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Bullying Linked to Suicides in America's Youth; Vets Object to "Disgruntled" Designation; French Capture 11 Suspected Pirates; Home Energy-Efficiency Projects Will Net Bigger Tax Break; Fed Aiming; Nationwide Rallies Target High Tax Bills, Stimulus Package, Bailouts
Aired April 15, 2009 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Attacked by pirates, another American cargo ship came under fire, but managed to escape this time. It happened off the coast of Somalia. The Liberty Sun was headed for Mombasa, Kenya, the same destination as the Maersk Alabama when it was attacked.
CNN Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence is joining us live from Washington this morning. So, Chris, what's the latest now?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, the military is obviously very cautious about revealing the exact location of this ship with everything that's been going on.
COLLINS: Sure.
LAWRENCE: But they do say that it is heading back to Mombasa.
This is the Liberty, the American freighter that was attacked. And the USS Bainbridge is sailing alongside it and keeping a very close eye on it. This was a very, very violent attack.
From what we heard from the Liberty's" crew, they were attacked with grenades, with gunfire. But what they were able to do and what we learned was they barricaded themselves in the engine room. And one of the crewmen was actually able to send an e-mail back to his family saying we're under attack by pirates, we've been hit by rockets.
The Navy says they were able to do some evasive maneuvers and send out a distress signal and by the time the Bainbridge got there, about five hours later, the pirates had taken off.
COLLINS: Yes, that's not an easy thing to do, evasive maneuvers when you're talking about vessels that's size. I wonder, too, because I think we heard from Admiral Gortney, the commander of the Fifth Fleet there, talking about some of the other things that they can do to ward off attackers. Something as simple as putting barbed wire along the bottom of some of these boats.
LAWRENCE: Yes, that's been known to work. Some people had suggested perhaps a sticky foam around the sides of the deck, using acoustical sound weapons. Some have even said that these ships need to be traveling with an armed escort, a private security team on board. The thing is the companies have been reluctant to spend that kind of money... COLLINS: Yes.
LAWRENCE: Because when you look at it, you know, 30,000 ship go through this area, 100, maybe 200 actually get hijacked. Even though they're spending more on insurance and more on these ransoms, honestly it probably still is less expensive than trying to outfit all the ships with an armed security detail.
COLLINS: Yes, sounds like it. All right. We'll stay on top of this story of course.
CNN's Chris Lawrence, our Pentagon correspondent. Thank you, Chris.
LAWRENCE: You're welcome.
COLLINS: As you just heard, one of the crew members from the Liberty Sun Thomas Urbik e-mailed his mother during the attack to tell her what was going on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. TONY SHENEMAN, TRACY, CALIFORNIA POLICE DEPARTMENT: What we're asking is for the public, if they have any indication that any of their children may have had inappropriate contact with Miss Huckaby to contact us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Unfortunately, obviously that was the wrong sound there.
Katy Urbik is Thomas Urbik's mother, and later put his mother's mind at ease in fact when he told her the U.S. Navy had in fact arrived. Well, the Navy ship that arrived was the USS Bainbridge. It was also headed for Mombasa with rescued cargo ship captain Richard Phillips on board. It's now escorting the Liberty Sun.
Can you believe that? The detour and delay is keeping Captain Phillips from the anticipated reunion though with his crew from the Maersk Alabama. Those crew members are on their way home right now. They are expected to arrive at Andrews Air Force base tonight. Captain Phillips will catch a later flight.
Congressman Donald Payne was in Somalia when Captain Phillips was rescued and became a target himself. He was there talking to Somalia's new president about the pirate problem. He spoke earlier with AMERICAN MORNING about the need to help the government.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Did the leaders that you talked to have a handle on how dangerous this is? And do they understand the urgency with which the international community wants them to do something? REP. DONALD PAYNE (D), NEW JERSEY: Oh, no question about it. They think that it's going to prevent Somalia from moving forward. They know it's a dark mark on their country. They want to see it end. And - but, you see, the pirates have money with the cartels and the groups that support them. Al Shabab gets money from extremists who are anti-U.S. The governments are the ones with no funds. And so they said that it's very difficult, even though they're going to go forward anyway.
CHETRY: Right.
PAYNE: But they're the ones that really need the support.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: You saw this on our show just yesterday. Islamic insurgents fired mortars at the airport as Payne was leaving Somalia. They say they were sending a message to the democratic congressman.
Today is the deadline, as you know, for Americans to file their federal taxes. Are you angry? Do you feel you're paying too much and getting too little? Well, you are not alone. See all of those red dots across the map here? Well, they are sites of rallies protesting today's tax system. Organizers are calling them tea parties in honor of the colonial rebellion against taxation without representation.
In fact, history repeats itself today in Boston, site of the original tea party, of course. CNN's Mary Snow is there and is joining us now live.
So what's happening, Mary?
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, there are going to be a couple of events throughout the day. But here, there is a rally going to get underway in just about an hour from now here at the state house. You might be able to see some people starting to gather outside the state house.
One of the organizers of this event, Christen Varley. She describes herself as a stay-at-home mom, you say you've never organized anything like this before.
Why now?
CHRISTEN VARLEY, EVENT ORGANIZER: I was motivated by the other tea parties that were happening earlier this month, or earlier in March, across the country. And I thought that Boston was a great location for one. We've got the history, and as I started networking on the internet and meeting up with other people organizing events, we found that there was a lot of interest. People were clamoring for an event to go to.
SNOW: You know, talking to a couple of people here, they're saying they're finding out about this on the internet. You say you organized this with a college student, a law student, you describe yourselves as two republicans and a libertarian. What's your message today?
VARLEY: I think our message is that the impending tax hikes that are coming, the proposed spending, the spending that's already occurring, it has people very nervous and very afraid for the future. Success and security of our country. As a mom, my dreams for my daughter, I wonder what the country is going to look like in 10 years.
SNOW: You see about 30 or so people here today. How many people do you expect to turn out?
VARLEY: We have 1500 who RSVP'd to us online saying they are coming. We've been lucky to have a beautiful day here in Boston. The weather is mild. The sun is shining. I think we're looking at maybe a couple of thousand.
SNOW: All right. Christen Varley, thank you for your time. And Heidi, there is going to be another event later this afternoon. There will be a re-enactment of the Boston tea party. That's going to be taking place, hosted by a local radio station here. Heidi?
COLLINS: All right. CNN's Mary Snow for us this morning in Boston. Thanks, Mary.
And later in the hour, we're going to go inside the tax revolts. Our Josh Levs takes us online for a far different tea party than our founding fathers could have ever imagined.
President Barack Obama talking taxes and calling for change. What can it mean for you? We're going to be finding out next hour. He's due to speak as many Americans race to beat the deadline to file those returns. CNN's Kate Bolduan is at the White House for us this morning.
So Kate, what kind of specifics are we going to hear from the president?
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, specifics we do not expect any new policy announcements, Heidi, but with the tea parties going on, as well as people begrudgingly having to go to the post office today. The president is trying to highlight what the administration is doing to help people, to offer some tax relief, to especially working class Americans. The remarks you mentioned are coming a little later, before the president comes out to speak.
We're told that he'll be sitting down with some working class families at the White House, some real world examples of people who are benefiting from the steps and the efforts of the administration is already doing. We expect him to talk about, what kind of efforts? The stimulus package and all the provisions that are included there.
Just some of them we can expect to hear more about or remind us about, the $400 tax credit for individuals, $800 for couples, tax credits for first time home buyers, as well as a new car sales tax deduction, even college tuition tax credits.
So we do expect the president to try to bring, to continue his maybe glimmer of hope tour here that we've heard in the last couple of days to say, it's a bad day today, you have go to file your taxes, but, we're out here trying to help you.
COLLINS: All right. CNN's Kate Bolduan at the White House. Thank you, Kate.
BOLDUAN: Of course.
COLLINS: So stay with us next hour everybody. We are going to have live coverage when President Obama talks about the nation's tax system. Those remarks are now scheduled for 11:55 Eastern.
So, have you filed your taxes yet? The hours are clearly ticking away, but there are still some options. To make it under the wire, Gerri Willis is joining us in our next half hour with some tips you certainly don't want to miss if you haven't filed just yet.
An unexpected drop in consumer prices. They fell 0.1 percent. Last month, the CPI is down 0.4 since this time last year. Marking the first 12-month decline since 1955. The CPI analyzes what you are willing to pay for certain items, including energy and food. That's why it's significant. Meanwhile, looking at these numbers today, the Dow Jones industrial average is up about 41 points or so in the first 40 minutes or so of the trading day. We'll keep our eye on that as well.
Also keeping our eye on the story out of San Mateo, California. You can see this fishing boat here, we're getting these pictures in from our affiliate in the area, KGO. This is a fishing boat that's stuck underneath a bridge there, I'm understanding.
Rob Marciano joining me now to talk a little bit more about this.
They actually had to close a couple of lanes of traffic. You can see there, up on the bridge.
What's the deal here, Rob? Is this a wind problem?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, pretty good chop there. Yes, the winds are blowing pretty good in the wake of the latest west coast storm that's now moving into the intermountain west. So they've got a strong northwest winds. Obviously, clear days, but that's not an issue. Pretty good shop there on the bay.
And this is the - if you're familiar with the Bay area, this is just south of the San Francisco airport. It's a bridge that connects San Mateo over to Hayward, on the east bay, just south of Oakland. So a pretty well traffic bridge there for sure. And this boat must have gotten just a bit squirrelly there when you've got winds blowing 20, 25 miles an hour on the San Francisco bay. That definitely creates chop and in some cases can create some white cap activity there. So traffic, there's your traffic report there. Hopefully, they'll get that boat unlodged and back to a calmer day.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: Let's look at that again.
MARCIANO: The guy driving that thing get out of there or is he stuck underneath the bridge? Well, I'm wondering.
COLLINS: Yes. The aerial is coming in a little bit high for us to get a good idea, but we'll keep our eye on that. Certainly, I don't know. It doesn't look that choppy to me, but...
MARCIANO: There are some ripples there. Obviously that bridge, mostly hovering right along the surface of the water until it gets a little bit farther out into the Bay and then it goes higher, or I'm not that familiar with it, it might be a drawbridge of some sort.
KGO, thanks for those - he always like to have a shots, even if it's a traffic problem out of the Bay Area. You know, it's a pretty good looking city there.
COLLINS: It sure is.
All right. We'll let everybody know if that situation resolves itself, most definitely. Rob Marciano, thank you.
MARCIANO: All right. You got it.
COLLINS: An 11-year-old boy, smart, handsome, tormented. Was he bullied to death?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Police are looking for more evidence against the Sunday school teacher accused of killing an eight-year-old girl. Melissa Huckaby was arraigned yesterday on several charges, including kidnapping, rape and murder of Sandra Cantu, a friend of her daughter. Police are looking into the possibility there could have been other victims.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. TONY SHENEMAN, TRACY, CALIFORNIA POLICE DEPARTMENT: What we're asking is for the public if they have any indication that any of their children may have had inappropriate contact with Miss Huckaby to contact us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Meanwhile, a public memorial is planned for tomorrow for Sandra. Her body was found last week stuffed in a suitcase and submerged in a pond near her home. Huckaby faces the possibility of life in prison or the death penalty if convicted.
She survived breast cancer and homelessness, now a Massachusetts mother faces an even greater challenge, dealing with the loss of her son who she says was bullied to death.
CNN's Randi Kaye has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): By all accounts, Carl Joseph Walker Hoover was a good kid. A Boy Scout who went to church every Sunday with his mother and prayed every morning before school.
The sixth grader started at the New Leadership Charter School in Springfield, Massachusetts, last September. But for Carl, school wasn't much fun. His mom says he was bullied daily by students who called him gay.
SIRDEANER WALKER, SAYS SON WAS BULLIED TO DEATH: Some people may say he was flamboyant. He was very dramatic.
KAYE: Sirdeaner Walker says she never asked her son if he was gay, but she says students called him feminine and told him, you act gay. Carl's mother says she tried to help her son.
(on camera): She told me she called the school every week to get them to stop the bullying. She says the school told her it has an anti-bullying policy, and not to worry.
(voice-over): Nothing changed. Eight months into the school year, the taunting finally became too much. Monday night, just last week while his mother cooked dinner downstairs, Carl wrapped an electrical cord around his neck upstairs. When he didn't come down for dinner, his mother headed to his room. Horror greeted her in the hallway. Carl had hanged himself in the landing outside his third floor bedroom. He was just 11.
(on camera): What happened? You called 911?
WALKER: We called 911. My daughter actually got me a knife and I cut the extension cords myself to let him down.
KAYE (voice-over): Mrs. Walker says just hours before Carl took his life he told her a female student had threatened to beat him up and kill him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm so sorry for making fun of Carl.
KAYE: In this sympathy card from Carl's school, one student even apologized for making fun of Carl.
(on camera): The school's chairman of the board says he is deeply saddened by Carl's death. He says the school has consistently addressed bullying issues and has stressed the need for respect among students. He plans to investigate to see if the school's anti- bullying policies were followed.
(voice-over): And it's not just Carl. Bullying is often deadly. Yale School of Medicine found apparent links between bullying and suicide in children. Among the studies' findings, bullied students are two to nine times more likely to have suicidal thoughts.
Seventeen-year-old Eric Mohatt (ph) from Ohio shot himself in 2007 after his parents say students at his school repeatedly called him gay, fag and queer. The Mohatts are suing school officials. The district says it found no evidence to support the family's claims. It ignored a bullying problem. A survivor of breast cancer and homelessness, Carl's mother says her faith in god keeps her going.
She hopes sharing her story will save another child. Carl would have turned 12 on Friday. Instead of a celebration, his mother will honor the memory of her son. The boy with the big smile who said he wanted to be president so he could change the world.
Randi Kaye, CNN, Springfield, Massachusetts.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: As Randi mentioned, Carl would have turned 12 on Friday. On that same day, thousands of schools will take part in a day of silence. Their aim, call attention to the bullying of students who are gay and lesbian or are perceived to be.
Another push for same sex marriage in New York Governor David Paterson calls it, "the only ethical way to treat people." He plans to introduce a bill tomorrow, legalizing same-sex marriage. It's the same bill lawmakers submitted two years ago. That bill never came to a vote in the republican-controlled senate. Democrats are now the majority, opponents vow a big fight.
A good Samaritan swings into action clobbering a robbery suspect. Some call him a hero; police say not so fast.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Don't let the bed bugs bite. Easier said than done, apparently. They hide in mattresses, sofas and sheets and since the most effective pesticides have been banned, we're seeing the biggest bed bug outbreak since World War II. The Environment Protection Agency is hosting a conference this weekend to figure out how best to control them safely.
A robbery suspect got more than he bargained for at a convenience store in Georgia. One of the store's regular customers grabbed a ladder and clobbered him.
Ross Cavitt of our affiliate station WSB reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's just something you ought to do.
ROSS CAVITT, WSB REPORTER: John Smith is known as caveman in these parts and often can be found sitting in the Conoco on north main. He noticed the slim man enter the store Monday afternoon, but the man apparently didn't notice him. After pretending to shop a bit, the suspect went behind the counter and after the clerk.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give me all your money (EXPLETIVE DELETED). DON "CAVEMAN": I saw him grab him by the neck and put something up to his throat. It looked like it was a knife.
CAVITT: As the clerk handed over the money, caveman told me he went looking for a weapon. All he could find was a step ladder.
DON "CAVEMAN": He came up around the counter and when he was halfway there, I just let him have it.
CAVITT: The suspect dropped some of the cash before running off. To the regulars at the Conoco, Mr. Smith is a star.
DON "CAVEMAN": He's our hero.
CAVITT: Police, though, aren't so sure.
MAJ. WAYNE DENNARD, ACWORTH, GEORGIA POLICE: Certainly don't recommend anybody taking any action like that. In this case, it worked out OK. But definitely do not recommend that happening.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He would protect anyone. Don't you think? He's our hero.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He just looks after everybody.
DON "CAVEMAN": Well, there's a lot of things that goes on around here to start with and I don't like it. I mean, people work for themselves and they should be able to keep it without somebody taking it away from them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Toys, candles and boats that are practically invincible to the naked eye, how smugglers are getting around law enforcement and getting their drugs into this country.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Heidi Collins.
COLLINS: A government assessment about right-wing extremist groups is triggering a big outcry from conservative voices.
CNN's Jeanne Meserve has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Political conservatives are fired up.
RUSH LIMBAUGH, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: This is an effort to criminalize political dissent. Standard, ordinary, everyday political dissent.
MESERVE: This fury, a reaction to an assessment from the Department of Homeland Security saying right-wing extremist groups could exploit fears about the economic downturn, gun control and the election of an African-American president to attract new recruits. It says groups dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration may fall within the definition of extremist.
LIMBAUGH: We are not extremists. They are the extremists.
MESERVE: To make its case, DHS cites a surge in purchases of guns and ammunition and the recent shooting of three Pittsburgh police officers by a man reportedly influenced by racist ideology and fears of gun confiscations. An organization that tracks extremist groups thinks DHS has the picture at least partially right.
MARK POTOK, SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER: The election of Obama certainly has played for these groups in the last six, seven, eight months. The economy I think is much more questionable. We really don't know if that is having an effect.
MESERVE: A Homeland Security official says DHS is not trying to squelch free speech. There is no link between extremists being talked about in that report and conservative political thinkers, activists and voters. But conservatives aren't buying it.
ROGER HEDGECOCK, CONSERVATIVE RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: The Bush administration had done this to left-wing extremists, it would be all over the press as an obvious trampling on the first amendment rights of folks and dissent.
MESERVE: In fact, in January there was a warning about left-wing extremists. It was issued by the Obama administration, but both reports were begun under President Bush.
(on camera): This new DHS assessment says right-wing extremists may try to radicalize disgruntled veterans to exploit their military knowledge. Some conservatives find that offensive, but DHS points to Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, a veteran of the first Iraq war.
Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: And that's exactly what we want to talk more about here, the government's concern of veterans being radicalized. Joining us now is the American Legion's legislative director and Gulf War veteran Steve Robertson.
First of all, thank you for your service, Steve. We appreciate it very much. I want to talk to you more specifically about something that we found in the report, so we're going to go ahead and put it on the screen now. This is from the section called "Disgruntled Military Veterans." It reads, "DHS/Intelligence & Analysis" -- that's the office -- "assesses that right-wing extremists will attempt to recruit and radicalize returning veterans in order to exploit their skills and knowledge derived from military training and combat."
It goes on to say, "The willingness of a small percentage of military personnel to join extremist groups during the 1990s because they were disgruntled, disillusioned or suffering from the psychological effects of war is being replicated today."
Are you aware of any evidence that DHS has that that in fact is being replicated and how widespread it is?
STEVE ROBERTSON, LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR, AMERICAN LEGION: Well, that was exactly our point. We felt that the report was way insufficient. There was very little evidence to prove their assumptions.
You know, comparing McVeigh to the Army is like comparing Osama bin Laden to Islam. These were individual actions taken by individuals. Veterans are trained to oppose domestic enemies of this country. And in most cases, a veteran would report being recruited by any group that they felt was a dissident or a group against the government to a local law enforcement. In fact, many of our veterans are law enforcement officials.
COLLINS: In fact, it's kind of like the ethics code that a doctor takes to do no harm, first off. I mean, that is a code of ethic that a military member takes.
ROBERTSON: We have millions of veterans that are members of our organization, and we're dedicated to helping other veterans and their families. We're a community-based organization, and it's ironic that when a disaster has occurred, usually the first people to show up are members of the armed forces to throw a -- lend a helping hand. That's hardly what I would consider disgruntled veterans.
COLLINS: This was not supposed to be released to the public, though, right? This report?
ROBERTSON: That was the amazing thing. This was not supposed to be released to the media, to the public, to anybody but law enforcement officials. And I think that this is a grave injustice. These are returning war heroes. These are the men and women that live in your communities, that attend your schools, go to your churches, et cetera, et cetera. To label them as potential supremist recruits I think is totally irresponsible.
COLLINS: In fact, the national commander of the American Legion -- want to put this on the screen as well, because he's written a letter to Janet Napolitano herself. By the way, we should mention we did invite her on the show. We have made many phone calls. We have gotten no response from the Department of Homeland Security or Secretary Napolitano herself.
This is what he said, similar to what you mentioned: "The American Legion is well aware and horrified at the pain inflicted during the Oklahoma City bombing, but Timothy McVeigh was only one of more than 42 million veterans who have worn this nation's uniform during wartime. To continue to use McVeigh as an example of the stereotypical 'disgruntled military veteran' is as unfair as using Osama bin Laden as the sole example of Islam."
Again, that's from the national commander, David Rehbein. Have you heard from Secretary Napolitano's office? ROBERTSON: No, we haven't. And, you know, there's a bigger message here that's going out to employers. These young men and women are coming back, trying to make the successful transition back into their local communities. And if an employer believes this garbage that's being put out that these are potential members of extreme groups, that's going to hurt their chances for employability, and that'd be a grave injustice.
COLLINS: Well, we certainly will continue to follow all of these issues. And again, are waiting for Secretary Napolitano's office to respond to this either through CNN or to the American legion, as I know this letter has gone out from your national commander. Thanks so much for your time. We appreciate it. Steve Robinson (sic) with the American Legion today.
ROBERTSON: Thank you, Heidi.
COLLINS: A new position created specifically to deal with drug violence and illegal immigration on our southern border. It's called border czar, and today, Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano will name someone to fill it. Administration officials say that person will be Alan Bersin. Bersin used to work for the Justice Department, and Napolitano is supposed to make the announcement during a visit to El Paso today.
It's not the only step the administration is taking on drug- related violence on the border. The topic will be the focus when President Obama travels to Mexico tomorrow to meet with President Felipe Calderon. Calderon's predecessor, Vicente Fox, talked to "AMERICAN MORNING" and called for U.S. support to take on the cartels.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VICENTE FOX, FORMER PRESIDENT OF MEXICO: We have to work together. Drug consumption, it's an evil. And cartels in Mexico, because of the success of the actions of my government and Presidente Calderon's government, is now fighting back and has provoked this war. But this war should be won by Mexican government, and so it will be, if we work together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: After stopping in Mexico, President Obama travels to Trinidad and Tobago for the Summit of the Americas this weekend.
As the U.S. and Mexico promise tougher crackdowns on the violent drug trade, cartels are becoming more creative with how they move their product into the U.S. And Deborah Feyerick looks at how they're getting away with it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When you see the Mexico-U.S. border for the first time, it's easy to understand why drug cartels are obsessed with it. It's so close, houses in Tijuana virtually touch the border fence opposite San Diego. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Their bottom line is to make money, and they're going to do whatever it is that they can to ensure that that happens. So, they've become very, very creative in the ways that they'll smuggle.
FEYERICK: Drug traffickers are throwing everything they've got at getting drugs into the U.S. They're smuggled overland in things like tables, toys and holiday candles, or smuggled underground in sophisticated tunnels, some 100 discovered since 1990, along the more than 2,000-mile border. And on the water, where Captain Vincent DeLaurentis (ph) and his crew on the Coast Guard cutter Hamilton recently spent three months searching for drugs inbound to Mexico.
CAPT. VINCENT DELAURENTIS, U.S. COAST GUARD: Every time we get a seizure, we put a new sticker up.
FEYERICK: Though they did not see any of the cartels' new high- tech semisubmersibles, they did capture six of the new, hard-to-detect boats that travel mostly at night.
DELAURENTIS: And we seized six go-fast vessels that were carrying upwards of 15 tons of contraband.
FEYERICK: Port Director Oscar Presiado (ph) overseas the San Ysidro crossing.
(on camera): How many cars do you find drugs in on any given day?
OSCAR PRESIADO (ph), PORT DIRECTOR, SAN YSIDRO CROSSING: We find between five and 10 loads a day, from 50 pounds to 500 pounds of marijuana. It can be methamphetamine. It can be cocaine. It can be heroin.
FEYERICK: Recent seizures include marijuana in tires and heroin in phony tanks, some with secret levers.
PRESIADO (ph): They'll put it anywhere they can. And they're very creative in creating their own compartments too.
FEYERICK: With border security tighter than ever, Presiado says drug traffickers are now paying kids as young as 14 to smuggle dope, mostly marijuana.
PRESIADO (ph): A lot of these are school kids. They've been crossing through here for years.
FEYERICK (on camera): So, they may even recognize some of the border agents.
PRESIADO (ph): Oh, yes. Of course.
FEYERICK: And with billions at stake, officials say cartels will try anything.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we can't catch the drugs, what we want them to do is spend more resources in order to get the drugs across the border.
FEYERICK (on camera): The quantity of drugs seized by federal agents is staggering. Still, as one official told us, only the cartels know for sure how much is actually making it into the U.S.
Deborah Feyerick, CNN, on the U.S.-Mexico border.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Quickly now want to give you this information just into the CNN NEWSROOM. More news by way of pirates, believe it or not. The French navy now telling us that they have captured 11 suspected pirates. This is off the coast of Kenya.
They tracked these pirates apparently overnight after they attacked a ship in the area. The French launched a helicopter from the frigate (INAUDIBLE) and headed off this attack. And then they seized these pirates -- again, 11 suspected pirates -- and now have them in custody.
Again, all of this going on as another attack on a U.S. cargo ship came today as well. They happened to escape from that. And all of this is going on as we're still waiting for Captain Richard Phillips to reunite with his crew members. They're actually -- Captain Phillips is on the Liberty Sun, which is now -- excuse me, he is on the boat that -- the USS Bainbridge that is now escorting the Liberty Sun that was attacked earlier today. So, a lot going on by way of this, and we will stay on top of it, of course, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Meanwhile, don't panic, at least not yet. There's still time to file your taxes, and Gerri Willis is going to be here with some help.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: If you haven't filed your taxes, the clock is ticking. If you don't want to face stiff penalties, there are some last-minute moves you can make. Personal finance editor Gerri Willis joining us now from New York. Hey, Gerri.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hey, good to see you, Heidi.
COLLINS: So, what do we do here?
WILLIS: Well, if you want to file late...
COLLINS: It's just hours, right?
WILLIS: Yes, it's like T-minus 14 hours now, right? You've really got to get on it if you haven't already. Easiest way to do that is to file electronically. Over 77 million people have filed electronically so far this year. That's a record. They're expecting big records there.
And there's good reason people are going to pay -- to their computer to pay their taxes. E-filing is faster. Software programs can check for math errors and can get you your return a whole lot quicker. But there's always that lingering worry that maybe your computer will crash at the last minute or the IRS might not be able to handle all those 1040s coming in the front door. So, we put that question right to the IRS commissioner. Here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOUGLAS SHULMAN, IRS COMMISSIONER: Our systems are going to be able to accept all the tax returns that come in. April 15th's a busy for us. We know it's one of the biggest financial transactions a lot of Americans have every year, paying their taxes, and we're ready to take them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIS: Ready to take your money. So, the IRS says it's ready. To give yourself peace of mind, though, you might not want to wait until too close to midnight to press that send button -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes. That reminds me of, like, college and writing a paper way, way too late, having the whole thing crash.
WILLIS: Yes, but, you know, the penalty is much more severe if you don't file your taxes, right?
COLLINS: Yes, indeed. Indeed, it is. All right, well, talk about some of the most common mistakes that people make.
WILLIS: Well, there are a lot of errors, you know. The most common mistakes out there are math errors, just simple adding and subtracting, incorrect Social Security numbers. You should get that right. Not signing your return, forgetting to sign the check.
Remember, these errors can hold up your refund, and you certainly don't want to do that. You've got to eyeball that thing before you throw it in the mail, before you hit the send button. Make sure it's correct -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, well, what about people filing their taxes by mail? I mean, you really have to get that thing postmarked quickly.
WILLIS: Yes. Before midnight, right? Well, you're under the gun here, and the critical thing to know is which post office is going to be open late. Because you may be working into the late hours, right?
You can find that out at usps.com. They have a Web site. Check it out. Find out who's late. But, for goodness sakes, you don't have to pay extra to get some fancypants mailing, like a certified mail, to do this. All you need is the postmark before midnight. One other thing I just found out, Heidi, do you know which city in America has the most tax procrastinators?
COLLINS: Hmm. Gosh. I don't. WILLIS: San Francisco.
COLLINS: Really?
WILLIS: According to TurboTax, because they count up how many people are filing electronically because it's becoming a bigger and bigger proportion of folks out there. San Francisco, you people are laggards out there today.
COLLINS: Down at the beach. They don't want to pay their taxes.
WILLIS: Don't we all.
COLLINS: Yes. All right, Gerri, thank you.
WILLIS: My pleasure.
COLLINS: Just over an hour from now, we will have live coverage of President Obama's remarks on the nation's tax system, those comments now scheduled for 11:55 Eastern.
One more reminder, it is tax day, and if you've been energy efficient, you may get some money back from Uncle Sam. CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow has our "Energy Fix" from New York. Hi, Poppy.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Heidi, we're always talking about, be energy efficient, make the changes, but honestly, folks, you may be kicking yourself if you spent a lot on those energy home upgrades last year, when it comes to your taxes. That is because the 2009 tax credits are a lot more generous.
Here's some examples. We'll pull them up on the monitor here and show you. If you used energy-efficient windows or insulation, the tax credit for doing it this year or next, $1,500. If did you it in 2008, you're out of luck. No tax credit.
Also, for big spenders out there, Heidi, solar panels on your roof, they're about $30,000. If did you that in 2008, all you got back was $2,000. If you do it this year, thanks to the stimulus bill, you get a 30 percent tax credit with no cap, so you can get about $9,000 back, Heidi. A big, big difference.
COLLINS: Yes, definitely.
HARLOW: So, maybe for the people that procrastinated on that, it's going to pay off in the end on their taxes.
COLLINS: Yes. What about for energy-efficient cars, though?
HARLOW: Yes. There are tax credits out there. You think, buy an energy-efficient car, save on gas, save on your taxes. A $3,400 tax credit for hybrids. But what we want to tell you is, the full tax credit is only available for some of the vehicles, for the first 60,000 hybrids that a company like Toyota or Honda sells.
And it's reduced, and it's finally phased out. So, you want to go on this Web site, fueleconomy.gov. Go to it. You can find every make, every model from Chrysler to Toyota. This page is showing you Honda models, and if you bought them in 2006 or 2007, you get the full $1,400 credit. If you bought them in the first half of last year, you're only going to get $725 back.
And then if you buy them this year, Heidi, they've already reached that limit, so you're not going to get it back. So, what you want to make sure to do is ask the dealer. Because we called some dealers yesterday and they say, we don't really tell people if that limit has been reached, so ask them first, am I still eligible if I buy this car to get credit or not, because we're talking about thousands of dollars.
COLLINS: Yes, yes. Now, a lot of people, they're really into this. I mean, they know about special energy tax tips. We'd like to know about them too. So, how can they let us know?
HARLOW: Right. We have a section on CNNmoney.com. We're going to pull it up for you here. It's the "Talk Back" segment. So, we can pull it up, see if it works. Just go on CNNmoney.com...
COLLINS: There you go.
HARLOW: Right there, you're going to see it. There you go, "Saving on Your Taxes." We've already read -- some people are writing in, how are they saving on their energy efficiency, things like that. Let us know because we want to know your tips, and we'll bring them to air a little later today.
COLLINS: Perfect. All right, Poppy. Thank you.
HARLOW: Sure.
COLLINS: So, do you feel like you are taxed enough already? Thousands of people who seem to think so are throwing tea parties all across the country. We'll tell you what they're brewing and why.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: The Obama administration and the Federal Reserve are starting a new campaign for clarity and openness after throwing trillions of dollars at the economy and bailing out many companies in trouble. Americans have questions, and the government is working to answer them.
Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange now with details on all of this. And hey, look at that. Dow Jones industrial average is up a whole big seven.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was down 150 points in the last two days, so it's nice to see the bulls making some traction, Heidi.
COLLINS: That's true.
LISOVICZ: Well, we're seeing a lot of extraordinary moves by the Federal Reserve. Let's talk about that first, Heidi, both in terms of monetary policy and media access. The Fed is now considering holding regular press conferences in which Ben Bernanke, the chairman, would discuss things like monetary policy and the broader economy.
The Fed has also ramped up its Web site, adding things like tips on how to avoid foreclosure and a consumer help page. In terms of press conferences, Heidi, they've never been done before. I'm sure you realize that, and -- but in terms of comparison, the European Central Bank holds regular press conferences after every decision on interest rates.
Here, the Fed releases the minutes of each meeting on rates three weeks after the decision. And when the rate -- and when the decision comes out, it's just about five paragraphs. So, you know, everybody pores over it, and then we have to wait weeks to get more insight into how policymakers are thinking. So, there's a real lag time.
COLLINS: Yes. It's pretty much an about-face from Alan Greenspan. He seemed to confuse a lot of us.
LISOVICZ: You're not alone. After Alan Greenspan came in as chairman of the Federal Reserve in the summer of 1987, Heidi, he did one TV interview just before the '87 stock market crash. He never did another for the remainder of his 19-year term. For that matter, he never took questions after speeches, and of course, then his language was known as "Greenspeak."
Compare that to Ben Bernanke, who is much more plainspoken. He's taking questions after speeches, like for instance yesterday, the Q&A he did with students at Morehouse College. And the envy of every financial reporter nationwide was the interview he did recently with "60 Minutes." He allowed cameras into the Federal Reserve.
And the Fed is launching PSAs in movie theaters in areas especially hard-hit by the recession. So, it's a complete about-face in every way, Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes. And what about President Obama? He's making a lot of economic speeches, too.
LISOVICZ: That's right. And yesterday was -- I'm calling it, it's the Q1 results. He's at these months into his term. He wants to talk about what the administration's done, why it's done, why it's done it and how it's doing. Well, now, there are reports that the government may reveal results of the bank stress tests, which of course were designed to determine the fiscal health of 19 of the biggest U.S. banks.
So, the results could clearly separate healthy banks from troubled banks. I mean, it could help healthy banks bring in new customers and return government money, but it could hurt those troubled banks. And so, we just don't really know. It's all uncharted territory. But as you noted before, in the meantime, the Dow is making some gains. Nasdaq's under a little bit of pressure. Another busy day here, and investors sort of...
COLLINS: That's right.
LISOVICZ: ... confused at this point as to which way they're going to take it -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, Susan. We'll keep our eye on those numbers. Thank you.
LISOVICZ: You're welcome.
COLLINS: President Barack Obama is preparing to talk to us about taxes. A good day for it, it's deadline day for you to get those returns all done. We are awaiting the president's remarks next hour. Of course, you can see them live right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Quickly, we want to get to Boston, Massachusetts, where we are seeing one of these Tax Day Tea Parties that are going on today. Rallies protesting today's tax system are being held, in fact, all across the country today. This one, once again, we're showing you live pictures of Boston now. Organizers are calling them tea parties in honor of the colonial rebellion against taxation without representation.
All right. Also, we believe that there are about 700 cities, and yesterday we spoke to one of the organizers of the Tax Day Tea Parties. Seven hundred different cities across the country today. There's the map. All of those red dots that you see are where some of these tea parties are being held right now as we speak.
In fact, our iReporters are debating these protests, and our Josh Levs is following that for us. You were asking people some questions -- hey, what do you think about this?
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
COLLINS: What were some of their responses?
LEVS: You know, it's interesting. IReport has been so busy this morning. They are all over. We're going to start off with this quote from an iReporter who's excited for this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STACEY LIDEN, IN IREPORT BY HILLARY OHM: It doesn't matter what political party you belong to, if you're religious, not. Just getting back to the principles and values the country was founded on: less government, helping the market grow through business, helping small businesses, helping just the people, getting back to the foundation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: Now, here's an iReport inviting people to the tea party today in San Antonio.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JULIA HAYDEN, IN IREPORT BY MARK WESTBERGER: We're having an enormous rally to protest a bloated stimulus package on top of a lot of other concerns which have united people, concerned citizens and taxpayers across the board.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: Tie up with this one, somebody fighting back in a sense, saying, you know what? We have reasons that we pay taxes. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP -- IREPORT BY SARAH BURRIS)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I pay taxes so the garbage man will take my trash away.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I pay taxes so I can get a quality high school education.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Paying because I love my country, and I care about its future.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I pay taxes to subsidize family farms.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I pay taxes for breast cancer research.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: And, Heidi, we're going to keep hearing from people that are e-mailing us. There's a debate going on on my Facebook page, Josh Levs CNN. Keep it coming. We love to hear what you think on all different sides, and, Heidi, we're going to keep an eye on this.
COLLINS: All right, very good. Josh, thank you.
I'm Heidi Collins. Tax day is here, and later this hour, President Obama is talking taxes and calling for change. You can you look for those comments live right here on CNN NEWSROOM.
It starts right now with Tony Harris.
