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U.S. Cargo Plane to Deliver Supplies to Myanmar; West Virginia Primary: Will it Make any Difference?; Modern Day Slavery: Illegal Immigrants Working & Living Under Horrific Conditions

Aired May 09, 2008 - 14:00   ET

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

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: One week after the cyclone, getting relief to Myanmar is only half the battle, and not even the hardest half. Getting relief to survivors has barely started and the government is barely budging.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the battle for Beirut is on hold. Not so the Lebanese government's war of wills with Hezbollah. We'll see how the Iranian-backed militia got the upper hand here.

Hello, everyone. I'm Don lemon, live here at the international desk in the CNN NEWSROOM.

KEILAR: And I'm Brianna Keilar.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

LEMON: Of course we start with our developing story, our international news here, and that is Myanmar and the aid that is about to get to that country from the U.S. The United Nations will send two more emergency airlifts into Myanmar starting tomorrow. The U.S. will send a category go plane loaded with supplies on Monday, but will the people who need the help, will they ever get it?

Well, today Myanmar's military government seized 38 tons of food and other relief at the airport and won't let U.N. staffers deliver it to survivors of last week's cyclone. Some places have no food, no water, no electricity or even medicine. And experts fear the more the time ticks by, the greater the risk of diseases such as malaria.

And just a short time ago, we learned that the regime will allow a U.S. cargo plane of supplies into the country on Monday. That's still a long time to wait if you are desperate.

Let's go now to Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr. She joins us now with the very latest.

When is it going to get in? When will these people get help, Barbara?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, the latest word here is that the U.S. military will send a cargo plane, a C-130 aircraft, into Myanmar on Monday. That is the beginning of progress, but it is not yet success, and a long ways from it.

The military has been proposing over the last 48 hours a series of options to the military junta in Myanmar. They want to start with C-130s carrying large amounts of cargo, land them at airfields in Myanmar, and have the aid distributed from there.

What they are telling the junta is that will minimize any U.S. military footprint in the country. But that is only part of what the Pentagon really wants to do in this situation. They are also offering a number of Navy helicopters that can then fly to some of these most remote areas where the devastation is utter and people are getting no help, and they will fly, they propose, at low altitudes and air-drop supplies into these devastated areas.

What they might encounter there, however, remains to be seen, because by Monday, the desperation certainly is going to be at, you know, an even more significant level. And one can only imagine that in some of these remote areas the people will rush the helicopters trying to get food, water, medicine, whatever the aid effort is able to bring in.

But I must tell you also, when you talk about the aid being seized earlier today, the U.S. military well aware of that, and there have been a number of conversations with diplomats and military officials in the region. The Pentagon says it wants reasonable assurances from the junta that if they bring the aid in on U.S. military aircraft, it will get to the people who need it and will not be seized by the government there -- Don.

LEMON: And Barbara, we heard a confirmation from the C-130, but you're talking about these helicopters. Has that been confirmed yet? Are they going to allow those helicopters in for sure?

STARR: No. At this hour, I must tell you, that is not confirmed. That would be an additional phase.

A senior U.S. military official tells us they've been laying these options out for the government in Myanmar, trying to, as he says, build a bridge of confidence with this very repressive, very isolated government. This U.S. military official said, think of this as North Korea times 10.

This is a government that has almost no contact with the West, very little contact outside its own borders. It's not even clear to top U.S. officials whether the government in Myanmar, until the last 48 hours or so, has even understood the devastation around its own country. They have been trying to make this case through intermediaries, using diplomats and military officials in China and in Thailand.

Now, it appears that some of these contacts have broken through to allow at least this one cargo flight from the U.S. military, but those helicopters still remain to be seen -- Don.

LEMON: Unbelievable, Barbara. And that is the importance of being able to get as much information and free press, so that you can get the information and see exactly the magnitude of the devastation.

Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. We appreciate that.

And we've been telling you our Dan Rivers was the first western journalist to report from Myanmar. He has left Myanmar now, but he took one last trip down to a devastated delta in that area. He got a good look at just how urgent the situation is, and what he saw is really not for the faint of heart. Some of the pictures you're about to see, I have to warn you, they are disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We are deep in the Irrawaddy Delta, making our way down the Laputa River (ph). The banks are punctuated with destroyed homes, apparently abandoned after Cyclone Nargis hit.

(on-camera): It's been very, very difficult to get into this river delta. The roads are not passable for us. So now this is the only way we can progress any further, by boat, and the river that we're traveling on is incredibly swollen.

You can see all the trees along the side here are completely submerged by river water. Normally, these would all be on dry land.

(voice-over): Myanmar government has refused to let any international press into this area officially. But we've managed to get through numerous checkpoints to see for ourselves how bad things are.

This 79-year-old man tells me he's lost his sister, his granddaughter, two grandsons, and his daughter-in-law. His voice is cracking with emotion as he explains how he found their bodies amid the debris of their village. A broken man, he's gathered with other survivors who have received no help whatsoever.

We're trying to get further into the delta to reach other survivors, but shortly after this video was shot, we were stopped and questioned by the police who said we couldn't go any further. It feels as if this government is trying to stop the world from seeing what's happening here.

Perhaps wire service photos like these are the sorts of images they want to suppress, the macabre, contorted bodies that litter this landscape. We also managed to take some disturbing images of our own in a local hospital.

Conditions are appalling. Injuries, horrendous. Many have suffered lacerations to the back, as they clung to palm trees and were pummeled by the debris-laden storm surge. There are only the most basic facilities, and again, no evidence of any aid.

We have to leave this area before we're arrested. The people we say goodbye to are without help, have little food, and are profoundly traumatized. Stranded in the Irrawaddy Delta, living in fear of this military regime that seems determined to hush up the scale of this tragedy. Dan Rivers, CNN, in the Irrawaddy Delta, Myanmar.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And we know that you want to help out. At CNN.com, we have a very special place on the devastation in Myanmar, complete with links to aid agencies that are organizing help for that region. It is a chance for you to impact your world, and let CNN be your guide with that. That's our page there. And of course, that's our Web site, CNN.com.

We want to tell you, a little bit later on, there is an American man who found himself in the wrong place really at the wrong time. He was right in the middle of that cyclone in Myanmar.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know how long I'm going to be here, what it's going to be like, what's the food supply going to be like. There was already no electricity, there was already no hot water.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, he managed to get home, but he wants to go back soon to help. His story is straight ahead, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

KEILAR: We saw it unfold on live TV. As the Lebanese army stood by, Hezbollah gunmen battled Sunni rivals on the streets of Beirut. Today the fighting has waned, but only after Hezbollah dramatically strengthened its hand against the pro-Western government.

Hezbollah captured several rival neighborhoods and seized control of transportation links. At least 14 people were killed in three days of fighting.

Drama and intrigue -- the Democratic battle for the White House has had a lot of both. We'll turn to our Bill Schneider for insights on the road ahead.

And a killing rampage from 1969 makes headlines again. We'll tell you why authorities will search for more possible victims in the Charles Manson case.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: A superdelegate shuffle leads our Political Ticker.

Barack Obama is now within striking distance of Hillary Clinton's lead among those Democratic leaders who are expected to decide the party's nomination. He's picked up four more superdelegates, including one who had aligned with Clinton.

CNN estimates that Clinton's superdelegate lead has shrunk to three. Obama enjoys a commanding lead in total delegates, 1,855 to 1,691 -- 2,025, that is the number needed for the nomination. Clinton says she wants yet another debate. She is pressing Obama to meet her face to face in Oregon, whose mail-in primary is under way right now. Oregonians have until May 20 to get their ballots in. And that is also the day that Kentucky votes, the old-fashioned way though.

John Edwards isn't counting Clinton out of the Democratic race, but he tells NBC it will be hard for her to make the math work. Edwards, who ended his campaign back in January, has not endorsed either candidate.

You can join the best political team on television for complete coverage of next Tuesday's primary in West Virginia. Our coverage starts at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

CNN, your home for politics.

And we will check in with Bill Schneider after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: The numbers may be against Hillary Clinton. I'm talking votes, delegates, dollars. But check out these numbers.

An American Research Group poll shows Clinton with a huge lead. Check that out. A huge lead ahead of Tuesday's West Virginia primary.

This survey shows Clinton at 66 percent; Obama, 23 percent. Eleven percent undecided.

Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider is in West Virginia with the CNN Election Express.

And Bill, lots of people say Obama already has the Democratic nomination sewn up. So what will Tuesday's vote really mean?

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, if she wins this state as big as that poll suggestions she could, 60 percent or more, that means that there are an awful lot of Democrats out there who are not yet ready to jump on board with Barack Obama. They have their doubts.

This is the kind of state where a lot of those Democrats live -- white, older, poorer, more blue collar Democrats, more conservative Democrats. They've been for Clinton all along, and they're still not ready to join the Obama bandwagon.

KEILAR: And Bill, what about the possibility of an Obama/Clinton ticket. Could these final primaries affect that?

SCHNEIDER: Of course they could. If she does very well here and in other states, like Kentucky, Oregon, some of the states that are remaining, it will be a signal to him that he still has to unify the party. And that signal could mean he has to put Hillary Clinton, or at least give her serious consideration, about putting her on the ticket as one way to unify the party. Look, if he becomes the nominee, there's only one thing on his mind, and that is, how can I win? And if it looks like putting her on the ticket would help him win, he's going to do it, even though she might be a very difficult candidate to live with on the ticket. He's going to do whatever makes him win.

KEILAR: Well, a lot of pundits, Bill, say that Obama has this wrapped up. But at the same time, Senator Obama, he's being very cautious.

Let's go ahead and listen to what he said to Wolf Blitzer yesterday, and then I'll get your thoughts afterward.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't want to get ahead of myself here. Senator Clinton is a very formidable candidate. She is very heavily favored to win West Virginia. She'll win that by, you know, a big margin.

She's favored in Kentucky. We'll probably split the remaining contests. And so she's going to be actively campaigning.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: I think a lot of people, Bill, would wonder why he's being so careful not to declare himself the winner.

SCHNEIDER: Because he doesn't want to offend her, and more importantly, her supporters. There are a lot of them.

This race is still very close, even though it looks impossible for her to win it. It's still very close. And West Virginia will show that she's still got a large constituency. He dare not offend that constituency by being presumptuous and declaring himself the winner and saying she's wasting her time.

KEILAR: All right. Our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, with the CNN Election Express in West Virginia.

Thanks, Bill.

And you can join Bill and the entire political team, the best political team on television, for complete coverage next Tuesday night. That starts at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

CNN, your home for politics.

(BUSINESS REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. New information coming into the CNN NEWSROOM.

We're talking about the situations in Lebanon and, of course, Myanmar. And we're learning that the United Nations will send two more emergency airlifts into Myanmar. They'll do that starting tomorrow. And the U.S. will send a cargo plane loaded with supplies on Monday.

But will the people who need that help, will they ever get it? And how will they get it here? That's a concern.

Today, Myanmar's military government seized 38 tons of food and other relief at the airport, and they won't let U.N. staffers deliver it to survivors of last week's cyclone. Some places have no food, no water, no electricity or even medicine. And experts fear, they fear that the more time ticks by, the greater of course the risk of diseases, such as malaria.

Now we want to talk to you about a California man. He was in Myanmar right after this catastrophic storm. He tells his story of -- he tells his story, but he tells it to our Toan Lam of CNN affiliate KRON.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOAN LAM, KRON REPORTER (voice-over): Just a few days into Harold Nathan's trip, a deadly cyclone swept through southern Burma, killing an estimated 100,000 people.

HAL NATHAN, FOUNDATION FOR THE PEOPLE OF BURMA: Big trees slammed into houses and into buildings. Windows broken out. Tin roofs ripped off. And electric wire all over the roads. There wasn't one standing telephone pole that I saw.

LAM: Nathan has visited Burma 22 times in the past eight years for humanitarian efforts, to learn more about Buddhism, and to provide money for education and health care. But what he saw this time was beyond belief.

NATHAN: I came back with a really heavy heart, knowing the extent of the human suffering that was occurring. Almost dreamlike at first, because I would look at a street that I was familiar with and say, I'm on the wrong street, because all of the trees were down.

LAM: When the cyclone hit, Nathan was in northern Burma, an area unscathed by the cyclone. However, all flights to the airport in southern Burma were canceled. On the way to the airport, Nathan witnessed tragedy after tragedy, and at one point he too feared for his survival.

NATHAN: The sense of feeling trapped and only having a limited amount of money there made me start thinking, I don't know. I don't know how long I'm going to be here, what's it going to be like. What's the food supply going to be like? There was already no electricity, there was already no hot water.

LAM: With devastating scenes like this, Nathan feels he needs to go back to Burma sooner than later.

NATHAN: You know, it intensifies my awareness of how privileged I am and that, you know, the future is uncertain. You know, there is never a time like now to try to give back. I'm going back soon. Exactly when, I'm unsure at this point. But I would like to do what I can to help the people.

LAM: In San Francisco, Toan Lam, KRON 4 News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And we know you may want to help out. And at CNN.com we have a very special page on this devastation in Myanmar, complete with links to aid agencies and organizations helping in that region.

So it's your chance to impact your world, and let us be your guide with that. Go to CNN.com and you can look for our impact page there.

Now we want to talk to you about the situation that's happening in Lebanon. Of course Beirut, fighting there.

It was the battle of Beirut yesterday. New video just into the CNN NEWSROOM just a little bit ago.

You can see exactly what's going on. The smoke, and also all the fighting that's going on.

This is the firepower involved here. And just really fighting -- we're being told it's sectarian violence in the area. You can see exactly how it's being damaged. Yesterday, we showed you children on the ground and families, and people running for cover. And, of course, our own people who were on the ground had to take cover there as well. But this video, of course, shows the devastation. Burning, smoke and what have you that's happening on the ground there.

Now, we want to show you exactly how you can help. Some of this video here that we're getting into the CNN NEWSROOM. This is from CNN.com and this is video. You can go -- it is streaming anytime you want it. CNN.com, especially our international version here of our Web site.

We also want to tell you about some other web sites where you can get some information. I mean, the pictures really coming through here are just astounding. This first one is independent Web site here, and it's updated about every -- five minutes ago, let's go ahead update it here and see exactly what's happening. Last time it was updated 21:05. It talks about Rafik Hariri's foundation offices, they are vandalized, future TV offices of course, ablaze here. So, all that information.

This one at 20:47 -- it says U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reconfirms U.S. support for the prime minister there and is willing to provide all the support needed. That's just one of the Web sites there, the independent Web sites.

This is another one here, the Naharnet Web site. Talks about the unrest across Lebanon as well. We'll update it to see the last time it was 8:48 p.m. Rice said Washington stands by the Lebanese government there and that the United States will provide the support that they need as well.

Now, let's go -- we've been telling you about -- reporting this was breaking news last night, that Future Television was knocked off of the air. This is Future Television's Web site there. The Web site, everything still streaming, still working -- just want to make sure we're going to update it here and make sure it's still on. That Web site is still working, but again, television knocked off of the air.

And there's -- OK. I'm being told we've got Future TV on tape. There we go, right there. That's Future TV being blown up. Those pictures that you're seeing. So, you can see exactly why it's off the air, when it's been hit by that much fire power.

Let's go now to the newspaper. Their offices probably received similar damages. But again, their Web site's still up, but don't think that they're printing newspapers today.

Now, we want to go to -- this is an opposition group that is affiliated with Hezbollah Television. Manar TV of course -- we're being told they are still on the air and they are still streaming on their Web site. "Opposition takes control of all western Beirut." So, that's what the opposition is reporting, and we go down and we see the pictures from here. "We're against the government's war. Defend the jumbat declared (ph). So, everything they're talking about, again, this is affiliated with Hezbollah.

Also, we want to go now, this is a pro Web site here that we want to -- this is a pro-government Web site. That is still up, and also another pro-government Web site up. And this one is called lebaneseforces.com. And of course, their March 14 forces, that is the name of that pro-government Web site.

So, it's very interesting information. Just want to update to make sure it's there. If you want to look for these Web sites, you can go to CNN.com and find information on it. And also, you can -- here's CNN.com. Let's just put it up so you can see it. If you want to get information there, go to CNN.com. Especially, as I said, especially on our international section.

We want to talk to you now, we've been talking a lot about Hezbollah and exactly what's going on in that country. Only Hezbollah really knows how many fighters it has. But they were enough to fight the Israelis to a virtual draw in the month-long war, just happened two summers ago. That was back in 2006.

But the humble beginnings they had as a rag-tag militia, the party now runs radio and television stations, as we showed you right here, plus health care and education centers. It holds seats in the Lebanese parliament. Much as Hamas did, as it rose to political prominence among the Palestinians.

We also want to tell you Hezbollah is supported by Syria, and also Iran. The group dates back to the 1980s when it arose in opposition to the Israeli occupation in southern Lebanon. Very interesting to give you some background as to exactly what Hezbollah is and exactly what's going on in the country -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Don, perspective parents in the middle of an adoption dispute between nations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: How did you feel when you learned about what was happening?

LAURA TERESINSKI, ADOPTIVE MOTHER: We were -- my husband and I were absolutely devastated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Their worries about a baby not coming home.

Charles Manson, the search for his cult's victims never ended. And now, new clues, new high tech equipment and new optimism. Details ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: It's been almost 40 years since cult followers loyal to Charles Manson killed seven people, seven people that we know of. Manson of course is in prison and now after all of this time, investigators are back at a California ranch in search of more human remains connected to Manson and his so-called family.

CNN's Ted Rowlands joins us with more.

Ted, what can you tell us?

VOICE OF TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, we just found out that the local sheriff here has authorized a dig at the Barker Ranch. This is after weeks of testing the soil here. This started after cadaver dogs started hitting on different spots.

And the sheriff said listen, let's just do this. They analyzed the soil and this morning, he announced that they are indeed going to dig up parts of the back of Barker Ranch in search for bodies to put to rest rumors that have been circulating in these parts for the past 40 years.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROWLANDS (voice-over): The Manson murder spree ended in this remote Death Valley, California cabin called Barker Ranch. It was here that Charles Manson and members of his cult family were hiding out after the so-called "helter skelter" murders that claimed at least seven lives and terrified the country in 1969.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Charlie was hiding in the cabinet right here.

ROWLANDS: Now, almost 40 years later, local detective Paul Dostie says he and his dog Buster may have found more Manson victims buried right behind the Barker Ranch. Dostie says that Buster, who's trained to find human remains, found five possible graves. A group of scientists also found evidence of possible remains at three of the same spots.

SGT. PAUL DOSTIE, INVESTIGATOR: It seems very viable. I would say we have tremendous amount of probable cause to look.

ROWLANDS: Gold prospector Emmett Hardner knew Manson and his top lieutenant Charles "Tex" Watson. He says rumors about more Manson victims have swirled for years. Stories, like the one that Hardner says a Manson follower told him.

EMMETT HARDNER, PROSPECTOR: This one girl didn't get along with Manson, or Watson at all, and they took her for a walk and they came back in a short distance, and she -- we never saw her again. I would hope that maybe they would find her.

ROWLANDS: We sent letters to Manson and Tex Watson asking if there were victims buried behind Barker Ranch. Manson never replied, but Watson did.

In a letter he told us, "I was the first family member to go to the desert after the murders and also the first to leave. I say this only to let you know that no one was killed while I was in the desert, but I don't know what took place after I left. I don't think there were any more killed, I hope not. I have absolutely nothing to hide."

(on-camera): One thing to consider is that even if there are bodies found behind the ranch, there's a very good possibility that they'll never be identified. And there's almost no chance that Manson or any of the other family members could ever be prosecuted for murder.

(voice-over): Police say there is no one who ever associated with Manson who was reported missing after his arrest. So, who could be buried out here is as much a mystery as if somebody is buried out here.

Dostie is confident that forensics could identify any remains found.

(on-camera): They'll never prosecute Charlie Manson for murder because you found a body back here though.

DOSTIE: Really that's not what we're interested in. I think many of these Manson family members are on one year parole reviews. There's a lot of movement out there to try to get them out.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROWLANDS: And the plan, Brianna, is to start this dig on the 20th of the month. They plan to spend about three days at the ranch. They're going to start with a few of the sites and they say if they find something significant, they will dig deeper at those sites and maybe expand it.

Again, the goal here is to put to rest all these rumors once and for all at this Barker Ranch.

KEILAR: And what is the situation, Ted, with Charlie Manson? Do we know -- what is he doing these days? How does he spend his time?

ROWLANDS: He's hanging out at the Corcoran State Prison here in California, spending a lot of time by himself in his cell. He comes up for a parole review every now and then. And he usually -- when he does show up -- it just goes on -- this sort of nonsense dialogue.

Charles Tex Watson, his main lieutenant, the guy that was really the triggerman and was considered the meanest of the bunch, he actually has claimed he's changed his life around, but he is also serving a life sentence. Three others are serving life sentences as well. If they find bodies up here, families and other folks who want these people to stay in jail the rest of their lives say that will give them ammunition when Manson family members come up for parole.

KEILAR: Certainly.

All right. Ted Rowlands for us.

Thanks for being on the phone with us.

LEMON: All right. You probably know someone or know of someone who has adopted a child from another country. Well that's because the U.S. participates in more international adoptions than really anywhere else in the world combined.

Vietnam has long been a choice for prospective parents, but not anymore, and our Zain Verjee has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TERESINSKI: This is the nursery that we've set up for the baby that we hope to adopt.

VERJEE (voice-over): The perfect nursery. But a baby for Laura may never arrive from Vietnam. That's because an adoption agreement between Washington and Hanoi is falling apart.

(on-camera): How did you feel when you learned about what was happening?

TERESINSKI: We were -- my husband and I were absolutely devastated.

VERJEE (voice-over): A State Department report warns of serious adoption irregularities in Vietnam: forged documentation, mothers paid, coerced or tricked into giving up their children.

MICHELLE BOND, DEP. ASST. SECRETARY OF STATE: One child stolen from his mother is one too many.

VERJEE: The Vietnamese government denies the U.S. accusations and has slammed the door on adoptions September 1. Last year, more than 800 children from Vietnam were adopted by parents, like Laura, here in the U.S.

LINDA BROWNLEE, ADOPTION CENTER OF WASHINGTON: It's hard. It's hard to let it go, because we know we can advocate for these children and we can make a real difference.

VERJEE: Private adoption agencies insist 99 percent of Vietnam adoptions are problem-free and want the agreement to stay.

BROWNLEE: Without it, I think children are going to be harmed. They're going to die needlessly. And there is going to be trafficking.

VERJEE: Similar fraud and corruption problems exist in Guatemala, where adoptions have also been suspended.

The State Department says it sympathizes with families, but --

BOND: No American family wants to adopt a child that was never truly an orphan and that has a family in Vietnam wondering what happened to him or her.

VERJEE: Laura understands, but she is still angry at them.

TERESINSKI: Adoptive parents have put a lot of emotional energy and a lot of financial resources into the process.

VERJEE: Including writing a personal letter to the Vietnamese government.

TERESINSKI: We'll make sure that our children receive the best education, that they grow up with a strong sense of prize in their Vietnamese heritage.

VERJEE: Zain Verjee, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: It's a story that is hard to believe -- modern day slavery in America. We will find out more about abuses migrant workers are facing as they help put food on your table.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: They work in the fields, picking the tomatoes that end up in supermarkets and restaurants across America. But as our CNN special investigations unit discovered, many of these workers are victims of modern-day slavery.

Abbie Boudreau joining us now with -- you have an update on this story.

ABBIE BOUDREAU, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Brianna.

U.S. senator Bernie Sanders says he's appalled by some of the conditions in these labor camps in Florida. Now he's fighting for better wages for these migrants who are often here illegally so they don't report their abuses, instead they live a life of slavery in silence.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOUDREAU (voice-over): Modern day slavery, workers allegedly held captive in plain sight. Cases where prosecutors say migrants were locked overnight in vans like this one in southwest Florida, pushed and kicked if they didn't work. Investigators say one man's hands were chained behind his back.

Nearby, across the street from a busy casino, laborers escorted to this phone booth, allowed to call home, but not allowed to say they're being held as slaves.

It's situations like these that Senator Bernie Sanders says must stop.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I), VERMONT: So within that industry, you have workers who are literally in the United States of America in the year 2008 being forced to work against their will. Most Americans thought that we abolished slavery at the end of the Civil War. Well, I guess not. It's going on in the tomato fields of Florida right now.

BOUDREAU: Just last month, Sanders held hearings on migrant worker abuses, poor wages and working conditions.

SANDERS: The wages for the tomato workers are literally at starvation level. There are people there making $200 a week, $250 a week. The housing conditions there are absolutely deplorable. Access to health care is almost nonexistent and we've got to do something about that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BOUDREAU: Sanders says he's asked for a government-accounting office study to investigate these slave-like conditions. There are other groups already out there trying to help, like the Coalition of Immokalee Workers in Florida. They've been fighting for 15 years to help abused migrants break free from their captors.

But it's really important that this story gets out there so perhaps changes could be made.

KEILAR: Certainly. And this is why the SIU is here so that you can do stories like these and effect change, which is obviously what you have done with this story, so thanks for that, Abbie.

BOUDREAU: Thank you.

KEILAR: Don.

LEMON: All right thank you very much, Abbie and Brianna.

We've been talking a lot about Myanmar this week. It's been in the news, not only for the disaster, but really also for its hard- lined leaders and their unshakeable resistance to outside help and also outside influence. Still, no nation on Earth -- no nation on Earth -- is as lightly sealed, as hard to explain as a democratic people's republic of Korea.

Earlier this year, just a few journalists -- a few people were invited in by the government for the New York Philharmonic to perform, and a select group of journalists were also invited in as well. One of them was our senior international correspondent, Christiane Amanpour.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two of us going to Pyongyang.

(on-camera): Thank you, ladies. Bye.

I can tell you that it's taken me at least nine years to get this visa. I've been wanting to go to Pyongyang for a long, long, long time.

(voice-over): Our trip begins in Beijing, China.

(on-camera): OK. Thanks.

(voice-over): This North Korean plane is a bit of a relic, built by the former Soviet Union in the 1970s. From the moment you sit down, you get the message about North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong Il.

Two hours later, touch-down in Pyongyang.

(on-camera): Nice to meet you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, nice to meet you.

AMANPOUR (voice-over): We are greeted by our official minder, Mr. Song (ph), who never leaves our side.

(on-camera): We're looking forward to seeing it. It's my first time.

(voice-over): Mr. Song gathered up our cell phones and BlackBerries to be held until we leave the country.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no, no.

AMANPOUR: Visitors, like North Koreans themselves, are cut out from the outside.

When we left the airport, another twist...

(on-camera): An arm band. On it, it says reporter. It's a little unusual, but here we are.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's very simple. AMANPOUR (voice-over): Another minder, Mr. Jang (ph), tells us what we can...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do not shoot.

AMANPOUR (on-camera): OK. OK.

(voice-over): .. and what we can't film.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We cannot take pictures behind that statue (ph).

AMANPOUR (on-camera): Behind.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Behind.

AMANPOUR: Just in front?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just in front. We cannot take pictures --

AMANPOUR: And why is that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why is that?

AMANPOUR: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not sure, but please, please, please.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Christiane Amanpour joins us now.

And Christiane, I know you have been working for a while to get here, it took you what -- almost a decade to get into North Korea?

AMANPOUR: Well it did.

It is one of the hardest places for journalists to get into. And that's why it was such an incredible opportunity. When the New York Philharmonic went there, again, an historic cultural overture by the United States to North Korea, they demanded, as part of their agreement, that they wanted an international press contingent. So, I jumped on that bandwagon and I was very glad to do so because it's very important to get on the ground in these places and to be able to see what's going on.

And any look, in my view, is better than no look. And we are -- we're basically, you know, allowed to do certain things and not other things, but we did get a good look, and we were taken right into the Yongbyon nuclear facility, which is at the center of U.S. and North Korean nuclear negotiations right now.

LEMON: And you were, I understand, the only journalist to talk with the top Korean nuclear negotiator.

Talk to us now about the status of the six-party talks. AMANPOUR: Well, yes indeed. I was extremely pleased to be able to talk to Minister Kim Kye Gwan, who is the top nuclear negotiator. And I am the only one there who he spoke to, which is great, because it means he wanted to send a message. He basically wanted to say that North Korea is serious about its nuclear negotiations, that it's committed to dismantling Yongbyon, which we saw and which you have just seen. And the facts have been borne out.

Since the concert, since the orchestra packed up and left after this incredible cultural diplomacy, the nuclear diplomacy has also moved forward. Just this week, the North Koreans handed over to the United States a big cache of weapons related documents that the United States had been demanding for some time. They also say that they will blow up the distinctive cooling tower at Yongbyon, which basically is a gesture, but one that will make it virtually impossible for Yongbyon to ever produce, at least in secret, plutonium.

So this is really very important. And both the United States and the North Koreans say that the progress is happening. The nuclear negotiations are moving forward. Sometimes it gets a little stark, but it keeps moving forward. And I think that's the big story out of this. And to have people to people diplomacy help sort of move this along and sort of soften some of the very hard edges between these two countries is something very important as well.

LEMON: And, of course, this weekend is a weekend to see Christiane's fascinating special report, "Notes from North Korea." It is her look at the people, the mysterious leadership, and her personal reflections from Pyongyang.

"Notes from North Korea," it's Saturday and Sunday evening at 8:00 Eastern, only here on CNN.

KEILAR: Everything is bigger in Texas, that includes sinkholes. This one has a ravenous appetite.

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KEILAR: Nine hundred feet across, 260 feet deep, this is one Texas-sized sinkhole. It's actually already swallowed up oil tanks, tires, telephone poles, a few vehicles. You see some ladders there. That's all since Wednesday. The good news is experts think it's slowing down, so there's hope that it won't start gobbling up homes or the main drag right through town.

But how does something like this happen? A geologist says it could be natural, or it could the result of years of oil drilling stressing out the underground salt dome there.

The next hour of the NEWSROOM starts right now.