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Uprising Quelled at Guantanamo Bay; Fatal Shooting at U.S.- Mexico Border Crossing; Congress Debates Immigration Legislation; FDA to Approve Cervical Cancer Vaccine

Aired May 19, 2006 - 13:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Uprising at Guantanamo. Prisoners trying to commit suicide, inmates attacking guards. Live details just ahead.
The immigration debate, from the Hill to the border. Is miles of fencing the answer to stopping the tide?

And the medical breakthrough everyone is talking about, the cancer vaccine. How soon will it get to the market? And who should be first in line?

LIVE FROM starts right now.

Hi, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips.

Enemy combatants on the attack at GITMO, Guantanamo Bay, where almost 500 terror suspects are being held and where some have been held for almost five years. Our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, joins me with the latest on a clash with GITMO guards.

Who is involved, Barbara?

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, they say that all is calm today, but yesterday, an unsettled situation at Guantanamo Bay. U.S. military sources are confirming these details.

Late in the day, there was a suicide attempt. Apparently one detainee was attempting to hang himself. This was in the dormitory facility, medium security part of the prison where it's 10 men to a dorm.

U.S. troops entered the room to try and give assistance and get this man. As they entered the room, then they were finding they were under attack, if you will. Other detainees in the room started throwing things at them: sticks, fixtures, light fixtures, other items that they had gathered up.

The military troops used what we are told is nonlethal force to regain control of this situation. The detainees were then moved to a maximum security facility portion of the camp.

What we don't know, Kyra, is exactly how many people were involved. Ten men to one of these dormitory rooms. We don't know how many were involved. But they say the situation's now under control. But, Kyra, it was a very difficult day at Guantanamo Bay, apparently, we are now learning a day later. Because earlier in the day, there were three other suicide attempts at the camp. Three men trying to commit suicide by swallowing pills that they had stockpiled, this part of their medicine apparently -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Barbara, I was able to reach someone that I know who's a doctor in the military and has gone to Guantanamo Bay, and says that this is nothing new, that suicide attempts have happened a number of times in the past.

What do we know about counseling or certain types of guards that are put in these areas to watch for this and pay attention to this? Because so far we haven't heard of any success stories, if you will, with regard to attempted suicides.

STARR: Kyra, there have been about 40 or so suicide attempts since the camp opened. And in fact, many -- a number of those attempts, we are told, has been by one detainee in particular.

Not to minimize it, the men yesterday who attempted suicide were taken to the medical facility there and given medical assistance after taking this suspected overdose of pills. They are given medical assistance. And the detainees are watched very carefully for any signs of suicide.

But what they also know at the camp is, sometimes, these attempts by the detainees are -- to be quite blunt about it, signs for attention, signs to try and get the guards to come to a certain portion of the camp. There's no intention by the detainee to be successful.

They will, for example -- no one knows, but they will investigate this fourth attempt yesterday that sparked this unrest to see if there's any indication the detainee was attempting to hang himself or make a suicide gesture as a means of getting the guards to come into that area and then this unrest had been preplanned. No one can say for sure at this point. It's all under investigation.

But it is something that they deal with. And when they find that these attempts need medical attention, these detainees get very immediate medical attention by the U.S. forces, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Barbara Starr, thanks so much.

Well, from the United Nations new calls to shut GITMO down. The U.N. Committee Against Torture also calls for the U.S. to end cruel or inhumane interrogation techniques and to close secret prisons. The U.S. government denies it mistreats prison eat GITMO and insists that it can hold enemy combatants there without charge for as long as the war on terror lasts.

Nine-eleven conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui is there. So are Unabomber Ted Kaczynski and other notorious criminals. Supermax is supposed to be the nation's most secure federal prison, but guards say it's seriously understaffed. Union leaders say that staffing at the Colorado prison has fallen from 220, when it was opened 12 years ago, to 185 today. Prison officials haven't confirmed or denied the union's figures, but they say there's no danger to the public.

Death on the border, a run-in between the U.S. Border Patrol and the driver of an SUV who was suspected of carrying illegal immigrants. It happened at California's San Ysidro checkpoint, and for hours afterward, the world's busiest border crossing wasn't.

CNN's Peter Viles joins me now with the latest.

Peter, what do we know?

PETER VILES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A couple of new things, Kyra. First of all, that border crossing is open again. You can see the traffic moving behind me. And it's no longer suspected smuggling. Police in San Diego are saying -- are now saying it is, or was an incident of smuggling.

Five men were in that vehicle and including -- in addition to the driver, who died. Four of them are undocumented immigrant -- undocumented males, rather. Illegal aliens who told agents they had paid someone -- excuse me, to pick them up on the U.S. side of the border.

I'm standing in a bike lane. I apologize for that, Kyra. People are crossing the border into Mexico around me.

The fifth person in the car was a friend of driver, according to San Diego police, and is being charged with smuggling. So San Diego police, who are handling the investigation, are now saying, Kyra, that this was, in fact, a case of immigrant smuggling that led to this shooting yesterday at this border crossing, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So what are the rules in an engagement -- rules of engage engagement, rather, with Border Patrol officers, with regard to deadly force and using deadly force?

VILES: Sure, as I understand it, very similar to most police departments. You use force when your life is in danger, another agent's life is in danger, or an innocent bystander's life is in danger.

And more information from the San Diego police helps us understand why force was used. They had stopped this SUV in traffic, had surrounded the vehicle, were trying to make contact with the driver. He was refusing to open his door or to speak with them.

And then according to San Diego police, he quickly accelerated, driving toward five agents in front of the vehicle. It was two of those agents who shot at him. So clearly those agents felt that they were in danger.

And that's a standard. We've seen it in Los Angeles sometimes when a vehicle is stopped and then charges at police. Police will sometimes fire back, feeling that either their life is in danger or one of their colleagues standing in front of one of the vehicle's life is in danger.

PHILLIPS: Have you had a chance to talk with any representatives from the Mexican government?

VILES: I have not personally, but I know the A.P. has a report out from the Fox administration, a fairly conciliatory statement, saying they are asking their consulate here in the United States to investigate. But also saying the important part here, it appeared the driver was engaged in organized crime or people smuggling and was trying to escape U.S. officials.

So from that initial statement, it would not appear, from that initial statement, the Mexican government is going to make an international issue out of this. I should also add, thought, we don't know that that driver who was killed -- a 22-year-old male, we know that -- but we don't know that he was a Mexican national -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Peter Viles, appreciate you working the story for us. Thank you.

Well, the great immigration debate, from the Oval Office Monday night to the U.S. Capitol Friday afternoon, conflicting visions and confounding details, among them a guest worker program.

CNN's Andrea Koppel on the Hill with the latest -- Andrea.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.

Well in the last number of days, they've had lots of amendments that senators have been debating and voting on. I wanted to single out three of the big ones that have passed.

The first one has to do with border fencing. This would include 300 -- 370 miles of triple-layered fencing at strategic points on the southwest border, in addition to 500 miles worth of vehicle barriers.

The second one has to do with the -- this was really a big -- very inflammatory issue, the English as a national language. They had wanted, sponsored the amendment, had wanted to be English as the official language, which would have been a red flag for the Hispanic community. What this one says is that the government doesn't have to print official documents or other materials in any language other than English.

There was also a feel-good amendment that was proposed by Ken Salazar, who's one of the few Hispanics in the Senate, that would have English as a common and unifying language.

And then, finally, the third amendment that I want to single out is the temporary worker visas. This would lower -- there was discussion as to whether or not you would give 350,000, 370,000 temporary worker visas a year. It has now been lowered to 200,000 temporary visas every year, Kyra.

Now, again, this whole bill has yet to be voted on. These were amendments to the Senate bill, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: What about these so-called poison pills waiting in the wings. What do we know about that?

PHILLIPS: Right, these are -- these are the killer amendments, or amendments that might gut the essence of the bill as it now stands. I don't know if they're really any so-called killer amendments out there.

But there is one that is going to bring about a lot of heated debate and that has to do with getting rid of this so-called path to citizenship. This would -- this is one of the key provisions in the bill, that you can earn your citizenship by paying back taxes, a fine, learning English, things of that nature. This is one that's going to be raising red -- red flags, rather, next week, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Andrea Koppel on Hill. Thanks, Andrea.

Straight ahead, from the war on cancer, news we could usually only dream about: a new vaccine that could save thousands of women from misery and death.

The news keeps coming, we'll keep bringing it to you. You're watching LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, you don't have to be a super spy to come up with this piece of intel. General Michael Hayden will probably be confirmed as CIA director possibly as early as next week.

In yesterday's Senate hearing, Democrats questioned Hayden's judgment in developing that domestic surveillance program at the NSA. But majority Republicans strongly backed him up.

A cancer prevention breakthrough. A new vaccine is the horizon, a potential life saver for thousand of women, even young girls. Our medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, has a closer look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're all used to bringing our children in to get vaccinated against measles or mumps or chicken pox. But how about bringing them in to get vaccinated against cancer? Well, that may be happening in the near future to girls. Here's the way it would work.

An FDA panel has recommended approval of a vaccine for cervical cancer. The full FDA has yet to consider it, but they will very soon. The way it would work is that they would vaccinate girls, perhaps as young as 9 years old. That's what they did in the studies to show that it was safe.

The vaccine would protect against 70 percent of cervical cancers. That is, cervical cancers that are caused by two strains of the Human Papilloma Virus. The way this disease works is that a woman gets this virus from a man through sexual contact. And two strains of this virus cause 70 percent of cervical cancers.

The vaccine would also help prevent against genital warts.

Now one of the details that hasn't been quite worked out here is who would pay for this? This vaccine costs between $300 and $500. It's not clear right now if insurance would pay for it.

Now some religious groups have had some problems with this shot. Because what this shot is doing is you give it to a girl before she becomes sexual active, and it's to prevent against infection from a sexual transmitted virus. And some religious groups feel that it's kind of telling girls that it's OK to be promiscuous, because they're protected against this kind of infection.

However, so far, those voices have not been particularly loud, and this FDA panel has recommended that its use be approved.

Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, more on the GITMO clashes. Detainees at Guantanamo Bay attacking U.S. guards. We're on the story.

The news keeps coming. We'll keep bringing it to you. More LIVE FROM next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Terror suspects take on the U.S. military. It happened at the prison compound at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, nicknamed GITMO. Prisoners, we don't know how many, reportedly attacked the troops who were trying to keep another prisoner from hanging himself. The detainees lashed out with everything from sticks to fans and light fixtures. Word is no one was hurt.

Almost 500 terror suspects are being held at GITMO. Some have been there since right after 9/11.

We're seeing signs that high gas prices are starting to affect the overall economy, but can we expect the pain at the pump to ease up at all, I guess? Susan Lisovicz joins us live from the New York Stock Exchange to hopefully give us some answers.

Hey, Susan.

(STOCK REPORT)

PHILLIPS: All right, Susan. Be talking soon.

Well, boxes in a warehouse, big deal. But what's with all of the fencing and pad locks and tags that say "cocaine and heroin"? We're inside the "vault," the final destination for tons of smuggled drugs, when LIVE FROM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PHILLIPS: Securing the borders. Illegal immigration isn't the only thing U.S. authorities hope to prevent. Mind-boggling quantities of illegal drugs are slipped across the border every month, and while much of it goes undetected, an awful lot is stopped, seized and stored.

Stored where, you might ask? CNN's Anderson Cooper got an exclusive look inside "the vault."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER 360" (voice-over): As night falls, a shoot-out in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. As a new day nears, the streets will run red with blood. Drug traffickers battling with Mexican federal agents. In this shoot-out, all but one of the drug cartel gunmen are killed. Others will quickly take their place, however. There's money to be made and valuable smuggling routes to protect.

After midnight, Border Patrol agents on the U.S. side wait in darkness to catch smugglers bringing drugs across. The violence on the border has been increasing, and drug seizures are on the rise.

At the San Ysidro border crossing, at least 50 bricks or cocaine were found hidden this car. The driver, a Mexican woman, was allegedly a drug mule, supposed to meet up with a contact in San Diego.

(on camera) Most of the drugs which are seized at the border end up here. Now, we can't tell you exactly where here is. All I can tell you that it's a secret location, heavily guarded somewhere in southern California.

This is a lock vault, operated by the Customs and Border Protection. It's heavily guarded. Inside this vault are more drugs than you've ever seen in your entire life.

(voice-over) From floor to ceiling, there are boxes and boxes of drugs.

(on camera) So you have all drugs here, marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin?

PAUL HENNING, U.S. CUSTOMS & BORDER PROTECTION: We have the big four here, marijuana, meth, coke, and heroin. In addition to that we have other drugs, such as steroids, ketamine, date rape drugs, and a variety of other things that are of smaller quantity.

COOPER: This is incredible. I mean, it's a warehouse of drugs.

HENNING: That's correct. It's one of 67 warehouses that we have in the United States. This is the largest. It contains right now about 80 tons of different types of drugs, right now amounting to a street value of about $150 million.

COOPER (voice-over): Marijuana is stored on boxes on open shelves, but harder drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin, are kept in locked cages.

(on camera) This is what meth looks like up close?

HENNING: That's what it looks like up close in its raw form, that's correct. And this was actually seized from the gas tank of a motorcycle.

This is heroin. This is black tar heroin. This was seized in a Volkswagen Jetta in the firewall of the Jetta. And again this officer was picking up on the nervousness on the part the driver, and then the presence of the odor was confirmed by one of our detector dogs. And you can actually smell the pungent odor of the heroin through the packaging.

COOPER: That's what that is?

HENNING: It smells very much like vinegar.

COOPER: Yes, yes.

(voice-over) One pound of heroin sells for about $25,000 on the street. That adds up to big business, too tempting for criminals to ignore.

(on camera) Who are the traffickers?

HENNING: The traffickers are very large cartels, very large organizations that control the flow of the narcotics from where it's produced to where it's going.

And they'll simply recruit anybody that they can to actually smuggle it across the border. They're not going to do that themselves. They're going to try and hire somebody who's expendable that they can then talk into bringing this stuff in.

COOPER: This is just one package of marijuana. This one weighs about 13 pounds. It's worth about $45,000 on the streets in the Midwest. What's remarkable, though, in this shipment is they found 11,000 pounds of marijuana hidden in a tractor trailer truck. It was supposedly carrying television sets. It did have some TVs but also had all these bails of marijuana.

On the street, all of this stuff is probably worth about $33 million.

(voice-over) The drugs here don't stay forever. Most are kept as evidence until the judicial process runs its course. Then they're moved out.

(on camera) This is literally the end the line for the narcotics that have been seized in this area. They're boxed up, shrink-wrapped and then sent to be incinerated. They're basically burned. Before they're put in these boxes, however, they get tested one more time by Customs and Border Protection officers.

That's a brick of marijuana, and he's putting it in plastic containers to do what?

HENNING: That's correct. He puts it inside the plastic container, seals it up, and then breaks three individual ampoules of chemical that are inside. And once all three of those react then with the THC content in the marijuana, we'll get a purple color, a very vibrant purple color, which will tell us that that is indeed marijuana.

COOPER (voice-over): For all of the drugs incinerated, more boxes and narcotics will quickly take their place. The cat and mouse game between drug traffickers and law enforcement shows no sign of letting up.

Anderson Cooper, CNN, southern California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And Anderson Cooper is keeping a close watch on border issues. Join "A.C. 360" weeknights at 10 p.m. Eastern.

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