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Live From...
Defense Secretary Rumsfeld Says Thousands of U.S. Troops Headed Home From Afghanistan; Debate Over Black History Month; Finding a Family
Aired December 20, 2005 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "AMERICA'S MOST WANTED")
JOHN WALSH, HOST: Welcome to "America's Most Wanted."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He's best known as the driven host of "America's Most Wanted." John Walsh began his mission to track down criminals after being a victim himself. Walsh's 6-year-old son, Adam, disappeared from a Florida shopping mall in 1981.
WALSH: He's our only child. He's a beautiful little boy. And we just want him back.
WALSH: How many of our children are missing?
O'BRIEN: John Walsh turned the grief over the abduction and murder of his son into a purpose.
WALSH: With 1.8 million children missing, it's damn time somebody did something about it besides me.
O'BRIEN: Walsh's congressional testimony and public pressure helped establish the National Center For Missing and Exploited Children. "America's Most Wanted," the fifth longest running TV show in history, has helped capture hundreds of fugitives around the world.
WALSH: I didn't want to be on television, didn't want to hunt men down. But you know what? My wife always said -- said it to me. Let's make sure Adam didn't die in vain.
O'BRIEN: Walsh has two children now in college, and still clutching for justice on behalf of his lost son.
WALSH: I don't have any closure. My son was murdered. I say that I have a deep wound that scabs sometimes, and something will break it open and it will bleed. But it never heals.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Search and rescue -- or the search and recovery continues, but the busy and vital ship channel leading to and from the Port of Miami is open again, open for business roughly 24 hours after that deadly crash of a seaplane headed for Bimini.
If you have been watching LIVE FROM, you saw a briefing last hour by the NTSB and Coast Guard, updating efforts to bring up the fuselage, the cockpit voice recorder, and the body of the 20th victim.
The acting head of the NTSB also talked about the amateur video you will see exclusively on CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK ROSENKER, ACTING CHAIRMAN, NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD: The video that we are looking at right now that we see by the networks and the stills that we see in the newspapers are helpful and are an important aspect, an important element to our investigation. Now, they're not the complete answer, clearly. But it is rare that you get an opportunity to see an accident while it is going on.
So, we believe that there will be great information gleaned from it, once we're able to enhance it and understand what we are seeing in the video.
It is still very early to understand what we've seen, other than perhaps a separation of a wing, perhaps, and the fuselage.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Investigators plan to brief reporters again this evening.
Well, sparks flew and stomachs churned at the Los Angeles Airport overnight. An Air India 747 lit up the runway as it landed on rims after blowing one or more tires on takeoff for Frankfurt, Germany. It dumped its fuel in the ocean, before circling back to LAX with 273 passengers and crew, none of whom was seriously hurt.
Saddam Hussein will be back in court, when his trial resumes tomorrow, according to one of his attorneys. The former Iraqi president boycotted the previous session two weeks ago, after, earlier, calling the proceedings a sham and telling the judges to go to hell.
He and his seven co-defendants are charged in the killings of people in 148 people in the village of Dujail in 1982. So far, eight witnesses have testified.
Final results from Iraq's parliamentary election won't be known until January. Iraqi election officials say that they are looking into more than 1,000 complaints of voter fraud stemming from Thursday's vote and won't release the results until those complaints are addressed.
Preliminary numbers do show the Shia coalition, United Iraqi Alliance with a commanding lead, winning in 10 of Iraq's 18 provinces. The Kurdish coalition is holding a solid second place. In third is the Sunni-led Iraqi Accord list.
Coming home, that's what thousands of American troops will soon be doing. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says the U.S. is scaling back its troop presence in Afghanistan.
He spoke to CNN's Larry King about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "LARRY KING LIVE")
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: It looks to me as though we are going to be, as a country, able to draw down our forces in Afghanistan by, oh, I suppose, 2,000 or 3,000, some time very soon. And -- and it's a direct result of the progress that's being made in the country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, for more, let's get straight to Pentagon correspondent CNN's Barbara Starr.
Barbara, how significant is this troop reduction?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, what Secretary Rumsfeld was talking about last night on "LARRY KING" is now a done deal this morning, Kyra.
The secretary did sign the orders that will result in about 2,500 U.S. troop soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division in New York that were slated to go out to Afghanistan early next year -- now good Christmas news for them. They will not have to go. They will be able to stay home. It's all really because of the progress being made in Afghanistan, that NATO forces are coming in to Afghanistan in greater numbers and that Afghan security forces are beginning to take over.
So, the hope is that this is the beginning of some additional good news for U.S. troops in the field -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, let's talk about if this could be the first of many troops drawdowns. What do you think? What is everyone saying there at the Pentagon?
STARR: Well, they do hope that that's the case. There are about 17 or 18,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan right now.
This is about the first 2,500. What will happen is, where they will get filled in by NATO troops in Afghanistan will be in southern Afghanistan, that NATO forces will go there, where these troops might have gone. And, as NATO makes more and more progress in taking over the mission all across Afghanistan, the hope is that more U.S. combat forces will be able to stay home and not have to go to Afghanistan.
But, of course, the one place that U.S. troops are expected to maintain their presence is on that border with Pakistan, that eastern border, where it is still believed there's a lot of Taliban and al Qaeda activity. It is -- the plan is that U.S. combat forces will remain in that particular area of the country.
PHILLIPS: So, how does all this talk sort of fit into all the talk here at home about the president, the war effort, and just this controversy over a timetable about getting troops out of Iraq?
STARR: Well, you know, the feeling in the military is that Afghanistan really is somewhat of a different case than Iraq.
There -- this is not a country where there's a widespread insurgency. There is some violence. But this is clearly a country where it's very interesting to note that NATO is coming in, in larger numbers, many of the European countries willing to devote their military force to the mission in Afghanistan, while, at the same time, they are pulling out of Iraq.
So, this is a place where it does appear some military progress, some serious military progress is being made -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Barbara Starr, live from the Pentagon, thanks.
In Italy, a passenger train rammed into the rear of another passenger train today, injuring at least nearly 30 people. Some of the injured are in critical condition, we are told. Firefighters had to cut through the wreckage to free some of those passengers. The impact of the crash pushed one passenger car on top of another.
You can see here, the accident happened at a station about 80 miles just south of Rome.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says he's in a hurry to get back to work. The 77-year-old leader left a Jerusalem hospital today after suffering a mild stroke on Sunday. "Apparently, you have missed me," Sharon jokingly told reporters. As camera bulbs flashed, he also said he didn't think the health scare could affect his ability to govern. Sharon's doctors predict the prime minister will make a full recovery.
"Ridiculous," that's what one prominent African-American is calling Black History Month. The fight over the February celebration, we will debate it straight ahead on LIVE FROM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Tony Harris working a story for us in the newsroom.
Tony, what is going on?
TONY HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra.
We're following reports of a shooting at a Wal-Mart store in Deming, New Mexico. That's very close to the -- the border with New Mexico -- with Mexico. That shooting has been confirmed by a spokeswoman for Wal-Mart.
It happened in the vestibule of the store, just a sort of entrance hall between an outer door to the store and the main part of the store itself. And police are on the scene. We don't know if anyone was actually hit in this shooting -- no reports yet of anyone being transported to any area hospitals.
And, once again Deming, New Mexico, is about 100 miles northwest of El Paso, Texas. We will continue to keep an eye on this story and report any additional information for you -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Tony.
TONY HARRIS: OK.
PHILLIPS: Thanks so much.
TONY HARRIS: Sure.
PHILLIPS: All right, Tony, this is the debate you have been waiting for.
We are talking about Black History Month, just around the corner. But actor Morgan Freeman doesn't find February a time for celebration. In fact, it makes him cringe.
Sunday night, on "60 Minutes," he explained why.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "60 MINUTES")
MIKE WALLACE, "60 MINUTES": Black History Month, you find ridiculous. Why?
MORGAN FREEMAN, ACTOR: You going to relegate my history to a month?
WALLACE: Oh, come on.
(CROSSTALK)
FREEMAN: Well, what do you do with yours? Which month is white history month?
(CROSSTALK)
WALLACE: Well...
FREEMAN: Well, come on. Tell me.
WALLACE: Well, I'm Jewish.
FREEMAN: OK. Which month is Jewish history month?
WALLACE: There isn't one.
FREEMAN: Oh. Oh. Why not? Do you want one?
WALLACE: No. No.
FREEMAN: No. (CROSSTALK)
FREEMAN: All right. I don't either. I don't want a Black History Month. Black history is American history.
WALLACE: How are we going to get rid of racism until...
FREEMAN: Stop talking about it. I'm going to stop calling you a white man.
WALLACE: Yes.
FREEMAN: And I'm going to ask you to stop calling me a black man. I know you as Mike Wallace. You know me as Morgan Freeman. You wouldn't say, well, I -- I know this white guy named Mike Wallace.
You know what I'm saying?
WALLACE: Uh-huh.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Joining me now to debate the issue, in Los Angeles, the Reverend Jesse Lee Peterson. He's the author of "Scam: How the Black Leadership Exploits Black America." And, in Chicago, Roland Martin, executive editor of "The Chicago Defender."
Gentlemen, great to have you both.
Roland, do you agree with Morgan Freeman?
ROLAND MARTIN, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, "CHICAGO DEFENDER": Well, I agree with Morgan Freeman in principle. If we lived in an idealistic world, I would agree with him that black history should be fully integrated with American history. But the reality, it is not.
And, so, until we get to that point, I think you need to have a very specific focus on the contributions of African-Americans to this society.
PHILLIPS: How is it not integrated?
MARTIN: Well, I mean, if you look at the history books, I mean, you have very few stories, very few historical footnotes, that relate to African-Americans.
If you go through the history books, clearly, you're going to see something about Martin Luther King's "I have a dream speech" in 1963. You're going to see a passing reference to the civil rights movement.
But you're not going to see it fully integrated across the board. And, , I think that's one of the things that -- that -- that we have to have. I mean, we are not an open society. And, so, again, I think that -- and, also look at the story. We're debating whether or not we should get rid of Black History Month, as opposed to what the headline should have been: Black history should be fully integrated into American history.
PHILLIPS: Reverend Peterson, do you agree? Do text -- textbooks right now in schools, when our kids are going to school, are they not learning about black history as American history?
JESSE LEE PETERSON, BONDINFO.ORG: I agree with Mr. Freeman in that we should include Black History Month as a part of American history.
And I also agree that black children are not being taught the greatness of black Americans. You know, black folks played a major part in building this great country. And that should be taught as American history.
The problem is, when you have this so-called Black History Month, it causes most black people to feel that they are not Americans, that they are separated from this country. It also divide the races. You know, blacks and whites are now not allowed to come together. And you have the black race's agitators who want it that way.
MARTIN: Well, hold on, Jesse. Hold on, Jesse.
PETERSON: If it wasn't for -- if it wasn't for the black race's agitators in our country, black history would -- there would be no such thing as black history.
MARTIN: Oh, first of all -- first, Kyra -- Kyra...
PETERSON: It would be American history.
MARTIN: Kyra -- Kyra, first of all, that is nonsense.
(CROSSTALK)
PETERSON: You're not allowed...
(CROSSTALK)
PETERSON: Hold on. Hold on. I was quiet while you were speaking. Hold on.
You're not allowed to have white history. You're not allowed to have Jewish history. Why are we allowed to have a separatist history called black history? It's ridiculous.
MARTIN: But, Jesse, first of all, we're not allowed to have a separate history.
The reason we have Black History Month is because it's not fully inclusive. Now, you want to blame this on the so-called black agitators, as opposed to the individuals who...
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: Hold up, Jesse -- who don't want to fully integrate black history in the curriculum. That's what the real issue is. PETERSON: Well, the only people...
MARTIN: It has nothing to do with...
PETERSON: That's not it.
MARTIN: ... the so-called black agitators.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: So, Roland -- wait, gentlemen, gentlemen, if you look, Black History Month has roots to historian Carter Woodson.
MARTIN: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Woodson's Negro History Week, which he designated in 1926 as the second week in February, to mark the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.
Now, it went on to say that Woodson said that he hoped that week could one day be eliminated when black history would become fundamental...
PETERSON: That's right.
PHILLIPS: ... to American history.
MARTIN: But it's not.
PETERSON: And that was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream as well. He had a dream that, one day, we would become one nation under God.
But because of racist organization like the NAACP, the Congressional Black Caucus...
MARTIN: Oh, please.
PETERSON: ... Jesse Jackson and others, we have not been allowed to come together as one nation.
MARTIN: See, Kyra -- see, Kyra...
PETERSON: We're not African-Americans. We are Americans. And black folks should be included in American history.
PHILLIPS: Now, Roland, he brings...
MARTIN: See, Kyra...
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Roland, he brings up an interesting point about, if you start to distinguish, does that create more segregation and hatred and racism?
PETERSON: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Is that -- do you think that that's a proven fact, if you continue the separation?
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: Well, first of all, the reason you have a targeted focus is because it is excluded. That's why. And, so, if you have...
PETERSON: But that's the way you want it.
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: Hold on. Hold on. Jesse, hold -- first of all, Jesse, you're wrong.
If you have textbooks, if you have the curriculum, if you have the education in the school system that chooses to fully integrate black history and American history, you won't have...
(CROSSTALK)
PETERSON: Well, why not fight to...
MARTIN: Jesse, one second -- you won't -- you won't have a need for it.
PETERSON: ... include that? Why not fight to include American history and get away from the so-called black history?
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: First of all, I'm very eager to just walk into a random school now in -- in all different types of neighborhoods see what the textbooks say...
PETERSON: Yes.
PHILLIPS: ... and what textbooks they are using, because there's probably a variety that have been distributed throughout the United States.
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: Well, actually, actually, actually, Kyra, that's not true.
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: Actually -- hold on. Kyra, that's not really true.
PHILLIPS: No?
MARTIN: What you have in America is, typically, the way Texas and California goes, because they are the two largest states, they drive how the textbooks are sold across the country. (CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Actually, that's an...
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: You know, that's an interesting point, because I did do -- do a year of high school in Mobile, Alabama, and the history class I took was Alabama history. That was it, the whole entire...
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: And, of course, when I was in the seventh grade in Texas, I took Texas history. But, again...
PETERSON: And, when I was in school, they didn't teach the greatness of black Americans as well. So, it needs to be included. Another thing about Black History Month...
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: When you were in school, they had whites-only fountains.
PETERSON: Hold on, sir. Hold on, sir.
Another thing about Black History Month, it gives the perception that black folks are suffering because of racism. And that's not true. Most blacks -- not all -- but most black people are suffering today due to the lack of moral character and not racism.
MARTIN: OK. See, this is...
PETERSON: If we stop talking about racism, then we can move forward in this great country.
MARTIN: Jesse, Jesse, Jesse...
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Now, Morgan Freeman...
MARTIN: Stop talking about racism is not going to solve it.
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: Stop practicing racism is what is going to end racism.
(CROSSTALK)
PETERSON: No. Stop talking about it. It's over already.
MARTIN: It's over?
PETERSON: But you guys want to keep that in the hearts and minds of the folks, in order to use them for your own personal gain.
MARTIN: It's over?
PETERSON: It's about that.
(CROSSTALK)
PETERSON: Yes, it's over.
MARTIN: You mean to tell -- you mean to tell me that there are not African-Americans who have been discriminated against because of the color of their skin?
PETERSON: Well, I agree with you...
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: Jesse, Jesse, one second. Jesse, one second.
PETERSON: I agree with you that most black people are racist toward white Americans. But we need to get over that as well.
MARTIN: OK. All right.
Well, see -- well, see, Kyra, this -- this is the fundamental problem when you have folks like Jesse, who choose...
PETERSON: I'm telling the truth.
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: One second -- who chooses to advance an agenda where he wants to attack black organizations.
The reality is this. Our school...
PETERSON: But...
MARTIN: Jesse, one second.
Our school systems are not inclusive. You do not have a fully integrated curriculum that teaches people...
(CROSSTALK)
PETERSON: So, let's fight to include...
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: One second. One second, Jesse.
PETERSON: Instead of coming up with a separatist month that focus on blacks only, let's fight to include black folks in American history, so that it can become a part of it.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Let me ask you guys -- let me move on to another question...
MARTIN: Yes.
PHILLIPS: ... because I want to ask you about Kwanzaa. I want to see what -- what -- you know, now -- we are in the holiday here, you know, whether it's merry Christmas, happy holidays, all this controversy.
Happy Kwanzaa. Should you say happy Kwanzaa? Should you celebrate Kwanzaa? And -- and before I get you -- you two to respond to that, I just want to read the pledge of allegiance, the Kwanzaa -- the Kwanzaa pledge of allegiance. I found this interesting.
"We pledge allegiance to the red, black, and green, our flag, the symbol of our eternal struggle, and to the land we must obtain, one nation of black people, with one God of us all, totally united in the struggle for black love, black freedom, and black self-determination."
Reverend, what is wrong with -- with saying happy Kwanzaa and celebrating Kwanzaa?
PETERSON: That's separatism. It's racist. It's divisive. This so-called Kwanzaa thing was created by a black racist Marxist by the name of Ron Karenga, who felt that Christianity and -- was for the white man and that black folks should not participate and -- in the Christian -- in -- black folks should not be Christians, because Christianity is for the white man.
And there is no such thing as Kwanzaa. You can go up and down the coast of Africa, and you're not going to find it.
MARTIN: You know, Kyra....
PETERSON: Ron Karenga admitted that he made it up. And he made it up because of his dislike of Christians and Jews.
MARTIN: Hey, Kyra, here is what I find...
(CROSSTALK)
PETERSON: No such thing as Kwanzaa.
PHILLIPS: I thought it was because he wanted blacks to get in touch with their African roots.
MARTIN: Kyra, here's what I...
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Go ahead. Final thoughts, Roland. Final thoughts.
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: Kyra, here's what I find interesting.
(CROSSTALK) MARTIN: Hold on. Hold on. Hold on, Jesse.
Kyra, you said black love, black self-esteem, black determination -- self-determination. That's...
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Black love, black freedom, and black self- determination.
MARTIN: That sounds just like...
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: That sounds just like Jesse's mantra of morals and value.
The reality is this here. We have Hanukkah. We have Christmas. We have Kwanzaa. My belief is that, if you choose to celebrate any of those, you should do so. I don't believe that we should...
(CROSSTALK)
PETERSON: So, you believe in...
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: Jesse, one second.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Finish your thought. Go ahead, Roland. Finish your thought.
MARTIN: I don't believe that we should call Christmas trees holiday trees. We should call them Christmas trees. If you choose to celebrate Kwanzaa, do so. If it's Ramadan, do so. If it's Hanukkah, do so. But the reality is...
PETERSON: Christmas is about Christ.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Gentlemen, we have got to -- have got to leave it there.
MARTIN: If you choose to do it, do so.
PETERSON: It's merry Christmas. No happy Kwanzaa.
PHILLIPS: Happy everything to both of you.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Reverend Peterson, Roland Martin...
MARTIN: Happy Christmas, as far as I'm concerned. But, thanks, Kyra.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Thanks, guys.
MARTIN: Appreciate it.
PHILLIPS: Always a pleasure.
Straight ahead, teenagers up for adoption face incredible challenges in finding a home. One adoption agency, though, with a revolutionary concept is changing that. Wait until this two, this mother and daughter.
Tyisha is excited.
We're going to bring you one of its success stories, these two right here. You're going to love them.
We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, right now, hundreds of thousands of children are waiting to be adopted in the United States. And many of them are teenagers who are often passed up by people who want younger children.
So, a New York-based adoption agency called You Got to Believe went on to work on a new strategy, putting teens who want to be adopted on television. The show has been an incredible success. One special story involves a girl named Tyisha, who desperately wanted to become part of a family.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What exactly is a family to you?
TYISHA HARRIS,TYISHA HARRIS, ADOPTED TEENAGER: To me, a family is somebody that is really there for you. They love and care for you, and they are real understanding. That's the main thing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So -- so, when you say they, does it have to be like two people, or it can just be one?
TYISHA HARRIS: It can be singled, married, just dating, gay. It doesn't really matter.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, guess what happened after that show? Tyisha was adopted. She and her mother, Renee Harris, join me now live from New York.
Great to see you both. TYISHA HARRIS: Great to be here.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: All right.
Oh, it's great to have you both.
Tyisha, let's -- let's -- I tell you what. I read about your story and I feel so guilty for taking my family for granted, when I think about what you have gone through. I was reading possibly up to 11 different homes. What has that been like? I mean, since you were 2 years old, you have been in the system, right?
TYISHA HARRIS: Yes.
PHILLIPS: I mean, did -- did you always sort of wonder what was next, who was next, who you would be going to for -- I mean, what do you remember from the past 16, 17 years?
TYISHA HARRIS: Well, what I remember was, like, just continuing going from house to house, and, like, always waking up, wondering whether I'm going to be in the same home and in the same school and, like, what would be coming up for me in the future and everything.
PHILLIPS: Do you...
TYISHA HARRIS: But it was real tough.
PHILLIPS: Do you know your biological parents?
TYISHA HARRIS: I know my biological mother.
PHILLIPS: Do you talk to her?
TYISHA HARRIS: I used to.
PHILLIPS: Are you -- are you -- are you frustrated with -- with how you have had to grow up? Are you frustrated with her?
TYISHA HARRIS: Yes.
PHILLIPS: It's got to be tough. Do you want to talk to her? Do you want to have a relationship with her?
TYISHA HARRIS: Well -- well, to, like, have a relationship with her is, like, when you have one with her, she doesn't want to get herself together. But if you're not talking to her, you know that she's OK.
PHILLIPS: Wow.
So, Renee, you already have two daughters.
RENEE HARRIS, ADOPTIVE MOTHER OF TYISHA HARRIS: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Two just beautiful, terrific kids.
R. HARRIS: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: What drew you to this program, to this show? Were you wanting to adopt another child?
R. HARRIS: Yes.
It's something I had planned to do since I was 12 years old. I wanted to adopt, but I had always wanted to adopt a boy, particularly after birthing two biological daughters. And they had moved on. I wanted a son.
(LAUGHTER)
R. HARRIS: So, I had seen a young man in the newspaper who was waiting to be adopted. There were actually six children pictured, five boys and one girl. And I called ACS and asked ACS what the procedure was, and they led me to You Got to Believe. I had to take this training, nine-week training course, in order to bring someone like that into my home.
PHILLIPS: So, there you...
R. HARRIS: And that's how that started.
PHILLIPS: So, you -- OK, so, you found out about it. So, you went to the show. And -- and -- and it's shot in Coney Island, right?
R. HARRIS: Exactly.
PHILLIPS: OK.
R. HARRIS: I went to the training for You Got to Believe.
And You Got to Believe does tapings on cable -- Brooklyn cable access. And it -- I decided to go to this particular taping, because I hoped that one of the gentleman, the young boys that I had seen in the newspaper article, would have been brought there by his social worker.
And, instead, I'm sitting there and Tyisha walks in with her social worker.
(LAUGHTER)
R. HARRIS: And I recognized her face right away, because, coincidentally, she was on the same newspaper article that I had seen the -- the boy in.
And every -- it was history from then on. Her social worker actually came over to me and told me that she was interested in being a part of my family. And, so, all my dreams of having a son just went right out the window.
(LAUGHTER) PHILLIPS: You're like...
R. HARRIS: I had another daughter.
PHILLIPS: You just -- the vibe was totally different. So, Tyisha you actually saw Renee and some of her relatives in the room and you actually zeroed in on them. Why?
T. HARRIS: It is like, as soon as I walked in the door, I looked over there and they were both looking at me. I don't know. It was like I felt the connection. I was like, I wanted to be with them.
PHILLIPS: And so, did you approach Renee? Did you tell your social worker, "I don't know. I have a feeling that should be my mom. I want to talk to her."
T. HARRIS: Yes, well me and my social worker were in the back sneaking some pizza out.
PHILLIPS: Sneaking some pizza out?
T. HARRIS: I told her, yes, that lady in the back, I said I wanted to be with her. She was like, "I'll talk to her, get some information."
PHILLIPS: So Renee, once you did connect with Tyisha and you went through with the adoption -- we actually have pictures from the process, were you thinking, "Oh my gosh, I'm taking on another teenager."
I mean, it's not like a brand new baby where you're sort of in charge of raising the child and can discipline that child and have a lot of say. I mean, you're taking on a young lady that has been through a lot.
R. HARRIS: My thoughts were not only that I'm taking -- not that I'm taking on another teenager because I had sort of sorted that out with myself prior to going through the training. I think it was I'm going, you know, it's another teenage girl. That was my thing. And I had gone through many, many problems with my biological daughter and what could have been worse than that? So.
PHILLIPS: Probably Tyisha might even be easier.
R. HARRIS: Yes, I mean, yes. You just never know. You never know. But I felt she needed me and, you know, I needed her, too. So we filled each other voids.
PHILLIPS: So Tyisha, when you look at Renee, I should say when you look at your mom, describe her to me. What do you see in her eyes? What do you see in her heart? What's it like to be her daughter?
T. HARRIS: I'm loved. It's like -- that's the most. I feel love. I have a mother that I can come home to and say, "Hi, mommy, how is your day and everything." And I have somebody who is looking out for me, guiding me throughout my future.
PHILLIPS: And you're headed to college aren't you?
T. HARRIS: Yes, full tuition scholarship.
PHILLIPS: Wow. Where are you going?
T. HARRIS: DePaul University in Indiana.
PHILLIPS: That's a fantastic school. What do you want to major in?
T. HARRIS: Communication.
PHILLIPS: OK, you can come here and replace me. I'm ready for a little vacation. Renee, you must be so proud. When you look at your daughter, your new daughter. My god, she's already going off to an incredible college. I mean, this seems too good to be true. You just scored, didn't you?
R. HARRIS: Well, we're all so very proud of her. I mean, that was her dream. She wanted to get a family and she wanted to go to college and she's there.
PHILLIPS: Wow, you two -- no doubt this is going to be a pretty special holiday for you both. I'm assuming, yes?
T. HARRIS: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Well, gosh, I can't talk enough about this program. "You've Got to Believe" is the name of the show. Prime example of how it works, look at Renee and Tyisha. Incredible story. Thanks for sharing it with me you guys. I really, really appreciate it.
R. HARRIS: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Very inspiring. All right, Tyisha, you let us know how you're doing in college, OK?
T. HARRIS: Okay.
PHILLIPS: All right. Thanks Renee, thanks Tyisha.
Straight ahead on LIVE FROM, sometimes it's better not to look too closely into things, especially things like tap water. If you ever wonder what is in there, you know, besides the water? You're not going to want to miss some of the gruesome details on this story.
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PHILLIPS: Dramatic police standoff in Kansas City, Missouri, and it happened four stories up. This man broke through a hotel window after police officers stormed his fourth floor room. Police managed to grab the man as he dangled from the ledge, finally pulling him in and into custody. The man had barricaded himself in his room for hours, claiming to have a weapon and telling police that Muslims were coming to get him.
Well, no bond. A judge in New York refuses to set bail for a man accused of sexually assaulting a woman disguised as a firefighter. Peter Braunstein was returned to New York last night from Tennessee, days after his capture there. Braunstein stands accused of posing as a firefighter to gain access to a woman's apartment on Halloween and then assaulting her for 12 hours. He's due in court again on Friday.
Tony Harris working a story out of the newsroom. Tony, what's going on?
HARRIS: Hey, Kyra, I just want to give you a quick update on the story of a shooting at a Wal-Mart store. This is in Deming, New Mexico, very close to the border with Mexico.
It happened in an entrance hall to the store. And one person we've been able to learn was hurt. No one killed. Police obviously on the scene. The investigation is ongoing. And the store, the actual Wal-Mart itself has been evacuated, just to give you a little better orientation as to what we're talking about. You see the map there.
Deming is about 100 miles northwest of El Paso, Texas. And once again, one person hurt in this shooting. This is at a Wal-Mart store in Deming, New Mexico, very close, as you can see on this map here, to the border with Mexico.
We began to get reports on this, oh about, 35, 40 minutes ago. Initially we weren't sure at all if anyone was hurt. There were no reports of anyone being transported to area hospitals. But in the last, oh, 15 minutes or so we've been able to confirm that one person was actually hurt in the shooting.
No one killed. The investigation is still ongoing. Once again, this is a Wal-Mart store in Deming, New Mexico, about 100 miles northwest of El Paso, Texas. If we get some more information, Kyra, we'll pass that along to you.
PHILLIPS: All right, Tony, thanks so much.
Meanwhile subways locked, buses parked. The nation's largest transit system not transporting anybody today. Transit workers walking the picket lines in New York. There's still no contract between them and the Metropolitan Transit Authority and the fight is heading back to court.
The MTA wants to force the transit union back to work. Our Chris Huntington live at Penn Station. And we were listening to the mayor hold his news conference and he was basically saying, Chris, "Look, there's no way that negotiations can take place when you're breaking the law."
CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly right, Kyra. He said that breaking the law is certainly no negotiating tactic, it's exactly what he said. He was just not pulling any punches at all, particularly with regard to Roger Toussaint, who is head of the Transit Workers Union.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE BLOOMBERG, MAYOR, NEW YORK: Roger Toussaint and the TWU have shamefully decided that they don't care about the people they work for and that they have no respect for the law. The leadership of the TWU has thuggishly turned their backs on New York City and disgraced the noble concept of public service.
This strike is costing us. It is costing people their jobs. It will cost billions in lost economic activity. It is robbing people of their opportunities to earn a living and provide for their families.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTINGTON: Now, Mayor Bloomberg went on to call the economic impact severe to possibly devastating. There's already been an injury to a public service worker, a policeman hit by a car. This was something that the authorities had been very concerned about.
In fact, New York State Governor Pataki had said that in the days before the strike that he feared a strike could endanger the health of citizens and indeed public workers. Unfortunately, he has been borne out to be prescient on that point.
We understand the police worker, policeman, is OK. Not serious, but the only known injury of that type. Good news is that there's been no impediment to firefighters doing their work and other essential rescue workers.
Mayor Bloomberg also said the contingency plan put in place here in New York City to handle the transit strike is working well. There are carpool restrictions. There are certain avenues here in Manhattan, for instance, that are being kept open only for emergency vehicles. There are restrictions in car pooling and so forth.
All of that seems to be working well.
So, Kyra, the morning commute was really something of a mess. We're bracing to see just what will happen in the evening commute.
PHILLIPS: I can't even imagine rush hour. Chris Huntington thank so much.
That glass of water from your tap may look clean and clear but scores of chemicals may be lurking inside. That's a disturbing finding by an environmental group.
It analyzed public water records in 42 states and found 260 chemicals, including arsenic, chloroform and barium. The EPA sets limits for almost half of those chemicals. The others are unregulated.
The top five states with the most contaminated drinking water, according to the survey, were California, Wisconsin, Arizona, Florida and North Carolina. An EPA spokeswoman says the agency gathers its own data, monitors and reviews the latest research and looks at treatment methods and technology.
Well the holiday gift that keeps on giving. This woman's joy is contagious as she walks around inside a surprise Christmas gift. A gift from a somewhat shady Santa who just happened to be her brother. LIVE FROM... goes from naughty to nice straight ahead.
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PHILLIPS: This just coming to us across the wires. Also coming from our producers on the desk. Judge Theodore Jones has ruled that the TWU, the local 100, we're talking about the union in New York, is in contempt of court and is in contempt of court injunction order. That's what the judge has ruled.
He's ruled this order and that the union could be fined $1 million per day beginning today. Now, earlier reports was that members of the union, those individuals that were striking today, could be fined possibly $25,000 a day. Each day that they didn't work.
Now, Judge Theodore Jones ruling that the TW local 100 is in contempt of court. This injunction order he's putting forward that the union should be fined $1 million per day beginning today.
We're trying to work the legal aspects of this. What exactly this means. And if indeed this could go through we'll try working all the legalese.
Accusing a Pennsylvania school board what he called breath taking. A federal judge ruled today that it's unconstitutional to teach intelligent design as an alternative to evolution.
The judge rejected a Dover, Pennsylvania school board policy requiring teachers to raise doubts about the validity of evolution and to refer students to a book that promotes intelligent design as an alternative theory.
Critics say intelligent design is an attempt to inject religious creation theories into the public school science curriculum. After the six-week trial in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, well, the judge agreed.
An attorney for 11 parents who had sued the school board called the ruling a vindication for the clients. A lawyer for the Thomas Moore law center, which aided the defendants, calls the decision troubling. The school board members who supported the intelligent design policy were voted out of office in November.
Hundreds of mourners, celebrities in attendance. It's the kind of funeral usually afford a world leader. This time it's for a convicted killer.
At this hour a memorial service is taking place for Stanley Tookie Williams in Los Angeles. Last week the Crips gang co-founder was executed for killing four people in 1979. His bid for clemency failed despite frantic lobbying by his supporters. Williams' mourners are seeing his face one last time. The funeral features an open casket. In prison Williams wrote children's book warning against the gang life. He was repeatedly nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. He never admitted to those murders.
We'll be right back. More LIVE FROM straight ahead.
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PHILLIPS: This was just moments ago. You can see part of that aircraft that went down yesterday off Miami Beach. The NTSB pulling -- actually it's not the NTSB, it's the Atlantic Air Recovery Company that is supporting the NTSB investigation and pulling the wreckage now from the water, that plane that went down yesterday.
As you know 19 people were killed in that crash when that plane was leaving Miami, headed to the Bahamas. One person is still missing, but this is -- it's actually a live operation is taking place right now. But this is just part of the video that was recorded just a few minutes ago. They got that wing up and out of the water. Of course, the fuselage is still in the water, 35 feet underneath. That will be the next move for this company.
Tony Harris monitoring these live pictures, working the story for us from the newsroom. I'm assuming the fuselage is next, Tony, unless they've...
HARRIS: That's it.
PHILLIPS: ... already gotten to it.
HARRIS: Yes, that's it, Kyra. And as quickly as we can, we want to bring in Bob Francis, who is on the line with us. Former vice chairman of the NTSB. Bob, are you there?
ROBERT FRANCIS, FMR. CHAIRMAN, NTSB: Yes, sir.
HARRIS: Bob, good to talk to you. I don't know if you have access to a television and can take a look at some of the pictures. We're going to give you a mix of what was recorded just a couple of moments ago, of pieces of the plane being resurfaced out of there, being lifted out of the water by a crane there and also the live pictures of what's going on right now. But give us a sense of how delicate an operation this is.
FRANCIS: Well, I'm watching your handsome face and now the crane.
HARRIS: You're a kind man.
FRANCIS: You know, this is a pretty straightforward, standard thing. They're pulling the wreckage up. It's not terribly fragile. I mean, air planes are not meant to break apart. So I don't think that's going to be a problem. It's a little hard to tell, out of context, what that is.
HARRIS: Sure.
FRANCIS: If one assumes that the flaming part that one saw come in second was the wing -- and I think that was -- a lot of people assumed that, then this may well be the part that was -- came in flaming second. And the more major part of the fuselage is still underwater.
HARRIS: Well, Bob, I'm wondering about the delicacy of the operation. Because we know that 19 people -- 19 bodies have been recovered. But there is still one body unaccounted for. I would suspect that everyone involved in this operation would want to be particularly carefully in recovering this aircraft, if for no other reason than there is still one body still unaccounted for.
FRANCIS: Well, the divers are certainly aware of that, the divers that are hooking these up. And that will be the first thing they look for.
HARRIS: I see.
FRANCIS: But this piece is just a part of the airplane. It's not a part of the fuselage. This is pretty clearly a chunk of wing. The other thing that they'll be looking for -- obviously, there was a cockpit voice recorder and that will be very high priority for them, as well.
HARRIS: And, Bob, just one more quick question, what do you do? You reassemble as much of this as you can to continue the investigation?
FRANCIS: Reassembling is something that really is only if you have a particularly difficult investigation. I don't think that it's going to take the board a terribly long time to find out what happened. Now, why it happened is always a different question and that may take some months. But I think that they are going to see the evidence on the pieces of airplane, the fuselage and this piece of wing, assuming that's what it is.
HARRIS: I see.
FRANCIS: And they're going to know pretty quickly what happened.
HARRIS: OK. Bob, appreciate it. Bob Francis, former vice chairman of the NTSB. Bob, thanks for your time.
Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Tony, thanks so much. We'll continue to follow, of course, that story and many others.
We've got about six minutes left. We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.
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PHILLIPS: So would you sign up for this? The National Institute of Health plans to squirt live bird flu vaccine into the noses of up to 30 volunteers. It's a nasal flu mist, proven effective in humans, and spurs production of flu-fighting antibodies. It could be a faster, more effective way to protect the population in the event of a flu pandemic. Scientists have tested the spray on mouse snouts and say it's safe and effective enough to try on people now. If the FDA agrees, human testing is planned for April.
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