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JPMorgan CEO Under Fire For $2 Billion Loss; 49 Headless Bodies Found; New Poll Says We're Happier; Defense Begins In Edwards Trial; Past Actions And Present Politics; Live Feed: Obama Gives Commencement Speech at Barnard College; Mother's Day Editorial Causes Buzz; News Sanctions on Syria; Could Japanese Disappear in 1,000 Years?

Aired May 14, 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 what to get you up to speed. This hour live, President Obama about to give the commencement address at Barnard College in New York. We're going to bring it to you live as soon as he takes to the stage.

And dozens of FBI agents, some of them using bloodhounds are on a manhunt for one of their own. They're looking for Steven Ivans, an agent who went missing from his home last week. He's being described as suicidal and could be carrying a handgun. Police don't think that he's a threat to anyone else but himself, but they're urging the public not to approach him if they see him.

Days after revealing that the nation's largest bank lost $2 billion in risky investments, JPMorgan has its first casualty. Ina Drew, the bank's chief investment officer retiring now after more than 30 years. Over the weekend, CEO Jamie Dimon gave a mea culpa of his own.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMIE DIMON, CEO, JPMORGAN CHASE: It was a stupid thing that -- you know, that we should never have done, but we're still going to earn a lot of money this quarter. So, it isn't like the company is jeopardized. You know, we hurt ourselves and our credibility, yes, and that we've got to fully expect and pay the price for that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: May not be enough. A former government watch dog on the bank bailout says Dimon should resign from the New York federal reserve board. Elizabeth Warren says the move would shore up public trust which is still rattled from the 2008 financial meltdown.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELIZABETH WARREN (R), MASSACHUSETTS SENATE CANDIDATE : There has been a guerilla (ph) war out there in which the largest financial institutions have been doing everything they can to make sure that financial regulations don't get put in place, and if they do get put in place, that they're loaded with loopholes and not very effective. (END V IDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Authorities in Mexico, they are trying to calm the public after discovering 49 decapitated and dismembered bodies scattered on the size of the road just 80 miles from the Texas border. The killings are believed to be the work of a notorious drug cartel. And more -- and we've got more on the developing story in about 40 minutes.

Florida A&M University marching band is going to remain suspended through the next school year. Now, that decision was just announced the last year by the university's president during a conference call with trustees. He says University officials are setting new rules following last year's hazing death of band member Robert Champion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES AMMONS, PRESIDENT, FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY (voice-over): I was heavily influenced by the need to be respectful of Robert Champion's family as well as other alleged victims. A young man lost his life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: All right. We got a new poll that says we're actually getting happier. This is a Gallup poll that uses something called a well-being index. Right now, the index is just about 80, so the last time it was that high was 2008. The numbers arrive by asking people about their emotional state, whether they learned something interesting the day before, or whether they smiled or laughed that day. Good for us.

It's a big day for former Senator and presidential candidate John Edwards. Well, after three weeks of hearing the government's case against him, his defense team now gets to explain their sides of the story. Edwards is charged with lying, conspiracy, campaign finance violations, all of it stemming from an affair with a campaign staffer, Rielle Hunter, who also bore him a child. Diane Dimond, she's a special correspondent for "Newsweek" and "The Daily Beast." She's live outside the courthouse in Greensboro, North Carolina.

So Diane, you bring us all things from behind the scenes here. This is Edwards' big opportunity to tell his side of the story. How does he start?

DIANE DIMOND, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, "NEWSWEEK" AND "THE DAILY BEAST": Well, that's an interesting question, because we thought maybe there would be some big baffle (ph) first witness, but that was Laura Haggard. Taking nothing away from her, she's a very important part, but it was pretty dry testimony this morning, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And who is she?

DIMOND: Laura Haggard was the chief -- she's the chief financial officer for the John Edwards for president campaign back in 2008. She's the one who filed all the FEC reports and according to the sixth count of the six-count indictment, it charges that John Edwards used -- willfully used trickery to get his campaign people to file false statements. Well, this is the woman who would have filed the statements. She repeatedly said that she did not think that monies that went to Rielle Hunter constituted a campaign contribution but she mostly said that outside the jury. The jury was not in the room when she said it.

So, it all comes down to who is going to decide what's a campaign contribution. Will it be the opinion of Laura Haggard or another FEC Commissioner who's going to be here to testify or is that something that will be up to the jury? The judge is going to have a hearing, probably a two-hour-long hearing, on that today but so far that's what we've heard. And then we went to Harrison Hickman. He is on the stand as we broke for lunch. Harrison Hickman is a pollster, a political consultant for many years. He's done six presidential campaigns, 20 Senatorial campaigns, very experienced. And he is a good old boy from North Carolina. This jury really likes him. He was asked about when he first met John Edwards and he said, 1997 and we had a lot in common. We're about the same edge. We both come from small towns.

MALVEAUX: Right.

DIMOND: -- and we joke about that. He said that John Edwards is from Robbins and he said in Robbins the welcome and good-bye sign are all on one sign, and I said, well, sure, my town was so small we had drivers ed and sex ed in the same car. So, it's very light hearted so far with Harrison Hickman, and the jury does like him. They were starting to take notes and then they just leaned forward and listened to his story.

MALVEAUX: Yes, they probably laughed at that one, too. Let me ask you this, Diane, now that it's John Edwards' turn to get out there and tell his side of the story, what's his demeanor? Is he strutting into the courthouse now or does he seem the same? Does he seem like he's a little bit more confident now that he gets to talk about what happened from his point of view?

DIMOND: Good question. You know, he's very stoic in there. He used to be more gregarious at the beginning of this trial. I think it's wearing on him. He looks like he's lost some weight. His suits are draping a little more than he should. And he looks pale to me. During the testimony he sits very quietly. He doesn't rustle around and bring attention to himself. He sits there quietly and he often does one of these, almost like he's praying. When something embarrassing comes up, the hands move up to this point.

And I notice that he doesn't really talk to his mother and father who are here, and his daughter, Kate. They sit in the row directly behind him, and they're there every single day, any combination of those three. But there's not a lot of conversation that goes on between them. I really have to feel for these parents. They must be in their 80s. They're very small and frail looking but by golly, they are here every single day for their boy, Johnny Reed.

MALVEAUX: Johnny Reed. What do we think of the jurors? Do they seem to be reengaged now? I know they had a day off and now this is definitely a turn in the case. Do they seem as if they're paying attention, that they really want to get John Edwards' side of all of this?

DIMOND: Well, I think so. However, at least one of them fell asleep today during this federal election forum description. I almost fell asleep during that as well. No, I'm kidding, but they do --

MALVEAUX: We need you, Diane. We need you to be awake.

DIMOND: Hey, I'm here to be honest with you. It was a little dull. But they do pay attention. They're an odd combination. There's a corporate vice president. There is a human resources woman. There is a financial consultant. There's a fireman. There is three mechanics on the jury. So, there's various different combinations of attentiveness. The men in the back row, I must say, often lean against the back and they do appear to just kind of doze off or at least zone out a little bit.

MALVEAUX: All right. Well Diane, as long as you stay awake, that's all that really matters right now, that we want you to stay sharp.

DIMOND: I promise.

MALVEAUX: All right, Diane, good to see you, as always. Thanks for the details, we appreciate it.

Here is a rundown of some of the stories we're covering over the next hour. Should politicians be judged for behaving badly when they were young?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I did some stupid things when I was in high school.

GOV. BILL CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I experimented with marijuana a time or two and I didn't like it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Hear what Americans and the experts have to say.

And major fallout from JPMorgan's risky investments. One of the highest paid women in the financial industry has suddenly retired. We're going to look at what it means for your money also.

Nasty e-mails flow over a Mother's Day editorial about not choosing to be a mom. We're going to talk to the writer about it.

And don't forget, you can watch CNN live on your computer while you're at work. Head to CNN.com/T.V.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) MALVEAUX: More for Mitt Romney it was accusations of bullying that some called an assault. For President Obama it was an admission of drinking and experimenting with drugs. We're talking about politicians and their pass and discretions. Or are those actions from as far back as high school even relevant later in a presidential election? Jason Carroll takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mitt Romney like candidates before him find himself in hot water for something that took place far in his past. He says he doesn't remember the incident but acknowledges he was not a perfect teenager.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I did some stupid thing 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)

CARROLL: The apology coming after "The Washington Post" broke the story of Romney's antics decades ago when he and his friends are alleged to have pinned down another student who was presumed to be gay and cut off his hair while the boy cried.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES CARVILLE: I don't think anybody is going to blame him, you know, something happened in high school in the 60s. But his response was very weasely (ph), and it fits in to suspicion that people have of him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Romney is certainly not the first presidential candidate cited , shall we say, youthful indiscretions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There were times where, you know, we got into drinking and experimented with drugs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: President Obama told this classroom about his drug use and also talked about it in his autobiography "Dreams of My Father." President Bill Clinton acknowledged his own marijuana use while studying at Oxford at this debate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: I experimented with marijuana a time or two and I didn't like it, and didn't inhale and never tried it again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: For former president George W. Bush, the issue was excessive drinking in his college years. Later, Bush admitted to being arrested for DUI when he was 30 years old. He overcame the incidents by saying he quit drinking and was born again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIAN ZELIZER, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY: Bush used those stories to his advantage by saying he had progressed, he had evolved, and he had redeemed himself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Should a presidential candidate, like Romney, be judged for bullying another student in high school? Should that have any bearing on his moral guidance now?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't really subscribe to the philosophy of, you know, boys will be boys or in high school we all do wild things.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bullying is a very important issue, but I don't think what someone does in high school informs them as an adult. You have to have the whole total of the personality.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZELIZER: Many people are very forgiving. We forget the electorate is human, and they know bullies who turned out to be OK. They know people who used drugs in their youth but were fine, upstanding citizens when they were older.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL (on camera): The bottom line for candidates often boils down to how they handle the situation. If other incidents arise, it could end up dogging the candidate, but more often than not, voters just seem to forgive and forget. Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: President Obama is about to address graduates at Barnard College in New York. The commencement speech comes on the heels of his endorsement of same-sex marriage and it follows an address by Mitt Romney this weekend at Liberty University where Romney reaffirmed his opposition to same-sex marriage.

I want to bring in Jessica Yellin. She's live from New York.

So, Jessica, first of all, we know the president is sharing a stage with a gay activist, the founder of Freedom To Marry. Do we expect that President Obama will talk about his position on same-sex marriage?

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm advised, Suzanne, that, no, that's not going to be in this speech. This speech really focuses on women and messages of sort of going out into the world. Stories that he has learned from women who have inspired him in his life, persevered over obstacles. You know, you mention Evan Wolfson, who's the founder of Freedom To Marry. I think he's about to get an award, if he isn't getting it right now as we speak. He had said last week, before the president came out for same-sex marriage, that if the president hadn't come out by now, he would have leaned over and whispered in the president's ear, please do so now, please come out for same-sex marriage now. Since then, Evan Wolfson has released statements and been on our air praising the president.

Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: OK. Interesting little back story there.

Now, we know that this is an all-women's college here. Is this part of the president's effort to reach out to female voters? Do we think it's part of a campaign to actually win them over?

YELLIN: So first all say, I'm told it's not an explicitly political speech. Again, it's going to be -- it will sound a lot like a commencement address from someone who's not a politician. But, between us, of course, yes. I mean why is he speaking to a women's college at a time when the campaign is overtly trying to court women voters. And from there he goes to appear on what? "The View." A show with an overwhelmingly female audience. So, of course we could see this as one more gentle step to reach out to women voters.

MALVEAUX: Yes, just between us, right, Jessica? Just between us.

YELLIN: Yes. Yes.

MALVEAUX: And then also there's a fundraiser, right, hosted by Ricky Martin while he's in New York as well. Tell us a little bit about that.

YELLIN: La Vida Loca. So he has two fundraisers tonight. One by hosted by Ricky Martin. And he's reaching out there both to the gay community, gay supporters and Latino supporters. It's co-hosted by the Futuro Fund, which is Latino supporters of the president. And then from there this is somewhat surprising. He's going to a fundraiser uptown hosted by a major Wall Street executive. And that's a little surprising because, you know, the president has been having some trouble raising money from Wall Street after some of the rhetoric he's used against Wall Street. We've reported on that a lot. So he is bringing in some cash from the street. Not a lot. We're told today they hope to raise a little over $3 million all told, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right. He's hitting a lot of different groups there in New York all at once.

YELLIN: Yes. MALVEAUX: All right, Jessica, we're going to take a quick break and then we'll come back and, of course, we'll listen in on President Obama live as soon as he starts that commencement speech.

Thanks, Jessica.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: President Obama addressing graduates at Barnard College in New York. This is a commencement speech that he is going to be delivering momentarily. And let's listen in. He's now getting the Medal of Distinction from Barnard College.

(BEGIN LIVE FEED)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And now I have the great honor of presenting the citation to the president of the United States, Barack Obama.

Barack Obama, 44th president of the United States of America. In this exuberant presentation of the college's highest honor, we pay tribute to your leadership of our nation and your place in our world. From 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii, to this stellar moment in May, the chronicle of your life has enthralled us. The early years in Indonesia that sparked your independence and opened your eyes to the breadth of humanity.

College, first at Occidental and then here in New York City where you earned your bachelors degree from the great Columbia University on whose lawn we now stand, to Chicago to work with communities in need and then on to Harvard Law School becoming the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review and graduating magna cum laude in 1991.

Returning to Chicago, you deepened your commitment to public service because you understood that grassroots was the way. As your mentor, Jerry Kalman (ph), put it, if you're not trying to really change things out there, you might as well forget it.

Then in 1992, in one of your all-time best slam dunks, you had the good fortune to marry Michelle. With her by your side, you served two terms as Illinois state senator and just months before winning a U.S. Senate seat representing the land of Lincoln, gave a speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention that was as brilliant as it was decisive. When you said that we stand on the crossroads of history, perhaps you had no idea that the country and the world would forever know your name.

On January 20, 2009, standing smack on those historical crossroads, you were sworn in as president of the United States. Since then -- since then, in three years and 115 days in office, you have led the way on preventing hate crimes and providing affordable health care, on reforming student loan programs, credit card debt, and financial regulation. You have reinvigorated the auto industry, raised fuel efficiency, and overturned restrictions on stem cell research.

You have ended the war in Iraq, turned the tide in Afghanistan, and made certain that regardless of sexual orientation, those serving our country have the freedom both to ask and to tell. And just days ago, you affirmed your belief that the right to marriage belongs to us all.

For women in particular, you have helped to ensure the equal pay we all deserve by signing the Lilly Ledbetter Act into law. You have removed barriers to women in the military, improved access to health services, and repeatedly supported our right to choose. And time and again, you have put your trust in a long list of gifted and remarkable women leaders. Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett, Janet Napolitano, Kathleen Sebelius, Hilda Solis, Susan Rice, Lisa Jackson, women running everything from Homeland Security to the EPA.

Your wisdom in these selections comes as no surprise because, after all, it is the extraordinary women in your own life who shaped it most profoundly. The strength and level-headedness you learned from your grandmother, Toot, the values of honesty, fairness, and independent judgment that your mother, Ann, instilled, along with her constancy and capacity for wonder. The special bond with your terrific sister and Barnard alumni, Maya, the devoted partnership you share with first lady Michelle Obama, who awes us in her own right, and Sasha and Malia, who give us hope.

Clearly, Mr. President, you know something that the 594 Barnard graduates seated proudly before you are well on their way to discovering. That there's no opportunity they cannot embrace, no dream they cannot make real. You have demonstrated this truth through your own amazing story, your own compelling example, your own irrepressible spirit. It is a profound honor for us to come together on this historic day, not only to present you, President Barack Obama, with the 2012 Barnard Medal of Distinction, but to give you our unwavering promise to go forth, like you, in pursuit of a sounder, a freer, and a whole lot smarter world. You have our deepest thanks.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, everybody. Please, please, have a seat. Thank you.

Thank you, President Spar, trustees, President Bollinger.

Hello class of 2012! Congratulations on reaching this day. Thank you for the honor of being able to be a part of it.

There are so many people who are proud of you. Your parents, family, faculty, friends, all of whom share in this achievement. So please give them a big round of applause.

To all of the moms who are here today, you could not ask for a better Mother's Day gift than to see all of these folks graduate.

I have to say, though, whenever I come to these things, I start thinking about Malia and Sasha graduating and I start tearing up. And, it's terrible. I don't know how you guys are holding it together. I will begin by telling a hard truth. I'm a Columbia College graduate. I know -- I know there can be a little bit of a sibling rivalry here. But I'm honored, nevertheless, to be your commencement speaker today, although I have got to say you set a pretty high bar given the past three years.

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Hillary Clinton, Meryl Streep, Cheryl Sandburg --

(CHEERING)

OBAMA: -- these are not easy acts to follow. But I will point out Hillary is doing an extraordinary job as one of the finest secretaries of state America has ever had.

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: We gave Meryl the Presidential Medal of Arts and Humanities.

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Cheryl is not just a good friend, she's also one of our economic advisers. So it's like the old saying goes, keep your friends close and your Barnard commencement speakers even closer.

(LAUGHTER)

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: There's wisdom in that.

(LAUGHTER)

Now, the year I graduated -- this area looks familiar.

(LAUGHTER)

The year I graduated was 1983, the first year women were admitted to Columbia.

(APPLAUSE)

Sally Ride was the first American woman in space. Music was all about Michael and the moon walk. We had the Walkman.

(CHEERING)

OBAMA: No, no moon walking. No moon walking today.

(LAUGHTER)

We had the Walkman, not iPods. Some of the streets around here were not quite so inviting. Times Square was not a family destination. (LAUGHTER)

So I know this is all ancient history. Nothing worse than commencement speakers droning on about bygone days.

(LAUGHTER)

But for all the differences, the class of 1983 actually had a lot in common with all of you. For we, too, were heading out into a world at a moment when our country was still recovering from a particularly severe economic recession. It was a time of change. It was a time of uncertainty. It was a time of passionate political debates. You can relate to this because just as you were starting out finding your way around this campus, an economic crisis struck that would claim more than five million jobs before the end of your freshman year. Since then, some of you have probably seen parents put off retirement, friends struggle to find work, and you may be looking toward the future with that same sense of concern that my generation did when we were sitting where you are now.

Of course, as young women, you're also going to grapple with some unique challenges, like whether you will be able to earn equal pay for equal work, whether you'll be able to balance the demands of your job and your family, whether you'll be able to fully control decisions about your own health.

And while opportunities for women have grown exponentially over the last 30 years, as young people, in many ways, you have it even tougher than we did. This recession has been more brutal, the job losses steeper. Politics seems nastier. Congress more gridlocked than ever. Some folks in the financial world have not exactly been the model corporate citizens.

(LAUGHTER)

No wonder that faith in our institutions has never been lower, particularly when good news doesn't get the same kind of ratings as bad news anymore. Every day, you receive a steady stream of sensationalism and scandal and stories with a message that suggests change isn't possible, that you can't make a difference, that you won't be able to close that gap between life as it is and life as you want it to be.

My job today is to tell you "don't believe it." Because as tough as things have been, I am convinced you are tougher. I have seen your passion, and I have seen your service. I have seen you engage, and I have seen you turn out in record numbers. I have heard your voices amplified by creativity and a digital fluency that those of us in older generations can barely comprehend. I have seen a generation eager, impatient even, to step into the rushing waters of history and change its course. And that defiant, can-do spirit is what runs through the veins of American history. It's the lifeblood of all our progress. And it is that spirit which we need your generation to embrace and rekindle right now.

See, the question is not whether things will get better. They always do. The question is not whether we've got the solutions to our challenges. We've had them within our grasp for quite some time. We know, folk, that this country would be better off if more Americans were able to get the kind of education that you've received here at Barnard --

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: -- if more people could get the specific skills and training that employers are looking for today. We know that we'd all be better off if we invest in science and technology that sparks new businesses and medical break-throughs, if we developed more clean energy so we could use less foreign oil and reduce the carbon pollution that's threatening our planet.

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: We know that we're better off when there are rules that stop big banks from making bad bets with other people's money and when --

(APPLAUSE)

(END LIVE FEED)

MALVEAUX: The president speaking at the Barnard College delivering the commencement address. You can see more of the president's speech on CNN.com.

Coming up next, usually it's talking about food but, today, our Eatocracy editor is talking about motherhood, actually, a decision not to be a mother. Hear why this Mother's Day editorial is causing a lot of buzz.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: We've heard the stats before. Few American women are choosing to have children compared to 20 or 30 years ago. On Mother's Day, our usual Eatocracy editor, Kat Kinsman, wrote an editorial about the reason she's chosen to not have children. She got some strong reaction.

Here is how it starts. "On Mother's Day no one is going to send me flowers or a card. I will not be awakened by sweet giggling toddlers bearing a tray of breakfast in their chubby hands, or receive an a awkward but heartfelt hug from a gangly teenage son, or end a phone call with a teary dorm-bound daughter saying, I love you mom, and I am no one's mother and I never will be."

Kat Kinsman is joining us from New York.

Kat, first, tell us why you decided to write this very personal story.

KAT KINSMAN, CNN EATOCRACY EDITOR: Well, I have always known that children were just not in the cards for me. I didn't have that drive. I didn't have that feeling that I really wanted to be a mother. And I fully respect all of my friends and all of my family who do. But it really would have helped me perhaps in my teens, my 20s, to have a representation out there of a woman who is married, who has decided not to have children, and isn't filled with pangs of regret, who isn't a selfish person, who isn't as is often portrayed in stories, in media, on tv shows, as somebody who isn't fully a woman because they haven't had children. I have a really lovely fulfilling life and I just wanted to put that out there to other women who were in the same place that, you know, this is really a valid and lovely decision you can make.

MALVEAUX: And how do people respond to your editorial?

KINSMAN: Luckily, overwhelmingly positively, and I think people were waiting for a representation like this where we're not shown as these sort of broken, pathetic creatures, but, of course, other people did step up and share the usual commentary.

I will read a few of the responses I got.

A gentleman named Chad Baker, who has recently, at 38, had his first child said, "Until you have kids, you'll never realize how hopelessly pointless your existence is without them. In your case, ignorance of this joy may be the only bliss you ever experience. Thanks for choosing Mother's Day to share with everyone how you have failed at the only reason you exist biologically speaking."

MALVEAUX: Wow.

KINSMAN: Now, I always consider a story not finished. Once it's published I jump into the comments right away. I had to write back and say, "I hope you're not teaching your daughter that her only purpose on earth is to have children because I'm sure she had so many other gifts to give to the world."

That was echoed on some of the other responses I got where people found some solidarity. A person who posted as beaches 1982, said, "My husband and I are very happy the way things are. But to the outside world, we are not complete. To all of the well-meaning and maybe not so well-meaning people who try to encourage others to have a baby, please, please, please stop."

A lot of people ran across that. A lot of people saying you'll change your mind, you'll never know. A lot of us have made up our minds.

MALVEAUX: Did it surprise you, you got such emotional responses from people, people who really are so passionate about this on both sides?

KINSMAN: It really didn't surprise me so much. I was surprised how many, but it's such a heated issue, and it's something I'm lucky enough to have always known this about myself, but there are so many sort of unkind things said by a lot of people to people who have made this decision. There's really an implication that you don't know what you're doing, that you're never going to find a man, that you're selfish somehow. And that's always really surprised me a lot. I've been really lucky this that my family has never really pressured me to do this.

MALVEAUX: All right. Well, Kat, we really appreciate the read. It's a great read here. Sorry we have to let you go here.

But you can read Kat's article. Just go to CNN.com/living. Go to the "Editor's Choice" section, click on the headline, "I'll never be a mother."

The Syrian city of Homs is almost a ghost town, but the mortar attacks keep coming and the people who are fleeing, they end up in refugee camps, where our Anderson Cooper is at one of those camps along the Turkish border. We're going to talk to him live.

Don't forget, you can watch CNN live on your computer. Head to CNN.com/tv.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Syria is being slapped with new sanctions today. It's the European Union expressing frustration over the continued carnage across Syria despite a U.N.-backed peace plan.

Anderson Cooper is at the Syrian/Turkish border.

Anderson, thank you for joining us.

We know it's been more than a year since this bloodshed started. There's no end in sight. And you've been talking to the Syrian refugees.

Can you hear us, Anderson, first of all?

I understand Anderson cannot hear us.

Is that right? All right.

We're going to take a quick break. We're going see if we can reconnect on Anderson on the Turkish/Syrian border.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Anderson Cooper joins us from the Syrian-Turkish border.

Anderson, I'm glad we got a connection established.

Give us a sense of what you have seen, these refugees that have been fleeing Syria, the kind of bloodshed, and what kind of lives they live now.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I'm in a Syrian tour now, in camps along the Turkish Syrian border. There's many more in Lebanon, others in Iraq. And keep on coming. Basically, every single day, we have a report about 100 or so arrived in camp.

The lives they lead in the camps -- the camps are well organized, very clean. They're relatively safe compared to a lot of refugee games around the world. These are very well run. They're set up by the Turkish government. But refugee camps, by their very nature, are places of suffering or loss. Everybody you meet, it seems, has lost somebody, a brother, a sister, a son, a cousin. They often show you photographs of those who died. And they all want to return, but until the regime of Bashar al Assad has fallen, they can't do that. Many are still involved in the fight against the Assad regime. Crossing the border, they're able to come and go. Turkish authorities allow them to come and go.

But, as you know, Suzanne, there's no end to the violence in sight. There's basically kind of a stalemate. The government can't stop the protests, can't crush the rebellion. At the same time, the opposition fighters, the rebels are not well armed enough or not big enough in number in order to overthrow the government. There's no end in sight to this and no telling how long these people are going to be living in these refugee camps.

MALVEAUX: Anderson, when you talk to the people there, what do they tell you they need the most? What are they asking the international community to do?

COOPER: Well, there's certainly a lot of frustration directed towards the international community. They want to know why the world isn't paying more attention, why people aren't helping. They certainly want arms. They want funds in order to be able to get weapons in order to be able to fight the regime. There had been pledges made by a variety of countries. A lot of the fighters say they haven't really seen much on the ground. Some of the fighters (are from before (ph), but that is what they want. They help in order to try to fight this fight and overthrow the government.

MALVEAUX: Anderson, thank you so much. Appreciate your time. We know you're going to have much more tonight on your show. This is going to be a report live from the Syrian/Turkish border. More firsthand accounts of what it's like to be there, live, through the unrelenting violence that began more than a year ago.

You don't want to miss "Anderson Cooper 360" tonight. That is 8:00 eastern on CNN.

Is one of the world's largest populations facing extinction in less than 1,000 years? Why one researcher says the clock is already ticking.

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MALVEAUX: Could the Japanese people completely disappear off the face of the earth? A professor in Japan is warning about that. What's happening is not enough children are being born to replace people who are dying off. Rosho Roshita (ph) says, if this keeps up, Japan's population will fade away within 1,000 years. It may seem like a lot of time, but in terms of human civilization, it's actually pretty quick. Right now, there are more than 16.5 million children in Japan, but by the professor's calculations, there will be only one Japanese child left by the year 3011. Wow. CNN NEWSROOM continues with Ashleigh Banfield after this quick break.

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