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A Kansas Doctor Brutally Murdered; General Motors on the Brink of Bankruptcy
Aired May 31, 2009 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Two developing stories we're following this hour. One that involves the killing of a doctor, well known for performing late-term abortions. And a decision which could send a ripple effect through the U.S. economy. An American car making icon on the brink of a bankruptcy announcement.
First to Wichita, Kansas, and this breaking story. A controversial doctor shot and killed. Now law enforcement officials tell us a person has been detained in the death of George Tiller. The 67-year-old physician was shot to death as he entered Wichita's Reformation Lutheran Church. Tiller was one of the few remaining doctors in the nation who performed late-term abortions. Less than three months ago, a jury found Tiller not guilty on 19 counts of violating state abortion laws relating to late-term pregnancy cases. Churchgoers in Wichita were stunned with news of Tiller's shooting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICKEY COHLMIA, WICHITA CHURCHGOER: It's heart wrenching that something in our community could happen as evil as this in his church. You know, I mean, how does all of that scar everybody in his church, plus our church, plus everybody in this community? You know, I just - I don't, somebody's got - I just hope they catch him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: OK. More now from the scene. Joe Rodriguez is a reporter with the "Wichita Eagle" newspaper on kansas.com. He joins us live by phone. All right. Joe, tell me about the scene there where the death of Dr. George Tiller took place.
VOICE OF JOE RODRIGUEZ, REPORTER "WICHITA EAGLE": Well, this was at Reformation Lutheran Church in northeast Wichita. Our understanding is that Dr. Tiller was serving as an usher at the time this morning when the shooting happened shortly after 10:00 a.m.. Best we can tell from investigators and from police is that the suspect confronted him in the lobby of the church, quickly exited the building.
According to some church members, he was seen leaving the area. He was confronted by a church member. The gunman then threatened that person. The person fled in a vehicle.
WHITFIELD: OK. So that person, perhaps, I'm sure they've been questioned by police. Did that person say that they recognized this alleged gunman from any other situations or scenes? Anything? RODRIGUEZ: From what police have told us, we don't know. From my interviews with some of the church members is this is a person who was recognized to them. That the church, because Dr. Tiller is a member is often the target of protesters. People who come to the church. So it's not unusual for them to see people that are there for reasons other than worship.
WHITFIELD: And because Dr. Tiller has been - his life had been threatened so many times prior and he was actually shot another time and injured, did he ever have security detail? Had anything taken place leading up to this day, meaning in the last couple of weeks or even months? Any threats on his life?
RODRIGUEZ: We don't know of anything like that. Police, you know, we did question them about that this morning at a briefing. They tell us that they're not aware of anything that's gone on like that within the last few weeks. It should be noted that the police have made an arrest in this case. They have arrested a man up in northeast Kansas. And the police here within about an hour are going to be holding a police conference to discuss more details of this case at that time. So what we have at this point is very preliminary. There's not much coming from police up to this point.
WHITFIELD: OK. So you are getting confirmation that an arrest has taken place whereas information we received was that someone had been detained and was being questioned.
RODRIGUEZ: We have that there is a suspect in custody. They - we don't know if they are being brought back at this point. Again, the news conference will hopefully update us on what's going to be happening with that individual. There's some information we have on the person, but again, until it is announced by the police, we just can't share a whole lot more at this time.
WHITFIELD: OK. Joe Rodriguez, thanks so much with the "Wichita Eagle." Appreciate your insight on that.
In the meantime, we do have a statement that has been released from the family of Dr. George Tiller. It reads, "today we mourn the loss of our husband, father and grandfather. Today's event is an unspeakable tragedy for all of us and for George's friends and patients. This is particularly heart wrenching because George was shot down in his house of worship, a place of peace."
And as you heard from the reporter there that he was serving as an usher at that church when this alleged gunman walked in actually approached him in the lobby of the church and opened fire. There are witnesses from that church, witnesses to the event. As you heard from the reporter, Joe Rodriguez with the "Wichita Eagle," his sources are telling him that an arrest has been made.
New images coming in now moments after the shooting of Dr. George Tiller. Well known for being one of a few doctors in the nation performing late-term abortions. He's had many threats on his life before. This time, however, it was fatal. Much more information on that as we get it. Meantime, this other developing story we're following today and we'll be throughout the week. CNN has learned that President Obama will address the nation tomorrow morning concerning General Motors' future. He's expected to explain the rationale behind a GM bankruptcy filing and why it may be the best route for a turnaround.
Also expected, details from GM on some 20,000 job cuts and the closure of about a dozen plants by the end of next year. And this, according to a source close to the GM deal - investors who own a majority of $27 billion in GM bonds have agreed to not fight plans for a quick bankruptcy.
All right. With more now on what a GM bankruptcy actually means for all of us, automotive analyst Lauren Fix, she is joining us from Buffalo, New York. All right. Good to see you. All right. The president about to make some comments on this come tomorrow. GM, as well, to make comments on this. Why was or why is bankruptcy the best route for GM?
LAUREN FIX, AUTOMOTIVE ANALYST: Well, to me, it seems like the final nail in the coffin. I'm very concerned when you're looking at the UAW running over 20 percent of this company and 72 percent by our government. There's a lot of things that have not been answered and probably won't get answered tomorrow.
WHITFIELD: OK. Explain us to then on the surface, what is this bankruptcy to look like?
FIX: Well, it looks like what's going to happen is it's going to be brought down to four different brands. It's going to be Chevrolet for General Motors, Buick and then, of course, we're going to have Chevrolet and GMC. If that's the case, the other brands will disappear or dissolve, which we already kind of knew. It looks like 14 plants are going to be closed. About 20,000 more jobs are going to be lost. It's a really large impact on the economy. And these are people that could be buying cars, which won't have the money to buy cars anymore. And that's one of the bigger parts of this.
WHITFIELD: And for those who might have money to buy cars why would they want to buy any one of these cars that GM will continue to be able to produce because certainly folks are going to be wondering about the demise of the company overall even after filing bankruptcy.
FIX: Yeah, I would definitely not - personally, I wouldn't purchase a car if the government has anything involved in the design, the development, the marketing or anything to do with it. Because you got the UAW who is trying to produce a lower cost car and you got General Motors, the rest of this company, which is the government or government motors is what we're kind of calling it jokingly is going to be telling us who is designing, you know, who is going to be marketing, who is going to be promoting these cars. And it's very scary for consumers because typically -
WHITFIELD: Do you know that for sure? That that would, that is what comes with this government involvement. That there's going to be actual, that kind of hands on involvement in terms of how to design these cars? What's the future of these cars? It's not strictly economic?
FIX: Well, let's put it this way. If you own 70 percent of your own company you'd want to have some say in what goes on so that you can get your money back. What we don't know for a fact if any of those types of facts. We do know what's going to happen is they're going to put pressure on them to produce more fuel efficient cars. The Chevy Volt, which we've been promised. The Chevy Cruiser that they're going to be bringing in.
Some of these vehicles consumers may not want. It depends on where you live in this country and what your needs are. This country has always been what Durant did when he developed General Motors. He took the horse and buggy and he moved along to produce great cars. And a lot of these people who have always been fans of the Camaro and the Corvette and some of the great products -
WHITFIELD: Yes.
FIX: That they produce like the Equinox and some of the other cars of Buick line are going to be very disappointed if we suddenly have to be forced to buy cars that are produced in China, that are produced maybe - what we don't want. I don't know if there's ever a product that's been produced by the government that I'd want to buy.
WHITFIELD: Wow, and so what's the impact if I do have a GM car right now, what does it mean for me? What does it mean for repairing my car? What does it mean for my warranty?
FIX: Well, the dealers there are still going to be there. It looks like according to the original 40 percent cut of the original 6,000-plus dealers there might be another 900 coming. We know that 400 were announced just last week. But if you look at 40 percent, that's 2,500 dealers. So there will be dealers in your area. They're just going to thin out the dealer network. The warranty should be -
WHITFIELD: But they'll be hard to find.
FIX: Well, you know what there's an automotive after market. That's what people forget about. And it's a huge automotive aftermarket. These are the people that produced the original products as well as the products for the part stores. So most parts will be available. Worst case scenario there's always something in a salvage yard. You probably won't have a car that can't be driven. If you got a warranty claim and it's a lemon law, I'm going to tell you to wait on getting to try to get that paper work pushed through until about 60 to 90 days until we find out what the New General Motors is going to look like and how it's going to protect you.
WHITFIELD: Wow. All right. Lauren Fix, thanks so much. Lots of information.
FIX: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Let's hope that there's a rosy view in all of this for those retirees.
FIX: I hope so.
WHITFIELD: Any of those 20,000 workers that you are talking about and owners of GM vehicles. Thanks so much, Lauren. Appreciate it.
FIX: Thanks, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: President Obama, of course, expected to discuss exactly what's ahead for GM tomorrow morning 11:30 a.m. Eastern. You can watch the president live right here on CNN.
All right. Senate republicans are getting ready for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearing. Kate Bolduan reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Obama's pick for Supreme Court justice is set for round one this week of one on one meetings with key lawmakers. Mr. Obama wants Judge Sonia Sotomayor confirmed before Congress goes on a month-long August recess. But Sunday, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Patrick Leahy, made clear he's working from his own schedule.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As you sit here now, do you meet the president's timetable?
SEN. PATRICK LEAHY (D), CHMN, JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: I will meet my timetable.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And that could be different?
LEAHY: It could be different.
BOLDUAN: Top Senate republicans are not ruling out a filibuster, a procedural move to slow or block the confirmation process, but they are signaling it's unlikely.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So it can be done. The question is, will it be done? I think it's entirely too early to tell.
BOLDUAN: At the same time, republicans are taking aim at some of Sotomayor's past comments. One potential flashpoint, a 2001 speech when she said, "I would hope that a wise Latino woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is troubling. And it's inappropriate. I hope she'll apologize. And if I had said something like that or someone with my background and profile, we wouldn't be talking about this nomination going forward.
BOLDUAN: Democrats defend Sotomayor and that remark saying she's been taken out of context.
LEAHY: It would be absolutely wrong to assume that people's individual experience doesn't at least influence their thinking. That doesn't mean they can't follow the law.
BOLDUAN (on camera): This issue will most certainly come up in the confirmation hearings. However, that schedule hasn't yet been announced. First things first, Sotomayor is set to meet with Senate leaders and the top members of the judiciary committee Tuesday. Kate Bolduan, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Cuba is accepting a U.S. offer to hold talks on migration. Two senior state department officials say the Cuban government told the U.S. this weekend it's willing to restart negotiations. The talks were suspended by the Bush administration five years ago. Cuba is also agreeing to discuss mail service between the two countries. No data or timetable for the talks has yet been set.
All right. President Obama is heading to the Middle East with a message for the Muslim world. A look ahead at the trip and his plans to build a new relationship.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Pakistan is claiming another victory in its battle with the Taliban. Officials have arrested three suspects with links to what they call a terrorist network. Yesterday, there were two separate clashes in the tribal region of south Waziristan where 25 militants and seven security forces were killed. But the military claims its biggest victory so far in the Swat Valley and the city of Mingora. Pakistani security forces have reportedly expelled the militants after weeks of brutal street fighting. There are sporadic reports of fighting still on the city's outskirts as well.
All right. President Obama heads overseas this week. His first stop is Saudi Arabia. Then he moves on to Egypt where he'll give a major speech. The president says he wants to repair America's relations with the Muslim world. Senior political analyst Bill Schneider is joining us from California. So, Bill, I wonder will the tone and the content be particularly different in Saudi Arabia versus Cairo?
BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I don't think he's giving a major speech in Saudi Arabia, but the speech in Cairo is much anticipated. He has long promised to give a speech in a Muslim country. He's already spoken in Turkey. But this speech is in a major city, the major city of the Arab world. So he is expected to address squarely the issue of restarting the Middle East peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, to recognize that issue is really at the top of the agenda for the Middle East. Certainly for the Arab countries.
It's a very serious concern. It cannot be put on the back burner or ignored. Does he have any new ideas? Is there any reason to hope for any progress in those peace talks? There's a second issue. Democracy. Egypt is a repressive government but the United States needs its support for dealing with Palestinians as well as with Iran. The Bush administration put a lot of pressure on Egypt to reform and democratize and then had to back off a bit. So there's a big question - how far will President Obama go in pressing for reform and democratization in Egypt.
WHITFIELD: So every move, every word will really be watched. So there is great political risk here.
SCHNEIDER: There is. And here's one of the risk. Just three days after the president speaks in Cairo, there's going to be a crucial election in Lebanon. Another country which the United States would like to see cooperate with us. It's a border country to Israel. But that election is very dangerous because Hezbollah is a major force there. There is a possibility. I'm not making any predictions. I don't know if any polls are out there or how reliable they are. There is a possibility that Hezbollah could do very well in that election. If Hezbollah does well in that election just three days after President Obama speaks in Cairo, it could look like almost an insult to President Obama.
WHITFIELD: All right. Let's talk about what's going on in this country as it pertains to race still, well, it has been undetermined for many, many months now. We're talking about Minnesota. What in the world is going on? We're nearing a resolution?
SCHNEIDER: Well, we hope so. Talk about democratization. They're counting ballots until the very end. The state courts went through this exhaustive process of counting the ballots. Republicans say they excluded ballots that should have been counted. Al Franken, the democratic candidate is very narrowly ahead. Norm Coleman, the republican, is taking it - appealing the court's decision to the state Supreme Court, which could act very quickly. The question is, do they really want to get involved in recounting these ballots or changing the process. They could make a quick decision possibly next week. And then, the question will be, does Norm Coleman, the republican, if he does not win the decision, is he going to take it all the way to the United States Supreme Court?
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness.
SCHNEIDER: You know, nobody has been seated. The election was months ago. November.
WHITFIELD: Six months ago.
SCHNEIDER: Six months ago. But under Minnesota law, they are very, very democratic minded in Minnesota. They cannot certify a winner until the legal process is exhausted. Here's what's important.
If Al Franken, the democrat, does end up winning there, that would mean 60 democrats with Arlen Specter changing parties. That would mean 60 democratic votes, which is exactly what you need to control the debate and shut off a filibuster.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. OK. It isn't over until it's over, is it?
SCHNEIDER: Not at all.
WHITFIELD: All right. Bill Schneider, thanks so much. Appreciate it. Enjoy Los Angeles.
SCHNEIDER: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right. Out of work and out of school and in debt. Pretty bad combination there. Help for the class of 2009, graduating in the worst economy in decades.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Out of school, out of work and in debt. This year's crop of college grads faces the toughest job market in decades and the highest level of debt ever. This time Saturday, we focused a full hour on this topic. We brought in a finance expert to help grads deal with school loans and credit card debt.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NANCY TREJOS, PERSONAL FINANCE REPORTER: Now what you can do is you can actually contact your credit card company and ask to speak to a supervisor and say that you are having a financial hardship and that you want to honor your obligation but you need help.
And make sure you do it before you miss a payment. Because credit card companies don't want to negotiate with bad customers. So you have to keep your account in good standing. And often times they will be willing to decrease your interest rate or your minimum payment, but sometimes that won't work. So, in that case you might have to contact a credit counseling agency. But be careful because there many of those.
WHITFIELD: So Kiara, have you done any of those things? Have you reached out to your credit card?
KIARA PESANTE, 2009 GRADUATE: They've reached out to me.
WHITFIELD: OK.
PESANTE: Several times a week. Oh, yes, I talked to them and we kind of have made some arrangements where, you know, you can make x payment, you know, we can get rid of the late fees because I am behind on my credit card.
WHITFIELD: Right.
PESANTE: So, yes -
WHITFIELD: And so, I imagine, Nancy, they are pretty empathetic about credit card companies. I mean, if they are going to be empathetic, why not be empathetic to the college grad who doesn't have a job and who can't really say anything bad, right?
TREJOS: Right. Right. Exactly. And you know what the credit card company have gotten a bad rap lately because of the things that they've been doing, you know, increasing interest rates on people. Congress had to step in. President Obama had to step in. So you know, they might want to try to show some leniency right now.
WHITFIELD: What kind of questions do you have for Nancy?
PESANTE: If there's anything about student loans, you know, specifically, getting deferments, is that a good idea, you know, if you can foresee that, you know, you're not going to have something secured for the next few months.
WHITFIELD: What options does she have?
PESANTE: Yes. Right.
TREJOS: Exactly. If you are having trouble making your student loan payments and you have several options. Deferment is one option. You can defer for up to three years. But keep in mind, depending on the type of loan you have, your interest might accrue over that deferment period and it gets added to the balance of the loan. So you might end up paying more overtime.
Starting on July 1st, there is actually a new repayment program. It's called the income-based repayment program. And what that does is that it puts a cap on your monthly payment based on your income. Essentially, you won't have to spend more than 15 percent of your discretionary income on student loans. So that's an option that you could apply for. There is also other programs such as, you know, you can extend the life of the loan over 30 years and that will reduce your minimum payment.
WHITFIELD: OK. Well, Nancy, we are also getting a lot of questions coming in from folk who are viewing this and sending their e-mails and that's where Josh Levs comes in. So, Josh, what kind of e-mail questions or comments do you have for Nancy?
LEVS: Yes, we got a lot, Nancy. Let me start off with one that I found really striking. It came to us from the NEWSROOM blog. It comes from Jay. Take a look at this. Served in the Air Force as a medic, has a B.A. in psychology and also graduate certificate in organization leadership and just completed the educational process, just months ago.
I look at something like this and I think that's a lot of education and there should be a lot of opportunities. In this market, is having more degrees and more education, is that a big plus? Is it something more young people should do?
TREJOS: Well, I mean, having many programs, of course, or many degrees does make you marketable. I mean that looks good on your resume. Is that something that more should do? You know, should they go back to graduate school? You know, that's an individual decision. I mean, do you want to take on more student loans? That's really something you need to consider.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All the best to the grads, the class of 2009.
All right. Good-bye Hummer, hello small fuel efficient cars? What's in and what's out as General Motors heads to bankruptcy.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Happening right now. Cuba is accepting a U.S. offer to hold talks on migration. Two senior state department officials say the Cuban government told the U.S. this weekend it's willing to restart negotiations. The talks were suspended by the Bush administration five years ago. Cuba is also agreeing to discuss mail service between the two countries.
Sheriff's deputy saying a man has been taken into custody in today's killing of one of the few remaining doctors who perform late- term abortions. Dr. George Tiller was shot to death as he entered his church in Wichita, Kansas. A police news conference is set for the next hour.
And more on Dr. George Tiller. This morning's fatal shooting wasn't the first time that he was actually targeted. Tiller survived an attempt on his life back in the '90s. CNN's Josh Levs has more on Tiller and his controversial practice and why he was a target so many times.
LEVS: Yes. His arms were wounded at the time in that previous shooting. When this news broke today, the first thing I did - one of the first things was I looked back in the system here in CNN to see if we ever had a time where he spoke about his philosophy of what he was doing. Turns out he did years ago to one of our affiliates.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE TILLER, DOCTOR: Let's not get confused. Third trimester abortion is simply a part of abortion. They feel that that is a sensitive part. Now when is viability start? Well, gosh you know, when does natural survival hood occur? We have constructed our clinic and our philosophy along the lines that until you have natural survival hood, the woman is the patient, not the fetus. Now when is natural survival hood come on? Good question. Some time after the end of the second trimester.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: Now you just heard that for the first time. You may have picked up on what I picked up on there. Obviously, it's a tragedy what happened today. I want to show you something. Behind me on the screen, we're going way low tech. We have a statement from his family. This is a man who died. We know him by his public persona. Or his work, rather.
But this is a man who died. Turns out he has four children, 10 grandchildren. They sent out this statement. They are saying they mourn the loss of the husband, father. Today's events an unspeakable tragedy for all of us. What's interesting to me is at the end of this. They say he dedicated his life to providing women with high quality health care despite frequent threats and violence. We asked that he be remembered as a good husband, father and grandfather and a dedicated servant on behalf of the rights of women everywhere.
It's interesting. Big part of the story. When there's violence involving anything about abortion, sometimes that does make news, obviously. I also want to show some tape here. It's a reminder that there have been lots of very peaceful protests against his work over the years. Take a look here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): I guess just devotion to god and what I believe in that gets me out here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: So Fred that's just an example of one of the pieces of video we have of people conducting these peaceful protests over the years. Fred, one thing we have seen today is a lot of these organized groups that protest abortion rights in America were very quick to put out statements saying that it's a tragedy what happened, that they condemn the killing itself no matter how, you know, horrible they feel his work was. We are hearing widespread condemnation, obviously, of what is a tragedy for a family and a man today.
WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Josh Levs. Appreciate it.
The top story we're following, a seismic shift expected within the next 24 hours for giant U.S. automaker General Motors. Officials tell CNN President Obama will address the nation tomorrow morning to discuss a GM bankruptcy. In bankruptcy, GM will be in survival mode. Here's what the company is shedding. Pontiac is disappearing; Saturn, Hummer, Saab and the European Opel are being sold. What's left?
GM will continue to make Chevy, Cadillac, Buick and GMC trucks. Slashing brands will have a snowball effect from dealers to suppliers to communities tied to the auto industry and beyond. To help us understand what this all means, I talked to Chris Isadora of CNNMONEY.com.
CHRIS ISIDORE, CNNMONEY.COM: Last fall, the GM bankruptcy still seemed to be the unthinkable for the industry. But the way the restructuring has been moving in the last month or two, it was pretty clear it was heading toward a bankruptcy filing as a way of both shedding its contracts they can't afford, and dealership they can't afford anymore.
WHITFIELD: So already in trouble, a government bailout completely necessary or did it simply prolong the pain or is this what has been needed in order to resuscitate a GM?
ISIDORE: If there had never been any government bailout in December, we probably would have seen a real uncontrolled bankruptcy at GM. You would have seen retirees losing pensions; you would have seen much more widespread closings and job cuts, possibly even liquidation. We're not looking at any of those things today. So it certainly is less catastrophic than it could have been without the federal help.
WHITFIELD: So do you see in the short term, are we talking long term where there may be positive effects from the filing of bankruptcy?
ISIDORE: Well if the company emerges and they expect it to emerge in the next two to three months. Will be a lot leaner, will be a lot less debt and the hope is that it will be competitive. But many of the experts are not sure that it's going to be able to be competitive long term. It's facing rivals like Toyota with much deeper pockets. Ford has a lot more money in the bank.
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, we want to hear from you and we have been all day. Particularly on my Facebook page. This is what is being said by Brea Johnson. I don't know if I'd be comfortable buying a GM vehicle. What stability is there with that investment?
And then Jon Parkus says GM will survive and, yes, I would consider a GM car if they have a model like the ones that I like.
And bill McGee. I invested $1,000 in GM six months ago because the stock price was down and I just knew that GM would never go bankrupt. Show you what I know about investing in stocks.
And James Edward Hartman III says, yes, I will still buy a GM. It's still an American-made car. Bankruptcy should have been considered in the first place instead of giving them billions of taxpayer's dollars only to go to the bankruptcy courts.
And Victoria Stansabernathy (ph) says my first new car was a '68 Impala, an OK car. Next was a loaded Chevette that fell apart in two years. My extended family has been in auto parts for many years and I quickly learned that GM products didn't hold up very well. I've been a Ford buyer since their big turn around in quality back in '83.
Always good to hear what you think about this and tomorrow's big news coming out of the White House. The president will be addressing this deal with bankruptcy for General Motors. That's 11:30 Eastern Time tomorrow. You can watch it right here, of course, live on CNN.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is in China talking money with one of the biggest creditors of the United States. The Chinese government. Geithner's visit is the first overture from the Obama administration to the Asian economic power. Geithner is set to hold two days of talks with Chinese leaders beginning tomorrow. Topics include America's widening trade deficit with Beijing and what Geithner believes is China's, quote, undervalued currency.
News across America now. New York police are investigating the shooting death of one of their own. A black officer had just finished his shift and was in street clothes when he drew his gun and chased a man who had broken into his car. Other officers on patrol ordered him to stop. A white officer on duty shot and killed him. The victim was an African-American. The officer who shot him was white. Civil Rights activists are demanding a federal investigation.
A Tennessee man is in hot water in Knoxville, 29-year-old Desmond Hatchett has fathered at least 21 children by 11 different women. The state wants to collect child support but Hatchett makes minimum wage so the state can only take half of his paycheck which means taxpayers will likely have to pick up the tab.
Police in Georgia say they boasted a dope ring with an unusual way of selling pot and prescription drugs. The accused dealers allegedly made sales with a bucket and string from a bedroom window.
The chill is on for the Northeast tomorrow morning while storms are brewing out west. Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras has more from the Weather Center. Not to mention the start of the Atlantic hurricane season.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah.
WHITFIELD: Tomorrow.
JERAS: I know. Can you believe it?
WHITFIELD: Yeah, I guess I can. It does all zip by.
JERAS: The good thing is that peak hurricane season doesn't come to life much later till September. Hopefully now is the time to prepare. Now is also the time to prepare for tornado season. We had some action going on last night in Indiana. We've got some pictures to show you. Some funnel clouds were sighted in the Tipton area. No confirmed tornadoes. There you can see the hail. The size of golf balls and also some tree damage from wind of over 50 miles per hour.
That storm system moved through really, really fast. Believe it or not, this is what's impacting the northeast at this time. Look at those showers and thundershowers that we have here across parts of New England, moving through the Portland area. Boston might get a couple of sprinkles. But not really anticipating anything on the severe side. Just a little bit of a bummer for many of you trying to have your weekend plans.
We have a greater potential of having severe storms through the upper Midwest, through parts of Minnesota on into Wisconsin. There you can see our severe weather outlook. Really stretching from Nebraska in the northwestern parts of the dairy capital of America.
Take a look at that. Temperature wise, it's so nice out there, it is feeling like summer. Overall temperatures are really pretty close to where we should be for this time of the year. Maybe about 5 degrees above normal across the lower Mississippi River Valley, southern Plains states, 91 in Dallas, 72 in Chicago. How is that? Checking out in San Francisco, 62 and 77 degrees in Portland.
What about tomorrow? A little bit of a warming trend is taking place. You can see that across the southeast, 91 degrees, Nashville getting warmer. Then hurricane season, of course, as we said, begins tomorrow, Fredricka. Most of the people who do that hurricane forecasting, like NOAA, saying it's going to be a near normal season. All it takes is one. We just say take that with a grain of salt. Think about hurricane Andrew in 1992. A storm, not until August, and that was really a quiet year overall.
WHITFIELD: Super important. Good to have a plan, an evacuation plan as well. Be prepared. Thanks, Jacqui. Appreciate it.
This one is really pretty unsettling. A young teacher suffering cancer gets a pink slip in her hospital bed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: It just seems like a little humanity should have been given in this particular incident.
WHITFIELD: Why the school district is letting her go and what she plans to do now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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WHITFIELD: Outrage over the layoffs of a New Hampshire teacher battling leukemia. She's one of dozens of teachers given pink slips as her school district wrestles with budget problems. Aaron Kellogg from a CNN affiliate WMUR has the story from Manchester.
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AARON KELLOGG, WMUR REPORTER: Sarah Robator says the Manchester School District knows about her leukemia because the human resources department called her at her hospital bed to tell her that she's getting a pink slip.
SARAH ROBATOR, FIRST GRADE TEACHER: Positive focus was to get back to my students and get back to this semester at school. When I found out I got a pink slip it was devastating.
KELLOGG: Sarah started teaching at the Smyth Road Elementary School two years ago. An energetic 27-year-old who played two sports in college, had no idea life would take a dramatic turn.
ROBATOR: All of a sudden, waking up one day on the way to school and having pain in my chest and being diagnosed with leukemia was a huge shock.
KELLOGG: Her co-workers, her students and their parents pushed to support her. The sign advertising a blood drive in her name is hanging on the front drive of the school. Lisa Bliven organized the drive and has a son in Sarah's class.
LISA BLIVEN, PARENT: She said do you think they can pink slip me while I'm out on medical leave. I was talking with her and her parents, and I said I have no idea.
KELLOGG: The district plans to let teachers like Sarah go because they are recently hired.
ROBATOR: I do understand. It's a budget thing, you know? It's numbers. It's nothing personal.
KELLOGG: But laying Sarah off puts additional financial pressure on her health care coverage and finding a job somewhere else is not an option.
ROBATOR: That's my problem right now is that I am not very marketable.
KELLIGG: Lisa hopes the district reconsiders.
BLIVEN: It just seems like a little humanity should have been given in this particular incident.
KELLOGG: Sarah hopes she can battle her leukemia, now that her job the one thing she hoped would carry her through won't be there.
ROBATOR: I think they felt horrible. It's a horrible situation for anyone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Robator says that she is determined to fight her leukemia. But as far as the school district goes reconsidering its decision, right now the district says it doesn't look like they are making any changes to the way they distributed those pink slips.
A mother's love moves beyond words. This mom uses music to communicate with her son.
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WHITFIELD: Sometimes parents talk but their children need more than the spoken word. Well, listen up. It's hip hop baby.
A DVD series called its Hip Hop Baby is helping kids connect and learn through music. It's all for kid of all ages. Particularly those 2 to 6. But it was inspired by one child special connection with music. Meet the Carter family.
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CANDI CARTER, CREATIR, "IT'S HIP HOP, BABY:" Emerson, let's go.
WHITFIELD: Six year-old Emerson Carter is slow to start the day.
C. CARTER: You have to go to school. No kick.
WHITFIELD: He won't respond to words, but his mother Candi Carter says a song gets him moving and gets him to do just about everything else.
C. CARTER: Walk with mommy. Walk with mommy.
WHITFIELD: You can see even the little things for them have not been easy.
C. CARTER: I give birth and my son has a hole in his heart. A big hole in his heart. Once we got all the physical stuff taken care of, he still wasn't -- something was wrong. My husband kept going something wasn't right. He couldn't sit up at 1 year old.
WHITFIELD: Candi says doctors discovered a rare disorder called chromosome hp deletion.
C. CARTER: I remember sitting with the geneticist. She says it causes severe speech delay.
WHITFIELD: By the time Emerson was 3, Candi and her husband realized how tough it would be.
C. CARTER: He literally screamed from the moment he woke up until he went to bed. He just wants things. That's why he screams a lot.
JOE CARTER, EMERSON'S FATHER: He's frustrated.
Do you like green eggs and ham?
WHITFIELD: Nothing seemed to get through to their son.
C. CARTER: One day if was screaming, and screaming. Really for my own sanity, I started singing. I really wanted to -- I got right in his face. I was like -- and he literally stopped. And I just kept doing it and he was quiet. And I was like, OK. We've got something here.
Emerson? Carter.
WHITFIELD: She says her songs helped Emerson accept the little transitions in daily life that used to paralyze him. Like getting to bed and taking a bath.
C. CARTER: So I made up a bath time song. It's bath time.
WHITFIELD: And a tooth brushing song.
C. CARTER: Brush my teeth you want this toothbrush? That worked. No more tantrums. I wasn't dragging him.
WHITFIELD: Emerson found his beat.
J. CARTER: We kind of found a way to kind of reach him. It makes us happier, which I think makes him happier. So it's kind of a loop. And I think it works with his teachers as well.
C. CARTER: Emerson has a neurologist we go to. He's seen a lot of progress in him. What he says is he's so happy. There's something working.
WHITFIELD: Candi wondered if her songs could each other kids as well. C. CARTER: So I asked my husband. I work in TV. I think I can do this. We'll get some of the neighborhood kids. Let me put a video together. Its hip hop baby ready, set go
WHITFIELD: Hip hop baby was born.
C. CARTER: I said I can do numbers. I can do colors. I can do animals. All the stuff that toddlers need to learn but we can make it hip.
WHITFIELD: Candi posted her video on the internet. The DVD took off and the success stories came pouring in.
C. CARTER: This grandmother wrote to me about her granddaughter. I wish you could see what it's done for this little girl.
WHITFIELD: Candi produced three more DVDs for kids with and without special needs. All were inspired by the special moment she shared with her son. Waiting on the school bus school bus.
J. CARTER: Especially the special needs child. Any progress you make it awesome. It's a huge leap. Every time he does something new or he does something on his own.
WHITFIELD: An often bumpy road now made smoother because of a mother's melodies.
C. CARTER: Bye, Emerson. Mommy loves you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And I had a chance to talk to the creators of the DVD yesterday. You can hear from them and read more about "It's Hip Hop Baby" program on my blog. Logon to CNN.com/newsroom and click on Fredricka Whitfield, that tap there and you'll learn more about that conversation. How it all came together.
From the White House to the big apple, the Obama's date night in New York. The first couple takes in a Broadway show and dinner. Why it's stirring up controversy. And your comments.
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WHITFIELD: Time to join us in the chat room here. Jacqui Jeras and I get to gab about some -- I don't know. Pop culture stuff.
JERAS: Whatever is going on.
WHITFIELD: Stuff that people wants to talk about. Let's begin with "Britain's got talent."
JERAS: Got a follow-up from last week.
WHITFIELD: Everyone was following her progress and thought that she might clinch the whole thing.
JERAS: I think a lot of people were excited for her thinking that she would, but --
WHITFIELD: Oh, well.
JERAS: She came in second.
WHITFIELD: She did.
A dance group called diversity nailed it, even though apparently -- at least you could see the expressions of all the judges. They were quite surprised to hear she didn't win it.
Didn't win the $160,000 or the chance to go sing for the queen.
JERAS: But she was very gracious.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
JERAS: And very complimentary of the other group. Apparently she did a little jig herself. She did a little dance before leaving the stage.
WHITFIELD: Something tells me she'll land on her feet and be perfectly OK. Here's what she had to say about coming in second.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Susan, how do you feel right now?
SUSAN BOYLE, SINGER: The best people won.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's very gracious. You said to me you came runner-up to very deserved winners.
BOYLE: They are very entertaining. I'm glad. I wish you all the best.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's very, very gracious. Susan --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Oh, she's going to be just fine. You know somebody is going to pen a nice little deal for her.
Congrats to the winners. Diversity and Susan Boyle.
There's her little dance.
JERAS: Go, girl.
WHITFIELD: There's her dance.
JERAS: Spicy.
Let's talk about spicy another way. And New York. Prince Harry. Everyone is wild about Harry.
WHITFIELD: He spent some time there playing polo, fund-raising. A little bit of everything and he wowed them all.
JERAS: He did.
WHITFIELD: This event. You have to be properly addressed to go to the polo match.
JERAS: What do you wear to a polo match if you aren't playing?
WHITFIELD: If you are a guy, you have a summer suit. And for ladies, that means a hat, sundress. All that good stuff.
Then there was somebody else in New York? A few somebody.
JERAS: A few somebody?
WHITFIELD: The Obamas.
JERAS: I'm like, where your going with this.
WHITFIELD: News flash. The Obamas were in New York as well for a date. People have already been commenting about it. Everyone from the Republican -- some of the members of the RNC who said this is not the time for them to be frivolous and go out on a date when the economy is such.
And GM is facing bankruptcy. But we've also heard from some other folks who say -- who kind of go both ways. Some say, great. They are out on a date. Others say they agree.
JERAS: He made this promise to her when the election was over he was going to take her to a show on Broadway. He made good on his promise. Its date night. I think it's great.
WHITFIELD: If you want to hear more of what people had to say about it go to my blog. Newsroom. Fredricka Whitfield. Click on there and also on Facebook and hear what others have said about it as well. We're out of time. We had to like speed through that one.
JERAS: A quick one.
WHITFIELD: Always fun.
JERAS: Appreciate it.
WHITFIELD: Have a good weekend.
Fareed Zakaria and "GPS" starts right now.
