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CNN Sunday Morning
Obama Faces Notre Dame Speech Backlash; Abducted California Boy Found in Mexico; Interview With Bob Barker
Aired May 17, 2009 - 06:00 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, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It is May 17.
Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: You got it together this morning, Betty Nguyen?
NGUYEN: I'm getting it together.
HOLMES: We've got a few adjustments we need to make to the printer here.
NGUYEN: This printer down there.
HOLMES: Get this out of your way.
But hello to you all. I'm the handyman, T.J. Holmes. Six a.m. here in Atlanta, Georgia; 5 a.m. in Houston, Texas; 3 a.m. out in Phoenix. Glad you could start your day with us, and look at what we're starting with us:
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(SINGING)
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HOLMES: What you're seeing here - what we've been seeing for the past couple of days are protests, some of the dramatic variety. This is because of what's happening in Notre Dame today. It's supposed to be a celebration for the students, but a lot of protests today because the president is set to deliver today's commencement address despite many of those demonstrations. We will be live there all day, and of course you can see his speech live a little later.
But also, on a much different and lighter note this morning...
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: ...one of the interesting interviews you had this weekend....
NGUYEN: I had a few of them.
HOLMES: Bob Barker. Yes. NGUYEN: Yes, Bob Barker from "The Price Is Right" fame. And - and that's how we know him, that last line sticks in people's mind, when he talks about spaying and neutering pets. Remember this?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB BARKER, GAME-SHOW HOST: If I'm remembered at all in the years to come, they'll refer to me as "that old man who was always talking about spay and neuter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Yes, he did. It seems like he ended every show with it. Well, I sit down with Bob Barker at his LA home. And you know what? Nothing is off limits. He talks about how Drew Carey is doing his old job, why there will never be another Mrs. Bob Barker, and - get this - how he could have become a porn star. We'll get to the bottom of that.
HOLMES: Yes, get that image out of your head on this Sunday morning.
But first, we got some good news to report. A kidnapped 3-year- old has been found. There he is. You'll remember this story; police say this boy was taken from a Southern California home at gunpoint during a home-invasion robbery almost two weeks ago. He was found on Thursday wandering the streets of a Mexican border town alone.
Here now, listen to the San Bernardino County Sheriff Rod Hoops.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROD HOOPS, SHERRIFF, SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA: Friday afternoon we received a call from Mexico that the boy matched the description of Ryan Rodriguez. Late yesterday, sheriff's investigations, FBI agents, Ryan's mother and a victim's advocate from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's District Attorney's Office flew to Calexico to further the investigation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now, right now, not clear why the boy was taken to Mexico. So far, no arrests have been made, but police say they have leads on at least two suspects.
NGUYEN: Well, police in northern California have two people in custody and are searching for two more they say are involved in a murder and high-speed chase that left three people dead. Police say the chase and a vehicle carrying four suspects from the scene of a deadly shooting in Berkley into Oakland - well, that car slammed into another vehicle, killing the driver and causing that car to hit and kill a pedestrian. Look at that accident there.
Well, two of the motor suspects were arrested at the crash scene, but two others took off.
HOLMES: Well, turn to Afghanistan now, where an attorney is saying that his client, who are contractors there - security contractors - are being held against their will by the company they once worked for. And that company is connected to Blackwater. You'll remember that name.
Now let me tell you what's going on here. These are four security contractors who are under investigation by the U.S. military for a shooting that happened in Kabul earlier this month. Now, the company - the security company they used to work for - denies that they are holding the men, but says the Defense Department told the four that they should not leave the country.
Blackwater - you'll remember that name, of course - it lost its license to operate in Iraq after a shooting incident in 2007 that left 17 citizens dead.
Well, it is graduation season all around the country.
NGUYEN: Oh yes.
HOLMES: And this should be a happy time - the caps, the gowns. And how excited would you be if you were graduating today and your commencement speaker was the president of the United States?
NGUYEN: That's the highest of the high, right?
HOLMES: You should be excited. But not everybody is happy that President Obama is going to Notre Dame.
NGUYEN: Yes, well, they went to the top to get the speaker, but in just a few hours, he is going to be speaking at that Catholic university, where our Susan Candiotti tells us arrests have already begun.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(AUDIO GAP)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. We are having some issues. Seeing the pictures at least from the campus there. Our Susan Candiotti is there, filed a report for us. We will try to get that report squared away and get - and hear from her. Certainly going to hear from her a little live later on.
But a lot happening on that campus today. The protests continue. We know Alan Keyes, a former presidential candidate...
NGUYEN: Was arrested.
HOLMES: ...was actually arrested. Several people who set foot on that campus - private property, not supposed to be there - have been arrested. But still, everybody making their (INAUDIBLE)
NGUYEN: Well, the background here is this: The president is speaking there. A lot of people within that university say, you know, they are against his issue, or - or his stance on abortion. And a lot of anti-abortion rights people have decided to protests, these groups and whatnot. There are also, you know, voicing their opinion.
Now there are some on campus - and we've gotten from our Facebook responses...
HOLMES: Oh yes.
NGUYEN: ...that say, 'You know what? I want the president to speak. I want to hear what he has to say.'
And I'm being told by our producer that we do have that piece that was just filed. So take a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hours before arguably the biggest day of their college career, Notre Dame seniors, some in caps and gowns, spent Saturday showing family and friends around campus. Some posed for pictures are pre-graduation celebrations.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm really excited to see Obama and - yes, just really happy to graduate finally.
CANDIOTTI: Among protests off campus, no excitement over the president's visit. Only promises from an activist to - quote - "ruin it." Anti-abortion protestors prayed the rosary. Some ignored warnings to keep off Notre Dame property, resulting in nearly 20 arrests for trespassing.
A plane hired daily by activists, towing a picture of an aborted fetus, won't be allowed during Mr. Obama's trip thanks to normal presidential security restrictions.
Some Notre Dame students agree with these protestors' message, but not the way they're spreading it.
CHRIS LABADIE, NOTRE DAME SENIOR: It's not going to convince us. All it's doing is detracting from the debate that we're having here on campus.
CANDIOTTI: For students boycotting commencement, there will be a prayer service at Notre Dame's famous grotto. Thousands nationwide argue the Catholic university dishonors itself by honoring a pro- choice, pro-stem-cell research president
But Notre Dame calls Mr. Obama "an inspiring leader."
DENNIS BROWN, UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME SPOKESMAN: We have many causes in common, and we will recognize those. But we also recognize that - that we don't share common ground when it comes to life issues.
CANDIOTTI: A Quinnipiac University poll shows a majority of all Catholic voters agree by 60 to 34 percent the president should speak at Notre Dame's graduation, numbers mirrored when Protestants were asked the same question.
When pollsters asked Catholic who said they go to Mass regularly, the margin got much closer: 49 to 43 percent.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can't win every person in every respect in every battle. And so, look at where you can find commonalities. Because fighting and - and dividing things into two are - are never going to help solve a problem.
CANDIOTTI (on camera): But will there be a problem during the president's speech? Impossible to predict, but student protestors say they don't plan to disrupt anything. Anti-abortion activists gathering off campus are making no such guarantees.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, South Bend, Indiana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And we do invite you to stay connected with us every weekend. You can check out our Facebook pages, our Twitter pages, and let us know what you think about what is happening.
And the topic today that we've been talking about a lot is, obviously, the situation at Notre Dame.
And if we got to my Facebook page, Tyson says, "Why did they bother invite him if they thought it would be like this?" Speaking of the president, but obviously the president accepted that invitation and does want to speak. And of course, we'll be listening to that live a little bit later today.
HOLMES: And something else we're asking, and Betty and I for - we - we couldn't remember: Who was your commencement speaker?
NGUYEN: I can't.
HOLMES: I can't remember mine.
NGUYEN: I can't for the life of me remember...
HOLMES: You can't remember yours.
NGUYEN: I can't for the life of me remember who spoke at my graduation.
HOLMES: But we're asking people that online as well. Getting some responses here.
I'll turn to my Facebook. Michelle is her name. She says she "doesn't remember the lady's name, but she was the CEO of a large corporation who had just been fired."
NGUYEN: Oh.
HOLMES: "She told us at first she wasn't going to speak, and then she said she would still speak to show that it's not always easy. How's that for motivation on your graduation day?"
NGUYEN: A dose of reality.
HOLMES: And we're also asking, if you all remember, '99, University of Arkansas, if you remember our commencement speaker, please send that to me. I have no idea who the speaker was.
NGUYEN: Absolutely.
And - and - and let us know if you remember yours. Go to Facebook, Twitter, weekends@cnn.com. We also have a blog at cnn.com/newsroom. Lots of places to reach out to us this morning, and we'll read some of those responses on the air.
HOLMES: Well, another commencement to tell you about, and not much uproar over this one. This was first lady Michelle Obama. She had a speech as well yesterday, University of California at Merced. They welcomed Michelle Obama yesterday. She urged the students to dream big and to help their communities.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Remember that you are blessed. Remember that in exchange for those blessings, you must give something back. You must reach back and pull someone up. You must bend down and let someone else stand on your shoulders so that they can see a brighter future.
As advocate and activist Marian Wright Edelman, "Service is the rent we pay for living. It is the true measure, the only measure of our success."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The University of California-Merced, as you see there - it's a small school in the San Joaquin Valley, less than 3,000 students there. It's the only college commencement the first lady is speaking at this year.
NGUYEN: Well, there is a flood warning in effect for parts of the Midwest, and meteorologist Karen Maginnis is here to join us with the latest on that.
How serious is this warning? I mean, are we talking about a large area?
KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's fairly large, all across the Midwest in some of the usual places that we do see flash-flood warnings out.
This encompasses an area just about over across where we saw some severe weather earlier in the week. Remember Novinger (ph), also Kirksville (ph). Well, they saw a tornado the earlier part of the week. They're seeing some clear weather now, but those rivers continue to rise. Most of the messy weather into the East, but I want to show you what's happening right now right - or what happened last night in St. Louis. We had this I-Report from Darrin (ph) and he is - he was driving along Interstate 55, and he says the wind was horrific, the lightning was fierce. But because of the winds, it blew a tractor- trailer over. No one was injured in this, but he said he got out and offered some help.
T.J. and Betty, he said the good news is, the weather didn't last long and no one was injured from this accident near St. Louis.
NGUYEN: Boy, what a sight though.
MAGINNIS: Yes, it is.
NGUYEN: Good thing no one was injured in that. OK, thank you, Karen.
HOLMES: Well, there's certainly no doubt today's protests at Notre Dame all about life issues, playing a role maybe as well in picking a Supreme Court Justice.
NGUYEN: Also coming up, I sat down with legendary TV game-show host. And you know from "The Price Is Right."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
BARKER: Congratulations. (INAUDIBLE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Well, it's a no-holds-barred interview, and we talked about a lot of things, including the fact that he was offered to star in a porn film. We'll get to the bottom of that.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARKER: There it is! You win the prize!
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
BARKER: (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (INAUDIBLE)
(CROSSTALK)
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
BARKER: There it is. You won the car. You have won the car. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What am I going to do?
BARKER: You're going to drive it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Drive it home?
BARKER: Drive it home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's got everything in it?
BARKER: It's got everything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: All right. So when you think of Bob Barker, you think of "The Price Is Right," not Bob Barker the porn star. Yes, that was one of the first job offers Barker got when he moved to Hollywood as a young man.
It's all spelled out in his new book, "Priceless Memories." And I recently sat down with him at his home in Los Angeles to find out what exactly led to that job offer.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: So, is it true that you were once offered the opportunity to be a porn star?
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: What is that all about?
BARKER: Oh, what happened was this: I worked for a year in Palm Beach, Florida, before I came to California. I worked in a radio station there. And I also did some modeling.
And there was a New York photographer who came down there to shoot and I worked for him. And I told him that my wife and I were coming to California. And he said, 'Well, while you're trying to break in radio,' he said, 'Maybe you could do some modeling.' He said, 'I'll give you a card here.' And he gave me a card of a photographer in Hollywood 'who might be able to use you.'
So I went down to -- on Santa Monica Boulevard. And this fellow did this so diplomatically and - and so gently that it -- I really had to talk with him for a few minutes before I realized he was offering me a role in a pornographic movie.
(LAUGHTER)
BARKER: And I - I -- when it finally got through to me, I said, 'Mister, this is not for me.' And I - I headed for home. But I was laughing because I couldn't wait to tell Dorothy Jo, my wife.
NGUYEN: And how did your wife react to that?
BARKER: So, I came in and I said, 'Honey, I've been offered a role in a pornographic movie.' And she just looked at me straight- faced and said, 'Did you take it?'
(LAUGHTER)
BARKER: If there had been an audition, I would never been offered the role.
NGUYEN: Oh.
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: Let me ask but Dorothy Jo. Tell us a little bit about the love of your life, how you met her and - and how you just had this wonderful relationship for so long.
BARKER: Our first date was November 17, 1939. And you know where we went?
NGUYEN: Where?
BARKER: We went to a Ella Fitzgerald concert.
NGUYEN: Wow.
BARKER: Now, how's that for a first date at 15 years of age? And we were never apart after that. She and I fell in love. And we went through the rest of high school together.
And then I went into -- we went to college together for two years and then I went into the Navy. And I was a naval-aviation cadet, but when I graduated and got my wings and became an officer, we were married that quickly. And that -- that's how it all started for us
NGUYEN: Mmm.
BARKER: And we were together all of her life.
NGUYEN: And she passed away in 1981. You've never remarried since then.
BARKER: October 19, 1981. No, I never remarried.
NGUYEN: Ever thought about it?
BARKER: No. I - I -- I really haven't. I-- I've known some lovely ladies but Dorothy -- she was Mrs. Bob Barker. And to me, she always has been and always will be.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And you know, we've gotten some really great responses from people who remember, obviously, watching Bob Barker on "The Price Is Right." He was there for 35 years. Let's get to the CNN blog. And Janice writes, "I absolutely love you" - speaking of Bob. "I neutered my first dog at 16 after hearing you on TV." Listen to this - this is what she said - "I didn't even know what it meant, but I knew that if you said it, then it was the right thing to do. It's so wonderful seeing you on TV again. I feel like you're one of the last true gentleman in the world."
And then Purple Spider (ph) writes, "Great man and a job well done for 'The Price Is Right.' CNN, kudos for taking the time to interview this nice person that in people's living rooms for years."
And coming up in the 8:00 hour, did you know that Bob Barker almost got his black belt in martial arts? And his trainer, none other than Chuck Norris.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARKER: I was so impressed that I asked him if he would give me lessons. So he came over, and we started working right out there on the lawn. But I eventually had my garage all padded and had mirrors put in, and it became a karate studio. And we worked out there.
And I worked with Chuck for eight years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: And for more stories about my interview with Bob Barker, just check out my blog. It's at newsroom.blogs.cnn.com. Or you can use the one that's on the screen, which is CNN.com/newsroom.
HOLMES: I'm going to go with that one.
NGUYEN: Yes, we've got a number of different addresses for this.
HOLMES: My goodness, Betty (ph).
NGUYEN: Anyways, it's on the CNN site. Hopefully, you can find it.
In the meantime though, some of you probably remember the - the days of car hops and juke boxes. I don't personally, how a 50s burger joint is finding it hard to keep up with today's recession.
HOLMES: Also, we're going to be talking about recent college graduates having a tough time finding a job these days.
Josh Levs here with that. Good morning.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, guys.
You've seen those things in movies, right? Car hops and - and...
(CROSSTALK)
LEVS: ...the other thing? Yes, we have a basic sense of what they are. I'll see if I can find some pictures. NGUYEN: OK.
LEVS: So yes, back to graduating. It's interesting here: graduating with no jobs. New numbers that are stunning. You got to see these.
Also, which grads have the best starting salaries?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC, BON JOVI, "IT'S MY LIFE")
HOLMES: (INAUDIBLE) all morning...
NGUYEN: All morning. We like the music.
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: All right. We're talking about the college-graduating season, if you will. A lot of people graduating right about now, no job in place.
NGUYEN: That's a problem.
HOLMES: It happens a lot over the years, but not quite like we're seeing right now.
NGUYEN: Yes, new numbers, in fact, show just how few graduates have jobs and which majors may be more promising. So that could offer you a little hope this morning.
Our Josh Levs joins us with the latest on that.
Hey, Josh.
LEVS: Hey there, guys.
Yes, our producer Deanna (ph) told me she had perfect music to lead into that. That one worked.
NGUYEN: Yes.
LEVS: Way to go in the control room.
NGUYEN: You sound surprised.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: Given her track record - with Deanna.
(CROSSTALK)
LEVS: Yes, but you did great (INAUDIBLE) today. All right. Check this out, because I'll tell you, these numbers are depressing, but they're also really interesting, paint a new picture of what things are like in this economy.
Let's just get right to it. What I want to do is start off with what things were like two years ago, so you can see what's changed. Two years ago, of those young people, those college grads who had applied for jobs, half of them had jobs when they were graduating. Not bad. That was two years ago.
Check out this year. That number has dropped all the way down to 20 percent. That is a massive drop. That's more than double; it's huge. And what we're talking about here is that of - again, of those college graduates who have applied for jobs, only 1 in 5 has actually managed to get one. So you can see the challenges they're facing.
I'm going to show you one more stat, because it was interesting to me. I was wondering, are more young people choosing just not to go into the workforce, maybe keep going with grad school? Well, actually, no. According to this same survey, from the National Association of Colleges and - Colleges and Employers, 1 in 4 young people went on to grad school in 2007, and same today. It's pretty much exactly the same.
So in general guys, we have just as many young people who are going off into the workforce. Many fewer have jobs. It means a lot more competition and a rougher time for them.
NGUYEN: All right. Let's get to that little nugget of hope out here...
LEVS: OK.
NGUYEN: ...talking about the majors and which ones do the best in an economy like this.
LEVS: Yes, two big ones, and actually we'll go to a graphic for that. This is interesting. You got engineers and accounting majors. They are doing the best. Those - they are most likely to have applied and most likely to have found jobs.
And on this last screen here, check out their starting salaries. Guys, look at that: engineering, starting salary, straight out of college, $58,000. And $48,000 starting salary for accounting. So if you're one of those two fields, you're doing pretty well.
NGUYEN: Yes, not bad at all.
HOLMES: Do you remember your starting salary? (INAUDIBLE)
NGUYEN: Let's just say it wasn't $58,000.
LEVS: Me neither.
HOLMES: Yes, mine either.
LEVS: Not even close.
NGUYEN: No, not even close.
HOLMES: All right. Josh, we appreciate you.
LEVS: Thanks, guys.
HOLMES: Thank you so much.
Well, former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich accusing the current Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of flat-out lying.
NGUYEN: Yes, and our top story today, religion clashing with politics. Protestors await President Obama at a Catholic university. Some are even skipping graduation.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC, USHER, "YEAH!")
NGUYEN: That's a way to wake up.
HOLMES: Welcome to the...
NGUYEN: Club edition?
HOLMES: CNN SUNDAY MORNING 2.0. We are trying some new things here.
No, Betty did an interview this weekend - you're going to see some of it in a little bit - with - with Usher.
NGUYEN: With Usher. Mm-hmm.
HOLMES: We've been watching those. We're using a little Usher music to get you going maybe on this Sunday morning.
NGUYEN: Great way to start your morning.
HOLMES: Hello to you all.
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: Yes, hello, everybody. Thanks for joining us this morning. I'm Betty Nguyen.
All right. Let's get to this: A toddler police say was actually taken from his Southern California home during a home-invasion robbery almost two weeks is reunited with his mom. There he is right there. The 3-year-old was found Thursday wandering the streets of a Mexican border town by himself.
Now, it's not clear right now why the boy was taken to Mexico, and so far, no arrests have been made. But police say they have leads on at least two suspects.
HOLMES: When he wins he makes news, and when he loses he also makes news. We are talking about the man, Michael Phelps there, who has 14 gold medals. He lost yesterday in his first final race back after his suspension. Michael Phelps, he came in second behind Aaron Peirsol. Now, he is no slouch, actually. He actually holds the world record in this particular race. So he didn't lose to some slouch. This was in the 100-meter backstroke. This is at the Charlotte Ultra Swim, yesterday.
He, of course, was on suspension, Phelps, for three months after photos surfaced of him smoking marijuana.
NGUYEN: But isn't that an indication of how high the bar is set for Phelps? Because we say he lost the race. The guy came in second.
HOLMES: He came in second.
NGUYEN: A lot of people consider that a win.
HOLMES: By barely a few hundredths of a second. Again, he has been -again, Larry Smith was telling us yesterday, nobody really knew where he was because he had been off for so long. They didn't know how he was going to perform. He performed pretty well.
NGUYEN: Yeah, I would say so, too.
Take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the filly did it! Rachel Alexandra has defeated the Kentucky Derby winner! (END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: All right! Talk about girl power at the Preakness. Rachel Alexandra became the first filly to win the Triple Crown's second jewel since 1924, yesterday. Rachel Alexandra was the only female horse in the race. The win caps off a five-race winning streak for that filly. I do want to tell you, though, that Mine That Bird came in second at yesterday's race. That horse won the Kentucky Derby. And Musket Man finished in third.
HOLMES: And on that video, a lot of people might be a little confused. It looks like deja vu, because the jockey who was riding yesterday's winner, the filly, Rachel Alexandra, is the same jockey who was riding Mine That Bird in the Kentucky Derby. He switched horses for this race. So maybe he has --
NGUYEN: He's a winner!
HOLMES: He's just a winner. It's not the horse, it's the guy. Calvin Borel is his name.
NGUYEN: Yeah. Next race you might want him on your horse.
HOLMES: Yeah, everybody is after him.
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: In the meantime, though, there's pomp, there's ceremony, and there are protestors.
HOLMES: I don't think, things that should go together on graduation day, should they? But on the University of Notre Dame campus, you get all that. Also an all-night prayer vigil, wrapping up as demonstration foreshadow today's visit by President Obama. Reporter John Paul -yes, John Paul, of CNN South Bend affiliate, WSPT, shows us the moves as of last night.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN PAUL, AFFILIATE REPORTER (voice over): On Notre Dame's campus small crowds gather at the Grotto. Brian Desplinter was among them praying and reflecting on life here at Notre Dame.
BRIAN DESPLINTER, NOTRE DAME STUDENT: I think it's impossible to say (UNINTELLIGIBLE) but I think the opportunity to be with these kinds of people, and the opportunity to learn in such a peaceful environment.
PAUL: Students capture the moment one last time on the eve of graduation and President Obama's scheduled appearance.
(On camera): Since President Obama was announced as the speaker for this year's graduation ceremonies, there have been some images around campus that are far from picture perfect. Protesters serve as an example.
(On camera): Students say while frustrating,
CHRIS FALIN, NOTRE DAME STUDENT: I don't think it's the right venue, for this sort of thing, and so it is a little frustrating that it has been turned into this, you know, as Randall Perry would say, a circus, or just sort of a discussion about the abortion issue.
PAUL: The attention has not taken away from their achievements.
No, it hasn't overshadowed it, too much, anyway. I think our student body, in particular, has handled the debate very well, in contrast to some of the outside parties.
PAUL: During the Rosary at the Grotto, Bishop John Darcy led in prayer.
One of his last appearances on campus, he announced he would skip tomorrow's commencement, the first time in 25 years. As the candles shined light into the night, the students take the images from the last few months of protest and attention all in stride.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. We will see how this thing turns out. It has been such a buildup before now. It happens today, 2 o'clock. I think he is scheduled to speak around 2:30 or 2:50, I believe.
NGUYEN: We will bring that to you live.
(CROSS TALK)
In the meantime, though, we are getting some responses from you. We put the question out this morning, in light of the fact that President Obama is speaking at Notre Dame. We wanted to ask you, do you remember who spoke at your college graduation? And I don't remember. T. J. doesn't remember, either. And, in fact, a lot of you watching don't remember.
Let's go to my Twitter page quick. Let's see. Linda4251, says she "graduated 36 years ago and I don't have a clue who spoke. I think it may have been a writer and not sure if it was male or female."
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: Wow!
HOLMES: We can go over now, it is something similar, on my Twitter page, saying, "Some woman, who wasn't very inspiring."
But here is something from Kimwa (ph), on the FaceBook page. She says she doesn't remember the speaker, but remembers a good point that the speaker made, stating that it is not where you got your degree. That doesn't matter. The success you achieve with it is what matters because she graduated from a small state school, Austin Peay State, so I guess he was trying to motivate us. And it worked for me. Is what she said. Doesn't remember him, but remembers a point that he made. Austin Peay is where? I believe in Tennessee? Chattanooga?
NGUYEN: Don't even get me to lie. And I'm not sure.
HOLMES: I think it is in Tennessee. I think it is Chattanooga, but?
NGUYEN: OK?
HOLMES: Keep them coming in. Let us know, do you remember your speakers? Most of you don't. We don't.
NGUYEN: But if you do, that would be helpful.
HOLMES: That would be great. And if you remember our speakers, anybody out there from our graduating classes, please send that to us.
NGUYEN: Yeah, send it in. We'd appreciate it.
HOLMES: All right. We'll turn back to the president now. He has nominated a Republican to be the next U.S. ambassador to China. We're talking about Utah Governor Jon Huntsman. He is a moderate Republican and considered by many to be a future challenger for the White House.
NGUYEN: For now he says those political ambitions and rivalries, well, they are set aside.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. JON HUNTSMAN, (R) UTAH: The most basic responsibility one has is service to country. When the president of the United States asks you to step up and serve in a capacity like this, that, to me, is the end of the conversation and the beginning of the obligation to rise to the challenge.
I stand here in my final term as governor with plenty to do. I wasn't looking for a new job in life. But a call from the president changed that. So Mr. President, I humbly accept your call to service.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: The 49-year-old Huntsman is a previous U.S. ambassador to Singapore. He's also fluent in Mandarin Chinese, from his days as a Mormon missionary in Taiwan. The Senate must still approve his nomination.
HOLMES: Betty, this weekend, talked to a host of people, in a wide range. You kind of covered everybody here.
NGUYEN: We had a busy show yesterday.
HOLMES: It was a busy show yesterday. And we are not done showing you some of this. Betty, you got to talk with Usher last week.
NGUYEN: Absolutely. And you know, and this week he was inducted into the Boys & Girls Hall of Fame. He also tried to teach me a thing or two about tap dancing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: That's all you're going to give us. Come on, Usher. A little something, give me a little James Brown.
USHER: Why don't you give me something?
NGUYEN: What do you want?
USHER: I'm putting you on the spot.
NGUYEN: No! Wait. You can't put me on the spot. I'm not the icon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: I will be singing this song all day long now.
HOLMES: You have been singing it all weekend.
(CROSS TALK) HOLMES: you have been singing it since it came out actually, Betty.
NGUYEN: This was a jam, yes. It was.
HOLMES: A lot of people know the voice and know that song. It is coming from Usher, five-time Grammy award winner. But did you know he grew up going to the Boys & Girls Club of America.
NGUYEN: In fact, he has just been inducted into the club's Hall of Fame for his accomplishments and his commitment to service. I sat down with him this week and we talked about his childhood and how he is also helping fight malaria.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
USHER, R & B SINGER: It was actually like a rest haven, a rest haven for - or a haven just for productivity. It was a place that was very compelling to do something. If you didn't like foosball, if you didn't like kickball, you would find it a way to make it to basketball, football, whatever it may be.
NGUYEN: Hey, you turned out pretty well, don't you think?
USHER: It actually managed to work out for me. But it did motivate me. That's what I think these clubs are really all about.
NGUYEN: Inducted into the Boys & Girls Club of America Hall of Fame. What does that mean to someone like you that's come so far?
USHER: I have to attribute a lot of my success to the fact I was motivated to do something positive, as a child, through the Boys & Girls Clubs in Chattanooga, Tennessee. But to now be recognized for it, you know, I have to thank my mother. One, for paying the admission for me to be there. But more than anything, all of the counselors that I worked with, all of the people that I met. You know, it teaches you communication skills. Everything. It's just such a positive place to be. But now to be amongst all of the alumni, who have been elected to be in the hall of fame, it's like something to be proud of.
NGUYEN: Denzel, Bill Clinton.
USHER: Yes, Denzel, Bill Clinton, Shaq, Jennifer Lopez, Michael Jordan, Bill Cosby, all of them.
NGUYEN: It's a good crowd.
USHER: Yeah, man, it's pretty cool company.
It takes a village to raise a child. My village happen to be the Harlan (ph) Place Boys Club. If they had not invested that time, if they had not made my life a priority, I wouldn't have known my way.
NGUYEN: You've done a lot. You lived a lot. You also decided to give back. You're using your power and your celebrity and all of the talents that are behind you to help something that really matters half a world away, and we're talking about the Nothing But Nets Campaign. It's the U.N. sponsored campaign. Talk to me about how you got involved in that.
USHER: Hearing about Nothing But Nets was something I felt like would really make a difference and allow our kids to identify on a global scale with service. I had actually recently visited the White House and met with the administration to talk about ways to be more effective globally. And malaria being an epidemic that is killing a child every 30 minutes, but there's a solution and Nothing But Nets has figured it out and the U.N. Foundation, I support them 100 percent and all of their efforts.
NGUYEN: The beauty of it is that solution is very simple if you can have that mosquito net to prevent malaria.
USHER: Simply by purchasing a net you can make a difference. Buy a net. You know, you can buy a net for $10, you save a life. Just think about that, $10 is all it takes to save a life. I think $12 is all it takes in order to join the Boys & Girls Club of America and some day be great and be iconic. So, think about it. Paying it forward.
NGUYEN: It's a small investment but a huge payoff.
USHER: It's a small investment, but a huge net profit at the end.
NGUYEN: Why is it so important for you to pay it forward?
USHER: I feel like we are blessed to be blessed, and as a way of giving back. Someone else is in need of help, you have the time to offer service to them. We are a country. We are a unit. We are one. We have to help each other. You can truly make a difference through service, you know.
Rather it's making an investment or spending your time, it's all valuable. What it is, is raw power. Power to change. You can truly make a difference by simply engaging in life and engaging in service, and engaging by spending your hard earned money to save someone, to help someone else. It makes you a better person. We all are humanitarians in some way, shape or form or fashion, because we're blessed to be blessings to each other. That's really a motto that works in life. It should make you feel great about being an American.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: This is a boy that grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Went to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and it gave him that foundation. He has moved onto, obviously, superstardom.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: He is now giving back, not only to the clubs, but he also has Usher's New Look Foundation, which helps young people striving to get into the entertainment and sports business. It kind of gives them that foundation. A lot of times kids will watch TV and say I want to be like that person.
HOLMES: How do you get there?
NGUYEN: Well, this organization kind of helps you, you know, with the building blocks of getting there.
HOLMES: Yeah, and I can't say enough about those iconic billboards around the town.
NGUYEN: Those billboards, yeah.
HOLMES: We should have got a shot of one of those. We have been talking about them all weekend.
NGUYEN: Yes, they are here in Atlanta. I'm sure they are around the nation. It says, "Be Iconic" It is by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. And they have this picture of Usher when he was, I don't know, five or six years old. The cutest picture and he looks pretty much the same.
HOLMES: Yeah, you know it's him. They don't have to put his name up there. You know it is him.
NGUYEN: Absolutely. In the next hour, more on Usher's business. You can read more about this interview. Get some inside scoop on my blog at cnn.com/newsroom.
HOLMES: Ah, look at you guys. Let's keep that cute little picture. Look at Betty.
All right. We are going to - coming up next, Kyle Petty, race car -- they kept that picture up there a while.
NGUYEN: Yeah, they did.
HOLMES: Kyle Petty, he is used to driving really, really fast. But he is cruising across the country for charity. We will talk to him live.
NGUYEN: While he is driving?
HOLMES: I think so. He is going to slow down a bit while we talk to him.
NGUYEN: I hope so.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, it is day 10, the final day the checkered flag will be waiving for NASCAR legend, Kyle Petty. Not on the track. This is not a 10-day race. Today he and hundreds of other riders - motorcycle riders - will be wrapping up their 3,800-mile charity ride from Washington state to North Carolina. The mission here is to raise money and awareness for Petty's Victory Junction, another charity that supports chronically ill children. And Kyle Petty joins us now on the phone now. He is in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Sir, we appreciate you being here. How are you feeling after a 10-day ride on that bike across the country?
KYLE PETTY, NASCAR DRIVER: Excited to be getting close to home. We want to get to camp this morning and see a few of the kids.
HOLMES: And I have to ask you about the details about the money and what you are raising it for, but what have been some of the bumps in the road? I'm sure you run into a few obstacles driving across the country?
PETTY: I will tell you, Diane Huff, who organizes this for us, this is the Chick-Fil-A/Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America, and it's a pretty well-run machine. We stayed at some incredible places. In Sun Valley, Idaho, Park City, Utah, Hayes, Kansas, we had a great time there, Kansas City. And then we went to the Martin's Museum down in Atchell (ph), Arkansas. But it was I can't think -- well the biggest bump in the road was we ran into a few showers yesterday afternoon, but it didn't rain on us at all.
HOLMES: And what is it like for you having to ride the speed limit?
PETTY: That is a little bit different. I will say that. But when you are a motorcycle, man, you better be going the speed limit. We have a great group of riders, and you can see some of them here on the screen. And they are just an incredible group of riders that really make the whole thing happen.
HOLMES: Explain to people along the way you are making stops and collecting money and raising awareness for some of these charities?
PETTY: Yeah, we stop, obviously, multiple times a day for fuel, but we do fundraisers in a lot of the cities we go to. We have been doing this since - this was our 15th year for the Chick-Fil-A Charity Ride. We have raised a little over $12 million for different children's hospitals and now for the Victory Junction Camp here in North Carolina, in the previous 14 years. And people always say, how much money are you trying to raise? We are trying to raise as much as possible. We never put a ceiling on ourselves. We just say we are going to go out and raise as much as we can, and everything we raise we give away.
HOLMES: And who are these folks? We are seeing this video here. I know you are looking at it as well. But I guess, where do you get the group? The group that signs up? And who are these folks? Are they motorcycle enthusiasts, or are these just big-time philanthropists?
PETTY: No, they are motorcycle enthusiasts. I'm going to tell you and they come from all walks of life. We have guys that worked with me on race cars and have been a part of the racecar program. And Davis Love III (ph) rides with us, Herschel Walker was with us, and Nicky Taylor (ph) and those guys rode with us last year. Mac Kensis (ph) rode with us, Steve Park, Franklin Graham road with us this year. It's a huge cross section of people. It's incredible, the people that come out and want to be part of the charity that love motorcycles, but more importantly want to be part of the charity.
HOLMES: Tell me, you are wrapping up the day. You have made it to Greensboro, the final destination, but you have one last leg of this race today - not a race, but this ride today.
PETTY: We have one last leg. Yeah, we will ride down to the camp. And when you work really hard, it is kind of like getting to the finish line and not being able to cross it. These people try to raise money to send chronically ill children to the camp. We will take them down to the camp this morning, really, and have breakfast with some of the kids and let them see what all of their efforts were all about.
HOLMES: I think there are efforts to maybe expand the Victory Junction, is that right?
PETTY: Yes, sir, we had a groundbreaking ceremony in Kansas City this past week. And we were very, very blessed. We had so many people come out. And we saw so many kids. When we started this camp it was just for the Southeast; really, North Carolina and South Carolina and Virginia.
We were seeing kids with about seven different disease groups. Now we see 23 different disease groups. We see so many kids west of the Mississippi. To move these kids and to have these children come to camp, it's just really hard on them, physically. It is hard on the families emotionally. This camp is free to all children that come to camp. So, we were paying for all of that. So we decided it was easier jut to bring the camp to them. So we are going to Kansas City, and the Kansas City area has just gone over and beyond the call of duty to help us do this stuff. So we had a groundbreaking and we hope to have it up in a couple of years.
HOLMES: Well, Kyle, congratulations on another successful ride. Looking forward to hearing those numbers. Like you said, $12 million, over the years of this ride. Congratulations. Glad you all made it safely and thanks for being with us this morning.
PETTY: Thank you, guys. God bless you.
HOLMES: All right.
NGUYEN: So what are protesters planning to do today when President Obama shows up for graduation? We are going to go live to the Notre Dame campus to see if there is any activity going on at this hour.
And an emotional homecoming for a little boy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ...and the son reunited. He said that the last thing he saw was Bryant clutching his mother's neck, and that kind of says it all.
NGUYEN: Kidnapped while his brothers and sisters were bound. And then, found wandering in another country. We have this boy's story.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: So an authentic '50s drive in, you know, burgers, jukebox, car hops. Well, then, the flood came and the owner is trying to rebuild.
HOLMES: Yes, but the recession is, of course, not helping. Ed Lavandera now reports on hard economic times are making it even more difficult for flood victims in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The smell of grilled hamburgers lingers in what is left of this A&W drive in.
DOUG WARD, FLOOD VICTIM: This was the dining area.
LAVANDERA: But Doug Ward smells the stench of stale river water from last year's flood in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
(On camera): This has to be painful to see?
WARD: Yeah, it is. It is very painful to see. It was our life for 30 years.
LAVANDERA: When the Cedar River spilled over its banks, Ward's Drive-In drown in almost 10 feet of water. Almost a year later, the drive-in sits in ruins. The root beer mugs still muddy.
WARD: A lot of them are older mugs; the older designs.
LAVANDERA: Ward doesn't know if rebuilding here is worth it. If people don't come back, who will loan him the $900,000 needed to rebuild the drive-in? Even changing locations will cost more than $1 million. It's a painful decision.
WARD: If the neighborhood was normal, we would have this place up and running again, yes. If we decide to move somewhere else, though, we would have to, you know, let it go.
LAVANDERA: The flood also destroyed Ward's church and his home just a few blocks away. He estimates rebuilding the house will cost $75,000, and he doesn't have insurance.
WARD: This was the living room.
LAVANDERA: FEMA gave him $28,000 toward home costs, but for now Ward and his wife live in a trailer six miles away. It's not the same.
Does this feel like home at all?
WARD: It doesn't to me, no. It jus doesn't.
LAVANDERA: Since 1948 the Ward's Drive-In has been a landmark in Cedar Rapid's Tine Check neighborhood; a fixture for people cruising down Ellis Boulevard in antique cars. A throwback to the 1950s. The drive-in evolved over time, but it defined the personality of this working class neighborhood.
MARK STOUFFER HUNTER, CEDAR RAPIDS HISTORIAN: It is almost like our little Eiffel Tower.
LAVANDERA: To Cedar Rapids historian Mark Stouffer Hunter, Doug Ward's story is why this road is the boulevard of broken dreams.
(On camera): The idea that he might not be able to bring the business back here.
HUNTER: Yeah, it hurts. Because it is happening not just to this neighborhood, but all over the neighborhoods that were affected by the flood.
LAVANDERA: Getting loans to rebuild the drive-in is not easy. So far he has qualified for a $350,000 disaster loan. But much more is still needed. Ward says each passing day brings more financial pressure.
WARD: Within a month or two, we will have to do something else to keep us above water, if we don't get something else going here.
LAVANDERA: He doesn't know what kind of job he will find. Doug Ward misses the job he loved, serving his friends a frosty root beer. Ed Lavandera, CNN, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Please make sure you don't miss tonight's special event. We got the "CNN Money Summit" for you, "Money and Main St." hosted by Anderson Cooper and Ali Velshi. That's tonight, 8 o'clock Eastern right here on CNN.
And, meanwhile, from the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, this is your CNN SUNDAY MORNING for May 17th. I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen. It is 7:00 a.m. here on the east coast, 6:00 a.m. in the Midwest, 4:00 a.m. Pacific. Thanks for starting your day with us.
And let's get you started with this. A 3-year-old is wandering the streets of Mexico all alone with his head shaven. And nearly two weeks after being snatched in a violent home invasion, the southern California boy is back home again.
HOLMES: The details of that happy ending coming up.
Also, we know a lot of people out of jobs this morning. You maybe one of them -- 5.7 million people according to the latest stats. We will have some tips for you that may help you out this morning. So, stick around for that.
Also, graduation season. Caps and gowns -- and protest. They shouldn't go together but they're going together on the Notre Dame campus this weekend, not everybody happy that the president is coming to speak there.
NGUYEN: And just a few hours, in fact, he is speaking at graduation for the Catholic university -- where we also find our Susan Candiotti live this morning.
So, Susan, how big are these protests expected to be today?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's impossible to know. Here's we do know right now. We've got about 1,800 seniors who will be graduating. Each one of them has about three tickets. So, that makes over 5,000 people who potentially could be attending the graduation ceremony.
Now, on top of that, we don't know how many of the seniors will be boycotting the ceremony. And, of course, you have a number of people who will be standing off campus. They are predicting possibly hundreds of them coming at the very least in a few bus loads from Chicago. So, how many people will show up and how many will boycott and how many people will be demonstrating off campus? It's hard to tell.
NGUYEN: All right. So ...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS LABADIE, NOTRE DAME SENIOR: It's not going to convince us. All it's doing is detracting from the debate that we're having here on campus.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: Now, some student protesters like that one, even though they disagree with the fact that President Obama will be speaking at the graduation ceremony, some students will still be there, he is one of them. There is a discussion about whether there would be disruption during the graduation ceremony. He says that a lot of the students talked about it, and they don't plan anything.
They discussed possibly standing up and standing the other way, maybe praying the rosary loudly, but then, they said, no, we're not going to do that. We're going to listen. But they do plan to put a cross that's on the sticker on top of their motor board during the ceremony as a sign of protest.
NGUYEN: All right. So, interruption expected at this point.
Susan Candiotti joining us live -- thank you for that.
And we are getting your responses this morning to the protest that are taking place there on the campus of Notre Dame as they prepare for the president to come and speak. And, you know, we have been asking you this morning, not only are you watching that, but do you remember your graduation ceremony and who spoke at that? And I want to go to my Facebook page. And this viewer says, "I feel for the Roman Catholic community, and I am disappointed that Notre Dame will allow him to speak there. In 2001, though, former President George W. Bush spoke at ours."
HOLMES: And another one here. I can't see that well on that board. Forgive me there, they didn't increase that font. But David England says that this is not the time or place to be discussing the abortion issue. He says just be focused on the president's message. And he's confident that it will be on point and it will be inspiring.
So, we will see what the president has to say. Finally, after all this controversy and talk about it, it seems like for the past couple of months, finally, the speech will get done today. And you can see it here live on CNN.
NGUYEN: Around 2:00 Eastern.
HOLMES: Two o'clock Eastern Time.
NGUYEN: All right. And you can you stay connected with us every weekend. Check us out at iReport, also, Facebook and Twitter. We also want to hear from you.
Our question this morning is: Do you remember who spoke at your graduation? Neither of us can remember who spoke at ours. So, hopefully, you can. And send us your thoughts, we'll read them on the air.
HOLMES: The Notre Dame commencement controversy has brought the abortion debate back into the political spotlight. It's going to stay there probably for the next few weeks as the Obama White House searches for a new Supreme Court justice.
Our political editor Mark Preston, he joins us from Washington.
Mark, these are always very tough political picks -- always some back-and-forth. But -- how much political pressure is there going to be on the president and how much will abortion play into the pick?
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, we're going to hear a lot about abortion over the next few months as President Obama finally chooses his nominee for the Supreme Court and the Senate starts hearings. It just shows you this week how controversial the issue of abortion is, with all the protests we've seen at Notre Dame, given his commencement speech today.
You know, the controversy for President Obama, specifically, is going to be on the idea of a litmus test. We do know he's pro- abortion rights. I think we can say that he will pick somebody along that political lining. But the fact is, Republicans, conservatives and folks who are anti-abortion rights, T.J., are going to pressuring him not to put a litmus test.
HOLMES: Yes, and you mention there, conservatives and Republicans. Now, up on the Hill, those conservatives and Republicans don't really have enough votes up there to really -- to ruin this pick's chances, whoever he may pick -- but still, are they going to seize this opportunity?
PRESTON: Yes. They're going to seize this opportunity, not only really to try to bring this issue to the forefront. It's something that's been put on the backburner the last of couple years. But they're going to use this perhaps to try to rally the Republican base.
We do know that Republicans are trying to find their way right now, do they go in a more conservative direction? Do they go in a more centrist direction? So, they'll do -- they'll do that.
They'll also use this as well to try to raise money. This is an issue that really helps conservative activists to raise money for their issue. Having said that, we'll see the Democratic activist do the same as well, T.J.
HOLMES: All right. And when -- when will we hear about this nominee?
PRESTON: Well, we do know from the White House that President Obama is actively looking right now at a series of candidates. As of Friday, he hadn't spoken to anyone of them directly.
So, we could see a pick, perhaps though in the next few weeks, T. J., because the fact is, they need to get somebody named, because this is going to be a very long summer, a very contentious summer, I suspect, with the Supreme Court hearings. They need to get somebody through, nominated, confirmed and on the bench by the fall.
HOLMES: By the fall. All right. The clock is ticking. Mark Preston, political editor -- appreciate you as always. Thanks, buddy.
PRESTON: Thanks, T.J.
HOLMES: Almost two weeks after police say he was kidnapped, a 3- year-old boy from California has been found and he's OK. And he is wandering around a Mexican border town.
NGUYEN: Yes. KTLA affiliate reporter, Brandon Rudat has the latest from San Bernardino, where the boy was reunited with his family yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRANDON RUDAT, KTLA REPORTER (voice-over): Three-year-old Briant Rodriguez is back at home in San Bernardino with his family in healthy condition.
His father, Raul Rodriguez, says he is so happy that his son was found safe and sound and happy to hold him and hug him again. The boy landed safely in San Bernardino, high-fiving a sheriff investigator, seemingly thrilled to be back in his mother's arms.
The young boy was kidnapped two weeks during a violent home invasion. His father feared he would never see his son again. Rodriguez says he lost the will to live because he thought the worse but was so happy when he got the phone call telling him his son was alive. The boy was found wandering the streets of Mexicali, Mexico all by himself Thursday night. Mexican authorities found the boy and realized he was the missing child involved in the international amber alert case.
Two suspects raided the San Bernardino home, tied up the Rodriguez family and ransacked the home 13 days ago. Rodriguez was kidnapped and taken across the border to Mexico. Authorities say the men in this surveillance photo are the men who kidnapped the boy. Authorities also say they know the motive. This was not a random abduction, but they won't release the details.
Sheriff investigators handling the case were emotional as the boy was reunited with the family.
SHERIFF ROD HOOPS, SAN BERNARDINO CO., CALIFORNIA: And the son reunited. And -- he said that the last thing he saw was Brian touching his mother's neck, and that kind of says it all.
RUDAT: Police are confident the two suspects will be caught but are concerned for the safety of the other Rodriguez children. The father says he has seen the suspects in the surveillance photo, but has no clue who they are.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Still a happy reunion we can report there, at least. Do you remember -- did you watch the movie "Pursuit of Happyness"?
NGUYEN: Absolutely, Will Smith. Even his was on that movie.
HOLMES: Yes. A lot of people will remember it. Take a quick look at this memorable clip.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS" FROM COLUMBIA PICTURES)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What would you say if a guy walked in an interview without a shirt, and I hired him? What would you say?
WILL SMITH, ACTOR (as Chris Gardner): He must have had on some really nice pants.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: That's pretty good. But the man behind that character joins us here on CNN SATURDAY and SUNDAY MORNING. You will be hearing from him again. He has a new book out and some life lessons for you, and he also explains why he wears a watch on each wrist.
NGUYEN: Two watches.
HOLMES: Stick around. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILL SMITH, ACTOR (as Chris Gardner): Hey, don't ever let somebody tell you you can't do something. Not even me. All right?
JADEN SMITH, CHILD ACTOR (as Christopher Gardner): All right.
SMITH: You got a dream, you got to protect it. People can't do something themselves, and they want to tell you you can't do it. You want something, go get it, period.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: You got to start with a dream, right? Great words to live by, by a man who knows the depths of hardship and great success. A lot of you know that movie, "The Pursuit of Happyness" starring Will Smith.
But you may not know the man whose autobiography inspired the film about a homeless man who never gave up. The name is Chris Gardner. He has a new book out now called, "Start Where You Are: Life Lesson in Getting You from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be."
And we had a chat right here this weekend.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS GARDNER, AUTHOR, "START WHERE YOU ARE": When I wrote this book 2 1/2 years ago, I had no idea how timely it was going to become.
HOLMES: Yes.
GARDNER: We have been published now, the previous book, in 16 languages.
HOLMES: Wow.
GARDNER: So, folks were asking me a lot of questions, well, and the answers are real simple. What would you be doing right now? I would find something that I am absolutely passionate about, find something that I want to do so much the sun cannot come up soon enough in the morning.
HOLMES: Wow.
GARDNER: Number two, you got to accept plan B sucks.
HOLMES: OK. Wait a minute. Look -- if this CNN thing doesn't work out, I need a plan B, all right? That's just how people are accustomed to live in.
GARDNER: Plan B sucks.
HOLMES: We got to have a plan B, don't we? I get what you're saying -- go ahead.
GARDNER: OK. Dude, let me explain to you. Everybody talks about having something to fall back on.
HOLMES: Yes.
GARDNER: You already got that. It's called the butt.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: Dude. That sounds great.
GARDNER: All right?
HOLMES: But ...
GARDNER: Well, look, you got to be committed.
HOLMES: You got to be committed.
GARDNER: You got to be committed to it.
HOLMES: But some people might say ...
GARDNER: You're sitting in that chair ...
HOLMES: All right. Go ahead.
GARDNER: You're sitting in that chair at CNN right now because you chose this is what you were going to do.
HOLMES: OK.
GARDNER: You're committed to it.
HOLMES: I did.
GARDNER: OK? That's why you are sitting in the chair right now.
HOLMES: But some people might argue that's not the prudent thing to do. You always got to have a backup plan of some kind. But you are saying having a back up plan, you're losing some of that passion and energy you might put to what you're doing right now.
GARDNER: What you are doing with plan B, you are settling, you're accepting less than you're really passionate about. Is that how you wanted to live your life? This is that time to take control and say, how do I want to create, what do I have to do to create the life that I want to live?
HOLMES: Do you think some people just in their own heads, sometimes, they think they are doomed to failure because of, maybe, past failures, because of family history, and things like that? And you talk about something called spiritual genetics. Do people allow themselves to be held back by, maybe, family history, if you will? GARDNER: Absolutely. If you read "Pursuit," you'll know, I could have become my stepfather. I could have become another alcohol, wife-beating, child-abusing, you know, illiterate loser. But, instead, I chose to embrace the life that I saw in my mom.
And all of us are born with a spirit. The spirit can either embrace life or darkness. I chose to embrace the light. You can make a choice.
HOLMES: OK. And I got to let you go on this one. But the lesson 18 was, sometimes you got to give up Christmas? Explain that to me right quick.
GARDNER: You got to let some of the stuff in the past go. If you read "Pursuit" again, you'll know I had some of the most horrific holidays, specifically Christmases, imaginable. You got to let that go so that you can propel forward.
HOLMES: All right. Chris Gardner, again, the man with two watches. Show us those watches one more time. Always ...
(LAUGHTER)
GARDNER: Brother, you have got to be on time -- got to be.
HOLMES: Well, we appreciate you being on time this morning, because a lot of our guests are not.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: He was on time. And that ...
NGUYEN: And we appreciate that.
HOLMES: The reason we brought it up at the beginning of the interview yesterday is, because you look at the book, the cover of it, if you pay a little attention there, you will see that even on the cover of his book, look at that, both wrists, there's a watch. That was the first question out of the gate I asked him yesterday, and he said that, you got to be on time in everything you do. He is always on time. That interview was about 20 after the hour yesterday, he showed up at the top of the hour, in place, I've been here, microphone on.
NGUYEN: Ready to go. So, where is your second watch this morning?
HOLMES: I was out there when our show started (INAUDIBLE).
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: So was I. So, I guess we are doing OK with just one so far. HOLMES: And his book is called, "Start Where You Are: Life Lessons in Getting From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be." That's the name of it. It just came out and doing well so far.
NGUYEN: Well, you can forget stressful interviews and job fairs, because jobseekers, they are, in fact, hitting the bars to share a drink and possibly their resumes with H.R. recruiters in laid back environment. And the events are called pink slip parties, and they're popping up all over the country. We dropped in on one of them in the nation's capital.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDREA RODGERS, PARTY ORGANIZER: So, a pink slip party is a way for jobseekers and recruiters, other H.R. professionals to mingle and network in a social setting. Well, they say the majority of jobs are found through networking and through someone you know and word of mouth. So, this is just sort of another approach to networking.
KENNETH SUMMERS, JOB SEEKER: My name is Kenneth Summers, and I am looking for an I.T. position. This is a little bit more informal environment; it's more relax. So, you can come here and just be yourself and not worry about the pressure of an interview or trying to impress anybody.
RODGERS: And so, you're a job seeker or a recruiter?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A recruiter.
RODGERS: When somebody is a recruiter, I give them this sort of dollar necklaces. They're going to have (ph) necklaces so that they stand out, so that people know they are the ones with the money and they are the ones doing the hiring.
ANEEKA HARRISON, RECRUITER: I just came to meet people and see who is out there, and possibly fill some positions. I'm looking for the person that can sort of just talk their way to the hiring manager and get that interview.
SUMMERS: You could actually get to do a face-to-face. You don't have to go to a job fair. You know what a crowded job fairs are and they, you know, they seem to take all day. And this, you know, it takes no time at all.
HARRISON: It's definitely different. But I think now in the times that we are in, and the economy the way it is, we have to be really creative, and find the best talent out there.
RODGERS: I had a lot of people reach out to me from Baltimore, Denver, Chicago, wanting tips on how to start one in another city. There's also a Web site called Pinkslipparty.com that tries to promote all pink slip parties in every region of the country.
HARRISON: It doesn't help if you drink too much, especially if you have to drive home pretty fast (ph).
SUMMERS: If things don't work out for you as the night progresses, then, yes, grab one of these and drown your sorrows.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Well, if you don't get a lead, you can always try again. These pink slip parties are held all around the country. Check out the Web site: www.pinkslip.com for more information.
HOLMES: Well, back to our top story, which is going to be a big story today -- the planned protest, and the speech at Notre Dame's graduation today by the president. Josh Levs is looking in to it for us.
Good morning, Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CORRESPONDENT: Hi. Good morning to you, guys. We got the major Web sites to check out about this dispute. Also, we're going to show you how you can weigh in on the "Newsroom."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
HOLMES: Maybe a little embarrassing, but -- is Fastball or Fire Escape the name of the band? What's the name of the ...
NGUYEN: I'm not sure.
HOLMES: Somebody tell me which is which.
NGUYEN: We don't know ...
HOLMES: Fastball is the band. OK.
NGUYEN: OK. Well, that's cleared up.
HOLMES: That wasn't my CD this morning. All right.
NGUYEN: Here is something that we do know.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: President Obama is speaking at Notre Dame this afternoon, and that is drawing a lot of protests.
HOLMES: A lot of protest has been seen in the past couple of days, expected to all culminate today. Josh Levs is looking in to it for us this morning.
Good morning, Josh.
LEVS: Hi. Good morning to you, guys.
The school's newspaper right here is "The Observer," and they have written about the facts. You can see the headline right here.
Internet has been playing a vital role in this dispute -- a lot of Web sites about it. One of them is right here, NDResponse.com, which is run by students protesting the president coming. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bestowing an honor on him is equal to bestowing an honor to those policies, which are in direct contradictions to the Catholic teachings.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: Their Web site's video there. Now, that's the only Web site that's run by students, according to the school newspaper.
However, there are other Web sites out there. You can see one behind me right here. We support NotreDame.org. That's the Web site that is supporting the president coming.
I got a graphic for you, the quote from it. Well, the petition that they have set up is saying, hey, a lot of support this. "For decades, presidents of both political parties have been invited to Notre Dame for this occasion to engage in rigorous discourse about the most pressing issues of our day. Through this invitation, Fr. Jenkins is honoring the bet of our nation's democratic and religious values."
So, Betty and T.J., we are looking there at a couple examples of Web sites that have really jumped on this. There's about a dozen out there. And we'll see how they respond today.
HOLMES: And we hear what some of those folks are saying. What are some of the viewers are saying?
LEVS: Yes. You know, our viewers are all over this. We have a lot of ways for you to interact with us. One of them is iReport. Let's take a look at iReport we received.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EGBERTO WILLIES, IREPORTER: Using the pretext of President Obama's pro-choice and stem cell research support is at best disingenuous given President Bush being the Texas governor that supported one of the largest numbers of executions in the world even under the Pope's objections.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: All right. So, that's someone who's -- obviously, does not have a lot of respect for the complaints.
But on the flip side, we're hearing both sides here. Take a look at the "CNN Newsroom" blog, a lot of people writing us here. This one from someone posting under the name (INAUDIBLE). So, this one says he can speak, "The university should not however present him with an honorary degree." And they go on to talk about his position on abortion. Let me show some other things. Here's over from my Facebook page. This is from Suvin (ph). "This has become a silly controversy created by narrow-minded people."
And we are hearing on Twitter here as well. "As a non-religious person, this debate looks ridiculous to me."
We have gotten so incredibly many responses to this issue. You could imagine it's one of our top discussions right here on "CNN Newsroom" blog.
Quickly, let me show you the graphic, where you all can weigh in. You got the "Newsroom" blog going throughout the day. That's my Facebook face, Josh Levs CNN. Twitter.com/JoshLevsCNN.
And what's really good about these is that you can take part in a discussion. People are responding to each other. And obviously, you know, guys, we encourage everyone to be respectful of other opinions, but go ahead and have that dialogue.
And that we'll keep an eye on this speech today and see how that goes -- Betty and T.J.?
NGUYEN: OK. Thank you, Josh.
LEVS: Thanks, guys.
NGUYEN: Well, our viewers are actually weighing in this morning. We put the question out there, in light of the fact that President Obama is speaking at Notre Dame. Do you remember who spoke at your college graduation?
And let me go to Twitter real quickly because this person says right here. "Ronald Reagan -- President Ronald Reagan spoke at a U.S. Air Force academy graduation in 1984. He stood out there in 90-plus degree heat to confirm all 1,000 graduates." And that's one you'll remember.
HOLMES: And also, on my, just to right there, Twitter page as well. Someone is saying that the ABC newsman, Peter Jennings, spoke at his graduation in 1975. "Don't remember what he said, but it was great to see him."
And just below that, Trice300 says, this is about the Notre Dame issue. "They should still honor President Obama. As an American, we don't always see eye to eye, and that's the beauty of it all."
So, we appreciate those coming in. Please, keep them coming. We'll continue to share your thoughts this morning.
And we will continue on this theme throughout this morning about what's happening in Notre Dame. We're going to have a spokesman from the university talking. He's going to be talking about the boycotts, the protest, the impact and their decision to still have the president speak there. That's coming up next hour of CNN SUNDAY MORNING. NGUYEN: Also coming up, I sat down with legendary talk show host, Bob Barker, and in the next hour, he talks about his karate lessons with none other than Chuck Norris.
But first, a classic moment from "The Price is Right."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, FROM CBS)
(CHEERS)
BOB BARKER, "THE PRICE IS RIGHT" HOST: Ma'am, would you come right over here, pleases.
(CHEERS)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: "HOUSE CALL" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta starts right now.
