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American Morning
Terri Schiavo Case; School Shootings
Aired March 23, 2005 - 09:30 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Rainy day here in New York City. Might start today and end, like, next Monday. A big old storm moving through here.
Welcome back, everybody. 9:30 in New York.
That shooting in Red Lake High School in Minnesota. Could backpacks and special screening doors be an effective way to protect children at school? Good question for safety expert Bob Stuber, sharing some ideas today for protecting kids that you probably have not heard before. We'll talk to Bob in a moment.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Also this morning, the nationwide epidemic of childhood obesity. We're going to talk to the doctor who says it doesn't have to be this way. She's got the answers for keeping the pounds off our kids.
But first, another check of the headlines with Carol Costello this morning.
Hello. Good morning.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Good morning to both of you. Good morning to all of you.
More comments on the Terri Schiavo case. A family friend is speaking right now. Brother Paul, the family's spiritual adviser, is describing Terri Schiavo's condition. Basically, he says, she is deteriorating now, she's dying.
In the meantime, there is word the emergency legislation in the case may have been politically motivated. That's according to recorded comments House Majority Leader Tom DeLay made to a conservative group last week, just a few hours before Schiavo's feeding tube was removed.
President Bush is hosting a mini-North American summit at his Texas ranch this morning -- the president meeting with the leaders of Mexico and Canada. The talks are said to focus on strengthening economic and security ties between the three countries.
A Philadelphia-area couple seems to have vanished without a trace. As we told you several weeks ago Richard Petrone and Danielle Imbo have been missing since February 19th. Police say their cell phones and credit cards have not been used, and the truck they were driving has not been seen. The family still hopes to learned what happened to the couple. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CRAIG MITNICK, PETRONE FAMILY SPOKESMAN: Good, decent, honest people do not just vanish off the face of this Earth, nor do very large black Dodge pickup trucks.
The families are all here today pleading for the public's help in any information that they can give to law enforcement in helping bring both Danielle and Rich home.
ANGELA PETRONE, RICHARD'S DAUGHTER: I just need them back, please. Please.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The 14-year-old daughter crying there.
The families are offering a reward of $50,000 for any information.
And let's talk about Barry Bonds, shall we, the San Francisco Giants' star? He says he may be quitting, sitting out the whole entire season. Bonds has had at least three surgeries on his knees. He's been a key figure in baseball's steroid scandal, and he is blaming the media for a part of his troubles, actually all of his troubles, saying he's just mentally drained from all the questions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARRY BONDS, PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL PLAYER: My family's tired. Just tired, I'm tired. You guys wanted to hurt me bad enough, you finally got there.
QUESTION: When you say you guys who do you mean?
BONDS: You, you, you, you you -- the media, everybody. Finally got there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Should we say we're sorry? This would be the first time Bonds missed an opening day in 20 seasons on the field. I know I sound bitter.
O'BRIEN: You didn't hear any of the reporters standing right there saying, ah, man, we're sorry. Didn't hear any of that on the tape.
HEMMER: Here's "SI," it's on the newsstands today. Very long, detailed article about what you can anticipate for the baseball; season upcoming.
COSTELLO: Oh, I got to read that. Thanks. I'm going to do that right now.
More on Bonds. Thank you, Carol. HEMMER: In Pinellas Park, Florida, I want to get you down right now to Patrick Mahoney, who's with the Christian Defense Coalition, describing the condition of Terri Schiavo.
Let's listen here.
REV. PATRICK MAHONEY, CHRISTIAN DEFENSE COALITION: And so if everything fails, we would ask that he would use some executive authority and privilege to intervene to save the life of Terri.
Now finally -- and then we'll answer questions -- many groups have been coming here, into Tallahassee, from around the country. You have been here with us the entire time. You know our peaceful, prayerful witness here. You see our heart. I want to say publicly right now I thank Lieutenant Riley and the professionalism of the Pinellas Police Department. They've done a fantastic job in a very emotional setting, Captain Holloway and the Clearwater Police Department, with the events we've been having. At about 11:30 -- and people will come and share -- Reverend Flip Bennum (ph) is leading an effort, and he'll be here at 11:30 to share with you. So at 11:30, to offer a cup of water to Terri Schiavo. He'll be back here at 11:30 to share with that. They are going to prayerfully and peacefully do that. And so 11:30, they'll be back here.
And so we are facilitating -- again, the relationship with the police has been excellent, and that's where we're at.
OK, we'll take any questions -- Bob.
QUESTION: ... (INAUDIBLE) Supreme Court appeal, you now have certain knowledge that's the next step?
MAHONEY: We don't. We have been trying to reach David Gibbs. They could ask for a full review by the 11th Circuit. We do not know if that has been done. It has been virtually impossible, as can be expected, to reach David Gibbs.
But one of the options before going to the full Supreme Court, they could ask for a full review by the 11th Circuit. We do not know if that is being done right now. I mean, ultimately it will go to the Supreme Court, because I'm sure Michael Schiavo will appeal, should we prevail with the full 11th Circuit. Any other...
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
MAHONEY: You know what, as long as we're here right now, that's going to be Reverend Benhem (ph), I'll just bring him up in a moment. And any questions toward that, we'll be happy to answer that. Any other -- here, come on up here...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE; O'Donnell, O-D-O-N-N-E-L-L.
QUESTION: Who's coming at 11:30?
MAHONEY: Reverend, why don't you come right now and...
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
MAHONEY: We're Just facilitating organized -- Reverend Bennum will share what they're doing. Again, I wanted to thank the Pinellas Park Police Department. We have met for weeks. We've had hours of discussion. You can see the...
HEMMER: All right, listening there in Pinellas Park, Florida. This is what we understand -- that tat his point, Terri Schiavo's parents are at home apparently there in Florida. The brother, Bobby Schindler, apparently is in Tallahassee, Florida, right now, lobbying lawmakers there in Tallahassee.
There is a report that came out late yesterday that talks about a move within the statehouse, maybe the state Senate, there in Tallahassee, Florida. We will watch that end of the story as well for you. We are told the parents have been devastated by the decision yesterday by the judge in Florida, and again, this decision that came out at 2:30 a.m. Eastern Time in Atlanta, Georgia, a 2-1 decision not to grant the request to reinsert the feeding tube in Terri Schiavo.
Now, we're waiting on the possibility of two things essentially: will the 11th Circuit full panel there in Atlanta take up this case? Or will they go immediately to the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.? If that is the case, we will follow that. Anthony Kennedy is the scheduled justice to take up the case, if it indeed goes to Washington D.C. So as we watch all this now in Florida, we'll keep you posted when we get more here on AMERICAN MORNING.
In the meantime, though, that school shooting in Minnesota is the deadliest school violence since the Columbine tragedy six years ago, 1999. Sixteen-year-old Jeff Weise is suspected of killing nine people on Monday before turning the gun on himself. Can schools do more to prevent future tragedies? And what should they be teaching students?
Bob Stuber is a safety expert with safety.com. He also wrote the book "The Art of Prevention: Kids, Guns and Schools."
Bob Stuber is our guest in Sacramento. It's been some time since we talked.
Welcome back here.
BOB STUBER, SAFETY.COM: Thanks, bill.
HEMMER: One of the points that you're making about Minnesota is this should be defined as an act of terrorism. In what way? And what good would that do, Bob?
STUBER: Absolutely. School shootings like this, any school shooting, is an act of terrorism, and that raises the level then of intervention. It takes it to a federal level, it takes it to a more immediate level, and we, then will react to it as a society differently, which is what we need to do. Right, so much of the reaction is hands off, it's I don't want to offend the students, what should we do? We have to take that up a notch or two so that we can give these kids the information they need. HEMMER: All right, Bob, four specific things. We'll tick them off one at a time here. The first thing you recommend is create distinctive alarms in schools. Such as what, Bob?
STUBER: Well, they have alarms, you know, like if a fire drill or an emergency alarm, a disaster drill. But when it come to a shooting event, they should use some kind of alarm that's very distinctive and different from all the other ones, so that everybody in the school knows what the emergency is. Because a shooting is a different type of an event. You know, the hallways now are dangerous. It's dangerous to do anything when a shooting's going on and they need to know that.
HEMMER: The next point is instill creative exiting. Where and how?
STUBER: Creative exiting is a big issue. We've done so much research in this area. For instance, we went into a lot of schools over the past few years and we found out that the windows in most of the classrooms do not open, especially in the newer schools. So if a kid was in a classroom and he wanted to exit, he really couldn't do it without breaking window. Well, that's OK. They can break the window. But when we put these kids to the test, they were afraid to break the windows because they thought they would get in trouble. So we have to teach them how to make these creative exits.
HEMMER: Here's another teaching tool. Teach students how to react. How differently from today?
STUBER: Oh, big time. I mean, reacting is so important. Right now, most of the schools have a plan in place, which is kind of collective for all the students. The problem is that the shooter is usually a student so he knows where the kids have been told to go. In a perfect world, it might work, but the reality is, it's not perfect and it usually doesn't work. So each child needs to be taught what they can do individually, should that plan not work. What can they do?
HEMMER: I think that's going to the next point. Teach how to cover and conceal. Explain that.
STUBER: Yes, that's really important. It's two different issues. Concealment is when you're hiding from somebody, like if you were ducked down behind a garbage can, you would be concealed. Now that's not going to protect you. It might take you out of sight. Cover is when they can't see you and you're also protected.
I'll give you a perfect example. If you hid behind a car, if you were behind the trunk section of the car, you could still be shot. That's hollow, the bullet could pass through the car. If you duck down in the front of the car, the engine block would protect you. Kids need to know these little distinctions, these little differences, because they're what makes all the difference.
HEMMER: Do you think schools are willing to enact these or reluctant? STUBER: We have found it split right down the middle across the country. Some schools are very willing, and the ones that are go after it, you know, full tilt. And then there's those that are not and they really don't know what to do, so they settle for the bare minimum. Those are the ones we feel terrible for because those students have no idea what to do.
HEMMER: You know, as we talk about all this, Bob, in Minnesota, we understand there were metal detectors at the school. A security guard was standing out front -- two, in fact, unarmed. And we also know, based on reports, that students and teachers are yelling up and down the hallway lockdown, lockdown, which means close the door and take cover. In all of this, how does that factor in when you're still looking at the number of killed? Or possibly, in the case of Minnesota, more may have lost lives earlier this week.
STUBER: Yes, I think that kind of speaks to the whole issue. You know, why was the security guard unarmed? If you need a security guard, he needs to be armed. And you need to raise the level of that person so that they can carry arms. The lockdown procedure -- that's what I was talking about. That's what schools do. Lockdown, everybody goes into the classroom and they lock the door. The student knows that. These doors have not been fortified. If he has a shotgun, he can still blow the knob off and go right inside. They need to take it the next step and give these -- modify doors and thing like this, if that's what you're going to use.
HEMMER: Interesting discussion. Bob Stuber. Thanks for your time there in Sacramento, California. Something very disturbing for everybody watching the news out of Minnesota from this week.
O'BRIEN: It sure is.
Well ahead this morning on AMERICAN MORNING, can't wait for the weekend? The boss driving you crazy? Coming up, Gerri's got some tips for how you deal with a problem boss.
HEMMER: Also, the problem of childhood obesity. We'll sort out confusing advice and give parents specific tools to help their family eat healthier. Back in a moment, after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: This just into us here to us here at CNN, out of Tallahassee, Florida. The governor, Jeb Bush, has released a statement regarding the decision announced by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, Georgia in the early hours today.
The governor says, and quoting now, "I could not be more disappointed in the decision announced this morning. Terri has been without sustenance for almost five days now. Time is of the essence and I hope all who have the ability and duty to act in this case will do so with a sense of urgency."
It continues: "Terri Schiavo, like all Americans, deserves our protection and respect. I will continue to call on the Florida legislature to pass legislation to honor patients' decisions about end of life care, protect all vulnerable Floridians and to spare Terri's life." The statement from the governor in Tallahassee a short time ago -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Well, the National Institutes of Health estimates that about one in five U.S. children are obese. It is a problem that could lead to diabetes, to high blood pressure and to heart disease -- all in children. So what can parents do?
Dr. Susan Okie is the author of "Fed Up!: Winning the War Against Childhood Obesity." She's in Washington this morning. Nice to see you, Doctor. Thanks for being with us.
DR. SUSAN OKIE, AUTHOR, "FED UP!": Thanks for having me.
O'BRIEN: What do you think is more important for children? Is it exercise or is it their diet?
OKIE: If I had to choose, I'd say it's the diet. But I think they're both important because obesity is caused by too many calories in and not enough calories burned. It's a balance problem.
O'BRIEN: At the same time, there are many who would say the obesity epidemic that we are seeing is really because of social issues. Do you agree with that?
OKIE: I agree that it's caused by factors in the environment. We've had a lot of changes in the last 20 or 30 years. More families eating takeout food and fast food, kids having more added sugars in their diet, less activity, many new sedentary entertainments like DVDs and video games. So there are a lot of changes contributing to this epidemic in children.
O'BRIEN: Yes, you know, and on top of that, if you ever go and get -- a soda is now this big, as opposed to what we used to get. I know I sound like a little old lady, but you know, not too long ago, a soda was sort of eight ounce, 10 ounce, size. Now it's 64 ounces sometimes.
But before we get to the key principles that you like to talk about, I want to ask you -- I want to set up the essential question, which is this. The bad stuff tastes really, really good. And if you're a kid who's old enough to be out of your house -- your parents aren't sort of preparing every little thing you eat -- how do you essentially make the stuff that's good for you the first choice for kids?
OKIE: Well, it starts in the home. The family has to choose healthy products at home and really teach kids about nutrition, about what kinds of food choices are healthy. And it's very important for parents to model healthy eating and choices of drinks and products.
O'BRIEN: So you can't sit around and tell you kids to eat healthy while you're eating food that's bad for you. It's just not going to work. OKIE: That's right. You have to make all the food choices in the family healthy, and everybody has to follow the same behavior. If parents eat right, then kids are more likely to choose to eat right, too.
O'BRIEN: Let's talk about what you call the key principles. I know you've said that one diet is not exactly going to work for every single family, obviously. Here are the key principals: eat in one place, eat together, limit TV time, don't make food a battle ground, don't buy junk food, model healthy eating habits and don't ban foods.
How old should children be before you start teaching them about nutrition? What age do they really understand it?
OKIE: Well, they may not understand it. But even toddlers, when they're starting to transition to regular food like the rest of the family, you have to present them with healthy foods. Fruits and vegetables are very important, whole-grain products. They will learn to like foods if they're repeatedly offered. And you can't expect a baby to like something necessarily the first time, but you have to keep offering the healthy choices.
O'BRIEN: Dr. Susan Okie is the author of "Fed Up!" It's a great book. Thank you very much for joining us.
HEMMER: In a moment here, if you're feeling lost in your career, abandoned by your boss, apparently you're not alone. Gerri has some tips on how to make your career work for you.
Back in a moment here, after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Well, the Fox network has got a bit of a deal to handle here tonight. Scrambling now to fix a phone foul-up on the hit show "American Idol." Three of the show's final 11 were shown with the wrong phone number. The premise of the whole show is to call in and vote for your favorite singer, right? Well, the least popular one is then booted off the next night. The problem is, the network has to allow for a revote later tonight to correct that error, which means they'll do another show, I guess, on Thursday.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Does that mean my vote didn't count?
O'BRIEN: So sad for them. Because of course 30 million people watched. So now they have to have another 30 million people watching again.
HEMMER: I'm telling you. You know, in my family, my siblings have kids like litters, right?
O'BRIEN: That's a loving way to put it.
HEMMER: They have a lot of children around the Hemmer house.
The point is, this is the one show that the whole family can watch. It's clean.
O'BRIEN: Now it's on again.
HEMMER: They don't have to worry about it. And that's why you're getting 30 million viewers.
CAFFERTY: What about AMERICAN MORNING? They don't want to watch this?
HEMMER: They're going to school and they're studying so they can be you when they grow up.
CAFFERTY: Don't touch me.
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: That is one of your favorite lines, you realize.
CAFFERTY: Well, it's not my turn. Why is the camera on me?
O'BRIEN: Here, we're going to get to -- it's my turn. It is, it is.
Here's a question for you...
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I don't know if I can follow this.
O'BRIEN: It's always a tough act.
Is your boss driving you crazy? Some tips on how to deal with a difficult boss. Also, a check on Wall Street this morning. Gerri Willis is filling in for Andy. He's off today, and he is "Minding Your Business."
WILLIS: And of course, just to say this before we get started, we're not talking about our bosses here at CNN. No, we love them. But sometime in your life...
CAFFERTY: Speak for yourself. Suck-up.
WILLIS: I just knew that was going to happen.
CAFFERTY: Speak for yourself.
WILLIS: Do you guys want to say anything about your boss at CNN? OK, enough said there. If your boss is driving you crazy -- and chances are some day you're work for a real loser, right -- step number one, make sure you ask, what is the problem? What's the nitty- gritty?
Are you working for a micro-manager? Maybe you want to make sure you get control of at least one project so that you can prove you know what you're doing. If you're working with a non-manager, you're going to have to guide them along the way. And then, finally, if you're working with somebody who is really unreasonable, well, you're going to have to get them to set priorities so you can at least do one job right for them.
Have regular meetings with them, toot your own horn, of course. You've got to tell them what you're doing for them. And then finally, know when to bail. There may come a time when you just can't stand it anymore. You may have to just give up your job, some of us here, shaking our head yes.
O'BRIEN: Don't nod so enthusiastically, Jack, OK?
CAFFERTY: I wasn't nodding.
WILLIS: And -- well, let me add one more thing in here. If you have a real problem, sexual harassment, discrimination -- this happens in the work place, too -- you may have to call in HR. There's a Web site I want to send people to, badbossology.com. It's a good place to go if you want a little information.
O'BRIEN: A Web site for everything. All right, Gerri, thanks.
CAFFERTY: One final batch now, the Question of the Day, yes, what do you do about these hate Web sites, Bill, is the question we're asking the viewers about this morning. The young man in that involved in the tragedy in Minnesota spent a year on a Nazi Web site. And kids sometimes I guess go looking for attention anyplace they'll find it.
Jamie writes from Maryland, "Both television and computers have the capability of filitering what kids can access. We should all be interested in our kids enough to know what they are interested in."
John in New Jersey writes, "How or who can regulate the Internet when only a fraction of all the Web sites are in the United States."
And Charles from Washington D.C., "You can't regulate the Internet, but can make lazy parents responsible for their children. When you start throwing the parents in jail for their kids' action, more parents will get off their butt and raise their kids, instead of letting MTV and the Osbournes do it."
O'BRIEN: There are so many things you can regulate that aren't regulated. So think about even focusing on regulating the Internet, which I think just logistically would be virtually impossible to, like, regulate.
CAFFERTY: And a kid like this, obviously, he was being ignored for a long time before he found his way to the Nazi Web site, it sounds like, so.
O'BRIEN: All right, Jack, good question today. Thanks.
Coming up on CNN this morning, as you prepare your returns, here's a tax you might not know about. Plus, it could take a big bit out of your wallet. Gerri's going to back in the next hour with that. She'll join Daryn Kagan on CNN LIVE TODAY. We're back in just a moment.
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Aired March 23, 2005 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Rainy day here in New York City. Might start today and end, like, next Monday. A big old storm moving through here.
Welcome back, everybody. 9:30 in New York.
That shooting in Red Lake High School in Minnesota. Could backpacks and special screening doors be an effective way to protect children at school? Good question for safety expert Bob Stuber, sharing some ideas today for protecting kids that you probably have not heard before. We'll talk to Bob in a moment.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Also this morning, the nationwide epidemic of childhood obesity. We're going to talk to the doctor who says it doesn't have to be this way. She's got the answers for keeping the pounds off our kids.
But first, another check of the headlines with Carol Costello this morning.
Hello. Good morning.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Good morning to both of you. Good morning to all of you.
More comments on the Terri Schiavo case. A family friend is speaking right now. Brother Paul, the family's spiritual adviser, is describing Terri Schiavo's condition. Basically, he says, she is deteriorating now, she's dying.
In the meantime, there is word the emergency legislation in the case may have been politically motivated. That's according to recorded comments House Majority Leader Tom DeLay made to a conservative group last week, just a few hours before Schiavo's feeding tube was removed.
President Bush is hosting a mini-North American summit at his Texas ranch this morning -- the president meeting with the leaders of Mexico and Canada. The talks are said to focus on strengthening economic and security ties between the three countries.
A Philadelphia-area couple seems to have vanished without a trace. As we told you several weeks ago Richard Petrone and Danielle Imbo have been missing since February 19th. Police say their cell phones and credit cards have not been used, and the truck they were driving has not been seen. The family still hopes to learned what happened to the couple. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CRAIG MITNICK, PETRONE FAMILY SPOKESMAN: Good, decent, honest people do not just vanish off the face of this Earth, nor do very large black Dodge pickup trucks.
The families are all here today pleading for the public's help in any information that they can give to law enforcement in helping bring both Danielle and Rich home.
ANGELA PETRONE, RICHARD'S DAUGHTER: I just need them back, please. Please.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The 14-year-old daughter crying there.
The families are offering a reward of $50,000 for any information.
And let's talk about Barry Bonds, shall we, the San Francisco Giants' star? He says he may be quitting, sitting out the whole entire season. Bonds has had at least three surgeries on his knees. He's been a key figure in baseball's steroid scandal, and he is blaming the media for a part of his troubles, actually all of his troubles, saying he's just mentally drained from all the questions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARRY BONDS, PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL PLAYER: My family's tired. Just tired, I'm tired. You guys wanted to hurt me bad enough, you finally got there.
QUESTION: When you say you guys who do you mean?
BONDS: You, you, you, you you -- the media, everybody. Finally got there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Should we say we're sorry? This would be the first time Bonds missed an opening day in 20 seasons on the field. I know I sound bitter.
O'BRIEN: You didn't hear any of the reporters standing right there saying, ah, man, we're sorry. Didn't hear any of that on the tape.
HEMMER: Here's "SI," it's on the newsstands today. Very long, detailed article about what you can anticipate for the baseball; season upcoming.
COSTELLO: Oh, I got to read that. Thanks. I'm going to do that right now.
More on Bonds. Thank you, Carol. HEMMER: In Pinellas Park, Florida, I want to get you down right now to Patrick Mahoney, who's with the Christian Defense Coalition, describing the condition of Terri Schiavo.
Let's listen here.
REV. PATRICK MAHONEY, CHRISTIAN DEFENSE COALITION: And so if everything fails, we would ask that he would use some executive authority and privilege to intervene to save the life of Terri.
Now finally -- and then we'll answer questions -- many groups have been coming here, into Tallahassee, from around the country. You have been here with us the entire time. You know our peaceful, prayerful witness here. You see our heart. I want to say publicly right now I thank Lieutenant Riley and the professionalism of the Pinellas Police Department. They've done a fantastic job in a very emotional setting, Captain Holloway and the Clearwater Police Department, with the events we've been having. At about 11:30 -- and people will come and share -- Reverend Flip Bennum (ph) is leading an effort, and he'll be here at 11:30 to share with you. So at 11:30, to offer a cup of water to Terri Schiavo. He'll be back here at 11:30 to share with that. They are going to prayerfully and peacefully do that. And so 11:30, they'll be back here.
And so we are facilitating -- again, the relationship with the police has been excellent, and that's where we're at.
OK, we'll take any questions -- Bob.
QUESTION: ... (INAUDIBLE) Supreme Court appeal, you now have certain knowledge that's the next step?
MAHONEY: We don't. We have been trying to reach David Gibbs. They could ask for a full review by the 11th Circuit. We do not know if that has been done. It has been virtually impossible, as can be expected, to reach David Gibbs.
But one of the options before going to the full Supreme Court, they could ask for a full review by the 11th Circuit. We do not know if that is being done right now. I mean, ultimately it will go to the Supreme Court, because I'm sure Michael Schiavo will appeal, should we prevail with the full 11th Circuit. Any other...
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
MAHONEY: You know what, as long as we're here right now, that's going to be Reverend Benhem (ph), I'll just bring him up in a moment. And any questions toward that, we'll be happy to answer that. Any other -- here, come on up here...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE; O'Donnell, O-D-O-N-N-E-L-L.
QUESTION: Who's coming at 11:30?
MAHONEY: Reverend, why don't you come right now and...
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
MAHONEY: We're Just facilitating organized -- Reverend Bennum will share what they're doing. Again, I wanted to thank the Pinellas Park Police Department. We have met for weeks. We've had hours of discussion. You can see the...
HEMMER: All right, listening there in Pinellas Park, Florida. This is what we understand -- that tat his point, Terri Schiavo's parents are at home apparently there in Florida. The brother, Bobby Schindler, apparently is in Tallahassee, Florida, right now, lobbying lawmakers there in Tallahassee.
There is a report that came out late yesterday that talks about a move within the statehouse, maybe the state Senate, there in Tallahassee, Florida. We will watch that end of the story as well for you. We are told the parents have been devastated by the decision yesterday by the judge in Florida, and again, this decision that came out at 2:30 a.m. Eastern Time in Atlanta, Georgia, a 2-1 decision not to grant the request to reinsert the feeding tube in Terri Schiavo.
Now, we're waiting on the possibility of two things essentially: will the 11th Circuit full panel there in Atlanta take up this case? Or will they go immediately to the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.? If that is the case, we will follow that. Anthony Kennedy is the scheduled justice to take up the case, if it indeed goes to Washington D.C. So as we watch all this now in Florida, we'll keep you posted when we get more here on AMERICAN MORNING.
In the meantime, though, that school shooting in Minnesota is the deadliest school violence since the Columbine tragedy six years ago, 1999. Sixteen-year-old Jeff Weise is suspected of killing nine people on Monday before turning the gun on himself. Can schools do more to prevent future tragedies? And what should they be teaching students?
Bob Stuber is a safety expert with safety.com. He also wrote the book "The Art of Prevention: Kids, Guns and Schools."
Bob Stuber is our guest in Sacramento. It's been some time since we talked.
Welcome back here.
BOB STUBER, SAFETY.COM: Thanks, bill.
HEMMER: One of the points that you're making about Minnesota is this should be defined as an act of terrorism. In what way? And what good would that do, Bob?
STUBER: Absolutely. School shootings like this, any school shooting, is an act of terrorism, and that raises the level then of intervention. It takes it to a federal level, it takes it to a more immediate level, and we, then will react to it as a society differently, which is what we need to do. Right, so much of the reaction is hands off, it's I don't want to offend the students, what should we do? We have to take that up a notch or two so that we can give these kids the information they need. HEMMER: All right, Bob, four specific things. We'll tick them off one at a time here. The first thing you recommend is create distinctive alarms in schools. Such as what, Bob?
STUBER: Well, they have alarms, you know, like if a fire drill or an emergency alarm, a disaster drill. But when it come to a shooting event, they should use some kind of alarm that's very distinctive and different from all the other ones, so that everybody in the school knows what the emergency is. Because a shooting is a different type of an event. You know, the hallways now are dangerous. It's dangerous to do anything when a shooting's going on and they need to know that.
HEMMER: The next point is instill creative exiting. Where and how?
STUBER: Creative exiting is a big issue. We've done so much research in this area. For instance, we went into a lot of schools over the past few years and we found out that the windows in most of the classrooms do not open, especially in the newer schools. So if a kid was in a classroom and he wanted to exit, he really couldn't do it without breaking window. Well, that's OK. They can break the window. But when we put these kids to the test, they were afraid to break the windows because they thought they would get in trouble. So we have to teach them how to make these creative exits.
HEMMER: Here's another teaching tool. Teach students how to react. How differently from today?
STUBER: Oh, big time. I mean, reacting is so important. Right now, most of the schools have a plan in place, which is kind of collective for all the students. The problem is that the shooter is usually a student so he knows where the kids have been told to go. In a perfect world, it might work, but the reality is, it's not perfect and it usually doesn't work. So each child needs to be taught what they can do individually, should that plan not work. What can they do?
HEMMER: I think that's going to the next point. Teach how to cover and conceal. Explain that.
STUBER: Yes, that's really important. It's two different issues. Concealment is when you're hiding from somebody, like if you were ducked down behind a garbage can, you would be concealed. Now that's not going to protect you. It might take you out of sight. Cover is when they can't see you and you're also protected.
I'll give you a perfect example. If you hid behind a car, if you were behind the trunk section of the car, you could still be shot. That's hollow, the bullet could pass through the car. If you duck down in the front of the car, the engine block would protect you. Kids need to know these little distinctions, these little differences, because they're what makes all the difference.
HEMMER: Do you think schools are willing to enact these or reluctant? STUBER: We have found it split right down the middle across the country. Some schools are very willing, and the ones that are go after it, you know, full tilt. And then there's those that are not and they really don't know what to do, so they settle for the bare minimum. Those are the ones we feel terrible for because those students have no idea what to do.
HEMMER: You know, as we talk about all this, Bob, in Minnesota, we understand there were metal detectors at the school. A security guard was standing out front -- two, in fact, unarmed. And we also know, based on reports, that students and teachers are yelling up and down the hallway lockdown, lockdown, which means close the door and take cover. In all of this, how does that factor in when you're still looking at the number of killed? Or possibly, in the case of Minnesota, more may have lost lives earlier this week.
STUBER: Yes, I think that kind of speaks to the whole issue. You know, why was the security guard unarmed? If you need a security guard, he needs to be armed. And you need to raise the level of that person so that they can carry arms. The lockdown procedure -- that's what I was talking about. That's what schools do. Lockdown, everybody goes into the classroom and they lock the door. The student knows that. These doors have not been fortified. If he has a shotgun, he can still blow the knob off and go right inside. They need to take it the next step and give these -- modify doors and thing like this, if that's what you're going to use.
HEMMER: Interesting discussion. Bob Stuber. Thanks for your time there in Sacramento, California. Something very disturbing for everybody watching the news out of Minnesota from this week.
O'BRIEN: It sure is.
Well ahead this morning on AMERICAN MORNING, can't wait for the weekend? The boss driving you crazy? Coming up, Gerri's got some tips for how you deal with a problem boss.
HEMMER: Also, the problem of childhood obesity. We'll sort out confusing advice and give parents specific tools to help their family eat healthier. Back in a moment, after this.
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HEMMER: This just into us here to us here at CNN, out of Tallahassee, Florida. The governor, Jeb Bush, has released a statement regarding the decision announced by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, Georgia in the early hours today.
The governor says, and quoting now, "I could not be more disappointed in the decision announced this morning. Terri has been without sustenance for almost five days now. Time is of the essence and I hope all who have the ability and duty to act in this case will do so with a sense of urgency."
It continues: "Terri Schiavo, like all Americans, deserves our protection and respect. I will continue to call on the Florida legislature to pass legislation to honor patients' decisions about end of life care, protect all vulnerable Floridians and to spare Terri's life." The statement from the governor in Tallahassee a short time ago -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Well, the National Institutes of Health estimates that about one in five U.S. children are obese. It is a problem that could lead to diabetes, to high blood pressure and to heart disease -- all in children. So what can parents do?
Dr. Susan Okie is the author of "Fed Up!: Winning the War Against Childhood Obesity." She's in Washington this morning. Nice to see you, Doctor. Thanks for being with us.
DR. SUSAN OKIE, AUTHOR, "FED UP!": Thanks for having me.
O'BRIEN: What do you think is more important for children? Is it exercise or is it their diet?
OKIE: If I had to choose, I'd say it's the diet. But I think they're both important because obesity is caused by too many calories in and not enough calories burned. It's a balance problem.
O'BRIEN: At the same time, there are many who would say the obesity epidemic that we are seeing is really because of social issues. Do you agree with that?
OKIE: I agree that it's caused by factors in the environment. We've had a lot of changes in the last 20 or 30 years. More families eating takeout food and fast food, kids having more added sugars in their diet, less activity, many new sedentary entertainments like DVDs and video games. So there are a lot of changes contributing to this epidemic in children.
O'BRIEN: Yes, you know, and on top of that, if you ever go and get -- a soda is now this big, as opposed to what we used to get. I know I sound like a little old lady, but you know, not too long ago, a soda was sort of eight ounce, 10 ounce, size. Now it's 64 ounces sometimes.
But before we get to the key principles that you like to talk about, I want to ask you -- I want to set up the essential question, which is this. The bad stuff tastes really, really good. And if you're a kid who's old enough to be out of your house -- your parents aren't sort of preparing every little thing you eat -- how do you essentially make the stuff that's good for you the first choice for kids?
OKIE: Well, it starts in the home. The family has to choose healthy products at home and really teach kids about nutrition, about what kinds of food choices are healthy. And it's very important for parents to model healthy eating and choices of drinks and products.
O'BRIEN: So you can't sit around and tell you kids to eat healthy while you're eating food that's bad for you. It's just not going to work. OKIE: That's right. You have to make all the food choices in the family healthy, and everybody has to follow the same behavior. If parents eat right, then kids are more likely to choose to eat right, too.
O'BRIEN: Let's talk about what you call the key principles. I know you've said that one diet is not exactly going to work for every single family, obviously. Here are the key principals: eat in one place, eat together, limit TV time, don't make food a battle ground, don't buy junk food, model healthy eating habits and don't ban foods.
How old should children be before you start teaching them about nutrition? What age do they really understand it?
OKIE: Well, they may not understand it. But even toddlers, when they're starting to transition to regular food like the rest of the family, you have to present them with healthy foods. Fruits and vegetables are very important, whole-grain products. They will learn to like foods if they're repeatedly offered. And you can't expect a baby to like something necessarily the first time, but you have to keep offering the healthy choices.
O'BRIEN: Dr. Susan Okie is the author of "Fed Up!" It's a great book. Thank you very much for joining us.
HEMMER: In a moment here, if you're feeling lost in your career, abandoned by your boss, apparently you're not alone. Gerri has some tips on how to make your career work for you.
Back in a moment here, after this.
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HEMMER: Well, the Fox network has got a bit of a deal to handle here tonight. Scrambling now to fix a phone foul-up on the hit show "American Idol." Three of the show's final 11 were shown with the wrong phone number. The premise of the whole show is to call in and vote for your favorite singer, right? Well, the least popular one is then booted off the next night. The problem is, the network has to allow for a revote later tonight to correct that error, which means they'll do another show, I guess, on Thursday.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Does that mean my vote didn't count?
O'BRIEN: So sad for them. Because of course 30 million people watched. So now they have to have another 30 million people watching again.
HEMMER: I'm telling you. You know, in my family, my siblings have kids like litters, right?
O'BRIEN: That's a loving way to put it.
HEMMER: They have a lot of children around the Hemmer house.
The point is, this is the one show that the whole family can watch. It's clean.
O'BRIEN: Now it's on again.
HEMMER: They don't have to worry about it. And that's why you're getting 30 million viewers.
CAFFERTY: What about AMERICAN MORNING? They don't want to watch this?
HEMMER: They're going to school and they're studying so they can be you when they grow up.
CAFFERTY: Don't touch me.
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: That is one of your favorite lines, you realize.
CAFFERTY: Well, it's not my turn. Why is the camera on me?
O'BRIEN: Here, we're going to get to -- it's my turn. It is, it is.
Here's a question for you...
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I don't know if I can follow this.
O'BRIEN: It's always a tough act.
Is your boss driving you crazy? Some tips on how to deal with a difficult boss. Also, a check on Wall Street this morning. Gerri Willis is filling in for Andy. He's off today, and he is "Minding Your Business."
WILLIS: And of course, just to say this before we get started, we're not talking about our bosses here at CNN. No, we love them. But sometime in your life...
CAFFERTY: Speak for yourself. Suck-up.
WILLIS: I just knew that was going to happen.
CAFFERTY: Speak for yourself.
WILLIS: Do you guys want to say anything about your boss at CNN? OK, enough said there. If your boss is driving you crazy -- and chances are some day you're work for a real loser, right -- step number one, make sure you ask, what is the problem? What's the nitty- gritty?
Are you working for a micro-manager? Maybe you want to make sure you get control of at least one project so that you can prove you know what you're doing. If you're working with a non-manager, you're going to have to guide them along the way. And then, finally, if you're working with somebody who is really unreasonable, well, you're going to have to get them to set priorities so you can at least do one job right for them.
Have regular meetings with them, toot your own horn, of course. You've got to tell them what you're doing for them. And then finally, know when to bail. There may come a time when you just can't stand it anymore. You may have to just give up your job, some of us here, shaking our head yes.
O'BRIEN: Don't nod so enthusiastically, Jack, OK?
CAFFERTY: I wasn't nodding.
WILLIS: And -- well, let me add one more thing in here. If you have a real problem, sexual harassment, discrimination -- this happens in the work place, too -- you may have to call in HR. There's a Web site I want to send people to, badbossology.com. It's a good place to go if you want a little information.
O'BRIEN: A Web site for everything. All right, Gerri, thanks.
CAFFERTY: One final batch now, the Question of the Day, yes, what do you do about these hate Web sites, Bill, is the question we're asking the viewers about this morning. The young man in that involved in the tragedy in Minnesota spent a year on a Nazi Web site. And kids sometimes I guess go looking for attention anyplace they'll find it.
Jamie writes from Maryland, "Both television and computers have the capability of filitering what kids can access. We should all be interested in our kids enough to know what they are interested in."
John in New Jersey writes, "How or who can regulate the Internet when only a fraction of all the Web sites are in the United States."
And Charles from Washington D.C., "You can't regulate the Internet, but can make lazy parents responsible for their children. When you start throwing the parents in jail for their kids' action, more parents will get off their butt and raise their kids, instead of letting MTV and the Osbournes do it."
O'BRIEN: There are so many things you can regulate that aren't regulated. So think about even focusing on regulating the Internet, which I think just logistically would be virtually impossible to, like, regulate.
CAFFERTY: And a kid like this, obviously, he was being ignored for a long time before he found his way to the Nazi Web site, it sounds like, so.
O'BRIEN: All right, Jack, good question today. Thanks.
Coming up on CNN this morning, as you prepare your returns, here's a tax you might not know about. Plus, it could take a big bit out of your wallet. Gerri's going to back in the next hour with that. She'll join Daryn Kagan on CNN LIVE TODAY. We're back in just a moment.
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