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Campbell Brown
More Troubles For Toyota?; Pennsylvania Woman Charged in Terror Plot
Aired March 09, 2010 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAMPBELL BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there, everybody.
Tonight: an American woman charged with recruiting terrorists for violent jihad.
That's leading the "Mash-Up." We're watching it all, so you don't have to.
We are learning more tonight about a woman from the Philadelphia suburbs calling herself JihadJane charged with recruiting terrorists on the Internet. She was allegedly plotting to kill the Swedish cartoonist who drew controversial images of the Prophet Mohammed. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Colleen R. LaRose, 46-year-old from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, is described by a law enforcement official as blonde, green-eyed, a convert to Islam.
BRIAN WILLIAMS, HOST, "NBC NIGHTLY NEWS": An assistant attorney general said this case demonstrates that terrorists are actively looking for Americans to join their ranks.
MESERVE: The Justice Department and other U.S. government agencies declined to comment on her target, but according to a government official familiar with the case, it was a Swedish artist named Lars Vilks, whose controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed prompted the al Qaeda terror network to put a price on his head.
The indictment says she agreed, saying, "I will make this my goal until I achieve it, or die trying."
The indictment does not connect LaRose with any specific terror group, but a government source says she was in contact with committed jihadists in South Asia, Eastern Europe, and Western Europe.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Officials say the use of operatives in the United States, especially women, shatters any lingering thought that we can spot a terrorist based on appearance.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BROWN: Also today, Irish authorities arrested seven people on murder plot charges. They were allegedly targeting the same cartoonist.
On to Capitol Hill, where now former Representative Eric Massa's letter of resignation was read on the House floor just this afternoon. And just a little while ago, the one-term Democrat from New York spoke out in his own defense, but backed down from his story that the White House targeted him over his opposition to the health care reform bill.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The notion that somehow we were involved in that, I think, is, as I said this morning, was silly and ridiculous. On Friday, he seemed to take some responsibility for his actions at a different event. And we learned that the Ethics Committee was looking into his actions relating to sexual harassment.
REP. ERIC MASSA (D), NEW YORK: Now they're saying I groped a male staffer. Yes, I did. Not only did I grope him. I tickled him until he couldn't breathe. And then four jobs jumped on top of me. It was my 50th birthday. It was kill the old guy. The only thing I can do is slit my wrists and bleed out here. I'm telling you, I was wrong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: And Massa went on to say he should never have allowed himself to be so familiar with his staff. We're going to have more on this story in just a few moments.
In California, a Toyota Prius that sped out of control on a freeway, reaching speeds of 90 miles an hour, is at a Toyota dealership tonight. Inspectors from the government and the company are trying to find out what caused this latest case of sudden acceleration, a stuck gas pedal or maybe something else?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM SIKES, PRIUS DRIVER: It was an odd sensation. I felt it in my foot. And I pushed the pedal and it just kind of felt like it just moved on its own.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: California Highway Patrol Officer Todd Neibert was able to pull alongside. Through his loudspeaker, he relayed instructions. Put pressure on the brake. Use the emergency brake. Try to shut the car off. The Toyota Prius slows to 50 miles per hour on a steep upgrade. Sikes turns off the engine and coasts to safety.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Department of Transportation is sending two inspectors here to look at the Prius and after that Toyota says they will do their own investigation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The investigation into what happened in this case could take weeks, but damage to Toyota's reputation may already be done.
SIKES: I won't drive that car again, period.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Toyota owners have filed class-action lawsuits that could cost the company $3 billion. We have got more on this coming up later in the hour as well.
The man who tried to make money off of the David Letterman sex scandal is going to jail. Former CBS News producer Robert Halderman pled guilty today to attempted grand larceny for a shakedown plot that led to Letterman's on-air confession of affairs with female staffers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Robert Joe Halderman struck a deal, agreeing to plea to second-degree grand larceny. He was sentenced to six months in jail, five years probation, 1,000 hours of community service.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This case began last fall, when Halderman was charged with a messy and bizarre effort to black Letterman. Halderman wanted $2 million for what he claimed was a screenplay about a popular late-night talk show host who slept with women on his staff.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Again, I apologize to Mr. Letterman, his family, to Stephanie Birkitt and her family, and certainly to my friends and family.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Prosecutors said Halderman was desperate, in debt, and furious after learning Letterman was having an affair with his girlfriend.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Halderman will be sentenced on May 4 and with good behavior, that's six-month sentence might as little as four months behind bars.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Letterman released a statement thanking law enforcement authorities on behalf of his family.
Members of Michael Jackson's inner circle are speaking out for the first time since his death. Three of his bodyguards went on ABC's "Good Morning America" today. The big surprise, just how normal they made Jackson sound.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Was he a good dad?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Awesome. Yes. Awesome. The kids would constantly tell him, I love you, daddy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Though he was cheered of molestation charges in 2003, a shadow of speculation remained.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Was he a pedophile?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. We don't believe so.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't believe so.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not at all.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Being a father myself, and being a man, men know men. He had the desire of women, like we do.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In fact, they say he had at least two girlfriends, dispelling that other rumor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We had a curtain that covered the backseat. You couldn't see in the backseat. They talked back there and, you know.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So he's making out in the backseat?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Or chewing loud gum.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But perhaps the biggest mystery about Michael Jackson is the one he took to his grave, how and why he died.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It did appear that a few times that he was on something. You knew something was not right at the moment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Jackson's bodyguards addressed another rumor, insisting that the bandages he frequently wore in public were not concealing plastic surgery. According to the bodyguards, that was just a disguise.
And now it's time for the "Punchline." Tonight, that comes courtesy of Jimmy Fallon, who has figured out the administration's thinking about the space program.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY FALLON, HOST, "LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON": President Obama is going to hold a major space conference to unveil an ambitious new plan for NASA. Obama called it one small step for man, one giant distraction from health care, two wars and the recession.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Jimmy Fallon.
And that is the "Mash-Up." Tonight, coming up, you're going to hear from Eric Massa, the Democrat who just quit Congress and seems to be pretty much burning every bridge in his own party. We will also tell you about the new allegations against him tonight when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Tonight, former Congressman Eric Massa is defending himself against new allegations of sexual harassment. The Democrat resigned today, but not until after claiming that fellow Democrats were trying to strong-arm him on health care reform.
He was embraced by some conservatives and became a bit of a thorn in the side of the White House. Here was Press Secretary Robert Gibbs earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIBBS: on Wednesday he announced he would not seek reelection because of a health problem that he said was a recurrence of cancer; on Thursday he said he wasn't running because -- not because of cancer but because of his use of salty language; on Friday he seemed to take some responsibility for his actions at a different event, and we learned that the ethics committee was looking into his actions relating to sexual harassment -- so I don't know why I would give any weight to what he said on the fourth day any more than I would on the previous three days.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Massa talked about his resignation and the ethics probe a short time ago with Glenn Beck of FOX News.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MASSA: I wasn't forced out. I forced myself out. I failed. I didn't live up to my own codes. I own this. I take full and complete responsibility for my misbehavior. I did nothing sexual. I did things that were wrong. I shouldn't have allowed myself to be that familiar with my staff.
GLENN BECK, HOST, "GLENN BECK": Got it. OK.
And you did nothing criminal?
MASSA: No. No.
BECK: OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: With me now, "TIME" magazine senior political analyst Mark Halperin and CNN political senior analyst Gloria Borger as well.
Gloria, first, just bring us up to date, because I know there are new reports tonight that Massa faces harassment charges going back a year. Well, what do we know about these accusations?
GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, "The Washington Post" has a story this evening, Campbell, citing three sources, saying that there are multiple allegations that the congressman groped male staffers, as you say, a pattern that went back at least a year. And "The Post" calls it a -- quote -- "pattern of behavior and physical harassment."
Of course, Campbell, that would seriously conflict with his notion that he was just using some salty language that he shouldn't have used with male staffers. So, there seems to be more unraveling here for the congressman.
BROWN: And, Mark, tonight, he's saying -- you were sitting in this chair last night, I think, when he was saying that he was forced out. Tonight he's saying he wasn't forced out. What's going on, on that front with regard to the health care debate?
MARK HALPERIN, SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST, "TIME": He wouldn't win a gold medal in consistency.
(LAUGHTER)
HALPERIN: I think that his 15 minutes of fame are nearing an end. The fact that he's left Congress means that the Ethics Committee can't get him, and he probably didn't do anything for which he would be indicted.
So he's gotten out, for whatever reason, in time to avoid this from really spiralling out of control in an official investigation. And, look, the substance of this, there's a lot of funny things here. Any time you can the word congressman and tickle in the same sentence, you got a good story. But the reality is, the White House is glad to see him go, A, because he's clearly at least somewhat unstable, and, B, because it does mean they need one fewer vote to pass health care.
BROWN: And, Gloria, this guy was a hero for a day for some conservatives, the poster boy for White House arm-twisting on health care. Glenn Beck promoted that interview by saying all Americans need to hear him.
(CROSSTALK)
BROWN: Pretty much over all over now, I'm guessing.
Is he radioactive at this point?
BORGER: Yes, I think he's a little bit radioactive. And, also, I should point out to you that this evening some White House sources told our own Ed Henry that the story about Rahm Emanuel approaching him without a towel in the House gym to yell at him because he wasn't supporting them on the budget or health care reform, those sources deny that it's true.
But here's the problems for Republicans. They embraced him, of course. And then you have these new allegations that are coming out, depriving themselves of their own opportunity to say, oh, my God, he's just another House Democrat with no ethics.
So, either he's on their side or he's not on their side. Now, the Republican National Committee is getting ready to put these ads up on television decrying Democratic ethics. And, so, unfortunately, because some Republicans have embraced him, he can't be one of their poster children on that front.
BROWN: They didn't play that incredibly well, did they?
(LAUGHTER)
BORGER: No.
HALPERIN: Well, I think they jumped at it. That's the nature of our politics today.
BORGER: Too soon.
HALPERIN: He seemed like a good opportunity for them. Rush Limbaugh had the good sense to cut him loose by midday, even before the Glenn Beck interview.
And I think, at this point, if you're in the Massa fan club, you have got plenty of room to spread out.
BROWN: How frustrated, though, is the White House, to both of you, Mark, just generally, just by the fact that this is a massive distraction in the middle of what should be their sort of effort to close this thing?
HALPERIN: Well, I don't think it's distracting them from lobbying of individual members who haven't resigned from Congress under the cloud of scandal.
(LAUGHTER)
HALPERIN: And, again, it means they need one fewer vote. So, I think Robert Gibbs likes to flex his political muscles. And he got to do that today. And I think the fact that conservatives embraced him, probably, the White House thinks that's a draw.
And, again, I think if we're still talking about Mr. Massa going forward, it won't be at this velocity.
BROWN: And, Gloria, I know you have been working the phones all day. Do the math for us. Do Democrats at this stage have the votes they need? Where do things stand?
BORGER: Well, publicly, they say they're not counting. But they're counting, Campbell. And I was told today by one White House source that they're about seven or eight votes shy in the House, and what they're doing is, they're bringing members in, they're talking to them, and they're saying, look, we will bring the full faith and credit of the Obama White House, the Democratic National Committee, and anybody else we can behind you if you think this is going to be a tough vote for you for reelection. Their big problem, though, Campbell, quite honestly, is not that they don't trust the White House. It's that they don't trust the Senate Democrats. House Democrats say, OK, we're going to go out on this limb and what if the Senate Democrats don't do what they say they're going to do and change the bill in the way we want them to change it? So, there is a little bit of a family feud going on here.
BROWN: All right. Well, we will continue watching.
Gloria Borger tonight, Mark Halperin, thanks, guys. Appreciate it.
You should stick around, because former Congressman Eric Massa will have much more to say tonight in the exclusive prime-time interview with "LARRY KING LIVE." That's coming up at the top of the hour.
We are also learning new interview about a woman who calls herself JihadJane. She lives in Pennsylvania. She's accused of recruiting men and women for a holy war. We have the latest on the investigation coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Tonight, a Pennsylvania woman who calls herself JihadJane has been indicted in an alleged terror plot.
Federal prosecutors say Colleen LaRose, who lives just outside of Philadelphia, recruited men online to wage jihad in South Asia and Europe and recruited women with passports to help make it happen.
CNN homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve is on top of this developing story. And also with me now, CNN national security correspondent Peter Bergen.
And, Jeanne, just bring us up to speed here, the latest on this investigation. What else have you learned about this woman?
MESERVE: Well, she's 46 years old, as you say, most recently from Pennsylvania. She's described by a law enforcement official as blonde, green-eyed, and a convert to Islam.
According to the indictment unsealed today, they also say she is a terrorist. The government alleges, as you said, that she raised money and recruited both men and women for jihad on the Internet, also that she had orders to kill a Swedish citizen, an assignment which, according to the indictment, she embraced, saying, "I will make this my goal until I achieve it, or die trying."
The government says she traveled to Europe to train and kill her quarry, saying, "Only death will stop me here that I am so close to the target." She was arrested back here in the U.S. in Pennsylvania on October 15, but has been held quietly because of an ongoing investigation. Her lawyer had no comment, Campbell.
BROWN: And, Jeanne, you mentioned that that indictment specifically talked about this order to kill a Swedish citizen. And today, you had seven people in Ireland arrested in a plot to kill a Swedish cartoonist. Any connection there? Is that something they're looking at?
MESERVE: Well, the indictment certainly doesn't spell it out. And U.S. Department of Justice and other government officials won't comment, but a government official familiar with the case says, yes, they are connected.
And her target was Lars Vilks, this Swedish cartoonist. Back in 2007, he made some cartoons with the head of Mohammed on the body of a dog. As you know, dogs are highly offensive to conservative Muslims. Many Muslims took offense at this. And reports are that al Qaeda put a price on his head at that point in time, so, Vilks apparently the target here.
BROWN: And, Peter, let me bring you in here.
This is obviously another very disturbing example of the evolving face of terrorism. What do you make of this increasingly prominent role that women now play in the jihadist movement?
PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: Campbell, I think certainly this is the first case I can think of an American woman who has converted to Islam who has really got involved in the jihadi cause, or allegedly so.
We have had European Catholic converts to Islam. A woman called Muriel Degauque conducted a suicide attack in Iraq in 2005 against an American convoy. But it's pretty unusual.
The women that we have seen attracted to al Qaeda's cause in the past have tended to come from Pakistani-American backgrounds. They haven't been converts, as this woman is. Another thing that I think that leaps out here, Campbell, is this is the second case of an American citizen planning to kill a cartoonist involved in these Prophet Mohammed cartoons.
You may recall a Chicago citizen by the name of David Headley cased the Danish newspaper where a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed had been made that a lot of Muslims found offensive. And he actually traveled to Denmark to try and scope out the murder of this Danish cartoonist.
So, now we have two Americans. And part of the thing that's disturbing here I think is that we used to be concerned about Americans -- in the United States of jihad coming to the United States. Here, you have Americans who are allegedly trying to export the jihad overseas.
BROWN: All right, we have got to end it there.
Peter Bergen, Jeanne Meserve, many thanks. Appreciate it.
When we come back, the new face of marijuana. A mother in business with her son, they are selling pot, and they are making big bucks, and it's all legal. We will have that story when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: This year, 14 states will consider legalizing medical marijuana. That's on top of 14 states where it is already legal.
Tonight, our CNN special investigation focuses on Colorado, where a mother and son have started a pot business that is legal and it is booming.
Here is Jim Spellman.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON IRWIN, MEDICAL MARIJUANA ENTREPRENEUR: I wish you could smell this through the camera. It would really blow your mind.
JIM SPELLMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the new face of marijuana in Colorado.
J. IRWIN: I love marijuana.
SPELLMAN: His name is Jason Irwin. He's 27 years old and he grows and sells medical marijuana. And this is Jason's business partner, Diane Irwin, also known as Jason's mom.
DIANE IRWIN, MEDICAL MARIJUANA ENTREPRENEUR: And I believe marijuana can change the whole world, too.
Together, the Irwins run a booming business in Denver, a medical marijuana dispensary called Highland Health. He grows the weed. She helps sell it, all in full compliance with the law.
D. IRWIN: And I just raised Jason to be an independent free thinker.
SPELLMAN (on camera): I think you succeeded.
D. IRWIN: I think so. I am very proud of my son.
SPELLMAN (voice-over): It wasn't always that way. When Jason was in high school, the Irwins had a more traditional mother-son relationship.
J. IRWIN: She would, like, confiscate the pot, flush it down the toilet.
SPELLMAN: That was only the beginning. Jason soon became an old-fashioned drug dealer.
(on camera): Did you know that Jason was illegally selling marijuana?
D. IRWIN: Yes. My son and I are very close. There's not too much that we don't share with each other about our lives. And he knew how I felt about it. SPELLMAN: How did you feel about it?
D. IRWIN: I was constantly in fear for him.
SPELLMAN: But, in 2008, Jason went legit, opening his own dispensary to sell pot to clients with medically and legally sanctioned marijuana habits.
J. IRWIN: The scene was not like it is now. Like, 90 percent of the bud was still on the streets. We have totally just basically taken the market from the street.
SPELLMAN: He was on the right side of the law, but walking a very fine line. Listen to him describe the supply side of the equation.
J. IRWIN: You get, like, a dude who comes down from the mountains or wherever and slaps a duffel bag on your desk full of weed and he's like, here, pick what you want.
SPELLMAN: Last year, Jason decided to take control, and he knew the perfect person to help.
D. IRWIN: He called me one day on the phone and said, mom, I think we should buy this land, and how do you feel about growing medical marijuana? And I said, OK. It was just a faith thing.
J. IRWIN: Yes, this is me and my mother's little marijuana farm.
SPELLMAN: Diane sold the beauty salon she had been running for 17 years and went into business with her son. The Irwins set up a small farm where they grow pot in two greenhouses. They also have several growing operations in residential basements around Denver. They sell it at Highland Health to people who have doctors' recommendations sanctioned the state.
D. IRWIN: Oh, yes, I think there is a stereotypical type of person that people think are using marijuana, medical marijuana, cannabis, whatever you want to call it, dope, pot. But there's a lot of mes out there.
SPELLMAN: That's right. Diane smokes pot, just like her son. Sometimes, they even get high together.
J. IRWIN: Right now, I smoke daily. It's part of my daily lifestyle. I really enjoy it.
SPELLMAN (on camera): What's it like when you guys smoke together?
J. IRWIN: My mom is so funny. It's like a light switch flips on.
SPELLMAN (voice-over): The Irwins say marijuana helps them cope with pain and depression. They both have marijuana patient cards from the state of Colorado. And they have become advocates for what they call the cause of legalizing pot.
D. IRWIN: There's so many people that are afraid to talk about it. And how can you -- I mean, if it's in the closet, you can't really get anywhere with it, you know? You've got to put it on the table. And I think it should be a dinner table conversation.
J. IRWIN: I felt really good about coming out of the closet, the illegal cannabis closet. I feel like we've set a good model and we're working really hard to continue setting that example.
SPELLMAN: But it's not that simple. While selling medical marijuana in a dispensary is legal, growing it on a farm or in a basement, that's a more murky legal area.
D. IRWIN: If I get worried, I call Jason. Instantly, I'm like, Jason, I don't know about this, and he'll be like, mom, it will be fine. Don't worry about it. And I'm like, OK.
SPELLMAN: But Jason himself knows he's walking a fine line. One false move and his family business could go up in smoke. Jim Spellman, CNN, Denver, Colorado.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: And Jason Irwin may be one step ahead of the law for now. Tomorrow we're going to hear from lawmakers who are trying to put guys like him out of business.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN SUTHERS, COLORADO ATTORNEY GENERAL: Let's return to the system we had for eight years that was not problematic, we didn't have is a dispensary on every street corner.
J. IRWIN: That's like a shade above the black market. It's still not available to the masses. You still have to be like, hey, where do you get this marijuana? Do you know someone?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Still ahead, the battle to tax soda pop. Can raising soft drink prices really save our schools? That coming up right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Tonight, a quick fix for state budget problems. It's a new sin tax designed to save schools, fund health care and prop up state budgets and this time the sin is soda pop. In the last year, soda tax proposals have surfaced in 12 states, including Pennsylvania. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter supports the increase and even proposed one himself. And he is joining us right now to talk about that. Mayor Nutter, I know you want to slap a $2.88 tax on a six-pack of soda. Walk us through it. What do you think that's going to accomplish? MICHAEL NUTTER, MAYOR, PHILADELPHIA: Well Campbell, thanks for the opportunity. This really comes from our health department, Dr. Don Schwarz, our health commissioner, who has been talking with me about the issue of sugar-sweetened beverages, whether that's soda, non-100 percent juices, sports drinks, energy drinks, all that.
They're very heavily laden with sugar, and that leads to a direct connection with obesity. Obesity is a serious public health issue in Philadelphia. Fifty-seven percent of our children are overweight or obese, 64 percent of our adults the same.
And, of course, we know that obesity can lead to cancer, Type 2 diabetes, stroke, coronary artery disease and many, many others. So it's a very serious health care issue here. We're looking to create a fund, some dollars, to support healthy initiatives, help people with making healthier choices, propose alternatives to many of the sugar- sweetened beverages.
This is not an anti-soda thing. I don't expect that all Philadelphians are suddenly going to stop drinking sodas, but just taking a few of them out of the diet, taking on more healthy choices of water, 100 percent juice, those kinds of choices will help people not only reduce their worthless calorie intake from sodas but also help them reduce their weight and deal with our obesity problem here in the city.
BROWN: All right, let me run past you what your predecessor said, former Mayor John Street. He said the tax would punish poor people. And his quote was, "I just don't know how you can put a 70 percent tax on a two-liter bottle of coke. It's the poor people who are going to pay the sugar tax and I think that's very problematic." How do you respond to that?
NUTTER: That's certainly interesting. Mayor Street, when he was mayor, was known nationally for his initiatives on health, and the fact of the matter is that obesity is more heavily taken up in poor communities all around Philadelphia. Upwards of 70 percent of children in North Philadelphia, African-Americans and Latino children, upwards of 70 percent of those children are overweight or obese.
So I think that it is inappropriate to just lay this at the feet of the poor as somehow inappropriate. Quite frankly, many poor communities in Philadelphia need this kind of help and support, which is what public service is about.
BROWN: Well Mayor Nutter, I appreciate your time on this. I had hoped to have a debate on this but I knew you wouldn't appear with our next guest, so I'm going to let him come on and give his side of the story. Unfortunately, you won't get a chance to respond, but let me bring in right now State Senator Golden who is the state senator, Martin Golden, excuse me, who again is one of the biggest opponents of this. And Senator, you just heard from Mayor Nutter there and he says the benefits of a soda tax outweigh the disadvantages, obesity obviously being a real problem in this country. Is it worth a try?
MARTIN GOLDEN, NEW YORK STATE SENATE: Honestly, it's a tax. And he can, and other cities and states around this great country can call it anything they want. It is a fat tax, an obesity tax. In our state we're calling it a beverage syrup excise tax, which is a penny an ounce.
So 12-ounce soda, 12 cents. A 20-ounce soda, 20 cents. And a two-liter bottle, 67 cents. That's it. It's a tax. There is no other word for it.
You know why they're doing it? They're doing it because there's nothing left to tax. They taxed everything in this state that's possible to tax except the air you breathe. So now we're going to tax the soda, and, you know, when you think about it, you're taxing soda, you're taxing a symptom. It's not the disease. What about the cake, the ice cream, the candy, the hamburgers, the milk shakes? It's just the beginning.
BROWN: Let me get back a little bit on this point, because a budget analyst from New York, from your state, say that obesity- related problems cost New York taxpayers $7.6 billion a year. If that's true, couldn't a soda tax save money by keeping people healthier?
GOLDEN: No. And I'll tell you what. If it was -- because it covers -- just taking sodas and putting taxes on sodas, again, is just treating a symptom. What you got to do is you got to have education in our schools. There are no gyms in our schools or exercise programs in our schools. My 11, 12-year-old kid, he was heavy when he was in grammar school. You know what I did? I took him and put him on teams, sports teams. I took him to the gym.
My kid is 18 today and he's solid from the head to the toe. The kid knows how to do exercise, knows how to eat because I trained him, personal responsibility. I taught him, I worked with him. He's my best friend, one of my best friends and that's how you work with it, you work to get that done.
BROWN: Do you have a problem with higher taxes on cigarettes? I mean, where do you draw the line? Don't you have to draw a line somewhere?
GOLDEN: Well no, I agree with you. There are lines where -- like cigarettes, and even when you put taxes on cigarettes, when you really think about it, where are they going? We used to sell 90 million cartons of cigarettes in 2002. We sold 40 million cartons of cigarettes last year. Does anybody really think they stopped selling 50 million cartons of cigarettes in New York State? No, they went underground and they're buying them in other locations.
Do you know that this last week there was at Sam's in New Jersey a grocer who was loading up his cart, and in the cart were hundreds of cases of beer and soda, and he was taking that from New Jersey to New York to sell it in New York. We're losing hundreds of thousands and millions of dollars each year because people are going over the border into other states to purchase this.
BROWN: All right. GOLDEN: We have to have personal responsibilities.
BROWN: OK State Senator Martin Golden from New York. I appreciate your time tonight. Thank you very much. And, again, you heard Mayor Nutter from Philadelphia just a few moments ago.
When we come back, another Prius apparently racing out of control, 90 miles per hour, no way to stop it. Coming up, that frantic 911 call associated with this when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Coming up, a Toyota nightmare. A California man's Prius simply would not stop racing over 90 miles an hour. We have the 911 tape. First though, some must-see news happening right now, Mike Galanos, here with tonight's "Download." Hey, Mike.
MIKE GALANOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey Campbell, first off, Vice President Joe Biden has done something the United States government rarely does, and that is condemn Israel. The vice president slammed Israel after it announced plans to expand settlements to the disputed area of east Jerusalem. Biden says the move could derail U.S. led efforts to restart the peace process.
Well the gown Michelle Obama wore on inauguration night is history, literally. The first lady donated the dress to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. It will become part of a special exhibit that includes inaugural gowns worn by Jackie Kennedy, Eleanor Roosevelt and Helen Taft.
And this, actress Lindsay Lohan is suing the online broker ETrade for $100 million. Now Lohan claims the company's TV ad that mentions a milkaholic baby named Lindsay is modeled after her struggles with drug and alcohol abuse and she's suing for pain and suffering and demanding that ETrade stop running the ads. One of the arguments she's bringing to the table, Campbell, that her name, Lindsay, has single name recognition like Cher or Madonna.
BROWN: You think? I don't know if I buy that.
GALANOS: I don't either.
BROWN: I never made the connection until she sued. All right, Mike Galanos for us tonight. Mike, thanks.
"Larry King Live" starting in just a few minutes. Larry, what do you have for us tonight?
LARRY KING, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it is a great commercial, great commercial. We've got a prime time exclusive with former Congressman Eric Massa. He's made some controversial remarks about why he resigned. Today he admitted to some inappropriate behavior. He'll be answering my questions and we'll take yours, too. We'll also talk with Jessica Biel and Emile Hirsch about an incredible adventure that took them from Hollywood's "A" list to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. All next on "Larry King Live," Campbell. BROWN: All right, Larry, we'll see you in a few minutes. Coming up, another wild ride in a Toyota. A Prius driver shares his 90 mile- an-hour horror story after this.
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BROWN: A California man said he is lucky to be alive after his Toyota Prius went out of control, gunning over 90 miles an hour before police could stop the car. Today Toyota responded to the incident with plans for yet another recall. Ted Rowlands has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're with Jim Sikes. This is the gentleman who was in his 2008 Prius down here in San Diego County when it went out of control, saying that the accelerator, Jim, apparently just sort of took on a life of its own. Explain what happened.
JIM SIKES, PRIUS DRIVER: Correct. That is exactly what happened.
I was actually heading east on Interstate 8 in San Diego, and I pushed the gas a little extra, in fact, very hard, to pass a car that was coming on the freeway. And, as I did that, it just, the gas pedal felt kind of weird, and it just went all of the way to fast.
ROWLANDS: Then you called 911?
SIKES: Yes.
911: 911, do you have an emergency?
SIKES: My car, I can't slow it down.
911: You can't slow it down?
SIKES: No.
911: What kind of car are you in? I heard a Toyota. What color is it?
SIKES: Blue.
911: Blue.
SIKES: Yeah.
911: What kind of Toyota? What kind of Toyota?
SIKES: Prius.
911: A Prius?
SIKES: Yeah.
911: And what's going on? Is your accelerator stuck? SIKES: Yeah, yeah.
911: Yes?
SIKES: Yeah, yeah, I tried to pull, yeah, yeah.
I was actually going around cars and came close to hitting one semi truck. And I was speeding up faster at that time. I was in the 80s somewhere. And I kept hitting the brakes, kept hitting the brakes, and it was not slowing down at all. It was just accelerating.
ROWLANDS: What was the sensation like?
SIKES: It was an odd sensation. I felt it in my foot. And I pushed the pedal and it just kind of felt like it just moved on its own. It is the only way I can describe it. It moved on its own and then it took over. It was pushing harder than I was.
I'm trying to control the car.
911: OK have you tried to put the car in neutral.
SIKES: No.
911: Can you try that?
ROWLANDS: You didn't try to put it into neutral?
SIKES: No. I was afraid to try to over there and hit it in neutral. I was holding onto the steering wheel with both hands -- 94 miles an hour in a Toyota Prius is fast.
ROWLANDS: Why didn't you turn the car off earlier?
SIKES: Because it was not safe. Those are very windy roads. And I didn't know, if I turned the button -- if I hit the button, if the steering wheel would lock or if the wheels on the car would lock.
ROWLANDS: Is there any doubt in your mind that the floor mats had nothing to do with what happened?
SIKES: The floor mat had nothing to do with yesterday's event, period. The floor mat did not move. I won't drive that car again. I mean, I don't have any problems with Toyota, but I won't drive the Prius. There is obviously a problem that needs to be corrected.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROWLANDS: And then Toyota tonight, Campbell, is at this dealership behind me near San Diego. Toyota released a statement today saying they're sending a technician out to look at this car and to help out in any way. The U.S. government is also sending some inspectors from the Department of Transportation out to not only look at the car but talk to this guy and see exactly what happened.
BROWN: All right, Ted Rowlands for us tonight. So what can you do if something like this happens to you? Joining me right now is Ben Sherwood, who is the author of "The Survivors' Club" who hasn't written about this specifically, but how to survive sort of disastrous experiences more generally as well. And Ben, we just heard in that piece, James Sikes said that he tried several times to slam on the brakes. I think that would be most people's reaction, but you say that's not what you should do, right?
BEN SHERWOOD, AUTHOR: Well "Consumer Reports" has looked at this in track tests, Campbell, and they have found that pumping the brakes in many models actually can cause more problems. The key is to push hard on the brake steadily and try to slow it down. You have to push really hard, and then as that 911 operator suggested, switch into neutral and guide the car safely to the side of the road.
You're going to hear the engine rev really loudly, but most cars have a rev limiter, meaning it won't cause damage to the car. It's going to make a lot of noise, but you want to pull over to the side of the road even though that engine is gunning. That's where you're going to be safe.
BROWN: Well, Sikes also said that he stepped on the gas and this is his quote, as you said, "very hard right before it accelerated out of control." I guess does the amount of pressure matter here, or can this happen when you're just kind of driving along normally, too?
SHERWOOD: What I take from this story, and obviously Toyota is dealing with a major problem, but these sudden accelerations can happen for a variety of reasons in a lot of different cars. So even if you don't drive a Toyota, it's important to know that if your car suddenly accelerates like that, the first thing you got to do is practice deliberate calm, which is the most effective survivors in the world do, they practice sort of this kind of calm, knowing that if they panic, it could cause a much more difficult situation.
Second, no matter the cause of the sudden acceleration, you want to brake hard and put the car into neutral. As someone pointed out, turning the car off, which is an instinct that some people might have, can actually cause more problems because you could lose power steering which would make it very hard to navigate in traffic.
BROWN: God, his stuff is so important to know, and you hope that these experiences are going to end soon and Toyota is going to be able to figure this problem out. Ben Sherwood joining us tonight. Again, the author of "Survivors' Club." Ben, appreciate it, thank you.
SHERWOOD: You bet, Campbell.
"Larry King Live" starting in just a few minutes, but first torn between work and family. One man's sacrifice just to keep his job. His story when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: With unemployment hovering just under 10 percent, most people count themselves lucky to even have a job. But for some families, putting in a day's work takes more sacrifice than they ever dreamed. Tonight Carol Costello shares one family's tough choices.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See you, brother.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See you, Dave (ph).
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's 5:00 p.m. on Monday, and Steve Kerl is off to work. Wisconsin is his home, but it's not where he works.
STEVE KERL, GM WORKER: I have a job in Texas that pays me good.
COSTELLO: You heard right. Twelve hours after saying good-bye to his wife and two teenaged kids, Steve Kerl arrives at the GM assembly plant in Arlington, Texas. His 1,000-mile journey has taken him from Janesville, Wisconsin, where there used to be a GM plant, to the Milwaukee airport, and then a two-and-a-half-hour flight down to Texas.
Steve puts fenders on SUVs, 10 hours a day, sometimes, six days a week.
S. KERL: It's tough out there. It's everywhere. It's not just the auto industry, it's everywhere. I feel fortunate that I got the job.
COSTELLO: One thousand nine hundred thirty-three GM workers lost their jobs when the Janesville plant closed in December of 2008. What happened next is another side of the recession's toll.
S. KERL: And that house there was a General Motors worker, too. So, there's one, two, three, four gone.
COSTELLO: About a quarter of the Janesville workers accepted jobs at GM plants outside of Wisconsin. But that forced them to choose between selling their homes at huge losses or staying put while a parent moved out of state. The Kerls chose to stay. The sacrifice is palpable.
S. KERL: I missed all of my daughter's gymnastics meets. I missed her birthday.
KRISY KERL, HUSBAND HAS 1,000-MILE COMMUTE: Sixteenth birthday.
S. KERL: Sixteenth birthday. I missed my boy's birthday. I missed her getting her driver's license. So, they are things that you're never going to get back.
JENESSA KERL, THE KERL'S DAUGHTER: It's overall been very hard. I mean, what other 16-year-old doesn't want their dad around.
COSTELLO: For husband and wife, the pain of separation often goes like this.
K. KERL: Steve talked to me on the phone and, you know, get me through it, hang in there. And then there's the days that the calls come in, that he's like, you know what, I'm not doing this anymore, you know? I want to come home. And I'm like, no, hang in there.
COSTELLO: On one of his rare weekends home -- we found Steve working the barbecue, taking the family to a local basketball game and playing surrogate dad to Jenessa's friend, Grace. She's staying with the Kerls until her parents get settled after moving to work at a GM plant in Indiana.
S. KERL: She's a good girl. We like to have her here.
COSTELLO: As much as the Kerls love Wisconsin -- the separation in the end has proved to be too much. They just sold their house at a loss and decided to move to Texas.
S. KERL: This will always be our home.
K. KERL: Yes. We'll never take Wisconsin out of us no matter where we're at.
S. KERL: Yes. It's always going to be our home.
K. KERL: And we'll return some day.
S. KERL: Yes.
COSTELLO: Carol Costello, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: And that does it for us tonight. See you tomorrow. "Larry King Live" starts right now.
