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American Morning

Free to Marry in California; Domestic Violence in Pop Culture; Serial Stabber Caught; Men and Stress

Aired August 13, 2010 - 07:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAROL COSTELLO, ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. I'm Carol Costello in for Kiran Chetry. Dare I say happy Friday the 13th?

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. It's a lucky day. I'm John Roberts. And I promise not to sing this hour.

A lot to talk about this morning. Let's get to it. Brand-new details on the serial stabbing suspect caught at the airport trying to flee Israel. We now have a name and a face, and it turns out the police had him at least twice before he almost slipped out of the country.

COSTELLO: Same-sex couples in California five days away from being free to marry again. A federal judge ruling Proposition 8 can no longer be enforced starting next week. Opponents of same-sex marriage say they will appeal, though. In the meantime, city halls across the state are gearing up for what could be a tidal wave of weddings.

ROBERTS: And turning the page -- Desiree Rogers, the first African-American to serve as White House social secretary talking exclusive with Alina Cho about her former role in the Obama administration, the state dinner that was crashed by the Salahis, and her new job as a publishing CEO.

COSTELLO: Fascinating. I want to hear that.

Up first, though, the manhunt is finally over. There's brand new information this morning about the serial stabbing suspect and his prior brushes with the law.

ROBERTS: We were the first to break the news of his arrest yesterday morning, and now we know who he is. Police say Elias Abuelazam went on a violent rampage across three states and came this close to slipping out of the country. And authorities apparently missed earlier chances to stop him.

Our Jeanne Meserve has been following the story from the beginning. She joins us live from Washington with the latest. Previous chances to get him and they let him slip through their fingers?

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, they didn't know at that time he was a suspect in these stabbings. The suspect is an Israeli citizen and he was arrested as he was about to board a flight to his home country.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: Authorities believe this man is responsible for stabbings in Michigan, Ohio, and Virginia, five of them fatal. Elias Abuelazam, a 33-year-old Israeli citizen, living legally in the U.S., was arrested Wednesday night as he was about to board a delta flight to Tel Aviv.

DAVID LEYTON, GENESEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN PROSECUTOR: Suspect was loaded -- located, rather, at the boarding gate of Atlanta's Hartsfield airport and was called to the front of the boarding area where he surrendered without incident to customs agents.

MESERVE: The stabbings began in May. The last one was just last weekend. They attracted national publicity because there were so many and so many of the victims were African-American. Seventeen-year-old Etwan Wilson was one.

ETWAN WILSON, SURVIVED ASSAULT: I pushed off him and ran to the first house I seen with the light on.

MESERVE: During the investigation, police released a composite drawing and surveillance tape of a green SUV. A tip eventually connected Abuelazam with the car and the crimes, and when authorities realized he was en route to Israel they moved in.

Though Abuelazam recently worked in Michigan, he lived for a time in this house in Leesburg, Virginia. A man who lived just steps away was stabbed and bludgeoned to death last year. The murder is still unsolved. The victim's daughter remembers Abuelazam.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He seemed to be pretty nice. His whole family did.

MESERVE: Officials in Virginia and Michigan had different responses when asked if the stabbings were race related.

CHIEF JOSEPH PRICE, LEESBURG, VIRGINIA POLICE: My belief is he selected the victims in Leesburg based upon the color of their skin.

LEYTON: We don't have any other evidence that suggests it's racially motivated. I'm not saying it's not, but what I'm saying is that without more evidence I'm not going to make that statement.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: On Thursday, August 5th, Abuelazam was arrested in Arlington, Virginia on an outstanding misdemeanor assault warrant. He was driving a green SUV. Inside official say police found a knife and a hammer. A hammer was used, along with a knife in one of the stabbings.

But at that time the authorities had not connected Abuelazam with the car or with the crimes. He was released, and just hours later there was another stabbing in Virginia. John and Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: Jeanne Meserve, thanks so much.

Talk show host Dr. Laura Schlesinger has apologized on the air for saying the "n" word several times during an on-air conversation about race with a caller this week, and African-American caller, by the way. Listen to the exchange.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have to be honest with you, by my point is race relations.

DR. LAURA SCHLESINGER, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Oh, then I guess you don't watch HBO or listen to any black comedians.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But this is a right --

SCHLESINGER: I think you have too much sensitivity and not enough sense of humor. It depends on how it's said.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is it OK to say that word?

SCHLESINGER: It depends how it's said. Black guys talking to each other seem to think it's OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But you're not black.

SCHLESINGER: I see, a word is restricted to race. Got it. Can't do much about that.

(INAUDIBLE)

SCHLESINGER: I did, and I'll say it again -- bleep, bleep, bleep is what you hear on HBO -- why don't you let me finish a sentence? Don't take things out of context. Don't NAACP me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: That was on Tuesday. The next day Schlesinger said "I talk every day about doing the right thing and yesterday I did the wrong thing. I was attempting to make a philosophical point and I articulated the "n" word all the way out more than one time and that was wrong. I'll say it again, that was wrong."

What's most ironic is that that woman had reached out to her for help and then got a smack-down.

COSTELLO: Exactly. She wanted help with her husband -- white -- because she's an African-American woman married to a white man and his white friends would say things to her that she thought were insensitive. And then she was asking Dr. Laura what should I do about this? That's what she go from Dr. Laura.

But at least Dr. Laura apologized. She doesn't do that often. But come on. Also new this morning, President Obama set to sign a $600 million border security bill in a few hours. The money's going to several different things, including about 1,500 new law enforcement agents, new unmanned aerial drones and a new communication equipment. And the plan is one thing both Republicans and Democrats are strongly supporting.

ROBERTS: The founder of WikiLeaks says his website is getting ready to release about 15,000 more documents about the war in Afghanistan. The Pentagon is already firing back saying that, quote, "would compound the mistake that's already put far too many lives at risk." WikiLeaks says it is currently redacting information from these documents, information that might put people in danger.

COSTELLO: There are reports this morning that the search for that deadly plane crash in Alaska could have been affected because of the plane's emergency beacon -- it didn't work. The National Transportation Safety Board also says there was a commune breakdown on the ground.

Two of the survivors are said to be doing better this morning, but "The New York Times" reports former NASA boss Sean O'Keefe is still in critical condition.

ROBERTS: He said "Take this job and" -- but now JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater apparently wants his job back. That's according to his attorney, who added, "That's his life." But a JetBlue memo obtained by CNN makes that sound unlikely. The memo states that using the safety slide like Slater did quote "will not be and cannot be tolerated."

COSTELLO: I don't think he'll get his job back.

ROBERTS: When asked by a local reporter the other day do you think you'll be fired, he said, yes, more than likely.

(WEATHER BREAK)

COSTELLO: Buckle up, kiddies. Check this out. It is a school bus with an engine from a jet fighter. Why? It's able to hit 367 miles per hour.

ROBERTS: It was the brain child, if you can call it that, of a man in Indianapolis. His friends said Indy Boys drag racing made it a reality.

Look at it go! That's going to get to you school pretty quickly. Why would he do this, you ask? That's the question that's going through your mine right now. Well, he says, first, because it's pretty cool. But it also teaches kids a lesson -- that jets are hot -- the bus is, too. Drugs are not.

COSTELLO: Jets are hot and they should drive that way? I don't know.

ROBERTS: That's pretty funny to watch a school bus going that quickly.

COSTELLO: It's pretty cool. I'll admit it.

Same-sex couples in California five days away from being free to marry again. A federal judge ruling that Proposition 8 can no longer be enforced beginning next week, leaving the opposition just enough time to appeal.

ROBERTS: We've got that story coming up. And don't just skim through your friend's pictures on Facebook. Find out how you can actually use the popular social network to visit that friend in person. It's ten minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: And we're now 13 minutes after the hour on this Friday, the 13th.

Five days from now, same-sex couples in California could be tying knot again. Celebrations erupted yesterday after a federal judge announced the state's ban on gay marriage can no longer be enforced beginning at end of next week.

More on the ruling now from Dan Simon in San Francisco.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Barring a reversal from an appeals court, same-sex couples here in California can resume getting married next Wednesday, August 18th, at precisely 5:00 p.m. That was what was in the judge's ruling. Judge Vaughn Walker issued that ruling here at San Francisco's city hall.

We had numerous same-sex couples in line hoping to get marriage certificates and get married, but now the judge saying that cannot take place until next Wednesday. We talked to people on both sides of the issue.

LUKE OTTERSTADT, SUPPORTS PROP 8: It undermines the definition of marriage, the institution of marriage, in the same way that a counterfeit dollar bill affects the real dollar bill in my pocket. It undermines the value of that because it takes away and puts something false in there as something that's true.

PHILLIP ALVARADO, OPPOSE PROP 8: It's life and it will happen for us.

MATTHEW HAWK, OPPOSE PROP 8: It's like one step forward --

ALVARADO: And one step back.

HAWK: Yes. But you know it's life and you got to take it through its courses. We're not going to give up.

SIMON: We have a statement here from the National Organization of Marriage which support Proposition 8. It says, in part, "When a lower judge makes an unprecedented ruling that totally overturns existing Supreme Court precedent, the normal thing for that judge to do is stay his decision and let higher courts decide."

Obviously Prop 8 supporters making it clear that they plan to appeal this ruling and try to keep this ban in place, but barring any sort of decision or reversal from the appeals court, same-sex couples can get married in California once again beginning next Wednesday.

I'm Dan Simon reporting from San Francisco.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: So you hear Dan say barring a successful appeal, , same-sex marriages are set to resume in California. Wedding bells could be ringing. Rice could be flying by 5:00 p.m. Wednesday evening. But, the legal battle is far from over. Both sides agree it may never be settled until the U.S. Supreme Court decides it.

Here to help us cut through the legal maneuvering that lies ahead is Paul Callan. He's a professor of Media Law at Seton Hall University. Thanks for being here, Paul.

PAUL CALLAN, PROFESSOR OF MEDIA LAW, SETON HALL UNIVERSITY: Nice to be here, Carol.

COSTELLO: OK. So Judge Walker says you can go ahead and get married. And you weren't exactly surprised by his ruling, but you were surprised by the specifics in that ruling. Why?

CALLAN: Well, it's a surprising ruling because the majority of people in California by referendum have voted to amend the California constitution to ban gay marriage. And for a judge to set that aside and say the California constitution is unconstitutional, most people I think were surprised by that ruling. It's new. It really hasn't happened in the United States before.

COSTELLO: So what was the basis for his decision to say to gay people in California, go ahead and get married?

CALLAN: Well, he said basically that the 14th Amendment to the constitution and other constitutional amendments guarantee equal protection of the law and due process. And that those federal rights are being violated by the California state constitution. To make it very simple, he said gay people are being discriminated against deliberately by California and it doesn't matter if that's what the majority of people favor. The U.S. Constitution says you can't single out a group and discriminate. That's basically in a nutshell the basis of his ruling.

COSTELLO: So he's saying, OK, go ahead and get married but opponents of gay marriage still can appeal to the 9th District Court of Appeals and that hasn't happened yet. I guess they have six days to do that. So what if the 9th District Court of Appeals rules, hey, you can't get married in California just yet?

CALLAN: Well, then, we're back to square one. And I think, Carol, what's interesting and what's been going on with the case now is, Walker, the judge who made the decision, issued a stay originally saying this is such a big thing, I'm not going to impose my decision.

But he's lifted the stay now and the reason he lifted the stay and said, all right, gays can start getting married in California, is because he said there's no grounds to appeal in the case because Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jerry Brown, the attorney general and governors of California, have walked away from the case. They have said California doesn't care about this. We're OK with the judge's decision.

So, Walker is now saying nobody can go to the 9th Circuit because only the state of California has the right to appeal. The proponents of Prop 8 who brought the case in the first place he says have no right to appeal. So this has come from out of left field, it's called the doctrine of standing. And if that's the case, nobody will ever decide this case on the merits ultimately.

COSTELLO: So, it could be just going on. Will it reach the U.S. Supreme Court, and will they hear the case eventually?

CALLAN: Well, it definitely will some day reach the U.S. Supreme Court. And what usually happens in these cases is various district courts around the United States weigh in on the question and when the Supreme Court thinks it's right, it's ready to be decided, they will jump in.

Now this is such a big national controversy. I think you'll see that happen within the next couple of years. All over the country these lawsuits are pending and it's a question that's really right for the Supreme Court.

COSTELLO: But the thing you're saying it will take a couple of years. But let's say all of these people get married and the U.S. Supreme Court rules that gay marriage is against the law or whatever, so what happens to all those people who got married? Because it's not going to just happen in California because of the ruling in California. It's going to spread eastward. Right?

CALLAN: Well, that's very, very true. And it's a great point. And actually, it's a point that was raised in front of Judge Walker in California. People who said, you know, you should wait, judge. You should stay your decision and allow the law to stay as it is, that is no gay marriage, you should do that because these marriages will be set aside in the future.

And he said basically, that's not a ground for me not to impose my ruling. People have a right to get married and they're being harmed by not being allowed to be married. So he said the constitutional right has to be enforced. It has to be enforced immediately. So really tough questions for judges to decide here. And the bigger question is, should judges be deciding this question at all or should it be made by Democratic vote. And that's really what the dispute is about. Some people say, hey, you know, judges shouldn't be deciding big social questions like this. COSTELLO: Some people say they should because, you know, otherwise, maybe -- I mean there's a lot of civil rights cases that were decided by judges, even though the people have --

CALLAN: You're absolutely right.

COSTELLO: Right.

CALLAN: And that's the other side of the issue. The majority of people at one time thought that black people shouldn't be educated in the same classrooms as white people and judges had to say that was unconstitutional. So there are strong arguments on both sides of this question and it's going to continue I think for a number of years to come.

COSTELLO: Paul Callan, thanks so much for being here this morning.

CALLAN: Nice to be here, Carol.

COSTELLO: Appreciate it. And I love your iPad. He has a ruling on his iPad. He's just reading through it.

ROBERTS: You don't know the 10 commandments, do you? Thou shall not covet thy neighbors iPad.

COSTELLO: I know, I really want to feel that.

CALLAN: You got to get the iPad. Do you have a Kindle? Or do you -- do you read books online?

COSTELLO: No.

CALLAN: See now, you put your Kindle on here and --

ROBERTS: While Paul conducts his commercial for the Apple iPad --

CALLAN: There you go.

ROBERTS: -- moving on with the show. Could it be a Happy Meal for your heart? Find out the drug some researchers want served up alongside burgers, fries and shakes.

COSTELLO: You are so no fun.

ROBERTS: Twenty minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: New this morning, imagine pulling up to a fast food drive-through and being asked if you'd like a side of statins (ph). Mmm. Well, a group of British researchers are proposing that restaurants dish out the cholesterol-lowering drugs to reduce their food's damaging effects on the heart.

ROBERTS: Yes, like that's going to happen.

COSTELLO: Yes.

ROBERTS: The kid's meal could become a little less kid-friendly. San Francisco is considering legislation that would ban toys from fast food joints unless the meals meet certain nutritional standards. If passed, the law would also require kids' meals to include fruits or veggies.

COSTELLO: I like that one.

ROBERTS: You see, they think that the toys are too much of an enticement for kids to say to Mommy and Daddy, "I want that."

COSTELLO: That's why I eat "happy meals."

ROBERTS: OK.

COSTELLO: Once you finish updating your status and checking your friend's pictures, you can now use Facebook to purchase airline tickets. Delta has unveiled a new ticket window that allows customers to book their flights on the networking Web site.

ROBERTS: And Tiger Woods putting last week's meltdown at Firestone behind him. This morning, he's 1 under par after the first round of the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin. That ties him with rival Phil Mickelson and puts him three strokes behind leaders, Bubba Watson and Francesco Molinari, with his world number one ranking hanging in the balance. If Mickelson, you know, does a lot better than Tiger, Mickelson becomes number one but Tiger so far hanging in there.

COSTELLO: Well, I have no interest in Tiger Woods anymore. I mean, I like -- I just don't.

ROBERTS: Wow.

COSTELLO: I don't.

ROBERTS: You're like the sand dollar thing with the wedding ring. You didn't like. You have no interest in Tiger.

COSTELLO: Are you saying I'm a cynic and you want me out of here?

ROBERTS: You want an iPad. Because you want an iPad.

COSTELLO: And I want an iPad.

OK. Coming up next, a "Gut check" this morning. You've probably seen this video, this Eminem and Rihanna song, "Love the Way You Lie."

ROBERTS: Yes.

COSTELLO: Domestic violence --

ROBERTS: Huge, huge hit.

COSTELLO: It's a huge hit. It's a catchy song, and it's a beautifully made video, and domestic violence counselors are really upset about it. We've been asking for your comments this morning. CNN.com/amFIX. We'll delve into the issue next.

It's 25 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's a great song, a great video and it's a really popular song, but it really scares domestic violence counselors because of the premise. And this is the premise they see in this video, that domestic violence is somehow acceptable in our society. Some who work with victims of abuse say the way domestic violence is portrayed in pop culture these days is at best confusing and at worst dangerous. Keep in mind one out of four women will suffer physical or psychological abuse in her lifetime. A "gut check" this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO (voice-over): It's a video sensation some 30 million YouTube hits in just over a week. It stars Rihanna whose battered face shocked the public just a year ago, and Eminem who's known for his turbulent relationship with his ex-wife. Together, along with two beautiful, popular actors, they tell the story of a violent relationship.

The video ends with fire, then cuddling. Rihanna wouldn't speak to CNN but she told Access Hollywood --

RIHANNA, SINGER: It was really a deep song and the lyrics were so deep, so beautiful and intense and it's something that I understood, something that I connected with, which made me think it was a hit. And I want to be a part of a hit, so, of course, I couldn't say no to Eminem.

COSTELLO: But some domestic violence experts say whatever Rihanna's intentions, she dangerously missed the mark.

AYONNA JOHNSON, WOMEN'S RESOURCE CTR. TO END DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: It illustrated a sense of normalcy to a very abnormal dysfunction. It also tried to portray domestic violence as this reciprocal relationship. You're loving me, you're hating me, you're abusing me as well as I'm abusing you.

COSTELLO: Johnson says that's blaming the victim. It's become a common theme. Take Mel Gibson. He denies abusing his ex-girlfriend despite his alleged enraged rants.

JOHNSON: I've heard numerous feedback about Mel Gibson's former partner, Oksana, and the negative person that she is and she's a gold digger and she's this, as if we're still not quite ready as a society to place responsibility and accountability where it lies which is on the abuser. COSTELLO (voice-over): And she says nothing illustrates that better than the case against Charlie Sheen. This is a 911 call from his wife.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My husband had me -- with a knife and I'm scared for my life and he threatened me.

COSTELLO: Sheen did plead guilty to misdemeanor assault. His punishment, rehab, counseling and community service. And he'll have ample time to star on his hit TV show.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

COSTELLO: Maybe the best thing about all of this is that we're talking about domestic violence. Although advocates say not seriously enough.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And for domestic violence, counselors who watched this video, that really -- that's a scary thing. They say the message from those videos should be zero tolerance. And they fear the video glamorizes violence, that the Mel Gibson case makes it a joke and the Sheen case, they say makes domestic abuse a crime without real punishment.

We're asking what you think about this topic this morning. Is domestic violence becoming acceptable behavior? Is that what our pop culture -- what message our pop culture is sending us and we got some comments already.

ROBERTS: Yes, write to us on our blog, cnn.com/amfix. This one I thought was particularly poignant. It comes from Rosemary Morgenson (ph). She says, "I'm 52 years old, the oldest of nine children, mother of three girls. Been married to the same wonderful man for 30 years. Growing up, I watched my father beat my mother just about every weekend. It is a scary and frightening thing to watch. It is unacceptable. I raised my daughters to never accept this type of behavior from anyone ever. It is too bad that these two singers produced this type of negativity to their advantage. All the money made from their song should be donated to help stop this behavior or just remove the song completely from the air."

COSTELLO: Interesting. You know, the sound bite that we played from Rihanna where she said, you know, "I can relate to this topic because it happened to me," and I also thought this song would be a hit and I love Eminem.

ROBERTS: And I wanted to have a hit song so teaming up with him --

COSTELLO: So, in her answer there was a mixed message. And it kind of speaks to that. Maybe it would make it better if all of the proceeds were donated to domestic violence shelters or something like that.

ROBERTS: That would be a good gesture, I would say. This song is going to make millions of dollars.

COSTELLO: Thirty million YouTube views already.

ROBERTS: Yes. (INAUDIBLE) Youtube view but a lot of people are downloading.

COSTELLO: Right. You can see the enormous interest.

ROBERTS: Yes, absolutely.

COSTELLO: CNN.com/amfix. Keep the comments coming.

Desiree Rogers, she went to Washington to plan and oversee every event at the White House. During her 14 months as White House social secretary, she was busy. She coordinated more than 300 events.

ROBERTS: The most infamous of them, of course, the state dinner that it was crashed by two reality stars. Well, now Desiree Rogers is taking on a new role and she talked about it exclusively with our Alina Cho, who joins us now live.

Good morning.

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, there. Good morning, guys. You know, ever since that infamous gate-crashing incident at the White House everyone has wanted to hear from the woman who ultimately took the fall for it.

Now Desiree Rogers is talking about her new high-profile job, her relationship with the Obamas and her one regret.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHO (voice-over): Desiree Rogers has been on the job for less than a week and already her fingerprints are everywhere.

(on camera): How about that cover?

DESIREE ROGERS, CEO, JOHNSON PUBLISHING: You know what? Isn't he good looking?

CHO (voice-over): The September issue of "Ebony" magazine says it all, exclusive interview with Rogers' former boss, President Obama.

(on camera): How did you get this?

ROGERS: Well, first of all, come on, now. I think I have a few connections. Just a few.

CHO: (voice-over): A big reason why the former White House social secretary has moved in to the corner office of Johnson Publishing. She's the new CEO. Johnson owns "Ebony" and "Jet" magazines, iconic brands but ones that are struggling in an industry that's suffering, too.

(on camera): Publishing is a new thing for you. So what made you think you can do this?

ROGERS: I love these publications. I love cosmetics. I love pop culture. I love the social aspect. This whole idea of, you know, helping to be one of the major voices in the African-American community, helping to unify.

Because we're "Ebony," because we're "Jet," we have a responsibility. You look at these hot pictures of these two, but look at what they're saying. "I want to be a gentleman, I want to be polite." That is cool!

CHO (voice-over): Rogers' first order of business, fix the books, update the Web site and upgrade Johnson's cosmetics brand Fashion Fair. A job this Harvard MBA grad calls humbling.

Her time at the White House was humbling, too.

(on camera): What did you learn from your time there?

ROGERS: All eyes are on everything. And quickly things can get misconstrued, manipulated to some extent because of blogs, bad information going out, and it never gets addressed.

CHO (voice-over): She just may be referring to this. The infamous gate-crashing incident at the Obama's first state dinner. The Salahis. The photos. The accusations. And Rogers' turn on the red carpet in a designer dress. What would she have done differently?

ROGERS: I probably would have walked in the rain in my dress as opposed to walking past the photographers because so much was made of the dress, the walk, and no one ever would have seen the dress had I gone outside.

CHO (on camera): Do you regret being a guest at that dinner?

ROGERS: I actually don't. I mean, people have made a great deal about this. Many of us staff were guests that evening.

CHO (voice-over): Three months later, Rogers resigned.

(on camera): What is your relationship like with the Obamas?

ROGERS: My relationship is great. I mean, we were friends before, we still continue to be friends. And when we're talking about the president and first lady of the United States, and Desiree Rogers, I mean this is silly. It's really silly.

CHO (voice-over): She hopes her lasting legacy will be making the White House the people's house. Not entirely different from what she's doing now. Shaping another brand.

(on camera): Where do you want "Ebony" and "Jet" to be?

ROGERS: Top of mind for everyone.

(END VIDEOTAPE) CHO: She is an expert at branding, that's for sure. You know, Rogers says she is in no hurry to fix the business. She says she wants to make the right decisions, not quick decisions. She also says it may make sense some day for "Ebony" to get into the books, TV and other forms of entertainment.

It is an iconic brand, guys. She just says it just needs updating. And remember this is not the first time she has ran a company. She ran the Illinois State Lottery. She ran a utility company. As I mentioned, she's a Harvard MBA grad. She likes to say she is classically trained.

So you know, America remembers her as the first African-American White House social secretary but she does have a deep background in business.

COSTELLO: Does she regret going to Washington and taking that job?

CHO: She doesn't. She says "listen, I had a great time in Washington. I met a lot of people. I have friends in high places and I have friends in low places." And I asked her, you know, were you hurt, by the way all of this went down? And she said, "Listen, what am I going to do? What am I going to say? I'm a human being. What good is it going to do to complain? I'm not looking back, I'm moving forward and this is one big example of that." You know.

ROBERTS: So we'll see how she does in her new job. Alina, thanks very much.

CHO: You bet.

ROBERTS: Are illegal immigrants coming to this country with the sole purpose of having children who automatically become, because of the 14th amendment, American citizens? Some Republicans are suggesting it's an epidemic. We'll put aside the politics and take a look at the facts coming up.

It's 38 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

ROBERTS: It's 40 minutes after the hour.

Some powerful Republicans are trying to open up a new front in the fight over illegal immigration. They want to repeal the 14th amendment, which grants citizenship to any child born in the United States.

Senator Lindsey Graham has been one of the most vocal opponents of the amendment arguing that illegal immigrants are coming here with the sole purpose of having children who then become American citizens.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: They come here to drop a child, that is called drop and leave. To have a child in America, they cross the border, they go to emergency room, have a child and that child is automatically an American citizen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: But is this really an epidemic as some people on the right have suggested? Jeff Passel, the senior demographer at the Pew Hispanic Center, which did some stellar research on this topic and Audrey Singer is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, they joined us this morning.

Good to see you, Jeff. Let's start with you. And put up some of the results from the survey that you did at the Pew Hispanic Center. 4.3 million total births in the United States each year. These are figures from 2008. You found parents are U.S.-born, 3.3 million of those children. 76 percent. Legal immigrants, 700,000 children, 16 percent. Look at this, 340,000 children born to illegal immigrants. It's a significant number of births, Jeff. What did you find is the most surprising thing about your findings?

JEFFREY PASSEL, SENIOR DEMOGRAPHER, PEW HISPANIC CENTER: Well, the most surprising thing is that the numbers are larger than the undocumented immigrants are as part of the population, a little over four percent of adults are undocumented immigrants. What was most surprising was when we look at the undocumented households, the degree to which they're made up of families, almost half of undocumented immigrant households consist of a couple and one or more children.

For comparison, only about 21 percent of U.S. natives live in those households. These are basically young families.

ROBERTS: So Audrey, what do you make of these numbers? It would seem to suggest, given the number of births that maybe people who are speaking out about this have a point.

AUDREY SINGER, SENIOR FELLOW, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: Well, we've seen that the number of people in the country without legal status has risen. And according to Jeff's estimates, they're somewhere around 11 million. They tend to be younger. They come here to work. They're in their prime working ages and that mean they're also in their prime child bearing ages. So this is kind of how life happens.

ROBERTS: Now, one statistic, Jeff, in your research that opponents of the 14th amendment or at least proponents of repealing it might seize on, when asked how many children have an illegal immigrant parents, 21 percent were born abroad. 79 percent of those were born here in the United States.

So the argument is made by senators in the GOP and we played a statement there from Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina that people come here to drop a baby who then, under the 14th amendment, automatically becomes an American citizen because of what are called Rights on the Ground. Is this proof of that?

PASSEL: Well, what really happens is people come here and they form families and this is the way immigration has worked for 150 years in the country. The percentage of legal immigrants who have U.S.-born children is even higher. It's about 85 percent of their children.

What we can tell from the numbers we put together is that almost all of the mothers, the parents of these children, have been in the U.S. for a year or more and half of them had been in the U.S. for five years or more before they had their child.

ROBERTS: So that would seem then to shoot a hole in the argument that, as one Republican senator said, people are basically swimming across the Rio Grande to have a baby, they're not. They're here for a long time. What does that say to you, Audrey?

SINGER: Well, I think there are a couple of things going on here. What we've seen during the history of the United States is that when economic times are tough, anti-immigrant sentiment rises. Right now, we're in a recession, unemployment is high. There is a lot of anxiety over people's economic situation and where the country is going. That's one factor.

I think another issue is that people are frustrated with our immigration laws right now and the fact that we haven't been able to change them significantly in the last four or five years. Congress debated immigration policy several years ago. It's been on hold since then, and various people are -- are taking measures at the state and local level and also at the federal level to try to see what they can do to get something done.

ROBERTS: Right. And let me come back just so that we can drive this point home with some facts here. Jeff, you again found that a lot of these undocumented immigrants who are having children have been in this country for a year, some as long as five years. Were you able to quantify how many?

PASSEL: The -- the data really aren't fine-grained enough to -- to get down to -- to specific details. But we can say that we looked -- to get these numbers, we looked at births that occurred in 2007 and '08, and well over 80 percent of the parents had come in before 2006. So they -- they have been here for some time.

ROBERTS: All right. Well, certainly, it's -- it's good to have some facts put to the political arguments in this case.

Jeff Passel of the Pew Hispanic Center, thanks for being with us, Audrey Singer --

PASSEL: (INAUDIBLE).

ROBERTS: -- as well. Appreciate you coming in this morning.

SINGER: Welcome.

COSTELLO: Question for every man out there -- did you get along with your dad when you were a kid? Coming up, why your answer to that question could determine how well you cope with stress as an adult.

ROBERTS: And it looks like it's going to be a great weekend to get outside or head to the beach. Rob is going to have the weekend forecast right after the break. Stay with us.

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ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. I'm Rob Marciano at CNN Severe Weather Center.

Starting to cool things off across the northeast although you got a couple of showers to deal with. The northern tier starting to see some cooler air as well, trying to get down south. It will have some success doing that. In the meantime, we have some severe weather to speak of across parts of the upper Midwest.

Minneapolis, under the gun (ph) as far as a severe thunderstorm watch in effect. This cluster of storms moving into western parts of Wisconsin in a hurry. Fifty-five miles an hour is the speed. Some of these cells are moving and that they could have some damaging wind in excess of 60 miles an hour, so stay indoors if you see some of that action coming.

If you're traveling through Minneapolis-St. Paul, you'll probably see over an hour delay, at least this morning. That may be clearing out somewhat this afternoon. Atlanta and Houston will see afternoon thunderstorms with some delays there.

Heat continues to build in Huntsville, Alabama, 103 degrees yesterday. Birmingham -- Birmingham seeing 102, and Wilmington seeing 98 degrees. Some of these areas will cool off a little bit, but still another steamy, steamy day. And the West Coast starting to see things maybe warm up just a little bit as we head towards next week.

Speaking about West Coast, let's go to the San Diego SeaWorld, huh? Everybody loves a baby Beluga, right? Oh, yes. This one recently born. Mom's still there and, of course, the human mom is taking care of this -- this little guy. One of more peaceful animals you'll see in -- in any aquarium, including SeaWorld. Likes to frolic about and do -- you know, do what baby belugas do.

Anyway, that's your Friday fun animal video today. Hope you enjoyed it.

The Most News in the Morning is coming right back. Stay tuned.

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ROBERTS: Question for all you men out there, how did you get along with your dad when you were growing up? The answer could determine how well you're able to cope with stress as an adult. The new study says men who have fond memories of their fathers have better mechanisms for dealing with stress on a daily basis.

I'm joined by one of the people behind the report, Melanie Mallers, is a psychology professor in Cal State University in Fullerton. She was the co-author on the study and she joins us now live from San Diego. Melanie, it's really a fascinating research. You found that men who had poor relationships with their fathers when they were children are not as able to cope with stress in -- in their adult life as men who had good relationships with their father. What's the connection?

MELANIE MALLERS, PSYCHOLOGY PROFESSOR, CAL STATE UNIVERSITY IN FULLERTON: Well, what we're finding is that adult men who report on their childhood, specifically that their relationship with their father was poor as defined by low affection, low involvement, low support, they seem to have poor mechanisms for coping with stress later in life. It seems to have long-term implications for how they function on a day-to-day level.

ROBERTS: So do you have any idea exactly --

MALLERS: And --

ROBERTS: -- what it is that the cause of that?

MALLERS: We don't exactly know but what we're speculating is that the way that fathers and sons interact together is establishing the mechanism for how we learn to cope. In particular, fathers interact with their sons in a very unique way. This part isn't new literature.

Fathers engage in rough and tumble play with their sons more so than their daughters and this format for play really allows sons to become open to the world, to have more confidence. Healthy competition for boys is a really necessary thing for coping and it seems then that if you have a father who does this for you, provides this kind of environment, you're able to cope later in life with the day-to-day challenges.

ROBERTS: That -- that's really interesting.

Now, you found that there isn't the same --

MALLERS: Yes.

ROBERTS: -- correlation for girls. Is -- is that because girls don't engage in that same sort of rough and tumble play with their fathers? Maybe they get it more from their mother?

MALLERS: Well, it is true that when fathers do interact with their children, they do spend more time with their sons and when they do spend time with their son it is through this rough and tumble play. It is possible that they're protecting their daughters a little bit more, not challenging them as much and not encouraging them to take as many risks.

And when moms interact with their children, it's more consistent.

ROBERTS: Yes.

MALLERS: They tend to protect. They tend to nurture. They tend to provide more physical comfort and safety.

ROBERTS: So for young fathers out there who have young children, are there any specific things that they should be doing with their kids right now in order to make them more capable adults?

MALLERS: Well, I think one really important thing is to -- for fathers today is to redefine maybe some traditional notions they might have of masculinity. To be strong and independent, but also to talk with their children, both daughters and sons, but in particular, sons, about their feelings, about their emotions, about what their thought processes are, but definitely to keep up the rough and tumble play.

Encourage them to take challenges. Encourage them to think outside the box and to problem solve when they are faced with challenges.

ROBERTS: And -- and, of course, what about people who -- who are adults now who didn't have a great relationship with their fathers? Are there anything they can do to try to improve their coping mechanisms?

MALLERS: Well, actually, you can. One thing that can happen is you start to become aware of what triggers stress and what triggers what we call psychological distress. But adult men today who did not have good relationships with their dad can work heavily through repairing those relationships. Either through the -- the current adult intimate bonds they have, but also through the relationships with their children. They can repair, people are very resilient, and by having healthy relationships now you can learn to cope better.

ROBERTS: All right. Melanie Mallers from Cal State --

MALLERS: Yes.

ROBERTS: -- University in Fullerton. It's a fascinating research. And thanks for joining us this morning.

MALLERS: Thank you.

ROBERTS: Al right.

MALLERS: I appreciate it. Thank you.

ROBERTS: You bet.

Three minutes to the top of the hour now. Your top stories coming your way in 90 seconds. Stay with us.

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