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Obama, Clinton Spending Time Outside Pennsylvania; Troubled Elections in Zimbabwe; Polygamist Sect Raided; Pregnant Teens: Parental Notification Questions; New Orleans Comeback; Where are the Grads?
Aired April 05, 2008 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where are you guys from? Come on now. You're serious?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I have like flights for two more months booked every weekend on Skybus.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Uh-oh.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Sorry to break the news, folks. Another airline is calling it quits. What is a frequent flyer to do?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In 17 of the country's 50 largest cities, more students drop out than graduate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Really? More kids are dropping out of school, and we are taking an in-depth look at this.
From the CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM. it's Saturday, April 5th.
Good morning, everybody.
I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: Hey there, folks. I'm T.J. Holmes.
10:00 here in Atlanta, Georgia. Let's get you caught up on news happening all over the world.
(NEWSBREAK)
HOLMES: All right. We'll turn to politics now.
A change in direction for the presidential candidates, spending some time outside of Pennsylvania?
Paul Steinhauser, our deputy political director, you have run the candidates out of Pennsylvania, the all-important state?
He's live with the CNN Election Express in Philadelphia.
We all know Pennsylvania coming up, a lot of delegates at stake. So why did they leave the state?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: You know, I'm not taking it personal. I'm here, I guess they're gone. But they will be back.
You know, Pennsylvania, T.J., it's the next state to vote. But this weekend, the campaign trail extends all the way out to the West Coast.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am so happy to be back right here in Los Angeles.
STEINHAUSER (voice over): From California to Montana, the road to the White House heads west again this weekend. Both Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama sit down tonight at the same Democratic dinner in Montana. The state holds its primary in June.
It's the second straight night that the rival candidates showed up at the same event. Both were in North Dakota last night.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We didn't write off North Dakota. We competed in this caucus. We won this caucus and we will keep competing in this state all the way to November.
CLINTON: I believe that the American people need a fighter, a fighter in the White House, someone who doesn't give up when the going gets tough.
STEINHAUSER: Clinton is also reaching out to voters today in Oregon, which votes next month, and Obama heads to California tomorrow to raise some campaign cash. Clinton raked in some big bucks in Los Angeles and San Francisco earlier this week, but Obama out-raised her by $20 million last month.
Back here in Pennsylvania, a new CNN Poll of Polls puts Clinton up over Obama by 11 points. The candidates are gone for now, but their commercials keep running.
NARRATOR: Hillary Clinton has a plan to protect our homes, create jobs. It's 3:00 a.m., time for a president who's ready.
OBAMA: I'm Barack Obama. I don't take money from oil companies or Washington lobbyists, and I won't let them block change anymore.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STEINHAUSER: You know, Clinton, Obama and even Senator John McCain, they're going to be at their old jobs on Tuesday. There's a big Iraq war hearing on Tuesday. Expect all of the presidential candidates back right there on Capitol Hill.
But Clinton and Obama, they're going to be right back here later in the week, because there's just so much at stake here in Pennsylvania. So, a couple of days from now, right back on the campaign trail here in the Keystone State -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right. They'll be back, but finally there was this big hubbub about Clinton -- Hillary Clinton needed to release her tax returns. Obama and others have been criticizing her for it -- what's taking so long?
OK. They're out now. What have we learned?
STEINHAUSER: We learned that both Clintons over the last eight years made about $110 million. Most of that, about $80 million of that, comes from Bill Clinton. It seems he was the big breadwinner from his book and from his speeches.
About $30 million in taxes they paid, and they gave about 10 percent of their -- eight percent or nine percent of their earnings to charity. So the tax returns are out. We're still sifting through them to see where some of the income came from, but this was something that they had been pushing to get out, and now they're out.
HOLMES: All right. That's a lot of money. It pays to be a former president.
Paul Steinhauser, we need to find a way to sign up for that job.
Kind sir, we appreciate you.
Our Paul Steinhauser, our deputy political director. We'll be checking in with him plenty throughout the campaign season.
And again, you can catch CNN's "Ballot Bowl" later today, your chance to hear from the candidates themselves. "Ballot Bowl," today, 2:00 Eastern, only on CNN, your home for politics.
NGUYEN: Let's take you now to some world politics and the disputed election in Zimbabwe. Still, no results one week after voting. Now the opposition party is trying to force the results to be released.
CNN's Robyn Curnow joins us live from Johannesburg, South Africa.
How is that going with forcing the release of this vote?
ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Betty, the longer these results are delayed, the more suspicion there is. And the opposition party tried to take the government to court. But basically, that's also been delayed until Sunday.
So not good news for the opposition, and a real mood of desperation and darkness in Zimbabwe, because a week ago, when people voted, there was a real sense of change, people trying -- saying they wanted to vote. Robert Mugabe, the 28 -- the leader who's been ruling it for 28 years. But there really is a sense from may people that he's going to cling to power no matter what.
NGUYEN: Robyn, isn't the opposition party also calling on the international community, specifically the U.N., to intervene should there be some kind of a runoff election? What is the worry here?
CURNOW: You know, the real concern from the opposition party is they're going to be violent, because the ruling party is trying to set up a runoff. And they're worried that a runoff will create a state of violence or an atmosphere where the government can really crack down on any opposition and use the media and perhaps also the security forces to force the issue. So that is why the opposition is saying they will ask the United Nations to come and monitor the situation, and if there are concerns for violence.
NGUYEN: And in the meantime, let's talk about the economy there, because Zimbabweans are fleeing the country, and a lot of that has to do with the fact that the inflation rate is really sky high.
CURNOW: It's more than sky high. It's really out of this world.
The inflation rate is over 100,000 percent. And I was up at the border, which is -- you know, the northern border with Zimbabwe, and just last week this was the note that was the highest you could get. It was a $10 million note, which is the equivalent of about 25 U.S. cents.
This is now worthless, $10 million now worthless. The latest denomination is now $40 million. And that's the equivalent of about one U.S. dollar. And that only apparently gets you about three loaves of bread.
So, that's how bad the inflation is. So, ordinary people's salaries, well, from one week to the next, you can just lose all your savings. Never mind the fact that you're battling to put food on the table, because the price of food just raises from one week to the next.
And also, if you want to go to the ATM or the bank machine and get money out, well, the highest you can withdraw is one billion Zimbabwe dollars. So, you can imagine what that looks like.
NGUYEN: Yes. And how many actually have that in their bank account? I imagine there are very few.
Robyn Curnow joining us live from Johannesburg.
Robyn, we do thank you.
HOLMES: Well, President Bush due to Russia in a matter of minutes. Going to be talking with the outgoing Russian president, Vladimir Putin. Before flying to Russia, the president was in Croatia, where he congratulated that nation, as well as Albania, for their invitations to join NATO. The president wraps up his overseas trip at Mr. Putin's summer home in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right, have you heard this story? Listen up. The polygamist sect once led by convicted felon Warren Jeffs is back in the spotlight.
HOLMES: Yes. Texas authorities raided the group's compound yesterday, taking away dozens of young girls.
CNN's Susan Roesgen is in Eldorado for us this morning.
Good morning again to you, Susan.
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And good morning, T.J.
We have just seen, in fact, more buses travel down the road past me about a quarter of a mile to the compound, to this ranch where this fundamentalist religious sect lives and works and stays out of the public eye. We have seen more buses go there this morning, and that means that more young women may be coming out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROESGEN (voice over): Escorted by sheriff's department trucks and jeeps, two white buses from a local Baptist church drive down a dusty Texas road. It's hard to tell through the tinted windows, but inside the buses are dozens of girls, some just a few months old.
The girls were being removed from a sprawling secretive Fundamentalist Church Latter-day Saints compound near Eldorado called the YFZ Ranch. Throughout the evening, dozens of girls were taken away.
MARLEIGH MEISNER, CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES: We have 52 young women from the ages of 17 to 6 months of age that we have taken from the compound. Not legal custody, but taken from the compound. And of those, we have 18 that we have taken legal custody of. I can tell you that we're about halfway through our investigation.
ROESGEN: The Fundamentalist Church of Latter-day Saints has an estimated 10,000 members, most of them in a tiny town of Utah. And they are notoriously hostile to outsiders.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Can I ask you a quick question?
ROESGEN: Nearly all of them are followers of Warren Jeffs, a man they call their prophet. Jeffs is currently in jail after being convicted on two counts of being an accomplice to rape.
Stretched across 1,700 acres, the ranch is the largest polygamist community outside of Utah and Arizona. It has a towering white temple, a water tower, dormitories, and is guarded by armed men.
(END VIDEOTAPE) ROESGEN: Now, the raid began after a tip came to local authorities that a 50-year-old man had married -- illegally married an underage 16-year-old girl and fathered a child with her. But then, as you saw, all these girls being taken out. Investigators apparently want to know as they continue their investigation just how many young women at that compound have been sexually abused -- T.J.
NGUYEN: Well, and, you know, just listening to this story -- it's Betty here -- seeing so many girls and the back-story behind it, Susan, let me ask you this -- what are the people of Eldorado saying about what is happening in their town?
ROESGEN: Well, you know, they have had very little contact with the people on this ranch, this compound, if you will. As you saw there, it's locked, it's guarded. There's even night vision cameras at night.
Those people do not want people to know what's going on the inside the compound. The newspaper editor here told our producer that as far as he knows, only occasionally, very rarely, will two men come from the compound, come into the city of Eldorado, the town of Eldorado, to do some banking, to do some financial work. But women never come into town, ever.
NGUYEN: CNN's Susan Roesgen joining us live with that story.
And of course we'll keep you posted on the latest for all the viewers out there.
Thank you, Susan.
HOLMES: Well, authorities are considering charges against a 14- year-old in the death of her baby. This was an eighth grade girl, and she gave birth to a baby boy in the bathroom of her Texas middle school, according to authorities.
The girl's attorney said that she did not kill the child, but police say the newborn died after the girl tried to flush him down the toilet. The attorney said the girl never knew she was pregnant.
NGUYEN: That is just so hard to take, the details of that story. But, you know, speaking of teenage pregnancy, some schools are now stepping in to tell parents. But could that actually keep girls from getting some of the critical health care that that they need?
CNN's Kate Bolduan has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Seventeen-year-old Victoria Civiello says finding out she was pregnant was hard enough, but having to tell her mother was worse.
VICTORIA CIVIELLO, TEEN MOTHER: I didn't know what I was going to say to my mom. I didn't even know what to say to my counselor. So, being told that I had to just outright say it, I had no time to prepare.
BOLDUAN: Michele Civiello says she'll never forget the guidance counselor's phone call.
MICHELLE CIVIELLO, VICTORIA'S MOTHER: I'd have to say immediately when I got that phone call I knew what was going to be told to me.
BOLDUAN: Victoria's Maryland school district requires officials to notify parents if they discover a child is pregnant. Health experts say this type of policy is hard to track, but add a formal rule is unusual.
Howard County school officials say the policy taking effect in July has been informally practiced for the past five years.
FRANK AQUINO, CHAIRMAN, HOWARD COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD: The school system really acts in the place of the parent when the child is in the school environment. And as such, we believe we have the obligation to notify the parents.
BOLDUAN: Frank Aquino says schools have a responsibility to inform parents of any serious health concerns. And, he says, pregnancy fits that description.
AQUINO: The key is that we want these children to stay in school and be aware of the services that the school system is providing for them to help them stay in school.
BOLDUAN: But some women's health advocates say the formal policy will have the opposite effect and will deter teens from seeking help.
WENDY ROYALTY, PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF MARYLAND: Students are going to say, well, we're not going to tell any school personnel that we're pregnant, and therefore they won't get the counseling and assistance that they need.
BOLDUAN: Michele says in this case health should take priority over privacy.
M. CIVIELLO: These are still kids, regardless of whether or not they're able to conceive a child.
BOLDUAN: Although she disagreed with the policy before, now with baby Nolan (ph) in her arms, Victoria says her perspective and her life is very different.
V. CIVIELLO: I may not have made the decision the right way, and I may not have taken the path I took, and it could have ended up a lot different.
BOLDUAN: Kate Bolduan, CNN, Columbia, Maryland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, coming up next here, we're going to talk about your child's future. How do you keep young people from dropping out of high school? Tips to tackle the nation's dropout dilemma.
NGUYEN: And Russia carries the torch around the world with the Olympic relay.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
HOLMES: Well, spring is in the air, and for New Orleans that means Jazz Fest right around the corner.
NGUYEN: CNN's Veronica De La Cruz looks at how the Crescent City is spicing things up.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN INTERNET CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Hurricane Katrina nearly leveled the New Orleans tourism industry. Now The Big Easy is working hard to get the tourists back again.
NILOU MOTAMED, "TRAVEL & LEISURE": They're trying to elicit NBA All-Star games, looking at Mardi Gras as an opportunity to get more people in. Everything they can do that will make people realize that New Orleans is back.
DE LA CRUZ: And the city wants to keep the people coming with a little musical soundtrack this spring. It will be "All That Jazz" and more beginning April 25, when Jazz Fest comes to town. Running a full seven days, the first time since Katrina, the city is expecting a big turnout.
MOTAMED: The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, or Jazz Fest, as people who are in the know call it, is going to be a really great time for people to see the fantastic shops, the amazing restaurants, and really see that New Orleans has put its mind and spirit into making it a fantastic destination that it once was.
DE LA CRUZ: And hopefully visitors will fall in love with New Orleans once again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: All right. From the good times to this -- a failing grade from many high schools in America.
NGUYEN: Yes. More than a million dropouts a year, coast to coast. Is your city among the worst? Maybe among the best?
That's just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
NGUYEN: OK. So we have new numbers this morning dealing with education, and they are jaw-dropping.
HOLMES: Yes, scary stuff here. Talking about graduation rates here in the nation's high schools. Take a look.
Suburban areas top the list -- nearly 75 percent graduation rate. That's above the national average. But you compare that with just over 60 percent graduating in all urban areas. Just around 52 percent in the nation's 50 biggest urban school districts.
NGUYEN: Seventeen of those districts had graduation rates under 50 percent. Detroit's city schools, they scored the lowest, just under 25 percent of students there graduated. And Indianapolis had a graduation rate of just above 30 percent.
Now, Mesa, Arizona, topped the list of urban graduates at more than 77 percent. San Jose, California, and Nashville, Tennessee, were right behind.
HOLMES: OK. The report there was compiled by America's Promise Alliance. And Marguerite Kondracke is president and CEO of America's Promise Alliance. She's with us this morning from Washington.
Thirty percent graduation rate in a city, 25 percent in Detroit? That sounds unfathomable.
How in the world can a graduation rate where just a quarter of the students are graduating from a high school, how can that be possible anywhere in the United States today?
MARGUERITE KONDRACKE, PRESIDENT, AMERICA'S PROMISE ALLIANCE: It's unconscionable. It really is an outrage. And I appreciate your interest in the story.
I mean, our whole nation is at risk -- our economy, our national security -- when a million kids a year are dropping out of school. And if a child lives in a big city, it's a coin toss whether they will graduate, 50/50 chance.
HOLMES: And you know, even this part, the number here, 1.2 million a year, but it might be a lot higher than that, because states that are reporting the numbers, not everybody is reporting the numbers the same way. And you know what? Some of the states might be putting a little slant on it to make it sound better than it really is.
KONDRACKE: We do find that when we look harder at the real data, the numbers are worse than might be reported. And Secretary Spellings came to our press conference this week when we released this report, and has decided she will use her authority to require that all the states count the graduation rates the same. So, hopefully that will help us at least shine the light on every system, and help all of us hold our systems accountable.
HOLMES: And you know, I want to get this point that you all -- the way you all put it. If our top story on CNN this Saturday morning was that 7,000 high school students had disappeared, there would be an outrage. But that is what happens in a day in this country, we lose 7,000 high school students who are dropping out.
KONDRACKE: That's exactly right. If 7,000 young people went missing on a given day, there would be an Amber Alert the likes of we have never seen, and that is what's happening. So we do need to share in this passion and a commitment nationally to make this a high priority.
HOLMES: OK. We've got to put some responsibility somewhere.
KONDRACKE: Right.
HOLMES: What's happening with these students? Is the system failing them? The government failing them? The school district failing them?
But a lot of this still has to go back to home and what happens in a kid's home. Parents emphasizing that they have to go to school.
KONDRACKE: A dropout doesn't happen in senior high. A dropout begins very early in their life. In fact, half the dropouts happen in the ninth grade.
But you're right, it's a culture of valuing education, and parent engagement. And if a young person is unfortunate enough not to have two caring parents, they need more caring adults in their lives.
Some of these bigger numbers, these problems in the inner city, I think it says more than the school is at fault. The community has to be a part of the solution.
These young people need what we call the five promises: caring adults, safe places, health care, maybe tutoring. We do need to wrap our arms around all of these young people and see that they have a chance to succeed.
HOLMES: What else needs to happen from a government level? Of course there's been so much talk over the past several years after the No Child Left Behind Act. It came in with great fanfare, and people hailed it and thought it was going to be this great thing. And then you heard that the government wasn't funding it.
But how much is money really affecting it? How much, if we just threw money at this problem, would it help?
KONDRACKE: It's more than just money, because some of these big city systems actually have a high per-pupil cost. It's really more about strengthening the school, making the curriculum stronger and more relevant, making the student feel more important, that school is more important.
We did focus groups with children, and a big part of the dropout crisis is that kids find that school is boring, not relevant. So, back to No Child Left Behind, though, I think accountability helps. And the good thing about No Child Left Behind is that it does shine the spotlight, but we need that spotlight to turn now on to graduation rates, which is the ultimate measure of success. HOLMES: And I know you all are starting to campaign now. America's Promise Alliance going -- a major campaign here to try to inform people about this problem. Which, again, that number, the way you all phrase it, 7,000.
If we had 7,000 kids go missing, there would be outrage in this country. And we are losing 7,000 out of high school every single day.
KONDRACKE: Right.
HOLMES: Marguerite Kondracke.
Ma'am, thank you for being here. Hope to see you down the road, and hope there are better numbers to report in the near future.
Thank you so much.
KONDRACKE: Thanks for your interest, T.J.
HOLMES: Thank you, ma'am.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: The Olympic torch relay in Russia today.
Pardon me, T.J.
HOLMES: Sorry.
NGUYEN: OK.
HOLMES: Go ahead.
NGUYEN: These are pictures from St. Petersburg.
Olympians started early this morning after the official ceremony, and then they sprinted down the streets of the city. This torch is making its way around the world. The final stop, China, for the August games, of course. Tomorrow the torch will be in London.
All right. It's all yours, T.J.
HOLMES: All right. I was just trying to give you that cue there.
NGUYEN: Is that what it was?
HOLMES: That it was time for you to...
NGUYEN: Thanks for helping me out.
HOLMES: Yes, ma'am.
All right. Tip-off a few hours away. The biggest day of the basketball year so far, in my opinion.
NCAA Tournament down to the Final Four for the first time. Yes, all four number one seeds are in it.
CNN Sports' Larry Smith, again, I would trade lives with him on those days, but certainly right about now. He's in San Antonio for the Final Four.
How is it going?
LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, the sun is out. It's a beautiful day. Wish you were here, both you guys. This is going to be some good basketball tonight here as we get down to the Final Four, the final weekend of the college basketball season.
You know, you will hear all about and see to the coaches and mega stars of all four of these teams, but what about the guys on the bench? What about the guys who don't get in the game, who stand in their nice warm-ups and cheer, rarely getting much playing time? They're as much a part of these teams as the guys who make the headlines. And for one guy in particular, well, he has the bruises to prove it.
Surry Wood is a 6'5", 210-pound senior walk-on, and just as headway (ph) boxers had their sparring partners, Wood has the pleasure of getting beat up by all America forward Tyler Hansbrough every single day in practice.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SURRY WOOD, UNC SR. CENTER: It is an honor to get your head bashed in every day, I guess. But, you know, it's something in the daily grind that's very tough. You know, people don't understand that he's going to be physical with you just in practice as he is in games.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Hansbrough can solidify his status as one of the all-time greats in UNC history, with a couple of wins this weekend.
Now, Tar Heels coach Roy Williams, he was an assistant when Michael Jordan was on campus back in the early '80s, and he sees some similarities between the two.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROY WILLIAMS, UNC HEAD COACH: Michael wanted to win every drill. He wanted to beat you, and then he was going to tell you about it in the locker room. OK?
Tyler just wants to beat you. Michael Jordan was the best winner I have ever seen in big games, and he focused so much throughout his NBA career, and the greatest player that ever lived. Tyler even surpasses Michael off the court in his focus and his discipline at the same stage.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: High praise indeed from Roy Williams, who adds that Tyler is still a kid when running down their lengthy schedule on Friday, when he won a couple of player of the year awards, and then practice and all the media. When he finally stopped talking, Tyler said, "But Coach, what about breakfast?"
Hansbrough has a chance to do something that even Michael Jordan did not. That is, win national player of the year award, and an NCAA championship in the same season.
North Carolina versus Kansas in game two. The first game pits UCLA against Memphis.
T.J., let's send it back to you.
HOLMES: Yes, if people don't know that kid you talk about there, his nickname is Psycho T (ph). The kid is...
SMITH: Because he goes all out.
HOLMES: He goes all out.
But tell us, how is -- how are people taking all four number one seeds? The first time this has happened in history. This is historic, and these are some storied programs.
And then Memphis, of course, is kind of the new kid on the block. But still, are people even more excited because you have the four teams everybody's really had their eyes on all year and finally they get to clash?
SMITH: Well, it is a special buzz because you have ever had this before. And even when you, as a reporter, are going in and begin talking about things, you know, you can't pick the one underdog, or the George Mason, or the Cinderella, or as we had two years ago, no number one seeds in here.
So, it's made some very interesting debate as you talk to fans and the coaches and players. And I think everyone is really looking forward to this because these were the four best teams in everyone's mind during the season.
HOLMES: And how is San Antonio right now? Is the place buzzing?
SMITH: Yes. San Antonio is very vibrant. You have the River Walk. It's just fun to go people watch, and it's a fun city to visit, and they always do events very well here.
HOLMES: People watch? People watching? You're doing people watching?
(LAUGHTER)
SMITH: Hey, you guys -- if I tell you where I'm going and what I'm doing, you guys take me deep on air, man. So...
NGUYEN: He has learned his lesson.
Hey, no wonder, T.J.
SMITH: I'm not saying anything.
NGUYEN: You want to live his life most days, right?
HOLMES: That's why.
NGUYEN: Although Larry, I'm sure you would let him take over the mortgage, maybe even throw in a couple kids, right?
SMITH: Well, no, you can have the mortgage, you can't have the kids. I'm going to keep the kids.
NGUYEN: That's a good dad.
All right, Larry.
HOLMES: And that's a good deal. All right.
Larry, we appreciate you.
SMITH: You can't have Rita (ph) either.
HOLMES: Good to see you, buddy. We'll talk to you soon.
NGUYEN: His wife is so happy he said that.
Well, we do want to tell you about a very special delivery.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: Meet the newest member of the CNN weekend family.
HOLMES: Oh, look at that. That's just -- that's the best picture I have seen.
NGUYEN: I know. And if you look very closely in Reynolds' left eye right there, you can see a tear.
HOLMES: The man is tired.
NGUYEN: No he's not. He is just full of joy.
HOLMES: All right.
We're going to be talking more about our Reynolds Wolf, our meteorologist, and the new baby here in a little bit.
Also, we have got some baby talk on the campaign trail.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would you vote for Hillary or for Obama?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Obama.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have got a crush on...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obama!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: That's just too much.
NGUYEN: Goodness.
HOLMES: Barack Obama, he is winning the youth vote.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: OK, so they're too young vote.
HOLMES: Yes, but they're not too young to be used to promote.
CNN's Jeanne Moos on presidential baby talk.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It used to be that candidates were the ones kissing babies. But these days, babies are kissing back, and even talking back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obama! Obama!
MOOS: Home videos of Babies for Obama have become a genre on the Web.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you vote for Hillary or for Obama?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Obama.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (singing): I've got a crush on O...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... Bama.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who do you want to be president, Alec (ph)?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Barack Obama.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, Barack Obama?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (singing): I don't want my bottle, I don't want my bear. I just want a president who's really going to care.
MOOS: Lest you think we don't care about babies for Hillary...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Put both your feet in the air if you will vote for Hillary no matter what. Well, maybe not that one.
MOOS: And there are kiddies for McCain.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do we like Hillary?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do we like Barack?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do we like McCain?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yay!
MOOS: But the overwhelming number of babies parroting a preference are saying...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obama.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obama.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obama.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obama.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: McCain. Hillary.
Obama.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obama.
MOOS: Now, either parents are beating Obama into their kids, or there's something about that word.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obama!
MOOS: Speech development expert Professor Harriet Klein says "ba" and "ma" are two of the easiest sounds for children learning to talk.
(on camera): It's a child-friendly word, "Obama."
PROF. HARRIET KLEIN, SPEECH DEVELOPMENT EXPERT: Yes. It's like they're just repeating syllables as children do. You know, they'll say, "Da, da, da, da, da.".
MOOS (voice over): He's not quite 2, and Tyler Robinson (ph) is already an Internet hit.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hillary?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tyler, say "Hillary." Say "Hillary."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hillary.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obama!
(LAUGHTER)
MOOS (on camera): Your son sounds possessed.
(voice over): Tyler's (ph) dad says the family is split between Obama and Hillary.
(on camera): You never sat with him and said, "Obama, Obama, Obama"?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, we never made, like, a point of, like, drilling it into him.
MOOS (voice over): Dad thinks Tyler (ph) keeps repeating the word because he likes all the attention it gets him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obama!
MOOS: It's ironic that after all the talk of Obama's name being a political liability, it goes over big with the youth vote.
(on camera): The word "Obama" is very similar to babbling.
KLEIN: To the babbling sounds -- ba, ba, ba, ba, ba. .
MOOS (voice over): Linguistically, it's the next best thing to "mama."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obama!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, honey. Shh.
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obama!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Just want to hear it again.
HOLMES: The kid is funny.
NGUYEN: He is funny.
HOLMES: That makes a good point, Obama, it's easy to say.
NGUYEN: Easier to say -- kind of like "mama."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Running is a sport that can certainly improve your health, but can it change your life?
NGUYEN: Well, today's CNN Hero says, yes, it can. And she's helping homeless people get back on the streets in a good way.
Take a look. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNE MAHLUM, COMMUNITY: CRUSADER: When I'm out running, we go between 4:30 and 5:00 a.m. It's some of my solitude time.
On my daily morning runs, I would see this group of homeless men. Homelessness is a big problem in Philadelphia, and it's been for a long time. I started to realize that I'm moving my life forward every day -- physically, emotionally, mentally, and these guys are standing in the same spot.
My name is Anne Mahlum, and I run an organization called Back On My Feet, where we use running to help the homeless move forward. When you join Back On My Feet, you get a new pair of shoes, a hat, a long- sleeved shirt. It's like, welcome to our team.
We run together three times a week between 5:30 and 6:00 in the morning.
We're going to go do a mile and a half together, and then everybody's going to split off and do their separate mile.
We have doctors, lawyers, homeless people. All you can tell is who's the fastest. You can't tell who's homeless and who's not.
To be a runner, it takes discipline, determination, and a whole lot of heart.
Mike was one of the original members. He grew up running the streets, but now he's going back to run the streets the right way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I first started, I never imagined preparing myself to run 26 miles.
I could run another 13.
Anne is helping people see the hero in themselves.
MAHLUM: Do we need homes? Yes. We need jobs? Yes.
But imagine if you didn't have anybody in your life who said, I'm really proud of you. And Back On My Feet does just that.
See you later.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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