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Disappearing Northwest Pilots Grounded; Michael Jackson's Final Film

Aired October 28, 2009 - 15:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Coming at you now: five people arrested for that gruesome rape of a teenaged girl outside a high school dance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The student was gang raped for two-and-a- half-hours from 9:30 to midnight.

GRIFFIN: What does the victim's age have to do with how this case will be handled?

Grounded by the FAA, licenses revoked for two Northwest pilots who were not doing their jobs, instead, doing what investigators call -- quote -- "a frolic of their own." So, are we any closer to knowing what exactly that frolic was?

Michael Jackson's final hours in film, but some believe that's not the real king of pop. Tom O'Neill dishes on the movie debut.

You spent millions of dollars to avert a catastrophe like this.

FIDELIS LEOTA, LEONE VILLAGE CHIEF: No warning at all. And we just...

GRIFFIN (on camera): That's why people died.

LEOTA: That's why people died.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): A CNN special investigation.

Your newscast for Wednesday, October 28, 2009, starts now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: Hello, everybody. I'm Drew Griffin, again sitting in for Rick Sanchez today.

Let's get right to it. And, as always, let's get you involved. Remember, you can Twitter us, MySpace us, do whatever you want. Here I go, out on a limb.

You have probably not received the H1N1 vaccine yet. I know lots of people have, but they likely waited in long lines, or they are schoolchildren, or they happened to live near initial distribution points. And their numbers, nowhere near the amount of the people who wanted it.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hoped that we would have gotten a lot more by now or at least the nasal spray. They say they needed 40 million doses of flu vaccine by the end of October. It is the end of October. How many are there? Well, the CDC says about 22 million doses are available for shipment.

We don't know exactly how many have actually been administered. Here's another estimate. CDC says their 40 million doses goal, well, it's just not going to be realized.

More likely, on October 16, the CDC estimated about 28 million to 30 million doses, which is why this sentiment is growing, and growing fast, many saying we're just not prepared. This flu emergency, this national emergency declared by the president, people in positions of power to prepare, well, they didn't, early warning not early enough, detection inadequate.

And now we see a scramble for the vaccine that some say should have been in place already. But don't -- don't listen to me. Several members of our Congress are saying exactly that. And forget politics. It's coming from both sides.

Congresswoman Yvette Clarke chairs the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, Science and Technology.

A lot on your plate, Congresswoman, but did I get it right about this flu thing?

REP. YVETTE CLARKE (D), NEW YORK: You got it right, Drew. We have got a lot of work to do, and in short order.

GRIFFIN: So, what is going to be done in short order and what's going to be done long-term? Are you holding anybody's feet to the fire up there?

CLARKE: Well, a lot of real detailed information came out in our hearing yesterday. I both HHS and DHS know the task ahead of them. And we will be following through with our oversight to make sure that it gets done.

New technologies must be developed and deployed to make sure that we can get vaccines done much more efficiently and effectively in the future. And the future is now. We're talking about H1N1 today, but we could -- we're also talking about seasonal influenza. And it could be other harmful agents that enter into our human stream.

So, we're looking at really advancing technology. Right now, we're in the an antiquated mode of doing flu, influenza development and vaccination through egg production, through the eggs, through eggs. And it's ineffective. It's not as effective as it would be if we were to move to cell-based production.

GRIFFIN: Congresswoman, this is what you said yesterday: "Our early warning and detection systems were inadequate. Some key planning activities were incomplete. We don't have a good approach to provide health care under pandemic conditions. And levels of preparedness for pandemic influenza were unclear."

That sounds a lot like the statements related to FEMA after Katrina?

(CROSSTALK)

CLARKE: Yes, I can see how you can draw that reference.

Here, we have a sort of naturally occurring disaster, in the sense that, you know, we won't know exactly what a flu strain will be from year to year. We won't know the level of its intensity or what can come about.

But we have to prepare ourselves with the appropriate protocols in place, the type of collaborative efforts to make sure that each and every territory and state is plugged in and aware of how they will, one, be reimbursed for the occasions where the Stafford Act may be employed, and that is what has happened now that our president has made this a national emergency.

We have to make sure that FEMA is responsive in making sure that regulation is specific to pandemic influenza, and that is now in place. There is just a whole host of activity that we can't be caught flat-footed with. And, unfortunately, we believe that -- I believe that we were caught flat-footed on this one.

However, I do see, through the testimony yesterday, a lot of activity that I believe will be productive in moving us in the right direction.

GRIFFIN: Well, that's a lot of productive talk, but not a lot of productive shots in the arm or sniffs up the nose.

(LAUGHTER)

CLARKE: Yes. Unfortunately, the production of vaccine was a lot slower than they had anticipated. And that's the other thing.

Again, when we start looking at the expansion of modes of development of vaccine -- the technology is pointing toward cell-based development -- I think that we will not be caught in a situation where we are not certain as to the rate of growth of vaccine.

Sometimes, it can be slow. Sometimes, it can be fast. We overanticipated what the rate of growth would be for the H1N1 vaccine, and, again, overestimating it then put our whole plan out of whack, because we thought that it would have been a faster growth process.

GRIFFIN: Congresswoman, we certainly thank you for coming on. I want to ask you one more question that I know our viewers are asking the same thing...

(CROSSTALK)

CLARKE: Yes.

GRIFFIN: ... in this whole umbrella of health care. You support public health care, right?

CLARKE: Yes. Well, I support health care reform.

GRIFFIN: Uh-huh, health care reform, which means some kind of a government option, correct?

CLARKE: Yes. Well, I do -- yes, I believe that there should be a public option.

GRIFFIN: If the government can't get us a dang flu shot, why the heck should we trust the government with health care?

CLARKE: Well, let me just say this, that when we talk about a public option, we're talking about a health care system similar to one that we already -- that already exists.

So, no, we're not reinventing the wheel. We already have Medicare. We also have a VA health delivery system that has been very effective. So, I don't think that the public needs to be concerned about that. We're not reinventing the wheel.

As a matter of fact, there are new technologies that are being deployed in terms of health I.T. that will I think really take us to the next level in our ability to have an efficient health care delivery system.

So, I wouldn't want to put it in the same vein as the scientific research and development that goes into developing vaccine. That's something that we really need to concentrate our efforts on. I think that the public health option helps to quite a few things.

It keeps costs down, which is what all Americans want to see happen, not only for those who are uninsured, but for those who are already in the insurance market. It also enables competition, which is so very important, because, right now, people are at the behest of monopolies, essentially.

GRIFFIN: Right.

CLARKE: And whatever they offer or don't offer is what they have to take.

GRIFFIN: Congresswoman, thanks a lot.

(CROSSTALK)

CLARKE: So, I don't think it's a fair comparison.

GRIFFIN: It all sounds good, but we have still got people lined up wondering where their flu shot is this year. And I hope you can get to the bottom of it and at least get these things out there, OK?

(CROSSTALK)

CLARKE: You're absolutely right. And we're going to be pushing from this end. GRIFFIN: OK, good.

CLARKE: Now, thank you very much for having me.

GRIFFIN: Thanks. Thanks, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke. Thanks for coming on.

CLARKE: Yes. Thank you.

GRIFFIN: She was tough on them yesterday. And we were a little bit tough on her today, but we appreciate her coming on.

Well, let's go to our tease right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: During the two-and-a-half-hours that this crime was going on, several people came, saw what was going on, and either left and didn't report it to the police, or stayed and observed and in some cases participated in her gang rape.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: That's not only disgusting. It's sickening. What happened to those people, the bystanders who watched that horrific attack on a teenage girl and did nothing? And what does the young woman's age have to do with the next step in the legal process?

And how about this one? The FAA grounds those two Northwest pilots who overshot their destination. Will we ever know what really happened in the cockpit?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: People on our Twitter board are having fun with this one.

You know, the FAA said those two pilots of the Northwest flight, they were frolicking or something like that? Take a look at what we have on the board.

"Allowing use of personal computers and handheld devices by pilots during a flight is a disaster waiting to happen."

How about this one? "In all seriousness, having both pilots frolicking is worrisome. They seem to have a very nonchalant attitude towards jobs."

And this: "Frolic? That's a curious choice of words."

No surprise to most of anyone, but the FAA has revoked the licenses of the two Northwest Airlines pilots who failed to respond to radio messages for 91 minutes and overflew Minneapolis by 150 miles. They have 10 days to appeal.

But, look it, in a scathing letter, the FAA regional counsel, Eddie Thomas, accused the pilots of putting passengers and crew members in serious jeopardy while being -- quote -- and this is their quote -- "on a frolic of your own" -- end quote.

The nature of that frolic, the pilots told investigators they were on their personal laptop computers studying a new crew scheduling system and that they simply lost track of time.

But, judging from your tweets, a lot of people find that very, very hard to believe, as we just showed you. And, by the way, I have frolicked and I have worked on a laptop. I have never frolicked on a laptop.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEOTA: No warning all. And we just...

GRIFFIN: That's why people died.

LEOTA: That's why people died.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: You paid for it, but the warning system was never built, and dozens of lives were not saved. A CNN special investigation is next.

And police are on the lookout for a dangerous man last seen carrying an oxygen tank. Oh, did I mention he's maybe 70s or 80s? Wait until you hear why they're trying to find him. That's ahead in las "Fotos."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Ready for a strong statement?

People died in the American Samoa tsunami last month because other people wasted money, dragged their feet, and instead of preparing for an inevitable natural disaster, they dropped the ball. It's not me saying that. You just have to follow the money and to see it up close. You have to go to a ruined island, 4,000 miles away from the West Coast, and that's exactly what I did.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN (voice-over): On a Saturday morning, villagers in Leone, American Samoa, hold funeral mass for the 33rd victim of this tsunami. Outside the packed church, the village remains in ruins. A boy is still missing here.

One village over, flowers mark the spot where two more died.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They found the mom, and now they're still looking for the -- the daughter now.

GRIFFIN (on camera): Nobody sent out a warning?

FIDELIS LEOTA, LEONE VILLAGE CHIEF: No warning at all. And we just...

GRIFFIN: That's why people died.

LEOTA: That's why people died.

GRIFFIN: We decided to investigate why the United States government has sent millions and millions of dollars to this island to prepare for an emergency that they weren't prepared for.

(voice-over): Records show U.S. taxpayers have shelled out nearly $13 million in disaster-preparedness grants since 2003, and, yet, no sirens, no warning system, and 34 dead.

And, to our surprise, the highest ranking official here on this American territory, an island of 68,000 people, the governor, says there was a study but never a plan for a warning system.

GOV. TOGIOLA TULAFONO, AMERICAN SAMOA: I was trying to get verification of what happened to that application. But I wasn't able to get the definite information.

GRIFFIN (on camera): There is every reason to believe tsunami warning sirens should have been blaring at the time when people, unbeknownst to them, were sitting in the line of fire. True?

BIRDSALL ALAILIMA, FORMER AMERICAN SAMOA HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISER: True.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): This man says he has all the information the governor says he lacks. His name is Birdie Alailima. And he worked for the governor as Samoa's homeland security adviser. He was fired two years ago, in 2007.

Today, Birdie lives with his son in the U.S. And he insists he was testing and preparing the very warning system the governor seems to know little about.

And the siren system that -- that was being planned for Leone was going to be right up here.

GRIFFIN: Thirty or more towers, 30 or more sirens. Hit a button, and a tsunami warning siren blasts across the island.

(on camera): What you're saying is that the tsunami warning system should have been in place?

ALAILIMA: Yes.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): So what happened? Birdie says some of the money from U.S. taxpayers for Samoan homeland security went missing. He says the government of Samoa was using that money to pay salaries of what he calls extra personnel.

(on camera): You're speaking like a bureaucrat.

ALAILIMA: Well... (CROSSTALK)

GRIFFIN: When you say personnel put on the payroll, me, being from Chicago, think I'm rewarding my cronies with a job.

ALAILIMA: Well, in some ways, yes.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): Not just new jobs. U.S. Homeland Security investigators reported emergency money instead was being spent on fancy extras, like plasma TVs, expensive leather furniture, and government SUVs not used for emergencies.

So, the U.S. stopped the free money train. It froze the Samoan preparedness accounts.

TULAFONO: I'm not going to fault them for freezing the funds. I mean, these are federal funds. They have oversight responsibility. And they saw fit to freeze the funds.

GRIFFIN: Federal negotiators wanted the Samoans to pay back those misused funds before unfreezing the rest of the money.

TULAFONO: All I'm saying to you is that we have tried to work with them, and we have tried to get some partial releases. But, so far, it hasn't -- hasn't happened.

GRIFFIN (on camera): A federal official in position to know calls the governor's statement nonsense. American Samoa was asked to pay back just some of the money it misused. The government here and the governor refused. And the tsunami siren system was stopped.

(voice-over): When we asked the governor's office about that, a spokesman declined to comment. Thirty-four dead, $13 million in U.S. taxpayer aid, and now CNN has learned the FBI is looking at why Samoa's tsunami warning systems were never built.

In fact, since 1995, the U.S. has sent $2 billion to American Samoa, that while the U.S. officially describes American Samoa as -- quote -- "high risk" for receiving federal funds.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: And that is just the start of the story. The rest tonight on "A.C. 360" at 10:00 Eastern time. I'm going to slow you all the money, where it didn't go, and what it's not doing for the people of American Samoa.

It's the move everyone is talking about, Michael Jackson's last performance released to the public. What does it say about his health before his death? Tom O'Neill from "In Touch Weekly" is here today. He's seen it.

And the man at the center of a racially charged incident at a Cracker Barrel restaurant is granted by the bond, but he's still sitting in jail. We're going to explain that for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Michael Jackson's final work hit movie theaters around the world today.

"This Is It" goes to show that art moves faster than life. Let's check in on the investigation into Jackson's death, not as swift or as simple as an episode of "CSI." Remember all the hubbub about an imminent arrest in this case? Well, it's been a little more than four months now since Jackson died at his rented mansion and two months to the day since the L.A. coroner stamped the case a homicide caused by acute propofol intoxication.

Jackson's personally doctor, Conrad Murray, remains the focus of that investigation, He has not been charged. Snail's pace, though, isn't unusual when it comes to these celebrity deaths, case in point, Anna Nicole Smith. She had been dead for two years before charges were filed against her boyfriend, Howard K. Stern, and two doctors.

And, today, more than two-and-a-half years after Smith overdosed on at least nine different medications, the court is trying to determine if there is enough evidence to try that trio for allegedly funneling prescription drugs to Smith.

Celebrity controversy never dies, though. If you're plopping down $10 to see "This Is It," are you really getting what it is, Michael Jackson? Can you tell? We're going to ask "In Touch Weekly"'s Tom O'Neill next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Well, you can't get your swine flu shot, but you're not blaming the government yet, at least not those folks that are sending in their Twitters to our Twitter page.

We were talking about it at the top of the show, how the government has failed to bring in swine flu in adequate numbers, the vaccine. Here's what Al Martinez wrote: "Blame no one for the flu shot. There simply wasn't enough time to grow a vaccine between discovery and flu season."

And how about Ratat? "Yeesh! Obama can't perform magic. Do you know what it takes too create a vaccine? He can't make them come out of thin air."

Guys, I just can't imagine what you would all be writing if President Bush was still in the office and we don't have swine flu shots.

(LAUGHTER)

GRIFFIN: Now the last days of the king of pop -- the movie documenting Michael Jackson's rehearsals for what would have been his farewell tour opened in theaters around the world overnight.

CNN's Kareen Wynter caught the premiere of "This Is It" in Los Angeles. Here's that report. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When the king of pop died suddenly on June 25, countless variables were thrown into question, including what to do with more than 50 hours of rehearsal footage shot for his sold-out London concert dates.

An all-out bidding war resulted with Sony Pictures Entertainment paying a whopping $60 million for the right to turn the video into "Michael Jackson's This Is It," a behind-the-scenes documentary-style film of the singer's last days on stage.

(on camera): What's tonight mean to you, being here?

JERMAINE JACKSON, BROTHER OF MICHAEL JACKSON: Tonight means everything. The whole tragic thing was -- is just a big buildup. But this was -- it's going to show the humane side to him and to show people what he was prepared to do.

PAULA ABDUL, SINGER/CHOREOGRAPHER: It's an important movie to see, because, even though Michael would never want anyone to see him, like, halfway rehearse, but he gave full-out even during rehearsals.

KENNY ORTEGA, DIRECTOR/CHOREOGRAPHER: Absolutely no body doubles, and it's all Michael. And it's unguarded and raw and real. And he's beautiful.

WYNTER: From director Kenny Ortega, the Jackson's brothers, those closest to the late superstar, were all on hand for this historic event. My producer and I also snagged tickets. We're about to go in to check out the film.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

WYNTER (voice-over): Immediately following the packed screening, crowds of Jackson fans, friends and family made their way to the after-party.

MICHAEL BEARDEN, MUSICIAN: Michael really would have loved the response that the audience gave. They laughed in places that I didn't think they were going to laugh, they cried, and they applauded. It was wonderful.

JERMAINE JACKSON, MICHAEL JACKSON'S BROTHER: It's kind of hard for me at times, but if I keep this with me at all times...

WYNTER (on camera): Tell me what that is.

JACKSON: It's a token of my brother. I keep it in my pocket all the time. You know? It's M.J. right here.

WYNTER (voice-over): Kareen Wynter, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: The "Los Angeles Times" reporting that fans bought nearly $2 million worth of tickets just to last night's late showing of "This Is It." And that's in the U.S. and Canada. That's considered a good haul for an opening night on a school night.

Well, our favorite gossip guru, Tom O'Neil, senior editor of "In Touch Weekly," saw "This Is It" at last night's premier in New York.

Tom, I've got to ask you -- all I have seen is reviews from people who love Michael Jackson. I mean, how can this be any good at all? It's just a bunch of outtakes, right? They weren't planning to make a movie.

Is it good?

TOM O'NEIL, SENIOR EDITOR, "IN TOUCH WEEKLY": I think it's fantastic.

GRIFFIN: Really.

Let's quote Roger Ebert, who's not a Michael Jackson fan especially. He says it's extraordinary. "USA Today" gives it three out of four stars.

It's two hours of music. There's not a lot of narrative here. But it showcases Michael in a way -- in such an honest way that we've never seen. We all know that stars show hissy fits, for example, behind the stage. The courage of this documentary is we see Michael throwing his hissy fits and then catching himself, and then turning to the dancers and the musicians and saying, in a way, I'm sorry, it's all about love -- L-O-V-E.

The audience laughs as this stuff goes on because it's all portrayed very affectionately.

GRIFFIN: Is it weird in any way to be up there watching what essentially is a dead man? Does it feel uncomfortable at all?

O'NEIL: It really does, especially when certain things resonate to us with different meaning now.

For example, there were rumors before Michael died that he was estranged from his brothers. Well, there's a moment in this documentary, right after he does a Jackson 5 song, where he names each of his brothers from the Jackson 5 and says, "I love you." It's very poignant and very weighted considering the gossip at the time.

GRIFFIN: Yes. Speaking the gossip at the time, the gossip over the pond is from Joe Jackson, his dad, who said some of this movie isn't Michael Jackson at all.

O'NEIL: Yes. He really raised a stink over this. And what's very odd about this, Drew, is that there are reports from "The Chicago Sun Times" is that Joe's over there in London introducing screenings of this for money.

GRIFFIN: I'm shocked. I'm absolutely shocked.

(LAUGHTER)

GRIFFIN: You're kidding me. Joe Jackson is profiting off his child?

O'NEIL: As he's raising suspicions in this movie that body doubles were used. A lot of people did that. Some of the fans did too.

But it's very clear when you watch it that it's Michael. That camera is in his face, it's all over him. And what's significant about the fact that they didn't use body doubles -- now, they may have here and there for transition shots, but for 99 percent of this movie you can tell that it's Michael.

And why that's important, because, remember, they use body doubles in real movies all time. But we want to know, how fit was Michael before he died? Could he have done those 50 concerts? A lot of gossip-meisters say, absolutely not. He was so feeble and he was so sick, he couldn't do it. But we see a very robust and dynamic Michael Jackson in this film.

GRIFFIN: Bottom line, if you don't love Michael Jackson, you're not one of these crazy fans who's going to run out there and see the midnight showing or anything, does it have any value for the average viewer just to go and take a look at?

O'NEIL: If you're not a Michael Jackson fan, but still really like the music, it's beautifully rendered in this film. You're moved by the orchestrations and the rest of it. If you don't care, no, there's no great story here. It's not amazing in that way. But in this era of reality TV, because that's the whole direction of show business, this is the ultimate reality experience right now.

GRIFFIN: And it comes across as like a documentary about a concert?

O'NEIL: Yes. It's all the footage. You'll see one song. For example, they may show "Smooth Criminal." And they'll cut back and forth between three or four different rehearsals of him doing the same numbers, and it's clever how they do it.

GRIFFIN: Yes. Clever, and they did it quick, didn't they? This is really amazing, just looking at how fast they put this thing together.

O'NEIL: Yes, it really is.

GRIFFIN: Tom O'Neil, we'll be in touch. Thanks a lot for being the preview of our movie-going this weekend.

O'NEIL: Thanks.

GRIFFIN: Well, this crime itself is horrific enough, but when you hear that young people stood by, watched, took cell phone pictures, some then joined in the rape of a 15-year-old girl, it defies logic in a civilized society. Doesn't it? Now as the young girl recovers, will justice be served? Will anything be done to her attackers?

An interesting legal footnote you don't want to miss.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Big update on a story we told you about yesterday, that man accused in a vicious beating at a Cracker Barrel restaurant. Remember him? There he is right there.

He's out. He's free on a $320,000 bond. That's what the jail bonding office is telling CNN this afternoon.

The judge was still reviewing evidence against Troy Dale West Jr. when we went to air yesterday. Prosecutors accuse West of brutally beating Tasha Hill.

She is an Army Reservist, and she was beaten right in front of her 7-year-old daughter. They say that that man yelled racial slurs while punching and kicking her.

West had been in jail since September. A grand jury indicted him of aggravated assault, first-degree cruelty to children, and battery.

Now that he's out of jail, West must wear an ankle monitor, surrender his passport, stay out of Clayton County, Georgia, except for his court appearances. The FBI is also investigating the case. This could be a possible hate crime. And Cracker Barrel has already banned this guy from all its restaurants for the rest of his life.

Well, you know what doesn't help when you're trying to fix a bridge? Wind. Now an American landmark has shut down.

It's in "Fotos," next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: What's neat about this Twitter, you can find out people are thinking exactly what you're thinking at exactly the same time.

Take a look at what ConHake wrote about that Cracker Barrel story. I was thinking this, too.

"Cracker Barrel banned him? Does that mean that he has to show them ID? I haven't done that lately at a Cracker Barrel. What, are they going to have the guy's picture up at the door?"

And then we have -- let's see, if I can move down -- PochaccoYoly. "For a documentary" -- obviously talking about Michael Jackson -- "it was awesome. Took me back to 1982, when I was five."

I don't know how to say your name, but you just made me feel very, very old.

Well, it's time for what Rick calls "Las Fotos Del Dia."

In school we were all taught about NASA, the Apollo missions and space travel. But do you think when teachers begin their lessons to future generations, students might ask, shuttles? What are those?

Here's why in "Fotos."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Testing concepts for the future of new rocket design.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: Isn't that cool? You're looking at what could very well be the next generation of space travel. It's the Ares 1-X. It successfully lifted off from Florida today.

The unmanned rocket stands 327 feet tall. That's about twice of the space shuttle. This launch was only a test. NASA hopes to use it to eventually replace the space shuttle.

And move over Bonnie and Clyde. There's a bank robber on the loose. We call him "Grandpa Bandit." Why? Look at him.

Police believe this man may be around 70 years old, maybe older. He strolls up to the teller, gives them a note demanding money, and then simply walks away. Police say he has held up several banks and has even had his oxygen tank in tow for some of those heists.

Really? Really.

And imagine driving home from work, minding your own business, when a 5,000-pound piece of steel falls from the sky. That i9s exactly what happened to several drivers on San Francisco's Bay Bridge, including the guy who sent us this iReport.

Two of the bridge's massive cables snapped in strong winds, sending the debris crashing on to the span. Three cars damaged. Luckily, nobody seriously hurt.

The bridge though is closed, and that's a biggie in San Francisco. The winds have hampered crews trying to repair the damage and figure out what happened. Federal crews have been sent in to repair it.

This is a real deal. U.N. workers killed during an ambush in Afghanistan. And CNN cameras dangerously close.

We're going to have that for you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Incredible and, quite frankly, disturbing video out of Afghanistan, just 10 days before the crucial presidential election runoff, and the Taliban seem hell-bent to stop it. This morning, United Nations workers directly in the line of fire.

Our Chris Lawrence was very close to the scene in Kabul when the Taliban struck. Here's what he saw and heard.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(GUNFIRE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: This is right off Chris' balcony. Militants stormed a guest house filled with United Nations workers. Five of them were killed, including one American.

We've also got more video to show you from the attack. This is from ITN's Nick Paton Walsh.

As Nick Paton Walsh explains, that a suicide bomber detonated his explosive just outside the courtyard, the blast allowed militants entry into the complex. He also says he spoke to an American contractor who had to fend off other attackers with an AK-47. It took police a whole hour to show up. The assault on the guest house went on for two hours.

Last week, we brought you "LATINO IN AMERICA," but for our sister network, CNN en Espanol, the coverage doesn't stop there. In fact, today, it goes beyond our hemisphere in our "Conexion" segment. Patricia Janiot connects us with stories of immigrant scientists keeping a watchful eye on our atmosphere. Guests tonight on CNN en Espanol: a Nobel Prize winner in chemistry.

Interesting story.

PATRICIA JANIOT, ANCHOR, CNN EN ESPANOL: Amazing. Amazing story, Drew. Thank you so much.

We are interviewing tonight, Mario Molina. He was a chemistry Nobel Prize in 1995 and he was one of three who discovered the hole in the ozone layer. He tells us how he, as a boy, he was so interested in chemistry. He got this microscopic set as a present, as a birthday present, and he studied, experimented and ever since then, he discovered like this all new world. When he went to look at a lettuce a piece of lettuce had stayed in his mom's kitchen for a few days, he said to himself, "I'm going to be a chemist."

So, he started studying chemistry engineering in Mexico. He graduated there. He moved to Germany to do his master's -- to get his master's degree and then he moved to the University of Berkeley in California to do his PhD on chemistry. Then he moved to the University of Irvine, and then there, he decided to join this investigative group to ask themselves a question: what would happen to the industrial chemicals that went to the atmosphere, those chemicals used in the industry of air-conditioning and refrigerators, the so- called CFCs, the chlorofluorocarbons?

And he was describing that these are gases, very stable, and they were curious to know what would happen once they are u[ there. So, he explained to us how, when they get in contact with the sunlight, these molecules become devastating to the ozone because they start like this process of destroying all the ozone atoms. And at the beginning they published their article in the British magazine "Nature," and nobody believed. And finally, a few years afterwards and many experiments, they said...

GRIFFIN: Believed and they gave him the Nobel Prize.

JANIOT: On top of that. And they started this movement to -- I mean, for the world to be aware of the atmosphere. I mean, taking care of the planet.

GRIFFIN: All right. And that's tonight at...

JANIOT: Nine o'clock Eastern Time. We have a half hour special with Mario Molina. Thank you so much.

GRIFFIN: OK. Thank you very much. Look forward to seeing that tonight.

JANIOT: Thank you.

GRIFFIN: Thank you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLES RAMSEY, SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER: The student was gang raped for two and a half hours, from 9:30 to midnight. And so, I'm certain of that, that there was no surveillance done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: It's so hard to hear this over and over again. A horrific crime, why wasn't high school security able to prevent a student from being gang raped? And even more disturbing, why did some people just stand by and watch? We're drilling down on that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: There have been more arrests in Richmond, California, in connection with that shocking rape. Three people were taken into custody just late yesterday. That brings the total up to five. Police though say as many as 10 people, adults and teenagers, may have participated in the rape of that 15-year-old girl outside her high school homecoming dance as her dad was coming to pick her up, but maybe even more shocking than that other people watched, a lot of people watched, and did nothing.

Here's CNN's Dan Simon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For two and a half hours, police say she was repeatedly raped and beaten -- two and a half hours. And it happened right under the noses of police officers, teachers, school administrators and other adults hired to make sure Richmond High School's homecoming dance went off without incident.

What happened? How could everyone have missed a gang rape happening on school grounds on their watch?

(on camera): As far as you know, nobody walked around outside of the school to see if anything was happening?

RAMSEY: Well, obviously didn't because this student was gang raped for two and a half hours, from 9:30 to midnight. And so, I'm certain of that, that there was no surveillance done.

SIMON: Here's what we know: the dance took place inside the high school gym, and the victim left around 9:00 p.m. to be picked up by her father. Instead, a friend asked her to walk with him towards a back alley on the other side of school, and that's apparently where they were greeted by others with alcohol.

You can still see the remnants of some crime scene tape. This is where the people involved would have gained access to this area. Normally, this fence right here is closed. We are told that everybody would have had to jump over this fence, and this is where the alleged rape took place back in this area where you see those picnic tables.

(voice-over): The area has no lights, no surveillance cameras, either. They had been ordered but not installed yet.

RAMSEY: As the duly elected official, I'm going to share in the responsibility and say that we probably could have done better.

SIMON: And if what happened here couldn't get any more troubling, listen to this...

LT. MARK GAGAN, RICHMOND POLICE: What we also know is that during the 2 1/2 hours that this crime was going on, several people came, saw what was going on, and either left and didn't report it to the police, or stayed and observed, and in some cases, participated in her gang rape.

SIMON: The victim found unconscious was hospitalized with non- life-threatening injuries as a community wonders how a high school homecoming could have turned into such madness.

Dan Simon, CNN, Richmond, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: And the investigators think as many as two dozen people saw the rape and did nothing to stop it or even call the police. What's going on?

Tamara Holder, a criminal defense attorney, is joining from Chicago.

And, Tamara, I wanted to start with the people who are watching. We know the people who actually took part in this, hopefully, will be charged, convicted and sent away so they never do this again. But is there any responsibility legally for the people who just watched?

TAMARA HOLDER, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Unfortunately, there is really not. We have this no snitch idea in our society, and that transfers over into our legal -- our legal community. What happens is, we have laws that prevent people in California from failing to report the crime of a 14-year-old, but if they are over 14 and this girl was over 14, then really, there's nothing we can do.

Now, maybe what will happen is, these kids who can't be charged to failing to report, maybe they took pictures. Maybe now they can be charged with possession of child pornography or something like that. I think that that's the way that the state can really charge people who can't be charged for just watching. That's the problem here.

GRIFFIN: And from what I understand, even if you see a crime of somebody under 14 or 14 and under and don't report it, it's kind of a slap on the wrist. It's a weak law.

HOLDER: Right. It's just a misdemeanor in the state of California, and that was created to protect the killing of a really, real young girl. So, it doesn't really apply to this case.

And going back to this no snitch theory, you know, we have a problem where -- where people don't report. People are afraid of the police. People are afraid of retaliation in their community. So, what do we do? We can't just create laws, unfortunately, to protect everybody for, you know, people who are watching a crime.

GRIFFIN: But really, I mean, Tamara...

HOLDER: It just doesn't work that way.

GRIFFIN: ... no snitch I don't think applies in this case. This is just -- this is just stepping out, calling the cell phone or doing something to say, "Hey, police, come here, police." This is beyond that.

HOLDER: No, disagree with you. I respectfully disagree with you. If you recall the Fenger High School case in Chicago here, they -- Jody Weis, I'm sorry, Jody Weis, our superintendent of police, he did not get one report from the community, not one person called to say they were witnessing the beating and killing of a kid. This is an epidemic in our country that people are failing to report because they are afraid, for whatever reason. It's a problem...

GRIFFIN: You think they are afraid or they just don't care?

HOLDER: I think they have to care. But there are these retaliations and people don't want a stigma. They don't want to face, you know, backlash in their community for telling on somebody else. I think that it's a really, real big problem.

I work in the inner city in Chicago. I see it every day. People watch crime go on day in and day out, and they fail to report it no matter how heinous it is. It's a problem. I don't condone it.

GRIFFIN: I would hate to live in any kind of community where telling the police that a 15-year-old girl is being gang raped is somehow seen as snitching. I guess that does happen, but I find it hard to believe.

HOLDER: It happens all the time.

GRIFFIN: And would I hope that some of these boys would grow up to be men and realize that.

I want to go to the -- I guess this e-mail board, the MySpace board. Can you guys take a look?

And listen to this, Tamara. "A hundred percent correct. Some of these kids are being raised with no conscience, zero, nada. It's disgusting. I blame the parents, and the video games that glorify violence against women."

You're in the criminal defense world. Do you buy any of that?

HOLDER: Of course, I do. Parents need to take more responsibility of their children. But if the parents aren't going to do it, we have to see more action in our schools. We have to get ahold of these kids in the classroom and educate them.

GRIFFIN: OK.

HOLDER: And that's why we send our kids to school.

GRIFFIN: Tamara, we've got to wrap it up right there.

HOLDER: Thanks.

GRIFFIN: We're going to toss over to Wolf Blitzer who is taking over. More information on this, of course, and crime stories at CNN.com. You can check out the Crime and Justice page that we have there.