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Bush's Immigration Plan Includes Increased National Guard Presence at Border; The Dangers of Ambien; Bill Cosby Speaks Out
Aired May 15, 2006 - 15:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: I want you to check out some new video. This is David Evans, the third Duke University lacrosse player, turning himself in today. He was indicted. His attorney told us just a little bit earlier that he was going to post bond. They also let us in on a lot of information on the case.
Let's take a listen to what David Evans had to say -- oh, I don't know -- about an hour ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID EVANS, CHARGED WITH RAPE: First, I want to say that I'm absolutely innocent of all of the charges that have been brought against me today, that Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty are innocent of all the charges that were brought against them. These allegations are lies, fabricated, and they will be proven wrong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: So there you have it. You have heard from David Evans, the third Duke University lacrosse player indicted in this case. And of course we're going to stay on top of this story and bring you the latest as it comes into CNN -- Tony.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: So people on both sides of the border have their guard up over the National Guard. They are worried, a bit wary of President Bush's plan to send thousands of guardsmen to the U.S./Mexico line. Mr. Bush gives an Oval Office address on immigration reform in about four and a half hours. And CNN, of course, will bring it to you live.
For now, let's head to the border. Our Keith Oppenheim is at a crossing in El Paso, Texas.
Hi Keith.
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Tony.
Behind me is the Cordova Bridge, which is a main thoroughfare between El Paso, Texas, and Juarez, Mexico. Throughout the day, we've been talking to folks in El Paso about this. There is some anxiety about the idea of National Guard troops coming to the border, and even when we have explained that as we understand it the president's proposal is to have the National Guard troops in a support role, the perception in many cases is that the guard could be in a much more aggressive role and possibly creating more hostile situation with Mexico.
Earlier I spoke to Texas State Representative Paul Moreno.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL MORENO, TEXAS STATE REPRESENTATIVE: We know that military are trained to shoot, to shoot and -- the border patrol are trained to have a little bit more patience and not to use their weapons so rapidly. And to me it's a day of infamy, as far as I'm concerned, to see the border being militarized when there's no need for it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OPPENHEIM: State Representative Moreno says that one of his police -- the problem has been U.S. business people who are creating a constant draw of illegal immigrants across the border, and that is what he sees as the main problem.
And keep in mind, Tony. It's our understanding that there are 11,000 border patrol agents in the U.S. on the Canadian border but mainly here on the U.S. Mexico border. And if the numbers are correct that there are a few thousand coming from the National Guard to create support down here, numerically that would be significant numbers to help with the national -- rather with the border patrol. Back to you.
HARRIS: Hey Keith, just a quick question for you. Is anyone who you have talked to today saying hey, wow, great the National Guard on the border, that will stop the problem of illegal crossings?
OPPENHEIM: I'm sure that opinion exists here in El Paso, Tony. But with all of the interviews that we did today no one said that. They did say that they are in support of more border patrol, but they feel comfortable with that because they see the border patrol as a civilian force as opposed to the National Guard, which is perceived as a military one.
HARRIS: CNN's Keith Oppenheim for us. Keith, thank you. Appreciate it.
The spotlight has been on illegal immigrants throughout this debate. But there are millions of immigrants who are in the U.S. legally. Here's a "Fact Check."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): The Immigration and Naturalization Service or INS estimates there were 11.6 million legal permanent residents or immigrants in the U.S. in 2004. Mexico has sent the most legal immigrants to the U.S. since the latter half of the 20th century. More than 175,000 Mexicans were admitted in 2004.
The number of legal immigrants arriving in the U.S. varies from year to year. In 2004, the total was just more than 946,000. There are several ways to become what INS calls a legal permanent resident. A foreigner who marries a U.S. citizen may apply for a permanent residence visa, commonly known as a Green Card. The Green Card allows an immigrant to live and work in the U.S. indefinitely.
Other ways of obtaining a Green Card including being sponsored by an employer or a close family member living in the U.S. INS also conducts a lottery every year, awarding 50,000 Green Cards to immigrants selected randomly from a computerized drawing. Another factor considered, refugees seeking political asylum.
Once qualified immigrants face another daunting hurdle, a backlog due to the sheer volume of those eligible to immigrate. At the end of 2003, there were more than 5 million immigrant petitions pending.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And CNN brings you extensive live coverage tonight before, during and after President Bush's speech. Starting at 7 Eastern a special edition of "THE SITUATION ROOM." That's followed by the president's address live at 8. Then it's a special edition of "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" at 8:30. At 9 Eastern Larry King is live from a California border crossing. And finally a special edition of "ANDERSON COOPER 360" from Chicago all here on CNN this evening.
NGUYEN: All right. Five days and now three gruesome deaths blamed on alligator attacks in Florida. Baited traps have been set near Lake George, where a 23-year-old woman from Tennessee was fatally attacked while snorkeling. Friends managed to pull Annemarie Campbell from the gator's mouth, but she was already dead.
And in Pinellas County, north of St. Petersburg, the body of 43- year-old Judy Cooper was found floating in a canal. It also bares the signs of a gator attack.
Meanwhile, human arms found inside a gator's belly offer grim testimony in the brutal last moments of Yovy Suarez Jimenez near Fort Lauderdale. Test results to confirm whether the limbs belong to Suarez Jimenez have not yet been announced.
In another story, asleep at the wheel, it could be a smart aleck expression about someone who is not so bright. But it is also a pretty scary reality for some people who use a popular sleep drug.
CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a closer look at a rare but potentially deadly side effect of Ambien.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The man in this police video looks drunk, but he may actually be asleep. He says he was sleep driving the night he was arrested after taking two Ambien tab lets.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I went to bed. I was reading. The next thing I know there's a policeman at my car door.
GUPTA: He doesn't want us to use his name or show his face. According to him, he doesn't even remember getting into the car. His case is on appeal after being convicted with driving under the influence.
Dr. Carlos Schenck says he has documented 32 case of people with no previous history of sleepwalking who began sleepwalking including walking, eating, even driving while sleeping under the influence of Ambien.
DR. CARLOS SCHENCK, MINN. REG. SLEEP DISORDERS CTR.: Ambien does increase the percent of slow wave sleep, which is the stage of sleep that promotes sleepwalking.
GUPTA: Doctors wrote more than 26 million prescriptions for Ambien last year, making it far and away the most used sleeping pill. In a statement, Ambien's manufacturer, Sanofi Aventis, says it could not comment on specific cases, adding this, "It is important to emphasize that although sleepwalking may occur during treatment with Ambien, it may not necessarily be caused by it. It is difficult to determine with certainty whether a particular instance of sleepwalking is drug induced, spontaneous in origin or a result of an underlying disorder."
There is no large study to gauge the risk, but for the vast majority of Ambien users, Dr. Schenck says don't worry and to follow the warning labels provided with prescriptions.
SCHENCK: Even a sip of alcohol with Ambien could be dangerous, so I would strongly discourage any use, even a sip.
GUPTA: And if you ever do sleepwalk after taking the drug, you should stop taking it. This man wishes he had.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I had known intention of driving. And I would just like people to know that, in particular, the judge that hears my appeal.
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: So do you find yourself always fumbling for the snooze button? Can't remember the last time you got a good night's sleep? Well, it wasn't last I tell you that.
HARRIS: Stop talking about me. I'm right.
NGUYEN: You're not alone, obviously, and you're not without hope. Dr. Sanjay Gupta has a special Sunday night at 10 Eastern, a prime time special on sleep that you just don't want to miss.
HARRIS: Getting a message to a new generation of African- Americans. Bill Cosby delivered that news to college graduates in Atlanta. Stay here and hear what Cosby has to say. It's important for young people to know moving forward in their lives.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Do you hear that? Just take a look... UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We put all our stuff...
NGUYEN: Four rainy days and counting across New England. Streets are now rivers. Many homes are now flooded up to the doorknobs, and dams are weakened to the breaking part. National Guard troops are helping evacuate residents in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The governors there, and in Maine, have declared a state of emergency, and you see why, as forecasters predict the worst flooding in 70 years. So why is it still raining in New England? We heard Governor Mitt Romney say just a little bit earlier that it's going to get worse before it gets better.
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HARRIS: And we followed this over the weekend pretty extensively.
NGUYEN: Oh, yes we did. The pictures were just pretty amazing.
HARRIS: We're going to show some of those pictures. We're eyeing a possible eruption. A volcano in Indonesia is growing more violent. I mean, it's scary, but it's beautiful, too, isn't it? There are fears that Mount Merapi will soon blow its top. As take a look at these clouds of ash and hot gas -- thousands of villagers have fled already, but some farmers insist on staying behind to care for their livestock. The last time this volcano erupted was a dozen years ago and 60 people were killed. So real concerns there.
When we come back, an interview with Bill Cosby. He spoke to the class of 2006. An interesting conversation, to be sure. No surprise there. I'll share that with you. More LIVE FROM next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Betty, too much. It's not stand-up comedy or a half hour T.V. show. It's a message. I sat down with Bill Cosby this weekend. He was in Atlanta to talk to women graduating from Spelman College. The legendary comedian's message is something he believes is important for young African-Americans to hear.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: When you speak to this class today...
BILL COSBY, COMEDIAN: Yes.
HARRIS: Give me a sense of what you'll say.
COSBY: We're at a time when you look at numbers and people are just throwing numbers out, and these numbers tend to have no feeling -- about the incarcerated African-American male. But it sounds like it's not good news if the African-American female is looking for a love partner, a mate, a business partner, a marriage partner, whatever you want to call it, someone to build a family and a home with.
This is not your grandmother's world. It's a whole different place. And you've got to think about you taking charge. You've got to think about you taking charge in business, family, raising your home, taking charge of you, taking care of you. There's a whole bunch of confusion in this United States about who we are. To ourselves.
HARRIS: Who are we?
COSBY: That's the confusing point. We are many, many things. We are the weakest; we are the strongest, within ourselves. There are tons and tons of examples of those who were down as low as anybody can be in terms of having a foot on your throat, and they tossed that foot away, got up and they won. And then there are those who have had things, and they just allowed themselves to become a part of something called a culture that as Farrakhan -- Minister Farrakhan has said is leading our children into the valley of death.
HARRIS: Do you think legacy at all?
COSBY: Yes.
HARRIS: You do?
COSBY: Yes. Not for me.
HARRIS: OK.
COSBY: Not for me. I think legacy, and then I think how our race is allowing the word culture to -- to accompany itself with some people who are drug dealers and saying they're dealing drugs because they don't want to flip burgers or think about moving higher in the business world, or getting an education.
I'm watching TV, and I see a host of a show who is applauding a movie about some damn pimp. And how rough his life is. And a movie about some damn drug dealer and how intelligent he is because he could count money.
This is -- these people have gone crazy. That's not a legacy. And it certainly is not a culture.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Wow. You can see the complete interview with Bill Cosby online on CNN's Pipeline. Go to CNN.com.
Time now to check in with CNN's Wolf Blitzer. He's standing by in "THE SITUATION ROOM" to tell us what is coming up at the top of the hour. Hi, Wolf.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Tony, good work, thanks very much.
National Guard troops to the border and a Republican Party divided. President Bush will announce his plans in the next few hours. Will it unite the GOP? We're taking the speech live. We're covering all sides of this important story including our special guests, Senator Ted Kennedy, Congressman Tom Tancredo, Univision anchor Maria Elena Salinas, former secretary of defense William Cohen, our political analysts James Carville and Torie Clark and our own Lou Dobbs. They are all joining us live here in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
And making friends with Muammar al-Gaddafi. The U.S. establishes full diplomatic ties with Libya. Has that nation really renounced terrorism? Plus, the Dick Cheney connection. A new look at the role the vice president may have played in the CIA leak. We'll show you the new documents.
And another Duke lacrosse player accused of rape. He strongly, passionately proclaims his innocence. Will these young men -- have they been falsely accused? All that, Tony, coming up right at the top of the hour.
HARRIS: Wow, can't wait. Wolf, thank you.
NGUYEN: Full line-up. Coming up still, though, the closing bell when LIVE FROM continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: You know, Tony, Americans are facing more financial pressure to stay in the work force longer.
HARRIS: I'm going to work until I drop.
NGUYEN: You've always said that.
HARRIS: I've always said it. So here's the question, why are so many of them taking early retirement? Susan Lisovicz is live at the New York Stock Exchange with some answers. Hi, Susan.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
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