Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Wall Street Insecurities; School 'Removes' More Students; TEA Party Complexion; A History of Violence in Scientology?
Aired March 31, 2010 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: All right, let's get going. Time for your top-of-the-hour reset. I'm Tony Harris in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Across the country, experts see momentum for a jobs recovery, but a new survey today seems to dent that enthusiasm.
It is noon in Massachusetts, where more students are implicated in bullying that ended with a girl's suicide.
And it is 10:00 in Grand Junction, Colorado, where TEA Party activists rally against incumbents.
This hour, let's do it. Let's get started.
Disappointing news on the job market just two days before the government releases its unemployment report for the month of March.
Stephanie Elam is at the New York Stock Exchange with details.
Stephanie, we seem to be trending in such a good direction here, and then we get this report from ADP. Where do we stand right now?
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I know, Tony. It's kind of messed up everyone's momentum here. Right? This is not what we were expecting.
Well, the ADP report, it says that the economy lost 23,000 private sector jobs in March. That's the smallest decline in two years. But here's the deal -- Wall Street expected a gain of 40,000.
HARRIS: Right.
ELAM: So this is why we're sort of like, uh-oh, what happened here?
Now, the service sector did add about 30,000 jobs, and that was offset though by big losses in manufacturing and construction. Despite the slip, ADP says corporate America is on the -- what they call cusp of recovery, but this report show that they're hesitant to increase their payrolls at this time -- Tony.
HARRIS: Well, to heck with that "cusp" language, we're ready for jobs here, some growth. This report today, does it seem to indicate that the recovery is slowing down a bit?
ELAM: Definitely. You definitely say that the pace slowed down.
We lost 23,000 jobs in March after losing 24,000 in February. So just a slight increase -- or I should say a slightly better picture out there for the month.
Now, compare that to last year, when we saw big improvements month to month. Last year, from March to April, job losses went from 750,000 down to 550,000. And that's just one month. So we had these big drops. We're not seeing that now.
And so even with the slowdown, if you take a look at the number like a loss of 23,000, it's much better than where we were last year. And remember, Tony, I know we say this a lot, but a recovery charts a very smooth course just back up into the numbers we would like to see.
HARRIS: Yes, yes, yes, yes. We do say that an awful lot.
The report usually gives us a clue as to what we can expect from the government's big jobs report. What is Wall Street expecting Friday?
ELAM: Yes, that's true. Normally these two reports chart closer together than what we're expecting. It looks a little different this time.
In contrast to the ADP report, analysts still expect a job gain of about 190,000. That's huge. That would be a really, really large number, especially since we've seen a gain just once since the recession began more than two years ago. And to see a gain of that level, you would have to go back three years, to, like, March 2007.
But we may not see that kind of number when it comes to April. Friday's report will be boosted by two things that the ADP report does not take into account.
First, you've got the census hiring. The government has been doing all this hiring of thousands of people to handle the 2010 census. But those jobs, they're only going to last until the summer.
Secondly, those February blizzards that took out a good chunk of the country, they kept employers from hiring. So, in March, those employers may have to make up for that.
And one economist says if you take those two things out and you factor those away, then the adjusted gain may be about just 25,000. While that's not nearly as rosy as the 190,000 number, it's still a move in the right direction, Tony. So we'll be keeping our eyes on it.
But the main thing here is don't get too excited when we see this report on Friday. And keep in mind that April may not have the same sort of direction.
HARRIS: Look, jobs, gains for a month. I'm going to get excited. I'm just warning you now, I'm going to get excited. There won't be streamers, but I'm going to get excited. ELAM: Yes, exactly. Don't put on your party hat just yet, but keep in mind that the unemployment rate is expected to stay steady at 9.7 percent. That's still a lot of people out there without jobs.
HARRIS: You are absolutely correct on that. Stephanie, appreciate it. Thank you.
ELAM: Sure.
HARRIS: Now that case of bullying that ended in suicide in Massachusetts. Officials at South Hadley High say several more students have been removed from the school. Nine others face criminal charges following the death of Phoebe Prince.
Here's CNN's Alina Cho in South Hadley.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): By all accounts, 15- year-old Phoebe Prince was fun, approachable and popular. A pretty 15-year-old transplant from Ireland with a nice brow and a nice smile.
(on camera): Why on earth would people want to bully her?
NICK SHENAS, PHOEBE PRINCE'S FRIEND: Jealousy probably. I would imagine that they are all jealous of her because she got a lot of attention from people, positive attention.
CHO (voice-over): Nick Shenas was Prince's close friend and Paul Bearer at her funeral. He says the cryptic explanation the D.A. gave about why she was allegedly bullied.
ELIZABETH SCHEIBEL, DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Appears to be motivated by the group's displeasure with Phoebe's brief dating relationship with a male student.
CHO: To friends, it's clear.
SHENAS: It was just all a secret thing. I don't know.
CHO (on camera): They were dating in secret?
SHENAS: Yes.
CHO (voice-over): Shenas says Prince, a freshman, caught the eye of a senior, football player Sean Mulveyhill. The two started dating. But Mulveyhill, he says, already had a girlfriend, Kayla Narey, another student at South Hadley High School. If the two look familiar, that's because Mulveyhill and Narey are among the nine students facing criminal charges in connection with Prince's death.
(on camera): When you saw this on the front page of the "Boston Herald" today, what did you think?
DARBY O'BRIEN, PRINCE FAMILY SPOKESMAN: True. You know, that's been the fight since the beginning. CHO (voice-over): Darby O'Brien is the spokesman for Prince's family.
O'BRIEN: The word bullying is probably not even accurate. I mean, really, when you look at what happened with her, it's persecution. I mean, this thing was a hate crime.
CHO: Prosecutors say verbal and physical abuse so severe every day and over several months that on January 14th Prince took her own life.
In addition to the taunts she allegedly endured in the hallways, in school library, in plain view of faculty, more details are emerging about her final walk home.
(on camera): She walked home.
O'BRIEN: A car went by and threw -- one of the girls threw an energy drink at her. And they yelled out of the car, you Irish shut, you Irish whore -- I mean, supposedly said, why don't you kill yourself.
CHO (voice-over): So when the 15-year-old arrived home.
O'BRIEN: She walked into her house, took a scarf that her sister had given her for Christmas and hung herself.
CHO: An act that not only ended her life but shattered the community. People like Shenas' mother, Susan Smith.
SUSAN SMITH, SHENAS MOTHER: I could not imagine it, honestly. It's unimaginable. And to happen in your own town a mile from your house, it's unimaginable.
CHO: How could this happen? Why didn't anyone stop it? Shenas says because Prince was able to hide behind her smile.
SHENAS: It was just like a sense of shock and disbelief, just that something like that could happen to a close friend.
CHO (on camera): What also is becoming clear is that bullying appears to be part of the culture. The attitude -- not my town, not my kids. But that attitude appears to be shifting. Parents are outraged, and they're calling for the principal and the superintendent to resign.
Alina Cho, CNN, South Hadley, Massachusetts.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: What is going on in that town?
Let's do this -- let's bring in CNN student news anchor Carl Azuz.
Carl, what are the students in your audience, what are they having to say to you, to your program, about bullying?
CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS: First and foremost that most of them have seen it. We asked them last night in a quick poll on our blog, "Have you witnessed bullying in some form?"
And we tried to make it clear we're not talking about kids just making fun of each other or insults. We're talking about sort of repeated harassment, the kind of thing that does damage.
And 84 percent of them at my last check, right before I sat down here with you today, had said they had felt it and/or seen it. And anecdotally, I spoke with a group of students last weeks, about 450 middle school kids packed into a gym. And I said, "Raise your hand if you had seen any sort of bullying or if you have been bullied," and easily more than half of them had their hands raised.
HARRIS: Students, your audience, do they have any solutions?
AZUZ: They do have some solutions. The first thing I want to talk about is why this sort of thing happens.
We have a comment from Kyle. And he's talking about how that many students who have been bullied, they don't or won't say anything because they're afraid that when the bully finds out, the kid or person that tells is going to get hurt. And there are a lot of kids who are like, don't rat him out, that sort of culture in our audience.
Another comment we have for you from a student named Jason. He is saying that on his bus he had seen forms of bullying, physical activity, aggressive language. He had also seen that a lot of the rules in the school handbook had been broken and that no one had done a thing about it.
HARRIS: Yes.
AZUZ: So the next step for us is then to ask them, what sort of solutions do you have? How can this sort of thing be stopped?
Mostly students were saying tell somebody. And that seems to be the sort of resounding theme. What they've been told to do is let a school official know, let a teacher know, and hopefully that can start them on the path to getting the problem corrected.
HARRIS: We certainly hope that these students trust that when they do share this information, that it will be treated well and that it won't cause more problems for them.
I've got to tell you, we've been over here at Grady High School, and we had a discussion about this. And I will tell you this, that there isn't a lot of trust of administrators to do the right thing with that information. And oftentimes they just keep it inside because they're afraid of the consequences of telling an administrator and it getting back to the bully. And there you go, you have more problems.
AZUZ: A cycle. HARRIS: What a tough, tough issue. Thanks, Carl.
AZUZ: Thanks, Tony.
HARRIS: You know we started hearing from this group about a year ago. Since then, the TEA Party movement has grown. We go into the crowds to find out who is involved.
But first, though, our "Random Moment" in 90 seconds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: You know, you got your chess club, your glee club, your spirit club. But this school is a club, really. And it's our "Random Moment of the Day."
We're talking about a charter school in Philadelphia that leads a mysterious double life. A local news report revealed the school turns its cafeteria into the nightclub after the final bell. Yes, nightclub.
The superintendent is visiting today to see it for himself. Officials say it's outrageous a school would run a nightclub after hours. And the boozing must relocate.
Well, we are moving on after that "Random Moment of the Day."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: OK. You have seen them and heard them for better than a year now. The TEA Partiers out in force about the goings on in Washington. They're rallying right now in Grand Junction, Colorado. And our Ed Lavandera is there sizing up the crowd.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hip-hop rhymes with a TEA Party flair.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
LAVANDERA: Lloyd Marcus (ph) fires up the crowd.
LLOYD MARCUS (ph), TEA PARTY MEMBER: I am not an African- American. I am Lloyd Marcus (ph), American!
LAVANDERA: Subtle efforts to make the TEA Party appear diverse. But wherever the TEA Party Express goes, Lloyd Marcus will be one of the few minorities in the crowd. That doesn't bother him. He feels at home with his TEA Party brothers.
MARCUS: I think that there's not a lot of black folks here basically because they haven't seen the light yet. They are still hypnotized by the first black or African-American president. But they haven't really looked at the man and what he's doing.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): Critics argue there's an anti-minority undertone to these rallies. One anti-TEA Party protester lashed out at a campaigning candidate about the issue.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Other than the people that are covering the story here, the only people I see are retired white people.
LAVANDERA: At the TEA Party express kickoff rally, one woman carried a sign with a stuffed monkey that read, "Send Obama back to Kenya." TEA Party activists signs also rail against immigration reform with a tone that could offend Latinos. TEA Party activists though, say, attempts to portray the group as racist or not open to welcoming minorities is a biased, unfair attack.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't believe the crock you're reading in some media about racism. I don't see the lack of diversity at all.
TEA Party chairman Mark Williams argues the movement is incredibly diverse and says there are no specific efforts to reach out to minorities.
LAVANDERA (on camera): So there's no sense that you maybe need to go out and target black people, Hispanic people, to bring them into the fold.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All they need to do is read the constitution and they'll come find us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: All right. Let's bring in our Ed Lavandera.
And Ed -- oh, we've been having problems with his shot. Did it go down again?
There he is. I think he is there.
Ed, if you would, we've got you now.
LAVANDERA: It's an incredibly windy day here, Tony.
HARRIS: Yes. Size up the crowd for us there.
LAVANDERA: Well, here in Grand Junction, it's the first stop in Colorado. And this event is about to kick --
HARRIS: And there you go. It froze again.
All right. We'll try to get back to Ed a little bit later.
Let's talk about the massive flooding across the Northeast now seen through the lenses of CNN iReporters.
This one is from Beau O'Brien. He's in Mystic, Connecticut.
Floodwaters you'll see here gushing everywhere. Pretty crazy stuff, huh?
People had to be pulled from their cars. Many of those cars destroyed. Beau says a road gave out and let the water through.
Got another one here. This one is from Kendahl Moore in Rhode Island.
Rescues -- jeez, that's a little scary -- damaged cars as well. We're talking about a state with a real sinking feeling. Rhode Island hasn't seen this kind of massive flooding since they started keeping records way back in 1939.
It is so bad, in fact, a state of emergency has been declared. And even though the rains have stopped, the rivers are only now cresting.
Where is Reynolds Wolf? He is in Cranston getting an eyeful.
What are you seeing there, Reynolds?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: What I am seeing, Tony, is a few street signs, the corner of Fudan (ph) and 3rd.
And for viewers that are tuning in across America, I'd like you just to go back in time with me. Just have that little time warp in your mind, and I want you to imagine dry conditions, because that's what we had here about 24 hours ago.
Well, obviously, you fast forward and the situation has changed considerably. We've got the water, the Pawtuxet River, that has come right on through. And in some places it is just amazing, how quickly this came on through, all due to the record rainfall that we had not only during the month of March, where we had well over 15 inches of rainfall, but also on Tuesday alone.
Tuesday, we had 7.9 inches of rainfall. And all that rain coming together turns this part of the Ocean State truly, well, very similar to an ocean.
And the problems that it's causing are pretty easy to see. I mean, these roadways are in awful shape. Many of the roads in the state, away from the freeway, are just impassable. On I-95 there are a few spots where it goes into just one lane that can pass because of all the water that's been rising in many places.
In terms of evacuations, many of the homes you see over here behind me on this side have been evacuated. Hundreds of those, hundreds of businesses also out of commission for the time being.
And not only that, two wastewater plants, one in West Warwick, the other in Warwick, have both closed down due to the rising floodwaters. So people are urged not to wash dishes. They're urged, also, at the same time, not to flush toilets.
A very nasty situation, to say the very least. But the good thing is it does appears, Tony, that the weather is going to be improving.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: You know, he voted yes on health care reform, but a freshman congressman hears a lot of, "Oh, no, you didn't" when he goes home to Ohio.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Let's get caught up on our top stories right now.
In Pakistan today, trial under way for the so-called DC-5. The American college students are accused of plotting to wage jihad against that country. They face life in prison if convicted.
A U.S. Navy plane has gone down in the north Arabian Sea. Crew members rescued, one is missing. The plane was assisting the fight in Afghanistan when the crew reported mechanical problems.
We will get another check of your top stories in 20 minutes.
An Ohio congressman who voted for health care reform faces a backlash back home. Freshman Representative Steve Driehaus is fighting to avoid becoming a one-term congressman. He is getting some support, but he hopes his "yes" vote won't end his political career.
Congressional Correspondent Brianna Keilar reports from Ohio.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We're on the west side of Cincinnati --
REP. STEVE DRIEHAUS (D), OHIO: This flower shop here is owned by my cousin.
KEILAR: -- following Democratic Congressman Steve Driehaus through the neighborhood where he lives one week after he voted for health care reform.
DRIEHAUS: How you guys doing?
KEILAR: Talk to some of his constituents at the local chili joint, and it doesn't feel so sweet to be home.
(on camera): What do you think about his vote on health care?
KEN STINSON, VOTER: Pretty upsetting. I trusted Steve. I voted for Steve. And he didn't do what he said he would when he ran for Congress.
KEILAR: What do you feel like he didn't deliver on?
STINSON: I'm -- abortion.
KEILAR (voice-over): Ken Stinson went to Catholic school with Driehaus, but like many constituents in this conservative, heavily Catholic part of town, he's angry because of this.
Driehaus joined a handful of anti-abortion Democrats to deliver the needed votes to pass health care. A move that could cost him his job in November.
(on camera): Have you come to grips with the fact that, considering the environment, this could be it for you?
DRIEHAUS: Every election I run in is a tough election. If you're looking for job security, politics is not the place to be. And so I think it's absolutely the right vote, and I'm going to run on it and help people understand why it's the right thing to do for the country.
KEILAR (voice-over): Starting with local business leaders.
DRIEHAUS: But, look, I understand the fear, but the fear doesn't align with the reality of the legislation.
KEILAR: And some of health care reform's staunchest critics -- seniors.
DRIEHAUS: We're making investments in primary care.
KEILAR: But if health care reform is a tough sell in Driehaus' neighborhood, he does have some supporters. Jason and Erin Humphrey live on his street.
ERIN HUMPHREY, CINCINNATI RESIDENT: I just think with the economy and everything that's going on, I think it's a good change for people that have had issues being able to get covered in health care and be able to afford health care.
JASON HUMPHREY, CINCINNATI RESIDENT: We have to do something. We need change. And this is a good step. But, again, he may have performed career suicide.
KEILAR (on camera): But supporters like the Humphreys say they hope Driehaus' "yes" vote on health care reform works to his advantage.
Driehaus' issue is this, though -- in 2008, his election was buoyed very much by black and urban voters from the downtown part of his district, voters who were energized by President Obama being on the ticket. There are no coattails this time around, but Driehaus tells me he hopes President Obama will come here, campaign with him, and rev up that Democratic base.
Brianna Keilar, CNN, Cincinnati, Ohio.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: How about this -- more oil rigs in the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico? President Obama unveils a plan that is sure to upset environmental groups. What's the reason for this risky move?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: To drill or not to drill? President Obama says drill.
Last hour, the president announced plans to open new areas to offshore oil and gas exploration. The president says it is part of a larger plan to increase America's energy independence. And he is hoping to win GOP support for broader climate legislation, but the plan is likely to anger environmental groups.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There will be those who strongly disagree with this decision, including those who say we should not open any new areas to drilling. But what I want to emphasize is that this announcement is part of a broader strategy that will move us from an economy that runs on fossil fuels and foreign oil to one that relies more on homegrown fuels and clean energy. And the only way this transition will succeed is if it strengthens our economy in the short term and the long run. To fail to recognize this reality would be a mistake.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: OK. White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is joining us live.
Suzanne, good to see you again. Tell us a bit more about the president's plan.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, it was something that President Bush was trying to do, actually. And we've heard this kind of "Drill, baby drill" mantra from the Republican side, Palin, as well as McCain campaign. This is what President Obama is doing, very controversial.
He's opening up offshore drilling from the East Coast, from Delaware to central Florida, as well as the northern coast of Alaska. What he says is off limits, however, because of environmental concerns, two major areas from New Jersey, northward to Canada, and then as well as the entire Pacific Coast, from Mexico to Canada, at it includes Alaska's Bristol Bay. Obviously, a lot of people talking about this.
This is very controversial. There are environmentalists who are already saying -- you know, throwing up their hands and saying this is not the right approach here when it comes to energy efficiency. There are members of Congress who are already starting to speak out.
And essentially, he is trying to push through this climate control change, this bill, to reform energy, make fuel-efficient energy with cars and electricity, all of this type of thing. And he believes that if he pushes and gives this little carrot here for the oil companies, he's going to get some moderate Democrats, as well as Republicans.
HARRIS: Boy, as you know, health care was really tough for this president, for Democratic lawmakers.
Why is the president taking this on now?
MALVEAUX: Well, he feels like he's got some momentum here. I mean, obviously, the Democratic base, they are happy with this president. He just got the health care reform bill passed.
He went to Afghanistan. He got this nuclear summit deal with Russia. So he feels emboldened.
And so, if he's going to anger some people, he's going to take that on. But he feels like he actually can take that on because he's got the political capital to do it. It's a little controversial, but he's going to try to get it through before those midterm elections.
HARRIS: Yes. We'll see.
Suzanne Malveaux at the White House for us.
Suzanne, appreciate it. Thank you.
You know our investigation into the Church of Scientology continues. Allegations of beatings and humiliations carried out by the Church's leaders, and what the Church has to say about it, including ex-wives of several of the accusers coming forward to flat- out call them liars.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: This week we've been taking a close look at scientology, the mysterious religion that boasts celebrity members such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta. But we're focusing on what the public don't see, at least according to former leaders.
Take, for example, the insider accounts from Marty Rathbun, a 27- year-member and one of the highest ranking leaders of the church of scientology. He left in 2005, but says that while he was there, the head of the church, David Miscavige routinely beat other high ranking members of the church. Rathbun said not only did Miscavige brutally kick, punch and choke member's of the church's international management team, the Sea Organization, and in particular Mike Render (ph), the church's former spokesman, Rathbun also says Miscavige encouraged a corporate culture in which other managers were expected to get physical.
Rathbun admits he himself assaulted subordinates, but says it was done with the encouragement of David Miscavige himself. As for the church, it vigorously denies the claim, asserting Rathbun is a bald- faced liar who was fired because he himself assaulted members of the church.
As we continue our investigation, you'll hear from other high- ranking scientologists saying that David Miscavige was the one behind the violence, although the church emphatically denies it. Here's CNN's Anderson Cooper.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF HAWKINS (ph): Miscavige was always threats, bullying, haranguing people, verbal abuse, physical abuse. That was his game. He is a bully.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Jeff Hawkins was a scientologist for 35 years. A marketing director for the church, he was a member of the Sea Organization. The group that runs church operations worldwide.
He had dedicated his life to scientology. A true believer, he earned just $50 a week and lived in church-provided communal housing with other Sea Org members in California.
COOPER (on camera): You've worked with Marty Rathbun. You've worked with Mike Rinder (ph). The church told us that they were the ones leading this reign of terror. That Marty was the one responsible for these beatings.
HAWKINS: Absolutely not true. Absolutely not true. David Miscavige was the one leading this whole physical violence kick. And it was him who was beating people up.
COOPER (voice-over): Hawkins, who left in 2005, says Miscavige attacked him several times, including once during a marketing meeting.
HAWKINS: He jumped up on the conference room table, like with his feet right on the conference room table, launched himself across the table at me. I was standing. Battered my face. And then shoved me down on the floor.
COOPER: Tom De Vocht was a construction manager for the church. He was only 12 years old when he joined. He left in 2005 because he says he could no longer accept Miscavige's violence.
TOM DE VOCHT: Dave asked me a question. And I couldn't tell you what the question is today. I don't remember. But the next thing I knew, I'm being smacked in the face, knocked down on the ground in front of all these people. This is the pope, you know, knocking me down on the ground.
COOPER: Amy Scobee, a scientologist for 27 years, helped run the celebrity center in Los Angeles, designed to cater to the needs of famous members like Tom Cruise and John Travolta. She says she also left in 2005 but distinctly remembers watching David Miscavige choke Mike Rinder, the church spokesman at the time.
AMY SCOBEE: He grabbed Mike around the neck, swings around, and is choking him. And he's holding his neck. And Mike's just like grabbing the side of his chair and like struggling like not knowing what was going on. And his face is turning red. And the veins are popping in his neck. And I'm going, what in the hell is going on.
COOPER: Steve Hall was a writer for the church who left in 2004. He says he saw Miscavige attack Mike Rinder again in November of 2003. STEVE HALL: He grabs Mike, Mike's head, with both his hands. Throws Mike off his feet because he's strong and he put his whole body into this. He smashed Mike's head against this cherry wood wall.
COOPER: Church of Scientology spokesman, Tommy Davis, insisting all these former scientologists are liars, bitter former Sea Organization members who were demoted from their positions by David Miscavige. He says Mike Rinder was asked about rumors of abuse two years ago by the BBC when he was still spokesman for the church.
TOMMY DAVIS, CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY SPOKESMAN: He had been asked these same allegations and one of his responses was, I'll tell you what, if you come up with that again and show up with another one of those crap allegations, I'm going to file a complaint.
COOPER: He's talking about this BBC interview in 2007, recorded by scientologists and posted on YouTube just before Mike Rinder left the church.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He says you -- that David Miscavige put (ph) you down on the ground.
MIKE RINDER: (INAUDIBLE) Absolutely no that's absolute rubbish. Rubbish, rubbish. Not true. Rubbish.
COOPER: But now that Mike Rinder is no longer working for David Miscavige, he says he was lying during that interview. He wouldn't appear on camera, but he told us that he was physically assaulted by David Miscavige some 50 times. He lied to the BBC, he says, because he didn't want to lose his career and his church. That doesn't surprise Jeff Hawkins, who says when he was in the church, he would have never spoken against Miscavige.
COOPER (on camera): If you want to stay in the church, you have to do what he says?
HAWKINS: That's right. That's right. He literally holds -- if you're a scientologist and you believe in scientology, and you believe that the only way to your spiritual salvation is through the levels of scientology, then he literally holds the power of life and death over every scientologist, because he can say, you're out of here. You will get no more scientology services. You're done.
COOPER (voice-over): The church says Hawkins is out to destroy scientology, adding that he supports a anti-scientology movement called Anonymous that actively protests the church.
DAVIS: These are individuals who have proven not only that they will lie, but that they will get other people to lie. It's not much of a stretch for them to all get together, corroborate their stories, find some other people who have left years ago to try and cooperate it even more, and then come to the news media and attack the very person who removed them.
COOPER: The church provided us with dozens of affidavits from current and former church members, one-time colleagues of these former scientologists. Even their ex-wives. All these affidavits swear David Miscavige never hurt anyone.
JENNY LINSON, TOM DE VOCHT'S EX-WIFE: I slept with Tom De Vocht for almost 20 years. I knew every inch of him. I never saw one scratch. I never saw one bruise. I never saw one black eye. Nothing. Nor did he complain about anything personally.
COOPER: That's Tom De Vocht's ex-wive, Jenny Linson. She agreed just this week to be interviewed, along with the ex-wives of Marty Rathbun, Jeff Hawkins and Mike Rinder.
Mike Rinder's ex-wife, Catherine Bernardini, says he was never assaulted by David Miscavige.
CATHERINE BERNARDINI, MIKE RINDER'S EX-WIFE: I know every square inch of Mike Rinder's body. I know everything that's ever happened to him, every accident, every time he broke his wrist. I've been with him. We've been together all our lives. It's utterly ridiculous and it isn't true.
COOPER: Anne, you were married to Marty Rathbun?
ANNE JOASEM, MARTY RATHBUN'S EX-WIFE: Fifteen years. I know the man better than anybody else. Now you've got to understand, Marty Rathbun is a liar. He never mentioned it, OK.
COOPER: He says that he did mention it to you.
JOASEM: No, he did not. Absolutely not. It's a lie.
COOPER: Catherine, your ex-husband, Jeff Hawkins, says about you, that you have a heart of gold and that you're a good woman and that you stuck with him through some very trying times in scientology. He does say that you were
CATHERINE FRASER, JEFF HAWKINS' EX-WIFE: Whoa, hold on. He didn't have any trying times in scientology. I don't -- it was the best time of his life.
COOPER (voice-over): She says Jeff Hawkins never said a thing to her about being hit.
COOPER (on camera): Did you tell anybody about this? Did you complain about it?
HAWKINS: No. No, no. You don't do that when you're inside the base. You don't do that.
COOPER: Why?
HAWKINS: Well, if you go against Miscavige, if you say anything against Miscavige or you do anything or you report on Miscavige, you're instantly off the base.
COOPER: And what does that mean to be off the base? It means
HAWKINS: You're on the rehabilitation project force or you're sent to a remote location or you're sent to Africa or Australia. You're just gotten rid of.
COOPER (voice-over): Marty Rathbun says he did tell his wife but never complained to anyone else about Miscavige.
RATHBUN: He had the power so say, you're ex-communicated and you'll never see scientology again. You'll never see your wife again. You'll never see scientology again. I mean you've devoted 27 years to it and this guy could pull the plug just like that and say, you can't ever have it again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: You know, over the past month, CNN has spoken at length with former scientology spokesman Mike Rinder. He admits getting physical with some church members but says he was told to by David Miscavige. He said he wouldn't interview with us because he promised his first interview to the BBC. Once that interview has aired, he says he would welcome an opportunity to come on CNN and share his story.
Anderson Cooper's investigation continues tonight "Scientology, A History of Violence," tonight, 10:00 Eastern on "AC 360."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Let's get you caught up on top stories now.
The Northeast under water. President Obama has declared a state of emergency for Rhode Island. We've got some new video in now from Warwick, Rhode Island, the Pawtuxet River at Cransto, crested at just below 21 feet this morning. Forecasters say the river will continue to receded but remain above flood stage until early next week.
A Columbian army sergeant held hostage by FARC rebels for 12 years is free today. Pablo Emilio Moncayo was handed over to the Red Cross yesterday. The rebels say he will be the last hostage released without trading for one of their own.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: I need you to reach out to the program. I need you to talk to me directly. A couple of ways that you can do that. First of all, cnn.com/tony takes you directly to this, bam, our blog page. If you'd like to send us your thoughts on Facebook, here's what you do, TonyHarrisCNN. Here's my Twitter address, TonyHarrisCNN. Call us. Pick up the phone. 1-877-742-5760. Let's have more of your thoughts on the program, CNN NEWSROOM with Tony Harris.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: OK. Time to look at the stories generating a little buzz on the Internet. Ines Ferre is back.
What's hot?
INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A little buzz. OK, well, Jesse James says that he's in rehab.
HARRIS: Oh, boy.
FERRE: His rep tells "People" magazine, James checked himself into a treatment facility to deal with personal issues and help save his marriage to Sandra Bullock. News of the cheating scandal has linked him to at least four women. That's one of the hot one's on cnn.com today, I want to tell you.
HARRIS: Whoa. It's not one of these so-called sex clinics, is it? Sex addiction clinics or it's just called rehab, right?
FERRE: The rep wouldn't -- the rep wouldn't specify, right, but
HARRIS: Gotcha. But we can speculate.
FERRE: No, you know --
HARRIS: So, OK, clearly he's got his work cut out for him, right?
FERRE: Yes, a lot of work.
HARRIS: But what is this video you're telling me I just need to see?
FERRE: Yes, this is going to make your day.
HARRIS: OK, I need it.
FERRE: OK.
HARRIS: Yes.
FERRE: You do know that reference, when Dirty Harry meets Shaft in Kenya.
HARRIS: Yes.
FERRE: This becomes the country's first viral sensation from Kenya. Here's CNN's David McKenzie.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MCKENZIE, ABC CORRESPONDENT (voice over): He's a cool cat, part Shaft, part Superman, all Kenyan. Meet Makmende, Kenya's first viral Internet sensation. It's the brain child of 20 Something's Blinky Bill, Jim Chuchu and Daniel Muli. They formed the group Just a Band. And they put their latest video on YouTube as a tease campaign. It's had tens of thousands of hits and counting.
JIM CHUCHU, JUST A BAND: Then we start getting calls like, what have you guys done? Do you know what you guys have done? And then we went on Twitter and like -- it's like things were just -- we were for like three days we were just dazed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fifty Makmende mentions per second or something on Twitter.
MCKENZIE: And it's not just the video. There's the cleverly fake "GQ," "Esquire" and "Time" magazine man of the year covers, the Makmende websites, and the joke, like, Makmende doesn't cheat death, he wins fair and square.
It's all possible because Kenya is probably more wired than you think. A state-of-the-art fiber optic link recently arrived. Mobile Internet is simple. And internet cafes' always packed.
MCKENZIE (on camera): While the Makmende craze is driven by the Internet, it's actually old school. An early '90s term used to describe a kid who's acting like a super hero.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): It's actually even more old school, starting with 1983's Dirty Harry, "Sudden Impact," when Clint Eastwood delivered the famous lines
CLINT EASTWOOD, ACTOR, "SUDDEN IMPACT": Go ahead, make my day.
MCKENZIE: Make my day because Makmende in Kenya's shang (ph) slang. And the tough guy hero was born.
A hero that was revived by a creative group of guys who write all their songs, shoot and edit all of their videos, and use the Internet to bring people together.
DANIEL MULI, JUST A BAND: Wherever people are, it's like we all share the same memories from like a few years ago. Like that everybody's kind of linked by these common experiences that we all had.
MCKENZIE: Dave McKenzie, CNN, Nairobi, Kenya.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: OK. You know nearly 10 months after General Motors filed for bankruptcy, the automaker is moving forward with its plan to launch the gas electric Chevy Volt. Is it a smart business move for a company that needed a bailout from U.S. taxpayers? Cnnmoney.com Poppy Harlow is in New York with more.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Hey there.
Well, you know the big question is, is this Volt, this part electric car, is this the future of General Motors? It goes about 40 miles just on the battery charge and then it kicks over to gasoline for about 250 more miles. They're going to be mass produced across the country and around the world in 2012. But we took a spin in one in New York that just came off the assembly line in Michigan. Take a look at what we found.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HARLOW: All right, so, no key.
BOB LUTZ, VICE CHAIRMAN, GENERAL MOTORS: So you can nail (ph) it a little bit here and get some acceleration.
This is all new technology. This is something that nobody has ever done before and that many of our competitors said wouldn't be -- wouldn't be possible and GM will never do it.
HARLOW: Will all of the Volts this year be assembled in Michigan?
LUTZ: Every Volt for the foreseeable future will be built in Michigan.
HARLOW: Why do that? It costs you more than assembling them in Mexico or elsewhere?
LUTZ: Uh, no. Now with the weak dollar and with the wage concessions we got from the UAW, the United States is becoming a very good place to build automobiles.
HARLOW: I want to talk about the price point.
LUTZ: OK.
HARLOW: Because we are still in the midst of a recession. Americans are still very cautious of what they're spending. How much is this going to cost?
LUTZ: It's going to be in the ballpark of $40,000, which is, you know, a lot of money for most people. We're not going to make a lot of money on this car, if any at all. It's a learning
HARLOW: So why do it? Why do it? Because your -- this company is still billions of dollars in the hole to U.S. taxpayers. So
LUTZ: Well, happily, we're making a lot of money on a lot of our other vehicles. And I think financially we're going to be all right.
So that's the battery. There's the fuel tank back there.
HARLOW: What price does gasoline have to be at for this to make sense?
LUTZ: I would say, and you know, unfortunately, I think this is going to happen at some point in the United States, but at $4 and $5 a gallon there's going to be a heavy natural demand for a car like this.
Oh, look, we were running 963 miles per gallon on that run.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARLOW: And, of course, the price of gas weighs in to all of this. The more expensive gas is, the more economic sense a car like this makes. But then you've got a lot of competition. Nissan just announcing the pricing on its all electric leaf (ph) car that's going to come out later this year.
As for what this means for GM, we will see. But we did ask Bob Lutz about the future of GM, if he foresees any more big layoffs at the company. He said, as long as the economy continues to improve, GM is not looking at any more major job cuts right now. And that is good news for those employees.
You can see a lot more on that interview and the test drive with the Volt right here on cnnmoney.com.
Back to you.
HARRIS: Terrific. Terrific, Poppy. Thank you.
CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with our chief business correspondent Ali Velshi.
