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Census Bureau Comes Under Fire; Connecticut Man Dedicates Life to Helping Teenagers; Toyota Prius Claim Doesn't Add Up; Southern U.S. Border with Mexico Becomes War Zone
Aired March 14, 2010 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: This hour, Americans with ties to the U.S. consulate gunned down in cold blood in Mexico with the violence raging just feet from our own border. Our own president is speaking out.
The U.S. census will cost taxpayers $14.7 billion. Tonight, a Census spokesperson answers your questions live. Is it money well- spent?
Tiger Woods is back on the links. But all those anxious sponsors -- they worry whether even one of golf's top prizes, the Masters, can return him to the world's good graces.
Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon.
We'll go in depth on the situation in Juarez, Mexico, in just a few minutes.
But first, let's catch you up on some other news that's making headlines this hour. White House aides say this is it. This is the week after all of the talk, all of the debate, health care will finally move forward in Congress.
Here's what top presidential adviser David Axelrod had to say earlier on CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID AXELROD, SENIOR WHITE HOUSE ADVISER: I think people have come to the realization that this is the moment and if we don't act now, there will be dire consequences for people all over this country in terms of higher rates, in terms of being excluded from health care if they have pre-existing conditions or being thrown off of their health care if they become sick.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Republicans insist Democrats still don't have the votes they need to pass health care reform and they vow to do everything they can to keep it from becoming law.
Federal tests do not appear to back up the story of a Toyota Prius owner. Jim Sikes claimed his gas pedal stuck and the car sped up out of control last week on a California freeway before a state trooper helped bring it to a stop. But according to a draft congressional memo, technicians couldn't recreate the same conditions on the car. Sikes claims he slammed on the brakes but the memo says that does not appear to be visibly possible. Sikes says he stands by his story.
Up and down the Northeast, utility crews are trying to get the lights back on for hundreds of thousands of people. Torrential rains and 70-mile-an-hour winds ripped off roofs and knocked down trees and power lines last night. At least five deaths are blamed on that storm.
We begin tonight with Juarez, Mexico, the deadliest city in the world. It's right on America's doorstep, directly across the U.S. border from El Paso, Texas. This time, gunmen have targeted and killed three people connected to the U.S. consulate in Juarez. Two of the victims were Americans.
The White House condemned the killings and urged U.S. government workers to temporarily move their families out of Mexico. It's also warning Americans to use extreme caution if traveling to Mexico.
Rafael Romo is CNN senior editor of Latin Affairs and he joins us now.
So, what do we know about these killings right now?
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AFFAIRS EDITOR: Well, Don, the big question is: were they targeted because they were American or because they were involved or connected to the American consulate there? And the answer -- the answer right now is, like, we really don't know.
What we know is that these three people were together at a children's party Saturday morning. After they left, somebody was chasing them, stopped the car and started shooting. It was a female American employee of the American consulate there who was shot along with her husband -- not yet identified by the State Department.
And also, on a separate incident, it was the husband of a Mexican employee of the American consulate there in Juarez.
Now, the State Department is really urging all of their employees in six consulates located across the U.S.-Mexico border to return to the United States for 30 days while they investigate and really find out what's going on, whether drug cartels are indeed targeting Americans or whether there was -- this was some sort of random act.
LEMON: Well, the question is whether or not this is some sort of message that they're sending to the U.S. government or to people who are trying to crackdown on the drug violence there, and the drug trade, I should say.
ROMO: Exactly. And you have to remember, this is Juarez. The reason why we have so much violence is because it's right in the middle of operations of the Gulf cartel and the Juarez cartel, and it's a very lucrative drug business trying to smuggle illegally cocaine and marijuana into the United States, and that's the reason why we see so much violence.
Three years ago when President Calderon took office, he said, "I am going to declare war on these drug cartels," and now, we're seeing the consequences.
LEMON: We are hearing seven people a day, that's how many people are dying on the streets of Juarez, and it could be even more than that. It could be even more than we're hearing.
Here's a question, though. It's not just Juarez. There were 25 people shot in western city in Mexico. Tell us about that.
ROMO: Exactly. This time of the year, we know college students go to places like Acapulco, Cancun. In the last 24 hours, we have two separate incidents in Acapulco where 25 people were killed, also drug- related but very -- it's a lot of concern for authorities because there were civilians involved and authorities say they may have been related to the drug trade but we don't know yet. And one of the instances we know federal police was trying to carry out a search warrant there and a shootout ensued, and that's the reason why 10 people got killed.
LEMON: A lot of people. It's a very big destination for U.S. tourists.
Thank you very much for that, Rafael Romo.
You know, Juarez is ground zero of the war on drugs in Mexico. Battles between rival drug cartels and against police have killed thousands in recent years. CNN has been committed to reporting this story from the very beginning.
And late last year, CNN's Michael Ware risked his own life to spend time in Juarez. Now, I should caution you that his report is disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This footage is difficult to watch. These anguished cries impossible to forget. Relatives are entering this building seeking the bodies of their loved ones executed by a Mexican drug cartel.
You're witnessing the pain of the Mexican border town of Juarez -- the front line in the war on drugs. And this, a crime scene I just had to see for myself.
(on camera): There's so much violence that occurs here in Juarez that the world just does not hear about. And now, it's disconcerting to see this fresh paint here on these walls as an old woman makes her home in this building.
For just two months ago, this literally was the corridor of blood. This building had been a drug rehabilitation center and one of the major cartels suspected that its rivals were recruiting foot soldiers from among the patients. So, they came in this door and down this corridor, moving from room to room to room, executing everyone they found.
While they are now trying to build a home, this is where 17 people died in yet another day of Juarez violence.
(voice-over): Within two days of this attack, the death toll rose even higher when two survivors died in hospital. And there is no discrimination to the slaughter. Under these clothes lies a 7-year- old American boy. His father the target but the hit men chose not to let the child live.
On this day, we're in Juarez to see the horrors for ourselves. It's just before dusk as we approach a fresh crime scene.
(on camera): The man in that car was hit by cartel gunmen riddled with eight bullets. His passenger tried to flee, but only made it that far.
(voice-over): This was yet another afternoon of killing in Juarez with a night of murder yet to follow. Every night, joint patrols like this one between local and federal police and Mexican soldiers crisscross the city, trying desperately to stem the flow of blood.
(on camera): Things were so bad that earlier in the year, the Mexican president had to call in the military to help protect the city. For a short time, there was a lull in the violence but it quickly returned. Now, it's worse than it's ever been before.
(voice-over): By now, it's close to 10:00 p.m. and the reports of violence are streaming in over the police radio.
(on camera): The patrol has just received another call on the radio of another incident. But those lights there, that's America, the U.S. border. This reminds me just how close this war on drugs is being fought to American soil.
(voice-over): But before the night is over, there is even more carnage to come. All of this in our one afternoon and evening visit to this deadly city.
(on camera): This time, it's almost too much to bear. It's just after 11:00 and where you see those policemen gathered at that door, there's just been four more slayings -- this time, all women. The early reports are that a gunman walked in that door and executed all of them. One of them, a 12-year-old girl, another one 14.
And the gut-wrenching irony, all of this done with the American border crossing just here, 80 yards away. There can be no more pertinent reminder of the Mexican blood that's being spilt in this war for the right to supply America's demand for illicit drugs.
Michael Ware, CNN, Juarez, Mexico.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: We're going to have much, much more on Michael Ware's exclusive reporting later this hour when we see the emotional tool of violence in Juarez has taken on one family.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AXELROD: I think we will have the votes to pass --
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), MINORITY LEADER: I don't have enough votes on my side of the aisle to stop the bill.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: That doesn't mean there isn't going to be a fight this week on Capitol Hill. Health care round two or is it round three or four and on and on. It's do-or-die time. We're going in depth with CNN's deputy political director.
Plus, the video that had everyone watching last week. A Toyota Prius speeding down a California interstate unable to stop. We have learned today what investigators found when they tested the car. Was it mechanical failure?
Also, a time for you to be a part of our conversation. We're taking your questions on the census. A representative will answer them for you live. Logon to the social networking sites.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We have heard them say it before, but Democrats and White House advisers say the time is now for passing health care reform. This week they say is the week when President Obama's signature issue takes its final steps toward becoming law. Republicans are vowing to fight it every step of the way.
But a top White House adviser tells CNN, the votes are there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AXELROD: I think we will have the votes to pass this. Obviously, this is a struggle.
Look, the lobbyists for the insurance industry have landed on Capitol Hill like locusts and they're going to be doing everything they can in the next week to try and muscle people into voting no. Many on the other side of the aisle have decided that it would be a political victory for them if health insurance reform were defeated.
So, it is a -- it's a struggle. But I believe we're moving in the right direction.
BOEHNER: I don't have enough votes on my side of the aisle to stop the bill. But, I, along with a majority of the American people who are opposed to this, can stop this bill and we're going to do everything we can to make it difficult for them if not impossible to pass a bill.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And our deputy political director Paul Steinhauser is with me right here in Atlanta.
Strong statement really from David Axelrod and the president's advisers, one of them even saying, I think by this time next week, we'll be talking about, you know, what we've accomplished, that we've accomplished health care reform. But do Democrats really have the votes to pass this?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Interesting language you just heard there from David Axelrod. He was talking to our Candy Crowley on "STATE OF THE UNION." Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary in other Sunday shows. They used a future tense there. Do you notice that?
LEMON: Yes.
STEINHAUSER: They don't have the votes yet. They think they can get there, Don. You're right, they want us -- you and I and others -- to be talking about a House victory for Democrats a week from today.
Two important numbers: first of all, 216. Those are the votes Democrats need in the House of Representatives to pass health care reform. Two hundred and sixteen is where they want to get to. They may not be there yet.
Our Dana Bash, senior congressional correspondent, she's talking to her sources as well. I don't think they're yet.
Another important number is 38. That's the number of Democrats, if they vote against the bill, 38 Democrats vote against the bill, and we go under assumption that no Republicans will vote for -- no House Republicans will vote for the health care bill, if 38 Democrats vote against it, the bill goes down.
Two numbers to look in this week, Don. It's going to be a very interesting week on Capitol Hill.
LEMON: But if it does pass the House, and is it over? What happens next? Is it a done deal?
STEINHAUSER: Not done yet. It's got to go back to the Senate, right? We talk about this reconciliation.
LEMON: Yes.
STEINHAUSER: Because basically, what the House is going to do is they're going to pass the --
(CROSSTALK)
STEINHAUSER: Yes, OK. Sure.
LEMON: And I thing is, you say reconciliation, sometimes people's eyes come glaze over, what exactly does that mean? What does that mean? But it, really, it's a legislative tool that's used in order to pass some sort -- some legislation. STEINHAUSER: In the Senate without -- all you need with reconciliation -- and it has to be a bill that deals with the budget or taxes -- and you only need a simple majority of 51 rather than 60. Remember, Democrats don't have 60 votes anymore after that election in Massachusetts. But, as to what you asked -- yes, it goes back to the Senate bill. It will have to be a crucial vote in the Senate. Republicans are going to try to do everything they can to block it, Don.
LEMON: All right. What does the president do? Because, you know, the president, he's been out. They've been talking about this woman in Ohio that apparently, you know, is trying to decide between paying her health care bills and either her mortgage, you know? So the president next week is, what, going to be out on the stump again?
STEINHAUSER: Tomorrow.
LEMON: Tomorrow?
STEINHAUSER: Going to Ohio tomorrow. Strongsville, Ohio, right outside of Cleveland, once again getting outside of Washington trying to push for health care reform.
And even more importantly, as you heard, he is delaying his trip to Asia by three days. He was going to leave on Thursday. Now, he's going to leave a week from day. The White House hopes those three days will be crucial, that the president can use the time to call lawmakers. They really want to get this done.
LEMON: Two quick points, though, I want to make. Some say he may not -- I heard some of the morning talk shows -- he may not even go anywhere -- he may not go to Asia at all if this thing comes down to the wire.
STEINHAUSER: As of Friday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said he will go. But let's see what happens next week.
LEMON: We'll see.
STEINHAUSER: Yes.
LEMON: Real quick, before I let you go, you know, he's talking about "don't ask, don't tell" -- not "don't ask, don't tell," sorry. No Child Left Behind -- excuse me. He's talking about No Child Left Behind and overhauling the education system, and that's his mandate for next week. Why not wait a week or wait a little bit for that? We're not saying that the education system doesn't need to be overhauled, but why not wait a little bit?
STEINHAUSER: A lot of people are asking that tomorrow. They're going to introduce their legislation, Senate up to Congress. White House says, listen, we can walk and talk at the same time. We can do more than one thing. They say they're still going to be pushing health care. It's a number one priority. But they want to do more than one thing.
LEMON: Paul Steinhauser, thank you very much, sir. Appreciate it.
STEINHAUSER: Thanks, Don.
LEMON: Buried by an avalanche. A snowmobile competition becomes a scene of tragedy and right now, people are still missing under the snow.
An invasion. Residents of one country turn on their televisions to news that the biggest enemy is moving in. But it wasn't real.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Time now for your top stories.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is launching an investigation into the timing of an announcement that Hillary Clinton called insulting to the U.S. during last week's visit by Vice President Joe Biden. Israeli prime minister -- Israeli ministry officials announced plans to build 1,600 homes for Israelis in east Jerusalem, which Palestinians claim as their capital. Biden sharply criticized the move and said it makes peace talks more difficult.
A fake broadcast sends the country of Georgia into panic mode. A Georgian television station aired what is called a simulation of a new invasion by the Russians. But many thought it was real. They rushed into the streets and jammed phone lines. It brought back memories of the 2008 war between the countries.
And the show used old sound bites and footage from the conflict. The station later had to apologize for that.
Search crews are looking for people still missing after a deadly avalanche in western Canada. Two hundred people have gathered for a snowmobile competition on British Columbia's Boulder Mountain when a wall of snow came crashing down yesterday. Two people are confirmed dead. Now, 30 others were hurt. Witnesses say daredevil sledders may have triggered the slide.
"It seemed to come out of nowhere," that's how one man described a ferocious storm that slammed the Northeast this weekend. Heavy rains and winds gusting up to 70 miles an hour really battered parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. Trees toppled on to houses and cars, killing at least five people. More than a half million customers lost electricity at the height of this storm.
And, you know, crews are still trying to turn the lights back on for hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses. And travel on the roads, rails, air -- all were affected. And some still are being affected. Several Amtrak and New Jersey transit trains were stranded for hours, and there are still some flight delays.
Jacqui Jeras, it's our breaking news last night and it continues.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Yes.
LEMON: Is this -- is it over? JERAS: Well, it's not over. But the worst of it is over. You know, there's probably about a six to eight-hour period in there where things were really bad.
And, you know, you talked about those hurricane force wind gusts and we had some of those up there. You know, 75 miles per hour at JFK. So, these are really, really extreme.
And what caused all the damage and we just want to roll this video here for you and show you -- this is from News 12 out of New Jersey. This reporter, Sean Bergin, we had him on last night.
LEMON: He's live last night.
JERAS: Yes. Look at that. You can hear the sound and you can hear him having a very difficult time in those strong winds. It's, kind of, give you an idea of what kind of impact that had on the body. And there you see him holding a big piece of wood that fell off a very tall building in downtown New Jersey.
Now, as I mentioned, the winds are a lot better here but we still have the rain. This is a very slow-moving system. While it's weakened, we could see additional rainfall totals around one to three inches, particularly in the northern parts of New England. All of these people still without power. We literally have over 100,000 people still in the dark here.
And you can see those temperatures in the 30s and 40s pushing 50 there you can see in Philadelphia and Washington D.C. But still, very uncomfortable, especially when it's so damp out there.
Now, another big story in the Northeast, we had all of that snow pack. Now, with the rain on top of it and those warmer temperatures, we've had a lot of snow-melt take place. So, flooding is a major concern.
These pictures you're looking at, this is the Susquehanna River, which is right there from Maryland on up into parts of Pennsylvania. They opened the flood gates here to help push that water through to prevent some major flooding so they think they're going to have things under control. We're monitoring this with our affiliate WBAL.
Now, let's look at this as a whole across the whole United States. And this is river stream gauges across the U.S. from the USGS. And what I want you to look for are these blues and blacks. That means that the rivers are above normal. Anywhere you see the green and red means that it's dry.
So, you can see a huge part of the upper Midwest, the Northeast and even the Southeast dealing with those high rivers, and it's going to get even worse probably, Don, in the coming week ahead.
LEMON: Stick around at 10:00 p.m. because Jacqui is going to have your commuter forecast, what your commute is going to be live, 10:00 p.m.
Jacqui, thank you. We'll check back in with you a little bit, by the way.
The 2010 census -- to quote an old commercial for it, it's quick, it's easy and it's the law. It turns out it's expensive, too. And like many government programs, some are saying that millions of dollars have already been wasted.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I pray that something that I do on the women or men who volunteer in this program will turn on the light bulb for one individual.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And we'll tell you about one man's crusade to help the boys of his town become the leaders of tomorrow.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. Make sure you check your mail. An official U.S. census form should show up in your mailbox in the coming days -- in the coming days. The Constitution mandates every 10 years, the federal government count each man, woman and child living right here in the good, old USA.
So, what it does not mandate, however, is how much the census should cost. It turns out it's a whole lot. Here's CNN's Kate Bolduan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Accounting for the nation's 300 million-plus residents is no doubt a big job. But it's also an expensive one. Total projected cost for the 2010 census: $14.7 billion. But it's the millions of dollars some argue the Census Bureau has already wasted that is coming under fire.
REP. JASON CHAFFETZ (R), UTAH: You hear these horror stories of people being paid to do nothing. And that -- that's just infuriating when we're $12 trillion in debt.
BOLDUAN: According to a Commerce Department inspector general report, more than 15,000 employees were paid for attending census training but worked less than a single day or not at all. The cost, more than $5.5 million.
Census Bureau Spokesman Stephen Buckner says those issues have been addressed.
STEPHEN BUCKNER, U.S. CENSUS BUREAU SPOKESMAN: We didn't do a good job at the beginning estimating the number of people that would stay on the job. However, since that operation and every operation since then, we've been on time and also on budget. It's a myth that the census is over budget.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Snapshot of America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: And then there's the Super Bowl ad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Isn't that kind of what the census is doing?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Uh-huh.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: Republican Congressman Jason Chaffetz, a leading critic of the census, calls that an expensive embarrassment.
CHAFFETZ: I just think we need to go back and look at this and say, was this well executed? Was this well planned? Right now, I see, by the tens of millions of dollars going out the door, that's not really going to count that person that was hard to find in some part of whatever state.
BOLDUAN: Overall, the Census Bureau defends its outreach efforts, which include $85 million in mailers to encourage people to return their census form.
BUCKNER: It's very important we get an accurate count. As such it's costly. But we could actually save about $1.5 billion in taking of the census if every single person mailed back their form. Because it's a lot less expensive to mail back your form than for us to send a census taker to your door.
BOLDUAN (on camera): Census data helps determine everything, from congressional representation to where more than $400 billion in federal funding is directed each year. The lingering question is just how much does that need to cost taxpayers?
Kate Bolduan, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DON LEMON, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: We still have many questions about why the census costs so much, and we know many of you do now. So we invited Stephen Buckner, who is a spokesman for the U.S. Census Bureau, to help explain some of these expenses.
Thanks for joining us. This letter, I got one. A lot of people got one. It went out last week saying the census form was coming. A lot of people think it was a waste of money just to say it is coming, $85 million. What do you say to that?
BUCKNER: That's correct, Don. There's a lot of scientific research, and doing survey work that shows that if you send an advance letter or a trigger to someone saying that you're going to send them something in a week, that they'll actually have a higher response. Our own research here at the Census Bureau, we estimate between 6 percent to 12 percent bump in the response rate. So by spending $85 million to print and send postcards out to 120 million mailboxes that we did last week, we're actually going to hopefully, probably save about over $500 million, that's on the low side, by increasing response rates. It's less expensive to get the form back to us by mail than having the Census send a census taker out to your door.
LEMON: That's according to your own research, it will save you how much?
BUCKNER: We estimating between 6 percent to 12 percent increase in the response rate, over $500 million. It's both public and private research that says this is effective.
LEMON: Before I get to that, we have viewer questions, and a lot of people have been sending questions. Before we get to that, I want to ask you this. You have taken some heat for the Super Bowl ad. Why do you feel that it was necessary? Was it money well spent, do you think?
BUCKNER: The Super Bowl is certainly the best opportunity to put a message out there to the entire population, which is what the census has to do. It has to count every person living in the United States. The Super Bowl was the most watched Super Bowl to date. We're still talking about the Super Bowl ad over a month after the game. The ad did its job. It helped increase awareness.
We've moved to a new set of ads that really gets at why you should complete your census form and how important it is for you and your community. So we think it was very effective. And here we are on the eve of the census. People are going to start getting their forms tomorrow, so we're excited at the Census Bureau.
LEMON: Let me get some of the questions here. I'm just going to be honest. Some people said, "The letter was a total waste of money. Don't send me a letter to tell me you're going to mail me another one."
Another viewer says, "I was asking myself, how much did this cost, when the first letter came. TV, internet and social media reach more for less."
Many people say, "Why not do it online"?
BUCKNER: We have an aggressive 2010census.gov Internet page and we're on the social media, trying to increase awareness about the census.
But we took a look at the Internet response option earlier this decade. There were a couple conclusions that came out of that research. One, it didn't increase the response rate. Therefore, there was an additional cost to do that. We were really worried about the security of the Internet at that time. We take privacy and confidentiality of data very seriously at the Census Bureau. We couldn't ensure that that data could be -- remain confidential. So at that point, we decided not to do that for the 2010 census. But we are looking at it for the 2020 census, as we are do planning currently.
LEMON: You don't do it online, again, because you're concerned about security and sensitive information getting out, correct?
BUCKNER: Correct. That is correct.
LEMON: Great. Stephen Buckner, thank you. We appreciate it.
BUCKNER: Thank you very much, Don. Fill out your form.
LEMON: I definitely will. Thank you.
BUCKNER: Thank you.
LEMON: He claims his gas pedal was stuck in his Toyota Prius and it sped out of control. The problem is, tests aren't backing up his story.
Plus, days after word of a huge settlement for Ground Zero workers, a new study looks at whether their health claims are for real.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: If you're just joining us, our top story is the cold- blooded killings of three people connected to the U.S. consulate in Juarez, Mexico. Two of the three were Americans. The third was a husband of a Mexican woman who worked at the Mexican consulate. The White House condemned the killings and urged U.S. government workers to temporarily move their families out of Mexico. It's warning Americans to use extreme caution if traveling to Mexico.
War and drug cartels have turned Juarez, Mexico, into one of the most deadliest and dangerous places in the world. CNN has been committed to bringing the story to you since it began.
Our Michael Ware has spent a lot of time in Mexico reporting on the escalating violence and the innocent victims often caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. This report is just as timely today as when he first filed it about a year ago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL WARE, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is how an American Jose Molinar knew his wife was dead. He saw television pictures of her bullet-riddled car broadcast from just across the border in Juarez city, Mexico, minutes from his Texas home.
JOSE MOLINAR, WIFE OF VICTIM: As soon as the image came up, I saw her truck, and I knew what happened right then and there.
WARE: His wife, Maracella (ph), a U.S. resident and mother of two, was gunned down doing a last-minute favor, giving a Juarez government lawyer a ride to go shopping.
MOLINAR: Wrong place, wrong time, that's the only way I can describe that.
WARE: Maracella (ph) died close to the border crossing, just yards from U.S. soil. It was her passenger who was the gunman's target. He was shot multiple times. She was killed by a single shot to the chest.
This is the cartel war in Mexico, a conflict raging on America's doorstep. A conflict in which Juarez police officers, like this one under attack from a drug gang, are fighting for their lives, while the drug cartels are battling throughout the city for control of a lucrative drug route into the United States. And though the U.S. this year is giving Mexico about $400 million to combat the cartel, officials on both sides of the border privately agree, the war, as it is fought now, cannot be won.
Which is something Jose's wife probably knew before she was gunned down.
(on camera): This drug war in Juarez took your mother. How do you carry that?
DAUGHTER OF MARACELLA (ph) MOLINAR: Day by day. Just I always think she's at work.
WARE (voice-over): And the unwinnable war that killed her mother rages on.
Michael Ware, CNN, Juarez, Mexico.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Nearly, nine years after the September 11th attacks, a new study shows exposure to the debris at Ground Zero may be linked to heart problems in first responders. Doctors tested 1,200 police officers who were at Ground Zero. They say a surprisingly large number now have diminished heart function. The study comes days after the announcement of a tentative $657 million settlement between New York City and rescue workers who say they were sickened by Ground Zero debris exposure.
Take a look at this video. This is a 6.6 magnitude earthquake rattling buildings near Honshu, Japan. Japanese officials say no one died and there was only slight damage to buildings near the epicenter. The quake struck off the east coast of the island nation and could be felt as far away as Tokyo where tall buildings swayed during the tremor.
Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has been released from a South Korean hospital. He was admitted yesterday for a stomach virus. Kissinger is 86 years old and was in Seoul for a security forum.
One man in Connecticut has dedicated his life to helping young men make the right decision in life. CNN education contributor, Steve Perry, sits down with Kyle Anderson in our "Building up America" report. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): Listen to the lyrics.
(SINGING)
PERRY: To these young men, it's more than a song. These are words to live by.
The idea is to help them get them in a place where they can work it out. But this story is really about this man, Kyle Anderson, and the successful professionals convinced to give up their time and help these young men.
(on camera): What are you expecting will come from your interaction?
KYLE ANDERSON, FOUNDER, GREATER HARTFORD LEADERSHIP PROGRAM: I pray that something I do for the women and men who volunteer for this program will turn on a light bulb for one individual. We have the overachiever, the underachiever and what I call on-the-fence achiever. We're not doing anything different from the school system, from what you're doing in the classroom or what your parent is saying, but it's coming from a community, a group of folks.
PERRY (voice-over): Anderson calls it the Greater Hartford Leadership Program. He started about three years ago. Today, about 100 young men from local middle and high schools are mentored by dedicated adults who want to put them on a solid path.
(on camera): This is a tough community. Why is it doing so poorly?
ANDERSON: That question bothers me, Steve. When I was growing up in this community, my next door neighbor was the first African- American judge in the state of Connecticut.
PERRY: This community has changed.
ANDERSON: But there are still working, good folks that live here.
PERRY: OK.
ANDERSON: The thing is I still think that we can make a difference.
PERRY (voice-over): In monthly workshops, the young men pick up valuable skills to succeed.
They dress professionally.
ANDERSON: What's our rule? Are we tucked in?
PERRY: They are financially responsible. And today, they learned about careers in music and TV. Another day, they might have a workshop in public service.
They meet business, government and community leaders, positive role models who Anderson hopes will inspire the boys to become leaders themselves.
(on camera): What percentage of your time would you say you spend working with other people's children?
ANDERSON: A week. Sometimes I may be dealing with about 20 hours and maybe more than that, maybe 40.
PERRY (voice-over): this is also a story about real sacrifice, the pull between home and so many other kids who need guidance.
(on camera): I have to look to men such as you to help me figure this out because, you know, I looked up and I see Kyle Jr. And that's an old picture.
(LAUGHTER)
That's a long time ago. How does it work where you're the leader in the community and the father at home?
ANDERSON: That's the challenge, Steve. It's a challenge. So I think that's why I may have never been in divorce court.
PERRY: Now, you have a teenager. How does he feel about the level of responsibility that you have outside of the house?
ANDERSON: He's confused by it. He's confused by it. It hurts me dearly.
PERRY (voice-over): Across the country, people like Kyle Anderson serve their communities --
ANDERSON: Getting it done. Getting it done.
PERRY: "Building up America," one child at a time, but not without sacrifice.
Steve Perry, CNN, Hartford, Connecticut.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Steve, thank you.
A big question in the sports world right now, when will Tiger Woods make his golf comeback? We'll ask our guy, Rick Harrow, what he's hearing at a PGA tour event in Florida. Could be sooner than you think.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: There are reports that Tiger Woods has been hard at work in Florida with his swing coach, prompting speculation on when he may return to the PGA tour. So we're checking. And you know who else is checking? Our sports guy, Rick Harrow. He spent time this week with golf contacts to the PGA event in Florida and he joins me now from West Palm Beach.
What are you holding? You're holding up a magazine there. What are you hearing about Tiger? What are you holding?
RICK HARROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: Well, I'm sorry. He said he's sorry 19 times in thirteen and a half riveting minutes a couple weeks ago. He's tired from saying all that. I'm not sure we forgive him or not but everybody sure wants him back.
At the C.A. Championships today that just ended with Ernie El's (ph) victory in Miami, nobody saw him. Nobody knows. The rumors are he comes back at Bay Hill in a couple weeks, he comes back at the Masters two weeks later, he comes back at the U.S. Open in Pebble Beach, he comes back at the British Open in Saint Andrews. All reasonable scenarios, but nobody has the right answer.
LEMON: Yes. I think I saw a joke, I believe it was "Saturday Night Live" last night, said Tiger Woods may return to the golf course, and so will the ratings. That's partially true. The question is, what impact will his return have, if any, on the image, the business of golf, and his corporate endorsements? And on TV ratings?
HARROW: First of all, the impact on him, Nike and E.A. stuck with him, Accenture and AT&T did not. If he plays well, corporate sponsors may come back. We're back to chasing Jack Nicklaus. If he doesn't, we talk about his tattered image again. On the golf business, 1 percent decrease in the number of rounds played, as Tiger goes, in many ways, the tour goes, purses, ratings and the like.
Also, as we said before, Don, corporate America -- remember, if he does well, then the contracts for all these other spokesmen may be less likely to be terminated or at least have language in them about termination. We're hearing that in LeBron James and Peyton Manning and even Shaun White. So the $12 billion spent on corporate endorsements, it all impacts Tiger from start to finish.
LEMON: OK. Let's change subjects here real quickly. This is a story a lot of people are interesting in as well. We're talking about Ben Roethlisberger. Rick, Georgia authorities -- let me lay out the story for our viewers -- say they expect to interview Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, talking about the allegation of sexual assault. Possibly, he's going to take a DNA test. What are you hearing?
HARROW: I'm hearing there's a lot more to be done before he's officially charged. But also there's a lot at stake. Remember, the Pittsburgh Steelers are worth $1 billion. Roethlisberger, is the 15th most marketable NFL player. He makes $10 million a year and so he has Campbell Soup and Nike as endorsements as well. Remember, this is not just an issue about criminality of this, but about his endorsement future as well, Don.
LEMON: All about endorsements and public image.
Thank you very much. We appreciate it, Rick Harrow. Good seeing you.
At first, it sounded like sheer terror behind the wheel, but tests are casting doubt on the story of a Prius driver who claims his car sped out of control.
Plus, a war zone right over our southern border. We're talking about Juarez, Mexico. If you plan to travel to Mexico, there's a new warning you need to hear.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: On Monday, a California man claimed the gas pedal on his Toyota Prius stuck and rocketed his car out of control. But according to a draft congressional memo, technicians couldn't recreate the same conditions on the car. Is Jim Sykes telling the truth or is he just capitalizing on a very serious safety issue for Toyota?
Susan Candiotti is standing by live in New York.
Susan, what is in this document?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Don. This is the draft memo obtained by CNN that we're talking about. It doesn't come right out and call this a hoax. It says investigators could not duplicate the problem.
Let's refresh your memory. Jim Sykes, California man who said he stepped on the gas to pass a car when the pedal, in his words, felt weird and wouldn't let up.
Our own Ted Rowlands talked to him about it last week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: You didn't try to put it into neutral?
JIM SYKES, TOYOTA PRIUS OWNER: No, I was afraid to try to go into neutral. I was holding on to the steering wheel with both hands. 94 miles per hour in a Toyota Prius is fast.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: Eventually, the car did slow down after he kept hitting both brakes, the foot brake and emergency brake.
LEMON: So, Susan, what does the memo say about how investigators tried to recreate the problem that Sykes described?
CANDIOTTI: Yes. Apparently, they just couldn't do it. This draft memo we're talking about says NHTSA and Toyota technicians used Sykes' Prius and a test car and, after two hours -- here's the quote. They said, "Every time the technician placed the gas pedal to the floor and the brake pedal to the floor the engine shut off and the car immediately started to slow down." And, Don, the document goes on to say, quoting here, that "It doesn't seem -- doesn't appear to be feasibly possible both electronically and mechanically that the gas pedal was stuck and that Mr. Sykes was slamming on the brake at the same time without the car engine slowing down."
LEMON: So here's the question, I had been reading in reports that Mr. Sykes is standing by his story. Have you been able to reach him? Again, what is he saying? Is that essentially what he's saying?
CANDIOTTI: One of our CNN producers was able to reach his wife. She says her husband, indeed, stands by what he has told all the reporters. And she also said that his lawyer plans to make a statement tomorrow. Certainly, at the very least, this indicates maybe he didn't understand what happened, but probably there will be more investigating about this.
LEMON: Susan Candiotti, our national correspondent. Thank you very much, Susan.
