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Man Facing Foreclosure Bulldozes Home; CPAC Meeting Ends; New Disaster in the Sky Over Denver; Alexander Haig Dies
Aired February 20, 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, how far would you go to keep the bank from taking your home? Would you bulldoze it? One man did, and some are saying it's the government's fault. It is broken. CNN investigates.
Conservatives in Washington getting moral boost tonight. They say they know who's best to go up against the president in 2012.
A 12-year-old hauled off to jail for doodling on a desk. Imagine if it was your child.
Air traffic control chase. A close call in the air that will make you think twice about flying.
Children in waiting for American moms and dads. Late word tonight of a heart-wrenching roadblock from Haiti.
And an emotional homecoming you have to see for men and women fighting for freedom overseas.
Good evening, everyone. Thanks for joining us.
We begin in Ohio with a story many foreclosure victims around the country can definitely relate to. Let me say right away that we don't condone what you're about to see.
And Courtis Fuller of WLWT, our CNN affiliate, has the story of a man who believed the bank was unfairly foreclosing on his home so he destroyed it rather than let the bank take it away.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TERRY HOSKINS, HOMEOWNER: It took three years and eight months to build it. It only took two hours to take it down.
COURTIS FULLER, WLWT REPORTER (voice-over): You are looking at a home valued at well over a quarter million dollars in Claremont County. This is how it looked until two weeks ago. Today, it is a pile of rubble. Covered by snow.
HOSKINS: When I see that I owe $160,000 on almost a $350,000 home, and somebody decides they want to take it, I wasn't going to stand for that, so I took it down.
FULLER: You heard him right, he bulldozed his home. To say Terry Hoskins knows how to make a point is an underestimate.
IRS liens on Hoskins' carpet store and other properties led to River Hills Bank in New Richmond eventually coming after his home.
What you might find strange is.
HOSKINS: They stated even though -- you know, Mr. Hoskins has never missed a payment on his house, it's cross collateral, so we can take that also.
FULLER: Why on earth would someone bull doze a $350,000 home? He tells me it's to send a message.
HOSKINS: And hopefully from this, people will stand up and maybe, you know, call their bank and tell them, hey, listen, you know what, I'm not going to let you do this to me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: That was Courtis Fuller reporting. So, listen, that homeowner Hoskins, he may not be finished yet. He is threatening to level one of his businesses that is also in foreclosure and due to be auctioned next month. Hoskins could face legal consequences for doing that.
We want to tell you that President Obama is trying to help people before they get that desperate. He announced a new plan on Friday that will allocate $1.5 billion of TARP money towards funding state housing agencies in five of the hardest hit states. Agencies in California, Florida, Nevada, Arizona and Michigan will have access to the funds. Now the money will be earmarked for homeowners who are unemployed, owe more than their homes are worth or cannot afford to make monthly payments.
So when it comes to government, many agree that it is broken, especially when you see situations like this. So all next week, CNN digs deep into the mess to find out what can be done to clean it up. "BROKEN GOVERNMENT," all next week.
A lot of people attending a conservative conference in Washington this week. They think the government is broken as well. Tonight was a grand finale CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference. Conservative radio and TV hosts Glenn Beck gave the closing arguments, and just before that, the group picked a candidate to go up against President Obama in 2012.
TheDailyBeast.com's John Avlon was there for it all.
John, the winner is?
JOHN AVLON, INDEPENDENT POLITICAL ANALYST: Ron Paul. Texas Congressman Ron Paul. I hear the libertarians. And I think this shouldn't be seen as an endorsement of Ron Paul for 2012 necessarily, as an endorsement for his vision of conservatism, or conservatism which is small government, libertarian, less spending and a real rebuke to the Bush administration. Ron Paul has always criticized George W. Bush as not being conservative enough when it came to foreign policy and spending. So it's a page turner, it's a look to the future and definitely a reinvigorating conservative movement leaving this CPAC.
LEMON: They're saying government is not on their side. And in many ways as we said, they're saying the government is broken as well.
So when you listen to stories like you hear the man who bulldozed his own home, do they have any solutions with that, especially working with the current administration, maybe with some issues of bipartisan issues at least in order to fix the broken government? Any talk of that?
AVLON: No. CPAC is not interested in bipartisan solutions. CPAC is all about conservatives preaching and playing to their base. It's not even about policy prescriptions per se. This is about the conservative movement trying to decide what direction it should move in. And, you know, the keynote speech was any indication. It is an outright declaration of war on progressivism. An assertion that conservatism, small government, less spending will cure what ails the American economy and the American government. And that bipartisanship in the eyes of many of those folks is nothing but a sellout.
That makes working together across the aisle, which most of Americans want. 90 percent of Americans say that Washington is too polarized, they're too partisan, well, the activists on either side, in this case on the right aren't hearing that message. They want things more polarized. They want things more ideological. That's how they feel like they can combat most effectively in the midterm elections and then look ahead to 2012.
LEMON: And you mentioned the grand finale, I guess the speech, the final speech. I imagine you were talking about conservative commentator Glenn Beck in his speech tonight.
What was his role? How is he received? Was there any controversy around it?
AVLON: Well, it was received very, very warmly. I think, you know, it was a rambling speech, frankly, that recounted everything from his own wrestles with addiction as a metaphor for what American, the Republican Party needed to do, hit bottom and take personal responsibility.
But I think the bumper sticker at the end of the day was, progressives are to blame for everything wrong with America. And by implication, conservatives in a renewed return to conservative principles could be what cures the Republican Party and America. Not just the economy, but a real vision of a more consistent philosophical conservatism. And the progressives throughout American history, especially going back as far as condemning Woodrow Wilson and Teddy Roosevelt, that version, they believe, has been the source of the decline of America. And they want to see a return to conservative principles.
LEMON: John Avalon, thank you so much. We appreciate your reporting all day today.
AVLON: Thank you.
LEMON: We want to tell you about the death of a giant in the conservative party. If you're familiar with the Watergate or the early days of the Reagan presidency, then you know Alexander Haig. He died early today at a Baltimore hospital. He was 85 years old.
Haig was a decorated soldier, an army general, and President Nixon's chief-of-staff during the Watergate crisis. A few years later, he was in the middle of another crisis at the White House. It was 1981. President Reagan had just been shot. Secretary of State Haig comes out to talk to the media. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEXANDER HAIG, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: Constitutionally, gentlemen, you have the president, the vice president and the secretary of state, in that order. And should the president decide he wants to transfer the helm to the vice president, he will do so.
As of now, I am in control here in the White House pending return of the vice president, and in close touch with him, if something came up, I would check with him, of course.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: As we know now and as history were record, Haig got it wrong. The constitution says the Speaker of the House is number three. This pretty much tainted Haig as power hungry. But don't judge his whole career based on that moment. That's what our David Gergen. David worked with Haig in the White House. We're going to hear from him just a little bit later on in this broadcast.
A frightening near miss in the skies over Denver. Passenger planes come within seconds of disaster. Could it happen on your next flight? We have the chilling air traffic recording for you.
Plus, a joyful welcome home. Hundreds of marines returned from Iraq. It's the day their families have been waiting for. And we've got the pictures that you certainly don't want to miss.
Also, time for you to become part of this broadcast. Make sure you log on to the social networking site. We're checking your comments. Some of them we will make it on the air.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: A lot of news happening. We want to get to your top stories right now. In Southern Afghanistan, a U.S. soldier says Taliban militants are running out of space, and now their only option is to fight. U.S. and Afghan troops are trying to seize control of the Taliban strong hold of Marjah. There have been intense gunfights and reports that insurgents have been shooting at troops from civilian's homes. There's been a changing of the guard for the country's oldest civil rights organization. Rosalyn Brock, a health care executive from Maryland, has been named the NAACP's new chair. Brock had been serving as the group's vice chair. She'll replace Julian Bond who's held the post since 1988. Brock is the youngest person ever to serve in this position.
The man who slammed his plane into an IRS building in Austin may have tried to maximize the damage. The FBI is looking into whether Joseph Stack removed several seats from the Piper Cherokee and replaced them with a stolen fuel drum. He apparently was enraged at the IRS. Stack and an IRS employee were killed in Thursday's crash.
Now a new disaster in the sky over Denver. How did planes come so close to crashing in midair? We're getting a look at just how it happened on that day in Denver.
CNN's Brian Todd reports on how close the planes came to disaster.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Look up near any major airport and you'll see them -- lines of planes in the sky on approach, seemingly not much margin for error, and in one recent incident a frightening near miss.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Traffic at 1:00, in four miles.
TODD: Newly released audio recordings and radar images reveal one passenger plane steering right toward a line of others. It happened as the planes were approaching Denver's airport just before Thanksgiving.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At 1539, traffic alert. Traffic -- 1:00, less than 2 miles at same altitude. Descend immediately.
TODD: CNN obtained the sound and radar images from the FAA. The story was first reported by CNN's Denver affiliate KMGH.
On that busy day, a line of planes approaching the Denver airport was directed over a fixed position on the ground, then funneled into something like a highway in the sky. That fixed position and that highway route over Denver are both named Sayge.
A Republic Airlines flight, code named "Brickyard", was flying parallel to that line and had already passed the fixed position, according to FAA officials. After he questioned the controller's guidance, the pilot proceeded, making something close to a u-turn, right toward the oncoming traffic, and narrowly flew behind one of the planes in line.
As he veered, a controller caught the error and scrambled.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who's heading back towards Sayge? Brickyard? Turn left and descend immediately. I don't care what altitude. Descend. You got traffic off your right.
TODD: FAA officials tell us the Republic Airlines plane missed one of the planes in line by less than two miles and had descended 200 feet below it. I asked retired commercial pilot Mark Weiss just how close that was.
TODD (on camera): The plane in orange is the one that is directed to fly to the fixed point. He crosses paths with the other two planes, essentially, flying behind one and just ahead of another, almost the same altitude, a little less than two miles apart at 700 miles an hour. What's the scenario there for a collision?
MARK WEISS, THE SPECTRUM GROUP: Well, the opportunity for something catastrophic obviously exists, and it exists in very fast time. I mean, the closure rate of aircraft at that speed is only a couple of seconds.
TODD (voice-over): But FAA officials insist, even if no evasive action had been taken, the planes would not have collided.
(on camera): Still, the FAA's preliminary investigation indicates this was an operational error on the part of an air-traffic controller.
Brian Todd, CNN, at Reagan National Airport.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Thank you, Brian.
President Obama said today that Alexander Haig was a fine example of this country's warrior, diplomat tradition. Haig might be best known for a sound byte made during the chaotic hours after President Reagan was shot. He got his line of succession wrong, and his career was never the same.
Plus, some orphans made it out of Haiti. You've been asking about them so we're going to report to you. Others, of course, had to stay behind. We're checking on them in a moment, and we have a late update for you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Take a look at this. Wow! Listen, if you're not looking at -- if you're just listening, look at these pictures. A popular resort island looks more like a disaster zone tonight. At least 32 people killed, dozens more may be missing. These are mudslides on the Portuguese Island of Madeira.
Flood waters have damage homes. You can see that. Flipped over some cars, have knocked down trees. Forecasters say heavy rains have lessen, but another round of bad weather is expected.
Jacqui Jeras, you know, I can't -- I don't know if I've ever seen anything like that. Look at that.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Wow. Amazing. Scary stuff. What are those people doing?
LEMON: The second round.
JERAS: Yes. Another wave of rain is going to be moving in there, and as you can see, everything already, you know, very agitated, so to speak. So any little bit that drops down certainly is going to run off.
You know, we're looking at the threat by the way of seeing some heavy rain again in parts of California. We don't expect to see pictures like that. So I don't want to scare you too much, but we do have more rain in the forecast. As you know, the ground is saturated. We did have evacuation orders that happened yesterday because of the La Canada Flintridge Area, the burned Station fire if you recall that. They evacuated folks because they were worried about the rain that we had overnight last night. Well, another batch of rain is going to be moving in here by tomorrow night and lasting until Monday. No flood watches or warnings have been posted here, but that's going to be an area we'll be watching very closely as we could get a good half of an inch of rain potentially at least with some of these stronger showers and thundershowers.
And the line of storms in the Pacific are out there once again. So we've seen a few spotty showers today. A little bit of snow into the higher elevations. The four corners have seen the heaviest snowfall over a foot, maybe even up to two before all is said and done by the end of the weekend into the Rockies and the Colorado.
Winter storm warnings have been posted now across parts of the Midwest as the storm system makes its way there. North of Kansas City, South of Des Moines, through the quad cities, and then the Chicago Land area a little iffy. The computer models have been all over the place, really seriously, going back and forth in some of these big cities as the system continues to develop here. But my best thinking is right now south of Des Moines, near Chicago.
I think if you're in the northern suburbs, you'll likely see some of those heavier amounts, maybe on the range of 4 to 8 plus inches, could see 6 to 10 in Milwaukee, and then we'll some dryer weather in the upper Midwest with some colder weather coming in back behind this system.
Things in the east have been fantastic. Had lots of sunshine today. Temperatures in the 50s and 60s. That won't last long as the rain is right around the corner as we head into Monday.
Don, we can get outside today.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: You know what, Jacqui, -- I was just going to say -- I know, it's Saturday, Jacqui. So listen, I was going to say, count your blessings when you're living here. Scotty, is there anyway we can get that video back to show what's happening on that island? OK.
When you -- the rain comes down so fast, what does it do, Jacqui? Does it just push the mud down and it causes all of these mudslides? I mean, here we have great weather here. As I said, count your blessings. But I just can't get enough of this video. I cannot believe what I'm seeing here. I can't imagine what people are dealing with.
JERAS: Yes. Notice all the rock on some of that video as well. So, you know, you've got unstable around, and the water seeps through any of these cracks or any kind of fissures that might be in the soil, and so that all sweeps it down. It usually comes down, you know, mountainsides and then it will take the path of least resistance to get towards the ocean. And that's what it's doing at a very quick rate.
LEMON: It looks like when you open the Washington machine, the agitation. I mean, that's amazing.
Jacqui, we appreciate it. Thank you so much.
JERAS: Sure.
LEMON: You know what, as we've been telling you, Alexander Haig's career was never the same after he misquoted the constitution that day in 1981. But don't judge him by that moment. There are many reasons that he deserves gratitude. His former colleague, our very own David Gergen will explain why I just said that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Let's talk more now about the late Alexander Haig. He passed away overnight at the age of 85. He was a decorated soldier, a four-star general and supreme commander of NATO. He was President Nixon's chief-of-staff and President Reagan's Secretary of State.
When Reagan was shot, Haig famously said he was in control here. Some felt it was a power grab. Haig resigned about a year later. Earlier I talked with our senior political analyst, David Gergen. David worked with Haig in the Reagan White House, and gave us this insight.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID GERGEN, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: I knew him well. I kept a photograph of him on my walls in the Reagan years. He was -- that was not a very popular thing to do in those days.
But I found him -- he went through an evolution in life. When he was at the White House under Richard Nixon, he deserves an enormous amount of credit from this country at a time when the president was caught in crisis, obsessed with Watergate, at its wits' end, Al Haig picked up the reins and stirred the government almost single-handedly for many months and he kept us, the government, out of a lot of trouble. Things didn't collapse.
And towards the end, while we don't know the details, I'm persuaded that he played a role in persuading the president to do the right thing and that was to resign. I have a lot of respect from him for those -- for him and I have a lifelong respect for him, for the contributions he made, not only as a soldier, as a decorated combat veteran in Korea and Vietnam, but for his service during the Nixon days.
LEMON: So, listen, take us forward then to the Reagan administration, because there was a bit of controversy. You know, as I said, he was a decorated soldier, very well-respected gentleman. But was it that one incident that happened after the president was shot that sort of sealed the deal for his political career and for what -- how history may judge him?
GERGEN: You know that sealed the deal, but I must tell, Don, it's a deeper story. And that is that, shortly before he went into work in the Reagan government as secretary of state, he had serious bypass surgery. And I must say, as I've seen in a few other instances, that can change a person's personality.
He was always combustible. He was smart, tough and he could -- he could -- he could get really fired up pretty quickly, a hair- trigger. But after that, I was among those who saw a change in him, so that he flew off the handle much more easily, was much more suspicious of people. He saw enemies where they weren't there, and he harbored grudges. And it was a changed man we saw as secretary of state. I don't think -- it was not his -- it was not a happy period for him. But I think his health was an issue in that.
And I must tell you that on the day of that -- of the shooting, I was in the room with him. In fact, we had -- he -- this was just -- he was trying to sort of steady the country and he ran down the hallway and up some stairs before he went to the briefing room. And I think that the bypass caused him to perspire a lot. He was clearly out of breath, didn't take time to compose himself. He was in such at rush -- rushed up to the microphone.
And what the country saw when the man said, "I'm in control here," the country saw, the world saw a man who looked like he was out of control. And it was jarring. It was a terrible moment for him. And it became an albatross for him for the rest of his life. I do think it played a role in his 1998 failed campaign.
But, to me, you know, it's easy for a leader to slip off a high wire and all of us make, you know, mistakes. He had that bad moment. But he should be judged by the totality of his life.
LEMON: Yes.
GERGEN: And the totality was more, than three years of meritorious service to this country; a man who not only was a combat, a decorated veteran, but an adviser and informal adviser at least half a dozen of presidents and who served this country well. George Schultz, his successor as secretary of state, I thought captured it well today. He said he was a patriot's patriot. No matter how you slice him, he always came out red, white and blue. And he really wanted to serve the country.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: That was CNN's David Gergen.
When does a zero tolerance policy make zero sense? Probably when this girl was arrested for doing what she's doing right here. She's doodling. We'll discuss this with our education interpreter Steve Perry coming up.
And remember the orphans in Haiti who were flown to the U.S. to be united with their adapted parents? We have an update for you on some that were left behind. And you want to stay tune for this. We're live in Port-Au-Prince tonight. It's a shocking update.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: So you guys write to us here at CNN or call us about updates on Haiti. You usually ask us about the orphans, the children left behind, how are they doing? We have an update for you.
Two days after the Haiti earthquake, CNN's Gary Tuchman visited the orphanage where 54 children were flown to the U.S. to be with their adopted parents, right? So Gary is back in Port-au-Prince and has an update on some orphans who were left behind.
Take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An orphanage in Haiti, where the children chant in Creole "Here's our mother, Margarette." Margarette may love these children like a mother, but she's the owner of the orphanage, hoping these children soon get approval to live with their new mothers and fathers in France and the United States.
(on camera) Do these children here have permission to leave Haiti?
MARGARETTE SAINT FLEUR, BRESMA ORPHANAGE OWNER: Not yet. Not yet.
TUCHMAN: How come?
SAINT FLEUR: Paperwork is not finished yet. Only six of them (INAUDIBLE) have permission to leave.
TUCHMAN: So the rest, which is another 30, still don't have permission to leave?
SAINT FLEUR: Not yet. TUCHMAN (voice-over): This is our second visit to the Bresma orphanage. Three days after the earthquake we met two Pittsburgh sisters who for years have helped Margarette run the orphanage. They said back then many of the children had already been matched with parents in the United States, but...
JAMIE MCMUTRIE, BRESMA ORPHANAGE: Their paperwork was in government offices downtown, and all the offices are crumbled. So that's what they need. All those papers are what they need to be able to get a passport and a visa.
TUCHMAN: Jamie and Alli McMutrie were tenacious, and 54 children got approval in the next few days and flew out of Port-au-Prince airport to new lives in United States. But 36 other children stayed behind.
We came back because we heard some were quite sick.
(on camera) How is the health of the children right now?
SAINT FLEUR: Not -- not very, very good. But they are OK. Except the four children that is not very in good shape.
TUCHMAN: They're in the hospital right now?
SAINT FLEUR: One of them is in the hospital.
TUCHMAN: That child has pneumonia. This still photo shows one of the other three children who have digestive problems. The other children all appear relatively healthy. While we were there they were bused to another Haitian orphanage so their current building can be repaired from earthquake damage.
They get a chance oat extra medical care that's available at the other facility. The Pittsburgh sisters, who had returned to the U.S. with their orphans, are now back in Haiti, trying to help get 12 of the orphans to designated families in the U.S. The rest of the children are likely destined to France. How long the process will take is unknown.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: That's the big question.
Gary Tuchman is now live in Port-au-Prince tonight.
Gary, we understand that you have a late update on those children's chances of coming to the United States. What did you find out?
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Don. I just met with Jamie and Alli McMutrie. They were very upset. They wanted to have a meeting with me. And they showed me two e-mails they received. Emails they say they're from the prime minister of Haiti and the prime minister's assistant. And in these e-mails they saw they are indeed from the prime minister of Haiti, which appears they are. It indicates that he would approve these 12 orphans going to the United States if the U.S. government approves. Here's the part they were upset about, though.
A few hours ago, the two sisters got an e-mail from the U.S. State Department. That e-mail says approval will not be granted. It doesn't say when or even if it ever will be granted. And the sticking point appears to be this. There are parents who are prepared to take these children as their own in the United States. But these parents signed on after the earthquake, and not before the earthquake.
A few weeks ago children who had parents assigned on after the earthquake were allowed to go into the United States, but everything's been toughened up. And it appears one of the main reason things have been toughened up is because of the arrest of the ten missionaries who allegedly were trafficking in children. So as of now, these children will stay in the orphanage. They are not going to the United States, to their new parents.
LEMON: Gary, you know what, I understand that there is one thing that you've noticed. You've noticed a big change since you were there last, and it's really hurting when it comes to housing people, putting roofs over their head.
TUCHMAN: Yes. There's no question about it. I mean, I was here for the first three weeks, went back to Atlanta where I live for two weeks, and now I'm back again. And one thing I noticed is that there are as many homeless people it appears to me, out in the streets and out in the parks as there were when I first got here. The fact is there are better tents now.
But you go into parks where we were in Petionville which is a very, very fashionable suburb just in the south of Port-au-Prince. It's where some of the wealthiest Haitians live. And there's a main park there. This beautiful green park, which is a swing set for children. There's an oasis in normal times. There are now hundreds and hundreds of homeless people who are living there. And they are basically putting TV sets in their tents and doing the best they can. Because they think they'll be there for a very long time.
So there really is no clear plan to get the homeless in real homes. They'll be in tents for a long time.
LEMON: That's just one of the reasons why CNN still has someone like Gary Tuchman in Haiti.
Gary, thank you for your reporting tonight.
Prison frequently becomes a revolving door, but one woman is on a crusade to change that. She's a CNN hero of the week. When we come back, you're going to meet her. It's a very special report.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: In California, nearly 60 percent of inmates release from prison end up back behind bars within three years. This week's CNN hero of the week broke that cycle. Former crack addict and six-time inmate Susan Burton got out, got clean and transform for life. Now she's created a program to help female offenders do the same thing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN BURTON, COMMUNITY CRUSADER: I'm writing in regards to my parole plan. I'm 21 years old with two strikes. I'm scared to relapse again. I want to be a success story. Please hold a bed for me.
We all leave prison saying I'm going to get my life on track, and you end up getting off a bus, downtown Los Angeles, Skid Row. People know who you are when you come off that bus, and you're targeted. Many times you don't even make it out of the Skid Row area before you're caught up into that cycle again.
My name is Susan Burton. After my son died, I used drugs. I just spiraled into a pit of darkness. I went to prison six times. Finally, I found rehab and I thought, I can help women come home from prison.
I pick them up, bring them back to the house.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Miss Burton is like a mother to all of us. She offers you a warm bed, food, like a real family.
BURTON: I want to see you shine.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She made me want to change my life.
You proud of me, Miss Burton?
BURTON: Sure. You came a long way.
I want the women who realize that they have something to contribute. This is giving life. That's what it's all about.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Of the 10,000 or so people attending the CPAC conference in Washington, a large number of them were under the age of 30. Earlier tonight I spoke with Brandon Atchinson and Kalindi Bryan about their experience at the gathering, asking whether they had enough life experience to understand the complexities of government economics.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRANDON AITCHISON, CPAC ATTENDEE: Even in high school, I had a high school job and going through college, you have to budget your money. And, yes, we're not maybe as experienced as somebody that has a family, but frankly, I don't think the federal government is doing a good job of demonstrating to us how to run a budget, how to run a sustainable fiscal path.
I think, you know, our representatives are supposed to reflect the American people and if -- and if they're -- if they're spending the way -- if they continue to spend the way they are spending now, it's unsustainable and I don't see how they can ask Americans to save and to pay their student loans and to pay their car loans when they can't -- when they can't hold up to the same principles.
LEMON: OK. So, listen, let me ask you this, Kalindi. When you -- you talked about, you know, there at CPAC, they're saying that, you know, the government hasn't set a clear path for your future, that government is too big. But there's also been this talk about bipartisanship. And Democrats are saying, well, Republicans don't want to work with us. And then Republicans are saying, Democrats don't want to work with us.
Was there any discussion -- especially among young people who tend to be a bit more progressive -- about possibly working with each other so that we can get rid of this gridlock in Washington and what we're calling here at CNN, "a broken government"?
KALINDI O'BRIEN, CPAC ATTENDEE: Well, I would say -- speaking as someone in the millennial generation -- that we are a group of young people who want a little bit of this and we want a little bit of that. And we are willing to cooperate, but we would like to see the progress ourselves, because it's very tough in our position. My mom raised me incredibly well and she runs her own small business, and I agree with Brandon that I actually am more aware about finances than many people give me a chance to speak of.
And I do respect the many young people who have come here today and these past three days who have sacrificed their time away from school or home to want to bring together each other, to focus on what our future is going to be like because we are all in this together.
LEMON: And, Brandon, you know, I'll ask you the same question. And I think it was a very good response from you, Kalindi.
Brandon, I'll ask you the same question. But with that question, I mean, don't you get tired of the sort of gridlock and don't you -- you know, especially, like I said, as a young person, a progressive person, don't you want to see something done? Because at the end day, it's really not about which side you're on, it's about getting things done for the American people.
AITCHISON: Absolutely. And I think there is gridlock in Congress. There is a lot of partisanship going on. I think that if politicians can get down to the core -- the core policy, differences that they have instead of attacking one another personally, calling each other incompetent. I don't think that's the good way to start the conversation now.
I think that we need to get down to the policy differences. We live in a democracy. Not everybody is going to agree with one another and we need to recognize that and find the common ground. But, you know, to touch on young Americans, I think that not only do we want our voices heard, but we want to be participants.
I noticed here at CPAC -- CPAC made a great effort to incorporate young American's point of views. The co-sponsors did a great job at engaging young Americans and I think it's promising. You know, the Republican Party and conservatives are usually seen as old -- as old white guys. And, really, I think, this shows that it's not just that.
LEMON: Yes, you can say that there.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: But, I mean, you can say that here. I think it's very true what you're saying.
AITCHISON: Well, that and also, you know, President Obama, when he ran for -- in the '08 campaign, did a great job at engaging young Americans, and as president, yes they do have a youth outreach office and they have a Facebook page. But as far as engaging young Americans and getting them to participate, I think it's really been lacking and I'm concerned about it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Well, just this week, Democratic senator Evan Bayh of Indiana said he's done with Congress. What's happening on The Hill? What's going on? I talked about it with "STATE OF THE UNION," the new host Candy Crowley.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: So, Candy, Evan Bayh says he's not going to run for re- election. Last week you and I talked about Patrick Kennedy. It seems to be an issue with the Democrats. Let's listen to Evan Bayh, and then we'll talk about it, OK?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. EVAN BAYH (D), INDIANA: There's much, too much partisanship and not enough progress. Too much narrow ideology and not enough practical problem solving. Even at a time of enormous national challenge, the people's business is not getting done. I love working for the people of Indiana. I love helping our citizens make the most of their lives. But I do not love Congress.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Is there some truth to that, because the president keeps saying, hey, let's work together, but it doesn't appear to be happening.
CANDY CROWLEY, HOST, STATE OF THE UNION: Well, Evan Bayh is in good company. There are a lot of people who don't love Congress at this point, but he's working there, so it's a little more personal.
What's interesting to me is that there are Republicans and Democrats alike that are leaving as there always are in an election cycle. They seem to be leaving for different reasons. Republicans are leaving, I think, because they're in the minority. It's really no fun. Democrats seem to be leaving in some cases out of more frustration, because they are the majority. You come in, you think, the last word, the majority and it's healthy, and they still can't get anything done. So there is truth to what he's saying. And certainly it's showing up in our polls all over that people are pretty disgusted with Congress, and don't think that it's really a functioning body.
LEMON: Does this mean that we're going to see in the senate, maybe a GOP majority Senate?
CROWLEY: It's a pretty -- that's a pretty steep climb. You will see a significantly strengthened Republican minority, I think. But, again, we just talked about eras in politics, not being that long of a time in real time. So a lot can change. But when you are looking at the people, the seats that are open, people are either retiring or going on to a different job.
What you see is the most vulnerable seats are currently held by Democrats. So that bodes well for Senate Republicans as they look to at least strengthen their minority.
It's not out of the question, but boy, that's a -- that would be a blow away election if Republicans could return to the majority.
LEMON: That's an uphill climb. Take us forward to what we can see on "STATE OF THE UNION," please?
CROWLEY: We are going to be looking into what is wrong with those people on Capitol Hill. And in fact, in Washington, that it seems a stalemate. Is the government frozen? Why is the government frozen? It's coming off. Of course, Evan Bayh's resignation saying I don't love it here. We can't get anything done, and of course, looking forward to this health care bipartisan meeting. Why can't this people get along? Why can't they get anything done? And also, can we change that? Is there some fix for that, and really is it all that bad?
I think you've probably seen the comedians lately saying, hey, the really bad news was there was a snowstorm in Washington, and the government couldn't work, and the really good news, the government couldn't work. So is it all that bad that nothing gets done in Washington? So what -- we will have that discussion.
Deval Patrick, the governor of Massachusetts will be with us, along with other governors, and we have some people, including Evan Bayh who are either leaving or have left the Senate and the House. We'll kind of take a look and say, is there a fix here?
LEMON: Hey, listen, even I see on both sides, on the Democratic side and the Republican side people saying, you know, we know the president met with the Dalai Lama this week. And there are people who are saying, you know what, the president needs to meet with a warrior, he needs a warrior mentality right now. I mean, it's kind of a joke, but that's the serious discussion happening in Washington and beyond.
CROWLEY: It is, and why? Because what we have seen in the past month or so, since Christmas Day, since a plane was almost blown up over the skies of Detroit by a man who was on a watch list that nonetheless was able to get on with enough explosives to blow up a plane, and only by the grace of God didn't succeed, there has been this huge push by Republicans to again bring the whole terrorism issue up and it will be an election year issue.
LEMON: Candy Crowley, I always enjoy our little chat. Can we do this tomorrow?
CROWLEY: I, too.
LEMON: Next time bring coffee, will you?
CROWLEY: I shall. I promise.
LEMON: I'll take a blend that we should both have, and then we'll have a little coffee talk.
CROWLEY: OK. All right.
LEMON: Thank you, Candy.
CROWLEY: Thank you.
LEMON: Hey, you can have coffee with Candy Crowley tomorrow morning as well, 9:00 a.m. Eastern on CNN, "STATE OF THE UNION WITH CANDY CROWLEY," and again at noon. So make sure you tune in.
Zero tolerance or zero common sense? That story is next. You are not going to believe it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Time now to talk about "What Matters," in our partnership with "Essence" magazine.
When we first heard this next story, frankly, we could not believe it. And the more we learned, the more outrageous it became. Just as that a 12-year-old girl in Queens was arrested earlier this month and placed in handcuffs for doodling on her classroom desk. The teacher sent her to the principal, the principal called police. Officers arrested Alexa and took her to the station. Neither Alexa nor her mother could believe.
The punishment seemed far out of proportion to Alexa's so-called crime. So earlier tonight I spoke about that with CNN education contributor Steve Perry.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Steve, at least according to reports, there was no profanity involved. No reports of her being violent or abusive. So then, what would possess police to arrest the child for doodling which seemed minor?
STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATOR CONTRIBUTOR: Let's take it a step back. What would possess the classroom teacher to not take care of it on her own or his own, the feel that they need to then bring it up to the principal or vice principal who then needs to call the police on a child who's 12 years old who wrote on a desk. I'm impressed that they could even get the police to come to the school to arrest them when I had adult males trying to date young girls in my school, and I can't get them arrested. Maybe I should have these guys write on a desk, and I would got them arrested, too.
LEMON: But let me ask you, I'm just going to, you know, present the other side here. Maybe they are having budgetary issues. Maybe they say, you know, our desk and the school possession, we worked very hard for them, they are hard to come by, and they have this, you know, rule in their school, don't destroy the property because we can't get it back.
PERRY: Listen, what they should have done, now, if she was in my school, she would have cleaned desks for a minute. I mean, she would have cleaned every flat surface that there was, walls, desk, floors, whatever there was.
LEMON: And in my school, growing up, my school too, the same thing. I would either -- that's when you could spank people, I would either clean desks, clean the blackboards, the whole school or something. But there would have been some -- I wouldn't have gone to jail or been arrested.
PERRY: This is -- I mean, again, one of the reasons why we in education end up looking like fools is because we're judged often by the least among us. And when people make dumb decisions under the guys of education, those who are on the outside look and say, is that really how they're spending their time during the day? And it harkens people back to times when they were in school and they saw adults act like children. It makes no sense at all.
Here we are in a time when there's a tremendous achievement gap. There are tremendous limitations that children from historically disadvantaged populations are dealing with, and we now have to have a discussion about a principal or -- it had to be a principal ultimately who called the police on a child whose 12 years old for writing on a desk.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Well, you think someone in power said, OK, yes, go ahead and do it. They have a zero tolerance policy. Are you -- am I hearing on this feed that you're not a fan of zero tolerance?
PERRY: Arbitrary policies are just that. Zero tolerance doesn't really mean anything. Zero tolerance typically means zero common sense. What needs to happen is you need to look at each offense based upon the context in which it occurred and make a decision that you hope will improve the child's behavior in the future. If the child was writing on the desk, maybe there are a number of issues.
Again, at my school, she would have cleaned desks. No question about it. But she would not have gotten arrested. And I think some 99 percent of the schools in the country would have found some alternative punishment for this child.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: OK. So CNN contacted the school board to get their side, but they never got back to us. Alexa missed three days of school because of the incident. An attorney for the family plans to sue the police and school officials. We will update you.
You know, there are three little words 500 marines waited two tours of duty to hear, and you'll hear them, too. A very emotional homecoming in just two minutes. You want to stay tune for that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Hundreds of marines who served on the front lines in Iraq, these orders never sounded so good.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MARINE: Enjoy your time with your family. You are dismissed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, there were lots of hugs as you can see. Joyful tears as family members welcomed home their loved ones of 500 marines from St. Louise Base platoon arrived back Saturday from the war zone. Under a bright blue sky, the stars and stripes waived as buses dropped off the Marines into the arms of their waiting families. This was their second tour of duty in Iraq.
I'm Don Lemon. I'll see you back here tomorrow night. Thanks for watching. Good night.
