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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Comedian in Chief; Final Warning; U.S. North Korea Showdown; America's High: The Case For and Against Pot; Fighting to Save Lives
Aired June 19, 2009 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ERICA HILL, CNN GUEST ANCHOR: Tonight, President Obama getting laughs in Washington and getting tougher on Iran. Just wrapping up a dinner at the Radio and Television Correspondents Association Dinner tonight where he was, naturally, the guest of honor.
And as expected the roast master general, so there were plenty of jabs for the people covering his administration. And one tribute to a certain CNN anchor he thought was there, but in fact, was busy hosting "LARRY KING LIVE."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Wolf Blitzer is here. He is the only man -- the only other man in America, with his own "SITUATION ROOM." People assume that mine is cooler but this is not the case. As hard as we've tried, we have not been able to generate the bandwidth necessary to turn Larry Summers into a hologram.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: We will have more from the president shortly.
But first, the very serious stuff he has on his plate, Iran, for one. It is a powder keg. And today, the country's Supreme Leader appeared to light the fuse.
Speaking at Friday prayers, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned opposition leaders to stop the mass rallies, or quote, "be responsible for the bloodshed and chaos." He reaffirmed disputed election results and dismissed allegations Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's lopsided victory meant the vote was rigged.
His sermon now presents the opposition with a very difficult choice.
Late today, appearing on CBS News, President Obama tried to shift some of that burden back on to the Ayatollah.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: I'm very concerned based on some of the tenor and tone of the statements that have been made. That the government of Iran recognized that the world is watching and how they approach and deal with people who are -- through peaceful means -- trying to be heard, will, I think, send a pretty clear signal to the international community about what Iran is and is not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Mr. Obama there, trying to raise the global stakes facing the Iranian government. Now, as for the Iranian people, with anywhere from seven to 30-plus fatalities; the stakes in the coming hours and days are life and death.
More now from Reza Sayah who is only permitted by the Iranian government to file one report a day. He spoke earlier today from Tehran with CNN's Hala Gorani.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REZAH SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Before today, we didn't quite know where the Supreme Leader and who the Supreme Leader would side with. He'd initially come out a day after the vote and he congratulated President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
But then, you had day after day of these tens sometimes hundreds of thousands of people coming out in support of Mir Hossein Mousavi. There was unprecedented pressure on this regime, unprecedented pressure on the Supreme Leader.
So the question was what would he do? Who would he side with? If he would have sided with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, he would have basically turned his back on the tens of thousands of supporters of Mir Hossein Mousavi who protested this election. If he would have sided with them, he would have undermined the regime and President Ahmadinejad, perhaps even himself.
But today, he made it clear that he's siding with the President. And the turmoil, the crisis, he said he blamed it on the U.S. government; the British government. He said they had designs to create unrest.
So again, this was an attempt on his part to unite the Iranian people. But still, there's plenty of indications that many of these Iranians remain divided.
We spoke to an activist in the Mousavi camp. And he made it clear to CNN that he didn't like what the Supreme Leader had to say.
He said it was a threatening tone. He compared it to a military-style rallying of the troops. And he basically said the Supreme Leader left no room to find common grounds.
But this is such a staged chess match in such a huge scale. This was the Supreme Leader's move today. He clearly backed the president.
Now, it's Mr. Mousavi's move. What will he do? Tomorrow, there is a scheduled rally. A lot of people were eager to see after this very certain warning if that rally would continue. We spoke to members of the Mousavi camp. And they said yes, they will go on with the rally scheduled tomorrow.
And we also spoke with the Interior Ministry. And they said they will not grant a permit.
So, another big day. It seems like every day is a huge day here with huge developments. Another one coming up tomorrow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: And we will continue to follow that.
"Digging Deeper" now with Reza Aslan, an Iran scholar and also the author of "How to Win a Cosmic War." Good to have you back with us tonight.
As we heard today, Ayatollah Khamenei essentially saying here, even if the silent protesters come out tomorrow, he's saying, "Get out of here. I'm promising a violent crackdown."
But given these huge rally, which of course Reza was just talking about which is planned for tomorrow, is anyone really going to listen, to obey those orders?
REZA ASLAN, AUTHOR, "HOW TO WIN A COSMIC WAR": Well, I think tomorrow's going to be the turning point in all of this. This isn't just a rally tomorrow. It's a rally called by the association of combatant clergy.
So, these are clerics, fellow clerics, who are running the show tomorrow. And in fact, the leader of it will be former President Mohammed Khatami, who is by far the most popular politician in Iran; more popular now than when he was even when he was president.
So, what are you going to do now? Are you going to shoot at a bunch of clerics? Are you going to shoot Mohammed Khatami? It's hard to know exactly where this is going to lead. But I think the response that we see from the government tomorrow, may really define what the rest of this week and perhaps even the uprising itself looks like.
HILL: But is it -- and essentially, Reza, wouldn't they then have to shoot? Because the Ayatollah has put out, in a sense, this ultimatum; backing himself almost into a corner. So if he doesn't, then clearly, it shows that there are cracks in this government. No?
ASLAN: Yes. That's right. And a lot of people are saying the same thing.
We have to recognize that something very interesting happened during that Friday sermon. Is that Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, summoned both Mousavi and Karrubi, the two reformist candidates to that prayer meeting. And they were obviously conspicuously absent.
And immediately afterwards, we had yet another night in which the cry of "Allahu Akbar" that the protesters have used as their sort of summoning the real beacon to the faithful was even louder than usual, going from rooftop to rooftop.
So we're going to see basically the showdown tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. Tehran time.
HILL: And really no reason to believe that either side is going to back down, obviously. ASLAN: There's no reason to believe either side is going to back down.
There's something very interesting here Erica is that, ten years ago, in 1999, there was another uprising kind of like this. It was during Khatami's presidency and Khamenei made the same exact threat.
He said go home or we will open fire. And Khatami backed down ten years ago because he felt like he had nobody behind him. He's had ten years to think about that decision and a lot of people think that he betrayed the students' movement, et cetera.
But he's had ten years. And now, in a sense, tomorrow is going to be his second chance. So, I'm really curious what he's going to say. This will be the first time we've heard from him since the election.
HILL: So many people waiting to hear those words.
One thing I do want to ask you about before I let you go. In your article at time.com today, you say that no matter what happens Iran will never be the same.
How specifically will it be different, though? Because even if there were another election, even if -- let's say -- Mousavi was elected, he isn't exactly a candidate who would bring about a lot of change. He's also known as a fairly conservative man.
ASLAN: It's not so much about the idea of sort of conservative or reformist any longer. And in fact truly this is not even about an election any longer.
Whatever comes out of this crisis, Iran is going to look vastly different. It'll either be much more militaristic, much more isolationist, or it'll be more democratic and more accommodating. So it's really at this point impossible to know which way it's going to turn.
HILL: We will be watching it closely with you as well, Reza Aslan, always good to have you with your insight. Thank you.
ASLAN: Anytime.
HILL: We'd like to know what you think about the events in Iran, or, frankly, whatever is on your mind. You can join the live chat happening right now at AC360.com. I'm about to logon in the break.
Also ahead, the North Korean ship at the center of a showdown on the high seas. Just what it might be carrying and why troops in Hawaii are on higher alert tonight.
Also ahead, Dr. Sanjay Gupta is on the front lines, a parade of shooting victims round the clock. The war zone though, has nothing to with Afghanistan or Iraq. It is in Chicago. See what's being done to stop the killing.
And a little later, Angelina Jolie talking about her battle and her passion inside the refugee camps of Africa.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANGELINA JOLIE, GOODWILL AMBASSADOR, UNHCR: To me, it's more important and more interesting to look at all the millions of people that have not succumbed to that. And that's why they're on the run and that's why they are the victims. Because they are good, decent people, who are not, you know, allowing themselves to be sucked into any kind of extremism and they're just trying to survive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: A bit later tonight, more of President Obama roasting the reporters who cover him and even the occasional bite of crow.
First though, there are more serious challenges tonight from North Korea. A missile test that now has Hawaii on the heightened alert. With the Pentagon beefing-up defenses there just in case and a showdown off the coast of China.
An American destroyer is right now shadowing a North Korean freighter, suspected of carrying banned, nuclear technology.
The latest now, from Tom Foreman.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Erica, the U.S. military knows North Korea has sold weapons to other nations in the past. And knows this ship the "Kangnam" has been implicated in suspicious activity before.
So what do we know this time? We'll, it's moving from China to North Korea, South Korea, over here. We know that the "Kangnam" left a port somewhere up in North Korea on Wednesday and has been cruising along the Chinese coast.
That's important because that gives it some cover. Because any attempt to stop this ship and search it in Chinese waters would be considered a direct challenge to China's power.
So, the "USS John McCain" has been cruising alongside here, aided by a navy P-3, providing 24-hour air surveillance, to keep an eye on the "Kangnam," to shadow it waiting to see where it goes and possibly to put pressure on it when it goes to a port somewhere for an inspection, using political force against the harboring country, wherever that may be, to make that happen.
North Korea's President, Kim Jong-Il has indicated he will see any such activity as an act of war against his nation. And he has vowed retribution.
But the cat-and-mouse game with the ship is just one concern. The other is the expected missile test in early July, firing out this way over Japan. The U.S. military is getting ready with an intercept system out here in Hawaii, just in case it would make it that far. And an expert with the Rand Corporation said their very best missile, the Typo Dong II, does have a range about to Hawaii.
The problem for North Korea is their nukes currently are way too big and heavy to ride on their missiles. Still, with each of these tests, North Korea is getting better at solving the equation of warhead weight to missile power. And if they could produce a nuclear missile capable of flying only half the distance to Hawaii, well, that could be highly valuable to some of their clients, like Iran, for instance, for hitting places like Israel and Europe. And that may be the key threat -- Erica.
HILL: Tom Foreman for us there.
Still ahead, "America's High: The case for and against pot." Our week-long series continues tonight. A dispensary, where marijuana comes with exotic names and in exotic shapes and flavors and all you need to get it is a doctor's recommendation. Anderson takes us all inside.
Plus, an American father wins temporary custody of his son, but only if he moves to Brazil. New details ahead in that case.
And President Obama, always comfortable in front of a crowd. But admitting tonight, he lost a little sleep ahead of this event in Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: A few nights ago, I was up tossing and turning, trying to figure out exactly what to say. Finally, when I couldn't get back to sleep, I rolled over and asked Brian Williams what he thought.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: We'll have a little more of the president's standup, in his own words at the Radio and Television Correspondents' Dinner later in the show.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: Still ahead, the comedian-in-chief, highlights from President Obama's speech, in tonight's Radio and Television Correspondents' Dinner in Washington.
But first David Mattingly joining us for the "360 Bulletin" -- hi, David.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Erica.
Texas billionaire, R. Allen Stanford was indicted today on charges of criminal conspiracy to commit mail, wire and securities fraud. Prosecutors say his international banking empire was really just a Ponzi scheme designed to swindle investors out of $7 billion. A federal judge in Virginia ordered Stanford to stay in custody until a future detention hearing in Houston. A Brazilian judge ruled a New Jersey dad can have unsupervised visits with his son six days a week. But there's a catch. The visits must happen in Brazil, where the boy -- the 9-year-old boy -- lives with his stepfather. David Goldman has been fighting to bring his son home to New Jersey since 2004.
Nestle is recalling about 300,000 cases of its Toll House Refrigerated Cookie Dough. There are concerns it may be contaminated with e-Coli after reports of illness in 28 states. The FDA and CDC are warning people not to eat the raw dough or to bake with it.
And Apple lovers waited in line today to get their hands on the new iPhone 3Gs. Apple claims the new phone is twice as fast as the previous model and has a three mega-pixel video camera, voice control, compass, cut, copy, paste functions among dozens of other features. And of course Erica -- it's all about the apps.
HILL: It's all about the apps. And there are so many including a CNN one, which is the most important. Right?
MATTINGLY: Absolutely.
HILL: Right.
MATTINGLY: Maybe CNN will give me one.
HILL: Maybe.
MATTINGLY: Yes.
HILL: Maybe they'll give me one too. We'll keep our fingers crossed and hopefully they heard that. David thanks.
Still ahead, the comedian-in-chief, President Obama cracking a few jokes in front of a very tough crowd, radio and TV reporters. So, was he funny? We're going to let you hear the speech and decide for yourself.
Plus, Dr. Sanjay Gupta inside one of the country's busiest ER's in a hospital on the front lines of gun violence that is turning parts of Chicago into war zones.
And we also have more of Anderson's exclusive interview with Angelina Jolie. Guess what fuels her passion for helping the world's 42 million refugees? What you didn't see last night, when 360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: Tonight, President Obama playing the role of comedian-in-chief at the Radio and TV Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington. He took the podium a short time ago and poked-fun at pretty much everything from how Secretary of State Hillary Clinton broke her elbow this week to Wolf Blitzer's ultimate "SITUATION ROOM."
And tonight, the President actually had a little competition. The Jib Jab guys who whipped up a new video for the occasion. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIBJAB: He's Barack Obama he's come to save the day he uses his super power within Iraq then kung fu chop the Taliban to chow, to chow our image in the world he'll mend then make the Jews and Arabs friends
He's Barack Obama he's come to save the day
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Just a little Jib Jab there.
Here now is the president, in his own words.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: It is wonderful to be here. I want to express my appreciation for the opportunity to tell jokes that weren't funny enough for me to use when we did this five weeks ago.
Whatever. The jokes may not be as good but neither is the guest list. I'm just joking. For me, there's no contest.
Why bother hanging out with celebrities when I can spend time with the people who made me one. I know where my bread is buttered.
It is great to be here, with so much talent, in the world of TV and radio, despite the flood of new media. I think your programming is more relevant than ever before. At least that's the impression I get when I read the blogs every day.
It's good to see a number of hard-working correspondents here tonight. Journalists like Chuck Todd; I think I spotted Chuck over there somewhere. And this -- at this dinner, Chuck embodies the best of both worlds. He has the rapid-fire style of a television correspondent and the facial hair of a radio correspondent.
Mica Brezinski is here I believe in the house. Mica and I have a lot in common. We both have partners named Joe who used to be in Congress and who don't know when to stop talking.
One person that you know could not be here tonight is Secretary Hillary Clinton. As most of you know, Hillary broke her elbow a few days ago on her way to the White House. And we all wish her a very speedy recovery.
I do have to say, though, that while it's been reported as an accident, there were some suspicious circumstances. Just before the incident, Secret Service spotted Richard Holbrooke spraying WD40, all over the driveway.
So, now, on top of the cost of health care and energy and the recovery plan, we've got another fiscal problem. Fortunately, the lawyers told me that Hillary's ready to settle.
I have to admit, though, it wasn't easy coming up with fresh material for this dinner. A few nights ago I was up tossing and turning, trying to figure out exactly what to say. Finally, when I couldn't get back to sleep, I rolled over and asked Brian Williams what he thought.
Now, the truth is, Brian Williams is actually a terrible house guest. He put an empty milk carton back in the fridge, leaves his wet towels all over the Roosevelt Room. We're pretty sure he clogged the toilet and didn't tell anybody.
I must say, the whole thing was worth it. Inside the Obama White House is my favorite, new show. There's just something really compelling about the main character. It's wonderful narrative.
This dinner conflicts with my date night. I was supposed to be going out with Michelle for Thai food, in Bangkok.
But I have been doing a lot of traveling. I just returned from a trip abroad, as you know, in Egypt. We had the opportunity to tour the pyramids. By now, I'm sure all of you have seen the pictures of Rahm on a camel. I admit I was a little nervous about the whole situation. I said at the time, this is a wild animal, known to bite and kick and spit. And who knows what the camel might do?
But I have to say, as I've traveled to all these countries, I saw firsthand how much people truly have in common with one another. Because no matter where I went, there is one thing I heard over and over again from every world leader. "No thanks. But have you considered Palau?"
Of course, most of my attention has been focused here back home. As you know, we've been working around the clock, to repair our major financial institutions and our auto companies. But you probably wouldn't understand the concept of troubled industries, working as you do in the radio and television industry.
We don't joke about that, huh? That's not funny.
One problem we're trying to solve is the high cost of health care in America. And I'm pleased that in our quest to reform the health care system, I gained the support of the American Medical Association.
It's proves true the old expression that it's easier to catch flies with honey and if honey doesn't worked feel free to use an open palm in a swift downward movement.
Now, the challenges we face are many -- and I'll be honest -- I don't have all the answers. And when I'm not sure what's right, I often ask myself, WWLD? What would a wise Latino do? I'm proud of my nominee, Sonia Sotomayor. And all those who oppose her -- to all those who say that there's no place for empathy on the bench, I say this. I completely understand how you're feeling. When you're upset, I'm upset.
Another difficult challenge is how to help our automakers thrive in the 21st century. We tried a number of different approaches. And tonight, I'm announcing a new one. It's a plan passed on to me by a close friend and adviser, Oprah Winfrey.
So, if each of you will look under your seat, you'll find that you get a car company. You get a car company. And, Fox, you get AIG. Enjoy.
In all seriousness, despite the jokes I've told, I'm here tonight because I appreciate the work that all of you do and the role that you play. You report the news as it happens. And you are covering history as it's made. With a hand-held camera or a mike or now even a cellphone or a blog, you bring the truth to people and allow people to bring truth to the world.
We're seeing that now, as history's unfolding in the sounds and images broadcast from Iran over the last week.
We've seen professional and citizen journalists act as a voice for those who want to be heard bearing witness to universal aspirations of democracy and freedom. Often at great risk and sometimes with great sacrifice, they do it because the rest of us need to hear the stories that they tell. We are grateful to you for that. Thank you.
God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: So, what did you think of the president's speech? Join the live chat happening now at AC360.com.
Up next, "America's High: The case for and against pot."
The extreme measures drug cartels are taking to get drugs into this country and onto your street.
And imagine a store that sells everything from pot brownies to pot- laced gelato. It's all legal and business is booming. Anderson will take us inside.
And just because we can't get enough, there is some more Jon and Kate news, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: All this week we've been bringing you a series of reports on the fight over legalizing marijuana. Tonight, as part of our 360 Special, "America's High: The case for and against pot" a reality show of pot's reach into this country.
The White House says 100 million Americans age 12 and older have tried pot at least once. It is the most common illegal drug in the country and it is very popular. And feeding that demand is a network of supply routes that stretch, not only across this nation; they begin beyond the border.
Once again, here's Tom Foreman.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) FOREMAN: These have been the principle routes by which Mexican marijuana has been coming into the United States over the years. But they are changing. The federal government's 2009 National Drug Threat Assessment says as enforcement has tightened on both sides of the border, Mexican cartels have moved their pot farms much closer to the U.S. to cut their shipping costs and the distance over which they must risk interception.
Crossing the border often works like this. Whether the pot is in a car, or a truck, or a plane, or a boat, or carried by hand, the cartel operative watches the crossing point, waits for something to distract or overload the border guards. Say, unusually heavy traffic on a holiday or even something as benign as a big storm that might draw upon law enforce.
And then they send the smuggler across. Once over, the load is very quickly spread out in some big city like Houston or perhaps, up into Colorado into Denver, over to Los Angeles. And there it's cut into smaller loads, moved to the street-level distributors and then on to the customers.
However, the DEA says the growing risk of border arrests also has the cartels expanding their operations within the United States. For years, they operated these huge farms out on public land in the west. They're now moving more of that to the east and more indoors, where higher quality pot can be grown away from prying eyes.
In addition, it's worth considering that Canadian pot, which was once also pretty much confined to out here in the west, has now been moving more over here to the east and is being carried more into the country by Asian gangs over here.
All along the way, operatives of the cartels keep an eye on the product. And they collect the money. But those jobs are often split up among many players and law enforcement doesn't really know the whole chain of supply. So, even if one shipment, for example is busted, another one will just get rerouted around, to cover the market.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: All right, Tom. Thanks.
Of course, not all the pot that is used in the U.S. is illegal. There are 13 states which allow marijuana for medical purposes and among them, California where pot is sold in so-called dispensaries, which attracts more than just customers.
One Los Angeles dispensary was robbed last night and not just for the pot but also $15,000 in cash.
Anderson took a tour of another dispensary in L.A., where the drug comes, we found, in all shapes and sizes and, it turns out, all flavors -- even gelato.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Joanna Laforce has been a pharmacist for 30 years, most of that time spent in traditional medicine. In 2007, she co-founded The Farmacy, a dispensary that sells marijuana as a medical treatment.
JOANNA LAFORCE, CO-OWNER, THE FARMACY: All of the people are here for medical reasons. We're very careful in how we verify the patients. They need a California I.D., or driver's license, and their doctor's recommendations.
COOPER: More than 600 dispensaries like The Farmacy have opened around Los Angeles since the law was enacted in 2003, legalizing the service. Under the Bush administration, they were constant targets of raids by the federal government. But just recently, President Obama vowed to end those raids.
Just like in a restaurant, Laforce and her staff will show the clients a menu, the many varieties of cannabis for sale used to treat different systems.
(on camera): So there's like Bubba Joe, Endo Purple, Princess, Third Eye, Air Force One.
LAFORCE: Exactly. And when people are familiar with these varieties or the names, they have a feeling for what -- how it's going to work for them.
COOPER (voice-over): But despite all the different varieties available at her store, Laforce says all of them fall into one of two basic types: Sativa and Indica.
LAFORCE: The Sativa usually has a higher source of THC. It's more of stimulating so works really well for depression. It's excellent for stimulating appetite and for other type of psychological ailments as opposed to Indica, which is a more sedating, more kind of full-body, really good for inflammation, arthritis, neurological types of disease.
COOPER: And for customers who feel uneasy about lighting up and smoking marijuana, Laforce has products for them, too.
(on camera): This pharmacy has introduced a line of what they call edibles. These are lollipops that have cannabis in them. These are -- they're brownies and cookies, biscotti, chocolates and chocolate bars.
The pharmacy has even introduced their own line of drinks. This is mint green tea -- enhanced mint green tea. So there's cannabis inside this. This can basically have the same impact as smoking some cannabis.
No doubt, for a number of people who watch this, they're going to say look, this is basically just kind of a fancy way of getting people stoned.
LAFORCE: Every day, we have people come in with that same attitude and very skeptical. The more people that are exposed to it and also more people who have family members or friends who benefited from cannabis, the more the idea of exactly what we're doing really is changing.
(voice-over): But that change hasn't come without a fight. Despite recent signs the Obama administration might be more hands-off when it comes to medical marijuana, until federal law changes, the fight is far from over.
Anderson Cooper, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Just ahead on 360, inside one of the busiest ERs in the nation: a Chicago hospital where every night, doctors are fighting to save lives and many of them children; victims of growing gang violence. Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes us inside.
Also, the president's first Father's Day in the White House: what it means to him and his message to dads across the country -- coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: Tonight, a dramatic development in a story we first told you about more than two years ago. They were the shots that started a movement in Chicago. Two young teenagers get on a city bus and start shooting. Sixteen-year-old Blair Holt, a promising, young student, who plans to go to college, is caught in the crossfire, and killed after using his body to shield his friend.
That killing put a spotlight on the gun violence that has turned parts of Chicago into a gun zone. Today, Michael Pace, the boy who killed Blair Holt pleaded guilty. He now faces 45 years to life in prison.
We brought you many stories on Chicago's school kids who keep dying. Since September, 39 of the city's public school students have been killed -- 39 children; but police are hoping to stop the bloodshed. And at the same time, doctors and nurses are doing everything they can to save lives.
It is a constant struggle, one that unfolds every, single night in one emergency room. Tonight, 360 MD, Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes you inside that ER. Here's his extraordinary report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's 7:00 p.m. at Christ Advocate Medical Hospital near Chicago.
DR. STEVEN SALZMAN, CHRIST ADVOCATE MEDICAL HOSPITAL: You heard what they just tell you?
GUPTA: 19-year-old male gunshot wound to the stomach and a 23-year- old male gunshot wound to the side.
Rush hour is starting early for Dr. Steven Salzman. You're looking at a scene that takes place all too commonly here in Chicago. They are bringing two patients just in the span of two minutes that I've been here that are both in shock. Since I was here a month ago, there have been nearly 80 patients shot and nearly 30 of them were teenagers.
This young man shot in the abdomen, he says in a drive-by shooting.
What goes through your head right now?
SALZMAN: It's fairly routine at this point. We see so many gunshot wounds, it's business as usual.
GUPTA: A race to save a patient's life. That's business as usual.
You can see they have an entire team waiting for him. They mobilized the trauma surgeons. They have neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons all standing by. They don't know exactly what the condition of the patient's going to be. They get everything ready in a room like this.
They have to examine his body fully. They think he has one gunshot wound. But they can't be sure until they examine his entire body. That's what they're starting to do now.
SALZMAN: Make sure you don't have any gunshot holes in your back, ok?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: X-rays coming in.
GUPTA: Not more than a few minutes after examining this first patient, they bring another gunshot wound here into the ER as you can see.
Dr. Steven Salzman has a moment to make a decision. Which one needs his attention this second?
SALZMAN: I think you have a hole in your stomach I have to fix. That's why it's hurting so bad.
GUPTA: If you ever wondered what one of the busiest operating rooms in the country looks like, you're looking at it. This place here, they take care of more gunshot wounds than just about anyplace else in the country. And you're getting a rare look inside.
Remove a bullet, stop the bleeding. Try to save a life. And then, do it night after night. That simple, that complicated -- the stakes, so high. Here, routine means saving lives, but occasionally, losing one.
SALZMAN: It is tough to tell somebody that your loved one is dead. It's very difficult to teach the residents how to do that also.
GUPTA: Two, young men, two gunshot wounds: one in surgery, his future uncertain while downstairs, pure luck. X-rays would show the 23-year- old had been shot through the leg. Doctors dressed his wound and sent him home.
Back upstairs in surgery, critical minutes passed until finally, Dr. Salzman and his team are satisfied. A bullet wound in the gut can be devastating but not this time.
Good news overall here in this operating room today. The bullet came in the abdomen here, exited the side over here, but did not hit any important structures. Less than half an hour, they're already closing up.
Routine.
For three years now, this is a city where shootings, lots of shootings, are routine. The good news? This is a place where saving lives is also routine
SALZMAN: Our survival rate is unbelievable. Here at Christ Hospital, if you come in alive, approximately 96 percent of the patients that come in alive leave the hospital.
GUPTA: Still, it's both physically and emotionally challenging. Normalcy is something that's hard to come by. What helps?
Look back again at Dr. Salzman's team. There, that doctor. She's a senior surgical resident and she's Steve Salzman's wife. They work here, side-by-side.
DR. AMI SHAH, ADVOCATE CHRIST MEDICAL CENTER: It's a great thing that we work together and do these types of surgeries together. I learned a lot from him.
GUPTA: School's out. It's now summer in the city. Rush hour in the ER starts earlier. And sad to say, with around 700 shootings already this year, it's business as usual.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Chicago.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: These numbers are incredible.
Next on 360, Anderson's exclusive interview with Angelina Jolie; the actress and U.N. goodwill ambassador talks about the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, a mission she began years ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANGELINA JOLIE, UNHCR GOODWILL AMBASSADOR: It's very frustrating for people that work on this and care about this and that is most people. There's been a lot of talking and a lot of movement in one direction or another. But then, really nothing that's really changed for the people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Also tonight, sharing music and paying a huge price. One mom battles the record industry, loses. And you won't believe what 24 songs will now cost her.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HILL: On the eve of World Refugee Day, we bring you more of Anderson's exclusive interview with Angelina Jolie.
As you might know, she serves as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. It's a cause she is deeply committed to.
Just yesterday, the UNHCR announced Jolie and her partner, Brad Pitt have donated $1 million to help Pakistanis displaced by fighting between troops and Taliban militants. Pakistan has one of the largest refugee populations.
Another crisis spot though is Darfur in western Sudan and that's where we pick up Anderson's exclusive interview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: I want to talk about the situation in Darfur. You've been to the region. There's been years of talk about this. There's years of rallies and international attention. Yet has anything really changed for the people there?
JOLIE: No. I think there have been so many -- it is very frustrating for most people that work on this and care about this and that is most people. That there's been a lot of talking and a lot of movement in one direction or another, but then really nothing that's really changed for the people.
There's, I think, 2.7 million displaced. There's been no real accountability. There are the arrest warrants and are they going to be followed through on? I don't know.
I know that -- I was there when they announced them. It gave the refugees a sense of hope and the sense that they were going to have justice and have something -- that what happened to them wasn't going to be just kind of a -- they were going to be expected to forget it and move on.
I'm somebody that's a believer that there's no lasting peace without justice.
COOPER: You've been to a lot of refugee camps over the years. Can they become breeding grounds for extremism?
JOLIE: I think -- certainly in the negative sense you could see if somebody is starving and they're unable to send their children to school and they have no place to go and some extremist says, "Here, come to our school, come to our way of life and we'll take care of you." It's very tempting.
To me, it's more important or more interesting to look at the millions of people that have not succumbed to that. That's why they're on the run and it's why they're the victims because they are good, decent people who are not allowing themselves to be sucked into any kind of extremism. And they're just trying to survive. Because they've remained neutral, they're in danger. But yes, I think if you look at a refugee camp, there's something that's fascinating to me, is the average day in a refugee camp is 20 years.
If you think about what happens in that displacement, if there's a population, we are able to get education to them. Teach them about law. Teach them about having their own health care. Teach them about ourselves. Teach them about the world.
Teach them about -- then they meet different aid workers and they form a different -- they become a very strong group, a strong positive group for the future of their country and the world.
If we are unable to assist them when they're uprooted, they do become a more scattered group; they do become a more desperate group. And then it can be a breeding ground. That's why it's important to see it as an opportunity to catch these people at this time and try to help guide them because when they return, they'll bring so much to their countries.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Still ahead, a new official portrait of presidential pup Bo. It is our "Shot of the Day."
First though David Mattingly joining us with a "360 Bulletin" -- David.
MATTINGLY: Hello again, Erica. For the first time in 20 years, House lawmakers today voted to impeach a federal judge. Judge Samuel Kent of Texas is in prison for lying about sexually assaulting two female employees. He pleaded guilty but is refusing to resign so he can continue to collect his salary. If the Senate also convicts him of impeachment, he will be forced off the bench.
A Minnesota mom was handed a huge fine for downloading copyrighted music. A federal jury ruled the woman must pay $1.9 million for posting 24 songs on a file-sharing site. That's $80,000 per song. She is the first and so far only music file sharing defendant to go to trial.
In an emotional pre-father's day message, President Obama urged fathers everywhere to stay involved in the lives of their children. The president also talked about his own struggles growing up with an absent father.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: I had a heroic mom and wonderful grandparents who helped raise me and my sister. And it's because of them that I'm able to stand here today. But despite all their extraordinary love and attention, that doesn't mean that I didn't feel my father's absence. That's something that leaves a hole in a child's heart that a government can't fill.
(END VIDEO CLIP) MATTINGLY: And in a new video clip just released by TLC, Kate Gosselin says it doesn't matter where Jon and I are in my relationship, my kids still matter the most to me. It's been reported that "Jon & Kate plus 8" stars will be announcing their divorce on Monday's show but TLC is not commenting.
Erica, you hate to see that with any family but those kids are so cute.
HILL: They are adorable. The one thing I don't get, David, why do they always have to all wear the same outfit? I think it's time to let these kids have individuality.
MATTINGLY: Maybe they buy in bulk, who knows?
HILL: They might, you know, if I had eight kids, I would, too.
MATTINGLY: I'll take eight of those.
HILL: Right David.
Don't go anywhere because just ahead, we have Bo's baseball card: a new photo of the first dog and some interesting stats to go along with it. It's our "Shot of the Day."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: David, it is time for tonight's "Shot."
You know how we love the first dog. So tonight with the newest official White House portrait unveiled today of none other than Bo, likely the world's most famous Portuguese Water Dog -- looking very happy there -- on the lawn of the White House. The White House called this his baseball card. So we thought it should look a little bit more like a baseball card.
Here's our version -- there you go on the front -- there he is, Bo Obama. On the back, the White House providing all these full stats for us. Born in Texas last year, moved to the White House in April, Bo enjoys running, sleeping, toys, tomatoes -- which I found interesting. His goal, by the way David, is to befriend more dog- nitaries.
Get it?
MATTINGLY: Yes, I got it. I got it. It hurt.
HILL: Yes. It did hurt a little bit. But it was still fun and it's a Friday.
And you know, even though he's a Portuguese Water dog, he doesn't know how to swim.
MATTINGLY: And that's just his rookie card. Can you imagine how much that's going to be worth in a few years?
HILL: Let's hope we can both get our hands on one.
That does it for this edition of 360. Thanks for watching.
"LARRY KING" starts right now.