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American Morning
President Obama Delivers Good News on Gabrielle Giffords; Random Drug Test for Middle Schoolers?; Jim and Sarah Brady on Giffords Gun Control; Restoring the Culture of Food and Cooking; Frigid Temps in the North, Icy Conditions in the South
Aired January 13, 2011 - 07:00 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.
(CLAPPING)
OBAMA: Gabby opened her eyes for the first time.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The amazing news that we got last night from the president himself. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords opened her eyes for the first time. Her recovery continues. The president remembering the victims of Saturday's shooting and calling on the nation to unite on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES (on-camera): And at the top of the hour here, good morning to you all on this Thursday, January 13th. Glad you could be here with us. I'm T.J. Holmes.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kiran Chetry. We begin with the breaking news and the heartwarming news that we learned late last night. President Obama delivering it to the nation that Gabrielle Giffords, the congresswoman, actually opened her eyes for the first time since Saturday shooting.
HOLMES: Yes. This news comes, and it was really a major part. It was how we kicked off, in a lot of ways, a memorial service last night. A memorial service that, at times, felt like a pep rally. There were a lot of young people, a lot of college kids in the University of Arizona where it was taking place.
The president had just left the room. Just minutes after he left, there was another delegation of lawmakers that went in to visit the congresswoman at the University Medical Center there in Tucson when she opened her eyes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) OBAMA: 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.
(CLAPPING)
OBAMA: Gabby opened her eyes for the first time.
(CLAPPING)
OBAMA: 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.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now, and the crowd there really got raucous. Anybody who was watching that, we weren't expecting that moment. We keep getting little updates about her condition. Every little thing gives people hope and inspires everybody, but that was the biggest news so far.
Her doctors, as you know, says she has a 101 percent chance of survival now, just miraculous. She's also taking breaths on her own, responding to simple commands, too.
CHETRY: It's quite amazing after everything she's been through. The latest good news as Giffords was surrounded by her husband there. You see him there in the picture. House minority leader Nancy Pelosi was there as well as Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. Kirsten Gillibrand spoke to Anderson Cooper about the moment Gabrielle opened her eyes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND, (D) NEW YORK: She was amazing. She was holding my hand at the time. She was squeezing it and even stroking it. She absolutely could hear everything we were saying. Debbie and I were telling her how much she's inspiring the nation with her courage, her strength.
All of a sudden, she struggled to open her eyes. Mark saw that and said "Open your eyes, Gabby. Open your eyes." She kept struggling. Mark kept encouraging her. And within a moment, she literally opened her eyes. And the doctor was unbelievable excited because this is 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 "Gabby, if you can see me, if you can see me, give us the thumbs up." She didn't only give the thumbs up, she literally raised her entire hand.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Senator, how long -- did she keep her eyes open?
GILLIBRAND: It was just moments. But it was open. And then you could see, she was focusing, then asked if she could see, she responded positively.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Just amazing to hear. They also said, you know, they vacation together and done things together, the Congresswoman Schultz, she said, we're going to be back there and eating pizza again. She was responding nonverbally. So just amazing stuff.
In 30 minutes congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand be joining us to talk about this extraordinary moment, hope for their friend that will be on the road to recovery even sooner than doctors expected.
HOLMES: And every tidbit of news is encouraging. Everything we heard is encouraging about her recovery. After the president delivered that news at least for us last night, he moved back into his role of trying to comfort the country, also bring the country together.
As you know, this has been a bitter, bitter time over the past two years, really, the whole political landscape with nasty words flying back and forth. But the president's words certainly meant to be somber, also soaring at times as well.
He's challenging the nation to live up to the expectations of the victims, and especially one victim, nine-year-old Christina Green who, of course, was killed as well. Our Senior White House Correspondent Ed Henry is live for us this morning at the White House. Ed, good morning to you.
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
HOLMES: We have seen this in the past during national tragedies, president's responsibilities and their roles and the pressure there is, really, to say the right things, to bring the right tone and bring the country together. This could be a defining moment for the president.
HENRY: It could be, you're absolutely right. You think back to Ronald Reagan and the Challenger speech, Bill Clinton after the Oklahoma bombing. And then the reason it succeeded it transcended politics, same in 2008 with the so-called race speech about Reverend Wright. It went beyond just the politics of the moment. He elevated the conversation.
Here, too, last night was Sarah Palin sort of pushing back on liberals yesterday had who suggested maybe some of her rhetoric contributed to the atmosphere. Her pushing back pretty hard with words that upset people particularly in the Jewish community, all of this flying around.
The president trying to get everyone and sort of grab them by the lapels and say, wait a second, everybody. Stop the blame game. Also while we can't stop the actions of a deranged individual, what we can do is change how we talk to one another, how we treat one another. Take a listen to the flavor of what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: This tragedy prompts reflection and debate as it should. Let's make sure it's worthy of those we have lost.
(APPLAUSE)
But what we cannot do is use this tragedy as one more occasion to turn on each other.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: The question is going to be how the president follows up on this, how he sort of challenges the nation. You know, last night, it was a memorial service. So it's not like he was going to get into specific policy poles or plans of action.
But he's got a State of the Union address in a couple weeks where traditionally, presidents do lay out a laundry list of big ideas and proposals. Maybe that will be an opportunity for him later this month, maybe talk about the subject of gun control, but also putting aside this one incidents, this one tragedy, sort of lay out specific areas where both parties can get beyond the rhetoric and actually work together, come together, on issues like reducing debt, et cetera. T.J.?
HOLMES: OK, you mentioned the state of the union address. In coverage politics, I don't know if you've heard a better bipartisan idea than the one we're getting from Senator Mark Udall to have them all sit together, not Republicans on this side and Democrats on the left side as we're used to seeing. This is a great idea, Ed.
HENRY: It seems like a great idea, it's become comical where overt years you'll have a Democratic president can walk in there, he says something, they all stand up. Republicans sit on their hands. And then something for Republicans, they all jump up. It sort of becomes ridiculous. This is an idea. Senator Udall has picked it up. There's been some positive response.
But I have to tell you, having covered politics a while, as you mentioned, look, I've heard other ideas before, you think after 9/11 when lawmakers in both parties were singing "God Bless America " on the steps of the White House, we think maybe we have to go with the moment. It didn't exactly happen in a few months or so. So we have to be realistic about the fact there's good ideas floating around.
HOLMES: Ed, I don't want to be realistic. Let's be idealistic.
(LAUGHTER)
Let's hope this could happen and could change this time. Ed, we appreciate it. CHETRY: Even if they sit together, there could be some clapping.
HOLMES: Probably. Let's just hold on to hope that this could work out.
CHETRY: We will. It will be interesting to see, you know. Everyone looks so congenial on the way in. Everyone takes the president's hand.
Anyway, the president had plenty of praise for those who displayed courage amid the chaos. One of them is Daniel Hernandez. A two-hour time difference, maybe he hit the snooze button.
HOLMES: He's been in demand, a busy guy. We're still hoping to get him.
CHETRY: Hopefully, meanwhile, as you see him there, he's the one who helped keep her alive. He had taken first aid training. He knew what to do. He said he didn't consider himself a hero but last night President Obama disagreed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: 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 our hero because you ran through the chaos to minister to your boss and tended to her wounds and helped keep her alive.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: He certainly has a stature beyond his years.
HOLMES: He does.
CHETRY: He appears far more mature than 20 years old.
HOLMES: And he is handling it well. He didn't speak with notes. He got up there and it was powerful stuff last night. He brought the house down in a lot of ways.
CHETRY: He really did.
(WEATHER BREAK)
CHETRY: Meanwhile, we're going to check in with Christine Romans right now. Good news if you're an investor if you have any money left after 2010, right? Three major indexes are up.
ROMANS: Two-year highs. It is safe to look at your stock portfolio, boys and girls. It's safe to open up the 401(k) statement. The S&P and the Dow and the NASDAQ, we've been afraid of them for a few years now. They're right here at two-year highs. Of course, you want to be afraid of them before the two-year high to get the rally. But, folks, this is what it looks like, it's been the best now since September 2008.
Here is why. What's feeding the bull market here? Financial shares are doing well. That means banks are doing better. They're coming back. Some of those worries of the banks and the huge bank failures that we were seeing two years ago are over. Overseas markets are up. Portugal and Europe, Portugal had a bond offering. What that means, Portugal is able to raise money easier than people thought, and that has people less concerned about what's going none Europe.
The beige book, what is that? That's the Fed. The Fed puts out the report. The report by the end of the year, you guys, companies were hiring. Factories had ramped up, consumers were spending.
Looking at concerns of budget shortfalls, overall, not as dramatic -- come on, they're still pretty dramatic. But at least stock investors able to put that behind them. I have 1,000 reasons that were would be concerned, but stocks are at two-year highs. There you go.
HOLMES: Can you give up some of the reasons out of the 1,000?
ROMANS: I want to be rainbows.
HOLMES: All right.
ROMANS: Kiran, that was very cute.
CHETRY: No one know what is we're talking about.
ROMANS: I think our very smart viewers do. PIGS, Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain. But we're not worried about the PIGS, we're worried about the IGS.
CHETRY: Thanks, Christina. One survivor to another, Jim Brady was shot and miraculously survived the Reagan assassination attempt. He and his wife Sarah talk about the shooting in Tucson and how you recover from that type of injury.
HOLMES: Also this morning, how young is too young? We'll talk about one school district that wants to drug test as young as 11-years-old. The reaction coming up. It's 14 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Seventeen minutes past the hour. Parents out there got so much to worry about when it comes to your children. But at 11 years old, are you really worried about them drinking and doing drugs at that age? Is that too young to actually subject them to random drug testing.
CHETRY: Most of us would say yes, but apparently, some educators don't agree. One New Jersey school district wants to expand the program that they now do at the high schools to include middle school students. So you're talking sixth, seventh and eighth graders getting drug tested.
Mary Snow joins us now. She's following the story. It just seems horrible that you have to even worry about that at that age.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It really is. And when you see these kids and how young they look, it's hard to believe that this is a factor in their lives. But the school board in Belvidere, New Jersey, voted 9-2 to approve random drug testing for younger students. Now the town joins a handful of New Jersey's 500-plus districts in testing middle schoolers. Those who push for it cite increasing peer pressure.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now what happens when we multiply?
SNOW (voice-over): A lesson in math conversions is what you might expect in sixth grade.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give me the ratio.
SNOW: But for these 11-year-olds in Belvidere, New Jersey, learning real-life lessons may come earlier than most kids in their state. School officials want to randomly test middle schoolers for drugs and alcohol. Something that is 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 world community. She can't pinpoint a 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.
SZABOCKSIK: I'm hoping that because they know they could be tested come Monday, maybe they 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.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 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: But others question the need to expose kids this young to random tests saying it could backfire.
GREG CASTERLINE, MIDDLE SCHOOL PARENT: What's the message being sent to them that they have to be random drug tested? There's a question then about the integrity of every kid.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: Now, the ACLU is critical of random drug testing of children in schools saying they're not a good civics lesson and don't reduce drug use. Schools involved say they do. Now in this particular program, Students who fail the test won't be punished but they will receive counseling.
HOLMES: And then the older kids you said as well, they really want to do the drug testing. They have a good incentive for doing it?
SNOW: Right, because if they don't, they can't participate in sports or other activities. So they really force to do it.
HOLMES: Is that kind of spreading? Are we going to see this? Excuse me there, Kiran, are we going to see this spreading out to other places? You said several places there in New Jersey?
SNOW: Right. And, you know, it's more common in New Jersey among the high schoolers. But, you know, we did check with the Department of Education. Their figures show about 14 percent of middle schoolers across the country are tested with these random drug test.
CHETRY: When we went to school, we went -- the sixth graders were in elementary, you know.
SNOW: Right.
CHETRY: It's like, I don't know if they're being exposed to, you know, some of the older kids and some of the influences a little earlier because of that.
HOLMES: Good point.
CHETRY: I mean, we had, you know, K-through 6 and then seventh and eighth grade before high school.
SNOW: Yes, that's the point. I mean, the principal said that they're with the high school students a lot.
HOLMES: All right. Good point.
CHETRY: Mary, thanks.
HOLMES: Mary Snow, thank you so much.
SNOW: Sure.
CHETRY: Still ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, Congresswoman Gifford is opening her eyes for the first time. The news told by the president yesterday had people in a standing ovation. We talked to Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. We're going to be speaking with her and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. They were in the room. It was their words that inspired her to open her eyes. We're going to hear what it was like to be there. HOLMES: Also, when was the last time you got the whole family together around the table for a home-cooked meal? Well you might want to do it more often because it could actually save your life and save your kids a lot of trouble down the road. We'll explain.
It's 21 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. Right now, we're taking a look at the University Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona, where the memorial there has just continued to grow. People dropping off candles, balloons, signs of encouragement, even pictures of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. She is still under the close watch of doctors inside. But some amazing news about her progress, just less than a week after being shot in the head.
HOLMES: You were out there on Monday, and looking at that picture, can you tell how much it's even grown?
CHETRY: Yes, it has grown. I mean, people were just trying to figure out where to go to come together and try to just share what they were going through. Part of it was at the office, at her headquarters where they had a vigil. And then there in front of the --
HOLMES: Wow.
CHETRY: I mean, this is an active, you know, hospital. And I mean, you can just see there's a little grassy area before you get to the actual hospital, sort of a little area there. And that's where this has --
HOLMES: Wow.
CHETRY: -- grown tremendously since Monday.
HOLMES: Well, everybody is monitoring her progress. A lot of people keep an eye on it around the country certainly. Certainly, there in Tucson as well. But also somebody else monitoring from a distance. It's somebody who knows what she's going through because he's been there too. We're talking about Jim Brady, press secretary for Ronald Reagan. He was shot in the head during an assassination attempt on his boss some 30 years ago.
CHETRY: Jim Acosta had a chance to talk to him and to his wife, Sarah. Jim joins us live in Washington.
I mean, very few people can say they've gone through that --
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right.
CHETRY: -- come out alive and continue to live productive lives.
ACOSTA: Yes. Jim and Sarah Brady say they've lived a full life. And they are really praying and hoping for the best for Gabrielle Giffords. And they see so much in her progress that reminds them of what Jim Brady went through 30 years ago. Almost 30 years to the day was the end of March in 1981 when Jim Brady was shot. And ever since that time, they've been tireless advocates for gun control. They had some early successes in the '90s with the Brady bill that was signed into law with the assault weapons ban. But lately, pushing for gun control laws up on Capitol Hill has not been very easy, but they say that the Tucson shooting should be a new wakeup call to the country to get serious about gun control.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: Why does this keep happening? Why in this country? Why is it that every so often, a deranged person is able to go out, get firearms and cause mass carnage like this? Why does it keep happening in this country? What do you think?
SARAH BRADY, CHAIR, THE BRADY CAMPAIGN: Well, I ask myself that, too. We're always going to have deranged human beings. I mean, there's just -- there's nothing we can do about somebody who has a mental illness. But we haven't taken the steps that we should take. We still should make it almost impossible for people with problems or felons or fugitives to be able to get a hold of weapons. And especially large-style magazines like this. We just haven't had and we've got to have the political courage to step up and take that step.
ACOSTA: The National Rifle Association is very powerful up on Capitol Hill.
BRADY: Yes, extremely.
ACOSTA: Democrats won't cross them now.
BRADY: I know. But they're going -- there are going to be some brave souls. I think they're going to speak up. And I think we ought to honor them and to say we want more courageous leaders. I'm a little sick of wimps up there.
ACOSTA: They're wimps up there?
BRADY: I think they're a bunch of wimps.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: So Sarah Brady there, still telling it straight the way she sees it. And what would they like to see in the coming days?
Well, they'd like to see a return to the assault weapons ban because under that ban which expired several years ago, those extended magazine clips that were used by suspect Jared Lee Loughner were outlawed. Those were not legal. You couldn't purchase them. And so they'd at least like to see a ban on those extended magazines but they know it's going to be a tough haul getting something like that passed up on Capitol Hill, Kiran and T.J. Congress in many recent years has just been in no mood for new gun control laws, guys.
CHETRY: All right. Well, it's a tough situation. Certainly, the debate continues and whenever a tragedy like this happens, it gets renewed to the forefront for a while.
ACOSTA: It does.
CHETRY: And then, you know, again, things sort of go back to the same way.
ACOSTA: We'll see.
CHETRY: Jim Acosta for us. Thanks so much.
ACOSTA: You bet.
HOLMES: Well, the New England area -- whew, enough snow. It's so deep in some places they can't handle it on their own. Actually had to call out the National Guard. We'll explain.
CHETRY: You know, some people were saying, though, this is funny. I mean, of course, the city was criticized, New York City, after the last blizzard.
HOLMES: Yes.
CHETRY: But there were so many trucks and not even a flake of snow could come down and it was being plowed in places like Bayside, Queens. Hadn't seen a plow for the first time. I think one lady said she counted nine times the snowplow went back and forth. So they're making up for it.
HOLMES: They got the message.
CHETRY: Yes.
HOLMES: Back and forth.
CHETRY: Apparently.
Well, meanwhile, skyscrapers submerged. Unprecedented flooding in Australia and dozens missing. We have more on the search and rescue and just how long rescuers and officials fear it's going to be until they can get things back to normal.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
HOLMES: All right. Hello there, everybody. Welcome back to this AMERICAN MORNING, bottom of the hour here now.
A couple stories to keep a close eye on this morning:
New England buried, as you may know, by another blizzard -- Massachusetts in particular. Check this out, the governor there, Governor Patrick, has had to call in the National Guard to help people dig out. They've had some three of snow in some places, 4,000 homes across the state right now are without power.
CHETRY: Wow, what a mess out there. It's a nice time to have an all- terrain vehicle with a snowplow on front like my neighbor.
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: I know what to ask for for Christmas next year.
Well, the water is starting to recede a bit in Australia's east coast part of the country. But the damage will linger for months if not years. They're estimating more than 20,000 homes flooded in Brisbane. Some right up to the rooftops. Fifteen are read and dozens more are missing. Search and rescue operations are still underway, but obviously made difficult by the fact that the water levels are still so high.
HOLMES: And that's been going on for quite some time really, weeks and months.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: They have not seen flooding like this in a very long time, if ever.
HOLMES: Well, last night, did you catch this memorial service? It was emotionally charged in so many ways. There were so many stirring moments last night at the University of Arizona. That is where, of course, President Obama delivered a message to that community and also to the country, after the shooting there that really shocked so many and left one U.S. congresswoman fighting for her life. He challenged the country -- the president did -- to come together.
But what we didn't expect, or some of the first things that came out of his mouth at the beginning of his speech -- an update about Congresswoman Giffords' recovery.
(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.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: Gabby opened her eyes for the first time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: And our next guest witnessed that extraordinary moment firsthand.
Joining me now: Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, both of them good friends with Congresswoman Giffords.
And I can see by the smiles on your faces this morning you two. I mean, this is just amazing. Congresswoman Wasserman, let me ask you first, because it was when you were speaking to her, you were recounting the good times that you had together, what happened when she opened her eyes at that time?
REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D), FLORIDA: Well, Kirsten was holding her hand and rubbing the top of her hand. And Gabby really had begun to rub Kirsten's hand back. And we were both talking to her about the times we've had. Kirsten about going out for pizza again and telling her she needs to get better so we can go back out for pizza with our husbands.
And gabby and Mark and Mark's kids have vacationed with my family up in New Hampshire for the last two summers. So, I said to here, you know, Gabby, come on. You got to get ready. Get better quick as possible. We expect you in New Hampshire this summer.
And all of a sudden, the slits of her eyes started to open. You could see the determination that she was struggling to get them open. And then Mark started encouraging her, and telling her, "Honey, if you can see me, give me the thumbs up." And she didn't at first.
Then we kept talking to her. Speaker Pelosi was talking to her, talking to her about how much her colleagues care about her. And she opened them more and then opened a little bit, then opened, it was about five times. She finally got them all the way open. It was the most amazing thing.
And finally, when Mark said, "Honey, if you can see me, give me the thumbs up." All of a sudden, her arm flew up in the air. She started touching him.
SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (D), NEW YORK: The whole arm flew up.
SCHULTZ: It was amazing. It was incredible.
CHETRY: I mean, that is really amazing because I mean, there are still concerns because -- I mean, they're not able to talk to her yet or she's not able to speak back how much
SCHULTZ: Right.
CHETRY: -- you know, does she still have in terms of all of that, in her ability to move, her ability to see and to know that this happened.
And, Senator Gillibrand, what was the response from the doctors? I mean, we were all amazed. Obviously, you guys were amazed. What did the doctors say about it?
GILLIBRAND: Well, they were very excited. And they told us this was extraordinary progress for her and they were really overwhelmed. And all of us -- I mean, we were crying. We were so excited. We had so much joy.
And we were telling Gabby how proud we are of her and how her courage is inspiring the nation and her strength. And to witness this unbelievable show of strength and determination was an unbelievable blessing.
And it was just a time that we couldn't believe we were there to see her, just show her strength like that. And it was a real testament to who she is.
And, you know, I believe in Gabby. She's an amazing woman. And if anyone can pull through such a terrible, heinous crime, it is her. She is one who can literally take this and put it behind her and really show the strength she has to work her way through it.
And her husband Mark was really just unbelievable overjoyed and so encouraged. And her mom was there. Her dad was there.
It was really a special moment. We just -- we know she will recover.
SCHULTZ: Kiran, the exciting thing about the doctor was, as this is happening, the doctor -- one of the doctors says, oh, my, this is incredible progress. And all of a sudden, he picks up his BlackBerry, and he's pounding something out on his BlackBerry, like this is incredible. And the doctor -- one of the doctors, Dr. Lemole, who we've seen on TV doing an unbelievable job talking to America about what's going on here, said to us, you know, I, even on TV, have dismissed the power of emotion and friendship. He said, but what we witness was the power of friendship here today.
And it just -- we left with the fullest hearts that you could imagine.
CHETRY: And it was amazing because the first that people heard about this was when the president, as he was giving his speech last night. I mean, how did you guys relay that message? How did the president know that this had happened?
GILLIBRAND: Well, we had seen them afterwards, because the president and first lady were visiting with many of the victims and their families and those who are recovering. And so, we were all meeting with them for about an hour before the ceremony, before the speech. And so, we told him as soon as we saw him, you know, right after you left, we were in next. Let us tell you what happens. And he was so excited about it. So, he was able to tell the nation of the great progress.
SCHULTZ: We told him, he warmed her up and we -- the girl power thing was -- we finished the job.
GILLIBRAND: Yes.
CHETRY: Yes. You know, a lot of people might not realize how close you guys are, you know? You're not just colleagues but friends, obviously. One of the interesting things, one of the representatives out of, I think, Colorado, Congressman Udall, he suggested that you -- that everybody sit together during the State of the Union. That it's not this split where you have Republicans on one side and Democrats on the other. And cheering on one side and stone faces on the other.
Do you guys picture that happening? Is this something that could happen in the State of the Union? GILLIBRAND: It's a good idea.
SCHULTZ: It is.
GILLIBRAND: And it is of the president's message. You know, we listened to that speech. And I was so inspired by the president. And I felt he said what the nation needed to hear and the way he was able to describe both the victims and the survivors and how inspiring they are as people. What they expected of us.
Particularly, you know, using the life of Christina Green as a metaphor for all of our children, that all of our children need to be able to see the best in America, the best in our democracy and show the strength of our character conviction through a better discourse. And I thought that challenge to all of us was not only inspiring but something that we desperately need to hear.
And I think Senator Udall's idea say good idea about how we can come together as a political body to really help the nation come together. And I think that's what last night's ceremony was all about, about a healing that needs to happen, not only for Gabby but for our whole country.
CHETRY: Right. And, hopefully, it can be more than symbolism. You know, it can be a little bit -- I don't know, a little bit of a nicer way to disagree because, you know, everybody obviously wants the best for the country and for their families.
SCHULTZ: Yes, the president really used the opportunity last night to help America reach a turning point. And we -- I mean, Kirsten and I are both moms. We're both younger members of Congress, and we want to help the nation live up as the president said to the expectations and visions of democracy. Make our democracy better for our kids.
I mean, I know that I want my kids to be better Americans. And we have to set the example. It's no surprise that Mark Udall -- it was Mark Udall that made that suggestion because he's just that kind of public servant. I've already been thinking about who I can sit with on the other side of the aisle on the 25th.
CHETRY: All right. Well, we'd like to see it for sure.
Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz from Florida and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand here in New York -- thanks very much.
GILLIBRAND: Thank you.
SCHULTZ: Thank you.
HOLMES: OK. How much fun was that, to see these two noticeably giddy about what happened last night about their colleague? That was fun to watch, those two.
CHETRY: I just think that it really showed that they truly believe she's going to recover now. I mean, you know, the doctors said 100 percent. And people said, should we dare to hope 100 percent that she's going to survive and recover? And I think that when they witnessed that, they just think -- they know what's going to happen.
HOLMES: You can tell. It gives us a sense of what was going on in that room.
It's 40 minutes past the hour. Quick break here on this AMERICAN MORNING. Please, come on right back.
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HOLMES: How to save the light. We got tell here, folks, just get at home, around the table, home-cooked meal. It might be that simple. But this is a dying tradition it seems.
Our next guest, he's sitting here. He says that is actually ruining our families and our health.
Now, take a look at some of these stats. This is according to Columbia's National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. It says kids who have family dinners five to seven times a week, 42 percent less likely to drink down the road. They're 50 percent less likely to smoke; 66 percent less likely to smoke marijuana.
Let's bring in the doc, Dr. Mark Hyman. He's founder of the Ultra- Wellness Center. Here to tell us about how eating at home can save your life. The exact title of an article you wrote not too long called, "How eating at home can save your life."
How?
DR. MARK HYMAN, FAMILY PHYSICIAN: Well, you know, the family dinner has sort of been hijacked by the food industry. About 100 years ago, only 2 percent of meals were eaten out of the home. Now, 50 percent are eaten out of the home. One in five breakfasts, it's been said, is a McDonald's breakfast.
So, when we find that kids eat with their families at home, they do better at school, they have better grades, they have better relationships. They do better socially. They don't end up with smoking, drinking and alcohol, as you said. And also, they lose weight.
And kids today have a huge obesity problem. And eating at home with families and community and connection and eating real food has a huge impact on them.
HOLMES: OK. Two things we need to get at this two different ways now. Part of it, we're talking about, you just actually eating healthier at home. The other part is the interaction, the family interaction that can help.
HYMAN: That's right. That's right.
HOLMES: So, let me start with the first part -- unhealthy eating.
HYMAN: Yes.
HOLMES: You say that the food industry has hijacked the family dinner.
HYMAN: That's right.
HOLMES: How so?
HYMAN: I remember when I was a kid we had TV dinners. That was a big thing. Now, you know, we all sit around the table, maybe three times a week, if we're lucky as families.
HOLMES: But how did they hijack it?
HYMAN: They take the family cooking and food and prevent us from actually cook together communally and we often prepare microwave foods, fast foods together. We take-out foods. There's really a loss of the community and connection in cooking and shopping and making food together.
HOLMES: You say they hijack it. I mean, they provide some convenience for us. But we're making the decision to keep them in business. We could cook at home all day long if we wanted.
HYMAN: Absolutely. We could do that. But, you know, we've lost traditions. I remember my grandmother telling me her grandmother taking a fish to the market and making a filthy fish soup with it and putting it in the bathtub. You know, we've lost the tradition of understanding where food come from.
Jamie Oliver showed in Huntington, West Virginia, that kids don't even recognize a vegetable or a fruit, and don't even know where they come from. And that's a shame. And we need to regain that culture of understanding just plain, real food. And it also not only save our health but it'll also save us money.
HOLMES: Now, how are we supposed to regain that culture? Because it's convenient to see those -- you know, you can get food pretty quickly, certainly here in New York, you can have it in the room in 20, 30 minutes no matter what.
But, I mean, how are we supposed to get that back?
HYMAN: Well, I'm very busy. I work very hard. I have a practice, write books, teach lecture. And, you know, in home I can make dinner in 15 minutes with fresh, real food using some simple cooking techniques that most of us have lost.
How do you expect --
HOLMES: Fifteen minutes, come on now.
HYMAN: Fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes. You know, you can put a piece of fish or chicken in a pan. Stir fry some vegetables. You've got brown rice maybe you cooked the night before. It's very simple. HOLMES: All right. Let's go to the other part of this. That's the healthy side. The other side, quite frankly, keeping kids maybe off drugs and keeping them from drinking and having better grades is because they're sitting down -- undivided attention between the parents and kids?
HYMAN: That's right. That doesn't happen anymore. Most people are texting, or watching television, or on the phone, or engaged with something else while they're eating dinner together. Instead of actually talking, creating a communal environment, having conversations about their lives, engaging with each other, creating sort of a ritual space around meals.
HOLMES: OK. You know, a lot of people watching this right now and say, come on, doc, we ain't got that kind of time. I mean, the kids are busy, they're in band, they're at after school this, they're in sports, whatever .
HYMAN: Can I tell you something?
HOLMES: All right.
HYMAN: Americans spend more time watching and cooking on television than actually cooking themselves.
HOLMES: But the reality is though, people are busy. Not just the parents working jobs and the tough economy, maybe two jobs. But the kids have a lot of stuff going on, as well?
HYMAN: It's true. It does take effort, it takes time, and it takes focus. But with a little planning it's really not that hard. And we can learn about it. I write about it in my book, "The Ultramind Solution, Ultra Metabolism." It's very simple. When you just learn a few simple techniques that we've really lost as a culture.
HOLMES: All right. Dr. Hyman, this is a great conversation. And the evidence bears it out and maybe just people need to be reminded. It's difficult sometimes, but put the effort in, just being reminded of it, you can make a difference at home.
Dr. Hyman, good to have you this morning.
HYMAN: Thank you. All right.
HOLMES: Thank you so much. Kiran.
CHETRY: See that make you want to go home and just cook a good deal, doesn't it T.J.?
HOLMES: It does.
CHETRY: Even though you don't have any kids yet.
Well, when will the --
HYMAN: It's not as hard as you think. CHETRY: When will the thaw come? It's frigid across the northeast and in the south they're dealing with ice. We also have some serious storms forming out west. Rob Marciano has a look for us.
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CHETRY: How cool is this? This is one of the cool things about living in New York. You get to take a trip down the West Side Highway -- what -- and you get to see things like this. Those are two of the three Queen ships, as they're called. You know, the cruise liners. The Queen Victoria and Queen Mary 2. They're docked right there. And all three of these cruise liners have arrived this morning. The Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Victoria are there, they're docked on Manhattan's West Side. And then out in Red Hook, Brooklyn. That's where Queen Elizabeth is today. The boat. Not the Queen.
HOLMES: OK.
CHETRY: You're not excited about this, huh?
HOLMES: Well, it is cool. And I'm adjusting to New York life. And I'm -- it's the good things, the positive things there you said, it's one of the highlight. I will go --
CHETRY: No cruise ships dock in Atlanta.
HOLMES: There are not. At all. But I can drive to work.
CHETRY: And Rob's there.
HOLMES: Rob Marciano, if I was trying to drive to work this morning, I'd probably be slipping and sliding on some ice.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, you would be. They're slipping and sliding in Atlanta and not the best of weather.
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HOLMES: Well, it's 53 minutes past the hour. Quick break. Be right back.
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HOLMES: The next hour, we got something coming up. And stay with us here. You hate to hear stories about marriage and infidelity, but we have to talk about it this morning. But not the kind you're thinking about. We're talking about financial infidelity. Are you one of the millions out there lying to your spouse about money?
CHETRY: Oh, they make it sound so serious. He comes in and says, another box of shoes? And you go, these are on sale. These were only $25.
(CROSSTALK) CHETRY: How long has it been since your last raise? Hang in there. We're going to tell you why a fatter paycheck may be coming. Maybe 2011 is the year to get a raise.
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: Also, we have a reality check this morning, for American moms. This was a story you were talking about and it kind of piqued my interest here.
CHETRY: Yes. This -- She's a Chinese-American and she wrote a book about why the Chinese are far superior at raising kids, where we're falling short in the western world. We don't ask kids what they want to do. We tell them what they're supposed to do and we don't except B's. A little bit more about why she says Chinese have it right when it comes to raising kids. We'll be right back.
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