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10 Dead in Mississippi Tornado; Protests Erupt against Arizona's New Immigration Law; Sting: Act Now on Climate Change; Hotel for Pot Smokers in LA; More Legit Businesses Thrive from Marijuana; Inside Preservation Hall
Aired April 25, 2010 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, the storm system that killed 10 people and left hundreds homeless across the Deep South, making an ugly appearance this hour in the Carolinas. Danger is far from over.
The violence in the president's home city getting so bad. Some lawmakers want to call in the National Guard. Why are Chicago streets so deadly?
Out West, California soon votes on legalizing marijuana. Businesses already anticipating a windfall of smokers. Tonight, we tour Los Angeles' first pot hotel.
And Sting drops by for an exclusive interview, singing the praises of new climate change legislation.
Good evening, everyone.
This stubborn and powerful storm system just won't go away. The Carolinas getting hammered tonight by severe storms. Our meteorologist Jacqui Jeras joins us in a moment with the very latest on that.
But keep in mind, all of this follows last night's terrifying storms across the South, the worst of it was in three Mississippi counties. One tornado, said to be a mile wide, is blamed for at least 10 deaths and a long line of devastation. CNN's Ed Lavandera is in Yazoo City, Mississippi.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): We found Matthew McCrae (ph) and his wife Jo (ph) on a back road in Choctaw County, Mississippi. Their house blown 40 feet off the foundation. His guitar is muddied, but it's days like these that inspired the Mississippi Blues.
(on camera): What was it like being in there when this happened?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was just that quick and I hated it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoop. And then whoop again and the top was gone. LAVANDERA: Was it incredibly scary?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just started praying, asking the Lord to save me, save me. I told my husband, I looked around and said, Honey, I don't believe he's going to save us.
LAVANDERA (voice over): Along this dirt road, the tornado killed its three youngest victims, two sisters and a 3-month-old baby girl.
(on camera): This is where 13-year-old Brittany Jobe (ph) and her 9-year-old sister Tiane (ph) were killed. They were here with their parents when the storm hit. The force of the storm so powerful it essentially disintegrated their mobile home. It was thrown beyond that tree line right over there. The girl's grandfather tells us that their bodies were found back in the woods over here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nice kids, good grades in school. It's just amazing.
LAVANDERA (voice over): Ron Sullivan (ph) and five others were able to walk out of this grocery store.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a Coke machine that's turned over on there that kept that roof from falling on me.
LAVANDERA (on camera): Can we go see it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, certainly. They always talk about, you hear the train. There was no train. There was a bomb.
LAVANDERA: What goes through your mind when something like this is happening?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The only thing that went through my mind -- two things. Please don't let anything else fall on me and I hope my wife is OK.
LAVANDERA: When the tornado struck here, it launched that 5,000- pound gasoline tank into the back of the grocery store. It rolled this way. Peggy Sullivan was standing right behind this white freezer. The tank lodged up against it and saved her life, keeping her from getting crushed.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: And CNN's Ed Lavandera joins us live.
Ed, today was the first chance to see the damage. How did people react?
LAVANDERA: You know, I think people were rather stunned and a lot of people simply walking around, grateful to be alive. We heard that over and over throughout the day, Don, that people were just amazed by how quickly this storm descended upon them. And it was a massive storm. The preliminary information from the National Weather Service tonight saying that here in Yazoo City, for example, their preliminary information is that this tornado was a mile and a half wide and had winds of 160 miles per hour.
LEMON: All right, Ed Lavandera reporting live for us.
Ed, thank you very much.
Let's get to our meteorologist now, Jacqui Jeras. She has been tracking this storm since yesterday.
Jacqui, last night, we were warning our viewers about the South, about Mississippi. Now it's in the Carolinas. What's going on?
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. We've been watching some -- many super cells, as we call them here, Don. Two hours ago, we had two on the ground, both produced some damage. Darlington had the most significant damage. This cell that you could see crossing right there.
We do have some preliminary reports that there may be a couple of injuries and there are numerous mobile homes and possibly other structures damaged in this area, including a school. And there was our second tornado.
Both of those warnings expired at this hour, but the threat remains. We're watching the state of Florida for damaging winds as these storms continue on through. And we've got more out in the Gulf of Mexico that will make their way on shore.
And then also across parts of the Mid-Atlantic, including you in Washington, D.C., no warnings for you just yet, but some really nasty storms just moving in towards the Beltway, into Baltimore and D.C. about half an hour way -- Don.
LEMON: And our Jacqui Jeras will be back to tell you what your commute will be like tomorrow and it's not going to be pretty for many of you.
Thank you, Jacqui.
There were scenes of both outrage and support today for Arizona's new immigration law. Governor Jan Brewer signed the strict new measure two days ago. It requires police to question anyone they believe is an illegal immigrant. Police are promising not to use it for racial profiling. But as our Casey Wian tells us, protesters don't believe a word of that.
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, throughout the day, thousands of protesters have gathered here at the Arizona state capitol to denounce the state's new law that would require police officers to crack down on illegal immigrants. The protesters here say they don't trust the police to fairly enforce the law.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) (CROWD CHANTING)
WIAN (voice over): Protesters outside Arizona's state capitol are angry over a new law requiring local police to help enforce federal immigration law.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People are going to be stopped just because of the color of their skin, and it isn't right. Are they going to be looking for Europeans as well, or is it just the brown people?
WIAN (on camera): What do you have to say to those concerns?
CHIEF JOE MARTINEZ, KEARNY, ARIZONA POLICE: They're really -- they're really unfounded. The Arizona law enforcement community is made up of many Hispanics. We've never had a policy of racial profiling. In fact, quite the contrary.
WIAN (voice over): At a town hall meeting, police chiefs criticized opponents of the law and the news media for spreading fear and disinformation.
CHIEF DON DANIELS, CASA GRANDE, ARIZONA POLICE: As a law enforcement officer, I would like to say that trust us, we will do what we're expected and paid to do. We have no interest in violating the law that has been brought to us.
WIAN: Arizona's U.S. Senator John McCain also attended. He did not take a position on the law, but says he understands why it passed -- rising violence and crime associated with illegal immigrant and drug smuggling.
SEN, JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I believe that they acted out of frustration because federal government had not complied with its constitutional responsibilities.
WIAN: For those who believe their constitutional rights may be violated, one police chief urged them to report any problems to authorities.
CHIEF JERALD NONAHAN, APACHE JUNCTION, ARIZONA POLICE: There's a huge historical context for individuals that perceive they're treated a certain way by local law enforcement. For those individuals, that's real. And we in law enforcement have to understand that when we interact with them.
WIAN: Arizona police chief say crimes related to illegal immigration are stretching their budgets and manpower to the breaking point. They hope controversy over the new law will pressure the federal government to take action.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIAN: The protests remain peaceful, largely festive most of the time. Protesters say their next plan of action is to try to stop Arizona's law from taking effect. They're going to court to challenge it. Longer term, they want to register people to vote, to vote out those lawmakers who supported the bill -- Don.
LEMON: Casey, thank you.
In West Virginia, the president attended a memorial service for the 29 coal miners who died this month. The workers were killed in an explosion, the nation's worst mine disaster in four decades. Today's service featured a photo of each of the men with their families placing helmets atop 29 white crosses. President Obama talked about the men who took on such dangerous work.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: All that hard work. All that hardship. All the time spent underground. It was all for the families. It was all for you. For a car in the driveway, a roof overhead, for a chance to give their kids opportunities that they would never know and enjoy retirement with their spouses. It was all in the hopes of something better. And so these miners lived, as they died, in pursuit of the American dream.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The president said one way to honor the memory of the lost miners is to make the nation's mines safer.
As the president was leaving North Carolina for West Virginia, police arrested a man with a gun at the Asheville Airport. Police say Joseph McVey, who is 23 years old, now faces a misdemeanor charge of going armed in terror -- in terror of the public. Police officers say McVey's car had a strobe light similar to those used by police. The suspect was in a public area when he was arrested and was never anywhere near President Obama.
It may be tedious for some, but it could have a big impact on your wallet. Congress taking up financial reform this week. CNN's political editor, Mark Preston, explains what might happen and what it means to you. That is coming up.
Also, a treat for you. Rock legend Sting is talking climate change.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STING, MUSICIAN/ACTIVIST (SINGING): It may seem a million miles away, but it gets a little closer every day.
Come on, Trude.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: That's why it's a treat because we got him to sing a little bit for you, too. Sting with his wife, Trudie Styler, and more on what they're calling the "green tea party." We'll tell you about that.
And a popular comic book introduces its first gay character. What do you think? Will you still read it?
And don't just sit there. Become part of the conversation. Log on. We'll get your comments on the air.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: President Obama began the day in North Carolina with the Reverend Billy Graham at the minister's mountaintop home. Graham, who is 91 years old, has met with a dozen U.S. presidents, all the way back to Harry Truman.
Our political editor, Mark Preston, joins me tonight from Washington.
The president might have been seeking a little spiritual guidance. He's got a lot on his plate to deal with, Mark, and financial reform, one of those things he's dealing with, is going to be in the spotlight this coming week. What's happening on Capitol Hill?
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Yes. Well, Don, he certainly could have been praying that with Reverend Graham today. Basically what's happening, by this time tomorrow night, Don, we will know if financial reform is moving forward at a quick pace. Tomorrow afternoon, late afternoon, the Senate will vote to see if they can move forward on debate on financial reform, a bill that has already passed the House. There are some holdups right now. Republicans and Democrats have some disagreements over how best to try to put this in place.
And how this is going to affect our viewers out there? Basically, what they're trying to do is put new safeguards into place that would prevent what we saw last year, the economic collapse or at least the near collapse of our economy.
LEMON: And we can't talk about all of this, especially considering the news last week, there are so much about Goldman Sachs. We cannot talk financial reform, Mark, because they really have become the scapegoat for Washington anger, haven't they?
PRESTON: Yes, they certainly have, Don. And certainly in the last couple of weeks, they have this. They're not tarred with that moniker. You know, last year, we saw the likes of Lehman Brothers and the mortgage giants such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, they were really attacked, criticized by the public and by Capitol Hill.
Right now, we're seeing that with Goldman Sachs, a financial firm that is considered the gold standard certainly on Wall Street and throughout country, throughout the world. But they have a lot of questions to answer regarding some toxic mortgages that they might have sold as part of investments that they were putting out there. So, we'll see a lot of that talk this week.
LEMON: Hey, we haven't talked about, you know, a state race or a local race this much probably since Scott Brown. We're talking about the one in Florida -- Charlie Crist, Marco Rubio. This week, Charlie Chris has a big decision to make.
PRESTON: Yes, he really does. By Friday, we'll know whether Charlie Crist, the Republican, the once vice presidential candidate, the person that they thought could perhaps be in the White House as vice president if John McCain had won the White House back in 2008, he might leave the Republican Party in the sense that he might run as an independent. It's something that we will find out on Friday.
Don, Charlie Crist this time last year was expected to leave the governorship and be the next senator from Florida, but guess what. The fact is he has really plummeted in the polls and we see this young man by the name of Marco Rubio really overtake him. Marco Rubio, a conservative that has really played well to the Republican base, conservatives that are very upset with Charlie Crist, and that's why we've seen this free fall.
LEMON: Mark, thanks for the look forward for next week. I want you to look at this next story, too, because I visited a hotel that caters to marijuana smoking in Los Angeles a couple of days ago. You won't believe my experience.
PRESTON: I'll have to check it.
LEMON: All right. See you soon. Thank you, sir.
California now home to the first pot-friendly hotel? We'll take you inside and tell you why its owners are bracing themselves for a booming business and betting on how Golden State voters will act.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STING: Trying to get the message out. And as you can see, this is like a "Green Tea Party" out there. People who care.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: That has nothing to do with the pot hotel. That's Sting and his wife. They're going to speak to me exclusively about the reasons they're in Washington, D.C., tonight. He is using his star power to shine a spotlight on a problem he says can no longer wait for answers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Tonight, Democratic sources are telling CNN that what was once a bipartisan bill on climate change likely won't make it to the floor. It is a result of a backlash by Republicans reacting to Democratic efforts to pass immigration reform. The news did not bring down the festivities, though, on the National Mall in D.C., where a climate rally featured stars like John Legend and Sting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(STING SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: That was Sting performing. And earlier tonight, Sting and his wife, Trudie Styler, spoke with me in an exclusive television interview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STING: Why are we doing this?
LEMON: Yes.
STING: Well, we've been in this struggle for over 20 years, Trudie and I, you know, trying to get the message out, and as you can see, this is like a "Green Tea Party" out there. People who care. People who care about clean water and fresh air for their children to breathe. Food that doesn't kill you. A better planet. A safer planet. And it is a tea party movement.
LEMON: Yes. Trudie, what do you think about what he said?
TRUDIE STYLER, CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVIST: Of course I agree with him not because I'm the little wife, but because, you know, we've been on this -- we've been on this mission together. We went to the rain forest in the '80s. We've been in a foundation for 21 years now.
And really, speaking on behalf of the people who are in the rainforest whose rights are being abused and exploited by big business, it's very hard to see that. And we care passionately about all those indigenous groups that we've met and become friends with over the years, so that Rainforest Fund really fights on their behalf.
LEMON: What do you -- what do you think of what he said -- it's a green tea party? What do you make of that? What are you saying by that, Sting? And then you can respond, Trudie.
STING: Well, you can see the enthusiasm out there. And people are here to really tell big government that we want big government to make big decisions about the most important problems we face. And also to pressure our corporations to behave properly, as consumers, but we're here to -- we're asking for big government, basically.
LEMON: You want big government?
STING: Of course we do. This is a huge problem, and only the government can solve it. You know, the man on the street can do a little bit, but big governments need to make decisions. We need to stop clear-cutting forests. We need to protect the forests. That's the simplest way of cutting greenhouse gases.
LEMON: Yes.
STING: And prevent global warming.
LEMON: I have to ask you and either of you can respond. But what do you make of those who say that -- who question climate or global warming? Because, Trudie, you said you have been in the fight for years. STYLER: Well, I addressed the U.N. Assembly -- General Assembly five days before they went to Copenhagen and there was a great feeling from the representatives of the U.N. that something was going to happen in Copenhagen. And I think all our hopes were dashed when not one government member was prepared to say, not one government leader was prepared to say, we are really going to do something about climate change, we're going to cut our carbons emissions by "x." Nobody came forward.
And that was just a terrific, terrible waste of time and resources and money, and has left everybody feeling, I think, quite rebellious now that we really, this is the time, we cannot wait any longer. We have to really lean on our governments to do something. Because I think that we're going to maybe not in my lifetime, but towards the end of our children's, we're going to reach a tipping point, that we will no longer be able to support life on this planet earth. I believe in that defiantly and passionately and strongly.
STING: I think a climate skeptic is somebody -- I want to say this. A climate skeptic is somebody who jumps out of the 20th floor of a hotel and for 19 floors, he tells everybody, hey, it's fine, nothing's wrong. He's crazy. But I can't imagine a more serious problem than climate change, frankly.
STYLER: I was going to say that we can't -- you know, because we've been part of the Rainforest Foundation for two decades now that we really see that carbons emissions could be cut by up to 25 percent just by halting deforestation now. That is something that we could do cheaply and quickly if we had this global accord to say, this is what we all agree to do. Just in a year, this could be ended. The deforestation could stop between 12 and 25 percent of our -- of our carbons emissions.
LEMON: Sting, you're going to be singing tonight. What are you going to sing? And maybe you can hum a few bars for us.
STING: I'm going to sing a song called "Fragile," which I suppose is apropro. And then I will sing "Message in a Bottle," also apropo, as is "Driven to Tears." And I'm going to finish with a song called, "One World is Enough."
(SINGING): One world is enough for all of us. It may seem a million miles away, but it gets a little closer every day.
Come on, Trude.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: Hey, guys, thank you so much. We appreciate you joining us, OK?
STING: Goodbye. Thank you.
STYLER: Goodbye.
(END VIDEOTAPE) LEMON: Our thanks to Sting and his wife.
And still ahead here tonight on CNN --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANJANETTE ALBERT, MOTHER OF VICTIM: (INAUDIBLE) Just stand there and watch that happen to somebody, anybody.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: That was Anjanette Albert, the mother of one of the many victims of violence in Chicago, speaking to me back in September of last year. Because of his death and the continued violence, today a renewed call for the National Guard to begin patrolling the streets of Chicago. We'll tell you why.
Plus, we're following a developing story. A major U.S. city's landfill burning out of control tonight. You're looking at live pictures from our affiliate. We'll tell you where it is and what's going on, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: I want to give you a look now at some of the top stories.
A massive fire on the Dallas horizon tonight as a city landfill goes up in flames. You can see the live pictures there from our affiliate, KDAF. It is burning on the south side of Dallas. And at last check, 20 fire trucks were on the scene. No word on the cause, but we'll keep checking on it. Check on the environmental hazards, if any, on that fire.
Crews are using a robot submarine to try to stop an oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. About 1,000 barrels a day are leaking from a rig that sank following an explosion 30 miles offshore. High seas in the Gulf of Mexico hampered the clean-up effort for the second straight day.
The violent death of honor student Derrion Albert back in September brought worldwide attention to a deadly epidemic. Today, a desperate plea from a pair of Illinois state lawmakers -- send in the National Guard to stop the bloodshed on the streets of Chicago. The city has seen more than 100 murders this year alone, but one community activist who spoke to us says the military really isn't the answer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VICTOR WOODS, ACTIVIST/AUTHOR, "A BREED APART": It is outrageous to think that we need to bring the Army and the National Guard to come in and deal with these neighborhoods. That is going to further alienate these young black boys and the community. We need to hold city officials in this city accountable, first and foremost. The mayor's office needs to be held accountable. We've got -- the mayor has implemented -- has a man who's in charge of safety and initiatives and violence prevention for the city of Chicago who doesn't have a budget.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: We'll continue to follow this story for you on this program. That's a promise. And Chicago superintendent Jody Wee (ph) says the safety of the city is a law enforcement issue, not a military issue.
Think your job is dangerous? Try facing off against a half-ton bull. This was bad, really bad. Spanish matador Jose Tomas is one of the top bullfighters in the world. Yesterday's goring in Mexico was so serious that doctors had to begin operating without anesthesia. Tomas required 17 pints of blood to keep from bleeding to death.
The British government not amused. It has apologized for a memo about Pope Benedict's upcoming visit to Britain that was apparently written as a joke. The memo from inside the British foreign office suggested the Pope might like to sponsor a brand of condoms or bless a same-sex marriage while he's on a four-day state visit to Britain in September. We're told the author has been transferred to other duties.
President Barack Obama pushes for financial reform. Working women are still making less than men. And new college grads could catch a break when it comes to health insurance. Here's Stephanie Elam with this week's "Getting Down to Business."
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: President Obama headed to Wall Street to ask investors to join in his effort for financial reform.
OBAMA: I'm here because I believe that these reforms are, in the end, not only in the best interest of our country, but in the best interest of the financial sector.
ELAM: The legislation includes ending the idea that banks are too big to fail, limiting the risks banks can take, and adding more transparency. The president is pushing to get a reform package approved this year.
And for all the hard-working women in the office, change isn't coming fast enough. Women in high-paying jobs are still making less than men in comparable positions. According to a study by a women's research group, women make an average of 77 cents to the dollar compared to their male counterparts.
Look for more on the job market when the employment report is released Thursday.
And finally, this is for all of you college seniors graduating this spring. Many young adults will be able to stay on their parents' health insurance until age 26 without losing coverage. Companies like United Healthcare and Humana are changing rules several months before the health care reform bill takes effect to prevent coverage gaps.
That's this week's "Getting Down to Business." Stephanie Elam, CNN, New York.
LEMON: All right, Stephanie, thank you very much.
You know, a different kind of high-end hotel in Los Angeles.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: It smells like pot in here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, it does.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: There's a good reason it smelled like pot. The first of its kind hotel caters to marijuana users. They're going to nickname it "pot-tel". I'll take you there coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: High times in tonight's "State of our Nation." Will the rest of the country follow California's lead? The Golden State goes to the polls this November to decide whether to legalize recreational marijuana. One Los Angeles hotel is betting on the passage and gearing up to become the nation's first pot-friendly hotel. It already allows medical marijuana users and hotel owners hope for even more business if the measure passes. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: The Normandie Hotel right there. It's at Sixth and Normandie. And it's a great neighborhood. So we want to know what it's like to see the first hotel that caters to pot smokers. Let's go in and meet the owner, John Evangelista.
Are you John?
JOHN EVANGELISTA, OWNER, NORMANDIE HOTEL: Yes, Don.
LEMON: Hey, nice to meet you. This is really cool, man.
EVANGELISTA: Glad to meet you.
LEMON: I like these.
EVANGELISTA: Yes. Some crystal chandeliers.
LEMON: In this way, that's original?
EVANGELISTA: I think it was original from about 1926 when it was built.
LEMON (voice over): The Normandie and California have come a long way since Hollywood's golden era when alcohol was illegal. Now, not only is medical marijuana legal here, but the state may be on its way to allowing adults to use it just like liquor. Already, there is interest. (on camera): What are you guys doing here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're actually looking at the building. Walking around.
LEMON: What do you think of his idea?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like it a lot, actually. This is the only hotel that allows it. That's huge.
LEMON (voice over): But a tour of the four-story 106-room hotel reveals a major overhaul is needed.
(on camera): You got a lot of work, though, ahead of you.
EVANGELISTA: Yes, that's true.
LEMON (voice over): He hopes to be ready if voters approve the ballot measure in November, but medical marijuana users are already welcome at the hotel.
I'm Don. Nice to meet you. It smells like pot in here.
CAROLINE LEWIS, NORMANDIE HOTEL GUEST: Yes, it does.
LEMON: Can we come in?
(voice over): Caroline says she uses pot medically to relieve aches and pain stemming from complications from poor C-section.
(on camera): This is where you live?
LEWIS: Yes, it is.
LEMON: So you're a medical marijuana patient and you can use it here. What does that mean to you?
LEWIS: You know, it means a lot to me because I have not only safety, but I'm comfortable here. I don't worry about nobody coming into the room, disturbing me. I don't worry about, you know, chaotic people knocking on my door, asking me for things. I don't worry about the police coming into my room, telling me they need to search for something or being arrested. And that's one thing that a lot of medical patients really look forward to. We have nowhere to go.
LEMON (voice over): But the owner hopes people like Caroline soon won't be confined to their rooms to smoke. A new roof deck is in the works.
EVANGELISTA: The lobby is nice and, you know, the ballroom is nice, but the roof is really, you know, that says, you know, this is the dream.
LEMON: A dream he hopes to realize even if Californians vote no.
(END VIDEOTAPE) LEMON: There are downsides to legalizing drugs and some fear the impact of more and more medical marijuana users on their community. But others say, you can't ignore the reality. Many legit businesses are cashing in on cannabis during these tough economic times. And those who cover the marijuana industry say in the 14 states that now allow medical marijuana, pot businesses are taking up vacant storefronts and providing local towns much-needed revenue.
That is according to Michael Lerner. He's a publisher and editor-in-chief of "Kush" magazine and Dailybuds.com, trade media for marijuana dispensaries.
Mr. Lerner, thank you for joining us, first of all. But we're not just talking about places that sell to patients who use marijuana as medicine, right? There are a lot of businesses like your magazine, for instance, that are making money from marijuana legitimately. Like some in the food industry. I see ads in "Kush" for a place called Ganje Gourmet.
MICHAEL LERNER, PUBLISHER, "KUSH" MAGAZINE: Yes, absolutely. There are so many ancillary businesses that have to do with this, from restaurants to all different facets of the business. Not just distribution of the cannabis, but the real estate and all the different facets of the business.
LEMON: All right. So let's focus on the shops that sell medical marijuana. And we have compiled some of your data and you say, in your conservative estimation, this is according to you, there are at least 3,000 dispensaries, boutiques, caregivers, whatever you want to call them, whatever your name for them, in varying states, that sell medical marijuana.
On average, each place employs about seven people and serves anywhere from 10 to 300 patients a day. Is that right?
LERNER: That's correct. In fact, there's over 30,000 jobs that have been created most recently amongst the states of California and Colorado by themselves.
LEMON: And some people can serve as many as what -- 300 people a day. So how much money are these places making a day here?
LERNER: Well, they go anywhere from 10 patients a day to 300 patients a day. But there's two different facets here. Colorado is a for-profit state and California is a not-for-profit state. So, it's a business. Absolutely a business. I mean, we're talking about the gold rush of 2010.
LEMON: Local towns and states, are they collecting taxes? You observed that states are learning from each other, such as Colorado. You saw what was happening in California and you decided to do things differently. Explain that.
LERNER: In Colorado, there's over 100,000 patients right now that have paid the state fees of $90 per person. That's over $9 million. As reported last week in the "USA Today," it's gone from 270 new patients per day in Colorado to 1,000 patients per day, which brings $90,000 a day into the state just in registration fees for the cannabis patients.
LEMON: You said you have personally visited more than 2,000 dispensaries all across the country. Can you tell me any stories of people who have been economically saved by marijuana, that, you know, that they've been able to find legal work from pot?
LERNER: Yes. On Dailybuds.com, which is the world's largest social network for medical marijuana, there is a story after story. We did a then and now stories of people that were unemployed two years ago, people that were on welfare, people that were on various assistance programs that did not have work, that did not have income, could not feed their families and are well employed within this industry right now.
And a lot of them also have health benefits and so forth with the primary caregivers and collectives they work with. Their life has changed because of cannabis.
LEMON: Thank you very much, Michael Lerner, editor-in-chief of "Kush" magazine. We appreciate it.
LERNER: Thank you.
LEMON: Stay tuned. We'll see where this debate goes and what voters decide in November in California.
You know, we've seen the damage from this weekend's deadly tornadoes, but we're just now learning how powerful it really was. Our Jacqui Jeras will have the very latest on that. Plus, what is your communicate going to look like tomorrow? She'll update you.
And lost and found. After a half a century or century and a half and a world away, one ring that's come full circle.
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LEMON: We told you about the Carolinas getting pounded.
Jacqui Jeras, I understand we just got some new video in Darlington, South Carolina. You can actually see the funnel cloud. Let's look at it, Jacqui, Take us through it.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Oh, yes, yes. This is just coming in from Austin. Yes, that's the Darlington tornado. There you can see the funnel in the background very, very clearly. Austin Boyce sent this to us. And it's just a really short clip, but you can clearly see that funnel. It did cause damage in this area, Don. We do know that some mobile homes were flipped over, a couple of regular structures also damaged as well as the school in town, according to some sources, as well as one of the banks.
So thanks to Austin Boyce for sending us in that video.
The severe weather threat diminishing at this hour. And we'll show you on radar that cell across North Carolina just to kind of put it -- or South Carolina, rather, just to put it in perspective for you. This is the one that produced the tornado. And then you could see another cell follow shortly behind it.
We still have severe weather ongoing at this hour across the Mid- Atlantic states. A severe thunderstorm watch in effect for parts of Maryland, Virginia, and the Delmarva Peninsula. Really intense storms moving through Washington, D.C. and Baltimore both right now.
We've got a plethora of delays as well as ground stops, which means planes are not taking off because of these thunderstorms. Baltimore, LaGuardia, Philadelphia, as well as Washington, D.C.
Unfortunately, your problems tomorrow don't get much better as our area of low pressure up to the north just kind of stalls here. So it is going to be bringing in windy conditions, rainy conditions tomorrow and many, many, many more airport delays. If you do have some travel plans, make sure you call ahead because we're expecting the northeast as well as Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Atlanta because of some of that wind.
Now, some new information tonight, Don, about that tornado in Mississippi yesterday that moved through Yazoo City. The National Weather Service has issued their preliminary assessment. They're saying it was a mile and a half wide, stayed on the ground for roughly 60 miles, possibly longer than that, and produced winds estimated at 160 miles per hour. That is one monster tornado.
LEMON: That goes along with the governor. Haley Barbour said, this is a monster of a tornado, I hadn't seen anything like it ever.
Jacqui, thank you very much. We appreciate it.
Now you know what to expect weather wise. So how about a jumpstart on the stories that will be making headlines next week. We'll bring that to you.
And later, the discovery that one man made that may have you tearing up your house. We'll tell you exactly what it is.
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LEMON: Now for a look at the stories that will be making headlines next week from the White House to the Pentagon to the economy. We start tonight with the traveling White House.
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ed Henry in beautiful Asheville, North Carolina, where the president and first lady are getting a little R & R this weekend. But this week it's immediately back to work and back on the road again to talk about jobs and the economy.
On Tuesday, the president will be in Iowa for a stop at an energy facility, then a town hall meeting. Wednesday, it's on to Missouri and Illinois as the sporadic White House to Main Street tour gets going again and rolls through the heartland. BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: I'm Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. This week, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak comes here to meet with Defense Secretary Robert Gates. The two men are going to have a host of issues to talk about. Middle East tensions are at all-time highs. The peace process is in trouble and both Israel and the United States remain deeply concerned about Iran's nuclear program. Iran just finished up a new series of war games in the Persian Gulf.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM ANCHOR: And a big week ahead on Wall Street. We will see how bankers react to the president's push for financial regulatory reform. We'll also get major corporate earnings from Coca-Cola, AOL and oil giants Exxon, BP and ConocoPhillips. We will also get the latest reading on consumer confidence and home prices. Those really can move the market. And also, the Fed will issue its latest decision on those all-important interest rates. So a lot coming up and we'll be tracking it all for you on CNNMoney.
LEMON: All right. Thanks, guys. Going to be a very busy week. Let's stop by right here our domestic desk and check in with Jess Jordan.
Jess, on Monday -- on Tuesday, rather, Goldman Sachs, big story last week. This week, Senate committee.
JESSICA JORDAN, CNN NATIONAL DESK: Yes. On Tuesday, we will be hearing from Fabrice Tourre. He's expected to testify before that Senate meeting.
LEMON: And this one is, you know, close to a lot of people, a lot of Americans' hearts. The "Queen Mother" of the civil rights movement, she's going to have a national memorial service in Washington next week.
JORDAN: Yes, Dr. Dorothy Height on Thursday at the National Cathedral.
LEMON: All right. Thank you very much. Appreciate it.
Get back to work there.
All right. Azadeh Ansari of the international desk, what do you have coming up on Monday? Those missionaries that we talked about so much in Haiti, looks there's some movement with them.
AZADEH ANSARI, CNN INTERNATIONAL DESK: Right, there is. Actually, nine of them are going to -- they've already been released, but a court case is set for Laura Silsby who's considered the Ohio woman who's the ringleader of all of this. So she's actually the focus of all the attention on this week's court action. So it will be interesting to see what happens with her.
LEMON: And I'm looking over your shoulder here at your computer, on Friday, 35th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon?
ANSARI: Yes. So on April 30th, 1975, 35 years ago, actually, what happened was, you know, the capital city of South Vietnam -- Saigon, fell to the North Vietnamese forces and that ended the Vietnam War.
LEMON: Effectively ending the -- end of the Vietnam War. Thank you, Azadeh Ansari and also Jess Jordan. We really appreciate it.
Listen, being from down in Louisiana, if you go to New Orleans, I'm going to tell you this, and you don't visit Preservation Hall, you're really, really missing out.
You know what? You can forget the standing room only crowd. We've got you a front row seat to a legendary jazz spot and it's free here.
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LEMON: The final acts of the weekend took the stage today at the Jazz Fest down in New Orleans, but the party isn't over yet. The festival ramps back up on Thursday. Music is the lifeblood of New Orleans and Preservation Hall in the French Quarter is dedicated to protecting the distinctive sound of the city.
Our producer, Jason Morris, and photographer, Ken Tillis, have your ticket inside. Take a look.
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BEN JAFFE, PRESERVATION HALL CREATIVE DIR.: Preservation Hall is my home. This is where I grew up. My parents, Allan and Sandra, moved to New Orleans in 1961. They moved down to New Orleans to be a part of the civil rights movement.
They happened upon a second line parade that was passing through Jackson Square and they followed it back to an art gallery that was housed here in Preservation Hall. And they met a group of people that were having jam sessions in this space and my parents were so mesmerized and enchanted by the experience. They created a place where New Orleans jazz musicians, a lot of them elderly African- American musicians, could come and perform on a regular basis.
To this day, we continue in that tradition. We have people playing at Preservation Hall who are third, fourth, fifth, sixth generation New Orleans musicians. And without Preservation Hall, there's a very good chance that New Orleans music, New Orleans jazz, would have disappeared all together.
After the hurricane, it was really challenging locating and bringing all of our musicians back to New Orleans. Rebuilding our community to me was the number one challenge we faced as a city. I knew without our musicians, New Orleans wouldn't be New Orleans.
There were years of instability, where we didn't know how we were going to pay our bills and how we were going to make a living. Preservation Hall was important to the rebuilding process because we symbolized something so powerful and so strong and universal.
To me, it's not a museum. This is a living and breathing place where every night magic happens.
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LEMON: Absolutely. Nothing like it.
You know, the secret is out. In this month's Archie Comics, a character reveals he is gay.
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LEMON: All right. Every weekend, we bring you some interesting stories, interesting items that you might have missed throughout the week. We should all be this lucky. Check this out. A home renovation project that pays for itself. While replacing the wooden stairs in an older home in New Brunswick, Canada, he uncovered, this man, a leather pouch with old gold coins. In all, ten $20 coins called "double eagles" from the 1860s and '70s. Their appraised value today? $20,000.
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DARCY CARTER, HOMEOWNER: We lifted that board up and the coins were in a little sack right about here. My wife is dreaming of her new countertop and I think she very much deserves it. So that's where the money's going to go, into our new kitchen.
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LEMON: Those coins are now in a safety deposit box.
Archie Comics, the mainstay of the pre-teen pop culture, is set to introduce its first gay character. Kevin Keller appears in September as the first new hunk in Riverdale. According to the Archie website, hilarity ensues as Veronica dumps Archie for Kevin, only to be thwarted by his sexual orientation. CEO Jon Goldwater says the introduction of a gay character is about keeping the long-running comic, quote, "current and inclusive."
So, there you go. I'm Don Lemon. I'll see you back here next weekend. Have a great week and thanks for watching. Good night.
