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American Morning
Schwarzenegger's Shocking Confession; Irish Police Defuse Bomb; PSA Aimed Against Anti-Gay Speech; Think Before You Speak; A Derby Story with Heart
Aired May 17, 2011 - 07:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Kiran Chetry.
Arnold Schwarzenegger reportedly keeping a secret for more than a decade. The former California governor telling the L.A. Times that he fathered a child out of wedlock with a member of his household staff and says he did not tell his wife, Maria Shriver, until just a few months ago.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Christine Romans.
Threats against the queen on the first official visit to Ireland by a British monarch in 100 years. Police already defusing one bomb on a bus on this AMERICAN MORNING.
CHETRY: And good morning to you. It is Tuesday, May 17th. My first visit on the couch at 8:00 since I was off.
ROMANS: I know. We ran through it yesterday. It worked out just fine. So everything's safe here, thanks.
CHETRY: Well, we are glad that you're with us this morning. We woke up to some shocking news.
ROMANS: That's right. It is a shocking confession by the former governor of California.
"The Los Angeles Times" is reporting Arnold Schwarzenegger has confessed to fathering a child out of wedlock with a longtime member of his household staff. He says it happened over 10 years ago, Kiran.
CHETRY: Yes. And that he didn't tell his wife until just a few months ago.
Casey Wian live in Los Angeles this morning.
Any more comments this morning from the Schwarzenegger camp about this?
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, we haven't heard anything from Schwarzenegger's camp. And, you know, since he left the governor's office here in California in January, Arnold Schwarzenegger has been busy making appearances and reportedly trying to revive his movie career. The Web site Schwarzenegger.com contains a picture of the former governor playing chess and a caption reading, "Stay tuned for my next move." It's hard to imagine he was referring to the report this morning in "The Los Angeles Times" that before he ran for office in 2003, Schwarzenegger fathered a child with a member of his household staff.
According to a statement he gave the paper, quote, "After leaving the governor's office, I told my wife about this event, which occurred over a decade ago. I understand and deserve the feelings of anger and disappointment among my friends and family. There are no excuses, and I take full responsibility for the hurt I have caused. I have apologized to Maria, my children and my family. I am truly sorry."
The Times reports that the woman worked for the Schwarzeneggers for 20 years before retiring in January. Only a week ago, Schwarzenegger and his wife Maria Shriver announced they had separated after 25 years of marriage.
Schwarzenegger, of course, was elected California governor twice. He was so popular at one point, there was talk among some Republicans of trying to change the Constitution to allow a foreign- born candidate to run for president. But as the state's budget deficits grew, Schwarzenegger's popularity declined.
Now, his reputation, of course, has taken another hit -- Christine, Kiran.
CHETRY: The other interesting thing, just sort of how it worked -- I mean, in terms of this child. I mean, did the woman raise it as a single, you know, mother or was there any -- do we know any details about how this was able to be a secret for 10 years?
WIAN: We don't know any details other than what "The Los Angeles Times" was reporting, and that is that Schwarzenegger, according to them, has been providing financial support for this child. And that, initially, when questioned by "The Los Angeles Times" about this child, the woman said that it was actually the offspring of her then-husband. And then when they received the statement from Governor Schwarzenegger admitting paternity, "The Times" apparently called this woman back and she declined to comment further.
So, that's all we know at this point.
ROMANS: You know, Casey, Maria Shriver just a few months ago really was on a YouTube video, talking about transitions in life and asking for advice about transitions in life. And then, you know, her mother passed away, her father passed away in the last year-and-a-half or so, now this. You can only imagine that it has been quite a trying time, the ending days of this governorship and with what their family is going through.
WIAN: Absolutely. And she says she's no stranger to turmoil involving her marriage. Back when he was running for governor, as I'm sure you'll recall, there were more than a dozen women that came forward and claimed that Governor Schwarzenegger groped then. And at that time, then-candidate Schwarzenegger said it was a dirty trick, if you will, by Democrats, putting that information out right before the election. But Maria Shriver at that point stood by her husband. It's, clearly, a different story, apparently, now.
ROMANS: All right. Casey Wian -- thanks, Casey.
We want to know what you think: Does a politician's private transgressions -- does that matter to their public life?
E-mail us at CNN.com/AM, you can give us a tweet @CNNAM, or find us on Facebook, Facebook.com/AmericanMorning. We're going to read to you some of your comments later on the program.
CHETRY: Meantime, a bomb scare as Queen Elizabeth II arrives in Ireland. Irish authorities say they diffuse one bomb on a bus and then rush to the scene of another suspicious device that turned out to be a fake.
This is video of the queen arriving within the hour to Ireland.
ROMANS: The Irish say there's never been a bigger security operation in the country.
Zain Verjee is live for us in London with all the details.
Good morning, Zain. And a beautiful -- I would - I would call that a Kelly Green on the queen.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Doesn't she look fabulous?
CHETRY: She does.
VERJEE: She really does. That was not lost on anyone.
You know, this is such a historic moment for Ireland, for Britain. It really can't be overestimated. I mean, the last time a monarch was in the country was 100 years ago. Her grandfather, George V, was there. And that was when Ireland was under British colonial rule.
Since then, there's been so much bad blood, suspicion, hostility, when it was a colony and the British army was in Northern Ireland over the past few years.
Since the Northern Ireland peace accord, things have been a lot better. But there are still security fears on this trip, guys. She's here for four days. And you've got something like 10,000 police and army that are fanned out around the city. They spent $42 million just for security in this trip and they've got land, sea, and air patrols.
So, they are really worried about some of these dissident republican groups that are coming out with bomb threats and bombs that were fortunately, one was diffused today.
CHETRY: You said, though, that there's no -- there's been no change to her schedule. I mean, hey are upping security. They're making sure she's safe. But she's still doing what she was going to do.
VERJEE: Yes, that's right. The schedule is still going on as planned. You know, she's going to go visit some pretty historically significant sites, you know, places that are so important to Ireland, because these were the areas that are basically established in memory of the Irish freedom fighters that fought the British for independence. So, so far, she's on track to do what was planned.
CHETRY: Zain Verjee for us this morning -- thanks so much.
ROMANS: And you have the president going to Ireland, I think, in a few weeks, right? And the Irish -- some Irish supporters of the president like to say the O'bama. So, we'll see if he's now conspired to wear Kelly green --
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: He's going to top the queen.
ROMANS: That's right.
CHETRY: Six minutes past the hour.
Explosions ripping through Tripoli overnight. The Libyan government said that NATO airstrikes targeted two of its buildings, fires raged in the government's anti-corruption headquarters and a building used by the Tripoli's police force across the street. NATO is still not confirming whether or not an air raid took place. No word on any casualties.
ROMANS: In Libya, the International Criminal Court in The Hague says it's investigating allegations that Libyan security forces have been gang-raping women that stop at checkpoints.
Our Nic Robertson sat down with the court's chief prosecutor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LUIS MORENO-OCAMPO, ICC PROSECTOR: There are rapes. The issue is: who organized them?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You believe it's institutional?
MORENO-OCAMPO: They were committed in some police barracks. Were the policemen persecuted? What happened? There's some information of Viagra.
So, it's a like a machete. It's a new -- Viagra is a tool of massive rapes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Wow. Using Viagra as a tool of massive rapes.
Perhaps the best well-known alleged rape case in Libya is that of Eman al-Obeidy. She burst into a hotel lobby two months telling journalists she'd been taken from a checkpoint and raped by 15 men loyal to Moammar Gadhafi.
CHETRY: She's since managed to escape. She got out and she's trying to get asylum now.
Well, we are getting reports of gunfire being exchanged between NATO forces and Pakistani troops. We don't know a lot. But we know that a NATO plane and helicopters apparently entered Pakistan's airspace this morning, and that two Pakistani soldiers were reportedly wounded.
It is not clear why the coalition aircraft were in Pakistan. A NATO spokeswoman telling CNN, quote, "We are aware of a cross-border incident and we're still assessing the situation."
ROMANS: OK. More on the degree of that stealth chopper, the debris of that stealth chopper in Pakistan. Pakistan says it will finally return the top secret tail section of the chopper that crashed during the raid on bin Laden's compound. The handoff is expected to happen today.
Senator John Kerry made that announcement from Pakistan, calling it step number one toward improving relations between the two countries. He also said Secretary of State Clinton would be traveling to Pakistan soon.
Of course, there were concerns that the Chinese would want to get ahold of this technology. Although, some would say that maybe with two weeks have passed, perhaps a lot of people have already seen that -- the tail of that aircraft.
CHETRY: Right. Well, it's the tail. So, I mean, they did -- they were able to destroy by exploding it.
ROMANS: The rest of the helicopter, right?
CHETRY: Yes, the rest of it, the tail is still out there. But supposedly, it's coming back.
Behind bars and without bail -- a New York judge says that 62- year-old Dominique Strauss-Kahn, head of the International Monetary Fund, is a flight risk. Because of that, he is now being held at the Rikers Island jail for allegedly trying to rape a hotel maid. Strauss-Kahn is sitting in a 11-foot by 13-foot cell, separated from the general public -- certainly, a far cry from the luxury hotel suite where prosecutors say that assault took place.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN MCCONNELL, ASST. DISTRICT ATTORNEY: He restrained a hotel employee inside of his room. He sexually assaulted her and attempted to forcibly rape her. When he was unsuccessful, he forced her to perform oral sex on him.
BENJAMIN BRAFMAN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: He is presumed innocent and indeed this is a very defensible case. There are significant issues that we have already found simply with preliminary investigation, and in our judgment makes it quite likely that he'll ultimately be exonerated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Straus-Kahn was arrested on a plane moments before it was about to take off for France.
ROMANS: All right. What happens inside the New York's sex crime unit, the SVU is what it's called. You have probably seen this before and you've probably seen them on TV, right?
Coming up: Deb Feyerick talks with the former head of the New York's SVU for details on how this unit works and what Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been going through.
CHETRY: Also, a 15-mile stretch of the Mississippi River now declared off limits. Now, some families are looking to make money fast before they have to get out of town as well. We are going to check in with Rob Marciano, who's live for us in Louisiana, next.
ROMANS: And we've got to call this the Houston Astros highlight of the year. Epic video as a fan runs on to the field and jumps three fences to evade the cops. I promise you, we're going to show you this video right after the break.
It's 10 minutes aft hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Thirteen minutes past the hour right now.
Thousands of people in Alberta, Canada, are waiting to find out if their homes burned to the ground this morning. More than 7,000 people were forced to get out of the area known as Slave Lake area. Wildfires have already burned a lot of the northern Alberta town. The firefighters started battling two separate fires on Saturday. They thought they could get them under control but because of high winds kicking up, they haven't let up since.
ROMANS: Remarkable to see these pictures. The whole town has been engulfed like that.
OK. Fifteen miles of the Mississippi River in this country remains shut down this morning as floodwaters rapidly close in on Louisiana. The river swelling to six times its normal width in some places. Parts of rural Louisiana are already under water right now.
CHETRY: And the Coast Guard has closed a 15-mile stretch of the river near Natchez, Mississippi, no word on when that might reopen. It's a critical waterway for cargo vessels. And, right now, they are not going anywhere.
Rob Marciano is live in Melville, Louisiana, this morning, where residents were ordered to evacuate on Sunday.
Hi, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, guys.
Eleven gates now are opened in the Morganza spillway. That has alleviated some pressure in Baton Rouge, in New Orleans, in the larger cities, the more populated areas, certainly happy about that and breathing a sigh of relief.
But those folks -- you know, there's a lot of people that are being sacrificed in the spillway, in the floodway, where inside the protected levees of Melville. This is the Atchafalaya River, which is much, much larger than it would normally be, and it's been swelling since we got here last night.
You know, it's -- this is a wide river base, a wide area where all this water can go. So, it's taking its time getting downstream towards I-10, towards Butte La Rose and towards Morgan City. And some of the -- some of the revised forecast have come in now for those areas to crest not this week, but next week. I mean, Butte La Rose probably won't crest for another week; Morgan City, not for eight days. So, significant delays in the water getting down because there's so much of it and it's so wide.
We spoke to a number of people yesterday. And a lot of them are taking the "Well, we will wait until it gets here" kind of attitude. They are moving out. They are moving their stuff into safer ground. But as far as them moving out full-time, that quite hasn't happened yet.
And a matter of fact, there are some folks who are taking the entrepreneurial spirit out and trying to raise some money in some unique ways.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HEIDI FANGUE, POINTE COUPEE PARISH, LOUISIANA RESIDENT: They are kind of amazed that we're actually doing T-shirts and everything and getting to that (ph) in this whole week. Everybody is evacuating. And they're like, y'all still here selling T-shirts. And we're like, yes, we're not leaving until you see the water coming.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO: So, there you go.
In the meantime, selling T-shirts, almost sold 200 of them at 20 bucks a pop, raising money for her and her neighbors and family for when they have to move out and potentially lose some stuff. So, for every person that doesn't have flood insurance, there's folks who are trying to make money in other ways there, guys.
So, water pouring out of that Morganza Spillway. They haven't opened those floodgates since 1973. And that is the flood of record for folks who live in Melville proper. And they are hoping that the water doesn't rise as much as it did then.
I think one of the things that may help is that, you know, we had a pretty dry spring. We are way below average as far as rainfall really since the beginning of the year. And some of this water that's pouring out of this spillway, you know, a small percentage of it, but still, we'll take every little bit of help we can get -- some of that is being absorbed by this dry land. That's not going to be the source for all optimism, I don't think, over the next couple of weeks, especially as we move this water downstream towards the Gulf of Mexico. And it will take several weeks to do that.
ROMANS: Yes, I just cannot, Rob, get over those pictures of that water coming out of the floodgates, you know, just pouring down there. And you know that water is headed to someone's basement, to someone's street, to someone's school. So, really dramatic story unfolding.
Rob Marciano -- thanks, Rob.
CHETRY: Thanks, Rob.
Still ahead, causing a buzz in the sports world: Phoenix Suns leading the NBA in gay acceptance. In addition to its CEO announcing he is gay, two players have recorded an anti-gay bullying ad. And we're going to be joined by Sun's star, Grant Hill, live in just a few moments.
ROMANS: And the secret Arnold Schwarzenegger kept for 10 years. He admits to "The L.A. Times" he fathered a child with a household staffer and then hid it as governor. Coming up: Dr. Jeff Gardere, live.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: It's 20 minutes after the hour.
Minding your business this morning: summer airlines, bigger summer airfares. More people expected to fly this summer. According to an industry trade group, the airlines will carry about 34,000 more people per day between June and August. And guess what? Airfares are rising.
Get ready to pay a little more if you are in the market for a new car. Researchers say buyers are paying about $350 more since Japan's earthquake. The price hike is needed to offset higher material costs.
The markets appear to be heading back into the black after the Dow was down 47 points yesterday. The NASDAQ and S&P were also lower. Investors focused on oil prices and on the European debt crisis.
Comedian Jerry Lewis announcing that he is retiring as the long-time emcee of the annual Muscular Dystrophy Association Labor Day telethon. The 85-year-old star will make his final appearance this year. He's been part of that telethon since 1966.
And countdown is on. Today, Oprah begins taping her final weeks of shows. Though in an interview with "USA Today," Oprah says she still hasn't decided for sure whether to tape that final show on May 25th live.
And Seth McFarlane, creator of "Family Guy," is bringing back the Flintstones, the modern day take on the Hanna-Barbera classics. It will begin airing on FOX in 2013.
AMERICAN MORNING is back right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: The head of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, is behind bars, facing charges of attempted rape. Strauss-Kahn is sitting in an 11x13 jail cell in Rikers Island after a judge denied bail, saying he was a flight risk. He is accused of trying to sexually assault a hotel maid.
CHETRY: New York police arrested the IMF chief while he was on board an Air France flight, just about to leave to Paris, minutes before it took off from Kennedy Airport.
ROMANS: Our Deb Feyerick has more on the specially trained cops who took Strauss-Kahn into custody and where this whole case goes from here -- Deb.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know -- and you also have to think about this in the context of what's going on in Europe. They are facing the biggest financial crisis when it comes to the euro. The guy who knows the most about this, well, he is sitting in jail.
Well, the rapid arrest of one of the most powerful men on the world stage has some people wondering, did police act too quickly? Was there a rush to judgment?
But those familiar with the Special Victims Unit, the SVU, they said they did what they have to do.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK: You have a hotel worker going up against one of the most powerful men, the head of the International Monetary Fund. What sort of evidence needed to be met for police to believe that something, in fact, did occur?
LINDA FAIRSTEIN, FMR. HEAD OF MANHATTAN D.A. SEX CRIME UNIT: That's a great question. Obviously, body fluids and where it is. If it's on the bed of the alleged offender, it may not be terrifically significant. If it's on the clothing of the victim -- and I don't know where it is -- that's going to be awfully significant.
Most hotels in this day and age have cameras in corridors. Is there tape of this woman leaving the room? What condition was she in, both in clothing disarray and emotional distress? What condition was he in when he left the room, if these things are filmed?
FEYERICK: Will this lady have to testify?
FAIRSTEIN: Oh, yes. This case is entirely based on the testimony of the young lady who made the complaint. This case could not proceed without her.
FEYERICK: Investigators and police went immediately to the airport to get him off the plane. Is that an extraordinary measure?
FAIRSTEIN: If the Special Victims Unit detectives had probably cause, meaning a witness that they believe who told the truth, made an immediate outcry, found evidence to support it, which is not needed but icing on the cake, and then they did the only thing they could do, which was to stop this man before he left the country.
FEYERICK: This young lady has to be terrified.
FAIRSTEIN: This is what they are so good at. The detectives whose pictures I saw in the paper today -- one of them I worked with for more than 20 years. He is not only a great detective, they are just the nicest guys in this business. They are chosen for not only skilled detective work but because they have the manner to handhold scared witnesses through this process.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK: Now, Mr. Strauss-Kahn's lawyer says forensic evidence will not be consistent with a forcible encounter and that's because even the presence of DNA does not by definition established forced. But Mr. Strauss-Kahn's status, you know, he could have been president of France, clearly magnifies the seriousness of these allegations. And even if he were to be exonerated -- as his lawyer says he might -- his reputation certainly is never, never going to recover.
But, really, you know, when you look at what's going on in Europe, right now, IMF a little bit adrift because he is the one who is supposed to be negotiating the waters between Greece and Portugal.
ROMANS: Right now in Brussels -- like right now in Brussels, this is going on. And the IMF has had to put in John Lipsky, the deputy there, into speeches that he were to be giving. So, clearly, whenever the IMF comes up, this is the first thing people are talking about, not about the work that he does.
CHETRY: Yes. But also back to the defense -- I mean, saying that the DNA doesn't indicate force. I mean, are they going to -- is this sort of the glimmer into the argument, perhaps they are going to say this was a consensual encounter?
ROMANS: Some of the newspapers are interpreting it as that, because it was not a forcible encounter. Well, does that say -- does that mean that there was an encounter? If there was an encounter, well, what kind of encounter.
So, you just have to wonder -- you just have to wonder with so much at stake why something like this happened 30 minutes before he was supposed to be meeting with his daughter, or allegedly happened. And I want to stress allegedly, his lawyer says he's going to plead not guilty.
There has been a little bit of a rush to judgment, even on our part, sort of framing this, because nobody can understand it, because it doesn't make sense.
CHETRY: Yes. It's true.
ROMANS: And you are innocent until proven guilty in this country. In France, you would never see a perp walk. That's one of the reasons why the French about this -- this story continues. Thanks, Deb Feyerick.
Top stories, Irish police are chasing down bomb threats as Queen Elizabeth arrives for a mystery-making visit. Irish authorities say they defused one bomb on a bus. Another device turned out to be a fake.
Pakistan now says it will return the tail segment of a U.S. stealth helicopter that crashed during the raid on bin Laden's compound. The exchange is expected to happen today.
The L.A. Times reports Arnold Schwarzenegger has been keeping an explosive secret. He fathered a child with a member of his household staff. And that's why his wife, Maria Shriver, recently moved out of their California mansion.
CHETRY: Schwarzenegger's confession has a lot of people in shock this morning. The former governor now joining a long list of powerful men who have fallen from grace because of sex scandals.
ROMANS: Let's bring in Dr. Jeff Gardere, a clinical psychologist. Doctor, do politicians' private transgressions matter to the public life?
DR. JEFF GARDERE, PSYCHOLOGIST: Absolutely. They are out there working for the public, working for their country. Therefore, they have a responsibility not just politically but ethically. People don't operate in a vacuum. You have to have your standards in both places, public life and political life.
CHETRY: I mean, in certain areas, in certain military jobs and certain intelligence jobs, the fear that you could be a liability because you have something to hide is also something to take into consideration.
GARDERE: Absolutely.
CHETRY: If you are trying to hide a ten-year secret of a love child, where can you be, I guess, convinced?
GARDERE: You are at risk for being blackmailed. There are other people of power that could use this against you. Let's look at the issue of thinking about consequences. It is bad enough with Joe Shmoe down the block to have an affair. When you have so much politically to do something like that, it speaks loudly as to a lack of impulse control.
ROMANS: This was a member of the household staff, ten years ago, now coming to light after he has left the governorship. What kind of betrayal is this compared to the garden variety affair? This is an affair. There was a child. He has been supporting this other family for ten years. His wife didn't know about it. It was a member, somebody known to both of them.
GARDERE: You said it. There is an affair, which is bad enough, and then there is an affair which is absolutely horrible. So this is not just a betrayal. This is about rage, anger, grandiosity that you would think.
ROMANS: Grandiosity?
GARDERE: Grandiosity that you could get away with this behavior and portray yourself to the public as being this very honest individual where you have been very dishonest in your private life. This is something that is heinous. Let's be real about that. She knew who this person is. That is the ultimate betrayal.
CHETRY: I thought you meant she knew who her husband was.
GARDERE: I think she knew who her husband was. He had a history of groping and being around women and not controlling himself.
CHETRY: He admitted to that during the campaign. Yes, things got -- I forgot the way he put it. "Rowdy," I think he said. But she has been this long-suffering wife for awhile. At what point is the onus on you, not to blame the victim in any way. When she announced she was leaving after all this time, people are going, why, why would she leave? What's going on? At what point does, as the spouse, do you also sort of have to take ownership of your life?
GARDERE: Maria Shriver is a very intelligent person.
ROMANS: Strong woman, wonderful role model.
GARDERE: But she is a human being. As human beings in our relationships, we tend to think we can control the other person or cure them, or we believe as time goes on, because of love, because of responsibility, they will become much more mature. Arnold Schwarzenegger is not that young guy that we saw in "Terminator." This is a very mature individual. You would think with the amount of responsibility he now has he would control more of the impulses.
ROMANS: Is something like this survivable for a marriage?
GARDERE: I don't this it is survivable. When you are having an affair, maybe it is survivable. We learn what is going on and people take responsibility. But when you are having an affair with someone who is known to the other spouse, when you are having an affair with someone who is your employee, that is the ultimate betrayal.
And we are talking about a love child coming out of this. I don't think there is any way she is going to survive it. She has a responsibility to other women. I would believe, especially being that famous, coming from that famous family, to say, Arnold, we are not going to let you get away with this behavior, I'm out of there. I don't think there is any way they will come back together.
ROMANS: He said in his statement his family was upset and rightfully so. Dr. Jeff Gardere, clinical psychologist, great to see you.
GARDERE: Thank you.
ROMANS: Phoenix Suns star player Grant Hill is going to stop by and talk about an important new PSA he has put his reputation and passion behind. There he is.
CHETRY: He's walking in right now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Seven weeks after a San Francisco Giants fan suffered a traumatic brain injury in a brutal attack outside Dodgers stadium, the LAPD is expected to hold a news conference with new details about persons of interest in this case. That attack happened in the parking lot on opening day. The victim, Brian Stowe, remains unconscious and in critical condition. The 42-year-old paramedic, father of two, was taken out of a medically-induced coma and taken to a hospital closer to his home.
CHETRY: He stunned the sporting world by announcing that he is gay. Now, Rick Welch, president of the NBA's Phoenix Suns says he is shocked by the support he is getting, hundreds of positive e-mails and voice mail messages since revealing his homosexuality in a "New York Times" story yesterday.
ROMANS: This revelation comes as Grant Hill and Jared Dudley taped a public service announcement addressing offensive anti-gay language. Here's a clip.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your moves are just gay.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Using "gay" to mean dumb or stupid, not cool.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not cool.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not in my house, not anywhere.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is not creative. It is offensive to the people. And you're better than that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: The PSA is part of the "think before you speak" campaign. Grant Hill is here to tell us more. Good to see you.
GRANT HILL, NBA PLAYER: Good to see you. CHETRY: It takes on a whole new meaning when you have kids. All three of us have kids. Words really do have an impact. They can be used to remember ha. Why did you want to be part of this public service announcement and the whole campaign in general?
HILL: Well, I mean, I was asked by the NBA. Of course, I appreciate the NBA. They are always coming up with programs and initiatives that are really important, sending messages to children and families.
I felt like it was wrong. We are in 2011. We need to understand, as you said earlier, that words do have meanings. As a parent and seeing how sometimes kids can be cruel to one another you want to try to teach your children to do the right thing.
So, you know, the words and how you say them mean a lot. I thought it was important. It is like we are not -- this is 2011. We need to wake up. We need to realize we have differences and respect those differences.
ROMANS: Why are people still using those words to mean stupid or dumb? Why does that still persist? You would never say that if front of your teacher or you would get in trouble.
HILL: I ask myself that all the time. Why as children, why as adults.
ROMANS: When you hear adults, especially adults that are role models using these words, it is shocking.
HILL: It is shocking. I think it is an opportunity to send the right message, to emphasize to younger people and older people that words have meanings. It is a sad state of affairs p that with all we have gone through as a country, we are still having to do this. But I think it is important and necessary.
CHETRY: We seem to be making advances towards accepting this. It would be unheard of for the president of the NBA to come out and say he is homosexual. In pro sports, there seems to be a tad bit of homophobia. Why is that
HILL: I don't know. It is considered manly, to go out and compete and the idea of homosexuality is not accepted. I played basketball and my dad played football. But in those two sports, you don't really see it or it is taboo.
You have to recognize that there are people who are involved, either as players, John Amichi, who came out years ago, former NBA bath player or executives, people around the game that were. When I saw rick, I didn't know he was coming out with this article.
I read the article Sunday in "The New York Times." It was really sad he has been living with this for so long. It also has to be liberating he is finally able to share with the world and tell everybody and get that sort of monkey off his back. I was happy for him. ROMANS: The PSA shows a playground. Be honest, do you hear this on the court when you are really intense and everyone is into it, do you hear guys get into it?
HILL: Not really. I mean, I think, you know, the whole idea of trash talking in NBA is overblown. But you know, I think you do hear it in society, you hear it from fans, you hear it just on the street, you hear it here and there. And you know, it's -- it's -- I think maybe now I'm more sensitive to it.
CHETRY: Right.
HILL: Because I do have children. And you're always trying to send the right message. You're always aware of things.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: Because that's the other thing about children. And they have to only hear something once and they'll repeat it.
ROMANS: Oh I know.
HILL: Yes, yes.
CHETRY: That's the other thing about little kids and they don't forget.
HILL: And -- and they hold you accountable. You know, because they repeat, they follow you and you are their examples. So you try to set a good example for them.
CHETRY: I thought it was interesting to me as setting a good example. The real Grant Hill 33 is your Twitter handle at real GrantHill33.
HILL: Right.
CHETRY: And people actually wrote really rude stuff on some of them and you re-tweeted it to say, look, this is why my PSA was necessary. One person wrote, "I love you, man, that thing was gay, though". Somebody else writing --
ROMANS: Oh come on.
CHETRY: And then there -- there have been others actually who have tweeted back saying, "Just cut it out."
HILL: Right.
CHETRY: You know, tweeting support for this. But that just goes to show you that even when you try to do a good thing with this PSA, people are still going to respond in a juvenile, and in some cases pretty hateful way.
HILL: Yes I noticed that. I mean, first of all, I had a number of great responses -- CHETRY: Sure.
HILL: -- probably, you know, 50 to 100 great responses. There were a few sort of bad apples. And so I just figure out it was sort of neat to expose that ignorance --
ROMANS: Yes.
HILL: And hopefully just make people realize that this was necessary. And -- so it is unfortunate. Look, as a professional athlete, you're used to being called names and written about and evaluated on a daily basis. So it definitely calluses (ph) you but I think this is a bigger issue and a bigger concern.
And -- and so, yes, it was important to show that and show that this whole ad campaign, even in the world of Twitter, is extremely necessary.
ROMANS: All right, Grant Hill.
CHETRY: Sixteen seasons for him. Are you playing next year?
HILL: Yes, unless you know something I don't know.
CHETRY: No, I don't. I'm rooting for you. I'm cheering you on.
ROMANS: But you're right, insults are never creative. If you're looking for a creative response to insults there's never a creative response. Grant Hill, thank you so much.
CHETRY: Thanks for being with us.
HILL: Thank you.
ROMANS: Ok now the video you must see today. One of the most bizarre -- bizarre ballpark chases we have ever seen. Check this out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: (INAUDIBLE) In Houston, he scales it in a single leap. He hops over another even higher wall to the grass above.
CHETRY: He is a good athlete. Maybe they want to recruit him. Wow, all right, so he got -- he got out.
ROMANS: Who knows what was waiting on the other side of that arch for him. Security, come with me, buddy that's why we have a jail on this ball park. A police wagon. CHETRY: Oh, I know, but yes pretty cool.
ROMANS: That is cool.
ESPN reports that he was arrested outside the stadium.
CHETRY: He couldn't run forever, could he?
All right, well, we're going to take a quick break. We're going to be right back. It is now 47 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: A lot going on this morning. We want to get you caught up on the day's headlines.
We start out of California, where Arnold Schwarzenegger admits he fathered a child out of wedlock with a former household staff member ten years ago. The "LA Times" reporting that he didn't tell his wife Maria Shriver until earlier this year. You may remember they announced their split a few weeks ago.
International Monetary Fund chief, Dominique Strauss-Kahn waking up in a jail cell at Riker's Island; a New York judge refused to grant bail saying that Strauss-Kahn was a flight risk after his arrest for the alleged attempted rape of a maid at a luxury New York hotel.
Irish police defused a bomb ahead of Queen Elizabeth's historic visit this morning. It's the first official visit to Ireland by a British monarch in 100 years.
Pakistan agreeing to return the wreckage of the American stealth chopper that crashed during the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound. The hand off is expected to happen today.
And the markets open in just 45 minutes. Right now, the Dow, NASDAQ and S&P futures all down slightly after a government report shows construction of new U.S. homes fell in April.
So you're caught up on the day's headlines. AMERICAN MORNING will be back after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Ok now we get records around here. You've got to take it when you can.
ROMANS: In this morning's "AM House Call," mindless munching while you're working. It could be packing on extra pounds. Many employees eat lunch at their desk.
CHETRY: This is the news flash?
ROMANS: I know, yes this -- a new study says, people who ate while they were distracted, they ate more, check; felt less full, check; than those who are focused on eating. The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: I'm glad nobody can see us, I'm just thinking at 4:15 what goes on around here.
ROMANS: We don't even think about what we're eating. We just shovel it in until the show starts.
CHETRY: Exactly.
Well, getting treatment for a mother with depression can actually have long-term benefits for her child's mental health as well? There's a new study saying that when mother's depression is successfully treated, children get progressively better too even a year after the treatment ends. And the faster she responds to treatment, the faster her children do. Researchers say children of depressed mothers are more likely to be anxious, irritable and disruptive than other kids.
And I believe they said one in eight women suffers at some point in their life from depression. But it's higher on the child rearing and bearing ages.
ROMANS: I mean it's interesting, because you hear that the parent sets the tone, the parents set the tone.
CHETRY: Yes.
ROMANS: So if the mother is left untreated for her depression, you can -- I mean it makes sense, I think.
On the buzz building that France's First Lady, Carla Bruni Sarkozy maybe pregnant; her father-in-law reportedly spilled the beans to a German newspaper. He's quoted as saying, "Neither wants to know the gender beforehand but I'm sure it will be a girl and beautiful like Carla".
CHETRY: Well, that's certainly spilling the beans.
ROMANS: This hasn't really been in the French media. It's interesting they continue to do work for a French news organization --
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: That's right.
ROMANS: -- they do that things that the French normally report upon because it's private matters of the First Family.
CHETRY: Right. Whereas here -- whereas here, every single glossy says, God forbid you ate pie or something and you are pregnant. You know.
ROMANS: It's true. It's true.
CHETRY: They put a picture -- unflattering picture of you pregnant.
Well, this month's Kentucky Derby, the trainer of "Mucho Macho" had the second best finish for a female trainer.
ROMANS: It's remarkable when you consider what she had to overcome to get there.
Here's our Dr. Sanjay Gupta with today's "Human Factor".
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Kathy Ritvo's heart was racing during the Kentucky Derby. Well, not her heart but the one that she received in a transplant two years ago. Ritvo made it to her first Run for the Roses as the trainer of "Mucho Macho Man". But it was she, not the horse, that was the long shot in this race.
KATHY RITVO, TRAINER, "MUCHO MACHO MAN": It would take forever to get over my colds. Any time I got sick, it seemed like I had to go to the doctors. It just seemed like my system was always weak.
GUPTA: Diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, inflammation of the heart muscle back in 2001, Ritvo had to stop training horses for nearly six years as her condition deteriorated.
RITVO: Tiredness. I was sick to my stomach, everything hurt. My feet hurt. My head hurt. I was miserable. I was miserable to be around.
GUPTA: And there was no rest in sleep.
RITVO: I would sleep mostly like, with my knees on the floor leaning over the bed just because it was too uncomfortable to lay flat because I would cough too much, because my heart was not good at all.
GUPTA: She watched the 2008 Kentucky Derby from her hospital bed waiting for a heart transplant. It took nearly seven months, one more of which her doctors didn't think she would survive.
RITVO: It was such a poor quality of life that I was living. And I wanted to stop doing what I was doing to my family. Either, you know, have a chance of living a good life or, you know, just stopping.
GUPTA: Ritvo left the hospital seven days after her transplant and returned to work six months later. She says while she is extra careful around the dirty barn and unpredictable horses, her only real alteration is taking some 30 pills a day.
RITVO: I am surprised. I am surprised that I can do everything. I really have a normal life.
GUPTA: A life she hopes others with her condition can see is just bursting out of the starting gate.
RITVO: I hope that they see it and say that not only did I get a heart transplant but I held on.
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: You can see the clouds and the sun coming up in Atlanta, Georgia this morning; mostly cloudy today, actually. 51, a little bit later it's going up to a high of 65.
ROMANS: This time yesterday, we were watching the "Endeavour" take off. And it was so awesome. NASA is one step closer to saying good-bye to its space shuttle program.
The Kennedy Center in Florida this morning, space shuttle "Atlantis" was rolled from its processing hangar to what's called the vehicle assembly building. That's where the twin rocket boosters and external fuel tank will be attached. After "Atlantis" launches in mid-July, then the shuttle program will be retiring.
CHETRY: Right. That's why we are focusing on this because every single thing that happens is the last time it happens for the shuttle program. So, you know, a lot of bitter sweet memories.
Plenty of professional photographers captured "Endeavour's" historic launch yesterday. But this image, this was an unemployed amateur, might be generating the most buzz. Stephanie Gordon from Hoboken, New Jersey, took this video from the window of her window flight. She was headed for West Palm Beach. You can see "Endeavour" right after it broke through the cloud cover.
The video went viral after she uploaded it. I think it has been viewed 250,000 times. So it went to the web and then NASA re-tweeted it.
ROMANS: Wow. That is so cool. All of those official images of that takeoff. Imagine being taken off with your own plane and seeing that. Very cool.
All right. That's going to do it for us though this morning. "CNN NEWSROOM" with Carol Costello is next.
CHETRY: That's right. We'll see you back here bright and early tomorrow. Meanwhile Carol, take it away. Good morning.
