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Defense Draws to a Close in Casey Anthony Murder Trial; British Workers Walk off the Job; Most Expensive U.S. Colleges; Face Of Changing America; Embarrassing Moment For Police, The Cost of a Few Months of Life; Male Biological Clock

Aired June 30, 2011 - 12:01   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour. I'm Suzanne Malveaux. Want to get you up to speed.

Casey Anthony's defense team could rest today, potentially, putting this explosive murder case in the jury's hands this weekend. The young Florida woman is charged with killing her 2-year-old daughter Caylee in 2008.

Anthony's parents and brother were again called to the stand briefly today. The defense tried to show that George Anthony buried family pets in the same way that Caylee had been buried, using plastic and Duct tape.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSE BAEZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Was the dog then placed in a plastic bag?

GEORGE ANTHONY, CASEY ANTHONY'S FATHER: To the best of my recollection, probably, yes.

BAEZ: Was the dog then placed in a plastic bag?

ANTHONY: I don't remember that exactly, but the dog was deceased, and the dog was taken to our home and placed there.

BAEZ: Was it also wrapped in Duct tape?

ANTHONY: Sir, I have no idea. You're going back almost 30 years here, sir.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Scuffles on the streets of London. Hundreds of thousands of teachers, air traffic controllers and other public workers are on strike in Great Britain today. Workers are furious over changes to their pension plan. They say that they're going to work longer but get less at retirement.

After two rough-and-tumble days on the streets of Athens, things calmed down today. Now, Greece's parliament approved ways to implement a package of tax increases and deep budget cuts. Europe demanded this move before giving Greece another bailout. U.S. stocks are rallying now for a fourth day now that it appears that Greece will head off default.

A security scare for French President Nicolas Sarkozy. In a flash, a man grabs Sarkozy, almost yanks him to the ground. It happened while Sarkozy was shaking hands in southern France today. Guards quickly tackled the man.

In New Mexico today, gusty winds could spread the wildfire that's burning on the border of the Los Alamos National Lab. Now, officials insist that hazardous materials at the nuclear facility are protected and do not pose a radiation risk.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF DOUG TUCKER, LOS ALAMOS, N.M. FIRE DEPT.: We believe that we can protect those, we can foam them. If, in fact, they do catch fair, they have vents in them. They'll vent, and there will be no release of any toxic materials.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The United States honors Robert M. Gates for his extraordinary leadership and for a lifetime of service and devotion to our nation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: A big surprise for Defense Secretary Robert Gates today, and on the last day of his job. President Obama awarded him the Medal of Freedom at a Pentagon farewell ceremony, and it is the highest award that the president can give a civilian.

Well, tomorrow's going to be the last day on the payroll for 354 Milwaukee school teachers. Now, these layoffs, blamed on the deep state budget cuts and the end of the federal stimulus on July 1st. In addition to these layoffs, the school district is not going to fill 500 open positions.

Intense courtroom drama today in Casey Anthony's murder trial. Now, you heard from her mom, you heard from the dad, and a woman who said she had an affair with the dad while they were searching for the body of 2-year-old Caylee.

Our Carol Costello, she is outside the courthouse in Orlando.

And Carol, you know, this is just unbelievable. Once you think you have seen it all, you see something else that totally shocks you. Today, it was the focus on how they buried their pets.

Tell us the significance of this.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And they had a lot of pets who died. Let me run this by you first, though.

The defense did not rest their case. The judge called an early lunch, and the speculation here is maybe defense attorneys are talking with Casey Anthony and the judge about her possibly taking the stand. Now, I have no idea if that's happening, but that's the speculation here right now.

What I do know is what happened in court earlier today. Krystal Hollowly, the woman you mentioned, did take the stand. She alleges she had this sexual affair with George Anthony, and that during that time, George Anthony supposedly told her that Caylee Anthony's death was an accident that spiraled out of control.

On cross-examination though, the prosecutor made it look like or tried to make it look like Krystal Holloway was making up this story to make money. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So how much money did you or some member of your family get from "The National Enquirer" for selling your story?

KRYSTAL HOLLOWAY, ALLEGES SHE HAD AFFAIR WITH GEORGE ANTHONY: Four thousand.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Four thousand dollars? And that was just for talking to them?

HOLLOWAY: Yes, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, did other news organizations that don't pay for interviews request interviews from you?

HOLLOWAY: As well as the ones that do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you chose "The National Enquirer," which pays for interviews?

HOLLOWAY: Yes, sir, but he had given me the chance to explain everything in detail, unlike the news media, that edit things.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you felt that "The National Enquirer" was the one news source that you could trust to tell your story and not sensationalize it? Is that your testimony?

HOLLOWAY: Sir, I took what I could because I was being trashed in the media as it was.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So she went to "The National Enquirer" to tell "The National Enquirer" her story, and she was indeed paid $4,000.

Now, as you mentioned, Suzanne, George Anthony took the stand again, and so did Cindy Anthony and Lee Anthony. All testified about how they buried the family pets in black plastic wrapped with tape. As you know, Caylee Anthony's body was disposed of in a black plastic bag, and there was Duct tape somewhere inside that bag. And they were alluding to this sort of pet burying mimicked the way Caylee Anthony's body was disposed of.

Court re-adjourns at about 1:30 Eastern Time, and of course I will be here to pass along any new information, or if Casey Anthony takes the stand.

MALVEAUX: Absolutely, Carol. A lot of speculation. Obviously, everybody waiting to see if that is going to happen before they actually rest. And we'll bring you back as soon as anything happens, Carol.

Thanks again. Appreciate it.

Here's a rundown on some of the stories that we're covering over the next hour.

First, tens of thousands of workers hit the streets to complain about planned pension cuts. We're going to go live to London.

And a security breach. A passenger boards a U.S. flight with a bogus I.D. and a boarding pass.

And then, our "CNN In-Depth," the face of a changing America, what life is like in a multicultural San Antonio, Texas, town.

And is your biological clock ticking, or is it done ticking? Why scientists say that older dads need to worry as well.

And mating turtles choose an airport runway just to get busy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Hundreds of thousands of people are walking off the job in the U.K. today. British teachers, air traffic controllers, other government workers are hitting the streets in a massive union- backed strike. They're marching against changes to the country's pension system, as the government tries to rein in a budget crisis. It is being called the biggest strike in London since the 1920s.

Our own Dan Rivers, he's live at the protest.

Dan, tell us what's going on.

DAN RIVERS, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, things are kind of beginning to wind down now, but at the height here in central London, the police estimate there were some 20,000 public sector workers angry at the changes to their pensions. But that was just the tip of the iceberg, really.

Across the country, we're being told about 750,000 public sector workers walked off the job, furious with these proposed changes. They ranged from teachers in the public sector, to university lecturers, immigration officials, even people conducting diving tests, some staff at prisons. Some non-police officers, but police support staff were also involved. So, very wide-ranging, involving a lot of people that have never gone on strike before, involving some unions that have never had a strike before.

Let's have a little listen to see why they were so angry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I'm towards the end of my career now, but this is about me ending my career and feeling the reward of all I've worked for. But it's also about what I know is happening further down, because we've got a situation where young people are not going to want to come into this profession.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fantastic turnout to show the government how wrong they've been about teachers' pensions. Teachers pensions were set up in 2006 to be self-supporting, and they are.

We don't know to have our pension rights changed, and we've worked hard and a long time to get the pensions that we've got. We do a great job for this country. We're at the forefront of what is going to happen in the future. The kids that we teach are going to be the leaders of tomorrow, and yet the government don't want to pay us for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIVERS: So, some very strong opinions there.

Essentially, these public sector workers are being told that they will have to work for longer, they'll have to pay more into these schemes, and they'll get less out when they do retire as a result. And many feel that's a big betrayal. The government though says these schemes aren't affordable anymore, they have got to pay down the deficit, the ax has got to fall somewhere, and for them it's going to fall here.

MALVEAUX: And Dan, what does the strike mean for schools, transportation in the U.K. now? Are folks able to get around, or are they basically -- schools shut, people frozen where they are?

RIVERS: Well, yes, there have been 12,000 school closures or partial closures. That's almost half the total in England and Whales.

We understand there could be long delays, for example, at Heathrow Airport, because the people that check your passport when you arrive have walked of the job. There is going to be disruption to a lot of other public services as well -- art galleries closing, and so on and so forth. So, a major disruption.

It's not affected transport within the country so much, as far as we are aware, but certainly it will have affected probably schools the most, and universities the most. And it's a big burden for parents as well, because they obviously then have to arrange care for their kids if their kids can't go to school, and so on. It will be a major disruption for millions of people across Britain today.

MALVEAUX: Right. OK.

Dan Rivers, on the ground there in London.

Thank you, Dan.

(NEWSBREAK) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: College education gets more expensive every year. But just how much is tuition rising? Well, for the first time, the Department of Education is out with a list ranking costs and asking colleges to explain themselves.

Alison Kosik joins us from the New York Stock Exchange.

Alison, good to see you.

What do you think stood out here when you took a look at the site?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Suzanne.

You know what stood out for me? That, you know, it's finally about time that these colleges lay it all out there about what their tuition costs are.

You know, you think about it, you can comparison shop when you're looking for a car and a house. Why not a university? But in this case, the government is actually forcing these universities to do it because of a law that's now in effect.

What I'm talking about is a new Web site, an interactive site. It's called College Affordability and Transparency Center. And it ranks the most expensive universities and the least.

So, if you want to go to it, you can go to collegecosts.ed.gov/catc. And here's what you can do on this site.

Let's say you go on and you click on a four-year public school, then click on the highest tuition. A list then pops up and then you'd get Penn State at $14,000. You can also do that with a private school. You click on the highest costs, another list pops up, and you can find out that Base (ph) College in Maine actually goes for $51,000 a year.

Finally, a way to comparison shop before you go to college -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: I wish we had that back in the day when I went. It was a little harder back then.

But tell us, is this about parents being able to comparative shop, or is it about accountability? What is the emphasis here behind this?

KOSIK: You know what? I think it's a little bit of both, you know, because not only do you get these up-to-date tuition costs, it also shows what the college's track record has been at raising tuition over the past several years, because what this does is it gives you a better idea about how much the school will raise costs in the future, because it goes back a few years and you can see that incremental kind of tick-up on those tuition costs. It really helps to make decisions way in advance, especially as these schools are really hiking tuition as much as 50 percent -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right, Alison.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

Next, George and Cindy Anthony are called back to the stand in their daughter Casey's murder trial. They were asked about how they used to dispose of their pets after they died.

Then, the latest progress in the battle against a stubborn wildfire burning near the Los Alamos nuclear lab.

And at 12:50 Eastern, a drug that prolongs the life for prostate cancer patients could be covered by Medicare. We're going to look at why so many are fighting it.

And right now, I want to get back to the Casey Anthony murder trial.

Her father, George, and mother, Cindy, they were both called back to the stand again today. Their testimony has centered on how the family pets were buried in the past, but most of the morning we heard from a woman who says that she had an affair with George Anthony. He denies a romantic relationship with Krystal Holloway, and she testified that he confided in her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOLLOWAY: I didn't think that he could raise somebody that was capable of harming her child. And that's when he said it was an accident that snowballed out of control. But I was caught off guard with it, and by the time I looked up, he had tears in his eyes. And I didn't say anything after that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor Holly Hughes joins us again.

Holly, great to see you again.

First of all, explain to our viewers about this woman that we just saw on the stand. Was she convincing? Did she help the defense?

HOLLY HUGHES, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: This is Krystal Holloway that was testifying. We just saw a clip of her. And I don't think that she was, Suzanne.

She was supposed to be the big bombshell who was going to impeach George Anthony, and "impeach" is just simply a legal term that we use which means, prove you're a liar. Bring us some proof and say you're a liar. So we have a he said/she said going on.

The problem with this lady is that she took money for interviews from "The National Enquirer," she did not insert herself into the case until after they were public figures, George and Cindy, unfortunately thrust into the limelight by tragedy. And it is a tragic case.

But I will say to lighten up the mood a little bit, Suzanne, Krystal Holloway has what we call an alias in criminal law. It's another name she goes by, and the other name she goes by is River Cruz. River Cruz.

Well, that got me to thinking. Everybody should have an alias. So I have got an alias for you and an alias for me, just to lighten this murder talk. OK?

MALVEAUX: OK.

HUGHES: You're going to be Car Ride and I'm going to Train Trip. OK? Because we already have River Cruz covered.

MALVEAUX: OK.

HUGHES: So there you have it. So, no, River Cruz -- no, she is not effective. OK?

MALVEAUX: And tell us about the whole line of questioning that we had, various family members. You had George and Cindy and Lee, the brother. All of them being questioned about how the family pets -- and there were a ton of them, it seems like, a ton of them who died in their care -- and they buried with plastic and Duct tape.

Why was that significant?

HUGHES: What the defense wants to show is they are trying to blame it on George. They are claiming accidental drowning. George, the father of Casey, the defendant in this case, he is the one who finds the body, takes it and disposes of it. Casey doesn't have anything to do with it.

The prosecution says Casey Anthony, the defendant, wrapped that Duct tape around her baby's mouth while she was alive, and that it's the murder weapon. That baby was buried inside a canvas laundry bag, then double-bagged over top of that were two black garbage bags. And there was Duct tape present. She was also found with a blanket.

So what the defense is trying to do is get all the family members to testify that George is the one who usually buried them with a blanket, with garbage bags, with Duct tape. But it backfired. Once again, the defense shoots itself in the foot because the prosecution gets up and says, OK, but, number one, you didn't chloroform your pets, did you, yourself -- you know, euthanize them? Obviously not.

You didn't not put tape over your pets' mouth while they were still alive, did you? No.

And by the way, your daughter Casey would have been present for awful that. In fact, she was a senior in high school -- i.e., old enough to have seen, comprehended, known what was going on.

MALVEAUX: She knew how that was handled.

HUGHES: So it doesn't help. It puts it right back on her.

MALVEAUX: OK. Holly, we're going to have real quick. Do you think that Casey is going to take the stand?

HUGHES: No, I don't think so.

MALVEAUX: No?

HUGHES: I think she should as far as proofing their defense theory, but I think they're going to go with arguing reasonable doubt at this point. She's a loose cannon, and she would be torn apart on cross because she's a proven, known liar.

MALVEAUX: All right. Let's see what happens at 1:30, when they are back in the courtroom.

Thank you, Holly. Appreciate it.

He is a modern-day stowaway. A man allegedly gets on a plane, flies across the country, no valid I.D., somebody else's boarding pass.

Our homeland security correspondent, Jeanne Meserve, she's got that story.

Jeanne, obviously with all the focus on security at airport these days, some folks are kind of alarmed at how this even happened and the TSA missed it.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: That's absolutely right.

Let me say, first of all, that law enforcement is saying that at this point, there is nothing to indicate there was terrorism involved here, but there does appear to have been some major malfunction of security, because this individual who is identified in an FBI affidavit as "Olajide Noibi," was able to board a flight June 24th. He boarded at JFK and flew on a Virgin America flight to Los Angeles.

According to the FBI, a couple of people on the plane noticed an odor. They complained to the flight crew.

The flight crew then investigated. They discovered that this guy had a boarding pass from the previous day, he didn't have a ticket with him, and he didn't a valid I.D.

They called law enforcement. And we're told by the FBI that law enforcement was waiting at the gate when that flight landed.

They questioned this guy. They tried to investigate whether he or his luggage posed any threat. They did let him go. The FBI won't comment on its investigative techniques between that point and the point he was arrested, which was on June 29th. He again was at LAX, this time trying to board a flight, a Delta flight that would take him to Atlanta. But the gate agent there stopped him and said that he did not have a valid boarding pass. At that point, law enforcement stepped in and investigated; discovered he had 10 -- more than 10 -- invalid boarding passes in his bag. They are still investigating why he had those and how he obtained them. And at this point, he is charged with only being a stowaway.

MALVEAUX: And what is the airline saying about it?

MESERVE: Well, Virgin America just gave us a statement. They do acknowledge that there was a mistake on their part, and of course the boarding pass was supposed to be scanned when somebody goes on a plan, and they say somebody apparently missed an alert on this passenger, went on the plane. However, they say the flight crew was proactive, reached ahead to law enforcement. L.A. had them meet the plane and investigate what was going on here.

MALVEAUX: All right. Jeanne Meserve. Thank you, Jeanne.

90,000 acres burned in New Mexico. But for the first time, there is some hope for firefighters on Los Alamos. We're going to take you to the fire lines.

CNN reporters, anchors, producers who always have a bag packed. And we have the inside scoop on some of the best restaurants, hotels, travel spots, around the world.

So, this week "Travel Insider," our own CNN meteorologist Chad Myers takes us to his favorite science museum.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I'm Chad Myers. And I am about to show you one of the coolest places around Atlanta, Georgia, that you probably never heard of. The Tellice Science Museum. Behind me, the periodic table of elements! I know you heard about it and you forgot about it. But here, you get to look and you get to see what every one of these little elements does.

Indium? Never really heard about it. But what is it, and why is there a sprinkler head back there? It's that metal that is in your sprinkler head that melts in a fire and turns the water on because it has such a low melting point.

Also, very cool gems here from - from calicite and quarts and geods (ph) from all over the world, and especially here in Georgia.

Something else I love about this museum. There are a few places you see this sign. "Please touch." Where is the do not in there? No, they want you to touch. Right there. Look at that. That's a huge piece of petrified wood. You can even see the outside. That's really a neat looking piece right there.

Coming back over here, another piece of petrified wood. All about the earth in this side. This is the mineral and gem side. There are other places too in here. Some dinosaurs as well.

But if you come here, you can hit this. It says right here, hit here. You make your own earthquake, and a couple aftershocks, too. Right there. Kind of cool.

And then you take a look at the world. The world from the top of the world, where you look down at the Google Earth and some clouds, and then you take a look from the inside. The crusts and the lithosphere, places I've never even heard of. The lower mantle, the outer core and then the inner core.

And no trip to a science museum would be complete for a meteorologist without coming over here and getting to touch 112-pound meteor.

Chad Myers, CNN, Cartersville, Georgia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: First signs of optimism for those fighting that huge wildfire in Los Alamos, New Mexico. The fire chief called yesterday "a make or break day." The real concern, the Los Alamos National Lab and the danger that the fire poses to all the nuclear material stored on site. You're taking a look at live pics from our affiliate on that scene there.

Our CNN's Reynolds Wolf is in Los Alamos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, the news so far is very optimistic out of Los Alamos this morning, especially with regard to the Los Alamos National Laboratory right across the ravine on that mesa, which you can barely see because it's covered in heavy smoke.

Yesterday as we go to the video, you will see they did set up a couple preventive burns around the perimeter, the western half of the laboratory ground itself and did a great job. Apparently so good, in fact, that Los Alamos Fire Chief Doug Tucker believe that everything's going to safe. Police on the grounds for the time being.

However, the threat remains for other parts of the area. That being said, that 90,000 acres have been burned since Sunday. Three percent containment.

Weather does not look that good for those battling the blaze, all 341 firefighters who have been working hard on 16-hour shifts. They will be dealing with strong winds in the afternoon. Very low humidity with the best shot of rainfall moving back into the area as we get into next week.

Speaking of moving back in, this area will return to normalcy. Again, the fire chief mentioned that people might be allowed to get back into their homes here in Los Alamos starting tomorrow and into the weekend.

Let's send it back to you in the studio.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEUAX: Thanks, Reynolds.

On top of the fire that is already burning, not to mention the heat, the wind and now even potential new danger will come from the lightning. Our Chad Myers, he is watching all of it from the severe weather center. Chad what are people faced with now?

MYERS: Facing thunderstorms today, but no rain. What? How can it be a thunderstorm? It's so dry, the air goes up in the sky, will make a thunderstorm. But the rain cannot come out because by the time the rain gets to the ground, it has evaporated. But there is still lightning all over the place, lightning in the firefighters' face, and also lightning creating more thunderstorms and, or fires in other places.

Winds are not so bad today. Maybe 13, 14, 15, maybe 25-mile-per- hour gusts. Firefighters can handle that. It's not going to be a 50- mile-per-hour day.

Something I don't think anybody really realizes, how bad the situation is across the entire southern part of the United States. Fires in Georgia, maybe fires into parts of the Louisiana and Alabama before it's done. Look at all this -- everywhere that is maroon is an exceptional drought. Texas has now declared this drought as bad as anything they've ever seen since 1895. And there's no threat, and there's no chance o any significant rain. The best chance we had was with Arlene, the tropical storm. But it moved into Mexico. It will completely miss the fire zone.

Now, this is going to change in the next couple of weeks. There will be something called the monsoon season. And winds will come off to Gulf of Mexico, off the gulf of California, and kind of coagulate right over Arizona, New Mexico, making a very wet season. They do have a wet season there. Although things wouldn't grow at all. But that season at least three weeks away. Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right, Chad. Thanks. Love the story about that museum, by the way.

MYERS: One of my favorite places.

MALVEAUX: That's so cool! I got to go there.

MYERS: I will take you there.

MALVEAUX: OK! Great! Thanks, Chad.

CNN In Depth: The Face of Changing America. How San Antonio may reflect the future for lots of American cities.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) MALVEUAX: CNN's In Depth focus this week, the faces of changing America. We take a look at how the U.S. is changing on many levels. San Antonio, Texas has been bicultural with Hispanic families living next to non-Hispanics for decades.

Our CNN's Ed Lavandera joins me from San Antonio, and I bet you -- I have relatives out there. They probably look just like the people you have been talking to.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Everyone claims some sort of connection here to San Antonio, Suzanne.

But you know, it's an interesting city. As we take a closer look at the census numbers and you look at where we have seen an influx of Latino immigrants into other parts of the country that are not used to having Latino immigrants around, you see in many places kind of as a cultural clash in most places.

But here in San Antonio, it's something they dealt with several hundred years, and people here say they're well past the problems.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA (voice-over): It's fitting that for almost 300 years, this very spot in the San Fernando Cathedral has been the epicenter of San Antonio. Inside this Spanish-inspired church rested tombs of Texas' Anglo heroes like Davy Crockett. In this city, cultural history is intertwined and San Antonio's mayor, Julian Castro, says that puts his city on the cutting edge today.

MAYOR JULIAN CASTRO, SAN ANTONIO, TX: There's been this terrific confluence of cultures and this great Texas history, all of that has come together here in present day San Antonio to provide a backdrop of a city that's one where people live well together, they work well together.

JORGE CORTEZ, MI TIERRA RESTAURANT: My family and my father started the restaurant.

LAVANDERA: When Jorge Cortez's grandparents immigrated to the United States, they looked for work in the historic market square.

CORTEZ: Market square is like the Ellis Island of San Antonio.

LAVANDERA: This is where the Cortez family launched their Mi Tierra Restaurant empire. They have three massive restaurants and 600 employees. A large mural honoring his family hangs inside. He calls it the American dream.

CORTEZ: I had a dream of doing something to honor this American dream of my father.

LAVANDERA: Cortez says in San Antonio, you'll find the Latino population blossoming.

CORTEZ: I feel that we need to invest and reinvest in this American Dream. I feel the Latinos are going to have a lot to do with what this great country is all about.

LAVANDERA: That influence is only growing. San Antonio is now the seventh largest city in the country, 63 percent of the population is Latino.

RAMIRO CAVAZOS, HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: I think one of the best kept secrets in America --

LAVANDERA: Ramiro Cavazos of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce says it's the city's creative business spirit that's driving growth. He says 85 percent of the city's jobs are created by businesses with fewer than 20 employees.

CAVAZOS: We work harder, I believe, because we don't think we're a major city. So, if anything, we are hungry as a marketplace. And I believe that's what's sustaining us and will sustain us for years to come.

LAVANDERA: But Mayor Julian Castro says San Antonio still has big dreams to reach.

MAYOR JULIAN CASTRO, SAN ANTONIO: What we want for San Antonio is for this city to be a brainpower community that is the liveliest city in the United States.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA: Now, one of the reasons city leaders here believe they've been able to weather the economic storm better than most places around the country, unemployment rate here, Suzanne, about 2 percent below the national average at about 7.5 percent. Still a little bit higher than what they'd like to see, but they feel, given what the rest of the country has been through, that they're in a pretty good position.

Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right, Ed, thanks. Love San Antonio. Appreciate your report.

Well, a police department is promising a full investigation into an embarrassing situation that was photographed by a bystander. Commanders want to know how something like this could happen.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Some mistakes do stand out. Just asked this red-faced Seattle police officer who left something really important on the trunk of his cruiser and then drove off. Our CNN's Jeanne Moos has the embarrassing evidence.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ever drive off with something sitting on your roof? Well, imagine you're a cop and you're driving around with this thing on your trunk. Even the Seattle police say --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a careless act.

MOOS: A semiautomatic assault rifle.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're very embarrassed.

MOOS: Probably loaded, say the police.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People should expect more.

MOOS: Sitting unattended on the trunk of a patrol car parked in downtown Seattle. Passerby Nick Gonzales (ph) snapped a picture, alerted officers on bikes, then sent the photo to Seattle's alternative newspaper, "The Stranger." It sure was a strange sight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What? That wasn't very smart.

MOOS (on camera): Now it's one thing to leave say a cup of coffee on the roof and take off --

MOOS (voice-over): But the gun apparently didn't fall off. A source confirms to CNN that one officer was unloading his car in the precinct garage. He sat the rifle down on the trunk of a second car, then forgot it. A lieutenant came out, got in the car and drove off with the gun on the trunk. She parked a few blocks away to stop at a Starbucks and that's when passersby spotted the rifle.

The whole thing feels like a scene out of "There's Something About Mary." Ben Stiller rests Cameron Diaz's dog in a body cast on the roof, then forgets it and drives off.

Now, when police do this with a gun, it would most likely be considered minor misconduct and result in a reprimand or a suspension of a day or two.

MOOS (on camera): Of course, there are worst things you could left on top of your car.

MOOS (voice-over): On the MTV series "Jackass," they put a baby doll on the roof to see how folks would react.

The real mystery is how did that assault rifle not fall off on the drive to Starbucks? Though truth be told, we had to do a couple of takes because our coffee cup stuck.

MOOS (on camera): Take off.

MOOS (voice-over): Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE) MALVEAUX: A certain drug helps millions of men with prostate cancer, but it is expensive. And the question is, how much would you pay for a few more months of life?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: A new drug promises to add months to the lives of men suffering from prostate cancer. It could also add billions to the nation's medical bills. Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men and 80 percent of suffers, rather, are on Medicare. So we find out today if the government will actually foot the bill for Provenge, it's called. Our senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, joins us.

And tell us a little bit more about this. How expensive is this drug?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It is a very expensive drug. All right, a course of treatment for Provenge costs $93,000. And it gets, on average, it gets a man an extra four months of life. So if you're that man, you might likely say, well, of course it's worth $93,000. I have four more months with the people I love. Other people might say, you know, that's a lot of money. Medicare is in big trouble. Should it be spent elsewhere?

MALVEAUX: And there's another expensive drug that also is related to prostate cancer.

COHEN: Right. This is actually an exciting time for prostate cancer. There are several drugs that have come out. And they are all sort of in this price range. Some a little bit less, some a little bit more. And they get you about four months of life extra or even less. Again, a lot of money for a few months of extra life.

MALVEAUX: Tell us a little bit about the debate. Expensive drugs. Who's paying for it? Will it be the taxpayers who foot the bill?

COHEN: That's right, it will be the taxpayers who will foot the bill. And I think that this is a very difficult discussion to have. I feel uncomfortable talking about it, I have to say. But, you know, there are people who are saying, we're spending a lot of money for a few final months of life when Medicare is in the hole financially and aren't there better -- are there better things that we can be doing with this money. So a really tough discussion to have because no one wants to say they want an elderly gentleman to die. I mean nobody wants that.

MALVEAUX: Right. Right.

COHEN: But these are tough discussions.

MALVEAUX: Sure. And people struggle with costs, medical costs, and this type of issue all the time. Do you -- do we anticipate that Medicare would pick up this kind of expense?

COHEN: You know, we do. We do anticipate that today Medicare will say that you can use this drug for prostate cancer. And the reason -- one of the reasons why is, do you remember that whole death panel discussion during health care reform?

MALVEAUX: Yes. Right. Right, the debate.

COHEN: Right. This administration does not want to be accused of killing old people again. They're very sensitive to that. So the last thing they want is for prostate suffers to say, you know, you're killing me. You're not going to give me the drug that I need. They don't want to -- they don't want to get near that.

MALVEAUX: I want to tell you about another story that caught our eye here. It's a top trending story on "The Wall Street Journal's" website. It's about the biological clock. Do men really hear that same ticking sound as women when it comes to having kids. And we see older men fathering babies all the time. Take a look. Rock singer Rod Stewart became a father again earlier this year at age 66. Guess folks believe that, you know, the answer to the question, do you still think I'm sexy, huh? Well, we'll see.

COHEN: Someone does, right?

MALVEAUX: Do you think I'm sexy?

Remember South Carolina's legendary Senator Strom Thurmond? He welcomed his youngest son into the world when he was -- turned 74. And who can forget the late actor Tony Randal had his first child at the tender age of 77. All this begs the question, do men have a biological clock?

Elizabeth.

COHEN: You know, we took a look at the studies and basically what they say is that obviously a man can father a child late in life. I mean a 77-year-old woman cannot have a baby.

MALVEAUX: Right.

COHEN: But as a man, you can. But the issue is, do those babies suffer medical problems. And there is evidence that an older father is six times more likely to have a child with autism than a younger father. That's, obviously, a big number. And other studies say that older fathers are more likely to have children with lower IQs, breast cancer, skull deformities and schizophrenia. Now, chances are that baby of an older dad is going to be just fine, but still, at increased risk that those babies are going to have problems.

MALVEAUX: And explain to us the difference between how this works, the biological clock ticking between men and women.

COHEN: Right. Women at menopause, you know sort of 50-ish, will just stop making eggs. I mean they can't get pregnant. A man keeps making sperm. I mean he could be 90, 100, 110, whatever, that sperm machine is still going, but it's producing more sperm that has genetic mutations and so those -- there's a bigger chance that one of those sperm with the mutant gene is going to be the one that fathers that child.

MALVEAUX: All right, Elizabeth Cohen. Thanks, Elizabeth. Appreciate it.

COHEN: Thanks.

MALVEAUX: CNN NEWSROOM continuing right now with Fredricka Whitfield, who's in for Randi Kaye.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Hi, Fred. It's nice to see you.

WHITFIELD: All right, you have a great day. Good to see you too.