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Lou Dobbs Tonight

Gitmo Showdown; Obama vs. Cheney; Nuclear Deal; Medical Neglect; Swine Flu Outbreak

Aired May 20, 2009 - 19:00   ET

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

LOU DOBBS, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening everybody.

Senate Democrats delivering a rebuke to President Obama on the issue of Guantanamo Bay detainees, one day before the president's scheduled to make a major speech on that very same issue -- President Obama tonight appears to be on the defensive over national security.

Also tonight former House Speaker Newt Gingrich demanding the resignation of the current House speaker, Nancy Pelosi. This is the latest attack on Speaker Pelosi and the controversy over what she knew and when about harsh interrogation techniques.

And a nationwide search is underway tonight for a mother and her teenage son at the center of a dispute over court ordered cancer treatments. The mother is refusing to allow her son to have those treatments because of the family's religious beliefs.

We begin tonight with another major setback for President Obama on a national security issue. Most Senate Democrats today joined with Republicans to block any effort by the Obama administration to transfer Guantanamo Bay detainees to the United States. The Senate passed the measure by an overwhelming margin -- 90 votes to six.

Their vote sharp rebuke to the president and his plans to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay by January 22nd of next year. Most congressional Democrats are simply angry that President Obama has no idea what to do with those detainees after the prison would be closed. Dana Bash has our report from Capitol Hill.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): No terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay may be released, transferred or imprisoned anywhere in the U.S. That directive passed the Senate by a stunningly lopsided margin, 90 to six, a blow to the president and a stark indication of how uneasy this explosive issue makes lawmakers, even Democratic leaders like Byron Dorgan.

SEN. BYRON DORGAN (D), NORTH DAKOTA: I'm not very interested in transferring detainees from Gitmo to North Dakota. I'm sure many of my colleagues feel the same way, but first let's see what kind of a plan this president proposes and then we'll move forward.

BASH: FBI Director Robert Mueller appeared to affirm senators' concerns telling Congress bringing the detainees to the U.S. does pose risks, even if they're behind bars. ROBERT MUELLER, FBI DIRECTOR: The concerns we have about individuals who may support terrorism being in the United States, run from concerns about providing financing to terrorists, radicalizing others.

BASH: Still in the raging battle over what to do with Guantanamo prisoners, some lawmakers say they have no problem putting them in federal prisons.

SEN. CLAIRE MCCASKILL (D), MISSOURI: As a former prosecutor I am aware of the kind of people that we put behind bars in this country. They'd give terrorists a run for their money in terms of being bad, bad, dangerous people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning, Senator Nelson's office.

BASH: But in Nebraska Democrat Ben Nelson's office, most callers on this issue say...

SENATOR BEN NELSON (D), NEBRASKA: Not to bring them to Nebraska and so I think that may be true almost everywhere.

BASH: Nelson admits there is a "not in my backyard" fear factor at play, but says it's just inappropriate to imprison and try Guantanamo suspects in the federal system.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think the American people will stand for bringing a bunch of detainees for prosecution over here and it's in many ways that simple.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: Now the fact that all but six of the president's fellow Senate Democrats voted to block detainees at Guantanamo Bay from coming to the U.S. and effectively stopped or rejected his request for funding, it shows how difficult -- how much of a challenge it is going to be, Lou, for the president to meet his deadline, which is to close Guantanamo Bay prison this January -- Lou.

DOBBS: Yeah, really two separate measures. One, denying the funding for both the Justice Department and the Pentagon for that -- for what would be the transfer of those detainees and today's vote saying there won't be any detainees in the United States period. This coming just 24 hours -- less than 24 hours before the president was supposed to address this issue.

BASH: That's right and that is why you're going to have a lot of people here on capitol hill watching that speech tomorrow morning very closely to see what kind of details he is going to give. You know it's unclear how detailed he can get, especially when you're hearing from the White House today, Lou that they still don't know where they're going to put these detainees, which of course is the heart of the question or the heart of the challenge and the heart of the controversy.

DOBBS: And the senators who voted with the president, Durbin, Leahy, Harkin (ph), Levin, Reed, speaker -- the majority leader rather of the Senate -- rather I'm sorry -- it's of Rhode Island, right?

BASH: Right, Jack Reed exactly.

DOBBS: You know I mean this is something. Claire McCaskill defending the rationale actually voted against the president then.

BASH: Right. I mean you have a lot...

DOBBS: I mean that's good.

BASH: A lot of different arguments, I mean because I think it's important to note that what this vote is today is it blocked anything happening now. It didn't say anything about what's going to happen in the future which is why this plan that the president is going to put forward is so critical to really forming and maybe narrowing this...

DOBBS: But as a practical matter, with Robert Mueller, the head of the FBI...

BASH: Yeah.

DOBBS: ... saying that the country effectively would be idiots to do this and a vote of 90 to six saying not now. It sounds a lot like not ever.

BASH: It does.

DOBBS: All right. Thanks very much, Dana -- Dana Bash from Capitol Hill.

After the Senate vote, the White House said the president will not make any decisions that would quote, "imperil the safety of the American people". But White House press secretary Robert Gibbs today acknowledged that the administration had made what he called some hasty decisions -- those are his words -- on closing Guantanamo Bay and that it will take some time to unwind.

The president tomorrow is likely to talk about Guantanamo Bay in what had been billed as a major speech on national security. That address will come on the same day as another speech on fighting terrorism -- this one by former Vice President Dick Cheney. Jill Dougherty has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dick Cheney has been on the attack almost since leaving office. President Barack Obama, he thinks, has made Americans less safe.

DICK CHENEY, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I do. I think those programs were absolutely essential to the success we enjoyed of being able to collect the intelligence that let us defeat all further attempts to launch attacks against the United States since 9/11.

DOUGHERTY: President Obama has outlawed those Bush era enhanced interrogation techniques.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We could have gotten this information in other ways, in ways that were consistent with our values.

DOUGHERTY: Mr. Cheney says closing the Guantanamo detention facility could free terrorists to attack the U.S. again. The president says Guantanamo Bay has become a rallying cry for terrorists and a black eye for America's image around the world. The sniping from both sides has turned personal.

ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I guess Rush Limbaugh was busy so they trotted out the next most popular member of the Republican cabal (ph).

DOUGHERTY: But one Cheney biographer says Cheney is scoring points.

BART GELLMAN, AUTHOR, "ANGLER: THE CHENEY VICE PRESIDENCY": What he has managed to do very effectively is frame a public debate and keep that debate focused on the things Cheney wants to talk about.

DOUGHERTY (on camera): But the president wants to re-define the debate the way he sees it and he has to make the case even to his own party with a Democratically controlled Congress refusing to give him the funds to shut Guantanamo and blocking the transfer of detainees to the U.S.

Jill Dougherty, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DOBBS: Iran today carried out what it calls a successful long range ballistic missile test in a new challenge to U.S. national security policy. U.S. officials say that missile has a range of 1,200 miles, meaning that Iran with it could hit targets in Israel and southeastern Europe. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said President Obama is quote, "concerned".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GIBBS: You will know that the concerns that the president has about Iran's missile development programs. It's pursued of nuclear weapons capability and technology and the strong belief that the pursuit of those programs do not strengthen the security of Iran but instead make them less safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOBBS: This Iranian test is likely to increase worries that Iran is trying to develop ballistic missiles that would carry nuclear warheads. By some estimates Iran could be in a position to manufacture a nuclear weapon sometime next year.

President Obama tonight declaring support for a controversial deal that could give sensitive U.S. nuclear technology to the United Arab Emirates, a country with close links to Iran, the president's support coming despite concerns that Tehran could obtain our technology and rising anger over video images that show United Arab Emirates sheiks torturing. Ed Henry has our report from the White House -- Ed?

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well Lou, this (INAUDIBLE) nuclear agreement, as you know, was negotiated by the Bush administration during its final days in office, but the Obama administration is signing on because it says that the United Arab Emirates is agreeing to historic -- agreement here on non proliferation.

That specifically they're agreeing to give up uranium enrichment, as well as plutonium reprocessing, the key processes that are used to basically make nuclear weapons. They're also pointing out here at the White House that this will open the market up for American companies, American energy companies, potentially billions of dollars in contracts at stake.

The president putting out a statement saying, quote, "I have determined that the performance of the agreement will promote and will not constitute an unreasonable risk to the common defense and security". Now the president did make this decision despite what you mentioned on Iran and the ties there. But also despite the international outrage about that videotape that surfaced recently showing a member of the ruling family basically torturing an Afghan man.

White House officials here tell me that they're fully aware obviously of this videotape. That they think it was reprehensible, but that they've raised this issue directly with the highest levels of the UAE government and that they are going to continue to hold their feet to the fire on human rights issues. Obviously this is not the final step though. There are still a lot of lawmakers in both parties concerned about that torture tape, concerned about other details here. Now the next step will be that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has to formally submit this deal to Congress, then Congress has 90 days in which they can vote to reject it. If Congress takes no action, then it takes effect, Lou.

DOBBS: Well it will be an interesting process to watch. Thank you very much, Ed -- Ed Henry from the White House.

Health officials releasing new numbers on a worsening swine flu outbreak and a 13-year-old boy is on the run after a court ordered him to take cancer treatments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DOBBS: A nationwide search underway tonight for a 13-year-old boy and his mother. The boy has cancer. They're on the run tonight after the mother refused court ordered cancer treatment for her son because of the family's religious beliefs. The court called it medical neglect and ordered the boy be put in foster care and forced to receive treatment. Ines Ferre has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A nationwide search is underway for 13-year-old Daniel Hauser and his mother. Colleen Hauser fled from her home in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota with her son, who has cancer after refusing chemotherapy for the boy. The boy's father, Anthony Hauser, told CNN he believes his wife and son may have left the country, but won't say where.

ANTHONY HAUSER, CANCER PATIENT'S FATHER: I will say this -- I have left calls to where I think they could possibly be.

FERRE: Police have issued an arrest warrant for the mother, have been in touch with the FBI, and issued a nationwide crime alert.

RICH HOFFMANN, BROWN COUNTY SHERIFF: I just wish you know we could get Colleen and tell her to come in. This is not going to go away.

FERRE: Daniel Hauser was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in January. He had one round of chemo, but refused to undergo additional treatments, saying he feared it would kill him. The family is Roman Catholic, but said it was following the beliefs of a Native American religious group, treating him with a combination of vitamins, herbal supplements and ionized (ph) water. A judge last week said the boy had been medically neglected and gave the family until Tuesday to select an oncologist. This medical ethicist says that regardless of their religious beliefs parents could not refuse needed medical treatment for their child.

DR. TIA POWELL, MEDICAL ETHICIST, MONTEFIORE MEDICAL CTR.: Parents do love their children best, know their children best, and they have a lot of freedom in deciding what to do for their kids, but that freedom is not infinite and it ends when you put a child's life in danger.

FERRE: Oncologists we spoke with said Hodgkin's is highly curable if treated with chemotherapy, that chances without it are slim.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FERRE: And in a strange twist of events the police alert says Daniel and his mother may be traveling with a Massachusetts man named Billy Joe Best (ph), who claims he was cured of Hodgkin's lymphoma as a teenager through alternative medicine and Lou, they're following all leads at this point.

DOBBS: All right. Thank you very much, Ines -- appreciate it.

Well the Hauser family case is one of several controversial legal battles over medical treatment. In Virginia, three years ago, the family of then 16-year-old Abraham Charits (ph) won a court battle over his treatment. He chose herbal remedies over chemotherapy. He's now doing fine.

Two years ago in Idaho doctors gave a 5-week-old girl an emergency spinal tap despite her parents' objections. And in New York in 1990, Shirley Chang (ph) was twice taken from her mother by Child Protective Services over medical treatment disputes -- today Chang (ph) is a critic of laws that give states that power.

We'd like to know what you think about this issue. Our poll question tonight is do you think the government should be able to step in when parents withhold critical medical treatment from their child? Yes or no. Cast your vote at loudobbs.com. We'll have the results here later.

Tonight, another confirmed death from the swine flu, this one in Utah and a third death today in Arizona -- the Centers for Disease Control reporting nearly 6,000 infections and 10 deaths now in the United States. Worldwide the infection numbers have surpassed 10,000, but the true extent of the virus outbreak remains far from certain.-- these numbers potentially meaningless because they understate significantly the actual number of cases both in this country and worldwide. Kitty Pilgrim has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KITTY PILGRIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Six students in this Long Island New York school district became ill with swine flu. After consulting with health officials from the county and the Centers for Disease Control, Superintendent Sheldon Karnilow of the Half Hollow Hills District had to make a tough choice to keep the schools open.

SHELDON KARNILOW, HALF HOLLOW HILLS, NY SCHOOLS: Looking actually at the trends that were taking place were the number of cases increasing, how ill were students getting, and we felt that staying open was the right thing to do.

PILGRIM: The school officials say local pediatricians were telling families it wasn't worth testing for swine flu because the cases were so mild. The CDC says it's dangerous to assume this flu is benign.

DR. ANNE SCHUCHAT, INTERIM DEP. DIRECTOR, CDC: I need to correct the assumption that some people have that we think this is a mild virus. This particular virus is new. We know that it can cause mild disease in lots of people, but it's capable of causing hospitalizations and very severe disease including death. Many of the people who have been hospitalized needed intensive care unit treatment and many of them needed mechanical ventilation.

PILGRIM: The CDC is trying to estimate actual numbers of cases using outpatient visits, hospitalizations and national sampling. The CDC figures that testing is turning up only one in 20 cases, so the real number is probably well over 100,000 cases.

DR. STEPHEN MORSE, COLUMBIA UNIV. SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: It would also be nice to be doing more full genetic sequences of the virus so we can see if there's variation from place to place or if it starts to mutate over time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I worry 24 hours a day, seven days a week and ultimately the responsibility is mine.

PILGRIM: But the responsibility should not be his alone. As Dr. Morse says, more testing is needed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PILGRIM: Now there is no requirement that any school, public or private, report its closing to the Department of Education in a timely manner. The Department of Education says it relies on media reports and self reporting to collect information and it does share that data with the CDC, but there's no real-time information and any detailed data that does exist is not available to the public, Lou.

DOBBS: Remarkable -- just when we thought that there were contingency plans in place and protocols as a result of the avian flu several years ago. Thanks very much -- appreciate it -- Kitty Pilgrim.

The state of California is being crushed under a massive state government deficit. What is next for the state of chaos? That's the subject of our "Face-Off" tonight and shocking pictures of a policeman being dragged and then run over by a suspect.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DOBBS: Stories we're following tonight all across the country -- graphic new video kept hidden for a year. We should warn you that this video is disturbing. In January of last year, a drug suspect fleeing police in Birmingham, Alabama, struck a police officer who was trying to put down a spike strip. Police followed up an entrance ramp, slamming into his van and then causing it to flip over.

The driver was thrown from the van, rendered apparently unconscious. Police officers then jumped on the man. They beat him. They struck him with a night stick, and today all five officers involved were fired. The mayor of Birmingham said such police misconduct is not acceptable.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR LARRY LANGFORD, BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA: An exemplary police work was done up until the last 11 seconds, and it's that 11 seconds that we will not tolerate in this city.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOBBS: Authorities investigating why the videotape was hidden from the public for so long.

In Georgia, a police officer pulled over a driver when he smelled marijuana coming from the car. The officer tried to open the door then the driver took off, as you see here, dragging the officer along with him. The officer was dragged 60 feet and then run over by the car. The driver was then caught, charged with assault and possession of drugs. Incredibly, the police officer suffered only minor injuries. In New York City, seven people indicted for using Craigslist to run a prostitution ring. The group used the section called "erotic services" -- imagine that -- to run a 24-hour prostitution ring for more than a year and a half. According to the New York attorney general, Craigslist was quote "the sole vehicle through which the company operated". Craigslist is replacing its "erotic services" section with a more closely monitored, "adult services" section.

And on a lighter note, a 13-year-old from Texas today won the National Geographic Bee. More than five million students took part. The final question, "Timis County shares its name with a tributary of the Danube and is located in the western part of what European city? The answer, well, we'll let host Alex Trebek tell you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEX TREBEK, HOST, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC BEE: The western part of which European country, the European country is Romania. Eric Yang (ph), you are the 2009 Geographic Bee champion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOBBS: Eric Yang (ph) won a $25,000 scholarship as well as a trip to the Galapagos Islands. Congratulations Eric.

And here's quite a story -- a man in Staten Island, New York, accused of pulling a gun on a former colleague and then robbing him of his false teeth. Police say 47-year old Joseph Nativo (ph) paid for his associate's dentures, so when he suspected his associate of stealing from his contracting company, nearly $30,000 worth, he wanted those teeth back along with the cash, two cell phones and a jacket. Tonight, Nativo (ph) is charged with first-degree robbery.

That story brings to mind another -- the doctor who gave his kidney to his sick wife and then upon divorce demanded it back. The case hit the news back in January. Dr. Richard Batista (ph) demanded his donated kidney from his ex-wife or $1.5 million. What was the resolution? In the end the courts granted neither, ruling that the kidney was a gift and couldn't be part of any settlement.

Rising concerns that many of the mechanics responsible for repairing U.S. airliners simply cannot read English and Governor Schwarzenegger asking the federal government for what else, a bailout after Californians tell him they've had a bellyful.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: Here again, Mr. Independent, Lou Dobbs.

DOBBS: Well more indications today that our economy is beginning to recover from recession. The Federal Reserve saying it expects the economy to continue to show signs of improvement in coming months. And Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner today said the financial system is starting to heal, as he put it.

The White House today said President Obama will sign the new credit card legislation that just passed both Houses of Congress. That legislation is designed to protect consumers from exorbitant (ph) interest rates and fees. It will also allow Americans to carry guns, loaded guns, as many in the national media put it, in our national parks.

The signing ceremony Friday means the president will break his campaign promise to post legislation online for five days before signing legislation into law. The president has always insisted he can waive that rule in what he calls an emergency. There have been a few emergencies.

Republicans tonight abandoning an effort to call the Democratic Party the Democrat Socialist Party -- the Republican National Committee decided not to proceed with that vote after strong criticism from top Instead, the Republican National Committee wants Americans to urge Democrats to "stop pushing our country towards socialism and government control." A new poll shows a clear majority of Americans believe the president's economic policies have either had no effect or have actually worsened our economic conditions. The CNN Opinion Research Corporation poll says 37 percent of Americans believe the president's policies improved conditions, 23 percent say those policies actually worsened the economy and 40 percent say they've had no effect.

The citizens of California are in a tax revolt as they demonstrated yesterday. They overwhelmingly rejected measures that the government claimed would help balance the state budget. Now, California is being crushed under more than $20 billion worth of deficit. And Governor Schwarzenegger is resorting to drastic controversial cuts. Casey Wian reports now on the bailout you're paying for, the great state of California.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): By margins of about two to one, California voters rejected a package of tax increases and budget reform measures their elected officials said were needed to avoid catastrophe. Now those leaders must figure out how to close a $21 million budget deficit.

DARRELL STEINBERG (D), CALIFORNIA STATE SENATE: I don't think there is any way to avoid significant across the board cuts in all areas.

KAREN BASS (D), CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY SPEAKER: Education, health, human services, corrections.

STEINBERG: That's right.

WIAN: Lawmakers say no more federal stimulus money will be available for California beyond the $80 billion the state is already expecting. But they are asking the federal government to guarantee short term loans to get through a predicted cash crunch this summer. Also, during his Election Day visit to the White House, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger persuaded the Obama administration to back off of its threat to withhold $8 billion in stimulus money from the state because of proposed pay cuts to unionized healthcare workers.

GOV ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA: We're going to work with them and get as much money as possible and the rest, we have to do ourselves in California because we've made it very clear we're not asking for a bailout. We're not asking for any money that we don't deserve, economic stimulus package.

WIAN: A movement to restructure California's entire government through a constitutional convention appears to be gaining strength.

JIM WUNDERMAN, REPAIRCALIFORNIA.ORG: Californians are facing a myriad of very serious challenges and it doesn't appear government in its current form is going to be able to address them. It hasn't and it doesn't appear ready to. The likelihood of a constitutional convention taking place is increasing every day.

WIAN: Tuesday's election was a clear message to state lawmakers. The only valid measure passing by a three to one margin prohibits raises for elected officials during years when the state runs a budget deficit.

A California citizens commission that regulates the pay of state elected officials went a step further Wednesday, voting to cut the salaries of California's elected officials by 18 percent.

Casey Wian, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DOBBS: The great California bailout is the topic of our face-off debate tonight. Joining me now are Jon Coupal, the president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, opposing proposition 1A; good to have you with us. And Jim Wunderman, president and CEO of the Bay Area Council who supported proposition 1A.

Let me say first, either of you surprised about the result? Let's start, if I may, with you, Jim.

JIM WUNDERMAN, BAY AREA COUNCIL: Well, the result was really never in doubt. Early polls showed the voters weren't buying it. As the business association, most of the bigger associations in California wanted to support prop 1A because we wanted to do our best to try to keep the state out of fiscal insolvency, but at the same time, we understood there are many items in the package including a lengthened sales tax increase we didn't like.

The issue now is how do we move forward from here. We have a state that not only has a constant budget crisis going on, we have failed in the area of education, our transportation system is way down. We have a prison system that's overcrowded and in the hands of the federal judge. We have a water system that's teetering.

We're in trouble in California, however, it's a great state and we love it and want to return it to sanity and we need to fix the government system so we can move forward. DOBBS: We got more than an answer about surprise, but I'll turn to you, if I may, Jon. Is this the beginning of what is an outright tax revolt in California? You have the highest statewide sales tax in the nation. One of the worst educational systems. As Jim Wunderman just pointed out, your transportation system, most of it, of course, with federal money being paid for it, it's a mess. What's going on? Is this an outright revolt?

JON COUPAL, HOWARD JARVIS TAXPAYERS ASSN.: It is a mess. I think Jim and I would agree there's much about California government that's dysfunctional, but the question is whether or not, the government, the taxpayers are doing their job and we think they are. Even in this recession, California will be generated about $82 billion in general funded revenue for next year. That's about the same amount of revenue that we had in 2004, '05 budget year. California's not going to slide under the ocean. That's sufficient revenue to meet our core public safety and education needs. We have pointed out extraordinary levels of waste, fraud and abuse.

DOBBS: May I interrupt you?

COUPAL: Sure.

DOBBS: You have one of the worst educational systems in the country. You're spending a lot of money. You say it's about what you need for your education system. Your education system is a joke.

COUPAL: You know, absolutely. And that's why we think reforms such as pursuit of charter schools and perhaps even vouchers. Although the public employee unions are hesitant to go down that route. Things like merit pay for teachers, again I think Jim and I would agree on some of these basic educational reforms but the existing power structure in California is so entrenched predominantly due to the public employee unions, that it's very difficult to get even modest reforms in corrections or education.

DOBBS: What do you think Jim?

WUNDERMAN: Jon and I agree on a lot and I think most of what he said, we firmly would stand behind. The problem is, it took a lot to get California into this mess and it's going to take a major fix to get us out of it. We have passed over the last few decades, a series of voter initiatives which have handcuffed the legislature. They are really not in control of the state money. Very little flexibility when they get into difficult times. We've passed a term limit law which has freshmen legislatures chairing committees and complex issues. It's easier for special interest groups to influence them. These often cost $100 million to run. That whole system of the voter control has been hijacked by big, special interest groups. It really is time to have a constitutional convention. We have a big problem and let's get some real solutions on the table for the public to chew on.

DOBBS: Let's get a little clarity, too. Which special interests are dominating in Sacramento as a result of those public initiatives that have been passed? WUNDERMAN: I don't disagree one bit about the public employee unions. You only need to spend a few hours in the capital to get a sense of who's in control there. Last November, we had a measure determining how many chickens should be in a chicken coup in California. People voted on stuff like that and I'm not an expert on this. What I do know is as a result of favoring chicken wing expansion, we sent the egg industry out of California probably down to Mexico. Now let's face it. It was probably only about a billion dollar industry and only cost the state fifty or sixty in revenues but OK rounding for California. It's stuff like that. We shouldn't be doing some of the things we're doing and it's time to look at it more carefully.

DOBBS: Looking at it more carefully, gentlemen, I mean really the taxpayers are saying they don't want to pay more taxes, they have been paying too much for too long already and they haven't got much in the way of a return. The payoff, as you suggest, I mean good lord you've got the Obama administration right now gentlemen saying they're not going to give you 7 billion of that 80 billion that you're going to get. That's 10 percent of the stimulus package going to California. That's what about 80 percent of one annual budget for you guys and you're in trouble? What in the world would you do without the federal government? Where are the big boys and girls in California?

COUPAL: Exactly. One of our concerns is exactly that. Over and above the stimulus money, we're concerned the federal government might be even asked to guarantee the repayment of the short term financing that California's going to be asking the government for through our revenue anticipation warrants. I think that would be a big mistake. There's no reason the taxpayers of the United States should help California bail out its problems and quite frankly, I think when the checks start to bounce, that is the only time our elected leaders will address these problems. Right now, as long as they've been able to borrow, they've put off these tough choices. I think the time has come we're hoping people will start addressing the issues.

DOBBS: You get the last word.

WUNDERMAN: Clearly, we have to get our act together in California. We've got to get costs under control and provide value to taxpayers on all the services, prioritize things and make sure we get the job right but I don't agree on the national perspective. California is a major contributor state. About 82 percent of the tax dollars that go to Washington come back to California. In many states, it's well over 100 percent to balance out. That 80 billion, that 10 percent, is about 10 percent of California's population of the stimulus money relative to the whole country. We're getting no more than our fair share of that. California is a big part of the national economy. Here in the Bay Area, we're the innovation center of America.

DOBBS: I understand. Thank you very much. Appreciate it.

COUPAL: Thank you very much, Lou.

DOBBS: High-ranking house Democrats tonight calling for a bailout of minority owned broadcasters. Majority Whip James Clyburn leading the effort to convince Treasury Secretary Geithner to extend credit to struggling minority broadcasters. Clyburn and 12 other senior Democrats said, "The government's fundamental interest in promoting a diversity of voices including service to underserved communities is severely threatened." The Congressman calling for a credit plan similar to the one put in place for auto parts suppliers.

Aircraft mechanics in this country who can't read English. Is your safety at risk?

And the former speaker of the House calling for the current speaker to take a hike.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DOBBS: Former house speaker Newt Gingrich, who himself resigned under pressure, today called for the current house speaker Nancy Pelosi to step down. Gingrich said Congresswoman Pelosi is not qualified to be speaker after her accusations that the CIA misled Congress on the issue of water boarding, an accusation the CIA denies. Jessica Yellin has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Former House Speaker, Newt Gingrich, is slinging arrows. His target, the woman who got his old job.

NEWT GINGRICH (R), FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: I think what Speaker Pelosi's comments last Thursday, particularly the ones in which she alleged that the Central Intelligence Agency routinely lies to Congress that she really disqualified herself to be speaker.

YELLIN: Gingrich is increasingly becoming a front man in his party's assault on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggesting not only should she step down but also face sintered.

GINGRICH: You can't serve for the rest of that term if it's senture (ph).

YELLIN: Pelosi's Democratic supporters call the attacks outrageous and one says Gingrich's efforts are backfiring, galvanizing Democratic support around the speaker.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's an empty, clanging thorn that nobody is paying attention to. They hope that it serves as a distraction. Let me tell you, it's helping unite us even more.

YELLIN: Democrats point out Gingrich quit the speakership under an ethics cloud and that he refuses to criticize Pete Hoekstra, a member of his own party who has also accused the CIA of telling lies to Congress. The former speaker, who is considered a possibly presidential candidate, insists this is more than just politics. He writes in the current edition of Human Events Magazine, "The controversy swirling around Pelosi isn't political. She may think it is, other liberal Democrats may think it is and the media may want it to appear that way, but this isn't about politics. It's about national security."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

YELLIN: As accusations fly, both Democrats and Republicans are calling on the CIA to release more documents related to the tactics and what Congress was told. Lou?

DOBBS: Jessica, thank you very much, Jessica Yellin reporting.

The Democratic leader in the senate, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, is also under fire tonight. He made what some are calling three blunders in one news conference. Senator Reid declared Ted Kennedy's cancer to be in remission when unfortunately, that turned out to be incorrect. The Senate majority leader also commenting on Senator Robert Byrd's health, saying he would be released this week after being treated for an infection. That turned out to be wrong as well. There is no date for the senator's release from the hospital, so far. And Senator Reid also saying that his party's position on the relocation of Guantanamo Bay prisoners, while some in the media said it was a mistake, he said, quote, we will never allow terrorists to be released into the United States. In fact, no one subjected any of the terror suspects be set free in this country, but the speaker meant to say there would be no detainees released into the United States. It was later clarified to say just that. It turns out now that that was less a blunder than a pressing comment given the vote today in the senate.

Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee are threatening to slow down approval of the new energy and climate global warming bill. They could call for a reading of the entire 946 page bill plus amendments. If they were to do so, it would be one of the few times that the senators ever heard or learned what was in a bill. Democrats in anticipation of that tactic have hired in response, a speed reader. According to "Wall Street Journal," the new staff assistant can read a page in 34 seconds. At that pace, it would still take about nine hours to read the entire bill. Well, that's one way to deal with politics at the nation's capitol.

The State Department tonight is publishing a book of the president's speeches to be distributed all over the world. The book is titled "President Barack Obama in His Own Words" but only one speech in the book was delivered after Mr. Obama became president; that of course, his inaugural address. The rest contains mostly campaign speeches. So there you have it. President Obama, after four months in office as of tonight, with his own book of his own speeches, one of them so far.

At the top of the hour, "NO BIAS, NO BULL." Roland Martin in for Campbell Brown -- Roland?

ROLAND MARTIN, CNN ANCHOR: We can sell that book Lou and get some revenue. Tonight, caught on tape, Alabama cops caught on tape brutally beating and kicking a suspect while he was unconscious. We'll show you the shocking video and tell you what just happened to those officers. Also ahead, the fire storm over President Obama's plans to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay. We'll look at what could happen if terror suspects were sent here to the U.S.

And plans for a big screen epic on the life of Martin Luther King Jr. has sparked a battle among his three surviving children. I'll talk with two of them tonight

And texting while driving, a lot of states have banned it, but should it be illegal nationwide?

That and more all at the top of the hour.

DOBBS: All right.

Well aircraft mechanics who can't read English; an investigation reveals flaws in FAA procedures. Not being able to read English would certainly be one of those flaws.

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DOBBS: Investigative reporter Byron Harris from WFAA in Dallas has uncovered evidence of serious flaws in the way the FAA licenses aircraft mechanics, flaws that could put you at risk. Harris found many mechanics could not even read English. Harris also reported the FAA was cited for improper oversight of mechanics in a 2003 crash in North Carolina that killed 21 people. Byron Harris joins me now.

Byron, first of all, outstanding, as usual, reporting. What provoked your interest in the mechanics and the way the FAA was monitoring it?

BYRON HARRIS, WFAA REPORTER: Well, it's gone on for a long time and we wondered why, even in 1993 in Texas, there were problems. And there were problems in 1999 in Texas and the FAA appears to not have cleaned them up and we started looking into it. We discovered problems with licensing, with testing, with licenses for sale, and then we ran into this Spanish-speaking, non-English-speaking mechanic problem.

DOBBS: Now, and it is Spanish in this instance. One of the things that investigators have found on the plane crash in buffalo that claimed 50 lives in February was that the mechanics did not properly connect cables and, if hundreds of mechanics can't read manuals which are in English, why are they being allowed to fix these aircraft and deal with these parts?

HARRIS: That was the 2003 crash in charlotte where the cables were incorrectly connected. But it's a money. After 9/11, the airline industry changed dramatically. Regular mechanics were let go. This is a $45 billion business maintenance and repair of aircraft and everybody's trying to cut corners. And if you can hire two repairmen for the price of one certified mechanic, there's a clear financial goal there.

DOBBS: A clear financial goal, but isn't this where the FAA is supposed to come into play?

HARRIS: You would certainly hope so, but the people that we talked to tell us at the FAA is more focused on documents and tracing problems through computer access and databases right now than really inspecting repair stations and this is not just a Texas problem. This is nationwide. North Carolina, Florida, this is a huge business nationwide.

DOBBS: Well, we call the FAA and they said in part, and I'd like to put this up so everybody can see this, is "Aaircraft mechanics can be fully skilled without having a perfect command of English. When the FAA gives prior notice of an inspection, it is solely to make sure the proper records and personnel are available at the time of the visit. We are looking into the WFAA allegations and we'll take appropriate action if we find any violations of FAA regulations." Les Dorr, spokesman for the FAA. What's your reaction?

HARRIS: Two things. It's true you don't have to be certified to work on a plane but you have to be able to communicate with your fellow workers and your supervisor. What we hear is that scores of people in lots of shops don't speak English, don't read English and can't write English. Therefore, if their supervisor tells them to fix something, how did they know what he told them? People say that they need to have a translator to communicate with their workers. So that's one problem. And in terms of inspection, again, we don't see, from the people we talked to, we don't see the FAA going out and trying to find this.

DOBBS: One would think that there would be some place for common sense in all of this and concern that for the flying public. Thank you very much, again, Byron, good to see you, Byron Harris, FAA and, as usual, outstanding reporting.

HARRIS: Thanks, Lou.

DOBBS: Up next, tonight's poll results.

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DOBBS: Independence is the spirit that drives America's most successful investors. Results, interesting results: 57 percent of you say the government should not be allowed to step in when parents withhold critical medical treatment from their child.

And a reminder to join me on the radio Monday through Fridays for "The Lou Dobbs Show" 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. each and every afternoon on WOR 710 radio and go to loudobbs.com to get local listings in your area for the Lou Dobbs show on the radio. Join us tomorrow.

For all of us, we thank you for watching. Good night from New York.

MARTIN: Folks, we've got incredible video to show you but I need to warn you, it is extremely graphic and tonight, because of it, five Alabama cops have been fired. Take a look for yourself. What could have provoked this? I'll be talking exclusively with the mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, where all of this happened. It's just one of the stories we're talking about tonight with CNN anchor and correspondent Erica Hill and Jeffrey Toobin, national political correspondent Jessica Yellin and Lisa Bloom