Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
September 11 Suspects to be Tried in New York; Counterterror Seizures; Abortion and Health Care Reform
Aired November 13, 2009 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, good morning, guys. Thanks so much. That's right. A lot going on this morning. We begin with breaking news, in fact.
He's called himself the mastermind of 9/11. Now Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will face justice in the city he targeted.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've even, in some cases, when we get like good gusts of wind, we get little white caps out here at Bush and Alny.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Street corner storm surge. Tropical storm remnants are strong enough to whip up flooding and 70-mile-an-hour wind gusts.
And he's made three lists -- richest, most powerful, and most wanted. A new report on El Chappo and Mexico's drug war.
Good morning, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM. We do have an awful lot to tell you about this morning. Beginning with this breaking news.
Our Jeanne Meserve is talking about the story and five Guantanamo Bay detainees that will now be tried in the state of New York. We'll get to that.
Also, the Feds are moving to seize a skyscraper and four mosques in the same area in New York. Our Susan Candiotti is reporting on the possible links to Iran in that story.
And our Rob Marciano, of course, is tracking the storm that we've been talking about for days, it seems, now. Remnants of Ida, far more destructive now than it was when it was a tropical storm. We'll get to all this.
But first this morning, breaking news. Two hours from now Attorney General Eric Holder will announce five men with alleged ties to the 9/11 attacks, including the mastermind, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, will be tried in a civilian court in New York, not by a military commission.
Homeland Department correspondent Jeanne Meserve has been following this story and joins us now from Washington. Jeanne, good morning to you.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. You can expect a firestorm over this decision.
COLLINS: Yes.
MESERVE: As you say, Attorney General Eric Holder will announce later today that the confessed mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, will be moved from the prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to the southern district of New York where he will be tried in a civilian court.
Four other alleged conspirators will be moved there with him to face trial. Ramzi Binalshibh, Waleed bin Attash, Ali Abd al-Aziz Ali and Mustafa al-Hawsawi.
Some members of Congress have been vocally opposed to moving any Guantanamo detainees to the U.S., saying it will pose a security risk to the American people, and many, including former attorney general, Michael Mukasey, have opposed trying detainees in civilian courts.
He and others have questioned how a federal court can handle classified evidence. They'd prefer to see the detainees tried in military tribunals. But today President Obama in Japan insisted justice will be done.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am absolutely convinced that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will be subject to the most exacting demands of justice. The American people insist on it and my administration will insist on it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: Also today, sources say that the attorney general will announce that five other Guantanamo detainees will be sent to military commissions for trial, including the man who is believed to have plan the attack on the USS Cole.
You will recall that the administration had hoped to move all of the 215 or so detainees at Guantanamo out some time in January. They've already acknowledged that the deadline is likely to slip, deciding how to deal with them, where to put them and finding other countries to take them has proven to be a tremendous challenge, Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes. It has. And we've been talking about it, obviously, for a very long time here. Is there any way to know, Jeanne, at this point, if when we hear from Attorney General Eric Holder, if they will be discussing how they came to this decision?
MESERVE: Oh, I imagine he's going to be asked about that. As we understand it, there's been a pretty rigorous debate within the administration. I don't know how transparent they'll be about that, but certainly it will be a question that will be asked this morning. COLLINS: Yes. But we'll be watching closely. Thanks so much, our Homeland Security correspondent, Jeanne Meserve, this morning.
And a reminder, we will have live coverage of that announcement from Attorney General Eric Holder. It is scheduled for 11:00 Eastern, 8:00 a.m. Pacific.
Well, the White House has just confirmed its top lawyer, Greg Craig, is resigning. Democratic sources tell CNN Craig was forced out after senior White House aides became frustrated with how he handled plans to close Guantanamo Bay.
Craig advised President Obama to sign an executive order promising to shut the U.S. military prison down by the end of January, a deadline the White House now says probably will not be met.
We just talked about this with Jeanne Meserve a bit. The White House says Craig will be replaced by veteran Democratic lawyer Bob Bauer.
It could be the biggest seizure in what was once called the war on terror. Federal prosecutors are laying claim to $500 billion in assets including a skyscraper in Manhattan and several mosques around the country.
The reason? A Muslim group that owns them may be under the control of Iran's government.
Let's get details now from CNN's national correspondent, Susan Candiotti.
Susan, there is quite a long history here of these two groups that are at least in the building that we're talking about, the skyscraper in New York.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This goes back a number of years, Heidi. You're right, good morning.
This is an amended complaint filed by the feds late last year, initially. Prosecutors are moving to seize several properties, including a huge skyscraper near Rockefeller Plaza, citing alleged links to the Iranian government.
That 36-story office tower is owned by Iran's Alavi Foundation. Federal prosecutors charged the foundations and another group called the Assa Corporation are merely fronts to funnel revenue to Iran. Revenue that allegedly is paying for Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile program.
The complaint alleges rent and other money was transferred to Iran's largest bank called Bank Melli. The U.S. charges this is all part of a money laundering operation to bankroll Iran's Revolutionary Guard designated by the U.S. as a terrorist group.
Prosecutors are also trying to seize mosques in Maryland, Virginia, Texas, and California and New York. The Justice Department says this is a move against the Iranian landlords, not the mosques per se.
And a spokesman said the asset seizures have no bearing on tenants or worshippers. The buildings will remain open, but the Council on American Islamic Relations called the actions unprecedented and a possible violation of the First Amendment.
A lawyer for Bank Melli denied any wrongdoing and the imam for a New York mosque was not available for comment, Heidi. But this is going to go on for quite some time.
COLLINS: Yes. And as we said, there is quite a history here, too, as well, with these groups that have been looked at before, many, many years ago for similar reasons, correct?
CANDIOTTI: That's right, Heidi. And we're also going to be looking out today for any possible reaction from the U.N. mission for Iran. Because also this amended complaint indicates that some of the ambassadors, current and former, may have had a role in some of this operation, so waiting for reaction to that as well.
COLLINS: Understood. All right, Susan, we will stay with you to get the updates on that. Thanks so much.
Meanwhile, a leading Muslim group is voicing concern about the government's rare move to seize houses of worship. Here's a statement from the Council on American Islamic Relations.
CAIR national communications director Ibrahim Hooper said, quote, "As a civil rights organization, we are concerned that the seizure of American houses of worship could have a chilling effect on the religious freedom of citizens of all faiths and may send a negative message to Muslims worldwide."
Meanwhile, the 30-year rift between the U.S. and Iran shows no signs of easing. In a letter to Congress yesterday, President Obama says the diplomatic crisis declared during the Iranian Revolution has not ended.
The president writes this, "I have determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency declared on November 14th, 1979, with respect to Iran beyond November 14th, 2009."
There are new developments in the shooting rampage at Fort Hood this morning. Twelve of the victims are still hospitalized along with the accused shooter. The lawyer for Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan says he is paralyzed and apparently will never walk again.
Meanwhile, formal charges have been filed against him now and federal investigators say he apparently acted without any outside link to terrorism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANIEL BENJAMIN, STATE DEPT. COORDINATOR FOR COUNTERTERRORISM: Major Hasan, the principal -- the only suspect in this case, has been indicted today, I believe, with 13 counts of premeditated murder, and I believe that the various investigating bureaus have said that they have seen these e-mail messages to a radical cleric, but that they were not of sufficient concern to open up an investigation and there doesn't appear to be any linkage to any outside group in terms of the operation itself, in terms of the tragic events at Fort Hood. So that's really all we've got.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: This was Daniel Benjamin's first TV interview. And you can see all of it during Christiane Amanpour's namesake program "AMANPOUR." It airs on Sundays at 2:00 p.m. Eastern.
Streets flooded, roads and bridges out, schools and businesses closed. At least five people are also dead. That is the toll in the mid-Atlantic states as a storm moves up the coast. Look at that. The pounding rains and winds that have reached hurricane force gusts are remnants of tropical storm Ida.
The late-season storm made landfall along the Gulf Coast Tuesday, made a bigger impact in Virginia, now under a state of emergency. Obviously, reporters had to be out in it to try and do their jobs as well.
High tides and storm surges could still be a problem there, even as the storm moves on. More than 155,000 customers in Virginia and North Carolina are without power this morning.
I want to take you over to meteorologist Rob Marciano, who's been watching all of it.
Rob, obviously, the question I think is going to be how will the east coast storm continue to last? I mean, it's just lingering and lingering.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. It's been a really, really slow mover and that's been the ongoing issue, because we've seen these rains, wind, and waves pounding the same areas for hours on end and a couple of days at that.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: Yes. Good. OK. Rob, wow, thank you.
President Obama indicating the prominence of the U.S./Japanese relationship makes Tokyo the first stop of his Asia tour today. The president held talks with newly elected Yukio Hatoyama. One thing they talked about was Afghanistan, where Japan says it will extend up to $5 billion in civilian aid.
The leaders also talked about the U.S. plans to move one of its bases on Okinawa, which has generated a storm of protests among residents. And there was also a commitment to nuclear nonproliferation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) OBAMA: We are building a new international consensus to secure loose nuclear materials and strengthen the nonproliferation regime. And to that end, we discussed both North Korea and this situation in Iran, recognizing that it's absolutely vital that both countries meet their international obligations.
If they do, then they can open the door to a better future. If not, we will remain united in implementing U.N. resolutions that are in place and continuing to work in an international context to move towards an agenda of nonproliferation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: President Obama heads to Singapore tomorrow for a meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation group, APEC, so we'll make sure to be following that for you as well.
Tax dollars and abortion. It is a high-stakes issue in the health care debate now. Always a hot-button issue, but now we're talking about with health care as well. And the Catholic Church is flexing its muscle.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Taxpayer money paying for abortions. It's become a hot-button issue as Congress debates health care reform -- excuse me, and it threatens to overshadow everything else at stake.
As CNN's Tom Foreman reports, those who support restricting abortions are turning up the heat on lawmakers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the growing church/state war over abortion and the health bill, one target is Congressman Patrick Kennedy. He's Catholic and a Rhode Island bishop is suggesting that because he did not go along with the church anti- abortion effort in the health care reform bill, he should leave the faith.
REV. THOMAS J. TOBIN, BISHOP OF RHODE ISLAND: If you freely choose to be a Catholic, it means that you believe certain things, you do certain things. If you cannot do all that in conscience, then you should perhaps feel free to go somewhere else.
FOREMAN: At issue is a few pages in the massive bill, the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, which bans almost all abortion coverage for women who would enroll in the proposed public option.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a bipartisan amendment.
FOREMAN: In the House, groups against abortion rights threatened to bring the whole bill down if the amendment was not approved. Many lawmakers fought back, saying it would impose new abortion limits, but the majority swallowed hard and passed it anyway to keep the overall bill alive. REP. NANCY PELOSI (D), HOUSE SPEAKER: The bill is passed.
CECILE RICHARDS, PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA: Am I happy with that bill? Absolutely not.
FOREMAN: Now, Planned Parenthood and others are scrambling to make sure the idea is dropped in the Senate.
RICHARDS: In the end, we would be very hard-pressed to support any bill that had the Stupak amendment in it, because I think it's bad for American women.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: And this footnote now. Tom Foreman also says those who want abortion coverage kept out of the health care bill are still pushing hard. They're calling on church groups, especially Catholics, to lean on senators, a quarter of whom are Catholic themselves.
A civilian trial now for the confessed mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. Hear what our senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin has to say about it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Checking our top stories now.
Another arrest in a case involving crimes against children. We first told you about this yesterday. A 77-year-old Missouri man and his four sons are accused of sexually abusing the children of one of the sons for at least seven years, beginning in the 1980s. Last night, a man described as an associate of theirs was arrested. He is suspected of raping a child less than 14 years old.
The suspect in a murder case in Cleveland is being arraigned today. Anthony Sowell is charged with attempted murder, rape, kidnapping, and assault in an alleged attack on a 36-year-old woman in September. Police investigating that case searched Sowell's home and found the remains of 11 victims. So far, Sowell has been charged with five of those murders.
The chairman of the Republican National Committee has instructed the RNC's health insurance company to remove a provision that allows elective abortions. Michael Steele says money from donors should not be used for that purpose. The RNC says the coverage has existed since 1991.
More now on our breaking news this morning, that five 9/11 suspects will be tried in New York. That includes Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who has confessed to masterminding those attacks. Right now, he and the other four men are at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Want to bring in our senior legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin, now from New York to talk a little bit more about this. Jeff, we've talked about this for a very long time, how will this whole procession was going to play out and now we have an answer, at least for some of these cases? What are your thoughts about them going to civilian court instead of military tribunal?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Well, this is going to be an extremely difficult trial for the government. The evidence against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is certainly extensive, but it was collected in conditions that are difficult to use in an American courtroom.
Most importantly is the issue of torture. He was waterboarded 183 times. Certainly, his defense attorneys are going to say, this case should be thrown out for that reason. Or certainly the evidence should be thrown out.
What about how the other evidence was collected? It was collected, at least some of it, on a battlefield. Those are not conditions that you definitely know where -- what the chain of custody was. That's going to be difficult to prove.
Also, there's going to be an extremely emotional aspect to this, that that trial will take place in Foley Square in Manhattan...
COLLINS: That's right.
TOOBIN: ... which is just a few blocks from the World Trade Center.
COLLINS: It's unbelievable. Yes.
TOOBIN: Where all these people died. But you know, that's, in many ways, appropriate.
COLLINS: Yes.
TOOBIN: That's how the justice system is based. Crimes are tried where they took place. But there are going to be jurors drawn from the New York metropolitan area in this case.
COLLINS: Yes, interesting.
TOOBIN: What about security in this courthouse?
COLLINS: Yes. I mean there are two other states, obviously, that were affected as well. You know? I mean, Maryland, Washington, D.C., of course, for the Pentagon, and then Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the other planes crashed.
And as he has confessed to this masterminding of the attacks, there are legal problems with that confession, right?
TOOBIN: There are definitely legal issues. As I said, the waterboarding will certainly be number one. But just to continue about the issue of security. You know, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is the most wanted terrorist in the world. Everyone in the world is going to know precisely where he is at precisely one time.
The federal courthouse in Foley Square, you know, could become the focus of a great deal of interest from terrorists.
COLLINS: Yes.
TOOBIN: That's going to take a tremendous security effort. Now, it's important to remember, other terrorist -- important terrorism cases have been tried in that case.
COLLINS: Yes.
TOOBIN: The famous blind sheikh, Abdul Rahman. He was try there had. So this U.S. attorney's office, the Southern District of New York, has a lot of experience.
COLLINS: Yes.
TOOBIN: But certainly nothing as high-profile as this.
COLLINS: Sure. Yes. Nothing like this. Quickly, they will seek the death penalty, they will not? What are the thoughts on that?
TOOBIN: It's hard to imagine that they will not seek the death penalty for this case. I mean, this case will go slowly. There are a lot of steps. There are a lot of issues a judge is going to have to deal with. But you know, one question you're going to -- the prosecutors are going to certainly ask themselves is, if this case doesn't deserve the death penalty, what does?
And since we do have a federal death penalty, it's hard for me to imagine that killing 3,000 people is not something that's -- prosecutors are going to think is worthy of seeking his execution.
COLLINS: Yes. Very quickly, I'm just trying to picture when this trial begins. Is this something that victims' family members will be able to go and watch and be in the courtroom for these proceedings?
TOOBIN: I am certain that they will. Our criminal courts are open to the public. There is certainly a tradition of making them available to victims. I covered the Oklahoma City bombing case which, if you recall, took place in Denver. There was a change of venue.
COLLINS: Yes.
TOOBIN: They set up a video feed in Oklahoma City...
COLLINS: I was there, I remember, yes.
TOOBIN: So -- you remember that? So victims...
COLLINS: You can't have that many people there, I mean, yes.
TOOBIN: Right. Again, that's another legal issue here. Perhaps Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's lawyer will ask for a change of venue out of New York. It's not an unreasonable thing. Could that -- you know, might that succeed?
COLLINS: Yes.
TOOBIN: Where else could you have it? This case is not going to go to trial for a long time. I would say a year at the earliest, because there are so many complex issues.
COLLINS: And it's already been so long, too.
TOOBIN: That the judge and the lawyers will have to deal with.
COLLINS: Yes, no question.
TOOBIN: Yes, it has.
COLLINS: All right. Our senior legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin. Jeff, thanks so much.
And later on this morning, we will have live coverage of the announcement from Attorney General Eric Holder. That is scheduled for 11:00 Eastern, 8:00 a.m. Pacific. You're looking at Khalid Sheikh Mohammed there.
Well, he is a billionaire, more powerful than the presidents of Russia or France and there's a $5 million reward now for his capture. Meet one of Mexico's top drug lords.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: The Dow Industrials fell yesterday from the 13-month high, snapping a six-day winning streak.
Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange with a look at what dragged those markets lower, and then what is expected today.
Alison, good morning to you.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.
With energy shares leading the way down yesterday after a report showed a surprise jump in oil reserves. Investors also pulled their money out of the market because the Dow had rallied so much, so quickly, there's some concern about whether the rally can hold. But we could end the week on a positive note. We're going to get a key report on consumer confidence at the top of the hour, and we're going to hear whether people are feeling a bit better about the economy these days.
But Disney earnings are dazzling investors this morning. The media giant reports profit jumped 18 percent last quarter. That's more than analysts were expecting. Disney says syndication sales of its ABC shows "Grey's anatomy," and "According to Jim" helped boost earnings, as did higher fees for ESPN.
Disney also announced a casting change of its own, as two of its top executives are trading roles. I don't know. It's kind of sounds like Disney's got another drama on its hands there. Disney shares right now are up three percent.
And in the early going, taking a look at the Dow right now. The Dow Industrials up 36 points. The NASDAQ higher by 7.
Wall Street opened a little sweeter this morning. Hershey rang the opening bell. The chocolate giant is celebrating the 100 anniversary of the founding of the Milton Hershey School for Low- Income Students. They came around with giant Hershey chocolate bars so we could get our sugar high nice and early today.
COLLINS: Nice, nice. Very good. You're going to be sending all of those down here to Atlanta, right?
KOSIK: Yes.
COLLINS: All the big bundles.
KOSIK: Yes.
COLLINS: All right. Alison Kosik, we're watching the numbers, thank you.
The nation's banks are taking a hit to their bottom line, and that could leave a little more cash in your wallet. At issue, though, the overdraft fees charged to customers who swipe their debit cards or make ATM withdrawals that their accounts can not cover.
CNN's personal finance editor Gerri Willis joining us now to explain more on this.
Hi, there, Gerri.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hey, there, Heidi.
COLLINS: So what's going to happen here, exactly?
WILLIS: Well, OK. It's overdraft fees, as you said. And these are the big penalties banks charge when customers spend more than they have in their accounts. You can get charged 35 bucks every time you overdraw your account. But new rules out yesterday by the Fed will prohibit banks from charging these overdraft fees on ATM and debit card transactions, unless a consumer opts into these overdraft protection services.
OK. As it stands right now, more than 75 percent of the banks automatically sign you up for these programs and these fees have received a lot of scrutiny. The FDIC, for example, has been a vocal critic. Consumer advocates say the new rules don't go far enough, though. Banks will still be allowed to automatically enroll you in these overdraft protection services for personal checks and automatic transactions like monthly bill pay.
For banks, overdraft fees, big revenue source, Heidi, they make as much as $38 billion on these overdraft fees. They've been reluctant to get them up, but the heat is on now, so you could expect some changes. COLLINS: Yes. So are consumers going to like this? Is this going to be good for them or complicated? Or what can they really expect?
WILLIS: I think the latter. It's going to be complicated.
COLLINS: Yes.
WILLIS: Look, before opting in, the consumer will get a notice that explains exactly what the overdraft service is and what it's going to cost. If you don't want to opt into the service, your account terms, conditions, and features, they just remain the same.
Keep in mind, these rules don't go into effect until July 1st of next year. So we've got some time before it goes into effect, but I think most people will probably say, you know what, I don't want to pay for that protection and go without it.
COLLINS: Yes, understood.
All right. Gerri Willis, our personal finance editor, thank you.
WILLIS: My pleasure.
COLLINS: As President Obama weighs sending more troops to Afghanistan, it looks like NATO could move in that direction. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown suggesting now he may be able to win commitments for 5,000 extra NATO forces there.
I want to go live to CNN's Atika Shubert joining us in London.
Atika, what's the very latest on this?
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, basically, Prime Minister Gordon Brown gave an interview to the BBC in which he said that Britain would also commit troops, as many as 500, but that he also expected other NATO countries to put in as many as 5,000 troops in order to share the burden of sending troops into Afghanistan. But he also made it clear that he wants to see the Afghan government, President Hamid Karzai, to clean up its corruption as part of the condition of sending these troops into Afghanistan.
Now, it's a big show of support from Europe, at least from European leaders, for the U.S.-led mission there, but it's also clear that European public support for the war in Afghanistan is fading past. So we don't know how long that support is going to last coming here from Europe -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Atika, any idea what some of the other countries are that are talking about committing forces?
SHUBERT: We asked a NATO spokesperson. We don't know exactly which countries will be sending yet. We do know, however, officials say that Germany was one of the possibilities. But other countries such as Canada, Finland, and Netherlands have already set a date for withdrawal, so it's not clear yet. COLLINS: Yes. Yesterday we spoke with the Former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, General Joulwan, who was talking about what the role of NATO should be and could be as, you know, days go on in Afghanistan. So I imagine we'll be following this for quite some time.
Atika Shubert, sure do appreciate it. Thanks.
Powerful drug lords, costly efforts to stop them, and a city so desperate, it's asking for U.N. peacekeepers to come in and help.
Rafael Romo, CNN's Senior Latin American Affairs editor has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAFAEL ROMO, SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR (voice-over): His name is Joaquin Guzman, better known as "El Chapo," Spanish for "Shorty." Mexican authorities say he's the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, which controls much of the cocaine smuggled into the United States from northern Mexico. The 52-year-old drug lord is in the news once again after becoming number 41 on the list of the most powerful people in the world on "Forbes" magazine, ahead of President Nicolas Sarkozy of France and Dmitry Medvedev of Russia.
His fortune estimated at $1 billion also put him on the list of the richest people in the world a few months ago. His status sheds the light on Mexico's drug problem. The country's war on drugs has killed 11,000 people since December of 2006 when current President Felipe Calderon took office.
REP. LORETTA SANCHEZ (D), CALIFORNIA: With the Mexican government engaged in a violent struggle against these well-armed drug cartels, frequently resembling advanced military units, the United States and this Congress cannot ignore our role in assisting our neighbor and ally in this fight. And, of course, in preventing that violence from slipping into the United States.
ROMO: In a bold move, the Mexican government announced a $2 million reward for information leading to the arrest of each of 24 drug lords whose criminal organizations terrorized the country. Joaquin Guzman is wanted by Mexico, the United States, and Interpol. And the U.S. is offering $5 million for his capture.
Part of the problem, according to analysts, is that local police in Mexico are infiltrated by the drug cartels.
MARTIN BARRON, MEXICO SECURITY ANALYST (through translator): We are talking about an infiltration level that goes beyond 60 percent of police departments. That's when we talk about local police.
ROMO: Mexican authorities have acknowledged the problem and say that they are working to root it out. In Northern Mexico and at the U.S. border, Ciudad Juarez is the epicenter of drug violence. A group of businessmen is asking the United Nations to send peacekeepers in a desperate effort to reduce killings in a territory they call a war zone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: And Rafael Romo joining me now on the set to talk more about this.
All right, so this is happening so close to the U.S. border. Obviously, there has to be cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico to begin solving problems like this that have been there for a long time.
ROMO: There is cooperation, Heidi. Just three weeks ago, the United States announced an operation called Operation Coronado in which they arrested 300 people just in the later part of October. 1,100 people total. And at the same time in Mexico, arrests were being announced. But at the same time, you have to realize that we were talking in the story about drug cartels infiltrating local police departments in Mexico, so there is that issue of trust between authorities in both Mexico and the United States when it comes to working together and waging war against these drug cartels.
COLLINS: Yes, it's a tough one. Any improvement? Has there been any since this cooperation is at least beginning to evolve?
ROMO: Well, this particular operation, Operation Coronado, dismantled a drug cartel in southern Mexico known as La Familia, The Family. This drug cartel was smuggling methamphetamine into the United States to multiple states and had, basically, a monopoly over the distribution...
COLLINS: Yes, we've talked about them before.
ROMO: ...of the illegal drugs. So it was a huge success, but at the same time, you have to realize that there are at least five other cartels that are just very powerful and are controlling drug distribution.
COLLINS: No question. He was on the "Forbes" list. Interesting. All right. Rafael Romo, appreciate it. Thank you.
ROMO: You, too.
COLLINS: Happening in the next hour, the parents of the so- called balloon boy expected to plead guilty in courts with charges connected to that hoax. The pleas would be part of an agreement to avoid possible deportation of Richard Heene, who you see there, his mug shot. His wife, possibly deporting her to her native Japan. It would also spare the couple a maximum prison sentence. They could still receive some prison time, though. The couple had told police a balloon had flown away with their 6-year-old boy inside. But the boy turned out to be hiding in the attic. We'll tell you more and take you to that hearing live next hour.
A mother of five has been arrested on bank robbing charges. Authorities in Southern California say she hit at least four banks. Officers pulled Roxane Penock's minivan after a bank was robbed a week ago. Neighbors say her family has been going through tough financial times.
A German man has been charged with allegedly trying to extort money from supermodel Cindy Crawford and her husband. Randy Gerber. You see there. The man was deported from the U.S. in September after he had repeated contacts with the couple. But the criminal complaint alleges he continued demanding money from them. Court documents say the man had a photo of the couple's then 7-year-old daughter. The photo apparently taken as a prank by her former nanny showed the girl bound and gag in a chair.
It's one of the most dangerous nor'easter in years. At least five people are dead, streets are flooded, schools are closed. We'll take a look at where the storm is headed next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: There is a state of emergency in Virginia, where heavy rain from a tropical storm remnants have triggered coastal flooding. Look at those pictures now. Talking about Ida, of course. Further north, strong winds and waves are causing beach erosion along the New Jersey shore. The storm has actually been blamed for at least five deaths across three states. More than 155,000 customers in Virginia and North Carolina are now without power as well.
We want to get over to Rob -- meteorologist Rob Marciano, our meteorologist, who's been tracking this forever.
It's really starting affect a lot of people.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, well obviously, a highly populated area here, over a million people live in the...
COLLINS: Yes.
MARCIANO: ... in the Hampton roads area. And it's pretty flat when you get down towards the bay as well. So that's where a good chunk of them are.
It's winding down a little bit. I mean, the scenario really hasn't changed. Low there, high there and the pressure difference, especially right in through here, is where you've seen the most intense rainfall, or at least wind.
And some of these winds, hurricane force. Unbelievable. Oceana, Virginia, 75-mile-an-hour wind. Norfolk, Virginia, 74. Cape Henry, 72. Chesapeake Bay by the bridge tunnel there, 71-mile-per-hour wind gust and today we have just got a report that they had almost a foot of rain, 11.92 inches of rainfall from this.
So I mean, pretty much a hurricane with this storm coming in. All right, so where are the winds right now? Obviously, the winds are ticking off just a little bit. So that's good news. As far as wind gusts are concerned, at Virginia Beach, 17 -- well, up to about 29, 30 miles an hour.
So it's still cranking that pretty good. But yesterday at this time, about 50-mile-an-hour winds. So certainly has come down a little bit. We have seen record storm surge with this at Chesapeake Bay Bridge that went over and atop what hurricane Isabel brought back in 2003.
COLLINS: Wow.
MARCIANO: We've got another high tide that's going to come later on today and we may very well see that record be broken for a second time. Rainfall across the northeast today, maybe a half an inch or an inch. So I think that's about it. I don't think it's going to be the same deal across Long Island as what you saw, say, down around Virginia and southern New Jersey.
All right, if you are traveling by plane: LaGuardia, two and a half hour delays; 2 and 20 at Newark; Philadelphia, seeing an hour 20 and 30-minute delays at Charlotte. So that's what's happening at that part of the world.
Just on a side note, Pacific northwest, eastern storm rolling in there and the intermountain west, the winter storm warnings are posted for the Rockies as they continue to build their base for an upcoming season. Some spots already open. Breck (ph) just opened yesterday as a matter of fact.
COLLINS: Did it? All right, well, we're watching all of it.
MARCIANO: Yes, yes.
COLLINS: And we'll make sure to stay in touch with about the eastern part of the country as well. All right. Rob, thank you.
MARCIANO: You bet.
COLLINS: Another letter from the jail cell of Phillip Garrido. Wait until you hear what he says this time about kidnapping Jaycee Dugard and holding her captive for 18 years.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: The former congressman known for allegedly hiding $90,000 in cash in his freezer will be sentenced today in Virginia. William Jefferson, a Democrat from Louisiana was convicted on charges including bribery and racketeering. Prosecutors want him to serve at least 27 years in prison.
A jail house apology, sort of, from Phillip Garrido, he's the man accused of kidnapping Jaycee Dugard and holding her captive for 18 years. Since his arrest he's been writing to CNN affiliate KCRA in Sacramento. And this time to anchorman Walt Gray.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WALT GRAY, ANCHORMAN, KCRA: This is how that letter written in Phillip Garrido's own hand begins. Quote, "First off I would like to apologize to every human being for what has taken place" end quote. But that's followed by a confusing second sentence. Quote, "People all over the world are hearing testimony that through the spirit of Christ a mental process took place ending a sexual problem believed to be impossible" end quote.
Donna Shestowsky is a law professor at UC Davis and has a PH.D. in psychology.
DONNA SHESTOWSKY, PSYCHOLOGIST/LAW PROFESSOR: To me this almost rises to the level of what psychologist would call a partial apology. It's almost like he's saying, you know, I acknowledge that I have a problem. And that what I did was a problem but he's certainly not taking full responsibility for his actions.
GRAY: This is the third letter KCRA 3 has received from Phillip Garrido. It was sent to us from the El Dorado County jail where he's being held charged with kidnapping, rape and false imprisonment in the abduction of Jaycee Lee Dugard more than 18 years ago.
We read the letter to Garrido's attorney Susan Gellman who told us by phone quote, "Mr. Garrido is expressing genuine remorse. He would like people to consider the fact that he's a changed man and his story is best told all at one time instead of in pieces. He presents obvious issues concerning whether or not he's competent to be a defendant, and we are looking into that" end quote.
There is more in this latest letter including some things Garrido told us in earlier letters. But it is that vague apology that sets this one apart. An apology from Phillip Garrido.
In Sacramento, this is Walt Gray, for CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Garrido and his wife Nancy have pleaded not guilty to all charges. Their next court hearing is set for December 11th.
We do have an awful a lot going on this morning. CNN crews in place to bring it to you. We want to check in with our correspondents for a moment beginning with Rob Marciano and we're still talking about Ida.
MARCIANO: We are and what's left of Ida has turned from a mundane tropical storm to a nor'easter that is a beast that continues to pound the mid-Atlantic. It is fully marching to the northeast, we'll show you the track and if it's getting any stronger in the next hour.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I'm Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange where we're keeping an eye on your money. Stocks are trying to get back on track after yesterday's almost triple digit drop by the DOW. And the Fed announced new bank rules that could mean more money in your pocket. Heidi, I'm going to have more on that in the next hour.
COLLINS: All right guys, thanks so much.
Also ahead next hour, a child sex abuse case in Missouri that will make your stomach turn. Five members of one family arrested. I'll talk with the state highway patrol and get the latest for you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Unexpected moments on live TV. Sometimes they're a scream.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(FROM NBC'S "THE TODAY SHOW)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Angry guests, interviews that go haywire and unintended personal revelations; all those uncomfortable moments have happened on our air and, of course, other networks. But this was a particularly awkward week and CNN's Jeanne Moos has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We never turn up our nose for news especially not at those wonderfully awkward moments.
CARRIE PREJEAN, FORMER MISS CALIFORNIA: Larry, you're being inappropriate. You really are. So I'm not going talk about...
LARRY KING, CNN HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": What? I'm asking a question.
SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: We screwed up.
MOOS: This week had more than its share of awkward TV moments thanks to the former Ms. California USA when you saw her getting miffed at Larry King and taking off her mike.
KING: Is she leaving because I asked what motivated the settlement. Did you hear the question?
PREJEAN: No, I can't hear you.
MOOS: But I'm answering what I can't hear.
PREJEAN: I'm about to leave your show.
KING: Who are you talking to? Hello.
MOOS: But we crowned Carrie Prejean is Ms. Awkward Moment because she inspired awkward moments on more than one show.
JOY BEHAR, HLN HOST: And that you say you're a victim. I don't totally buy it.
PREJEAN: Did you see the attack that I was on.
BARBARA WALTERS, ABC HOST, "THE VIEW": It's the best thing that happened to you.
BEHAR: I'm not worried about you Carrie.
MOOS: But our favorite awkward moment was Barbara Walters describing Prejean's x-rated home movie.
WALTERS: You alone, doing whatever you were doing with yourself.
MOOS: What was Sean Hannity doing on Fox News? Jon Stewart wondered.
Using video of a major rally two months ago to illustrate a smaller protest against health care reform.
JON STEWART, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW": Not a cloud in the sky, the leaves have changed, all of a sudden the trees turn green again and it's cloudy.
MOOS: Trying to make smaller rally seem bigger said Stewart. Inadvertent mistake said Hannity but he apologized.
HANNITY: Mr. Stewart, you were right. I want to thank you and all your writers for watching.
MOOS: CNN's "SITUATION ROOM" went to pot this week.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So Wolf, would you know a marijuana plant if you saw one?
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, "SITUATION ROOM": I'm not sure I would know. I could smell it -- you could smell it marijuana, Lou, but you probably wouldn't recognize a plant, am I right or wrong?
LOU DOBBS, FORMER CNN ANCHOR, "THE LOU DOBBS SHOW": Well, you're dead wrong.
MOOS: Certitude plus attitude, what a dude. Lou, we're going to miss you.
DOBBS: This will be my last broadcast here on CNN.
MOOS: From veteran leaving to cub arriving, "The Today Show" announced the winner of its kid reporter contest.
ANN CURRY, NBC HOST: Deirdra Shores, it's you. Deirdra, it's you. You're the winner. You won.
AL ROKER, NBC HOST: You're today's the kid reporter winner. You're the winner.
If you're going to be a reporter, kid, you got to learn to fill dead air. We said fill it. Not kill it.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE) COLLINS: Life behind bars, no chance of parole. That's the sentence given Curtis Vance. He was convicted of killing TV anchor woman Anne Pressly in her home one year ago. Prosecutors had asked for the death penalty.
In Parma, Ohio, a mother and her two young children are caught on store security cameras apparently shoplifting. Watch what happens when mall police try to prevent them from leaving. Two more people including a 64-year-old woman join in the scuffle. The adults were arrested. The Two children ages 8 and 10 were turned over to children's services.
A school bus driver and his assistant are out of a job after a 3- year-old boy was left on a bus for almost seven hours. It happened yesterday in Osceola County Florida. Surveillance tape shows the special needs child strapped in his seat. No one noticed him until it was time to go home. The bus driver and his assistant charged with child neglect. The boy is okay.
In just an hour from now, an announcement that will almost certainly stir outrage and legal fights as well. Five terror suspects with alleged ties to the 9/11 attacks will be moved from Guantanamo Bay to a civilian court not far from ground zero. The suspects include the self-proclaimed mastermind of the attack, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
We're going to get the very latest now from homeland security correspondent, Jeanne Meserve, joining us from Washington. That's for sure. There's going to be a lot of outrage on this one.
