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Holiday Travel Mess; Drug Cartel Hit Man in U.S.

Aired November 27, 2013 - 15:00   ET

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

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: The low has to go by, and then those winds really shift from -- to the northwest -- from the northwest, right here, and that's what will again slow down the airports. I don't think the airport delays are done just yet. Over 400 delays right now out of the 6,000 planes in the sky. Only about 20 to 25 cancellations, system wide.

So DC, one to two hours, we're already seeing that. New York metro, one hour, one to two hours -- already seeing all of that. LaGuardia, JFK, and Newark are about 35 to 45 minutes behind. And Philadelphia, one to two hours.

That's not a real problem, at one to two hours. Because, at this point in time, if your connection is one to two hours late, and you're one to two hours late, you still make the next plane. When one plane gets there too early or leaves too early, and your plane doesn't get there on time, that's when you see the problems, and people begin to stack up at the airports.

I know it hasn't been as bad as people thought, but it's still not over yet. Still not a big deal. I don't think this is going to strand hundreds of thousands of people at airports. It's just going to strand them for two or three hours longer than they hoped. That's where we are right now.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: It could have been so much worse. Chad Myers, thank you, we'll check back with you.

But let's get to something, a special race we have been telling you about.

So we pitted these three correspondents in this travel race through snow, and wind, and rain on a plane, on a train, in a car, just to see who could make it from Manhattan to Washington, D.C., the first.

You see them racing out of our New York bureau. I can tell you that Nic Robertson officially landed in Washington, D.C., just a short time ago. There he is running, we appreciate that, in an airport, lagging behind. Lisa Desjardins. She is on a train as I speak. Brian Todd driving in a car.

Last check with Brian Todd, I can tell you, he was pounding coffee and to be precise, he let us know he has been rocking out with his crew to a little Lady Gaga on the highways. They're somewhere between Manhattan and Washington.

But now we're hearing we may have a winner.

Tom Foreman there in Washington at the finish line tracking the progress. Do I see...

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, yes.

BALDWIN: Do I see...

FOREMAN: The weary traveler has arrived. He even got here in so much time, Brooke, we had time to catch up out in the hallway before he comes in.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

FOREMAN: But now, Nic, you get to officially tag in, putting down your burden.

ROBERTSON: OK.

FOREMAN: There you go. There we have the winner. Look at this. We have the official winner in the whole thing here.

ROBERTSON: Feels good.

FOREMAN: Three hours and three minutes. We have killed some time out in the hall here, so roughly three hours. You left at noon. How did it go? You had some real breaks.

ROBERTSON: First of all, let's talk about my sister and my brother colleagues who are still out there.

I feel sorry for them. I didn't want to walk in the building until they were coming in, too.

I was so lucky that I got on the flight. There was security. There was no one in line. We were 10 minutes away from the airport and I didn't think I was going to get there. I could see the planes and I thought the doors are closing. I ran the length of the hall to get on the flight. I couldn't even find my boarding pass. They let me on with just my I.D.

I am the luckiest, the luckiest traveler today. The flight arrived early. It was so bumpy in the storms they couldn't serve coffee, so that coffee that Brian is enjoying, can I get a drink now?

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

FOREMAN: You know where they are right now? Brooke, take a look at this. This is where they are right now.

Interestingly enough, Brian Todd driving here, he looked so bad at the beginning because he was creeping out of New York and creeping through New Jersey. But he is now down here moving right along south of Philly, closing in on Baltimore, still some distance. And actually Lisa in the train which parallels that path, she's the one who is a little bit behind right now. The overall trip, just to remind you, about 227 miles driving. So if you hadn't made the plane, a lot tighter then, huh?

ROBERTSON: A lot tighter.

In fact, I think I would probably still be here waiting for the next flight. I'm not sure that there was another one coming up, yes, so very lucky, very lucky.

FOREMAN: So, a winner, Brooke. A winner.

ROBERTSON: A bumpy ride.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: There we go, the official clap for our esteemed colleague Nic Robertson.

ROBERTSON: But I am waiting for my colleagues to come home. I'm going to welcome them in with open arms. It was a great race. I was lucky, and I feel so sad they're still out there.

BALDWIN: You were lucky. We were watching you on Twitter, Nic Robertson. And the fact that they let you on that plane...

ROBERTSON: The Upper West Side, it almost killed me. The traffic, 72nd, I don't know these streets, 83rd, 96th, 103rd, Amsterdam. Still got to cross the park and I had 20 minutes to go.

FOREMAN: Well, even in D.C. here, if you look at, you know this, Brooke. When you get into D.C. here, he actually had to cover the ground from the airport over here across the bridge, up in here, all the way up to the finish line.

When Lisa gets here, she is actually going to finish right there. Union Station is right across the street from us.

BALDWIN: She's right there.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Let's go to Lisa, speaking of.

Lisa Desjardins, she is on this train.

Lisa D., you're on the phone with me. Where are you?

LISA DESJARDINS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I cannot believe Nic made that flight, first of all.

But I am in Elkton, Maryland, which is just really a fancy name for in the woods of Maryland, traveling at about 100 miles an hour on Amtrak. I think Brian Todd may be just a little ahead of me, but I'm about to pass him. I feel very certain. I have a hot cheeseburger here from the Amtrak bar car.

I have my friends, I have at team, a whole team train with me at this lovely table. And I have to tell you, it's a very relaxing and beautiful experience, frankly.

BALDWIN: I'm impressed. You're a lady, no trash talking of your colleague who miraculously made this plane and landed at Reagan and beat you. Nothing?

DESJARDINS: OK, I don't know who he paid. I should have checked his wallet before he left.

(LAUGHTER)

ROBERTSON: There's nothing in it now, that's for sure.

DESJARDINS: I'm very suspicious of the situation here.

All I know is that it is a very good situation. Two of my new friends on my team just toasted each other with a cup of wine, something that I know didn't happen on Nic's flight.

BALDWIN: Very good.

DESJARDINS: And I have oodles of leg room, by the way. So it's a great experience.

BALDWIN: All right. Well, you enjoy that train ride and your new friends. We will check back in with you, Lisa Desjardins.

Brian Todd, speaking of beverages, drinking a lot of coffee on the interstate. Yes, he is nodding along.

Brian Todd, so your colleague Nic Robertson smoked you, if I may. There's that coffee. Tell me where you are.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're just south of Newark, Delaware.

I think Lisa did just pass us, Brooke. And I know they're all in good spirits. I can be the curmudgeony and bitter driver dealing with the elements. I will accuse them of cheating and doing all sorts of nefarious things. But this is a cool drive, I will say. We're in the CNN roving coverage vehicle.

We have three cameras in here, one -- I will motion here to the camera that leads us to the front. You can see the traffic in front of me. It's a steady stream of traffic, it's moving well, but we're dealing with a steady rain and have been for at least a couple hours. To the camera to the side, you can see the northbound traffic on I-95 heading into New Jersey and northern Delaware here.

They're having a pretty good go of it, no backups. We have been pretty fortunate considering the weather. Three traffic jams we have encountered, none of them have lasted too long. Brooke, so we have got a couple of metropolitan areas ahead of us. We have got Baltimore and we have got Washington, D.C., but I think my chances of winning this race are slipping fast.

BALDWIN: Slipping fast, but, you know, who knows? Something could happen on that Amtrak train. Heaven forbid she may have to slow down and you could just wave at her as you guys drive on past somewhere maybe in Maryland.

Brian Todd, we will keep tabs on you. Thank you very much. Drive safely, drive slowly. Keep those windshield wipers rolling. Brian Todd, thank you.

And we have had so much fun and we continue to have fun with this CNN great race today. Brian and Lisa, they're still en route to Washington, D.C. Make sure you tune in to "THE SITUATION ROOM" for an update and the great race final results. Some healthy competition, we're all OK with that here on CNN this Thanksgiving Eve. So, tune into "THE SITUATION ROOM" 5:00 Eastern right here.

We are tracking some other stories making headlines today. Coming up next, a hit man for a Mexican drug cartel is walking the streets right here in the United States. Folks, he's an American teenager. Find out why he is suddenly free.

Plus, the star of "Malcolm in the Middle" just suffered his second stroke in a year. He is 27 years young. We will talk about why this could be happening coming up. You are watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: If you're like me, you wake up on Thanksgiving morning and part of your tradition involves watching the Macy's Day Parade, right?

Balloon versions of Snoopy and SpongeBob SquarePants, though, might be grounded because of the strong winds on Thanksgiving morning, because of these winds. They may have to ground all the large, those giant helium balloons set to fly tomorrow in Manhattan, disappointing millions across the nation.

And this is about keeping people safe because back in the 1990s, one woman spent weeks in a coma after strong winds sent this Cat in the Hat balloon flying into a metal lamp post, and so pieces of that post actually fell onto this woman's head.

I want to bring in Jason Carroll. He's reporting live from the ground, among some of those balloons there in New York.

And, Jason, when do parade officials make that call whether or not they fly?

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's not going to come until tomorrow morning, right before the parade starts at about 9:00 a.m.

But, in the meantime, things are moving ahead as planned. You can see the balloons are all lined up. In fact, some of them are already blown up. The giant pumpkins behind those pumpkins. That big blue, blue net that you see there, that's Sonic the Hedgehog. We have got Snoopy here lined up, all 76 feet of him.

In terms of what will happen tomorrow, I have got with me Amy Kule. She's actually the parade organizer.

Much of this is resting on your shoulders tomorrow. What can you tell us? We spoke to the incident commander from the NYPD, Brooke, who this is the man who is actually going to be making the decision. He feels as though tomorrow the balloons are going to go. What do you think?

AMY KULE, DIRECTOR, MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE: I think I'm going to depend on him to make that decision.

You know, I have been through so many of these parades where we have had really bad weather, increment weather on a Wednesday, and Thursday has just been magnificent. And I have a feeling that this is going to be just like this again.

CARROLL: And the threshold is 23-34, 23 sustained wind, 34 mile-per- hour gusts. And if you reach that, these balloons may have to be grounded, correct.

KULE: Very true. Very true. And we're going to work with the city of New York. Tomorrow morning, we're going to hear from them, we're going to monitor the weather all night, and we're not going to worry about it until then.

(CROSSTALK)

CARROLL: I know you're worrying about it before then. I know you are. I am.

(CROSSTALK)

KULE: I'm not.

(CROSSTALK)

KULE: Why? Are you a balloon handler?

(CROSSTALK)

CARROLL: No, no, but I'm a balloon fan. I'm like so many people. I want to see the balloons go. But I also know that it's got to be safe. It's got to be safe for the handlers and for the people who are coming out to watch.

KULE: Without question, safety is our first concern.

But I will tell you that the parade has 16 of these giant balloons, but it also has 30 magnificent floats with incredible talent on each one. We have got over 900 clowns in the parade, 11 marching bands coming from across the country, and very often, it's the first time that these kids are in New York City.

And then we have got about 1,800 cheerleaders. So, the parade... (CROSSTALK)

KULE: ... some of its parts.

CARROLL: No, and I hear you. It's not just about the balloons, but the balloons are iconic.

One thing you told me about -- Brooke, this you may find interesting -- there's actually balloon handling school.

KULE: There is.

CARROLL: There is, and so those who are coming out handling these balloons, they are trained.

BALDWIN: No way.

CARROLL: Yes.

BALDWIN: Wow.

CARROLL: And they go through training, they go through school.

(CROSSTALK)

KULE: There's a six-member team under each balloon that is responsible solely for the safe flight of the balloon. Each balloon is tethered to two vehicles.

Under there, under each balloon, we can have anywhere from 60 to 90 balloon handlers depending on the size of the balloon and they all go through various different types of balloon training. The most intense is classroom study and it's required of the six-member team.

And then if you're going to be a balloon handler, we recommend on site training as well as video training.

CARROLL: Also, I think you would tell them you have to be a minimum of 125 pounds in order to handle one of these bad boys.

KULE: Yes. Can you participate?

CARROLL: Now, Amy, don't I look like I way -- I am a strapping buck underneath this, Amy, I'm telling you.

(CROSSTALK)

KULE: All right. All right. Heavy shoes, heavy shoes.

(CROSSTALK)

CARROLL: Heavy shoes. Heavy shoes.

Also, another point, another point that a lot of people don't realize as well is that even though the balloons may not be able to go all the way up, you might be able to keep them lower to ground depending upon how the testing goes in terms of the wind gusts.

KULE: Absolutely.

If the wind is very high, and we're still able to fly the balloons, there are ropes on each one of the balloons that extend to about 50 feet.

CARROLL: OK.

KULE: The winds will determine just how high we could know.

If it's a perfectly sunny, still day, we will have the balloons at full flight. If it's a bit windy, we will have to lower them accordingly. But we're excited about these balloons. Everyone is going to come see them tonight. We will get over probably a million people up there between now and 10:00 p.m. to see these balloons come to life.

They're gorgeous. They were in the parade last year. We have got five new ones that are going to debut this year. I'm hoping that everybody gets to see them tomorrow.

CARROLL: All right, Amy, I know you're very busy out here today.

KULE: I am.

CARROLL: A lot of hard work has gone into this.

Want to thank you for joining us. Brooke, thanks to you as well. Get back to your good work.

(CROSSTALK)

KULE: Happy Thanksgiving.

CARROLL: Happy Thanksgiving.

So, once again, Brooke, the balloons are out here. They're lined up. The decision is going to be made right before the parade starts at 9:00 a.m. They have got wind testing devices all along the parade route to help them ultimately make that final decision. Fingers crossed.

BALDWIN: Jason Carroll, as a balloon fan, I'm thinking, maybe next year, since you get that gig every year, we send you to balloon handling school. What do you think about that?

CARROLL: Sounds like an idea, as long as we don't have to deal with any clowns.

(CROSSTALK)

CARROLL: I don't like the clowns.

BALDWIN: OK. Ixnay on the clowns. Balloons, we're good.

OK. Jason Carroll, thank you very much. We will be watching with bated breath come tomorrow morning.

CARROLL: You got it.

BALDWIN: Meantime, coming up next, take a look at this teenager. He will soon be walking the streets here in the United States. And a lot of people are absolutely furious because he is a hit man for a Mexican drug cartel. He killed his first person, as I say, at the age of 11. Why is he free? That answer is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Listen to this story. This American teenager who admits he was a hit man for Mexican drug lords is now walking as a free man today and he's in our city streets right here in the United States.

We will discuss how that is even possible here under the justice system.

But, first, I want you to watch this. This is from CNN's Ed Lavandera reporting from San Antonio, Texas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Even in a country ravaged by years of drug cartel-fueled violence, it was a shocking scene. In Mexico, three years ago, a baby-faced American teenager accused of working as an assassin for the South Pacific drug cartel was paraded in front of reporters.

Edgar Jimenez Lugo was just 14 years old when this video was filmed. Jimenez Lugo is known by the nickname "El Ponchis." He laid out gruesome details of his life in organized crime. He said he was 11 years old when he started killing and slit the throats of four victims himself.

He said that drug cartel leaders picked him off the street and forced him into carrying out the assassinations and that he was high on drugs when he killed drug cartel rivals. He was convict as a juvenile and sentenced to three years in prison. Now he's 17 and was released from prison Tuesday in Mexico.

News camera captured the release. He was quickly deported back to the United States and flown to San Antonio, Texas, where he disappeared back into American society. U.S. Customs and Border Protection official say they helped to facilitate his return, but say privacy laws prohibit the agency from releasing more details.

He was born in San Diego. He's a U.S. citizen. He served his prison sentence and does not face any criminal charges in the United States. So he's free to move around like anyone else. He isn't the only American teenager lured into the violent world. CNN told the notorious stories of two American drug cartel assassins in an jailhouse interview a few months ago. (on camera): In all, how many people did you kill?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have no idea. LAVANDERA: Gabriel Cardona is serving a life sentence in Texas. He and a childhood buddy, Rosalio Reta, worked as assassins for the infamous Zetas drug cartel as teenagers. Their stories highlight the frightening trend of cartel leaders luring young kids with the promise of money and power to carry out the cartels' dirty work.

After he was arrested, the teenage Rosalio Reta told the Laredo, Texas police detective that killing made him feel like superman. Today he knows his life is wasting away in prison.

ROSALIO RETA, CARTEL HIT MAN: The first time I take somebody's life, that's a day I will never be able to forget. After that, I have no life.

LAVANDERA (on camera): But you kept on killing after that first time at that ranch.

RETA: I had to. That's what a lot of people don't understand.

LAVANDERA: They are locked away for life, but this kid is El Ponchis is getting a second chance.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, San Antonio, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Let's talk about this kid known as El Ponchis.

He's a child who committed murder. He spent a pretty good chunk of his young life in prison in Mexico. Now he's been deported to the United States and basically dropped off in San Antonio.

Janet Johnson -- Janet Johnson -- got music on the brain -- Janet Johnson joins me, forgive me, criminal attorney, Jacksonville, Florida.

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: My apologies.

But, seriously, let's talk about this young man because, listen, I don't know if he -- if this criminal life is behind him, but under the eyes of the law in the U.S., Janet, should he be walking here free?

JANET JOHNSON, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Yes, I mean, even the Mexican authorities said, look, we can't say we can't say he's rehabilitated, which was the whole point of the criminal justice system treating him as a juvenile.

But I think if they could find a crime to charge him with in the U.S., they would. He just hasn't committed a crime in the U.S. And it just shows that the disparity between treatment of juveniles in America, where they can be direct-filed as adults and get life in prison, and then a few miles away, you can only get three years as a juvenile, so he has to go free at 17.

BALDWIN: So, clearly, had he committed a crime of the same nature, he would have been facing a much, much harsher sentence.

Let me ask you this because here he is in the United States, yet to commit a crime, right, that we know of. Can U.S. authorities keep an eye on him? Can they follow him legally speaking?

JOHNSON: Right.

Well, you know, they can. What they're saying right now is that he may go into sort of an assisted home where he will be reintroduced, but he would have to cooperate. That would be his own choice. They can follow him if he's in public, but they would need a search warrant to go places that they don't have access to, to go into his home, to tap his phones, to do things that they wouldn't have access to that the public couldn't see.

And I don't know that they're going to have probable cause to do that because he hasn't committed a crime in three years. He is done with his sentence, and he's a juvenile, so we can't even access a lot of this information because of privacy concerns.

BALDWIN: Hopefully, he is turning the page, then. That's the hope here in the United States. Janet Johnson, thank you very much.

Coming up next: a chilling look inside the mind of a killer; 18-year- old Austin Sigg was committed of murdering 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway along with an attack on a female jogger. Now we're hearing from him about the day of that murder. Prosecutors just released the video of his interrogation and confession. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)