Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Freeway Inferno in California; Former General Slams Iraq War; Fans Furious Over Hannah Montana Tickets; Will Gore Run For President After His Nobel Win?
Aired October 13, 2007 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: It is Saturday, October the 13th, and you are in the NEWSROOM. Hello to you all, I'm T.J. Holmes.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, hi, everybody on this Saturday, I'm Betty Nguyen, thanks for being with us today.
HOLMES: Alright, now in the NEWSROOM, freeway inferno, a blazing big-rig pileup shuts down a major interstate very latest (ph) straight ahead.
Also, we got this ...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT.GEN. RICARDO SANCHEZ, FMR COALITIO COMMANDER: There is no question that America is living a nightmare with no end in sight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: General criticism: he used to be in charge of U.S. troops in Iraq, now he is slamming the war effort.
HOLMES: And if you're a parent of a young girl, then you know that young girl, Hannah Montana. So why are fans furious over the teen superstar? Not exactly something she did. She'll explain this, coming up in the NEWSROOM.
NGUYEN: But first, a flaming inferno on a Southern California highway and a huge problem right now for Los Angeles area motorists. Interstate 5, the major north-south freeway in northern Los Angeles County is shut down in Santa Carita. Two trucks collided last night, starting a chain reaction. Five big trucks burst into flames in a tunnel, forcing people to abandon their vehicles and escape the smoke- filled inferno on foot. Fifteen people are hurt and there was a report that at least one person is still missing. That fire was still burning this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JASON HURD, L.A. COUNTY FIRE DEPT: Extremely difficult for the crews. there's only been, obviously, two means of egress and exit of attacking this fire, and the intense heat, again, not knowing the number of vehicles, the type of vehicles inside, their cargo have all been cause for concern for us. And, again, not knowing if there's any individuals that are still left inside the tunnel. So until we actually get in there, get the vehicles pulled out of there, the fire extinguished, we won't really know exactly what we're dealing with.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: And to add to it, there are fears the tunnel may have suffered structural damage. No one is saying when it will reopen.
HOLMES: A nightmare with no end in sight. That's a scathing assessment of the Iraq war, and this time it comes from a former coalition commander, retired commander general Ricardo Sanchez.
CNN senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Ricardo Sanchez was brimming with optimism when he was the top commander of U.S. troops in Iraq. He's retired now, his career cut short by the fallout of the Abu Ghraib scandal that happened on his watch and he's turned into one of the biggest critics of how the Bush administration has managed the war, calling it a catastrophic failure.
SANCHEZ: Continued manipulations and adjustments for our military strategy will not achieve victory. The best we can do with this flawed approach is to stave off defeat. The administration, Congress and entire interagency especially the State Department must shoulder the responsibility for this catastrophic failure. And the American people must hold them accountable.
MCINTYRE (voice over): Sanchez told the group, military reporters and editors, that he had reservations about the strategy while in Iraq back in 2003 and 2004, but he felt he could not resign without jeopardizing his troops. But now retired, he says the current strategy is too little and doomed to fail.
SANCHEZ: There has been a glaring, unfortunate display of incompetent strategic leadership within our national leaders. As the Japanese proverb says, "Action without vision is a nightmare." There is no question that America is living a nightmare with no end in sight.
MCINTYRE: Sanchez was in line to promotion to four-star general until tarred by Abu Ghraib scandal. While officially cleared of any wrongdoing, he had fierce critics in Congress.
(on camera): For a while, he sat quietly in a job in Europe waiting to see if the furor would blew over, but the controversy essentially made him un-confirmable and he retired. He now plans to write a book.
Jamie McIntyre, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: A National Security Council spokeswoman Kate Starr issued as her response last night to Sanchez comment, here it goes: "We appreciate his service to the country. As General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker said, there is more work to be done but progress is being made in Iraq and that's what we're focused on now."
NGUYEN: So, who exactly is General Sanchez? Well, he was the top general in Iraq from June 2003 to June 2004. And during his tenure, U.S. forces captured Saddam Hussein and killed Hussein's sons Uday and Qusay. But as Jamie mentioned, Sanchez was also in command when Iraqi prisoners were abused at Abu Ghraib. Sanchez himself caused his career a casualty of that scandal. He retired November 2006 after 33 years in the army.
HOLMES: We're also just getting word of two more U.S. military deaths in Iraq. Two soldiers were killed and five others were hurt in a mortar attack near Baghdad this week. All seven were members of the First Calvary Division based at Fort Hood, Texas. The U.S. military death toll in Iraq now stands at 3,827.
NGUYEN: As vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and then as Joint Chiefs Chairman until earlier this month, General Peter Pace was closely linked to the Iraq war.
Must seen (ph) in Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr has uncovered a fascinating note on his last day of active service, General Pace spent some time reflecting on an earlier war.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: On the day his 40-year military career ended in part because of the war in Iraq, General Peter Pace remembered the first men he lost in combat in another unpopular war long ago. CNN has obtained photos from a private moment the day General Pace retired as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on October 1st.
(voice over): After this farewell ceremony with the president, the Secretary of Defense, and the new chairman, Pace went to the Vietnam wall and left some notes. Each was addressed to one of the men who died during his command in Vietnam in 1968. Look closely. Each note has a set of his four stars pinned to the card. This note to 19-year-old Lance Corporal Guido Farinaro reads -- these are yours, not mine. With love and respect, Your platoon leader, Pete Pace. He remembered those same men and others when he closed his farewell speech just an hour earlier.
GEN. PETER PACE (RET.), U.S. MARINE CORPS: I made a promise about 30 years ago to Guido Farinaro, Chevy Hill (ph), Woody Travers (ph), Mike Witt (ph), Lt. Joe Arnold (ph), Freddie Williams, John Miller and that I would serve this country in whatever capacity I could for as long as I could and try to do it in a way that would pay respect to the sacrifice that they made following 2nd Lieutenant Peter Pace in combat.
STARR: Pace, of course, did not get a second term as chairman because of the Iraq war, but we now know he left office that day making one last private stop to say good-bye one more time to the men of his platoon in Vietnam.
Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon. (END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: New wrinkle here on O.J. Simpson case to tell you about. One of O.J. Simpson's co-defendants now expected to plead guilty on Monday. An attorney says Charles Cashmore will testify that Simpson came into a Las Vegas hotel room with two armed men. Simpson's attorney's claim no guns were involved in that incident. Simpson says he went to the hotel to retrieve memorabilia that belonged to him. Prosecutors say it was an armed robbery.
NGUYEN: Well, eight months after her death, Los Angeles police are going after Anna Nicole Smith's doctors. They raided the homes and businesses of two doctors, one a psychiatrist. The former model, reality actress and tabloid headliner died of an accidental prescription drug overdose. Investigators found 11 prescription medicines in her hotel room the day she died and none of the prescriptions was more than five weeks old. Yet, investigators reportedly couldn't account for more than 600 pills.
On a stunning end to a police standoff in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, look at this, after nearly seven hours, a suspect drove his car around a police blockade and led officers on a high-speed chase and went straight into the water. He fatally shot himself in that vehicle. The suspect, 32-year-old Arthur Jackson had earlier killed his estranged wife and two stepchildren.
HOLMES: A racial divide in the Florida panhandle this morning. An all-white jury acquitted eight defendants accused in a boot camp death of a 14-year-old black boy. The defense blames the boy's death on a previously undiagnosed medical condition.
Ferdinand Zogbaum of Bay News 9 reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GINA JONES, MARTIN LEE ANDERSON'S MOTHER: How in the hell are they going to let them walk away?
FERDINAND ZOGBAUM, BAY NEWS 9: It was a very emotional Friday afternoon for the parents of Martin Lee Anderson, the seven guards and one nurse charged with his death are free.
MICHAEL OVERSTREET, CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE: As to the defendant Joseph Walsh II, we the jury find as follows -- the defendant is not guilty.
JONES: I don't see my son no more. They say their family members as small as 14 years old. At least we do know, you can't kill a young black male and don't do time for that right there.
ZOGBAUM: Benjamin Crump, the Andersons' attorney, said he would be surprised if the verdict came back guilty.
BENJAMIN CRUMP, ANDERSON FAMILY ATTORNEY: You kill a dog, you go to jail. You kill a little black boy, nothing happens. ZOGBAUM: Throughout the eight-day trial, a small group of demonstrators gathered across the street from the courthouse. Bridget Smith thought the video of Anderson being manhandled by the guards would be enough to send them to prison.
BRIDGET SMITH, DEMONSTRATOR: Yes, I am shocked because the video showed everything, you know. And I'm just here to give the family support because I have three boys of my own and they could have been one of them.
ZOGBAUM: Hoot Crawford is one of the defense attorneys. He says he's glad the trial is over and he's happy with the outcome.
HOOT CRAWFORD, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: It's been a long three weeks. It's been a long six months that we've been working on this case.
ZOGBAUM: A long ordeal that still has this family searching for answers. Benjamin Crump did tell us he hopes a Federal investigation will be launched to take a look at this case.
In Panama City, Ferdinand Zogbaum, Bay News 9.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, everybody. Josh Levs here. You know, yesterday we got the word that Al Gore had won Noble Peace Prize, a lot of people were asking, is it really about peace or politics? But you know what? We have the answer straight out of the mouth of the Noble committee leader. Also the story of someone who turned down the Noble Peace Prize for political reasons. We're going to tell you all about that coming up.
Back to you, T.J.
HOLMES: Alright Josh, thank you. We'll see you here shortly.
And the Hispanics on the run after Texas town takes on illegal immigration. Now some say, city leaders are going too far. We'll show you why, later in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, he says he's getting straight back to work, but you can bet Al Gore will squeeze in just a little celebration over the weekend. Gore shares this year's Noble Peace Prize with U.N. climate scientists. In a brief appearance before reporters, the former vice president called global warming a planetary emergency. Gore slipped away without response to that chronic question, will you run for president? Political analysts predict the Noble Peace Prize winner will help fuel the DraftGore Movement.
Our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider will be with us next hour to explore that question.
Well, here's a question for you -- is it a Noble Peace Prize really about peace, or is it about politics? HOLMES: Good question. Al Gore, of course, gained international respect for his environmental work, but is it one of the biggest peace efforts of our time? Well, we will have questions like this.
NGUYEN: Who do we turn to?
HOLMES: We turn to Mr. Reality himself. In a reality check, tell us just how the secret Noble Committee chooses winners.
LEVS: I still will look in. Nobody that I know knows these stuff. And they don't want us to know. We have to do some proving here. You guys as fact, you know it's really fascinating stuff. And it was really striking how all the people yesterday were questioning, is it peace or is it politics? So I looked for the answer. Guess what? It turns out a leader of the Noble Committee made clear just a few years ago that politics does indeed play a big role.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AL GORE, FMR U.S. VICE PRESIDENT, NOBLE PRIZE WINNER: It is the most dangerous challenge we've ever faced.
LEVS(voice over): Al Gore's Nobel Peace Prize puts him in the company of such human rights activists such Iranian Shirin Ebadi and controversial winner Yasser Arafat. In 1973, Henry Kissinger won along with North Vietnamese leader Lee Duc Tho who turned down the prize saying his country was not at peace.
But is the prize principally about peace or is the committee also making a political statement? The answer -- politics play a big role. In 2002 when Former President Carter won, the Noble Committee chairman said the award should be interpreted as a criticism of the line that the current U.S. administration has taken in international politics. In selecting Gore and the intergovernmental panel on climate change, the committee said it wants to increase focus on efforts to protect ...
OLE DANBOLT MJOS, CHAIRMAN, NOBEL COMMITTEE: And thereby to reduce the threat to the security of mankind.
LEVS: Many environment experts do see these efforts as critical for peace.
ROGER HIGMAN, FRIENDS OF THE EARTH: The committee has recognized that climate change if unchecked will be a cause of conflict in the future.
LEVS: The British newspaper, "The Guardian" says drought helped spark the conflict in Sudan, making it likely the first climate change war. Still, there are plenty of peace activists world ride. Who was Gore's competition and how does the committee decide? They don't want us to know.
GORE: I want to thank the Noble committee.
LEVS: You have to be invited to nominate someone, and the five- member panel appointed by the Norwegian Parliament keeps its work top secret, including the committee says, investigations and opinions related to the award of a prize.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS: And while that prize is a huge honor, keep in mind the Nobles don't necessarily add a lot of fuel to the effort they're highlighting. A really good example is back in 1991, when Burmese opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi won that award and then she spent most of the time in the following years under detention in Myanmar and today still in that country, people are fighting for basic human rights and freedoms all these years later. So, guys just because somebody wins something doesn't mean their cause is going to get advancement at all.
HOLMES: People always have something to say and we give them a place to say it.
LEVS: We do.
HOLMES: (INAUDIBLE) to Cnn.com. What are they saying?
LEVS: They're saying a lot. You know so you can tell what's really hot on dot com based on how people are responding. And they're huge on this one. They're really struck. Let me just give you a couple of quick quotes. And you can all see more online. He's one Suhadji Roy (ph) of Mariana, Georgia, he wrote, "This is as deserving an award as one can be, Al Gore is the disputed champion of raising awareness about global warming and other environmental hazards."
Alright, let's switch to the other side, I want to read you this one Mark Green in North Carolina he says that, "Really Al Gore is just a spokesman for a cause that hasn't actually achieved anything yet." He says quote, "Maybe the award should be the Noble Prize for most prominent politician as a spokesperson."
You can sign off on this just go to Cnn.com, click on the story. Say, you want to add your -- we aren't say, it's really easy and a lot we'll bring you more throughout the day.
NGUYEN: I'm sure we'll get plenty more on the subject. Thank you.
LEVS: Thank you.
NGUYEN: And it is, of course, your world and we're bringing it to you, especially the story behind stats. You want to tune in for CNN's worldwide investigation, "Planet in Peril" with our Anderson Cooper, Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Jeff Corwin, it airs Tuesday, October 23rd, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern and Wednesday, October 24th, you can get a preview of it online. All you do is go to Cnn.com/planetinperil.
Muslims around the world are celebrating one of the most joyous days of the year. Check it out in the lower right there the Empire State Building glows green to mark Eid. The holiday ends the holy month of Ramadan. Why green? Well, green is a festive color that symbolizes happiness in Islam. This is the first time a New York landmark is lit for Eid. Every year, the building has Christmas and Hanukkah lights.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: On dry up, a major water shortage problems for Georgia's biggest city. We'll show you what is causing it.
And it's been dry in parts of the Southeast, but check out the central plains. We've got the chance of strong storms today, severe thunderstorms, maybe even tornadoes before the day's out. I'll give you the full scoop coming up. In just a few moment, right here on CNN.
NGUYEN: Well here is some scoop. Reynolds, tickets sold out but Hannah Montana weren't the ones buying up all the tickets. It's the concert tour many teens don't want to miss, but find out why they actually have to. That's next on the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: The story we'd been keeping an eye on, all morning, just some amazing video. The pictures out of California, Sta. Clarita is the area where interstate 5 is shut down after a fiery crash. A chain reaction crash in a tunnel on I-5 that has shut that highway down and this is just a mess. Some 15 trucks involved, some big rigs involved in this accident. Two vehicles initial involved, started a chain reaction in this tunnel on the interstate.
We know that, as you see there, we have update, 15 people at least hurt. None of the injuries right now considered serious, but the earlier word we got that at least one person was unaccounted for. And the officials do or are still working to possibly account for that person. Don't know what might have happened to them.
So this is some of the newest video we wanted to bring to you. An absolute traffic mess on this major freeway out there, I-5. Anyone of course in that area certainly knows how important and crucial that highway is. But a tunnel has been shut down, the highway shut down while they're trying to get this mess under control. And no idea when i-5 might open back up because of this mess. But the pictures out of there this morning have just been amazing. We're keeping an eye on it for you this morning.
Moving on here to flash flood, leaving Haiti with a deep, deep scar this morning. Rushing water tour through the town of Calvary (ph), killing at least 20 people. This has to happen on Wednesday but words didn't get out until Friday due to Haiti's bad roads and poor communication system. The flood caught the town by surprise. It was raining lightly, but downpours in the mountains sent water rushing down through the town.
NGUYEN: From all that rain to the lack of. The Southeastern U.S. gripped by extreme drought, perhaps the worst since the 1930s. Georgia's Lake Lanier is so low it is baring its banks. Mayor Shirley Franklin is pushing for conservation and at this point, Lake Lanier only has four months of water left. Georgia's governor has declared October shorter shower month.
HOLMES: So, we're going to Reynolds but Betty, given that I have to sit this close to you, don't make your shower that short, OK?
NGUYEN: Well, I'll just pack on the perfume. We have to do what we need to do to conserve water.
WOLF: If it gets that desperate, we'll have to put up extra cameras on the NEWSROOM and T.J. will be over there, and Betty's going to be over there. It will be like three-inch plexy glass between us. It's an idea.
HOLMES: It's serious.
WOLF: No question about it. It is incredibly serious. And the big problem we're dealing with is there's -- there's very little relief in sight, especially in Georgia.
Short term, we may see scattered showers next week, but it was then, we're looking at better 20, 30 percent possibility. Let's go back to the weather computer, we'll show you, where we're seeing rainfall, some flash flooding may occur especially on parts of i-70 where heavy rain this morning from this blob is not moving to the east -out west. We still see development along parts of i-35, that's going to roam through the Kansas City metropolitan area. Get ready for pounding on the roadways especially in low lying areas unfortunately have poor drainage. You are going to have some flash flooding issues.
Now, eventually we'll going to see more of this move through Columbia, back to Belandale (ph) even in Sedilla (ph) and then in St. Louis where it is dry for the time being, if you were to step outside and look back towards the west, you're going to see a lot of cloud cover and with that, a chance of rain. That's your forecast. We'll have more coming up throughout the morning and throughout the afternoon.
Betty, back to you, gas mask free.
NGUYEN: For now. More video here of that fiery inferno in california on the freeway there. The major route is now closed indefinitely. We'll have the latest on cleanup efforts there.
HOLMES: Also a new battle brewing in Texas over illegal immigration. Is this new crackdown enforcing the law or is it racial profiling? Both sides speak out.
NGUYEN: And what started as a basement business is now a million-dollar company and it's run by a 17-year-old girl. Just ahead, the teen CEO and her success story.
You are watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Oh, my goodness, look at that mess. This is because of a freeway inferno that's happening. The fiery crash on Interstate-5 in Los Angeles County injured at least 15 people and it has just stopped traffic on that interstate.
Our Peter Viles is near the scene of the crash, on the phone with us now with the latest.
What can you see and what can you tell us, Peter?
PETER VILES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, T.J.
It is a strange sight here on the Interstate-5. This is a 10-lane Interstate highway, one of the busiest in the United States. And there is zero traffic. We're about maybe a quarter of a mile north of where this fire broke out and you can still see some smoke from the fire.
The challenge to the fire officials is it broke out in a tunnel -- a tunnel that is a truck bypass tunnel, so it's for trucks only. That's where the fire was. There was some sort of chain reaction accident in there. As many as 15 big rigs involved. We don't know how many caught fire. But the problem is, with the -- fighting this fire, is they don't know if the tunnel where the fire broke out is structurally sound, so they're not confident to rush in there with fire equipment. And they also don't know what's inside the trucks. You don't want to rush into a fire if there's explosive or flammable material in there.
So this -- they're doing the best they can. We've seen two totaled big rigs pulled out or towed away from this fire site. And I have to think there are more in there. But the traffic is just an absolute mess. I mean we have world class traffic jams in Los Angeles, but I don't think I've ever seen anything like this. There are four big highways that feed into the Interstate-5 within a couple of miles here and all of those are snarled. And as you said, we were just on an overpass over the 5 and there is zero traffic moving on what is called the Golden State Freeway, just north of where this fire broke out about 11:00 last night -- T.J. .
HOLMES: And, Peter, do I have it right, north and southbound shut down on this highway?
VILES: Well, where we are is just north of where this fire is and there is no traffic on the highway. It's definitely shut down north of the fire. We did -- it looked like we saw some traffic on the other side that was moving very, very slowly.
HOLMES: OK...
VILES: But, you know, if you're a motorist in Southern California, avoid this at all costs. And I would just say there -- this a very heavily trafficked route for big rigs, because just north of here is the San Joaquin Valley, which grows more fruit and vegetables, probably, than any other area in the United States, and maybe the world. Those fruits and vegetables have to come down this highway to get to the Los Angeles to get to the rest of the country. And, of course, none of that is moving right now.
HOLMES: Do people have any options? You said this happened last night around 11:30 or so. So from that point on has -- I mean if people get stuck in it, if they were close enough to it, close enough to it, do they have any options? Are people -- are the Highway Patrol or anyone giving them options for getting off that highway? Any detours of any kind, or have these people literally been stuck sitting behind this since 11:30 last night when this thing happened?
VILES: I don't know how long people -- I've heard on the radio that some people have been stuck as long as seven hours. And if you had a long trip to make and you looked at a map, you could go way, way around this. But you can't go to the west very easily, because between here and the coast -- which is about 10 miles away, there's no good, you know, heavily trafficked route. So if you know the area well you could probably make your way around it. But if you live around here, all of the roads that feed into the 5 are snarled. So it's going to be a mess for a while.
Remember, though, it's in a tunnel that's for trucks only. So it's possible they could open the rest of the road and just keep this truck tunnel closed. But for now, they still have a fire burning down there. They don't know if the tunnel is structurally sound. So all these issues about traffic inconvenience are going to have to wait until we figure out, you know, whether the road itself is going to survive this.
HOLMES: And have you heard anything out there at all, Peter -- we know about the injuries, but there was another person who wasn't accounted for.
Do you have any possible update or I guess just what have you seen as far as emergency vehicles, as well, as far as ambulances heading in and out of there?
VILES: You know, I've seen a lot of fire trucks, but I haven't seen an ambulance yet, T.J. But the latest we've heard here on the scene is the same as you have, is that there is one driver unaccounted for.
HOLMES: Oh, my goodness.
All right, Peter Viles on the scene of a mess going right now. And I-5 is shut down. Not a lot of good options, like you said, Peter. Folks know who have traveled that area, not a good -- a good ways to cut around and head over to the coast to try to find another way to get down south or up north.
Peter Viles on the scene for us. We appreciate you this morning.
VILES: You've got it.
NGUYEN: Let's take a look at this -- the battle over illegal immigration. Who can stay and who must go?
Right now, there is a crackdown going on in Irving, Texas that has a lot of people divided. It's called the Criminal Alien Program.
Recently on CNN's "OUT IN THE OPEN," our Rick Sanchez questioned Irving mayor about that crackdown.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK SANCHEZ, HOST, "OUT IN THE OPEN": If someone has a busted taillight, how do they end up being deported?
HERBERT GEARS, MAYOR OF IRVING, TEXAS: Because they're in the country illegally and that's against the federal law.
SANCHEZ: So this is a...
GEARS: The current policy of the federal government is to deport any persons who are in the country illegally.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: But an advocate for Hispanics tells Sanchez that the crackdown is racial profiling.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARLOS QUINTANILLA, PRESIDENT, ACCION AMERICA: That there is racial profiling. That there is a premeditated effort and an organized effort to identify Mexican immigrants.
SANCHEZ: Give us one example, and try and keep it short, if you could.
QUINTANILLA: Juanita Vasquez (ph). She was -- her son was pulled over. They arrested her son, said he had a stolen car. They asked him for immigration documents. They took him to the police station. The mom had to come and identify him, and say, this is my son. This is his identification. He's a U.S. citizen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, the crackdown in Irving has a lot of support.
CNN's Keith Oppenheim reports some in Irving just want the illegal immigrants out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If they're here illegally and they're committing misdemeanors, then they need to be deported.
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sue Richardson (ph) is a grandmother and activist in Irving who talks tough about undocumented immigrants in her city. Beth Van Duyne is an Irving city councilwoman, considered one of the strongest advocates for the city's crackdown on illegal immigration.
BETH VAN DUYNE, IRVING CITY COUNCILWOMAN: It's working. I think that's why you're seeing people upset about it, because it's a change. Nobody is used to it being enforced. And all of a sudden, you're enforcing it and people are up in arms. OPPENHEIM: It turns out Van Duyne and Richardson have widespread support. Many Irving residents told us the Criminal Alien Program, or CAP, as it's called, is appropriate, that it's about time their city did something.
SHEIKH SHAH, RESIDENT OF IRVING: You have to start somewhere. You have to make them legal, because right now we have so many loopholes for people to come in here and work illegally.
BILL MAHONEY, RESIDENT OF IRVING: The only way we can feel secure is to know that everybody here is somebody we can recognize and identify. It's really a matter of identification more than anything else.
OPPENHEIM: We asked, what if undocumented residents get pulled over for a traffic violation? Is that sufficient cause for someone to get reported to immigration?
PAT COOK, RESIDENT OF IRVING: The average citizen don't want anybody to be mistreated. And I certainly don't. But I just think the law is the law. If they're illegal, they're breaking the law.
OPPENHEIM: Some in Irving say police are going too far.
TANYA CRETHERS, WORKS IN IRVING, TEXAS: You should arrest me for what you caught me for, not refer me to no immigration because of my skin color or because I'm illegally over here. What -- that doesn't even make any sense.
OPPENHEIM: But consider some comments from more than 2,000 e- mails sent to Irving City Council -- e-mails which appear to be overwhelmingly in favor of a crackdown.
One resident wrote: "Please help deport all illegals. What part of illegal do they not understand?"
Another: "Thank God some people are doing something about this invasion."
And not all the support is coming from whites. Sam Aceves is Latino and says many other Latinos think CAP will make the community safer.
SAM ACEVES, YOU DON'T SPEAK FOR ME: It's fair because they run backgrounds. They're making sure that we don't get the criminal element like we have been getting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Hispanic activists are planning a march to protest this program later this after. It begins at 4:00 Eastern in Irving, Texas.
NGUYEN: Myanmar's military rulers are coming down hard again. Amnesty International says four prominent dissidents have been arrested. The group says the individuals are at "grave risk for torture." Myanmar's monks started street protests last month, as you recall. But the military quickly cracked down. The monks vanished, presumably killed or jailed. The junta bussed in 120,000 people today for a pro-government rally in the capital. Locals say they were rounded up and given 80 cents to take part in that rally.
HOLMES: And today's rally comes two days after the U.N. Security Council criticized Myanmar's rulers. The Council said it deplores the treatment of the anti-government protesters and it also called for the release of political prisoners, include Nobel Peace Prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi. The statement is considered a diplomatic breakthrough, but is not binding.
NGUYEN: Well, she started her business in her basement and now that girl right there is a millionaire and she is only 17-years-old.
So how did she do it?
We're going to ask her, coming up in the NEWSROOM.
HOLMES: Well, that young lady could probably afford "Hannah Montana" tickets because those prices are way up.
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: Yes, you might have to be a millionaire to pay for these things.
Also, you know what's up? The frustrations of many "Hannah Montana" fans. That controversy over this concert tour, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GERRI WILLIS, PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR (voice-over): Transportation and utilities -- the two biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions.
So why not work to reduce both at the same time? Check out the increased battery capacity Toyota Prius, courtesy of PG&E.
ANDREW TANG, PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC: The reason the utility is actually very interested in this is the ability for us to essentially TiVo power. Our electricity consumption curve is very, very high in the daytime. But at nighttime, when most people are asleep, there is abundant excess power.
So we envision a future where consumers have a lot of vehicles of this type, of the plug in variety, being able to soak up that excess power consumption at night. What you have is you have the same fixed cost base, but being -- being divided over many, many more kilowatt hours. And so the per kilowatt charge hour charge actually becomes much lower. So it benefits all consumers.
WILLIS: Not only can you use the power yourself, but you can sell it back to the grid for a credit on your electric bill. PG&E says the technology is already available. We're all just waiting on those higher capacity batteries, available at lower price points.
That's this week's Green House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: All right. Parents, teenagers -- listen up, because we have got a dot-com success story that you have to hear.
Ashley Qualls may only be 17, but she is the CEO of her own multi-million dollar Web site. Three years ago, she started whateverlife.com. And now, hundreds of thousands of girls visit the site every day. When business started booming, Ashley actually dropped out of school. She bought a house and even hired her mom and friends to go to work for her.
Ashley joins us now live from Detroit, Michigan to share her secret to success.
Thanks for being with us today.
ASHLEY QUALLS, 17-YEAR-OLD INTERNET PROFESSIONAL, WHATEVERLIFE.COM: Thank you for having me.
NGUYEN: You know, I'm looking at this thinking, what was I thinking when I was 17-years-old, because you borrowed eight bucks from your mom to secure a domain name.
QUALLS: Right.
NGUYEN: And, in fact, wasn't this just a hobby when you started it out?
QUALLS: It was. It was just a hobby. I mean I started it in 2004 and it was -- I did it, you know, for myself and for my friends. And it just -- it grew into something I never expected. And, you know, it grew virally and now we get about a quarter of a million girls on there a day, so.
NGUYEN: Well, for those who aren't so tech savvy, who don't subscribe to Facebook or MyPage and all that other -- MySpace and all that other stuff, explain exactly what your site offers that other sites don't.
QUALLS: Well, Whateverlife offers MySpace layouts, is actually -- that's what we started off as. We have over 3,000 of them in total now. And they're all unique. And now we have -- we have graphics and tutorials that also teach, you know, young girls and young women how to create their own Web site. There's a free online magazine and there's a, you know, an actual build your own Web site.
So I mean it's a lot of unique content and we always try and stay in touch with the users, so -- and everything is offered free, you know?
So that's -- I think that's another important thing, too, is teenagers like stuff for free, so.
NGUYEN: Yes. Hey, so do adults.
But, you know, you say you try to stay in touch with the users. All right all, you're 17 years old, so you understand your clientele.
Let me ask you this, though, you had, what, nearly a 4.0 grade point average. And you went to your parents one day and said you know what, I love this so much, I'm dropping out of school.
QUALLS: Yes, you know, it was -- it was really a shock. And, you know what...
NGUYEN: Yes.
QUALLS: I was not supported at first. I mean, of course, it's a shock to your parents. It's a shock to your friends and -- but I'm really stubborn. And it wasn't so much I wanted to drop out. I mean I left school, but right now I'm actually attending college to earn my degree in -- in graphic design. I mean I still want to continue education. And it wasn't for everybody, but, I mean I really -- I wanted it take the business to the next level and...
NGUYEN: Yes, this is your passion. I mean it's your passion. Money is one thing. But when you think about dropping out of school and really achieving your goals, in just the back of your mind, do you miss those things about high school like the prom and the homecoming?
QUALLS: Yes, you know, sometimes I do. But I got really lucky because I can actually -- I went to my homecoming last weekend, actually.
NGUYEN: Oh, good for you.
QUALLS: Thank you. And I get to go to my prom and the class trip and I actually get to go back. And I was speaking at marketing classes now at my high school. So, I mean, I still get to go back and visit and...
NGUYEN: Yes, especially when you're a success story, right?
QUALLS: Yes. It's really interesting when you go to your school to teach kind of and you know everybody there, so.
NGUYEN: Well, you have stayed true to your passion. In fact, I understand that you've turned down, what, an offer of, what, five million bucks for someone who wanted to buy your space?
QUALLS: Yes. Right. It was up to that amount of money. I mean that's a lot of money, but I'm having a, you know, a really good time doing what I do and it's just -- it's been a great experience. I mean I get to do a lot of new things and I get to reach so many -- so many women and so many young girls. So, it's just -- it's a lot of fun for me.
NGUYEN: So right now you are not selling. QUALLS: I'm not.
NGUYEN: But you are doing some new things, so tell us about that.
QUALLS: We're actually launching mobile this week, so actually you can have the backgrounds on your cell phone. They'll essentially match your MySpace. So any of the graphics that we have can actually go on your cell phone. We're also working on developing our own network, so that's going to be, you know, sort of for young women and young girls alike. So, it's exciting.
NGUYEN: That is very cool.
Very, very quickly, any advice to teenagers who are looking at this thinking, you know what, I've got a great idea, I may want to drop out, too?
QUALLS: Well, you know what?
Dropping out isn't for everybody, that's for sure. You know, I mean I never, ever expected that would happen with me. I mean, I had, you know, a solid plan. I was doing really good in school, really well. And -- but I definitely say, you know, you have to have a passion for what you're doing. You know, don't go into it trying to make a million dollars or $2 million.
I mean you really want to love what you do, right? I mean isn't that what it's all about, so?
NGUYEN: Sometimes if you go for the money, you might not get it. And where are you?
QUALLS: Right. Right.
NGUYEN: All right, Ashley, well, I would say best of luck, but you don't need it.
QUALLS: Thank you.
NGUYEN: Thanks for sharing a little bit of your story with us today.
QUALLS: Oh, thank you for having me.
NGUYEN: Take care -- T.J. .
HOLMES: Oh, Betty, I've got to get to work?
Well, folks, it is the hottest ticket in town. But at a going rate of hundreds of dollars -- even thousands of dollars -- a lot of fans won't get a chance to see Disney teen queen "Hannah Montana".
Those details next in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HOLMES: Well, if you have to ask somebody, who is "Hannah Montana," you obviously do not have young kids at your house. Well, her concert tour is making three things -- it's making news, it's making money and some lawsuits.
We'll explain here with our John Zarrella.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Cara, Casey, Amanda -- 7:00 p.m. -- like clockwork, they're plopped on the sofa in front of the TV.
CARA VON MINDEN, "HANNAH MONTANA" FAN: We didn't miss, like, any episodes ever, unless something really big was happening.
ZARRELLA: The "her" is Miley Cyrus, the 14-year-old star of her own Disney show called "Hannah Montana." Every parent with girls between the ages of six and 16 knows about it.
(VIDEO CLIP FROM "HANNAH MONTANA," COURTESY DISNEY)
ZARRELLA: It has exploded in popularity. So Cara, Casey and Amanda had to have tickets to Cyrus' concert, billed as "the best of both worlds."
VON MINDEN: All my friends were going to come, too, but now we can't.
ZARRELLA: Can't because within minutes of going on sale, tickets at all 54 venues were gone.
(on-camera): So where did they all go? They're right here. Ticket brokers using sophisticated computer programs gobbled up nearly every ticket available. And now tickets that went for $25 to $65 face value are going for hundreds, even thousands, on Internet sites. And all that cash going into ticket brokers' pockets.
(voice-over): Cyrus' October 25th concert in Denver -- on Ticket Liquidators, you can buy one in section 212 for $228, or in section AAA row two for $2,550 each.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's taken advantage of me as a consumer, my children, and it's not teaching my children a good lesson either, that, oh, you can get what you want if you pay the right price.
ZARRELLA: After undercover investigators paid 10 times face value for tickets in Kansas City, Missouri's attorney general filed suit, accusing three companies of violating local anti-scalping laws.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you allow the hijacking of the market, it's literally the worst of both worlds. You get too much charged for the price and no access for the locals.
ZARRELLA: Ticket brokers would not talk with us, but Donald Vaccaro, whose company, ticketnetwork.com, resells tickets for brokers, says the bottom line is that the marketplace defines the price.
DONALD VACARRO: I'd say a reasonable price is whatever a consumer wants to pay.
ZARRELLA: Thursday, Cyrus and her co-star dad, Billy Ray, appeared on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," saying they understand their fans' disappointment.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's going to be a good show, but I don't think it's worth what it's going for.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So I'm like, for the people that do get in...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ...I'm going to do like the best show ever.
ZARRELLA: Except in this case, the concert promoter, AEG Live, auctioned off select tickets at 15 venues. They went for hundreds to thousands per ticket.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If the brokers are going to end up with the tickets, the artist should get paid for them I guess is kind of the theory.
ZARRELLA: The fact is, no one anticipated that a ticket to see a 14-year-old might end up the most coveted concert docket (ph) ever.
John Zarrella, CNN, Miami.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: I don't know if I'd pay that much for any concert.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wouldn't.
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: There's got to be something out there you'd pay for.
NGUYEN: I don't...
HOLMES: No?
NGUYEN: Not that (INAUDIBLE).
HOLMES: All right, we'll come up with something.
NGUYEN: Three thousand? Nah.
HOLMES: Susan Roesgen. SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, filling in for Fredricka.
HOLMES: How are you, dear lady? Good to see you here.
ROESGEN: Thank you.
HOLMES: It's always a pleasure to have you here in Atlanta.
ROESGEN: Thanks. It's good to be here, filling in for Fredricka Whitfield today.
HOLMES: Yes. What's going on?
ROESGEN: And we've got some really interesting things coming up.
You know, if you live in California, Interstate 5, this is the major north-south freeway and it is shut down. Be glad it's a weekend and you don't have to travel. This is north of Los Angeles. Five trucks on fire, 15 trucks in all involved. It was in a tunnel. Nobody could see what was in there, so the trucks just kept plowing into each other. A huge mess.
They think now even this tunnel and the overpass above it may not be safe, so this could be something that could really mean a headache for drivers for a long time. We'll show you why you may want to get out the -- the Google map and look at some alternate routes if you're heading into North L.A. County.
Also, this could be the future of airport security. This is one of the new high tech scanners. A lot of people don't want to go in them because it takes 3-D images of your entire body. That's supposed to be...
NGUYEN: Yes. Forget that.
ROESGEN: ...you know, super great for stopping terrorists. But some people think, you know, it just shows too much of you.
NGUYEN: It's x-ray vision.
ROESGEN: Well, you know, they say the scanners are going to not have cell phones. They won't be able to take pictures of you in compromising positions -- or maybe not you, Betty.
Well, yes, celebrities like Betty or T.J. ...
NGUYEN: Oh, yes, right.
ROESGEN: They go in one of these scanners, you know how people would want to take pictures of these guys and their body parts. But your faces are supposed to be blurred out. And we'll tell you more about it.
NGUYEN: Yes. You won't catch me in one of those.
All right... HOLMES: (INAUDIBLE).
NGUYEN: We're looking forward to that report, though.
Hey, race car drivers try to avoid each other and yes, that little thing -- a kangaroo. We're off to the races next in the NEWSROOM.
HOLMES: Oh.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right, so here is something that you just don't see everyday, for good reason.
HOLMES: Oh, man.
NGUYEN: Even in -- oh, Australia. Look at that -- a kangaroo playing dodge them cars at an auto race.
HOLMES: Yes, the drivers went to great lengths to avoid hitting him. We still don't know how he got on the track. We're happy to say he did get away safely. Nobody was hurt here.
NGUYEN: Very good there.
Well, CNN's the CNN NEWSROOM with Susan Roesgen filling in for Fredricka Whitfield, that is coming up.
HOLMES: Hello, there, Susan. Take it away.
ROESGEN: Hi, T.J. and Betty.
Right now in the NEWSROOM, we've got 15 trucks caught in a freeway inferno. An amazing Interstate shutdown. We'll tell you what caused the big rigs to catch fire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: There is no question that America is living a nightmare with no end in sight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROESGEN: Tough words from the former top general in Iraq. Why is he lashing out? Why does he say this is not winnable?
We'll get reaction from our own military analysts.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com
