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American Morning
Severe Weather Danger; Pakistan Mosque Bombed; U.S. Marshal Murdered; America's Drug Habit Fuels Mexican Drug War; Obama to Announce 4,000 More Troops
Aired March 27, 2009 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Crossing the top of the hour now. It's 8:00 Eastern, and here are the big stories topping our agenda right now. We'll be breaking them down for you in the next 15 minutes.
We're watching severe and dangerous weather -- blizzards, tornadoes, and of course, the flood threat in Fargo, North Dakota, where a levee break has forced evacuations.
Breaking this morning, the death toll rising after a suicide bomber blew himself up inside a packed mosque in Pakistan. At least 51 people are dead. They are still digging through the rubble there. We've got sources on the ground, and we'll bring you the latest information in just a few minutes.
And a little more than an hour from now, President Obama set to give the order for one of his top military priorities, beefing up U.S. troop strength in Afghanistan. The president will also announce a new policy on neighboring Pakistan. We'll take you live to the White House for that.
But first, city officials in Fargo, North Dakota ordering one neighborhood to be evacuated because of the flood threat there, when a breach in a levee was discovered. In the meantime, volunteers still piling sandbags against time and against the raging Red River, which continues to rise. It's expected to crest at record 43 feet by tomorrow. That's two feet higher than was thought just yesterday.
There are blizzard warnings across the plains and the Rockies today. Fifteen inches of snow on the ground in Denver. The blizzard conditions grounding many flights and causing highway pileups along the Colorado-Wyoming state line.
And severe storms moving across the southeast this morning. A tornado ripping through the small town of Magee, Mississippi, flattening homes and businesses, and giving residents a major scare. Also, weather trouble in Louisiana.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like being in an earthquake. Someone picking up something of that demeanor and just at a 45-degree angle, shaking it. And I woke up in the closet. I wasn't in the bed.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ROBERTS: Unbelievable. We're covering the severe weather danger. Our Rob Marciano at the CNN weather center in Atlanta. Susan Roesgen is in Fargo for us this morning.
Let's start with Rob. And what did you got on the radar today, Rob?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Oh, we got a lot of action. Once again in the same spot that got hit hard yesterday, John. A tornado watch in effect for a good chunk of the Florida Panhandle through southeastern Mississippi, and a little sliver -- or Alabama, and a little sliver of Georgia.
And within this tornado watch, we do have one warning that was just issued by the national weather service for homes in Walton County across the panhandle. Florida has a radar-indicated tornado, and I suspect we will be seeing more of this as we go on through time.
Most of the energy has been down across the Gulf States here. Luckily, we haven't seen the sort of action that we saw yesterday across Magee, although the storm that rolled through southeastern Louisiana overnight was a pretty good one as well with damaging winds.
Denver to Garden City, back through Wichita, heavy snows are falling right now. And there's what you saw yesterday. I-25 pileups on the interstates on the high plateau. The front range in some spots receiving 20 inches or more. And the snow has continue to fire off today. Hundreds of flights canceled at the Denver Airport, and I suspect we'll see more of that today.
Already ground stops in Atlanta for heavy rain. We'll expect more of that have today. D.C., Houston, we'll see some delays as well, as will Denver. Jackson Hole over two feet. Indian Creek, two feet. Boulder, Vail and Denver, all getting into the act with this.
All right. Let's talk briefly about what's going with the flooding here. Fargo -- Susan Roesgen is going to be reporting on this more. But looking down river towards Canada, and there's problems in Canada and there's problems in Minnesota. This is not just a Fargo event. A very flat flood plain that is very susceptible to floods, John. And we've been in a very wet cycle the past 15 years. They've seen this a number of times in the last handful of years, but, obviously, nothing as bad as what they are seeing right now.
Back up to you.
ROBERTS: Rob, thanks so much for that. Appreciate it.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Now we head to Susan Roesgen. She is in Fargo, North Dakota.
Susan, so we're talking about mandatory evacuations there now?
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kiran, there is a mandatory evacuation. And just one neighborhood, one neighborhood where in one of the earthen dams they found a crack. They got some people out as a precaution, but we're not hearing that it's anything more than that at this point.
Now here we are in this huge warehouse where we've been talking this morning about what they call The Spider. This is where sand goes down each leg of the spider, eight legs. People are filling the sandbags. It's a lot faster. A lot more efficient than doing it just by hand. But people are doing it also by hand, too, by shovel. You know, this place is nonstop activity.
I wanted to take you over here. Again, these people are doing this just by hand, filling up the sandbags. And if you look -- let's see, just past this pile of sand, I want to show you, if you can see these guys over in the corner, OK, they are dumping sand in, and then those guys over there are just banging on rocks. The sand is not good sand. They've got rocks in them. And so those guys are standing over there hour after hour trying to break up the sand.
So, Kiran, it's just an incredible thing here. Nobody is complaining. Everybody is just hard at work here. And they're going to keep doing this until they fortify the dikes that are made out of sandbags. Again, the one that we're talking about, the one neighborhood where there might be a little bit of flooding, that was an earthen levee, not one of the sandbag levees - Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. Hopefully, all their hard work pays off. And we'll have to see this weekend when that river is expected to crest. Susan Roesgen for us. Thank you.
ROBERTS: Updating you now on a developing story out of Pakistan. As we speak, rescuers are digging through the rubble searching for survivors after a suicide bomber blew himself up in a mosque in Pakistan. It happened earlier this morning in the northwestern part of the country. Officials say the mosque was destroyed. At least 51 people were killed. And close to 90 others were injured. It happened about ten miles west of Peshawar.
In a little more than an hour, President Obama will take on what maybe one of his toughest foreign policy challenges, Afghanistan. And CNN's White House team learning new details of the war strategy. It includes devoting several thousand U.S. troops to train and advise the Afghan army. CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is live at the White House for us this morning.
And you got a late-night briefing on this, Suzanne. What can you tell us about the plan?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, there was actually three senior administration officials who really painted an ominous picture about the state of al Qaeda, as well as the Taliban. One of these officials saying, and I am quoting here, he says that "by every indication, the Taliban is now stronger than it was several years ago." And that is why we're going to see President Obama outline a new strategy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MALVEAUX (voice-over): Senior administration officials say President Obama will warn Americans that al Qaeda is now plotting and planning to do the worse against the U.S. It is the central challenge now facing the country.
But the leadership of al Qaeda has now moved from Kandahar, Afghanistan, to a safe haven in neighboring Pakistan at an unknown location.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We cannot allow al Qaeda to operate. We cannot have those safe havens in that region.
MALVEAUX: That's why President Obama is announcing a new strategy. A war against al Qaeda and its allies. Now focused on two countries -- Afghanistan and now Pakistan. The goal, according to one senior administration official, to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al Qaeda, and destroy the safe haven that has developed in Pakistan, and prevent it from rebuilding in Afghanistan. Also to reverse the Taliban's momentum by working with Afghans who want another way of life.
President Obama is ordering 17,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan. Along with 4,000 military personnel to train the Afghan army and police. The goal -- by 2011, Afghanistan's own security will nearly double in size. To 135,000 serving in the army and 80,000 acting as police.
The president will also call on Congress to pass a bipartisan bill to triple U.S. aid to Pakistan. As for an exit strategy for U.S. troops, there is no timetable. As one senior administration official put it, this is a strategy, not a strait jacket. Getting out will depend on the progress made on the ground, from periodic assessments and consultation with commanders.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: And a senior administration official say that President Obama did reach out to the presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan, yesterday, to brief them on the plan. They wouldn't get into the details of the conversation, John, but one official saying that the president did feel gratified by their support - John.
ROBERTS: You know, the president has talked so much in the last 18 months, while he was a candidate and now as president, about an exit strategy for Iraq. Is there any exit plan here with this new Afghanistan proposal?
MALVEAUX: Well, there certainly isn't a timetable, but the way they put it is that as long as Afghanistan is diminished when it comes to al Qaeda becoming a safe haven, that that is one of the primary goals. And they also talk about Pakistan as well. Not allowing al Qaeda to grow there.
It is uncertain just what the role is going to be in terms of how much the police and the army in Afghanistan are going to be able to control the Taliban or are going to be able to control al Qaeda, but the main goal here is to build up the Afghanistan folks so that they are going to be able to handle all of this. But there is no exit strategy, no timetable for U.S. withdrawal.
ROBERTS: All right. Suzanne Malveaux for us live at the White House. Suzanne, thanks so much.
And again, President Obama will unveil his new war strategy for Afghanistan this morning at 9:25 Eastern. That's an hour and 15 minutes from now. You can see it live right here on CNN, or catch it online at cnn.com/live - Kiran.
CHETRY: Ten minutes past the hour. We fast forward to see what stories will be making news later today.
At 10:00 a.m., rapper T.I. heads to an Atlanta courthouse. He'll be sentenced on charges that he tried to illegally buy firearms back in 2007. T.I. has already worked out a plea deal that will significantly cut down any jail time.
And the crew members of the shuttle "Discovery" start packing up today. They are getting ready for their trip back home. The seven- member crew will be stowing equipment, also performing some last tests. The shuttle is scheduled to make its trip back to earth at 1:39 p.m. Eastern Time tomorrow.
Staying in space, we could soon have the first flower on the moon. Two private companies Odyssey Moon and Paragon Development Corporation are planning to announce a partnership at 3:30 p.m. Eastern. They are coming together to work on a mission to deliver a biological greenhouse to the moon's surface.
ROBERTS: "THE WAR NEXT DOOR," our Anderson Cooper on the border with the Mexican army, in one of the most dangerous places in the world. And up close look at the battle to keep drugs on that side of the border.
And we'll take a closer look at America's drug habit. The biggest consumers of illegal narcotics in the world. How some of us are keeping some of the most ruthless killers in the world in business. It's 11 minutes now after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. It's a story that we've been following for months, and this morning, we're finding out yet another gruesome discovery in the wave of violence along the U.S.-Mexico boarder.
Mexican authorities say they found the body of a fugitive U.S. marshal murdered execution style in the virtually lawless town of Juarez. The U.S. Marshal Service says he was facing some charges for stealing guns and other government property.
Well, our Anderson Cooper has been reporting just steps away from one of the most dangerous places on earth right now. That's Juarez, Mexico. Here's a closer look now at "THE WAR NEXT DOOR." ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, Kiran, as you know, some 5,000 members of the Mexican military are now in patrol over my shoulder in the city of Juarez. They have had an effect on the violence, but the drug cartels are still active there and the drugs of course continue to come across. We spent the day out on patrol with members of the Mexican military, and also had the opportunity to talk to the mayor of Juarez. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER (voice-over): Early in the morning, Mexican soldiers prepare for yet another day on the front lines of the drug war. This unit of 600 soldiers arrived in Juarez one month ago. There are 7,000 Mexican soldiers already deployed here, 45,000 throughout the country.
(on camera): Mexico's president, Felipe Calderon, two years ago, realized he wasn't able to battle these cartels with local police forces, even with the federal police. Corruption is just too widespread among the police. So, that's why he's called in the military, which is widely respected in Mexico.
(voice-over): Widely respected and heavily armed, but they're still outgunned by the drug cartels.
(on camera): The vast majority of the weapons which the drug cartels are using come from the United States. Mexican authorities say as much as 95 percent of the weapons they seized that the drug cartels are using are actually originally bought in the United States and then smuggled back here into Mexico.
(voice-over): The U.S. has promised to do more to stop the flow of guns and cash into Mexico, but that's little consolation for these Mexican soldiers who are putting their lives on the line.
(on camera): Every day, Mexican military units are on patrol in the streets of Juarez. They drive around in the back of pickup trucks. The military has essentially taken over the city of Juarez. And they have been able to stop some of the violence. The death toll is down dramatically. The question is, how long can these military units remain deployed here?
(voice-over): At the height of the violence this past February, as many as ten people a day were getting killed in Juarez. Now Jose Reyes, the mayor, says only about three or four people are murdered here each week.
(on camera): How concerned are you about your own security? I mean, you have bodyguards all around us right now.
MAYOR JOSE REYES, JUAREZ, MEXICO: Well, I have been threatened, and I am concerned, and I do take those threats seriously.
COOPER: Your chief of police resigned under threats.
REYES: Yes, yes. And that week when I was threatened, seven police officers were killed. So, the threats are real. COOPER (voice-over): Mayor Reyes has already fired half of his police force because of suspicions they were corrupt.
(on camera): Do you trust your police force now?
REYES: Well, not absolutely. There are still some bad elements there. We need to weed them out. The corruption took place during the last 15 years in Juarez, and it has grown, and we have to take measures to...
COOPER: How tough is that, trying to figure out who's a corrupt police officer and who's not?
REYES: It's incredibly difficult.
COOPER (voice-over): Until corruption is curtailed and Mexico rebuilds its local and federal police, it will be impossible to eliminate the power of the drug cartels and impossible to remove the military from the front lines of this fight.
Anderson Cooper, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: An "AM Extra" now on the supply and unending demand for drugs in this country. Take a look at this. According to the DEA, 3.2 million pounds of marijuana were seized crossing the Mexican border heading north in 2007 and that is just pot. Our Tom Foreman has got a more complete picture of America's drug habit.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, Kiran, about 20 million Americans use some type of illegal drug each month, enough to be considered addicted in some way. That estimate is based on routine surveys by the Department of Health and Human Services. The most commonly used drug is marijuana with more than 14 million or about 1 in 6 Americans over the age of 12 saying that he or she has used it in the past month.
Psychotherapeutics is the next category. It's kind of broad because it includes prescription drugs used illegal like stimulants and painkillers. Methamphetamines are also in here. About 7 million people use these in a given month. Cocaine, well, it's more than 2 million people are using that drug, routinely. And that's whether it's in the powder or rock form as crack. And hallucinogens, inhalants and heroin are done by almost 2 million more Americans - John, Kiran.
ROBERTS: Tom Foreman for us this morning. Tom, thanks so much. And you can catch Anderson Cooper live again from the U.S.-Mexico border tonight. It's an "AC360" special, "THE WAR NEXT DOOR." That's at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.
CHETRY: Well, the president will lay out his plan for Afghanistan coming up in the next hour. And we're already learning some of the new details about the troops and aid being pledged in Pakistan. Our political panel is here to break it all down for us. Also dozens are dead after a suicide bomber blew himself up inside a packed mosque in Pakistan. We're working our sources on the ground, and we'll have the latest just ahead. It's 18-1/2 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY FALLON, HOST, "LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON": Former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is writing a book about his role in the Bush administration during the economic crisis. It's weird. The book starts on Chapter 11. That's odd.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. Just over an hour from now, President Obama is rolling out his plan for the fight in Afghanistan. What we know so far -- 4,000 troops are heading to the war zone and a lot more aid is being pledged to Pakistan.
Helping us break it all down this morning, CNN contributor and Republican strategist Ed Rollins and former Communications Director the DNC, Karen Finney.
Good morning to both of you.
ED ROLLINS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning.
KAREN FINNEY, FMR. DNC COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Good morning.
ROBERTS: Ed, let's start off with you. A lot of people are saying that Afghanistan might be President Obama's Vietnam. Other people are saying, hey, he's got a lot of work to do after the Bush administration took its eye off the ball from Afghanistan for a number of years.
ROLLINS: Afghanistan is an extremely complicated place. Obviously, we had progress early in the war. We moved to Iraq and lost that progress. I think as an American, this isn't about Republicans or Democrats. This is about American fighting people. We've got 60,000 men and women there. It's very, very critical the decisions are the right decisions. It's a risky strategy.
This was a country that defeated the Russian army not so very long ago. So I think -- I think the steps that he's taking, at least what I've heard, hopefully are the correct steps.
ROBERTS: Just how much risk is in the strategy do you think, Karen?
FINNEY: Well, I think it's hard to assess. I mean, look, we know that the strategy we'd previously been pursuing wasn't working. We know that the attacks by the Taliban are up to about the 2001 levels, and we know that General McKiernan had been wanting additional troops. I think what's smart about the strategy is that in addition to actual combat forces, we're talking about training and the other information I've seen is that there'll be more of an emphasis also on economic development. I think the timing of this announcement is very important as the president heads to a NATO meeting next week. We're going to need our NATO allies to engage as well.
ROBERTS: And we'll be listening for that presentation of his new plan for Afghanistan just about an hour and three minutes from now right here on CNN.
Let's switch gears a little bit and talk about the budget. Ed, yesterday, House Republicans unveiled their alternative plan to the president's 142-page budget proposal. It was some 19 pages long and some people suggested it was a little short on detail.
ROLLINS: Well, it certainly was short on details. And I think they would have been better not to put it out there until they filled in the blanks, which they claim they're going to do in a week or two. The bottom line is this is the Democrats' and the president's budget proposition. We can do very little. I think we've been tempted by a lot of people who say we better come forward with our own plan. The reality is we have very little to do with this process other than raising objections, and I think we have to do it smart. And yesterday was not very smart.
ROBERTS: Right. You know, Robert Gibbs said yesterday that the party of no has become the party of no new ideas, Karen.
FINNEY: Right. No new ideas. You know, I disagree with Ed a little bit. You know, the party in the minority has the obligation to come to the table in a constructive manner. And the president has made it very clear that he wants to work both Republicans and Democrats. He put forward a pretty large blueprint with some pretty clear objectives.
Now, the Republicans certainly can come to the table with ideas. And again, I think the devil will be in the details as to whether or not we're going to see more of the same recycling of ideas that kind of got us into this mess in the first place, or will the GOP come forward with some new concrete ideas with some clear goals. That remains to be seen.
ROLLINS: Well, we're going in a totally different direction than we've ever done before. And we have very serious objections to the increase in spending and incredible increases in taxes. So, you know, it's not -- it's a very philosophical difference between the two parties. Obviously, you have the votes, you get to move your bill forward.
ROBERTS: Now, the good thing about this is that we'll be debating it for months to come.
(CROSSTALK)
ROLLINS: Hopefully, only months and not years. ROBERTS: Has there ever been a budget that's passed on time in recent years? I don't think so.
ROLLINS: No.
ROBERTS: Ed Rollins, Karen Finney, good to see you this morning. Thanks so much.
FINNEY: Good to be with you.
ROLLINS: Thanks very much.
ROBERTS: Kiran?
CHETRY: Well, it's apparently change he believes in. President Obama reaching out to Latinos, the first at the prime-time news conference and now at a Latino Music Awards show. Univision anchor will be joining us to tell us what he thinks is going on. Also weigh in on the huge challenge we're facing right now on the Mexican border.
Also, U.S. warships positioning themselves in the Sea of Japan as North Korea prepares to launch what the United States suspect is a missile with the capability potentially of reaching Alaska, Hawaii, even the western parts of the United States.
It's 25 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Twenty-eight minutes past the hour. Welcome back. A look at the top stories right now on our agenda that we'll be breaking down for you in the next 15 minutes.
Officials in Pakistan are raising the death toll now in the suicide bomb attack. 51 people, they're now confirming, died after the bomber blew himself up inside of a mosque. They say as many as 90 others hurt. That blast happened in Pakistan's lawless region near the Afghan border.
U.S. Navy ships are moving into the Sea of Japan. The Navy is ready to shoot down a suspected missile now sitting on a launch pad inside of North Korea. Pyongyang's claiming that it's just a rocket holding a commercial satellite that will be launched later this month or actually in the beginning of April. U.S. officials refute that. They say it's a missile with the capabilities of even reaching the U.S. West Coast.
Well, any minute from now, the Commerce Department is going to be releasing the latest economic numbers on personal income, as well as spending for February. Could we see a boost in consumer confidence? Wall Street appears anxious over the news. Dow futures right now pointing down. The CNN money team will be joining us to break it down in just a few minutes.
And President Obama addressing a popular Latin Music Award show last night, taping some remarks that aired on Spanish language television Univision. Here's a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: With the challenges we face right now, it is absolutely critical that you stay involved and make your voices heard. I want you to know that I will always be listening and my administration is working hard so that we can expand opportunity for all Americans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: And this is the second time this week the president has reached out to Univision. He also called on one of its reporters during Tuesday night's news conference. Joining me now in Miami is Jorge Ramos, a news anchor at Univision.
Thanks so much for being with us this morning, Jorge.
JORGE RAMOS, UNIVISION ANCHOR: Glad to be here. Buenos dias.
CHETRY: Buenos dias. It seems to be part of a concerted effort by the White House to bypass the more traditional media outlets. So, how is that effort being received by your viewers?
RAMOS: Well, I think it's fantastic. It's truly a new balance of power. I think President Obama gets it. When he was a candidate, he understood that he couldn't make it to the White House without talking to Latinos, without the Hispanic vote and without honestly talking to directly to Univision.
And now, as president, I think he understands that we're in the middle of a truly demographic revolution, in which -- think about it, within this century, there will be more is Hispanics than non-Hispanic whites in this country. In other words, Latinos are going to be the majority, and the change is well under way. I mean, if you go to any school, you'll notice that one out of every four students in kindergarten are Latinos.
CHETRY: Right.
RAMOS: So, obviously, for us, the most important thing is that we will see and hopefully very soon the first Hispanic president just as President Barack Obama was the first African-American president.
CHETRY: Yes, that seems somewhat closer to reality, certainly. Well, you know, a lot of the issues actually facing the Obama administration right now relate back to some of our Latino allies. The administration pledging to increase the number of customs and also anti-drug trafficking agents along the U.S.-Mexico border, helping Mexican intelligence as well. How big of an issue is this growing drug related violence in Mexico for your audience?
RAMOS: For us, it's very important. And that is one of the reasons why I think so many people are watching Univision. When you have the chance to realize that in markets like Los Angeles, Miami, Houston, Chicago, New York, some of the most watched newscasts are in Spanish and not in English. And the reason is we are covering news that sometimes in English you might not be covering like these drug war in Mexico.
CHETRY: Right.
RAMOS: As you know Secretary Clinton just came back from Mexico. And I think Mexicans received her message in a very positive way by saying that there is a shared responsibility of the United States in these war. I think what is very important, these war could be explained and this drug war could be explained by the fact that there are 35 million Americans who have used cocaine in the United States, and that 90 percent of the arms used by Mexican drug traffickers comes from the United States, so this message of shared responsibility is terribly important for both Mexico and now obviously for the Obama administration.
CHETRY: It's interesting that you bring that up because we've got a number of calls from viewers this morning saying this is Mexico's problem. Why is America getting involved?
RAMOS: No, no.
CHETRY: I know it's interesting. I want you to hear from one of them, and then I'd like to get your response.
RAMOS: Sure.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
QUESTION: Mexico is not my problem. You don't need to take our weapons away. If the government would do their job, then they wouldn't have a problem enforcing the border! It's not our problem what goes on in Mexico.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
CHETRY: You've been covering this for a long time.
RAMOS: Obviously not.
CHETRY: Explain why it is our problem.
RAMOS: Well, let me -- instead of using my words, let me use the words of Secretary Clinton. She just came back from Mexico, and she said that the reason why there's a drug war in Mexico is because of the insatiable appetite of Americans for drugs. So, we can't explain the violence in Mexico simply because these drugs coming mostly from South America. They have to cross Mexican territory and come to the United States.
If we wouldn't have consumers in the United States using these drugs, obviously, there wouldn't be 6,000 deaths in Mexico in the last year and 1,000 deaths in the first three months of the year in Mexico.
CHETRY: Right.
RAMOS: So, there is a shared responsibility. It's not only a Mexican problem, it is an American problem. And without drug consumption in the United States, that wouldn't be happening.
CHETRY: All right. We've been hearing from some of the mayors in our border cities as well, and they certainly concur. It's great to talk to you this morning, Univision news anchor Jorge Ramos in Miami. Thanks for being with us.
RAMOS: Thanks. Gracias.
ROBERTS: Well, it's time to check in the state of our economy this morning and how you're faring in these tough times. New numbers out on personal income and spending. We'll break them down for you just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Just in on CNN, the latest numbers on personal income and spending. Our Christine Romans is "Minding your Business" this morning. And I guess it could be said that we're buying more with less?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right, John. Wow. You could be an economist. That was very good job.
ROBERTS: I know, I have two hands, too. I can say on the one hand but on the other.
ROMANS: You need three hands to be an economist. They have three hands, right? That's right.
OK. Average American spending power. That is what we're talking about here. Your earnings down just a little bit but spending went up just a little bit, 0.02 of a percent. These are new data that kind of gives us a snapshot of how much you're making and how much you're putting out and your disposable income and all of that. And what it is showing that you're digging deep and finding a way to spend a little bit more which is important for the economy and for the retail sector but it doesn't mean you're necessarily earning a little bit more so that is an important number to talk to you about.
And people on the street were concerned about what this number would show. But we've had a great, great rally in stocks. I just really want to point this out. It is on track to be the best month ever for the S&P since 1974 and, at that time...
I know but at that time that was when the market was putting in a big bottom for a multiyear boom. So just letting you know that there has been a big rally under way even as we've been kind of worried about things like Google layoffs and IBM layoffs and the like. So, that's where we are on there.
CHETRY: Wall Street layoffs? (INAUDIBLE)
ROMANS: Sometimes they do, it depends. When you're in a really bad recession, Wall Street doesn't like pretty much anything.
CHETRY: All right. Fingers crossed.
ROMANS: Thanks, guys.
CHETRY: Thanks, Christine.
Well, the president of Brazil raising some eyebrows this morning with his comments on who caused the world's economic crisis. He is not pointing the finger at any one nation. Rather, a specific race.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. LUIZ INACIO DA SILVA, BRAZIL (through translator): This crisis was not created by black nor Indians nor poor people. It was a crisis that was created and spread throughout the world due to the irresponsible behavior of white people, blue-eyed people that thought they knew everything, but are now showing they knew nothing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Brazil's president made those comments while standing next to the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. It was during a joint news conference. A bit of an awkward silence there.
ROMANS: Yes, that would be an uncomfortable moment, wouldn't? They are working together to try to fix this crisis and you hear something like that.
ROBERTS: But don't forget, he has got a constituency in Brazil that he has to pay attention to and statements like that carry a lot of weight there.
ROMANS: And listen, statements like that are - I won't say they are not unusual but they happen from time to time in Latin American politics. They simply do. It's a much more fiery brand of politics in some cases there. Think of Hugo Chavez, our friend from Venezuela.
ROBERTS: Well, they are different people.
ROMANS: Oh, they definitely are, definitely are.
ROBERTS: They do serve their constituents.
ROMANS: That's right.
ROBERTS: Christine, thanks so much.
The White House warning North Korea of the suspected missile launch would be a "provocative act," but just how far is the Obama administration prepared to go? Right now U.S. warships are on the move. We're live at the Pentagon. 39 minutes after the hour.
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CHETRY: Forty-one minutes past the hour. Developing story right now. U.S. Navy destroyers are on the move. They are right now heading to the sea of Japan. It all comes as North Korea prepares to launch what the U.S. insists is a ballistic missile and possibly capable of reaching the United States. Pyongyang claims it's a communications satellite. CNN's Barbara Starr is following the developments from the Pentagon this morning for us. Good morning, Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kiran. North Korea says it's got every right to launch a satellite into space.
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STARR (voice-over): This is the latest satellite image of what the U.S. says is a long-range missile on a launch pad in North Korea. The White House worried enough to keep U.S. warships at the ready. Pyongyang says it will launch a commercial satellite on top of this ballistic missile sometime between April 4th and April 8th. When North Korea launches, the Obama administration may have as little as five minutes to decide whether to shoot it down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know we're ready to defend our territory and our allies.
STARR: The missile's anticipated route would take it over Japan in seven to eight minutes. If deemed threatening, it could potentially be shot down by U.S. navy warships in the sea of Japan and the Pacific Ocean, or if the missile keeps traveling by ground- based missiles, shot from Alaska or California.
The Navy has already canceled a port call for the "USS Hopper." It will remain off the Korean Peninsula. The Navy says it has other ships positioned in the area equipped with the latest technology for shooting down ballistic missiles.
ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We believe that such a launch would be provocative and that such a launch would be in violation of U.N. security council resolutions.
STARR: But if it's a commercial satellite, is it a threat? U.S. officials say the satellite is a cover for Pyongyang's efforts to perfect missile technology. If the launch is successful, North Korea will have gained valuable experience in missiles that could someday reach the U.S.
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STARR: Now the U.S. does not have a policy of shooting down commercial satellites and North Korea knows it. So right now, Pyongyang may be backing Mr. Obama into a very interesting corner -- Kiran.
CHETRY: And we're going to have to see how this plays out and when they do find out, they're going to have very little to make a decision. Barbara Starr for us this morning from the Pentagon. Thank you.
ROBERTS: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton getting set to depart Mexico. She is in Monterey right now. It is expected to happen in the next few minutes. She is expected to make a few remarks too on her way out. We'll try to bring those to you as soon as we can.
In the meantime, millions of people have sent money to Africa to help fight against poverty and disease but is all that money really doing any good? We'll hear from someone who says it's making the problem worse.
In the age of falling home prices, are you getting played on your property tax bill? Do you want to hit back? Gerri Willis is here to show you how legally. It's 44 1/2 minutes after the hour.
ANNOUNCER: This is "CNN Heroes."
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DR. CARNELL COOPER, COMMUNITY CRUSADER: As a trauma surgeon, I see significant amount of violence every year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was shot was .45 caliber gun (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I actually blew my leg off.
COOPER: We take care of them, and then they will come back again. My colleagues said, there really is nothing you can do in this situation. I knew that wasn't true. And I knew I could make a difference. I'm Dr. Carnell Cooper. I'm saving lives by breaking the cycle of violence in Baltimore.
When they're here in the hospital, it represents an opportunity. I want to talk to you about the violence. Maybe for the first time this individual said, I almost died. Are you interested?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
COOPER: OK. Good. We say, look, we're going to help you get out again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Before I was into shooting people, robbing, this group changed my life tremendously. We all got goals now. We know we're doing that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A G.E.D., job training and moral support.
COOPER: You guys have done great. I'm very proud of you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dr. Cooper, he saved me.
COOPER: Every physician's goal is to save lives.
This is another step in that process. In my mind, it's just what I should be doing.
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ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
Perhaps a ray of hope about the nation's struggling economy. According to a new Gallup poll, optimism about the future is ticking up. Twenty-nine percent of Americans say the economy is getting better. It's up 12 percentage points from a little more than two weeks ago.
Well, your home value has dropped so why are you still paying the same amount in property taxes? Well, listen up because there are ways to get a break and our finance editor Gerri Willis is here to show us a few tricks on how to get that breaks. Good morning to you.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hey, good morning, John. Yes, a lot of the twitters are saying I'm paying the same property taxes that I paid two years ago when property prices were high. Consider this, property taxes in some areas even going higher. Philadelphia has raised property taxes 19 percent for next year. Prince William County in Virginia, looking at a 25 percent hike. Hoboken, New Jersey, they're going to have their property taxes go up 47 percent. People are demonstrating in the street in Hoboken.
So what's going on here? How can you have lower property values and assessments that seem to be the same or higher? OK. What you need to understand here is that property assessments are not based on home values, OK. They're not based on market value. They're based on replacement value in some cases and that has not changed at all. What's more in places like California, they are based on what you paid for the house in the first place. So it could be locked in many years ago at a very low level.
There's a lag time in this assessment. So they are usually done every two to three years. This isn't something governments like to keep up with when prices are falling because guess what they are hurting for cash as well. So lots of things going on there. If you want to try to cut your own taxes, here's what you do. Job number one. Check your assessment accuracy. If you knew how they come up with these numbers, it would curl your hair, John. They don't even come to your house anymore. They use some kind of computer system scoring to come up with a value for your house. They've never been there and they don't know how many bedrooms you have and how many baths.
So if you go and look at your assessment card, your property card at the assessor's office, you can look through it and find out where the errors are, where they might have thought your house was more valuable than it actually is. You need to find out what your neighbors are paying. Highlight these errors with the assessor's office so that maybe you can get your property taxes lower.
ROBERTS: You know, years and years ago, I challenged my property taxes and got a substantial reduction so it's possible to do it. WILLIS: About 1 in 2, about 50 percent of the people who challenge they do get help. Gather your evidence, take photos of similar houses with lower assessments. You may need to get an appraisal on some cases. Be careful this could cost a little bit of dough, maybe a couple hundred bucks but generally you have one to two months after you get your bill to appeal that property tax. Again, it's all about the county assessor's office. You may have to attend a hearing to appeal but it could be worth the fight.
ROBERTS: Yes, when you get that piece of paper don't just take it as gospel, right?
WILLIS: No. You can definitely complain. And there's so many errors on these assessments. It's amazing.
ROBERTS: Excellent. Good information this morning, Gerri.
WILLIS: My pleasure.
ROBERTS: Always great to hear ways to save money. We want to hear your questions on all of the big stories. Call our hotline 1- 877-my-am-fix. You can also follow us, just go on Twitter, AMFix, and we will continue to get you answers on how you can survive in this economic downturn. It's 52 1/2 minutes after the hour.
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CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. It looks like Madonna is getting ready for child number four? Well officials in Malawi say the singer is heading back to the African nation this weekend and wants to adopt a second child. Already, though, Madonna's morals are under scrutiny by officials there because under Malawi law, adoptions are typically off limits to single or divorced parents and Madonna is now both.
Well speaking of Africa, for decades now much of it has relied on money from foreign governments and pledge drives and its paid off. More than $1 trillion in aid has funneled over to Africa over the past 60 years. There's one woman who is dubbed the anti-Bono, making the case that all of this help is actually doing more harm than good. Here is CNN's Lola Ogunnaike.
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LOLA OGUNNAIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Aid in Africa. The two have gone hand in hand for decades but this economist wants to change that.
DAMBISA MOYO, AUTHOR "DEATH AID": There is no logical or evidence-based reason to provide aid. There is not a single country on earth today that has achieved economic development in the manner in which Africa depends on it today.
OGUNNAIKE: In her controversial new book, "Death Aid," Dambisa Moyo, a Harvard-educated economist from Zambia, argues that aid, for the most part, has hurt Africa and not helped it. MOYO: Governments in Africa tend to be much more accountable and much more focused on courting western donors than they are being accountable to their people.
OGUNNAIKE: She makes exceptions for the type of humanitarian relief that follows a tragedy like the tsunami and charitable giving from health organization but that is where she draws the line. And don't get her started on celebrities. She's already been dubbed the anti-Bono.
Celebrities, obviously, have a platform. Angelina Jolie, Madonna, Bono. What's wrong with that? What's wrong with them shining a light on what is going on in Africa?
MOYO: If they were on the global stage showing a positive perspective that Africa has and African woman president, or we actually have seen significant growth, I wouldn't be so negative about it.
OGUNNAIKE: Naturally, someone in the aid world are outraged. John McArthur is head of the Millennium Promise. He says his organization has raised more than a $100 million for the continent and worries that "Dead Aid" has the potential to do more harm than good.
JOHN MCARTHUR, CEO, MILLENNIUM PROMISE: It would be like looking at all of the problematic contracts at the Pentagon and then saying therefore we should disband the military. It is a false logic.
OGUNNAIKE: He is also quickly to point out how aid has done wonders for Africa.
MCARTHUR: Ninety percent reduction in death to measles. I would cite two million people on AIDS treatment, basically none of whom were not on AIDS treatment at the turn of the decade. I would say tens of millions of anti-malaria bed nets distributed with 50 percent reduction in child morbidity in those cases.
OGUNNAIKE: So what is Moyo's solution? She says trade and not AID is one answer. And she is also big on microfinance, where individuals lend to other individuals on Web sites like kiva.org.
MOYO: You can lend a minimum of $25 to anybody and the operative word here is lend. Create some incentives, positive incentives. The good news is that we have alternatives.
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OGUNNAIKE: You know, it's a very controversial book, but some Africans are actually saying that they support what she is arguing in her book, that they believe that it is time for Africa to be less, you know, beholden to these western donors and exercise more control and really spur entrepreneurial growth in their own countries.
CHETRY: Well, a controversial theory. The book comes out next week. Thanks for the preview, Lola.
OGUNNAIKE: Thank you.
CHETRY: And we want to take you to some tape. This is Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in some remarks that she made yesterday, right before she departed for Mexico, let's listen.
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HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: This goes beyond anything we have in the United States, governor, and this partnership that you have created here between the public and the private sector is a model that we and others will look towards. Mexico's goal for emission reduction and for meeting a sizable portion of your electricity needs through renewable energy is another model of how nations can move toward a low carbon energy future, clean energy jobs as well.
In our own country, the Obama administration is working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and we are calling on the Congress to help create a cap and trade program. The United States, under President Obama's leadership, will work with Mexico under President Calderon's leadership to build consensus as we move toward the United Nation's conference on climate this December in Copenhagen.
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CHETRY: All right. So just some remarks from Hillary Clinton as she departed Mexico on her two-day trip and talking to officials there about helping the better partner in the drug war that's going on.
ROBERTS: And a big week coming up next week when she is going to be at the G-20 conference on the economy in London and as well she is hosting that big meeting on Afghanistan in the Hague, at which the Iranians are expected to attend. So, a lot of news coming up from the Secretary of State this week.
CHETRY: She is logging those frequent flyer miles for sure. Well thanks so much for joining us on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ROBERTS: We hope that you have a lovely, lovely weekend. We'll see you back here bright and early again on Monday morning. Right now, here's CNN NEWSROOM with Heidi Collins.
