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Student Shot in California School; Bush Administration Unveils Mortgage Rescue Plan; Obama Expected to Do Well in Potomac Primaries; Procedures Eased for Green-Card Status
Aired February 12, 2008 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY PERKINS, FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL: I do not think that a Republican nominee for president can successfully capture the White House without the active, motivated support of evangelical voters.
SNOW (on-camera): And to motivate that support, McCain has been courting conservatives, and he added an endorsement from evangelical leader Gary Bauer to his list.
Mary Snow, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And there's a lot at stake in today's Potomac Primaries. You can track the results as they come in, minute by minute, state by state, all night at CNNpolitics.com. Plus, analysis from the best political team. All that, and more, at CNNpolitics.com.
And the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
Fending off foreclosure. A new plan to screen up the mortgage mess. Will it keep Americans from losing their homes?
Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Brianna Keilar in for Kyra Phillips.
Let's take you straight to the news room now, where T.J. Holmes is following a developing story.
T.J., what do you have?
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Another one of these scary incidents, unfortunately, Brianna. A school shooting to tell you about out in Oxnard, California. This is at a junior high school, E.O. Green Junior High School. A live picture here being provided to us by one of our affiliates.
But we are being told by police that one person has been shot and one shooter. The alleged shooter is in custody. You're seeing a live picture, apparently, here of the students lined up outside of the school. We understood that the school was in lockdown and the students weren't being allowed to leave and also that parents weren't being allowed on campus. We don't have any reason to believe that that's been lifted just yet. But apparently, students being collected outside in this live picture we're seeing.
Again, we do -- we are being told by the police that the shooter, the alleged shooter, is in custody. And police say that this was an isolated incident just between these two students, so no reason to believe that this was kind of a random shooting where other students were being targeted. But one shooter and also the person shot, both believed to be students at this school.
Again, this is a junior high school out there, younger students between sixth, seventh, eighth grade. So these are younger students.
We've -- again, just yesterday we were talking about a school shooting in Memphis. A week before that, another school shooting in Memphis. Those were both high schools. Also, we just saw a campus shooting at a college in Louisiana. So it's unfortunate that these have become part of the landscape of America, really, these school shootings, but scary every time you hear about them.
We don't know the condition of this particular student who has been shot. We're working to get that information. But believed to have been taken to the hospital at this time. With a live picture here, you can see the sign of the school there, E.O. Green Junior High School out there in Oxnard.
We're keeping an eye on this, certainly will pass along any update and certainly try to find out the condition of that student, guys.
KEILAR: Yes, but good to note, as you did, T.J., that at least at this point the situation appears to be contained. We know you'll keep an eye on this. Thanks.
HOLMES: Sure thing, Brianna.
LEMON: Are you on the verge of losing your home? Well, the Bush administration says it's handing you a lifeline, at least -- at least for the short term.
It's unveiled a new broader mortgage rescue plan, one that's not just aimed at subprime borrowers.
Let's get the particulars now from our Kathleen Koch. She joins us now from the White House.
This sounds very interesting, and it could be very helpful, Kathleen.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Don. Basically, they're calling it Project Lifeline, because it is really for those homeowners who are right on the brink, whether they have a prime or a subprime mortgage, if they're seriously delinquent. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson explained at the Treasury Department today that, if they are 90 days or more past due on their mortgages, that they may -- and I emphasize, may -- e able to suspend foreclosure for some 30 days while their lender tries to work out more affordable loan terms.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY PAULSON, TREASURY SECRETARY: Perhaps they are hoping to find a way to get current on their mortgage payments. Or perhaps they don't think they solution is possible. For whatever reason they have not yet taken action, our hope is that today's announcement will reach them, and they will reach out immediately for help.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: Now, homeowners cannot qualify if they have already entered bankruptcy, if they have a foreclosure date within 30 days or if the loan that they're struggling with is for a vacation home or an investment property.
Now, right now, six of the nation's largest -- largest mortgage lenders are participating, and the federal government hopes that more will sign on.
Back to you, Don.
LEMON: And Kathleen, you're there at White House. I've got to ask you something. We're going to hear from the president this afternoon, I believe, at a Black History Month event. He's supposed to talk about some recent issues in the news. Do you know anything about that?
KOCH: Indeed. And he's going to make some pretty powerful comments. He's talking about the -- in part about the reemergence of the noose as a symbol of racial intimidation. And the president will called it instead a symbol of, quote, "gross injustice."
And Mr. Bush will describe noose displays and lynching jokes as deeply offensive and wrong. And he'll say that they have no place in America today.
And the president will also honor four Americans who are struggling to improve civil rights in the United States and racial injustice. Among them, Congressman Henry Lewis -- excuse me, John Lewis, a very famous civil rights leader.
LEMON: Yes, OK. Thank you very much for that, Kathleen. I'll tell our viewers as soon as that gets under way at the White House. We're going to bring it to you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Meantime, let's get back to that mortgage -- new mortgage plan. Want to tell you how investors are reacting to it.
Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange with the very latest on that. What are investors saying about this? SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think they're pleased, Don. You know, we're starting to see a cumulative effect of a lot of parties trying to revive this economy, whether it's a series of interest rate cuts, am economic stimulus plan or this expanded plan to keep people in their homes. And so investors are cheering.
All six of the big lenders involved, including Citigroup, Bank of America, Countrywide, JPMorgan Chase, are all trading higher.
Also giving the market a lift today, an offer from billionaire William Buffett's firm, Berkshire Hathaway. He's offering a second line of defense for battered bond insurers. No word on whether the major bond insurers will accept.
The trouble in that sector sent stocks lower in recent weeks. Just knowing that there's help out there, especially from a billionaire and the oracle himself, is certainly enough to boost sentiment.
And then there's General Motors. Investors are hopeful that its aggressive turnaround plan just might work, despite the worst annual loss ever for an automaker. Its stock is also higher.
Checking the numbers, the Dow Industrials right now up 200 points. The NASDAQ's up 19. So, a nice rally that we're seeing.
Don, back to you.
LEMON: Yes, it appears, though, as early on as we're into this, you know, conventional wisdom says it's going to get worse. And it looks like the government is trying to offer some help. And that's good news.
LISOVICZ: That is welcome news, that's for sure.
LEMON: Thank you, Susan.
KEILAR: First the snow, now freezing rain. Thousands are without power in central and western Kentucky, where driving is hazardous at best.
Schools are closed, and even the 199th birthday party honoring President Abraham Lincoln had to be canceled.
So let's get now to Chad Myers who's in our CNN weather center, looking at this wintry mess throughout the Ohio Valley and now even some tornado warnings in Mississippi, it appears, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: And this happens when you get a big storm happening at the end of the winter season, the beginning of, really, spring. You have severe weather on one side, where it's warm. And you have snow on the other side, where it's cold.
Two tornado warnings, one near Brandon, into Mississippi, and -- I mean, just kind of to the west of Tuscaloosa, but really heading to about Macon, Mississippi, in maybe 25 or 30 minutes. No reports of these are on the ground. Doppler is indicating some rotation. That rotation may be sufficient to get a tornado. That's where we are at this point. But so far nothing confirmed by any police department or any spotter.
I-news, i-Reporters, always welcome. Get out there and do something for us, but don't put yourself in any danger, of course.
Now we'll switch you up here to Ft. Wayne and Cleveland, where it's snowing, Columbus and Cincinnati and Louisville and Evansville, where the ice is just getting thicker and deeper and deeper.
I know it's 34 degrees right now in Cincinnati. Still raining now in Louisville, but it gets down to 20 by 6 p.m. tonight. So whatever you see on the ground is going to be sticking there, and you need to be careful with this.
Kind of switch your attention to a couple different places. There's the severe weather on the warm side of the storm. To the north is your, obviously, snowy weather and icy weather.
It's going to be with us for much of the night tonight. If you're up here in the Ohio Valley, even into West Virginia, if you're getting rain now, there's going to be a cold front push through. It's going to change that either over to snow or just freeze that rain in its tracks, and that will make for some very tricky conditions later on tonight.
There's your snow on up into Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. In many cases here, we'll take the snow when they can get it, because they want to go play in it and maybe go skiing. You don't want the ice, of course. That's no fun, whatsoever -- Brianna.
KEILAR: Yes, and if you can, you want to work from home, right, Chad?
MYERS: I said that yesterday. Don't even try to go out today, because you're going to get stuck at work. What's the worst thing you can possibly imagine? Go to work and then not be able to get home.
KEILAR: Yes, that's the worst.
MYERS: If I'm stuck at home and I can't go to work, well, that's OK.
LEMON: Good for you, not for the boss, Chad.
KEILAR: Good point, Chad. We'll take note. Thank you.
MYERS: You bet.
LEMON: And leading our political ticker on this day of the Potomac Primaries, Virginia Governor Tim Kaine's support of Barack Obama could pay dividends for Kaine. Obama tells a Virginia radio station the Democratic governor would certainly be on his short list for a role in the Obama administration.
Kaine is the onetime Illinois senator's national campaign co- chair.
Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul says his party's likely nominee, John McCain, has to have a change of heart over the Iraq war, or Paul won't be endorsing the Arizona senator.
The congressman tells "The Chicago Tribune," McCain's foreign policy advocates -- advocates, I should say, perpetual war and Paul calls that, quote, "un-American, unconstitutional, immoral and not Republican."
Former vice president, Al Gore's, endorsement would be a feather in the cap for Democrats Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. But apparently, that won't happen, not anytime soon. Sources close to the party's 2000 nominee tell CNN not to expect an endorsement from Gore before the national convention.
Well, today's Potomac Primaries are a big deal for the candidates. CNN's Jessica Yellin joins us now from New York to talk about what's at stake here. And we know: delegates, right?
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Exactly, 168 delegates at stake in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia for the Democrats.
And, Don, it's a tight contest. Right now senators Clinton and Obama are just 27 delegates apart. She leads him by 27 delegates, if you include those pledged super delegates we've all heard so much about.
Now, he could surpass even that number if he does what he's expecting to do, which is sweep those three contests and win by a healthy margin in all three contests today.
Now, Senator Clinton's staff is playing down their expectations. They certainly say they know that these three states favor the states -- the states and the District of Columbia -- favor Barack Obama, so they're really looking ahead to big contests in Ohio and the state of Texas.
They're not the only ones, though. Barack Obama already mounting a fierce challenge in those states. Both senators Clinton and Obama have just put up ads on the air in Texas. Barack Obama started an ad in Spanish there. He's going after the Latino vote that so far has broken for Senator Clinton but is starting to edge his way in some specific areas.
So, what does all this mean? All this means the two Democrats remain locked in this dead heat, with Barack Obama increasingly becoming that "F" word, frontrunner. He doesn't like to say it. He likes to say he's the underdog. But with so many victories under his belt, it's hard to deny that this race really is going to him at this point, and Senator Clinton is fighting hard to get back the momentum she once had in this campaign -- Don.
LEMON: Yes, unless we're going to change the meaning of underdog or frontrunner. YELLIN: Right.
LEMON: Then it all makes sense. OK, Jessica Yellin, appreciate that, thank you.
KEILAR: Shocking charges involving one of the nation's biggest prison systems. Beatings, bribes and orgies? We're going to tell you what officials in Florida are saying about an alleged prison mafia.
LEMON: And they came into the U.S. legally, and now they'll find it easier to stay here. But not everyone's happy with the new green- card rules. We'll tell you why.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right, we want to get back to developing news. We saw this bizarre testimony yesterday, Bobby Cutts. He's the Canton, Ohio, police officer charged with killing his pregnant ex-girlfriend. He was on the stand. I understand, Rusty -- we brought Rusty back because the jury has now gotten this case.
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it turns out the judge is still reading them instructions. There's 100 pages worth of instructions on this particular case.
LEMON: Wow.
DORNIN: So they should be getting it at any time right now.
But the thing that was amazing about this case was here you have a man who is pleading not guilty. His defense attorney told the jury, "Look, there's no evidence linking my client to killing his pregnant girlfriend, Jessie Davis."
Then the bombshell came in court when Bobby Cutts, the former police officer in Ohio, took the stand. Let's listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CUTTS: I pulled my arm, and I threw my arm back. And (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And where did that elbow land?
CUTTS: Around her throat area.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In her throat area?
CUTTS: Yes. She hit the ground.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How hard did she fall?
CUTTS: She -- she fell very hard.
(END VIDEO CLIP) DORNIN: Now, obviously, the prosecutor's claiming that that's not what happened, that he murdered her intentionally. They're claiming he strangled her. They even had him enact what he did in court.
What we're seeing right now, you're seeing the judge, who is still reading the jury instructions. Because there are three aggravated counts of murder; child endangerment, because the son was left for over 24 hours. And there was also gross abuse of a corpse, because he basically for nine days kept this secret and didn't lead police there until nine days later.
So, the big thing here is, is the jury going to buy that it was an accident instead of intentional? But even then, the judge has said they're not going to be reducing the charges and he is eligible for the death penalty.
LEMON: The death penalty in all this. And as Rusty said, live pictures now in Canton, Ohio, the courtroom there. And that's the judge. A hundred, upwards, pages of instructions, which I'm not sure -- I'm not a legal mind, a legal person here -- if that is ordinary. But it seems like a lot of instructions.
But again, he's saying it was an accident. An elbow. What the prosecution is saying is that, "You know what? You wanted the wife [SIC] and the baby out of the way because of mounting bills, child support bills."
DORNIN: That's right. And they're saying he strangled her. And the problem is there was such decomposition on the body that they couldn't accurately say what exactly killed her.
So -- and that's what his defense attorney is saying. No one knows, really, what went on in that house.
LEMON: Yes, and Rusty, as we look at this, because this captivated -- I remember when this happened, captivated the country. And the sound bite that everyone talked about was the little boy saying, "Mommy's in the rug. Mommy's in the rug. Mommy hit the table. Mommy's head hit the table."
There's a child in all of this.
DORNIN: That's right.
LEMON: What happens to this little boy now?
DORNIN: The little boy apparently is with his maternal grandmother. He's 2.5 years old. Obviously, he kept repeating that phrase, as you said, "Mommy was in the rug. Mommy broke the table."
Apparently, he's with his maternal grandmother, and they were given a home, apparently, by Countrywide Financial right after this happened last summer, and his father was arrested for the murder of his mother. And that's where they are living now, apparently. LEMON: All right. So as the jury about to get this case, the judge giving them instructions. Rusty Dornin on top of it, watching that. So if anything happens, Rusty will come back, and she'll debrief us on it. Thank you very much, Rusty.
In our security watch, the government makes it easier for some legal residents to stay in the U.S. permanently. But not everyone is happy about the policy change.
And CNN's Jeanne Meserve is following the developments in Washington for us.
Jeanne, what's this all about?
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will now give permanent resident status, or green-card status, to applicants who have passed a fingerprint-based FBI check but who have, after six months, have not undergone a name-based check. In the past you had to undergo both of those to get your green card.
The exact number of people affected is not known, but certainly, it's in the tens of the thousands. The reason for the change is simple: USCIS has a massive backlog of applications, in part because it can take the FBI months and months to do the name-based security checks.
The change is an attempt to cut that backlog and get things under control, but it is a major shift in policy and is generating some strong reaction, Brianna.
KEILAR: And you know, this really begs the question, Jeanne: does this create security concerns?
MESERVE: Well, there certainly are people that believe that it does, that this is a shortcut, that it cuts corners, that it will create a security loophole.
USCIS counters that people applying for green cards are in the country anyway while they're waiting. The agency also says if a green card is given to someone and a problem turns up later during a name- based check, the green card can be revoked. Also, citizenship will not be given until both checks are complete -- Brianna.
KEILAR: Yes. Thank you for sorting that out, Jeanne. Appreciate it.
And time now to check with clicking with all of you CNN.com-ers. How about the convicted sex offender who hit the jackpot? Fifty-six- year-old Daniel Snay won $10 million in the Massachusetts lottery. The trouble is, Connecticut authorities say he never told them he was moving out of their state four years ago.
And in Phoenix, Arizona, a landlord enters a deserted cottage filled with trash, and he finds a body in the bathtub. Police say it's been there five to seven years. They have no idea who the deceased is or who was renting the cottage.
Also, a disabled Pennsylvania woman dials 911, her bed on fire. A dispatcher puts her on hold, if you can believe that. And by the time fire crews arrive, the woman is dead. How that call was handled is now under investigation.
You can link to all of our top ten list from the front page of CNN.com.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES MCDONOUGH, FORMER FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS SECRETARY: Essentially what you had was a psychopath in charge of the department.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: A state prison system run like a giant crime machine with wardens and guards all in on it. See what it took to clean it up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Twenty-four past the hour. Three of the stories we're working on for you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
The battle of the beltway is underway. Voters are at the polls right now in Maryland, Virginia, and D.C., in the presidential primaries there. Democrat Barack Obama is coming off a four-state weekend sweep of Hillary Clinton.
Meantime, Republican Mike Huckabee is looking to chip away further at John McCain's strong lead.
The fate of former police officer Bobby Cutts is heading into an Ohio jury's hands. In closing arguments today, prosecutors say Cutts meant to kill his pregnant girlfriend. Yesterday, a tearful Cutts testified he accidentally killed Jessie Davis while trying to leave her -- leave her home.
The funeral for a Missouri police officer drew more than 1,000 mourners today. Tom Ballman was one of five people killed by a gunman at Kirkwood City Hall last week.
KEILAR: A shocking act caught on tape: a quadriplegic man dumped out of his wheelchair, face first. So upsetting to watch. Why police are now investigating one of their own.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Let's get straight to the news room now. T.J. Holmes is following a developing story.
What's going on, T.J.?
HOLMES: Yes, an update and not a good one. Unfortunately, that school shooting we were talking out in California, in Oxnard, now a deadly school shooting.
A 15-year-old boy shot and killed now, according to a school official tells us that, in fact, that student who was shot at the school was, in fact, killed.
This was at E.O. Green Middle School in Oxnard, California, where earlier this morning a student shot another student, according to police.
The shooter, the alleged shooter, did run off campus, but according to police, is now in custody. But the 15-year-old student, an eighth grader, who was shot in a classroom around 8:30 this morning, so several hours ago when this happened. But, in fact, has now died.
The -- they believe this was an isolated incident between the two students. It wasn't a random shooting. But they believe this was an incident between these two particular students, and no other students were hurt. And no other students were ever in -- targeted, if you will, by the shooter, according to police. Students now being made to go home, being sent home from school for the day.
But unfortunate update here to tell you that, in fact, that student who was shot at that school has, in fact, passed away, according to school officials.
So, we'll certainly wait to get details to possibly find out a motive and find out possibly what was going on between these two students and, in fact, who this other student was -- Brianna.
KEILAR: Yes, it is so unfortunate. It really seems, T.J., like there's been a whole bunch of these lately.
HOLMES: We've seen a lot of these. We were just talking about them yesterday, a shooting in -- at a high school, Mitchell High School in Memphis. The week before that, another school shooting at a high school in Memphis. So, it's unfortunate these have become part of the landscape. And all too often, we're covering things like this, Brianna.
KEILAR: Yes, all right, well, T.J., thanks for keeping us posted.
HOLMES: All right.
LEMON: And let's get over to the weather center. Chad Myers working a developing weather story. A tornado, is it a warning?
MYERS: There's seven warnings actually right now, six here in Mississippi and Louisiana, one right there in Louisiana and another one south of New Orleans and a big line of weather heading through Baton Rouge, heading to New Orleans proper and then, all these pink boxes you see here, one, two, three, four right there, going to be moving into eastern Mississippi and maybe western Alabama.
Now at this point in time, I know of one actual funnel cloud in the sky. And believe it or not, it's now Florida. A tornado warning for this cell right there. There's Melbourne, Palm Bay, that's about, almost, Cocoa Beach, and if I move it into motion for you, it's moving to the north at 20 miles per hour.
Well, this right here is Cape Canaveral. And we do know -- let me read it to you here. A funnel cloud is reported east of the intersections of state road 420 and U.S. 1, right over the Intercoastal Waterway and that's going to be traveling right there and going to be moving on up and maybe into the Cape Canaveral area here in the next 10 minutes or so.
So you need to be taking cover if you're in the Space Coast somewhere, I don't know where you go. Try to get inside. I'm sure sirens are going off here with this storm here, but a lot of visitors there to the Space Coast at this time of year, especially when you've got a shuttle in the air as well. So, take cover with this storm here, guys.
LEMON: All right, Chad, thank you. Good (ph) advice.
KEILAR: The charges are shocking. Allegations of bribes, beatings, even orgies and the man who once headed the third largest state-run prison system in the nation now is an inmate accused of operating a virtual jailhouse mafia.
In a CNN investigation, the man who replaced James Crosby as secretary of Florida's Department of Corrections is speaking out about what his predecessor did behind bars.
Here's CNN investigative correspondent Abbie Boudreau.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ABBIE BOUDREAU, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Imagine, 90,000 inmates in a vast prison system.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK (ph), brother!
BOUDREAU: Owned by taxpayers, and run as a criminal enterprise, with the man in charge, James Crosby, the worst offender.
JAMES MCDONOUGH, FMR. FLORIDA DEPT. OF CORRECTIONS SECY.: Essentially, what you had was a psychopath in charge of the department. He was very gracious to those in power. He was very mean to those without power.
BOUDREAU: The list of alleged abuses and crimes is long. Top prison officials admitting to kickbacks, guards importing and selling steroids, taxpayer funds to pay for booze and women.
BOUDREAU (on camera): Why was it in such a bad shape that you had to come in and step in so quickly?
MCDONOUGH: Corruption had gone to an extreme.
BOUDREAU (voice-over): And intimidation, corrupt guards punishing other guards who threatened to report them.
MCDONOUGH: A bunch of them would get into a vehicle, roll up to another officer's house and beat them up and tell them, if you tell anybody that we did this to you, we'll come back and kill you.
BOUDREAU: It was like that, until two years ago, when James McDonough got the call. Then Florida Governor Jeb Bush needed his help immediately.
MCDONOUGH: The phone call came at 11:00 at night. And at 7:00 in the morning, I was in charge.
BOUDREAU (on camera): Are these murderers, rapists, what kind of criminals are here?
(voice-over): McDonough is a tough guy. A former Army colonel who commanded troops in Vietnam and Africa. He had served as the drug czar in Florida. His first day on the job, he walked into his new office, the same office his predecessor James Crosby had used, the man McDonough says ran the prisons like a mafia chieftain.
(on camera): If it was run like the mafia, who was the godfather?
MCDONOUGH: The godfather was the secretary of the department.
BOUDREAU (voice-over): That secretary, James Crosby, would later plead guilty to bribery charges in relation to kickbacks from a prison vendor. He's now locked up in a federal prison. He refused CNN's request for an interview.
MCDONOUGH: Everybody behaving themselves?
BOUDREAU: For more than a month, McDonough took stock.
MCDONOUGH: How long you been with us?
BOUDREAU: And then, he cleaned house with a vengeance. His message ...
MCDONOUGH: If you don't have my trust and confidence, your services are no longer needed. You have 24 hours to get out of this organization.
BOUDREAU: Before he was done, McDonough would fire 90 top prison officials, wardens, supervisors, colonels and majors, claiming many were corrupt and at the very least, not to be trusted. He demoted 280 others. Criminal charges were filed against more than 40 and most were convicted.
MCDONOUGH: And I had another report from an officer who said she was raped at an orgy.
BOUDREAU: That's right, orgy. McDonough says they were common here at this waterfront home, built on prison grounds for a former warden, with taxpayer dollars. MCDONOUGH: This is where an awful lot of the partying went on.
BOUDREAU (on camera): So, what kinds of things happened in this house?
MCDONOUGH: Well, I'm told all sorts of bad things.
BOUDREAU (voice-over): Complete with a pool table, bar, and hot tub. CNN obtained these photos of some of the parties. Here, you can see prisoners setting up for one of the events.
(on camera): You think it's gone, in two years, you were able to come in here and clean everything up and the corruption is gone?
MCDONOUGH: That's what I'm saying. An organized vein of corruption is gone.
BOUDREAU: Did it ever matter to you if you were hated?
MCDONOUGH: I would like to think that more people appreciated the leadership than despised the fact that I rooted them out and threw them out for the bums that they were.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: McDonough has his critics, though mostly corrections officers. Some say he was too heavy-handed and they questioned whether he really did clean house. But McDonough stands by his story and is planning to write a book about it.
LEMON: All right, you want to see this next video, arrested on a traffic violation. But look what happened next. Disturbing images of Brian Sterner, a quadriplegic being dumped from a wheelchair onto the floor. It happened at a jail last month in Tampa, Florida. Sterner says the female deputy who lifted his chair didn't believe he couldn't move. He was left feeling humiliated and abused.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIAN STERNER, DISABLED MAN: I told them how to pick me up and put me back in the chair, but without sensation, like I don't feel anything from my chest down. So, I didn't know they were broken then, my ribs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office says an investigation is now under way. I guess his ribs were broken in all of that. And the deputy seen in the video has been suspended without pay pending the outcome of an investigation.
For the best crime coverage on the Web, check out CNN.com/crime. It is the new effort from our friends at TruTV and CNN.com. Go behind the police tape and into the courtroom like never before at CNN.com/crime. KEILAR: An alleged plot to kill a cartoonist behind controversial caricatures of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad has been foiled by Danish police. Three people were arrested today in the town of Arhus in western Denmark during an anti-terror operation. The suspects are described as two Tunisians and a Danish citizen of Moroccan origin.
The cartoons, as you may recall, were first printed two years ago. They sparked condemnation and massive protests in Muslim countries. Three of Denmark's biggest newspapers plan to run the cartoon again tomorrow to show that they're not intimidated by fanatics.
LEMON: A big scare in Mexico, a strong earthquake shaking the Oaxaca region in southern Mexico. It had a magnitude of 6.4. So far, no reports of major damage or injuries. But the tremor gently swayed buildings as far as Mexico City, some 400 miles away. Many people ran into the streets and lingered outside, fearing aftershocks.
KEILAR: The battle for the Latino vote, and this time, surprise, it is not in a border state. We're going to look at how it will play out today in Virginia.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Well, it's another big day in the race for the White House. Voters in Virginia, Maryland and Washington D.C. are weighing in today, and there's a lot at stake for Democrats and Republicans in the so-called Potomac primaries, and a lot of questions, too. Can Barack Obama keep his momentum going? Can Hillary Clinton pull a surprise? Can John McCain cement his front-runner status? Can Mike Huckabee make more inroads with his party's conservative base? A lot will be decided just hours from now.
The Latino vote has been a big boost for Hillary Clinton in the early Democratic contest. Will this hold true today in Virginia? CNN's Deb Feyerick reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was an army nurse.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My specialty was intensive care unit.
FEYERICK: And you won the purple heart?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Excellent. Yes, I won a purple heart.
FEYERICK: Now a tax consultant in northern Virginia, Guzman (ph) says her vote isn't about race or gender but about experience and fixing the economy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Obama has a lot of new people, following him -- following him, but I'm not looking because he's black or he's a man. I'm -- my feeling and my feeling is Hillary Clinton should be the president.
FEYERICK: At the start of the race, the Latino vote was seen as all but locked up by Senator Clinton. She won by huge margins among Latinos in California, New York, Florida and Nevada. Prompting some to question whether Obama was being hurt by racial tensions between Latinos and African-Americans.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That perceived tension does not necessarily translate into the fact that Latinos will not vote for an African- American. In the Latino community, the electorate has matured as a voting bloc.
FEYERICK: Which is why both candidates have been aggressively courting the small but significant Latino vote here in communities largely ignored in the past because the front-runner was usually chosen well before the Potomac primaries.
(on-camera): The voters we spoke with say they don't believe there's such a thing as a unified Latino voting bloc. What they do believe is because the Democrats are so close in this race, for the first time, they feel their vote really matters.
(voice-over): Community activist, Aracely Panameno, agrees so strongly with Obama that undocumented workers should get driver's licenses, she printed up her own "Latinos for Obama" bumper stickers at a local store.
ARACELY PANAMENO, OBAMA SUPPORTER: And the gentleman that was insisting was an African-American and he wanted to know what was the difference and why I was leaning Obama. And so, when I explained he became a little bit upset. And I think I might have changed his vote.
FEYERICK: If the race stays as close as it is, it just might be Latinos in the final caucus in Puerto Rico who could decide which Democrat gets the presidential nod.
Deborah Feyerick, CNN, Alexandria, Virginia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: There is a whole lot at stake in today's Potomac primaries. You can track the results as they come in, minute by minute, state by state, all night long, if you want at CNNpolitics.com. Plus, analysis from the best political team. All that and much, much more at CNNpolitics.com.
KEILAR: And right now, we are tracking some severe weather. These are some ominous clouds that you can see there in New Orleans. As I said, we're tracking severe weather obviously not just in New Orleans, so let's get to Chad Myers. He's in the CNN weather center.
What can you tell us?
MYERS: Well, Brianna, we have a number of storms, Mississippi and Alabama and also now even into Florida, around Cocoa Beach. I've been trying to get a couple Cocoa Beach cams up there, because there -- there's peer cams all over the place, Cocoa Beach, but I can't seem to find out whether that tornado, the funnel, actually made it a tornado on the ground or not.
But we'll first start out here -- Mississippi. Every little pink box, one, two, three, four, five -- looks like it's five now. Five tornado warnings going on at this point, which means there are storms out that are rotating sufficiently. They may have a tornado involved with them. Not saying they do, but they may. Now, some of these storms are to the south and southeast of New Orleans. But the biggest one is just moving through Baton Rouge and also, obviously, on up into Mississippi.
Let's take a look -- let's go back to that tower cam, because it's such an interesting shot. I believe this is actually probably looking out toward the West here, because there's the Superdome. And maybe a little bit toward the Southwest, I'm not quite sure the angle where this is -- this building actually is. But we're going to watch these sections, these clouds here, right above the Superdome, for any lowering, what's called wall clouds, because many of the storms are actually rotating.
The wall cloud comes down first and then maybe a tornado falls out of the middle of that. I know there appears to be something right there now. But I can't tell you whether that's actually anything rotating or not. But there is a potential for New Orleans proper, for Baton Rouge, all the way up into Mississippi, Alabama and obviously now Florida for some tornadoes today.
There is a significant threat here in this warm, warm air that we have across the deep South and the cold air making snow in the North. You get cold and warm coming together, you get the chance of tornadoes. That's what we have today.
KEILAR: And is this normal for this time of year?
MYERS: Absolutely. Absolutely -- 100 percent normal.
KEILAR: All right. We want people out there -- of course, something you said earlier, Chad, was if you can give us an I-Report, that would be great. But of course stay safe while you're giving it to us. Get out there with your cell phones, if you can. All right, Chad --
MYERS: More people are hurt by breaking glass around a tornado than ever being sucked up by a tornado. Don't go near the glass. I know you think it's a great idea to shoot out the window, it's not a good idea at all.
KEILAR: It's the debris, so be careful out there. OK, Chad, thanks very much.
LEMON: CNN.com/i-reports. Of course we always like, as Brianna said, we always like the see I-Reports.
It doesn't happen often, but when it does, look out. What sparked yesterdays BlackBerry blues and what should you do if it happens again. We're going to tell you.
Hey, A.J.
A.J. HAMMER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Don.
I'm A.J. Hammer in New York. Hollywood writers expected to end their strike tonight and be back on the job tomorrow. I'm going to tell you when your shows might be back on the air, coming up next in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The writers strike is expected to end tonight, tonight. Your shows will be back. But we don't know when, so we're going to turn to "SHOWBIZ"'s A.J. Hammer. He's here to tell us what's going to happen in Hollywood tomorrow. Shows won't be back as quickly tomorrow, but soon.
What's the next step in Hollywood, A.J.?
HAMMER: Yes, I got the info for you here, Don.
LEMON: You do? OK.
HAMMER: The next step is for first all the writers first to come back to work, and of course that still is contingent on the voting going as expected tonight. The East coast members of the WGA are meeting in just a few minutes actually, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. They're going to be doing their vote from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Out on the West coast, and keep in mind that's where the majority of the writers are, they're going to be voting from 2:00 p.m. West coast time until 6:00. Now, we're not relying on any exit polls here, so the results won't be revealed until very late tonight. But no matter when the final tally does come in, it appears that everybody is expecting to be back at work tomorrow. And, Don, we're getting some early word from the East coast WGA president at CNN that the voting is, in fact, expected to turn out just as we hope it will.
LEMON: OK, A.J. but, we want to know when -- when are our shows going to be back?
HAMMER: I'm not going to tell you that.
LEMON: OK, All right. Well it's good talking to you.
HAMMER: No, let me break the bad news first to you. Is that we're not going to be seeing any new scripted shows for at least the next couple of weeks. The good news is shows are going to be coming back. Shows like "Grey's Anatomy," in fact, already have started to gear up. The executive producer of that show, Shonda Rhimes has been refusing to cross the WGA picket lines, but she was back at her office on Monday in anticipation of this strike coming to an end.
Now according to a spokesperson from ABC, we still can't expect to see new episodes of hour-long scripted dramas until the end of April or perhaps the beginning of May. And of course, each show is different. A show, in fact, like "24" on Fox, they're not coming back at all this year. They're going to wait until next season to roll out a full slate of brand new shows.
Comedies, on the other hand, take a lot less time to turn out, so we can expect them back on the air first. In fact, we should be able to watch episodes of shows like "The Office" in about a month from now. But there's no real set timetable for how all of this going to go. The schedule is really going to depend on each specific show, Don. And we will know more when these shows actually get into production and I will pass the information on to you.
LEMON: OK. Silly me, I thought "The Office" was like "Mighty Wind," it was all ad-libbed and all that. But I guess ...
HAMMER: Yes, there's a little bit of creativity that goes into it that takes a little bit of time. And there's production.
LEMON: So we know the losers were the viewers. But who would you say the winners in all of this -- once this settles down, who is the winner?
HAMMER: Well, I certainly think the writers seem to be very happy with the deal that they got. But in the short term, think about it, they paid a pretty stiff price here. They lost a lot of money in salaries out there on the picket line. That's not going to be recouped anytime soon, but if programming on the web does take off the way everybody expects it to, the long term end of this deal should work out very well for them in the end.
One of the biggest winners from the strike was the "Tonight Show," with Jay Leno. You remember he crossed the picket line so he could get his show back on the air and his folks back to work. And regularly he trounced his rival David Letterman in the ratings. And that was despite Leno having to write all of his own jokes and the refusal of A-list stars to cross the picket lines and come on to his show. When this was going, most people thought that since Letterman had his writers back, since he struck his own deal, he would be able to win the time slot. It just didn't turn out that way.
Now, coming up tonight on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," are you ready for this? The so-called Britney Spears' law. There's a controversial new proposal to actually force the paparazzi to stay far away from big stars, like Britney Spears, if they get a special license. Not everybody thinks this is such a great idea. We are going to have a very heated debate you will not want to miss, tonight on TV's most provocative entertainment news show. We'll see you at 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on "Headline News."
LEMON: You answered my question. I was going to say, no Britney news? And there you go, you took care of it.
HAMMER: Yes, and this is something that could be a very good thing but needless to say, but I'll say it anyway, a lot of people are sort of up in arms about the idea of this.
LEMON: Yes, OK. We'll be watching. Thank you, A.J.
HAMMER: You got it, Don.
KEILAR: Just months after his murder, a little girl works to build on her dad's dream. We've got that story ahead, in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Just months after her dad's murder, a little girl is trying to see his last project through, and she's getting lots of help from some dedicated volunteers.
This story now from Marlee Ginter of our Seattle affiliate, KOMO.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Remember where that one goes?
MARLEE GINTER, KOMO REPORTER: Jade Hoffman is only 9-years-old ...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe they're just painted.
GINTER: ... but she's finishing the work of a 46-year-old man. This is her home. These are the supplies, and the man who started this work was her dad.
JADE HOFFMAN, FATHER KILLED IN OCTOBER: His name was Craig. And ...
GINTER: She has a hard time talking about him, but nodded, saying he'd be proud. Police say Hoffman died trying to protect his home. He caught three teenagers breaking into his house last October. Police say when he ran after them, one opened fire and killed him. His murder left his family in an unfinished home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This piece, we'll put siding on that.
GINTER: Robbie Robinson heard Hoffman's story on KOMO 4 News, called me to break a nonprofit organization and said, let's help.
ROBBIE ROBINSON, VOLUNTEER: I believe that the most important gift you can give anybody is a gift of your time. These people suffered a terrible, terrible loss.
JULIE BODINE, VOLUNTEER: Even if we can't restore the pain or anything like that, we can just be there.
GINTER: Jade already knows what she's looking forward to.
J. HOFFMAN: I think the fireplace, because, -- my dad, he put it in two weeks before he died. So, then, they're fixing it up and my mom wanted them to put a mantel on it, so they're going to do that.
GINTER (on-camera): They still have painting and cutting to do, all for a family they had never even met before today, but are determined to help through the healing process.
In Seattle, Marlee Ginter, KOMO 4 News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Tens of thousands of GM workers pondering whether to leave their jobs, embattled homeowners across the nation hoping to save their homes.
KEILAR: Two big developments today on the economic front. GM offers workers a buy-out, while the government throws homeowners a lifeline.
LEMON: From Wall Street to Washington, from assembly lines to living rooms, we're covering it all for you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Hello everyone, I'm Don Lemon live in the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.
KEILAR: And I'm Brianna Keilar, in for Kyra Phillips. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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