Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Spinach Scare Still Growing; Manhunt in Pittsburgh

Aired September 18, 2006 - 08:00   ET

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


MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: That spinach scare still growing. Even more spinach recalls as the E. coli outbreak spreads.
Also, a manhunt in Pittsburgh. Police looking for a man who shot five college basketball players.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: An amber alert for a kidnapped newborn. The small girl taken from her mother after a brutal attack.

Plus, powerful tornadoes leave a path of destruction and death through the Midwest.

O'BRIEN: And Patricia Kennedy Lawford has died. We remember her life ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Good morning to you.

I'm Miles O'Brien.

COSTELLO: And I'm Carol Costello in for Soledad.

O'BRIEN: We have new spinach recalls and new cases of E. coli poisoning to tell you about this morning. Lots to keep track of on this front.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta is watching it for us at the CNN Center -- Sanjay, what's the latest?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's been an interesting weekend. The numbers since Friday when we were talking so much about this, have gone up again -- 109 cases now, 19 states being affected. So this is a developing outbreak. It's been a -- we've been watching this for a few days now, Miles, and we've seen the numbers increase steadily over the days.

Also, it's worth pointing out that the state health departments, many of them were actually closed over the weekend. So as Monday rolls around and people started looking at the cases again, the numbers may go up again. I wouldn't be surprised if we see a significant increase today.

The FDA also expanded its warning now, saying it's not just fresh packaged spinach. It's now saying specifically stay away from all spinach. We sort of expected that to happen.

The investigation appears to be widening as opposed to narrowing down. They also include any salad mixes that include spinach, as well. So important, all fresh spinach, including salad mixes, as well.

CNN has learned that the company Natural Selections has released a statement specifically.

I want to explain this before reading the statement, that what they look for is a DNA match. They look for the E. coli that's causing the illness and then try and find a DNA match to E. coli on spinach.

That hasn't happened yet and that's at the root of this whole investigation. What Natural Selections is specifically saying is this: "Based on our work with the United States Food and Drug Administration and the California Department of Health Services, we have confirmed that no organic products of any kind, including Earth Bound form spinach or other products, have been linked to the outbreak at this time."

Again, what that means, Miles, is not that -- there's still a voluntary recall on those items, but they're just saying that they haven't had a DNA match yet with that. And that's what investigators are looking for.

If you had been watching this over the last several days, you ate some spinach and you are concerned, some of the symptoms specifically to look out for -- diarrhea, vomiting. Anemia is not something you really can look out for, but if someone is becoming pale and it looks like they're losing red blood cells or problems with their kidneys, you should see your doctor. You may have this problem. Statistically unlikely, but worth getting checked out -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right, so, the bottom line is you probably shouldn't buy any fresh spinach, bagged or otherwise, at this point, right?

GUPTA: That's what the FDA is basically saying. Now, there's a good chance that most of the contaminated stuff has already made its way through the system, so the vast majority of it is still sitting in people's refrigerators.

The best advice is throw it out if it's certainly sitting in your refrigerator.

O'BRIEN: Yes, I saw some over the weekend in the markets, though. So the word is maybe not getting out the way it should. I think there's a fair amount of confusion.

GUPTA: Well, you know, the issue is this -- and I tried to get down to this, as well, Miles. There is not a mandatory recall on these items. So some of the companies are basically saying, you know, for good faith, we're taking them off the shelves. But they don't have to do that.

Unlike a bad medicine or a defective car part where there is a mandatory recall, we have not seen that with the spinach. It's all been voluntary so far. I asked them specifically, and they said it doesn't yet meet the criteria. I don't know what those criteria are exactly. But you may still see some spinach, as you pointed out, on the shelves or in the markets.

O'BRIEN: All right, Sanjay Gupta at the CNN Center, thank you very much.

GUPTA: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: In just a little bit, we'll talk with the government's director of food safety.

We'll get the latest on the recalls from his perspective -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Police in Pittsburgh are searching for the gunman who shot four Duquesne University basketball players on the school's campus over the weekend. One of the players critically wounded this morning.

AMERICAN MORNING'S Alina Cho live in Pittsburgh on the campus of Duquesne with more -- good morning.

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, good morning to you.

Parents and students here are understandably still shaken this morning. Some are expressing disbelief. Part of the reason why is that this is an urban campus, but by all accounts, a safe campus. It is why so many people are surprised by what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

CHO (voice-over): Police say the five Duquesne basketball players had just left an on-campus dance early Sunday morning, around 2:00 a.m. Not long after that, there was apparently a verbal exchange with a man who is not believed to be a student.

Shots were fired and the suspect is still at large.

CHARLES DOUGHERTY, DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT: Other members of the basketball team, other members of our student body performed as a team, in some cases heroically, pulling people out of the line of fire, getting them assistance, rendering first aid and making sure they got the medical care they needed as quickly as possible.

CHO: The university president says the community is still in shock because the Duquesne campus is known as a safe place.

DOUGHERTY: We're sad because our students have been injured. Other students have witnessed the injuries. Families are concerned. Parents are concerned. We are a community of faith and so our first instinct, our first response, is prayer for those who have been wounded, prayer for their families.

(END VIDEO TAPE) CHO: Three of the five players injured in this shooting are still in the hospital this morning. The most critically injured is a cousin of former Houston Rockets star Hakeem Olajuwon. Many of his teammates and other students attended a prayer service here on campus last night. And, Carol, the university is offering crisis counseling for anyone who needs it.

COSTELLO: OK, I'm curious about the nature of the fight itself and what this might do to the basketball team.

CHO: Well, for now, the basketball season is still on, Carol. Of course, that could change. The nature of the fight, of course, this is a little more than 24 hours after this happened, so there are still a lot more questions than answers.

But what we can tell you is that this morning the Associated Press is reporting tonight that this may have been a fight over a woman. The police are not confirming this nor are they talking about whether they have identified the suspect. But it is safe to say that there is still a manhunt underway -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Alina Cho reporting live from Pittsburgh this morning.

Thanks.

O'BRIEN: A desperate search this morning near St. Louis for a kidnapped infant just 10 days old now. Take a look at Abigale Lynn Woods. Police say she was stolen after her mother was brutally attacked in her own home.

CNN's Jonathan Freed has more for us this morning from Union, Missouri -- hello, Jonathan.

JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Miles.

Well, here at the sheriff's department, I was talking to the sheriff himself a short while ago and he says that today that search for clues is going to continue. It had been dialed back a bit yesterday because the rain was getting in the way.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

FREED (voice-over): Police, the FBI, members of the Missouri National Guard and community volunteers are all trying to find any clue to the whereabouts of little Abigale Lynn Woods. The baby was just a week old when her mother was attacked on Friday and Abby was snatched from her home in rural Londell, Missouri, about an hour southwest of St. Louis.

Police say the mother, 21-year-old Stephanie Ochsenbine, was stabbed with a knife and had her throat slashed by a woman who knocked on her door.

SHERIFF GARY TOELKE, FRANKLIN COUNTY, MISSOURI: She asked to use the phone. And she came in and attempted to make a call, but apparently their long distance service wasn't working. And then I think she asked to use the bathroom. But -- and then at one point she told her she was there to take the child and that's when there was an altercation inside the house.

FREED: The mother was unconscious for a short while and then managed to walk 300 yards to her nearest neighbor's house for help. The baby's father was at work at the time. Police issued an amber alert. The infant weighs barely six pounds and was wearing a pink dress with a flowered collar. She has a birthmark between her eyes.

Family members are pleading for the child's return.

RAYLENE OCHSENBINE, ABIGALE'S GRANDMOTHER: We just want her to give her to a church so we can get her, or a hospital, so we can give her. Just give her back. My daughter it torn apart. The whole family is torn apart. It just hurts.

FREED: The suspect is a white female between 30 and 40 years old, about 5'8" and weighs around 200 pounds. She had dark hair pulled under a baseball cap.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

FREED: Now, Miles, if there's anything encouraging at all to report at this point, there are a few things. First of all, the mother, over the weekend, home from the hospital, being cared for by family at this point. Talking to family members earlier, they said that they really pushed to bring her home because they felt that she really wasn't doing as well emotionally as she might have been in the hospital.

Also, the sheriff confirmed for me today that they did find a knife outside on the property, as well as other evidence, they're saying. They won't get specific about it, Miles. But they're saying some other evidence at least found inside the home. Lab tests being done on that -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: And just to be clear, the boyfriend, the father of Abigale, was where?

FREED: He was at work at the time.

O'BRIEN: OK.

All right, Jonathan Freed, thanks very much.

If you have any information, police are asking that you call this number: 888-265-8639, helping find little Abigale Lynn Woods.

Coming up at the bottom of the hour, we're going to talk live with little Abigale's concerned grandparents and see how they're holding up.

In South Carolina, a man suspected of kidnapping a 14-year-old girl and holding her in an underground bunker facing felony charges this morning. Thirty-six-year-old Vinson Filyaw was captured yesterday morning. The victim, Elizabeth Shoaf, 14 years old, was rescued Saturday after she managed to send a text message to her mother.

CNN's Drew Griffin live now from Camden, South Carolina with more on this bizarre tale -- Drew.

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And, Miles, it's that text message that everybody is talking about, because it came after Elizabeth was held for 10 days in an underground bunker, deep in the South Carolina woods, believing all along that her captor would blow the whole place up if she ran away.

When he fell asleep, she grabbed that cell phone and text messaged her mother on Friday night and had the composure to tell almost exactly where she was. Police used some triangulation techniques to do the rest and then they found her early Saturday morning.

I talked with the mother last night and she is just in awe of the strength of her daughter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MADELINE SHOAF, ELIZABETH SHOAF'S MOTHER: She's strong-willed and she's determined to get through this. And she's just glad to be home. That was her only comment. That's all she said. She doesn't want everybody asking her how she's doing. She just wants to know that she's home and she's with us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: Let me tell you a little bit about the suspect. He had not one, but five bunkers dug deep in the woods. He was already wanted, Miles, on a child sexual assault charge against a 12-year-old girl. And this is the sign that was outside the property that he was staying at, advising everybody to stay out, including the police.

Police thought this guy had long gone, gone to North Carolina, they thought, wasn't even on the radar until that text message came up and they were able to determine that it was Vinson Filyaw's phone that Elizabeth Shoaf was using to send that text message to her mother.

He's in jail behind me awaiting five felony counts. Also, his common law wife, Cynthia Hall, is charged with aiding and abetting. But the safe thing is Elizabeth is home and apparently doing as well as can be expected -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: And apparently there was a series of bunkers that were built, right?

GRIFFIN: Yes, it's very bizarre. He had a bunker actually dug right out of the bottom of this trailer he was living at. And when police came to serve a warrant on him earlier -- this is months ago -- he apparently opened up some kind of a trap door in this thing and was able to sneak out without police knowing it.

Of course, they didn't know any of this until Elizabeth finally brought them to the bunker that was deep in the woods. But this guy was a real survivalist type fellow. He was caught in camouflage gear carrying a pellet gun-and a knife. But he had no means to get away. He didn't own a car or any kind of vehicle, so he was literally running from police by running down a highway. That was easy for them to get.

O'BRIEN: Yes. You're not going to win that race.

Drew Griffin, thank you very much -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Let's talk about the weather. Some nasty weather across the Midwest over the weekend. We want to show you these pictures of a tornado in South Dakota. It formed in Minnehaha County near Colton. There were no reports of any real damage from this one.

But just outside of Minneapolis, people in Rogers, Minnesota still cleaning up for a deadly tornado there. The twister swept through town Saturday night, damaging hundreds, hundreds of homes. A 10-year-old girl died when the house she was in collapsed.

Rob Marciano in for Chad this morning -- and I guess that house collapsed, like the outside walls are still standing yet the roof just came down.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Wow!

When you have two tornadoes, you can have winds over 150 miles an hour, as you mentioned, and that's certainly enough to do any sort of structural damage. This is the season now. We're starting to transition from summer into fall. We're starting to get some cooler air dipping south. The jet stream starts to dip south. That brings some energy. And that's what happened in Minnesota.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Patricia Kennedy Lawford has died. She was the sister of Edward Kennedy and President John F. Kennedy. Kennedy Lawford was 82 years old. She died of complications from pneumonia.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

COSTELLO (voice-over): She was the sixth child in a family of nine. The family's name? Kennedy. Patricia Kennedy Lawford was always around politics, if not in it. She helped her big brother John make his way to the White House and younger brother Bobby to the Senate.

Her little brother Edward, now the senior senator from Massachusetts, said of her: "Pat is irreplaceable" and noted her great style, her love and support of the arts, her wit and generosity and the sense of wonder and joy she brought to the Kennedy family.

But it wasn't politics which drove this Kennedy, it was show business and the arts. Soon after graduating Rosemount College in Pennsylvania, she left for Hollywood.

She fell in love with an actor, Peter Lawford. They married in 1954 and had four children before divorcing in the mid-'60s. Then she moved back East, to New York, where she founded the National Committee for the Literary Arts.

The family said in a statement: "Whether it was campaigning for her brothers or championing literacy and the arts, her purest gift was her beautiful heart."

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COSTELLO: Patricia Kennedy Lawford leaves behind her brother Edwards, sisters Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Jean Kennedy Smith. She leaves behind four children, as well, and 10 grandchildren.

O'BRIEN: Coming up, E. coli and bagged spinach. Is the outbreak about to grow bigger? We're going to check in with a top government official.

Also, a trio of huge wildfires out West. We'll see if firefighters are making any progress there.

And later, Dr. Sanjay Gupta checking in on our friends from the New You resolution. You remember them. Well, it's been nine months now since the program started. We are dying to know how they're doing.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: This just in. A developing story on Capitol Hill right now in Washington, D.C.

We've got the picture of the Dome. But in front of that Dome there is a big construction site. Apparently a man drove his car through the construction site, ran into the Capitol in a secured area, an area where he was not supposed to be.

Authorities have captured that man. He is in custody right now. He was found in the flag room of the Capitol.

I believe they're building a visitor center at the Capitol and that's why the construction, which has been there for a couple of years. We don't know much more than that. The Capitol remains in lockdown right now. But it has not been evacuated.

When we get more information on this, of course, we'll pass it along to you.

O'BRIEN: The number of people sickened by the E. coli bacteria traced to fresh spinach has now reached 109. That as authorities have expanded their recall of products containing spinach to include three other brands -- Farmers Market, Hy Vee and Fresh And Easy.

What is being done now to deal with this situation and what do people need to know?

Dr. Robert Brackett is director of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

He joins us from our Washington bureau.

And Dr. Sanjay Gupta is going to join in in just a second from the CNN Center in Atlanta.

Dr. Brackett, good to have you with us.

DR. ROBERT BRACKETT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION: Good morning.

O'BRIEN: First of all, at this point, how much do we know about where the source of this is?

BRACKETT: Well, the one thing we know is that it appears to be spinach and it -- related to bagged spinach. But we've expanded the warning, actually, to all of the fresh spinach and that's because we learned that some of the companies that produce the consumer sized bagged spinach also produced larger food service size. And the other thing we've learned is that perhaps some of the restaurants or grocery stores that sell the consumer sized bagged spinach have also had a practice of perhaps opening up the bags of consumer bagged spinach to put them on their salad bars or into their bulk bins.

So we really want to make sure that consumers are aware that they don't take -- consume any of this fresh spinach, because we really don't know where it came from, whether it came from the bag or whether it came from another state. We just don't have the focus down that much yet.

O'BRIEN: All right, so I think as a result of that, there's a little bit of confusion among consumers. At this point, this morning, just take fresh spinach off your diet for the moment? Is that your recommendation?

BRACKETT: That is our recommendation. Until we get this thing narrowed down a little bit more, that's the prudent thing to do.

O'BRIEN: Sanjay.

GUPTA: You know, sir, when we spoke last week, in all full disclosure, why not just recall this stuff? I mean there's a lot of people out there who probably aren't going to get the advisory.

Why not just mandate that it comes off the shelves and people cannot get their hands on what might be potentially contaminated spinach?

BRACKETT: Well, that's a very good question.

The first thing is that FDA does not have the authority to just mandate that something is withdrawn. What we do is work with the companies and ask them to withdraw or have a recall and that's what's happened in this case, as well.

But the second thing is you have to know what to withdraw from the market, is what to have a recall about. At this point, our knowledge of specifically where the product is actually originating or where the contamination is occurring is still unknown to us.

Now, we can seize the product if we know that a particular brand or a particular lot is contaminated, but we don't know that yet exactly which part we would take action on. So we've had a broad appeal to the public to just abstain from consuming it until we figure out where the contamination originated.

O'BRIEN: How long will it take, though, to get that kind of crucial information, Dr. Brackett?

BRACKETT: Well, we're moving in on it soon. We've already been able to narrow it to the companies that you've mentioned before. But we don't know that that's the total extent.

In the produce industry, we find that a processor may purchase their product, whether it be spinach in this case, or lettuce, from many different sources, that is, many different farms. So you have to track down to each one of those farms to find out where they were sourcing.

And, on the other side, each of the farms may also sell to a variety of different processors. So you have to go back up.

So it's a very mixed industry in terms of a direct line from the product that you buy in the supermarket to specifically where it came from.

O'BRIEN: Sanjay?

GUPTA: You know, one thing that struck me, Dr. Brackett, as well, is that out of 109 cases, you have 16 cases of what is known as HUS -- hemolytic uremic syndrome, a very serious complication.

Does that speak to how serious this particular strain of bacteria is?

BRACKETT: Well, that's exactly right. In this particular case, the strain appears to be much more virulent; that is, much more harmful than some of the other strains of E. coli 0157-H7 that we've seen. About half of the patients have been hospitalized, which is higher than what we typically see. And having this large number of individuals, percentage wise, with HUS is also very troubling to us.

O'BRIEN: Dr. Brackett, is it likely that the source of this would have been the irrigation water? And if that is the case, would people be any safer with an organic product versus, you know, something that is not labeled as such? And if it is, in fact, the irrigation water, could there be other crops that might be affected?

BRACKETT: Well, if it were the irrigation water, both conventionally grown and organic would probably be exposed at the same time, since they're both irrigated with that type of water. But we haven't seen any indication that either organic or conventionally produced products are any more or less risky than the other.

The one thing that we're careful, though, is it's tempting to just say it's the irrigation water. But, in fact, it could come from the irrigation water. It could come from animals that are in the field. It could come from the workers. It could come from a piece of equipment that's contaminated. We just don't know.

And until we figure that out, we don't want to go down the wrong road and waste time doing that. So we're looking at all possibilities.

O'BRIEN: It's kind of like a "CSI" episode, in some respects, isn't it?

BRACKETT: Very much like that, yes.

O'BRIEN: All right, Dr. Robert Brackett of the Food and Drug Administration and Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thank you both, doctors.

GUPTA: Appreciate it.

O'BRIEN: Appreciate it.

BRACKETT: My pleasure.

O'BRIEN: All right -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Coming up, a newborn stolen from her home, the suspect still at large. We'll ask the baby's grandparents how the family is holding up.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Well, it could be the most important historical milestone you don't pay any attention to. Yesterday was Constitution Day. Yes, Constitution Day. On September 17th, 1787, 39 members of the Continental Congress signed the document that is the backbone of our country.

Recently, we met a man for whom every day is Constitution Day.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

SAM FINK: You look at me and you think I'm a very old man.

O'BRIEN (voice-over): Sam Fink is a man proud of his strong constitution. Sure, the one that keeps him 90 years young. But more so of the one that makes our country unique.

FINK: What is it that helped me be free?

And I thought of rules and laws that make us behave properly.

O'BRIEN: So when he retired from work as an art director at a big advertising firm, he decided to use his talent to give people the big picture of what that document really means. His book is an illustrated constitution, the words of our founding fathers, the art all Sam's.

Through his illustrations, Sam hopes to bring the constitution alive for a new generation of Americans.

FINK: This is the backbone. A man cannot stand erect without one. Neither can a country. The backbone of the United States of America is her constitution.

O'BRIEN: Written by our founding fathers, discussed, doubts and revised through the long hot summer of 1787, finally signed by 39 patriots on September 17th, the words of that document are as meaningful today as they were then.

FINK: "We the people of the United States of America, in order to form a more perfect union -- "

O'BRIEN: And thanks to Sam Fink, those words have new life and dimension.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: What the constitution means to me, it brought good laws to America. It keeps America going.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: It means to me freedom of speech.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: It's very special because America is my country.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: It's all about freedom and the laws of the land, but like without them, like, people could die because if there was an attack just like, their cars would (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

O'BRIEN: Traffic lights? Well, maybe that's what the constitution is -- a green light for personal freedom, a red light for our worst instincts.

FINK: The constitution means to me a set of laws are so important that without them, there would be chaos. The constitution helps keep us human.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

O'BRIEN: Sam Fink.

And thank you very much for that.

It used to be called Citizenship Day. Now it's called Constitution and Citizenship Day. But happy day to you. Did you send a card?

COSTELLO: No. But I will. I'll send a belated card.

O'BRIEN: Yes.

COSTELLO: We've been following a developing story out of Washington, D.C.

The Capitol now in lockdown. A suspect in custody.

Jeanne Meserve has been following the story.

What more can you tell us -- Jeanne?

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, the details are very sketchy at this point in time.

But you're right, a note has gone out from the U.S. Capitol Police saying that they have one subject in custody at this time. The Capitol building remains locked down. No access will be granted pending a security sweep of that building.

According to one eyewitness who CNN has talked to, an individual entered a construction entrance outside the Capitol. You know, a visitors center is under construction there. There's an entrance usually only used by construction vehicles. But a white Chevy Blazer was seen going in there with one man inside wearing a baseball cap, not carrying anything, according to this one eyewitness, but his car was followed by a Capitol Police car.

Again, details very sketchy, but at this point in time we're still being told one suspect in custody, the building in lockdown as they do a sweep and a further investigation of this incident -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Jeanne, when you say the building is in lockdown, that means no one can get in, but there are people inside the Capitol right now that can't get out.

MESERVE: That's right. That's right. They keep everything in place while the police go through and check out that they want to make sure that this is only one individual involved, and that they have him in custody, want to make sure there are no sorts of devices anywhere around.

COSTELLO: He was reportedly found in the flag room. Do you know what room that is in the Capitol?

MESERVE: You know, my knowledge of Capitol Hill geography isn't that extensive. I don't have that, and that particular detail is not mentioned in the notice that's gone out from the Capitol Hill Police.

COSTELLO: The other question I had, why was it so easy for this person to get through this construction site and into a door that he's not permitted to enter?

MESERVE: Well, that is a real question. I think that, as this eyewitness described it to our producer, Paul Courson, on the scene, these entrances to the construction site are usually blocked by a U.S. Capitol Police car. That car might have moved out of position to allow a construction vehicle to get in, and this White Chevy blazer took advantage of that and plowed in. Now it may be that guards were not particularly attentive at some entrance, because they presumed it to be blocked to everybody but construction personnel, and this individual took advantage of that, but we just don't know at this point in time. COSTELLO: Yes, I don't want to make it more dramatic than it may have been, but it seems kind of frightening that he was able to get out of his car and run into the Capitol.

MESERVE: As you know, there have been shootings on Capitol Hill before. Security has been greatly increased with an intention to stop exactly this kind of an incident. We're going to have to know more about how this unfolded and what exactly it involved.

COSTELLO: And I know you're going to do some digging today.

MESERVE: You bet.

COSTELLO: Jeanne Meserve, thank you.

Coming up, an AP photographer held captive by the U.S. military in Iraq for five months. He hasn't been charged with anything, and the controversy is heating up now. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

COSTELLO: And I'm Carol Costello, in today in for Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Police in Missouri this morning are searching for a woman they say kidnapped a week-old newborn girl after she first slashed the mother's throat. Abigale Lynn Woods, only 10 days old today. Her mother is now out of the hospital and recovering with her family.

I'm joined by Sheriff Gary Toelke, who is leading the search for Abby, with help from the FBI. We're also joined by the baby's grandparents, Kenny and Raylene Ochsenbine, all from Union, Missouri.

Good to have you all with us.

Kenny and Raylene, I'd like to begin with you. Just tell us how Stephanie is doing this morning?

KENNY OCHSENBINE, ABIGALE'S GRANDFATHER: She's doing all right, I guess. Can't say much more about that. I don't know.

O'BRIEN: Right. But her wounds are healing. Obviously she has emotional concerns at this point. Is she with family all the time?

K. OCHSENBINE: Yes.

RAYLENE OCHSENBINE, ABIGALE'S GRANDMOTHER: Yes.

O'BRIEN: What has she been able to tell you about what happened? Has she been able to piece it together fairly well?

K. OCHSENBINE: Not hardly anything really. I mean, she's talking to us, but it's all broke up... O'BRIEN: Sheriff, you've had a chance, I assume, to talk to her as well. What -- at this point, what, if anything, have you ruled out?

SHERIFF GARY TOELKE, FRANKLIN COUNTY, MO: I haven't talked to her myself specifically, but I know she's been interviewed extensively by law enforcement, but we really at this point haven't been able to rule out anything. We're still considering any option. You know, the investigation is still ongoing. We're not really headed in any particular direction at this point.

O'BRIEN: And was she able to give a fairly good description of this woman who came to her door, seeking a telephone and ultimately took the baby.

TOELKE: Yes, sir. She was with the suspect for a substantial period of time and was able to give us a good description. Hopefully we'll have a composite some time this morning. It's taken some time to get that together. She wanted to be sure that had it right before we put it out so it wouldn't be inaccurate and mislead people. So hopefully we'll have that pretty soon.

O'BRIEN: All right. So you're not releasing that just yet?

TOELKE: No. Hopefully some time this morning, as soon as we're finished in this area, we'll go to the command post, and I'm going to see if it's ready and see if we can get it out.

O'BRIEN: Raylene, did Stephanie indicate to you that this woman was a stranger.

R. OCHSENBINE: She was a stranger. My daughter did not know her.

O'BRIEN: Yes.

And what else did she have to tell you about the circumstances of all of this?

R. OCHSENBINE: Like I -- when it come to asking what happened, we more or less stayed away from that, let the investigators do what they have to do, and we, more or less, took care of her physical and emotional needs.

O'BRIEN: What has this been like for you emotionally really?

R. OCHSENBINE: Can't really concentrate on that now. We just are concentrating really hard on getting Abby back. We just really have to have her home. She completes us.

O'BRIEN: Yes, and she's so young and, obviously, she was still nursing and obviously a 10-day-old infant needs to be near her mother.

R. OCHSENBINE: Yes.

O'BRIEN: Do you have any sort of -- if a person out there could help or knew anything about this, what would you say to them?

R. OCHSENBINE: Oh, please help, please help. Help and pray. Any information is what we want. That's why we're here. We've got to have her back. We need her.

O'BRIEN: All right. You want to add to that at all, Kenny?

K. OCHSENBINE: Just bring her to us. That's all I can say.

O'BRIEN: All right, Grandparents Kenny and Raylene Ochsenbine, and the sheriff, Gary Toelke, thank you all for being with us. We wish you well as you continue this hunt.

Back with more in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: We've been telling you about this developing story out of Washington, D.C. The Capitol now in lockdown after a man drove through a construction site and entered the Capitol through an entrance he was not supposed to enter through. Capitol police were able to search the Capitol, they found him. He is in custody, but the Capitol, as I said, remains in lockdown right now.

Eric Ueland is Senator Bill Frist's chief of staff. He's inside the Capitol right now. Hey, thanks for being with us this morning.

Mr. Ueland, can you hear me?

ERIC UELAND, SEN. FRIST'S CHIEF OF STAFF: Indeed.

COSTELLO: Oh, good, I'm glad. What's going on right now?

UELAND: Well, currently right now, the Capitol is indeed in lockdown as the police search room by room, hallway by hallway, making sure that everybody who is currently in the Capitol is supposed to be here, authorized to be here. And then they'll finish that process at some point here in the not-too-distant future, hopefully, and reopen the Capitol for access for staff and visitors.

COSTELLO: Where exactly are you, and can you move from that location?

UELAND: Currently I'm on the Senate side of the Capitol, and no, all staff have been encouraged to remain in their offices while the police do their search and, like I say, go room to room and ensure that everybody who is currently in the Capitol is supposed to be here.

COSTELLO: Were you aware of what happened?

UELAND: No, our office is not too far from the Rotunda. And at this time of the morning, you can hear a lot of things that echo through the hallways. So there was a disturbance about 40, 45 minutes ago while they were evidently grabbing this individual and taking him into custody. And then not too long thereafter, e-mails started going out, and the police started working with various individuals here in the Capitol, telling them what to do.

COSTELLO: So are you aware of this construction entrance that this man came through?

UELAND: There are a variety of entrances over in the construction site. There's been a lot of work done over the past several years. There aren't a little specifics yet, and so I just caution everybody to go slow as more information becomes available.

COSTELLO: Well, because you know, it's always disturbing when you hear this in light of what happened in 1998, when two U.S. Capitol police officers were killed inside the Capitol when a man got through security. I mean, does this worry you?

UELAND: I'm not sure that it necessarily worries anybody, only because the system worked. There's a variety of checkpoints and barriers in different steps the closer you get to the Capitol. And so this individual was apprehended before he could get his way too far into the Capitol. And if he intended to do any damage, not be able to follow through on that.

COSTELLO: Well, we hope the lockdown ends soon. Eric Ueland, Senator Bill Frist's chief of staff, joining us live this morning from Washington. Thank you.

UELAND: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Time now for a check-up on our "New You Resolution" teams. This year's team, you'll recall, the power of pairs. Did their "New You" experience lead to life-long changes or did they fall back to their not so healthy habits? And if it's new nine months later, is it still really new? These are questions we all have.

Sanjay Gupta joining us with that. Hello, Sanjay.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Miles.

In the beginning of the year, everyone has the best intentions. They want to get healthier, they want to start eating right. With that in mind, we started to do something called the power of pairs, and pair people up for a little added inspiration, be it your wife, your brother or your boss. Our pairs came to us from Wyoming, New York and Washington, D.C.

Wanted to give you a recap of where they started and what they accomplished in just eight weeks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA (voice-over): When we launched the "New You Resolution" at the beginning of the year, our three couples -- coworkers Donna Watts- Brighthaupt and Frank Purcell, twins Mark and Stuart Rasch and husband and wife Pedro and Denise Rampolla -- all wanted to be healthier. They were hoping the buddy system would lead to success.

DENISE RAMPOLLA, "NEW YOU RESOLUTION" PARTICIPANT: We have to work as a team.

GUPTA: Denise and Pedro's goal was not to lose weight, but for themselves and their four kids, to be healthier and to avoid heart disease that runs in their family. Their busy life as a military family often had them eating fast food or prepackaged meals.

Mark Rasch and his twin brother Stuart were hoping the competitive spirit would help them lose weight and get their cholesterol and blood pressure down.

STUART RASCH, "NEW YOU RESOLUTION" PARTICIPANT: I like French fries.

MARK RASCH, "NEW YOU RESOLUTION" PARTICIPANT: French fries are usually an undoing.

GUPTA: Mark, a lawyer in Washington, D.C., is often on the road, eating whatever is easy. Stuart, who works long hours in a New York emergency room, was eating little while on duty but then would binge when he got home. Both wanted to change their weights.

S. RASCH: Too much body, too much mass.

GUPTA: Washington lobbyist Donna Watts-Brighthaupt and her boss, Frank Purcell, decided to enroll in the "New You Resolution" so they could both become fit.

FRANK PRUCELL, "NEW YOU RESOLUTION" PARTICIPANT: Both of us share an appreciation for fine food, and for food that sometimes isn't so fine but really tasty anyway.

GUPTA: After eight weeks of the "New You Resolution," the power of pairs paid off for all three couples.

The Rampollas were able to bring some structure to their hectic family life.

PEDRO RAMPOLLA, "NEW YOU RESOLUTION" PARTICIPANT: As long as Denise and I are bouncing off each other, doing the same thing, then we're kind of fine.

GUPTA: They're exercising more and eating better. Losing weight was not a goal, but dropping a dress size was a nice bonus for Denise.

The twins found time for more exercise and success soon followed. When we last saw them, both had made sacrifices, but it was worth it.

M. RASCH: This is the new me. This is -- these are 34 jeans. And not the old 38s.

S. RASCH: I've lost two inches off my waist, I've lost two inches off my chest.

GUPTA: The lobbyists experienced similar success. Donna got slimmer all over. She even cut down on her smoking, even though it wasn't her "New You" goal. And Frank dropped 23 pounds, all by exercising hard and eating better and staying away from that tempting candy machine.

That was then, six months ago. But did they manage to keep those healthy habits? Only the "New You" checkup will tell.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: And that is the real question. Of course, they did well over the eight weeks, but can you keep up the healthy habits? We're going to check in all week. This is the "New You" checkup, with all of our twins.

Also, Miles, you'll appreciate this -- we've been asking them to blog some of their experiences, CNN.com/newyou. You can read about their experiences firsthand there as well, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Now, see, I'm dying to know how they're doing. You really have just teased us here, Sanjay. Who are we going to catch up with first?

GUPTA: We're going to get a hold of the twins, Mark and Stuart Rasch. And remember, their competitive rivalry, their sibling rivalry, really prompted them over the eight weeks. How did they continue? I think you're going to have good news tomorrow -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right. Well, there's a little hint. All right, Sanjay Gupta, we'll be glad to see our friends back. And soon we'll be talking about next year's "New You Resolution," I suppose.

All right, Sanjay.

GUPTA: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Thanks very much.

GUPTA: All right.

COSTELLO: Also coming up, fire up the TiVo, the fall TV season is here. Which hot new shows should you be watching? "A.M. Pop" just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: The Associated Press going to battle over the military's detention system. The U.S. military has held AP photographer Bilal Hussein for five months now without charges. The Pentagon says the Iraqi national has ties to the insurgents, but the AP says there's no concrete evidence against him. They say Hussein is one of 14,000 people held by the U.S. military around the world. Few are charged. Few see a courtroom. The army says every detainee it is holding is a security threat, however.

Death and bloodshed spreading to the oil-rich cities north of Baghdad. Reports of deaths today in Baquba after a series of deadly bombings in Kirkuk yesterday.

CNN's Michael Ware joining us from Baghdad with more -- Michael. MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Miles. What we saw was a particularly bloody Sunday in the northern city of Kirkuk. Four what looks like coordinated car bombings in less than three hours. In fact, we saw two suicide car bombings and one further car bombing detonate within this important city in less than 30 minutes. As the smoke cleared, there was 23 dead and at least 66 wounded. So this was very clearly a sophisticated and well-organized attack on this very important oil-rich and heavily contested northern city -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: And we haven't seen as much violence there, have we, Michael? What's going on?

WARE: Well, we do see spikes in violence in the northern Kurdistan region. I mean, Kurdistan is essentially a state within a state. It's been that way since the imposition of the no-fly zone during Saddam's regime, where Saddam's armies were kept away by U.S. and U.K. jets from the jets from the Kurds. Since the fall of Saddam's regime, the Kurds have maintained themselves as their own little region.

Nonetheless, they continue to be plagued, not so much by the Sunni insurgency that we see down here, not by the Shia militias and death squads, but by al Qaeda-backed groups, principally Ansar al- Islam, which is renowned for its coordinated car bomb attacks, just like this one, though no one has yet taken credit. And by Ansar al- Islam, an al Qaeda-backed group that President Bush claimed had been decimated in the invasion, which has since been well proven to be wrong -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Meanwhile in Baghdad, this notion of building a trench around the city has a lot of people scratching their heads, Michael.a

WARE: This is an absolutely fascinating idea that was floated by the extremely controversial ministry of interior, which very quickly saw the U.S. military distance itself from this concept. I mean, immediately there's thoughts conjured up of a moat, more or less, around Baghdad. Reality, however, is much different.

What they're talking about is trying to control entry and exits from the capital. I mean, they already do that to an extent now. They're merely talking about re-enforcing that, perhaps with some additional trenches, although many already exist in those natural canals that they use. But we're talking more about barbed wire and burns, and the increasing of checkpoints in the leadup to what is traditionally the Ramadan or holy month offensive, which the holy month due to begin within days. This will be my fourth Ramadan, and I can tell you that I, like the U.S. military, is expecting yet another bloodbath -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Michael Ware in Baghdad, thank you very much.

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

COSTELLO: Our top stories in just a moment. As we've been telling you, the Capitol in lockdown right now after a man crashes his SUV through a construction site and then gets into the Capitol. We'll give you more after this break.

Also we'll have more on that expanded spinach recall. The latest on the growing E. coli outbreak. That's just ahead, too, on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com