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"No Pardon or Forgiveness"; Heavy Rains Drench East Coast; Trapped Miners Timetable Moved Up; NATO Convoys Torched in Pakistan; Preview: "Right on the Edge"
Aired October 01, 2010 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: All of that right in the middle of the city. I'm Don Lemon. Thanks for watching. Time now for more NEWSROOM. T.J., go.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Well, thank you.
(LAUGHING)
HOLMES: All right. Thank you, buddy. Talk to you again soon. Hello there, everybody. I am T.J. Holmes in today for my friend, Ali Velshi. This is what we got on the "Rundown" for you this hour.
A massive storm system spreading along the east coast leaving road, neighborhood submerge, making air travel a nightmare as you can imagine across the nation as well. Chad Myers has his eye on all of that for you.
Plus, the world's largest airline has officially been created now. Today. So, what does this mean for your fees, for your fares? We're going to be asking the new CEO of that biggest airline.
Also, militants are attacking a life line for U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Meantime, Pakistan is closing off a door to the war. We will be going globe trekking.
But let me go over here right now. If I told you to name the second most powerful job in U.S. government, what do you think you would say? Maybe speaker of the House? Maybe vice president? Huh- uh. A lot of people would tell you it's the White House chief of staff. You probably wouldn't come up with that. But because this is, by many accounts, the second most powerful job in government, it's a big deal when that job has a turnover as it did today just a little while ago at the White House east room.
Their, the hard-charging former Illinois congressman who's been at the president's side since inauguration stepped aside. Why? He wants a different job. What's better than being with second most power man in government? For him, it's Chicago mayor. Now, the Chicago mayor, that job, that's one that only turns over once in a generation. So, you got to get in while you can.
You may have seen this live right here on CNN. The president warmly saluted Rahm Emanuel with whom he said he started and ended every work day over the past two years. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He has been a great friend of mine and will continue to be a great friend of mine. He has been a selfless public servant. He has been an outstanding chief of staff. I will miss him dearly, as well members of my staff and cabinet with whom he's worked so closely and so long.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: All right. Now, off to the side, well, we were focusing on the president. Rahm Emanuel standing there. You might have seen that stalky guy over there to the side, with the glasses on, that is Pete Rouse. That is Rahm Emanuel's successor. Now, the only place he's a household name is pretty much the White House and Houses of Congress. That is exactly the way he wants it to be.
He was chief of staff to the newly elected Senator Obama back in the day, and he promptly started mapping the president's run for president. Before that, he was also chief of staff to former Senate Majority Leader, Tom Daschle, and he was sometimes called the 101st senator for his uncanny knack for politics. Rouse has an amazing capacity to bring people together and also create unity.
We mentioned the power that go with the title of White House chief of staff. It comes from three areas, really. Let me explain a little bit about what this person does. They actually set the president's schedule every day. That's a big deal. They can say who gets in, who does not get in. He or she also guards the president's door, at least metaphorically speaking and plays a huge role in crafting the president's agenda every single day.
Rouse, he's going to need all those skills and experience to try to guide his boss now through the times as the White House is facing a tough time right now. The skills and experience of this discussion now to CNN's state of the union host, Candy Crowley. Candy, good to talk to you always during the week as opposed to our regular chats on Sunday morning right before your show, but hello to you.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: We do have a thing going.
HOLMES: You know what, never thought I would hear Candy Crowley say she has a thing with me. Candy, thank you for that. But let's talk about peep here for a second. But all the counts, this is a quiet guy. Can you be a quiet guy and have this job in the White House?
CROWLEY: Sure. Sure. There have been those before him that had been quiet and get the job done. I mean, this is a person. What's interesting to me, and first of all, we should point out that, so far, they're calling him interim chief of staff. A lot of people bet he will eventually get it permanently, but right now, they're calling him interim. But what's interesting to me is in all of those things, the differences, the personality differences, Rahm Emanuel was very good on House matters.
He came from the House. He worked with Speaker Pelosi, although some think he didn't work quite as well as Speaker Pelosi as he should have, but nonetheless, he was able to kind of drive a lot of controversial pieces of legislation through the house. He convinced the House members that they ought to do it. And what happened is over in the Senate, after the House Democratic, members went on a limb, the Senate didn't pass it.
So, their complaints that Emanuel didn't sort of push things through the Senate, sort of (INAUDIBLE) when Harry Reid who's the Democratic leader in the Senate said, look, we can't do this. We got to have it be get the scale this back. Well, now, we have Pete Rouse who really is pretty much a creature of the U.S. Senate. He does have 101st senator that says something.
He worked well with all of the senators who are there, at a different time, at a different place, but so much of the president's legislation has gotten stuck in the Senate. I think it's interesting that they have someone who's virtually an expert in the Senate that they're now putting in as chief of staff.
HOLMES: Now, how helpful can that be? We talk about the skill. He's coming in at a tough time right now with the midterms coming up, but is sounds like you're saying he has the right skill set that could useful right now.
CROWLEY: He does. And it's going to get probably if we are to believe the polls that at the very least the margins of Democrats are going to come down. There'll be more Republicans, therefore, the work gets even harder. And one of the things that is interesting was that Senator Daschle, I believe said that Pete Rouse puts out fires. That he is able to bring everybody together in a room to talk.
That's going to be a skill you're really going to need if, indeed, more Republicans end up in the Senate and the House. And just this one little anecdote and that is that Pete Rouse was able to convince those members who were left of the grateful dead to come together during the Obama campaign. So, if he can bring the grateful dead together, certainly, he can work this on the Senate. So, we'll see.
HOLMES: All right. Candy Crowley, we appreciate you as always. And I will see you Sunday for our thing, OK?
CROWLEY: It's a deal. OK.
HOLMES: Talk to you soon.
We'll turn to Ecuador now. This hour, under a state of siege. This after rebellious police officer to roughed up and tear gassed the country's president, actually held him hostage at a hospital. Loyal troops were able to move in and rescue the president in a hail of gunfire. He spoke to supporters calling the revolt a coup attempt. That is today's sound effect.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: At least two police officers and a soldier were killed in the gun battle. Dozens of others wounded. The national police chief has resigned over this incident. Today, no signs of the renegade officers on the streets, and the rebel officers said they were opposed to a new law that would take away their bonuses and reduce their pain.
The storm that has killed people, closed hundreds of roads, and North Carolina is moving now right up the east coast. Today, we are tracking it for you in our Severe Weather Center. Chad Myers is going to be with us. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, a large storm continues to make its way up to east coast. That heavy rain and winds causing flood warnings and watches from Carolinas all the way up to Maine. North Carolina, hardest hit right now. Five people dead there, in weather-related incidents. Hundreds of roads are closed. At least 150 people have been evacuated from neighborhoods that are under water in Wilmington. The reporting it has been inundated to 22 inches of rain. Carolina beach, lake over float, flooding downtown. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I used to live in Houston and I thought I'd seen a lot of rain there, but this is incredible. I've never seen flooding like this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm on the third floor, so I think I'm okay. I just got to get food for my kids.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I got my car to go to the store, and I got about a half block and the road was flooded. And when I go get a soda, I got my kayak out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: And also flooding in St. Mary's County, Maryland where they receive a foot of rain. Chad, we saw about 22 inches of foot here, foot there. North Carolina is done, doing with some remnants, if you will, but not still (ph) raining.
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: What we don't have with this flooding will be rivers that are above record crest.
HOLMES: OK.
MYERS: Because we didn't put the water in mountain areas. Other than Pennsylvania -- you know, up toward New England. Talking about where that 22-inch rainfall happened originally. 22 inches. Wilmington -- you've ever been here?
HOLMES: I don't think so, no.
MYERS: OK. Well, a lot of Eastern North Carolina and also the low country of South Carolina, flat. The water runs up. It goes down into the ditches. It goes down the bayous. It goes out and goes into bays and then the water goes out to the south. That's great. So, really, this rain, the devastating rainfall, couldn't have happened any place else with the lowest amount of flooding possible other than out here. It doesn't flood (INAUDIBLE)
You would have put this much rain back out here in Piedmont. We would be talking about thousands of people without their houses, without power, in shelters, that's the good news. It just didn't happen in the wrong place for a change. On up toward Hampton Roads, on up into Richmond, in Baltimore, 6 inches of rain in one day in Baltimore. Water came up. Water went down. Most of the places it's down. But then when you put it up here, I saw a couple of shots out of WBRE, Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, you put that much rainfall in the places where the water wants to get into valleys.
That's when you can start washing things away and that's what happened as the far we got up to the north. So, the good news is the rain is essentially over for all of New York. Airports are not good. OK. Travel is just this weekend, even all the way through tomorrow not going to be great. Today, with roads being flooded, you see the little cones, don't go around them.
Don't go around the berries (ph). Find some place that's a little bit higher. Airports, you might want to see whether you can get -- make sure your flight is leaving. I'll just put it that way because there are quite few airport --
HOLMES: Even though, that's kind of get out of here this weekend, still going to have some issues.
MYERS: You're still going to have water. Water can't get to the ocean immediately. It takes a couple days.
HOLMES: OK. Appreciate as always, buddy. Thank you so much.
Coming up here, we're going to tell you about a new deal that's created today that has created the world's biggest airline. We're talking to the new CEO first. He talks about his impacts with investors, employees, and of course, you. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. The deal closed today on a huge merger between United and Continental Airlines creating now the world's new and biggest airline. It's a huge news, doesn't just impact businesses in the corner of offices, impacts the entire airline industry. We all have our gripes with the airline industry, don't we, Richard Quest? Our Richard Quest joining me now. He talked to the new CEO right after the deal before anybody else did. He wants to make this a global airline, does he not? RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it already is to some extent. It is one of the largest route networks in the world because of the United and Continental reach. But it is just an enormous airline. Together, they have more than 700 planes. They will board a 400,000 passengers a day. And the tentacles of the new united go to just about every continent on this planet.
However, the man at the helm is just minded (ph). I'm wondering he has to do is integrate United and Continental, two airlines with very different cultures. They have 86,000 employees. My first question, where would there be gross, and where might the ax fall?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF SMISEK, CEO, UNITED CONTINENTAL HOLDINGS: I don't think there will be an ax, Richard. We have very complimentary networks. As a result, there is very little overlap and very little effect on our frontline employees. What we're going to be doing is allocating the aircraft across as much broader route network.
We got ten hubs worldwide. And I expect to see growth, certainly, from international perspective, because we are at global carrier and will be the world's leading global carrier. I think you're going to see new destinations and increase frequency for business travels.
QUEST: The U.S. hubs, a lot of speculation about whether -- I mean, of the ten global hub, eight or nine are in the domestic U.S., a lot of talk about whether it makes sense to have so many hubs.
SMISEK: Well, if you are starting an airline from scratch, I think what should have in the U.S. is the hubs we have. I mean, we've got hubs on the east coast. We've got hubs in the west coast. We've got hubs in the Midwest. We've got hubs in the south. Both the east- west and north-south. Flows, flows in a Latin America, off the west coast of the pacific, off the east coast of the transatlantic. You know, this is really a perfect structure for an airline.
QUEST: Within that structure, the biggest challenge, and you've been on the record saying it's not going to be easy. You may make mistakes on the way, but Airline mergers bringing the two together are notoriously difficult, paved with areas of the past because of cultural, union, all sorts of problems.
SMISEK: Well, Richard, we're going to have a culture at the new United. That's very like what we have today at Continental. We're going to work together. We're going to treat people with dignity and respect and treat customers with dignity and respect. We'll have direct, open and honest communication, and we've got the right culture. I mean, this is a service business.
If you have the right culture, then your co-workers want to do a good job. And you can lecture them, but the only way you can really have somebody in a service business do a good job is if they want to. I mean, the right culture they want to give good service, the customers will come back. When the customers come back, we'll make money and we can invest in the product, invest in the people and have a very successful area.
QUEST: Right.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: T.J., yes, clearly, this is a merger, because, both parties have brought something to the table. United with its vast reach. Continental with its good hubs and its service structure. But I have to tell you, sometimes, in talking to people in the industry, one does wonder who is actually got the upper hand.
And probably, today, bearing in mind, listen to what Smisek just said to me then. It's the Continental concept, the Continental culture, and that's what would be the dominant force, I suspect in this new airline.
HOLMES: Yes. The dominant force, what everyone here is wondering to our U.S. viewers, how long before that new culture or would not gets in place and what can they expect to see? They're worried about fee, and fares. Things going up and they're worried about route. So, how long before our folks here in the U.S. possibly could see a new airline that actually impacts their life?
QUEST: OK. The pocketbook issues, if you like from Smisek. There'll be very little difference immediately, because, obviously, they're going to start getting the things together. Next year, next spring, they won't tell me what date, they're going to have customer day. That's going to be the moment when people will start to see real differences.
Again, midway in 2011, they will merge the two frequent flyer programs. One pass, mileage plus and that's what we're waiting for. Believe me, I'm a member of both frequent flyer programs. I want to see what benefits will come from one versus the other. Will my status here be there? These are the big issues.
On the question of fees and fares, they say, because there is so little overlap of the two networks, that won't have major competitive disadvantage. That was borne out by the Department of Transportation in the U.S. and the Department of Justice. And finally, when will you start seeing the difference? They say, it'll be by mid to late next year that you'll start to see one airline flying into the ground.
HOLMES: All right. Well, Richard, we are concerned about your frequent flier miles. We hope you keep your elite status.
QUEST: Listen, listen, you're concerned. I'm having sleepless nights.
HOLMES: Richard, buddy, always good to see you, my man. Sleep well. Hopefully, this weekend. We will talk to you soon. Thanks so much.
And of course, your money. You can see that on Saturday with Ali Velshi, Christine Romans, Saturdays at 1:00 eastern time, Sundays at 3:00 Eastern time. I want to take a check now at some of the other stories that are making headlines, including Iraq's political impasse. Got an update. That update is that now it's in a class of its own. Today is the 208th day the country has been without an elected government. That would be a new world record. The Netherlands went some 207 days without a government in place back in 1977. Iraq's two top parties have been jockeying for power ever since March's close parliamentary vote.
Also, more than 1200 NASA employees haven't to turn in their I.D. badges today being laid off due to the demise, of course, of the shuttle program. Many get a specialized work that's going to be tough possibly to transition. A special program has been set up to help them find and prepare for new jobs.
And an unusual apology from the U.S. to Guatemala today. The U.S. government saying it regrets a research study that took place back in the late 1940s that deliberately infected Guatemalans with sexually transmitted diseases. Guatemalan officials say they're sad to learn of the study but do recognize now the American apology.
Coming up, she is a breast cancer survivor, and through her own research, she discovered a new test that brought wonderful news to her and her young daughter. Her story, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Twenty-five past the hour now. Geralyn Lucas had breast cancer when she was in her 20s. Later, she learned about a cancer gene test through her own research. A test her doctor didn't tell her about. The test changed the life of both Lucas and her young daughter. Our senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen has her story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Geralyn Lucas had breast cancer, but she's terrified it's going to come back and what scares her even more is that her daughter, Sky will also get it. So, Geralyn is about to take a cutting edge test to find out if there's a gene for breast cancer is hiding in her DNA, and if so, has Sky inherited it?
The test takes about a minute. The test called BART searches deep into a woman's DNA to look for breast cancer genes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is Geralyn's blood sample. To everyone, this is just a vile of blood. But for Geralyn, this is her future. And perhaps even more importantly to Geralyn, this is about her daughter. This is about what happens to her daughter.
COHEN: If this test does show Geralyn has a dangerous genetic mutation, she'll have her ovaries and other breast removed. And there would be a 50/50 chance that she passed that gene down to Sky.
GERALYN LUCAS, BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR: I feel very guilty that this is part of her vocabulary and this is part of her world. But in the same breath, I feel like maybe I'm teaching her a lesson. Knowledge is power.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How have you been?
LUCAS: Nervous.
COHEN: A month passes, Dr. Rachel Welner has the results in her hand.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No surgery needed.
LUCAS: It's negative. I don't believe it.
Mommy got her results. It's negative.
UNIDENTIFIED KID: Yee-ha!
COHEN: How did it feel to tell her just now?
LUCAS: Getting to tell sky was the hugest thing of that news. And I feel I did it for her.
COHEN: And what's pretty amazing is Geralyn discovered this cutting edge test on her own from other breast cancer survivors.
What lessons have you learned from all this?
LUCAS: I have to keep searching. I can't rest on my laurels.
COHEN: By doing her own research and staying ahead of the curve, Geralyn stayed ahead of breast cancer.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And Elizabeth Cohen doing the reporting there joins me now here live as well as Geralyn Lucas. She joins us from New York. Hello to you as well. Geralyn, you tell me, first of all, start with you, are you amazed that just how many women still do not know about this test?
LUCAS: I am. Hey, T.J. I want women to know, if they've had genetic testing, and they think that they're safe, they don't have the gene, there is a new enhanced test they can get called BART that might yield a different result for them.
COHEN: And, Geralyn, I know you have some other messages for women out there about how to prevent breast cancer. Today is the first day of breast cancer awareness month. So, go ahead, let's hear it.
LUCAS: Hey, Elizabeth. Well, I just really want women to know about early detection. Early detection saves lives. I was 27 when I found my lump. I had no known family history. Since that time, as you're going to report in the special, people in my family have had breast cancer. So, I want women to examine their breasts, get clinical exams and get a mammogram when they're 40.
HOLMES: Well, Geralyn, before I let you go. I know Elizabeth has a question for you, but quickly to you Geralyn, do you think -- I mean, there's been a lot of confusion it seems like. Elizabeth, you know this as well, about when women should get mammograms. Is it confusing, is it getting too confusing right now, do you think, Geralyn?
LUCAS: It bothers me so much. Actually, just did a little video, all the crazy things women do instead of getting their mammograms. You know, last year, there were these new recommendations. All the experts have told me 40, every year. Not 50, not every two years. And again when in your 20s, examine your breasts. Feel your boobies.
HOLMES: Better said by you.
LUCAS: I love to say that on the air.
(LAUGHING)
HOLMES: Geralyn, congratulations. We appreciate you being a part of our coverage here in getting this message out. But Geralyn Lucas, thank you so much. And before I let you go, Elizabeth, you do have a special coming up this weekend, and you're encouraging folks to do like she did. Sometimes, the doctor might not even know about some of this stuff. You got to go check it out on your own.
COHEN: Sometimes, you have to be the one to save your own life. And you'll learn more about Geralyn. And you'll meet all sorts of incredible inspiring people who saved their lives or the lives of someone they loved. It's such an uplifting hour.
HOLMES: All right. Give me the times.
COHEN: 7:00, Saturday and Sunday.
HOLMES: Saturday and Sunday 7:00, and we'll see you this weekend plenty.
COHEN: Sounds great.
HOLMES: Elizabeth Cohen, thank you so much for that.
Well coming up, NATO fuel trucks attacked and destroyed in Pakistan, America's strategic ally in the war of Afghanistan. That's the latest of major incidents that are straining an already fragile relationship. We're going "Globe Trekking."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Just in, I want to pass this along that crews may be able to reach those trapped miners in Chile sooner than they thought.
You know this story. They've been trapped down there since early August after a mining accident. You've got 33 miners down there. We were told initially they might not get them out until Christmastime. They have been working with several different drills trying their best to get down to them.
They have been able to get food down to them, other supplies, even videos. And they have been able to talk to family member, they've gotten cigarettes, all kinds of things. So they've been able to make the men, for the most part, comfortable.
But still, it was going to be quite some time until they got to them. Word now that it could be sometime in the next two weeks or so. Somewhere between October 15th and 30th they expect to have them out.
They've drilled a larger hole that's just about the size, circumference enough to get a body down in it. Essentially, what they have drilled, they've tested some of those baskets to try to pull guys up and they believe they're working.
So the word is that maybe, maybe sometime even in two weeks they could have those guys to bring the 33 up. Just wanted to give you that update.
Now, I want to go "Globe Trekking" with you now. First stop we're going to make is in Pakistan, a strategic country that's a key U.S. ally, of course, in the war in Afghanistan. Events, though, this week have raised some serious questions about the future of the already fragile relationship between the U.S. and Pakistani military.
I have a map that we can show, shows you what happened today. A day now after closing a major border crossing into Afghanistan that was used by NATO supply convoys, suspected militants now today attacked and set fire to more than two dozen tankers carrying fuel for U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan.
That attack happened near the southern Pakistani city of Hyderabad. Supply convoys, like the ones seen in some of the pictures we got here for you, are vital to the war effort in neighboring Afghanistan. The border closed yesterday, remains off limits to convoys today. It's believed Pakistan took the action in response to a NATO airstrike earlier this week that killed three Pakistani soldiers.
Joining me now in Pakistan in Islamabad in the capital to talk more about the war effort this is going to have on the U.S.-Pakistani ties our CNN's Frederik Pleitgen.
Fred, hello to you. This convoy attacked today, we're hearing that now they were, in fact, two attacks that took place there. Get us up to speed.
FREDRIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you're absolutely right, T.J. There were two attacks that took place today. One took place this evening. It was actually there, only one truck that was attacked, apparently one truck that strayed from a larger convoy in the province of Balochistan was then attacked by militants with automatic rifles, also with fire bombs. What happened there is that two Pakistanis were killed in the attack and one container was set on fire.
The bigger attack, however, is the one that you were mentioning before, which is really a major attack on a convoy. It was a 27-truck convoy that was attacked as it was parking in the early morning hours there. Twenty-five of those trucks were set on fire. Also, insurgents coming or militants coming with automatic weapons, then with fire bombs and later even with firecrackers setting the fuel on fire that was in those -- in that convoy.
It was diesel and regular fuel, as you said, for the troops in Afghanistan and certainly, those are major issues for the U.S. in its war effort in Afghanistan.
HOLMES: Last thing to -- to you, Frederik. What do we know about what is going on? How intense are the talks and the negotiations behind the scenes between U.S. and Pakistani officials trying to mend this last couple of days of incidents?
PLEITGEN: I think they are more major than a lot of us would like to think. I think that the Pakistanis are quite angry with what's been going on in the past couple dace, especially if you look at that once incident where apparently an American helicopter crossed from Afghanistan into Pakistan and opened fire on a Pakistani military post killing three soldiers.
Now, it's unclear whether the Pakistani soldiers fired on the helicopter before the helicopter shot a missile back at them, but certainly the Pakistanis are absolutely enraged by what happened there.
There's been a lot of diplomatic back and forth going on since then. There's been a phone call between John Kerry and the Pakistani prime minister. Still, the rhetoric has been amped up by the Pakistani government. The prime minister talking about this and also the president, so certainly they're very, very angry about what's go on. That's having an impact on convoys going through, T.J.
HOLMES: All right, Fred Pleitgen for us in Islamabad. Fred, we appreciate you, as always.
Well, coming up here a director of conservative music videos and a pot-stirring, anti-gay activist. They are rising stars on the right. You're going to meet them in our Abbie Boudreau's new documentary. We're going to have a preview straight ahead, stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Welcome back.
They are a new generation of political activists. They're young, they're conservative, many call themselves investigative reporters and they're using social media to get their message out.
For more than six months now, CNN followed a group of rising stars in the conservative movement. Special Investigations Unit correspondent Abbie Boudreau is here and has been doing that following for six months and it's all going to come together this weekend in a special everybody's going to be able to see, but wow, I bet you saw a lot in six months.
ABBIE BOUDREAU, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT CORRESPONDENT: Oh, my gosh, so much. We really thought it would be interesting to just dive into this young conservative movement and to really follow a group of people who are passionate about their beliefs. You know, just the idea of whether you agree or disagree with their viewpoints, you can't deny their passion.
For the last several months, we have followed a group of young conservatives. And the clip you're about to see involves Christian Hartsock, a 23-year-old filmmaker who is trying to make it big in Hollywood. And then also, in the same clip, you will meet Ryan Sorba, he's an anti-gay activist who enjoys stirring up controversy and pushing the limits.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOUDREAU (voice-over): For months, we documented Christian Hartsock, a young conservative trying to make it big in Hollywood.
CHRISTIAN HARTSOCK, YOUNG CONSERVATIVE: Zooming in, zooming out, boom.
BOUDREAU: Today, he's prepping for a movie video he's directing.
HARTSOCK: I don't necessarily want to change people's minds. I would rather turn heads and get people talking. My job is to make provocative content.
You say, get against the car.
RYAN SORBA, YOUNG CONSERVATIVE: All right. BOUDREAU: And he does that with controversial people. Ryan Sorba is rehearsing the part of an FBI agent in the music video.
HARTSOCK: First of all, there is a scene where Mary Landrieu is going to be here.
SORBA: She's going to be freaking out on us.
HARTSOCK: She's going to be freaking out like --
SORBA: OK, cool.
BOUDREAU: We first met Ryan at a meeting for young conservatives in California, Christian introduced us.
(on camera): I've heard you guys all kind of like moan and groan about liberal media. What's so wrong -- first of all, do you view CNN as liberal media?
SORBA: Yes.
BOUDREAU: OK. So what's it like to have me sitting right here? What are you thinking?
SORBA: The Communist News Network. I feel like I'm under fire right now. I feel afraid a little bit.
BOUDREAU: When you're watching --
SORBA: Well, I don't watch CNN or MSNBC --
BOUDREAU: But then how do you --
SORBA: -- except for once in a blue moon.
BOUDREAU (voice-over): At age 28, Ryan Sorba is the oldest young conservative we've met.
SORBA: I'm Ryan. Nice to meet you.
BOUDREAU: He invited us to a Chicago suburb for an anti-gay event called Americans for Truth Academy.
SORBA: It's like you mean soul. It's disorder of the soul, the nature of man.
BOUDREAU: After the speech outside Chicago, a group of gay rights protesters is ready to take Ryan on and Ryan is ready.
SORBA: Do you guys hate Christians?
UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTOR: No.
SORBA: No. Then why are you protesting a Christian church for promoting their most fundamentally held beliefs?
UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTOR: You want to put us in gas chambers, (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
SORBA: No, we don't.
Hey, dude, do you hate Christians? Then why are you yelling at me like that?
UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTORS (chanting): Racist, sexist, anti-gay, right-wing bigots go away.
SORBA: This is the definition of tolerance right here. Ideological diversity in action.
UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTORS (chanting): Racist, sexist, anti-gay, right-wing bigots go away.
UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTOR: You're smiling all the way to hell, pretty boy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, that just brings out the best of us, does it not? Abbie, you know, you heard the guy in there talking about the "Communist News Network." I mean, how difficult was it for you to in some ways infiltrate and to be invited in, they had to let you in? How difficult was it to get access to these guys is they that skeptical about media?
BOUDREAU: It was not easy, let's put it this way, and that's an understatement. I mean, it took months to try to get them to agree to be part of this project and also just to build trust with -- to trust us in the first place.
So I think it took a long, long time for them to say, you know what, maybe this isn't going to be some gotcha piece. Maybe it really is going to just be a glimpse inside this movement and then people can just decide for themselves whether they agree, they disagree or whatever the case may be.
HOLMES: Just a look inside.
Also, we talked earlier this week, and we've been talking a lot about this week one of those young conservatives you were going to feature. A lot of people know O'Keefe is the name, James O'Keefe. He was part of the whole ACORN bringdown.
BOUDREAU: Posed as a pimp.
HOLMES: Posed as a pimp, that hold thing. Tried to punk CNN, if you will, and you in particular, a whole elaborate setup. But Is that -- is he essentially not part this documentary now? Will we hear any more about that? Does that play into the documentary at all?
BOUDREAU: Well, yes, it is part of the documentary but it is - it is nowhere near the entire documentary. I mean, the entire documentary focuses on this movement as a whole. And he plays a very small part.
HOLMES: OK. I'm sure a lot of conservative activists would prefer not to have him be a part because a lot of people didn't like the way he behaved, if you will.
I like how you're holding your tongue there. It's very good.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: Abbie Boudreau. Well, we could have a whole lot more to say (ph). The special. When is it again? Remind me of the time.
BOUDREAU: Saturday, Sunday, 8:00 p.m. And again at 11:00.
HOLMES: Eight and 11. Abbie Boudreau, taking a look "RIGHT ON THE EDGE." Abbie , good to see you as always, dear lady. Thank you so much.
Well, coming up here, we're going to be pairing farmers and problem solvers for the future of food production. "Eatocracy" meets "Big I." Next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Now, this week, CNN has been taking a closer look at the dinner table. We've been calling it eat "Eatocracy: Mind, Body and Wallet." You have seen it all week.
And today, "Eatocracy" meets "Big I" here on this show, where we talk about innovative ideas. And boy, we've got a doozy for you right now.
Carl DiSalvo from Georgia Tech is here. The Growbot Garden. Now, if I can just say that, and you can come up with all kinds of idea about what you think that might mean. And then we see this contraption up here as well. But the project itself, Growbot Garden. Sum that up for me.
CARL DISALVO, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, GEORGIA TECH: Sure. What we're doing at Georgia Tech is we're doing research on how to better design technologies for local, small-scale farming. The way we do that is we actually get out and work with these farmers, so we design them together. So, we have workshops and other types of activities where we come and say, here's some interesting things we can do with robotics. And they say, here's some challenges we have in our the local, small-scale organic farms. And we work together to invent possible solutions for those problems.
HOLMES: Now, you say robotics. Most people think about farming, they're thinking about Arkansas and Georgia and simple folks who, quite frankly, are not that sophisticated when it comes to doing their farming. They've been doing the same things for years and years, and you're going to bring a robot or robotics into it?
DISALVO: So, that's sort of a misconception. The amazing thing about contemporary farms --big farms, industrial farms. They already have robot -
HOLMES: Technology.
DISALVO: They already have huge amounts of technology. What we want to do is say, OK, how can we support the organic farmer? How do we support the local, small-scale farmer who has a very different kind of farm but could still use these technologies. And how do we help support sustainability that way?
HOLMES: When you say small scale, how small scale are we talking about?
DISALVO: Some of the folks we work with have gardens or farms that they sell produce off of that are smaller than our backyards. Some of them are really small.
HOLMES: Now, how could something like this help out? We got to get a shot at this thing here. But this is fascinating. How is something like this pulled (ph) out?
DISALVO: This is a model created by one of the small-scale farmers we work with. The idea that it's going to cut grass under electrical fences. So, the problem is that electrical fences, if the grass touches, it will short. And to cut grass underneath it, you have to take the fence down.
So, the small-scale farmer, they don't have necessarily the same sort of crew to help them. She came up with this idea to help her do something she has to do regularly on her farm. Have it automated so that she can continue to tend the lands and produce the great produce that she's producing.
HOLMES: Now, are things like this -- how close are you to - I guess -- producing this? Are we talking so specialized and individualized robots for every single farm? Do you go to each individual and say what do you need? And then you design something for them?
DISALVO: We work with individuals, and we like to get their input. But realistically, if we got the right support from businesses, these kinds of technologies could be helping small-scale farmers within a matter of years.
This is not ten years out. This is not a Mars Rover robot. This is something that we can produce pretty quickly if we just made a commitment to helping small-scale organic farmers.
HOLMES: How receptive when you bring something like that or you talk about robotics when you talk to a lot of these farmers, how receptive are they to this stuff?
DISALVO: They're amazingly receptive. I mean, the thing is that these folks are resilient and already using new technologies such as mobile phones and other kinds of things to help them in their farming.
HOLMES: All right. Growbot garden.
DISALVO: Growbot garden. A student-led project at Georgia Tech.
HOLMES: All right. Carl DiSalvo over at Georgia Tech. Good luck.
DISALVO: Thanks.
HOLMES: We will see you down the road and we will see these roving around somebody's farm one of these days.
DISALVO: Hopefully.
HOLMES: Thanks so much, buddy. Good luck to you.
Coming up, we'll look ahead to 2012. Hillary Clinton may be a wild card? CNNpolitics.com update, coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Time now for our CNNpolitics.com update. Our senior political editor Mark Preston there for us, watching the developments. Mark, what you got?
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey, T.J. I'm here with Peter Hamby. Actually I was talking about my years I spent at Roll Call , which is the newspaper of Capitol Hill. Spent six years there.
You know, the reason we're talking about Roll Call right now is because when I was there, I interviewed Pete Rouse in one of these rare interviews that Pete Rouse has given. Of course, our viewers know Pete Rouse is now the interim chief of staff at the White House. You know, Pete is one of these real interesting characters. He's very low key, very well respected on Capitol Hill or when he was on Capitol Hill as somebody who is well thought of. Doesn't try to get the big glare of the cameras. Kind of low key.
So, I had the story. Roll Call has allowed us to republish it. Stories from 2004. Here are a couple of takeaways from it.
I asked him about when he worked for Tom Daschle. That's when he really made his name on Capitol Hill. Of course, was the Senate minority leader. He is what he said his job was at the time. "My basic role here to make sure everything stays on track and every once in a while help out with a little perspective here and there. And on the controversial issues that are not just political in South Dakota but matters of principle." The same thing we expect Pete Rouse to do now that he's the interim chief of staff down at the White House. Go to CNNpolitics.com to check out that story.
One of the main jobs he'll have, T.J., regardless if he stays as chief of staff or stays as a senior adviser is helping President Obama get reelected. You know, there's this hypothetical question out there of whether Hillary Clinton will challenge President Obama. It's not going to happen, but Gallup has put out a poll. The poll shows that in fact President Obama would defeat Hillary Clinton. T.J.?
HOLMES: Always interesting to talk about, though. Mark, we appreciate you. Your next CNNpolitics.com update, next hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. We have answers to the crash of 2010, if you will. It was a flash crash.
Let me bring in Alison Kosik. You remember, Dow went down some thousand points. People were freaking out where you are, back in May I believe it was. But we have an answer now, Alison. What happened?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, we're kind of laughing about it now, but it was hardly a time to laugh back then.
What this report says, the FCC and the CSTC, that's the Commodities Futures Trading Commission. They came out with a 104-page report that found what many people already knew here at the New York Stock Exchange.
What was the problem? The problem was that automated trading. That was the culprit of the flash crash. As we go into this report, we're getting more details. It's really blaming one large investor for contributing to that eye-popping plunge where the Dow plunged almost 1,000 points within minutes. All of the blame is really focused on the use of high-frequency trading.
Now, the sale of a large block of futures contracts is what triggered this flash crash and basically triggered a series of other orders that the market just couldn't handle. The report says that the combined selling pressure from this one order caused all of these high-frequency traders to wind up driving down the price of these futures. And at the same time, the people who would normally buy into the market were actually selling all of their individual stocks.
So, you saw all the selling pressure especially on the Dow Industrials. That's what we're talking about here. That's why we saw it fall so fast. And regulators are saying this investment group -- and they're not really naming exactly which one -- is really the culprit.
I want you to think about what the day was on this day, May 6. What was happening that day. It was a very turbulent day in the market, a very volatile day with worries about the European debt crisis spilling around the globe.
I was actually here and watched the Dow fall. Traders, I mean, had their jaws drop. They couldn't believe it. And they were also watching the riots that were happening in Greece about these austerity measures. They were watching these riots on TV monitors all over the trading floor here. And everybody was watching as the Dow plunged almost 1,000 points. But it comes down to technology that was really the issue here. T.J.?
HOLMES: We have answers here. I'm sure we'll get some more answers about exactly who this firm was, as well.
Thank you, Alison Kosik. We appreciate you as always.
