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American Morning

Violent Crackdown in Libya; Texas Guns on Campus Bill; Wanted: Math and Science Teachers; "Cash for Kids" Conviction; Funding Crisis Beyond Wisconsin; Meet Trevor Bayne, History's Youngest Daytona 500 Winner

Aired February 21, 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)

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Good morning. It's the standoff at the state house. Protests in Wisconsin continue. But now, spreading across the country this morning.

Also, this morning, there is a monster storm that could affect you. There are watches and warnings in place as this thing stretches across some 1,800 miles. We are tracking this thing for you on this AMERICAN MORNING.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES (on-camera): And hi there everybody on this Monday, February 21st. Welcome to this AMERICAN MORNING. I'm T.J. Holmes.

KIRAN CHETRY: I'm Kiran Chetry. President's Day this morning, so, a lot of people have off. Welcome if you're watching us. We begin the hour with new violence in Libya and also fears that the country could be on the brink of civil war. Anti-government demonstrators are now in their seventh day. Protesters reportedly attacking the headquarters of Libyan state television and triply (ph) and also sending a government building on fire.

HOLMES: And meanwhile, these protests which have been mainly in the second largest city of Benghazi spreading, like you just said, to the capital there. Video from Benghazi, though, that we do need to warn you about shows just what's happening on the street there. Protesters are claiming that they have seized control of Benghazi from the Libyan military. Human rights watch reporting that 233 people have been killed in clashes there.

It is almost impossible to do reporting from Libya right now. CNN, we do not have people on the ground because Libya's not letting our journalists in. So, it's tough to independently confirm a lot of what we've been seeing and hearing. Meanwhile, the oil giant BP telling us that they are starting to pull their staff out of Libya.

CHETRY: A speech by Muammar Gadhafi's son warns Libyans what's ahead if the protests continue, speaking, quote, "We can speak rationally, we can spare the blood, we can stand all together for the sake of Libya, but if the unrest continues, forget about democracy, forget about reform. It will be a fierce civil war." Again, those words in a speech by Muammar Gadhafi's son.

Meantime, Britain, France, the United States among several countries closely watching the situation on the ground in Libya this morning. The State Department has issued a travel warning for the country, and just last hour the British foreign secretary is calling on Libyan authorities to protect human rights and basic freedoms.

Coming up in just a few minutes, we're going to be speaking Fawaz Gerges. He's going to be joining us to talk about the flash points across the Middle East.

HOLMES: Let's turn back to what we're seeing in Wisconsin the past several days. There's no school again in Madison as the budget battle continues. Teachers are really the main ones behind the protests we're seeing, even though it does include state workers.

But the teachers union saying teachers, go back to work. The teachers have other ideas, right now, however. Thousands of them packed the state capital all weekend long. They're upset the government wants them to put more in their retirement, pay more of their benefits, and strip them of their bargaining rights.

Now, a looming crisis way beyond Wisconsin, however. There are several other states, and you're seeing some of them there, are struggling to balance their books. Protests are scheduled in seven other states today. Casey Wian live for us in Madison. Casey, good morning to you once again. What are you expecting today?

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's really an interesting scene we've seen here for several days. Six days of protests, and contrasts of what you've reported on. These protests, you have tens of thousands of people, people spending the night inside the state capitol behind us. These protests have been entirely peaceful, and we expect that to continue.

We expect another day of protests today. And the teachers union is organizing protests throughout the state. It's not just going to be happening here at the state capital.

As you mention, the teachers union yesterday taking a vote on whether they would go back to work. It appears that many of them will, at least at some point, during this week.

Over the last three days of last week teachers staged a massive sick- out closing schools in many places in the state. Some of those teachers have sympathetic doctors who have been writing doctors notes excusing their absences. What those doctors say is they're also upset about proposed cuts to the state's health care program, so they're writing absent notes for those teachers.

Inside the state capitol yesterday we witnessed an incredible scene which was a group of firefighters marching into the capitol in support of these teachers and other state union workers who are protesting this proposed budget solution.

What's very interesting about that is these firefighters and police officers are exempt from many of the provisions in the bill, but they're still showing up to support these teachers and other workers who are angry at Governor Walker's proposal.

HOLMES: And Casey, I think I heard you say we are expecting to see many of the teachers go back to work at some point this week. But what kind of pressure and criticism are they getting right now for not being in those classrooms?

WIAN: Well, they are getting criticism from parents. We saw some counter-protesters here over the weekend who had signs and were shouting things like "I couldn't be here to protest because I had to be at work." So there are some parents who are clearly upset by the fact that schools are closed and have been closed and have had to make other plans.

What's unique or unusual I should say here in Wisconsin is some school districts recognized President's Day, others don't. So some teachers are supposed to be at work today, others are not. Some teachers unions have decided to go back to work, others haven't. So it's a mixed bag, but we expect them to go back gradually throughout the week, T.J.

HOLMES: Casey Wian for us in Madison, we'll check in with you again, thanks so much.

And we have been seeing back and forth it play out in Madison for the past week or so. But a little bit later this morning, we are going to give you a different scene, a scenario where we're going to have a superintendent sitting down right next to the head of the teachers union in his district, and the two are going to sing Kumbaya.

They were able to work out a deal, and teachers there said no, we are not going to take our pay raise. We'll see what worked for them and see if it would work in other places.

CHETRY: Meantime, a developing story this morning, a U.S. Navy warship and helicopter are trailing an American yacht in the Indian Ocean. Officials say Somali pirates seized SV Quest on Friday off the coast of Oman, and onboard are four Americans. The yacht's owners Jeanne and Scott Adam from California. It appears the yacht is headed towards land and making its way from Yemen to Somalia. The Adams were part of a world tour sailing group but they chose to split from the group three days before the hijacking. The couple reportedly wanted to explore a different route.

(WEATHER REPORT)

CHETRY: Record-setting start to the NASCAR season. It was a rookie who won the Daytona 500, and not just a rookie. It was only his second race on the circuit, a race that featured 74 different lead changes, 22 different leaders, 16 caution flags, one coming after a 14-car crash earlier in the race, knocked out a lot of the superstars.

In the end Trevor Bayne took the checkered flag, 20 years old, the youngest ever to win the great American race. And again, just his second career race on the NASCAR circuit. We're going to talk live with Trevor on AMERICAN MORNING about his historic victory. He's going to join us at 7:50 eastern time.

HOLMES: Also, it was just minutes after takeoff, a Delta flight had to turn around and make an emergency landing. We'll tell you what happened on the way to Minneapolis.

CHETRY: And a California news crew attacked by an angry mob, a female journalist pulled to the ground, kicked, all of it caught on tape.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Anti-government protests in Libya are getting larger and spreading this morning from Benghazi to the capital of Tripoli. Reports say at least 233 people have died in clashes with the government forces. Muammar Gadhafi's son is warning of a bloody civil war if the protesters continue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAIF AL-ISLAM GADHAFI, SON OF LIBYAN PRESIDENT MUAMMAR GADHAFI (via translator): We're not Egypt, we are not Tunisia. We will all have weapons. Everyone has access to weapons. Instead of crying over 84 killed people, we'll be crying over thousands. Blood will flow, rivers of blood in all the cities of Libya.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Well, that dire warning again, coming from Muammar Gadhafi's son. France is now evacuating citizens from Libya. Britain is evaluating whether to do the same, and the U.S. has issued a travel warning.

Joining us to talk about the situation in Libya and the unrest across the Middle East is Fawaz Gerges, director of the Middle East Center at the London School of Economics. Thanks for being with us this morning.

FAWAY GERGES, DIR. MIDDLE EAST CENTER, LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS: Pleasure.

CHETRY: That was a pretty blunt warning coming from Muammar Gadhafi' sense that blood will spill in the streets. He said forget about reform, forget democracy. If this unrest continues, it will be a fierce civil war. What is your take on what is going on right now in Libya and how dangerous this could get?

GERGES: I think the situation is extremely dangerous and volatile. And I think both Colonel Gadhafi and his son, who is the public face of the regime, are in real trouble.

My take on the situation is that the Libyan regime that has been in power for 42 years, Kiran, the most serving, the longest serving autocrat in the world, not just in the Arab world, is facing an existential crisis. This is really the beginning of the end of the game for Gadhafi.

Even if he survives, and he might, he is fatally injured. The fact that Gadhafi and his regime have used massive force -- remember, they have used anti-missile fire. They have used all kinds of really, tanks fire. Hundreds have been killed according to human rights reports, thousands injured. The fact that they have gone all the way tells me they realize their regime is under threat. Their very survival is at stake.

We have to see how the protesters act in the next few days, because remember, this is a very powerful regime. It has money, resources, and as his son said, they will fight till the last man. They will fight till the last bullet, and there will be rivers of blood. But I think the momentum has shifted on the side of the protesters and Democrats in Libya.

CHETRY: If, indeed, the momentum has shifted, how do they stand up to what you're describing, which is a well-armed military willing to bring out the tanks and missiles and fight till the end?

GERGES: There are limits to what Gadhafi can do because now the protests have spread all over Libya, not just in Benghazi, but also Tripoli itself. And we have reports, Kiran, that some units of army have shifted side alongside the protesters.

We also have credible reports that Gadhafi no longer trusts the army and is relying on mercenaries and a foreign militia. Of course, we have glimpse and bits and pieces. We do not have a full portrait. But the reality is the power of the people has made its voice heard even in Libya.

And if history serves as a guide, the army in Libya will not shed Libyan blood the same way as the Tunisian army and the Egyptian army did, and that's why you have the Libyan regime relying on mercenaries and the so called Revolutionary Guard in order to suppress the protesters.

I'm not saying the game is over. I'm not saying that Gadhafi is done. But surely his days are numbered and the momentum is on the side of the protesters and people calling for change.

CHETRY: And it's easy for us here at home in these audiences to just see very similar pictures of people protesting in the street, people shouting in the street. We don't necessary know what it is they're saying. But what is motivating? If you can show us the common thread, if there is one, what's going on in Egypt.

GERGES: Kiran, these are very important questions. Every country is different. Tunisia is not Egypt. Egypt is not Algeria. Algeria is not Libya. But there are what I call three shared similarities. You have autocratic oppressive governments that have been in power for years. Gadhafi has been in power for 42 years.

You have failed economies and dismal economic and social conditions. Libya is supposed to be one of the most wealthiest states in the world. Yet you have a great deal of poverty. You also have the third element very, very important. The rising expectations of a new generation that has internalized globalization, sensibilities and attitudes, and they're calling for open society. They're calling for their voices to be heard.

So even though countries in the region differ, I think the similarities are much more important. And the difference is not about just Libya, but even Iran shares these three similar attitudes that really are changing the face of the Middle East as we know it.

CHETRY: We, of course, will be watching it as all of these developments continue. Fawaz Gerges, great to talk to you, director of the Middle East Center at the London School of Economics. Thanks for joining us this morning.

GERGES: Thank you.

CHETRY: T.J.

HOLMES: Kiran, unfortunately, we have seen several incidents where someone goes on to a college campus, starts shooting, and young people ended up killed. But one state now proposing one thing to maybe help in that situation is to allow all kids on campus to carry guns. Can that work?

Also coming up, I'm going to have two guests that maybe could teach Wisconsin a thing or two about cooperation. I'm going to be talking to the head of a teachers union and also the head of the school district. And the two say they completely trust each other.

It's 16 minutes past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: It's 20 minutes past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING. Give you a look at some of the stories making headlines. One of them being a flight that was supposed to head from Fort Lauderdale to Minneapolis. Well, it had to be stopped just minutes after takeoff. The pilot forced to make an emergency landing. This happened on Sunday morning. Delta officials say the engine had a problem and pieces of that damaged engine were later found near the Fort Lauderdale airport.

Officials say the plane did land safely. A hundred nineteen people onboard, nobody was hurt. Still don't know what caused it. FAA now looking into it and all the passengers were rescheduled on other flights.

CHETRY: Well, California news crew brutally attacked. And this was a KTXL reporter and photographer who are going to the scene of a deadly shooting where people had already set up a makeshift memorial. This is in California. Photo journalist Rebecca Little was dragged to the ground by her hair. A reporter says he was punched in the face as he was trying to fend off more than half dozen people. The station says both are shaken up but doing OK.

HOLMES: Let's turn to Texas now where they are considering a bill that would allow guns on campus. This would allow the students and the professors who have a concealed weapon permit to carry on campus. More than half the members of the state House have signed on as co- authors of this measure. The governor already says he'll support it. Supporters say this could be the best defense against a crazed gunman. Someone possibly like the situation we saw at Virginia Tech. Most of them actually say the students now their only option if someone starts shooting is to get behind a desk or to play dead, and maybe they need some defense of their own. Opponents at the same time say this is just going to make things worse and even more dangerous. The last thing you need is more guns on campus. This could make Texas the second state to do it after Utah.

CHETRY: Well, a former aide to Sarah Palin planning to tell all in a new book. In a leaked manuscript, author Frank Bailey claims that Palin broke election laws in her 2006 governor's campaign and that he was consumed by petty grievances until the moment she resigned. He also said that Palin had a dark side and writes about her, quote, "compulsion to attack enemies, deny truth, play victim, and employ outright deception." The book is based on thousands of e-mail exchanges between Bailey and Palin.

HOLMES: Also, L.A. Clippers Blake Griffin has been a human highlight reel this year. Really. Well, he topped it this weekend. At the All-Star Game, the young fellow leaped over a car to win the slam dunk contest. If you don't know this young guy, he's the L.A. Clippers star who is on the top ten ESPN Sports Center every night for his highlights and his dunks. So Kia product placement, they worked this deal out. Put the car out there, he jumps over the hood.

CHETRY: He had a choir -- I mean, look, he made it. That was great. It was dramatic, but he thought -- he said he thought of it. And he also said that they never actually tried it with the car there. That when he was practicing it, he knew what the footage was and felt he could clear it, but there was not a car there. So that's pretty impressive.

HOLMES: Jump over an escalade, I'll be impressed. I'm just kidding, Blake.

CHETRY: Next thing you want to roll out a monster truck. Come on. Give him credit.

Ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, an icy, snowy, slippery President's Day. There is a winter mess moving east right now after grounding hundreds of flights in the Midwest. We're going to check in with Rob.

HOLMES: Also this morning, BP and some countries starting to pull their people out of Libya. And the U.S. now issuing travel warnings.

It's 23 minutes past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, 26 minutes past the hour now. The president calls them the key to this country's economic success. Those STEM folks -- you know, science, technology, engineering, math teachers. Wants to hire an additional 100,000 of these teachers in schools over the next decade, but that may be easier said than done.

CHETRY: Yes, Christine Romans is here. She's author of "Smart is the New Rich." She joins us now. So if they're looking to hire and there's not as many people going into these professions --

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Right.

CHETRY: -- I guess you could say, it looks like if you're looking for a job, you're at an advantage if you are interested in one of these.

ROMANS: Yes, but we're also cutting teachers. So at the same time it's a really tough situation in the very near term for these teachers. But the president, you know, he gave his weekly radio address from outside Portland, Oregon, while visiting Intel. He was using Intel as an example of where we can outcompete in a globalized economy. He said over the next 10 years -- OK, everyone think of this -- in the next 10 years, nearly half of all new jobs are going to require more than a high school education. And many of those jobs will require proficiency in science and math. That's where the growth is for our young people. To get young people ready to outcompete in a globalized world, we're going to have to get scientists and mathematicians out of the lab and into the classroom.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY NAGELHOUT, TEACHER, FAITH CHRISTIAN ACADEMY: Yes, she is.

ROMANS (voice-over): After 31 years as an engineer, Gary Nagelhout is starting a new career, math teacher at Faith Christian Academy in Poughkeepsie, New York.

NAGELHOUT: I was very comfortable where I was. I love my job. But my heart was to be with the kids and to work with students.

ROMANS: President Obama wants to hire 10,000 highly qualified science and math teachers like Gary Nagelhout in the next year. One hundred thousand over the next decade. A lofty goal to fix a critical problem.

NAGELHOUT: Everybody good with that?

KATE WALSH, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL COUNCIL ON TEACHER QUALITY: You have some top CEOs in the nation going into the president and screaming that the workforce that they're getting is not the workforce that they absolutely require to sustain a growing economy.

ROMANS: It's a catch 22. U.S. students lag in achievement in math and science. Those who do go into these fields often don't want to trade six-figure corporate salaries for lower teacher pay.

NAGELHOUT: I can afford to do it because I'm old enough to retire.

ROMANS: Nagelhout who designed chips at IBM also got help paying for his teacher training and certification from IBM, which says it's investing in its future workforce. (on camera): This is getting the skills of a math or scientist in the real world in corporate America, getting into classrooms so that kids can learn from that experience.

ROBIN WILLNER, V.P. OF IBM'S GLOBAL COMMUNITY INITIATIVES: They made their money. They put their kids through college and now they're saying that was always my passion.

ROMANS (voice-over): IBM has put 31 teachers in the classroom so far, but it's a drop in the bucket.

WALSH: We're going to have to be looking to compensation. We're going to have to be starting much earlier at training the next generation of teachers by providing much more solid mathematics education in a way that other countries do.

ROMANS: What students need is another 99,999 Gary Nagelhouts.

NAGELHOUT: I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. This is fun. It really is a blast.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: He's having fun. He's having a blast. He's one of 31 teachers. There's a lot to overcome. The pay is much better in the private sector. Those areas are huge demands for workers. Many states are cutting teachers, not adding new ones because of budget cuts.

How do we get more successful STEM career people into the classroom? Well, one thing is certain. There's a premium on these majors in college. In my book "Smart is the New Rich," we explore how to position your kid into STEM careers or how to use a liberal arts background like the four of us have to get a job in these growing technologies, science and mathematics.

CHETRY: I was a chemistry major.

ROMANS: Wait, liberal arts. Liberal arts?

HOLMES: No.

ROMANS: No. Yes, liberal arts. And Jason Carroll, I think.

CHETRY: We'll get Jason over here. Just looking down at the newspaper like we're not going to ask you.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I was an English major.

ROMANS: There you go. But I'm telling you that for the future -- I mean generation X had it "easy," 24 million jobs were created over 10 years. Generation Y were losing jobs, eight million jobs are gone. So there's no margin for error. That's the whole point of "smart is the new rich." You're going to have to be a lot smarter if you're going to move ahead. And that's what the president is talking about, as well. He's stalking about stem careers. How are you going to translate your skills for the growing part of that economy? And that's science, technology, engineering, math.

HOLMES: All right. Christine, we appreciate you as always.

CHETRY: Thanks, Christine.

We have out top stories coming up now. Schools in Madison, Wisconsin, off again today. The state's largest union telling teachers to go back to work, but the teachers in many of these unions voted against showing up. Doctors were out in massive crowds hanging out sick notes to the protesters. Democrats in the Wisconsin Senate also left the state to stall the bill on a vote that would force the state workers to pay more for their benefits and to surrender most of their rights to collective bargaining.

HOLMES: Also this morning. Libya right now. We're getting word that BP starting to evacuate families and non-essential staff there. About 140 people in total. Most of those are in the capital of Tripoli. This comes as the death toll rises. At least, according to one human rights groups saying at least 200 people have been killed there. And Moammar Gadhafi's son in a televised address yesterday warned of a blood bath.

CHETRY: Extreme weather now moving east after a huge storm dumped ice and snow from Montana to Michigan causing a lot of problems on the roads, closing runways at airports. Hundreds of flights were canceled in the Midwest.

HOLMES: Well, a former Pennsylvania judge now facing a possible life sentence in prison for a so-called Cash for Kids bribery scandal. He was convicted of taking kickbacks for sending juvenile offenders to a private for profit detention center. Some angry reaction for you this morning.

Jason Carroll standing by with this story.

CARROLL: Yes, imagine if you were one of the young children or teenagers that was sentenced by this judge. That becomes a question now, what do you do with those young kids? You know, "American Morning" first reported on this two years ago when it was alleged two Pennsylvania judges received kickbacks for sending children to juvenile detention. Some as young as 10 years old, hauled off for minor offenses such as trespassing or fighting on a school bus.

Now a jury has found Mark Ciavarella and another former judge guilty of racketeering and receiving payments for nearly $1 million. Prosecutors say that payments coming from the builder of a privately- run juvenile detention center where the judges sent many of the children. The facility made its money by increasing head count. The guilty verdict is too little too late for one mother.

Sandy Fonzo berated Ciavarella after he was convicted on Friday. Her only child was one of the teens sent to the juvenile detention facility. Fonzo believed it ultimately led to her son's suicide.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Message.

SANDY FONZO, SON TOOK HIS OWN LIFE AFTER INCARCERATION: He's not here anymore! My kid's not here! He's dead, because of him! He ruined my (bleep) life! I'd like him to go to hell and rot there forever! You know what he told everybody in court? They need to be held accountable for their actions. Do you remember me? Do you remember me? Do you remember my son? An all-star wrestler. He's gone! (INAUDIBLE) You scum bag!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: As you can see, he said nothing there. He just turned his back on her. Ciavarella faces a minimum sentence of 13 years. He's currently free pending sentencing. Fonzo later told CNN she was outraged the former judge was allowed to walk out of the courthouse after the verdict.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FONZO: There's no justice, he'll never receive my sentence, what I have to live with every day of my life without my son. He left on that beautiful day yesterday to go back with his family. I have nothing anymore. And he still has no - nothing - it was all for nothing. It was all for greed and for more and more. He never had enough. And he took everything from me. And I'll never, never forgive him, no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Ciavarella plans to appeal the decision. The other judge in the case, Michael Conahan pleaded guilty to racketeering last year. He is awaiting sentencing. You know, in one of these cases, you had a 17-year-old girl who had a perfect school record and you know, wrote something about her principal critical on her MySpace page. She was sentenced to three months in this juvenile detention center. Sent away in handcuffs. Her parents was in shock. This was one of the many outrageous cases that many of these people are looking at in western Pennsylvania.

CHETRY: He's trying to appeal this now. But he could potentially face life in prison.

CARROLL: Could potentially face life in prison. And another big question becomes what do you now do with the some 5,000 young men and women and teenagers or children who were sentenced by these two judges since 2003?

CHETRY: There's going to be a lot of lawyers opening up those case files again.

CARROLL: I would think so.

CHETRY: All right. Jason Carroll for us this morning. Thanks.

HOLMES: Thanks, Jason. CHETRY: Still to come this morning, teachers jobs, salaries, and benefits on the line. It goes way beyond Wisconsin. But in place, it's been more than - in one place it's been more civil than in Madison. The side that actually trusts each other have come to the table and now more people may have a job because of it. And coming up, we're going to talk to the superintendent and the head of the teachers association.

HOLMES: And this young man still has to be on a high this morning. Your second Nascar race ever, the day after your 20th birthday, and you find yourself in the winner's circle of the Daytona 500. Trevor Bayne will be with us live. It's 35 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, 38 minutes past the hour on this "American Morning," we have been seeing these pictures out of Wisconsin for several days now. And they're kind of at a standstill in a lot of ways with what's happening there with the unions and the governor. Different story though playing out in upstate New York. Teachers cut a deal with the school district and they agreed not to take the raises they were due this year.

This deal was worked out because they say the two sides actually trust each other and are willing to talk to each other. Dr. Chris Brown, superintendent of the West Genesee School District and John Christian is the president of the West Genesis Teachers Association. John also teaches math at the high school there. They join me this morning from Camillus, New York.

Gentlemen, thank you both, so much for being here and an important story that maybe not a lot of people are hearing a lot about. But Dr. Brown, let me start with you. The situation's certainly different from yours and what's happening in Wisconsin. You're a smaller area, you're dealing with a school district, a smaller teachers union, you're not dealing with politicians. But at the same time, you trust the man sitting next to you. Where does that trust come from?

DR. CHRIS BROWN, SUPERINTENDENT WEST GENESEE SCHOOL DISTRICT: Well, I think that trust comes from open communication and transparency that we've had for the past three years in working together. And when you face difficult economic times like we're in today, I think you really have to turn over every single stone that you have. And one of those was to talk about a wage freeze for the next school year and talk with our teachers and administrators and our teaching assistants and teacher aides. So far we've been able to reach an agreement that's going to save a lot of jobs and therefore a lot of opportunities for kids.

HOLMES: Now, John, how the tough of a sell was that for you to make to your members?

JOHN CHRISTIAN, PRESIDENT OF THE WEST GENESEE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION: It was tough at times. But as we worked through it and gave them as much information as was possible, they came around. And it was an overwhelming vote for a yes. HOLMES: And John, when you see what's happening in Wisconsin. Again, I know the two situations are different in a lot of ways, but similar, as well. When you see what's happening there, do you sympathize and see why it could get to the place it's at now? Or do you just shake your head and think, man, you know what, that's a shame it's gotten to that point?

CHRISTIAN: Well, we see it right here in New York. We don't have to look to Wisconsin. We see it with our neighbors and some of the neighboring school districts that don't have the trust. And I sympathize with the fact that, you know, they're forced into that situation.

HOLMES: Dr. Brown, let me ask you - you're hearing me all right. I see you feeling for your ear piece. I hope you can still hear me all right, Dr. Brown. But do you think what you all have done here, do you hope it could and do you possibly think it could catch on from Wisconsin to Tennessee to Ohio where people start trusting each other again?

BROWN: I hope so. I mean, we're really going into some unprecedented times here with our national economy. And it hit the private sector first. It's just now starting to hit education and health care. And I really think that we've all got to band together, start trusting each other. Because if you walk in a third grade classroom, a fourth grade classroom, they have no idea what's going on, these kids. And I think it's up to the adults to help solve some of these problems before it becomes a student problem. And the only way to do that is through trust and communication. And trying to solve problems maybe in ways that they haven't been solved before.

HOLMES: And John, did it also take, you know quite frankly, you look at the numbers, and so much you can squeeze from a turnip as they say. But did you see that you would rather not have the raise and keep the job, was that an easy sell to make? Because you might be looking at layoffs.

CHRISTIAN: Well, my sell was easy. My stance has been and always has been from day one, I need to save as many and retain as many people as I possibly can. So my stance has been simple. And I think as the information was shared and as we went through this process and people realized how many folks could be affected, it wasn't a difficult stance to take.

HOLMES: And John, last couple of quick things here. Are there teachers -I mean, you're a teacher, as well - and your members get to a point where you start to feel bad or guilty? Yes, you're looking out for your own families. But when you see a district like yours that's $5.5 million in the hole, do you feel bad or feel guilty from forcing them to spend money you know they don't have?

CHRISTIAN: Well, I don't know if I feel guilty. But the whole process is gut wrenching. I've used that with the local media, I'll use it with you. It's gut wrenching. It's difficult to look at individuals, they have families, they have bills to pay. And that's the angle we've taken. HOLMES: Look, Dr. Brown, last thing quickly to you. Wisconsin is listening, what would you tell them?

BROWN: I would just tell them that, you know, I think it's through diplomacy that maybe some of these things can be resolved. We've got to build some trust. We need to probably get some people in a room and figure out where the actual sides are and try to meet somewhere in the middle so that, you know, everything returned to work and that the government can run and that maybe we can work on a way that can help us forge into the future during these different economic times.

HOLMES: All right. Well, gentlemen, I hope some people are listening. But you all can serve as an example of how things can work when two sides talk to each other. Down the road, I don't want to talk to you again and you all are fighting it out. I hope the peace and civility continues. Dr. Brown, Mr. Christian, thank you, both. And thanks for spending some time with us. I know you all had the day off for president's day. But we appreciate you coming in. All right. Congratulations.

BROWN: Thanks for having us.

CHRISTIAN: Thank you.

HOLMES: All right. Kiran.

CHETRY: Well, next on "American Morning," he won the Daytona 500, he can't even believe it himself. 20-year-old Trevor Bayne now the youngest driver to ever win at Daytona. He's going to be talking to us. He's going to join us in just a couple of minutes. Stick around for that.

Also, a major snowstorm hammering people from the Midwest to the northeast this morning. Rob's along with the travel forecast to let us know where it's going to be tough or there may be some more cancelled flights today.

Forty-five minutes past the hour.

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CHETRY: Forty-eight minutes past the hour. Time to get a check of this morning's weather headlines.

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HOLMES: Also coming up, our Steve Perry, our education contributor is going to join us and talk about what we're seeing in Wisconsin and other places around the country when it comes to teachers and benefits. And how are the kids going to be affected, though?

CHETRY: And you can be a snow bird and you can take your entire home with you and your neighbors and your golf course. Ed Lavendera shows us a giant floating condo community. Is it the new way to retire? Is it catching on?

Fifty minutes past the hour.

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CHETRY: Well, it's an amazing story. Trevor Bayne, southern boy from Knoxville, Tennessee, he actually just turned 20 on Saturday. Technically can't order a drink and can't rent a car.

HOLMES: That's right. You've got to be 25, is that right?

CHETRY: He can drive the heck out of one, but he can't rent one.

HOLMES: He can drive one. And that's what he did yesterday, winning the Daytona 500. Youngest driver ever to win there. First time ever running the race. He's a rookie out there. Just his second start in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. This is -- he is running with the big boys.

And Trevor Bayne joins us now from Daytona, Florida, this morning.

Young fellow, good morning and congratulations to you. Is your career all downhill from here?

TREVOR BAYNE, YOUNGEST TO WIN DAYTONA 500: That's -- it seems like that is the only way it can go from here. You set the bar high when you win your first ever Daytona 500. But, you know what? I think there's still a lot of history to be written so hopefully we can keep going with it.

CHETRY: It is just amazing, though. I mean, you're now in the league with Wayne Gretzky, you're in the same league as Ben Roethlisberger. I mean, Pele, the youngest soccer star. I mean, how does it feel? I mean, did you think you were going to win when you raced? This was your first Daytona 500.

BAYNE: Wow. When you put it that way, that's just incredible because it hasn't sunk into me how big of a deal this is, you know, that we did win this thing.

I never thought in a million years we were going to win our first one. I knew that these guys were capable of it. I knew the 21 Team knew how to get to Victory Lane. Donny Wingow (ph), my crew chief, he's been trying to win this thing for 31 years. You know, the last time the (INAUDIBLE) have won it was 35 years ago, I think.

So, for us to get them back where they belong in Victor Lane, is just -- is so cool. I mean, everybody here, they deserve it so much and they put their work in, that's for sure.

HOLMES: OK. Twenty-years old, Trevor. At some point you're looking in that rear view and you've got legends, literally, coming up behind you trying to win that race. You're not supposed to have the experience, you're not supposed to have the cajones to pull this off and keep them off of you.

At what point did you realize, OK wait a minute, at what point in the race did you realize, OK, I'm not just out here having a good time, I'm about to win this thing?

BAYNE: Well, you know, until we crossed the checkered flag I thought we were in the worst position possible. When we lost our drafting buddy there in the six car, David Ragan, I thought we were kind of in a bad spot.

I thought for sure that a second group, the way the two car drafts were working, would catch up to us, get around us or break Bobby Labonte and myself up, and we were going to finish second or maybe a top five is what I was looking forward to. But, you know, I was just pumped that I could say, hey, we led this thing coming off the turn four and then we won it.

So, you know, I can't thank everybody enough that helped us throughout the day because if we wouldn't have had help with the two car drafts, we would have been in trouble. So, for those guys who took that leap of faith, seeing our yellow rookie stripes on the back bumper and still worked with us anyways, you know, I owe it to them, too.

CHETRY: So, I mean, it is -- it is amazing. Everyone's making a big deal about the fact that they had to sort of point you to Victory Lane, right? That you didn't really exactly know how to get to the winner's circle.

What was that like for you? Was it just a blur?

BAYNE: Well, I knew how to walk to Victory Lane because I'd planned on going over and see whoever won. But I didn't know how to drive there. So, I guess I better go start scouting it out and figure it out from now on.

But, you know, this is just -- it's incredible. I just -- the crazy part is there's guys, racecar drivers, you know, Tony Stewart, so many drivers that haven't had the opportunity to win this. So for us to come in our first one, I feel almost bad about it, coming in and spoiling all the fun for everybody and getting that 600th win for Ford, and just, you know.

But, those guys are the ones that laid the foundation. They're the ones -- the reason we still have this sport and I was able to do this. So, it's really cool to be the winner of this deal, but, you know it's because of everybody around me. And those legends like you were talking about. I mean, we got to work with Jeff Gordon in that race. A lot of people. And that was just incredible.

HOLMES: Well, Trevor, you certainly sound like you got your head on straight. You sound like a humble kid who is taking this moment in and you absolutely should. You've a long career ahead of you, but way to start it, my man. Congratulations to you.

Trevor Bayne. Folks, remember that name. You're going to be hearing it plenty over the years.

Enjoy. And, you didn't have a drink, did you? You're not old enough to drink? Did you have a drink to celebrate? CHETRY: Milk, right?

BAYNE: No, sir.

BAYNE: I think they had Gatorade instead of whatever else they use in Victory Lane. So --

HOLMES: Just checking. But next year for your birthday, we'll see you with that Budweiser in your hand and we'll see you at Victory Lane.

BAYNE: I don't know. I don't know. All right. Thank you.

HOLMES: Trevor, congratulations. You take care.

CHETRY: Thanks so much.

He's such a sweet guy. He also does ministry work, Back-to-Back Ministries is a ministry organization that helps out in places like Mexico and Monterrey and Nigeria. So, he's a good kid.

HOLMES: Good kid. Good kid.

CHETRY: Congrats to him. And Jeff Gordon was thrilled for him, too, that he won. He said he felt kind of bad taking it away from some of the other guys.

HOLMES: You don't hear that a lot.

CHETRY: I know. We're going to take a quick break. Your top stories coming up.

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