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Winter Blast for Mid-Atlantic States; Palin's Speech Sparks Talk of 2012 Campaign; 5 Dead in Power Plant Blast; Saints Wins Super Bowl; Toyota to Announce Prius Fix; Celebration Marking One of Iran's Historic Events; Confessions of a Ruthless Hit Man; Major Development in the Michael Jackson Death Investigation
Aired February 07, 2010 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, the nation's capital shut down. No government business for who knows how long. Same story for some major airports. Word now another storm is on the way.
Breaking news. A plant explosion. Five workers dead. Tonight they're searching for more.
A CNN exclusive. A killer on tape. A confession of a drug cartel hitman.
A new round of recalls expected from Toyota. Is your car on the list?
Sarah Palin caught on tape. Did she write down the answers? It's viral video tonight.
And The Saints go marching into Super Bowl history.
Good evening, everyone. A winter blizzard sets records and is making Monday's commute cold and impossible for millions of people. Hundreds of thousands from Pennsylvania to New Jersey to Virginia have no power right now. And tonight D.C. is still stuck in the snow. The government will be closed. More than 200,000 federal workers told to stay home on Monday.
And get this. More snow could be on the way. And CNN's Bonnie Schneider checking it all from the CNN severe weather center. We're going to get back to Bonnie with a complete forecast in just a few minutes.
Washington might be shut down by a blizzard but politics can't be stop. Sarah Palin's keynote speech at the tea party convention is sparking talk in D.C. and around the nation about a potential run for the White House. The former GOP vice presidential nominee had the crowd on its feet last night in Nashville, and her remarks were vintage Sarah Palin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH PALIN, FORMER VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, considering the recent conservative election sweep, it's time that they stop blaming everyone else. When you're O for three, you'd better stop lecturing and start listening.
The Obama-Pelosi-Reid agenda. It's going to leave us less secure, more in debt, and more under the thumb of big government. And that is out of touch, and it's out of date. And if Scott Brown is any indication, it's running out of time.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
This is about the people. This is about the people, and it's bigger than any king or queen of a tea party. And it's a lot bigger than any charismatic guy with a teleprompter.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
It's one thing to call a pay raise a job created or saved. It's quite another to call the devastation that a homicide bomber can inflict a manmade disaster. And I just say come on, Washington, if nowhere else, national security, that's one place where you've got to call it like it is.
How's that hopey-changey stuff working out for you?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. CNN's deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser was in the room at last night's speech, and tonight he is here in the CNN NEWSROOM. And joining us tonight from Washington is CNN political editor Mr. Mark Preston.
First one to you, Paul. So does this mean one step closer to possibly running for president for Sarah Palin?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: You know, a lot of people said that that speech last night in Nashville at the convention sounded like maybe a possible stump speech, something down the road. We're still a long way from 2012, and that next campaign. But, listen, you're going to see a lot more Sarah Palin on over the next couple of weeks. She's going to be stumping for other Republicans. She was today for the Texas governor. We're going to see her at more tea party events. If she does run, this is the kind of group that is really going to support her in the primaries.
LEMON: I want to ask this next question to Mark.
Mark, what is the bottom line out of this tea party convention? How significant will they be going forward?
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: You know, I think they're going to be very significant if they're able to continue to just talk about their core message of less government, less taxes, and not to be distracted by some of the other things that have gone on in the movement.
It seems like over the past couple days down in Nashville, they were able to stick to those core values, do these training sessions about how to run primaries against other Republicans, specifically, and some Democrats as well. But if they get too distracted by some of the other things that go along around it such as whether Sarah Palin will get paid to speak down in Nashville, then it's going to be problematic.
LEMON: Yes. And speaking of some other issues that we have been talking about, first I want to show you this. As they were screaming in the crowd last night, Paul was there going "Run, Sarah, Run," "Run, Sarah, Run." There's also something I want to look at. And this video has become viral now.
Take a look at this. Now I want you to look at this still photo, right? So look at that. That's the video. It appears her -- when Sarah Palin's asking a question that she looks down at her hand. Right?
All right, so some are saying that notes were written on her hand. So look at this still photo. On her hand, the words energy, and then it looks lift American spirit, finally, listen to this, answer to the question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PALIN: We have got to jumpstart these energy projects that, again, we've heard so much about because it's ridiculous that we have just sitting warehoused under God's green earth here in the United States of America, rich resources, oil and gas and our coal and all these conventional sources of resources. We have got to actually walk that walk, too, to allow them to come to development. And then I think, kind of tougher to -- kind of tougher to put our arms around, but allowing America's spirit to rise again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: OK. So, Paul, you were in the room last night. Did you notice that during the Q&A?
STEINHAUSER: Unfortunately, I was at the back of the room. I didn't get a front row seat, so I couldn't see that. But we did know that people who attended the convention submitted questions to the organizers. What we don't know, and we've asked the organizers, did Sarah Palin know what the questions were before she got there? It's likely she did, but they did not give us an answer.
LEMON: So she might have written some notes down on her hand.
Mark, I understand, did you reach out to the Palin people about this?
PRESTON: Yes, I have, Don, just in the past hour. And to be fair it has just been in the past hour. I've reached out to her spokeswoman just to ask these questions. Did she write on her hand? If she did, why did she do so?
Look, the fact that she wrote on her hand isn't really that big of deal. We all work off of notes certainly in television. But the fact that she was critical of President Obama and called him that charismatic guy with the teleprompter, and as you just saw I look down at my notes, at that point, to give that direct quote.
It's very hard to be critical of one person when you yourself are using the same kind of aids when you are speaking.
LEMON: So I was going to ask you. What does this mean if anything, if she did have notes or if she did have the answers? Does that mean anything at all?
STEINHAUSER: I think it's maybe a one-day story.
LEMON: OK. Thank you, both.
Paul Steinhauser and Mark Preston, always appreciate you guys. And it's good to have you here in Atlanta.
Meantime, we're going to move on now and talk about a deadly blast at a power plant. It shatters a quiet Sunday in a small town in Connecticut. We'll have a live report for you.
And a major setback for ten Americans jailed in Haiti on child trafficking charges. Their Haitian attorney has quit.
And a reversal of fortune for the city of New Orleans. A city celebrates a saintly Super Bowl win. Live pictures now from the French Quarter. We want to know what's on your mind tonight.
Are you happy about this? About the win, or about Sarah Palin? Send it to us. Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, or iReport.com. We'll get it on the air.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: In central Connecticut tonight, a desperate search for survivors following a horrific gas line explosion at an unfinished power plant in Middletown.
Our Susan Candiotti joins us live from the scene.
Susan?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Don, we have an update from the search scene tonight. And this information is coming from the spokesperson for the investigation. He says that at this hour no one has come forward to say that anyone else is missing. So this could be an indication that the death toll may stand at five. But meantime, it has not slowed down the search.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: The blast sent some workers flying 40 feet into the air, and rattled homes as far as 20 miles away.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All of a sudden there was a big explosion, and the flames were higher than the stack itself. I never want to see anything like that in my life.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The flames were shooting up, and it just rocked the whole place. Windows were blown out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we had pictures on the wall that they were knocked on the ground. And knickknacks and stuff all fell on the floor. I thought my house exploded.
CANDIOTTI: Investigators say at the time of the blast workers were purging a gas line and that the plant was under construction. But into the night, no one could say how many workers were on duty.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm frustrated. Why is it taking us this long to get what I consider pretty straightforward information? Find whoever's in charge of personnel and who was on the job.
CANDIOTTI: These photos obtained exclusively by CNN were taken about an hour after the massive explosion. Shooting flames from burning gas initially slowed the rescue, until the gas source was cut. Now the rubble's being searched by hand.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a large metal building. There's been a lot of exterior sheet metal that has blown off the building and continues to fall off. The weather has affected that a little bit. There is quite a bit of wind there. So there are piece that continually are flying off and presenting a danger to rescuers.
CANDIOTTI: Middletown's town hall is now a meeting place for workers' families seeking news about loved ones.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any loss of life is always tragic. And it will be felt because a lot of those guys are from this area. Most of the construction workers up there were from this area. So it will be felt in the community. That's for sure.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: And tonight, Connecticut's Governor Jodi Rell has imposed a no-fly zone over the accident scene, saying -- blaming it, rather, on the building's possible instability. The search tonight, Don, will again go on just as long as they are making progress. And then the plan is to resume in the morning.
Don?
LEMON: Thank you very much for that, Susan. And tonight I spoke with Middletown's mayor about the difficulty of trying to search for the people there, the damaged structure. He said it could take days.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEBASTIAN GIULIANO, MAYOR, MIDDLETOWN, CONNECTICUT: What you had was a large, basically empty space. That was covered with like an aluminum sheathing, aluminum siding. The explosion shredded that. And some of these pieces are still coming down, especially with the wind up there. So you get a rescue crew in there. One of the things you have to do is ensure the safety of the rescue crew. That they don't become casualties as well. So this is very slow, very painstaking work that they're doing. (END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Make sure you stay with CNN for all the latest on this developing story.
If you have a Prius in the driveway, you'll want to hear what Toyota has to say this week. Is another recall on the way?
And NASA will restart the countdown at the Kennedy Space Center. The agency hopes they won't have to cancel a shuttle launch twice.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Record snow in Washington, D.C. has road crews working feverishly to clear out major streets and highways. The snowfall has been so intense that the federal government will be closed tomorrow. The decision affects some 230,000 government employees who have been told to stay home for safety reasons. Essential services will continue, though, and emergency workers are still expected to report to work.
Snow suspended all flights into and out of Washington Reagan's National Airport today. Service at Dulles was severely limited. So we want to go now to CNN's meteorologist Bonnie Schneider in the CNN severe weather center.
Bonnie, what a mess, and it's not over yet.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: No, not at all. We are still looking at the threat for more snowy weather for Washington, D.C. and the rest of the country this time with a brand new storm system.
Just to recap, we have the latest snowfall totals for you. And they are tremendous. Dulles Airport, 32.4 inches. Hard to believe that much snow fell, but this is a two-day storm period total. So over the course of two days, almost three feet of snow. Philadelphia also massive amounts and elsewhere across Maryland. And New Jersey, a big contrast from southern New Jersey, where there was almost 20 inches of snow, and then northern New Jersey where you saw maybe eight or nine inches.
All right. Well, that's what's on the ground now. Wait until you see what's coming up. We are watching for a brand new storm taking shape. The winter storm watch now has changed a little bit since the last report. I just checked the latest data, and now the winter storm watch for this area here into Maryland, D.C., and even southern Pennsylvania will go into effect Tuesday afternoon. So tomorrow you have the day, you can shovel, do the best you can. But more snow will be on the way for Tuesday night. And it's not just in the D.C. area.
We're watching out for snow immediately right now this evening into Minneapolis. Rochester, Minnesota, you'll be seeing snow. And then Chicago starting Monday for those of you that have business travel perhaps to Chicago on Monday, we could see up to a foot of snow in Chicago as early as Monday night into Tuesday as this storm system slides to the west.
It's all kind of coming together. The big picture shows you, we have snow right now across much of Minneapolis, Chicago. It started coming in to northern Illinois, Kansas City and then rain into Oklahoma. But as you can see here, what we're watching is eventually, by the time we get to the middle of the week, what we're going to see is low pressure developing right around here. And then working its way up in a classic Nor'easter format.
But this is what's different. We're going to see some changes with this system. In fact, what we're looking at is a little bit less snow for the Washington, D.C. area. In fact, you're only looking at about five inches. I know five inches is still a lot after getting all the snow we had earlier. But this time the city that got spared, where we only saw a few inches, areas to the north, we'll see heavier snow.
So heavier snow in northern New England, Don, as we go through the middle of the week. But this is a big storm. It's affecting most of the country this week.
And the forecast for New Orleans calls for "Who Dat."
SCHNEIDER: Yes, and lots of smiles.
LEMON: Absolutely. Look at that. Live picture now from the French Quarter. New Orleans is one city that really knows how to party. But now it has a whole new reason to celebrate. A Super Bowl win. We're going to take you there to the streets of New Orleans live tonight. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: OK. You know what? It looks like Mardi Gras came early down in New Orleans. We're working here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Look at that. Live pictures now from our affiliate WDSU. I know that street very well. That is Bourbon Street down in the French Quarter. Of course the city is going crazy right now. And you want to know why? Because The Saints are on, have won their very first Super Bowl ever against The Indianapolis Colts. It was 31-17. 31-17.
And you know what? I'd rather be in New Orleans instead of Miami. I am very jealous of this gentleman right here, Mr. Ed Lavandera live in the middle of the French Quarter.
Ed, it's pretty loud right there, and I'm sure a lot of hurricanes are being consumed. And that's the drink I'm talking about.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. No one's drinking here, Don. Don't worry about it.
LEMON: All right. It looks fun, though, man.
LAVANDERA: Oh, it is absolutely unbelievable. The moment the game ended, Bourbon Street here filled up. You can't even walk on Bourbon Street. And if you haven't gotten sick of this chant, here's a little bit more.
CROWD: Who dat?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who dat saying they going to beat them Saints. Who dat? Who dat?
CROWD: Who dat saying they're going to beat them Saints. Who dat? Who dat?
LAVANDERA: And, you know, Don, the amazing thing is here is that even people who have lived in New Orleans all of their lives say that this might be the biggest party this city has ever seen.
LEMON: You know what, Ed? Just let them enjoy themselves. We know people get -- listen, people get a little crazy down there. But let me tell you, it is, it is probably going to be the biggest party that they've ever seen down there. Not only in the middle of Mardi Gras right now. You're in the middle of Bourbon Street. They had a mayoral election yesterday. They have a new mayor. And then they're going to the Super Bowl for the first time. They should be partying.
LAVANDERA: Oh, no, absolutely. It's been an exciting weekend here. And it's only going to get crazier. They've got people who will be taking off from work over the next couple of days. The parade is planned for Tuesday. I talked to Mayor Ray Nagin last Thursday, and even they said that -- even he said this town's going to go into some serious detox.
LEMON: And here's the thing. The celebration -- you know, fat Tuesday isn't until a week from Tuesday. Ed, if you need to run, let me know. But I think you'll be fine. Those folks are just happy. So this party's going to go into fat Tuesday on Tuesday. But here's the interesting thing. You cover a lot of news down there. You know this just might be the spark to have New Orleans make a comeback.
LAVANDERA: Well, you know, we talked to Mayor Nagin about this. He talked to people all over the city. And I just got to the point I don't think you can overstate just how much this team means to this city. And, you know, perhaps people who don't live around here feel that might be overstated. But the people who live in New Orleans -- hey, if you just give me one second, I'll talk to you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 31-17.
LEMON: That guy may have consumed some beverages there.
LAVANDERA: You think?
LEMON: Finish your thought. You said you can't overstate how important it is.
LAVANDERA: I'm was going to ask him a question, but I'm afraid of what he might say.
LEMON: Oh, no, it's OK. It's OK, he realizes that. So listen, Ed, you're down there, and I have to say --
LAVANDERA: Real quick. Real quick.
LEMON: Go ahead.
LAVANDERA: No, I was just going to say what's fascinating is a lot of these people have flown in. You know, a lot of people go to Miami, go to the Super Bowl site. But a lot of people down here are from elsewhere. I've met people from Cincinnati, California, who have come down here to be here tonight. And I think that says a lot for what's going on here tonight.
LEMON: Ed Lavandera, you are a trooper, my friend. Nice handling. You handled that live shot very well. These folks are happy, as well they should be. Our Ed Lavandera in the middle of it all down in the French Quarter. Hey, Ed, where exactly are you? Are you on Bourbon Street? Where exactly are you?
LAVANDERA: Yes, we're on Bourbon Street. Actually, coincidentally enough right next to the Royal Sonesta Hotel, which for a lot of folks who've worked at CNN over the last five years, it's a hotel that got us through the worst parts of Hurricane Katrina in those days. So it's kind of like a very familiar corner for us. We spent a lot of time here.
LEMON: Yes, very familiar. The Daiquiri Shop right across the street.
LAVANDERA: Right, right, right. All right, Don.
LEMON: We're going to let Ed Lavandera go. Ed, good to see you. Take care of yourself. Now you can go party. We may come back to you a little bit later on in the show.
But the reason we're lingering on this is that as we've been saying this is more than a sports story. And being from Louisiana and knowing the sentiment of the people there, and how down everyone has been since Hurricane Katrina, the loss of business, the loss of tourism, just having, you know, a really tough time, and it's great to see people happy there again finally. So we hope that this provides some lift for the people of New Orleans.
Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints. No longer the ain't. Wish my uncle was still here, who was one of the charter members of The Saints Fan Club. He would be very happy. Unfortunately, he's not here. So congratulations.
Brake problems in the Prius, but Toyota isn't calling that issue a recall. We'll tell you when it's expected to announce a fix.
And does a second arrest in connection with a bloody massacre at this house signal a shift in Mexico's drug violence? Why cartel hitman aren't just going after their intended targets. They are shooting to kill anyone who gets in their way.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: Time now for our top stories. Toyota is expected to announce a fix for the 2010 Prius this week. A software glitch is causing brake problems with the car. But the company isn't using the word "recall" at moment. Toyota did recall more than 8 million other cars over a gas pedal problem. Six Toyota plants in North America are set to reopen after a week-long shutdown caused by the gas pedal problem.
The Haitian lawyer for ten detained American missionaries tells CNN he has resigned. The Americans face kidnapping charges for attempting to take 33 Haitian children across the border into the Dominican Republic without proper documentation. Court hearings are scheduled tomorrow and Tuesday, and it's not clear who will replace him.
President Barack Obama says he is ready to join the Republicans to find a way forward on health care reform. The president said today he plans to talk health care with congressional leaders from both parties later this month. In his words, "We'll go through systematically all the best ideas out there and move it forward."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What I want to do is to look at the Republican ideas that are out there, and I want to be very specific. How do you guys want to lower costs? How do you guys intend to reform the insurance market so people with pre-existing conditions, for example, can get health care? How do you want to make sure that the 30 million people who don't have health insurance can get it? What are your ideas specifically?
And if we can go step by step through a series of these issues and arrive at some agreements, then procedurally there's no reason why we can't do it a lot faster than the process took last year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And I talked about the president's comments with CNN's senior White House correspondent, Ed Henry.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Certainly it does appear that health care is still on life support, if you will. But on the other hand, the president in sort of a dramatic development. He's trying to maybe breathe new life into it. And I think if you think back to the Scott Brown election, the other thing some analyst were saying as well, especially a line being push by the White House was that, you know, now the Republicans have 41 votes in the Senate. They can either block things or they can try to help pass things.
And the White House has been trying to push the line that the Republicans need to be held accountable. And they have to show that they are really willing to work with the president in a bipartisan way, meet him halfway, if you will, so I read this in -- (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Certainly it does appear that health care is still on life support, if you will. But on the other hand, the president in sort of a dramatic development. He's trying to maybe breathe new life into it. And I think if you think back to the Scott Brown election, the other thing some analyst were saying as well, especially a line being push by the White House was that, you know, now the Republicans have 41 votes in the Senate. They can either block things or they can try to help pass things.
And the White House has been trying to push the line that the Republicans need to be held accountable. And they have to show that they are really willing to work with the president in a bipartisan way, meet him halfway, if you will, so I read this in part as the president sort of trying to call the Republicans' bluff and say OK, you say you want to work with me, I'm going to call you to the White House. And what I'm told by a White House official specifically this will happen on February 25th.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And before this big meeting on health care happens, the same group of bipartisan leaders will meet with the president on Tuesday to talk about a wide range of issues, including health care, jobs, and other topics.
Candy Crowley took the helm today as host of CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION," and her very first guest, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Clinton talked about health care reform. The same subject she tackled years earlier as first lady. But first she spoke about trying to outwit an adversary like al Qaeda. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: I don't see them as stronger, but I see that they are more creative, more flexible, more agile. They evolve. You know, they are, unfortunately, a very committed, clever, diabolical group of terrorists who are always looking for weaknesses and openings. And we just have to stay alert.
Well, it's really hard. It is a complex issue that touches everybody, about which both people and interests have really strong feelings. But I haven't given up yet, and I know the White House hasn't given up. And I don't think a lot of the members of Congress have given up. So I'm not sure that this last chapter has been written.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: It's a very good show. Much, much more where that came from. Make sure you watch CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION WITH CANDY CROWLEY" every Sunday, 9:00 a.m. and noon Eastern right here on CNN.
Well, while you were sleeping, the people at NASA, well, they will be working while you're sleeping tonight, and they're take a second shot early tomorrow morning at sending up the space shuttle "Endeavour." The first one had to be scrubbed because of cloudy weather. So we want to get now to our John Zarrella. He's standing by live at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Let's hope the second time is the charm.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Don. What's this sleeping business? I'm going to be here. Everybody should be awake with us watching the shuttle launch tonight. You know, I don't think they'll be partying quite as hard here at the Kennedy Space Center as they are in New Orleans. But they will be excited if they can get "Endeavour" off the ground tonight early morning hours, rather, about 4:14 a.m.
It had to be scrubbed yesterday, as you mentioned, because of the low clouds that moved in here over the Kennedy Space Center. There's still a chance that that could be the case tonight and into the overnight hours. But less likely than they were yesterday. And everything is running perfectly. The vehicle is absolutely in perfect shape. It has been fueled, and it's ready to go, waiting for the astronauts to come out. The six-member crew that will be going on a 13-day mission to the International Space Station.
Don?
LEMON: John Zarrella, thank you. Try to get some sleep, at least a little bit, sir. Appreciate it.
It is a celebration marking one of Iran's historic events, but the opposition is planning to seize the moment. Why this week could be so volatile for the country.
And tomorrow, prosecutors say charges will be filed in the Michael Jackson death investigation.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: A significant anniversary coming up this week in Iran, but it won't be a day of celebration for everyone in the country. Our Ivan Watson has been manning our Iran desk for us. And he's going to give us a little bit of context about the date, February 11th, this Thursday.
IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That is the 31st anniversary, Don, of the Establishment of the Islamic Republic after the Shah of Iran was overthrown. And what you typically see are big demonstrations, government-supported demonstrations talking about the big achievements of the Islamic republic in these 31 years.
Well, there's a challenge now coming from within the country from an opposition force, where people have been, thousands of them, locked up, arrested. They're accusing the government of rigging the elections last summer, and they're saying we have the right to go out and march also on February 11th. And the government said no way.
LEMON: Yes. And the reason we have you manning our Iran desk is because tensions really have been running so high in Iran. We saw all the demonstrations, the protests over the -- and quite honestly, the death. You know, brutality on the streets. So this is happening at a time when there is high tension, and they're concerned, I'm sure, about the possibility of more.
WATSON: That is one of the fears. Because every time we've seen the opposition go out into the streets to try to show their opposition to the ruling system there, the security forces have come out hard, and they have used force. We have documented cases of thousands of people arrested, accounts of torture taking place in the prisons.
Right now, Iran is the biggest prison for journalists right now. At least 42 people arrested according to the organization reporters without borders. So if the opposition comes out, as they've said they will, they could very easily become targets again.
What's interesting is they've been very creative at using these state-sponsored holidays to also get in there, to wriggle their way in with the crowd. And we'll see if they manage to do that again this year.
LEMON: Do you mind if I go off topic a little bit here because I know that you were in Haiti and we talked about it a little bit.
Ivan obviously works internationally, and he's a foreign correspondent. So I'm sure this was, we talked about it, unlike any story you've ever covered, you probably saw more death there than you did in a war zone.
WATSON: Yes. Yes. I have not -- I've covered a number of conflicts now, and this Haiti earthquake was something on a scale that I've never seen before. And the amount of suffering was just horrific. And there wasn't a person you could shake your fist at and blame this on. And that's not something I'm really accustomed to.
LEMON: OK, it's tough. I know it's tough saying it, you guys are going to be OK. Hopefully you will?
WATSON: Yes.
LEMON: Ivan Watson, thank you. Ivan will be manning our Iran desk next week. And I'm sure you'll be doing a great job at it. We'll be watching. It starts in the morning? Do you know when it starts? The Iran desk? Tomorrow morning?
WATSON: Yes.
LEMON: All week here on CNN. Thank you very much.
Confessions of a ruthless hit man. We're going inside Ciudad Juarez, where a man confesses to being a conspirator in a cold-blooded murder spree. The things he said, and how he said them will absolutely shock you.
And a major development in the Michael Jackson death investigation tonight. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Look at this. Exactly one week ago, 15 people were massacred at a house party in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Most of the victims were students ranging in age from 13 to 19. Now a second arrest has been made in the case. A man identified as Israel Arzate Melendez, who investigators say was a co-conspirator in the killings.
And in a press conference yesterday, he confessed to being a hit man for the Juarez drug cartel. Arzate said he acted as a lookout as 14 gunmen entered the party and started shooting. Investigators say the gunmen believed their victims were members of a gang affiliated with a rival cartel. Arzate himself admitted to shooting and killing one of the victims.
We've exclusively obtained audiotape of his chilling confession.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Can you tell me what your name is?
ISRAEL AZARTE MELENDEZ, SUSPECT (through translator): Israel Arzate Melendez.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you tell me your alias?
MELENDEZ: The country and 24.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Which gang do you belong to?
MELENDEZ: La Linea.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you participate in the killings in Viesta Salvador?
MELENDEZ: Yes. I accompanied 14 people and we crashed the party to execute members of Double A, the Artists Assassins.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How did you participate?
MELENDEZ: I stayed outside to watch so that nobody came to attack us. And there I shot a guy who was wearing blue jeans and a white sweater.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who were you going for?
MELENDEZ: For a young guy who was for the Double A.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who gave the order?
MELENDEZ: El Rama, number 10 and number 51.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why did you shoot at the rest of the people?
MELENDEZ: El Rama told us to shoot everybody, including women. (END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Mexican investigators believe they have identified every single gunman involved in last week's house party massacre, where 12 students and two adults were killed.
This is a story that shows why drugs are such a problem in this country and it's spilling over.
Our assignment editor Nick Valencia here at CNN broke this story for us.
Nick, you obtained from police really the hierarchy of what's really called a gang here. It's a drug gang. And it all starts at the top with this man who eyewitnesses saw him and they turned him in.
NICK VALENCIA, CNN ASSIGNMENT EDITOR: Yes. This is, Don -- this is El Rama, who state prosecutors say is the leader of the cartel that continued and conducted these killings at the party.
LEMON: But it's believed that he is the head of this. And so he led to these guys. These guys -- he was killed. And these guys are in custody. This is believed to be the getaway guy, who drove the getaway guy --
VALENCIA: This guy right here is somebody that they brought into custody on Monday. The leader of the shootout, El Rama was killed in a shootout with Mexican military on Monday. He was captured. Melendez, who you just mentioned in this report, was caught on February 4th.
LEMON: So getaway guy, and they believe this is the lookout guy.
VALENCIA: He acted as the lookout, closed off the streets. These gunmen came into the neighborhood, close off the streets and didn't allow any of these partygoers to escape.
LEMON: These guys unidentified, but they are in custody?
VALENCIA: They are not in custody just yet. They have been identified. No descriptions from witnesses for these cartel members.
LEMON: And then there are a number of men down here. These are believed to be the actual shooters who carried this out.
VALENCIA: Yes. These are the Sicarios, as they're called in Mexico. The hit men who carried out these brazen attacks. This is probably the most brazen attack that happened in the three-year drug war launched by President Felipe Calderon in 2006.
LEMON: And here's the reason -- this is so important, because as I said in the beginning here, this is part of the reason why we get drugs over in this country and the violence as well and really the reason that Ciudad Juarez is one of the deadliest cities in the world.
VALENCIA: I just spoke to the mayor of Juarez earlier tonight by phone, and he was telling us that it is the insatiable demand in the United States of drug users that is sort of spurring this problem. He wants to make sure to convey that that needs to be -- the burden needs to be bared by somewhat, by the United States.
LEMON: Yes. And, again, as we said -- and we rarely get information like this and what's caught on tape. Nick Valencia, our assignment editor. Thank you. Great job in getting this story. Nick broke this story, and he's been digging on it. We really appreciate it.
VALENCIA: Thanks, Don.
LEMON: Prosecutors say charges relating to Michael Jackson's death investigation will be filed tomorrow. We have the latest on that investigation for you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We want to update you on the situation in Washington, D.C. As you look at live pictures of the Capitol and the White House. It was a record snowfall. And road crews are working to try to clear out some major highways there. But, meantime, all of the snowfall has been so intense that the federal government offices will be closed tomorrow.
And, again, we want to tell you this decision affects some 230,000 government employees. They have been told to stay home for safety reasons. We heard earlier there were some roofs that collapsed under the weight of all that snow that came through yesterday. Essential services, though, will continue in the city, in Washington, D.C., the District of Columbia. Workers are expected to report to work.
Also the airports as well. We know that Reagan National Airport closed, limited, severely limited service at Dulles. So make sure you check in with CNN "AMERICAN MORNING" 6:00 a.m. Eastern to find out about your commute, the flights, and what you need to know. They'll have it all for you.
Meantime, prosecutors say charges relating to Michael Jackson's death are to be filed tomorrow against his personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray. Police have disclosed a previous court papers -- in previous court papers that they were investigating the doctor on charges of involuntary manslaughter.
It has been almost eight months since Jackson died, and CNN's Ted Rowlands takes a look back.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(SINGING)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): June 23rd, Michael Jackson is rehearsing for his upcoming "This is It" concert series.
(SINGING)
ROWLANDS: Two days later, at 12:21 in the afternoon, a 911 call is made from Jackson's rented Los Angeles home.
DISPATCHER: He's unconscious. He's not breathing?
CALLER: Yes. He's not breathing sir.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Let's get back to breaking news. We're following Michael Jackson. The king of pop has been rushed to a local hospital.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Michael Jackson was the patient on this 911 call that they picked him up and they took him to the UCLA Medical Center.
JERMAINE JACKSON, MICHAEL JACKSON'S BROTHER: My brother, the legendary king of pop, Michael Jackson, passed away on Thursday, June 25th, 2009, at 2:26 p.m.
WOLF: Look at these crowds. They are developing outside UCLA Medical Center right now as word begins to spread that Michael Jackson is dead.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Michael's body already in the medical examiner's office. There is the body right there, choppered, no freeway procession, no traffic jams, just a short flight across town. Now, in addition to the investigation the outpouring. As you look, there are the crowds gathering tonight in many places, outside the hospital in Los Angeles, at his home, and at the Apollo Theater here in Harlem in New York.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is something that millions of people will never forget. It's devastating.
ROWLANDS: The death investigation quickly centered on Dr. Conrad Murray Jackson's personal physician who was with Jackson when he died. Listen closely for his voice in the background of the 911 call.
CALLER: Doctor, did you see what happened sir?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)
CALLER: Sir, if you can please...
DISPATCHER: We're on our way.
ROWLANDS: T hat night police impounded Murray's car and, over the next few days, investigators removed what we learned is medical evidence from Jackson's home.
LEMON: I said you had some concerns about the physicians and the people around him during the last moments of his life?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I have. I have a lot of concerns.
ROWLANDS: Dr. Murray retained a lawyer and met with investigators.
ED CHERNOFF, DR. CONRAD MURRAY'S ATTORNEY: I can say this. There's nothing in his history, nothing that Dr. Murray knew, that would lead him to believe that he would go into sudden cardiac arrest or respiratory failure.
ROWLANDS: A source with knowledge of the investigation into Michael Jackson's death tells CNN that Dr. Conrad Murray gave Jackson the powerful drug Propofol within 24 hours of his death. Propofol is a heavy sedative typically used during surgery.
Others who treated Jackson would come out and say that the singer asked them over the years for the drug to use as a sleep aid.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I've never heard about this medication being given outside a hospital.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: That hearse which has the casket, the body of Michael Jackson covered in really beautiful flowers is making its way to the Staples Center.
(SINGING)
ROWLANDS: On July 7th, more than 30 million people around the world watched a public tribute with Jackson's casket on the same stage he rehearsed on the day before he died.
(SINGING)
PARIS-MICHAEL JACKSON, DAUGHTER OF MICHAEL JACKSON: Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. And I just wanted to say I love him so much.
ROWLANDS: On July 22nd, a search warrant is served on Dr. Conrad Murray's Houston clinic. Others would follow in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Murray, according to a neighbor, was in the house while agents searched the home.
On August 18th, Murray releases this video statement on YouTube.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. CONRAD MURRAY, PHYSICIAN TO MICHAEL JACKSON: I have done all I could do. I told the truth. And I have faith the truth will prevail.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROWLANDS: On August 28th, Jackson's death is ruled a homicide.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: They found that he died from acute Propofol intoxication.
COOPER: There, the hearse carrying the body of Michael Jackson.
ROWLANDS: On September 3rd, Michael Jackson was laid to rest. Ted Rowlands, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Boy. Hardly seems like eight months ago.
Well, The Saints marched into Miami as Super Bowl newcomers, and they'll march out of there as Super Bowl champions. We're going back to the party in the French Quarter tonight. We're looking at live pictures. And you guys are tweeting me about this. And man, Sarah Palin as well. Some of your comments, the interesting ones, of course, coming up in just a little bit as we look at those live pictures in New Orleans.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Oh, men, look at that. Don't you wish you were there? Live pictures of the French Quarter right now. The game may have happened in Miami, but New Orleans is the place to party tonight. Celebration is on after The Saints won their first ever Super Bowl against the Indianapolis Colts. 31-17.
Ed Lavandera live again for us in the French Quarter. Ed, how's it going this time? Did they leave you alone a little bit? Who dat, right?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, yes. I think we've got about ten seconds where I can get some words in. And let me know when I get attacked from behind here, will you?
All right. Don, I've been polling as many officers, who's been long-time French Quarter residents as I can around here. They say that the city that invented partying has never seen a scene like this. So here you go. Give us a little -- give us a little who dat, people.
CROWD: Who dat! Who dat! Who dat!
LAVANDERA: Don, the key to surviving here on Bourbon Street is to give them a chance to get that out of their system here as quickly as we can.
LEMON: You know what, Ed?
LAVANDERA: Let's not hug the camera, pal.
LEMON: Hey, you know what, let them. The more you try to stop them, the worse they'll get. So just let them do it.
So, listen -- you know what, usually during Mardi Gras, people do some pretty bad things. So I think this is pretty light, the treatment that you're getting. And again, Ed, it's good. It's good that people are celebrating again in New Orleans.
LAVANDERA: Absolutely. And the amazing thing is we've been asking the officers. No reports of any problems. These people aren't fighting. They're not turning anything down. They're just happy. One of the officers told me here a little while ago. So they're incredibly excited to see that. And you can't overstate what we hear repeatedly over and over here in New Orleans, Don, is what this team means to this city and what it has meant to the rebirth, the coming back of this city after Hurricane Katrina, and you hear that over and over again.
And it's clear tonight, as you see all these people here in the streets, just a little while ago, you couldn't even walk along Bourbon Street. It was incredible -- it's still incredibly packed. And none of these people will be home before the sun comes up.
LEMON: Hey, listen, Ed, you were in the -- Ed, you were in the French Quarter --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll be here all night.
LEMON: Ed, you were in the French Quarter as the game was going on. As The Saints -- as it got closer and closer to the time that The Saints, it looked like they were going to win, what about the volume? Could you hear it? Was it palpable there?
LAVANDERA: Oh, Don, I was in a bar just over here across the street and I was talking to the owners. And throughout the first half of the game she couldn't breathe, she just walked around, how nervous she was, how nervous she was. And she came running out after the game and gave me a huge hug. It was absolutely incredible for her.
So, you know, you've seen that over. They were tense. Don't let them tell you otherwise. These Saints fans were tense right up until the fourth quarter. But now they're celebrating. And they'll be out here a very, very long time.
LEMON: All right. Ed Lavandera. Ed, thank you very much. We appreciate it.
Ed, go and party. Enjoy yourself. I'm not sure if you're going to be on AMERICAN MORNING. So if you have to be, go to bed then. But if not, go ahead and enjoy it.
Hey, Scotty, give me a live picture of the French Quarter, will you? There you go. Live picture of Bourbon Street courtesy of our affiliate, WDSU. And here's the interesting thing. It was good to hear, Ed, say that police there have been no problems there because, you know, some people thought that maybe if New Orleans won, especially if they lost that there may be some chaos or some problems because of New Orleans known as a party city. But I think people are so happy about this there that they're just overjoyed and no one wants to cause any problems.
Hey, listen, I have a really funny -- you guys have been writing in. Really funny one for Ed Lavandera, because, Ed, also does our New Year's Eve coverage. Look at this one.
It says, "Ed gets the transvestites on New Years, space stuff and New Orleans. Now lucky guy." So he's lucky to be covering that. So, listen, I want to read some of your responses tonight. They range from mostly talking about Sarah Palin to New Orleans, as we expect. They say among other things that "Public Speakers -- are we to expect the public speakers should have a photographic memory now. How stupid to think so." Talking about Sarah Palin possibly having some notes on her hand.
"Palin having notes on her hand is like Reagan having index cards, and Obama having a teleprompter. No real issues. You relate it to Liz * on that show, "30 Rock," yes, of course."
"Amen. Who dat reigns. Thank you for the coverage."
Hey, guys, thank you for joining us here on CNN. I'm Don Lemon. I'll see you back here next weekend. Have a great week ahead.
Congratulations, Saints.
