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Four Philly Cops Recommended for Dismissal After Taped Beating; Nearly 90 Fires Blaze Through Florida; Brazil Puts Sugar Cane Ethanol to Good Use; Troubling E-Mail Warns Against Diagnosing Soldiers with PTSD
Aired May 19, 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: A health scare for one of the nation's longest-serving senators.
Hi there, from CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta I'm Brianna Keilar, in for Kyra Phillips.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Don Lemon.
You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
And right off the top we have some developing news into the CNN NEWSROOM and it involves police officers in Philadelphia. Four Philadelphia police officers have been recommended for dismissal for their roles in a beating that surfaced on videotape earlier this month. All of this information coming to us from police Commissioner Charles Ramsey in Philadelphia. Another police officer has been demoted and three others were put on various lengths of suspension.
Of course this videotape happened May 5 and it was broadcast around the world. We are getting reaction from Philadelphia's police commissioner and other sources on this case to try to get you the latest information. We'll update you.
KEILAR: Also want to tell you about a story coming to us from Mt. Hood, Oregon, of course. These pictures coming to us from KATU. This information coming to us from CNN affiliate KGW. Two young girls have been found alive after a night alone in the wilderness. Good news here. They went missing on a family hike. They got separated from their dad and their brother last night. And members of the volcano search team there said that they found the girls. They were tired, they were fine, though, and they were being brought back to the trail head.
What happened was dad called 9-1-1 on his cell phone about 7:30 last night. He and his son who is 15-years-old, they had become separated from the two girls, seven and 10 years old. They searched for they for a few hours before obviously becoming more worried as night fell.
And that is what overnight this rescue team searched for them all night long, and they found them this morning. So we're going to continue to bring you any more information that we have. We don't know the identities of these kids. We know this is a family from Vancouver, Washington, however. So we will keep you posted if we learn anymore. But a good ending here.
LEMON: Yes. A good ending much we appreciate KATU in Mt. Hood for their reporting on this and for getting us these pictures, of course.
Gas prices nudge up. Can you call it a nudge? Man, it's been going up rapidly. Nudge up for the 13th straight day and the 12th straight record high.
AAA reports the national average for a gallon of regular is $3.79. Well, that is fuelling financial fears and anger, especially in places where drivers are already paying four bucks-plus. Like Chicago.
And let's go to Julian Crews of our affiliate WGN in Chicago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIAN CREWS, WGN CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): Good afternoon, both businesses and people in the Chicago area are taking a hit with these gas prices. All of the airlines, the rail lines, also the trucking companies that come in and out of this transportation hub. All of them paying higher prices. And people, motorists that have to go around the city say they are absolutely fed up.
(voice-over): For those who do a lot of driving, it's the nightmare that never ends. Waking up to Chicago prices you can hardly believe. In some places, more than $4.50 for a gallon of regular.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's ridiculous. I can remember when gas was $1.50 a gallon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gas prices are way out of control. Way out of control. They need to do something about it real quick, because it's -- you know, this is ridiculous. At least get it under $4.00.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You get no gas. You put $15, $20 in there, you only get three gallons of gas.
CREWS: And for the first time since just after September 11, holiday travel is expected to dip this busy Memorial Day weekend. Travel experts say in a bad economy, vacations are the very last thing to go.
BETH MOSHER, AAA: This trend of high gas prices and dampening travel continues, we're going to see it hurt a lot of these businesses.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where's the limit on this thing? How far is it going to go?
CREWS (on-camera): Now, the average for the Chicago area is $4.07 a gallon, but driving around in the city today, we have seen prices as high as $4.50 for a gallon of regular gasoline.
In Chicago, South Loop, I'm Julian Crews. (END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: President Bush got an update from Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. Last week, Paulson suggested the worst of the nation's woes may be over with federal stimulus checks helping many Americans right away. President Bush also touted those tax rebates today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He did assure me that the refund checks are heading out. People getting in money. And that's good. That's -- that should help our economy. And more importantly, help people pay their bills and, you know, I know people will use that money, and take care of their families and shop.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Paulson also briefed the president on proposals in Congress to address the mortgage and foreclosure crisis. And President Bush got his update on the economy. Let's get our own update on the stock market from Susan Lisovicz.
Hi, Susan. What's up?
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Brianna.
And investors are reacting to a sense that maybe the glass is half full, as far as the U.S. economy, despite those rising gas prices. One of the -- well, the only major economic report today we got was leading economic indicators. It showed that projected growth, 0.1 percent. Well, that was better than flat growth. We had a survey from the National Association for Business Economics, which has more than 50 economists and says that they think that the housing, the worst of the housing slump and the credit crunch are behind us, although they do expect the economy to worsen before it gets better next year.
Finally, just want to mention Lowe's, one of the nation's biggest retailers in the housing sector and it reported quarterly losses of 18 percent and brought its forecast down for later this year. So it's still feeling the effect of the housing downturn. But nice rally on Wall Street with two hours to go in the session. The Dow is almost up triple digit points. The NASDAQ is showing a gain of a fifth of a percent. But hanging in there nicely so far.
Brianna, back to you.
KEILAR: So the indicators, not really alarming, but obviously there's this lag time, Susan?
LISOVICZ: That's exactly right. Yes.
KEILAR: All right. You'll keep us posted on that.
LISOVICZ: I'll be back very shortly.
KEILAR: We'll check in with you in just a second.
Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange.
LEMON: Let's talk some presidential politics now. Now, Barack Obama's foreign policy under attack today from the Republican Party's presumptive presidential nominee. In a speech in Chicago a short time ago, John McCain talked about Obama's comments over the weekend that Iran doesn't pose as serious a threat to the United States as the Soviet Union did.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Right now, Iran provides some of the deadliest explosive devices used in Iraq to kill our soldiers. They are the chief sponsor of Shia extremists in Iraq, and terrorist organizations in the Middle East. And their president, who has called Israel a stinking corpse, as repeatedly made clear his government's commitment, commitment to Israel's destruction.
Most worrying, Iran is intent on acquiring nuclear weapons. The biggest national security challenge the United States currently faces is keeping nuclear weapons out of the hands of terrorists. Should Iran acquire nuclear weapons, that danger would become very dire indeed. They might not become a superpower, but the threat the government of Iran poses is anything but tiny.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So what do you know? At a campaign rally in Montana after McCain's speech, Barack Obama fired back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So I've made it clear for years that the threat from Iran is grave, but what I've said is that we should not just talk to our friends, we should be willing to engage our enemies as well. That's what diplomacy is all about.
So let me be absolutely clear. Iran is a grave threat. It has an illicit nuclear program, it supports terrorism across the regions and militias in Iraq. It threatens Israel's existence, it denies the Holocaust.
But this threat has grown, primarily -- and this is the irony. The reason Iran is so much more powerful now than it was a few years ago is because of the Bush-McCain policy of fighting an endless war in Iraq and refusing to pursue direct diplomacy with Iran. They're the ones who have not dealt with Iran wisely.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So the foreign policy issue is expected to remain a dominant one in the general election battle. We'll talk more about this fight with our Candy Crowley straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
KEILAR: More tests and more hospital time for Senator Edward Kennedy. Two days after this frightening scene. Kennedy was strapped to a gurney and flown to a Boston hospital Saturday after suffering a seizure at home. Doctors say he is out of danger for now, but they still have some unanswered questions.
CNN's Dan Lothian is at Massachusetts General Hospital, and, Dan, what is the latest there?
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the latest news coming out of the hospital had nothing to do with his condition, but rather a phone call that was made here this morning. President Bush did call the hospital, but we're told by a spokeswoman for the senator that he was not available at the time. So President Bush instead spoke with his wife, Vicki, who answered the phone call. And according to the spokesperson telling us, the president said, "Take care of my friend."
We're told by the spokeswoman that the Kennedy family really appreciated that call from President Bush. Now, doctors continue to run those tests. They're doing evaluations here. They have not released any additional information beyond the initial release over the weekend in which they confirmed that in fact he did not have a stroke, but he did have a seizure. The big question now is of course what caused that seizure.
And once they figure that out, how will they treat it? Senator Kennedy has been surrounded by his family members here at the hospital all weekend long. His wife, Vicki, has been by his side, and we've seen a number of other family members coming and going throughout the weekend. His nephew, Joe Kennedy, his niece, Caroline Kennedy, as well have been here to visit over the weekend.
We also even saw John Kerry come in for a short visit over the weekend as well. Doctors obviously are hoping to come up with some kind of information, but we're told it's uncertain whether or not they'll be able to find any definitive answers either today or even tomorrow, Brianna.
KEILAR: All right, Dan, keep us posted, Dan Lothian there at Massachusetts General Hospital. Thanks.
LEMON: So where there's smoke, there is fire. And in Florida, there's a lot of both. The state Forestry Division counts nearly 90 active fires. The latest is burning in the Everglades National Park. About 38,000 acres so far. At last check, firefighters had about a third of that contained. Even so, people in that part of Florida are being warned to stay indoors because the smoke is so bad.
Reporter Rob Schmitt of our affiliate WPLF is braving those conditions for us, and he joins us now with the very latest.
Rob, in one report, I heard it smelled like burnt tires all over the place there.
ROB SCHMITT, WPLG CORRESPONDENT: A lot of burning going on here, Don.
The Mustang Corner fire is what they've called it, burning like you said about 36,000 acres here in South Florida, in southwest Miami- Dade County where we are. And it's grown about by about 4,000 acres since last night as we get into the video here.
High winds from the southwest are pushing this fire to the northeast, and that's bad news. Because southwest Miami Dade County is unincorporated. When it blows to the northeast, it's moving towards civilization. It's kind of burning out in the Everglades in the middle of nowhere right now.
Now the good news is no homes are threatened at this point. There are five crews of 20 firefighters working this fire. Working that northeast corner, trying to hit that real hard and stop that dangerous corner from moving any further into the northeast. There are also seven choppers and five air tankers out here today doing the best we can.
As we come out live again, you can see it's cloudy here today, so you can't really see much smoke. Yesterday you could see a lot of smoke from here but not today. But in those clouds, possibly some rain. A 30 percent chance of rain. That's what we're really hoping for at this point, because rain will knock that fire out and help the firefighters out.
What we don't want, though, is lightning. Lightning will just start more fires as you know. And we're hoping the high winds will stop tomorrow. Tomorrow is supposed to be the last day of high winds, and hopefully a little better sailing after that. Back to you guys.
LEMON: All right. Rob Schmitt from our affiliate WPLG, we appreciate your reporting, sir. Thank you.
KEILAR: Are returning war vets getting the mental health care they need? A memo from the V.A. psychologist raises big questions about the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. We'll hear what an assistant secretary of the Department of Veterans' Affairs has to say about that.
LEMON: I can't wait for that. And America's dream about energy independence. Has Brazil found the answer? We'll explain that country's sweet solution to the gas crunch.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. Before I even tell you about this, I want to warn you, some of the images you're about to see are very graphic and very disturbing images. But it is new video into the CNN NEWSROOM. It was one week ago today that that earthquake struck China in Sichuan Province. And just moments after it struck, just moments, Bill Neely from ITN got this video for you, and we want to show it to you. We want to tell you again, it is very disturbing. It is in Beichuan, China, Sichuan Province. Take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL NEELY, ITN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what happens when the earthquakes. And a city collapses. It's 20 seconds after the first huge tremor, but the ground is still shaking. "Stay down, stay down," someone shouts. Nothing is clear, except the terror of tens of thousands.
So many are children. Clinging to each other. Choking, crying. But there's more to come. Another violent tremor. Everyone cowers. The camera's microphone breaks. And then behind them, buildings collapse. Everyone is covered in dust again.
But those outside are the fortunate. In a theater, children performing a play are trapped. A wall has fallen on them. "Get over there," he says. "People need help."
They sprint out. Others stagger.
Few rescues are painless. There is pain everywhere. Masonry has trapped two girls by the legs. Nearby, rescuers work to free another. All over Beichuan, people are running. It's now many minutes since the main earthquake, but there's still panic. "My baby," she says. "Where's my baby?"
Another woman seems rooted to the spot. "Don't stand here," they say. "Get out." But many are in a daze. From the rubble, a child is handed down beside a woman barefoot and bruised. He is safe, for now.
Suddenly, yet another aftershock. And a call for calm. "There may be another tremor within minutes," the official says. "You really must get out." But it's not that simple. Scattered on the ground are Beichuan's injured. Fallen masonry hitting young and old alike.
It is now around half an hour since the major earthquake. Here alone, in those minutes, 20,000 have been injured.
Bill Neely, ITV News, Beichuan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: Are returning war vets getting the mental health care they need? An internal memo sent by a Veterans' Administration psychologist raises big questions about treatment of post-traumatic stress.
An assistant secretary of the Department of Veterans' Affairs is going to join us live to answer those questions ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: America votes 2008. It is foreign policy. It's a fight that could be a preview of things to come. John McCain on the attack over Barack Obama's foreign policy plans, and Obama, he is firing back. Iran is front and center in the latest dustup, and some tough words from both men today on the campaign trail.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCAIN: The biggest national security challenge the United States currently faces is keeping nuclear weapons out of the hands of terrorists. Should Iran acquire nuclear weapons that danger would become very dire indeed. They might not become a super power, but the threat the government of Iran poses is anything but tiny.
OBAMA: Iran is a grave threat. It has an illicit nuclear program, it supports terrorism across the regions and militias in Iraq, it threatens Israel's existence, it denies the Holocaust, but this threat has grown primarily, and this is the irony. The reason Iran is so much more powerful now than it was a few years ago, is because of the Bush/McCain policy of fighting an endless war in Iraq, and refusing to pursue direct diplomacy with Iran.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. Let's talk more about this now with our senior political correspondent Candy Crowley. She joins us on the phone from Lexington, Kentucky, where Hillary Clinton is campaigning.
So, Candy, is foreign policy going to be the hammer that Senator McCain wields at every turn on Senator Obama?
VOICE OF CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. I mean, they think in the McCain camp that that is his ace in the hole. That McCain can tout years of experience, not to mention, of course, his own personal story, having been a prisoner of war in Vietnam. They think he is terribly vulnerable on the issue of foreign policy. And so they will hit him again and again in ways to try and make Barack Obama seem naive.
The only cautionary note here is that is what Hillary Clinton has been trying to do. And so far, Barack Obama has basically been able to push these off, saying, listen. That's the old way of doing things. Here's where it got us. It got us into Iraq, it caused us all this tension between Iran and the U.S. So there is some drawback to that. But the McCain camp has watched very closely as Hillary Clinton has taken him on. And right now, the playing field that McCain wants to play on is foreign policy.
LEMON: Yes, and it looks like Barack Obama has been able to turn it around and even garner much of the media attention when it comes to that. So let's talk now about the McCain camp, Candy, the shakeup there. The McCain finance co-chairman is standing down because of ties to lobbyists.
At one point, people thought he was out of it because he couldn't raise money. Is this going to hurt his fundraising?
CROWLEY: Well, sure. And also, you know, hurts his campaign. I mean, the problem here is that John McCain has had some time since securing the Republican nomination, at least since it became known that he would secure that nomination, to kind of get his staff in order. This is not the first time somebody in his campaign has had to leave because they've had lobbyist ties with foreign countries.
Now, he has set up a very stiff standard for himself at this point, and he has said, you know, I will not have lobbyists, people who are lobbying. And you know, this is one of his main fund-raisers. And McCain already has problems with fundraising. So, I mean, at least if you compare it to Barack Obama.
So, yes, I think this hurt but probably less on the fundraising side as than the perception side of this. If there's a blessing in this to McCain, it's that his happening so early and in the midst of this struggle between Clinton and Obama.
LEMON: And you're with Hillary Clinton in Kentucky, and McCain and Obama have been ignoring her, Candy, and focusing on each other about this foreign policy, on national security and what have you.
What is she hoping to achieve in tomorrow's vote and beyond? Obviously she wants to win, but what is she hoping to achieve beyond that?
CROWLEY: He wants a huge win. Because, like West Virginia, it again let's her have the conversation about where she can win, what sorts of voters she can win. Again, rural, working class, blue collar, those voters that Democrats need. She will again argue, well, here's another state full of those voters, and I won. So she really wants to run up the score here in Kentucky. It gives her juice moving into the next -- the next primary. So it's just something to keep her going. But also something that adds to that superdelegate argument.
LEMON: Senior political correspondent Candy Crowley in Kentucky with the Hillary Clinton campaign.
Candy, thanks, as always.
CROWLEY: Thank you.
LEMON: All the latest campaign news is at your fingertips. Just go to CNNPolitics.com. We also have analysis from the best political team on television. It is all there -- CNNPolitics.com.
KEILAR: It's a big domino effect, rising energy prices push up the cost of food and now rising food costs may make movies more expensive. That's right. Rising food costs making movies more expensive. Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange.
I'm not getting this. Explain this to me.
LISOVICZ: Well, it's an analysis from one professor who studies the industry, and he says, get ready to pay more at the movie theater, Brianna. It's all because of the popcorn. That is ubiquitous when you go to the movie theater. The economist at the University of California Santa Cruz expects ticket prices to jump by $1 to $2 this year. And, of course, you know, a lot of -- when you go to the movie theaters, it's not the ticket that really rake it's in for the theater, it is the food. And, of course, primary in food is the popcorn. Brianna.
KEILAR: Your $8 bucket of popcorn.
LISOVICZ: That's right.
KEILAR: Are we blaming ethanol for this as well? LISOVICZ: Well, you know, the government came out today with some very strong arguments refuting the idea that ethanol is to blame for sharply higher food costs. The secretary of agriculture and the USDA chief economist both say fuel and fertilizer prices are more to blame than ethanol. They say ethanol accounts for higher corn prices, OK, but that only a small part of that is passed on at retail. In other words, to us, the consumers.
In the past year, the price of food is up five percent with dairy up nearly 12 percent. The report also cites worldwide drought at a time of worldwide economic growth as a reason for the price spike. So plenty of blame to go around.
In the meantime, the Dow Industrials back above the 13,000 level. There is a sense among some economists that the worst of the credit crunch is behind us. The conference board's Index of Leading Economic Indicators rose ever so slightly, but that was better than what was expected.
Let's take a look at the numbers. The Dow Industrials right now off their highs -- 58 points, or about half a percent. But the NASDAQ feeling a little bit of pressure now. It's down about half a percent.
Coming up, an explosion in China three months ago may take some of the bang out of the fourth of July this year. I'll explain in the next hour of the NEWSROOM -- Brianna.
KEILAR: I think I actually -- I normally don't know what you're talking about, Susan. But I may actually --
LISOVICZ: Well, a lot of people don't. And I'm not sure whether that's a clever tease or --
KEILAR: No, it's because you're so good at making us guess.
LEMON: Fireworks.
All right. Yes, I'm sure it involves some sort of fireworks, Don.
LISOVICZ: Mr. Lemon.
KEILAR: Susan, thank you.
LISOVICZ: You're welcome.
LEMON: All right. Thank you, Susan.
A couple stories we're working for you today in the CNN NEWSROOM including this one, it's developing news. Police in Philadelphia plan to fire four officers involved in this videotaped beating. Commissioner Charles Ramsey says three other officers have been suspended while another has been demoted. The beatings of the three men were captured by a TV news crew and broadcast across the nation earlier this month. Two girls missing in some deep woods since yesterday have been found. The girls, seven and 10, got separated from their dad on a hike in a remote part of Washington State. Searchers say the girls are tired, but otherwise in good shape.
Florida firefighters have about a third of that massive fire contained. It's burned 36,000 acres in the Everglades, and it's the largest of dozens of fires burning across the state.
KEILAR: Brazil's ethanol answer. Why the fuel is more efficient and less controversial than American ethanol. We've got a special report coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. Look, this is just into the CNN NEWSROOM. You see that, obviously, those are prisoners. You see the -- prison jumpsuits there, the orange, and the gates. This is in Miami, Florida, southwest Miami-Dade, and we're being told that the Everglades Correctional Institution and the Krome -- K-R-O-M-E -- Detention Center are being evacuated as precautions, due to nearby brush fires.
We told you just moments ago that Florida firefighters had about a third of that massive fire contained. It's burned about 36,000 acres in the Everglades and it's the largest of dozens of fires burning across the state. But again, because of these brush fires, the Everglades Correctional Institution and the Krome Detention Center being evacuated just as a precaution due to nearby brush fires.
Just last week, we remember -- a couple weeks ago, because of the brushfires a women's correctional facility had to be evacuated as well. We'll continue to update you here in the NEWSROOM.
Well, gas prices inching up for the 13th straight day in the 12th straight record high, according to AAA -- all of these numbers. The national average for a gallon of regular is just over $3.79. But some, some of you are paying more than $4 a gallon. That includes drivers in Chicago, New York, most of Connecticut, and parts of California.
The idea of ethanol gained traction here in the United States way before we saw $4 gas. In practice, though, it's been controversial. Many analysts blame our corn-based ethanol production for boosting food prices. In the meantime, Brazil, in the world's second biggest ethanol producer -- they're having better luck.
CNN's special correspondent, Frank Sesno, went down to have a look for the SIU report: we warn -- "We Were Warned, Out of Gas."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANK SESNO, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: This place has a rhythm all its own. But what brings me to Brazil is this -- sugar cane. Mile after mile of it. They make sugar with it, of course. But also something that makes Brazil a world leader: sugar cane ethanol. Clean burning, high octane.
Its energy output seven times greater than that of corn ethanol, grown in the United States. Sugar cane ethanol now accounts for nearly 40 percent of Brazil's transportation fuel. In a dangerous world, this stuff is sweet in more ways than one.
(on-camera): Eduardo, this stuff goes on forever.
EDUARDO JUNQUERIA, MILL OWNER: Yes, it's a green ocean. Only sugar cane.
SESNO (voice-over): I meet Eduardo Junqueria in the fields near his mill, four hours north of Sao Paulo. It's one of the largest operations in the region.
JUNQUERIA: They unload the sugar cane here. And with this sugar cane we produce sugar and ethanol.
SESNO (on-camera): You can smell the sugar, smell the molalasses.
JUNQUERIA: It smells very good.
SESNO: This is renewable energy in the real sense.
JUNQUERIA: Renewable energy in the real sense. And we are able to produce ethanol that's enough to fuel about 11,000 or more cars per day.
SESNO: Eleven thousand cars a day of ethanol --
JUNQUERIA: Yes.
SESNO: -- from these tanks.
JUNQUERIA: Exactly.
SESNO: Day after day.
JUNQUERIA: Day after day.
SESNO (voice-over): Brazil is experiencing a sugar boon. Because ethanol in Brazil is not an experiment, it's a way of life. You see it at just about every gas station, alcool they call it, and it's a lot cheaper than gasoline.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: The U.S. and Brazil signed an agreement last year to cooperate on research and development of biofuel technologies.
Again, that was Frank Sesno.
KEILAR: Life and death situations in a war zone. It can lead to a condition called post-traumatic stress disorder, also known as PTSD. A recent internal e-mail about PTSD sent a psychologist working at a VA facility in Texas really drawing fire, because in that e-mail, the psychologist suggests that staff members should refrain from diagnosing PTSD and instead diagnose a lesser disorder.
Joining me now to talk about this, Gordon Mansfield. He is the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Veterans' Affairs.
Secretary, thanks so much for being with me.
And one of the reasons that this person at this facility was suggesting to go with maybe a lesser diagnosis was because of the cost, because so many soldiers, when they do get a diagnosis of PTSD, are able to get compensation for that.
What was the VA's response to this, and how do you make sure that it's not happening in other facilities?
GORDON MANSFIELD, DEPUTY SECY. OF VETERANS AFFAIRS: You've got two big issues there we need to deal with. One is that this is a suggestion from a lower-level employee talking to her fellow employees about some suggestions. So it's not a policy directive, it's not something coming from the top. In fact, the secretary has said that the policy of the department remains the same. They will give a complete -- we'll give a full and complete reading on whatever the diagnosis happens to be and we'll treat that.
KEILAR: But Mr. Secretary just -- I'm sorry to interrupt you, but correct me if I'm wrong. Is this not a psychologist who helps lead the PTSD program at that facility who could have a real affect on the care of patients?
MANSFIELD: Well, the result has shown exactly the opposite of that -- that her suggestion has been disregarded. The people working there have been instructed that this is not what we're going to do. We're going to follow the Secretary Peak (ph) direction, which is to put out the full and accurate word and make sure that we stick with that.
KEILAR: And, of course, that is good news. That is certainly what we want to hear.
But also, how do you make sure it doesn't -- something like this doesn't happen at other VA facilities?
MANSFIELD: Well, you know, we have a national program, and the policies for that national program are well known. The secretary just recently testified on another issue and made the point that the policy of the VA is to be transparent, to tell the truth, to put the numbers out there, whatever they are, and for us to do our job.
We're here -- we're here at the VA to take care of people, to get them in and to do whatever we can to make them well. And if that requires the right diagnosis, obviously, to start with, then that's what we're going to do.
KEILAR: I know there are effective treatments for PTSD. I know that the Department of Veterans' Affairs says they are really throwing everything that they've got to deal with this, in terms of resources. But studies show that troops are often reticent to try and get help. A lot of them are fearful it will affect their careers.
How do you bridge that gap?
MANSFIELD: Well, the Deputy Secretary Gordon England and myself -- Deputy Secretary England is with DoD and I'm the Deputy Secretary of the VA -- we had a high level group of strategic operational council that's working on all kinds of health care issues and transition from the military to the VA. And we're ensuring that we do more on the military side, as well as more on the VA side to make sure that we get these treatments right.
KEILAR: All right.
Deputy Secretary of Veterans' Affairs, Gordon Mansfield, thanks so much for joining us.
MANSFIELD: You're welcome.
LEMON: He's a standout at Morehouse College, but you could also say he stands out on this historically black campus. You'll hear more from Morehouse's first white valedictorian.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. He's definitely a Morehouse man, but not your typical Morehouse man. Joshua Packwood has become the first white valedictorian at the historically black all male college right here in Atlanta. Four years ago, Packwood turned down an Ivy league scholarship to go to Morehouse. Yesterday, in his graduation speech, he thanked his brothers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSHUA PACKWOOD, 2008 VALEDICTORIAN, MOREHOUSE COLLEGE: Fellow classmates, my brothers, for four years, you have given me undying, unending and forever inspiration. As I look out now, to my brothers, 500 strong --
(APPLAUSE)
-- I thank each and every one of you for making your ancestors proud, for making me proud to be called your brother, and it is because we are all products of the eminent tutelage of mother Morehouse. Our lineage is clear. Our kinship is clear. I am proud to be your brother.
Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Packwood says he gravitated toward the African-American community at a young age. He said his step-dad was black, many of his girlfriends, he said, were black. And he says even though some of his classmates were upset when he was chosen as their valedictorian, most of them agree he has earned it.
He has gotten a lot of media attention, and one of the nicest guys, I have to say, I've ever interviewed.
KEILAR: Very good, very good. Very nice to know.
Such an exciting time when all the seniors are moving into the real world, you know. I love it. I still get very excited about it.
Well, the man in the hat. He is back. The new "Indiana Jones" movie premieres at the Cannes Film Festival. You can hear what moviegoers are saying about the return of the daring archaeologist. That's next.
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KEILAR: Indy mania is sweeping Cannes, and our Brooke Anderson has the latest from the film festival.
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BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): The main event here at the Cannes Film Festival was the premier last night of the first Indiana Jones movie in nearly 20 years. So did the film live up to the unbelievably high expectations?
Here now, the very first reviews.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was really good. It was very enjoyable.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Extraordinary. Really, we were really so -- it's so amazing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fantastic.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well done, spielberg.
ANDERSON (voice-over): The new Indiana Jones charmed many at its Canned Film Festival premiere.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think people will have some very interesting expectations and I think they'll be pleasantly surprised.
ANDERSON: Some though, weren't quite as impressed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think the old ones were much better, and this one is kind of too much action, in my opinion. I think the old ones are more -- they're much more fun.
ANDERSON: Indy takes a drumming in the film from Russian baddies. But most critics took it relatively easy on the adventurer.
LEAH ROZEN, "PEOPLE MAGAZINE," FILM CRITIC: You wanted to love it, and I think most of us liked it. It's fun, you feel kind towards it. But there's stretches where you're just going, why isn't this more fun? Why isn't this really popping? ANDERSON: "USA Today" says, "there is considerable fun and it's good to see that Indy, though slightly weary, still has the goods."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Still think it will be easy?
HARRISON FORD, ACTOR, "INDIANA JONES, THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL": Not as easy as it used to be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Other critics weren't so kind. "The Chicago Tribune" called it a "cockamamie story," and "The Hollywood Reporter" says, Indy gets "swamped in a sea of stunts." But the film's star Harrison Ford, says he's prepared for and unafraid of inevitable criticism.
FORD: I'm not afraid at all. You know, I expect to have the whip turned on me. I'm not really worried about it. I worked for the people who pay to get in. They are my customers.
ANDERSON (on-camera): The fourth Indiana Jones opens in theaters worldwide this week. Now another Cannes offering that has really become the darling of the festival, "Vicki Cristina Barcelona" from writer-director of Woody Allen, featuring Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall and Penelope Cruz.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCARLETT JOHANSSON, ACTRESS, "VICKI CRISTINA BARCELONA": You went through my luggage?
PENELOPE CRUZ, ACTRESS, "VICKI CRISTINA BARCELONA": Of course I went through your luggage.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: In the film, Cruz basically plays a maniac caught in a love triangle. I spoke with her, and she said she told me that she was really frightened she was taking the role too far.
Listen to what she said.
CRUZ: I was very nervous about a -- doing too much. But of course I knew I was in the hands of one of the greatest directors of all time. He pushed me to be braver, because I think I would have made maybe a safer choice that would not have been as funny, for sure.
ANDERSON (on-camera): "Vicki Cristina Barcelona" opens in theaters late summer.
Reporting from the 61st Cannes Film Festival, Brooke Anderson, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: OK, Brianna loves this story. Go ahead, Brianna.
KEILAR: Lots of people love New York, Don. You know this. You see the Isle of New York shirts. Well, we've got an inkling this guy prefers New Jersey.
LEMON: That's why he's all tatted up with the garden state pride, next.
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KEILAR: We've got some good news to tell you about. These pictures coming to us live from southwestern Washington. Two little girls who ended up getting separated from their dad and their brother on a hike yesterday came -- they have been discovered.
They have been found by rescuers there. This is some new video that we're showing you. And actually, we've got the two little girls, I think maybe you can see one in the right-hand corner. But we will -- coming up here in a second, you're going to see them. They're standing and look like they're doing just fine. According to rescuers, they're pretty tired.
But what happened was about 3:30, 4:00 local time yesterday, they were hiking, seven and 10-year old girls, hiking with dad and with their 15-year-old brother, and they got separated from their dad and from their brother. Dad and brother looking for them for a few hours before, at about 7:00 p.m. local time they went ahead and called 911.
At that point, rescue crews came in, they looked overnight for the girls. Thankfully temperatures didn't get too cold. And this morning, today, they were able to find these two little girls. You can actually see, I think, through the tree there on the lower right one of these little girls. But this is a great ending to a story there in the woods of southwestern Washington.
The next hour of the NEWSROOM starts right now.
