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Bombs Killed Two Americans in Helmand Province; Six Church Bombings In 24 Hours Rocks Baghdad; Sotomayor Confirmation Hearings to Begin Tomorrow on Capitol Hill; Endeavour Fueled Up and Ready For Lift Off; Legality of Post-9/11 Interrogation Techniques During Bush Administration Under Heavy Fire; Kia May Breathe New Life Into Georgia Town; Chicago Doctor Founds Innovative Program to Get Black Men to a Doctor; Mexican Government May Be Willing to Deputize Members of Polygamist Community

Aired July 12, 2009 - 15:59   ET

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

TOM FOREMAN, CNN ANCHOR: New U.S. deaths in Afghanistan as the offensive continues in Helmand province down south. Words of encouragement from President Obama as judge Sonia Sotomayor gets readied for her Supreme Court confirmation hearings.

And did Dick Cheney hide a secret counterintelligence program from Congress when he was the vice president? Some Democrats are demanding an investigation.

Hello, I'm Tom Foreman in for Fredricka Whitfield, and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

The U.S. offensive in Afghanistan is coming at a price this weekend. Bombs killed two Americans in Helmand province. That brings this year's death toll to 104. CNN's Atia Abawi correspondent has details.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ATIA ABAWI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Two U.S. marines were killed in action yesterday in southern Afghanistan by two separate IEDs. Those are roadside bombs. This is an area of Afghanistan that thousands of U.S. marines flooded into and started Operation Punjar. That's Operation Strike of the Sword.

Working with coalition troops, their main aim is to clear and hold areas that coalition troops were not able to in the past because they just didn't have that manpower. There are two operations going on at the same time in Helmand province and one is also by the British forces, led by the British troops themselves, and they, too, have been experiencing very drastic casualties this past week.

In 10 days alone, they lost 15 of their men. Also losing one of their highest ranking commanders killed in action since the Falkens war in 1982. They do expect more resistance to come up. They said that they have not been facing much resistance at the moment, but they do expect the Taliban to retaliate because of frustration, that they might be feeling at the fact that these coalition troops have taken districts that they were not able to before.

Atia Abawi, CNN, Kabul.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOREMAN: Over in Iraq, a series of church bombings has rocked Baghdad, six in 24 hours. We're getting reports of some deaths, many injuries, let's go right to CNN's Michael Ware who is in the capital city. Michael, what do you know?

MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tom, before we come to the series of church bombings, let me just tell you we have just received some breaking news. A roadside explosion detonated this afternoon near the convoy of the U.S. ambassador, Christopher Hill. U.S. embassy spokespeople have confirmed that an explosion did detonate near the ambassador's convoy in southern Iraq.

I can tell you that from information we are receiving, it was in the southern province of Dikar, which is traditionally being controlled by Iranian-backed militias. The U.S. embassy says that no embassy officials were hurt, however, an investigation is now under way.

Now, that happened sometime today. But as you said, Tom, this evening, we've had five bombings at different churches here in Baghdad, all within a space of about three hours. That brings to a total of six church bombings in 24 hours. And all of which, four people were killed and 32 were wounded. Tom.

FOREMAN: What else do you know about those roadside bombing you mentioned at the top there, Michael? This is disturbing news, no doubt. And they say it was near the convoy? Do we have any idea how near and how hot has that region been up to this point?

WARE: That's a very good question, Tom. Personally, we don't know any further details than that. We just literally received the confirmation from the U.S. embassy just moments before I went to air.

However, I can tell you about that province. That's a southern province that, by and large, except for particular Shia uprisings, mainly by the Mehdi Army, has been an area that has been relatively quiet for the U.S. military throughout the course of the war. It certainly hasn't been as restive as say, western Anbar province, an al-Qaeda controlled. And it certainly hasn't been like Diyala province, to the north of Baghdad.

It's a province like much of the south that militarily in terms of attacks on coalition forces, was relatively stable, largely because unlike in the west and to the north, al Qaeda has not been able to operate with freedom of movement because it's a an area that essentially been monopolized by Iranian-backed militias. So the fact that an explosive has detonated near the U.S. ambassador's convoy in an area like that poses some open-ended questions, to say the least. Tom?

FOREMAN: All right. Michael, we will be checking back in with you throughout the hour to see what is going on over there. You will be all over it. Thanks so much, Michael. A heroic homecoming in Tehran today for five Iranians who were detained by U.S. forces in Iraq for two and a half years. U.S. officials accused the men of aiding Islamic insurgents but Iran described them as diplomats who were kidnapped by U.S. forces. The men were released Thursday under pressure from the Iraqi government.

Elsewhere in the world, there is new fighting in Somalia today. Heavy fire reported north of the capital city, Mogadishu. The Associated Press reports Islamic insurgents are battling their way toward the presidential palace. Dozens of people have been killed. It says African union peacekeepers have finally intervened to support the government forces for the first time. The United Nations says civilians are being targeted in all of this, women and children suffering the most.

And back here in the States, Senate confirmation hearings begin tomorrow for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. President Obama nominated her to fill the seat of retiring Justice David Souter, and she has been the talk of the town ever since. She is a 55-year-old New Yorker of Puerto Rican decent. She graduated from Yale Law School and worked as an assistant district attorney in New York for five years. She has been a federal judge since 1992, and she's been on the U.S. circuit Court of Appeals since '98.

Over the past few days, the debate over Judge Sotomayor has been heating up a great deal. President Obama called her this morning and he wished her good luck as it all starts off. CNN's Kate Bolduan has a preview of what might be coming up.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SONIA SOTOMAYOR, SUPREME COURT NOMINEE: Thank you, Mr. President, for the most humbling honor of my life.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A journey that began at the White House now heads to Capitol Hill for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor as she enters a week of intense scrutiny during Senate confirmation hearings.

SOTOMAYOR: I hope that as the Senate and American people learn more about me that they will see that I am an ordinary person who has been blessed with extraordinary opportunities and experiences.

BOLDUAN: Senate Democrats, who have the votes to confirm Sotomayor, are expected to highlight her personal story to win favor. Growing up poor in Bronx public housing, then going on to an Ivy League education and now possibly the first Latina Supreme Court justice. A smart approach for Sotomayor as well, says former Reagan former chief of staff Ken Duberstein, who has advised several high court nominees.

KEN DUBERSTEIN, FORMER REAGAN CHIEF OF STAFF: Given a awful lot of your personal life and your values, how you got to where you are, what your history is, but also your impartiality and you judge them as you see them coming. BOLDUAN: Conservatives have a difficult task ahead, challenging Sotomayor's record without coming across as attacking her. Republicans are expected to ask tough questions about Sotomayor's views on gun rights, abortion and affirmative action. But republicans think they have a better chance taking on her off-the-bench statements, like this 2005 comment at a Duke University.

SOTOMAYOR: The Court of Appeals is where policy is made and I know -- and I know that this is on tape, and I should never say that because we don't we make law, I know.

BOLDUAN: Republicans are also sure to press Sotomayor on her past statements that a wise Latino woman would reach a better conclusion than a white male. Senator Jeff Sessions is the senior republican on the senate judiciary committee.

SEN. JEFF SESSIONS (R), ALABAMA: She had advocated a view that suggests that your personal experiences, even prejudices -- she uses that word. It is expected they would influence the decision you make, which is a blow, I think, at the very ideal of American justice.

BOLDUAN: Democrats, including the committee's chair, will no doubt come quickly to Sotomayor's defense.

SEN. PATRICK LEAHY (D), JUDICIARY CHAIRMAN: The fact is, her answers are ultimately and completely -- a lot of controls, and she has the experience and the case to be a mainstream judge. Anything else is nitpicking.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BOLDUAN: Sources working closely with Judge Sotomayor tells CNN they have intensified Sotomayor's press sessions in the past week, trying to make sure she is ready. President Obama has said that he wants her confirmed before Congress leaves for its August recess.

Kate Bolduan, CNN, Washington.

FOREMAN: Many thanks, Kate.

The big question is what are the judge's greatest vulnerabilities in all of this? We will take a look with an editorial writer from "The Washington Post" who specializes in legal affairs. That's coming up in just a few minutes, and you can see Sotomayor's confirmation hearings right here on CNN. Follow all the questions about her background, her rulings, her controversial comments and speeches. We'll have it live all week, right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOREMAN: The first family is back in Washington. President Obama arrived just after midnight from a trip that included arms talk in Russia and meetings with leaders of the world's largest economy in Italy. The family's last stop, a seventeenth-century castle in Ghana that held Africans being sold in slavery. It's back to domestic business this week for President Obama. On Monday and Tuesday, he will return his focus to health care reform. On Thursday, he will speak at the NAACP convention in New York. That group is marking its 100-year anniversary, and the president will also visit New Jersey on Thursday, where he will appear at a re-election rally for Governor John Corzine.

With a schedule like that, you can understand why our Anderson Cooper went overseas to catch up with the president during his trip. He was there when the president visited that slave port in Ghana. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER 360" (on camera): Do you think what happened here still has resonance in America? That the slave experience still is something that should be talked about and should be remembered and should be present in every day life?

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, you know, I think that the experience of slavery is like the experience of the Holocaust. I think it's one of those things you don't forget about.

I think it's important that the way we think about it and the way it's taught is not one in which there's simply a victim and a victimizer and that's the end of the story. I think the way it has to be thought about -- the reason it's relevant is because whether it's what's happening in Darfur or what's happening in the Congo or what's happening in too many places around the world, you know, the capacity for cruelty still exists.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOREMAN: You can see more of Anderson's interview tomorrow night. Anderson will share his exclusive access to the president on this historic journey to Africa Monday night 10:00 Eastern on "AC 360." Make sure you join us right here on CNN.

Of course, the biggest item on the president's agenda is the confirmation hearings starting Monday. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor in a new CNN poll, almost half of Americans say Judge Sotomayor should be confirmed, 40 percent say no and 13 percent are still unsure.

Eva Rodriguez is an editorial writer with "The Washington Post." She is joining me now from D.C. Eva, thanks for being here. Let me start with the real basic question here. What do you think the biggest challenge, the number one challenge is, for the judge as she sits down to begin the confirmation process?

EVA RODRIGUEZ, EDITORIAL WRITER, "THE WASHINGTON POST": I think the number one challenge is going to be proving that she is not the judicial activist that her critics claim she is. In other words, proving that she doesn't have a political agenda that she plays out through her legal rulings. The white firefighters' case that was decided earlier this year is going to be a huge issue for Judge Sotomayor, as are her speeches, the ones that you just highlighted in the preview.

FOREMAN: Talk to me a little bit about the firefighters' case. Because you have written that she has been unfairly attacked on this, and yet there are real issues involved. There are real issues involved, and I think she has been unfairly attacked on this. I mean, the case in a nutshell was one in which the city of New Haven threw out these promotions tests for the fire department because no African-American or minority candidate passed the test for promotion.

Well, on its face, you're thinking, how in the world could that be fair? And it is a fair question, but when you look at the civil rights law, the civil rights law says that even if you think you have a fair process, if the results are so skewed and appear discriminatory against minorities, you the employer -- in this case the city of New Haven, have to take a second look. And so when New Haven took a second look, threw out the results, the white firefighters who had won promotion sued.

And in the legal process, Judge Sotomayor and two other judges looked at what the city did and said, "Look, ultimately, the city complied with civil rights law." And so, now, Judge Sotomayor, would- be Justice Sotomayor is coming under attack by folks who say, "See, she is a wise Latina, didn't like the results of the firefighter test. She would have been OK if all African-Americans or all Hispanics had passed, but she was OK with throwing out the test if only white firefighters passed."

FOREMAN: Hold on, Eva. Let me ask you asking about that. Because I read the decision from -- the opinion from the Court, and they ruled on this and they went through -- this city went through an enormous amount of expense and effort to do everything it could it seemed to make this test fair. It seems the issue here for a judge is to say, "Was that a reasonable amount of effort they already put in and then should they have taken this other step and saying we are going to throw it out anyway?". It seemed like the Court ultimately said is she was wrong in her judgment, or not just her but all of them who ruled against it.

RODRIGUEZ: Right.

FOREMAN: They were wrong in their judgment. They simply said, "Let's just stamp this and say, well, because these are the results." I think, frankly, that's what excites so many voters out there, her concern about this. Because they say the city did a lot to try to make this fair. If, in the end, some candidates didn't qualify, that's their problem, not the city's problem.

RODRIGUEZ: Right. But what also became -- and I think everything you said is absolutely fair, but what then also became the city's problem is that civil rights law says, even if you have jumped through every hoop and hurdle, even if you think you created a process that's fair, if you have results that suggest, raise questions about the fairness, in other words why did no African-Americans pass the test? Why did only two Hispanics pass the test? You as a city, as an employer, have to take a second look.

FOREMAN: Let's move to the last part of this. How does she overcome that? Because, you're right, that impression is out there.

RODRIGUEZ: Yes.

FOREMAN: What does she need to say this week to put those fears to rest, not just for people who were in the room but for the voters who would put pressure for the people in the room?

RODRIGUEZ: Right. I can't speak for Judge Sotomayor, but I can tell you after reviewing dozens and dozens of her decisions and after having read many of her speeches, I think that what she says in her speeches is profoundly more provocative than what she says in decisions. In her speeches, when she is sort of shooting off the hip or talking about her judicial philosophy, she talks about the wise Latina. She talks about how Courts of Appeals are where law is made.

Now, you would expect someone who espouses that kind of philosophy to then use it in their professional role as a judge to come out with results that the law can't justify? You know what? She doesn't do that. I mean, I was surprised, honestly, I was surprised.

But what she has done consistently over the course of 20 years on the bench is follow the law. Where she has had some discretion, where the law isn't clear, and that's where judges do have discretion, she is clearly to the left of center. You may like that, you may not, but she is still well within the law. So she is not, as a judge, wearing her robes, the activist that you see giving speeches in front of colleges and universities.

FOREMAN: And with that Eva, we're going to have to wrap it up. Eva Rodriguez with "The Washington Post." Thanks for joining us.

RODRIGUEZ: Thank you.

FOREMAN: I know you will be watching the hearings and so will we here. You can watch them right here on CNN, every minute of it. Follow the pointed questions about her background, all of these rulings and controversies and debate about it all. Live on CNN all this week. And you will want to check it out.

Storms in the midsection of the country, extreme heat in the southern plains, fire dangers out in the West. Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras will break it all down, live from the CNN Weather Center.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOREMAN: Less than three hours and counting down, live pictures from the launch site there. The space shuttle Endeavour is fueled up and ready for lift off. Yesterday's launch was delayed while NASA checked for damages after a big lightning storm. None was found.

Endeavour's 16-day mission is to install the final piece of Japan's science lab named Kibo, which is Japanese for hope. When the seven shuttle astronauts get to the International Space Station, it will be a full house, there are already six people up there. So, it would be the biggest crowd ever in orbit. The shuttle launch, again, depends on the weather. So we turn to CNN's Jacqui Jeras now for a look at the forecast. The biggest crowd ever in orbit. I think it was the last grateful day of the concert.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: OK. Whatever you say, Tom. We are watching for that threat of showers and thunderstorms.

You know, NASA puts out there their official forecast out, too, and says there is a 30 percent chance that weather would inhibit the launch. And you can see that there are some thunderstorms which are developing but it is inland. You know, it's just west of the I-95 corridor.

And of course, we still got a couple of hours to go before launch. And things, right now, I say, overall, looking pretty good. So we will continue to cross our fingers in hopes that everything is going to be a-OK weather-wise. Well, if the storms have been throughout much of western parts of Florida throughout the weekend.

Now, we got some other storms that we have been watching. Look at this huge complex of thunderstorms. This thing has been going all day long. We started over in western Missouri, brought in some flash flooding to the Kansas City area, just plowed through the St. Louis area, brought down a bunch of trees, blocking some highways and some scattered problems because of that and look at this thing, still going near the boot heel and pushing on over toward parts of Illinois as well.

Not a lot of severe weather with it. Wind is going to be the big concern. And you certainly don't want to be outside as those storms continue to push on through. Now, we are expecting to see the chance of severe weather tomorrow, a little farther to the south here across maybe the lower part of the Mississippi River Valley into the deep south and then also severe weather, the new system makes its way across parts of the west and looking for that threat from the Dakotas, extending down into parts of Colorado.

Really windy back behind the system, too. So we will be watching the fire threat here over the next couple of days. The heat is on. Oh, yes, you know it has been steaming hot here across parts of Texas and then also into the deep South. As we take a look at some of the heat advisories that we have been dealing with. You know, this is the same old sad song, and I know you folks are so sick of this heat. Unfortunately, it's going to stick around for at least another two- plus days, where we will be in the category where we've got the advisory still issued here.

So watching that from parts of Kansas all the way down toward the Houston area and the advisory comes further east, too, by the way, so Little Rock in on the action now where the heat could reach maybe 110, 115 degrees.

So, drink lots of water. Yes, water, not anything else. It's the best thing for you. Phoenix still has the advisories and one of the biggest things that we are dealing with here, besides those triple digit highs, it's the low temperatures, look at that 87 tonight, that's it 87. That is like no cool-off whatsoever unfortunately.

Tomorrow's high temperatures really seem very warm all across the southern tier. Not so bad for you in Chicago, 78 degrees. Hey, what you been doing this weekend? I've got some iReports to what people have been doing across town. Aren't these cool? I love this.

You know, we watch the space shuttle. Well, hey, we can watch the Blue Angels, too. Thanks to our iReporter, James Amerson. He took this shot at Pensacola Beach area, look at how close those things were. It's just amazing. There are the contrails, he asked me, are those contrails? Yes, those are contrails, short for condensation trails.

Tom, back to you.

FOREMAN: You know what I'm doing this weekend when I'm not here?

JERAS: What?

FOREMAN: I'm competing in the Tour de France.

JERAS: You are not. You are wishing you were.

FOREMAN: I came in 69. And I'm really tired.

JERAS: Good luck with that.

FOREMAN: Out of office but still in the thick of controversy, former vice president Dick Cheney, did he tell the CIA to keep secrets from congress?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOREMAN: We are following breaking news out of Baghdad this afternoon. A roadside bomb targeted the convoy of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Hill. It happened just south of Baghdad today. No one in the ambassador's convoy was hurt. No other details were released on the incident. It is under investigation at this time.

We are also getting details from Afghanistan on the deaths of more Americans. Two U.S. marines killed in separate roadside bomb attacks this weekend. There is word that another U.S. military member has died from wounds received last month.

Confirmation hearings back home begin tomorrow for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. This morning, President Obama called her to wish her luck and reiterate his confidence in her but some republican lawmakers are opening, questioning her impartiality and if confirmed Sotomayor would become the first U.S. Supreme Court justice of Hispanic descent.

In the midst of all this, a face-off maybe brewing in Washington between President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder. The issue is the legality of post-9/11 interrogation techniques during the Bush administration. And adding to that equation, another voice has joined the growing chorus, saying former vice president Dick Cheney silenced the CIA on a covert counterterrorism program.

CNN White House correspondent Elaine Quijano has the latest. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Democrats blasted former vice president Dick Cheney on the heels of the revolution that CIA Director Leon Panetta told lawmakers Cheney ordered the CIA to keep Congress in the dark for eight years about a still-secret counterterrorism program.

SEN. RICHARD DURBIN, (D) ILLINOIS: To have a massive program that is concealed from the leaders in Congress is not only inappropriate it could be illegal.

QUIJANO: The head of the Senate Intelligence Committee who confirmed she learned of the vice president's order during a recent closed door briefing by Panetta and expressed outrage...

SEN. DIANNE FENSTEIN, (D) CALIFORNIA: That is something that should never, ever happen again.

QUIJANO: ... with some Democrats calling for an investigation, some Republicans are accusing them of playing politics.

SEN. JEFF SESSIONS, (R) ALABAMA: I believe that Vice President Cheney served his country with as much fidelity as he could possibly give to it.

QUIJANO: Just as another distraction emerges that could pull attention away from the president's domestic agenda a source familiar with the matter tells CNN that Attorney General Eric Holder is leaning toward appointing a special prosecutor to investigate the Bush administration's interrogation policy.

SEN. LAMAR ALEXANDER, (R) TENNESSEE: If he does that, he needs to go all the way back to 1995 and investigate the Clinton administration renditions, which might have led to interrogations in other countries.

QUIJANO: If Holder does move ahead, the decision would put the Justice Department at odds with what President Obama himself has signaled in the past.

OBAMA: Generally speaking, I'm more interested in looking forward than I am in looking backwards.

QUIJANO: Now, a Justice Department official says a decision could come in the next few weeks. This official insists if the attorney general does proceed it will be a very narrowly tailored look, only at those who might have gone beyond the legal guidance at the time in conducting interrogations -- Tom.

FOREMAN: Many thanks, Elaine. I know we will hear a lot more about that as time goes on.

Of course, the number one big issue for the president continues to be the economy back here. We have heard so many stories about communities crumbling after major employers like an automaker may pull out but this weekend, we are looking very closely at a town that is celebrating because it is defying the odds, it is not far from here.

CNN's Alina Cho has more where money and Main Street intersect in Kiaville, also known as West Point, Georgia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the heart of the South, the face of tiny West Point, Georgia, is literally changing. The old Pizza Hut is a Korean barbecue, the old KFC, Young's Garden. Jobs once scarce are finally returning.

MALCOLM MALONE, MCM CAR WASH: It is just like Christmas time. Just like Christmas.

CHO: Christmas, in the middle of a recession? In West Point? Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We jokingly call it Kiaville.

CHO: Kia, the Korean Car Company, is about to open a sprawling manufacturing plant, thanks to $400 million in tax breaks. Even in the midst of a recession, the company will hire 2500 new workers, have suppliers and new businesses and the mayor says West Point, population 3500, stands to gain 20,000 jobs over the next five years. Divine intervention.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The economic activity here is incredible. The trickle down effect in the local economy has been staggering.

CHO: Remarkable for a city that was slowly becoming a ghost town. Textile mills that once defined West Point shut down in the 1990s, leaving many out of work.

MARGARET MCMANUS: Not going to go in.

CHO: Including 52-year-old Margaret McManus, laid off last year, now working again at one of Kia's suppliers. Did you ever think you would be making car parts?

MCMANUS: No not at all.

CHO: Not in a million years?

MCMANUS: No.

CHO: New construction is everywhere, at Roger's Barbecue, business is booming.

DEBBIE WILLIAMS-COOPER, OWNER, ROGER'S BAR-B-QUE: Well, see if we can get them in here one time, we can get them back and they come, they coming back, they enjoy it.

CHO: Malcolm Malone's car wash business is up 70 percent and down the street at Irish Bred Pub; Ruth Ann Williams invested her life savings in the business. It is paying off. RUTH ANN WILLIAMS, OWNER, IRISH BRED PUB: I came here because of Kia. I wanted to come to this area because of Kia. We have jumped in with both feet, and we have not looked back one time.

CHO: So, how is this tiny rural community adapting to the new Asian infusion? Does West Point feel like more of a melting point now?

CHRISTY MAGBEE, WEST POINT RESIDENT: Yeah. We got the culture coming in. You don't have to travel to Atlanta anymore.

CHO: From mill town to manufacturing Mecca, a bright spot in an otherwise gray economy.

Alina Cho, CNN, West Point, Georgia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOREMAN: So, how is Kia making in such a tough economy? We asked auto expert Lauren Fix, the car coach. She is here from New York. Talk to me about this a little bit, Lauren Kia and its parent company, Hyundai, have managed to do a lot of things that others haven't. How has that happened?

LAUREN FIX, AUTOMOTIVE ANALYST: Part of what they have done is they have really looked at the United States and our market and figured out a lot of things. Part of it is quality. We want cutting- edge design. We want safety and we want it all at a good point with a great warranty. You look at a company like Kia and they have the soul and the forte, you can see the change in their culture and a change in their cars and the quality is absolutely there.

FOREMAN: That happened with the Hyundai line as well?

FIX: Right. What they do is smart, is during all this recession that we are having, they came up with a ten-year, 100,000 mile warranty they always had but they also included the buy-back offer in response to the recession, that has been huge because consumers who are concerned about will I have a job down the road? What will be the situation and they are thinking, "If I'm working for Kia or Hyundai, I am going to buy those cars. I may have worked for GM before, but now I am going to help those that helped me."

FOREMAN: It really wasn't that long ago, Lauren, that Hyundai was really sort of the punch line of a joke. It seemed like another thing that happened is the company truly invested in the idea of saying, "Let's make a better car. We can't have cars out there, no matter how well we sell them, if they don't work properly."

FIX: Kia and Hyundai are cousins in what they have done together -- as a team is, they utilized sharing of components. They have decided we have to do what the Americans have done, but do it better. They have created nice designs, things that meet our needs, ten-year, 100,000-mile warranties which none of the other manufacturers are offering, you still have three year, 36 or four, 48. That is not enough for us. FOREMAN: Tell me something Lauren, why is that? Because I must say when I first saw the ten-year 100,000 warranty, my first thought was "This is a company that is really putting its money where its mouth is," and I was surprised that others didn't try to do that.

FIX: I'm surprised as well. Because what they are really trying to do is they want to be different and with their crash test ratings being really, really great and their JD Power rating at the top, the absolute top, with the best of the best, consumers are considering, you know I never really thought about a Korean car before, but now that they are building cars here in the U.S., designing them in the U.S.

FOREMAN: I want to point something out while you are saying that, Lauren. We have a graphic up here right now, showing everybody is losing sales this year. You can see that Kia is down 11.4 percent, Hyundai is down 6.5 percent.

But importantly, look at this, while everyone is losing, they have been gaining market share. They have actually been moving up while others are losing ground. I'm guessing that is a pretty important thing, Lauren?

FIX: That is a huge thing. It is really hard to get a footprint in the U.S. That is partly why Fiat bought into Chrysler; everybody wants to sell cars in the U.S. The only way to do that is to see what we are doing wrong and do it better.

That is why we came in with the quality, buyback in recession. I mean, I would be worried, too, if I had a job that was questionable. "Do I buy a new car?" The only way to do that is buy a guarantee. "If I'm in trouble, take the car back." That is really smart. Other people are starting to follow suit, and you will also note that there is a change in Ford sales, too. They are just starting to come back around, because they didn't use government money.

FOREMAN: Scrolled through here, other numbers here, showing how some really big names have lost tremendous number of sales in June compared to last year. But the one we had before showed the others weren't nearly so far off, Kia and Hyundai they have been managing to hold on a lot better than others.

Very quickly before we have to go, Lauren, is there some intrinsic flaw in this for Hyundai and Kia or should the others try to find a way to truly get on board with this?

FIX: It is a really good question. I think part of what they need to do is continue blazing a trail, offering the best cars, the best quality and the best prices and building cars in the U.S., giving Americans jobs, they will buy their cars, as long as the money stays in the U.S., it helps communities, it helps people get jobs and it will help us get out of a recession. The home that money leaves this country, that is when people are in trouble again, how we got where we are right now.

FOREMAN: Certainly seem to be finding a way to get it done when others are having trouble. Sounds like a commercial. Lauren, thanks for joining us. That word on Kia.

Head to CNN.com and click on the link Money and Main Street, where we look at how the economic headlines are affecting all sorts of people and you, wherever you are in your community.

Convincing African-American men to see a doctor. Where do you reach out to them? Our Soledad O'Brien finds a program working well at a barber shop.

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FOREMAN: You might want to stop what you're doing and really pay attention to this next story. It comes to us from Soledad O'Brien, and it is not just about the difficult task of getting black men to the doctor. It is about some really creative problem solving that we can all learn from.

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DR. PETE THOMAS, PROJECT BROTHERHOOD: I'm Dr. Thomas. What's going on? All right. Good. Good. Deep breath in and out for me.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Dr. Pete Thomas is a black pioneer.

THOMAS: What sort of medical problems did you have before you got shot?

O'BRIEN: He is committed to the health and wellbeing of black men. Life expectancy is eight years less than the national average.

THOMAS: We are going to try to really work with your diet. OK, what is wrong with your leg? Stop smoking.

O'BRIEN: Dr. Thomas has found an innovative way to get black men to the doctor. It is called Project Brotherhood.

THOMAS: We know how to get men to the health centers. And it is not by advertising free colonoscopies. You know what I'm saying? Try to get everybody to come down there.

O'BRIEN: Project Brotherhood begins here, in this and many other Chicago barber shops.

THOMAS: Just a great thing to be able to share with people.

O'BRIEN: Why barber shops? Why are they so critical to you?

THOMAS: It is a staple in our community. Men feel comfortable coming into the shop and more importantly, they feel comfortable talking about whatever health issues that they may have.

O'BRIEN: Whether it's fear of being exploited, going back to the Tuskegee experiment, the economics of it all, including a lack of health insurance, or the fact that most doctors don't look like them, black men are notoriously reluctant to go to the doctor. So with clippers in one hand and an HIV testing kit in the other, the barber is Project Brotherhood's first line of defense against problems that plague the black community like high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer and HIV.

COREY SMITH, LEAGUE STYLES BARBERSHOP: It was kind of like gut- wrenching as far as the numbers, HIV, who is infected and all that and therefore, we make an impact in the community, so it was definitely something that I want to see grow to the next level.

O'BRIEN: Barbers like Corey Smith, do more than just educate while they cut and trim.

SMITH: Good to see the doctor to see what is going on.

O'BRIEN: They also recruit, encouraging their clients to go see a doctor.

O'BRIEN: Every Thursday, men come to Chicago's South Side for free haircuts, conversation, classes, medication and, yes, free doctor's visits.

THOMAS: How are you doing?

O'BRIEN: Project Brotherhood's goal? To treat the whole man.

MARCUS MURRAY COOPER, DIRECTOR, PROJECT BROTHERHOOD: Like a public health aspect, mental, physical, social, economic, and spiritual. If one aspect is off in a man's life, he is not going to truly be healthy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello. How are you doing, Quincy?

O'BRIEN: Their patients run the gamut from those with serious medical issues. You have one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12 -- you take 12 medications?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

O'BRIEN: Two others who receive preventive care.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to just check, take a test to make sure everything is kosher, 'cause I haven't been to the hospital in years.

O'BRIEN: This clinic has six doctors, all of them black. A remarkable number, given that blacks make up only four and a half percent of this country's physicians.

But it's also critical because black men are more likely to trust a doctor who's black. For Dr. Pete Thomas, the fight is personal. Both his father and brother were victims of poor health care. His father died in 1989 after years of unregulated high blood pressure and his younger brother, Juan, contracted HIV in the early '90s. The disease progressed and he passed away from AIDS in 2001.

THOMAS: I thought to myself, "If I could choose a career that could help to address these chronic diseases that were affecting both Juan and my dad." So, men's health became the most natural thing for me to do.

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FOREMAN: If that piqued your interest, here is a must-see CNN event. Our special correspondent, Soledad O'Brien, will examine what it really means to be black in America. "Black in America 2" premieres next week July 22 and 23. It is only on CNN. You will not want to miss it.

Why would a Mexican drug cartel target a polygamist family? We will take you south of the border, where fate and illegal drugs collide.

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FOREMAN: Mexican officials say three federal officers and two soldiers have been killed in a series of attacks by drug gangs this weekend. Another 18 officers were wounded. Officials say there were coordinated attacks in at least eight cities across Mexico yesterday. It is believed to be retribution for the arrest of a high-ranking member of a drug cartel.

The Associated Press is now reporting that the Mexican government is willing to deputize members of a polygamist community there that have been terrorized by a reputed cartel in northern Mexico.

CNN's Gary Tuchman takes us to the hamlet.

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GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What this mother has gone through in the last two months is difficult to comprehend. Her son was kidnapped by five members of a Mexican drug cartel. Eric Lebaron was released a week after his kidnapping, despite the family not paying $1million ransom. Ramona Lebaron says it was a miracle.

RAMONA LEBARON, MOTHER OF KIDNAPPING VICTIM: I got him back on Mother's Day. It was the most beautiful Mother's Day present I have ever had in my life.

TUCHMAN: Ramona, her husband and 12 children live in Colonia Le Baron, Mexico, a 200-mile drive south of El Paso, Texas. A town settled by their American ancestors 80 years ago as they were leaving the Mormon Church when it banned polygamy. They came to Mexico to practice polygamy and live in peace and quiet. And for most of a century, they did. Then came the kidnapping.

And this week, something much worse. Another one of Ramona's sons and another relative were shot to death after being kidnapped from this house by what are suspected to be cartel members. It is believed they are angry at her oldest son, Benjamin Lebaron, who held street protests against the drug cartel violence and intimidation. This house was full of children when the unimaginable horrors happened here. Neighbors say two trucks pulled up in front of the house. About 25 commandos in camouflaged clothing rushed up to the door, and you can see where the windows are still broken they bashed in the door and said they wanted Benjamin Lebaron. One of the neighbors said the commandoes threaten to rape his wife in front of the children. The wife pleaded leave me alone, leave my children alone.

At that point, from across the street, Benjamin Lebaron's brother-in-law came inside to help. The commandos took both men, took them out of the house and put them in their truck and their lifeless bodies were found a short time after.

R. LEBARON: I cry. I felt a feeling in me that I can't even explain to you.

TUCHMAN: Benjamin Lebaron and his brother-in-law, Luis, were laid to rest Thursday. Security was intense and well-armed Mexican police are now all over town. Police have video of the one of the getaway vehicles going through a toll booth but no arrests have been made. Eric says his brother praised him for his courage after he was released by the kidnappers. Now, Eric said this about his brother.

ERIC LEBARON: I will follow his example.

TUCHMAN: The family didn't want to talk to us about whether they practice polygamy. Another brother says it is a sensitive topic.

JULIAN LEBARON, BROTHER OF MURDER VICTIM: Just annoys me that people -- people talk so much about polygamy and talk so much about our town as if we are disgusting people but yet we have politicians in the states that cheat on their wives and have other relationship with other women all the time.

TUCHMAN: The family is open to talking about their heartache. This must be a painful question, but do you now wish he didn't speak out against the drug cartels?

R. LEBARON: That is a tough question. But I am gonna tell you my beliefs. If we are not born with certain things in our life, we are not born to stand up for righteous principles and the things that we know is true, what good our life?

TUCHMAN: Gary Tuchman, CNN, Colonia Le Baron, Mexico.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOREMAN: More grim discoveries and mounting questions in the investigation into a Chicago area cemetery now declared a crime scene. What's missing that might hamper the investigation?

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FOREMAN: More bombings in Iraq. According to the U.S. Embassy, the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Christopher Hill, escaped unharmed from a roadside bomb that targeted his convoy south of Baghdad today. None of the embassy personnel was hurt in that. And six Baghdad churches were bombed in just a 24-hour period this weekend. Four people were killed, 32 wounded.

Back here closer to home, grieving and angry families are joining the Reverend Jessie Jackson for a prayer vigil today outside the locked gates of that Chicago area cemetery where four former workers are accused of reselling and reusing burial plots. The Cook County sheriff's office is figuring out how many graves were disturbed is difficult because maybe hundreds or thousands are unmarked. There aren't even maps for some sections of the 150 acre African American landmark, including an area specifically for babies.

And a slain Florida couple's extensive surveillance system may yield some vital clues about their killers. Police near Pensacola are questioning two persons of interest and are searching for a third. Three suspects were recorded entering the house of Byrd and Melanie Billings before they were killed on Thursday. Police have also seized a red van in that case that may be linked to the crimes.

Coming up in just a bit, Boston's tough choice, spend money it doesn't have or don't operate a certain zoo there. See what troubles many people.

Blue skies over Florida, a shuttle launch coming up shortly.

Thanks for joining us, I'm Tom Foreman.

Fareed Zakaria and "GPS" starts right now.