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American Morning
Lost and Found After 23 Years; Alabama's Gov. Apologizes; Sentencing Delayed
Aired January 20, 2011 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, there, everybody. Good morning to you all on this AMERICAN MORNING. Thursday, January the 20th. I'm T.J. Holmes.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kiran Chetry.
We have a lot to talk about this morning. I want to get right to it.
Show you some pictures this morning from Capitol Hill where Chinese President Hu Jintao is heading to that very building this morning, meeting with some lawmakers who were no-shows at the state dinner last night that President Obama held at the White House. We'll have more details.
HOLMES: Also, you have to stick around for this story. She was kidnapped as a baby at 19 days old. Now, 23 years later, she is finally back in her mother's arms. The details of this amazing story that you will be talking about today from our Alina Cho.
CHETRY: Also, what is this talk about Chinese mothers being superior? You may remember the article came out causing quite an uproar. Amy Chua, "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mom" was a memoir she wrote certainly struck a national nerve.
And "TIME" magazine has a new cover story looking deeper into some of those provocative claims that Asian parenting is better than Western parenting. So, we're going to talk about that today.
HOLMES: It got a lot of people talking, of course. But, first, let's talk about Washington. It's 35 degrees there right now. But it might be even cooler than that inside the Capitol today, that's where the Chinese president is going to head over to speak to some congressional leaders. He's going to be meeting with House and Senate leadership, all those folks you see on the screen up there and those are some of the same folks who did not show up for the state dinner last night.
The House Speaker John Boehner is not there. Senate GOP Leader Mitchell McConnell ain't there. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, he had other things going last night.
CHETRY: Yes. And last night, the president and the first lady did not. They were hosting their third state dinner. President Obama was hosting what many call America's most important relationship.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Let's also never forget that throughout our history, our people have worked together for mutual progress and we traded together for more than 200 years. We stood together in the Second World War. The Chinese immigrants and Chinese-Americans have helped to build America, including many who join us here tonight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, among the more than 200 guests -- there is a look -- film star Jackie Chan, clothing designer Vera Wang, singer Barbra Streisand and her husband, James Brolin and U.S. figure skating champ Michelle Kwan.
HOLMES: And a lot of people are curious about the night, some of the stars, also about the venue. Yes, it was a Chinese president who was here, but very American themed night and meal.
Take a listen to this. They had pear salad. They had poached Maine lobster and dry-aged rib eye, as well as apple pie --
CHETRY: Sounds really good.
HOLMES: Yes, this morning, it sounds great.
Apple pie and ice cream as well. You can't get more American than apple pie. But that was the menu for last night.
CHETRY: I wonder if he liked it.
HOLMES: Yes, no word on that actually.
CHETRY: Yes.
HOLMES: I wonder if he did. You can't ever say, I don't like your food if you come into somebody's house. So, we'll never know.
CHETRY: Well, also at last night's dinner, President Obama gave a warm and fuzzy example of how the U.S. and China are working together. He announced Washington National Zoo's beloved pandas can stay for another five years. The pair had been on loan at the zoo for the past 10 years and their current agreement officially expired back in December.
And we were joking about this, but really -- I mean, it's a huge draw. That brings money and people want to go and see those pandas. They're amazing.
HOLMES: People love the pandas. We got them for another five years. So, thanks, China. It's about the trade deficits, help us with that and we'll get back to you.
All right. Three minutes past the hour here now.
We want to turn to an update about the Arizona shooting, the Tucson shooting. The suspect now has been formally charged. He's formally charged with three counts of attempted murder.
A lot of people are asking questions out there and I've been getting some of your comments out there on Twitter and Facebook you're sending in this morning, asking, well, why is it just attempted murder? He's accused of killing six people.
Well, this is just beginning. This is just the start. These are just first three to come down. So, yes, formally charged with attempted murder and others are expected.
Loughner is going to be back in court on Monday to plea to those charges.
CHETRY: All right. Well, Gabrielle Giffords is also making remarkable progress and that continues. She is now on schedule to leave the hospital tomorrow and fly to Texas to begin her aggressive rehab and she is now standing with help, playing cards, shuffling through her iPod.
Giffords is expected to check into TIRR Memorial Hermann Hospital. It's in Houston. And that will be tomorrow. The facility is renowned for its work with brain injury patients.
HOLMES: And we will be hearing from her doctors. Have a press conference scheduled for noon Eastern Time to give us an update on her condition. You will see it live right here on CNN.
And the other story this morning so many of us are talking about, you will be talking about at some point today in your office. This little girl, 19 days old, kidnapped some 23 years ago. There she is. This was essentially a cold case. Well, cold case no more.
CHETRY: No, it's an incredible story that's only beginning to unfold this morning.
Our Alina Cho joins us now. Her parents never gave up hope. They -- you know, her mom --
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: I know someday we will get our baby back and it happened.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Imagine as a parent. I mean, the not knowing is the worst part. And you hear that from parents all the time, that two decades later to have this reunion in this family. I mean, I can only imagine what it was like to be in that home. It is an incredible story.
What happened to little Carlina White not so little any more. The last time Joy White saw her daughter, she looked like this, just 19 days old, three weeks old. That was her then. This is now -- 23 years later, as an adult.
On Friday, Carlina White was reunited with her birth mother. The family's prayers two decades later finally answered.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAT CONWAY, CARLINA WHITE'S AUNT: Carlina was a missing link! And we have got to get herself back. In the name of Jesus! Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was just like she had been around us all our life. She was no stranger. She was just, you know, just fit right in!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: I bet she did. And they have a lot of catching up to do.
You know, it is a story that made national headlines when it happened 23 years ago. Carlina White an infant from Harlem, again, just 19 days old, was taken to the hospital for a high fever and kidnapped by a woman posing as a nurse.
It stunned the city and stunned the nation, stunned the NYPD. Detectives left with no lead and this is how her mom reacted to the news all those years ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOY WHITE, MOTHER OF CARLINA WHITE: She's all right! I'm glad we got her home and taking good care of my baby.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Just heartbreaking to hear that. Carlina was never heard from again. She was raised under a different name and was reportedly abused. But in her teens, she began to think something was up when she wasn't able to find her birth certificate. That led her to the Internet where she found baby pictures of herself on the Web site for the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children. Unbelievable.
And in end, she found her own way home! Now to be sure, recently, the NYPD took DNA samples and they were a match. Of course, the big question, guys, is: who kidnapped Carlina White all of those years ago? Authorities are remaining tight-lipped about this case as you might imagine.
A lot of people asking: was it the person who raised her perhaps who did this? No answers yet from detectives.
CHETRY: It's so heartbreaking to hear her mothers all those years ago saying, "I hope something is taking care of my baby." I mean, it's just every parent's nightmare. And even though there's this happy reunion right now, she might be having to do some work with the authorities, right, to get to the bottom of this?
CHO: Without a doubt. And you can bet she is talking to authorities right now. I mean, can you imagine? She was raised just 45 miles away in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Her parents were in the Bronx in New York, all these years wondering what happened.
Of course, the most important news of the day is that they are all back together again and all of those questions can wait. But they are working on all of those potential leads and, hopefully, we will get some suspect information soon.
HOLMES: Alina, thank you so much for that this morning
CHO: You bet.
CHETRY: We have a quick of this morning's weather headlines as well. Rob Marciano, when he's not snowboarding or throwing himself to foamy blue cubes, he's telling us the weather, in Steamboats Springs, Colorado.
Hey, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning again, guys.
Yes, aside from the stories we have been doing, of course, the Steamboat Weather Summit here. So, getting reeducated with the latest in our science.
But I want to tell you about the latest on this storm that is streaming its way across the Midwest. A number of watches and warnings and advisories out for the Southern Plains, all the way up to the Northeast. And this isn't going to be a blockbuster storm, but it's really hitting a lot of people and it's got some seriously cold air behind it.
Here's the radar -- heaviest snows right now across northeast Oklahoma, heading into St. Louis and parts of the Tennessee Valley. It will be, obviously, working west-to-east throughout the day today.
The forecast for how much snow we expect across the Midwest -- anywhere from two to five or six inches depending on where you live. The stream is really heading across the mid-South or the mid- Mississippi Valley in through Tennessee and Ohio Valleys. And then the Northeast will get it tonight and tomorrow morning.
Rush hour tomorrow is going to be a problem for New York City. You could see five or six inches of snow tomorrow morning and that's going to slow things down and then rise for the P.M. rush, I think, around about in Boston.
The other big issue with this is extremely cold air coming in behind this storm system. Dangerously cold wind chills for the folks in the western Great Lakes and that will be driving down to the South and East once again. So, it continues to be incredibly cold and, at times, snowy weather. Even here in Steamboat, it's still snowing here. Kiran and T.J., back up to you.
CHETRY: Thanks so much, Rob.
HOLMES: Well, that new era of civility in Washington, that didn't last too long. One Democratic congressman on the floor comparing Republicans to Nazis. We'll let you hear from him.
CHETRY: Also heartbreaker for one astronaut, losing his spot on the next shuttle mission less than six weeks before launch because of an accident. We will explain more.
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CHETRY: And developing story this morning -- new evidence linking alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to the execution of "Wall Street Journal" reporter Daniel Pearl back in 2002. The report says that a forensic technique called vein matching technique compared the picture of a hand seen in the video of Pearl's murder with pictures taken of Mohammed's hand after his capture. Mohammed has not denied his role in Pearl's death, but he has never been charged.
HOLMES: Spokane, Washington police out there are trying to figure out why someone would leave a bomb along a MLK Day parade route. The FBI involved in this now focusing on hate group. This is a backpack bomb that officials out there said could have killed several people. It was left along the parade route there and they are looking at recent protests by white supremacists and neo-Nazi groups.
CHETRY: Well, sparks were flying when Delta flight 1609 from Atlanta to Little Rock had to made emergency landing last night. Eighty people were on board when the pilot discovered a problem with the jets hydraulics. There you can see the sparks showing up from the back part of the plane.
He circled the airport. They did a bunch of security checks, and then ultimately made the decision to land. No one was hurt.
HOLMES: Well, that didn't last too long -- you know, civility on Capitol Hill in our debates. One House Democrat took to the floor in their whole health care repeal debate and actually compared Republican antics to that of one Nazi. Take a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. STEVE COHEN (D), TENNESSEE: They say it's a government takeover of health care. A big lie. Just like Goebbels, you say it enough, you repeat the lie, you repeat the lie, you repeat the lie, and eventually, people believe it. Like "blood libel," that's the same kind of thing. Germans said enough about the Jews and the people believed it, and you had the Holocaust.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: So, you hear him referring to there "blood libel" -- of course, that was the phrase used by Sarah Palin right after the Tucson shootings that got her in so much trouble. Then he's talking about Joseph Goebbels. If you don't know the name, he was one who advanced kind of that Nazi mentality against the Jews. So, that's who is he referring to there.
Cohen is Jewish. He talked to our "A.C. 360" last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: I guess they don't advance civility, per se. But I think telling lies is uncivil and I think somebody needs to stand up to the lies that are being told. And the fact is, they were similar to what Goebbels said -- keep it short, keep it simple, keep it over and over, and people will believe it. And that's what they've done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now, he claims, of course, he wasn't trying to say Republicans are Nazis, but again, that kind of language on the House Floor just the same week, they say, things are supposed to get back to a different tone, different type of rhetoric.
CHETRY ANCHOR: And he also didn't take it back. He said, you know, it was taken perhaps out of context, but I meant what I said.
Well, Alabama's new governor is having to apologize for something that he said just hours after taking office. Governor Robert Bentley told a Baptist church congregation on the Baptist inauguration that non-Christians could not, quote, "be his brothers and sisters." Yesterday, the Republican spoke after meeting with members of Alabama Jewish community and leaders of other faith.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. ROBERT BENTLEY, (R) ALABAMA: I would like to say that anyone who heard those words and felt disenfranchised, I want to say that I'm sorry. And if you're not a person who can say that you're sorry, then you're not a very good leader.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: The governor also said that he would be governor to everyone, not just Christians.
HOLMES: A judge is delaying the sentencing for a woman who is convicted of trying to extort millions of dollars from Coach Rick Pitino. He's the University of Louisville basketball coach. The new sentencing date for Karen Sypher is now February the 18th. We had reported that sentencing would take place on Tuesday, but that was based on information from the website of the U.S. district court in Kentucky's Western District. The information was outdated. So, again, February 18th, the new sentencing. Sypher's defense team is also pushing for a new trial saying they have some new evidence.
CHETRY: Well, a major disappointment for one NASA astronaut. He was supposed to be onboard, to the space shuttle Discovery's final mission. You know, they're facing out the (INAUDIBLE). This is your -- you worked through your whole life. Astronaut, Tim Copra, he got hurt riding his bike at home and now he's going to have to be replaced. He is expected to make a full recovery, but NASA is not taking any chances.
Now, Copra was supposed to lead two space walks. He's flow twice in space before, and he could rejoin the mission if it's, somehow, delayed until April. As we know, oftentimes, you're at the behest of nature. So, sometimes, it doesn't go as planned. The person is going to be stepping in, though, is only, I guess, getting to do two full dress rehearsals of what the spacewalk would be when normally they get about six to eight. So, the pressure is on.
HOLMES: I hate that for that guy, but that'll teach you.
Also this afternoon, people are going to be watching the skies of Santa Barbara, California. The tallest rocket ever launched from the West Coast. Now, this thing is supposed to be 23 stories tall. It's going to be heading out from the Vandenberg Air Force Base out there. It's a Delta 4 heavy rocket. It's going to be hearing top secret spy satellite stuff for the U.S. government. That's why we can't show you any pictures of it because it's top secret.
CHETRY: That's a lot of spy equipment, 23 stories.
HOLMES: Spying on everybody, clearly.
CHETRY: Yes. They're looking every window around the world.
Well, President Obama may be adding an unscheduled trip to Dallas, Texas next month. He's not going to do this outside seats for 200 bucks, no way. We're going to tell you what happens, but if it does, it'll be a presidential first.
HOLMES: Also coming up, Catwoman has been cast. We'll tell you which sexy actress is suiting up for the next Batman flick. It's 19 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Twenty-one minutes mast the past the hour. Women often complain -- stay with me here.
CHETRY: Yes.
HOLMES: That men are tough to shop for. That we're difficult to shop for. Do you find this --
CHETRY: Oh, I think you're so easy, easy to shop for. You guys are always -- my husband always loves everything I get him.
HOLMES: OK. That's what he tells you, huh? Well, what do you get the man who has everything, especially, the man who already is occupying the White House? Kind of difficult, well --
CHETRY: Cufflinks.
HOLMES: Cufflinks always work. We have the list now of the gifts that President Obama was given in 2009. They released these every so often, but, you know, he gets these from other foreign leaders. Take a look, though, who was the biggest spender. It was the Saudi king, King Abdullah, gave him a gold medallion clock worth $34,500, kind of like the one to have play (ph) wears around his neck, I believe. Also, gave him a ruby and diamond jewelry set worth $132,000.
CHETRY: That was a gift from Mrs. Obama, right?
HOLMES: Clearly. Hoping, at least. Also, the Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev gave a wooden CD holder.
CHETRY: Oh, come on!
HOLMES: I'm sure it has meaning to it.
CHETRY: It does seem (ph) to have CDs. It's all in --
HOLMES: Ipod.
CHETRY: Yes.
HOLMES: I'm sure it has great meaning to it, though.
CHETRY: Congrats. I'm going with -- I'd rather be friends with the Saudi King.
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: It's a ruby and diamond jewelry.
Well, no pressure, Chicago, but if the Bears do beat the Packers on Sunday and go to the Super Bowl, you got a very important fan cheering you on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you going to the Super Bowl this year?
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Oh, we're going. If the Bears are in the Super Bowl, we're going, no doubt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, President Obama would actually be the first sitting president to attend the game. So, go Bears.
HOLMES: Even though, he is pulling for them. Got the packers this weekend on that rough field in Chicago. We will see what happens there.
Catwoman. We've got a new one. This is a coveted spot. Everybody is wondering who is going to be cast and there she is. Anne Hathaway, they say -- Warner Brothers putting out the statement that she be the one now to play Catwoman in the next Batman movie that will be called "Dark Night Rises." Now, again, this is the coveted spot and has a pretty good list. this is the club here of the Catwoman, Julianne Newmar, Eartha Kitt, she was a heck of a Catwoman, Michelle Pfeiffer, you might remember her as well, and Halle Berry!
CHETRY: Nobody quite wore the outfit like that, although, I did like Michelle Pfeiffer as well.
HOLMES: Michelle Pfeiffer was good, but Halle Berry should have got an Oscar for that one.
CHETRY: You don't give out Oscars for looking awesome in black leather!
HOLMES: Oh, really? My mistake.
CHETRY: But, yes, I mean, that would be for Anne Hathaway. That's a tall order. It's a good gig with the tall order.
Anyway, can you hear the roars? Amy Chua, and she wrote a book, "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother," created a stunning controversy, but is the author's parenting style abuse or common sense? It's interesting. She talks about why we're getting lapped by the rest of the world, and "Time" magazine devoted an entire cover to the discussion. We'll have more on that coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, HOST: Tonight was the official dinner, but last night, the two leaders had a private dinner. And after the dinner, President Obama went to pick up the check, and the Chinese leader stopped him and said, your money is no good here. Obama laughed. He said, no, really, your money is no good.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: I see Christina over there laughing as well. It's all fun and games until -- oh, hi. we have a lot of your debt.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: A lot of jokes about who is going to pick up the bill and whether it's an IOU or credit card.
CHETRY: Exactly. Well, this is another funny thing you'll probably find amusing. KFC, an American icon, of course, it was Kentucky Fried Chicken, but we realized fried chicken is bad for us. So, if it's KFC, no one knows it's really fried chicken. That was helpful for the marketing folks.
Anyway, we may be surprised to learn that the restaurant's parent company, Yum! Brands actually generates more sales from China than from the U.S. Yum! Says their success is based on their restaurants having it more upscale ambiance in China rather than just a fast-food look.
HOLMES: I don't believe it -- Japan, I think, as well, during Christmas, the holiday, everybody goes to get chicken.
ROMANS: Buckets of KFC. It's become -- I saw that, too. I think that's fascinating.
CHETRY: Fantastic idea.
ROMANS: Fast American --
CHETRY: It's a wonderful idea. And the other ironic part is that in the U.S., at least here in Manhattan, if you haven't tried this yet, but the big rage is the Korean fried chicken. There's all these places that are -- all around -- compete for who's better, but you get the huge buckets of Korean fried chicken.
ROMANS: Can anyone see what the exports are of the United States of our culture? For example, you know, the Chinese middle class, a lot of these surveys have shown with Kentucky about Chinese middle class is growing and buying American products. Actually, they like European products. They like, you know, fine leather shoes and all this kind of stuff.
CHETRY: Do they like Wal-Mart?
ROMANS: Well, in a way. The funny thing is Wal-Mart sells Chinese goods. So, that's the irony there. Wal-Mart, though, transformed the way we shop in this country. Really interesting, it might be getting healthier. Did you know that Wal-Mart is the number one seller of groceries in this country? Not grocery store chain. Wal-Mart sells more groceries than anybody else.
HOLMES: It's super center. I love them.
CHETRY: Sam's Club? Because isn't Sam's Club affiliated?
ROMANS: Sam's Club is affiliated, but the Wal-Mart is the one who have really super grocery part. So, look, the White House and Wal-Mart teaming up on this due initiative to get the food healthier, healthier food in the Wal-Mart to try to drive down the Wal-Mart store brand, drive down the sugar and the salt content and the fats and to drop the prices as well because, you know, whole grains cost more than refined grains, believe it or not.
And grain prices have been going up, trying to find ways to make sure the prices are lower, too. This would be a lot of pressure on Kraft, for example, and a lot of other companies that make a lot of processed goods that are sold in these stores. We're going to know more about this later today. We're expecting, actually, even a press availability or a press event with the first lady on this in the neighborhood in Washington, D.C.
Now, another thing, shifting that strategy from Wal-Mart where you are going to see prices rising, the airlines. Airline prices have been going up. We've been telling you and wanted to detail for you exactly where they are. Delta adding $5 a fare on each way for less than 1,500 miles, longer trips, $10 on that air fare. United and Southwest, $2, #3, or $5 extra on your ticket. There you go.
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: They nickel and dime you slowly and surely.
CHETRY: Didn't this correspond with pretty good profits? Was it Delta that turned a huge profit?
ROMANS: Most of them are turning profits now. The reason why is because they figured out how to get the money out of your pocket in other ways by packing the bag, all of these other fees and surcharges. Oil prices are going up, fuel prices are going up now, and hopefully they are hedging against rising fuel prices, but that doesn't mean they will not pass the higher fuel prices on to you.
So airfares rising, fuel price rising. We will see if more air fares are rising after this because they usually one pops up, the other one pops up.
HOLMES: Christine, we appreciate as always.
We're at the bottom of the house here on this "AMERICAN MORNING." Let's give you a look at some of the stories we're keeping a close eye on. We have been watching this it seems like for several days and weeks in Brazil. The flooding continues, the disaster there. At least 741 people have been killed. They are expecting the floods to go up to killing at least 1,000 people.
But the pictures are incredible as you're watching them here. This is in the state of Rio de Janeiro. We saw one guy captured after being trapped in mud.
CHETRY: Gabrielle Giffords now able to stand. Doctors say the congresswoman now has the strength to do it on her own but they're still assisting her at this point. She is scheduled to fly to Houston tomorrow to begin intense rehabilitation.
HOLMES: He has been the talk but not necessarily the toast of the town. Ricky Gervais, the comedian who hosted the Golden Globes, and some found him mean-spirited the way he went after some of the celebrities there. He's talking about it and responding to the critics, and he is talking to our Piers Morgan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICKY GERVAIS, COMEDIAN: They hired me for a job and if they didn't want me, they shouldn't have hired me.
PIERS MORGAN, CNN HOST, "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT": Someone asked me, you know, what do you think as a fellow Brit on TV, what do you think happened to Ricky? I said it's a bit like inviting a hammerhead shark to dinner, and then when he eats all the guests you start complaining. You kind of know what you're going to get.
GERVAIS: That's one thing. But I don't think I did anything wrong. I honestly, you know, those were like jibes at these people. And I'm sure they got a sense of humor.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES: You can see the rest of that interview tonight as Ricky Gervais is joining our Piers Morgan at 9:00 eastern time, and you can see George Clooney is the guest on Friday.
CHETRY: The article has people gasping, titled "Why Chinese Mothers are Superior." Amy Chua talks about forcing her daughter to practice the piano until she was in tears, calling another daughter "garbage" after she felt disrespected by her daughter, and returning birthday cards from her children, saying "I deserve better than this. You didn't work hard enough at it."
Her parenting style taken from the way she was raised by her own Chinese parents has generated a lot of criticism. She has even said says she has gotten death threats. But she said it made her daughters stronger, smarter, and in the end they're prepared for the world. Here's what she said when I talked to her last week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMY CHUA, AUTHOR, "BATTLE HYMN OF THE TIGER MOTHER": I'm not making excuses. I find it interesting these are called Chinese values, hard work and don't give up and don't make excuses, take responsibility, be self-reliant the way I was taught, because I think of those as fundamental American values.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: "TIME" magazine is putting her claims under the microscope. "TIME" magazine's Annie Murphy Paul joins me now. I love the cover there.
ANNIE MURPHY PAUL, CONTRIBUTOR, "TIME" MAGAZINE: A great image.
CHETRY: And the poor girl trying to learn the violin. But the online article was excerpted from Chua's book, "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mom," was forwarded around and it was viewed over a million times and, as she said, generated a lot of controversy even to the point of people threatening her. Why did it strike such a nerve, do you think?
PAUL: Well, I think the excerpt hit on two sort of sore spots in American culture, one of them being the way being the way we parent. So many of us have insecurities or anxieties about whether we are doing things the right way. Are we pushing our kids hard enough or pushing them too hard?
And I think she also got to the heart of something we are worried about now which is how well are we competing in the global economy and how well are we preparing our children for their futures in a world where they have to compete with young people, not just in this country, but in China, India, Brazil.
CHETRY: This is really being spotlighted on a larger level with our meeting with the president having his third state visit with the president of China and a lot of the concerns going on there. This is also interesting. When you take a look at the numbers, you just see, I mean, when you take a look at where we rank. Shanghai for reading, for math, for science, first place, first place, first place. U.S. is 14th in reading, 17th in math, and 25th in science. We have Asians making up 20 percent of Ivy League schools but only five percent of the population. And they nearly double the amount of Americans when it comes to getting bachelor's degrees.
Is there a point to be made about whether or not we're doing the best by our children with what we think are the principles we're supposed to raise our children with?
PAUL: Well, Amy Chua certainly things so. And a lot of the controversy around her book focused on her use of her threats, name- calling, and hasher kind of name calling.
But when you look beyond that the way she raised her children, I think things American parents are learn from her, for example, the importance of practice that some American parents feel that road practice, drills are boring and not creative enough. But, in fact, to get to that higher level of performance where you can be creative and expressive in, say, playing music, you have to practice those building blocks of skills over and over and over again. That's how you get good.
PAUL: You're right. The flipside to that argument, there are some schools that don't even want to grade, don't want to test at the younger levels. What have we learned? What do the experts say how to give your child the best foundation, or do you quell creativity and independent thinking by making kids practice?
PAUL: I think there's a happy medium here between letting kids do whatever they want and, you know, forcing them to sit at the piano and play until they, you know, until they are crying and you're screaming which seems the kind of scene that Amy Chua describes in her book.
Another thing they points out I think is useful for us to remember is the way we praise our children, whether we say that's great, you did a great job, you're so smart, you're so talented, or whether you say, you did a great job. You worked really hard. That makes a difference.
And Amy Chua points out that western parents may use those words, "gifted, talented, you're so smart" in the interest of raising self- esteem. But if you focus on hard work and the effort that a child put into their task, then the child really has a way to do better next time. They don't have to fall back on this idea that they are smart or not smart.
CHETRY: And she also interestingly says you're doing your child more harm because when they hit the real word if you never keep score in soccer when the kids are little or don't praise as what you think is your child's personal best, when the real world hits, it's a wake- up call. PAUL: And that's another key point that American parents may sometimes insulate their children from distressing or discomforting feelings in the interest of preserving their self-esteem or their feelings about themselves. But as you said, as Amy Chua says, it's a tough world out there. If they don't get used to testing themselves to rising to adversity and overcoming it then they won't do well in the real world out there.
CHETRY: Some people point out there are Asian Americans took exception and saying why is what she described is why I'm in parenting today. She herself had a softening, if you will, because she had such a big rebellion from her own younger daughter and she started to realize being too strict and stringent wasn't the way to go and she may lose her daughter. So when you talk about the middle ground are there distinct advantages over there overly authoritarian with your kids?
PAUL: Psychologists universally decry using name calling or threats to get your children to do what you want. That could be harmful to the child's individual development. Amy Chua as you say did draw back from that very harsh punishment that she was engaging in and says her relationship with her girls right now is very good.
CHETRY: Also not to generalize, because she even says she is not speaking of Asians but speaking more of immigrant mentality and talking about her own life growing up with Chinese parents, but why is it we -- there are some who argue why aren't we seeing more Asian Americans in leadership roles as heads of companies, as leaders in a country if their education and the tactics are working so well? Are they not arming them with the tools socially perhaps to get to the top of the food chain in business?
PAUL: Well, that has been another interesting reaction to Amy's book, which is among the Chinese themselves, who have said, actually, we're looking more to an American model that is more creative, innovative. We need those innovators and those entrepreneurs if owner economy is looking to grow.
So even as we look to China's looking at those high scores they are doing should we be looking more at that, they are looking here and saying this is where the engines of creativity and innovation are. Maybe we should take a lesson from that.
CHETRY: Maybe both sides can learn from each other. But it's a fascinating story, the cover story of "TIME." Annie Murphy Paul, thank you for being with us.
PAUL: Thank you having me on.
HOLMES: All right, kids acting up in class? Instead of sending them to the principal's office, hit with a class c misdemeanor. It's happening. Stay with us.
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HOLMES: We're at 43 minutes past the hour now. Six-year-old kid gets in trouble at school, disrupts class a little bit, whatever it maybe. Send him to study hall? No. Suspend him? No. Send him to the principal's office? No. Give him a ticket. Give him a class c misdemeanor.
It might sound funny, but it's happening a lot in a number of Texas school districts, hundreds of tickets being given out. Let's turn to our Steve Perry for Perry's principles this morning. Steve, good to see you this morning. What's wrong with this?
STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR: These people are out of their minds. This is a desperate effort of adults who cannot control children. If you cannot control children you simply cannot work with children. You do not need to give a six-year-old a ticket for cussing. What you need to do is build the relationships necessary to make this child respect you.
HOLMES: But if it's not working, why not try something else? Why not try this other level of discipline and authority?
PERRY: Because it doesn't work, because if it's not working, it's not because these are children who cannot be worked with. It's because you're not very good at it. We, oftentimes, T.J., don't have an honest conversation with educators to say to them listen maybe education is not for you. Maybe you are not capable of controlling children.
And just because you know math or science or English, it doesn't necessarily mean that you have the capacity to able to relate to children. All of us remember teachers who couldn't control the classroom.
It's one of the things that we look for when we look for teachers. One of first things I want to know is does this person have the capacity to get 20 kids, 25 kids to sit still and listen.
HOLMES: All right and we need to let our viewers know. We're using a kind of an example of a 6-year-old but this goes up from 6- year-old all the way up to high school kids. Those are some of the extreme examples there, 6-year-old. But what not -- if a kid is disrupting a school bus on the way -- on the way, if they are cussing a teacher out, I mean, is there a level here or it makes sense to maybe not suspend the kid and take them out to the educational environment to get the kid going to school and write them a ticket. In that case can it work out?
PERRY: I don't actually see anything wrong with suspension, when suspension is necessary. Some teens -- kids need to be thrown out of school. Not every single child should be in a school setting because some of them -- some are very like -- you're talking about one percent, two percent simply are not capable of being successful in a traditional school setting because they may have some lingering issues from any number of issue -- any number of circumstances.
However, the overwhelming majority of children can be successful in a school system of some sort. We do not have to simply ticket them and put them in the juvenile justice system. We can come up with more creative methods of disciplining kids. We have quite a few creative methods. In fact, you're in the principal's office right now.
And if you were a student and you were in trouble T.J., you wouldn't be sitting down in my office because kids don't sit in my office because you aren't -- you aren't a guest.
HOLMES: Ok, one -- just one last thing here. And yes, they end up maybe in court. You don't think at any point that makes sense to a kid and can register, wow, I got in trouble. I did something wrong at school. I got a ticket. I ended up in court and that kid will know not to do that again?
PERRY: If criminalization of an act was enough to make it stop then we would only need to pass laws to make people stop things. However, the recidivist (ph) rate in prisons is over 50 percent. So no, it doesn't work.
What works is building loving, caring, and strong relationships with children. Going to the basketball games, picking them up in the morning if you have to, to get them to school and staying after school with them to help them with their homework.
Building a relationship with the child so the child knows that you love and respect them and therefore, they in turn will love and respect you back.
HOLMES: All right. That will -- the school district down there is standing by some of their methods. They say education is certainly key where they are trying to create an environment where kids can learn there as well.
Steve, good to see you as always, good to have your fiery opinion and we are going to go ahead and get out of the principal's office now. Good to see you buddy. I'll talk to you again soon.
PERRY: A pleasure to see you as well.
HOLMES: All right, Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, right now, snow is blanketing the Midwest; it's moving into the northeast. When? Well, unfortunately, in time for some commutes tomorrow.
Rob Marciano is checking all of the latest and he gives us an update.
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CHETRY: Katy Perry, you've got to love her. I'm living a teenage dream today sitting here by T.J.
HOLMES: Are you saying I'm young? What are you trying to say?
CHETRY: I don't know. You've got to listen to the lyrics to find out.
HOLMES: Ok, there you go.
CHETRY: Cincinnati -- the young kids love the song, so you know when I say I like it, I feel young -- 30 degrees right now snow and it's only going up one degree for a high today there. And it's going to be more snow.
HOLMES: Well, they can look forward to that one degree a little later. Rob Marciano is in Steamboat Springs for us this morning keeping an eye on another storm system going to be causing some problems. Hey there, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, guys. Yes, this is the same storm system that brought a wonderful 12 inches of new snow to Steamboat yesterday, now moving into the plains. And winter storm warnings are posted for parts of the plains including the mid Mississippi River Valley, stretching now into the Ohio and Tennessee valleys. This is encompassing a large swath of real estate and will be reaching into the northeast before too long as well.
The radar showing the highest intensity snow from northeast Oklahoma in through St. Louis where they have already received several inches. And generally speaking, everybody in this area will get somewhere between two to six inches of snow. Some isolated higher amounts but as this thing cranks into the northeast -- that's about what we expect for New York into Boston.
We might see a little bit more if it gets any more Atlantic moisture but at this point tomorrow morning, well, the rush hour commute for New York City and tri-state area, including Philadelphia and even down towards Baltimore that's when the snow will be falling. So a bit of a headache tomorrow morning and then stretching into the afternoon rush hour for folks who live in Boston.
It has been quite a winter. The cold air behind the system is going to be remarkable as well for folks in the western Great Lakes. Dangerously cold wind chills tomorrow morning and actually just in the past couple of hours here in the high terrain of northern Colorado it's gotten colder as well.
So Mother Nature not fooling around this winter, that's for sure. I got to get back in the conference, guys. It's good to see you this week, we'll see you later.
CHETRY: All right, have some fun and -- have some fun learning at the same time. Thanks Rob.
MARCIANO: Got you.
HOLMES: Well, a lot of folks think of Terrell Owens you might think about what he does on the football field and maybe some of his reality shows, maybe some of his antics but you'll hear from him this morning on one topic that brings him to tears.
Its 52 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HOLMES: All right. We're getting close to the top of the hour.
You know him as a reality show star, you know him as a fierce competitor on the football field. But let me tell you something now you don't know about Terrell Owens. This morning, he was here right in the studio with us. We got to see a different side of the man.
CHETRY: Yes, he is talking about something that has certainly touched his life; his beloved grandmother Alice Black among three -- among 5.5 million people suffering from Alzheimer's disease. She was diagnosed back in 1996, the same year that Owens turned pro.
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TERRELL OWENS, NFL WIDE RECEIVER: She knew I was drafted but never really -- you know, from that point was able to really comprehend what I've done and what I've become in my career. I tell a lot of people now that when I step on that football field and I listen to the national anthem, you know, I look around the stadium and I can see her face.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Owens very passionate about finding a cure, hosting a fund-raiser last night in New York to benefit Alzheimer's disease research. A good guy; nice to talk to him. We try to get him the answer where he might want to go since he is a free agent right now. Philadelphia.
HOLMES: Sure. But he is playing. He is playing next year. He is 37 years old but he is not retiring any time soon. He had a great year this past year but we shall see.
We are just a few minutes to the top of the hour. Stick around.
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HOLMES: Well, President George H.W. Bush as well as members of his administration will be joined by the Emir of Kuwait today. They're going to be meeting in Texas and they're marking the 20th anniversary of the First Gulf War.
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PETER ARNETT, CNN JOURNALIST: Well, we have an air raid alarm right now but I can continue talking with you for a while. It usually takes about ten minutes for the planes or missiles to get here.
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CHETRY: That was CNN's Peter Arnett, one of the few journalists reporting from inside Iraq at the time. The United States and its allies launched "Operation Desert Storm" to drive Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait. It was the first war that people were able to witness on live television.
HOLMES: And it helped to put CNN and also helped to put cable news itself on the map all of those years ago.
Right now, we appreciate you spending some time with us this morning. Time for us now to hand it over to Atlanta and the "CNN NEWSROOM" with Kyra Phillips; it starts right now. Hey there Kyra.
CHETRY: Hey, Kyra.
