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Mourning Oakland's Fallen; Fargo Flood

Aired March 27, 2009 - 15:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Are things heating up today in America's streets? Four Oakland cops killed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get in there. Get in there.

SANCHEZ: A Dallas officer's legal command. But did he ignore common sense?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My mother-in-law is dying right now!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Listen to me. Listen.

SANCHEZ: And she died. We're examining who is wrong.

This missile launch, 1998. Now he threatens to fire one even more powerful. The U.S. is deploying two U.S. warships that could shoot it down. We're on it.

Minneapolis teenagers allegedly recruited by terrorists have mysteriously returned to the United States. What are they saying, or, worse, what are they planning?

MICHAEL STEELE, CHAIRMAN, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: So, if I do something, there's a reason for it.

SANCHEZ: Michael Steele says, when he insulted Rush Limbaugh, he actually meant to do it.

It's Friday, when we filter through the mind of Mencia. Carlos Mencia joins us on the air and on the Web for your national conversation right now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: And hello again, everybody. I'm Rick Sanchez. We welcome you here to the world headquarters of CNN in Atlanta.

As we expected, there is breaking news is developing as we start this newscast. I want to show you some of the pictures of what is coming in now from the area of Fargo, North Dakota, and Moorhead, Minnesota, because a levee has apparently been breached.

In fact, I will read to you what I'm getting out of reports from CNN correspondent who are there. They are saying that there are longitudinal cracks now that have been found on the earthen levees. About 180 people that are in a hospital that are patients there are now being evacuated from the Fargo area.

As most of you know, CNN has been following this story for the better part of the last couple of days. And it does appear that flooding at this point is something for city officials and residents to be concerned about. About a million sandbags have already been used to try and hold the river at bay. This is the Red River, one of few rivers, incidentally, that flows north in the United States.

We're going to be checking on this story throughout newscast. We have got correspondents there. And as this information comes in, we are going to be sharing it with you.

Meanwhile, in tough economic times, it's expected the level of tension and emotions in many American cities will rise, right? But nowhere is this more true than in the city of Oakland, California, today. This is their -- what is happening right now. Four slain police officers are being remembered.

These are live pictures that you are looking at, by the way. This is the Oracle Arena. It's where thousands have come to pay their respects to the four men.

Let me take you through them, Oakland officers Mark Dunakin, John Hege, Ervin Romans, and Daniel Sakai. They were all gunned down after a routine traffic stop that turned into a manhunt and eventually a gunfight Saturday.

But here's what makes this story our lead. This is what makes this story so different from most police officer shooting stories. There have been vigils held on behalf of the senseless murdered officers. But you know what? There have also been demonstrations on behalf of the man who killed those officers.

Here's what this all comes down to. Some in the community there in Oakland say the police department is racist and they point to this. Remember this fatal shooting of Oscar Grant. It was on New Year's Day. It was captured on video. It happened at a BART train station. The officer in question now faces a murder charge.

But the incident became the latest flash point between Oakland's considerable African-American community and the police force. So, this is not an easy story to tell. This is a complicated story.

Point not to be lost here, the streets of Oakland on this night and perhaps for some time coming are tense and dangerous, especially so, perhaps most, for the city's police force. We're going to stay on this story and bring you updates as well.

Meanwhile, another developing story, this in Dallas, Texas, where the chief of police is now apologizing for one of his own. Now, this is interesting, because the officer he's reprimanding did his job. He did what is legal. What is really being questioned here -- and I really want you to watch this story and decide for yourself as you watch this, but what is really being questioned here is whether the officer showed common sense or maybe even more to the point a sense of common decency about what can often be described as extenuating circumstances.

This is the story of a family trying to rush to the hospital to spend one final moment with a dying relative.

CNN's Ed Lavandera picks up the story from here.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is police officer Robert Powell's view chasing down an SUV that he just saw slowly pass through a red light. The car has flashing hazard lights turned on, and inside is NFL running back Ryan Moats. He's racing to the hospital to see his dying mother-in-law. When Moats pulls into a parking space, police say Powell draws his gun and the confrontation quickly gets heated.

POWELL: Get in there. Get in there. Let me see your hands. Get in there. Put your hands on the car.

TAMISHIA MOATS: Excuse me? My mom is dying.

POWELL: Do you understand?

RYAN MOATS: My mother in law is dying right now.

LAVANDERA: From the officer's dashboard video camera, you can hear Moats try to explain the urgency of the moment. His wife and another relative ignored the officer and go inside. The officer asked for Moats' insurance and says he is being ticketed for running a red light.

POWELL: I need your insurance.

MOATS: I don't know. I don't have insurance. Give me a ticket or whatever.

POWELL: I can't. Listen, if I can't verify you have insurance.

MOATS: My mother in law is dying! Right now!

POWELL: Listen.

MOATS: You're wasting my time.

POWELL: If I can't verify you have insurance, I'm going to tow the car. So you need to find it or I'm going to tow the car.

Stop talking, stop talking.

MOATS: Thank you, sir.

POWELL: Even if you settle down, cooperate or I can take you to jail.

MOATS: What you asked for? You asked for insurance and car registration. POWELL: Shut your mouth.

MOATS: Here you go.

POWELL: Shut your mouth.

MOATS: Yes.

POWELL: You can cooperate and settle down or I can just take you to jail for running a red light.

MOATS: Go ahead.

POWELL: Is that what you want to do?

MOATS: Whatever, go ahead.

POWELL: OK. I can screw you over. I would rather not do that. Your attitude will dictate everything that happens. And right now your attitude sucks.

MOATS: Yes, sir.

POWELL: OK. I turned my red and blues on as you were going over the bridge. This is where you stop.

MOATS: You think I'm going to stop when my wife's mother is dying?

POWELL: You are required to stop. What you are doing does not matter.

MOATS: OK, yes, sir.

LAVANDERA: Dallas police chief David Kunkle ripped his officer's handling of the situation. Powell has been put on paid leave until an internal investigation is complete. He could be fired.

DAVID KUNKLE, DALLAS POLICE CHIEF: I want to issue a personal apology and also an apology on behalf of the Dallas Police Department to the family of Jonetta Collinsworth. I am embarrassed and disappointed by the behavior of one of our police officers, Officer Robert Powell.

LAVANDERA: And listen as another police officer and even a hospital nurse tried to help get Moats inside.

SECURITY GUARD: Hey, that's the nurse. She says that the mom's dying right and she was wondering if we can get him up there before she dies.

POWELL: All right. I'm almost done.

SECURITY GUARD: OK.

LAVANDERA: After almost 15 minutes, Ryan Moats finally is allowed to walk away, but not in time to say goodbye to his mother-in- law. She died as Officer Powell finished writing the ticket.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Eddie Lavandera is following the story. He joins us now.

Well-reported, Ed.

I want to share something with you, because we have got a lot of people trying to get in on this story. Let's go ahead and go over to our Twitter board. You wouldn't believe the amount of responses we have gotten on this story. I will take you through a couple of them real quick here.

"Dallas police should have been using his head. If someone dying, wouldn't you be in a rush?"

Go to the next one. "Legal procedure must segue to compassion and common courtesy at some point. He should have escorted the man and his mother."

One more: "They need to give these psychological evaluation to these police officers before they are hired. This happens way too often."

This is the kind of stuff that we have been reading, Eddie, all along. What is the officer saying for himself after all this criticism that he's been getting?

LAVANDERA: He himself has not spoken publicly yet. We were told yesterday by leadership within the Dallas Police Department that, in their initial conversations with Officer Powell, that he insists that he believes he did everything by the book, did everything and acted appropriately, and did everything he should have done.

SANCHEZ: And yet the chief seems to be differing with him. And he's his boss.

Is there any official policy on something like this is or is this what we often refer to as a judgment call?

LAVANDERA: You know, this is interesting.

At one point, the police chief yesterday came out and basically said, look, it's hard to find the right words and still be professional. He was clearly livid over what had happened. And at one point he was asked, well, what does officer training say about this?

He said, look, there's not much done that is in officer training that could handle this situation. You just hope that you hire people with commonsense, essentially saying that his own officer in his case did not practice common sense.

SANCHEZ: That pretty much nails it, doesn't it?

Ed Lavandera, thanks so much for reporting that for us.

LAVANDERA: Sure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEELE: I am very introspective about things. I don't do -- I'm a cause-and-effect kind of guy. So, if I do something, there's a reason for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: It's an exclusive interview. Michael Steele says to CNN that when he had to apologize to Rush Limbaugh, it was all planned. And on the radio today, he says the president is planning to take away all Americans' gun rights, but Nancy Pelosi is really in charge of the country. That's what he said. We're checking it out.

Also, that is a missile that was fired by North Korea. That was back in 1998. Now they are going to fire one that could hit parts of the United States. The Obama administration is deploying two warships that could shoot it down.

How tense is this getting? We will talk about that. Stay with us.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, Rick, John from Jacksonville.

Watching all the news today and they keep talking about all the economic recovery and the consumers are coming back into the game and spending more money. Has anybody stopped to consider that this may just be the tax return checks that people are spending and once that tax return money is gone, where do we sit then? Thanks.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back.

You know, it's interesting, but what we try and do with this particular newscast, we started this a long time ago, is bring you into the conversation. That's why we call it a national conversation. And, man, have we got a conversation started, at least when it comes to this story about this Dallas police officer who pulled over this family as they were going to see a dying relative, who died, incidentally.

I'm just reading over here what FreakyFran, one of our followers on this show, one of the 70,000 on Twitter alone, says. She says: "You have got to realize how many times a policeman here hears that 'I am in a hurry. My family member is dying.'"

So, she makes the point about perhaps we need to rethink the criticism on the police officer. Also, North Korea has a rocket on a launchpad. In fact, there it is in this satellite photo that is being taken very seriously by some U.S. military officials. Now, is it something to be afraid of? The answer is, we don't know. The North Koreans say it's a satellite. The U.S. and Japanese government say, yeah, right.

American warships are now deployed and are getting their anti- missiles missiles ready. And the Japanese are firing up their defenses as well.

Jim Clancy is going to be taking us through this in just a little bit.

But, first, Jim, I want to be able to show viewers at home this report.

It's by CNN's Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the latest satellite image of what the U.S. says is a long-range missile on a launch pad in North Korea. The White House worried enough to keep U.S. warships at the ready.

Pyongyang says it will launch a commercial satellite on top of this ballistic missile sometime between April 4th and April 8th. When North Korea launches, the Obama administration may have as little as five minutes to decide whether to shoot it down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know we're ready to defend our territory and our allies.

STARR: The missile's anticipated route would take it over Japan in seven to eight minutes. If deemed threatening, it could potentially be shot down by U.S. Navy warships in the Sea of Japan and the Pacific Ocean, or if the missile keeps traveling by ground-based missiles, shot from Alaska or California.

The Navy has already canceled a port call for the USS Hopper. It will remain off the Korean peninsula. The Navy says it has other ships positioned in the area equipped with the latest technology for shooting down ballistic missiles.

ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We believe that such a launch would be provocative and that such a launch would be in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

STARR: But if it's a commercial satellite, is it a threat? U.S. officials say the satellite is a cover for Pyongyang's efforts to perfect missile technology. If the launch is successful, North Korea will have gained valuable experience in missiles that could someday reach the U.S.

(on camera): The U.S. does not have a policy of shooting down commercial satellites, and North Korea knows it. Pyongyang may be backing President Obama into a tight corner.

Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: You know, as is always the case with this, this is a situation that can turn quite serious.

So, let's bring in our international correspondent, Jim Clancy, who has been following this, not just now, but in the past.

First, I want to ask you about this missile that the North Koreans are threatening to test-fire. Why so much concern about it? What makes this one different?

JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's a couple of reasons.

Number one, they had a failed launch in 2006. The U.S. wants to see what kind of technology they push forward. Remember, they are pushing the envelope. This is 1950s technology, Rick. It was never meant to be an intercontinental ballistic missile. This was an old 350-kilometer Scud.

SANCHEZ: And they're saying this thing can go 4,000 miles?

CLANCY: Well, we don't know for sure. And it depends on how much payload.

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: That could reach Alaska.

CLANCY: Yes, it could.

SANCHEZ: And that's a problem.

CLANCY: Well, it's a concern. And the concern is really the fact that these guys have sold missiles to every arms proliferator on the planet, Iran, Pakistan, Myanmar.

SANCHEZ: So, that's the real concern, that we have got a factory operation here where they can create missiles that then our potential enemies could use against us?

CLANCY: Well, Iran has got -- all of these missiles, different names they give them all, but they are all the same thing. They are North Korean missiles.

SANCHEZ: Super hyped-up Scuds, right?

CLANCY: Yes. I mean, they have added multiple rocket motors. They cluster them. And they try to get the most out of the technology that they can.

SANCHEZ: Let's talk a little bit about what could possibly happen. We were watching on Barbara Starr's report. And I'm sure some of you at home are wondering.

CLANCY: Yes.

SANCHEZ: The United States has, I believe, the capability to use a missile that can shoot down their missile.

CLANCY: That's right. But...

SANCHEZ: And that's what's on these two warships that we sent over.

CLANCY: But as Barbara pointed out now, Rick...

SANCHEZ: Can they pull that off? Go ahead.

CLANCY: They could pull it off. But the point is, if it is a satellite launch -- and all the experts that I have talked to say, yes, they believe it is -- you don't want to do that. And that's going to provoke North Korea.

What actions could it take against South Korea, Japan, others? It could cause a lot of trouble.

SANCHEZ: Idle threat?

CLANCY: Brinkmanship is the way to look at it.

SANCHEZ: Brinkmanship, yes. Good word choice. No wonder you did well in journalism class.

Thanks so much, Jim Clancy. Appreciate it.

CLANCY: All right. Great to be with you.

SANCHEZ: All right.

These are victims of another bombing in Pakistan. One after another, they are wheeled away from the crazy and deadly scene. We're going to tell you why this should matter to you.

Now, and this. Remember when I told you about a month ago that some Somali-American teenagers were disappearing from Minneapolis? Do you remember that story, that they were being recruited by a terrorist organization, that the FBI was concerned? Well, guess what? Some of those teens have gotten back in the United States.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back.

On this program, I told you about Newt Gingrich's questioning the president's scheduled appearance at Catholic University. He Twittered, in fact -- quote -- "It's sad to see Notre Dame invite President Obama to give the commencement address, since his policies are so anti-Catholic values." We pondered whether Gingrich's comment was ecumenical or purely political, whether he would also question a Republican speaker, for example.

Well, here is his opportunity. Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele is scheduled to appear at an event close to the hearts of many Catholics, the annual Right to Life dinner in Evansville, Indiana. Organizers say it's the largest such dinner in the country. Even Sarah Palin is going to be attending.

Michael Steele, former seminarian, is a headliner. But Bishop Gerald Gettelfinger says he won't appear at the dinner if Michael Steele is there. Why? Because, in a recent "GQ" interview, Steele said that he thinks abortion is a choice.

Steele has issued a statement since saying -- quote -- "I am pro- life, always have been, always will be."

But it's not enough for the bishop, who tells our CNN affiliate WEHT in Indiana, he stands by his decision to boycott the dinner and the presence of Michael Steele.

So, the president, as we reported, was criticized by a Catholic bishop and Newt Gingrich jumped into the fray to take on the president. So, now a Catholic bishop, very similar to the other story, criticizes Michael Steele.

Obvious question here, where is Gingrich? We called his office today, no comment.

Go to CNN.com/ricksanchez for your comment and perusal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEELE: I am very introspective about things. I don't do -- I'm a cause-and-effect kind of guy. So, if I do something, there's a reason for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: An there's the man himself, Michael Steele, in an exclusive interview with CNN. He says his insult of Rush Limbaugh was on purpose. You will hear him explain that.

And a follow-up on young teens who left the United States reportedly to be radicalized as Muslim extremists. Here's what concerns me. They are back in the country, back in the United States. And I'm asking questions on this one for all of us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Man, there have been a lot of comments coming in on that story we told you about coming out of Dallas.

Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez. Let's go to Facebook, if we can. (INAUDIBLE) is watching us right now. And he had this to say. "It happens too often." Oh, hold on. Let me look down here and read.

"It happens too often. Police officers are not trained to -- to handle the job. They have lost sight of being a human. My question to him is, what is that was his mother-in-law? Would he have been so worried about a ticket?"

So, there you go.

Also, this -- we reported on this show how President Obama through his more Machiavellian chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, was doing everything possible to not mention any prominent Republicans by name, except for two, of course. They always will mention at the White House Rush Limbaugh and Dick Cheney.

Well, it appears that two can play at that game, because RNC Chair Michael Steele filled in today on the radio show "Morning in America," where he referred to President Obama not, and to Nancy Pelosi lots.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP, "MORNING IN AMERICA")

STEELE: The leadership in the House and the Senate have a chance to stand in the well of the Congress and to remind the administration and Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid of what the founding principles of this country are all about. It wasn't about an institution of, by and for government. It's people.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Joining us now is Patricia Murphy, now with PoliticsDaily.com.

Murph...

PATRICIA MURPHY, POLITICSDAILY.COM: Hello.

SANCHEZ: Welcome back.

(LAUGHTER)

MURPHY: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: I listened to most of that show this morning and it was amazing. If he mentioned Nancy Pelosi once, he mentioned her 500 times.

He would refer to Barack Obama never. And, when he did, it was like "the administration, but the real leader here is" -- is there a mantra effect here, just like Barack Obama tried -- or the Barack Obama administration tried to do with Rush Limbaugh?

MURPHY: Oh, absolutely. And none of this is a secret. The way it's done in Washington, you take a poll of the other side. You see who is popular, who is not, who is up, who is down. You talk about the least popular people, the least popular leaders in their party.

He should not go over Barack Obama at this point because Barack Obama is so popular, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, not so much. So, it's very smart on his part, and of course the White House as you said did the exact same thing with Rush Limbaugh.

SANCHEZ: I guess that's the game they play.

MURPHY: It's the game.

SANCHEZ: I will tell you about something that was really interesting.

The Republican leadership made what can at best be described as a public relations mistake yesterday when they called reporters to announce that they had a budget to compete with the administration's budget. However -- and I think we have got some of this -- there is nothing in it. Watch. OK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: When the president came to Capitol Hill and laid out his blueprint for his budget during the State of the Union, he didn't offer his details until days later.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: There's Boehner explaining what is in that. But you can see how thin it is, right? Apparently, there was nothing between the title page and the back page.

(LAUGHTER)

MURPHY: It was about -- it's 19 pages, and a lot of those pages were cover sheets. It is a very, very thin document.

When you talked the communications mishap, there, Boehner said, here is our budget. Here it is.

It certainly was not a budget. I have talked to a lot of Republicans who said, it was just a budget blueprint. It talks about their goals and what they want to do.

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: Yes, yes, yes, but here's the problem, Murph. They didn't bill it that way. They didn't say, come today at such and such a time and we're going to tell you about our plans to release a budget next week. They said, come and see the budget.

They are being -- I mean, they are being hacked even by their own side on this.

MURPHY: It was not a great moment in communications. I wouldn't want to be in that press shop today.

(LAUGHTER)

MURPHY: The budget -- the real budget with the real numbers, they tell me, come next week during the budget process. And I'm promised there will be lots and lots of numbers in there that people can pore over. But yesterday was not a great moment.

SANCHEZ: Hey, the president was criticized -- and rightfully so, by the way -- for not supplying enough details in -- in his first bank rescue plan, remember? I mean, that was what that was all about.

Does this take lack of detail to a new low, by the way?

MURPHY: Well, the problem for all of these sides is that Americans are hungry for information.

They're hungry for details. All of these promises coming from Democrats and Republicans, and Americans just want to know, how are you going to fix it? People can look at numbers and add and subtract.

SANCHEZ: On either side -- people aren't stupid. I'm quoting you here.

MURPHY: God to see you. Thanks.

SANCHEZ: Thanks.

More than 50 dead in Pakistan after yet another mosque bombing. Now, that story may seem like it's a world away from you, right? But coming up, something that might make it a little bit more real.

I told you a couple of months ago about these Somali-American teens disappearing from Minneapolis? Well, now some of them are back. This, after authorities say that they were recruited by radical anti- Western groups in Somalia. It kind of makes you want to be concerned, doesn't it? Should you be?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez. 9/11 has made me, as well as you suspicious. That's only natural, right? But we would have to be crazy to not be concerned about this story.

Back in late January, I reported to you that a number of young Somali-American young men went missing from the Minneapolis area. They had been hanging out at mosques and were likely recruited by a group with ties to the terrorist organization al-Shabaab.

Then, we heard it was happening in San Diego and Columbus, Ohio, and maybe other U.S. cities. Now today, we learned that some of those teens are back, back in the USA. But how'd they get back in? Where are they? And this is a frightening question: Do they now return as radicalized Islamic fighters? Here is FBI director, Robert Mueller.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT MUELLER, FBI DIRECTOR: One individual who was so radicalized became a suicide bomber in Somaliland back in or back in Somalia October of 2008, we have not seen that occurrence again, but we do not want to see either an appearance of the individuals, do not want to see it either. And so, again, we're working with the community to make certain that any pockets of radicalization are identified and addressed, whether it be in Minneapolis or around the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: That young man that they was just referring to actually became a suicide bomber. Omar Jamal is a Somali advocate, he's from the Twin Cities He joined me when we first learned of this story back in January and told you about it.

Jamal, thanks so much for being with us.

OMAR JAMAL, SOMALI JUSTICE ADVOCACY CTR: Thank you, rick.

SANCHEZ: Hey, four returned, I understand. Where are they?

JAMAL: Well, we don't know where they are. They probably must be on a protected federal program and, by the way, there are more rumors than answers, here.

SANCHEZ: Do you think -- so, what I hear you saying is you think maybe the feds have them, the FBI has them and is questioning them?

JAMAL: Possibly, that is who -- any logic explanation is probable.

SANCHEZ: How do we even know that they're back in the country?

JAMAL: One of them has been spotted in Minneapolis somewhere and hasn't seen since then. And the word has it that there are three more, that makes four of them now, somewhere in the fed's hand in Minnesota.

SANCHEZ: You know what's curious about this is, how could they possibly have gotten back in the country if when they went to Somalia, as I understand it, their passports were taken away, most of their money was taken away, so how could they have gotten back into the United States?

JAMAL: Well, you we to keep in mind, Rick, Kenya is adjacent to Somalia and Nairobi is an open border, people go back and forth without any supervision. Al Qaeda individuals themselves go back and forth. Well defiantly, that's why they carry out east African embassy bombing. So, I guess that's why they can come back to Nairobi and get caught over there.

SANCHEZ: My concern and I think the concern of probably millions of people who will watch this interview is the following: The possibility that these young men could have been radicalized and that they could be preparing to do harm to us here in the United States. How can you assure us?

JAMAL: Well, there's one thing we know for sure that they have been radicalized, because if that didn't happen they would never have gone back to Somalia. But, the question is, can they do something here?

SANCHEZ: So, let's just take that one part at a time. You just said that you suspect, from what you know, that they have in fact been radicalized?

JAMAL: They have been in fact radicalized. The minority Somali group with the ties to al-Shabaab which ties to al Qaeda. That is for fact.

SANCHEZ: So, the next question is, now that they're back in the United States, can they do some harm -- will they? Have they come back with plans to do something here in the United States that can affect any one of us?

JAMAL: I think with the increasing collaboration between the community and FBI would obviously minimize that, but nobody would take that away. The risk is always there.

SANCHEZ: Hey, this mosque, where they started going -- because I understand these guys were like -- they spoke English the way you and I speak, they were like kids who were immigrants, but they were being very much Americanized and suddenly one day they changed and they changed when they started going to this mosque. Is this a place that radicalizes kids or is it getting a bad rap? Set us straight on this.

JAMAL: Well, obviously I wasn't there in the mosque, but something must be going on in that mosque which recruits and inducting (ph) these kids. Obviously we know that circumstantial evidence that something must be going on inside that mosque that would lead these kids to go back, one of whom blew himself up.

SANCHEZ: What's the name of the mosque, by the way?

JAMAL: I think it's called Abubakar As-Saddique mosque.

SANCHEZ: In Minneapolis or St. Paul?

JAMAL: It's in Minneapolis.

SANCHEZ: In Minneapolis

JAMAL: Right.

SANCHEZ: Omar Jamal, unbelievable stuff. So, we leave you with you saying you have every reason to believe they're back in the country, don't know where they are, but you believe that they're in the custody of the FBI?

JAMAL: Yes, I think so.

SANCHEZ: All right, my thanks to you, sir, for taking us through this story. Something we are going to continue to stay on top of.

Meanwhile, President Barack Obama has been saying that he was refocusing on Afghanistan. Now, another wave of troops are on their way, but what are they trying to accomplish, really? Not quite as much as you might think. Stay with us, more on this when we come back.

Plus, what are they trying to accomplish really? Not quite as much as you might think. Stay with us. More on this when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: We are obviously getting a lot of comments from you regarding the story that we told you about those Somalia teens that may have turned back up in the United States in the area around Minneapolis.

In fact, let's just show you one of the comments from one our viewers. She's watching us and she says, "I hope he's right." No, that would be the other one. You're making me miss "Johnny B. Good."

"I hope he's right. I hope they, the Somali teens, are in the hands of the feds." That comment coming to us on MySpace. I'm kidding you, Zach. Are you OK with that? He's nodding his head.

All right, I'm about to show you some pictures, now. These are pictures that I think most people would describe as horrible, and also unfortunate. And unfortunately, in this business, we tend to get a bit numb to scenes of pain and suffering, especially when they're in places where it happens often, like this.

Fifty-one people died today in this small village on the Pakistan side of the Afghanistan border. It happened at a mosque. Look at these pictures. These are people being raced out of there. A house of worship, packed with people for Friday prayers when a suicide bomber blew himself up inside.

And here's the weird part as we look at this, that village where it happened is one of those safe havens populated by Islamic militants. And officials say they think that the bomber was from one hard line Taliban group that's fighting against another hard line Taliban group.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: There's a major announcement in the news today from the United States' director of National Intelligence, it concerns Mexico and what the real situation is in Mexico. Speaking of Mexico, look who's here. Carlos -- but wait, oh, you're not Mexican? Honduras. Is that right?

CARLOS MENCIA, COMEDIAN: Yes. SANCHEZ: The "Mind of Mencia" is coming your way. You stay right there, don't move. He's funny.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's moving day for Christine Prince and her children, away from the misery of a temporary shelter.

CHRISTINE PRINCE, INTERVALE GREEN RESIDENT: We carry more than 300 mice in that apartment. We was living literally in fear.

WHITFIELD: A new address and a fresh start for this family.

PRINCE: I know it's a dream come true.

WHITFIELD: They are among the first residents of Intervale Green, an innovative low-income housing project developed by WHEDCo, the Women's Housing and Economic Development Corporation in the Bronx.

PRINCE: It's like I winned the lottery. I was so overjoyed because I know my children will finally have a place to go home.

WHITFIELD: This home will have residents seeing and saving green, features like compact fluorescent lights, efficient appliances and low-flow plumbing are designed to conserve both energy and cash, saving residents nearly a third on monthly utility bills.

NANCY BIBERMAN, FOUNDER, WHEDCO: It's the largest affordable green building in the country.

WHITFIELD: From the donated tile in the lobby to the rooftop garden, this 128-unit apartment building is green from the ground up.

BIBERMAN: This is green that they can see and feel and touch and live.

WHITFIELD: But, for this grateful family...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Make cupcakes.

WHITFIELD: It's home sweet home.

Fredricka Whitfield, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: You know, gut sometimes can go a long way. And two weeks ago something told me this Mexico story was being overblown by the media somewhat. And I shared that with you, especially the part about Mexico being totally out of control and rapidly becoming a "failed state." It seemed like hyperbole at the time and this show said so, at the time. Guess who else is now saying as much? Dennis Blair, the U.S. director of National Intelligence was quoted in an interview yesterday saying, "Mexico is not a failed state." Then he went on to say, "Let me repeat, Mexico is not a failed state." Interesting. Validation? You decide.

Joining us now is a non-Mexican from the "Mind of Mencia" Comedy Central's Carlos Mencia, good to see you again, man.

MENCIA: Good to see you, buddy. You called. You called it.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, I got one right. Every once in awhile, as my wife would say or my executive producer, Angie. So, you're not a Mexican, but you eat tacos?

MENCIA: Yeah, but everyone thinks I'm Mexican.

SANCHEZ: Why?

MENCIA: And when I tell people that I'm from Honduras, their response is: what part of Mexico is that?

SANCHEZ: But if you're Hispanic and in the United States, doesn't everybody just think that you're Mexican, anyway?

MENCIA: Pretty much, unless you're in Miami and you're Cubin and in New York you're Puerto Rican. Anywhere outside of there, you're Mexican.

SANCHEZ: Hey, what do you make of this whole Mexico is blowing up media coverage that we saw for a week-and-a-half. And by the way, there's a legitimate concern about what's going on over there with the drug cartels and all of the other fluid problems that come with it, however, you say what?

MENCIA: But, it's always been corrupt. I mean, it's always been like a weird form of government. Like, you know, I remember when I was a kid we used to actually drive from the United States to Honduras and before the trip my dad would literally go to the bank and get about $500 in $5 bills because every time the cops pulled us over he would be like, "hey, here's your coffee" and then they would let us go. And then the next cop would pull us over and here's for coffee and they kept doing that.

I mean, it's always been strange in Mexico, here's an example. You know, so many people coming into America, but like from people from el Salvador or Guatemala who try to get into Mexico, they actually have border patrol.

So, on one border they're like, hey, let us in and on the other side of the border they're like, hey, you can't come in here, which has always been bizarre to me. But, it's, you know, it is what it is.

My whole thing is, if Mexico were to fail as a state, what's going to happen? Everybody in Mexico is going to want to come to America? Isn't that already the case?

MENCIA: Hey, have you heard what's going -- you know, the far right, this week, has been saying that President Obama is too stupid to talk without a script. In fact, David Letterman got in on this -- Angie, do we have that? We do. Let's play it. I want to you watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID LETTERMAN, THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN: ...overuse of the teleprompter, so we put together a piece here, tonight, it's entitled "Teleprompter versus No Teleprompter." Take a look.

(BEGIN GRAPHIC)

Teleprompter.

(END GRAPHIC)

BARACK OBAMA (D), UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: This was the time when we performed, in the words that are carved into this very chamber, "something worthy to be remembered."

(BEGIN GRAPHIC)

No Teleprompter.

(END GRAPHIC)

GEORGE W BUSH (R), FMR UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: I me -- it -- tell me why -- I mean is it, I...

ANNOUNCER: This has been "Teleprompter vs. No Teleprompter."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ (voice-over): Take it away, man. I don't know. What do you say? Put a punctuation on that for us?

MENCIA: Well, that's exactly what -- like, really? We're actually to a point where we're getting mad at him because he's made a decision to sound great? I would look back and do the exactly same thing. The last guy who didn't read the teleprompter said some genius things.

Listen, I once listened to a speech given by ex-President Bush with my father. And during the speech, my father actually went, "ooh, that's now how chew (ph) say that." That's not good. That's never good.

SANCHEZ: You know, it's funny you say that, my mom and dad don't speak a lick of English. In fact, they can't even watch me doing the news on TV, which is interesting in and of itself, but sometimes they can tell more about a politician than I can just by watching the mannerisms and gestures.

MENCIA: Well, but you want a commander in chief who looks into the camera, who says, you know what I mean? You don't want a guy, who's like, "let me say, well, the too -- and, oh, man." You don't want that guy.

SANCHEZ: Hey, man, good to see you. Thanks for being with us today.

MENCIA: Love you, bro.

SANCHEZ: Always a pleasure, thanks.

A walk in space, a celebrity murder trial and a 2-year-old who will smoke you out at the pool table. All this and more. What we missed is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: We couldn't take our eyes off Washington this week. The top money guys on the Hill, tough questions. The president facing reporters, tough questions. Top economic mind in the White House, I threw tough questions at him. But so much happened all around the world that we just couldn't jam it all into one hour of the day.

Like Phil Spector, his fate is in the jury's hand again. Prosecutors say he shot a woman dead. His lawyer said she killed herself. Do you believe that was six years ago? A jury of Spector's peers is deliberating, today.

Out in orbit, shuttle astronauts took a walk in space, the third time this mission. "Discovery" has since undocked and the crew should be back on earth this weekend.

Houston, we have a problem, over at the "Chronicle" newspaper, job cuts, lots of them, and one newly unemployed staffer chronicled his firing and others in real-time on Twitter.

Look at this. He will totally mop up the floor with you at a pool table. Keith O'Dell will be two next month. You want to play him? I don't.

And we can't get enough of these moments. A kid at school, his dad's in the army and surprise.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Louis (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, poppy.

SANCHEZ: Dad's home early from the war. He's safe. And look at this welcome. Sometimes we miss these homecomings. Not this time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: It's nice, isn't it?

There's a video coming in of a tornado, a actual picture that somebody took with their camera. We're going to show that to you. Stay with us, we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SANCHEZ: Welcome back, I'm Rick Sanchez. Citizen journalism at its best, we call it iReport, here at CNN. Let me set the scene for you. This is a man who is in Cyprus when suddenly he realizes there's a tornado. I'll let you listen.

Wow, take a look at that. There's the tornado in the background and what you saw there, something we've experienced here in Georgia recently, by the way, is what happens before a tornado, is all the hail that usually comes in with something like that.

Wow, that's incredible.

By the way, I want to share something else with you, now. A lot of the comments that we've been getting before we close, that video we showed just a little while ago. Let's go over to MySpace, that would be the orange one over there, Zach. There you go, Zach. Thanks, man.

We showed that soldier when he was going back to his school, his children were seeing him and it was unexpected. "Aww, I need a tissue now," says one of our viewers. And there you have it. Maybe that's all we need to say because I think we all kind of could probably share the same thoughts after watching that.

Once again, thanks to the men and women who are serving their country. And with that, we take it over to Wolf Blitzer. And he is picking things up for us now in THE SITUATION ROOM -- Wolf.