Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Strategy for Afghanistan; Typhoon Hitting Philippines; No Punchline Here; Rio Wins 2016 Summer Games
Aired October 03, 2009 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center -- what are you shaking your head about this morning?
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: You.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: Hello, everybody.
NGUYEN: Hello, T.J. How are you?
HOLMES: Hello, Betty. I'm well. I'm T.J. This is Betty. Ready to get this thing going this October 3rd.
NGUYEN: I am ready. Yes, it's already October. Can you believe it?
Good morning, everybody. It is 10:00 a.m. here in Atlanta, 9:00 a.m. in Chicago. Sorry about the Olympics, folks, but also 9:00 a.m. in Rio de Janeiro. Thanks for starting your day with us.
Rio, as we've been talking about, is partying all weekend long.
HOLMES: Yes. We had planned to have a live shot out of Chicago this morning. That got canceled yesterday around noontime. Of course, Chicago got ousted, so did Tokyo and Madrid for the 2016 games. We'll be going live to Rio in this hour.
NGUYEN: And Typhoon Parma, it is hitting the northern Philippine coastline right now. It is just so powerful with rain and winds. There's no word yet on injuries, but if you recall, this is an area that really does not need another storm because on September 26th that storm then caused more than 200 deaths. We have a live report coming up.
HOLMES: Also we have some new information about that extortion case against funnyman David Letterman. New information about the man who's accused of trying to get $2 million from him. Also, we are asking for your comments this morning.
NGUYEN: Yes. Want to know what you think about relationships among co-workers or even among, you know, subordinates and their bosses. Does that work? Is that something that should be done? Or can you really avoid it because you spend so much time with these people at work? Let us know what you think. Facebook, Twitter, our blog site, CNN.com/Betty, CNN.com/TJ. Also weekends@CNN.com. So many ways to reach out to us. We will read your responses on the air. But first up, let me get to this.
More American deaths in Afghanistan to tell you about. NATO says five American service members were killed today. Three were killed in eastern Afghanistan, two in an attack and another in a roadside bombing. Now two others were killed by a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan.
A NATO official says fighting is going on elsewhere in Afghanistan as well today, and security forces report killing several militants in two provinces.
Well, the commanding general in Afghanistan wants more troops, as many as 40,000 more, but many Americans are a little skeptical about this. Our Elaine Quijano is at the White House.
And, Elaine, will the president actually be addressing this with his security team this week?
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Friday, Betty, President Obama is going to be sitting down once again with members of his national security team to talk about the situation in Afghanistan but also Pakistan, as well.
Now, this is coming on the heels of a meeting just yesterday on Air Force One in Copenhagen, Denmark. That is when President Obama met with the top commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal.
That meeting, we're told, lasted about 25 minutes. And afterwards, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that it was a valuable meeting but didn't really go into details beyond that.
The president, as you noted, is weighing whether to send more troops to Afghanistan at a time, Betty, when polls are showing that most Americans simply do not support the war there. Betty?
NGUYEN: Well, what is the White House saying about a timeframe on this new strategy, Elaine?
QUIJANO: Yes, it's interesting because that is sort of the $64,000 question right now, Betty, is how long is it going to be before the president makes a decision. Well, he had that meeting with General McChrystal yesterday. There was also a meeting last Wednesday with the whole national security team.
He's got two more meetings coming up. And then we're told another meeting is set to take place after that. At that point, Robert Gibbs is saying that that is when a strategy will be drafted. But, of course, obviously, the news that you reported at the top there, additional deaths, really underscoring just how complex this decision is and what the stakes are as the president and his team weigh what the next move should be in Afghanistan. Betty?
NGUYEN: All right, Elaine Quijano, joining us live this morning. Thank you, Elaine.
HOLMES: Well, let's turn to the Philippines here. Once again, seems like deja vu, but a huge storm is hitting the northern Philippines as we speak. Today's typhoon follows last weekend's storm that swamped parts of the nation with as much as 20 inches of rain. That storm blamed for 24 deaths.
CNN's Eunice Yoon is at a disaster command center in Isabela Province.
Eunice, a big death toll from the storm last weekend. Are they confident they'll be able to avoid that this time around with this storm?
EUNICE YOON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They are feeling confident that they will be able to avoid the number of casualties that they saw for a typhoon Ketsana namely because this typhoon had veered away from the main center where there are quite a few people and, instead, just brushed the very northern most tip of the Philippines.
So, so far, we've heard that two people have died in this typhoon, but so far they're feeling quite good about that number and keeping it down.
Now, right now, as you mentioned, I am outside of a disaster relief command center. Military personnel as well as government officials and local volunteers are here to help coordinate that relief as well as to help out with the evacuation.
So, about an hour ago, I managed to visit one of the evacuation centers, and there are about 200 people there, all of them families. They're sleeping about five people to a room on the floor in sleeping bags. For the most part they say that they are well fed and in good condition under the circumstances.
The problem, though, is the power. The electricity has been knocked out not only here but in a lot of other pars of this region. And they believe that the power probably won't be up and running at least here for the next five days.
HOLMES: Eunice, you mentioned that this storm sounds like it's not going to be the same type of direct hit. Is that more of what they're attributing to being confident that they can avoid some of those death tolls or is it because they're better prepared this time around?
YOON: It's mainly because of the path of the typhoon, not necessarily because they're better prepared. In fact, I just got off the phone with one man who is actually in -- more in north from here. And he said that the winds are actually still quite strong, the rains where he is are still falling quite quickly and rapidly.
And he said that -- he's a private citizen, he's a lawyer, and he decided himself, along with some of his friends, to start coordinating a relief effort on their own because they did see the limitations of the government and the way that the government had handled typhoon Ketsana and the aftermath of that.
So there is some -- quite a bit of frustration not only there, not only there, not only in this part of the Philippines but also in Manila. People there are quite traumatized still by the typhoon itself and also by the way the government has handled the relief effort.
HOLMES: All right. Eunice Yoon for us, there again in Isabela Province. Eunice, thank you so much this morning.
NGUYEN: All right, let's get the latest on the storm, where exactly it exactly is hovering over at this moment. Reynolds Wolf has been watching it for us and he joins us now.
What do you know, Reynolds?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, the latest we have from the storm is it is the strongest storm on the planet, far and away. I mean it is just a powerhouse.
The latest we have for it in terms of number, winds of 90 miles per hour, gusting to 115 miles an hour, now beginning to move just a little bit north of the Philippines, the center of circulation actually offshore of the big island.
What we're going to be seeing, though, places a bit farther to the north, say, in Taiwan, some heavy surf on the coast, certainly some heavy surf on the southeastern coast of China.
What we do anticipate is the storm is going to continue its march to the north and then it is expected to weaken just a bit. In fact, the latest we have in terms of the forecast map, take a look at this, as we make our way into the afternoon, winds dropping from about 90 miles an hour to 80 miles an hour. So again, that is -- there's going to be a bit of weakening.
The problem is it is still forecast as it makes its journey north to interact with warmer waters. It's going to be away from land, and when it steers a little bit more to the east, it is forecast to become a stronger storm, back to a category 2 storm with winds in excess of 100 miles per hour, pretty much same deal as get into Thursday but again moving away from the mainland.
Certainly some good news, however coming very close to Taiwan. So I'm sure if anyone happens to be tuning in online or watching, say, CNN International, and they're keeping a close eye on what's happening with this storm, they've got to be worried in that part of the world.
Let's send it back to you, guys. We're going to have more updates coming up throughout the morning.
NGUYEN: All right, thank you for that, Reynolds.
WOLF: You bet.
NGUYEN: Well, a Chicago man arrested on federal charges of stalking ESPN reporter Erin Andrews will face a judge today. Michael Barrett is accused of secretly taping Andrews while she was nude in two hotel rooms. The FBI says he then made several videos that he posted on the Internet.
Want to give you some more details now on the David Letterman extortion case. So who is this guy accused of trying to blackmail him?
HOLMES: He's actually an award-winning producer for CBS. He's worked over there some 27 years.
Our Susan Candiotti tells us now being free on bond.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Veteran CBS News producer Robert Joe Halderman is now making headlines in a tawdry blackmail case. Prosecutors say he tried to shake down late-night talk show host David Letterman for $2 million to keep Letterman's sex life quiet.
But Letterman beat him to it, surprising his audience by announcing he had affairs with co-workers and told a grand jury about it.
DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, "LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": The creepy stuff was that I have had sex with women who work for me on this show.
CANDIOTTI: His production company says the affairs happened before Letterman's marriage to his longtime companion last spring.
Prosecutors say Halderman gave Letterman a rude awakening about 6:00 a.m. three weeks ago, leaving a package in Letterman's car outside his Manhattan home. The package contained a letter and a one- paged screenplay idea threatening to reveal Letterman's affairs.
ROBERT MORGENTHAU, MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Halderman wrote that he needed to make, quote, "a large chunk of money," unquote, by selling Letterman a so-called, quote, "screenplay treatment," unquote.
The one-page screenplay treatment attached to the letter referred to Mr. Letterman's great professional success and to his, quote, "beautiful, loving son."
CANDIOTTI: Letterman's attorney called the DA and they set up a sting. Two meetings were recorded between Halderman and Letterman's attorney at New York's Essex House Hotel. Wednesday, prosecutors say Halderman took the bait and posited a dummy check. He was arrested outside CBS Thursday.
Halderman worked for CBS for 27 years and won an Emmy for his "48 Hours" documentary. He lives in Connecticut. He is divorced with two children and is paying $6,800 a month in alimony.
A family spokesman says Halderman has been depressed about being far away from his kids. His lawyer says they'll fight the charges.
GERARD SHARGEL, JOEL HALDERMAN'S ATTORNEY: Well, he's doing as well as can be expected. He's not dispirited. He -- there is another side of the story. I'm not telling it today. There is another side to the story. It's not the open-and-shut case.
CANDIOTTI (on camera): How Halderman knew about Letterman's affairs is not clear. We know he had a live-in girlfriend who works for the "Late Show." Was she the source? The DA says his investigation isn't over.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Wow. What a tangling web. So he has a live-in girlfriend that works for the Letterman show.
HOLMES: Yes...
NGUYEN: We're going to hear more about this.
HOLMES: You know we will.
NGUYEN: All right, so, this morning, we're asking you at home to let us know what you think about it. Letterman's confession, many of you may have heard that the other night saying, yes, I have had sex with staffers. Well, that is sparking debate in a lot of places about workplace relationships.
HOLMES: And we're asking what you think. We've been getting a lot of comments. We're going to share them this morning, but please, continue to send those in. We'll be sharing more again. You know where to find us now, Facebook and Twitter. Also our blog, CNN.com/Newsroom/Betty and TJ. So we'll bring of those comments in just a bit.
We want to go to Indonesia again. Rescuers there hoping for miracles, quite frankly, amid the ruins. It's a race now to find survivors days after a huge earthquake and treacherous mudslides. That's coming up.
NGUYEN: Yes, and this, though, Superstar John Legend takes a moment to sing the praises of a CNN Hero. A man who is saving live all around the world.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We've been having to fight off a few mothers here and there trying to get their hands on this.
NGUYEN: How important is City Center to the future of Las Vegas?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody's here to celebrate.
NGUYEN: (Singing) Working six to noon. (LAUGHTER)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: In Indonesia, at least three villages on the island of Sumatra have been obliterated by mudslides. Those mudslides were triggered by Wednesday's devastating earthquake.
At least 650 people, including a wedding party, are buried beneath mud and debris and, if confirmed dead, that would bring the quake death toll to more than 1,300.
Our Arwa Damon visited the site of one search-and-rescue operation, which is a school near the Padang island of Sumatra.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): This pile of rubble was once a school that taught extra courses for middle and high school students. On Friday, when we were here, it was quite a frantic scene.
Heavy machinery was pounding away, trying to break through the various layers of rubble, believing that they could still find some survivors, because just an hour before we arrived on the scene on Friday they had pulled out two, a male and female student who said that their friends were still alive.
The scene here was one of anticipation. It was very tense. But 24 hours later, it's completely different. The only bodies they've been able to recover here were already dead.
But now Swiss rescue teams are on the ground going through the rubble, bringing in the dogs to try to sniff out for any sign of life.
In your 20 years' experience dealing with these types of disasters, do you think that after 72 hours there's still hope to find people alive?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. It doesn't matter what I think, but it depends on the situation. And it's still possible. We hope, still, of course.
DAMON: The issue is that the devastation and damage caused by this earthquake was so widespread that every single site is not receiving the same level of effort from search-and-rescue teams.
In fact, people are complaining that in some areas they haven't seen any effort at all. The reality is that there quite simply isn't the manpower or heavy machinery to deal with the scope of destruction caused by this earthquake, which is why people are asking for even more international aid.
Arwa Damon, CNN, Padang, Indonesia.
(END VIDEOTAPE) NGUYEN: All right. So, if you would like to help victims of the Indonesian earthquakes, go to our "Impact Your World" page. It's at CNN.com. You'll find a list of links and aid groups including the Red Cross and World Vision.
Again, that's CNN.com/Impact.
So, Rio proves it knows how to throw a party, right? But does it have what it takes to host those summer games?
HOLMES: We got seven years before we get that answer.
NGUYEN: They need a little time to get it together.
HOLMES: But, yes, the newest city to go for gold and win is Rio. We'll be -- go live there.
Also, I'll show you a school. Maybe it isn't that how you're used to seeing most schools across the country. Kids actually with smiles on their faces, bounce around, dancing and singing.
NGUYEN: Right.
HOLMES: Without having to be prompted. Ron Clark Academy. Something is going on special that some say could hold the key to changing education in this country.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Hello, everybody, and welcome back.
President Obama's weekly address to the nation this morning focuses on how rising cost of health care are driving small business owners into the ground. And it comes after this sobering job report from the Labor Department.
Look at this. More than 250,000 people lost jobs last month. In fact, the unemployment rate now is the highest it has been in 26 years.
Here's more of what the president said today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Rising health care costs are undermining our businesses, exploding our deficits, and costing our nation more jobs with each passing month. So we know that reforming our health insurance system will be a critical step in the rebuilding of our economy so that our entrepreneurs can pursue the American dream again and our small businesses can grow and expand and create new jobs again.
(END VIDEO CLIP) NGUYEN: Now the Republicans jumped on September's sobering jobs report, citing it as another example why the Obama administration policies are not working.
Representative Candice Miller delivered the Republican response from Michigan, a state that is very familiar with unemployment woes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. CANDICE MILLER (R), MICHIGAN: According to a formula created by one of President Obama's senior economic advisers, our economic recovery plan would have created twice the jobs at half the cost. Our plan is based on the belief that fast-acting tax relief is the most effective way to put our economy back on track. It focuses on helping small businesses create jobs, not spending more taxpayer dollars to expand government.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: It's the first time Miller, who was elected in 2002, has been asked to deliver the Republican weekly response.
HOLMES: Well, Rio. Just about any day of the week, it looks like they're celebrating something. They even have more of a reason to celebrate there because the 2016 games, the summer games, will be held there in Brazil for the first time ever, the first time in South America.
Our Shasta Darlington is in Rio de Janeiro.
Now, Shasta, tell us, does Rio look any different today than it did three or four days ago? It always looks like a party's going on there.
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, actually, T.J., it is a little colder, but other than that, the party feeling is still lingering. We're still on Copacabana beach, which is where thousands poured on to the beach yesterday to hear this announcement played live over some live -- over some screens behind me.
And it was just pure joy, pandemonium, a live samba music. People partied and danced well into the night. But they're still back on the beach today. What's a little different is the reality check is coming now. Even in the local newspapers they're talking about how the real Olympics are going to see whether or not Rio can get things ready in time.
And what they've pledged to do is spend $14 billion over the next seven years. And with that money, they have to build, among other things, build a new metro station every year. They have to double the number of hotel rooms.
They also have to rein in the violent crime and the slums. That's a big deal because some 1 million people live in the slums in Rio de Janeiro. There is a lot of violent crime. So, they really have their work cut out for them. Of course, right now there's still this feeling of euphoria. The party will continue. On the same stage behind me where they made the announcement, where there was a big party yesterday, there will be live music again tomorrow so they're not going to let this party slip out of their hands too quickly.
But as of Monday, we could say that the clock is ticking, T.J.
HOLMES: All right. The clock is ticking. Let them enjoy the celebration, at least for now. But the work must begin soon.
Shasta Darlington for us in Rio de Janeiro. Thank you so much this morning.
NGUYEN: All right, so we go from that happy story to a tragic one, in fact. It's a very difficult morning for one of the "Real Housewives of Atlanta." Police are investigating a death at a club and we'll explain the connection just ahead.
HOLMES: Also coming up, a visit to a school where they believe that they have the key to education reform in this country. A premier private school. A lot of out-of-the-box things going on there. But they are getting results.
NGUYEN: Look at the enthusiasm, though. That's how you get results.
HOLMES: You don't see that when you walk into most schools in the country.
NGUYEN: No.
HOLMES: Unfortunately. We'll tell you what's working.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, welcome back to this CNN Saturday morning.
Ron Clark is his name. He's a teacher who set out to just get the attention of his students. He's getting a lot more attention these days. He has some pretty unconventional teaching methods that he thinks could save education in this country, could change the world even, he says.
Oprah has got her attention. The White House gotten their attention. He keeps getting high marks but he never really set out to be a teacher in the first place.
I went to Ron Clark Academy just outside of downtown Atlanta. This morning, I want to show you what they're doing there and also show you the results.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES (voice-over): This isn't a music class or a choir. It's Language Arts class. Yet these middle school students are singing about possessive nouns.
Singing a grammar lesson is just one of the nontraditional teaching methods you'll find in classrooms at Ron Clark Academy. It's a lot different from the first classroom Ron Clark walked into 15 years ago in North Carolina.
RON CLARK, CO-FOUNDER, RON CLARK ACADEMY: This kid looked down and he said, "Is you going to be our new teacher?" and I was, like, "I guess so."
HOLMES: He was only there because his mom convinced him to fill in as a substitute. He had a college degree, but no teaching license and no desire to become a teacher, but that day changed his life and taught him a lesson that has shaped his teaching philosophy.
CLARK: I can't teach the way that we used to teach kids. I mean, these kids have iPods and video games and movies and all this stuff that's going on, and they're text messaging -- you can't just bring kids and have them sit down and expect them to stare for an hour.
HOLMES: Clark Academy is different. You'll notice that immediately upon walking in the front door and are greeted by a two- story electric blue slide. It's not just for the kids. Every visitor to the school is required to get slide certified.
Clark and Kim Bearden co-founded the private middle school in a rough Atlanta neighborhood in 2007. They kept it private so they'd be free to experiment. Tuition for the school is about $18,000 a year, and just about all of the hundred or so students are on scholarships. And though there are only about 100 students enrolled, Clark says his real mission is teaching teachers.
CLARK: When teachers come to our school, they see color, life and energy, and they see students that are on fire, students that want to learn. Every kid is sitting up, paying attention, the kids are raising their hands and the teachers are just electric. We're using music and energy and it's hands-on, and there's art and color and extremely high expectations.
All right, (INAUDIBLE). You have a test on that tomorrow. Try to score (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (singing).
HOLMES: After a visit to his school, Clark hopes teachers will take what they learn and implement it in their own classrooms across the country, leading to what Clark calls a revolution in education.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When we sing these songs, it actually helps us to remember...
HOLMES: And even though education reform can seem like a big, expensive and complex problem, Clark doesn't think the solution is big, expensive or complex at all. CLARK: People just need to listen to me. I wish -- I wish the government would just listen and people would say, you know, he knows what he's talking about.
HOLMES: It's that simple.
CLARK: It's that simple.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let me hear you all.
CLARK: It all involves (ph) with the teacher. You can talk about the state government, you can talk about principal, superintendents -- you know, it all comes down to finding passionate people who want to teach. We have to give teachers more freedom, trust them more and allow them to use their own creativity to fire up their students in a way they know that they need to be.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good job, you all. That is perfect, OK?
HOLMES: His results can be measured with the enthusiasm you see in the hallways and classrooms, and on standardized test scores. His students posted (ph) major gains in practically every subject and scored, in some cases, in the top 70, 80 and 90 percentile compared to other students in the country.
Or perhaps the biggest place his success shows is on the faces and in the hearts and minds of these students.
CHI CHI UGWUH, STUDENT, RON CLARK ACADEMY: Our motto at the school is, like, there's no room for fear, so I've learned to put myself out there and just get what I get.
OSEI AVRIL, STUDENT, RON CLARK ACADEMY: Not only does it teach you how to be academically great, but it teaches you how to be a global citizen and a global leader.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. Betty's over there dancing. Now, Ron Clark -- not the only person out there making noise when it comes to the public education debate. Steve Perry has been making some noise, as well. You may be familiar with him. He's written a book called "Man Up! Nobody is Coming to Save Us."
And Dr. Steve Perry joins us this morning from Stanford, Connecticut, author, educator, principal and also Education Contributor to CNN, meaning I have to now pay him for what I used to once get free from him, like this interview.
Good morning to you. Good to see you again. This sounds so simple, Steve
STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR: It really is.
HOLMES: But Ron Clark is on to this. No matter what school you're in, what neighborhood, what kind of child, no matter what your resources are, if that teacher has the enthusiasm to get in there and get into those kids and believe into (ph) them, that can solve the problem. Is that right?
PERRY: It's -- it's part of the -- it's part of the right answer. A teacher is a salesperson. A teacher is the one who has to stand up there and say, "Hey, man, I got that chemistry, who wants that chemistry?" You've got to be excited about your subject because no matter what you're teaching, the children want to know what you know because you are a dynamic and engaging person.
The other part about a good school is that it has the affective side of the house taking care of. Meaning, we can teach and teach and teach, but too many of our children come to school struggling emotionally. Many of our children -- black and white -- are coming from single-parent households, and we need to have an honest conversation about the fact there are too many women raising children by themselves, leaving the role of the men outside of the house.
Which means that many of our children -- many of our children -- again, both black, white and other -- are lacking much of the discipline that's essentially necessary to sit still through a -- a lesson regardless of how engaging.
HOLMES: Now that sounds like a much bigger issue to try to tackle. Now, I know it takes a collaboration here, but how much of it is that teacher, but it sounds like to you, no matter what their teacher is going through in that classroom and how dynamic that teacher may be, we have too many kids that have fallen by the wayside just in their home life.
PERRY: But we can design schools that do, in fact, meet that. We can have schools in which the -- the social workers don't just sit in there and the guidance counselors just don't sit in their offices waiting for something really horrible to happen and then to attempt to band-aid that. We can dispense them into the classrooms. They can watch the children, build relationships. We can organize schools in such a way that the teachers fulfill the role of not just the teacher but they're also a coach, and they're also an adviser.
This is what they do in -- in many private schools. And so, what they do in those schools is they create an environment within which children have a relationship with the teachers and, as a result, have a relationship with education.
HOLMES: But, Steve, you know that -- that argument out there and you hear from teachers a lot of times is that too many times public schools and public schoolteachers are handcuffed by what they can and can't do. They don't feel like they have the freedom to step outside of the box. Some don't think they have the responsibility for what they get paid to be that coach, to be that life coach, to be that counselor.
PERRY: Well, those people need to be fired.
HOLMES: All right. PERRY: We need to get rid of them. They are the problem. And in fact, they make up too -- too much of the ranks of teaching. One of the reasons why our schools are failing is because -- is because we have too many people who are too willing to tell us what their job is and is not.
Last night, I got home at 11:30 -- not because I was out partying, T.J., you know about that. It was because we had a football game last night, and we didn't win, but our quarterback got hurt. So, I was at the hospital with him till 11:30 last night. That's not my "job," but that's my responsibility. My responsibility is to be there with that mom and her son until everybody feels like they're all right. I'm not a doctor, but I do play one on television.
HOLMES: All right. Again, my dad was a high school principal. He did that day in and day out for all his students. He's not a principal now, but the thing he misses more than anything is being in that hallway everyday and having that relationship with those students.
Something else I want to maybe get -- get you out here on, teachers that do feel like they're handcuffed in -- in classrooms. How can we change the game? How are we supposed to go about getting teachers in the classroom? I see you're kind of shaking your head there. I know you've probably got an answer already.
PERRY: I do.
HOLMES: But how can we -- how can we change that up to make sure the teachers do have the freedom?
PERRY: Ron is right, man. The -- the public school system has failed our children. It really has failed our children, because our children have lost their stake in the world competition. You've heard me say it before. There's much research out there that says that among the industrialized nations, our 15-year-olds in subjects such as Science are 28. There aren't too many more industrialized nations after the number 28. So, we are failing.
What we need to do is we need to let the players play. We need to let brothers like Ron and others who are educational entrepreneurs have access to our children, which means we need to honestly have a conversation about vouchers. Forget the fact that it may have come out of a political sector that you may not feel comfortable with. But if you believe in Medicaid and Medicare, if you believe in Section 8, if you believe in Pell Grants, then you believe in vouchers.
I believe in vouchers and we need to stop waiting for education reform to take place and make education reform happen now.
HOLMES: So it sounds like -- I'm going to let you go here, Steve, but it sounds like education reform -- just like everything else goes back to politics.
PERRY: It does. It does. But politics and politicians are here for the people, and we, the people, have made it very clear that we don't like our public schools and it's one of the reasons why so many of our children are leaving them.
HOLMES: Steve, it's always -- Dr. Steve Perry, always good to have you here, man, even if we have to pay you. Some of the stuff you say is -- is worth it. I'm going to say it every time I introduce you, man...
PERRY: I -- I bet you will.
HOLMES: ... every time I talk to you.
PERRY: I bet you will.
HOLMES: Good to see you, my man. Talk to you again soon. All right -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Steve's on the take. All right.
Well, still ahead, move over Godzilla, King Kong. There is a new bizarre creature towering over a big city. We're going to tell you where and more importantly why when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, the funeral for a Chicago teenager beaten to death tops a quick look at our top stories this morning. The funeral for honor student Derrion Albert is being held at a Baptist Church on the city's south side. His beating by a group of teenagers was captured on camera. Four teens are being held without bail.
Also some tragic news for the "Real Housewives" of Atlanta. Police say cast member Kandi Burruss fiance, Ashley Jewel, was involved in a fight at an Atlanta nightclub. He was hit in the head and died later at the hospital. Detectives say they are questioning a person of interest. Jewel made regular appearances on the show.
HOLMES: An infant that was just days old kidnapped from his home in Tennessee Tuesday has been found safe in Alabama. Tough start to the life of the little guy here. Authorities have arrested a 39-year- old woman who has no apparent relation to the family.
NGUYEN: All right. So, from all that heavy news to this, especially if you just need a break from reality. Just for a second, go on vacation, you can get some great trips to Mexico and Europe for a lot less than last year's prices.
HOLMES: What about to Rio? Those prices are probably going up, aren't they?
NGUYEN: Rio! I bet they just went up as of yesterday.
HOLMES: Yes. This week's "On the Go" (INAUDIBLE) tells us not only that there are deals and they are better, the crowds are actually smaller.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A fabulous vacation may fit in your budget this fall.
CHRIS MCGINNIS, EXPEDIA.COM: You'll find the lowest prices during the first two weeks of November and then during the first two weeks of December.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mexico is one destination that's cheaper top visit this year.
MCGINNIS: Fares are down about 30 percent to resorts like Puerto Vallarta and Cancun.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are also bargains in Europe.
MCGINNIS: In Amsterdam, you can get a package deal for 33 percent less than you paid last fall. London, which is always a big favorite, is down 32 percent and Rome is down 26 percent.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But know how much to spend.
MCGINNIS: People in most major cities should be able to fly to Mexico during the fall for about $300 or a little bit less than that. Now, to get to Europe from the East Coast during the fall, you'll pay as little as $400 to $600 roundtrip, and from the West Coast about $500 to $700.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, up next, a "CNN Hero" special. Grammy winner John Legend wanted all of us to know about this particular person.
HOLMES: We're going to hear from him. Also, that David Letterman bombshell, still all -- all everybody seems to want to talk about this weekend. Tell us what you think about the talk show host's revelations and also what some are saying his colorful and controversial sexcapades with people who worked for him. Here's how to reach us -- Facebook, Twitter, and our blog. Let us know what you think about workplace relationships. Stay here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: OK, so, we have narrowed down the 2009 "CNN Hero" search to just ten people. Now we need your help picking this year's winner. Today, Grammy-winning musician John Legend introduces us to a former bar tender who brings clean water to thousands.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
JOHN LEGEND, MUSICIAN: Hello. I'm John Legend. During last year's "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute," I had the honor of performing and helping to recognize the great works of everyday citizens changing the world. As founder of the Show Me Campaign, which seeks an end to global poverty, I am thrilled to be able to help CNN introduce one of this year's top ten honorees. Now, more than ever, the world needs heroes.
DOC HENDLEY, COMMUNITY CRUSADER: Approximately 1 billion people lack access to clean water. It's killing more children than aids and malaria combined, and yet all that can be prevented.
Your regulars, especially, sit on the same stool, they pay the same tab every day. I felt like they really did want to be a part of something.
My name is Doc Hendley. I used to be a bartender, and now I provide clean water to people in need. I got on the ground in Darfur, seen these people are living in conflicts, yet their biggest concern was the huge loss of life because of the unclean water. That's when the water changed it to (INAUDIBLE).
Whether we're filtering the water or drilling a well, we want to train and educate people that are already on the ground, enabling locals to fix their own water. That joy is the only thing that helps lift the burden.
You can be just a regular -- anybody, and you really, really can change the world. I'm walking truth of that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, they are helping young people off the streets -- get off the streets and providing clean water to thousands, and then bringing prosthetics to the disabled. That's a lot of different things. This year's top ten CNN Heroes, though, are making a huge difference all over the world, and you can vote for your Hero of the Year.
Our Josh Levs joins us now to show us how. I mean, like we said, there's a lot of people doing a bunch of different things, but all important things that matter.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's amazing. Two quick things. First of all, Betty was one last year -- let's not forget. Right?
NGUYEN: Thank you.
LEVS: You're inside CNN.
NGUYEN: The internal... Yes.
LEVS: It is, an internal CNN Hero for your work in Vietnam, which is fantastic.
NGUYEN: Thank you, T.J. -- he's clapping in there.
LEVS: Very -- we're so proud of you for that. That's the advantage (ph) I got.
NGUYEN: Thank you.
LEVS: I've got paper from my editor -- I'd be applauding. Also, earlier in the show you asked me how many more nominees this year than last year?
NGUYEN: Right. LEVS: OK. So we got nearly 9,000 nominees this year.
NGUYEN: And how -- how many...
LEVS: We doubled last year.
NGUYEN: Are you serious?
LEVS: That's how big CNN Heroes have become.
NGUYEN: That's incredible.
LEVS: Double nominees in one year from more than 100 countries.
NGUYEN: That means it's paying off and people are seeing how much it matters.
LEVS: And all these top people get $25,000 towards what they're doing in. But zoom in -- I'll tell you all about them and who these people are.
These are amazing stories, what these people are doing. You've seen them in different countries, in the United States, in Iraq, and what happens is when you get to cnn.com/heroes, it takes you to their pictures. You can learn about Budi Soehardi who runs an orphanage, providing homes to orphans in -- in Indonesia.
You know as you go through these, you're going to find all sorts of stories, and what I found here is I've pulled up a couple of examples here, and we should be able to play you a little bit of video. This one is Efren Penaflorida. Take a look here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EFREN PENAFLORIDA: We operate the push cart every Saturday. We teach them language, mathematics, and we also have our hygiene clinic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: He's in the Philippines, so we're seeing there the kind of work that he's doing, reaching out to young people in the Philippines.
All sorts of inspirational stories along here. Let me tell you about how -- what you can do here. First of all, we link you to the programs that these people are running. So, while you're taking a look at Heroes, you can say, "Wait a second. I want to do something to support that." For example, this is program one of the top ten Heroes runs, getting wheelchairs to Iraqi children.
We link you to all of their programs, and over here is where you can vote. You just come up here, you click on any one of the stories. You can watch videos like I just showed you, you can read about their backgrounds, you can see why they were nominated, and ultimately you can cast your vote in English or, if you want to, we got the whole thing up in Spanish as well. And along with this, we here at our show have a question for you. Let me show you where you can weigh in. You got my graphic there. We're asking you to talk to us about who your heroes are. So cnn.com/josh or Facebook or Twitter, joshlevscnn. We'd love to hear from you. Who are you heroes? What makes someone a hero? What do you think of when you hear the word "hero"?
We'd love to hear from you, and we'll be back on the air, sharing some of your responses. All surrounding this, of course, leading up to thanksgiving night, when the big ceremony will take place and we'll tell you who the CNN Hero of the Year is.
So, Betty and T.J., really inspirational stuff here. I definitely encourage people to spend some time seeing what they're doing and maybe even choose to support some of these.
NGUYEN: And I tell you what, once you read what these folks are doing, it's going to inspire you, no doubt.
All right. Thank you, josh.
So, Germany is celebrating 19 years of reunification with a huge party and giant marionettes. Check this out.
HOLMES: I love this story. I love (ph) the picture.
NGUYEN: I know you do.
HOLMES: I love the picture.
NGUYEN: It's fascinating in the sense that you're kind of going, what is that? It looks like some kind of a scuba diver.
HOLMES: Yes, but it's supposed to be a re-enactment of this fairy tale. They do this over several days there, again, symbolizing the reunification of Germany, but it's showing -- you see this? We see this one guy here, this scuba diver, but there is another big one that's running around town, a little smaller. That's supposed to be his niece and -- there we go.
NGUYEN: Oh! They're going to be reunited.
HOLMES: And they are reunited. They have to find each other over several days, and that is the symbolism that they're -- and why they do it. But a big production company puts this on...
NGUYEN: Wow! That's fascinating.
HOLMES: ... puts this together and a lot of people get together to make these things move. It takes a lot of work.
NGUYEN: Well, 52 people it takes to make them move. That is incredible.
All right. Well, there is so much more coming here in the CNN NEWSROOM you don't want to miss. Still ahead, what is a zombie subdivision? Any idea? Hopefully I don't live near one of those. And why are so many people cropping up across the country?
HOLMES: Well, the answer coming up on the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right. So, a lot of people talking this morning about David Letterman's on-camera confession and the alleged extortion plot, especially the comedians.
HOLMES: You know, he's used to poking fun at others when they get in trouble, so you knew some of this was going to come back at him. Here is his -- former now -- late night rival, Jay Leno.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, TALK SHOW HOST: If you came here tonight for sex with a talk show host, you've got the wrong studio. All right? So ...
But what is going on? Boy, first, Conan hit his head, then somebody tries to extort money from Letterman -- I'm so glad I'm out of late night.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Kind of sort of. Ten o'clock Eastern is when he's on. Not quite late night. We've been asking for your comments about this, also about workplace relationships. Is it okay? Here's what some of you are writing.
I think we have a blog here from J.GREEN. It says, "Any time a boss has intimate relationship with a subordinate, there is an aura of intimidation. The question is 'Did any of Letterman's subordinate get favors for having sex with him, or were any of those who rebuffed him punished in any way?' If so, we haven't heard the last of this story."
NGUYEN: Yes. I thought -- I don't think we've heard the last of it anyway. There's so much to come out of this. Let me quickly go to my Facebook page, and Chris Di Mauro (ph) says , "I dated a co-worker and I am now happily married with two kids with her." So some people did find love at the workplace.
HOLMES: And some seem to be a big fan of it. A couple from Facebook here, one from Bernadette -- Janette (ph) says, "Hmm, not a true fan of dating in the workplace, but there is this guy in Finance." And then another, just below that, saying, "Yes, if handled appropriately." Who knows what "appropriately" is these days?
NGUYEN: Yes. And what happens when it doesn't work out? That can be very difficult, too.
All right. Well, we appreciate your responses today, and of course we'll have another question for you tomorrow. But always weigh in and we'll be reading some of those on the air.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, you are in the CNN NEWSROOM everybody. Thanks for joining us.
It is Saturday, October 3rd. Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: And hello to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes. It is 11:00 A.M. here in East Atlanta, Georgia, where we sit, 8:00 A.M. out west. For you folks, good morning, wherever you may be.
We do need to start in Afghanistan now, where five more US service members have been killed in Afghanistan. The president is reviewing his war strategy, meeting briefly yesterday with his top commander in Afghanistan.
