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American Morning

Giffords Opens Her Eyes for the First Time; President Obama Calls for Healing; Loughner's Tucson Timeline; Home Prices on the Rebound?; Middle School Drug Tests; CEO Moms

Aired January 13, 2011 - 06:00   ET

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


(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And I want to tell you, her husband Mark is here, and he allows me to share this with you. Right after we went to visit, a few minutes after we left her room and some of her colleagues from Congress were in the room, Gabby opened her eyes for the first time.

(APPLAUSE)

Gabby opened her eyes for the first time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: It was the news no one expected. A stunning development in the condition of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. President Obama also remembering the victims of Saturday's killing spree and uniting a nation on this AMERICAN MORNING.

And good morning to you. Thanks so much for being with us. It's Thursday, January 13th. I'm Kiran Chetry.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes. Glad you could be here with us.

We were waiting for this moment. Waiting for this speech. So much buildup to it. The president going to try to bring the nation together. And then right off the top, the president broke news of his own, telling us all that Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords opened her eyes for the first time since being shot.

CHETRY: Yes. I mean, no one was expecting to hear that from the president.

HOLMES: Not at all.

CHETRY: And as you heard the applause that rang out after he said those words, the incredible news, what was really part memorial service and part pep rally at times. It came minutes after President Obama and the delegation of lawmakers went to visit the congresswoman at the University Medical Center in Tucson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Right after we went to visit, a few minutes after we left her room and some of her colleagues from Congress were in the room, Gabby opened her eyes for the first time.

(APPLAUSE)

Gabby opened her eyes for the first time.

(APPLAUSE)

Gabby opened her eyes. Gabby opened her eyes so I can tell you she knows we are here. She knows we love her. And she knows that we are rooting for her to what is undoubtedly going to be a difficult journey. We are there for her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Well, Giffords' progress since that attack has been described as miraculous, taking breaths of her own and being able to respond to simple commands.

HOLMES: Yes, she's moving a bit on her own as well. This was the picture that we just got yesterday actually that was released. So stirring. You don't see her. You just see her hand. But that's enough. Her husband sitting there, keeping vigil by her bedside, holding on to her hand.

This comes now as she was surrounded by -- at least the news of her opening her eyes -- she was surrounded by her husband and also had three good friends in there with her. Listen to those in the room -- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and also Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. And Gillibrand spoke to our Anderson Cooper about that moment last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (D), NEW YORK (via telephone): She was amazing. She was holding my hand at the time. And she was squeezing it and even stroking it. She could absolutely hear everything we were saying. Debbie and I were telling her how much she was inspiring the nation with her courage and her strength. All of a sudden, she started to struggle to open her eyes. And so Mark saw that and said, you know, "open your eyes, Gabby, open your eyes." And she kept struggling and struggling. And Mark just kept encouraging her. And within a moment, she literally opened her eyes. And the doctor was unbelievable excited because of such great progress.

And so it was something that we couldn't imagine that we would have witnessed. And she took a few moments to try to focus. You could see that she was focusing. And then Mark said, he said, you know, "Gabby, if you can see me, if you can see me, you know, give us the thumbs-up. Give us the thumbs-up." And she didn't only just give us the thumbs- up. She literally raised her entire hand.

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "AC 360": Senator, how long did she keep her eyes open?

GILLIBRAND: It was just moments that it was open, and then you could see she was focusing. And then when asked if she could see, she responded positively.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: It's amazing. And you can just hear the excitement in Senator Gillibrand's voice. Obviously, it was not what they were expecting. They were sitting there talking to her and, you know, trying to encourage her but they certainly didn't expect that she was going to open her eyes.

HOLMES: We're talking about what? Four or five days ago this woman was shot point blank in the head.

CHETRY: Yes.

HOLMES: And now she's moving around. She's responding to people in the room. Just again, the president broke that news, we were all kind of in shock because it's not what we were expecting here. It's good news.

CHETRY: No, not at all. And, of course, that was one part of his speech last night. He also was really trying to comfort, attempting to draw the country together amid the bitter back and forth that has engulfed the political landscape at times. His words were both soaring and then at times, somber, as he challenged the nation to live up to the expectations of the victims who lost their lives in Saturday's shooting.

Our senior White House correspondent Ed Henry is live for us at the White House. And so it was a pretty powerful speech, a long speech last night. Was it a defining moment in his presidency, Ed?

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Kiran, I think it very well may be. And you always have to be careful the morning after not to overstate it. But when you take a step back and think about some of the most powerful speeches we've heard from this president, 2004, the Democratic National Convention, usually, you hear political speeches. Why it was so successful is it transcended politics and really tried to bring the country together. He was talking about don't be red or blue, it's about purple and both sides coming together.

2008, that Reverend Wright Speech, the so-called race speech -- it was not just about politics and saving his political hide in that race, but he was able to elevate the conversation on race. And I think last night, as well, as you noted, all of this back and forth in the last few days, liberals, conservatives pointing fingers, who's to blame here. He really tried to transcend all of that and say, look, we're not going to be able to control what a mentally deranged person is going to do but we can control how we treat one another. Take a quick listen to kind of the flavor of what he was trying to get at.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This tragedy prompts reflection and debate, as it should. Let's make sure it's worthy of those we had lost.

(APPLAUSE)

But what we cannot do is use this tragedy as one more occasion to turn on each other.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: And whether or not this will be a defining moment, as the president said, I think will be decided in part by what he does next. I mean, we didn't hear a lot of specifics from him because rightly so, it's a memorial service. He's not going to do a laundry list of whether he's going to push for gun control legislation or things like that. But he does have a speech in two weeks, that big State of the Union address where presidents tend to give kind of a laundry list of big initiatives. And there may be an opportunity for him now coming out of this speech, to kind of get more specific in the State of the Union about how he wants both sides to come together -- T.J., Kiran.

CHETRY: And speaking of the State of the Union, this is interesting. A suggestion from Colorado Democrat Senator Mark Udall. He said that at the State of the Union, let's not separate ourselves on either side of the aisle by party. What do you think? How likely is it is that they will all sit together?

HENRY: It sounds like there are some folks who are now saying in both parties that it is a good idea. It was first pushed by Third Way, this sort of centrist Democratic group. But think back to the last State of the Union -- pardon me -- the president talked about how every -- you know, few weeks, he was going to meet with Republican leaders. He was really going to make sure that things are bipartisan. And he really didn't follow up on it. Pardon me. The Republicans didn't really either. And so now, after the midterms, both sides said, look, we're going to start fresh now. We have Speaker Boehner trying to work with this president. And yet, are they going to follow us on it or not? Maybe after this tragedy, maybe after the words from both sides, they finally will. And a small gesture like this sitting together at the State of the Union, that might make an important difference to try to get everybody actually following up on the rhetoric of working together, Kiran and T.J.

CHETRY: It will be interesting to see if that happens. There's a lot of political theater, of course, playing out at the State of the Union.

HENRY: Absolutely.

CHETRY: Ed Henry for us this morning. Thanks.

HOLMES: That is a great idea. One of the best we have heard from Capitol Hill in a long time. It always drives us all crazy to see that moment when Democrats stand up and cheer one thing. Republicans just sitting on their hands. They should all sit together. I give him credit for that idea. That is brilliant.

CHETRY: We'll see if that happens.

HOLMES: We will see if it happens. Hope it does.

Well, a lot of people were singled out last night. Some of the heroes of the day of that shooting. One in particular, you'll recognize the name and the face. Daniel Hernandez. There he is. He's Giffords' intern. He was the one that put pressure to her wound and really helped keep her alive until paramedics got there. There you see him singled out, holding her hand as paramedics were taking her to an ambulance to take her to the hospital.

Well, he spoke last night. He says he does not consider himself a hero, but the opinion of the commander-in-chief trumps his.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are grateful to Daniel Hernandez, a volunteer in Gabby's office. And Daniel, I'm sorry, you may deny it, but we've decided you are a hero because you ran through the chaos to minister to your boss and tended to her wounds and helped keep her alive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: What a moment that was for that young man. He remained stoic last night. Serious. He just seemed to capture the mood. And just ahead at 6:30, bottom of the hour, 6:30 Eastern Time, it's about 20 minutes from now, we will be talking to Daniel Hernandez live. Hero or not, he believes it or not, everyone else does. We're going to be hearing from him once again this morning.

CHETRY: It's -- you forget, he's 20 years old.

HOLMES: 20 years old.

CHETRY: I mean, when I met him in person, he's tall. He seems just so much, you know, more mature than 20.

HOLMES: And even speaking last night. He didn't have prepared remarks. Like he just spoke, an extemporaneous speech there. And he just knocked it out at the park himself as well. But this guy is teaching us all a lesson in what it means sometimes to be a hero and to rise to the moment.

CHETRY: Absolutely. Well, look forward to hearing from him.

Meanwhile, the FBI is trying to piece together what the suspected gunman Jared Loughner was actually doing in the hours before that shooting.

HOLMES: Yes. And would you believe he had a run-in with the law just hours before that shooting?

Also, some of the focus being put on some mysterious black bag. Let's get the details here from our Ted Rowlands live for us in Tucson.

Good morning to you, Ted.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, T.J. According to investigators, Loughner's father says he saw his son in the early morning hours of Saturday with some sort of black bag. He says he questioned his son about that bag, but he didn't have any further details. That bag is still missing. And the FBI is still looking for it. Loughner's father said that he actually got in his car after getting in an argument with his son and tried to follow his son but then gave up the chase, if you will, assuming that he was off into the desert and was gone. But that black bag is now a key focus of this investigation. FBI agents are looking for it in the city of Tucson. But at this point, they have been not been able to locate it.

HOLMES: And, Ted, again, the moments or the time before the shooting, he had a bit of a run-in, or at least ran into the police in some way?

ROWLANDS: Yes, how ironic. At 7:30 in the morning, roughly 2 1/2 hours before this shooting rampage took place, Loughner was actually pulled over by a Tucson police officer. He was pulled over for running a red light. The officer stopped him, gave him a warning and let him go.

CHETRY: Yes, they say they ran, you know, the license plate, nothing came up. He had his insurance. I mean, everything seemed to check out. So what else would he have done?

All right. Ted Rowlands for us this morning. Thanks so much.

Well, no rest for the weary on the East Coast. This blast of bitter cold. And on top of that more than two feet of snow in some spots. Meteorologist Rob Marciano is in the extreme weather center for us today.

All that travel again yesterday, they canceled thousands of flights. Hopefully, things will start to shape up later in the week.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good thing about this one, Kiran and T.J., is that it's a fast-mover. The back side of it is bringing some cold air, but the front side of it moved through pretty quickly. But it came down intensely.

Check out some of the video coming out of Massachusetts which really got hammered. New England really got the brunt of this. Eastern Mass with winds gusting over 60 miles an hour at times. And blizzard conditions taking down tree limbs and power lines so just a nasty, nasty go of it. And these are the remarkable snow totals out of New England today. Savoy, Massachusetts, 38 inches. Wilmington, Vermont, 36, three feet. Florida, Massachusetts, Florida, Mass, 33 inches. So really impressive snow totals here with this system as it's pounded not only northern New England but Connecticut as well where we possibly had almost three inches of snow.

The snow is gone for the most part. Temperatures are chilly and the winds are gusty. And the temperatures, by the way, all the way down to the south, we've been outside in Atlanta the past few days. The drive to work was just as dicey today as it has been with temperatures well into the teens and 20s. So the south still frozen over. We don't expect temperatures to get above freezing until tomorrow.

By the way, 2010 tied for the warmest year on record globally. We'll talk more about that in about a half an hour. I know it doesn't feel that way.

HOLMES: Yes. The last couple of weeks (INAUDIBLE). We'll talk to you about that in a bit, Rob. Appreciate you, buddy. Talk to you again here shortly.

MARCIANO: Sound goods.

CHETRY: And coming up, we're going to be talking about some other unusual weather halfway around the world.

HOLMES: Yes.

CHETRY: A disaster down under. They were dealing with historic flooding in Australia. Well, now, a major city under water.

HOLMES: Also, school kids all over the country are about to start stockpiling their french fries because they could be going away and be replaced with fruits and vegetables. We'll explain some new guidelines. That's coming up.

It's 13 minutes past the hour.

CHETRY: No more pizza Friday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, it's 16 minutes past the hour.

What you are seeing here is another major weather situation happening down under. We're talking about floodwaters that are lapping up against skyscrapers, leaving a muddy trail of devastation across Australia's east coast.

Again, it's 16 minutes past the hour. Welcome. You're back to this AMERICAN MORNING. Glad you can be here.

This water slowly starting to recede this morning in Brisbane. Now, More than 20,000 homes been overwhelmed by - oh, just look at this, a mess. This sea of brown, it's being described as. Fifteen people, we know, have been killed, another 70 still missing in Queensland, in that province.

It's the worst ever natural disaster they've had there. Search and rescue operations underway now. Authorities are warning, though, recovery could take months or maybe even years.

CHETRY: That's amazing. Horrible pictures.

Well, the torrential rains are also tearing through Brazil, causing flash flooding and mudslides. This is the worst of it, in the mountains northeast of Rio. Two hundred sixty people are dead, and this flooding could continue through the end of the week.

HOLMES: Defense Secretary Robert Gates in Tokyo today, talking to Japanese leaders about the growing risk of war between North and South Korea. Also on the agenda, North Korea's nuclear capabilities, which could one day, according to Secretary Gates, pose a threat to the U.S. mainland.

Gates heading to Seoul tomorrow.

CHETRY: Well, the federal government's calling for dramatic new standards for school lunches. Today, they say it'll be more whole grains, more fruits, more vegetables and fewer French fries, less salt and less - fewer calories. Well, low-fat, nonfat milk only. Trans fats are banned.

And this will be the first major overhaul of nutrition standards since the 1990s. I don't know what they really overhauled in the '90s. We were eating those bad lunches back then, weren't we?

HOLMES: The pizzas were really unhealthy for those last ones you and I ate.

CHETRY: Oh, before the - the rectangular -

HOLMES: Yes. Oh, yes.

CHETRY: -- delightful slices?

Well, it could take several years before schools actually have to implement the changes. So, to be continued, but they're trying to move in the right direction.

HOLMES: Oh, they are. We will see a big meeting on it today. We should get more details about it. But, again, it could be a little while before they get in place.

And turning to the price of oil now, pushing towards $100 a barrel. Right now, at $92, the highest we've seen in more than two years. Demand is up as a cold snap, as the northeast hungry for that heating oil.

Also, supply down a bit, thanks to some production disruptions. One of them was a leak in that Alaskan pipeline being shut down for weekend repairs.

CHETRY: Some other news also about your home, your biggest investment but, of course, for many people it's also their biggest headache right now. Our Christine Romans is Minding Your Business this morning.

2011, will it be a good time to buy? Will it be a good time to sell?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You know, 2010 was supposed to be the year of the recovery in real estate, and it didn't happen and that caught - HOLMES: (INAUDIBLE).

ROMANS: Yes, and it caught a lot of people flat-footed. Now, you've got a big real estate conference and a big - a big projection that the bottom for real estate could come sometime in the spring of this year.

This is - this is a forecast from the chief economist of - of Freddie Mac for the National Association of Realtors. This is what they say. You - you've got prices that could hit bottom this spring. Where - where are prices now? $170,600 is the November median home price.

You guys, look what's happened to home prices in America since the peak, $230,200 was the peak. So people have lost an incredible amount of wealth in this thing, their houses they live in. It's also their biggest investment, their biggest savings and their biggest debt.

Why do they think home prices could start to rise? Why is the industry starting to feel a little bit better about things? Well, they say that potential buyers are ready. They've been watching home prices fall, and now you've got other surveys that show, finally, fairly priced markets in many part of the country for the first time in years.

The 30-year fixed rate mortgage is right now 4.77 percent. That is so low. That is incredibly low. And you've got positive economic indicators, like the economy starting to turn around, and you've also got jobs that are starting to come back.

So will there be a home building rebound? Here's another forecast from Freddie Mac and the National Association of Home Builders, a 20 percent increase in new housing starts, they are forecasting.

Why? The national inventory of - of new homes is at a 40-year low. Two million people are ready to move. Who are those people? They are people who graduated from college, who are still living at home. They are people who are doubling, tripling, quadrupling up in apartments, young people, many of them, but also seniors, and people who are in middle age who are now several different people in the same apartment, because they're waiting to get in.

There's a backlog, they say of households getting ready to move into their own homes.

So, this, again - look, you're going to hear from the industry, hopes for a bottom. And we talk about the bottom that's coming, that could mean there are more declines heading into the bottom and then you start moving up from there. Or you move sideways from there.

But, clearly, the job market can - can get better. You could see the housing market start to pick up. We didn't see it last year. Now, they're forecasting it could be this year.

CHETRY: And we didn't see the jobs picture improve enough last year, you know, for -

ROMANS: No. CHETRY: -- for people to feel comfortable -

ROMANS: But for buyers, you know, if you can just unlock what it is that's going to get buyers out there. I mean, all of the pieces are in place.

CHETRY: Right.

ROMANS: It just hasn't happened yet.

CHETRY: All right. Well, hopefully 2011 will be the year.

ROMANS: Hopefully. You're right.

CHETRY: Thanks, Christine.

HOLMES: Christine, thank you.

Well, coming up next on this AMERICAN MORNING, parents - you can't help but worry if one day your kids are going to end up using drugs or alcohol. But are you worried about that when the child is 11?

Well, one school district is worried about it, and they're about to start testing 11 year olds for drugs and alcohol. We'll tell you where this school district is and what they're trying to do right now.

CHETRY: Yes, and whether or not it's a concern for them. I mean, do they - having a problem with 11 -

HOLMES: Eleven-year-olds?

CHETRY: Yes. Because 11 year olds using drugs, scary stuff.

Well, also, a hopeful sign for the economy. Hourly autoworkers are getting something extra in their paychecks.

Twenty-two minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, 25 minutes past the hour now.

Parents out there can't help but worry about your kids possibly one day using drugs or possibly drinking.

CHETRY: I'm just hoping mine will use the bathroom, I want to tell you before, but (ph) -

HOLMES: Really (ph)?

CHETRY: But, you know what? Eventually, you have other concerns, right?

HOLMES: Eventually, that's going to be the worries, but, right.

But even at 11, you're not necessarily worried about drugs and alcohol, but should they be subject at that age to random drug testing? Eleven years old.

CHETRY: I know. Kids are growing up too fast these days. Everyone will agree with that.

But one New Jersey school district is looking to expand its program that would include middle school students which would mean drug testing sixth, seventh and eighth graders. They had an important vote on it last night.

Mary Snow following the story. Is this in response to concerns they have about kids actually drinking and doing drugs?

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There are some concerns, but they can't point to a specific big problem there. You see these kids, it's hard to imagine that drugs and alcohol would even enter their minds.

But the school board in Belvedere, New Jersey voted nine to two to approve random drug testing for these younger students. The town joins a handful of New Jersey's 500-plus districts in doing this. And those who push for it cite increasing peer pressure.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW (voice-over): A lesson in math conversions is what you might expect in sixth grade. But for these 11-year-olds in Belvedere, New Jersey, learning real-life lessons may come earlier than most kids in their state.

School officials want to randomly test middle schoolers for drug and alcohol, something that's usually reserved for high school students.

SANDRA SZABOCSIK, PRINCIPAL, OXFORD STREET ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: When parents call or even when we get anything from the police, it's very general.

SNOW: Principal Sandra Szabocsik says she gets calls about weekend parties involving marijuana and alcohol in a small rural community. She can't pinpoint specific drug problem at her school, but says there are realities that can't be ignored.

They include a 2009 drug bust in a nearby town involving teachers arrested as part of a ring selling prescription drugs. Szabocsik hopes the random test will serve as a deterrent in keeping middle schoolers away from drugs and alcohol.

SZABOCSIK: I'm hoping that because they know they could be tested come Monday, maybe they'll all just say no, I can't do that. I'm afraid. And I also look at it as a way they can say no to their peers.

SNOW: In order to conduct testing, both parents and kids have to agree to participate. We spoke with several parents ready to sign up.

CHRISTINA TAURIELLO, MIDDLE SCHOOL PARENT: Oh, I think it's great.

SNOW (on camera): Why? TAURIELLO: Because, you know, the kids now, you don't know what they're doing, performance enhancement drugs, things like that. Even regular drugs, the kids are not as open to come home and tell their parents.

SNOW (voice-over): But others question the need to expose kids this young to random tests saying it can backfire.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's the message being sent to them that they have to be random drug test - tested? There's a question then about the integrity of every kid.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW: Now, the ACLU is critical of random drug testing at schools saying it's not a good civic lesson and don't reduce drug use. But schools involved say they do.

Now in this program, students who fail wouldn't be punished, say school administrators, but they will be - they will get some counseling.

HOLMES: You can't be kicked out of school for it if a kid is found to be using drugs or alcohol for this testing? There's no -

SNOW: No, not for these middle schools. Well, they do that in high school.

HOLMES: OK.

SNOW: But the kids have to volunteer. But if they don't volunteer, they can't play sports or any kind of school activity after that. So they're really kind of forced to do it.

CHETRY: Yes. Well, sign of the times, unfortunately.

SNOW: Yes.

CHETRY: Thanks so much, Mary.

HOLMES: Thank you.

CHETRY: Still to come, Boston battered by snow, hundreds of flights in and out of Logan Airport canceled. Some places got three feet of snow. We're going to take a look at how it could impact your travel plans, coming up.

HOLMES: Also this morning, the president says he's a hero. But Daniel Hernandez says he is not. That young man that you know now - by now who helped save Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is going to be joining us once again live this morning. He's coming up. Stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Welcome back. We are crossing the bottom of the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING for this Thursday, January 13th.

A live look here for you. This has been growing and growing and growing since Saturday. This is outside of the hospital, the memorial that has popped up. And like I said, continues to grow. It's outside the hospital where Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords continues to recover. An amazing recovery it is.

We just got the news last night, got it from the president himself. Great news that the congresswoman has opened her eyes for the first time since being shot last Saturday.

CHETRY: That's right. And also responding to her friends and colleagues and her husband who were asking her to respond to them, "Touch my hand, if you can hear me, if you can see me." Just amazing news, just days from her being shot right through the head.

This sunny announcement came from President Obama, as T.J. said, last night at the University of Arizona.

Also at last night's memorial, honoring the heroes from Saturday's tragedy, including Daniel Hernandez, the 20-year-old intern for Mrs. Giffords. We're going to be speaking to him in just a few minutes live.

Also, we have more from Tucson in a moment.

First, though, some other top stories this morning:

Parts of New England trying to dig out from as much as three feet of snow. A winter storm pounded the region for much of the day yesterday, cutting power to as many as 4,000 people in Massachusetts. Boston's Logan Airport has now reopened all of its runways, but they closed down and were forced to cancel -- airlines were forced to cancel many flights yesterday.

Amtrak also set to resume rail service, which was also suspended between New York and Boston sometime today.

HOLMES: Also, we've been getting some news about the rebound in U.S. auto sales. And that is possibly about to pay off for workers at Ford and General Motors. According to "The New York Times," the two automakers are set to announce profit-sharing checks for their hourly workers. And Ford is expected to payout what amount to $5,000. Workers at GM to maybe get just a bit less.

CHETRY: And also, we're all waiting. Dreaming about hitting it big, but there is somebody who is living that dream now. We now know the identity of the second mega millions winner from last week. Idaho lottery officials say a 29-year-old single mom with two kids won the remaining half of the $380 million jackpot. She's going to be splitting her winnings with the couple from Washington state and perhaps splitting her winnings with her estranged husband, as some of the word on the street as well.

HOLMES: I've been hearing about that story, I'm not really up on it. CHETRY: Well, I guess they were in the middle of splitting up. So, there's going to be lawyers coming to town in Idaho, right? Everyone is shaking their head this morning.

HOLMES: Held off in claiming that ticket. No.

CHETRY: Can only keep the ticket for so long.

HOLMES: For so long.

All right. Thirty-four minutes past the hour now. Of course, we saw this stirring memorial in Arizona. And there were six victims, six people who were killed at least after that shooting Saturday in Arizona. And it's tragic each and every one of them.

But one story that really has struck a chord with a lot of people is the story of the youngest victim of that tragedy in Tucson. You know her by now, Christina Taylor Green, 9 years old. Her funeral will be held this afternoon.

Now, all of the stories we have been hearing, so far, again, just 9 years old. But my goodness, she clearly made an impression in just that short life.

Listen to this -- this is what the fire department of New York City is going to do. They are sending what's called the 9/11 flag -- they're sending it to Arizona for her service. It is the largest flag to survive the attacks of September the 11th -- September the 11th, 2001 being Christina's birthday.

The president also singled her out last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want to live up to her expectations. I want our democracy to be as good as Christina imagined it. I want America to be as good as she imagined it. All of us, we should do everything we can do to make sure this country lives up to our children's expectations.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: You know, I and a lot of other people found that in a speech that was full of symbolism, imagery and powerful messages, that might have been one of the most important for people to hear, through the eyes of that young girl who is not cynical, who is not skeptical about her government. She just has nothing but hope.

We should live up to what she was expecting of her government. That was so powerful. And we can all live by that -- whoo -- we will be a in a better place. We will be better off.

CHETRY: Yes. HOLMES: Her parents, I believe, were invited to Washington, D.C. by the president. They say they are going to take him up on that offer. They're going to go. They say it's something that Christina would have loved they got a chance to do.

CHETRY: Yes. I mean, ironically, the reason she was there that day, at the Congress -- meet your congressman at the corner, was because she was so interested in politics. And a neighbor thought it would be a neat thing for her. (INAUDIBLE) was just an unspeakable tragedy.

Well, moving along -- 36 minutes past the hour. We're getting a check of the weather headlines as well.

Rob Marciano is in the extreme weather center.

As we said, things still aren't back to normal in parts of the Northeast, Boston, New York -- hundreds of flights canceled in Boston, and I think a few thousand in the New York area because of yesterday's weather.

MARCIANO: Yes, quite an impressive storm and things are not back to normal and in the south either. So, the entire eastern third of the country are really in the grips of this winter. And it really began in the beginning of December and really hasn't let its grip off, has it?

Here's the storm that really continues to intensify as it heads off the shoreline of the Canadian maritime, definitely some breezy conditions. So, snow is blowing around in some of these areas, especially in New England where these impressive totals are really mindboggling. Over three feet in some spots, including Massachusetts and Vermont. Wilmington will see 33 inches. Florida, Massachusetts seeing 33 inches. North Haven, Connecticut, seeing 30.5 inches.

This came down in a hurry. It was a 24 and 36-hour event. It pretty much was, you know, one and done, about 18 hours. It was quite an impressive event.

We are seeing windy conditions across parts of these areas. So, there will be travel delays, on top of the fact that, you know, they're trying to clear the runways, still, especially up there in Boston.

On the backside of this, will bring some snow across parts of the Appalachians here, and that's going to continue to pile up things. And temperatures are not rising very quickly across the south.

Eighteen degrees right now in Atlanta. It did not get above freezing yesterday. Roads are still incredibly icy. And schools are closed for a fourth day in a row. Unbelievable.

Guys, back up to you.

CHETRY: All right. You know, my kids are still young enough when the teacher calls and says there's no school, they're sad. As supposed to -- yes.

HOLMES: Yes, they're really young.

CHETRY: Do you know what I mean? Oh, no. No school?

HOLMES: They'll get over it.

(LAUGHTER)

CHETRY: Yes, it will change very quickly.

HOLMES: Rob, thanks, buddy. We'll talk to you again here shortly.

Well, as we know, the great news we got about Gabrielle Giffords and her recovery. She is showing signs of recovery in the hospital. There's someone who knows all too well what she is going to. That is the former White House Press Secretary Jim Brady. He, of course, was shot by an assassin taking aim at President Reagan.

CHETRY: And we're going to hear what he has to say about Gabrielle's chances and how you go on from a severe brain injury.

Also, she's a wife, she's a mom and she's also the CEO of a "Fortune" 500 company. We're going to hear what it took for her to make it to the executive floor and how she hopes to inspire other women to make it there, too. It's an A.M. original -- coming up.

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CHETRY: Forty-one minutes past the hour now.

No doubt women have become a force in the American workplace. Roughly 40 percent of management positions are now held by women. Still, though, just a fraction are at the very top of the corporate food chain. Only 12 women are CEOs of "Fortune" 500 companies. But 11 of those are also moms.

So, is it more proof that women don't have to choose between a career and a family? We want to meet one woman who made it happen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE SONNABEND, CEO, SONESTA INTERNATIONAL HOTELS: I think women need to be more strategic about how they plan their careers -- where do they want to get to and what is it going to take to get there.

CHETRY (voice-over): And she should know. As CEO of Sonesta Hotels, Stephanie Sonnabend heads a $60 million-a-year businesses, with 3,000 employees worldwide. But she's also a wife, and a mother of two kids -- a rarity in the boardroom.

(on camera): Did you ever think your leadership skills were in doubt because of your gender?

SONNABEND: Early on for some people, yes, because they did not have -- had seen a woman in that position.

CHETRY: So, that was something that took some getting used to? SONNABEND: Yes. Yes, it did. Again, when I start there, there were very few women. There was one senior woman in an executive position and everyone else was men.

CHETRY (voice-over): Even her own father who was president of a family-owned business couldn't picture his own daughter sitting at his desk one day.

SONNABEND: I told him I was ambitious and I did want to rise to the top of the leadership.

CHETRY (on camera): And did he say to you, "One day I hope you're the CEO," or "You will be the CEO"? Or was it just, "You come in and work your way up like everybody else and we'll see what happens"?

SONNABEND: He said, "Well, what do you want to do and how do you want to carve your career in the business?" And again, he was of the generation that didn't really think of necessarily women having a career and becoming a CEO.

CHETRY (voice-over): Only 14 percent of top executives are women -- a number Sonnabend says needs to change because women bring something missing on executive row.

SONNABEND: It's really about that diversity of thought. Men and women think differently. Women tend to think about how will that decision impact the employees, the community, the environment, not just the bottom line.

Good morning, Stephanie Sonnabend.

CHETRY: But Sonnabend admits she couldn't have it all, career and children, without help. Her husband Greg gave up his career as an opera singer.

GREG CICCOLO, HUSBAND: There are some regrets, there'd be a little every once in a while. Would I love to continue on singing throughout Europe and having what was a very exciting life? Sure, but I had it.

CHETRY: Still, says Sonnabend, even with struggles between family life and life as a CEO, she never hesitated in reaching for both.

SONNABEND: I really felt that was never a problem for me. Now, again, part of that may be being in a family business. But it's easily -- no, I shouldn't say that -- it's not easily done, but it's certainly very doable.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHETRY: And, we talked to her daughter as well, who's helping her mom with his initiative. Their goal is to try to get 20 percent of corporate boards, for women, to be 20 percent of the makeup of the corporate boards by the year 2020. And it seems like, well, it seems easy. But they're at 11 percent right now.

HOLMES: So, a little ways to go. But some ground has been made up. CHETRY: That's right.

HOLMES: Let's hope.

CHETRY: And I love her quote, she says, you know, you can do it all, just not at the same time.

HOLMES: Not at the same time. heard somebody say you can't actually have it all, you actually have to make a choice of which direction you want to go. But she seems to have found a balance.

CHETRY: Yes.

HOLMES: All right. Great stuff there.

Well, coming up, we're going to stick with some of this weather. Atlanta and the South, a lot of places down there, as you know, not used to all this snow necessarily. Not -- we don't know what to do, OK? I didn't even have snow boots.

CHETRY: No. I mean, and there's no match against ice. I mean, if there's ice on the roads --

HOLMES: There's not. Nothing you can do about that. The problem is now the temperatures aren't going up enough to melt some of that ice, but even if it melts a bit, then it freezes again, when is this going to stop? We're going to be taking with Rob Marciano once again, coming up.

CHETRY: Little later, we're going to be speaking to Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. She was in the room when Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords opened her eyes, and she's going to tell us what it was like to see that type of amazing progress she really says she was witnessing a miracle. We're going to be back after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and former Reagan press secretary, Jim Brady, both of them shot in the head during assassination attempts. And like Brady back in 1981, Giffords is showing signs of recovery just days afterward. The similarities also don't end there. Our Jim Acosta is live in Washington. And Jim, you had a chance to sit down with Jim Brady and his wife Sarah who've, of course, in the wake of this become advocates from gun control.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right.

CHETRY: But it's fascinating to hear firsthand what it is like to recover from a gunshot wound of the head.

ACOSTA: It's incredible. When we talk about Gabrielle Giffords' rampant recovery, it is important to hear Jim Brady's story because I mean, they were talking to me about this yesterday. And, did you know this, Kiran, that in a day or so after Jim Brady was shot in the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan, that Brady pulled the breathing tube out of his chest. He was recovering that quickly.

And doctors had to, you know, sort of pounce on him to make sure that he was keeping calm and recovering well. So, that just goes to show you how quickly gunshot victims can recover in these initial days. And it has been remarkably, 30 years, since the attempt on Ronald Reagan's life when Jim Brady was shot in the head.

And these days, the Bradys, Jim and Sarah brady, are keeping tabs on what's happening down in Tucson with intense interest. Mainly because, as Jim Brady puts it, he has been there, done that. And, as you pointed out, Kiran, they do see parallels between what happened earlier this week and what happened 30 years ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARAH BRADY, CHAIR, THE BRADY CAMPAIGN: Both shot by deranged young man. Both head injuries, severe brain injuries. So --

ACOSTA: Jim was pronounced dead at one point?

SARAH BRADY: Yes. They read his obituary on the news. And then, he made a miraculous recovery.

ACOSTA: Much in the way that Gabrielle Giffords has made this --

SARAH BRADY: Yes.

ACOSTA: Unbelievable recovery.

SARAH BRADY: She, too. There were reports, I believe, that she had not made it.

ACOSTA: Right.

SARAH BRADY: And my heart just sank, and I thought, oh, no, but luckily, they were incorrect, too. I remember the other day when we heard that.

JIM BRADY, FORMER REAGAN PRESS SECRETARY: I said been there.

SARAH BRADY: Yes, been there, done that.

ACOSTA: Been there, done that.

JIM BRADY: Been there, know that.

SARAH BRADY: And we know for her, it's going to be a long haul, but I know she's a fighter, and she's going to do great. One of the big things that help is the support of the community and the people around the country. That meant so much to me and then to Jim when he heard about it. You know, if it was like a cheerleader at your side.

ACOSTA: And it means a lot?

SARAH BRADY: It means the world.

ACOSTA: What's your message after Tucson?

JIM BRADY: It sounds to me like she's got a great support group that's right there with her. And that means a lot.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: And they certainly would know. One thing that we can tell you is just as we were wrapping up our interview with the Bradys, Jim Brady was on his way to physical therapy. He does this on a routine basis near the couple's home on the Delaware shore. And, Kiran, it is another sign of just how long this recovery process can be. It can take a lifetime.

CHETRY: Yes. And it's -- it turns into, at some point, you know, a chronic thing. I mean, he has to do certain things to maintain.

ACOSTA: That's right.

CHETRY: And boy, he's putting up quite a fight, all of these years later. It's amazing.

ACOSTA: Absolutely.

CHETRY: Jim, I'm really glad that you had a chance to talk to him. Thanks so much.

ACOSTA: You bet.

CHETRY: Still ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, President Obama delivering some unexpected good news about Congresswoman Giffords as we said she opened her eyes. We have some new details about what it was like to be in that room when this happened.

HOLMES: Also coming up this morning, people always looking for way to live longer. We've got a doctor who says he has a way to save your life and maybe the life of your children. And it's as simple as having a home-cooked meal together. Is it really that easy? Fifty- two minutes past the hour. Stick around.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS HARDWICK, STANDUP COMEDIAN: Hi, I'm Chris Hardwick. I'm a stand-up comedian, and I spend almost every weekend on the road. I feel like I pack like a boy scout. I try to prepare for everything. There's a pile of electronic equipment that has to come with me. I absolutely cannot travel with melatonin because it makes me sleep for about three to four hours.

Also, I have a neck pillow which unzips to reveal eye shade. I look like a freak when I am on the plane. Most people will never tour the country like they're visitors. The truth of the matter is, I think it's so important for Americans to tour with own country. That's what I love the most about traveling, sampling different subcultures. This is where you find all the local stuff because we now carry computers in our pockets. I'm the oldies. I don't know how people found anything.

I'm Chris Hardwick, and thanks for taking a peek into my obsessive travel habits. So, the next time you're on a plain, you see some guy in a cocoon in an orange blanket with a foamy eye shade on his face, with a neck pillow and noise-cancelling headphones, who might be drooling on you, just pat his head, that guy is probably me. Shut that baby up!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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