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CNN Sunday Morning
Press Conference on Crashed Blue Angel; Hokies Mourn, Return to Campus
Aired April 23, 2007 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everybody. From the CNN Center here in Atlanta it is Sunday, April 22nd. Good morning. I'm Betty Nguyen.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm T.J. Holmes. We're so glad you could be with us on this Sunday morning. It is 10:00 a.m. here in the East, where we're following a developing story this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was the crashing sound of pieces of the airplane coming through the trees in the yard across the street and then a huge fireball, maybe 200, 300 yards further on down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Air show spectators shocked as a Blue Angels F-18 crashes. We're live on the scene in South Carolina.
NGUYEN: An eBay account possibly used by the Virginia Tech shooter. What police say he might have bought and sold. We are live in Blacksburg, Virginia.
HOLMES: And golf balls falling from the sky. Actually hail dropping from the sky about the size of a golf ball you see there. Severe weather hitting Texas and the heartland. Thousands of people waking up without power this morning.
NGUYEN: You know her, touring is nothing new for singer Sheryl Crowe, but today she has a tour with a different purpose and she is going to be joining us live ahead on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
But first, let's get you caught up on that Blue Angels crash. One pilot was killed when his plane went down during an air show in Beaufort, South Carolina. An investigation is under way. But new video just in to CNN may provide some clues. CNN's Nicole Lapin is live in Beaufort this morning. She has been looking at this video.
Tell us what you are seeing?
NICOLE LAPIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Betty, we've been seeing this video all morning. We just got it in actually. This is a CNN I- reporter exclusive. Let's take a look. I'll try to walk you through it as best I can right now.
It just came in from one of our I-reporters, Teresa Richardson (ph). She shot this with her husband and this is actually one we got exclusively from another amateur photographer. This is where you can see six planes in the air and then one pulls out of the air, and then you see all of the planes scrambling around to try and see what happened.
You see that big plume of smoke, they all scattered around. And there are five planes in the air, where there were supposed to be six in a diamond formation. So what happened after that, our sources at the military are saying, that the plane just hit a bunch of trees as it was making one of those sharp maneuver turns toward the end of their formation.
So you see right there six in the sky, they are coming down from their formation. Six right there, and then there are five. Only five. So as this plane crashed, it crashed into a residential neighborhood. Betty, we have somebody that was actually on the ground right now. His name is Jeff Cyr, and he saw all of this happening. He's joining us live right here in front of the base.
Now, Jeff, you are looking at this video with me. What happened after this?
JEFF CYR, WITNESSED PLANE CRASH: The airplane came down in my back yard, and hit a bunch of trees and blew up right over my head.
LAPIN: And what did that sound like?
CYR: Ungodly. Seeing this video is just bringing it back. It was just loud. All I could picture was dying.
LAPIN: What did you do right after that?
CYR: It was a blur. All I know is I ended up in the ditch and tore up my knee and my back and my hip right now.
LAPIN: You were limping as you were walking toward our camera. You had to go to the hospital last night?
CYR: Yes. I was there for about three-and-a-half hours last night.
LAPIN: And how are you feeling right now?
CYR: I'm hurting, believe me, I'm sore. I feel like I've been in a car wreck.
LAPIN: And you often see air shows around this area.
CYR: Yes.
LAPIN: You were really excited about this one?
CYR: Yes. I was actually going to go today, but I had to work yesterday, and I just happened to go home and this is what happened.
LAPIN: Wow. Jeff Cyr, the impact so bad that you had to go to the hospital. Well, I hope are you feeling better.
CYR: I hope so too.
LAPIN: Thanks so much for coming on with us.
Jeff is one of about eight people we know were injured because of the impact and all of the debris that scattered in that area. And we know that the plane crashed into a wooded area and then it shattered, so basically the parts of the aircraft then went into people's homes, they went into people's windshields and they hurt people like Jeff right here.
The latest on the pilot is something we're also waiting for. There should be a news conference coming up in the next few minutes. So we're going to go and listen in to that and bring you any more information we have on the identity of the pilot. That's something that hasn't been released as of yet -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Well, Nicole, as you go to that news conference, maybe you can help us explain some of what we're seeing with the video that's coming in to CNN. We're going to show some of it again. I know you have a monitor. OK, now this is the one where you see -- this is the tail end of it. There, the plane falling out of the sky, it almost looks like. And then it catches up and then it falls to the ground.
LAPIN: Yes, you see it. And we're going to circle that.
NGUYEN: Right. Now we have got another piece of video where you see six planes and then one after it goes through a group of trees -- this is not it. After it goes through a group of trees, then there is one that's missing, and you only have five. So it's a little confusing to determine exactly what happened here because one video shows one plane kind of dropping out of the sky, but yet another one shows it just disappearing off the shot into a group of trees.
Is this the same shot of the Blue Angels formation? I mean, help us understand the connection between these two pieces of video.
LAPIN: Sure. Well, the connection right here is that this was the tail end of this formation, so they were doing all sorts of flips and turns in tandem. The Blue Angels, if you've ever seen them, very well choreographed. So they were doing this formation, it was a longer formation. The video that you are looking at right now is from the very end of the formation and this is from earlier, this is when they were all in tandem.
And then they were coming down. OK. You see one, two, three, four, five, six.
NGUYEN: There are six, OK.
LAPIN: There were six. They are altogether and then -- right here and then one goes down underneath the trees, we saw that, and then here is where -- this is not the formation, Betty. This is where they are all scrambling around and then they trying to see what that black plume of smoke is.
So they are trying to go find their buddy, basically. They were trying to get around and locate the scene of the crash, so that, of course, they could go and do their investigation. So hopefully that put it together.
This is, again, where we see the plane coming out of sky, he goes to the left and then it goes under the trees and then the next video is the aftermath of that. So hopefully that puts it together a little bit more.
This is very raw, Betty. But you know, this is the best...
(CROSSTALK)
NGUYEN: OK. So right here, you see the plane falling down, and then it's gone. And so we're trying to make the connection between the other video where you are seeing all six of them go through the trees and one missing. And you don't see it kind of falling like you do this one.
But I'm sure we're going to hear a lot more in that news conference and have a lot of answers to these questions.
LAPIN: Very preliminary, sure.
NGUYEN: Yes. Absolutely. OK. Nicole, thank you for that.
LAPIN: Puts a visual to it. Sure, no problem.
HOLMES: Also this morning, a lot of people from Texas to South Dakota will be cleaning up from stormy weather. That's not a driving range and golf balls going all over the place. That's hail, about golf ball-sized. This was in Randall, Texas, falling yesterday.
Then the next thing we have to show you here. Funnel clouds, National Weather Service says it will be later today before they know the number of confirmed tornadoes. But that's always a scary sight to see in the skies. A tornado did hit western Nebraska Friday night, ripping up some farm communities and injuring several people.
Also need to tell you about a huge wildfire in south Georgia. It has burned 10,00 acres in the last 24 hours. In all, officials say the blaze has consumed more than 45,000 acres and it is only about 35 percent contained right now. Lighter winds are pushing the fire away from the town of Waycross. But residents in two smaller communities are in the fire's path. They've been told to be on alert.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: Well, this Sunday morning, people all across the country are attending church and praying for the victims of the Virginia Tech massacre. This weekend, more memorials. About 1,800 people packed a church in Chantilly, Virginia, to remember Reema Samaha, an 18-year- old killed while sitting in French class at Norris Hall. She was remembered as a graceful and talented dancer. And members of the Virginia Tech marching band played at a memorial in Georgia yesterday for bandmate Ryan Clark. He was one of the first people shot. Clark's funeral will be held tomorrow in Augusta.
HOLMES: And it's going to be a new week and a new beginning at Virginia Tech. Students are returning to campus today, really, and ready to resume classes for the first time tomorrow since that shooting rampage. CNN's Reggie Aqui joins us now from a Methodist church across from Virginia Tech's campus.
Hello, Reggie.
REGGIE AQUI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. They are going to start the week by going to church, many of them, and then they are going to, tonight, go back to their dorm rooms, and their other houses off campus, pick up their books, pack up their book bags and get ready to go back to campus tomorrow -- many of them will.
Some are telling us that they may just sit this one out for the next week or so and see how they feel before going back to class. As that is going on, I need to tell you about the latest involved in this investigation -- the police investigation into this eBay account that they are looking into.
It's an eBay account that comes from Blacksburg, Virginia. Right now we can't confirm whether or not this e-mail account actually belonged to the shooter, Seung-Hui Cho, but we can tell you that police are very interested in this, because they have been looking at this particular account and the transactions over the last few months, especially the transactions involving ammunition magazines that apparently are the same sorts of magazines that would be used in one of the guns that the shooter used on Monday.
And so police are still trying to confirm whether or not that is the same e-mail account that may have belonged to Seung-Hui Cho and same eBay account. As they do that, they are also trying to get Cho's cell phone records. It is very important to them to try and figure out if Cho had any communication with anyone prior to the shootings as to his plan.
They also still need to see if there is a connection between Emily Hilscher. As you might remember, she was the person who lived in the West A.J. dorm, the very first person shot and killed before her R.A. came and was also shot and killed by Cho. And right now police aren't sure exactly if they had any relationship, if they had any communication prior to the shootings on Monday. And so they are very interested in that.
We can also tell you that yesterday as we were around campus, we saw that the campus was having a "family picnic" they called it. This was an opportunity for students who have returned back to campus after several days of being at home to see each other again, to see the professors, to just have a hot dog, to sit on the lawn, to enjoy the good weather we have been having in Virginia, and to talk to each other, to get ready for this sort of re-immersion back into campus life here.
Many students telling us that they are determined to get back to school to show themselves and the world that this event is not going to define them, that they are going to move on and be even stronger than before -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Reggie Aqui for us there in Blacksburg. Certainly a new beginning for those folks this week. Thank you so much.
Meanwhile, tonight, beginning at 7:00, CNN is honoring the Virginia Tech students and teachers who died, "AMERICAN MORNING's" Kiran Chetry hosts "32 Lives to Remember." Then at 8:00, Soledad O'Brien and "CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT" takes you inside the mind of the killer. Don't miss our special report starting tonight at 7:00 Eastern.
NGUYEN: Well, we're still waiting for that Blue Angels press conference that should take place in just a couple of minutes as we learn more about the crash that happened yesterday that killed the pilot on board. We're looking at some exclusive video coming into CNN.
And the question is, what exactly happened? And what caused this crash that not only killed the pilot but the plane slammed into a home and causing a lot of damage on there on the ground but no injuries aside from that pilot, of course. So as soon as that takes place, we'll bring it to you live, right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. We do need to tell you, folks, that we are awaiting a press conference coming up here shortly about that crash of that Blue Angels jet that crashed yesterday, killed the pilot at that air show in Beaufort, South Carolina. Expecting more details, a lot of confusion this morning, trying to figure out exactly what happened.
But a press conference we were expecting at 9:15, a couple minutes past that now. But we are standing by, expecting that any minute and when it happens we're going to bring that to you live.
NGUYEN: In the meantime, let's tell you about this, Iraqi police again the target of insurgent attacks this morning. A pair of car bombers carried out a coordinated attack on a police station compound in a Baghdad neighborhood. At least sixteen people were killed and that number is likely to rise. Nearly 100 others were injured, including police officers and civilians.
HOLMES: Well, funding the war in Iraq. House and Senate leaders get together this week to try and hammer out a compromise bill. It is likely Democrats will keep the language in the compromise bill setting a timetable for troop withdrawals. President Bush has vowed to veto any bill that includes a timetable. So what comes next?
Congress can put together another bill eliminating that timetable or, another possibility, is a temporary spending bill that has to be revisited this summer. So what do Americans think about all of this?
CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider takes a peek.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): Americans do not want to fight an unwinnable war. That's why back in 2005, President Bush said...
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And we'll accept nothing less than complete victory.
SCHNEIDER: The president speaks about the war a little differently now.
BUSH: It's really important as we -- that we have a sober discussion and understand what will be the consequences of failure.
SCHNEIDER: Pessimism about Iraq has continued to mount. In a CNN/Opinion Research Center poll taken last week, 69 percent of Americans said things are going badly for the United States in Iraq. That's the most negative assessment yet recorded, up from 54 percent who though things were going badly last June and 62 percent in October. The public's view, it's not working. Senator Reid put it bluntly.
SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: As long as we follow the president's path in Iraq, the war is lost.
SCHNEIDER: Senator McCain objected.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That's not the view of the men and women who are putting their lives on the line as we speak.
SCHNEIDER: Do Americans believe the U.S. is winning the war in Iraq? Last month they said no by better than two to one. Do Americans believe the U.S. will win? No. Do Americans believe the U.S. can win? The public is split. They're not sure. So Reid said...
REID: But there's still a chance to change course and we must change course.
SCHNEIDER: Which side does the public take in this standoff? It's not even close. Sixty percent of Americans say they side with the Democrats in Congress, thirty-seven percent with the president.
(on camera): The public's view is if it isn't working, change course. President Bush seems unwilling to do that, that's why the public sides with the Democrats in Congress.
Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE) NGUYEN: Well, it is 9:19 Eastern and we are still waiting on that news conference to take place in Beaufort, South Carolina, where the plane crashed -- the Blue Angels plane crashed yesterday and the pilot killed on board that. We'll give you the latest just as soon as it comes in to CNN.
HOLMES: Plus, if your vows don't last, how do you protect the children when you just can't stand your ex. We'll ask a psychologist when CNN SUNDAY MORNING continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We're showing you here the live picture, it looks like it's about to begin. But the press conference in Beaufort, South Carolina, expecting more information about that crash of a Blue Angels jet during an air show yesterday in which one pilot was killed. Trying to get an understanding of exactly what happened.
We'll listen in.
CAPT. SARAH KANSTEINER, PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER, MARINE CORPS STATION BEAUFORT: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I'm Captain Sarah Kansteiner, the public affairs officer for Marine Corps Station Beaufort. I'm joined this morning by Mr. William Winn, the Beaufort County emergency management director. And both Mr. Winn and myself will give you some remarks with an update on the incident. And then we will take a few of your questions.
An F-18A Hornet assigned to the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron crashed during the final minutes of the first day of the 2007 MCAS Beaufort Air Show at approximately 4:00 p.m. yesterday.
The pilot did not survive the crash. The pilot of jet was joining the delta formation for the final maneuver of the aerial demonstration when the mishap occurred. The other five Blue Angel jets were not involved in the incident and launched safely moments later.
Navy officials intend to release the pilot's name later this afternoon in accordance with the Department of Defense's policy to wait 24 hours to confirm next of kin confirmation and out of respect to the family.
The mishap occurred approximately three miles outside the air station in the vicinity of Pine Grove Road (ph) and White Pine Road (ph). The cause of the crash is currently under investigation. Emergency officials, both military and civilian, remain on scene at the site of the crash at this time.
According to officials on scene, eight individuals were injured. According to reports and to the best of our knowledge, these injuries can be characterized as non-life-threatening.
Officials at the scene are reporting damage to eight total structures on the ground. The air station is asking any individuals who believe to have been injured or who have experienced property damage related to this incident to contact the air station duty officer at 843-228-7121.
After careful consideration and consultation with local officials and commanders, and with the support of the Blue Angels, the 2007 MCAS Beaufort Air Show will continue as scheduled today. However, the Blue Angels will not perform.
We'll begin today's air show with an appropriate tribute to the fallen pilot that will include both military and civilian officials. And the show will begin as scheduled at approximately 11:45 a.m.
MCAS Beaufort had an incident response plan in place prior to the incident, and this plan was immediately implemented with the careful coordination of base personnel and local authorities. And we would like to continue to thank our first responders, both civilian and military, for their immediate and continued well-conducted response.
I would now like to turn it over to Mr. William Winn, the Beaufort County emergency management director.
WILLIAM WINN, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIR., BEAUFORT COUNTY, S.C.: Good morning.
Last night responding to the mishap incident, we established an incident command team consisting of military and local officials. The incident command team is responsible for coordinating all activities and response both in cleanup of debris and reestablishing the community.
To the residents who live in that area, you will be allowed access to and from your home from proper ID. All other people will be asked to stay away from the scene and the scene will be secured for at least another 36 hours. So no one will be allowed around the crash site or into the debris field.
Residents who live in that area who are without power, South Carolina E&G (ph) crews are on the scene to try to restore some of those power. Telephone company, (INAUDIBLE), Sprint officials and Charter cable officials are also now on the scene trying to reestablish the utilities that were damaged as part of the mishap incident.
We're asking residents once again to please stay out of area, please do not pick up any debris as the investigation is beginning this morning and will continue throughout the day and into tomorrow morning. Equipment from both Beaufort County and the military will be moving in and out of area so we ask to you please stay from those areas.
Beaufort County is very saddened by this incident. We're sorry to lose one of our Naval heroes and we ask residents to please bear with us as we're working as fast as we can to re-establish that neighborhood and to let you come back home.
As a tribute last night, the emergency services removed the American flag from our Burton (ph) fire station and that was placed over the stretcher carrying the pilot from the scene. And full honors were rendered to that pilot as we left the scene by the emergency services personnel and by the military authorities.
This is difficult for us, Beaufort County is a close-knit community with our military friends and neighbors. And truly that is correct in Beaufort County, they are friends, neighborhoods. We all go to church with them. And they're good folks. And we're working now to quickly re-establish our neighborhood and get it done.
We will be in the area today and we will not allow any access whatsoever into that area. And we ask you just bear with us as we try to get this thing under control. Thank you.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
WINN: I can't describe the injuries, because I was not there. I know we transported three people, we treated three at the scene and the rest showed up at the hospital, and I'm not aware at this time the follow-up on any of those injuries.
As for the homes, most of the homes had damage from debris falling on them, some had holes in the roof, but the exact damage we have not been able to determine and we'll we doing that as part of our investigation today.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
KANSTEINER: Well, he was rejoining the entire squadron for final landing maneuvers.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
KANSTEINER: I can't confirm anything about the cause of the crash at this time.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
WINN: There were utilities damaged during the crash, as exactly what all of those were, I don't want to go into that now, because again we're just beginning the investigation.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
WINN: Anything related to the mishap and the investigation will have to be directed to the military. The civilians were only responsible in supporting them, and any questions again relating to the mishap, we will direct to them. We're responsible for coordinating local operations in the cleanup.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
KANSTEINER: No, I don't.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
KANSTEINER: Well, the crash occurred three miles from the air station.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE):
KANSTEINER: It's not planned at this time, but I can get you in touch with their public affairs officer.
QUESTION: Do you have another briefing scheduled today?
KANSTEINER: Not at this time.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN FOX NEWS ANCHOR: We've been listening to the news conference there in South Carolina, following the Blue Angels jet that crashed yesterday. We understand that it was an F-18 Hornet, it crashed around 4:00 p.m. Eastern, and it was actually almost done with the show. Joining, what they call a delta formation, the final formation, and that's when the jet crashed and that crash caused damages to eight structures. Some of them have holes in the roofs. Eight individuals were injured, but none of those life threatening, all thought three had to be transported to the hospital.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: And we've been trying to make sense of some of this video we've been seeing, some of this exclusive video. All amateur video, also i-Report video. It may lend to that theory that, yes, this jet was reforming this formation or tying to get back to this formation. We saw this i-Report video, it looks indeed like one plane was trying to catch up and get back with the rest this is the video here. Don't know if we can highlight it for you.
NGUYEN: There is the plane falling.
HOLMES: But one comes around the left side of the screen and we lose that one, it looks like he was trying to get back with the other five, there, so that may help with that theory and help us understand the i-Report video a little better. But a sad situation for that -- like I say, a close-knit community, there. We'll keep an eye onto story, of course, continue to bring you those updates, but right now, we'll take a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Getting back to normal in a changed world. That is what Virginia Tech students and faculty face tomorrow as classes resume. They'll never forget, but they will try to move past the tragedy somehow. Here is CNN's Gary Nurenberg.
LAUREN EMERY, VA TECH JUNIOR: Thank you so much for calling.
GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Under the watchful eye of her mother and her dog, Matrix, Virginia Tech junior, Lauren Emery spent part of the weekend checking e-mail from professors planning for the last two weeks of class.
She's among three Washington area students who tell CNN they'll return to Virginia tech for resumption of classes on Monday, despite the school's offer to give all students full credit if they want to quit for the year. EMERY: The school is such a part of me that I could never imagine leaving and I don't think it's, of course, going to be easy, but I really do want to go back.
NURENBERG: Freshman Tiffany Pripeton needed some time at home.
TIFFANY PRIPETON, VA TECH FRESHMAN: But I do want to return and spend some time at school and tell those people that I love them and give them a hug, and, you know, finish up my classes and have that closure.
DANNY VOLTMER, VA TECH FRESHMAN: A friend of mine was shot several times.
NURENBERG: Freshman Danny Voltmer said he was stunned by the wounding of his friend.
VOLTMER: I didn't know how to react, I was in shock. And all I could think was, "oh my god, oh my god, I hope she's OK."
NURENBERG: It changed them all.
PRIPETON: I know these people, this is so close to me and it scared me.
NURENBERG: Going to class, they'll have to walk past Norris Hall where the massacre took place.
VOLTMER: It will never be the same. I'll never be able to walk by that area without turning my head.
NURENBERG (on camera): Turning your head toward it or away from it?
VOLTMER: Toward it.
NURENBERG (voice-over): And thinking...
VOLTMER: What my friend, Hillary, must have been thinking. How terrible it must have been to just, one second be learning French and the next second be involved in such a tragedy.
PRIPETON: I have to walk past Norris. There's no other option, and I -- I can't imagine what that will be like, but I owe it to the students and go back and just finish the year out.
NURENBERG: So, older than they were a week ago, but with resilience of youth, they're returning to the place where they feel they simply have to be.
Gary Nurenberg, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, listen to this story. Tragedy strikes another Virginia Tech student, 18-year-old Jeff Soriano's father says is son survived the massacre at Norris Hall, only to be killed in an accident, a car accident not far from home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ENRIQUE SORIANO, VICTIM'S FATHER: He almost got hit in that massacre, because he just left from that building where the massacre is, so he was so lucky.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Our affiliate station WAVY says the accident happened Friday near Chesapeake, Virginia. Soriano's father says his son had came home Tuesday to get away from campus. Soriano wanted to be a mechanical engineer.
HOLMES: Well, got some good news on New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine, he's finally able to talk with his family and his doctors. Doctors took out his breathing tube on Friday. The governor has been in the hospital since being badly injured in a car accident 10 days ago. He remains in critical, but stable condition?
Angry parent locked in a bitter divorce and custody battle. The feud between Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger made headlines again this week. His tirade against their young daughter caught on tape and then leaked to the media, but custody fights with kids caught in the middle, not just limited to celebrities, as you know.
Joining us now from New York to talk about that is clinical psychologist and radio talk show host, Judy Kuriansky, also known -- affectionately known as Dr. Judy.
Good morning, ma'am. Let's talk about this thing, here. You heard this tape. Now, how often does it happen that you see a parent in a custody battle like this, essentially pushed to the brink of maybe even insanity because they have this alienation from their child?
JUDY KURIANSKY, PSYCHOLOGIST: Yes, well unfortunately, T.J., it does happen, but that is no excuse and what happened with Alec Baldwin that has been so public is a good lesson for parents on what not to do, no matter how you feel pushed to that brink and out of control.
No. 1, the name-calling, this poor little 11-1/2-year-old girl is never forget that her daddy called her a "rude, thoughtless little pig.
HOLMES: Yeah.
KURIANSKY: It's awful because it's been in public too, kids, who want to make fun of her, not her friends, might be thinking of her, "you little piggy." This will stick in that little girl's craw forever when she becomes married and even particularly when she gets married and has a kid, she will worry that her husband may say that to her kids -- those rude words. So, that's No. 1.
The other is blaming, "You made me feel like a fool," absolutely a no-no, and threats: I'm going to come right down there and I'm going to teach you a lesson, those kinds of things. Three things never to do no matter how upset you get about a divorce.
HOLMES: OK, let me ask, though, aside from the name-calling, is it possible, though, maybe the child is not doing what the child is supposed to do. Not excusing the name-calling, but take out the name- calling and he was just scolding her for not doing what she was supposed to do or maybe said she was should do. I mean, we don't all know the details of their relationship. But is it all right, still, to scold a child for not doing what she is supposed to do?
KURIANSKY: There is a proper way to scold and you lose your temper, you're always calm about it. You can say how upset you are, but never in that kind of nasty phraseology that we heard, and the threatening tone, the threatening tone. You can say: We had an agreement, I'm upset about this, what I would like you to do is call me on time. That's what's called nonviolent communication and the way to treat a child.
HOLMES: All right, and Dr. Judy, do we see in divorces where whoever has custody, while the battle is going on, do you see that the other parent, the noncustodial parent at the time, sometimes ends up being the target of the child's venom, maybe because they're because they're with this one parent all the time and who knows what the child is hearing, maybe the child does turn on the other parent a little bit, and does lead to a strained relationship and some resentment, as well.
KURIANSKY: Yes, there's no question about that. That parents sadly, in these divorce cases are always using each other and using the child against each other, as we see in this case. That's where your own maturity has to come in and this is a perfect example to all parents to not use your child in the middle. To speak to each other, and if you can't, then to get a divorce mediator, not just lawyers who are battling too and trying to pit one again the other, but mediation and therapy with each other so that you don't put your child in the middle just like little Ireland has been.
HOLMES: Is there any way for a child, 11 or 12, I'm not sure what she is, and he wasn't sure either, I guess, from that phone call we heard, but 11 or 12 years old, it is possible for the child to comprehend, OK, daddy just was going through something, and it's OK, daddy, he can say I'm sorry, they can get past it, or you think this -- even if was an isolated incident, the kid might be messed up?
KURIANSKY: I don't think this is an isolated incident, doesn't sound like that, and certainly he has had a reputation for being a hothead. I think that the child will not recover from this kind of a statement. Kids never do, it sticks in them -- they can forgive, but they will never forget and they will always have this sense does daddy really care about me? It will get confused with not really being loved no matter how much he says that she is his everything.
I'm a little concerned about the dad too, because in this case, Alec Baldwin has said that -- to a magazine in Britain that he has been suicidal and very depressed and didn't want to get up in the morning, so the child doesn't only suffer, but the parent does and so everybody needs some kind of therapy and feelings control about this. But the child does not get over this, no matter what, and that's why parents must control their anger and must go into anger management or therapy in order to resist doing this as a perfect example for all parents out there.
HOLMES: And, Dr. Judy, we didn't talk about the mother's role in all of this, but assume maybe, responsibility for here, as well, for maybe not making sure the child is answering the phone like she's supposed to and also this tape getting out, maybe some responsibility there. Wish we could have gotten to that some more, but Dr. Judy, good to see you, ma'am and hopefully we won't have to talk about these issues too much, but w appreciate your expertise.
KURIANSKY: You're welcome.
NGUYEN: Well, when it came to airing the Virginia Tech shooter's so-called manifesto, did the media go too far?
HOLMES: Yeah, coming up at the top of the hour, RELIABLE SOURCES' host Howard Kurtz talked with the president of NBC News about the decision and the backlash.
NGUYEN: But first, Sheryl Crow is among our guests on Earth Day. Found out how she's using her musical talents to help the environment. That's next.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: Liz Lange Maternity has revolutionized fashion for expectant mothers. The clothing line infuses maternity wear with high fashion.
LIZ LANGE, CEO & FOUNDER LIZ LANGE MATERNITY: My concept was that maternity clothing and should look and fit exactly like non- maternity clothing. IT should be styled in similar ways and most importantly, it should be fitted, it shouldn't be oversized.
ANNOUNCER: Liz Lange started the company nearly 10 years ago to provide comfortable maternity clothing for her friends. Now, she sells her clothes in high-end boutiques and provides a more modest line as a designer partner for Target.
LANGE: I honestly believe that we'll work through whatever the challenge is in front of us. Just as I believed that we would form a partnership with Target when I wanted us to. If you believe it, if you build it, they will come. It's kind of an extension of that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Soak it up because this is Earth Day and some call it the most important Earth Day since the event began in 1970. The reason? The growing concern over global warming. Singer Cheryl Crow's touring the country, right now. She's raising awareness through her Stop Global Warming college tour. And she joins me from Washington with her good friend Laurie David, the producer of the Oscar-winning documentary "An Inconvenient Truth."
Ladies, thanks for being with us.
LAURIE DAVID, PRODUCER, "AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH": Happy Earth Day.
NGUYEN: Yes, happy Earth Day. Sheryl, let me start with you. Why is this the most important Earth Day in our lifetime?
SHERYL CROW, MUSICIAN: I think we're going to look back on this day and remember this as the day that we seized the moment to stop global warming or to slow down what's already happened. And that's really been our mission on the tour is go out and create a movement right where most of our greatest social change movements have taken place and that's at the college level, and it's really about celebrating this incredible planet that we live on.
DAVID: And the fact that the planet's sick. And you know what? The science is in, the debate's over, the globe's warming it, humans are causing it and now we really need to focus all our attention on solutions. And that's the great news. We can solve this thing.
CROW: Absolutely.
DAVID: And so that's what we're out there talking about.
NGUYEN: Well, let me talk to you about that, just briefly, though, because -- before we move on to the solutions what do you say, Laurie to those critic who say this whole notion of global warming is just a huge hoax being placed on the American people?
DAVID: Well, first of all there's maybe one or two people in the entire world saying that, OK? Nobody is saying that really. No serious scientist, no peer review scientist is saying that. OK? And it's just flat out wrong. OK? This is fact.
You know, as CO2 levels go up, temperature goes up with it, it's a fact, it's indisputable. And we're putting more CO2 in the atmosphere; you know that in the last 650,000 years Americans put 70 million tons of CO2 in the atmosphere every day. OK?
It's basic common sense. This cannot a good thing, and of course, all these extreme weather events are showing us that. And every day on the news, you're seeing another extreme flood. I mean, even on the tour. You know, we started in Dallas, Texas, and on Easter and it snowed on everyone's Easter egg hunt. And we had a rare nor'easter in the middle of this thing -- a rare nor'easter, with you...
NGUYEN: Strange occurrences, no doubt.
...in New Jersey...
CROW: And I would like to say one other thing. I think there's an immense amount of misinformation out there and the people that are still debating this I think are being very irresponsible and unethical in moving this forward. Because the science is already in, and I also think it's creating a sense of false hope here. This is not about adapting to the warm days that we're having in December or celebrating warm days. This is -- this is really about what the science is telling us as far as the window of opportunity we have to address these incredible storms that we're expecting, the incredible drouts that we haven't seen yet. And also...
NGUYEN: So, what do people do then?
CROW: Think what this is going to do to public health.
(CROSSTALK)
NGUYEN: Well, what are you suggesting that people do?
DAVID: You know what? I just want to give you one more example, if you don't mind.
NGUYEN: OK.
DAVID: If you went to the doctor. OK? And you got -- you went to 98 doctors, and 98 doctors said you're sick. OK? And then you went to two that maybe, you know, didn't have such degrees and they said oh, you're you OK. Who you will listen to? I mean, that's the point here, really...
NGUYEN: What can one person do? Let me ask you this, Laurie and Sheryl.
DAVID: OK.
NGUYEN: What can one individual do to really stop global warming? Give us an example? Some tangible real-life examples.
DAVID: OK, I'll give you an example. And it's -- first of all there is so much an individual can do. So, there's things we have to change as individuals and things that we have to change as country. But here's one example, OK?
Everyone can change a light bulb. We're using an old light bulb that was invented 128 years ago. So, they've come up with a new bulb, the CFL bulb, it's 75 percent more energy efficient, right? And here's the stat and it's really stunning, if every American household changed just five light bulbs, the old ones to the new CFL, it would be equivalent to taking eight million cars off the road for a year. I meant, that is a simple thing we could all do and on our tour, we've given away 30,000 CFL light bulbs to everyone who's come to see the show.
CROW: And they last longer, they also cut down on energy bills.
(CROSSTALK)
NGUYEN: And it's interesting that Sheryl has a tour bus that runs on what, biodiesel fuel? CROW: That's right, yes. And war really our objective when we said how do we get this message out. Of course, my answer to everything is get on the tour bus and go find the people and Laurie said, let's start at the college level, because we know that's where the greatest movements of social change have really begun.
And so we got on a biodiesel bus, which I think is going to be the wave of the future as far as rock tours are concerned. And we talked about these solutions, these very solutions of what one person can do, what a family can do, what you can do in your business and also how to demand change from -- from leadership.
DAVID: Right. And we need that too, by the way.
(CROSSTALK)
CROW: ...great little things.
NGUYEN: Well, let me touch on that point, because I understand that you spoke with lawmakers, in fact, you spoke with Karl Rove yesterday, according to the "Washington Post," and that became heated. Talk to us about that conversation.
DAVID: Well, here's the thing. I, you know, we saw Karl Rove in a room. We got excited, because you know, after all these years working on the issue, I've never had an opportunity to work directly with the administration. And I was very excited to do that, so I went over...
CROW: Both of us were. We feel like the mission has been -- it's grassroots and we're excited about engaging in the -- in solutions.
DAVID: So, we tried to have a conversation with him, and you know, it was odd, because he got immediately hostile, and very combative and you know, the conversation went downhill from there.
CROW: It was very -- I thought it was very disappointing, because you want to -- with leadership, you want to be able engage, because we're all Americans here and all have the same concerns and to be shot down -- it was very disappointing.
NGUYEN: Well, I know someone who does have your ear and that is Al Gore. And let me ask you this, Laurie, I know that you worked on the documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth" and in fact, there was a documentary crew following you two ladies on this Stop Global Warming college tour -- so, is that, I guess, a bid or perhaps, in some works there for Al Gore to possibly run for president?
DAVID: Well, listen no one -- no one would like to see that happen more than me. I'm, you know, every time I talk to him, I'm begging him. But, I think it's still early in the race and I don't know if everybody's in the race yet, so we'll see what happens.
NGUYEN: Well, there are reports that some friends are secretly gathering and assembling this bid for the White House. DAVID: Really.
NGUYEN: So, I'll know if you're one those friends. We were hoping to get the scoop from you.
DAVID: Well, you know where I am. I'm out here with Sheryl, so I'm not at that meeting, but I , you know, I think Al Gore would be an amazing candidate and, you know, we need serious leadership now on the issue of global warming and he would provide that.
CROW: Absolutely.
NGUYEN: Well, you're taking to the streets and you're talking to college students, the ones who want to get out there and take action on this and we thank you for your time, today. Thanks for being with us.
CROW: Thank you.
DAVID: Thanks so much, happy Earth Day.
NGUYEN: Happy Earth Day.
T.J.
HOLMES: And, happy Earth Day to you, Betty.
Well, a dinner filled with politicians, political pundits and media bigwigs. Sound Luke a good time? Well, invite David Letterman and his "Top 10 Lists."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LETTERMAN, CBS "LATE SHOW": No. 7.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Favorite George Bush moments. We'll show you what else made the list, that's coming up, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Glitz, glamour and some good natured humor, all a part of the annual White House Correspondent's Association Dinner last night in Washington.
NGUYEN: Yes, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow actually got a warm reception and that's because of the fact that he's been dealing with cancer, he's been battling it and this was his first public appearance. A lot of people happy to see him back.
Comedian Rich Little left them laughing, though and "Late Show" host David Letterman made a videotaped appearance with a "Top 10 List" of funniest president flubs. Here are his top five. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LETTERMAN: No. 5.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I like to fish.
(LAUGHTER)
LETTERMAN: No. 4.
(LAUGHTER)
LETTERMAN: No. 3.
(LAUGHTER)
LETTERMAN: No. 2.
(LAUGHTER)
LETTERMAN: And the No. 1 favorite George W. Bush moment.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: I think I like the left hand right hand one the best.
HOLMES: That's how we were.
NGUYEN: Although the door.
HOLMES: That's should have been No. 1.
NGUYEN: I'll never forget that.
HOLMES: That was good. Well, we got RELIABLE SOURCES coming up next. And Wolf Blitzer is going to be talking to the Virginia Tech -- about the Virginia Tech massacre and he's going to be talking with Virginia's attorney general, Bob McDonnell on today's LATE EDITION. That is at 11:00 Eastern Time.
NGUYEN: Then at Noon Eastern, Wolf interviews senators Ron Widen and Sam Brownback about the controversy over funding the war in Iraq. There's a lot more to come. Stay right here.
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