Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Battle With Pirates on High Seas; Beach House Inferno; Interview With Genarlow Wilson; Congresswoman Drafts Bill To Give Product Safety Commission More Authority, More Resources

Aired October 30, 2007 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Well, safe toys in this pile, lead paint in that pile, small parts in another pile. Baby-sitting the U.S. toy supply is not fun. It's not fun and it's no game.
This hour we'll hear from a lawmaker who wants to get serious about product safety.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And joining us here in the NEWSROOM, Genarlow Wilson. He's out from under a prison term. The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled cruel and unusual punishment. Now the future awaits, and he can't wait to get to it.

Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon.

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: A battle with pirates on the high seas. It sounds like a movie, right? Well, it was very much a reality off the coast of Somalia today.

Let's get straight to our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, with more -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, this is an extraordinary situation that we are just now learning details of that has unfolded over the last 24 hours, yesterday.

A North Korean cargo vessel was hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia in the Horn of Africa. Piracy in that part of the world on the high seas is a very serious issue. It really is rampant out there.

This North Korean vessel hijacked. They fought the pirates, they began to radio for help, the crew of the North Korean ship, and who responded to them but the U.S. Navy.

A U.S. Navy warship patrolling in the area sent a helicopter overhead. They tried to radio to the pirates to give up their weapons, but then a fight broke out on the ship between the North Koreans and the pirates.

When it was all over, the U.S. Navy, as a humanitarian gesture, boarded the North Korean ship, took three of the injured crew members back to the U.S. Navy vessel, and at this hour is treating members of that North Korean crew aboard a U.S. Navy ship. Quite an extraordinary incident.

It's part of what the U.S. Navy does, Kyra, as you well know from having traveled with them many times. At sea no one is an enemy. They will rescue and help anybody, any mariner in distress. This time it was the North Koreans -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And Barbara, anything specifically on that ship, anything else that they wanted, that those pirates were going after?

STARR: Well, what they are finding in this part of the world is these pirates off Somalia basically hijack these cargo ship and hold the crew, the ship and the cargo for ransom. We're not sure what was on this North Korean ship, but to underscore what you're mentioning, at the same time there is another ongoing incident in the same area right now.

The U.S. Navy is shadowing still today for the second day in a row a Panamanian cargo ship that has been hijacked by pirates, and it is carrying benzene, a very dangerous chemical that they are quite concerned about. So the U.S. Navy is shadowing that ship, keeping an eye on it because of that dangerous cargo. Very rough waters out there in more ways than one -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Let's talk about our vets, Barbara.

We did not like to see what happened at Walter Reed and other hospitals. We have not liked to see -- or don't like to see what's happening with regards to benefits. A lot of these coming back.

Jim Nicholson stepped down from Veterans Affairs. Now the president has nominated James Peake.

What do we know? He's going to face a lot of controversy no, doubt. What's your take there? What are your sources telling you?

STARR: You bet. General Peake is a former surgeon general of the U.S. Army, and in that capacity, of course, back when he was serving before 2004, when he retired, was very involved in the military health care system.

Now he's moving really to the other side, the VA health care system. When people leave the active duty military, veterans go, of course, to the VA hospital system. It is a system with many, many problems facing the general.

Just consider one factor alone, Kyra. There is a backlog of 600,000 disability claims by veterans, veterans seeking to get their disability benefits.

The system, by all accounts, really is a mess. They have been trying to straighten it out for years. That is likely to be one of his top priorities, and, to say the least, to get a VA budget passed by Congress and agreed to by the president, $87 billion in spending for America's veterans that still needs to be approved -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, let's hope this is a step in the right direction.

Barbara Starr from the Pentagon.

Appreciate it.

LEMON: On now to one the saddest stories in recent months. House Number One, Scotland Street, home to a tragedy, an address witnesses won't soon forget. Now for the first time we're hearing 911 calls from people who saw this North Carolina beach house go up in flames early Sunday morning, killing seven college students.

CNN's Alina Cho has the very latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No definitive word on a cause yet. It could be up to a month before we know for sure, but there are several published reports this morning that the fire may have started in the back of the house. Possibly on the back deck.

Fire officials do not suspect foul play. They do believe it was an accident.

Also, for the first time, we're hearing those frantic 911 calls alerting authorities the house on North Carolina's coast was on fire.

DISPATCHER: 911, what is your emergency?

CALLER: Yes, I'm out on the beach. A man is screaming and jumped out the window of a house and is totally engulfed in flames.

DISPATCHER: OK, we've got people on the way. Thank you.

CHO: The fire broke out early Sunday morning. The kids were there for a weekend getaway. It was supposed to be a weekend of fun. Seven students died. The father of one of the victims spoke to CNN affiliate WKYC.

TERRY WALDEN, DAUGHTER DIED IN FIRE: We've really come to grips with the fact that she's not coming back. That is going to be the hardest part.

CHO: That was Terry Walden. He lost his daughter Allison in the fire. She was a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of South Carolina.

Six students miraculously survived. Funerals are being planned for this weekend. And grief counselors are on hand to help the thousands of students at two universities deal with this tragedy.

Alina Cho, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE) (WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: No longer a teen, no longer a prisoner. After almost three years behind bars, Genarlow Wilson now has to move on from the ordeal that put him in the headlines. What's it been like returning to his family, and what's next for him?

Genarlow Wilson joins us live at the bottom of the hour in the CNN NEWSROOM to talk about his freedom and, of course, his future.

PHILLIPS: 2:13 Eastern Time right now. Here's some other stories we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Untested and unsafe. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's description of many of the toys being sold to your kid. Just minutes ago, she and other Democratic leaders pushed for new safety legislation. Consumer Reports says that many toys still in the stores test positive for lead.

Shuttle astronauts now taking a close look at a rip in a solar panel. The panel's part of a solar tower that they finished attaching to the International Space Station, a process that took three days.

Parts of Florida could be under a tropical storm watch later today in preparation for Noel. The storm, now slightly weakening in the Caribbean. It could pass close to the state over the next few days.

LEMON: Anybody who's ever lost a home to a natural disaster has faced the same question: stay and rebuild, or move and start over? Sometimes the government can make the decision to move a little easier, and sometimes not.

CNN's Kathleen Koch is "Keeping Them Honest".

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What will you do now?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Start over.

KOCH: Here?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Look how beautiful it is.

KOCH (voice-over): Beautiful, but risky. Should homes be rebuilt if they are likely to be destroyed again? That's the question officials in the Midwest asked themselves in 1993, after massive floods caused $16 billion in damage across nine states.

They worked with the federal government to buy out more than 10,000 properties, so it wouldn't happen again. Entire cities, like Valmeyer, Illinois, moved to higher ground. ROBERT RIPPLEMEYER, FORMER MONROE COUNTY BOARD CHAIRMAN: There was no danger for flood whatsoever, you know, with the city moving where it did. And that -- that worked out real well.

KOCH: Since then, the government has bought out 33,000 homes and returned the land to green space. Not all buyouts are working. In Washington State, since the Raging River lived up to its name last November with heavy flooding, only four of 90 homeowners have responded to buyout offers.

But in Hoffman Grove, New Jersey, where the Pompton River floods sometimes twice a year, most are happy to have a way out.

(on camera): So, you were ready to leave?

PETER CANDELA, HOFFMAN GROVE BUYOUT RECIPIENT: So, we were ready to leave. It was just the -- the -- the insecurity.

KOCH (voice-over): The city has bought out 35 homes, and is trying to buy more.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was the one way that we know we can absolutely guarantee that people are taken out of harm's way.

KOCH: But, on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, people are angry to learn, more than two years after Katrina, that federal buyouts might be offered.

Lori Williford (ph) says her family might have been interested a year ago.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We would have considered it at that point, because we were still doing a lot of cleaning up, and we didn't even start building our house until June of this year.

KOCH: Bay Saint Louis Mayor Eddie Favre says the buyout talk is undercutting the rebuilding effort.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's kind of got everything on hold right now. It's a bad situation.

KOCH (on camera): So, why no buyouts in areas where fires destroy homes year after year? First, buyouts are voluntary. Secondly, the federal government says no state has ever requested buyouts after a fire.

(voice-over): "Keeping Them Honest," we took a look at why. Half of homeowners who lose property in floods have no insurance for it and depend on federal help -- not so with fires.

DAVID MAURSTAD, DIRECTOR, FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY FLOOD MITIGATION PROGRAM: Most people have fire insurance. They have it to a limit which gives them the means to be able to begin the rebuilding process.

KOCH: Also, federal buyouts have to be cost-effective. And the lands burning in Southern California are often pricey real estate. But the cycle of burning and rebuilding is also expensive, and a growing number say it should stop.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The amount of money spent in firefighting, the amount of federal aid that now has to go in to help these areas, it's a tremendous societal cost.

KOCH: The problem is...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes, I'm not moving.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're -- we're not going anywhere.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, California fires are just part of living in California.

KOCH: ... most California natives aren't interested in getting out of Mother Nature's way.

Kathleen Koch, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, we know he can politick, but can he dance? Barack Obama shows a little fancy footwork on the campaign trail.

We know he can play basketball, too. Remember that?

LEMON: Live.

PHILLIPS: That's right.

LEMON: In the CNN NEWSROOM, right?

PHILLIPS: We'll be right back.

LEMON: It doesn't look like he's dancing there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BUSINESS REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, these really are the first days of the rest of Genarlow Wilson's life. He went into prison as a teen on a sex conviction, and last week he came out a man after Georgia's Supreme Court ruled his sentence was cruel and unusual.

LEMON: Yes. And he's already promised his many supporters that he won't disappoint them.

So what is ahead for Genarlow Wilson? Well, for the next few minutes, anyway, he's right with us in the CNN NEWSROOM, and his lawyer, B.J. Bernstein, is also with us. You might recognize her. She's a frequent contributor here. I said before, is it starting to settle in for you?

GENARLOW WILSON, RELEASED FROM PRISON LAST WEEK: Oh, of course. I'm finally getting readjusted back to being back home, and basically I'm still enjoying the moment also.

LEMON: Just enjoying the moment, yes.

I've got -- I have to ask you about this. And I don't know -- do you know -- we've been talking a lot and you were -- you weren't out, you weren't free at the time, about a lot of racial injustices when it comes to laws and that kind of thing. Do you have any opinion about that, about the way the justice system is doled out to certain people of certain races in the country?

WILSON: I definitely think it's unfair, and some people are -- you know, they are just -- they are like -- it's like they are prosecuted just because of their image, like how they might dress or know what their hair looks like. And you know, a lot of the times because of race, and I definitely don't think it's fair. I think everyone should be treated equally.

PHILLIPS: B.J., you and I were talking about I was in Jena, were you not out of jail yet Genarlow, and I told you that a lot of people were coming up to me in Jena wanting to know what was happening to Genarlow. You see an interesting connection here of what's happening in our country about talking about racial injustice, racial injustice in the justice system?

B.J. BERNSTEIN, GENARLOW WILSON'S LAWYER: Exactly, but a shift in it. It's not the old conversation we used to have. It is the more subtle but very serious. We saw it in Jena, we see it in Genarlow's case about prosecutorial discretion. It's not overt I'm going to treat you differently because a law is on the books that way, but using discretion in the wrong way, and putting more harsher sentence on young African-Americans.

And I think that's got to be the focus now. It's a more difficult subject than it used to be, it's not just white victim, black defendant. It's the subtle form of racism that can be just as vicious.

LEMON: Go ahead.

PHILLIPS: OK, well, I was -- Genarlow, I had a chance to interview your mom with B.J. while you were still in prison. And I asked her the question about, and I'm going to step away from the issue of race and the justice system right now -- and just basically ask you a sex question, if you don't mind, because this is how it all began.

And I said to your mom did this sort of get the family talking about sex, and sex in high school, and did it get the two of you talking about it? Now you're out, you see what happened. You went through this whole experience. What is your message to teenagers? What is your -- I mean, do you have a message now about thinking about your actions, initially when you get put in that situation? WILSON: Well, basically, my message to them would be: Don't just live for the moment, you know, think for the future. Because one bad decision can cost you a lifetime. I really just want everyone to just be cautious and be aware of your surroundings, just be careful, you know, basically.

PHILLIPS: Sure. You know, teenagers.

LEMON: Yeah, absolutely.

PHILLIPS: You think back to when we were there and all the pressures that are on you.

LEMON: And we talked about being a teenager and going through the same sort of thing because you really don't think about it. You don't think because you're fooling around with a girl, or a guy, or whatever, that you're going to necessarily end up going to prison.

My question is this: Do you see yourself sort of -- is it a flashpoint now, is there something? Do you feel like you have to live up to something now that you're out of jail and especially you and what's happening with Jena 6. Do you see that you have to live up to something, obviously, not getting into trouble, but holding the responsibility for a whole group of people who may be underrepresented?

WILSON: Yes, I do. You know, for people who don't have the support that I had and people who don't get a second chance.

LEMON: That's a big responsibility though for a young man.

WILSON: Yes, it is. But I'm definitely willing to step in the shoes and fill them out because, you know, I'm so much more focused, you know. And this situation has allowed me to become stronger and to grow and mature. And I just want to help those, you know, like people help me. That's why I want to be a big part of my lawyer's non-profit organization, MyFifth.org (ph), basically just helping those 21 and under be educated about the new laws that they make. You know, they need to know whether these laws can help or hurt us.

LEMON: Your worst days -- your worst days, when you were in prison, did you ever give up hope? Because we knew -- we were sitting here with this lady. She was not giving up hope. She was just anxious wanting to help you as much as she could. Did you ever give up hope during your worst days when you were locked up?

WILSON: There were times when I got very down and discouraged and I didn't know what the outcome of this was going to be; because the feeling of disappointment is all too familiar, because one minute it would be up, and the next minute it would be down. But I believed in my heart that one day the court would decide in our favor, and it finally came true. It finally happened.

PHILLIPS: B.J., I've seen a couple of weak attempts to create controversy since Genarlow has been let out. I mean, there really isn't any controversy left. I mean, the supreme court ruled in favor of Genarlow Wilson.

BERNSTEIN: Exactly. The supreme court ruled, and fortunately, on the books for the state of Georgia now this can't happen to another teen. And I caution other states to make sure and check your Romeo and Juliet laws. I got a phone call today from a mother who said, I have a son who was arrested. And she was just panicked that it was going to be just like Genarlow Wilson. And I said, no, thanks to Genarlow Wilson, the law has been fixed. This is a unique situation that they won't have to go through again. There will be new injustices to fight, but hopefully this is the end of this one.

PHILLIPS: You've been involved with Juanessa, Genarlow's mom just trying to talk to Genarlow about his future. What are you hoping for him, what are you encouraging him to do?

BERNSTEIN: College, college and college. We're already -- I'm already picking -- we're getting some wonderful offers and picking out the right school. And I do -- I think this is the real Genarlow -- you're finally seeing -- I think the whole world is seeing the Genarlow I've seen in prison the whole time, when I kept saying he's not a thug. He is just a young man like any other young man. And the nice thing is you're seeing it here now. This is the real Genarlow Wilson and I expect a bright future.

LEMON: Absolutely. Genarlow, she's become like really a second mom to you. The relationship that you two guys, if you notice the body language.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: He's like, she's already driving me crazy.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: Do you agree with that? And that she's not a bad second mom to, have I've got to tell you that.

WILSON: Oh, she's definitely someone who I consider myself to care about because she never gave up on me. She always -- if we got let down and something didn't go our way she always maneuvered her way around things. She would come back harder the next time, you know. She constantly had the mentality to fight and she believed. And my mother also so I definitely, you know, have a lot of feelings for B.J., she's remarkable.

PHILLIPS: So, is your mom, too. The two of them have made an amazing team.

WILSON: Of course, yes, they're my heroes.

PHILLIPS: So, where are you going to college? Ah.

WILSON: Well, I haven't decided where I'm going to college yet. Basically, if I get into any school it would be a blessing, a gift from God, so I'm just looking forward to excelling at my studies and just having another opportunity. PHILLIPS: There you go.

LEMON: Yes, B.J. Bernstein, Genarlow Wilson, best of luck to you. And B.J., I'm sure we'll see you soon covering something, right? Thank you both so much.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Genarlow.

WILSON: Thank you.

LEMON: We'll move on now and talk about taking on toxic toys. Ahead in the NEWSROOM Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro joins us to talk about her new toy safety legislation. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Two key states and some encouraging numbers for Republican Mitt Romney. In Iowa it's up, up and away with the latest polls showing him up 8 points since August with 36 percent of Iowa's Republicans supporting him. The next closest candidate Rudy Giuliani has just 13 percent.

In New Hampshire, Romney is pulling 32 percent of the Republican vote right now, about 10 points ahead of Rudy Giuliani. And he just got a big endorsement from Judd Gregg, popular senator, and former governor of the Granite State. These first two primaries of the season will be key for Romney in the October poll of polls. He's running fourth among Republicans behind Giuliani, Fred Thompson and John McCain.

Clearly Rudy Giuliani has heard the expression that personal is political. The proof is in a New Hampshire radio ad. While talking about how he survived prostate cancer then the GOP candidate pushes his plan for giving tax breaks for families who buy their own insurance. He claims prostate cancer survival rates in the U.S. are 82 percent thanks to private policies. But only 44 percent in England, under so-called socialized medicine.

The American Cancer Society says that five-year survival rates are somewhat higher for the U.S. and the U.K.

LEMON: Well, Phillies, got the steak, will the Dems bring some sizzle?

Democratic presidential contenders are due to face off tonight at Drexel University, in Philadelphia. The two-hour debate starts at 9:00 Eastern. CNN's Candy Crowley joins us now live in our next hour with a preview on that.

And in today's "Why not?" department, remember way back in 1992 when then candidate -- this is Democratic candidate Bill Clinton shared the joy of sax on the "Arsenio Hall Show"?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE DANCING WITH ELLEN DEGENERES, ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, there you go. Why shouldn't presidential candidate Barack Obama put on the good foot with Ellen DeGeneres?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELLEN DEGENERES, TALK SHOW HOST: You're the best dancer so far of the presidential candidates.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's a low bar.

(APPLAUSE, CHEERING)

OBAMA: It is a low bar. But I'm pretty sure, I've got better moves than Giuliani.

DEGENERES: Yeah.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: I don't know. I've seen Giuliani dance. Not bad. Maybe not the fanciest footwork we have ever seen, but he got a passing grade -- from Ellen.

Obama says he hopes he's not the last candidate to hit the dance floor with Ellen. We'll make sure to bring that to you and any follow- ups on any of this.

You can see all of the day's political news, any time day or night, at cnn.com/ticker. We're constantly updating it for you with the very latest on the candidates right on the campaign trail. Any dancing or basketball playing, anything like that, we've got it, right?

PHILLIPS: Jay Leno has been the host of "The Tonight Show" for 15 years and the show has been No. 1 for most of the time, but that's not enough for NBC to keep him as the host. Brooke Anderson here to tell us all about it.

Brooke, Leno is definitely a no-go for the future?

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, so it seems, Kyra. You know, we've all heard before that Jay Leno will step down from "The Tonight Show" in 2009. But then there were rumblings that Leno didn't want to go, reluctant to retire. NBC President Jeff Zucker confirmed yesterday that it's still NBC's plan to have Leno step down. The agreement NBC reached with Conan O'Brien three years ago guarantees that O'Brien gets to take over, and Leno has to move on.

Zucker did add that NBC is currently talking with Leno about finding another place at the network for him. But listen to this, Kyra, if NBC does decide to keep Leno at "The Tonight Show," they reportedly will have to pay Conan a $40 million penalty fee, pretty lefty.

PHILLIPS: Whoo, that's a lot of cash.

ANDERSON: Yes.

PHILLIPS: All right. Big day for the music industry, two new albums being released, right? Britney Spears and The Eagles, which one of these do you think will make a bigger splash?

ANDERSON: That's a tough one, you know, The Eagles are legendary. This is their first studio album in 28 years, called "Long Road Out of Eden," double album, 20 tracks. Critics have been giving the album mixed reviews saying that for better or worse, the songs could have been produced back in the late '70s, but that's why I personally love The Eagles.

If you want to buy the record the group has an exclusive retail deal with Wal-Mart. And The Eagles aren't apologetic about not changing their style with the times. Listen to who Don Henley told "USA TODAY", quote, "There's a lot of ageism in this business. If you're not young and cute and naked you have a tough time. We're still getting away with this because we never dressed flamboyantly or pranced around on stage."

Kyra, Henley also said they concentrate on the craft of songwriting and not the cult of personality. Don't we wish there were more out there like him?

PHILLIPS: Oh, yes, we do. Well, Britney's album, what do you think? Is it going to bring her back?

ANDERSON: Well, some of the critics are right, it could be a comeback for her. After four years of scandal and tabloid headlines a lot of people declared that her career was over. Yet the first track from "Blackout," it's called "Gimme More" already a hit. And more than a few critics say it's isn't as good as rest of the songs.

But just to prove that even in success Britney can still get into trouble, several promotional photos that come with the album, in the album jacket, show Britney posing in a church, and sitting on a priest's lap. There it is, two pictures, right there in the album.

The pictures have agitated Catholic leaders who say she is scraping the bottom of the barrel in this stunt. Of course, as Madonna always proved, though, tweaking the Catholic Church doesn't necessarily hurt your album sales.

We'll be talking about that tonight on "Showbiz Tonight," Britney's priestly controversy. Catholic leaders absolutely furious over what Britney Spears is doing in connection with her new album. Has she crossed the line? The heated debate, TV's most provocative entertainment news show, "Showbiz Tonight" at 11:00 Eastern and Pacific, on Headline Prime. We do hope you join us then.

PHILLIPS: She's just confessing her skins (sic), come on.

ANDERSON: A fresh start after this.

PHILLIPS: There you go. All right, Brooke Anderson, thanks.

ANDERSON: Thanks.

LEMON: Well, taking on toxic toys, ahead in the NEWSROOM, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro joins us to talk about her new toy safety legislation. Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: There's a new concern for parents just in time for the holiday season. New tests by Consumers Union, which publishes "Consumer Report" have found a number of lead contaminated toys that are still on store shelves. You heard last hour in the CNN NEWSROOM Democrats in Congress are announcing a new push for toy and consumer safety. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, of Connecticut, is sponsoring a bill to crack down on toxic toys. And she joins me now from Capitol Hill.

You're sponsoring a bill. Enough is not being done, even with what the speaker announced today?

REP. ROSA DELAURO (D) CONNECTICUT: The speaker is leading the charge on looking at a reform for the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the legislation we're talking about would include banning all lead in children's toys.

It would enhance the Consumer Product Safety Commission's ability to recall toys, to have a greater inspection force. It would in fact mandate third-party testing of these toys. It would add resources to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and it would increase the opportunity to get the information to the public about toys that are being recalled sooner than they are now.

LEMON: OK. So you mentioned resources and I think that's a very important point, Congresswoman, because speaking to people at the Consumer Product Safety Commission, they stay behind the work they are doing. But they say they could use more funding, they could use more staff. And the government, the government has cut their budget, cut their funding, cut the number of employees over the past couple of decades, or so, so how are they supposed to do all of these things that you're proposing if you don't give them the resources to do it?

DELAURO: Two things, one is that the Appropriations Committee, which I sit on did increase their resources. The president of the United States, in his budget, cut back their resources. So we have done that. But interestingly enough they say they need their resources. They say they need the authority. The chairwoman, the acting chairwoman of the commission today said she did not. My view is that they do and that Congress is ready to take on that responsibility. And I believe that she ought to resign if she doesn't believe that she doesn't have enough resources. And that she -- she says that she has enough resources and enough authority.

LEMON: Here's a report put out by the Campaign for America's Future, which is consumer advocates and mostly Democratic leaders in Congress. It says that they have half the staff to supervise an astronomically higher number of imports.

DELAURO: That's right.

LEMON: So, again --

DELAURO: They don't want them. If you read what the chairwoman said today in "The New York Times". She said she does not need additional resources and she does not need additional authority.

I agree with you. We all agree with you here. This is ridiculous. It's a stunning announcement that she would say she's got what she needs. She doesn't. They cannot keep up with the volume of imported toys that is putting public health at risk, today, our children at risk today --

LEMON: OK.

DELAURO: And she needs to step aside and resign so we can have someone there that does understand the regulatory function of this agency. And Congress is prepared. A bill that I've introduced is prepared to add resources and authority.

LEMON: So, Congresswoman, I have to ask you this.

DELAURO: Sure.

LEMON: So, when you -- and everyone wants the best for children, so, I'm playing devil's advocate here. When you look at toys and you look at this, what does the research show? And I'm not sure if it shows that, if you have sort of peripheral touching of a toy, or if you do it without chewing off the paint or what have you, that it can actually really cause very serious damage.

Do we know how many children have died because of toys with lead in it? Or is it something that is becoming a political issue that easy to jump on and easy to make politicians look good?

DELAURO: Well, it's not a political issue at all. This is not politics at all. Let me just give you an example.

LEMON: I mean, there was no testing --

DELAURO: Halloween is coming.

LEMON: Let me just say this. There's no testing. I grew up with toys, lots of them lead. Lots of people I know grew up with lead toys. We're still OK, as far as I know.

DELAURO: Well, my gosh, because we now have ascertained that what lead can do to children in terms of their cognitive ability, and the threat, or small parts that youngsters can choke on. I mean, would I just say to you, we have a whole volume and a whole raft of new information. And if you don't think our policy ought to move with what new information we have. You know, Halloween is tomorrow. The fact of the matter is tested in Ohio, the false teeth, the fake teeth that kids wear, they put in their mouth, they contained -- you know, many, many thousands -- and volume of lead -- uh, you, you -- of you know, per million, parts per million in these fake teeth. That it would make, uh, it unsafe. Why would you want to, if you know that lead is going to potentially hurt your children, or you know kids do put things in their mouth? If you have lead paint on Thomas, uh, uh, the toy train?

LEMON: The Tanker, yes.

DELAURO: I have grandkids. You have children, the first thing they do is put this stuff in their mouth. That is harmful to their health! Why shouldn't we be inspecting these toys independently testing them, and banning lead in these toys!? Why shouldn't we put the public health of our kids first?

LEMON: Congresswoman, I don't think anyone is doubting that. I have to ask the question because you have to respond to it, not me.

DELAURO: Sure.

LEMON: We're running out of time. I want to thank you for joining us today, we have to get to some breaking news. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro from Connecticut, thank you.

DELAURO: Thank you.

LEMON: Kyra.

PHILLIPS: We're just getting word from our Pentagon producers that apparently there was coming out of Norfolk, the Oceana Naval Air Station, some F-18s, don't know if they were involved in any kind of practice exercise, or if they were going one place to another. But we're getting word that one of the practice bombs came off the F-18. Trying to figure out exactly what type it was, if it was possibly a Mark 76 or Mark 106.

But came off the F-18, fell into a warehouse, in an industrial area in Virginia Beach. We're told that there are no injuries. But needless to say that's a bit of a scare when you see any type of device coming off an F-18, in a civilian-type area. So we're just trying to confirm what exactly happened, that F-18 taking off from Ocean Naval Air Station, Oceana, headed into Virginia Beach and it fell into a warehouse area.

We're working more information and will try to get it for you. We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: It is the big bluff of Bear County, Texas. Authorities are frantic to find this guy, David Sauceda. He's a member of a violent prison gang who bluffed his way to freedom. Jail officials say Sauceda convinced prison officials that he was his cellmate Michael Garcia, by citing Garcia's personal information, and basically assuming his identity. There was another glitch for the fingerprints, as Sauceda walked and got a six-hour head start before authorities caught him. They think he crossed the border to Laredo. Sauceda was in jail on a murder charge. Jail employees who OKed his release, well they have all be reassigned.

Prison officials in Kansas say a fired female guard helped a couple of inmates escape. Investigators believe Amber Goff is on the run with Steven Ford and Jesse Bell, the search for whom is now nationwide. Goff was fired from the El Dorado Corrections Center because of her relationship with Ford. Goff left her two children behind.

The next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com