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JP Morgan Chase Loses $2 billion; Romney Doesn't Recall Alleged Hazing; Michelle Obama at Virginia Tech; Witherspoon Family Drama; 3- Year-old Breastfed On "Time" Cover; Defense Missile Destroys Target; "America's Toughest Sheriff" Sued
Aired May 11, 2012 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Don Lemon here. Brooke is off today.
A lot happening this hour. First, a heads up, the man known as America's toughest sheriff just got a message from the feds. And that message is, see you in court. So live during this show I'm going to speak with him -- there he is, Sheriff Joe Arpaio -- about that lawsuit and how he intends to fight it.
But first, we want to go to that startling admission from the man in charge of JP Morgan Chase. Jamie Dimon is his name and he is telling investors that the country's biggest bank lost $2 billion in the past six weeks and expects to lose more. Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange.
Alison, this is not good, but the markets, at this point, appear to be taking this in stride. Are stocks getting hit here?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, financials are getting hit pretty hard. The overall market, though, is pretty much holding its own. You know, when you hear something like this, when the average joe hears this kind of story, this is why everybody loves to hate big banks and why you hear Congress, you know, pounding their fists about tougher regulations.
What's happened is we learned from a conference call last night from Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JP Morgan Chase, JP Morgan gambled and lost, making some big, risky bets. And, ironically, these bets were meant to protect against possible losses on JP Morgan's other investments. All of this, of course, backfiring because the bets produced losses of their own.
And this really came as a huge shock to Wall Street. And you can see that playing out in the financial shares right now, especially JP Morgan. Shares are down almost 9 percent now. Other shares, as well. Goldman Sachs getting hit pretty hard, 3.25 percent. Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, they're all feeling it.
Wall Street is sort of spreading the love, meaning the hate at this point, when you see this selling going on, because they're worried about, you know, what are these other banks doing? What kind of bets are they making, especially since these other banks, when they're sitting (ph) against JP Morgan, they're not as strong as JP Morgan, which is considered the healthiest and the cleanest of banks, which is really why it came as a huge surprise and a shock to Wall Street.
Don.
LEMON: I think it's important that you say that, the healthiest and the cleanest of banks because obviously it's probably going to affect JP Morgan's reputation. But what about the reputation, as well, of the man at the top, Jamie Dimon? He -- it's a confidence shaker, I'm sure.
KOSIK: It is. It is a confidence shaker, but I think it's only going to be in the short term that you're going to see, you know, JP Morgan have sort of this black eye. And the same with Jamie Dimon. The fact is, you look at Jamie Dimon, he's a very well-respected leader in this industry. You know, even President Obama called him to Washington for meetings on the economy. And Jamie Dimon, in this conference call last night, was clearly agitated, not happy about what's happened. And he's not running from it. He's owning up to it. He's being very blunt, saying the losses were caused by sloppiness and really just poor judgment. And he's also warning that that $2 billion loss, it could grow. So he is giving that fair warning to investors.
LEMON: All right. We'll be following the story, especially as we get closer to the markets closing. Thank you, Alison Kosik. Appreciate it.
More news unfolding. "Rapid Fire" style. So let's roll it.
First up at this hour, the polo millionaire convicted of a fatal drunk and diving accident and leaving the scene is about to be sentenced. John Goodman also has been in the headlines for adopting his 42-year-old girlfriend. Legal experts believe the move was to protect his assets from a civil suit relating to the killing.
And a verdict could come down at any time now in the trial for the murders of singer Jennifer Hudson's family members. The accused, William Balfour, is Hudson's former brother-in-law. Prosecutors say he killed Hudson's mother, brother, and her seven-year-old nephew.
A suicide car bomb attempt is foiled in Syria's largest city. Syrian state media says government special forces killed the bomber before he was able to detonate more than a ton of explosives today in the city of Aleppo. This comes a day after two car bombs killed at least 55 people and wounded 370 in Damascus.
The FBI didn't find any stolen paintings in a raid on a reputed mobster's home. An attorney for Robert Gentile says the feds were looking for leads in the 1990 heist at Boston's Isabella Steward Garden Museum. Investigators dug up Gentile's yard in Connecticut. They reportedly found at least one gun, but none of the 13 stolen artworks valued at $500 million.
The intense search for two missing teenage girls, Tennessee girls, and their suspected kidnapper ends in Mississippi. Both girls are safe. They're abductor, who was on the FBI's 10 most wanted list, is dead. Adam Mayes killed himself last night as a SWAT team moved in on his hiding place in the Mississippi woods. Lots of new information still coming in and we have a live report from Mississippi in just a few minutes here on CNN.
There's a lot more news brewing this minute. Watch.
A magazine cover has America talking. A mom breast-feeding her three-year-old son. But I'm asking, what's the big freaking deal? I'm Don Lemon. The news starts right now.
Some say Mitt Romney was a bully in high school. Nearly half a century ago. So does this impact what you do in the voting booth?
Plus, Halle Berry lashes out at the paparazzi. I've got the dramatic video. And it involves her young daughter.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: OK, so was it bullying, hazing, or was it a harmless high school prank? Did it even happen at all? Mitt Romney saying he doesn't remember shearing off a fellow student's bleach blonde hair at his prep school in the 1960s, but a handful of Romney's former schoolmates say the hair incensed young Romney, who reportedly worked the scissors, as a pack of like-minded preppies held a kid down. I want you to listen to what Mitt Romney said on Fox News.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't recall the incident myself, but I've seen the reports and 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)
LEMON: All right. Paul Steinhauser's our political editor here at CNN.
So, Paul, this alleged incident, reported first by "The Washington Post," would've occurred nearly a half century ago. Romney would have been a kid. What's the big deal here?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: That's the campaign's argument too, Don. They're saying, basically, listen, judge Mitt Romney now by what he says and does nowadays. You know, don't judge him by what he did when he was a teenager in high school some 45 to 50 years ago. That's the point the campaign is making. A lot of Republican pundits are saying the same thing, that the media is making way too much of the story, which is turning into a he said/he said story here. We've got a lot of hes, being those that "The Washington Post" first talked to. Our Jim Acosta talked to Phillip Maxwell, one of those men, and he also describes some troubling things.
Don, to me, the interesting thing is that Mitt Romney says he doesn't remember this incident. Yes, he's apologizing for it if he hurt anybody, but he says he doesn't remember. And he's said that about three or four times now since yesterday. To me, this is the kind of incident you would remember, Don, even 45 years later.
LEMON: Yes, I think that's what people -- the problem people have with it, you don't remember you did something like this with a number of other people and you don't really remember it? I think that's the issue. Not necessarily the act, it's the response to it.
STEINHAUSER: Exactly.
LEMON: I want to play something for our viewers. It's Romney. He's a little bit out of his comfort zone here. He was out in Colorado on Wednesday, Paul, and he was asked about a series of social issues. Let's watch. The first question concerns same-sex civil unions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm not going to weigh in on Colorado's process. I had in my state a process relating to gay marriage and civil union. I expressed my view then and it remains the same.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Should children brought here illegally by their parents and raised here receive in-state college tuition?
ROMNEY: No. My view is that to receive in-state college tuition, a person should be a legal resident of the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, medical marijuana is legal in Colorado. One of our viewers, Bill Ferguson (ph), asks, should marijuana be legalized for medical use?
ROMNEY: Aren't there issues -- aren't there issues of significance that you'd like to talk about? The economy?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a significant issue in Colorado.
ROMNEY: The economy, the growth of jobs, the need to put people back to work, the challenges of Iran?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So, when you're a politician, you learn to pivot a lot. And that was -- that wasn't a smooth pivot. So he only wants to talk about the economy and Iran. There's always a way to do it. What did you make of that?
STEINHAUSER: Yes, it seems he's a little frustrated there. And I think it was apparent there for this reason. Mitt Romney and his campaign are trying to make this election a referendum on President Obama. Of course he's the incumbent. It should be a referendum on him. They're trying to say that President Obama has not done a good job on creating jobs and they're trying to pivot back to that every time they get moved away from it. So the same-sex announcement -- same-sex marriage announcement from the president earlier this week definitely moved the ball away from the economy and so did this new story that we were just talking about, about Romney from his school days. Mitt Romney wants to move it back. And you saw his frustration there with that reporter in that he wants to talk about the economy, some foreign and international events, as well, not such social issues and other issues, Don.
LEMON: What's interesting with that and the other bullying stories, some people say the timing is suspect. And even with this it presents a problem at least to the Romney campaign because we all know the president came out this week in favor of same-sex marriage. So, I'm wondering, do the Romney folks see that as an opportunity for them, or do they see it as a challenge? It's not something that he himself seems eager to talk about, as you heard, right there.
STEINHAUSER: Right. He is not so eager to talk about it, but I have talked to some Romney campaign aides, others close to the campaign. And, listen, they acknowledge it. The same-sex marriage decision by the president may actually help Mitt Romney solidify his base. You remember back to the Republican primaries. Social conservative voters, and they are a big part of the Republican base, Don, you and I very well remember Mitt Romney did not do so well with them. A lot of them voting for Rick Santorum and some of the other Republican candidates. Well, the president's decision may actually help Mitt Romney solidify that base as he now moves against the president in the general election. And remember, tomorrow Mitt Romney gives the commencement address at Liberty University, an evangelical school, you know, founded by the late Jerry Falwell. You know, we'll see how much he talks about same-sex marriage tomorrow in the commencement address, Don.
LEMON: He wanted to get the evangelicals. And they see this as possibly a way to get it. It may be a gift to the campaign.
STEINHAUSER: Exactly.
LEMON: Thank you. Thank you, Paul Steinhauser, appreciate it.
It is the site of the deadly shooting spree by a single gunman in American history. And today the first lady gives a commencement address at Virginia Tech. We'll hear from her.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The first lady, Michelle Obama, gave the commencement speech at Virginia Tech today. The graduating class was the first class to apply after the university went through an horrific shooting rampage five years ago. Thirty-three people were killed. And Mrs. Obama remembered that in her sendoff to the graduates.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY: There will always be folks who make assumptions about you based on superficial things like where you're from or what you're wearing or how you look. There will always be folks who judge you based on just one thing that you say or do. Folks who define you based on one isolated incident. And here at Virginia Tech, I know you all know a thing or two about what that's like. But you also know that in the end, people can only define you if you let them.
When you all are out there in the world and you meet someone and you tell them that you're from Virginia Tech and they say, huh, isn't that the school where -- I want you to interrupt them right there and say, yes, it is the school where we have some of the best academic programs and professors in the country. That's what you tell them. You tell them, yes, it is the school where students are passionate about serving their country and supporting each other. And by the way, it also has the best campus food you'll ever eat. Who can say that? You tell them, yes, it's the school where we produce graduates who are leaders and industries and pillars of their communities and who carry their Hokie pride with them every day for the rest of their lives. You say, yes, that is the school I attend. That is Virginia Tech.
Graduates, that is who you are. That is what it means to be part of the Hokie nation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Our White House correspondent, Brianna Keilar, was on campus to hear Mrs. Obama.
Brianna, it is, of this generation, that's the first thing really most people think about when you say Virginia Tech. I wonder what the response was to the first lady's message.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It was well- received, Don.
Yes, I mean when you say Virginia Tech, most people, it's the first thing that they think of. But when you think of the class that graduated today, they were high school juniors when the shootings happened. This is the first class that applied to Virginia Tech after the shootings. So when you talk to these students, they'll tell you that they feel like it doesn't have -- they remember, of course, the victims, but they say it doesn't really have much of an impact certainly on their day-to-day life. So that's what you really heard Mrs. Obama talking about, sort of this idea that, yes, perhaps other people are defining you because of this connection to Virginia Tech, but, you know, look toward the future and you don't have to have that definition, Don.
LEMON: Thank you, Brianna Keilar, and congratulations to the graduates. All right.
You know, it's a hold-your-breath kind of day for anyone with a 401(k) or any financial investments. As you just heard, as we told you just a little bit ago, Wall Street powerhouse JP Morgan Chase lost a bunch of money, $2 billion to be exact, in just the past six months. The reason for the loss, stupidity. That's one of the words used by Morgan's chief exec. And you can hear Jamie Dimon for yourself on this conference call with analysts and investors.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMIE DIMON, CEO, JP MORGAN CHASE (voice-over): These were egregious mistakes. They were self-inflicted. We're accountable. And what happened violates our standards and principles about how we want to operate the company. This is not how we want to run a business.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: No way to run a business. There are lots of people who would agree with that statement. Reporter Jeff Horwitz, he investigated how Morgan Chase operates for the financial trade publican "American Banker."
Jeff, thank you very much for joining us.
Dimon says Morgan Chase will fix this and then move on. He said that a number of times, we'll fix this and move on. But isn't this deja vu. The same practices that tanked the economy back in 2008? Didn't they learn then?
JEFF HORWITZ, REPORTER, "AMERICAN BANKER": This is actually very, very similar to some of the things that happened back in 2008. What -- the first wave of tension was sort of devoted to JP Morgan lost $2 billion, how did you do that? At this point, I think attention is starting to shift to how JP Morgan lost that money and the particular set of assumptions that went very wrong.
And you're dead right about the repeat of 2008 in the sense that this was model risk. Basically JP Morgan thought they understood the bets they were taking. They had models that evaluated how much risk there was and those models were, unfortunately, very, very wrong. That's perhaps more embarrassing than losing the $2 billion itself.
LEMON: Yes, especially with a reputation for JP Morgan Chase. I mean it is one of the most well-respected and stable, it appears, banks among them, financial institutions. How serious is this? And before you answer that, I want to play another part of that phone call for you. We're going to hear Mike Mayo of Credit Agricole Securities. He's going to ask a question that a lot of people are asking right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE MAYO, CREDIT AGRICOLE SECURITIES (voice-over): This is kind of sensitive, but, you know, you've prided yourself and the company on having -- being great risk managers and this is a mistake and you'll, as you say, you'll learn from that. But is there any sense that the mistake made in the CIO office could also be in place elsewhere at JP Morgan?
JAMIE DIMON, CEO, JP MORGAN CHASE (voice-over): You know, Mike, we operate in a risk business and obviously it puts egg on our face and we deserve any criticism we get. So feel free to give it to us and we'll probably agree with you. But we think we run a pretty good company with pretty good risk controls and pretty good risk management. We are not in a business where we're not going to make mistakes.
(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: OK. Going to make mistakes. Egg on their face. I'm wondering if that's putting it too lightly for him. How big is this one?
HORWITZ: Here's the problem is that the $2 billion isn't the issue. This is a unit that has $375 billion withholdings on any given day. So it's -- you know, this is a 0.5 percent at best of what they've got exposed. The issue is that when your models are wrong and you lose $2 billion, who's to say that you couldn't have lost $10 billion or $15 billion. And, in fact, that's exactly what happened back in 2008.
Now, you noted Jamie Dimon's reputation. JP Morgan Chase did not do this in 2008. They weren't the ones who ended up with these sorts of mistakes. This is all the more surprising.
LEMON: What about the worker who earns maybe $60,000, $70,000 a year, has a 401(k), retirement is linked to Wall Street whether they like it or not. That's just the facts. Should that worker trust these guys?
HORWITZ: I don't think that worker has anything too much to worry about from this. I think this is sort of something on a national policy more. So, I mean, that -- the -- you know, that worker's 401(k) is going to go up and down depending on the U.S. recovery. The only real concern would be if another blow up in the banking sector were to -- or in the broader finance sector, were to derail that broader recovery. So it's more concerning that, you know, these -- this $2 billion is not going to harm anybody. It's just -- the problem is that this suggests that people are making some of the same mistakes that ran us aground in 2008.
LEMON: Yes, it's funny, I sat here in 2008 and now again and I'm going, wait, didn't we already do this? It's like "Groundhog's Day." Thank you. We appreciate it. Thank you, Jeff.
HORWITZ: Thank you.
LEMON: Next hour I'm going to be talking with former labor secretary and public policy professor Robert Reich. He's written an opinion piece calling for breaking up the big banks. You don't want to miss that conversation.
How much trouble are you in if you're separated from your spouse for 16 years and then you remarry without getting a divorce? That's what the father of actress Reese Witherspoon is facing. And we are on the case.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. Just when you thought you'd heard everything about Hollywood, here comes this. Reese Witherspoon's father is being sued for bigamy by the actress' mother. Joey Jackson on the case for us.
Joey, help me work through this. While the headline sounds sensational, the particulars of this case sound really sad.
JOEY JACKSON, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: You know, they really do. But it's a great idea she has here. This is the concern. Yes, it's true that they haven't been married for 16 years and, as a result of that, you know, they're not connected in that way. But she's concerned that her husband is being taken advantage of. Apparently there's some issues with dementia and there's a concern that with having this woman who he married, number one, you know, it's illegal, Don, to get married twice, right? You can only get married once. So if you do, it's bigamy. So she's looking to annul the marriage and otherwise not have this new woman in his life potentially dissipate assets that they have together. So that's why she's filing this order to show cause seeking to get this marriage annulled and seeking to not have this woman interfere with any of the assets that he's acquired over the years. So it looks like she loves him, at least she says that in her complaint, and she's looking to protect him and his future financial interests. And hers, of course.
LEMON: OK, Reese's dad and the woman's husband, his name is John Witherspoon. We have not been able to reach John Witherspoon or the woman he supposedly married, for comment. But in affidavits filed by Reese's mother doesn't paint a very nice picture of her husband's new relationship.
JACKSON: You mean the relationship that --
LEMON: Yes.
JACKSON: Oh, the affidavit, it's horrific.
LEMON: Yes.
JACKSON: Look, the bottom line is that there's some concern here that she --
LEMON: Come on, Joey. Wake up, man.
JACKSON: Hello. There's some concern here that, of course, that this woman is completely taking advantage of the situation. And as a result of the dementia involved, is attempting to inject herself in his life. In fact, there's also an indication, Don, that when the wife confronted him and said, what are you doing getting married again? He said, what are you talking about? I'm not married. So as a result of that, there's a real fair and concern that she's simply trying to take advantage of him. And by making this court filing, there'll going to be a protection of that so that he doesn't, you know, give out any money he's not supposed to and that she doesn't get anything she's entitled to. So they're going back to court on May 31st and we'll see what happens at that time. Maybe a very favorable outcome not for his -- not for her, but, of course, for the separated wife.
LEMON: For him not remembering. So there's something else going on here. There are more layers to this.
Let's move on now.
JACKSON: Always.
LEMON: Let's move on now.
Remember when somebody broke through the roof of a luxury car dealer, repelled down, and then stole celebrity chief Guy Fieri's $200,000 Lamborghini? The 17-year-old accused of that crime was in court yesterday, Joey. And there's a lot more serious -- this is a lot more serious than a car theft, isn't it?
JACKSON: It could be. And here's the point. The problem here with the other -- the latest appearances is it's attempted murder because there's the indication he was driving by on a motorcycle and he apparently was -- there's a young woman involved that he wanted to have as his own. She apparently didn't want any involvement with him.
LEMON: Attempted murder?
JACKSON: She got a new boyfriend. But here's the problem, attempted murder is a very specific intent crime. It's not where you can just, for example, fire a gun. That's a reckless action. It shouldn't occur. I'm not saying anyone should fire at anyone. But attempted murder means you have to specifically intend to kill. And if they could just argue, that is the defense, that he was attempting to scare or frighten or something else, it eliminates that intent element and therefore does not make it attempted murder.
And the other issue, quickly, Don, in the case, involves whether it should be really tried in juvenile court or in adult court. There's a world of difference between the two. He is 17. He is immature. We know as a result of not reaching adulthood that there are people who do things as children that they wouldn't do as adults. So his attorney's going to be fighting very hard to keep this in juvenile court because right now we know it's in superior court. One of the motions he's making is to return it to that juvenile court and have it adjudicated there.
LEMON: Seventeen -- seventeen, right there on the border though. We'll see.
JACKSON: Exactly.
LEMON: Joey, thank you. Appreciate it. Have a great weekend.
JACKSON: Thank you, Don. You too.
LEMON: It has got America talking and talking and talking and arguing a magazine cover. The one you just saw showing a mom breastfeeding her 3-year-old son.
Sure, it's got many people asking how old is too old? How much attachment is too much? But I'm about to ask my next guest. Is it really a big deal? Judging by our morning meeting today, it was a very spirited conversation let's put it that way.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: All right, seeing it up on your TV screen, that's one thing, but what about the supermarket shelf. It's going to be hard to miss at the checkout stand.
No doubt, the cover of the new "Time" magazine, there it is. Take a good look. A mom breastfeeding her 3-year-old son with the caption "Are You Mom Enough?"
Now some parents look at this and say if he's old enough to ask for a cookie with that milk then he's old enough for -- he's too old for breastfeeding.
All right, brothers, this is totally normal. They're the ones who subscribe to what's called attachment parenting like Leyani Redditi who is with the group, Attachment Parenting International and we're also joined by Jeff Gardere. He is a clinical psychologist.
Thank you, Jeff. Good to see you. First to Leyani, so tell us about this approach to parenting. Because -- you're making a lot of people feel guilty, I think.
LEYANI REDDITI, ATTACHMENT PARENTING INTERNATIONAL: I hope not. That's not our intention at all. Our intention is to give people choices and make the best choice for their kids. All of us who are parents want the best for our kids and it's about researching and finding information that fits with what makes sense in your gut.
LEMON: All right, so "Time" magazine, they got what they wanted with this cover because everyone, we're having a conversation about it now.
It's generating a lot of conversations, probably going to sell well. When you see -- this article is not just about breastfeeding, you see this kid on the cover, that's one part of it. How old is too old?
REDDITI: I think that's a personal choice, I absolutely do. I think it's something that we all need to decide and have as much information about it as we can. And attachment parenting is about making choices that give consistent loving care to your child.
LEMON: Jeff, I want to bring you in here and ask you a similar question. A 3-year-old breastfeeding, I mean, when do you cut the cord?
JEFF GARDERE, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: Well, again, I think Leyani does have a very good point. It is the choice of the parent, but I would then caution parents to think about peer pressure and your child.
Yes, you want to do the best for your child and that's what attachment parenting is about listening to the voice of your child. But you also have to listen to some of the other voices too.
What happens when a child who is 4, 5, 6 years old is having the breast of the mother in a park somewhere and this child's friends or other people nearby and what may happen as far as some criticisms and how that child may take it.
So there's a point of diminishing returns versus the health benefits of continued breastfeeding.
LEMON: What do you say to that? Do you think a kid's going to be ostracized or laughed at because he's breastfeeding at a certain age?
REDDITI: I can speak from my experience that my children have not experienced any of that. And it's something we do in our home. We do it in the privacy of our home. It is not something we want to flaunt to everyone. It's something that works for us.
LEMON: What's the big deal? When I saw this cover, maybe I'm different, I didn't see the big deal because I see people breastfeeding all the time, I think that's a normal part of it.
And I'm wondering if when I said you're making people feel guilty if we -- if we need to re-evaluate parenting and the responsibilities of parenting and when to let go and when to not and when to go back into the job place if at all when you have a kid. Do you agree?
REDDITI: I think that women who want to work should work and find consistent loving care through providers or family. This is not a choice for working moms versus stay at home moms, absolutely. This is about finding a place, an environment for your child that is consistent and loving and meeting their needs.
LEMON: There are critics who say this is more for the mother -- this is more about the mother than the child. The mother can't let go therefore she wants to have this attachment.
REDDITI: Absolutely not. For me it's like -- like your child learning to ride a bike. You know, you can say go get on that bike and they'll fall over.
And you can hang on to the back of the bike, and once they get it, they're going to ride away from you when they're ready on their time with their support.
LEMON: I want to listen to the mom on the cover. Let's listen to the mom on the cover of the magazine and then we'll talk.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMIE LYNN GRUMET, BREASTFEEDING ON COVER OF "TIME": Not at all, and I think intimacy is extremely important in a marriage and I think a strong marriage is going to be a great foundation to show your children how to be raised confident and happy. And I had that with my family too. My parents were great role models for me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And that's going to be on tonight, that was Jamie Lynn Grumet and she's speaking to Erin Burnett. It's going to be on tonight. She was asking whether it hurts her marriage.
Is that something that, Jeff, that couples have to think about when they're going into this extreme parenting about -- whether it's going to hurt the relationship that brought the child into the world.
GARDERE: Well, it could interfere in the relationship when you look at attachment parenting. It's a situation of where as part of that attachment parenting we keep kids in the bed 4, 5, 6 years old and you have to look, of course, your children are your primary concern, but you have to look at your marriage, your relationship too.
And having a child in the middle of the bed or on the side of the bed, but in that marital bed could negatively impact that relationship. And we've heard not women so much, but men husbands complain about this. So you have to hear those voices too and I think that's important.
LEMON: Attachment parenting is spending more time with the child as the doctor said letting the child sleep with you, breastfeeding maybe for a longer period of time.
REDDITI: Possibly if that's a choice. Attached parents also bottle field and also have their children sleep near them not necessarily in the bed.
LEMON: What's the difference between normal parenting -- regular parenting and attachment parenting?
REDDITI: I would hope this is normal.
LEMON: What we see as traditional.
REDDITI: Well, and that's a good word that you said because historically this is the way that people have raised their child. It's only within the past 150 years people have put their babies alone in another room.
This is something that's very normal all over the world and I'm excited that people are getting to know more about it. And if you'd like to find out if it's negatively impacting my marriage, you are happy to ask my husband.
Tomorrow I'm going out on a nice Mother's Day date without our children.
LEMON: I'll leave that to you, but I'll thank you. Thank you, Jeff Gardere. We appreciate it. Interesting conversation.
As America talks breastfeeding, you probably missed something very important, the Navy just tested a missile interceptor designed to fight off attacks by countries with long-range weapons. You're about to see and hear how this works. Don't miss it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: As we celebrate Mother's Day Sunday, we introduce you to a mom who tragically lost her son in a drowning accident six years ago. With black children three times more likely to drown than whites, she turned her grief into a project that is now saving lives. Meet Wanda, this week's "CNN Hero."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WANDA BUTTS, CHAMPIONING CHILDREN: Josh went to spend the night with friends. I had no clue they were coming to the lake. Right about here is where Josh was where the raft capsized and he went down. Very hard for me to believe that just like that my son had drown and he was gone.
My father, he instilled in us to fear water so I in turn didn't take my son around water. Children don't have to drown. My name is Wanda Butts. I save lives by providing swimming lessons and water safety skills.
African-American children are three times more likely to drown than white children. That's why we started the "Josh Project" to educate families about the importance of being water safe.
Many parents don't know how to swim. He was afraid of the water. He was the first in my family to learn how to swim. He's come a long way to not liking water in his face to getting dunked under.
You like it? All right, I'm so happy to see that so many of them have learned how to swim. Good job. That's one life we saved. It takes me back to Josh and how the tragedy was turned into triumph and it makes me happy.
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LEMON: You know, you might have missed this, but it's not a small thing. The Pentagon says a new enemy missile killer has passed a new hurdle. The anti-missile missile was fired from a U.S. warship. That found and took down a missile launch from Hawaii.
And joining me now from Tucson, Arizona is Taylor Lawrence. He is the president of the Raytheon Missile Systems, the maker of the new defense missile.
Dr. Lawrence, good to see you. What can this missile do that other defense missiles can't do?
TAYLOR LAWRENCE, PRESIDENT, RAYTHEON MISSILE SYSTEMS: Good to see you, Don. First let me say this was an incredible day for the nation. It was an extraordinary achievement by the U.S. Navy, by the missile defense agency, by the men and women of uniform, by the men and women of Raytheon, my company and all of our industrial partners.
This is the 20th successful intercept of a standard missile defense threat in outer space. But what was really important about yesterday's test was this was the first successful test of the next generation what is called the block 1-B standard missile 3, which were in development, which were going to deploy to forces around the world in a few years. Today the block --
LEMON: I understand that and it's great. But what I want -- and I think what the viewer wants to know is we know about missiles and the defense system, but what can this missile do that other missiles don't do?
LAWRENCE: Well, what we have done is we've added the ability to have a different sensor onboard that can detect new and more sophisticated kinds of threats in outer space.
We've added a more robust divert and attitude control system that allows it to maneuver more flexibly in outer space. So basically we're adding a new capability to address the threats that are emerging in places like Korea and Iran.
LEMON: And I think what people want to know is why is this such an innovation when I introduced you, it's the anti-missile missile. So I want to -- I want you to give me a scenario in which this new sm- 3 as it's called might be used to down an enemy. For example, North Korea shoots a missile at South Korea, what happens?
LAWRENCE: Well, with a class destroyer deployed in that region, the combat system would detect the missile, would form a firing solution, launch the standard missile 3 into outer space and it would intercept it.
And really this is like hitting a bullet with a bullet going thousands of miles per hour in outer space and we aim at a specific point that will create a lethal effect. This doesn't explode when it hits, just the mere impact at a specific point on the target missile is what creates the destruction.
LEMON: That's pretty precise.
LAWRENCE: It is. It is. It's extraordinary. This is real rocket science.
LEMON: OK. As you know, North Korea, we've been talking about the scenario before. North Korea recently fired a long-range rocket and it fizzled, we all know that.
But let's say that the north suddenly makes a big advance and they do it soon and is able to hurl a warhead toward, I don't know let's say California. Would we be able now to shoot that down with this new innovation?
LAWRENCE: Well, with this particular missile, this is more of a tactical missile that's focused on protecting our allies and deployed forces. There's another system deployed in Alaska called the ground- based interceptor, which is really aimed at addressing very, very long-range threat such as that.
But we're also looking at improvements to the standard missile 3 over time to deploy it on land as part of the adaptive approach that's the president's approach to growing the missile defense capabilities that will eventually protect Europe and the homeland from say an Iranian threat, as well, for long-range stress. This is all part of the development process and yesterday's test was a great step in that direction.
LEMON: All right, Taylor Lawrence is from the Raytheon Missile Systems. Thank you.
LAWRENCE: Thank you, Don.
LEMON: He is known as America's toughest sheriff, but the feds are now saying, see you in court, Joe Arpaio, the government is suing him. Joining me live to respond is the man himself and there you see him on the screen. I've got tough questions for him.
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LEMON: The people who love Arizona's Joe Arpaio call him America's toughest sheriff. The people who don't say he routinely abuses his authority. The latter group now includes the Department of Justice, which has filed a lawsuit accusing Arpaio and his office of violating civil rights.
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THOMAS PEREZ, ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: There's reasonable cause to believe that MCSO and Sheriff Arpaio engage in a pattern of practice of discriminatory policing of Latinos.
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LEMON: All right, you know, Sheriff Joe, he will come on and say his piece. That's kind of guy he is. So here he is now. From Maricopa County, Arizona, Sheriff Joe Arpaio. So, Sheriff, there's no way you're going to stand for this without a fight, I'm sure.
SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO, MARICOPA COUNTY, ARIZONA: Well, I'll tell you, Don, I spent many, many years with the Department of Justice, head of the Federal Drug and Enforcement Mexico, Turkey, I can go on and on.
Thirty years of my life fighting drug traffic with the Justice Department, now they're going after me because I'm following the law, took an oath of office to do, and they want to get rid of this sheriff, want to monitor my office, take over my office for political reasons. And I'm not going to stand for it.
LEMON: Are you worried, Sheriff?
ARPAIO: Why should I be worried? I don't worry. My dedicated deputy sheriffs are doing their job. And I don't like the Justice Department saying we are racist and we have a pattern of racial profiling. So you know what?
They'd had their press conference December 15th, just when the Supreme Court was going to hear the 1070 law. Now the Supreme Court has heard it just recently. They have another press conference. The attorney general was under fire in December 15.
Now he's under fire again. So every time there's a problem in Washington, they come to me. I guess I'm the poster boy for fighting illegal immigration. So I'm not going to let the --
LEMON: Sheriff, you're not going to let what?
ARPAIO: I'm not going to let the federal government run my office. I'm the elected constitutional sheriff. I report to the people, 4 million in this county. They want to take over my office and I have to tell them every time I want to do something. That's the problem with this lawsuit. That's the sticking point.
LEMON: Let's go on because you talk about, you said they say we're racist and you're not. And if you look at the evidence and you look at what has been reported and what's on the record, for example, and just giving one example and there are a number of them.
One example from the complaints says a pregnant Latina, a U.S. citizen pulled over in her driveway, the complaint says the officer slammed her against her car and shoved her in the back of a hot patrol car for 30 minutes.
She was cited for failure to show ID, but everything was dropped. People will question that or look at that and say how was that not profiling, Sheriff?
ARPAIO: You mean one case out of 51,000 illegal aliens that we have arrested on the streets --
LEMON: That was just one example that we cited, but go ahead.
ARPAIO: OK. Well, I don't know. They won't give us the facts. They are talking about it. They refuse to give us witnesses and how they came about this. I have no idea.
But you know what? Going to court, they're going to have to put up, explain everything, show their evidence, and we will be able to defend ourselves.
LEMON: OK, another -- in a 2009 interview, you said I think we're doing something good if they're leaving. If they're leaving, you're referring to Latinos. How can you say that? When your county is 30 percent Hispanic and that percentage is growing quickly.
ARPAIO: No, I said by enforcing the state laws and the federal laws until Obama took away my authority under the federal laws. No, I was saying as a deterrence instead of being arrested by my office or law enforcement.
If they're leaving and going back to the country that they came from, I think that's a good thing. They're here illegally. So if criminals want to leave and go back, I think that's very beneficial.
LEMON: OK, and I think obviously many people feel that way because they keep choosing you to be their sheriff, is that -- do you feel that?
ARPAIO: Well, they keep electing me because I'm doing my job. I have compassion for the Mexican people. I lived there for four years, I was a director there South America, Turkey, Texas.
So I know where the U.S. border is having been the top law enforcing guy there for all of 12 years. I have compassion. But I'll tell you, enforcing the law overrides my compassion. That's what I took an oath of office to do.
LEMON: I asked you if you were worried and you said you're going to defend yourself. But every time you defend -- and I don't know if you're going to pay for it personally, I think not.
Correct me if I'm wrong, because our affiliate, it's KNXV, crunched the numbers, more than 1,800 lawsuits have been filed since you've been in charge.
The cost to defend them has been $50 million and that doesn't include payments by your insurance company. The question many people will ask is why should the taxpayer keep footing the bill every time you get sued?
ARPAIO: I have a big organization. You say 1,800? Probably three quarters of that was they didn't like the food I feed them. Those things have been settled out of court with no money. So I don't know where you're getting the figure, $60 million?
You know, 20 years I've been the sheriff, $60 million that's not true either, it's less than that. Go look into any other large law enforcement organization that don't even run the jails and see what they're paying out. It's all politics --
LEMON: We have a second here. You remember the whole thing about dressing inmates in pink. There are people who say -- and you can respond to this quickly, that you are just a bully with a gun. And they go that guy, what a jerk. What do you say to them?
ARPAIO: Well, first of all, I don't carry a gun even though I get a million threats. I'm not a bully with a gun. I'm a professional 50-year law enforcement officer. That's my response to those critics that want to get rid of me and try to force me to resign.
LEMON: All right, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, thank you so much. Appreciate you joining us.
ARPAIO: Thank you, Don.
LEMON: All right, any minute now, President Barack Obama is expected to speak live about what he plans to do to fix the heart of the economic problems in this country.
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