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CIA to Scour Osama bin Laden Compound; Car Production Hurt by Japan Earthquake; Search for Tornado Victims; High-Risk Inmates Wrongly Freed; Bachmann Announces Presidential Bid, Sort Of

Aired May 27, 2011 - 11:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Live from Studio 7, I'm Suzanne Malveaux. I want to get you up to speed for Friday, May 27th.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Pakistan today to smooth things over with the government leaders. They are still angry over the secret U.S. raid that killed bin Laden. Sources say Clinton told the Pakistanis that American aid is on the line unless they do more to root out terrorists.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: Today we discussed in even greater detail cooperation to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al Qaeda, and to drive them from Pakistan and the region. We will do our part, and we look to the government of Pakistan to take decisive steps in the days ahead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: A CIA forensics team will also be heading to Pakistan. Pakistan will let CIA experts scrub Osama bin Laden's compound for evidence. Now, the team will use sophisticated technology to look for anything hidden in the walls or the ceilings, or items that are buried on the grounds.

The Patriot Act gets a four-year extension. This was just minutes before that law was set to expire. Now, Congress renewed the measure late Thursday after a lot of wrangling. With the president on the road in Europe, and the bill in Washington, President Obama signed by electronic robo pen to prevent any possible disruption to national security.

Relatives are going to go to the morgue in Joplin, Missouri, today to identify some of the 132 tornado victims. And Missouri's governor says that many of the bodies are in such bad shape, that families will have to I.D. them by a tattoo or some other distinguishing feature. Other remains will have to wait for DNA analysis.

Missouri officials are now updating their list of Joplin's missing. That's going to happen this hour. On Thursday, they put the number at 232.

Well, a judge in Belgrade says that the former Bosnia Serb military commander can be extradited to The Hague to face war crimes charges. Ratko Mladic has until Monday to appeal, and his attorney claims that Mladic is too sick now. But five doctors who examine him say that he is fit. He is accused of ordering the massacre of 8,000 Muslim men and boys during the Bosnian Civil War.

President Obama arrives in Warsaw, Poland. That's happening this hour. He met with the prime ministers of Tunisia and Egypt on the closing day of the G-8 summit in France.

Now, the group did not offer financial aid to support these new democracies, but instead they suggested international lenders could provide up to $20 billion. And another $20 billion could come through Gulf Arab states and other sources.

Here's your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. Today we are asking: Is it OK for a presidential candidate to avoid the media?

Carol, they can't avoid us. What are you talking about? Are you kidding me?

COSTELLO: Wouldn't that be a shame. Everyone loves talking with us.

MALVEAUX: Oh, they love us.

COSTELLO: That's understood. Yes, right.

MALVEAUX: What's the question?

COSTELLO: Well, the question today, though, are we getting to the point where Democratic candidates talk mostly to MSNBC and Republicans talk mostly to Fox News?

Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin told Fox that candidates should watch out when it comes to "the lamestream media."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH PALIN (R), FMR. VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There's got to be the preparation on all the candidates' parts for those "gotchas." That's what the lamestream media is known for nowadays, is the "gotcha" trip-up questions, and you just have to be prepared for it and overcome it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: We don't know whether Palin is running yet, but all signs seem to point that way. She reportedly bought a house in Arizona, is hiring a new staff, and she's launching that nationwide bus tour.

Instead of doing interviews, Palin prefers to speak to the public through social media. And, says CNN senior political editor Mark Preston, from the safety of her perch as a paid contributor at Fox News. But Palin isn't the only one who prefers to answer questions in more friendly surroundings.

Not long ago, President Obama refused to do interviews with Fox. That didn't last. And Newt Gingrich wouldn't answer media questions at an event in New Hampshire.

But shouldn't any politician man up when it comes to the press? Shouldn't they be able to handle those "gotcha" moments?

So the "Talk Back" question today: Is it OK for a presidential candidate to avoid the media?

Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll read your comments later this hour.

MALVEAUX: I would say that they probably will try, but I don't think it's possible.

COSTELLO: No, because Newt Gingrich did it just for a short time, but then he started talking. Talking to everybody again.

MALVEAUX: Yes. OK. We'll see what they say. Thanks, Carol.

COSTELLO: Sure.

MALVEAUX: Here is a rundown of some of the stories that we're covering the next two hours.

Searching for clues now. The CIA heads back to Osama bin Laden's compound.

Also, prisoners released by mistake? There is a program to ease overcrowding that's putting dangerous criminals back on California streets.

Plus, tornado victims in Missouri, a frustrating search for missing family members.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was told that there was no body found in the rubble and that they had seen an elderly woman digging through the rubble, but they don't know where she went, you know. I can't locate her anywhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Finally, scientists in Italy are charged with manslaughter. They're accused of failing to predict a deadly earthquake.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: A CIA team gets the go-ahead now to search the compound where Osama bin Laden was killed. Now, the forensics team is going to look for any additional information that they can actually find there.

I want to bring in our CNN Pentagon correspondent, Chris Lawrence.

And Chris, what do we know about the CIA team going for this trip into the compound? What are they hoping to get out of this or find?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Suzanne, they're going to be looking for anything that you maybe could not see with the naked eye. In other words, this assault team, the SEAL team that carried so much intelligence out of that compound, they were only in there for about 40 minutes, and nearly half that time was spent actually searching the compound. The Pakistanis then went in.

But in this case, this is a forensic team that's going to go in. So, in other words, they may be using things like infrared cameras to look behind the walls to see if anything was embedded in the walls, to see if anything was buried outside the compound.

We know that Osama bin Laden and the people who lived there burned their trash, but the CIA may have capabilities to even pull information off of fragments of things that have been burned. So they're looking for things that maybe aren't seen with the naked eye, even swabbing certain of that compound for perhaps DNA evidence.

MALVEAUX: And Chris, do we suspect that there are other people who have actually been in this compound beforehand and perhaps removed material? I mean, do they really believe that that hasn't been actually tampered with in some way?

LAWRENCE: No, they know the Pakistanis came in after the SEAL team, but that's another key part of this as well, Suzanne, in that the Pakistanis have agreed to share some of the information that they pulled out of the compound with the CIA as well.

MALVEAUX: Another topic, I know that Pakistan recently returned the wreckage of that U.S. chopper that had crashed during the raid. What do we know about that? Have they been able to get any information? How it's being treated? Can you give us anything, any update on that?

LAWRENCE: Yes, that wreckage and what's left of it is now back here in the United States, obviously because it's a stealth technology. They're not going to talk about some of the details.

But big picture, when you look at it, an administration official said today in Pakistan, look, the Pakistanis released the name of the CIA station chief. They ordered the U.S. military to reduce the number of trainers there, all signs of perhaps some tension and friction in the relationship.

But then, on the other hand, he said that looks to be perhaps an initial emotional gut reaction to what happened in the raid, but he said since then we asked for access to bin Laden's wives. We got it.

We asked that the stealth helicopter be returned, they gave it back. Now we've asked to get access to the compound ourselves, and we're being allowed in. All that points to at least some signs that Pakistan's intelligence service and the CIA may find a good working relationship or possibility of one going forward.

MALVEAUX: OK. Chris, thank you very much. Appreciate it.

Well, the former president of Pakistan is accusing President Obama of showing arrogance, he says, following the raid that killed bin Laden. Pervez Musharraf blasted President Obama saying that he'd respond the same way if the opportunity rose again to take out al Qaeda terrorists.

On "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT," Musharraf said that Pakistani, not American forces, should have carried out the raid.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PERVEZ MUSHARRAF, FMR. PAKISTANI PRESIDENT: Actually, I mean, technically or legally, you see it, you connect them both. So, therefore, I think it is an irresponsible statement, and I think such arrogance should not be shown publicly to the world.

PIERS MORGAN, HOST, "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT": You think he was arrogant?

MUSHARRAF: Oh, I think so. I think it is arrogance that we don't care. We don't care for your national opinion, we don't care for your people, we will come in and do the same thing. I mean this is -- this is arrogance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: So how can the relationship between the United States and Pakistan be repaired? Well, next hour I'll speak with Pakistan's ambassador to the United States about that.

NASA's space shuttle program marks another milestone. We're going to go outside the International Space Station for a final spacewalk.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: We are following our top story here on CNNMoney.com, PayPal suing Google. Former PayPal employees accused of stealing mobile payment trade secrets for Google.

We are also keeping a close eye on the stock markets. The Dow Jones now up by 66 points or so.

We also know that we are following a story here. The earthquake and tsunami in Japan hurt car production in that country, but now we are really starting to see the effects here in this country. Buyers here in the United States are already saying that they're seeing shortages in some new cars, and we're now hearing that Toyota is cutting production in South America.

I want to bring in Alison Kosik from the New York Stock Exchange.

What new information are we learning today? ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Suzanne, we've got some new numbers that show just how hard automakers were hit. And you know what? The headline is pretty dour.

Fewer cars are being made because of the supply crunch that happened right after the disaster in Japan. Now, here's how bad it is.

Honda's global production fell 43 percent in April compared to last year. Toyota is down 48 percent in the same month. And as you mentioned, we're getting reports that Toyota is temporarily slowing production in South America.

Nissan is also in that list. Its global production fell 22 percent in April.

You know, most automakers, they are putting out these updates every few weeks because the situation is changing so much -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And Alison, how are the dealerships here at home coping if they don't have essentially a product to sell?

KOSIK: You know what? It really is difficult for them.

You know, the dealers that we spoke with say they are limited in how much they can cut back because it's not like they can change the product that they sell. They say they are cutting back on advertising, but they are calling this an unprecedented time for selling cars at this point. In fact, one dealer that we talked with said it's really a big burden to carry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA BOTSACOS, CO-OWNER, JAMES TOYOTA SCION: We have a huge responsibility. We're responsible for people, and we're also responsible for making sure that people's needs are met. So, yes, if you're asking -- let's put it this way -- I don't sleep very well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: And she's talking about the people who actually work for her. She has over 100 employees, and she's also active in the community, and she supports local groups. But now she can't really do that because of the car shortage. She's limited in how much she can give back, how much time and money she can spend on those other things. And you know what? That really bothers her.

But you know what? There is also some hope.

Toyota is saying that production is beginning to come back just a bit. And Honda said yesterday that production should be back to normal for most models by August.

But remember, there's a two-to-three-month lag between production and then what the showroom floor gets, so that normal August production that I'm talking about, it really means dealers, they won't have a full inventory of cars until the fall. We're, of course, going to keep an eye on this and continue to update you. And of course this will impact the kinds of cars that are out there and it's going to impact the prices if you're out there looking for a car -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: OK. Alison, thank you.

(NEWSBREAK)

MALVEAUX: Well, this weekend Americans remember our fallen heroes. But for thousands of widows across the country, every day is a Memorial Day.

Well, Taryn Davis, she lost her husband at 21 and built a sisterhood for those just like her, determined to turn their grief and their loss into triumph and survival. That's why she is this week's CNN Hero.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TARYN DAVIS, CNN HERO: My husband, Corporal Michael Davis, was killed in Baghdad, Iraq. You know, even four years later, people still don't really know how to react when you say, "Hi, I'm Taryn, and I am a widow."

After the funeral, I felt ostracized. Everybody liked to write off my grief due to my young age. They'd, like, say, "Well, at least you're young, you can get remarried."

I just wanted to talk about it with other widows, because they're not going to judge you for laughing, they're not going to tell you that I'm grieving wrong. I just wanted to create what I was searching for, and just hope that there were others there that could come and help me build it, too.

I'm Taryn Davis, and I invite a new generation of military widows to share their love, their sacrifice, and their survival.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Follow me, guys.

DAVIS: It's even (INAUDIBLE), because they step outside of that comfort zone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "His impact will continue to affect us all for the rest of our lives."

DAVIS: There are moments where they can all reflect, followed by that time where they feel like they're living life to the fullest.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My little sister wrote Taryn. She didn't know how to get me through the loss, and so she wanted me to find other sisters. From my first event, I went from feeling completely alone to not anymore at all.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You get up that high, you see the world a different way. And I think as widows, we see our life a different way when we land, too. So, these military widows, they've give me a life again.

DAVIS: They teach me so much and show me how far I've come, and to know one day another widow is going to come along and they're going to be the one that's changing that widow's life, I mean, that's pretty amazing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: The American Widow Project has connected almost 800 women through its online community and retreats. Now, remember every CNN Hero is chosen from people you tell us about, so nominate someone making a difference in your community. Go to CNNHeroes.com.

Well, one resident of Joplin, Missouri, couldn't believe what he was seeing, people showing up in his town not to help, but to rubberneck at the destruction. We're going to hear why he decides to let people know what he thought.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Here's a quick rundown of some of the stories that we are working on next.

Tornado victims in Joplin, Missouri, they are still looking for loved ones.

Then, a computer glitch puts dangerous California convicts back on the streets.

At 11:46 Eastern, why would U.S. taxpayers shell out $500,000 to put shrimp on a treadmill? We are not kidding. You heard that one right.

Right now, our in-depth story, the big story, however, the search for more victims in Joplin, Missouri, ravaged by tornadoes.

Our CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras, she is live from the ruins.

And Jacqui, five days after the tornado, and people are still searching for loved ones. What is it like there? And do they have any idea how many are still missing?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. We have a new update actually, Suzanne.

CNN, first of all, has just confirmed that 132 people are now confirmed dead from this tornado. We've also been listening to a press conference which is taking place as we speak on the missing and unaccounted for.

That number originally was set at 232. Well, they have been able to confirm now 90 credible reports of people who are alive and located, so that's the great news so far out of all of that.

In addition to that, two people on that list were confirmed duplicates. Twenty-two new missing reports have been filed, and then those six additional deceased where people have been notified with their next of kin. So the total number now for the missing and unaccounted for is 156.

So you can see that officials are making progress at whittling away at that list and trying to help these families who have been waiting so long. And many of them say that they're growing increasingly frustrated and that wait can be the worst part.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TABITHA FREEMAN, SEARCHING FOR GRANDMOTHER: Before, I was told that there was no body found in the rubble, and that they had seen an elderly woman digging through the rubble, but they don't know where she went. You know, I can't locate her anywhere.

JERAS (voice-over): Tabitha Freeman has been trying for days to locate her 67-year-old grandmother, Ellen. She lived here on Pitcher (ph) Street, where the homes are so demolished, they have to be identified with spray paint on the sidewalk.

FREEMAN: That's the bathroom. And that's -- they always say the safest place to be is in the bathroom. And, look, it is just -- even if she would have been in there, she wouldn't have made it, because it has collapsed on itself.

JERAS: Tabitha drove to Joplin from Oklahoma, hoping to get answers after not being able to contact nearby relatives and trying online services.

FREEMAN: I still have a lot of friends and family in Joplin. Just the not knowing, you know. I mean, I know a lot of people are missing loved ones.

JERAS: Earlier I met neighbor Aaron Cole, who said he knows almost everyone on the block.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, she is -- she is alive. Miss Cook, she got stuck in her basement door, the entryway there. She's all right, too. And I didn't know that Miss Freeman, you know, she did make it, too. She's in the hospital somewhere.

FREEMAN: OK. Well, that will make it's easier.

JERAS: We called Freeman Hospital in Joplin to see if he was there. She wasn't. In the confusion immediately following the tornado, the records shows that she was transferred to three different hospitals. We were ready to try them all.

(on camera) Yes, I'm looking for a possible patient. Ellen Freeman. I do. Thank you very much. She's in room 612 in Arkansas.

(voice-over) Grandma Ellen Freeman was found OK and resting in an Arkansas hospital.

FREEMAN: Is Ellen Freeman in this room? OK. Well, this is her granddaughter. And I just now figured out where she's at. OK. No. That's fine. As long as I know where she's at now.

JERAS: Tabitha said she plans to get to know her grandmother better now.

FREEMAN: Kind of sad to say it takes this to, you know, make you realize, you know, you don't really have all that long. You never know when it's going to end, you know. I mean, for all I know -- you know, she could have been crushed or, you know, died or something.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JERAS: So a little bit of good news here on Pitcher (ph) Street.

And we have an update now on the condition of Ellen Freeman. She was in surgery this morning and is in recovery as we speak. And Tabitha has decided to drive to Arkansas to be with her grandmother -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Jacqui, it's so good to hear a good story coming out of this. Obviously, the two of them being brought together.

How are people holding up now? How are their spirits?

JERAS: Well, they're doing OK. You know, the first couple of days, I think everybody seemed to be in a state of shock and disbelief, that it was just very surreal.

You know, the families that are still trying to find their missing people, or possibly, you know, trying to find information whether or not their loved one is deceased, they are growing increasingly frustrated. And the rest of them, you know, are doing OK. They're trudging on. I mean, this neighborhood is filled with people who are digging through the rubble, and they're trying to save everything they can, and just trying to make some decisions if they're going to rebuild or if they're going to end up relocating -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: OK, Jacqui. Thank you very much.

There are more storms that are forming today. I want to bring in our meteorologist, Rob Marciano, to tell us essentially what the forecast is.

Are we expecting there will be more people who are going to be in danger?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I think we're going to see more storms today, Suzanne. You saw in Jacqui's live shot that it was relatively sunny and breezy, too. That's typical of this time of year out there and they're probably going to see more storms later on today and tonight.

Last night, we saw big-time storms across the East Coast, almost 600 reports of storms. Most of it wind damage from the Deep South all the way to the Northeast to the Canadian border, and winds gusting 60, 70 miles an hour, a lot of trees down. Mostly straight- line winds but they do just as much damage in some cases and there had been -- there were fatalities.

All right, now that front will stall here. Here, we'll see severe weather across Upstate New York and parts of New England again. And then we reset the table across parts of tornado alley, as another piece of energy comes into the plains, taps a little more moisture and humidity.

Right now, a slight risk of seeing severe weather across that area. And that means that we'll probably see some thunderstorms. But about 2 percent to 4 percent chance really of seeing thunderstorm that would produce tornadoes -- not like the 30 percent we had earlier in the week.

All right. We're starting to see a bit of progression. I want to give you a little hope here. We're in the April and June area. And this is the time of year where we get tornadoes in this area. We get into June, which is now, next week. We start to migrate this whole system a little farther towards the north.

And, by the way, we start to see a little bit of that pattern over the weekend. The next couple of days, we'll see a stationary boundary, more of a zonal flow.

And that means we'll see some thunderstorm that could be severe, Suzanne, over the weekend. But at this point, we don't see a major outbreak at least for the next few days. So, a small break at least.

MALVEAUX: All right. We welcome a small break. And we'll take anything. Thanks, Rob.

MARCIANO: You bet.

MALVEAUX: Well, dangerous prisoners put back on the streets without supervision. We're going to talk with a California state senator about how that happened.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Now for a look at some of the undercovered stories of the week.

First, Congress votes to extend key parts of the Patriot Act. It was a law designed to help track down terror suspects. Well, the provisions deal with roving wire taps, access to records and tracking so-called lone wolf terrorists. In a Senate debate, there were some testy moments this week between Republican Rand Paul and Majority Leader Harry Reid.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

SEN. HARRY REID (D), MAJORITY LEADER: Unless the senator from Kentucky stops standing in the way, our law enforcement will no longer be able to use some of the most critical tools they need to counter terrorists and combat terrorism. If they cannot use these tools, tools that identify and track terrorist suspects, it could have dire consequences for our national security.

SEN. RAND PAUL (R), KENTUCKY: I'm somehow to be told that because I believe a judge should sign a warrant that I'm in favor of terrorists having weapons? The absurdity of it, the insult of it. If one argues that judges should sign warrants before they go into the house of an alleged murder, are you in favor of murder?

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

MALVEAUX: In Wisconsin, a judge struck down a law dealing with collective bargaining by state employees. The law to limit bargaining rights led to angry protests by teachers and other workers. Well, Republicans say it's necessary to control the costs of employee benefits and deal with this huge budget deficit. Democrats say that the law is an attempt to undermine labor unions.

And our final undercovered story involves hundreds of prison inmates in California mistakenly released without supervision. An audit found that 1,500 prisoners were incorrectly put back on the streets on unsupervised parole. Hundreds of them were considered at high risk for violence.

California State Senator Ted Lieu says the audit confirms his worst fears about this program and he's joining us live from Sacramento.

Thank you for being here with us.

First of all, tell us what did this investigation reveal?

TED LIEU, CALIFORNIA STATE SENATOR: The independent inspector general's report found that over 1,500 state prisoners were mistakenly released without any parole supervision onto the streets. And of that, 450 were determined to be at high risk of violence.

MALVEAUX: Why did you ask for the investigation in the first place? Were you suspicious that something was going on?

LIEU: Absolutely. I was given specific instances of people who were released onto this now non-revocable parole program without supervision. And some of those instances include a woman who had killed her husband, cut him up into little pieces, and she was released without parole supervision.

And so, based on some of these facts, I asked for an audit. An audit recently came back and it's confirmed really my worst fears. And this is a widespread scale and it's a public safety disaster.

MALVEAUX: Is there any turning back here? What happens next?

LIEU: Well, I'm asking for the California Department of Corrections to immediately halt their program, especially now because we're under Supreme Court order to release 33,000 state prisoners in the next two years. And if our Department of Corrections cannot safely identify those who are at risk of committing more crimes and those who are not, then I don't see how they can implement the 33,000 prisoner release safely.

MALVEAUX: What is the most troubling aspect of what you have found?

LIEU: One is that the Department of Corrections knew this was happening. This program has now been going on for over a year and a half. I repeatedly sent them letters showing them specific instances of people who are released that should not have been, and having actual public safety consequences. A few weeks ago, a double homicide occurred in Culver City, near my Senate district. It's the only suspect and he has now been arrested, and it was someone who was released under this program without parole supervision.

MALVEAUX: Is there anything beyond -- can they actually take these people who have now been released who are out in the public, can they put them back in prison? Or is this simply what's done is done?

LIEU: So, here's the problem. Under this program, you're released without any parole supervisor and there are no parole conditions. So, basically, the department loses track of you. And if you go ahead and commit another crime, you won't be brought back into state prison unless you're caught, re-prosecuted and reconvicted.

So, the implementation of this is extremely, extremely serious, and I'm calling for it to halt right now.

MALVEAUX: All right, Senator, thank you very much for bringing this to our attention.

We want our viewers to know that we reached out to the Department of Corrections for some sort of response. We have not gotten a response yet. If we do get a response, we will certainly bring it to you and put it on the air as well.

A few years ago, if someone had a paralyzing spinal cord injury, the idea of a patient ever walking again -- well, it seemed like it was out of the question. But new technology today and therapy have made it possible for some people to regain some movement in their legs.

Our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, brings us today's "Human Factor."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Like a lot of little boys, Matt Courson loved sports, so much that he eventually ended up as a pitcher with the University of Arkansas. But all that changed in April of 2006 when Matt decided to drive his four-wheeler over to a friend's house. He never made it.

MATT COURSON, SPINAL CORD INJURY PATIENT: My four-wheeler went off a 20-foot embankment. Knocked me out, I had a little memory loss. And the next day, I was found by a fireman.

GUPTA: His backbone was shattered. His doctors said he would never walk again.

But, you know, Matt Courson was a young man who didn't understand the word "never."

COURSON: That doctor thinks I'm not going to walk again? I will walk again.

GUPTA: A year after his injury, Matt moved to Baltimore, Maryland, to work with specialists at the Center for Spinal Cord Injury at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. He began an extensive rehab regimen designed to help patients with chronic spinal cord injuries recover sensation and movement in their legs.

DR. JOHN MCDONALD, CENTER FOR SPINAL CORD INJURY-KENNEDY KRIEGER INST.: So, one big basis of our program is using modern technology to move someone who is paralyzed using their own nervous system.

GUPTA: The therapy includes gait training, water therapy, along with functional electrical stimulation known as FES. FES uses a computer to send electrical impulses to a patient's legs, causing them to contract and relax while riding a bicycle, does some of the work the brain would normally do.

As Matt's sessions progressed, so did his recovery. He began to move his toes. He's been able to walk more than 300 feet with the use of leg braces and a walker. Matt also went back to school to finish his degree at the University of Maryland, determined not to accept his diploma in a wheelchair.

COURSON: Things just don't happen. You have to make them happen.

GUPTA: So, on May 23rd of this year, Matt Courson walked across the stage at his graduation. Although Matt has a long way to go before he can walk without assistance, his doctors and family believes he's going to do it, and no one believes it more than Matt Courson.

COURSON: One day, I'm going to play that game of catch with my son out in the yard, and one day, I'm going to walk my daughter down the aisle. There's no doubt in my mind.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Another Republican contender may be closer to jumping into the presidential race. Dana Bash, part of "The Best Political Team on Television," live from our Washington bureau.

Dana, I understand you have an update on Michele Bachmann?

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Suzanne, she was probably dipping probably a little more than a toe in the presidential waters, but last night, she called into a GOP fundraising event in the ever-important first caucus state of Iowa, and she went a little bit further. She promised she would make an announcement in the town of Waterloo, Iowa, which happens to be where she was born.

Now, she already made clear that she would make her plans known in June, but with Sarah Palin suddenly making moves to suggest she may -- emphasize may -- be thinking about a presidential run, the question is how would that impact Bachman who would likely draw from the same evangelical, conservative voters as Palin to win the GOP nomination.

Here's what she said about that on "JOHN KING, USA" last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R), MINNESOTA: My decision will be independent of whichever candidate gets in. I have great respect for Governor Palin. I consider her a friend. And if she gets in, she gets in. That won't -- that won't impact whether or not I get in or not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: And, Suzanne, Bachman also conceded if she does run, she'd have to have more message discipline when she's in what she called the presidential realm -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: I can't imagine both of them in, but that would be quite a campaign to cover there, Dana.

BASH: It sure would.

MALVEAUX: I understand the House got another chance to go on the record about the military campaign in Afghanistan. Can you give us a sense of how that played out?

BASH: It was really interesting. It was a bipartisan amendment for an expedited timetable for withdrawing troops into Afghanistan. And it got far more votes than ever before. It failed, but just barely, 204 to 215. Twenty-six Republicans joined Democrats to support the measure. And this even as the president is traveling overseas.

And, Suzanne, you know, that's the kind of thing that never used to happen before this kind of vote while the president is abroad. Not just that, the top two Democrats in the House, they also supported the expedited withdrawal and members who voted for it gave various reasons for it.

But I talked to a few lawmakers, Democrats especially, who actually believe now that Osama bin Laden is gone, it's time that the troops can come home from Afghanistan.

MALVEAUX: OK. Dana, have a great weekend.

BASH: Thank you, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: For the latest political news, you know where to go, CNNPolitics.com.

Well, forget snakes on a plane, these are shrimp on a treadmill, I kid you not, and they cost half a million bucks. Our CNN's Jeanne Moos reports on how these crustaceans are causing a controversy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If you think a shrimp on a treadmill doesn't get very far, well, this shrimp became world famous. His footwork so admired that YouTube fans put it to music, all kinds of music, and the shrimp on a treadmill became trendy. Shrimp scamping (ph) along, song after song.

But now just a few years later, he's become a poster boy --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at him go.

MOOS: A poster crustacean for wasteful government spending. Senator Tom Coburn put out a report mocking the National Science Foundation for funding research projects such as shrimp on a treadmill with a half million dollar grant. The media began cracking jokes about obese shrimp.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know what you call a shrimp that's overweight?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jumbo. Jumbo shrimp.

MOOS (on camera): Now, this, this is my idea of shrimp on a treadmill.

(voice-over): But you won't find this guy working out at Equinox. The real shrimp treadmill is at the Grice marine lab at the College of Charleston in South Carolina, where they're using that $500,000 grant to do what doctors do to people.

(on camera): This is like a stress test for shrimp.

PROF. LOUIS BURNETT, GRICE MARINE LABORATORY DIRECTOR (via telephone): Yes, it is, exactly.

MOOS: How long would they run on it?

BURNETT: They would run for hours, at least five hours in some cases.

MOOS: Lab director Lou Burnett says they subject the shrimp to, say, environmental stresses like low oxygen or pollution, then measure their response using blood tests and checking respiration.

(on camera): What's next, shrimp on a stair master?

(voice-over): Actually treadmills for crabs and even lobsters were the next step. Not to create studly crustaceans but to do basic science that might help seafood to survive.

Professor Burnett sounded a little fried, accusing critics of --

BURNETT: Picking on the National Science Foundation. It's serious science and it's good science.

MOOS: Even if the media don't take it too seriously.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. And look at this shrimp on a treadmill. Oh, I'm sorry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's the worst intro I've ever had. Take a look at this shrimp on a treadmill. Really? Really?

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really, George. George, is this it?

MOOS: And after a workout like this, even a shrimp needs a cocktail.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: We are getting a lot of comments on today's "Talk Back" question. We asked: is it OK for presidential candidates to avoid the media? Carol Costello is up next with your responses.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Now to your responses to today's "Talk Back" question.

And our own Carol Costello back with the answers, what folks are saying about this.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I have the answer to the question. The "Talk Back" question today: is it OK for candidates to avoid the media?

This from Nancy: "If these candidates can't handle the media's questions, they can't handle the office they're running for."

This from Kyle: "I mostly tend to argue with a lot of talk backs and take the non-conforming approach. I have to say that no, it is not OK for presidential candidates to avoid the media. The people have a right to see who they are electing and be able to listen to them speak about their positions."

This from Nicole: "They should talk to the media at times, but there are also times when the media is so intrusive and bully like. They are people, too, and they deserve space and respect -- even Sarah Palin."

This from John: "If the news media would talk to the candidate versus drilling them, twist words to get to the next hour's story, your question never would have been asked."

And this from Earl: "Don't think it is right that they will only talk to one network. As we all know, each network has its own angle, sadly. It should be no media or open media or all media."

Please continue the conversation, Facebook.com/CarolCNN. And I'll be back with the entire "Talk Back" segment in 15 minutes.

MALVEAUX: All right. Well, you know, covering campaigns, all of the candidates -- they avoid the media for a while. Eventually, they can't -- you know, they can't run. You got to deal with us.

COSTELLO: That's right. They can run but they can't hide! We'll catch up with them eventually.

MALVEAUX: Yes. All right. Thanks, Carol.

COSTELLO: Sure.

MALVEAUX: Oh, by the way, I have another story for you. I want you to check this out.

COSTELLO: OK.

MALVEAUX: This is -- a judge has ordered a group of scientists to stand trial -- get this -- for manslaughter, for failing to warn people before a devastating earthquake hit. There were 300 people who you remember died in central Italy and there were smaller tremors that shook the town for months before this magnitude 6.3 quake struck.

Well, six days before the quake, a commission of seismic experts said that a major tremor was unlikely. So, this judge says the group gave incomplete contradictory information and the defense lawyers say, you know, it's impossible to predict earthquakes.

But they are actually charging these guys, yes, with manslaughter for not predicting the earthquake. This in Italy. Can you believe that?

COSTELLO: I'm glad it's in Italy and not here in the United States.

MALVEAUX: And we're like, look out, Chad Meyers! You got to predict these things! You cannot predict something like that.

COSTELLO: Yes, what forecaster would really want to try to forecast anything if that was the case?

MALVEAUX: Right. So, we'll see how it shakes out. See what actually happens there. But it's a case a lot of people are watching. It's kind of unbelievable.

COSTELLO: I don't think anything will come of it, but that's just my humble prediction.

MALVEAUX: Yes. I think you might be right on this one.

COSTELLO: I hope so.

MALVEAUX: Thanks, Carol.

Well, after the tornado in Joplin, Missouri, visitors started showing up, right? Like a lot of them were not there to help though. We're going to meet one resident who decided to show how upset he was with these gawkers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Despite what we'd like to believe, disasters don't always bring out the best in folks. And when Cory Mounts wasn't seeing the best in some people arriving in Joplin, Missouri, he decided he had something to say about it.

Our senior photo journalist Bob Crowley was there when he did.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CORY MOUNTS, MEDIA SIGN FOR GAWKERS: The whole idea was, these are people's homes. These are people's lives here.

We appreciate all the media being here. We appreciate it bringing attention to it so people can help us. But then it also draws a lot of people that just want to come and take a picture and say that they've been here -- and, ooh, I've got this cool picture.

People died right over there. So, show some respect to people.

I don't know if they're here to help in some respect or not, but then you see them pointing and gawking and looking around and taking pictures and pictures and pictures and blocking traffic and blocking -- you know, people that are trying to help.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the sign is -- it's a great testament of how we all feel.

The traffic and people coming by taking pictures and not helping.

We're the ones out here working, digging through rubble, trying to just save what's left of everyone's lives.

Instead of taking pictures, those people could, you know, jump out and help somebody, you know, look for -- look for something or, you know, help them move some debris or be a help instead of being a hindrance.

(END VIDEOTAPE)