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CNN Sunday Morning
Obama Set to Give Commencement Address at Notre Dame Amid Controversy; Interview With Bob Barker
Aired May 17, 2009 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING for this, what are we mid-May, mid-part of May already? The year is flying by. I think we're on the 17th now, isn't it?
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Seventeenth.
HOLMES: All right. It's 8:00 a.m. here.
NGUYEN: It feels like my watch has stopped.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: Like two days ago. Our CNN headquarters here in Atlanta, it is 7:00 a.m. in the heartland. I'm T.J. Holmes. This would make you Betty Nguyen.
Good morning to you all and good morning to you.
NGUYEN: All day. Yes, thanks for being with us today.
You know, after two weeks of debate, some protest over religion and politics, President Obama is only hours away from giving the commencement speech at Notre Dame University.
HOLMES: Also, things you never knew about that guy, the legend, "Price is Right" star Bob Barker. Do you know he nearly became a black belt among other things? More of his priceless memories coming up a little later this hour. Betty sat down with him out of his L.A. home. You do not want to miss that.
But first, we want to talk about what we've been talking about for the last couple of months, it seems. It's all coming together today. Nineteen protesters already have been arrested at the Notre Dame campus, and this comes hours before the president even arrives.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Children all over the world, rampant abortions ever since that man came into office.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (singing): Jesus our king.
(END VIDEO CLIP) NGUYEN: Well, that is just a taste of what could be waiting for the president this afternoon when he speaks at Notre Dame's graduation ceremony. Protesters who don't agree with his views will have their signs and their chants ready.
Notre Dame is a very well-known Catholic university and the Catholic Church has a rigid stance on issues like abortion. So, as Susan Candiotti tells us, it's no not hard to see where the president's opposition is coming from.
(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 after pre-graduation celebrations.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm really excited to see Obama. And, yes, just really happy to graduate, finally.
CANDIOTTI: Among protesters off campus, no excitement over the president's visit. Only promises from an activist to, quote, "ruin it." Anti-abortion protesters 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 toying 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 protesters' 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 distracting 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'll recognize those, but we also recognize 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 percent to 34 percent the president should speak at Notre Dame's graduation. Numbers mirrored when Protestants were asked the same question. When pollsters asked Catholics who said they go to mass regularly, the margin got much closer, 49 percent to 43 percent.
BRENNAN BOLLMAN, VALEDICTORIAN: You can't win every person in every respect and every battle. So, look at where you can find commonalities because fighting and dividing things into two never going to help solve a problem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And Susan Candiotti joins us live now from South Bend, Indiana.
All right. Susan, are we expecting any disruptions during today's commencement? We know there will be protests ahead and possibly after it -- but any disruptions during the president's speech?
CANDIOTTI: Well, good morning, Betty. Certainly, anti-abortion activists who will be off-campus are promising to stir things up. Whether they are able to make it inside the graduation ceremony, we don't know. There have been about 5,000 or more tickets that have been distributed to students. Whether they will use all of them or whether any of those tickets will fall into the hands of people who plan to cause trouble, we'll have to wait and see.
NGUYEN: All right. Susan Candiotti joining us live -- thank you for that.
On the topic of faith, fury, and the president's visit, at the bottom of the hour, we're going to talk to a man who is both a Notre Dame professor and a student of history.
And we're also going to read some of your Facebook and Twitter comments on the air in our next half hour. We are asking you today, in light of the president speaking at Notre Dame: Do you remember who spoke at your commencement? Hit us up at Facebook and Twitter.
HOLMES: Also, don't forget. We will have live coverage of the president's commencement speech at Notre Dame scheduled for 2 o'clock Eastern Time. You can see it live right here.
Also, the White House just released President Obama's newest overseas travel plans. And it's a doozy. The picture up here. July 6th, he'll visit Moscow for a couple of days. Then he'll travel to the G-8 Summit in Italy. From there, he'll make his first trip to Sub-Saharan Africa as head of state. He's scheduled to visit Ghana on July 10th and 11th.
Meanwhile, we'll talk about the president and him making a speech at Notre Dame, but he's not the only Obama on the graduation guest list this weekend. The first lady spoke at University of California- Merced yesterday. She urged the students there to dream big and to help their communities.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, U.S. FIRST LADY: 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 says, "Service is the rent we pay for living. It is the true measure, the only measure of our success."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: You see, Merced is a small school in the San Joaquin Valley with less than 3,000 students. It's the only college commencement the first lady is speaking at this year.
HOLMES: Well, our Karen Maginnis is sitting in for our Reynolds Wolf this weekend.
Karen, thank you for being here, first of all. We appreciate you this weekend. And you have a lot to talk about. What are we talking about this morning?
KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Well, most of the wet weather is across the eastern seaboard. It's been a fairly soggy springtime all the way from Maine down to New York, and extending across the Deep South, this is where we got the moisture that is definitely in play.
Some of the heavier precipitation into southern Arkansas, Louisiana, also into Mississippi and Alabama. But we're looking at the potential for the most severe threat of flooding -- well, it's across portions of the Midwest and mid-Mississippi River Valley. This is where we have flood warnings and flood watches, which have been issued. Where you see these green-shaded areas, those are flood warnings.
The Illinois River is extending on down to the White and Black rivers in Arkansas. But especially across northeastern sections of Missouri, where we saw an outbreak of tornadoes earlier in the week, they are under a flood warning until later on. Now, it's not raining right now, but those rivers continue to rise, but it is especially in this area, right around Fulton County, this is in the west central portion of Illinois. Also for Fulton County as well as Calhoun County, just about in that area, that's where we've seen some rural flooding and some road closures over the last several days.
A little bit further to the south, we follow along the Mississippi River and still some moderate flooding. Very typical for this time of year where we would see some of these rivers start to rise because of the spring flooding. And the snow melt further to the north causes those rivers to rise as well.
What we're looking at is a cool day, especially across the Midwest and into the Great Lakes. We've got this ridge of high pressure and that cooler air is being drawn down, and on the backside of this area of low pressure, that's where we're going to see temperatures running about 10 to 15 degrees cooler than what they should for this time of year.
In sharp contrast to that, from Daggett, California to Las Vegas to Yuma, Arizona, temperatures in the triple digits -- 20 to 25 degrees above where it should be for this time of the year. You can see some of the cooler air today, South Bend, Indiana, Notre Dame. Those temperatures are going to be on chilly side, upper 50s and maybe low 60s and a little breezy.
T.J. and Betty, back to you.
NGUYEN: All right. Thank you, Karen.
HOLMES: Thanks, Karen.
NGUYEN: All right. So, you know Bob Barker as the famous game show host of "The Price is Right."
HOLMES: Of course.
NGUYEN: But his career could have taken a completely different turn, and it could have headed in the direction of pornography films.
HOLMES: Wow.
NGUYEN: Yes, we'll get to the bottom of that.
But first, some great moments from "The Price is Right."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, FROM CBS)
BOB BARKER, "THE PRICE IS RIGHT" HOST: Congratulations! Oh, yes! Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.
(CHEERS)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, FROM CBS, "THE PRICE IS RIGHT")
ANNOUNCER: Here is the star of the new "Price is Right," Bob Barker!
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Yes. Bob Barker is known more for "The Price is Right," than he is for his martial arts, but the game show host almost got his black belt training under an expert who went on to become famous himself.
So, how do you think he took out Adam Sandler in the movie, "Happy Gilmore"? That karate that he learned, of course. It's all laid out in his new book, "Priceless Memories." And I recently sat down with Barker's in his Los Angeles home to see if he still considers himself a lethal weapon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN (on camera): I read that you studied martial arts with Chuck Norris. Is that true?
BARKER: Right out there in that yard we starred.
NGUYEN: Get out of here!
BARKER: Nope. He was a guest -- this was long before he became a movie star. He was a guest on "Truth or Consequences." And he did a karate demonstration.
And I not only had not done karate, I had never seen it. But 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 in the lawn and I worked with Chuck for eight years before he got into pictures. I was in karate for 22 or 23 years though.
NGUYEN (voice-over): And, it got him a part in Adam Sandler's movie, "Happy Gilmore."
BARKER: How do you think I beat up Adam Sandler?
NGUYEN (on camera): I was going to say, in "Happy Gilmore."
(LAUGHTER)
BARKER: And I didn't each kick him. I just hit him.
NGUYEN: And that wasn't a stunt person? That was you.
BARKER: No, that was me. Now, let me tell but that. This director sat down with me. And he said this and he said that, and he talked about the picture and what I would do and where and how.
And then he said, "Now, don't worry about the fight." He said, "We have a stunt man here and he'll do all of the fighting." I said, "Oh, no!" I said, "I know how to fight." I said, "I came up here to win the fight. I didn't come up here to see a stunt man win the fight." So, I did it at all.
NGUYEN: So -- and I also read, at one point, you said that your body is a deadly weapon?
BARKER: My body is a deadly weapon. It's killing me!
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: And since leaving "The Price is Right," what is life like? What do you do? What are the things that you want to do?
BARKER: Well, let's see. What time is it? I know that I'm going to be doing animal work.
I think that, in some ways, my -- the things that maybe I accomplish in life are ahead of me in that I really -- I've started setting up endowment funds at the fine law schools in the country, eight of them, and I've set up another endowment fund at Drury University, where I went to school, and that's for the study of animal rights. In an undergraduate school, it's only one in the country, and I'm hoping that will spread all over the country.
And I'm going out and working on all sorts of animal projects and will continue doing that. And if I had nothing else to do, I could keep busy just doing that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And he always ended his show, "Remember to control the pet population. Spay or neuter your pets."
Something else that I learned from Bob Barker was, when he first got to Hollywood as a young man, he had a card and had a name of this photographer. And that photographer eventually asked him to star in a porno, which Bob Barber said, "Not only is the price not right, but don't think I can do that for you, buddy."
HOLMES: What was it he said? If there was an audition, he wouldn't have gotten the job?
NGUYEN: He wouldn't have made it. No.
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: But a really nice guy. And you can see more photos and untold stories about Bob Barker on my blog. It is at CNN.com/newsroom.
HOLMES: All right. And now, we appreciate you all chiming in on that story and others this morning. You can always find us on the Web, on our blog. We have a blog, CNN.com/Newsroom. We also have our Facebook and Twitter pages.
So, we appreciate all of you chiming in on all of that. Continue to do so any time. You can always find us. We appreciate your comments. Keep them coming in.
NGUYEN: Yes. And this morning, we're talking about this. President Obama will be the commencement speaker at Notre Dame University. And part of our question this morning is to you, the viewer: Do you remember who spoke at your graduation ceremony?
HOLMES: And we're finding that a lot of you do not. But at Notre Dame, it's a decision that has called the deep divide on the campus, also across the nation. Our John King has more on this emotional issue and a look ahead at today's "STATE OF THE UNION" show, of course, at 9 o'clock. He's coming up live for us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NATASHA CURRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Glamour ground zero: French Riviera, film festival Cannes -- the traditional gathering of beautiful people celebrating in over the top fashion, where beach party deal-making days lead into red carpet nights. Bow ties and ball gowns required.
KEN TURAN, LOS ANGELES TIMES: The glamour really emanates from the red carpet, from the stars arriving, from the people going crazy as they walk up the stairs.
CURRY: But in the midst of a global recession, even the flashy festival feels a bit more restrained. The opening movie "Up" was well-received but brought no megawatt stars to dazzle crowds. It's not just the celebrity electricity the town is missing.
JEAN-JACQUES LOTTERMOSER, TOURISM DIR., CANNES, FRANCE: There is the reduction of the staff coming here for the event and for the sales bookings.
PATRICK GARNIER, MANAGER, RENT-A-BOAT: Usually, big companies or even individuals that rent this kind of boat just to have some (INAUDIBLE). However, this year, they just didn't come.
CURRY: Yacht rentals, hotels and apartments, usually booked nearly a year in advance, are available at much less than their normal festival rates. That is bad news also for Benjamin Baulke who rents apartments and villas in the area to festival goers and film studios.
(on camera): So, you're telling me that larger companies are really waiting for the last second to book and they're sending in fewer people?
BENJAMIN BAULKE, RENTALS-OF-CANNES.COM: Yes. This year was very much last minute. We had budgets which were lower. Some apartments still remain empty today and villas, which was never the case in years before.
CURRY (voice-over): Many soirees have been toned down and in some cases, canceled. The annual "Vanity Fair" gala was nixed, due to the economy, the magazine told CNN.
TURAN: There's not a lot of loose money floating around to give big parties unless there's a real reason to do it.
CURRY: Only big institutions like the Carlton Hotel which houses the promotional events with the biggest movies are faring well.
FRANCOIS CHOPINET, GEN. MANAGER, CARLTON HOTEL: Restaurants are full. We have many parties programmed on the beach of the Carlton. So, business as usual. It's, as you say, a surprising away.
CURRY: But die-hard partiers here are still determined to keep the show going even if they don't have the right kind of shoes. Cannes will still be Cannes -- just this year, a bit less shiny.
Natasha Curry, Cannes, France.
(END VIDEOTAPE) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Big topic today. President Obama is speaking at Notre Dame University. I know a lot of people have been discussing that with us, our viewers, our Facebook pages. But there are a lot of protesters that are going to be showing up for that speech.
HOLMES: Yes. And our John King is going to be getting into this, and a whole lot more on "STATE OF THE UNION" coming up at 9 o'clock Eastern, at the top of the hour.
Good morning to you, sir. As always -- it's graduation season and Michelle Obama received -- probably a lot differently than the president is going to be received today at Notre Dame.
Is there going to be much fallout or we just need to get this thing over with and everybody is going to forget about it?
JOHN KING, HOST, CNN "STATE OF THE UNION": Well, the interesting to watch -- and good morning, Betty and T.J. -- is the future of the Notre Dame president, not so much President Obama. There will be protesters there. They don't think a Catholic university should have invited in a president who is very open in his support of abortion rights, who is very open in his support of civil unions. Barack Obama opposes same-sex marriage, he says, but supports benefits for same-sex couples.
So, on the campus, they say this does not fit with the goals and the policies that our university projects. Why would you invite the president? And we're seeing a fascinating display of the First Amendment, the right of free speech, of protesters arrested yesterday. It's a bit of a storm on campus.
It will be interesting to watch the speech as the president goes forward here, what he says in the message and how he acknowledges the descent on campus.
NGUYEN: Yes. And we're going to be taking that live this afternoon when it happens.
But the first lady spoke yesterday at U.C.-Merced in California. And, you know, this is a really small school, only 3,000 students. Why did she pick that school -- do you know?
KING: For just that reason. She wanted to go to someplace a little off the map. California is an important state politically; in the valley, where the school is a pretty important politically.
But she said, you know what, she picked the school because of all the letters she received from students on campus, sending in saying, please come here because we have an important message. We matter, too, at a small school. So, she went there and saluted the community service of the students during their time in college and encouraging them to get out there and change the country. Volunteer in a school system, teach, do something else. And, you know, whether you're a Democrat or Republican or whatever you think politically of the administration, it is a nice thing for a celebrity first lady like this to go to a small school out there to say, "Hey, you guys can get on the map, too."
HOLMES: All right. We got something else on the map in a major way this week. And I'm sure you're going to be hitting on it. Is Nancy Pelosi going to survive this thing? It turns out she didn't do herself much help at the press conference at the end of last week, trying to explain what she knew and when she knew it.
Is this thing going to keep going and certainly do Republicans smell blood here?
KING: They certainly do. And, yes, it will keep going. Is she in trouble as the House speaker? Not at this moment. There's absolutely no indication of that, none. She has a big majority in the House. Democrats say, if you talk to them, she hasn't handled this all too well, they think she could have been more candid, could have been sharper in her answers.
And some Democrats are saying, you know, she needs to answer what she knew and when she knew it and spend less time blaming someone else, accusing the CIA of misleading or lying to Congress, or saying this is a big distraction from the Republicans, even if -- even if you agree with those two things. I'm not saying I do -- but even but if you agree with those two things, a lot of people are saying the speaker has to clear up everything she knew, when she knew it to move on.
And you have Newt Gingrich, a former speaker of the House, saying she should be investigated.
We're going to have the House Republican Leader John Boehner right here on "STATE OF THE UNION" later today, and we'll get his views on where this goes from here.
NGUYEN: And we want to ask you about the economy, John, because we know that you took a trip down to Selma, Alabama, to really talk to them about the situation and the recession because -- aren't they one of the hardest hit cities in the nation?
KING: Among the hardest hit areas in the nation, Betty. It's a historic city, of course. The Edmund Pettus Bridge brings you into Selma, Alabama. It is such a piece of the history of the civil rights movement, a piece of American history.
Eighteen percent unemployment in Dallas County, where Selma is; 22 percent unemployment in the neighboring county. That's the black belt of Alabama. And those who are already hurting a bit before the recession are now hurting the most -- a deep struggle down there. The mayor says, "Why haven't I received any stimulus money yet?" That's one of the questions we'll put to the administration's budget director here.
And as we talk about this and where to go forward, one of the things I love about my travels is, you go back in time. This is "The Selma Times Journal" March 21st, 1965. March time set here for 10:00 a.m. This is the voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery. Look at the newspaper from these days.
Also going on, there was the Vietnam War and the Gemini mission. You look -- there's a -- look at the graphics here. We think we've come a long way, haven't we? Look at the graphics of the moon on the front page of the newspaper.
NGUYEN: Wow.
KING: So, it was a painful trip in the sense that it's a struggling time in Selma right now. But it was great to go back in history, to see these newspapers, to meet people who were involved in the march back in the day. And you know what? For all of the struggles there right now, there's a great sense of optimism. We had a great trip.
NGUYEN: Well, it's good to hear.
HOLMES: Well, good. And like you were saying to us in the break there, you got this first -- this is the first time you really got to take in Selma in a way that you haven't in the past because you're usually chasing around politicians and whatnot and making stops there. So, glad you got to make this trip and looking forward to seeing you at noon.
John King, it's always a pleasure to see you around this time on our show live, but we'll see you at the top of the hour, buddy. Good to see you.
KING: Take care, guys.
HOLMES: All right. Of course, John King, "STATE OF THE UNION" is coming up in about 30 minutes -- more time and more politics, 9 o'clock Eastern with John King.
NGUYEN: Well, emotions do continue to run high just hours before the President Obama's commencement speech at Notre Dame University.
HOLMES: Next, the root of the controversy and how this deep divide is not confined just to that campus.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, hello, everybody. And welcome back on this Sunday morning. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: And hello to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes. Glad you could start your day here with us. This is what we have been following this morning.
NGUYEN: Yes, first up, a kidnapped 3-year-old southern California boy has been found safe. Here he is reunited with his family yesterday. Police say the toddler was abducted two weeks ago by armed gunmen who apparently had a home invasion or they were taking part in one and the boy was found Thursday in a Mexican border town just wandering the streets alone.
HOLMES: Three spacewalks down and two to go. Yesterday, astronauts working on the Hubble telescope installed a brand-new instrument that will let us all see the cosmos like never before. They also fixed a broken camera.
Today the job is removing a hundred screws -- so doing some handyman work up there. The challenge is they can't let any of them float away -- any of those screws. The spacewalk begins about 45 minutes from now.
NGUYEN: The president is speaking at a graduation today; that being Notre Dame. It's usually thought of as an honor but some are protesting President Obama's appearance at Notre Dame and CNN's Candy Crowley looks at the grads parting lesson in free speech
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): By the time they graduate Americans students are well-schooled in free speech.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We do not believe it's right to celebrate a man who has gone so against Catholic principles.
CROWLEY: The man is President Barack Obama, supporter of abortion rights who will give the commencement address, too, and get an honorary degree from Notre Dame, a premier Catholic school, a religion that considers abortion a mortal sin. Let the free speech begin.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can't afford to be sending a message to people that we value power and fame over our Catholic identity.
CROWLEY: The debate is not confined to campus. It made it to pulpit of Orlando Bishop Thomas Wenski.
THOMAS WENSKI, BISHOP, ORLANDO, FLORIDA: It implies almost an approbation or if not an approbation, an approval of the president's position -- at least winking at it -- as if it was not that important.
CROWLEY: And it made it into a "Washington Post" column by Father Thomas Reese.
REV. THOMAS REESE, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: I think when we start banning speakers we look afraid. We look like we feel we can't come up with convincing arguments and I think that's a self-defeating strategy.
CROWLEY: Beyond the church sanctuary, anti-abortion activists -- Catholic and non -- have gathered in South Bend to make their base. Among them, former presidential candidate Allan Keyes, arrested for trespassing, and conservative anti-abortion activist, Randall Terry.
RANDALL TERRY, ANTI-ABORTION ACTIVIST: We pushed baby strollers peacefully, quietly, prayerfully on campus and in the strollers were baby dolls covered with stage blood and an Obama bumper sticker saying "Obama '09, one dead baby at a time, Notre Dame" to make a statement.
CROWLEY: Countering the protests critics accuse Republicans of trying to drive a wedge between Catholics and Democrats and they note both President Bushes and Ronald Reagan spoke at Notre Dame and they were pro-death penalty, also against Catholic teachings.
Having won the Catholic vote last year, the president is on firm territory when he takes to that podium and while at least one Notre Dame honoree is boycotting, along with some students, the vast majority of graduates and parents are expected to show up.
Beginning in the Vietnam era, protests has been a time-honored graduation exercise. At Furman, some faculty members boycotted then President Bush's address. Others silently made their case.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I supported the decision...
CROWLEY: John McCain was interrupted constantly by protestors during his commencement address at New York's New School.
No one was dis-invited. Everyone spoke. They all survived. The tradition goes on.
ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president intends to go to Notre Dame and speak, accept the degree, and come back to the White House.
CROWLEY: Democracy 101. Everyone gets free speech.
Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: In our "Faces of Faith" segment this morning, the passionate beliefs colliding on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. For Weeks, protesters have rallied against today's commencement speech by President Obama. They say his stand on abortion and stem cell research are an affront to core Catholic beliefs.
And joining us now to discuss all this, Scott Appleby, a professor of religious history at Notre Dame and speaking for the university this morning. Sir, we appreciate you being with us.
Again, we talked about this a few weeks back here on the show. You've been dealing with this ever since you all announced the president was coming. Sir, for you, almost just personally, is a part of you going to be happy to get all of this over with?
PROF. SCOTT APPLEBY, DEPT. OF HISTORY, UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME: I'm excited about the day and I'll be more excited about tomorrow. HOLMES: More excited about tomorrow. Sir, I guess it would help people to maybe understand how Notre Dame makes these decisions. A lot of past presidents have spoken there. First, have they all received honorary degrees, to your knowledge?
APPLEBY: Every president since Dwight Eisenhower has been invited to campus to speak at commencement. Not everyone has been able to do that. But the ones who have, have received degrees, yes.
HOLMES: It seems like kind of a split or it has developed at least through this whole debate where some were opposing President Obama speaking there at all; others more upset that he is receiving an honorary degree. What are you seeing more of? Are you seeing both of that or you just kind of see that split happening as well?
APPLEBY: On campus, the vast majority of students and faculty and staff are very supportive of the invitation and are looking forward eagerly to hearing President Obama. There is a minority, but an important minority of students, and some faculty who object to the invitation but it's been a civil discussion and debate and we welcome that.
HOLMES: Like you said, most you believe there on campus are for the president being there. We know some are not.
Hold on there one second. We're going to listen to a couple of students, at least, what we heard from them, those on the other side of this argument. Lets' listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELE SAGALA, NOT ATTENDING COMMENCEMENT: The thing that consoles me in all of this is I'm taking a stand for those who are often forgotten.
MICHAEL ANGULO, STUDENT ATTENDING COMMENCEMENT: Don't think less of the University of Notre Dame and don't think that our mission is being corrupted by a president who might have thought on this issue that's different than Catholic thought. Be willing to engage in that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Let me ask you here, sir, does one's policy -- I guess when Notre Dame is making ago decision about commencement speakers whether it's a president or a writer or professor somewhere or whoever it may be, does that person's policy positions and maybe religious beliefs come into play? Is that a factor in deciding whether or not to invite that person to speak?
APPLEBY: Well, we keep in mind Catholic doctrine and Catholic teaching and that is very important but as a Catholic university, we welcome all responsible points of view. And when we choose a commencement speaker, in this case, the most powerful and influential person in the world, we couldn't think of a better way to engage our students in important issues of the day. HOLMES: It is fair to say that some speakers who may not rise to the level of a president of the United States in terms of prestige have been x'd out and not invited because of their policy views.
APPLEBY: There has been an ongoing discussion on campus for many years precisely about the abortion debate and how best to engage the country and seek to transform the country toward what John Paul II called a culture of life.
It's true; we've gone back and forth. I think we've settled on a proper approach which is engaging the culture and inviting those who disagree with us and discussing the issues on either side.
HOLMES: And, finally, here, sir, does a part of you -- and maybe the campus community there and administrators -- just hate the fact -- you had to know this was coming -- but I guess you gauged it was worth the risk that this happening now is taking away in so many ways of a celebratory occasion that is supposed to happen today.
It's a graduation. These kids are going to be moving on and starting their lives and so much of that is going to be overshadowed by all of this other back and forth.
APPLEBY: I hope the media covers some of the president's speech because I have no doubt that he will put the focus on the graduates and I'll say one thing.
HOLMES: Yes, sir.
APPLEBY: They'll never forget this commencement.
HOLMES: They certainly will not. Do you remember your commencement speaker by chance?
APPLEBY: William F. Buckley. We understood a few sentences that he said.
HOLMES: All right! Well, at least you remembered the name of who spoke. Betty and I could not remember this morning.
Scott Appleby, sir we appreciate you taking the time. Appreciate having you back this morning and good luck and you'll have a better day in the morning. Maybe we'll check in with you.
APPLEBY: Thanks, T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Take care now.
Don't forget like he was saying there, the media's coverage, we certainly are going to be covering this speech. You will hear it today. The Notre Dame Commencement speech you've been hearing about for some time scheduled today at 2:00 Eastern time; 11:00 Pacific. We will have it for you.
NGUYEN: And as you mentioned, we don't remember who spoke at our college graduation. HOLMES: Not at all.
NGUYEN: But many of you do, in fact. We're hearing from you this morning. Let's go to my Facebook page right here.
David says, "Mr. Rogers. I graduated from Carnegie Mellon a few years ago and the studio was nearby. He was excellent."
I imagine it was a beautiful day in the neighborhood when he came to speak..
HOLMES: Actually I had one that said Christiane Amanpour. Peter Jennings spoke at someone else's. Hillary Clinton spoke at the University of Arkansas back in 1996, so that was three years before my graduation. I've been asking folks out there if any graduated in '99 with me and can remember who our speaker was, please tell me. Please.
NGUYEN: I'm sure you can probably Google it.
HOLMES: No. I tried.
NGUYEN: Really?
HOLMES: I've been trying all morning. You can stay connected with us every weekend. You can find us and you send us iReports as well, you can check us out on twitter, you can check us out of Facebook, also we have a blog cnn.com/newsroom.
By all means, there's no excuse for you not to be able to get a- hold of Betty and I.
Coming up here in a second is time for Carl Azuz.
NGUYEN: A little "Extra Credit" as we like to call it.
HOLMES: "Extra Credit" this morning. Texting, most of us do it nowadays as an easy way to communicate.
NGUYEN: Yes. But texting while driving has been dangerous and sometimes deadly.
Next, teenagers are sounding off about this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Yes, we're talking to Carl. Let him know, he's a great hand even though Betty and I seem like we might not have it together.
(CROSS TALK)
NGUYEN: How are you doing?
CARL AZUZ, CNNSTUDENTNEWS.COM: Doing great. Thank you guys for having me back.
NGUYEN: We've been talking about texting while driving. And we have a confession to make. We kind of...
HOLMES: Speak for yourself. I would never do such a thing.
NGUYEN: Oh, whatever T.J. I have proof, ok.
AZUZ: In the commercial break you were saying that you do it all the time.
HOLMES: Betty, it's horrible that you would do something like that.
NGUYEN: I know it is but a lot of times when you're working you get e-mails and what-not and you feel like you need to respond. It's absolutely dangerous. You should not do it and we have examples of why.
AZUZ: Yes, we do. But because I love to take you back to your school days, I have a true/false question to kick it off. Here we go. Eleven states have laws against texting while driving. What do you say?
HOLMES: I would say not that many yet. So I'm going to say false.
NGUYEN: I would say more.
AZUZ: Ok. You're both off actually. It's true.
NGUYEN: It is?
AZUZ: There are 11 states. But there are an additional nine states that have laws against texting while driving for beginning drivers.
NGUYEN: Is Georgia one of them?
AZUZ: You'll have to check out cnnstudentnews.com to find the answer.
HOLMES: Wait a minute. There are some that have texting laws that just apply to younger kids?
AZUZ: For beginning drivers.
So if you're older and you got your license...
HOLMES: You can text?
AZUZ: You could be arrested. Well, not arrested.
NGUYEN: Wow.
AZUZ: Maybe arrest is a little too strong, but you definitely would be cited for texting while driving.
We got some video I want to show you right now.
There is a bus driver in San Antonio, a bus drive. You can see him at the beginning, texting while driving.
NGUYEN: Oh, man.
AZUZ: You can feel that accident just from watching the video.
Now, in this particular instance, there were some injuries. No one was killed. But this is a scene being repeated across the United States; people texting and people checking e-mail, Blackberry. If you've done it, you're guilty and you know it.
We asked our student audience why can't we disconnect? Why can't stop doing this long enough to get from a to b? Here are a couple of blog comments we have from our blog at cnnstudentnews.com.
Jack says, "People have just gotten so used to texting and staying in contact with others that it is second nature for them to keep texting when they are in the car."
Then we have one from Tyler and this could be true for everybody. "Teens that have their licenses will text no matter what because we think we're invincible."
HOLMES: Good point.
AZUZ: You know, it's one of those things where everybody thinks it's not going happen to me. I've seen the reports on this but I can handle it. A lot of researchers are saying the brain cannot do two visual things at once well. So texting and driving being two things that require a lot of visual cerebral activity, not a good idea.
NGUYEN: That's why a lot of states have even said you can't even talk on the cell phone while you're driving. Forget trying to type on a Blackberry or what not, even with a Bluetooth.
AZUZ: You're right and they say driving distractions are responsible for 80 percent of the accidents we have. Obviously, driving distractions, cell phone and texting and all of that plays into it.
HOLMES: It kills me to see the women -- I don't mean to pick on women but putting the makeup on. I'm not saying you do this but it never fails in rush hour every time, you see someone putting on mascara, doing something in the mirror every time.
NGUYEN: Well, now you know what it is. It's talking on the phone, it's texting. I mean, there's so many things that we're doing that we shouldn't be doing while we're driving.
HOLMES: Eating.
NGUYEN: It's a good wake-up call.
AZUZ: Absolutely, it is. I say a guy reading the paper the other night driving on the interstate.
HOLMES: Give us a quick shout-out. We got to go. I'm sorry.
AZUZ: No problem. We have two quick shout-outs; a couple of schools watching us this morning.
Lowell Middle School in Lowell, Michigan -- thank you, guys, for watching us on "CNN Sunday Morning."
And to Ms. Lindgren and Ms. Rios at Pioneer Ridge Freshmen Center in Chaska, Minnesota -- we thank you for watching.
Both of these shout-outs requests came to us from Facebook. So we invite everybody; your viewers, our viewers. You can find all three of us on Facebook. Just check it out.
HOLMES: Appreciate it. Sorry. We would love to hear more about that guy but we got to go here.
NGUYEN: Yes. It's a good lesson, don't do it.
HOLMES: Yes. Don't do it. Appreciate you Carl.
NGUYEN: Thank you, Carl.
So, unemployment lines, do they have you down? Believe it or not, stopping by your local bar could help you land a job.
HOLMES: Got to hear this one.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Ok. Forget about that stressful interview. Forget about those job fairs. More and more job seekers, they're hitting the bar to share a drink and possibly their resumes with HR recruiters in a laidback and inebriated environment. These are called Pink Slip Parties and they're popping up all over the place and we dropped in on one -- we weren't drinking. This is from the nation's capital
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDREA RODGERS, PARTY ORGANIZER: Now a pizza party is a way for job seekers and recruiters, other HR professionals to mingle and network in a social setting.
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: The name is Kenneth Summers. I'm looking for an IT position. This is a little bit more informal environment; it's more relaxed. You can come here and just be yourself and not worry about the pressures of an actual interview or trying to impress anybody.
RODGERS: And so are you a job seeker or recruiter? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A recruiter.
RODGERS: When somebody is a recruiter I give them these sort of dollar necklaces. They all have necklaces so that they stand out. So that people know they are the ones with the money, they are the ones doing the hiring.
ANEEKA HARRISON, RECRUITER: Came to me, people -- see who's out there and possibly fill some positions. I'm looking for that person that can just talk their way hiring the manager and get that interview.
SUMMERS: You can actually get to do it face-to-face. You don't have to go to a job fair. And you know how crowded job fairs and they seem to take all day. This, you know, 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 that it is, we have to be really creative in finding the best talent out there.
RODGERS: I've had a lot of people reach out to me from Baltimore, Denver, Chicago, wanting tips on how to start one in other cities. There is also a Web site called pinkslipparty.com that tries to promote all different pink slip parties in every region of the country.
HARRISON: It doesn't help if you drink too much especially if you have drive home.
SUMMERS: If things don't work out for you as the night progresses then, yes, grab one of these and drown your sorrows.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: There is that. If you don't get a lead and you only get a hangover, you can try again. These pink slip parties are held all over the country. You can go to the Web site www.pinkslipparty.com.
NGUYEN: That is one way to do it.
HOLMES: That is one way to do it but I guess alcohol helps in some ways.
NGUYEN: It's networking is what it is.
HOLMES: It's networking yes.
NGUYEN: The list of candidates to replace Supreme Court David Souter, that list is narrowing.
HOLMES: President Obama has whittled it down to a field of about half dozen reportedly. Next who is in the running and why this decision is so important.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) NGUYEN: Supreme Court Justice David Souter is in his final weeks on the bench. Who will replace him when a new session begins in the fall? It's the big question.
President Obama is said to be inching closer to a nominee and CNN's Kate Bolduan takes a closer look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN GENERAL ASSIGNMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Obama calls it among his most serious responsibilities.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I will seek somebody with a sharp and independent mind and a record of excellence and integrity.
BOLDUAN: Sources close to the selection process tell CNN the list of top candidates for Mr. Obama's Supreme Court nominee is down to about half a dozen, a majority of which are women. They include federal appeals court Judges Sonia Sotomayor and Diane Wood, Solicitor General Elena Kagan and at least two candidates with political experience, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm.
On his search the president says he is looking beyond judicial record.
OBAMA: I view that quality of empathy of understanding and identifying with people's hopes and struggles as an essential ingredient for arriving at just decisions and outcomes.
BOLDUAN: That worries many conservatives who translate what Mr. Obama called empathy to mean judicial activism. Conservative groups are gearing up for a fight.
GARY MARX, EXEC. DIRECTOR, JUDICIAL CONFIRMATION NETWORK: We want to see that lobby equally applied and the empathy talk, really, you know, personal feelings getting in the mix is very troublesome.
BOLDUAN: The president is likely to announce his nominee by month's end. A lifetime appointment viewed as a key element of any presidential legacy.
THOMAS GOLDSTEIN, SUPREME COURT LEGAL ANALYST: It's impossible to overstate the importance of a Supreme Court appointment because of the justices' power. They decide things like abortion, affirmative action, gay rights, the meaning of all of the laws involving the detainees at Guantanamo Bay and presidential powers, wiretapping. The list goes on and on and on.
BOLDUAN (on camera): President Obama's pick will undoubtedly be left of center and while replacing one left-leaning justice with another who will likely change the ideological balance of the conservative bench, liberals are hoping for a more forceful justice to take on the conservative majority of the high court.
Kate Bolduan, CNN, the White House.
HOLMES: Coming up on "STATE OF THE UNION" with John King, Republican house minority leader John Boehner is going to discuss and going to be taking on the war of words going on between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the CIA and also a little Newt Gingrich thrown into that conversation. She claims that the intelligence agency misled Congress about water-boarding.
An in-depth looking at the small town of Selma, Alabama, where the recession has hit it very hard. Unemployment has doubled in the last year and many say they've yet to see any help from the government. All that and more just minutes away on "STATE OF THE UNION" with John King.
HOLMES: You can expect protest when President Obama speaks at Notre Dame's graduation today. Demonstrators who don't like his views on issues like abortion, are angry that the Catholic university invited him to speak. Police arrested 19 protesters on campus yesterday.
A kidnapped 3-year-old from southern California has been found safe in a Mexican border town. Police say the toddler was taken by gunmen two weeks ago during a home invasion robbery.
At least 20 Japanese teenagers have just tested positive for swine flu, prompting government officials to close several schools and China reporting a woman who recently studied in the U.S. is also sick from the H1N1 strain.
Today's spacewalk -- expected to start in a few minutes. Astronauts from the shuttle "Atlantis" will remove 117 tiny screws from the Hubble telescope and hopefully without letting any of them go afloat. This is going to be another of several -- several spacewalks that they've had on this particular mission.
And also don't forget that today, the president's speech today at Notre Dame, we will be carrying that live starting around 2:00 Eastern right here on CNN.
Right now, I will turn it over to "STATE OF THE UNION" with John King coming up right now.
