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CNN Saturday Morning News
Vatican: Pope is 'Extremely Upset' His Comments Offended Muslims; E. Coli in Spinach; Fight for Afghanistan
Aired September 16, 2006 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN ANCHOR: From the Vatican today, the pope says he's extremely upset that this words offended Muslims. Comments he made this week sparked widespread protests in the Muslim world. Two churches in the West Bank were firebombed today. The Associated Press reports a group claiming responsibility says it was done to protest the pope's remarks about the teachings of Mohammed.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Closing in on the source of that deadly E. coli scare. This morning investigators say they linked the outbreak from bagged spinach to a California company. They're still searching, though, for the specific source of the contamination.
Details on this story as we continue to look in to it for you this morning coming up in just four minutes.
ROESGEN: U.S.-led forces and Afghan troops have launched a major new offensive against Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan. Coalition officials say the offensive involves thousands of troops and its' being carried out in five provinces.
President Bush will meet with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday. Wire reports say the two leaders will hold talks on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York.
SANCHEZ: Texas is saying good-bye to its first lady of wit. This weekend former governor Ann Richards will lie in state at the Texas Capitol Rotunda in Austin. Richards died this week of esophageal cancer. She dies at the age of 73.
Let's go to Bonnie now. Bonnie Schneider, that is, for a quick check of your weather.
And there are a couple of tropical systems out there that you're following, huh?
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right, Rick, three of them. And one of them is a very powerful hurricane. Hurricane Lane bearing down on Mexico. This will bring some effects to the U.S. And I'll have that coming up, plus a look at some snow for Utah.
SANCHEZ: We'll look forward to it, Bonnie.
We run down the top stories every 15 minutes here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING for you, with in-depth coverage all morning long. Your next check of the headlines is coming up at 8:15 Eastern.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can't ban skinny people just because that's the way they are. It's kind of like telling fat people to lose weight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROESGEN: A European city makes a controversial move to ban extremely thin models from the runway. Now the fashion world is reacting. We'll have that story in about 20 minutes.
SANCHEZ: From the CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is September 16th. It's 8:00 a.m. here at CNN headquarters in Atlanta. It's 7:00 a.m. in Austin, Texas, for good measure.
Good morning. I'm Rick Sanchez.
ROESGEN: Really early this morning.
I'm Susan Roesgen, in for Betty Nguyen. Still nursing a cold, so I hope you'll bear with my scratchy throat.
Thanks for being with us.
Our first story today, the pope, his words and Islam. New developments from the Vatican today. A statement says the pope is extremely upset, in his words, over his words that offended Muslims. It follows strong action across the Muslim world.
CNN's Zain Verjee reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(CHANTING)
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Angry chants from protesters after Friday prayers in Egypt. Down with the Pope, they shout, some of the scenes of outrage from Gaza, India, Lebanon, Turkey. Sparking this anger comments by Pope Benedict XVI about Islam and the Prophet Mohammed. At a university lecture in Germany the Pope said, "Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."
He was quoting a 14th century Byzantine Christian emperor. Reaction in the Muslim world was swift and widespread.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
VERJEE: The (INAUDIBLE) in Egypt says the comments show the Pope's ignorance he says adding it's an insult to all prophets, would only worsen relations between Muslims and Christians. With condemnation and furor on the street and wide media coverage, the Vatican issued a statement saying the Pope didn't intend to offend anyone. That it was not the intention of the Holy Father to examine jihad and Muslim thought on it much less to offend Muslim believers. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a Pope who believes very strongly in rational inquiry into the truth. This talk was also a sort of challenge to Muslim whose say show me what it is in your religion that doesn't agree with this text.
VERJEE: Many Christian and Muslim leaders are urging all religious leaders to be cautious about what they say not to inflame the situation further, but some analysts say damage has already been done.
FAWAZ GERGES, SARAH LAWRENCE COLLEGE: I think it deepens and widens the gulf that exists between the world of Islam and the West.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROESGEN: Zain Verjee is a regular contributor to "THE SITUATION ROOM," which you see right here on CNN Monday through Friday at 4:00 and 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
SANCHEZ: We are learning more this morning about that tainted spinach blamed for the growing E. coli outbreak. And investigators are now saying that they're closing in on the source of the contamination that's linked to packaged fresh spinach.
The outbreak has been traced to a California-based company, Natural Selection Foods/Earthbound Farms. The E. coli outbreak has spread to 19 states, with almost 100 cases and one death so far in Wisconsin. The actual source of the contamination has not really yet been identified.
CNN's Christy Feig has more on the effects of E. coli and the importance of finding out where it came from.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTY FEIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Health officials are concerned about this outbreak because this type of E. coli is one of the most dangerous. Symptoms include abdominal cramping and diarrhea that can be bloody. There is concern in some cases, especially children, that it can progress to kidney failure and even death.
With E. coli, medicine to stop diarrhea can sometimes make you sicker. Officials say if you've eaten bagged spinach recently and you have symptoms, go to your doctor.
DR. ROBERT BRACKETT, FDA: What they should do is go immediately to their physician, and if it's bloody diarrhea, even to an emergency room if they have to, to have that evaluated. They should not be giving them any kind of over-the-counter medications.
FEIG: E. coli is found naturally in the intestines of cows and other animals. And outbreaks are often linked to contaminated waste in water, meat, or unwashed produce. The CDC estimates every year this strain of E. coli in the United States causes about 73,000 illnesses and 60 deaths. The question is, how did the bacteria get into the spinach?
BRACKETT: It could end up with wild animals such as deer walking through. That could contaminate the product. It could come from contact with contaminated surface water, streams or ponds that might flood. Or if you irrigate the product with contaminated water.
FEIG: Those are just some of the possibilities public health investigators will try to track down, because until they find the source of the outbreak, they can't be certain it's over.
I'm Christy Feig, reporting from Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: And we do know that there are people waking up this morning who want to know what the latest is on this. So let's -- let's bring you up to date now. Here's the latest on the E. coli investigation.
Officials have traced the outbreak to a California company; however, the exact source of the bacteria is not yet known. In other words, what is it that actually caused it and from whence it came? FDA officials stress that the recall could extend to other bagged spinach, not just products from Natural Selection Foods. And right now, investigators are trying to narrow down the actual source of contamination to determine where it occurred in the process -- Susan.
ROESGEN: Meanwhile, three Afghan aid workers are dead and another is wounded after their car was hit by -- after their car hit a mine near Kabul, Afghanistan. It happened as U.S.-led forces and Afghan troops were launching a major offensive against Taliban fighters there.
And the commander of NATO is renewing his appeal for allied nations to give more troops, 2,500 more troops in southern Afghanistan.
That's where Bill Neely is with British forces.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL NEELY, REPORTER, ITV NEWS (voice over): It's a tank built for the Cold War but it's in use every day now in a desert war against the Taliban. Like tanks, armored columns pushing out through the sands to search for the enemy.
(on camera): Most of Hilmand Province is just like this, a vast, flat, open desert, peppered with small villages in which the Taliban have influence, sometimes power, and always weaponry. The job of these troops is village by village to confront that power.
(voice over): Near One Village (ph), the troops question locals about Taliban fighters but more often than not get blank stares and little information. Often, it's the Taliban who come to them. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There have been areas that coalition forces have been involved in some quite fierce fighting over the last few months. So (INAUDIBLE) through the mountain (ph) pass is a task for the patrols to inundate any movement between them.
NEELY: This is a battlefield with an enemy ahead and an enemy underneath. This armored vehicle hit a mine this week, injuring three soldiers, one very seriously.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The mine they hit was not -- was not a laid mine from us. It was a laid mine from 20-odd years ago.
NEELY (on camera): From another war?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. From a completely different war.
NEELY (voice over): Today the troops practiced how to escape a minefield. The problem is, in Afghanistan there are thousands.
They travel across the desert in the dark, too, and at speed, to try to cut off the routes that supply Taliban fighters.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We believe that there could be anywhere between 200 to 300 Taliban moving around.
NEELY: In one town, Garesh (ph), there are Taliban that the troops patrol with some ease. The locals desperate for security. But in many other towns the guns are out for the troops.
(on camera): Do you believe you're winning?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I believe we're making a difference. And in this country, at the moment, needs the difference to be made. It will be a long slog.
NEELY (voice over): A long slog in the sands and in the towns with the outcome unclear.
Bill Neely, ITV News, in the southern Afghan desert.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: An infamous bounty hunter and reality TV star is no longer behind bars this morning. Find out why next.
ROESGEN: And a revolution against skinny models on the runway. Could it really be true? Hear what the models have to say about.
But first, here's Dr. Sanjay Gupta with a preview of what's ahead on "House Call."
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, guys.
Coming up on "House Call," how do super-smart people get that way? We're taking an in-depth look at genius from all angles. A sperm bank made up of geniuses. How did the kids turn out 20 years later? And find out how taking a break from all the hard work could actually make you more intelligent.
So take a break. Come join us on "House Call," 8:30 Eastern.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As people can really get more in touch with their emotions they'll have a better workout.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Dr. Eric Fisher (ph) is a sports psychologist. So what workout does he recommend if you're feeling angry?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want to go and kickbox or go and take your anger out on other people. For some people that might work well, but for others they might need to do something more meditative.
COSTELLO: Dr. Fisher (ph) says try running or lifting weights, or aerobics, boxing, or take a walk to reflect, or yoga to relax. When you're depressed or have the blues, do something that empowers yourself, such as taking a walk in nature so you can reflect.
If you're bored...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Boredom, you want to do something to spice things up. So you might get out there and take a new class.
COSTELLO: If you're feeling stressed out, Fisher (ph) suggests working out on a treadmill or doing pilates, tai chi or yoga. When you're feeling happy, extend yourself. Try a new aerobics class. Lift more weights. This will help you feel even more uplifted.
So no matter what mood you're in, there is no good excuse for not working out.
Carol Costello, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROESGEN: "Now in the News," a statement from the Vatican. Pope Benedict is, in his words, "extremely upset" that he offended Muslims in a speech he gave earlier this week. He quoted a 14th century emperor who had described the Prophet Mohammed's teachings as evil and inhuman.
SANCHEZ: Meanwhile, more information coming in today about the E. coli outbreak linked to packaged spinach. FDA investigators are saying that they have traced it to a California company called Natural Selection Earthbound. However, how did it become contaminated there if that's the place where it happened?
Well, that's what officials are still trying to find out at this point. More than 90 cases in 90 (sic) states, and one death reported so far.
Coalition officials say that U.S.-led forces and Afghan troops have launched a major new offensive against Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan. Operation Mountain Fury involves thousands of troops and it's being carried out now in five different provinces.
By the way, we said 90 states a little while ago in the E. coli story we aired in there. Obviously, it wasn't 90 states. It was 90 cases, though -- Susan.
ROESGEN: And then this guy, the bounty hunter, Duane "Dog" Chapman, and two of his associates have posted bond. They were arrested two days ago in Hawaii because they're wanted in Mexico, where three years ago the bounty hunter captured a fugitive, Andrew Luster, at a Mexican resort. But little did he know bounty hunting is a crime in Mexico.
We run down the top stories here every 15 minutes on CNN SATURDAY MORNING, with in-depth coverage all morning long. Your next check of the headlines is coming up at 8:30 Eastern.
SANCHEZ: Bonnie, Bonnie, Bonnie. We need to know. We're on a need-to-know basis here about some of those tropical systems that you've been following.
What you got?
ROESGEN: On both coasts everybody needs to know.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
SCHNEIDER: Absolutely.
(WEATHER REPORT)
SANCHEZ: We'll take what we can get. Thanks so much, Bonnie.
SCHNEIDER: OK.
ROESGEN: The science behind super smarts. Do you want to get smarter? Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains what you really can do to improve your brain power. That's coming up in 10 minutes on "House Call."
SANCHEZ: Up next, though, listen to this. A city has a ban against super-slim models. This is a public good, or is this genetic discrimination? What it is? We'll be back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ribs, hip bones, I don't know.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I eat like you would not believe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROESGEN: You know, they say that you can never be too rich or too thin, but how thin is too thin? The fashion police in Madrid have banned models they say are too skinny. And the models have been weighing in on it ever since.
Here's CNN's Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MOOS (voice-over): If you've always thought models are too skinny...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm 123 pounds at 5'9 1/2, and I said it's all right here.
MOOS: ... pinch yourself. It's too good to be true.
(on camera): In Spain, they have banned skinny models.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, I love that.
MOOS (voice-over): The news has models everywhere weighing in.
(on camera): Can I weigh you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can weigh me.
MOOS: Can we get you to step on the scale?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, should I take off my boots?
MOOS (voice-over): Take off your boots, take off your top. The thing not to take off is more pounds.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because I should go to Spain, because I think I would make the cut. I think I would be all right.
MOOS (on camera): I don't think you would be all right. I don't think you would be allowed to model in Spain.
(voice-over): Out of concern that seeing skinny model encourages young girls to lose too much weight, the Spanish government-run fashion shows banned models with a body mass index below 18. For instance, someone who is 5'19 must weigh at least 122 pounds, or they are out.
So even though this model at the Lisa Fong (ph) show in New York had a McDonald's egg and bacon sandwich with cheese for breakfast, at 113 pounds, she is underweight.
(on camera): You're too skinny.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I need 10 more pounds. Eat McDonald's three times a day instead of one time.
MOOS (voice-over): The head of the Elite model agency is crying foul. CATHY GOULD, DIRECTOR, ELITE MODEL MANAGEMENT: It's discrimination against models that are naturally thin, and gazelle- like.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can't ban skinny people just because that's the way they are. It's kind of like telling fat people to lose weight.
MOOS: Still, several of the models we interviewed admitted to having been anorexic or bulimic at some point.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are girls on the runway right now that should be in a hospital.
MOOS: The ban is the talk of the modeling world. So far, it is confined to Spain.
(on camera): Ribs, hip bones. I don't know...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I eat like you would not believe.
MOOS: After weighing model after model...
(on camera): You're banned in Spain. I'll tell you, you're all in trouble.
(voice-over): One girl finally weighed in above the cutoff, at 133. She turned over the scale to hide the evidence. The scale was a sort of model magnet.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm two pounds under.
MOOS (on camera): You're out.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm out. Oh, no, I'm out.
MOOS: So now what do you think of the ban?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm just going to go get some more cake.
MOOS (voice-over): Did she say cake?
(on camera): Well, look what they are feeding them.
(voice-over): How much granola does it take to make a model gain...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Two pounds.
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROESGEN: What a problem to have.
Tomorrow at 9:00 Eastern we're going to talk about this ban with a fashion insider, Irene Marie from the MTV show "8th and Ocean."
So keep eating, girls. Keep going.
SANCHEZ: Yes. I like the way she calls it cake and then goes and eats granola, right? Yes, you'll gain weight, sure.
Well, from underweight to overweight, is America's preoccupation with high-protein, low-carb diets really the answer to the nation's growing waistline? We've got part of that answer in today's "Gerri's Jump Start" in the next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
ROESGEN: But first, Dr. Sanjay Gupta and "House Call." Is the making of a genius nature or nurture?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": We're at the home of Engine 54, Ladder 4, Battalion 9, the New York City Fire Department. This firehouse lost all 15 men on duty September 11, 2001.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 54, to my knowledge, was in the Marriott Hotel. And Ladder 4 was working in one of the towers, actually getting people out of an elevator shaft.
We had thought during the day that we had heard a report that the guys from 54 were somewhere. And when we came back here, Chief Mayer (ph) told me, "No, everybody's gone."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, life goes on. And we're really, really proud of the families and how they have gotten through past these past difficult five years. That gives I think everybody here strength.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Each one of us is going to stop and we're going to remember where we were that day and what we did. It's always going to be a part of us.
KING: Meeting the survivors five years later was one of the most moving experiences of my life. And you'll share the experience I had tonight in a special hour.
Please join us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROESGEN: "Now in the News," some new details about the E. coli outbreak linked to packages of spinach. They've traced it to a California company, but they still haven't isolated the bacteria in the company's products. This outbreak has spread to 19 states with more than 90 confirmed cases and one death.
From the Vatican today, the pope now says he is extremely upset that his words have offended Muslims. Comments he made this week sparked widespread protest in the Muslim world. Two churches in the West Bank were firebombed today. And the Associated Press reports that a group claiming responsibility says it was done to protest the pope's remarks about the teachings of Mohammed.
Texas says good-bye to a former first lady. The body of former Governor Ann Richards will lie in state beginning two hours from now at the Texas Capitol Rotunda. Richards died this week of throat cancer at the age of 73.
Your next check of the headlines is coming up at the top of the hour, but first, HOUSECALL with Dr. Sanjay Gupta starts right now.
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