Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Smugglers Using New Tactics to Cross Border; Top Military Leader Facing Fire After Calling Homosexuality 'Immoral'
Aired March 13, 2007 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Soledad O'Brien in Mexico City. They tell us it does not rain here, but of course, as you can see, that just isn't true. You can hear the bells chiming behind me as we start the hour.
We're here, of course, because President Bush and President Calderon are not meeting very far from here, just about a two hour flight. What they're going to be talking about is job creation. They're going to be talking about the wage disparity. They're going to be talking about immigration. They're going to be talking about crime, as well.
No surprise that back in the United States there are many people who think illegal immigrants are stealing American jobs. Many people who think illegal immigrants really cost the U.S. a lot of money when it comes to health care costs and social programs costs.
Mexicans we've spoken to here say for all those costs the benefits that Mexicans bring to the U.S. economy far outweigh them. And some will say, in Mexico, they are really paying. They're having a brain drain. It's almost a black hole. We'll talk more about that straight ahead this morning.
We have Elaine Quijano Merida this morning. She's traveling with the president, Chris Lawrence is on the U.S. border, in Otte Mesa, in California. Ed Lavandera is with us, as well, he's on the other side of the border, the Mexican border. He's in Palomas, Mexico. We'll talk to Harris Whitbeck, also, right next to me in Mexico City. Talking with all of them straight ahead this morning in just a moment.
Miles, back to you.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: All right, Soledad, see you shortly.
In Washington, word that mass firing of U.S. attorneys was much less of a blood letting than the White House first considered. "The Washington Post" reporting, the White House considered firing each and every attorney in the country; 93 of them, in all, in the end eight were dismissed supposedly for poor performance. But critics say the administration say it was a political vendetta. The White House spoke to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales passing on Republican concerns that the prosecutors were too is a soft on Democrats. Gonzales chief of staff resigned yesterday as a result of all this.
This morning the nation's top military leader is facing fire after calling homosexuality immoral. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine General Peter Pace telling the "Chicago Tribune", he supports the Pentagon's don't ask, don't tell policy on moral grounds.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
GEN. PETER PACE, U.S. ARMY: I do not believe that the armed forces of the United States are well served by saying, through our policies, that it's OK to immoral in any way, not just with regards to homosexual acts. So from that standpoint, saying that gays should serve openly, in the military, to me says that we, by policy, would be condoning what I believe is immoral activity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
M. O'BRIEN: CNN's Barbara Starr is live at the Pentagon.
Good morning, Barbara.
It's interesting, in the past, it seems this whole policy of don't ask, don't tell, has been defended on a morale issue, not a moral issue. Is this a turn? Or has this been discussed before by the brass?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: General Pace was talking on the basis of his own upbringing. These are his beliefs, he says. That homosexuality is immoral activity.
As you said, Miles, in the past it's all been related to good order and discipline in a unit. That a unit cannot maintain good order and discipline if there is homosexual behavior in that unit. But General Pace lit a firestorm that is already smoldering this morning in Washington.
A group, the Service Members Legal Defense Network, a group that supports gays and lesbians in the military has issued quite a strongly worded statement saying that comments, quote, "are outrageous, insensitive and disrespectful" in the words of that group, "to the thousands of gays and lesbians who do serve honorably in the military". They are calling upon him to apologize -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: You think that's likely?
STARR: Well -- uh, I don't know to be quite honest. You know, General Pace is a man of very deeply held beliefs, but he is also someone who is always concerned about offending people. He is, to put it mildly, a very polite person. He may not realize at this point how his comments are perceived. It's going to be interesting to see.
I think the measure will be whether this now becomes an issue that the presidential candidates take on and whether this now becomes, yet, again, another debate in the country about gays in the military.
M. O'BRIEN: There's talk in Congress about rolling back that don't ask, don't tell policy and allowing gays to serve openly in the military. That, obviously, puts this in a new realm, as well. STARR: It does. I must add in that General Pace, at the moment, not every one agrees with him. Just several weeks ago, General John Shalikashvili, a retired chairman of the Joint Chiefs, a very respected man -- wrote in "The New York Times" some 14 years after he was in charge of the policy that put don't ask, don't tell into place -- he now is having second thoughts and that he does believe now that gays and lesbians can serve openly in the military. He believes it's time it revisit the policy.
So, it does remain to be seen at this point whether Congress will now take up this issue; whether Congress will feel the pressure from the gay and lesbian community on this, Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Thank, Barbara Starr.
Also in the Pentagon heads are still rolling in the wake of the scandal at Walter Reed. More hearings today, no less than four groups now investigating the shoddy conditions that outraged many wounded vets and their families. The Army's top medical officer, General Kevin Kiley, is out, forced to retire. He is the third high-level officer to lose his job since "The Washington Post" broke the story -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Miles, thanks.
Here in Mexico President Bush and President Calderon have a lot on their agenda. They're going to be meeting a little later this morning. This is the fifth stop in the president's Latin America tour. And he's been met with protests every single step of the way. We're expecting much of the same here in Mexico. Elaine Quijano is traveling with the president, she's not very far from where we are this morning. About a 90 minute, two hour flight, in Merida.
Good morning, Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.
That's right, President Bush and President Calderon will meet later this morning and then they'll tour some Mayan ruins, before sitting down to dinner. On their agenda, of course, the issue of immigration. Publicly both leaders are expected to highlight their shared interest in seeing more decent paying jobs created in Mexico to cut down on the number of people who illegally cross the border into the United States.
Still, there are lingering hard feelings over President Bush's decision last year to sign legislation authorizing the construction of 700 miles of fencing, along the U.S./Mexico border. President Bush signed that measure under intense pressure from conservatives in his own party.
Nevertheless, President Calderon has called the idea of a fence deplorable. And critics say that is sends a message, here in the region, that Latin Americans are not welcome in the United States. Well, yesterday I asked President Bush about that criticism, and he said that the measure was a necessary first step towards comprehensive immigration reform.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The American people need to be persuaded, Elaine, that the government takes our responsibility seriously, which then will make it easier to convince reluctant members of Congress to come up with a comprehensive plan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Now, the president also said that he hopes to see that comprehensive immigration reform by August.
Meantime, here in Mexico, President Bush wind down his tour of Latin America, not only with meetings today, but tomorrow with a news conference along side President Calderon -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Elaine Quijano, who is traveling with the president. Thanks, Elaine.
A closer look now at what exactly the wage disparity is here in Mexico. Take a look at some of these figures. The average Mexican makes $150 per month, that is U.S. dollars. The salary for a nurse might be around -- of course, these are kind of flexible numbers -- but around $8,000, is a reasonable guess. A doctor, between $12,000 and $15,000, U.S.; a teacher, $12,000, a police officer about $15,000.
So, when you look at those numbers, it really is no surprise that people are leaving. That teacher making $12,000 could make just under $30,000, if he's able to get to the border and pump gas.
All the money that those illegal immigrants are making in the United States, they're sending back to Mexico. And it's greatly changing how those towns are affected.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN (voice over): Along the way to Hidalgo, from Mexico City, you see majestic mountains, picturesque Mexican villages, roadside pottery stands, and you see lots and lots of new construction.
PRIMITIVO RODRIGUEZ, MEXICAN IMMIGRATION EXPERT: That church is new. The school is new. The square is new. This construction is new. That construction is new. That is new. That construction is new. I mean, you see everywhere new houses.
S. O'BRIEN: In the tiny village of Julio Via Grande (ph), the streets are mostly empty.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Speaking Spanish.
S. O'BRIEN: "Only women remain," she says. "The men are gone."
Delfina's son is one of them. He's 18 years old and has been living in Florida for two years. I asked Fabiola Ramirez how many of her family members crossed the border to the States.
She says four of her siblings and 20 cousins have gone. All to America, all sending back money.
That money is literally helping build this village. But it's also destroying Julio Via Grande (ph).
She says residents leave because they can only earn enough to eat. You can't eat, she says, and have a home. Senor Epiphanio Pentoha (ph) ran a small grocery store, but it closed. I asked him why, and he said, "No customers."
Where are the people?
"The young people are all working in America."
Socks were once made at this factory by 200 employees, now, it's empty. Further down the road, the Ixmakilpan (ph), the town center is abuzz with people selling goods and children playing. I meet the local historian, Jose Ramirez. He tells me the area's been decimated.
(on camera): What percentage of the people -- (speaking Spanish)?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (speaking Spanish)
S. O'BRIEN: 20 percent.
(Voice over): Of the 75,000 people who lived in Ixmakilpan, and surrounding villages, he says, 15,000 have gone north; 8,000 in the last three years alone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
M. O'BRIEN: Soledad will be back with us from Mexico City very shortly.
Happening in America this morning, in southern-most Georgia, an Amber Alert as police now believe that six-year-old Christopher Barrios was kidnapped near his grandmother's home last Thursday. Despite an extensive search, police have not found a trace of him. Authorities say they did not issue an alert sooner because they did not have a vehicle description to publicize.
In North Carolina, a horrible fire at a nursing home leaving one dead and 19 hurt. It happened near Winston-Salem. There were about 50 in the building. The uninjured residents taken to neighboring nursing homes. No word on the cause this morning.
What happens in Vegas doesn't stay in Vegas forever. Not even close. Another big casino, the Stardust, biting the dust a short time ago. At one time it was the crown jewel of the Vegas strip that opened back in '58. Rat Pack kind of place. Will it be replaced by a new gleaming $4.4 billion luxury gaming complex? It's a sure bet.
We'll go back to Soledad in Mexico City shortly.
And record heat and hot fires in southern California. We'll ask Chad when they can lower the red flag warnings.
Plus, a new strategy to keep fresh fruits and vegetables from making thousands of Americans sick. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. Most news in the morning, right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Right now Chad Myers a that CNN Weather Center. He's watching a big cool off in the west. Boy, do they need it there.
(WEATHER REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: The FDA, Food and Drug Administration, is out with guidelines aimed at making the produce we buy safe to eat. The voluntary guidelines for everyone who handles fresh cut produce is aimed at stemming the spread of bacteria like e. Coli, which we've told you so much about in recent months.
The guide stresses hygiene, better training, and new state-of- the-art equipment. But will those guidelines be enough to make our food safe? Joining me is Dr. David Acheson of the Food and Drug Administration.
Dr. Acheson, good to have you with us.
DR. FOOD & DRUG ADMIN.: Pleasure to be here. Thank you.
M. O'BRIEN: A lot of what I see in this guide sounds like common sense. Is this really going to make a big difference?
ACHESON: It's all a move in the right direction. We've obviously had some big problems recently with outbreaks linked to fresh cut produce, lettuce, spinach.
What this guidance is going to do is to provide specific examples and methods for processes to use that is going to maximize the chances that the bugs stay out, and if they get in there, they won't spread.
M. O'BRIEN: But it's voluntary. There's no teeth here. Why not put some teeth in it?
ACHESON: It is voluntary. Right now it's based on the best science we have. I suspect that as this moves forward with education and outreach, it will have impact. If it doesn't have adequate impact, certainly a regulatory strategy is part of the future options.
M. O'BRIEN: Why not just go with regulations at outset, just to be safe?
ACHESON: A lot faster to get this in place and up and running -- as guidance. Regulations take years to put in place. This will get there quicker. Certainly, as I said, if it doesn't work, there are those options, also.
We found in the past that guidance has worked extremely well, with the industry. In a number of other examples, in relation to food safety, if you get the word out, get the good science, changes are made and you end up with a safer product.
M. O'BRIEN: Let's listen to a member of Congress who weighed in on this for a moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. BART STUPAK (D), MICHIGAN: There should be mandatory guidelines with mandatory fines and costs. The fines and costs are then put back into the system to help ensure compliance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
M. O'BRIEN: You say do the voluntary guidelines now. I'm sure everybody can agree on that, because it happens quickly.
ACHESON: Right.
M. O'BRIEN: How soon will we see some mandatory regulations of some kind? Or is the FDA going to wait and see what happens?
ACHESON: I think it's important that we follow this and we track it carefully. Obviously, we've had food-bourn outbreaks recently. We're trying to get this under control. It's not just focused on the processes also. This issue goes from the fields where the produce is grown, through the process, to the distributors, and ultimately to consumers, as well.
M. O'BRIEN: A lot of people would say the real problem here is a lack of inspectors. The budget for inspections have been cut in half. Inspections have been drastically curtailed. What is the FDA going to do about that?
ACHESON: Inspections isn't the whole answer here. A lot of the responsibility for maintaining safe food lies with the industry. As I said, on the farm to table continuum. What this guidance is going to do is help give them the specific information and messages they need to do a good job.
M. O'BRIEN: Dr. David Acheson, Food and Drug Administration, thank you.
ACHESON: Pleasure. Thank you.
M. O'BRIEN: Questions about a shaky foundation in the mortgage industry. Ali Velshi "Minding Your Business" up next.
Plus, why so many people inside Mexico are so desperate to get out? A look at immigration from the other side of the border on a special edition of AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody, to a very drizzly and rainy Mexico City this morning. The meeting between President Bush and President Calderon is very important and comes only months into Calderon's administration. What we, back in the United States saw, was a very nasty campaign. We saw a recount that got very, very unpleasant and hostile, and violent at times, and then we saw a completely chaotic inauguration. Harris Whitbeck was in the middle of it all. He's here with us this morning.
Good morning.
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
Chaotic is a good way of describing what happened, not only during the election itself but then during the recount as you mentioned. And then, the inauguration, which took place at the legislative palace, just a few blocks from here.
While that was taking place there was an alternative inauguration, here at the Sokalo (ph), that was run by Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the leftist opposition candidate. As you know, there was a lot of talk about who had actually won the election. At the end of the Mexican Electoral Tribunal said it was Calderon, he won by less than 1 percentage point. The inauguration must have been one of the shortest in Mexican history. He basically, went into the palace, took his oath of office and then went back to Los Pinos, the official residence and started working.
S. O'BRIEN: Because fist fights were literally breaking out?
WHITBECK: Fist fights were breaking out between opposition members of parliament. There was a lot of police and troop presence on the streets. A lot of concern that the opposition members would try to prevent Calderon from taking office.
S. O'BRIEN: How does that all of that -- and really the mandate that he brings -- how does all of that play into what's sure to be a the top of the agenda between President Bush and President Calderon, which is immigration?
WHITBECK: Immigration is a big issue. In fact, Calderon made a point of saying that he has family members who are living and working in the United States. There's not one family in some parts of Mexico that isn't affected by immigration. The Mexican state of Guerrero, the poorest in Mexico, there are some communities there where every household has one family member working outside of there, trying to find ways of sustaining themselves.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WHITBECK (voice over): The plaza of the small town of Xalpatlahuac, an old blind woman plays her guitar hoping passersby would drop a few coins in her basket. It is a scene that has changed little over the centuries in this area known as the Sierra of Guerraro, Mexico's poorest state. Most of its young people have been forced to look for work elsewhere. Young men like Nicolas de Jesus' son. Nicolas now spends his days waiting alone for the money his son sends him from the farm where he labors as a guest worker in one of Mexico's northern states.
"Everyone's left," he says. "They've gone to Sinna Loev (ph), some even to New York."
(On camera): Activist organizations say at least 80 percent of all homes in this part of Guerrero (ph) have at least one family member who is living and working either in the United States or in Mexico's northern region. The reason for so much immigration is a lack of economic opportunities, and a lack of access to basic services.
(Voice over): The situation is so grave the United Nations special reporter for immigration rights visited the region to investigate the conditions that have led so many people to look for jobs up north.
JORGE BUSTAMENTE, UNITED NATIONS SPECIAL RAPORTEUR: There is absence of institutional justice. There is absence of the most elemental rights of protection of the human right to the population. There is extreme poverty.
WHITBECK: If music is the universal language, in Sierra of Guerrero, its song is extreme poverty.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITBECK: Well, the U.N. special reporter will issue this report, the report has no political teeth, it is more informative. But the idea is that as more people know about how difficult the conditions are in some of Mexico's poorest states, that will somehow affect immigration policy.
Calderon said all along that one kilometer of paved highway in these states would do a lot more than the wall that is being proposed in the United States.
S. O'BRIEN: Well, that's being talked about, on the agenda today.
All right, Harris Whitbeck for us. Thanks, Harris.
Let's send it right back to New York, and Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Thanks, Soledad. The crisis in the so-called sub- prime mortgage industry, home loans given to borrowers with weak credit, is causing for jittery investors. It is 25 minutes past the hour and Ali Velshi is "Minding Your Business".
Good morning, Ali.
ALI VELSHI, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.
This is a big problem. It has been brewing under the surface for several weeks right now and it actually might have had something to do with what happened in the stock market a couple of weeks ago.
Let me talk to you about it. The sub-prime market is the mortgage market that is given to people with less-than-perfect credit. The sub-prime market is actually very big and recently what happened is that we found that with those adjustable rate mortgages, as they've been increasing over the last few years, people with less than perfect credit end up paying a lot more on a monthly basis for their mortgages.
Now, as result of that, some are not able to meet their obligations. They're defaulting on their loans and in some cases they're losing their houses.
The problem with is that when you get a sub-prime mortgage what happens is that mortgage is usually packaged along with other mortgages, and sold to an investment bank who then sells it to a hedge fund or a pension fund as an investment, like a bond. And they pay better than bonds because sub-prime lenders pay more interest.
What has unfolded in the last couple weeks is a number of these lenders -- and they're some of the biggest banks you know -- telling the mortgage -- telling the mortgage companies that they're not able to actually collect on some of these loans. There have been bigger defaults than ever expected. And as a result of that we're seeing many companies saying they're going to stop offering loans to sub-prime lenders.
What does that mean? That means that if you are a sub-prime borrower, if your credit is less than perfect, you may end up paying more for your mortgage. Maybe more than you can afford. And, in some cases, it will be harder to get a loan if you don't have that kind of money, if you don't have that kind of credit.
There are other implications to this, which I'll tell you about later, but it has the markets quite spooked -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Thank you very much, Ali Velshi. See you in just a little bit.
We'll go back to Soledad in Mexico City in just a moment.
Would a great fence along the border with Mexico really stop illegal immigration? A look at that whole issue from both sides of the border. A special edition of AMERICAN MORNING continues. Most news in the morning, right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, welcome back, everybody. You're watching a special edition of AMERICAN MORNING. I'm coming to you live from Mexico City this morning. Hey Miles.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning Soledad. I'm Miles O'Brien in New York City. It is Tuesday, March 13th. Thanks for being with us. A couple of developing story on this side of the border, Soledad. Airport screeners coming under new scrutiny. Results of a new investigation straight ahead.
Also pain at the pump, not just for drivers, now high prices are forcing some gas station owners out. We'll get to that in a moment. But, first, back to Soledad in Mexico City.
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Miles, thank you. We're in (INAUDIBLE) Square this morning, kind of a rainy, misty day. We're going to get a chance to walk around a little bit later when the sun comes up. Essentially this square dates back to the Aztec empire. It is the spot now where there are major public ceremonies and military displays and also protests. Wouldn't be surprised if there is a protest here today because of President Bush's visit. Of course the two presidents, President Bush and President Calderon are meeting to discuss one big important issue, among others, but this one issue, which is probably at the very top of the agenda is immigration.
The U.S. side of course for many people, they say illegal immigrants are stealing American jobs. We talked to people here in Mexico and they will say what is happening is there is a brain drain. Our best and brightest out of Mexico are going to the U.S. Any way you look at it, it has become a big, big problem. We're covering the story across Mexico today. We have Elaine Quijano who is traveling with President Bush in (INAUDIBLE). We also have Chris Lawrence, he's in (INAUDIBLE) in California, right on the other side of the border there in Palomas, Mexico, Ed Lavandera and Harris Whitbeck is with me in Mexico City. Let's begin with Chris Lawrence, though. Good morning, Chris.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad. This is one of the more dangerous areas for the border patrol agents where they've been getting pelted by Molotov cocktails and rocks the size of softballs. This part of Tijuana is controlled by one of the drug cartels and the smuggling here is extremely coordinated. The smugglers will attack the fence and multiple points at the same time, using cell phones to coordinate down to the minute. One person in each group will run up to the fence with a ladder and some will climb up to the top and climb right down staying on the Mexican side. They're just decoys used to distract. Others will send people over the fence, running in all kinds of directions.
But better technology, more agents, plus the National Guard is making it tougher to cross at points like this and it's driving more people to the ports of entry, where they will try anything and everything to sneak past the checkpoint. We have seen people rolled up into carpets and stuffed into a trunk, a mother and her baby wedged into the dashboard of a car, a 10-year-old girl stuffed into a secret compartment in a gas tank, took agents half an hour just to pry her out. And it's not just humans. It's drugs, as well. If you compare the numbers from recently to the same time a year ago, agents in California had seized 50 percent more meth, 50 percent more cocaine and 30 percent more heroin. It's a problem that's not going away. Soledad?
S. O'BRIEN: No, clearly, it is not. Chris Lawrence for us this morning. Thanks, Chris. Let's turn to Ed Lavandera now. He's in Palomas, Mexico where, surprisingly maybe, it looks like there are fewer migrants who are trying to head across the border there. Ed, why is that?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Soledad, many of the migrants we've had a chance to speak with over the last few days say that there has been a - the stepped up enforcement on the U.S. side has really made it difficult to cross. Much of this town of Palomas, it's quiet now, but in a few hours, this plaza area here in the center of the city, will begin to start filling up with buses from the interior of Mexico come here dropping off migrants and essentially the business of the city will start firing up and much of that belongs to the, what they call the coyotes. If you're not familiar with the term, it's the people who are hired by the migrants to help smuggle them across to the U.S. They will kind of hide out here in this plaza. It's very hard for us to get a sense of who they are, but they will approach the migrants and say if you pay us $1,500, $2,000, whatever it takes, we can get you across into the U.S. That kind of exists here in a very quiet way here in this plaza. But that stepped up enforcement on the U.S. side, migrants say, has made it much more difficult to get across and it is a very dangerous situation out there and this is a very remote area. So many people feel like they have to be pushed further out away from the cities to make that push into the U.S. Soledad?
S. O'BRIEN: Ed Lavandera for us in Palomas, Mexico, thank you, Ed.
Let's send it right back to New York and Miles. Miles?
M. O'BRIEN: Thanks Soledad. Also happening this morning, Congress pouring through some White House e-mails today, part of an investigation into that mass firing of U.S. attorneys. The "Washington Post" reporting the White House considered firing all 93 U.S. attorneys. Also word the president spoke with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales relaying Republican concerns that those attorneys were soft on Democrats accused of political crimes. Gonzales' chief of staff has resigned.
President Bush won't have to go to Congress for permission to take military action against Iran. Top House Democrats decided to take that language out of a military spending bill. The bill will call for U.S. combat troops to get out of Iraq by September 1st, '08.
This morning the nation's top military leader facing fire after calling homosexuality immoral. The chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Marine General Peter Pace telling the "Chicago Tribune" he supports the Pentagon's don't ask, don't tell policy. Democrats in Congress are planning to introduce legislation would allow gay men and women to serve openly. Pace saying that would be condoning immoral behavior.
So is Walter Reed the tip of a shoddy iceberg? Today 1,400 veterans hospitals and clinics will issue reports on the quality of their facilities and also the Army's top medical officer, General Kevin Kiley is out, forced to retire. He's the third high-level officer to lose his job since the "Washington Post" broke this story.
Gas prices heading toward that dreaded $3 mark once again. On CNN gas gauge this morning, the average price of a gallon of regular in the U.S. $2.54. That's up 33 cents from last month. Crude oil prices are up, so is consumer demand and refineries are slowing down production as they switch to cleaner burning fuel that is sold in the summer months. Drivers aren't the only ones being hurt by high gas prices. One gas station owner in New York City who is well known for some of the highest prices you'll see anywhere is throwing in the gas soaked towel. David Goldsmith now in his own words.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID GOLDSMITH, OWNER, URBAN CLASSICS AND FULTON SERVICE: We were a gas station and service station and now we're just a service station. Because of the economics of a small gas station like this, we have very small capacity. We could order very small quantities of fuel so that our distributor had to charge us pretty heavy delivery charges. We paid more wholesale than what people could buy it retail. It was a mess. What was barely a money maker before, just because we're such a small station, it really became a bit of a boat anchor. It cost us thousands of dollars a month to provide gasoline to the public. As long as we have the free market and the oil companies dictating our energy policy, we're always going to have problems with price gouging and price spikes. We need an energy policy. It's got to be a coherent policy and we don't have one and we'll see again next year if we keep going the way we're going. The prices will be even higher, guaranteed.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: Goldsmith says his repair business is thriving now that he is taking gasoline out of the picture. But many of the people who live nearby say they miss the gold plated convenience of filling up at Goldsmith's garage. Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Straight ahead this morning, Miles, here's a question for you, would you pay 20 bucks to pretend you're a migrant who's making a run for the U.S. border? Thousands of tourists have done it. Some people say it's horrible. It's offensive. But we'll tell you some of the reasons behind this tourist attraction, straight ahead. There's much more coming up live from Mexico City on this special edition of AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Most news in the morning right here on CNN. The nation's top military officer says homosexuality is immoral. Joint Chiefs Chairman Peter Pace says gays should not be able to serve openly in the military.
And in North Korea, nuclear experts with the United Nations beginning an effort to ensure the Kim Jong-Il regime will make good on its promise to dismantle its nukes. Soledad?
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Miles, thanks. We were sort of horrified when we heard about this story that tourists could play $20 to run through a theme park and pretend to be migrants who were making a run for the border. We thought, that sounds either like it's a training ground or maybe it's exploiting the terrible stories of immigrants. But it turns out, actually, this story is so much more complicated than that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN (voice-over): Gunfire rings out. U.S. border patrol agents discover illegal migrants near the Mexican border. The action is captured on our night scope camera. But it's all fake. In reality we're hundreds of miles from the border in central Mexico. The real border patrol says they don't fire on migrants. This is a tourist adventure run by the (INAUDIBLE) indigenous people. They say the goal is to keep their people from crossing the border. Their tribe has been decimated. 90 percent of (INAUDIBLE) have migrated to the United States.
TRANSLATOR: This is not training; it is a method of awareness.
S. O'BRIEN: Human rights groups say it's shocking and insulting, but it's a full house tonight. More than 50 people are in our group and many are seven-year olds in Scout troops. We hide in the bushes. Cling to rocks to cross the river, we slog through deep mud and we make our way through a tunnel. Our guides urge us to hurry. It's after midnight as we approach the fictional border. We've paid 20 bucks a piece for this tourist adventure. Poncho estimates more than 5,000 people, a mix of Mexicans and others have done it. Pilar Saucedo is a Mexican working in Mexico City for an American pharmaceutical company.
PILAR SAUCEDO, TOUR PARTICIPANT: It's not making fun and not that kind of training to really cross the border. It's to understand that it's difficult.
S. O'BRIEN: 1:00 in the morning and we've made it to the fictional border. Poncho says we're in for a surprise. Not sure where we're going. In the distance we see hundreds of little fires, a surprising end to our grueling four hours.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: What a surprising ending. I have to tell you, the border patrol stresses that they do not shoot migrants when they're first confronting them, although they are armed and certainly, they don't blindfold people and take them to a lovely display on a mountainside. That's the touristy part of this attraction. What was interesting Miles is that Poncho said to us, they made and are making a lot of money. They made $1,000, U.S. dollars that night. So, he hasn't had to cross back into the U.S. border because he can make a good living now running this attraction. Miles?
M. O'BRIEN: I don't know how to react to it because it seems as if it's on one hand extremely offensive to capitalize on this desire to head north. As you walked away from it, it must have satisfied some of your own curiosity about what it is like to be one of those people.
S. O'BRIEN: It was utterly baffling. I remember telling people that we were going to shoot the story and they were really horrified, like oh my God, that is just so utterly offensive. And yet when we got there, the bulk of the people who were there were Mexicans who have a great love for their country said they thought it was great. It showed how tough it is for the migrants to make it across the border and, also, they felt that the message was coming across. Don't run for the border. Look how bad this tourist attraction is. Look how tough it is. What they had to experience was much, much worse. They actually say they prefer people to stay in Mexico. The (INAUDIBLE) indigenous people, the Mexican Indians have lost 90 percent of their people have gone across the border, most of them illegally.
M. O'BRIEN: So, you think it might actually discourage people one way or another from crossing the border?
S. O'BRIEN: You know, it's certainly not a training ground. I mean, Poncho, our guide, pretty much laughed in my face when I said, are we doing what you did? He said, no, essentially, that's ridiculous. What I did was so much harder. This is, you're a bunch of tourists running through a park here. So, I do believe that the end game is to discourage people from running across the border. The real game is to increase tourism in this park. They've also got a botanical garden there starting and some other projects, as well. The theory is, hey, get the tourist dollars here, maybe you won't have to go.
M. O'BRIEN: Interesting.
S. O'BRIEN: But it's weird.
M. O'BRIEN: I should say. Soledad, thank you very much.
A quarter of the hour now, Chad Myers at the CNN weather center. He has some good news for folks out west where the fire conditions have been terrible of late. Hello, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Miles. Twelve states, 12 different states yesterday had some city with a record-high temperature. Today that number is going to go down significantly because California you have an onshore flow today. The warm air is going to slide to the east. It's going to be warm in Denver, spring skiing all up and down the Rockies today and still more rain developing throughout parts of California. The east coast is mild today even warmer tomorrow and then a low pressure with a cold front completely wipes out all that warm air for the weekend. 61 today in New York City, 70 tomorrow, but then back down into the 30s for Saturday and Sunday. So, we're calling this a two-closet week because you're going to need your spring clothes and you're going to need still your winter clothes by the weekend. Miles, back to you.
M. O'BRIEN: Thank you, Chad. Coming up, who is checking the checkers? New scrutiny on airport security workers this morning. Stay with us for more AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. We're live for you south of the border this morning. You're looking literally at the border. To the left of your screen that's Otay Mesa, California. All the lights on, that's the U.S. side, the dark side, well, that's the Mexican side of this heavily contested and very, at times, difficult border. I'm Soledad O'Brien reporting for you live in Mexico City this morning. President Bush and President Calderon are here in Mexico to sit down and have a discussion. It's going to cover a lot of ground, but probably first and foremost on their agenda is immigration. Straight ahead this morning, we're going to tell you the story of a man who's been living illegally in the United States for a decade. He's very successful, pays taxes to the U.S. government and all the money he's making is going back to his village and is changing that, as well. That's straight ahead this morning, Miles, back to you.
M. O'BRIEN: Thanks very much, Soledad.
In Orlando this morning at the airport, increased scrutiny and security, this after last week's stunning arrest which raised big questions about how safe we are when we fly. An airport worker arrested, charged with putting weapons and drugs on an airliner bound for Puerto Rico. The question is are there big holes in the security net for aviation? CNN's homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve joining us from Tampa international airport. Hello, Jeanne.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Miles. The TSA has searched extra personnel into five airports and they say this is just the beginning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE (voice-over): Every day Audrey Luke does security at Tampa international airport. This time the tables were turned. When Luke reported for work, she was the one getting a security check, a pat down, a bag inspection. This arrest last week is one reason why. Thomas Anthony Munoz is charged with using his airport employee ID to smuggle 14 weapons and marijuana into the secure portion of the Orlando airport and then into the passenger cabin of a plane, which flew to Puerto Rico. While he was in the air, law enforcement got a tip.
EARL MORRIS, TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMIN: No passengers were at risk because we knew who the individual was and we had air marshals on board.
MESERVE: Since then, three more arrests in that case. One of those charged even posted on his website pictures of himself flaunting cash and weapons and in a cockpit. Monday the Transportation Security Administration responded by sending a team of 160 officers into five airports in Florida and Puerto Rico. CNN was given exclusive access. Not only are there random searches of airport workers and their bags, canine teams are checking vehicles entering secure areas. Access to those areas is being limited at night. And before passengers board, some planes are getting a closer look as security personnel check for contraband. The security teams change location every 45 minutes or so, their goal is to be unpredictable.
DARIO COMPAIN, FED SECURITY DIR, TAMPA INTL AIRPORT: That is a formidable weapon when people don't know where we're going at what time, which door, which hallway.
MESERVE: But it's hardly a full-proof system when you consider this. At Tampa alone, there are 6,300 badge holders with access to secure areas. Nationwide, about 800,000, including the swarms of people who refuel, load, cater and clean aircraft.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE: All the people with access to secure areas are fingerprinted and given background checks, but the TSA doesn't have the resources to screen them all daily. It hopes that by moving these surge teams around, they can detect some things and deter others. Miles, back to you.
M. O'BRIEN: Jeanne Meserve in Tampa, thank you.
Coming up, America's top general on tape in defense of don't ask, don't tell. Plus, much more from Soledad live from Mexico City, a special edition of AMERICAN MORNING looking at the immigration crisis from that side of the border. The most news in the morning right here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Well, if you like cars you love the MG, preferably in British racing green. Ali Velshi is here with word that the MG might be coming back, but from China?
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Maybe British racing green, but it's not going to be from Britain. Did you ever have one of these, great little car. You grew up in the northeast.
M. O'BRIEN: I had the Austin Healy version of the (INAUDIBLE).
VELSHI: Growing up in Toronto the MG wasn't the most practical vehicle, but the MG, after struggling and sputtering along finally went defunct in 2005 and now Nanjing Auto in China has bought it. They bought all the assets. They're going to remake it. They're going to start producing it at the end of this month, two models, a five- seat, four-door sedan and a two-seat, two door convertible. They hope to eventually export the MG-7. It's going to look very much like the MG-7.
M. O'BRIEN: Are those MGs?
VELSHI: Those don't like the MGs.
M. O'BRIEN: Those are ugly MGs.
VELSHI: That's right. The funny thing is MG, which has been around for decades, stood for Morris Garages, where they were made. They're made by British Leland (ph) which is now defunct. But apparently Chinese officials have been telling people that the name stands for, Modern Gentlemen is what they're saying.
M. O'BRIEN: Modern gentlemen. Really? VELSHI: There you go. You're going to get MG...
M. O'BRIEN: (INAUDIBLE)
VELSHI: It is and there's some talk about making them in Oklahoma for an American audience. So the MG might be back very soon.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you, Ali. We'll be looking for that.
We're coming up to the top of the hour. Chad Myers at the weather center with a look at what's in the weather story today. Hello, Chad.
MYERS: Hey, Miles. Maybe it was that story we did about Chinese sometimes doesn't translate properly.
M. O'BRIEN: Might be lost in translation.
MYERS: Tuesday, today, Los Angeles finally you're cooling down, 73. Your heat is out of there. Unfortunately it just slides a little bit farther to the east because Phoenix your heat is in there. The next hour of AMERICAN MORNING starts right now.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com
