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Taliban Vows to Kill U.S. Soldiers in Afghanistan; Number of Teen Gang Murders in Chicago Growing; Dallas Cowboys 911 Audio Released; Authorities Cancel School Closure Recommendation; Economy Makes it Cheaper to Tear Down Homes Instead of Sell; Obama to Meet with Israeli President; Pakistani Military Challenges Taliban Stronghold; Report to Show Strength of Banks; Still No Help for Some Homeowners; New Insights into Brain, Autism
Aired May 05, 2009 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MELISSA LONG, CNN ANCHOR: And CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with T.J. Holmes -- T.J.
T.J. HOLMES: Melissa, thank you so much.
This hour we are pushing forward on a fight to the death.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZABIULLAH MUJAHID, SPOKESMAN FOR MULLAH OMAR (through translator): Afghanistan will be the Vietnam for them. I want to tell you clearly, we will win and they will die.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The chilling words of a Taliban, spoken in the shadows of a widening war. It's the interview you will only see right here on CNN.
Also, the strong divide. The weak get strong or else. We're pushing forward on stress tests on Wall Street. The results could mean a quicker recovery.
Good day to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes, sitting in today for Kyra Phillips, live at the CNN world headquarter in Atlanta, Georgia. And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
So they are huge problems, defeating the Taliban and their al Qaeda allies. Also the quest for Middle East peace. Two of President Obama's most foreign pressing policy issues. He's pushing forward on both this week.
His point man in the region, Richard Holbrooke -- you see him there -- he's testifying on the Hill today, amid Taliban gains in Pakistan as well as Afghanistan.
Also the leaders of both countries meeting with congressional leaders and will sit down with President Obama later this week. You're looking at a live picture here at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., where the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, will be -- or Hamid Karzai, will be addressing that book in just a bit. Well, failure in either country -- Pakistan or Afghanistan -- would greatly increase the threat to U.S. security. Of course, you'll remember it was al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan that trained the terrorists who carried out the 9/11 attacks. Also concern that Pakistan's nuclear weapons could fall into the hands of Taliban militants.
But today the Middle East tops the agenda, with Israeli President Shimon Peres at the White House next hour.
Joining us now with more on both of these big issues, CNN's Ivan Watson is in the Pakistan capital of Islamabad. Also at the White House, our Suzanne Malveaux. Hello to you both.
Suzanne, I'll start with you on the topic of Shimon Peres and President Obama.
What is it that President Obama will be asking of Peres and also asking of Israeli people?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, essentially, he's going to be asking for cooperation when it comes to the two-state solution allowing Israelis and Palestinians to live together peacefully side by side. And what he really wants, T.J., is to hopefully take that message from Peres to the Benjamin Netanyahu, the newly-elected prime minister.
Netanyahu is really the one who has the power here. Shimon Peres largely holding this ceremonial post. This is really meant to kind of set the table, if you will, for a meeting on -- that's going to take place down the road between President Obama and Netanyahu in the next couple of weeks.
We have heard from Netanyahu, and he has been saying that he believes there's a track, a political, security economic track, that needs to be focused here, but he's not talking, necessarily, about a two-state solution. He's putting a lot more emphasis on creating economic developments for the Palestinians, but he is not talking about statehood. That is something that this president certainly wants to influence Peres to bring back to Netanyahu, so that when they have those talks, they are ready to sit down and talk about that very seriously, T.J.
HOLMES: And one -- one more thing for you, Suzanne, on the issue of Israel. You can never really have that conversation without bringing up Iran somewhere in there. Where does it factor in here?
MALVEAUX: Well, certainly. I mean, this is their -- essentially, the same minds here. The Obama administration and Israel, both of them feeling that Iran is a serious threat here. Both countries, both administrations feel as if they are trying to -- the Iranian regime is trying to develop nuclear weapons, that that needs to stop, that there needs to be more cooperation.
We've heard from President Obama differently than President Bush, that he is willing to reach out to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, to have tough diplomatic talks about this.
We've heard from Shimon Peres, also saying to our own Wolf Blitzer yesterday, "Look," he says, "if it works, God bless them. Nobody wants to go to war." That in his words he says we are not crazy. So clearly there is some opening here, room if you will, to talk to the Iranian regime.
HOLMES: All right. Suzanne Malveaux for us from the White House.
Let's turn now to Islamabad, Ivan Watson standing by.
Ivan, you know, this has been an escalating situation, especially up north, particularly in the Swat Valley. And even the government there asking people to leave, to flee of an impending offensive a lot of people are expecting from the Pakistani military.
What are we expecting to happen -- really, could be a matter of hours away from a major offensive by the Pakistani military?
IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'll tell you what's happening right now. There are clashes between Pakistani military, between security forces and Taliban militants in the Swat Valley. That valley that used to be a destination for foreign tourists and skiers. And it now -- is now a Taliban stronghold.
Just got off the phone with a doctor in that region at the main hospital. He said he got 18 casualties today. civilians caught in crossfire. He said he was in this house. There was a curfew, and there was shooting all around. Taliban in the streets.
We also earlier spoke with a police officer who was in his police station under attack. He spoke to us on the phone this afternoon. Under attack from Taliban militants. He said one of his officers was killed, and the battle was still going on several hours later when we spoke to him again. A very serious intense situation in the Swat Valley, T.J.
HOLMES: All right. A tense situation. We're having a few technical issues. But I want to get one more quick question in to you here, if I can. We talk about this fighting. Who exactly is winning this battle right now?
WATSON: Well, the military, the Pakistani military is moving into this Swat Valley, trying to take back from the Taliban. And I'll tell who's losing for sure. It's the civilian population. We had thousands of people trying to get out after there was an evacuation order issued that the military then led to withdraw. We're getting warnings from the Pakistani government, T.J., of up to half a million people that may be displaced by escalating conflict coming out of the Swat Valley.
HOLMES: All right. Ivan Watson for us in Islamabad. Thank you so much. A few technical issues there, but very important to get that report in to you. Also, CNN's Wolf Blitzer going one-on-one with the Pakistani President Zardari in the "THE SITUATION ROOM." Be sure to catch that interview, coming your way at 6 p.m. Eastern today.
So what exactly is the Taliban thinking? What are they planning? What do they want?
CNN's Nic Robertson managed to get a rare and exclusive interview with a spokesman for the Afghan Taliban leader, Mullah Omar. The aide left little room for compromise with western forces or their allies and the Afghan government.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MUJAHID (through translator): Afghanistan will be the Vietnam for them. I want to tell you clearly we will win, and they will die.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Nic is going to be joining us live with more of his exclusive interview a little later this hour.
Well, no question your bank sure knows an awful lot about you and your finances. What exactly do you know about your bank's finances? On Thursday you may -- you may know at least a whole lot more. That is when the Fed unveils the results of its so-called stress tests. Those are aimed at heading off future bank collapses or last-ditch bailouts.
Today the Fed chief, Ben Bernanke, briefing Congress on the health of the banks and the prospects for economic recovery.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEN BERNANKE, CHAIRMAN, FEDERAL RESERVE: We're in far better shape today than we were in September and October. And while I know there are many critics of the TARP, and I understand the criticisms and there are many issues, I do believe the availability of that capital helped us dodge what would have been a truly cataclysmic collapse of the global banking system, which would have had terrifically bad effects on the U.S. economy. So it was very important at that time.
I think we've made a lot of progress. The financial markets are still fragile. We don't want to take anything for granted. But we have, I think, come a long way since last fall.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: All right. CNN's Stephanie Elam following those hearings, also following the banks' bottom line.
Stephanie, always good to see you.
We talked about these stress tests. They are a big deal. Everybody is waiting at the edge of their seat, really, to hear about this. Why are they such a big deal? What will they tell us?
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, T.J. Good to see you, too. It's -- really the idea here is basically taking these banks and putting them on a financial treadmill, if you will, giving them some headbands, you know, see if they're going to really work out and be OK on the other side here.
Testing is the biggest thing that they can do here. And it's for 19 of the U.S. banks to see if they could survive and keep lending if the economy worsens. No one expects the economy to get worse, by the way. I just need to point that out. However, they just want to make sure that these banks were solvent, and that is the case. None of these banks are going to go away. They will be here.
Now, the government assumed a 10 percent unemployment rate and more credit losses while doing these stress tests. And there are reports that about 10 of the 19 -- of 19 of these banks will need more capital. And the reports are that that will include Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Citigroup, and as well as some regional banks, as well, will need more money.
The banks will get six months to come up with a plan to raise capital here. So that is the plan that we are hearing about at this point, T.J.
HOLMES: OK. You see 10 of the 19 might need some more capital, might need some help. Raise this capital -- well, a lot of people hear that, and they just think we're talking about more bailouts. And they're going to get more taxpayer money. So what are their options for where they can get this money? And then will we be on the hook again for this?
ELAM: Right. And exactly. That's the question everyone wants to know. Where is this money going to come from? And there are a few possible sources. One is private investors. They could go to private investors, say, "Hey, let's get this money back in here, get investors back into these banks."
The government could also say, "You know, maybe banks could go ahead and sell assets. That could happen, as well."
They could go back and try to see if there's any more TARP money there, but the White House and Ben Bernanke are both saying that it's not likely that any more government money will be needed. In fact, the government plans to release a lot of information on the banks, hoping that the clarity will actually give private investors the confidence that they need to go ahead and invest in the -- in those banks and make them stronger. Basically, grease these wheels again.
One analyst is saying that the results of the stress test, well, they're already priced into the market. So we're not expecting a big reaction Thursday unless there are any surprises in the report.
And just another bit of information here, T.J. Bank stocks are up sharply. Since the bear market low on March 9, Wells Fargo is up 143 percent. Bank of America stock is up 176 percent. And Citigroup is up 204 percent. Compare that with the fact that the Dow is up about 28 percent in that time, the NASDAQ and the S&P up over 30 percent during that time.
So really financial sector has been benefiting from stronger earnings, and also that's helping out. And Bernanke is saying that the economy is starting to show signs of stabilizing. That's helped out, as well. But there's still caution out there on the street. But at this point we may actually be seeing a sense here that the worst is over for the financial sector.
HOLMES: Everybody loves to hear that. Still a big day on Thursday.
ELAM: No doubt.
HOLMES: Results of the stress tests to see how stressed out they are.
ELAM: Exactly.
HOLMES: Thank you, as always.
ELAM: Sure.
HOLMES: Let's take a quick look at the Dow while we've got you here. I think I saw that, about 25 or so points down.
Which monitor? This way.
About 25 points down after that rally yesterday of about 200 points that it closed up. Some of the best days of the NASDAQ and the Dow have seen in, really, several months. So we'll keep an eye on this until the closing for today.
Well, both the banking crisis, the credit crisis, the mortgage crisis, all are tangled up. And the government is spending billions, literally hundreds of billions of your dollars to sort this all out. But some problems can't be solved. And some homes, actually, can't be saved.
CNN's Allan Chernoff found what may be a case in point.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Meet Geraldine Nelson, a three time loser in the refinancing game. Three times she fell victim to unscrupulous mortgage brokers. As a result, her mortgage today is nearly double the $89,000 she borrowed to buy her home in 2000 when she was still employed.
Collection agent calls are a constant irritant.
GERALDINE NELSON, FACING FORECLOSURE: Sell it. You can't afford it, sell it. Where are you going to go? I have nowhere to go. What am I going to do move my things on the street? CHERNOFF: To pay her monthly mortgage requires 97 percent of her income, virtually all of which comes from Social Security. So Geraldine has been unable to make payments for months and the foreclosure moratorium Chase Bank granted Geraldine has now expired.
NELSON: It's stressful. I have cried so many times, you don't know. Nobody would know how many times I have cried.
CHERNOFF (on camera): On March 24th, Geraldine's lenders sent her a letter saying she might be eligible for the president's new Making Home Affordable program. Three weeks later, the bank sent a letter saying it was beginning foreclosure proceedings immediately.
(voice-over): Her Bridgeport, Connecticut neighborhood is littered with homes that have already been foreclosed. To prevent Geraldine from being the next victim, her housing counselor, Julissa Soto of ACORN Housing, is asking Chase to make big concessions -- drop her interest rate by nearly six percent, down to two percent; extend the term by ten years to 40 years; and chop $30,000 off the principal.
Even then, Geraldine's mortgage would still be too much debt for her to qualify under the Obama criteria for a loan modification. Chase would have to make an exception.
JULISSA SOTO, ACORN HOUSING COUNSELOR: Honestly, it's going to be hard. It's going to be really hard.
CHERNOFF: Chase won't speak to Geraldine's case citing reasons of privacy. But the bank says, "We continue to modify thousands of mortgages each week to help families stay in their homes, but unfortunately there are some borrowers who do not qualify for the modification programs."
President Obama says his plan will help millions of Americans facing foreclosure, but millions more may get nothing.
SHAUN DONOVAN, U.S. SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT: This plan cannot help every single homeowner that's in trouble.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHERNOFF: Geraldine bought more home than she could afford, and she allowed herself to fall victim to mortgage brokers that put her into bad loans. The president's foreclosure plan is likely to help millions of homeowners, but it can only do so much. Some of the most vulnerable Americans are likely to lose their homes -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Thank you, Allan.
And of course, you have heard of new construction. What about new destruction? You're looking at that brand-new homes, some of them finished, some of them unfinished, never lived in, being torn down. Has it come to this? We will find out from somebody who lives and works in this town. That's coming up near the end of the hour.
Also, a troubled school finally getting some much-needed help. However, might not be coming from where you might expect.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHERNOFF: I've got give you an update now on a junior high student. The name is Ty'Sheoma Bethea. You may remember her. That's her sitting next to the first lady there. She had a plea to fix her crumbling South Carolina school.
Well, President Obama was touched by her letter and invited her to sit with the first lady during his February congressional address. But it wasn't until now that any action has been taken.
Ashley Walters now with our affiliate, WLTX, explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ASHLEY WALTERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was no ordinary start to a Monday for JV Martin Middle students. Two days, four trucks, 25 workers and $250,000 in new desks and chairs donated by Sagus International.
TY'SHEOMA BETHEA, STUDENT: I've never seen our school look that way before.
WALTERS: It started with the voice of one eighth grader.
BETHEA: When I first wrote the letter, I thought that maybe the president would read it.
WALTERS: Ty'Sheoma Bethea.
BETHEA: This school means a lot to me.
WALTERS: Her words reached President Obama and Congress. The president promised to help, but that hasn't come yet. So help from the public came to Dillon. Daryl Rosser of Sagus International made it happen.
DARYL ROSSER, PRESIDENT/CEO, SAGUS INTERNATIONAL: It's somewhat depressing when you looked at the -- what the students were sitting in. The chairs were not always properly sized for the students.
BETHEA: Happy and proud of what I have brought to my school.
WALTERS: Before the desks and chairs were a collection of decades.
SARA DOUGLAS, SEVENTH GRADE TEACHER: The legs would just do a split with the child sitting in it.
WALTERS: Seventh grade science teacher Sara Douglas says 9 of her 30 old desks had given way over the course of the school year.
DOUGLAS: I was constantly afraid that another one would -- the legs would split apart and dump a child into the floor.
WALTERS: Now, she won't have to move furniture unless she wants to.
DOUGLAS: I think it will boost their self-esteem a lot. People appreciate and care about, you know, how they're educated.
BETHEA: How will they feel? More confident.
DOUGLAS: For Ty'Sheoma, who leaves eighth grade for high school in just a few weeks, she's leaving all this behind but taking something with her.
BETHEA: I think that it makes things possible, in that students should never give up on their dreams, because dreams do come true.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: You may remember, South Carolina Republican Governor Mark Sanford has been quite vocal in refusing a portion of the federal stimulus package, money that could have been used to fix that school. Sanford says strings are attached to that money which would force the state to raise taxes.
Going to do some weather now. Some powerful storms leaving a trail of damage from coast to coast. Some of these pictures you're seeing are from Norfolk, Virginia. We'll check in with our Chad Myers to find out what's happening right now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Damage from coast to coast we're showing you now. Powerful storms sweeping across the country. This is in Virginia, where high winds blew down trees, power lines, some of the standard stuff you see but still damaging every time you see it. It's in Norfolk. Also at the height of the storm 7,000 customers were without power.
Bring you to Southern Louisiana now, where a tornado injured at least three people and damaged nearly two dozen homes. Also on the west coast, a Pacific storm unleashed high winds and torrential rain. The Oregon coast took a beating, as well.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HOLMES: We want to turn to some new medical research now and does the size of the brain help determine if your child will have autism?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, you've been hearing a lot about the flu, the swine flu, H1N1, whatever you choose to call it these day. But the numbers right now don't really tell the story, not the whole story, certainly.
The World Health Organization now counts almost 1,500 cases in more than 20 countries. U.S. cases now at 400 in 38 states. Some of those are new, but many are newly confirmed from a backlog of samples of suspected cases just being confirmed now. Mexico City coming back to life, however. And experts are looking to the fall, when history shows this new virus may come back with a vengeance.
Turn to some other news from medicine now. A new study giving researchers insight into a part of the brain that could be critical in developing ways to diagnose and treat autism.
Our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this may be one of the more fascinating areas of research when it comes to autism. Doing brain scans sequentially on very young children, trying to figure out what's happening in the brain.
You know, for some time researchers have known that the head circumference overall on a child with autism was larger. Not noticeably so but measurably so. And the question was, was there something else happening deep within the brain?
This is an MRI scan, sort of cutting through all the various slices of the brain. So what researchers decided to focus on was an area of the brain known as the amygdala. Take a look here. That is the brain spinning around. You see the two almond-shaped structures near the front of the brain. That's the amygdala. And what they found in children with autism was about 13 percent larger, as compared to a control group of children without autism.
This is an area of the brain which is responsible for the ability to process emotion, recognize faces, and recognize whether or not something is a threat. Sort of a joint association behavior area. It's not working well, all of those things don't work well.
So for example, telling your child to look at the hands of a clock. If a child has autism, they may not be able to recognize that, process it and not recognize it as a threat. Whereas a child without autism can simply look and see that it's a clock. That seems to be what's happening in the brain, at least according to this relatively new research out of the University of North Carolina.
What to do with all this? Harder to say. Could one day they do scans even earlier in age, trying to figure out who's more likely to develop autism later in life by looking at the scan, figuring out the size of that amygdala and sort of making a prediction as to whether a child is likely to develop autism. Or, could it possibly lead to some sort of treatment later on?
It is fascinating stuff. It is one of the first times that brain scans have been done over time in children with autism. And now they're thinking about doing it even earlier. When they give us that information, we'll certainly bring it to you. Back to you for now.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HOLMES: All right. President Obama's point man for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, on Capitol Hill today. Showdowns looming right now with the Taliban in both countries. You add to that the possibility of Pakistan's nuclear weapons falling into the hands of the Taliban and their al Qaeda allies.
Pakistanis are seeking safety from the fighting between government forces and Taliban militants, meanwhile, in the Swat Valley. Officials warning some 500,000 civilians expected to flee the valley following a government evacuation order. President Obama plans to meet with the leaders of both Pakistan and Afghanistan later this week in Washington.
At least in public, the Taliban through their talks with guns and bombs for the most part, and not speeches and news conferences, certainly not interviews. But CNN's Nic Robertson just sat down with a spokesman for the Taliban leader in Afghanistan. If you weren't losing sleep over this already, you might now when you hear some of the things that came out of this person's mouth.
Nic Robertson joins me now live via broadband from the Afghan capital. Nic, thank you for being here. And this was fascinating to watch. It was just tension in that room. And I read some of what you wrote about it as well. Your heart is thumping because he thinks maybe you're setting him up, and you have to be thinking maybe he's setting you up.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You don't know, T.J., when you go into that room in a safe house, and we were waiting there for him to arrive, you don't know quite what's going to happen. Is he going to come in or are a bunch of armed men going to come in? And I think certainly judging by the nerves of when we came in, he was wondering if we were setting him up for capture by coalition forces.
But what he had to say was a clear threat for the United States. He said it doesn't matter how many troops President Obama sends -- we know another 17,000 to 20,000 are coming by this summer, a significant increase in the forces -- he said it doesn't matter how many are sent. The Taliban will still win.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MUJAHID: I will clearly tell you. If there are more we will kill them more. If there are fewer we will kill fewer.
If the Pentagon is thinking of changing its policy, we, too, are thinking of changing the policy if they want to send 20,000 to start a new campaign. This is a war, and we will see the war and make our policy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: Now, when I said to him, how can you say all this in the face of the strongest and biggest army in the world, he laughed. He said, look, we're fighting on the ground. We're fighting in terrain that we know. You may have high-tech missiles, high-tech gadgets on the ground, but we don't mind dying in this fight. That was his point.
And he went on to say that for the United States and for President Obama, Afghanistan is going to be President Obama's Vietnam -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right. And also, we talk about this, and they say they're going to win, will win this. Did he leave any room at all for any type of negotiation or any type of leeway? Of course, the United States doesn't necessarily want to deal with the Taliban, but Afghans have in the past. Pakistani government has in the past. So, is there room for some kind of an agreement?
ROBERTSON: Well, certainly President Hamid Karzai has said he's willing to deal with moderate Taliban. And I asked the spokesman, does the Taliban think it can win this war by military means alone, by fighting alone, or does it believe that there will have to be talks?
And I think it was significant that he said that they did believe that there would have to be some sort of talks, but the threshold, the conditions the Taliban are putting before those talks can start, that is, U.S. troops, NATO troops, have to pull out of the country before they sit down at the negotiating table, is really a hurdle too far.
Another significant thing that he had to say was about the Afghan elections. Of course, a hugely important cornerstone for U.S. foreign policy here, the Afghan presidential elections in the summer this year. He said that the Taliban are not only going to boycott the elections but will attack people that get involved in them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MUJAHID: This is not election. It is selection. People are selected from the White House. This is just a joke. We ask from our Muslim brothers and our population not to take part in this election.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: And when you consider some of the areas that the Taliban have influence, you've got to wonder about how fully represented here the election results can be that are expected in August if the Taliban are going to intimidate people, kill parliamentarians, kill election officials -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right, Nic Robertson for us. We appreciate you. We look forward to seeing that full report. And you can see all of Nic's exclusive interview tonight on "ANDERSON COOPER 360." Again, that's tonight at 10:00 Eastern, 7:00 Pacific, right here on CNN.
In the republic of Georgia, a brief mutiny at an army base near the capital of Tbilisi has ended. The uprising comes one day before NATO exercises were scheduled to begin in the former Soviet republic. The country's president says he thinks Russia was behind the rebellion. Moscow's NATO envoy calls that charge, quote, "crazy." Russia fought a brief war, you'll remember, with Georgia last year and had sharply criticized the NATO exercises.
The brutal killing of a Chicago teenager. How his family tried to protect him before a gang beat him, shot him and burned him.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: It is a disturbing statistic in the Chicago area. Nearly 100 school-age kids have been killed in the past three years. The latest death, the brutal beating, shooting and burning of a teenager, 15 years old. Friends say he had never been in any kind of trouble. People are of course asking why, but they're also asking, when is this all going to end?
Here now, CNN's David Mattingly.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Even in Chicago, a city long suffering from deadly youth violence, the mysterious murder of 15-year-old Alex Arellano is unbelievably brutal.
He was last seen Friday leaving a girlfriend's house. She told his family he was chased and beaten by young men with baseball bats. No one could say why.
After a frantic search, they found his body the next day. He had been severely beaten, shot in the head and burned.
JUAN TIRADO, VICTIM'S UNCLE: Why would they do this to a child that had nothing to do with nothing and just on top of that, you know, brutally killing him?
MATTINGLY: Police say Alex had no criminal record and no known ties to gangs. In his last school picture, he looked straight into the camera and doesn't smile. His family says he was very shy, almost fearful of strangers.
And even though he was well-behaved, it wasn't enough to keep him out of harm's way. His family says they took Alex out of school in September to protect him after he was threatened by gang members.
ASHLEY RECENDEZ, VICTIM'S FRIEND: It's sad because they didn't have to torture him that way. He was -- he never did nothing wrong, never. He was a good kid. It just gets to me. It's crazy.
MATTINGLY: Alex is the 34th school-age victim in Chicago to die violently this school year, according to an unofficial tally kept by the "Chicago Tribune." This is nothing new. Chicago public schools counted 27 deaths last year and 31 the year before. In May 2007, teenager Blair Holt (ph) was an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire of a gang shootout. His death sparked public protests.
(on camera): At the time, grieving family and activists blamed lax gun laws, insufficient police numbers, even bad parenting. But now, the unexplained murder of Alex Arellano and the rising death toll clearly shows the problem rages unabated. When asked for comment, a spokeswoman for Chicago Public Schools told us, "It's an insult to the families, students and schools to count these poor kids and refer to them as numbers."
(voice-over): To this grieving Chicago crowd, Alex Arellano will never be a number. But in just three years, his murder is the 92nd reason to ask, how much more the city's future will die before the violence stops?
David Mattingly, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, a kidnapping in southern California is horrifying and stunning and really perplexing police. Armed robbers burst into 3-year-old Brian Rodriguez's (ph) house, robbed the place, tied up all five kids inside and their mother. Then they left with Brian (ph).
The boy's mother said the kidnappers threatened to take him to Mexico and threatened to kill him. There is now an Amber Alert out for the boy. Also with this case, making this thing harder and the trail to pick up is because there is no motive, no ransom demand. We are keep an eye on that story, again, out of California.
We're also learning more about Saturday's collapse of the Dallas Cowboys practice facility roof. You're looking at some of that video that was taken by camera crews inside. Well, "The Dallas Morning News" reports the Cowboys applied last year for a building permit to replace the fabric roof, but the team never had city officials inspect the completed work.
The company that did the reroofing says proper engineering was used. Fierce winds flattened the structure during a rookie training session, injuring 12 people, including one coach who's now paralyzed. Today, authorities released 911 calls.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
CALLER: I'm at the Dallas Cowboys practice facility in Valley Ranch.
911 DISPATCHER: Yes, sir.
CALLER: Their indoor facility collapsed during a practice.
911 DISPATCHER: What has collapsed?
CALLER: Their indoor practice facility.
911 DISPATCHER: OK. Anybody hurt?
CALLER: I have no idea. I ran out of there. There might still be people in there. I have no idea.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
. (BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
CALLER: I'm at Valley Ranch, and our big outdoor facility collapsed, and we had a lot of players in there.
911 DISPATCHER: OK. Are people trapped inside?
CALLER: Yes, ma'am, I think so.
911 DISPATCHER: We've got everybody on the way to you. We had an initial call about three or four minutes before you. So, everybody is on the way. The fire department, the police department, everybody's on the way to help you all.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HOLMES: Yes, and there were several people in there, about 70 when you include the players, camera crews and also a lot of staff. Again, 12 people injured. One coach actually is paralyzed, but there were 27 rookies in there practicing at the time. Right now, federal investigators are examining the wreckage to try to determine the cause of that collapse.
All right. This is a segment they call "What The...? You can fill in the blank, I guess. But we want you to see something here. A Ferrari. This is part of a movie shoot, and it goes a bit off script. It goes a bit off-road as well.
This was a shoot for a new Nicholas Cage movie, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice." And the apprentice, I don't know if he was driving that car, but the Ferrari is supposed to weave and pass the cars as it chases down a Mercedes in Times Square. I assume the Mercedes got away. The driver of this car apparently lost control. That Ferrari jumped the curb, crashed into a pizza place. Two pedestrians actually hurt. Their injuries are not life-threatening.
Also, could this be where The Doctor got the start? Might not be able to make this out, but let me explain what you're seeing there. An old book filled with formulas found its way to an antique store in Texas. And it turns out it came from the drugstore in Waco where Dr. Pepper was mixed for the first time. So, maybe the recipe you were seeing there -- it's for D. Pepper's Peps and Bitters, that's what it says -- could be the original recipe from 1885, some are saying. Still some debate, however. A man paid 200 bucks for the old book. Could sell for up to 75,000 at auction.
Well certainly, you know it's bad enough if one member of the family is out of work, but how about when both are? We have a couples edition today of the "30-Second Pitch" -- there they are -- so, for the household, they'll get 60 seconds. Their pitch coming up next in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We have an update here, and a significant update, but it's not bad. It, I guess, gives us an indication that just maybe this thing may be leveling off. But we're just hearing from CDC officials, also the Health and Human Services -- Secretary Sebelius that in fact they are now recommending that schools not close because of the swine flu.
We had been hearing for the past week that the CDC was giving recommendations to schools out there that if anyone in the school certainly had a confirmed case or even suspected cases in some cases, that they should possibly close because students could be contagious for ten days and whatnot.
But now they are recommending, as an indication here probably that this thing is leveling off, this whole outbreak, if you will, is leveling off, they're now recommending that schools do not have to close. This was a press conference we just got this information from, from the Health and Human Services secretary, Sebelius. She had more to say on it.
Take a quick listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATHLEEN SEBELIUS, U.S. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: We're now in a little over 400 cases confirmed, another 700 probable cases in 44 states. And we know there will be more cases. Those numbers will go up. We anticipate, unfortunately, that there are likely to be more hospitalizations and more deaths. Thirty-six thousand people die a year from seasonal flu, so we are likely to see a continued outbreak. The good news is, this virus does not seem to be as severe as we once thought it could be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: So, again, these were precautionary measures that CDC and the government was taking, telling everybody before we knew more about this swine flu, before we know more, we need to just be -- err on the side of caution. And it turns out maybe it wasn't as severe. But that is certainly a good thing. But now recommending that schools do not have to close when they do have confirmed cases of the swine flu. We'll continue to monitor that press conference and get back to you with any more information that pops out.
Let's turn to the Taliban now, on the move in a country with nuclear weapons. A scary possibility in Pakistan. What are the chances a group that despises the U.S. could actually get its hands on those weapons? We are pushing that question forward next hour.
Also, as bridge some 20 years in the making. You heard me right, a bridge 20 years in the making. Finally, thanks to a stimulus check, it looks like it is going to be built. Just one little problem. Critics say the bridge is totally unnecessary. That's coming up as well.
Well, tough enough out there when one member of the family loses a job, but what do you do when both husband and wife looking for work? That's the dilemma facing Robert and Pam Landreth and probably many others out there. So, we decided to invite them to do a couples' edition of the "30-Second Pitch."
Robert was laid off from his job in finance. Pam is looking for work as a counselor. Pam, Robert, thank you both for being here. I guess, when did you, again -- when did you figure out this was going to get a little tricky here with both of you out of work?
PAM LANDRETH, JOB SEEKER: I've been a stay-at home mom, so have enjoyed that time with the kids, and realizing that I've needed to go back to work, but with the challenge of trying to fit job skills back into where I'm headed.
HOLMES: How long had it been since you had been working?
P. LANDRETH: Eight years.
HOLMES: Eight years since you've been working. So, now you're looking to get back into that workforce. Robert, you tell me, how tough is it? How long have you been looking, for one, and then dealing in finance, I assume it's a tough time to be trying to get into that business right now -- back into it.
ROBERT LANDRETH, JOB SEEKER: It is. I've been looking since last September. And I've been working steadily for 27 years. And now we're just -- we're in a tough spot. Been out working with recruiters, been on Web sites, headhunters. A lot of jobs posted out there, but nobody seems to be hiring right now.
HOLMES: A lot of -- we we're hearing that a lot. A lot of people do have the positions, just not filling them at this time. I am going to go ahead and let you all both have it. I think, Pam, this is going to be your camera, camera three here. You look directly into that camera, you make your 30-second pitch. We are cuing up that clock. Let's roll it. You go ahead and do your thing.
P. LANDRETH: My name is Pam Landreth, and I am a counselor. I'm looking for an entry-level position as a counselor and also working toward my licensure. Employers for my kind of work would be such as agencies, mental health facilities and even private-practice organizations.
As a counselor, I do have a varied and diverse background. which helps me to -- and adds, I guess, additional skills and talents that I have toward my goal of empowering individuals. So, I would love to hear from you if there's some way that I can be of service.
HOLMES: Well, yes. We're not going to kick you out or something like that when you hear that buzzer. Don't worry. It's a little scary, but we're not going to. Now, how long have you all been practicing these things? Practicing them in the mirror or anything or timing each other?
P. LANDRETH: In the mirror. It is still hard to do.
R. LANDRETH: All the way down here.
P. LANDRETH: Yes, all the way here, and it's still hard to do. HOLMES: All right, well, maybe I should have let him go first. He's seen what it's like now. But you get your 30-second pitch. I believe your camera is right over here, so you go ahead. Let's start the clock. Go ahead, give your pitch, Robert.
R. LANDRETH: Hi, my name is Robert Landreth, and I'm seeking an opportunity with an organization to leverage my knowledge, skills and experience to help them succeed. I have a degree in business with over 27 years experience in five different industries. That's helped me to sharpen my leadership skills, my collaboration and problem- solving aptitude. I've been involved with many successful projects in the corporate world and my local community through the efforts of my volunteer efforts. My promise to you is if given the chance to...
HOLMES: You can finish your sentence. (INAUDIBLE).
R. LANDRETH: OK. My promise to you is, given the chance to prove myself as an asset, the experience will be mutually rewarding.
HOLMES: All right.
R. LANDRETH: All right.
HOLMES: I know that buzzer's kind of scary.
P. LANDRETH: It is.
HOLMES: It's kind of scary. Really, thank you all both for being here. And I'm sorry we had to meet under these circumstances. But maybe something good will come out of it.
P. LANDRETH: Absolutely.
R. LANDRETH: It will.
HOLMES: Robert and Pam Landreth, good luck to you both. Thank you both very much.
P. LANDRETH: Thank you.
R. LANDRETH: Thank you very much.
HOLMES: All right, well, you can find out some of our previous 30-second pitchers. They came on as well. And there's one of them. Actually talked to him not too long ago, believe it was last week. You can find some of them on our blog, CNN NEWSROOM blog. You'll see some of those job seekers we featured on the show. Again, that's CNN.com/newsroom.
And look at this now. Do you know what this is, folks? Why in the world would somebody be building a house in 2007 and then turn around and tear it down in 2009? A sign of the times may be here, folks.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HOLMES: OK, this just seems to defy logic here. These are brand-new houses in Victorville, California. Some of them even -- not even finished yet. Torn down before anybody ever moves in. You can call it new destruction, a child (ph) of the housing crisis, it's cheaper for the banks to tear the places down than to finish them and try to sell them.
Yvonne Hester is the town's spokeswoman. She's on the phone with us now. And Yvonne, we know, ma'am, that you all at the city didn't have anything with tearing these houses down, not you all's decision. But what -- does it just turn your stomach a bit to see this happening in your town?
YVONNE HESTER, VICTORVILLE, CALIFORNIA SPOKESWOMAN (via telephone): Well, certainly that's not something we ever expect. When somebody takes out a construction permit to build a home, we have that expectation that they will complete the project.
HOLMES: Now what has happened? I know you all have had, the city has had issues with reports of people vandalizing some of these homes that have just been sitting. Also some squatters there. What happens to those people now? Do you think they'll move on to other areas, or how do you, I guess, just to deal with that problem and a homeless problem in your town?
HESTER: Well, the reason why the homes were cited was because they created a situation where it did attract vandalism. And we also had, you know, found evidence of drug paraphernalia and those type of things. So, that was our concern was really a health and safety issue. We did not actually find anybody living in the property. However, you know, people who choose to do illegal activities will certainly move on.
HOLMES: Did you all make an effort, did you want to see -- did you want to try to work at least with the banks? Did you try to find another way to keep these pictures here that we're seeing, to keep this from happening?
HESTER: Absolutely. Our purpose in citing is not to halt the project of any kind. It's simply to bring it into compliance because we recognize it was a safety issue for the community. But ultimately, the bank is the owner of the property, and they made that decision.
HOLMES: All right. Last thing here, what is going to happen? I guess there are so many things in these homes that are not being used. Are they going to be recycled? Could be of some use down the road?
HESTER: Well, actually, it now becomes the property of the bank. So, the bank will have to determine what they do with any of the structures left from the homes.
HOLMES: My, my, my. Yvonne Hester, again, spokeswoman for the city there in Victorville, and it just hurts your heart to see this happening to these brand-new beautiful homes that never went to any owners. Ma'am, we appreciate you taking some time out over the phone with us today. HESTER: You're welcome. Have a great day.
