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American Morning

American Officials Kill Suspected Immigrant Smuggler; Michael Hayden Gets Grilling

Aired May 19, 2006 - 07:00   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Peter Viles at the Mexican border crossing in Sandy Ysidro, California, which has just reopened. It was closed much of the night after American officials shot and killed a suspected immigrant smuggler.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Michael Hayden gets a grilling to remember, but the Air Force general appears headed for confirmation as the next CIA boss, but will Congress be in the loop?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: And a spike in attacks in Afghanistan leaves to more than 100 dead. I'm Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Are the Taliban back in action?

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A cancer prevention break through. A new vaccine coming soon may be able to save thousands of lives. That encouraging story and much more ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.

M. O'BRIEN: Good morning to you. I'm Miles O'Brien. Welcome to Friday.

S. O'BRIEN: And I'm Soledad O'Brien. Sounds so good, doesn't it?

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, it does.

S. O'BRIEN: Friday.

Let's talk about the story, our lead story this morning. Peter Viles reporting for us, the nation's busiest entry point into and out of Mexico, has only just reopened a few hours ago; it was closed much of the night after a suspected immigrant smuggler shot and killed by police right in the middle of the highway. You can see the vehicle, the SUV right there. The shooting happened near the border crossing in San Ysidro, California. That's between San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico.

CNN's Peter Viles live for us at the border crossing.

Peter, what exactly happened?

PETER VILES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Very strange turn of events, Soledad. There was a chase that lasted about five miles heading due west on an interstate highway. The Border Patrol chasing this black SUV, believing that perhaps inside the SUV were illegal aliens who had been smuggled into the United States. The driver of the SUV turned south on Interstate 5. You can drive right into Mexico, without stopping on this road, but the Border Patrol managed to corner this guy about 100 feet from the Mexican border. But at that point, the Border Patrol says he refused to cooperate, and that's when the shooting happened.

Here's how San Diego police were describing the shooting last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN ROONEY, SAN DIEGO POLICE: At one point, the suspect began to drive off, and he veered hard to the left, trying to get back inside traffic. At that point, two agents fired upon the vehicle. One agent is a member of the United States Customs and Border Protection. The other agent member is the agent of United States Border Patrol.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VILES: Now, the driver of the vehicle was declared dead on the screen. There were five passengers in the vehicle who were taken into custody and questioned. We don't know anything more about that about the driver or the passengers.

The big fallout here locally, though, was this southbound border crossing into Mexico was closed more than nine hours, and this, as you said, Soledad, is the busiest border crossing, not just on the Mexican border, but in the entire world, so a lot of local fallout from that. But a lot of questions to be answered about who these people were, who was in the car and was driving it.

S. O'BRIEN: We don't know yet, Peter, if the driver, who was killed, if that was an American or Mexican?

VILES: No, we do not. It does appear he was heading toward Mexico, but we don't know if he was American or Mexican.

S. O'BRIEN: Let me ask you a question, the Border Patrol agents, what tipped them off in the first place to this particular SUV?

VILES: They received a tip from a citizen who had seen this SUV at another border crossing, about five miles from here, pick up, according to this tipster, pick up five people who looked like they might be illegal aliens. This tipster called the Border Patrol. They were able to locate the vehicle pretty quickly and give pursuit, chased it to the second crossing where the shooting happened.

S. O'BRIEN: Interesting story. All right, Peter Viles for us this morning. Peter, thanks.

Seventy-thousand illegal immigrants were caught near Yuma, Arizona in 2005. That was a backdrop for President Bush on Thursday, when he called for a new immigration bill. Mr. Bush made it clear that he is not calling for amnesty.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRES. OF THE UNITED STATES: I know we got to enforce our border, but I'm also realistic. There are some -- look, amnesty to me means you're an automatic citizen, and I'm not advocating -- some in the Democratic Party might be advocating that, but I'm certainly not. On the other hand, I recognize there have people here for a long period of time, and it doesn't make sense to try to deport millions of people. And so there ought to be a way for people to pay a fine or learn the English language and then get a citizenship line, but at the back, not at the front.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: The president called on Congress to pass a guest worker program as part of any border-control package.

So how are the American people reacting to the president's immigration push? A new CNN poll finds, which was conducting by Opinion Research Corporation, finds that just 36 percent of people approved the president's handling of the immigration issue. Important to note that the president's numbers actually up 11 percentage points over January. Sixty-four percent said they like the idea of sending the National Guard troops in to help prevent undocumented immigrants from crossing the border. Only 32 percent oppose the idea.

Back on Capitol Hill, lots of activity, as they try to write immigration reform legislation. The Senate last night defeated an amendment, the immigration bill, that would have kept guest workers from getting on a path to citizenship. The Senate also amended the bills to make English the national language. That bill requires illegals to learn English as a condition for earning a legal permanent residency -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, it's all over but the voting for the president's choice to take the helm at the Central Agency. General Michael Hayden did endure a grilling at the hands of the Senate Intelligence Committee yesterday, but his confirmation appears to be a lock.

Andrea Koppel on Capitol Hill for us this morning.

Good morning, Andrea.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.

For seven hours, this confirmation hearing became a battleground, primarily over the warrantless wiretapping surveillance program developed by General Hayden at the NSA.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL (voice-over): The confirmation hearing was a battleground, primarily over the controversial warrantless surveillance programs run by General Hayden at the NSA, and the lines were drawn before the questioning even began. SEN. PAT ROBERTS (R), INTELLIGENCE CMTE. CHAIRMAN: We cannot get to the point where we are unilaterally disarming ourselves in the war against terror. If we do, it will be game, set, match, al Qaeda.

SEN. CARL LEVIN (D), MICHIGAN: It's not hard to see how Americans could feel that their privacy has been intruded upon.

KOPPEL: Under friendly questioning by Republicans, General Hayden defended the wiretap program.

SEN. KIT BOND (D), MISSOURI: Did you believe that your primary responsibility as director of NSA was to execute a program that your NSA lawyers, that Justice Department lawyers and White House officials all told you was legal, and that you were ordered to carry it out by the president of the United States?

GEN. MICHAEL HAYDEN, CIA DIRECTOR NOMINEE: Sir, when I had to make the personal decision in October of 2001, and it was a personal decision, the math was pretty straightforward. I could not do this.

KOPPEL: Democrats, on the other hand, bluntly questioned whether the general had misled Congress and the public.

SEN. RON WYDEN (D), OREGON: Now, general, having evaluated your words, I now have a difficult time with your credibility.

KOPPEL: Senator Ron Wyden also claimed that only briefing a few select senators and representatives fell far short of sufficient congressional oversight.

WYDEN: Despite yesterday's last-minute briefing, for years, years, general, you and the Bush administration have not kept the committee fully and currently informed of all appropriate intelligence activities.

KOPPEL: This brought a sharp rebuke from the committee chairman, one of those who had been briefed from the beginning.

ROBERTS: You might think we're not independent. I am independent. And I ask very tough questions. And they were answered to my satisfaction by the general and other members of the briefing team.

KOPPEL: General Hayden said that in all his briefings, he'd never gotten any indication from Congress that the NSA programs had crossed the line.

HAYDEN: I never left the room thinking I had to do anything differently.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL: Between those fire fights over his old job at the NSA, there were lots of questions about his vision for the CIA. General Hayden pledged that if confirmed he would practice independence and step up aggressive intelligence gathering -- Miles. M. O'BRIEN: Andrea Koppel on Capitol Hill, thank you -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: The Taliban is apparently trying to re-establish itself in parts of southern Afghanistan. Some of the heaviest clashes in months are now raising new concerns in Washington.

CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr's following the very latest developments from the Pentagon for us this morning.

Hey, Barbara. Good morning.

STARR: Good morning to you, Soledad.

Well, the fighting has indeed been fierce.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STARR (voice-over): In southern Afghanistan, the aftermath of some of the deadliest combat since the fall of the Taliban after the 9/11 attacks. Reports from Helmand (ph) and Kandahar providence say more than 100 people have been killed over the last two days, including scores of Taliban, several Afghan police and the first Canadian female soldier to be killed in combat.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is raising new concerns in private with the U.S. about Taliban control in southern Afghanistan. Karzai says it is extremists crossing from Pakistan who are responsible for some of the recent attacks, including burning schools and clinics. U.S. commanders say Taliban fighters regrouped and are changing their tactics over the last year.

LT. GEN. KARL EIKENBERRY, U.S. ARMY: We've seen the enemy has shifted to increasing use of improvised explosive devices. There's been an increase in suicide bombings.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: Soledad, of course, Afghanistan was the first front line in the war on terror. But now, as we approach the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, it is becoming increasingly clear that the Taliban have not disappeared from Afghanistan -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: And so where are they coming from? I mean, Karzai, it seems, IS saying it's coming from Pakistan. So what do the U.S. commanders think?

STARR: Well, U.S. commanders are watching that very closely, indeed. On the Pakistan side of the border, what they are beginning to notice, they say, is that the Taliban have regrouped to the extent that they are now in control of certain towns and villages on the Pakistan side, and they believe that they are deeply rooted in that region, not going anywhere anytime soon -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon for us. Barbara, thanks -- Miles. M. O'BRIEN: The worst flooding in seven decades in New England is now receding, leaving a long, tough road for thousands of people with flooded homes. Along the Merrimack River in Massachusetts, they're pumping water out from flooded basements.

In Lawrence, there is an overnight curfew. With the power and the families still out, police are worried about looting. It appears nearly all of those with damage did not have flood insurance. FEMA expected to arrive next week.

(WEATHER REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, a huge development in cancer prevention: a vaccine that could save thousands of womens' lives each year from one of the deadliest forms of cancer.

M. O'BRIEN: And it's hard to imagine an election with higher stakes. Voters preparing to decide who will lead the city of New Orleans, and for that matter, what will happen to the future in the city of New Orleans.

S. O'BRIEN: Then a fishing boat captain is missing at sea. Fellow boaters say he bravely chose to rescue a passenger, instead of saving himself. We'll have that dramatic story just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Pretty big development to tell you about on the cancer front. A new vaccine with the power potentially to prevent 70 percent of cervical cancer cases. Could be available soon to the public.

Let's get right to medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen. She's at the CNN Center with some details. This is a huge breakthrough, isn't it, Elizabeth?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It is a huge breakthrough, and it's also somewhat controversial, which we'll talk about later, Soledad.

Soledad, you know as a mom that we all take our kids to get vaccinated against measles, and mumps and chicken pox. Well, soon will be taking our daughters in to get vaccinated against cervical cancer? Well, looks like that could be happening. An FDA panel recommended that this vaccine be approved. It then needs to go to the full FDA. The way that it works is that cervical cancer is caused by the human papilloma virus in the vast majority of cases. That is something that is sexually transmitted.

So the plan would be, if this does happen, the plan that would probably be considered would be to vaccinate girls before they become sexually active. So in the studies, they vaccinated studies as young as nine years old. This vaccine would protect against 70 percent of cervical cancers that are caused by two strains of the human papilloma virus. It would also help prevent against genital warts.

Now, something that's interesting, that hasn't quite been fully worked out, who would pay for this? This vaccine will costs between $300 and $500 -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, and that's not cheap.

COHEN: No.

S. O'BRIEN: Let me ask you about the controversy first, Elizabeth. Conservative groups are very concerned that this could actually encourage kids to be promiscuous.

COHEN: Right, the concern was that, gee, we're telling kids we're going vaccinate the girls against cervical cancer so that the virus that's sexually transmitted wouldn't cause cervical cancer. Was that going to make kids become promiscuous. Well, they've voiced those concerns. It hasn't really come into play in a big way at this point. It'll be interesting to see as this moves through the approval process whether those voices will become louder.

S. O'BRIEN: Let me ask you a question about the population they're going to vaccinate. Why would they talk about vaccinating men and boys when you're talking about cervical cancer which is only in women?

COHEN: Right, they're talking about vaccinating girls, girls before they become sexually active, so that when they do become sexually active, the men wouldn't give the women this virus. Now, you might also think, well, gee, if males are giving the virus to females, why not vaccinate the males? They have studied that to some extent. They haven't fully studied it. But right now, if all of this going through, at this point, it would involve just vaccinating girls, not vaccinating boys at this point.

S. O'BRIEN: Elizabeth Cohen for us this morning. Elizabeth, thanks -- Miles.

COHEN: Thanks.

M. O'BRIEN: Still to come on the program BellSouth online, too, with a big complaint for "USA Today." The company says it never had a contract with the government to turn over phone records to spies. We'll tell you what the paper is saying.

COHEN: And after years of improvement, violent crime is on the rise again in big cities, but why? We'll have a closer look for you ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: The national murder rate is down across the country, but a disturbing trend, as some major cities report a rising murder rate. In Boston, last week, seven murders in seven days. That's after years of decline.

AMERICAN MORNING's Dan Lothian takes a look at what's happening.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Isaura Mendes, pounding the pavement for peace in a tough Boston neighborhood. A mother forced into battle when her 23-year-old son Bobby was murdered near the family home more than a decade ago.

ISAURA MENDES, SONS MURDERED: What's the excuse for all our kids getting killed?

BISHOP FELIPE TEIXERA, FAMILY MINISTER: She has been there for all the mothers who lost their children, black-American, Latinos, Caucasian.

LOTHIAN: Now, Mendes is the money that needs to be comforted, again, after suffering another loss. Her 24-year-old son, Alex like his mother, a community activist, gunned down last week, just around the corner from where his brother bobby was stabbed to death.

TEIXERA: She was just wordless, powerless.

LOTHIAN (on camera): Boston has recently seen a spike in the number of murders, 21 so far this year. This comes on the heels of the deadliest 12 months in a decade. While the national numbers have been relatively flat, or even down over the past few years, in some major cities, violence is on the rise.

(voice-over): James Fox, an author, professor and expert on issues of violence, has spent much of his career doing crime forecasting.

JAMES FOX, CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROFESSOR: Philadelphia, Seattle, Phoenix are all seeing spikes in killings. To some extent, they also reflect the fact that these cities have recently established low points.

LOTHIAN: Law enforcement experts say what's troubling is the fact that attacks seem to be especially vicious, with multiple victims. In March, six people shot and killed execution style in a Seattle home, before the gunman took his own life. In December, four men were gunned down in a Boston-area recording studio. And earlier, this month, Boston saw a string of seven murders in as many days.

FOX: There is a problem. It's a growing problem of youth violence, but not an epidemic. It's controllable. And there's some things we can do about it.

LOTHIAN: Fox says more police officers on the street and more prevention programs for at-risk kids are needed.

City officials in Boston plan to install surveillance cameras in hotspots, but Mayor Tom Menino, who is losing his police commissioner to another job, says the community must help, too. MYR. TOM MENINO, BOSTON: Police can't solve it alone. Anybody who thinks that it's only going to be the police who solve the problem don't understand the issue of community.

LOTHIAN: No one understands that more than Isaura Mendez. Even in her grief, she's still out on the street, fighting for peace.

TEIXERA: To me, she's another Mother Theresa.

LOTHIAN: A courageous mother, who doesn't plan to let the murders of her sons stop her.

Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, a sad story, tragic story, a fishing boat captain that chooses to save a passenger instead of saving himself. We'll talk about that just ahead this morning.

M. O'BRIEN: And we have a gator in the house. As a matter of fact, take a look. That's the green room, green in more ways than one. Jeff Corwin of Animal Planet is here. We're going to talk about what is going on in Florida. Too many gators? Too many people? Maybe a little bit of both.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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