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CNN Sunday Morning
Obama Adviser Stepping Down; Obama's School Speech Draws Fire; School Learns from H1N1 Cases in Spring
Aired September 06, 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: And hello there, everybody. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING for September the 6th. Hope it's so far so good on your Labor Day weekend. You got one more day...
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: One more day.
HOLMES: ... before everybody's back at work and everybody is back at school.
But hello to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes.
BALDWIN: Hi there. Good morning. I'm Brooke Baldwin, sitting in for Betty Nguyen. It is 9:00 a.m. here in Atlanta; 8:00 a.m. in St. Louis.
HOLMES: Wait a minute. Wait a minute. It's 8:00 in Atlanta.
BALDWIN: It is 8:00.
HOLMES: What is going on back there?
BALDWIN: Oh, you guys. And I didn't even catch that. (INAUDIBLE)
Let's check that, it's 8:00 in Atlanta, 7:00 in St. Louis, and a bright and early 5:00...
HOLMES: Yes.
BALDWIN: It's 5:00 a.m. for folks waking up on the west coast in L.A. And speaking of...
HOLMES: Yes.
BALDWIN: I know L.A right on the water, got the ocean, but they're seeing some waves this morning in the middle of Ventura Boulevard, this water main break, quite a mess. A bunch of firefighters are dealing with this. There were some kind of water rescue.
HOLMES: Yes.
BALDWIN: We'll talk more about that coming up. HOLMES: Also, a few states around the country have laws about texting and driving. Well, what would you think about a nationwide ban? A lot of you have been chiming in on it this morning. Some of you say it's common sense. You don't need a law. But we're going to be sharing some of your comments.
Also, our Carl Azuz is back. He is with our CNN Student News. As classes back in session, so Carl is back with us. We're going to be talking to him and seeing what the students have to say and, again, please, send your comments. Keep them coming in.
You can get all kinds of ways of reaching us: Weekends@CNN.com, and then we have our blogs as well. We also have our Facebook and Twitter pages. And you can let us know what you're thinking. We'll be sharing a lot of your comments this morning.
But, first, we need to get to some big news overnight you may have missed.
One of the president's advisers has stepped down. His name is Van Jones. You may have heard the name a lot over the past few days, certainly last week. He stepped down for a number of controversial reasons, namely, he signed the petition in 2004 that suggested the government let the 9/11 attacks happen. Jones was the president's adviser on green jobs, and an administration source says Jones did not read that petition carefully.
Jones also drew some fire for controversial comment about Republicans he made back in February. Listen for the bleep.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How were the Republicans able to push things through when they had less than 60 senators, but somehow we can't?
VAN JONES, FMR. PRESIDENTIAL ADVISOR: Well, the answer to that is, they're (BLEEP)holes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: A very good bleep. You understood what he was saying there.
Jones did apologize for the petition but he also gave this statement. I'm quoting here, "On the eve of historic fights for health care and clean energy, opponents of reform have mounted a vicious smear campaign against me. They're using lies and distortions to distract and divide," end quote.
Now, again, this is certainly a name you've been hearing about the past few days, but more about him now. Jones has a long background of environmental and legal activism. He founded a group called Green for All, that group promotes green jobs; and also founded the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights that focuses on stopping violence in lower income communities. "Time" magazine named Jones as one of its influential environmental heroes back in 2008. Jones is a Yale Law graduate.
BALDWIN: So, when you hear that the president of the United States is speaking to school kids, getting them ready for school and sending a message to study hard, you wouldn't think it would be that big a deal. But it is a big deal to some parents who say the classroom just really isn't a place for politics.
And so, facing this angry backlash from a lot of parents out there, the administration is planning to release the transcript of that planned speech sometime tomorrow.
CNN's Tom Foreman has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Call it a fast lesson in public pushback, the president's plan to speak to school kids on Tuesday has some conservative parents saying he's trying to brainwash their kids into buying his politics.
SHANNEEN BARRON, PARENT: Thinking about my kids -- sorry -- in school, having to listen to that, it's really upsets me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Politics is totally up to the family.
ANDREA MILLER, PARENT: So, will I send my child? I don't know. Right now, I would say no. I'll keep them home.
FOREMAN: Across the country, many school districts are encouraging students to watch. In New Orleans, it will be required, but that's an exception. In virtually every state, at least some schools have decided to either not show the speech, review it first, or make viewing optional.
Some sites schedule conflicts and technical difficulties, but this was not what the White House expected. The president's speech will focus on keeping kids in school, a subject he's promoted before.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Unfortunately, nearly 30 percent of U.S. high school students aren't making it to graduation.
FOREMAN: But the core complaint seems to be with supplementary teaching material from the Department of Education. Originally, they called for students to write, quote, "what they can do to help the president."
(on camera): The White House has since changed that, suggesting that children now write about their own educational goals. Furthermore, the text of the president's speech will now be put online Monday, so any teacher, parent or politician can preview what's going to be said.
(voice-over): Plenty seem fine with that, including the national president of the PTA.
CHARLES SAYLORS, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL PTA: We have an opportunity here in the United States for parents, teachers and students to take part in a tremendous civics lesson.
(CROWD CHANTING)
FOREMAN: Still, just like the crowds at all those town hall meetings, others are far from satisfied.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My rights as a parent are being circumvented so that this president can speak to my children.
FOREMAN: And they clearly resent the notion that they are unfairly questioning the president's motives.
GEORGE H.W. BUSH, FMR. U.S. PRESIDENT: Education matters, and what you do today and what you don't do can change your future.
FOREMAN: After all, they point out, when the first President Bush spoke to school kids on TV in 1991, top Democrats called that just political advertising on the taxpayer's dime.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, a lot of people have opinions here. A lot of parents, a lot of school administrators have opinions, but some people who are not involved in the fight at all have an opinion as well. But you all have been chiming in.
We're going to read a few responses now. We have been getting a ton. We appreciate your sending them in.
Read this top one from our Facebook page. We appreciate you sending it, but said, "The lesson plan is a lesson on civics. All Americans should be asking what they can do to help the president. Even if you do not agree with his views, your version of help could be to pray for him. You can help by contacting your representatives to let them know your thoughts or to encourage new legislation."
Let's go down, scroll down just a few here. This one takes a different approach. Robin says, "Let the kids watch Sponge Bob instead and they could be more like their parents," suggesting that it's not a smart idea to actually keep your kids out. She wants to hear the president.
And finally, one from our Twitter page as well. It says, "We elected Obama but we won't let him speak to our children. What's wrong with that picture? Geez."
So, we appreciate them coming in. We have plenty more we will be sharing this morning. But, please, you know how to find us: Facebook, Twitter, our blog as well. We appreciate you chiming in on this story. BALDWIN: And, again, that speech to the students nationwide, it's happening Tuesday. But you don't have to be in school to see the president and hear what he has to say. You can, of course, tune in right here to CNN. We will carry it live for you at noon Eastern Time, again, Tuesday.
HOLMES: All right. Also, let's turn to Afghanistan now where a U.S. service member was killed today. This American was the victim of an insurgent attack on the eastern part of the country.
Meanwhile, the top U.S. manned commander in Afghanistan says he is convinced civilians were among those killed in a NATO air strike. That air strike in northern Afghanistan killed at least 90 people, this came after two tanker trucks were hijacked late Thursday by the Taliban. Afghans were attempting to siphon fuel from those trucks when they were hit by the NATO strike, I should say.
CNN's Anderson Cooper is taking you inside Afghanistan all week long, he'll report live from the battle zone, "AC 360" airs weeknights 10:00 Eastern. Again, the special reports start tomorrow night.
BALDWIN: Some progress out west in the massive wildfires that have been burning. The latest number we have as far as containment is 50 percent. It was right around 42 percent this time yesterday, 50 percent now.
But take a look at those flames. Apparently, it's no longer threatening homes along the western flank, but already, 76 homes have been destroyed. And in terms of mileage, 250 square miles burned in the Angeles National Park. But the really toughest part of the whole story is the fact that investigators have determined that this fire was set on purpose, and beyond that, two firefighters were killed.
HOLMES: Yes. So, they say the western flank, that was the main area that we're looking at, where they were trying to really get it stopped. So, that's a good thing, it's not threatening homes over there, but it's popping up in kind of other areas.
So, not everybody is out of danger. Other areas are kind of popping up where it could threaten some homes. But, yes, at least they're getting some kind of a handle because when this thing first broke out, we were talking 5 percent containment, and that's nothing when you talk about fire that massive.
Bonnie Schneider keeping an eye on the weather out there, all week pretty much, they didn't have weather cooperating.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes.
HOLMES: There wasn't wind. That was a good thing at least for the first few days of it. So, how is the weather going to treat them out there?
SCHNEIDER: Right. They didn't have the strong winds, T.J. and Brooke, but they did have extremely scorching temperatures. Now, I want to show you right now as we take a look at the map, we're looking at, really, in terms of temperature, temperatures that are a lot cooler than where they were this time last week. So, in Glendale, for example, it is 63 degrees. The high temperatures today in and around the Los Angeles area will climb to, I'd say, about 82, 83 degrees.
So, we are going to see some improvements in the weather. It's definitely not going to be as hot.
Well, it's also going to be a nice day, really, in and around the New York City metropolitan area. We have a live picture of Central Park to show you just a string of great weather days for this holiday weekend. It's a little hazy out there. You can see the reservoir in the distance as we look to the north. But it is going to be a nice and a beautiful weekend for those of you that are heading to the beaches on Long Island and the Hamptons. We're going to be seeing some very nice conditions there.
Also to the south, in Cape May, New Jersey, on the New Jersey shore, temperatures in the 70s. So, a little cooler than it has been.
But not every place is going to enjoy a perfect beach forecast as we go through the rest of this holiday weekend. Check out what's happening in south Florida. We have showers and thunderstorms just offshore, near South Beach. So, that's actually going to affect your weather for your beach forecast there.
We are looking for some wet conditions in the forecast. Temperatures will be mild certainly, well into the 80s. Scattered showers all the way up to North Carolina, down through South Beach. That's where we'll see temperatures in the 80s and that's pretty much what we're looking at right now.
And we are also tracking the weather for tomorrow for those of you that are planning to extend your weekend with that Labor Day off. We have scattered showers and thunderstorms along the gulf coast. Watch out for that. And also, a lot of monsoonal moisture up and around the Arizona area. We've seen some heavy rain for Phoenix -- that will persist.
In terms of temperatures, it is looking fantastic. The last official blast of the summer, well, you're feeling it in Texas in the 90s. Salt Lake City up to 91, and we'll be looking for temperatures of 98, hot in Phoenix. Back to you.
HOLMES: We like that word.
BALDWIN: We like that. We both looked at each other and said monsoonal moisture.
HOLMES: Monsoonal, that's good.
BALDWIN: Whoa.
HOLMES: Bonnie's word of the day. BALDWIN: Bonnie's working it.
HOLMES: But, Bonnie, you didn't mention, but I assume there are torrential downpours in the Los Angeles area. I didn't hear you mention it, but when we look at the video, I assume there have to be...
SCHNEIDER: Yes, except they're not coming from the sky.
HOLMES: Not quite. Yes, this is a huge water main break. You can see it's coming up out of the ground there. But this is in L.A. Studio City. We just started getting -- look at this, this was happening overnight.
BALDWIN: This thing, they're saying several feet deep. You see some firefighters there, about 125 firefighters called to work this thing. In fact, there was a car. You see some of the cars, the wheels at least submerged on that Hummer.
But one person had to be rescued after their car was swept away in the floods. They were saying it will probably take four to five hours to shut the flow of the water main break, but not fun for people in that part of L.A.
HOLMES: That's a mess on a holiday weekend.
Also, coming up here, don't go too far. Lessons learned from the H1N1 outbreak. We're going to go back to one of the first schools that was hit hard by so the called swine flu.
BALDWIN: And then later, be honest -- you text while you drive. Let us know where you stand. We want to know because we're talking about it, and let's -- we're all kind of guilty here.
But we have to stop. We have to stop. So we'll be talking about that and we'll also be reading your responses coming up in our next half hour. So dangerous.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, been there, done that. Don't want to go back. A private Catholic school in New York knows all too well how to deal with the H1N1 virus. It's already been through one outbreak and doesn't want to go through another one.
Here now, CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sisters Amrita and Priti (ph) Sandhu are excited about going back to school except for one thing, the H1N1 virus or swine flu.
AMRITA SANDHU, HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR: I was nauseous, threw up, spotty chills, fever. CANDIOTTI: Amrita has the dubious distinction of being among the first people in the country to get swine flu last spring at New York City's epicenter, St. Francis Prep School.
SANDHU: As soon as I say prep, people say, "Oh, the swine school?"
CANDIOTTI: The school says it's ready as possible for opening day. The building was scrubbed down last spring. Now, hand sanitizers are in the cafeteria and every bathroom.
The high school's principal is teaching other schools how to handle an outbreak.
(on camera): Are you worried?
BROTHER LEONARD CONWAY, PRINCIPAL, ST. FRANCIS PREP: Well, I am worried. Some of the experts are saying that since so many kids have the flu here that they probably have built up an immunity to it.
CANDIOTTI: But this school isn't taking any chances. School assemblies will remind kids how to protect themselves. In the event of an outbreak, sick kids will be temporarily isolated in the auditorium.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There were kids around the bend waiting to get in.
CANDIOTTI: School nurse Mary Pavas (ph) knows firsthand about a quick response. When the swine flu hit, the school's phone lines were jammed. Security guards had to help take temperatures.
(on camera): To save time, should a lot of students show up at once here in the nurse's office, this year, they're going to be using these strip thermometers. Pretty easy to use, you just peel off the back, and put it on your forehead. This is Brian -- and it will register the temperature just like that.
(voice-over): The temperature glows, but is every school this prepared?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My biggest fear is that it would maybe be in a school where there was no nurse and, you know, it would be chaos for those kids.
CANDIOTTI: Some schools can't afford nurses. Nationwide, Vermont has the best nurse-to-student ratio, one nurse for every 275 students. In Utah, it jumps to one nurse for every 4,900 students.
But how to prevent an outbreak? In New York City, elementary students will be offered free swine flu vaccines when they're ready next month.
(on camera): Plan on getting the vaccine?
SANDHU: Yes, I would definitely get it. I'm just hoping that it doesn't -- like nothing like this happens again this year, or any year.
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Well, recess is over. Lawmakers headed back to Capitol Hill this week, and the president this Wednesday -- big night for him -- talking to a joint session of Congress, talking about health care reform. What might he say? How might he map it out? We'll talk to "STATE OF THE UNION's" John King who was at the Minnesota state fair this morning.
Stay right here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Some encouraging news about the global economy coming from the world's top money leaders.
BALDWIN: But the so-called "Group of 20" finance ministers agree it isn't time to start giving the high fives yet. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner explains in an exclusive interview with CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIMOTHY GEITHNER, TREASURY SECRETARY: We have brought the world economy back from the edge of the abyss, and you are starting to see the necessary conditions for a recovery, but we don't have recovery yet. We have growth under way but we don't yet have the conditions for a self-sustaining recovery led by private demand, which is what we're all committed to achieve.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: You know this name, Van Jones? He's out. One of President Obama's advisers now is stepping down. Why? Well, apparently, he signed a petition back in 2004 that essentially suggested that some high-level government officials, the wording actually is, "deliberately allowed the 9/11 attacks to happen."
Jones was the president's adviser on green jobs, but an administration source says Jones didn't quite read the petition carefully. Jones has apologized but he gave a statement accusing opponents of the president's health care reform plan of smearing him.
(VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, all right. These are opponents of some of the health care reform proposals that are out there. They're also opponents of big government.
They're making sure their protests remain fresh in their lawmaker's memories. This is the last weekend home for a lot of members of Congress and they are staging tea parties, a lot of these protesters are, like this one in Louisville, Kentucky. Today, the protests are scheduled in Indiana as well as Illinois.
BALDWIN: A trusted presidential adviser steps down, just told you about that. Congress is returning from recess and the president is about to face off with congressional leaders over health care reform.
HOLMES: Yes, it's a busy week in politics. Politics usually we talk about it happening in Washington.
BALDWIN: In beltway.
HOLMES: But politics happens out there, in the heartland, and that's where our guy, John King, you can't get anymore heartland than a state fair. John King is coming up, of course, at the top of the hour for "STATE OF THE UNION."
But tell us, what you're doing there at the state fair in the first place in Minnesota?
BALDWIN: Good morning.
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first and foremost, you know, T.J., we're having a little bit of fun out here. We're winning some prizes. We were at the midway last night playing some games. It's a Gopher, the Minnesota Gophers, you know, college football here. We got more toys here just for you.
But you mentioned, we're out here at the state fair for a Labor Day "STATE OF THE UNION" because we wanted to track the health care debate. Here's a brochure you get if you stop at the Democratic Party booth here, promoting the president's ideas on health care. They say, you have to listen to the president Wednesday night and Congress needs to get behind the president.
But if you go to the Republican Party's booth you get this one here, "Hands off my health care" or "Change, I'd like mine back." So, the Republicans are out here saying, you know, Obama-care -- as they call it -- would cause long lines.
And so, as you mentioned, the debate is about to pick up in Washington -- a critical week ahead for the president with this big speech. We wanted to come to a state fair and watch the debate play out around all of the games and a lot of food on the stick here, too.
BALDWIN: Yes. I was going to ask if you're having snickerdoodles or corn dogs yet there. They're mighty tasty. John, I want you to ask as we've been talking yesterday...
KING: Not for breakfast.
BALDWIN: No, not good. Not good.
We were at -- we were talking yesterday about how CNN sources which, of course, I'm sure your sources, John King, the fact that there's talk of the administration drafting their own health care reform legislation. What are you hearing about that and what might be their strategy?
KING: I lost that feed, guys.
BALDWIN: Oh!
(CROSSTALK)
KING: Well, the strategy now is to get more specific.
BALDWIN: Are you with us?
KING: You guys got me now?
BALDWIN: Yes.
KING: I thought I lost you for a second there.
But their strategy is to get more specific. Remember, the president wanted the House and Senate to pass a bill by August recess. That didn't happen. So now, he's bringing them together.
After these town halls, after all these and protests, look at the public opinion polls, support for the president's plan and approval of his handling of the issue have plummeted.
So, the president is going to try to reframe the debate, capture a national television audience, and the White House says, yes, they will have some more specifics.
Will it be a 1,000-page piece of legislation? Probably not. Will it be more details on the big issues? One of the biggest issues the president has to referee is a disagreement and it's within his own Democratic family about that public option -- should there be a government-run health care program that competes with private insurers?
So, a huge challenge for the president and that he's picking Wednesday night to deliver the primetime speech tells you that the president understands the clock is ticking. This is his number one domestic political priority. And right now, he has a political problem, and we're going to see a test of this president's leadership beginning Wednesday night.
HOLMES: John, you spoke again there about -- I mentioned there about another primetime speech. It seems like we see a lot of him in primetime and there's a buildup and everybody's anticipating to hear from the president to shape this debate and to lead.
But, let remember that last press conference he had about health care reform, a lot of people thought was a dud. Nobody got anything out of it in the health care debate. How much pressure is on him to actually deliver something on Wednesday? Do we have any indication that he will deliver something and it will change the game on Wednesday?
KING: Well, we have indications that they say he will be more specific, even members of his own party have said, "Mr. President, you can't let the House write one bill, the Senate write another bill. Other people, I have this idea, you have that idea." That's time for the president to say, "I'm the president, this is the centerpiece what we need to do" and try to referee some of these fights.
The White House says he's prepared to do that. There are some who say it is too late and to the moment of overexposure I think would be the question there, T.J. Does the president have to do this too often? Coming to a primetime audience to do this.
The White House says this is a huge venue and they understand the pressure, but in the political environment -- look, you don't do this out of a position of strength. The president has lost control of much of the debate over the summer and this is his attempt to get it back. He still remains personally popular and the White House is yet again going to that well, the personal popularity of President Obama to try to overcome right now a bit of a deficit when it comes to the policy issues.
BALDWIN: All right. "STATE OF THE UNION's " John King live at the Minnesota state fair with Gophers and stuffed animals and the like, and we appreciate it and have fun up there, John.
HOLMES: All right. We'll see you, John, in about a half hour. Thanks so much, buddy.
KING: Thank you, guys.
BALDWIN: We have seen some shocking public service ads, meth addiction, it could be brutal and hard to shake, but some addicts are fighting back with faith.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Hello again, everybody on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING. I'm T.J. Holmes.
BALDWIN: Good morning. I'm Brooke Baldwin, in for Betty Nguyen. It is 8:30 Eastern Time here, Sunday, September 6th.
Hope you're having a nice holiday weekend and you don't have to work tomorrow.
HOLMES: Yes, and we're going to start with a few top stories we want to share with you here. This happened yesterday, just a tough scene. This is in a rural south of Georgia community where seven people had their funerals and their burials all in one day. These were for seven of the eight people killed last week north of Brunswick.
Again, all of them laid out, these coffins -- seven coffins laid out in these burials yesterday, just a tough scene for this one community. These victims were all found in a mobile home; 22-year-old guy Heinze Jr., who is the son of one of the victims, has been charged now eight counts of first-degree murder. Heinze made the initial 911 call to alert police of the killings. More than 200 mourners attended those funerals.
BALDWIN: In California, a parade will celebrate the return of Jaycee Lee Dugard, who was snatched on her way to school, headed to the bus stop, about 18 years ago now. People will line the streets of South Lake Tahoe to revel in the relatively happy ending to a crime that reverberates throughout that community, even today.
CNN's Kara Finnstrom has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANGIE KEIL, LAKE TAHOE PARENT: Everyone was just going, did you hear, Jaycee's alive? And she's found? We were all so excited.
KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Neighbor Angie Keil never forgot the blue-eyed girl so violently snatched on her way to school. During the nearly two decades since, sadness and fear have reverberated in the small mountain community.
SUE BUSH, FORMER TEACHER: There were tears and they were scared and they should have been scared.
FINNSTROM: Jaycee Dugard's fifth grade teacher says classmates wrote Jaycee letters.
MEGAN DORRIS, JAYCEE'S FORMER CLASSMATE: This is my senior year book.
FINNSTROM: One classmate Megan Dorris, felt Jaycee's absence during each life milestone.
DORRIS: She didn't have the chance to graduate high school, to have friends, turning, you know, 21 and going to college. I think that's probably been the most haunting thing.
FINNSTROM: But Angie Keil says in the midst of all the horror and loss, Jaycee unknowingly gave her and other parents an incredible gift.
EMMETT FREEMAN, SON OF ANGIE KEIL: This guy walked around the corner and he said, "If you come find my wallet with me I'll give you $5."
FINNSTROM: That was Keil's son Emmett shortly after a frightening 2002 encounter. Emmett says the man chased him but he got away on his bike.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Practising things with their family.
FINNSTROM: And it was taught to escape through a program in schools called "A Fighting Chance."
TERRY DUGARD, JAYCEE LEE DUGARD'S MOTHER: My name is Terry. I'm Jaycee Lee Dugard's mother.
FINNSTROM: Jaycee's mother helped launch it in her daughter's honor, six after her disappearance.
A. KEIL: We would put the kids in the trunk of the car and we would lower the -- we would actually lower this. We don't latch it all the way.
FINNSTROM: Isn't that a little scary for the kids?
A. KEIL: At first it is a little scary for them but boy, when they get out of the trunk they feel really good. They understand what it takes to break wires, what it takes to kick out tail lights or what it takes to bang on the top of the roof and really make a lot of noise.
FREEMAN: The training had told me just say no, you don't know this guy and so I did.
A. KEIL: You just never know what would have happened but the fact that Emmett knew what to do and knew not to even engage in any conversation meant that he is with me now.
FINNSTROM: Keil says in this community, where nobody used to lock doors, the training appears to have helped a number of children. Now she's overjoyed, knowing the girl who started it all is finally back home.
A. KEIL: I can't imagine what it would be like to get her back.
FINNSTROM (on camera): Jaycee's mother ultimately moved away from South Lake Tahoe but this community has always felt very connected to the Dugard family. Sunday they'll be holding a hometown parade of celebration to show their support.
Kara Finnstrom for CNN, South Lake Tahoe, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Coming up, is the power of prayer strong enough to fight a horrific crystal meth addiction? One former user you're about to meet says God worked, when traditional methods failed.
HOLMES: Also another check of our top stories, including shark tales from Cape Cod.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Listen to this combination: cold tablets, lithium in batteries and deadly ammonia, those are the ingredients used to make meth and they're very easy to find but the addiction, difficult to quit.
So why is it that some people recover when others don't? We take a look at one addict's answer in this morning's "Faces of Faith."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: These may look like scenes from a horror movie but they're not. These are anti-drug ads from the meth project, showing suburban teens turning into meth-addicted zombies, their faces picked apart. A dramatic look at how methamphetamine can destroy the body.
But this is also the face of a meth addict. Randy used the drug for three and a half years. Now is he clean.
RANDY, RECOVERING CYSTAL METH ADDICT: I was one of those people that used to look in the mirror, and say ok, today is the day I'm not going to drink or use drugs and I did every day. Whether you know it or not I did.
BALDWIN: Randy was already struggling with alcohol abuse when a friend introduced him to crystal meth.
RANDY: Actually the person who gave me crystal is now dead as a result of his drug use.
BALDWIN: Crystal meth is also referred to as speed, ice, glass or Tina. Long-term use can cause psychosis, hallucinations, anxiety, even strokes.
A 2007 survey from the national institute on drug abuse found 1.3 million people over the age of 12 reported abusing meth. That number was down slightly from the year before but still cause for concern.
When Randy realized that his life had become unmanageable he sought treatment. When traditional therapy didn't work, he looked for help from a higher source.
RANDY: Then I had to make a decision to turn that over, you know, to a power outside of myself, who I choose to call God, and to ask God for help and guidance and to get beyond this.
BALDWIN: He joined a 12-step program for crystal meth addicts which works like Alcoholics Anonymous. His groups meeting have a spiritual focus. They pray together, some read scripture. People talk about their connection to a higher power.
Jocelyn Cox, an addition psychiatrist, oftentimes recommends that her clients attend 12-step meetings as part of their treatment.
DR. JOCELYN COX, ADDICTION PSYCHIATRIST: The spiritual principle that helps someone to recover include things like a willingness to make changes, openness to suggestion, honesty is one of the most fundamental principles.
BALDWIN: Traditionally, many of the 12 steps reference God. Step five, admit to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs, but experts point out you don't have to be religious to participate in a 12-step program.
COX: Spirituality really is not necessarily synonymous with religion. And spirituality in it's one of the simplest definitions is that which gives a person meaning and purpose in their lives.
BALDWIN: Today, Randy has several years of sobriety behind him, but he still takes it one day at a time. He attends 12-step meetings and prays every day.
RANDY: I have to have constant prayer meditation throughout the day. There is a solution. You can do this, you never have to drink or use again if you don't want to.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Good for Randy.
Crystal meth as you can imagine, highly addictive. In fact, experts say you use it one time, once, you get hooked. Crystal Meth Anonymous is one 12-step fellowship and there are hundreds out there eager to help -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right, thank you, Brooke.
Well, the Associated Press now reporting a horrible story out of Pennsylvania, they have a suspect and anticipate filing charges, this in the case of a missing 4-year-old boy. Police say they found the body of Wayne Thomas Smitsky stuffed inside a neighbor's septic tank yesterday.
He disappeared Friday after playing with his sisters outside of that home. We are keeping an eye on the story.
Also take a look at another little boy I told you a story about, he is now the focus of a custody dispute. Strange circumstances here, he was missing for nearly two years when he was then found alive inside a wall inside his grandmother's house in Benton, Illinois.
The house contained several hiding places around it. The boy's mother disappeared with him in late 2007, after a custody disagreement with the father. The child's mother also found at that home. Now the mother and the boy's grandmother have been arrested.
We'll turn to something else that will scare you a bit here. Take a look at that, that's a shark you do not want to see if you're on your beach vacation in Cape Cod. This is a shark, a couple of them actually spotted in Chatham, Massachusetts. Some of the beaches have been closed in that area; some people still braving it, getting out there in the water.
Pretty uncommon to see these things, great whites we're told they are, out there in the water. They were tagged so some of the wildlife officials could keep up with them but don't go in the water, folks. That's the moral of the story.
Also some more video to show you here; I was trying to figure this one out. A car -- this is in Suffolk County, New York -- it went airborne and ended up, listen to this, on the second floor of a home. The driver may have been speeding, may have.
BALDWIN: How did that happen?
HOLMES: May have been speeding, police say. Actually hit something and went airborne, went into the second floor, ended up down in the foyer of the home. Nobody, amazingly, injured in this thing. The homeowner actually described it as a scene out of "Dukes of Hazzard" which is probably accurate.
BALDWIN: Who knew. "May have been speeding" I like that. May have been texting; who knows?
HOLMES: We'll get into that.
BALDWIN: Hi Carl Azuz.
CARL AZUZ, CNNSTUDENTNEWS.COM: How are you all doing?
BALDWIN: Good morning.
HOLMES: Good to see you. He's back.
AZUZ: Thanks for having me back.
HOLMES: School is back in session, obviously.
AZUZ: School's back for me. It's like actually being back in school except without detention which is a step in the right direction.
HOLMES: Carl is back. He's going to have some "Extra Credit" for us coming up right after the break. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: All right. Having flashbacks talking about homework. Homework is back, the grades are back and that questionable square pizza cafeteria food, too.
AZUZ: I miss it.
HOLMES: That means Carl is back. Carl Azuz, we missed you this summer. I hope you had a good one. Glad you had a good one.
AZUZ: It was good.
HOLMES: Very good time to be talking to you and about what's going on with students. The classrooms are in focus this week with the president making his speech.
Welcome back and explain, remind everybody what you do.
AZUZ: Sure.
HOLMES: CNN Students News is CNN's ten-minute commercial free news program for the classroom. We bring news of the day in the middle and high school classrooms across the nation. We have some international viewers as well.
There are three ways you can check us out. One is at cnnstudentnews.com, you see our Web site right there where you'll find every show we do, in addition to the media literacy question of the day, materials to help teachers out.
You can also find us on iTunes, there's a free downloadable podcast, you just search "CNN Student News."
And we air Monday through Friday throughout the school year on HLN at 4:00 a.m. Eastern time but we'll be off tomorrow for the Labor Day holiday.
HOLMES: You're back but you're taking a break.
BALDWIN: You're back then you're gone then you're back again.
AZUZ: I'm here for you today, though.
BALDWIN: We appreciate it.
HOLMES: Well, good to see you. What are the students talking about? I'm sure some are going to be talking about the speech the President is going to make on Tuesday but also texting and driving which a lot of kids do.
BALDWIN: Not just kids.
AZUZ: Almost all of them text, some drive, a lot of your audience, of course, does both at the same time, as some kids tell us.
I brought you some comments today that kind of give what students are saying about this. We have one from Michael. He's talking about texting while driving. We asked them, should there be a national ban on this.
And Michael is saying "I personally think you shouldn't be able to text while driving. My dad does it with one hand on his Blackberry and one on the wheel." Michael doesn't think that's good enough.
But on the other side of it, we have a comment from Michelle. She says "the U.S. government didn't pay for the cell phones. Therefore, they shouldn't decide when they are used. People should just learn to be more responsible."
HOLMES: Good point.
AZUZ: Now we asked them on a quick poll. It's not scientific but we had a quick poll on the blog saying, where do you stand on this overall." And the results came in, looked like 80 percent of the students were saying outlaw it all together.
Currently it's done by state. 80 percent think there should be a national ban. 20 percent say no way.
BALDWIN: And I was just reading an article from the "New York Times" a couple of days ago. I printed it out and I can't find it but essentially saying because of some fatalities in Utah they passed the strictest law I think on the books statewide. The fact if you're caught texting and driving, you go to prison for 15 years.
HOLMES: That's heavy.
AZUZ: You know, a lot of students are asking us how do you prosecute that? And of course, if they were to get the records that showed you were texting around the time of an accident, it can put you in some really deep trouble.
HOLMES: You're documenting, you're guilty. You are actually documenting your guilt as you're driving around.
AZUZ: Oh, yes.
HOLMES: Carl, it is good to have you back. Enjoy your break.
AZUZ: Thank you. I'll be bringing you more highlights from CNN Student News over the weeks ahead.
HOLMES: We are looking forward to seeing you. Welcome back.
BALDWIN: Thank you.
AZUZ: Thank you guys.
BALDWIN: Nice to meet you.
AZUZ: All right.
HOLMES: He shared some comments there from some of the students. We have some of our adults chiming in on this as well. We've got a few I'm share with you.
My favorite so far is from Twitter. See that right there, the guy calls himself "killbay." "I'd love to share my thoughts on texting and driving but I really need to make this next exit off the New Jersey turnpike."
That's pretty good. I mean he might have been actually doing that.
Also, another one, "I think it's crazy that people would text and drive. I'm guilty but it's crazy."
Someone else here, we have a couple of these saying "I'm not that coordinated. I have to admit I wait until I get to a red light, a stop sign or open road." So still texting and driving. You might not hurt somebody else on the open road but you could still hurt yourself out there on the open road. It is really dangerous.
BALDWIN: Bad news.
HOLMES: When you catch yourself doing it, it almost scares you. You look up and you just take your eyes off for a second. It is really bad.
BALDWIN: You consciously know you shouldn't be doing it but so many people do it anyway.
So far, health care reform has focused on cutting costs.
HOLMES: I got a question for you now. Would you pay more, sometimes a lot more for VIP health care service maybe? Hmm.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Would you actually pay more for better health care? Some people are turning to the so-called concierge services, paying a pretty steep fee for it, but some of them do like their service. This personalized care; it is photojournalist John Barden now takes us inside the MDVIP program.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Before Dr. Sheff I went to a large practice. The waiting was usually half an hour plus. Good morning.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, good morning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have an appointment with Dr. Sheff.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ok, Mr. Jones.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We'll get you all checked in, if you want to have a seat someone will be right with you.
DR. ALAN SHEFF, MDVIP PROVIDER: My practice had really just gotten out of control. I didn't have time to sit still with one patient and really give them my full undivided attention. There are too many distractions, phone calls, paperwork that needed taking care of. The day was very busy. At the end of the day on the way home I would constantly be worried that there was something maybe I didn't do or forgot to take care of that was going to come back to haunt me or hurt a patient.
Hey Tom. Good morning. Good to see you again, too. Come and have a seat down here so we can talk.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel he's more of a coach than doctor. He's very much preventative medicine and wants me to stay in shape and not see him.
SHEFF: When I heard about the MDVIP practice style it addressed those concerns. It's a pretty straightforward concept, a primary care physician like myself, by cutting down drastically on the number of patients and with the added time that's available, we do an old- fashioned prevention-oriented physical on every person every year.
I'm addressing risk factors, lifestyle issues as well as any health conditions or diseases that may be present. If they can afford to do it, it's good. It's very helpful and very comforting.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There you go, Mr. Jones.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you very much.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're welcome, have a good day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take care.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: CNN listen carry the president's health care reform address on Wednesday night, that's the one he's making to a Joint Session of Congress. Again, that's 8:00 Eastern time Wednesday night.
BALDWIN: Principals have been doing their math and the budgets, the numbers, they are not adding up. What gets cut, teachers or school day? Stick around.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: So I know a lot of economists have technically said we are out of the recession but a lot of us aren't feeling it, and that includes schools across the country. But there's this one school in Georgia and some school administrators decided instead of handing out 39 pink slips to 39 teachers, they're cutting a day a week of school.
HOLMES: That sounds pretty good. Four days a week, a lot of kids would love to have an extra day off but CNN's Fredricka Whitfield explains it's not so popular with the parents.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN S. CLARK, SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT, PEACH COUNTY, GEORGIA: I was devastated. I'm sure I speak probably for every superintendent in the state of Georgia.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Susan S. Clark is schools superintendent in rural Peach County, Georgia.
CLARK: It was almost like, come on! It's a week before school starts. What are we going to do?
WHITFIELD: In July, public schools in Georgia got some bad news. As the state grappled with the budget crisis, they were told to cut spending. Peach County suddenly had a shortfall of nearly $800,000.
CLARK: Do I want to shut the buildings down and take the bulk of my savings in energies and transportation or do I want to lay off 39 people.
WHITFIELD: So Peach County decided to try something new to Georgia, a four-day school week; for all 4,000 students in Peach County, no school on Mondays. The county estimates it will save $400,000 by closing school buildings and parking school buses. It's saving a similar amount with a three-day furlough for all staff.
NANCY HARPER, PARENT: When they first said we were going to a four-day week I thought this is crazy.
WHITFIELD: Nancy Harper, whose daughter is a third grader at Byron Elementary, wasn't happy.
HARPER: Had it planned out what I was going to do, ok, and when you make a budget, and you've got your finances in a budget, and you got it set, all of a sudden they threw a monkey wrench in it.
WHITFIELD: Parents are now left trying to keep their kids occupied or cared for on Mondays. Some got lucky. Thanks to Jesse Fortson, Pastor of Byron Baptist Church.
JESSE FORTSON, PASTOR, BYRON BAPTIST CHURCH: We sat down and decided to put together a program on Mondays at extremely low cost. We just don't want to do child care. If we're doing child care, we'd put them in a day care. But what we want to do is really come alongside, do a mentoring and help them out in school.
WHITFIELD: That helps a few dozen students. A group of moms came up with another plan.
MITZI MCDANIEL, PARENT: Several of us, we're getting our children together on Mondays and letting the children experience things they sometimes can't learn in school and we're just making the best out of a delicate situation right now.
We talk about anything from the seven continents to the five oceans to the five senses to coloring, counting, anything that are age-appropriate exercises.
WHITFIELD: Susan Clark said there are no easy options. She believes she took the least damaging course.
CLARK: Are you willing to take the risk to do what you believe is in the best interests of the children or not?
WHITFIELD: There may be more tough choices ahead. The county expects further budget cuts in January.
Fredricka Whitfield, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Four-day weeks.
HOLMES: So kids are loving it but parents have a big argument to make there.
We're going to hand this over to John King in just a moment.
But before we do that, we just want to say to you, again, thank you, Brooke Baldwin, for being here. I'm going to give a little news here but I just want to say thanks anyway, you are appreciated.
The video you see here is of a man by the name of Van Jones, you've been hearing a lot about this week. He's President Obama's adviser on green jobs. He is now actually stepping down for a number of reasons, namely he signed a petition back in 2004 that suggested the government let the 9/11 attacks happen. He has apologized but also claimed opponents of President Obama's health care reform were just after him.
Just one of the top stories. We're going to hand it over now to John King and "STATE OF THE UNION."
