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CNN Sunday Morning
Shooting Near Auburn Campus; Spain Asks For $125 Billion; Belmont Stakes Disappointment; Beaten For Missing the Ball; Sandusky Trial Starts Tomorrow
Aired June 10, 2012 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: From CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, this is EARLY START WEEKEND.
Multiple people shot near Auburn University. Reports say the victims were football players at a pool party. We'll have a live report on what happened.
Plus, the Eurozone's fourth largest economy asking for a bailout. Spain teetering on the brink of bankruptcy gets a huge rescue, but it's a drop in the bucket for a country facing junk bond status and an unemployment rate close to 25 percent.
And the Pacquiao/Bradley fight may be over, but the controversy has just begun. Why some are saying the judges' decision is an outrage.
And later, Bobby's back, Sue Ellen is running for office and J.R. is as conniving as ever. No, we're not talking about the old "Dallas." This is the next generation and they're still battling over control of Southfork. Wait until you see what the cast told me in our sit-down interview.
It is Sunday, June 10th. Good morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye. Glad you're with us.
We start this morning with breaking news out of Auburn, Alabama. A shooting at an off-campus apartment complex. There are reports of multiple victims. The police have the whole area blocked off. And Joining me now on the telephone is reporter Christina Chambers. She's from station WLTZ.
Christina, good morning to you. What do you know at this point?
CHRISTINA CHAMBERS, WLTZ REPORTER (via telephone): Good morning. Well, as of right now, Auburn Police are only confirming that they responded to multiple gunshot victims at an apartment complex, Longleaf Drive, in Auburn. That is all they are confirming. They have not said if a shooter is in custody, if there is -- if they've located a shooter. They said they will have more information around lunchtime today. But as of a lot of reporters were on scene for most of the night tonight, or should I say early morning, that that is all that they were releasing to us. KAYE: Christina, there have been multiple reports that the victims in this case were football players. Some current, some former. Do you have any confirmation of that?
CHAMBERS: Sources tell me that there were three players. Two of them are former Auburn players and one is a current player. Obviously, police have not confirmed who the victims are in this case, but sources tell me that three of the victims were football players, former and current.
KAYE: And have you been able to find out anything about what the possible motive had to do? What was this about?
CHAMBERS: Just hearing from neighbors and, obviously, those who reached out on Twitter. It seemed to stem -- allegedly stem from a spite, but obviously police are not confirming any of these details. This is just what is hearsay going around the apartment complex.
KAYE: All right, Christina Chambers, thank you very much. We're, of course, going to keep an eye on this development throughout the morning. And police are planning a news conference around Noon Eastern time today. We'll continue to stay on top of it.
Mexican drug cartels are increasing their reach into the U.S. by leaps and bounds. The Justice Department says they now know that cartels operate in more than 1,200 U.S. cities. Back in 2006, it was just 50 cities. One of those cities where they've seen expansion is Wilmington, North Carolina. The DEA in that area has seized tons of marijuana, weapons, other drugs and millions of dollars in cash. Agents say the cartels are running production and distribution of the drugs from inside the U.S. But in Wilmington, they've seen some success in fighting the cartels with a tip line that has led to most of those seizures.
Back in the U.S., a fast-growing wildfire in Colorado has forced hundreds to evacuate. The fire near Ft. Collins has damaged or destroyed at least 10 structures so far. Firefighters went door to door to make sure people got out. Officials say the weather isn't cooperating and they expect the fire to keep growing today.
Heavy rains along the Gulf Coast has caused severe flooding in some areas. This is what it looks like there in Pensacola, Florida. A state of emergency was declared in that area. People in low-lying areas have been urged to evacuate.
To Syria now, where the prospects for peace aren't looking good. Heavy shelling in Homs punctuated the failure of the agreed-upon peace plan. That's the one put forward by former U.N. Secretary-general Kofi Annan. Today, the opposition, the Syrian National Council, elected a new president. He's a Syrian in exile in Sweden. It's seen as a move that could unite various rebel factions. A lack of unity has been seen as a hurdle to international peace efforts.
And now to Spain and their looming financial crisis. The country is asking for big money to help their banks. But don't call it a bailout. It's more of a $125 billion safety net. That is a pretty big net. Joining me now from Madrid is CNN's Nina Dos Santos.
Nina, good morning to you.
Not a bailout, I guess they're saying. So what's all the money for then?
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Randi.
Well, this is the issue. So far, let's just remind our viewers that Spain hasn't actually asked for a specific amount of money here. What they're trying to do is wait for a series of independent reports to evaluate exactly how much money they could need. But what it is for, is for the banking sector. And here lies the key distinction between this bailout and other bailouts awarded to other Eurozone countries, like Portugal, Ireland and Greece.
What Spain is desperately trying to do is pitch this not as a sovereign bailout, saying the country's books are in order when it comes to having to raise money on the international debt markets, it shouldn't be penalized in the way that the other bailout recipients across the Eurozone have been. What they're saying they have a problem with is a black hole in the banking sector. The banking sector basically needs an awful lot of money to shore up its finances and this is what these bailout funds will be used for.
KAYE: So the money's not going to the government. But what is the impact on the Eurozone in general?
DOS SANTOS: Well, there's so many questions that remain unanswered at this point, Randi. And this is the concern for markets when they eventually do start trading in a day's time or so. We don't yet know how big this bailout could be. We don't really know exactly how the Spaniards are going to manage to try to convince everybody that, as I was saying before, it's a banking sector bailout rather than a public sector bailout for the entire country.
And, indeed, some economists have already been saying, well, even if you do throw money at Spain's banking problem, if you don't do it in the right way, the country itself may need the bailout, and that could be much, much bigger. We're talking about a $1.4 trillion economy here. It's Europe's fourth largest. There's also a question of bruised pride in the middle of all this. So politicians have to navigate this kind of territory very, very carefully.
KAYE: So, Nina, come Monday morning, when the markets open, are we going to see a Monday morning panic?
DOS SANTOS: I've been talking to a number of traders over the weekend and I've got to say the jury's out on this one, Randi. It's really unclear at the moment as to whether or not the kind of questions that a lot of traders will have, have been answered here. And I must note that imminently, what we're expecting is the Spanish prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, to announce a news conference and come on the podium and explain exactly what it is they may eventually need to ask for. So, a lot of this hinges on the terms and conditions that Spain will manage to negotiate. People are expecting Spain to manage to get this money with fewer strings attached than the ones that were put forward for Portugal, Ireland and Greece's two bailouts. And if that does happen, that might be positive in the short term, some say, but it could cause further eruptions among Eurozone members further down the line.
KAYE: Nina Dos Santos live in Madrid for us this morning. Nina, thank you very much.
And now to a shocker in Las Vegas. Manny Pacquiao lost last night. It was a controversial split-decision victory for a guy named Timothy Bradley. Not taking anything against Bradley here, but we're talking about Manny Pacquiao. He hadn't lost a fight in seven years and was known by many as the best fighter in the world. You can believe there's now going to be a big-money rematch.
The Boston Celtics also lost, or rather LeBron James and the Miami Heat beat them last night. It was 101-88. The win sends the Heat to the NBA finals where they will face the Oklahoma City Thunder. It is the second straight finals appearance for James, but he has yet to win the championship.
There was a big upset at the Belmont Stakes. Upset over the fact that "I'll Have Another" was scratched and didn't run. But there was still a triple crown race with a fantastic finish. Here's Richard Roth.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Randi, we'll always wonder, how would "I'll Have Another" done in the Belmont Stakes? He got a warm reception at his retirement ceremony in the winner's circle here at Belmont Park. His stalemate, Lava Man, a high-priced, successful horse in his own right, seemed jealous, blocking the view as the saddle was taken off "I'll Have Another" for the last time.
In the winner's circle, his jockey, Mario Gutierrez, the trainer, Doug O'Neill, who was disappointed but accepted that "I'll Have Another" did not race in the Belmont Stakes.
DOUG O'NEILL, TRAINER, "I'LL HAVE ANOTHER": His immediate plans are heading back to California on Monday and then we'll gradually wind him down with his grain and then he'll, as the Reddams and other stallion farms will be working out deals, you know, we'll figure out where his Zen home will be.
ROTH: And briefly, finally, it was a bummer yesterday when this race happens and he's not in it. Does it really hit you again?
O'NEILL: Well, you know what, we just -- we had such an unbelievable run and he's a once in a lifetime horse, so we're just focused on all the great part of this journey that he took us through.
ROTH (voice-over): The Belmont, even without "I'll Have Another," was quite a race. Up the rail came Union Rags, who finished far behind "I'll Have Another" in the Kentucky Derby five weeks ago. Union Rags, ridden by John Velazquez, was successful in winning the third leg of the triple crown. Paynter was nipped for second. His jockey was quite disappointed. Mike Smith still feeling, though, the race had some pizzazz, though he said you have to ask the crowd.
The thousands who were here seemed to love the action and will always wonder what would have happened if "I'll Have Another" had been in this race.
Richard Roth, CNN at Belmont Park. Now back to you, Randi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Thank you very much, Richard.
And here's a rundown of some of the stories that we're working on this morning.
Shocking video shows this California man beating his son with a belt in their backyard. Now he's facing felony child abuse charges.
Plus, flying the friendly skies without kids. A controversial topic that has parents and their fellow passengers taking sides.
Then, Jerry Sandusky heads to court tomorrow. We'll have a look at how the former Penn State coach ended up on trial for sex abuse.
And, you can call it a return to Southfork Ranch. My conversation with the cast of TNT's upcoming "Dallas" remake.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Playing catch with your dad is one of the most time-honored traditions in America. But for one 10-year-old in southern California, it's become what we could only describe as a nightmare. He was being beaten with a belt apparently for missing the ball. It took a neighbor and his video camera to stop it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEIGHBOR: That's enough (EXPLETIVE DELETED)! That's enough!
FATHER: You got a problem with the way I'm raising my --
NEIGHBOR: I'm having a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) problem with you beating the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) of him because he won't catch the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) ball.
FATHER: Do you know my son?
NEIGHBOR: I don't know your son, but I'm watching you, and I'm a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) father too!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: This disturbing video was later posted on the web. Nick Valencia has more on what went on and what happened to the boy's stepfather.
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Randi.
A local official in California is free on bond this weekend after being charged with felony child abuse. Video of Imperial Valley official Anthony Sanchez allegedly shows him repeatedly hitting his 10-year-old stepson with a belt during a game of catch in their backyard. A neighbor, who shot the video, alerted police. And after they viewed the pictures, charged Sanchez with a felony. Sanchez's attorneys told CNN his client posted a $100,000 bond on Friday evening shortly after turning himself in at the Imperial County Jail.
The attorney, Ryan Childers, tells CNN that the video is, quote, "hard to watch," but he says he does not agree his client's action warranted the felony charge, which is the most serious child abuse charge available to law enforcement. He called Sanchez, quote, "a model citizen who has served nearly two terms as the elected director of the influential agency that regulates irrigation in California's Imperial Valley." CNN's San Diego affiliate said Sanchez is also a little league and soccer coach. The felony abuse charge carries a maximum sentence of six years in state prison. The D.A. says he will review the charge. Sanchez has not yet entered a plea.
Randi.
KAYE: And, thank you.
A sheriff's spokesman admitted that parents in California have the right to discipline their children, but that things change when they cause injuries. As for the neighbor, he says he was glad he was able to step in and stop the abuse.
A knife-wielding suspect tries to rob a store, but wait until you see the quick-thinking customer who karate kicks the weapon right out of his hand.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Good morning, San Francisco. A little bit early there. Just waking up with us, though. Sixteen minutes past the hour. Checking stories now cross country.
Every senior at a Chicago high school is graduating this weekend, and all 50 of them are headed to college. But what makes this really special is that four years ago, the school didn't even exist. This is the first graduating class at Christ the King Jesuit College Prep.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHALAMYAN (ph) BROWN, GRADUATING SENIOR: I'll be the first graduating class of my school and the first graduating -- the student of my family.
ROWSHAWN TREADWELL, GRADUATING SENIOR: You're the first to come in, the first to leave out together, as one. So that's why, at graduation, it's just going to be bittersweet. (END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Graduates are going to colleges across the country, like Alabama A&M and the University of Iowa.
And in Ft. Worth, Texas, a 19-year-old college student is dragging a 12-foot cross on the side of the road. He plans on carrying it all the way to Washington. That's more than 1,300 miles. He's doing it to spread the word of the Christian gospel and raise money for missionaries. Junior Garcia said the idea came to him after he had a pretty rough year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUNIOR GARCIA, CARRYING CROSS: This is my way of showing them that Jesus Christ wants a personal relationship with every single one of them. When I was going through so much in my life, July 24, 2011, I remember just looking up to heaven and saying, I'm yours. That day I decided to take up my cross. And I felt him tell me, that's where we're going, Washington, D.C.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: He plans to arrive in D.C. by July 13th.
And speaking of D.C., check out these long lines outside a shoe store there. Huge crowds lined up for a chance to buy Kanye West's new Nike Air Yeezy sneakers. This is one of the only stores in the area selling the shoes. They go for about $300, but people are bidding thousands of dollars for the shoes online. They feature fake reptile skin and glow-in-the-dark soles.
And in Orange County, Florida, police are looking for a man who tried to rob a 7-Eleven store. Witnesses say he pulled out a knife, demanded some money, but a quick-thinking customer grabbed a wine bottle, kicked the knife out of his hand and chased him right out of the store with the bottle. Turns out, a knife-wielding suspect robbed the store just last month.
Are you one of those fliers who gets, well, just slightly annoyed when your seat gets kicked throughout a long flight or you want to scream yourself while sitting next to a crying child on a redeye? Then you've probably dreamed of this, kid-free zones on airplanes, or the extreme, even, kid-free flights. Well, that hasn't happened here in the U.S. yet. Malaysia Airlines has instituted a no-child zone on some of its flights. Next hour, I'll talk with a blogger and mom who's against this idea. She says she thinks it could be bad for business.
So, what do you think about this idea? Should airlines offer kid- free zones on flights? Have you been bugged by a child on an airline? Tweet me @RandiKayeCNN. We'll share some of your thoughts on the air throughout the hour.
Chaos breaks out in the stands during the European soccer championship, and it puts four officials in the hospital. We'll tell you who's to blame. Plus, former Penn State football Coach Jerry Sandusky heads to trial tomorrow. We'll set the stage.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back.
The long awaited trial of former Penn State Football Coach Jerry Sandusky starts tomorrow. They've already picked a jury and are ready to get underway. Final attempts to have the case thrown out Friday were denied. Sandusky faces 52 counts of sexual misconduct involving young boys. CNN's national correspondent, Jason Carroll, takes a look at how the scandal unfolded.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): His arrest November 5, 2011, stunned those at Penn State who knew Jerry Sandusky as an accomplished defensive line coach, a man committed to helping young boys with a charitable organization he founded, Second Mile.
Prosecutors say he used that organization to find his victims, luring them in with gifts, sleepovers and trips to football games to gain their trust.
LINDA KELLY, PENNSYLVANIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: This is a case about a sexual predator accused of using his position within the community and the university to prey on numerous young boys for more than a decade.
CARROLL: Sandusky's alleged crimes were detailed in a 23-page grand jury report, which said Sandusky sexually assaulted eight boys over a 14-year period, and included allegations he raped one boy in a shower at Penn State.
Several days after his arrest, Sandusky gave a controversial interview to NBC's Bob Costas.
BOB COSTAS, NBC NEWS: Are you sexually attracted to young boys, to under aged boys?
JERRY SANDUSKY, FORMER PENN STATE FOOTBALL COACH (voice-over): Am I sexually attracted to under age boys?
COSTAS: Yes.
SANDUSKY: Sexually attracted? You know, no, I enjoy young people. I love to be around them. I, -- I -- but, no, I'm not sexually attracted to young boys.
CARROLL: His attorney, Joe Amendola, sat down with CNN and hinted at his defense strategy.
CARROLL (on camera): Do you believe in his innocence?
JOE AMENDOLA, SANDUSKY'S ATTORNEY: Oh, I do. I do. Jerry Sandusky is a big, overgrown kid. He's a jock. For anybody who's ever played sports, you get showers after you work out. I mean, when people hear he got showers with kids. Oh, my goodness, you know, like he got showers with kids. That makes him guilty, right?
CARROLL (voice-over): December 7th, Sandusky was arrested again, accused of molesting two additional boys, bringing the number of alleged victims to 10. Sandusky now facing 52 counts of sexual abuse. His attorney failed numerous attempts to have the trial delayed. Todd Kline, who represents alleged victim number five, says the facts are clear.
TOM KLINE, ATTORNEY FOR VICTIM 5: Part of the strength of the claim here, as I see it stack up on the eve of trial, is the fact that you have all of these similar-type incidents among youngsters who were essentially segregated out and then preyed upon.
CARROLL: On Monday, a jury of five men and seven women, the majority of whom have ties to Penn State, will begin to hear evidence that will ultimately decide Sandusky's fate.
Jason Carroll, CNN, Bellefonte, Pennsylvania.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: The 12 jurors and four alternates in the Sandusky trial will not be sequestered. They'll get to go home at the end of the day, but they've been urged to stay away from TV reports about the trial and from information about the trial that's been posted on social media sites as well.
We're following breaking news coming out of Auburn, Alabama. There are reports of several people shot at an apartment complex near the university.
And just how much would you pay for lunch? $200? $300? What about $3.5 million? One person did. And we'll tell you why.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back, everyone. Thanks for starting your morning with us. I'm Randi Kaye. It is half past the hour.
This morning, police in Auburn, Alabama, are frantically working to find out what happened when someone opened fire at an apartment building near campus. We are hearing reports that some people may have been killed and several others hurt. We can't confirm any of that information just yet. Police are blocking off the whole area to investigate exactly what happened. I talked with Christina Chambers from station WLTZ about reports of football players being involved in this shooting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINA CHAMBERS: Sources tell me that there were three players. Two of them were former Auburn players and one is a current player. Obviously, police have not confirmed who the victims are in this case, but sources tell me that three of the victims were football players, former and current.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Police are expected to make a statement later this morning. We'll keep you updated and keep an eye on this story for you.
All right, go ahead and grab that first cup of coffee if you're just getting up. It is time to get caught up on some of the morning's headlines.
Spain has formally asked the European Union for up to $125 billion in bailout funds. The money will be used to prop up the nation's struggling banks. And the request comes after the IMF said several of those banks would need a cash infusion to stay afloat in the event of another financial shock.
European football's governing body says it's opening disciplinary proceedings against Russia after this fight that you see there broke out between Russian fans and polish officials following a Russia/Czech Republic match. Those officials were hospitalized, but soon released after receiving first aid.
And Warren Buffett continues to make millions, and this time it is for a worthy cause. An anonymous bidder is paying more than $3 million for lunch with the investor, and that is a record. Money from the auction will go to a San Francisco area charity that fights poverty. Buffett will meet the winner of this year's auction and seven friends for lunch at a New York steakhouse at a future date.
To politics now, and all eyes will be on a special election in Arizona this week. CNN political editor Paul Steinhauser has that and the rest of the week ahead in politics.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Good morning, Randi. Voters in Arizona's 8th congressional district head to the polls Tuesday to choose a successor to their former congresswoman, Gabby Giffords. The Democrat stepped down in January, one year after surviving an assassination attempt. Giffords' aide, Ron Barber, who was also injured in the shooting, is facing off against Republican Jesse Kelly. Later in the week, Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney reaches out to his party's social conservative base as he speaks at the annual Faith and Freedom Conference right here in the nation's capital.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY: I believe marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEINHAUSER: Romney's stance on same-sex marriage in contrast with President Obama may help him solidify support from social conservatives, whom he struggled to win over during the Republican primaries. Randi? KAYE: Paul Steinhauser, thank you very much.
Joe Biden's picnic with the media got just a little out of hands. It seems the vice president armed the journalists' kids with squirt guns and sent them off to soak their parents. Our Wolf Blitzer was among the popular targets, but you reap what you sew, and soon, the kids turned their guns on the vice president. But it was all good fun, no Secret Service intervention required.
It was one of the most dramatic and tense moments of the Cold War, an American pilot shot down over the Soviet Union in a spy plane. He faced harsh interrogation from the Russians and now he's getting the Silver Star that he deserves.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Good morning, New York City. So glad you're with us. Look at that lovely shot. Lady Liberty is certainly waking up, grabbing a little coffee this morning. Glad you're watching "Early Start Weekend."
Time now to look ahead at men and women that we thought you might want to keep an eye on over the next seven days or so, some names that you know, others maybe you haven't even heard of. Nadia Bilchik is trying to getting out and talk a little bit more about this. So, you have put together a list of the most intriguing people that we should watch for next week.
NADIA BILCHIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And I know the first one is going to be very familiar to you. Randi. And that is Tim Cook, who's the Apple CEO. He became the Apple CEO last year.
KAYE: Yeah.
BILCHIK: And this week, at the Apple worldwide conference, he may just be announcing the iPhone 5.
KAYE: Oh, my goodness.
BILCHIK: Now, I know how attached you are ...
KAYE: Are you?
BILCHIK: ... to your iPhone 4.
KAYE: Yes! I'm outdated already.
BILCHIK: Exactly. It's going to have Facebook integration and new map services. But what's intriguing about Mr. Cook is that he actually got a million shares at beginning of this year, now worth, Apple shares, $600 million making him the highest paid CEO in the world. Not bad for the son of a shipyard worker.
KAYE: Wow, that's pretty impressive. Also impressive is what Nik Wallenda has planned for this week. BILCHIK: Yes, Nik Wallenda is known as the king of the high-wire and he is actually going to walk the Niagara Falls 1,800 feet on a high wire.
KAYE: Oh, my gosh.
BILCHIK: Rather extraordinary, so it will be interesting. But I'm happy to tell you he does have safety carts because his grandfather actually plunged to his death in 1978.
KAYE: So, he has a net or something?
BILCHIK: OK.
KAYE: OK.
BILCHIK: So we're grateful for that. And he comes from a very renowned circus family, Nik Wallenda. And then I must talk about Aung San Suu Kyi, the famous Myanmar democratic activist. For the first time this week in 25 years, she is going to leave Myanmar.
KAYE: Wow!
BILCHIK: And she is going to Oslo to receive the Nobel Peace Prize that she won in 1991.
KAYE: Finally.
BILCHIK: Finally.
KAYE: ... after all these years.
BILCHIK: She wasn't able to get it before because she didn't want to leave the country for fear of not being able to return. So, a remarkable person. They call her the Mandela of Asia.
And then I do have to tell you about Francis Gary Powers, another person who's getting an award, 50 years after the act. Because what happened was his plane was downed over the Soviet Union 50 years ago. He is receiving a Silver Star award this week. He actually died 15 years ago, but he's receiving a Medal of Honor, although at the time, the government said why didn't he take a suicide pill and destroyed the plane?
KAYE: Right. And destroyed the plane. But he went through a lot. I mean he had been jailed or sentenced to ten years or so.
BILCHIK: Correct. He went through 60 days of torture. So, remarkable people and a remarkable week.
KAYE: All right. We'll keep an eye out for all those people, Nadia. Thank you.
Have you changed your LinkedIn password yet? It's a good question because you may be one of the millions of victims of Russian hackers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: In what seems like a relentless attack this morning, Syrian government troops are firing artillery and mortars about every four minutes in Homs, and at least three people are dead. That's all according to antigovernment activists. And in Damascus, violence is raging this weekend between rebel groups and government troops. It seems President Bashar al-Assad may be losing his grip on Syria's capital. Arwa Damon reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On Thursday, activists proudly posted this video to YouTube. We cannot independently verify its authenticity, but they said it was the neighborhood of Kafar Suse, right in the heart of the capital. Thousands filled the streets, the largest antigovernment demonstration in this particular neighborhood since the unrest began. It is no small feat. We visited Kafar Suse back in January, the last time we were granted government visas. Setting up these demonstrations took activists days of plotting. They would preposition spotters to warn of advancing government forces. At best, their chants would last a few minutes before Assad's henchmen would arrive.
(on camera): They are just telling us that we have to go faster. The government is moving in from all sides right now.
DAMON (voice over): But how did the dynamics so drastically change? The Free Syrian Army is protecting us now, residents from there told me. The military doesn't dare enter. A Free Syrian Army enclave right in the center of Damascus, brazenness the government is determined to extinguish. On Friday and into the weekend, fierce clashes broke out in Kafar Suse. Smoke billowed over the city and fighting erupted across the capital resulting in what is described as the worst widespread fighting Damascus has seen. This is Al-Mmidan, also in the city's center. And the suburbs long a hotbed of opposition, like Barzeh and Kabun. Video posted to YouTube claimed that gunfire was heard at Kabun throughout the night. By day, U.N. monitors surveyed the wreckage. Damaged shops, burnt-out carcasses of vehicles. This level of fighting in Damascus is causing a speculation that the uprising may be at a turning point. Earlier in the week, this video was posted showing young activists burning tires. According to the font, it was filmed just 170 meters or some 600 feet from the president's residence. The regime may not have entirely lost its grip on Damascus, but it is ever so slowly beginning to slip. Arwa Damon, CNN, Beirut.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: People have been protesting the president's regime for 15 months. In that time, thousands of people have been killed, including women and children. Al-Assad has repeatedly denied ordering attacks on civilians and has called rebel groups terrorists.
All right, take a look at this nasty fight that broke out on a talk show. One guest slapped a politician, but this isn't trashy reality TV. It's a popular political talk show in Greece. Wow! That's getting ugly.
And so, it seems the new "Dallas" will pick up where the old one left off, but will anyone get shot this time around? And is the theme song the same?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back. Let's take a look at a few stories that may have been off your radar.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Here we go again. Bank overdraft fees are on the rise again. That's according to two new reports by the Pew Charitable Trust and the Consumer Federation of America. They found despite efforts by federal regulators to protect you from soaring fees, banks are finding ways around them. An example: bank fees disclosure forms can be as long as 153 pages. And if you do muster up the will to read all of that, Pew found banks use complicated jargon to make it hard for you to understand. It's calling on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to force banks to be more upfront and transparent about their fees.
And if you're on LinkedIn, experts say you should change your password. That's because Russian hackers stole about 6.5 million of them and posted them online. Right now, it doesn't seem usernames are linked with those stolen passwords. Experts say once you change your password, you should be fine. LinkedIn says it's investigating how such information was compromised.
Did you see that? Watch again. It starts with that guy, a leader of Greece's far right party throwing water at another guest during a morning talk show. Then things escalate. That woman beside him, his opponent, tells him to get out. Yes, he responded by slapping and punching her. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Well, I'm pretty excited about this. Have you heard, J.R. Ewing, Sue Ellen and Bobby are back? That's right. After 13 seasons and 357 episodes, "Dallas" returns. The original "Dallas," which ran on CBS from 1978 to 1991, remains one of the most popular television series of all time. Now, TNT is reviving the series, which follows the original characters and their children. And what about the bitter rivalries, scandals and cliff-hangers that made the show so successful? Two of the show's stars, Linda Gray and Josh Henderson, told me what to expect.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: I'm so excited about this series. I have my DVR set. I'm all excited about it -- for it to start. But I want to ask you, Linda, first, what made you decide to reprise your role?
LINDA GRAY, "SUE ELLEN EWING": What made me decide?
KAYE: Yeah, what brought you back?
GRAY: I love it. We were chosen, that's what Cynthia Cidre, our executive producer says. She chose, and she calls us the big three, and invited us back to play these crazy, wonderful, dysfunctional roles again.
KAYE: Dysfunctional being the key word.
GRAY: That's it. So who would say no to that? Because you know, I love working with Larry and Patrick, and we knew that we would never get to work together again because we're too recognizable as those characters. So this was like a yahoo, let's do it! Let's just go to Texas and do it again.
KAYE: And Josh, are you ready to join this dysfunctional family?
JOSH HENDERSON, "JOHN ROSS": I'm completely ready. You know, I guess ready as I can be. I don't really know what to expect, except that, you know, I feel blessed to be a part of this.
KAYE: So, how true to the original series is this going to be?
GRAY: It's - it's continuation. And I must give Patrick Duffy the credit, because he says it's year 14, and that's exactly what it feels like. There wasn't a glitch, a bump. It just seamlessly goes from what you saw before to this new generation, to 2012.
KAYE: So, tell me about this new generation of Ewing. You play little J.R., as I've seen it called. Are you going to be as ruthless as your father?
HENDERSON: I'm like the sweetest guy you've ever met. It's ...
KAYE: Oh, I don't know about that.
HENDERSON: It's kind of weird that John Ross is so.
KAYE: You have a ruthless mother and a ruthless father, so I don't know.
HENDERSON: Yes, how did John Ross turned out to be so nice and caring ...
GRAY: Oh, just wait ...
HENDERSON: And respectful? I'll say there is a little chip off your block, you know. He definitely knows how to do business one way, and that's the, you know, the J.R. way, and he believes that it's his fate to be an oil man, and hopefully, he wants to be even better and one-up J.R. now, I don't even know if he thinks that's possible, but he's going -- that's his goal. And ,you know, he's an intense, passionate, young man who has issues from not having the best parenting. And you know, here we are now. 2012 - Thanks, Mama.
KAYE: So, tell me about the target audience, because I'm wondering as a fan of the original series, will watching it now make me feel older or will it bring me back to that time, make me feel young again?
GRAY: As "Dallas" always was and still is, it's about entertaining you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It will change everything!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am sick to death of this family devouring itself over money!
GRAY: And keeping you engaged with the characters.
KAYE: And the cliff-hangers.
GRAY: And the cliff-hangers. Because what it is now, it's a continuation. It will blend. It blends beautifully with the older characters and the young characters. And there's not -- there's nothing that will have you say, to my knowledge, anyway, and we've seen them all, you won't just sit there and go, nah, it's not like the old days. They'll just be like, oh, my god, did you know this and this? They'll just forget about it and feel that it's just this flawless segue into this new -- new show.
KAYE: Year 14.
GRAY: Yeah, year 14. And that's how it feels. It feels like that to us, the three of us. And it just feels smooth.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: It's going to be great. The two-hour series premiere airs Wednesday, 9:00 p.m. Eastern on our sister network TNT.
The final moments of Abraham Lincoln's life, a doctor's notes just discovered. He was the first one on the scene after the shot was fired. His account is riveting.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: A riveting glimpse into history. Papers recently discovered reveal details of the moments right after Abraham Lincoln was shot. Chronicled by the first doctor to reach the dying president. CNN's Brian Todd has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He was 23 years old, embarking on a promising career and attending a happening event in Washington. Sitting at Ford's Theatre for a production of the play "Our American Cousin," Dr. Charles Leale also sat on the brink of history.
HELENA PAPAIOANNOU, PAPERS OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN: He hadn't been out of medical school for very long at all, and so I think this is very -- he was certainly thrown in at the deep end.
TODD: Helena Papaioannou, a researcher with the group "Papers of Abraham Lincoln" has just made an astounding discovery, a copy of Doctor's Charles Leale's handwritten report on what he went through as the first doctor to get to President Lincoln in the moments after he was shot. She believes Leale may have written his report the very next day.
Doctor Leale was in an ideal position to try to help. He writes that at the time of the shooting, he was sitting in that balcony area where those tourists are right about there, only about 40 feet away from Lincoln's box.
The fatal shot was fired. Leale wrote "A man of low stature with black hair and eyes was seen leaping to the stage beneath." Doctor Leale rushed toward the stricken president. One of the most riveting parts of his report is what he encounters as soon as gets into Lincoln's booth.
When the door was open and he saw Mary Lincoln, Leale wrote "She exclaimed several times, oh, Doctor, do what you can for him, do what you can!" Leale wrote that he sent one man to get water, another to get brandy. He first thought Lincoln had been stabbed because he'd just seen John Wilkes Booth jump to the stage with a dagger in his hand. Then he found where the bullet had entered Lincoln's head.
Leale said Lincoln's condition was such, he knew he would never make it to the White House. The only alternative, take him across the street to the Peterson House.
(on camera): Then they finally bring Lincoln into this room in the Petersen House across the street, and Helena, what happens then?
PAPAIOANNOU: They bring him in here and the bed, which it's not this bed, but they bring him in here and the bed is too small for him. He's a very large guy who was 6'4", and so to make him more comfortable, instead of having him hanging off the bed, they laid him diagonally across the bed, and Leale actually writes about that.
TODD (voice over): At that moment, an account that strikes Papaioannou's emotional core.
PAPAIOANNOU: He talks about how the president's legs or his lower extremities from the knees down were cold and they brought him hot water bottles and hot blankets and I found that a very touching part.
TODD: Leal wrote clinically of the president's deterioration, then at 7:20 a.m., he breathed his last. It's in the very last line of his report that Dr. Leale seems to finally be absorbing what just happened to his nation -- he writes that immediately after Lincoln's death "We all bowed and the Reverend Dr. Gurley supplicated to God on behalf of the bereaved family and our afflicted country." Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Fascinating story.
Here's a look at some of the big stories coming up in the week ahead. We have our week ahead calendar for you. Tomorrow, Monday, all eyes will be on Penn State because that's when we'll see the opening arguments in the case of Jerry Sandusky going to trial. He's the former Penn State assistant football coach. He's been under house arrest since December, charged with sexually abusing ten boys over a 14-year period. He has pleaded not guilty.
On Tuesday, we'll be watching -- OK, come on. All right, there we go. On Tuesday, we'll be watching Arizona. Voters in the 8th congressional district there will elect a replacement for Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who you may recall resigned from the seat in January. The bad news, whoever wins the seat will only have it for six months and will have to start running for re-election almost immediately.
And on Thursday, we'll be watching President Obama, because he's going to be visiting New York for a progress update on construction at Ground Zero.
And, of course, Sunday, big day for dads. It is Father's Day. So make sure you get your old man something nice, will you?
Well, thanks for starting your morning with us. We've got much more ahead on CNN SUNDAY MORNING, which starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE (voice-over): From CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
The eurozone's fourth largest economy asks for a bailout. Spain, teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, gets a huge rescue fund. But it's a drop in the bucket for a country facing junk bond status and an unemployment rate close to 25 percent.
Multiple people shot near Auburn University. Reports say the victims were football players at a pool party. We'll have a report on what happened.
And later, the Pacquiao/Bradley fight might be over, but the controversy has just begun. Why some are saying the judges' decision is an outrage.
Also, kid-free movies, kid-free restaurants, now kid-free planes? Why one outspoken mommy blogger thinks planes without children would be bad for the economy.
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KAYE: Good morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye. It is 7:00 on the East Coast, 4:00 a.m. on the West. Thanks for starting your morning with us.
We start with that breaking news out of Auburn, Alabama -- a shooting at an off-campus apartment complex. There are reports of multiple victims. The police have the whole area blocked off.
And joining me now on the phone is reporter Christina Chambers from station WLTZ.
Christina, good morning. What do you know about the situation there?
CHRISTINA CHAMBERS, WLTZ REPORTER (via telephone): Releasing any information as to victims involved in this case. I can confirm that there was a shooting early -- late yesterday afternoon, Saturday night, I'm sorry. Police confirmed that they did respond to a shooting at University Heights off Long Leaf Drive, multiple victims involved. They are not releasing the names of these victims and if they have a shooter in custody.
KAYE: And we're also hearing many reports this morning from various media saying that it was football players who were the victims in this case. Can you confirm that?
CHAMBERS: Sources tell me that three football players, two former Auburn University players and one current player on scholarship were shot. Obviously, I cannot confirm that through Auburn police. John Atkinson (ph) with the East Alabama Medical Center cannot comment either on if they have had people check in at the hospital there. Everything is going through Auburn police right now and they cannot confirm that, but sources tell me, yes, football players were involved.
KAYE: And was this a party, a pool party of sorts?
CHAMBERS: The crime scene was taped off by the clubhouse pool. On Twitter, people were saying everybody was gathered by the pool, so I don't know. I can't confirm if it was a pool party, but the crime scene was by the clubhouse and by the pool.
KAYE: And do you know what may have led to this, what caused the shooting?
CHAMBERS: Just following on Twitter, a lot of people are saying that, allegedly, it was a fight started. Auburn police, again, are not confirming any details at this time. They are going to have a press conference around 1:00, around lunchtime today. So we should find out more information, but details are very slim at this point.
KAYE: All right, Christina Chambers, appreciate your reporting. Obviously, details are just coming in, given that this just happened yesterday. We will, of course, keep an eye on the developments throughout the morning -- and police, as we said, are planning a news conference around noon Eastern Time.
In Colorado, a fast-growing wildfire has forced hundreds to evacuate. The fire near Ft. Collins has damaged or destroyed at least ten structures so far. Firefighters went door to door to make sure the people got out. Officials say the weather isn't cooperating and they expect the fire to keep growing today. Another extreme: heavy rains along the gulf coast just caused severe flooding in some areas. This is what it looks like in Pensacola, Florida. Wow! A state of emergency was declared in that area. People in low-lying areas have been urged to evacuate.
Now to a shocker in Las Vegas. Manny Pacquiao lost last night. It was a controversial split-decision victory for a guy named Timothy Bradley. We're not taking anything away from Bradley here, but we're talking about Manny Pacquiao. He hadn't lost a fight in seven years and was known by many as the best fighter in the world. You can believe there is now going to be a big-money rematch.
There was also a big upset at the Belmont Stakes, upset over the fact that I'll Have Another was scratched and didn't run, but there was still a Triple Crown race with a fantastic finish. Here is Richard Roth.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Randi, we'll always wonder, how would "I'll Have Another" done in the Belmont Stakes?
He got a warm reception at his retirement ceremony in the winner's circle here at Belmont Park. His stable mate, Lava Man, a high-priced, successful horse in his own right, seemed jealous, blocking the view, as the saddle was taken off "I'll Have Another" for the last time. In the winner's circle, his jockey, Mario Gutierrez, the trainer, Doug O'Neill, who was disappointed but accepted that "I'll Have Another" did not race in the Belmont Stakes.
DOUG O'NEILL, TRAINER, I'LL HAVE ANOTHER: This immediate plans are heading back to California on Monday, and then we'll gradually wind him down with his brain and then he'll, as the Reddams and other stallion farms will be working out deals, we'll figure out where his end home will be.
ROTH: And briefly, finally, it was a bummer yesterday when this race happens and he's not in it. Does it really hit you again?
O'NEILL: You know, we had such an unbelievable run and he's a once in a lifetime horse. So we're focused on all the great part of this journey he took us through.
ROTH: The Belmont, even without "I'll Have Another," was quite a race. Up the rail came Union Rags, who finished far behind "I'll Have Another" in the Kentucky derby five weeks ago. Union Rags, ridden by John Velasquez, was successful in winning the third leg of the Triple Crown.
Paynter was nipped for second. His jockey was quite disappointed. Mike Smith still feeling, though, the race had some pizzazz, though he said you have to ask the crowd.
The thousands here seemed to love the action and will always wonder what would have happened if "I'll Have Another" had been in this race. Richard Roth, CNN at Belmont Park. Now back to you, Randi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Richard Roth, thank you very much.
Playing catch with your dad, right, one of the most time-honored traditions in America. But for one 10-year-old in southern California, it has become what we could only describe as a nightmare. He was being beaten with a belt, apparently for missing the ball. It took a neighbor and his video camera to stop it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's enough (EXPLETIVE DELETED)! That's enough!
FATHER: You got a problem with the way I'm --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm having a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) problem with you for beating the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) out of him because he won't (EXPLETIVE DELETED) catch the ball.
FATHER: Do you know my son?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know your son, but I'm watching you and (EXPLETIVE DELETED) I'm a father, too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The disturbing video was later posted on the web. The stepfather, Anthony Sanchez, turned himself in to face a felony child abuse charge. He's a local government official. Sanchez was released on $100,000 bond. His attorney admits the video is hard to watch but says it still doesn't warrant a felony charge.
Now to Spain and their looming financial crisis. The country is asking for big money to help their banks, but don't call it a bailout.
Joining me now from Madrid is CNN's Nina Dos Santos.
Nina, so, how much money are we talking about here?
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we're talking about something in the order about $125 billion. That's what the 17 heads of the finance ministries of the countries that are parts of the eurozone. They put it together after hours of conference calls just yesterday.
And what we saw today was the Spanish prime minister taking the stage, explaining exactly why Spain had asked for this kind of financial assistance. And there is a significant difference here, Randi, between actually getting a bailout, firstly, because Spain hasn't specifically asked for one because it doesn't know how much money it will need for the moment, and actually being committed to being able to get a bailout. So, what they're trying to do here is restore market confidence, saying we've put this amount of money to solve the problem forward, but we just need to know exactly how much Spain's banking system needs before we disburse it.
KAYE: And what is the prime minister saying? He had this news conference this morning. What he's saying about the money?
DOS SANTOS: We didn't have too many details about exactly what could be on the cards here. There are so many questions that remain unanswered, Randi. Namely, one, what will be the terms of this kind of deal, and also, will it be more favorable to the kind of bailouts we've seen awarded to other eurozone countries, like Portugal, Ireland and Greece?
What Spain is trying to say is this isn't really a bailout per se. What it is is a capital injection into its banking system. It's not the Spanish government finances that are the problem, it's just the banking sector.
So, what they're going to do is they're going to say that they're going to be injecting the kind of capital that they get from other countries into the banking system, and in fact, the Spanish prime minister repeatedly called it a line of credit, rather than a bailout.
KAYE: And so, of course, we have some pretty jittery investors already. Asian markets open tonight, Wall Street markets open tomorrow morning. Are we expecting some panic here?
DOS SANTOS: Yes, what we're going to see is Spain running the gauntlet of those markets yet again, just as, I should also mention, its prime minister will be in Poland watching the soccer championships because Spain is playing Italy around about the time, a couple of hours before those kind of markets will open. So we'll have to see which, how either of those two things go. But for the moment, the jury's out. There's just so many questions unanswered.
KAYE: All right. Nina dos Santos live in Madrid. Nina, thank you.
Lots of luggage, very little leg room and screaming children? It all adds up to a pretty hectic experience at 30,000 feet. So, is it time for kid-free flights? Some say yes. We'll talk about it.
And you know those boarded-up, abandoned homes that are eyesores in so many cities? Well, one town has a big plan to use those ugly buildings to turn things around.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: You can see signs of the recession in every city, boarded up, vacant homes and buildings are a plight many are trying to deal with. Baltimore had 16,000 boarded-up buildings, but now it has a program to try to change that. It's called vacants-to-value and includes big incentives to lure home buyers and property developers.
Athena Jones is live in Washington to talk about this.
Athena, first, how much of a problem is this vacancy issue across the country?
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, it's a rather large problem. The Government Accountability Office has studied this problem across the country using census and other figures and they put out a report not too long ago that showed that between 2000 and 2010, the number of vacant properties nationwide jumped by more than 50 percent. So, from 7 million to 10 million.
Certainly, there are some states where this is a bigger problem, states that you might be able to guess because of the foreclosure crisis -- Nevada, Florida, also California, Georgia, Illinois. These are states where the number of vacant properties jumped more than 50 percent over that time period.
So a lot of this, of course, has to do with the economy, with the recession, with the housing crisis. But foreclosures aren't the whole issue. We talked to a housing expert about this.
Listen to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES BROOKS, NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES: Clearly, foreclosures are a huge part of the housing vacancies. The distressed properties now that are on the market, some of them have been on the market for a very long time and they're not going to be bought up by persons who want to occupy them. They're being held presently by investors who paid cash for many of these properties who are probably holding them until the market price returns.
So you see a good deal more vacancies on the market as a result of properties being held off market right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: So, that's him touching on the whole idea of these vacancies, and of course, you have homes that no one ever lived in because of the speculative building in some of these suburban and exurban communities. So, it's a complicated issue, but it's also important to note that some cities, like Baltimore, cities like Detroit and Cleveland, they have had structural problems, structural changes over the last several decades that have led to a population decline.
So, you have even chunks of those cities where there's just not enough demand. And so, Baltimore is one of those cities, and the mayor there has this goal of attracting, growing the city by 10,000 families over the next 10 years. So it's a pretty ambitious goal, and this vacants-to-value program is a part of that, Randi.
KAYE: The question is, will it work?
JONES: Well, that's a good question. Sorry, I missed that, couldn't hear you very well.
But it's a multipronged approach that Baltimore is taking. You know, you've got these 16,000 vacant properties, but really only about 5,000 of them are in an area that they believe they can really help turn around. And so, they're using incentives to attract developers. They're giving home buyers five-year loans in many instances of $5,000, so as long as they buy a house and stay there in five years, they don't have to pay it back.
It's hard to tell what's going to happen down the line, but they certainly feel like they're making progress. There are already 700 homes out of this huge chunk that are already in the rehab process.
So it will be interesting to watch and certainly one way the city is trying to deal with this issue.
KAYE: Well, it's nice to see -- at least they're trying something.
So thank you very much, Athena Jones.
JONES: Great, thanks.
KAYE: It is a controversy that has many parents and passengers taking different sides of the aisle. Inside, the kid-free airline movement.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Want to say a big good morning to San Francisco. A lovely shot there. Folks waking up, glad you're with us on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Lots to tell you about this morning.
This has probably happened to you. I bet you've crammed your luggage into the overhead bin and settled into your seat for that packed flight to somewhere -- when, all of a sudden, yes, you hear the cries of a distressed child. Yes, been there, done that.
For some passengers, it makes air travel a very frustrating experience. But does it mean that airplanes or parts of them should be kid-free?
My next guess says absolutely not. Jenny Lawson is the creator of the "Bloggess" and she joins me now from Chicago.
Jenny, good morning to you. You joked that if we --
JENNY LAWSON, CREATOR, "THE BLOGGESS" Good morning.
KAYE: -- are going to separate people on planes that, quote, "stupid adults" should be added to the list, your words, and kids that use fuel, so they're better for the economy.
LAWSON: Exactly.
KAYE: Why do you think kid-free airlines are such a bad idea? LAWSON: Well, you know, actually, it's very early in the morning over here, so I actually put together my top ten reasons why babies and children shouldn't be banned from planes.
Number one, they don't drunkenly ask you if you want to join the Mile High Club. If they fall asleep on your shoulder, it's adorable and not creepy. If they stare at your boobs, it's because they're hungry and not perverts.
They're lighter. They use less fuel. They're more economical.
So technically, babies are greener than adults.
KAYE: Yes.
LAWSON: Children can be A-holes, but so can adults. So, I think at least children have an excuse. They don't clip their toenails, which has happened to me. They don't make racist comments. They don't get B.O.
And most importantly, and this actually happened on the way over here, they don't eat a fish and onion sandwich in front of you.
KAYE: Oh, boy. But they do run up and down the aisle sometimes, in the midst of a tantrum, so we can't ignore that. But in recent months, both Alaska Airlines and JetBlue have removed families from planes after the kids apparently threw tantrums.
And I guess I'm curious, you know, do you think that that's a fair thing to do? I mean, those airlines say it was due to safety reasons.
And actually, before you even answer that, here's what a senior editor at "TIME" magazine said last week. She wrote in part, "Before I had kids, I hated being seated next to them on planes. But just because I now have them doesn't mean that I should expect special treatment for inflicting them on everyone else."
So, jenny, you have kids. What's your response to that?
LAWSON: I do. You know, I have a daughter. And first of all, I think personally, you're responsible for your own self. And so, you're responsible to create a bubble around yourself. There's no excuse today with noise-canceling headphones, why you can't get rid of the noise of children.
I personally suggest that you get those big orange ones that you get at the gun range, and that way, people might think you're armed they'll be a little more afraid of you, which is a bonus.
But you know, personally, I just really think that when it comes right down to it, it's not the kids' fault that the parents are A- holes. I mean, the parents themselves are the ones that aren't forcing the child into the seat and aren't buckling them up. I actually went on Twitter and said, hey, what's the worst airline experience that you've ever had? And of the like hundreds of people who wrote in these terrible experiences, there was only one who wrote about a child and what they wrote was that the parents let the child finish of their Starbucks and then was so upset at the child for misbehaving throughout the flight.
KAYE: Right.
LAWSON: I really think it's the parents to blame.
KAYE: Let me ask you about these family-friendly sections, because Malaysia Airlines has certainly started doing that. But don't you think they could be helpful for parents and really everyone in the long run if they were just all in one family-friendly area? They used to put smokers, do you remember, in the back of the plane when you could smoke in the air?
LAWSON: Exactly. Exactly. I think we should bring back both of those. I think that -- I think that that would be great, because first of all, the kids play with each other. And secondly, for somebody who is child-free, you have no idea the terror that it takes to take a child on to the plane knowing that you don't know what's going to happen. I mean, children can turn into like, you know, tiny, horrible animals in rompers on planes and there's no way to escape from that, I mean, other than to pretend it's just not your child. So --
KAYE: Run the other way.
LAWSON: Exactly. I think that's a wonderful thing.
And also, if you want to have like an entire separate flight that you're going to pay more for just so you don't have to be with a child, I think that's great because that means there's going to be more room for the rest of us on the regular planes who are wearing our noise-canceling headphones and have our laptops and have prepared, and now we'll have an extra empty seat.
KAYE: Well, Jenny Lawson, I wish you a very safe and peaceful, quiet travels today. Appreciate you coming on this morning.
LAWSON: Thank you so much. Thanks.
KAYE: I'll be back with more headlines at the top of the hour.
"SANJAY GUPTA, M.D." starts after this.
