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Rick's List
License to Drill; Bullies to Blame for Teen's Suicide?
Aired March 31, 2010 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Whoa. My Twitter is about to explode. That conversation I had a little while ago with Bill Donahue is making so many people talk and say so many different things. And I'm going to get to that in just a little bit.
But, first, the closing bell's about to hit. So, let's go to CNN's money list.
And that's Poppy Harlow, who is joining me now live.
What do you got?
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Rick, it's --
SANCHEZ: What's on your list?
HARLOW: It's -- it's all about jobs, because, today, we got a disturbing number. Take a look at the headline here on CNNMoney, the fact that the private sector lost 23,000 jobs this month, when they thought, analysts thought, Rick, we would gain 40,000 jobs. It's weighing on the market. Stocks are down.
This is just days ahead of that all-important jobs report on Friday, Rick, when we may see a gain. But the question is, is that a sustained rally for the job market?
Taking a look at the closing bell on the stock market right now, we are down, red across the board, down Nasdaq and S&P 500. And, Rick, you know, the president getting health care through, talking about energy reform and oil drilling today, the big question Americans have is, what are you going to do on the jobs front, Rick?
SANCHEZ: There you go, up 40 yesterday, down 40 today.
HARLOW: Yes.
SANCHEZ: And on and on it goes.
Thank you so much, Poppy. We appreciate it.
We're standing by live now for President Obama's speech on changes in the workplace that would affect millions of people in the United States.
And, because it's a very important event, which is essential to most Americans, we are going to let you see it live as it happens. In the meantime, here's what else we got coming up.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ (voice-over): Here's what's making THE LIST today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What happened with her, it's persecution. I mean, this thing is a hate crime.
SANCHEZ: The story that has you talking, thousands of tweets and e- mails. Can you bully someone to death?
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Most of this game, we cannot show you.
SANCHEZ: Rape turned into a video game, lots of them. And it's not just in Japan anymore.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Today, we're announcing the expansion of offshore oil and gas exploration.
SANCHEZ: The president wants to drill for more oil and natural gas off the U.S. coast. We are drilling down on what it means to you.
And another alleged cheater is going to rehab. Sandra Bullock's beau checks in.
The lists you need to know about. Who's today's most intriguing? Who's making news on Twitter? It's why I keep a list, pioneering tomorrow's cutting-edge news right now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: It is hour two. Time to pick up the pace.
And, as we begin this newscast, we just got a tweet from none other than Sarah Palin. Take a look at this. You can see it for yourself. It says: "You have heard it before. Drill, baby, drill, SarahPalinUSA.
All right, number one, get ready for more oil platforms off of America's coasts. That's right. Sarah Palin is right. President Obama is lifting a 20-year ban on drilling off of Virginia. He's looking into drilling along the South and Mid-Atlantic coast as well. He wants to open the Gulf of Mexico off of Florida, while shutting down parts of Alaska's Bristol Bay.
The president is already taking heat from environmentalists and the drill, baby, drill crowd. How is that? I will explain. He has answers, by the way, for both of his critics on the left and on the right. Listen to him here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There will be those who strongly disagree with this decision, including those who say we should not open any new areas to drilling. But what I want to emphasize is that this announcement is part of a broader strategy that will move us from an economy that runs on fossil fuels and foreign oil to one that relies more on home-grown fuels and clean energy.
And the only way this transition will succeed is if it strengthens our economy in the short term and the long run. To fail to recognize this reality would be a mistake.
Now, on the other side, there are going to be some who argue that we don't go nearly far enough, who suggest we should open all our waters to energy exploration without any restriction or regard for the broader environmental and economic impact.
And to those folks, I have got to say this. We have less than 2 percent of the world's oil reserves. We consume more than 20 percent of the world's oil. And what that means is that drilling alone can't come close to meeting our long-term energy needs, and for the sake of our planet and our energy independence, we need to begin the transition to cleaner fuels now.
So the answer is not drilling everywhere all the time, but the answer is not also for us to ignore the fact that we are going to need vital energy sources to maintain our economic growth and our security.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Next on the president's list: what your job might look like some day.
He and the first lady are getting ready to host a White House meeting on ways to make the workday, what you and I do every day, different, maybe easier. Workers, union leaders, heads of big corporations are all going to be there talking about something that, in essence, affects all of us.
The president is going to tout telecommunicating and flexible work hours to help employees meet the demands of their jobs and their families in the United States moving forward. The forum starts at the bottom of the hour. And we're going to be keeping an eye on it. And you will see it in just a moment.
Let me tell you about what is number three on the list today. We take you to Houston, Texas. Former first lady Barbara Bush is getting out of the hospital. She was admitted on Saturday for tests, after not feeling well for a week. Doctors think that she had a mild relapse of a thyroid condition she's had since 1989.
And number four on the list today: The bodies of 21 babies -- 21 babies -- have been found along a river in eastern China. And police are holding two hospital workers. Some bodies were still wearing I.D. bands from the hospital where the babies died. The families had paid the workers to properly dispose of the bodies, but they just took them to the river and dumped them instead.
This is the story that has really rang alarm bells all over the country. This teenager suicide has resonated with her Massachusetts community and certainly in our Twitter accounts. The question that you have been asking, can bullies really be blamed for her death? And how responsible was the school for not helping her? That's ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It didn't take long to find a game where the object is revenge. Find and rape the woman who fired the player from his imaginary job. Most of this game, we cannot show you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Unbelievable. The only way to win at these video games is to rape. That's right. Rape has now become a video game. And people all over the country are now getting their hands on these games, including possibly children, boys. They are disturbing images. And what do they say? And now they're going viral. And that's next on THE LIST.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
CALLER: Hey, Rick. It's Pat from Pittsburgh.
Regarding the girl that was bullied into suicide, shame on America for enticing the world to come here, and then we have some of our upstanding students bullying a girl that causes her to commit suicide. Shame on us. And the school and their parents should be held responsible.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez.
Boy, what a story this is. Are you ready? Did you ever look over your kid's shoulder or maybe somebody else's kid's shoulder while they were on the computer, just to be sure that he's not on some Web site that he really shouldn't be on, or maybe playing some kind of video game that he shouldn't be playing on?
I know it's hard for some of us as adults, because it's -- it's not our world. It's their world. But, boy, I will tell you, we should be mindful, because, if you haven't, I'm going to give you right now a reason to put that on your to-do list.
We warn you now that some of what you're about to see in this report is pretty disturbing, but it's probably something that, as parents or grandparents or uncles or aunts, we should probably all see.
I didn't know this. Maybe you didn't know it, or maybe you did. But rape -- rape -- has now become a video game, a video game.
Now, remember -- and this is something I think we all need to understand -- rape is a crime of violence. Rape is not about sex.
Here's correspondent Kyung Lah from Tokyo.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The heart of Japan's electronics district, the world's games of tomorrow on sale today. On shelves in mainstream stores, plenty of what's known here as Hentai games. Almost all feature girlish-looking characters. Some are violent, depicting rape, torture, and bondage in detail.
It didn't take long to find the game where the object is revenge. Find and rape the woman who fired the player from his imaginary job. Most of this game we cannot show you.
Hentai games are not new for Japan. This country has long produced products the rest of the world would call pornographic, but before the Internet shrunk the world, it's stay here. A quick web search general rates hundreds of Japanese games. Once a game goes on sale in Tokyo, it's digitized and shared everywhere.
This one, called "RapeLay," begins with a teenage girl on a subway platform. With a click of your mouse, you can grope her and lift her skirt. You, the player, stalk her, her sister, and her mother, following them on the train.
LAH (on-camera): What follows is a series of graphic interactive scenes that we can't show you. Players can corner the women to rape them again and again, and it goes on from there.
(voice-over): The game infuriated women's rights groups.
TAINA BIEN-AIME, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, EQUALITY NOW: These sort of games that normalize extreme sexual violence against women and girls have really no place in our communities.
LAH: International outrage led the Japanese developer to pull the "RapeLay" game from stores last year, but that didn't stop it spread. In fact, the controversy took it viral. That's how Lucy Kibble and Jim Gardner in England heard about and downloaded the game as they told me over Skype.
LUCY KIBBLE, BRITISH GAMER: It's a controversial subject, and I wanted to try it just to see what it was all about.
LAH: That global availability is why international women's rights groups say Japan needs to regulate game makers better, stopping creation of certain content.
BIEN-AIME: What we are calling for, though, is that the Japanese government banned all games that promote and simulate sexual violence, sexual torture, stalking, and rape against women and girls. And there are plenty of games like that.
LAH (on-camera): How sensitive is Japan to this issue? Despite weeks of repeated calls to the government, not a single government official would speak to CNN on camera. They wouldn't even make a statement on paper. Over the phone, one official who would not allow us to use her name said that the government realizes these games are a problem, and it is checking to see whether self-policing by the gaming industry is enough.
(voice-over): Sexual images are subject to censorship in Japan. For example, in the "RapeLay" game, genitalia are obscured. But Japan does not have laws that restrict video game themes.
(on camera): Did you feel offended as a woman?
KIBBLE: No. not at all.
LAH: Lucy and Jim point out it is easy to find shoot 'em up games which no one seems to worry about.
KIBBLE: It's escapism. That's why people play it.
JIM GARDNER, BRITISH GAMER: It's the idea of finding or telling people what they can and can't do just because on the off chance some kid might get involved in it is just ridiculous.
LAH: But women's rights groups say the interactive games step closer and closer to reality and no one should play a game where the only way to win is to rape.
Kyung Lah, CNN, Tokyo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: What a story.
And now this: a reminder that we're standing by for live remarks from the president of the United States. He's -- what he's doing is, he's recommending changes that could impact the way you and I work in our jobs, maybe something more akin to what happens, for example, in some European countries.
We're going to take you through this. Well, actually, the president's going to take you through this, along with some other folks who are going to be joining him here. That's ahead.
Also, Sandra Bullock's husband, Jesse James, goes into rehab. Is he curing his apparent penchant for heavily tattooed women?
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: And what's the photo -- what's with the photo of him in Nazi gear? Who is this guy?
That's next on THE LIST. Stay right there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez.
And Mark Preston's going to be joining me in just a little bit. And he's got something, as they say, hot off the press.
Don't give --
(CROSSTALK)
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Right here.
SANCHEZ: Don't -- don't -- don't deliver it yet. We're -- we're -- this is called a tease.
So, let me tell you about this first.
Personal issues, famous marriage in crisis, alleged cheating scandal, rehab. Sound familiar? The only thing missing is a set of golf clubs for this person on the list that you don't want to be on.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: No, it's not Tiger, not today.
It's this guy shown here in happier times, biker dude and Hollywood husband Jesse James. Latest headline, his peeps tell magazine -- tell "People" magazine that Jesse James is now a resident of a treatment facility. What type of treatment facility? I don't know. Whatever type of place that helps you get your Oscar-winning wife and kids back -- that's what kind of treatment facility -- and makes the press forget about the tattoo-covered woman that you have supposedly been having sex with, instead of your wife.
Jesse James, seeking professional help, he is at the very top today of the list that you don't want to be on.
Mark Preston joining me now to bring us up to date with what's going on with this story.
And I'm -- I'm -- you know, remember, when -- Mark, when the vice president came out and said, BFD? And everybody -- and we reported -- we reported it as, hey, you know what? Guys make mistakes. You know, adults can curse from time to time, and we will just move on. Besides, it's Joe Biden.
There's more to it than that just little story that day.
PRESTON: You know, there is.
And -- and, Rick, you know, oftentimes -- I'm sure you do this with your children -- I certainly do this with -- with mine -- you know, if they ever say something like that, you pull out the bar of soap.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
PRESTON: I remember that growing up, you know?
SANCHEZ: I remember the taste of it.
PRESTON: Or you might even have detention, right? (LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: Right.
PRESTON: You might have an extra half-hour after school.
SANCHEZ: Because you cursed.
PRESTON: Because you cursed.
Well, right now, if you're Joe Biden, you have your own T-shirt, in fact.
SANCHEZ: Are you serious?
PRESTON: President Obama's political arm, Organizing For America -- this is the organization that helped get him elected -- is now printing T-shirts.
(LAUGHTER)
PRESTON: And, for $25, Rick, you yourself can have a BFD T-shirt.
SANCHEZ: We have a copy of it right there.
Robert, thanks so much for shooting that.
What's it say? It says, "Health reform," and then it's got a date, right?
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Oh, no. "Health reform is a" -- I couldn't see the small writing there. "Health reform is a BFD," a big "blank" deal.
PRESTON: And it's a limited edition. So, if you want this shirt, then you better start donating to the Obama campaign.
SANCHEZ: Are you telling me this is not just some guy on a street corner selling these things?
PRESTON: No. And you know what is interesting about this?
SANCHEZ: This is the -- the White House is tied -- is linked to this?
PRESTON: Well, you would have to give the White House a lot of credit, because when -- in -- in the sense of how to defuse a situation.
He said it at the time. You know, a short time afterwards, on Twitter, Robert Gibbs comes out and says, yes, Mr. President, you're absolutely right.
SANCHEZ: Right.
PRESTON: It defused the situation. A week later, what are they doing? They're raising money off of it.
SANCHEZ: When you make a mistake, unless it's really, really bad, embrace it, right?
PRESTON: Why not?
SANCHEZ: Did these guys hire Karl Rove? Because this is good.
PRESTON: Although, you know, what is interesting? David Axelrod is reading Karl Rove's book.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: That's interesting. I'm glad I asked that question.
But -- but -- but, seriously, though, there could be some pushback on this, too.
PRESTON: Yes, you know --
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: I mean, there be some --
PRESTON: You know, look --
SANCHEZ: People out there are going to say, hey, what kind of lesson is this for our kids, et cetera, et cetera?
PRESTON: Absolutely. Absolutely.
And it's going to have its critics. But the fact of the matter is, Rick, is that you need to be creative when you're raising money right now. I'm not endorsing this. I'm not saying it's a great idea. It's a creative idea.
Republicans themselves, you know, they are raising money. The Republican National Committee is raising money with a Web site that's very critical of Nancy Pelosi. And they're very happy. They say they have raised more than $1.6 million.
SANCHEZ: The Texas guy who screamed out about abortions during the health care debate is raising money by putting that on his Web site.
PRESTON: Everyone's raising money.
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
PRESTON: You know, I mean, look, that's how they're collecting --
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Joe Wilson raised by screaming "liar" at the president -- or "You lie" at the president. PRESTON: Yes, absolutely.
SANCHEZ: I guess it's the way the game is played.
Thanks, Mark.
PRESTON: Thanks, Rick.
SANCHEZ: Interesting story.
Take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of the girls threw a -- an energy drink at her, and they yelled out of the car, "You Irish slut, you Irish whore," I mean, supposedly said, "Why don't you kill yourself?"
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: And she did, quite possibly the last words that that girl heard.
Were bullies to blame for this death? And would anti-bullying programs have prevented this type of tragedy? Look, there's a lot of opinions about this story on both sides. And I haven't seen a story hit the tweet board like this one has in quite a long time, maybe until Bill Donahue came along.
So, we're picking up on this. And we will continue talk about it in just a little bit. Also, who is the most intriguing person in the news today? The man responsible for busting so many tournament brackets and breaking a whole lot of hearts. Who are we talking about? You have, like, what, 120 seconds to figure out who it is, because I'm going to give it away after the break. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Time for the most intriguing person in the news today. Let's do it.
Are you following the Final Four, like I am? Well, there's a real life "Hoosiers" story happening right now. And the guy making it happen is most intriguing. He's young. He's 33 years old, leading a team that doesn't have to travel to get to Lucas Oil Stadium, because they're just a couple of blocks away.
Butler University, the coach says it's OK to call them Cinderella. This coach put together an amazing team. And, every once in a while, you get a story like this in sports. And that's what makes sports what it is. I mean, it's chalked up more victories in three seasons than any skipper in major college history -- 88-14, this guy is.
They beat Kansas State Saturday, and now it's on to the Final Four, first time ever for fifth seed Butler. And here's the guy who's leading them. His name is Brad Stevens. Saturday night, he will sic his Bulldogs, the underdogs, on Michigan State. Keep an eye on coach Stevens, because, for what he has done for his Cinderella team, for these underdogs, today, he is, from Butler, the most intriguing person in the news today.
One girl launches a nationwide debate. If schools are responsible for protecting kids against bullies, what can they do? We drill down on that question and bring you the very latest on this heartbreaking case from Massachusetts. That's ahead.
And then: Owners wanted a house with a view, but not like this.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: That story is next in "Fotos."
We will be right back. I'm Rick Sanchez. THE LIST scrolls on.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Time to dance. Who doesn't like a good cliffhanger? But, in cliffhanger, we're not talking about just a figure of speech.
(MUSIC)
SANCHEZ: "Fotos."
If you lived in a place called Washaway Beach -- literally, that's the name of this place, Washaway Beach -- would it surprise you if your home did indeed one day wash away?
That's just what's happening as the Pacific Ocean devours this home in Washington State. First, it swallowed the shed, then the septic tank, then the backyard, finally the deck. The septic tank. Ew. The entire house will soon follow. Land in the area has been eroding, we're told, for many, many years.
Water, water everywhere, more mischief from Mother Nature. This is Old Mystic, Connecticut, but there's nothing mystical about rushing water. Best advice here, avoid walking through strong currents, if you can. That's what's going up there today, folks.
Here's what's not to do when you get pulled over by a police officer. Reporters in China were covering a city campaign to crack down on people driving without a license -- a reporter asking a woman if she thought that she was giving the city a bad image for doing that.
Well, the driver goes all "get in your face" with this woman. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SHOUTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: It's the old, "Get that microphone out of my face," but in Mandarin. Where is the civility, please? You are on "Fotos," ladies.
SANCHEZ: Did teachers ignore or even miss the student's struggle with bullies? You may be surprised what schools could and could not do to protect children these days.
That's next on THE LIST.
Also, we're standing by. The president of the United States is going to be coming out in just a little bit. Yes, there it is. There's some of the podium shots now.
As soon as the president comes out, he's going to be talking about what your workday might be like in the future. This is interesting.
Is somebody going to the podium? I can't tell. No. OK.
Let's go to break.
We'll be right back. Hopefully by then the president will be speaking.
Stay there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: As we follow the president, who is about to give a speech and talk to some officials in just a little bit about your work schedule -- seriously -- here's something else on THE LIST that we made a priority on this day because of the reaction that we've been getting.
It's following the story of a 15-year-old girl who prosecutors say was bullied so viciously by classmates that she didn't want to live. She went home, she got out a scarf, and she hanged herself.
The district attorney is saying what the other kids did to her was basically torture. And it happened in the open. The school, all the students knew about it, so did some of the teachers.
So why didn't somebody do something? Could they have stopped it or kept it from happening in the first place?
We want to talk about that in large measure because you haven't stopped talking about this story since we first played it for you yesterday afternoon.
Our correspondent once again is Alina Cho.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): By all accounts, 15-year- old Phoebe Prince was fun, approachable and popular. A pretty 15- year-old transplant from Ireland with a nice brow and a nice smile.
(on camera): Why on earth would people want to bully her? NICK SHENAS, PHOEBE PRINCE'S FRIEND: Jealousy probably. I would imagine that they are all jealous of her because she got a lot of attention from people, positive attention.
CHO (voice-over): Nick Shenas was Prince's close friend and Paul Bearer at her funeral. He says the cryptic explanation the D.A. gave about why she was allegedly bullied.
ELIZABETH SCHEIBEL, DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Appears to be motivated by the group's displeasure with Phoebe's brief dating relationship with a male student.
CHO: To friends, it's clear.
SHENAS: It was just all a secret thing. I don't know.
CHO (on camera): They were dating in secret?
SHENAS: Yes.
CHO (voice-over): Shenas says Prince, a freshman, caught the eye of a senior, football player Sean Mulveyhill. The two started dating. But Mulveyhill, he says, already had a girlfriend, Kayla Narey, another student at South Hadley High School. If the two look familiar, that's because Mulveyhill and Narey are among the nine students facing criminal charges in connection with Prince's death.
(on camera): When you saw this on the front page of the "Boston Herald" today, what did you think?
DARBY O'BRIEN, PRINCE FAMILY SPOKESMAN: True. You know, that's been the fight since the beginning.
CHO (voice-over): Darby O'Brien is the spokesman for Prince's family.
O'BRIEN: The word bullying is probably not even accurate. I mean, really, when you look at what happened with her, it's persecution. I mean, this thing was a hate crime.
CHO: Prosecutors say verbal and physical abuse so severe every day and over several months that on January 14th Prince took her own life.
In addition to the taunts she allegedly endured in the hallways, in school library, in plain view of faculty, more details are emerging about her final walk home.
(on camera): She walked home.
O'BRIEN: A car went by and threw -- one of the girls threw an energy drink at her. And they yelled out of the car, you Irish shut, you Irish whore -- I mean, supposedly said, why don't you kill yourself.
CHO (voice-over): So when the 15-year-old arrived home.
O'BRIEN: She walked into her House, took a scarf that her sister had given her for Christmas and hung herself. CHO: An act that not only ended her life but shattered the community. People like Shenas' mother, Susan Smith.
SUSAN SMITH, SHENAS MOTHER: I could not imagine it, honestly. It's unimaginable. And to happen in your own town a mile from your House, it's unimaginable.
CHO: How could this happen? Why didn't anyone stop it? Shenas says because Prince was able to hide behind her smile.
SHENAS: It was just like a sense of shock and disbelief, just that something like that could happen to a close friend.
CHO (on camera): What also is becoming clear is that bullying appears to be part of the culture. The attitude -- not my town, not my kids. But that attitude appears to be shifting. Parents are outraged, and they're calling for the principal and the superintendent to resign.
Alina Cho, CNN, South Hadley, Massachusetts.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: So many questions of culpability here. Was there something else wrong with her? Was there something that the school should have captured?
Are the parents in part to blame on either set? And what about the kids? Is this something that should be chargeable?
We're going to answer all of those for you. We have a guest coming up who is going to address this because you asked us that you wanted to hear from somebody.
Now the president of the United States talking about something that affects all of us. He's meeting with business leaders. He's just started his address moments ago. So we're going to tap in and listen.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: -- found that they can no longer survive on just one income. And at the same time, we've broken down barriers and opened up opportunities so more women have entered into the workforce, bringing home paychecks that are increasingly creditical to supporting families.
Today, two-thirds of American families with kids are headed by two working parents or a single working parent, and the result is the rise of what one expert I know refers to as the jugular family. And for these families every day is a high wire act.
Everything is scheduled right down to the minute. There's no room for error. If the car breaks down or somebody gets sick, or there's a problem at school, that begins a cascading domino effect that leaves everybody scrambling.
And I have to say that this is something that Michelle and I have struggled with in our own family. As she told you earlier today, it wasn't that long ago that both of us were working full-time, outside the home, while raising two young daughters.
I was away for days on end for my job, and Michelle was working hard at hers. So a lot of times we felt like we were just barely keeping everything together.
When we were at work, we were worrying about what was happening at home. When we were at home, we were worrying about work.
We both felt our overloaded schedules were taking a toll on our marriage. And we had it relatively easy.
We could afford good health care, we had a wonderful mother-in-law, grandmother, who could help out. We had to ship her in even in the White House. We both had jobs where we could rework our schedules in an emergency without risking being fired or having our paychecks docked.
Now, most folks just aren't that lucky, particularly in today's economy, when many people aren't just working one job, but are having to work two or three to get by, or they're working longer hours, or they're out of a job and they can't afford to be choosy about things like flexibility and benefits. And this disconnect between the needs of our families and the demands of our workplace also reflects a broader problem that, today, we, as a society, still see workplace flexibility policies as a special perk for women rather than a critical part of a workplace that can help all of us. There's still this perception out there that an employee who needs some time to tend to an aging parent, or attend to a parent/teachers conference, isn't fully committed to his or her job, or that if you make a workplace more flexible it necessarily will be less profitable.
Now, it's true that women are still disproportionately affected by this issue, something Michelle always reminds me of, which is another reason why it's such great concern for me. But plenty of fathers out there wish they had more time to spend with their kids. Plenty of sons wish they could do more for their elderly parents.
Plenty of workers, both women and men, wish they could go back to school so they can beef up their skills and advance their careers. And there are plenty of communities that desperately need the new jobs we can create when we embrace teleworking and mobile workplaces. And as for how this issue affects companies' bottom lines, a report by the White House Council of Economic advisers that we're releasing today found that companies with flexible work arrangements can actually have lower turnover and absenteeism, and higher productivity and healthier workers.
So let's be clear. Workplace flexibility isn't just a women's issue. It's an issue that affects the well-being of our families and the success of our businesses.
It affects the strength of our economy. Whether it will create the workplaces and jobs of the future, we need to compete in today's economy. And ultimately, it reflects our priorities as a society. Our belief that no matter what each of us does for a living, caring for our lived ones and raising the next generation is the single-most important job that we have.
I think it's time we started making that job a little easier for folks.
Now, many of you here represent companies and workplaces that are already doing just that, embracing telecommuting, flex time, compressed workweeks, job sharing, flexible start and end times, and helping your employees generally find quality child care and elder care. And if you're doing this not just because it's the right thing to do, but because you found that what's good for your workers and is good for your families can be good for your bottom lines and your shareholders as well, then you need to spread the word.
My administration is committed to supporting efforts like these. Our budget for next year includes competitive grants to help states launch their own paid leave programs. It increases funding for child care and nearly doubles the child care tax credit for millions of middle class families. And it provides support for folks caring for aging relatives and for seniors who want to live independently for as long as possible.
We're also committed to practicing what we preach and serving as a model for the policies that we're encouraging here. John's been all over this. That's the purpose of the pilot project that John just told you about. And that's why John is working with our chief technology officer, Aneesh Chopra, to provide opportunities for federal employees here in Washington, but also all across America, to telework on a regular basis.
Where regulations are in the way, we'll see what we can do to change them. Where new technology can help, we'll find a secure, cost- effective way to install it. Where training is needed to help managers and workers embrace this approach, we'll adopt the best practices from the private sector.
Because in the end, we believe that all of this isn't just about providing a better work experience for our employees, it's about providing better, more efficient service for the American people, even in the face of snowstorms and other crises that keep folks from getting to the office. I do not want to see the government close because of snow again.
It's about attracting and retaining top talent in the federal workforce and empowering them to do their jobs. And judging their success by the results that they get, not by how many meetings they attend or how much face time they log, or how many hours are spent on airplanes.
It's about creating a culture where, as Martha Johnson puts it, work is what you do not where you are. And in these efforts we'll be looking to all of you for advice and ideas, and we plan to continue this conversation in the coming months, holding forums and roundtables in communities across the country so we can seek out more good ideas and best practices to adopt.
So, again, I thank you for being part of this forum. I look forward to hearing about what you all came up with today. And I look forward to working with all of you in the years to come.
Thank you very much, everybody.
(APPLAUSE)
SANCHEZ: And there's the president of the United States talking -- it almost sounds like it's more of a European model, where workers get more paid leave, more vacations, and something the government hopes to be able to work out with the private sector.
We'll see how it goes. Interesting proposal by the president there. And obviously we will be following up on it.
Here's what else we're following up on.
Look at this tweet that I just got moments ago. It's interesting, because it's really a tease for the next segment we're going to do.
I know, I've got a ton of tweets from all of you telling me what you think and who is most responsible in this bullying case. And there's a lot of varied opinions.
Safe Schools: "Watch CNN with Rick Sanchez for our 4:50 interview on bullying, school safety and parents needing to be advocates for school safety."
That's a tweet that just went out a little while ago. And he's right, because that's what we're going to be talking about with that organization, Safe Schools.
I'll be right back.
There's the man himself.
Stay there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Time for "The Wolf Pack." Wolf Blitzer is joining us now. He's got a list.
And you know who is on the top of his list? Prime Minister Allawi. Apparently he's visiting "THE SITUATION ROOM" today.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, he certainly is. The former interim prime minister, Ayad Allawi, surprised a lot of folks, as you know, Rick, and his party got the most votes, the parliamentary votes in the recent Iraqi elections. And he's poised to try to form the next government of Iraq and become the next prime minister of Iraq.
And so he's a significant player, although he's deeply worried that Iran is trying to stop that. Iran has a lot of influence, as you know, in Iraq. He's very worried about Iranian interference in Iraqi political matters. And so we get into that.
We also get into whether he believes the U.S. will be able to pull out all of its combat forces by the end of August, in the next four or five months. That's 50,000 troops they're supposed to get out of Iraq. And we talk about that.
And finally, one really fascinating exchange we had on when back in 1978, Saddam Hussein sent a hit man to assassinate him. He was living in exile in London at the time. And the guy came into his bedroom in the middle of the night and started axing him and his wife, killed his wife.
He tells this story in a very emotional, moving way. And I think our viewers are going to want to hear this especially since he might -- repeat, might -- become the next prime minister of Iraq.
SANCHEZ: So, he takes you through how he was able -- first of all, it seems to me if Saddam Hussein wants you dead, most of the time you ended up dead, right?
BLITZER: Right. And Saddam Hussein clearly wanted him dead and tried to kill him. And he went through multiple surgeries in London and rehabilitation therapy for years.
He almost had his leg severed by that ax. And as I said, his wife was actually killed, was axed to death in that attack at 3:00 a.m. He goes through all the details, and we're going to play that interview. That's coming up in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
SANCHEZ: What an amazing story. I'm looking forward to it, Wolf. Good stuff.
BLITZER: Yes. I think you and all of our viewers will learn something about this man. Once again, he might not be the next prime minister, there's still a lot of opposition to him. But his party did get the most votes.
SANCHEZ: It's certainly worth a story. I appreciate it. Thanks, Wolf.
BLITZER: All right.
SANCHEZ: Look forward to it, man.
"THE SITUATION ROOM" is going to be coming up in just a little bit.
Meanwhile, a man who's been following the student suicide case inside and out. And he's going to be joining me here in just a little bit because you have a lot of questions. You've told me you have a lot of questions. You've sent them through e-mail, you've sent them through tweets.
Who's responsible if -- I have kids, four of them, as I've told you, and I think about this all the time. When they go to school, they're perhaps more vulnerable. What do I need to do to prepare them? What is my school doing to protect them against bullies or others who could hurt them? This is your chance to have your questions answered.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Yes, we've got new information, interestingly enough, on the story that we've been talking about, this bullying story coming out of Massachusetts. Here it is.
Rob, you want to shoot over this shoulder?
Three Massachusetts teenagers are due in court next week on charges stemming from a 15-year-old classmate's suicide after incessant bullying. It goes on to give all of their names.
But back down to this paragraph right here, it says, "They are among nine teens charged in what prosecutors call the incessant bullying" -- listen to that, "prosecutors call the incessant bullying of 15-year- old South Hadley freshman Phoebe Prince, who committed suicide January 15th.
What a story.
Kenneth Trump is joining us now to talk more about this story that so many of you have been talking about. He runs School Safety and Security Services.
Mr. Trump, thanks for being with us, sir.
KENNETH TRUMP, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL SCHOOL SAFETY & SECURITY SERVICES: Good to be with you, Rick.
SANCHEZ: Let me turn this over to the folks who have been so interested in this story, some of the people who tweet this show. We've been collecting all of their comments.
Go to the third one here. Let's start with that.
This fellow writes -- or tweets -- "Defenders of bullies say that kids need to suck it up and develop thick skin. But the point is they shouldn't have to."
What do you make of that? Because there's an argument that says, you know what? People are going to be bullies, kids are going to have to put up with people who aren't so nice. That's just the way life is.
How do you respond to folks who say that?
TRUMP: Well, there's a big difference, Rick, between sucking it up and taking it and knowing how to respond to it. I think what we have to do is talk to our children. I'm a father like you. Talk to our children and talk to them young about, how do you respond when you're treated that way, so they know what's appropriate. Also knowing and reassuring that they have somebody to come and talk to. Not only at school, but at home, so when they come home and talk to mom and dad, they can do that. They're not going to be blamed, they're not going to be looked down upon, that they have that level of support so that they don't feel that they have to turn to self-harm or other types of situations.
I think we need to have the conversations. We need to support the kids. We need to tell them ahead of time how to respond so they know how to manage it.
SANCHEZ: Can you be held responsible for someone choosing to kill themselves?
TRUMP: Well, I think that what happens is we have to look at the climate in our schools. School administrators are evaluated today based on whether or not they're getting their test scores up, not the whole climate, not the security, the preparedness around there. And we have to make sure that we're not handcuffing administrators to deal with that.
Our focus on training teachers is very limited today. The resources, it's all on test scores, and we're not looking at the whole child. So I think the schools have a level of responsibility to deal with climate, to deal with security, to deal with training your staff on how to deal with this. And if you're not, you're missing a key opportunity.
SANCHEZ: Who is most responsibility, the parent or the teacher, for recognizing that a student might be really messed up and might be on the fringe of doing something crazy?
TRUMP: The answer is both. I think parents have to do their duty. We can't just give all the responsibilities to the school.
But at the same time, we can't just allow school officials to have knowledge, to know that there's an issue and to ignore that and not take some type of action. I as a dad have to know my kid. That's my number one priority. But I also want my school officials to be able to pick out when something's wrong, there's a change of behavior. And most of all, when they're told about something, to know what to do.
SANCHEZ: Do you feel in this case that the teachers should have responded, that there was enough information out there for them to act?
TRUMP: By all accounts that I've read and heard, I don't have firsthand knowledge, but it seems like there's a lot of legitimate questions the parents need to be asking. And parents need to be educated advocates for their kids. Know the school districts policies and procedures.
We don't need new state laws and anti-bullying. We need to look at the policies we have -- harassment, intimidation, assault, sexual harassment. Are they enforcing those? Do they have school climate procedures? What are the security procedures, what are they reporting?
SANCHEZ: That's interesting. We don't need new laws. We've got plenty of laws on the books. We've just got to be looking to possibly prosecute them.
But in this case, we're looking at a situation where these kids are basically being told -- these suspects -- that they forced this girl to kill herself. Now, let me ask you the question. Taking the school aside, can a person, whether they're an adult or a minor, be charged, or should they be charged, with forcing someone to do something? Or, ultimately, is the person who did it responsible?
TRUMP: Well, I think ultimately there are many kids who have been victims who haven't, and we need to say why did they not do this and what support? Legally, I'm not an attorney, but I think that it's going to be an interesting case. But I think we have to say what actions did they do?
From a legal perspective, I don't know the answer to that. But I think that there's certainly contributing factors to it that created the climate.
And we also have to look at the mental health issues of the kids who are committing suicide, because typically there's a lot of other things behind that, beyond just these incidents, that we have to wonder if there were other things that we could have done to build their foundation and self-respect as well. So I'm not sure that it's an either/or question, Rick. Legally, I don't know, but I think there's some responsibility on both ends.
SANCHEZ: I think I know where you're getting at with that.
Now, let me ask you something as a parent, for myself. I've got four kids and I talk to them a lot. And whenever I see that maybe they're looking a little forlorned, I'll just pull them aside and I'll say, "Hey, what's going on? What's going on? You look a little sad-eyed."
And they'll come back sometimes with, "Nothing, I'm fine." "Yes, but you don't look the same today as you did yesterday. And I just want you to know I'm here and I worry about you." So -- "Dad, I'm fine." They walk away.
What do I do?
TRUMP: Well, I'll tell you, Rick, what I do. I ask two questions for my kids in school. And I encourage all parents to do this.
At the end of the day, a little bit of debriefing, a little cuddle time, maybe, perhaps, on the couch. "What did you like in school today? What went well? And what didn't go well?"
Open-ended questions. Not, "Did you do something in school?" or "What did you do?"
But let them answer that, and they'll tell you a lot of things, sometimes things you didn't expect. SANCHEZ: That's good advice, because basically what you're saying is, if you ask more -- it's kind of like what I do for a living. I try to ask pointed questions and not general questions. And a lot of times it's the same kind of thing that I should do with my kids.
TRUMP: Yes. They'll tell you some things sometimes that you never expected. And in cases of bullying, I've had that come up. I didn't expect to get certain answers, but that's what the kid goes to. It shows them what's important to them, and you're giving them the avenue and you're opening the door.
SANCHEZ: You've been a help to me and I'm sure to many other parents.
Mr. Trump, I appreciate you being on. I appreciate your time.
TRUMP: Any time, Rick. Good talking with you.
SANCHEZ: And here's Wolf Blitzer. He's standing by now. He's in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
