Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Airport Terminal Shutdown; Britain Terror Plot; Ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"; Amelia Earhart's Remains?; Airport Terminal Shutdown; Airport Suspicious Package; Nursing = Smarts?
Aired December 20, 2010 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Thanks for joining us on this AMERICAN MORNING. Monday, December 20th. I'm John Roberts.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kiran Chetry. We have a lot to talk about this morning including some breaking news we're following out of Newark International Airport this morning.
Terminal "A" shut down because of a suspicious package is the report this morning. We're going to have more on that, but first we start with an arrest in Britain, a dozen terror suspects arrested by police there in early morning raids.
Sources telling CNN that all of the suspects are of Pakistani decent. It is not known if they were British nationals or Pakistani Nationals or what the possible target may have been. We are getting new details, though, and we'll be live in London -- just ahead.
ROBERTS: Californians enduring an unrelenting winter storm, bringing flooding, blizzard conditions and mudslides along with it. They are expecting up to 10 feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada. Some areas up there might get as much as 15 feet. Southern California residents had their hands full with day-long downpours that are causing flooding and triggering fears of massive mudslides.
CHETRY: The odds are you'll be taking home more money next year as we just heard from Christine -- thanks to the massive tax cut extension that Congress passed. So, what is the best way to handle the extra cash? If you just missed it, Christine Romans will be back with more, "Minding Your Business."
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
ROBERTS: And we've got some breaking news to tell you about this morning out of Newark, New Jersey, where authorities are investigating a suspicious package at Newark Liberty Airport. Terminal A, one of three terminals, is closed right now. The port authority police are blocking traffic from both the arrival and the departure areas there.
CHETRY: ABC News in New York is also reporting that authorities are investigating a possible bomb at the American Airlines area. They're reporting that TSA employees apparently made that discovery of a suspicious package at the American Airlines counter.
And, again, you are looking at a live picture outside of Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark where we are going to continue to get new information on this situation.
But what we know right now, according to the reports this morning, terminal A of Newark is closed because of a suspicious package.
ROBERTS: As far as we know, terminals B and C are operating. Well, you can see traffic moving at the bottom of the screen. But I would imagine that the air link between terminal C, B and A has been shut down as well.
A dozen terror suspects in custody this morning in Britain. Police making the arrests in overnight raids in three cities.
CHETRY: Sources are telling CNN that the suspects are all of Pakistani descent. They say it was part of a large scale intelligence-led operation.
CNN's Dan Rivers is live in London, outside of Scotland Yard.
What new information, if any, have you been able to gather this morning, Dan?
DAN RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Not much, I'm afraid. The police are remaining very tight-lipped on this as are the security services here. These men are processed at the moment. Getting the impression that they have moved in before any specific target was known. They are not telling us about any specific target or method of alleged terrorist attack.
What we do know is that the men were arrested in Cardiff, Stoke and London. They're aged between 17 and 28 years old on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism, and they were taken in dawn raids this morning by unarmed officers we're told. And as you mentioned, the police are saying this is a large scale pre-planned intelligence-led operation.
Other than that, the only other piece of information they're confirming is that this is not linked in any way to the attacks in Sweden earlier this month. And that this (INAUDIBLE) that I have been given is that it doesn't appear to be obvious link to any U.S. attack. I asked specifically several times on that -- nothing that they are telling us about at the moment.
But they are playing this very close to their chest at the moment. They don't want to give away much information because, clearly, this is at a very early stage and they are still working to confirm a lot of these details themselves.
CHETRY: Dan Rivers for us this morning outside of Scotland Yard -- thank you.
Well, tensions are running high on the Korean Peninsula as well. Right now, South Korea is on high alert hours after completing a military exercise not far from the island that North Korea attacked last month. After this morning's drill, the North said retaliation wasn't necessary but warned the U.S. and South Korea against any future military exercises.
ROBERTS: A winter white-out is wiping out travel all across Europe. From above, you can see a lot of planes at Heathrow Airport. The problem is, while there are a lot of aircraft, they're just not moving. Jet after jet parked at the gate, blanketed in snow. And the scene from inside Heathrow, it's pretty depressing. A day after most of the flights were canceled, stranded passengers forced to sleep there overnight in the hopes that they'll make it home for the holidays.
And in France, snow and frigid temperatures reduce flights at Roissy Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris. Fewer trains are running -- and listen to this, this is how bad it is -- Lady Gaga had to reschedule her concert because her tour trucks weren't allowed on snow-packed roads.
CHETRY: All 28 of them.
ROBERTS: That's how bad it is.
CHETRY: Right. Well, how often do you hear 10 feet of snow is on the way? That's what's happening in California, in the high Sierras. The National Weather Service says that traveling at high elevations in the Sierra Nevada mountain range will be next to impossible today.
That's where all the good skiing is. The problem it's proving difficult to get there. Forecasters say people would be better off staying home and they predict the storm will be the largest in the region in a decade.
ROBERTS: A hail in Spokane, Washington, turns into an ice rink. Snow and ice covered this hilly street and no one was really prepared for it. They didn't have chains on.
Watch this pickup truck. You're in the car, ouch. No one was seriously hurt in the pileup but the road had to be shut down to bring in street crews.
And watch this one guy. Can I make it? Can I make it? Can I make it? Can I make it? Whew.
But look at this guy. Can I make it? Can I get out of the way? Can I get out of the way? Can I get out of the way?
And he did. He got out of the way, but the other cars couldn't.
CHETRY: That's when your car is basically a sled. You're really -- you are no match for ice. So many nightmares with me trying to drive in Erie, PA.
ROBERTS: And you saw the one guy scrambling at the hillside there as the pickup truck was coming his way. And he comes back down.
CHETRY: That is one of the worst feelings.
Rob Marciano in the extreme weather center. I remember you did a story a few years back about those tires that were trying to make it easier for people to drive on ice. I mean, it's still pretty impossible.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know, when you have gravity working against you like there, you know, on that hill -- and you remember working in local TV, you go up to the (INAUDIBLE) hill, just set up your camera and wait for --
CHETRY: You've set it up. Can you go live by noon? We'll be able to get it up there.
MARCIANO: We are just evil, evil people who work in the news business.
Good morning, guys. Sad but true, there was a news crew waiting for all of that goodness. Luckily, nobody was hurt.
But we do have more moisture on the way. This is a monstrous system. It encompasses pretty much the western half of the country.
Here is the radar. White as snow, of course, and the blues and green, that's rain, most of it very heavy across parts of southern California, especially, where we've already seen in some cases over a foot of rain. And we expect more rain today, obviously. Actually, that bull's eye is going to sink a little bit lower towards Los Angeles and San Diego today.
Here are some of the numbers. These are in some of the foothill areas. But in the bigger cities, in Los Angeles and Santa Monica and up towards San Francisco, anywhere from two to six inches so far. But, obviously, we do expect more.
We've already seen a ton of snow as we mentioned. And with some of that snow came some incredibly high wind gusts. Some of the higher elevations in the Sierra Nevada -- Mammoth Lakes, 164-mile-an- hour wind gust, that is a category 5 hurricane. Same with Alpine Meadows, almost a category 5.
Regardless, you're not up there skiing right now. You're going to have to wait until the storm passes, even though there's just six, seven, eight, nine feet of glorious bright stuff.
East of the Mississippi, not so bad, just a few snow showers across parts of Boston. What was trying to be a nor'easter this weekend kind of fizzled, but it will be chilly and very winter-like across the eastern half of the country. So, we're not doing too bad.
But we'll talk about these details and your lunar eclipse which will be visible tonight those who don't have clouds.
John and Kiran, back to you.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: I was just going to say, the lunar eclipse is also falling on the winter solstice, right, which is the first time in 350- some years?
MARCIANO: Yes, incredible coincidence there. It will be the last total lunar eclipse for three years. So, get out and bundle up and bear it.
CHETRY: Don't miss.
MARCIANO: And see it begin.
ROBERTS: Thanks, Rob.
MARCIANO: All right, guys.
ROBERTS: Well, breaking news out of Newark, New Jersey, this morning. Authorities are investigating a suspicious package at Newark Liberty Airport. Terminal A, one of three terminals there, is closed right now. Port authority is blocking traffic from both the arrival and the departure areas there.
CHETRY: It could be messing up the works with the other terminals eventually or maybe not, but I would call ahead if you're heading out to Newark today. ABC News is also reporting that authorities are investigating a possible bomb at the American Airlines area. TSA employees apparently made that discovery.
And again, this is still developing. We have our source there, we're making calls as well. So, we'll update you.
Still ahead: a vote in the Senate this weekend cleared the way to repeal the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, banning gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military. So, what happens next and what specific adjustments will the military have to make? We're going to get a live report from our Barbara Starr at the Pentagon -- next.
ROBERTS: Plus, a must-see movie, "Prayers for Bobby." What happens to a close knit religious family after the youngest son Bobby revealed he was gay. Actress Sigourney Weaver, who plays Bobby's mother in the film joins us live coming up in just a little while.
It's nine minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ROBERTS: President Obama thought that he was going to be in Hawaii listening to music like that. But with him committed to staying in Washington while Congress continues to work, First Lady Michelle Obama and their daughters, they're already on the island. They're staying at a private residence in Oahu. The plan is for the president to join them on vacation once the congressional session eventually ends. The Obamas scheduled to return back to Washington on the 1st of January.
CHETRY: They wanted to get a head start. Who can blame them?
ROBERTS: Who could blame them?
CHETRY: Well, President Obama is getting set to sign the repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" military policy. The Senate passed it on Saturday.
ROBERTS: But officials say it could take months before openly gay men and women can serve in the military.
Our Barbara Starr is live at the Pentagon for us this morning.
And, Barbara, the president is poised to sign this. But there are a lot of logistical considerations that the Pentagon has to get in place first before they put everything together, I guess, on the ground.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Absolutely right. You know, this is Washington and that means bureaucracy and that means everything takes time.
This is the implementation plan already published by the Pentagon -- 87 pages of how they are going to make it happen. But it's going to take a while.
They are going to spend several months now, by all accounts, going through all of the rules, regulations and policies, certify to Congress that they are ready to go with all of this, and then repeal itself will happen 60 days after the certification.
So, what's happened since this historic vote on Capitol Hill over the weekend is advocacy groups have come out and warned openly gay and lesbian members of the U.S. military don't do anything just yet, don'ts come out publicly just yet, you could still be at risk. Some of them even want Defense Secretary Robert Gates to make a very clear open statement that the Pentagon won't pursue these people any more while this bureaucracy winds along for the next several months.
So, they have to work their way through all of that, and then, finally, "don't ask, don't tell" will be gone once and for all -- John, Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. Quite a victory for those who are fighting this. They didn't give up. You know, earlier in the month, we had been saying it might not make it to the Senate floor. And sure enough, it passed.
Barbara Starr, thanks so much.
ROBERTS: Well, could the "Governator" be on his way to Washington. In an interview with the "Los Angeles Times," California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said he did not have any specific plans for the future, but when asked if he would consider a post in the White House, he immediately started talking up his credentials, specifically about energy policy. Schwarzenegger has less than three weeks in office.
Well, still ahead, a tiny bone found in a tropical island, could it finally solve the mystery of what happened to Amelia Earhart. Did she survive a plane crash and end her days as a castaway?
CHETRY: Plus, the Philadelphia Eagles stun the Giants with an amazing comeback, down 21 points, just seven minutes and change to play. How did they pull off that stunning win? Morning talkers -- next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Seventeen minutes past the hour. "Morning Talker Time," stories that had us chatting in the newsroom this morning.
One, could we finally solve the 70-year-old mystery of what happened to Amelia Earhart? Well, bone fragments found on a south pacific island are now being tested to see whether or not they do belong to Earhart. She is famous for being the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, but also for her disappearance.
She attempted to circle the globe in 1937. The bone pieces were found along with women's makeup, empty glass bottles and flight jacket buttons which suggest that perhaps Earhart may have survived the crash and became marooned around 1,800 miles south of Hawaii.
ROBERTS: Yes. Amelia Earhart fans remember she was trying to make Howland Island when she suddenly disappeared. So, that's intriguing discovery.
It looks like the palace of Versailles is going to be taking reservations soon. French officials say they plan to convert one building at the pocket of tourist site into a try-petite (ph) luxury hotel. Private Belgian company is going to operate it. Critics say profits are not a good reason to turn the public treasure over to a private firm, though.
CHETRY: Well, the Eagles, boy, they put a hurt on the Giants, but they waited until the last seven seconds of the game. NFL game, of course, 60 minutes. The Giants dominated for the first 53, and then, the Eagles had a stunning final seven. Eagle's quarterback, Michael Vick, led the way. He helped the Eagles score 21 straight points to tie the New York Giants about a little over a minute left.
And just when the game seemed sure to go into overtime, inexplicably, the Giants' kicker punted to the Eagles to Shawn Jackson who took it back for the game-winning score as the clock run out. The devastating loss for the Giants but an amazing show of the ability of a comeback for Michael Vick in more ways than one.
ROBERTS: Just love it when he's paralleling the goal line here just to make sure that the clock is run out. Yes, zero on the clock, I'm going in. Eighty-eight in a row, the Lady UConn Huskies are one win away from setting the Division 1 college basketball record for consecutive wins. Last night's blow-out victory over Ohio state at Madison's Square Garden tied the record held by the UCLA Bruins men's team of the 1970s. The UConn has captured seven national championships since 1995.
CHETRY: Wow. Good for them. Well, "Tron Legacy" the sequel, 28 years in the making had triumphant box office debut. The film starring Jeff Bridges was in number one movie this weekend earning $43.6 million. Just in case you're wondering when the original "Tron" opened, in July of 1982, it made just more than $4.5 million. Finishing in second place behind the classic "E.T."
ROBERTS: Well, Christmas decorating is a fun holiday hobby for some. For others, it is a serious business. Ireporter U.S.A isn't -- this incredible display from Lake Mary, Florida. The live show lasts more than a minute. It's become quite a neighborhood attraction, as you might imagine. Now, if you see something that you want to share, shoot it, send it to us. Go to CNN.com and click on the IReport's tab.
CHETRY: Nothing says Christmas like the palm tree in front of the house as well. Very cute. Cool job, guys.
Well, still ahead, we're getting the latest on some breaking news this morning, a suspicious package found at Newark Liberty Airport. Terminal A is closed right now. The port authority also blocking traffic from both the arrival and the departure areas. Again, a suspicious package found there at the American airlines area of the airport. Terminal A. Stay with us. We'll have the latest development.
ROBERTS: Also ahead, teens send 100 text messages each day on average. Is texting the new nicotine? Should you, as a parent, be concerned about it? Deb Feyerick with some answers coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Twenty-three and a half minutes after the hour. If you're the parent of a teenager or even a preteen, then you know cell phone texting is a lifeline to friends.
CHETRY: Yes. Kids are texting so much they're literally losing sleep because of it. It's raising concerns about health, mental health as well. Our Deb Feyerick now with the first part of her series on "Cell Phone Addiction."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ask your average 15-year- old text a single line, let's just say faster than someone not in high school.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mine's not even English.
FEYERICK: For 10th grader, Sarah Matkin (ph) on the right, Sara Marshall in the middle, and April Fuluviak (ph), texting may be as important as talking.
How many texts do you send and receive every day?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Probably around 200.
SARA MARSHALL, TEEN TEXTER: Definitely about couple hundred.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It varies.
FEYERICK: Studies show to the tune of well over 3,000 texts a month for the average teenager. The question now, are teens texting too much?
MARSHALL: It's right by my bed when I go to sleep, and it's right by my bed when I wake up. It's like the first thing I go to.
FEYERICK: 80 percent of all kids own a cell phone, and the rate of texting has skyrocketed 600 percent in three years.
Why is it so important for you to know when somebody's trying to reach you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You feel like you're missing something. If someone like texts me, and I missed it, I feel like, oh, I missed out on the moment.
FEYERICK: Do you sometimes feel your mood's changing depending on how often you're receiving the texts or the speed?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
FEYERICK: Like what? Give me some examples?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean, like if someone responded right away, you're like, yay, they responded. But if they respond like two to three hours later, you're like, what's going on?
FEYERICK: Sounds addictive? Could be. Doctors say texting and the instant gratification of getting a text back floods the brain's pleasure center with the mood enhancing, dopamine.
DR. MICHAEL SEYFFERT, NEUROLOGIST: Your imaging studies have shown that those kids were texting have that area of the brain light up the same as an addict using heroin. And they will actually describe when I don't have it, I feel bad. I feel anxious or I feel sad.
FEYERICK: So, it's like the new nicotine?
SEYFFERT: That's a good description, yes. And for many, it may well be. FEYERICK: Brain doctor, Michael Seyffert, treats teens with sleeping disorders at this New Jersey Sleep Clinic and has discovered that 1 out of 5 of them are interrupting their sleep to text, triggering problems.
SEYFFERT: With a lack of sleep, they are having a problem performing. They're going from "A" honor roll students to, you know, barely passing.
FEYERICK: That's the worst case.
(LAUGHTER)
FEYERICK: These teens, on the other hand, get good grades and take part in after school activities, though, texting does sometimes get them in trouble.
When was the last time you had your phones taken away.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yesterday.
MARSHALL: Today.
FEYERICK: Today? OK, so, basically, within the last 24 hours, you each had your phone taken away from you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
FEYERICK: Their school, like many, struggling to contain a growing distraction for students.
TRACEY BAILEY, ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN EDUCATION: Most administrators will tell you that if it's not their single greatest problem in terms of discipline and school management, it's at least in the top three.
FEYERICK: Despite the potential down sides, these parents say texting has become a necessary evil.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They don't answer the phone. It's the only way --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They will (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They don't do e-mails at all.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The only way to get ahold of them is text. So, I had to actually get text messaging in order to, you know, communicate with my kids.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Sometimes, they only communicate that way.
FEYERICK: And while the behavior can be addictive, teens like Sarah Marshall say they're confident they can quick cold turkey. MARSHALL: Maybe I'd have some like withdrawal symptoms. Like, I'd get anxious and like wonder like what's going on, but once I realize that nothing bad is happening, it's fine without my phone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: That was Deb Feyerick reporting. Tomorrow, she's going to have her second part of the series. She takes a look at the battle that schools are fighting to keep kids off of their cell phones and focused on their studies.
ROBERTS: Well, we continue to follow the breaking news this morning out of Newark, New Jersey where authorities are investigating a suspicious package at Newark Liberty Airport. Terminal A is closed right now. The port authority calling it a precautionary measure. It continues to block traffic from both the arrival and the departure levels.
There was just some sort of a suspicious bag that was found at an American Airlines terminal, and that's what's being investigated now. So, you can imagine that the process from here on will be, you know, sending a robot to take a look at that. And maybe try to disable whatever it might be or at least render it safe enough that it can be looked at from up close.
CHETRY: Yes, again, the port authority spokesman telling us, at least, that this is a precautionary measure that they shut down Terminal A, but it's certainly going to cause a lot of headaches for travelers heading into and out of Newark Liberty today as we work to figure out exactly what this device was.
Well, police in Britain arresting 12 suspected terrorists in early morning raids in several cities. Part of a large scale counterterrorism investigation. Police say the suspects ranging an age from 17 to 28, posed a threat to, quote, "public safety." No word, though, on what their target or what that plan might have been.
ROBERTS: The Korean peninsula on pins and needles this morning. Despite the threat, so far, no sign of retaliation by the North after South Korea's live fire military exercise (INAUDIBLE). Those drills took place not far from the island that Pyongyang attacked last month.
CHETRY: Well, whatever the New Year holds, one thing we know that our income tax rates are not going to be changing, and our payroll tax will actually be going down.
ROBERTS: Our Christine Romans is "Minding Your Business." And people will have more money in their pockets this year than they did even last year.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: They will because the government's going to be taking less out of it. This payroll tax holiday was part of the president's extension of the Bush era tax cuts. It means that any of you with a job out there, you're going to be seeing more in your paycheck. If you make $40,000 a year, it will be $800. If you make $80,000 a year, it will be $1,600. If you make $100,000, it will be $2,200. You see my math?
Here's the challenge for you. Don't let that money go to waste. How about a New Year's resolution challenge? What to do with the free money you're going to be getting next year? Free money or not so free some would say it's free money from our grand children, but that's a debate for another day. One, the first thing you must do is pay down your high interest credit card debt.
Financial planners, retirement counselors, everyone says, if you have found money, you must pay that high interest credit card debt because it is holding you back from investing and saving. Max out your 401 (k) contributions. A lot of people don't do this because they need the financial flexibility every month. They don't feel like they can max it out.
You can pay into your 401(k) up to $16,500 a year. $22,000 if you're 50 or older. You should be doing that. Start a 529 college plan for your kid or grand kid. Still, those are great. And look, you have to save $200 a month for about 10 years to get enough money to send a kid to a private school. Just consider that math for a while. Build up a cash cushion. Any of these things you must have a cash cushion of three to six months at least before you start paying into some of these other things.
And maybe consider making an extra mortgage payment. This isn't for everybody and anybody. In fact, a lot of financial managers right now quite frankly are saying you shouldn't be paying the extra mortgage payment because people need have more cash on hand in case of a job loss. But if you are confident in your job situation, you have a good cushion saved, consider using that extra money in your paycheck to pay down your biggest debt.
CHETRY: Not to be a Debbie downer here, but the price of certain things are rising. So if you're making $40,000 and you're getting an extra $800, that could be eaten up by your medical cost, by gas going up, by the price of food going up. And it may seem like you're getting more money, but you may feel the same.
ROMANS: That is why as we told you last hour budgeting is so incredibly important, to know what these costs are and where you stand. Yes, the $800 if you make $40,000 a year could be eaten up by cost, but not all of it will be. And so that's the thing we always say is, well, financial experts say you get a raise, sock that raise away and try to live below your means.
I mean, there are so many uncertainties in the world right, the only thing you can control is how you spend and save you money and invest your money so we should really be focusing on that.
ROBERTS: Christine Romans this morning, thanks.
Coming up on this "AMERICAN MORNING," actress Sigourney Weaver joins us to talk about her role in the Lifetime movie "Prayers for Bobby." It's just out on DVD. She's going to tell us why it's must see TV. It's 32 minutes after the hour
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: The president is expected to sign the repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell policy" this week. The Senate approved the bill over the weekend but questions remain about how the change will be implemented.
For instance, will the military extend benefits to same sex spouses and will it reinstate gay soldiers who were discharged. The new law won't take effect until 60 days after it's certified.
CHETRY: In a made for TV movie, "Prayers for Bobby," actress Sigourney Weaver plays Mary Griffith, Bobby's mother. It is based on a true story of a close-knit and religious family that is shattered after Bobby reveals he's gay.
ROBERTS: When Mary's son committed suicide, her life changed in a profound way. The Lifetime film out on DVD and we're happy to have Sigourney Weaver in the studio with us to tell us why it's a must-see. Good morning, great to see you.
SIGOURNEY WEAVER, ACTRESS: Good morning. How are you?
ROBERTS: So we should point out this story happened, he died by suicide back in 1983. But when you look at everything that's happening these days, that young fellow who jumped off the George Washington Bridge, the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell," it's so incredibly relevant.
WEAVER: It really is. It really is, which was one of the reasons we all wanted to make this story. It is a true story about the Griffith family. And it is "Prayers for Bobby" written by his mother Mary is maybe the main book that kids give their families when they want to start that conversation about the fact that they are gay.
And we felt, gosh, this should be a movie. It's a much -- I don't know. It's a much more direct way of sharing, beginning this conversation. So I felt very, very privileged to be part of this. And I think that, you know, we did a wonderful job. The cast is so good, and it's very accurate about Mary's journey.
CHETRY: And was it difficult to play Mary at first? She doesn't come off as the best character in the beginning because she's -- she has a son who is crying out for acceptance or unconditional love, and she can't bring it -- find it in herself to bring it out there until tragedy strikes.
WEAVER: It's true. You know, I had the opportunity to spend a day with Mary and the Griffith family. Bobby's things are everywhere in the house. And she was so generous and frank about who she was then. She was so frightened and so ignorant and felt that he was making a kind of you know, social choice, lifestyle choice.
And they were so incredibly close, and she was so frightened for him. And it took the shock, I think, of losing him to send her to an organization where families and lesbian gay and bisexual youth can reach out and get support to start this conversation with their families. The rate of suicide for young people who are lesbian, gay, and bisexual is non-accepting families is eight times what normal suicide rate is for youth.
ROBERTS: You know, we were talking about this. Let's see a little bit of it, a very powerful scene bobby comes to mom. Again, mom is very deeply religious, and has the conversation and she won't allow because of her religion her mind to open up to this. So let's have a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not me. It's the bible.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not the bible. It's you. Why can't you admit that? Why can't you admit that you can't stand what I am?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What you've become.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What I am. I'm sorry, I'm not the perfect little bobby you always wanted but I can't keep apologizing for it, mom. Accept me as I am or forget it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I won't have a gay son.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The, mom, you don't have a son.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: It's so powerful, and it's so relevant. A friend of mine who will remain nameless, exactly the same situation -- a very religious mother. She's a lesbian. Mom is just trying to destroy her.
And it's -- you know, people who are lesbian, or gay or bisexual, transgendered they face so many problems every day from discrimination, but when a parent is not accepting, it's just devastating to them.
WEAVER: I think for me the revelation of meeting Mary and talking to her, I really met her as a mother. And parents do want to protect their children from any kind of path that's going to be difficult or unconventional. It's something that we all share.
So really all parents need to stay open, listen to their children, and respect their choices and who they are. It's so moving to me to hear Mary talk about how she realized later on looking at his baby pictures, god had wanted him to be gay. That was what he -- that was part of the package, that was part of why he was so wonderful and she loved him so much.
And so it's an education we need to get this education out into our country. And PFLAG and the Trevor projects, which also reaches out to LGBT youth is they are, I think, amazing organizations and really are there to help kids know this is normal, natural. They are not alone. And for parents struggling with this, you know, god -- what Mary came to, is that god loves unconditionally and loves people for everything they are, not just one way, you know.
CHETRY: And you are clearly so passionate about this. You're getting choked up talking about, speaking for Mary. And it is heartbreaking that this is how she had to come to that realization. What made you so involved and wanting to get this message out about acceptance of gay youth?
WEAVER: I had the great fortune in my life of knowing, loving, and working with so many lesbian, gay, and bisexual and transgender people. I can't even imagine my world without them.
And one of the reasons that is so is we have so many young people coming to New York where there is freedom and acceptance and there is celebration. And so I guess I feel like I've had that incredible advantage.
And to hear Mary just -- they, the family wanted other families not to make the same mistakes they did. They loved Bobby. They adored Bobby. They just couldn't, within the time they had, open their minds. And they want to make sure families, other families, don't follow in their footsteps.
ROBERTS: It's so tragic there is all of that love there yet they can't make the leap. And then they lose the child because of that.
WEAVER: There could be no greater loss.
CHETRY: Does Mary believe if she accepted Bobby he would be alive today?
WEAVER: I think so. I think that she -- but I think the main thing for her is that she -- her part of her journey was to become an example, to become a spokesperson for PFLAG and help other families. The fact when Mary speaks to people who are religious and says this -- that's not what god wants, you know, she opens doors that someone like me can't open.
ROBERTS: We started off talking about "don't ask, don't tell" here. Of course that will be implemented over the next few months as the Pentagon puts the process underway. What kind of impact do you think that's going to have? Will it make things better or worse?
WEAVER: I think for better or worse that gay and lesbian people are on the front lines of our civil action these days. And I respect them so much for having to be on the front lines. And I think this is something that should never have been put in place. It's high time for it to be repealed.
And I think that it's such a step forward. I think we're going to see how it all works out, but I think it's, you know, I celebrate that this has finally happened.
CHETRY: It's quite an example of how big after voice the gay and lesbian community has gotten lately. This might not have made it to the floor of the Senate, and now it's repealed.
WEAVER: Well, it's the only practical way to go about this. And I'm glad that people have finally seen that.
ROBERTS: "Prayers for Bobby" is a very, very powerful film. Thanks for coming in to talk to us about it.
WEAVER: Thank you for having me and letting us talk about it and get the word out.
CHETRY: Sigourney Weaver, thank you.
We're going to take a quick break. We come back we're talking about the weather, especially in the west, some relentless rain in the southern part of California and some serious snow in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. We're going to get your extreme weather forecast coming up next. It's 43 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: It's 46 minutes after the hour. And updating the breaking news at Newark's Liberty Airport, New Jersey: TSA says a suspicious item has been cleared and airport officials are in the process of reopening terminal A. The scare forced officials to close off the area to traffic. But everything seems to be safe at this point.
We're continuing to follow the story. And see what kind of ripple effect it might have and we'll get you details just as soon as they become available.
CHETRY: This is interesting because we're entering one of the busiest travel seasons of the year right now. And they say this was a computer monitor emitting small amounts of radiation according to an FBI special agent which is typical of the device so it's interesting that it set off so many alarm bells and ended up shutting down the airport.
ROBERTS: Better safe than sorry.
CHETRY: Well, let's check in with Rob right now at 46 minutes past the hour. He's got a look at where they are struggling the most and certainly in California and especially in the higher elevations, what a mess.
MARCIANO: Yes it is. And it -- it's still coming. So check this out. The satellite picture and you don't have to have a degree to see this; tremendous amount of moisture just pluming in from the subtropics, beyond Hawaii and just slamming right into California. Here's where the driver is.
So all of the West Coast getting into this but most of the action at least today will be across southern California, that's where the flow is going to be the deepest. And it's all very perpendicular to the Sierra Nevada. So that's where you get the most bang for your buck as far as squeezing that moisture out. And we will see quite a bit more here over the next to 48 hours, anywhere from two to three inches around Los Angeles. They've already had a record-setting amount yesterday to maybe up to seven inches, at slightly high elevations of course that will translate to snow.
But with that snow has come tremendous amounts of wind. Look at this. I mean, these numbers aren't made up. That is Category 5 hurricane strength, Mammoth Lakes 164 mile-an-hour wind. They get nine -- nine feet of snow with that. But you're not skiing in those kind of winds. That's for sure you have to wait for the storm to pass including across parts of northern Sierra and Lake Tahoe.
So everybody west of the Continental Divide getting a piece of this. And as I mentioned most of the heavier rains today will be from Bakers -- Bakersfield is usually dry and they are getting a decent amount of rain with this. Los Angeles to San Diego eventually getting more rain today and tonight and that will cause more in the way of landslides, probably more significant mudslides than we have already seen.
Now, some of this moisture already starting to getting into the Midwest. Here it is, getting into Minneapolis, the winter storm warnings is posted, three to six inches of snow in Minneapolis tonight, where they're playing Monday night football outside on an already frozen field.
So that's going to be interesting to see for sure.
Newark you're ok, in the clear as far as moisture goes. And we're looking at a little bit of leftover snow across parts of eastern Mass. But that is about it just a couple of inches of snow. And good viewing for the total lunar eclipse tonight, about 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Eastern Time. If you have a clear shot at the moon, take a look. It won't happen for another three years.
John and Kiran back up to you.
ROBERTS: And you know Rob, I grew up in Canada, where it gets very cold. I don't know how they play football in temperatures like they are going to in Minnesota.
MARCIANO: And you know, a lot of these fields that are open air stadiums at least the field, they -- they've got some heating within the field. But this field is already frozen. Not used to playing college football this time of year. So --
(CROSSTALK)
ROBERTS: It's going to be like playing -- it's going to be like playing in the parking lot of the mall of America.
MARCIANO: Exactly.
ROBERTS: All right, thanks, Rob. MARCIANO: All right guys.
CHETRY: Well, what's supposed to be a quick train ride Friday turned into an 11-hour nightmare; the Amtrak trip from Washington to New York no less, usually takes about three and a half hours. On Friday it left at 7:30 in the evening and did not arrive until 6:15 the next morning.
About 400 passengers were stranded for several hours between stations north of Perryville, Maryland. It was a rough weekend for Amtrak passengers. There were several lengthy delays. And that rail line is apologizing for poor communication with passengers.
ROBERTS: Well, we've heard of all of the health benefits of breast-feeding babies. But could it make your child smarter? The study and the surprising conclusions just minutes away.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Bill is booking the hall for his wedding.
CHETRY: Yes, booking the deejay too.
Well, it's 52 minutes past the hour right now.
A big pet food recall to tell you about this morning; it's actually just across 19 states. The Kroger Company recalling several of its brands; they say because it may contain a toxic chemical.
There is a list on your screen right now. Pet Pride Cat Food; Kitten Food; Old Yeller Chunk Dog Food; Value Cat Food; Value Chunk Food, just check it out just to make sure if you have this brand.
They also say that you should contact your vet if your pets are acting sluggish or reluctant to eat.
ROBERTS: Yes aflatoxin (ph) is what they're looking for.
There are new study says millions of Americans are drinking tap water -- tap water that is, contaminated with the suspected cancer causing chemical, Hexavalent (ph) chromium. If that sounds familiar to you, it probably is, that's the same chemical made famous in the film "Erin Brockovich".
The study was done by a watch dog organization, the Environmental Working Group. They found the chemical in the drinking water -- listen to this of 31 out of 35 cities they tested.
CHETRY: Wow.
Well, there is some new evidence this morning that breast feeding your baby for the first six months of life can make your child smarter later on. It is a study in the journal Pediatric that examined academic levels of children who are breast fed. ROBERTS: Our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is in Atlanta this morning. And this is a pretty interesting study. What would -- what would be the basis that your child could become more intelligent by being breast fed?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know it's interesting when you look at breast milk, John, it actually has these long chain fatty acids, that's a fancy word for certain kind of fats that appear to help the brain. And formula companies have tried to replicate this.
But you know what? You can never completely replicate what Mother Nature makes. So what these researchers did was really interesting. It was a group in Australia and they looked at some kids who were born and followed them to see if they were predominantly breast fed or not. And then they looked at scores -- academic scores ten years later. And here's what they found.
What they found was that breast feeding made a big difference for boys really but not so much for girls, and no one can completely explain that. But what they found was that boys who were predominantly breast fed for the first six months of life by the time they were 10, their scores were 30 percent better on writing and 20 percent better on math.
Now again, these kids were predominantly breast fed. Not completely. They may have had some formula but predominantly breast fed for the first six months of life.
CHETRY: You know, it's -- it's not easy I know you have four children. You have breast fed all of them. I had two. I did six months at the one, seven months with the other. It is a major, major commitment. Let alone everything else that comes with a newborn and it's actually quite difficult.
A lot of people say they don't really have the support which is why only about 60 percent or 40 percent rather keep doing it; 60 percent have said they stopped at six months old.
So what do you say to them?
COHEN: Right. It is hard. My first two children I was not able to predominantly breast feed them for six months. Part of me was freaking out when I saw this study. And I'm sure many other mothers are as you point out most American kids are not predominantly breast fed for six months.
A couple of things to remember: number one, I was e-mailing with the researcher in Australia. And even she concedes that this is not the be-all and end-all. It's hard to study breast feeding and academic success 10 years later and there are some flaws. It's not the easiest thing to do.
But here is my message to moms out there. If you can breast feed do it. It is worth the effort. Not just because maybe your kid will be smarter but your kid will have fewer ear infections. Breast milk is easier to digest. There are a ton of health reasons why you should try to breast feed.
But if you can't do it and you give your baby formula it's no reason to freak out. Many of us were fed formula as babies and, you know, we turned out ok. If you can do it, do it.
CHETRY: It's also interesting to note that gender that they said they saw a difference with the boys but not necessarily the girls. Maybe they will be doing more studies on this.
It's very interesting, though. Elizabeth, thanks so much.
ROBERTS: Thanks Elizabeth.
COHEN: Thanks.
CHETRY: We're going to take quick break. We'll be right back. Four minutes to the top of the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: We want to give you a quick update now on the breaking news at Newark Liberty Airport in New Jersey. During our show, we had mentioned it being shut down, at least one of the terminals.
Well, now the all clear has been given. The TSA saying a suspicious item cleared. And airport officials are in the process of reopening terminal A. The scare, as we said, forced airport officials to close off the area to traffic.
It turns out that the device in question was actually a computer monitor that was leaking small amounts of radiation, which according to FBI special agent that was interviewed about this says it's typical of the device and they say that there appears to be no cause for alarm.
ROBERTS: Apparently it was a checked luggage got behind the counter and that's like a TSA was looking over the luggage and detected those trace amounts of radiation. Better safe than sorry. No question about that.
That's going to wrap it up for us. Thanks for joining us on this Monday edition of AMERICAN MORNING. We'll see you back here again bright and early tomorrow.
CHETRY: Meantime, the news continues. "CNN NEWSROOM" with Kyra Phillips starts right now. Happy Monday to you, Kyra.
