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President Obama Nominates Potential Rival for Post; Anger Over President's Invite; Education Rally in D.C.; 'Start Where You Are'; Violence in Pakistan; Bob Barker's Priceless Memories
Aired May 16, 2009 - 09:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Well, good morning to you all.
We're showing you a live picture this morning of people gathered, obviously in a little rain, but they are gathering for a rally outside of the White House to mark the 55th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision.
That ruling, of course, found that separate but equal in education is unconstitutional. I will be speaking with one of the Little Rock Nine, and also the Reverend Al Sharpton, live, in just a moment.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, President Obama announcing just minutes ago that he is picking another Republican to be in his administration. Utah Governor Jon Huntsman is his nominee to be ambassador to China.
So, what does this mean? We have those full details straight ahead.
From the CNN Center, this is the CNN NEWSROOM. It's Saturday, May 16th.
Good morning, everybody. Thanks for joining us.
I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: And hello to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes.
It's 10:00 a.m. here in Atlanta, Georgia; 9:00 a.m. in Little Rock, Arkansas; 7:00 a.m. for all you folks out West.
Thank you for being here with us.
Let's talk about the news we just got from the White House a moment ago.
The Republican governor of Utah is now the president's pick to be an ambassador. This young man here, I call him a young man, young in political circles, anyway, he actually has learned Chinese. He speaks Mandarin for some missions he did over in China, but he is now the ambassador, the pick, at least, for ambassador to China.
This is what we saw out of the White House just a moment ago. Look. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. JON HUNTSMAN, JR. (R), UTAH: ... that the most basic responsibility one is service to country. When the president of the United States asks you to step up and serve in a capacity like this, that, to me, is the end of the conversation and the beginning of the obligation to rise to the challenge.
I stand here in my final term as governor with plenty to do. I wasn't looking for a new job in life, but a call from the president changed that.
So, Mr. President, I humbly accept your call to service.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: He says he wasn't looking for a new job in life, but some thought he might be looking for a new job around 2012. He was rumored to be a potential candidate for the White House.
So why did the president reach out to a possible rival?
Our Kate Bolduan joins us now from the White House.
And Kate, we were talking to Mark Preston, one of our political editors a little bit earlier, and he said you've got to keep your friends close and your enemies closer. So, maybe the president's trying to make sure he keeps some of those potential candidates in 2012 close to him.
Is that possible?
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anything is possible, T.J.
Well, the president and governor -- well, now nominee to be the new ambassador to China -- Jon Huntsman, they didn't shy away from the fact that they are from two very different political parties. Huntsman was the co-chair of John McCain's presidential campaign, and both of them even talked about it in the short announcement that we had.
Huntsman said he never anticipated -- to some extent, he said, I never anticipated being here, working for the administration that beat us. But you heard in his statement right there, you know, when the president of the United States asks you to step up, that's the end of the conversation, the beginning of the obligation. That was kind of the reasoning, the rationale, that Governor Huntsman gave.
The president himself said, yes, we come from two different political parties, but he said Huntsman is the kind of leader that puts country ahead of party and has a long history of bringing people together across party lines. So, that's part of his reasoning for why he picked this man, not only -- that doesn't, of course, include the extensive expertise and experience he has in that region that you mentioned earlier -- T.J. HOLMES: Yes. And that expertise is important, but the relationship, as well, is very important with China moving forward. A lot of people -- who knows if we would have been talking about this if he'd have nominated a Democrat? But, still, the relationship moving forward with China is going to be a critical one, and this is a critical job.
BOLDUAN: It is a critical job. I mean, when you look at the population of China alone, the emerging economy of China, you know, look at the national security issues -- and China is a very important trade partner with the United States -- both the president and Governor Huntsman did mention that.
This is a very important post. It could be, you know, possibly one of the most important ambassadorships out there right now because of the relationship. And when he even -- the president even mentioned the financial crisis, the global financial crisis, and getting out of it, China's going to be a key partner in that. And now he hopes his pick, his nominee for the ambassador to China, will have a leading role in getting those conversations going and keeping the dialogue between the United States and China going and trying to get out of this financial crisis.
HOLMES: All right. And critical to note, he is the nominee right now. He still has to be approved...
BOLDUAN: Exactly.
HOLMES: ... up on the Hill.
Kate Bolduan for us at the White House.
Thank you so much.
BOLDUAN: Of course.
NGUYEN: When President Obama speaks at Notre Dame's graduation tomorrow, protesters will be there, angry he was ever invited to the Catholic school.
Our Susan Candiotti is in South Bend, Indiana. She joins us now live.
And Susan, for our viewers, just explain what is at the root of these protests.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, all of these students are objecting, mainly because of President Obama's pro-choice position on abortion. It's believed to be that a small group of students at the root of these objections is being backed by a large group, outside anti-abortion groups. They think it was wrong for Notre Dame to invite the president. But the majority of students say it was the right thing to do, that they don't necessarily agree with all of the president's views, but they should invite him.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He said after he had pronounced that law, whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed.
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Outside Notre Dame, anti-abortion groups have been staging almost daily peaceful protests that end in trespassing arrests despite warnings from police.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll give you a chance to leave, please.
CANDIOTTI: Overhead, banners display bloody fetuses.
On campus, few signs of the outside furor over whether President Obama should get an honorary law degree from one of the top Catholic universities in the land.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... abortions ever since that man came into office.
CANDIOTTI: But make no mistake about it, a small group of seniors say they plan to boycott their own graduation, outraged that Notre Dame is extending a hand to a president whose abortion policies go against the Catholic religion's view on when life begins and stem- cell research.
Michelle Sagala (ph) and Andrew Cronister (ph), getting married this summer, will be no-shows at their own graduation.
(on camera): Graduation day is such a big event in any student's life. How could you miss it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The thing that consoles me in all this is that I'm taking a stand for those who are often forgotten.
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): But history and peace studies major Michael Angulo (ph) says most students stand behind Notre Dame's invitation, even if they don't agree with all of his policies.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't think less of the University of Notre Dame. Don't think that our mission is being corrupted by a president who might have thoughts on this issue that is different from Catholic thought. Be willing to engage in that.
CANDIOTTI: But other protesters here today say they are going to the ceremony, as they put it, to bear witness.
CHRIS LABADIE, NOTRE DAME SENIOR: This is not just a day in my college career. It's the end. It's the celebration of the past four years.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: And that student, even though he disagrees with the president about his views on abortions, says he still hopes that all the students give the president respect.
Back to you, Betty. NGUYEN: All right. Thank you for that, Susan.
We are getting a lot of responses from our viewers today. I want to take you quickly to my Twitter page right here.
Sadie (ph) says, "Hard to believe that the Catholics can tolerate an abuse by a priest but not different opinions."
Very interesting there.
And then this one, it says, "It scares me that supposedly educated college-goers are simpleminded enough to not understand separation of church and state."
Obviously people are weighing in, and we want to hear all sides of it. So go to our Facebook pages, our Twitter pages. You can also reach us at weekends@cnn.com or on our blog, several ways. Let us know what you think about the situation.
HOLMES: We'll turn back to D.C. now.
We can show you where people are gathering outside the White House this morning to mark the 55th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision. That was the landmark Supreme Court case that came out of Kansas that overturned segregation in public schools.
And not long after that decision, this was the scene in Little Rock, Arkansas. The NAACP registered nine black students to attend previously all White Little Rock Central High School.
The students who came to be known as the Little Rock Nine were selected for their excellence in academics and attendance. And now 55 years later, some people say our education system continues to deny ethnic students access to good teachers and schools.
They're now calling this education equality, the civil rights issue of our time.
Reverend Al Sharpton and one of the Little Rock Nine, Minnie Jean Brown-Trickey, joins us now live from D.C.
Reverend Sharpton, good to see you again.
Minnie Jean, ma'am, thank you so much for being here. And I understand you prefer for me to call you Minnie Jean, ,so it goes against what I'm used to calling you, "Miss" this, "Miss" that. So I'm going to go with Minnie Jean.
So I will start with you, ma'am.
Fifty-plus years ago, when you were walking the halls of Little Rock Central High School, could you see where this was going maybe 50 years down the road? And are you happy with where we are now? Still not to where we should be, but where do you think we are now?
MINNIE JEAN BROWN-TRICKEY, MEMBER, LITTLE ROCK NINE: Well, I'm certainly not happy. We're still dealing with some of the same problems.
It's about inequality in schools, inequality in resources, the whole problem that we had in the '50s. And, in fact, segregation in schools continues in a very tragic way, in my opinion.
So, no, we're not where we should be. And as the most powerful and possibly richest country in the world, we are living a catastrophe.
HOLMES: All right.
And Reverend Sharpton, I know this is an issue that has been near and dear to you, you've been working on. So, this education gap, how do you think -- or explain to us how the government is directly contributing to this education gap continuing?
REV. AL SHARPTON, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK: I think the government must make sure that, one, funds and resources are equally distributed. We travel around this country where, in the same city, under the same school administrations, different districts have different things.
There's differences in who's computerized, differences in the updating of school books, quality of teachers, quality of administrators. So, in the meeting that we had just 10 days ago with the president, I believe he's committed to making it equal. Today's gathering -- and people are coming here from all over the country -- are showing that, A, we salute what happened, but now let's finish the quest for equal educational opportunity for all American citizens.
HOLMES: And Minnie Jean, let me bring you back in here. Certainly, things are different from when you walked the halls of Central High School back in the day, but do you see, still now -- it's obvious that many African-American and minority students have more opportunities than you did at the time. But still, today, do you see some of the young students, young minority students, and think they are taking it for granted, at least the opportunities they do have now?
BROWN-TRICKEY: Well, the children aren't in charge, and I think we always have to start there. If the kids were in charge, that would be a different thing, but the children are the victims, as Reverend Sharpton said -- funding, lack of health care, the whole poverty, all those issues.
We have a national tragedy, and this is a call to action, as there have been many before. This is key that, oh, yes, we were ordinary students in Little Rock in 1957. I'm not sure that an ordinary student like me has the same opportunities that I had in 1957.
HOLMES: And Reverend Sharpton, I want to bring you back in. I'm going to have to wrap it on this one, but a story we covered today, I know you're bringing in students from all over the country, being bused in there for this rally. First, how many are you expecting there for the rally today? And secondly, did you ever get to the bottom of what happened to those students in Kansas City who were waiting on buses to pick them up and the buses never came?
SHARPTON: Well, we bring in people. There are about, I don't know, scores of buses on the road coming in, and we expect thousands of people.
Clearly, this is one of the biggest celebrations and call to actions that has happened in years. Usually nothing happens on this day, so we're proud of that.
We were able to find out in Nashville, actually headquarters, that the list that we required buses that we approved had to be in two weeks ago, because if you're going to bring minors across state lines, you have to have consent slips. If something happens, we, National Action Network, could be hit with million-dollar lawsuits and you'd be covering that.
I understand, though, they did raise some money locally, they're on the way. If they get here, I'm willing to match whatever money they raise. But I cannot have the organization jeopardized without having the consent forms in. The people in charge should be more responsible than that.
HOLMES: Well, we are glad to hear at least that they are going to be on their way and make it there to that rally.
SHARPTON: I am, too.
HOLMES: We will continue to cover certainly an important issue here. We'll keep our eyes and our cameras on that rally happening right outside the White House there.
Reverend Sharpton, thank you. Good to see you again.
SHARPTON: Thank you. Good to see you.
HOLMES: And Minnie Jean, thank you. Ma'am, thank you so much.
SHARPTON: Miss Minnie Jean. Miss Minnie Jean.
HOLMES: I've walked those halls of Little Rock Central High School -- Miss Minnie Jean. That makes me feel better, at least.
BROWN-TRICKEY: We can do it all.
HOLMES: All right. Well, thank you, both. Enjoy that rally there.
And again, Little Rock Central High, if you haven't been to it, a lot of folks -- I worked there for three years from Arkansas. But that is a majestic place, and you can't help but feel it when you walk through those halls of Central High School. Just a beautiful building. NGUYEN: All right. Well, we're going to be talking about this for just a minute, too, a religious school, speaking of schools, just destroyed in a suspected U.S. missile attack. What Pakistani officials are saying about that.
HOLMES: Also, a homeless man who never gave up. The man who inspired the Will Smith movie, "The Pursuit of Happyness," well, he's got a new project now. And if you lost your job, you'll want to hear what he has to say. He is coming up, standing by with us live, right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, "PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS": What would you say if a guy walked in for an interview without a shirt on and I hired him? What would you say?
WILL SMITH, "PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS": He must have had on some really nice pants.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, you've got to start with a dream. Those are some words to live by from a man who knows the depths of hardship and great success as well.
A lot of you know the movie, "The Pursuit of Happyness," starring Will Smith, but you may not know that the man whose autobiography inspired the film about a homeless man who never gave up, you might not know him. His name, Chris Gardner. He has a new book out called "Start Where You Are: Life Lessons in Getting You From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be."
And he joins us now live from Chicago to talk about this book. There he is.
Chris, I got to ask you about this thing first. On the cover of this book -- maybe we could put it back, start where you are -- why is it you are wearing a watch on each wrist on the cover of this book? Do you always got to know what time it is?
CHRIS GARDNER, AUTHOR, "START WHERE YOU ARE": I've got to be on time. You know, one of the knocks on black folks is we can't be on time. I'm known to be early.
HOLMES: He's got two watches on. And I do want to note that, yes, we are starting here now at 10:18 on this interview, but you were in that chair at about 10:00, at least. So, yes, you are on time.
GARDNER: Got to be on time.
HOLMES: Got to be on time.
Well, let's talk about this book a little bit. GARDNER: You talk about this being maybe one of the best times, the tough economic times. Maybe this is the best time to take a good look in the mirror and ask yourself what you want, who you are, and what you're really about. This is a good time for it.
There could not be a better time. When I wrote this book two and a half years ago, I had no idea how timely it was going to become.
HOLMES: Yes.
GARDNER: We've been published now, the previous book, in 16 languages.
HOLMES: Wow.
GARDNER: So, folks were asking me a lot of questions. Well, and the answers are real simple.
What would you be doing right now? I would find something that I'm absolutely passionate about. Find something I want to do so much, the sun cannot come up soon enough in the morning.
HOLMES: Wow.
GARDNER: Number two, you've got to accept Plan B sucks.
HOLMES: OK. Wait a minute now. Look, if this CNN thing doesn't work out, I need a Plan B. All right? That's just how people are accustomed to living.
GARDNER: Plan B sucks.
HOLMES: We've got to have a Plan B, don't we? I get what you're saying. Go ahead.
GARDNER: Well, OK. Dude, let me explain something to you. Everybody talks about having something to fall back on.
HOLMES: Yes.
GARDNER: You already got that. It's called a butt.
HOLMES: Dude! That sounds great, but...
GARDNER: All right? Well, look, you've got to be committed.
HOLMES: You've got to be committed to it.
GARDNER: You've got to be committed to it.
HOLMES: But some people might think...
GARDNER: You're sitting in that chair...
HOLMES: All right. Go ahead.
GARDNER: You're sitting in that chair at CNN right now because you chose this is what you were going to do.
HOLMES: OK.
GARDNER: You committed to it.
HOLMES: I did.
GARDNER: OK? That's why you're sitting in that chair right now.
HOLMES: But some people might argue that's not the prudent thing to do. You've always got to have a backup plan of some kind. But you say in having a backup plan, you're losing some of that passion and energy you might put towards what you're doing right now.
GARDNER: Plan B. What you're doing with Plan B, you're settling, you're accepting less than you're really passionate about. Is that how you want to live your life? This is that time to take control and say, how do I want to create -- what do I have to do to create the life that I want to live?
HOLMES: Do you think some people just in their own heads, sometimes, they think they're doomed to failure because of maybe past failures, because of family history and things like that? And you talk about something called spiritual genetics. Do people allow themselves to be held back by maybe family history, if you will?
GARDNER: Absolutely. If you've read "Pursuit," you'll know I could have become my stepfather.
I could have become another alcoholic, wife-beating, child- abusing, illiterate loser. But instead, I chose to embrace the light that I saw in my mom. And all of us are born with a spirit. That spirit can either embrace light or darkness.
I chose to embrace the light. You can make a choice.
HOLMES: OK. And I've got to let you go on this one, but the lesson 18 was, sometimes you've got to give up Christmas. Explain that to me right quick.
GARDNER: You've got to let some of that stuff in the past go. If you read "Pursuit," again, you'll know I had some of the horrific holidays, specifically Christmases, imaginable. You've got to let that go so that you can propel forward.
HOLMES: All right.
Chris Gardner, again, the man with two watches.
Show us those watches one more time.
GARDNER: Brother, you've got to be on time. Got to be.
HOLMES: Well, we appreciate you being on time this morning, because a lot of our guests are not. But we appreciate you being here. (LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: Chris Gardner. The book is called "Start Where You Are." It's out now. He's on tour. He's traveling around.
I know you're going to be out at Berkeley giving a commencement address out there, as well. So good luck to you. Good to have you on, brother. You take care.
GARDNER: All right. Thank you. Take care.
HOLMES: That was my first question to him, Betty, was why do you have on two watches? And sure enough, the interview was at 10:18, is when we started. We saw him sitting there before our show, starting at 10:00, sitting there in place, on time.
NGUYEN: And you know how much we appreciate that...
HOLMES: We appreciate it.
NGUYEN: ... because so many times we're having to float things around and make up for folks who aren't in the chair. We have to be here on time, the show's going to start whether we're here or not. So we better be there.
All right. So you pay the rent and the utilities, but what happens at the end of the month when you run out of money for the ever-important food?
HOLMES: Yes. This is a struggle for a lot of families in this economy, certainly. But one of our CNN Heroes came up with a plan to help some of the hungry.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER (voice-over): This is "CNN Heroes."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The things that we could do, like go to the movie, we haven't done it in quite a while. We just go to church and come home.
I work for the city. We're not poor, we're not broke, but it's a real struggle to survive right now.
PAM KONER, COMMUNITY CRUSADER: Families who were able to make it and just get through the month are not able to make it quite the same way anymore, so food becomes the item that gets dropped at the end of the month.
My name is Pam Koner. I began an organization that makes families with more to families with less. After learning about this community in Illinois that women and children were not eating the last week of the month, something moved me to come up with something to change this.
I sent a letter out to all of the families in my child care businesses and I said, well, how about if we match families? Our original mission was to help poor rural communities. We began to expand to help families who were not in need of help before but now were in trouble. Families purchase and send groceries or donate via Paypal. Most families are also exchanging letters, opening up to each other and sharing.
TEXT: Since 2002, Pam's organization has linked more than 600 families nationwide and has supplied nearly 800,000 meals to families in need.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was very happy to hear from you. I did get your e-mail. Also your wonderful package that you sent for us. This will be a great help for the entire family.
KONER: No one really knows what's going to happen tomorrow. We're all part of a big family. We need to be there for each other.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And if you'd like to help Pam out and help her help struggling families, or if you know someone that's doing something extraordinary that they maybe deserve to be a CNN Hero, you can go to our Web site. Please tell us all about it.
NGUYEN: Absolutely. Remember, all of our CNN Heroes are chosen from people like you who nominate them at CNN.com/heroes.
HOLMES: Well, if you lost your job out there, you certainly might not feel like partying.
NGUYEN: No.
HOLMES: But some say just get over it.
NGUYEN: Get over it, that's right. A pink-flip (ph) party, folks, may put you on the path to your next job. We're going to check that out.
And take a look at this -- hanging with Usher. We're going to get the latest on what he is up to and why he wants to fight malaria.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: A live look at festivities happening now. This is right outside of the White House, on the lawn outside of the White House, an education rally.
Really, this is a call to action. Reverend Sharpton participating here, and Minnie Jean, one of the -- Miss Minnie Jean, I should say -- one of the Little Rock Nine. And many others gathered there. Really, this weekend marks the anniversary, the 55th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, so we will continue to keep an eye on this rally happening now.
NGUYEN: Well, hopefully the weather will cooperate, though we have seen a few raindrops there, and I understand it's going to be happening in the South as well.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: OK. So you know Bob Barker from the show "The Price is Right"; right?
HOLMES: Of course.
NGUYEN: But his career could have taken a whole different turn. We're talking maybe starring in a porn flick?
HOLMES: That would have been a bad turn.
NGUYEN: Yes. We're going to get to the bottom of that and why the price was not right for him to be a porn star.
But first, some great moments from "The Price is Right."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB BARKER, HOST, "PRICE IS RIGHT": You! Congratulations!
Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Hello, everybody, and welcome back.
I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: Hello to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes. Glad you could start your day here with us.
We want to turn to Pakistan right now.
The fight against militants there in a volatile region are going forward today. A suspected U.S. missile strike near one town there killed 10 people, two of them believed to be foreign militants. But militants may be making their own strikes now. A car bomb, at least one that we know of, ripped through the town of Peshawar.
Our Ivan Watson joins us now from Islamabad with more.
We've got a couple different things here to talk about. Let's talk about this latest bombing first.
What's the latest there?
IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this was in Peshawar, T.J., and a very unfortunate tragedy here. A car bomb that went off in Pakistan's major western city, and it hit a passing school bus carrying children. Several of those children wounded in the blast. All of the victims, we're told, are civilians.
This was a school bus carrying handicapped children, T.J. Very unfortunate.
HOLMES: Yes.
And let's turn to this U.S. air strike now. Or it's believed to be, I should say, a U.S. air strike that possibly hit a school there. What can you tell us?
WATSON: OK. This was -- the target here, we're told, is a madrassa. That's a religious school. It was in north Waziristan. That is this very difficult area, mountainous region right up along the border with Afghanistan, an area where the Taliban and al Qaeda has been very active.
Now, what is really surprising here is that according to Taliban sources and Pakistani intelligence sources that have been in touch with CNN, more than 20 people were killed in this attack, T.J. It's believed to have been, the target, an ammunition dump somewhere in the area of that madrassa.
This is the second suspected strike by a U.S. unmanned drone in the border areas just this week. And the number of drone attacks have really gone up this year alone, and they're very controversial here in Pakistan.
Many Pakistanis criticize these. They say this is an infringement on Pakistani sovereignty -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right.
Ivan Watson for us in Islamabad.
We appreciate the update. Thank you so much.
And, of course, we'll continue to monitor developments in this story and bring you any updates as we get them.
NGUYEN: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is just getting slammed by a man who once did her job. Pelosi says the CIA misled her in briefings about certain interrogation techniques that some call torture, but many don't believe her, like Republican and former speaker Newt Gingrich, who said so to ABC Radio.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
NEWT GINGRICH, FMR. HOUSE SPEAKER: She is a trivial politician, viciously using partisanship for the narrowest of purposes, and she dishonors the Congress by her behavior. And the fact is she either didn't do her job, or she did do her job and she's now afraid to tell the truth.
Speaker Pelosi is the big loser, because she either comes across as incompetent or dishonest. Those are the only two defenses she's got.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
NGUYEN: All right.
Well, current CIA Director Leon Panetta wasn't in charge at the time, but he also contradicts Pelosi, saying his agency never lied to Congress.
Stay tuned, because I actually caught up with Grammy winner Usher, and he's not just a singer and a successful entrepreneur, but he is, in fact, part of an impressive crowd.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Denzel, Bill Clinton...
USHER, R&B SINGER: Yes. Denzel, Bill Clinton.
NGUYEN: Shaq.
USHER: Shaq.
NGUYEN: Michael Jordan.
USHER: Jennifer Lopez, Michael Jordan. You know, Bill Cosby. All of them.
NGUYEN: That's a good crowd.
USHER: Yes, man. I mean, it's pretty cool company; right?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: I'd say not bad at all. But we're going to tell you what hall of fame he just joined. Stay tuned for that.
HOLMES: All right. And I couldn't figure out the theme. I don't think you had a theme, but I don't know how you got from Usher to Bob Barker.
NGUYEN: Well, they're in a new video, a music video.
HOLMES: What's the name of that song?
NGUYEN: Yes, exactly. No, I'm just kidding.
Bob Barker sat down with us, legendary talk show host. And he's got some really classic moments from "The Price is Right" that you don't want to miss.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARKER: Pam (ph), will you come right over here, please?
I think -- I think -- I think I've been mugged.
(END VIDEO CLIP) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, "THE PRICE IS RIGHT": And here's the star of the new "Price is Right," Bob Barker.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Many of you know Bob Barker from "The Price is Right." but did you know that he got his start on a show called "Truth or Consequences"? Barker spent more than 50 years on television, and now he's talking about his priceless memories in a new book.
I sat down with him at his home in Los Angeles to find out how he got his start.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARKER: Mark Goodson, who created "The Price is Right," and had the famous Goodson-Todman Productions, he saw me working on "Truth or Consequences," and he liked my work. And he told me that he would like to have me do the new "Price is Right."
I found out that Bud Grant, who was the head of daytime at CBS at that time, had told Mark Goodson that if he could get Bob Barker to host "The Price is Right," he'd buy the show.
NGUYEN: Really?
BARKER: Now, if I'd known that he had to have me in order to sell the show, he would have been even more generous than he was.
NGUYEN: You would have asked for a little bit more in that contract.
BARKER: Yes, I would have asked for the top dollar.
NGUYEN: You've been on "The Price is Right" for 35 years. What is your fondest memory of a situation or a contestant from that show?
BARKER: In the 35 years that I did the show -- and this happened probably in the 10th year or so -- it probably was 25 years ago, there was a young lady in the audience in a tube top. And her name was called to be on the show. And she jumped to her feet and began jumping up and down, and both of them came out of the tube top.
NGUYEN: No.
BARKER: She came on down and they came on out on CBS. And no one ever forgot it.
And the funny thing is I didn't see it. I was behind the doors. She was on the first four contestants, and they called four contestants down to contestants' row and then introduced me.
So, when I came out, the audience was screaming. They were just screaming. And I thought, oh, they love me, they love me.
And then I came to terms with the fact that no audience had ever loved me this much. And I turned to Johnny Olson and asked him, "Johnny, what is going on out here?" He said, "Bob, this girl has given her all for you."
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: Drew Carey, he's got some really big shoes to fill. What do you think of his job so far?
BARKER: Well, I met Drew before he did the first show. And he asked me -- he said, "Do you have any advice?" And I said, "I'll give you the same advice that Ralph Edwards gave me before I did "Truth or Consequences."
Ralph had hosted "Truth or Consequences" himself on radio. And Ralph told me, "Bob, you go out there and you do this show the way you think it should be done." He said, "You do it your way. Don't imitate me, Ralph, or don't imitate anyone else." And that's what I told drew.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bob Barker!
NGUYEN (voice-over): That advice worked for Bob Barker. He spent 50 years on television and won 19 Emmys. And today, with his furry friend Jesse (ph) at his side, he's still on a mission to protect the animal population.
BARKER: Well, I think that if I'm remembered at all in the years to come, they'll refer to me as that old man who was always talking about spay and neuter. Wherever I go, people -- they'll say, "I've had this dog spayed or neutered," or, "Bob, this cat is spayed or neutered," whatever. And I think that's probably what I will be remembered, as the guru of spay/neuter.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And he does continue to push that point. In fact, he set up a lot of foundations at different colleges around the country to support animal rights. And always telling folks, like he did on the show, to control the pet population, be sure to spay or neuter your animal. So...
HOLMES: Calls himself the guru.
NGUYEN: Yes.
Well, we want to talk about this for just a second. It is the little bakery that could. After a tornado, last summer's peak gas prices, and then the recession, the famous Sweet Auburn Bread company here in Atlanta almost folded.
HOLMES: Yes. Just almost, but before the owner gave up, she tried a little reinvention. Now, how the bakery is once again winning against the odds. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Here we go. Right. There we are. That's where we're supposed to be. It's right there at the education rally in D.C.
You're seeing Mayor Fenty right there, in Washington, D.C., participating. And what you're seeing here is thousands of kids across the country coming together to actually mark the anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision by the Supreme Court, but also asking for -- they call it the civil rights issue of our time, the education gap between minority students and white students.
But we're keeping an eye on the rally there in D.C.
Well, you heard this phrase before, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: That is the motto. And again, we can explain this. That's the motto of an Atlanta bakery. That is what they're made of now.
NGUYEN: Yes, the story is part of our "Survival of the Fittest" series that airs every Friday, where we focus on small businesses that have made creative changes to stay relevant in this recession.
And this week, Brooke Baldwin has the story of the Sweet Auburn Bread Company.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You can't get better publicity than this: a president tasting a southern chef's sweet potato cheesecake.
(on camera): When you have the president in your shop, it puts you on the map.
SONYA JONES, OWNER, SWEET AUBURN BREAD COMPANY: Exactly.
BALDWIN (voice-over): That was 12 years ago. Today, photos of that memorable moment are plastered all over Sonya Jones' quaint bake shop, a shop located in one of the most historic streets in America, the Atlanta neighborhood where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. lived and preached, Sweet Auburn.
JONES: They couldn't stop over in Atlanta and not come visit the King Center. That's a great feeling.
BALDWIN (on camera): And not have a piece of your...
JONES: And yes, since you're here.
BALDWIN: ... sweet potato cheesecake. (voice-over): That cheesecake quickly became her recipe for success from Rachael Ray to "Southern Living." Sonya and her 23-year- old son Bobby turn out hundreds of tasty treats every day, catering events, and selling to whomever walks through their door.
JONES: Well, we have the pies, sweet potato pies, southern pecan pies, pound cakes, butter lemon chess (ph) pie, custards.
BALDWIN: But the Sweet Auburn Bread Company saw some not-so- sweet times last year.
(on camera): Fast forward to 2008. What happened?
JONES: Well, there's a little delay.
BALDWIN: A little thing called a tornado.
(voice-over): The rare twister that hit downtown Atlanta knocked down buildings in her neighborhood. The devastation, just across the street.
JONES: It was really bad when, of course, the street was shut down. And I think business was down at least 30 percent.
BALDWIN: Then gas prices soared last summer.
JONES: We're a tourist destination, so, of course, there was a big decrease in tourism.
BALDWIN: And then the recession hit hard.
JONES: A lot of people did not have the holiday parties. The question at that time was, do I continue? I mean, that was a question.
BALDWIN: But instead of folding, Sonya found strength in crisis.
JONES: I have to say, when it gets tough, the tough get tougher. It was time to really look back at my business, to reevaluate my business, evaluate my weaknesses, my strengths, and really, what were the customers really asking for?
BALDWIN: She's now making up for the drop in business. First, she upped her variety but downsized her sweets.
JONES: During the tough times, people want their comfort food and their comfort desserts. You know? They may not want a whole pie, but they may go for the sweet potato tart.
BALDWIN: Second, she brings her product to the people, sending her son to local farmers' markets almost every day.
And third, she's dabbling in online social networking.
JONES: Facebook, YouTube. You know, the Internet.
BALDWIN (on camera): Really?
(voice-over): Until the economy bounces back, this optimistic entrepreneur is hoping Atlantans will keep turning to her for sweet comfort.
JONES: You know, you need a slice of sweet potato pie to soothe you.
BALDWIN: Brooke Baldwin, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And T.J.'s already diving into the sweet treats this morning.
It really does make sense, because, you know, who can sit down and eat a whole cheesecake besides myself?
HOLMES: The whole pie. Well, there's you.
NGUYEN: But then when you have the smaller portions like this, which I've got to try because it's part of the famous...
HOLMES: Yes, the sweet potato cheesecake, yes.
NGUYEN: ... cheesecake, yes.
HOLMES: Well, she has -- you know what?
NGUYEN: Ooh, that is good.
HOLMES: That is good. And the president liked it, so a lot of people obviously like it. But it's a good, inventive way to keep your business going.
NGUYEN: And I see you're tearing up that brownie there.
HOLMES: Oh, she's (ph) upset.
NGUYEN: Well, we've got a lot more than just food coming up. In fact, I sit down with Grammy winner Usher to talk about this new hall of fame induction that he has been into. And we're also talking about malaria and what he's doing to provide mosquito nets for people around the world.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
NGUYEN: Listening to five-time Grammy winner Usher, who actually grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He attended a boys club there, and just this week, here in Atlanta, he was inducted into the Boys and Girls Club Hall of Fame.
I sat down with him to talk about that early beginning and how it really shaped his future.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
USHER: It was actually like a rest haven, a rest haven for -- or a haven just for productivity. You know, it was a place that was very compelling to do something. You know, if you didn't like foosball, if you didn't like kickball, you would find a way to make it to basketball, football, whatever it may be.
NGUYEN: Hey, you turned out pretty well, don't you think?
USHER: It actually managed to work out for me. But it did motivate me, and that's what I think that these clubs are really all about.
NGUYEN: Inducted into the Boys and Girls Club of America Hall of Fame, what does that mean to someone like you, that's come so far?
USHER: I have to attribute a lot of my success to the fact that I was motivated to do something positive as a child through the Boys and Girls Clubs in Chattanooga, Tennessee. But to now be recognized for it, you know, I have to thank my mother, one, for, you know, paying the admission for me to be there. But more than anything, all of the counselors that I worked with, all of the people that I met.
You know, it teaches you communication skills, everything. It's just such a positive place to be. But now, to be amongst all of the alumni who have been, you know, elected to be in the Hall of Fame, it's like something to be proud of.
NGUYEN: Denzel, Bill Clinton.
USHER: Yes. Denzel, Bill Clinton.
NGUYEN: Shaq.
USHER: Shaq.
NGUYEN: Michael Jordan.
USHER: Jennifer Lopez, Michael Jordan. You know, Bill Cosby, all of them.
NGUYEN: That's a good crowd.
USHER: Yes, man, I mean, it's pretty cool company, right?
It takes a village to raise a child. Well, my village happened to be the Holland (ph) Place Boys Club. And if they had not invested that time, if they had not made my life a priority, I wouldn't have known my way.
NGUYEN: You've done a lot. You've lived a lot. But you've also decided to give back. You're using your power and your celebrity and all the talents that are behind you to help something that really matters half a world away. And we're talking about the Nothing But Nets campaign. It's the U.N.-sponsored campaign.
Talk to me about how you got involved in that.
USHER: Hearing about Nothing But Nets was something that I felt like would really make a difference and allow our kids to identify on a global scale with service. I had actually recently visited the White House and met with the administration to talk about ways to be more effective globally, and malaria, being an epidemic that is killing, you know, a child every 30 minutes. But there's a solution, and Nothing But Nets has figured it out, and the U.N. foundation, I support them 100 percent in all of their efforts.
NGUYEN: And the beauty of it is that solution is very simple, if you can have that mosquito net to prevent malaria.
USHER: Simply by purchasing a net, you can make a difference. Buy a net. You know? You buy a net for $10, you save a life.
NGUYEN: Ten dollars is all it costs.
USHER: Just think about it. Ten dollars is all it takes to save a life, and I think $12 is all it takes in order to join the Boys and Girls Club of America and some day be great, be iconic. So think about it -- paying it forward.
NGUYEN: It's a small investment but a huge payoff.
USHER: Man, a small investment, but a huge net profit at the end.
NGUYEN: Why is it so important for you to pay it forward?
USHER: I feel like we are all blessed. To be blessers (ph) is a way of giving back.
Someone else is in need of help, you have the time to offer service to them. You know, we are a country, we are a unit. We are one. So we have to help each other, and you can truly make a difference through service. You know?
Whether it's making an investment or spending your time, it's all valuable. What it is, is raw power, power to change.
You can truly make a difference by simply engaging in life, engaging in service, engaging by spending your hard-earned money to save someone, to help someone else. It makes you a better person.
We all are humanitarians in some way, shape, form, or fashion, because we've been blessed to be blessers (ph) to each other. And I think that that's really a model that works in life, and it should make you feel great about being an American.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And he is really passionate about paying it forward, as he says. He's also got Usher's New Look Foundation, which helps young kids who want to get into the entertainment or the sports entertainment business. It gives them a little bit of a foundation, because a lot of times you see these stars on television, you don't know how to get there. Well, he tries to provide a bit of a roadmap for young people.
HOLMES: And he's been going at it since he was a kid, 15 years old.
NGUYEN: Yes, 15 years old.
HOLMES: But I love those guys, and Usher's one of them. But just one of those triple-threat guys.
NGUYEN: Oh, I know.
HOLMES: He can act, he can sing, he can dance. Just all of it.
NGUYEN: Sing and dance. And he says -- I asked him, "Is there anything that you haven't done?" He said, "Go to the moon."
So who knows? That could happen; right?
HOLMES: Then he's done a lot then, obviously.
NGUYEN: Yes.
