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CNN Sunday Morning
Americans Arrested in Haiti; Peace for Sale In Afghanistan
Aired January 31, 2010 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everybody. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It's the last day of January, the 31st.
Good morning, everybody. Thanks for being with us. I'm Betty Nguyen.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And hello to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes. It's 8:00 a.m. where we sit in Atlanta, Georgia; midnight in Melbourne where Roger Federer has done it again.
NGUYEN: Again.
HOLMES: Sixteenth grand slam title. He just picked the Australian...
NGUYEN: He's the man.
HOLMES: ... Open about an hour or so ago.
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: But wherever you may be, thank you for starting your day with us.
We have to start with kind of some salacious details of a new book that's coming out about John Edwards, the man who is trying to be president but at the same time trying to keep an affair a secret. We're going to get into some of these allegations in the new book that just came out this weekend.
NGUYEN: Yes. Wait until you heard them.
Plus this, 10 Americans charged with child trafficking in Haiti. They are accused of trying to bus 33 kids into the Dominican Republic. They are with an Idaho charity and many of the kids with them did not have passports or any kind of documentation.
HOLMES: We want to take look at some of the stories we're keeping an eye on this morning as well.
The powerful winter storm that swept through southern and the Mid-Atlantic States finally getting out of there. Clean up crews are working now to clear up the mess it all left behind. North Carolina is what you are looking at here, it got hit pretty hard. The governor there declared a state of emergency. More than a dozen shelters are open across that state.
NGUYEN: Mexican police found at least seven bullet-riddled bodies in Juarez, along the Texas border. A police official says the victims, all of them men, were killed in separate attacks. Now, it's unclear if they were victims of the city's drug wars. Local reports say 150 people have been killed in Juarez this month alone.
HOLMES: Now to Afghanistan. A case of mistaken identity leaves four Afghan forces dead. NATO is promising a full investigation into this mix-up. What we're hearing right now is that Afghan soldiers supposedly thought a group of U.S. Special Forces in Afghan commandos were actually Taliban militants. Both sides mistook the other for enemy combatants.
NGUYEN: All right. So, let's get back to that disturbing story coming out of Haiti this morning. Ten Americans are charged with child trafficking.
HOLMES: And these Americans are from Idaho. They're from a charity that's based there called New Life Children's Refuge. They were all arrested at the border with the Dominican Republic. And one of those arrested says this is all just a case of misunderstanding here over documentation.
Our Karl Penhaul is on the story for us from Port-au-Prince.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The 10 Americans are spending the night in Haitian jail cells in Port-au-Prince close to the airport. They say that in a course of the afternoon, a Haitian judged charged them with child trafficking. Those charges stem from the group's efforts to bus 33 Haitian children, some as young as 2-months- old, out from Haiti and into the neighboring Dominican Republic.
According to the group's leader, Laura Silsby, the intention was to take the children to a converted hotel in the Dominican Republic where they would be given temporary shelter. She says that there were no attempts ever to send those children abroad in adoption and there was no attempt to send them to the United States or any other country.
She does, however, concede that none of the children had passports and none of them had any documentation provided by the Haitian government that would permit them to travel. At one point, the group says that Haitian authorities accused them of trying to sell the children, charges again that they deny.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA SILSBY, NEW LIFE CHILDREN'S REFUGE: We are just trusting that truth will be revealed because we know that the truth ultimately is that we came here to help the children, and we know that God will reveal truth. And we're just praying for that and trusting him.
(END VIDEO CLIP) PENHAUL: Since the earthquake, Haitian authorities have introduced stringent measures to try and prevent the risk of child trafficking. United Nations organizations and other international aid groups have also warned that given the confusion, it is very dangerous to pursue adoptions or to send orphans abroad at this time because of the increased risk of trafficking.
Karl Penhaul, CNN, Port-au-Prince.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, the father of one of the women who organized this trip is defending the group. Mel Coulter of Meridian, Ohio, says his daughter, Carissa (ph) and the New Life Children's Refuge group just wanted to help orphan children.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEL COULTER, DAUGHTER ARRESTED IN HAITI: Their attempt was to share the best. They want to bring kids out who have no home, who have no parents, who have no hope. And this was an attempt to give them the hope that they've lost in Haiti.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Carissa Coulter (ph) and the others go before a Haitian judge tomorrow.
Well, in Haiti's capital, new help for the thousands left hungry after the earthquake, the U.N.'s World Food Program says it will begin delivering emergency rations this morning by way of 16 distribution sites now set up in Port-au-Prince. But only women will be allowed to pick up the provisions described as 55 pounds of rice.
A World Food Program spokesman says some women are receiving the food voucher because they tend to be responsible for the household food supply. The U.N. hopes to feed as many as 2 million Haitians in a two-week long period.
HOLMES: Well, if you can't beat them, buy them. We're talking about paying off the Taliban. It's a good idea to you maybe. Well, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, he convinced the world leaders last week that's exactly what needs to be done and they agreed -- the U.S. included.
CNN national security analyst Peter Bergen is here to discuss that -- as well the report we've been monitoring overnight.
Peter, good morning to you. This report we're getting is, possibly, the Pakistani Taliban leader has been taken out by another one of these drone attacks. What do we know?
PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, T.J., that's right. Good morning.
You know, Hakimullah Mehsud, who is the new leader of the Pakistani Taliban, their new leader, has been reported to being killed in the past and those reports have turned out to be wrong. So, I think that, for the moment, these reports need to be treated with a little bit of skepticism. Pakistani state television did report this. The "Associated Press" is reporting that a funeral was held and has a witness, somebody who attended the funeral saying Mehsud's funeral was actually held.
But I think it's the nature of this kind of report that we need to be a little bit careful. I don't think this is 100 percent confirmed yet. But certainly, this guy, if it's true, is a -- you know, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, a group that has killed literally hundreds of Pakistani civilians, army officers, policemen -- a very brutal guy.
HOLMES: We'll move on now to this idea of, if you can't beat 'em, buy 'em. We're talking about the possibility of literally millions and maybe even billion dollars or so going towards buying the loyalty, if you will, of Taliban fighters. Now, this is not necessarily a new idea. Something like this was tried in Iraq.
But why is it different in Afghanistan from what we saw in Iraq?
BERGEN: Well, I think there was a number of differences between the two countries. I mean, you know, al Qaeda in Iraq, you know, really damaged its brand and created this tribal uprising against it. I don't think you have exactly the same situation in Afghanistan, where the Taliban is, in many cases, the guys that you grew up with in your community, and they are not a foreign group.
But, you know, the idea of buying off the Taliban, you know, I think it's a good idea. If you can do it, and certainly, in a country with enormously high unemployment and a lot of people out of work, some people attempted to kind of do work for the Taliban, and if they were tempted the other direction, that's great. But I would caution that the upper levels of the Taliban, you know, the leadership level, even though we've seen now United Nations official meeting in Dubai with some unspecified Taliban officials, I think that those high-level officials are not going to necessarily do a deal with the Afghan government. Right now, they think that they are either -- they have the momentum, and why do a deal now when you can get a bigger piece of the pie later is I think they are thinking.
HOLMES: Let me get in here and ask as well, even on the lower levels, some people tend to believe that even if you do buy the loyalty, you are only buying it for a short period. It's temporary loyalty and you're not really getting at the heart of the problem.
BERGEN: Well, yes. I mean, there is that, but it's far better to, you know, rent somebody than have them shooting at you, you know?
HOLMES: You think it's a good idea, even if, down the road, they still are going to come back at you and be shooting at you in 18 months or three years?
BERGEN: Well, you know, in Iraq, where there was analogous thing happen, you know, for $300 per month, you basically got a lot, you know, 100,000 guys to switch sides, and not only stop shooting at you but also take the fight to the people that you're at war with. So, you know, and at the moment, you got to do something to blunt the Taliban momentum, and that -- this is just one of the many ideas that are out there.
HOLMES: What is their idea on the ground, would you say, Taliban fighters, certainly the higher levels, but even on the lower levels -- I know you talked about jobs and the idea of a future here and putting down the arms, but who do they believe is winning the war? The Taliban over there, even on the lower level, do they believe they have the upper hand right now and isn't that disincentive, if you will, to take cash?
BERGEN: Well, I mean, there's no doubt that's the case. I mean, it's a simple fact that they do have the momentum. And we reported here on CNN about an intelligence briefing that the top U.S. intelligence official gave in December, and, you know, every aspect of that briefing showed that the Taliban has been more effective in 2009 than in any other year before. And if you look at the charts of the violence in Afghanistan, you know, it's has gone up and up and up and up.
HOLMES: Yes.
BERGEN: In 2009, it's really peaking.
So, there's no doubt that they feel that they do have the momentum. And I think that's why it's going to be hard to get the top leaders, the people who really run this movement to do a deal right now.
HOLMES: All right. Peter Bergen, national security analyst and a friend of our show here on CNN SATURDAY and SUNDAY MORNING -- Peter, we always appreciate you and your expertise. Thanks so much. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.
BERGEN: Thank you.
HOLMES: All right -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Yes. He always has great information.
I want to tell you about this, too. A lot of folks are feeling the impact from yesterday's ice storms. It's not over yet, folks. Today, the story is snow.
So, where is it falling and how much can we expect? We'll check on that with Reynolds Wolf in just a minute.
Plus, a tell-all book about John Edwards, disturbing revelations from a former aide. What do Edwards' attorneys have to say about all this? We have those details coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC) NGUYEN: Dave Matthews is going to be performing tonight at the Grammys, and giving you a look at Los Angeles, where the Grammys will be taking place this evening. This is a beautiful shot coming to us from our affiliate, KABC.
But it's not all nice outside in all parts of the nation. In fact, snow, ice and rain causing lots of problems for people today. I want to give you a look at weather conditions in North Carolina. People are being told to stay off the roadways. Things are not looking that much better in Maryland, either.
We'll get the latest now with Reynolds Wolf. He's been watching all this for us.
You know, hey, look, it's January, and we get it, Reynolds. But this is a whole lot of snow that a lot of people are dealing with today.
I can't hear you.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: (AUDIO BREAK) and in parts of Central Plains. I mean, we're looking at -- they were -- they got 100,000 people without power, and businesses, too -- homes and businesses. And they've got roughly 35 centers around the area where people can go and get out of the element and just take shelter -- but certainly, the best thing you can do in a time like this.
If you are stuck and if you get bored, people tend to do things like make snow men, or, well, in this case, build igloos. Take a look at this iReport that we have that was sent in from Jennifer Bruco, I believe, and this was sent in from Clinton, Tennessee. You see, I don't believe that's Jennifer, but that's someone that she knows very well that is inside the igloo, having a fine time.
And to tell you the truth, that maybe some of the best shelter you can possibly get, especially out into parts of the Rockies, where although the snow is ending in Carolinas, Virginia and Maryland, and it's going to end in Tennessee, it's only going to start ramping up in parts of the Rockies. In fact, take a look at this for just a few seconds. We've got it right here on radar for you to see. Cluster of some of that snow popping up near Salt Lake City, back from the Wasatch Range into the Central Rockies, even Great Falls getting in on the action.
You're seeing, right along parts of Washington state and even into Oregon, there are showers, but when you go up in the higher elevations where actually, it's cooler here, that's where you're going to see the snow really begin to pileup in earnest. And before all is said and done, parts of the central and northern Rockies could see maybe one to even two feet of snow. And that coupled with some strong wind gusts could really limit visibility, visibility near zero in the highest peaks. But in the valleys, too, visibility is dropping to about a quarter of a mile at times.
This is going to continue for a good part of today and for tomorrow. But as we make our way back across the Central Plains, it's pretty nice condition. Same story across the southeast. Nice and sunny for you in New York City. However, for western New York, back in Syracuse, you could see snowfall there.
Southern California, mostly sunny with high temperatures. Very quickly, going to 64 degrees in L.A., 44 in Denver, 53 in Atlanta, 68 in Tampa, 38 in New York, and 32 in Boston.
That is a look at your forecast. We got a lot more coming up right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. See you in a bit.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
HOLMES: You think you'll hear that tonight?
NGUYEN: Yes, I have a feeling I will.
HOLMES: More about Gwen.
NGUYEN: Yes, that one, too.
HOLMES: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: Grammys coming up tonight if you didn't know, and you'll see the Black Eyed Peas and many other stars this evening.
We have to turn to politics here, though. A pretty big boom boom pow happening in a book right now. Disturbing revelations about the man who wanted to be the president of the United States -- a man that people in Washington now say could have literally taken down the entire Democratic Party.
NGUYEN: Yes, well, last week, John Edwards admitted to fathering a child out of wedlock. The details -- all part of the tell-all book "The Politician," and that was written by Edwards' long time confidant, Andrew Young.
Now, Young spoke to ABC News about how he, Edwards, and Edwards' mistress, Rielle Hunter, hatched the plan for Young to claim that he was the baby's father.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDREW YOUNG, FORMER AIDE TO JOHN EDWARDS: There was not a lot of time to sit back and contemplate, hey, is this logical? Was it logical? No. Was it stupid? Yes. Did we do the right thing morally? No. Absolutely not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Well, Andrew Young also writes that he has a videotape that shows John Edwards having sex with the woman that he says appears to be Rielle Hunter. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YOUNG: There was one tape that was marked special. And we're just aghast. It's a sex tape of Rielle and John Edwards, made just a couple months before the Iowa caucuses.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you absolutely sure this is John Edwards and Rielle Hunter?
YOUNG: It's definitely him. You never see her face. It's a visibly pregnant woman.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: All right. So, just some of the details that you will be reading should you want to pick up a copy of that book.
All right. And on the flip side, John Edwards' attorneys, they are speaking out as well. They're weighing in on the release of this book. Here's what they're saying and I'm quoting here, "While we have not had an opportunity to view that interview or read the book, we urge extreme caution by everyone involved. From media reports, it is obvious that there are many allegations which are simply false. It appears that Andrew Young is primarily motivated by financial gain and media attention."
HOLMES: This will not be the last time you hear about that book and the details, I am sure.
Let's turn to something else that might be sitting in your driveway that could be a problem. One of those Toyotas, millions of them recalled. Well, we're told now the fix may be on the way this week.
NGUYEN: Which is good news because for a while, owners were just told, hey, yes, there's a problem, we'll get back with you on what to do.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: So, we're going to give you the details on why millions had this potentially defective gas pedal, and what you need to do about it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Checking some of our top stories this morning.
Toyota says it's finalizing plans to fix the gas pedal problem at the center of that massive recall. The spokesman for the carmaker does not give a timeline necessarily, but the "Associated Press" reporting that some dealerships expect to receive replacement parts as early as this Thursday.
NGUYEN: All right. In sports, look far too easy for tennis great Roger Federer this morning Down Under. Federer quickly dispatching Scotsman Andy Murray to win his fourth Australian Open title. This victory, his 16th grand slam title.
HOLMES: Well, President Obama, they are all busy weeks, aren't they?
But let's tell you what he's got going on this week, to outline his $3.8 trillion budget proposal that's being sent to Congress. It includes major funding increases for education for the next fiscal year. In the afternoon, he will answer questions from YouTube users in a live interview. Later, he will attend the security and crisis management meeting related to the upcoming Olympics.
And then on Tuesday, the president will talk jobs and the economy at a town hall he's hosting in New Hampshire. Then, Wednesday, he'll meet with the governors from the country -- across the country to discuss energy policy. And then on Thursday, he's going to be speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington.
NGUYEN: Well, coming up at 9:00 Eastern, John King is on "STATE OF THE UNION." He joins us now with a preview of what he's going to be talking about.
And we've been spending a lot of time this morning talking about John Edwards and these new explosive details that are coming out in a book written by one of his aides.
Is this going to make much of a difference in the political world? Or is this just information that we kind of already knew?
JOHN KING, "STATE OF THE UNION" HOST: Well, certainly, we're getting new details from this former aide, Andrew Young.
Will it make any difference in the political world? It might teach politicians to be a little bit more careful in their lives. Look, John Edwards is no longer in the Senate. He is not going to be a serious candidate for anything down the road. So, to some extent, it has no impact in the political world.
But Washington, like anywhere in America, loves the good gossip story and a good gossip book. So, while I don't think Mr. Edwards has much of a political future, if any at all, this is certainly the subject of a fair amount of conversation here in the nation's capital.
NGUYEN: Yes, no doubt.
HOLMES: Let's move away from the gossip at least and let's -- you always hear that term, political theater. That was some great theater on Friday. We don't get to see this kind of stuff. But seeing the president of the United States, Democrat, standing up in front of all these Republicans and taking questions, and taking it and giving it back pretty strong. A lot of people say the GOP messed up by allowing cameras in there, because he made them look bad.
KING: I was in the back of the room and I felt like I had been transported to the parliament in London, little question time there where you go in and take it from the opposition. I called the session, give and give because neither side really -- you know, there was no take. There was no "OK, I'll take this. I'll take that."
Here's the interesting part: there were a number of House Republicans after who said it wasn't a good idea to -- not to -- they said the invitation was fine. But to let the cameras in so you could see the president up there, he's a singular figure against, you know, the House Republicans, who weren't as well lit as the president, so the TV optics weren't great.
But the Republicans came away, some of them were nervous about it, T.J., but they came away with this: the president did several times say, "I know you have a lot of ideas, you have a lot of ideas, I don't like your ideas, I've read your ideas, maybe I'll take a little bit of that idea." Remember, much of the past year, the White House has been saying that Republicans are the party of no ideas. So, Republicans think, at least at the minimum, they got the president of the United States to concede, that while they may not like them, they've actually put a number of ideas forward, on health care, on the economy, on deficit reduction and other issues.
So, we'll see whether this kumbayah moment there brings any true bipartisanship. But it was fascinating.
NGUYEN: Oh, no doubt. And, you know, let's talk a little bit about money because that's where the president is really starting to shift his focus a little -- I mean, of course, health care is going to be on the agenda, but he wants to talk about jobs and the economy. He's going to be submitting a budget, a trillion-dollar budget tomorrow.
What does all of this entail?
KING: Well, this is a fascinating time because we're going to have the White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs and then the Senate's top Republican, Mitch McConnell, in here exclusively to talk about these issues tomorrow. The president will put out his new budget.
One of the questions is: does it begin to address the deficit? The president promised at the beginning to cut the deficit in half in his first term. We'll put that question to Robert Gibbs: can he keep meeting that goal?
And Republicans, of course, are going to say, are you freezing any spending? And there's a big debate over what to do about jobs. You know, obviously, there's still some stimulus money from last year's controversial program to spend, but the president wants a new jobs bill. And this might be one place where he can do some bipartisan business with Republicans. The president said it should be mostly through tax cuts and tax credits, that's what the Republicans have been saying for sometime.
So, we're going to feel out this morning as to whether on the specific issue of the jobs bill, things will blow up over the budget, don't worry about, on the partisan basis. But can they reach an agreement with the jobs bill? We'll put that question for two key leaders here this morning. NGUYEN: Very good. Well, we are looking forward to that coming up at the top of the hour. As always, John King, thank you.
HOLMES: Thanks, buddy.
KING: Thank you, guys.
HOLMES: At the top of the hour, CNN's John King in "STATE OF THE UNION," as always, 9:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Hello there, everybody. And welcome back to the CNN SUNDAY MORNING. I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: Yes, good morning. Thanks for being with us. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: And 10 Americans are expected to go before a Haitian judge tomorrow on child trafficking charges.
NGUYEN: The group is from the Idaho-based charity New Life Children's Refuge. And here's what they're accused of: trying to take 33 children across the border into the Dominican Republic. But they didn't have passports for the children. One group member calls it all a big misunderstanding.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA SILSBY NEW LIFE CHILDREN'S REFUGE: By the end of the day we were basically held in jail and the children were all taken from us, which honestly, our tears tonight have not been for ourselves because we are fine. It's been for these precious children who have lost everything and we have given them -- we have been up all -- several nights now with them, comforting them and caring for them through the night as they have wept and cried with their losses. And it hurts me greatly just tonight to know they are in some camp somewhere, once again, alone and not -- not you now and just without that comfort.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Well, since the earthquake, January 12th, Haiti has enacted stringent measures in an effort to prevent child trafficking.
More and more we are seeing Haitians upset with their own government's handling of the earthquake's aftermath. Medical help was slow in reaching the country and it took a long time to get food and other crucial supplies as well.
Our Karl Penhaul reports now on the growing discontent from Pout- au-Prince.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): a mob gathers outside the ruined presidential palace -- clinging to the railings, pushing for a glimpse. Quiet spoken, Haitian President Rene Preval appears to face his angry critics. Many don't want to listen.
"Preval, you have to resign. We haven't seen you since the earthquake." This man says. Some chant for deposed priest turned- President Bertrand Aristide to return. Others call for U.S. President Barack Obama to govern Haiti.
Preval is in a tough spot. "They were asking what I was doing for them. It was difficult for them to hear me. It's tough, 1.2 million in the street who needs food and water. They are frustrated, they're angry," he says.
And they are taking the law into their own hands. A few city blocks from the palace thousands, loot ruined warehouses and fight among themselves. They scavenged for anything to build new homes.
This man calls for the Americans to take over, running Haiti in the only English he knows, learned from the back of a dollar bill.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In God we trust.
PENHAUL: American soldier are on Port-au-Prince's streets but they have no mandate to stop the lawlessness.
LT. GARRETT WHITTAKER, U.S. ARMY: It's difficult, but it's what I have been tasked to do, so that's what we are here to do.
PENHAUL: The Americans call in Haitian police to arrest the looters. One detainee self-confessed looter Bryce Reginald says high- level corruption, not his criminal behavior is the biggest obstacle to the relief effort and reconstruction.
BRYCE REGINALD, ACCUSED OF LOOTING: Things isn't getting better, things isn't getting better. The only way things will get better, if you stay in the country for life. As soon as you all go Haiti would be the same because everybody is criminal, all police are criminal, all government is criminal.
PENHAUL: When I asked President Preval about the growing discontent on the streets he warns of a potential new exodus of boat people.
"If the country has no faith to give it to his children, they will go to the U.S., the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic or Jamaica anywhere where life is better," he says. But in a country with a long history of coups how long will desperate survivors refrain from trying to throw the president out first.
Karl Penhaul, CNN, Port-au-Prince.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, it is almost that time, Super Bowl. You've got football, you've got the wings, the chips and probably a little beer in there somewhere as well and also throwing in anti-abortion message. One week from today, Tim Tebow, you know the famed Heisman trophy winning champion quarterback from the Florida Gators. Well, he has a 30 second ad, he's going to be featured in and it's going to air during the Super Bowl. Not the first time football and religion have really teamed up but this maybe a first for the Super Bowl.
Now, some ads, as you've may have heard, are going for about $3 million a pop. A conservative Christian group is footing the bill for these particular Tebow spot.
Now, Gary Schneeberger is the spokesman for the group Focused on the Family and Barbara Lippert, award-winning media critic for Adweek magazine. We'd asked both here to discuss "Faith and Football".
Gary, I want to start with you good morning to you both first.
But I want to start with you here, is it this simple, that you have a message you want to get out so why wouldn't you try to get that message out when you know that most people are going to be watching a particular event? Was it that simple?
GARY SCHNEEBERGER, FOCUS ON THE FAMILY: That's a very, very, very good summary T.J., of -- of what we're hoping to do here. There are going to be an estimated 100 million people tuning in on Super Bowl Sunday and we simply want to bring before them a message about celebrating family and celebrating life.
HOLMES: Now, that message as well, how important is having Tim Tebow in it? You could have done -- I guess a lot of other things with a lot of different players or actors or anything else to get this message out. Why approach Tim Tebow?
SCHNEEBERGER: One of the great things about Tim and his entire family is they are a family who have really lived the concept of celebrating family and celebrating life. So as an organization, Focus on the Family stands strongly for that as a family that Tebow's have stood strong for that. So it was a national partnership and we're thrilled to be able to unveil that on February 7th.
HOLMES: Now, again that is an awful lot of money $3 million for a 30-second ad. Did you think this was -- and again, that's a whole lot of money, so was that the best use of your resources? Did you get any special funding for this? Or you just take it out of your coffers?
SCHNEEBERGER: It's an excellent investment for us and it was funded completely, all of the air time by a very small handful of very generous friends to the ministry who when they heard about this project and the opportunity to tell 100 million people what Focus on the Family is all about as a family help ministry, they jumped at the chance to donate to this project.
HOLMES: Well, Barbara let me bring you in now, a huge audience, yes, so on that respect it's the right audience because it's a big audience if you want to get the message out. But the eyeballs that are going to be watching are used to seeing those -- maybe some silly Taco Bell ads, some beer commercials and some funny stuff. Do people want to see this during the Super Bowl?
BARBARA LIPPERT, MEDIA CRITIC ADWEEK: My opinion is that they don't. The Super Bowl is the last bastion of dumb American fun. And as you've mention, a lot of the commercials are guys taking hits to the groin; you know very slapstick lowest common denominator stuffs.
This is a very serious message. And I think it will be trivialized there and again, the Focus on the Family keeps saying that it's only celebratory and upbeat and celebrating life. Well, then -- then if it's that benign, people won't really notice it because they are watching for the funny stuff.
HOLMES: How much of this as well, I mean, is there a chance of some kind of a backlash? You said the mindset that people are in maybe they've might tune out a serious message, but could there be a backlash against Focus on the Family, but also could a part of the strategy be brilliant in that here we are, talking about it, and it's just the ad is going to air people have been talking about this ad for a good week and they're going to be talking about it all week as well?
LIPPERT: Exactly, so even if it doesn't run, Focus on the Family has gotten its $2.5 million in free publicity, certainly it's gotten the focus on itself. And people are free to go to the Web site and see what it's all about. I would think that an ad that just shows sheer celebration that doesn't really mention any of the issues does not really communicate what Focus on the Family is about.
So if it's going to tone down the message that much, people won't notice it. But it was a brilliant media move because it's already gotten so much publicity that it's worth the price.
HOLMES: Yes, now Gary, was that part of the strategy as well, you knew it might get people talking and certainly when you put Tim Tebow, probably the most celebrated college athletes we've seen in quite some time? Was that part of the process as well? You knew people would get to talking about it?
SCHNEEBERGER: I appreciate using the adjective brilliant, but I'm not that good. It really has been a bit of a surprise to us that so many people have made assumptions about what's going to be in the ad. Some folks have protested it and they have not seen it yet.
HOLMES: So tell us right now what's going to be in it?
LIPPERT: Right.
HOLMES: Go ahead and tell us now. Go ahead and tell us right now.
SCHNEEBERGER: Well, I'm not going to tell you that, because I want it to have its greatest impact on Super Bowl Sunday. And I think the American people will be surprised at the tone and tenure of the message. And I think it will have an impact because we're not trying to sell cars or soft drinks or web domain names...
HOLMES: Yes. SCHNEEBERGER: ...we're simply trying to celebrate families.
HOLMES: Well, Barbara...
LIPPERT: Well, let's...
HOLMES: ...oh go ahead Barbara you go ahead and response.
LIPPERT: I was going to say that in the past CBS didn't take these kinds of ads on the Super Bowl and they said that they changed their stance this year to be more in tune with the other networks who do.
And so last year, for example, PETA had an ad where they showed women having sex with vegetables, like stroking asparagus and stuff. I mean, ok, a dumb joke. But they were not, they were banned. They were not allowed to air a message like that. So I guess, times are changing and maybe things are getting more conservative.
HOLMES: Well, maybe they are. But sure enough and like she said, I think that might be a great investment. You called that an investment and even if the ad doesn't air, it has a lot of people talking.
So to both of you Barbara, Gary as well, thank you so much. A good discussion and again, a lot of people are talking about these discussions will continue.
But thank you both for being with us this Sunday morning and you all enjoy the rest of your day.
LIPPERT: Thank you.
SCHNEEBERGER: I'll see you on Super Bowl Sunday.
HOLMES: All right, we will be watching for it. Thanks so much guys -- Betty.
NGUYEN: You tried to get him to tell us what the ad was all about; almost got there. We'll just have to wait instead.
Well, you know students they are taking on tough topics. And coming up, we hear what young people are saying about the economy, politics and the back-and-forth in Washington.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MELISSA DAWN JOHNSON, MORNING MOTIVATIONAL MINUTE: Right now, get in your mind, your biggest, boldest dream. Can you picture it? Now, what if I told you, you are not dreaming big enough? I know you might say Melissa, you are crazy. Well listen, living the life that is outside of the limits is as simple as daring to take the leap.
So maybe you need a little confidence and a little energy boost, well, let me give it to you today. I dare you this week, make the phone call, write the vision board, start the plan, whatever you have to do, crawl, walk, run in the direction of your dream.
All right. This is Melissa Dawn Johnson, your global branding and personal transformation strategist with brandmelive.com. Make sure you make this week brand-tastic (ph).
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: We want to take a look at the State of the Union through the eyes of children. Why? Because many of them know that they will be inheriting our huge national debt.
HOLMES: Sorry guys. CNN Student News; the face -- can we call you that?
CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS: I'll take it. The Chuck Norris of student news, that works out well, too. I will take that.
NGUYEN: Sure. There's that.
HOLMES: Do you get that a lot?
AZUZ: I try.
HOLMES: Carlos Azuz is the name.
AZUZ: Good morning.
HOLMES: We were all watching on Wednesday. Kids were watching as well. What have they taken away from that?
AZUZ: I'm going to let them do the talking this time around. Their comments were phenomenal. We asked them their opinions on the address itself.
First, I've got a great comment for you from Luke. He's talking about how "The union seemed like it was the battleground for squabbling children. President Obama seemed to take on the role of a teacher who needed to straighten out the quarreling in Washington." An apt metaphor for a student.
Kaitlin wrote in, "I respect President Obama's decision to start new programs, bills, et cetera, but before the government starts new things, I think we should fix and solve the problems that America is currently facing."
And then we had a quick poll asking what students thought about the actual State of the Union, the condition of the country; 8 percent saying all is well. 57 percent saying it could be better. 35 percent saying it stinks.
HOLMES: We should do more of our CNN opinion research polling with plain speech.
NGUYEN: I like that.
AZUZ: Well, that's not scientific. That's just an idea of what they're saying. So it's not quite...
NGUYEN: Well, what is the difference between could be better and stinks?
(CROSSTALK)
NGUYEN: If a lot of them don't like the State of the Union, if you will, how do they plan to fix these problems?
AZUZ: That's what we asked them. What are you going to do about it? And many of them were saying the same thing. They're tired of playing the blame game.
One student names Jackson wrote in "Many people are blaming Bush. Many people are blaming Obama. At least one person is blaming Clinton. Stop blaming people. What are you going to do?" And this is his call to action here. He says, "People of America, I need you. You are the people who have to fix America." He goes on to call out certain students, and gives them certain assignments like be a doctor, be a social worker, do things that effect the change you are seeking.
Then Dustin wrote in. He's talking about how we need to be the first to quit focusing on deciding whose fault it is. And other students tired of hearing the blame because we simply need to do something. His ideas: cut spending and lower taxes.
NGUYEN: Those are easy.
AZUZ: They are. There were a lot of them; so many students giving us so many suggestions.
NGUYEN: And details, yes.
AZUZ: A kid named Calvin liked him so much, he said, "Look, listen to the ideas, listen to the ideas you are hearing."
In general, he is saying -- sometimes when I read all these comments on CNN Student News blog," he's saying, "I think that kids know more about the economy than everyone thinks we do." And he's just thinking, "If only we ran the nation."
NGUYEN: Can you imagine?
HOLMES: Wow. Could you imagine?
AZUZ: In some cases, I would say about our comments, it's an excellent idea. Others -- we understand why we leave it to the elected officials.
NGUYEN: Let's check those math grades, first, right?
AZUZ: Yes. They're coming up.
NGUYEN: Thanks Carl.
HOLMES: Always good to see. AZUZ: Thank you both very much.
HOLMES: Appreciate you.
NGUYEN: All right. From that to quite an accomplishment for another student.
HOLMES: Yes, she is now the new Miss America. We will explain why she is coming after our jobs. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(EXCERPT FROM BEYONCE'S "SINGLE LADIES")
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: T.J. likes to dance to this video during the break. You know, just do the hand...
HOLMES: That's not for public consumption.
NGUYEN: Is that what it is. Well, this is for public consumption. The new Miss America -- can we get video some here?
There you go. We will get the pictures instead. There she is.
HOLMES: Beautiful lady.
NGUYEN: Caressa Cameron, talent, she sang -- speaking of Beyonce -- one of her songs called "Listen" from the movie "Dream Girls".
HOLMES: She was good. It was great.
NGUYEN: Yes. And that dress, very representative of some of the beautiful gowns worn in that movie as well.
HOLMES: She is coming after our jobs; wants to go into broadcast journalism.
NGUYEN: Good for her.
HOLMES: But she -- her question last night -- you know, unfortunately, my favorite part always is the Q & A, classic. It's always good stuff.
She did well. Her question was about fighting childhood obesity, and she essentially said get them up and get them outside. The kids, they're playing too many video games and things like that but her answer was great. Some of the others...
NGUYEN: Speaking to years past.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: This is familiar territory for you. You know quite a few Miss America.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I've known two, and I knew them long before they were Miss Americas which is pretty weird. Kirsten Haglund -- she's from Michigan, she was Miss Michigan and then Heather Whitestone McCallum who was Heather Whitestone in (INAUDIBLE). So I knew these -- I knew both of them long before they got in the pageants.
But I tell what they do is an amazing thing and they're on the road for 365 days a year. They're basically living out of a suitcase and hotels.
NGUYEN: Much more than just a pretty face?
WOLF: Absolutely. And I mean, they are incredible people, and the best of luck to all of them. Some tough stuff.
Hey best of luck to people across the plains. Over 100,000 people right now in Oklahoma City without power.
HOLMES: Look, how you transition. That is, you can go from Miss America to severe weather.
NGUYEN: To power outages.
WOLF: I don't know what to tell, because there's no easy way to do it. You just jump into it. But I guarantee you Miss America, if she could be out there helping people out of the snow, she'll be out there where there are -- you know.
NGUYEN: Crown on?
WOLF: Absolutely, take it away. These are good people. That's all I am saying.
That's the shot we have from Oklahoma City this morning, certainly some cold times. They were hit by a lot of ice, a lot of snow and then it moved over into Tennessee, the Carolinas, even into Maryland and Virginia. And now things are going to get a little bit better in that part of the world.
But still, that cold air is going to remain locked in place, especially on the East Coast. Let me show what we have right now. These are current temperatures up here on the wall.
Washington D.C. and Baltimore in the teens, we have Richmond with 12 degrees, Roanoke with 15, single digits up in Charleston, but that's because it's up in high elevations. Charlotte, 17 degrees this time, western half of the state, you have the power outages. Same view in parts of Tennessee, and then when you get back into portions of the Central Plains, certainly rough times but better weather.
Precipitation still is in your forecast there nationally especially parts of the Central and Northern Rockies; one to two feet possible. But then when you couple it with some strong winds -- 25, 35, with some gusts approaching 50 -- you're going to will have whiteout conditions near the summit but there in the valley, it certainly seems inaudible times there too.
That's the latest we have got for you. You are watching CNN SUNDAY MORNING. See you in a little bit.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, as you know, a lot of doctors, nurses other medical personnel, they really want to help out in Haiti with the victims there. Now, they have run into a pretty serious roadblock that's frustrating them.
NGUYEN: As if they need another roadblock.
Well, Haitians needing medical attention, now they have to get it there in their own country. Our Susan Candiotti has the details.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: T.J., Betty, good morning. For now, Haitians in dire need of medical help will no longer be flown out of the country.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): On the ground, volunteer doctors were scratching their head.
DR. BARTH A. GREEN, CHAIR OF GLOBAL INSTITUTE, UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI: This was working beautifully 48 hours ago.
CANDIOTTI: Without warning, things changed.
DR. TONI EYSSALLEE, UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI: They needed to be out of here a week ago.
CANDIOTTI: But for now, these patients suffering frightening spinal cord injures aren't going anywhere after 435 med-evac flights, suddenly they're suspended. No more airlifts to get critically ill Haitian patients out of the country for help.
GREEN: We have no explanation why suddenly it stopped.
CANDIOTTI: The Military temporarily put the breaks on. At first a spokesman said some states were unwilling to take any more patients. Then the White House explained it's not a policy change, it's just that hospitals were starting to run out of room.
Florida hospitals who have taken in more than 500 patients started to grumble about other states not pitching in.
GOV. CHARLIE CRIST (R), FLORIDA: I wrote a letter to Secretary Sebelius expressing that federal assistance would be helpful to us. And if we could share that with some of our sister states it would make a difference. Obviously because of Florida's proximity to Haiti, we have really borne the brunt of it. But we are happy to continue.
CANDIOTTI: Happier if they get more emergency funding as requested. GREEN: Public hospitals all over the Southeastern United States are in tremendous fiscal crisis, and a lot of our states are as well. And this burden, although the heart was in the right place, was overwhelming.
CANDIOTTI: More volunteer specialists may be coming in and the White House says it's bringing in more beds. Dr. Barth Green is told as many as 500 in a couple of weeks.
White House plans also called for the USS Comfort offshore going to take on more critical patients and transfer those less serious somewhere else.
But what about those left behind?
GREEN: Some of them are going to die.
CANDIOTTI: Volunteer doctors are getting increasingly frustrated.
EYSSALLEE: With this leg in this condition, she's not going to be able to walk. If it stays that way, she's going to be frozen in that position.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: A cry for help, one of many in a country where medical needs alone are staggering -- T.J., Betty.
NGUYEN: All right. We'll continue to follow the situation in Haiti no doubt right here on CNN.
In the meantime though, "STATE OF THE UNION WITH JOHN KING" is coming up at the top of the hour.
HOLMES: But first we want to give you a check of the morning's top stories.
NGUYEN: Today's top stories: ten Americans are facing a Haitian judge tomorrow on charges of child trafficking. The Americans from an Idaho-based charity were arrested with 33 children at the Dominican Republic border. Now they argue that their arrest was just a misunderstanding over documentation.
At least 7 bullet-riddled bodies have been found in the Mexican border town of Juarez. It's unclear if they were victims of the city's drug wars. Local reports say that 150 people have been killed in Juarez this month alone.
President Obama's stimulus plan is on track to create or save 3.5 million jobs by the end of the 2010. That upbeat assessment is from Vice President Joe Biden. And in a statement posted on recovery.com, Mr. Biden says the stimulus money kept 600,000 workers employed over the final quarter of last year.
There is a lot more news coming up right here on CNN. You want to stay tuned, because John King joins us at the top of the hour with "STATE OF THE UNION".
Thanks for watching this morning. We appreciate it, everybody.
Stay tuned for John King and "STATE OF THE UNION."
