American Morning
War on drugs is "absolute failure"
We've been along the border all week long bringing you a story that affects all of us: the battle to keep drugs out of this country and the undying addictions that keep ruthless drug cartels in business. Mexican authorities say they found a U.S. Marshal murdered, execution style, in the virtually lawless border town of Juarez. John Gibler, author of "Mexico Unconquered: Chronicles of Power and Revolt," joined us live.
What do you think? Can the U.S. win the war on drugs?
No aid for Africa?
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/03/27/ogunnaike.moya.art.jpg caption="Dambisa Moyo, a Harvard/Oxford-educated economist, says aid to Africa is not a solution."]
For decades, aid and Africa have been inextricably linked, but Dambisa Moyo, a Harvard/Oxford-educated economist wants to change that…immediately.
In her controversial new book “Dead Aid,” she argues that aid to Africa has caused more harm than good. War, poverty, corruption – blame it on aid, she says. At worst it ends up lining the pockets of corrupt political leaders, she says. At best case scenario, it does not do anything productive; it goes to fuel large bureaucracies that do not support entrepreneurship and that primarily choke off any private sector of development.
Cutting off aid won’t hurt most Africans because it never gets to them anyway, she argues. She joins a small number of intellectuals who have, in recent years, posited that too much help has hindered the continent’s growth. And yet, Moyo remains an anomaly: a young African woman, in a world where conversations of this nature are dominated by older, white males.
Meet AM: Doug Maines – Vista Spyder Operator
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/03/27/doug.maines.cnn.art.jpg caption="Doug Maines sits at the controls before a busy show."]
Each Friday in “Meet AM,” we’ll introduce you to the people who get American Morning to air.
Today, we’d like you to meet Doug Maines. Doug’s official title is studio operator, but most days you will find him in control of the Vista Spyder. This means Doug is the guy who makes all that video, graphics, and live events show up in that impressive projection wall on set. He’s been with CNN since 2001, and has been a permanent fixture at AM for about two years.
How did you end up working on the Vista wall?
When CNN first got the Vista Spyder, I was originally the back-up person to operate it for the show. After the first rehearsal show, the primary guy quit. Here I am two years later, still going strong.
Surgeon heals patients and their violent ways
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/03/27/art_heroes_cooper_cnn.jpg caption="Dr. Carnell Cooper's Violence Intervention Program provides training and support to trauma victims."]
BALTIMORE, Maryland (CNN) - Dr. Carnell Cooper, a Baltimore surgeon, is saving lives inside and outside the operating room.
Since becoming a trauma surgeon 16 years ago, he has dedicated himself to treating the many young African-American men who've been shot, stabbed or beaten, only to see them return to the ER with another severe injury just months later.
But when one of his patients was readmitted with a fatal gunshot wound to the head in 1996, it changed Cooper's life.
"The night that we pronounced that young man dead and my colleagues said there's really nothing we can do in these situations. ... I just didn't believe that," said Cooper, 54. "From that day forward, I said, 'Let's see what we can do.' "
Cooper created the Violence Intervention Program (VIP) at the Shock Trauma Unit of the University of Maryland Medical Center, the state's busiest hospital for violent injuries. It became one of the country's first hospital-based anti-violence programs.
The strength of a soldier
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/03/27/carroll.levi.t1port.jpg caption="Army veteran Chris Levi was wounded in Iraq."]
So much is being said these days about the economy. Who's repsonsible, who's losing what, what should be done to fix it all. But when you meet someone like Chris Levi, a 26 year old Army veteran, everything is quickly put into perspective.
I met Chris at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where he has been undergoing treatment for the past year.
Last year, his humvee hit a I.E.D. in Iraq. He lost both legs in the resulting blast. His arm was badly damaged. I wasn't sure what to expect when I met Chris. But I know I didn't expect to meet an incredibly upbeat 26 year old. Chris cracked jokes throughout the entire time we spent with him – moments often not caught on camera. Internally I wondered if Chris has really come to terms with his condition. After talking, I knew that he had. It's just that was Chris. We were there to talk to Chris and his family about life after he was released from Walter Reed. Life at home at his parents house in Long Island. The home would have to be retrofitted to make it handicapped accessible. It would cost at least 100-thousond dollars; money his family didn't have. Chris's worry wasn't for himself, it was for his family, telling me, "I thought I might be a burden on the household. I know my mom and dad, no one in the family would see it that way but that's the way I saw it..."
His sister Kim teared up and said, "my greatest fear was that we're going to bring him to this house where there's stairs up and stairs down and we're going to stick him in back room and he's going to playing video games for the rest of his life and this is a kid who is a proud amazing kid, he doesn't deserve that."
A charity organization called Building Homes for Heroes stepped in and raised the money to help Chris and his family retrofit the home so Chris can live more independentally and as he says, live without being a burden to his family.
Chris walked on his two prosthetic legs and we chatted about his recovery. The fact that he was walking at this stage, and walking so well, was a testatment to his strength. I'm not sure how much that strength was captured in our story... I hope it is here.
Building Homes for Heroes
From Stephen Samaniego, CNN Producer
Chris Levi has always been a military man. At the age of 14 he enrolled in military school in upstate New York. Upon graduation, he tried college but the military lifestyle called him back. After watching a news report on T.V. about soldiers dying in Iraq, he went to his local Army recruiting office and signed up. He didn't tell anyone, he just did it.
Chris is now recovering at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C. In March of 2008, while in Iraq, Chris was riding in a Humvee when it hit an I.E.D. Chris was blown up along with his vehicle. His life was saved, but his legs were not. He sustained severe injuries to his right arm and almost lost that as well. Chris was transferred to Walter Reed and has been recovering there ever since.
As the reality of his injuries started to take hold, his family, especially his sister Kim, realized that Chris's real battle wouldn't take place in Iraq or in a hospital, but when he came home. "My greatest fear was that we’re going to bring him to this house where there’s stairs up and stairs down and we’re going to stick him in a back room and he’s going to be playing video games for the rest of his life," says Kim. "This is a kid who, he’s just a proud amazing kid, he doesn’t deserve that."
Kim knew that she had to do something. She and her boyfriend started reaching out to the community to try and find a way to help her brother. It was at a 5K Run for charity that Kim's boyfriend came upon Building Homes for Heroes.
About this Show
Welcome to the American Morning blog where you can get daily news updates from American Morning's reporters and producers. Join us for "the most news in the morning," weekdays from 6-9 a.m. ET, only on CNN.
