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CNN Live Today

L.A. Students Walk Out to Protest Immigration Reform; Retired Couple Heads out for Seventh Peace Corps Assignment; Young People in France Protest Employer Reforms; Former Defense Secretary, Caspar Weinberger, Dead at 88

Aired March 28, 2006 - 11:30   ET

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

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ELBERT HIGGINBOTHAM, RESCUED AFTER 17 DAYS: We didn't realize how lost we were. We were six miles from where we thought we were. So we just had to be patient, you know. We got -- there's five and a half, almost six feet of snow up there. They said three to five inches. We got 10 to 12. And we slid off the road the first day, and we dug ice for 300 yards to get us up the hill.

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DARYN KAGAN, HOST: So do you remember that guy? He and his family had a joyous reunion after they were stuck in the Oregon mountains for more than two weeks.

Well, now, the sheriff says that Elbert Higginbotham and his wife have hit the road again in the RV. Police say the couple had agreed to cooperate in a drug case, and now they're missing. And apparently in the same mobile home that they were in when they got stuck in the snowy mountains. As Paul Harvey likes to say, now you know the rest of the story.

In Florida a neighborhood is -- how should we say this? Abuzz. That's because about 40,000 interlopers have taken up residence. And these are the uninvited guests.

The neighbors are taking refuge in their homes. They say they won't come out until a beekeeper completes his job this week. It's a classic tale and tune that could be retitled "Fright of the Bumblebee."

Let's see what the buzz is in the weather department. Chad Myers has that for us. Chad, good morning.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's a honey of a story.

KAGAN: Oh, my God. How sweet it is.

MYERS: Good morning, Daryn.

KAGAN: Click, click, click. TVs around Americas are turning just to get away from our puns. MYERS: They're going anyway. That's why I have remote control here. So I can push the button and keep you interested.

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KAGAN: All right, Chad. Thank you for that.

We are going to southern California. Might be rain there, but student walkouts happening again.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Another one.

KAGAN: Yes.

HARRIS: Yes, another one, Daryn. Yes, this is Carson, California. You know this area well. Another student walkout. And Carson is, just to sort of give you a frame of reference here, south of Los Angeles, south of Compton, east of Redondo and Torrance.

Another student walkout over the immigration debate that is hot in this country right now. And Daryn, looks pretty tame right now, but a couple of minutes ago I can tell you, the kids had actually created quite an unsettling kind of dangerous situation. They were actually walking on the Harbor Freeway, a large number of these kids who had walked out of the school.

And just a couple of moments ago, and maybe we'll see it in this picture here, there they are actually on the freeway, and police were following them, trying to keep them as best they could to the side of the road. But as you can see here, this is a potentially dangerous situation for the motorists and particularly for these kids.

They came off one of the off ramps a few minutes later. And then there is a core group, a smaller group of the larger group, that police have kind of detained in an area right now, and they've got their hands on their heads. And we're not sure if they're, in fact, going to be arrested. But it's a situation we're watching for you, Daryn.

KAGAN: Walking under the Harbor Freeway at any hour, let alone rush hour...

HARRIS: Not good. Not good.

KAGAN: ... not the smartest move. Perhaps these kids need more time in class to work on the smarts, instead of out walking the streets and the freeways. Tony Harris, thank you.

HARRIS: All right, Daryn.

KAGAN: Coming up, it is a shipwreck mystery.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mayday, mayday! This is the fishing vessel, Josephine. We're stranded on Cape Cod Beach. (END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: A fisherman crawls ashore after his boat capsizes. But what happened to his ship mates? The mystery is solved straight ahead.

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KAGAN: Are you ready to feel inspired? Wait until you meet this next couple.

He's 83; she's 81. They're waiting to ship out. Yes, Marcia and Chuck McBeath are waiting for their Peace Corps assignment, and this will be their seventh tour.

So far they've done four stints in Africa, two in the Caribbean. In fact, retirees are a growing segment of the Peace Corps volunteers.

Marcia and Chuck McBeath join me from Seattle. Good morning.

CHUCK MCBEATH, PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER: Good morning.

MARCIA MCBEATH, PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER: Good morning.

KAGAN: The average age of a Peace Corps volunteer is 28 years old. People at your age are usually looking perhaps for retirement homes. So what are you crazy kids doing trying to head out again somewhere around the world?

C. MCBEATH: I think we have it in our blood or something, but we say it's our retirement career.

KAGAN: And Marcia, you're looking forward to going out again?

M. MCBEATH: Yes. We've been traveling ever since we've got married, so this is nothing new for us.

KAGAN: This is what you do. Now you've had worldwide adventures. As we've said, you've been all over Africa, the Caribbean. Things don't always go smoothly. The Ivory Coast, when you were posted there, things got a little dicey, did they not?

C. MCBEATH: Yes, they did. We weren't in any particular situation, but it was interesting.

KAGAN: Interesting as in civil war?

C. MCBEATH: No. We were sitting, waiting to find what was going to happen, and I guess when we finally got the call and they asked us to come in, the bus stopped several times at checkpoints. They said, "Everybody out" and walked through the line of soldiers and then back on the bus.

M. MCBEATH: And somebody on the bus said that the French helicopter people were looking for us the day before, but that would have been kind of fun to have gotten out that way. KAGAN: I don't know that we've had anybody who's evacuated civil war explain it so calmly. But I'm getting the mood here. Now Chuck, when you go places, you bring your engineering expertise, and Marcia, your specialty is teaching?

M. MCBEATH: Actually, I'm a psychologist.

KAGAN: OK.

M. MCBEATH: And in most of my Peace Corps Assignments I was doing or teaching or writing, something about counseling.

KAGAN: And Chuck, what kind of engineering projects have been worked on over the years?

C. MCBEATH: Well, in the Peace Corps I landed in Lisutu, the first country, when the Lisutu Highlands (ph) development was already starting a large water project in the mountains there.

KAGAN: How would you say your age helps you as Peace Corps volunteers?

C. MCBEATH: I think part of it is it's just having the experience, but one of the nice things is, particularly in Africa that you're well respected, and I believe that the people there -- the local people will listen to you a little more attentively than they will for a 20-year-old.

KAGAN: And what do your kids, Marcia, think, your grown children? What do they think about Mom and Dad heading out to these hotspots?

M. MCBEATH: Well, when we first went out -- this was 20 years ago -- our oldest son, second child was a little bit hesitant. He was a little afraid for us. But after we explained what was going on, he accepted it very well. And they all now, of course, think it's great.

KAGAN: Now it's just "That's just Mom and Dad. That's just what they do." If there's other seniors out there thinking about doing the same type of thing, about joining the Peace Corps, what would you say? What's the reality of the experience?

M. MCBEATH: We don't think it's for everybody. We have to say that. But for those who go through the process of getting in and find out about it and in their interviews find out what goes on, we think it's wonderful.

KAGAN: Well, as you said, you're waiting for what could perhaps be your seventh posting with the Peace Corps.

C. MCBEATH: We're hoping for it.

M. MCBEATH: We're hoping for that.

KAGAN: Fingers crossed. If and when you get posted, you'll give us a call and let us know where you're going? M. MCBEATH: Sure.

KAGAN: We wish you well on your travels and your journeys. Chuck and Marcia McBeath, in their 80s. Six-time Peace Corps volunteers. Thank you for your time today and your service to the Peace Corps.

C. MCBEATH: Thank you.

KAGAN: Tony has been watching this walkout by students in Southern California. He has more on that -- Tony.

HARRIS: Yes, let me talk about that. Certainly, it's a walkout in Carson, California, and these are kids who left school a short time ago, obviously protesting the situation with immigration reform that is being hotly debated in the Senate right now.

And a few minutes ago, these kids were actually on the Harbor Freeway in Carson, California, which is south of Los Angeles and east of Torrance and east of Redondo, just to give you an idea of the area of California that we're talking about.

And a moment ago we saw a number of kids who were sort of lined up there, a small group of kids. And police were detaining them. The kids were held on the side of the road, and their hands were over their heads. And now you can see that at least one and possibly more of the young folks are being questioned and possibly taken into custody.

And once again, Daryn, this was quite a -- well, you'd have to say a scary situation with these kids on the Harbor Freeway in the middle of the traffic. Scary for the kids, scary for the police who are trying to control the situation and obviously scary for motorists, as you see them here.

You know, this is a situation where the kids -- you're not sure what statement they were trying to make in doing all of this, but there you go. That was the scene just a couple of moments ago in Carson, California.

And now this is another situation. Let's take you to Paris right now, Daryn.

KAGAN: Other side of the world?

HARRIS: Absolutely. A situation that you've been watching closely this morning. The latest in a series of protests among young people in Paris over this new law that gives great flexibility to employers to fire young employees within two years of employment without much notice at all.

And at various times throughout the morning we have seen the police, who have been staged all over this area, move in on small groups of the demonstrators. And that's what you're watching right now, police moving in on a small group of protestors. It looked like a little tear gas blast there, just a moment ago, trying to control the situation, which of course, has the potential to get out of the hand but for the most part has been pretty peaceful, we must say.

KAGAN: Peaceful. But other unions have joined them in support.

HARRIS: That's right.

KAGAN: So transit affected across France today. Planes, lots of flights have been canceled and trains. And things coming not to a complete standstill in France, but if you have people traveling over there, know that they're not having an easy day.

Tony, thank you.

HARRIS: sure thing.

KAGAN: Still ahead, taking your best friend out to dinner could get a little easier. Rover gets to try out a seat at the table. We'll have the details. Get it? The de-tails?

And what this dog ate by accident will curl your hair. LIVE TODAY has your animal adventures coming up next.

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MELISSA LONG, CNN.COM: Can you imagine taking a trip to Mars? Some entrepreneurs are hoping to make that a reality sooner than you think.

"Business 2.0" magazine has created a guide showing how businessmen and women are planning to make their mark on the galaxy. Governments around the world are spending more on space than ever before, with the numbers soaring to $50 billion a year.

Back in 1998, private sector spending on space skyrocketed, with a number of millionaires, such as PayPal founder Elon Musk leading the way.

This gallery details the space ventures private companies are looking into, ranging from space hotels to space elevators. What's a space elevator? It's a 62,000-mile elevator that would transport both human and orbital cargo.

To learn more about what's on the horizon of the final frontier log into CNNMoney.com/space.

From the dot com desk, I'm Melissa Long.

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KAGAN: The next time you take your dog out for a game of fetch, you might want to think about this freak accident. A Rhode Island man threw his -- threw this. What you're looking at is a nine and a half stick to his German Shepherd, Shultz. Somehow, Schultz (ph) wound up swallowing the entire stick. The stick punctured the dog's throat. The owner faced a tough decision: pay for a $6,000 surgery that might not even save Shultz or put the dog to sleep. Well, you dog owners know how this one ended. He gambled on the surgery, and it looks like Shultz is going to be OK.

Now your pooch might not have to wait for a doggie bag when you dine out the next time. In Florida Fido might come along for the meal. There's a new bill would let cities decide whether to let dogs into restaurants. Pooches would be aloud to tag along at outdoor tables. They would have to be on a leash.

If the doggie dining bill is approved by state lawmakers, Fido gets three years to show he has good table manners. Otherwise, lawmakers might yank that law.

Well, this is the kind of the story that can keep even a veteran fisherman up at night. A boat aground in the dead of night, two men in the cold water. A story of survival now from Rhondella Richardson with our Boston affiliate, WCVB.

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RHONDELLA RICHARDSON, WCVB CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is all that's left of the 39-foot scalloper, the Josephine, from Maine. It never made it to Chatham.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mayday, mayday! This is the fishing vessel, Josephine. We are stranded on Cape Cod beach.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you taking on water at this time?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. We are on the beach, and the boat is taking on water.

RICHARDSON: The trawler capsized. The first mate, Michael Darragh, the skipper, Ian Orchard, and their dog were in the water for about 20 minutes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The auto pilot was set up on the vessel, and they ended up, apparently, running aground somewhere maybe out on the barrier sandbar.

SGT. ROBERT SCHNITZER, EASTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, POLICE: Both of the gentlemen were able -- barely able, just about able to get out of the boat. They didn't have survival suits on or anything, had some basic life preservers with them. We found the first victim early.

RICHARDSON: While he was treated for hypothermia, his brother- in-law, the skipper, was feared missing at sea. It was high tide and dark. The beach search turned up little more than wreckage. Until daybreak, when police noticed a broken window at a Coast Guard building on the beach.

SCHNITZER: We found that the gentleman had busted into the building and had basically passed out inside the building.

RICHARDSON: Orchard, who had wrapped himself in a curtain, was taken to Cape Cod hospital.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And he said he'd been in the shower for a couple hours trying to warm himself up. And then he passed out probably due to hypothermia.

RICHARDSON: The area used to be the scene of a lot of shipwrecks prior to the Cape Cod Canal. What caused this one is under investigation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When the vessel ran aground, they lost power for the skipper of the boat. There may have been some issues about him falling asleep possibly at the wheel.

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KAGAN: And that story from Rhondella Richardson from WCVB with that story. The fishermen's dog also made it to shore and is fine, to complete our dog trifecta there.

Still ahead, a new hybrid car on the market. We'll have the details just ahead.

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KAGAN: We learned within the last hour that former defense secretary, Caspar Weinberger, who served under President Reagan, died yesterday at the age of 88. On the phone with me right now is the former education secretary under the Reagan administration, Bill Bennett, now a CNN contributor.

Bill, your memories of Caspar Weinberger in the minute we have right now.

BILL BENNETT, FORMER EDUCATION SECRETARY: Yes. Caspar was old school, Daryn. He was thoughtful, considered, thought about things before he said them. Very loyal to Ronald Reagan and of course, with the Defense Department buildup, he was in charge of defense, brought about the end of the Soviet empire. So it's a heck of a legacy.

KAGAN: His legacy somewhat tainted, would you say, because he was indicted in the Iran-Contra scandal but then later pardoned by President Bush 41?

BENNETT: Well, those were the days when almost everybody was indicted. So you couldn't tell much from that. But he was pardoned by the president, represented by my brother, as a matter of fact, Bob Bennett.

Now I think you take a man in the totality of his actions, the good and the bad. And the good far outweighed any blemishes. He was a real giant.

KAGAN: Bill Bennett, thank you for your thoughts on Caspar Weinberger.

BENNETT: Thank you. KAGAN: Once again, the former defense secretary dying yesterday at the age of 88.

I'm Daryn Kagan. International news is up next. I'll have U.S. headlines for you in about 20 minutes.

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