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American Morning
Maersk Crew Describes Ordeal; Pirates Hijack Three More Ships; North Korea to Quit More Nuclear Talks; Man Takes Control after Pilot Dies; Rep. Rangel, Rep. Smith Discuss Cuban Embargo; Former Bush Aides May Face Human Rights Law Violation Charges
Aired April 14, 2009 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And we're coming up to the top of the hour right now. Once again, good morning. It's Tuesday, April 14th. I'm Kiran Chetry.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you. I'm John Roberts. Here is what's on the agenda this morning. The big stories that will be breaking down for you in the next 15 minutes.
First breaking overnight, word that Somali pirates have hijacked three more ships in the Gulf of Aden, one of them, now identified as the Greek-owned MV Irene, and Egypt's foreign ministry now reporting two of its fishing vessels have been seized by pirates.
North Korea lashing at the United Nations security council for condemning its recent rocket launch. Officials are vowing to restart its nuclear reactor and boycott six-party talks on North Korea's weapons program.
And new this morning, the audiotapes from an incredible emergency landing. The pilot dead in the cockpit. A passenger with limited flight experience taking the controls and telling his wife and kids to pray.
But we begin this morning with the breaking news and brand new sound just in to CNN. A crew member who was on board the Maersk Alabama, when pirates hijacked last week, is describing their frightening ordeal. The man only gave us his first name, which is John. He spoke to reporters minutes ago outside a hotel in Mombasa, Kenya, where the crew of the Alabama was taken early this morning. The first question he was asked, what did he hear when the pirates first came aboard his ship.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN, MAERSK ALABAMA CREW: I heard people. I heard the captain. I heard gunshots. I heard people walking around the deck. We didn't make a sound because we didn't want them to find us.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
JOHN: I think they threatened to kill them and all sorts of things. What I'm saying, he's got the guts for all of it. I'm talking to you because I hope that you people can pressure all these people in Washington to get out of the air-conditioned offices and do something to help us.
QUESTION: What was the worst thing about the ordeal?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: You can imagine the terror those crew members felt when those pirates came aboard. And now say that they want Washington to put pressure on the Somali government to try to do something to dry up piracy. And as we mention at the top here, three more acts of piracy overnight.
CHETRY: Right. And one of them happening just hours before we went to air. The interesting thing also is that Shane Murphy, who ended up being the one who captained the ship after Captain Phillips was taken also said the same thing, that this really needs to be a wake-up call for shipping industry and for governments around the world about tackling this problem.
ROBERTS: Yes. A lot of members of Congress now sending letters to the president, too, urging him to take some action. So, we'll see where this goes from here.
CHETRY: And, meantime, the crew members of the Maersk Alabama had a chance after this harrowing ordeal to actually have a little bit of fun. They're waiting for the safe return of their captain. But, meanwhile, they are relaxing in a beach resort in Kenya. There's also word as we said of three new pirate attacks, the most recent happening overnight.
A Greek vessel reportedly twice the size of the Maersk Alabama. The pirates apparently not swayed by the use of force. But Defense officials say they are now considering attacking pirate bases on land. CNN's Chris Lawrence has new details from the Pentagon.
And, again, we just heard from John, another member of the crew of the Maersk Alabama saying they got to get out of their air- conditioning offices and help us.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. There's a lot of pressure on the shipping companies as well. And the U.S. government has taken a wide view on this, Kiran, looking at possibly giving some aid to the Somali government. Other ways to try these pirates besides taking some of them to Kenya.
On the Pentagon side, they are looking at troops, planes, possibly more ships. But you may be surprised to hear why the shipping companies themselves may not be ready to hold up their end of the bargain.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE (voice-over): This 1993 attack is how most Americans think of U.S. troops in Somalia. But any action taken against today's pirates would be vastly different.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The capabilities possessed by the United States military today are dramatically enhanced and improved over what we had in our first foray into Somalia.
LAWRENCE: Today's military has better aerial surveillance and unmanned drones.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Quick targeted special operation strikes would do much more to very quickly bring the piracy to an end than what very spotty enforcement at sea.
LAWRENCE: A U.N. resolution authorizes American operations inside Somalia with good intelligence. Defense officials are outlining a variety of options, but say piracy is a crime, not an act of war or terrorism.
The commander of the anti-piracy task forces says the shipping companies themselves have to do more to deter pirates. Whether it be base of maneuvers or stringing barbed wire along their ships.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And, ultimately, an armed security detachment to protect their property, as they do protect their property on the beach.
LAWRENCE: That suggests each merchant ship travel with a small private security team. Others worry the pirates would simply use their ransom money to buy bigger weapons. But military analysts say, overall, shipping companies have been too passive about piracy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's relied on the navies to be the ones that are the sharp edge. If your house is out in the middle of the country and it's tough country, you can't depend on a sheriff a hundred miles away to take care of you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE: Yes. But here's the wrinkle. 30,000 or so ships passed through the Gulf of Aden last year. About 30,000. There were only 42 successful pirate attacks. 42. So even though these shipping companies are paying more insurance. They pay $18 million to $30 million in ransom last year, that's still may be cheaper than outfitting all of these ships with a private armed security team - Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. Chris Lawrence for us, following that part of the story. Thank you.
ROBERTS: We're following breaking news this morning.
North Korea defiant as ever, vowing to boycott six-party talks on its nuclear program. North Korea is protesting the United Nations Security Council's condemnation of its recent rocket launch. Pyongyang also says it intends to strengthen the country's nuclear arsenal.
CNN's Zain Verjee is following developments for us this morning from London.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: John, Kiran, yes, this is a really big deal. The North Koreans is serious about their threats of pulling out of these talks. The North Koreans issued a statement, and essentially saying that the talks over ending its nuclear weapons program were useless. That they were no need for them. They went on to say that we will never again take part in such talks and will not be bound by any agreement reached at these talks.
This is a pretty strong statement from the North Koreans, even stronger than most of the ones that they come out with. The U.S. really has invested a lot in this process. Since back in 2003 when it started, these talks have stalled right now.
What the North Koreans may be trying to do is to try and get the maximum concessions they possibly can out of the Obama administration. Things like direct dialogue, which is something they've always wanted. Experts have added, too, that the U.S. and its allies really have to tread carefully here to try and bring North Korea back to the table, and make sure that they're not serious about doing this. And they may have calculated they have nothing to lose, which would be a dangerous development for the Obama administration - John, Kiran.
CHETRY: Zain Verjee for us this morning. Thanks so much.
It's seven minutes past the hour. Time to fast forward to the stories that will be making news later today. It's a story we'll be following for you all day.
U.S. Captain Richard Phillips right now making his way toward Kenya. That's where he is expected to reunite with his crew. They're relaxing in a beach resort in Mombasa. Officials say that the 20 Americans will then fly home together.
Well, today, disgraced former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is back in federal court along with his brother and longtime chief fund-raiser. The group indicted last week on 16 criminal counts, including racketeering, conspiracy and wire fraud. Blagojevich is expected to plead not guilty.
Well, is Colbert about to head to the space station? Tonight on "The Colbert Report" at 11:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Comedy Central. NASA is going to be unveiling the name of its newest module for the station. You may remember the agency held an online contest letting you vote for a name. And Colbert beat out NASA's four suggested options.
Be careful what you wish for, right? When you open it up, you never know what's going to happen.
ROBERTS: Exactly. You know, the Internet is a powerful tool, you know. Particularly, when it comes to voting.
President Obama promising to root out pirates infesting the world's shipping lanes, after the Navy SEALs pulled off an incredible rescue. But did the rescue translate to a military victory for the president? We'll ask Republican strategist Ed Rollins.
And a pilot dies in the cockpit with passengers on board. But one man takes matters into his own hands, literally, from passenger to pilot. Eight minutes now after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Topping this morning's "Political Ticker," a Minnesota court now confirming Democrat Al Franken won the most votes in his Senate race against Republican Norm Coleman. After a statewide recount, Franken stands 312 votes ahead, but victory not official yet. Coleman has ten days to appeal the ruling to the Minnesota State Supreme Court, and he has indicated that he will just -- he will do just that. So, still, the outcome of this race up in the air.
HBO Films planning to produce a movie about the 2008 presidential election that's going to be based on a brook being written right now by political writers Mark Halperin and John Heilman. The authors say while covering Mr. Obama and the Clintons, and the Palin, McCain-Palin partnership, it became clear that a movie just had to be made.
CHETRY: All right. While President Obama is keeping the spotlight on the economy. In fact, in just a few hours, he is going to be giving what's being called a major speech at Georgetown University. And over the past few days, the message out of the White House has been one of confidence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What you're starting to see is glimmers of hope across the economy. I feel absolutely convinced that we are going to get this economy back on track.
It is now clear that we're heading in the right direction.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: All right. Well, the president is painting a bit of a rosy picture for the economy. Joining me now is Republican strategist and CNN contributor Ed Rollins.
You've talked before about how difficult it is. You have to balance, when you're president, of making sure that you keep -- you know, people realistic about what's going on. But also you can't be the person who is gloom and doom about the economy. So what does he need to say tonight?
ED ROLLINS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, today is a very important speech. I mean, obviously, he was out of the country last week. He had a tremendous trip as we talked about last week. We've had the hostage crisis over the weekend, which he obviously did superbly and the Navy did superbly. So he's got to remind people that this thing is just steadily moving forward, and if he has some good news he'll throw it out there.
If there's bad news today in some of the reports that come out, he still has to encourage people to go. The other thing is this is tax day. And obviously, a lot of people think about money and think about their own personal finances when you basically sign your name on that dotted line and send your tax dollars in.
So to a certain extent, it's a good time. He's going to be gone the rest of the week to Mexico. So he's just have to keep reminding Americans I know what's going on here. I've been working on it very, very hard.
CHETRY: What do you risk as president if you paint too rosy of a picture, and then let's say unemployment numbers come out. You know, God forbid, they're in double digits. Do you risk the mission accomplished danger?
ROLLINS: Well, you don't say mission -- you don't, obviously, say mission accomplished. You learned that from the last administration. I think the reality is that unemployment figures will go up higher, unfortunately. And more people are going to lose their jobs. And people -- a lot of people are going to be hurting for a period of time here. But any kind of good news that you can give some hope is a positive thing for the president.
CHETRY: You mentioned the pirate situation. And he's mainly focused a lot on these domestic and global crises. But the Somali pirate incident, of course, was something that was quite unexpected. And it was interesting, senior political analyst David Gergen on "AC360" really praised the handling of the situation. He said, you know, the first -- he called it a model of presidential leadership. Let's listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: In order to protect the innocent American life, he did authorize the use of force. But he left the decision in the hands of commanders at the point and left it to their judgment. When it was over and successful, he didn't claim credit for it, but rather pointed to the people who really deserved the credit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROLLINS: I totally agree with that. I wrote a blog today on cnn.com that's very similar to that. And I talked in terms of the president making decisions. And the rules of engagement are very important decision. A lot of presidents go to waffle for a couple more days. Something could have happen. He gave the military the right to take the shot when the time came about. And taking life is always a serious challenge, but at the same time, we saved a life of an American hero.
CHETRY: Yes. It really was the best case scenario.
ROLLINS: By far. By far. But I have to promise you, having had a lot of experience in the American military, you give them the opportunity to execute effectively and give them the authority, they will do it.
CHETRY: Ed Rollins, always great to hear from you. And we'll check out your blog as well at cnn.com. Thanks. ROLLINS: sure.
ROBERTS: Well, President Obama making some new friends. Yesterday, the Obamas invited 30,000 people from across the country for their first Easter egg roll on the south lawn of the White House. Of course, they were rolling eggs, story time, and some shooting hoops as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go! Yes!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes!
OBAMA: You got a dunk! You got a dunk!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: You got to have the basketball hoop up for the president of the United States, who loves basketball and why not.
CHETRY: Exactly. And of course, you were there, Ed, when Ronald Reagan did it. I mean, all those kids on the White House lawn.
ROLLINS: That's right. The president has a new career, too. He can go off after this and do voiceovers for cartoons. He was very entertaining yesterday.
CHETRY: Yes. He was reading, "Where the Wild Things Are," which is a wildly popular children's book, but he was really acting it out.
ROLLINS: He was acting it out.
ROBERTS: Yes. He had a good time and all the kids, too.
ROLLINS: Great times. Absolutely.
ROBERTS: Good to see you, Ed.
Major change in policy toward Cuba. President Obama lifting a travel ban to the communist island. Is it time to lift the embargo as well? We'll get two very different perspectives.
And the tax filing deadline, now just one day away. And this morning, we are breaking down the real deal on your taxes. We'll show you what you're paying and how it stacks up against taxpayers overseas. It's coming up now on 16 minutes after the hour. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. Eighteen minutes past the hour.
A look at the top videos right now on CNN.com. How would you like to have these guys living next door to you? That's actually not so bad. I think there is one house that color in my neighborhood. The people in this neighborhood, they were pretty ticked off when their neighbor decided to paint their home a combo of lavender and a fuchsia. I really have a house that looks like this in my neighborhood. I don't think it's that bad. Well, one woman says, quote, "Purple blob, completely ruins the view."
Mel Gibson's wife of 28 years now filing for divorce. Robin Gibson citing irreconcilable differences. People.com quoting a source close to the couple saying they actually separated some time three years ago after Gibson's infamous traffic stop.
Police responding to a disturbance call just outside of Los Angles when the driver of this SUV stomped on the gas, took off. He led police on a wild chase down the freeway before, as you there, losing control of his car. I think he hit something on the highway there, and that's when the chase came to a stop. And that's what's popular right now on cnn.com.
ROBERTS: Well, this morning, you've got less than 24 hours until tax day. And from now until then, CNN is your source for the real deal. We've got everything that you need to know about who is paying and what they're paying. CNN's Christine Romans joins us now with all of that.
I love comparing how much we in America pay in terms of percentage of income and taxes to other people around the world.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Nothing stirs up passions like taxes, John. And frankly, there are some surprising facts when you take a look at how much we pay and how it compares with the rest of the world. And don't blame the IRS. They just collect the taxes. It's Congress that writes all the laws that make up the 16,000 pages of tax code in this country. But we thought you'd like to know who pays what. The answers might surprise you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS (voice-over): Think of all you spend on food, clothing, and housing. Americans on average spend more on taxes than all of that combined. And it's not just the dreaded federal income tax.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's different pockets of state income tax. There's city income tax. There's sales tax. And states, as we know, and localities get really creative with sales tax. And then real estate property taxes.
ROMANS: Americans love to hate the tax man, but consider this: America's tax burden compared with the rest of the world. Your taxes are low relative to most other developed nations. Less than in Japan, Australia, Canada, Germany, the U.K., France, and Sweden, where taxes pay for socialized medicines and other benefits.
In the United States, it varies depending on where you live. Alaska leads the states with the lowest tax burden. These states, including New Jersey, Connecticut, and California, have the highest.
Rich investment bankers aren't so popular these days, but...
LEN BURMAN, TAX POLICY CENTER: The richest one in five Americans pays 97 percent of their overall individual income tax.
ROMANS: And tax experts note the share paid by companies has been declining.
Who doesn't pay? Seniors living solely on Social Security and many low-income families with children thanks to refundable tax credits. But that's income tax.
BURMAN: There's nobody who escapes tax entirely unless they're a hermit living far, far away where they don't have any cash transactions.
(END VIDEOTAPE) ROMANS: Now, the tax code front and center and current efforts to stimulate the ailing economy. You jobless benefits this year will be tax-free in next year's return. And the IRS wants you to know that you can claim a credit for buying a new car or a new house, thanks to the economic stimulus passed by Congress.
ROBERTS: And then of course for the next three years, you can write off all of those losses in the stock market, right?
ROMANS: I know. I hate to laugh about it, but it's true. I mean, Ed Rollins is today. This is the day, today and tomorrow, this is the day when you really take stock of your personal finance and personal money and think about what your money is doing for the government and the country.
ROBERTS: Yes. A lot of people will be swallowing a lot of pain medication over the next 48 hours.
ROMANS: Yes. I could swallow a pain medication for a while.
ROBERTS: Christine, thanks so much for that - Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. Well, this morning, a possible criminal charges against six members of the Bush administration. We're going to find out why the Spanish government may be going after former top officials for torture. Do they have a case?
Also, what could be more terrifying when you're flying in an airplane and then you realize the unthinkable -- the pilot dies. Slumps over in the cockpit. And then it's up to you to save your entire family. One man did it. His story, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
That's a live look right now from our brand new high-definition camera. It's in Atlanta, Georgia. Pretty shot this morning. A little cloudy there. Some morning showers expected, but it's finally warming up. They had a real, real chilly couple of days last week. Now a high of 64 degrees.
Twenty-five minutes past the hour. A split-second decision in the sky ended up saving a family's life. A passenger jumping into the cockpit and landing the plane after the pilot tragically and suddenly died while they were in the air. Well, this morning, we have the audiotapes of the incident as it unfolded. Jason Carroll put together some of the most incredible moments of this audiotape.
I mean, just imagine if you were in this person's shoes knowing that, you know, the survival of your family depended on you landing a plane.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, when you listen to the tape, you'll hear just how calm everyone was involved. It sounds like a scene straight out of a movie. A passenger is force to land a plane after the pilot dies in mid-flight. But it's not make believe. It happened to passenger Doug White who was aboard a two- engine turboprop with his wife and two daughters.
About 30 minutes into the flight soon after takeoff, the pilot slumps over and dies. White, a licensed pilot himself, starts communicating with air traffic control.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: November niner delta whiskey, are you using the autopilot or are you flying the airplane?
DOUG WHITE, AIRPLANE PASSENGER: Me and the good Lord's hands are flying this niner delta whiskey.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: OK, very good. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: Two air traffic controllers, one with extensive experience as a pilot and flight instructor talked white through the mechanics of his initial approach to Ft. Myers International Airport.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: And Nine delta whiskey, on the instrument panel is there a landing checklist?
WHITE: No. I'm not worried with that right now. I'm heading one, four, zero at 6,000 right now. I can put the gear down and the flaps.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: OK, they're telling me you're a little too fast for the gears, so hold on just a moment on the gear and I'll call you back in just a minute. We've got plenty of room before we get you to the airport. This will be landing at runway six at Fort Myers International and hold the gear for just a moment.
WHITE: Oh, I was going to. I'm just telling you I know where the gear control is. (END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: White seems to remain calm during the last crucial moments just before landing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WHITE: When I touch down, if I ever touch down, do I just kill the throttle or what?
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: That's correct. When you touch down, slowly kill the throttle.
Nine delta whiskey, the runway is all yours. You can turn left or right, whatever is easier for you. Power all the way back, and they're telling me max breaking.
WHITE: (INAUDIBLE) Thank you. Nine delta whiskey.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: Nine delta whiskey, when you're ready you can go to ground frequency one, two, one point nine. Nice work.
WHITE: One, two, one point nine. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: White says he has about 130 hours of experience flying a single-engine Cessna. A much different plane than the bigger, faster King Air he was a passenger in. No word yet on the cause of death to the pilot. And you know when White was asked how he was able to get through it all, he said it was focused fear. That's what helped him stay focused through this entire ordeal.
CHETRY: An amazing job in the face of a real tragic situation. Everyone is safe.
CARROLL: Yes.
CHETRY: Well, thanks, Jason.
ROBERTS: It's 28 minutes after the hour. We're following breaking news for you. Overnight, word that Somali pirates have hijacked three more ships in the Gulf of Aden. One of them now identified as the Greek-owned MV Irene.
Meantime, the American crew of the Maersk Alabama is now at a hotel in Mombasa. They were taken there early this morning.
Just a short time ago, one of those crew members spoke with reporters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN: I'm talking to you because I hope that you people can pressure all these people in Washington to get out of the air- conditioned offices and do something to help us. QUESTION: What was the worst thing about your ordeal?
JOHN: Laying there 12 hours in total darkness in heat and fear.'
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
JOHN: Do you understand that? Can you imagine that? I didn't know if they were going to find us or not.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).
JOHN: I told you, I felt very hot and very scared.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).
JOHN: All the boat they boarded us on, they had a small speedboat and (INAUDIBLE).
QUESTION: They think of themselves?
(CROSSTALK)
JOHN: No. I think (INAUDIBLE). We had a control from a different area and we kept -- the ship and we sunk the boat. In other words, that put them to the point where they was as much our prisoners as we was their prisoners.
QUESTION: Can you talk at all about the incident where they were the one pirate was wounded?
JOHN: Yes. They brought him down and put him with us. They put in that room except one person wanted to kill him. They had one guy to guard him. There was guard -- and the guy was guarding him, and was guarding him from us because all of us wanted to kill him. I mean, I -- and we was very mad people.
QUESTION: How did he escape?
JOHN: He didn't escape. We had supposedly a deal where we was going to exchange him for the captain, but he didn't walk down the ladder. He jumped down on to the ship and hold it before we could get to the captain which was our mistake.
QUESTION: And how do you feel about waiting to see your captain?
JOHN: Well, I'm not going to - I just want to see him one more time and tell him that I owe him my life and that is it.
QUESTION: Thank you.
JOHN: I just want you to understand that there's a lot of emotions involved in this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Officials say crew members are now waiting for their captain to return to the U.S. as a team. He should be there in Mombasa soon.
The White House announcing a major policy change toward Cuba, lifting travel restrictions on Cuban-Americans who want to travel to and send money to relatives on the communist island.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN RESTREPO, FOREIGN POLICY SENIOR ADVISER, LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS: We think the positive benefits here will way outweigh any negative effects that there may have. That creating independence, creating space for the Cuban people to operate freely from their regime is the kind of space they need to start the process towards a more democratic Cuba.
And also, the President is very clear that we're getting the United States out of the business of regulating the relationship between Cuban families. The Cuban government should get out of the business of regulating the relationship between Cuban families.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: So has the time come to lift the economic embargo against Cuba as well? It remains in place even though these travel restrictions have been relaxed.
Joining me in New York to discuss is democratic Representative Charlie Rangel of New York a proponent of lifting the Cuba travel plan and also he has introduced a bill that would end the embargo and republican Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey. He is live in Washington this morning.
Congressman Rangel, give us the case in lifting the economic embargo.
REP. CHARLIE RANGEL (D), NEW YORK: Well, one most important things, it certainly has over 50 years, we've caused economic pain hoping the Cuban people would overthrow Castro. Castro has outlived nine American presidents and we are losing billions of dollars in terms of agricultural products that we ship there and so it isn't broke, we should not try to fix it, but an extension of the embargo, and it hasn't worked.
The president and I will be accompanying him, will be going to South America and just this idea of saying that Cuban-Americans can visit their loved ones and the sick ones and send money is going to increase the respect for our great country throughout the hemisphere.
ROBERTS: Congressman Smith, did he sell you on lifting the embargo?
REP. CHRIS SMITH (R), NEW JERSEY: Not at all, John. You know, as far back as 2001, the travel ban - I offered an amendment on the floor that said we'll lift the travel ban if and only human rights conditions are met.
Right now, the Cuban government puts serious conditionality on prodemocracy. If they want to exit Cuba, they have to leave behind children all who leave as hostages, otherwise they don't get an exit permit.
And for those going to Cuba, if you have any kind of prodemocracy, pro-human rights agenda, you are barred from coming in. So even with this lifting of the travel ban, Cuban-Americans who would like to visit their family members will be barred because on that side of this equation.
My argument is that the Obama administration should have lifted the embargo or the travel ban after a serious negotiation that had all of the human rights issues, but especially exit permits and the issuance of visas. I've tried to get a visa along with Frank Wolfe on two occasions and have been denied. I would ask Charlie Rangel to help me get to Cuba so I can go to the prisons and visit with the prisoners of - maybe Charlie can help me on that.
ROBERTS: Congressman Smith, let me just drill down this idea of human rights and crushing democracy. I mean, you've described a situation in Cuba that is very similar in many ways to the situation that even exists to this day in China. Yet, we trade with China. We've also normalized relations with Vietnam. We're talking with North Korea. This administration is trying to put talks together with Iran.
Why can't we treat Cuba the same way that we treat these other countries?
SMITH: John, there should be lessons learned from China. I was one of those and I was in the minority opinion that we needed to link trade with human rights and, unfortunately, Bill Clinton got it right in his first year in office as president then did a 180 reversal and delinked human rights from trade. And now we have a worse - a worsening situation when it comes to this.
ROBERTS: Congressman Rangel?
RANGEL: Well...
SMITH: Human rights need to be at the core of our relationship.
RANGEL: The little known secret is the reason for the embargo and the reason it stayed over 50 years has very little to do with Cuba and everything to do with Cuban exiles who really made the difference and who won republicans and democrats in the electoral vote in Florida.
SMITH: John, I have to disagree with that.
RANGEL: Now, now, now this is being changed. Young Cubans want to visit Cuba like anybody else. And the whole idea that Americans and Cuban-Americans can't visit any country they want is just totally un-American and unfair.
SMITH: Charlie... John, if I could say, very briefly, the Castro brothers, which have one of the worst violations of human rights in the world in terms of their government, will get a huge bonanza when it comes to cash. I believe in lifting the travel ban, but only with human rights conditions. We should have had this at the end of a process, not as a unilateral give. The government of Cuba is all take, no give.
And, unfortunately, there are people on hunger strikes today in Cuba, including Antunes who is calling for - he spent 17 years in prison. Dr. Oscar Bissette is now en route to a 25 years. He was arrested in 2003 for advocating in a nonviolent way. He is the Martin Luther King of Cuba. And, yet, he finds himself close to death at times in solitary confinement. Let's stand in solidarity...
ROBERTS: Final word to you, Congressman Rangel, then we have to wrap this up.
RANGEL: Chris is a fighter for freedom all over the world and I respect his opinion. But the truth of the matter is you got billions of communist in Chinese. The only thing he has got to break down socialism in Cuba is let our young people and Americans go over there and let them see our way of life but you shouldn't restrict Americans from going anyplace they want. We're the only country besides another one in the Middle East that has this embargo. Let's open up the doors and let the flag fly all over the country.
ROBERTS: We're going to have to leave it there, gentlemen. Obviously, passions run high on both sides of this issue. And the debate will continue. Thanks very much for being with us, Congressman Rangel and Smith.
SMITH: Thank you.
RANGEL: Thank you, John.
ROBERTS: All right. Good to talk to you this morning.
CHETRY: Well, it's a busy day for economic news as well. We have some key numbers that are just in to CNN this morning. What do they mean for you and what do they say about the state of the economy.
Also, could former Bush administration officials be arrested and charged in connection with authorizing torture? We'll let you know what a well-known Spanish judge is planning to do.
It's 37 minutes after the hour.
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CHETRY: Forty minutes past the hour now. We're getting just in to us the latest numbers on retail sales and wholesale inflation. Christine Romans is here to break down these numbers for us. We know the president is giving a major speech on the economy today. What do these numbers tell us?
ROMANS: Both of these numbers highlight the weaknesses in the economy and the weaknesses facing consumers. Retail sales tumbled, people spending a lot less on cars, clothes, furniture, appliances in the month of March. Retail sales down 1.1 percent, folks, and when you look that is 1.1 percent from the month before.
And when you look at the first three months of the year, retail sales are down 8.8 percent compared to the same period a year ago. So are you spending 8.8 percent less this year than you were last year? That is what these numbers are showing the American consumer is doing.
Then we have the PPI report. This is wholesale inflation. This is not what you're paying for products but this is what companies are paying for products before it gets to you. That was down 1.2 percent. And you think, great! Lower prices for things. That's good for me. Well, it can translate into lower retail prices down the road but it is a sign of weakness. It means that companies can't - will not be able to charge what they could a year ago for products simply because of weak demand. So that's a sign of weakness.
CHETRY: Sounds like a small number but it's significant, right?
ROMANS: Yes, yes. When you look at more than one percent move in these numbers, it is significant. It shows - it highlights that the president has to tap dance today between being confident but also acknowledging that we still have a lot of head winds. CHETRY: Thanks, Christine.
ROMANS: Sure.
ROBERTS: Six former Bush administration officials possibly facing torture charges in Spain. What are chance of any of them being arrested?
It's 41 and 1/2 minutes now after the hour.
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ROBERTS: Forty-four minutes after the hour.
This morning, six former Bush administration officials could face torture charges in Spain. A top Spanish judge has asked prosecutors to investigate whether key Bush aides including former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales should be criminally charged for allowing the torture of suspects at Guantanamo Bay.
Joining me now to talk more about this is Scott Horton. He is a contributor to the dailybeast.com and also an attorney specializing in international and human rights law. Scott broke the story this morning.
So we know that the judge has asked prosecutors to look into this case, Scott. Do we know if they are going to go ahead with the investigation?
SCOTT HORTON, CONTRIBUTOR, DAILYBEAST.COM: Yes. Sources involved in the investigation advised me yesterday that the prosecutors will be telling the court today that they have decided there is sufficient evidence at hand to justify undertaking a full- scale investigation.
Moreover, these prosecutors also had meetings at the American embassy in Madrid in which they briefed the U.S. government about this and they pressed the question of whether there was going to be any investigation in the United States, indicating that they would not proceed with this matter if the Americans were going to investigate.
ROBERTS: So how does this matter end up in a Spanish court?
HORTON: Well, it starts with five Spaniards who were held at Guantanamo who in fact were under investigation by this court for terrorism. And the Spanish supreme court concluded that they had been tortured. That launched the preliminary inquiries into this case.
ROBERTS: All right. So we have Judge Gonzales and we also have a number of other administration officials including Doug Feith. Who else?
HORTON: Like David Addington, who is Cheney's chief of staff, and John Yoo, who is a law professor at the University of California and Jim Haynes...
ROBERTS: Who, who also wrote a lot of the protocols regarding the treatment of detainees?
HORTON: That's correct. The Spanish prosecutors are very much focused on what is going on in the United States with respect to the release of these documents. So they mentioned to me that they are expecting to see later this week a series of other well memoranda released, some authored by John Yoo and Jay Bybee, another figure who is under investigation here. And they believe that these papers will help them make out their case.
ROBERTS: Now the judge involved in this case, Judge Garzon has got quite an interesting history.
HORTON: That's right. He is, of course, the famous judge who went after Augusto Pinochet. He is also the leading counter terrorism judge in Spain. But the prosecutors are going to seek to have Judge Garzon taken off of this case. They're doing that because they say it's awkward for him to be both prosecuting these terrorists and going after the American officials.
ROBERTS: So many people at home people are asking what are the potential implications of this for the people Gonzales, Feith, Addington and others who are potentially involved here?
HORTON: The immediate implication is they can't really travel outside the United States, certainly not to Europe because the judge would have the power immediately now to issue arrest warrants if they travel there but also to Latin America, which has extradition arrangements with the Spanish.
ROBERTS: We'll keep following this case and, Scott, maybe we can get you back to report more on it.
HORTON: Delighted to help out.
ROBERTS: Good to see you this morning. Thanks so much -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Still ahead, how far some students are willing to go to stay clean and sober. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes you inside the halls of recovery high. It's a school you've probably never seen.
Forty-seven minutes after the hour.
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CHETRY: Well students battling drug and alcohol addiction still need to go to school. They still need to learn. And as part of Dr. Sanjay Gupta's upcoming special "ADDICTION: LIFE ON THE EDGE," he went inside of a school where kids can be successful at both. Inside Recovery High, where teens work on getting a diploma and also staying sober at the same time.
CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LUCY GROTH, RECOVERING ADDICT: I mean, I haven't really been in a situation like that since I've been clean.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You won't see classes like this at most high schools. At Northshore Recovery High in Beverly, Massachusetts, it's called group. Here, Lucy Gross gets to talk about her struggles with drugs and alcohol. She's an addict. She's just 17 years old. For Lucy, she says she started smoking pot with friends when she was 12.
GROTH: Well, I was never really comfortable in my own skin. That was, I think, the big reason that I really liked drugs and alcohol.
GUPTA: By high school, the drug use was out of control.
GROTH: I was doing cocaine. I was taking painkillers, prescription painkillers. I was smoking pot. I was drinking a lot. I was doing a lot of pills: Adderall, Vicodin, OxyContin.
GUPTA: She spent six months at a residential treatment facility for troubled teens. And then her parents found Northshore, just 20 minutes from home.
GROTH: When I came here, I thought it was OK to go hang out with my old friends because...
GUPTA: The first recovery high school opened its doors in a suburb of Minneapolis in 1987. Northshore opened in 2006. It's the first on the East Coast. Most follow the 12-step model of recovery. All of them offer state-certified diplomas.
Now, there's little formal data on just how well these schools work. But by most accounts, they do. Northshore Principal Michelle Lipinski says without them, life would be next to impossible for these recovering students.
MICHELLE LIPINSKI, PRINCIPAL, NORTHSHORE RECOVERY HIGH SCHOOL: Every student here will tell you when they walk down their public high schools that they know where to get anything. They know where to get pills. They know where to get pot. They know where to get heroin. They know where to get ecstasy. They know the locker to go to.
GUPTA: Here students sign a contract. They can't use drugs or be around known users. There's random urine testing at least once a week.
Here, Lucy's thriving, sober for nearly two years and heading to the University of Massachusetts in the fall. She credits her success in part to this recovery high school.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Beverly, Massachusetts.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: It's sort of remarkable. I think maybe I pay more attention to this now that I have kids, Kiran. But this idea that your teenager goes to rehab, then they get out of rehab and you try to prevent them from getting into a relapse situation, what options do you have?
And these recovery high schools are starting to fill the gap. There's only 21 of them across the nation, but you are starting to see programs like this in college as well. University of Virginia is one that we found, Rutgers.
But there is about 300,000, Kiran, teenagers that are in rehab right now. Those numbers are startling to me.
CHETRY: Certainly a lot of what we saw in that piece is very startling.
First of all quickly, if they did get caught with drugs - you talked about the random drug testing. Are they booted out?
GUPTA: Well, you know, at this particular high school, no one has been booted out yet, but we asked the principal that same question. It sort of depends on the circumstance. She said there is no hard and fast rules. If it's a clear violation with a hard-core drug they are going to be put back in rehab with the option of coming back but if they slip up, part what have they think works is they have to acknowledge it to the entire class, the entire school and talk about it. Students in fact are encouraged to disclose on one another as well, Kiran.
CHETRY: Fascinating about what she said that could be found in any locker in public schools as well. That's a whole other story. I'm sure that you guys are going to tackle as well.
GUPTA: Absolutely.
CHETRY: Sanjay, thanks so much.
GUPTA: Thank you.
CHETRY: And by the way, don't miss Dr. Sanjay Gupta's special "ADDICTION, LIFE ON THE EDGE." He follows the lives of four addicts trying to stay sober for a year. A writer, a teen, a mother and a retiree. The special debut is Saturday and Sunday, April 18th and 19th at 8:00 Eastern, right here on CNN -- John.
ROBERTS: Well, if you're the one who ends up selling the vice president of the United States his new puppy, it sounds like it would be good for business, right? Well, not so for the kennel one who sold Mr. Biden his German Shepherd. We will tell you why ahead.
It's 54 minutes after the hour.
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JIMMY FALLON, "LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON" HOST: The wait is over. The wait is over. The Obamas have chosen a new White House dog. Here it is. It's a Portuguese water dog named Bo. Very cute dog. Their first choice was a wheaten terrier, but it was arrested for tax evasion. So they couldn't use that dog. The dog arrived in time because Sasha and Malia were getting tired of throwing Frisbees at Joe Biden.
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ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
Dog days at the White House. The Obamas new Portuguese water dog named Bo is moving in today. Vice President Biden recently got a new dog too, a German shepherd puppy. It was a proud moment for the breeder who sold him the dog but the feeling unfortunately didn't last long. Alina Cho is here now to tell us why.
What happened?
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You'd think it would be just a good thing, right, guys? Good morning and good morning, everybody. But when breeder Linda Brown found out back in December that Biden was going to buy a dog from her, she immediately thought opportunity of a lifetime. Then in a matter of days, everything changed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHO (voice-over): Almost 40 years in the business, and Linda Brown couldn't believe her luck when Vice President Joe Biden came to her Wolf Den Kennel in rural Pennsylvania. The V.P. ultimately went home with one of her German shepherd pups. LINDA BROWN, DOG BREEDER: In my mind, it was the most wonderful day of my life.
CHO: Or so she thought. Days after the V.P.'s visit and the photo-op of a lifetime, Brown says the state's dog warden was at her door, accusing her, she said, of dirty housekeeping, bad recordkeeping, and mistreating her dogs. The state says inspections typically take place twice a year.
(on camera): You know, the state claims that this is just part of routine inspections.
BROWN: Never, never. I've been doing this for years. I've never had inspections like this.
CHO (voice-over): Brown said she's even received death threats. Who's behind this? She believes animal rights groups. PETA says Brown's claims are suspect.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I find it extraordinarily difficult to imagine that anybody is actually threatening anybody over this.
CHO: Days after it was announced, the vice president was using a breeder, PETA re-released this disturbing ad in Biden's home state.
(BEGIN CLIP, PETA ADVERTISEMENT)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here's a dog you just killed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you doing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You buy a dog from a breeder, you kill a dog in a shelter.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: I don't want to kill a dog.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Too late.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Vice President Biden's office tells CNN, "The V.P. has a stellar animal rights record, and was one of only seven senators who in 2008 received a 100 percent rating from the Humane Society."
The statement goes on to say, "He is an advocate for rescuing animals as shown by his rescue of the Biden's' current cat, Daisy, from a local shelter."
After going to court, Brown was cleared of all citations, but she says not before spending $4,000 in legal fees.
(on camera): And if you had it to do all over again?
BROWN: Never. I would never sell to a high-profile person ever, ever again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: So the big question now is will the Obamas take heat for not getting their dog from a shelter? Well, some are calling Bo a quasi-rescued dog because the Obamas saved him from owners that were a poor fit. Of course, animal rights groups will say there is no such thing as a quasi-rescued dog, you're either a rescued dog or you're not.
Well, breeders like Linda Brown says listen, this is America. You should have a choice between going to a pound or a shelter. It should be your choice.
ROBERTS: In terms of Bo, Bo was essentially homeless because it went to one owner and then it went back to the kennel.
CHO: No. Then went to the Kennedys and a Kennedy trainer and then on to the Obamas, to the White House.
ROBERTS: Thank you, Alina for that.
CHO: You bet.
CHETRY: That's going to do it for us. Thanks for joining us on this AMERICAN MORNING. We will see you back here bright and early tomorrow.
ROBERTS: Right now, here's CNN NEWSROOM with Heidi Collins.
