Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Crackdown Targets Illegal Immigrants, Bosses; Proof of Innocence?; White House Shake-Up
Aired April 20, 2006 - 08:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Friend or foe? China's president paying a visit to the White House. Beneath the pomp and circumstance there's a great wall dividing a superpower and an emerging one.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: I'm Jeanne Meserve in Washington. A crackdown targets not just illegal immigrants, but their bosses.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Alina Cho in Durham, North Carolina, where a cab driver could be key in the Duke rape investigation.
O'BRIEN: And it sounds like news from the mid-50s, a growing outbreak of the mumps. It's the worst in a few decades. Are the vaccines the problem? We'll talk to an expert.
Also this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know how he got his foot on the pedal and could see over the steering wheel, because he is not a large child.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Not at all. A joyriding third-grader, to be exact, nabbed for taking his teacher's minivan for a surprise spin. More on the littlest car thief suspect.
That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
O'BRIEN: Good Thursday morning to you. I'm Miles O'Brien.
NGUYEN: Good morning, Miles.
O'BRIEN: Good to see you, Betty.
NGUYEN: Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen, in for Soledad this week.
O'BRIEN: Just moments from now, President Bush and the president of China, Hu Jintao, will meet at the White House. President Hu arrived in the Washington area last night. He and President Bush will discuss the huge U.S. trade deficit, plus the administration's concerns over China's currency, a related issue. U.S. lawmakers say China's currency is undervalued, making that deficit worse.
Also up for discussion, opening China's market to U.S. businesses and the Iranian nuclear program.
Lots to talk about. We'll get you up to date in a bit -- Betty.
NGUYEN: A warning now for businesses that hire illegal immigrants. Federal officials are two hours away from issuing an aggressive new policy. They're going go after employers with criminal charges as much as they did in an interstate raid.
Homeland Security Correspondent Jeanne Meserve is live in Washington with the latest on this.
Good morning, Jeanne.
MESERVE: Good morning, Betty.
A big bust heralds the big change in policing immigration violations.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE (voice-over): Agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement swooped down on IFCO Systems facilities in Altamont, New York, Phoenix, Arizona, Houston, Texas, Westboro, Massachusetts, nearly 40 locations in all, rounding up more than 1,000 illegal workers. Seven current and former managers of the company which makes wooden pallets, crates and containers, were also arrested and charged with transporting and harboring illegal aliens, and giving them false documents.
JULIE MYERS, IMMIGRATION & CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT: Employees in IFCO have been involved in inducing illegal aliens to work there, telling them that they should doctor their W-2s, giving them fake Social Security cards, and in fact telling them they did not need to fill out any documentation at all.
MESERVE: ICE alleges a sampling of the IFCO payroll in 2005 showed that more than half of the company's employees were using Social Security numbers that belonged to other people, some of them dead.
MYERS: The Social Security Administration had written IFCO over 13 times and told them, listen, you have a problem. You have over a thousand employees that have faulty Social Security numbers, and we consider that to be a big problem. And IFCO did not do anything about it.
MESERVE: In a statement, IFCO said, "It is our policy to comply with all federal and state employment requirements. We are cooperating fully with representatives from ICE, and hope to have this matter resolved as soon as possible."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Jeanne, this was a pretty big crackdown. Is it the first of its kind?
MESERVE: Well it's the biggest, but last week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided some sushi restaurants in Baltimore, a chain of them. The owners there ended up forfeiting several hundred thousand dollars, properties, luxury cars. And officials say this is just the beginning. There are a lot more investigations under way -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Jeanne Meserve in Washington.
Thank you for that, Jeanne -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: That Duke University rape case may turn on the testimony of a cab driver and the tale told by an ATM receipt. The cabby says he was with one of the suspects on the night of the alleged attack at the lacrosse team party. It if that is true, it may undermine the prosecution's timeline.
AMERICAN MORNING'S Alina Cho live now for us in Durham.
Hello, Alina.
CHO: Hello to you, Miles.
The D.A. is staying quiet about what evidence he may have, but defense attorneys have a different strategy. They have created a timeline, essentially, that they say proves their clients are innocent.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: In the fight to defend Duke lacrosse players Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann, defense attorneys have declared war, and their strongest weapon so far may be a cab driver.
MOEZ MOSTAFA, CAB DRIVER: Nothing looked familiar to me.
CHO: Moez Mostafa is a driver, and the owner, of On Time Taxi, a cab company in Durham. On the night of the alleged rate, Mustafa says he remembers driving suspect Reade Seligmann. Phone records show the Duke sophomore called him at 12:14 a.m. to order a cab. Mostafa says he picked up Seligmann and a friend at the home where the lacrosse party was taking place at 12:19.
MOSTAFA: They seemed calm, like normal. I didn't recognize anything different.
CHO: Mostafa says Seligmann needed money, so they drove to this Wachovia Bank. Defense attorneys say an ATM receipt will show he withdrew cash at 12:24. MOSTAFA: After they took the money out from the machine, they asked if we can go to the Cookout (ph) restaurant.
CHO: After ordering food, Mostafa says Seligmann wanted to go home. Lawyers say he swiped his dorm card at 12:41. Prosecutors say the accuser was raped after she was coaxed back into the home by lacrosse players. A next-door neighbor said he saw the alleged victim go back to the house around 12:30. At this point, defense attorneys say Seligmann was long gone.
Lawyers say suspect Collin Finnerty was, too. They say Finnerty was having dinner with teammates at a restaurant, and a waitress will confirm it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm very confident. We have great evidence.
CHO: On Duke University's campus, students are showing support for the suspects by making, it T-shirts. Meanwhile, Duke administrators have joined forces with North Carolina Central University, the college attended by the alleged victim, and with Durham's mayor, to put out a statement calling for unity. The ad will run this week in all the local papers.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Alina, let's talk about the DNA evidence. We've already reported, folks know that the defense teams initially released were that the DNA test did not provide a link between the accuser and the suspects. Are we going have any more word on DNA in the future?
CHO: Well, we hope to, Miles, is the short answer. But essentially, the D.A. has said that he is conducting a second round, a higher level round of DNA tests.
We are still waiting on those results. But remember, prosecutors have said that a hospital exam will show that the accuser had injuries consistent with the sexual assault. And, Miles, the grand jury will be back here in the building behind me on May 1st, and they could hear evidence that could lead to a third arrest.
O'BRIEN: Alina Cho in Durham, North Carolina.
Thank you -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Thousands of people in western South Dakota hoping to get power back today. Take a look at this. A spring snowstorm dumped as much as two feet in some places.
The state opened up its new special emergency operation center and several shelters. They're not just dealing with power outages. Phone service was also cut off in many areas due to downed telephone polls and frozen cell towers.
So, let's get a check of this weather outside. Chad Myers is in the CNN Center.
You've got snow, baseball-sized hail in some areas. Is severe weather going to fire back up today?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It sure is, yes, from Texas, all the way to Atlanta, Georgia.
NGUYEN: Wow.
(WEATHER REPORT) MYERS: Weather for you, though, sunny and 75 for shopping in New York for shopping in New York.
NGUYEN: Like the sound of that, Chad.
MYERS: Are you -- are you enhancing the New York economy up there, Betty?
NGUYEN: Oh, you don't even want to know. I don't even want to see the credit card bill. It's bad. Just bad.
O'BRIEN: Chad, she was on Fifth Avenue. I was going to say, I could show you the cheap places, too, you know?
MYERS: Right.
NGUYEN: Oh, I've been to a few of those, too.
MYERS: I'll take you down to Canal Street. I'll show you where the real...
NGUYEN: Equal opportunity when it comes to shopping.
O'BRIEN: Canal Street, where the designer names are misspelled. But hey, it's cheap.
All right. Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Well, he may not be Modesto's most wanted, but an 8- year-old there making crime history. The third-grader, third grade, we're telling you, is likely the city's youngest-ever car thief. He apparently swiped a set of car keys from his teacher's purse and took her minivan home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAREN BRADY, TEACHER: Well, my car's gone. And I pulled out my car keys and said, "My car keys are gone as well." And then I went, "I've been robbed."
OFC. MICHAEL AMARILLAS, MODESTO, CALIFORNIA, POLICE: The 8-year- old had made some comments to law enforcement that basically he just wanted to go for a drive.
BRADY: I don't know how he got his foot on the pedal and could see over the steering wheel, because he is not a large child.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: In fact, at less than four feet, he's the shortest kid in the class. Except one little detail -- he won't be in class for a little while.
NGUYEN: No. O'BRIEN: He's been suspended. He will not be charged with a crime.
And there's so many questions I have. How did he reach the pedals? How did he know how to get home?
NGUYEN: Well, yes. It's a good thing he didn't wreck -- I mean, this could have been really awful.
O'BRIEN: On and on it goes, yes. Anyway...
NGUYEN: Little boy.
O'BRIEN: ... we'll get more on that for you.
NGUYEN: Yes. The teacher wants to talk to you.
Coming up, a closer look at that mumps outbreak in the Midwest. More than a thousand cases so far. Can you believe it? Does the mumps vaccine still work?
O'BRIEN: Also, that White House take on Scott McClellan out, Karl Rove has a smaller piece of the pie. Are these the moves the White House needs to get back on track?
NGUYEN: And if those moves don't work, maybe a reality show could do the trick. That's the premise of Willem Dafoe's new movie "American Dreams." He'll join us live in studio to talk about it.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Live pictures south lawn of the White House. Pomp, circumstance, all the things you would associate with a state visit, although this is technically an official visit. There is some diplomatic nuance there.
Nevertheless, as you can see, Honor Guards, representing all the branches of service of the United States military, will be there. And there is the diplomatic entrance to the White House, where you see the Color Guard there. A 21-gun salute will happen as President Hu Jintao and his wife arrive at the White House for the beginning of a ceremonial day and a day of substantive talks regarding a lot of serious issues, like trade deficits, the Iranian nuclear program, intellectual property, and the like.
We will be giving you the arrival certainly every step of the way, as well as some of the substance along the way as the morning progresses. It's all going to unfold in about 0 minutes' time.
Meanwhile, the White House a busy place right now. I don't know if you can see the revolving door on that particular entrance, but it's spinning.
The White House flowchart is looking a little different this morning. As a matter of fact, the press secretary, Scott McClellan, on his way out. And the man the president called the "architect" of his 2004 re-election victory, Karl Rove, now in charge of designing just political blueprints, not policy.
Joining us from Washington with his take on the White House maneuvers, Ron Brownstein, who is a CNN political analyst and "LA Times" columnist.
Ron, good to have you with us this morning.
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning, Miles.
O'BRIEN: What do you -- these particular changes, a lot of people in the media this morning saying these are more cosmetic changes. Do you -- do you subscribe to that?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, I think the active changing is probably more significant than the fact of the specific changes. There's -- you know, as you know, there's a lot of discontent among Republicans on Capitol Hill. A lot of nervousness about the way the numbers look in public opinion heading toward this election.
And they wanted some signs that the White House share their belief that it needed a new infusion of energy, it needed to find ways to help the president recover. And while the kinds of changes that we're talking about are unlikely to mean significant differences in the way the White House operated -- operates, it at least represents an acknowledgement that they need to do things a little differently and perhaps to bring in some fresh blood.
O'BRIEN: A little while ago, I had Mary Matalin on with me, and, of course, she the former high-ranking administration staffer on the Cheney staff and now outside of the administration. I asked her, though, if she felt the changes she's seen thus far are too little, too late.
Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARY MATALIN, FMR. ASST. TO THE PRESIDENT: You know, the whole notion that you just move chairs around to appease some chattering classes is not what the president's about here. It's not gamesmanship. It's not cosmetic.
It's a change to be more effective going into the future for the three years. We do not have the luxury to not be an effective White House for the next three years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: And implicit in that statement is that things are not so effective right now at the White House.
How much trouble are they in? BROWNSTEIN: Yes. Well, I mean, the president is at the lowest approval ratings of his presidency. The approval rating for Congress is as low as it was in the fall of 1994, when something very bad happened to the majority party. The Democrats were swamped in a landslide election.
Two-thirds of the country is saying we're on the wrong track. So, on all the macro measures, things are not good at the moment. But, you know, in some ways, the personnel changes that he isn't making, the president isn't making, are as revealing as those that he is.
I mean, we're not seeing any change amid the clamor for the removal of Don Rumsfeld at the Defense Department. And in some ways, I think that may be more revealing than what we're seeing at the White House.
I mean, there's no indication yet that the president believes that his fundamental political strategy or his policy strategy or his Iraq and national security strategy have to be substantially revised. And until and unless that happens, you know, it's not clear that these kind of moves are going to have a big impact on his overall standing.
O'BRIEN: Let's factor in the midterm elections as they come. A lot of concern in Congress in Republican circles that they could lose some ground, if not potentially control. I guess, what is it, about a 12-seat swing, right?
BROWNSTEIN: Fifteen seats in the House and the Democrats have to pick up six seats in the Senate.
O'BRIEN: OK. There you have it. I knew you'd know those numbers just off the top of your head.
With Rumsfeld still in that position and this tremendous discontent about the war -- 60-plus percent of those polled are unhappy with the conduct of the war -- in a sense there is a political foil out there for Democrats as long as Rumsfeld remains at the Pentagon, right?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, right. I mean, look, there are two -- two big points here.
One, is that I think almost everyone in both parties agrees that the key factor in those negative numbers that I just mentioned for the Republicans is discontent with the war in Iraq. That is the big anchor, the biggest anchor pulling down the president. And as the president goes down, so has the entire party in the polling right now. But there is still a large question looming over this election.
As I said, we have similar kind of attitudes in the public that we saw in 1994, when Republicans made big gains against the Democrats. But we have a very different political structure, Miles, than 12 years ago.
It's a much more solidified kind of environment in which Republicans are stronger in the red states and Democrats are stronger in the blue states. The key question, I think, going forward is whether the discontent that is undeniable in broad national polls is strong enough to dislodge Republicans from House seats that lean toward the president and states that lean toward the Republicans.
The Democrats can only regain the Senate by winning places like Montana and Missouri and Ohio, where Republicans tend to be strong. That's the critical question in these next six or seven months, is this tide big enough to endanger the Republicans in the place they have grown increasingly strong over the last decade?
O'BRIEN: Those are the races to watch, aren't they? And Ron Brownstein will be doing it for us.
Thank you, in Washington.
BROWNSTEIN: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: As always, appreciate your time.
Ron Brownstein with the "LA Times" and with us, too -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Your morning "House Call" is next. Today, a closer look at the mumps. An outbreak in the Midwest. Do you need to worry about it even if you've been vaccinated?
And later, Barry Bonds in trouble, not because of steroids, but because of wrist bands, of all things? Yes.
That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: In this morning's "House Call," new concerns about an old virus. An outbreak of mumps that started in Iowa has spread to seven other Midwestern states.
Dr. William Shaffner is an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and he joins us now live from Nashville to talk about this.
Good morning to you, doctor.
DR. WILLIAM SHAFFNER, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER: Good morning. Good to be with you.
NGUYEN: Well, first of all, let's just take a look at these cases and where they are. We're going to put up a map. There are 815 reported cases in Iowa, 350 cases in seven other states. That's a total of 1,100 cases that are reported so far.
How concerned should we be?
SHAFFNER: Well, we should be interested. And I know as a public health person and someone interested in communicable diseases, I'm a little bit concerned, because this surely is a much larger outbreak of mumps than we anticipated. You know, this virus was imported likely from England, got among some college students who are very close together, and so there's ease of spread. But no one would have anticipated that show many cases would have occurred.
NGUYEN: Yes. And it spreads pretty easy, correct?
SHAFFNER: Yes, it does spread rather easily. Now, most of these people have been vaccinated and vaccinated very well. So good for them for having done that. But it looks as though the vaccine is probably not quite as good as we had hoped.
NGUYEN: Wait a second. So, if you've gotten the vaccine, are you telling me that may not be enough?
SHAFFNER: You know, some -- all vaccines are good, some vaccines are great. This is a good vaccine.
Even after two doses it provides about 90 percent of the population protection. So that leaves a small number still susceptible. And I think this virus is finding those that are susceptible.
NGUYEN: Yes, because they didn't start giving those two doses until 1991.
SHAFFNER: That's correct. That's right. So, there are some people who only got one dose.
NGUYEN: Right. So should they get another one?
SHAFFNER: That's what -- in that area, that's what's being recommended. And this is a good opportunity for all parents whose children are off in college and all of us as physicians to review the immunization status of our patients.
NGUYEN: Yes, this hasn't popped up for a while, so let's just do a little refresher, if you would. A lot of parents really don't know what to look for. A lot of people don't know what to look for.
What are the symptoms of the mumps?
SHAFFNER: Well, first, you get a little bit of fever, and then you feel kind of crummy. But most importantly, this is a virus that goes to the salivary glands, usually, and particularly the one right in front of the ear, the parotid gland. And it will swell and become tender.
That's the mump. You'll know that. So go to your doctor at that point.
NGUYEN: Well, hopefully you'll catch it before it get too large.
All right. Dr. William Shaffner with the Vanderbilt University.
Thank you for that.
SHAFFNER: Surely.
NGUYEN: Get your vaccines -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Absolutely.
And let's get right now to Washington, the south lawn of the White House. I believe we're about to see the arrival of the Chinese president. And there you see those diplomatic doors with the Marine Honor Guard there preparing to open the doors, as we expect President Hu to arrive with his entourage very shortly.
This is the pomp and circumstance. As you see, the defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld. Beautiful, sunshiney day. What a great day for all of the pageantry that goes along with one of these arrivals.
As we say, we're not technically calling this a state visit. There's a lot of diplomatic nuance here. But essentially, state visits are, to the nth degree, an official visit with all the pomp and circumstance associated with the state visit, is what this is.
That is a bit of a diplomatic effort to deal with the thorny issue of Taiwan. And -- among other things -- and so this is an official visit. And all these protocol things -- it sounds like we're belaboring a lot of minutia, but -- are important things when it comes to the symbolism of two leaders of big nations, powerful nations such as China and the United States meeting.
So as they arrive, just to walk you through this, 21-gun salute, they will review the Honor Guard. You've seen those pictures before.
The president at that podium will make some opening remarks. And then President Hu will make a short statement as well.
Then, thereafter, they're going to get right to business. The president, along with their corresponding national security advisers, will meet in the Oval Office, and they'll start ticking off their list of issues. And they've got a fairly long laundry list to discuss.
NGUYEN: Talking trade, human rights, intellectual property rights. All of this on the table.
We're taking a look at the doors right here because President Bush will be walking through those doors just as President Hu Jintao from China arrives.
And as you said, there is a lot of pomp and circumstance surrounding this. A 21-gun salute, as mentioned, will take place here today. But really, the big issues deal with trade.
It's all about what is going on with China when it comes to trade. Also, China's currency. That's going to be another big topic today.
O'BRIEN: Yes, it will. And, you know, the big picture, you know, the 35,000 feet view of all of this, is you have the undisputed superpower of the world, the United States, here, meeting an with an emerging economic giant. And on a grand strategic level, as you look toward the future in this millennium, as the Chinese economic machine continues to grow, these two nations will be forced into rivalries in many ways and shapes and forms, whether it's just the quest for national resources, oil, or whether it is economic trade, or whether it is favor with other countries, geopolitical strategies.
And in many respects, China is emerging like a world player like it never has been. And as a result, perhaps, portends toward superpower status.
So, that's kind of at the root of what we're seeing here today, two healthy rivals at this point. And borderline tension in many respects on many issues when you consider the -- certainly what is present and what is future for the country of China.
NGUYEN: Talking a lot about trade, as mentioned. China is a growing country. We talked a little bit earlier this morning about the need for energy, that China is really growing, and the need for oil -- obviously Iran is going to be an issue on the table as well. Taiwan another one of the issues that could be on the table that could pop up during today's talks.
Just really a lot to be discussed today at the White House.
O'BRIEN: The president will discuss human rights issues, because even as the China economy has emerged and had such tremendous success, the country has done little, the leadership of that country has done little to march forward any sort of individual freedoms or any semblance of what we would call a democracy. The visions of Tiananmen Square still linger in people's minds, and in many respects, the oppression of Tiananmen Square and the treatment of many political prisoners remains intact inside the Chinese leadership. And that will be an issue, a very thorny issue that will be brought up in the course of the summit.
NGUYEN: Apparently, this trip is really all about business for China. Before arriving in Washington, D.C., President Hu Jintao met with Microsoft chairman Bill Gates in Washington State, talking about -- a lot of trade going there. Also, he toured a Boeing aircraft plant as well.
So, a lot of this having to do with the economics of China, the needs of China, and what both countries, the U.S. and China, can get out of these talks today.
O'BRIEN: While we wait, and while we watch those diplomatic doors on the south side of the White House on this beautiful sun- drenched day filled with pomp and circumstance, we're going to turn it over to Carol Costello, get a few headlines in. And as soon as the presidents are evident there, we'll bring that to you live -- Carol.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
