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American Morning
North Korea Fires More Missiles; Cancer-Stricken Teen and Mother Returns Home; U.S. Condemns North Korea Nuclear Test; Dollar in Distress; Attack Ads Target Potential Supreme Court Nominees
Aired May 26, 2009 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome once again. Glad you're with us on this Tuesday, May 26. I'm Kiran Chetry.
HOLMES: And good morning to you.
CHETRY: Welcome, T.J. Good to see you.
HOLMES: Hey, good to be here. Thank you all for having me. Thank you all for being with us, sitting in for John Roberts today. Now the breaking news story from where, oh, North Korea?
CHETRY: Yes, exactly. This is day two of waking up to breaking news out of North Korea.
The very latest right now is that Pyongyang fired two more short- range missiles from its east coast early this morning. That's according to South Korean media reports. And it's in addition to the three missiles they claim were fired off yesterday, the country's alleged underground nuke blast that Russia claims was strong enough to level a city.
And along with more missiles, more rhetoric. North Korea issuing a statement saying, "Our army and people are fully ready for battle against any reckless U.S. attempt for a preemptive attack."
President Obama called the leaders of both South Korea and Japan promising that the U.S. will defend both nations from any attack by the North. The U.S. ambassador to the U.N. is also pushing for a strong response.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUSAN RICE, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: The U.S. thinks that this is a grave violation of international law and a threat to regional and international peace and security. And therefore, the United States will seek a strong resolution with strong measures.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, our team of reporters already working their sources, tracking reaction from Washington this morning.
Suzanne Malveaux is standing by at the White House. First, though, let's go to our Barbara Starr who's live for us at the Pentagon. And, Barbara, what are you hearing this morning?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kiran, you're seeing the diplomats talk for a very good reason. There appear to be no other options really on the table at this point.
A senior U.S. military official telling CNN don't expect to see any major muscle movements by the U.S. military. They'll go with what they have in the region -- ground forces, airplanes in the region. But don't expect to see them move into action. This is going to be handled in the diplomatic arena once again.
Now, that said, we are seeing pictures out of Japan this morning of U.S. Air Force aircraft launching. These are intelligence and reconnaissance aircraft that typically go into the air and collect air samples after a nuclear test. They are able to collect very minute samples, looking for signs of radioactive gas in the air, radioactive activity.
This is the intelligence challenge right now -- get these air samples, collect all the air and ground data, and try once and verify once and for all, was it a nuclear explosion? How big was it? What kind of device? Was it successful? These are the questions that the U.S. intelligence community wants answered -- Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. Barbara Starr for us at the Pentagon this morning. Thanks.
HOLMES: And North Korea's apparent underground blast is a major test for President Obama's foreign policy. He is blasting Pyongyang for its nuclear about-face.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The record is clear. North Korea has previously committed to abandoning its nuclear program. Instead of following through on that commitment, it has chosen to ignore that commitment.
Its actions have also flown in the face of the United Nations' resolutions. As a result, North Korea is not only deepening its own isolation, it's also inviting stronger international pressure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Our Suzanne Malveaux live for us at the White House this morning.
Suzanne, good morning to you. How is the administration planning on going about handling North Korea?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, T.J., President Obama really is reaching out to those in the region, to the Six-party talks, those involve in that, as well as neighbors of North Korea, essentially making phone calls, critical phone calls last night to Japan, as well as South Korea. And from the readout from those calls, he reassured them that, look, the United States will defend their interests against North Korean aggression. As Barbara Starr mentioned before, we're not necessarily talking about some sort of onslaught of U.S. troops, but certainly this is a very dramatic, bold, political diplomatic statement that the president is trying to convey.
He's also trying to put pressure here on the U.N. Security Council. We heard the U.N. Security Council yesterday, unanimous condemnation of North Korea's actions that this is something that was really a violation of U.N. resolutions.
There's a number of options that the president could take on the table, and one of them that he's going to be doing is really trying to push forward through the U.N. Security Council greater sanctions against North Korea, something that really has some teeth. He's also reaching out.
We saw Secretary Clinton reaching out to her counterparts, with Russia and China. They have more influence -- arguably more influence because they're closer allies to North Korea and trying to change North Korea's behavior.
And finally, of course, restarting those Six-party talks. And, T.J., that really is a big challenge for the administration because it's taking a page from the Bush administration saying let's work with the region. Let's work with our allies here. Let's not make this a U.S.-North Korea problem. But so far, T.J., we've seen that that has not been all that successful so far.
HOLMES: All right. Suzanne Malveaux for us from the White House. Suzanne, thank you so much.
And to our viewers, please stay here with us. Ahead here on the "Most News in the Morning," we'll be talking to Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, get her reaction to North Korea.
CHETRY: And more now on our developing story this morning. The search for a sick 13-year-old and his mother has now come to an end.
After initially refusing court-ordered cancer treatments and a week on the run, the mother and son voluntarily returned home to Minnesota. And this is new video of them heading home shot by a media company that paid for their flight. But now there are some new questions about what drove the two to flee in the first place.
Jason Carroll is here with that part of the story for us.
Hey, Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Questions about that. Also, questions about Daniel Hauser's health. It now appears Colleen Hauser is ready to follow whatever course of action the court decides in terms of treatment for her son. She also explained the motivation behind taking him on the run.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL (voice-over): No longer in hiding, Colleen Hauser and her cancer-stricken son Daniel are speaking out, talking to a media company that arranged for their charter flight home. Hauser is saying the decision to take Daniel on the run was made to stop him from running.
COLLEEN HAUSER, DANIEL'S MOTHER: He used to run away. Danny was going to run away. Then what do I have? I mean, he was going to run.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are people who are saying that this was your mom's decision. Your mom was the one who basically convinced you not to do chemo. What would you say to those people?
DANIEL HAUSER, TEEN SICK WITH CANCER: I'd tell them to back off.
CARROLL: It's not clear when or where the interview was conducted, but Hauser says running was better than having her son forced to endure another round of chemotherapy.
C. HAUSER: And he knew he could not eat. He couldn't even drink. He was helpless. He was literally helpless.
And then to get him to where he is today is like -- why? Why would you want to do it again? Why would you want to start over again?
CARROLL: So why then did Hauser finally decide to turn herself in?
RICH HOFFMANN, BROWN COUNTY SHERIFF: I think they want to come back home. They want to get together with their family and they were ready to be home.
CARROLL: The Hausers arrived in Minnesota on Monday. Local law enforcement officials did not confirm where they had been, saying the family's attorney helped to arrange their return. The company that brought mother and son home, Asgaard Media, describes itself as founded and advised by a group of forward-thinking, positive-minded individuals. Calls to Asgaard were not returned.
Once home, doctors examined Daniel. So far, no word on his condition. His father says he wants his son home, not in a hospital.
ANTHONY HAUSER, DANIEL'S FATHER: I was told that he would be back and that's what I believe should be.
CARROLL: The question now, what will his parents do next? They want to treat their son's Hodgkin's lymphoma with natural methods.
Doctors say conventional treatment is his best chance of survival. The Hausers' attorney says, "Colleen wants to put her best case forward for her son to have a chance at alternative treatment. But, if the court overrules that, she will abide by the orders of the court."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: And because Hauser agreed to turn herself in, there is no longer a warrant for her arrest. Her attorney says it is her understanding the court does have custody of Daniel, but he will remain in his parents' care as long as they cooperate with the court.
CHETRY: All right. Jason Carroll, thanks so much for that.
And also coming up a little later in the show, a spokesman for the Hauser family will be live with us this morning, perhaps offering a little bit more insight on what's next for the family.
T.J.?
HOLMES: Also new this morning, heartbreaking news for boxing champ Mike Tyson. Police say his 4-year-old daughter is on life support after she was found with a cable from a treadmill around her neck. The little girl was discovered by her 7-year-old brother in the Tyson home. Police say this was just a tragic accident.
Also, how do you tell to the Taliban if you don't speak the language? Just 18 State Department employees can speak Pashto (ph). That's the primary language of the Taliban according to records in interviews obtained by "USA Today," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is asking for billions in the coming budget to hire more than 1,200 additional diplomats but it, of course, will take time to train them.
And the battle has begun over President Obama's Supreme Court nominee and he hasn't even put the name out yet. We'll show you the new attack videos and who's behind them.
It's 10 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the "Most News in the Morning." Back to our breaking news out of North Korea. Two more short-range missiles were fired off of the country's east coast just hours ago. That's according to South Korean media.
North Korea still facing a stinging backlash after an apparent underground nuclear test. The U.N. Security Council is calling it a clear violation of international law, and the White House condemned Pyongyang.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs pose a great threat to the peace and security of the world. And I strongly condemn their reckless action.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Joining me now is Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Ambassador Rice, thanks for being with us this morning.
SUSAN RICE, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: Good morning, Kiran.
CHETRY: You also said, we just heard from the president, you also said that the U.S. will seek a "strong resolution with strong measures." Can you give us more details about what those measures might be?
RICE: Well, Kiran, as you heard the president say, North Korea's actions over the last several days have been provocative and destabilizing and do pose a threat to international peace and security. That's why you heard the entire international community yesterday from various capitals and from the Security Council come out swiftly, forcefully, and in unity to condemn this. And we agreed yesterday that we are going to pursue in the Security Council a new resolution, a strong resolution with teeth.
Now, those teeth could take various different forms. They are economic levers. They are other levers that we might pursue. I don't think it's wise to presage our discussions and negotiations.
But I will say that there is a wide recognition in the Security Council and indeed more broadly that North Korea is on a path that is isolating itself even further that doesn't serve their own interest nor the interests of the region. If they want to continue to test and provoke the international community, they're going to find that they will pay a price because the international community is very clear, this is not acceptable. It won't be tolerated and they won't be intimidated.
CHETRY: Of course, any type of economic sanctions we need to get the support of China, a big trading partner with North Korea.
There's an op-ed in today's "Washington Post" that questions the wisdom of relying too much on China to help out, writing that "fears a unified, democratic, prosperous Korea allied with the United States. China wants a puppet state in North Korea, which is why far from joining in sanctions, it steadily increases its economic investment there."
So how much is this administration trusting that China would join in on any economic sanctions?
RICE: Well, first of all, China has a real interest in what transpires in North Korea. They share a border. They want to see a North Korea that is stable but without nuclear weapons. And on that, we are in full agreement. And North Korea has -- excuse me, China has play a constructive role in our shared efforts to try to constrain North Korea.
Now going forward in the context of additional pressures, we will have to deal with China and Russia and Japan, South Korea and others, to agree on a package that is appropriate, that is balanced, and that applies the kind of pressure that we hope and expect will cause North Korea to change its course. I do believe that China understands the gravity of this situation and are prepared to work constructively with us and others to send a very strong message to North Korea.
CHETRY: Another question is about missile defense and how big of a threat North Korea's actions and alleged actions are being perceived. The administration's fiscal 2010 budget calls for terminating two missile defense programs and also cutting more than a billion dollars in funding for the Missile Defense Agency. Is the administration reconsidering those cuts due to the growing missile threat from North Korea and possibly even Iran?
RICE: Well, our view on missile defense remains the same. It needs to be proven and cost effective. But it is a tool that we will continue to have among others, to protect the United States and our people. This is one of many steps that are available to us, unilaterally, multilaterally to prevent North Korea's action from posing approximate and real threat to the United States homeland and to our people.
CHETRY: All right. Ambassador Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, thanks for joining us this morning.
RICE: Good to be with you.
HOLMES: And a story developing right now, the search over for a mom who is on the run with her cancer-stricken son. He's back. He's seeing a doctor. So what is next for this sick teen?
The family spokesman will be with us live. That's coming up in just minutes right now.
It's 17 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, good morning, everybody. Good morning specifically to Nashville, Tennessee this morning, and specifically to Vanderbilt University and Lipscomb University there and town --
CHETRY: You know your Tennessee.
HOLMES: Yes, I know my Tennessee well. I also know the weather in Nashville today. Could be some storms there, about 79 degrees. But good morning to you all.
New this morning to tell you about, Mexico's message. I'm going back now.
Swine flu fears that scared away tourists and hotel occupancy now at a record low. That's according to the "Associated Press." So the Mexican government is about to spend some $90 million in ads $90 million in ads and going to use celebrities to lure tourists back. Apparently, if the rich and famous and beautiful feel safe there, well, then so should you.
Also, hoping green generates green. $4 billion from the economic stimulus package will be used to create green jobs. Housing Secretary Shaun Donovan will make that announcement today at the president's middle class task force in Denver. The money will be used to hire and train people to make public housing more energy efficient.
Also, the nuclear issue is a finished issue for us. That's the word from Iran's president at a news conference yesterday. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad rejected a western proposal for freezing its nuclear work in return for no new sanctions. Iran also ruled out any talks with major powers on the issue.
CHETRY: Well, Christine Romans joins us now. And you're addressing some concerns about the health of our dollar. This is something that we've been discussing and, of course, Congressman Ron Paul likes to talk about. But a lot of other people have sort of swept this under the rug.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, we are borrowing money. We're borrowing money we don't have to stimulate the economy. Everything that we're spending to stimulate the economy to get us out of this financial crisis is money we don't have. And in the wake of the financial crisis, the world was buying treasuries and buying the dollar thinking that in all of that chaos, those were safe places to be.
Now the dust has settled and now the world is saying, wait a second. The implications of so much debt is simply unsustainable for the United States. It's not good for the dollar. It means inflation down the road. It's not good for that special status that the U.S. dollar has.
You know, this is a stable, dependable dollar. That is a benefit to the whole world. You have oil prices. You have gold prices. All those things are valued in the dollar.
This is the big reserve currency. But there are concerns that we are borrowing so much money that that's going to be a problem for the recovery and that's why the dollar last week was down very sharply. And there was a shift going on in the markets about how they're thinking about what we're doing to try to get out of this mess.
The dollar has been under tress. It's down 10 percent since its peak in March. The president was asked about all this money we're spending in a C-SPAN interview. And he was asked at what point do we run out of money?
And the president said, well, we're out of money now. But we don't have any other choice. We have to borrow money to spend money in the near term, and he said to do some things that are a game changer, for health care, for energy, for other things.
So the president really laying out his position here but the world markets are telling us that they're concerned about the dollar. They're concerned about our ability to remain the gold standard in the world for investment.
So, this brings me to this number -- the "Romans' Numeral." CHETRY: Right. And this is a number that Christine brings us every day. It's a number that's driving your money, or the story about your money. So what are we talking about this hour?
ROMANS: This number is $36,972.51. It's a dollar number. $36,8972.51.
Now, someone on Twitter actually did come up with the answer to this. Bamber Shoot City (ph) said what every person would have to pay off to pay off the national debt. And that is the correct answer. That's your share, your share, my share. Together, you know, we're talking $100,000.
CHETRY: And it grows by the second, right?
ROMANS: Yes. In fact, that number isn't even accurate anymore.
CHETRY: Right.
ROMANS: It's so much bigger. And Bamber Shoot City (ph) actually looks like she's from Canada. So a Canadian solved the question of what is --
CHETRY: Is an overshoot like an umbrella in German?
ROMANS: I don't know. Is it?
I didn't know you speak German, Kiran. You're a special renaissance woman -- a renaissance woman.
Anyway, so this is -- this is going to be an important week, an important coming week for what is going to be the world view of the dollar and U.S. assets because people are starting to ask some very serious questions about the long-term trajectory of this country.
HOLMES: It doesn't sound good to heard the president saying we're broke now.
ROMANS: He's being honest.
HOLMES: Yes.
ROMANS: He's saying he's trying to fix that. We have to borrow money to fix our problems. That's the plus from (ph) this government.
HOLMES: All right. Christine, thank you as always.
ROMANS: Sure.
HOLMES: And a preemptive strike on President Obama's Supreme Court pick. We don't even know who it will be but ads are already out attacking the front-runners. We will show who they're targeting and also live.
And a teenager with cancer is back home now. But what's next for this young man? The mother is still saying she wants to explore treatments that aren't "toxic." The family spokesman will be with us live in just minutes.
We are right now 24 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Look at that. A beautiful shot of the White House although it's a little rainy and foggy. Seventy degrees right now in the nation's capital. It's going a little later. Getting cooler, dropping about six degrees to a high of 64 later in the day.
Well, there is not a nominee. Technically, there's even a vacancy yet. But the Supreme Court fight is already in full swing. So who are the targets? And who's behind the attacks?
Jim Acosta joins us from Washington with more on the story.
Hey, Jim.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kiran. You know, President Obama's pick for the Supreme Court is starting to sound less like a selection and more like an election when you consider how conservative groups are mobilizing their forces for a fight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, JUDICIAL CONFIRMATION NETWORK)
NARRATOR: So who are President Obama's front runners? One of them is Diane Wood.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA (voice-over): Streaming across the conservative blogosphere, this campaign style Web videos take aim at federal judges Diane Wood and Sonia Sotomayor, and U.S. Solicitor General Elena Kagan, three of President Obama's leading contenders for the Supreme Court.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NARRATOR: America deserves better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: The site, ObamasFrontrunners.com, invites visitors to pick the worst liberal judicial activist.
WENDY LONG, JUDICIAL CONFIRMATION NETWORK: The White House has begun to portray them already as moderates and pragmatists, some sort of centrist, and really nothing could be further from the truth. They have record as sort of hard left liberal activists.
ACOSTA: Wendy Long is with the conservative group behind the attack videos. She's a former clerk to Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas who went through his own bruising confirmation battle. LONG: I think that it's very important to be vigorous and not to just sit back and to insist upon a full airing of the nominee's record.
ACOSTA: To conservatives, President Obama's recent comments that he's seeking a justice with empathy and a common touch are liberal code words.
TOM MCCLUSKY, FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL: It's most definitely a signal that he's sending to his base when he uses words like empathy and feelings, more so than he uses words like the U.S. constitution.
ACOSTA: Top GOP leaders want the president to rule out what they call judicial activists, judges who conservatives say would legislate from the bench.
NEWT GINGRICH, FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: There are people out there who have this radical alternative who want to genuinely change America using the courts. That kind of a person I think would lead to an enormous fight.
ACOSTA: Democrats suspect Republicans are simply using the court to rally the party.
KAREN FINNEY, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: It's one thing if there are, you know, true disagreements with the potential nominee on some matters of substance. But to sort of create a fight just for the sake of fund raising and having an ideological battle, I don't think the country is really going to stand for that.
ACOSTA: Senate Republicans doubt they have the votes to filibuster Mr. Obama's choice. But one conservative Democrat, Nebraska's Ben Nelson is not ruling it out.
SEN. BEN NELSON (D), NEBRASKA: I don't care whether they're liberal or conservative, I just want to make sure they're not activist. I don't want an activist on the bench.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: And that is from a Democrat. The president is not just feeling the heat from conservatives. Mr. Obama is also under pressure from the left to pick a woman or a Hispanic or an unabashed liberal who could go toe-to-toe with the court's toughest conservatives.
And, Kiran, we are hearing that Mr. Obama's pick could come as early as today or as late as the end of the week. So all of this noise that we're hearing right now is pretty much the pre-game to the kickoff -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Wow. All right. Jim Acosta for us in Washington this morning. Thanks.
ACOSTA: You bet.
HOLMES: And we're now at the bottom of the hour and we are tracking breaking news this morning.
North Korean launched two more short-range missiles off its eastern coast just hours ago. That's according to South Korean media. That's five missiles in two days along with the country's apparent underground nuclear test. The White House is saying North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile program holds a grave test to peace and security. But North Korea remains defiant saying in a statement it's ready for "any reckless U.S. attempt for a preemptive attack," end quote.
President Obama, meanwhile, expected to announce this week he's creating a so-called cyber czar. That from "The Washington Post" this morning. The report says the senior White House official will have broad authority to help protect the nation's government and private computer networks.
Also New York officials say they want to build a new large scale garbage dump a few hundred yards from a LaGuardia Airport runway. Just one little problem here. Birds and airplane engines don't mix.
You remember it was a run-in with birds that left a U.S. Airways flight 1549 floating in the Hudson River about four months ago. Now when flight 1549's co-pilot heard about this plan for the garbage dump, he said, quote, "That's just insane."
The mother and son on the run from cancer treatment and the law are back in Minnesota this morning and for the first time speaking out about why they fled. Colleen Hauser spoke to a media company that paid for their flight home and explained why she took off with her 13- year-old son Daniel.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLLEEN HAUSER, DANIEL HAUSER'S MOTHER: I was going to run away. Danny was going to run away. Then what do I have? I mean he was going to run. And that just broke my heart.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, Dan Zwakman is a spokesman for the Hauser family. He's also a member of the Nemenhah Band which has guided the family through the natural treatments that they prefer. He's in St. Paul, Minnesota for us this morning.
Sir, thank you for being here. We just heard the mother there, Colleen, in that sound bite saying she took off because she felt like Daniel was going to run away. Is that the case? Is that the story she's sticking by?
DAN ZWAKMAN, HAUSER FAMILY SPOKESMAN: It has been a strong emotional event for this family there. They have a very deeply held belief in their natural healing and wanting to tackle Danny's cancer in a natural way. This is a very strong, very deeply held ideal with them.
HOLMES: With them, with you as well. You're a member of the same band here. So is that what you would recommend to the families to ignore the so-called conventional treatments?
ZWAKMAN: Oh we never recommend it. And if we do, we certainly absolutely never be anything illegal. We support whatever their decision is. (INAUDIBLE) for herself and each person has to make this individually. We would not advise them to do anything illegal and we actually don't advise them in any aspect unless they were to ask a person one-on-one.
The band as a band does not support or guide them in their own decision. But we do support and we are for them being able to make their own decisions.
HOLMES: All right. Well, let me ask you then where were they this past week?
ZWAKMAN: They were down in California. They went down there on their way to Mexico. They were seeking the ultimate treatments, the more natural treatment that is readily available in Mexico that is not available in the United States.
HOLMES: What kind of treatment would that be, sir?
ZWAKMAN: They use natural (INAUDIBLE) doctors who use more of a natural herbal and such different therapies versus the chemo and the radiation that they do in America.
HOLMES: Now do you believe and do you all believe? And I say you all with the Nemenhah Band here, that they're a part of as well, believe that those treatments are a better alternative to chemo and radiation treatment that doctors say has 95 percent chance of him being cured of this Hodgkin's lymphoma?
ZWAKMAN: Well, if a person actually does a study and wants to find out and looks deep in to this, you can discover many people who have cured themselves. They've had cancer, they have had none of the traditional western medicines and they're completely cured. I can mention five myself right now who I met fairly recently.
HOLMES: And -- all right, sir. I just want to know, though, is that what you would still recommend for this young boy?
ZWAKMAN: I don't recommend anything for him. He has to make his own decision. I can say that if I was in his shoes, if I, myself, had cancer.
HOLMES: Yes, sir.
ZWAKMAN: I would go the natural way myself.
HOLMES: All right. Well, tell us also from advising the family and talking to the family, why, then, did they decide to come on back.
ZWAKMAN: They were on their way to Mexico. They didn't make it to Mexico. Just being on the road and being nowhere, probably the first time being out of their own area, in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota. I think they just -- they kind of hit a wall and didn't know what else to do. So Colleen got a hold of private attorney down there and said she wanted to turn herself in and come back. And that's what she did.
HOLMES: So from what we know now, will the family resist to giving the treatment that the doctors say he needs and also that the court has ordered? Will there be any resistance now by the family to go ahead and let him have radiation and chemo treatments?
ZWAKMAN: That's interesting point. Even if the family said OK, go ahead, we agreed, they still have the aspect of Danny. Danny absolutely refuses it as yet.
HOLMES: Does Daniel have the capacity as a 13-year-old boy to be making that decision for himself and really to understand what's happening?
ZWAKMAN: Yes. I thought that Danny and the media here has somehow gotten the idea that he is illiterate when he is not. He reads to his younger brothers. He does word puzzles. The family is a very intelligent family. The daughter in the family at age 16 now just passed the graduation test and is more than qualified to graduate high school.
HOLMES: Well, on that point about Daniel, I want to make sure if you -- say you want to clear that up here then it has been widely reported by several media outlets that he does have a learning disability and in fact cannot read. You tell me both of those things are not true.
ZWAKMAN: That is absolutely not true. He does word puzzles. He does -- he reads newspaper articles. He can read the TV guide.
HOLMES: All right, well -- let me know about what you can about this relationship. How this family hooked up with this Asgaard Media Company that provided the plane for them to get back home and also shot video that has been released now and did some interviews with the family. What is the relationship there? How did these two? How did both sides end up hooking up?
ZWAKMAN: When Colleen was in California she didn't want to turn herself in directly to the authorities. She got a hold of a private attorney and it was that private attorney that had the connections for the plane and the media.
HOLMES: All right. Sir, well, I appreciate, you gave us some important updates here about the young man. And like you said he has been checked out by doctors. We don't know exactly how he's doing physically. But you say he is doing just fine this morning. Is that right, Daniel?
ZWAKMAN: Actually I was with them during the whole time he was undergoing the exam yesterday. I took about three hours. And I wasn't privy as to what they actually found but I can tell you this. I was with the family to about 20 minutes after 9:00 last night.
HOLMES: Yes.
ZWAKMAN: And as I left their farm, Danny was out, by his own accord, nobody asked him, too, but he was outside with the weed whacker attacking the weeds in the garden.
HOLMES: OK. Well, Dan Zwakman, again, a spokesman for the family, the Hauser family. Sir, we appreciate your time this morning.
ZWAKMAN: You bet.
CHETRY: Time now to check on some of the other stories new this morning.
Homeland security secretary Janet Napolitano is scheduled to sign a new treaty later today in Detroit with Canada's public safety minister. The new treaty means you have to show a passport to cross the border into Canada.
Well, a march is planned today here in Manhattan for supporters of same-sex marriage that will come after the ruling expected later today from the California Supreme Court. The issue is whether California's constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, known as Prop 8, is legal or not. Voters passed it back in November.
Also the U.N. Security Council issued a strong response to North Korea's apparent nuclear test but will it follow up with anything else? We're breaking down the backlash with our senior U.N. correspondent Richard Roth just ahead.
It's 38 minutes past the hour.
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CHETRY: Welcome back to the most news in the morning.
Just hours after North Korea's apparent nuclear test, should the U.N. Security Council issue a blistering response? Earlier here in AMERICAN MORNING, America's ambassador to the U.N. spoke about this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUSAN RICE, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: We are going to pursue in the Security Council a new resolution, a strong resolution with teeth. Now those teeth could take various different forms. There are economic levers. There are other levers that we might pursue.
If they want to continue to test and provoke the international community, they're going to find that they will pay a price.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: And let's bring in our senior U.N. correspondent Richard Roth. We heard Ambassador Rice say that they will pay a price. She talked about the possibility of economic sanctions. How likely is that to be passed, though, at the Security Council?
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: I think there will eventually be a resolution. That's not always easy on North Korea. But will it do any good? Two hours of high drama in the last few days. One hour for North Korea to notify the U.S. there was going to be a nuclear test and then about an hour for the Security Council to condemn Pyongyang.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROTH (voice-over): The United Nations Security Council didn't waste any time in blasting North Korea for its nuclear test. Just one hour after convening an emergency meeting, the council issued a nonbinding statement to the press.
VITALY CHURKIN, U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT: The members of the Security Council voiced their strong opposition to and condemnation of the nuclear test conducted by the democratic People's Republic of Korea on May 25, 2009 which constitutes a clear violation of Resolution 1718.
ROTH: The Security Council is not pleased that North Korea detonated a device just six weeks after being told by the same council to halt any nuclear or missile tests.
BAKI ILKIN, TURKISH AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: We don't feel that this is the way that would lead to the reunification of the peninsula.
ROTH: Passing a statement of criticism, though, is easier than adopting a legally binding resolution with potential additional sanctions aimed at the North Korean government. The nuclear test did seem to spur unity among countries who usually have sharp difference over how to punish North Korea.
The council announced it would quickly start work on a resolution though its content is not yet is not certain.
RICE: The U.S. thinks that this is a grave violation of international law and a threat to regional and international peace and security. And therefore the U.S. will seek a strong resolution with strong measures.
ROTH: Japan is glad the Security Council is now ready to act. Last April when a North Korean missile fell nearby, Japan was unable to win support for a tough resolution against its neighbor.
YUKIO TAKASU, JAPANESE AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: They had a meeting on Security Council passing the resolution and then acting in this ways and there we go. I think they should be a very clear consequence to that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROTH: The French say they'd likened this new resolution to have some sanctions and they want North Korea to pay a price. Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. And so meantime, Russia and China may both have veto power on this Security Council. How likely is China, let's say, to support sanctions?
ROTH: China is the key player. I think they're going to be -- they'll be in pursuit of sanctions resolution, but how much teeth will it have, as Susan Rice told you earlier. They'll have teeth. They're always saying that.
I think you may see some actions unilaterally. The U.S. trying to may be interdict some ships, trying to get together with South Korea and Japan. Try to have a two-pronged approach. Diplomatic at the U.N. which may not always succeed and some more muscular approaches in the region, without disturbing China too much.
CHETRY: All right. We'll see how it plays out.
Richard Roth, good to see you this morning. Thanks. T.J.?
HOLMES: All right, Kiran, from restaurants to military bases, we'll meet the digital spy who's lifting the video on the secretive state of North Korea.
It's 44 minutes past the hour.
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HOLMES: Good morning, everybody, and in particular, Minneapolis, this morning. Could be a little bit of a rainy day. There in Minneapolis. Showers, around 56 degrees. But what do I know, Rob Marciano? I'm just the news guy. You're the guy who keeps an eye on the weather. What's happening today?
(WEATHER REPORT)
HOLMES: Soupy. I love when you guys use those technical terms.
MARCIANO: Making me hungry.
HOLMES: Well, (INAUDIBLE). Appreciate you, buddy.
MARCIANO: All right.
HOLMES: All right. Kiran?
CHETRY: Well, with the bleak job market and the president asking for service, will more job-seeking grads turn to Uncle Sam for their first paycheck and what are the prospects there?
It's 49 minutes passed the hour.
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CHETRY: We've all heard that buying American is good for the economy, but how about buying Native American, from hamburgers to coal to trash bags. CNN's John Zarrella found today's version of the trading post.
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JOHN ZARRELLA CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over: The relaxing sound of a poolside waterfall. Inside, a frenzied atmosphere. A waterfall of money flows in the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. This and nearly every Hard Rock property in the world is owned by a now exceedingly wealthy Seminole Indian Tribe of Florida.
MAX B. OSCEOLA JR., SEMINOLE TRIBE OF FLORIDA, INC.: Our ancestors sold Manhattan for trinkets. Today, with the acquisition of the Hard Rock Cafe, we're going to buy Manhattan back one hamburger at a time.
ZARRELLA: In fact, its hamburger, or to be more exact, the beef it comes from that gave Seminole Indian Richard Bowers an idea.
RICHARD BOWERS, JR., SEMINOLE TRIBE OF FLORIDA, INC.: What I started out doing is trying to develop a market for our people to sell their cattle.
ZARRELLA: Bowers found that on Native American land there are more than two million heads of cattle. Rather than buy from outside suppliers, he could help less fortunate tribes by buying their beef for his cafes. So the Seminoles and a handful of tribes formed a Native American consortium.
ROBIN FLINT BALLENGER, CONSORTIUM MEMBER: I want to see this consortium bring Indian country into its full power, to regain what we should have had all along.
ZARRELLA: In a year, the group went from five to 100 member tribes, buying, selling and trading between each other.
In Durant, Oklahoma, a Native American construction company, Flintco, is building a casino for the Comanche Nation. And what does every casino need besides money bags? Trash bags.
(On camera): And can you buy those Native American or is that something you go outside?
BOWERS: There's a Native American company that does the trash bags.
ZARRELLA: So it's a win/win?
BOWERS: It's a win/win. So the money doesn't go anywhere except within our system.
ZARRELLA (voice-over): The products they can't buy Native American, the consortium tries to buy American. Bowers' time is spent working out how tribes can help each other. Gambling in sparsely populated Montana was not a viable option for the Crow Indians but their land sits on nine billion tons of coal.
CEDRIC BLACK EAGLE, CROW NATION CHAIRMAN: We now have a partner that is an Indian nation and that we will now have substantial capital to move forward with all our projects, energy projects that are right there on the horizon.
ZARRELLA: For the first time in 200 years, the Native Americans feel they are united. An idea about a casino and a hamburger helped bring them together.
John Zarrella, CNN, Hollywood, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And we are following a breaking story this morning. North Korea firing more missiles and upping the ante. Just hours ago reportedly test-firing two more short-range missiles. We'll take you live to the Pentagon with the latest on this story.
Also, a sixth grader in Washington state the target of cyber bullying by classmates. But you're not going to believe how far they went to taunt her.
It's 55 minutes passed the hour.
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CHETRY: There's a shot of Atlanta, Georgia this morning, where right now it's cloudy, 66 degrees. A little bit later, some thundershowers going up to a high of 78.
And welcome back to the most news in the morning. How to kill a classmate? Well, it was the subject of a shocking cartoon video set to music and posted on YouTube by a group of 11 and 12-year-old girls in Washington state. It takes cyber bullying to a disturbing new level.
Carol Costello is following the story for us. One, disturbing just that this even was made. But number two, some are questioning the reaction of the school district and the local police.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Kiran, they say politicians can be a nasty bunch. Well, they're nothing compared to girls on the cusp of entering junior high school. Now some of this mean girl behavior is sadly normal. But the psychologist I talked with said what you are about to see is nowhere near normal.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO (voice-over): It looks like a cartoon, except it's not funny or cute. Its title, "The Top 6 Ways to Kill Piper!" Literally. The gun, suicide, a good push off a cliff. You get the picture. It's especially ugly because Piper is a real girl.
PIPER SMITH, BULLIED ONLINE: It was beyond funny stuff. I mean, it really, really hurt my feelings. I mean, if somebody hates me that much to make a video about me like that, it made me feel really bad.
COSTELLO: Piper is a sixth grader at Elk Plain School of Choice in Washington state. The girls who made the YouTube video are classmates, ages 11 and 12. And while you may be shocked by this, those who work with children are not. According to the National Crime Prevention Council, cyber bullying is the biggest threat kids face, especially girls.
KAROL WARD, PSYCHOTHERAPIST: It's this Queen Bee wannabe syndrome that happens. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dawn Schweitzer has a huge ass? Who would write that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who wouldn't write that?
COSTELLO: The Queen Bee syndrome is so pervasive in school Hollywood made a movie about it. In "Mean Girls," popular yet insecure girls band together to attack those they deem different.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now if you break any of these rules, you can't sit with us at lunch. I mean not just you but any of us. OK. If I were wearing jeans today, I would be sitting over there with the art freaks.
COSTELLO: Some psychologists say this kind of behavior has only gotten more vicious because it can play out online, anonymously.
WARD: Often teenagers have a deep sense of self hatred and often lack of self esteem that they're not even consciously aware of. And what happens is they place that on someone who they consider different from them.
COSTELLO: Ward says Piper Smith did exactly the right thing. She stood up to the bullies, exposed them, and most likely saved herself more emotional pain.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: We hope so. Now, it is important, says Ward, the mean girls face consequences.
The school did take some type of action, although for privacy reasons, it won't say what type of action it took against those mean girls. Police were called but police decided no charges would be filed because there was no malice in the part of these 11 and 12 year- old girls.
CHETRY: Right. And then the school district also said -- which, we have some statements that it didn't happen on school property so what are they supposed to do -- so it really didn't involve them and they sort of turned it over to the police.
COSTELLO: They said it didn't involve them until Piper felt unsafe at school. Then school officials were moved to take action against there 11 and 12 year-old girls.
CHETRY: All right. Well, we're going to find out more about it, Carol. Just about 30 minutes from now we're going to be talking with Piper and her mom and see what's changed since they sat down for that other interview. It's coming up in about 30 minutes, here on AMERICAN MORNING.
