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Mexican Drug Cartels & al Qaeda; Ground Zero Mosque Moves Forward; Killers on the Run; At Least Seven Dead in Connecticut; The Face of Foreclosure; The Help Desk; What's Hot; Illegal Border Crossings In Arizona; Green Light For Mosque/Muslim Center

Aired August 03, 2010 - 11:58   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Randi Kaye in for Tony Harris. Top of hour in the CNN NEWSROOM, where anything can happen. Of course, we are following these big stories in the CNN NEWSROOM today. Monsoon rains are falling again today on flooded northwestern Pakistan. A government official now estimates 1,500 people have lost their lives. The U.N. says almost a million Pakistanis have been displaced by the floods. Washed-out roads and bridges are slowing relief and rescue operations.

In southern Afghanistan today, Taliban fighters attack the main NATO base at Kandahar Air Field but are stopped dead in their tracks. Kandahar police tell CNN one suicide bomber blew himself up at the base's main gate. The other attackers died in the gun battle that followed.

New information today on the oil spill in Michigan. Federal investigators say an alarm started buzzing 19 hours before that spill was reported. The alarm indicated falling pressure in a pipeline. That pipeline had ruptured, pouring 1 million gallons of oil into the Kalamazoo River.

About 1,000 people attended a community meeting on the spill in Marshal, Michigan last night. Enbridge Energy, owner of the pipeline, says a little more than half the oil has been cleaned up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIE MALE: People want to know what's going on, and this transparency will help.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMLAE: We plan to monitor the river, the fish, the wildlife for years. Along with local and environmental and public health officials.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: The town hall wasn't one of those rowdy venting sessions that we have seen certainly in the Gulf. Officials took residents one by one into small rooms and answered their questions.

And once again, hello, I'm Randi Kaye in for Tony Harris. Top of the hour in the CNN NEWSROOM, where anything can happen. Here are some of the people behind today's top stories. Wounded in action. A CNN exclusive, as we make the journey home with America's war heroes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (off camera): You are going from bleeding to hugging your wife and daughters. There is a smile.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Foreclosed and on the streets -- one family's nightmare they say could happen to anyone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow. It was cold. We slept in the car.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It never crossed my mind. You know, I've heard stories of other people, but never thought it could be us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: You're online right now, and, of course, we are, too.

Josh Levs is following the top stories trending on the Internet.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Randi, the smart phone wars are taking a new turn right now with the arrival of this, the new BlackBerry. All the details on that at CNNMoney.com.

And look at this. A census under water reveals marine life that you probably did not know about. All the details there, CNN.com/tech.

KAYE: All right, Josh. Thank you.

Now let's get started with our lead story: disturbing similarities between Mexican drug cartels and al Qaeda.

An FBI Web page quotes an agent calling the cartels more violent than the terrorist organization. If that surprises you, well, consider this: a grenade attack Sunday on police in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. The drug cartels are known for gunning down police, conducting executions, beheadings, kidnappings, and even a suspected car bombing.

CNN Senior Latin American Affairs Editor Rafael Romo joins me now to discuss this.

Good to see you.

What do you make of the FBI report comparing the Mexican cartels to al Qaeda?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: Well, on the one hand, it's very difficult to compare a transnational criminal organization with a terrorist organization, because the one is after the money, while an organization like al Qaeda is after an ideology. But on the other hand, when you're working along the U.S./Mexico border and you see these kinds of incidents, it's easy to understand why he would say something like that.

But let's take a look at exactly what he said, this agent in Texas, who is not being identified by the FBI. He said specifically -- and this is the quote -- "We think al Qaeda is bad, but they have got nothing on the cartels." Again, "We think al Qaeda is bad, but they've got nothing on the cartels."

This is quite shocking.

KAYE: Absolutely. And the FBI, some in the FBI, at least, are downplaying this, saying, you know what? The cartels are not as bad as al Qaeda, this was one guy saying this on the Web site.

ROMO: Exactly. And this appeared on a Web page that the FBI publishes from time to time to allow agents to let the public know what they go through, and that's exactly the context of this comment.

And an FBI spokesman in Washington had something quite different to say. He said, "The quote is the opinion of one FBI agent who lives and works on border violence every day." He went on to say that, "The FBI does not believe the cartels are any more dangerous than al Qaeda."

And this seems to be the position of the FBI as a whole.

KAYE: I'm also -- I want to talk about this threat against Sheriff Arpaio. He was on CNN earlier. Apparently, there is a million-dollar bounty on his head by the cartels, possibly.

ROMO: Exactly. And he says -- this morning he told us it's not the first time it's happened. As a matter of fact, he came on "Good Morning America" (sic) to react to this new development that happened in Mexico. There is a throw-away phone, a text message that appeared seemingly out of nowhere, and this is what Sheriff Arpaio had to say about this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO, MARICOPA COUNTY, ARIZONA: When I was down in Mexico City, we had violence, but not like this. This has gotten out of hand right now across that border. Something has to be done on both sides of the border to stop this chaos.

And I attribute it to the drugs and the illegal immigration problem. Everybody forgets the human smuggling. That's a cause for a lot of violence, too. It's not just the drugs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Again, Sheriff Arpaio talking this morning on "AMERICAN MORNING." He calls himself the toughest sheriff in America, and he has put a lot of guys behind bars in Arizona who are known operatives of the Mexican drug cartels. So that probably explains the reason why.

KAYE: He doesn't even seem the least bit fazed by this. I mean, I think this guy thinks he has nine lives, because he's not fazed at all.

ROMO: Well, he has been in law enforcement for a long time, and he's heard comments like this before, threats like that before. So not -- doesn't seem to be very worried about it.

KAYE: No, certainly not.

All right. Rafael Romo, thank you.

ROMO: Thank you.

KAYE: Good to see you.

Six teenagers have drowned in Shreveport, Louisiana. They had waded into the Red River, but then stepped off an abrupt ledge into a deeper section.

The victims ranged in age from 13 to 18. Three of them were brothers. None could swim, apparently. Only one member of the group was rescued.

The Shreveport fire chief says all the bodies have been found.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF BRIAN CRAWFORD, SHREVEPORT FIRE DEPT.: The six bodies were recovered approximately 20 feet off of the south side jetty prominence that comes off of the south side of that west shore. All the bodies were recovered, and pretty much the same area, at about a depth of anywhere from 20 to 28 feet. All resting at the bottom of the river, all within 20 to 30 feet of one another.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: An Islamic center near the site of the 9/11 attacks, the subject of a passionate debate. And this morning, a decision.

Allan Chernoff, you were at the meeting, so give us the latest, please.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT: What's happened is that the Landmark Preservation Commission here in New York City has denied landmark status to the building two blocks north of the World Trade Center site, that building where a developer intends to put up an Islamic center that includes a mosque. So, now he is cleared to knock down the existing structure and build whatever he wants.

The initial plans have called for a building of at least 13 stories high. He told the media he's gratified. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHARIF EL-GAMAL, ISLAMIC CENTER DEVELOPER: It has been a whirlwind for the past four months, one in which we have worked tirelessly to realize an American dream which so many others share.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHERNOFF: What was at stake for this vote was the actual building itself, not the use of the structure. So, even if landmark status had been granted to the building, the developer still could have gone forward with an Islamic center, with a mosque. And the fact is, even today there is a prayer center actually at that building. People will be praying there today.

That hasn't been understood in the debate over this actual building. But now the issue of whether or not the building can be knocked down, that has been resolved. No landmark status. So the developer can go ahead with plans to put up a modern, large structure that he says would include conference centers that supposedly would reach out to non-Islamic people, try to build bridges, and also have a mosque in the building -- Randi.

KAYE: And a pool and all kinds of things, right, this complex would include?

CHERNOFF: The whole model here, he says, is the YMCA. He says the Islamic community needs something like that. "Why not?" he argues, right near the World Trade Center site.

Now, of course some families of 9/11 victims and many other New Yorkers have expressed tremendous opposition to this. They feel it's a stab in the heart.

But the politicians here, Mayor Bloomberg, there has been almost unanimous support among city politicians, at least in New York City. Some of the politicians outside of New York City, they have been opposed.

KAYE: And is this where it ends for the opponents? I mean, their voices have certainly been heard.

CHERNOFF: I doubt that. They certainly can continue to protest. And even when the demolition occurs, the construction, whatever, the protests may continue for years.

I mean, this project is really just at the beginning stage, and the developers tell me that they have one mockup, but that is not the final plan. They have not selected an architect just yet, they haven't raised all the funds. So it's still in the beginning stage here.

KAYE: All right.

Allan Chernoff for us in New York City.

Thank you, Allan.

This is clearly an emotional issue, and we want to hear from you on it. Tell us what you think about this proposed mosque near Ground Zero in New York. Send your comments to CNN.com/Tony. We'll read some of them later this hour.

Stimulus spending under fire. Two Republican senators out with their "Worst 100" list. Our Josh Levs will tell us about some of the projects.

First, though, our "Random Moment" in just 90 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Holy "Random Moment of the Day," Batman. Teddy the pub's bark sounds a lot like the Cape Crusader's theme song.

Listen carefully.

Oh yes. It sounds just like he's yelling "Batman!" Adam West, who played Batman in the 1960s television series thought the singing pub -- or screaming pub, maybe we should say -- was a real knee- slapper, so he put Teddy on his Web site, and we put him on TV as our "Random Moment of the Day."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Plugging the Gulf oil leak once and for all after a delay. Crews could being the so-called static kill procedure today.

Retired Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen says the small hydraulic leak that delayed the procedure has not been repaired. The next step expected any time now is a test to determine whether to begin the static kill which involves pumping mud and then cement into the busted well.

Allen describes what happens if the static kill goes forward.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADM. THAD ALLEN (RET.), NATIONAL INCIDENT COMMANDER: At that point, they'll begin to pump mud into the choke line and the Horizon blowout preventer. It will start at one barrel per minute and move that up to two barrels per minute. There's going to be a very low rate of injection into the well because we don't need to do it in a higher rate as we did during the top kill because there's pressure back on the well with the capping stack.

We do not know exactly how much mud will be pumped in. It will depend on the condition of the well itself. There are three different types of areas down that that will need ultimately to be filled with the mud.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Biologists are celebrating a success in the effort to save sea life threatened by the oil disaster. They released 1-day-old turtle hatchlings on a beach near Kennedy Space Center overnight. The baby loggerhead turtles were hatched at a space center facility.

Look at those little guys.

Biologists moved the eggs from beaches in Alabama and along the Florida Panhandle. They hope to relocate 70,000 to 80,000 eggs during the turtle season which runs through September.

To money and politics now.

Two Republican senators take aim at President Obama's $862 billion stimulus plan. In a news conference last hour, Senators John McCain and Tom Coburn listed what they call the 100 worst stimulus projects. This is their third such list.

Coburn says the focus is on projects that don't give taxpayers their money's worth.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TOM COBURN (R), OKLAHOMA: There is no question, the stimulus bill has had a positive effect on the economy to a certain degree. And what our criticism is, it could have had a far greater effect. When the special IG for this admits that there is going to be $50 billion in fraud out of this bill, and that we highlight things that we think are stupid and inappropriate, it is normal that we're going to get criticism.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Our Josh Levs has been looking into this one.

And Josh, the senators put together quite a rundown, once again.

LEVS: They did, yes. The report is listing 100 stimulus projects they're taking issue with. This is it here. They're calling it "Summertime Blues," by the way. You can all read it at their Web sites there.

And some of these are projects that I looked into months ago at the CNN Stimulus Desk, including this one: BlackBerrys for smokers. This got a lot of attention.

This is a program out of Washington, D.C. Stimulus funds are being used to hand out free BlackBerrys to people in certain areas who rely on quit lines, and the BlackBerrys let them get support via text and connect with others who are quitting.

When we looked into this in February, officials told us at the time it supported one full-time job. Also, the senators are pointing to this -- a new report -- in the new report, they're pointing to this study involving cocaine and monkeys, which is also similar to one that we looked into months ago.

Officials with the National science Foundation have repeatedly said that studies that could save lives did get stimulus funding through a peer review process. Still, this right here is a good example of the kind of project a lot of people look at and say, OK, worthy project, but is it really stimulus? Is it stimulating the economy?

And Randi, I'm going to piece through more of the examples that they're putting here, but I will tell you this -- we have a statement here from the White House. Liz Oxhorn we've spoken with many times. She's the White House spokeswoman on the stimulus.

And she says, "We'll look into each of their claims and take action if any have merit. But with more than 70,000 Recovery Act projects under way, any misguided project is just a small fraction of tens of thousands coast to coast that are rebuilding American and putting people to work."

So that's the White House response.

Now, before I go, one interesting thing here. You know, it is these same two men who complained months ago about a series of projects, including a Napa Wine Train which you then reported on -- Randi.

KAYE: That's right. The senators had actually put the Napa Valley Wine Train on their list of top 100 in December. And they put the wine train as number 11, but it turns out that the stimulus money wasn't actually being spent on the wine train. It was being used on a massive flood project we found out.

They had to actually elevate the tracks and move the tracks. So while it looks like a pretty fancy wine train, it was just in the way. So they had to spend $54 million of stimulus money to move the tracks.

And we also learned, Josh, that the funds actually created 600 jobs, and those jobs were expected to last two or three years. So I don't know how that one ended up on the list of the worst 100 back in December, but the Napa Valley Wine Train certainly wasn't too happy about that.

LEVS: Yes. And it's a good example -- it was great reporting, and it's a good example of what we have seen a lot of times in the stimulus project, as I have pieced through hundreds of these projects. You can hear something, and then you need to look into it and get the details.

And look, there is no one questioning that when you have this massive $862 billion project, there will be some that's wasted. It's up to everyone to decide what's waste and what's OK. When it comes to a list like this, we'll do what we always do -- we'll piece in the details, we'll bring you the reporting, so you can decide for yourself.

KAYE: All right, Josh. We're counting on you for that.

LEVS: OK.

KAYE: OK? You're on top of it?

LEVS: I'm all over it.

KAYE: All right, good.

LEVS: We have the stimulus for you.

KAYE: Thanks.

A new tropical storm has formed in the Atlantic. It's called Colin, and we are keeping a close eye on it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAYE: They are considered armed and dangerous, and police all over the U.S. are looking for them. We're talking about the two convicted killers who escaped from an Arizona prison Friday.

Charles Ryan, director of the Arizona Corrections Department, is on the phone with us right now.

Mr. Ryan, thanks for joining us.

First, let me ask you, how -- what were you able to learn? Because we know that one of these inmates was picked up on Sunday. Has he been able to give you any information about the two that are still on the run and where they might be?

CHARLES RYAN, DIRECTOR, ARIZONA DEPT. OF CORRECTIONS: The inmate, Renwick, who is in custody, still in Colorado, was interviewed by U.S. Marshals Service. He has provided them with considerable information, and Marshals Service is networking with other law enforcement agencies throughout the country, and they're pursuing various leads.

KAYE: Can you tell us any of the information, even just a tidbit of what he provided them with?

RYAN: Well, if we were to believe him, he would tell you that it was very recent that he became pare party to this plot, but it appears that it was well planned and there was assistance from the female. And she came to the perimeter fence, and through some cutting tools, over the fence, and they used that to cut through the wire and escape.

KAYE: And where was security at this point, if she was able to do that? How did this happen?

RYAN: That's a matter of the investigation. The medium security private prison had perimeter patrol officers. When the fence was cut and the inmates entered the zone, it alarmed. And it remains to be seen what that response was. I have staff from my department there now conducting an investigation, and security operations will commence this week. And I will be meeting with those private prison officials tomorrow here in Phoenix.

KAYE: So are you saying that security didn't respond as it should have?

RYAN: It certainly raised serious questions about the operational response, and it seems to be -- seemed to have been inadequate. Inmates are students of behavior, and I think they were opportunistic and saw a weakness in the staff's behavior.

KAYE: From what I understand, these two who are still on the run have been able to go to an ATM, they've managed to buy themselves a new car. Any idea where they are or what's being done to get them back into custody?

RYAN: As I said, the Marshals Service is pursuing lots of leads and communicating with law enforcement agencies throughout the United States. There is a nationwide alert for these people at the moment. I can't tell you where they are.

KAYE: All right. I'm sure you wish you could.

Charles Ryan with the Arizona Department of Corrections.

Thank you for your time today.

RYAN: You're welcome.

KAYE: Saving the lives of war heroes. We'll take you aboard an air medical evacuation flight for the journey home, a CNN exclusive with Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr. She joins me live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Airborne hospitals bringing wounded U.S. troops back from Afghanistan, it's a critical part of the war effort.

Our Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr takes us aboard one of the flights in the first installment of her three-part CNN exclusive series, "The Journey Home."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's before dawn in the trauma bay at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. Another shoulder wounded in the fighting down south, surgeons, nurses doing everything they can.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One, two, three.

STARR: The journey home starts here.

In Vietnam, it could take weeks, but now wounded can be home in days.

CNN was granted exclusive access to see the medical care that makes it possible and, to injured troops, some hours off the front line. In the hospital hallway, Army Specialist James Dennis is being shipped home after being in three attacks in three weeks. He had already been here before. He survived two roadside bomb attacks in the same day, and then, a couple of days ago...

SPC. JAMES DENNIS, U.S. ARMY: It was indirect fire. I was hit by a mortar.

STARR: But still smiling.

DENNIS: I'm good right now. They gave me some medicine.

STARR: In the latest attack, Dennis ordered junior troops under fire to run for safety. He couldn't get away in time.

DENNIS: I didn't even get to start running. And I guess it knocked me out, because I remember pushing myself up off the ground and had all this blood all over me. And then they MedEvaced me.

STARR: Dennis praises the doctors and nurses.

DENNIS: These people here are awesome. I mean, they do their job. I respect these guys a lot.

STARR: Before Dennis is moved to a plane, a last emotional hug from the trauma doc, Captain Joshua Miller (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You take care of yourself.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw him over there in that wheelchair, and I just took another look at him and I said, man, what are you doing here again? I'm not supposed to see you again. And, sure enough, he had suffered enough explosion injury.

STARR (on camera): The doors have just shut on this air medical evacuation flight here in Bagram, Afghanistan. The wounded have already been loaded. You can see that medical staff is already taking care of them, even before we take off. We are about to go on an eight-hour flight back to Germany. These troops are going to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center for further treatment.

STARR (voice-over): Matthew Came, a medic, was on patrol helping other wounded when he was hit.

(on camera): And your Kevlar didn't protect you, your vest?

SPC. MATTHEW CAME, U.S. ARMY: It was about one inch right under it. It was right in the bladder.

STARR (voice-over): Badly wounded, he told his buddies what to do.

CAME: Right away, I just went on to, just, you know, talk them through what we needed to do. And it all went really, really smoothly. And then a medic from the copper we were going to go help out came and he helped out in the end too.

STARR: Now others are tending to him. He gets relief for his pain, Specialist Came finally under the watchful eye of his nurse.

For air evacuation teams, easing the pain and devastation can be tough.

CAPT. KATHERINE GARTNER, U.S. AIR FORCE: I have had a couple patients who were sleeping and just woke up in a fright, just couldn't remember what was going on, where they were. And, for me, that was the best moment to be there for that patient, to hold their hand and calm them down and let them know, I'm here. You're OK. You're going home -- and just seeing them relax and say, OK, I'm good. It's all good.

STARR: For three-time Purple Heart specialist Dennis, now on the plane to Germany, it is all good.

(on camera): You're going from bleeding to hugging your wife and daughters. There's a smile.

DENNIS: It's going to be awesome, you know? When you're near death that close, I mean, I thought -- I literally thought I was dead when that impact happened. I thought I was dead. But you really don't know what you have got until it's almost gone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, lift. Lift.

STARR (voice-over): Tomorrow, the next stop, Germany.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: And Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr joins me live now.

Barbara, what a story. How much has the flow of wounded from the war increased? From this war.

STARR: It is jumping almost every week, Randi. You know, we checked, for the month of July, 572 U.S. troops wounded in action in Afghanistan, and that's now about double what it was just a couple of months ago. And all of the troops expect a very long, hot summer season there.

KAYE: I know you call this a journey. What sticks most with you from this very emotional journey?

STARR: You know, I think everybody would agree, it's those faces, you know? They're so young, with so much responsibility. Some -- I don't think we met anyone over the age of 25 off the front line. They're very young, but yet they bear so much. And you can see the faces, you know, full at this point of pain. Most of them are on morphine because they're just hours away from being wounded. Not something we usually get to see right off the battlefield. So they're on pain relief drugs, they're exhausted, and all of them looking forward to going home just for a little bit and seeing their families and getting better.

Randi.

KAYE: I'm sure. An amazing story and what access you had, as well.

Thank you so much, Barbara.

And don't miss Barbara Starr today in "The Situation Room" in the second part of her look at injured troop's critical medical care. Barbara shares amazing stories of the doctors and nurses who get the wounded out of the war zone, sometimes as you just saw, within hours of being hit. "The Journey Home" in "The Situation Room" with Wolf Blitzer. You can catch that today at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

A family's nightmare scenario. Foreclosure. Kicked out of their home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEAH, FORECLOSURE VICTIM: Wow. It was cold. We slept in the car.

SHARI MUHAMMAD, FORECLOSURE VICTIM: Never crossed my mind, you know. I've heard stories of other people, but never thought it could be us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: We'll show you how they found a place to live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: This just in to CNN. "The Hartford Current" newspaper reports eight people are dead in a workplace shooting at a beer distribution facility in Manchester, Connecticut, today. Previously the newspaper had said three people had been killed. So the numbers are going up. Police said an employee opened fire during a shift change. He is apparently among the dead. So, once again, eight dead now at that shooting in Connecticut.

And we want to get a live report there from a reporter on the scene there.

Alison Kosik, what can you tell us?

Alison, can you hear me?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I can. Hi there. You can hear me, I'm assuming.

KAYE: Yes. What can you tell us on the latest there?

KOSIK: A lot of what you just said. You know, a police official close to the investigation tells us that at least eight people have been killed in this workplace violence that happened early this morning. Police right now are keeping us far away from the crime scene, from the warehouse, just over my shoulder.

But here's what we're learning as police piece together this situation. We're learning that an employee at Hartford Distributors showed up to work this morning and opened fire on his co-workers. This all began around 7:30 and we're hearing that this person just walked into the office and just started shooting. There were about 35 to 40 inside the warehouse and the offices when this happened. Many of them running across the street to take cover. And when all was said and done, as I said, at least eight people have been killed and police say this is what they found when they showed up. Take a listen.

OK, we're not going to get that sound, but I'll tell you what -- I'll tell you what police are saying. They're saying that when they showed up inside the building, they found that the gunman had shot himself. They said they did not fire one shot.

Now, here's something interesting that we're hearing, that the gunman is actually named Omar Thornton. He's 34 years old and was recently hired here at Hartford Distributors as a driver. But union officials apparently say that there was a disciplinary problem with him and that the union was actually going to walk into the company with him today and have a meeting and try to come to some sort of solution. But that is when the shooting started. No word, of course, if the meeting ever had a chance to get started before the shooting happened.

Back to you.

KAYE: All right, Alison Kosik for us on the scene there, thank you.

And we want to let you know that CNN has confirmed at least seven dead, plus the shooter, at that facility in Connecticut. At least seven dead. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Taking a look at the markets for you right now. It looks as though the Dow is down, oh, just about 29 there, if my eyes can see that correctly.

All right. Well, nearly three years into the housing meltdown, foreclosures are still ripping apart the American dream. Banks are on track to repossess more than 1 million homes. One million homes this year alone. CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow joins us now from New York.

And, Poppy, I guess lots of families, unfortunately, ending up on the streets here.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: It's exactly right. I mean the recession has sort of waned, but the foreclosure crisis is still very much with us. We get these numbers every month. In June alone, Randi, we had about 313,000 foreclosure filings.

But what we wanted to do is show you the face of foreclosure. The people behind those numbers. One of the families we met, Shari and Ken Muhammad. They were evicted from their home in January. They and their six children were homeless for a month in the winter, living out of their car, hopping from hotel to hotel, whatever they could afford. They have since found subsidized housing for about a year. A non- profit helped them do that. But here's their story. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHARI MUHAMMAD, FORECLOSURE VICTIM: It wasn't like we just did not pay our mortgage, you know? Things happened. Our son got very ill at the time.

KEN MUHAMMAD, FORECLOSURE VICTIM: Right.

S. MUHAMMAD: You know, it was a lot of circumstances that happened.

K. MUHAMMAD: January was total chaos. Stuff in storage. We're in vehicles. We're at 11:00, hoping this -- they have a room for us. I mean survival mode. Basic food. What are we eating? You know, basic things become major issues. The moving. The kids going to school.

S. MUHAMMAD: Still got to do the school runs.

K. MUHAMMAD: Doctors.

S. MUHAMMAD: Every normal activity still has to remain the same, you know, for the sake of our children.

LEAH, FORECLOSURE VICTIM: Wow. It was cold. We slept in the car. With a lot of hotels. Kind of a fun part, but we had -- we had a bonding experience with each other (INAUDIBLE). We had these laugh moments. We had these sad moments. It was like living in a house, but in a car.

K. MUHAMMAD: This is our final destination for at least hopefully two calendars. We've got one guaranteed right now.

S. MUHAMMAD: Never crossed my mind, you know. I've heard stories of other people, but never thought it could be us, you know?

K. MUHAMMAD: Didn't see it coming.

S. MUHAMMAD: No. And we were really struggling. And at our lowest point, you know, they helped us. They helped bring us up. And we were very grateful for that.

K. MUHAMMAD: I keep having to say, we were fortunate.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Pretty amazing to hear that, Randi, saying they think, despite everything they went through, that they are fortunate. They got help, not from the government, but from a non-profit in New Haven, Connecticut. They helped them get a temporary home, get them that furniture. When you're foreclosed on, you just have to leave. You don't get to take all your furniture with you.

And this really raises a lot of questions about the fight to stop foreclosures by the Obama administration. The administration has promised to help 4 million Americans facing foreclosure. So far, the latest numbers show us, in spring 2009, about 400,000 people have had help. That means about 3.6 million people left out there without this help that have been promised some sort of aid from the administration. We'll keep a close eye on this one. You can see the rest of the Muhammad's family story right here at CNN Money.

Randi.

KAYE: All right, thank you, Poppy.

So many people do need help. Thank you.

HARLOW: Yes.

KAYE: Taking on some of your toughest money questions. We'll stop by the CNN "Help Desk."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: Time now for "The Help Desk," where we get answers to your financial questions. Joining me this hour, Manisha Thakor is a personal finance author. Also, John Simons is with "Black Enterprise" magazine.

All right, let's read you the first question we got from Randall. This is for you. He wrote in, "I received a letter from a collection agency stating they are trying to collect on a $25,000 debt. I'm unable to pay this. I'm 47 on disability and receive close to $1,000 a month. By the time I pay my rent and utilities, I have very little to live on. What are my options?"

What do you think?

MANISHA THAKOR, PERSONAL FINANCE AUTHOR: Three options. Pay the bill, negotiate bankruptcy -- obviously we want to go for the middle one. Know that debt collectors typically buy the debt for 1 to 7 cents on the dollar. So if you can offer 10 cents on the dollar, $2,500 on a payoff plan on that $25,000 debt, that might be your best option.

HARLOW: OK. That's a good option, try to negotiate. What do you think, John? This question comes in from CH. They wrote, "who regulates the three major credit reporting agencies? I was late once on a one-year $1,500 loan and my credit score dropped by more than 30 points. The balance on that loan is now zero. How can this be?"

What do you think, John?

JOHN SIMONS, "BLACK ENTERPRISE": OK, it's my favorite government agency, and that is the Federal Trade Commission. Ftc.gov is their website if you feel like you're being treated unfairly by the credit reporting agencies. You go there and click on file a complaint. It's very easy.

Now, in the case of this person, I would -- I would say that 30 points off of his credit score isn't that harsh a punishment. And he really doesn't have an argument. I mean, you know, your credit score is your debt management score. And he wasn't managing his debts very well there.

HARLOW: Right. All right. So 30 points not too bad. Great advice, guys. Thank you so much.

And "The Help Desk," of course, all about getting you answers. Send us an e-mail to cnnhelpdesk@cnn.com, or log on to cnn.com/helpdesk to see more of our financial solutions. You can also pick up the latest issue of "Money" magazine. It is on newsstands now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Josh Levs has been following the stories trending online for us all morning. He's back with another look. And I understand quite a light show expected tonight.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's going to be so cool, you know, for certain people who are able to see it. Yes, and the basic idea, we've been talking about this a little bit, this light show in space that's coming. The idea here is that there are these solar flares. Scientists have been saying that the sun is like waking up after this long slumber and there's expected to be this dazzling light show sometime tonight or early tomorrow because of those rays that you can see blasting off the sun there toward the top of your screen.

It's headed our way. The eruption called a coronal mass ejection was caught on camera by NASA's solar dynamics observatory. A spacecraft that launched back in February. Sky watchers should look toward the north on the evening of August 3rd, August 4th for rippling currents of green and red light.

KAYE: Wow, look at that.

LEVS: Isn't that awesome?

KAYE: That is gorgeous.

LEVS: This is one that was taken a couple years ago by our iReporter, Jamen Percy. And it's possible that what you see tonight could be just as cool, if you keep your eyes out toward the north because it's an eruption of ionized atoms coming from the sun, they'll be coming right at earth.

KAYE: That's really cool.

LEVS: Now, you know what, that's one kind of ultra cool thing to see. The other is this. Check this out. The ultimate tribute to Michael Jackson. This one in West Bend, Wisconsin, on Saturday. It set the Guinness World Record inside the United States for the largest "Thriller" dance. Eighteen hundred people dancing to "Thriller." They did their best.

KAYE: Kids are doing it. Little kids that would really (ph) make it fun.

LEVS: Not the best imitation ever, but they all had a great time. That's all that matters, right?

KAYE: They certainly did. Have you ever done it?

LEVS: No, I've never done that, but now everyone's telling me I should. I think I need to.

KAYE: Yes.

LEVS: You?

KAYE: No.

LEVS: No?

KAYE: No. Don't try that at home.

LEVS: Maybe (INAUDIBLE) yet. Everyone's laughing. All right, maybe I won't.

KAYE: Thanks, Josh.

LEVS: Yes.

KAYE: It's not just Mexicans who enter the U.S. illegally. People from continents far away use the same border crossings. We'll tell you about it when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: The majority of illegal immigrants coming across the Arizona border are Mexican. But you may be surprised to find out that another ethnic group is using the southern border to make it into the U.S. CNN's Sandra Endo has their story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the hot spot. The U.S. border in Nogales, Arizona, where border patrol says more and more Asians are illegally trying to get into the country. They're paying smugglers up to 70 grand per person for the long, risky pathway into America. Compared to the couple thousand dollars officials say Latinos pay for the short journey.

THOMAS RUDD, U.S. BORDER PATROL: They're trying to exploit the areas where we might not have the technology, we might not have the infrastructure and we might not have the personnel.

ENDO (on camera): Just look at the terrain. These valleys make it easier for illegal immigrants to hide while they're on the run and harder for border patrol to catch them. That's why the Nogales border is a prime target, especially for Asian immigrants, who want and tried and true method into the states.

RUDD: They're doing anything and everything they can to come across, but that's what makes us better. We have to stay a step ahead.

ENDO (voice-over): Using fencing, hidden sensors and cameras. At the border, it's a game of cat and mouse. Despite a judge blocking the controversial provisions in the state's immigration law, the legal wrangling continues, and fear of being considered illegal permeates through Asian-American communities. Phoenix resident Jim Shee, who's half Chinese and half Spanish says he's already feeling targeted. In April, the 70-year-old was stopped twice by Phoenix cops, once because he says an officer told him he looked suspicious.

ENDO (on camera): Do you feel like this was because of the new law that passed?

JIM SHEE, PHOENIX RESIDENT: I'm certain it was.

ENDO: What went through your mind when he asked you for your papers? What did you think that meant?

J. SHEE: I could have been an illegal person. Or an undocumented person.

ENDO (voice-over): So Shee is fighting back. He joined an Asian- American group as a plaintiff in a lawsuit against Arizona's law. Well, the law would mostly affect illegal Latino immigrants, Homeland Security figures show there are roughly 1 million illegal Asians currently in the United States, many coming through the southern border.

Jim Shee and his wife Marian were both born and raised in Arizona, but now feel paranoid in their home state. Marian is Japanese-American and became quite familiar with discrimination during World War II.

MARIAN SHEE, PHOENIX RESIDENT: Arizona may be targeted specifically more against Mexicans and Mexican-Americans. The Asian-Americans are also going to get caught into the situation.

ENDO: That's why people like Miss Lee (ph) say they have to be prepared. A few years ago, she came to the states illegally, but now she's documented. Still, she says, she's afraid. She barely speaks any English and her face, well, looks foreign to many.

ENDO (on camera): So this is what you carry with you all the time now?

MISS LEE, PHOENIX RESIDENT: Yes.

ENDO (voice-over): "I want to make sure I have it," she says. "I have no choice."

Sandra Endo, CNN, Tucson.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: Well, that's going to do it for me. CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Drew Griffin.