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Failure to Educate; Securing Afghanistan; Gallantry in Action: Army Awards Silver Stars for Bravery

Aired August 17, 2010 - 11:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Live from Studio 7 at CNN headquarters -- the world is just upside down -- our big stories for Tuesday, the 17th of August.

Researchers say BP's oil didn't simply evaporate. Some sank to the bottom of the Gulf. New findings and why they may be a new threat for the seafood industry.

Silver Stars for Special Forces Army men with an unbreakable bond honored for their unflinching bravery on the battlefield.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I look at Mario (ph), you know, not just as a friend, but this guy who came to save my life. And in turn, I helped save his life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: And, hey, don't knock it. It is a steady paycheck. Meet a couple of street hustlers, salesmen who twirl and whirl their dizzying deals at drivers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A sign spinner. I'm doing this full time right now because I'm actually the only person in high household with a job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: I see these folks everywhere.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris.

Those stories and your comments right here, right now in the CNN NEWSROOM.

We are sounding the alarm on education nationwide. This country used to lead the world in college graduation rates, but not anymore. The U.S. falling from first to 12th place among developed nations in the percentage of young adults with college degrees.

And look at this statistic. Only 47 percent of African-American males graduating from high school. Compare that with 78 percent of white male students earning their diplomas. These figures just out in a new study.

And Josh Levs is all over it for us -- Josh.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Tony. You know, every chance we get to take a look at the troubles for education in this country, it's a good thing that we're doing that, because this right here, this is our future. And these new numbers today are stark and they say a lot about where things stand and where we're going.

This is it behind me. It's from the Schott Foundation, which is an organization that pushes for equity in schools and better schools in general. Interesting title for their latest study which focuses on young black males in schools, they're calling it "Yes We Can." Interesting from some information right here.

Let me get you right to these numbers. I want you to see how stark some of these numbers are. There's a couple of things that they point to.

First, they point to some states in which they say there is a major alarming gap in the achievement of black male students and white male students. A couple examples here of a national problem.

They found that in Nebraska, the black male graduation rate is at 40 percent. White male graduation rate, twice that, up at 83 percent.

In New York, black male graduation rate 25 percent. White male graduation rate, 68 percent. By the way, 68 isn't great either, but the idea here is that there is this massive gap, and this is what this specific study focuses in on.

Then they went all the way into specific districts that have large African-American populations. Here, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, black male graduation rate there at 28 percent. White male at 44.

Let's go to New York City. Black male graduation rate there at 28 percent again. So, just about one in four actually graduating out of high school. The white male graduation rate there about 50 percent.

Now, I want to show you something else that this study points to, because it's not just a black problem. Take a look here.

When you look at the figures out of Detroit, it actually flips. Look, the black male graduation rate is awful, 27 percent. The white male graduation rate is even lower, at 19 percent.

So this study as well is still a reminder that this is a national problem.

HARRIS: What is going on?

LEVS: Look at that. I mean, and we've talked about this before, Tony. I mean, Detroit has been so troubled in this economy, and there have been a lot of students dropping out for various reasons. But they have by far the worst in the country.

Now, I'll say this -- it's not all bad news. There's one interesting example here that they point to as an example of something that they think is doing really well, where black male graduation rate in Newark, New Jersey, has gone up pretty substantially. And they talk about a court decision that helped to lead to that. There's a whole history there.

And they talk about Newark at 75 percent. Still, white male graduation rate at 62 percent.

So, when we look at all of this, what we're seeing in general is really ugly numbers for all races, but there certainly is a gap there. And something that can help you get your mind around it is this map that they set up here. And what it does is it shows you where things stand in various states.

And the deep red is where things are worse, where the black male graduation rate is below 50 percent. Then the deep green is where it's over 70 percent. And these other colors are in between.

It's all up at blackboysreports.org. I know it's a lot of numbers. If you're going to take one thing away from what I just told you, it's that these numbers are stark and there is still a massive gap in some areas that needs to be addressed.

HARRIS: How do you feel if you work at a system with those kinds of numbers? I just want to know.

OK, Josh. Appreciate it. Thank you.

LEVS: It's awful. You got it.

HARRIS: Got to tell you, the Obama administration is convinced one way to make sure more African-American boys are successful in school is it to get more black men to teach them.

I talked to Education Secretary Arne Duncan about his push for more black male teachers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARNE DUNCAN, EDUCATION SECRETARY: It's a piece of solution. It's not the only solution. And our students need great teachers of every color and every gender and every ethnicity and background. But as a part of that mosaic, as a part of that team, we don't have enough black males. That's the disturbing fact.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: We will look closer at the education study next hour and try to find some answers here. I will be joined by Geoffrey Canada, president and CEO of the Harlem Children's Zone, and John Jackson, head of the Schott Foundation for Public Education, the organization that conducted the study.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: So the numbers are out, and they show Americans growing more concerned over the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and with those countries' governments.

In a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll, six in 10 Americans say they are not confident the Iraqi government can handle things when U.S. combat troops leave this month. Confidence in the Afghan government is even lower. Seventy-one percent say they doubt Hamid Karzai's government can handle the situation.

Today, Afghanistan's president said he wants a review of U.S. war strategy. He is also moving to shut down all private security firms in the country.

CNN Executive Producer Susanne Simons with us.

Suzanne, good to see you, first of all.

SUZANNE SIMONS, CNN EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Thank you.

HARRIS: What is this all about? What is the president of Afghanistan talking about here?

SIMONS: Well, I can answer two different ways. I can give you the practical answer or the cynical one. What do you want?

HARRIS: Give me what you have. I want it all.

SIMONS: All right.

Well, the practical one is these contractors move in and out of Afghanistan. They work in a lot of convoys, they go into local villages, and the local villagers don't like them. They think they're arrogant, they're off-putting, and they complain to their local officials and it gets back up to the president. Now, obviously there is not a lot of faith in the president right now and what he's doing there, so he says, all right, I'm going to make a demonstration here, I'm going to show some strength, and we're going to get these contractors under control.

Now, the other side of it -- that is the practical side of it. The other side it's a lot of political posturing. You know, asking the president to review the war plan in Afghanistan. It's a lot of politics as well.

HARRIS: Well, let's focus in on the contractors, and maybe you can explain to us the kind of work these contractors actually do in country there.

SIMONS: Yes, definitely. Well, three main points.

One thing is the convoys, which we talked about, getting supplies from point A to point B without being hit by the Taliban.

Number two, they provide site security. So, a lot of places that need -- you know, where officials are, where diplomats are, that need protection 100 percent of the time, there is site security.

Now, they don't really have a lot of involvement with the local population. Therefore, those contractors don't necessarily cause the problems that Karzai has been repeatedly talking about in the past, which is good.

So let's take a look at some of the numbers just to give you an idea of how big this is.

A hundred ten thousand contractors for the DOD, working for the Department of Defense, the United States there now. Now, if you take a look at that 110,000 figure, that's a fraction of the actual number working in Afghanistan, because it does not include the Department of State, the USAID, any of those. So we can almost probably double. Twenty-four thousand contractors -- now this is an estimate, because nobody knows for sure, if you can believe it -- it's about 24,000 or so working with the U.S. government in Afghanistan providing only security.

HARRIS: Well, is getting private contractors out of Afghanistan, is that even an option? The State Department is talking about it will take a look at this. But come on, honestly?

SIMONS: Yes. Between us, it's so not doable. It's just not doable in the foreseeable future.

Mike Thibault, who is the co-chair of the Wartime Contracting Commission which is studying how the U.S. is now using this whole sort of shadow army to do its duty, well, they just got back from Afghanistan. And even he says there's the convoy issue and then there's the bigger picture.

There's no way the U.S. could actually do this with the war plan that we have on the table right now with the number of troops. You couldn't just yank these security contractors out there, because those jobs need to be filled. And who's going to do it? Right?

HARRIS: Right. Right. Right. Good point.

I love when you say "just between us" as the whole country watches.

(LAUGHTER)

SIMONS: That's between all of us. But wait.

Can I just tell you -- I know that you love this topic. Right?

HARRIS: Oh yes. I do.

SIMONS: I want people to go to a new blog that CNN started, a security brief blog only on this topic. HARRIS: Are you writing some entries for that blog?

SIMONS: Us junkies -- oh, of course. Of course. I love it, CNN.com/securitybrief. And we get some great people. We've had a lot of analysts on there talking about these issues.

HARRIS: Good.

SIMONS: And if you want to know more --

HARRIS: Hey, and remind everyone of the terrific book you wrote.

SIMONS: Well, thank you very much. "Master of War." It was a really good look at Erik Prince, who was, of course, the head of Blackwater, who is now selling Blackwater after all their controversy in Iraq and Afghanistan. And it's a good look at him and how the U.S. came to rely so much on these private contractors.

HARRIS: Which is why we have you on the program whenever we get a story like this having to deal with private contractors.

Good to see you, lady.

SIMONS: Hey, you too.

HARRIS: As always.

Still to come, the faces behind uncommon valor and bravery in Afghanistan.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Stories of true heroism now. Seven soldiers singled out by the Army for one of its highest honors.

Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr has their stories from Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ordinary soldiers, extraordinary men. These Special Forces troops each receiving a Silver Star here at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

JULIO BOCANEGRA, MASTER SERGEANT, SPECIAL FORCES/SILVER STAR RECIPIENT: I just did my job.

CLOUSE: I'm a guy who on one day in June of 2008 earned my paycheck.

STARR: The Army begs to differ.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For gallantry in action in Afghanistan on June 11, 2007, signed Secretary of the Army.

STARR (voice-over): They all survived deadly Taliban ambushes. All ran into fields of fire to save each other, to save other wounded Americans, and even to save Afghans. Staff Sergeant Daniel Gould and Sergeant First Class Mario Pinilla were ambushed by Taliban, who literally jumped out right in front of them.

DANIEL GOULD, STAFF SERGEANT, SPECIAL FORCES/SILVER STAR RECIPIENT: I got hit in the helmet, and then my helmet went flying off my head.

STARR: Pinilla ran into the gunfire to put his body between the enemy and his friend. He was hit.

MARIO PINILLA, SERGEANT FIRST CLASS, SPECIAL FORCES/SILVER STAR RECIPIENT: I immediately dropped down to the ground, because I couldn't feel my legs anymore. They were numb. I dragged myself -- I was trying to look for some cover. Then he grabbed my weapon and continued to fire into the enemy.

STARR (voice-over): The army calls it gallantry in action. But for these men, an unbreakable bond from risking it all, risking it together.

GOULD: I look at Mario, not just as a friend, but this guy came to save my life and in turn, I helped save his life.

STARR: The Chief Warrant Officer Mark Roland and Sergeant First Class Antonio Gonzalez also pinned down in an ambush, ran to save Afghan troops, trapped by heavy Taliban gunfire.

ANTONIO GONZALEZ, SERGEANT FIRST CLASS, SPECIAL FORCES/SILVER STAR RECIPIENT: It's the right thing to do.

STARR (on camera): But what makes somebody repeatedly run across an open field of fire to go save other men you don't even know?

MARK ROLAND, CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER, SPECIAL FORCES/SILVER STAR RECIPIENT: We spent countless hours, days, weeks, into months, out on patrol with them. And so the -- the bond is not just nation to nation. But it's person to person.

GONZALEZ: We grow so close that we build that brotherhood bond.

STARR: Sergeant First Class Jonathon Clouse, another soldier determined to do the right thing when his patrol was ambushed. He ran repeatedly into the line of fire to drag other American troops to safety. He refuses to be called hero.

CLOUSE: There were guys that were dying. If I didn't run to them, they would have died. There wasn't a lot of thought at the time of the danger. It was just, they called -- guys called me, they needed me, and so I went to them.

STARR: These highly decorated soldiers may be sent to Afghanistan for yet another tour of duty, another tour they will tell you when they are just doing their job.

Barbara Starr, CNN, Fort Bragg, North Carolina (END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And then there's this. A Missouri law restricting protests at military funerals has been struck down by a federal judge. The ruling is a victory for a controversial Kansas church whose members protest outside military funerals.

They believe the deaths of U.S. troops are God's way of punishing the country for homosexuality. The judge ruled the state's limits on protests violates First Amendment rights.

We are bringing you news from around the world, and we are also watching what's hot online.

Ines Ferre is surfing the Web for us.

Ines, good morning.

INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.

Top on CNN.com, a dispute in Italy over who owns the world's most famous statue, Michelangelo's "David."

You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Got to tell you, people around the globe have been feeling the heat wave this summer, to be sure. In Japan, people are staying cool with something new.

Here's Kyung Lah.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Japan is in the middle of an extreme heat wave, one of the hottest in years, and it's had an economic effect on one of Japan's industries -- the beer industry. Japan's beer makers report for the month of July, sales were up 2.1 percent, but not from traditional beers.

The rage this summer in Japan are beer-flavored beverages. Specifically, it's this one.

It is called All-Free. The reason why? It's because it's sugar- free, calorie-free, and alcohol-free. So it's beer with no beer.

Now, Suntory Liquors, who makes this type of beer -- this beverage, that is -- says it sold out almost completely in a week. This is one of the last cans in Japan.

Now, Suntory says it is now racing to make more. Other beer companies have made similar types of no-beer beers for Japan's consumers. Orikawa Hirohisa (ph) says he can't keep them on the shelves.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING JAPANESE)

LAH: All zero?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

LAH: They still want to drink beer, and this is healthy, he says. And you don't get fat.

"It tastes a little different from beer, but it's still good," says this man, who says he can still drive and enjoy the drink.

OK, so back to this. This is one of the last cans of All-Free in Japan. So what does sugar-free, calorie-free, beer-free sort of beer taste like? Like -- a little bit like watery beer.

Kyung Lah, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: OK. What's the point?

A two-block walk from Ground Zero. Take a tour of the neighborhood around that proposed Islamic center and mosque in New York.

And you're joining the conversation. We have your comments. That's coming up next.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid at odds with President Obama over plans to build an Islamic center and mosque near New York's Ground Zero. Reid now weighing into the controversy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: The Constitution gives us freedom of religion. I think that it's very obvious that the mosque should be built someplace else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Senator Reid joining a growing number of people with opinions about building an Islamic center with a mosque near Ground Zero. But not everyone knows what is in that neighborhood, so our Mary Snow takes us there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're at the corner of (INAUDIBLE) and Church Street. You can see behind me, behind these gates is where the construction site of Ground Zero is. Now, we're two blocks away from where the Islamic community center is slated to be built. We're going to take you along our path and show you what's here.

Heading north just about a block from Ground Zero, some office buildings, a retailer, and you'll see over here a Catholic Church. There are tourists over there. This is a remnant from 9/11.

It's getting to be lunchtime and it gets pretty busy down here. There's lots of construction also going on, including that site right across the street.

We're two blocks away from Ground Zero on this street, something you'd find on any city streets -- some retailers, a drugstore, a dentist, an OTB, an Off-Track Betting site. And just down the block on this end is the site of the proposed Islamic community center.

(voice-over): Taking a closer look at the surrounding businesses -- restaurants, retailers, a video store including adult videos; crossing the street, someone handing out pamphlets for a strip club.

(on camera): And then directly around the corner from where the proposed site is, this is New York Dolls. We just saw those pamphlets being handed out, but it calls itself a gentlemen's club.

We've now circled the block and we're on the corner of Park Place. A lot of construction going on. Behind us is the site of a building for the City University of New York. And as you can see, the Islamic center is down here. No surprise you will find news crews outside.

(voice-over): As we get closer, we found an artist who set up on the sidewalk expressing his opposition to the Islamic center through painting.

(on camera): What do you think is an appropriate distance?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a crazy question. I can't answer that question, but I'm telling you right now, not here.

SNOW (voice-over): this old Burlington Coat Factory is the center of the controversy. The plan is to build a community center that will house a mosque as well as a performing arts center and a gym. It will be 13 floors.

(on camera): And the center will look out to this office building that's 21 stories high.

(voice-over): Mary Snow, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: A bit of breaking news we're following for you right now in the CNN NEWSROOM. We're getting word of shots fired on the campus of Collin College. That's in McKinney, Texas, very near, not far from Dallas. The campus, as you might expect, is on lockdown right now. Students were notified immediately through the college's emergency alert system, and police are still on the scene. The campus will remain on lockdown until further notice.

Again, shots fired on Collin College that's McKinney, Texas, that's not far from Dallas. We will keep an eye on this situation and bring you updates as soon as we can.

I got to tell you. We asked you for your thoughts on the president weighing in on the whole mosque issue. Ines Ferre has been reading all of your comments and she is joining me now to share some of your thoughts with us -- Innes.

INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, we received so many of them. Let's get started with one that's coming from Facebook. Demmie saying, "Congress should act quickly and make the 10 block area surrounding Ground Zero a national memorial subject to special zoning."

Also Alicia tweeted, "I do think building the World Trade Center mosque is in poor taste and insensitive, but I value religious freedom more."

Then you've got on CNN.com, you've got Judi said, "Either we believe in freedom of religion or we don't. If we don't, then what is the difference between us and the religious extremists that are responsible for the attack in the first place?"

And Kelvin saying, "Please have enough decency and courage to honor the people who perished that day as well as their family and the people of New York by not building the mosque anywhere near Ground Zero."

Those are just some of the comments, and you can keep leaving comments on CNN.com/Tony -- Tony.

HARRIS: All right, terrific. Ines, appreciate it. Thank you.

FERRE: Welcome.

HARRIS: Roger, let's get back to that -- do we still have that live image from -- ? OK, let's see it one more time here.

The information hasn't changed, but I just want to share it with you once again, reports of shots fired at Collin College, that's in McKinney, Texas near Dallas.

The campus is on lockdown right now. Students were notified immediately through the college's emergency alert system. Police, as you would expect, are on the scene right now and the lockdown will be in effect until further notice.

Again, this is Collin College, McKinney, Texas. We will keep an eye on this situation and we will bring you updates as we get more news on it. The shrimp and fishing boats are out and bringing in the catch. The big question is -- is it safe to eat? We will take you to a fish market.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Got to tell you, researchers in Florida are discovering a mix of oil and chemical dispersants on the sea floor and farther east than anyone thought. That comes just as the shrimping season opens in Louisiana.

Reporter Jeremy King with WBMA looks at how one Gulf Coast business is counting on a good, safe catch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY KING, WBMA REPORTER (voice-over): There are still plenty of fish and plenty of customers at seafood shops across town even though until now prices had gone up.

GEORGE SARRIS, FISH MARKET OWNER: The pricing, it was way up. I mean, things used to pay 3.50 per pound, it becomes $7, $8 per pound. Now they start coming down.

KING: And with fishing and shrimping resuming Monday, the hope is prices will continue to go down. Over the last four months, the fish market had to pay $210,000 more than normal to stay stocked up.

It's been harder to find good oysters. The market has turned to Texas for Gulf shrimp. Opening more waters to fishing increase variety.

(on camera): So how can you be sure what you're getting from the Gulf is safe? Different people have different opinions, but George Sarris points out that the shrimp and fish coming from the Gulf today are passing tougher inspections then they were before the spill.

SARRIS: They got really many, many people down there checking the seafood, which they used to have very few.

KING (voice-over: And scientists agree, seafood from the Gulf is generally safe, at least for now.

GEORGE CROZIER, DAUPHIN ISLAND SEA LAB: There is simply nothing wrong with it. I promise you.

KING: But over time, some are concerned the oil will affect future generations of fish.

CROZIER: They don't swallow this stuff and immediately turn into tainted fish. They got to eat a lot of this stuff, it's going to take time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Let's get you caught up on top stories right now. A new study shows only 47 percent of black males graduate from high school. This is compared to 78 percent of white males who get their degree.

Desperation and anguish in Pakistan, polluted floodwaters threaten millions of people with deadly disease. The U.N. has received only a fraction of the funds requested for water and medical care. The death toll now tops 1,400. That doesn't seem like the right figure there.

President Obama travels to Seattle today. He will meet with a group of small business owners to discuss strengthening the economy and creating jobs. Then he will attend a couple of fundraisers.

We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: We just want to get you the latest information that we have on this situation in McKinney, Texas, that's very near Dallas. Collin College right now, the initial reporting was of shots fired at the Central Park campus. The campus is obviously on lockdown now.

Let me take a look at these pictures with you. CBS11tv.com providing the aerials for us.

The campus on lockdown. The students were notified immediately through the college's emergency alert system. Police, as you can see, are certainly on the scene right now.

Now we're getting a couple of reports, let me just share this with you. We're still trying to sort all this out. There is some reporting to suggest that one of the suspects may have been shot and killed, and there is additional reporting out there from another affiliate suggesting that police believe that there is possibly another suspect still in the area.

Let's leave it there for now and see if we can catch up on the reporting on this and confirm the various strands of reporting out there. But what we do know is that shots were fired here. And again, this is Collin College, McKinney, Texas. We will keep an eye on this situation and bring you updates as we get additional information.

So, six years after the death of NFL star turned Army Ranger Pat Tillman, his parents are still looking for closure. They sat down with our Larry King last night to discuss the circumstances behind their son's death and what they say was a massive cover-up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY KING, CNN HOST: Here's what the army said, "Pat Tillman died going to the aid of his fellow Rangers. He epitomized the Army values of loyalty, duty and selfless service. As an Army, we failed our duty to the memory of a fallen soldier and to his family. The failures of a few brought discredit to the Army and compounded the grief suffered by the Tillman family. "The Army truly regrets the pain and suffering endured by the Tillman family as a result of this tragic friendly fire accident and the shortfalls in reporting accurate information to them in the days and weeks after Pat's death."

Mary, why shouldn't that put it away?

MARY TILLMAN, MOTHER OF PAT TILLMAN: Well, because they weren't shortfalls. They weren't missteps and errors, they were deliberate attempts to cover up what happened in order for them to use Pat's death for propaganda purposes at a time during the war in 2004 when, you know, Abu Ghraib prison scandal was breaking, Fallujah was falling apart. I mean, it was a terrible time for the military and for that administration, and Pat's death was an opportunity for them.

In fact, there is a line -- it's in the book, it was in the documents that we were given. One of the investigative generals asked someone in the chain of command who is clearly, you know, at a higher rank than the investigative officer, because he kept calling him "sir," and the name was redacted. But the general said, well, what was kind of the atmosphere when Pat was killed. He says, it was like, well, here's the steak dinner, but we're giving it to you on a garbage can cover. You got it, you work it.

So in other words, they thought Pat's death was a positive thing for them because they could use it as propaganda. Unfortunately, it was a fracture (ph) site, so they had to spin it.

KING: Why, though, Patrick, isn't this statement enough to say, OK, he was killed by friendly fire, they made some mistakes, they're fully admitting it now? What do you want more?

PATRICK TILLMAN, FATHER OF PAT TILLMAN: Well, it's not mistakes of the few, of a few, it was choreographed. And to this day, they have not put sufficient facts on the table for me to know what happened to my son. There -- I have evidence that will show that this may not have been simply a friendly fire incident.

KING: What else would it have been?

P. TILLMAN: Well, I don't like jumping over a falsified homicide investigation and then guessing at what happened to my son.

KING: You think someone might have, on his own side, deliberately killed him?

P. TILLMAN: I haven't eliminated it. There is strong evidence of two shooters, not one. There's a lot of other evidence in there that would take quite a while to go through.

But the big deal here is this is not a few mistakes that were made or, as they say, the mistakes of the few. This was a choreographed event, and you just read the P-4, including General McChrystal. Well, when you jump over a homicide investigation that's been falsified and then you want to debate what happened to my son, I find that difficult. They don't mind doing it because they just want to say it was friendly fire. This was an accident. But the scenario that they painted for us several times is just ridiculous, and it is still their scenario, it's still plainly an accident.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Let's get you an update on the breaking news we've been following for you this hour.

This is coming out of Collin College, that's McKinney, Texas. And the Central Park campus of Collin College currently at this moment in a lockdown situation.

Let's see if we can pull together some of the strands of reporting here. KTVT, that's CBS-11, is reporting that shots were fired at the police station and that a suspect was killed.

I'm taking that to mean the police station on campus. Don't know that for sure, just taking that for what I think it means at this point.

And I believe you will be able to see here in one of these shots a burned and still smoking truck in front of the police station. Maybe we'll get that shot in just a second. Is that it? OK, perfect, perfect. There it is, the vehicle in question here out in front of the police station, perhaps on the campus of Collin College, the Central Park campus.

Now, WFAA is reporting police are 99 percent sure there is not another suspect, but they are conducting a thorough search of the campus to be 100 percent certain.

So there you have it, kind of a reset of where we are right now. No reports of any injuries from any of the suspect's actions. The reporting we have right now is that the suspect was shot and killed.

We will keep you posted on developments in this story.

Let's take a quick break. You're this the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: CNN, of course, is your source for financial news. What's goosing the markets today? We've got to figure that out. But, man, we've got good stuff going on.

CNNMoney.com is your destination of choice for financial news. The lead story there, top 15 CEO overachievers and there's the man leading the way there, to be sure.

Let's get you to the Big Board now, New York Stock Exchange. Look at this, we have a nice rally shaping up here. We're in positive territory and then some, up 145 points. How about Nasdaq? Just as robust, up 36 points.

We'll follow these numbers for you throughout the day right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. Do you remember at this story? General Motors gets a $50 billion government bailout, then files for bankruptcy, gets kicked off the New York Stock Exchange and closes factories? Well, now GM is ready to announce to the world, it's back.

Patricia Wu is on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange with details of GM's IPO. And how soon, Patricia, how soon before this stock starts trading?

PATRICIA WU, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, there is a bit of excitement here. The word is that it could happen today, which means it could happen any time now. And deal estimates have ranged from 10 to $20 billion, but keep in mind, those are only estimates.

And you know, Tony, what a difference a year makes. As you said last year, we're talking about, you know, the automaker descending into bankruptcy, depending on a government bailout. Today, we are talking about GM taking a step toward independence.

Why? Because the U.S. government owns a 61 percent stake in the company and it's expected to sell some of those shares when the stock sale happens later this year.

It's also a sign of health for the company. Why? Companies list because they want to attract investors. Investors are only going to buy in if they think they're going to make money and that the company is doing well, Tony.

HARRIS: So, Patricia, the IPO, will it raise enough money to pay the government back? Fifty billion dollars is not chump change here we're talking about.

WU: Not chump change. So will we get our money back, right, Tony, the taxpayers? Well, probably. But, and it's a big but, since most of that $50 billion was converted to stock, much of the question of whether that bailout will be repaid depends on the success of the stock sale -- how many shares will be sold, at what price. And you have to keep in mind, Tony, that the recession has also hit the IPO market.

But on the flip side, GM has been doing well selling cars, making money. So the hope is that it will attract those investors -- Tony.

HARRIS: Terrific. All right, Patricia, see you next hour. Thank you.

Speaking of next hour, as BP prepares to seal the ruptured oil well once and for all, scientists make a worrisome find on the ocean floor. In the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM, Ed Lavandera brings us an exclusive look at the voyage, the discovery and what it could mean for marine life.

Also, the faces of those in greatest need in Pakistan, millions of men and women hungry and homeless from the flooding. A worldwide appeal for help.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Juggling jobs just to stay afloat, a depressing reality in this brutal economy. But some creative people are adding their own spin to it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE PARKINSON, MGM ADVERTISERS: I've applied for at least 20 jobs. Supermarkets, stores, really everything around my house. And luckily, a friend of mine was a sign spinner. He got me this job.

I'm Mike. I am a sign spinner. I'm doing this full time right now, because I'm actually the only person in my household with a job. I live with my mother and stepfather, both of whom are currently unemployed and looking for work, but there's just none out there.

I've found something that pays decently, and that, frankly, I enjoy doing.

You've got your spinning, your basic throws. Then you can mix it up a little, add in a helicopter every now and then.

It's different from just people who stand on the side of the road with a sign in that I'm actually trying to entertain and get the attention of the people driving by.

Right now, I'm just trying support myself through college.

REGINALD JACKSON: I feel like the way the economy is now, there's a lot of jobs out there that need to be done that some people might not necessarily want to take.

My name is Reginald Jackson and I'm a human directional, and I just sign spin and try and draw attention to this property.

For everything to work out, I have to work three jobs, three part-time jobs. I have a little girl on the way, I have a wife I've got to take care of, you know, have to pay every medical bill out of pocket right now. And that's not good, you know.

Every time I hear about work, I have to jump on it. No matter how hot it is, if it's rain, snow or sleet, I'm out here working, just trying to make ends meet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)