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Blagojevich's Jury of One; BP to Stop Handling Gulf Claims; Pakistan Flood Disaster; Solar-Powered Jobs; Priests Threatened; What's Hot; Flying Above The Economy
Aired August 18, 2010 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, everyone. I'm 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.
Twenty-four charges, only one of them sticks. We are digging deeper on the case against former governor Rod Blagojevich.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not everybody is happy. A lot of people feel that we didn't complete our job by not being there, but, you know, like I said, I don't feel that way. We did everything in our power, and it is what it is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Nothing is sacred to drug cartels in Mexico. Churches, priests and pastors being shaken down for money to fund the violent drug trade spilling across America's border.
And you are online right now, and we are, too.
Ines Ferre is following what's hot -- Ines.
INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, a lot of buzz online about Facebook. They'll be making a big media announcement today.
And also, wristwatches are just pointless, e-mail way too slow. That's what a lot of college freshmen are saying -- Tony.
HARRIS: All right. We will check back with you a little later.
Let's get started with our lead story.
The reality show that is Rod Blagojevich will be back for another run. The impeached Illinois governor running errands today in Chicago, still a free man. A jury convicted him on just one of 24 counts in his corruption trial. Federal prosecutors and Blagojevich's lawyers return to court next week to set a date for his retrial.
Blagojevich calls it a persecution.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROD BLAGOJEVICH, FORMER ILLINOIS GOVERNOR: The federal government and this particular prosecutor did everything he could to target me and prosecute me, persecute me, put pressure on my family, try to take our home, take me away from our kids, arrest me in the early morning hours on December the 9th, with Patty and me in our bedroom and little Annie in bed with us, a sitting governor. And that very prosecutor said that he was stopping a crime spree before it happened.
Well, this jury just shows you, notwithstanding the fact that this government and the power and the resources they bring to bear, this jury just shows you that notwithstanding the fact that the government threw everything but the kitchen sink at me, that on every count except for one, and every charge except for one, they could not prove that I did anything wrong, that I did break any laws.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: So, jurors say the vote was 11-1 on the most sensational charge against Blagojevich, that he tried to sell the Senate seat held by President Obama. The holdout, a retired woman from Chicago's suburbs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES MATSUMOTO, JURY FOREMAN: I believe that they proved their case beyond a reasonable doubt. But to others, they didn't. And it's the same evidence, so it's just a matter of opinion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIK SARNELLO, JUROR: You'd listen to a phone call, and, you know, people would say that supports his guilty, and she would say that supports the innocence, the not guilty side. She just had had just such different views, that that's the way she saw it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: So let's talk about the holdout, a jury of one.
Midwin Charles has spent a lot of time in front of juries. She is a contributor on "In Session," on our sister network, truTV.
Midwin, good to see you.
MIDWIN CHARLES, CONTRIBUTOR, "IN SESSION," TRUTV: Good to see you too, Tony.
HARRIS: All right. You ready? Let's do it.
So, one juror, right, deadlocking on 23 of the 24 charges, right, against the former governor. Isn't that classic jury -- juror nullification here? CHARLES: You know, I don't know if it's jury nullification, Tony.
Look, juries clearly have a lot of power when it comes to listening to the evidence. They're the ones who sit through the entire trial. And it could just be that they were not convinced by the evidence that the prosecution put forward. It could be just as simple as that.
HARRIS: Midwin, hang on a second. So the one woman -- again, it was 11-1. So the one woman couldn't convince the others of her view of the case, and the other 11 couldn't convince her of their view of the case.
How is that anything other than juror nullification?
CHARLES: Well, I think the perspective is different here. In other words, the prosecution couldn't convince her beyond a reasonable doubt that Blagojevich was guilty of those charges. And that really is their job. It's a heavy burden, and they just didn't meet it here.
HARRIS: Yes, that's a good take. That's a good take.
Why doesn't Patrick Fitzgerald just move on? Enough already. To retry this at this point -- and maybe the way to ask it is, how difficult would it be for a prosecutor to walk away from a case like this?
CHARLES: You know, he's got a little egg on his face right now. And I just don't know how the people in Illinois are going to feel about another $25 million, $30 million being spent on a retrial.
Remember, the state has unlimited resources at their disposal, much more of them Blagojevich and his defense team could ever have. But clearly, they're going to say that they're going to retry this case. He has to, almost, in order to save face.
HARRIS: And then here's the reaction from Rod Blagojevich's defense attorney, Sam Adam. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAM ADAM, ATTORNEY FOR ROD BLAGOJEVICH: This guy is going wild. This guy is nuts. He doesn't indict people for crimes and then prove it. He didn't prove it against Scooter Libby, and he can't prove it against Rod Blagojevich.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: That does -- does he have a point here, Midwin?
CHARLES: I don't know. I mean, Blagojevich is now the fourth Illinois governor to be convicted of wrongdoing. His predecessor, George Ryan, is currently in jail for corruption charges.
So, there does seem to be a pattern of corruption in the state of Illinois when it comes to politics. So, this prosecutor isn't completely out of his mind in trying to go after Blagojevich for these charges. But at the end of the day, 23 charges acquitted. That's pretty big.
HARRIS: Yes, but found guilty on one count.
CHARLES: On one. On one count where the penalty is five years in prison.
HARRIS: Do you believe the former governor will serve some time based on that conviction, on that one count?
CHARLES: I don't know. I mean, the penalty is five years.
HARRIS: Really?
CHARLES: Yes, it is, for the lying to the FBI. That was the one count that he was found guilty of, and the penalty is five years.
I doubt he'll spend an entire five years in jail. I think a judge, looking at this from the perspective of sentencing, will probably give him a very short amount of time in jail, if any. He will most likely get probation.
HARRIS: Midwin, good to see you, as always. Come on back and see us.
CHARLES: Good to see you too, Tony.
HARRIS: Thank you. Yes, my pleasure.
A South Carolina mother will be arraigned this afternoon on double murder charges. Authorities say Shaquan Duley smothered her two little boys, then rolled a car into a river with the bodies inside, trying to stage an accident.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE JEVINES, 911 CALLER: Hello. Yes, I'm on Shillings Bridge Road, and a car ran in the pond and it's got kids in there. We need help fast, please.
OPERATOR: What county are you in?
JEVINES: Shilling Bridge Road. That's the name of the road, OK. Shilling Bridge Road.
OPERATOR: What county?
JEVINES: What county? We're in Orangeburg County.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: The Orangeburg County sheriff says he believes Duley was fed up with motherhood and tired of her own mother berating her. Neighbors and relatives say they never saw that side of Duley. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DENISE DULEY, SUSPECT'S COUSIN: I don't know what goes on inside her home, but as far as from the outside, it looked like she took care of her kids.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHANNON STAMOS, NEIGHBOR: Any time I've ever seen her, passed her at a gas station or something, she has had the baby with her, ad really always seemed like just a good mother, from what I could understand. And being a single mother myself, I know it's just natural sometimes. It does get overwhelming, but never really seen anything out of the ordinary.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Oh, boy.
An update on this really disturbing story in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM with Ali Velshi. It is set for 2:00 p.m. Eastern time. That is the arraignment.
She used the N-word on her national talk show and ignited a national firestorm. Now Laura Schlessinger tells CNN's Larry King what she plans to do next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": So what are you here to tell us tonight?
LAURA SCHLESSINGER, HOST, "THE DR. LAURA SHOW": Well, I'm here to say that my contract is up for my radio show at the end of the year, and I've made the decision not to do radio anymore. The reason is I want to regain my First Amendment rights.
I want to be able to say what's on my mind and in my heart, and what I think is helpful and useful without somebody getting angry, some special interest group deciding this is a time to silence a voice of dissent and attack affiliates and attack sponsors. I'm sort of done with that.
I'm not retiring. I'm not quitting. I feel energized, actually, stronger and freer to say the things that I believe need to be said for people in this country.
KING: But you're giving up the one area of your fame.
SCHLESSINGER: Oh, my dear, I write books, I have blogs. I have my Web site. I have speaking engagements.
KING: But people think Dr. Laura, they think her radio talk show, right? SCHLESSINGER: Well, this is the era of the Internet.
KING: So you're going to do Internet stuff?
SCHLESSINGER: Oh, yes. I am now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Schlessinger, 63, and has been on the air for more than 30 years.
After today, BP says it will no longer accept oil disaster claims. Ines Ferre tells us what folks who still need to file should do.
First, though, our "Random Moment" in 90 seconds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Let's rock it. Rats are reviled as nasty and revolting creatures, at least in western culture. You know, perhaps they're just misunderstood.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who's my Tinker Bell? Get in the bath?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Oh, you cutie. You little rat face.
Say hello to Tinker Bell, our "Random Moment of the Day." This Maryland rodent has a striking resemblance to the star of the Disney movie. Remember that one, "Ratatouille"?
Nick and Anna sent us an iReport about Tinker Bell's bath time fun. She gets along with her housemates, two cats. So we're the not talking about any Tom and Jerry shenanigans here.
Tinker Bell, you dirty rat.
Our "Random Moment of the Day."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: President Obama in the neighborhood. Just a short time ago, the president wrapped up a visit with an Ohio family at their home in Columbus. You saw it here live on CNN.
The president covering a wide range of economic and health care issues during a backyard chat with families from the area. Among the topics, help for small businesses.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: -- to ensure that small businesses are getting help, because small businesses like Joe's architectural firm are really the key to our economy. They create two out of every three jobs. And so we want to make sure that they're getting financing, we want to make sure that we are cutting their taxes in certain key areas. One of the things we have done, for example, is propose that we eliminate capital gains taxes on small businesses, so that when they're starting up, and they don't have a lot of cash flow, that's exactly the time when they should get a break and they should get some help.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: I've got to tell you, safe seafood still a big concern in the oil disaster recovery effort. A major environmental watchdog group is calling for more stringent testing for Gulf seafood. Products have been declared safe, and the waters reopened to fishing, but shrimpers say consumers worried about contamination.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE BARBER, ALABAMA SEAFOOD ASSOCIATION: We have had major distributors call up some of our processors who have been working with them for years -- you know, generations. And they basically said we don't want Gulf product.
The dominant feeling right now, and it just kind of permeates everything, is fear. We're in uncharted waters, nobody knows what's going to happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Yes.
It is deadline day for submitting new claims to BP. Individuals and businesses affected by the Gulf oil spill must start submitting their claims to a government-appointed group.
Our Ines Ferre is following that story for us -- Ines.
FERRE: Thanks, Tony.
So, today is the last day that BP is accepting claims from businesses and individuals. After today, this will be handled by the Gulf Coast Claims Facility. That's the name of the agency that attorney Ken Feinberg was asked to handle, in charge of some $20 billion escrow accounts that was established by BP to compensate for damages caused by the spill.
So, the Gulf Coast claims facility will open on August 23rd. That's on Monday.
Now, they'll have some 35 offices, and they hope for less wait time. And actually, attorney Ken Feinberg was asked yesterday, how long would it take for people to get their checks? And he had said individuals, they would get their checks within 48 hours. For businesses, it would be up to seven days. Now, the government claims will still be handled by BP, and they -- BP has actually received some 152,000 claims that were filed. They have paid out some 45,100 claims. And several -- many of these companies and individuals received several checks, and they have paid out some $369 million.
Now, if your claim is one of those that's pending, well, after today, these people, individuals and businesses, will need to resubmit their paperwork to the new agency handling this.
HARRIS: OK, Ines. Appreciate it. See you later for what's hot.
Still to come, weird weather in Colorado. Check this out. It's called a land spout. Have you heard of such a thing? And it had a lot of folks looking at the sky.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
HARRIS: A desperate situation getting more serious by the hour. At least two million people are homeless in Pakistan after massive flooding. About one-fifth of the country now under water, and international aid is slow to arrive.
Look at these pictures.
CNN's Sara Sidner looks at the role the U.S. military is playing in the relief effort.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARA SIDNER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're here off the shores of Karachi on the USS Peleliu with the Expeditionary Strike Group Number 5. It is their whole mission to make sure to be available when there is some sort of disaster.
They patrol these waters, and they were in the area to help those in the flood zones in Pakistan. They have been able to get about 5,000 people out of those flood zones, rescuing them with helicopters. They have also been able to drop about a half-million pounds of aid.
They say they will be here for as long as it takes. There are more helicopters coming in. There are more ships coming in.
The U.S. says that it has a humanitarian commitment that they're going to make to Pakistan. They've already given about $90 million in kind. But the U.N. continually saying that there is simply not enough aid being offered to this country, and so about $460 million so far, less than half of that has been pledged. There is still a great deal of need here in Pakistan.
The U.S. military says they'll be here. The United States itself says that it will keep providing lots of help, as much as it can. But much more is needed here.
Sara Sidner, CNN, off the coast of Karachi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: You know, there are many ways you can reach out and help those in need in Pakistan. To find out what you can do, check out our Web site, CNN.com/impact.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: You know, somewhere between six million and eight million cats and dogs a year are left at shelters across the United States. And as the number of foreclosures rises, so does the number of animals left behind in abandoned homes.
Sometimes pups are simply left on the street, or in this little guy's case -- his name is Charlie -- outside a Starbucks in Brookline, Massachusetts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whoever did it cared enough about the dog to want to convey his name, and to hope to entice somebody with that note to take him home. And so I think that that probably implies that in some way they wanted to do the right thing.
The gentleman who saw him went into the Starbucks and the surrounding businesses and asked if he belonged to anybody, and couldn't find anybody that laid claim to this dog. And so he brought him home that night.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: So, if you're struggling with pet care costs and -- look, you can find some terrific help -- tips, links -- at the humanesociety.org.
New York's governor steps up. A compromise may be cooking over an Islamic center and mosque planned for this site near Ground Zero.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Speaking of compromise, in the battle over an Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero, New York Governor David Paterson is hoping to meet with the developer of the controversial project. He reportedly will offer to sell state land to the developer if he moves the center from this site, two blocks from Ground Zero. The developer says he is surprised the project has whipped up a political debate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHARIF EL-GAMAL, ISLAMIC CENTER DEVELOPER: We are nowhere near the World Trade Center site. It's a really sad day for America when our politicians choose to look at a constitutional right and use that as basis for their elections.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HARRIS: Governor Paterson has said he does not object to the Islamic center at its currently planned location, but he says he is also sensitive to 9/11 families.
And just last hour, President Obama reacted to this controversy again. This time, following his backyard roundtable with Ohio neighbors.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: Any regrets (INAUDIBLE) the Islamic center?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll tell you, it's working in Columbus. I'll tell you that. The coverage (ph) is working in Columbus.
OBAMA: The answer is no regrets.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: OK. Was the question -- I didn't hear the question -- if he regretted the -- if the president regretted weighing in on the controversy?
OK. And you heard his response there, "no regrets."
A new Sienna College Poll shows most New Yorkers are against the Islamic center and mosque being built near Ground Zero. Sixty-three percent oppose the plan, 27 percent support it. But a majority, 63 percent, believe that the developer has a constitutional right to build it. Twenty-seven percent say the developer does not have that right.
Conservative blogger Pamela Geller insists the push against the Islamic center and mosque is not about constitutional rights. She made her case on CNN's "ANDERSON COOPER 360."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAMELA GELLER, CONSERVATIVE BLOGGER: I never said you can't put your mosque there, and I have never invoked the First Amendment either. It's not a religious liberties issue. It is a human compassion issue.
It is common decency that this is so painful to so many 9/11 families. And frankly, we're all 9/11 families, because they just took the hit for us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Geller was instrumental in igniting the firestorm over the project.
Our Randi Kaye looks at how it grew into a national controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eight months ago, the mosque and Islamic community center planned for nearby Ground Zero was hardly on the public radar. In fact, whatever publicity it was getting appeared positive, even from conservatives. December 21, 2009, FOX News talks with Daisy Khan, the wife of the mosque's imam.
LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS: I can't find many people who really have a problem with it.
KAYE: But, around that same time, rumblings of outrage led by right-wing anti-Muslim blogger Pamela Geller.
In May of this year, Geller titled her blog "Monster Mosque Pushes Ahead in Shadow of World Trade Center Islamic Death and Destruction." She called it "Islamic domination."
(on camera): A week later, the fires stoked by Geller were igniting mainstream media. On May 13, the "New York Post" columnist Andrea Peyser picked up on Geller's outrage and wrote a column she titled "Mosque Madness at Ground Zero." She described it as a -- quote -- "swift kick in the teeth."
Salon.com says this is the first time a newspaper labeled the project as wrong and suspect.
(voice-over): Other media picked up on that. Suddenly, the project was being referred to as the Ground Zero mosque, even though the site is two blocks away from Ground Zero and is as much a community center as a mosque.
May 16, the conservative "Washington Examiner" ran the headline, "A Mosque to Mock 9/11's Victims and Families." "The New York Post" assigned a team of reporters to cover the daily developments. The story was on everyone's radar.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: And the controversy is flaring.
DIANE SAWYER, HOST, "WORLD NEWS": A controversial decision has been made to allow a mosque to be built in the shadow of Ground Zero.
KAYE: By July, it had become a hot political issue. Sarah Palin was tweeting about it.
July 18: "Peace-seeking Muslims, please understand, Ground Zero mosque is unnecessary provocation. It stabs hearts. Please reject it in interest of healing."
A month or so later, August 13th, President Obama weighed in with support.
OBAMA: This is America. And our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable.
KAYE: And this e-mail to me from Daisy Khon (ph), the imam's wife, promising they are committed to peace. "We have lived and worked and prayed in the lower Manhattan neighborhood for almost 30 years. We feel it is our honor and responsibility to help rebuild the community while we condemn any sort of extremism, terrorism or intolerance." The very issues at the heart of the matter.
Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: What a story.
A game-changer for solar power or pie in the sky? A new device is calling the shots over New Jersey's electricity grid.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: All right, want to get you to CNNMoney.com. CNN, of course, is your source for financial news. Look at the lead story here -- why I took Social Security early. Are more and more people doing this, taking it early? I need to read this story. That's interesting. How to fix Social Security. Most Americans don't count on it. I don't know how you could in this economy right now. But there you go, CNNMoney.com.
Let's get you to the big board, New York Stock Exchange, three hours into the trading day now and we're essentially flat, trading down about five points. The Nasdaq is in positive territory. So a mixed day so far. Up seven.
A small company in New Jersey is producing a potential game- changing device for America's electricity grid. That's creating green jobs and giving the local economy a real boost. Patricia Wu went to New Jersey to check it out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICIA WU, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You drive this road every day?
HUSSAM ALATRASH, PETRA SOLAR ENGINEER: Yes. This is the most fantastic road because this is actually where our first solar panels went up, and they increased over time. So just seeing them lined up like that is just fantastic.
WU (voice-over): Hussam Alatrash is an engineer for Petra Solar, a small New Jersey company that's making a big impact on the state's electricity grid.
ALATRASH: First of all, it gives us solar energy generated. Second of all, it acts as a sensor that communicates back and forth to the utility. Actually, it does lots of intelligence analysis on the local conditions of the grid.
WU (on camera): This is the panel, and then that's the intelligence right here.
SHIBAB KURAN, PH.D., CEO, PETRA SOLAR: That's the -- exactly. WU: And that little box is the game-changer.
KURAN: That little box is the game-changer. And really the simplest way of saying that is, think of an iPhone. One might say, well, it's just a phone. Well, it's a camera, a communications device, it has memory, it has a processor, it has software.
WU (voice-over): Petra Solar is installing 200,000 of what it calls smart solar panels on utility poles all over New Jersey. Smart because they don't just generate energy, they monitor the grid for potential problems, and that could mean fewer blackouts. New Jersey's largest utility, PSE&G, is paying $200 million for the installation. Some of the cost is being passed on to customers.
AL MATOS, PSE&G: Rate payers initially will pay about 10 cents per month for this investment, and then that diminishes over time.
WU: The overall cost still bothers some critics of the project. They say solar investments are driving up the price of conventional electricity for homeowners and businesses. But the mayor here disagrees.
CHARLES BUTRICO, MAYOR, SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY: It's not only that we have a company that's -- you know, it's green technology doing great things for the environment, but it's creating jobs within Petra and impacting the surrounding communities.
WU: Petra's workforce grew tenfold over the last year. It expects to add hundreds or even thousands more jobs if it can land contracts with other utilities.
KURAN: We created practically a full spectrum of jobs. PhDs that work for Petra Solar, as well as highly intensive labor work that we have for assembly assistants. We're very proud of -- we humble at the same time, but we're very proud of, given the economic environment that surrounds us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: All right. Let's -- well, let's see here. Let's see here. What about Petra? How many jobs are we talking about here, Patricia? And could this have a real impact on the unemployment rate?
WU: Well, you know, it all depends on just how many utility companies Petra can convince to make similar investments. So far it says that it's in talks with at least 40 other utilities in the U.S. and around the world. And it estimates that 100 to 150 jobs can be created per contract signed. So, Tony, if you do the math, that's a potential for 4,000 to 6,000 jobs.
HARRIS: Wow.
WU: That formula has worked for Petra in New Jersey. Petra itself went from 10 to nearly 150 employees in about four years. And it's still hiring. There are also spinoff benefits. For example, the company that was hired to install those panels says it's had to hire more workers -- Tony.
HARRIS: All right, Patricia, good to see you. Thank you.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM, California has a bit of a bear problem. Why are so many barging in on neighborhoods these days? What's going on here?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Checking your top stories now.
The South Carolina mother accused of killing her two toddlers is due in court today. Shaquan Duley faces two counts of murder. She is accused of suffocating her children, strapping them into a car and pushing it into a river.
BP says it will not accept any new claims after today. A government appointed agency will take over the claims starting next Monday. BP says it has paid $368 million in claims so far.
There has been a huge increase in bear activity in Lake Tahoe this summer. Wildlife officials say the problem is people leaving their garbage outside.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DON WELLS, RESIDENT: It's like the yogi bear thing. He didn't want me. He didn't want a human. He wanted a picnic basket.
ANN BRYANT, BEAR LEAGUE: Investigating three cases right now of people who are actually feeding bears in their yard. Bringing big bowls of dog food out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Officials say they get nearly 200 calls a day, three times the norm, and have killed 13 bears so far this year.
Got to tell you, no one is immune to the drug gang wars in Mexico. Hear what priests have to say about the threats against them.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Got to tell you, no one is safe in the deadly drug wars in Mexico. Not even priests. CNN's senior Latin American affairs editor Rafael Romo has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR (voice- over): As one of the highest officials in the Mexican catholic church, Monsignor Victor Rodriguez has been receiving the alarming reports from all over Mexico. His priests are telling him they are being constantly threatened, extorted and abused by drug traffickers.
He says sometimes threats don't materialize, but in cases where priests haven't obeyed their drug traffickers' demands, churches have been damaged, priests attacked, and, in a few cases, even killed. According to Monsignor Rodriguez, some bishops have opted for cancelling early evening masses to protect parishioners from the drug violence.
Chihuahua (ph) is the most violent state in Mexico. Of the 28,000 drug-related deaths in the last four years, 40 percent have happened in this border state. In Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas, more than 100 pastors have reported threats and extortion has become all too common.
"They accuse us of being friendly to rival drug gangs," says this apostolic leader. "They tell us, either you cooperate or you die."
Monsignor Rodriguez also says priests are forced to minister to drug traffickers. He says strangers call priests to tell them they're being picked up at a certain time and are forced to go, not knowing where they're being taken to or what service they're providing. Rodriguez also says families of priests are also being threatened.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Rafael Romo joining me now.
This is pretty low. I mean, honestly, that's -- churches, right? Safe zones. That's the way we think of them, correct? I mean it's pretty low --
ROMO: We think of it as sanctuaries.
HARRIS: Yes.
ROMO: Something sacred. And we're talking about a country that is 90 percent or more Catholic and now not even the churches are being respected.
HARRIS: So -- and if you're a member of a cartel and you're going after churches, what does that say about businesses? Businesses must be targeted every day.
ROMO: Especially small businesses along the border. They're being extorted. They're being demanded payment for protection. And it's an everyday occurrence in places like Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas, where you see a concentration of violence and where you see two different drug cartels fighting for territory.
HARRIS: So a couple of different things from the government's perspective. Is there nothing that the government can do to provide safety, security? I mean that's, in many people's eyes, the number one job, right, to provide safety and security? Is there anything the government can do in the case of these churches that are being targeted?
ROMO: That's the question that has been asked, and the Mexican government, the position they have is that we are doing something about it. We are attacking the drug cartels, and they are acting like that because they're desperate. We're winning the battle. We're winning the war. But the in meantime, we're going to have this kind of violence, and this is the result of a four-year war on drug cartels.
HARRIS: Tell me about -- we were just having this discussion about the other story that you're working on about a Mexican blogger who is going to do what and in an approach to getting the word out on the reality of what the drug cartels are doing on the streets of Mexico.
ROMO: Well, the situation right now in Mexico is that mainstream media is really not reporting reality because they're afraid, they have been threatened, there have been attacks against TV networks, and so they are practicing self censorship. They're not reporting everything there is out there. And so this blog came out in March, and is reporting, based on videos and pictures that the creator is getting anonymously, is telling people exactly what's going on. Shockingly violent videos and pictures that you wouldn't be able to see anywhere else.
HARRIS: Well, how is this blogger going to be able to do this and protect his or herself? I mean if mainstream media in Mexico is being cowed by the violence, I mean, does this guy have some kind of a fortress or this operation have some kind of protection there?
ROMO: We tried to get an interview with him. He does not reveal his identity. He does not appear on camera. He doesn't even talk to you on the phone. He would only answer our questions by e-mail. And he says all I want to do is to let people know what's going on, the reality of Mexico.
HARRIS: Well, it's an interesting approach because the Internet can give you a little anonymity. I mean, when you think about it, it might not be a bad approach to this.
Rafael, good to see you, as always. Thank you, sir.
ROMO: Sure.
HARRIS: "Rolling Stone" rolls out a pretty startling cover, and folks at an air show in Argentina watch a plane's wing snap right off. Ines Ferre is here with "What's Hot" on the Internet. That's next in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: I've got to tell you, we can't stop talking about this video that you're about to show everyone. Should we just roll it? This is the air show in Argentina?
INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, let's just roll -- yes, it's an air show in Argentina, my home country, and this happened on Sunday. And the pilot's 22 years old. And you'll see that he's doing these pirouettes. He's doing these really (INAUDIBLE) tricks in the air.
HARRIS: Yes, yes, yes. FERRE: And he's flying upside down at one point. And then as he tries to --
HARRIS: Nice, nice, everything's good here, right?
FERRE: Right. He tries to turn the plane over and you'll see in just a second what happens to this --
HARRIS: Look at this. Look at this. Look at that. Wait for it. Look at that.
FERRE: Yes, the wing that just snaps off.
HARRIS: It just snaps off.
FERRE: It just literally snaps off. And he said that he pushed the parachute button than --
HARRIS: Right.
FERRE: Where you see this parachute --
HARRIS: Well, what's critical there is that you get the spinning and the rotation of the plane and you've got to be careful as you're ejecting yourself as you don't get hit by this other wing. And he managed to do it and he's fine, right?
FERRE: He's fine. He's fine. He's safe because of this parachute on this plane. It's unbelievable.
HARRIS: That's dramatic stuff. OK, what do you have for us.
FERRE: OK. And then this next one is from cnn.com. OK. So, you know, if you've got a college -- if you've got a college son or anything.
HARRIS: Soon.
FERRE: Wristwatches are pointless. Forget it. E-mail is way too slow for them.
HARRIS: Old school.
FERRE: Yes, totally old school.
HARRIS: Oh, my.
FERRE: Oh, forget it. It's like a thing of the past. So 1999.
HARRIS: Who can keep up? Yes.
FERRE: So this is according to a Beloit College mind set list. And so they say that the class of 2014, that they think that e-mail is slow. They also think that Clint Eastwood -- well, they know him as an Oscar-award winning director.
HARRIS: Director. Don't even -- not even familiar with his days as an actor, right, just as a director?
FERRE: Just as a director.
HARRIS: Right.
FERRE: Snoop Doggy Dog is now Snoop Dogg.
HARRIS: Right.
FERRE: You know, a whole bunch of things that college -- it just makes you feel old, basically.
HARRIS: And thank you for that. Thank you for doing that to me today.
FERRE: No, I don't mean -- I don't mean -- you know what I mean.
HARRIS: What the -- OK.
FERRE: All right. And this next one -- well, no --
HARRIS: All right.
FERRE: This next one is from cnn.com.
HARRIS: Whoa.
FERRE: Yes.
HARRIS: Can we put that on television?
FERRE: I know. That's -- I guess you can.
HARRIS: I guess we just did.
FERRE: This is the cover that's -- this is turning on Twitter, on Google, everywhere.
HARRIS: Oh, this is the vampire stuff?
FERRE: Yes, "True Blood." It's this HBO show.
HARRIS: Right.
FERRE: And if you're into vampires and stuff like that, then --
HARRIS: So they're covered in blood. Is that what's going on there?
FERRE: Yes, they're covered in blood, and it's really getting a lot of attention online. I don't know, if you like the vampire thing.
HARRIS: So this is freshly after feeding, obviously. OK. All right.
FERRE: Yes. Let's go back to this, though. HARRIS: Yes. That's amazing. And the pilot is OK.
FERRE: Twenty-two-year-old pilot, started flying at 16. He's fine.
HARRIS: Hot shot. All right, good stuff.
Ines, thank you.
Still to come, one small Midwestern town has found a way to beat the recession. We will take a look at how they are doing it. We're back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: So how about this as a way to win in this economy? Oshkosh, Wisconsin, hosts one of the world's largest air shows. Business is booming and the folks there couldn't be happier.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, which is the aviation home of the world for one week out of the year. It's EAA Air Venture. It's a big air show and a lot more. And it attracts more than 500,000 people and more than 10,000 airplanes.
MAYOR PAUL ESSLINGER, OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN: It's virtually impossible to get a hotel room in Oshkosh for this week.
BRIAN WOGERNESE, PRESIDENT, WHG COMPANIES: We are fully booked. Every year there's a waiting list to get in. We did come here because of the air show, but there has to be other business that does support us during the rest of the year also.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's more than $110 million of economic impact for the state of Wisconsin because of this event.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our special today is the chorizo.
This is the oldest Mexican restaurant in Oshkosh. The first year that we experienced the air show, business was fabulous, and we were able to grow from a 50-seat restaurant and expand to 148 seats.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have folks from around the world come to the small Midwest community where people are friendly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bon jour.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shalom, I'm from Iceland (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm stirring up the pork to make sure it's not too dry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was hard for me to find jobs lately with everything the way it is. I came here. They welcomed me with open arms and I'm very thankful for it. I'm glad this show is here because, if it wasn't for that, I wouldn't have a job either.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Most of our part-timers are working full time this week and some of our full-timers are putting in a little bit of overtime.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The money I'm making from this job I'm going to be using for textbooks for school and part of tuition.
WOGERNESE: We are providing jobs because of the air show. Our restaurant on site is called Vintage Grill. We had to add 40 temporary staff to that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a huge, huge boost for the city of Oshkosh, and for people to get some money in their pockets.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think we're very lucky to have an air show here.
WOGERNESE: It does get a little noisy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oshkosh is the place each year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've got a little Cessna going by.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that's an F-18.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's just something that everybody's gotten used to because you actually miss it once it's gone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Yes, I love it. As I like to say at about this time every day, it is time to take it to the next level. CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Ali Velshi from New York City.
Doctor.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: If I can just hold it at your level, I'll be good.
Tony, have a great afternoon.
HARRIS: OK, sir.
VELSHI: Always good to see you.
