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Campbell Brown
White House Targets CEO Pay; FBI's New Most Wanted
Aired October 21, 2009 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAMPBELL BROWN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Tonight, here are the questions we want answered.
Is Washington finally listening? Wall Street fat cats have gotten fatter on bailout money. Well, now the president's pay czar is lowering the boom with 50 percent pay cuts for some of the top CEOs. But are they fair game or scapegoats?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These institutions are going to seek to maximize their profits. They are going to seek to maximize their advantage. And they're going to pay themselves out large bonuses. I think it's almost naive to suggest otherwise.
BROWN: Plus, our series, the FBI's new most wanted. Tonight, we reveal the man who may be the world's most powerful mobster.
PETER KOWENHOVEN, FBI SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT: He can with a telephone call, an order, affect the global economy.
And we're less than a hour away from the premier of "Latino in America."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My American dream is to be the kind of person that transcends class, gender, and all the other limitations that we place on ourselves as human beings.
Tonight, John Leguizamo, TV judge Cristina Perez, and Soledad O'Brien help us tackle some of the most important issues facing the country.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the subtle hate crimes that people don't ever recognize that are far more dangerous.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: This is your only source for news. CNN prime time begins now. Here's Campbell Brown.
BROWN: Hi there, everybody. We're going to start tonight, as we always do, with the "Mash-Up," our look at all the stories making an impact right now, the moments you may have missed today. We are watching it all, so you don't have to.
And our top story tonight, the White House preparing to demand massive pay cuts from the CEOs of companies receiving the biggest government bailouts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Executives at these TARP companies -- these are companies that got the bailout funds -- would see their compensation, their total compensation, cut by 90 percent.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: We're talking about Citigroup, AIG, Bank of America, GM, GMAC -- that's the finance arm of GM -- Chrysler, and Chrysler Financial.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit were to halve his 2000 compensation of $38 million cut in half, he would be left with around $19 million.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One hundred and seventy-five executives, 25 at each firm, who want special perks, like private planes, limousines, company cars, or country club memberships worth more than $25,000, will have to receive permission from the Treasury Department.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These restrictions will not impact other firms, such as Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, which received significant government bailouts, paid them back, and are now on track to pay billions in bonuses.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: The administration's plan expected to be officially released next week. But we're going to have many more details on it coming up for you in just a little bit.
And across the country today, thousands of people standing in line for hours to get the H1N1 vaccine. Check out these pictures. This is from Rockville, Maryland, where folks started lining up last night. But two hours after it opened this morning, the clinic already out of the vaccine for pregnant women, considered among the most vulnerable here. Production of the swine flu vaccine way behind schedule right now, but Obama administration officials say not to worry.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a delay. It's not a shortage. There ultimately is going to be a vaccine for everyone who wants to be vaccinated.
We thought a vaccine could be made available as early as October. Those deadlines are being met. They are not being met, obviously, as quickly as we all would like to see. But recognize this is a vaccine. We want to be safe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Now, swine flu no laughing matter, of course, except apparently on Capitol Hill. Here was a classic moment to show you from a Senate hearing this morning. The featured players, Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill, Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, and special guest star Joe Lieberman as the committee chair. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CLAIRE MCCASKILL (D), MISSOURI: Can we state for the record definitively -- it can't be said often enough that no one can contract H1N1 from eating pork?
JANET NAPOLITANO, U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: No one can contract H1N1 from eating pork.
MCCASKILL: Did you hear that, Mr. Chairman? No one...
NAPOLITANO: No one.
MCCASKILL: ... can contract H1N1 from eating pork.
SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (I), CONNECTICUT: Yes.
MCCASKILL: Pork is delicious.
(CROSSTALK)
NAPOLITANO: In fact, it may protect you. I'm not exactly sure. But it may.
MCCASKILL: Pork is delicious. You can go bacon if you're -- if you're not on a diet. You can go lean. The other white meat. If you are on a diet, pork rules. There is no reason to avoid pork.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
(LAUGHTER)
LIEBERMAN: Unless, of course...
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
LIEBERMAN: And let's not...
MCCASKILL: Unless an earmark.
LIEBERMAN: And let's not...
MCCASKILL: Unless an earmark.
LIEBERMAN: Oh, unless, of course, you respond to a higher authority.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP) BROWN: Senator Lieberman, of course, an Orthodox Jew who keeps kosher, no pork for him ever. Guess she missed that.
From Washington to Massachusetts and the arrest today of yet another suspected terrorist wannabe, a young man American-born allegedly with a deep hatred for his country and the will to act on it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: His name is Tariq Mehanna, 27 years old, of Sudbury, Massachusetts.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: The U.S. attorney in Boston allegations that Mehanna and his co-conspirators traveled to several countries to try to get training at terrorist camps, but were repeatedly rejected because they were American and inexperienced.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the Justice Department says this is a case of a U.S. citizen who developed a strong hatred for America.
SANCHEZ: This affidavit says -- this is important. It says that he had planned or wanted to kill U.S. soldiers in Iraq and hoped to kill one or two members of the executive branch of the U.S. government.
MESERVE: Authorities allege that Mehanna and others were inspired by the Washington sniper to draw up plans to shoot up U.S. shopping malls, but they gave up those plans when they were unable to obtain automatic weapons.
KATIE COURIC, HOST, "CBS EVENING NEWS": Mehanna was defiant at his court appearance, initially refusing the judge's order to stand up. His father later told reporters the charges are false.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: The suspect also showed distributed a video showing the mutilation and abuse of American personnel in Iraq. This is according to an FBI spokeswoman who said that Mehanna clearly reveled in the American deaths.
Turning now to Afghanistan, President Obama tonight refusing to put a timetable on his decision about whether to send more troops to the war zone. His top general, of course, urging him to do it, to do it now, Others saying, wait, let's see the outcome of the Afghan election next month. The president himself tried to walk the line in an interview with NBC News. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are going to take the time to get this right. We're not going to drag it out, because there is a sense that the sooner we get a sound approach in place and personnel in place, the better off we're going to be. It's important to make sure that we understand the landscape and the partner that we're going to be dealing with, because our strategy in Afghanistan is not just dependent on military forces.
It's also dependent on how well we're doing with our civilian development efforts, how well we're doing in stemming corruption.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: The president adds it's entirely possible he will settle on a war strategy before the Afghan election results, but says he may wait to announce it.
Moving now to North Carolina and a nice little serving of schadenfreude -- some news tonight on how Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff is spending his time in prison. He's got a bunch of new friends and they are not exactly from the society set.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The former Wall Street executive now sleeping on the bottom bunk in a cell that he shares with a drug offender. And who's he hanging out with?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: High-profile inmates, reputed Carmine Persico and convicted spy Jonathan Pollard, who sold military secrets to Israel.
JOHN ROBERTS, CO-HOST, "AMERICAN MORNING": And according to court papers filed by an attorney for some of Madoff's victims, he also eats food cooked by a convicted child molester.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Definitely a different set of friends these days.
ROBERTS: It's prison. What do you expect?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's just a day in the life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Apparently, when Madoff wants to get away from it all, he takes nighttime walks around the prison track. Sounds very peaceful.
And turning now to more let's say traditional forms of recreation, first lady Michelle Obama at the White House today urging kids to get active, to eat right and play hard.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY: Turn off the TV on your own. Get up and throw a ball. Run around the house. Don't break anything.
(LAUGHTER)
M. OBAMA: But move. Try to go outside if you can.
And I plan on jumping a little rope and doing a little bit of Hula-hooping. So, if you want to join me, let's get going.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's my cue to leave.
M. OBAMA: All right.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: All right. Check it out, the first lady of the United States working it with the Hula-hoop. Let's take a moment to watch. All righty. There she is, Michelle Obama, everybody.
And with that, it's time for the "Punchline." This is courtesy of Conan O'Brien, who thinks even Twitter has its limits.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONAN O'BRIEN, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH CONAN O'BRIEN": The Royal Opera House in London is producing a Twitter opera that will be written 140-character Twitter messages at a time. Twitter opera, yes. Yes, it's their plan to make people hate opera in an entirely new way.
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Conan O'Brien, everybody, and that is the "Mash-Up."
We have a very special show still ahead for you tonight. We're kicking off a CNN prime-time event, "Latino in America." John Leguizamo, the mayor of Los Angeles, Soledad O'Brien, they're all going to be here in just a moment to help us tackled some of the most important issues facing this entire nation.
Plus, the FBI's new most wanted revealed. Find out the latest criminal to be added to the list tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE DIXON, FBI SPECIAL AGENT: He's involved in arms- trafficking, prostitution, extortion, murder-for-hire.
PETER KOWENHOVEN, FBI SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT: He has access to so much, including funding, including other criminal organizations, that he can, with a telephone call, affect the global economy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: This week, the FBI has come exclusively to CNN and specifically our program to reveal the newest names on their most wanted list. There is only one spot empty on that list until tonight.
Semion Mogilevich is accused of swiping millions of dollars from Americans, but the FBI says his crimes go a whole lot further than that.
Our Jeanne Meserve shows us why this most-wanted man is not hard to find, just hard to bring to justice.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This may be the most powerful man you have never heard of. His name is Semion Mogilevich. He's a Russian mobster and his hands are allegedly in all kinds of criminal activity.
MIKE DIXON, FBI SPECIAL AGENT: He's involved in arms- trafficking, prostitution, extortion, murder-for-hire.
PETER KOWENHOVEN, FBI SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT: He has access to so much, including funding, including other criminal organizations, that he can, with a telephone call, affect the global economy.
MESERVE: His alleged brutality, financial savvy, and international influence have earned Mogilevich a slot on the FBI's 10 most wanted list, though he has lived and operated from Moscow for years.
Russian authorities arrested him last year on tax fraud charges, but because the U.S. doesn't have an extradition treaty with Russia, he remains beyond U.S. law enforcement's reach.
(on camera): So, this truly was a worldwide conspiracy?
DIXON: Right. He has activities throughout Europe, Eastern Europe, Russia, even into South Pacific.
MESERVE (voice-over): Mogilevich is accused of swindling Canadian and U.S. investors out of $150 million in a complex international financial scheme. It's centered on a firm called YBM, which reportedly made magnets at this factory in Hungary.
(on camera): YBM was headquartered here in Newtown, Pennsylvania. When FBI agents staged a raid in 1998, they found a treasure trove of documents.
(voice-over): Purchase orders, invoices, shipping orders, even technical drawings, everything a legitimate business would produce.
(on camera): So, was there anything missing here?
DIXON: Yes. There are no magnets. MESERVE (voice-over): It was all a sham, investigators say. Investors lost millions into the pockets of Mogilevich and his associates.
Since then, Mogilevich is suspected of having manipulated international energy markets. Organized crime expert Louise Shelley says he is a new kind of gangster.
LOUISE SHELLEY, GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY: Major criminal organizations in Russia have not only tapped into people with economics degrees. They have tapped into people with Ph.D.s in finance and statistics who assist them.
MESERVE: Mogilevich is no longer in Russian custody, but free on bail. The FBI hopes that he eventually will travel to another country that has an extradition treaty with the U.S. But, in case he doesn't, his wanted poster will be distributed into Russia.
Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Newtown, Pennsylvania.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: And, tonight, we are enlisting your help in tracking down the newest member of the FBI's most wanted list.
With me once again tonight, Kevin Perkins, assistant director of the Criminal Investigative Division of the FBI.
Hey there, Kevin.
KEVIN PERKINS, FBI ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Hi, Campbell. How are you?
BROWN: Mogilevich a little different than some of the others on the list. Namely, he's not a murderer, or at least not that we know of. Why is he a top-10 priority for you?
PERKINS: Mogilevich is a very high-profile international organized crime figure. He's a man of a great deal of means. And we have every reason to believe that, while he's based out of Russia at the moment, he could possibly be traveling under false identification using aliases throughout the world.
That's why it's important that we're trying to enlist the public's help in trying to apprehend Mogilevich.
BROWN: And we just heard one phone call from him can affect the global economy. Explain what that means, how can he do something like that.
He has a vast network that operates across the world. We could see in the case that he's charged with in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania where he defrauded literally thousands of individuals out of $150 million. He has contacts in various industries. He's a highly educated man. He's definitely a different type of mobster now and someone that we're going to need the public's help in bringing to justice.
BROWN: And I know the U.S. can't extradite him from Russia. You said just a second ago you do believe he's traveling freely pretty much all over the world and that ultimately I guess this is how you will be able to catch him, right? What is the plan?
PERKINS: That's correct.
What we're hoping to do is that the public can provide us information. If people do know something about him and about his whereabouts, they can contact their local FBI office. If they are overseas and he has contacted or have information outside of the U.S., we strongly urge individuals to contact the local U.S. embassy or consulate.
BROWN: And talk to us about distributing most-wanted posters here, as well as in Russia. Do you think it's going to be successful?
PERKINS: You never know. It's a low-risk type of option. Obviously, we would distribute them here on our Internet Web site and the like, but we will also produce them in Russian for Russian citizens and others in Eastern Europe who potentially could have access to him and his whereabouts.
BROWN: All right, Kevin Perkins tonight with the FBI -- Kevin, thanks.
PERKINS: Thanks, Campbell.
BROWN: And we are making it easy for to you get more information on the FBI's 10 most wanted list and to contact the bureau with the tips. Just go to our Web site, CNN.com/Campbell.
Fat cats on Wall Street, be warned. If you took bailout money, the government is about to step in and cut your paycheck.
Plus, "Latino in America," we are kicking off this very special CNN prime-time event. And you can join the conversation right now at CNN.com/Campbell.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm (INAUDIBLE) And I'm an actor.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm an attorney.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a full-time student.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am a teacher.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a magician.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a chef.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a TV producer here in Los Angeles.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a project manager at an architectural firm.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm a realtor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a city council member for the great city of Long Beach.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have washed dishes, cleaned bathrooms. Musician now. I'm sticking to that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am a Lay Ecclesial minister.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm a songwriter. I'm a record producer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm studying to be a doctor.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm a writer. I'm a mommy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I'm Latina.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Actor John Leguizamo is here tonight. He's going to join our panel as we count down to the premiere of "Latino in America," a CNN prime-time event.
(NEWS BREAK)
BROWN: President Obama cracking down on Wall Street tonight, executives from bailed-out companies to get hit where it hurts the most, in their wallet. Can you say pay cuts?
And we're just minutes away from kicking off our CNN prime-time event "Latino in America." Join the conversation online right now. Go to CNN.com/Campbell.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: It's a bad day to be a bailed-out CEO. The White House pay czar demanding huge cuts for top executives at the seven biggest bailed-out firms. Under the plan, the annual salary could plummet 90 percent, a move that is likely to play well on Main Street, if not Wall Street.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The good news is that this may fulfill the public lust for blood on Wall Street.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On the political side, you can't argue with it. The American public is just furious about the way that the banks and the financial system have been handled. SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MINORITY LEADER: If the federal government is a partner, in effect, in these companies, then it ought to have some say in the competition.
ED ROLLINS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: This is good politics. This may not be good business, but it's good politics.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: So, are CEOs fair game or scapegoats here?
CNN chief business correspondent Ali Velshi is with us right now to explain exactly what happened.
And, Ali, you know that the furor has been building over these big pay packages coming out of Wall Street.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Sure.'
BROWN: Explain what they are doing, the administration.
VELSHI: Well, I think Ed Rollins has it right. It's probably not good business, but it's excellent politics.
The seven firms that have the most government money right now, AIG, Citigroup, General Motors, Chrysler, and their financial affiliates, and Bank of America, the CEOs and the top 25 highest paid people at those firms are going to see a pay cut -- 90 percent of their cash will disappear and about half of their total compensation will disappear.
There are going to be some rules put on what they can get, in terms of perks and things like that. This is not what the government has been saying it's going to do. Up to now, they have said they haven't had the legal authority to do it and they would really like for these companies to do it themselves. But they didn't.
So, the government is stepping in to try and sort of push back the furor that it has been getting from the public.
BROWN: So, I guess, why the change? It was just the buildup, the...
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: You were talking about this on the show for a while.
BROWN: Well, is that all it took, is that they got scared politically about the ramifications of not dealing with it?
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: Yes, I don't think the anger is as directed to Wall Street as it is about the fact that others haven't been helped this way. We have got almost 10 percent unemployment. People are feeling that it's just been unfair. And they have been waiting for something to happen, and nothing has happened. And I think it really has built up. You heard the president last night talk about the lack of fairness. I think they have sent as many clues as possible down Wall Street's direction to say, try and fix this yourself. Otherwise, we will have to get involved.
And the time ran out. They need to do something.
BROWN: But this doesn't do anything to address the fundamental problem...
VELSHI: No.
BROWN: ... of credit not getting to small businesses who desperately need it right now, of these reforms that we have heard talked about, meaningful reforms in the financial system taking place.
VELSHI: Right. This is not reform.
BROWN: So what happens with all of that? I mean, how does that get dealt with?
VELSHI: Well, I think maybe the White House feels that they needed to quell the anger a little bit. It's not reform. This is a slap on the wrist. It's a penalty. It is somewhat anti-capitalistic.
But the bottom line is, people are justifiably very angry at Wall Street. Wall Street has not necessarily, in the eyes of most Americans, delivered the mea culpa and made the changes that it needed to. So, at this point, this may be the government's salvo to say, we're actually going to be tough. Now you do the right thing. Now do the things that we need to do. Don't fight regulation of the financial industry, because we will be tough if we need to.
This might be their first attempt to actually look like they are in charge.
BROWN: Shot over the bow.
VELSHI: Yes.
BROWN: All right, Ali for us tonight -- Ali, thanks.
VELSHI: OK.
BROWN: When we come back, we are just minutes away now, as we have been telling you all night, to the premiere of CNN's groundbreaking series ""Latino in America."
Soledad O'Brien, John Leguizamo, they're all going to be here to talk about the challenges Latinos and all Americans face when it comes to education, immigration, discrimination.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSEFINA LOPEZ, MEXICO + USA: My American dream is to be the kind of person that transcends class, gender, and all the other limitations that we place on ourselves as human beings.
I would like to be the kind of people that -- that could inspire other people to see that life has no borders and that borders are not real.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: In just about 30 minutes, we are going to kick off a very special CNN prime-time event here on CNN, "Latino in America," an in- depth look at how Latinos are changing this country and how this country is changing them. Joining us right now to help tackle some of the most important issues facing our community and the nation, CNN's special correspondent, Soledad O'Brien, who is the host of "Latino in America." Comedian and actor John Leguizamo is going to be joining us in just a few moments. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is joining us as well. TV judge Cristina Perez and Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida with as well. Welcome to everybody. So good to have you all here.
Let me start with you, Soledad. We're going to talk first I think about education, because you said in all the reporting, you found that the most pressing issue among Latinos is education. What was so striking?
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The most pressing issue among young people in this nation as a whole is education, and the truth is, if you look at a demographic that is growing as quickly as the Latino demographic is, if you don't focus on education -- and some of the serious problems we have in education -- really, the nation as a whole cannot -- cannot thrive. So we do a piece in our documentary tonight focusing on a young woman who is really on the cusp, about to graduate, and show some of the struggles that she has. And some of the people around her -- Mayor Villaraigosa is -- was kind enough to take part in our piece -- really to show that there is, while some of the schools are failing the students, there is also an infrastructure of people there to try to help as well.
BROWN: Mr. Mayor, I know there has been some improvement, but Latinos have the highest high school dropout rate of all Americans. You were a high school dropout, and yet now you're the mayor of Los Angeles. How do we go from more mayors of Los Angeles or real success stories from the high school dropout rates you are currently seeing?
MAYOR ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA, LOS ANGELES: First of all, we live in a great country. And I was going to school in Los Angeles when California was investing in our public schools. Today, we are dead last in virtually every indicator. Per-pupil spending, in class size, investment technology.
We've got to invest in our kids again. We've got to set high standards. We not only -- we not only have the highest dropout rate, we have the lowest participation rate in our colleges, institutions of higher learning. We've got to set the bar high and demand the kind of reform that President Obama has been talking about.
This is the civil rights issue of our time when you see the number of kids that are dropping out. The ones who are not dropping out are scoring in the bottom 20 percentile. It's a crisis not just for Latinos, but for all of us, given the size of the Latino population in the United States of America.
BROWN: Congresswoman, you're a certified teacher, I know. What role do you think that Spanish language should play in our educational system?
REP. ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN (R), FLORIDA: Well, I have two kids. Now they are young adults, but when I raised them speaking Spanish, it was their native language. In fact, when they started kindergarten, I said "no habla ingles (ph)." But now, the hard part is getting them to speak Spanish, because as kids become part of the American culture, they really want to blend in.
And so I know there's a lot of controversy about bilingual education, and people resent it if you speak Spanish in front of them, but it's really a generational problem. Kids start out speaking Spanish; then they become English fluent; and then it's hard to get them to speak another word of Spanish again. And you have got to realize as a parent, am I going to be a linguistic teacher or do I want to communicate with my kids? I speak to my kids in Spanish, but I'll take any language in return.
BROWN: Cristina, why do you think it's so controversial?
CRISTINA PEREZ, HOST, "CRISTINA'S COURT": Speaking Spanish or...
BROWN: Bilingual education.
(CROSSTALK)
PEREZ: Well, I think because, listen, we're in America. And when you come to America, you know, I was taught, as my parents being immigrant, I was raised in Mexico. When I came here and I didn't know Spanish, say -- I mean, English, Spanish is my first language -- and I think it's hard, because when you're here, children really have to assimilate, and the success of our educational system is that. So we have to really have children, encourage them to really dedicate themselves. And I think they think it's -- a lot of people may think it's not fair that we offer bilingual education. At some point, depending on the age of the child, you have to offer it in order to make a transition. That's my opinion.
But at the same time, I don't think we give kids enough credit. I think that kids, when they are in school, they're immersed (ph) with their friends in school, they can do it. You know, I did it at an age where -- nothing happened to me. I don't have any problems because of it, but it's a hard situation. And I think that a lot of people feel that it's not fair to Americans that are here or children that are growing up here.
O'BRIEN: But the only thing that I see generationally is really interesting, which is when my mom came from Cuba in 1947, because my dad is Australian, she didn't speak Spanish at all because she didn't want my father to feel like he couldn't be part of the conversation. So I never grew up speaking Spanish, and now my Spanish is fair to poor.
Because of that and because I'm so frustrated by my lack of good Spanish -- I understand a lot, I don't speak it well -- my children all are learning Spanish. Every single one. Because I want to make sure -- and they are 5-year-old twins, and 8 and 7 years old -- and I want to make sure that they can speak Spanish, because frankly, the demographics of the nation are changing. And the idea of speaking Spanish should be a benefit, a boon. It should be something wonderful on your resume, not something that could possibly make people feel offended when you're having a conversation. I would love to see everybody being able to talk in multiple languages in America. That would be a great thing.
BROWN: Without question. Mayor, though, what about in the public education system, though? This is where it becomes really a challenge.
VILLARAIGOSA: Well, Soledad hit it on the head. First of all, we -- English is the language of commerce and success in America. We've got to learn English. But it shouldn't -- we should be learning two and three languages. I live in a city that is the most diverse city in the United States of America. I wish I could speak, in addition to Spanish, Mandarin and Korean, Armenian. We should be teaching in our schools. Every kid should be able to graduate from high school, learning English, of course, mastering English, but also being able to speak a second a third language. We've got to get with the fact that this is a global economy, that we're connected and we've got -- and language is a way to be able to successfully maneuver that.
BROWN: Let me just ask you, Cristina. I know a lot of Latino children here in the United States either emigrated at a very young age or have different immigration status in many cases than their parents. How does that affect them in terms of the education system and their opportunities?
PEREZ: Well, listen. One particular thing for me is very important, and I think that whether you believe in immigration reform, whether you believe in part immigration reform, I think that America is -- one of our -- the best things about America is that we believe in youth, we believe in our education, and we believe in giving youth a chance. And part of an immigration reform that is being proposed, or really -- it's called the Dream Act. It's been around in Congress for quite a long time, gives these children who came here at a very, very young age -- 2 or 3 or even younger, who -- they did not make the choice to move to the United States. For all intents and purposes, the U.S. is their home. This is the only country that they can associate with.
Because of lack of documentation, they cannot pursue college. They cannot pursue -- the doors are closed on them. And is that, you know, something that we believe in? Do we want to help some of these kids that are the best and brightest, to help them contribute to the United States.
So I think that part of our immigration reform has to reflect our American values, and that is the strong belief in the youth in America.
BROWN: All right. Stand by, everybody. John Leguizamo has just joined us.
JOHN LEGUIZAMO, ACTOR/COMEDIAN: Hi, how are you. How is it going.
BROWN: Welcome.
LEGUIZAMO: Thanks for having me.
BROWN: We should say you're going to be on our blog right now, along with Soledad.
LEGUIZAMO: I'm trying to multitask, but it's -- I can't...
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: You can't talk and do it?
(CROSSTALK)
BROWN: We'll give you a commercial break to get geared up. Join the conversation, CNN.com/campbell. When we come back, we're going to talk about the assimilation question. At what point do Latinos stop being hyphenated Americans and simply become Americans? Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Welcome back, everybody. As we count down to the premiere of CNN's "Latino in America" at the top of the hour, here is something to think about. The Pew Hispanic Center predicts by the year 2025, close to 30 percent of all American kids will have some Latino ancestry. For this generation and the next, assimilation is one of the biggest issues that they are facing. And we want to talk about that right now with our special guests, Soledad O'Brien, John Leguizamo who's just joined us, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Cristina Perez and Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen as well, all joining us now.
Soledad, the name Garcia now among the top 10 last names...
O'BRIEN: Number eight in America.
BROWN: It's number eight?
LEGUIZAMO: In America.
(CROSSTALK) O'BRIEN: A metaphor for what's happening in the country.
BROWN: Listen to Valentina Garcia. She's talking about trying to balance her two cultures. Listen to what she says.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VALENTINA GARCIA: I think I struggle with my identity. Here in the States, I sometimes feel like, you know, where do I fit in here in terms of trying to represent myself as a Latina? When I go back to Mexico or when I go back to Chile, I sometimes feel like I'm not Latina enough for them. I'm not enough for them, I'm not enough for them. Who -- who am I?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEGUIZAMO: So true.
BROWN: John, listen, what do you think about when you hear what she says?
LEGUIZAMO: I mean, I know exactly how she feels. It's that being in between worlds...
BROWN: Navigating between...
LEGUIZAMO: I always felt like that. I always felt like when I'm here, you know, I wasn't really like everybody else. You know, we were the first Latin family on our block. We were like pioneers. And you know, it was rough going. I got beat up a lot and everything. And then when I go to Latin America, you know, I...
BROWN: You're too American.
LEGUIZAMO: I'm too gringo. (SPEAKING SPANISH), and everybody, you know, picking on you there. So you're like caught in between these two worlds, and the only people you really, really relate to are the people like her, that understand that you've got to navigate these two worlds, and you're never going to fit completely. And that's not a bad thing either, because it gives you this great perspective, this great -- a lot of artists have always been outsiders, and that's a good thing.
BROWN: You've heard this from a lot of people, the struggle.
O'BRIEN: Absolutely. And you know what's interesting to me, when I would go and report this story, people would come to me and say, ah, Soledad, I knew with that name, you're one of us and you're here to tell our stories. And it was so interesting, because, you know, my mother is Cuban. My Spanish is awful. I couldn't do interviews. I could understand, but I couldn't do the interviews in Spanish, a source of huge frustration to me. And yet at the same time, while you feel pulled by two cultures, you also feel very much embraced overall.
I don't think necessarily people want to lose the hyphen. LEGUIZAMO: No, you don't.
O'BRIEN: Latino American...
BROWN: Right.
O'BRIEN: I really don't think people are trying to shed that. I think it's kind of cool to embrace it.
LEGUIZAMO: I think we're a little different than all the previous immigration groups, that -- first of all, they were of a white persuasion, whether they were Jewish, Italian. I mean, at some point, you could the name and lie and everybody would believe you.
When you're a Latin person, you can see that we're all part Indian, part black, and we've got, you know, it's all a different variety, Starbucks coffee version, you know, whatever you want a little extra, Indian a little less, whatever. And so you can't blend. You can't really say I'm white. They are not really going to believe you. So you have to own that. And we (inaudible) all of America -- North America, so we're not going to just fade in and blend in. I think it's a beautiful marriage of the two that's going to have to happen.
BROWN: Congresswoman, talk about the numbers a little bit, because what -- a majority, Latinos will become -- if the numbers hold -- the majority in this country by the middle of this century.
ROS-LEHTINEN: And that may be a frightening statistic for some. It may be a startling one, but for us, I think that it -- (inaudible) -- but I think that it shows the great diversity of America. And I agree with John and Soledad. And, by the way, I can give you Spanish lessons if you'd like.
O'BRIEN: Call me later.
(CROSSTALK)
ROS-LEHTINEN: OK, (SPEAKING SPANISH).
(CROSSTALK)
ROS-LEHTINEN: But the thing is that we're all so proud, even whether you got off the boat yesterday, or you've been here five generations, 10 generations, we're proud of our ancestry and our roots and our culture, and even if your Spanish is lousy, we just feel a great sense of pride. And it doesn't mean that we're standoffish or we're exclusive or we want to be with our own, but I think it has a lot to do with pride.
And I know that folks get scared with these -- with these numbers rising, but don't worry. We're not out to get you. We want to be part of the group, but we're still proud of who we are.
(CROSSTALK)
LEGUIZAMO: If we wanted to get you, we would have already got you.
(LAUGHTER)
BROWN: Mr. Mayor, is it important...
(CROSSTALK)
BROWN: ... is it necessary to assimilate any more as many of the previous generations, not just Latino but across the board, felt it was?
VILLARAIGOSA: I think everybody can relate to a lot of what you just heard, feeling like you're in two different worlds. And I think that was, for me that was particularly true when I was younger. Over time, I got comfortable in both worlds. I feel like I can transcend, and I think a lot of us feel that way, frankly.
My mother raised us to always be thankful what a great country we lived in, but to be proud of where we came from, and we always carried that gratitude but also that pride. And there's nothing wrong with that. People are proud to be Americans and proud of their Italian, Greek ancestry. That is something that is not endemic to any one community, and it's one that I think we all share in the Latino community as well.
O'BRIEN: One of the stories we do in the documentary is to focus on Pico Rivera, California, a community with an interesting history that has now really become this, you know, a place that people aspire to go. And as I'm driving through Pico Rivera with a guy who is like the PR person in the town, 92 percent Latino, American flags up and down, like you cannot imagine. And I mean, it almost looked like everybody that morning had run out and...
(CROSSTALK)
LEGUIZAMO: They saw you coming.
O'BRIEN: And you say, you know, so for people who have this sense that somehow being Latino means that you're pushing away your American culture, my mother...
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: Where did I get these Americans from? Meaning her kids, you know? And I'm like, you moved here from Cuba and you had us. I think Latinos very easily embrace both.
VILLARAIGOSA: That's a great point.
PEREZ: It's a cultural balancing act.
BROWN: Go ahead, Cristina.
VILLARAIGOSA: That's a great...
PEREZ: It's the cultural -- I'm sorry, it's the cultural balancing act. My parents are from Colombia. I was born in the United States. I was raised in the Mexico. Now I'm married to a crazy Nuyorican. So I'm confused at home all the time. But for me, it's the cultural balancing act, the identity act. I think we can't deny who we are because it is our core identity. When people ask me, what are you? I'm a -- you can call me whatever you want. Well, not whatever you want, but I'm an American. I'm a Latina. I was born in the United States as a Latina. It is part of who I am. And I live in the greatest country in the world that lets me live in both cultures simultaneously and comfortably. So it's something that you learn, how to be when you're a working parent and take care of kids.
BROWN: All right. Everybody, stand by if you can. We want to talk about whether this country is making progress overcoming stereotypes and discrimination. That's next. And John, Soledad, and CNN producer Rose (ph) are saying -- are online. Right, you're blogging? You're blogging.
LEGUIZAMO: I'm trying to blog.
O'BRIEN: We're working on it.
(CROSSTALK)
LEGUIZAMO: We're multitasking.
BROWN: Right now at CNN.com/campbell. Check it out. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: We are less than 10 minutes away from the world premiere of a CNN prime-time event, "Latino in America," and we continue with CNN special correspondent Soledad O'Brien. Also with us right now, actor John Leguizamo, who's busy blogging away over there. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, TV Judge Cristina Perez, and Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida joining us as well.
To all of you, we have here an actor, two politicians, two television hosts. Let's take a look at some of the other people we talked to for "Latino in America." Look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LUPE ONTIVEROS, ACTOR: I'm Lupe Ontiveros, and I'm an actor.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm an attorney.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a full-time student.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm a teacher.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a magician.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a chef.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a TV producer here in Los Angeles. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a project manager at an architectural firm.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm a realtor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a city council member from the great city of Long Beach.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've washed dishes, I've cleaned bathrooms. Musician now. Sticking to that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a Lay Ecclesial minister.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm a songwriter, I'm a record producer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm studying to be a doctor.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm a writer. I'm a mommy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I'm Latina.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Mr. Mayor, answer this for me. Is this what we are seeing right now? Is this the new normal? Have stereotypes -- has that been put to rest?
VILLARAIGOSA: I don't know if stereotypes have been put to rest. There are still many people with stereotypes. But I think more and more, people are accepting of the diversity in America, the diversity in the Latino community. Not all of us are from the same country, not all of us speak Spanish, not all of us are recently arrived. Some of us, as in my case, grandpa got here 100 years ago. We all have different political ideologies. There is no one stereotype, if you will, of the Latino or Latina.
BROWN: Let me throw a poll up, Congresswoman, and get your take on this. We asked people in a poll recently, when they see a Latino, are they likely to think this person was born in the U.S. or an immigrant. And only 38 percent still say born in the U.S. 49 percent say they think that this person is an immigrant. Do you think that that plays into discrimination...
O'BRIEN: The real numbers are 70 percent. Seven out of 10 Latinos are born in this nation. So that number is just so completely off. Yeah.
BROWN: What do you think?
ROS-LEHTINEN: Well, there's still discrimination, there's no doubt. There is still a lot of prejudice. But the truth is, that when you look at the classes that are being offered to become U.S. citizens, they are chock full, there's a waiting list. When you look at classes for people to sign up to learn English, there is also a long waiting list. So Hispanics are proud of their roots, but yet they understand that they need to learn English. They want to get ahead. They want to be patriotic Americans. So you're going to get a lot of discrimination. That's difficult to overcome. But education is the key. That's why I'm so glad you started the program talking about the alarming high school dropout rates, and that we really need to fix that. Education is the great equalizer in this great country.
BROWN: John, where are you on this?
LEGUIZAMO: Well, I think the stereotypes, I mean, are prevalent. I think Hollywood maintains a lot of stereotypes and continues to -- I don't know, doesn't really embrace what we all -- all that Latin people have to give and really doesn't change. I think when I go to L.A. -- I'm sorry, Mayor -- I feel like a little bit I'm in South Africa a little bit. I mean, all the people that I hang out with who are successful are white, and all the people that are serving them are Latin. And then I don't see a lot of executives who are of color, or minority or Latin. And it's very weird to me. And then I come back to New York City, and I go, ah, my people are everywhere, in different positions, different economic groups, all over the place, and people -- black people and Latin, they are all in different, mixed together with white people and we're having a great time. And when I go to L.A., it's much more apartheid. I don't know, Mayor, how do you feel about -- yes.
BROWN: Let me ask the mayor to respond to that.
VILLARAIGOSA: Yes, actually, John, we have the largest black middle class and the largest Latino middle class in the United States of America, on both counts. No city in America, not New York, not Chicago, has a larger Latino or black middle class than the city of Los Angeles or...
LEGUIZAMO: Where are they?
VILLARAIGOSA: Well, they are all over the county. But look, having said that, that doesn't mean that there still isn't a lot of work to do. It doesn't mean that -- we started out earlier talking about the need to educate our kids, to give them the tools that they need to be successful. We need to grow -- continue to grow that middle class, without question. But on both counts, we actually have the largest middle class in the United States of America, both groups.
LEGUIZAMO: I mean, the reason I brought it up is because Hollywood is the one that puts out images, and images are what kids take in. Images from movies, from television.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Which reinforce.
LEGUIZAMO: That's how we -- kids confuse with (ph) your (ph) dreamscape. And when I was growing up and there was lack of Latin role models and idols, it was really hard. You felt unconnected to the future in this country.
BROWN: All right. Stay with us. So much to talk about. We're going to be right back. "Latino in America" starts in just about two minutes. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: I want to thank all our guests tonight. Mr. Mayor, Congresswoman, Cristina, John, of course, and Soledad. "Latino in America" starts right now.
