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ANDERSON COOPER 360 DEGREES
Tiger Woods' Apology Stirs Debate; Freed American Missionary Speaks Out
Aired February 19, 2010 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: Everyone's talking tonight about Tiger and his apology. Tonight, we're going to take a step beyond, tackling it from a number of fresh angles, including this.
Tom Foreman is looking beyond Tiger's performance in front of the cameras to what those cameras really captured, things that you and I might have missed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, this highly staged and scripted apology was intended to calm the storm around Tiger Woods, but it has unleashed a torrent of debate.
Three things you may not have noticed, but are ripping through discussions tonight: Tiger wore no wedding ring. Sure, photos suggest he rarely did before the scandal, but you can bet the absence was noted today. So was the absence of his wife, who was nowhere to be seen. So were the reactions of his mother, who rarely even looked up at him during that statement, and the reactions of others who were looking very hard.
You know who was in his hand-picked audience? Top officials from the PGA, from Tiger Woods Enterprises, and Nike, among others. It was all enough -- no kidding -- to slow down the stock market -- more on all of that later -- John.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: Thanks, Tom -- back to you shortly.
And we will hear as well from the author "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus," about how men and women perhaps see this story differently.
It's a crucial distinction, because, as you will see, women make most buying decisions in the household. And one of Tiger's jobs is selling things.
Also ahead tonight: 360 is back in Haiti, following the story of kids from the BRESMA orphanage. You might have thought it ended when that planeload of kids left ha , but turns it out some of them were left behind. And their situation is raising concerns. Gary Tuchman goes back to check things out.
And first up tonight: the missionaries who were jailed in Haiti. Two are still behind bars. Eight have been released.
Anderson interviewed one of them today.
Setting the stage first, here's Joe Johns.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Saturday, January 30, Haitian police report they have arrested 10 Americans at the key border crossing into the Dominican Republic, five men and five women, trying to take a busload of 33 children out of earthquake- stricken Haiti.
The Americans say they're Baptist missionaries who were planning to house the children in a converted hotel in the Dominican Republic, and later move them to the orphanage. The focus of the case quickly becomes the leader of the group, Laura Silsby.
On January 31, Silsby tells CNN she was wrongly arrested.
LAURA SILSBY, DETAINED IN HAITI: And we believe that we have been charged very falsely with trafficking, which, of course, that is the furthest possible extreme, because, I mean, our whole -- our heart's here. We literally all gave up everything we had to be -- I mean, income and used of our own funds to come here to help these children.
JOHNS: Silsby originally claimed that the children were orphaned or abandoned. But CNN determined early on that some of the children had at least one parent living. On February 3, Haitian authorities say the missionaries had no so-called paperwork and their so-called mercy mission was illegal.
February 4, the Americans are charged with child trafficking. There are reports that some parents admitted giving their children away, in hopes they would have a better life. February 5, it becomes clear that neither the U.S. nor the United Nations will intervene on behalf of the Americans, after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her husband, U.N. Special Envoy to Haiti and former U.S. President Bill Clinton say they're subject to Haitian law.
After that, days of waiting and legal maneuvering, reports of power problems in the jail, and concerns that one of the detained Americans, a diabetic, was becoming ill. But it isn't until three weeks later, February 17, that a Haitian judge rules eight of the 10 Americans can be freed.
They leave that night after being granted bail without bond, released on their own recognizance.
QUESTION: How are you coping with that?
JOHNS: But, tonight, Silsby and her 24-year-old nanny, Charisa Coulter, remain in custody, leaving it up to the Haitian court to determine whether this was some type of misguided rescue mission or a sordid plot. Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: Now one of the missionaries on how he got caught up in all this -- that and what he did and didn't know about the odyssey he was on. His name is Jim Allen.
Anderson has got "The Big 360 Interview."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Jim, congratulations on being home.
How are you doing?
JIM ALLEN, FREED AMERICAN MISSIONARY: I'm doing very well. Got a good night's rest last night, and I feel -- I feel good.
COOPER: I think it's important for people to realize -- and I learned this from talking to your wife last -- last week -- you didn't know Laura Silsby before heading down to Haiti, correct?
ALLEN: Correct. I actually didn't know -- there was only two people in the group that I did know, and that was my cousin, Paul Thompson, and his son Silas.
Paul is the one who -- who had contacted me and said they were going. And I was really interested in an opportunity to help the people. So, with one or two days' notice, I was in Miami and -- and on my way. So...
COOPER: So, what was your understanding of what the -- the mission was going to be that Laura Silsby had put together?
ALLEN: In the very beginning, the only thing I knew is that we were going to go over there, and that she had an orphanage, and that we were going to -- going to work on that and prepare that to -- for children to be able to live there.
COOPER: At this point, when you first went, did you think that -- or were you under the impression that Laura had all the permissions she needed to -- to take kids from Haiti into the Dominican Republic?
ALLEN: Yes. We were told that all the documents required to get kids into the Dominican Republic, she had, and, on the Haitian side, that there were some documents that we needed to acquire, and that that was part of our goal also.
COOPER: Did you ever see the documents that Laura said she had that she was going to show authorities?
ALLEN: Yes, I did. As they entered the bus, each individual child that entered the bus, it was written right then at that time. And I have seen that happening. I didn't look at the document and read the document, but I watched them write down their names and write down their birth dates. And then I watched the pastor sign it -- sign it.
COOPER: And in terms of -- but, just so I'm correct, there was never any written document from a Haitian authority saying these adoptions were approved or this could go through? This was simply something from this person from the orphanage?
ALLEN: Yes, uh-huh.
COOPER: Why was Laura looking for kids only under 10?
ALLEN: My understanding was, is that that's what the Dominican government had told her that she has authorization to bring back, that they -- it was required, you know, 10 and under, and no mother and no father.
COOPER: And were you aware that, of the 33 kids, that as many as two-thirds of them actually did have a parent?
ALLEN: Not at all.
As they got on the bus, as the -- as the pastor -- and we thought they were relatives, like aunts or uncles or grandparents, brought the kids to us, they were specifically -- they specifically told us that this child has no one to take care of them, both their mother and their father are no longer living.
And, as they entered the bus, we wrote down their name and their birth date, and that they -- they were alone and had nobody to help them.
COOPER: Is there anything now, looking back on this, that, I mean, besides getting arrested, that -- that you regret?
ALLEN: What I wish is that -- you know, I went -- I felt like God actually called me to go help these people. And what I regret the most is that I wasn't able to do anything.
You know, I don't blame anybody or hold any grudges against that, because I think that the Haitian government did what they needed to do by detaining us and getting to the facts, but I...
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: So, you're not angry at the Haitian government?
ALLEN: Oh, not at all, no.
COOPER: And, Jim, I do think, as you said, one of the saddest things about this is, you know, besides obviously the disruption to these kids, is just that you wanted to do good, and you had good intentions in your heart.
Would you ever consider going down again in another capacity? ALLEN: I -- I wouldn't mind going. I...
COOPER: It's a lot to ask.
ALLEN: I would probably have to do it without Lisa -- without Lisa knowing about it. But...
(LAUGHTER)
ALLEN: You know...
COOPER: Or your attorney, I would think.
ALLEN: Probably, probably so.
(LAUGHTER)
COOPER: Again, Jim and Lisa and Hiram, thank you very much. Welcome home.
(CROSSTALK)
ALLEN: Thank you. I appreciate it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you very much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: Just a reminder, the live chat is up and running at AC360.com.
There's plenty to chat about tonight, including Tiger Woods' apology.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIGER WOODS, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: It's hard to admit that I need help, but I do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Coming up: the male/female divide on what he said, the money angle, Tom Foreman on the telling details, and more -- all the angles when A.C. 360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: The day after Thanksgiving '09 will be remembered as the moment the country awoke from a Turkey coma to a Tiger frenzy, the news that Tiger Woods had wrecked his SUV. Then came the parade of girlfriends, the text messages, even aids in TV animated recreations of key moments in the whole sordid saga.
Then, when that jumped the shark, Tiger vanished -- also vanishing, many sponsors -- then rehab, and, today, this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOODS: I want to say to each of you simply and directly, I am deeply sorry for my irresponsible and selfish behavior I engaged in.
I have let you down. And I have let down my fans.
For many of you, especially my friends, my behavior has been a personal disappointment. To those of you who work for me, I have let you down personally and professionally.
Some people have speculated that Elin somehow hurt or attacked me on Thanksgiving night. It angers me that people would fabricate a story like that.
Elin never hit me that night or any other night. There has never been an episode of domestic violence in our marriage, ever.
The issue involved here was my repeated irresponsible behavior. I was unfaithful. I had affairs. I cheated. What I did is not acceptable, and I am the only person to blame.
I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled.
Thanks to money and fame, I didn't have far -- I didn't have to go far to find them.
I was wrong. I was foolish. I don't get to play by different rules.
It's now up to me to make amends. And that starts by never repeating the mistakes I have made. It's up to me to start living a life of integrity.
It's hard to admit that I need help, but I do. For 45 days, from the end of December to early February, I was in in-patient therapy receiving guidance for the issues I'm facing.
When my children were born, we only released photographs so that the paparazzi could not chase them.
However, my behavior doesn't make it right for the media to follow my two-and-a-half-year-old daughter to school and report the school's location.
I was raised a Buddhist and I actively practiced my faith from childhood until I drifted away from it in recent years.
Buddhism teaches that a craving for things outside ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security. It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint. Obviously, I lost track of what I was taught.
I do plan to return to golf one day. I just don't know when that day will be. I don't rule out that it will be this year. When I do return, I need to make my behavior more respectful of the game. (END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: So, that's the apology. And, as you're well aware, a lot of people have been talking about it.
Tom Foreman has been analyzing the body language, who was there, who wasn't, including wife, Elin. We will a closer look at that shortly.
Before we do, let's dig deeper into how Tiger's apology and adultery are being seen across gender lines.
For that, we're joined by John Gray, author of the mega- bestseller "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus." Also with us tonight, CNN legal analyst Lisa Bloom
John, let's start with you.
What is the Mars-Venus breakdown of Tiger's big statement?
JOHN GRAY, AUTHOR, "MEN ARE FROM MARS, WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS": Well, he did a great job apologizing. He's really dug a hole for himself. And it's going to be a while for him to rebuild his image and so forth.
It will happen a lot faster with men than with women. Men sort of are more sympathetic toward this, because, on our planet, if we say men are from Mars, men are attracted by the physical first. And he was clearly not necessarily emotionally involved with these women.
But, when women hear it, it's a huge betrayal of trust, because women usually feel the emotional bond first. And, so, how could he betray his wife, telling her he loves her, while he would go off and love all these other women in a special way?
And so there's a huge betrayal trust. And whoever's guiding him and helping him in the apology and understanding the healing is right on, because it's not words that will do it. It's actions.
And for his whole image to come back, it will be, in a future, there will be scenes of him happy with his wife, because she's the one who will -- who needs to rebuild the trust with him. And I think that will help other women see men in a different light as well.
So, he has a big role here to play. And I see one big obstacle, which often women don't understand that the way men recover from traumatic events is often by doing things that they're good at. So, he will be out there playing golf, having a great time, and people will think that he doesn't really care about the tragedy he created, when the opposite is true.
KING: Well, Lisa, as a woman and as someone who helps people through crises, how did he do?
(LAUGHTER)
LISA BLOOM, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, I'm glad to be here tonight representing the planet Venus, John.
(LAUGHTER)
BLOOM: I think there was one small step forward for women today. And that is this.
We did not see Elin, thank goodness, standing next to him, the way that we have seen so many wives of famous staff in the past, with that Stepford Wife adoring gaze, as their husband publicly humiliates him.
For example, Silda Spitzer, wife of former Governor Eliot Spitzer, or Dina McGreevey, wife of Jim McGreevey, I mean, they stood there, and we just didn't like to see that.
And we're not seeing it, I think, anymore. We didn't see it with Elizabeth Edwards. We didn't see it with the governor's wife in South Carolina. I mean, we're just not seeing that as much anymore.
So, good for Elin for staying home and telling women and girls that we're not doormats. Her private decisions are up to her. If she stays, if she goes, that's up to her. But her public actions are something that people look to, that girls and women look up to public figures like Elin.
And, so, I say good for her for not being a doormat today.
KING: Well, let me ask you both -- John, to you first, then to Lisa -- if you agree that he said the right things, did he say them right, if you will? Was there enough emotion? Was the delivery credible?
GRAY: I thought it was fantastic.
And I just want to reinforce what Lisa said. That was my first reaction. I was so glad there wasn't her having to stand there, humiliating herself in front of her husband, as if she's feeling good about this. Her heart is broken, and it's magnified many thousandfold that few people could ever imagine because of all the publicity on this. And privacy is something that she's taking and something that he's acknowledged.
He doesn't want to share his feelings, what he's told to her, and that his actions will demonstrate that. And he's going to prove that. And I have faith in Tiger, because he's achieved his goals. He's really -- he's an icon. He's really a focused man. He can achieve his goal.
And part of golf is learning how to correct yourself from making mistakes. You're constantly gauging yourself. He made a big mistake. A lot of very famous people have made that same mistake, when faced with those temptations.
And I'm very confident he will be able to correct that and realize what he's done, and he will adjust it, and solve the problem. BLOOM: But there was one area for women that I thought was disappointing. And that is that Tiger apologized to all the world, his wife, appropriately, his family, his friends, his fans, his business associates.
But the only mention he made of all the other women that he was involved with was to refer to them as temptations. You know, certainly, he didn't refer to them even as human beings. And he didn't apologize to them.
And my understanding is that part of the 12-step program is, you're supposed to apologize to all the human beings that you have wronged. And, you know, some of these women allege that they had years-long relationships with him, that they had text messages from him where he lied to them. And I think he should have apologized to them, too. They are human beings, after all.
KING: Let's talk about the future of Tiger, the salesman. We assume he will return to golf and we assume he will have his skills intact.
But, this morning, ABC News released a poll that shows that 37 percent of women had an unfavorable view of Tiger Woods, compared to only 29 percent of men.
As a marketer, salesman, beginning with you, John, can does he and can he recover from numbers like that, in terms of getting back his marketability?
GRAY: Well, it will clearly start to happen as he starts winning the games. And it will happen first with men.
And if I was helping them in terms of just raising his image, after three to four months, there would be the acknowledgement that he finished his therapy, or at least a major part of it, and then there would be some sort of publicity campaign showing that he's a happy -- happy with his wife. If that happens, that would greatly improve his image, if he was able to -- just to go the nine yards to rebuild the relationship.
But, as a counselor, these things can take several years to really rebuild, for her to rebuild her trust. And if she gets involved in the process of healing and counseling as well, it will happen a lot faster, not to say that she's responsible for what he's done in any way, but she's a part of the healing.
KING: Lisa, if you see him in an ad on the screen, do you view him the same as you might have a year ago?
BLOOM: Well, I got to tell you that the women I have been talking to today on Twitter and Facebook and on the air and everywhere I have gone have not looked at Tiger favorably. I don't know the extent to which he can fully recuperate his image with women, because, let's face it, he was selfish.
That's his own word. He had a sense of entitlement, that he could do anything. And he publicly humiliated his wife. He wronged a lot of women that are out there hurting.
I think Americans love a comeback story, women and men. I think, eventually, everybody will forget about Tiger's wrongs, if he goes forward and leads a good life. But he's going to have a hard time repairing his image with women, I think, in the short term.
KING: John Gray, Lisa Bloom, thanks, both, for in tonight and helping us out. Thank you both.
We played only a portion of Tiger's statement tonight. If you go to AC360.com, we have posted the entire thing, in case you missed it earlier, or in case you just want to take a closer or a second look.
And we will be taking a closer look ourselves, right after the break, at the people in the room with Tiger, who was there, who wasn't, their reactions and more.
And, later, Gary Tuchman returns to Haiti and the orphanage that got so many of its kids out, but not all of them. So, how are they doing now? Find out when 360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: After months of silence, Tiger Woods riveted the world today. He apologized for his serial adultery, said he now realizes the rules apply to him, just like everyone else. He hugged his mom, but he didn't hug his wife, Elin. She wasn't there.
And that isn't the only telling detail, if you look close enough, which is exactly what Tom Foreman did.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN (voice-over): From the moment he walked in, Tiger Woods looked starkly different than many of us remember him from just before the scandal broke at Thanksgiving last year.
(on camera): Take a look. Gone, of course, was that famous smile. You could see dark circles under his eyes, his clothing not nearly as polished, his demeanor. not as confident as we used to expect -- all that despite the fact that he was facing a handpicked crowd stacked with friends and business associates.
For example, in the front row, that's Notah Begay, pro golfer, Tim Finchem, the PGA Tour commissioner, and Rob McNamara from the sports agency that represents Tiger.
Farther down, that's Kathy Battaglia from Tiger Woods Enterprises, Tiger's mother, Kultida Woods, and Amy Reynolds of Nike -- notably absent, Tiger's wife.
Many appeared uneasy as they listened.
WOODS: I want to say to each of you, simply and directly, I am deeply sorry for my irresponsible and selfish behavior I engaged in. FOREMAN (voice-over): Media came from all over the world, but reporters were kept a mile away in a viewing area and told there would be no questions.
But partway through, Tiger's head-on camera failed. So, the rest of the statement was taken from this side shot, which revealed interesting details. He wore no wedding ring, although past pictures suggest he rarely did.
And look at the reactions from Tiger's mother.
WOODS: I hurt my wife, my kids, my mother.
FOREMAN: Even when he spoke about her or his late father, she mostly looked down or away. So did many others, although the woman from Nike dabbed at her eyes as Tiger wrapped up his statement and came over to hug his mother and shake a few hands.
How many people stopped to watch this? Not sure. But stock market trading dipped noticeably during the announcement and rose sharply afterward, perhaps one measure of how, three months after his fall, many people remain terribly interested in Tiger, the man, and Tiger the mega-sports star.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: "Digging Deeper" now, let's bring in someone who knows and has written extensively about the life, the challenges and the temptations of pro athletes, sportswriter and nationally syndicated radio host Stephen A. Smith.
Stephen, good to see you.
Let's start with a simple question. Did Tiger's statement today, his delivery today, help or hurt his efforts to rehabilitate his public image?
STEPHEN A. SMITH, SPORTS COLUMNIST, "PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER": Well, I thought his delivery hurt his -- you know, his attempt to resurrect himself in the eyes of the public, simply because it was an awful delivery.
The worlds were definitely apropos. There was contrition in those words. There is no denying that. And he apologized to all the right people, the people who really mattered.
But, in terms of his delivery, it came across as a bit too scripted, too choreographed, lacking -- lacking sincerity severely. And I just that that's the kind of thing that's going to hurt him, because he's never made an effort to necessarily ingratiate himself with the public at large.
He marketed himself and his image to get paid, but never ingratiated himself with the public at large. And now that he had an opportunity to do so after this -- this incident, he didn't do a good job of it, in my estimation.
KING: Stephen, you're around professional sports all the time. Take us inside that world. You heard Tiger today say he felt entitled, felt he could get away with anything he wanted, because of the money, because of his fame.
What is life like for these wealthy, famous athletes, always on the road and always surrounded by fans and groupies?
VAUGHAN SMITH: Well, it's "Temptation Island." That's really what this comes down to. A lot of people don't want to hear that, particularly the women out there, but the reality is, that's exactly what it is.
You're a man. You're a physical creature. You covet what you see is the first order of business. Men are from Mars, women are from Venus, just like he said. You covet what you see. And they make sure you see a lot.
There's a whole bunch of flesh pointing in these guys' faces every single day, everywhere they go, every hour of every day. I -- I know of situations where women have snuck into guys' hotels. They -- literally, guys have come home to the hotel from games and, somehow, some way, the women had managed to get themselves inside a hotel room.
And I'm not talking about what you would call hoochies or anything like that, just girls that are on a roll looking to get in bed with a guy. I'm talking about doctors, lawyers, nurses, accountants, women who have their own money, have achieved their own level of success. It does not stop them.
And the younger you, the more of a target you are, because the more naive you're perceived as being, which makes you an easier target and easier prey for a lot of these women. I'm talking about every city, every state, every small town. I don't care if they go to the bus stop, for crying out loud. There is a woman somewhere there that wants to get ahold of them, because they're very reputable figures. And the women know this.
KING: That's quite the picture you paint there.
Let me ask you this. Is golf different than...
SMITH: Yes.
KING: ... if Tiger were a -- a professional basketball player, professional baseball player, professional football player? How is golf different?
SMITH: It's golf. Golf is very different, for one reason, and one reason only. Unlike baseball, football, basketball, golf is an international sport.
You're not traveling from Cleveland to Chicago, or Chicago to Detroit, or Detroit to New York City. You're in New York -- I'm sorry -- you're in the United States one day. You're in Dubai the next. You're in Asia the next. You're in -- in London, England. You're in France. It could -- the list could be on and on. You're international. You're traveling all across the world.
And lots of times you are not with your significant other and you're spending chunks and chunks of time without your significant other while those temptations are being thrown in your face. That's one of the biggest reasons why you feel you can get away with anything, because the person that you're accountable to is usually not around to hold you accountable.
KING: He was the best in the world, without dispute. What happens now? When you're the best, some of your colleagues, fellow players, competitors resent you anyway. What happens to Tiger Woods now? Do they forget about this? Do they think, "I don't want people looking at my private life either, so welcome back, Tiger"? Or is he more resented?
SMITH: Well -- he's -- they're going to welcome him back, but in the same breath some of them are going to resent him a little bit more because he's made life at home very, very difficult for them. We all know -- as men, we know how women can be. That's not misogynistic or disrespectful in any way.
But we know how women can be. If someone like Tiger Woods is cheating, some of those other golfers go home and they look at their women, they look at their wives, and the wives, their eyebrows are raised. They're looking at them. They're like, "What have you been doing?"
You know, and they're going to look at Tiger and say, "Damn it, look what you did to us. You caused us this inconvenience. We've got attitude with you right now." They're not going to say it to him literally. But make no mistake about it: that's going to be the kind of attitude that comes across.
Because you know what? Women don't forget, and men don't do a great job of giving them reasons to forget. And ultimately, you're going to end up paying the price. The actions of one taint the many, and that's exactly what the situation's going to be with Tiger Woods, especially since it's the sport of golf we're talking about here.
KING: The never shy Stephen A. Smith. Stephen, we appreciate your perspective tonight. You take care.
SMITH: Always.
KING: All right. Take care.
Coming up, new information about that plane crash into an IRS building in Texas. The bodies of two victims identified. And a startling find that could explain the force of that explosion.
And in happier news, a 3-year-old is found alive and well after more than 16 hours missing. The surprising secret to her survival, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Still ahead, an update on Haiti's youngest victims. Gary Tuchman checks in on the kids of the Bresma Orphanage in Port-au- Prince, children many feared would not survive after last month's earthquake.
But first, Poppy Harlow joins us for the "360 Bulletin" -- Poppy.
POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, Iran has launched a new guided missile destroyer. That announcement from Iran's state-run news agency comes just as the U.N. is accusing the country of developing a nuclear warhead. The vessel is reportedly armed with surface-to-air missiles, torpedoes and modern naval cannons.
Meantime, the FBI has identified the bodies of two people found after Joseph Stack rammed his plane into an IRS building in Austin yesterday. Their names are being held, pending further examination. An official familiar with the investigation, though, says a large fuel drum is missing from the airport where Stack took off. That official added there is a, quote, "good chance" Stack was carrying that additional fuel drum at the time of the crash which, of course, would have created an even bigger explosion.
And New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg has been diagnosed with stomach cancer. Doctors say the 86-year-old will undergo six to eight chemotherapy treatments but should make a full recovery.
And a very happy ending tonight for one Arizona couple. Their 3- year-old daughter -- see her right there -- she was found nearly a mile from their house this morning after wandering off late yesterday. Rescuers found little Victoria Bent and her dog, Blue, this morning. They credit Blue with keeping Victoria warm and alert during the night and, John, helping save her life. What a great story.
KING: That is a great story. Man and little girl's best friend right there. Look how cute she is. She is adorable. She is adorable. Glad she's safe.
All right, Poppy, here we go. Our "Beat 360" winners. Daily challenge to viewers, a chance to outdo our staffers by coming up with a better caption for the photo we post on the blog every day.
Tonight's photo, who else? Tiger Woods making his statement at PGA headquarters in Florida.
Our staff winner tonight, Joneil, a masterful recreation of William Blake's poem, "The Tiger." Follow this: "Tiger, Tiger, / burning bright, / meeting women in the night. / What immortal hand or eye / could chase thee / in thy SUV?"
(SOUND EFFECT: GROANS)
HARLOW: Very nice.
KING: Excellent. That is good. Literary, funny. All the ingredients. But our viewer winner is Patty from California. Her caption: "Forgive me, this is so uncomfortable. My shirt has too much starch in it. I'm doing my own laundry these days."
(SOUND EFFECT: DRUM BEAT)
HARLOW: Nice one, Patty.
KING: That's good. She's good. Patty, your "Beat 360" T-shirt is on the way. I think we ought to throw in a sleeve of golf balls tonight, too.
HARLOW: That sounds good.
KING: Why not? A reminder: you can join the live chat, now underway at AC360.com.
Just ahead, we have not and will not forget about Haiti. We introduced many of you to these orphans in the days just after the quake. Some were rescued. Others were left behind. Gary Tuchman is back in Port-au-Prince to find out what happened to them.
Tiger Woods wasn't the only one apologizing today. Why President Obama tried to make sure Las Vegas was feeling the love.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Tonight we're checking in on a group of orphans in Haiti. We told their story in those first frightening days after the quake. Jamie and Alli McMutrie were living outside at their Bresma orphanage with a group of children they feared would not survive. Since then, some of those kids have been airlifted to the United States. But others were left behind.
Our Gary Tuchman went back to Bresma to find out what happened to them.
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GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An orphanage in Haiti, where the children chant in Creole "Here's our mother, Margarette." Margarette may love these children like a mother, but she's the owner of the orphanage, hoping these children soon get approval to live with their new mothers and fathers in France and the United States.
(on camera) Do these children here have permission to leave Haiti yet?
MARGARETTE SAINT FLEUR, BRESMA ORPHANAGE OWNER: Not yet. Not yet.
TUCHMAN: How come?
SAINT FLEUR: Paperwork is not finished yet. Only six of them (UNINTELLIGIBLE) have permission to leave. TUCHMAN: So the rest, which is another 30, still don't have permission to leave?
SAINT FLEUR: Not yet.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): This is our second visit to the Bresma orphanage. Three days after the earthquake we met two Pittsburgh sisters who for years have helped Margarette run the orphanage. They said back then many of the children had already been matched with parents in the United States, but...
JAMIE MCMUTRIE, BRESMA ORPHANAGE: Their paperwork was in government offices downtown, and all the offices are crumbled. So that's what they need. All those papers are what they need to be able to get a passport and a visa.
TUCHMAN: Jamie and Alli McMutrie were tenacious, and 54 children got approval in the next few days and flew out of Port-au-Prince airport to new lives in United States. But 36 other children stayed behind.
We came back because we heard some were quite sick.
(on camera) How is the health of the children right now?
SAINT FLEUR: Not -- not very, very good. But they are OK. Except the four children that is not very in good shape.
TUCHMAN: They're in the hospital right now?
SAINT FLEUR: One of them is in the hospital.
TUCHMAN: That child has pneumonia. This still photo shows one of the other three children who have digestive problems. The other children all appear relatively healthy. While we were there they were bused to another Haitian orphanage so their current building can be repaired from earthquake damage.
They get a chance oat extra medical care that's available at the other facility. The Pittsburgh sisters, who had returned to the U.S. with their orphans, are now back in Haiti, trying to help get 12 of the orphans to designated families in the U.S. The rest of the children are likely destined to France. How long the process will take is unknown.
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KING: Gary Tuchman joins us now.
Gary, how long does it generally take for an adoption to get approved?
TUCHMAN: Well, before the earthquake, John, it took an average of about 1 1/2 years. After the earthquake, though, because of the nature of the catastrophe, governments quickened up the pace for many families. It was a policy of compassion. But now many people who look out for these adopted children say the process has slowed down again, and they are quick to put the blame on the ten missionaries who were arrested for allegedly trafficking children.
What they tell us, these children of perspective adoption parents tell us and what people in the adoption field tell us is that what they did is very selfish. Because their maneuvers, which were allegedly without any legal permission, have slowed down the process for many parents, who have legal permission, to ultimately get their children. But now it looks like, for many of them, it will take longer than it would have a few weeks ago.
KING: Gary Tuchman for us on the ground for us in Port-au- Prince. And we will continue to keep track of this story. Great reporting, Gary. Thanks so much.
Up next, conservative reality at the CPAC convention. Will the Tea Partiers join up with Republicans? And, from their point of view, should they? We'll have the "Raw Politics" on that.
President Obama pledging his love for Las Vegas. But does the mayor buy it? We'll show you just why that's a key question.
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KING: Tonight the Republican pep rally continues. The Conservative Political Action Committee, or CPAC, rolled into day two with the stars of the GOP predicting a big comeback, hoping to capitalize on voter frustration. Party heavyweights took turns at the podium here in Washington, reasserting their conservative values and blasting Democrats past and present.
Just listen to Minnesota Representative Michelle Bachmann.
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REP. MICHELLE BACHMANN (R), MINNESOTA: They have left us now holding an invoice in excess of $105 trillion in unfunded federal net liabilities which obviously wasn't enough of a debt load for the current administration. It sounds to me like someone is choosing to climb.
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KING: Conservatives clearly hoping to make gains in the 2010 midterm elections. But how much do they need Tea Party support? CNN political analyst William Bennett and RedState.com editor in chief Erick Erickson sat down with Anderson earlier for our "Strategy Session."
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ANDERSON COOPER, HOST: Bill, I know you're speaking at CPAC on Saturday. Is there a new conservative movement that has grown up in the last year since, really, the birth of the tea parties? Has the hierarchy changed?
BILL BENNETT, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I don't think so. I think it's a great tumult right now, Anderson. A lot of moving parts. There's no particular leader. What we know is there's a lot of passion, a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of unity around the issue of stopping what's going on in Washington.
And this is broader than a conservative movement, I think. A lot of independents are participating in the same passion and the same -- in the same direction.
COOPER: Erick, you were quoted in an article I read today of saying that there needs to be a purging of the movement and that it's already in some ways happening. How so?
ERICK ERICKSON, REDSTATE.COM: Well, you know, there are a lot of groups out there that really are Republican groups. For a long time Republican and conservative were connected at the hip. They're not really the same thing. The Republicans are about the accumulation of power to pass laws. Conservatives are about principles.
We need to separate to some degree and get back to where we were when Ronald Reagan became president, where there really was a definable conservative movement separate from the Republican establishment.
COOPER: But aren't, Erick, a lot of those people that you're talking about, as the Republican establishment, they came to Washington because of Ronald Reagan.
ERICKSON: Yes. I think so. But you know, over time something happens, I think, when you get to Washington. The values change. The views change.
It's different where I live down in Macon, Georgia, than where it is up in Washington. The issues are different. The presuppositions on which people base their ideas sometimes change. And I think we sometimes change, and we need to have a reality check in the movement of, are we still conservative?
You know, if you look at the Sharon statement that William Buckley released in 1960, that's still very valid. That hasn't changed. But there are a lot of people who are in the conservative movement who look at some of those statements now and get a little squeamish. That's unfortunate.
COOPER: Bill, what do you think about what Erick is saying?
BENNETT: I have a lot of regard for Erick. I don't agree with a lot of it. I don't like this reflex that, when you come to Washington you get bad, and when you're out of Washington, you're good. It's not true. There are some surprisingly good people in Washington.
You're not superior because you're outside of Washington, inferior when you're in. You're superior if you're a good person, you do the right thing, and you're not if you're not, whether you're in Macon, Georgia, or Washington, D.C.
I challenge Erick to tell me what's wrong with Jon Kyl, Jeff Sessions and Paul Ryan and a host of other people I could cite.
It is -- it is fashionable to bash Washington. And Lord knows Washington does a lot that deserves it, but you do not lose your character, necessarily, when you come to Washington. You don't have it simply by sitting outside and criticizing it.
ERICKSON: You know, I think I agree with Bill more than otherwise. And I think one of the dangers sometimes of getting things in so many words in print is painting with broader strokes than what I meant.
And you know, the congressmen and senators that Mr. Bennett listed are good people. And there are a many who come to Washington and remain true to their principles. There are some who don't, though, which is the danger.
With the Tea Party movement the danger is that some people who have gotten involved in the Tea Party don't necessarily have the best motives but, by and large, I think it exists in the absence of leadership.
You know, you've got a lot of people in Washington who come and talk about small government, but then they expand government. And they're perfectly happy, through the earmarks process or what have you.
And I think the Tea Party movement, once it gets leadership that really does walk the walk or at least feels like it's got leadership, it will largely dissolve. But right now, in the absence of that leadership, it exists. The Republican Party is its natural home. And I think it's a very good thing for it to be more closely affiliated with the Republican Party. It's a good symbiotic relationship.
COOPER: Erick, good conversation.
Bill Bennett, thank you, as well.
BENNETT: Thank you. Thanks.
See you, Erick.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: Monday on 360, who really runs Washington? We take you up and down K Street -- Gucci Gulch, they call it -- where lobbyists roam. Part of our "Broken Government" series, next week on 360.
Up next a university professor accused of gunning down her colleagues is on suicide watch in an Alabama jail. There's more. Hear what Amy Bishop's lawyer calls her and what he's saying about that sharp comment now.
Also ahead, President Obama makes amends to Las Vegas. Will the city's outspoken mayor accept that apology?
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KING: Tiger Woods begged forgiveness for selfish and foolish behavior. More on that shortly.
First, though, Poppy Harlow back with a "360 News & Business Bulletin" -- Poppy.
HARLOW: Well, John, two NATO service members were killed today in southern Afghanistan, one as part of the major offensive in the Taliban stronghold of Marjah. So far 12 coalition troops and one Afghan soldier have lost their lives in Operation Moshtarak. Senior Marine officials estimate that more than 120 Taliban fighters have been killed in that offensive.
And Amy Bishop's court-appointed attorney says he regrets calling her a wacko. The University of Alabama professor is charged with gunning down her colleagues at a faculty meeting last week. Her lawyer says Bishop is aware of what she's done and she is, of course, very sorry.
President Barack Obama unveiled a new plan today to help troubled homeowners. At a town-hall meeting in Las Vegas, he pledged $1.5 billion to prevent foreclosures in the five states hit hardest by the mortgage meltdown. The initiative will be funded by money from the bank bailout.
Meantime today, the president took a moment to set the record straight about his feelings toward Sin City. He recently angered local politicians and others in Las Vegas, warning Americans not to flow their cash in Vegas. Today, though, the president struck a different tone.
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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Love Vegas. Enjoy myself every time I've got an opportunity to visit. In fact, just last night I drew a flush on the River and cut the budget deficit in half.
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HARLOW: What do you think of that, John? Funny guy.
KING: If they don't feel love, Poppy. I was out there a couple months ago. And have you ever met the mayor of Las Vegas, Oscar Goodman?
HARLOW: I haven't. But I've seen him on a lot.
KING: He is a very colorful, interesting guy. Has a great bar in his office. Lots of Vegas paraphernalia. In his office, great martini glasses out on the bar. It's a great place to visit if you're thirsty. But he was furious when I was out there, because the president had said something about you can't spend your bailout money, don't go to Vegas and gamble.
HARLOW: Right.
KING: And he was trying to get an apology from the president, trying to get the president on the telephone. This guy matters in Vegas politics, especially Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, who's up for a tough re-election battle. And the mayor was mad. He's a little more happy tonight.
HARLOW: He got that apology.
KING: He did get the apology. I'm going to guess he wants a little more than that. We shall see.
All right. Here we go. Time for tonight's "Shot."
There's likely a circus employee apologizing for letting a zebra -- yes, a zebra -- loose in downtown Atlanta yesterday. Twelve-year- old Lima -- wait, passed the dramatic animal video. There's Lima right there. Lima escaped from an exercise area outside the Phillip's Arena. That's right next to CNN headquarters.
He was spotted all over town, became a hot topic on Twitter, ended up in rush-hour traffic on the highway before finally, as you can see there, Lima was caught. Hooves were bloody from running on the pavement.
HARLOW: Aw.
KING: That's tough. A circus spokeswoman says Lima is now resting at the University of Georgia's vet school. Maybe he was trying to get into the CNN Center to be a guest or something.
HARLOW: Yes. He wanted to be on your new show, John, starting soon.
KING: Work in progress.
HARLOW: Work in progress. I will -- I will up you on that. I will take your zebra and I will up you an angry gator. Take a look at this video.
Pretty unbelievable. There he is, a gator in Alabama on the highway. Got the cops to come. They tried poking and prodding him with a shovel. That didn't work. Had to call in Alabama Fish and Game. Watch out for that gator. Angry gator. But eventually, they got him off the road.
Pretty scary video there. I don't think I'd go within 100 meters of that gator.
KING: We're still working on a name for the new show. Maybe we'll call it "Animal Traffic Tips" or "Tricks" or something like that.
HARLOW: Keep working on that one.
KING: I think I better work on that one over the weekend.
More news at the top of the hour including a closer look at Tiger Woods' apology.
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