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Palin Rallies Republicans; President Obama on Campaign Trail; Death on Falcon Lake; Line Backer Defeats Cancers; Four Americans Dead in Mexico Crash
Aired October 16, 2010 - 19:16 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And that's the name of that rally out in California, Victory '10 Sprint to the Finish. Sarah Palin really about to end to her speech there in just a little bit, we believe, getting to the point of why she's here. And that's to rally the troops, get out the vote for November 2nd, out in California.
We're going to take a quick and we're back in a moment with Sarah Palin, live.
PALIN: Did the math, OK? I did that for you guys so that you'd have some easy take away, OK, press? There you go.
(CHEERS)
PALIN: Doing my job, 400 hours and some to go, last leg. And we do have to go that extra mile, folks. Let me ask you, we've got really good candidates. We've got Star Parker and we got Chuck and we got Dan. Good.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Welcome back, everyone. I'm Don Lemon.
There she is, Sarah Palin, shaking some hands, leaving the stage in Anaheim, California, at a Victory 2010 Sprint to the Finish rally there. And all you missed in the break was her acknowledging our men and women in uniform, and audition -- just kind to rally the people in the audience to get out and vote come November 2nd.
Our Jessica Yellin is standing by. She is in that very room.
Jessica, what I found interesting, lots of talk about Reagan, invoking the Ronald Reagan name, saying that we need to restore America to exceptionalism again and go back to Ronald Reagan's policies.
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Don, Ronald Reagan is a hero and that's the applause line in this crowd, and Sarah Palin is great at invoking enthusiasm on the stump. And, of course, he came from California. So, it is big (INAUDIBLE).
Another there were two politicians' names she never once mentioned. They are Carly Fiorina and Meg Whitman, the two Republicans running for office in this state, one for governor and one for senator. She has even endorsed Carly Fiorina. But both of them, as we checked earlier, were no-shows today and Sarah Palin did not even bring them up today.
She wants to be able to let them keep their distance from her so they can do their best to seek out independents, moderates and conservative Democrats in their races. That's a fascinating distinction in this state and for, in fact, in other states.
LEMON: What I found interesting, you said she did not talk about those names. She did bring up Reagan and she talked about, obviously, the president, but Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid a lot. Here's what she said. She said, "Fire Pelosi, retire Reid and their whole merry band of followers."
YELLIN: Yes. And she -- she said this is a clear choice, you can vote for the status quo, which is the (INAUDIBLE) for the mess we're in. You know, she's great with those little zinger lines.
And she said, don't tell President Obama what number comes after a trillion. The repeated theme is about the Democrats' spending. She argued against a lot of, you know, neutral opinion that it was entirely President Obama's spending that has led America to -- that has led America through the jobless picture we're in right now.
She said President Obama does a lot of time apologizing, spent a lot of time apologizing. He should apologize to the nation's unemployed and he should apologize for the folks who lost their jobs through stimulus. That is red meat for a very partisan crowd. That's not likely the kind of message that reaches independents and centrists.
But this is the crowd, she's here, to get volunteers out, to people stumping, (INAUDIBLE) getting people out to the vote. This is the army they want to drive out other voter to make a difference on Election Day, Don.
LEMON: Nice job. Jessica Yellin, reporting to us to from Anaheim, California. Thank you, Jessica.
In the meantime, President Obama is out on the campaign trail today as well in Boston. He's trying to give a boost to his old friend, Massachusetts Governor Duval Patrick, and making some moves to keep his political agenda alive as well.
Our White House correspondent, Dan Lothian, spent the day with the president -- Dan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Don, President Obama tried to pump up an audience of thousands at a rally for his close friend, Governor Deval Patrick. While the president was making his remarks, he was interrupted by some hecklers. They were shouting, holding up signs that said, "Keep the promise, fight global AIDS." The president later answered their criticism, saying that his administration has increased funding for AIDS research.
But the president also did talk about the frustration across the country, saying that this upcoming election will be difficult for Democrats, not only here in Massachusetts, but around the country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I understand that sometimes, hope may have faded as we've grinded out this work over the last several years. I know it's hard to keep faith when a family member still hasn't found a job after months of trying, or another foreclosure sign is hung on the house down the street. And you're watching TV and all you see are politicians tearing each other down and pundits who treat politics like a sport.
I know it can be discouraging. But don't ever let anybody tell you this fight isn't worth it. Don't ever let them tell you you're not making a difference.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LOTHIAN: The governor's race remains competitive. Deval Patrick has a seven-point lead over his Republican opponent, Charlie Baker, who's a business man. What he's hoping that the president's visit will do is solidify the base, the Democratic base, but also perhaps woo some independent voters.
As for his opponent, he sees the visit by the president as a sign that the governor is nervous -- Don.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right. Don Lothian, thank you very much.
And coming up here on CNN, we have some other big stories. If you live in the New York City area or in the New York area, period, you might not be able to watch "American Idol" this week. Why News Corp. and Cablevision are involved in a fee dispute. We'll talk about it with "New York Times" reporter Brian Stelter coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: You know, as I've told you before the break, millions of subscribers to Cablevision and Dish Network no longer have some particular channels. It's very disturbing for some people because they pay for Cablevision because they want to watch. It's due to a bitter dispute because of fees between News Corp., which owns the channels, and the cable satellite operators.
Brian Stelter is a media reporter with "The New York Times," and he joins us now live.
Brian, thank you. Before we get to the specifics of this, that's why people pay for cable because they want to watch what they want to be able to watch, and they're being prohibited to do so.
BRIAN STELTER, NEW YORK TIMES MEDIA REPORTER: That's why we all fork over -- I don't know -- I pay $125 a month. I don't know how much you --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: One eighty.
STELTER: Yes. You know, and I got no families. I'm paying less.
You know, people pay every month for hundreds of channels and we just assume they're going to be there. For many years though, we've been paying for channels like CNN that are on cable and not paying for broadcast channels like FOX, ABC, CBS, NBC. Now, those, you know, local stations though, they are in a financial pickle and they're going after the same subscriber money and the cable channels like CNN have gotten for year, and that's where the dispute is.
LEMON: OK. So, listen, is this all just about money or is there more to it?
STELTER: I think at the end of the day, it's about money and it's also about who's going to control the television experience going forward. You know, a lot of us are starting to watch more television online or on our cell phones. You know, Cablevision and companies like Cablevision, want to make sure they control the experience.
So, a lot of this contract fight -- although it's about money at the end of the day, how much is going to -- you know, how much are we going to pay per person for FOX. It's also about controlling the experience to watch FOX.
And you have to notice that this afternoon, if you're a Cablevision customer, you couldn't go on FOX.com and watch FOX shows. They block people who are trying to access via Internet if you get your Internet via Cablevision. I think that's a stake in the ground for the next fight to come, which is how we watch shows on the Internet and are we allowed to if we don't fee that monthly fee.
LEMON: Listen, here's what they're saying. "In a difficult economy, it is unfair and wrong for News Corp. to demand a huge fee increase from Cablevision customers for FOX's channel." This is a statement from Cablevision.
But FOX is saying, you know what, for quality programming, we deserve that money.
So, what is this? Some arm-twisting? You know, I don't know what's going on, I'm not a TV --
STELTER: At the end of -- at the end of the day, FOX is going to get paid. All the broadcast networks are going to get paid something. You know, FOX might want a dollar, they might have to settle for 50 cents or 30 cents or 70 cents. Who knows? But at the end of the day, they do provide quality program that people want to watch.
Tomorrow afternoon, there's a Giants game on in New York. People can't access that game, they're going to be literally hundreds of thousands of upset fans, customers of Cable Vision are going to try to switch to another provider. That's going to be the first big test of this negotiation. DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Also, in Philadelphia, too. Folks can't see the Phillies in the national championship. How much longer do you -
STELTER: Tonight, and that's blacked out.
LEMON: How much longer do you think this is going to go on?
STELTER: If they don't have a deal by that Giants game by 1:00 tomorrow, if they don't have a deal by then, it could go on for the while. Because that's going to be the biggest test. Now, they've stopped negotiating for the night. You're not going to see anything on Fox tonight if you're a Cable Vision subscriber.
They're going to come back tomorrow, around lunch time. They're not going to have much time to work on that deal. But as we saw back in March, what's happened with Cable Vision and ABC, the first 15 minutes of the Oscars were blocked out and then it came back on just in time for the second award. You know, it's hard to keep this stuff off the air for long but so far, they've dug in their heels.
LEMON: I got to tell you, in this information society with people being impatient. I'm very impatient. If I lost cable, I'd probably just get rid of it and try something else because I would be so upset. People pay a lot of money for cable. Brian Stelter with the "New York Times." Thank you, sir.
STELTER: Thank you.
LEMON: Still ahead here on CNN, the woman we're telling you about, she is telling the truth about what happened on the lake. Is she? Where she says her husband was gunned down. Investigators grill Tiffany Hartley for hours. We'll find out what she told them.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: This is truly a mystery and it affects really the drug trade possibly in this country on our border and in Mexico. Pay close attention because on the U.S.-Mexico border, Mexican authorities have suspended the search for David Hartley. It's not clear why. Hartley's wife says he was shot to death by a gunman while the two were jet-skiing on Falcon Lake. That was just two weeks ago.
Falcon Lake straddles the border and since then Mexico's lead investigator into Hartley's death was assassinated and beheaded. Unbelievable. We're going to go to the ground now for some information. His name is Will Ripley. He is with our affiliate, KRGV and he joins us from McAllen, Texas. And then with me, right here in Atlanta is CNN's international desk editor, Nick Valencia, who has been following the story as well. So, let's get to the ground where the story has been unfolding.
Will, what can you tell us about the wife's interview yesterday? Some people say there are some holes in her story.
WILL RIPLEY, REPORTER, KRGV: Well, that's what Mexican investigators certainly were trying to find out yesterday. You say she was questioned and some may actually say it sounded more like an interrogation. Eight hours of questioning at the FBI field office here in McAllen, Texas. Mexican investigators asking her all about that incident that happened two weeks ago on Falcon Lake. Sometimes asking her the same question two, even three times to see if her story is straight and the questioning is not done yet. She's due back on Monday for four to six hours more with Mexican investigators at the FBI office.
LEMON: You've interviewed her. What do you make of what she's saying? I'm just going to ask you. Does it sound like she's telling the truth? Do you believe her story?
RIPLEY: So many people have asked me that question over the past two weeks and I have to say from the first interview to just speaking with her a couple of days ago, her story has not changed. She insists that she was out there jet-skiing for recreational purposes with her husband. That they went to this old church on the Mexican side, just wanted to take photographs as tourists when they came under attack. That has been her story from day one and she continues to maintain that with federal investigators here in the U.S. and the Mexican authorities as well.
LEMON: Will and Nick, I know both of you have worked with the lead investigator on the story who was beheaded, and I remember getting the e-mail from you like, wow, the guy that I've been working to and talking to on the phone has been beheaded. Unbelievable.
NICK VALENCIA, CNN NATIONAL DESK EDITOR: Unbelievable.
LEMON: How has this affected the case or is anybody talking now? Does anyone know who is responsible?
VALENCIA: Without a doubt, it's affected the investigation. Now, the lead investigator on the case who we have yet to name is refusing to return our phone calls. Thursday, I spent al day dialing the office there, leaving several messages. He just won't talk for fear of, of course, we're assuming, a retaliation from the drug cartels.
LEMON: so listen, where do we stand on this. I know that they've called off the search for the body. What does that mean for this case?
VALENCIA: Well, what they're saying now, Mexican investigators are saying that they're restrategizing. They're figuring out a new approach to the search to get Hartley. I spoke with U.S. consul officials earlier today and they told me about a case that happened in 2009. They're afraid that this is going to get out of the news cycle. There was another American in 2009, Felix Batista (ph). He was a hostage negotiator, who went missing down in Mexico. They're afraid the Mexican investigators put a full-court press on for a week and then dropped the investigation.
LEMON: Here's what I want to know. I understand all the details you guys - Nick, you're giving me the details. Will, you're doing this. I'm not feeling as I'm watching this, the heart of this story. Why do I care as an American about this story? What difference does it make to me?
VALENCIA: Well, there on the ground and Will's probably witnessed a lot himself in the last nine months. This area has really been a hot bed. And it's now starting to spill over. We spoke to a Stratfor, which is global intelligence agency and the vice president of intelligence, Fred Burton, told us that the reason that this happened and probably mistaken identity, which is why David Hartley was shot was because there was a spillover in violence just a few hours before. Overnight, on Thursday morning going into - Thursday overnight.
LEMON: It's a spillover in violence from Mexico into the United States.
VALENCIA: Absolutely.
LEMON: Will, same here. Why do I care about this when I'm watching CNN? Why does it matter to me?
RIPLEY: I think a lot of reasons why this story has blown up nationally and there are a lot of people who live here on the border, by the way, Don, who say, "hey, this stuff has been happening for years. So many people have been killed long before, why is this particular case grabbing the national spotlight. I think it's because Tiffany wasn't from here originally. She lived out here for several years, but is from Colorado, and so as soon as the "Denver Market" picked up the story, it started to spread around and for a lot of folks in middle America, they're shocked to find out that people are in danger when they cross the border in Mexico. That Mexican police officers are murdered if they say the wrong thing when they're looking into a case. This is news to much of America but not news to the border.
LEMON: Will Ripley from our affiliate, KRGV, Nick Valencia from our national desk here and what you're saying this shows you just how it's connected. (INAUDIBLE) that happens from the violence and the drug cartels in Mexico. That's why all of us should be paying attention. Perfect example.
VALENCIA: This is a inextricable link between the United States and Mexico that's not going to end anytime soon. This is going to be a story that will continue to ratchet up as we go forward
LEMON: Thanks to both of you.
Coming up here on CNN, remembering a TV icon. I'll talk to the TV son of the woman we all know as June Cleaver.
Plus, there is a movie out now that chronicles the story of five kids and their parents as they fight to get a quality education. Well hear from the producers of that controversial documentary. It's called "Waiting for Superman."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: She was America's favorite mom during the golden age of television, Barbara Billingsley, best known as June Cleaver on the "Leave it to Beaver" show, has died. A spokesman said she died, she had a long illness and passed away early this morning at her home in Santa Monica, California. The actress was 94 years old. Tony Dow played her son, Wally, on that show. And he told me just how much she'll be missed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY DOW, ACTOR: She was such a wonderful lady. I mean, everybody just thought she was the greatest. She was very, very -- great sense of humor. Very gracious. You know, just amazing. And I learned a lot about how to treat people and how to be from her. She had a terrific sense of humor and a surprising sense of humor.
She would come out with things that would surprise you all the time. And of course, I think she'll be known as the lady who spoke jive on the airplane almost as much as she'll be known as June Cleaver. She was very, very proud of being June Cleaver. There's no doubt about it. She - many times said, the best thing I ever happened to me, best thing in my life, and she really meant it. She was just happy as a lark being recognized as America's mom.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: No word yet on plans for her funeral service.
A new documentary by filmmaker Davis Guggenheim is a critical commentary on the nation's education system. The movie "Waiting for Superman" follows the struggles of five students as they enter lotteries trying to win spots at various charter schools in hopes of escaping under performing public schools. CNN's education contributor Steve Perry runs a Connecticut charter school and he talked with Guggenheim and producer Leslie Chilcott about the movie.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR (on camera): You said something in a number of interviews, that I think a lot of people experience, but few ever acknowledge. You were driving by a school and then another school and then another school until you got to your children's private school. Tell me what happened inside you that made you think there's something to this story?
DAVID GUGGENHEIM, PRODUCER "WAITING FOR SUPERMAN": Well, I had originally said no when the participant asked us to do the movie about public education. I had done a movie 10 years ago. And I said, it's just too complicated. I don't know how you tell that story. And the next morning, I'm putting my kids in the mini van. I'm a visual person. I go off impressions and I'm driving. And at the corner of my eye, I go, -- that's my neighborhood school.
I was like, is it enough that my kids are doing OK and what about other people's children. And I said, that's the angle in.
PERRY: There's a myth out there, I run a public school, 85 percent of the children in my school are black and Latino. 70 percent are poor, and you punctured a myth that parents from those communities don't care. Tell me about what's real about parents in the communities that you were in and what's a myth.
LESLIE CHILCOTT, PRODUCER "WAITING FOR SUPERMAN": We would go to parent info night all across the country and we did not find a single parent that didn't care. Some didn't really know how to advocate for their kids, but they showed up, they were filling out applications. They knew if the one thing that they could do great for their kids, for their future rather would be to get them in to this great school.
PERRY: This movie is more than a movie.
CHILCOTT: Because it's a movie, because it's so emotional. I mean, you see these five kids, they're like - look at what we have done, look how, what we have done to the system and how we have this crisis. So it's a movie first and then now, it has become a movement.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Our thanks to Steve Perry and both of them.
A college football star's battle not only to live, but to return to the football field.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK HERZLICH, BOSTON COLLEGE LINEBACKER: My whole left leg was completely white, meaning there was a tumor that surrounded my whole femur. That's where they told me I wasn't going to play football again, where, you know, I might not live.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: More of his amazing fight against cancer, straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: A rugged college football star in the prime of his life, stricken with cancer. Doctors tell him, he won't play football again, might not even live. As part of our series, it's a new series here on CNN, it's called "The Human Factor." We're sharing stories of people who have overcome tremendous obstacles to achieve their dreams. Dr. Sanjay Gupta has the story of Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As he leads his team on to the field, you can see it, Mark Herzlich, number 94 is fierce. He's dedicated. He's a devoted team player.
MARK HERZLICH, BOSTON COLLEGE LINEBACKER: You know, football is really my life blood to be honest right now.
GUPTA: Few things have ever stood in this linebacker's way, not his opponents on the football field, not even cancer.
HERZLICH: My whole leg was completely white, meaning there was a tumor that was surrounding my whole femur. GUPTA: It was during his junior year at Boston College, the former ACC defensive player of the year, developed a pain in his leg that simply wouldn't go away. Many doctor visits later, he was given a devastating diagnosis. Ewing's sarcoma. It's a rare often deadly form of bone cancer that strikes roughly one of every 600,000 people.
HERZLICH: It went from when am I going play football again to when am I going to start treatment? What are my treatments going to be? What's chemotherapy like? You know, am I going to live?
GUPTA: He started a rigorous treatment schedule. Chemotherapy for two straight months and additional radiation sessions before and after chemo visit. His motivation always being to get healthy and to get back to playing football.
HERZLICH: I knew that if I got back on the field, I would have come full circle. I would have beaten the cancer. I would have gotten my physical strength back and to be where I want to be. And once again, you know, be happy doing the thing I love to do.
GUPTA: That internal drive, it's what helped Herzlich mount a triumphant return. Now he's cancer free. He's back to playing football this fall and football fans, young and old, they're celebrating with him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We love everything about Mark Herzlich up here in these stands.
HERZLICH: You can do incredible things as a human being, you can even defy the odds. You know, even if someone says you're not going to be able to make it, you're not going to be able to do this. You can push yourself and have that will to get there and I got there.
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: And coming up on CNN, we're just getting word in her that four Americans have been killed in a small plane crash in Mexico, we'll have details for your right after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: I want to check some of your top stories including one that's just in. It's developing out of Mexico tonight. Four Americans dead in a small plane crash. Here's what Mexican officials are saying, they found the wreckage in Baja, California, a day after the flight disappeared near Ensenada. The passengers were part of a group called the Flying Samaritans, which runs free medical clinic in that part of the country. No word yet on the cause of that crash, but we'll continue to check on that for you.
A California man held prisoner in Iran for more than two years is a free man tonight. His name is Reza Taghavi, an Iranian-American who was jailed in 2008 under suspicion of being connected to an anti- Iranian government group. In fact, Taghavi is a retired businessman from Orange County, California. His attorney says he has been reunited with his family and hopes to return to the U.S. next week.
The feds say not to fast. The California marijuana smokers pot fires may be out of luck even if California voters approve a ballot initiative there to legalize recreational marijuana use. The attorney general Eric Holder says the government will continue to vigorously enforce federal drug laws in the state even if Proposition 19 passes next month.
The world's largest tunnel is taking shape beneath the Swiss Alps. Look at that. Amazing pictures there, a massive drilling machine broke through rock to complete the tunnel though it will not be fully operational until about 2017. That's the estimated completion date. The tunnel is 34 miles long and will connect northern and southern Europe. It will be used by high-speed rail to service passengers from Zurich, Switzerland to Milan, Italy, considered an important business and tourist link.
I'm Don Lemon. Thanks for watching. And I'll see you back here tomorrow night. Up next, an "AC 360" special, "Countdown to Rescue."
