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Baltimore Tackles Its Housing Crisis; 400 Fight Colorado Wildfire; Commerce Secretary Suffered A Seizure; Rape Ad Injustice In Afghanistan ; Construction Work For Jobless Women; Passing Bills and Changing Diapers; "CNN Hero" Opens Safe Place for Kids on Street; Gas Prices Drop; European Markets Soar After Spain Bailout, But Not U.S. Markets; Did Chris Christie Put 10 Percent of Legislature in Jail; Obama Claims 400,000 Manufacturing Jobs Lost When Romney was Governor; Chain E-Mail Claims Obama Birth Certificate Fake; Urban Legend Says Alcatraz Escapees to Return
Aired June 11, 2012 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The city has a long way to go, but the mayor is hopeful. Her goal is to grow Baltimore by 10,000 families in the next decade. McCard (ph) is also hopeful ,too. Well, what are your hopes for the area, you know, five years down the road? Ten years down the road?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have 104 vacants in this community. I would like to see everyone of them occupied with a home, and I want them to come and be in this community because we need more people.
JONES: Athena Jones, CNN, Baltimore.
MICHAEL HOLMES: All right. I'm Michael Holmes, let's get straight to it for another hour. Some 400 firefighters battling a huge blaze in Colorado. Now, this blaze doubled in size just overnight. Thousands of people forced from their homes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I cannot imagine that if my house was there, you know, what should I do? Or I can't imagine that as how close the fire was and now I'm not going to have a home, and I have no place to go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: So far, the fires have gone through nearly 37,000 acres, a massive blaze.
Now, the commerce secretary cited in two car accidents over the weekend suffered a seizure. That's the word today from a spokeswoman from the commerce department about the investigation into the accidents involving secretary John Bryson are ongoing. Brianna Keilar joins us now live with the latest. Brianna, do we know when he had the seizure in relation to when the accidents happened?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No, Michael, we don't know that. It seems like the implication is that the seizures somehow caused the accident, but the statement coming from the commerce department doesn't exactly make that clear. It just says that he was involved in these traffic accidents, and that there was a -- that he did have a seizure, and according to an official that he was treated with medication for that seizure. I will tell you, the L.A. county sheriff's office telling us, CNN, a short while ago that Bryson took a breathalyzer test for -- obviously for alcohol, but it came back negative, and there is a blood test as well that he did, and they still waiting the results of this. But the L.A. county's sheriff's department doesn't think, at least preliminary, that drugs or alcohol were involved here -- Michael.
HOLMES: Yes, you know, we've -- let's explain to people. We're talking about two separate traffic accidents here. Walk through what police are saying happened.
KEILAR: Well, yes, a really kind of bizarre series of events here. This happened Saturday according to the sheriff's office at about 5:00 p.m. that Bryson allegedly was behind the wheel of his vehicle, a Lexus, and he ran into a car, a Buick with three guys inside of it that was stopped as it was waiting for a train to cross. After that, he actually got out of the car, talked to these guys, got back in his car, left the scene, hitting that car again, and then, it was really just a matter of minutes before he hit another car, a Honda Accord, with a couple inside of it, according to the sheriff's department. At that point, the L.A. County firefighter paramedic showed up and found Bryson unconscious and alone in his vehicle. And they treated him from there and he went to the hospital -- Michael.
HOLMES: What happens now? What have the authorities decided to do about the charges or otherwise?
KEILAR: Well, he's been cited, and this is being investigated as a felony hit-and-run, but according to a captain from the L.A. sheriff's department, if it is found with that blood alcohol test, the blood test coming back, if it shows that there is no reason to believe that he is was under the influence, it is unlikely, we're told, that he would be facing criminal charges here.
HOLMES: All right, appreciate it. Brianna Keilar there with the latest. Thank you so much.
Well, a young Afghan woman say she has been raped and then she does something incredibly brave, she publicly calls out her accusers. They're all members of the Afghan Local Police, but this young victim isn't staying silent despite the dangers she faces. Here's Mahommed Jamjoom.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAHOMMED JAMJOOM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A distraught mother pleads for justice. She says her daughter has been raped and shame has been brought upon the family. I want the government to help us, she says. If they don't, I will tell them to come and kill my daughter, because I will not take her back. Killing a rape victim isn't rare in Afghanistan . What's rare is a rape victim speaking out. Her name is Lull Bebe (ph). The 18-year-old girl's parents describe how armed men tied them up, then handcuffed and abducted Lull Bebe.
Over the course of the next five days they say, she was beaten by her abductors and repeatedly raped by one of them. Five men have been accused in the attack. Authorities say two have been detained and being held for further investigation. The two men insist they are innocent, and say that the incident was nothing more than a tribal settled by marriage to settle a family dispute. All of the accused are Afghan Local Police, or ALP, in northern Conduce (ph) province. Trained by American special forces, the ALP was formed to protect civilians in Afghanistan badlands, areas where inadequate security fight forces struggle to fight the insurgents.
And while the ALP technically falls under the interior ministry's control, human rights activists charged that mostly illiterate recruits receive minimal training and that they are a de facto militia that creates as many problems as it solves. Critics of the ALP say the growing power of these armed militias is unchecked, that many of its 13,000 members are criminals and former Taliban and have been accused of serious human rights abuses and violent crimes.
RAWZIA KOOFI: There is no mechanism, you know, monitoring their operation the way they do operate. And in many cases, they don't respect the rule of law. They end up violating women's rights.
JAMJOOM: Supporters of the ALP acknowledge there have been problems, but counter criticism of the group by insisting it's been effective in combatting the raging insurgency.
SEDIQ SEDIQQI, SPOKESMAN, AFGHANISTAN ITERIOR MINISTRY: You know, this is Afghanistan and most villages we do have schools so that they could be literate. But at the same time, what they need to be trained is really to fight insurgency, that's their ultimate job. They are not enforcing the law in their areas.
JAMJOOM: Officials point to the detention of two of the five men as proof they're serious about Lull Bebe's case. But women's rights groups contend that even if the men are sentenced, they'll most probably get off lightly. Afghanistan's harsh tribal justice often trumps the country's legal system. Victimized women like Lull Bebe know they're blamed for the abuse and sexual violence they have suffered, and expect little to no mercy. So, Lull Bebe has gone into hiding, uncertain of her fate.
HOLMES: Let's get some more perspective. You know, it's unthinkable to people that a mother would ask to have daughter killed. Walk through why that can be the case in a place like Afghanistan.
JAMJOOM: Well Michael, in order to understand that, first, it has to be understood that women here face a horrific kind of draconian justice. And when a woman is sexually assaulted, it is usually thought by her tribe that she has brought shame upon that family. Because of that, many of the women often are the victims of honor crimes. Relatives will kill them, because they would rather kill them than face the shame that that woman would bring to the tribe or to the family. That's the tribal justice system that women here, abused women, face. But in order to understand this mother's comments, it's so remarkable that Lull Bebe and her mother and her father spoke to the press that they made a complaint that they went to the hospital, that they're supporting the daughter.
The mother here is saying that she needs help from the government, that the government must intervene so that the daughter doesn't bring shame upon the family, so that she is not forced to be killed. And that's where the difference is in this case. Women rights activists are saying, look, this is remarkable, this is extraordinary. We need more women like Lull Bebe to come out who have been abused to speak out against it, but still, they face a very, very road ahead here, because they are in danger if they speak out, and in danger if they do -- Michael.
HOLMES: Yes, one of the worst things about this terrible story is who the alleged perpetrators are, the cops. Obviously, right groups must be concerned about that, the very people who are meant to protect the locals.
JAMJOOM: There was a report just about a month ago that cited multiple abuses that have been reported against the ALP, the Afghan Local Police. This is essentially a militia that was trained in several provinces of this country. It's supported by the interior ministry. But critics of this group say, look, these guys have too much power, there's no oversight. The statistic that we have confirmed to us about the illiteracy rate among these members of the ALP, over 90 percent. The interior ministry says, look, they're the only effective bull work against insurgents in parts of the country where there is no bull work against the insurgency. And yet, human rights groups say there are repeated violations that are committed by these men, especially against the women, and that's where the concern lies -- Michael.
HOLMES: Yes. Sadly, not unusual. Muhammad, as always, thanks for the your reporting. Mohammed Jamjoom there.
And here is what else we are working on in this hour. Eight people in Chicago were killed in the last week alone, some of them just teenagers. We're going to talk to a woman who's trying to do something about that violence.
Also, she could be the next vice president of the United States, but she is more than just an elected official, she is a mother to a five-year-old with Down's Syndrome.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That is tough news to receive. It is not what you dream. It is not what you expect.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: An escape from Alcatraz 50 years later. The urban legend says that the three bank robbers will return today. U.S. Marshals, well, they're ready if that does happen. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HOLMES: Welcome back. Women with college degrees doing construction work? A staggering 12 million people unemployed, nearly half of them have not had a job in a very long time. And this week, 70,000 more will lose their unemployment benefits. Here is CNN's Lizzie O'Leary.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
LIZZIE O'LEARY, CNN AVIATION AND REGULATION CORRESPONDENT: With her tape measure and jeans, Michelle Sherer is both hard at work and out of work.
MICHELLE SHERER: I believe in god. So, something has to happen here.
O'LEARY: She's unemployed like the rest of the women, retraining to get construction work. This project a ramp at a local church is a volunteer job. Sheerer is 50, a college grad and she hasn't had full time work in 18 months.
SHERER: What else do I need to do to myself? Do I need a master's degree or a better haircut? You know, what the heck is it about me that I can't get work? Because that feels really bad.
O'LEARY: It's painful and the numbers show it's persistent. 12.7 million Americans are unemployed, and almost 5.5 million of them have been without a job for more than six months.
It is just such a startling phenomenon and do we know why?
HANNAH SHAW ,CENTER ON BUDGET AND POLICY PRIORITIES: Researchers really don't know why. A lot of it is because of the recession just been worse than any recession that we have seen since the great depression.
O'LEARY: What they do know is that it affects everyone.
SHAW: Having a college degree doesn't protect you. I mean, you are more likely to be unemployed for longer if you are older, but it cuts across all races, and it cuts across all occupations, it really affected everybody.
O'LEARY: And the longer a person is out of a job, the harder it can be to find work. Skills get rusty, connections fade away.
(on camera): What do you see when the people come through your centers?
KIRKLAND MURRAY: A lot of the people are desperate and want to get back to work.
O'LEARY: Kirkland Murray runs the program where these women were retrained.
MURRAY: You see more and more people coming out doors.
O'LEARY: 70 million more Americans lose their extended benefits this week. Congress voted to end all long-term insurance by the end of the year.
EDWINA SPENCE: But I don't think there is enough people that actually understand and what it -- or they would not have cut off unemployment.
O'LEARY: Edwina Spence hasn't worked full time since the end 2009. She doesn't buy the argument that collecting unemployment kept her from looking for a job.
SPENCE: And I've lost everything except my faith and my mind. I've lost everything.
O'LEARY: Now, with three other women from the retraining program, she started a construction company. And gamble, but after more than two years without a steady paycheck, one she's willing to make.
SPENCE: Stay positive and eventually it has to turn around. It just has to.
O'LEARY: Lizzie O'Leary, CNN, Severna Park, Maryland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, by day she's passing bills, and by night she's changing diapers and chasing after two kids. Cathy McMorris Rodgers is the only member of Congress to give birth twice while in office. We'll tell you why Mitt Romney's campaign is keeping a close eye on her when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, you might not have heard of her yet, but Congresswoman Cahty McMorris Rodgers is a rising star within the GOP. In fact, she could be on the short list of VP contenders. And she's also a mom with a special cause, as our Lisa Sylvester reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Something about messaging, moving forward.
LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There are 435 members of the House of Representatives.
REP. CATHY MCMORRIS RODGERS (R), WASHINGTON: We have some work to do.
SYLVESTER: Seventy-six of them are women.
MCMORRIS RODGERS: OK.
SYLVESTER: But only one woman in the House Republican leadership.
MCMORRIS RODGERS: Messaging themes.
SYLVESTER: Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rogers --
MCMORRIS RODGERS: Tendencies increasing for that.
SYLVESTER: Who represents eastern Washington state --
MCMORRIS RODGERS: So what's been the highlight so far?
SYLVESTER: To say that she has a busy job --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, a busy week.
SYLVESTER: Is an understatement.
MCMORRIS RODGERS: Hurry (ph), go through all of it?
SYLVESTER: She has one foot on each coast.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) committee.
SYLVESTER: Shuttling back and forth.
MCMORRIS RODGERS: (INAUDIBLE).
SYLVESTER: But she's more than an elected official. She's also a mom.
MCMORRIS RODGERS: These are his little feet at six weeks. That was when Cole was born. This was the first time I brought him to the Capitol. So he was just a little guy.
SYLVESTER: She holds the distinction of being the only member of Congress in history to give birth twice while in office.
MCMORRIS RODGERS: I was first elected to Congress in 2004 and I was still single. Met Brian a year later. We got married. And then soon after that, I was pregnant. Cole was born in 2007. And Grace was born then in 2010.
SYLVESTER: One-year-old Grace and five-year-old Cole. Cole, who loves rocking out to Bruce Springsteen, who is a budding athlete --
MCMORRIS RODGERS: That's his favorite.
COLE RODGERS, SON: I got it.
SYLVESTER: And who was born with down syndrome.
MCMORRIS RODGERS: That's tough news to receive. It's not what you dream. It's not what you expect.
SYLVESTER: Life has been a series of adjustments.
MCMORRIS RODGERS: Look at that.
SYLVESTER: A pressing of the reset button --
MCMORRIS RODGERS: Do you want the egg?
SYLVESTER: For Cathy McMorris-Rodgers and her husband Brian, who retired from the military.
BRIAN RODGERS, HUSBAND: I spent 26 years in the Navy, and so this is a lot like the Navy. You know, it's dynamic. It's very interesting. There's a lot of purpose to it. It's good. It's all good.
SYLVESTER (on camera): Your commanders are a little younger though, right?
RODGERS: Yes, that's right. That's true. That's true.
SYLVESTER (voice-over): The family moved to Washington, D.C., but it's still a challenge trying to make all the pieces fit.
MCMORRIS RODGERS: I love what I do and I love being a mom. And it's a constant juggling act and some days I feel like I'm handling it better than other days.
SYLVESTER: If becoming a parent has given her a new outlook, having a child with a disability has given her a new objective.
MCMORRIS RODGERS: You want a bite? There you go.
SYLVESTER: She is the co-founder of the Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus.
MCMORRIS RODGERS: You want to be the best parent possible.
SYLVESTER: McMorris Rodgers wants a new law that would let the parents of children with disabilities set up tax-free accounts similar to a 401(k) retirement plan or a 529 college savings plan.
MCMORRIS RODGERS: And just help them, whether it is maybe through furthering their education or housing or transportation needs that they might have. It just would give them some more resources to hopefully be as independent as possible.
And the ABLE Act will help achieve that.
Yes, you did.
SYLVESTER: It's an issue that unites even political opposites.
MCMORRIS RODGERS: Good job.
I met the lobbyists for the Sierra Club. On most issues, I'm not on board with the Sierra Club, and yet he has -- he has two sons with down syndrome. And he said, you know what, I want to work with your on these issue.
And these are really tough numbers.
SYLVESTER: To the world, she's a rising star in the GOP.
MCMORRIS RODGERS: What are you doing here, bud?
SYLVESTER: But at home, she's mommy.
MCMORRIS RODGERS: What does this say up here?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And Lisa Sylvester joins us live from Washington.
Lisa, the bill she was talking about, the one she's pushing for tax free accounts for disabled children, where is it at?
SYLVESTER: It has been introduced as the Achieving Better Life Expected Act. And it has been introduced in the House and a version also in the Senate. And it has a lot of bipartisan support. You have Democrats, like Representative Chris van Hollen, lining up behind the bill. Obviously Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers. The one hiccup, the one potential problem might be the cost. That is raising some eyebrows because it does take away money, federal dollars, out of the federal coffers. But the community, whether you're talking the autistic community, the down syndrome community, there is a lot of support for this. And that is one of their number one priorities, Michael.
HOLMES: Yes. And we mentioned there that she's a rising star in the GOP. But, you know, what realistically are her chances of perhaps being Mitt Romney's running mate?
SYLVESTER: You know, she's not what you would consider in the top five. You know, you often hear the Marco Rubio or Rob Portman. Those are some of the names that frequently come up. But her name, if you look, there are about a dozen or so people whose names are mentioned. And she is one of them.
And when it comes to women, there are only a couple of women who are mentioned on that list. She being one of them. So if Mitt Romney decides to go to pick a female candidate as his VP running mate, then she stands a very good chance. But even still, she is definitely somebody whose rising in the ranks of the Republican Party. She was recently named by the Romney campaign to a key position. She's now the House liaison with the campaign. So, definitely a name that you're going to want to watch in the future, Michael.
HOLMES: Yes. Yes, thanks for that great report, Lisa Sylvester there. Thanks
SYLVESTER: Thank you.
All right, another week of senseless gun violence in Chicago. I'm going to be talking to a woman who is trying to make a difference by opening up her home as a safe haven.
And, don't forget, you can watch CNN live on your computer while you're at work. Just go right there, cnn.com/tv. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Welcome back, everyone.
Opening statements began less than four hours ago in the child sex abuse trial of Jerry Sandusky. Prosecutors came out by calling the former coach a serial predator. And at least one of Sandusky's alleged victims is expected to confront him today in court. The former Penn State assistant football coach is accused of sexually abusing 10 boys for more than a decade.
China's first female astronaut will launch into space this month. She'll be on that spacecraft there for a mission set to take off mid- June. China is growing its space program and hopes to build its own space station and travel to the moon.
Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown takes on media mogul Rupert Murdoch, denying a claim Murdoch made under oath that Brown had declared war on Murdoch's newspapers when "The Sun" tabloid switched its party allegiance back in 2009. Have a listen to the former prime minister.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORDON BROWN, FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: There's a story that I sort of slammed the phone down on him. And, secondly, there's another story from Mr. Murdoch himself that I threatened him. This did not happen. I have to say to you that there's no evidence it happened other than Mr. Murdoch's. But it didn't happen, because I didn't call him. And I had no reason to want to call him. And I would not have called him given everything I've said to you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The former prime minister was testifying at an inquiry into the phone hacking scandal of Murdoch's tabloids. It's still ongoing.
Well, now to the current British prime minister and a little bit of forgetfulness. Prime Minister David Cameron, and his wife Samantha, and their bodyguards, accidentally left their eight-year-old daughter Nancy behind after having a meal at a local pub. Turns out they were dining with another family and they all loaded into two cars after dinner. There was some confusion. One thought the other had the kid. The other thought the other had the kid. Nancy got left behind. The Cameron's figured it out pretty quickly, though. The prime minister rushed back to the pub to get her and take her home.
All right, deadly shootings wreaking havoc across Chicago this weekend. In one instance, a 19-year-old shot in the head and stomach. In another, a 16-year-old boy died after getting shot on the porch of his home. Officials believe many of the shootings were gang related, but it's not known if any victims were actually intended targets. And in total eight people are being killed and at least 52 injured, a staggering number. "CNN Hero" Diane Latiker has opened up her home and provided a safe place to more than 1500 children. We'll tell you her story first.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DIANE LATIKER, CNN HERO: Guns, guns, and more guns.
These are our young people. These are the stones represent the victims.
We're losing a generation to violence.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And when they were shot at, I grabbed the kids and ran into the house.
LATIKER: People ran into the houses and closed the doors, and don't talk about it. But there are some people who are not afraid to go outside, and I'm one of them.
I'm Diane Latiker, and we opened up the community center called "Kids Off of the Block," and we are known as KOB. There are kids are in gangs or homeless, some of them are on drugs, so they had a lot of issues going on.
Who signed up to use (ph) Greater Chicago?
I tell the kids, this is a peace place, a safe place.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to really be a veterinarian.
LATIKER: We have leadership workshops and job preparation, and music.
(SINGING)
It is a range of things that goes on in here.
We started out with 10 young people, and the next thing, I had 15, and then 25. And, at one point, I had 75 young people in three rooms of my house. And that is how Kids off of the Block started, in my living room.
(CROSSTALK)
LATIKER: We opened the doors to the new KOB Center in July. Last year, we served 301 young people. If they knock on that door, they can come in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was 12 when I got in here. Robbing people, and killing. Diane, she changed my life. I love her for that.
LATIKER: I am no different from nobody else. I just opened up my door. Why can't you come outside and see what is going on in our neighborhoods?
There are people here who care, and I'm one of them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And Diane joins me from Chicago.
An inspiring story, the things that you have done. First of all, I want to ask you about the weekend violence. Did it directly impact any of the kids that you work with?
LATIKER: Well, it always impacts the kids. It always impacts the young people all over this country when even one young person is killed, because usually they're the victim and the perpetrator. So somebody knows somebody and is associated with it. So yes, it impacts, yes.
HOLMES: The Chicago police superintendent, Gary McCarthy, said that the number of shootings in the city are down, but it does not feel like it when you hear about the past week or so. What are you seeing on the streets?
LATIKER: I'm seeing hopelessness, and I'm seeing, in at least my immediate community, that it is not down. The police is doing their part. I am not saying that. I see them. They are prevalent in the community. But everybody knows that it takes more than the police to calm what is going on. It takes a change in the environment and the economy to help those young people. And the young people don't see that the police are there to help them. They see them as their enemy. So that is kind of another thing that we go through. But the crime, crime is definitely not down as I see it. Actually, it is more brutal to me.
HOLMES: What is the biggest problem facing the young people that you deal with in Chicago? Is it that hopelessness or the confrontational perhaps atmosphere with the police? What is it?
LATIKER: It is actually the economics. It is actually lack of a family structure. It is lack of a community structure. It's really crazy when you talk to the young people that are out there in the gangs that drop out of school, and then you look into their eyes, and you will see utter hopelessness. They don't believe in you, themselves, their families or anything, because that is what the community dictates to them. And people -- really we need the politician involved big time on this issue from the president down. Everybody needs to come together to help the young people. They are dying. They are going to jail at phenomenal rates. What more do we need to do?
HOLMES: A week or so ago, I was talking to Suzanne Malveaux on this program about the importance of education of girls in Afghanistan and that education is power and the knowledge to pull them out where they are at. But it is happening here in the U.S. Education is key. Are they getting the educational opportunities that they need to do what needs to be done?
LATIKER: No. When you have 7,000 young people dropping out of school across this United States, education is not the problem, it is the solution. But they can't even get to the education, because they are too busy dealing with the life issues in the communities and the neighborhood, and going to school, and scared to go to school because of the violence and scared to do anything in their communities because of the violence, band was they are part of it. It is not so much as the gangs as everybody thinks it is. It has more to do with the economics and has more to do with these young people need to be trained and helped and put back in schools, in good schools.
HOLMES: It is a decay issue, isn't it? And the troubles that come from the decay. What do you want to see happen?
LATIKER: I want to see somebody who will address poverty and disconnected youth within our communities, because it is there. I want to see, from the top-down, an interest and concern that we are losing generations of young people to themselves.
HOLMES: You think that the top cares?
(CROSSTALK)
LATIKER: I want to see somebody care.
HOLMES: Are they out of touch at the top. When you say top- down, because it is an invisible problem for a lot of people.
LATIKER: Yes, and that even goes to -- Yes. Because a lot of people just don't understand. They think they are doing it because they are malicious or evil, but that is not why. No one wants to come to talk to the young people and find out why they are like they are. Everybody wants to say send them to jail. We see that the jail is not working, because it is full of them. So we need help with the young people.
HOLMES: And urgently.
And, Diane, great to talk to you. Diane Latiker, "CNN Hero," and doing amazing work. We appreciate your talking to us.
LATIKER: Thank you. Thank you.
HOLMES: All right. Well, cars stuck and people walking through waist-high water and the damage is going to cost million millions. Yes, we are talking about Florida.
Also, trouble in Europe is good for one thing, gas prices in the United States. So fill up the tank while you can. We will talk about all of that when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Check out some video that we are going to show you now. Flood warnings in effect in parts off Alabama after heavy rains hit the gulf coast states over the weekend. Flooding was so bad that in one part of Florida waters reached eight feet, and they had 21 inches or so, and the jail was flooded and lost power. The rain has slowed down and the officials say that the damage is already in the millions of dollars.
Some 400 firefighters battling a huge wildfire in Colorado. The blaze doubled in size just overnight. Thousands of people are forced from their homes. Officials now say it is so bad that there is really no hope of containing the flames.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUSTIN SMITH, SHERIFF, LARIMER COUNTY, COLORADO: These folks are doing everything they can, but Mother Nature is running this fire, yesterday and today. All we can do is to get people out of the way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: And authorities say that one person is missing.
He was cited in two traffic accidents over the weekend and now the Commerce Department says that Secretary John Bryson actually suffered a seizure. A spokeswoman says that Bryson is back in Washington after spending the night in the hospital. Police say that Bryson rear-ended one car, got out and spoke to the occupants, and then left, hitting that car again and later a second car. The investigation continues.
Well, everyone has noticed that things are easing up at the gas pump right now. The price in most places dropping steadily since hitting the peak in early April.
Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange with an explanation.
It is funny, because I noticed it yesterday, it's way down. We are talking $4 a gallon.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, is just seems like yesterday, doesn't it?
HOLMES: Yes.
KOSIK: We were worried about the $5 a gallon of gas for the summer. Remember when Republican candidates were making promising of $2.50 a gallon gas? Yes, be careful what you wish for.
(CROSSTALK)
Gas prices are down by about 20 cents a gallon over the past month, but not for the reasons that we can be happy about, because Europe's debt crisis, what that is doing is to creating worries about global demand for oil. Not helping, worries about slowing growth in China. And that affects oil prizes. And crude oil prices fell from $110 a barrel in March to $85 today. So, yes, it helps us when we fill up the cars and puts a little bit more money into the pockets, but it is not necessarily for all of the happy reasons -- Michael?
HOLMES: I am getting a sense that there is a downside to this.
KOSIK: Yes, the slowdown overseas is causing a slowdown in the economic growth and a slowdown in the job market, so what is good for the gas is bad for the jobs. It's essentially putting the brakes on our recovery. We saw the same thing happen in the recession. Gas prices plunged. So lower prices are not always a good thing when you see the economies around the world slowing down.
HOLMES: Yes. Low gas prices can mean that the economy is tanking. You know, we were talking this morning like on CNN International as well about what happened in Spain, the bailout, $125 billion shoved into the banks. We saw the Asian markets and the European markets soar on that news. Here, not so much.
ALISON: Right. We saw the stocks pop at the open. In fact, the Dow got as high as 96 points higher, yes, but within the first hour of trading the stocks have been in the red. As you can see, the Dow down 27 points there. There are a lot of questions of this bailout for -- or the rescue plan for Spain is enough. Then you look at the greater debt issues going on in Europe, and of course, down the pike in about a week, on Sunday, Greece is going to be electing its new leaders. That is what Wall Street is worried about at this point, what is going to happen next?
HOLMES: Big deal with the Greece elections. And Italy's GDP is looking a bit anemic as well, yes.
KOSIK: Exactly.
HOLMES: Alison, fantastic to see you. Alison Kosik, thank you.
KOSIK: Sure.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie claims he put 10 percent of the state's legislature in jail. Is that true? We'' run it through the political fact check, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Welcome back. We hear a lot of claims from politicians and campaigns, especially in an election year, and you have heard plenty already. But can you believe what you hear? If you know the answer to that. We will put some of the political claims to the test now.
Bill Adair is the Washington bureau chief for the "Tampa Bay Times," and the editor of politifact.com.
Thanks for joining us. Good to have you here.
Let's start with the New Jersey Governor Chris Christie talking about corruption in state government. In a town hall meeting, he said this, "When I was U.S. attorney, we wound up putting 10 percent of the state legislature in jail during my seven years. True or false?
BILL ADAIR, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF & EDITOR, POLITIFACT.COM: This one gets a false on the Truth-O-Meter, because 10 percent is a big number and the partners at politic new jersey found that there were five Democratic legislators out of 185 that total served in that time, so it is less than 3 percent, a far cry from the 10 percent that he said. So false on the Truth-O-Meter on that.
HOLMES: But a worry, regardless, isn't it? President Obama's been hammering away at Mitt Romney's record. And here is a claim, that when Mitt Romney was governor, the state lost 40,000 manufacturing jobs which is a rate twice the national average. Well, how does that rate?
ADAIR: We gave that one a half true on the Truth-O-Meter. And the reason is that the Obama campaign is right about the numbers. Indeed, those statistics are correct, but when we talked to the economists, they told us that it is a stretch to blame Romney for that. Of course, the decline in manufacturing has been a much bigger thing than any governor can control. There just isn't evidence that Romney had a direct impact on that one. Half true on that one.
HOLMES: You will love this one, Bill. This chain e-mail that some people fell for says that "Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie made a late-night visit to the Kinko's to forge President Obama's birth certificate two days before Obama unveiled it to the media."
(LAUGHTER)
I suppose that was from one the birthers. You tell us, come on.
ADAIR: Well, this is a Pants on Fire on our Truth-O-Meter. What is surprising about this is people really fall for these things. This is a satire in a newspaper on a web site in Hawaii, but then the label that said "satire" was cut off and it got circulated by people who really believed it. There were blog postings like, "I bet that the mainstream media won't tell you this." The truth it is just false.
(CROSSTALK)
ADAIR: Pants on Fire on that one.
HOLMES: My 12-year-old can do great Photoshop work, and known to pop down to Kinko's. These things do play to the people's beliefs, right? They're having their beliefs reinforced.
ADAIR: Exactly. People want to believe those things. And you go the blogs where this guy posted, and these are people who want to believe that Obama was born in Kenya and that the mainstream media is covering it up.
HOLMES: Absolutely extraordinary what some people will buy, isn't it?
Bill Adair, thank you so much.
ADAIR: It is good for business though.
HOLMES: It is, is it not? Good for e-mails, yes. You will all die tomorrow if you don't forward this. All that good stuff.
Thank you.
Bill Adair, Washington bureau chief of the "Tampa Bay Times," editor, Politifact.com.
All right. Now, if you are tired and craving junk food, there is a reason for that. Sleep may be the answer when it comes to wanting that candy bar. Stay with us.
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HOLMES: Feeling a little sleepy at the moment? Craving a candy bar or chips perhaps? A new study says you're not alone. Eating junk food is more appealing to people who haven't had a good night sleep. Neurons act differently when you're tired and give your brain more of a reward for bad food choices.
"Good Morning, America" host, Robin Roberts, is fighting a rare blood disease. She beat cancer five years ago. She got choked up this morning making the announcement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBIN ROBERTS, HOST, GOOD MORNING, AMERICA: It's a rare blood disorder that affects the bone marrow. The reason I'm sharing this with everybody now is because, later today, I begin what's known as pre-treatment.
My big sister is a -- virtually perfect match for me. She's there with Diane and Ann Sweeney. She's going to be my donor. She's going to be my donor.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: First Lady Michelle Obama tweeted her support for the host this afternoon. Roberts is 51. We wish her well.
"Escape from Alcatraz." 50 years on, urban legend says the three bank robbers will return today, and U.S. marshals are ready if they show up. We'll explain after the break.
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HOLMES: 50 years ago, three bank robbers successfully escaped from the world's most famous prison, Alcatraz. The men took off on a raft made of raincoats and they were never heard from again. A lot of people think they died. Others, that they have been waiting for this day to make their big return to the rock.
Chad Myers joins me now.
They'd come back 50 years later.
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: They are going to get on a ferry and go to Alcatraz. The marshals are waiting for them.
HOLMES: Saying here I am.
MYERS: It's an urban legend, but they are waiting for them.
HOLMES: Do you think they made it?
MYERS: Things were found on Angel Island not that far away the next day. They think they found footprints away from there. The guys on "Myth Busters" made it work. They got there and did the exact same thing, the same glue. Here is the graphic here. Alcatraz in the middle. There's the island. I know you said you've been there.
HOLMES: Yes. Years ago.
MYERS: It's a chilling place, weather-wise, and just because of the chill that's in the air all the time there in the middle of the water. Temperature would have been 53 degrees. With swimming, they could have lasted an hour to hour and a half in the water. This happened yesterday. 2,000 men and women were in wet suits and they swam from Alcatraz to the mainland. That's the island. That's Angel Island. That's where they found part of the raft the very next day and some of the paddles. I think they got away.
HOLMES: You do?
MYERS: I do. I think they got away. Some of the relatives say they received postcards anonymously but they can tell they are with the writing of their loved ones.
HOLMES: I like this then-and-now thing. How old would that be today?
MYERS: Somewhere between 78 and 86. The marshals will not stop looking for them until they turn 100.
HOLMES: That's the cutoff?
MYERS: That's the cutoff.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: I don't think they'd get up to much, 86 years old.
MYERS: I'd love for them to show up on Alcatraz and say, here we are.
(CROSSTALK)
MYERS: Cuff me.
(LAUGHTER)
Two of the guys were bank robbers. They never used any firearms. There was never any violence. In a day like today where we have so many men and women in jail, probably would get a six month term. I don't even know. They had hard time there.
HOLMES: When you look at the currents and the temperatures, possible? MYERS: The biggest thing is could they stay dry. If the rafts held up and they were above the water, water being 53, one hour to hypothermia, yes, they could have.
HOLMES: The currents were in their favor?
MYERS: For a while. They did find that another one of the rafts was pushed out through the Golden Gate Bridge and up to a northern California beach. Somebody could have fallen off. I don't know.
HOLMES: I think they made it, too. Showing up, not so sure.
(LAUGHTER)
Chad, good to see you. Chad Myers.
CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Alina Cho.
