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War Hero Remembered; Children React to Rochester Crime; Gas Prices Spike; Obama Meets With Abbas; CNN Hero; Smuggling Crackdown
Aired May 23, 2009 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, a lot happening this Memorial Day weekend and a lot of tributes. In a few minutes, you'll meet three young men who recently made a special trip to say one final goodbye to a fallen comrade.
We'll also hear the power of words. School children share very special stories of living in the shadow of violence.
It's a weekend that mixes sadness with joy. A quarter of a million U.S. flags are in place at Arlington National Cemetery, outside Washington, D.C., in preparation for Monday's Memorial Day ceremonies. Smaller ceremonies will take place across the country as Americans remember the sacrifices of their fighting men and women.
Memorial Day weekend is also about spending time with family and friends. For millions of you, that means hitting the road and, perhaps, even to the airport. AAA expects that more than 32 million people will travel over the long holiday weekend. Most of them will be driving, despite rising gas prices.
Today, the national average for a gallon of regular gas is $2.41. That's two cents more than just yesterday and about 35 cents of an increase over the past month. But it's a far cry from this time last year, remember, when gas was $3.88 a gallon. Maybe you don't remember the exact price, but you remember it was close to $4 and in some places over $4.
So for a big chunk of the country, Memorial Day weekend looks like a washout. Heavy rain and thunderstorms are a threat today across the Southeast and into parts of the Southern Plains. Florida -- well, Florida's reeling from all of the rain that has fallen over the last week and the state is getting even more today. Jacksonville and Daytona Beach are especially hard hit. Governor Charlie Crist has declared a state of emergency in almost a dozen counties where floodwaters have damaged homes and businesses.
Bonnie Schneider is tracking what's happening now and what could happen throughout the rest of the weekend, really bad for folks in Florida.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: All right, well among the Americans leaving town for the Memorial Day weekend, the first family. The Obamas will be spending most of the holiday at Camp David in Maryland. In his weekly address, the president reflected on Memorial Day. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our fighting men and women and the military families who love them embody what's best in America. And we have a responsibility to serve all of them as well as they have served us. And yet all too often in recent years and decades, we as a nation have failed to live up to that responsibility. We failed to give them the support they need or pay them the respect they deserve. That's a betrayal of the sacred trust that America has with all who wear and all who have worn the proud uniform of our country. And that is a sacred trust I am committed to keeping as president of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Next hour, I will lead a discussion of the challenges American troops are facing when they finally return home. We are talking about looking for jobs, maintaining their homes and making sure they get the right mental health care.
You can post any of your comments or ask questions about these very topics on my blog page at CNN.com/newsroom or at Facebook at Fredricka Whitfield CNN or by sending an e-mail to weekends@CNN.com and be sure to watch next hour and join in on that conversation.
Charles Bolden may not be a household name but he could soon make history. Today, President Obama named Bolden as a head choice to head NASA. If the Senate approves, Bolden would become the first African- American to lead the space agency. CNN's John Zarrella introduces us to him.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIG. GEN. CHARLES BOLDEN (RET.), U.S. MARINE CORPS, FORMER SHUTTLE COMMANDER: Hi, I'm Charles Bolden.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Charlie Bolden, former astronaut, retired Marine Corps General is the right man at the right time, says U.S. Senator Bill Nelson.
SEN. BILL NELSON (D), FLORIDA: Everybody in NASA would say that's right if Charlie is selected.
ZARRELLA: Bolden is viewed as a no-nonsense leader who puts a high priority on people. As NASA administrator, he would be coming to a space agency at a crossroads where people are a major concern.
Within the next year and a half, the shuttle program will end. Thousands of space workers are likely to lose their jobs. The next generation vehicle won't be ready to fly humans for at least five years. President Obama has already ordered a review of that program to make sure NASA is going in the right direction and money is tight.
HOMER HICKLUM, FORMER NASA SCIENTIST: NASA is a can-do agency. You've got to give it a job to do and also the tools to do it, which means money. They need the money. ZARRELLA: Bolden believes deeply that NASA must inspire young people toward careers in the sciences. Bolden took time to chat with kids when he helped launched a new shuttle exhibit at the Kennedy Space Center.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought it was cool when the doors on top of the space shuttle opened up.
BOLDEN: The payload bay doors.
ZARRELLA: To Bolden, even this exhibit needed to be inspirational.
BOLDEN: And if we don't have a handful of kids every week that change their mind and start raising their hands when somebody says how many of you want to be astronauts, then we have failed miserably.
ZARRELLA: Bolden piloted two shuttles and commanded two others. As an observer, Senator Nelson, then a congressman, flew with Bolden on Columbia in 1996. Bolden also piloted the mission that deployed the Hubble Space Telescope. When NASA developed a new launch pad escape system for astronauts, Bolden tested it. He's the only astronaut who ever took the ride, a ride likely a lot easier than the one he would face at NASA.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right, the Obama administration faces a number challenges in the next 100 days. We're talking about two wars, the economy, for starters. Watch an encore presentation of the "A.C. 360" special "Extreme Challenges" tonight at 8:00 Eastern.
A sea of red, white and blue, thousands of flags honoring America's war heroes. And one fallen soldier's unforgettable story told by the men who served beside him in Iraq.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello, everyone. This is First Class Oliver (ph). I'm with the 1st Calvary Division from Baghdad, Iraq. I just want to wish everyone at home a wonderful Memorial weekend. And I hope that you all enjoy everything that God has blessed you with. And once again, we just bring you greetings from Iraq with the lovely 1st class division, where we live the legend.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: I love that smile. Americans paying tribute this Memorial Day weekend to men and women who have died serving their country. At the Rock Island National Cemetery in Illinois, volunteers have placed thousands of flags by the tombstones of these fallen heroes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a great message remembering them and, you know, a lot of them don't realize the sacrifice that they did make and people appreciate it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They gave everything for us. This is what little thing we think we can do for you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: One fallen hero remembered this weekend, Specialist Brandon Titus, a soldier from Idaho. Three of his army buddies traveled to his hometown to share their thoughts and memories with his father.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: The group of guys came here not knowing what to expect. But it was easy to see they felt at ease. They came from three corners of the country.
WILL BYRNE, SERVED WITH FALLEN SOLDIER: Everybody around there is going wait, wait, he's going to eat it.
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: Will Byrne is the New York native. Jon Hoffman flew in from San Diego and the big guy, Matt Bradford (ph), he came from Texas.
TOM TITUS, FATHER: I'm just jacked they were able to make it out.
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: And this is Tom Titus. The guys came to see his son Brandon. They all served together in Iraq.
BYRNE: And I like to mess around with people. He would always egg me on, like, look, he's not doing anything. Go get him, go get him, and he'd pull out a video camera.
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: And you may remember Brandon. We were with him one Christmas when he was home on leave.
BRANDON TITUS, U.S. ARMY: I'm fortunate to have the relationship I have with my father. Some people don't have that.
T. TITUS: I try to be the best dad that I can.
UNIDENTIFIED CORREPSONDENT: The guys brought this home video for Brandon's dad as a gift. Tom Titus said he's been anxiously waiting for this day, too.
T. TITUS: Because I wanted to know who Brandon served with. I want to know he had fun with. I want to know who he got drunk with.
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: But the guys didn't travel all of this way to watch videos and tell stories.
JON HOFFMAN, SERVED WITH FALLEN SOLIDER: Well, it's something that I had to do personally. I had to come. And I had to come to see him.
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: They came here to see Brandon. They came here because of the one day they'll never be able to forget.
HOFFMAN: The explosion, you know, there's dust everywhere. You don't know what's going on. I don't know about you guys, but I will never forget the smell. And then they called out, man down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a weird thing about war, especially Iraq war, every time somebody died, it's like they got taken away and they were gone.
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: This is their first time visiting Brandon. He was just 20-years-old when he was killed by a roadside bomb in 2004.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wish we could have been here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, that would have been pretty cool.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, he was one of those good guys. You don't meet a lot of them, but he was one.
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: For a father, seeing how much his boy meant to others, well, it may not bring closure, but it helps.
TITUS: Because it helps me. It helps me realize that maybe -- and just maybe in some little way, I played an important part in raising him. And maybe in some little way, I see myself in him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think about him every day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For the guys who drank together, played together and fought in war together.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any time you have to say good-bye to someone, it's never going to be easy, you know. Especially when it's the final good-bye, you know.
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: But saying good-bye is something they say they had to do.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And next hour, we will explore the challenges U.S. troops face when they come home. Finding jobs, keeping their homes, getting needed mental health care. All of that can be too difficult. We will speak with experts about what needs to be done and what is being done. Josh Levs is already going through some of your comments and questions about these very things.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes Fred, you know, I will tell you, we knew when we planned this topic, right, people would have a lot to say. There's a lot of emotions about this which is interesting. We are also hearing already from some veterans. Let me show you all what's going on here. Let's zoom in on the board. CNN.com/NEWSROOM is where you get to our blog and we are talking about honoring men and women in uniform when they come back and when they are home.
Now let's just take a look at some of the things we are getting from Patrick who says he suffers from many conditions, including PTSD and major depression. And he talks about his experiences in the VA system.
We're also hearing from people saying hey, it's time to end this kind of stigma. And Fred, I was just checking your Facebook page over here. We're hearing from veterans there as well who are writing you and over here at my Facebook page. And look at this. Your local Ford, Chevy, Chrysler dealers take priority over fallen heroes. Compare the cost of the bailout to the FY-09 VA budget.
Clearly a lot of people with a lot to say. There is Twitter over here too. We are hearing a lot of things including a question about what do veterans face when they go and apply for jobs?
So let's go to these graphics here. We want to show everyone how you can get in touch with us today. First of all, there's your stuff, Fred. CNN.com/NEWSROOM, just click on Fred. You can see it there at the top. And you've got her Facebook page, Facebook.com, there you go. And you also have weekends@CNN.com, which is our e-mail address. And then on the next screen, if you want to get to my page, you should get me at Facebook.com/JoshLevsCNN or Twitter.com/JoshLevsCNN. So we're making it extremely easy for you to reach us today. And you know, we want to get you answers to your questions. And Fred, we'll have some experts on PTSD and housing and jobs, right?
WHITFIELD: That's right, we're going to have great experts to hand to answer questions directly and it's great to hear from so many vets and loved ones with their comments to really help round out the perspective of what our armed service men and women are going through, what they're experiencing.
LEVS: Ye, you know, it's a widespread agreement that it shouldn't be this tough to get the basics but what's really being done, what's really not being done, that's what we'll explore this hour.
WHITFIELD: Right, we're also going to explore the promises being made by this latest administration, newest administration as well. Thank you so much, Josh, appreciate it.
A prison break so brazen surveillance videos show inmates actually very casual about walking past guards to freedom. It happened in central Mexico one week ago. That region's top security chief, well that person has since resigned. CNN's Casey Wian reports now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A convoy of vehicles arrives before dawn at the state prison in Zacatecas, central Mexico Saturday. Lights flashing, they appeared to be law enforcement officers. But Mexico's attorney general says the men are working for a drug cartel. And as security camera images indicate, they apparently met no resistance from prison guards, and in some cases even seemed to be helped by them as they moved to free 53 inmates. Here two prison guards watching the television set stand by as inmates enter their room and gently brush them aside.
One inmate is apparently wearing an Oakland Raiders jersey. Another covers the camera with a blanket. This camera shows five men dressed as Mexican federal police passing an empty counter then returning with a long line of prisoners freed from their cells. Mexican authorities say many of the 53 released inmates are drug cartel suspects.
AMALIA GARCIA, GOVERNOR, ZACATECAS (through translator): We have indications that the custodians and authorities at the prison may have been complicit with the group of criminals. For us it is clear that this operation was perfectly planned and relied on the buying off of people since it only lasted five minutes and not a single gunshot was fired.
WIAN: But 23 guns were stolen from the prison during the caper. The Mexican government is offering a reward of one million pesos or about $77,000 for the capture of each inmate and three times that for each of the cartel members who orchestrated the prison break.
RICARDO NAJERA, ATTORNEY GENERAL SPOKESMAN (through translator): We emitted an Orange Level alert with Interpol so that we can conduct an international search for the fugitives with special attention to the 11 most dangerous ones.
WIAN: The prison director and more than 40 guards on duty during the escape are in custody while authorities investigate. Prison breaks are nothing new in Mexico. El Chapo Guzman, the nation's most wanted drug lord, escaped from prison in 2001, reportedly by hiding in a bag in a laundry truck. But the latest escape may be the clearest sign yet that the Mexican government is nowhere near victory in its war on drug cartels. Casey Wian, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
WHITFIELD: Their voices are young but their words powerful.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I cried because of where I live. I'm a strong, black girl who survived the streets of Rochester.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I pretend to ride a motorcycle to get away.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wonder if they will invade my house.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Nine-year-old poets tell shocking stories of violence.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, news across America right now. A man is dead after an armed standoff with police in Allen Park, Michigan. The man barricaded himself inside his home for several hours yesterday. The police were trying to serve him with an eviction notice. One officer was shot but he's going to be OK.
Three people were injured when a small plane crash landed in an auto sales lot in Martinsville, Indiana. Police say the pilot was trying to land at a nearby air strip when he clipped some power lines. The pilot and a passenger were injured. A man on the ground hurt his leg trying to get away from the crash.
And firefighters in Kansas City pulled two window washers to safety in a dramatic rooftop rescue. The two men dangled helplessly from an eight-story building when part of the scaffold collapsed yesterday. Both men are going to be fine. Investigators are looking into what caused the scaffolding to fall.
Detroit police are calling two men heroes for rescuing a 6-year- old girl from an attempted sexual assault. They say the girl was snatched from the front yard of her home and taken to an abandoned building. Police say her cries were heard and the two men went in to save her. The attacker jumped out of the window and then ran. The little girl knew the man and identified him so police have arrested him.
All right, well many are as young as 9-years-old but their poetry tells stories well beyond their years. A class assignment opens the door on street violence in Rochester, New York. Maureen McGuire of affiliate WROC reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I heard gunshots through my door. Bang, bang.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wonder every day if I would get shot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hear bullets telling me to run as fast as you can.
MAUREEN MCGUIRE, WROC CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They are the voices of children.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I cry because of where I live. I am a strong, black girl who survives the streets of Rochester.
MCGUIRE: Reading their own words.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I pretend to ride a motorcycle to get away.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wonder if they will invade my house.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I try not to let it get to me. MCGUIRE: Poetry from the heart of the city. This spring, something remarkable happened in Heather O'Reilly's fourth grade class at school number six. A routine lesson on writing poetry produced results no one was expecting. These nine and 10-year-olds wrote about what it's like to live on streets riddled with crime and poverty.
HEATHER O'REILLY, 4TH GRADE TEACHER: It had a lot to do with the violence in the community, more so this year than in previous years. And some kids that weren't normally my best writers came out with some very moving pieces.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am a man that survived the streets. I wonder if I will have learned enough.
MCGUIRE: Jahmeic Hunter and Taivon Phipps are just two of these extraordinary poets. Both live in the shadow of violence. Some of what you write in that poem is kind of scary stuff, do you know that? Why did you write about that?
JAHMEIC HUNTER, STUDENT: It was scary. I used to live on Walker Terrace and they used to shoot at each other.
TAIVON PHIPPS, STUDENT: I heard that shot nine times and then after that, the man that was shot came shooting at our doors.
MCGUIRE: What did you do?
PHIPPS: I had used my phone to call for help.
MCGUIRE: You called for help. Who did you call?
PHIPPS: The police.
MCGUIRE: And no one's more moved by these kids than the police who patrol their neighborhoods.
HUNTER: I want to see the blue and white.
MCGUIRE: Not long after the poems were written, Officers Manny Ortiz and Angel Vasquez were invited to school to listen.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I worry that I won't see life the way I want to. I cry because of where I live.
OFC. MANNY ORTIZ, ROCHESTER POLICE: That's the worst part of our job to see kids, anyone, particularly just to see children in the way the violence, you know, affects them.
MCGUIRE: And so a poetry reading turns into a talk about dreams for the future.
OFC. ANGEL VASQUEZ, ROCHESTER POLICE: Maybe you want to be a writer someday, end up writing news stories for them or for the newspaper, anything. You continue to write the way you're doing now, there's nothing that can stop you. O'REILLY: At the end of the day, everything they have been through, they are just kids. I think they get the bad rap that the city district and the school of the kids, they don't know how to learn, that they're respectful and they are.
MCGUIRE: Are you going to keep writing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
MCGUIRE: I hope so.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I say my prayers to god. I dream that the violence will stop trying to get in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope one day I could leave this place.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will try to stop people from fighting. I hope the fighting stops. I hope that my dreams will come true. I am a man that survived the streets of the gangs.
MCGUIRE: Maureen McGuire, News 8 Now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right, he was dying alone at a Georgia hospital. Now a teenager from Guatemala has new hope thanks to a lot of people, including you, CNN Heroes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Here's some of the stories we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM. The "Atlantis" space shuttle will stay in orbit one more day. NASA postponed the landing again today because of bad weather at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The next opportunity tomorrow, 10:11 a.m. Eastern.
President Obama marked Memorial Day weekend with a promise to America's fighting men and women, it came during his weekly address.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA (D), UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: That's why I will send our service men and women into harm's way only when it's necessary and ensure that they have the training and equipment they need when they enter the theater of war. That's why we're building a 21st century Department of Veterans Affairs with the largest single year funding increase in three decades. It's a commitment that will help us provide our veterans with the support and benefits they have earned and expand quality health care to a half a million more veterans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The president and his family will spend most of the Memorial Day weekend at Camp David. And next hour, I will lead a discussion of the challenges American troops are facing when they return home, everything from finding housing to finding the right mental health care and even finding a job.
You can post your questions or your comments on my blog page at CNN.com/newsroom, on Facebook at Fredricka Whitfield CNN or by sending an e-mail to weekends@CNN.com. Be sure to check us out the next hour and be part of the conversation.
All right, this Memorial Day weekend is going to be pretty wet in many parts of the country. And that spells trouble for the millions of travelers hitting the roads and the skies, as well. Bonnie Schneider is tracking what's happening right now and what's ahead for the rest of the holiday weekend -- Bonnie.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: All right, not bad and a little cooler, but all's very nice there. All right, thanks so much, Bonnie. Appreciate it.
All right, civilians caught in the cross-fire in Somalia. Sources say fighting between government troops and Islamic militants in residential areas of Mogadishu killed three people, today. About 30 others were wounded.
Yesterday 39 civilians were killed as troops and militants fired off mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and anti-aircraft missiles. Government troops launched the offensives after insurgents gained control over several strategic neighborhoods. The people who live there say the troops were unsuccessful and militants are still in control of those areas.
South Korea's government says former president Roh Moo-hyun killed himself earlier today by hurling himself off a bluff. He was under investigation in a bribery scandal. Roh served as South Korea's president from 2003 to 2008. President Obama says he is saddened by the news of Roh's death.
President Obama is hoping to push the Middle East peace process forward when he meets with Palestinian president, Mahmud Abbas. Those talks will be held next Thursday, just days after Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu was there. CNN's senior political analyst, Bill Schneider is joining us from Washington.
Good to see you, Bill.
BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SR POLITICAL ANALYST: Hi, Fred.
WHITFIELD: We have to wonder whether this meeting with Abbas will in any way bee able to take off from what was or wasn't promised when the president met with Netanyahu.
SCHNEIDER: Well, there were no big breakthroughs in the meeting with Netanyahu, but there was some progress. The United States did commit itself to a deadline, with negotiations with Iran and Israel endorsed the idea of those negotiations. They were looking for a deadline because they didn't want those negotiations to continue indefinitely.
Now, Prime Minister Netanyahu did not make any explicit commitment to a Palestinian state, although he did say that Israel would -- would renew negotiations with the Palestinians. I think there will be pressure on Abbas from the United States to essentially respond to what the Palestinians are willing to give, what they are willing to do if Israel reduces some of its settlement activity, if it makes concessions to Palestinians. What are the Palestinians going to want to do or going to want to able to do? So, there will be pressure from the United States, perhaps to give an explicit recognition of Israel as a Jewish state. Something Abbas has been unwilling to do in the past.
WHITFIELD: It's interesting to hear a lot of the conversations swirling around the Netanyahu and Obama meeting, reading of the body language, et cetera. Some paraphrasing that this is an interesting meeting between the president of, "yes, we can" and a leader who says, "no, we won't."
SCHNEIDER: That's always been the problem in the Middle East. Many presidents have tried to deal with it, some have made progress, but in the end nothing really scored a significant breakthrough. Obama is determined to announce -- to have -- to support, to sponsor some kind of peace plan that he hopes will work and for that, he's going to have to have concessions from the Arabs and the Palestinians, but of course, he can't pressure Abbas too strongly because that could make him the target of the rival Hamas faction, which of course, the United States does not want to see gain more power in the Palestinian territory.
WHITFIELD: So, this meeting with Netanyahu, and upcoming meeting with Abbas and then after that, a meeting with Hosni Mubarak in Egypt and pretty big speech by the president of the United States to address many issues in the Middle East as he makes his way to Egypt. A lot of pressure and you have to wonder where all of these bits and pieces will find one big place together in one big puzzle.
SCHNEIDER: Well, the puzzle itself is an interesting question, because there are two big issues on the agenda -- can president Obama and his administration renew any kind of peace talks, which have been stalled for some time? And what about Iran? Israel regards that as a central issue. Iran is the paymaster for Hamas and Hezbollah. They believe no progress can be made unless something is done to curb the influence of Iran?
Are those two issues linked? Plus the United States, of course, wants to make an outreach to the Muslim, to demonstrate that the United States is friendly to the Muslim world, but opposed to Muslim extremists and radicals. So, that speech will be a very critical moment where he'll be under pressure to announce that the United States is pushing a peace plan, but he doesn't want to link it too closely to the negotiations with Iran.
WHITFIELD: All right, Bill Schneider, thanks so much. Always good to talk to you, from Washington.
All right, a teenager dying alone in a hospital, an illegal immigrant thousands of miles away from home. All he wanted was a last chance to see his parents. It seemed unlikely, but that changed, thanks to some strangers whose generosity knows no borders or boundaries. Here's CNN's Brooke Baldwin.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just 24 hours ago, this mother and father thought they may never see their son again. Eighteen-year-old Juan Gonzales was dying alone in this hospital, more than 2,300 miles from home, a small impoverished village in Guatemala. Now, thanks to the medical team at the Redmond Regional Medical Center in Rome, Georgia, and CNN viewers, the seemingly impossible has become a reality.
JUAN GONZALES, PATIENT (through translator): I appreciate it so much. And thank you all for what you have done.
BALDWIN: Juan's parents made the nine-hour journey from their farm to Guatemala City Wednesday, where the embassy granted them temporary visas. The next day, Delta donated the flight. Having never set foot on a plane before, Pascual and Maria Gonzalez flew to Atlanta with just the clothes on their backs and a bible.
PASCUAL OXLAJ-GONZALES, FATHER (through translator): I think that this boy one day will testify about the miracles God has done. Bless you for the patience and care you've given our boy.
MARIA GONZALES, MOTHER (through translator): We are happy to be here with our son because talking to him on the phone is not the same. We appreciate everything you have done.
BALDWIN: Last fall, Juan joined the nearly 12 million unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S. He found work as a dishwasher, but several months later his heart nearly failed him. Doctors discovered he has dilated cardiomyopathy, a fatal condition of a weakened and enlarged heart. He's been in and out of this hospital ever since.
Cardiologist Frank Stegall says Juan's case was special. He reached out to Georgia Congressman Phil Gingrey, who helped expedite the visa process. Congressman Gingrey told CNN, "My thoughts and prayers are with this family as they face this difficult time."
BALDWIN: As for this 18-year-old, doctors say his prognosis is poor. But finally, with his family by his bedside, Juan says he has the strength to fight despite the odds.
J. GONZALES (through translator): Perhaps there are others who are sick out there. Don't give up. Let's keep going, because there is a path God has prepared. I'll say it again, I have to fight this sickness and defeat it.
BALDWIN: Brooke Baldwin, CNN, Rome, Georgia. (END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Federal agents are taking a different approach to help stop the Mexican drug wars. They are now taking a close look at vehicles leaving the United States. They are looking for weapons and cash. We'll find out how successful they have been.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A Memorial Day weekend, CNN is bringing you inspiring stories of veterans making a difference. Well, today's "CNN Hero" isn't just helping vets, he's fighting a statistic. One in three homeless adults in the U.S. is a veteran. Meet Roy Foster, he used to be one of them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: This is "CNN Heroes."
ROY FOSTER, STAND DOWN HOUSE FOUNDER: I actually joined the army right out of high school. I became introduced to alcohol once I was out. It was just simply drinking and drugging, and I would be in state in the streets. I was looking for a safe haven. The places that I was introduced to were no better than on the street. It was humiliating. That's when the commitment in my heart that was born. How can I turn my back and walk away and leave you right here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can.
FOSTER: I can't.
Nationwide, veterans are neglected, homeless, unacceptable.
What branch of service?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Army.
FOSTER: Army. So was I. We are still brothers-in-arms, so no man left behind.
My name is Roy Foster and my mission is to help and empower homeless veterans. If you're going to work for sobriety, you got to change. Stand Down House provides services for veterans only -- a safe, clean place to live, all the meals and to health services. The camaraderie, it is that internal glue.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I got back from Iraq, it was difficult for me until I met Mr. Foster who helped me.
FOSTER: Tell him one of his brothers-in-arms came out looking for him and let him know, yeah, we will be back.
(BEGIN GRAPHIC)
In 2008, 93 percent of eligible veterans in Roy's program found work. More than 84 percent of graduates found independent housing.
(END GRAPHIC)
They are the best and they deserve the best. What I do, I love. I love it.
ANNOUNCER: Tell us about your hero at CNN.com/heroes.
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WHITFIELD: And perhaps you want to learn more about Roy Foster or if you know someone doing something extraordinary, just like him, and they deserve a "CNN Hero," go to our Web site and tell us all about them. All of our "CNN Heroes" are chosen from people you nominate at CNN.com/heroes.
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SGT ANDREW KILCHEMEN, U.S. ARMY, FORT RILEY, KANSAS: Hey, this is Sergeant Kilchemen from 118 Infantry in Baghdad, Iraq. I want to wish a happy Memorial Day to my beautiful wife, Jamie and my three lovely kids, Ky, Allen (ph), and Arianna. Happy Memorial Day, I love you guys. See you soon.
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WHITFIELD: After 100 days in jail in Iran, an American journalist is finally back home. Roxana Saberi was accused of spying for the U.S., she denied the charges and the U.S. said they were baseless. See was convicted last month and sentenced to eight years in prison in Iran, but on appeal, a judge reduced her sentence and then suspended it. And now she's back home, at least in the state.
All right, call it another olive branch to Cuba, the U.S. is offering to start immigration talks again. Those talks were suspended under the Bush administration. The State Department says it wants both sides to commit to safe, legal, and orderly migration.
Two months ago, the Obama administration lifted restrictions on family travel to Cuba. It is also easier for Americans now to send money to their relatives in Cuba.
We're accustomed to stories about drugs being smuggled into the U.S., but now federal agents are taking a closer look at what's being smuggled out of this country. CNN's Ed Lavandera reports on a Crackdown on guns and cash moving south of the border.
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ED LAVANDERA, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This isn't something you normally see at a border check point, a line of cars waiting to leave the United States. In the last two months, customs and border agents have intensified inspections of southbound traffic, looking for the ingredients that feed violent cartels. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Carrying any weapons and ammunition? How about money in excess of $10,000?
LAVANDERA: Guns and money and lots of it. These are mouth- watering pictures of cash confiscated by agents in Laredo, Texas. Three-million dollars here, found inside a passenger bus. High- powered weaponry is being smuggled, too, into the hands of cartel members.
GENE GARZA, U.S. CUSTOMS & BORDER PROTECTION: You know, handguns the 9mil, the 45. We are seeing the long rifles, you know, we've seen shotguns.
LAVANDERA: Laredo Port director, Gene Garza says smugglers hide guns and cash in creative ways just like drug smugglers, but they might not be used to this kind of vigilance.
GARZA: They're banking on not getting inspected or the officer not finding it, because it is the concealment, it is hard work.
LAVANDERA: X-ray vehicles like these are used to search for hidden compartments. This stash of weapons was found in a vehicle's gas tank. Agents used this fiberoptic scope to find the guns. The stepped-up enforcement on the border comes after high profile meetings between President Obama and Mexican president Philippe Calderon. The link between U.S. guns and Mexican violence is highlighted in cases playing out on American streets.
Federal agents in Houston, Texas say they've busted a prominent gun smuggling ring -- two men convict and 10 others indicted, so far. Federal investigators say the weapons these men bought in gun stores were found at Mexican crime scenes, including the Acapulco massacre where four police officers and three secretaries were gunned down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Volkswagen coming in, your way.
LAVANDERA: And for now, this is the last line of defense to keep those guns out of the wrong hands.
(on camera): More than 350 federal agents have been redeployed across the U.S. southern border to hunt for guns and cash. Officials here on the border hope those assignments are permanent and not temporary.
Ed Lavandera, CNN.
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WHITFIELD: All right, that was Ed Lavandera. Well, putting the memorial back into Memorial Day. A reflection on the meaning of a holiday that speaks to what most American values underscore, freedom.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REBECCA GERVASI, CIVILIAN FROM DENVER CO: Hi, this Rebecca Gervasi, I'm a DOD civilian serving in Baghdad, Iraq with Defense Contract Management Agency, I'm also a member of the 140th Wing, Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado and I just want to say thank you, happy Memorial Day for all your support. Love you guys."
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WHITFIELD: And thanks to you. Memorial Day means getting together with family and friends, right? And of course, remembering the fallen heroes who died protecting the freedoms we enjoy. CNN's Carl Azuz has a look at the history of the holiday.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was in the service for 27 years, he did a great service to his country. He joined right out of high school.
SPEC THOMAS WEBER, U.S. ARMY: I'll remember them as five guys who were doing their jobs, who were doing what they raised their right hand and swore to do.
CARL AZUZ, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And that is the purpose of Memorial Day: to honor those who've served our country and are no longer with us. The time period or conflict doesn't matter. Politics don't play a part. The holiday itself goes back to the Civil War. It was originally known as Decoration Day, named for the flowers placed on the graves of Union and Confederate troops.
In 1868, General John Logan, who headed up an organization of Union veterans, pushed for this day to be observed on May 30, and so it was for more than a century.
But after World War I, Americans began observing this day in honor of all U.S. troops who'd fallen in all conflicts. That gave rise to the name "Memorial Day," and in 1971, Congress, in order to create a three-day weekend, established the holiday as the last Monday in May.
This year, as always, you'll see American traditions observed at Arlington National Cemetery, in addition to religious ceremonies, parades and events across the country. They'll share a common theme regarding the nation's fallen and those still serving.
WILLIAM FRANK, VIETNAM VETERAN: If they are sent, and when they are in harm's way, do everything, everything to support them and let them do their mission.
RETIRED ARMY GEN BARRY MCCAFFREY: All of us here will again be reunited with these brave soldiers, who we remember the last time we saw them, when they were alive, frozen in time, their youth, their optimism.
AZUZ: ...their memory.
Carl Azuz, CNN, Atlanta. (END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And here are some of the stories we're following today in the NEWSROOM. Another day in space for the Atlantis shuttle crew for the second straight day, landing plans have been delayed by bad weather at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. They'll try again tomorrow.
Coalition troops in Afghanistan say they have killed 60 Taliban militants and seized 102 tons of opium poppy seeds, drugs and chemicals. That would be one of the biggest drug seizures since U.S. troops arrived in Afghanistan back in 2001.
And Iranians are being denied access to Facebook. There is no word on why Iran's government blocked the social networking site, but it may be related to the upcoming presidential election, there. A reform candidate with a Facebook page had more than 5,000 supporters, there.
And this Memorial Day weekend, we are paying tribute and we're helping our heroes, the men and women of the armed forces who have put their lives on the line to help keep us safe.
Many are coming home with tough challenges; however, physical and mental injuries, financial struggles. In a sluggish economy, many vets are unable to find jobs and worried about losing homes. Are we, as a nation, doing enough for our troops?
This hour, solution for our heroes in the CNN NEWSROOM.
