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President Obama Offering Show of Solidarity With Mexico; Maersk Crew Home at Last; John Madden Retires; President Obama Discusses Mexico Drug and Border Issues; Were the Tea Party Protests a Testing Ground for Republican Party Support?

Aired April 16, 2009 - 11:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. It is Thursday, April 16th, two years since the Virginia Tech shootings.

Here are the top stories we're following for you in the CNN NEWSROOM.

President Obama heading south of the border this hour. Mexico's bloody drug war and illegal immigration top his agenda.

The crew of the Maersk Alabama is back on American soil today after a dangerous encounter with pirates.

Fear of new regulation from the Obama administration sparks a run on guns and ammo. We visit the lock and load in Tyler, Texas.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris, and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

President Obama offering a show of solidarity with Mexico and the drug war next door. Right now, Mr. Obama is heading to Mexico, where he will meet with President Felipe Calderon. Topping their agenda, the deadly violence along the U.S./Mexican border fueled by the flow of drugs and guns. President Obama has vowed support for President Calderon in his battle against the drug cartels.

The president left Andrews Air Force Base last hour on his way to Mexico. From there, he heads to Trinidad and Tobago for the Summit of the Americas.

White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux with us live from Mexico City, ahead of the president's arrival there.

Suzanne, good to see you, as always.

As we take a look again at some of these pictures of the president leaving for Mexico, you know, the words of former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza, probably worth noting here. We've got a bit of a full screen we've prepared here.

Garza's Web site, you will find a letter to the president. In the letter he writes, "Mr. President, you should view Mexico as your gateway to the Americas, a perfect bridge, both north and south. Take this opportunity to draw on the key regional insights that President Calderon can offer." My question to you, Suzanne, will the president use the European model for this trip, do as much listening as talking?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Tony. We've been talking to White House aides who say that one of the things that he's really going to do is he's trying to set a different kind of tone between the United States and Latin America.

You may recall during the campaign, as a candidate, he slammed President Bush for really neglecting this region and neglecting the leaders here. So he really wants to reengage.

One of the things that he's doing, Tony, very unique, about 15 publications and newspapers across Latin America. We're talking Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, all of these different papers have an op-ed from the president today. And just a couple of things he says.

He talks about overcoming shared challenges, a sense of common purpose. He talks about putting the debates of the past in the past, and he also says that in advance of the summit, we have to begin to move in a new direction. So that is really the fundamental challenge of this president.

That is why he is here, going to be here in Mexico. That is why he is going to the summit, really, as you know, we've heard before, to press that reset button and to really distinguish himself from President Bush, who he believes neglected them after September 11th.

HARRIS: Let me touch on another area here, Suzanne. One of the things the president is likely to hear from the Mexican president is that, look, we need help from America in curbing the demand for drugs.

I'm wondering if he is going to hear that message loud and clear. We know that the secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, is speaking on that topic.

MALVEAUX: Well, there are a couple things that you're going to hear from him, and really what he's trying to do is demonstrate support and respect for the Mexican president on this score, because it is a huge problem both for the United States and Mexico. Even the homeland security secretary traveling ahead of him.

She is here, and she was talking about it early this morning. And what he is going to emphasize is what Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said when she was here just a couple of weeks ago, and that is that it's a shared responsibility and blame when it comes to this drug problem.

I want you to take a listen, Tony, to what Hillary Clinton said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Obviously our demand for drugs is what motivates these drug gangs. I mean, if they didn't think they were going to make a bunch of money across the border, they'd go into another line of work. (END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Yes. That makes sense.

MALVEAUX: And so we've actually heard, Tony -- go ahead.

HARRIS: No, no, no. I was going to say that listening to the sound bite, that makes a lot of sense. You go ahead, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Yes. I mean, we've heard that there's now this border czar, a new position that they have created to help deal with the drug violence. We've heard from the president talking about more money for federal agents.

Clearly, they're trying to take some sort of responsibility for this very big problem. There's quite a bit of fear here that this is going to become a national security threat, if it hasn't already, on the U.S. side as well -- Tony.

HARRIS: And one more quick one for you, Suzanne. Are we likely to hear anything from the president on immigration reform? And I guess the question is, is he likely to go any further than maybe restating his support for comprehensive immigration reform?

MALVEAUX: Actually, Tony, he's kicking the can forward on that one. This is a political win for him. This is not something that he has to do right now, but he's simply saying that within a year or so, he believes that Congress will come along, that they've got those votes for comprehensive immigration reform, and it's not something that President Bush was able to do.

He believes that he can do it. But one of the things he's going to be talking about is trade, energy, really trying to broaden the agenda, if you will, with Mexico and say, look, you're a real key player here, we value you, but the drug war really is going to be the top issue.

HARRIS: Yes, it sounds like it. All right.

Suzanne Malveaux for us, ahead of the president's stop in Mexico City for us.

Suzanne, appreciate it. Thank you.

President Obama sat down for an exclusive interview with our colleague Juan Carlos Lopez of CNN en Espanol. The president talked about U.S. efforts to help Mexico win the drug war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My budget has actually sought to increase by about 50 percent the amount of money that we're spending. We are already moving forward on, for example, Black Hawk helicopters to be sent to Mexico to help in the fight against the drug cartels. So I want to put as much additional resources as we can into this effort. I think Mexico's been very serious about dealing with the problem.

There are a number of Central American countries who are going to need our assistance as well. And my commitment is to make sure that the United States, working in a multilateral fashion, with all the countries in the region, are finally putting an end to the power and strength of these drug cartels.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Juan Carlos Lopez joins us live at the bottom of the hour. And we will bring you more of his exclusive interview with President Obama.

And in about 20 minutes or so, the former U.S. ambassador -- we mentioned him earlier -- the former U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Tony Garza. I'll ask him about the many challenges facing President Obama on his trip today.

Sea Captain Richard Phillips is finally on dry land. He arrived in Mombasa, Kenya, today aboard the USS Bainbridge. That's the Navy missile destroyer that helped rescue him from Somali pirates.

A charter plane will bring Phillips back to the United States to reunite with his crew and his family. No word yet on when that will happen.

Phillips offered himself as a hostage to ensure the safety of the his crew, you may remember. He was held captive aboard the lifeboat for five days before being freed Sunday by Navy SEAL snipers.

Phillips' crew is eagerly awaiting his arrival in the United States.

The Maersk Alabama crew got big cheers as they arrived back on U.S. soil overnight. The crew landed at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington. They're now at an area hotel.

Our Pentagon Correspondent Chris Lawrence joins us from outside that hotel.

And what a sight. Great pictures there, Chris.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Exactly, Tony. It's the pictures that a lot of friends and family have been waiting to see for a week now as all this played out.

I can tell you also that a defense official told me there's been a charter plane waiting to take Captain Phillips back here to the United States, a similar plane to the one that his crew took to get back here. Leading images like this that you're seeing right now, friends, family, finally reuniting with this crew.

A lot of them said that, you know, for a while they just did not know how this was going to turn out, with the pirates armed on board, pirates having shot at them as they boarded the ship. One of the -- the brother of the third mate of the ship talked about what it was like to have their loved ones come back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT VAUGHAN, BROTHER OF COLIN WRIGHT, MAERSK 3RD MATE: Oh, we're very happy to see him coming off the plane. It was just -- I hadn't seen him in a little while, and anxious to get the story from what happened. And it was very, very emotional. Good to see him.

Glad that he was healthy and everyone came out of this. It was the best possible solution. Everything worked out great.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAWRENCE: OK. Big picture, the ultimate goal is not to have to have reunions like this. Last year, there were about 120 pirate attacks in this part of the world. This year, already 80. So the numbers are going up.

But to give it some perspective, even if those numbers hold for the rest of the year, you're still talking about maybe one percent of the total ship that's go through this area. That's still -- the U.S. is taking this very seriously. Tomorrow there's going to be a meeting between officials from the Departments of State, Defense, Homeland Security, intelligence officials, trying to come up with a way to stop American ships from being hijacked in the future.

HARRIS: There he is, our Pentagon correspondent, Chris Lawrence, for us.

Chris, appreciate it. Thank you. Good to see you.

Keeping an eye on your money, new reports could offer new clues about where the economy is headed.

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(WEATHER REPORT)

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HARRIS: Boy, a bit of breaking news for you.

Hey, Rob, are you there?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: What have you got?

HARRIS: I wanted to share it with you because we're both pretty big football fans here.

MARCIANO: Madden is retiring.

HARRIS: Madden is retiring.

MARCIANO: Come on.

HARRIS: How many -- let me -- I just got the wire here. Forty years -- 40 years in the game, as a coach first, right, with the great Raiders team.

MARCIANO: Yes.

HARRIS: I mean, they really started that whole black hole thing with...

MARCIANO: He was larger than life then.

HARRIS: You remember some of those teams that he coached?

MARCIANO: Yes.

HARRIS: Cliff Branch, Biletnikoff?

MARCIANO: They were a motley crew. I mean, long hair, beards, tough.

HARRIS: Right. "The Snake," Stabler. Rank (ph), can't forget him.

MARCIANO: Nice. And Madden himself, was he a Hall of Fame player himself?

HARRIS: He certainly -- let me see if it's in the wire here.

MARCIANO: Certainly a good one.

HARRIS: Legendary football coach.

MARCIANO: Certainly a Hall of Fame football coach.

HARRIS: Broadcaster, coach, right?

MARCIANO: But who's going to -- so he's getting out of "Sunday Night Football?" Is that the deal?

HARRIS: Right. He's been working for NBC the last few years?

MARCIANO: Right, on "Sunday Night Football," which is a killer broadcast with Al Michaels.

HARRIS: Right. Absolutely.

So he is retiring, announcing today. Sixteen Emmy Awards.

MARCIANO: Oh, my goodness. Wow. And you know, I mean, as long as I'm here, he brought the art of the tic-tac-toe to a whole new level.

HARRIS: Yes. How about that?

MARCIANO: I mean, Xs and Os like we've never seen them. HARRIS: Xs and Os.

MARCIANO: Honestly, I do believe he probably was the first guy to start using the telestrator, at least in football. And then all of his verbose ways of describing the action.

That's awful. We're going to miss him.

HARRIS: We're definitely going to miss him. So he says it's been -- OK, Rob. Thanks. Thanks for the help on that.

He says, "It's been such a great ride. The NFL has been my life for more than 40 years."

See, Rob is a Giants fan. He did a good job of faking it. That was good, Rob.

"It has been my passion, it still is," he said, John Madden, in a statement released by NBC Sports.

All right. Let's get to some issue #1 news.

Foreclosure notices surging in the first quarter of 2009. RealtyTrac says around 804,000 homes received at least one foreclosure alert between January and the end of March. That is up 24 percent over the same period last year. RealtyTrac says Nevada, California and Florida still lead the country in foreclosures.

And tea party tax protests...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: You work for us! You work for us!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: ... is it a growing trend or a passing complaint? One CNN analyst says hang on, there's more to come.

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HARRIS: Six million Americans are now getting unemployment benefits. That is the highest number on record. A bit of positive news, however, in the weekly jobless figures.

(BUSINESS REPORT)

HARRIS: A 53-year-old Georgia man was laid off, so he sued the company that let him go for age and race discrimination. And you know what? He is part of a growing trend.

If you've been laid off or are afraid you're going to be, and you have some questions about your legal rights, your legal standing, e- mail us those questions at cnnnewsroom@cnn.com. CNN Legal Analyst Jeffrey Toobin will be answering those questions in the 2:00 p.m. Eastern hour. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: So did you see any of those Tax Day tea parties? Tens of thousands turned out to protest government spending and corporate bailouts. Our iReporters were among them.

Let's see here. In the upper left, Andrew Rosack (ph) sent us this video of protesters outside the White House. Upper right now, Joe Dapper (ph) was in Bloomington, Illinois, for protests. Lower left, Karen Sandusky (ph) shows us the tea party in Jacksonville, Florida. And lower right, Vivian Noble (ph) videotaped these protesters in Madison, Wisconsin.

A CNN analysts says we can expect these types of protests to gain momentum.

Christiane Amanpour filmed in for Anderson Cooper last night, and she talked with CNN Senior Political Analyst David Gergen and CNN Senior Legal Analyst Jeffrey Toobin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN ANCHOR: Is this, David, a grassroots movement, or is it something just whipped up for this moment?

DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Look, Christiane, first, I must confess, I did not take these very seriously, but they do seem to have gained traction in the last couple of weeks. And they have -- I think they are giving expression to what is a groundswell of vocal minority who are increasingly alienated and opposed to what the president is putting forward, the agenda he's advancing.

I don't think this is mostly about taxes. I think it's about the general direction of bigger deficits that may lead to more taxes and more government.

And, you know, the Republican Party has not found its voice, but there is clearly in the country a minority who are increasingly opposed. And I think that this is what this day represents.

Could it grow bigger? Of course. It is going to grow bigger, because one day, you know what? The Obama administration is probably going to have to propose higher taxes. The only way you can close these deficits.

AMANPOUR: So David is talking about higher taxes, potentially, and that this is probably not all about taxes. But it does come at a time right now when President Obama has actually slashed taxes.

What are they doing?

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: I think for most people, taxes are down, but there is a feeling, and as David pointed out, that the bailouts -- I think the bailouts are resented by a lot of people. And most of the people there are clearly very angry about bailing out these big companies -- too much regulation, too much Washington. That is a perfectly legitimate cause to protest, and a lot of people are right for -- you know, feel strongly about it.

What's disturbing about some of these protests and some of the people at these protests is this edge of anger at the government. There is a real hostility that is not just politics as usual among some of these people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Well, just how many people actually turned out for these protests?

Our Josh Levs joins me now with a look at that side of the story.

Good to see you, Josh.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good to see you too.

You know, it's easy to talk kind of in a vacuum and say a lot of people, and we really don't know. And we've got a great spread here at dot-com, by the way. Check it out -- quotes from a lot of them.

And something great happened this morning, Tony. I was trying to figure out, how can we get a handle on the number, when Rick Sanchez walks by and tells me about this great Web site 538.com, run by the statistician Nate Silver, who has been on our air, and he put it together. He combined all these numbers.

You can safely say at least 250,000 people took part in these when you put them all together. Check out what he did.

You know, we don't like to go by organizers, because they obviously have reason at any event to give larger numbers. But check this out.

He links to -- in every one of these cases, he links to news articles that either have official estimates or estimates from the reporters who were there. And when you put it all together, for example, he links to this one over here from The Associated Press, he links to this one here from "The New York Times." You put it all together, he says we can safely say at this point, 250,000 people at least took part in the numerous events all over the country.

HARRIS: Well, how do these figures compare, Josh, to some of the other big protest days we've seen in recent years?

LEVS: Right. Like, for example, with immigration.

HARRIS: Exactly.

LEVS: We have some video of that. Let's show that for a second.

You know, that's a good example of a time that there were all these -- some people will recall there were immigration rallies going on all over the country. And what he points out here, he says let's keep in mind, spring of 2006, there were several events, some individual events got 300,000 at the time. Overall, there were millions who took part in those types of events.

So, you know, was this big? Was it small? That's not the kind of determination we can make.

The folks at the event itself, one of the organizing groups, TeaDayParty.com, are celebrating and speaking very positively about this, and they feel really good. Overall, it's a large number, it's a small number? That's anyone's judgment to make.

HARRIS: Yes. All right, Josh. A number worth paying some attention to, so we will.

LEVS: Yes.

HARRIS: Were the tea parties a one-day protest or a political revolution?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Republican Party, frankly, is too disorganized and too unsure of itself to pull off stuff like this. This is a grassroots uprising that's telling elected officials in both parties, hey, guys, there's too much debt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Candy Crowley talks taxes in our next half-hour.

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HARRIS: President Obama on his way south of the border right now. He's headed to Mexico, then on to the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago. On the president's agenda, he will offer support for Mexico's drug war during a meeting with President Felipe Calderon. The two leaders are also expected to discuss trade and immigration issues. At the summit, the president will work on forging a new relationship with Latin America.

President Obama talked about the drug war and illegal immigration in an exclusive interview with CNN en Espanol. Here's part of his conversation with colleague Juan Carlos Lopez.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUAN CARLOS LOPEZ, CNN EN ESPANOL CORRESPONDENT: One of the issues that is discussed in Mexico is that that government spends between $7 billion and $8 billion in their war on drugs and the U.S. designated $1.4 billion for the Merida Initiative that includes Central America and is spread out through several years. It's not seen as equitable.

OBAMA: Well, first of all, it's important to recognize that my budget has actually sought to increase by about 50 percent the amount of money that we're spending. We are already moving forward on, for example, Black Hawk helicopters to be sent to Mexico to help in the fight against the drug cartels. So, I want to put as much additional resources as we can into this effort.

I think Mexico's been very serious about dealing with the problem. There are a number of Central American countries that are going to need our assistance as well. And my commitment is to make sure that the United States working in a multilateral fashion, with all the countries in the region, are finally putting an end to the power and the strength of these drug cartels.

LOPEZ: Will immigration reform be part of this whole process? And also you've named a border czar. Was this consulted with Mexico or what is he going to do?

OBAMA: Well, the goal of the border czar is to help coordinate all the various agencies that fall under the Department of Homeland Security. And so that we are confident that the border patrols are working effectively with ICE, working effectively with our law enforcement agencies. So he's really a coordinator that can be directly responsible to Secretary Napolitano and ultimately directly accountable to me.

There has been a lot of interaction between Mexican officials and officials on our side of the border. And Janet Napolitano has already been there. She and John Brennan, who is part of my national security team, are currently there. We're going to continue to coordinate effectively.

Now, immigration reform has to be part of a broader strategy to deal with our border issues. And as I've said repeatedly, I am a strong proponent of comprehensive immigration reform. I've already met with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and committed to working with them to try to shape an agenda that can move through Congress. And this is something that I think is important not just because of the drug cartel issue, it's important because of the human costs of a ongoing flow of illegal immigrants into this country. It's something that we need to solve.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: OK. Juan Carlos Lopez joining us live from Mexico City.

Good stuff, Juan Carlos. I've got a question for you. What did the president say, if anything, about the trucking provisions in NAFTA? And you know where I'm going with this one, does he want to revive the Mexican cross-border trucking provisions that were blocked by Congress?

LOPEZ: There -- what he said was that the relationship goes further than the war on drugs or immigration, and that's one of the messages he wants to bring to Mexico.

We didn't get into the specifics on the trucking issue, and that had consequences, because the Mexicans imposed restrictions on 90 U.S. products. At least they're charging higher tariff for these U.S. products to come to Mexico. So it will be one of the topics they bring up. But it's going to be interesting to see his first visit. You have President Obama coming to Mexico, there hasn't been a visit by a U.S. president at least in the last eight - seven, eight years. And it's his first visit to Latin America.

HARRIS: All right, Juan Carlos, appreciate it. Thank you.

President Obama's border security policy aims to disrupt the flow of illegal cash and weapons from the United States to Mexico while stopping Mexican drugs and violence from coming to this side of the border. The plan is to invest $700 million this year to help enhance Mexico's law enforcement and judicial capacity. Plus, the U.S. Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and Treasury are all ramping up their efforts. And the administration is renewing its commitment to cut demand for illegal drugs here at home.

Our Larry King looks at the war against drug lords. He is coming to you live tonight from the Mexican border, as President Obama visits. Don't miss "LARRY KING LIVE," 9:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

A run on guns. Why some say the Obama administration is creating an inadvertent call to arms.

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HARRIS: Just last hour, New York Governor David Paterson called on state lawmakers to legalize same-sex marriage.

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GOV. DAVID PATERSON (D), NEW YORK: After the unfortunate accident of Proposition 8 that passed in California, it left a number of advocates in a place of complete confusion and stunned disbelief.

Right here in New York, at that time, we were musing about when marriage equality would pass in the Senate. Then, we change it'd to whether or not it could pass in the Senate. Then the discussion became whether or not political opposition could stop a bill from coming to the floor in the Senate. And now, that devolving of energy has moved us to a place where we're actually debating whether or not the governor should introduce a bill on marriage equality when in fact , the governor introduced a bill on the same issue in 2007.

So what we have is not a crisis of issues, we have a crisis of leadership. We're going to fill that vacuum today. I'm putting a stop to it. I'm introducing a bill to bring marriage equality to the state of New York.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: New York would become the fifth state to allow same-sex marriages, if it passes. But a similar measure failed to pass the legislature in 2007 and opponents say they can defeat it again. Gun makers can't keep up. There is a run on firearms in this country right now. Second Amendment advocates fear Washington's new liberal leaders will impose new gun regulations.

Here's CNN correspondent Sean Callebs.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is Tyler, Texas, one of those places all over America where a quiet call to arms is getting louder and louder. Just ask attorney Sean Healy and Jimmy Moore (ph), who's a nurse.

(on camera): Who thinks President Obama wants gun control? Wants to restrict the kinds of guns you can get?

SEAN HEALY, ATTORNEY: If you look at what he said in the past and look at his actions, that if he and the people in control of Congress right now could have what they want, they would heavily restrict or eliminate guns from this country.

JIMMY MOORE, REGISTERED NURSE: He voted for a 500 percent increase in the tax on guns and ammunition. Doubling basically the cost of my hobby and my passion.

CALLEBS: Here in Tyler and other parts of the country, there's been a run on ammunition. One man ran into a Wal-Mart and said, sell me all the ammo you have. Guns, they're also flying off shelves. Those highly-prized semi automatic rifles are becoming more and more expensive.

So this is $2200. Why is it so expensive?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, right now they're just about impossible to find. They're just hard to get. Everybody kind of got scared, the market got depleted.

CALLEBS: A run on guns because of President Barack Obama. But he has been president, he has said, quoting here, "I will not take away your guns."

It couldn't be more clear. But listen to his secretary of state. She sounds as though she has a different message.

(voice-over): This is what she said in Mexico when asked why the administration isn't fighting the sale of assault weapons.

HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I'm not going to, you know, sugarcoat it. It's a very heavy lift. I think that's a mistake. I think these assault weapons, these military-style weapons don't belong on anyone's street.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is her intent to see gun legislation pass.

HEALY: It's a little bit ridiculous to blame Americans for the fact that people in foreign countries are trying to ship illegal drugs into our country and they're committing violence against each other.

CALLEBS: Back in the gun store...

(on camera): Why would someone own a semi-automatic weapon like this? I mean, is saying it's my right, is that enough?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I believe it is. Yes, I believe it is. It's what sets us apart.

CALLEBS (voice-over): Remember Jimmy Moore? He owns an AR-15.

MOORE: I'm not a freak. I'm a registered nurse. I'm a responsible individual. I'm a law-abiding citizen. I've been one my entire life.

A nurse, an attorney -- not the usual portrait of Second Amendment diehards. And the man who owns the Lock and Load Gun Shop, he's a cardiologist who moved here from New York.

(on camera): Are you kind of profiting on this fear right now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we are. I -- again, I don't know how rational it is.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good afternoon, Lock and Load.

CALLEBS (voice-over): In fact, it may not be rational at all. It may even be paranoid. But one thing is certain, many gun owners believe this president is somehow out to curb their rights, and they're stocking up, just in case.

Sean Callebs, CNN, Tyler, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: President Obama will confront a laundry list of political challenges in Mexico today. Let's talk to a man who knows the landscape well, Tony Garza, served as U.S. Ambassador to Mexico under President George W. Bush and he joins me now from Mexico City.

Mr. Ambassador, good to talk to you. Thanks for finding the time for us today.

TONY GARZA, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO MEXICO: You bet, Tony. Good to be with you, too.

HARRIS: And let me start with this, can you in ways that maybe haven't been explained to the American people just yet, describe the real danger that is posed to this country by those Mexican drug cartels and their affiliates here in the United States?

GARZA: Well, I think that we've tried to be as proactive as possible in terms of putting out advisories to people, particularly with respect to travel into some of the border communities. Cheat (ph) Juades (ph), for example, has experienced a high incidence of violence. But if you look at the country generally, you can still travel quite safely into many of the tourist areas. Exercising good judgment, you should feel comfortable copping to Mexico City or many of the larger urban areas.

But without a doubt, Tony, there's some pockets where we've expressed concern, where we've put out advisories and we've told people that the cartels are at war. They're feeling the pressure that President Calderon is putting on them, and they're not ceding territory. So while many of the violence is drug on drug, you can be at the wrong place at the wrong time in some communities.

HARRIS: All right, let me ask something a little more pointed here. You were on the job in 2002, and stepped down in January, correct?

GARZA: Right. Right.

HARRIS: OK. Now, you witnessed this explosion of drug cartel- related violence during the Bush administration, and certainly by 2005 you were clearly making statements about the deteriorating border security situation, including cross border...

GARZA: That's correct.

HARRIS: I want to give you credit for that.

But here's the question: Did you and the Bush administration sound the warning loud enough, long enough? Because whether the perception is accurate or not, there is a perception that this is another problem that was left by the Bush administration for the Obama administration.

GARZA: Well, I think if you look at the violence, for example, in Colombia in the '80s, early '90s, Mexico more recently, you recognize that this is driven in large part by the consumption. These cartels are going to find a platform to provide drugs for the United States and the developed countries somewhere. So I think that's a little misplaced.

What I do think the Bush administration left in place is a good, solid, constructive working relationship with Mexico and a platform in the Merida Initiative that I think President Obama can build on very effectively.

But perhaps most importantly what you have in Mexico is a very resolute leader in President Calderon. He has shown great leadership, determination, and quite frankly, courage in confronting the drug cartels. And I think that that, more than anything else, is going to be the sort of partnership that President Obama can build on to confront a very serious situation in this country, but certainly one that there's -- there's a resolve and the commitment to do so.

HARRIS: Mexican President Calderon, you mentioned him just a moment ago, does - he doesn't like the idea of the border wall, as you know, that is going up. Former Mexican President Vicente Fox called the idea shameful.

Has President Obama shared with you his view of the border fence?

GARZA: No, I have not talked to President Obama about the fence itself.

And I've got to tell you, in many respects, and I've expressed this, I'm not sure a border wall is the most effective means of security. I have never had any opposition to physical, smart physical obstacles in different places and the use of technology and enforcement. And we've had that going back 25, 30 years along the border. I grew up there and I've seen those obstacles. But the fence in and of itself I don't think is the ticket to security.

We've got to look at comprehensive immigration reform, a broader and deeper partnership on the law enforcement side with Mexico. And we've also got to look at the policy that creates more opportunity for economic growth in Mexico.

HARRIS: Wow.

GARZA: So I think it's a little short sighted to think that the wall is going to solve everyone's problems with respect to security.

HARRIS: Well, let me ask a very pointed question. In your view, should we stop funding the building of this wall, this fence, and use the money elsewhere?

GARZA: Well, obviously that's a decision for Congress. I think there are ways that we can be very effective. Again, I support physical obstacles in some of the densely-populated urban areas. I think that's very important. You have that situation in Brazo (ph) Matamoras (ph), you have some of that Laredo, Nogales, and certainly in San Diego (ph) Tijuana.

But I think we need to spend more on technology, invest more in our partnership with Mexico. The truth of the matter is that you can't confront these transnational threats without a transnational sort of a system. And the Merida Initiative is about a real partnership so that we can work cooperatively against these cartels that are, quite frankly, very in moving product south/north and arms north/south.

HARRIS: Ambassador Garza, thank you for your time. We appreciate it.

GARZA: You bet, Tony. Thank you.

HARRIS: Thank you so much.

You know what you owe, but what the president and the vice president? A peek at the Obama and Biden family tax returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO")

JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": President Obama should get a big refund here. A lot of dependents, AIG, Citibank. They're all dependents now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: That's good. Jay Leno last night on federal tax filing day poking fun at the president over those billions of bailout dollars and stimulus dollars.

OK, in case you were wondering about the president and the first lady's tax return, here's the breakdown. They made $2.7 million in 2008, and most of that from the president's books. They paid about $900,000 in taxes and contributed $172,000 to charity. Among their charitable donations, $25,000 each to the United Negro College Fund and CARE, the global organization battling poverty.

Vice President Joe Biden and his wife made nearly $270,000 last year and paid about $58,000 in taxes. They contributed nearly $1,800 to charity.

Next hour, we'll take you to the cradle of the Mexican drug trade. A CNN exclusive look at narco cults where traffickers pray to the patron saints of the illegal drug business.

Plus, a look at a legit business giving hope to people in struggling towns in the northeast and it is all about the cheese.

And don't miss the YouTube symphony. Our Josh Levs will join me live with how the concert played out in Carnegie Hall.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Elected republicans were keeping a low profile during yesterday's tea party tax day protests, but were those protests a testing ground for the party?

CNN senior political correspondent Candy Crowley has a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): April 15th is not the best time to ask Americans whether they think taxes are too high, but it's a perfect day for the president to remind them they're a little lower.

OBAMA: We passed a broad and sweeping cut for 95 percent of American workers.

CROWLEY: He's talking about a reduction withholding that comes out to an average of $10 to $13 a paycheck. While the president talked up his tax policy, protesters across the country gathered for tea parties meant to echo the Boston Tea Party Tax Revolt.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean there are taxes that continually are being added to your paycheck, my paycheck, our cell phone bills, everything that we touch has a tax on it. You know, it's just getting worse and worse and worse. CROWLEY: In some places, they showed up by the thousands gathering in cities like Boston, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Oklahoma City and Washington D.C.

LAURA INGRAHAM, POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: And regardless of whether the media covers this or not, I think that people are beginning to wake up.

CROWLEY: The message was broader than taxes. It was about the trillions of dollars being spent to bailout banks and stimulate the economy. And about the huge debt being racked up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your children will be here, your grandchildren. I'm 76, I won't get to see the worst of this, but you will.

CROWLEY: Less spending, lower taxes and smaller government is essentially Republican Party orthodoxy. Sponsors and organizers were by and large fiscally and socially conservative groups, including Americans for Prosperity, a political group promoting limited government and free markets.

TIM PHILLIPS, AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY: The Republican Party, frankly, is too disorganized and too unsure of itself to pull off stuff like this. This is a grassroots uprising that's telling elected officials in both parties, hey guys, there's too much debt.

CROWLEY (on camera): Most elected national republicans kept a low profile, which doesn't mean they aren't watching. For the GOP, this day was a bit of a testing ground. If this is a growing movement instead of a one-day wonder, it could be just the sort of issue the GOP can wrap itself around to rebuild a party in tatters.

(voice-over): And perhaps there is fertile political ground here. According to the latest CNN Opinion Research Corporation poll, more than 60 percent of Americans do approve of the way the president is handling taxes. But, a recent Gallup poll found that 46 percent of Americans still think taxes are too high, 48 percent think they're just about right. Though, on tax day, those numbers may be a little different.

Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)