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Shock Jocks on Illegal Immigrants; Blair Demands Return of Incarcerated Military; Gonzales and the Attorney Firing Issue
Aired March 25, 2007 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: The great lengths some people will go to just to enter the United States. This man takes a desperate leap right into Niagara Falls. There are millions of immigrants in America and plenty of stereotypes to go around as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE): You like it here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: We go in the kitchens. Who are they? What do they want? Are they misunderstood? I'll take you inside the story.
And you may have seen this video. It shows an off-duty police officer beating up a female bartender. Well, tonight there's word it has happened again.
And hello again, everyone, I'm Rick Sanchez. We're going to start with Iran and the growing concern about the British captives held for a third day now in an undisclosed location. Today the Iranian foreign minister said the 15 sailors and marines might be put on trial, might be charged with espionage. British Prime Minister Tony Blair was staying silent on the matter in hopes of resolving it quietly somehow, but today that all changed with a warning to the Iranian leadership.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I hope that this can be resolved over the next few days, but the quicker it is resolved, the easier it will be for all of us. But they should not be under any doubt at all about how seriously we regard this act which was unjustified and wrong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Blair said several other things, by the way. He continues to insist that the sailors and marines were in Iraqi waters, not Iranian waters. The Iranians are saying, no. They had crossed into waters claimed by Iran.
We found a journalist now in Bahrain who was embedded on the British mother ship the Corwnall when the Iranians seized those two patrol boats. Here's her take.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was on the ship at the time, and obviously the marines and the sailors were on small, inflatable boats further out towards the Iranian area. Our take is that they went out. They were inspecting a ship compliantly and according to U.N. rules. They reboarded their inflatables and from what can be seen, the information is sketchy at moment, was surrounded by Iranian republican guard corps navy vessels and taken up the Shatt al-Arab waterway.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: And that's a very important waterway so let's do this now. Let's try to show you with the telestrator exactly what this waterway is and what the significance is of it.
We've got it right here on the map, and this is Google Earth so we're going to be going in now to actually show you the waterway and the difference. There it is right there just as I draw it for you. I'll clear all that. There is Iran on that side. That is Iraq on that side, so that is essentially a divider.
It's just like that conflict, in many ways, between England and Argentina. One says it's the Falklands, the other says no it's the Maldenas Islands. This is the point of contention right there. It's where that he waterway has its mouth and goes right into the Persian Gulf.
That's where this incident happened. I'll draw you an arrow just so you can see it one more time. That's where it happened. Again, the Iranians are saying, no, that's our water, and you were encroaching on our territory. The British are saying, no, that is Iraqi waters, and we're protecting Iraq so we have a right to be there. That's essentially what it's all about.
So let's go now, I mean, geographically speaking from that point, that opening in the waterway, let's take you now to Tehran, the capital, another part of the story. This one has to do with the U.N. sanctions the Iranians were hit with yesterday. With or without the sanctions, Iranian leaders are saying tonight they will continue their nuclear program, quote, "without hesitation." Those are the words being used. CNN international correspondent Aneesh Raman is in Tehran.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Calling the U.N. Resolution illegal, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a statement posted on his website said that Iran could not be stopped even for a second in its pursuit of peaceful civilian nuclear energy. The Iranian president also warned that the country would not forget those who backed this resolution that brought about a second round of sanctions on Iran, and those who voted against it. He did not specify, though, what that would mean, as he planned for a policy down the line. Separately, a chief spokesman for Iran's government says the country will now limit its cooperation with the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, the IAEA. The spokesman said that Iran would basically stop short of the subsidiary arrangements it had made with the IAEA. Iran has warned before that it could kick out IAEA inspectors that are here as sanctions continue to come over its nuclear defiance and pursue its nuclear program in secret. Now among the Iranian people, the reaction to this vote has been subdued, the reason twofold. First, when you talk to Iranians about sanctions, their eyes sort of gloss over. They have faced sanctions since 1979.
But secondly, the sanctions that have been voted on by the U.N. are targeted sanctions. Not targeted the Iranian people, but instead individuals involved in Iran's nuclear program, so broad based support still remains for Iran's desire for peaceful civilian nuclear energy. And despite this second round of sanctions from Iran's president, no sign the country will back down. Aneesh Raman, CNN, Tehran.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Switching gears now. Tonight Attorney General Alberto Gonzales remains in the hot seat. The embattled AG is scheduled to testify before Congress next month and today the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee came out questioning Gonzales' credibility.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (R), PENNSYLVANIA: I think Attorney General Gonzales' testimony will be a make-or-break situation for him. There are a lot of questions to be answered beyond credibility. There's no doubt that what has happened has had a very chilling effect on the United States attorneys across the country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: That's not the only Republican raising serious questions, by the way. There's also Senator Chuck Hagel. He also expressed reservations today. He says, quote, "The only currency that matters in governance is trust. When you debase the currency, you lose trust. You can't govern."
And he goes on to say, "The chief law enforcement of America must be beyond any question. Unfortunately, the attorney general is dealing with a cloud hanging over his credibility, and the president is going to have to deal with that," stop quote.
Democrats almost as expected are saying this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. PATRICK LEAHY (D), VERMONT: First, the attorney general says he's out of the loop, and then he - then the e-mailed showed he was in the loop. It's bad either way. I mean, this was a horrible mistake it. It never should have been done without the OK of the attorney general. It shouldn't have been done with the OK of the attorney general, so in many ways it's bad news either way.
SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEN (D), CALIFORNIA: I think the era of the dual-hatted attorney general is a mistake. I don't believe you can serve two masters. I don't believe you can be an enabler for the White House and also be the chief law enforcement officer for all of the people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Once again, this is important; Gonzales scheduled to go before Congress. That's going to happen in about three weeks.
A dramatic rescue in the Gulf of Mexico. Two cruise ship passengers who fell overboard end up alive and well after a four-hour search and a rescue operation. The ship was sailing from Texas all the way to Cozumel in Mexico. These are pictures of the Grand Princess cruise ship. There it is. The passengers, a male and a female in their twenties, just, they fell off the balcony of the cruise ship. That's a long way. Carnival says the rescued passengers appear to be in satisfactory condition. They plan in fact to stay on the cruise.
People are still talking though about the latest rescue in Niagara Falls. This drama is different from ones that you've heard about in the past because this time the man is rescued before he goes over the falls that would likely have killed him. Then, he gets arrested. Roger Petersen reports a story for CTV.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROGER PETERSEN, CTV REPORTER (voice-over): The 42-year-old man was taken to hospital after a harrowing night on the water. Officials say he got into the river near the top right of your screen about a kilometer from the rushing waters of Niagara Falls. As he stepped onto a block of ice, it broke off and he was taken away by the current, but this dam stood in his way.
In the control tower above it, a worker jumped into action. On duty this morning, Peter Larsen, he credits a quick-thinking colleague with saving the day.
PETER LARSEN, DAM OPERATOR: When he raised the gates, what he had done was limit the current into the structure so that would prevent him from going through the open gates here right at the dam.
PETERSEN: The water slowed from its usual pace of about 500 cubic feet per second and the Niagara Falls fire department sent out two boats to rescue the man not far from the dam. He was treated but also arrested. Police say he was trying to sneak into the United States. His identity hasn't been released.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Well, with all the maritime stories, we wondered today what's it like to actually be lost at sea, hoping you won't be found dead in the water by the Coast Guard the next day or several days later. I found out firsthand.
You can't see what's on the other side of the waves, and, unfortunately, in a rescue situation, it's harder for them to see you as well. I should tell you I worked with the Coast Guard to put this story together, finding the proverbial in a haystack; it's child's play, compared to trying to find someone lost at sea, because of the waters. You just can't see them unless you're up close like that. What can you do? What should you do to better improve your chances of survival? If you or someone you know literally goes overboard, obviously this is a teaser. We'll bring you the full story, one you don't want to miss it's tonight. It's on deck, so to speak, tonight at 10:00 Eastern right here in the NEWSROOM.
Coming up, long hours and life-or-death decisions. That's the word of people who really put it on the line. That's the world inside a hospital's E.R. What's it like? CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta is going to take us inside.
And then later.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you are here illegally, you're breaking the law, no better, no worse than the guy who waits the liquor store or the guy that waits to you're your house down and robs you of your belongings. You're a criminal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: No worse than the guy who robs your house. Criminal is probably the nicest thing these radio hosts call illegal immigrants. Instead, they are also calling them cockroaches. A controversial program coming up in about 20 minutes.
Do you remember this video, a police officer beating up a bartender? Well, it's happened again. another bar beating. More details straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: And we welcome you back. I'm Rick Sanchez. This one is a far cry from the scripted plot lines of "Grey's Anatomy." A busy Saturday night in Atlanta where the emergency staff are stretched to the limits. It's something chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta knows an awful lot about. When he's not in the newsroom here talking to us, he's often in the operating room at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta as an attending physician training the residents there. This weekend he takes us inside the world of, pardon the pun, "Grady's Anatomy." Here's a preview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBIN LOWMAN, FIRST-YEAR RESIDENT, EMORY UNIVERSITY: It's starting to go down. It's Saturday night, Grady, red zone.
DR. DEB HOURY, ATTENDING PHYSICIAN: As you can see, we got hit with about five trauma patients all at once. And Robin is one of our interns. Usually, second years are the ones that run traumas, but because we are busy, I asked her to assist.
LOWMAN: Sir, pain?
When I went in there, I was a little shocked at how severely hurt this patient was.
Pupils are equal and reactive to light.
Literally, the foot is almost gone. He has an open fracture on one leg. I mean, he had a lot going on.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ETA on a 45-year-old female involved in a head- on NBC about 45 miles per hour. She has open head trauma. She is intubated and in traumatic arrest.
HOURY: Oh God.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No pressure, no pulse.
HOURY: We have no room.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ETA...
HOURY: We have nothing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Stretcher.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Coming out, coming out, coming out.
LOWMAN: When we finally get the woman in, they're doing chest compressions. We move her to the bed and get the ultrasound out to see if she has any cardiac activity, to see if we can see the heart moving.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No cardiac movement.
HOURY: I have no pulse.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No pulse.
HOURY: Fatal injury to the head.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
HOURY: Time of death, 10:00 p.m., fatal injury to the head.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Time of death?
HOURY: 10:00 p.m.
LOWMAN: That is hard to deal with. I tend to pray. I'll just grab my cross just to make sure that it's there. It's just comforting for me. And that's been hard for me to understand that there's nothing we can do. (END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Open head trauma. Robin, thanks so much for joining us by the way.
LOWMAN: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: That must have been difficult. By the way, what is open head trauma? I heard you say that in the piece.
LOWMAN: Yes. Open head trauma is when you have a wound that you can see straight through the head.
SANCHEZ: So that person doesn't stand a real good chance of surviving.
LOWMAN: Most times they do not.
SANCHEZ: You know, it's funny, I saw you say well I grab my cross. You almost have to use your religion to get through a day doing something like this.
LOWMAN: Yes, always. In the emergency room you come close to death or at death almost every single day, especially at Grady Hospital.
SANCHEZ: What's it like to see such horrible, horrible things and to be able to get up the next day and keep living your life?
LOWMAN: Well, for me, prayer helps me a lot. You have to, for the 10 patients that you don't save, you save 100, so you just have to look on to the next aspect.
SANCHEZ: Focus on the positive.
LOWMAN: Yes.
SANCHEZ: Do you take it home sometimes?
LOWMAN: I do, I do. I try not to. But there's really no way you can't just being a human being. Death is hard to take.
SANCHEZ: What's it like for the camaraderie. I imagine if you're working with a group of people and you're all together and you're all young and you're in this atmosphere, you must set -- you must have some amazing camaraderie, just survival skills alone?
LOWMAN: Yes. That's so true. It's very true, when you're on your 20th and 25th hour and they look at your classmate and they look just as tired as you, you know you're not alone.
SANCHEZ: And you're around people dying.
LOWMAN: Yes.
SANCHEZ: So the bond that you must form with some of your colleagues must be unbelievable.
LOWMAN: Incredible.
SANCHEZ: Why do you do it?
LOWMAN: Because I love medicine and I love people.
SANCHEZ: Your dad was a doctor?
LOWMAN: Yes.
SANCHEZ: So you decided a long time ago that this is what you wanted to do?
LOWMAN: A long time ago. I've always wanted to do it. My dad actually tried to talk me out of it.
SANCHEZ: Did he really?
LOWMAN: Yes, he wanted me to understand that being a doctor is a lifestyle. It's your life, it's not a job. It's not a 9:00 to 5:00 where you go home. Your patients are always with you. He just wanted to make sure that I knew that before I got myself into it.
SANCHEZ: Good stuff. Robin Lowman, thanks for coming in.
LOWMAN: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: You're really wonderful to talk to. Well you've heard Robin's story. It's not the only one from inside the walls from of Grady Memorial Hospital. Next we're going to hear from a young surgical resident and find out just how far can the body be stretched when it comes to, as you would know, Robin, going without sleep. We'll have that part of the story as well.
And then we're going to talk also tonight about immigration, legal, illegal. We visit an Atlanta restaurant to find out who they are, who are the people cooking your meals. We'll have that for you. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Have you ever been to 'hospital? You've seen what happens in places where people are coming in, like the emergency ward, the nurses, the doctors, the interns. Now a different perspective on life as a hospital resident, the long hours, intense pressure and really some of the life-and-death responsibilities.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NII-DAADKO DARKO, FIRST-YEAR RESIDENT, MOREHOUSE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: This is the full moon. It's 12:00 at night. And we already had a gunshot wound to the eyeball. Squeeze my hand. So these patients are just one step from expiring.
This person did not wake up, thinking that he was going to get shot in the head two times. So for me, it burdens me. And especially being in this area, you know, with a large minority population, it hits harder because you're like, well, maybe that could have been me.
You know I came from situation like this, and, you know, to treat people who are in a same station as I was growing up, you know, it really means a lot to me. Right now, I'm getting ready to get some shut eye for like a minute or so and then get ready for the next upcoming day. So, this is my white coat, which is also my pillow, which is also my locker room.
Where are you? What did you say? We need a chest tube. You have a chest tube?
Putting in a chest tube is like a big deal. Right now, my heart is racing because, you know, if you don't fix it, this patient is going to die.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: This is amazing. By the way, what's a chest tube?
DARKO: A chest tube is basically a tube that you press -- that you put inside the chest when a person's lung collapses, and what it is able to do is it's able to suck out the air from inside the chest and allow the lung to reinflate.
SANCHEZ: Somebody whose life is really on the line when you're doing something like that.
DARKO: It's critical.
SANCHEZ: This is Nii Darko, he's good enough to join us now. Also an intern there?
DARKO: Yes, sir.
SANCHEZ: You know, as I look at this, I'm thinking exhausting. How much so?
DARKO: It's very exhausting. Like I said in the one piece where I feel as though I took the LSAT, the MCAT, the GMAT and also ran a marathon at the same time. It's exhausting but at the same time I think it's a testament to my upbringing, but also a testament I received at Grady and also at Morehouse School of Medicine.
SANCHEZ: Well let me ask you. When you're dealing with patients and somebody comes in and you're not - your shift is done, but they're not done. In other words, you're in the middle of a procedure, but you've got to go home. How do you do that or do you?
DARKO: It's a difficult situation. It's a balancing act, because, you know, in one part as Dr. Gupta said you're balancing your need for sleep, but also you're balancing your need for experience and that experience is going to make you become a better doctor, is going to help you to treat your patients better. And honestly, I have to admit, it's not up to me to make that decision. But as far as I'm concerned, I always put the patients first and that's what's always stressed in our program. Patient care first.
SANCHEZ: You must be a real smart guy to get into a school like this and do what you're doing.
DARKO: You know, I guess so. It was a lot of hard work.
SANCHEZ: I didn't mean to embarrass you.
DARKO: I mean, I have to admit. It was -- I didn't do this by myself, you know. There was a lot of people who had their hand in helping me get to this point.
SANCHEZ: How do you get - I was talking to Robin. She says -- we were watching when a patient died on her, she had a tough time with it. How tough is it for you?
DARKO: It's always tough for me. It's always tough, each and every time.
SANCHEZ: Does it keep you up at night?
DARKO: It keeps me up at night, and I'm always thinking about the experience and how can I rewind the events and say maybe if we tried this differently or that differently and I think at least for new doctors, the hardest part is understanding that despite all the technology that we have right now, that sometimes no matter what you do.
SANCHEZ: It's fate.
DARKO: Exactly.
SANCHEZ: Are you a spiritual person?
DARKO: Yes, very much so.
SANCHEZ: Some things are just meant to be.
DARKO: Sometimes the man above makes the decisions.
SANCHEZ: And you can't get in the way.
DARKO: Exactly.
SANCHEZ: You're a good man, I appreciate you coming in.
DARKO: Thanks for having me.
SANCHEZ: "Grady's Anatomy", it's a "CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT." It airs tonight at eight Eastern only on CNN. Folks, it is worth watching. It will keep you captivated.
Coming up, take a look at your screen. A policeman kicking and hitting 5'4" female bartender. He is a whole lot bigger, folks, over six feet. I think he weighs 250 pounds. This is earlier this week. Well, it's happened again, in the same place. We've got the details, and if you think that's bad, watch this.
Teens beating the homeless. It's a disturbing new trend. You won't believe the links to which it sometimes goes.
First though, immigrants and the people who oppose them. We're going to hear the hopes of those immigrants and the fears of their opponents. Both sides, you're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: We welcome you back, I'm Rick Sanchez. Illegal immigration, it's the subject of popular talk show fodder, but a couple of New Jersey radio guys are accused now of crossing the line, comparing the immigrants in this country to hardened, hardened criminals. And they say they are broadcasting hate, at least that's what their opponents are saying. CNN's Jim Acosta explains what happens.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 336 Jersey Guy, center of the storm again.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When radio shock jocks Craig Carton and Ray Rossi, AKA "The Jersey Guys," sound off on the issue of illegal immigration they do it in their usual take no prisoner style.
CRAIG CARTON, "THE JERSEY GUYS": If you are here illegally, you are breaking the law. No better, no worse than a guy that robs the liquor store or the guy that waits to case your house out and rob you of your belongings. You are a criminal.
ACOSTA: And they don't stop at calling undocumented workers criminals. "The Jersey Guys" are urging their audience to report anyone who even looks illegal to immigration officials, using what they consider a catchy name to publicize their campaign.
Lacucagotcha, a not so veiled take on the old Mexican folk song "La Cucaracha" or "The Cockroach." But not everybody is singing along.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You don't think that the implication is there that you're talking about finding cockroaches?
CARTON: No I do not.
RAY ROSSI, "THE JERSEY GUYS": The name itself is really from an 18th century Mexican song. The song is probably --
ACOSTA: La cucaracha means cockroach, that's what it means.
ROSSI: Yeah apparently it does. But the goal wasn't to call Hispanics or illegals cockroaches.
ACOSTA: State lawmakers and Hispanic groups in New Jersey accuse "The Jersey Guys" of whipping up xenophobic vigilantism. Like minutemen with microphones.
WILFREDO CARABALLO, (D) NEWJERSEY ASSEMBLYMAN: The broad brush characterization against Latinos by "The Jersey Guys" dehumanize a portion of our state's population and it fosters hate.
ACOSTA: Franklin is an illegal immigrant who lives in New Jersey but doesn't want his last name used. He's afraid "The Jersey Guys" are making him a target. He says he risked his life coming to America, stowing away on a train like this one.
FRANKLIN, ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT: In God's eyes we're all the same. The only difference between us and the people on the show, is that we're foreigners and they're from here.
ACOSTA: How can you call this Lacucagotcha and it not be racist?
CARTON: Well we didn't mean it with any offense. The name of it to me is irrelevant. It's what the program is, and the program is to get rid of illegal immigrants because they're a danger to our country.
ACOSTA: To defend themselves "The Jersey Guys" held a press conference and aired it live. The toughest questions --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People want to know if you're not desperate for ratings.
CARTON: That's a good question.
ACOSTA: Came from the Spanish-speaking reporters.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Latin community is looking for an apology. Do you have something to say to them?
CARTON: I will not apologize to any community because I don't believe that I've offended the Latin or Hispanic community.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "The Jersey Guys" are not the problem. The problems are the illegal aliens.
ACOSTA: Boosted by their on-air supporters "The Jersey Guys" vow to continue la cucagotcha. Are you keeping the name.
CARTON: Yes.
ACOSTA: The name is not going anywhere.
ROSSI: No, and we don't apologize for any aspect of this project.
ACOSTA: And that includes the end date for the project, May 5th, also known as Cinqo de Mayo. Jim Acosta, CNN, Trenton, New Jersey.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: And there's this story. Pedro Zapeta could be the poster child for President Bush's plan for a guest worker program. Pedro snuck into the United States from Guatemala. For 11 years he worked at different restaurants until he saved nearly $60,000. Eventually he wanted to take some of that money on board a flight home so he can share it with his family, desperate. But anyone planning to leave the United States with more than $10,000 has to file paperwork with customs, and he didn't do that, so he was arrested. Pedro was accused of being a drug trafficker and now the U.S. wants to deport him. His attorney calls it a huge waste of taxpayer money.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GERSHMAN, PEDRO ZAPETA'S ATTORNEY: That's all he want to do is self-deport and go home and stay home. I mean, he is a perfect example of a guest worker program, where they just come, they do the work and they go home.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Pedro's attorney says he plans to appeal the government's decision. Meantime, Pedro is back at work but last month a judge ruled that the government can keep nearly $50,000 of Pedro's money, everything over the $10,000 limit he loses.
That story made us wonder about other immigrants working in restaurants all over the country, amid the controversy that's surrounding immigration these days. We wanted to know just essentially from a human standpoint who these people are, what they do, what they want here in the United States. So we found, I found, the busiest, arguably the best restaurant in all of Atlanta where ironically enough they serve incredibly wonderful country cooking, and hey were nice enough to take us into their kitchen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ (on camera): This is one of the places where suburban Atlantans come to eat. Not only do they come to eat here, but they don't even mind the wait. What is it about the food that makes it so good?
ANN PLATZ, CUSTOMER: Well, I think, number one, it's not overcooked, over spiced, real southern food, lots of butter in it, sprinkles of good seasoning. If you'll watch, it moves quickly because they serve quickly. That's why my husband and I love it.
SANCHEZ: This is the kitchen in one of the busiest restaurants in all of Atlanta. They can serve up to 3,000 meals in one day. Who is at the center, who is serving it up? Many of them are immigrants. How long have you been working here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nine years.
SANCHEZ: You like it here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
SANCHEZ: Where are you from?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: San Marcos.
SANCHEZ: That's the western side of Mexico.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
SANCHEZ: You're from Mexico, from Acapulco. How long have you been here? Seven years working here. What is it about the food? It's the workers. It's the workers. That's why it's good, because you work hard to make it good. And they love it! If there is a southern staple, if you've ever eaten in the south, you've got to know this is it. This is what they refer to as, I'm sure you've heard the term, cornbread, and that's what we're going to be doing. This is my friend Lopez. You make the cornbread. How long have you --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Five years.
SANCHEZ: Five years working here. How long have you been in the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ten years.
SANCHEZ: You speak some English.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, trying.
SANCHEZ: A little bit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, a little bit.
SANCHEZ: You feel appreciated?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I do very much, yeah.
SANCHEZ: Yeah, you feel like the customers here love your cornbread.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, like sometimes, in the morning I do breakfast and people know me. I do appreciate.
SANCHEZ: People say they love coming here because you guys do such a great job. Whoa, that's hot. Eight years in the United States. How long working here? Seven months. Do you want to stay in the United States?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah, sure.
SANCHEZ: You want to be American?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
SANCHEZ: Yes, for sure. That's the dream of all Mexicans.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE) SANCHEZ: Their story and their words. By the way, in the last decade the state of Georgia has seen the largest increase of any state when it comes to the growth of its immigrant workforce.
Coming up, he was doused with gasoline and then torched.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I was told that they said that he was homeless and nobody would care about him.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Targeted just for being homeless. Not an isolated incident by the way. We're coming up with that, it's in the NEWSROOM.
Also, you were shocked by this video showing a Chicago policeman beating up a bartender. Well it turns out that it's not an isolated incident. Another beating and the finder is again pointing at a Chicago police officer. That is coming up.
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SANCHEZ: Welcome back. On Friday sales of existing homes had the largest jump in three years. With more on the real estate market and other stories that are going go be making business news this week, here is none other than Ali Velshi.
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ALI VELSHI: Lots of economic news on the business docket this week, enough to have a real impact on your stocks. On Monday we'll see how well new homes are selling. New homes make up about 15 percent of the housing market, and they have seen sales drop in recent months, but could springtime, when more homes are typically sold than in any other season, bring some hope? We'll follow the housing market closely because it's one of the biggest factors affecting how consumers feel about the economy. On Tuesday we'll get a read of that with the consumer confidence survey. Despite all of the turbulence in the economy, the American consumer is hanging in there, largely because of a pretty good jobs picture. And we'll finish up the week with a report on how durable goods are selling. Those big-ticket items like computers and washing machines. We'll also get an update on the Gross Domestic Product. GDP is reported every three months. It's the broadest measure of economic activity because it adds up all the value of all the goods and services produced in America and compares it to last year. And these days, that comparison isn't looking so good. If you want more of this sort of thing, watch me on "Minding your Business" each weekday morning on "AMERICAN MORNING." That's it from New York, I'm Ali Velshi.
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SANCHEZ: Viewers are checking out these stories on cnn.com. Burned to nothing. That's what police say happened to a Texas A & M student. Investigators say that the woman was murdered by her ex- boyfriend, dismembered and burned on a patio grill. Rescue at sea. Two cruise ship passengers who fell overboard in the Gulf of Mexico were rescued safely today after a four-hour search. The young man and the woman are going to be ok. They decided to stay on the cruise in fact after that harrowing experience. And Gonzales on the hot seat. Maybe even hotter today than yesterday. Today three key Republican senators questioned the embattled AG's credibility in the federal prosecutor's firing. Democrats also they renewed, of course, their calls for Gonzales to eventually step down.
It's that barroom beating caught on tape that stunned the nation. You remember that? Well now there may be yet another one, same city, same police department. Chicago, February 19. An off-duty police officer shoves, pummels and kicks a much smaller, female bartender while the surveillance camera catches every punch. Well, that 12-year veteran of the force is out on bail and under investigation for also trying to offer the victim money to keep quiet about it. Now confirmation today that city prosecutors are reviewing yet another beating at this bar in Chicago, also allegedly by an off-duty Chicago police officer, or police officers. Also, by the way, captured on video. That tape hasn't yet been released to the media. When it is, we'll share.
Already shunned by many in society, the homeless are increasingly becoming targets of violence. For more on that story here's CNN's Dan Lothian.
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DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lucas Wiser was 21 years old, homeless and living on the streets of Corpus Christi, Texas when a group of young men attacked him in the middle of the night. What did they do?
LUCAS WISER, HOMELESS ATTACK VICTIM: All I know is they just threw the lighter fluid and gasoline onto my right arm and underneath the arm. The next thing I know it's at 4:30 in the morning I'm on fire.
LOTHIAN: What did it feel like?
WISER: It just felt like somebody was ripping my skin off my arm.
LOTHIAN: Without provocation or warning Wiser says he became the victim of what some called a thrill hate crime, targeted just for being homeless.
WISER: What I was told that they said that he was homeless and nobody would care about him.
LOTHIAN: They were six young men caught on surveillance tape dousing Wiser with flammable liquids, lighting a flame and leaving him to burn. Amazingly he survived by stumbling into a muddy puddle, but not before sustaining second and third-degree burns to his arm and chest and enduring three surgeries. Wiser's story is not unique.
MICHAEL STOOPS, NATL. COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS: The streets and sidewalks are becoming more dangerous for homeless people and they're being targeted by teenagers.
LOTHIAN: Teen on homeless violence is also happening in cities like San Francisco, Milwaukee and Fort Lauderdale, where last year 45- year-old Norris Gaynor was beaten and killed, allegedly by three teens. A surveillance camera caught what police say are two of them brutally beating another homeless man that same night. The teens each pleaded not guilty to charges of first degree murder and attempted murder.
SIMONE MANNING-MOON, NORRIS GAYNOR'S SISTER: We miss Norris. I miss my big brother, I do.
LOTHIAN: Gaynor's sister says she always feared for her brother's safety once he became homeless.
MANNING-MOON: Sleeping on a park bench, minding his own business, he was asleep. He was bothering no one. To think that anyone could hurt someone like that, we're still having trouble processing that it could happen.
LOTHIAN: A new study by the National Coalition for the Homeless found a 65 percent increase in the number of all attacks against homeless victims just last year, like this one in Cleveland, where a homeless man is tasered by three teens as he sleeps. Or here as the same group kicks another person resting under a sheet. One hundred forty-two attacks, including 20 murders, and that may not be the whole picture.
STOOPS: There's a lot more incidences that go unreported.
LOTHIAN: What's behind the teen violence?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no rational explanation for what we did.
LOTHIAN: Nathan Moore was sentenced to 15 years in prison after he and two other teens befriend a homeless man, then beat him to death in 2004.
NATHAN MOORE: I don't know, once you just get into the heat of the moment, you can't always control yourself, and I never meant to do it, you know. I regret it every day.
LOTHIAN: Northeastern University criminologist Jack Levin says society's treatment of the homeless is partly to blame.
JACK LEVIN, NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY: They are not seen as people at all. They are seen as garbage that needs to be eliminated, and that's why it's so commonplace nowadays for teenagers to be able to do the most sadistic and despicable things to people on the streets.
LOTHIAN: Some point the finger at bum fight videos, films sold on the internet showing fights between homeless people who are paid to rumble. That certainly seemed to influence these teens.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bum fights.
LOTHIAN: They were convicted of assault after videotaping themselves beating, kicking and urinating on a homeless man in Canada, laughing the whole time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where did you hit him?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the face.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do it again, do it again.
LOTHIAN: Lucas Wiser's attackers were also caught. Two of them are serving time.
What did you want to do to them?
WISER: I wanted to kill them, but I chose not to.
LOTHIAN (on camera): Wiser is no longer homeless. He lives with his father and step-mother here in upstate New York. It's far away from Texas, but he's still haunted by the attack that took place more than two years ago. What are those nightmares like?
WISER: I'm yelling, I'm yelling at the doctors, the EMS, the fire.
LOTHIAN (voice-over): And every day he wakes up to this.
WISER: It's all the way down to right there.
LOTHIAN: Scars, covering his chest and arm, but he's no longer angry, just determined to show the public that the homeless are human, too, trying to get back on their feet. Dan Lothian, CNN, Oswego, New York.
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SANCHEZ: Here's a somewhat related story, this is one the whole country has been talking about and certainly has been making the news in New York. A couple of New York City mugging victims. They were down. They are not out, and they are talking tough today about crime. Don't you just love the "Rocky" theme. These ladies could star in their own "Rocky" style movie. Talk about taking a punch, suffering brutal assaults and getting up with their dukes up. Solange Elizee, she's 85 years old and Rose Morat, she's 101 years old. The Queens community honored them for their bravery and their toughness after both were beaten and robbed on the same day. A New York state senator wants to increase penalties for attacks on seniors. By the way, we should tell you, the guys who did that, still haven't been caught. Science class lends itself to experiments, right? But does this look anything like high school, at least a high school you were ever in? An exciting new program coming out of Florida. We're going to tell you all about it, it's next in the NEWSROOM. And then coming up at the top of the hour, you might watch "Grey's Anatomy" or "House" or any of the other medical shows on TV, but we're going to give you a peek at real life hospital drama, real doctors. Not actors here, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS presents "Grady's Anatomy." We'll have it for you, stay with us, well be right back.
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SANCHEZ: We welcome you back and here we are in "B" control. Video is coming in all the time. It's true. Some news stories carry more weight than others, right? Well this next story is a little on the light side. We're convinced it's going to keep you glued to your seats, unlike some of the people that you're about to see, reporting on a new gravity-free classroom in Florida. David Waters from our affiliate at Central Florida News.
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DAVID WATERS, CENTRAL FLORIDA NEWS: You never got to do this in high school, but now the state of Florida plans to fund this so-called no gravity classroom every year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're putting together a microgravity educational research institute. We're here in Florida with the best math and science teachers and professional development. When I was growing up, we didn't have classrooms in the sky like this.
WATERS: The classroom is a modified 727 run by the company Zero G. The pilot climbs steeply and then dives to create about 30 seconds of weightlessness. The state of Florida plans to lease this plane about 20 times a year, allowing students and teachers to learn in this weightless environment, a way that has never been opened to students and teachers before.
Jump at me, yeah, baby.
The first trip went to Florida space agency officials, teachers and high school students from Jacksonville doing a science experiment.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hold on, hold on.
WATERS: The students are watching how pumps perform in weightlessness versus on the ground while hanging on to the wires so they don't float away. The experiment is part of a system students hope to use to grow bone cells in weightlessness. They want to help astronauts by studying the bone loss space flyers experience on long- term space trips.
KEVIN SIMMONS, TEACHER: It's a thrill because, as you know, when we were younger, we just didn't have opportunities like this, so for our students to do a weightless experiments, it's an incredible opportunity.
One more time.
WATERS: Florida officials say it will be far more than one more time. They plan to fly thousands of students in the state's new classroom in the sky. (END OF VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Yeah, just don't have a big spaghetti dinner before you go up there, because it could get real messy, right. That was David Waters from CNN affiliate Central Florida News. We thank him for it.
Coming up on CNN, the ultimate medical drama, this is even more compelling than the real shows you see on TV, supposedly real. It's all new CNN special investigations unit. Dr. Sanjay Gupta introduces us to residents facing life and death on a job where almost anything can happen and does. It is spectacular folks. We've looked at this. CNN SIU, "Grady's Anatomy", that's ahead, just after a check of the hour's headlines.
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