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Kidnapped Girl Finds Parents; White House Hosts Chinese President; Post-War Battles
Aired January 20, 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: All right. Well, it's 10:00 a.m. on the east coast. 7:00 a.m. out west. I'm Kyra Phillips. Thanks so much for joining us. Here's what we're talking about. Much of the midwest digging out from a huge storm. St. Louis saw as much as a foot of snow, that storm heading east now. New York could see up to five inches of snow.
Delta Air Lines flight makes an emergency landing in Little Rock, Arkansas. You can actually see the sparks flying from that landing. Luckily no injuries among the 78 people on board. Apparently pilots recognized they were having problems with the landing gear just after takeoff from Atlanta.
To the northeast, police launching raids against seven Mafia families. So far nearly 100 arrests in three states, New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island. The charges range from gambling to racketeering to murder. Attorney General Eric Holder plans to hold a news conference and we will take it live.
Now, a remarkable story that we've been talking about all morning out of New York. A young woman's nagging doubt about her identity meets the power of the internet to break a cold case and basically wipe away years of tears. She knew something just wasn't right about her family or her past because the one who raised her couldn't even come up with a birth certificate.
She also didn't feel that she looked like the people that she assumed were her family. Well, those doubts led her to the web site for missing and exploited children. That site proved what her instincts had been telling her all along. It turns out that she was that baby who made the news in 1987. The 19-day old girl snatched from a New York hospital by a woman posing as a nurse.
Well, the case went cold until she herself broke it wide open. And you know what DNA tests confirmed her identity. Now her birth mother's 1987 tears of anguish are tears of joy. You can just imagine how the family felt when long lost Carlina called.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAT CONWAY, CARLINA WHITE'S AUNT: Carlina was a missing link and we have gotten her back in the name of Jesus, hallelujah, hallelujah.
ELIZABETH WHITE, CARLINA WHITE'S GRANDMOTHER: It was just like she's been around us all her life. She was no stranger. She was just, you know, just fit right in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, police are not commenting about the criminal investigation just yet. But right now, we want to talk with Ernie Allen. He is head of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. That's actually the web site that Carlina visited and found out who she really is. This was amazing. We've come a long way from missing kids on milk cartons. What do you make of this story, Ernie? You actually remember this story, right, and you remember Carlina and what happened as a baby.
ERNIE ALLEN, NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN: Absolutely, Kyra. This was a massive national search. This was a case that touched millions of people. A child stolen at three weeks old from a hospital. And there was incredible law enforcement response, lots of attention to the photograph of the little girl, and we work very hard at keeping these cold cases alive.
Our belief is that many more of these children are out there and that if we work hard enough and with the public's help, we can reunite many more families.
PHILLIPS: Now, Ernie, tell me what happened, who took the call, what did she say, how did your agency respond to her, give us all the inside scoop on the conversation.
ALLEN: Well, she called us around Christmas and she conveyed the sense that she was suspicious about who she was and where she was. She had gone to our web site, she'd looked at a number of cases. She hadn't zeroed in on Carlina White alone. Our call taker took a lot of information, asked a lot of question, gathered facts and details.
And then our analysts went to work on the case. We looked at physical descriptors, we looked at time lines. What we tried to do was rule cases out. Could she have been a missing child. We reached out to the New York Police Department that had worked this case for almost 24 years and ultimately they were also pursuing it. They sent two investigators down to meet with Carlina, Nettie, and they took DNA samples, expedited the tests and we learned that this, in fact, Carlina White, this little girl who had been missing from her family for almost 24 years.
PHILLIPS: That is just incredible. So do you know anything about how the reunion went and how did do they go forward now as a family? This just must be incredible, but it will be a long journey.
ALLEN: It is going to be a long journey, but the early indications are very positive. There is a huge amount of love. You saw the reaction of some of the family members. The good news is that Carlina is young, she has the rest of her life in front of her. Her mother, Joy White, has battled for her. She never gave up hope, never stopped searching. And we think this provides such a positive message for other searching families. There is hope. We can bring many more of these children home. PHILLIPS: Yes, act on your gut. That's one of the lessons here. Ernie Allen, president and CEO of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. This is the type of story you dream about and you got it with this one. It's just incredible. Ernie, thanks so much for skyping with us.
ALLEN: Thank you, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: You bet.
We've got new developments to report in the Tucson shooting rampage. A federal grand jury has returned a three count indictment against the accused shooter, Jared Loughner. He's now charged with the attempted murder of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and two of her aides. Prosecutors say that they're moving slowly and carefully because Loughner could face the death penalty. He's due back in court Monday to plead to those charges.
And doctors say Congresswoman Gabby Giffords is now able to stand with some help less than two week after being shot in the head. Her husband by her side, her doctors more and more optimistic about the slow recovery.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. PETER RHEE, TRAUMA DIRECTOR, UNIV. OF ARIZONA MEDICAL CTR.: Today we were getting her out of bed again and we were able to stand with assistance on her, she's got the strength to stand on her own and lift her head up. I see improvements every single day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, tomorrow, Giffords is expected to be flown to Houston to begin the next phase of her recovery, the rehab center that specializes in severe brain injuries.
This hour China's president visits Capitol Hill. He's likely to face a decidedly cooler reception than he received last night at the White House, though. Lawmakers have railed against China's human rights record. And Republican leaders shunned White House invitations to attend the state dinner.
Here's the view last night, though. Inside the White House where President Obama and the first lady hosted President Hu and more than 200 guests for the dinner. It was the first such gathering in China's honor in 13 years. But the president said its time to focus on the common ground, the common goals that are shared between the two countries.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: While it's easy to focus on our differences of culture and perspective, let us never forget the values that our people share, a reverence for family, the belief that with education and hard work and with sacrifice, the future is what we make it, and most of all the desire to give our children a better life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: So a lot of celebrities attended, as well. U.S. figure skating champ Michelle Kan, film star Jackie Chan who is born and raised in HongKong, singer Barbra Streisand and her husband, James Brolin, also clothing designer, Vera Wang, whose parents are from china.
China's president hasn't made any great concessions on trade or currency, but there may be one olive branch. China has extended its loan of two pandas to the Washington Zoo. They'll now be able to remain in the U.S. after five years and the two giant pandas have already been there a decade. Their off spring, however, returned to china last year.
All right. Those are some pretty big waves we've been watching in Hawaii. That was about a year ago, surfers look at their chops at the thought of even bigger waves today. If they get big enough, it will kick off the surfing contest that hasn't happened yet in five years. And that's exactly what those surfers want.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: There's so much buzz about this, Kyra. They're very excited. It's an invitation only. You have to get invited to it you can't just go out and surf there and you have to have at least 20-foot wave for this thing to take place, and today maybe that day. Let me show you why. We got this monster storm, which is out in the Pacific and I'm showing you what we call a surface map.
And here's the storm way out here and here's Hawaii way down there. So those waves are getting pushed by these wind sand then they'll propagate down towards Hawaii. We think the peak of that could be this morning. And waves could get as high as somewhere between maybe 20 and 35 feet. So that would be huge. So we'll have to watch that and see what happens.
Oh yes, here's the web site, by the way. It's really interesting, by the way. Eddie Aikau was a surfer and a lifeguard on this beach and he was lost at sea. So they do it this in memory of him. It's only been done eight times. So they pick a window of time usually during those winter months when you tend to get those types of waves. And then if they meet the criteria, then they're going to be out there kicking it. Look at some of those waves from the last year. So we're going to try and get video if that takes place today. So make sure you watch tomorrow at the same time and we'll bring that to you.
OK. Now that you're all warmed up, we're going to cool you down a little bit with the snow. We've had some snow coming down across parts of the plain states here for today. Eight inches in St. Louis, we got the snow coming down in Indianapolis as well as Cincinnati and this whole system is going to be on the move. It's a fast moving system, so that's some good news.
Otherwise, these totals would have been way higher. It's going to be moving through the Ohio Valley tonight and into the northeast tomorrow. The accumulating snows should stay around half of a foot or less for most people into the northeast. The heaviest accumulations into northern parts of New England as that low system moves, very, very quickly.
The other big weather story is that we have wind chill indices way down towards the dangerous levels in the upper Midwest, staying well below zero, between 20 and 35 degrees, as was going to feel to your body tomorrow morning when you wake up in say Minneapolis as well as Chicago. So this is covering a big part of the upper Midwest and of course, that cold air, Kyra, is going to be diving on down towards the south. So looking at some very chilly conditions.
PHILLIPS: All right. Thanks, Jacqui. Have you ever surfed before?
JERAS: I haven't. I'd love to try. Not a 20 footer, but -
PHILLIPS: Yes, I was just going to say. Little teeny footer in San Diego but it's pretty fun.
JERAS: Yes, you did it?
PHILLIPS: I could see you out there with the kids.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: More like hanging on is what I was doing.
It started out as Robert Redford's small independent movie get- together. Now the Sundance Film Festival is where the hottest ticket around, and it kicks off today in parts of the Utah.
We got preview of the films and the stars to look out for. It's the wild west all over again. And for the first time in decades, bison roaming free on public land. We'll tell you why they've been set loose.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: For the first time in decades, bison will be roaming free on public land. (INAUDIBLE) "Xcountry" starting at Yellowstone. 25 bison released from Yellowstone National Park at the nearby (INAUDIBLE) National Forest. State and federal agencies released the animals in an attempt to conserve a wild bison population.
In Washington state, Facebook helped save a man's life. He's disabled and doesn't have a telephone, so when his house caught fire, he didn't have a whole lot of options, so he posted a cry for help on Facebook. A friend all the way in Indiana saw it and called 911.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was online playing one of the games on Facebook and I just started typing "this is not a joke. I need help, there's a fire in the kitchen. Can someone please call the Spokane Fire Department" and I put my address and all that on the Internet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Also, minor smoke inhalation, but otherwise he's OK.
And in Dallas, the debate over life sized cut outs painted to look like a homeless family bearing messages about supporting the city's homeless. A few dozen of them popped up around the city. A local homeless organization actually created them to raise awareness, but city officials weren't impressed. They say those cut-outs were in violation of city codes and have to come down by the end of the week.
What used to be a small independent film festival, but not anymore. Sundance kicks of today. And it has become a pretty star studded affair and features dozens of independent films.
So, of course, our showbiz host tonight Brooke Anderson is in Park City, Utah with a preview of this year's movies. What a beautiful setting, Brooke.
BROOKE ANDERSON, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" HOST: Oh, boy. It's a winter wonderland, Kyra. And yes, it was founded by the great Robert Redford, as you mentioned earlier, back in the 1980s. Since then it has grown and flourished tremendously. Hits (INAUDIBLE) like "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Inconvenient Truth" among many, many others were first discovered here.
And you say, it's always a star-studded affair. This year, of course, promises to be no different. Beautiful actress Demi Moore, Stanley Tucci, Kevin Spacey are among the actors who will bundle up in their snow gear to attend this event which really is known around the world as the place to be this time of year if you love film. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi. How are you? Jennifer Aniston has done Sundance.
JENNIFER ANISTON, ACTRESS: It's exciting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good to see you.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Robert Downey Jr., too.
ROBERT DOWNEY, JR., ACTOR: It's super important. Believe me.
ANDERSON: James Franco came last year and he's coming back again.
Some major stars will be joining him in snowy Park City, Utah. Pierce Brosnan returns to the festival playing a charismatic preacher in "Salvation Boulevard."
JAMES FRANCO, ACTOR: The whole place smells like chlorine. It's like I'm in Barbados or somewhere. ANDERSON: (INAUDIBLE) premieres his new comedy, "Cedar Rapids" with John C. Riley.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Double stock my mini bar please and (INAUDIBLE).
ANDERSON: Demi Moore has got two films in the festival. And so does Elizabeth Banks.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please don't use that tone with me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't use any tone with you.
ANDERSON: In the "Details" she stars opposite Tobey Maguire and Laura Linney.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Come on in, I won't bite.
ANDERSON: The cast hopes someone bites on their film. It's up for sale at Sundance along with dozens of other movies. And Oprah Winfrey could be one of the buyers. She's looking for product for her new own network.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you thinking about the "Sonny and Cher Show," you're not thinking about reality.
ANDERSON: Oprah already snapped up the documentary "Becoming Chaz" before it premieres at Sundance. The movie follows Chaz Bono, whose mom is Cher as he transition from female to male. And there are hints Oprah may fly to Sundance to check out another documentary.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANDERSON: About singer and civil rights activist, Harry Belefontaine. Celebrities do flock to Sundance but when all is said and done, the festival is really about finding and nurturing unknown films and undiscovered talent.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK RUFFALO, ACTOR (acting): A $100 bucks here says me and my nephew could beat anybody in here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Talent like Mark Ruffalo. He got his big break in the Sundance movie "You Can Count on Me" in 2000.
MARK RUFFALO, ACTOR: My career started at Sundance. Just a huge support for us. And we would be lost without it. It would be really sad if we didn't have Sundance.
ANDERSON: Not to worry, Mark, it looks like sundance will be around for a while. This year's festival gets underway Thursday night.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And Kyra, in the piece, I mentioned the documentary about Harry Belafonte's life, singer, song. I will actually be interviewing Harry Belafonte and his daughter, Gina, who also part of the film in the next hour, live right here on CNN.
PHILLIPS: All right. We look forward to that, Brooke, thanks.
Well, we're going to bring on the amazing Crispen (ph) in just a few minutes. The amazing Jason Crispen of Minnesota. Went to school in his late 30s to get his business degree. His reward? About two years worth of rejections. We're going to try to change that, though, with his 30-second pitch.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, stock market opening bill rang just about an hour ago. Looking at the numbers right now. Dow Industrials down 46 points. And this could be a sign that the job market is getting healthier. First time claims for unemployment benefits fell 37,000 last week and that's a word from the Labor Department. That figure is better than expected.
Well, Jason Crespin of Minnesota needs to get back in the job market. And we're going to give him 30 seconds to get there. Jason's joining us from St. Paul for the 30-second pitch.
Now, Jason, you did all the right things. You went back to school, you got your degree, you took any job you could. But nothing so far. I mean, put into perspective all the various jobs you've done just to try to make some cash.
JASON CRESPIN, JASONCERSPIN@GMAIL.COM: Absolutely. Trying to sustain myself, I've done everything from working security at a church, my local church, working for U.P.S. running packages during their Christmas season, and even folding towels at a health club just to try to sustain myself until I find permanent work.
PHILLIPS: Gosh, and what kind of work would be the ultimate job for you?
CRESPIN: I would absolutely love to find employment within the field of marketing with an organization that prides itself on giving back to the community. So marketing.
PHILLIPS: That would be the number one choice. Now, you've got - you actually have a grown stepson. Has that affected the family dynamic at all or is it this something that you've just been trying to provide for yourself? Put in perspective how many others that are depending on you right now.
CRESPIN: Yes, that's one of the hardest things going through a time like this. And I know I'm not alone. There's many people in my situation. But it's hard for me because I have so many friends and family that have supported me not just emotionally, but financially. For instance, they've signed for my personal loans, co-signed for my loans for school. And it starts to become terrifying when those loans start to become due and you still haven't found employment. I just - I don't want to let the people that believe in me down.
PHILLIPS: Well, I tell you what, let's do a 30-second pitch and hopefully somebody is watching that really likes you and has something for you and we could help you out. Are you ready to start?
CRESPIN: I am.
PHILLIPS: All right. Let's start the clock. 30 seconds. Take it away, Jason.
CRESPIN: Hello. My name is Jason Crespin and I'm an enthusiastic, energetic, hard working self starter. With a bachelor's degree in business administration and over seven years experience in marketing, my strong points are understanding the marketing mix, public speaking and generating fresh business ideas. I definitely have the skills, the drive, and the desire to get the job done right. And all I need now is an opportunity. Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Outstanding. Right at 30 seconds. Jason Crespin, it's jasoncrespin@gmail.com. Keep us posted and let us know what happens, OK, Jason?
JASON CRESPIN: I will. Thank you very much for the opportunity.
PHILLIPS: It was our honor. And if you're out of work and you'd like to sell yourself to prospective employers, just like Jason, let us know, send a resume and a letter, the 30-second pitch, CNN.doc and resume. If you'd like to hire 30-second pitchers, he'd love to marketing. Go to our blog, CNN.com/kyra, all the information will be there. The e-mails and also their to go to our blog. All the information is there, the e-mails and also their resume.
Well, sure, neck ties make doctors look more professional, but one doctor says they can also make patients sick literally. And our extreme parenting series continues. We speak with a man raised by a so-called tiger mom. High stress, verbal chiding, name calling. Physical abuse all in the hands of a parent. He can finally tell his story and we're going to talk to (INAUDIBLE), next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Half past the hour.
Time for some stories that have us talking this morning. A grim update on the Daniel Pearl case. The three year study supports an imprisoned Al Qaeda leader, boasted he beheaded the "Wall Street Journal" reporter while the FBI, CIA actually compared veins in the killer's hands. Who he is? Khalid Shaikh Mohammed.
And this hour, China's president visits Capitol Hill. He's likely to face a decidedly cooler reception than he received last night at the White House though. Lawmakers have railed against China's human rights record and Republican leaders shunned White House invitations to attend the state dinner.
Wal-Mart says it's going healthier. The company plans to lower the fat, sugar and salt in a lot of its packaged foods. And it plans to slash prices on fruits and vegetables. The company inspired by the first lady's commitment to healthier foods. It's the first time Michelle Obama has thrown her support behind the work of a single company.
We've been preparing a series for you this week called "Extreme Parenting." A woman calls herself the tiger mother, and she blasted on to the scene just at the time we were working on this. It's a memoir from a Chinese-American law professor whose ultra-strict parenting technique has trigger ready a national debate. And it led CNN NEWSROOM to ask a question we've not heard anyone ask before: "You know you're an extreme parent if..."
We'll have plenty of stories to help you fill in the blank and plenty of parenting experts as we begin with Lac Su, who was raised by his Vietnamese father. A parenting style that's described as "tiger mother." He has a very different take on what it's like to endure that kind of tough upbringing.
In "I Love Yous Are For White People," he describes the abuse, the name-calling and the stress of it this style of traditional Asian child bearing. He joins me live from San Diego. First, why don't we describe raised by a tiger mom. What does that mean to you?
LAC SU, AUTHOR, "I LOVE YOUS ARE FOR WHITE PEOPLE": Being raised by a tiger mother to me means as a child, I wasn't given the freedom to make my own decisions. Everything that I was learning to do as a child was enforced in me in a strong and abusive way. I wasn't able to make my own decisions about, you know, the passion that I wanted to follow.
PHILLIPS: And just put into perspective how your dad treated you. I was reading how he thought this was all very good for you, and his response to how he raised you was, "Well, my son turned out successful." But oh, my gosh, Lac Su and I read what he did, it's just heart-wrenching to me.
SU: Right. Right. I mean, you know, the success that I have right now in my life, I consider superficial success, you know. I have a couple letters behind my name. I'm a successful executive for a think tank, a published writer and what not. But I'm very broken up inside due to the disciplines and the tiger technique that my father has instilled upon me, and I'm still trying to get over it today as we speak.
PHILLIPS: And I'm reading. He called you stupid, retarded, slow, worthless, a waste of space. He beat you three to four times a week on average as a child. It continued until you were a sophomore in college.
Why did he think this was a proper way to treat you? Why did he think this was going to make you successful? SU: I think he didn't know any better. I mean, he was given those types of abuse himself when he was a kid by his parents, you know. His father was the same to my father in terms of his techniques in raising the quote/unquote successful child. And in turn, he passed those abusive behaviors down to me, thinking that that was the right thing to do.
And my struggle today is trying to end that cycle because it's not good. I'm a testimonial to a person that, you know, did not benefit from the parenting style that my father bestowed upon me as a kid.
And it's funny because on my way over here this morning, I heard my father's voice in my mind, you know, asking me, you know, why are you on CNN? What important things do you have to say about everything, you know? I still have voices of my father's -- negative voices in my mind today. And the emotional brainwashing that he has done to me while I was growing up, you know, it's still with me every day.
PHILLIPS: Well, it's a shame, and the author that kind of kicked off this firestorm was Amy Chua. And she actually spoke to CNN. We wanted for know more about this whole tiger parenting. Tiger mom, tiger dad.
Let's play a part of that interview, and then I want to get your response.
SU: OK.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMY CHUA, AUTHOR, "BATTLE HYMN OF THE TIGER MOTHER": The message that I received from my parents and that I try to send to my kids is, look, I believe in you. I believe in you so much that -- more than you believe in yourself. And I believe that with hard work, you can be excellent.
It's about really helping them be the best they can be within their limits, and I think that if they really can't do it, they've tried, then you have to listen and say, of course. I think it's unconditional love. I believe my parents give me unconditional love, even though they had very high expectations of me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Now, we should point out that Amy never talked about beating her children. But she's extremely strict. So, do you believe that being extremely strict is unconditional love? Is that how you are raising your children, and do you agree with this Asian philosophy of how your dad raised you?
SU: Overall, no. I have to say that my father had good intentions by the way he raised me, but his approaches were wrong. There's other ways of raising your child in a nurturing, affectionate and loving way and still get the message across. With Amy, I feel so much for her daughters, you know. Actually -- was it Sophie who wrote an op-ed describing her feelings about her mother's parenting style? I mean, really? Is that what you really feel, Sophie?
That's -- my opinion is that, you know, Sophie is brainwashed to feel those things. I mean, if you take her mother out of the equation and really ask her what she really feels about the whole thing, I bet you would get a different answer to that. And I say this because -- because all my life I was in denial of the same techniques that my father has bestowed upon me. In my mind growing up, I told myself that he was doing the right thing by beating me, by beating the smart into me. Until I reached college and I took my first psychology class, and I was so fascinated with, you know, with all the research that proved them wrong. Children need affection and love to be able to think on their own, have that freedom of doing what they like.
I'm not against guidance. I'm not against a sharing thoughts and opinions about things. And, you know, I think in Amy's case, it's not the case. She's more of overcontrolling and imposing her views on what the right thing is.
PHILLIPS: Well, I'll tell you what. After reading how your parents raised you, I'm so thankful that you turned out so wonderful, and I'll stick with your way of parenting, Lac Su. Thanks for joining me and talking about this phenomenon that's definitely going across the Internet and getting a lot of attention. Appreciate your candor and your straightforward chat. Thanks so much, Lac.
SU: Thank you for having me, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: You bet.
Our "Extreme Parenting" series continues next hour, too. You'll meet a woman who calls her a junk food crusader and see just how far she goes to keep her kids healthy.
And a college student wears the same pair of jeans every day for 15 months without washing them. Just imagine that smell! They even did a lab test on the jeans. You'll never guess what they found.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: All right. Let's check some health stories making headlines now.
Most moms of newborns start out breastfeeding, but drop off before six months. And a new surgeon general's report blames lack of support at home and work and not enough teaching from health care professionals. The report offers ways that the community can help moms that want to breastfeed their babies.
And a doctor in Canada wants his colleagues to stop wearing neck ties. The doctor points to a study that suggests that doctors' ties may contain bacteria that can cause dangerous illnesses. Another doctor say if ties don't come into direct contact with patients, there's no risk of disease.
Everybody has a favorite pair of jeans, but a Canadian college student has taken that preference to, let's say a major extreme. Josh Lay (ph) wore the same pair of jeans every day for 15 months without washing them. His reason? Well, he want the perfect fit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSH LAY (ph), DID NOT WASH JEANS FOR OVER A YEAR: I gave it the sniff test, and then if they smelled OK, then I wore them for the day.
It was really bad, because when I open them up, there was a big waft of stink that hit me. I triple-bagged them and I threw them in the freezer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, before he washed them, Josh had the jeans tested at a lab, and that test found no dangerous bacteria.
Has the Obama presidency been a success or a failure? Our latest poll has your answer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: President Obama admits that he and his party took a shellacking in the midterm elections, but apparently he's winning over some of his critics.
Let's take the public pulse halfway through his term, and for that, we go CNN's deputy political director Paul Steinhauser. Hey, Paul.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Hey, Kyra. Good morning. It was two years ago today that the president was inaugurated. So, how do Americans feel about his presidency? Was it a failure or success so far?
Check this out, brand new numbers. CNN/Opinion Research Corporation. And you can see right there, Americans are pretty much divided. Forty-five percent saying his presidency is a success, 48 percent saying a failure.
Now, obviously a partisan divide - yes, Republicans and Democrats -- but look at the next number here. This is generational divide. This is interesting. Older Americans, they term the president's presidency a failure. Younger Americans, those under 50, they're pretty much divided, Kyra. Interesting right there.
PHILLIPS: And then you're also following a controversy going on in Alabama involving the new governor. Let's talk about that. We talked a little bit about it at 9:00.
STEINHAUSER: Yes, this is fascinating. Remember on Monday, the new governor there Robert Bentley getting inaugurated. And at a church on inauguration day, telling people that he didn't feel that -- brothers and sisters that weren't Christians, he wouldn't consider them brothers or sisters.
Well, as you can imagine, a lot of controversy over those comments. Yesterday, the governor apologizing of sorts, saying he hopes he didn't offend anybody by that. He met with Jewish community leaders down there in Alabama. But it was a big talk of topic this week, Kyra. You know it.
PHILLIPS: Yes. Always is, and you've always got the scoop, Paul. Thanks.
We'll have your next political update in just about an hour. And a reminder, for all the political new, you can always go to our Web site, 24/7, CNNpolitics.com.
Surviving firefights in Iraq and being held captive. Coming up, we'll introduce you to a former P.O.W who survived some dangerous times.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BERNARD SHAW, FORMER CNN CORRESPONDENT: Something is happening outside. The skies over Baghdad have been illuminated.
JOHN HOLLIMAN, FORMER CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is Holliman. I don't know whether you are able to hear me now or not. But you can perhaps here the sound in the background.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: That was CNN's coverage of the Gulf War, and it changed journalism forever. As we look back at that time, we remember the story of Melissa Coleman, an Army specialist captured by Iraqi forces. She was the first female P.O.W taken since World War II.
Now, 20 years later, she's fighting the toughest battle of her life. Ed Lavandera brings us her story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Twenty years ago, in the early days of the first Gulf War, Melissa Coleman was driving a truck, delivering equipment to front line soldiers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're now preparing to roll into Kafcheve (ph).
LAVANDERA: A couple of confusing wrong turns and Melissa Coleman and fellow Army solider David Lockett found themselves in the middle of a firefight, surrounded by Iraqi soldiers. It was the beginning of 33 days in captivity. An excruciating time for Melissa's parents who were first told their daughter had been killed. LEO RATHBUN, POW'S FATHER: When I first heard, I sat by the TV and just cried the whole rest of the day. So it was difficult.
LAVANDERA: But then came a 3:00 a.m. phone call from a CNN producer, telling them to turn on their TV. They saw their daughter alive and safe.
But 20 years later, it's not her time as a POW that's shaping her life. Melissa Coleman is now fighting another life and death battle.
MELISSA COLEMAN, FORMER POW: I'm going through chemo. That's why I'm bald. I was diagnosed with breast cancer the end of August.
LAVANDERA (on camera): And now it seems like you're fighting an even tougher battle.
COLEMAN: Yes, but I'm going to win this one, too.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Deep down inside, she knows it's a battle she can win because of her time as a POW.
COLEMAN: It's helped me keep a positive outlook because I know what I can withstand. I've survived something as dangerous if not more dangerous. So, I feel like, you know, I'm going to make it.
LAVANDERA: Coleman says doctors have successfully removed the cancer for now and her prognosis is good. She lives in San Antonio with her husband and two teenaged daughters. Being mom is her proudest accomplishment. She says she rarely thinks about her days as a POW., but still takes medication for PTSD.
(on camera): Stroll down memory lane?
COLEMAN: (LAUGHS) I was a baby.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): There's one piece of video she's never seen, even 20 years after leaving Iraq.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Daddy, get on over there! We're going to put on you speaker.
LAVANDERA: This was Melissa's first phone call home after being released.
COLEMAN: It's pretty amazing right now.
LAVANDERA: Do you remember that?
COLEMAN: Oh, yes. Do I ever. It was some occasion, let me tell you.
I cry whenever I hear what they went through because they were told that I was dead, they were told that I had been dismembered, they were told that I had been raped, my body cut up. All different stories that came back to the States to them.
LAVANDERA: In reality, Coleman says she was treated much better than the male POWs.
COLEMAN: The major in charge of my captivity, the prison I was in, he would tell them, "She's a woman. What she know? She knows nothing."
LAVANDERA: So their chauvinism perhaps spared you a little.
COLEMAN: It did. It did.
LAVANDERA: Melissa Coleman's parents say the POW ordeal brought their people closer together and changed their daughter.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's a lot more serious about life and relationships now than what she was before. Everybody means more to her, life means more to her, I think.
LAVANDERA: Twenty years later, battling cancer, Melissa Coleman keeps proving she's a survivor that keeps on fighting.
Ed Lavandera, CNN, San Antonio, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And we're just getting pictures in now of Chinese president Hu Jintao. As you know, he arrived on the Hill today. He had a pretty warm reception at the White House last night, a state dinner. A lot of celebrities showed up.
Well, apparently lawmakers here bringing him in for discussions probably going to be a little tougher on him. Talking about human rights abuses and other controversial issues there. Those lawmakers, by the way, not attending the state dinner last night with hopes to have some pretty hardcore discussions with China's president, beginning right now.
It looks like a ballet on four wheels. This winter has been a command performance. Jeanne Moos with the best of this year's sliding cars.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Thanks to a winter that just won't quit, this has been a banner user for the sliding car ballet. Some drivers should really think about investing in a Zanboni. Jeanne Moos ready to weigh in with her fender bender extravaganza.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's become almost a winter sport. No, not ice-skating. Car sliding, like this almost- choreographed ice dance down a hill in Spokane, Washington, or this pickup picking up speed, headed backwards in Colorado Springs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Watch out, watch out. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God.
MOOS: The pickup truck drivers who think they can beat any hill, no matter how icy. Now that everyone has a camera phone, like Liz Smith, we're all able to see the carnage.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This sucks, dude. Look at your car. Is this your car?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is your car. Oh, my God.
MOOS: Ian shot pile-ups that damaged more than 20 vehicles.
IAN SMITH, AMATEUR VIDEOGRAPHER: It was really cool to see all the crashes. Thank God nobody got hurt. That's the bad thing. It's really cool.
MOOS: And it's paid off for Ian. His video has attracted advertisers like Cheapo Auto Quotes for insurance. TV outlets have license his video. A tire company might use it in a commercial.
What was the street called where all this happened?
SMITH: South Carefree and Powers.
MOOS (on camera): Carefree?
SMITH: Yes, Carefree.
MOOS (voice-over): Oh, it's Carefree, all right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God!
MOOS: We thought we'd hand out some medals for some of the most nerve-racking slides.
(on camera) For the best spin we award the bronze medal to this pickup in Spokane.
(voice-over) Kind of reminds us of a spinning skater.
(on camera) For speed and elegance, we award the silver medal for this Jeep.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, (EXPLETIVE DELETED). Here comes another one. Oh, (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
MOOS: For dumbest attempt and for striking more than one vehicle, the gold goes to --
(voice-over) -- this cocky pickup --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, damn.
MOOS: -- who thought it could go where no one else was able to. But the truck didn't stop there. It kept on sliding.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I tried to tell him. What an idiot.
MOOS: Did we mention the guy who shot this video performs hip hop? This pickup was on its way, all right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (singing): I'm on my way
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Damn it!
MOOS: -- New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Carol, somebody always finds a way to make money off of somebody else's disaster. It's just so wrong.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I know. It is wrong, but you can't take your eyes away. You just want to watch more accidents happen.
PHILLIPS: Well, luckily, nobody was hurt. I'm still cringing.
COSTELLO: That's true.
PHILLIPS: Just stay off the road. When it's bad weather, stay home.
COSTELLO: Yes. And for goodness sakes, don't try a hill when you know you can't, even though you have a macho vehicle.
PHILLIPS: Exactly.
COSTELLO: Have a great day, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: See you later, Carol.
