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Romney Apologizes For H.S. Pranks; POW's Dad Pleas With Taliban; JPMorgan Investors Lose $2 Billion; Magazine Cover Stirs Debate; Attached Parenting

Aired May 11, 2012 - 13:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour, I'm Suzanne Malveaux. I want to get you up to speed. They are safe in recovering now two weeks after their kidnapping ordeal began. Alexandra and Kyliyah Bain were released from the hospital this morning. The FBI found the girls in a wooded area in Mississippi yesterday. The rescue ended a nationwide manhunt for alleged kidnapper Adam Mayes who is also suspected of killing the girls' mother and older sister. Now, authorities say that Mayes killed himself as officers moved in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AARON FORD, SPECIAL AGENT, FBI: Mayes pulled a semiautomatic pistol from his waistband and shot himself in the head and was later pronounced dead at a local hospital. Other agents moved in to rescue Kyliyah and Alexandria who were lying on the ground nearby. The girls were hungry, thirsty, and dehydrated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: The head of the biggest bank in the country is admitting to a trading mistake that cost JPMorgan chase $2 billion and counting. Jamie Dimond, CEO, made the surprise announcement during a conference call yesterday. He said the loss was a case of, quote, "bad judgment."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMIE DIMOND, CEO, JPMORGAN CHASE: We have more work to do, but it is obvious at this point that there were many errors, sloppiness and bad judgment. Number one, we're going to manage it to maximize economic value for shareholders. What does that mean? It means we're not going to do something stupid. We're willing to hold as long as necessary inventory and we're willing to bear volatility.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: The improving economy is actually not good news for some Americans who have been out of work for a long time. That is because they're going to lose their unemployment checks as of this week. As the economy actually gets better, the federal program providing extended benefits is ending. More than 200,000 people in eight states are going to lose their benefits. About half of them are in California. A possible new milestone in the fight against AIDS. For first time an FDA panel is backing a pill to prevent HIV infection. Truvada tablets, they are already used to treat patients who have the disease. Well now, government health experts say that this drug should be approved for daily use for people who are considered at high risk of contracting the virus. The FDA is expected to adopt the panel's recommendations next month.

We now know the two little girls who were rescued in Mississippi yesterday watched as their alleged kidnapper shot himself in the head. It is just yet another horrible detail that is coming out of this case that began in Tennessee just two weeks ago. The hunt for Alexandria and Kyliyah Bain it intensified after their mother and older sister were found dead. George Howell, he is joining us from Whiteville, Tennessee. George, I mean, when you think about what this family has gone through and what these little girls have endured already, it's hard to wrap your head around it. What are the FBI saying about what they are learning what these little girls went through?

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Suzanne, we learned from a source that three other people were now charged, or were now arrested rather, in this case. One person for apparently filing a false report with police. The other two for illegal possession of a firearm. And we also learned from that source that one -- that one of the people arrested for illegal possession of the firearm may have given Adam Mayes the weapon that he used to kill himself.

We also learned from a source -- we learned this from a source, obviously, that the cause of death, that's really what everyone here is talking about. I just went into city hall and, really, this is the new fact that people are having a real hard time with, to be quite frank. The cause of death, strangulation for JoAnn Bain and her oldest daughter, Adrienne. At this point, investigators, obviously, are still looking through all the facts of the case, mainly looking at Teresa Mayes, the only person charged with murder at this point, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: George, do we have any idea if the two little girls, the ones who have survived, if they actually saw the mother or the older sister being killed?

HOWELL: We do understand that that may have happened. When you read through the police report, the affidavit, that you do -- I get the sense that these girls, they all traveled together. Apparently, they traveled together from Tennessee down to Mississippi, and we learned that Teresa Mayes may have loaded the bodies into the car and helped to drive down to Mississippi. So, you do get the sense they saw their mother and older sister killed and also they were there when Adam Mayes shot himself in the head.

MALVEAUX: Do you have any idea how these little girls are doing today?

HOWELL: We do know that they were released from the hospital just last night. And from what we've heard from investigators, they were dehydrated, they were exhausted from being in the woods for however long they were there. But we believe that they will be or may have been reunited with their father. At this point, obviously, in this community just hoping for their welfare.

MALVEAUX: All right. George Howell, really just a very upsetting, upsetting case. Thank you very much.

Here is a rundown of some of the stories we're covering over the next hour. A former classmate of Mitt Romney says he's feeling remorse about pinning down a terrified student, cutting off his hair in high school. But Romney says he does not remember taking part in that attack.

Also, the father of an American POW is appealing directly to the Taliban to release his son.

And this "Time" magazine cover causing a lot of buzz about how old is too old to breast-feed. I'll talk to a mother who says breast- feeding older children should not be a problem.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: First lady Michelle Obama just delivered the commencement address at Virginia Tech. Comes five years after that massacre on the campus that left 33 people dead. Brianna Keilar, she's at the tech campus and she's joining us live. Briana, talk a little bit about what the first lady's theme was.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, it was very interesting, Suzanne, because it was very much tailored to Virginia Tech. This class that Michelle Obama spoke to is the first class that actually applied to Virginia Tech even after the shooting. So, when you talk to the students here, they'll tell you that the shootings, while they remember them, they didn't really define their experience at all. So, she really spoke to that because what's certainly interesting is if you ask the average person about Virginia Tech, they certainly do define Virginia Tech by the shootings.

Michelle Obama said to the students, there's always people who will define you by one isolated incident, and you in Virginia Tech here know that especially well. And she told them that they'll only be defined by that if allow themselves to be. She said that if they tell people where they've gone to school and someone says, wait, isn't that the school where, she said interrupt them right there and say, yes, that is the school that turns out amazingly, you know, academic achievers, people who are members of their community. So, it was very much a tailored message that she had for this really unique class here at Virginia Tech.

MALVEAUX: Brianna, did she reveal anything personal about herself? Did she talk about her own life experience and life story? Sometimes she likes to do that.

KEILAR: Yes, she did. We didn't -- we heard some things that I think normally we don't hear. She said that after she graduated college, and she was obviously very much trying to connect with these students, she said that she had a great high-paying job, a great office at one of Chicago's top paying -- or pardon me, largest law firms, and she said, you know, on paper it looked like a great job but very quickly she lost one of her best friends to cancer. She lost her dad after a struggle with Multiple Sclerosis and she said she ultimately decided to go into a career that was more about public service. This is interesting, Suzanne, because following the tragedy here at Virginia Tech, one of the things that came out of it was very much an emphasis on service.

I mean, I spoke with a lot of students, and it's pretty amazing the things they're doing. One couple that I spoke with is heading to the Philippines for six months to teach college students in the Philippines how to read and do computer skills. So obviously, the first lady did her research and I suppose you're not really surprised because not to interject too many politics into this, but there certainly is a political element to this. Virginia is a swing state. And certainly, I'm sure that factored in the decision as the first lady's office determined where she would give some of her commencements.

MALVEAUX: Yes. Always a little politics that plays into all of this, but it sounds like it was a great speech and very inspiring. Brianna, thank you so much, appreciate it.

Later, we're going to hear from Mitt Romney in Charlotte, North Carolina. That's up next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is quite a success story.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Mitt Romney tries to shift the focus back to the economy during a stop in Charlotte, North Carolina. That is this hour, it's actually right now. But Romney also facing some questions about an incident from years ago when he was in high school. He was accused of pinning down a fellow student and cutting off chunks of his hair. Jim Acosta is joining us live from the Romney campaign, the trail there. Jim, they're trying to move beyond that I imagine. Are they still getting questions about this?

JIM ACOSTA, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: They are. You know, Suzanne, this came out in "The Washington Post" yesterday, and when you say turn the page, they are literally trying to turn the page. It is on page one of "The Washington Post" today. The story broke online yesterday. And it really is about these five former classmates of Mitt Romney who say they witnessed a young Mitt Romney then, back in 1965, nearly 50 years ago, along with a group of friends holding down and cutting the hair of a fellow classmate.

And last night, I had a chance to catch up over the phone with one of those former classmates who says he witnessed this incident. His name is Phillip Maxwell, and, you know, he was really struck, Suzanne, by the fact that Mitt Romney came out yesterday and said he did not recall this incident, and I asked Maxwell about this. I want to show you a couple quotes from the conversation that I had with him. One of them goes as follows. This is Phil Maxwell, he is an attorney in Michigan right now, but a former classmate. He says, he says he doesn't remember it and I find it difficult to believe. It's unfortunate that Mitt -- he called him Mitt simply hasn't owned up to his behavior.

And, you know, a lot of people are saying, well, this is back in high school. Was this just teasing, a prank, that sort of thing? He said, no, this is bullying. He called it an assault. And I said, well, you know, should voters out there take this into consideration? And here's what he had to say. He said, quote, "I guess you have to take it into account. Are you the kind of person who would stop the abuse of an innocent person?"

Those comments from Phillip Maxwell. And as you know, Suzanne, Mitt Romney talked about this in an interview with Fox yesterday. He said he did not recall the incident, but he apologized for what he called pranks back in his high school days and any harm that might have been done. Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't recall the incident myself, but I've seen the reports and I'm not going to argue with that. There's no question but that I did some stupid things when I was in high school and, obviously, if I hurt anyone by virtue of that, I would be very sorry for it and apologize for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And just to give you a sense, Suzanne, as to how sensitive this issue has become for the Romney campaign, they went about finding statements from two other former classmates of Mitt Romney who issued statements on the campaign's behalf to reporters yesterday. I received a couple of those statements. One of them from a classmate who said, yes, Mitt Romney, back in those days, was clownish in his words. Liked to, you know, engage in a lot of pranks, but not malicious. That was his wording saying that Mitt Romney was just not that kind of person. So you're getting sort of a he said/he said in terms of, you know, what Mitt Romney was like back then.

MALVEAUX: Right.

ACOSTA: But keep in mind, Suzanne, you know, we all did things back in high school that we might regret. President Obama, in his autobiography "Dreams Of My Father," talked about his drug use when he was in high school. So these are things that voters have to take into consideration. Does the behavior of a presidential candidate all the way back in high school enter into their considerations and that's for the individual voter to decide.

MALVEAUX: Jim, do we know if the campaign, the Romney campaign, is reaching out to his fellow classmates like Maxwell, the guy you talked to, who's coming out saying, you know, I'm disappointed. I don't believe that he couldn't recall this incident. That this was assault. Are they trying to do some damage control or reach out to the people who are -- who were directly involved in the incident?

ACOSTA: No. When I talked to Phillip Maxwell last night over the phone, he said, no, he had not heard from the Romney campaign. And I have to say, my sense of it, from talking to the Romney campaign about this, is that they're ready to move on. You can see Mitt Romney on the other side of the screen right now. He's down in Charlotte talking about the economy. And, Suzanne, he's going to be down at Liberty University in Virginia tomorrow also talking about the economy. And it's striking that he's going to do that because, as you know, Suzanne, that is a very conservative school. A very socially conservative school filled with a lot of evangelical students. And he's going to use that occasion to talk again about the economy, not so much about these social issues. And in a week that has been just dominated by coverage about the president's reversal on the issue of same-sex marriage, it is interesting to see the Romney campaign and the candidate himself stay away from some of these sensitive issues.

MALVEAUX: And, Jim, probably over the weekend as well we're going to see kind of a battle of the commencement speeches. I know President Obama's going to go to Barnard. What do we make of the very different kinds of messages just based on the schools that they've selected this weekend?

ACOSTA: Well, you know, I was listening to you talking to Brianna Keilar down at Virginia Tech. Obviously the battleground state selection is very important in all of this. It's no accident that Mitt Romney's going to be in Virginia tomorrow.

But one thing that you can really take to the bank from the Romney campaign during this period right now is that they are hyper focused on the economy right now. Last night, when President Obama was out in Seattle giving that fund-raising speech, and he said during that speech, sometimes I forget about the magnitude of the recession, instantly on Twitter Romney campaign aide have seized on that comment, had started retweeting it, sending it to their followers. The RNC came out with a video today talking about that statement that the president made. So they feel like that is their bread and butter issue. That's the issue they want to talk about, the economy. They don't want to talk about any of these other things, most especially that story in "The Washington Post." They'd like to put that behind them.

MALVEAUX: All right, Jim, thank you very much. And obviously Mitt Romney campaigning there speaking in North Carolina, talking about the economy. This is a company that makes residential/commercial pipes and fittings. Let's just listen in briefly.

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Go back to the old school liberal policies of the past with bigger and bigger government, bigger and bigger deficits, more and more intrusive government. And that's what you're seeing today. And that, by the way, is why it's been so hard for this economy to recover. This recovery has been the slowest, most tepid since Hoover. It's been that way because the president's policies have not encouraged this economy to grow. They've scared the dickens out of banks, they scared the dickens out of insurance companies, they've scared employers that are in the manufacturing sector.

I have an entirely different view. My view is, if we have the right policies, labor policies, fair between management and organized labor, if we have as well a president that will finally get our budget balanced, if we also have -- if we take care of our energy policies and take advantage of the resources we have to bring the cost of energy down -- I'll bet you use a lot of energy here, don't you? Yes. If energy costs are down, it makes it better for foundries and more facilities like this can survive. I believe also if we have the right trade policies, opening up markets for American goods but cracking down on cheaters like China when they take away our jobs.

MALVEAUX: We're listening to Mitt Romney there in North Carolina talking about jobs and the economy.

We've got the latest as well on the negotiations with the Taliban to free an American soldier captured in Afghanistan three years ago.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: U.S. government officials now say they did try to negotiate freedom for the only American prisoner of war in Afghanistan. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl was captured in 2009, has not been seen since the Taliban released a video proving at least that he is alive. That was in 2010. Well, the Taliban then backed out of the peace talks, leaving a prisoner swap offer on the table. Bergdahl's family is not satisfied. They took over where the government, they say, stopped. Here's Chris Lawrence with the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The fate of a captured American soldier may rest on how much the U.S. government will give up to get him back. Behind the scenes, U.S. officials have been engaging in covert diplomacy with the Taliban regarding reconciliation. And a U.S. official tells CNN, part of the negotiation involves the U.S. transferring five of its Taliban prisoners in exchange for Bowe Bergdahl's release.

LEON PANETTA, DEFENSE SECRETARY: First and foremost, our heart goes out to the Bergdahl family.

LAWRENCE: Bergdahl's father has been making direct appeals to the militants holding his son and has told other news outlets he is frustrated with the government's lack of progress.

BOB BERGDAHL, SGT. BOWE BERGDAHL'S FATHER: I pray this video may be shown to our only son. (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

LAWRENCE: Military officials say they're constantly reminded of their search.

GEN. MARTIN DEMPSEY, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: If you go to the CENTCOM command center where -- you know, their conference room, there's about a 4 x 6 foot poster of Bowe Bergdahl sitting in front of the podium to remind them, and therefore us, every day that he remains missing in action.

LAWRENCE: Bergdahl disappeared in this rugged region along the Pakistani border where he was stationed in 2009. U.S. officials say he walked off his combat outpost. But in a video the Taliban released, Bergdahl claims he was captured when he fell behind on patrol. An administration official says they would have worked out some kind of sequence, perhaps moving some two Taliban prisoner from Guantanamo to a third country like Qatar, and then, once Bergdahl was released, the U.S. would let three more go. But swapping prisoners has been heavily criticized on Capitol Hill.

DAVID PETRAEUS, CIA DIRECTOR: The agency was asked to assess these five individuals, their significance, and the risks that could be incurred by their release.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But at one point there was a report that says that they are too dangerous to release.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Chris Lawrence is joining us live from the Pentagon.

And, Chris, so the Pentagon thought about exchanging some of those prisoners for Bowe Bergdahl. They chose not to. What we didn't hear in the report, what -- it was actually the Taliban who thought of that idea. So were they receptive or not to a prisoner swap?

LAWRENCE: From everything we've heard, the Taliban were initially receptive to this idea, Suzanne. In fact, at the beginning of the year, there was an announcement that they were going to open up this negotiating office in Qatar, you know, in the midst of all these negotiations. But there was fierce opposition on Capitol Hill. There was a real question about how dangerous some of these men were. And, again, you had a lot of road blocks put up. And I think now it's going to be very tough.

MALVEAUX: And, Chris, we know that the father here, he is taking matters into his own hands now. He doesn't believe that the government is really doing enough. He sent an appeal out on YouTube, and even appealed in a local language, speaking the local language here. This is very unconventional. Does he think that it's going to actually work?

LAWRENCE: From all accounts, Suzanne, he just seems at his wits' end. I mean he has not seen his son since he came home for Christmas nearly four years ago. So I think they are very, very frustrated and they're looking at how this negotiation aspect has become somewhat political now. They know it's an election year, which may be working against any sort of big deal that could become an election issue. So I think they're frustrated. And now you see them in this video that you're about to see making a direct appeal even to Pakistan's government.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB BERGDAHL, SGT. BOWE BERGDAHL'S FATHER: I personally appeal to General Kayani (ph) and General Pasha (ph). Our family is counting on your professional integrity and honor to secure the safe return of our son. And we thank you. Our family knows the high price that has been paid by your men in the army and the frontier corps. We give our condolences and thanks to the families of those who have fallen for Pakistan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAWRENCE: So, yes, a very direct appeal. There is a feeling or a sense that the Taliban have moved Bowe Bergdahl around somewhat since they captured him. And now the father, obviously, is appealing to the Pakistani government to try to do more to find him.

Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right, Chris Lawrence. Thank you, Chris.

This "Time" magazine cover of a mother and a three-year-old sparking a debate now. How old is too old to breast-feed? We're going to talk to a mother who says it's not too old.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: More now on the startling admission by a man in charge at JPMorgan Chase. Jamie Dimon is telling investors the country's biggest bank lost $2 billion since April. He says it was a case of, quote, "bad judgment."

Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange.

So, Alison, tell us what happened here, first of all.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The short answer, Suzanne, JPMorgan gambled and they made risky bets. And here is what's ironic is those bets were meant to protect against possible losses on JPMorgan's other investments, but all that backfired and the bets wound up producing losses of their own. This all, of course, coming out in a surprise conference call that happened last night called by CEO Jamie Dimon. This, of course, coming as a big shock for shares of financials on Wall Street, not to mention shares of JPMorgan down more than 8 percent. We're also watching shares of Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs getting hit hard today.

Wall Street is kind of worried about what other banks are doing. They want to know, if JPMorgan is doing this, what kind of bets are these other banks making, especially the banks that aren't as strong as JPMorgan -- Suzanne?

MALVEAUX: JPMorgan obviously one of the stronger banks. Are they concerned it will hit its reputation pretty bad?

KOSIK: At least in the short term, you can expect its reputation is going to take a hit, not to mention Jamie Dimon as well, despite the fact that he's very well respected in the industry. Even President Obama called him to Washington for meetings on the economy. But clearly in this conference call -- we're about to play a bit of it -- you can hear that Jamie Dimon is clearly not a happy camper. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMIE DIMON, CEO, JPMORGAN CHASE: Speaking for the senior management team and myself, while we can't assure you we won't make mistakes, we will -- we can assure you we will try not to. These were egregious mistakes. They were self inflicted. We are accountable. And what happens violates our own standards and principles by how we want to operate the company. This is not how we want to run a business.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: As you hear, Jamie Dimon owning up to what happened. He's clearly not hiding, being very blunt. He says the losses were caused by sloppiness. He also warns that $2 billion loss could grow into a sizable bigger loss possibly -- Suzanne?

MALVEAUX: What does it mean going forward? Are we talking about more federal regulation potentially?

KOSIK: What it really does is it revives the conversation about oversight. Keep in mind, new regulations are going into effect by the end of July. And what those new regulations look to do is limit how much banks trade with their own money. Interestingly enough, Dimon has spoken out against the tougher reforms and he's still standing his ground. Dimon defending JPMorgan saying, you know, when you look at everything that the firm has done at this point, they've been very careful, even though that this wasn't -- though his argument, I don't think, is holding up too much at least for today -- Suzanne?

MALVEAUX: Alison Kosik.

Thank you, Alison.

So what's wrong with breast-feeding a young boy? Nothing, according to this mom.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HEATHER MCFADDEN, BREAST-FEEDING MOTHER: As long as both are happy doing it, then why not?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Take a look at the facts behind the buzz over the "Time" magazine cover.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: "Time" magazine cover is triggering a lot of double- takes at the checkout counter. It shows a mother posing with her breast-feeding toddler. The boy turns 4 next month. The mother, 26- year-old Jamie Grumet, believes that nursing for several years boosts children's self-confidence. The provocative cover also fueling some national debate.

Deborah Feyerick has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCFADDEN: There were a lot of people who were surprised. You're still breast-feeding?

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For dancer, Heather McFadden, breast-feeding her 3.5-year-old son is the most northerly thing in the world.

MCFADDEN: It's a relationship between the mother and the child, and so as long as both are happy doing it, then why not?

FEYERICK: Yet "Time" magazine's latest cover is making a lot of people very uncomfortable.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When they can walk and they can talk, they can go to the refrigerator. It's gross.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it stops at 12 or 18 months. That's where you stop. You draw the line there.

MCFADDEN: Society is looking at me like I'm the weird one, and we're not. We're not weird. We're actually quite normal. It's just, in this culture, in our culture, it's viewed as weird.

FEYERICK: "Time's" newest cover girl told the "Today" show she understanding the reaction, even though the cover ignores the nurturing side of the experience.

JAMIE GRUMET, BREAST-FEEDING MOTHER: I understand what they're saying but I do understand why "Time" chose this picture, because it is going to be such a -- it did create such a media craze.

FEYERICK: The cover is so in-your-face, it could backfire.

DR. DREW PINSKY, HOST, HLN'S DR. DREW: It is an important part of attachment. It is healthy for the child. But to look at these prolonged -- these sort of extreme opinions about it might turn some people off to the whole thing.

FEYERICK: Behind the controversial photos is a decades'-old debate on the benefits of attachment parenting, which says babies develop a strong emotional bond and feel secure the more they're held and the more sensitive parents are to baby's needs. That includes extended breast-feeding, bed sharing, and baby slings.

Pediatrician Dr. William Sears started the movement 20 years ago.

DR. WILLIAM SEARS, PEDIATRICIAN: The kids who are most attached early on, who learn the concept of trust, these kids actually grew up to be the most independent and naturally secure children.

FEYERICK: But for mom blogger, Jennifer Levinson, who had five kids in under five years, breast-feeding, she says, was not in the cards. JENNIFER LEVINSON, MOM BLOGGER: My approach to parenting is surviving --

(LAUGHTER)

-- making it through every day with nobody hurt and everybody fed, maybe bathed if we're lucky, and happy. I don't judge those that breast-feed, and those that breast-feed should not judge me.

FEYERICK (on camera): After all, being a good mom isn't just about doing one thing right. It's about doing hundreds of things every day the best you can so that your child is happy, balanced, and loved.

Deborah Feyerick, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: So there's a big range of strong reactions to this breast-feeding issue and the "Time" magazine provocative cover.

Mayim Bialik is an actress, a neuroscientist, author of the parenting book, "Beyond the Sling." You may know her from the '90s "Blossom" and her current show, "The Big Bang Theory." And she joins us live from Los Angeles.

Great to see you. Nice to have you here.

I know you're an advocate of the attached parenting style that believes that it is beneficial to breast-feed children beyond infancy. You as well also breast-feed your 3-year-old. Is that correct?

MAYIM BIALIK, ACTRESS & NEUROSCIENTIST: Yes. I mean, just to clarify, attachment parenting takes no stance on how long you should breast-feed. The notion is to educate people about breast-feeding. If you do bottle feed, it should mimic breast-feeding as much as possible. And in general, the concepts of positive discipline, the concepts of believing that a child has a voice, whether it's a newborn voice or a 1-year-old voice, that's what then forms all your decisions about how long you breast-feed, how long you sleep safely with your child, how long you hold them in a sling, and how long you let their needs really be part of yours.

MALVEAUX: So tell us about your own experience. Why do you still breast-feed your 3-year-old?

BIALIK: I breast-feed my 3-year-old because he's not done breast-feeding and I'm not ready to tell him not to. He's absolutely showing the normal progression. I did night wean him at 3. I did not expect to be nursing a 2 year old, but less a 3 year old. But it was still mutually desirable. It is nutritionally beneficial. It is immunologically beneficial. It is still a tremendous source of discipline and of bonding that occurs between a mother and a child. And as I said, we are doing all of the things. We are setting boundaries. I do not breast-feed him in public. So to me those are all the normal pathways. It may not be the time frame most people think. It's often not the time frame a lot of attachment parenting people think of. We don't all nurse older kids. But the notion that a child's voice matters, that every child is different, that's the basis of f attachment parenting. It doesn't have to do with how long you do any of these things.

MALVEAUX: And at what point do you feel like both you and your child will be finished with the breast-feeding phase of this?

(LAUGHTER)

BIALIK: Before high school is what we're taught to say by the La Leche League International. No, as I said, he stopped breast-feeding at night when he was 3. I stopped pumping at work when he was 3 at work. Now he goes days without and those will keep increasing and he will be done. And I hope he will be done soon. And if at any point it is not OK with me, then that's a conversation that I will gently have with my child. And that's how we've done it about breast-feeding in public. He can tantrum all he wants. If it's not working for mom to breast-feed in the middle of the supermarket we can absolutely have that conversation but I'm not going to do something that's not OK with me. And he can't force me to breast-feed him any more than I can force him to breast-feed.

MALVEAUX: I know you were probably just kidding when you said high school there, but --

BIALIK: Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

MALVEAUX: Let me ask you this. The cover of "Time" magazine, the mother who is on that cover, she was asked many questions about that pose on the cover. And she said, you know, people are calling social services on her. They are saying that this is child molestation. How do you answer those critics who really don't understand what this is when you are breast-feeding a 3-year-old?

BIALIK: I think that to add any element of sexualization is absurd. It's offensive. It should be offensive to all parents. The fact that this might not be the pose I would have chosen or that this mother would have chosen, the fact that she chose to put herself in a photo shoot like this is not really the issue. The issue is "Time" has chosen to sensationalize the issue. This whole concept of mom enough, as if attachment parenting thinks that we're better than other people. That is a media-generated argument that's not really existing. It's only been divisive between moms and about parenting. I think that the issue has gotten off in a lot of different places. But breasts are not made for sexual pleasure alone. They were designed as part of the mammalian system to deliver nutrition and immunological properties to a child.

MALVEAUX: What do you think of that cover? Are you offended by that cover?

BIALIK: I'm actually more offended because I think it's going to turn people off, who probably are already very attachment parenting friendly. I think it's going to make them not want to use that term. You'd be amazed how many people I hear from who say, I had a natural birth, we breast-fed, I co-slept for about six months to a year. I don't hit my kids and I believe their voice matters, but I'm not an attachment parenting person. Honestly, you have just defined basically the tenets of attachment parents. It's pictures like this and it's mom-enough attitudes about attachment parenting, it's things like this that will turn people off to understanding more. That's why I wrote "Beyond the Sling," to show what it literally looks like. I don't think I'm better than other people. I'm far from perfect. But attachment parenting is a decision people make that absolutely is biologically supported. It's not a new style of parenting. It's the way mammals and primates parent, period.

MALVEAUX: And just to be clear here, what do you find bothersome about the magazine cover, because it seems as if you are uncomfortable with the magazine cover as others are as well, but you are an advocate of attached parenting.

BIALIK: Right. And I think that points to the complexity and the sensationalization that's occurred. Even people who support -- even people who breast-feed children this age know that, to take an image that is not showing the kind of nurturing aspect that you do see in some of the inside photos, and to place the are-you-mom-enough, to act like attachment parenting is about "you better stay home with your kids or you're not mom enough for us," that's what's to me is so confusing. And that's what's confusing to me about the image. It's not conveying really either side clearly. It's meant to sell magazines.

(LAUGHTER)

MALVEAUX: Can you clear up for people who might be ignorant of breast-feeding what that looks like to breast-feed a 3-year-old. Because that magazine cover looks like, you know, very cavalier, very strange in a way.

BIALIK: Right.

MALVEAUX: How is that picture inaccurate when it comes to -- because breast-feeding a 3-year-old?

BIALIK: Sure.

MALVEAUX: What does that look like?

BIALIK: Keeping in mind that, you know, my 3-year-old doesn't speak as much as others, but, yes, there's absolutely a physical limitation to breast-feeding a 3-year-old the way you would a baby. When my son breast feeds now, we curl up in a chair and we look at each other. And he looks like the embodiment of comfort and love and security.

I have often -- I write for a parenting web site and I have written about how there is almost no tantrum that I have not been able to soothe and calm down by holding my child in my arms and by breast- feeding them. I'm not saying it only happens if you breast-feed them, but that's what it looks like. It's loving and it's beautiful. And we chose to sleep safely with our children, and at night, when Fred would breast-feed as a 3-year-old before he stopped nursing at night, he was in my arms. There's nothing creepy or weird about it. Milk, again, has nutritional and immunological properties into toddlerhood. If you look to when primates breast-feed, it is the equivalent of into toddlerhood. It may not work for everyone, and that's OK, there is nothing physically or biologically or psychological wrong though with breast-feeding until it is no longer mutually desirable and ending that gently.

MALVEAUX: All right. Mayim, thank you for your perspective. We really appreciate it.

BIALIK: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: We have a question, of course. Did "Time" magazine really have to use this photo to showcase breast-feeding? Some mothers say it demonized what is supposed to be warm. We'll hear what "Time" magazine has to say.

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MALVEAUX: "Time" magazine cover on stands grabbing a lot of people's attention, showing a mother posing with her breast-feeding child who turns 4 next month. Cover's generating a debate on nursing and also about the cover itself. Some say it was used for shock value. Even people who support nursing children past infancy, they feel the image paints an inaccurate, extreme picture of the practice.

Well, here to respond to criticism, the science editor of "Time" magazine, Jeffrey Kluger, joining us from New York.

First of all, Jeffrey, let's get straight to it. How do you respond to the criticism? I just spoke with an actress and somebody -- Mayim Bialik, who also breast feeds a 3.5-year-old. She says this is inaccurate, that it doesn't really portray the reality of breast- feeding a young child.

JEFFREY KLUGER, SCIENCE EDITOR, "TIME" MAGAZINE: Well, I mean, certainly, that's a child standing on a chair, and nursing is not the typical way that parents breast-feed, particularly with a child that large. But I think the virtue of this cover is the fact that we're having this conversation, is the fact that the very striking nature of that issue has made people look at the magazine, has made people think about the issue.

And I think when people open the magazine and read the piece which was written by one of our reporters, Kate Pickard, they'll see this is a deeply and exhaustively written story that explores attachment parenting and all sides of this issue.

And I do want to comment also on the cover line, "Are you mom enough"? That question isn't intended to be answered in the yes or no by anybody. What it's intended to do is raise the idea that these questions are asked and whether you're an attachment parent, whether you are not an attachment parent. I don't know any parent in the world who doesn't wonder or worry, am I good enough mom or dad. And I think that's what we're trying to raise here.

MALVEAUX: Well, Jeffrey, there's some mothers who are looking at this and they say it's inappropriate because it looks like it's sexualizing breast-feeding here.

KLUGER: Sure. And I don't -- that's one dimension of it that I must honestly say I don't see. I don't see the cover as sexualizing. I see it as actually a rather lovely image. Certainly, the mom is an attractive person. But plenty of nursing moms are attractive people. Simply because we show an attractive woman and an adorable young boy nursing doesn't mean that this is sexualized --

(CROSSTALK)

MALVEAUX: Well, it's not necessarily that she's attractive or not. The mothers are saying, look, this is not how you breast-feed a 3-plus-year-old here. It's a much more nurturing, loving experience than seeing someone in khaki shorts and looking one eye on the camera and one eye over at his mom. It just doesn't happen that way.

KLUGER: Well --

(CROSSTALK)

MALVEAUX: Was this the mother? Was this her idea?

KLUGER: Well, I wasn't present at the photo shoot. But I certainly -- and I know if you go on the time.com web site, you'll see a lot of the outtakes not just from this mother and child, but also some of the others. And no, there are a wide range of poses that are chosen. Clearly, we're not pretending that we burst into their house in L.A. and found them in this position and photographed them, and they agreed to it. Anything on a cover of a magazine that a posed picture is by definition posed. And therefore, it's not a truly natural image.

However, again, the idea that this image is one that's strikingly framed and strikingly photographed also means that the cover is strikingly received. And if that can get people looking at this issue and reading this story and thinking about the question, I think that does a lot of good.

MALVEAUX: Sure. There's a lot of people looking at this and they're talking about the subject. One of the other things, Jeffrey, that they are concerned about that people are criticizing "Time" magazine for is the fact you see this child's face and he's almost 4 years old and that this is something that potentially he will be teased and harassed and known for the rest of his life and whether or not that was a responsible decision, as well.

KLUGER: And that is -- that's a question that I've gotten too. And here's my feeling about this. I don't know what the impact will be on this little boy. I spent time with both of these folks this morning and find them wonderful and charming and well adjusted. And no one else asking that question knows what the impact will be on that little boy. But there is one person in the world who knows that child better than any other human alive and that's his mama. And I strongly suspect that Jamie would not put her child in that position if she weren't fully maternally comfortable with the fact that this was not going to have any negative blowback.

MALVEAUX: All right, Jeffrey Kluger, we'll have to leave it there. Thank you very much for your perspective as well as your time. Obviously, a subject that is garnering a lot of attention.

Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

KLUGER: Thanks for having me.

MALVEAUX: CNN NEWSROOM continues after the break with Don Lemon.

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