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Remembering MLK Today; Apple's CEO To Take Medical Leave of Absence
Aired January 17, 2011 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, 10:00 a.m. now on the East Coast, 7:00 a.m. out west. I'm Kyra Phillips and here are some of the stories that had us talking this morning. Yet another recall for Johnson & Johnson. I'm talking about 43 million packages of Tylenol, Sudafed, Benadryl and other over-the-counter medications. It's the latest in a string of recalls for the company. Tough going for a business that has spent over a century building a name based on quality. (INAUDIBLE) this could affect wholesalers and consumers don't need to be worried.
Get ready for a flood of more documents from the on-line whistle- blower WikiLeaks. The Swiss banker hands over secret banking records. WikiLeaks says it will reveal an intricate shell game of off shore banking and tax evasion.
And today, we all honor Martin Luther King Jr., schools, many offices closed as the nation reflects on the civil rights icon who shared him dream of equality for all. You're looking at live pictures from right here in Atlanta where King is buried at the national historic site that bears his name. This hour, services get under way at the city's Ebenezer church where King and his father preached.
One of the most powerful men in the computer world is stepping down. This morning we got word that Apple's CEO Steve Jobs actually e-mailed all of his employees that he's going to take medical leave so he can focus on his health. Jobs underwent a liver transplant just a couple of years ago. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2004 but he's not disclosing what his health issues are now.
Alison Kosik at our New York bureau is talking about the ripple effects of today's news. A very private man, too.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He really is. You know, to be honest with you, this announcement isn't really coming out of left field. When you look at Steve Jobs' health record, he's a survivor of pancreatic cancer and as you mentioned, Kyra, he received a liver transplant in April of 2009. Jobs' well-being, it's really been a huge conversation point in recent years. You know, even when he does step out and make public appearances, you know, people are often commenting on how frail he looks and oftentimes what happens is a health problem for a CEO, especially one who's seen as such a true visionary as Steve Jobs can really wreak havoc on a company's stock price.
But you know not so much with Apple. Despite Jobs' health problems, Apple shares have only gained in value. In fact, shares are up 170 percent over the past three years and more than 400 percent in the past five years. In fact, the stock has climbed steadily even when Jobs went on that leave for his liver transplant. We'll see what happens on Tuesday when the market opens. Kyra.
PHILLIPS: We'll definitely be following the story throughout the day. Alison, thanks so much.
Well, a lot of nervous eyes in Haiti right now. Nervous because a ghost from the country's past is back. "Baby Doc" Duvalier is in Haiti once again after 25 years in exile, is back in Haiti. He just showed up with his new wife. You see the video right here. This is how he looked last time most Haitians saw him. Haitian people actually ran him and his then-wife, Michelle, off the island after years of dictatorship, corruption and fear.
So what the heck is he doing back in the country after all these years? Well, he says he's showing solidarity with his people after the earthquake just one year ago. But there's a leadership vacuum in Port-au-Prince right now. Thanks to a dispute over the presidential election. Here's what some shocked Haitians in Miami are saying about his surprise return.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everybody was like in shock, you know. Why Haiti? Why now? This news fell on us like a brick that Duvalier, you know, was in Haiti. We are all in shocked, just when we thought it could never get worse in Haiti, it has gotten worse.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're asking questions at this time, why at this time you want Duvalier, at this time, to be in Haiti? That's the question everybody is asking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Baby Doc is supposed to talk to reporters today. We've got Jacqueline Charles of the "Miami Herald" on the phone with us right now. She's right there in Port-au-Prince, just outside the hotel. So Jacqueline, what are Haitians saying? We heard from a few there. Overall, what's the reaction there?
JACQUELINE CHARLES, "MIAMI HERALD" (ON THE PHONE): Well, the reaction here in Haiti is mixed. I was at the airport last night. There were about 2,000 people there who greeted him who said, "here's my president." There are other people that basically now demanding the return (INAUDIBLE). We have in this country is a lot of 20- something-year-olds who were not around when (INAUDIBLE) he was here so there's a lot of nostalgia about him but at the same time, there a lot of people who are traumatized today, who do not know what to make of this.
So they're very confused. Confusion and surprise is where we are today as it relates to this arrival of Baby Doc Duvalier.
PHILLIPS: And let's not forget about the corruption, his secret police. This was not an ethical and protective leader overall of his people. What do you think his motive is?
CHARLES: I really do not know. I mean, he says he's arrived here to help his Haitian people. He's here on a round-trip three-day ticket on an expired diplomatic passport that was provided to him in June of 2005, before President Rene Preval, you know, was elected. And so there's a lot of questions today about why now? Why today?
And ironically he arrives in Haiti on the day that was supposed to be a runoff election for the presidency. But as you know, those elections have been in dispute since November 28.
PHILLIPS: Wasn't there any type of law barring him from coming back into the country?
CHARLES: No. My understanding that all warrants against him that existed have expired. I spoke with the police chief last night who apparently was at the airport, was waiting for word from the prosecutor and the minister of Justice. And he was informed that there are no outstanding warrants for Jean-Claude Duvalier's arrest. So like any Haitian citizen, under the Constitution, he has the right to return home. That's what he did.
But the question is, why did the French government where he has been living in France, why did they allow him to board a flight? That's the question Haitians are asking. Why did the French allow him to get on a flight and to return to Haiti at this point in time when there's so much confusion in this country as it relates to the elections and things have been surprisingly calm since the 28th of November. Now everybody is waiting to see what effect this will have on the landscape going forward.
PHILLIPS: Jacqueline Charles there, the Caribbean correspondent for the "Miami Herald." Appreciate you, Jacqueline, calling in. Please continue to keep us updated.
We've also got an update on Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, the target of that shooting rampage in Tucson. Doctors say she's now breathing on her own. And her condition has been upgraded from critical to serious. Giffords who suffered a gunshot wound to the head was among 13 people wounded in that attack. Six people died.
The accused gunman Jared Loughner goes on trial, it will likely be far away from Tucson. "The Washington Post" is now reporting that the extended pre-trial publicity will move the proceedings to San Diego. Newspapers cite sources say that that move could be announced within just a few weeks. The decision ironically will be made by the state's new chief federal judge. He came into that position because his predecessor Judge John Roll was among those killed.
Also in custody today, one of the victims of the shooting rampage after he allegedly threatened a Tea Party member at a town hall event. This is 63 year old James Eric Fuller. He was shot in the leg during the attack. And then he later blamed it on the extreme rhetoric of some conservative leaders. Those feelings may have erupted Saturday when he became upset at a public meeting where a local tea party leader was speaking. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRENT HUMPHRIES, TUCSON TEA PARTY FOUNDER AND ORGANIZER: Yes. I was making the point that sometimes we're really quick to jump on political angles and maybe we need to slow down and look at the victims first and then have a discussion about the politics a little bit later. And then he arose from his seat, took a picture of me and said, "you're dead." And then - then that's pretty much what I saw. Then immediately afterward, they closed the program down and then I was taken out. So I didn't see anything after that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, police are now telling us that Fuller has been involuntarily committed to a county mental services so doctors can evaluate his state of mind.
Well, Congress returns to work this week and Republicans will resume their fight to repeal the health care reforms. The debate will be undoubtedly passionate. But here's a twist. Both sides vowing more civility, less vitriol in light of the mass killing at a political gathering in Tucson.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: Violent discourse in political life, right, left or center is wrong and should be rejected. But I do think we as elected officials have an obligation to try and tone that down. My colleague, Senator Mark Udall, called for Democrats and Republicans to sit together at the "State of the Union."
I called up Tom after he did that and he graciously agreed, we're going to sit together Wednesday night at the "State of the Union," and we hope that many others will follow us.
SEN. TOM COBURN (R), OKLAHOMA: What we can't question is our president's love for our country, Chuck Schumer's love for our country, and where we get in trouble is when we start looking at motives rather than differences of ideology.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: The shootings reinvigorated the debate over the danger of heated rhetoric and the tendency to demonize opponents. President Obama has joined the bipartisan pledge to tone down the discourse.
Awards show season kicked off last night with the Golden Globes. We'll tell you who won and who lost. And did host Ricky Gervais' entertain or offend? What happened to him.
He shoots, they score. A couple of Carolina Hurricane fans have their dream wedding at center ice. And the team mascot? The ring bearer.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your Miss America 2011 is Miss Nebraska! Teresa Scanlon.
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PHILLIPS: And you know what? She's only 17 years old. Teresa Scanlon of Nebraska, crowned Miss America in Saturday's pageant. She's the youngest winner since 1938. Well, Scanlon may have won, first runner-up Miss Arkansas Alyse Eady has everyone talking. She stole the show with her ventriloquist yodeling act. Yes, ventriloquist yodeling act that you just have to see for yourself.
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PHILLIPS: It doesn't get much better than that. Scanlon wasn't the only big winner this weekend. Natalie Portman and Colin Firth were just two of the stars to take home top honors at last night's Golden Globes. And, of course, when stars gather A.J. Hammer is there all over it, not doing any of his ventriloquist specialties.
A.J. HAMMER, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" HOST: No. That will wake it up, right?
PHILLIPS: Exactly. Maybe some yodeling, A.J.
HAMMER: Maybe I'll eat a yodel. That's about it.
(LAUGHTER)
HAMMER: All right. Well, let's get to the Globes, Kyra. Good to see you.
Everybody, of course, is talking about who won what. But really the big buzz is the host, Ricky Gervais, host of the show last night. He wasn't shy at all about taking shots at anyone, the Hollywood Foreign Press included. That, of course, is the organization that runs the globes.
I want to play you now a part of what Ricky said in his monologue. This pretty much sums up it up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICKY GERVAIS, HOST, GOLDEN GLOBES: It was a big year for 3-D movies, "Toy Story," "Despicable Me," "Tron," seems like everything this year was three dimensional, except the characters in "The Tourist."
I'd like to quash this ridiculous rumor going around that the only reason "The Tourist" was nominated because the Hollywood Press could hang out with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. That is rubbish. That is not the only reason. They also accepted bribes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Talking about biting the hand that feeds you. He also took on scientology, Cher, Hugh Hefner and so many more. And he was so over the top that when Ricky was off camera for a while during the show, it felt like an hour or more, rumors started flying on Twitter that actually had been fired, yanked from the show, in the middle of it. He wasn't.
But before the award show, Ricky Gervais was quoted by the "Chicago Sun Times," as saying "I want to do such a bad job I'm not invited bad back or such a good job that I don't want to do it again." Well, this morning, a lot of people are saying, "mission accomplished, Ricky."
But I got to tell you, Kyra, this is the kind of humor he's known for. I thought he was pretty good and I really wouldn't have expected him to act any differently than he did. I hope the Hollywood Foreign Press knew what they were getting into.
PHILLIPS: Yes. That was classic Ricky Gervais. Hello. Well, let's talk about the winners.
HAMMER: All right. In the movie category, first, the biggest winner of the night, the film, "The Social Network." No huge surprise there. It took home four Globes, best motion picture in the drama category, best director, best screen play among them. Actors Colin Firth and Natalie Portman both won Globes for their roles in the "The King's Speech" and "Black Swan," respectively.
And "The Kids Are All Right" was named best motion picture in the comedy category. Annette Benning, she looked amazing last night, sounded great. She won best actress in a comedy for her role in "The Kids Are All Right."
Now, a lot of people wonder how does this impact the Oscars' race. It's actually better news for the actors than the filmmakers. The Globes and the Oscars have actually named the same movie as "best picture" only once over the last six years. But a number of actors who took home a Globe also found themselves winning an Oscar as well.
Of course, we can't forget the television side of things, "Glee" walked away with three awards last night, named best comedy series, winners in the best supporting actor and actress categories. And HBO winning four awards last night as a network, including best dramatic series for "Boardwalk Empire."
So Kyra, a memorable night in Hollywood for all the winners, for Ricky Gervais, for our show "Glee," which we love. "Modern Family" sadly shut out. They were there with a strong presence. It was great seeing the cast. But our other favorite show, "Glee" got all the big awards.
PHILLIPS: Yes, I know. I was really surprised. (INAUDIBLE) There are two shows you and I watch or Tivo and discuss. I can't believe "Modern Family," zipo, that's just shocking.
HAMMER: Yes but seeing Chris Colfer win and he was shocked to have won his best supporting actor award for "Glee," what a score that was. I think that was one of the biggest wins in the night right there.
PHILLIPS: And also "King's Speech." Have you seen it yet?
HAMMER: I haven't seen it yet. I have a long list of films I got to get to before the Oscars. That's among them. But Colin Firth was among my favorite acceptance speeches of the night last night. I thought he was just on point.
PHILLIPS: Well, the movie is just brilliant. Jeffrey Rush, of course, is incredible. A.J., thanks. We'll talk more.
HAMMER: You got it.
PHILLIPS: Anything you want to know breaking in the entertainment world, A.J.'s got it. All you got to do is go to "Showbiz Tonight" on HLN, 5:00 and 11:00.
"Piers Morgan Tonight," well, right here no CNN. The big debut. His first guest? Oprah Winfrey. And Piers asked her about her 1998 movie "Beloved." It tanked at the box office. And he wanted to know how she coped with that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OPRAH WINFREY, TV HOST: I remember Saturday morning hearing that we got beat by something called "Chuckie." I didn't even know what "Chuckie" was. And everybody's like, well, (INAUDIBLE) in the box office. It wasn't where it was supposed to be in. They're already predicting what the weekend is going to be and it's just Saturday morning. And I asked my chef at the time, Art Smith, make some macaroni and cheese. I literally went into a tail spin about it.
PIERS MORGAN, HOST: How much macaroni did you eat?
WINFREY: Oh, I ate about 30 pounds worth.
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PHILLIPS: Here's a sneak peek at the premiere week on "Piers Morgan Tonight." Tomorrow night, Howard Stern, Condoleezza Rice, Wednesday, Thursday, Ricky Gervais and George Clooney, Friday. "Piers Morgan Tonight," 9:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN. And remember, Morgan, if you get the last drop of coffee in the break room, you need to start a fresh pot. That's the CNN way.
So would you let your kids go to school on Thanksgiving? Probably not and the school would probably never suggest it. But some kids are going to school today, Martin Luther King day, a federal holiday. To make up a snow day. The controversy is today's talker. We've got a lot of great feedback from you, too.
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PHILLIPS: So if you're going to make up a snow day, should you really pick Martin Luther King day to do it? That would never happen on Thanksgiving or Labor day, would it? We'd never sacrifice our turkey and football or last trip to the beach? But we could sacrifice the one day set aside for a civil rights icon who gave his life and changed history. Well, students in at least two states will be in school today. We're talking about the controversy.
CNN's Jason Carroll all over it. Hey, Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tough choices to make, Kyra, especially for some of those districts in those states, Kyra. We do have an update for you this morning, several counties in northern Georgia that had planned on being open today are now closed. But not because of political pressure. Because of bad roads.
The county said that many were just too dangerous or flat-out inaccessible because of the storm so that leaves two cities in South Carolina and two counties in North Carolina, including one around Charlotte, by far the biggest district there. So by our count approximately 168,000 students in about 230 schools are likely in class today. We say likely because in Charlotte, the local chapter of the NAACP, is calling on parents to keep their children home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KOJO NANTAMBU, PRESIDENT CHARLOTTE NAACP: We do not want to use Martin Luther King's birthday anytime as an alternative. That's the only celebration that we have.
SANTRIE WALLS, PARENT: I'm not sending my daughter to school. I won't send her to school on that day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: It's not just parents that are upset there, Kyra. Protests and calls for boycotts have also come in from Al Sharpton and the Reverend Jesse Jackson. Sharpton saying, "We're urging people to keep their kids home. It's un-American not to observe the holiday."
As for school districts they say they really had no choice in this matter. They say their intent was not to dishonor the legacy of Dr. King, but they simply have too many snow days to make up and only a handful of days that they can legally use.
Another option would have been to shorten the spring break. Many of the schools say that they are encouraging teachers to take this opportunity now to talk about Dr. King. But as you can imagine it's a very sensitive topic. King, of course, was born in Georgia and after his death there was a very, very tough fight in the Carolinas just to get the holiday recognized. South Carolina was the last state to recognize it, and Kyra, that didn't happen until 2000.
We should also point out that school officials in Georgia and South Carolina also say that they are considering president's day. They're also considering Memorial Day, as days that the kids there would have to go back to school to make up for snow days as well. So they say it's not just the King holiday that they're looking at. Kyra?
PHILLIPS: All right. Jason Carroll, thanks so much. Of course, we've got a lot of feedback on that story. I'll get to that in a minute.
But I'm just getting word that an American Airlines flight out of Brazil on its way to Miami apparently - these are live pictures coming to us from one of our affiliates, WPLG and also WFOR. It looks like - so what's the - all right. So the plane is being investigated for something suspicious on board. It's already landed. It came from brazil. Is that right? And landed here in Miami? OK.
Something suspicious on board, and they are checking out what exactly that is. We're working the story for you. We'll bring you more information as we get it.
All right. Martin Luther King Boulevard, MLK Avenue, King Street. They all go by different names but there are hundreds of streets named after the civil rights leader. So we're pounding the pavement and talking about King's dream on his streets with a group of young filmmakers. You may be surprised what they discovered.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Without the HOPE scholarship, she would be depending on student loans and you know, starting life after college with debt, and that's just a fact of life for us.
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PHILLIPS: And a fact of life in Georgia. A tight budget, that means the beloved HOPE scholarship is facing some major cuts. So why are many states watching for Georgia's next move? We'll explain.
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PHILLIPS: Well, warn a B average in high school and get four years of free college tuition if you keep your grades up. That's the deal for Georgia students taking advantage of a state perk, the HOPE scholarship. It's the biggest merit-based college scholarship program in the country. But Georgia is facing a crippling budget crunch and that means HOPE is in big trouble.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Go dawgs!
PHILLIPS (voice-over): University of Georgia junior Danyelle Reynolds beams with school pride. She is a Georgia Bulldog through and through. She's also a HOPE scholarship recipient and that means she doesn't pay a dime toward tuition.
DANYELLE REYNOLDS, UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA JUNIOR: Initially I was actually looking at going out of state, but once I saw the numbers of out-of-state at some schools and then paying in-state and not having to pay for that tuition and just paying for housing and books and some of the fees, it was really a no-brainer.
PHILLIPS: A no-brainer to more than a million Georgia students who have taken advantage of the scholarship since it was introduced in 1993.
Here's how it works. Earn a 3.0 grade point average in an in- state high school and maintain your grades at college. Amounts vary, but some students can get up to $6,000 a year for tuition, fees and books at any eligible Georgia university or technical school.
It's funded by the state lottery, but demand is high and more money is going out than coming in. Lawmakers are dipping into reserves, scrambling to cover costs. And Georgia's new Republican governor says something needs to change.
GOV. NATHAN DEAL (R), GEORGIA: I am dedicated to honoring the promise that has been made to our students through H.O.P.E. and will work with the general assembly to tailor the program to the financial realities that we face today.
PHILLIPS: Other legislatures in other parts of the country are watching for Georgia's next move. More than a dozen other states modeled their own scholarship programs on H.O.P.E. Many of them are now caught in the same kind of budget crunch.
NANCY MCDUFF, ADMISSIONS AND ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT: I don't know that any other program is identical to what we have in Georgia nor has it been around as long and had a chance to grow. So, they're watching us carefully, and we're hoping to preserve this so that students and families will be as impacted least as possible given the current economic tradition.
PHILLIPS: Spent a day in this college town, and you'll be hard pressed to find a Georgia student who hasn't benefited from H.O.P.E. Freshman Lindsay Harris says the opportunity has been a life-changer.
LINDSAY HARRIS, COLLEGE FRESHMAN: It was pretty much the only way I would be able to go to college.
PHILLIPS: And unfortunately, her family isn't banking on the scholarship for the younger siblings.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've got a 10-year-old also and 5-year-old. I'm not really counting on H.O.P.E. being there in eight or 13 years for them.
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PHILLIPS: Leaders in Georgia's house of higher education say that no one wants to cut the program entirely. Among the options is scaling it back from a 100 percent scholarship to possibly 80 percent.
Want to take you live to Miami, Florida real quickly once again. Breaking news that we're covering, this coming from WSVN. This American Airlines flight was coming from Brazil, landed in Miami. Apparently there's something suspicious on board, so the bomb squad has responded, and we're on this story. We'll try to bring you as much information as we get it out of Miami there.
It's just about half past the hour. Time to check some of the stories we're following for you.
In Haiti, some worried residents say this is it the worst thing to happen since last year's devastating earthquake. Former dictator "Baby Doc" Duvalier returned to the country last night after 25 years in exile. He's not saying what he's up to, either.
Riots, looting and violence in Tunisia. But maybe a little less uncertainty. Today, the troubled U.S. ally is expected to announce a new government today. Widespread protests chased the embattled president from office Friday. He relocated to Saudi Arabia.
And all around the U.S., events to honor Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement that redefined our nation. In Atlanta, admirers are visiting King's burial site at the national historic site that bears his name. This hour, services also will be held this hour at Atlanta's Ebenezer Church where King and his father once preached.
Well, Martin Luther King, Jr. has boulevards, streets, ways and drives. About 800 of them from coast to coast. Anchorage, Alaska and Worcester, Massachusetts. Selma, Alabama, and just about everywhere in between. You're seeing just a handful of them right there. And they've been dubbed Black Main Streets by some in the African-American community.
But they're often seems to be a disconnect between the legacy of a man who died preaching nonviolence and the reality on MLK Boulevard. It was a joke about -- well, it was a joke that was - that gave filmmakers the idea to put this together. Take a listen.
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CHRIS ROCK, COMEDIAN: If you're in American, if you're on Martin Luther King Boulevard, there's violence going down.
UNIDNETIFIED MALE: Trenton, New Jersey.
UNIDNETIFIED MALE: Austin, Texas. The store's robbery at (INAUDIBLE) Mart, located at 2915 East Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard.
UNIDNETIFIED MALE: San Francisco, police today identified a --
UNIDNETIFIED MALE: Police said -- manufacture Martin Luther King Community Center on Saturday.
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PHILLIPS: That's a clip from the MLK Streets Project. And joining me from D.C., director Charniece Fox and producer Nigel Greaves. And here in Atlanta, I'm joined by Alexis McCullum who worked at the project and is now a student at Clark Atlanta University.
Charniece, let's start with you. Chris Rock's joke, it's pretty hilarious. But actually the sad part is, unfortunately, it's true in many cities that's this is supposed to be a representation of an icon, yet so much crime and death happens on those streets and in those neighborhoods where it bears MLK's name.
NIGEL GREAVES, PRODUER, "THE MLK STREETS PROJECT": Yes, this is true. I found that the streets that we were able to visit really were a representation of black America. Some of the streets are striving and there's success there. But probably many more of them are struggling. Some of them are peaceful, but on others we did find some of those violent and poverty-stricken circumstances. There was a variety to it, so I don't want to overgeneralize, but there's definitely some accuracy to the joke.
PHILLIPS: And Alexis, you actually went out to some of these areas, right? Where did you go, and what did you discover?
A'LEXUS MCCOLLUM, STUDENT, CLARK ATLANTA UNIVERSITY: We went to Tennessee. We went to one in D.C., where we started. And we went to California, New York, New Jersey. Those out of the 800, we went to a lot of different places.
PHILLIPS: And did you find that violence plagued those areas? were there any safe spots?
MCCOLLUM: Um, no.
PHILLIPS: Wow.
MCCOLLUM: There was California where you went from -- we went -- we drove the whole boulevard out, so you went from Oakland all the way up to Berkeley. And it was like the scenery changed. You saw how it went from kind of lower class to upper class in that short of a distance.
PHILLIPS: If you would have made it up to my old stomping grounds and went to USC in Los Angeles, it's the same thing on MLK Boulevard. It's pretty shocking. When you talked to people who lived on these streets or had businesses on these streets, did they even put that together, that here was a man who preached nonviolence yet these streets were so filled with crime?
MCCOLLUM: No.
PHILLIPS: What do they tell you?
MCCOLLUM: Well, basically, it was like, you know, there was -- from the beginning from when they first had the MLK street named, it kind of was like a community, well-put together community. At the time, they were living the dream, but as you change throughout the years, things got worse and worse. It was like they didn't really recognize the change. They just were living it. And we wanted to show that the dream was still there.
PHILLIPS: Right. How did you do that?
MCCOLLUM: We went to different places. We interviewed a lot of different people. Everyone around the community. Because once again, MLK not only did he preach about the dream and world peace, but he also preached you know, help the lower class, help the working people, make community a better place.
PHILLIPS: Sharniece, why such a disconnect between the legacy and the reality? These are some of the most dangerous streets, the most violent areas that have MLK Boulevard or MLK Street.
CHARNEICE FOX, DIRECTOR, "THE MLK STREETS PROJECT": Well, you have to remember one thing. Those streets have been renamed. The violence was there before, you know, in D.C. It was Nicolas Ave. But it's not like these streets were created with the idea of just naming it MLK. These streets have been renamed.
So, the violence was there before it ever was decided to be Dr. Martin Luther King street. And you also have to remember that with the exception of the memorial being built August 2011 here in Washington, the easiest thing for people to be able to do to honor someone in the black community is to use the street renaming as a way of honoring Dr. King. It's inexpensive. It's something they can just do. So oftentimes this happens in black communities.
PHILLIPS: So Charniece, were you able to connect with anybody that maybe walks that street to work or home that maybe stops and pauses and thinks to themselves, wow, you know, I live on a street named about a man that changed my world, that changed my life? Did you find any of that?
FOX: In some cases, yes. But, you know, begin, because the street was renamed, it's just another street to a lot of individuals, which is unfortunate. That makes us just want to think about why we do things to honor King in certain ways.
But you know, definitely some people, when you had a conversation with them and -- you know, we had the kids just kind of go out in the street and just grab people off the street and ask them these questions. So, when it's brought to them directly, then of course they're like, you know, yes, we do live on King street and that is kind of important. They do talk about the community and open up a little bit more.
So for sure, when we had the opportunity to talk to people, they did talk about the fact that this is honoring King's legacy in whatever way.
PHILLIPS: So finally A'lexus, did you anybody --
GREAVES: (INAUDIBLE).
PHILLIPS: Go ahead, Nigel. GREAVES: It's important to also recognize there's been actually been scholarly research on the topic. It's not something that a joke has been made out of it. It's something that really permeates the community in such a way that there are real conversations about it. And folks really do want to try to bridge that gap between the legacy and the circumstance in the neighborhoods.
There's a professor that really helped us inform our research and our topical discussions and our interviews. Derek Alderman is a professor at East Carolina University, and he did his doctoral research on the topic. Totally gave us some great perspective, particularly on some of the streets we didn't make it to. There's -- it's important not to overgeneralize on the streets, but it's really a good thought to have the research available.
PHILLIPS: Well, and what an incredible project. I know you're still collecting video clips as well. We want to encourage our viewers to send in clips.
If you want more information about "The MLK Streets Project, all you have to do is reach out and submit video of one in your hometown. Or you could head to facebook.com/sncfilms. And a completed version ever the film is expected out in April -- April 4th actually of this year, the anniversary of the reverend's assassination.
Nigel, Charniece, A'lexus, thank you so much. Hopefully this will send out a unique, different kind of message to America and we'll see positive change through this.
MCCOLLUM: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Great job.
All right. Well, a link between depression, anxiety and video games. Mom, Dad, if your child is a hardcore gamer, you need to hear what doctors are saying.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: All right. So, you need to hear this if your child is into video games. A new study has linked excessive gaming with mental health issues like depression and anxiety. It's worth noting that the suspect in the Tucson shooting spent a lot of time playing video games, although we're not sure of the state of his mental health.
Let's talk more about this with our CNN senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen. What exactly did researchers find?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: What they found in the study was they looked at about 3,000 kids in Singapore between third and eighth grade. And nearly 10 percent of them had what the researchers called pathological gaming. And as a result, had problems like depression and anxiety and problems in school.
Now, you might think, well, these are kids in Singapore. But actually studies in this country have found very similar findings, actually.
PHILLIPS: So how do you know if it's becoming excessive? Are there certain signs?
COHEN: Yes. I will tell you as a parent of four I've never met a kid who doesn't play video games or computer games. I think pretty much all of them do it. But you want to be an empowered parent, you want to know when they've crossed the line. We've asked the researcher, hey, how do you know? Because there could be a very fine line here.
He said, look, if your kid is lying about how much time they spend playing video games, if you know that they're spending x amount of time, but they tell you something different, that's a bad sign. If you ask them to stop and they get irritable - like I know one kid who tore the alarm system out of the wall of his house - OK, that's irritable, that's a problem. Also, if they use games to escape their problems. If they're having problems at school or at home and they're gaming in order to kind ever get away from that, that's a problem.
I should also say in the study, Kyra, these kids were playing 30 hours a day or more. I'm sorry. 30 hours a week or more of video games, the kids who were pathological. Thirty hours a week --
PHILLIPS: OK, well, parents need to step in and say, that's just ridiculous.
COHEN: Red flag, red flag.
PHILLIPS: Right.
COHEN: That's a part-time job. I mean, think if they worked at fast food. They could actually earn money.
PHILLIPS: Exactly.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Exactly. They could be doing something far more productive and useful with that time. But do we know if these kids had psychological issues before they started playing these games or --
COHEN: That's the classic chicken/egg question. I'm sure that's what a lot of people are asking about Jared Loughner right now. Which is OK, so they play a lot of games and seem to have problems but maybe these are kids that had problems to begin with and the games had nothing to do with it. And we asked doctors about this. They say, look, it's hard to tease this out, but it perpetuates itself. You have a kid who's having problems, so they spend time gaming to escape. Then they'll have more problems because they're so alienated from real people, and they want to take more refuge in games. It keeps going and keeps going.
So, you can't answer the chicken/egg question. But in a way, what's really important is just to look at your kid and say, if your kid is disturbed and is playing video games, think about what the relationship might be.
PHILLIPS: Do we know -- did it even talk about the kind of games? I mean, is it Pacman and Centipede like we had when we were kids?
COHEN: That's what I said! Right!
PHILLIPS: I know. I dated myself.
PHILLIPS: Donkey Kong, we can keep going. Asteroids. We can go back to Pong if you want to do that. But that compared to these violent, war-type of games.
COHEN: Right. This study says these pathological gamers were really spending time mostly on the violent games. They weren't playing Ms. Pacman for 30 hours a week.
PHILLIPS: What is the video industry saying about this?
COHEN: They say this researcher is known for doing these studies, that he's made this his project. They discount it altogether. I'll read you what they said about the study. "There's simply no concrete evidence that computer and video games cause harm." They dismiss the study altogether.
PHILLIPS: I don't know. Thirty hours a week. Not buying it.
COHEN: That's a lot. Sure is.
PHILLIPS: Yes. Sure is. Thanks, Elizabeth.
John McCain called President Obama patriot. But now a Tea Party leader is calling McCain something quite a bit different.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: An update now on that breaking story that we've been talking about, the American Airlines plane that was being investigated for something suspicious on board at Miami International Airport. Police now tell us there were no explosives on the plane. Nearly 200 passengers on board that flight from Buenos Aires.
All right. House Republicans aiming to repeal the health care law this week, and a new poll tracking how Americans feel about it. Our deputy political director Paul Steinhauser has the results from the CNNpolitics.com desk. Gone few weeks on paternity leave, helping that little baby Nora to be a smart, politically savvy baby.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Hey, and I saw the shout-out you gave last week, Kyra. You and Mark Preston. I appreciate that. I'm getting pretty good with those diapers. Let me tell you, I'm timing it.
PHILLIPS: Aww, she looks just like you!
STEINHAUSER: I hope not. I hope she's much better-looking for me.
PHILLIPS: Mouth open, ready to talk. She's ready to go.
STEINHAUSER: Oh! Good one, Kyra. I appreciate that.
All right. Let's get down to business. You've got this big action starting tomorrow in the House trying to repeal the big signature health care law the president and Democrats last yaer. Two new polls in the last couple days indicate about half the country does not want that.
Check this one out. This is one of the two polls we're talking about. From McClatchy and Marrison (ph). Look at the top there, about 14 percent say, you know what ? Just let the bill stay, let the law stand. Another 35 percent say change it, but make it stronger. Thirteen percent say change it but make it less potent. And you can see at the bottom, three out of 10, Kyra, they say, just repeal the darn thing.
So, we'll have new CNN poll numbers as well on health care a little later this week. This is such a hot-button issue.
OK. You teased it just before the break. John McCain, as you know, in an op-ed in "The Washington Post" over the weekend. He was very complimentary of president Barack Obama's speech ou there in Arizona on the shootings. He said, while I may not agree a lot with the president on the issues, I think he's a patriot.
That did not sit well at all with Jutson Phillips. He is the founder of the Tea Party Nation. That's the group that put on that first Tea Party convention last year. Here's what he said in an e- mail to supporters. He said, "John McCain represents everything that is wrong with the Republican party. He acts more like a liberal Democrat than a Republican."
Those are fighting words, Kyra. Back to you.
PHILLIPS: Yes. No doubt. All right, Paul, thanks. Your next political update in an hour and a reminder. For all the latest political news, just go to our Web site, CNNpolitics.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
STEINHAUSER: Let's "Fast Forward" take a look at some of our stories on the radar this week.
Sometime today, we are expected to hear from the former dictator of Haiti. "Baby Doc" Duvalier shocked his former countrymen last night when he made an unexpected return to Haiti. He's lived in exile for 25 years. He won't say exactly why he's back.
China's president due to arrive in the U.S. tomorrow, but this visit will be all business. He'll meet with White House officials on a number of trade disputes and differences over currency.
Do you know where you were 20 years ago today? You might have been sitting in front of CNN watching the launch of Operation Desert Storm. The objective of the mission? Turn back Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT" premieres tonight. Piers first-ever guest, Oprah Winfrey. After their sit-down, Oprah actually told CNN it was tone of her toughest interview in 20 years. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OPRAH WINFREY, FOUNDER, OWN NETWORK: The relationship that I thought that really broke my heart, I was keeping a journal then. You know, keeping a journal is, you know, you get to see yourself, how you're evolving as a human being.
And I remember having a ceremony in my head for that woman. I look back at that time and I have -- I hold no remorse or bitterness toward that person even though I was like, you didn't call and you didn't and you don't love me and I can't believe -- and I still have all those crazy letters. I should burn them.
PIERS MORGAN, CNN HOST: Do you really?
WINFREY: Yes, I do.
MORGAN: You kept them all.
WINFREY: I have them all.
MORGAN: Why have you kept them?
WINFREY: I don't know. I just kept them.
MORGAN: Do you still read them?
WINFREY: No, I haven't read them in years but, you know, I have them in a safety deposit box some place.
MORGAN: Wow, that's amazing.
WINFREY: I was thinking I should burn them now because, you know, Gayle knows if anything happens to me, get the letters.
MORGAN: No, I've got a message for Gayle. Give me the letters.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, after Oprah, Piers' guests all week include Howard Stern, Condoleezza Rice, Ricky Gervais and George Clooney. It kicks off tonight, 9:00 Eastern, "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT."
That does it for us. We'll see you back here tomorrow.
Carol Costello picking it up from here.
Hey, CC
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Kyra Phillips. I'm ready to go.
PHILLIPS: I know you are. I know you're ready for Piers Morgan tonight, too.
COSTELLO: I am really excited. And I want to know what Oprah was talking about.
PHILLIPS: Exactly.
COSTELLO: Who were those letters from?
PHILLIPS: He didn't set that up. Where are the letters from and what -- well, now I guess we're going to have to watch and find out tonight.
COSTELLO: The greatest tease ever, Kyra. The greatest.
PHILLIPS: We meant to do that.
COSTELLO: Have a great day.
PHILLIPS: See you.
