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CNN Saturday Morning News
Funeral for Sargent Shriver Today; Congresswoman Giffords Enters Next Phase of Recovery; CA Governor Brown Receives Vicious Threats Via Graffiti; Bill Daley: The President's New Right-Hand Man; Despite High Crime Rate Camden, NJ Cuts 200 Police and Firefighters; D.C. Department of Health Holds Summit on Bedbugs; The Practice of Family Co-Sleeping; The Monikers Behind the Mob Bust
Aired January 22, 2011 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
The next phase of Congresswoman Gabby Giffords recovery underway this morning. She's now in Houston where doctors are optimistic about her prospect in rehab. We'll look at what's still expected to be a long road back from that traumatic brain injury.
California's new governor, the target of apparent threats by graffiti. The bizarre display coming up.
It is early and we are on.
From CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It's January 22. Good morning to you everyone. I'm Randi Kaye.
The funeral for Sargent Shriver is set to start in just about an hour. The 95-year-old former Peace Corps chief passed away earlier this week. His kids spoke at the wake in Washington last night. Vice President Joe Biden is expected to speak at today's funeral. Also expected to attend are first lady Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and U- 2 singer, Bono.
Federal investigators have joined the effort to track down and prosecute Ann Pettway. She's suspected in the abduction of Carlina White from a Harlem, New York hospital 23 years ago when white was just 19 days old.
North Carolina has issued an arrest warrant for Ann Pettway on a probation violation for attempted embezzlement charges. If arrested, Pettway will be prosecuted at the federal level.
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is waking up this morning in a Houston hospital that specializes in traumatic head injuries. Giffords was flown there yesterday. From the airport, choppers took her, her doctors and family to Memorial Hermann Hospital.
CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has more for us from Houston.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDIAL CORRESPONDENT: Randi, in the words of one of Gabrielle Giffords' doctors here in Houston, she's doing "spectacularly." They are thrilled to see how well she's doing less than two weeks after the bullet went through her brain.
DR. RANDALL FRIESE, ASSOC. MED. DIR., UMC TRAUMA CTR.: I am very pleased to bring the news that they transfer of Gabby from University Medical Center in Tucson here to Memorial Hermann in Houston went flawlessly. The trip was well-planned, and I asked Mark if I could share with you, when we were traveling through the streets of Tucson, there was several times we got - we could hear applause in the ambulance with Gabby, and she responded very well to that, smiling and in fact even tearing a little bit. It was very emotional and very special.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
DR. DONG KIM, DEPT. OF NEUROSURGERY, UTHEALTH: She looked spectacular in all ways. From a neurological point of view first, she came into the ICU and she was alert, awake, calm. She looked comfortable. I think we were already feeling some interaction, which is important.
She's got very good movement on the left side of her body. And it was very purposeful. And we were testing her vision, and she didn't like us shining the light in her eye, and wanted to keep them closed. And these are all very good signs.
She also had pretty good tone in her leg.
COHEN: Randi, here's what lies ahead for Giffords: Doctors hope to get her out of the intensive-care unit as soon as possible. She's still there because she has a drain that's draining fluid from around her brain, and as long as she has that drain, they say she has to be in intensive care.
After that, they'll try to get her into a rehabilitation hospital so that full-time, she's doing rehab, learning to walk, dress herself, learning how to speak again, if that's what she needs. They say she has a long road ahead. They predict it could be as long as four to six months, or possibly even longer - Randi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Elizabeth Cohen with the very latest.
We're getting a new glimpse of the man accused in the Tucson massacre where six people died, 13 including Congresswoman Giffords were wounded. This videotape was recorded actually about seven years ago. That is young Jared Lee Loughner playing the saxophone. The man who videotaped this is the father of one of Loughner's former classmates.
This is Jared Loughner one year, a high school freshman with his hair grown now and still playing the saxophone. It's a far cry from the image we have all come to know. The infamous mug shot of the 22- year-old alleged gunman. Loughner is due in court again Monday for another preliminary hearing.
The new governor of California getting a very specific death threat. And police are not only calling it very real. They are considering it a terror threat. Jerry Brown hasn't even been in office for one month but somebody reported seeing pretty disturbing graffiti.
Take a look at it. The first message, see it there, "We gonna kill Governor Brown on 2/14/11" We're told it was found on a wall in one residential neighborhood.
Somebody also found a second message in another neighborhood. This one includes a countdown, "26 more days 4 Brown." Police are investigating. We are told the city crews have painted over all of that graffiti.
President Obama kicks off his third year in office by unveiling his agent in the State of Union address on Tuesday. It is a different political landscape than in the president's first two years. But as CNN's senior White House correspondent Ed Henry reports, the president thinks his new right-hand man is the right man to smooth out the bumps in the road.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just minutes before President Obama was sworn into office two years ago this month, outgoing President George W. Bush pulled a top Obama confidant aside.
DAVID AXELROD, SENIOR WHITE HOUSE ADVISER: President Bush said "Axelrod, you need to enjoy this. This is going to be the ride of your life. It's going to go by quicker than you imagine."
I think Bill knows that. Bill understands that. I think he will value every minute of it. so he comes in with his eyes wide open.
HENRY: Bill is the man launching Obama 2.0 at the midpoint of his first term.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A devoted patriot, my friend, fellow Chicagoan, Bill Daley, to serve as my chief of staff.
HENRY: Daley's first priority is to use his time in the Clinton cabinet and as a banker to get the White House tightly focused on jobs.
STEVE ELMENDORF, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Having a big impact on the Clinton economic recovery and I think he will help bring real focus to the economy, which is the issue for the next two years that I think the president has to focus on that.
HENRY: Top aides say the twin themes of the president's State of the Union Tuesday will be creating jobs and promoting American competitiveness, the point he hammered again and again as salesman in chief during Chinese President's Hu Jintao's state visit.
OBAMA: We want to sell you all kinds of stuff. We want to sell you planes, we want to sell you cars, we want to sell you software.
HENRY: Insiders also tout Daley as a bridge builder to business leaders who have spared with the president but are effusive about his new top aide.
TOM DONOHUE, PRESIDENT, U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: He's traveled the world. He's a damn good manager. But I told our folks here, he's not going to be a pushover for the business community. He's a very tough guy.
HENRY: Don't tell that to liberals who believe Daley bends over backwards too much for businesses.
ADAM GREEN, PROGRESSIVE CHANGE CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE: Every policy fight in the last two years ranging from trying to hold Wall Street accountable to trying to take on the big health insurance companies, William Daley has urged the democratic party to take a more corporate position that's widely out of touch where most Americans are.
HENRY: Daley fancies himself a moderate who is steering the president back to the center to reel in independence, in time for the 2012 reelection battle. After all campaigns are in his blood since his dad and brother have served as mayor of Chicago.
COLLEEN DOLAN, DALEY CHILDHOOD FRIEND: His first convention he went to, he was probably seven or eight. And he had been to two conventions before President Obama was born.
HENRY: Then there was Daley's time as Al Gore's campaign chairman in 2000.
DON BAER, FORMER GORE ADVISER: Our campaign continues.
HENRY: Cool under fire during the contested election.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The best thing about Bill Daley more than anything else is he's a real grown-up. I think people believe he's capable, competent, fair-minded and will do a very good job for President Obama.
HENRY (on camera): Donna Brazile who is Al Gore's campaign manager told me that Daley is every bit as tough the president's first chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel. But Brazile said there's one key difference, Daley is more diplomatic. In her words, "he can administer the medicine, but won't tell you to drop dead."
Ed Henry, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: And be sure to tune in Tuesday night for our special coverage of the president's State of the Union address as we kick off our coverage with the best political team on television at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
Seven minutes past the hour. Let's get another check of today's weather forecast with meteorologist Karen Maginnis.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAYE: Yes, I'm glad we're not in it. All right. Thank you, Karen.
As if being tagged the second most dangerous city in America isn't enough, there are greater threats in security now in Camden, New Jersey after almost half of the city's police force is laid off due to lack of money. We'll take you there.
Plus, for those of you living in congested city, traffic means time loss, a new report ranks cities with the worst commute times. Ranked fifth is Dallas. Fourth is San Francisco. Houston, number three. Stick around to see which two cities have the worst commute times.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
KAYE: Welcome back.
A list of America's worst commuter cities just came out in an urban mobility report. Before the break, we told you who ranked third through fifth. It turns out that Chicago and Washington tied for the cities where drivers had the worst commutes. We are showing you the lively pictures from each of those cities. Both cities average 70 hours of delay each year for every commuter. That's a lot of wasted time.
Imagine you live in the city racked by crime. Now, imagine that the mayor is cutting the police force in half. Oh, yes, and the firefighters they are getting the boot, too. How safe would you feel? Well, that's what people in Camden, New Jersey are dealing with right now.
CNN's Mary Snow has that story.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Randi, Camden, New Jersey ranks as one of America's poorest cities and one of its most dangerous cities. And this week, things became much more difficult.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW (voice-over): It's the day city firefighters and police officers in Camden, New Jersey were dreading. More than 200 of them were told to hand over their equipment by day's end.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Turn in our gear. Two jackets, two (INAUDIBLE) pants, four sets of uniforms, (INAUDIBLE), our badge that we worked hard for and wear with a lot of honor and pride. SNOW: The city has the second highest crime rate in the country. Yet the deepest cuts are to the Camden Police Department where 168 police officers were laid off. That's 45 percent of the force.
MAYOR DANA REDD, CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY: Typically, you know, we put things on the table.
SNOW: Mayor Dana Redd says there was no other choice because the city is $26.5 million in debt. She blames police and fire unions saying things didn't have to be that bad.
REDD: Instead of protecting and serving the public, the residents of Camden, they chose to protect their high salaries.
SNOW: The mayor asked cops and firefighters to pay more for health care, freeze or cut salaries and take furlough days. But she says denial played a big part.
(on camera): What do you think they are expecting?
REDD: I'm not sure what people are expecting other than there's a culture of disbelief because Camden has always been bailed out by state government and in the past -
JOHN WILLIAMSON, FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE, CAMDEN, NJ: Every person with a set of eyes, ears and a thinking brain can see and knows that, you know, the city is in a fiscal crisis. The state is in a fiscal crisis and the nation is in a crisis.
SNOW: John Williamson is the head of the police union and accuses the mayor of misrepresenting the facts. At the union hall where police officers and firefighters gathered, there was sadness and concern.
WILLIAMSON: When you take away half the police department, there's absolutely no way that the officers left can cover the same amount of ground in the same amount of time.
SNOW (voice-over): It's not just cops and firefighters. Close to 100 non-uniformed employees also lost their jobs including Gloria Valentin, a sanitation inspector.
GLORIA VALENTIN, LAID OFF SANITATION INSPECTOR: We're not just police. We're not just firemen. We are public servants. We do a job for our residents. I'm an East Camden inspector. And my residents know me, they know who I am. I'm not the city employee. I'm Gloria to everyone out there.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: To keep the city safe, Camden's police chief has consolidated the staff. He has moved officers doing clerical administrative duties and now they are patrolling the street and the chief says he has been in touch with state and federal agencies already in Camden, asking them to take on an increased role -- Randi.
KAYE: So how bad are things in Camden? Let's take a look.
Mary mentioned that Camden ranked second in crime. Here are the other cities in the top five - St. Louis, Missouri is number one, then Camden, then Detroit.
Now let's look at the economic situation in Camden. The median household income, just under $27,000. It's just over half of the median for the country, but less than half the median for the state.
Bedbugs are such a problem in the nation's capital, the D.C. Department of Health held a summit, yes, a summit, on them. We'll tell you what you can do in your own home to keep those critters out.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Just about 20 minutes past the hour and we're talking bed bugs, biting and crawling their way all over our nation's capital. People there are so fed up, the D.C. Department of Health actually held a summit. Experts explain how the bugs migrate and address health concerns. One expert said they don't carry disease but they still can affect people physically and mentally.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY PINTO, ENTOMOLOGIST: Some people have no reaction. Some people have a very strong reaction to the bites. Scratch their bites. They'll bleed, they'll get infected. They'll end up with scarring.
LALA SEIDENSTICKER, BEDBUG VICTIM: Worse than the itches is the way your leg goes into disarray with the treatment. I live in a tiny studio. I had extreme depression during that time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: So how do you keep these critters away? Experts say be careful when buying used furniture or beds. And when staying in a hotel room, keep your luggage closed and off beds and floors. When you get home, wash everything right away.
There are many theories on parenting from what to feed your kids to how to discipline your children. Everything, of course, can be debated. So we want to take a look at sleeping arrangements, more specifically parents that keep their kids close by at bedtime. Maybe a little too close for some.
CNN's Stephanie Elam has more.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Randi, when it comes to parenting, co-sleeping is a hot bed of debate. So much so, we had a hard time even finding folks who are willing to admit that they are sharing their bed with their young children. You might be amazed about how some of these families are spending their nights or then again, you might see it looks awfully familiar.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN DURRELL, CO-SLEEPING DAD: I just put a pillow him up here and pillow up there.
ELAM (voice-over): Want to ruffle some feathers? Mention you are co-sleeping.
R. DURRELL: A lot of people are closet co-sleepers.
ELAM: Taboo or not, Ryan and Alexandria Durrell snuggle up with one-year-old Mason and four-year-old, Story.
ALEXANDRIA DURRELL, CO-SLEEPING MOM: She's less hairy than my husband.
ELAM: Mom usually bunks with Story in her room and dad has Mason in their bed. A lot of the time they all end up here together. Tired yet? Not the Durrells.
R. DURRELL: I love waking up in the morning, I get little soft kisses, "Get up, daddy," and it's the best.
ELAM: Maria (INAUDIBLE) wouldn't dream of sleeping any other way.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You find a foot here and a head over there, but it works for us.
ELAM: She and her husband, (INAUDIBLE), wind up in bed with six- year-old Anthony and four-year-old Daniel.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would rather them be in the same bed with me and sleep continuously for seven or eight hours a night rather than having to wake up every few hours.
ELAM: But most medical experts say children need to sleep in their own beds alone.
LAWRENCE SHAPIRO, CHILD PSYCHOLOGIST: After two years, it's just not appropriate from the child's perspective. It's not giving them what they need. Autonomy is very important at this 18 month to three to four years of age.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just sleep with our bed pushed up here.
ELAM: Mark and Megan Massaro put a king-sized mattress on the floor to accommodate their daughter, Annabella (ph).
MARK MASSARO, CO-SLEEPING DAD: By giving our child everything she needs early on, we are setting ourselves up for having a great relationship with us.
ELAM: But what about their own relationship? The phenomenon was even parodied on the big screen, "Away We Go."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is where they sleep. We practice family bed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So what if the two of you want to - you know, be alone?
ELAM: So doesn't family bed get in the parent's way?
DURRELL: It's just happening somewhere else, somehow else.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At other times, and we are flexible.
ELAM: Flexibility that may be tested as the kids get older.
(on camera): Why do you like sleeping with mommy and daddy?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's cozy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How can you deprive a child of that closeness when they want it. I wouldn't trade it for anything.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ELAM: And Randi, Dr. Shapiro did point out that he's talking about children that are two and older, since that closeness and bonding period is so important during the first year or two of a baby's life.
But these parents say they sleep better knowing their kids are right there with them and that those kids can stay with them right there in their bed until they are ready to go to their own rooms. Randi.
KAYE: All right. Stephanie, thank you.
What's in a name, you say? Well, this week's arrest of organized crime suspects with their colorful monikers have some wondering, what would my mafia nickname be? It is trending and we will check it out. So be a good fella and stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: This week, the FBI stages a mob takedown that's so big it reads like a script from a blockbuster mafia movie. Hundreds of lawmen fanned out across Italy, New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island and busting more than 100 alleged mobsters. Wise guys with names like Jack the Whack and Johnny Bandana and Meat ball.
You know, when a story like this breaks and with names like that, it is going to be trending. Our Derek Dodge is here to show us exactly why.
DEREK DODGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So this is a big story for many reasons. One of the reasons is because of the nicknames of the alleged mobsters. Here is a poll that was online from AOL. Which nickname of the alleged Mafioso is your favorite? Here are some, just to show you. Tony Bagels. I like that one.
KAYE: Yes.
DODGE: Vinny Carwash. The Claw. That sounds kind of scary. Baby shacks. Baby Fat Larry.
KAYE: I like that one.
DODGE: So what happened was these nicknames surface, in some of the indictments and then, of course, everyone takes to their social media preference to talk about them. Here is a tweet from misssrahfraser. She said "What would my mob name be? Sarah 'jimmy the choo' Fraser?"
KAYE: Good question.
DODGE: So everyone is tweeting, what would your mob name be? And then they take to those name generators. You know those things on line like the pirate name generator, where you put in your first name and your last name.
KAYE: Isn't it amazing that a mafia sting would lead to this.
DODGE: So I found one, there's a bunch of them out there. This is (INAUDIBLE) on the "Sopranos," put in your first name and your last name and it gives you your mob name. So I did mine. My mob name is "the bishop."
KAYE: Nice.
DODGE: It's not that bad, I kind of like it.
(CROSSTALK)
KAYE: Is there any science to it at all?
DODGE: None.
KAYE: Or so random?
DODGE: Totally random. Now for you, I wanted to find out what your mob name was.
KAYE: Oh, me too.
DODGE: But I had some trouble because a few of them were unflattering. I wanted to be nice to you. So I found one -
KAYE: Are you going to share any of the unflattering ones. Before you give me the winner.
DODGE: I found that'll be complimentary. So Randi Kaye, "the Moustache." What do you think? I think it works. Mysterious.
KAYE: Can we do it again and generate another one maybe?
DODGE: Be careful. I don't think you want to know what some are saying.
KAYE: Really? I want to be Randi, the bagel.
DODGE: Yes. That's a good one. That seems to be the most popular. Right there.
KAYE: Definitely.
DODGE: That's a lot of fun so you can try it anytime. Try it at home. Whatever you want. You can do it all weekend long to get a name that you like. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Checking top stories for you.
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is at Houston's Memorial Hermann Hospital. A medical team there specializes in penetrating head injuries like the one Gifford suffered in that January 8 shooting in Tucson.
Federal investigators have joined efforts to track down and prosecute this woman, Ann Pettway. She is suspected in the abduction of Carina White, from a Harlem, New York hospital back in 1987 when White was just 19 days old. North Carolina has issued a warrant for Pettway's arrest on probation violation for attempted embezzlement.
The funeral mass for Sargent Shriver begins 30 minutes from now in Potomac, Maryland. His daughter Maria Shriver, the wife of ex- California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke at a wake last night in Washington. And this is a live picture from Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church in Potomac. Sergeant Shriver died Tuesday at the age of 95.
Imagine getting a great education without borrowing any money, taking out any loans or leeching off your parents, you're about to meet one guy who did just that. Here's Christine Romans with "YOUR BOTTOM LINE."
