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Conflicting Reports On Osama Bin Laden Being Dead or Alive; Severe Weather Sweeping Midwest; Search for Alleged North Carolina Gunman Continues; Threat of Agro-Terrorism; New Tickle Me Elmo
Aired September 23, 2006 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Now in the news, U.S. officials say they cannot confirm a report suggesting that Osama bin Laden may be dead. A French newspaper printed a report citing a confidential French government document. A Saudi intelligence source says there are reports that bin Laden is ill, but not dead.
Details from CNN's Nic Robertson are just two minutes away.
Destructive storms, floods and tornadoes hit the Midwest yesterday and more severe weather is expected today. We'll check with CNN meteorologist Reynolds Wolf in just a few minutes.
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN ANCHOR: A car bomb explosion in Baghdad this morning killed at least 28 people and wounded more than two dozen. We'll have more on the details coming up this hour.
And the man shown in this picture reading a newspaper may be the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq. The picture is from an insurgent video first released two years ago. An Islamic militant Web site says it shows Abu Ayyoub al-Masri executing a Turkish hostage. Al-Masri took over al Qaeda in Iraq after Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed in June.
New signs that North Korea may be enhancing its nuclear weapons program. A visiting American scholar there says a senior North Korean official told him that North Korea plans to unload fuel rods from its nuclear reactor to obtain more weapons grade plutonium.
LEMON: You're in the CNN Newsroom. The news unfolds live on Saturday, September 23rd.
Good morning, everyone.
I'm Don Lemon.
ROESGEN: And I'm Susan Roesgen.
It is the first day of fall.
Thank you so much for being here with us today.
Osama bin Laden -- an intelligence report from Europe suggests the terror mastermind is dead. We will go live to London this hour.
LEMON: Perfect timing -- a tornado drill just before a tornado strikes. A Missouri school hit, as violent weather stalks the central U.S.
ROESGEN: And fields of green -- a green light for terrorists.
How safe is America's wide open farmland?
We'll ask our guest in the newsroom.
LEMON: The world's most wanted man -- is he dead?
A French intelligence document is raising that possibility today. It claims bin Laden died of typhoid in Pakistan last month. Of course, as officials in Paris and Washington point out, there is no way to confirm bin Laden's death unless someone outside of al Qaeda sees his corpse.
Our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, has covered al Qaeda extensively. He is working his sources from London for us this morning -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Don.
This leaked document ended up in a small regional French newspaper. The president of France, Jacques Chirac, responded to the leak today, saying that he was concerned and ordering an investigation into the leak of a confidential document.
It certainly does appear to substantiate that a document has been leaked to this paper.
The Defense Department in France is conducting that investigation. The substance in that article saying that Osama bin Laden, according to Saudi sources, was dead, that he died on the 23rd of August this year and that became knowledge to a -- to a reliable Saudi source on the 4th of September this year. And that was reported to Saudi officials.
Now, a Saudi source I talked to who hasn't seen this document, but he is familiar with what goes on within Saudi intelligence circles, says that he can substantiate some of what is being reported.
He says that the Saudis are aware that Osama bin Laden has been sick for a number of weeks recently, that he has had a water-borne disease. However, he says they cannot confirm the reports in a French newspaper that Osama bin Laden is dead.
At this time, Saudi officials do not know that.
Now, the journalist who wrote this article said that he is very clear that what he has seen does substantiate that Osama bin Laden is dead and that the Saudi officials, at least from a document he's seen, are now trying to locate Osama bin Laden's body to confirm it for themselves -- Don.
LEMON: Yes, and, of course, as you said, Nic, the only way you can really confirm it is from a body, possibly and from a family member. Talk a little bit more about that, about possibly confirming this story.
ROBERTSON: Well, it's always been a concern for intelligence officials how would they run-down rumors that Osama bin Laden was dead. Now, the French article indicates that the document that the French officials have indicates that Osama bin Laden died in Pakistan. Pakistani officials have told us, in the last few hours, they don't know about this report. They're not aware of Osama bin Laden being in their country. And recently I was in Pakistan and they told us that absolutely he wasn't in Pakistan at all, and that was the information they had.
So already there are a number of contradictions there. For the Saudi intelligence services, who seem to have all the information at this time, how will they ascertain this -- the credibility of their source?
Well, it will have to be done through examining a body, doing DNA analysis to ascertain that it is Osama bin Laden. A number of Osama bin Laden's relatives still live in Saudi Arabia, most notably his mother. And it has been noted within Saudi intelligence circles that at some point Osama bin Laden's mother would be informed of his death. That's another place that the Saudi authorities would likely be looking to test the veracity of this report.
But the only concrete way, really, is through that DNA analysis -- Don.
LEMON: All right.
Our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, working sources from London for us this morning.
Thank you very much, Nic.
ROESGEN: Meanwhile, CNN terrorism analyst, Peter Bergen, has written and reported extensively on Osama bin Laden.
And Peter joins us now in Washington this morning -- Peter, we have heard reports of Osama bin Laden's death in the past many times.
Does this one strike you as more reliable than those others?
PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: The answer is no.
You know, I'm highly skeptical of this report. It's a single source and an intelligence document that, you know, I don't -- we don't really know the nature of this particular source.
The number of people who would actually know about bin Laden's health, real health conditions is very, very limited. The number of people who come into contact with him on a daily basis, I imagine, is something like, you know, half a dozen people who really would actually have this kind of knowledge. And we've had reports before. President Musharraf of Pakistan, for instance, said a while back that bin Laden was dead. We've had reports that bin Laden had kidney disease. They turned out to be total nonsense.
So, you know, bin Laden certainly suffers from some health problems. He has low blood pressure. He may have, you know, other forms of illnesses. As Nic just said in, you know, the Saudi intelligence sources talking about a water-borne illness. But, you know, water-borne illnesses in Pakistan are a dime a dozen, you know? Particularly in the conditions that he's living in.
So, you know, yes, he may have some chronic health problems -- who wouldn't, living in the conditions he has on the run? Even when he was not on the run, he did have some health problems. He had -- his doctor, Ayman al-Zawahiri, the number two in al Qaeda, would treat him, particularly for this low blood pressure problem. But, you know, I'm extremely skeptical of this.
And, by the way, there are other mechanisms that we'd find out about if bin Laden was dead or not. Al Qaeda itself may choose to announce it, particularly if he was killed. In that circumstance, he would be a martyr. And I think they'd be very keen to announce that publicly on Jihadi Web sites.
His family might announce it. Ayman al-Zawahiri, the number two in al Qaeda, his wife was killed in Afghanistan during the U.S. -- first U.S. attack against the Taliban. The family took out an announcement in an Egyptian newspaper to announce her death.
Also, in Islamic law, you have to bury the body within 24 hours if somebody dies. So there would be some sort of funeral.
So there are a lot of mechanisms and I think that we would know if bin Laden was dead. I think to, you know, I think for us to be having this conversation is almost, you know, it's a sign of how much, you know, just such a slandery little thing is being turned into, really, a big story.
I'm very skeptical, is the bottom line.
ROESGEN: Well, Peter, if Osama bin Laden were dead, would al Qaeda want to announce it?
I mean he wouldn't have died a martyr's death, he would have died from this disease.
And would they want to announce it or would they want to hide it because they don't have a clear, strong, strong successor?
BERGEN: Well, they certainly don't have a clear strong successor. Al Qaeda's number two, Ayman al-Zawahiri, is certainly not bin Laden. His leadership is contested even amongst the Egyptian militants who make up much of al Qaeda.
Yes, if he died of natural causes, I think that it's less, you know, al Qaeda wouldn't trumpet that. It's not a heroic way to die. But, you know, rumors of bin Laden's death have been greatly exaggerated before and we really have -- there's so little here to really sort of think that this is really, as it were, kosher, I -- I'm just very skeptical.
We've been through this many times. I mean the kidney disease story, you may remember, went on for years and years and years. And if it was true, bin Laden really would be dead, because he's -- he wouldn't have the dialysis and the kinds of medical procedures that would keep him alive if he had a severe kidney problem in the area that he likely is.
So, you know, I'm -- I just don't -- until we have more, you know, so far the only thing that's really been confirmed out of this story is what Nic is reporting, that al Qaeda's leader may have some kind of water-borne disease. But a water-borne disease in Pakistan, you're describing 30 percent of the population probably has some form of disease from -- the water is very, is not good in this part of the country -- in that part of the world.
So this is, again, it doesn't really amount to very much.
ROESGEN: OK, Peter Bergen, skeptical of this report.
Thank you for joining us this morning in Washington.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta will have more about this possible water-borne disease, about the risks of typhoid, if, indeed, Osama bin Laden has that, if not died of it, later this hour. So be sure to keep watching.
And be sure to join CNN tonight at 10:00 Eastern, when we will have an encore presentation, "IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF BIN LADEN." CNN's Christiane Amanpour traces Osama bin Laden's life from childhood in Saudi Arabia to terror mastermind.
After a fierce some Friday, mid-America is on the lookout for more bad weather today. Hope you don't get it. Severe thunderstorms, floods, tornadoes right in the nation's heartland. Trees down, power lines down, flooding, damaged buildings and a report of at least one death in Arkansas and possibly four in Kentucky.
Two to four inches of rain flooded streets and homes in Evansville, Indiana, some for the second time in two weeks. Flooding also in Louisville, Kentucky, where 100 people had to be evacuated from an apartment complex.
And we're learning now that Interstate 64 had to be closed just east of Louisville.
So a whole lot of problems for a lot of people today.
LEMON: Yes.
CNN's Reynolds Wolf has been tracking all of the weather for us. We've even heard reports, Reynolds, about so much water that people had to be rescued out of trees.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Isn't that amazing?
LEMON: Yes.
WOLF: In parts of northern Arkansas. And it's not getting better for them. In fact, at this time, we've got a really strong line of storms moving through portions of northern Arkansas. Of course, it is producing some hail. There have been reports of damaging wind. But I'm telling you folks, it's going to be rain. Rain is going to be the big story with this.
Now, would have a tornado watch that is in effect for parts of the mid-Mississippi Valley, as well as portions of the Ohio Valley. But rain is going to be the kicker. Here's the reason why. We already told you moments ago that flooding in parts of northern Arkansas, also into parts of the Ohio River Valley in places like Evansville, back over to, say, Louisville, even in Lexington, in some places up to six inches of rain. And we're not done yet.
We've got more rain that's forming out to the west. And that's going to sweep right through this soaked region, which means they could see another inch, maybe two inches of rainfall, before all is said and done.
They need to dry out. It looks like they will start drying out as we get to the late night tonight and into Sunday. But until then, it could be rough going. We'll certainly stay on top of the situation and watch it for you.
And as we get more information, we'll send it on to you -- back to you at the news desk.
ROESGEN: OK.
LEMON: All right.
ROESGEN: Thank you, Reynolds.
LEMON: Thank you.
WOLF: You bet.
ROESGEN: Well, we want to see how the weather is affecting you where you live. So you can grab your camera, cell phone or digital camera or video recorder and become an I-Reporter for us. Send your pictures to CNN.com or on your cell phone punch I-Report@CNN.com.
I-Report is your chance to share what you've witnessed with other CNN viewers all around the world.
LEMON: And, of course, we want you to be safe. But severe weather across the country and you're reporting it for CNN.
ROESGEN: Plus, fields of terror -- has the spinach incident taught us a lesson about the safety of our food supply? LEMON: And an American icon -- there he is -- laughs himself all the way to the bank. And, of course, just in time for the holidays. The new Elmo. Meet him in the newsroom.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROESGEN: An intriguing developing story we're keeping a close watch on this hour. A French intelligence document claims that Osama bin Laden is dead. The report was leaked to a French newspaper. It said he died of typhoid a moment ago.
French and American government officials say they can't confirm the report. Our own CNN terrorism analyst, Peter Bergen, says he is highly skeptical. He does not believe it. A Saudi Arabian intelligence sources tells CNN that there have been recent reports that bin Laden is ill, but that he is not dead.
Tonight at 10:00 Eastern, an encore presentation of our CNN documentary, "IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF BIN LADEN." A fascinating documentary from our Christiane Amanpour.
LEMON: The surf's up.
Let's check the stories your clicking on this morning at CNN.com.
Here are your favorites.
Bill Cosby is asking everyone in the U.S. to donate $8. He wants to build a slavery museum. Cosby has put a million dollars of his own money into that project. The figure eight is symbolic shackles worn by slaves.
Experts working a crash today in Germany. A high speed magnetic train slammed into a maintenance vehicle on an elevated track. Twenty-three people were killed there. Human error is suspected.
And bounty hunter "Dog" Chapman is hoping to stay out of the pound. He is a wanted man in Mexico, where bounty hunting is illegal. "Dog" says he'll apologize, pay a fine, forfeit bail, even make a contribution to charity if Mexican prosecutors will drop that case.
ROESGEN: Meanwhile, a woman's killer is on the run-this morning. The suspect is her husband. The police say the husband shot and killed his wife in a place where she had gone to get away from him, a domestic violence shelter in the western North Carolina mountain community of Silva. Detectives say Bonnie Woodring's husband forced himself into the shelter and opened fire with a shotgun.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A woman has been shot with a shotgun. He ran out the front door.
UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCHER: But he is on foot?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, and he's got a sawed off shotgun. UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCHER: And he's got a sawed off shotgun?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, ma'am.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROESGEN: Well, the search for the suspect, John Woodring, has expanded nationwide. And as a precaution, domestic violence shelters across North Carolina are on high alert today.
We are watching many stories across America this morning and in the newsroom here.
Two Connecticut teenagers are in custody and in serious trouble. The police have charged them with conspiracy to commit murder. They say these two 16-year-olds brought a loaded gun-to school and planned to kill three classmates. Woodland School is an alternative school for kids with behavioral problems.
LEMON: Southern California drivers get an eyeful. Somebody draped a pair of Swastika flags on an overpass on an Encino freeway. Police quickly removed the symbols. The flags were put on display on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year.
ROESGEN: Still in California, fierce Santa Ana winds are picking up this morning. They could gust to 70 miles an hour. And that could be bad. It could help this massive wildfire jump the fire lines. It has burned 175 square miles along the border of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. It's been burning since Labor Day.
And that is News Across America.
LEMON: Well, CNN is your severe weather headquarters.
Reynolds Wolf is keeping an eye on the storm system this morning. He's next. His next update is in 14 minutes.
Plus this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACK FORS, STUDENT: Right after we got in class, one of the counselors got on the intercom and said this is not a drill. This is not a drill.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROESGEN: It was a real life lesson in Severe Weather 101 for some children at a Missouri school.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And good morning.
I'm Veronica de la Cruz at the Dot-Com Desk.
Lots of I-Reporters have been checking in with a view of the weather from their hometown. I've got an update straight ahead in the newsroom.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: An intriguing story we're keeping close watch on this hour.
A French intelligence document claims Osama bin Laden is dead. The report leaked to a French newspaper says he died of typhoid a moment ago. French and U.S. officials say they cannot confirm the report. A Saudi intelligence sources told CNN there have been reports, recent reports, that bin Laden was ill, but that he was not dead.
And tonight at 8:00 Eastern -- I'm sorry, tonight at 10:00 Eastern, rather, an encore presentation of our CNN documentary, "IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF BIN LADEN." Our Christiane Amanpour investigates.
ROESGEN: Now an update on the severe weather across much of the nation's mid-section. There are fears of more bad storms today, after a series of tornadoes and floods all across the country yesterday. Several deaths even now being reported.
Two tornadoes rolled through South Central Missouri, damaging more than 100 homes. Floods forced evacuations in Louisville, Kentucky. Interstate 64 was closed east of the city.
And a lot of people with cameras are taking pictures of that bad weather.
So time now to check in at the Dot-Com Desk with Veronica de la Cruz.
You have a few more I-Reporters for us this morning -- Veronica.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes, I sure do, Susan.
We've been receiving I-Reporters on that severe weather that is hitting all parts of the country. We've seen tornadoes, thunderstorms, flooding.
Let's go ahead and start with this picture from Chicago.
Look at these dark storm clouds over Chicago's skyline. This picture was sent to us by our I-Reporter Eric Grant (ph). And we would like to thank him.
And now let's take a look at this video. We looked at it once before. This is a tornado touching down in Russell, Kansas. This video was sent to us by Paul Brock (ph). He is a manager at the nearby Russell Inn. He says: "A couple of barns in the area lost their roofs and one was just destroyed." Luckily, there was no damage to his hotel.
I'd like to bring in our own Reynolds Wolf now for a second -- Reynolds, I'm looking at this video and it does look a lot like a funnel cloud. So I wanted to know what's the difference between a funnel cloud and a tornado.
WOLF: Well, basically a funnel cloud is just that. It is a cloud that is in the shape of a funnel that forms from just usually the southwestern corner of a cumuli nimbus cloud.
But as soon as that funnel makes contact with the Earth's surface, it is then classified as a tornado.
DE LA CRUZ: Got it.
OK.
WOLF: But until then, it's considered a funnel cloud.
DE LA CRUZ: Got it.
OK. And then online, Reynolds, and all of you out there, we'd like to share a couple of safety tips that you can find at CNN.com/tornado. Remember, if you are indoors, you want to go to the lowest level of the building, hopefully that's the basement. Stay away from windows, go to the middle of the room. If you're outdoors, lie down in a low lying ditch.
Now, if you're driving, if you're in the car, pull over to the side of the road, find shelter or, again, find that low lying ditch. Lie flat.
Reynolds, you have lots of experience here.
Do you have anything to add to this?
WOLF: Absolutely.
And the thing I would add is for people to use common sense.
DE LA CRUZ: Right.
WOLF: I mean don't just wait for the National Weather Service to post a watch or a warning. You have to be your own weather caster.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes, absolutely.
WOLF: When you're out there and things begin to deteriorate weather-wise, take action. Don't wait.
DE LA CRUZ: OK.
Also, at CNN.com, find a map of where they are most likely to occur.
Reynolds, this area, it's known as Tornado Alley, right here.
WOLF: Right here. That's right. And the reason why we call this Tornado Alley is because this is the part of the country where we have a lot of moist air that usually feeds its way into portions of the Central Plains, the Northern Plains. And interacts with a lot of cold air that comes in from Canada. And when you have that -- those contrasting air masses is where you have the strong fronts, the tornado outbreaks. And usually this is a springtime or early summer event.
DE LA CRUZ: I was just going to say, this isn't really tornado season, though?
WOLF: It really isn't. But still, you know, once again, the air masses again. When you have the combination of moist air clashing with that cold, dry air, you're going to have this kind of scenario. It always happens.
DE LA CRUZ: Right.
And you can find it all online at CNN.com/tornado.
And don't forget, do send us an I-Report if you see any severe weather. You can log onto CNN.com for that.
LEMON: There you go.
DE LA CRUZ: Susan.
ROESGEN: All right.
Thank you, Veronica.
LEMON: Thank you very much for that.
We're going to talk about now at a Missouri middle school yesterday, students -- students conducted a tornado drill. A few minutes later, they got to see the real thing in action.
Chris Hayes of CNN affiliate KTVI reports from St. James, Missouri.
ROESGEN: And he reports that they were all safe. The kids were shaken up, but it was a drill that became a real life lesson. We'll have more from Reynolds Wolf coming up with an update on the severe weather across the country.
Plus, a look at bioterrorism. Could the food supply be contaminated, not just by accident, but by purpose?
Still ahead on CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Now in the news, French and U.S. officials cannot or will not confirm it, but a French intelligence document claims Osama bin Laden is dead.
However, a source tells our Nic Robertson bin Laden is still alive but sick. We'll hear from Nic in just a moment.
And at 10:00 tonight on CNN, our documentary, "IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF BIN LADEN."
More than two dozen dead -- the toll in Baghdad today after a car bomb sets off a fuel tanker at a gas station. The business was crowded with Iraqis stocking up for the holy month of Ramadan which starts this weekend. The attack happened in the poor neighborhood of Sadr City.
ROESGEN: And also now in the news, the man shown in this picture in the back there reading a paper may be the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq. The picture is from an insurgent video that was first released two years ago. An Islamic militant Web site says it shows a Abu al- Masri executing a Turkish hostage. Al-Masri took over al Qaeda in Iraq after Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed in June.
And we're hearing that North Korea may be enhancing its nuclear weapons program. A visiting American scholar there says a senior North Korean official told him that North Korea plans to unload fuel rods from its nuclear power reactor to obtain more weapons grade plutonium.
LEMON: Santa Ana winds are picking up today in southern California. Gusts may hit 70 miles an hour and that could spread a wildfire that's burning along the Los Angeles and Ventura County lines. It's already scorched 175 square miles since Labor Day.
And we run down the top stories every 15 minutes here on CNN newsroom with in-depth coverage all morning long. Your next check of the headlines coming up at 11:45 Eastern.
ROESGEN: Now the world's most wanted man, could he be dead? A French intelligence document is raising that possibility today. It claims that bin Laden died of typhoid fever in Pakistan last month. Of course as officials in Paris and Washington point out, there is no way to confirm bin Laden's death unless someone actually sees a corpse. \ Our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson has covered al Qaeda extensively. Nic, you've been working your sources in London this morning. We heard Peter Bergen earlier say he is highly skeptical. He does not believe this report at all. Have you heard anything different?
ROBERTSON: I think at this stage, skepticism is well deserved with this issue. There have been multiple reports before of Osama bin Laden being killed, being dead having certain diseases. What is different, perhaps, about this at this stage is that Saudi sources are not backing away from it.
French officials say they cannot confirm the substance of what the French journalist said he saw in a secret and confidential French document. The details that he said he saw that Osama bin Laden died in Pakistan on the 23rd of August, that Saudi, a very good reliable Saudi source got that information on the fourth of September.
The very fact that there is some corroboration between these two bits of information from the Saudi source that we've talked to that says yes, Osama bin Laden is believed to have a water borne disease, has been sick over the past few weeks. These do seem to add up to something credible. But again, caution, it has to be the watch word here.
This is a very sensitive subject. Pakistani officials say they have no knowledge of this. These events were supposed to have taken place inside Pakistan. Pakistani officials at this time, when Osama bin Laden's death was supposed to have taken place were telling us in Pakistan at that time that they had no knowledge of where he was and believed that he wasn't in Pakistan.
So I think we have to be very, very cautious. At the moment though, the weight of the burden of proof at this time if you will lies with the Saudi intelligence officials from where this information appears to be emanating and from the indications we have at this stage, they're not back away from it, Susan?
ROESGEN: OK. Nic Robertson reporting live for us there inn London this morning, thank you very much -- Don.
LEMON: We turn now to CNN's senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who is talking about typhoid, typhoid definitely a possibility in that part of the world. Tell us about typhoid, doctor.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Typhoid is a bacteria. It causes something known as typhoid fever which a lot of people have heard about and you're right, it is endemic in certain parts of the world including southeast Asia and south Asia as well as certain parts of Africa. It is something that basically it's a bacterial infection that is spread through the water that causes the obvious fever that is most characteristic of it.
The thing about this bacterial infection is that it can be treated pretty successfully with antibiotics as long as those antibiotics are started within a couple, three days of the actual diagnosis. So you know, first you have to recognize that in fact typhoid fever is the problem and then start treatment pretty early. If those two things happen, usually people make a recovery.
They can get pretty sick. They can be pretty ill, but they will usually make a recovery. If it doesn't happen, then eventually you go through these various stages of illness and subsequently someone may die just because of overwhelming infection.
As a United States citizen or a citizen of the developing world, if you were to travel to one of these places, usually a doctor will recommend a vaccine ahead of time, which is pretty effective or to take some antibiotics with you to just start taking if you get sick. But that's essentially typhoid fever. It's a bacterial infection.
LEMON: We've been hearing for years that Osama bin Laden was ill and if he is ill, that typhoid definitely something you're susceptible to other diseases as well. So it's definitely a possibility, right?
GUPTA: That's right. And the sort of response in terms of overall illness to the typhoid itself can be worse. If you're someone who's already sick, for example, if you've had some other illness or if you've been a dialysis patient or something like that, those things have been speculated with Osama bin Laden in the past.
It can also make you, your immune system sort of becomes a little bit compromised so you might be a little bit more likely to get another bacterial infection on top of it and obviously get sicker, worsening your prognoses. Again, it's hard to say for sure, but these things are all a possibility in someone who has already had some degree of illness.
LEMON: All right, CNN senior medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Thank you, Sanjay.
Tonight at 10:00 Eastern, an encore presentation, "In the Footsteps of bin Laden." CNN's Christiane Amanpour traces Osama bin Laden's life from childhood in Saudi Arabia to terror mastermind.
ROESGEN: Now a massive manhunt, a woman's killer is on the run this morning and the suspect is her husband. Police say the husband shot and killed his wife in a domestic violence shelter where she had gone to get away from him in the western North Carolina mountain community of Sylva.
We have on the phone with us now Jeff Jamison, the police chief there in Sylva, North Carolina. Jeff, where are you trying to find the husband of Bonnie Woodring, John "Woody" Woodring. Would do you think he might be?
VOICE OF CHIEF JEFF JAMISON, SYLVA, NC POLICE DEPT: At this point in time, we have issued a nationwide alert because at this point in time, we have found no evidence that he is still in our area. So we have expanded our search for Woodring to a national level.
ROESGEN: Chief, he got away in a car. What kind of car and where do you think he might be headed?
JAMISON: He left in a 2006 atomic blue Honda bearing North Carolina license plate JRY 2108. At this point in time, we really don't know what area Woodring would be headed in.
ROESGEN: Chief, I understand that Bonnie Woodring's son, their child was also in that domestic violence shelter and he heard the shooting. What can you tell us about the son? How is he doing? How old is he and how is he doing?
JAMISON: He was actually a child from a previous marriage of Ms. Woodring's. Of course, hearing and something like that was very dramatic for him. He has now been released into custody of family members and he has in fact left the state. And he's doing as well as to be expected.
ROESGEN: OK. Chief, one more time before we let you go. Can you give us again the license plate on the car. You said it's an atomic blue Honda and you're not sure where this guy might be heading. But what's the license plate number again?
JAMISON: It's a North Carolina plate, JRY 2108. And I would like to stress if anyone has any contact with this individual to do not approach. He is considered armed and dangerous and to contact their local authorities immediately.
ROESGEN: OK. Chief Jeff Jamison, thank you for joining us this morning. Hope somebody finds this guy.
JAMISON: Yes ma'am, thank you.
Still ahead, your food from the farm to the dinner table. How safe is it and what's being done to protect your food from bio- terrorism? We'll find out just ahead in the CNN newsroom.
LEMON: And CNN continues to follow reports on the health of Osama bin Laden. Another update is straight ahead. Keep it here, you're in the CNN newsroom.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Developing story. A French intelligence document claims Osama bin Laden is dead. A report leaked to a French newspaper says bin Laden died of typhoid a month ago. French and U.S. officials say they cannot confirm the report.
A Saudi intelligence source told CNN there have been recent reports that bin Laden was ill, but that he was not dead. Tonight at 10:00 Eastern, an encore presentation of our CNN documentary "In the Footsteps of bin Laden." Our very own Christiane Amanpour investigates.
ROESGEN: Now, fresh spinach could be back on store shelves just in days. But it won't be coming from California's Salinas Valley. Investigators have traced the e. coli outbreak from tainted spinach to three counties in that area and already farm inspectors there are turning up some possible problems they say.
However, they also say that it will be safe to eat fresh spinach grown outside the Salinas Valley. One death is now linked to the e. coli outbreak and testing is under way to determine whether an Idaho boy's death is also tied to the outbreak. At least 25 states have reported cases of e. coli illness.
This is the landscape of rural America, wide open fields and farmland, but some say this is also a wide open invitation to bio- terrorists. CNN's Ted Rowlands investigates.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Long before it ends up neatly packaged in the store, most fresh food is exposed to potential contamination, both accidental and even more frightening, intentional.
JEFF NELKEN, FOOD SAFETY ANALYST: So lots of opportunities for contamination to take place.
ROWLANDS: Jeff Nelken is a food safety analyst. He took us out to a central California field to show us just how vulnerable the nation's food supply is to so-called agro-terrorism starting with the relatively easy public access to crops.
NELKEN: You can pretty much look down the highway here and there really isn't any security.
ROWLANDS: One way exposed crops according to Nelkin are vulnerable to contamination is through tainted irrigation systems. We found this irrigation pump alongside a public road with only a padlock and chain around one of the valves.
NELKEN: I would say, you can't get any more accessible, because you see the water right here.
ROWLANDS: Each field has its own irrigation system which makes mass tampering unlikely. Still as we've seen with the e. coli contaminated spinach, a small number of food poisoning cases can have a huge effect.
NELKEN: I just would like it to be better secured. I don't know if I just trust the lock and chain.
ROWLANDS: While security is visible at most processing plants, it's almost nonexistent in the fields. Nelken, who believes preventing agro-terrorism should be a high priority, even thinks that security cameras should watch over unattended crops.
NELKEN: I guess we're on the honesty system. And you know, the question is how long do we go on the honesty system?
ROWLANDS: Joe Pezzini is vice president of Ocean Mist farms in Castroville, California. He says farmers' only real defense now is from workers.
JOE PEZZINI, OCEAN MIST FARMS: Our employees are our eyes and ears out there in the field. It's a matter of knowing who your employees are, where they are supposed to be and having them be able to tell you if something is unusual or somebody is out of place.
ROWLANDS: Agro-terrorism has been identified as a real threat by the U.S. government. Last year at an agro-terrorism conference in Kansas City, FBI Director Robert Mueller said, quote, we know that members of al Qaeda have studied our agriculture industry. The FDA and USDA are working with crop producing states to find and fix vulnerable areas, but by all accounts, there's still a long way to go.
Ted Rowlands, CNN, San Juan Bautista, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROESGEN: Now a closer look at how to keep your crops, what you eat safe from either accidental contamination or from agro-terrorists. Mike Doyle with us now is the director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia. We just heard Ted Rowlands' report on possible weak links. What should we worry more about here, an apparent accidental e. coli outbreak or real, as Ted called it, agro- terrorism. MIKE DOYLE, U. GA, CENTER FOR FOOD SAFETY: I think naturally occurring outbreaks are a much bigger issue to date. We still have to keep in mind there is that potential where we might have actual contamination from the outside through terrorist activity or otherwise, but natural contamination has not gone away and we have a lot of fixes to do in our agricultural system today in order to avoid these problems in the future.
ROESGEN: Some of these fixes might be...
DOYLE: We have to go back to the farm. We have to do what we can to prevent contamination, from e. coli, salmonella and a lot of these other harmful bacteria that are carried by cattle and livestock in general that ultimately get into our food.
ROESGEN: Ted Rowlands mentioned in the report there, the fear with irrigation systems inn the farmland. Do you think that is our weakest link in terms of agro-terrorism? Is that where we seem to be the most vulnerable?
DOYLE: That can be one of our weakest links, as well as natural contamination as well. Because we know that harmful bacteria can get in the irrigation water, in surface water in particular through cattle run-off from cattle farms as well as other livestock growing areas.
ROESGEN: So what do we consumers do? I mean you always see those bags of spinach or bags of lettuce that says triple washed, ready to go, no need to wash it and I always put if it in my sink and wash it again away. Does that do any good? I mean what can we do to try to protect ourselves from the foods, from the vegetables that we eat?
DOYLE: The bagged produce industry is going to have to reinvent itself. We've known for some time that there have been issues with this type of product. We've had outbreaks in the past. We're going to have to go back and come up with ways in which we can treat produce in the bag or before it's put into the bag to make sure the harmful bacteria are not there.
ROESGEN: Do you eat bagged spinach, bagged salads?
DOYLE: No ma'am, I do not.
ROESGEN: No you don't. You just buy a head of lettuce or spinach that's out in the open and make your own salads?
DOYLE: That's correct. We prepare lettuce at home. We actually get the head of lettuce, remove the outer leaves, where if bacteria are present, that's where they usually reside. After then after you remove those outer leaves to remove most of the contamination, wash your hands and then go ahead and remove the rest of the lettuce, wash it. It's ready to eat.
ROESGEN: Sounds simple but if it works, Mike, I guess we'd be a lot safer.
DOYLE: It's done well for me. Thank you.
ROESGEN: OK, thank you for being with us, Mike, Mike Doyle, University of Georgia, food center, safety director.
LEMON: CNN newsroom continues at the top of the hour. Fredricka Whitfield is here. Fred, what do you have for us?
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Good to see both of you and welcome, Don.
LEMON: Thank you very much.
WHITFIELD: And hello, Susan. And good advice I'm taking home all of that. Well Don, I know you probably are in the market for a home now that you are a newcomer to Atlanta. You're going find that there a lot of different kinds of mortgages out there. Some are being called exotic mortgages which include things like interest only loans.
Well, you may want to stay away from some of them. We've got an expert who will be joining us in the noon hour to tell you it's not necessarily for everyone or for every home. And for you, Susan, this one is for you. On Monday night, we know the NFL heads to your city of New Orleans.
And a lot of folks are heading back home to New Orleans for this big game with the Falcons and the Saints, but not everyone, of course, a quintessential sound, Aaron Neville. Well, while he is out promoting his new CD he's also saying that New Orleans is probably not going to be home to him ever again.
ROESGEN: Yes, he's moved to Nashville and to have him come back, I think he's going to sing the national anthem at the game on Monday night, but a lot of New Orleaneans would like him to move home.
WHITFIELD: And he is saying, you know what, it's just not the same anymore. He has high hopes for the city, but he's longing for the old New Orleans. I had a conversation with him that we'll see in the 2:00 Eastern hour.
(CROSSTALK)
ROESGEN: ... to come back.
LEMON: A lot of people are saying -- of course you live there, that it's just too tough to live there and they can't take it.
ROESGEN: No, no, no, the city is coming back.
WHITFIELD: Very good. New New Orleans, right? Good to see both of you.
LEMON: All right. Thank you very much for that. Who says you can't teach an old Elmo new tricks?
ROESGEN: I love it. I think it's adorable.
Up next, Jeanne Moos makes the most of what is sure to be the must have toy this holiday season.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. I guess it is.
ROESGEN: You better take it back.
LEMON: All right, for 10 years, he's tickled toddlers and their parents.
ROESGEN: And he's really cute, even if Don thinks he's annoying. But Elmo now is going to go even further to entertain you. CNN's Jeanne Moos shows you how.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There's tickle me Elmo and there are those who are tickled by Elmo. Elmo fans lined up for the launch of TMX.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The x is for extreme.
MOOS: What's extreme was the hype, the countdown clock, the drummed up mystery. Only 50 or so toy industry people supposedly knew what this tenth anniversary Elmo could do. Elmo unveiled on morning TV, transported by Brinks truck over to the view. Is Elmo gay?
ROSIE O'DONNELL, TALK SHOW HOST: No!
MOOS: Every audience member got one, but what can the new Elmo do?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let us in. We need one -- or four!
MOOS: Every year, Elmo performs a new feat, though it's hard to top chicken dance Elmo from 2002. Outside Toys R Us, a kid yanked at the door, less than tickled about waiting for Elmo and when at last they let folks in, Elmo not only had the last laugh -- but fall on the floor laughs. And after he falls, he gets up off the ground and laughs again.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's a robot. That's practically alive.
MOOS: At $40 bucks pr Elmo, folks load up.
(on camera): Only one?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll get more, baby, you don't worry about that.
MOOS (voice-over): And all that knee slapping will make you want to slap him.
ELMO: Give Elmo a break, please!
MOOS: Give us a break, please. It's worse on the Internet where someone actually torched Elmo. Elmo's not the only new red talking toy, nothing super about these powers. Elmo, KO'd Spiderman. If infectious laughter doesn't get you, infectious tickling might. This guy bought a TMX Elmo to add to his collection.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I get my bungee cord.
MOOS: Where is Elmo's helmet?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He doesn't need one.
MOOS: At least this back seat driver stays mum. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: That thing is gigantic.
ROESGEN: Get in touch with your inner child there Don and you'll like it.
LEMON: Thank you very much and in the CNN newsroom.
ROESGEN: Aaron Neville will take us back to New Orleans, go back to his musical roots, the soul great telling us about his first post- Katrina CD and his hopes for his hometown in our 2:00 hour.
Fredricka Whitfield will be up also with much more on the Osama bin Laden report of his death that our own CNN reporters believe is not true, but we'll have the latest on that. And Don, you've got a big weekend.
LEMON: I've got a big week ahead. I'm going to get one day off, gone tomorrow and then Monday, join Kyra Phillips and me right here in the newsroom, CNN newsroom starting 1:00 to 4:00 Eastern.
ROESGEN: You will love her and she will love you; it will be great. I'll be watching.
LEMON: I always love her. Great person, great reporter, great journalist, can't wait to work with her and all the fine folks here at CNN.
ROESGEN: Thanks for watching. Fredricka Whitfield is next.
LEMON: Have a great day.
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