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Pontiac Disappears; New Torture Photos
Aired April 24, 2009 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Coming at you now, what some are calling new torture photos. They're going to be released, but when and why haven't we seen them before?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're angry because we feel we have been used in the worst fashion by the administration of this country.
LEMON: Words that echo a generation a later or do they?
CHRISTOPHER MCGURK: I held Evan's hand and said the "our father" as he died.
LEMON: On the bloodiest day of the year, soldiers back from Iraq and Afghanistan tell Congress what they think America's next move should be.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I said, so you're the Craigslist guy. And he's like, they think it's me , but it's not me.
LEMON: The man accused in the Craigslist killings, are there more victims? Craigslist wants to hear from you.
Comedian Carlos Mencia is a new man since the last time we talked to him here. Now he is a U.S. citizen.
And a good reason to put it in park when the wind kicks up. What do you think?
Your national conversation starts right now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, in today for Rick Sanchez.
We start with a story just in, as was just reported on Heidi Phillips' news show, that GM will be getting rid of Pontiac. That is according to CNNMoney.com. Our Poppy Harlow reported this earlier. They're planning to kill off that brand. Of course, the auto industry has been struggling and GM has been a big part of that, receiving billions in bailout money from U.S. consumers, again, GM getting rid of Pontiac. A spokesperson for the company would not comment on it.
We will try to find some more information on this story and bring it to you in this newscast. Let's turn to another story that is making news that we have been following on CNN. American soldiers, did they torture people in Iraq, yes or no? Who knew and who is to blame? Yes, it is an old debate. But wait. There is new information that you will want to know before you make up your mind, pictures, new ones, not from Abu Ghraib, but from prisons elsewhere in Iraq and from Afghanistan.
We haven't seen them yet, but the Obama administration is releasing them soon, and they could come at any time.
Today, here's what we want to know. How is the torture issue rippling through this country and who, if anybody, is going to be held accountable? Listen to this. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, she says if people under American control were tortured, she knew nothing about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), HOUSE SPEAKER: We were not -- I repeat, not -- told that waterboarding or any of these other enhanced interrogation methods were used. What they did tell us is that they had some legislative counsel -- the Office of Legislative Counsel opinions that they could be used, but not that they would.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday.
Patricia Murphy, she is with a new Web site. It's called Politics Daily, which launches on Monday.
Congratulations, by the way.
She joins us in Washington.
PATRICIA MURPHY, POLITICSDAILY.COM: Thank you.
LEMON: So why should we see these new pictures and how will it impact the torture discussion or decision?
MURPHY: Well, these pictures are being released actually as a result of a Freedom of Information Act request by the AFL-CIO, I believe, and they were coming out anyway.
And so what the Obama administration has decided to do is to go ahead and release them all in one dump, if you will, rather than having them leak out, having them come out after a series of months and months. They will come out more than likely in May.
What they probably will do is have the effect of telling people that, rather than having rogue actors or bad apples, as they were called, at Abu Ghraib who were the ones conducting torture methods, this may have been more widespread. It may have been extremely widespread and it may have been actually the policy of the Bush administration. That's what those -- those questions will be raised as a result of those pictures. LEMON: But again here, they're saying that at this point, it would be the architects, the architects of these decisions and these papers.
But really under what basis could prosecution take place? Some people say it's highly unrealistic that it could happen. Under what basis might it take place?
MURPHY: Well, there are a couple of different actions that people are talking about happening on Capitol Hill. One would be a congressional investigation and committee hearings that we have seen so far. Those will certainly take place.
The Senate Judiciary Committee, House Judiciary, Senate Intelligence Committee are all investigating this. The picture will likely add fuel to those fires. Another question is possibly an independent commission, like the 9/11 Commission, but Harry Reid, who is the Senate majority leader, said he's not interested in doing that. He thinks the Intelligence Committee should take the reins and run with it and not have an independent commission.
The other question is a criminal prosecution. And that would come through the Justice Department. So it's three scenarios. We don't know which ones will occur.
LEMON: All right, there's been some angst really on both parts as not really support from Democrats, or some Democrats are supporting it, others who are against it, same as Republicans. So, realistically, I have to ask you at all, any chance at all that the Bush era types will ever have to answer to these accountability charges at all?
MURPHY: It's very, very hard to say.
They will be subpoenaed, I'm sure, but congressional committees. There could be a commission. We don't know. That's really up to Harry Reid. They could bring these people forward.
LEMON: But it's tough, though. If Democrats aren't fully on board, then that's going to be even tougher. That poses a bigger challenge, doesn't it?
MURPHY: It does. It poses a very difficult challenge.
This probably -- if there are prosecutions, they would have to come through the Justice Department and the attorney general has said he doesn't want to criminalize policy differences. It doesn't mean he doesn't want to prosecute criminal allegations.
But there's this -- there's a real question, a real concern of going backwards, of criminalizing policy, of making somebody's political decisions criminal. And that would set the precedence for future administrations down the road. So it's very, very unclear if anybody would actually ever be brought up on charges.
LEMON: Man, I tell you, Patricia, this has been burning up our e-mails, the blogs, everything, Twitter, Facebook. People have really been sounding off about this.
MURPHY: Yes.
LEMON: Patricia Murphy, your new Web site starts Monday. And it's Politics Daily, right?
MURPHY: Yes, sir. That's right.
LEMON: Thank you for joining us. Best of luck with that.
MURPHY: Thank you so much. Thanks.
LEMON: OK. Take a look at this. Here's what they're calling it, 24 hours of hell in Iraq, hundreds killed or wounded in suicide blasts. And this begs the question, are things getting better or worse? And a fiancee stands by her man accused in the craigslist killing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, she's still confident in Phil. But, other than that, we're saying a lot of prayers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Here's something that's unusual, why the craigslist site wants to hear from you. We will tell you about that.
And new information on what possibly sparked the wildfires that destroyed dozens of homes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: All right.
Iraq today, two suicide bombers, both of them women, both detonated themselves in Baghdad near one of the holiest sites in Shiite Islam, the casualty numbers, at least 60 people killed. More than twice that number are injured. And another explosion, a car bomb, went off in Diyala Province, seven people killed there today.
CNN's Cal Perry is in Baghdad.
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CAL PERRY, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): She's only 4 years old and barely survived near simultaneous suicide bombings on a holy shrine in Baghdad. At first, no one knew who she was, until her grandmother arrived at the hospital, overcome with grief.
The hospital reports that at least eight members of her family are believed to have been killed. Others lie in critical condition. At least 80 of the wounded and 25 of the dead were from Iran. Many wail in Farsi, not in Arabic, on this day in Iraq.
Witnesses describe the scene at the hospital to CNN as a -- quote -- "massacre." This has been the deadliest 24-hour period in Iraq since the beginning of 2009, the numbers staggering, at least 145 dead, over 200 wounded, the death toll likely to rise.
People are burying the dead from Thursday's attacks as well, more than 80 others killed the same day in attacks across Iraq. It's these kind of spectacular attacks that disturb the top U.S. commander in Iraq.
MAJ. GENERAL RAYMOND ODIERNO, COMMANDER, MULTI-NATIONAL CORPS - IRAQ: This spike in suicide attacks that we have seen over the last couple days, frankly, is another tragic event caused by al Qaeda and their links. They're killing many innocent people. They're killing pilgrims going to pray. They're killing women and children. They're killing homeless. It again shows the type of individuals al Qaeda has and how much they care about the Iraqi people.
PERRY: But they're also targeting the Iraqi security forces. The Thursday attack in Baghdad targeted Iraqi police as they handed out aid to displaced families. "Eight killed there and security forces, three killed up there," this man says. "We were devastated, devastated. It was a female suicide bomber" -- a clear message from the insurgency they can still attack at the times and places of their choosing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: So, what is going on in Iraq? Are things getting better or worse? And what's the situation like on the ground from someone who's been there? Our Cal Perry joins us in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STAFF SGT. CHRISTOPHER MCGURK (RET.), U.S. ARMY: I held Evan's his hands and said the "Our Father" as he died.
Excuse me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Soldiers share emotional testimony before a Senate panel about their hardships in Afghanistan and Iraq, some urging the U.S. not to send any more troops. Others say the U.S. made the right decision.
The American journalists held captive in North Korea, they are now about to go on trial there. And check this one out.
A robber tries to rob a convenience store with a machete, and the clerk confronts him with a stepladder. We will show you who won in this one. Boy, and it is great video that's got all of us talking, and we will get to that in a minute, a machete vs. a stool. We will see.
Hey, you guys are weighing in on what's happening in Iraq, the situation there. And the upsurge in violence, is it just one day or is it something that's going to be continuing or has been happening for a long time?
Here's what MediaAmericaC2C says: "Concern for us and our safety, yes, but the cause is just. Support our troops and the Iraqi people who seek true freedom." I asked them if they were concerned about the safety of our troops.
Here's what SweetLucy47 says: "Always concerned for men and women in uniform. That never stops, no matter what."
And then Craig_md says: "Let Iraq take care of themselves. The United States have enough problems because of Bush."
Right now, I want to take you now live to Baghdad our Cal Perry.
Cal, tell us about living and getting around Baghdad in the last few weeks or months. Has it been more difficult?
PERRY: You know what, Don? I was out of here for about six months and I came back. And I have to tell you three days ago I did my first ever piece to camera on the streets of Baghdad without a flak jacket.
And, for me, it was truly bizarre, because, of course, I'm used to sort of being in lockdown, having security everywhere. And I felt sort of awkward standing there on the street without a flak jacket. And then in the past 36 hours, we have seen of course this unbelievable uptick in violence.
I think people are really looking at this and wondering, is it a trend? Is it a one-off thing? Is it going to get worse? That's the big question on everybody's mind.
The other thing going on here, of course, is people are looking at June the 30th. That's when the U.S. is supposed to remove all of its combat troops from the urban areas of Iraq. The big question is, will the Iraqi police and the Iraqi army be able to stand up on their own and protect these cities?
Now, this bombing today in Baghdad, two female suicide bombers exploding near to that shrine, this is a very well-protected shrine, Don, and they were able to get fairly close to it, which really sends a message that the insurgency is still saying even the well-protected sites, we can still get to and we can still hit you -- Don.
LEMON: So, Cal, what was the lack of security? What was the issue this time that allowed them to do that?
PERRY: You know, one of al Qaeda's trademarks is suicide bombings and female suicide bombings. Now, these two were female suicide bombers.
It's much harder to stop female suicide bombers than it is male suicide bombers, because, of course, in this country and in this culture and in many other cultures in the region, men do not search women.
So, you have less women searching women. It's -- the security around this site is tight, but they clearly made it through one or two checkpoints before exploding those vests to try to get into that crowd. And the scenes from that crowd and from the hospital, absolutely devastating.
We heard eyewitness reports of family members being separated, because entire families will go on Friday to make these prayers on Friday, of course, prayer day here in Iraq and around the region, really difficult to stop a suicide bomber. The U.S. military will tell you that. Anybody who is willing to blow themselves up, they have to be stopped somewhere at a checkpoint, and that's usually where it happens -- Don.
LEMON: All right, CNN's Cal Perry in Baghdad.
Cal, thank you very much for that.
Deja vu, is it? It's likely what so many people were thinking as U.S. soldiers testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the U.S. military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. Can you say echoes of Vietnam here?
Well, check out what CNN's Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence found out.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, 1971)
JOHN KERRY, VIETNAM VETERAN: We're angry because we feel we have been used in the worst fashion by the administration of this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Thursday, he was chairing that same committee on the receiving end, as senators heard criticism of President Obama's order to send more troops to Afghanistan.
CORPORAL RICK REYES (RET.), U.S. MARINE CORPS: I know a troop escalation is a huge mistake. If you want to occupy the country with that many troops, that's a sign of poor intelligence.
LAWRENCE: Corporal Rick Reyes described the problems his unit faced on the ground.
REYES: There's no effective way to distinguish terrorists from the general population. So, we're forced to suspect everyone.
LAWRENCE: Others complain troops are not adequately trained on Afghanistan's culture and how hard it is to develop any loyalty.
STAFF SGT. GENEVIEVE CHASE, U.S. ARMY RESERVE: We rotate out units every six to 12 months. We then ask our Afghan counterparts to give the same hard-earned trust we earned nurtured over time to perfect strangers.
LAWRENCE: One young sergeant urged senators to keep funding the war and described an ambush where a sniper shot one of his men.
STAFF SGT. CHRISTOPHER MCGURK (RET.), U.S. ARMY: The last words O'Neill ever spoke were, "I'm sorry for letting you down." He was only 19 years old, yet he understood the mission was larger than himself. His last words were entirely selfless.
I held Evan's his hands and said the "Our Father" as he died.
Excuse me.
As I think back to that day, I understand the memory and courage of men like PFC O'Neill must be honored with a clear and coherent strategy to help the people of Afghanistan.
LAWRENCE (on camera): That sergeant says he felt abandoned when the U.S. switched its focus to Iraq. He fought in both wars and says he felt more support from the Afghans than he ever did from the Iraqis.
Chris Lawrence, CNN, Washington.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was just nothing. Nothing was left. Everything was gone, my whole life, my kids' whole lives. It was horrific.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Look at those incredible pictures, dozens of homes destroyed, thousands of acres up in smoke, and now new information on what possibly sparked this devastating wildfire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I said, so, you're the craigslist guy? And he's like, they think it's me, but it's not me. And he's saying, well, he didn't do it. And he was really nervous.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: You definitely want to see this. It is a cell mate of the man accused in the craigslist killing. He speaks out, and so do a few other people.
And a new development on the fate of U.S. journalists held in North Korea.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right, checking in on what some of you are talking about today. You're talking about what we have been reporting on here, an uptick in the violence, it appears, in Iraq.
Here is what Anhemi says: "An uptick in violence must be dealt with by Iraqi forces. They must step up. We must step out. We have been there too long."
And here is -- let's check out this one. CScott045 says: "The U.S. needs to focus its needs during these difficult times. We need focus time, money, and effort to this country."
Thank you all for your responses. Twitter.com, you can go to Rick Sanchez's page or my page, Don Lemon, in here today for Rick Sanchez.
Want to take a moment now to update you on the status of a couple journalists who remain in jail today in North Korea. I'm talking about Laura Ling -- that's her on the right -- and Euna Lee on the left there. They work for Current TV. And you remember they were arrested more than a month ago while reporting along the Chinese/North Korea border.
Here's what we just learned today. They will not be released. They will stand trial. They will stand trial. That's according to a North Korean government statement issued today. They're accused of entering North Korea illegally and intending to commit -- quote -- "hostile acts."
Well, pro-journalist groups around the world are calling for the two women to be released.
Meantime, investigators place their own ads on craigslist for other possible victims.
And a store owner faces a machete-wielding robber. You have got to see who wins in this battle.
And, well, we now know what may have caused -- man, it's just unbelievable to see those pictures -- those devastating wildfires that destroyed dozens of homes. We will have the very latest in a live report for you, moments away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, here's something you probably won't hear from many doctors. Not all fat is bad for you.
That's the focus of a new study looking at the different types of fat out there and trying to figure out if a particular type of fat might actually do the body some good. We're talking about brown fat and white fat here.
First of all, here's white fat. Here's something that a lot of people sort of have focused on for some time. This is the kind of fat that stores calories and makes you look fat. And it's something that really doesn't do a lot for the body. That's called white fat.
There is something that's a little bit better there called brown fat. Take a look there. That's sort of what it looks like, not much to look like, but this is the type of fat that is stored up around the collarbone area, the upper chest area.
The thing about this sort of fat is that it's metabolically active. It can actually help you start to burn calories. About three ounces of this stuff and you will burn an extra 300 to 500 calories a day.
Now, this is what -- something researchers have been focused on for some time, trying to figure out how to make more of this brown fat and less of that white fat? Well, the brown fat can be made simply by living in a colder climate, for example. So, if you live in a chillier climate, you do tend to make more of that brown fat.
And, as you might imagine, you might guess, the pharmaceutical industry has already taken notice, seeing if they might be able to come up with drugs, medications, in some way that will stimulate more of the brown fat and get rid of some of that white fat.
Look, we all know that person who eats a bowl of ice cream every night, has a candy bar every single day, seemingly never gains weight. Well, it could be this brown fat that's the answer. We're going to have a lot more on this in the days and weeks to come.
For CNN's "Fit Nation," I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right, let's take a look now at some of your responses that you have been sending to us, a lot talking of you about Iraq.
Let's go to Rick's page first, Rick's Twitter page.
Here is what Raspberrying says to Rick: "Americans who think torture is OK are just as bad as who we refer to as terrorists."
Jack_in_CA, California, says: "I support our troops, but they are needlessly dying. Nothing has changed there. And it never will. They are raised hating U.S.."
And then Putt57 says: "Wonder why John Kerry looks so bored when soldiers are testifying in front of his committee."
All right, that's Rick's page.
Robert, let's go over to mine. There we go.
Here's what AdvanceDegrees says. He says: "Don, get out now. You can't democratize a nation that doesn't want it." Let's read one more of these. "The Iraqis" -- this is from Chris 45212 -- says: "The Iraqis are standing to stand up for themselves." It should probably say starting. That's what he wanted to write. "A massacre should not be a reason to create havoc for our troops."
One more real quick. It says: "We must investigate torture in order to never repeat such a thing again. Keep torture illegal."
Thank you very much for your responses. We will get more on the air if we have time throughout this broadcast.
Meantime, we have some new developments in Boston's craigslist killing case that has gripped the nation. The accused man reportedly is under a suicide watch, after a failed attempt at taking his own life. And one of the alleged victims is now speaking out, well, as is the mother of the masseuse Markoff is accused of killing on what would have been her 26th birthday.
And CNN's Randi Kaye checked into all of this.
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RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Inside the apartment he shares with his fiancee, suspected craigslist killer Philip Markoff may have kept women's underwear in a medical book titled "Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body," souvenirs, if you will, from his alleged victims.
Two Boston newspapers and ABC News report that information comes from law enforcement sources. The paper sources called the garments mementos, but did not say from which alleged victims they were taken. When we asked, neither Boston police nor the district attorney would confirm or deny the report.
But, if it's true, this criminologist says it may be a token of success.
JAMES ALAN FOX, CRIMINOLOGIST, NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY: We all like to keep of our successes, whether it's in sports or in business. And here is a souvenir of his success at being an offender.
KAYE: New information about the moment Markoff was arrested. He was not alone.
A spokesman for the district attorney told me Markoff's fiancee, seen here on their wedding Web site, as with him in the car, and headed for Foxwoods Casino. He says Markoff had $1,000 in cash. Markoff is charged with murder in one attack, kidnapping and armed robbery in another.
His lawyer did not return numerous calls, but said in court he's not guilty.
Investigators say Markoff met his alleged victims through ads for erotic services they posted on craigslist. Prosecutors say Markoff tried to rob Julissa Brisman before he murdered her. ABC News reports, Markoff went gambling two days later and won $5,300.
(on camera): The DA's spokesman says gambling debt is just one possible motive. He says Markoff may have had a darker motive, not just a purely financial one. The spokesman says Markoff chose vulnerable women who would be reluctant to speak out.
(Voice-over): But one alleged victim is speaking out. She told a Boston television station she thought the man in this hotel surveillance tape was her attacker who she says is Markoff. Investigators say the woman was bound and robbed in this Westin hotel in Boston. She says she survived because she didn't fight back.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (via telephone): I just complied with everything he wanted me to do and I didn't resist him in any way.
KAYE: The woman says Markoff only wanted her money, nothing else. She says he duct taped her mouth before he left the hotel room without a word.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (via telephone): I clipped my ties within one minute after he was gone.
KAYE (on camera): Because of the charges Phillip Markoff is now suspended from medical school here at Boston University. But his former lab partner Tiffany Montgomery told a Boston newspaper he was, quote, strange, strange in a dark way. She told the paper she had class with him for years, she recalled his mood swings and described him as disturbed.
(Voice-over): Years before that a smiling Philip Markoff in his high school yearbook, he was a member of the bowling team and golf league, next to his baby picture a note about his poker skills. A different time, a different life, before the shackles and the burning question, did he do it? Randi Kaye, CNN, Boston.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: A big surprise for a store clerk. He has to confront a man with a machete. You'll see his weapon of choice and who wins in this battle.
And have you ever seen winds strong enough to do this? The back story on this story. Check it out.
New information on what may have sparked a devastating wildfire that left dozens homeless. We'll have a live update for you on the wildfire battle.
Check this out. On top of the anchor desk here. No expense. Hazard pay today. You're watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: This story certainly got us talking today when we saw it on-line. Police in Evansville, Indiana say a man tried to rob a convenience storm armed with, get this, a machete. Easy pickings right? Who was going to mess with him? How about the store clerk who knows how to defend himself with a step stool? This happened early yesterday morning. The clerk was able to successfully wrestle the weapon from the man who's now facing attempted murder and aggravated battery charges. He fled, but he was later captured. The clerk was treated for a cut on his hand. Don't mess with that clerk.
New information is out on the devastating wildfires that destroyed dozens of homes and today we're finding out what sparked it. And look, what strong winds can do to this truck. We'll show you more of this incredible video.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A community comes together to build a playground with some unexpected materials. 84 percent of this playground is made from recycled milk jugs, 41,000 jugs that won't end up in a landfill.
UNIDENTIFED MALE: It's nice to do something that's green.
THOMAS BROWN, ATLANTA FALCONS: If you want the earth to stay the same way it is, you have to get out here and actually put a hand into doing it.
BALDWIN: It starts when milk jugs are taken to recycling centers to be sorted and bailed. From there they're shredded, washed and turned into pellets. The pellets are then heated and molded into plastic lumber capable of withstanding hurricane force winds and the material itself is sustainable.
BOB GREYDS, SAFEPLAY SYSTEMS: When you're done with your playground we want it back. We take that product and put it back into -- through our process. The material can be reused 17 times.
BALDWIN (on camera): But that's not all. Once this project is finished the surface of this playground will look like this, which is made up of the rubber of thousands of old athletic shoes and recycled tires.
(Voice-over): Thousands of playgrounds like this one have been built across the country and around the world.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now I know that there's actually something being done with my recycling. It's neat to see that they can turn in what we're recycling into playground equipment.
BALDWIN: Brooke Baldwin, CNN, Atlanta.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right, let's take some of your comments now, let's go to Twitter, this is my Twitter page. Kweeneverything says, "It's hard for me to support a war that's costing us a ton of money. Plus these people choose to join the military that know the risks." Here's what Cedes says, "Of course I have a cousin stationed in Iraq. I just hope she comes back safe." And then Birdynumnumz says, Bush, "this gov does not torture." They just gave orders t others to torture on their behalf.
Hey let's go over now to the right. Let's go to Rick's Twitter page here. Freakygrant says, "The fool with the machete is lucky the store clerk did not use it on him. Pick up cans fool." I like that one. Kenneth R. Jenkins says, "Iraq needs to stand on their two feet because the time is now to do so." One more, MaureenMower says, "The U.S. cannot claim moral superiority (we did) and then torture human beings. Let the world see and jail those responsible." We thank you for your comments. Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, iReport.com.
Wind advisories, disregard them at your own risk. This is a Nevada state trooper's dashcam video from late last year. As we tried to catch up to the truck driver, apparently unaware of the windy conditions there, the officer almost made it but not before the truck teeters over from gusts and slides to a stop on the median. That puts a whole new meaning on the phrase, wheels up. Let's look at that again. There it goes. Is the driver ok, do we know? I would imagine the driver is ok or we wouldn't be reporting it. Man, that was scary moments.
All right, let's talk about other winds now. Wind fueling a three-day-old wildfire that is charring areas near north Myrtle Beach, near Myrtle Beach I should say. I want you to take a look at this.
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IREPORT BY MYKAL AMENDOLA-ALT: Ok, we are really close now. We're really close, like these clouds are billowing right over head of us. Dude, you guys don't understand. It feels like I can touch these clouds. The second we come around this bend we're going to see this. Oh, my God. Look at all this. Oh, my God. Oh, I'm starting to see, starting to see -- it's like a giant [ bleep ] storm. Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Obviously the beeping is because he said a couple bad words here. That's expletive prone i-Reporter Mykal Amendola-Alt, we appreciate your submission as well as your passion for reporting. That's what we'll call it. The facts as of now here is where it stands, 31 square miles are charred, that's bigger than Manhattan, thousands are displaced, dozens of homes are destroyed and the blaze is far from extinguished. But we're getting new details on what may have sparked this. I want to go now to Kelly Brosky, she's a supervisor in Horry County, South Carolina, public information office and she joins us now by phone. We're hearing that this started by a burn pile. Was this someone burning something and then it got out of control?
KELLY BROSKY, SUPERVISOR, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE, HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (via telephone): That's what we've been told, although that information comes from the South Carolina Forestry Commission.
LEMON: That's what -- from the South Carolina Forestry Commission. Ok, so not necessarily a burn pile. You're not sure yet. Are you making any headway on this, any inroads?
BROSKY: Yes, we actually have the fire about 50 percent contained. There's somewhere around 19,600 acres so far that have been consumed by the fire.
LEMON: Ok, damage stats, can you give us that?
BROSKY: We don't have real good numbers. I can tell you that in the city of North Myrtle Beach mainly there have been around 70 homes destroyed and around 100 that have been damaged. We don't have the numbers for the unincorporated areas of the county yet because the areas are still too hot for our assessment teams to get in there.
LEMON: And you know what Ms. Brosky I'm sure a lot of people wanting to go home because they have been displaced. What are you telling them?
BROSKY: Well it depends on the area where they're at. We would like to get in there and assess the homes to make sure that they're safe for habitation before people return.
LEMON: Ok, the extent of what's being burned, we're hearing that a few courses have been charred. A lot of areas. Give me the extent. You gave me some square footage there but tell us about what's being burned, homes, businesses, golf courses, what's going on?
BROSKY: Really, most of it is going to be open woodland. There have been some residential areas impacted. I really can't talk about the golf courses. I'm not familiar with which golf courses were impacted.
LEMON: Amazing there.
BROSKY: The majority of it is open woodland.
LEMON: Ok, one silver lining I should say in this is that no one has been injured, right? That's good news to report. Is that still correct?
BROSKY: Exactly. To this point we've had no reports of injuries or fatalities which is always great.
LEMON: Not even firefighters.
BROSKY: Nope. No police, no firefighters, nobody has been injured.
LEMON: Let's hope it stays that way.
BROSKY: Yes.
LEMON: Kelly Brosky, supervisor in Horry County, South Carolina Public Information office, thank you we appreciate it.
BROSKY: Thank you.
LEMON: Now a man that you are very familiar with, he is a very popular figure, he joins us every Friday, he is speaking out. Hey -- he can't hear me. I'm going to ask --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can hear you.
LEMON: Oh you can hear me? Whose that just walked in front of your camera?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, he did it again.
LEMON: What? What is going on here. Don't get mad like you know one Hollywood star.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I should've went hey! You people know and you're walking in front and you should know better and then tomorrow I'll apologize. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to.
LEMON: Go to break.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It wasn't mean.
LEMON: Carlos Mencia, next. Keep your rant up. Keep going.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. Earlier this week we told you that the museum in Washington included Rick Sanchez in a permanent exhibit for his pioneering use of social media in journalism. Well it turns out a lot of people have ideas about how to use tools like Twitter. Just listen to Wednesday night's "Colbert Report" that started off like a geography lesson. Just watch it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN COLBERT: The Qatar is not Michigan. Also the pronunciation of this country's name is a matter of some debate. Some say Qatar, others say gutter, neither of which should be confused with Quarter, a website in the Arabic world where you must post death to America in 140 characters or less.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. So much in the singing of social media, the blogosphere has been all the Twitter whatever you want to say, Carlos right, with Scotland singing sensation Susan Boyle and the controversial answer given by Miss California on the question of same- sex marriages. All right. So we're going to get you to weigh in on this but we have to say you are a newly christened American citizen, Carlos Mencia. Your pop quiz in a moment.
MENCIA: Ok. LEMON: I don't know how you feel about that, but hang on. Was a beauty contestant not politically correct enough? Before I ask you that, was that a fair question, Carlos?
CARLOS MENCIA, COMEDIAN: No, I don't think so. They're beauty contestants. Do I really care what they have to say socially? I mean don't tell me, hey, look at her she's hot in a bathing suit and then what is her intellect. I mean really, come on. We're doing two things. I don't think they should have asked that.
LEMON: I asked a couple of people around the studio I said do you think it was a fair question and they said yeah, I think it's a fair question. They ask about world issues and political issues all the time, why not. And then they asked me if I thought it was fair and I was like you know what, I really didn't pay attention to it to be honest with you.
MENCIA: Yeah but they usually ask safe questions like how would you bring world peace or what would you do about hunger. Those are easy. I want to bring peace to the world and I want to feed everybody. This is like the hottest -- I mean, you know, they could have asked about abortion to the next person. That's just horrible. It's not even right. These girls are supposed to smile, be cute.
LEMON: And be hot.
MENCIA: Exactly.
LEMON: And be hot. It's not even Miss America, it's Miss USA which is like the hotter version, you know what I mean. It's not Playboy it's the Penthouse. Don't ask them hard questions.
LEMON: Speaking of trying to turn people into, speaking of hotness, right? Remember Susan Boyle, the singer, the Scottish singer on the version of American Idol over there?
MENCIA: Of course.
LEMON: Do you remember her singing and then coming on, right. So everyone has been talking about that. Did you see her makeover? And have you been watching that? You know what? My heart goes out to her, it's great. But if I hear that song one more time man, it's over and over everywhere.
MENCIA: You know what it's cool that that happened and she's going to get some notoriety from it. The sad part is, what does it say about us as a world that, and this is a fact, if she was attractive, they would have discovered her 20 years ago.
LEMON: Good point. That's a good point.
MENCIA: I mean it's kind of sad that it took 47 years for us to find her voice and it's only because she's not a beautiful-looking person. I have 11 sisters, it wouldn't be bad, except we only do that to like women. Because Pavarotti, not a looker, let's be honest. LEMON: You know it's interesting we're talking about all these pop idols and there was a while back when a bunch of them were coming out and some were better looking than the others. But the really talented ones Carlos, I noticed it's like, well why isn't everybody all about this one girl, they're all about the other one who they think is cute? Shouldn't talent rule out and that's what I'm saying about this, we shouldn't be surprised that this woman could sing this way.
MENCIA: No, we shouldn't. But I mean, look, it's debatable, but we have all kinds of people that we think are not good singers and that have amazing careers, Britney Spears. Look, what I'm saying is --
LEMON: I'm glad you said it. You knew what I was talking about, didn't you?
MENCIA: Did I say, just like a surgeon. What am I saying? It's sad, but then there are really, hopefully, this won't wear off, this luster won't wear off and hopefully we'll still like love her. But it even happens in the news and this is not a criticism, that's just the way things are. There are no female news anchors that are not hot. They're all hot. We all want good-looking people to sing to us and we want good-looking people to tell us that the Dow dropped 1,000 points and that our 401(k) is empty.
LEMON: Well I mean they have me so it's not a good looking person telling you it's just someone who likes doing the news.
MENCIA: Well look at this. I had to be funny, this is the only thing I Could do.
LEMON: Hey, but you know what, joking and being funny did not help you pass the citizenship test, I'm sure, you had to study for that, didn't you.
MENCIA: No, but there were a lot of ugly people studying for it as well.
LEMON: All right, let me see, I'm going to pick some questions out here and see if you know -- ok, who elects the president of the United States?
MENCIA: Well, actually it's not -- it's not the people, it's the college.
LEMON: Electoral College, that's very good.
What is the constitution?
MENCIA: The supreme law of the land.
LEMON: Wow, you did study for this, ah? Because that's the exact answer that it says. Go ahead.
MENCIA: I actually studied -- I had to study the old test and the new test. Because the old, they changed it so I like got -- I like got all those, I had to know the 13 colonies and all kinds of good stuff. I had to know my representative, I had to know all that stuff.
LEMON: What are the duties of congress?
MENCIA: Of congress, yeah, to pass laws.
LEMON: There you go, Carlos Mencia, you're a smarty pants that's why you made it because you're smart.
MENCIA: Yeah, but here's the funny part. I don't know if you know this or not, you can actually take the test and become an American citizen in a foreign language if you're old enough and you have been here long enough. And that I didn't know.
LEMON: And you didn't do that?
MENCIA: I didn't do that, but my brother did.
LEMON: Hey, I got something for. Seriously I went and got this stuff for you, congratulations, just a little swag here. I got you a CNN En Espanol hat and I'm going to send it to you. This is courtesy of me and Rick Sanchez. I got you a CNN red white, I should get you a blue one actually. Real quickly, I got this for you, a little Larry King bookmark and one more thing, a CNN En Espanol rain jacket. All right, Carlos Mencia, congratulations you're a U.S. citizen.
MENCIA: Thank you.
LEMON: We're very proud of you and we appreciate you joining us on a Friday.
MENCIA: I appreciate it. Any time man.
LEMON: All right, take it easy.
A mom takes her case directly to the Supreme Court. What is she looking for? Some of the stories we didn't have enough time to show you earlier this week, we're going to have that for you as well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Pirates and justice, pretty ladies and strong opinions. Reporters and policemen. Testing Rick Sanchez jammed so much into this hour this week, there was no time for tons of great news stories. Like this mom from Arizona, what is she doing at the Supreme Court? Well, her teenaged daughter was strip searched at school a few years ago. She took it all the way to Washington. The justices are weighing school safety against privacy issues.
Other sides of the world, South Africa, voters went to the polls to choose who will sit in their parliament seats and in the process, a new president. Election watchers predict another victory for the ruling African National Congress. Votes still being counted. Back here, what's that lady doing? Yes, police say she was stealing stuff from a department store. She should know better, right? Her husband is the chief of police. She pleaded no contest to one count of theft this week. No jail time, but it's probably awkward at home.
Calendar check, it's almost May, right? Why is it snowing in Wisconsin? O yeah, because it's Wisconsin. Hello springtime, get on board, will you?
Texas, cute baby birds. Well the mother thinks they're cute. Workers tore down the pole holding their nests but relocated these three baby red tail hawks. Everything's fine, but mama hawk was steamed. So was the Atlanta hawks mascot Wednesday night. Instead of behaving himself, Spirit decided to fly around Phillips Arena instead delaying the game and making a few people nervous.
Well, let's hope the markets are soaring today. How's that for a transition? Susan Lisovicz, seven straight weeks on the incline, I've got my fingers crossed, is it going to make it?
SUSAN LISOVICZ: Well we're going down to the wire. It looks like Don the NASDAQ is going to make it comfortably, yeah I see, cross your toes too I think. I don't think the blue chips or the S&P are going to make it. But the point is that the market has been behaving well. Why is that? Because all the fears about the corporate earnings have come in with losses but not worse than expected. Case in point, Ford. Ford lost money in the first three months of the year but says it will be profitable by 2011. GM continues to take big cost cutting measures, getting rid of Pontiac, I hope that wasn't near and dear to your heart, Mr. Lemon.
LEMON: It is really near and dear to my heart.
LISOVICZ: You own a Cadillac, don't you?
LEMON: I own a caddy, yes.
LISOVICZ: It's holding on to Caddy.
LEMON: You know everyone who comes to my house, Susan, wants to buy that car, and I can't part with it.
LISOVICZ: No kidding? Well as long as I get in drive in it.
LEMON: And the producer here was Rick's producer, he's my producer today, Chris Hal. He wants it, he says it's -- well I can't say what he says about it. But I'll leave that to your imagination.
LISOVICZ: I think you're magnetic with our without the car Mr. Lemon.
Just one other big headline, this afternoon, banking regulators offered a view into the stress test that has really been the subject of so much discussion, basically we don't have very intricate details as to the various financial institutions, but the take away is that they're well capitalized.
LEMON: Hey Susan, real quickly, the news about the auto industry, is that factoring into today at all?
LISOVICZ: Well Ford is up 11 percent, GM shares are up 4 percent, Ford loss is not as big as the market feared so that's a relief. And GM continues to make cost cutting measures. It's all good. NFL draft picks ringing the closing bell. Have a great weekend Don.
LEMON: Yeah I was just wondering if it takes that quickly, if it hits that quickly. All right Susan Lisovicz, thank you, have a great weekend everyone. I'm going to throw it over to Wolf Blitzer now and "THE SITUATION ROOM."
