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Tucson Shooting Investigation Update; Words That Heal; Gun Laws Around the World

Aired January 13, 2011 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: It is 2:00 in the East. It is noon in Tucson, Arizona, where we have several updates both on the memorials, the condition of Representative Gabrielle Giffords, and the investigation into how this all happened.

Susan Candiotti joins me now on the phone with some developing news.

Susan, what have you got?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Ali.

Well, we have found out from the police that they have found what may be the black bag that they've been looking for since this incident occurred. They found a black bag that the suspect in the shooting case, Jared Loughner, had been carrying, according to his father, the morning of the shooting.

When the son showed up at the house, the father asked him, "What are you doing with that black bag?" He couldn't understand his son's answer. His son left the house on foot, and the father followed him in a pickup truck, but could not find him, and only said that he thought his son went off somewhere in the desert.

Police have been looking for days for the black bag. Well, today, they got a call this morning from a young man, a teenager, who was walking his dog in the area of that house, in the desert area.

He found a black bag in sort of a dry riverbed area. And he picked it up and he took it over to a friend's house, who called the police, and now they have retrieved this bag.

They don't know for sure whether it's the right one, but of course it could be a key piece of evidence if it is. They'll be testing it for a forensic lead, to look for fingerprints, to look for any DNA, any hair, any fibers, this kind of thing, to see whether this was the one that he left the house with that day -- Ali.

VELSHI: All right, Susan. Thanks very much. I know you're working on every little development that comes out of this as we all try and understand a little bit more about it.

Let's go to some live pictures of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Tucson, Arizona. You will see, because there are a number of cameras covering this service, you'll see the shots changing a lot. But an hour from now, the funeral mass will be said for 9- year-old Christina Taylor Green, who was born on September the 11th, 2001. And she was killed in that rampage targeting U.S. congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords last Saturday.

Now, if you did not hear President Obama's address last night at the memorial service for the Tucson victims, you have probably heard about it today. It's been talked about extensively. I think more than most of us expected it would be.

He gave voice to the nation's pain. He gave comfort to the shattered families. And he gave hope for our common goals.

That part is almost expected. But it is something that happens to almost every president in their own way. Let's listen in to some past presidents.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RONALD REAGAN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger honored us for the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved good- bye, and slipped the surly bonds of Earth to touch the face of God.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: One thing we owe those who have sacrificed is the duty to purge ourselves of the dark forces which gave rise to this evil.

(APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: They are forces that threaten our common peace, our freedom, our way of life. Let us teach our children that the God of comfort is also the God of righteousness. Those who trouble their own house will inherit the wind. Justice will prevail.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I can hear you. I can hear you, the rest of the world hears you, and the people of --

(APPLAUSE)

BUSH: And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want to live up to her expectations. I want our democracy to be as good as Christina imagined it. (APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: I want America to be as good as she imagined it. All of us, we should do everything we can do to make sure this country lives up to our children's expectations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELSHI: Increasingly, since last night, supporters and critics of the president have talked about this as a turning point for the president, maybe a defining moment for the president, and maybe who we are as a nation, the politics that we are engaging in today.

Joining me to talk about this a little bit more, Roland Martin. He's an author, a commentator and CNN political analyst. He comes to us via Skype from Silver Spring, Maryland.

Pete Dominick, Sirius XM host and a CNN contributor, he's in New York.

Mark Thiessen is a "Washington Post" columnist, a former speechwriter for President George W. Bush. He's in Washington.

Karen Tumulty is a national political reporter for "The Washington Post," also in Washington.

I want to start with you, Mark. You are a former speechwriter for President Bush, not often someone who compliments President Obama. But last night, in that event, unusual though it was, because we thought it was going to be a memorial service, and it had overtones -- there was cheering and there was a lot of clapping -- you felt that the president achieved two things in his speech. In fact, you describe it as being two speeches in one, brilliant and courageous.

Tell me from your normally critical perspective of President Obama why you think so.

MARK THIESSEN, COLUMNIST, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Well, first of all, there was two speeches.

The first speech was a traditional memorial address like the one -- some of the examples you just showed, where he told the stories of the victims and shined a light on them. And I think that was very important, because the light had been -- the spotlight had been taken away from the victims and from the heroes and focused on this terrible debate that unfurled almost hours after the attacks, trying to lay blame on political rhetoric, and particularly the Tea Party for causing this tragedy.

And President Obama reclaimed the moment for the victims. It was eloquent. It was really well done.

But then most, presents would have stopped right there, but he went on and did something which I thought was quite courageous, is that he rebuked the people who had taken this debate into the fever swamps, the people who had, within an hour of the attack, been tweeting, saying it was Sarah Palin's fault. And he said that we -- that this -- no one is to blame for this attack. We don't know what was in the mind of this man, and stop pointing fingers.

And in so doing, he really reclaimed this moment for the victims. And I thought it was appropriate, it was courageous, it was genuine, and he deserves credit.

VELSHI: And he spoke a great deal about civility in politics. And I don't know whether that was about the point that we are in, in our politics, which is decidedly uncivil from a historical standpoint, or the incivility that you're talking about, Mark, that has taken place over the last few days.

I want Roland to listen to this carefully and comment on it.

Listen to what the president said about civility in his remarks last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: The loss of these wonderful people should make every one of us strive to be better, to be better in our private lives, to be better friends and neighbors and co-workers and parents. And if, as has been discussed in recent days, their death helps usher in more civility in our public discourse, let us remember it is not because a simple lack of civility caused this tragedy. It did not. But rather because only a more civil and honest public discourse can help us face up to the challenges of our nation in a way that would make them proud.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELSHI: The "them" that he is referring to, Roland, of course are those who were victims of the shooting.

Your thoughts? I know you didn't love -- you don't love the discourse that's occurred after this memorial, but what do you think about whether -- the president's comments there?

ROLAND MARTIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, first of all, I think he's right. This is him going back to Senator Barack Obama running for president when we talked about change and we talked about hope, because people certainly want a more hopeful America.

And I think the audience in that room, that's really what they were focused on. When you felt the energy, when you felt the sense of purpose, they say, look, this isn't just about those who passed away tragically. They were talking about celebrating their life and also the life of those folks who stood and fought on behalf of those who were felled. And so I think the audience was also saying and really urging him on.

The president tried to come out and set a somber tone, but the audience, that crowd moved him to a different place. And I think they gave him a lot more push and a lot more comfort to be able to be bold with his declarations in that speech, as opposed to deliver them in a very somber tone.

So that's why I think a lot of people really made a mistake with how they read that room. It was a powerful moment of that room speaking to freedom and democracy and the celebration of life.

VELSHI: All right.

I want to get the comments from the rest of you on the panel.

I also want to get comments from you, my viewers. I've been getting a lot of them on my blog, on Twitter, and on Facebook.

On Twitter, it's @AliVelshi. On Facebook, it's Facebook.com/AliVelshiCNN.

Continue the discussion, we will, in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: I've been asking a lot of people for their comments on Twitter and Facebook. Earlier, I got one from Nick, which says -- we're talking about the speech -- he said, "I think it's up there with Reagan's Challenger speech; Clinton at Oklahoma City; Bush at the National Cathedral" -- that was September 14, 2001 -- "It could be a turning point for his presidency much like Clinton after Oklahoma City."

Earlier, Karen Tumulty, you said something very interesting to me. You said he managed to extend the hand without pointing a finger. You've covered all of these speeches. What do you think this does for us as a nation, and does it carry through?

Is there any benefit to last night's speech other than the fact that it was a good speech at a memorial service?

KAREN TUMULTY, NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Well, I guess maybe I heard it a little bit differently than Mark did. I honestly didn't hear the rebuke in the speech.

To the degree this speech looked backward at all, it was looking back at the lives these people had lived, and honoring them and celebrating them. But the rest of the speech was really looking forward and telling people to sort of dig within themselves and move forward, and honor these people lives by living up to particularly the ideals of this little girl, who is not going to get to live her life.

So, again, I didn't hear the rebuke. To me, there was nothing harsh to this speech at all, as compared to what both sides of our deeply divided country have been doing over the past four days.

VELSHI: And Pete -- let me ask you, Pete. You also -- I guess everybody heard the speech a little differently. And one of the things that you took away from it is you are the father of two young girls. PETE DOMINICK, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Exactly, Ali Velshi.

Last night, my wife put my 6 and 3-year-old to bed. You know, I go in first and mess them all up, and she fixes it all, whatever I broke. And then she walked into the room, and there I was on the couch, waterworks, man, just crying, tears coming down my face because I was thinking about this little girl and I was thinking about the president.

And he broke up for just a millisecond. You could hear a crack in his voice when he talked about it, because he has two daughters, one close to her age.

And I'll tell you, here's what I took from this. I think that a good leader should ask the people he is leading or she is leading to do something. And he did.

Last night he said "We should" a number of times. And he asked us to have a civil discourse and a civil debate. We should think for ourselves. We should read. We should look things up.

And then we should debate and have it be civil and have it be respectful. And last night, the president, not unlike what Jimmy Carter asked us to do -- and I think presidents have enough -- he said we should have this discourse. And he asks us to do something. And I agree, and I think that we should.

VELSHI: Hey, Roland, final comment.

Earlier, Pete had said -- keep it short. I've got to get out of here fairly soon. But Pete had said he actually liked the tenor of the memorial.

A lot of people were very confused by it last night because there was clapping and there was cheering and things like that. And you used the term "home-going." Tell us what you mean.

MARTIN: Many African-Americans' funerals are home-going services, more like a celebration of somebody's life, where you have laughter, where you have tears, and where you have people talking about just the beautifulness of their life. And the president talked about some of those moments where he mentioned an individual story about each person that passed away.

So I thought the audience was more hopeful. They were energized. They said, look, we've been mourning for four days, but this was an opportunity to celebrate life, the people who saved lives, those EMT workers, but also the people who stood there and helped others. And that's why I thought it was so beautiful.

There was no need for it to be somber and quiet. It was great to have that kind of energy and passion for life and freedom.

VELSHI: Thanks to all of you.

Roland, good to see you. Pete Dominick, from XM Sirius Radio, CNN contributor.

Mark Thiessen, former Bush speechwriter, a columnist with "The Washington Post."

And Karen Tumulty, "Washington Post" political reporter.

Thanks to all of you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

VELSHI: Hey, listen, it's Thursday, which means it must be "Q&A" day. CNN International's Richard Quest joins me live for a look at gun laws around the world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" and CNN NEWSROOM coming together around the world. It's time for "Q&A."

Hello, Richard.

RICHARD QUEST, HOST, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS": Hello.

This is our first time that we've been together in the new year. But each Thursday, we do come together to talk business, travel, innovation on "Q&A."

Well, today, we are branching out in a very different direction due to the events that have taken place in Tucson this past weekend.

VELSHI: And our topic is gun laws around the world.

Richard, let's start with you. You've got 60 seconds.

QUEST: And the gun laws and the point I want to make in this part of the program is really this -- usually major events like Tucson do lead to reform of the gun laws in different countries.

Let's start in Australia, for example, where in Port Arthur, in 1996, 35 people were killed in a gun massacre. Now, in that case, it led to the federal ban in Australia for self-loading weapons and pump- action shotguns. In the United Kingdom in 1987, it was Hungerford and Dunblane in 1996. In both cases, multiple deaths led the authorities to ban certain types of shotguns or certain types of self-loading rifles.

It doesn't always work that way. Take, for example, Germany, which has some of the strictest rules in the world.

But, still, in the last decade, Ali, they have had two scenes of mass murder. It makes you think, what is the relationship between laws and the events? VELSHI: And, in fact, Richard, the rest of the world may be correct in thinking that the U.S. doesn't have those sort of reactions to gun freedom. In fact, gun freedom defenders in the United States go to great lengths in the aftermath of events like these killings in Arizona, or at Virginia Tech in 2007, or in 1999, at the Columbine High School, to point out that these are the acts of the mentally deficient, or of loners, or of those with a specific societal or political grudge.

Now, Richard, in fairness to the United States, there have been instances in which tragedy gave a boost to more restrictive laws in this country.

The assault weapons ban of 1994 banned the manufacture and sale of certain semiautomatic weapons and high-capacity magazines, including the 33-bullet magazine used by the alleged Arizona killer. But that ban expired in 2004. A few U.S. states have kept some of its provisions in place.

Now, contrary to what some people in the world may think, Richard, Americans do have restrictions on firearms they can buy, including on fully automatic guns, short-barreled shotguns, some rifles and silencers. But generally, Richard, if you are of good conduct and sound mind in the United States, you can own a legal handgun after a short background check.

And despite how it may look to the rest of the world, this is a right that is under constant debate in the United States -- Richard.

QUEST: And it is that right, that Second Amendment right, that perhaps, Ali, distinguishes everything in the United States from the way it is viewed in the rest of the world. And that's why you and I are talking about it today.

Now, normally at this point, "The Voice" would kick of our quiz challenge. Of course, today we're not going to do anything like that.

Today, because of the shootings in the U.S., which sparked so much discussion around the world, we're going to look at it in a bit more detail still.

VELSHI: Now, as you said, often there is a lot of confusion and misinformation about divisive issues like gun control. So what we want to trade questions between ourselves and answers about gun laws around the world to educate ourselves a little bit.

Richard, it's a good thing we're not quizzing today because I probably would have lost. I learned all sorts of things that I didn't know about gun laws around the world.

You start first.

QUEST: All right. We're going to start in Japan, Ali.

Japan -- did you know that they are widely considered to have some of the world's tightest firearms restrictions, ultra-strict restrictions? And perhaps that is why the country has -- sees just a handful of gun deaths annually. A big U.S. study a while back put Japan's rate at one per every two million people.

VELSHI: And as you know about the United Kingdom, I come from Canada, so I'll tell you what happens there.

The rules are much, much tighter than they are just across the border in the United States. And they can be a little confusing.

In Canada, there are three classes of guns and licenses: non- restricted, restricted and prohibited. Obviously, nobody gets the prohibited ones. Most rifles, shotguns, hunting things are in the non-restricted category.

Handguns are either restricted or prohibited depending on their power. And, for instance, a pistol with a barrel that is shorter than four inches, something that you can conceal, prohibited in Canada, as is any automatic or converted automatic firearm. Meanwhile, all guns in Canada are subject to a federal weapons registry.

QUEST: One country that is always picked up by the gun lobby outside of the United States is Switzerland. Now, the Swiss are anything but neutral about their guns. Who would have guessed?

Some of their laws are the most liberal in the world. Men between 20 and 34 are required to have guns in their homes in case they're called up by the army. Other citizens can get guns for hunting and obviously fishing and shooting and the like, but they need a license.

VELSHI: That idea of being called up for the Army is reminiscent of the Second Amendment in the U.S. Constitution. Some people interpret the right to bear arms here in the United States as being able to do so to be part of a militia.

Let's go 180 degrees from Switzerland to Mexico, where we all know gun violence is rampant, especially near the U.S. border. But how about Mexico's gun laws?

Some of the strictest, Richard, in the Western Hemisphere. Small-caliber guns for self-defense or hunting are permitted, but they have to be purchased directly from the Defense Ministry. Prospective buyers are subject to this background check and government approval. And it's so restrictive, that so many of the guns used in crimes in Mexico, Richard, are trafficked from America.

QUEST: Now, I'm going to go back right down to Australia, in the South Pacific. I referred a moment ago to Port Arthur.

But Australia, as a result of that, cracked down on firearms. You can get the gun license, but only if you can provide what's called a genuine reason that you need one.

Self-defense doesn't count. No Second Amendment for that. No right to bear arms. All Aussie gun owners must also have secure storage for their weapons. VELSHI: All right. Let's stay in the Southern Hemisphere then. I'll take you to Brazil.

And I have to tell you, I had never really read much about Brazilian gun laws. I did today.

It turns out the minimum age to own one is 25. Guns have to be registered and kept indoors. Now, technically, outdoor carry permits do exist, but they are very, very hard to get.

Didn't know that about Brazil, Richard.

QUEST: I'm going off script for a second, Ali. I want to leave you with one fact --

VELSHI: Yep.

QUEST: -- which I found this fascinating. Violent deaths, armed deaths per 100,000 of the population in the United States, the number is five. If you take Australia, Germany, France, the UK, any other advanced economy, the number is about 1 to 1.2 per 100,000.

VELSHI: Interesting discussion. One that never ends for us, Richard.

QUEST: Remember, you and I are here every Thursday. "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" on my channel --

VELSHI: And in the CNN NEWSROOM right here at 2:00 p.m. Eastern. Keep the topics coming to our blogs. CNN.com/QMB and CNN.com/Ali. Tell us each week what you want to talk about, and we'll see you then. See you next week, Richard.

QUEST: Have a good week.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VELSHI: Well, from hip-hop to fashion to writing best-selling books. I'm talking about Russell Simmons. He's done all of that and much more. I'm going to be talking with him about his inspiring new book live right after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: All right. Happening now, a black bag that may have caused an argument between Tucson shooting suspect Jared Loughner and his father has been turned over to police. It was found by a teen walking his dog.

In about 30 minutes, friends and family will pay their respects to another victim of the Arizona shooting, nine-year-old Christina Green. She was the youngest of the six people who died last Saturday. Just nine years old.

The Northeast is digging out from a winter storm that hit yesterday. Boston has lifted its city snow emergency. Travel conditions remain hazardous across New England. Delta has canceled more than 200 flights today to minimize delays, although that's a lot fewer than they've canceled in the last several days.

Yesterday they were the homes and businesses of the people of Australia's third largest city. Today as flood waters peaked, tens of thousands of homes and businesses in Brisbane which you can see on the right side over there -- oh, wow. Look at those pictures.

It's been devastated. It's been called the worst natural disaster in the history of Queensland state, of which Brisbane is the capital. The Queensland state premier says they now face a cleanup of post-war proportions. At least 15 people have been killed. More than 70 are missing. This is serious.

Joining us on the phone from Brisbane is Matt Corrigan. He's 25 years old. He's lived there are his life. His house is virtually underwater. He's gone from his house. Is that correct, Matt?

MATT CORRIGAN, BRISBANE RESIDENT (via phone): Yes, I am.

VELSHI: Tell me what it looks like. Tell me what's happened to your house and the community in which you live.

CORRIGAN: The suburb I'm in in Fairfield is completely underwater. You wouldn't even recognize it. It just looks (INAUDIBLE). All you see is rooftops poking out at the moment. I haven't been able to go down there this morning. It's a ghost town down there.

VELSHI: What have you been told by the authorities? What information are you getting? What will be done as a result of this flood?

CORRIGAN: Depending on the assessment, we haven't been able to get too much information, but it could take up to two months before we can even get in there and try to salvage anything because there's so much damage and so much debris.

VELSHI: Is it likely that floodwaters are going to rise, or do you think you've seen the worst of it now?

CORRIGAN: I've been told that we have seen the worst of it this morning. But there's always a possibility that we could get another high tide.

VELSHI: And what is the likelihood that your home is salvageable?

CORRIGAN: Not very. From what I've seen when I went and checked yesterday, the water was one foot off from going over the roof. We've lost everything inside. Without going in myself, I won't know.

VELSHI: What are you and people you know, your family, what are you doing to -- to live for the next two months?

CORRIGAN: Luckily I've got really good friends and family. We've got people to stay with so we're close by the house in case the authorities need us. Unbelievable amount of donations and -- just everyone trying to keep up good spirits.

VELSHI: All right. Our thoughts are with you and the people in Brisbane and the surrounding areas that have been affected by the flood. Matt, thanks for joining us and telling our viewers a bit about what you and your family are going through there.

CORRIGAN: Thank you very much.

VELSHI: Matt Corrigan in Brisbane.

Turning now to another country devastated by flooding and mudslides, Brazil. About 400 people were killed when a vast river of mud swept down on their mountain villages north of Rio. Officials say thousands of families living on mountain slopes, and a lot of people do in that area, face extreme risk of being washed away. With even more rain expected, the government has ordered mandatory evacuations for - get this -- 5,000 families. An additional 3,000 families are homeless.

And next to south Asia. In another country battered by deadly flooding. Again, Sri Lanka. Thousands of troops struggling to get desperately needed aid to more than 325,000 people displaced by flooding in a vast area of that nation. Government officials say at least 13 people have died. More than a million are affected. In central and eastern Sri Lanka, farmland is flooded. Rice fields are destroyed. Thousands who fled their homes are living in camps on higher ground.

And tens of thousands of homes and businesses are swamped by flood waters in Brisbane. We talked to Matt about that. We'll keep you posted on what's going on there.

We're taking a break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: The guy I'm about to talk to played a founding role in the hip-hop movement. He has his own recording company, clothing company. He's a best-selling author. "Forbes" magazine recently named Russell Simmons one of Hollywood's most influential celebrities.

Everybody knows that face. They know what he's got to say. His new book is called "Super Rich: A Guide to Having It All."

Russell Simmons joins me now from New York. Russell, good to see you again. I bet your publisher loves the name of that book because you're a rich, successful guy, and I bet you if people buy that because it's got a title that says "I'm going to find out Russell tips on getting super rich." And they will be woefully disappointed if they crack that book thinking that these are Russell Simmons' tips to getting rich. Am I right?

RUSSELL SIMMONS, MUSICIAN/AUTHOR: No, I don't think they'll be disappointed at all, but it is in fact a guide to getting complete control, or at least more control of your life. That - the fact is, if you look inside, there's a lot -- all the strength is there. And lots of times, we have the outside world and the distractions that separate us from our own happiness, but yes, also separate us from our ability to do well or be good givers and good contributors.

And good givers are good getters. So there is that. There is the whole idea that if you're a happy worker, you know, David Geffer (ph) in the mail room or Leo Cohen, my intern who became the president or Kevin Lyle or Julie Greenwald -- stories Brett Ratner who just made everybody happy all the time with such a good giver, such a great servant that he became the president and was a servant still. That's kind of the practice.

So, it's not about how money makes you happy, but it does speak a bit about how happy makes you money. So there is that. But it's about you -- the strength, the inner strength. The follow-up.

VELSHI: Right. And it's also about things that we don't -- we're talking about this economy, the recession that we hope is behind us, and the fact that people are spending more and they're consuming more and that's going to strengthen the economy. Whereas in your book, you're actually saying that consumption and those kinds of things are things that we have to get under control. We have to do less of that. That has to drive us and our economy and our personal lives less than we hope and think it does.

SIMMONS: Well, we think that -- that these things are causes for happiness, but the real truth, it's obvious - each Scripture from every prophet, from every preacher, from every rabbi, they remind you that this truth -- that this is not true.

We want to remember this. You want to go to work. We want our work to be our prayer. Those people can go to work and be dedicated and be good givers, they come out on top. I mean, they come out not only happier but more successful. It's a guide to being more successful, yes. But it's a guide to be more happy first.

It's a follow-up to the last book, which was a bestseller. It's more of a -- it's more of a how-to book. The last book was called "Do You?" Big bestseller. The response was people said it changed their lives for the better. And because of that, this book was written as a how-to book. I think it has a lot of power in it, and certainly the response is that good. So, I'm excited about it.

VELSHI: Let me ask you this, Russell. You are a guy who hit the pinnacle of success. You are the kind of guy who has experienced and been around money, success, famous people.

What part of your spiritualism is involved in this? How did you get spiritual and where are you in that journey?

SIMMONS: I think we're all spiritual beings and we have physical bodies. I mean, in fact, the idea -- when we look inside, we find all our strength and all of our happiness is buried here. There is no happiness on the outside. This is not something new. My practice for 20 years of yoga and the reading of the Scriptures, the yoga sutras and the bible bigita (ph) -- all of those books contributed to this book. But those books, simplifying those simple practices and giving them to people was something I felt that that was my job. I mean, I'd been doing it for so long. It's been beneficial to me.

I think that that basis -- we all wake up in the morning. If we're successful people, we wake up and we decide, what are we going to give today? And not what we're going to get. When we go to work and we're that kind of servant, then we're rewarded.

Jesus taught two sermons. One for the anxiety-filled masses who had to pay the Romans their taxes on time. But his disciples, he told them just give. Be good givers. And those people were much easier for them to have worldly success because, you know - money, for instance, is insecure. You can't chase it. You have to chase your passion.

VELSHI: Let me ask you this. The book is called "Super Rich: A Guide To Having It All." Do you, Russell Simmons, have it all?

SIMMONS: Well, it's a practice. The road to enlightenment is filled with riches. It's true. As we get closer to the space where we're -- super rich is defined as needing nothing. You know, there's those people who live in what we call poverty, but they wake up happy and they live to be 100. There are many friends I can count - probably can count on my hands the billionaires who are know personally who wake up and the stock market jumps and so does their heart. And then it jumps down and so does their heart. I see these people that die in their 50s or 60s.

So, the reality is it is all of what we do is bent on lasting happiness, lasting, stable happiness is our goal in life. I think that if you take these kind of roads, the ones that are simpler and more enriching and promote well-being, then you will be a much better worldly success, but you will have the real success that matters, which is happiness.

VELSHI: Russell, good to see you, as always. Thanks very much for being with us. Hope to talk to you again soon.

SIMMONS: Thank you.

VELSHI: Russell Simmons got his new book out there called "Super Rich: A Guide to Having It All." Interesting read.

All right. I'm going to show you pictures. This is outside of the St. Elizabeth Ann setoff Catholic Church in Tucson, Arizona. We are just moments away from the beginning of the funeral mass, the Catholic funeral mass that will be said for nine-year-old Christina Taylor Green. The flag that has been hoisted there is the national 9/11 flag. It was a big flag that flew over the site of the World Trade Center. Obviously, it was tattered, it was reassembled by tornado victims in Kansas about seven years later. It's been on tour across America. It's been sent there to fly over Christina's funeral mass.

We'll continue our coverage of that. You'll see that live here on CNN.

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VELSHI: Time now for a CNN political update. Newt Gingrich has his eyes on South Carolina. Why? Let's ask CNN chief political correspondent Candy Crowley, who joins me now from Washington. Hey, Candy.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: How are you, Ali? Yes. Newt Gingrich is going back to South Carolina again. But in advance of that -- remember, if you're thinking about running for president, which the former speaker says he is, it is never too early to start kissing up to a state that's really important.

So in a pre-interview before he goes and visits South Carolina to make a speech, the speaker talks about - the former speaker talks a lot about -- how South Carolina is so pivotal and particularly to Republicans. It is true. We have always called South Carolina kind of the firewall for Republican candidates who are running for president. You will recall that George Bush got beat pretty badly by John McCain in New Hampshire and went down to South Carolina and won down there, and Bush -- then it was fairly easy going after that. And then this last time around, John McCain became the nominee by first winning in New Hampshire and then solidifying things in South Carolina. So, it's a pretty important state. And Newt Gingrich touching all the bases as he makes that decision.

Also kind of trending on our ticker, we are now also learning a little advice for Sarah Palin from Chris Christie. There couldn't be two more different Republicans, I don't think, at least in terms of their approach. And Chris Christie thinks that Sarah Palin ought to get less scripted and ought to get out there and meet with people if she wants to run for president. He told "The New York Times," look, if she wants to run, she has to get out there and get off the scripts and get out of the confined settings that she's controlling and really talk to the people. Something Chris Christie does do.

Also a new poll. Quinnipiac now has the president running at an approval rate of about 48 percent. That's very close to the 50 percent that the president has not seen in more than a year, at least in this Quinnipiac poll. It sort of tracks all of our other polls. Ours included, CNN's included. It shows the president is havomg an uptick in his approval rating. So, pretty good way for him to start out the new year.

VELSHI: Candy, stay with me for a second as we go to live pictures outside of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Tucson, Arizona, where the hearse -- that is the family of Christina Taylor Green who -- nine years old. Born on September 11, 2001. Died on Saturday. The hearse, we believe, is either there or about to pull up with her body for her Catholic funeral mass. The hearse is there. They'll be removing the casket in a moment. Candy, you have watched all of these types of instances. I want to take you back to September 14th, 2001, at the National Cathedral. A speech where President Bush was called upon to do what President Obama was called upon to do last night in the memorial. Sort of try and heal the wounds of a country and deal with a lot of things all at once. What's your take on how -- how the president dealt with that last night?

CROWLEY: President Obama followed in the footsteps of a number of presidents before him who, unlike President Obama, were not necessarily known for their oratory. Certainly George Bush, former president George Bush, was not known as being a great orator. But that speech in the cathedral that he gave post-9/11 was considered one of his best speeches he ever gave.

And I think what's interesting to me is, yes, they both had sort of the same mission, and that is to pull the country together. But for George Bush at that point, what he also wanted to do was to reach out to the Muslim-American community and was to kind of try to control that kind of anger that was rising. But it was a united anger. Whereas with President Obama, he has Americans angry at each other, you know, divided along party lines, religious lines. I think that was probably the more difficult of the two.

But we tend to get presidents who do rise to the task. They get themselves some pretty good speechwriters, but they also feel it. Look, they're Americans, they're citizens, they're fathers, they're husbands. They get this kind of tragedy. And I think both of them in their own way felt touched by the separate tragedies that they were sort of forced to lead the nation through and acquitted themselves very well.

VELSHI: Let's look again at these pictures at the service that is going to begin very shortly for Christina Taylor Green. One of the things that we always wonder -- when you think back to that National Cathedral speech, you think back to President Obama -- President Clinton after Oklahoma City. You think back to President Reagan after the shuttle disaster. How long does the unity that is engendered in these presidents that they try and engender in the public, how long after these funerals are finished like today's and Judge John Roll's tomorrow will -- could that last?

CROWLEY: Not very long, I would suspect. At least if you're talking in the political realm. I mean, I remember doing stories months after -- early after September, the January following the September of 9/11. And writing stories about how this all -- we've all gotten together idea had fallen apart.

Listen, politics as they like to say, ain't being (INAUDIBLE). It's tough and it's rough and people are going to cross the line. But there is something so horribly human about these tragedies that does pull the nation together for a while in mutual mourning and some mutual introspection, which is good. But in the end, it is human nature to go back. Maybe you're a little better, maybe the country is a little bit better, but it is largely the same. VELSHI: Right. And if those images we're seeing are the kinds of things that actually make us a little bit better, hopefully we think about what the rhetoric is doing and what's actually happening on the ground.

Candy, thanks very much for your commentary on this. Candy Crowley. We'll have another update, by the way, in an hour.

Let's look at that picture again. What you see there, we do not have the ability to bring you what is happening there because there are a number of people who may have decided that they want this to be a more personal event and are not able to see it. But you can see people carrying that hearse (sic) -- and here comes the casket, carrying the body of Christina Taylor Green, born on September 11, 2001.

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VELSHI: That'll do it for me this afternoon, but there's a lot more going on about the tragedy in Tucson and that service that you just saw. I'm going to hand it over to Brooke now. Brooke?