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Drastic Measure for Schools in Kansas City; Health Care Reform Fight; Budget Crunch at Grade Schools
Aired March 09, 2010 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: A California politician comes out of the closet just days after he came out of a gay bar. Sacramento police arrested republican State Senator Roy Ashburn last week for DUI. It happened a few blocks from a gay nightclub called Faces. Now, police say Ashburn had a male passenger with him. The senator set the record straight with conservative radio host Inga Barks.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
ROY ASHBURN, CALIFORNIA STATE SENATE: I am gay. And so I -- those are the words that have been so difficult for me for so long.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HARRIS: Now, Ashburn is a divorced father of four and has a strong anti-gay voting record in the California Senate. Why would a gay politician vote against gay rights?
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
ASHBURN: My votes reflect the wishes of the people in my district. And I have always felt that my faith and allegiance was to the people there in the district, my constituents.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HARRIS: Senator Ashburn's supporters say that's principle. Gay activists call it a lame excuse.
Time now for your top-of-the-hour reset.
I'm Tony Harris in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Across the country, angry students out of the classroom and on the streets, demanding affordable education. The battered economy and budget-challenged schools in focus this hour.
It is noon in Haiti, where an infant rescued from the earthquake is now trapped in an international custody battle. The fight for baby Patricia.
It is 9:00 in Los Angeles, where California's financial crisis cuts deep for this second-grader. Saving Carlos.
Let's get started. More and more schools across the nation being hit hard by budget cuts. Students are getting fed up across the board.
We are seeing middle-schoolers in Iowa protest plans to cut $33 million from Des Moines's school budget and slash more than 300 teaching positions. Outrage also sparking college and university protests coast to coast.
CNN iReporters have been sending us video from last week's Day of Action demonstrations. These images from the University of California, Riverside.
iReporter Deven Anderson says it's crazy that higher education is the first to get cut. He sent us this protest video from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
And a teacher in Washington weighs in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OMEKONGO DIBINGA, IREPORTER: We have a wide-scale problem on this issue of education. And the more we cut these budgets, the more we're going to see the prison population rise. We're going to see more teachers be unemployed. And we're also going to see more unqualified teachers in the classrooms.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: You know, perhaps the most dramatic measure to date happening in Kansas City, Missouri. The school board is considering closing half of its public schools, eliminating some 3,000 jobs.
We want to know whether this is directly pegged to the recession, so we turn to our Fact Check Desk and Executive Producer Suzanne Simons. There she is.
OK, lady. What are you finding?
SUZANNE SIMONS, CNN EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Well, that's exactly what we wanted to know.
You know, most public school funding is generated at the state and local levels. So we did a little digging. Here's what we found.
The American Association of School Administrators says 80 percent of school revenues come from property taxes. Now, of course, property taxes are way down --
HARRIS: Oh, yes.
SIMONS: --- since the recession hit. A survey by this same group found that six percent of school districts either closed or consolidated their operations during the 2008-2009 school year, with another 11 percent projected to either close or consolidate during this upcoming school year. So, of course, stimulus money was kind of thrown out there -- HARRIS: Yes.
SIMONS: -- as one measure to kind of help prevent these school closings, and it has helped somewhat, although a lot of the school districts that are facing these budget cuts and the options of possibly having to close the schools are instead looking to cut programs, to lay off teachers, administrators, staff. A lot of times the bus routes that have been driven are being canceled and parents are having to drive their kids to school, all as measures to stop the closing of these schools.
HARRIS: So, wait a minute. So, OK, I think that explains it generally. It's certainly what we heard in our segment yesterday. And we've got another one coming up in just another couple of minutes here.
But what's the situation with Kansas City? I think it's 29 of 61 schools may be closed. Why so many schools?
SIMONS: A huge chunk of the schools in Kansas City. And there's several, several factors at play here. But first, let's just get a sense of how much it's changed.
In the '70s, there were some 75,000 students enrolled in Kansas City public schools. Today, there are less than 18,000 students enrolled.
So, a lot of the reasons behind the closings in Kansas City has to do with the fact that they just don't have the enrollments that they once did. A lot of people have left the city, they've moved to the suburbs, but the school administrators never actually took the steps to close those schools. So, that is one factor, although I think it wouldn't be fair to say that the recession hasn't played a role at all.
HARRIS: Yes. All right.
Suzanne, appreciate it. Thank you. Good stuff.
And I've got to tell you, we're not done with education just yet. Still to come, we will talk to CNN contributor Steve Perry on the overall problem facing the nation's school systems, and we will dig deeper with Fairfax County, Virginia, school superintendent.
And then the students sound off. CNN's (INAUDIBLE) joins us with some of their views.
(NEWSBREAK)
HARRIS: The fight over health care reform is headed for a showdown. The Obama administration is pushing hard, and critics are pushing back.
CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser joining me now from Washington.
Paul, good to see you, sir.
Who do -- I think maybe we've got some new figures on this -- who do Americans trust to overhaul the health care system?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Tony, this is really interesting, because most national polls suggest Americans aren't so crazy about that overall health care plan that the president and the Democrats are pushing, even if they like specifics. But, as you asked, who do they have confidence in to do the right thing when it comes to health care reform? Check these numbers from Gallup just out in the last couple of days.
And almost half of Americans say they have confidence in the president to do the right thing. His numbers are down, Tony, from last year. But look at this. Compared to the Democrats in Congress, only 37 percent have confidence that Democrats in Congress can do the right thing. That drops to 32 percent for Republicans in Congress.
And what about the insurance industry? Only about one in four, according to this poll, see the insurance company industry as doing the right thing when it comes to health care reform. You heard the president yesterday, Tony, going after the insurance industry, so maybe that is effective in the eyes of Americans.
HARRIS: And maybe we'll see more of that.
So, Paul, how much pressure, really, are lawmakers facing here?
STEINHAUSER: A lot. And more to come. As you mentioned, Congress expected to vote just maybe in the next two weeks on health care reform.
Get ready, Tony. You've already seen a lot of ads on health care reform. You are going to see more. You're going to see the airwaves flooded over the next few weeks.
The insurance industry reportedly going to put in over $1 million. Other industry and advocacy are going to be flooding the airwaves again. But it's not just on TV.
A protest today, right here in Washington, ongoing at this hour. Our Paul Corson (ph) is there and he said the crowds are growing.
This is organized by Health Care for America, a progressive group. And they plan to march down to a hotel where the insurance industry is gathering for a conference today, and they're going to be protesting what they say the insurance industry is doing on health care reform.
On the flip side, Tony, some of the Tea Party groups are bringing activists here to Washington over the next two weeks to try to influence some lawmakers' votes and lobby against the bills -- Tony.
HARRIS: Here we go.
STEINHAUSER: Yes. HARRIS: All right, Paul. Appreciate it. Thank you.
STEINHAUSER: Thank you.
HARRIS: Public schools in crisis. Your children may soon may soon be attending schools that have fewer programs and bigger class sizes. Effects of the economy.
But first, our "Random Moment" in 90 seconds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: You know, it is getting harder and harder for school districts across the nation to meet the needs of our children -- our children. Dramatic budget shortfalls have forced closings, increased class sizes and slashed programs.
Joining me now, CNN's education contributor, Steve Perry, and Jack Dale. He is the superintendent of schools in Fairfax County, Virginia.
And Jack, let me start with you.
Steve, great to see you. We'll talk in just a moment here.
Jack, how are you closing your budget deficit? And boy, I've heard figures as high as $176 million. Maybe you can give us the real figure on that.
Are we talking about even larger class sizes? Because we know you've increased class sizes. Are we talking about more personnel cuts, program eliminations? Are you even considering maybe a four-day school week?
JACK DALE, SUPERINTENDENT, FAIRFAX COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, VIRGINIA: Yes, when we were going through this particular budget cycle -- and you have to do it in the context of this is the third year in a row of cuts. And this year what we were facing is probably equal to the prior two years combined. So, this gets pretty serious in raising class size.
We're closing some schools -- or a school. We're potentially looking at eliminating the elementary band and strings program, foreign language programs. We've come down to what is our core mission and what are our core educational priorities, and we just have to hunker down and do those.
HARRIS: What do you say to folks who say, well, OK, it's band, get rid of band? It's second language, teach them English better? You know, let's get back to the core mission? Get rid of that stuff?
DALE: Well, what you raised at the very beginning is we're doing some of this budget balancing on the backs of our kids. And so what I try and do with our community is say let's not throw, you know, band against strings against full-day kindergarten and foreign language programs. We should be talking about, what are the values and aspirations of our community? And then we should be setting the tax rates. And all too often we're doing it in reverse order.
HARRIS: That's interesting. One more for you very quickly here. Let me have you fill in the blank on this just so that we have a baseline of understanding on this.
You don't have the money to teach your students in the preferred way because of what?
DALE: Mainly in our situation it's because of declining property values, both commercial and residential. Three-quarters of my budget comes from the local county government. And over the last several years, we've seen a decline, first in residential, and then now commercial tends to be, in some people's words, plummeting.
HARRIS: Have you received stimulus money?
DALE: Yes. We did last year. We received federal stimulus money.
It comes in three forms. One, direct aid via the state, which we can use for a lot of different programs. And then we have a doubling of our Title I funds, going from about $7 million to $14 million.
And then a doubling of our special education, or IDEA funds, which, likewise, helped us out. But that cliff, if you will, comes to us the following year. A year from now we have to be planning for the fall of 2011 or so.
HARRIS: Yes. Are you considering a four-day school week? And then I'll turn to Steve.
DALE: We are not considering a four-day workweek. We are looking at potentially -- if we have to, we would look at furloughing some people, but we would still run our 180 school days.
HARRIS: Wow.
Steve, I know you were talking about this whole concept. There are a couple of school districts around the country that have gone to this four-day workweek/school week. And I know you don't like the idea. You were talking about it on Campbell Brown's program last night.
Make your case as to why this is a bad idea in your view.
STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR: It's not even so much whether I like it or dislike it. It's just what works.
We know that those countries that outperform the United States have longer school years and shorter school days. The four-day workweek would require a shorter school week, shorter school year, and a longer school day.
The single indicator that we can use to improve children's performance, above all else, you know, when you consider, of course, teacher quality as the given, is more time on task. While smaller classrooms would appear to be the logical progression and the logical solution, it's not, in and of itself, the best solution.
I understand -- the superintendent is like so many superintendents out there who has decreasing revenue and at least labor costs that are maintained. So, therein lies the gap, as well as other costs like fuel costs. And we have to ask the community.
This is where the community comes in. The community can help out here and say to the superintendent, some of us can help you out and volunteer to -- in band. Some of us can teach some of it. We don't need parents to come in and teach every single course, but we may need you to do a little bit after school so we that can take it out of the school day but still make it available to your children.
HARRIS: Jack, does that make sense as a suggestion?
DALE: Actually, it does. And we have -- some of our elementary schools are looking at providing a foreign language program after school out of their own expenses, and so it does make sense. And if we have to cut some of our music programs, then they would likewise take a look at doing some of those kinds of things.
The other thing that we have in some of our elementary schools even is parents who are certified to substitute in schools, in the classroom, actually come in and basically volunteer to help us avoid us spending substitute costs.
HARRIS: OK, gentlemen.
PERRY: The superintendent requires all hands on deck.
HARRIS: Yes.
PERRY: All superintendents. This is -- when you come to the Board of Education meetings and you're yelling and you're shouting, you're shouting at the wrong person. He didn't create the situation, he's simply trying to make the best out of it. And he and so many other superintendents all over this country are trying to find a way to make the best out of the situation that we're in now.
HARRIS: You know what? Let me do this. I want to see if I can squeeze in -- maybe I'll just read two of these, Joe, and maybe get Jack and Steve to comment.
We've got some blog comments that I want to read to you very quickly here, just to get your reaction.
How the economy is affecting your school, if you have some solutions, we've got a couple of blog comments I want to read to you.
Richard says, "Look closely at how much we spend on multiple standardized tests children have to take. So much time is devoted to prepping children for the tests instead of focusing on teaching."
Jack, a quick comment on that.
DALE: There is a concern that we spend a lot of time on testing, but if we don't spend it on testing -- and we ought to be focusing on a rich curriculum -- then we're still going to need the teachers in the classroom. So it's not so much a budget savings as it is a focus on what really should be the priority in on education.
HARRIS: And Steve, this one for you. It comes from Bernadette, if we can slide forward, guys.
"Teacher and administrator salaries are killing the public education system. The real estate tax funding for education has to be taken out of the mix. All schools must receive equal funding no matter the wealth or poverty of any area in this country."
Steve, what's your take on that?
PERRY: They are right. The lions' share of the superintendent's budget is personnel costs. And so at this point, all that can be cut, after you cut all the programs that matter to the children, are the individuals.
HARRIS: Yes.
PERRY: And until the organizations that represent these individuals begin to understand that we're all going to either win together or lose together, then we're going to have ourselves in a situation where we keep cutting staff --
HARRIS: Yes.
PERRY: -- keep cutting staff. And we're taking less staff to do the work that we had for so many more people.
HARRIS: Steve, appreciate it so much.
PERRY: Thank you.
HARRIS: Jack, good to meet to you. Good to talk to you. Good stuff.
Thank you. Thank you, gentlemen.
DALE: Thank you.
PERRY: Thank you.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Creating jobs, that's what the American Recovery Act, or stimulus, is all about. In some cities, it is providing a second chance for some who have been down and out.
CNN's Ines Ferre is manning our Stimulus Desk for us.
Ines, what have you found?
INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, we have been focusing on Houston, Texas, and we're focusing on a program in Houston called The Road to Re-Entry. It's designed by the St. Julien Communications Group and the Houston Crime Coalition.
That program received $40,000 in stimulus money to retrain ex- convicts. It held a jobs fair last week. Offender-friendly companies had some 40 jobs available.
Take a look at this video. They were expecting about 250 people. More than 3,000 people showed up, Tony.
And listen to what one job seeker said, and also an employer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAVELL BYRD, JOB SEEKER: It's a very, very, very hard thing, that people still look at what you did in the past and not what you can do in the future.
DON JONES, EMPLOYER: I hire felons, and I will continue to hire felons, because everybody deserves a second chance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FERRE: And, you know, the organizers of this program said that it was just so incredibly successful, that they're planning another jobs fair soon. And the program also provided some 15 scholarships to tech schools for people transitioning from prison to public life. And they said that 90 percent found jobs within two weeks after completing that training, so it has a very high success rate -- Tony.
HARRIS: So, that was Houston, correct?
FERRE: That's right. That was in Houston.
HARRIS: What about other cities?
FERRE: Right. Well, there are some programs in other cities, like, for example, Chicago. It's using nearly $7.5 million of stimulus funding to train some 300 ex-convicts to work in green jobs, everything from tree planting to making products from recycled paper and helping to renovate foreclosed buildings -- Tony.
HARRIS: Nice. Nice. Very good.
All right, Ines. Good to see you. Thank you.
FERRE: You too.
HARRIS: Out of work and out of benefits. The Senate revisits help for America's jobless today.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: You know, I was just checking out the lead story at CNNMoney.com, "Citigroup shares no longer toxic?" Boy, if you want the latest analysis, financial news and from the expert "Money" team here at CNN, that's the page, one click away at CNNMoney.com. We tell you this every day at this time because the work is so good. We should probably figure out more ways, more opportunities to promote the great work they do at CNNMoney.com.
Let's get you to the big board, New York Stock Exchange, a bit of a rally here. We are up 45 points. And the Nasdaq is up 17. So, a positive start to the day all around. Better than three hours into the trading day.
Senate Democrats hope to pass a bill this week to extend unemployment benefits. The measure includes a mishmash of other items. Let's talk about it. Our senior congressional correspondent, Dana Bash, joining me from the Capitol.
Dana, great to see you.
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good to see you, Tony.
HARRIS: How long -- how long would this bill extend help for jobless Americans?
BASH: It would be till the end of the year, until December 31, 2010. And specifically what we're talking about, Tony, is unemployment insurance, extend that, and that is something that has been quite controversial because you remember a couple weeks ago, just a 30-day extension, that ran out. This would take care of it through the end of the year. And also COBRA health insurance assistance. That would also be taken care of through the end of the year.
It's one reason why Republicans, some of them, might end up voting against this because they say that the right way to do it is to do it about three month at a time. Democrats, though, no accident it is December 31st. That is well past Election Day, so that they don't have to deal with this it until then.
HARRIS: Right. I saw some of the Senate floor speeches today. The back-and-forth over this. this is, you know, a pretty big package. Nearly $140 billion, as you mentioned. Much of it is tax extenders. Any other highlights in it?
BASH: Yes, a lot of highlights. You're right, I mean, certainly the most interesting I think to people who are jobless are those extensions of unemployment benefits. But there are about 60 extensions of some popular tax breaks that have been in the tax code for some time. I'll just read you a couple of them. A few of them.
HARRIS: Yes, sure.
BASH: Tax cuts for teachers who buy supplies for their students with their own money. A tax credit for energy-efficient home improvements. And some R&D tax credits for businesses. Those are just three of, again, about 60 tax breaks in here. So, you hear tax breaks, you think, well, that might be appealing to Republicans. Maybe this will be a big bipartisan vote. It might by, but part of the Republicans' argument against this is that it is much too big. You mentioned it's about -- nearly $140 billion. And much of it is not paid for. It adds to the deficit.
HARRIS: Right. So, bottom-line this for us, Dana, will this test vote, will it actually pass this afternoon?
BASH: Well, both Democrats and Republicans sources are saying that they do expect that it will pass this key test vote this afternoon and perhaps have a final vote in the Senate. Largely the size of the vote will depend on where Republicans are. Democrats do need -- if all Democrats vote for it, they just need one Republican to turn over. But in talking to Republicans, it looks like more than that will cross party lines and vote for this Democratic bill.
HARRIS: Wow.
BASH: But we'll see. And then the question then is, you know, will it become law? It is really unclear because the House had its own version of these bills.
HARRIS: Right.
BASH: And these measures and it's unclear if the House will take this up.
HARRIS: OK, our senior congressional correspondent, Dana Bash, for us.
Dana, good to see you. Thank you.
BASH: You too.
HARRIS: What are students saying about the cutbacks they are seeing at their schools? We've got a perspective for you coming up next in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: You know, schools across America are learning a very tough economics lesson. It's not just colleges and universities that are reeling from the recession. Carl Azuz is the anchor of CNN "Student News" and Carl is with us right now.
What are you hearing? Give us a bit of a perspective here on how this recession is impacting young people in schools, in classes all across the country right now.
CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS: They're seeing it in everything from school lunches. Sometimes they're saying that the portions are getting smaller.
HARRIS: Really? AZUZ: The food's not what it used to be. Many of them are seeing it in an elimination of bus routes. A lot of students logging on, talking to us at CNNstudentnews.com. And many of them are really concerned about their teachers. We've been hearing about layoffs. You heard Suzanne speaking about that earlier. And many of them are afraid they're not going to see their favorite teaches next year. They're not going to see many of their teachers next year. So they're seeing a reduction in teachers and an increase in class sizes as well.
HARRIS: Well, how are they responding? I know they're writing to you. How are they responding?
AZUZ: We have a few comments for you today from our blog at CNNstudentnews.com.
The first one comes from Olivia. And she's telling us that in her "school, they are canceling some bus routes for next year, and one of them is where I live. Now," she says, "my parents are probably going to have to drive me to school every day next year, or I will have to change schools."
HARRIS: Yes.
AZUZ: Another comment came from Kiley (ph). She says, "yes, the recession is affecting us. Here we have to do so many fund-raisers just to do simple activities we want and like to do. We've already had so many fund-raisers. We have to do a lot just to save the sports here."
HARRIS: Yes. Yes.
AZUZ: I want to say, not all of them, of course, are affected directly by the recession. Some students are saying, my class sizes is the same. They're saying that, you know, everything's status quo. We're still getting the field trips. But there's a note of concern among our audience. Many of them have seen it in surrounding counties and they are afraid that eventually this is going to encroach on them.
HARRIS: That it's closing in on them.
AZUZ: Yes. Exactly.
HARRIS: Right. Or you could be next. Your district will be next.
Do us a favor. Give everyone the address, because we love this perspective.
AZUZ: Sure.
HARRIS: We're trying to get to hear from as many people as we can on this topic as we take it on this week and the next week and into the future. What's the e-mail address for folks to weigh in?
AZUZ: They can e-mail us at CNNstudentnews.com. Also, we have a blog at CNNstudentnews.com. It's called "From A to Z with Carl Azuz," you're truly, and we welcome your comments on a variety of topics. Just log on and tell us what you're thinking.
HARRIS: All right. So we didn't -- all right, let's do this. Since we didn't have the addresses up, we'll put it on our blog page, CNN.com/tony. So we'll put your addresses up. And if you'd like to respond on our blog, on your blog, we just want the comments.
AZUZ: Everybody wins.
HARRIS: Yes, Carl, good to see you. Appreciate it.
AZUZ: Thanks very much, Tony.
HARRIS: Thank you.
Rescued in Haiti and flown to Florida. She was introduced to the world as baby Patricia. Now a couple in Haiti says that's not her name and they want her back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Very quickly, let's get you caught up on our top stories right now.
Toyota is sending engineers to the San Diego area to investigate a freeway scare that happened yesterday. The owner of a 2008 Prius says his car suddenly accelerated. This is the Prius now. And standing on the brakes didn't help. The car reportedly got up to more than 90 miles an hour before a highway patrol officer was able to help the driver stop.
The U.S. naval ship Comfort is coming home. It is scheduled to sail away from Haiti tomorrow. The massive hospital ship has been anchored there since shortly after the earthquake struck in January. The U.S. southern command says the crew has completed its humanitarian relief mission. The medical personnel on board treated 871 patients and performed 843 surgeries.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: You know, following Haiti's devastating earthquake, CNN told you about the heroic rescue of a baby. She was airlifted to Florida for critical, lifesaving treatment. Now there is a custody battle. Senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen brought us the original report and has an update.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I was at this hospital in Port-au-Prince about seven weeks ago, when I witnessed an incredible rescue of a tiny baby. She was just two months old when she was pulled from the rubble. She'd been there alone for five days.
The baby girl was near death, barely breathing. Doctors from Project Medishare (ph) at the University of Miami fought to stabilize her so they could fly her to a hospital in the United States. Doctors here thought the baby was an orphan and told the ambulance driver they'd name the baby after her if she got to the plane on time. And she did. The driver's name was Patricia.
I thought it was a simple, happy ending. But it turns out this story is far from simple. A couple from Haiti has now come forward claiming that baby Patricia is their daughter. They say she's no orphan and that her name isn't even Patricia, it's Jenny, and they want her back.
We're told the parents live here in Canapavars (ph) in one of these tent cities. I'm going to go try to find them.
JUNIOR ALEXIS, CLAIMS TO BE BABY'S FATHER: (INAUDIBLE).
COHEN: Wow, what does that mean? What do those words mean? It's beautiful?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every time I think about Jenny, I want to go crazy. I want to lose my mind.
COHEN (voice-over): This man, Junior Alexis, and his wife, Nadine Devilme, say they're the baby's parents.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And this is the baby's (INAUDIBLE) card (ph).
COHEN (on camera): And these are all her vaccinations, doctor's notes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The doctor's notes.
COHEN: OK.
So you say this is your baby?
NADINE DEVILME, CLAIMS TO BE BABY'S MOTHER (through translator): Yes, Jenny's my daughter.
COHEN: And how does it feel as a mother to know that your baby has just flown off without you to another country?
DEVILME (through translator): She said, I have a lot of problems. She said, I can't sleep. And it's giving me a lot of problems. And this is a Bible that I've had since the baby was born. And the Bible was under the baby's head always. And she found the Bible.
COHEN: So this Bible says, Jenny Alexis, born November 1, 2009.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At 10:00 p.m.
COHEN: At 10:00 p.m.
I've told their story to many people and some people say this is just a couple in Haiti that wants to get to the United States. They're claiming a baby that's not theirs. What do they say to that?
ALEXIS (through translator): We don't know about that, he said. He said, we just have a baby that they took. They're helping us. They took the baby. But we're here, and that we're happy that they they're helping the baby, but it's a help, but we need our baby.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: OK. So let's see if we can get a bottom line on this. Elizabeth Cohen joining me, obviously.
Did the parents ever get a DNA test here?
COHEN: Yes, CNN has just learned that the parents did, or the mom actually, did get a DNA test. The International Red Cross administered that test. They picked her up at 7:30 this morning. You can see the Red Cross car right there. And they drove her to a facility. They decided just to test the mom. I don't know if they only had one test or whatever, but they swabbed the inside of her cheek and the results are expected -- that's a Red Cross worker, I believe, right there. The results are expected within a week or two, according to folks at the state of Florida.
And it's interesting, Tony, I spoke to an official at the state of Florida. You know, they're the ones who have custody of the child right now.
HARRIS: Yes.
COHEN: And I said, do you think these are the parents? And he said, oh, absolutely.
HARRIS: OK.
COHEN: He said, I have no reason to doubt them. But, of course, you have to do a DNA test to make sure.
HARRIS: Will you keep us posted.
COHEN: I will.
HARRIS: OK, Elizabeth, appreciate it. Thank you.
We will take a look at what some of what you're talking about on the Internet. Ines Ferre tells us what's hot. That's next, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: OK. Time for a quick look at some of the stories generating buzz over the Internet. It's what a lot of you are buzzing about, talking about. Ines Ferre joining me again.
What are you finding, lady?
FERRE: OK, well, Tony, on CNN.com, tweeting to safety in Mexico.
HARRIS: Yes. FERRE: Because of the violence plaguing the country. People are turning to social media. Twitter created a site where people following the violence or are caught in the middle of it can exchange details. And some ask for advice on when it was safe to come out. Others highlighted specific streets that were especially dangerous in the area. It's really amazing how they're using Twitter.
HARRIS: Yes, it was a hot topic in our meeting this morning, that's for sure. And what is this, Ines, what is this controversy? I know there's a lot of chatter about this controversy with the Oscars and the late Farrah Fawcett?
FERRE: Yes, that's right. Well everyone's asking why the Academy Awards committee decided not to include Farrah Fawcett in their memoriam tribute to actors who died last year.
HARRIS: Yes.
FERRE: Fawcett died last June from cancer. And she's best known, of course, for her role in "Charlie's Angels," right?
HARRIS: Yes.
FERRE: But she also starred in a lot of other films. And people are just wondering, why was she left out?
HARRIS: Well, maybe we can figure out what the answer to that is. That seems like a pretty dramatic oversight. Ines Ferre on what's hot and what you're talking about on the Internet.
Thank you, lady.
FERRE: Thank you.
HARRIS: Putting a face on California's budget crisis and a health care system that is strapped for cash. Saving Carlos, part two of our story of an eight-year-old who needs help for his ADHD and anxiety. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Well, yesterday we introduced you to a second grader named Carlos. He is eight, uninsured and struggling with ADHD and severe anxiety. Today CNN's Thelma Gutierrez brings us part two on his story. More on how his care is being impacted by California's budget crisis.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): This is Carlos. He lives in south Los Angeles. His mother is a homemaker. His father, a street vendor. Carlos says he wants us to understand his world.
CARLOS, SUFFERS FROM ADHD, ANXIETY: My sister's name is Alandra (ph). And that's my skateboard. That's a picture of -- I'm reading the Bible.
GUTIERREZ: And although he's only a second grader, what struck me most over the month we spent with him is that he's only eight. Already, he says, he wants a new life.
CARLOS: I was going to change my life. It's a little bad.
GUTIERREZ: Carlos suffers from ADHD and severe anxiety.
CARLOS: I draw a picture about my family because they were fight. Sometimes when they fight, it's because my dad -- when my dad drinks.
GUTIERREZ: Carlos' father didn't want to be on camera, but acknowledged he has had a hard time lately. The financial pressures have only made things worse at home.
Carlos' mother, Laetitia (ph), wants to keep the family together. She knows she needs help. Her son was failing in school and becoming disruptive at home. But when Laetitia went looking for help, what she found were clinics grossly overburdened.
GUTIERREZ (on camera): In Los Angeles County alone, $216 million was slashed from its mental health department. So now they're only taking children who are physically violent or suicidal.
(voice-over): Not kids like Carlos, whose condition may not be as urgent, but still just as serious. It took nearly a year for Laetitia to finally find St. John's, a free clinic that would help.
I asked her why she was so emotional. She told me her kids are everything to her.
ELENA FERNANDEZ, CARLOS' THERAPIST: Sometimes you and George get into fights.
GUTIERREZ: And she allowed us to shoot her son's therapy sessions because she wanted to put a face on California's bruising budget crisis.
FERNANDEZ: And what did we learn last week?
CARLOS: We learned about when my mom fight with my dad, I have to read a book.
FERNANDEZ: Good job. Good job!
GUTIERREZ: Now, just as Carlos is starting to make progress, Laetitia learns St. John's clinic is having its mental health care budget slashed.
JIM MANGIA, ST. JOHN'S FAMILY CENTER: Just from this one clinic, 7,000 people will not receive mental health services.
GUTIERREZ (on camera): Out of that number, how many are children? MANGIA: Out of that number, probably 4,000 are children.
GUTIERREZ (voice-over): This is where kids like Carlos are pulled into a political tug-of-war.
MIKE SPENCE, CALIFORNIA REPUBLICAN ASSEMBLY: I know it sounds mean. All the money trees have been cut down in California. So we have to deal with it by reducing spending as best we can.
MANGIA: Does this state have a responsibility to care for its children? Do conservatives think that we don't have that responsibility?
SPENCE: The government has over promised to people.
GUTIERREZ (on camera): But this is a program for children who are mentally ill.
SPENCE: And there are lots of programs for children, mentally ill, the disabled, and the problem is government keeps overspending and overtaxing.
GUTIERREZ (voice-over): But it's a tough trade-off.
FERNANDEZ: You're going to use your words, right?
GUTIERREZ: Carlos' therapist, Elena Fernandez, says taxpayers will pay the price now while he's in therapy or much later if he doesn't get help.
(on camera): Why us as taxpayers?
FERNANDEZ: Because eventually we end up paying for the emergency services, the psychiatric wards, the cost it takes to imprison someone.
GUTIERREZ (voice-over): In California, it costs about $45,000 a year to keep someone behind bars. Fernandez worries leaving a generation of kids like Carlos untreated could mean losing them forever. But numbers aside, what about the price Carlos would pay?
(on camera): What are you going to do in your future?
CARLOS: In my future? I want to do -- in my future, I want to be safe (ph) good.
GUTIERREZ (voice-over): After six months, some hope. Elena says Carlos is finally ready to leave therapy. Meanwhile, his mother says the drinking and fighting at home have stopped.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at number one.
GUTIERREZ: And at Carlos' new school, his teacher told me he's noticed a big difference. Now he's thriving in the classroom and on the play ground. The cost of saving Carlos? About $2,000.
Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: That is digging deeper.
It is go time. You'll see in a second that I obviously went shopping in Ali's closet. CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Ali Velshi.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Tony, if I looked as good as you, I wouldn't have to go shopping at all. Tony Harris, always good to see you.
