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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Anatomy of an Apology; Home from Haiti; Children of Haiti; Helping Chicago's Kids
Aired February 19, 2010 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JOHN KING, CNN GUEST ANCHOR: Everyone's talking tonight about Tiger and his apology. Tonight we're going to take a step beyond, tackling it from a number of fresh angles, including this.
Tom Foreman is looking beyond Tiger's performance in front of the cameras to what those cameras really captured; things that you and I might have missed.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, this highly-staged and scripted apology was intended to calm the storm around Tiger Woods, but it has unleashed a torrent of debate. Three things you may not have noticed but are ripping through discussions tonight.
Tiger wore no wedding ring. Sure, photos suggest he rarely did before the scandal. But you can bet the absence was noted today. So was the absence of his wife, who was nowhere to be seen. So were the reactions of his mother who rarely even looked up at him during that statement and the reactions of others who are looking very hard.
You know who was in his hand-picked audience: top officials from the PGA, from Tiger Woods Enterprises and Nike, among others. It was all enough, no kidding, to slow down the stock market. More on all of that later -- John.
KING: Thanks, Tom, back to you shortly. And we'll hear as well from the author of "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" about how men and women perhaps view this story differently.
It's a crucial distinction, because as you'll see women make most buying decisions in the household. And one of Tiger's jobs is selling things.
Also ahead tonight, 360 is back in Haiti following the story of the kids from the Bresma Orphanage. You might have thought it ended when that planeload of kids left Haiti. But it turns out some of them were left behind. And their situation is raising concerns.
Gary Tuchman goes back to check things out.
But first up tonight, the missionaries who were jailed in Haiti; two are still behind bars, eight have been released. Anderson interviewed one of them today. Setting the stage first: here's Joe Johns.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Saturday January 30th Haitian police report they've arrested ten Americans at the key border crossing into the Dominican Republic. Five men and five women trying to take a bus load of 33 children out of earthquake-stricken Haiti.
The Americans say they are Baptist missionaries who are planning to house the children in a converted hotel in the Dominican Republic and later move them to an orphanage. The focus of the case quickly becomes the leader of the group, Laura Silsby.
On January 31st Silsby tells CNN she was wrongly arrested.
LAURA SILSBY, GROUP LEADER: And we believe that we've been charged very falsely with trafficking, which, of course, that is the furthest possible extreme because, I mean, our heart's here. We literally all gave up everything we had be -- I mean, income and use of our own funds to come here to help these children.
JOHNS: Silsby originally claimed that the children were orphaned or abandoned. But CNN determined early on that some of the children had at least one parent living.
On February 3rd Haitian authorities say the missionaries had no proper paperwork. And their so-called mercy mission was illegal.
February 4th the Americans are charged with child trafficking. There are reports that some parents admitted giving their children away in hopes they would have a better life.
February 5th it becomes clear that neither the U.S. nor the United Nations will intervene on behalf of the Americans, after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her husband, U.N. Special Envoy to Haiti and former U.S. President Bill Clinton say they're subject to Haitian law.
After that, days of waiting and legal maneuvering, reports of power problems in the jail and concerns that one of the detained Americans, a diabetic, was becoming ill.
But it isn't until three weeks later, February 17th that a Haitian judge rules eight of the ten Americans can be freed. They leave that night after being granted bail without bond, released on their own recognizance.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you coping with that?
JOHNS: But tonight Silsby and her 24-year-old nanny, Carissa Coulter, remain in custody, leaving it up to the Haitian court to determine whether this was some type of misguided rescue mission or a sordid plot.
Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: Now, one of the missionaries on how he got caught up in all this. That and what he did and didn't know about the odyssey he was on. His name is Jim Allen. Anderson got the big "360 Interview".
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Jim, congratulations on being home. How are you doing?
JIM ALLEN, AMERICAN DETAINED IN HAITI: I'm doing very well. I got a good night's rest last night and I feel good.
COOPER: I think it's important for people to realize and I learned this from talking to your wife last week. You didn't know Laura Silsby before heading down to Haiti, correct?
ALLEN: Correct. I actually didn't know -- there was only two people in the group that I did know and that was my cousin, Paul Thompson and his son Silas. Paul is the one who had contacted me and said they were going and I was really interested in an opportunity to help the people, so, with one or two days' notice I was in Miami and on my way. So --
COOPER: So what was your understanding of what the mission was going to be that Laura Silsby had put together?
ALLEN: In the very beginning the only thing I knew is that we were going to go over there and that she had an orphanage and that we were going -- going to work on that and prepare that for children to be able to live there.
COOPER: At this point when you first went, did you think that -- were you under the impression that Laura had all the permissions she needed to take kids from Haiti into the Dominican Republic?
ALLEN: Yes. We were told that -- that all the documents required to get kids into the Dominican Republic she had and on the Haitian side there was some documents that we needed to acquire and that was part of our goal also.
COOPER: Did you ever see the documents that Laura said she had that she was going to show authorities?
ALLEN: Yes, I did. As they entered the bus each individual child that entered the bus, they was written right then at that time. And I've seen that happening. I didn't look at the document and read the document. But I watched them write down their names and write down their birth dates and then I watched the pastor sign it.
COOPER: And in terms of -- but just so I'm correct, there was never any written document from a Haitian authority saying these adoptions were approved or this could go through? This was simply something from this person from the orphanage?
ALLEN: Exactly. Yes.
COOPER: Why was Laura looking for kids only under 10?
ALLEN: My understanding was, is that that's what the Dominican government had told her that she has authorization to bring back; that it was required, you know, 10 and under and no mother and no father.
COOPER: And were you aware that of the 33 kids that as many as two thirds of them actually did have a parent?
ALLEN: Not at all. As they got on the bus, as the pastor -- and we thought they were relatives like aunts or uncles or grandparents, brought the kids to us. They were specifically -- they specifically told us that this child has no one to take care of them. Both their mother and their father are no longer living. And as they entered the bus we wrote down their name and their birth date and that they were alone and had nobody to help them.
COOPER: Is there anything now, looking back on this, that, I mean, besides getting arrested, that you regret?
ALLEN: What I wish is that, you know, I went -- I felt like God actually called me to go help these people. And what I regret the most is that I wasn't able to do anything. You know, I don't blame anybody or hold any grudges against that because I think that the Haitian government did what they needed to do by detaining us and getting to the facts, but --
COOPER: You're not angry at the Haitian government?
ALLEN: Oh, not at all. No.
COOPER: And Jim, I mean, I do think as you said, one of the saddest things about this is, you know, besides obviously the disruption to these kids is just that you wanted to do good and you had good intentions in your heart. Would you ever consider going down again in another capacity?
ALLEN: I wouldn't mind going.
COOPER: A lot to ask.
ALLEN: I would probably have to do it without Lisa knowing about it. But you know --
COOPER: Or your attorney I would think.
ALLEN: Probably. Probably so.
COOPER: Again, Jim and Lisa and Hiram, thank you very much. Welcome home.
LISA ALLEN, WIFE OF JIM ALLEN: Thank you, Anderson.
ALLEN: Thank you, Anderson. Thank you very much.
HIRAM ALLEN, SON OF JIM ALLEN: I appreciate it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KIND: Just a reminder the live chat is up and running at AC360.com. There's plenty to chat about tonight including Tiger Woods' apology. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIGER WOODS, PRO GOLFER: It's hard to admit that I need help, but I do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Coming up, the male-female divide on what he said, the money angle, Tom Foreman on the telling details and more.
All the angles when AC360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: The day after Thanksgiving '09 will be remembered as the moment the country awoke from a turkey coma to a Tiger frenzy. The news that Tiger Woods have wrecked his SUV, then came the parade of girlfriends, the text messages, even aging TV animated recreations of key moments in the whole sordid saga.
Then when that jumped a shark, Tiger vanished; also vanishing, many of his sponsors, then rehab and today this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOODS: I want to say to each of you, simply and directly, I am deeply sorry for my irresponsible and selfish behavior I engaged in. I have let you down and I have let down my fans. For many of you, especially my friends, my behavior has been a personal disappointment.
Some people have speculated that Elin somehow hurt or attacked me on Thanksgiving night. It angers me that people would fabricate a story like that. Elin never hit me that night or any other night. There has never been an episode of domestic violence in our marriage, ever.
The issue involved here was my repeated irresponsible behavior. I was unfaithful. I had affairs. I cheated.
What I did is not acceptable. And I am the only person to blame. I felt that I have worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled.
Thanks to money and fame I didn't have far -- I didn't have to go far to find them. I was wrong. I was foolish. I don't get to play by different rules. It's now up to me to make amends. And that starts by never repeating the mistakes I've made. It's up to me to start living a life of integrity.
It's hard to admit that I need help, but I do. For 45 days, from the end of December to early February, I was in in-patient therapy receiving guidance for the issues I'm facing.
When my children were born we only released photographs so they -- so that the paparazzi could not chase them. However, my behavior doesn't make it right for the media to follow my two and a half year-old daughter to school and report the school's location. I was raised a Buddhist and I actively practiced my faith from childhood until I drifted away from it in recent years. Buddhism teaches that a craving for things outside ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security. It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint. Obviously I lost track of what I was taught.
I do plan to return to golf one day. I just don't know when that day will be. I don't rule out that it will be this year. When I do return I need to make my behavior more respectful of the game.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: So that's the apology and as you're well aware a lot of people have been talking about it.
Tom Foreman has been analyzing the body language, who was there, who wasn't, including wife, Elin. We'll take a closer look at that shortly.
Before we do, let's "Dig Deeper" into how Tiger's apology and adultery are being seen across gender lines. With that we're joined by John Gray, author of the mega bestseller "Men are from Mars Women are from Venus"; also with us tonight, CNN legal analyst Lisa Bloom.
John, let's start with you. What is the Mars-Venus breakdown of Tiger's big statement?
JOHN GRAY, AUTHOR, "MEN ARE FROM MARS, WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS": Well, he did a great job apologizing. He's really dug a hole for himself and it's going to be a while for him to rebuild his image and so forth. It will happen a lot faster with men than with women.
Men sort of are more sympathetic towards this because on our planet if we say men are from Mars, men are attracted by the physical first and he was clearly not necessarily emotionally involved with these women.
But when women hear it it's a huge betrayal of trust because women usually feel the emotional bond first. And so how could he betray his wife telling her he loves her while he would go off and love all these other women in a special way? And so there's a huge betrayal trust.
And whoever is guiding him and helping him in the apology and understanding the healing is right on, because it's not words that will do it. It's actions.
And for his whole image to come back it will be in a future there'll be scenes of him happy with his wife because she's the one who needs to rebuild the trust with him. And I think that will help other women see men in a different light as well.
So he has a big role here to play. And I see one big obstacle, which often women don't understand that the way men recover from traumatic events is often by doing things that they're good at. So he'll be out there playing golf, having a great time and people will think that he doesn't really care about the tragedy he created when the opposite is true.
KING: Well, Lisa, as a woman and as someone who helps people through crises, how did he do?
LISA BLOOM, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, I'm glad to be here tonight representing the planet, Venus, John. I think there was one small step forward for women today. And that is this. We did not see Elin, thank goodness, standing next to him the way we've seen so many wives of famous men in the past. With that Stepford wife adoring gaze as their husband publicly humiliates them.
For example, Silda Spitzer, wife of former Governor Eliot Spitzer, or Dina McGreevey, wife of Jim McGreevey. I mean, they stood there. And we just didn't like to see that. And we're not seeing it, I think, anymore. We didn't see it with Elizabeth Edwards. We didn't see it with the governor's wife in South Carolina. I mean, we're just not seeing that as much anymore.
So good for Elin for staying home and telling women and girls, that we're not doormats. Her private decisions are up to her. If she stays, if she goes, that's up to her. But her public actions are something that people look to, that girls and women look up to public figures like Elin. And so I say good for her for not being a doormat today.
KING: Well, let me ask you both. John, to you first then to Lisa. If you agree that he said the right things, did he say them right, if you will? Was there enough emotion? Was the delivery credible?
GRAY: I thought it was fantastic.
And I just want to reinforce what Lisa said. That was my first reaction. I was so glad there wasn't her having to stand there humiliating herself in front of her husband as if she's feeling good about this.
Her heart is broken, and it's magnified many thousand fold that few people could ever imagine because of all the publicity on this and privacy is something that she's taking and something that he's acknowledged.
He doesn't want to share his feelings, what he's told to her and that his actions will demonstrate that. And he's going to prove that. And I have faith in Tiger, because he's achieved his goals. He's really -- he's an icon. He's really a focused man. He can achieve his goal.
And part of golf is learning how to correct yourself from making mistakes. You're constantly gauging yourself. He made a big mistake. A lot of very famous people have made that same mistake when faced with those temptations.
And I'm very confident he'll be able to correct that and realize what he's done and he will adjust it and solve the problem.
BLOOM: But there was one area for women that I thought was disappointing. And that is, that Tiger apologized to all the world, his wife, appropriately, his family, his friends, his fans, his business associates. But the only mention he made on all of the other women that he was involved with was to refer to them as temptations.
You know, certainly he didn't refer to them even as human beings. And he didn't apologize to them. And my understanding is that part of the 12-step program is you're supposed to apologize to all the human beings that you've wronged.
And you know, some of these women alleged that they had years-long the relationships with him; that they had text messages from him where he lied to them. And I think he should have apologized to them, too. They are human beings, after all.
KING: Let's talk about the future of Tiger, the salesman. We assume he'll return to golf and we assume he'll have his skills intact.
But this morning ABC News released a poll that shows that 37 percent of women had an unfavorable view of Tiger Woods compared to only 29 percent of men. As a marketer, as a salesman -- beginning with you, John -- how does he and can he recover from numbers like that in terms of getting back his marketability?
GRAY: Well, it will clearly start to happen as he starts winning the games. It will happen first with men. And if I was helping them in terms of just raising his image, after three to four months there would be the acknowledgement that he finished his therapy or at least the major part of it and then there will be some sort of publicity campaign showing that he's a happy -- happy with his wife. If that happens that would definitely greatly improve his image if he was able to go the nine yards to rebuild the relationship.
But as a counselor these things can take several years to really rebuild, for her to rebuild her trust. And if she gets involved in the process of healing and counseling as well it will happen a lot faster. Not to say that she's responsible for what he's done in any way but she's a part of the healing.
KING: Lisa, if you see him in an ad on the screen do you view him the same as you might have a year ago?
BLOOM: Well, I've got to tell you that the women I've been talking to today on Twitter and Facebook and on the air and everywhere I've gone have not looked at Tiger favorably. I don't know the extent to which he can fully recuperate his image with women. Because let's face it he was selfish. That's his own word; he had a sense of entitlement that he could do anything and he publicly humiliated his wife. He wronged a lot of women that are out there hurting.
I think Americans love a comeback story. Women and men and I think eventually everybody will forget about Tiger's wrongs if he goes forward and leads a good life. But he's going to have a hard time repairing his image with women I think in the short term.
KING: John Gray and Lisa Bloom. Thank you both for coming in tonight and helping us out. Thank you both. We played only a portion of Tiger's statement tonight. If you go to AC360.com, we posted the entire thing in case you've missed it earlier or in case you just want to take a closer or a second look.
And we'll be taking a closer look ourselves right after the break, at the people in the room with Tiger. Who was there, who wasn't? Their reactions and more.
And later, Gary Tuchman returns to Haiti and the orphanage that got so many of its kids out but not all of them. So how are they doing now? Find out when 360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: After months of silence Tiger Woods riveted the world today. He apologized for his serial adultery. He said he now realizes the rules apply to him, just like everyone else. He hugged his mom, but he didn't hug his wife, Elin. She wasn't there.
And that's not the only telling detail if you look close enough which is exactly what Tom Foreman did.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN (voice-over): From the moment he walked in, Tiger Woods looked starkly different than many of us remember him from just before the scandal broke at Thanksgiving last year.
(on camera): Take a look. Gone, of course, was that famous smile. You could see dark circles under his eyes, his clothing not nearly as polished, his demeanor not as confident as we used to expect. All of that despite the fact that he was facing a hand-picked crowd stacked with friends and business associates.
For example, in the front row, that's Notah Begay, pro golfer. Tim Finchem, the PGA Tour commissioner and Rob McNamara from the sports agency that represents Tiger. Farther down, that's Kathy Battaglia from Tiger Woods Enterprises, Tiger's mother, Kultida Woods and Amy Reynolds of Nike. Notably absent, Tiger's wife. Many appeared uneasy as they listened.
WOODS: I want to say to each of you, simply and directly, I am deeply sorry for my irresponsible and selfish behavior I engaged in.
FOREMAN: Media came from all over the world, but reporters were kept a mile away in a viewing area and told there would be no questions.
But part way through Tiger's head-on camera failed. So the rest of the statement was taken from this side shot which revealed interesting details. He wore no wedding ring although past pictures suggest he rarely did. And look at the reactions from Tiger's mother.
WOODS: I hurt my wife, my kids, my mother.
FOREMAN: Even when he spoke about her or his late father she mostly looked down or away. So did many others. Although the woman from Nike dabbed at her eyes as Tiger wrapped up his statement and came over to hug his mother and shake a few hands.
How many people stopped to watch this? Not sure. But stock market trading dipped noticeably during the announcement and rose sharply afterward. Perhaps one measure of how three months after his fall many people remain terribly interested in Tiger the man and Tiger the mega-sports star.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: "Digging Deeper" now, let's bring in someone who knows and has written extensively about the life, the challenges and the temptations of pro-athletes. Sportswriter and nationally syndicated radio host Stephen A. Smith.
Stephen, good to see you.
Let's start with a simple question. Did Tiger's statement today, his delivery today, help or hurt his efforts to rehabilitate his public image?
STEPHEN A. SMITH, PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER SPORTS COLUMNIST: Well, I thought his delivery hurt his attempt to resurrect himself in the eyes of the public, simply because it was an awful delivery. The words were definitely apropos. There was contrition in those words. There is no denying that and he apologized to all the right people, the people who really mattered.
But in terms of his delivery it came across as bit too scripted, too choreographed, lacking sincerity severely and I just think that that's the kind of thing that's going to hurt him because he's never made an effort to necessarily ingratiate himself with the public at large.
He marketed himself and his image to get paid but he never ingratiated himself with the public at large. And now that he had an opportunity to do so after this incident he didn't do a good job of it at my estimation.
KING: Stephen, you're around professional sports all the time. Take us inside that world. You heard Tiger today say he felt entitled, felt he could get away with anything he wanted because of the money, because of his fame. What is life like for this wealthy, famous athletes always on the road and always surrounded by fans and groupies?
SMITH: Well, it's temptation island; that's really what this comes down to. A lot of people don't want to hear that particularly the women out there. But the reality is that's exactly what it is.
You're a man, you're a physical creature. You covet what you see is the first order of business. Men are from Mars, women are from Venus, just like he said. You covet what you see. And they make sure you see a lot.
There's a whole bunch of flesh that's pointing in these guys' faces every single day, everywhere they go, every hour of every day. I know of situations where women have snuck into guys' hotels. They -- literally, guys have come home to the hotel from games and somehow, someway the women had managed to get themselves inside a hotel room.
And I'm not talking about what you would call hoochies or anything like that. Just girls that are on the roll looking to get in bed with a guy.
I'm talking about doctors, lawyers, nurses, accountants, women who have their own money, have achieved their own level of success. It does not stop them. And the younger you are the more of a target you are because the more naive you are perceive as being which makes you an easier target and easier prey for a lot of these women. I'm talking about every city, every state, every small town.
I don't care if they go to the bus stop, for crying out loud. There is a woman somewhere there that wants to get a hold of them, because they're very reputable figures. And the women know this.
KING: That's quite the picture you paint there.
Let me ask you this. Is golf different than --
SMITH: Yes.
KING: -- if Tiger were a -- a professional basketball player, professional baseball player, professional football player? How is golf different?
SMITH: It's golf. Golf is very different, for one reason, and one reason only. Unlike baseball, football, basketball, golf is an international sport.
You're not traveling from Cleveland to Chicago, or Chicago to Detroit, or Detroit to New York City. You're in New York -- I'm sorry -- you're in the United States one day. You're in Dubai the next. You're in Asia the next. You're in -- in London, England. You're in France.
It could -- the list could be on and on. You're international. You're traveling all across the world.
And lots of times you are not with your significant other and you're spending chunks and chunks of time without your significant other while those temptations are being thrown in your face. That's one of the biggest reasons why you feel you can get away with anything, because the person that you're accountable to is usually not around to hold you accountable.
KING: He was the best in the world, without dispute. What happens now? When you're the best, some of your colleagues, fellow players, competitors resent you anyway. What happens to Tiger Woods now? Do they forget about this? Do they think, "I don't want people looking at my private life either, so welcome back, Tiger"? Or is he more resented? SMITH: Well -- he's -- they're going to welcome him back, but in the same breath some of them are going to resent him a little bit more because he's made life at home very, very difficult for them. We all know -- as men, we know how women can be. That's not misogynistic or disrespectful in any way.
But we know how women can be. If somebody like Tiger Woods is cheating, some of those other golfers go home and they look at their women, they look at their wives, and the wives, their eyebrows are raised. They're looking at them. They're like, "What have you been doing?"
You know, and they're going to look at Tiger and say, "Damn it, look what you did to us. You caused us this inconvenience. We've got attitude with you right now." They're not going to say it to him literally. But make no mistake about it: that's going to be the kind of attitude that comes across. Because you know what? Women don't forget, and men don't do a great job of giving them reasons to forget. And ultimately, you're going to end up paying the price.
The actions of one taint the many, and that's exactly what the situation's going to be with Tiger Woods, especially since it's the sport of golf we're talking about here.
KING: The never shy Stephen A. Smith. Stephen, we appreciate your perspective tonight. You take care.
SMITH: Always.
KING: All right. Take care.
Coming up, new information about that plane crash into an IRS building in Texas, the bodies of two victims identified. And a startling find that could explain the force of that explosion.
And in happier news, a 3-year-old is found alive and well after more than 16 hours missing; the surprising secret to her survival, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Still ahead, an update on Haiti's youngest victims. Gary Tuchman checks in on the kids of the Bresma Orphanage in Port-au- Prince, children many feared would not survive after last month's earthquake.
But first, Poppy Harlow joins us for the "360 Bulletin" -- Poppy.
POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, Iran has launched a new guided missile destroyer. That announcement from Iran's state-run news agency comes just as the U.N. is accusing the country of developing a nuclear warhead. The vessel is reportedly armed with surface-to-air missiles, torpedoes and modern naval cannons.
Meantime, the FBI has identified the bodies of two people found after Joseph Stack rammed his plane into an IRS building in Austin yesterday. Their names are being held, pending further examination. An official familiar with the investigation, though, says a large fuel drum is missing from the airport where Stack took off. That official added there is a, quote, "good chance" Stack was carrying that additional fuel drum at the time of the crash which, of course, would have created an even bigger explosion.
And New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg has been diagnosed with stomach cancer. Doctors say the 86-year-old will undergo six to eight chemotherapy treatments but should make a full recovery.
And a very happy ending tonight for one Arizona couple; their 3-year- old daughter -- see her right there -- she was found nearly a mile from their house this morning after wandering off late yesterday. Rescuers found little Victoria Bent and her dog, Blue, this morning. They credit Blue with keeping Victoria warm and alert during the night, John, helping save her life. What a great story.
KING: That is a great story. Man and little girl's best friend right there. Look how cute she is. She is adorable. She is adorable. Glad she's safe.
All right, Poppy, here we go. Our "Beat 360" winners: daily challenge to viewers, a chance to outdo our staffers by coming up with a better caption for the photo we post on the blog every day.
Tonight's photo, who else? Tiger Woods making his statement at PGA headquarters in Florida.
Our staff winner tonight, Joneil: a masterful recreation of William Blake's poem, "The Tiger." Follow this: "Tiger, Tiger, burning bright, meeting women in the night. What immortal hand or eye could chase thee in thy SUV?"
HARLOW: Very nice.
KING: Excellent. That is good, literary, funny; it has all the ingredients. But our viewer winner is Patty from California. Her caption: "Forgive me, this is so uncomfortable. My shirt has too much starch in it. I'm doing my own laundry these days."
HARLOW: Nice one, Patty. Nice one.
KING: That's good. She's good. Patty, your "Beat 360" T-shirt is on the way. I think we ought to throw in a sleeve of golf balls tonight, too.
HARLOW: That sounds good.
KING: Why not? A reminder: you can join the live chat, now underway at AC360.com.
Just ahead, we have not and will not forget about Haiti. We introduced many of you to these orphans in the days just after the quake. Some were rescued. Others were left behind.
Gary Tuchman is back in Port-au-Prince to find out what happened to them.
And Tiger Woods wasn't the only one apologizing today. Why President Obama tried to make sure Las Vegas was feeling the love.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Tonight we're checking in on a group of orphans in Haiti. We told their story in those first frightening days after the quake. Jamie and Ali McMutrie were living outside at their Bresma orphanage with a group of children they feared would not survive. Since then, some of those kids have been airlifted to the United States. But others were left behind.
Our Gary Tuchman went back to Bresma to find out what happened to them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An orphanage in Haiti, where the children chant in Creole "Here's our mother, Margarette." Margarette may love these children like a mother, but she's the owner of the orphanage, hoping these children soon get approval to live with their new mothers and fathers in France and the United States.
(on camera): Do these children here have permission to leave Haiti yet?
MARGARETTE SAINT FLEUR, BRESMA ORPHANAGE OWNER: Not yet. Not yet.
TUCHMAN: How come?
SAINT FLEUR: Because their paperwork is not finished yet. Only six of them for France have permission to leave.
TUCHMAN: So the rest, which is another 30, still don't have permission to leave?
SAINT FLEUR: Not yet.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): This is our second visit to the Bresma orphanage. Three days after the earthquake we met two Pittsburgh sisters who for years have helped Margarette run the orphanage. They said back then many of the children had already been matched with parents in the United States, but --
JAMIE MCMUTRIE, BRESMA ORPHANAGE: Their paperwork was in government offices downtown, and all the offices are crumbled. So that's what they need. All those papers are what they need to be able to get a passport and a visa.
TUCHMAN: Jamie and Ali McMutrie were tenacious, and 54 children got approval in the next few days and flew out of Port-au-Prince airport to new lives in United States. But 36 other children stayed behind.
We came back because we heard some were quite sick.
(on camera): How is the health of the children right now?
SAINT FLEUR: Not -- not very, very good. But they are OK. Except the four children that in not very in good shape.
TUCHMAN: They're in the hospital right now?
SAINT FLEUR: One of them is in the hospital.
TUCHMAN: That child has pneumonia.
This still photo shows one of the other three children who have digestive problems. The other children all appear relatively healthy. While we were there they were bussed to another Haitian orphanage so their current building can be repaired from earthquake damage.
They get a chance at extra medical care that is available at the other facility. The Pittsburgh sisters who had returned to the U.S. with their orphans, are now back in Haiti, trying to help get 12 of the orphans to designated families in the U.S. The rest of the children are likely destined to France. How long the process will take is unknown.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: Gary Tuchman joins us now.
Gary, how long does it generally take for an adoption to get approved?
TUCHMAN: Well, before the earthquake, John, it took an average of about 1 1/2 years. After the earthquake, though, because of the nature of the catastrophe, governments quickened up the pace for many families. It was a policy of compassion.
But now many people who look out for these adopted children say the process has slowed down again. And they are quick to put the blame on the ten missionaries who were arrested for allegedly trafficking children.
What they tell us, these children of perspective adoptive children tell us and what people in the adoption field tell us is that what they did was very selfish because their maneuvers, which were allegedly without any legal permission, have slowed down the process for many parents, who have legal permission, to ultimately get their children. But now it looks like, for many of them, it will take longer than it would have taken just a few weeks ago.
KING: Gary Tuchman for us on the ground in Port-au- Prince. And we will continue to keep track of this story.
Great reporting, Gary. Thanks so much.
Up next: helping Chicago's kids; trying to keep them away from the violence, giving them a hope, giving them an education and a place to play. See how one woman is helping everyone from drug dealers and dropouts, when 360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: As we celebrate Black History Month, we're looking to the future and introducing you to African-Americans who are making their own history.
People like Diane Latiker. She runs a program for at-risk youth in inner city Chicago where so many children have died on the streets; so many that many people are calling it an epidemic. Education contributor Steve Perry sat down with Diane Latiker to find out what keeps her going.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): Diane Latiker created a memorial across the street from home. She adds a stone for each child who dies from violence here in Chicago.
She began three years ago when a promising student, Blair Holt, was killed riding a bus. Today, there are 200 stones.
(on camera): What goes through your head when you're here?
DIANE LATIKER, FOUNDER, "KIDS OFF THE BLOCK": If only we had what we needed to help. Not these young people but the young people who did the act, you know? If only we would have knew. If only we would have been there. If only --
PERRY: So you actually think of the person who killed this child?
LATIKER: Yes.
PERRY: Most folks don't think that, Ms. Diane.
LATIKER: I know.
PERRY: Most folks think of these children right here. They don't think that there's two lives lost, that these represent at least two lives.
LATIKER: That's right. And two families.
PERRY (voice-over): That's how Diane Latiker sees it. After all, she's devoted her life and given over her home to saving families before it ever gets to that point.
LATIKER: It's become a safe haven for young people. It's become a place where they seek help and get help. Our house has become this place on the block that is actually a place where the hopeless come so they can get back on track.
PERRY: She's had as many as 75 young people here at a time.
(on camera): What is it that makes you so -- I see the kids. I mean they respond to you with the utmost respect. What's the reason the kids listen to you?
LATIKER: Because I listen to them.
PERRY: Ok.
LATIKER: And I give respect because that's what they want. They want -- they want respect. Then they want to give us respect. They want us to listen. And they want -- they want to be listened to.
PERRY: You work with a lot of kids, but do you discriminate between which kids you work with?
LATIKER: No and I never will. They get enough of that. The door's opened to all of them; the gang member, the drug dealer, the dropout.
PERRY (voice-over): She calls the program "Kids Off the Block", KOB. She's available 24/7, not unusual for her phone to ring at 3:00 a.m.
(on camera): People all the time say to me, they say this all the time, "Well, I have kids. I got a job. I don't have time. I'm busy."
What do you say to those people?
LATIKER: Join the club. I got a job. I got eight kids. At the time it was nine grandkids and a husband. And I was busy. But when I saw the need, I quit my job. You know people say we were crazy. You know, "Diane, you're crazy. You don't even know these kids." Well I do now know them.
PERRY: So you trust kids who you've never met to just come to your home.
LATIKER: And they do.
PERRY (voice-over): Eight in ten of the kids who come here are boys. KOB provides after school tutoring and mentoring and athletics and music. Some kids here formed a rap group. They promote positive messages to the community.
This is Gerald. Another young man was bothering his sister; his impulse -- retaliation. But Diane convinced him not to escalate.
PERRY (on camera): What did you think you were going to do?
GERALD: I had no idea. I had no clue. I was just in the streets hanging with the guys I grew up with. That was what I got comfortable doing what we were doing and that's where I saw myself going. You know, it was like, God works in mysterious ways because even like now to this day when I speak or talk like what we did or we had peace service, I cry because it's a miracle.
PERRY (voice-over): You hear that a lot about Diane Latiker. But for her, the true miracle would be never having to add another stone to the memorial.
LATIKER: If you can look at this and it does not affect you, what will affect you? PERRY: it's fair to say Diane Latiker is about changing history, one child, one family at a time.
Steve Perry, CNN, Chicago.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: A courageous woman there.
Up next the university professor accused of gunning down her colleagues is on suicide watch in an Alabama jail. And there's more. Amy Bishop's lawyer is backing off calling her a wacko but is he laying the groundwork for an insanity defense?
Also ahead, President Obama makes amends to Las Vegas. Will the mayor accept his apology?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Tiger Woods begged forgiveness for his selfish and foolish behavior. More on that shortly.
First, though, Poppy Harlow back with a "360 News & Business Bulletin" -- Poppy.
HARLOW: Well, John, two NATO service members were killed today in southern Afghanistan, one as part of the major offensive in the Taliban stronghold of Marjah. So far 12 coalition troops and one Afghan soldier have lost their lives in Operation Moshtarak. Senior Marine officials estimate that more than 120 Taliban fighters have been killed in that offensive.
And Amy Bishop's court-appointed attorney says he regrets calling her a wacko. The University of Alabama professor is charged with gunning down her colleagues at a faculty meeting last week. Her lawyer says Bishop is aware of what she's done and she is, of course, very sorry.
President Barack Obama unveiled a new plan today to help troubled homeowners. At a town-hall meeting in Las Vegas, he pledged $1.5 billion to prevent foreclosures in the five states hit hardest by the mortgage meltdown. The initiative will be funded by money from the bank bailout.
Meantime today, the president took a moment to set the record straight about his feelings toward Sin City. He recently angered local politicians and others in Las Vegas, warning Americans not to flow their cash in Vegas. Today, though, the president struck a different tone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Love Vegas. Enjoy myself every time I've got an opportunity to visit. In fact, just last night I drew a flush on the River and cut the budget deficit in half.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: What do you think of that, John? Funny guy.
KING: They don't feel love, Poppy. I was out there a couple months ago. And have you ever met the mayor of Las Vegas, Oscar Goodman?
HARLOW: I haven't. But I've seen him on a lot, outspoken guy.
KING: He is a very colorful, interesting guy. Has a great bar in his office. Lots of Vegas paraphernalia.
HARLOW: A bar in his office.
KING: A bar in his office, great martini glasses out on the bar. It's a great place to visit if you're thirsty.
But he was furious when I was out there, because the president had said something about you can't spend your bailout money, don't go to Vegas and gamble.
HARLOW: Right.
KING: And he was trying to get an apology from the president, trying to get the president on the telephone. This guy matters in Vegas politics, especially Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, who's up for a tough re-election battle. And the mayor was mad. He's a little more happy tonight.
HARLOW: He got that apology.
KING: He did get the apology. I'm going to guess he wants a little more than that. We shall see.
All right. Here we go. Time for tonight's "Shot".
There's likely a circus employee apologizing for letting a zebra -- yes, a zebra -- loose in downtown Atlanta yesterday. Twelve-year-old Lima -- wait, passed the dramatic animal video. There's Lima right there. Lima escaped from an exercise area outside the Phillip's Arena. That's right next to CNN headquarters.
He was spotted all over town, became a hot topic on Twitter, ended up in rush-hour traffic on the highway before finally, as you can see there, Lima was caught. Hooves were bloody from running on the pavement.
HARLOW: Oh. Poor Lima.
KING: I know. That's tough. A circus spokeswoman says Lima is now resting at the University of Georgia's vet school. Maybe he was trying to get into the CNN Center to be a guest or something.
HARLOW: Yes. He really wanted to be on your new show, John, starting soon.
KING: Work in progress. HARLOW: Work in progress. I will -- I will up you on that. I will take your zebra and I will up you an angry gator. Take a look at this video.
Pretty unbelievable -- there he is -- a gator in Alabama on the highway, got the cops to come. They tried poking and prodding him with a shovel. That didn't work. Had to call in Alabama Fish and Game. Watch out for that gator, angry gator. But eventually, they got him off the road.
Pretty scary video there. I don't think I'd go within 100 meters of that gator.
KING: We're still working on a name for the new show. Maybe we'll call it "Animal Traffic Tips" or "Tricks" or something like that.
HARLOW: Keep working on that one.
That does it for this edition of 360. Thanks for watching.
"LARRY KING" starts right now.
