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Battle Brews over Health Care; Three Mile Island Radiation Leak; Gay Teen Brutally Murdered; Blood at the BART Station; Black Friday Car Deals; Children Used as Cheap Labor
Aired November 22, 2009 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, everyone. I'm Don Lemon.
Just in to CNN, a suspect takedown by a police officer like you have never seen before. Tonight, a police department already under scrutiny in one of America's biggest cities scrambling to explain this one. We have just reached someone from the department. You'll hear from them live in just a minute.
And as we work on the details of that one, we first go to a story that affects all Americans -- health care reform. Just this weekend, an historic vote in the Senate to officially start the debate on the Democrats' massive reform bill. The vote, 60-39, straight along party lines. Republicans came out swinging today, though. And in an exclusive report, you're about to see the new national Republican Party strategy to go after several Democrats, key Democrats, to the health care debate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Saturday night, as Americans lay down for sleep, moderate Democrats laid down their beliefs, sold out their constituents, rolled by pressure from Barack Obama and Harry Reid. They voted to move forward a government-run health care bill our nation does not want and can't afford.
One member sold her vote to the highest bidder. One member sold out his principles. Two more lost what little credibility they had on fiscal responsibility. Another put the interests of the left of his party before his own state. And another voted one way after saying she was for another.
It's no wonder why Democrats voted in the dead of night.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. That is a new strategy and there's much, much more. By the way, that video sent to CNN political editor Mark Preston. We're going to get into this much, much more with our political experts. Mark will be here along with Lynn Sweet of the "Chicago Sun-Times" and PoliticsDaily.com. They're coming up at 15 after the hour.
The Senate vote was simply a procedural motion to allow debate on the health care bill. But to get even that, Democrats desperately needed 60 votes to prevent a GOP filibuster. That was not a vote to spare.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHRIS DODD (D), CONNECTICUT: On this vote, the ayes are 60, the nays are 39. Three-fifths of the senators duly chosen and sworn having voted in the affirmative. The motion is agreed to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And tonight one of those 60 votes is now under scrutiny. You saw it alluded to in that Republican ad. Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana was a last-minute holdout, who finally agreed to open debate. But language added to the bill calls for up to $300 million in Medicaid payments to her state, hard hit by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Critics pounced on it as the Louisiana Purchase. That's what they're calling it. Landrieu went to the Senate floor to defend the proposed federal aid and to deny her vote was being bought.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MARY LANDRIEU (D), LOUISIANA: It is the number one request of my governor, who is a Republican, and it is unanimously supported by every member of our delegation, Democrat and Republican. I'm proud to have asked for it. I'm proud to have fought for it. And I will continue to. That is not the reason I am moving to debate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Earlier today on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION," a fellow Democrat said the perception of quid pro quo is not pretty, but sometimes it is necessary to get anything done in Congress.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. SHERROD BROWN (D), OHIO: Nobody likes these kinds of -- any kinds of deals. I think anything that's done needs to be in the best -- in the best interest of those states and this country. I think those probably helped, if that, in fact, really happened. I have no way of really knowing if it did.
I suppose that helped a lot of people in Louisiana that don't have insurance. And so I think we moved forward. We do what we need to do within ethical bounds. We do what we need to do within practical bounds.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. We go now to that video that hit the Internet, became byword, and tonight certainly has the attention of citizens and city leaders in San Francisco. And a warning -- it is graphic and it shows a police officer arresting a man on a city subway train. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: You should get off the train, buddy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please, don't (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: Get off the train. Wow. Game over, drunk man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, you can't really see it in that video. But breaks the glass. And then the man is bleeding there on the ground. The suspect is 37-year-old Michael Joseph Gibson. Police say he was drunk on that train.
He is facing charges of battery on a police officer with injury. That is a felony. Obstruction and resisting an officer, another felony. And disorderly conduct and being intoxicated in public, misdemeanor. The officer is on industrial leave, unable to perform his duty because of injuries.
Tonight, police responded. We're going to hear from them. And a spokesman with BART, that's the transit system there, will join us in 25 minutes at the bottom of the hour to explain what is going on there. We're going to get to the bottom of it.
Three Mile Island, synonymous for the country's worst nuclear accident. We'll, it has another one. And what happened and why? Local emergency officials there are not happy about it.
Decapitated, dismembered and partially burned. Did hate lead to the murder of this gay Puerto Rican teen? What the suspect is saying about it tonight.
And TVs, microwaves, computers, cars. Yes, instead of going to the mall, well, just head to your car dealership for some Black Friday deals. We're shopping for bargains, coming up.
And, of course, we want your feedback. Look at your screen. That's how you can get your comments on.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Well, just the name -- Three Mile Island -- can make the pulse rise. It was the site in 1979 of the worst commercial nuclear accident in U.S. history. It has earned a place in American culture as a symbol of nuclear fears.
There's been another accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and by all accounts there is no danger. That's what initial reports say. But because it is Three Mile Island we have an obligation to tell you what we know.
Here's what Exelon, the operator of the plant, is telling us. Around 4:00 on Friday afternoon -- I should say on Saturday afternoon -- a radiation leak was detected inside a containment building for the unit -- unit 1. It's a reactor there.
The area had been shut down for routine maintenance, refueling and upgrades when the leak was detected. One hundred and fifty workers were sent home, about 20 reportedly were treated for exposure. Federal officials are assuming the community there is in no threat to the public.
Steve Letavic is the town manager in Londonderry Township where the power plant is located. I spoke with him earlier about how the community is reacting to this latest incident.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE LETAVIC, TOWN MANAGER, LONDONDERRY TOWNSHIP, PENNSYLVANIA (via telephone): Clearly, there's an onus on us and on the emergency management coordinators to respond. I think they also have to be sure that they are responding with pertinent, accurate information.
So, the delay in response was only so that they could make sure exactly what happened and if there was a threat to the community before they responded.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: That's Steve Latavic, Londonderry Township manager.
Earlier, I spoke with Diane Screnchi of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and I asked her about the timeliness of the accident report at Three Mile Island.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DIANE SCRENCHI: We were notified within several hours of the incident happening yesterday afternoon. It began when the containment radiation alarms sounded. The company has done a number of things since then. All of the workers were evacuated from the...
LEMON: But, Diane, what I'm asking you is should you have been notified a little bit earlier even if the company believes that it didn't -- you know, that they weren't in jeopardy -- people weren't in jeopardy of being exposed to high levels of this stuff?
SCRENCHI: Right. We believe that when the incident happened, it was -- it was over very shortly. Our technical experts were there, and we agree with that -- with that assessment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And another story -- a van full of teenage cheerleaders flipped on its way home from competition in Florida, sending 13 girls and the driver to a hospital. Police say no one was seriously hurt. But cheerleaders with medals around their necks and tears in their eyes stood stunned on the side of a Tampa highway as traffic backed up. A chaperon trailing the van watched in horror.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RUTHIE MAYNARD JONES, LEAGUE VICE PRESIDENT: I saw the tire blow out first. I saw her try to keep it in the lane and it just went out of control and hit the rail and flipped.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What were you thinking?
JONES: My girls, my girls. That's what I was thinking. I was praying that everybody was OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, the team cheers for the Childs Park Rattlers football team in St. Petersburg. They had just finished a second overall in a competition there.
Students at the University of California Santa Cruz are waving the white flag after declaring war on rising tuition. Protesters walked out of the school's main administrative building four days after barricading themselves inside. They had been protesting a 32 percent cost hike across the entire University of California system. No arrests, but some protesters could face criminal charges.
And here's a first look at why they trashed the place. Busted electronics, broken furniture. You name it, you see it there. No dollar estimate on the clean-up yet.
The health care bill headed to the floor of the Senate for a debate. But questions linger about Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu's vote. Was it bought? And what's ahead for the bill?
Mark Preston, Lynn Sweet, they're in the house. Not really. They're in Washington and they're going to join us in a little bit.
And a subway smack down. A BART police officer, the transit system police officer there in San Francisco, is in hot water after this incident was caught on tape.
And pulled over by the cops and thinking fast about ways to destroy evidence. You won't believe what this guy did. We're going to show you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. So you watched it unfold last night right here on CNN. We carried it for you live. We're talking about the Senate vote to continue the debate, to debate officially on health care reform. That reform bill.
And will the battle over health care reform take political casualties? That's what we're exploring tonight.
So from Washington we want to bring our political editor Mark Preston and also Lynn Sweet from the "Chicago Sun-Times" and PoliticsDaily.com.
Always good to see both of you. Mark, I'm going to start with you. Because we saw the new strategy at the top of the show from Republicans. You received that this evening. They're going after moderates right now. That's the strategy.
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: They are. Absolutely. Look, they think that the way to take down this bill is to really focus in on really a select group of lawmakers here in Washington, a select group of Democrats. They include Blanche Lincoln, Mary Landrieu, Ben Nelson. They're even going after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid who, of course, will vote for the bill. But he is in trouble in 2010, Don.
So, what we saw tonight with that Web video, and we should say it was a Web video, that Web video that we see is going to go out to 5 million people tomorrow morning. The idea is to really try to energize the debate, the base, to try to get involved in the debate and try to convince some of these centrists not to vote for the bill.
LEMON: And, Lynn, I'm not sure if you saw it, but I'm sure you could hear it. I mean, some very strong language. They're saying while Americans were sleeping in the middle of the night on Saturday. This goes against America's principles. So, it's a hard-hitting video.
Do you think that some Democrats who are vulnerable here, this might affect them or cause them at least maybe not to be reelected in their district?
LYNN SWEET, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, "CHICAGO SUN-TIMES": Well, if you have videos that are kind of below the belt hits like that one is, is because it gives the misimpression that this is the final step on the bill, which it's not.
People who are listening should know that there are weeks of debate left in the Senate. And I think the goal may be not so much to stop the bill, because it won't be stopped, the Democrats have control. Something will happen. It's just really, I think, an attempt to water down and revise the provisions in the bill.
The bill has a lot of different moving parts right now. We could get to that. I think that's what's happening here is to make the Democrats put pressure on the White House and on the left to have concessions in the bill rather than stop it.
LEMON: And, you know what, here's the thing. Even Republicans, Lynn, admitted last night on the air, they said, you know, usually when you have a vote like this that usually most of these bills are usually passed. And that is a concern from Republicans right now.
SWEET: Well, this isn't like any other bill, though. This is -- this is a big bill. We can't go by some of the routine stuff.
That's why I thought a little bit, you know, all this drama over the vote yesterday as to whether or not Lincoln and -- would vote for this, and Landrieu, I wasn't that surprised, because in essence, all they're doing is letting this go to the floor.
It would have been a premature death for them to have said no now. And, you know, they got a little something for it, at least one probably did. So...
LEMON: Lynn, I want to bring Mark in really quickly here, Lynn, because we've got a lot of topics to get to. Let's talk about this public option. That is calling a lot -- that is causing a lot of consternation there and was debated over and over and over.
SWEET: Oh, yes.
LEMON: And even the two independents and the two hold-out Democrats who voted for this debate last night, for it to continue, said if there's a public option the way it is in the bill, they're not going to vote for it.
PRESTON: Yes. They're not going to vote for it. And the bill that we -- that we saw voted on last night is not the bill. If there is a bill, that's going to come out of Congress.
And look, Republicans are hoping, Don, that they can push this into the New Year. It looks like it will go into the New Year if we are to see any kind of reconciliation between a Senate-passed bill and a House-passed bill.
But Republicans are hoping to keep on pushing this into January, February. And they feel that if they can get it into early spring, Don, that in fact there won't be a vote on health care.
Now, I do agree with Lynn. We will see a health care bill. It's going to be a lot different than what they've been talking about in Congress the last couple of days.
LEMON: This $300 million in Medicaid that was attached to this bill, that some people -- that is in one of the pages of this bill for Mary Landrieu, they're calling it the Louisiana Purchase, much ado about nothing or is this a big deal, Lynn?
SWEET: Well, it is how -- hello, this is how legislation sometimes gets made in that you do get leverage. A string of senators walked into Harry Reid's office asking for things. If it wasn't in this bill, it was in something else.
LEMON: And, Mark, what do you think? Is this usual or ...
PRESTON: You know, from Casablanca, I'm shocked. I'm shocked that there's gambling going on in here. I mean, look, this is -- this is how things are done. Lynn is absolutely right.
In fact, this Mary Landrieu didn't take this money and take it home and put it in her freezer like a former congressman from Louisiana did. She's trying to get money for her state and that's what congressmen and senators do.
SWEET: And you could - and you could make an argument that this state is hard hit and needs it. So, that's - believe me, the senators who have gotten into jams over worse, this is just, you could look at the other way, that she was able to get something that her people need.
LEMON: And usually, Lynn, when they get in trouble it's about not being transparent about it instead of doing it in front of the Senate and in front of the world, putting it out there for everyone to see.
SWEET: We know about this before the bill is finalized, not after.
LEMON: Lynn, Mark, thank you so much. Appreciate it.
SWEET: Thank you.
PRESTON: Thanks, Don.
LEMON: A Puerto Rican teen brutally murdered. His body dumped on the side of a road. But was he killed because he's gay? What the suspect reportedly is confessing.
And this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everyday...
UNIDENTIFIED BOY: (talking in foreign language)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's very hard work, he says.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: They are children doing the jobs of men and making very little money, if any, risking their lives in the process. They're working for their keep.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Rhode Island Congressman Patrick Kennedy has disclosed that he is barred from taking communion by the Catholic bishop of Providence because he supports abortion rights. The son of the late Senator Ted Kennedy is a devout Catholic and a champion for health care reform. For months he has been criticizing Catholic bishops for opposing reform unless there are tighter restrictions on abortion.
Bishop Thomas Tobin actually asked Kennedy to stop taking communion back in 2007. It was a secret until the congressman opened up to the "Providence Journal" this weekend. The bishop was quick to answer, releasing a statement, and here's what he said.
"On February 21st, 2007, I wrote to Congressman Kennedy stating: In light of the Church's clear teaching and your consistent actions, I believe it is inappropriate for you to be receiving Holy Communion and I now ask respectfully that you refrain from doing so." He continued to say, "I am disappointed that the congressman would make public my pastoral and confidential request of nearly three years ago that sought to provide solely for his spiritual well-being."
A Puerto Rican teen decapitated, dismembered and partially burned. And it all allegedly happened because he was gay. This is the victim -- 19-year-old Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado. His mutilated body found in central Puerto Rico just over a week ago.
His suspected killer in handcuffs, 26-year-old Juan Martinez Matos, is charged with first-degree murder, held on $4 million bond. He apparently confessed to the crime. Police say he picked up Lopez Mercado off the street thinking he was a woman. But he discovered the teen was actually a man. Martinez Matos told reporters he just snapped.
Well, Puerto Rico does not have a hate crime provision on the books. But gay rights activists nationwide are calling for the suspect to face federal hate crimes charges.
And joining me now on the phone from San Juan is Pedro Julio Serrano. He is a spokesman for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
Pedro, thanks for joining us. How do you bring about these federal charges if that's what you indeed want to do?
PEDRO SERRANO, SPOKESPERSON, NAT'L. GAY & LESBIAN TASK FORCE (via telephone): Thank you, Don, for the opportunity. But I just want to make very clear that Puerto Rico does have a hate crimes law provision since 2002. It has not been put into effect because we've had more than 20 killings of gay and transgender people in Puerto Rico that have not been solved.
And actually, that's why we're demanding that on this case we apply the hate crimes law in Puerto Rico finally, because the clear signs of homophobia and hatred are right there.
LEMON: So, the concern is that you're thinking that if police or authorities don't do anything about this and actually make those hate crimes laws, at least putting them into work, that it's going to happen more and more and people may look at this as an opportunity that they can continue to do this.
SERRANO: Definitely. A crime has one victim. But a hate crime is a crime against a group of people that has felt palpable animosity motivated by prejudices against sexual orientation, gender, identity or other classifications, right. And it sends a message from the perpetrator that in his mind the lives of these groups are worthless and he wants to terrorize these communities.
It is a crime to try to bend someone's dignity. And so, we have seen all the signs that are clear on this case. And we must demand that justice is made and that this is tried as a hate crime so we can prevent and stop this homophobia that is killing our children. LEMON: Well, listen, the suspect -- the suspect in the case said that -- I think he said that the only response that he said so far, correct me if I'm wrong, is that I'm going to take my punishment like a man?
SERRANO: Well, I haven't -- I haven't heard that he said that.
LEMON: Yes. That's what we're hearing, yes.
SERRANO: I did hear that he mentioned that he asked for forgiveness. And behind all this hate from this killer, we have seen Jorge Steven's father said that he would forgive him and that the only person that -- the only one who has to forgive him was God. So clearly this is a demonstration of pure love behind all this hate. And we have seen that love will actually conquer hate.
LEMON: All right. Pedro Julio Serrano, thank you. Spokesperson for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. We appreciate it.
And again, I want to say that according to our research here, Puerto Rico does not have a hate crime provision. I just want to tell you that the FBI in a statement says that they're monitoring the investigation being conducted by police in Puerto Rico and they will provide any available resources if needed.
We will continue to follow that story for you and bring you the very latest here on CNN.
We're following another developing story tonight. This one from the Bay Area. A suspect taken down by a San Francisco transit officer, shatters a window with his head or maybe his arm. Take a look at the video. This involving a department already under scrutiny. We're going to hear from a police spokesman, coming up.
And she was accused of cutting the line at Walmart. Now she's doing some cutting with the legal system.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: OK. Getting some new information now. Because we told we're working the details of this dramatic video from the Bay Area Rapid Transit Police, which is called is BART. We showed it to you at the top of the show here. We're just getting some new information from my producer and also I understand that some of our folks are talking to some family members on the phone.
Here's the suspect. The suspect is 37-year-old Michael Joseph Gibson. CNN spoke with his sister who says her brother is bipolar. Again, new information just coming in here. She says her brother is bipolar and schizophrenic and being treated -- is being treated by a doctor. She says he had just gotten out of the hospital in recent weeks.
And police say he was drunk on that train. They say he was intoxicated. He's facing charges that include battery of a police officer with injury, felony; obstructing and resisting an officer, another felony; disorderly conduct and being intoxicated in public, misdemeanor.
And the officer, we want to tell you, is on leave, unable to perform his duty because of injuries. We want to join now the BART spokesperson. His name is Linton Johnson. He joins us by telephone.
Linton, thank you so much for joining us. This video hit the Internet and then all of a sudden went viral, and now the police department is having to respond here. So, give us the police -- give us your side of the story, what we see happening here according to police.
LINTON JOHNSON, BART SPOKESMAN (via telephone): We saw this video well before it went viral and decided that, you know, we wanted to take appropriate steps and essentially get ahead of this story and let folks know we knew about this video. We're taking the appropriate measures to investigate everything that's happening. And we will do a full-fledged thorough investigation.
And, you know, the video was posted by somebody who has jumped to conclusion as to what he believes happened. And we're not saying that that person is wrong or right. What we do need to say to that person and to the rest of the world that we're going to look at all the facts, not just what you see on the video. And then we'll make a conclusion as to what happened.
LEMON: Well, Linton, listen, let's get this out of the way real quick. I mean, the department's already being looked at for the New Year's Eve shooting by a police officer on the BART train. Was it at the same station?
JOHNSON: That's correct. Well, it's not the same station, a couple of stations away, but it was in Oakland, correct.
LEMON: In Oakland, OK. So, you're already under scrutiny here.
JOHNSON: Absolutely.
LEMON: So it couldn't have happened at a worse time. Then how do you explain that? It does appear -- especially if this man is intoxicated. Usually if you're intoxicated, you know, you're sort of moving all around. So then, you know, from his condition, it looks like he was -- I don't know if he was resisting. But it looks like the officer, you know, pushed him pretty hard into that window, if we can look at that. And then you see again the blood.
But according to the -- this is what you told me earlier on the phone. You said the main point that we're emphasizing is that -- to determine how the glass was broken, you don't want to jump to conclusions, but you believe it was the suspect's arm instead of his head.
JOHNSON: No, no, no. It's not that we believe that it was his arm. But we can say that the injuries are consistent with the suspect's arm. Now, whether that was indeed what caused the window to shatter, we still have to look at. But if you look at the injuries, most of the injuries were sustained on his arm, not on his face. He had very little impact on his face. In fact, the officer...
LEMON: Where does the blood come from?
JOHNSON: The blood came from the officer who was severely injured on his face.
LEMON: OK. So the officer, as we said, is not working now because he can't perform his job and he is not on leave because of the investigation into this?
JOHNSON: That's correct. He's on industrial leave, which is a workplace injury. Obviously, he was injured in this.
LEMON: This officer had only been with the BART Police Force since May, is that correct?
JOHNSON: Correct -- since May. He had come from a different agency, the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department. And he had been with them for six years prior.
LEMON: What is the officer's name, Linton?
JOHNSON: We're not releasing his name at this point.
LEMON: You're not releasing his name. So, do you know anything about his record with the Contra Costa Police Department at all?
JOHNSON: I don't know about his record with the police department in Contra Costa, the Sheriff's Department, rather. But I do know that he hasn't had any incidents with our police department in the six months with us.
LEMON: So what happens next in this case, Linton, before I let you go here?
JOHNSON: Well, again, we're looking for more information. We have video from the platform. We have video from the train. We piece all of that together. What you're seeing is, of course, one point of view. And there are different points of view from different camera angles.
LEMON: Hey, Linton, real quickly, so I want to tell you again. We spoke to Lisa Gibson who is his sister, who says she's a sister of this young man.
And she said that she had told the police officer or that the police department in the area or whatever should have known that this guy was schizophrenic and he had issues. And she says she doesn't believe that her brother was drinking. She goes, whoever this officer is, shouldn't have a job. He has no integrity and he has a combative mindset.
How do you respond to that? JOHNSON: All I can say that we're going to investigate this thoroughly. What the initial reports came to us as what witnesses said that he appeared to be intoxicated. We're not saying that he was intoxicated. We're just saying that the witness reports said that he was intoxicated. He was yelling racial slurs and profanity at the passengers and challenged the customers to a fight.
And so that's how we responded. And then you can see at least one viewpoint from the video that's on YouTube as to how the officer responded. And we'll look into it from all angles.
LEMON: And, Linton, I got that wrong again. Like I said, this information -- we got this video and it's coming in fast. She said she does believe, it does appear that her brother was drinking, she said. But she said the officer shouldn't have a job, he has no integrity and a combative mindset.
Linton Johnson, thank you so much. We appreciate you joining us. And we will be checking with you until we get some more resolution on this story. Thank you so much.
JOHNSON: You're welcome.
LEMON: We want to go now to a racially-charged case of "she said, they said." A schoolteacher accused of cutting the line at a Missouri Walmart and attacking police officers called to the scene, she agreed to a plea deal. Heather Ellis had said some white customers and police taunted her. She has now agreed to serve four days in jail, a year of probation and attend an anger management course.
Firefighters making little progress battling bushfires Down Under. But is this the full -- the lull, I should say, before the flames kick right back up?
Our Jacqui Jeras is keeping an eye on the weather for your holiday travel.
Hi, Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey there, Don. We have some wicked winds just pounding the Pacific Northwest today, making for extremely hazardous travel. And, of course, Wednesday, the big travel day. We'll let you know what you can expect, coming up with your forecast.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Much of eastern Australia is on alert. High winds and record-breaking heat are fanning 100 raging wildfires. 100. Firefighters are battling the flames and scores of residents in potential harm's way, well, they have been urged to evacuate. Officials don't want a repeat of what happened in February when wildfires killed 173 people in one of Australia's worst ever natural disasters. Well, water's the problem in northern England. Look at that massive flood sparked by torrential rains, have damaged some 1,300 homes. A police officer was swept to his death when a bridge collapsed as he was directing traffic. And search teams are scouring a flooded river looking for a missing woman.
That is a whole lot of water.
Jacqui, I hope nothing like that is in our holiday forecast. And I hope everyone has a very safe and easy commute next week.
JERAS: That would be good, yes.
(WEATHER REPORT)
LEMON: Yes, I stopped eating a lot this week because I'm saving it all for next week.
Hey, Jacqui, remember we're doing that story last night about the astronaut who was in space and his wife was due to...
JERAS: Have a baby?
LEMON: I just want to say his name is Randy Bresnik. He was -- he did his first spacewalk. Abigail Mae Bresnik was born Friday night. Dad, 220 miles away in space. So, he'll get to see her after Thanksgiving. There's the guy. We want to see the baby soon. So, congratulations to him.
Nice Thanksgiving present, right, Jacqui?
JERAS: Absolutely.
LEMON: All right. Congratulations.
Meantime, a controversial proposal by one Southern governor. He wants to merge three historically black colleges. You can imagine the reaction to that.
And TVs, microwaves, computer, cars. Yes, instead of going to the mall just head to your car dealership for some Black Friday deals. We're going to take you shopping.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: A fight over higher learning in Mississippi for students at the state's historically black colleges. Governor Haley Barbour has laid out a plan to merge Jackson State, Alcorn State and Mississippi Valley State Universities. A controversial move in a state carrying baggage from a violent civil rights past and a decades- long battle of under-funding at schools.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No merger! No closure! But adequate funding now! UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Governor, will you sell the soul of a state for your personal power when it deals with an economical versus an ethical debate?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At the same time, I know a lot of people will be losing the tradition of their schools. And most of our school's tradition is the history between our rivalries with other schools.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So, under Barbour's plan, no campuses would close, but they would all merge into Jackson State. He also recommended that Mississippi University for women merge into Mississippi State. The governor says restructuring could save the state $35 million.
And tonight, mastering your money segment. If you're in the market for a new car, you might want to head to your local dealership this Friday. Researchers at TrueCar.com say Black Friday is becoming the best day of the year to find a good deal on cars. Unless we let the secret -- the cat out of the bag, and then it's not so, so.
Peter Valdes-Dapena writes about car shopping and financing for CNNMoney.com. He joins us from New York.
It's true -- have we given the secret away?
PETER VALDES-DAPENA, CNNMONEY.COM SENIOR WRITER: Well, you know, it's kind of funny. But look what happened at Chrysler dealerships after Chrysler went bankrupt. Everybody went to Chrysler dealerships thinking, me, I want to get a great deal on a car now because they're bankrupt. Prices for Chrysler, of course, actually went up.
So now that we figured it out, we asked the folks at TrueCar to do this analysis. What's the cheapest day to buy a car all yearlong? Turns out it's the day after Thanksgiving -- Black Friday.
And, of course, now we've told everyone. So, you know, what might happen is everybody might rush out looking for a deal. Nonetheless...
LEMON: So, why is it then? Why is it Black Friday?
VALDES-DAPENA: Well, in general, this is a really good time to go shopping for a car because we're coming towards the end of the year but there are still decent inventories of 2009 model year cars left.
And that's where you start getting the big discounts because they want to get those cars off the lot. The last thing a car dealer wants is to have a 2009 model year car on the lot when it's 2010. Then that car is really hard to sell.
LEMON: All right. So, listen, is it everybody's happy because, you know, they're filled with Thanksgiving turkey and stuffing? Or I don't know if this is strategic. I want to know the strategy and the reasoning behind this. VALDES-DAPENA: Sure. One reason behind it could be -- I mean, all we know from looking at the numbers from the last four, five years is that every year the discounts are largest on Black Friday, averaging about 7.5 percent on average.
One reason could be also that car retailers out there are trying to play in on all this Black Friday stuff. But people aren't generally shopping cars that much. They're going out for sweaters, microwave ovens, TV sets, that kind of stuff.
LEMON: So, they're trying to -- they're to jump on the bandwagon in maybe offering some deals there that you may not know about.
So, listen, let me ask you this. What are -- you know, what kind of cars are we looking at? Is it, you know, is it the Mercedes or the SUV or the BMW that people want? What's here?
VALDES-DAPENA: Well, the things you mentioned, yes. Those are things you should be looking for. This is a particularly good year for luxury cars and for big trucks and SUVs, because those vehicles weren't covered under cash-for-clunkers.
Remember, cash-for-clunkers didn't pay for a car that was more than $45,000. So, luxury cars are a particularly good deal right now. Big trucks and SUVs are also a particularly good deal right now. 2009 models, particularly if the 2010 model isn't any different, isn't significantly improved, it's a good time to buy a 2009 car.
LEMON: And, Peter, I want to say this just so our viewers know. Some of the models now, 22 percent off list. So, if you go in Black Friday or shortly thereafter, you'll probably get some further discounts.
Hey, listen. Very good information. Peter Valdez-Dapena, we really appreciate you joining us. CNNMoney.com. Thank you so much for joining us.
VALDES-DAPENA: Thank you very much.
LEMON: Happy Thanksgiving to you.
All right, just ahead here on CNN...
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): When we bring the flour, the Pakistani police stop us and they hit us. They beat us.
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LEMON: They're not even 10 years old and they're already smugglers, crossing the border between two of the world's most dangerous nations with danger around every turn.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: In Iran, about a third of the country is engaged in military exercises this week aimed at protecting its nuclear facilities from attack. The exercises focus on bolstering Iran's air defenses.
They're known as border children and for many of them their job is to smuggle goods across the Afghan-Pakistan border. They work hard for mere pennies in the face of grave danger. They don't have much choice.
CNN's Sara Sidner takes us there.
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SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Hazrat Ali is street smart and tough. He works like a man, but he's still just a boy. Age 9.
HAZRAT ALI, 9 YEARS OLD (through translator): I need more power to do this. I'm not strong enough.
SIDNER: Ali is a border child. His mission? Fill up and unload his wheelbarrow at least five times a day every day.
It's very hard work, he says.
He is one of an estimated 300 children who smuggle items back and forth over the border. And not just any border. But the border between two of the world's most dangerous places -- Afghanistan and Pakistan.
(on camera): One of the things these children are most afraid of is not surviving the job at all. There have already been two suicide blasts in the last three months at this border crossing.
Sabar Mina witnessed one of these terror attacks. At only 8 years old, she already has war stories just from working here.
SABAR MINA, 8 YEARS OLD (through translator): When the bomb exploded, I was in Afghanistan with my sister. We were crying. And then we ran away to the Pakistan side.
SIDNER (voice over): Sabar is from Pakistan. She lugs sacks of flour over to Afghanistan. The haul comes with its own hazards, especially since Pakistan banned exports of flour due to a spike in food prices there.
MINA (through translator): When we bring the flour, the Pakistani police stop us and they hit us. They beat us.
SIDNER: But most of the time, these children aren't hassled, so the goods get through. And for shippers, they're cheap labor. About 20 cents for the short trip through the check points.
But in their lives, every single cent makes a difference.
(on camera): So the children are literally not allowed to come home unless they make a certain amount of money.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of course.
SIDNER (voice over): This man works for an organization that helps border children. But we can't show you his face.
(on camera): Have you been threatened by the Taliban?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of course. I may say, yes.
SIDNER (voice over): Every move his group makes to educate these children is being watched, he says, in case it goes against Islamic law. The Taliban knows everything he's doing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we are agreed that we should implement, we implement. If they say it's against our culture, against the tradition, against the religion, we cannot implement it at all.
SIDNER: The group says it has put more than 300 children in school. But there are many parents who will not let their children quit this work, because the families can't survive without the money. Some of these families live in caves. It's one of many hardships these kids endure.
We meet Jamil Shah pushing grain and someone's child across the border.
JAMIL SHAH, 15 YEARS OLD (through translator): I want to be an engineer or a teacher.
SIDNER: At 15, Shah can't read, but he can still dream.
Sara Sidner, CNN, on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
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LEMON: Boy, oh, boy.
Pulled over by the cops. Worrying about what the police might find. Wait until you see what this guy did to destroy potential evidence.
And coming up at the top of the hour, why did three decorated Army sergeants murder four Iraqis at a Baghdad canal? Did the Army's own rules play a role here? "KILLINGS AT THE CANAL," a CNN Special Investigation, coming up straight ahead.
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LEMON: He is giving Filipino street kids a chance at education and a way out of gang life toward a brighter future. Your votes have made Efren Penaflorida the 2009 CNN Hero of the Year.
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EFREN PENAFLORIDA, CNN HERO OF THE YEAR: I cannot explain how I'm feeling right now. My knees are shaking. I'm freezing. I totally could not believe this is happening. This is really God's blessing for -- not just for me, but for the kids that we are helping and are determined to learn.
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LEMON: He has a lot of fun. Singing sensation Leona Lewis was one of the stars at the gala event honoring Penaflorida and nine other CNN heroes who are making a difference -- making a real difference in the world.
There were nearly 3 million votes cast online at cnn.com. And you can watch all 10 of our heroes being honored Thanksgiving night right here on CNN. Anderson Cooper hosts the "CNN HEROES: AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE" at 9 p.m. Eastern. You don't want to miss it. It will be very fun. Watch it on Thanksgiving night.
OK. So listen, time now for some of your feedback. I want to get to it really quickly here.
This is the top. Hey, someone enjoyed the show. Thank you. I'm glad you guys enjoyed it.
Someone weighing in on the San Francisco story. "Something is missing. The cop was trying to restrain the guy. Both men look a little overweight and glass broke due to weight."
Someone is talking about the killing in Puerto Rico which is believed to be gay-bashing. "Courageous people like Mr. Pedro Julio Serrano do not have many resources in Puerto Rico."
"Yes. I just saw that, Don. I feel that the police was inappropriate." It should be were inappropriate. "They need to go and hassle some real criminals."
One last. "Who can buy cars in this economy with 10 percent-plus unemployment?"
Very good tweets.
Hey, thank you for your feedback. We really appreciate it.
Hey, listen, you've heard about missing evidence, right? But really this one takes the cake. How a police officer stop this driver. He had been, you know, a bank-robbing suspect. Well, the teller says he had a note there, right? And so, they believe that he swallowed the note and they have not recovered that evidence so far. They believe he ate it.
I'm Don Lemon at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. We appreciate you joining us. Make sure you have a great week. Have a great evening, everyone.
