINSON: Two to three months, and students might want to skip the first test in March and take the second one in May. I think there are going to be some kinks in the March test.
KAGAN: OK, there you go. Delay it, put it off.
ROBINSON: Put it off.
KAGAN: I think people will be willing to go with that.
Adam Robinson, thank you for those tips.
ROBINSON: Thanks for having me on.
KAGAN: We're going to take a break, and we are back, right after this.
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