Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Defending Jared Loughner; Halfway to Sainthood; Gold Mining Journey; Challenges Facing Black Children; Memorial for Richard Holbrooke

Aired January 14, 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: OK. We start the hour in Tucson, Arizona where about four busloads of judges made the trip to say good- bye to a colleague. Extremely tight security today at the funeral of federal judge John Roll, one of the six people killed in Saturday's shooting rampage.

Among the mourners, Arizona governor Jan Brewer, senators John McCain and Jon Kyl. Former vice president Dan Quayle. We've just heard senators McCain and Kyl plan to introduce legislation to name a new federal courthouse in Yuma, Arizona after Judge Roll.

Doctors at University Medical Center, in the meantime, say Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is opening her eyes more and more. She's also able to carry out more complex movements, both spontaneously and on command.

Another good sign, Giffords' husband told our Dr. Sanjay Gupta that his wife's breathing tube may be removed today. We may have to wait on that news though. The hospital says this morning's medical briefing will be the last, barring a major change in any of the shooting victims' conditions.

Representative Giffords is still listed as critical . The other three remaining patients are all in good condition.

Now to the mystery man in this tragedy. Accused gunman Jared Loughner remains in lockup outside Phoenix. We found out a couple of things this week about how his case will be handled.

The California judge appointed to preside over Loughner's federal trial was picked largely for his experience with federal death penalty cases. And it turns out the lawyer who will represent him is also a veteran of federal capital cases -- the Unabomber, Eric Rudolph, Zacarias Moussaoui. Judy Clarke has defended all of them.

One of the folks who knows Clarke best, personally and professionally, is David Bruck. He's a clinical law professor at Washington and Lee School of Law. He joins me now via Skype.

Let's talk a little bit about Judy Clarke. What's her particular expertise that gets her called upon in all of these serious cases?

DAVID BRUCK, CLINICAL LAW PROFESSOR, WASHINGTON AND LEE SCHOOL OF LAW: Well, she's just a tremendous lawyer, a tremendous criminal defense lawyer and public defender. And by that, I mean she's very, very hard working.

She's brilliant. She's straightforward. She knows how to organize a team to handle a complex case and to get the best out of everybody.

And she is very calm. She's focused. She has no ego. She is just dedicated to the client and to making sure that the story of what led the client to this terrible turn gets ferreted out and then gets told in court.

VELSHI: What kind of -- does it take an emotional toll on people who, like Judy, defend people accused of these heinous crimes?

BRUCK: Well, sure, it takes an emotional toll to begin with just because, like everybody else close to this awful tragedy, you see so much human suffering and misery and heartbreak. And that affects the defense lawyers just like it affects everybody else.

And Judy has an open heart to all of that. She doesn't put blinders on and only see her side of the case. So that takes a toll.

On top of that, it's a tremendous responsibility to have a client's life in your hands. And then in a high-profile case like this, there's all the yapping and noise surrounding you. But Judy has a great ability to just tune all that out and to focus in on looking after her client, which is what she does.

VELSHI: All right. We will watch this develop with interest.

David Bruck, thanks very much for being with us.

David Bruck is a clinical law professor at Washington and Lee School of Law, joining me from Lexington, Virginia.

We've also received a list of the contents of Jared Loughner's pockets. This comes from the Pima County Sheriff's Department. Loughner had two 15-round magazines, a four-inch buck knife, a plastic bag containing currency, a Visa card, and his Arizona's driver's license.

An update now to a story we brought you yesterday, Colorado Democratic Senator Mark Udall's idea of having members of both political parties sit next to each other at this year's State of the Union Address, and it's gaining traction, some positive and some negative. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Udall's suggestion is worth "serious consideration."

Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, Florida Democratic Congresswoman Debra Wasserman Schultz and Arizona Republican Senator John McCain all support it. A few people had more tepid responses.

A spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner said, "Members of Congress choose where to sit at the State of the Union." He would not respond directly to questions about the proposal. A senior GOP congressional aide said, "Quite frankly, we have nine-plus percent unemployment, jobless claims spiked this week, and we're at war. Not sure most Americans care who senators sit next to at a speech."

Well, we always ask for your comments, so we did. It's a mixed bag today.

Jacki posted this on my Facebook: "Mixing seating arrangements is just a cosmetic cure. Without true selflessness and a focus on what's best for the country instead of their political careers, nothing will change."

Laura says, "I think it's a great idea. It will be interesting to see the reactions of individual members of Congress when they can't see if their friends are applauding, standing in ovation, or glowering in disgust."

Christina says, "I think it would provide a one-time artificial spectacle. It's how they vote and their public rhetoric that is meaningful."

And Susan posted this: "This is a fine way to enable members of Congress to express their desire to appear less partisan and begin a process of finding common ground."

Speaking of Americans coming together for a patriotic moment, it doesn't get much better than this. In today's "Sound Effect," an 8- year-old girl singing the National Anthem at Norfolk Admirals hockey game in Virginia doesn't miss a beat when her mike conks out and the crowd comes to a rescue.

(SINGING)

VELSHI: Nice job. Even the hockey players joined in on the singing.

The little girl, Elizabeth Hughes, has been invited back for an encore at an upcoming game. You can bet somebody's going to check the mike out before that happens.

The Vatican answering the prayers of millions of Catholics who consider John Paul II a saint. It's almost answering hair prayers. After the break, we'll look at the man and his miracle with a priest once known as "Father Oprah."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: We all remember these scenes from April, 2005, the funeral of Pope John Paul II. The banner, "Santo Subito," "Sainthood Now."

Well, now has still not arrived, but it is a little closer than ever before. Less than six years after he died, John Paul is being officially credited with a miraculous healing, that of a French nun who suffered from Parkinson's Disease just like the pope did.

The Vatican accepts that Sister Marie Simon-Pierre was cured overnight in June, 2005, after imploring John Paul's intercession. The late pope's beatification ceremony is set for May 1st, one week after Easter. It's the halfway point to sainthood and the latest milestone for a pope who broke the mold.

John Paul II was the first non-Italian pope in 455 years. In his 26.5 years as leader of the Roman Catholic Church, he visited 129 countries, and he himself canonized 482 saints, more than all of his predecessors combined.

We want to talk more about John Paul's journey in this life and after with a man whose own journey made quite a splash. Father Alberto Cutie was a best-selling author and a TV host who came to be known as "Father Oprah" before he was photographed on a beach with a woman who is now his wife.

Today, Father Cutie is an Episcopal priest with a new book called "Dilemma: A Priest's Struggle With Faith and Love." Father Cutie joins me from Miami.

Good to see you. Thank you for being with us.

Before we get to your story, I want your thoughts on John Paul II's story, this journey, a fairly quick journey toward beatification, and ultimately canonization and sainthood. Your thoughts on that?

REV. ALBERTO CUTIE, BEST-SELLING AUTHOR AND TV HOST: I think he's one of the most popular popes in modern history, and certainly was admired so much, especially by young people. I think he inspired me to consider priesthood. So definitely this -- I think it's good news for everyone. And for all of those people who went to his funeral and were there for hours and hours, certainly, I'm sure it's very good news.

VELSHI: Now, he was conservative. He broke a lot of -- he built a lot of bridges, he broke a lot of barriers, reached out to the world, was seen as a great leader. But he was particularly conservative in an era where the Catholic Church had been losing membership on one side because of scandal and on another side because of what seemed to be doctrine that wasn't keeping up with the times.

Did he further the Church's efforts or did he hold them back?

CUTIE: I think he was morally conservative, but socially very progressive. There were a lot of things about him that were progressive when it came to social justice issues.

So this is not a pope that you can put into a box and say, oh, he's conservative. Definitely, he was revolutionary in many things, especially his interest in the Church being involved in media.

And one of the things that John Paul II said often that I'm not sure is practiced too much in today's Roman Catholic Church is that the Church should have a dialogue with the world. In other words, that there should be a two-way dialogue, and that's where the dialogue I think is broken. Oftentimes, the Church makes pronouncements, and it's very good about making pronouncements, enforcing rules, but it doesn't really listen to what's happening in contemporary society. That was probably one of the weaknesses not just of this pope, but of the contemporary Church. VELSHI: Now, your indictment of the Church in your book, "A Priest's Struggle With Faith and Love," is pretty harsh. You have called the Church stuck in the past, and you've said that it was often inhumane.

Is that from personal judgment?

CUTIE: That has to do with my personal experiences for 25 years, Ali. I was discerning and studying to be a priest for about eight years, and about 15 years in ordained ministry, and I saw the way that priests are treated. Not just the priests that do very well and raise lots of money and make parishes run well and ministries run well, but also the priests who have weaknesses and problems. Sometimes the Church is very, very harsh.

So I don't think that this is an attack on the Church. On the contrary, I think this is an analysis of someone who lived within it, someone who continues to love the Church. I didn't become an Episcopalian because I can't stand the Roman Catholic Church. I became an Episcopalian because, ideologically, I think priests should be allowed to be married. I think priests should be able to talk to people who are sitting in the 21st century, according the issues they're dealing with.

I don't think people who use contraception are committing a mortal sin and they can't go to communion, or people that are remarried after a bad experience. I think there's a lot of things that the Church says to people that unfortunately keeps people away. And I think if you look at the gospel and the message of Jesus, it's all about bringing people in, and the Church keeps a lot of people away because of all of its impositions that have nothing to do with the bible.

VELSHI: Father Cutie, tell me about your life now.

CUTIE: Well, I'm now a married man. I married the woman of my dreams, who is my wife. And we have a child. I have a 5-week-old baby at home.

VELSHI: Congratulations.

CUTIE: But we don't sleep very much. And she's beautiful.

And we're very blessed. We're very blessed to be able to serve God together.

My wife helps me in every aspect of ministry. We have couples classes for couples preparing for marriage and those that are already married. She teaches religious education, the catechism, and we work as a team.

And I think that this is how the apostles lived and this is how priests lived for 1,200 years. In the book, I tell the struggle not just of my story, but 100,000 priests who have left to marry. People never talk about that, but it's 100,000 priests who have left to marry and to live the type of life that I'm living now. So this is a big phenomenon.

VELSHI: Father Cutie, thanks for joining us. Good to see you.

CUTIE: Thank you so much.

VELSHI: Father Cutie is an Episcopal priest now. He's a former Catholic priest and the author of "Dilemma: A Priest's Struggle With Faith and Love."

OK. Two miles below the Earth's surface -- that's only the beginning of the journey, by the way -- the gold mining journey. Everybody's talking about gold. Poppy Harlow went to find some, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: I resent Poppy Harlow sometimes because she gets to do all the fun stories that I'd like to do. In today's "Taking the Lead," CNN's Poppy Harlow takes us to a gold mine in Nevada where, by the way, finding gold, it's a little harder than you might think.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your self-rescuer is going to go probably on your right-hand side.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM (voice-over): We're gearing up to go two miles deep into one of the biggest gold mines in the country.

(on camera): I can't believe we're two Empire State buildings down below the surface of the Earth.

(voice-over): And we still have quite a ways to go.

Hunting for gold goes all the way back to 4,000 BC. And today, the obsession continues.

Here, in Barrick Cortez Mine in rural Nevada, more than one million ounces of gold were mined last year alone. That's over $1 billion worth.

DAVE BUNDROCK, MINER: Geology has figured out where the pod borer is. Then they just point us toward it.

HARLOW: But finding gold these days is much more complex and expensive than just, well, panning for it. In fact, you can't even see the gold in this mine.

(on camera): I mean, it's amazing to me to think that this is gold, but it is.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

HARLOW: It's right here. RANDY HAGER, MINER: Yes. You can't see it. It's microscopic.

HARLOW (voice-over): Miners have to drill and blast through layers and layers of rock to reach the gold.

HAGER: There's gold in this. And what I'm going to do is turn this into a pile of muck.

HARLOW: It looks like dirt, but muck is actually gold ore, tiny particles of gold that will eventually make up a gold brick.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to get about 10 truckloads out of here, 10 ounces of gold - 10 to 15 at $1,400 an ounce. And we'll do this several times during a day's work.

HARLOW: Not bad money.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not bad money.

HARLOW: So, after the gold ore is mined, about 400 tons of it goes in massive trucks just like this one. Of that, only four ounces is pure gold. It's taken, it's crushed, then it's taken to the mill, and then it's refined.

JULIUS STIEGER, PROCESS DIVISION MANAGER, BARRICK-CORTEZ: After the ore is crushed and ground, we leach the gold out. From there, we put it in a pressure-cooker environment, high temperature and pressure, with various chemicals, and that pulls the gold out. And this is the final step before pouring the gold bar.

HARLOW: Barrick mines gold for around $300 an ounce, and gold is selling for record highs, around $1,400 an ounce. Those big margins mean jobs, something desperately need in Nevada, a state struggling with the highest unemployment and foreclosure rates in the country.

JOHN ALEXANDER, SHOVEL OPERATOR: I can provide for my family. You know? And I don't know any other job in this world that can -- I get paid for what I get paid and survive now these days, the way the prices are.

HAGER: There's job security here with gold that high. Not going to run out of work.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VELSHI: And Poppy joins us now from New York.

Poppy, a good experience. Tell us about the economics of this gold mining.

HARLOW: Yes. Well, you know, so we looked at this as sort of the bright spot of Nevada's economy. Right, Ali?

Driving through rural Nevada, all you really see in terms of business are mining and casinos. And as we said in the piece, Nevada has a horrible economy right now, the highest foreclosure rate, the highest unemployment rate in the country.

Mining is only about one percent in terms of the employment of the entire state. That said, towns like Elko, Nevada, where this mine was -- and that mine employs about 1,000 workers -- towns like Elko have about a 7.6 percent unemployment rate, and that is half the unemployment rate of Nevada. Nevada has got about a 14 percent unemployment rate.

So, all in, towns where they have mining are benefiting hugely from it, especially with this gold boom. I mean, you heard they're selling gold for $1400 an ounce, they're mining it for about $300. So the economics of it are, they are really saving these towns in Nevada that have pretty much nothing else.

And, Ali, I sat with a lot of workers, some you saw in the piece, some you didn't. And I sat with a lot of women that worked in that mine, which really surprised me, and they said this is how my family is able to survive, this is how we carry on right now. So they're all sort of crossing their fingers and hoping that this gold boom continues -- Ali.

VELSHI: All right, Poppy. Great story. Thanks so much for being with us, as always.

HARLOW: You got it.

VELSHI: And remember, check what Poppy's up to on CNNMoney.com. She is very busy.

All right. It is 21 minutes after the hour. Let me update you on developments in our top stories.

(NEWSBREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

VELSHI: All right. Another story for you here. In a country ravaged by AIDS, one woman uses the Internet to redefine family. It is the first CNN Hero of 2011, right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: Happening now:

New potential evidence in the Arizona shooting. Investigators say a black bag found by a teen walking his dog contained 9 millimeter ammunition. The FBI is testing the bag for DNA and fingerprints that could link it to shooting suspect Jared Loughner.

Plus, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave a major speech today on relations with China. This comes ahead of next week's visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao. She said that the U.S. and China have one of the most important bilateral relationships in the world but called for more openness and cooperation.

First, it was "don't ask, don't tell." Now, the U.S. military is focusing on another controversial policy. A commission of high- ranking officers is recommending that the Pentagon drop a ban on women in direct combat.

And a major political development in Tunisia -- facing week of massive anti-government demonstrations, the country's president was forced out of office. State media reports that the prime minister has taken over as acting president. Now, this move came as police in the capital, Tunis, cracked down on tens of thousands of peaceful anti- government demonstrators. Witnesses say officers fired tear gas and beat protesters with a baton. There were also reports of gunfire.

(VIDEO CLIP)

VELSHI: Before the announcement about the prime minister taking over, the Tunisian president declared a state of emergency. He dismissed his cabinet and called for new legislative elections. The president had been in power for 23 years. He has now apparently left the country.

In recent days, police have fired on protesters killing at least 21. The protests were triggered a month ago when a college educated- street vendor burned himself to death after police took away his fruit carts. Demonstrators have also demanded more job opportunities and political reforms.

Many of those who have taken to the streets are educated young people using social media like Facebook and Twitter to call for demonstrations. Also joining them are doctors and lawyers. And for the first time today, there were a large number of women. We'll keep you updated on the history as more information becomes available.

Turning now to devastating and deadly flood in Brazil. Officials say more than 500 people have been killed and they expect the death toll to climb. Here are pictures of one dramatic rescue.

(VIDEO CLIP)

VELSHI: You can see this woman is lucky to be alive after being pulled from raging floodwaters to safety. Look at that. Heavy rain in the southeastern part of the country has triggered massive mudslides, which have completely buried several villages that were perched on mountain slopes.

The pictures you see now show the destructive power of those mudslides. Numerous people are still on the mountain slopes or on river banks. They've been cut off from rescuers. They're facing serious risk of being washed away. One resident described the disaster as a tsunami that fell from the sky.

Well, Australia, we've been telling you about this, too -- a lot of floods in the southern hemisphere. Australia is another country struggling against that flooding. Water today is finally receding in parts of hard hit Brisbane, the capital of Queensland state. These pictures show damage in a Brisbane suburb. The town and many like it are coated in a thick muddy sludge left behind by the worst flooding in some 35 years. At least 16 people were killed. More than 50 are missing. Officials say the death toll will likely rise. In Brisbane alone, more than 20,000 homes were destroyed or severely damaged by the flooding. Officials say cleanup will take months.

Well, now, it's time for the first CNN hero of 2011. Her name is Amy Stoke. For hundreds of kids who've been left without role models, she's using the Internet to redefine the word family, building meaningful relationships between teens in Africa and caring adults from all over the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMY STOKES, CHAMPIONING CHILDREN: Are you going to help me do this other one?

In 2003, my husband and I went to Johannesburg and we adopted our son.

Here you go.

HIV/AIDS has really decimated some of these communities.

Seeing all of the children and so few adults to help them grow up, with none of the adults you care about has ever lived past 35, then why would you think you can? Why would you stay in school? Why would you invest in yourself?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tell me something good that happened in school will week.

STOKES: I had to find a way to bring the caring, nurturing effect of other adults for that child to invest in themselves.

I'm Amy Stokes. I use the Internet to create a global village where the mentors and kids can interact face to face on a regular basis.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi. How are you?

LESLEY YANIV: How was your day at school? Did you work in the garden?

STOKES: That mentor shows up every week, a relationship starts between one person here and one person there, and then that relationship expands.

My mentor is so good, I like him very much.

Because they want to connect with that special someone, they're going to learn keyboard skills. The skills that they will need to have jobs and to be able to do whatever they need in the future.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At first I was nervous. OK, I love you.

YANIV: Love you, too. Bye. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's part of my family and also part of my life.

STOKES: It's a bite-sized opportunity to change the world. And there's no commute.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VELSHI: Remember, all of this year's CNN heroes are chosen from people you tell us about on the CNN Web site. To nominate someone you think is changing the world, go to CNNHeroes.com.

OK. Hold the fries and cut back on the pizza. School lunches are going to take on a much healthier look. More on the major cafeteria overhaul after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: All right. No more salty fries and greasy pizza for lunch. The USDA is rolling out its first major nutritional overhaul of school meals in over 15 years. Now, this pushes to cut down on salt and fat and add more whole grains, fruits, vegetables. Kids will be limited to only one cup of starchy vegetables a week and fewer calories per meal.

So, why do this?

Well, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says something has to be done to cut down on childhood obesity.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, about a third of kids age 6 to 19 are overweight or obese. That's about 25 million kids. That number has tripled over the past few decades.

The new proposed guidelines would put calorie limits on school meals. This is a first for the USDA, by the way. It would also reduce the amount of sodium in meals over time and ban most trans fats. Kids would only be served low or nonfat milk, and more foods would have to be made with whole grains.

Now, in an effort to improve school breakfast, cafeterias would serve both a grain and a protein for breakfast versus one or the other. Some schools have already put a few of these new rules in to place, but others say that these efforts are going to push their already stretched budgets over the limit. We all know it costs more to eat better.

When these guidelines are finalized, schools will have to meet the requirements in order to get government reimbursements on school meals.

OK. In "Chalk Talk" today, we're going to look at the state of black children in America, students. Research from the Children's Defense Fund shows that 85 percent of black children cannot read or do math at grade level, and later, almost half drop out of school. All right. Some of the children part of the study sponsored by the Defense Fund share some of the struggles that they face each day in school. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Some of the schools don't have any desks and paper and stuff like that.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: When I walk around my school, I don't see a lot of, you know, teachers trying to help kids.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

VELSHI: Joining me now from Washington is Marian Wright Edelman, the founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund.

Marian, thanks very much for being with us.

MARIAN WRIGHT EDELMAN, FOUNDER AND PRES. CHILDREN'S DEFENSE FUND: Thanks for having me.

VELSHI: Those numbers are shocking. I mean, I know you guys conducted the study -- 85 percent of black children are not reading at grade level?

EDELMAN: Well, 85 percent of black children in fourth grade can't read or compute at grade level. But over 80 percent in eight and twelfth grade can't read or compute at grade level. And as you already said, over half -- almost half drop out of school.

This is a sentence to social and economic death, and we've got to improve schools and education. It's among the top four issues that black parents in the Peter Hart survey said was of deep concern.

VELSHI: OK. Where are these kids being let down, because we talk about public education every day. So, there's some sense that in the public system across the country, with some exceptions, kids are being let down. Where is that more pronounced for black children?

EDELMAN: Well, I think the public schools are failing the majority of its poor and black and minority children and they've got to do better. But there's a great deal of call to action on the part of families and parents, because parents still are the most important people in children's lives.

Now three issues, particularly two new issues dropped to the top -- came to the top of the Peter Hart poll. They're deeply concerned not only about education, but about the unjust criminal justice system and the fact that a black boy today who was born in 2001 has a one in three chance of ending up in prison.

They're deeply concerned about unemployment and the fact that 43 percent of young black males under 30 have -- are unemployed and the prospects if you're a school dropout for employment in this country in this globalizing economy are almost zilch. Kids have to stay in school.

And the other concern, which was there in the Peter Hart poll done for us 16 years ago which is still there at the top of the list is concern about violence and about drugs. And we really do have to confront the violence in children's lives. We lost 3,042 children of all races and classes last year, but black boys, for the first time, have seen their gun violence rates go up. We've got to deal with guns and we've got to deal with violence in our communities because children don't feel safe.

VELSHI: Marian, on the chart that we were just showing on TV, which sort of asked in the survey who is letting these kids down the most and who can do the most to help them, parents top both of those.

EDELMAN: Parents top both of those and parents are the most important people in children's lives, and children need positive role models at home, they need them in other community institutions. And too many adults have gone AWOL in our country and too many children are struggling to raise themselves or are without enough adult supports, and that's one thing we have got to change. And we have to start in the family, but it's also got to be there in the schools, it's got to be there in the community.

But you know, parents who are struggling to make a living in an economy where there are very few jobs, we've got to deal with the structural changes in the economy and the impact it's had on families in the black community, but all over.

VELSHI: All right, so when you put it all together, it's logical. Kids need parents to do more, but the unemployment rate amongst blacks is higher than it is in the national population by about 50 percent, if not more. And then when you break that down by men and women, it's yet higher. So a black man has got a much bigger chance of being up employed in this country.

OK, so we've got that. Are you able to glean potential solutions, because we're looking if more parental involvement in a tough economy from parents who might be struggling and having to hold down two jobs or maybe a single parent household? What do we do to compensate to that?

EDELMAN: Well, what we're doing now is just a call, issuing a call to action for the black community and for all the country to look at the fact that majority, seven in ten black adults, believe that children, black children are in very bad shape or worse off or not in good shape and face very tough times and we've all got to see and hear these children act. We've got to address the education issues. We've got to focus on achievement in our homes. We have got to stand out there and say jobs, job, jobs is absolutely essential.

But we know what to do in lots of ways. And one of the things that we've done now is to call together the leaders of major, major black nominations, or major black organizations, and they have come in response to this and we're laying out a series of thing it is to do.

Setting up after school programs and some illiteracy programs, which are making a difference, like Freedom Schools, the Harlem Children's Zone. The comprehensive approach of trying to begin to deal with a broad range of problems that Jeff Canada (ph) at my board here does is one of the things we want to sort of take to scale and put into policy.

Setting up mentoring and tutoring programs. Really confronting violence and really confronting school policies like zero tolerance that are throwing children out of school for nonviolent offenses which encourages them to drop out.

There are a range of solutions and we put them up on our website, www.childrensdefense.org, but the main things that we need to begin to have a call to action and every adult that works says we've got to put our children first, we've got to be good positive role models. But we've also got to speak up for children and we've got compete with the drugs and the gang dealers because we've got this institutions that can solve these problems, but we have got to put children first.

VELSHI: Very interesting the way you say that, we've got to compete with the gangs and the drug dealers.

Marian Wright Edelman, what a pleasure to talk to you. Thanks for being with us. Thanks for the gusto that you bring to this. We've got to treat it as a competition and a fight, we'll do it. Thank you.

EDELMAN: Thank you.

VELSHI: I will link to Children's Defense Fund on my blog, you can check it out there.

Hey, 48 minutes after the hour. Let me bring you up to speed with some of the top stories developing this hour.

The funeral for another victim of the Tucson massacre wrapped up just a short time ago. That was the funeral for Federal Judge John Roll. It was held at the same church where the youngest victim's funeral was yesterday. Among the mourners were many judges who knew or worked with Roll during his nearly 40 years on the bench.

Meanwhile, an aide of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords who was shot twice is out of the hospital. Pam Simon spoke to friends and family a short time ago and she joked that it was worth being shot to meet the president.

Here's an interesting story. Delta now allowing customers to cash in on overbooked flights. Basically, you set the price that you'd be willing to accept to get bumped from an overbooked flight. If your bid is accepted, you get paid. It's a cost cutting move, kind of smart. Delta hopes it will cut down on the number of vouchers that it is gives out when flights are overbooked.

Speaking of cashing in, retailers did just that during the holiday shopping season. The National Retail Federation says holiday sales rose nearly 6 percent year-over-year to $462 billion. That is the biggest percentage gain since 2004. The Federation says, for one thing, retailers hit the right price points.

OK, CNN's John King joins me next with updates on the Holbrooke memorial service and an important Republican National Committee vote in progress right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: In news around Hollywood today, there's a cloud of controversy around the Golden Globes. Two former publicists have filed a lawsuit accusing the group that owns the award shoe of selling nominations to film and TV studios. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which owns the awards show, released a statement saying that the allegations are completely without merit.

Martha Stewart had a little run-in, by the way, with one of her dogs, Francesca (ph), this week. According to her blog, Martha Stewart says she leaned over to whisper to her dog startling the sleeping dog causing her to head butt Martha. She had to go the emergency room -- how big is this dog? She ended up needing stitches for a gash in her lip.

And the trend of pregnant Hollywood stars continues. Selma Blair, known for her roles in "Cruel Intentions" and "Hellboy" confirmed that she's expecting a child with her boyfriend of about a year, fashion designer Jason Bleick. (INAUDIBLE) say his name.

Time now time for a CNN "Political Update." John King always knows these things about popular culture that I don't know.

A memorial service, though, about to get underway for veteran diplomat Richard Holbrooke. John, this is -- it's been awhile since he passed away, but there are a lot of big names going on to this thing.

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, he died back on December 13th, Ambassador Holbrooke did, a veteran diplomat, as you noted, 69 years old. And there are a lot of VIPs going because of the breadth of his service, it goes back before the Clinton administration, but that was when he made his mark on the Bosnia negotiations, of course he was the president's top liaison for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Among those who will be there, the president of the United States, the vice president of the United States, Secretary of State Clinton, former President Clinton, president of Pakistan also in town for that service, Ali. A moment of remembrance for Dick Holbrooke a bit later this afternoon.

Another big issue going on here, should David Petraeus, the general who led the Iraq surge and now is leading the effort in Afghanistan, should he get a fifth star. There's an outside group, Vets for Freedom they're called, that wrote an op-ed in "The Wall Street Journal" saying General Petraeus deserve as fifth star. He would become only the 12th Army general to get -- he's one of 12 four star Army generals right now. The last general to get a fifth star was Omar Bradley back in 1950, it took a special law. Watch how that one plays out. Some wonder if he got a fifth star now while on active duty, he's outrank the Joint Chiefs. So a bit of a controversy, but an interesting tribute to General Petraeus.

And lastly, there's a Republican National Committee chairman vote, Ali, you've been dealing with this all day. The third round is about to happen. After two rounds, two rounds, you need -- I should say this -- you need 85 plus one of the 168 members to win. Reince Priebus, he's an attorney from the Midwest, he has 52. Michael Steele fell to 37 in this second round, several others behind him there. We're watching this one play out throughout the day. Who will be the next Republican National Committee --

VELSHI: And when are we going to get the results for that?

KING: We should get it -- well, you got to get there, so they keep going and going and going. We should get it late it this afternoon. We'll see who drops out. Once people stop dropping out, then it moves more quickly.

VELSHI: All right, John, thanks very much. John King.

Your next update from "The Best Political Team on Television" just one hour away.

All right, when we come back, I'm going to talk about something very dear to me. It's the plight of the 99ers, people who have been on unemployment so long that they've run out of all their benefits. I've got a very personal story for you on the other side.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: Time now for "The XYZ of It."

Today, I want to revisit a topic that's been dear to me, the fate of the so-called 99ers, the long-term unemployed who have exhausted the 99 week limit on their jobless benefits.

I bring this up because a follower on my Twitter account, Richelle (ph), posted a desperate note from one of those 99ers. In it, he seemed to suggest suicide as a solution for his jobless despair because there are no tier-five unemployment benefits to help him along after more than two years without a job. Let me read you want someone named Bud (ph), apparently, wrote.

"I'm tired of ranting and railing against the media, the politicians, the bankers, the CEOs and all the rest who contributed it to the abbreviation of my life.

"I'm tired of the struggle, the meaningless attempts to find gainful employment, to sell myself to others who aren't interested.

"I'm tired of being talked to and treated and looked down upon as a big loser because I lost my means of supporting myself at the age of 55. "I'm seven years away from Social Security benefits and a union pension, so that's not enough have to hope for. Seven years living as a homeless man at my age and with my health is impossible.

"I'm so damn tired of being a 99er. Had there been a tier five, I might have survived to be tired a while longer."

That's the end of what I'll read you.

Bud's website isn't working right now, but my producer has made contact with him and spoken with him and he's OK. Bud is one of an estimated 5 million 99ers across America and the latest legislative compromise worked out by President Obama and congressional Republicans to extend those jobless benefits, well, they do nothing to help the 99ers. Nothing. Bud and other 99ers feel alone and left out.

Bud, I think you're listening, so hang in there. You're not forgotten by everyone. You're if our heart and thoughts.

That's it for me. Brooke Baldwin takes it from here.