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CNN Saturday Morning News
Mexico Set to Legalize Some Drug Use; Texas Ravaged by Storms
Aired April 29, 2006 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Now in the news, airplanes tossed about like toys. A look at this damage at an airport in Gainesville, Texas shows just how powerful the winds were. Heavy rain, hail and possibly a tornado also hit the area.
We'll talk to the airport manager and find out where the severe weather is headed next, in just a moment.
Conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh has reached a deal in his prescription drug case. Limbaugh has been charged with fraud, but the charge will be dropped in 18 months if he completes a drug treatment program. We're going to have a full report coming up.
One hundred forty-one detainees at Guantanamo Bay have been cleared to leave the prison. But the Pentagon says the men remain behind bars at the camp in Cuba between Washington hasn't been able to arrange for their return home.
And an Army colonel has become the highest ranking officer at the Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq to face criminal charges. Lieutenant Colonel Steven Jordan was head of the interrogation center when prisons were photographed being physically and sexually abused. He is accused of seven charges and could face 42 years in prison.
Well, some civil rights groups wants hate crime charges filed against two white teenagers accused of brutally beating a 17-year-old Latino boy near Houston. The victim remains in a coma. Police say the suspects beat and sodomized him after he tried to kiss a girl at a party.
Well, good morning, everybody.
It's Saturday, April 29th.
From the CNN Center right here in Atlanta, I'm Betty Nguyen.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone.
I'm Tony Harris.
This hour on CNN SATURDAY MORNING, legalizing drugs -- would a new law in Mexico be a set-up a haven for narcotics just south of the U.S. border?
Front line rap -- U.S. troops reflect on the Iraq War.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How we gained so much more but had to give more for the liberty of the Third World country...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Well, is not exactly "The Ballad of the Green Berets." Today's troops are telling their stories in a new way.
And sit back and relax and let machines do the work. We will go live to the robot games.
But first, the latest on severe weather.
ANNOUNCER: You're watching CNN, your severe weather headquarters.
NGUYEN: Just take a look at what happened in north Texas last night, and a listen. Hail, some of it marble-sized, some of it baseball-sized; winds up to 100 miles an hour; flash floods. Trees plunged onto cars. Buildings destroyed. Dozens of homes were damaged and at least two people were hurt.
The Gainesville Airport was hit hard. Planes were pushed into each other and hangar doors were blown off their moorings.
Airport manager Matt Quick joins us by phone to talk about some of the damage there.
Matt, tell us about when this storm rolled through and what you saw as it was happening.
MATT QUICK, GAINESVILLE AIRPORT MANAGER: Good morning.
I wasn't out here at the airport at the time that the storm moved through last night. I believe it passed through some time between 8:00 and 9:00 in the evening. I was able to make it out here to the airport about 30 minutes after it went through. And, of course, we had no power.
And I was able to look at some of the hangars. We've got some corporate hangars and some T hangar complexes and several large airplanes on the east side of the airfield and you could tell that there was major damage sustained to the infrastructure and to those aircraft.
NGUYEN: What are they saying blew through there?
Because looking at these pictures, I mean homes have been destroyed. These planes look like they've been tossed about like they're just toys.
QUICK: Yes. At this time, I do not know. It was a very strong straight line winds with perhaps possibly a tornado came through the area. I do not know. And I know some of the aircraft were very large and it takes a lot of force to move those things like it did.
NGUYEN: Yes, no doubt. Strong winds, possibly a tornado, lots of hail.
How many planes are at the airport? Because we looked at about, I don't know, five or six that were just really on top of each other because of the damage.
QUICK: Yes, we've got approximately 70 aircraft based at the airfield. And fortunately the east side of the airfield has the fewest buildings and aircraft. And unfortunately it was hit the hardest. But from best estimates right now, 10 to 15 airplanes look to have sustained major damage.
NGUYEN: Wow!
QUICK: And, of course, the infrastructure on the other side of the field has sustained major damage, also.
NGUYEN: Yes.
What about the hangars themselves? How many of those do you have damaged?
QUICK: The ones on the east side of the airfield, several hangars are -- have some major damage done to them.
NGUYEN: How is it going to...
QUICK: Some of them...
NGUYEN: How long is it going to take to get all of this cleaned up and that airport back up and running?
QUICK: Well, the airport is open right now.
We've...
NGUYEN: Oh, it is?
QUICK: We were able to clean the debris off the runways and taxiways and we are open for air traffic. A lot of debris is still on the infield areas. It will take a lot of time to clean up and, of course, the hangars, we'll have to assist those situations and the aircraft inside.
So it'll take quite a long time, I'm sure.
NGUYEN: Yes, you've got a lot of work on your hands, so we'll let you go.
Matt Quick, manager of the Gainesville Municipal Airport, thanks for that information.
QUICK: Thank you.
NGUYEN: We want to give you some live pictures now out of New Orleans. This is the weather that's in the area right now. You can see it's kind of gray, a little foggy. But does that mean severe weather is headed to New Orleans?
Let's get straight to CNN meteorologist Bonnie Schneider with the latest on these storms that blew through Texas -- does that mean it's headed to Louisiana?
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, ATS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, unfortunately I think it does. We're -- we may not get the same intensity, but we're certainly looking at the weather moving to the east because the tornado warnings have pushed to the east. Not only do we have eastern Harris County, but we also have Chambers and now Liberty County under tornado warnings.
The Liberty County warning extends all the way to 10:45, whereas the other two go until 10:15 a.m. That's Central time.
As we take a look at the radar picture now and the big picture, we have a tornado watch that goes until 1:00 p.m. Central time. It does extend into Louisiana, not New Orleans at this time. But as you can see, we've got a lot of storms working their way through.
Just in the past three hours, we've had some reports of tornadoes right here north further into Texas, north of the Houston area. So these are reported tornadoes by the public in the San Jacinto area, and also reports of hail. Just four coming in right now, but we're kind of tallying these in as we get them and we'll let you know as those work their way through.
But unfortunately the threat for severe weather does continue throughout the afternoon, toward Louisiana and a good portion of southeast Texas.
ANNOUNCER: You're watching CNN, your severe weather headquarters.
HARRIS: From the storms in Texas, to a storm of controversy. Mexico-is on its way to legalizing drugs and lawmakers on this side of the border are outraged.
Tina Azedin of CNN affiliate KGTV has details from San Diego.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
TINA AZEDIN, KGTV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The strongest, most dangerous drugs -- cocaine, marijuana, Ecstasy and heroin could soon be legal in Mexico. A stunning move that has San Diego leaders outraged.
BONNIE DUMANIS, SAN DIEGO DISTRICT ATTORNEY: I just cannot believe it. One has to ask the question are the drug lords running the show?
AZEDIN: Possessing the drugs in limited amounts would be legal, yet selling them would remain illegal under the proposed law. MAYOR JERRY SANDERS, SAN DIEGO: I want to call this action what it is -- appallingly stupid, reckless and incredibly dangerous.
AZEDIN: Mexico's Congress says the change would allow police to focus on major drug traffickers rather than smaller drug users. Critics say at a time when Mexico-is pushing for open borders for immigrants, this latest proposal couldn't come at a worse time.
AL DOMINGUEZ, OPPONENT OF PROPOSED LAW: It would be a sad day, I think, for both sides of the border and really a scary time for both sides, I think.
AZEDIN: On a Friday evening at the border, as hundreds cross into Tijuana to party, Randy Arms will visit Tijuana with his 11-year- old son. He is concerned.
RANDY ARMS, TIJUANA, MEXICO VISITOR: I have two other sons, too, and I'm constantly, you know, overlooking them and making sure they don't get involved in gangs and -- gangs and drugs. And the drugs come from somewhere.
AZEDIN: The debate over legalizing drugs can be sobering. When you listen to this 19-year-old who says if drugs are legalized, people won't be so curious to try them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not curious about it and they will just forget at drugs and doing it.
AZEDIN: America's old war on drugs has become San Diego's latest battle at the border.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
HARRIS: Immigration activists flexing their muscles. Final planning is underway this weekend for boycotts intended to have a deep impact on major U.S. cities from coast to coast.
Monday, May Day, is when organizers plan to stage their pro- immigration rallies.
Our Chris Lawrence explains the plan first seen on CNN's "SITUATION ROOM."
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (voice over): Organizers say this is what Americans will see Monday -- millions of people staging the largest protests since the civil rights era.
NATIVO LOPEZ, MEXICAN-AMERICAN POLITICAL ASSOCIATION: Immigrants are losing their fear.
LAWRENCE: Activists have called for a national boycott.
LOPEZ: They don't go to school. They don't go shopping. They don't go selling. LAWRENCE: Opponents say it's got one goal -- pressure Congress into legalizing millions of undocumented people.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You know, I'm not a -- I'm not a supporter of boycotts. I am a supporter of comprehensive immigration.
LAWRENCE: Hundreds of small stores and big factories will all shut down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We will not sell any vegetables or fruits.
LAWRENCE: By itself, L.A.'s 7th Street Market Association distributes food to 3,000 supermarkets, and its closure could put a million dollar dent in the economy.
ANGELICA SALAS, IMMIGRANT RIGHTS ACTIVIST: The boycott is confrontational.
LAWRENCE: Some immigration rights activists say pictures of people walking off the job could backfire in middle America.
SALAS: Who is our audience? Who are we talking to? Who are we seeking to embrace and to be embraced by?
LAWRENCE: The Latino community has been active in the Catholic Church and church leaders continue to support the protests. But this time, they're urging students not to skip class. And school officials warn students they're expected to show up Monday.
JACK O'CONNELL, CALIFORNIA SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT: I do not intend to grant any waivers as a result of mass protests or students who leave school.
LAWRENCE: Organizers admit the boycott's a big step, but a needed one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because we're not convinced, for example, that the representatives in Congress will really listen to the immigrant unless the immigrant imposes his will.
LAWRENCE (on camera): The boycott's biggest impact will be right here in California, where immigrants as a whole make up about one third of the workforce. But organizers say New York, Chicago, Phoenix -- the entire country will feel the effect.
Chris Lawrence, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
HARRIS: Well, President Bush wants a guest worker program and a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. But that's something many people oppose, including members of his own party.
Let's go live to CNN White House correspondent Elaine Quijano, part of the best political team on television -- Elaine, good morning. ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Tony.
And, of course, some conservative Republicans vehemently oppose President Bush on this issue of a temporary worker program. They see it as amnesty. Yet yesterday, in that question and answer session in the Rose Garden, Mr. Bush insisted that he does not see such a program as amnesty because, he says, people would have to get in the back of the citizenship line, not be able to cut into the front.
He also says he does not support boycotts and he again called on all sides to keep the debate over this intensely divisive issue civil.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: I think it's very important for people, when they do express themselves, they continue to do so in a peaceful way, in a respectful way, respectful of the -- the, you know, how highly charged this debate can become.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Now, the president reiterated that he wants to see comprehensive legislation on immigration on his desk that includes three things -- border security, interior enforcement and, of course, that highly controversial guest worker program -- Tony.
HARRIS: White House correspondent Elaine Quijano.
Elaine, thank you.
NGUYEN: Stories Across America now.
A 20-mile stretch of a state road is open again in central Florida. But look at this. Two brush fires closed it down yesterday. Dozens of firefighters are battling the flames. More than 1,800 acres have been burned. At least one house is damaged. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
This is one you have to listen to. A California woman who was spanked at work has been awarded $1.7 million in damages. A Fresno jury found Janet Orlando suffered sexual harassment and sexual battery. Now, here's the kicker. Her former company said the incident was part of employee bonding and motivation exercises. File that under outrageous.
Take a look at this. An SUV crashes through the lobby of a building in Salt Lake City, running down a man inside. OK, here's the story. Police say the driver was the man's wife.
HARRIS: Ooh.
NGUYEN: Ooh, did you see that right there?
HARRIS: There, yes.
NGUYEN: And she was -- this was serious business to her. He suffered an ankle injury and bruises. His wife was booked on suspicion of attempted homicide. They think she tried to run-him over. Authorities say the couple is going through a divorce. Big surprise there.
HARRIS: Yes.
Still ahead, arrested but no record. Why Rush Limbaugh won't go to jail on prescription drug charges.
NGUYEN: Direct from the front lines in Iraq, American troops find a new way to tell their war stories. Coming up, we'll hear their rap.
HARRIS: Will storms ruin Jazz Fest? We are all over the severe weather across Texas and Louisiana today.
CNN SATURDAY MORNING we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Top stories now.
Northern Texas is cleaning up after some terrible weather. Winds up to 100 miles an hour and hail as big as baseballs. Look at the damage to these planes. Several planes were pushed into each other at the Gainesville, Texas airport.
In other news, on Islamist Web sites today, a new video message from al Qaeda's number two leader. Ayman el-Zawahiri says America and its allies have achieved nothing but disaster in Iraq and he calls Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf a corrupt traitor.
HARRIS: A deal for Rush Limbaugh. The conservative talk show host was booked on a prescription fraud charge in Florida. But he want go to trial, he won't have a record and he won't admit guilt.
Our Susan Candiotti has details.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Flashing a smile as he posed for a mug shot, Rush Limbaugh negotiated a deal that, in the end, can assure him a clean record.
ROY BLACK, LIMBAUGH'S ATTORNEY: What he does say is that he was addicted to prescription pain medication, which, of course, he admitted back in 2003 when all this began. So he has adamantly said he has not committed a crime.
CANDIOTTI: According to his lawyers, the agreement with the Palm Beach state attorney's office goes like this. Limbaugh pleads not guilty to one count of doctor shopping. He must complete another year-and-a-half of drug treatment. If he does, the charge will be dropped. Finally, the radio host must pay $30,000 to help offset the public cost of the investigation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can't believe I'm talking to you.
CANDIOTTI: Rush Limbaugh's nightmare began in the fall of 2003. His former housekeeper sold a blockbuster story to the "National Enquirer." Wilma Cline claims she illegally sold the popular conservative talk show host thousands of prescription painkillers, including Oxycontin and Hydrocodone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM RUSHLIMBAUGH.COM)
RUSH LIMBAUGH, TALK RADIO SHOW HOST: I really don't know the full scope of what I am dealing with.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: A week later, Limbaugh admitted a problem.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM RUSHLIMBAUGH.COM)
LIMBAUGH: I am addicted to prescription pain medication.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: With that, Limbaugh left the air for a month of treatment. He blamed unrelenting pain from spinal surgery years earlier. He claimed his former employee tried to blackmail him and said he paid her what he called "extortion money," but was afraid to go to authorities.
Later that year, investigators raided Limbaugh's doctors' offices in Florida and California. In search warrants, prosecutors said Limbaugh was part of an ongoing investigation that began a year earlier and appeared to be doctor shopping for painkillers, going from doctor to doctor to get more pills.
Authorities said pharmacy records showed Limbaugh obtained more than 2,000 pills over a six-month period. Limbaugh claims local prosecutors are unfairly targeting him compared to others in similar predicaments. He says his constitutional right to privacy was violated by the raid.
On the air, he also suggested Democrats were to blame.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM RUSHLIMBAUGH.COM)
LIMBAUGH: The Democrats in this country still cannot defeat me in the arena of political ideas and so now they're trying to do so in the court of public opinion and the legal system.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: Prosecutors defended the search warrant.
JAMES MARZ, PROSECUTOR: Has it now been reduced to we have to notice the target of an investigation that we want to look at the evidence if a felony is committed? CANDIOTTI: Eventually, despite appeals all the way to Florida's Supreme Court, Limbaugh lost his privacy battle to keep his doctors' records out of prosecutors' hands. And after a two-and-a-half year long legal odyssey, the radio talk show host may soon be able to end his doctor shopping scandal.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, Miami.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, there is no love lost between the leaders in Tehran and Washington. But what do average Iranians think of Americans?
HARRIS: Plus, a falling Stone gathers a hurt head. Keith Richards takes a tumble.
NGUYEN: Oh, yes, wait until you hear what happened.
HARRIS: Yes, when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
CHERYL MILLER, TNT NBA REPORTER: I think the most successful people, number one, are driven; number two, make it look easy; and number three, have such a passion and a focus.
UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Basketball Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller knows how to score big. She broke nine school records at the University of Southern California. Miller also captured gold for the United States in the 1984 Olympics.
A knee injury took her game off the court and on air as a sports commentator. Miller then headed back to coach at her alma mater, served as head coach for the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and is now an NBA analyst for TNT, which, like CNN, is a division of Time Warner.
MILLER: I think the best qualities that a leader could possess if they're willing to take the blame and take the fall. Surround yourself with people who aren't going to tell you what you want to hear, but what you need to hear.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: On the CNN Security Watch, the National Security Agency's domestic eavesdropping program is back in the news. It allows the agency to intercept calls between suspected overseas terrorists and U.S. residents without a warrant. The government is asking a federal court to through out a lawsuit by phone company customers who say AT&T violated their rights by cooperating with the program.
Justice Department lawyers say a trial could force the disclosure of national security information. New allegations against two Atlanta area men accused of meeting in Canada with suspected terrorists. A federal prosecutor says the men made surveillance videos of the U.S. Capitol and other potential Washington targets and planned to send those tapes, in the words of the prosecutor, to overseas' brothers. The comments came during a bail hearing for one of the men, Ehsanul Sadequee. Reversing an earlier decision, the judge ordered him held without bail.
Remember to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
NGUYEN: Iran now says it is ready to allow snap inspections of its nuclear facilities, but only if the U.N. Security Council is not involved. Iran says it wants to deal solely with the International Atomic Energy Agency. That agency yesterday told the Security Council that Iran was not heeding a demand to stop uranium enrichment. President Bush says he's going to work with other countries to achieve a diplomatic solution to the crisis.
Well, the rhetoric between the U.S. and Iranian governments shows no sign of letting up. But what do average people in Iran think of Americans?
CNN's Aneesh Raman is in Tehran and has this report, which you'll see only right here on CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Tehran, population 10 million, the two constants are crowds and traffic. And amid them both, we went to found out what the Iranians think of Americans.
(on camera): It's incredibly difficult for us to get inside public places here, like malls or cafes. And so, where we are headed now is Vanak Square, where Tehran's rich go shopping.
(voice-over): Here, we find 27-year-old Shada (ph), who has never been to the U.S. but from all she's seen, would like to go.
"Radio, TV, satellite," she says, "when we see American films, we get to know how they live and how they behave. They are similar to Iranians. They are humane."
You have to look hard to find Americana in Iran. U.S. brands are banned, but there is a KFC. That's Kabuki Fried Chicken. And there's Pepsi, but not really -- a rip-off from Dubai.
(on camera): To find out what Iranians think about anything, it depends on where you go. We were just in the north, where the more affluent, liberal people live. And now we have come to the conservative south, to the capital's biggest market.
(voice-over): Here, there's less awareness of the U.S. The last American movie Benjamin (ph) saw was "Terminator 2." He says the media here should do a better job of covering the U.S. a state media that concentrates on hostilities, with past emotions still on display.
This mural, sanctioned by Iran's government, still hangs prominently just off a main highway. And just days ago, a demonstration celebrating the crash of helicopters in 1980 during a failed attempt to save the American hostages.
Now, 25 years later, shopkeeper Ali (ph) says, "So long as the U.S. government pressures our people, our people will say "Death To America!," but not to the people of America."
And it is architect Nusheen's (ph) view that goes one step further, that two societies can connect, even if their governments cannot.
"Political problems have always existed," she says, "but our experience with the culture of Americans has been positive and a lot of things they do is a model for me, including the way they work so hard and their willingness to learn from others."
Aneesh Raman, CNN, in the Iranian capital, Tehran.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
HARRIS: The severe weather moving across Texas this morning causing that kind of damage. Planes tossed around like toys.
Where is it headed next?
We'll check in with CNN meteorologist Bonnie Schneider.
And this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we survived the effects of war from before we crossed those foreign shores to how we...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: American troops put down their guns and pick up the microphones. Soldiers rap about Iraq, when we come back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How we saw past colors and with sisters and brothers, how we cracked jokes in concrete bunkers when mortar...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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