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Fidel Castro Resigns; Three States Hold Presidential Contests

Aired February 19, 2008 - 15:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: He provoked, prodded and pestered 10 U.S. presidents. And he's been an anti-American fixture in the Western Hemisphere for nearly half a century.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Now Fidel Castro is bringing his rule in Cuba to an end. He shed in his trademark cigar and green military fatigues over the years. Now he's shedding his titles.

LEMON: And that has millions in Cuba and America wondering what's next.

Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Don Lemon live at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.

KEILAR: And I'm Brianna Keilar, in for Kyra Phillips. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And CNN is the only U.S. network with a correspondent based in the Cuban capital.

Let's go straight to our man in Havana, Morgan Neill -- Morgan.

MORGAN NEILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, today's news truly historic. Forty-nine years after he led a revolution that overthrew the government of Fulgencio Batista, and then installed his own revolutionary government, Fidel Castro is resigning.

Now, Castro's -- Fidel Castro's message from the commander in chief was splashed across the front pages of the country's newspapers. It was broadcast on radio and television, all of those controlled by the government. Now, Castro writes in this message that he's resigning because he says he couldn't in good conscience "accept the responsibility requiring more mobility and dedication than I'm physically able to offer."

And what that means is that on Sunday the country's national assembly is going to have to designate a new president of the council (AUDIO GAP) The most likely candidate for that position, Raul Castro, who has been the country's acting president the last more than a year- and-a-half, since Fidel Castro's illness forced him to transfer the presidency to Raul.

Now, what have we seen in that year-and-a-half? Well, we have seen a man in Raul Castro who is more open to talking about some of the problems in Cuba. He said, for example, salaries here in Cuba are simply not enough for people to get the necessities of life. He said, there are certain structures, bureaucratic structures, that create more law-breaking kinds of activities.

But he hasn't to this point been able to deliver on what many Cubans say they want the most. That is greater salaries, an end to the double economy in which Cubans are paid in one currency, forced to buy many of their goods in another currency up to worth 25 times more, restrictions on travel, that sort of thing -- Don.

LEMON: Morgan Neill -- thank you very much for your report, Morgan.

KEILAR: Ten American presidents have faced a sticky problem 90 miles from U.S. shores. One president faced a crisis. Many took drastic measures, but nothing mattered. Fidel Castro endured.

CNN's Jill Dougherty looks back on a feud unmatched in American history.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN INTERNATIONAL U.S. AFFAIRS EDITOR (voice- over): In its long and tempestuous relationship with Fidel Castro, the United States tried almost everything to get rid of him, plots to shoot him, poison him, even blow him up with an exploding cigar. Cuba claims the CIA tried to kill Castro more than 600 times.

Then there was the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, the CIA training and financing of force of 1,500 Cuban exiles to invade the country. It failed, miserably. So, what explains the U.S. obsession with the leader of an island nation smaller than Pennsylvania?

MOISES NAIM, "FOREIGN POLICY": Cuba drives the United States crazy. And over the years, for decades, it has created conditions that have forced or pushed or induced the United States to adopt very strange policies that are counterproductive.

DOUGHERTY: Foreign policy expert Moises Naim argues, if you want to understand the United States' policy towards Fidel Castro and Cuba:

NAIM: Think Florida, Florida, Florida, and the Cuban community there.

REP: Florida's 833,000 Cuban-Americans are a potent political force. The early emigres who fled Cuba after the revolution in 1959 were wealthy, educated and rabidly anti-Castro.

(on camera): That hatred has cooled somewhat over the years, but it remains a strong motivator of U.S. policy toward Castro's Cuba. And few U.S. politicians, Democrats or Republicans, have been willing to risk alienating Cuban-American voters to change it.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Cuba's regime no doubt has other horrors still unknown to the rest of the world. Once revealed, they will shock the conscience of humanity.

DOUGHERTY (voice-over): This U.S. administration's rhetoric may be strong, but U.S. policy toward Cuba, especially the trade embargo in place against Cuba since 1961, simply hasn't worked, says Cuba expert Lisandro Perez.

LISANDRO PEREZ, FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY: If the idea is to bring about change, it's totally failed. And I suggest that the reason it has failed is because in many ways it plays into the need of the Cuban government to, in fact, be isolated from political, cultural influence.

DOUGHERTY: Yet, many Cuban-Americans are intent on keeping that policy alive, he says, because it symbolizes America's opposition to Castro.

NAIM: But the person that's really going to shape the future of this transition is not a Cuban. He's a Venezuela. He's Hugo Chavez.

DOUGHERTY: These days, Venezuela's leader, Hugo Chavez, is Cuba's lifeline, supplying money and oil to Havana. Without that, Cuba's economy would be in serious trouble.

According to its critics, Cuba makes excuses for its economic failures by exploiting U.S. hostility. If Washington really wanted to promote change in Cuba, they say, it would take a policy it's never tried before, openness, like allowing American tourists to visit Cuba. But it's not likely the Cuban government at this stage would allow that, knowing only too well what a political risk that might be.

Jill Dougherty, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Topping our Political Ticker, three more states are holding contests today in the race for the White House. Democrats are concentrating on the Wisconsin primary and caucuses in Hawaii. And for the Republicans, there are primaries in Wisconsin and Washington State.

Senator Barack Obama is hoping to build on his recent momentum, but the Democratic candidate is also looking ahead. He's campaigning today in Texas, which holds its primary on March 4th. Senator Hillary Clinton hopes to swing the momentum to her side today, but she, too, is looking ahead to the big March 4th primaries in Texas and Ohio. On her schedule today, a rally in Youngstown, Ohio.

It's also a busy day on the campaign trail for Republican front- runner John McCain. He held a rally this morning in Brookfield, Wisconsin. Then he headed to Columbus, Ohio, where he will meet with the media and attend an election-night party this evening.

Mike Huckabee is hoping to pull some surprises in today's Republican primaries in Wisconsin and Washington. After a campaign swing through Wisconsin, the former Arkansas governor is not on the trail today. He's at home in Little Rock.

The delegate count in the Democratic race for president will climb by 94 after today's contests in Wisconsin and Hawaii. Either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama will have to get 2,025 delegates to win the nomination. Now, according to the latest CNN estimate, here's the Democratic delegate total right now. February 19th, 46 there at stake, the total, 1,309 for Barack Obama, 42 total for -- on the 19th for Hillary Clinton, 1,254, the total amount of delegates there.

Here's the GOP delegate total right now, according to our CNN estimate, 926 total for McCain, 221 for Huckabee, 16 for Ron Paul, and nine, nine are uncommitted.

KEILAR: The snow is covers the driveway, his car, and it's also closing in on his roof, but, hey, I-Reporter Michael Stouffer, who has lived in Wisconsin all of his life, says that's not about to stop him from voting today. He was -- he just has to dig out first, as you can imagine. The most important issue for him, energy costs. He says last month's bill was $473, if you can believe that.

(WEATHER UPDATE)

LEMON: All right, we just got this alert that came over here, oil prices at triple digits, a new intraday high at the New York Mercantile Exchange. Will there be a domino effect? Well, we're keeping an eye on the financial security coming up.

KEILAR: And the U.S. military wants to take out a falling satellite. The first try could come tomorrow night. The warnings are going out in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: It is 3:13 here in the East and three of the stories that we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM: nearly a half-century of rule coming to an end. Fidel Castro has announced his resignation as Cuba's leader. And his brother, Raul, is expected to succeed him. Castro came to power in a revolution that he led. He went on to provoke and pester 10 presidents, 10 U.S. presidents.

Princess Diana's former butler now under investigation. The judge at Diana's inquest is looking into whether Paul Burrell lied on the stand. Britain's "Sun" newspaper said it got a secret recording of Burrell saying he -- quote -- "didn't tell the whole truth."

And evangelist Billy Graham is back home in North Carolina, following surgery, where doctors had to update a shunt that drains excess fluid from his brain. Graham is 89 years old, and he spent decades delivering sermons around the world before his health declined.

(BUSINESS REPORT)

KEILAR: The U.S. military wants to take out a falling satellite. And the first try could come tomorrow night. The warnings are going out in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Get out of the way, that is the warning, actually an official warning to ships and planes, as the U.S. Navy gets ready to try to shoot down a faulty satellite sooner than planned. Let's go now to our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre. He has been following this all along.

Hi, Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Brianna. I think it's fair to say there's an air of anticipation here at the Pentagon and an expectation that tomorrow night will be the night of the big show. Today, the Pentagon officially announced that the window opens tomorrow night, immediately after the space shuttle lands.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEOFF MORRELL, DEFENSE DEPARTMENT PRESS SECRETARY: Secretary Gates has been empowered by President Bush to order the shootdown. And based upon the advice he gets, he is prepared to do so from the road, if necessary. Within an hour of the missile being launched, we plan to issue a written statement notifying you.

And within hours after that, General Cartwright will hold a news conference here at the Pentagon to brief you on our initial assessment of the operation. However, you should know that it may take a day or more to determine if the hydrazine tank has been destroyed, thereby alleviating most of the danger posed by this falling satellite.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCINTYRE: And this is the weapon of choice. This is a model of the Navy's standard missile. It's anything but standard. This little booster will get it off the ship into the atmosphere.

This second stage will take the kill vehicle right up to the edge of the atmosphere. And then inside the warhead -- and you can see there's no fins on this, because this is a space vehicle that is going to be operating in space -- is a little kill vehicle that's not explosive. It's a kinetic kill vehicle that is going to actually try to ram into the satellite and destroy it in space.

When it gets up there, it actually opens its eyes, takes a look for the satellite, and then uses little thruster rockets to home in on it. That's how it's supposed to work. The Pentagon says they will let us know as soon as they know whether or not it worked the first time. If it doesn't work the first time, they may have a second shot -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Yes. And I'm going to tease you about playing with toys. But, actually, it's really helpful to have you go through that and show us with the apparatus. So, if they do miss it, they are going to try again? Is this definite? Is it only a second go? Could they have a third go if the second go doesn't work?

MCINTYRE: Well, it gets problematic as you go along. The satellite's gaining speed as it's deorbiting. So, it makes it harder to hit. It's also a cold object, not a hot object, like a warhead, so it's also harder to find. What they will do is, if it misses the first time, they will recalculate, see if they can take a second shot. If they have time, they could even possibly take a third shot. They have reconfigured three missiles for this mission to give them the maximum opportunity. But they are going to try and hit it on that first shot. That's their best shot, because, after that, it begins to get more complicated.

KEILAR: Yes, it's a very interesting process.

Senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre, thanks a lot. Great demonstration. Appreciate it.

LEMON: A new day for Cuba or more of the same? The blogs are buzzing with people trying to answer that question. And CNN's international desk is monitoring them. Our Isha Sesay will take you there.

KEILAR: Voters in Hawaii and Wisconsin and Washington State weighing in on the race for the White House. We're going to check in with two of our political experts, David Gergen and Carl Bernstein.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: We're following a monumental change in the government of Cuba that may actually not change much of anything. As you know if you have been watching CNN, Fidel Castro is giving up the presidency of the island nation that he has dominated since the communist revolution of 1959.

His middle-of-the-night announcement is the talk of Miami's Little Havana, but it's a far cry from 2006, when Castro underwent surgery and temporarily turned over power to his younger brother, Raul. Then, Cuban-Americans celebrated. Today feels anti-climatic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For me, Castro is dead already.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We, as Cuban-Americans, don't call him president. We call him dictator -- what he really is. But it does change -- it does show that he will no longer be in command and he will no longer be the leading force, which he has been for so many years. And I think that that in itself is a positive thing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Uncertainty, happiness. I've been waiting since 47 years for this. We don't know whether it's a trick from them, whether it's reality. Hopefully it's the truth and we'll see a change.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Fidel Castro hasn't been seen in public since his health crisis 19 months ago. And Raul Castro is almost certain to be named president when Cuba's national assembly meets Sunday.

And of course stories like this have our International Desk buzzing along with the blogs. For a bit of both, let's go to CNN International's Isha Sesay.

What do you have -- Isha?

ISHA SESAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Brianna. On a day like this, as you can imagine, the International Desk is working flat out. We're monitoring Cuban state television and, you know, there's very little to point to the fact that Fidel Castro's political era is coming to an end.

I mean that's Cuban state TV that you see there in the top left hand corner of your screen -- a steady stream of soaps and other entertainment. We're also watching other Latin networks. That's Venezuelan state TV in the top right hand of your screen -- the top right hand corner. Univision, the bottom left there. And Chilean TV completing the quadrant there.

And, you know, despite the fact that Fidel Castro is seen by many in Latin America as a legend, it really is business as usual on these networks. They are not going crazy on this story. They are not covering it wall to wall, which is something I think some people would have expected on such a momentous day.

Now there had been a lot of speculation following Castro's falling ill back in July 2006. A lot of speculation as to whether he'd continue as president. Well, on the day that it's confirmed that he will not continue, here's how some people are responding.

This posting that you're seeing now on your screen we found on reviewofcuban-americanblogs.com. And it says: "It's pretty difficult to dictate a country when you're slurring your words. Memory problems, speech problems, failure to complete words on and on and on. But don't break out the champagne just yet. Maybe I should be taking this more seriously, but God help, me I can't."

We want to share this with you, from Mark Masferrer. He had this to say on Marcmasferrer.typepad.com: "Unfortunately, his legacy will survive his life's work and his life. And it means little to the son of former Cuban refugees. Maybe it would be different if this morning we were reading his obituary. But consider me under whelmed. I won't be breaking out the champagne." And he also added: "I won't be driving to Miami for the party."

Now, Brianna, I think the thing to stress to our viewers is as we've been going through the blogs, scouring them for some reaction, we have come across a lot of just muted response to this news. I think the point is with Raul Castro looking like a shoo-in as the replacement for his brother and the expectation that Fidel will stay in the background and wield some kind of influence, it's hard to say that Cuba's future will look radically different from its past -- Brianna, back to you.

KEILAR: Yes, it is kind of anti-climatic response. And thanks for keeping an eye on all of those outlets. We really appreciate it.

CNN's Isha Sesay. Thanks. LEMON: All right, another big day in the race for the White House. For the Democrats, delegates are at stake in the Wisconsin primary and Hawaii's caucuses. Republican delegates are being chosen in Wisconsin, Washington State, the primaries there.

And joining us now, CNN's senior political analyst, David Gergen. He is in Boston. It's kind of cold and shivery there. CNN contributor Carl...

DAVID GERGEN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Just like Wisconsin.

LEMON: Yes, that's what I was just going to say. CNN contributor Carl Bernstein in New York. It's probably a little bit warmer in New York.

We were talking about the kind the dichotomy. You've got Hawaii, you've got Wisconsin, you've got Washington State. You know, it was, what, 10 -- I was looking here -- 13 degrees Fahrenheit in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as people are going to the polls today.

Talk to us -- I thought Wisconsin -- we'll start with you, Carl. I thought in Wisconsin that Barack Obama had it wrapped up. Not so?

CARL BERNSTEIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: This is a deep psychological game of psychological warfare the likes of which certainly I've never seen. I don't think David has either. And it's particularly vicious and it's particularly different because there are two people together, which is to say, Hillary and Bill Clinton against one other candidate. Now, I was just reading a terrific book on the subject of the Clintons right here that I'm holding up.

LEMON: David Gergen.

BERNSTEIN: By David Gergen.

(CROSSTALK)

BERNSTEIN: And he writes...

GERGEN: I thought -- and I thought Bernstein was going to plug his own book again.

BERNSTEIN: Oh, no.

GERGEN: I couldn't believe it. He's shameless about that.

BERNSTEIN: No. No. This is about Gergen's book. But, in fact, Gergen's book is really remarkable on the subject of a co-presidency and why it doesn't work and why it didn't work in the case of the Clintons. And he goes into a whole thing about Hillary Clinton's failure to reveal her taxes and the Whitewater -- to respond to the Whitewater allegations and said she went at it as a litigator.

And I think we're seeing the same thing in this campaign. And if all the traditional measures, like exit polls, are not helping us understand what's going on... LEMON: I'm not...

BERNSTEIN: We are talking about deep feeling the voters have about these two candidates or these three people. And I believe we're beyond conventional measurements.

LEMON: So you're saying...

BERNSTEIN: And all we can do is...

LEMON: Real quick -- real quick, Carl. You're saying that the Clintons, obviously, are ganging up on Obama. You're talking about...

BERNSTEIN: No. No.

LEMON: Oh. What are you -- what are you saying there then?

BERNSTEIN: Whoa. Whoa. No. What I'm suggesting is -- no. It's not about ganging up. What I'm saying is...

LEMON: Well, you said it's two -- you said co-presidents. Did you not say that?

BERNSTEIN: Yes, absolutely.

LEMON: OK.

BERNSTEIN: I think that's the dynamic that we're dealing in here, is this is about restoration of the Clintons to the presidency.

LEMON: OK.

BERNSTEIN: And the real dynamic that we have to deal with as reporters is what does that mean? What are the tactics employed in the campaign accordingly? And, also, the fact that Obama has been portrayed -- with some success up to this point -- as an empty suit with great lungs by the Clinton apparatus.

LEMON: So David...

BERNSTEIN: And that's what we're dealing with.

LEMON: Do you think the voters in Wisconsin or any of these -- especially Wisconsin, where it was supposed to be -- they thought Obama was going to win. Now it seems to be tighter than it was. Do you think that this is playing well with voters, what Carl is talking about, the sort of co-presidency -- a return to the Clinton years?

GERGEN: No. I think we've got -- heading into South Carolina -- and not only did the Clintons get involved with sort of, you know, going after Obama in ways that many people felt went too far or were excessive and they got appalled by it, but I think they opened the window and gave us the sense that it might be a co-presidency.

And there was an awful lot of backlash to that. I think if Obama wins the nomination, we will look back on those days as a turning -- a major turning point in this campaign. But since then, I must say that he's gone -- you know, Bill Clinton has become more quiet -- is quieter. He's got like a case of laryngitis out there on the campaign trail...

LEMON: Yes.

GERGEN: ... which has been helpful to her. And I think she's been fighting back. And what we find ourselves in Wisconsin is, right now, is a very important drama. And I think the best thing about it is that we, the pundits, the commentators, couldn't tell you how it's going to come out. It's all in the hands of the voters -- the gods. And...

LEMON: Yes. And the same thing, too, as well, in Hawaii, because, you know, that's -- Obama was born there. But he still doesn't have it locked up. And that's according to our reporters who are out there in the trenches.

But, listen, I want to move on and get to this, because there is so much to cover here. You're talking about -- you know, I was talking about the idea that the Clintons Amy be beating up on Obama. And Carl said that's not so. But you cannot count Michelle Obama out in all of this. And, you know, a very strong woman, a very smart woman. And she will say what's on her mind, no doubt about that.

I want you to listen to this and we're going to talk about this whole thing, which is kind of a controversy now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE OBAMA, WIFE OF BARACK OBAMA: Let me tell you something, for the first time in my adult lifetime, I'm really proud of my country. And not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: What do you think of that, David? I mean is that something she should have said? Are we taking it out of context?

GERGEN: For -- I think everything she said was going to be fine with the voters except for one phrase...

LEMON: What?

GERGEN: ... and that was "for the first time in my lifetime I felt proud about my country." There are an awful lot of people who do not share that view. I do think what we're tapping into here -- and if you talk to African-Americans, you know this much better than I do you -- you do find many African-Americans who think in those terms. And it's not the same way whites see it. And I think it's very delicate territory to go into.

So I don't think that's the major controversy overhanging right now. I think it has a lot more to do with what her husband said and was he was a plagiarist or not -- which I think is ridiculous. It has a lot more to do with what one of the Clinton people said today, that they were going to go after, you know, that controversy -- they're going to go after the pledged delegates -- not the superdelegates, but they're going to try to take away Obama's pledged delegates.

LEMON: Yes.

GERGEN: And suddenly there was a flare-up about that today and everybody has now said no, we won't do that.

LEMON: OK.

GERGEN: And I think those are the big controversies over today in Wisconsin.

BERNSTEIN: David is on to the right idea here, it is, and I think that is that what we're seeing is a kind of desperation by the Clinton campaign. And the desperation is understandable. They feel they haven't been treated fairly and they've been losing. And in so doing, they have reverted back to the kinds of campaigning and techniques that both Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton were so adept at in the 1992 election against Republicans.

LEMON: And Carl --

BERNSTEIN: Yes?

LEMON: Carl, I want to get -- not -- I'm sorry to cut you off, but I want to get in a question about the GOP here.

BERNSTEIN: Sure.

LEMON: McCain more than 20 points ahead in the polls. What's the deal with Mike Huckabee? I mean, statistically, everyone has said, you know what, statistically he cannot win. But he is hanging on for dear life in this. And there are some people -- a lot of people, actually, on the GOP side, who believe that he should.

BERNSTEIN: I think he's having a good time. I think he enjoys this. I think that he's having an effect. I have no idea if he really thinks he could end up being the vice president on the ticket. I doubt that he really believes he can. But I think there really is a factor -- he believes in what he's saying and that he's having a hell of a good time out there. It's not doing his party very good, I must say.

LEMON: If you can -- and, David, five seconds. Do you agree with him that he should continue?

GERGEN: I think it's a free country. He can do whatever he wants. But I think he's kissed off his chance of being vice president. What I do think is he's trying to emerge as a voice of conservatives. He doesn't have a job.

LEMON: Yes.

GERGEN: He's going to need some income when this is over.

LEMON: That's right.

GERGEN: You know, who knows, he may end up being a TV anchor before this is over.

LEMON: Oh, there you go.

GERGEN: There you go.

LEMON: That will have to be the last word. David Gergen and Carl Bernstein, we appreciate much you joining us today, as always.

BERNSTEIN: Good book, David.

GERGEN: Thank you.

LEMON: Yes. It is a Democratic -- and the book. We know. We heard all about it, guys. Thank you very much.

It is a Democratic battle for votes in Wisconsin and Hawaii. Track all the results as they come in minute by minute all night at CNNPolitics.com. Plus analysis from the best political team -- we say the best political team on television, but I venture to say the best political team anywhere -- don't you agree?

KEILAR: I agree wholeheartedly.

LEMON: All that and more at CNNPolitics.com.

KEILAR: Immigrants putting black people out of work -- that's the claim of anti-immigration ad that's hit the airwaves and struck a nerve here in Georgia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM CAMPAIGN AD)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... black men. And because foreign workers take American jobs...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right, this just in. We have late word about the former first lady, Nancy Reagan. She has been released from a hospital in Santa Monica, California. She was taken there on Sunday just as a precaution after falling at her Bel Air home. Mrs. Reagan 86-years- old. Again, new information in from her spokesperson. Doctors have released Mrs. Reagan from the hospital. She is very happy to be back in her home. She has already begun resuming her daily activities. And that is from a spokesman of Nancy Reagan.

KEILAR: And a suspect -- we want to tell you about a story that we have been following. A suspect in that massive beef recall in California has been arrested. Here he is. This is the booking photo for Daniel Navarro, a suspect in the Hallmark Meat Packing case. He was taken into custody over the weekend, released on $75,000 bail. He's going to be arraigned late next month. And this is a massive beef recall -- 143 million pounds of beef -- because of immobile cattle that were not inspected before slaughter. This all started with disturbing images that were caught on tape at a California slaughterhouse. Now this led to this biggest beef recall ever in the United States. Now the man behind the hidden camera is speaking out. And, again, you know, we want to warn you that some of what you're about to see is disturbing.

Here's CNN's Judy Echavez.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I think back on that day and I think about standing there watching, and, you know, hearing the screams of the cow and just the, you know, the crunch of the forklift ramming into them.

JUDY ECHAVEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's almost like reliving a nightmare, says this is undercover Humane Society investigator. He asked us to protect his identity and alter his voice so he can continue working undercover. He says he shot the graphic images last October, while posing as a slaughterhouse employee at the Westland Hallmark Meat Packing Company in Chino, California.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just the mental preparedness of every day having to go and do this job, and seeing these things every day. And it was a physically grueling job.

ECHAVEZ: The investigator says he worked side by side for six weeks with workers for Westland Hallmark, while some of them abused what are called downer cattle -- cattle too sick to walk or stand.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No one was nervous or shy about, you know, shocking animals in front of you or getting the forklift and, you know, ramming an animal that couldn't stand up.

ECHAVEZ: The video shot by the investigator with a hidden camera shows some meat workers poking and prodding the helpless cattle. Friday, California prosecutors announced animal cruelty charges against two former employees of the plant.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no guilt about seeing someone who did horrible things face punishment for that.

ECHAVEZ (on camera): The president of Westland/Hallmark said two weeks ago the practices on the undercover video were "a serious breach of the company's policies and training." He said the company meets the highest standards in meat processing. But now the facility is closed and their beef is being recalled -- the largest beef recall in U.S. history.

Judy Echavez for CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: And again, Chino police in California have arrested and released on bail one suspect. Here you see him, Daniel Navarro. We also want to let you know that the other man who has been charged with animal cruelty in this case, Luis Sanchez, remains at large.

LEMON: Immigrants putting black people out of work? That's the claim of an anti-immigration ad that's hit the airwaves and struck a nerve right here in Georgia. You don't want to miss this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Time now to check what's clicking at CNN.com -- some of our most viewed video of the day.

Mysterious creatures of the deep -- researchers find giant sea spiders and huge worms just chilling off the waters of Antarctica.

And hopefully Lindsay Lohan didn't catch a chill when she posed for these nude pictures. The actress re-creating poses by Marilyn Monroe with the same photographer who shot the screen legend.

And a Florida pastor encouraging his flock to know their spouses better -- in the biblical sense. As part of his 30-day sex challenge, he wants married couples to have sex every day for a month in the name of lowering the divorce rate. Sorry, singles, you're supposed to abstain for a month.

Link to all of our top 10 lists from the front page of CNN.com.

LEMON: He provoked, prodded and pestered 10 U.S. presidents and he's been an anti-American fixture in the Western Hemisphere for nearly half a century. Now Fidel Castro is bringing his rule in Cuba to an end. He shed his trademark cigar and green military fatigues over the years. Now he's shedding his titles. And that has millions in Cuba and America wondering what is next.

We want you to hear from a man who's met Fidel Castro and Raul Castro several times and has followed their rise to power. His name is Hal Klepak. He's a history and warfare studies professor at the Royal Military College of Canada.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAL KLEPAK, EXPERT ON CUBAN HISTORY: We're talking about a Latin American brothers' relationship. I think there's a great deal of love, not to mention admiration, particularly from Raul up to his brother. And I think many of the mistakes we've been making in our analysis over the last 19 months have been because we haven't understood this. This is a younger man -- not very much younger, you would argue -- but a younger man who respects and loves his brother and will not do things that which humiliate his brother in terms of reform.

So I think that's the way we should see it. I believe that they are relatively close, that they are true confidantes, one of the other, both on personal issues and on wider issues, but I can't prove that. And I believe that they will continue to support one another, that Fidel is -- it is not in Fidel's interest or the kind of person that he is to sabotage his brother's efforts. And that they have shared a very long struggle in which we have found very, very few occasions -- indeed, even their most ferocious critics -- where they have crossed swords on issues of policy. They obviously have different views on many issues and they respect one another's views on those interests -- you know, on those questions, even if they disagree.

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LEMON: Well, that brotherly relationship has a lot of Cuban exiles pessimistic that any substantial change is coming to Cuba.

KEILAR: Oil prices close to at a new high today. How is that going to affect your gas prices?

We've got all of the details in the NEWSROOM.

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KEILAR: The robbery was brazen, the recovery baffling. Two of four Impressionist masterpieces stolen from a Swiss museum have been found in the back seat of an unlocked car just a couple hundred yards from the museum, if you can believe that -- a Van Gogh and a Monet worth $64 million just sitting there. The find reinforces authorities' belief the crooks aren't all that smart about art. Still, they apparently got away with a Cezanne and a Degas worth $99 million, so I guess...

LEMON: Kind of tough to sell because people kind of know that...

KEILAR: But apparently we heard there is a market for it.

LEMON: Yes.

KEILAR: It's surprising, but there is.

LEMON: Not very smart.

KEILAR: Yes.

LEMON: Just yards away.

KEILAR: Exactly. Hello.

LEMON: Well, stuck in a cubicle all day at work -- why not make the most of it? That's what a woman in Syracuse, New York, what she's doing right now. Let's see, what is she doing? Maybe you can tell from the video. Terry Weller, well, she set up a treadmill a treadmill. It's a treadmill workstation, so she can get some exercise while at work. She says she's been walking for a month now and it's a blast.

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TERRY WELLER, EXERCISES AT WORK: The guys who are teasing me say they're going to check and see how many dents are in the filing cabinet behind me when I forget I'm on it and slip off of and it go backwards.

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LEMON: She has more energy at the end of the day. And while she hasn't lost weight, she's lost a lot of inches. Her clothes fit a lot looser. You think that will work right here? What do you think?

KEILAR: Oh, I'm going to at least -- I'm going to stretch it out. Maybe some marching in place, because we don't have treadmills.

LEMON: What do you think? Maybe we can get one put right here.

(LAUGHTER)

KEILAR: Let's see, let's try -- the closing bell about to ring on Wall Street.

LEMON: Susan Lisovicz is standing by with a final look at the trading day.

Susan, we can -- you should hear them in our ear. I can hear them over the PDL here. They're like what are they doing? What are they doing? They're standing up.

(LAUGHTER)

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They're walking off the set.

LEMON: Oh my gosh.

LISOVICZ: No. You know, it's like an editorial treadmill that you guys are on. I mean three hours, right?

LEMON: Oh, yes.

LISOVICZ: That's a long session.

LEMON: And sometimes more if there's breaking news. Sometimes it's four hours so...

LISOVICZ: You have to pace yourselves. Well, listen, I'm going to quickly get to the story about a cloned dog, that there is actually a South Korean biotech company that has taken a commercial order from a California woman who saved biological material -- no, not fro Uno, by the way -- the Westminster Dog champ -- but from a pit bull that had died. A hundred and fifty grand -- that's what it cost to -- to clone a dog, although for this woman, who allowed her -- the details to become public, the bargain price of $50,000.

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