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Thieves Find Creative Ways to Rob ATMs; Movie Planned on Autistic Basketball Star; Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett Discusses New Movie
Aired April 27, 2006 - 15:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well new video just now coming in while the president is right now in Biloxi, Mississippi, earlier he was in New Orleans. And you're seeing him getting his hands dirty there in the upper left hand part of your screen and on the right-hand side, where he's visiting a home being built through the Catholic charities organization.
He is visiting the Gulf Coast region because he is applauding and praising the many volunteers that are working very diligently and hard to rebuild homes and rebuild lives there throughout the Gulf Coast.
These pictures again from New Orleans. He was there earlier in the day. And he is now in Biloxi, Mississippi.
And you may see there in the background there where President Bush was working on the house. Also Mayor Ray Nagin, who is out there, who is now facing that runoff election May 20 against Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu.
When we get new pictures of him in Biloxi we'll be able to bring that to you, as well.
Well, it is hard to imagine how we all survived before the ATM, the automatic teller machine. But like all modern conveniences, the electronic piggy bank also provides opportunities for criminal mischief.
CNN's Dan Lothian found some cases in point for "AMERICAN MORNING".
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a convenient way to get cash. And for criminals, it's a convenient way to steal it.
LARRY JOHNSON, U.S. SECRET SERVICE: I think initially we saw big cities that were hit the hardest, but now it can be Anywhere, USA.
LOTHIAN: With up to $15 billion in ATM transactions each year, it's a tempting target for criminals like Emil Kadarcha (ph).
(voice-over): He secretly targeted ATM users in New Hampshire and Massachusetts and was recently convicted on multiple counts of aggravated identity theft and bank fraud.
(on camera): Caught on surveillance tape, Kadarcha was part of a debit card skimming ring that investigators say withdrew about $400,000 over two years. A sophisticated scheme that police say worked like this.
A fake swiping box is mounted on the door of a bank's ATM machine area to record credit card numbers. A small hidden camera near the key pad, linked to a criminal's laptop computer just around the corner, captures passwords. And finally blank credit cards are imprinted with customer information, everything needed to get quick cash.
Professor Stuart Madnick, an information technology expert at MIT's Sloan School of Management, says whether it's ATM or Internet scams people need to always be on alert.
STUART MADNICK, MIT-SLOAN SCHOOL: It's a constant case where new technology comes up. Many times it helps to protect us and the innovative people find ways to use that technology against us.
LOTHIAN: Experts say ATM users should always shield pin numbers as they're entered, look for unusual signs or devices, and check statements frequently. Even then, criminals are always reinventing their tactics, creating more challenges for law enforcement.
JOHNSON: We try to stay one step ahead of technology.
LOTHIAN: As for Kadarcha, he face mores than 30 years in prison and stiff fines. He'll be sentenced next month.
Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well, start your morning off right. Join Soledad O'Brien and Miles O'Brien on "AMERICAN MORNING", beginning at 6 a.m. Eastern.
When we come back, another movie in the works. J-Mac, the all- star gets a little taste of Hollywood magic. The news keeps coming, and we'll keep bringing it to you. More of LIVE FROM next.
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WHITFIELD: Let's get a look at the weather picture out there with Bonnie Schneider in the weather center.
Hi, Bonnie.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much.
Well, a magic moment in more ways than one. Jason McElwain brought fans to their feet and made grown men cry. Now movie goers are hoping for the same with an assist from a legend.
Reporter Berkeley Breen from our affiliated WHEC, has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BERKELEY BREEN, WHEC CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jason McElwain and Magic Johnson walked into the gymnasium at Greece Athena High School, on the very same floor where J-Mac's magical story began.
MAGIC JOHNSON, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, J-MAC MOVIE: I think it would give a lot of young people hope and not young people just living with autism but all young people.
BREEN: Magic says he saw Jason's performance on television, thought about his own battle with HIV, felt inspired and knew he had to have a part in the story.
JOHNSON: To have the presence of mind to like say, "You know what, I'm ready. And I'm going to hit every shot." And that's basically what he did.
Then to feel the crowd and the crowd react every shot. They were hugging and jumping and high-fiving and low-fiving. And sometime God blesses us with a special person who can handle big jobs. And we have that special person right here.
BREEN: Ever since he was carried off the court by his teammates, J-Mac has met the president, an NBA team and Oprah. But today may have been his biggest thrill.
JASON MCELWAIN, AUTISTIC BASKETBALL STAR: He was living with HIV like half his life, and he proved to everyone that he could play with a disease. So he is a great dream to meet.
BREEN: The J-Mac movie still needs a writer and a cast. J-Mac seems to know who's playing him but ultimately kept it a secret.
MCELWAIN: If I could release a name, want me to release -- no. I don't care who plays me as long as he's good.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Oh, that was a good response.
Well, it's a high pressure competition filled with tension and bitter rivalries. We're not talking about on the court. On the hard courts that is. The competitors are kids.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEKE PALMER, ACTRESS: I want to win.
LAURENCE FISHBURNE, ACTOR: You want to win what?
PALMER: I want to win a national spelling bee.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Boy, does she want to win. But it won't be easy. "Akeelah and the Bee", and co-stars Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett, when LIVE FROM returns.
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WHITFIELD: Well, it packs the emotional punch of "Rocky" and the inspirational force of "Hoosiers" and "Remember the Titans", but the new movie "Akeelah and the Bee" is not about sports. It's about spelling.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FISHBURNE: Prestidigitation. Can you spell it?
PALMER: P-R-E-S-T-I-D-I-G-I-T-A-T-I-O-N. Prestidigitation.
FISHBURNE: That's correct.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Laurence Fishburne co-produced the film about a little girl's battle against the odds. Angela Bassett is his co-star. And we're glad to have both of you from New York. Good to see you.
ANGELA BASSETT, ACTRESS: Thank you.
FISHBURNE: Good to see you. Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Well, you both look so great, and what an inspirational movie and a real thinking movie. And I know that's in part why you, Laurence Fishburne -- I don't know whether to call you Laurence or Fishburne, Angela or Bassett.
FISHBURNE: Laurence is fine. Thank you.
WHITFIELD: OK. That's good. Well, you know, I know this was in part why you really pushed for this movie, because it really gets you thinking. It's a -- it's such a positive movie. And -- but it's something that you had to push hard for in Hollywood, right?
FISHBURNE: Yes. This wasn't the kind of movie that most studios in Hollywood were prepared to make. So it took us almost six years to raise the funds, to find our cast and to shoot the movie.
So what's really great is that people are responding very positively to it. They seem to enjoy the movie. We've been on a tour, talking about this movie all over the country. And we're very pleased at the reaction that we're getting.
WHITFIELD: That's so great. And Miss Bassett or is it Angela?
BASSETT: Angela.
WHITFIELD: OK, great. Well, you know, this is a movie that has a whole lot of messages. I mean, it's nurturing. There's something about parent-child relationship. There's a lot about confidence and perseverance. What was it about this movie that really got to you or the script?
BASSETT: I think the talent, dreams, and abilities that each of us inherently possess. And the community and family that direct us, encourage us and show us the way. Really stand behind us. And also about developing character and integrity that sometimes is not by any means necessary, but hopefully will stay on a positive and correct path.
WHITFIELD: And you know, there was something that this movie really delved into specifically, about Akeelah's relationship with you as mom and her relationship with you, too, Laurence, separately. Different relationships. But how important it was in the end for a child to be nurtured by a parent or guardian.
Let's look at a clip real quick, Angela, of one moment between you, your character, and Akeelah.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PALMER: I'm sorry.
BASSETT: Akeelah Anderson, you lost your mind? You're 11 years old. You don't be taking a bus to Woodland Hills by yourself.
PALMER: There's nobody around to take me.
BASSETT: That's because I work.
PALMER: That's what you said on the weekend. All the other kids had their parents at the district bee.
BASSETT: Well, maybe the other kids have parents who've got more time on their hands. Look, I'm not having another child of mine disappearing at all hours. So if this spelling thing means sneaking off to the suburbs by yourself, I'm calling it off.
PALMER: You can't call it off. I'm going to the regional bee.
BASSETT: Not if you flunk out of school you're not. I just got a letter saying you've got to take summer school to make up for all these classes you done skipped.
PALMER: Mama, I hate Crenshaw (ph). It is so boring there, and nobody cares.
BASSETT: Well, do you think they care about you in Woodland Hills?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Wow. So Angela, this really is about tough love, too, isn't it? BASSETT: It certainly is. Tanya, she has -- there's a lot of issues that she's dealing with, you know, violence that's affected their family through, you know -- you know, not of their own hand. The family's been fractured in a way. There are, you know, three, four, five children that she has to look after.
She has a lot going on in terms of keeping the lights on, and you know, making sure that they're fed. And she can't -- it's not warm and cuddly and fuzzy all the time, but she does deeply care for her family and wants them to succeed.
WHITFIELD: And so Laurence, this little girl on screen, as her character Akeelah, as well as Keke Palmer off screen. What a precocious little girl. I mean, she really is grown up beyond words.
So what is it like trying to, you know, convey to a young child actor or actress, you know, the real objective here in a movie like this, when already this is, you know, a little girl who knows what it is to be confident and how it means taking control of her career? How do you convey that to her?
FISHBURNE: Well, interestingly enough, Keke Palmer is a gifted actress already. She is one of these people, one of these individuals who comes to the world with an enormous amount of talent and an innate understanding about how to use it.
So it wasn't really about conveying any of that. It was really just about creating an atmosphere in which she felt confident to do her work and to encourage her to do the things that came naturally to her, to play scenes with her like we would any actor. And it was just really been a marvelous experience, and her performance is brilliant in this film.
WHITFIELD: Well, it is indeed. In fact, we've got another clip right now that we want to show. And you know, in one respect you think, boy, is this little girl too big for her britches and then the other, you say wow, she really knows how to sell her point. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PALMER: So why you home during the day? Ain't you got a job?
FISHBURNE: Leave the ghetto talk outside. All right?
PALMER: Ghetto talk? I don't talk ghetto.
FISHBURNE: Ain't you got no job? You use that language to fit in with your friends. Here you will speak properly or you won't speak at all. Understood?
PALMER: Whatever.
FISHBURNE: You can leave now.
PALMER: Excuse me? FISHBURNE: I said you can leave.
PALMER: How come?
FISHBURNE: Because I don't have time to waste on insolent little girls.
PALMER: Insolent? I ain't. I mean I'm not insolent. It's just the first thing you do is start dogging on -- criticizing the way I speak.
You know what? When I put my mind to it I can memorize anything. And I don't need help from a dictatorial, truculent, supercilious gardener. I'm sorry to be so insolent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Yikes! What's the message you want, you know, young people to walk away from when they see this movie?
FISHBURNE: Well, I think it's important that people understand that we made this movie out of love. We have a great love for our community. And we understand that there's a hunger for this kind of material. So we want people to go and enjoy the movie and tell their friends and encourage our industry to really get behind and support this kind of material in the future.
WHITFIELD: All right. And you know, it's always so good to see you all together, co-starring. You and Angela Bassett, Laurence Fishburne. Everyone enjoyed you in "What's Love Got to Do With It". And of course, "Boyz in the Hood". And now folks will be lining up going to see "Akeelah and the Bee". Thank you so much.
BASSETT: Thank you.
FISHBURNE: You're welcome.
BASSETT: Thank you for having us.
WHITFIELD: Thank you.
And of course, it's already at theaters, in select theaters already and nationwide, at least this weekend and on.
Well, time now to check in with CNN's Wolf Blitzer. He's standing by in "THE SITUATION ROOM" to tell us what's coming up at the top of the hour -- Wolf.
WOLF BLITZER, ANCHOR, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Thanks, Fred. Good interview.
Does anyone here in Washington on Capitol Hill have a real solution to rising gas prices? We're live with lawmakers' latest ideas, including a rebate check for every taxpayer.
Is it time for an extreme makeover for FEMA? A Senate committee says FEMA should be scrapped and replaced with a new organization. I'll ask the former FEMA director, Michael Brown, all about it. He'll join us live, here in "THE SITUATION ROOM".
And a major decision today involving the CIA leak case. We're going to tell you what it means for the White House. All that, lots more coming up in "THE SITUATION ROOM" -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, Wolf, look forward to that. Thanks so much.
Ali Velshi has the closing bell. And the news keeps coming. We'll keep bringing it to you. More of LIVE FROM right after this.
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WHITFIELD: Let's wrap up this hour with Ali Velshi -- Ali.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sixty-four thousand, eight hundred and fourteen dollars a second. You know what that is?
WHITFIELD: No. No, you've got me hanging.
VELSHI: ExxonMobil's profit in the first three quarters of this year.
WHITFIELD: Whoa! Wow.
VELSHI: Sixty-four thousand, eight hundred and fourteen dollars a second. You know...
WHITFIELD: In just a three-month period.
VELSHI: Three months, yes. I like to remember, because in the business world we always talk about a quarter, and we forget that, you know what? That's three months of business is what they did.
WHITFIELD: Right.
VELSHI: We buy a lot of gas. We've been talking about that all day, and I suspect we'll be talking about it for months to come, because I don't think the gas prices are going the other way.
But a little bit of relief, Fred, is that the price of oil, a barrel of oil, if you wish to pick one up...
WHITFIELD: Yes.
VELSHI: ... is down four days in a row. It's actually down five percent this week to a mere $70.97 today. Who thought we'd ever be all excited about ...
WHITFIELD: I think when -- I know, because I remember when we were talking and being alarmed at over $60 a barrel.
VELSHI: Oh, yes. WHITFIELD: And so now it's, you know, $70. So I think naturally people would think, "OK, well, if it's going down, then why aren't we seeing a reflection of that at the pump?"
VELSHI: Yes. And I don't know if you know anybody who's ever seen that reflection happen, or at least in a timely manner. It's like, oh, look.
WHITFIELD: We want instant results.
VELSHI: Incredible.
WHITFIELD: Thought so.
VELSHI: You know, I was looking at some numbers. One analyst had done the numbers on this. This is the -- in 2005 the average price of a gallon of gas was $2.24. So the amount of money the family spent in 2005 on gasoline, versus 2004, almost $2,000: $1,942 extra that last year.
So who knows what that's going to be? But if your budget was last updated in 2003 or 2004, time to go back to it and fix it.
WHITFIELD: Right. So no surprise now when, you know, when you hear numbers like that, just recently there were reports of so many Americans dipping into their savings.
VELSHI: Pawnshops, all sorts of things.
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: It's tough times. And it's not getting a lot better any time soon.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
VELSHI: So we'll keep following. Fred, good to talk to you as always. Thank you.
WHITFIELD: And you, as well.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
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