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Tucson Shootings; Dr. Murray Charged in Michael Jackson Case; Retracing Loughner's Steps; Adoptive Families Reconnect
Aired January 15, 2011 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: This hour, a revealing YouTube video shot by Tucson shooting suspect Jared Loughner. It's one of the reasons his former college suspended him.
In New Jersey, there's a manhunt under way for a police killer. Authorities say the officer was shot close range while sitting in his patrol car.
And the Republican National Committee tosses out Controversial Chairman Michael Steele. The new leader says his top priority is to have an organization in place to beat President Obama in 2012.
We begin this hour in Tucson, Arizona where that city is taking a step closer to trying to return to some normalcy today. The closed sign at the Safeway where Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and 18 others were shot last week was torn down and the supermarket reopened. Several employees said it was important for them to return to the store to get a sense that life is returning to some normalcy after the tragedy.
But now, I want to show you some revealing new youtube video shot by Tucson shooting suspect Jared Loughner. In it you will see the suspect as he tapes himself walking around his former college campus. You will hear him sounding off on a number of things, including illiteracy and freedom of speech. This video when released to the "L.A. Times" after a public records request was made. It had been cited in campus police records as among the reasons college officials suspended the 22-year- old student. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JARED LOUGHNER: All right. So we're examining the torture of students. We are looking at students who have been tortured. Their low-income pay and two wars. The war that we are in right now is currently illegal under the constitution. What makes it illegal is the currency. The date is also wrong. It's impossible to be that date, its mind control. How's it going? Thanks for the b. I'm pissed off.
What's that? [Soft laughing] This is my genocide school. Where I'm going to be homeless, because the school. And here's the cafeteria, where I make transactions. This is Pima Community College one of the biggest scams in America. The students are so illiterate, it affects their daily lives. Here's the best part, the book store, the book store, the book store, the book store. It is so illegal to sell this book under the constitution. We are also censored by our freedom of speech. They're controlling the grammar. They control the grammar. This is the police station. This is where the whole shboozie goes down with illegal activity. If the student is unable to OK the external universe, then the student is unable to locate the internal universe. Where is all my subjects? I could say something right now, but I don't feel like it.
All the teachers that you have are being paid illegally, and an illegal authority over the Constitution of the United States under the First Amendment. This is genocide in America. Thank you. This is Jared from Pima College.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So you're hearing the voice there of the Tucson shooting suspect Jared Loughner, and he apparently shot that material himself. The "L.A. Times" first was able to receive that video and now we have one to show you as much of it as possible, because coming up next hour, we're going to talk to one of the country's leading criminologist about this tape and what it could mean for Loughner's defense.
Arizona Congresswoman Giffords is getting better; she remains in critical condition after being shot in the head. The doctors say Giffords is quote carrying out a more complex sequence of activity, meaning when they ask her to move her arms or legs she actually is able to do that. Part of Giffords' skull was removed to allow for swelling. That portion will remain off for a while and she is breathing with the help of a ventilator.
Three other shooting victims from the Tucson tragedy are still being hospitalized but they are improving as well. Doctors say all three are in good condition.
Another shooting victim is being honored today in Tucson. Friends and family members are expected to pay their respects at a memorial service for Phyllis Schneck; the gathering for the 79-year-old woman is scheduled to begin in about an hour from now.
What happened in the last hour before the Arizona shooting? We're getting a clearer picture of the suspect, Jared Loughner. We retraced his steps, and Michael Jackson's doctor will face trial for involuntary manslaughter. Our legal guys weigh in.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Michael Steele is out as chairman of the Republican National Committee. He dropped out of the balloting yesterday after seeing his support dwindle. Steele was plagued by controversy and criticism and eventually lost favor with party insiders. He will be replaced by Wisconsin GOP Chairman Reince Priebus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REINCE PRIEBUS, RNC CHAIRMAN: With the election over, now is the time for the committee to unite. We must come together for our common interest. For the betterment of our party and our country. With that in mind, I want you to know that I am here to earn the trust and support of each and every one of you. I told you I would serve in humility and work hard and I'm going to start working right now as your chairman.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Priebus went on to say his top priority is building an organization to defeat President Obama in 2012.
More than a year and a half after Michael Jackson's death, Dr. Conrad Murray will now face trial for involuntary manslaughter. We get some insight from our legal guys. Civil rights attorney Avery Friedman in Cleveland and criminal defense attorney Richard Herman in Las Vegas.
The judge not only said there will be a trial for involuntary manslaughter; by the way, I'm revoking your license to practice in California. Is that fair to do that before there's an outcome of the trial?
RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Fred, I don't think it is fair. And I think this judge is already tipped his hand, his bias. I don't think it's fair, and I think the judge has tipped his hand to his bias in this case. What happened to innocent until proven guilty? Why don't they wait until after the trial to see if there is a conviction here before they go after his license? Or let the licensing authorities conduct internal hearings and try to take his license. Why does this judge have the right to automatically strip his license before a final adjudication?
AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: You need a transcript of that preliminary hearing. I don't know how or why this doctor is practicing medicine in the first place. The judge did absolutely the right thing based on the existing evidence. I don't think the judge tipped his hand at all. Irrevocable suspension and try this case where the prosecution has the burden to prove their case without a reasonable doubt. Apples and oranges.
WHITFIELD: OK. Let's talk about L.T. Lawrence Taylor. I know Richard you are a huge fan of l.T., your heart broken. We are talking about now he changed his tune. He is now pleading guilty to two misdemeanor charges involving statutory rape of a 16-year-old girl. Remember emphatically initially when he was arrested, he said no way. I didn't know she was 16. This didn't happen, et cetera. Now he's changed his tune. Is it because he is getting six years probation and had he gone forward with the trial it would have cost more and it would have been most definitely jail time?
HERMAN: Yes. I mean, how do you be convicted of felony charges there he would have gone to prison. His lawyers babbling like a contestant on "Judge Judy" or something, so amateur hour. But I got to tell you, Fred, the greatest linebacker in the history of pro football, it is so sad. The only way he prevented himself from going to prison.
FRIEDMAN: Come on. HERMAN: He became a rat. He went undercover. He worked with the authorities and tried to go after other people and that saved him. He was guilty. The woman came to his room, she was 16. He paid her. He had sex with her, and that's statutory rape to avoid prison he cut this sweetheart deal so he's not going to prison, he is going to register as a sex offender, six years probation. They are going to give him lie detector tests. Let's see what happens in the next six years.
FRIEDMAN: Hold on. Why are you criticizing the defense team? This is a spectacular resolution.
HERMAN: He's a rat. That's why.
FRIEDMAN: Dealing with issues of human trafficking which is a major national problem. A problem in New York, and the fact that he's cooperating with authorities, you might call that, you know, turning him into a rat, I think that's exactly what he should be doing. He should be down on his knees being thankful for that resolution. The defense team did a good job. Believe me if it were any other schmo walking down the street they'd be in the penitentiary, L.T. because of celebrity status walks away and that's not fair, by the way.
WHITFIELD: Wow. That's tough. Tough. Tough, too, says Tom Delay, the former House Speaker, House Leader, he says, you know what? His three- year sentence that he was just hammered with, he says too much. And he's going to try and fight this all the way. He could have gotten ten years, though, Avery. On what grounds will he stay free and it's too much? This is for, you know, conspiracy to commit money laundering by the way.
FRIEDMAN: And money laundering, Fredricka, both of them. The interesting thing is he blamed it on liberals. Liberals. There were 33 witnesses. There were 100 --
WHITFIELD: A judge and jury.
FRIEDMAN: Went to the RNC came back, this was fairly much of a slam dunk and he blames it on liberals. Look, if you look at Tom Delay. If you look at Duke Cunningham, multiyear sentences, it could have been much more serious. The district attorney asked for more. This is a very thoughtful reasoned sentence. It's going to be affirmed in the Court of Appeals.
HERMAN: Fred, this is political partisanship on the sentence. Every similarly situated defendant in Texas got probation for this stuff. But aside from that aside from that, Fred, he's absolutely going to win on appeal. You can take it to the bank. The appellate --
WHITFIELD: What?
HERMAN: The Appellate Court in Texas has already ruled that in order for it to be money laundering it must be cash, not checks. And in this case, they could only prove checks. Therefore, he is 100 percent going to win on appeal. He's not -- this conviction is going to be reversed.
FRIEDMAN: 100 percent?
HERMAN: One hundred percent, guaranteed, man.
FRIEDMAN: OK.
WHITFIELD: I learn so much, who knew it was make a difference, between the check and the cash? I can always guarantee I'll end up a little smarter now because of you.
FRIEDMAN: Right. OK.
WHITFIELD: I love it. Thank you, Richard, Avery always good to see you. Thanks so much and see you next weekend.
We can count on them every Saturday. Also, every Saturday, you can count on a "Viral Video." Jacqui Jeras is at the helm with a preview. What do we have?
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, you know, major winter weather just pummeled the east over the last week, Fredricka. Of course, we are going to have some great snow videos for you, plus this.
She's a little shy, and as you can see, a little cross-eyed. This little possum is a big hit in Germany. She even has her own facebook page.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: You almost never know what makes a video go viral. Sometimes it's a given. Especially in it involves pets. You know a cute kid or something like that. Jacqui Jeras, yes, is here with some viral video. Always guaranteed funny, good stuff when you get kids and pets.
JERAS: We've got cats today. We also have snow. What a week.
WHITFIELD: I know. Everyone's had it, just about.
JERAS: Here's a good reason.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
JERAS: Oh, did you see it? This is why you don't shovel the snow off your roof.
WHITFIELD: Because someone may be down below.
JERAS: Someone could be down below because of a whole avalanche coming down from your roof and take you with it. Tap, tap, that's all it took.
WHITFIELD: I really -- didn't know people were trying to shovel stuff off the roof. Is this unique?
JERAS: You get up to Buffalo; you get four feet of snow.
WHITFIELD: Folks are on their roof and they are shoveling.
JERAS: We try to use a tool so you can be on the bottom. Don't get on the roof.
Unwise. People trying to escape the snow? So you say what do we do with the family pet? Do you put him a kennel? Ask a neighbor? Do you get a dog sitter? Whatever. If you own this dog, you just bring him with you on your skiing vacation.
WHITFIELD: What?
JERAS: Take a look at this.
WHITFIELD: What am I looking at?
JERAS: So cute! He is just standing there. Look. He just fell over and slides down the hill. Take a look at that. Having a good old time on the ski slopes.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. That's cute.
JERAS: Isn't that adorable. Oh, my gosh.
WHITFIELD: That is cute.
JERAS: Over and over and over.
WHITFIELD: That looks like a Lab.
JERAS: Yes. Looks like a Golden Lab.
WHITFIELD: I have a Lab. My Lb on the other hand, this week, would step outside and -- prance around like -- my feet, m paws, and they're cold. What in the world? My pooch.
JERAS: My little Schnauzer wasn't heavy enough to poke through the ice and get through the snow. He was like this. Not of his own volition. Sliding all over the place.
All right. This is some fun stuff. Are you a bowler? Good thing to do in the winter.
WHITFIELD: Don't call myself a bowler, but like it. It's fun. I won't get into scores and all that.
JERAS: Look at this video. This is Josh. You'll see him. He's like, strike after strike after strike. Right. There you go. Got this little -- oh, yes. I got a new one. Then he's going to do a strike again. And he's got this little thing he does at the end. Right? Look at him. The same thing every time. There's the strike. Here's 9 -- yes. Here comes. Oh -- he comes over and -- you got to get the sweat off your hands. Does a little turn with his little drag or whatever, right? Now, watch what happens after he does that. We're going to roll the next tape. Oops. There he goes. Walking back -- yes. He gets a strike in the other lane.
WHITFIELD: Ordinarily, that is a little embarrassing. That has happened to me before.
JERAS: Are you a bumper person?
WHITFIELD: Like I said, don't call me a bowler, I'm not that regular. I've done it a few times and I like it.
JERAS: Amazing. I can't not get a strike. Right?
WHITFIELD: That is cute.
JERAS: Here's my favorite of the day. When you think of cute animals what do you think of?
WHITFIELD: Little kitties, little puppies.
JERAS: Not so much an opossum. Take a look at this video. This is an opossum that is at a zoo in Germany. We were taking video behind the scenes. This hasn't even deviewed to the public yet. Look at it. It's cross-eyed. They're not sure why but they say it's not harmful to the animal. There is video on youtube. They made up a song about this opossum.
WHITFIELD: You are kidding?
JERAS: There's a facebook page about this opossum. It has like 120,000 fans or more, and people just can't get enough of it. Look how cute that is.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
JERAS: It was born in the United States, though, by the way.
WHITFIELD: OK. Let me refrain. I think you watch it, because you really can't believe. Are you staring because you're like, oh, so cute? Or are you staring because, oh, unusual?
JERAS: I'm going with the cute.
WHITFIELD: OK.
JERAS: You?
WHITFIELD: You're going with the unusual.
JERAS: There you go.
WHITFIELD: I'm not saying.
I just think, it does have kind of a train wreck kind of effect. Where you can't stop looking, and I don't know why.
JERAS: All right.
WHITFIELD: But it is in the realm of cute. OK. I'll go with that. Jacqui thanks so much. Very fun stuff.
JERAS: OK.
OK. Well -- what is it, when most people think about ice cream, is it cold? CNN producer Evan Glass shows us how one ice cream shop outside Washington, D.C. is making it through the winter anyway.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want pumpkin --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ice cream is not the first thing on your mind when you're cold. Kids want ice cream regardless of the temperature. Parents not so much.
SUSAN SOORENKO, OWNER, SOORENKO'S ICE CREAM: The season starts the first sort of warmish day in March and immediately the next day after Labor Day business is cut in half. There are two distinct pieces of my business; there is the ice cream shop where the neighborhood comes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is great.
UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: This one or this one?
SOORENKO: Then there is this side of the business where we sell to markets and restaurants and hotels and clubs. The past, I would say year and a half has been about really focusing on that wholesale side of things, because if I don't do that, I have to lay people off.
ADRIANA TURCIOS, EMPLOYEE: It's a local business, it is helping the economy. Hopefully it's going to make people happy.
SOORENKO: It's ice cream. The challenge is, first of all, believe it or not, not everybody eats ice cream. I know it is hard to imagine, but it is true. But the other piece is we need to be able to have people come in when it's cold.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the wintertime, year-round, we offer hot beverages, coffee, hot chocolate. We push different ideas for mixes ice cream with coffee and hot chocolate.
SOORENKO: With the economy, I'm not going to lie, it's been extremely difficult. It's not just about seasonality, which is difficult in and of its own, it is that even when you are in your season people are looking very carefully at what they are spending.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We use things like Groupon to offer our services at a discount. It's mostly a matter of reaching out to the community and reminding them we're here. When it gets cold, ice cream is not the first thing in your mind.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Another step on the road to recovery in Tucson today. One week after Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and 18 others were shot. The Safeway store where it all happened reopened. CNN's Thelma Gutierrez is there right now and she was there for earlier when there was a moment of silence. How difficult was this for a lot of people to come back to work, come back to this place that this tragedy unfolded?
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Fred, you can just imagine how difficult that was. So many of the people who work here remember the sights and the sounds on that terrible Saturday seven days ago. They said it was very tough to come to work today for the first day in a week. But they said it was very important to be able to walk through the front door of this Safeway right behind me. They said it was cathartic to stand back in their store and then to have so many customers come and hug them and wish them well, and that's something, Fred that was really interesting to me.
I was in the store, and I saw customers talking to the cashiers and calling them by their first names. There was this real sense of community out here. And a lot of support going out to the employees who witnessed that terrible tragedy.
And then about 10:10 in the morning, which commemorates the time at which the first shots rang out, there was a moment of silence. They announced it on the p.a. system within the store, and those who chose to come outside to the memorial that you see right behind me came outside. People from the bakery department, and pharmacy and the meat department, and the cashiers. They all stood together with their customers there at that memorial. There was a moment of silence, and then people -- actually sobbed. Some prayed. And they talked about some of their feelings one week later.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: To me to hear those cries, they're cries of sadness.
UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: We came together as a community and prayed for all the families and the victims involved for those who lost something dear and for those who are still helping their loved ones.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUTIERREZ: Now, the employees told us that it was important for them to be able to get back to work to go back to some sense of normalcy, and I must say that Safeway has said that they were going to try to reach out to the victims, families of those victims.
And so, what they've done is put drop boxes at all of the cashier stands. They're going to do so throughout all of the Safeway stores within Arizona to collect money for the victims of last week's tragedy -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Thelma Gutierrez there at the Safeway store in Tucson.
Well, police say the night before he pointed a gun at Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' head, Jared Loughner carefully prepared for his attack.
CNN's Randi Kaye retraces Loughner's steps in those last hours.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The night before the shooting, 11:35 p.m. Friday, investigators tracking Jared Loughner's last steps, say he drops off a roll of .35 millimeter film to be developed at Walgreens.
(on camera): Less than an hour later, 12:29 a.m. Saturday, Loughner checks into this Motel 6. He shows an ID and pays by credit card. Activity on his electronic room key shows he went in and out of the room several times during the night.
(voice-over): Two-nineteen a.m., Loughner returns to Walgreens to pick up his developed photos.
(on camera): Two-thirty-four a.m., Loughner makes a purchase at this Chevron station's convenience store. He buys a donut, a soft drink and some energy bars. The security camera captures Loughner on video. Before he leaves, he uses the pay phone.
(voice-over): Less than two hours later, 4:12 a.m., Loughner post as message on his MySpace page. It reads, "Goodbye, friends," and contains a photo developed earlier at Walgreens.
Six-twelve a.m., Loughner make as purchase at Wal-Mart. Nine minutes later, 6:21 a.m., he's at Circle K to buy something else.
It's now just about three hours before the shooting, 7:04 a.m., Loughner makes his first attempt to buy ammunition at Wal-Mart. The store clerk keeps him waiting because he's behaving strangely. So, at 7:27 a.m., Loughner goes to another Wal-Mart where he buys ammunition and a diaper bag, which is similar to a backpack.
(on camera): Seven-thirty-four a.m. Saturday, now, just 2 1/2 hours from the time of the shooting, Jared Loughner is stopped for running a red light just a few miles from a Safeway supermarket. An officer with the Arizona Game and Fish Department checks his license and registration. He sees there are no outstanding warrants and lets Loughner go with a warning.
(voice-over): Around 8:00 a.m., back at Loughner's parents' house, his father confronts him about a black bag he's carrying. Investigators say Randy Loughner asked his son what's inside the bag and where he's taking it. They said Loughner mumbles something and takes off into the desert. His father chases him in his truck but doesn't catch him.
(on camera): More than an hour later, 9:18 a.m., Loughner calls a taxi to pick him up here at this Circle K convenience store. Authorities say the taxi arrives at 9:41 and takes him to the Safeway supermarket. It is now just minutes before the shooting.
(voice-over): At 9:54 a.m., the taxi arrives at the Safeway. The driver and Jared Loughner go inside the supermarket to get change for the fare.
One minute later, 10:00 a.m., Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords arrives for her "Congress on the Corner" event here.
A few minutes later, Loughner asks a member of the congresswoman's staff to speak with her. He's told to wait in a line of about 20 people. He does so, but then exits the line and walks quickly towards the congresswoman.
At 10:10 a.m., investigators say Jared Loughner opens fire.
Randi Kaye, CNN, Tucson, Arizona.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Millions of Americans, like many of you, were adopted as a baby. So, what if you want to find your birth parents?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The woman was the same age as my birth mother. The father was the same age as my birth -- the person who signed as my birth father.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The Internet and social media are making it easier, but is it an invasion of privacy for the birth parents?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: The Internet has made the world smaller, and the same tools that you use to find those old high school classmates -- well, apparently people are using that to help reconnect adopted children who are now adults with their biological roots.
CNN's Julie Peterson has one woman's story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAURA STEVENSON, ADOPTED AS A BABY: My dad, my mom, my sister.
JULIE PETERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It happened 19 years ago in a restaurant parking lot.
That's where Maura Stevenson, as an infant, was presented to her adopted parents.
MAURA STEVENSON: That's when I started my real life -- my life in a family that loved me and a family that wanted me and the family that actually to find me and get me.
PETERSON: Now a freshman in college, Maura has always known she's adopted and is close to her adopted family. Still, she wanted to find her biological roots. At first, her adoptive mother was skeptical. But after going to a support group with Maura, Marcia Stevenson came around.
MARCIA STEVENSON, MAURA'S MOTHER: Her birth mother gave her life, and I feel like I gave her love, and I thank her every day of my life.
PETERSON: Maura was able to quickly connect with the family tree using the names and dates from her adoption paperwork. She went to two social networking Web sites.
MAURA STEVENSON: All link together. The woman was at same age as my birth mother. The father was the same age as my birth -- the person who signed as my birth father. And then they had the two boys in between them. So, that's how we kind of connected everything together.
PETERSON: Maura learned that she has two older brothers, both raised by the parents listed in her paperwork. She reached out to the brothers and they told Maura that they remember their mother being pregnant. She says her birth mother doesn't want to be contacted.
MAURA STEVENSON: She actually made her profile, her Facebook profile private. I never befriended her because I had a mother and father that I consider my mom and dad. It didn't matter as much to me as finding my brothers.
PETERSON: Adoption expert Leslie Mackinnon says there are dangers for adoptive children searching for their birth families. It can be a huge shock to be contacted by a child you gave up for adoption, and everyone involved needs to be sensitive. There can be a silver lining.
LESLIE MACKINNON, SOCIAL WORKER & ADOPTION EXPERT: If an adoptive parent can support their child in a search, what ends up happening is the child is even closer to them.
PETERSON: Maura says finding her two brothers is a thrill -- one that helped her resolve a lifelong mystery.
MAURA STEVENSON: I found out that I'm Scottish and Irish, it just -- it explains the blond hair, because my brother has blond hair, too. He has bluish-green eyes just like me. I like to know him, where I had come from.
PETERSON: Maura hopes that one day, the time will be right to meet the woman who gave her life. She has a message for her birth mother.
MAURA STEVENSON: Thank you for giving me up for adoption, and not doing something like abortion, and that I've had a good life.
PETERSON: Julie Peterson, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And we're going to continue looking into adoption and this arrangements, the use of social media. In two minutes, we'll talk to someone who says that adoption -- adoption revolution is transforming America. Stay right here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: All right. We've been talking about and listening to stories how social networking is being used to help connect adopted kids with their biological parents. Well, there are many sides in which to look at this whole phenomenon.
You'll actually recognize one of our guests from the report that you just saw before the break, Leslie Mackinnon. She's a licensed therapist and adoption expert. She's back with us. You saw her in the piece as well, talk about these reconnection opportunities.
Not everyone is welcoming this use of social networking to connect adopted kids with their biological parents, because there are many cases where the biological parents really don't ever want a relationship with the child that they gave up. In the case of the young lady we saw in the story, she was very happy to meet the connection, but we also learned that the biological parents didn't want that.
So, how do you try to navigate -- how do you either encourage or discourage this pursuit?
MACKINNON: Gotcha. One thing I want to say is there are few biological family members who do not want to reconnect. There are some, and I think it's great that we saw Maura, because there's an instance she got to meet a brother, but not her mother.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
MACKINNON: But it is such an opportunity, at the same time, it can be a hazard. I think this is kind of a leftover from closed adoption. In open adoption today, we don't have reunions. You don't have to reconnect, because it's been open all along.
But many kids will get right on there today and look and find relatives, and what I say is, if you'll prepare yourself, there are support groups across the nation. You can find an adoption therapist. There are books about how to go about this, because what happens is, the person who's searching is preparing the whole time and is knowing that's the direction they're going.
WHITFIELD: Preparing for a while, what if I never find or what if I do, what if there's a rejection?
MACKINNON: Exactly.
WHITFIELD: So, when you have this dialogue with someone who says, you know what? I really want to know. I really want to reach out.
MACKINNON: Right.
WHITFIELD: Do you recommend now, you know, that this is -- this is one of the tools you want to use?
MACKINNON: I don't have to recommend it. It has taken off.
WHITFIELD: They already are doing it. OK. MACKINNON: It has taken off. I have even birth family whose kind of monitor the child they relinquish to see how they're doing and what's going on in their life, but what I --
WHITFIELD: It's a very big dynamic that has really changed adoption, the world of adoption --
MACKINNON: Absolutely.
WHITFIELD: -- in so many different ways.
MACKINNON: Absolutely. My thing is just educate yourself, because that person that you contact is likely to be very startled. They weren't expecting it, and there are ways to make contact that will increase your chances for a good connection, not a shocking one.
WHITFIELD: Right. OK.
Well, I'm going to bring in Adam Pertman into this conversation as well. He actually wrote a book on how adoption, in his words, is transforming America. Good to see you.
ADAM PERTMAN, EVAN B. DONALDSON ADOPTION INSTITUTE: It's good to be here. It's a good topic.
WHITFIELD: So, while I thought -- so, yes, it really is fascinating. So, while I thought this was kind of a new thing we hear from Ms. Mackinnon here. No, this is old hat. This really has revolutionized the world of adoption in so many different ways.
At what point did you start noticing this is not the adoption that we knew of 30 years ago and beyond?
PERTMAN: Well, a couple things worth saying in terms of the transformation. Boy, the Internet is transforming everything, right? I mean, it isn't just adoption. We're focusing on this day in the ways that it is changing that practice, but this is happening everywhere and we have to learn to deal with it.
So, it's not a question of: do we think this is a good idea. This is whether it's a good idea or bad idea -- this is happening on the ground every single day.
So, I agree with Leslie. What we need to do is educate ourselves. Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, which I head, is a national think tank, basically, research organization.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
PERTMAN: And we're doing a project right now, the first project of its kind that I'm aware of, looking at how is the Internet affecting adoption? What can parents do? What can professionals do?
We really do need to education ourselves and we need knowledge base from which to really learn. WHITFIELD: So, when we learn the story of Maura, who was in the piece before the break, and we got to know her quest, et cetera. She found her biological brothers but learned the biological parents really didn't want to have a relationship. How much information do you have to have in order to begin this search?
Because it seems like the common experiences for a lot of adopted kids, that they, maybe if they have a birth date, maybe they have a region where this parent may have been from -- but how much information do you need in order to have a successful search?
PERTMAN: The answer is: it depends. One thing I want to say, we often sort of infantilize adopted people, say adopted kids. We're really usually talking about adults.
Now, there is a kid element to this. And it's one of the biggest reasons why we need to figure out thousand this Internet thing, this social media thing right, because of those kids. But usually we're talking about adults --
WHITFIELD: Right.
PERTMAN: -- people who have reached a certain age. That's important.
WHITFIELD: I kind of feel like --
(CROSSTALK)
PERTMAN: It's in the language. It's how we talk about it.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
PERTMAN: But in any case, the answer is: it depends. It depends on -- it's not true that people at the other end, whether they're the adoptive family or the biological family, aren't ready. A lot of times, they're ready and they want to hear from those people.
WHITFIELD: Oh, that's fascinating stuff.
PERTMAN: That's right.
PERTMAN: OK. Adam Pertman and Leslie Mackinnon -- thanks so much. It's a fascinating conversation. I know this is not the end of it. It really is the beginning, especially since we're talking about this major evolution in the world of adoption and reconnecting.
Thanks to both of you. Appreciate it.
MACKINNON: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: A dramatic leadership change for U.S. ally. The question now: who is in charge of Tunisia?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Let's check in on what's making news around the world now.
We're following political upheaval in Tunisia, deadly floods in Brazil now and Australia.
Ralitsa Vassileh from CNN International joins me now.
Ralitsa, good to se you. So much on the big world map, let's begin with Tunisia and how -- what is taking place there is vitally important to the U.S. It is key U.S. ally.
RALITSA VASSILEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL: Absolutely. Tunisia is a key U.S. ally in the war against terrorist, supports for Middle East policies. But now, it's very uncertain as to what will happen next in the country.
By latest report, the protests which forced into exile the authoritarian leader of Tunisia are now over. There has been looting overnight. The army is in control of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. There's talk of the opposition holding talks with the caretaker government to come up with a unity government and hold elections within 60 days -- but still a very uncertain situation.
But, Fred, what happened there is quite incredible. A first in the Middle East, people power, protest, popular protest, ousting an authoritarian leader. It was marked over discontent over joblessness. Tunisia has some of the most educated population in the Middle East, and 2/3 of the college grads can't find a job. Prices have gone up because of the economic -- global economic crisis.
People are so desperate that one person who actually sparked these protests was a college grad with no job, whose only source of income was selling fruits and vegetables on the streets, didn't have a permit. The police in this repressive state confiscated his items --
WHITFIELD: He's a huge voice now.
VASSILEH: Yes, and that sparked it. And look at what it's led in about a month.
WHITFIELD: Wow. And so, now, let's talk about -- we've seen some massive flooding in Australia and now Brazil. You know, flood emergency in that country, the death toll is rising. Any word on when that's going to let up? And how is that being measured against Australia?
VASSILEH: Well, first, let's take Brazil -- a very serious situation, Fred. The death toll has risen. It was 500 just 24 hours ago. Now, it's 550. A lot of people unaccounted for, and the worst thing is that more rain is on the way. It hasn't stopped raining since New Year's Day there.
And people -- mostly the poor people, they build homes on mountain tops that are prone to mudslides and to flooding as we see, and a lot of the people who have died have been those people living in favelas or shacks who built illegally. The government is coming under pressure as to why it allowed this. And also, people are saying they haven't received any aid.
WHITFIELD: But this is like a force of nature, which is exactly what Australia has been dealing with, as well. It just seems like it is not letting up. What is the status there in Brazil?
VASSILEH: Well, a little bit better, Fred. At least the weather is cooperating. No rains in the near -- in the next few days. People are beginning to try to pick up the pieces, but the whole inland scenes and debris that they can't get past.
And so, it's going to be difficult, the state governor says it's like a postwar reconstruction and cleanup. That's what he calls it. So, it's going to take years to rebuild, months just to clean up.
WHITFIELD: Terrible situation. Ralitsa Vassileh, thanks so much, with CNN International. Hopefully, next time, you and I will be on the same room. We're in the same building, at least, kind of.
VASSILEH: Looking forward to it, Fred.
WHITFIELD: OK. Good to see you. Thanks so much.
VASSILEH: Good to see you.
WHITFIELD: All right. A New Year brings CNN new heroes. The first CNN hero for 2011, who's rebuilding and redefining family for teens in Africa.
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WHITFIELD: All right. Today, we introduce you to the first CNN hero of 2011, everyday people changing the world. Her name is Amy Stokes and she's using the Internet to redefine the word family for hundreds of kids in Africa without role models.
(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)
WHITFIELD: Remember, all of this year's CNN heroes are chosen from people that you tell us about on the CNN Heroes Web site. To nominate someone you think is changing the world, go to the CNNHeroes.com location.
