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American Morning
Garrido's Sexual Obsessions; Journalist Violently Dragged into North Korea; "Educating America" Series; Wildfire Keeps Raging in S. California; Baltimore Charter School Teachers Decline Raise; Auto- Tuning Brothers Release New Video; Cuban-U.S. Relations Show Signs of Thawing
Aired September 02, 2009 - 07:58 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you once again. Thanks for being with us on this AMERICAN MORNING. It's Wednesday, September 2. I'm Kiran Chetry.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. I'm John Roberts. Here's what's on this morning's agenda, the big stories that we'll be breaking down for you in the next 15 minutes. Just-released court documents from Phillip Garrido's 1977 kidnapping and rape trial describe his sexual obsessions in graphic detail. Garrido is now charged with abducting and raping Jaycee Dugard and keeping her prisoner for 18 years. And police are looking at other kidnappings possibly linked to Garrido.
CHETRY: Also, for the first time, the two American journalists recently released from captivity in North Korea are sharing their story. Euna Lee and Laura Ling are revealing some new details about the events that led up to their arrest back in March.
ROBERTS: And the battle against swine flu from our nation's capital to our nation's schools. In just a moment, we're talking to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan about what's being done to keep your kids safe while keeping schools open.
We begin the hour, though, with disturbing new details about Phillip Garrido's apparently sick and twisted history. Garrido and his wife are now charged with kidnapping and raping Jaycee Dugard over an 18-year period, during which Garrido fathered Dugard's two daughters. Just-released court records reveal Garrido's sexual obsessions going back three decades.
CNN's Ed Lavandera is on the story for us this morning. He's live in Antioch, California. What do the documents actually reveal, Ed?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, this stems back to the case that essentially put Phillip Garrido on the radar for the rest of his life. The charges that would lead to him becoming a federal registered sex offender.
(voice-over): Newly released court documents offer a glimpse into Phillip Garrido's mind, details from his 1977 trial where he was convicted of kidnapping and raping Katie Callaway Hall. The night he attacked her, Garrido said, quote, "I had this fantasy that was driving me to do this, inside of me, something that was making me want to do it without no way to stop."
Garrido's first wife Christine Murphy speaking out for the first time, describes him as a monster.
CHRISTINE MURPHY, PHILLIP GARRIDO'S FIRST WIFE: I just wanted my life to be the way it used to be -- before Phillip Garrido.
LAVANDERA: Garrido also testified in that 1977 trial that intense drug use stimulated his sexual addiction. He says he cruised neighborhoods as a "peeping tom," driving around town exposing himself in public places, including schools. He also testified that he often fantasized about raping women. But he says, after turning to God, he started to feel ashamed of his actions.
Murphy says "sex issues" caused her marriage with Garrido to fall apart.
MURPHY: I never got pregnant, and I always thought he couldn't have children.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What happened to your marriage?
MURPHY: Well, it fell apart because of his neediness for sex.
LAVANDERA: Investigators now say they have found no connection between Garrido and a string of murders back in the 1990s that happened near his workplace. But authorities are still looking into whether Garrido is responsible for the disappearance of two young girls near Antioch, California.
Several of Garrido's neighbors are raising disturbing questions about what happened in Garrido's backyard. Mike Rogers lives behind Garrido. He says grown men often partied in the backyard prison where Jaycee Dugard and her two daughters lived in tents. Knowing what he knows now is troubling to think of what was happening.
(on camera): What exactly did you see these guys doing?
MIKE ROGERS, GARRIDO'S NEIGHBOR: They were like drinking, cheering their beers, and high-fiving, and getting crazy, you know, screaming and hollering. It was -- you know,, I thought maybe they were partying back there. Who knows, you know? I mean, you just -- you know, I hollered at them. They didn't even look at me.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Antioch investigators tell CNN they've heard those stories but still don't have any evidence that other men might have abused Jaycee Dugard and her two daughters in that back yard.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAVANDERA: And, John, despite being a registered sex offender, regular meetings with parole officers who would come to the house, he, obviously, was able to elude incredibly close scrutiny and because of that, the California Department of Corrections is now announcing they are launching an internal review of their procedures - John.
ROBERTS: As you said at the beginning, that 1977 case put him on the radar, but he seemed to somehow slip beneath it as well. Ed Lavandera this morning in Antioch -- Ed, thanks so much.
CHETRY: Well, also brand new this morning, we saw it right here live, the moment of pure joy unfolding when the American journalists, Euna Lee and Laura Ling, were finally reunited with their family, with their friends -- for Euna, with her little daughter -- after being detained in North Korea for nearly five months.
ROBERTS: Well, now, the two are telling their story and sharing new details about their arrest. Alina Cho is following that story for us and she joins us now.
Good morning to you.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. We've all been waiting for them to speak out and now they are. Good morning, guys.
You know, this is the first time that Euna Lee and Laura Ling have spoken about that fateful day back in March when they were captured and ended up prisoners of the North Korean government. And they are telling their story in a letter published in today's "Los Angeles Times." In it, they admit to crossing into North Korea for, quote, "no more than a minute." But they say that minute was one they deeply regret.
Now, it all started back on March 17th, the journalists were shooting a documentary for Current TV on human trafficking. And they were actually following the route that North Korean defectors take to cross over from North Korea into China, along a frozen river on the border.
Now, Lee and Ling were working with a guide who apparently told him his associates in the North could show them a village, essentially a safe house, where North Koreans gather before sneaking out of the country. They write, quote, "We had no intention of leaving China but when our guide beckoned for us to follow him, we did, eventually arriving on the North Korean side of the riverbank."
They point out there were no signs, no fences marking the border, but they immediately became nervous, and within 60 seconds, they ran back to the Chinese side -- of course, we all know by now that it was too late. Armed North Korean guards chased them down, and two colleagues actually got away, but Lee and Ling, of course, were captured. They write, quote, "We tried with all of our might to cling to bushes, ground, anything. But we were no match for the determined soldiers. They violently dragged us back to North Korea and marched us to an army base."
Now, over the next four and a half months, Lee and Ling say they were isolated from another. They were repeatedly interrogated and eventually sentenced to 12 years of hard labor. They say they were so cut off from the outside world that they actually thought they were off to a labor camp on the very day that guards brought them to a room where -- guess who -- President Clinton was waiting to take them home. Imagine their surprise.
Now, Lee and Ling have been back with their families for about a month now. They say they know that people want to hear more about their experience and captivity, but they say, "What we have shared here is all we are prepared to talk about. The wounds," they say, "are slow to heal."
It is really just a fascinating read, guys. If you were at all interested on following this story, as many people were, you must read this in today's "Los Angeles Times." You know, they also say that in the early days of their confinement, they were actually left for a brief time alone with their belongings and they were so scared about the repercussions of their arrest that they actually swallowed their reporter's notes. They destroyed videotapes.
It's just incredible. But you can imagine that the fear that was going through their minds and they were going to do whatever they could to stay safe. And thankfully, they are back home now. But this is something we've been waiting to hear. Hopefully, we'll hear more from them.
ROBERTS: Fascinating read, Alina. Thanks so much.
CHETRY: You know, we link it up to our Web site and we link on Twitter, too. So, you can check it out there.
Thanks so much, Alina.
CHO: You bet.
CHETRY: Well, Hurricane Jimena is weaker this morning, but still dangerous. This storm has been downgraded to a category two, but as Jacqui Jeras told us, it's a big, big storm and the winds are still 105 miles per hour. And it's bearing down on Mexico's Baja California Peninsula. They're saying the strong winds are spraying sand, knocking down trees and forcing a state of emergency in many spots. The resort town of Cabo San Lucas on alert and it could be seeing some widespread coastal flooding as well as mudslides.
Also this morning, firefighters are starting to get a hand on portions of that massive fire that's torched an area the size of Chicago. They say that while it's 22 percent contained right now, there are pockets that are still growing and pushing dangerously close to some neighborhoods. And this is not the only fire that California is dealing with right now. There are several other major fires that are still burning out of control.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA: The fires from the northern border all the way south and from the Pacific to the Sierra Nevada, fires, fires, fires.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: And a big concern right now for crews fighting the biggest fire, the wind. There is a chance it could pick up later today and ignite a whole new set of problems.
ROBERTS: The husband of the woman who drove her minivan the wrong way on a New York parkway, killing eight people including four children, is speaking out defending his wife. Appearing last night on "LARRY KING LIVE," Daniel Schuler continued to deny that his wife had a drinking problem and said he had no idea why there was a bottle of vodka in the car.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": What was the vodka bottle doing in the car?
DANIEL SCHULER, DIANE SCHULER'S HUSBAND: My wife packed all of the bags that day in the camper, and leaves them by the door. I carry them from the camper to the truck. I'm very surprised that the vodka bottle was in there. I had no idea. I don't know what is going on.
KING: Does it give you -- does it give you pause to think that maybe -- just maybe -- she was a drinker and you didn't know it?
SCHULER: I've been with her 13 years, absolutely not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Daniel Schuler's attorney says that Diane Schuler's body will be exhumed to prove their position that she was not drunk.
CHETRY: Well, one Wisconsin state lawmaker has explaining to do after this video surfaced. It's from a city bus. It was in Madison, Wisconsin. It shows the Representative Fred Clark running a red light and hitting that bicyclist. The accident happened last month.
Clark apparently told police that he wasn't paying attention and got a ticket for running the red light. And even though it looks like quite a collision here, the cyclist taken to the hospital for back and lung injuries, but fortunately, they say he was not seriously hurt.
ROBERTS: Wow. He is -- he is so -- look at that. Oh! Wow. He is so lucky he wasn't seriously hurt.
CHETRY: And he had a helmet on.
ROBERTS: Yes. Good thing. You think the legs and the hip are really exposed there.
Well, he's best known for quarterbacking and retiring, and then coming out of retirement and then retiring again, and coming out and then say no -- you know that story. Now, Brett Favre is making headlines for a block that he threw at a preseason game on Monday night.
The league is reviewing Favre's illegal crack back block at the knees of Houston defensive back Eugene Wilson who is injured on the play. The Vikings' quarterback was penalized for the hit. And some people are calling it a cheap shot -- Brett not known for his cheap shots.
CHETRY: There we see it one more time.
ROBERTS: Yes. He took on at the knee. That hurt.
CHETRY: All right. Well, still ahead -- we're talking about how schools are preparing for swine flu. They say that, you know, it's going to hit, it's going to get worse. The upcoming seasonal flu season starts as well. But we're seeing it more on college campuses. And there is advice a lot of parents are wondering, what do we do.
So, we're going to be joined right by Secretary Arne Duncan, the secretary of education, with some advice and some guidance going forward about how to best deal with swine flu.
It's 10 1/2 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
Students are getting ready to go back to school. And now, health experts are saying that dorms can actually be the perfect environment to spread swine flu on college campuses.
School officials, in fact, at Emory University in Atlanta already say they have about 50 cases. At Wake Forest in Winston- Salem, North Carolina, they say more than 100 students have now come down with the H1N1 virus. The sick students in both cases have been moved to another dorm.
And it seems that more and more young, healthy people are coming down with the H1N1 virus. In fact, yesterday, the Chicago Department of Health is reporting that kids between the ages of 5 and 14 were actually 14 times more likely than people over 60 to come down with the swine flu. Still, though, President Obama's message is that everyone from big cities to small towns should be ready just in case there is an outbreak.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't want anybody to be alarmed, but I do want everybody to be prepared. We know that we usually get a second larger wave of these flu viruses in the fall. And so, response plans have been put in place across all levels of government.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: So, what do we all need to know about it?
Well, joining me now is Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
Thanks so much for being with us this morning, Mr. Secretary. We appreciate it.
ARNE DUNCAN, U.S. SECRETARY OF EDUCATION: Good morning, Kiran. Thanks so much for having me.
CHETRY: So, we have these indications now that young, healthy people could perhaps in some cases be more vulnerable to swine flu than perhaps older people that you typically associate with being vulnerable to seasonal flu. We've seen these college campuses already trying to deal with it.
So, what is the advice that the administration is giving? If you're a college kid or you're the parent of one and you're getting ready to take your kid now to the school year, they're going to be living in the dorm, how do they keep themselves safe?
DUNCAN: Yes. And it's not just college students, it's really ages 5 to 24 that are at risk. And so, we really want to make sure that all of our young people are practicing common sense, practicing prevention, washing hands thoroughly, coughing into a sleeve rather than into your hands, and making sure as we go into the school year, if students are sick, we want them to stay home. We want to make sure -- we want to make sure the students that are sick can stay home so the schools can stay open.
And college dorms, if you are sick, we want you to stay in the dorm, and if you have a college buddy, someone to help you if you are sick, bring those books to you and help you out if that needs to happen.
CHETRY: Right. And I understand, some of these cases, they are asking the kids to make sure your fever has broken for 24 hours before you leave that area of the dorm, or wherever you have been separated from.
But the reason I asked about college kids first is because they are living where they are going to school. And so, in some cases, you know, it's a perfect environment for communicable diseases to spread. But you talked a little about that.
So, let's talk about elementary level and middle school and high school kids as well. What advice for parents -- as they are heading in, they are getting and we're signed up to give our kids the seasonal flu shot in September. Will the swine flu be ready at that point and are you recommending it for these young kids going to school?
DUNCAN: Yes, the vaccine will be ready probably mid-October. And so, we absolutely want everyone who wants access to the shots to have it to the vaccine. We'll be giving it out free across the country. We really want our schools to be sites where you can get the vaccine. And so, we really want schools to be part of the solution.
But until we get to October, again, it's so important that we practice common sense, we practice prevention, and we monitor our students closely. And if they are sick, we want to keep them home. We want to keep schools open. We want to keep our children learning every single day.
CHETRY: So, as I'm saying -- as I said, our pediatricians are recommending that the kids come in mid-September, late September to get their seasonal flu shot. And, as you said, it...
DUNCAN: Yes.
CHETRY: ... looks like it maybe mid-October before swine flu is ready in large quantities. And plus, as I understand it, they have to maybe get a booster as well a couple of weeks later. So even from the day they get it, you're probably talking six weeks out before there is immunity.
Is there any way that timeline can be speeded up? I know it's a difficult process. But you're going to be well into parts of the flu season.
DUNCAN: Yes. They're still doing clinical trials. But at this point, we're looking at possibly two shots, the first in mid- October, the second one a couple of weeks after that. And then it usually takes about two weeks to get full immunity after that. So, we're actually looking at close to Thanksgiving before students can really be sure that they are not going to get it.
So, it's so important that we're smart and practice common sense until that point.
CHETRY: And one of the questions that a lot of people have -- is swine flu more deadly than seasonal flu? How do you know it's swine flu?
DUNCAN: Yes. It's not more deadly, but we want to -- we want to just make sure that everyone is prepared. And it's a new strain, as you know, and so, we want to really, really be thoughtful about this. And if you're sick, we want you to stay home -- as you said, wait 24 hours after the fever breaks. That's really when you stop being contagious before you return to school.
CHETRY: And also, I want to ask you about the question about whether there will be enough for everyone. Right now, are you guys just targeting young people, pregnant women, the elderly for -- and health care workers for this swine flu until we can be sure there's enough to go around?
DUNCAN: Yes. We're anticipating as much as 40 million shots, doses, being available in that first round and much more after that. And so, the CDC is working extraordinarily hard to make sure we have the kind of volume we need to make sure everyone who wants access will have access. We are going to target those most vulnerable populations in that first go-around in mid-October.
CHETRY: All right. Well, thanks for joining us this morning. Secretary Arne Duncan filling us in a little bit about how the administration is hoping to deal with swine flu as we approach the upcoming flu season -- thanks for being with us this morning.
DUNCAN: Thanks so much for the opportunity. Have a good day.
ROBERTS: So, (INAUDIBLE), one of the Gregory Brothers, the guys behind auto tune news is back. They've got a brand new video out that we're going to be premiering for you here on AMERICAN MORNING. These kids are great. They take news clips and they tweak the voice to what's called an auto tuner, to the point where it actually sounds like singing.
CHETRY: Yes. And they put their own funny parody and take on some of the top news stories. They promised us they'd premier it here.
ROBERTS: Yes.
CHETRY: And they're going to make good on that.
ROBERTS: Making good on their word. Here's a little taste of it as we go to break. We'll be back with them in just a little while.
(VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
Did you have trouble checking your Gmail yesterday? Google's email service was down for nearly two hours, affecting the majority of its users. Google blames it on overloaded servers. About 149 million people use Gmail.
CHETRY: Well, the "Spiderman" strikes. The French climber with a comic book nickname pleaded guilty earlier this morning in Malaysia after climbing the 88-story tower two of the so-called Malaysian twin towers. He was charged with criminal trespassing. He had to pay a fine of about $560.
Alain Robert had tried to climb the building twice before, once in 1997, once in 2007. He was arrested. It seems like it would be easy too climb if you had a helicopter, right? Just kidding. He was arrested at the 64th floor both times by the way. He's a 46-year-old daredevil. He's also scaled the Eiffel Tower and the Golden Gate Bridge as well.
(CROSSTALK)
ROBERTS: There he is.
In honor of Vermont's new law allowing same-sex marriage, Vermont-based ice cream company Ben & Jerry's is renaming it's popular Chubby Hubby flavor to Hubby Hubby, just for this month. The company says they wanted to raise awareness of the importance of marriage equality.
CHETRY: And joining us now, Christine Romans, "Minding Your Business," this morning.
Prepare yourself, because what she's about to tell you is going to make you quite annoyed. Smoke out of the ears.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Annoyed but not surprised. OK. This new report shows that the bailout barons, the bank CEOs who took hundreds of billions for their banks, the same banks that brought us to the brink in the global economy -- in 2008, those CEOs, on average, made $13.8 million each. That's 37 percent higher than the average CEO pay for other S&P 500 companies.
Think of that, the very part of the economy, the very sector of the S&P 500 that was responsible for this entire mess, this risk- taking that led the economy to the brink, those CEOs paid incredibly well.
And here's -- here's what really has irritated people this morning. Those same CEOs are poised for spectacular gains because of the stock market rally we've seen this spring. The value of many of their stock options has done very, very well. And, many people this morning are telling me they expect record Wall Street bonuses this year.
Here's how it works. When times are tough, you get paid very, very well for navigating through uncertain waters. When times are good you get paid very, very well for navigating through good waters. No matter what, you get paid well. And these are -- these are the bailed out banks, think of it. These are -- the taxpayer money bailed out these banks, these CEOs are being paid like this.
How does that compare -- the president of the United States gets paid $400,000 a year. The treasury secretary, Ben Bernanke, the Fed chair -- about $196,000 a year. The heads of regulatory agencies, about $162,000, $163,000 a year.
Look, even when you make bar chart, isn't it ridiculous? Top 20 bailout bank CEOs, on average...
ROBERTS: That bar chart is nowhere in perspective.
ROMANS: Right. Exactly, we had to shrink it down to make it even remotely relevant.
ROBERTS: It would reach halfway to the moon if it was really...
ROMANS: You get the idea, $13.7 million, about 37 percent higher than the CEOs of other sectors in the economy. And one of the critics -- one of the criticisms in this report -- one of the criticisms is frankly that these are bailout barons and that the White House has not done what it had said about holding this back. Like where is...
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: But they got a lot of heat at the time when they talked about, is the government going to step foot into a company and tell them how much they can pay and compensate their CEOs? So which way do we want it? Because there was -- they were facing a big backlash when they talked about that.
ROMANS: You know, they got to regulate themselves. These -- they've got to get it. They have got to get it and regulate themselves or Washington will regulate them and they will really have a legitimate problem getting -- of not getting a good talent. Again, this is a company -- this is a report that's done every year since 1994, from a group that is critical of excess pay. But...
ROBERTS: Little smoke coming out?
ROMANS: I just -- you know, I believe in being paid well. You do a great job. I really believe it.
ROBERTS: Your heart rate is starting into the 85 percent range.
ROMANS: Sorry, John.
ROBERTS: How about a "Romans Numeral"?
ROMANS: OK.
ROBERTS: Every morning here on Most News in the Morning, Christine gives us a number that's driving the story about your money.
ROMANS: Four hundred thirty-six -- 436.
ROBERTS: Four hundred and thirty-six times is the amount of money over the president that these guys are making.
ROMANS: Close. It's between the 20 bank CEOs and the average worker. You and I, the average worker, that guy who is taking all of this bailout money, the taxpayers who save those banks, those CEOs are making 436 times of the taxpayer.
ROBERTS: The average depositors.
ROMANS: Yes. Well, don't get me wrong, I believe in being rewarded for doing a good job. I believe in being rewarded millions of dollars -- I don't believe in being rewarded in millions of dollars for running a company that is on the government dime.
CHETRY: I mean, it's a tough call. You hear -- you basically take a look at that and you put it up against Ali yesterday talking to the Whirlpool worker who say they took concession after concession and, you know, tried to find a way and their jobs are going to Mexico. And we're shutting more jobs in the private sector. And we have that.
ROMANS: Nothing has changed. Period.
ROBERTS: A really good conversation about that yesterday, didn't we?
CHETRY: Oh, yes.
ROBERTS: Yes.
Twenty-six and a half minutes after the hour.
Governor Bill Richardson just back from five days in Cuba, and he's saying the time may be right to change the relationship between the U.S. and Cuba. We'll be talking to the governor -- coming right up.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
CHETRY: There's a shot this morning of Baltimore, Maryland -- beautiful port city where now it's partly cloudy, 59 degrees. A little bit later, it's going to be sunny and 79 degrees.
Twenty-nine minutes past the hour right now.
Imagine in this economy saying no to a raise. Well, we found some teachers at a Baltimore charter school, in fact, doing exactly that. They are fighting their own teachers union. Why? Because they want to give their students a better education.
Our Carol Costello is live in Washington with today's report on our special series "Educating America."
So, some would be scratching their heads and saying, why turn down a raise?
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I know. Who would think? I mean, is it possible that anyone would turn down a raise? But that is what's happening in Baltimore. And it's happening in Baltimore's KIPP Ujima Village Academy.
And it could have a ripple effect across the country. It's part of the network of charter schools -- schools that receive public money but have the freedom to control curriculum. The only requirement, they must produce results.
KIPP is certainly doing that, but in Baltimore, the teachers union has decided to flex its muscle and KIPP teachers say that's hurting what should matter most -- kids.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO (voice-over): The KIPP Ujima Village Academy in Baltimore runs a tight shift. But around every corner is evidence of the tough love -- that's led to unparalleled success. Students here, many of whom come from Baltimore's meanest streets, have among the highest test scores not just in Baltimore but in all of Maryland.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All of your other friends in the city are in the bed this morning. But you, you are here learning. OK, getting smarter.
COSTELLO: Because KIPP Academy is a charter school, kids here start school earlier, stay later, and have access to their teachers 24/7.
Malik Holmes is a KIPP eighth-grader.
(on camera): It sounds like you love school.
MALIK HOLMES, EIGHTH GRA\DER, KIPP UJIMA VILLAGE ACADEMY: No.
COSTELLO: No? How do you feel about it?
HOLMES: Good because the teachers here actually care about whether I get an education or not.
COSTELLO: Teachers here believe so passionately in what they're doing they agreed to be paid less to do more, as in nine hours a day and every other Saturday, even though the teachers' union calls for just a seven-hour day.
YASMENE MUMBY, TEACHER, KIPP UJIMA VILLAGE ACADEMY: It all comes down to the students. It comes down to what they give you and what you give them back. That's the motivation, not the pay.
COSTELLO: But passion is not enough for the Baltimore teachers' union. After seven years of silence, it's now insisting teachers here be paid more even if they don't want the money.
MARIETTA ENGLISH, PRESIDENT, BALTIMORE TEACHERS UNION: We have these agreements throughout the city with all of our charter schools, and all we're asking is that they're treated fairly.
COSTELLO: Kipp Ujima was already paying its teachers 18 percent more than the average public school, but the union demanded the academy bump it up to 33 percent.
The school says that's forced it to lay off five teachers, shorten the school day, and eliminate Saturday classes and field trips.
COSTELLO (on camera): You're still in negotiations with the union. What are you asking?
SHAWN TOLER, PRINCIPAL, KIPP UJIMA VILLAGE ACADEMY: We want to restore our day. We want them to really look at the wonderful things that we're doing here according to the money that we have, that we're really paying teachers good money.
COSTELLO (voice-over): Students here hope so, too.
COSTELLO (on camera): Your teachers, how do you feel about them?
DAISIA GILMIRE, EIGHT GRADER, KIPP UJIMA VILLAGE ACADEMY: Well, I feel that they are here to help us. They don't care how much they're getting paid. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to know what your goals are for this week.
COSTELLO (voice-over): Teachers want the same, but right now it looks as if they'll have to accept a raise, whether they want it or not.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: When I asked the union about the layoffs at Kipp, it told me there are plenty of other teaching jobs available in Baltimore. All those teachers need do is apply.
As for Kipp, they e-mailed me and said unless they get breathing room under the law or from the union, the future of the school is in jeopardy.
CHETRY: All right, well, we invite people to weigh in on that story on your blog. CNN.com/amfix is where you find it. Carol, thank you.
And also tomorrow in our educating America series, Congress has slashed funds for abstinence only programs. Now school systems across the country are trying to come up with new classes to teach kids about sex.
Some are asking do these course go too far. Free STD testing, learning about birth control -- how much is too much? That's tomorrow only on the most news in the morning.
ROBERTS: Crossing the half hour now and checking our top stories this morning, a deadly earthquake overnight in Indonesia. Officials say at least 13 people were killed. It was a 7.0 magnitude quake. It struck on the southern coast of Java. It was felt in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta 150 miles away.
CHETRY: In Athens, Greece, a bomb explodes outside of the city's stock exchange. It happened early this morning. No one was killed. Officials there are saying that one woman was hurt by flying glass as she walked by.
Police say they suspect a far left militant group is behind that blast. There has been no claim of responsibility so far.
ROBERTS: President Obama considering a potentially game changing moment in the make or break debate over health care.
Administration officials say the president may take a more hands on approach by delivering a nationally televised speech suggesting for the first time the president could put in writing his goals for overhauling health care.
To date the president has relied on Congress to write the legislation.
Now to a developing story this morning and more signs of a changing relationship with Cuba. It's a step as small as a postage stamp, but the possibility of direct mail service between the U.S. and Cuba could be another sign of a more open relationship after a half a century of bad blood.
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson thinks the time may be ripe from that. He is just back from Cuba and joins us this morning from Santa Fe.
Governor, good to have you back. I wanted to open by asking you do you think it's time to end the embargo against Cuba?
GOV. BILL RICHARDSON, (D) NEW MEXICO: Yes, I do. It's not helping U.S. business. It's not in our interests. It hurts us in Latin America.
But we need to get something in return for that, John. And this is called diplomacy. What can we get in return? Release of political prisoners, democratization in Cuba.
But my point, John, is that before we deal with those bigger issues, including what happens with Guantanamo Bay's political prisoners, other big, divisive issues, that we deal with what I call the soft power issues, people-to-people issues, allowing travel by Americans to Cuba, academics, businessmen.
And then the Cubans on their part allowing Cubans coming more freely to the United States, finding ways to lower the fees and the red tape permitting that.
But one thing I think is essential, John, is a new dialogue between the Cuban government and Cuban-Americans. Cuban-Americans have driven this debate over the years.
A dialogue between Cuban-American Democrats and Republicans, and Cuban -- not substituting for government, the government talks, but I think that would move a very good atmosphere that exists today from President Obama's travel restriction lifting and migratory talks that are going on now.
So I think the atmosphere is good. These postal talks, direct post service -- in the past you send letters through third countries -- these are good steps, and I think the time is now.
ROBERTS: And we should point out, too, governor, that upon your return you have offered to act as an intermediary between the Cuban government and Cubans who oppose lifting the embargo to try to get the sides together.
But for many Cuban-Americans, governor, and you know this well, just even saying the words, as you said at the beginning of this, it's time to lift the embargo, are going to provoke outrage.
So what do you say to people about why it's time to lift the embargo, because the Castro brothers are still in control, they haven't loosened up? What do you say to the people who say it's outrageous to think about this? RICHARDSON: There is a change in the Cuban-American position, gradual change. Yes, I think a sizable majority still doesn't want to end the embargo, but there are many Cuban-Americans in Florida, in New Jersey, around the country that think the embargo hasn't worked.
So, the time is to have tough diplomacy to see how there can be a relationship that possibly ends the embargo, but also brings some kind of democratization to the island.
Look, it's not going to be easy, but the fact is, John, you look at every presidential race, the Senate races, Cuban-Americans have driven the policy on Cuba. So my point is, include them in any possible change.
And my point here is that it's going to take time to deal with the big issues, but right now we can deal with eliminating some of the travel bans, allowing scientists and academics to come into the United States.
And then on the Cuban side, you know, I noticed them being a little intransigent. They have to reciprocate. I think President Obama has had a travel restriction lifted. The Cuban-Americans should do some human rights measures at the same time, too.
ROBERTS: Governor, there is a chicken and egg issue here, and in the language of diplomacy it's called sequencing. Do you end the embargo with hopes that that will change things in Cuba, or do you say to the Cuban leadership you have to change, and then we'll lift the embargo?
RICHARDSON: No. What I'm saying, John, is wait on the embargo issue, because the Congress is going to have to deal with that. So you can't deal with that immediately.
What I'm saying is government to government steps right now -- for instance, implements President Obama's travel restrictions, the lifting of those. Secondly, allowing more visits of academics into Cuba, more extensive Americans traveling to Cuba, finding ways that the Cubans, too, let Cubans come to the United States more easily.
ROBERTS: Let me -- let me ask you this as a final question, if I could. Where do you think we're going to be in our relations with Cuba one year from today?
RICHARDSON: One year from today I think we're going to be looking at tough negotiations on the embargo, on other issues like those political prisoners in Cuba. And then the Cubans are interested in some Cubans that are detained and going through trial in the United States.
So, I see a good positive one-year period where we're dealing with these people-to-people issues that are important. Right now there is still a lot of mistrust between the two countries, and it's going to be tough to get to those tough issues.
But what I'm saying is, if I can fault the Obama administration for one point, is that, you know, we're really tied up with health care, with the economy, so there hasn't been a focus on the Cuban issue as much as there should be.
I think it should, because it helps us in Latin America, it's in our interests. We lose business with the embargo. But you have to get something in return.
And my point is that if we deal with these soft power issues, human rights, person-to-person issues, travel, allowing more scientists to go to Cuba, finding ways that the Cubans, too, have to take some steps, like permitting more Cubans to come into the United States.
For instance, allowing diplomats, there is a proposal, an American proposal on the table to allow our diplomats in Havana and in the United States, both sides to travel more freely within our two countries.
And then again, I just think you got to get Cuban-Americans involved, and I propose this dialogue with the Cuban government. They haven't said no yet, but they weren't thrilled about it. So, you know, full disclosure.
(LAUGHTER)
ROBERTS: I don't think either side is particularly thrilled about the prospect.
Governor, it's always great to talk to you. Thanks so much for getting up early today. We'll see where all of this goes.
RICHARDSON: Thank you.
ROBERTS: Take care.
CHETRY: It's coming up on 41 minutes past the hour right now.
We have a lot going on in the extreme weather center. We're tracking the wildfires as well as a hurricane out in the west along the Cabo San Lucas area. A hurricane that's a cat two but pretty wide, as Jacqui Jeras tells us.
And also, what about the big fire fight that's going on in Los Angeles. Will firefighters get a break today from the weather?
It's 41 minutes past the hour.
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CHETRY: Welcome back. It's 45 minutes past the hour.
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ROBERTS: Coming up next, we've got the guys from auto-tune back with us. They have got a brand new video out, and just to give you a little taste of it, here is Senator Charles Grassley like you have never seen him before.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: We have a special treat for you today on AMERICAN MORNING. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
Their "Auto-Tune the News" videos have been extremely popular. They have more than 6.5 million hits on YouTube. Now the two brothers behind it are back with us here on "American Morning" to unveil their other one.
ROBERTS: Yes, and they brought their latest clip. Consider it a world premiere. Check this out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Investment battery technology -- electric drive automobile.
(YAWNING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're losing men out there. Permission to use the secret weapon, sir?
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: So let's bring in the guys behind these viral hits. Michael and Evan Gregory are here again this morning. Good to see you guys.
MICHAEL GREGORY, CREATOR AND WRITER, AUTO-TUNE THE NEWS: Good morning.
EVAN GREGORY, CREATOR AND WRITER, AUTO-TUNE THE NEWS: Thanks for having us.
ROBERTS: You know, it's interesting, at the beginning of that, we mentioned before auto-tune is something that can actually take a spoken voice and give it a pitch that sounds like singing. You took Joe Biden there and kind of spiced up his speech a little bit.
M. GREGORY: Yes. That's right. Joe Biden was excited at that point to find some symbols of economic recovery in the U.S., and we were lucky enough to have this application, as you saw in the video, called "Biden tune."
E. GREGORY: I think we all need one of those applications. I wish I had one now. I would sound a lot better. CHETRY: In fact that the White House is considering possibly using it in future speeches because it was such a hit.
M. GREGORY: You have a good point. Probably if more people were using that, actually, we'd be seeing more evidence of recovery each day.
CHETRY: You also you guys also -- who knew that a conviction on dog fighting controversy and a return to the NFL could be funny. But here you go. You guys Auto-tuned Michael Vick as he talked about returning to the NFL. Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: The interesting thing in the actually press conference they cropped you two out because no one knew you were there.
E. GREGORY: Yes, that's right. It was unfortunately. It was kind of a stealth appearance on our part.
But, in the end, I think the song itself was good and powerful, so we feel OK about that.
ROBERTS: Michael, how did you pick the clips that you used this time? What was interesting to you? What were you looking for?
M. GREGORY: With Michael Vick clip it really just hit close to home because we are native Virginians ourselves.
ROBERTS: Oh, are you?
E. GREGORY: The road to redemption is long one for him, but he has a record of rushing yards, so we'll see how he does.
ROBERTS: I also noticed that you're making a little more of an appearance, your characters are making more appearances as each one of these videos go along.
M. GREGORY: It's hard not to make an appearance when we're so inspired by their singing. How can you not harmonize with Biden?
(LAUGHTER)
ROBERTS: Exactly. It just makes you want to sing along.
And what about Chuck Grassley? No one ever thought of him as a singer, but let's role this clip of Chuck Grassley on the floor of the Senate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING) (END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: You got to wonder if they might get more done in Congress if they sang those speeches as opposed to just saying them.
M. GREGORY: I think they would.
E. GREGORY: I have to agree. I think, for me, Chuck Grassley knows, as any effective presenter knows, that a picture is worth 1,000 words.
M. GREGORY: Especially if it's a picture of a dragon.
CHETRY: That's the part that's hilarious is you guys didn't add that part in. You got handed a gift there.
M. GREGORY: Absolutely.
E. GREGORY: We did not sing that part. That was sung by him.
M. GREGORY: And the graphic design also done by his office.
ROBERTS: So it's not just auto tuning people who sound good. You are trying to auto-tune some humor in there as well, make the juxtaposition between the singing, the imaging, all of that.
M. GREGORY: We choose our pieces based on what we think is interesting, what we think is out of the ordinary or you know, highlight stuff that is going on.
So, you know, the concern over costs for health care reform is certainly important to everyone, and Chuck Grassley just kind of encapsulated that be creating this Medieval metaphor.
CHETRY: Now, all you guys have to do is auto-tune the bill that's running through the House, all 1,200 pages of it.
E. GREGORY: I think we might get agreement upon it.
(LAUGHTER)
ROBERTS: And from "American Morning" to MTV. It's like a reverse course here. You guys are going to be on MTV later on today?
M. GREGORY: That's right.
ROBERTS: They finally took notice? They are a little slow on the uptake.
Michael, Evan, great to see you guys this morning. Thanks for coming by.
M. GREGORY: Thanks for having us.
E. GREGORY: Good to be here.
CHETRY: Congrats on you new video.
Right now it's 57 after the hour. We're going to take a break. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Continuing the conversation on today's stories, go our blog at CNN.com/amfix.
That's going to wrap it up for us. Thanks so much for joining us. And we'll see you again tomorrow.
CHETRY: That's right. And have a great day.
Meanwhile, the news continues. CNN "NEWSROOM" with Heidi Collins starts now.
