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Reaching Out to the Taliban; Corruption Probe Nabs 89 Cops; Women at War; Security Incident at Philly Airport
Aired October 07, 2010 - 10:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kyra Phillips. Thanks for joining me. I'll see you back here tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time.
Tony Harris picks it up from here.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Kyra, appreciate it. Thank you.
Live from Studio 7 at CNN World Headquarters, the big stories for Thursday, October 7th, the FBI calls it the largest police corruption case in its history. Dozens of police officers rounded up in Puerto Rico accused of taking payoffs to keep the drug pipeline flowing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today is a very sad day for those of us who are committed to law and order because we are faced with the disconcerting reality that drug trafficking has invaded the sanctity of our state and our police departments.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Major banks freeze foreclosures over flawed paperwork prolonging the country's housing crisis. Now, once they suing (ph) the banks, the CNN Money team is all over this one.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Toy Harris. Those stories and your comments right here, right now in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Today, marks a milestone in the longest war in U.S. history. Those stories and your comments right here right now in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Today marks a milestone in the longest war in U.S. history. It is now nine years since American forces invaded Afghanistan, more than 1,300 U.S. troops have died there. We focus on one soldier who is emblematic of the sacrifice of so many. Sergeant First Class Lance Vogeler as his remains are returned home. Vogeler had served an astonishing 12 combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. We will take you live to Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia.
And in the war zone, Afghan President Hamid Karzai is trying to get the Taliban to the peace table.
CNN's Ivan Watson is in Kabul.
And, Ivan, what is the latest on the Afghan peace council?
IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is the inaugural meeting that took place today here in Kabul and you had a bunch of tribal elders, some clerics, you had eight women participating and the number of Afghan warlords with some very bad human rights records, of atrocities in the past, and you had the Afghan president repeating a message that he has made for years with very little result.
Take a listen to what he had to say there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. HAMID KARZAI, AFGHANISTAN (through translator): The opposition are our Taliban brothers. Every son of this land, and every youth, whether he is inside or outside of this country, wishes to serve this country. I call on them once again to use this opportunity and to say yes to this endeavor. I want them to come and bring peace to this land.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: Now, when you talk to the Taliban spokesmen, they say that they are rejecting any offer of negotiation with what they call a puppet government. They say they have one precondition before any kind of peace talks can every take place, and that is for all foreign occupying forces -- that's how they refer to the some 150,000 U.S. and NATO troops here -- until they leave this country once and for all -- Tony.
HARRIS: Yes, it sounds more like a public statement. We clearly understand there is something going on here. So, I guess, Ivan, the question is: who would the Afghan peace council actually be talking to? Are we talking about senior Taliban representatives with the blessing, say, of Mullah Omar, the leader of the Taliban?
WATSON: Well, that is another good question. When you ask members of this new council who can you negotiate with? They say, we don't know. That's something that is going to be our job to figure out.
We don't know who represents the Taliban as a movement right now because the movement was smashed. The government was smashed in 2001. Many of its leaders fled into exile. They're believed to be operating out of Pakistan.
And then there is an extensive network of Taliban insurgents fighting all across Afghanistan. They are quite well-organized. There are field commanders. There are shadow governments in different provinces across Afghanistan, and we don't know how much coordination there is between the senior Taliban leadership that was forced to flee to Pakistan and the younger guys who are fighting on the ground right now in Afghanistan.
And that is a major challenge before you can go forward at all to try to make any kind of peace settlement here in Afghanistan.
HARRIS: Yes. And, Ivan, one more for you. What's the United States role in all of this?
WATSON: The U.S. says it has stuck to its three main conditions here, Tony. They say that before any peace deal can be reached, the Taliban must cut all ties with al Qaeda. It must respect the Afghan constitution, and that any peace settlement must be an Afghan-led process.
Now, there have been a lot of reports, reports coming from within the Pentagon of alleged talks between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and some mysterious high-level officials in the Taliban movement, the U.S. also saying that it is not privy to any of these negotiations and not participating in talks that took place here in Kabul this week between senior members of the Pakistan ruling elite and the Afghan ruling elite, the U.S. is saying they were not part of those talks as well.
The pressure that the U.S. can bring to the table, however, is significant: military firepower, 150,000 NATO troops, and they're battling the Taliban out in the fields and the mountains and the ravines of Afghanistan day after day -- Tony.
HARRIS: OK. CNN's Ivan Watson for us in Kabul, Afghanistan -- Ivan, good to see you. Thank you.
You will get more insight into the peace council next hour. I will take to James Dobbins. He was former President George W. Bush's special envoy to Afghanistan, where he played a central role in its nation-building.
Checking other big stories for you.
Weeks of cleanup ahead in Arizona after a rare tornado outbreak. At least four twisters touched down yesterday. Damage was heavy around Flagstaff with dozens of homes there damaged, the trees uprooted and vehicles overturned.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All of a sudden, the wind got bad and the whole thing started shaking side to side and then flipped on its side.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I always used to fear that the top half of my home was going to go, and it was a nightmare come true.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: The wind was so strong it blew a train off the tracks. There is no word of any serious injuries. It was a big story at this hour yesterday here in the newsroom. We will be checking in with meteorologist Rob Marciano for the latest on this storm system.
Authorities in Mexico resumed the search today for an American reportedly killed by pirates. David Hartley's wife says he was shot in the head on Lake Falcon. The lake straddles the U.S. border with Mexico. Mexican troops and helicopters are involved in the search for Hartley. His wife, Tiffany, says the family just wants his body returned.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIFFANY HARTLEY, WIFE: Once we do receive David back and we can, you know, properly give him the -- you know, the burial that he would like, we could be able to say our good-byes and really have that closure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: The suicide of a Rutgers University student leads to a new investigation and new legislation aimed at preventing harassment on college campuses. Tyler Clementi killed himself after two other students allegedly videotaped his sexual encounter with a man, who streamed it online. New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg wants to require schools that received federal student aid to create anti- harassment policies. He spoke at an anti-bullying town hall last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. FRANK LAUTENBERG (D), NEW JERSEY: Tonight, we call on one another to stamp out the bigotry and harassment that introduced this young fellow to take his life at 18 years of age. Tyler Clementi's death has broken hearts across America and around the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: And tune into "ANDERSON COOPER 360" for a special report, "Bullying: No Escape." That's tonight at 10:00 Eastern Time.
In Puerto Rico, an investigation into whether police provided protection for drug dealers results in more than 100 arrests.
CNN's senior Latin American affairs editor, Rafael Romo, has details on what's being called an unprecedented U.S. undercover operation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SR. LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR (voice- over): It's the biggest corruption investigation in the history of the FBI. The crackdown on police corruption in Puerto Rico produced 133 arrests, including 89 law enforcement officers, two U.S. Army officers, and 30 civilians.
ERIC HOLDER, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: Without question, today's arrest will disrupt drug trafficking operations in Puerto Rico and help to strengthen law enforcement operations across and beyond the island.
ROMO: Puerto Rico is a U.S. island territory just east of the Dominican Republic. Authorities says it's a major shipping point for drugs between South American countries like Colombia and Peru, and the United States. Federal officials say the two-year investigation is known as Operation Guardshack.
SHAWN HENRY, FBI ASSISTANT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: It involved an unprecedented level of logistical coordination of resources, technical assistance by more than 30 of the FBI's 56 field divisions, and hand- in-hand coordination with the Department of Justice and the United States Attorney's Office in Puerto Rico, and the police department of Puerto Rico.
ROMO: As part of the investigation, undercover FBI agents conducted 125 drug transactions with suspects in drug deals involving amounts ranging from $500 to $4,500.
HOLDER: This department has one message for anyone willing to abuse the public trust for personal gain: you will be caught, you will be stopped, and you will be punished.
ROMO: More than 1,000 FBI agents and other personnel were deployed to Puerto Rico to conduct the arrests that happened in the early hours of the morning.
ROSA EMILIA RODRIGUEZ-VELEZ, PUERTO RICO U.S. ATTORNEY: Today is a sad day to those of us committed to law and order, because we are faced with the disconcerting reality that drug trafficking has invaded the sanctity of our state and our police departments.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Rafael Romo joining me now.
What did this corruption look like on the ground, Rafael, in Puerto Rico?
ROMO: Well, it started two years ago when an undercover FBI agent went to a guy and he said he was a drug dealer, and he put the word out that he needed protection to do his dealing and several police officers right away came forward and said that they were willing to work for him, they were being paid anywhere from $50 to $4,500. They were using the weapons, and sometimes even some of the equipment that they normally use in conducting their police operations.
And little by little, more and more police officers started joining this and started getting money from FBI undercover agents.
In the end, it was half a million dollars that was distributed to all of these people. Let's remember that it's 133 people who are being arrested, about 90 police officers. So, very sneaky the way this was -- the police officers were operating.
HARRIS: And you have -- I know you got a reporter who can tell you more about the operation on the ground and when might be next in these investigations.
ROMO: Yes, let's bring into the conversation my colleague Celimar Adames. She's with our affiliate WAPA in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Celimar, thank you very much for joining us.
I first wanted to ask you. It must be a very difficult day for police in Puerto Rico trying to reorganize after all of these arrests. What can you tell us about that?
CELIMAR ADAMES, WAPA REPORTER (via telephone): It definitely, Rafael, has been a very sad day in Puerto Rico, more than anybody, for the police department. It was a huge hit to the department and to the very core of the police force. Today, police officers are all over the island very sad. In the headquarters, you can see their faces, and probably many of them ashamed of what happened here yesterday.
As you know, more than 1,700 policemen are part of the police department here in Puerto Rico, and, of course, most of them are honest people. But the arrest of almost 90 of them yesterday is a reflection on them definitely. One of the main worries right now is the trust of the people in their work and in the investigations that are taking place right now, especially the ones from drug trafficking.
ROMO: Celimar, I wanted to ask you. Puerto Rico is a favorite destination for many Americans. Many Americans go there to spend their vacations every year. Do they have anything to fear and does -- do the arrests change anything when it comes to vacations in Puerto Rico?
ADAMES: No, I don't think so. Maybe the rain will.
But this -- this is something that has happened. As I said, there's more than 1,700 policemen still working. Most of them are very good people, and security in tourist areas is mostly on municipal police work forces that are smaller and know better their counties. So, I don't think there is any problem in terms of tourism or anybody traveling here to the island.
HARRIS: Rafael, may I?
ROMO: Absolutely.
HARRIS: I've got one -- I've got one question for you. I'm wondering, when you're talking about 90 or so officers there on the ground in Puerto Rico swept up in this raid, give us an indication of how widespread this is and how far up the food chain this reaches in that police command structure in Puerto Rico.
ADAMES: OK. There were policemen arrested all over the island. The island is divided into many different counties. So you can have people working for drug dealers in San Juan, in Arecibo, which is north, but like in the central part of the island, in the west, in the south. It was a general thing.
But they were not working coordinately. They were not working as a band. For example, people in San Juan or cops in San Juan didn't know what -- a few them were doing (INAUDIBLE). This is something that happened that drug trafficking organizations silently and very -- in a subtle way, got infiltrated in this -- in this police workforce, and maybe two or three of them knew about each other's wrongdoings, but not about the whole thing. Not that this was such a big thing going on.
There are sergeants and there's maybe up to lieutenants arrested, but just up to there. Nobody up in a high officer ranking.
ROMO: And, Celimar, how much is this going to disrupt drug trafficking from South American countries like Colombia and Peru, Puerto Rico being a transit point into the East Coast? That part of drug trafficking, how much is that going to be disrupted?
ADAMES: Well, we certainly hope in a big way. These policemen were offering all kinds of security to these organizations, and they were depending on them. And this investigation was conducted in a very confidential way, so nobody knew that this was coming. It was a big surprise for everybody.
So, I would expect at least for the few months to come they would have trouble getting their things together and starting a new way to do this. I probably think they will find a way eventually. I just hope it's not with the help of police officers.
ROMO: Celimar Adames, reporter with WAPA in San Juan, Puerto Rico -- thank you very much for joining us.
Just one more thing, Tony.
HARRIS: Yes?
ROMO: If they're convicted, they face sentences anywhere from 10 years to life in prison.
HARRIS: OK. Appreciate it, Rafael. Thank you.
The long war in Afghanistan changing the role of the female fighter. We're live from the Pentagon.
And Rob Marciano tracking -- look, a couple of stubborn storms really have overstayed their welcome. And yesterday in this hour, Rob, we start -- we really started to see things pop in Arizona.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: We did, unusual weather across Arizona with four tornadoes, damage, injuries. That weather is beginning to calm down, that stubborn storm lifting. Another one in the east is finally lifting. We have tropical storm Otto as well that we're tracking
Severe weather forecast is coming up a little bit later on the program. The CNN NEWSROOM meanwhile is coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: A somber reminder of the sacrifice of war, coming on this, the ninth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, the remains of Sergeant First Class Lance Vogeler are returned home. He had served an astonishing 12 combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.
No one here can believe this. His parents are deaf. So, their oldest son interpreted as their grieving mother talked about her beloved son.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONNA VOGELER, MOTHER (through interpreter): Shared a lot of love. Loved to help people. Very joyful man. A great son.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Twelve tours. Can't believe it.
On this ninth anniversary of Operation Enduring Freedom, a look at the role of women at war. Officially, females can't fight, but 22 American women troops have lost their lives in Afghanistan.
Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When the fighting started in 2001, this young soldier had no idea what she was in for.
(on camera): Did you know today's Army would be so different than the one you joined?
STAFF SGT. KELLY RODRIGUEZ, U.S. ARMY MEDIC: No. Initially, I said, the Army's going to change. But I didn't realize was how many different ways it was going to change.
LAWRENCE (voice-over): Through two deployments in Afghanistan and one in Iraq, Staff Sgt. Kelly Rodriguez did jobs that didn't exist nine years ago. In 2006, she was one of the first female combat medics to deploy with Special Forces teams, spending a year in remote parts of Afghanistan.
RODRIGUEZ: It worked out because in the future deployments, that unit has taken several females down to do that mission.
LAWRENCE: This year, her second Afghanistan deployment took her to the border with Pakistan, during the most violent months of the war.
RODRIGUEZ: Did I change? Yes. I saw a lot. I saw a lot of injuries. And I think that changes somebody.
LAWRENCE: She was single during the first deployment. Then she married another soldier and now has three boys at Fort Bragg.
RODRIGUEZ: So, how did you guys do?
UNIDENTIFIED BOY: Good.
LAWRENCE (on camera): How did it go coming back from deployment and having to be mom again?
RODRIGUEZ: Perfect example is my youngest son was 3 1/2 when I came home and I told him to do something and he said, mommy, you're not the boss. Daddy's boss. I'm like, oh, momma's home now.
LAWRENCE (voice-over): Since 2001, about a quarter of a million American women have served in war zones. Female door gunners man the weapons on helicopters. Dog handlers patrol IED alley, searching for hidden bombs.
Last spring in Afghanistan, I followed a female engagement team of Marines going into the homes of Afghan women.
LANCE CPL. GIADA WITT, FEMALE ENGAGEMENT TEAM: They are definitely a key player in getting information.
LAWRENCE: Women still can't be assigned to ground combat teams, but for years, commanders have been getting around Pentagon policy by attaching them to units. The Marine Corps had to impose a time limit. So, in Afghanistan, every six weeks the female engagement teams go back to a big base for one night and then reattach with their combat unit for 45 days.
LORY MANNING, WOMEN IN THE MILITARY PROJECT: It's just a nonsensical policy and we've been living with it for nine years, and it does confuse the on-the-ground commanders.
LAWRENCE: Lory Manning runs the Women in the Military Project and says she's seen more changes in the last decade than all the years since World War II.
MANNING: In these wars, women are shooting and killing, and they have not done that in U.S. wars as members of the military at any time in the past.
LAWRENCE: And as jobs expanded, so did the military's ability to accommodate a woman's personal life.
(on camera): What was expected of women in the military 10 years ago?
RODRIGUEZ: It seemed like they were -- I don't want to say ridiculed but they're like, oh, she has to leave early because she got a kid, and there was like almost a resentment.
LAWRENCE: And now?
RODRIGUEZ: I think it's easier for women because, you know, you're a mom. Nothing's going to change that. So, it's nice to know, hey, I can go home and I'm not going to get talked about tomorrow for skipping out on the detail.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And CNN's Chris Lawrence is joining us now from the Pentagon.
And, Chris, a quick one for you. What's next for women in the military?
LAWRENCE: Well, Tony, you know, just last week, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that he sees a day when women will be involved in Special Forces. You know that -- we know that the first class of Navy female submarine officers are there in sub school right now. They could potentially be in the fleet by next year.
You know, I was talking to a lot of people in the building about this. they said, you know, a lot of qualities that, say, even for Special Forces, swimming long distances, running long distances, processing a lot of information very quickly, women can do that just as well or if not better than men. The key, they said, comes down to strength.
With some of the jobs that still require brute physical strength, you know, even one very capable female officer I talked with said, "I can go to the gym like mad, I'm just never going to be as strong as some of the men."
So, that would be the one hurdle, but again, when you look at what some of these unit commanders are already doing, there is a sort of a growing sense that perhaps the policy needs to catch up to what's already going on there on the ground.
HARRIS: Yes, sounds like it.
All right. At the Pentagon, Chris Lawrence for us -- Chris, appreciate it. Thank you.
Afghanistan's president launched a peace council today. Tribal leaders and elders will look for ways to engage the Taliban at the negotiating table. That was one of the topics on CNN's primetime addition "PARKER SPITZER."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATHLEEN PARKER, CO-HOST, "PARKER SPITZER": This whole idea of bringing the Taliban into the government, is this just a way for us to get out? Is this the best exit strategy for us?
FAREED ZAKARIA, HOST, "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS": I don't think we should think of it that way. I mean -- you know, there's a couple of very good studies of civil wars. Most civil wars end through negotiations. It's very rare to have the north triumphing over the south as it did in the American Civil War.
Most of the time, you have some messy political outcome with a negotiation. And particularly with the Taliban, you know, this is a little different from people's imagination. These are not Arabs who sort of enter the country. The Taliban represent the conservative part of the Pashtun community in Afghanistan. The Pashtuns are 50 percent of Afghanistan. In other words, these guys are here to stay.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: "PARKER SPITZER" on CNN. Tune in for smart political talk, 8:00 p.m. Eastern, every night, right here on CNN.
Police accused of protecting drug dealers in Puerto Rico. We will dig deeper into the FBI investigation. A former agent explains where drugs smuggled through Puerto Rico actually end up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And checking top stories. We actually have a bit of breaking news here.
CNN has been able to confirm from South Bend, Indiana, from a city engineer, that there is a natural gas leak near the Wells Fargo Bank in downtown South Bend. The natural gas leak has forced between 1,500 and 2,000 people to flee the area. That's according to the city engineer.
Why do we do this? I don't know if I have everything as clear as I need on this. We will try to hustle up that city engineer or someone who can tell us more about what's going on in South Bend, Indiana.
Also following top stories now, federal prosecutors handing out a slew of new subpoenas in the John Edwards case. The investigation focuses on payments made by the Edwards presidential campaign to his mistress, allegedly to buy her silence.
And the first one came in 1956. Look at this, only the second -- the second -- no-hitter in post-season baseball history! Phillies' pitcher Roy Halladay pulled it off in game one of a divisional playoff against the Cincinnati Reds.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROY HALLADAY, PITCHER, PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES: Being able to win the game comes first, and, you know, that's kind of your only focus until after it's over with. You know, I think once it ends, you know, it's a little bit surreal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: More top stories in 20 minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: The biggest police corruption crackdown in FBI history targets the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. The island is a major shipping point for transporting drugs between South America and the U.S. East Coast.
Joining us from Houston, to talk about the operation is former FBI special agent Don Clark.
Don, it's been a while. It's good to you, sire. I hope you're well. DON CLARK, FORMER FBI SPECIAL AGENT: Thanks, Tony.
HARRIS: Let's start here. When you heard about this case in Puerto Rico was shaping up to be the biggest police corruption case in FBI history what did that say to you about the size, the scale and the scope of what was going on in Puerto Rico?
CLARK: Well, Tony, when I heard about this operation had come to a conclusion here and the success that they had over there, it was really a very good feeling to have knowing what they must have gone through to be able to get to this point. I mean, we're not talking about some simple buy and bust type operation here. We're talking about people getting into the business community, into the banking, and yet being able to carry this through in silence until they could get the effects that they wanted.
HARRIS: How was this case developed and cracked? Are we talking about undercover work? Are we talking about surveillance video? Are we talking about informants, maybe a bit of all of the above?
CLARK: You're exactly right, Tony. You're talking about all of the above. No one element there could cause this operation to be so successful.
First of all, the undercover operations are the ones that really have to patted on the back because they're going in, playing a role every day and they can't afford to make a mistake in any way. Then you've got all of the other entities, as well, that's involved in this. The street people, the people who are buying, selling, talking, moving these types of drugs. And to keep this silent is very good training on all of the law enforcement people and a great type of operation.
HARRIS: How high in the police department do you think this went? Was it just at the street-beat cop level? Did it climb higher than that, lieutenant level? Did it go all of the way to the top? Is that possible?
CLARK: Absolutely, it's possible, Tony. I certainly believe that you cannot carry on an operation like this just with the people at the very bottom. Certainly you have the people at the very bottom that's getting a few coins out, getting a few dollars out of it. But this is a major dollar type of an operation, which means that had you to have somebody in authority to bless what was coming through in a sinister type way to get it through.
So, no, we can't just say it was the little guy on the street. This was the big guys, and I would venture to say that the people higher up in the police organization were involved in this, as well.
HARRIS: Yes. Let's talk about the product. Let's talk about the drugs here. So Puerto Rico obviously a major hub for the drug trade. And we're talking about guns and it's a money enterprise, as well.
So once in Puerto Rico, it seems to me the clock is ticking, and you got to get the drugs, the money, you got to get the guns off the island.
How is that done?
CLARK: Well, you've got all types of activities to get them off. You can get them off by air and certainly by sea is probably one of the main ways that you're going to get them off. And they just need to get them to the southern border there either through Mexico or -- HARRIS: Stop there, stop there, stop there, Don.
Let's walk over here to the big vista wall. Ali uses this all of the time. Let's see if I can use this as well, here. You're talking about getting them off the island, and we've created sort of a drug distribution routes map here for everyone.
So, OK, the drugs, the money, the weapons, all of that stuff there on the aisle of Puerto Rico, we've highlighted it there.
CLARK: Right.
HARRIS: Where does it go from there? We've got a couple of areas highlighted here. You start with south Florida?
CLARK: You've got to get around the Dominican Republican and go up to south Florida so you start getting it on the ground from there. And then you can really get it on the ground from there, as well as through the air to get it up north. That's where you ultimately want to go with it.
HARRIS: Yes. But then you mentioned to us that it takes a route through the Gulf and ends up in east Texas, correct?
CLARK: That's right. Because now when you move from the east, and you starting to move west there, what do you do? You've got to come through Mexico. And we know the problems we have suffered with the drug trade coming through Mexico, and all of the drugs just coming through Mexico. There's no secret there that it takes place.
Where does it come? It comes right into south Texas, it moves right up to the major corridor and get up in the Houston area where we live, and it takes it straight off on the freeways going north from there.
And then if you move west of that, you're talking about in the west Texas area. When I was in charge of San Antonio, we had it coming through the Laredo area, through there. These are the same drugs we're talking about from Puerto Rico that's going over that far west and coming up north and continuing. And then it goes on out into the San Diego area and California, and does the exact same thing, Tony.
HARRIS: What's next in this investigation? Would you expect some of those arrested officers to begin speaking and talking and giving up some of the information that they have on this?
CLARK: Well, I don't think the FBI's changed, Tony, for a bit. And that's what they're going to be looking for now is more information. Because even though this is a vast number, 130-something people in higher up ranks, that's just the icing on the cake there. There's a lot more that's going on. They're going to be looking to talk to these people for information as to what's going on because the next group is right behind them and see if they can prevent that from going any further.
HARRIS: Don, good to see you. Thanks for your time. Appreciate it.
CLARK: Always a pleasure, Tony. See you man.
HARRIS: The toll of America's longest war. Chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins me next in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: America's longest war is taking a severe toll on the mental and physical health of U.S. troops. CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. You spent a lot of time on the front lines both in Iraq and Afghanistan. And you've seen firsthand some of these devastating injuries to these soldiers.
Is it the mental health aspect of this? Because that's the elephant in the room. We know it's there, we know it's an issue and we're just not talking about it?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I think that was the case for a very long time. People always focused on physical injuries. We talked a lot about head injuries being the significant injury of this war, much in the way that amputations have been in wars past.
Mental health, in part because people thought of it as vague, harder to define, was sort of the elephant in the room. People knew it was a real problem. Until you started seeing some of the numbers like the ones that we're about to show you. Looking at the hospitalizations now for mental health problems versus physical injuries. But, get it. It's more. That's the point. More people are being hospitalized for mental health issues, as compared to physical injuries.
And Tony, you and I both know there are so many people who never come forward. That's a gross underestimation of how many people, how many of these troops in one year alone have been really affected by this. We know the suicide rate among U.S. troops significantly higher than the general population.
So it's no longer just the elephant in the room. For the first time, really, they're thinking about these mental health problems as injuries as opposed to sort of these disorders. It changes everything. It changes the way doctors think about it, it changes the way it's reimbursed, it changes the resources allocated to it. So it's becoming more talked about.
HARRIS: So, now even top commanders are saying to you and others that this is an emergency situation. You've highlighted the numbers. What needs to happen now?
GUPTA: You know, part of is, it's just a resource problem. And now that you've started to try and destigmatize this, make this something that is classified more as an injury than a disorder, now it's a resource issue.
Fort Hood. That's a place that we talked about a lot over the last year. They had 4,000 mental health visit requests in one month. Think about that, 4,000. Most big hospitals could not handle that sort of load. You have to think about how you best are going to take care of people who have these sorts of issues.
First of all, are they going to let them go back into the theater again? Are they going to be re-deployed if they've been diagnosed with PTSD? There has to be stricter criteria to not let that happen. And you also have to create more resources, allowing people to get help, for example, off-base, have confidential telephone sessions, for example, available for people. Changing the types of resources and the quantity of it available for these soldiers.
HARRIS: Is there something -- and I'm reaching here with you -- is there something -- look, everybody knows you're a renowned neurosurgeon. Is there something that happens in the minds, something that is measurable for people like you, when soldiers come back with these injuries, these brain injuries, PTSD?
Is there something measurable that happens?
GUPTA: Yes. It's a great question. What there isn't is a blood test or some sort of really specific imaging test that can show it, much in the way someone has a physical injury. But what we now know is that someone who has had exposure to sure of the most violent and gruesome things that happen on the battlefield, something does change in their mind. The way those memories are seared into their brain and the way that they can be recalled in the most unpredictable situations is real.
And we know that you release a big dose of epinephrine, the fear hormone, for example, the fight or flight hormone, when you're seeing that situation unfolding. That sears those memories into your brain in a way that's very hard to reproduce. But unfortunately it can keep come back, and that's the nature of PTSD, post traumatic stress disorder.
HARRIS: That's terrific. That's what I was looking for. Thanks.
Our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Good to see you. It's been a while, my friend.
GUPTA: Thanks, Tony. Great to see you, too. Take care.
HARRIS: Yes, sir. Absolutely.
A lot of damage in a state that rarely gets hit with powerful storms. This was a story that was really popping at this hour yesterday here in the CNN NEWSROOM. Folks in Arizona really beginning to clean up in earnest now. Look at this, trailers just toppled, a train derailed, literally blown off the tracks. Vehicles tossed around. We'll check in with Rob Marciano and get the latest on that system, where it is and what's in store, what's next for our friends in Arizona.
We're back in a moment, you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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HARRIS: Let's see. Do we have the pictures from -- perfect, perfect, perfect. Look at all of this damage, damage that you wouldn't necessarily expect to see in Arizona. Boy, parts of the state really devastated, cleaning up after those powerful storms, tornadoes actually. At least four struck yesterday in the Flagstaff area.
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HARRIS: We are getting an update, Rob, I guess we're going to do it next hour, but I want to tease it right now, we're getting an update on the effort to get those miners out of Chile out of that mine and it's pretty good news. We'll share in it just a moment.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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HARRIS: Boy, I got to tell you, the news for those trapped miners, those 33 trapped miners in Chile seems to be getting better and better by the moment.
This just in to CNN, a source close to the rescue operations to free those trapped miners is now reporting that the Plan B drill is now less than 100 meters. Doing the conversion in my head, about 300 feet -- is that about right? -- from those miners.
So the news, again, getting better and better. We're getting some reports that that Plan B drill operation could actually reach the location, that chamber where the miners are now, by the weekend, by the end of the weekend.
So you remember the first estimates on this, when the news broke that the miners were trapped is that they wouldn't be freed until somewhere around Christmas. You know, near the end of December. So, again, the news keeps getting better and better for those trapped Chilean miners. We will continue to update that story.
One of the issues now is they've got to get out and we hope that they are slim enough -- some of the miners had to lose some weight -- to get out of that mine once everything is put in place to rescue them.
So we'll keep you updated on all the developments in this story, get you more information as we get it right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. A quick break and we're back.
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HARRIS: And time now for your CNNPolitics.com Desk update. Twenty-six days left until the midterm elections and Dana Bash with "The Best Political Team on Television" joining us live from Washington, D.C.
Good morning, Dana, and what's crossing right now?
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Morning, Tony.
Well, what's crossing is the National Republican Party, Tony, is pulling down its ad from television in West Virginia after we and other news organizations got a hold of a casting call for actors -- that's right, actors -- for this spot shot in Philadelphia, not West Virginia. And get this, specifically asking for, a, quote, "hickey, blue-collar look."
Here's part the ad.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Joe is not bad as governor, but when he's with Obama --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He turns into Washington Joe.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Then Washington Joe does whatever Obama wants.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we better keep Joe Manchin here in West Virginia.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Away from Washington.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The only way we're going to stop Obama.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Now believe it or not, that fact that actors were used and that spot is not surprising or unusual, Democrats I've talked to this morning admitted that they do it to, but what is stunning about that casting call notice is how it calls for what appears to be stereotypical West Virginians. If you look at is, it asks actors to bring boots, down vests, trucker hats, even specifies they should preferably be beat up.
Now a spokesman, Tony, for the National Republican Senatorial Committee tells CNN they did not know the talent agency that they hired did this, they do not support it and won't work with them again.
Now I can just tell you quickly, I was in West Virginia this week doing a story on this very Senate race, and the irony is they didn't have to shoot this with actors in Philadelphia. We actually met plenty of real West Virginians who like the governor but are worried about sending him to Washington.
And one last thing on this Manchin issue, this statement slamming Republicans saying we now see what they really think of West Virginians.
Now one more item that I want to mention on the Ticker and that is about another Senate race, another vacated seat that Republicans are hoping to get out of -- into Republican hands and out of the democratic column, and that is the president's old Senate seat in Illinois. It's a very tight race there.
Today, the president will be helping the Democratic candidate Alexei Giannoulias raise money and he will actually return right before election day for another campaign stop. Boy, would that be an embarrassing thing for the president to lose that Senate seat to a Republican.
HARRIS: All right, Dana, appreciate it. Good to see you.
BASH: Thanks, Tony. You, too.
HARRIS: And your next political update in an hour and for the latest political news, you know where to go, CNNPolitics.com.
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HARRIS: I'll take you to Philadelphia now, and I believe we have got some pictures from our affiliate in Philadelphia, WPVI. WPVI at Philadelphia airport, you see at least one airplane there on the tarmac. I believe that's -- well, no, let me not go there.
Law enforcement officials are saying there is a report of a person seen in a uniform out on the tarmac who did not have an ID on, right? So law enforcement says it is actually looking for that person right now. The official said this could be a suspicious person or it could be absolutely nothing, the person could have simply lost their ID. Whatever the case, the FBI and the local police are certainly on the scene and they're investigating right now.
Let's leave it there, that's the information we have. We will come back to this as we get additional information. But again, the Philadelphia airport -- and our pictures provided by the local affiliate WPVI -- a report from law enforcement officials of a person seen in a uniform out on the tarmac who did not have an ID on.
When we get more information, we'll share it with you. Back in a moment.
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