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American Morning
A Warning for Americans; Trump for President; Bail Out for Business; Anti-Tea Party Rally?; A Year-Long Look at Bullying
Aired October 04, 2010 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Glad you're with us on Monday. It's October 4th. Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Ali Velshi. John Roberts is off this morning.
Lots -- lots to talk about. Let's get right to it.
A warning from the British government on the heels of a different weekend alert from the U.S. State Department. There's a high risk -- a high threat of a terror attack overseas. We've got new information coming in this morning for American air travelers about the potential targets and the jihadists behind the threat. Live reports from London and the nation's capital -- straight ahead.
CHETRY: Donald Trump, billionaire developer, TV star -- but could he be read the give that up for line in the Oval Office? Well, New Hampshire residents asked to give their opinion of the Donald running in 2012. We're going to get the complete story from "The Best Political Team on Television."
VELSHI: And we'll continue our discussion on bullying this morning. Tyler Clementi's death at Rutgers University makes you wonder what is being done and what can be done about bullies. We're getting a look at just a couple of the solutions being suggested to help safeguard kids and one man's mission to stop bullying in the name of his son.
CHETRY: Up first this morning: a security watch that affects every American who will be traveling overseas. British officials are now echoing a U.S. State Department warning that came over the weekend. There is a, quote, "high threat of a terrorist attack in Europe." Among the potential targets: France and Germany.
VELSHI: And this morning, we're finding out more about a jihadist group in Germany that may have triggered this.
CNN homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve is live in Washington this morning -- Jeanne.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Ali and Kiran, the State Department is stressing that it is not telling Americans don't go to Europe. It is urging them to take precautions when they do go. The alert issued on Sunday reads in part, "Terrorists may elect to use a variety of means and weapons and target both official and private interests, U.S. citizens are reminded of the potential for terrorists to attack public transportation systems and other tourist infrastructure."
A U.S. official says the alert was prompted by the high volume of intelligence on possible terrorist threats. The intel community has been following a number of threats, including information that al Qaeda and its affiliates might be planning synchronized Mumbai-style commando attacks on multiple locations in Europe. But officials have said they do not have specifics about targets, mode or timing.
How do Europeans feel about this? Well, a senior administration official says the European allies are in sync with the U.S. assessment of the threat. And as you mention Britain has changed its travel advisory for British citizens in France and Germany from substantial now to high.
Ali and Kiran, back to you.
CHETRY: So, we talk about these few warnings. One more specific from the British government about France and Germany, one less specific from the U.S. government about just an overall warning about Europe. But what should you do if you're traveling?
MESERVE: Well, you know, a lot of people are saying that this alert is so vague, it really isn't useful. But among the suggestions the State Department is making, register with the U.S. embassy or consulate wherever you're traveling, avoid civil disturbances. If you see a disruption of some kind, move away from it. Don't discuss your travel plans with others. Don't label your luggage in a way that makes it obvious you're American.
And, of course, the basic thing, keep your eyes open. Be vigilant and report anything you see that might be suspicious -- Kiran and Ali.
VELSHI: Jeanne, thanks very much for that.
CHETRY: Well, with terror warnings coming from both sides of the Atlantic this morning, Americans traveling in Europe suddenly find themselves looking over their shoulders, wondering am I doing enough to stay safe.
VELSHI: And it's hard to question. Let's go right to somebody who's in that position. Susan Smith is a tourist originally from Houston, Texas -- joining us by phone from London this morning.
Susan, you are -- you're not -- you haven't been living in the States recently. But you took the trip. I guess you're celebrating a birthday over in London?
SUSAN SMITH, AMERICAN TOURIST IN LONDON (via telephone): Yes, I am, Ali.
VELSHI: Tell me what you heard about this warning. What do you make of it?
SMITH: We landed here on Thursday. We came Costa Rica to Dallas/Fort Worth to London. And I guess Thursday morning -- no, Friday morning, it was a headline story in "The London Times." And we were somewhat concerned, and other Americans and other people from other countries were also concerned who were in the lounge at the same time. And I think everyone is at a heightened state of alertness.
CHETRY: So, you're doing anything differently?
SMITH: Not too much. This morning, we were approached by the CNN folks when we were at Buckingham Palace awaiting the changing of the guard. And I must say that it was packed. And we certainly were, you know, watching, looking around and being what I would say was cautious.
The only thing we've really done to change anything we've done -- are doing is we've elected to not go downstairs in the evening to have a drink in the very large lobby bar.
VELSHI: And you're going to carry on with your plans regardless? You're taking the warning to be a little more vigilant but not changing travel plans?
SMITH: No. I don't believe in allowing terrorists to do what they do, which is to terrorize me.
CHETRY: Right.
SMITH: If we act terrorized, then they win.
CHETRY: What about the fact this warning is out there? You think that it was a good thing or do you think it's too vague to really make a difference?
SMITH: I think it's a good thing. I think it does cause people to be a little more vigilant, a little more aware of their surroundings -- that kind of thing.
VELSHI: Susan, sounds sensible that you're making a few a little changes in the way you are going about your day but nothing major. Thanks for being with us. Listen -- stay safe on the rest of your trip.
SMITH: Thank you very much.
VELSHI: I think she know what I mean. Stay safe.
CHETRY: Stay safe --- but once you start saying it, it's hard to get it right.
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: All right. We'll continue to call -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Also developing this morning.
VELSHI: Thank you.
VELSHI: France has requested the extradition of an al Qaeda suspect arrested in Italy. Italian police say they detained the man, an Algerian national, on suspicion of being part of the terror group. Now, authorities are not saying when the suspect was arrested. It is not clear what his connection to the thing may be.
CHETRY: Also, for a third straight day, militants have attacked and burned more than 20 tankers carrying oil to U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan. Three people were killed in today's assault. It happened near Islamabad, Pakistan. Tankers were sitting ducks basically. They were stalled on a supply line because the Pakistanis have closed a border doing that in protest of the NATO helicopter attack that killed three of their troops last week.
VELSHI: And hundreds come together to remember Tyler Clementi. He was the Rutgers University freshman who took his own life after his sexual encounter with another man was broadcast online. Last night, a large crowd gathered on the New Jersey campus for a candlelight vigil. Clementi was honored with 30 minutes ever silence. Organizers called for more understanding of the lesbian, gay and transgender community and for an end to bullying.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BETSY GORDON, ATTENDED CANDLELIGHT VIGIL FOR TYLER CLEMENTI: And everyone else should be able to live the life they want to live without fear of things like this happening.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: For some perspective on this, we take a look at the latest CNN/Opinion Research poll. More than80 percent of adults say bullying is a problem at schools in their neighborhood, either a major or a minor problem -- there you see it. Only 14 percent say they don't believe bullying is an issue.
VELSHI: Coming up at 8:33 Eastern, Carol Costello has the first report in our week-long series on bullying. She'll show us how the fight to protect kids is going and the very personal stories behind one man's mission.
CHETRY: And doctors say that more kids are being preyed on by bullies, in some cases, for being different -- one of the differences, food allergies, for example. The reason I know about that is my daughter suffers from food allergies and we were at a walk this weekend in the county we live in, in Westchester County. And it was one of the things one of the allergists spoke about, these fears that because you're different --
VELSHI: Right.
CHETRY: -- perhaps you have to sit a peanut-free table in school or something along those lines.
VELSHI: Right.
CHETRY: You would find yourself bullied.
There is a picture of me and my daughter Maya. We spoke briefly. I was the media chair for this event. This walks go on across the country. You wouldn't believe that millions of children each year are diagnosed with food allergies.
My daughter happens to have a severe peanut allergy and what this group is trying to do is just sort of raise awareness but also money for research, because more and more children are being diagnosed with food allergies.
VELSHI: Yes.
CHETRY: But they don't really know what to do about it.
VELSHI: It sure seems like more kids are diagnosed than when I was in school. I mean, it was a very odd, unusual thing for somebody to have had a food allergy when I was growing up.
CHETRY: Yes. And it has grown. Part of it is environmental. Part of it is, you know, just a lot of questions about whether or not our environment or something that we're eating or whatever it is, is making us more susceptible to this.
VELSHI: Yes.
CHETRY: But a lot of kids out there with it. I was glad to be able to take part and just bring awareness to it.
VELSHI: It's a -- it's a good discussion to have because with Tyler Clementi, for instance, it may have been because of his sexual orientation, but we just have to get into a culture, by the way, where people are not just separated by virtue of anything that makes them different. For kids, that's harder to deal with.
Hey. Rob Marciano in the extreme weather center for us right.
Rob, what's going on?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I got some rain across the Northeast, guys, from D.C. to Boston. This is the same area that got drenched late last week. But we don't expect to see as much rainfall but it's definitely soggy out there, and it's going to stay that way.
Also, if you live along the coastline, a bit of a wind off the ocean. So, we have coastal flood advisories out from Jersey up to Long Island and back to the Delmarva as well. But the rain will keep on rotating in on and off, really, I think for the next couple of days into this area.
So, if you are traveling, the airports are going to be slowed down because of this. But, again, most of the heavy rain looks like it's a little bit further inland than it was along the coast. Cool and dry in the Midwest and a little bit more showery and interesting out in the West Coast.
Let's talk about the tropics as well -- it's the first full week of October -- in about 30 minutes -- guys.
VELSHI: Happy full first week of October, Rob.
MARCIANO: Thank you.
CHETRY: It's going to be a rainy one for us.
VELSHI: Certainly. We'll catch up with you in a bit.
Other stories new this morning, New York City police say the imam behind a planned Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero has received death threats. A spokesman says threats against Imam Faisal Abdul Rauf and his wife began several weeks ago and they're being investigated. Police aren't disclosing any details or saying if the couple is receiving police protection.
CHETRY: Well, it's the first Monday in October -- it's back to work for the nation's Supreme Court justices. The court begins its new term with a new member, Elena Kagan. There are now three women on the bench. That's the first time in the court's history. They have seen three women on the bench.
Some of the most prominent cases on the docket, one is a test of limits of free speech. One of the first involves the rights of protesters at military funerals.
VELSHI: And check this out. Kris Hazelton sent us this iReport of a female elk that had to be rescued after falling into an empty pool in northern Colorado. Wildlife officers had to tranquilize the elk in order to get her out. Hazelton tell us the elk eventually woke up and walked away unharmed.
CHETRY: Yes, the last thing you want to slow is a shot gun.
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: This story is not going where I thought it was going.
CHETRY: Yes, exactly.
VELSHI: The elk went in the pool and the guy shows up on a shotgun.
CHETRY: Right, exactly.
VELSHI: It was tranquilizer gun.
CHETRY: Obviously, if you are trying to get poor thing out and it was not tranquilized, it might have hurt itself.
VELSHI: I would have tried to coax him out. I'm not in the animal rescue business.
CHETRY: How is it going to walk upright down an entire --
VELSHI: This is why I'm not an animal rescue guy. But that, I would have tried to do that because I would have thought that would have been nice.
CHETRY: Come on, elk. Come on.
VELSHI: Come on.
CHETRY: You can do it. I know it's a nearly 90-degree incline. But come on up.
VELSHI: I have other strengths.
CHETRY: Still ahead, could Donald Trump be entering the national political arena in 2012 or is it just publicity stunt?
VELSHI: One never knows.
CHETRY: Come on.
VELSHI: But we're going to have new details from "The Best Political Team on Television" right after this.
It is 11-and-a-half after the hour.
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VELSHI: It is 15 minutes after the hour. Welcome back to the Most Politics in the Morning.
Crossing the Political Ticker this morning: We've got Trump Tower, Trump Taj Mahal, Trump -- there's all sorts of Trump things.
VELSHI: Yes. But will there be a Trump White House?
Well, senior political editor Mark Preston is live at the CNNPolitics.com desk.
What's going on with the Trumpster?
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Kiran, you just stole my line. If Donald Trump were elected president, would he name the White House after him? Well, "Time" magazine is reporting late last night that his name was tested among several other Republican candidates of New Hampshire voters last month.
What's interesting about this is that 30 questions according to "Time" focused on Donald Trump -- including, do they know if he had given money to Democrats, and would that hurt, and his appearances on TV hurt a political career.
You know this isn't the first time, if Donald Trump is in fact looking at running for the White House, that he's thought about doing so. He thought about running on the reform party ticket in 2000. You know I must caution you right now, we haven't spoken to Trump yet or his organization to find out if he commissioned that poll and we don't know who commissioned that poll. But if anything it is a good talker for a Monday. Kiran.
VELSHI: You know it certainly is, actually. I can't -- we never know with him whether it's publicity or real.
PRESTON: No. Absolutely. And he's one of these guy who is has strong opinions and in fact, Ali, you know he was just on Wolf Blitzer's show recently and had strong opinions about President Obama. He said that at this point he doesn't know if President Obama can recover and win re-election in 2012. On foreign policy he said that Iran will eventually take over Iraq and that we ruined the balance of power in that area. And on the tea party he said that it's extremely powerful and he loves it. I'm sure he would love their support if he ran for president.
VELSHI: No kidding.
CHETRY: It's interesting you know because he sort of inserted himself into the ground zero mosque debate offering to either buy up part of the land or to do something --
VELSHI: Right it wasn't clear that we need another voice in that debate.
CHETRY: Right.
VELSHI: I mean everybody else chimed in. And it almost feels like he needed to get in there, into that story at some point.
PRESTON: Look, he always has an opinion, no question about that.
VELSHI: Mark, good to see you, my friend.
PRESTON: Thanks.
CHETRY: Thanks, Mark.
VELSHI: You know Mark and I drove across the country together.
CHETRY: You guys were on the CNN Election Express.
VELSHI: CNN Election Express, right, coast to coast.
CHETRY: Good times.
VELSHI: One of the better times I've ever had.
CHETRY: Mark's remaining smartly quiet.
PRESTON: Yes just -- yes, please.
VELSHI: Good to see you. Mark Preston. And reminder for the latest political news go to our cnnpolitics.com.
CHETRY: Still ahead the $700 billion bailout chapter, you guys say you and Christine, it was much more than $700 billion.
VELSHI: It was but it's going to end up costing you a whole lot less. How much did it really cost you, the taxpayer? Was it worth it? Christine is going to come back, we are going to hammer it all out.
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CHETRY: Twenty minutes past the hour now Christine Romans "Minding Your Business," this morning, she joins us now. Hey Christine.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, guys. Do we have a picture -- we have a picture I wanted to show you guys of something that happened two years ago now, a much probably the most hated piece of legislation in the history of the world. There it is.
CHETRY: Yes we talked about the past year --
VELSHI: Oh yes, that's right.
ROMANS: There it is.
VELSHI: That was after Henry Paulson told everybody in Congress they need to act or the world was going to come to an end. And that was the --
ROMANS: Look at those grim faces.
VELSHI: Yes.
ROMANS: That was the birth of something that became known as T.A.R.P. The Troubled Asset Relief Program.
VELSHI: Yes.
ROMANS: T.A.R.P. is officially closed as of Sunday. Closed.
VELSHI: You can't get money out of it anymore? OK.
ROMANS: You can't. But there are people who still have money in it. It was $700 billion of our money that went to the big banks, the little banks, lots of bankings and also to automakers. In fact automakers, Chrysler and GM among the biggest recipients of T.A.R.P. money.
CHETRY: What happen to the original intention, that's the other interesting part.
ROMANS: Right.
CHETRY: Troubles Asset Relief Program.
ROMANS: That's right.
VELSHI: So it's becoming something different. ROMANS: It got a little squishy about its message but the goal was the same to stabilize the system so that we could look back and say that that $70 million stabilized the system. Yes, it did, and in the end the White House and Treasury Department say in the end they think it's going to cost about $50 billion when the money is turned back in. Who turned in the money?
Well, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, and others have turned their money in. Many times with grim smiles on their faces because it was not pleasant when they had the money under the scrutiny of people screaming about the banks taking money. Who still has to pay it back or have payback plans in place? Citigroup, GM and AIG among others.
In fact, there are about 600 banks that hold $65 billion of T.A.R.P. money. Many are smaller banks given this to keep them lending, to try to keep them lending in their communities because it's small banks that are the ones who are really the oxygen for small business and the like. In the end I don't know, Ali. Do you think in the end, you look back two years later and the intent of T.A.R.P., T.A.R.P was really only ever designed to stop the bleeding and keep the system on its feet. Did it work?
VELSHI: You know, that's the question I would rather answer is did it need to happen? And it needed to happen. I think it will be time before we say we know whether it worked. It was there to loosen up credit. Nobody could get a loan.
ROMANS: Right.
VELSHI: And we weren't talking about people getting car loans or student loans.
ROMANS: Right.
VELSHI: We were talking about companies not being able to getting loans and the direct result of not getting credit was people being laid off from jobs.
ROMANS: Right.
VELSHI: So I think our unemployment situation as bad as it is, would have been worse if that had not happened.
CHETRY: But I have another question. Because the name of it, the Troubled Asset Relief Program, originally wasn't it sold, tell me if I'm wrong, wasn't it sold on the notion that the government need to buy up all of these bad assets on the books.
ROMANS: Yes.
VELSHI: Right.
CHETRY: All of the risky things we shouldn't have done.
VELSHI: Right. CHETRY: To clear the way for banks to not be toxic.
VELSHI: Right.
CHETRY: But then it turned into sort of --
ROMANS: A recapitalization.
VELSHI: That was giving money to banks to run --
ROMANS: Right.
CHETRY: So how did we get so far away from the original intention? And is that better that the original intention.
VELSHI: Well there is some sense that it was going to be more effective in freeing up more money. The whole concept was how do you free money to be spent, to be used in the economy.
CHETRY: Right.
VELSHI: And the determination was made that would make more sense than the original plan.
ROMANS: I think it will be interesting to see what the history books write about T.A.R.P. I mean it was really a hated piece of legislation --
VELSHI: Right.
ROMANS: It was a very brief -- there wasn't always a whole lot of information, and we wish there were more, in hindsight, wish there were more strings so banks were forced to lend that money. But in the end did it stop the system from collapsing? Many people say yes. But it's over. It closed on Sunday.
VELSHI: Yes and it will cost you a whole lot less money --
ROMANS: And now we'll see if and when others can pay it back. Some will never be able to pay it all back quite frankly. That's why there will be a cost ultimately.
VELSHI: OK, Good to see you Christine.
ROMANS: Yup, good to see you guys, bye-bye.
VELSHI: All right coming up the tea party's polar opposites. Activist staging a get out the vote rally to support the president and keep Democrats in control of Congress. Jim Acosta's live report is just ahead. It is 24 minutes after the hour.
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VELSHI: Good morning. It's 27 after the hour. Welcome Back to the Most Politics in the morning. One nation working together, that was the message behind a weekend rally on Washington, D.C.'s national mall.
CHETRY: Yes we have heard a lot about rallies --
VELSHI: Yes.
CHETRY: Taking place in the mall lately. But this time is different, organizers were trying to fire up Democratic supporters, liberal and progressive voters in something associated with political adversaries the tea party crowd. Our Jim Acosta is live in Washington for us with more. How did it go?
ACOSTA: Well, you know, it seemed to go pretty well on the mall. You know there is a lot of enthusiasm around tea party movement, right now, you know a couple of weeks ago we talked to Sharron Angle out in Nevada. That movement has put candidates on the playing field for the upcoming midterm elections and all of the expert there is are predicting a huge wave of victories for Republicans in November.
Democrats know they have this enthusiasm gap to overcome so progressives trying to throw a tea party of their own except they weren't calling it a tea party. This one nation event as it was dubbed drew thousands of liberal activists to the national mall in Washington. Just look at it. It was put together by some of the biggest unions and civil rights groups in the country, organizers say all of this was designed to fire up the progressive base and turn out votes for Democrats and one of the event headliners former presidential candidate, and reverend you know him, Al Sharpton warned that Republicans would try to undo many of the laws that Democrats passed in the last 18 month if they take back the Congress.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AL SHARPTON, POLITICAL ACTIVITIST: We got to go home and we've got to hit the pavement, we've got to knock on doors, we've got to ring our checks back, we got to get ready for the midterm exam. We can't stop in '08. We got to get ready in '10. From 10-2 to 11-2. We're going to pass the midterm exam.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Al Sharpton there fired up about the midterm exam he called it. And unlike the tea party rallies which generally call for small government and low taxes, you had a sharp contrast out there, demonstrators at the one nation event were after more assistance for the unemployed, a boost in spending on education, those types issues, you could say there were some similarities throughout while Glenn Beck was not on hand, the crowd did have liberal talk show host Ed Schultz on stage and a few provocative signs in the crowd like the one, I'm reading here, "Axis of Ignorance, Tea Party Republicans and FOX News."
There were lots of other signs. It was sort of like a Tea Party but on the opposite end of the spectrum, a lot of folks calling for a lot of things throughout with all of the handmade signs out there. KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: It would be interesting to see. Do we have an engaged electorate no matter which side of the aisle you're on come the midterm elections which are a month away. It will be interesting to see.
ACOSTA: Democrats feel they are starting to get energized. You saw the rally in Madison, Wisconsin, where the president was throughout with Russ Feingold trying to fire up college students in that college town. That's a big key part of the constituency for the Democratic Party.
Later this week the president will be holding a rally in Maryland at Buoy State University, that's an historically black college in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. He's going to be campaigning for Governor Martin O'Malley, a Democrat who, by the way, may squeak out a victory, which shows you the kind of wave year that is upon us that. If the Republicans can win in Maryland the governor's race there is a tsunami for the Republicans this year.
CHETRY: True. Jim Acosta for this morning from Washington. Thanks, Jim.
VELSHI: It's 31 minutes after the hour. It's time for this morning's top stories. British officials are now issuing a new warning on top of the State Department warning over the weekend announcing there is a high threat of a terrorist attack in Europe. Among the potential targets, France and Germany.
The suspect is a -- the suspects are a group of Islamic jihadists operating out of Hamburg, Germany.
CHETRY: Also, more heavy rain is expected today in the northeast. The mid-Atlantic, New York, southern New England could see thunderstorms as well, too, in some cases localized coastal flooding. All of this as the region is trying to dry out from a week of heavy rain and flooding.
VELSHI: And it is back to work today for the Supreme Court justices. The court begins its new term with a member, Elena Kagan. There are three women on the bench for the first time in history.
CHETRY: We have new pictures we want to show you this morning of Rahm Emanuel. He is touring Chicago. It's the "Tell it like it is tour," there he is, happy --
VELSHI: What's with the names of these? Can't anybody say "I'm running for mayor?" "Tell it like it is tour."
CHETRY: I don't know if it has a great ring to it. But there he is with his coffee out early in the windy city. He'll spend the next few weeks visiting the neighborhoods. He'll be at grocery stores, at bus stops, bowling alleys, hot dog stands.
VELSHI: That's where he'd find me. If he came to a hot dog stand I was at, that's well on the way.
CHETRY: He probably find me at the bowling alley, perhaps.
VELSHI: I don't understand why people can't just run an election, why everything has to have a name.
CHETRY: Your bus tour was named.
VELSHI: That's true.
During the past weeks we heard more and more about children getting bullied at school. The problem is reaching terrible proportions. It seems with each case we hear about, we uncover a different reason behind the bullying. Is it because of a kid's looks or their intelligence or their sexual orientation or some other identifiable characteristic?
The numbers to back that up are staggering. A new CNN opinion research corporation poll out this morning finds more than a third of our children have been threatened or harassed. Also, 81 percent of people think that bullying presents some sort of problem in our schools and neighborhoods.
CHETRY: So this week CNN and our other Time Warner family organizations like the Cartoon Network, "People" magazine, they're all putting together a closer look at the problem and what can be done to try to end the violence.
Talking about this in the backdrop the tragedy at Rutgers University, the death of a student there, a freshman, Tyler Clemente, and it's resonating across the country. He actually killed himself after apparently, according to police, his roommate put hidden cameras around his dorm room and broadcast a sexual encounter he had with another male, streamed it on the Internet.
VELSHI: It brings to light, not exactly the same, but it brings to light the bullying issue that parents and kids struggle with on a daily basis. In our special back to school series on bullying, we're starting off with an intimate look at the problem from a father who lost his son. Carol Costello joins us with more on this story.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And Ty was a typical kid. It's hard to figure out exactly why he was bullied. I met Curt not long ago. He is a modest man, quiet, private. This was really hard for him. But after his 11-year-old son committed suicide in May after years of bullying at school, he is quiet no more.
He told me no one should lose their child to bully, no one. He is determined that no one else does.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Curt Smalley is on a mission. There he is an honored guest at Oklahoma City's Western Height high school, trying to put a stop to bullying.
KIRK SMALLEY, TY SMALLEY'S FATHER: I have to make a difference. I promised my son on Father's Day this year I'd stop this from happening to another child.
COSTELLO: For years Smalley's son Ty struggled with a bully at school.
COSTELLO (on camera): And when You say he was picked on, how was he being picked on?
SMALLEY: Name calling. Ty was always small, a shove here, a push there.
COSTELLO (voice-over): His father says Ty was a typical kid with typical grades who took the abuse for two years. On the day Ty finally decided to push back physically, he got into trouble. He was suspended from school. For Ty, that was too much to bear. On that day, last May, he killed himself. He was 11 years old.
SMALLEY: Ultimately, my son's safety rested in my hands. I was responsible for my son's safety. I don't hold --
COSTELLO (on camera): That's a harsh thing to say about yourself.
SMALLEY: I'm his dad.
COSTELLO: I know. But he's out in the world.
SMALLEY: It's my job to protect him. No matter what, no matter where he was, it was my job to protect him.
COSTELLO (voice-over): But how do you protect your child from a bully? Assistant Deputy Education Secretary Kevin Jennings was appointed by President Obama to keep kids safe at school. Ty's story could easily have been his own.
COSTELLO (on camera): Were you bullied in school?
SMALLEY: Like many kids, I was bullied very severely when I was in junior high and high school. And the first day of tenth grade I actually refused to go back because I simply wasn't going to go back to a place where I got bullied every day.
COSTELLO (voice-over): Jennings organized the first ever bullying summit, but even he admits it's a baby step. Experts can't agree on how to define bullying. Is it physical, electronic, psychological, nonverbal, or all of the above?
COSTELLO (on camera): When might something happen? When might the federal government act and say these are the guidelines we want to put in place. Do it.
KEVIN JENNINGS, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION: I think that it's taking us a long time to develop a bullying problem, and I think it's going to take time to solve it.
COSTELLO (voice-over): It's why there are no federal guidelines schools must follow to deal with bullying. They are on their own. In Smalley's home state of Oklahoma, each school district deals with bullying in different ways. It's something else that infuriates Smalley.
JENNINGS: A lot of schools around the country the answer to bullying is they threat victim leave a little early. They let them go home early to get a head start on the bully. You're singling this child out. This child has been picked on and you're singling him out now.
COSTELLO: Real solutions will come too late for Ty. But Kirk Smalley is on that mission. It's why he organizes vigils at the Oklahoma state house. He thinks bullying ought to be a crime. And it's why he tries to convince other kids to stand up for the bullied.
SMALLEY: Save their fragile self-esteem. Save their lives.
COSTELLO: It's his promise to a boy who loved his family, hunting, and the St. Louis Cardinals.
SMALLEY: We haven't done Ty's last load of laundry because it smells like him. We haven't washed his sheets because I can go in there and lay on his bed and still smell my boy. You want to learn what bullying and suicide's all about, you talk to the people directly who it affects the most.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Thank you, Mr. Smalley for talking with us. I know how difficult that was. This is from the school. We wanted to know what the school did if anything about Ty's alleged bullying. This is a statement we got from the school.
"Mr. And Mrs. Smalley never reported any incidents of bullying to administrators or staff at Perkins Tyron Schools. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the Smalley family, and in order to protect their privacy, confidentiality laws, prohibit the release of any additional information without a confidentiality waiver sign by Ty's parents."
Of course, Mr. Smalley said they did report bullying incidents to the school. The school says they did not, but there isn't a requirement of the school apparently to record these things. So, let's say Mr. Smalley did it two years ago, maybe the school didn't write down, and who knows know who is that complaint --
VELSHI: And somebody told somebody else, and there's no record of it, which makes it hard, because if you need some kind of standards, the first thing is be able to track whether someone is bullied.
COSTELLO: That's right. That's why it's so important to have these federal guidelines. Now 41 states have anti-bullying laws, but they are all different. Some states have no anti-bullying laws. Some like Oklahoma leave it up to the individual school district to come up with their policies and they are all different.
That's why it's so important to come up with federal guidelines, and quickly.
CHETRY: And talk to your kids being good people and about protecting the weak, and just what you grew up learning as well. A lot of the kids that are bullied learned it. They weren't born bullies.
COSTELLO: I have to say amen to that, because if you look at our culture, the reality shows on television, what's happening in politics and partisan politics, you're stupid, you're wrong, you're destroying the country, that's bullying. Let's face it, bullying is effective. It often works.
CHETRY: We refer to it, right, the "bully pulpit," the "power of the bully pulpit."
COSTELLO: That's right. And then somewhere along the line parents have to sit their kids down and say this is not proper behavior. This hurts people. And the kids who bully often don't even realize that.
VELSHI: There is more of that interview, by the way, up on our blog already. If you want to see more of that in our continuing series on bullying with documentary filmmaker Lee Hirsch. He is going to talk how the country needs to address its bullying problem. He says learning to stand up can save a life. And we've seen some evidence of how it can contribute to lives being lost.
It's nine minutes to the top of the hour.
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CHETRY: You know, there are heartbreaking accounts of kids who say they are bullied. And they face bullying both in school, out of school. What you saw was a clip from an upcoming documentary, "The Bully Project."
And joining me for our "Back to School, Back to Bully" series, which is part of a larger Time Warner report on bullying, is the director and producer of this documentary, Lee Hirsch. He joins me this morning. Thanks so much for being with us.
LEE HIRSCH, DIRECTOR/PRODUCER, "THE BULLY PROJECT": Thanks. It's great to be here.
CHETRY: We're focusing on it because you really can't talk to a parent, any person who hasn't had some experience with bullying, either being bullied or wondering what to do if it's happening to your child. Why did you decide to take on this project?
HIRSCH: In a way it's sort of my story because I was bullied as a kid. And I always wanted to figure out how do you tell that story? How can you make somebody hear what it means or take in what it means to be that kid that's getting punched and kicked over and over again when people don't respond?
And as a filmmaker, I think we started to think that if we could get in those lives, if we could live in that world and see what these kids go through on a daily basis and the things that are often like not seen by adults, maybe we could start to change that conversation.
CHETRY: You know, first of all, it's amazing that you were able to get that type of inside access. Because I mean, it's embarrassing. It's embarrassing to even admit that you're being picked on which is oftentimes why parents say I had no idea or my kids didn't tell me.
So how did you get these kids to open up and agree to be filmed and agree to sort of wear that big label on their back that says I'm getting bullied?
HIRSCH: Yes. I think for lots of them, they are -- they were ready to tell their story. I think that they had been trying to get help, trying to be heard for so long that you know, I think by the time somebody came and said I'm willing to show up at your community with a camera and a team and listen to you, and really take you seriously, it was like you know, probably the greatest thing for them.
And in a way I think all of our characters became partners in making the film. And they want to make a change, they want people to hear them. But they also understand what other kids are going through around the country.
So, it that -- that felt like the easiest part. But there is, there is a huge amount of shame, there's a huge amount of silence and you know, I think if -- if kids are talking about what's going on it's probably what's really going on is a lot worse.
CHETRY: Right. Because some of it's -- shameful on the part of the persons being bullied. What about the bullies? Who are these bullies? I mean, we did our CNN poll, 37 percent of people said they had some experience being bullied, harassed, something. So who are all of these people that are doing this?
HIRSCH: I mean they are kind of -- you know they are sort of all around us. They are around us as we were kids. They are around us at the workplace. You know, as you guys were just mentioning in kind of in the world stage, I think you know, bullies range, they can be someone that's kind of kicking you and punching you to somebody that's sort of orchestrating gossip, that's cyber bullying.
There's conflicting views as to whether they are, you know, they have really low self-esteem or maybe they have really high self- esteem. I think that there's a lot more research that needs to be done to understand what drives bullying behavior.
CHETRY: I know that you were documenting this, but you've been steeped in it for so long and I want to ask you your opinion.
HIRSCH: Yes.
CHETRY: Can you bully-proof your kid?
HIRSCH: I don't know. I don't know, I don't think you can bully-proof your kid. But I think you can be really responsive, and I think that you can make sure that you don't give up. I think that's so important is as parents -- you know, we've met families that were on the brink of giving up that felt like there was nothing more they can do. They've been banging their head against the wall for so long talking to the school, talking to their administration, even maybe going to local authorities and police and feeling like nobody had their back. And I think in that case, then they have to keep fighting until their kid is safe.
CHETRY: And can you stop your kid from being a bully?
HIRSCH: That's another parent, but I would hope that that's much easier.
CHETRY: Yes, and they learn it somewhere obviously.
HIRSCH: Certainly. Yes, maybe -- maybe in a few years I'll have more insight into that. But I think -- I think you know, certainly we have to teach our kids, well, forget about being a bully or not being a bully. I think let's just teach our kids how to stand up, how to stand up for someone that is being bullied because that's much easier, and that's kind of like 90 percent of us, right, are in that situation where we see somebody being targeted, we're that bystander that doesn't know what to do that's standing there awkwardly.
If -- if I -- if I was that person and I made that decision to step in and like defend that kid.
CHETRY: Right.
HIRSCH: I may have saved Ty Smalley's life. I may save a life. And I think that's one of our goals with the film is that when people walk away from seeing the movie, they'll feel like I could be that person that could turn around tomorrow and make that difference. And not -- that -- I think that's the most hopeful thing we have in terms of combating bullying is each and every person can be the one that stops it.
CHETRY: Well it is a great project. And I hope everybody goes out to see it. Lee Hirsch the director and producer of "The Bullying Project", thanks so much for joining us.
HIRSCH: Thank you.
CHETRY: And one of the problems with bullying is that what do you do with the bullies themselves? And when did we start holding parents accountable for the actions of kids?
Tomorrow in part 2 of our series Carol Costello lays out the solutions to try to keep kids safe.
We're going to be right back. Forty-nine 49 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Welcome back to The Most News in the Morning. I'm Rob Marciano at the CNN Severe Weather Center. You got another storm off the East Coast after the deluge last week across the Carolinas in the northeast. It looks like a similar pattern although this isn't tropical, so we won't see that tremendous amount of heavy rain that we saw last week.
But still we'll see some rain and in some case we could see an inch to two or three inches before this is done because it's going to hang around for a couple of days. And we'll see some coastal flooding in some areas, too.
It looks like most of the heavy rain right now is a little bit north and west of the larger cities, but again, we'll see on and off rain throughout -- not only today but tomorrow.
We've got delays as the airports, LaGuardia see that reporting over an hour delay there; almost two at Philly; San Francisco getting into it as well and the delays are increasing right now in Boston. Cool and dry and in some cases frosty this morning across parts of the Midwest. And out on the West Coast some showers rolling into the inter mountains.
That's a quick check on weather. AMERICAN MORNING is coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Welcome back to The Most Politics in the Morning.
"You're hired". Could those be the words Donald Trump wants to hear after voters go to the polls in 2012? "Time" reports New Hampshire residents were asked some 30 questions last month about the real estate mogul.
So is Trump testing the waters for a presidential run? Joining us now on the phone is Donald Trump. Are you there, Donald?
DONALD TRUMP, REAL ESTATE MAGNATE (via telephone): Good morning.
VELSHI: Good morning to you. Are you running for president?
TRUMP: Well, I never heard of this poll but I'm anxious to find out what it says. I do not know about a poll taken in New Hampshire.
VELSHI: Then you didn't commission this.
TRUMP: I certainly did not.
VELSHI: You know of anybody who would commission the poll on your behalf?
TRUMP: No. I've been very outspoken on what's happening with OPEC and how they are ripping us off and frankly, when you look at what's going on in Iraq and everything. I mean I've certainly been outspoken so I could see somebody looking at those issues, not necessarily me. VELSHI: All right. Let's talk about what you think should be happening. You've been outspoken. You've talked about what should not be happening. We're in a mid-term election right now. What do you think should be happening? What should voters be doing?
TRUMP: Well, I think the United States is a kicking bag for the rest of the world, virtually. I mean we're being ripped off by OPEC. We're being ripped off with all of the wars. We're protecting people. We're giving countries like Kuwaiti sheiks and they're sitting back and now investing, deciding not to invest in the United States because they don't like it as an investment.
We're not very smart. Let's put it that way. We are not very smart. I look at Iraq and they have, I just heard today, they have $12 trillion worth of oil. And what do we do? We go in, we fight, we lose lives, we spend all of our money and then we leave them with a rich country. It's going to be overthrown because Iran will end up taking it over because they want the oil because they are smarter than we are.
So I have been outspoken about things such as that. And I guess people are doing polls. But it's certainly not me.
CHETRY: Do you think you are too outspoken to actually survive if you ever went into a political and national political campaign for president?
TRUMP: Well, I have never run for president. I really like the people of New Hampshire because they are strong people, they are intelligent people. They know what's happening to this country is wrong. So I can understand why I did well in a poll. You still haven't told me well means. What does well mean? I haven't seen this poll.
VELSHI: Let's talk about --
CHETRY: We're trying to --
VELSHI: We're trying to find out what the poll actually said.
CHETRY: Yes. We are trying to figure it out.
TRUMP: Yes, I'm still trying to figure that out too because that's what I heard.
CHETRY: Well, they basically said the sources (INAUDIBLE) said that these residents received in a telephone poll questions -- multiple questions, some 30 questions about you when it comes to a 2012 republican candidate. Would that be something that you would seriously consider?
TRUMP: Well, it's certainly not something that I've talked about or would consider but I will say this. Somebody has to do something or this country is not going to be a very great country for long.
VELSHI: All right. Donald, good to talk to you; thanks for joining us this morning and clarifying that you haven't commissioned the poll.
TRUMP: I have nothing to do with the poll.
Good luck. You have a great program.
VELSHI: All right. Thanks very much.
CHETRY: Thanks and you're always welcome on it. Thanks, Donald.
VELSHI: All right. It is 57 minutes after the hour. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Well, that's going to do it for today. Glad you joined us and we want to you continue the conversation on any of the stories today that you liked. Go to our blog cnn.com/amfix.
VELSHI: Kiran, good to see you this morning.
CHETRY: You, too. You headed back to the ATL?
VELSHI: I'm going back to the ATL.
CHETRY: Well, it was good to have you with us on this Monday. We'll be back tomorrow; meantime, "CNN NEWSROOM" with Drew Griffin starts right now.
Hey, Drew.
