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Navy Admiral Bill Fallon Tapped For Spot At CENTCOM; U.N. Has New Secretary-General; Democratically-Controlled Congress Takes Over; American Sailor Rescued Off Chile's Coast; Controversy Continues Over Congressional Pensions For Convicted Felons; Robert Davila Of Gallaudet University Interviewed

Aired January 05, 2007 - 14:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, everyone.
I'm Kyra Phillips at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Don Lemon.

Retirement interrupted. Gallaudet University taps a grad and former teacher to undo months of turmoil. Dr. Bob Davila joins us with his plan of action.

PHILLIPS: Taxpayers paying pensions for convicted lawmakers? Our blog boiled over with your outrage.

Now Drew Griffin's back to see what the new Congress might do about it.

LEMON: And take cover. And we really mean it. Strong storms batter Louisiana. They are headed your direction, possibly. Our severe weather center is on it.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And for the latest on that severe weather, let's check in with meteorologist Rob Marciano in our severe weather center.

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: New marching orders for some military brass. Here's what we're hearing right now.

Navy admiral Bill Fallon tapped for the top spot at U.S. Central Command. On the way out, General John Abizaid.

Next up, a new general to oversee Iraq, Lieutenant General David Petraeus. Good-bye General George Casey.

Both appointments require Senate confirmation.

Now, if Admiral Fallon is confirmed by the Senate and takes over the Central Command, he also takes over the primary front in the U.S. war on terror. East Africa is now in the thick of that.

Let's get to CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr. She's in Nairobi, Kenya -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, hello to you, Kyra.

We're in Nairobi. We've been traveling actually with State Department and military officials throughout east Africa for the last several days. They are, of course, dealing with the crisis in Somalia.

And it just really shows how broad the area of the U.S. Central Command is. Admiral Fallon, if he is confirmed for the job, will keep an eye on U.S. security interests here in the Horn of Africa, in the Middle East. And, of course, Iraq will be priority number one.

A lot of people think that maybe putting a Navy admiral in charge of Central Command is pretty innovative, because until now it's always been an Army general or a Marine Corps general. But, you know, when you cover the hallways of the Pentagon, in the hallways there's always a lot of chatter. And I have to tell you, over the last several weeks, Admiral Fallon's name had come up because he is someone who is very respected, but didn't have, you know, the baggage of Iraq.

He hadn't been involved in it. And so I think that perhaps he is being selected to bring that fresh eye that President Bush has said he wants in that situation -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And, of course, critics coming forward saying, well, he doesn't have the theater experience that one needs to handle what's happening in Iraq and Afghanistan.

How are those at the Pentagon responding to that, Barbara? And we should also talk about also, too, the advantages with maritime security and also air security, versus land missions.

STARR: Well, you know, let's -- let's be clear. The Navy does have the air component, of course, with the aircraft that fly off aircraft carriers. Navy tactical fighters have been doing bombing missions dropping ordnance over Iraq for months now. They regularly participate in striking targets in Iraq.

The situation here in the Horn, well, right now there are two Navy warships off the coast of Somalia trying to find al Qaeda terrorists they believe are on the run. The Navy has a very significant role out here in this part of the world in the antiterrorism mission, in addition to Iraq.

Admiral Fallon, you know, at one point in his career was the number two man in the U.S. Navy. He had a lot of interaction with, of course, the Marines at that point. And now, as the head of the Pacific Command, of course, he directs all forces out in the Pacific.

He's been focusing a lot on North Korea. That is a very significant issue out there. But when you are a four-star, you pretty much have a good deal of expertise in all of these issues.

The clear thinking appears to be that his lack of baggage about Iraq, if you will, outweighs any other considerations. And General Abizaid had already long been due to retire. General Casey was scheduled to rotate out.

Now putting General Petraeus in, a man who has a good deal of experience in Iraq. He may take on a very significant role, perhaps, in advising Admiral Fallon about the specifics of Iraq that Admiral Fallon may not be immediately familiar with.

So Fallon will have a significant staff to rely on, but he's a very tough customer. He comes to his own decisions. He works his staff very hard. And he doesn't suffer fool (ph). So it will be interesting to see how all of this develops.

PHILLIPS: And he definitely has that joint warfare experience.

Barbara Starr in Nairobi, Kenya.

Thanks, Barbara.

LEMON: The United Nations has a new secretary-general and may soon get a new U.S. ambassador.

CNN Senior U.N. Correspondent Richard Roth is watching and waiting -- Richard.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Don, new faces in the U.S. military you've been discussing, and new faces here at the United Nations.

Kofi Annan's term ended January 1st, in effect. The new man, Ban Ki-moon from South Korea, the foreign minister there, and he's settling into the post, coming up with new names for major posts here at the United Nations.

Today, Ban Ki-moon met with officials regarding the Sudanese crisis, meeting with new the U.N. envoys who are going to try to do something about getting international peacekeepers into that war-torn region of Sudan. He also today named the Tanzanian foreign minister, Asha-Rose Migiro, as the new deputy secretary-general. And he said he's going to delegate -- in a statement he said that post gets delegated, all administrative functions, for running the place.

Previously, there was a woman deputy secretary-general appointed by Kofi Annan. That was the first ever deputy secretary-general.

Tanzania was one of the countries then on the Security Council last year which voted in favor of Ban Ki-moon to put him in the job. Some critics would say that maybe this was a payback, but he was considering several women from so-called developing countries, and he has now selected this African woman to be his top deputy.

And as for the American ambassador here, it may be Zalmay Khalilzad, the current U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, currently the leading choice believed by President Bush. That may be announced next week in Washington -- Don. LEMON: OK. So, Richard, you're the expert on all this. Ban Ki- moon, he calls himself Mr. Ban. And if I'm correct, is there a honeymoon under way for him?

ROTH: Well, some rough questioning for his spokesperson, because some might say there's a lack of experience for the post of the people he's named. The Tanzanian foreign minister, except for being foreign minister for a year and coordinating the so-called Africa Great Lakes Conference, well, she's been for five years more of a child care and developmental specialist, not for running such a big bureaucracy here at the United Nations.

The entire building is going to be renovated during her term here. That's the least of the problems. But the staff morale has been down.

And Ban Ki-moon already promised the staff new changes, new blood, that kind of thing. It kind of runs counter to that, but he also has to balance off the interests of all the membership of the United Nations who voted for him or part of the U.N.

He's got to give out jobs to different regions. That same system that many describe (ph) it still is in existence.

LEMON: And what about his priorities? Has he mentioned anything about what he plans to tackle?

ROTH: Sudan is a priority. North Korea's a priority. Cutting world poverty based on those U.N. promises of years ago, those are some of the main priorities.

But many secretaries-general, it is said, their fate is determined by world events that are unpredictable at any corner. No matter what they promise, they get hamstrung and then they try to fight their way out of those, and then they have got to work with the powerful Security Council, the very body that selected him into office.

LEMON: Senior U.N. Correspondent Richard Roth.

Thank you so much for that.

Well, justice is justice, says President Bush, even when it's not pretty. At the White House yesterday, Mr. Bush weighed in on Saddam Hussein's unseemly execution almost a week after the former Iraqi dictator went to the gallows.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Saddam Hussein was given a trial that he was unwilling to give the thousands of people he killed. He was given a fair trial. Something he was unwilling to give thousands of Iraqi citizens who he brutalized.

I wish, obviously, that the proceedings had been -- gone, you know, in a more dignified way. But nevertheless, he was given justice the thousands of people he killed were not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Two Iraqi guards are now being held and questioned about this infamous cell phone video.

And we've talked about fallout from the hanging of Saddam Hussein. Well, here by far is the worst. Reports of at least three children ages 9 to 15, all in different countries, have hanged themselves after seeing the graphic execution video that spread across the Internet. The latest case is a 10-year-old boy in Houston whose parents say he was imitating what he saw.

PHILLIPS: Six priorities, 100 hours, starting. Well, not yesterday, opening day of the 110th Congress, or today, or even Monday. Congress is Congress, after all, even when it's under new management.

Here's CNN's Tom Foreman.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), HOUSE SPEAKER: The House will come to order.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One hundred hours to introduce, discuss and pass legislation, 100 hours to get Washington moving. Like school kids back from break, the Democrats have sharpened their pencils and say they are ready to work. Is 100 hours enough time?

Maybe, according to longtime capital watcher Norm Ornstein.

NORMAN ORNSTEIN, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE: What the Democrats have done is to set out a number that sounds like it's going to be a rush of time, but what actually is a fairly long time to process and pass six narrowly-defined bills, with no amendments.

FOREMAN: Count a strict 100 hours from the drop of the gavel, and you run out of time by Monday evening. But this is Washington. Nothing here works like that here. The Democrats are launching their 100-hour push on Tuesday, and counting only the hours that Congress is in session.

Those hours have dwindled dramatically in recent years, as politicians have abandoned the halls of Congress to spend more time raising money and campaigning for reelection. Longtime politicians don't like it.

TOM DASCHLE (D), FORMER SENATE MINORITY LEADER: Senator Lott and I used to joke that, if we really wanted everybody here for every important vote, the only time we could actually schedule it was Wednesday afternoon.

FOREMAN (on camera): This new Congress is promising to get back to something more like a full work week. But can they make that or anything else stick?

(voice-over): The Republican president has a veto pen, and the Democratic edge over Republicans in the Senate is much smaller.

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: We know, from experience, that majorities come and they go. Majorities are very fragile. And majorities must work with minorities to make that lasting change.

ORNSTEIN: The fact is, the House wants to act now. The Senate wants to act some time in the future.

FOREMAN: So, even without engaging Iraq right away, the Democrats have their work cut out, 100 hours to show if Washington is seeing real change or just a shift change.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Information about the president's plan for Iraq to come soon. We're waiting for a White House briefing to begin. And CNN has just learned that the president will make that anticipated speech on Iraq next Wednesday night.

Our Suzanne Malveaux is attending that briefing, and she'll join us live. And we'll follow that briefing for you live straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: A storm swamps your boat, snaps your mast, and stalls your engine. Who you going to call? Ken Barnes figured putting out an SOS to his girlfriend was his best chance.

How it turned out next in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Well, the dream certainly was ambitious, to sail around the world by himself. It was also dangerous, very nearly costing Ken Barnes his life. Barnes, in a busted boat, was spotted and rescued this morning hundreds of miles off Chile in the south Atlantic.

We have one of his saviors on the phone now, Lieutenant Commander Manuel Cofre, a search and rescue chief with the Chilean navy command.

Mr. Cofre, I want to ask you, have you spoken -- do you know his condition on how he's doing now?

LT. COMMANDER MANUEL COFRE, CHIEF, SEARCH & RESCUE: Hello. Good afternoon.

LEMON: Hello to you.

COFRE: Hello, then.

Yes, well, the last communication with him was about five, six hours ago in Chilean time. And he was good, in good condition. He was resting.

Well, of course, he was a little bit stressed with all the situation that he lived, but he was in good condition. He has some injury in his leg, but it was treated by the people on board the fishing vessel. So more or less, he's pretty -- pretty good.

LEMON: So tell me, first of all, how long you were looking for him. And then, were you surprised to actually -- the reaction when you actually found him?

COFRE: Yes. Well, for how long? Well, since the moment that he sent his alert signal..

LEMON: Yes, he sent a beacon. And when exactly did he send that alert signal?

COFRE: It was on Tuesday. I don't have here the time it was, but from Tuesday, Chilean time in the afternoon. But we received the information through our system.

And after that we have -- we had confirmation from the U.S. Coast Guard. After that, we started to move all our assets and we started to know what fishing boats or boats or vessels were close to the point. So from Tuesday, we were working on that situation.

LEMON: Yes. So that was sent on Tuesday. So time is of the essence here. So after two or three days, you knew that you had to act quickly. And then once you actually found him, tell us your reaction, and then tell us how you found him.

COFRE: Well, we found him because always he was -- he was with the radio beacon activated.

LEMON: Right.

COFRE: In that sense, we could know what was his position, more or less. And on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, we sent our naval airplanes to the area, trying to find him. And in the morning, at about 7:00 in the morning, we already saw him by the plane. And after that, we continued sending other planes to the area to keep him in contact.

LEMON: Yes. And I imagine that -- what I'm trying to ask you is you were...

COFRE: Sorry. And after that, we sent the fishing boats and also the merchant ship vessel to the point, and also we ordered to a naval ship to go to the area as well.

LEMON: Right. So it was a huge and coordinated effort. I can understand that.

COFRE: Yes, it was huge.

LEMON: But I imagine you were very excited, because as I said earlier, time is of the essence. But also, did any of the men tell you or the people who actually found him tell you his reaction once -- once he actually was rescued?

COFRE: Well, the reaction, not only from him, also the reaction of the crew of the fishing boat, of the fishing vessel, was everyone was excited when they arrived to his -- to his point. And when he was on board, everyone was cheering and clapping because he was on board.

And everyone was very happy because, also for the crew of the fishing vessel and also the crew of the merchant ship, was very happy as well. You know, the weather, the bad weather conditions were for everyone. So they also had to sail with 10-meters-high waves and winds up to 70 miles. So it was very hard for them as well.

LEMON: Yes. Lieutenant Commander Manuel Cofre, thank you so much for joining us.

And I want to remind our viewers, 47-year-old Ken Barnes found very recently. He has two twin daughters. And one of the quotes from his daughters is, "I'm just going to say that I love him and I'm glad that he's home safe, and that he is never leaving again." And that's a quote from one of his twin daughters.

So thanks for joining us.

COFRE: Thank you. Bye-bye.

PHILLIPS: And we're waiting for a White House briefing to begin. CNN has just learned the president is expected to make a major speech on Iraq next Wednesday night.

Our Suzanne Malveaux is attending that briefing. She's going to join us live. We're going to follow that briefing for you straight ahead from the NEWSROOM.

Taxpayer dollars for lawmaker pensions is one thing. Taxpayer dollars for convicted lawmakers' pensions is quite another. Will the new ethics-minded Congress do anything about it?

A live report. Drew Griffin with his investigation up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Tornado warnings in southeast Georgia.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LEMON: The new Congress has hit the ground running. Lawmakers already have a plan to cut taxes.

Susan Lisovicz joins us from the New York Stock Exchange to explain all of that.

(MARKET REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Hello, everyone, I'm Kyra Phillips at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.

LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon. Pension shmension. Drew Griffin's report about convicted lawmakers drawing government pensions sure got all of you fired up. Will the new ethics-minded Congress close the loophole? You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: Live pictures of the White House there, Washington, D.C. Our Suzanne Malveaux in a briefing, being told that we are expecting the president to make that speech on Iraq, that new direction in Iraq on Wednesday. We are expecting to hear from White House representative Tony Snow at a briefing 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, we're being told now, not at 3:00 Eastern time, but at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. We'll bring it to you live when it happens.

LEMON: Well, if you blinked, you missed it. Yesterday's passage in the House of a tough new ethics measure outlawing gifts and trips from lobbyists. It was the first order of business for the 110th Congress, but many think ethics reform should go further. They want lawmakers convicted of felonies to lose their pensions.

What timing you have. CNN investigative correspondent Drew Griffin has been following all of that for us. New information? I hope it's good.

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: We have some new information coming up. But, you know, that ethics bill passes yesterday, big hoopla over it. There was not a mention, not one provision whatsoever that says a Congressman convicted of a felony would lose his pension. They still get it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDALL "DUKE" CUNNINGHAM, FORMER CONGRESSMAN: I broke the law.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): Convicted Congressman Randall "Duke" Cunningham is getting his $64,000 annual pension while sitting inside this federal prison.

JAMES TRAFICANT, FORMER CONGRESSMAN: I'd like to have a little bit of room.

GRIFFIN: Convicted Congressman James Traficant, who snubbed his -- well, snubbed his fellow colleagues, is getting $40,000 while serving prison time as well. And they are not alone.

The National Taxpayers Union says 20 lawmakers convicted of crimes over the last 25 years still got their pensions. And the NTU estimates about a million taxpayer dollars every year are going to the pensions of Congressional crooks.

JOHN BERTHOUD, NATIONAL TAXPAYERS UNION: It's hard, unless maybe you're a member of Congress or a former member of Congress, for anybody to understand how on Earth you could ask taxpayers to pay pensions for people like that.

GRIFFIN: That's what we wanted to ask former powerful chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Dan Rostenkowski. He went to prison for stealing public money, now he gets an estimated $126,000 a year federal pension. Rostenkowski told us no comment on the phone and wouldn't answer his door.

Duke Cunningham and James Traficant didn't respond to our letters, maybe with good reason. Over the course of their retirements, Rostenkowski is expected to make $2.9 million, Cunningham may get $1.8 million, and Traficant should hit the $1.2 million mark.

Because federal pensions are secret, all of the figures you've seen in this report are estimates based on the Taxpayers Union's calculations.

So who is responding to our report? You.

Our blog is filled with comments like: "What a scam. And you wonder why we have such a deficit."

"This is un-(EXPLETIVE DELETED) believable."

And "I thought crime didn't pay. It obviously pays for these felons."

Despite several attempts in Congress to stop paying pensions of convicted lawmakers, or at least congressmen convicted of felonies, it hasn't happened yet. But that may be changing.

REP. MARK KIRK (R), ILLINOIS: I think it's essential that we deny a pension to any member of Congress convicted of a felony. It's the law of many states.

GRIFFIN: Congressman Mark Kirk is from Illinois, the state that just revoked the $200,000 a year pension of its former governor, George Ryan, now convicted of extortion and bribery. Ryan won't be getting any taxpayer funded pension, and Kirk says neither should federal lawmakers convicted of crimes. His bill last year didn't pass the House, nor did a similar bill back in 1996.

But Kirk says in the new Congress the time may now be right. Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office says the speaker has supported the felony conviction clause for pensions before and said it would be considered by the relevant committees of jurisdiction in the 110th Congress.

Kirk, a Republican, says he looks forward to working with Pelosi, a Democrat, to clean a House they both agree needs cleaning.

KIRK: And she should help pass this very simple, common sense regulation to kill the pension for members of Congress convicted of a felony.

GRIFFIN: We're keeping them honest. Stand by.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Know, every time you see that, it's just amazing. It's person after person in your stories that have been convicted and then still getting their pensions.

GRIFFIN: That's right.

LEMON: Apparently -- am I wrong? Several bills, right, they tried to address this before, so what happened?

GRIFFIN: What happened -- look at what happened to Kirk's bill, and it shows you the divisiveness of Congress. You know, he writes a bill, he gets 24 co-sponsors. All 24 are Republican, not a single Democrat.

Over in the Senate, John Kerry writes a bill. He couldn't get it out of the Senate because the Republicans wouldn't vote for it. So we have this party politics going on. But Kirk's bill is back in, it's HR-14.

And we're going to make some news here on your show, Don. John Kerry's office called up, said he's going to introduce a bill in the Senate on Monday that says get rid of these pensions for the crooks.

LEMON: Wow.

GRIFFIN: We'll see what happens.

LEMON: We'll see what happens. But a lot of response from people, and apparently the only way this is going to get solved is if people sort of are outraged and talk to their legislators about it.

GRIFFIN: You know, you've got to help these congressional people get beyond the party politics that freezes everything there. This is a good idea for you, call them up, let them know.

LEMON: Yes, and this is a story people really want to talk about and want they feedback. Tell us about your blog and where we can go and -- if they want to talk about it.

GRIFFIN: On the Web site, CNN.com, go to "A.C. 360" show, that's Anderson Cooper's show, and there's a blog that goes on. You can read the background of the story and you can read what other people are saying about it, what other people are doing about it, and you can add your comments, too.

LEMON: And, apparently, a lot of outrage there. Oh, yes. So go to that blog. Thank you. Very interesting report. Thank you, Drew Griffin.

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, a bridge over troubled waters. A renowned educator comes out of retirement to restore calm at Gallaudet University. Dr. Bob Davila joins us live next in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Not all the big changes in Washington this week are in government: a new interim president took over at Gallaudet University after a year of campus protests.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS (voice-over): Gallaudet is the only university specifically designed to accommodate deaf and hard of hearing students. But it went 124 years without a deaf president. That finally changed in 1988, but not without a fight.

When the Gallaudet board of trustees selected yet another hearing president, that year, students, faculty and alumni revolted and formed a movement called deaf president now. It worked. And Gallaudet soon had its first deaf president, I. King Jordan.

I. KING JORDAN, GALLAUDET PRESIDENT: I am thrilled to accept the invitation on the board of trustees to become the president of Gallaudet University.

PHILLIPS: That 1988 victory has never been forgotten on the Gallaudet campus. And it took on new significance last spring when the time came to choose a successor to Jordan.

The trustees selected Gallaudet's provost, Jane Fernandes. She was not a popular selection. The reason why is a matter of dispute. Fernandes is deaf, but she had a different background from many members of the Gallaudet community.

JANE FERNANDES, GALLAUDET PRESIDENT-DESIGNATE: I had attended a public school, not a school for the deaf. I had gone to a college other than one that was for deaf people. And I didn't learn to sign and really met deaf people who did sign until I was 22 years of age. So my emergence into American sign language and culture came later in my life.

PHILLIPS: Some Fernandes supporters claim she simply wasn't deaf enough for her campus critics. Her critics deny that. They argued that Fernandes was an autocratic provost, insufficiently supportive of students or faculty.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She does not have a relationship with the Gallaudet community, in general. She keeps herself hidden.

PHILLIPS: Whatever the motivation, campus protests began almost immediately. At times, Gallaudet was virtually shut down.

I. KING JORDAN, RETIRING GALLAUDET PRESIDENT: All of the many different things that we do on campus ground to a halt for a week. We can't allow that to happen.

PHILLIPS: More than 130 protesters were arrested. But in the end, they got their way. In October, the trustees backed down and Fernandes was out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I knew we would win. But the question was when. Today, I'm absolutely elated it's today.

PHILLIPS: Gallaudet's best-known trustee, Senator John McCain, resigned from the board in protest. But the decision to drop Fernandes stood. On December 10th, Dr. Robert Davila, a 1953 Gallaudet graduate, was named interim president. He began work Tuesday.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And joining us now from Washington, Gallaudet University interim president Dr. Bob Davila. It's a pleasure to have you with us, Doctor Davila. And I want to begin by asking you, how do you plan to restore harmony on the Gallaudet campus?

DR. ROBERT DAVILA, GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT (through translator): When I was appointed president, I promised the community of Gallaudet University that I would work very hard and diligently in order to re-establish the trust to open up the campus community and the conversations and the conversations that happened amongst the community members. Especially for the students that we have and people at large who feel that they can be heard when they're talking.

And we have to put into place a mechanism and ways that would permit them to get through to the administration as well as to each other. It's very important that we have this open communication and these dialogues that would then encourage and foster people to work together and establish that trust. And so that's the main focus right now, and that's the mission and responsibility for me as well as the university.

PHILLIPS: And there's been a number of protests among students over the years. Those protests have made history. Their voices have been heard, their signs have been seen. Tell me how you are going to relate to these students? And why you are confident that they are going to understand you, trust you and believe in you?

DAVILA (through translator): I have been student oriented, always been student oriented, as a teacher and administrator. Says I was a classroom teacher for many years. I taught elementary, secondary, college, as well as graduate school. And so my knowledge and commitment to students is widespread.

And I know, and I've always wanted to run a program in a way that I wanted when I was a student myself. And so I'm able to bring that passion, that desire towards the work that I do. And I've never had a problem communicating or interacting with this campus community, especially students. And I don't plan on changing that currently.

PHILLIPS: Well, you've been quite a trailblazer as a deaf professional. You were assistant secretary in the office of special education under Bush Sr. What challenges did you face in that position in a political position as a deaf man?

DAVILA (through translator): As a deaf man, we dealt with more than 45 million people who experienced different types of disabilities. And they all have special needs. And they all hope that different government agencies are established in place to help them, and they've always hoped that they would come up with an answer to certain problems and issues. And so as myself being a spokesperson, it's my responsibility to make sure that the government agencies are responsive towards people with disabilities.

Of course, there's always been some disagreements, and there's been some concerns and anxieties that have come up, and the expectations are very high from government agencies. And it's my job to make sure that we promote and move along all of our programs to make sure that they're responsive to the needs of people with disabilities.

And we handled a budget that was in the billions of dollars. And so these are programs bigger than any one college or university experienced. And so that type of management skills and being able to resolve those issues and problems, that's what I hope to do here at Gallaudet.

PHILLIPS: And you know what's interesting to me? I hear you say the word disability. Yet you know I've grown up with a mom who's a teacher in deaf education and a grandfather as well. And all my life I've heard we don't want to hear disability, we don't want to hear handicap -- deaf is a culture, and we can do anything that a hearing person can do. And I saw that fire and progressive nature within these student protests.

So could you explain to those that don't understand the deaf culture, what exactly that means? And how many of you say no, we are not disabled, we are not handicapped?

DAVILA (through translator): Sure. Well, first off, I know that deaf people, we are amongst the groups that are labeled as if we were disabled.

However, within the community of deaf people, we have developed access through the use of sign language, American sign language, where we feel very comfortable using American sign language. We've never had a sense of a disability within our own culture, because we're reminded of that every moment somewhere else.

And so that when we are very comfortable working amongst each other and being able to attend to everything that happens in life in a very comfortable way, as long as communication is accessible, and if communication is always accessible, you would never notice that we have a disability.

And so it's the reflection that we can do anything but hear, but it's not that we're so much disabled, but we have to be able to grasp all of life's requirements very well. And so I'm very comfortable with doing that.

PHILLIPS: Final question. You've always advocated for diversity in education. I know it's near and dear to your heart. How are you going to expand on that at Gallaudet?

DAVILA (through translator): Pardon me, I missed the question. Could you repeat that? PHILLIPS: Absolutely. You're an advocate for diversity in education, you've always been that way your entire career. How are you going to expand on that at Gallaudet?

DAVILA (through translator): Thank you. That's a great question. And currently we're going to be working on that. And before, actually, I took office, the university was working on a diversity plan, which was a part of the strategic plan that is almost in place.

It will be implemented soon. And we are currently in the final phase of our diversity plan. And so we will be focusing and attending to that on how can we approve our mission of diversity and ensuring that we have a diverse community as well as open up opportunities for many people to come to Gallaudet University so that way we can reflect the face of America as Gallaudet.

And so we have to start, and we have been doing that, and we're working towards that goal. We are on that track. As myself, being a diverse background, coming from one, I am a strong advocate for opening up opportunities for every child whether they're deaf or hard of hearing, regardless of their background. We have to make sure that we can provide these opportunities to each and every one.

PHILLIPS: Dr. Bob Davila, Gallaudet University president, it's been a pleasure talking with you. Thanks so much for being with us

DAVILA (through translator): Thank you. And it was my pleasure. Thank you, Kyra. I appreciate the opportunity to be here, to be with you.

PHILLIPS: Thank you.

LEMON: And coming up, a side effect of the real estate slowdown. One couple's story of losing their home to foreclosure. Stay with us. You're in the NEWSROOM.

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LEMON: You're not going to believe this one. Look at that. Woo hoo! 1,100 pounds and an urban legend for years. Well, that is until now. This midnight prowler apparently went a little too hog wild.

In suburban Atlanta. A neighbor, an avid hunter, decided it was time to bring home the bacon. This wasn't in Kyra's backyard, I hope. And actually killed that wild boar.

PHILLIPS: We'd both be eating it.

LEMON: He strung it up for all to see. I don't think we'd be eating it because he strung it up for all to see and smell, that is. The neighborhood children seemed more astonished at the pig's odor than its size, if that tells you anything about the situation.

PHILLIPS: Well, a 3-year-old boy, a four-story window, two passersby who happened to look up at exactly the right time. Bottom line. the toddler survived this fall from a four-story apartment in the Bronx yesterday with barely a scratch.

Police say the boy had crawled out of a window and was hanging from a fire escape when Julio Gonzales and Pedro Navarez spotted him. Gonzalez recalled the crucial moment for CNN's AMERICAN MORNING..

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIO GONZALEZ, SAVED THREE-YEAR-OLD BABY: We both got position under the fire escape and as the baby was coming down, we started turning, went towards my friend. We both tried to catch him but he bounced off his chest, threw him to the floor, and then he like bounced of him, and winded up in my hands. So then the baby knocked me down.

We just figured the baby was small, the way he was coming down, my friend say, Julio, this baby is not small, this is a big baby, I said, you better grab that kid. You better help me grab that kid. Don't let that kid hit that floor. We gonna grab him, we gonna grab him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Police are now questioning the child's baby-sitter. That part is not funny. But, I've got to tell you, those two that caught the baby are quite entertaining.

LEMON: We're glad he's okay, a cute kid there.

Another streak of weird weather has twisters ripping across the southeast part of the U.S. Batten down the hatches and join us in the CNN NEWSROOM for all the latest storm watches.

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