Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Baby Kidnapped in Texas; Bush Tour Stirs Latin American Protests; Farrakhan Reflects on His Life; Democrats Upset at Fox News President's Remark

Aired March 10, 2007 - 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: Massive protests, taunt of "gringo, go home," Latin America lashes out at President Bush on day three of his tour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SCREAMING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MELISSA LONG, CNN ANCHOR: And this horror was caught on a cell phone camera at a Las Vegas grocery store. We'll have more on the story.

LEMON: And the tale of the black book. A woman accused of being a D.C. madam is threatening to tell all. The news is unfolding live on this Saturday morning, March 10th. I'm Don Lemon.

LONG: Good morning, I'm Melissa Long. And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

LEMON: It is the top of hour. Two stories happening now that we are following for you throughout the hour. Here's what we know at the moment. A baby kidnapped in Texas. The 3-day-old girl taken by a woman posing as a hospital employee. It happened about nine hours ago. The baby is jaundiced and needs to see a doctor now. Here's a drawing of the suspect. She described as an African-American, early 20s, auburn hair, she's driving a red Dodge pickup. These surveillance camera photos from the hospital show the suspect leaving the building. The baby is not in view but could be in her bag. I talked a short while ago with the Lubbock Police Department.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Lieutenant, this person ever seen in the hospital? Did hospital employees or workers know this person at all? Was she familiar?

LT. SCOTT HUDGENS, LUBBOCK, TEXAS, POLICE: No. The family says they don't know who she is and the staff didn't recognize her.

LEMON: Explain the medical condition of this child for us again, will you?

HUDGENS: All that I know is that she's jaundiced and in need of medical attention for that condition.

LEMON: Yes. Man power, as far as working on this case, trying to find this baby and this woman.

HUDGENS: We've got our entire persons crime section and our juvenile crime section involved in this investigation as well as our entire patrol division.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LONG: Again, that was an interview with Don Lemon. And let's see, the police department there out of Lubbock, Texas. We are also trying to get more information now from the hospital itself, the health care facility. Last hour I spoke with Gwen Stafford, the senior vice president from the Covenant Medical Center.

Gwen, I understand you're back on the line.

GWEN STAFFORD, SR. V.P., COVENANT MED. CENTER: Back on the line. Is this Melissa?

LONG: Yes, it is. Gwen, thanks so much for your time again. Last hour we were talking about jaundice, this little girl who again needs some critical medical care. Also, I want to talk to you also about the situation surrounding the little girl's abduction. 1:30 a.m. local time. What type of security was in place at that hour?

STAFFORD: The hospital has a very sophisticated state-of-the-art security system, which is of course backed up with camera surveillance throughout the hospital.

LONG: Well, we're looking at the cameras, as you call, the sophisticated state of the art. But what about the monitoring devices that are physically attached to the newborns?

STAFFORD: That is a part of our system, yes. All the infants do have a bracelet that is physically attached to the baby.

LONG: OK. So if the bracelet is attached to the baby, someone might be scratching their head and saying, well, how did the baby end up outside the hospital?

STAFFORD: All of that is a part of the police investigation. And I would certainly defer to Lieutenant Hudgens on that. I certainly want to make sure that, you know, we don't say anything that is contraindications of the investigation.

LONG: Of course, we don't want to jeopardize the investigation, but let me ask you this. That secure bracelet, just how secure is it on the baby? Is it easy to remove?

STAFFORD: The short answer is no.

LONG: OK. So given that it's not easy to remove, I'm certainly not a tech expert, but is there any sort of GPS ability with that bracelet? STAFFORD: Boy, I don't know that answer on GPS. But I can find out for you. But if a bracelet is -- I'm trying to find the right word. If a bracelet is with the child, we would know that. If a bracelet is no longer with a child, that would then of course negate GPS.

LONG: OK. So are you able to know right now if that bracelet still is in fact on that 3-day-old baby?

STAFFORD: My understanding, again, Melissa, is that in some way the baby and the bracelet were not together.

LONG: OK.

STAFFORD: And let me just stop there. I don't want to jeopardize anything the police are doing.

LONG: I understand. And nor do we want to jeopardize as well. You're looking there again at pictures from the hospital. Gwen Stafford, again, senior V.P. from the Covenant Medical Center, thanks so much. You mentioned if you get some information for us, we'd love to hear it as well. And don't forget, 806-775-2788, the Lubbock County Sheriff's Department. If you have any information, again, a 3- day-old baby suffering from jaundice needs medical care as well. And again, we're looking for this woman described as an African-American, young 20s, last seen in a red Dodge pickup truck in the Lubbock, Texas, area.

LEMON: And what you said about the medical condition, that's what makes this one of utmost important because that baby needs medical care.

Several breaking news stories happening, Melissa, including this one from Chicago. A four -- or three-story apartment building, four people have died in Chicago from a fire overnight. This video just in a short time ago, happening on the North Side of Chicago in Wrigleyville. A spokesperson from the fire department called in to us saying this is a bad one. They believe everyone is accounted for but, again, just to double-check, they are checking that building. Everyone there is on the scene, all the departments, including the bomb and arson squad. Still no cause to this, it started in the stairwell but again at least four people dead from an apartment fire happening very early this morning in Chicago. We'll continue to follow all of these breaking news stories for you today right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

LONG: The president is busy today traveling. Another country, another round of protests dogging the president on his Latin American tour. The president is in Uruguay this morning, the second stop of a goodwill trip aimed at countering growing leftist influence. CNN White House correspondent Ed Henry joins us now live from Uruguay.

Ed, good morning.

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello there, Melissa. That's right, I'm at Estancia Anchorena, that's the presidential retreat, basically the equivalent of Camp David here in Uruguay. President Vazquez had a joint press conference with President Bush. And for the second straight day, Mr. Bush side-stepped direct questions about Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who has been leading those protests, as you know that are across the river in Argentina, shouting things like "gringo, go home."

A reporter today pressed Mr. Bush, said Chavez basically says you're afraid to say his name out loud, trying to goad Mr. Bush into reacting directly to Chavez, something the White House doesn't want to do. They don't want to give Chavez more attention so Mr. Bush did not bite.

Instead he defended U.S. efforts to defend poverty in Latin America, something Chavez has been harping on, and Mr. Bush offered this to Chavez's loud, bellicose approach.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I would call our diplomacy quiet and effective diplomacy, diplomacy all aimed at helping people, aimed at elevating the human condition, aimed at expressing the great compassion of the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: Now, that was aimed at trying to rebut critics like Chavez, but others as well in Latin America. We've seen these protests all through Latin America during this seven-day, five-nation tour by the U.S. president. Basically people alleging that the U.S. has not done enough to end poverty. The president trying to rebut that.

He also made some news on the domestic front when asked whether he still had confidence in the FBI director, Robert Mueller, who has admitted that the FBI misused the Patriot Act to get information on people and businesses, of course, that raising civil liberties concerns. The president for the first time acknowledging it's a problem, saying he wants it fixed quickly. And he eventually did -- after saying he was glad that Mueller took responsibility for this, he did say he still has confidence in the FBI director.

Tomorrow Mr. Bush goes to Colombia, then on to Guatemala and Mexico before returning to Washington midweek -- Melissa.

LONG: Busy schedule and White House correspondent Ed Henry is traveling along with the president. Ed, thank you.

LEMON: At a peace conference in Baghdad today, a reminder of why the task is so difficult. A hopeful sign, Americans and Iranians are among those present even though officials from the U.S. and Iran rarely attend the same meetings. But as delegates talked about improving security in Iraq, mortar explosions went off near the conference site. No one was hurt in that.

Also in Baghdad today, a car bomb exploded in Sadr City neighborhood, killing at least 20 civilians and wounding 45. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LONG: What a welcome home. Listen to the cheers in Bangor, Maine, as 170 National Guard troops arrive home after 12 months in Iraq. Two members of their unit were killed in Iraq. Senator Olympia Snowe said the people of Maine owe a debt of gratitude to the returning troops.

Much more about Iraq a little later in the day when John Roberts hosts "THIS WEEK AT WAR." That is at 7:00 Eastern time on CNN.

LEMON: Well, it only sounds like a Hitchcock movie.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because I had fear that somebody wanted to kill me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: A man with a knife in a grocery store slashing spree.

LONG: And your lawmakers high on the hog. A whole lot of oinking going on in Washington. Pork spending for aliens and other out of this world projects. See it coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LONG: A story we're following for you live this morning from CNN. This woman is accused of abducting a little baby, 3-day-old baby from her mother's room at that hospital in Lubbock, Texas. This is surveillance tape from that very hospital. We also have a composite sketch. The composite sketch was created after a conversation with the new mom and her family members who were there this morning at 1:30 a.m. local time when this little baby was removed from that hospital.

Of course, the woman described could have changed clothes by now. At the time, she was seen in a pink hospital scrub style shirt with some flowers on it. That was underneath the jacket we showed you earlier in that video. That may have changed by now possibly. But she is young 20s, 5'3" and about 150 pound. Described as possibly being seen last in a red Dodge pickup truck with some black trim and tinted windows.

And the baby, again, just 3 days old, an African-American girl. About 5.2 pounds and she is in need of medical care. She is jaundiced and needs fast medical attention. Again abducted about 1:30 a.m. local time. It is what, coming up on 10:15. In critical need of care at this point.

LEMON: Yes, she is. And this must be a more severe case because otherwise, they would not have kept her in the hospital. She may be home by now after 3 days old. Usually babies and mothers go home faster now than they used to. But jaundice is quite common in babies, but if it is a severe case, they keep the baby. Admitted to the hospital, placed under lights, which synthesizes the sun rays minus the harmful UV rays. This is some information about jaundice. So hopefully we will get a medical professional who can update us and tell us exactly what kind of treatment this baby needs when it comes to jaundice. Dr. Marc Siegel is on the phone and he can tell us about this.

Dr. Marc Siegel, a yellowing of the skin, eyes is caused by too much -- is it bilirubin in the blood?

MARC SIEGEL, PROF., NEW YORK UNIV. MED. SCHOOL: Exactly. Good morning. That is due to the fact that you get kind of a hemolysis or breakdown of the blood cells in the blood. And it's very, very common among very young infants. But it actually be a life-threatening problem in the first few days if not treated.

And we give the lights to help the bloodstream get rid of all of all of that blood cells that are breaking down. At the same time, of course, we have to be considering the issue of the baby getting dehydrated and not getting enough electrolytes. A baby that is this sick that requires the UV light, not only that, we're concerned that there won't be enough nutrition for this baby.

LEMON: And if you see this baby, you know, because the common -- whites of the eyes are yellow. So if we see this baby or if the person who has this baby, how would you know that this baby is jaundiced? Tell us about that, Doctor.

SIEGEL: Well, you're right to point that out. It's called icterus. And literally the eyes are the color of lemons. It is not a subtle finding. The eyes will be very cloudy and they'll be as yellow as lemons. You know, it will be hard to tell from the skin but you can tell from the palms and from the soles of the feet. They will be a little bit on the yellow side as well. But the eyes are the most telling finding. Of course it absolutely requires that this baby get back under treatment right away.

LEMON: Yes. I was going to say, time is of the essence here. How much time are we talking about?

SIEGEL: Well, you know, interestingly enough, the issue with the jaundice may actually resolve on its own. So that's just a way to help us find this baby. Most of the time, that issue of jaundice is not going to be the life-threatening issue. The biggest problem is that babies within the first three days need either mother's milk or an electrolyte solution. So they can't eat anything. I mean, they can't have cow's milk. They have to be fed with electrolyte solutions or with mother's milk. And if they are not betting, there is going to be a real life-threatening problem.

LEMON: All right. So what you're saying, again, time is of the essence. This baby needs medical attention right away. Dr. Marc Siegel from NYU Medical School, we thank you so much for joining us and helping to clear that up and talk to us about exactly what jaundice is. Again, a 3-day-old baby abducted from a hospital. CNN NEWSROOM will continue to follow this story throughout the day.

LONG: And the Covenant Medical Center is the facility in Lubbock, Texas, where that baby was abducted 1:30 a.m. local time. We've heard now from Lubbock Police they will be holding a news conference about 45 minutes from now. We will bring you that here live on CNN.

LEMON: Absolutely. We'll be following this. We are also following this story, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan in failing health but still certainly has a lot to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Do you think that Barak Obama is the answer to George Bush?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Find out why and what he has to say about the other presidential hopefuls.

LONG: And check out this video. What is that? A Georgia driver taking window shopping to a whole new level inside this deserted mall. The details ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LONG: Good morning. We are following the story of a missing newborn this morning, just 3 days old, missing from a hospital in Lubbock, Texas. This is new video in to us here at CNN. Exterior pictures right there of just outside that facility, the Covenant Medical Center. Earlier we were speaking with Gwen Stafford, a senior vice president at that facility. And she was saying that somebody posing as a hospital worker actually interacted with the new mom in the mom's room and eventually took off with that newborn.

Again, 3 days old, the newborn is in critical need of care, suffering from jaundice. We heard from Dr. Marc Siegel from NYU Medical Center that this is life-threatening at this early stage in life. Electrolytes also of most importance this morning as well. Nutrition in addition to the jaundice. Again, the search is on this morning for the little girl. Let's just give you the picture right now of that 3-day-old baby. If you happen to have information call 806-775-2788. Again, 806-775-2788.

The baby has been missing since 1:30 a.m. local time. Description of the suspect right there at the bottom of the television screen. An African-American woman in her young 20s, about 5'3". Police will be holding a news conference we're told, about 40 minutes from now. When that gets under way we'll bring it to you live here on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Do you think Barak Obama is the answer to George Bush? MINISTER LOUIS FARRAKHAN, NATION OF ISLAM: No. I think he's capable of being an answer. But who will provide him with the money so he can contend with Mrs. Clinton and her big bank, or Giuliani and McCain and their growing bank? So the people that bankroll you, they're the ones that ultimately call the tune.

LEMON: A take on the current political scene from longtime Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: At 73, Louis Farrakhan is battling cancer and at a speech he gave in Detroit last month was billed as his last major address. Earlier this week I spoke with Louis Farrakhan at his home in Chicago. We shared part of that interview with you last hour. Now we're going to continue with a look at many of the many controversies that have surrounded Farrakhan during his three decades as the leader of the Nation of Islam.

((BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: There are a lot of people who have a lot of opinions about you, not all positive. People say that you're an anti-Semite.

L. FARRAKHAN: I've never been an anti-Semite. From the depth of my heart, I know that I've never hated the Jewish people. And for me to hate a Jewish person because of their faith tradition would make me less than a Muslim, less than a righteous person, and would make me a bigot and a wicked person. I am critical of Jewish behavior in relationship to black people or in relationship to the Palestinians. I'm critical of America's behavior and I'm critical of my own people's behavior, but it doesn't mean I'm anti-American, anti-black, or anti- Semitic.

And I would hope that that can be corrected and any Jewish person listening to this, I am anxious to sit with you, to dialogue with you. And if you can show me where I'm wrong, you don't have to ask me to apologize. I'll apologize right then and go before the world and beg your forgiveness.

LEMON: Did you reconcile yourself to the fact that maybe this is it for me?

L. FARRAKHAN: You always are conscious when you get to be 73 -- in a few months, I'll be 74 by the grace of God. You're always concerned about your mortality. So I was trying to set things in place inside the Nation in case I passed away.

LEMON: Who's going to take over the nation and lead it once you're not the leader?

L. FARRAKHAN: Oh, no, I can't call a name, because I'm not locked in on any one name. That's why I put a council together.

LEMON: Some speculate it's going to be your son.

L. FARRAKHAN: I can't say that. Because this is not a father/son thing.

LEMON: Do you think Elijah Muhammad would be proud of you and what you've done with the Nation?

L. FARRAKHAN: I hope that he would be proud o me and what I've attempted to do in his name.

LEMON: You're a musician?

L. FARRAKHAN: Yes.

LEMON: You gave it up?

L. FARRAKHAN: Yes.

LEMON: To join the Nation?

L. FARRAKHAN: Yes. The Bible puts it like this. Jesus speaking: "If any man would be my disciple, he must first deny himself, pick up his cross and follow me." But now God has given me back my music as my life comes near to a close. So I'm working on an album now that hopefully will be released the end of this year.

LEMON: Has it been a challenge being with this guy?

KHADIJAH FARRAKHAN, WIFE OF LOUIS: Somewhat.

LEMON: I know you love him to death. Were you scared when -- during the illness?

K. FARRAKHAN: Yes, I was. I really was.

LEMON: What were you afraid of?

K. FARRAKHAN: I thought within myself that he might, but I had to leave it up to God to make his choice what he was going to do with him.

LEMON: And now?

K. FARRAKHAN: Now, it's wonderful. Because he's here with us.

L. FARRAKHAN: This is my wife and I on September the 12th, 1953. And it was in the papers -- the black paper, "The prince takes a bride," because I was a great calypsonian (ph) but too young to be a king. So they called me a "prince of calypso." So that's the way they put it in the paper. But time does something to all of us.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: It is still unclear who will succeed Louis Farrakhan as a leader of the Nation of Islam. Ever since it was founded by Elijah Muhammad in the 1930s, the organization has depended on forceful, charismatic leadership to survive and also to prosper. LONG: Now, Don, you have had an opportunity to meet Farrakhan in the traditional news environment.

LEMON: Group setting...

LONG: Lots of reporters. This was one-on-one. You were really welcomed into his life. What was that like?

LEMON: Oh, it was amazing because he doesn't let anyone in his home. I mean, it's rare. And I think -- as far as I know, maybe one or two reporters got a chance to do this. We were supposed to do it earlier, but he was so sick that we had to cancel several times. His doctors said he couldn't do it. But to go into his home, we interviewed his wife. Never happened. We also interviewed his daughter. That never happens. Nine children.

So it was amazing. I think he realizes it is the end for him, not necessarily his life, even though he said he was close to death, but it is the end for him at least when it comes to being head of the Nation of Islam.

LONG: Well, how is he doing in terms of his health?

LEMON: Right now, he says he is doing well. He says cancer is in remission as far as he knows about it. But again, he tried to have natural treatment. He had irradiated seeds implanted into him and they ate a hole -- ate holes into his body, so he had to have traditional surgery from a traditional medical doctor or he was going to die. He talks about an ordeal where he lost four units of blood on the -- between the hospital and his home. I mean, it was just an horrific, horrific...

(CROSSTALK)

LONG: And a candid, open interview clearly.

LEMON: Very candid.

LONG: And you can find out more about the interview online on Louis Farrakhan with your blog on cnn.com.

Still to come, chewing the fat on pork barrel spending. How lawmakers are using -- well, should we say misusing your tax dollars?

LEMON: Oh, and look at this one, it is called cruising the mall in high gear. A crazy ride ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: This breaking news happening in Lubbock, Texas. You're looking at new video into the CNN newsroom, video outside of that hospital where this morning a person posing, a woman posing as a hospital worker went into this hospital, interacted with the mother of a newborn baby and then snatched the baby and left the hospital. That is surveillance video that you're looking at now of the suspect either entering or leaving the hospital. The baby could be in that tan bag. The suspect is described as a young black woman, about 5'3" tall, about 150 pounds, wearing a pink hospital type top with flowers on it and a blue hospital bottom. Police are looking for her. There is a phone number for you to call right there, 806- 775-2788. If you have any information about this baby, this baby is sick. It is jaundiced. It needs medical care and possibly some medication as well. A press conference to happen very shortly at the top of the hour, noon Eastern. We'll carry that for you live as soon as it happens in the CNN newsroom. We will be following this developing story.

MELISSA LONG, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: Five nations, seven days. The president is traveling, as you know. He held a news conference in Uruguay today. But he didn't mention the man everyone has been talking about, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Mr. Bush's Latin America tour is aimed at curbing the influence of Mr. Chavez and other leftists. The Venezuelan president has been doing some traveling of his own. He blasted the president last night during an anti-American rally in Buenos Aires, Argentina just across the river from Uruguay's capital.

A one-day international conference in Baghdad, it is over. It's the first time the U.S. has sat down in public with Iran to discuss stabilizing Iraq. Iraq says the meeting was constructive and positive. But outside that building where the meeting was held, two mortar rounds exploded. No damage or injuries have been reported.

LEMON: What was supposed to be a joke, but Democrats are not laughing. Instead they've cancelled plans for a presidential debate in Nevada that would have been co-hosted by the Fox news network. Many Democrats believe Fox news is biased against them. They say the last straw was a joke Fox News President Roger Ailes told this week involving President Bush, Pakistan's President Musharraf and a Democratic candidate. Speaking to the radio television news director's association, Ailes said, quote, it's true that Barack Obama is on the move. I don't know if it's true that President Bush called Musharraf and said, why can't we catch this guy, unquote. Fox News says the decision to cancel the debate shows that the Nevada Democratic caucus is controlled by radical fringe group. Roger Ailes' remark, joke, dig, call it whatever you want, is grabbing attention on the political blogs. CNN's dot com reporter Veronica de la Cruz is doing some pointing and clicking for us. What did you find out about this, probably a whole lot.

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN.COM: As you can imagine the political bloggers are fired up this morning. Let's go ahead and take a look. We're going to start with theuffingtonpost, which is Arianna Huffington's blog. The headline on the blog right now is, Dems dump Fox, Obama comments went too far. That's the top story, the Giuliani story but we're going to focus on this one. This is a response that's been posted on that blog. It's by a liberal Texan who says good for my fellow Democrats. Tabloid owner Ruppert Murdoch's Fox and he spells it F-A-U-X - news channel has never been anything more than a ministry of propaganda for the Republican party. The typical Fox news channel viewer will never vote for any Democratic candidate. Why allow Ruppert to make money off of the advertisement sold during a Democratic party event? That's what's on the huffingtonpost. Let's look at the other side of the coin. We're going to click on anklebitingpundit, this is a blog by Patrick Hines, who is a longtime Republican consultant. Let's go back to the web here and share a couple of the posts here. Apparently Dems' cut and run strategy also applies to debates on Fox news. That is the article. That is the blog and one of the responses I wanted to share with you says this. It's from DJ who says cut and run, where have I heard that before? You guys tend to really want to live in trite realities, don't you? Roger Ailes probably botched the deal for Fox with his stupid joke. I guess you could say he's a symbolic stigmata for Fox news. So like I mentioned to you, Don, people really fired up about this one this morning. Can't really say too much more but you can weigh in with your thoughts at weekends@cn.com. Back to you.

LEMON: We look forward to more. If you find something interesting, will you please tell us about it? Just come and yank at my, tug at my collar here. Thank you Veronica.

LONG: The question, how bad is the pork, the pork barrel spending? A public interest research group this week has released a report announcing just how much public money is going to the lawmakers' pet projects. An uproar last year led many politicians to promise reform but Josh Levs, has that actually happened?

JOSHUA LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not as much as a lot of people wanted to. But of course some of it has and that's the good news. Hey everybody, do you remember last November, a big election, remember a lot of Republicans were doing mea culpas, saying that one of the big reasons and one of the big reasons they lost was that there had been too much pork barrel spending, too much wasted money. They were going to do something about it. Also you had the Democrats saying we're going to use our new found power to really change it and fix it. Has that been happening? Based on what we saw this week, to some extent, yes, but still plenty of pork getting served.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEVS (voice-over): Let's start in outer space where aliens better not try to attack earth, because we've got a million dollar defense appropriation for this telescope searching for extraterrestrials. There's also more an a billion dollars for F-22 fighter jets that the Government Accounting Office says aren't needed. More than a million for research into extending the shelf life of vegetables and four mil for a rail line linking two towns in Alaska. A public interest group calls it pork barrel spending and says that's not all, folks, the total for 2007, more than $13 billion. But this is good news, sort of.

TOM SCHATZ, CITIZENS AGAINST GOVERNMENT WASTE: The congressional pig book this year is the smallest it's been since 1999.

LEVS: Citizens Against Government Waste credits a handful of Republicans like Senator Jim Dement, who helped block some appropriations bills at the end of the last Congress and the group thanks Democratic leaders in the new Congress who put a moratorium on earmarks including Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia who's been accused of bringing home lots of pork in the past. So how did some pet projects of individual lawmakers get through? They were added to two bills that were enacted by the last Congress, defense and homeland security. Democrats are vowing to slice the pork, and Republicans know the stakes. Senator John McCain says it's why they lost control of Congress.

SEN. JOHN McCAIN (R) ARIZONA: Because of our failure to control spending and the earmarking, which led, then, to corruption, which then led to members of Congress going to jail.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEVS: And so that's the question right now, is what's going to happen to this Congress? Will this Congress enact some lasting change so that that stuff just won't be happening again? Or with a little time, maybe some of the public anger dies down. Are we going to start to see people pulling back? I'll tell you, John McCain also said this week that it's a hard fight in Congress because not only are there a lot lawmakers ready to fight, but sometimes he says there is even some retaliation guys, so a major political battle coming up on Capitol Hill for this.

LONG: Everybody needs to know about this, so thanks so much for breaking down the figures and sharing.

LEMON: We'll keep watching. A fatal journey to Atlanta.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Despite being on a clearly marked exit ramp, stop signs ahead and a stop ahead warning painted on the pavement, Atlanta police say bus driver Jerry Niemeyer hit the intersection without braking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LONG: CNN's Drew Griffin, he investigates last week's deadly bus accident.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Breaking news story we're following here. Details right here in the CNN newsroom on a newborn baby abducted from a hospital overnight in Lubbock, Texas. That's video just in just a short time ago here to the CNN newsroom of the hospital where it happened. You can see police on the scene there. What they're trying to figure out is where is this woman with this baby or with the baby they believe could be possibly in that tan bag. This is a suspect who police say somehow befriended the mother of a newborn baby three days old in the hospital, interacted with her and then ran off with her baby. This woman is 5'3" tall, about 150 pounds. She has auburn hair, dyed auburn and it's in a short pony tail.

Now if we go back to that surveillance video, we can see her in blue hospital pants and also a pink hospital top under this jacket that has fur on it. OK. So they're looking for her. That phone number -- there's a phone number on your screen, 806-775-2788, again, 806-775-2788. This baby is jaundiced and is in need of medical care. In just about 15 minutes -- at least that's the plan -- Lubbock police will hold a press conference. As soon as that happens, we'll bring it to you live right here in the CNN newsroom. But that's the latest, Lubbock, Texas. We'll continue to follow this developing story.

LONG: There's an unbelievably calm eyewitness call, 911 call, after last week's deadly bus crash in Atlanta. Now, as the investigation continues, the big question, could this tragedy have been avoided? CNN investigative correspondent Drew Griffin takes a revealing look this weekend in an hour-long special and here's a preview for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: It is not until you actually approach this split in the road that you're directed to exit left, or stay straight on southbound 75. For reasons we will never know, Jerry Niemeyer steered his bus left on to this exit ramp. He apparently didn't realize it. It's at this moment Kyle King seated four rows behind the driver in this seat is listening to music, half asleep, and hears the only warning.

KYLE KING, BUSH CRASH SURVIVOR: And I woke up to the bus -- the driver's wife screaming.

GRIFFIN: Jean Niemeyer was sitting in the front with her husband.

KING: She said something like, this isn't the exit or the on ramp or something. Then I remember hearing the bus driver saying something. Then I actually heard the tires squeal of him trying to get it back on control.

GRIFFIN: Despite being on a clearly marked exit ramp, stop signs ahead and a stop ahead warning painted on the pavement, Atlanta police say bus driver Jerry Niemeyer hit the intersection without braking. His bus blew through the stop sign, across four lanes of traffic and headed straight toward a retaining wall.

MAJ. CW MOSS, ATLANTA POLICE: We don't have any evidence on the road to suggest the bus had attempted to stop. There were no skid marks laid down that we were able to determine. As to the reason for that, that remains under investigation. We hope we'll ultimately get an answer to that.

GRIFFIN: This skid mark of wheels turning right is the only evidence of Niemeyer's futile attempt to avoid disaster.

AJ RAMTHUN, BUS CRASH SURVIVOR: I woke up as soon as the bus hit the overpass's wall. And that's when I looked up and the bus landed on the left side, which is the side I was sitting on. I just looked out and saw the road coming up after me. And it just -- that's all.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LONG: And there are still so many questions about that fatal bus crash. CNN's special investigations unit has put together an hour- long special. Drew Griffin is your guide for "Fatal Journey: the Atlanta Bus Crash." That's at 8:00 p.m. Eastern tonight and then again tomorrow at 8:00.

LEMON: Looking forward to that one. I really want to see that.

LONG: Amazing story just that alone.

LEMON: Drew always does amazing work.

We want to find out what's clicking this morning. Veronica de la Cruz has the most popular stories on cnn.com. Veronica.

DE LA CRUZ: Hey guys, that's right (INAUDIBLE) she's making headlines this morning. Also, the lead singer of a famous band from the '70s and '80s found dead. I'll have all of those details next from the dotcom desk. Melissa.

LONG: Thank you so much Veronica and I think this is just absolutely terrifying. This is caught on a cell phone camera. It's a slashing at a grocery store. We're going to tell you the story coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM.

LEMON: It's amazing, but the sound is even scarier.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Starting this year, daylights savings time begins three weeks earlier and lasts one week longer. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 is an attempt to conserve energy. If it stays light later, consumers expend less energy to heat their homes. But the benefits of this initiative have been partially offset by IT costs incurred to fix the technological problems. So any computer or operating system programmed before 2005 will not automatically make the change. However, Microsoft, Apple, Blackberry and Palm have all issued patches to make the fix. Visit their websites to download. And don't forget about the less sophisticated electronics around your house, those without an operating system like your microwave, thermostat, coffee maker, DVD player and clocks. Finally, the decision to extend daylight savings time only affects the U.S. So if you're used to calling internationally, just keep in mind that someone overseas may not have any idea about the time change. That's your "tip of the day."

LEMON: And while most of the country is planning to spring forward one hour on Sunday, northern Indiana's Pulaski County will leap ahead two hours. Here's why. In the past that county switched time zones rather than observe daylight savings but now it's rejoining the rest of Indiana.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I did it because I had fear that somebody wanted to kill me.

(END VIDEO CLIP) LONG: This is a bizarre story out of Vas Vegas. That's Jerry Gomez. Police say he was caught on a cell phone camera running after employees. Watch this. This is in a grocery store and he's running after them with a knife. The witnesses there say he didn't say a word while he was just running around the store slashing people. Four people were treated for injuries. Now he's facing charges of attempted murder.

LEMON: Oh, my gosh!

Cruising the mall, check this out, this guy in Augusta, Georgia, takes it to a new level. He smashes through the glass door entrance in his SUV and just keeps on trucking down the halls, around the corners, through the food court and eventually, let's see, out another set of doors. There you go. Right there, mall security waiting for him outside. The man is charged with DUI and several other offenses of course.

LONG: Let's check out some of the stories that our cnn.com readers are the most curious about this morning. Veronica de la Cruz joins us now from the dot com desk. Good morning Veronica.

DE LA CRUZ: Good morning to you. We start with this one. Brad Delp, the leader of the '70s and '80s (INAUDIBLE) Boston has been found dead in his home in New Hampshire. Dept was 55 years old. Foul play is not suspected. His girlfriend found him dead in his home.

To India for the next story. Hugh Grant's ex, Elizabeth Hurley, apparently a scuffle broke out at Hurley's Hindu wedding in India. The clash was between security personnel and reporters. Hurley married an Indian businessman on Friday.

And finally, Melissa, a 15-year-old is in custody charged with the murder of her mother. The killing took place nearly a month ago in Lafayette, Colorado. Prosecutors allege teenager Tess Demm, her live in boyfriend and a friend had been using her mother, Linda Damm's debit card in the week since she was killed. Like I said, another teen has been tied to this case. The teens allegedly tried twice to dispose of the body but failed. The body was found in the trunk of a car. Let's send it back to you.

LONG: What a terrible story, again the more popular stories this morning on cnn.com. Veronica, thank you.

LEMON: NEWSROOM continues at the top of the hour with Fredericka Whitfield. Fred, what do you have for us? Hello again. I've been seeing you all week.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (INAUDIBLE) good to see you as well Melissa. All right. Well, starting at the top of the hour of course, the search intensifies for that newborn baby out of Lubbock, Texas. At the top of the hour, Lubbock police will be holding a press conference, perhaps revealing any more clues as to what people need to know, what they can look out for, to try to return this three-day-old baby back to her mother and father. It is heartbreaking just to imagine this. Also, coming up at the top of the hour, we'll be interviewing one of the top U.S. diplomats in Baghdad right now, perhaps a turning point meeting involving U.S. diplomats, Iraqi, Iranian as well as Syrian diplomats all there in Baghdad trying to figure out a way to reduce some of the chaos, get rid of some of the violence, bring some peace and perhaps a quality of life to the people in Iraq. Wouldn't that be nice? All that coming up at the top of the noon hour.

LEMON: We look forward to that especially that press conference to find out exactly what's happening with that baby. Thank you so much Fredricka.

LONG: CNN NEWSROOM of course is coming up with Fredericka Whitfield.

LEMON: Rolls on with Fredericka. Come on, get back in here. Thanks for joining us, everybody. See you tomorrow.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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