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American Morning
New Security Framework for Air Travel; Floods Hit Northeast Some More; School Officials Under Fire for Teen Suicide; South Hadley Superintendent Under Fire for Teen Suicide; Here Comes Apple IPad; Church 2.0 on Facebook
Aired April 02, 2010 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you on this Good Friday, April the 2nd. I'm John Roberts.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kiran Chetry. Here are the big stories we're breaking down in the next 15 minutes.
First, the Obama administration talking about new security steps that will be aimed at spotting would be terrorist before they board planes to the U.S. Homeland Security Correspondent Jeanne Meserve will tell us more about what changes it could mean for me and you when we go to the airport.
ROBERTS: Health danger lurking in New England flood waters. The levels are now going down in Rhode Island, but in some basements and living rooms everything has to go. We're live at the very messy cleanups in one of the hardest hit areas.
CHETRY: Plus, gadget junkies are getting in line to get the new iPad. It hits Apple stores in just a day, but does the new tablet deserve all the hype? The reviews are in and we'll have one in the studio, an iPad, to show you what it can and cannot do.
And the "A.M. Fix" blog is up and running. We want to hear from you about anything going on in the news that interests you today, CNN.com/amfix. We'll be reading your comments throughout the morning.
ROBERTS: We begin this hour with a CNN security watch. Wide- reaching new airport security measures being unveiled by the Obama administration. Passengers on flights coming into the United States could now face a new level of screening if they fit a profile that suggests that they pose a risk.
Our Homeland Security Correspondent Jeanne Meserve is live in Washington this morning with the details. Jeanne, how does all this work?
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: John, the regime is designed to augment, not replace the no-fly and selectee list. It will be used by airlines and foreign governments to screen all people, including Americans flying into the U.S. from abroad. The concept is to use bits and pieces of intelligence to filter out people who may pose a threat. The plan, which will be formally announced later today, is intended to stop and subject to additional screening passengers who match certain pieces of known intelligence.
Screening will be based not necessarily on nationality but on pieces of information like personal traits, where someone has traveled, age, partial name, maybe a partial passport number. A senior administration official says implementation will start today and will be fully implemented within the month.
This came about after a review of the Christmas Day bombing attempt revealed that the U.S. failed to put to use fragments of intelligence that might have stopped Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. The system is intended to prevent that type of lapse and replaces a broader approach which mandated additional screening of people from 14 specific countries believed to have a nexus to terrorism.
A senior administration official adamantly denies this is racial profiling. Though race or religion could be a factor in choosing someone for additional screening, it will only be used where there is reliable intelligence that suggests someone with that characteristic is a potential terrorist.
John, back to you.
ROBERTS: Jeanne, has a system like this or something like it ever been tested in the real world?
MESERVE: There is an example. You'll remember David Hedly. He has now pled guilty to helping plan the Mumbai terror attacks. I'm told that customs and border protection had some fragmentary information, including travel itinerary and partial name.
And they were using that to put aside for additional screening as they came into the country people who matched that piece of intelligence. That is how they came upon David Hedly. So it's a real life example of how a system like this yielded results.
ROBERTS: And some of these enhanced and secondary screening methods and other things that are in place at airports around the world, will they be dialed back at all? I talked to the president of one airline has to deal with all of this called it ridiculous.
MESERVE: It's not going to change. In fact a senior administration in a statement I got today said that they may notice enhancements in security and screening measures at airports. So it's not getting any better.
ROBERTS: Jeanne, thanks so much.
MESERVE: You bet.
CHETRY: Parts of Rhode Island are still very dangerous this morning. The water is finally beginning to recede after three days of record rain and record flooding. Health officials are warning what's left behind could make people sick.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano will be visiting the state later today talking to local leaders. Allan Cchernoff is there, live for us this morning in Warwick, Rhode Island, with more on the challenges that this town is still facing. Hi, Allan.
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kiran. The water that I'm standing in, it's got a lot of gunk in it. In the water itself, you see those colorful pools almost, very hard to tell probably with the camera. You can see oil laced here. That's partly because the sewage system in this area is out of commission. The sewage plant actually was flooded.
I should point out, though, the water, it's incredible how rapidly it's receded. Have a look at this -- branches and leafs left by the floods had been this high. Now we're talking maybe about eight inches or so. So the water has come down. In its wake, my goodness, the damage is simply awful.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHERNOFF: Prized possessions, classic sports cars, are waterlogged after his garage filled up like an aquarium.
RICHARD NELSON, FLOOD VICTIM: It's a heartache to see it stuck in a garage with the water where it was and you couldn't do anything about it.
CHERNOFF: Nelson lived in this war rick home his whole life, 68 years.
NELSON: The cleanup part, that's the devastating part. Where do you go from here?
CHERNOFF: Cleaning up is especially difficult because the local sewage treatment plant is flooded, meaning the flood water is filthy.
CHERNOFF (on camera): We've probably had at least a foot and a half here, and everything is floating, the entire place. Look at this. Furniture, cabinets, exercise equipment.
CHERNOFF (voice-over): Ronnie Dugan's basement is packed with floating possessions since she was in the middle of renovating her home. But she has no flood insurance.
RONNIE DUGAN, FLOOD VICTIM: The whole time I lived here 24 years, never had water in the basement, not even two weeks ago. So this is the first time ever. So this is pretty amazing. It was up to my top step. So there's probably about seven feet.
CHERNOFF: And in Oscar Vargas's basement, the infrastructure of his home heating system, furnace, oil tank, and water heater, are all destroyed. But even worse, he says, is the loss of sentimental items.
CHERNOFF (on camera): What did you have here?
OSCAR VARGAS, FLOOD VICTIM: A lot of memories I have here. My wedding pictures, everything is soaked in water and is gone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHERNOFF: It is really sad to see people losing so many memory that's they've stored in their basements.
The IRS is actually having a little sympathy on the people here, maybe a little solace to them. But the losses will be tax deductible because the area has been declared a national disaster area. But nonetheless, it's just awful to see people losing so much here. John and Kiran?
CHETRY: Have they gotten word on whether they get help if they don't have flood insurance? We talked to a couple of people yesterday who did not. Any help getting their house back to livable condition?
CHERNOFF: You know, FEMA does have some programs. The majority of their assistance amounts to loans through the Small Business Administration. A lot of it is focused towards businesses.
Will people get aid? A little bit may be coming in, but most people are basically going to have to be just shelling out and taking out their own loans. And obviously the cleanup here is just massive. Once the water is gone, they've got to do a lot of cleanup to make sure that things are at least sanitary.
CHETRY: Allan Chernoff for us this morning -- a long road ahead. Thank you.
ROBERTS: Firing back at the district attorney. At 7:10 eastern this morning, the school superintendent accused of not doing enough to prevent the suicide of Phoebe Prince says prosecutors have it all wrong. He claims the young girl made it difficult for school officials to help her when she was bullied.
CHETRY: Gadget geeks and Apple fans are about to get another fix. In just a day the iPad will hit Apple stores across the nation. Coming up in just about five minutes we're going to get a sneak peek.
ROBERTS: And at 7:25, on this Easter weekend, following god on Facebook -- how churches are embracing technology and expanding their flocks online.
It's nine minutes now after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: We're following new developments today in the suicide of Phoebe Prince. The superintendent of the Massachusetts school district where the 15-year-old girl was allegedly bullied to death is now challenging claims by the district attorney that his staff did not act quickly enough to save her.
CHETRY: Alina Cho just returned from Phoebe's South Hadley neighborhood, and a lot of people want somebody to be accountable for Prince's death. And Gus Sayer, he is the highest ranking school official in the district.
CHO: He is. There's a lot of finger-pointing going on in this community. All this week, as many people know, we've been hearing from parents and other people who are just outraged and calling for Superintendent Sayer and the principal of South Hadley High School to resign, saying if they had done more to stop the bullying against Phoebe Prince, maybe she would be alive today.
Now Sayer is speaking out and addressing his critics.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUS SAYER, SUPERINTENDENT, SOUTH HADLEY HIGH SCHOOLS: I have anonymous e-mails that I'm getting from all over the country, OK. Mostly they're disgusting. Mostly they are things like "you administrators should burn in hell," and stuff like that. And even worse -- that's a mild one.
CHO: How do you react?
SAYER: I try to ignore them.
CHO: Ever since the D.A. announced charges against South Hadley high school students, classmates who prosecutors say bullied 15-year- old Phoebe Prince and drove her to kill herself, the community has been desperate for accountability. Who's to blame?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My name is Al. I want to make a statement. I think the administrators should be held accountable for what's going on.
CHO: Some say principal Dan Smith and superintendent Gus Sayer should resign because critics say they knew about the bullying Phoebe Prince endured and did nothing to stop it.
The D.A. was pretty harsh in her assessment of what happened. Do you agree with her assessment?
SAYER: No, I don't agree with that assessment.
CHO: Gus Sayer says contrary to what the D.A. is saying, school officials did intervene in the Prince case, he says as soon as they were tipped off. The first hint, he says, was not months before Phoebe Prince died, as some suggested, but exactly one week before she committed suicide.
SAYER: One involved one girl walking into a classroom and calling Phoebe an Irish slut right in the front of the classroom. That girl was brought to the principal's office immediately, and she was disciplined by the principal.
CHO: But he did not elaborate on what action was taken. Parents say the bullying went on in plain view of faculty for much longer than one week, harassment so severe it drove a 15-year-old girl on January 14th to hang herself in the stairwell of her home. SAYER: Phoebe didn't reveal to people what she was being subjected to, and unfortunately, until January 7th, we were not aware of what she was being subjected to. So it was very little way we could have intervened in the bullying that took place.
Do I wish that we had known more about what was going on with Phoebe? Of course I do.
CHO: In a statement to CNN, the D.A. said, "I do not intend to address Superintendent Sayer's assertions point by point. I will, however, say that Mr. Sayer does not have access to our investigative materials. Therefore, he can't have a basis for some of his comments."
Sayer says if anyone needs proof, this is it. All of the students charged in this case have either been suspended or expelled. As for his future --
GUS SAYER, SOUTH HADLEY SUPERINTENDENT: I work for the school committee here. If the school committee believes that I should resign, they will tell me so. And you know, they and I have an understanding that I will not stay in my job if they think I should leave. I'm not going to fight them over that.
CHO (on camera): Have they been supportive?
SAYER: Very supportive.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: Sayer tells me the principal of South Hadley High School, Dan Smith, also has no plans to resign. Administrators have created an anti-bullying committee, and Sayer says he plans to focus on programs, guys, that are designed to teach kids about civil behavior and about the dangers of bullying. But a lot of people are still asking questions this morning.
You know, how is it possible that administrators, teachers, other staff members didn't know about it? So many students were involved, and the harassment really was so severe, both verbal and physical, and it went on for so long allegedly as prosecutors say. How did -- how didn't anyone know about it and why wasn't anything done. And you're right, absolutely, people want someone to blame. They want accountability in this case.
CHETRY: Alina Cho, good stuff getting a chance to talk to him and here his point of view. Thanks.
CHO: You bet.
CHETRY: Well, still ahead, the iPad comes here. We're going to test it out. We're going to talk to a couple of tech experts about whether or not this thing is the real deal about whether or not you should run out and buy the first generation.
Sixteen minutes past the hour. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Nineteen minutes after the hour. Just one day now until Apple's iPad is released, but the reviews are already in. The "Wall Street Journal" calling it a wicked fast laptop killer.
CHETRY: Wow. Well, "The New York Times" not to happy with its touch screen keyboard or lack of the camera, but still calling it, quote, "deeply satisfying and goof proof."
Here "Minding Your Business" this morning is Arik Hesseldahl. He is the senior technology reporter from BusinessWeek.com and he also writes their blog, "Bite of the Apple."
Thanks for being with us.
ARIK HESSELDAHL, SENIOR TECHNOLOGY REPORTER, BUSINESSWEEK.COM: Good morning.
ROBERTS: Good to see you this morning.
So this thing has gotten generally good reviews. There are some people who have concerns, but who is it for and what does it do best?
HESSELDAHL: It's kind of this new branch of personal computing. If you think of personal computing as a family tree, this is a new branch on that tree.
CHETRY: We're going to show it a little more.
ROBERTS: For Kiran's sake, let me get my hands on it.
CHETRY: No, I just want to be able to show it a little bit so people can see it. Go ahead. Go ahead.
HESSELDAHL: So yes, here we go. Here iBook, everybody is comparing it to the Kindle, which you have over there. This is the iBook experience. And it's really terrific. I mean, look, you can -- I mean, you notice a little bit of a gimmick, but you can actually feel like you're turning a page here. You have the color illustrations. Here's the Winnie the Pooh book. That's one application.
ROBERTS: There you were saying just for comparative -- comparison sake --
HESSELDAHL: Right.
CHETRY: And here's John's Kindle.
ROBERTS: Hold it up just a little bit there.
HESSELDAHL: Right.
ROBERTS: There's my Kindle.
HESSELDAHL: Right
ROBERTS: There you can see that the screen is -- there's a larger Kindle, too. It's almost as big as the iPad.
HESSELDAHL: Right. And so when you compare them --
ROBERTS: Which now is a little lighter?
HESSELDAHL: This is much lighter. So on the weight, this definitely wins. This is a pound and a half. This is about 10 ounces. So, you know, there's a little bit of, you know, a weight advantage to the Kindle.
CHETRY: Right.
ROBERTS: But that's much sexier.
HESSELDAHL: But the reading -- the reading experience is terrific on that.
ROBERTS: Yes.
CHETRY: Also, if you're not using it, let's say you're not using it as a book reader, as an electronic reader, but you want it to replace your laptop, can it replace your laptop in MacBook?
HESSELDAHL: I don't think so. I wouldn't write a long e-mail. I wouldn't write my great American novel on this. But you might, you know, respond to e-mail from your friends. You might write a few notes. You might, you know --
CHETRY: Show us the keyboard because that's gotten a little bit of criticism.
HESSELDAHL: Yes. This is the keyboard in the search screen, but it's essentially the same throughout. You can type directly on the screen like so --
ROBERTS: So it's just like a big iPhone.
HESSELDAHL: Right. And in that way it is. But it also, you can buy a separate -- let me go back to the main screen here. You can buy a separate -- buy a separate keyboard that basically treats it like a laptop, very similar to the laptop.
ROBERTS: Right.
HESSELDAHL: You can, so -- you know, it can be very much like a laptop, but it's not a traditional computer or laptop.
ROBERTS: So it's application driven very much like the iTouch or the iPhone.
HESSELDAHL: That's also media consumption device. It's really good. Anything you can get on iTunes, you can get on this device. Here's a little video of the (INAUDIBLE). Let me see if I can play it here. This is a podcast.
CHETRY: And this is where people say it's really amazing and different, right?
HESSELDAHL: Right.
CHETRY: That screen is so big and the picture is so beautiful --
HESSELDAHL: Right.
CHETRY: This is where you --
HESSELDAHL: Michael Jackson video here. Michael Jackson's Thriller. You can kind of see what's going on here.
ROBERTS: Oh, look at that.
HESSELDAHL: Yes.
ROBERTS: So this would be great if you want to take it on an airplane or watch a movie or maybe sitting at bed at night.
HESSELDAHL: Exactly. Exactly.
CHETRY: Battery power.
HESSELDAHL: Battery power is 10 hours. It's pretty good.
CHETRY: Ten hours.
HESSELDAHL: Yes. It's about 10 hours. I haven't tested it all the way through to that. I heard some people get better results than that.
ROBERTS: So it's about the same as the iPhone. My iPhone lasts 10 hours before --
HESSELDAHL: Yes. You'll want to charge it at the end of the day.
ROBERTS: But Kindle, it's only a reader. Kindle lasts days.
HESSELDAHL: Another advantage because it's a difference in screen technology. When you're looking at something on the screen on the Kindle, it's not using power until unless you're turning pages. You're always using power here. So it's just a fundamentally different technology.
CHETRY: This is backlit. You can read it in the dark. With the Kindle, you can't.
HESSELDAHL: Exactly.
CHETRY: But the other question that people have that you can't run -- what is the flash player, right? The Adobe flash player that so many Web sites are linked to that if you're trying to look at video.
HESSELDAHL: Yes.
CHETRY: Why don't they allow that on the iPad or the iPhone.
HESSELDAHL: Apple's argument is that it will take up a lot of battery life when you look at -- when we can see -- you can see a lot of video here. I don't know that this will play. Let's see if I can pull this up.
CHETRY: My favorite Web site.
HESSELDAHL: Yes.
ROBERTS: There you are. There's the good old CNN Web site.
HESSELDAHL: I don't know if it's playing. Let's see if it plays. Apple is kind of trying to change the subject. See, you guys are compatible.
ROBERTS: Yes.
HESSELDAHL: Basically, it's about a technology called H1005 (ph) and it's basically a technology argument that Apple is having with Adobe right now.
ROBERTS: A couple of criticisms, there's no USB port in that. There's no camera in it. You can't multitask. All the apps have to be separately open. And one Silicon Valley entrepreneur said, let's see, you can't make a phone call with it. You can't take a picture with it. And you have to buy content that before now you were not willing to pay for. So how successful can that be?
HESSELDAHL: You might also already own that content. I mean, everyone who doesn't already have an iPod or already have a notebook. And the USB port is really a nonstarter. You can connect it to your computer just like you would an iPhone and that's where you're going to side load your content onto it so --
ROBERTS: All right. Arik Hessedldahl, great to see you this morning.
HESSELDAHL: Thanks a lot.
ROBERTS: Thanks for bringing it by. Let's see if you get out of here with it. No way.
CHETRY: We want to touch it for a while. Would you buy it? Would you buy this?
HESSELDAHL: I would. Absolutely.
CHETRY: Here's your Kindle. Nice seeing you.
We're going to take a quick break. Twenty-four minutes after the hour. We'll be right back. ROBERTS: I love it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: We're back with the Most News in the Morning. It's coming up at 27 minutes after the hour, which means your top stories just about three minutes away now.
First, an "A.M. Original," something that you'll see only on AMERICAN MORNING.
The church has never been an organization accused of keeping up with trends.
CHETRY: But that may be changing now. Places of worship are using social networks like Twitter and Facebook to expand their flock. Church 2.0, where followers are also believers.
Carol Costello, how appropriate for this Good Friday, talking to us about this from Washington this morning.
Hey, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. At first blush it sounds kind of silly, but church of Facebook? I mean, come on. Log on to Facebook and find God, really, in the same place you find mafia wars. Don't you hate mafia wars?
Anyway, you find God in the same place you find mafia wars in a way to see a baby giant octopus. But Church 2.0 is coming of age. Thanks to some powerful people.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO (voice-over): God's house, a place with far less room than say a church on Facebook.
(on camera): How many parishioners do you hope to gather in the church of Facebook?
PASTOR JOEL HUNTER, NORTHLAND: You know, it's literally unlimited.
COSTELLO (voice-over): It is conceivable. As one church official put it, if Facebook were a country, it would be the third largest in the world.
HUNTER: There are a whole lot of people who are believers or would be believers if it weren't for having to walk into a church building.
COSTELLO: Pastor Joel Hunter is senior pastor of Northland. He boasts a congregation of 18,000 people who worship the old fashioned way. He hopes to attract thousands more by creating a new church available only on Facebook. Call it an outgrowth of Church 2.0. This thing and worship. Even President Obama practices aversion of Church 2.0. He worships in part by a BlackBerry.
Hunter is one of a group of pastors who e-mailed the president.
HUNTER: What I do is I take a portion of scripture and then I device a commentary, explain that and how that might be relevant for a Christian who's trying to follow Christ, and I hit send. And there it is.
COSTELLO: Hunter has lately sent passages from the Gospel of Mark.
HUNTER: The lessons are always relevant to anyone, anywhere. And so what applies to you and I, also applies to him because he's a person. He's not just a president. He's a person.
COSTELLO: Pastor Hunter's e-mailed sermons are just one way the president worships outside of a traditional church. Some insist this can be an effective way to God. Others aren't so sure.
Jon Acuff uses a satirical blog called "Stuff Christians Like" to inspire spirituality online.
JON ACUFF, STUFFCHRISTIANSLIKE.NET: I think the Internet is a great starter. I don't know that it's the best finisher.
COSTELLO (on camera): Like other relationships that start online, like the dating service match.com.
ACUFF: Eventually the people that meet on "match" go to dinner. Eventually when you interact on craigslist to buy something, you go to that person's house. And every other interaction online, there's some level where you take it real if it's meaningful and significant.
COSTELLO (voice-over): If that happens, then the world of Church 2.0 will be more than an online success in a country where fewer and fewer people feel the need to go to church and all.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: The idea here, John and Kiran, if you feel uncomfortable or if you feel like a sinner just walking into a church, you could attend church online on Facebook with your friends, as Pastor Hunter told me, a building means nothing. You can worship anywhere.
ROBERTS: What's that web site, godtube.com, right? Where they actually bring church services into you?
COSTELLO: Yes, there's lots of different ways you can find god online if that's what you choose to do. But as you heard from my story, there are some critics who say you can't really worship effectively unless you have that face to face thing going on with your pastor or your priest or worship with other parishioners around you.
CHETRY: That's why they call it fellowship, you know, as he said maybe the first time you meet on match.com, you eventually go to dinner. So there you go.
COSTELLO: Sometimes it works.
ROBERTS: Here's something unique. I go to a church where sometimes the pastor is beamed into the church on a big screen.
COSTELLO: Really?
ROBERTS: Because he's at a satellite church.
COSTELLO: See, I would find that strange.
ROBERTS: It's a little weird but they do it really well. It almost like (INAUDIBLE)
COSTELLO: So you go to church and you watch television in essence?
ROBERTS: When they perfect 3-D, the whole thing will be great. Thanks, Carol.
CHETRY: We want to know what you think about all of this. How would you feel about praying on your PC or cell phone? Let us know. CNN.com/amfix.
ROBERTS: Crossing the half hour. It's time for this morning's top stories. The Department of Homeland Security will announce new security procedures for airline passengers. The new measures will apply to people flying into the U.S. from other countries. A passenger would be stopped for secondary screening if they match certain known intelligence information that poses a risk. The new security protocol take effect today.
CHETRY: Also today, a federal judge will decide whether or not to grant bail for eight militia members accused of plotting to kill police officers. Court appointed attorneys for the members of the Hutaree militia say that their clients don't pose a threat and that they should be released while they wait for trial. Prosecutors though want them held arguing their intentions were "evil."
ROBERTS: And a Massachusetts school superintendent says he and his staff did all they could to help a young student who was bullied so relentlessly that she took her life. Gus Sayer telling CNN that he only learned of the bullying that Phoebe Prince endured one week before she hanged herself. He says she didn't tell many people what she was going through. And how he wishes that she had.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUS SAYER, MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT: I have anonymous e-mails that I'm getting from all over the country, OK, mostly they are disgusting. Mostly they are things like people say, you administrators should burn in hell and stuff like that and even worse. That's a mild one.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): And how do you react? SAYER: I try to ignore them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: There have been repeated calls for Sayer's resignation. He says he will not step down unless the district school committee asks him to. Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, the numbers are staggering, each year between one and a half and nearly three million young kids run away from home for various reasons. A former New York City detective has made it his job to try to track some of them down. And his investigations are now the subject of a new fascinating TV series called the "Runaway Squad." Here's a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I spent 15 years with the NYPD on the streets busting mobsters, drug dealers, pimps. You name it. I saw all these runaways in danger and I never forgot them. Now I'm a private investigator. When the cops hit a dead end and the families have no resources, I have a team whose mission is to find these kids and bring them home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: And now the founder and team leader of the "Runaway Squad" Joe Mazzilli joins me now, along with Vinny Lopez who was rescued by the "Runaway Squad" and Vinny's relieved father, Israel Lopez. Thanks to both of you for being with us. And let me start with you Joe, first of all, what made you want to tackle the issue of teen runaways?
JOE MAZZILLI, NYPD: It's a huge problem. I originally started the pimp squad here for the NYPD in the '70s, although I'm 29.
CHETRY: Of course.
MAZZILLI: There I saw how these kids were exploited by the pimps, runaways and how they died, and abused, exploited obviously.
CHETRY: Many times they made the decision to runaway but were unable to make the decision to come back on their own because they ended up trapped.
MAZZILLI: They were prey. They were just prey and exploited obviously. It always stayed with me. And I knew that some day when I went into private -- left the department and become a PI, that I would always go back to help these children.
CHETRY: So what are the biggest keys to actually being able to find them? I mean, as you mentioned, the introduction to the TV series, this is where police hit dead ends and private detectives like you step in. So how do you guys find these kids?
MAZZILLI: Well, you know, we're doing this one particular job, obviously the police department doesn't have the manpower or the resources, obviously. And you know, we're skilled at what we're doing and we're concentrating at one case at a time. And it's a lot of work but we can -- we're very successful.
CHETRY: One of those cases was Vinny Lopez. Vinny, tell me a little bit about why you decided to run away? What was going on in your life at the time that made you feel you just had to get out of your house?
VINNY LOPEZ, RESCUED BY RUNAWAY SQUAD: Well, me and my father I guess took a turning point for bad. We were arguing left and right because I didn't agree with the rules of the house. You know, like having a curfew. I wanted more freedom and wasn't able to have it at 15 years old. So I started to get angry and frustrated and ended up with us arguing more. And then also we had issues with the house, with (INAUDIBLE) and I lost a lot of my possessions and at the end of it I decided it's time for me to go.
CHETRY: And what was that like for you?
ISRAEL LOPEZ, SON RESCUED BY RUNAWAY SQUAD: I was lost. It wasn't just that. He also was involved with the wrong people. Namely -- not giving names, but namely his girlfriend and -- just didn't want him involved with those people, A parent has to make the right choices for their child. And I said, these are the choices that I have to make for you.
CHETRY: Did you ever think he was actually going to leave?
ISRAEL LOPEZ: No.
CHETRY: We have video right now that we want to show of how powerful it was when you were finally found by Joe and brought back to the house. Let's take a look at that reunion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You shouldn't have done this.
When the child walks through the door, it's a bittersweet moment. You're happy to see your child safe but you're pitted off at what he did to you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: And I imagine -- as we saw a little bit in that piece. You were emotional. You cried. But then you got angry. You picked up where you left off in terms of needing to sort of iron out some of your situations. What was that like for you? It still makes you tear up to see it, right?
ISRAEL LOPEZ: Yes, that's -- me and Vinny were very close. He still is -- he's my best friend. It's not just a son, and father and son is more than that. You have to understand that. This is my best friend. That's what a parent is supposed to have with their child, especially father and son. And for him to have left, it hurt. We have a great relationship now but he always had an open door. He knows that now. And I believe that other children need to know that they have sources they need to be able to speak to their parents.
CHETRY: What was it like for you as well, Vinny, to know how emotional this was for your dad and how, I mean, your whole family and how torn apart they were by you leaving?
VINNY LOPEZ: When I left I didn't think it would take that big of a toll on them. I thought it would be an issue for a couple of days and then it would just pass over.
CHETRY: How long were you gone?
VINNY LOPEZ: Less than a month. And when I got back and saw how everybody was affected by it and everybody was hurt and everybody was upset and also to see everybody relieved when I came back, it was -- I kind of -- I took it hard basically.
CHETRY: How did you find him?
MAZZILLI: You got have to watch the show. Trade secrets.
CHETRY: And we are going to -- I did get a chance to view it. It really is powerful. But where do you get your leads and where do you, you know, how do you approach a child to make sure that they don't just runaway from you?
MAZZILLI: Well, leads obviously, it's good old fashioned detective work, having the experience. And we're always prepared if a child does run, obviously. We cover all the bases. And we can't assume that he's just going to welcome us.
CHETRY: And any last words from you, Israel, about what you want other parents who either are going through this right now, and not necessarily one of the lucky ones that has their child back or ones whoa re afraid that their relationship is deteriorating and their child may run away.
ISRAEL LOPEZ: There are a lot of resources that they can call before it gets too bad. And they can definitely speak to their children. Let their children know that they can speak to them. There's a miscommunication between them at some point, a breakdown. And they need to catch it before it gets too late. They don't want to be on the other end of this. They really don't. They really do not want to be here where I am now. It's sad. It's hurtful.
Talk to your children. Know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and your child needs to know that you're there for them. That's important.
CHETRY: Well, glad that you guys have a happy ending. Very happy about that.
And by the way, this is a fascinating series. You're doing great stuff Joe. It is on right now Monday, April 5th, 10:00 p.m., the debut on A&E. It's called the "Runaway Squad." We'll be watching.
MAZZILLI: Thank you.
CHETRY: Thanks so much. And congratulations that everything worked out for you.
ISRAEL LOPEZ: Thank you.
CHETRY: John.
ROBERTS: Pilot son Prozac. The FAA changing the rules regarding the use of anti-depressants by pilots. We got that story coming right up for you. It's 20 minutes now to the top of the hour.
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ROBERTS: Forty-three minutes after the hour. New this morning, the FAA dropping its ban on pilots using Prozac and three other depressants. The Department's administrator says he wants to remove the stigma around mental illness while ensuring passenger safety.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RANDY BABBITT, FAA ADMINISTRATOR: What drives the change in the policy is the belief that the American public has the right to know that everybody that is flying their airplanes is healthy, both physically and mentally. And so we're going to try to bring an improvement in that area.
We have people that are either self-medicating or not seeking a diagnosis. Either of those are unacceptable. This change in the policy will allow those people to get the treatment, allow us to monitor and return them to the cockpit as safer, better pilots.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: The new policy will let pilots seek permission to fly again once they have successfully controlled their depression for 12 months.
CHETRY: All right. You know, we have a lot of comments coming into our live blog this morning. About a number of different topics. We're going to take a look and read a couple of them. Oh, one about your climate-gate story that you did and the controversy unfolding there.
ROBERTS: "Climate-gate investigation should be easy for them as it continues to unfold all around as globally real time, real time, all the time from now on. Use the science and stop abusing to satisfy a political direction." That's Joseph Daniel Brian Loller (ph). I think a couple of guys are on air this morning.
CHETRY: There you go. CJ asks "Is Christine Romans expecting? She's sitting farther away from the news desk. Just curious?" Yes, she is. She is going to be a mom once again. So we've very happy for Christine. ROBERTS: Yes. There is another one here which is kind of interesting, "Why does CNN only report negative stories about the Republicans but never about the Democrats. Both parties are equally corrupt. In the poll that you just showed, Americans are displeased with both parties." It was the poll that we showed during the John Avalon segment.
CHETRY: Right.
ROBERTS: -- that, you know -- I mean, we're -- we -- we love to be the network of the Independent and --
CHETRY: Exactly. That's why we have John Avalon and that's why he calls them Wingnuts on both the right and the left. The --
ROBERTS: Exactly. There was another one --
CHETRY: -- of course, the RNC is going through a tough time right now because of the scandal at the -- the nightclub, the topless themed nightclub. And so that's why I think they've been taking a hit this week a little bit.
ROBERTS: Where was that -- where's that other interesting one?
CHETRY: The one about the -- about viewing Mars and Mercury? Venus and Mercury?
ROBERTS: No, but apparently, yes, they're both visible tonight.
CHETRY: Yes, tonight right after the sun --
ROBERTS: And there's the (INAUDIBLE) --
CHETRY: -- the sun goes down in western states.
There you go. The western sky, 40 minutes after the sun sets. This is coming from Greg at the Jet Propulsion Lab, NASA, saying check it out.
ROBERTS: So we've got some very brainy people who are watching the program this morning.
There was one more I was looking for. Where the heck did it go? The one that you showed me just before we came on. You know what --
CHETRY: Oh, I think I know which (ph) one you're talking about.
ROBERTS: Where is it?
CHETRY: I think I know which one you're talking about. About from Canada?
ROBERTS: Yes, that one.
CHETRY: The e-mail from Canada, asking whether or not I was married, and if not, would I like to run off to Canada?
ROBERTS: Yes.
CHETRY: I don't think my husband and two kids would appreciate that very much. But thanks for the offer.
ROBERTS: And I was going to ring in to say there's only one Canadian that she's getting close to, and that's this one right here. American too (ph), though, as well.
You can join the conversation right now, cnn.com/amfix.
CHETRY: And also coming up, record shattering warmth spreading across the East just in time for the weekend. We're going to have the forecast of Reynolds Wolf coming up in just a moment.
ROBERTS: Oh, here it is right here. Jamie wrote that. Sure that's not Jamie, our executive producer?
CHETRY: I highly doubt it.
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CHETRY: There you go. We love that song. Playing it a little bit today.
Dallas, Texas, where it is now cloudy, 69 degrees. A little bit later, it's going up to a high of 78, but bring your umbrella because there are scattered thunderstorms in the forecast.
ROBERTS: Share the (ph) love with that song with my daughter. She loves this as well.
CHETRY: Like in (ph) the car with, you know, the windows down. That's a good one. What?
ROBERTS: Nothing. It's just it's been kind of cold to roll the windows down lately.
CHETRY: Well, you know what? I'll take anything I can get under 50 -- you know, above 50, the windows are down.
ROBERTS: Although this weekend is going to be beautiful in the northeast.
Reynolds Wolf with a look at the forecast for us this morning. Hey, Reynolds.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey, guys.
ROBERTS: You're a popular guy here.
WOLF: Yes. We do whatever we can to make you guys happy.
It looks like there's going to be a lot of smiles in parts of the Eastern Seaboard, beautiful weather setting up, but in parts of the Central Plains, not so much.
You know, moments ago, we were showing you a live image in Dallas, and Dallas, well, take a look at this. Things are looking pretty good for the time being, but you're going to see some scattered showers and storms developing just to the west.
If you're making a drive on 35 into Oklahoma City, you got showers and strong storms, even a severe thunderstorm watch that is now in effect until 10:00 local time. A couple of severe thunderstorm warnings also in effect along the 35 corridor, near Stillwater, southward into Oklahoma City. Not only is there the possibility of having some strong wind gusts, some lightning, maybe even some small hail but maybe even some flash flooding and some ponding on roadways, so just be careful there.
Now, you're going to see the possibility of more severe weather drifting eastward today as that low drives a little bit more to the east, interacting with that moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and all that warm air ahead of it. Pretty unstable air mass should give you those damaging winds, but also some tornadoes into the afternoon.
So that is what you're going to expect as we wrap things up. Very comfortable along the eastern seaboard. John was saying it's going to be great. He's absolutely right, mainly into the 60s, going into the 70s maybe this weekend, 46 in Denver, 67 as we wrap it up in Los Angeles.
That's the forecast. Let's send it back to you in New York.
ROBERTS: Reynolds, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
WOLF: OK (ph) guys.
CHETRY: Top stories just a few minutes away, including a story that's breaking overnight, new rules for airport security. We're going to see them in action for the first time today. Is profiling now standard procedure?
ROBERTS: At half past the hour, counting down to a key jobs report. It's going to be hot off the presses and some good news, finally, maybe on the horizon.
CHETRY: And for thousands of Pennsylvanians with $1 and a dream, it was the lucky sevens, wild in the Lotto last night. Wait till you hear the winning numbers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Fifty-four minutes after the hour now and it's time for an "A.M. House Call", stories about your health.
Today is World Autism Day, a disease that is still, in many ways, a mystery to us.
CHETRY: Yes. There's a recent study, though, finding that taking care of a person with autism over a lifetime can cost about $3.5 million, and a lot of times that's without help from insurance.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta shows us just how difficult it is for one family to care for their child and deal with people who only crunch the numbers without considering what's behind it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When he was born, Darian Sepulveda had his mother's personality and his father's eyes. For 18 months, he laughed, he cried, he even spoke. At two, it all disappeared.
ADA SEPULVEDA, SON HAS AUTISM: I was losing my child, basically, in front of my -- my eyes. He was just dying on me.
GUPTA: Darian was diagnosed with autism. While his family began waging a battle against the disease, another fight was brewing with Darian's health insurance company.
A. SEPULVEDA: I had absolutely no problem with coverage until Darian was diagnosed.
OK, open the --
DARIAN SEPULVEDA, DIAGNOSED WITH AUTISM: Door.
A. SEPULVEDA: Door. Very good.
GUPTA: Now, Darian is 11. His diagnosis began a financial spiral for his family -- years of denied claims, unpaid bills, mortgages, loans and debt that has become untenable.
A. SEPULVEDA: I call him the billion dollar baby or the billion dollar boy because it's very costly.
KEVIN WREGE, COUNCIL FOR AFFORDABLE HEALTH INSURANCE: Health insurance policies currently cover medical diagnosis and medical treatment for autism.
GUPTA: But many families say not all treatments are covered. For example, Darian's speech and neurological problems and some medications were not paid for.
Insurance companies say most autism treatments are experimental, unproven. Covering them would cause everyone's insurance rates to spike.
A. SEPULVEDA: You don't tell a -- a person that has a diabetic child, oh, well, you know, there is no cure for this. You give him insulin. You treat them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good job, keep your fingers up.
TYLER BELL, DIAGNOSED WITH AUTISM: Keep your fingers up.
GUPTA: Those insurance problems continue into the teenage years, into adulthood.
Sixteen-year-old Tyler Bell is about to graduate high school.
PETER BELL, SON HAS AUTISM: Who is your favorite musician?
T. BELL: Tyler.
P. BELL: Tyler.
GUPTA: Peter Bell is Tyler's father. He's also a spokesperson for the advocacy group Autism Speaks. He's been fighting for insurance coverage for most of Tyler's life.
Now, he's concerned about Tyler's transition to adulthood.
P. BELL: The face of autism is changing. We're talking about kids that are now starting to shave and do all those things that teenagers do and will eventually become adults.
GUPTA: Adults with autism, with no insurance coverage and no other safety net to provide for them.
P. BELL: I've heard some people say, "I hope my child dies before me." And I don't know any other disease or disorder where that's the case.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: Now, while the new health care reform law doesn't specifically mention autism, behavioral health treatments will be required as a part of some health plans. As far as we can tell, that's not universal, in part because many insurance companies consider some of these therapies experimental and wouldn't cover them.
John and Kiran, back to you.
ROBERTS: Sanjay Gupta this morning. Doc, thanks so much.
And, by the way, don't forget to miss -- don't forget to miss. Don't forget not to miss Sanjay Gupta, M.D. The doc is going to talk about whether you can recover from autism. The answer may in fact surprise you.
Saturday, Sunday morning, 7:30 A.M. Eastern.
CHETRY: Well, three minutes to the top of the hour. We're back with your top stories right after the break.
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