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Paying For Afghanistan; Britain Begins Iraq War Probe
Aired November 24, 2009 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: So, that's what we're looking for, some spontaneous moment that livens up the Obamas' dinner and perhaps even makes history.
Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Well, now time for us to serve up Rick Sanchez and the 3:00 p.m. NEWSROOM.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Making news right now: seeking the truth about Iraq, hearings under way in London to get to the bottom of what went wrong. And we're there.
A new report on alleged torture and how it poisoned our Iraqi support.
COL. DAOUD MOUSA, FATHER OF BAHA MOUSA (through translator): We thought we got rid of the tyrant, Saddam Hussein.
SANCHEZ: As for Afghanistan, if we do send more troops, how are we going to pay for it? Anyone?
And another billboard in a major American city questions the president's birth and calls him a jihadi, except they spell it wrong.
Your conversation for Tuesday, November 24, 2009, begins right now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: And hello again, everybody. I'm Rick Sanchez with the next generation of news. This is a conversation, it is not a speech and as always -- and this is what makes us different -- it's your turn to get involved.
I'm going to bring you this news over live pictures of the White House. There it is. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, we understand, is due to walk into the White House any moment now. And what we're now seeing appears to be the unfolding of a congressional notification of a decision on Afghanistan that we all as Americans have long been waiting for. How many more troops? How long are they going to stay?
I'm going to give you what we have in a moment. And we do have a lot. We're going to be able to break this thing down for you, if not break it.
But, first, let me show you another picture. This was taken just last night. This we're told now was the last in a series of strategy sessions, that was convened by President Barack Obama. This is the room where they apparently dotted the I's and crossed the T's on the plan for winning the war that we're not winning.
You can go down the row, and you can see who's there, Orszag, Rice, Clinton, General Jones from the national -- he's now the national security adviser, was a Marine, the president. We also see Vice President Biden there. See him just to the left of the president? Defense Secretary Gates is next to him, Attorney General Holder, Ambassador Eikenberry. Hmm.
We're told about 20 people in all for this final, keyword here, final strategy session on Afghanistan. We're also being told the president's decision on Afghanistan will be announced next week, in fact, early next week, probably Tuesday.
Let's remember, his handpicked commander, General Stanley McChrystal, wanted as high as 80,000 new troops in Afghanistan. Well, folks, that's not going to happen. I think we get that. But, as of this afternoon, we believe we are now getting very, very close to nailing down the precise number that will be sent there.
Stay with me here, because I'm going to have the details on that, as promised. We're also going to hear from the president as we continue to keep an eye on the White House, where that decision in Afghanistan appears to be made.
Back to me. There's no doubt about it. When President Obama announces his plan for Afghanistan, most Americans are going to be thinking about Iraq, not Afghanistan, Iraq. Why? Forty-three hundred U.S. troops are dead there. More than 13,000 have serious wounds that they're going to carry, some of them maimed, for the rest of their lives.
And according to a CNN poll earlier this year, most Americans now think the war was a mistake. Iraq was a mistake, many Americans believe -- 179 British troops died in Iraq, and today the British government started their own sweeping inquiry.
This thing's going to go on for months, we're told. And before it's over, even former Prime Minister Tony Blair is going to be called to testify about the war that certainly tarnished his term and many would argue ruined his legacy. So, this is going to be widespread.
At today's opening session, I want you to hear this, a promise.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SIR JOHN CHILCOT, CHAIRMAN, IRAQ INQUIRY COMMITTEE: Once we get to our final reports, we will not shy away from making criticisms, either of institutions or processes or individuals, where they're truly warranted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Even as these hearings begin in London, there's a fresh controversy over British troops in fact in Iraq. It's the kind of story that has spurred that investigate, which I just told you is going to be starting that we're going to be following diligently for the next several months.
In these -- in this report that you're about to see, these soldiers are accused of brutalizing Iraqi prisoners. It's an ugly story, but, nonetheless, like a bitter pill, we have to swallow.
Here's CNN's Atika Shubert.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Pictures like these of the U.S.-run Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq shocked the world -- now charges of similar abuse at British detention centers. The allegations include the rape of a 16-year-old boy, several cases of torture using electric shocks, and sexual humiliation by both male and female soldiers.
Lawyers say they have 38 new cases of alleged abuse, and they expect more.
PHIL SHINER, PUBLIC INTEREST LAWYERS: They come forward now because the British have left Iraq. So, plainly, people who were intimidated, frightened for whatever reason to come forward are now coming forward. This (INAUDIBLE) incident has come out over and over again, hooding, stress positions, food and water deprivation, sleep deprivation and a whole range of sexual acts which seem to have been carefully designed with the male Muslim in mind.
SHUBERT: There is already one public inquiry under way into the death of Iraqi detainee Baha Mousa in 2003. He died after sustaining 93 separate injuries in British custody.
Seven soldiers were court-martialed in the case, but only one, Corporal Donald Payne, pleaded guilty to inhuman treatment. He was sentenced to one year in jail. The rest were cleared.
For Baha Mousa's father, police colonel Daoud Mousa, the public inquiry is a painful search for justice.
"I think it was widespread everywhere in Iraq," he says, "especially Basra, where the British soldiers were based, torture everywhere without reason. We thought we got rid of the tyrant, Saddam Hussein, but we were worse. We were mistaken. They were worse than Saddam Hussein. When they first came to Basra, we greeted them with flowers. We hoped our lives would be better, but it's worse."
This video was used as evidence in the inquiry. It shows the treatment of detainees forced to maintain stress positions by Corporal Payne. Now Payne has told the inquiry that -- quote -- "The degree of force I applied was greater than I have so far admitted" and that all the members of his unit emulated his actions. Britain's Ministry of Defense has opened an investigation into the new alleged abuse cases, but released this statement -- quote -- "While there have been instances when individuals have behaved badly, only a tiny number of individuals have been shown to have fallen short of our high standards. Allegations of this nature are taken very seriously. However, allegations must not be taken as fact and formal investigations must be allowed to take their course without judgments being made prematurely."
(on camera): The Baha Mousa public inquiry is being held here in London. And it's not expected to be completed until the middle of next year. But as new cases come to light, lawyers are now pressing for a much larger public inquiry that investigates just how widespread and systemic prisoner abuse was in Iraq at the hands of British soldiers.
Atika Shubert, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I will be making an announcement to the American people about how we intend to move forward. I will be doing so shortly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Again, President Obama closing in on his announcement of -- well, he's been wanting to make for some time which is likely the reason for his meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi this hour. If she says anything on her way out of this White House meeting that we're watching for you, which is why we have this live picture of the White House up for you right now, we are going to bring it to you immediately.
Also, don't forget some of the others, the other way to participate in this national conversation. You can call us here in the United States at 1-877-742-5751. Just say hey Rick and then your spiel.
We will be right back.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, Rick, my name is Doug (ph).
In reference to the Afghanistan war, the reason I'm against it is because of one word: terrain -- terrain. Our boys are not trained to fit -- work in that terrain. I suggest we bring them out of there and use the big bombs, the big bombs that penetrate the earth and flatten the tunnels, flatten the mountains where the tunnels are on the border.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, Rick, this is Jason from (INAUDIBLE) California.
It's great that the commander in chief is sending over the troops, but he's also sending over, which most people don't realize, beans, bullets and Band-Aids. So I'm pretty concerned of what the morale there is on the actual ground. I'm not too concerned with what the officers think, but what the actual troops, your lance corporals, your corporals, your sergeants and the people who are actually fighting the war, who are actually being shot at.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: I got to tell you, this information we have been sharing with you is getting a lot of heat and a lot of reaction from all over the country.
Let's go to our Twitter board, if we can, Robert. I'm going to take you right over there. This is just during the break, a sampling of some of the comments we have gotten from you.
Jenny says: "President Obama's decision to send 34,000 more troops to Afghanistan means he goes from the next JFK to the next LBJ."
Just under that: "Taliban were in Afghanistan before we arrived and will be there after we are gone. Troops in Afghanistan equals lives being lost for nothing."
Take it up just a little bit there, Robert. SharkGoddess says: "We are winning, Rick. We have got the Taliban and al Qaeda on the run. If they're running, they don't have time for their plotting."
Interesting point.
The next one says: "I am a military wife and I do not support the war, but support my husband who is willing to fight for food on the table."
Wow. It's kind of an interesting perspective, four different perspectives. We thank you for most of those.
Now that nitty-gritty that I have been wanting to get to. I told you that we're going to going to be working to nail down this number. We have been doing so for weeks now, the number of new troops that President Obama wants to send to Afghanistan. I now have that number, plus some additional details that I will be sharing with you. Let me get that out.
Let me read to you part of this verbatim. A defense official -- you want to shoot this over my shoulder, Robert? Go ahead.
A defense official tells CNN that Pentagon planners expect orders to send about 34,000 more troops to Afghanistan -- 34,000, as I had mentioned earlier.
Here's some of the detail. The military has planning under way to send three U.S. Army brigades, totaling about 15,000 troops, a Marine brigade of about 8,000 troops, a headquarters element of about 7,000 troops, and between 4,000 and 5,000 support troops.
That is approximately 34,000 troops, according to a defense official with direct knowledge of the Pentagon operations who has spoken to CNN. The troops would be divided up in various locations around the country, mainly focussing in the south and southeast parts, where much of the fighting is.
Currently, brigades from Fort Drum in New York and Fort Campbell in Kentucky are next in line to deploy. So, there it is. Let me take you through this again. The Pentagon is now preparing to send 34,000 new troops to Afghanistan to join the 68,000 Americans already there, plus 42,000 troops that are there from other countries.
Other information, not confirmed by CNN, but reported by McClatchy news. Here we go. McClatchy news service says that troop deployment will start in March and will continue for nine months, start in March, continue for nine months. I got several more details.
First, let's listen to President Obama, who's to announce his decision early next week, probably Tuesday, when he makes what I just told you official. He spoke about it earlier this afternoon at the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: After eight years, some of those years in which we did not have I think either the resources or the strategy to get the job done, it is my intention to finish the job. And I feel very confident that, when the American people hear a clear rationale for what we're doing there, and how we intend to achieve our goals, that they will be supportive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Finish the job, that's what the president says he's going to do.
As I reported to you earlier, the formal process of notifying Congress of the troops decision may be unfolding as we speak. Why do we think so? House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was a late add today to the president's schedule. Do the math, folks. We believe they're meeting at this moment.
Now, I want you to listen to this. There's a powerful House Democrat out there saying no blank checks, not anymore, not for Afghanistan, not like we did in Iraq, no blank checks, no off-the- books funding.
Congressman David Obey, head of the House Appropriations Committee, is saying, you want to escalate the war in Afghanistan? Fine, but we're going to pay for it by raising taxes of Americans by as much as 5 percent on the wealthiest Americans, unlike what we did in Iraq, where we borrowed most of the money or much of the money from other countries.
He's drawing the distinction. Again, his name is David Obey. He's a congressman also saying that his party's domestic agenda is more important than Afghanistan.
Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. DAVID OBEY (D-WI), HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: I do want to do everything I can to make certain that the White House and everybody in Congress understands that there are huge financial costs to this war.
We saw the progressive movement in this country back before the 20s wiped out by World War I. We saw Harry Truman's Fair Deal wiped out by Korea. We saw Lyndon Johnson's Great Society wiped out by Vietnam. I don't want to see the restructuring and reforming of our own economy wiped out because we get stuck in a 10-year war, a war that isn't paid for.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: So, the president may have a fight on his hands, not with Republicans, but within his own party. We're going to be watching as this thing shakes out, again, the Pentagon preparing to send 34,000 new troops to Afghanistan -- President Obama president to announce that long-awaited decision early next week, probably Tuesday.
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COL. JOHN P. GALLIGAN (RET.), ATTORNEY FOR MAJOR NIDAL MALIK HASAN: A person can't be found guilty if at the time of the alleged defense, they lacked the mental capacity to be able to commit those offenses.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: That's the lawyer. He's the attorney for Major Nidal Hasan laying the groundwork for an insanity defense. It certainly sounds that way. We're going to have more on that next.
Also, the global warming debate, is it over? Could it be over? Well, according to one lawmaker, it most certainly is. You're going to hear him say it for yourself.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: I welcome you back to the world headquarters of CNN in Atlanta.
Major Nidal Malik Hasan is not a sane man, that's what his lawyer suggests, talking about how the accused Fort Hood shooter will likely plead to charges that he shot dead 13 military men and women before he killed -- before he himself was taken down, not guilty by reason of insanity. At least that's the possible plea. Hasan's defense team hasn't formally decided yet. But listen to why his attorney says it fits in this case.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GALLIGAN: A person can't be found guilty if at the time of the alleged defense, they lacked the mental capacity to be able to commit those offenses.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: All right, here's the deal with Major Hasan now. They tell us that he is paralyzed from the chest down. He's in intensive care. And they're holding hearings about his custody still in his -- actually, in that hospital room, with all the wires and everything still connected. He is conscious, though. We understand he has been able to speak to his attorney. That's important.
That defense attorney you just heard. That's John Galligan. He's going to be live on this program right here tomorrow. We're going to ask him about his conversations with Hasan and how he intends to defend him against 13 counts of premeditated murder. Again, that's tomorrow right here at 3:00 Eastern.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When we see bigotry or stereotyping, we call it when we see it. It's harmful, it's hurtful, it's divisive, and it's offensive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Why would a billboard at a used car dealership prompt such harsh criticism from the Anti-Defamation League? Well, I'm going to show you this, so you can see it for yourself, bad spellings and all. It's hard to believe, by the way, that we're still seeing this kind of stuff despite all the fact-checking that this newscast has done and others have done to present you with the truth. Does the truth matter anymore?
And what's with this developing alliance between the president of Iran and so many leftist South American leaders? A lot of buddy-buddy going on here. We're going to tell you who it is. We're naming names. I will break it down for you in just a little bit.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back, a couple of days before Thanksgiving, still a busy news day.
President or jihad? And once again the question of the president's legitimacy is raised, this time in Colorado. Look at the words on that sign, not to mention the caricatures you see right above there. You see them? Let's go full on the sign, Dan, if you could. Take it full. All right. There it is again, near Denver. It's on the property of a used car dealership. I blurred out the phone number on the sign so it could avoid any publicly. But take a look at the caricature. That is supposed to be President Obama, the word birth certificate, prove it, and then wake up, America, remember Fort Hood.
We're not really sure what he's trying to say with that. KUSA Television interview the guy who put it up. He says he believes that the president is a Muslim and he's within his right to put up the sign. For the record, a "Denver Post" columnist points out that the correct phrase would be president or jihadi, not president or jihad, just for the record, as if bad syntax or grammar was this guy's biggest problem. And, by the way, bad grammar is protected -- we checked -- by the First Amendment.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: Welcome to Brazil. Now give me a hug. Getting cozy in South America, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is on a brotherly love tour. What do you think we can expect from these friendships? Hmm. We will break it down for you.
Also, this family booted from their home because they can't make their loan payments. Many other people like this. They're the ones we're told caused the national mortgage mess, right? Well, hold on.
There's a pile of new research on this and a documentary film as well that says, no, no, no. We're on it.
And don't forget, you can join us in the national conversation whenever you visit Atlanta. If you want to come here and hang out in the studio, and be on TV, be on the talking boxes, one of my producers, Dave, says, just call 1-877-4CNN-TOUR. Or check us out online at CNN.com/tour.
I will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: I want to call to your attention now an alliance, that some might call an "unholy alliance." Iran's hard- line anti-American leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been busy in South America over the last couple of days, strengthening ties with leaders from other anti-American regimes. Some more anti-American than others, grant you.
That's the headliner in the segment we call "Conexion."
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SANCHEZ: All right, so what's this guy really doing in South America? Obviously, he's building ties with sympathetic leftist or moderately leftist governments and hoping that by doing so, he gets Washington's attention. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was in Bolivia earlier this morning and he heads to Venezuela next. Both regimes are driven by sworn anti-American sentiment. Yesterday, he was in Brazil, meeting with Lula da Silva, another leftist-leaning president, but not as leftist-leaning as the other two. I think that's fair.
All right, this is important and I want to tell you why. Brazil has one of the largest deposits of uranium in the world, a compound necessary to build a nuclear bomb. So, how worried should we as Americans be about any potential forged relationship between these characters?
Rafael Romo is our senior Latin-American affairs editor and he joins me now to try and break this down.
How likely is it and how concerned should we be, Rafael, that this guy, Ahmadinejad, is shopping for uranium in our own backyard?
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN-AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: It was one of the main issues that they talked about. But what they say is, "Don't be afraid, we're only interested in uranium for power- generating purposes. This is not going to be to build a bomb. We're not interested in a nuclear race here. It's just to generate electricity."
SANCHEZ: Yes, and that could obviously be a bunch of bull although they have been saying that all along. You know -- you know what's probably a little more comforting, and I think I made mention of this a little when I was talking to the viewers setting this story up. But -- I mean, if you were to go down the crazy degrees or the crazy measurement, I think you could put Chavez on one end and Lula da Silva on the other -- Lula da Silva being a guy who probably you can deal with.
Is it better than he's dealing with Lula da Silva and not Chavez on something like this?
ROMO: Oh, when I started looking at this visit, I was wondering what's in it for Lula da Silva, what's in it for Ahmadinejad. For the president of Brazil, this is very important because he is trying to position Brazil as the new diplomatic power-broker in the world. He's given countries an alternative to the United States and he's specifically targeting the Middle East. For example, Shimon Peres, the Israeli president, was there this month. Also, Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority was there as well.
So, he is developing into this new world leader.
SANCHEZ: And yet, economically, he's our partner. He works with us. He sat down at the White House with George Bush. He sat down with Barack Obama. That's -- this is interesting that he's kind of getting it both ways, having it both ways, isn't he?
ROMO: He's trying to be a international player, a worldwide player. He's trying to go beyond the traditional measures to discuss diplomatic ties, and he's trying to definitely give the Middle East an alternative to what used to be in the past, just the United States.
SANCHEZ: That's interesting perspective. I'm glad you -- I'm glad we have you here to take us through that.
ROMO: Thanks, Rick.
SANCHEZ: That's a good explanation. Thanks so much.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't ever cry in the room with Michael because I -- he senses it. He can sense what mood you're in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: That is an anguished mom talking about her son who's badly burned and lying in a hospital bed. He's finally able to communicate in just barely. Today, we saw and heard from a boy who says that he witnessed other boys setting Michael Brewer on fire. Wow. And then threw him in the pool -- you're going to hear that in his own words.
Also, whatever your view of climate change is, you'll want to see what a certain U.S. lawmaker has declared about global warming. Stick a fork in it. We won, you lost. Really? That's what he says.
I'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
CALLER: Hey, Rick, I watch your show all the time. Listen, I'm sick of hearing about health care. Why don't they stop those two stupid wars going on, that the only -- the only party that benefits is Israel?
(END AUDIO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: And here we go, somebody's also taking issue with the fact that I showed you that seemingly bigoted sign, billboard I should say, against the president of the United States.
Let's go to the top tweet if we possibly can there, Robert. You see that they are very -- well, critical me, saying, "Showing those bigoted billboards and signs is giving them a forum and attention. Don't help them and show them the evil that they spew." My thanks for your comment.
The Copenhagen climate change conference doesn't seen start for another few weeks, but some critics are already declaring it a failure. Earlier, there were hopes that the conference would end with an agreement on a treaty, but no one expects that now.
In Washington, the man who calls climate change a "hoax," that's in quotations, folks, is -- well, gloating.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. JAMES INHOFE (R), OKLAHOMA: This whole idea on the global warming, I'm glad that's over, it's gone, done. We won, you lost, get a life. Stick a fork in it, it's done.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wait a minute.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: We won, you lost, get a life, stick a fork in it. Even if there's no treaty, organizers of the Copenhagen conference still hope to make progress on cutting greenhouse gasses. A new report by British scientists says, even with the recession, global carbon emissions jumped 2 percent last year.
And we're also going to bring you this, a teenaged boy beaten and set on fire by his friends. He's talking to police today about what really happened and one of the boys accused of that horrific is talking to reporters. What a story. What he said -- after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Remember Michael Brewer? He's that 15-year-old Deerfield Beach boy who was set on fire last month by other boys.
Police say the attack was motivated by a dispute over a bicycle and five teenagers were arrested. One of them is 13-year-old Jeremy Jarvis. Well, he came out and spoke to the media today. It's interesting to watch this. It wasn't really an apology, but it did come pretty close.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEREMY JARVIS, 13-YEAR-OLD: I want to express my deepest sympathy to Mikey and his family. I will pray for Mikey to grow stronger every day and for Mikey's speedy recovery. I want to tell my brother D.C., I love and miss him. I just hope and pray we all get through this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: This is an amazing story happening in my own home town by the way, so I've been keenly interested in it.
Jeremy and another boy were released earlier this month, but Jeremy's older brother, D.C. and the two other suspects, they -- even though they're just little kids -- they could face up to 30 years in prison if they're convicted. The victim of this particularly brutal attack suffered burns over 65 percent of his body, still faces months in hospital. The only reason he survived is he threw himself in a swimming pool while on fire, while burning. His family talked with Shannon Hori of CNN's affiliate WFOR.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHANNON HORI, WFOR CORRESPONDENT: Does he know he's in a hospital? Does he know what happened to him?
VALERIE BREWER, MICHAEL'S MOTHER: Sometimes he does. Sometimes he just -- he's -- like I said, he's on a lot of medication. So, he doesn't really
MICHAEL BREWER, SR., MICHAEL'S FATHER: The other day he wanted to talk to his Uncle Danny. And I'll let put the phone up to his ear and he said, "Hey, Dan, I got burned, I'm in the hospital."
HORI (voice-over): Fifteen-year-old Michael Brewer hasn't been able to fully grasp what happened to him. But even with all of the drug he's on, for the pain, he has horrible flashbacks.
(on camera): What does he say?
M. BREWER: He says I need some water, I'm going to put these flames out.
HORI (voice-over): The five teens accused of dousing him with rubbing alcohol and then using a lighter to set him on fire left him with second and third-degree burns on 65 percent of his body.
V. BREWER: The first time I saw him, I really don't remember, because I was in shock. I just remember fear, for him.
HORI: Fear for their child who they say wasn't afraid of anything. His parents say he loved to swim, skateboard and play with his cousins -- a typical teenaged boy, one his father always wanted.
M. BREWER: When we first got together, I told her, I said, just give me a son so I can have my name go on. And I tell you what, he can have a male like me, but he can have your green eyes -- and that's what he came out with green eyes.
HORI: And his family says he has a big heart.
V. BREWER: He still comes and sits on my lap.
M. BREWER: And he comes out in the morning when he wakes up, he gives me a hug. He used to give me a hug when I dropped him off at school, but, you know, when he got about 14, that stopped.
HORI: Being in the hospital is a familiar situation for the Brewer family. When Michael's father was 13 years old, a car hit him and put him in a coma for 12 days. He pulled through. His family calls him a miracle. They hope they're now witnessing another miracle with Michael.
REENIE BREWER, MICHAEL'S GRANDMOTHER: He's shown us with his strength and his stamina is like a superhero. I told him I'm having a cape made for him.
HORI: They believe his recovery is going so well because they stay positive.
V. BREWER: I don't ever cry in the room with Michael, because I -- he senses it, he can sense what mood you're in.
HORI: And because of all the prayers reaching them, from the community and around the world.
V. BREWER: I want to thank everybody -- everybody for everything that they've done for my son and for our family. It's just -- it's renewed my faith in humanity. And after this horrific thing, it has really empowered us and helped us to concentrate on Michael.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: And we're going to be keeping an eye on that story.
By the way, I'm going to show you the ugly side of the beauty business and the perfect reason that you should always glue your wig on tight -- just like I do, see?
Also, watch this, the right side of the screen, you see that? What was that? Something from space smashes on to earth? A bona fide close encounter caught on camera? One of our cool and creepy "Fotos." Stay there.
Stealing him away from us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Put on your dancing shoes, America, here we go. You know what time it is.
An object zooms through space, heading toward our planet. As it enters earth's atmosphere, witnesses describe night suddenly turning into day, the ground shakes.
No, this is not a movie. This is "Fotos."
(MUSIC)
SANCHEZ: A police officer in Colorado patrolling the streets in his cruiser as a fireball lights up the night right in front of him. His dash cam catches it all as the object zooms through the atmosphere, explodes and disintegrates before hitting the ground. Scientists say this thing was actually a small asteroid. Kind of makes you think, doesn't it? Are you thinking? Are you still thinking?
Snap. OK. Now, back to earth, and the people here are arguing about things that -- oh, my God, there she is -- oh, no, she didn't, Miss Gay Brazil had just been crowned when this crown-snatching jealous queen-wannabe is caught on camera ripping the crown right off her head. Boom! Look at that expression on that -- person, face. It's not very lady-like now, is it?
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SANCHEZ: Massachusetts, from rap video to rap sheet. Two men were arrested after posting this profanity-laced anti-police rap video on YouTube. The video's violent rants referred to a state trooper and a probation officer by name, and even threatens violence against police.
Get this -- their defense: we're just young and stupid. We're just young and stupid.
The attorney for the video's star and producer says the duo is simply misguided and not too bright. You think?
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If I say I'm earning $2,500 a month, he writes down that I'm earning $2,500 a week, putting me into a mortgage which I can't possibly afford.
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SANCHEZ: Yes, and you know what that's called, lady? It's called mortgage fraud.
The home loan industry is on its knees, but who shoved it there? People who borrowed money without thinking? Yes. Lenders who shoveled out cash to people who couldn't really afford it? Yes.
Brooke Anderson saw a new film that picks this mess apart for us, and she's going to have for us. Just stay right there. This is good stuff.
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SANCHEZ: All righty. Let's get right into this one -- who do you think is responsible for the mortgage meltdown?
All right. Who do you think is responsible for the mortgage meltdown that crippled the economy and ultimately threatened our position as a world superpower? You know, we've talked about this before. Was it lenders? Was it borrowers? Was it the government? Was it the Chinese?
All right. Seriously. We've been led to believe much of the blame -- pardon me -- rests on borrowers, just everyday Americans like you or me, overreaching for a piece of their American dream. But, you know, there's no way that we could have wrecked this economy on our own.
There's a new documentary that goes into this detail, as a matter of fact. I've seen it. I want you to see it. It goes past all the rhetoric and examining the numbers. You can either be shocked by it, or experience an "I told you so" moment and what they found.
All right. I want you to watch this package put together by my colleague, Brooke Anderson.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JEFF LOMAX, FACING HOME FORECLOSURE: We had an above-ground swimming pool that took up this empty space.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jeff Lomax's dream is slipping away.
JEFF LOMAX: I had in mind putting in a covered patio.
ANDERSON: He and his wife Jeanette face imminent eviction from their Victorville, California, home.
JEANNETE LOMAX, FACING HOME FORECLOSURE: This is our notice to vacate property.
ANDERSON: The first home they've ever owned, the first place they helped raise their 4-year-old granddaughter.
JEFF LOMAX: This may not be a home for her to come to anymore. And it's, you know, it's a traumatic thing for her.
ANDERSON: Like countless Americans in recent years, the Lomaxes lost their home after taking out a loan they ultimately could not repay. Borrowers like them have been blamed in part for causing the mortgage meltdown by President Bush...
THEN-U.S. PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: It's true this crisis includes failures -- by lenders and borrowers.
ANDERSON: And his successors.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Individuals must take responsibility for their own actions and all of us must learn to live within our means again.
ANDERSON: But a new documentary argues the real fault lies elsewhere. American Casino indicts Wall Street for devising what proved to be a risky way to profit from subprime mortgages, and it claims mortgages brokers were complicit in the system by steering people into loans regardless of their credit history.
MICHAEL GREENBERGER, FMR. FUTURES REGULATOR: They made as many mortgages as they could make. They weren't interested in whether the loans would be paid back. That was somebody else's problem. Every time they signed somebody up for a mortgage, they brought huge amounts of money in.
ANDERSON: Mortgage brokers routinely doctored loan applications, often without a borrower's knowledge, according to a legal expert interviewed in the film.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He said almost everyone in the business was doing it -- which means that if I say I'm earning $2,500 a month, he writes down that I'm earning $2,500 a week, putting me into a mortgage I can't possibly afford, and I'm stuck.
ANDERSON: Chris George, secretary of the California Mortgage Bankers Association, disputes the film's assertion that fudging figures was the norm.
CHRIS GEORGE, CALIF. MORTGAGE BANKERS ASSOCIATION: By no means was it commonplace.
ANDERSON: We asked him to screen the documentary. He gave it a thumb's down.
GEORGE: I thought it was virtually a hit piece on lenders in the United States. There have been a number of homeowners that thought they were doing the right thing, and at the end of the day, weren't -- not because they were taken advantage of by a broker or a banker or Wall Street, they just made a bad decision about their financial direction.
ANDERSON: The Lomaxes who are not part of the documentary decided to refinance their home in early 2007, hoping to consolidate mounting bills.
They went with Greenlight Financial, a company that advertised widely.
Lomax, who is legally blind, says he told Greenlight his only income came from disability.
JEANETTE LOMAX: So this is what we had -- this is what we had to show them as proof of income for him.
ANDERSON: Greenlight gave him a $150,000 loan, on a home that was appraised at about $300,000. The monthly mortgage note was greater than his monthly income. So, how could he possibly qualify?
The Lomaxes say their loan application was altered without their knowledge to make it appear Jeff made more than he did.
On the final loan documents, his income is greatly exaggerated, and it shows him working at a job for almost three years.
JEANETTE LOMAX: He doesn't work for anybody. He's disabled.
ANDERSON (on camera): We attempted to reach Greenlight for comment, but our repeated calls were not returned. But we did track down the original loan officer who took the Lomaxes' application.
MICHAEL VARDOULIS (ph), FORMER GREENLIGHT LOAN OFFICER: This is my name.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Michael Vardoulis (ph), who no longer works for Greenlight, reviewed the Lomax documents at our request. He pointed to a number of errors, among them Jeff Lomax checked as e-mail and an employer indicated for a man on disability.
VARDOULIS: It's clearly all messed up.
ANDERSON: His conclusion, Lomax was mistakenly given preliminary documents to sign instead of final ones with all information verified.
VARDOULIS: This loan should not have gone through.
ANDERSON: Vardoulis says, once he took in a loan application, like the Lomaxes, he would forward the data to Greenlight's underwriting division which he says often spits out flawed documents, but he maintains the mistakes typically were unintentional.
VARDOULIS: I don't think it was an intentional plan.
ANDERSON: The Lomaxes say they didn't notice the errors in their documents until after Jeff signed. Should they have known better than to get such a big loan? Their old loan officer thinks people like the Lomaxes have been unfairly blamed.
VARDOULIS: I think it's a mess of a mistake to say it's the client's fault. They shouldn't -- they didn't really qualify for that. Well, based on the guidelines that were set by the banks, they did qualify.
ANDERSON: The Lomaxes say their foreclosure ordeal has taken its toll. Preparing for the inevitable, they've removed most of their possessions from the house. Their granddaughter's picture still pinned to the wall. She may be the last to know the home is gone.
JEFF LOMAX: Hey, whose house is this?
UNIDENTIFIED KID: Mine.
JEFF LOMAX: Yours? Oh, my goodness.
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SANCHEZ: Brooke, I'm wondering, the Lomaxes, do they feel like they are responsible in any way?
ANDERSON: You know, I spoke with Jeanette Lomax about that, Rick. That's a great question, because I said, you know, isn't it the burden of the borrower to ensure that everything is accurate before signing off? And she said, yes, that probably they should have gone through it with a fine-tooth comb, but they were naive, this was their first home. That they felt hurried and pressured to sign and move forward with the deal.
And she said -- and I think this is key -- that they trusted everybody involved, Rick. They have -- they have received notice that they have to vacate their house by early December so they've got about a week. She said they're going to stay put until they are forced out.
So, it's a terrible all-too-familiar situation.
SANCHEZ: It certainly is, felt by a whole lot of people.
Brooke, thanks so much for that report.
ANDERSON: Yes.
SANCHEZ: Good stuff. Suzanne Malveaux is filling in today for Mr. Blitzer, and she joins us now live from "THE SITUATION ROOM."
