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Tighter Security for Governors; Colorado Mom Terror Charges; Controversial Comparison; Bullied to Death; Living With Autism
Aired April 03, 2010 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there, everybody, from the CNN Center. This is the CNN NEWSROOM you're in now for this Saturday, April 3rd. I'm T.J. Holmes.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Suzanne Malveaux. It is 11:00 a.m. in the East and 8:00 a.m. on the West Coast.
HOLMES: Well, we started this hour talking about tighter security around the nation's governors today. A lot of the nation's governors, possibly all of them, receiving written demands for them to leave office or they will, quote, "be removed".
Our homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve following these developments.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The letters were received at state capitals in all geographical regions by governors of both parties.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've been advised by the FBI to take it seriously.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What it basically said was that resign and reapply and we'll reinstate you if you'll sign this deal. So we just turned it over to the state police.
MESERVE: In an intelligence note, the FBI and DHS say they are "not aware of any immediate threats to specific governors", but Nevada and some other states ramped up security. The letters were sent by the Guardians of the Free Republics, a so-called sovereign citizen extremist group.
MARK PITCAVAGE, ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: They oppose virtually every law that's out there from simple things such as fishing permits or hunting permits, you know, up to criminal laws, commercial laws.
MESERVE: Online the group promotes what it calls the Restore America Plan, to remove what it sees as an illegitimate government. And people claiming to be leaders have discussed it this week on the radio.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The 50 men and women who occupy the office of governor in each of the incorporated states of the United States federal corporation were served.
MESERVE: Experts say the group is part of an explosive growth in right wing activity.
MARK POTOK, SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER: I think the rage out there has to do with rapidly changing demographics in this country, racial demographics. The fact that a black man has been elected president, the terrible economy and all the angst and fear and frustration that that has brought.
MESERVE (on camera): Though the FBI and DHS say members of the Sovereign Citizen's Movement have engaged in violence, this particular group says it wants peaceful change, but law enforcement worries that other groups or individuals will see this as a call to violent action.
Jean Meserve, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: A Colorado mother detained in Ireland last month is now in U.S. custody charged with providing material support to terrorists. Federal prosecutors say that 31-year-old Jamie Pauline- Ramirez and a Pennsylvania woman known as "Jihad Jane" traveled to Europe to live and train with terrorists and take part in a violent jihad.
Pauline-Ramirez voluntarily flew to Philadelphia yesterday and was arrested by members of a terrorism task force. Her 6-year-old son was placed in the custody of Child Services and Pauline-Ramirez's mother says, "The boy should be home with her" and she speculated what drove her daughter to leave the country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINE MOTT, DEFENDANT'S MOTHER: She was looking for somebody to love her. They came in to that computer and have ripped my family apart.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Now, if convicted, Pauline-Ramirez could face 15 years in prison.
HOLMES: Well, of course, Easter coming up tomorrow, and for many Catholics this is a tough time for them. The ongoing priest sex abuse scandal engulfing much of Europe is a major test of their faith. A spokesman for Pope Benedict XVI says the Pontiff views the scandal as a test for him and the church.
Meanwhile, the head of the Anglican Church, the influential Archbishop of Canterbury, calls the ongoing controversy, quote, "A colossal corporate trauma for the Catholic Church, especially in Ireland". Archbishop Rowan Williams went on to add the Catholic Church in Ireland has lost all credibility.
Meanwhile, Catholic bishops here in the U.S. are suggesting the Vatican adopt the same reforms that the U.S. Catholic Church in '02, in the midst of the sex abuse scandal here. And adding to the Vatican's ongoing public relations debacle, Pope Benedict's personal preacher now under fire for some controversy comment he made yesterday comparing the pains of the Catholic Church's sex scandal to the aspects -- some aspects of anti-Semitism.
CNN's Diana Magnay has the story from Vatican City.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DIANA MAGNAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There were two events attended by the Pope to mark its solemn day in the Christian calendar. The first of which was the celebration of Christ's passion, reliving and reflecting on the last hours of Christ's life.
And in that ceremony -- in a sermon, the preacher of the papal household gave an address in which he spoke about a letter that is written -- been written to him by a Jewish friend condemning the attacks and criticisms made in recent days against the Pope. And this is what he said his Jewish friend in that letter had said.
REV. RANIER CANTALAMESSA, POPE BENEDICT'S PERSONAL PREACHER (through translator): I am following with disgust the violent and concentric attack against the church, the Pope, and all of the faithful from the whole world. The use of the stereotype, the passage from the responsibility and personal wrong to that of the whole reminds us of the most shameful aspects of anti-Semitism.
MAGNAY (on camera): Father Cantalamessa, the papal preacher said he was drawn to think about what his Jewish friend had written because Good Friday falls on the same day as Passover. But those references, the likening of the criticisms against the Catholic Church to the worst of anti-Semitism as he described it, drew strong criticisms themselves from especially victims' groups around the world.
And the Vatican was quick to distance itself from those comments; the Vatican spokesman, Federico Lombardi, saying that they did not reflect the official position of the church.
Now, there was some expectation that the Pope himself might address the shadow overhanging this Easter week, that of the church abuse scandal, but in the "Way of the Cross" celebrations which took place a few hours later in his papal address he made no mention of the scandal.
Diana Magnay, CNN, Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Well, floods, powerful storms and high winds, much of Rhode Island is still waiting for floodwaters to recede. The entire state now considered a disaster area after this week's downpours. Many businesses are closed putting as many as 4,000 people temporarily out of work.
They are cleaning up in Southwestern Oklahoma. Strong thunderstorms destroyed mobile homes and damaged several businesses in rush springs yesterday. And gale-force winds also battered the Vancouver area. Boats are at a total loss, and thousands of homes are still without power.
HOLMES: And Chad Myers is keeping an eye on things for us this weekend in for Reynolds Wolf. Chad, springtime, summertime it seems in some places.
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It just kind of all of a sudden switched, didn't it?
HOLMES: Yes.
MYERS: You know what? The groundhog ran out of luck and winter is over. His six weeks of fame are over, he's done. No more winter for a lot of folks here.
It's still raining across parts of Atlanta and Chattanooga, especially western suburbs there. But the heaviest rainfall was overnight. And now the colors are getting lighter, they're getting more blue and green rather than the orange and the reds which would indicate thunderstorms like we had overnight.
A little bit of light snow across parts of Summit County into the Rocky Mountains. Not the Rocky Mountains but we'll take the foothills. KUSA, our affiliate out there, one of our affiliates out in Colorado, seeing a little bit of a breezy day today, you see the big camera there shaking a little bit but still very nice to them.
Then we go to Washington, D.C., where we'll see clear skies, sunshine, shining on the Golden Eagle on top of the flagpole there, temperatures probably 76 to 78 on the mall. So you didn't have to go to Florida to get the really nice weather for this spring break at least. Now it cools off for the rest of the week and by Wednesday and Thursday the East Coast gets a little cooler.
But the story today is how the jet stream has developed. It has gone down to the south which is why it's cooler out west and why it's snowing still in the Rockies and also even into Salt Lake City, the benches there east of there up toward Provo, Utah and other areas there.
And then, a big ridge of high pressure here allowing the warm air to get up into the East Coast and in fact, all up and down the East Coast. It feels like summer and not springtime. But something else that happens in summer or spring, pollen. Pollen everywhere. You think you have a cold it's probably just this.
Some extreme pollen all the way from Philadelphia and New York City down to the southeast. This here is basically the tree pollen we see. We have oak and birch and sweet gum all pollinating here. Back out to the west into Oklahoma and into Texas, this is some of the grasses that are also pollinating back out here. Not the rag weed that a lot of people just can't deal with because it kind of looks like a big, I don't know, big star and it gets stuck in your nose and it's not very good. These pollens aren't so bad; they can be at least flushed away
I can feel it here a little bit; I can smell or feel a little bit in my nose, but it goes away pretty quickly. So as soon as it rains. Maybe we need a little bit of rain to wash that pollen away.
HOLMES: Ok. Enough with the nose and what's going on in there, Chad. My goodness.
MYERS: I won't zoom in or anything.
HOLMES: Ok. We appreciate that, Chad. All right, thanks, buddy.
MYERS: All right.
HOLMES: Well, coming up here, you're going to want to hear from a popular TV judge who is giving her a verdict on a problem that's really been plaguing schools and kids for quite some time, but it seems for some reason the problem is getting worse and kids are actually being bullied to death.
Stay with us. Right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: "He should be burning in hell." Well, that is just one message a school superintendent says that he has gotten after a student, 15-year-old Phoebe Prince, killed herself.
But Gus Sayer is pushing back against parents who want administrators to quit over this controversy. Sayer says that staff of South Hadley High in Massachusetts found out Prince was a target for bullies just a week before Prince hanged herself.
And Sayer talked with it -- talk about that rather, with CNN's Anderson Cooper.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: How is it possible that you only found out and the principals only found out about the bullying one week before she killed herself. It sounds almost impossible to believe if the D.A. is correct and this has been going on for three months and involved more than half a dozen kids.
GUS SAYER, SUPERINTENDENT, SOUTH HADLEY PUBLIC SCHOOLS: Well, it did not involve -- apparently it did not involve more than half a dozen kids because those are the kids who are being arraigned for carrying out the bullying. That's the same finding that we made in our investigation a month earlier.
How is it possible? You know, I deeply regret the fact that no one came forward to us and reported that this bullying was taking place. The principal does not take these matters lightly, and he would act swiftly and fully using all his powers if he knew about these events. (END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Well, it seemed like we were just learning of the Massachusetts case when we heard about two similar ones. One from the Dallas area, a 13-year-old boy allegedly bullied because he was short, took his own life.
And in Houston a second grader reportedly picked on, jumped out of a second floor window at the school. The 8-year-old is ok. The school made him sign a contract promising he wouldn't try it again.
HOLMES: Well, just a short time ago I sat down here in our studio with Judge Glenda Hatchett. She's known nationally for her Court TV show. Well, before that she presided over Fulton County, Georgia's juvenile court. And she has seen this bullying issue from many different vantage point.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUDGE GLENDA HATCHET, FORMER FULTON COUNTY, GEORGIA JUVENILE COURT: WHAT happened is that when, you know, I was a kid my hair might get pulled, I might get teased, but now the texting is not just me, 50 kids, 100 kids, 1,000 kids know that I'm being bullied and it just kind of takes on a life of itself. And when this becomes viral, it becomes far more intense.
And so we're not only seeing the emotional bullying and the physical bullying, we're seeing what we're now referring to as cyber bullying and that's a whole another dimension that's very new for us.
HOLMES: But is that making all the difference. It's not fair to say -- the kids aren't getting any meaner these days, are they?
JUDGE HATCHETT: Well, I don't know that they are getting any meaner these days. I do think that we are perhaps seeing more pressure on kids because of the whole dynamic of the scene having changed, and kids really are being tormented. They are.
HOLMES: We're going to get to -- I promised -- they started sending questions and so I want to make sure I get to some that people sent in.
JUDGE HATCHETT: Sure, absolutely.
HOLMES: One from our Facebook page, Diahanna Kinley (ph). She says -- is asking what is the best way for a child to deal with the bully? What do you do?
JUDGE HATCHETT: The first thing is that you have to talk to your children. And you have to say, listen, don't suffer on this. You are not alone. Our children have to know that they are not alone.
The tragedy that we have seen and particularly that you're focusing in on this morning is that suicide ought not be the answer for bullying. A child shouldn't feel that that's the only way out of this. And so encourage your kids. These are teachable moments, T.J. Have your kids sit down, talk to you, and then intervene. Go to the school, talk to the councilors, talk to the teachers, talk to the principals. You know, weigh in on your child's behalf.
HOLMES: That's about the parent and teacher getting involved. That's about that that kind of intervening.
But what about the child that moment; you're being called that name or when you're getting that text. How is the child supposed to respond?
JUDGE HATCHETT: Yes. Well, actually what you need to do is you need to try to pull yourself away from the situation. Some parents say I tell my kids that they just need to fight back, fight back, but then that escalates. So now you have two kids in court on an assault charge perhaps. That's the risk you run.
And I encourage parents to tell their kids to try to pull out of the situation and put some room in it until we can resolve it.
HOLMES: You kind of hit on our next question here that came through us on Twitter from B. Leak which says, "Is it the best way to do this? Is it best to just get up and move, give your child a fresh start somewhere or teach them to fight through it?" I know you have heard parents say you have to stand up for yourself.
JUDGE HATCHETT: Yes, you have to stand up. In fact, I had one parent say to me she told her kid, either you fight or I'm going to beat you when you get home. So I don't encourage that. I don't encourage that because that can get out of hand.
I don't think that you get up and move your family. I don't because then what happens when it happens at the next school? I mean, you have to be realistic about this, but I think that fighting and the whole aggression and that escalating is a dangerous path.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Judge Hatchett has launched a Web site, parentpowernow.com and Monday night she will be hosting an online forum for both parents and children, bullying, of course, being the topic again. You can find that parentpowernow.com.
MALVEAUX: Smacked down twice by autism, it is hard enough for parents to deal with the heartache of the diagnosis. Then there's the worry of paying for the treatment, not just now but for the rest of the child's life.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, we want to take you to some of the stories making headlines this hour. Iraqi officials round up two dozen suspects in the execution-style killings south of Baghdad. Most of the victims were members of the Sons of Iraq that was formed to reduce violence in and around the capital. The 25 victims found handcuffed and shot to death in a predominantly Sunni village.
A new approach now to airline screening for passengers bound for the U.S. It involves giving the airlines and security agents real- time intelligence about potential terrorists. That means passengers from 14 predominantly Muslim countries will no longer be automatically subject to extra screening.
Also, the techies, they're getting their hands on their new toy, the iPad. This new tablet computer went on sale a couple hours ago at Apple stores and some best buys as well; costs anywhere from $500 to $800.
That's a check of your headlines coming your way in 20 minutes.
MALVEAUX: And chances are you know a family that struggles with autism. Since April is National Autism Awareness Month we're doing our part to bring more attention to the disorder and examining ways to deal with it.
First the facts, autism spectrum disorders are a group of developmental disability that cause significant social, communication, and behavioral challenges. People along the spectrum share similarities as well as some differences.
The latest figures show that one child out of every 110 born in the United States will have autism. Now, if you break it down by gender, it's almost 1 in 70 boys. The Autism Society of America estimates that the lifetime costs of caring for a child with autism ranges from $3.5 million to $5 million.
Now, as autistic children grow to be autistic adults, parents fear that there will be no one to care for them and no insurance either.
Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta looks at why it's so hard to get coverage.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Here's something maybe you didn't know. It's estimated that the lifelong cost of caring for a child with autism, about $3 million. But that cost could ultimately be reduced by two-thirds if a child is diagnosed at an early age and gets proper therapy.
Being able to afford the care is a huge challenge, as you might imagine, for many parents, in addition, of course, to coping with the actual disorder.
(voice-over): When he was born, Darian Sepulveda had his mother's personality and his father's eyes. For 18 months, he laughed, he cried, he even spoke. At two, it all disappeared.
ADA SEPULVEDA, CHILD HAS AUTISM: I was losing my child, basically, in front of my eyes. He was just dying on me.
GUPTA: Darian was diagnosed with autism. While his family began waging a battle against his disease, another fight was brewing, with Darian's health insurance company.
A. SEPULVEDA: I had absolutely no problem with coverage until Darian was diagnosed.
OK. Open the ...
DARIAN SEPULVEDA, HAS AUTISM: Door.
A. SEPULVEDA: Door, very good.
GUPTA: Now Darian is 11. His diagnosis began a financial spiral for his family: years of denied claims, unpaid bills, mortgages, loans and debt that has become untenable.
A. SEPULVEDA: I call him the billion-dollar baby or the billion- dollar boy, because it's very costly.
KEVIN WREGE, COUNCIL FOR AFFORDABLE HEALTH INSURANCE: Health insurance policies currently cover medical diagnosis and medical treatment for autism.
GUPTA: But many families say not all treatments are covered. For example, Darian's speech and neurological problems and some medications were not paid for. Insurance companies say most autism treatments are experimental, unproven; covering them would cause everyone's insurance rates to spike.
A. SEPULVEDA: You don't tell a person that has a diabetic child, "Oh, well, you know, there is no cure for this." You give him insulin. You treat them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good job. Keep your fingers up.
TYLER BELL, HAS AUTISM: Keep your fingers up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Excellent.
GUPTA: Those insurance problems continue, into the teenage years, into adulthood. Seventeen-year-old Tyler Bell is about to graduate high school.
PETER BELL, CHILD HAS AUTISM: Who is your favorite musician?
T. BELL: Tyler.
P. BELL: Tyler.
GUPTA: Peter Bell is Tyler's father. He's also a spokesperson for the advocacy group, Autism Speaks. He's been fighting for insurance coverage for most of Tyler's life. Now he's concerned about Tyler's transition to adulthood.
P. BELL: The face of autism is changing. We're talking about kids that are now starting to shave and do all those things that teenagers do and will eventually become adults.
GUPTA: Adults with autism, with no insurance coverage and no other safety net to provide for them.
P. BELL: I've heard some people say, "I hope my child dies before me." And I -- I don't know any other disease or disorder where that's the case.
GUPTA (on camera): Now, while the new health care reform law doesn't specifically mention autism, behavioral health treatments are going to be required as a part of some health plans. As far as we can tell, it's not universal, in part, because many insurance companies consider some of the therapies experimental, won't cover them.
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. And sticking to the subject of health care here, some Obama supporters are being told to go elsewhere for medical care. That's what a sign on a Florida doctor's door reads. Is he exercising his rights here or is he violating his oath? We're taking a look.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Some good news on the employment front this week. President Obama spoke about it in his weekly radio and Internet address saying the full -- actually the full economy not where it needs to be just yet, but still actually added 162,000 jobs in March.
In fact it was the largest gain we've seen in 3 years but the unemployment rate remain unchanged. We're still at 9.7 percent, 44.1 percent of those out of work have been unemployed long-term and the president admits we do have a ways to go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: All of us know how important work is, not just for the paycheck but for the peace of mind that comes from knowing you can provide for your family. As Americans and as human beings, we seek not only the security but also the sense of dignity, the sense of community, that work confers.
That's why it was heartening news that the last month for the first time in more than two years, our economy created a substantial number of jobs instead of losing them. We have begun to reverse the devastating slide, but we have a long way to go to repair the damage from this recession, and that will continue to be my focus every single day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Republicans meanwhile are taking ache at a Democratic bill that would create new rules for the financial industry. Now, they say it would do more harm than good for the economy. Representative Kevin McCarthy of California blasted the bill in the GOP's weekly radio and Internet address.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R), CALIFORNIA: President Obama wants Congress to pass job-killing legislation that would guarantee permanent bailouts for Wall Street. Under his plan, unelected Washington bureaucrats would be granted virtually unlimited power to pick winners and losers and hard-working American taxpayers would pick up the tab for the reckless decisions made by irresponsible bankers.
What's worse, this legislation fails to address the root causes of the economic crisis and housing meltdown, The lack of accountability in Washington and on Wall Street. Republicans have proposed a plan to protect taxpayers in the permanent bailout and get rid of TARP.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Now, are you one of the 15 million Americans that are out of work? Well, coming up at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, we're going to be bringing you a job hunting expert to tell you how to compete with the millions of other applicants. Log on to my colleague Fredricka Whitfield's blog at CNN.com/Fredricka to post your questions for our expert.
HOLMES: And a central Florida urologist airing his politics on his office front door. The doctor posted a sign telling supporters of President Obama to seek care elsewhere. He says he's against the president's health care reform plan, but others are offended by the sign, including a U.S. congressman. WFTV's Ryan Hughes has our story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN HUGHES, WFTV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In this all- American small town in Lake County, several words printed on a piece of paper have made the debate over politics and health care, personal.
ESTELLA CHATMAN, RESIDENT: I was dumbfounded and it was appalling to me.
DR. JACK CASSELL, UROLOGIST: Ninety-nine percent of my patients have been that's very welcome sentiment.
HUGHES: It's the first thing the patients see when they enter Dr. Jack Cassell's urology office in Mount Dora. The neon orange sign reads "If you voted for Obama, seek urologic care elsewhere."
CHATMAN: I would not feel safe in his care.
HUGHES: Long time Mt. Dora resident Estella Chapman got wind of the sign and stopped by to see for herself.
CHATMAN: How can you trust his heart to know how he feels?
CASSELL: If they're insulted in some way, they can leave. I do not deny care to anyone.
HUGHES: The doctor put up the sign because he vehemently opposes the president's health care reform bill. We talked to Congressman Alan Grayson to get his take on the sign. Grayson is for reform.
REP. ALAN GRAYSON (D), FLORIDA: I think that people like this need to check their conscience. They need to think about why they went into health care, why they decided to become doctors.
HUGHES: Jack Cassell has been a doctor for 22 years and feels his patients' health care will soon suffer.
CASSELL: I'm concerned about the health care bill. That's more detrimental to them than my sign.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: In the meanwhile, Representative Alan Grayson has filed a complaint with the state medical board, but the state agency says there's no law prohibiting Cassell from posting that sign.
MALVEAUX: A couple admits they let their infant daughter die so they could raise a virtual daughter. You're not going to believe their defense.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Addicted to online gaming. It's a first of its kind defense for South Korean parents who let their child starve to death while they played.
CNN's Eunice Yoon with the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EUNICE YOON, CNN ASIA BUSINESS EDITOR (voice-over): This 3-month- old baby in South Korea died from malnutrition, her parents choosing to raise and protect a virtual sibling, a girl called Anima. It's child favoritism in a nation obsessed with the Internet, where top online gamers are treated like rock stars.
In court Friday, the couple, 40-year-old Kim Jae-beom and his partner, 25-year-old Kim Yun-jeong, pled guilty to negligent homicide after their arrest last month. The two admitted leaving their premature infant, Sa-rang, or "Love" in English, at home so they could play this popular online game, "Prius," often for 10-hour-long stretches.
Ironically, the point of this 3-D fantasy game is to raise a girl, who as she grows, gains magical powers.
"I think of our baby in heaven," Sa-rang's father told the judge. "I will be guilty until the day I die."
As part of the couple's defense, their lawyer argued the two are addicted to online gaming, a condition counselors say can be very destructive.
ANDREW LEVANDER, ADDICTION COUNSELOR: Over time, in the absence of an intervention, this can totally rip through somebody's life and certainly in this sad case rip through a family's life very quickly.
YOON (on camera): Prosecutors want a five-year jail sentence, but the defense hopes that the judge will consider the couple's addiction for the ruling on April 16.
(voice-over): Leniency for Internet addiction would be a first in the country.
LEVANDER: In this case, the death of their child is such an enormous, egregious consequence, I certainly could understand that there are a lot of people who are probably very angry about this.
YOON: Yet, the Kims are expecting their second child. Sa-rang's father insists there will be no second mistake, the couple promising to tackle the responsibilities of real life after too long a journey in the virtual world.
Eunice Yoon, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Checking some of our top stories. Gruesome discoveries south of Baghdad, 25 people found handcuffed and shot to death in several houses in a predominantly Sunni village. Most of the victims were members of the Sons of Iraq, a group formed to reduce violence. Iraqi officials have arrested about two dozen suspects.
State and federal authorities are investigating Friday's deadly refinery explosion in Washington State. Five people were killed, two others badly burned. Officials with Tesoro Corporation say the accident happened during a dangerous maintenance process. The company is also investigating the cause.
Well, a Colorado mom has been indicted on terrorism charges. Federal prosecutors say 31-year-old Jamie Paulin Ramirez and a Pennsylvania woman known as Jihad Jane traveled to Europe to take part in a violent jihad. Paulin Ramirez was arrested in Ireland last month as part of a murder/conspiracy investigation, and yesterday she voluntarily flew to Philadelphia where she was arrested by members of a terrorism task force.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Welcome back here. We're only a few minutes away from Fredricka Whitfield of course at the top of the hour. But up first here, don't count those chickens before they hatch just yet. We've got a community that's coming together to do just that. Our Dan Simon explains in this installment of "Building Up America."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Apparently green eggs aren't just found in the Dr. Seuss Classic. You almost don't want to eat it because it's so pretty.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: I know. SIMON: We're at the organic soul food chicken farm an hour from San Francisco. It's a business that stirs such passion that loyal customers refuse quite literally to let it go down in flames. After a fire killed 1,200 chicks and destroyed their coops last September, Alexis Koefed and her husband, Eric, thought the struggling farm they started just three years ago was finished.
(on camera): Did you think you were going to be out of business?
ALEXIS KOEFED, CHICKEN FARMER: Oh, I was convinced we were done. You know, we already were skating by. Eric had lost his job. We were just living off of this land. That was a half month's income that went up in smoke and I thought I'll never recover from that. It's just too hard.
SIMON (voice-over): Starting the farm wasn't easy. Alexis and her husband had no farming experience. She was in marketing. He was a structural engineer. Yet as soon as they began selling their chicken eggs, many chefs from the finest local restaurants, including Alice Waters from the nationally renowned Chez Panisse said, they were among the best they ever tasted.
ALICE WATERS, CHEZ PANISSE RESTAURANT: Grow something that really is tasty, I'll buy it all.
SIMON: The farm was saved not just because of its high-quality eggs and meat but also because of its philosophy.
WATERS: This egg comes from chickens that are probably crammed in cages, maybe eight, ten birds in a cage.
SIMON: She explains by showing us two different eggs, one from a chain grocery store and one of hers.
WATERS: And this is a chicken egg that she got to lay her egg how she felt like after being outside eating grass and bugs.
SIMON (on camera): This is what those chefs like so much, what you're seeing right here -- the chickens roam the fields freely and eat the natural grass, and that, they believe, makes for a higher quality egg, eggs they apparently could not live without because when the fire seemingly destroyed the business, her customers got together and said we're not going to let that happen.
BONNIE POWELL, FRIEND: We had a fancy auction, we had a raffle, we had several fund-raising dinners.
SIMON (voice-over): Bonnie Powell led the effort to raise $30,000 to keep the farm in business.
POWELL: It was kind of amazing how many people just felt touched by this, like, no, we can't let soul food farm die.
SIMON: The farm still struggles to make money, but Alexis loves her land, loves her way of life.
KOEFED: Thank you very much. My husband will be excited.
SIMON: You could say she's just fine putting all her eggs in one basket.
KOEFED: Thank you.
SIMON: Dan Simon, CNN, Vacaville, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Eastergoers in Texas are going to be going to church to pray of course, but they also have something else in Church they're going after today. We were talking about this earlier. Fascinating story, Suzanne, we are hoping that people don't just go to church on Christmas, Mother's Day, and Easter, but for some ...
MALVEAUX: But this church is worth going to. Wait until you see this.
HOLMES: This church is worth going to. They're handing out BMWs, folks, cars, for real, computers, laptops. Stick around for that. Quick break, we're right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. The NEWSROOM continues at the top of the hour with the always lovely Fredricka Whitfield.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Good to see you, T.J. But most importantly, good to see you, Suzanne. We'll catch up later.
MALVEAUX: Absolutely.
WHITFIELD: Great to see you. We have a lot straight ahead in the noon Eastern hour. Of course I know you've all been talking about the governors and those letters. Our legal guys will be weighing in on the content of the letters. What was said and what potentially might be charges that could potentially follow.
And then have you heard of this case of a pregnant woman who was tasered possibly over a moving violation? We'll be talking about that. There she's showing her wounds from the alleged incident. Our legal guys will be delving into that, Avery and Richard.
And then, are you all going to be lining up for maybe your first glimpse of the iPad?
HOLMES: No.
MALVEAUX: I'm waiting for Don Lemon who brought one.
HOLMES: He got one.
WHITFIELD: I know. He is the ultimate gadget guy. I don't know. I might line up for the second round. First round of new products, I never kind of -- yes, go for that one. MALVEAUX: I'm waiting for the gift.
WHITFIELD: There you go. Maybe I should wait for the gift, too.
MALVEAUX: Christmas, birthday, just put it out there.
WHITFIELD: For anybody who just might want to put something under the tree. Mario Armstrong will be along. He's going to talk about the iPad. Do you want to line up for this? But not just the iPad, but there are a lot of other great gadgets out there that might strike your fancy. He'll be with us to talk all things gadgety.
HOLMES: He's good about it, our tech guy.
WHITFIELD: He is. He's fun. We're borrowing him sometimes, too.
HOLMES: It's quite all right. You all can use him up.
WHITFIELD: We have a long day in which to use him and everybody else.
HOLMES: Well, we will see you in about eight minutes. See you in a second.
All right, well Easter service tomorrow, Fredricka, this is what you were sticking around for, you wanted to hear this story. Full of prayer tomorrow but also full of presents at one church. A church in Corpus Christi, Texas, giving away $2 million worth of stuff, good stuff, too, at their weekend services. Not little things. Not little trinkets.
We're talking about cars, a BMW or two is in there, furniture, flat screen TVs, laptops. The pastor Bil Cornelius said it's a strategy to attract more worshippers and put the spotlight on god's ultimate gift, salvation.
I talked with the pastor by Skype earlier this morning and asked him how the church got all of the stuff in the first place.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BIL CORNELIUS, PASTOR: Well the real heart behind the whole thing is first of all people's generosity is just our people stepped up and gave. But we're doing this simply because we want to reach them and bring them in and tell them how much God loves them.
HOLMES: Now a lot of people I'm sure you heard would say to you it's like you're bribing people to come to church. That's just not the way it's supposed to be.
CORNELIUS: I understand that. But think about it. Most churches back in the day and even still today do Easter Egg hunts to draw kids in and tell them about the love of God. And so I just can't find any Easter Eggs large enough to put a car?
HOLMES: Come on now, an Easter Egg hunt for a child versus a 7 Series for an adult, those are two different things, reverend.
CORNELIUS: Well, listen, we're having fun with this. And really it's just our people stepping up and giving things so that we can draw people in and really is that simple of a purpose. We've already seen many, many people come in. We were at capacity crowds the other night and just very, very exciting. And we're just excited to be able to give things away and also bring a tangible side to the intangible truth that can basically give them heaven. So it's really, it's a giant illustration pointed to the ultimate gift, which is the gift of heaven.
HOLMES: Now tell me how this is going to work in church tomorrow. First, how many people do you expect and, tell me how do you go about winning some of these items?
CORNELIUS: Well, we've already had close to 8,000 people. So we're very excited, through all our campuses. Basically you come in, you register at the beginning of the service. At the end of the service we take all of those registrants and put them in a giant pile, a box, spin them around and then pull a name and literally you could show up and an hour later leave the new owner of a car.
HOLMES: Now, I assume you're going to preach the word before you start giving out gifts, because you don't want the pews to be empty.
CORNELIUS: Absolutely that's the entire point of this, is that we're giving out gifts so that we can talk about ultimate give away, which is just John 3:16, for god so loved the world that he gave his only son, the greatest give away of all time.
HOLMES: What do you expect the attendance to be like next week, after this weekend, after this big crowd?
CORNELIUS: I don't know. We're expecting a bump. We think we're going to still retain quite a few people. That's our goal. And we should have between 15 to 20,000 this weekend. And I think we'll still have quite a few people coming back the next week as well.
HOLMES: Tell me what you think about the idea, some people that are probably going to show up tomorrow, not your regular parishioners, people who just heard about this, want to get their hands on something. What do you think about that idea of some just showing up to take advantage of a give-away?
CORNELIUS: That's exactly who we want.
HOLMES: That's who you want.
CORNELIUS: That's who we want because they're the person that's thinking about the material side of things and not the spiritual side of things. And it gives us the chance to tell them about God and his love and tell them about heaven and just giving the opportunity to receive Christ.
HOLMES: Are you worried that some of that message might go in one ear and out the other and then the money goes out the door? CORNELIUS: We're really not worried about that. We're excited about it. We're just grateful to be able to lead people with a gift as well. In fact, everybody that comes leaves a winner, they leave with several hundred dollars worth of items, worth of coupons in their envelope that we're giving everyone. So everyone leaves a winner. But the ultimate reason is to point people to Christ. That's why we're doing it. We've already seen over 500 people make commitments to the lord. That's the whole point behind it.
HOLMES: Bil, what do you think it says about us these days? This day and time, that it takes something like this to bring certain people in to church. Just what does this say about us all, the society as a whole?
CORNELIUS: I think it says that frankly we're not heavenly minded so it's funny how we've been giving heaven out for free thousands of years in churches and suddenly the church adds a car and a bike to it and the whole world goes crazy. This helps us say you know what, this car is nice but it's going to rust and it's going to die one day and it's not going to work one day but heaven is forever. It points us to a greater opportunity to tell them about the love of God.
HOLMES: We're going to let you go now but we can't help but notice, is that a car up on stage? Is that one of the give-away cars?
CORNELIUS: We just gave away that Audi A-4 last night to somebody. All weekend long we're giving cars and we're also giving 300 bikes to children in one of the roughest areas of our city. We're very excited about that. Again, I'm just really proud of our people who are so generous to make this happen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: And now church services without the church. Yes, that's right. Any old computer can transport you to the church of Facebook. It's Internet worshiping. It is all the buzz. Supporters are hoping that this new trend will attract a massive congregation.
Here's CNN's Carol Costello.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): God's house, a place with far less room than say a church on Facebook.
COSTELLO (on camera): How many parishioners do you hope to gather in the church of Facebook?
JOEL HUNTER, SENIOR PASTOR NORTHLAND: It is literally unlimited.
COSTELLO (voice-over): It is conceivable as one church official put it, if Facebook were the country, it would be the third largest in the world.
HUNTER: There are a whole lot of people who are believers who would be believers if it weren't for having to walk into a church building. The suffering you have to go through.
COSTELLO: Pastor Joel Hunter is senior pastor of Northland he boasts a congregation of 18,000 people that worship the old-fashioned way. He hopes to attract thousands more by creating a new church available only on Facebook.
HUNTER: Call it an outgrowth of church 2.0. The thing in worship.
COSTELLO (on camera): Even President Obama practices a version of church, 2.0. He worships in part by a blackberry.
COSTELLO (voice-over): Hunter is one of a group of pastors who e- mail the President.
HUNTER: What I do is take a portion of scripture and device a commentary, explain that and how that might be relevant for a Christian who is trying to follow Christ. And I hit send. And there it is.
COSTELLO: Hunter has lately sent passages from the gospel of Mark.
HUNTER: The lessons are always relevant to anyone, anywhere. And so what applies to you and I also applies to him because he is a person. He is not just President. He is a person.
COSTELLO: Pastor Hunter's e-mail servants are just one way the President worships outside of a traditional church. Some insists this could be an effective way to God. Others aren't so sure. John Acuff uses a satirical blog called "Stuff Christians Like to Inspire Spirituality" online.
JOHN ACUFF, STUFF CHRSTIANS LIKE.NET: I think the Internet is a great starter, I don't know if it is the best finisher.
COSTELLO (on camera): Like other relationships that start online like match.com.
ACUFF: Eventually, the people that meet on match go to dinner. You know eventually when you interact on craigslist to buy something, you go to that person's house. And every other interaction online, there is some level where you make it real if it is meaningful and significant.
COSTELLO: If that happens the world of church, 2.0 will be more online success in a country where fewer and fewer people feel the need to go to church at all.
(on camera): The idea here if you feel uncomfortable or like a sinner just walking into church, you can attend church online on Facebook with your friends. As Pastor Hunter told me, a building means nothing. You can worship anywhere.
Carol Costello, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE) MALVEAUX: And CNN NEWSROOM continues with Fredricka Whitfield.
