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Iran Seizes 15 British Marines; Fit Nation; Pet Food Scare Solved?

Aired March 23, 2007 - 15:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Brianna Keilar, in for Kyra Phillips.

Upping the ante, when the stakes are already high -- after Iran seizes 15 British Royal Marines, 10 Downing Street demands their safe return. Now Iran summons Britain's ambassador to Tehran -- adding to the tension, the expected arrival of Iran's president at the United Nations. We're following all of it for you.

You're here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Fifteen British troops, Royal Marines, are in Iranian custody today -- location unknown, condition unknown. We do know diplomats are talking, negotiating, looking for answers in Tehran and London.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARGARET BECKETT, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: The Iranian ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Office this afternoon. And we have always raised the incident through our embassy with the authorities in Tehran. We have sought a full explanation of what happened and left the Iranian authorities in no doubt that we expect the immediate and safe return of our service personnel and boats.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Word today from Iranian national television that the chief British diplomat in Tehran was likewise summoned in protest of what Iranians call an illegal entry into Iran's territorial waters.

We're told the British troops boarded a suspected smuggling vessel in the Persian Gulf and were seized by members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

LEMON: And, Brianna, joining us now from Los Angeles, former military intelligence officer Ken Robinson. During his years overseas, Robinson took part in secret operations against Iranian forces in the Persian Gulf.

What do you make of these 15 Marines?

KEN ROBINSON, FORMER MILITARY INTELLIGENCE OFFICER: Well, Don, it's typical that they tried to protect this disputed waterway, the Shatt al-Arab.

There's a tit-for-tat game that's been played here for about 30 years. And, recently, they have -- the Iranians have tried to assert themselves even more. The real issue in this incident is determining who ordered it. Is this actually Iranian government policy to seize these men, or was it the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps navy, which is not part of the regular Navy, and sometimes is out of step with the government of Iran?

LEMON: All right, Ken, so, let's look at this, because this waterway that you talk about has been long disputed.

Let's get this up full now. We're talking about here as we push into here. This is the Persian Gulf. And then this Shatt al-Arab that you are talking about, this happens in the waterways. Here is where we're talking about in this area.

Tell us about these waterways, because they have been long disputed. As you talk about this, we're going to go around and take a view. This is looking north this way. We're going to go around and take a view of this, Iraq, Iran, and then right here Kuwait in this area.

Tell us about this waterway and why there is so much controversy around this whole area here.

ROBINSON: Well, water is king. You know, water is the key to survival there and has been for thousands of years.

If you look at the maps in the region, there's a big deal between a Sunni map and a Persian map. The Persian maps say -- they call it the Persian Gulf. And the Sunni maps call it the Arabian Sea. That one distinction is very important.

And this waterway, cradle of civilization, leading up to Babylon, leading up to what is now today modern-day Baghdad. In the Iran-Iraq war, a lot of effort -- a lot of death was caused by fighting between the Iraqis and the Iranian military in this area.

The Marsh Arabs in this area were purged by Saddam Hussein during his reign. It is also a waterway that is used as a superhighway for smuggling. From that location out into the northern Persian Gulf and into the Straits of Hormuz travels an enormous amount of illicit oil, illicit weapons, personnel, and covert movement.

LEMON: And, Ken, you mentioned the Straits of Hormuz. That is important because they are concerned about those waterways now, especially for smuggling.

And, again, we want to say this is a dividing line, this waterway, between Iraq and Iran, correct? And how does the Strait of Hormuz play into all of this?

ROBINSON: Well, the Straits of Hormuz is actually the other side. It's the front door. It is the path that enters into the northern Persian Gulf. You can block that area off, and you stop all shipping. The economic engine for the West is sweet Iraqi crude oil, and if you close the Straits of Hormuz, you affect the economy of the world.

LEMON: Yes.

So, in this area here -- and, again, this is -- if you look at this, this is Iraq right here. This is what Ken is talking about. This is Baghdad here. And then in here is Iran. And then you have this waterway right in the middle here.

And, again, Ken, you have been out on these missions here. This is not the first time that this has happened in these particular waterways, right?

ROBINSON: No. There were mine laying operations that went on 20 years ago when I was conducting operations there, where the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps were laying mines in the Persian Gulf and they were attacking Kuwaiti oil shipping. The United States re- flagged all the Kuwaiti oil tankers and we had what was known as the tanker war. It went on for over a year.

During that time period, Iranian ships were boarded and seized and sank. Oil platforms were attacked. It was a large shooting war, but it was under-reported. And the potential for there to be a huge flash point there is extreme.

The issue will be what happens in the next 24 hours on the Iranian side, to whether the Iranian policy will be to immediately return these soldiers, assert their line of control, and then let it be that, or drag it out and have it become explosive, because the Brits aren't ones to be fooled with in situations like this.

LEMON: Yes. And you kind of answered my next question, but I want you to get a little bit more specific about it.

How, then -- Iran is insisting that they were in Iranian waters. The Brits are insisting that they were in Iraqi waters. How might this all be sorted out? And can we expect these 15 Marines to be sent back to Britain safely? What is the next outcome in all of this, as far as you see it?

ROBINSON: Well, the United States and its coalition partners maintain transponders on their vessels 24 hours a day. They know precisely, within one meter, where their vessels are at all times, based on satellite technology.

So, from their point of view, there will be no question as to what their actual location was. And, if they chose to prove it, they could.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: All right, Ken, before we let you -- going to let you go, but just all this area we're talking about here, in the Persian Gulf, and this strait here that we're talking about, how big of an area we're talking here?

ROBINSON: Oh, it's the small -- size of a small state.

LEMON: Yes, and all of this controversy.

OK. Ken Robinson, military intelligence expert, we thank you so much for joining us today right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

ROBINSON: Thank you.

KEILAR: And just in now to the CNN NEWSROOM, word that a Marine unit is being pulled out of Afghanistan, as an investigation is conducted into a recent shooting incident.

For more on this developing story, let's head to the Pentagon and Jamie McIntyre.

Jamie, what can you tell us?

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, this was a very controversial incident that happened back on March 4, Sunday, March 4, in which a Marine special operations unit operating in eastern Afghanistan came under a very sophisticated attack from militants, including an explosive-laden car bomb, and then other attacks as well.

And, then, in the aftermath of that, they were accused by many local Afghanis of firing indiscriminately along a six-mile stretch of road at anybody who seemed to be in the least bit threatening and even some who didn't. At least, that was the accusation.

This prompted an investigation of the units' actions. And now we learned today that the Marine Corps has decided to redeploy this unit outside of Afghanistan to -- and they won't say exactly where -- until their entire unit, the Marine Expeditionary Unit, goes back some time in January.

But, meanwhile, they will be outside the country while this investigation continues. Again, there have been no conclusions about whether the Marines acted improperly. But the accusation from many of the witnesses was that the Marines were firing indiscriminately into a crowd. The estimates of people killed vary from 16 dead to 24 to even over 30 wounded as a result of this attack.

And, of course, some of it may have happened in the initial attack in the exchange of gunfire. It's one of those confusing situations the U.S. military is trying to sort out. But, again, the news today is that this Marine special operations unit, about 120 Marines, is being redeployed out of Afghanistan while this investigation continues -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Thanks for the latest details on that, Jamie McIntyre, coming to us live from the Pentagon.

And let's move on now to a story coming from Capitol Hill. The vote was close, 218-212, but it was good enough to pass the House of Representatives. It's a spending bill, most of it for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And it contains a line requiring U.S. troops to be out of Iraq by next September. That little detail drew plenty of fire from Republicans. And even some Democrats voted against the bill, because they don't want to spend any more money on the Iraq war period.

President Bush says the measure is doomed if it reaches his desk.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Here in Washington, members of both parties recognize that our most solemn responsibility is to support our troops in the war on terror.

Yet, today, a narrow majority in the House of Representatives abdicated its responsibility by passing a war spending bill that has no chance of becoming law and brings us no closer to getting our troops the resources they need to do their job.

The purpose of the emergency war spending bill I requested was to provide our troops with vital funding. Instead, Democrats in the House, in an act of political theater, voted to substitute their judgment for that of our military commanders on the ground in Iraq.

They set rigid restrictions that will require an army of lawyers to interpret. They set an arbitrary date for withdrawal without regard for conditions on the ground. And they tacked on billions for pet projects that have nothing to do with winning the war on terror.

This bill has too much pork, too many conditions, and an artificial timetable for withdrawal. As I have made clear for weeks, I will veto if it comes to my desk.

And, because the vote in the House was so close, it is clear that my veto would be sustained. Today's action in the House does only one thing: It delays the delivery of vital resources for our troops.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: The bill goes now to the Senate, where it's not expected to pass.

LEMON: Sixteen dead pets, thousands of terrified owners -- now investigators think they are a big step closer to solving the case of the tainted dog and cat food.

CNN's Alina Cho is on the story in New York.

It's certainly scared a lot of people, Alina.

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Certainly has. This is a big development today, Don.

You know, this massive pet food recall is exactly one week old. And, for the very first time today, we're hearing about the potential source of the contamination. In very simple terms, rat poison was found in cat food samples of Menu Foods products.

Now, you will recall that Menu Foods is the manufacturer of the nearly 100 brands of dog and cat food recalled last week. Now, as you might imagine, pet owners everywhere are outraged over this, and some of them are now taking action.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHO (voice-over): Two-year-old Princess, a 90-pound bull mastiff, was always healthy. So, when owner Sandy Bobb found her usually feisty dog suddenly sedate, she started to worry.

SANDY BOBB, SUING PET FOOD MANUFACTURER: She was at the bottom of my basement stairs, just laid out, with her nose in a corner. And I said, this isn't right.

CHO: Her husband immediately took Princess to the vet.

BOBB: He kept saying, do you think she could have eaten anything? He goes, it's toxic. Everything is coming up toxic.

CHO: The next day Princess's kidneys failed, and she died. The Bobb family was stunned.

So was Jackie Johnson. Her cat Gumby got sick a month ago.

JACKIE JOHNSON, CAT HAS KIDNEY DISEASE: She immediately vomited, which is not usual. And, during the week, she progressively got worse.

CHO: Gumby, like Princess, was diagnosed with kidney failure. But the 14-year-old cat survived, and, a month later, is still on an I.V.

Johnson gave Gumby Iams brand Select Bites. Bobb fed Princess Natural Choice Pouches -- two of the 95 brands of cuts-and-gravy-style dog and cat food recalled last week, 60 million cans and pouches in all. While pet owners everywhere are worried, Johnson and Bobb are taking action. Both have filed lawsuits against manufacture Menu Foods. The company would not comment on the lawsuits.

BOBB: Sick to my stomach at how a company like that could, you know -- where is their quality control? How does something like this happen?

CHO: Investigators believe the source of the contamination is rat poison found in samples of cat food that were lab tested.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The New York State Food Laboratory identified aminopterin, which is a toxic chemical that has been identified as a rodenticide, although it is not registered in the United States, in cat food samples from Menu Foods.

CHO: Menu Foods has temporarily shut down a plant in Kansas in response to the recall. Veterinarian Cathy Langston, who has treated a dozen cases linked to the recall, including Bunky (ph), says she's never seen anything like this.

DR. CATHY LANGSTON, THE ANIMAL MEDICAL CENTER: I will admit that I was almost crying as I walked home last night, thinking about all the animals that are affected by this.

JOHNSON: The goal is not retribution, per se. It's justice. We need to find out what happened.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHO: And we will be hearing a lot more about this in the coming hour. At 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, the president and CEO of Menu Foods will be leading a news conference out of Toronto and Canada. And the FDA, for its part, will be holding its own news conference 30 minutes later, at 4:30 p.m. Eastern.

But, Don, this is clearly a story that a lot of people are watching. What we heard today is that 60 percent of all American households have pets. If you are concerned at all about your pet, you should go to the Web site. That's the best advice. That's www.menufoods.com/recall.

I went to the Web site myself, and there's a lot of helpful information there. If you are at all worried about your pet, go there, and you should get the information you need -- Don.

LEMON: And, as Alina said, more details still to come today.

Alina, thank you so much for that.

KEILAR: Playful one minute, dangerous the next. Anderson Cooper's extreme encounter with an elephant, that's next in the NEWSROOM.

A.J. HAMMER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: I'm A.J.Hammer. Coming up in entertainment news, we're going to tell you why one director's college appearance went "Apocalypto," and how one of the most famous big screen couples are all set to reunite on screen just ahead in the NEWSROOM.

LEMON: And, A.J., the legendary escape artist Harry Houdini took many secrets to his grave, but he may be forced to give one of them up -- that story ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Well, she did say she would never let him go. Now one star of "Titanic" is getting ready to reunite with another.

"SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" host A.J. Hammer joins me with today's entertainment headlines.

Hi, A.J. HAMMER: Hey, Brianna.

Yes, who can forget? "I will never let go, Jack. I will never let go."

(LAUGHTER)

HAMMER: Well, guess what? Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio are reuniting on the big screen for the first time since the blockbuster "Titanic."

We will never forget the forbidden love of Jack and Rose, the society gal and the working-class guy sailing off into the sunset together.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "TITANIC")

LEONARDO DICAPRIO, ACTOR: Hold on to the railing. Keep your eyes closed. Don't peek.

KATE WINSLET, ACTRESS: I'm not.

DICAPRIO: Step up on to the rail. Hold on. Hold on. Keep your eyes closed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Welling up right now. I'm feeling the tears coming on.

The 1997 Academy Award-winning movie did indeed make them the ultimate on-screen couple.

And now the actors are starring together again in a new drama. It's called "Revolutionary Road." In the film, they are going to be playing a married couple with two children, who, from the outside, look like the perfect family. But, when you peek inside, life is not as pleasant as it appears.

It's going to be set in the mid-'50s, and it's going to be directed by Winslet's real-life husband, Oscar winner Sam Mendes. The gang is going to be reuniting this summer when production begins.

And, Brianna, it's hard to believe that "Titanic" was 10 years ago, but it was.

KEILAR: And it may have been 10 years ago, but I don't know about you. I can't get on a boat without watching someone reenact that scene. It kills me every time.

HAMMER: Yes. Yes, it's a little tragic.

KEILAR: Yes.

So, now tell me, A.J., because I hear that Mel Gibson had a bit of a heated moment at a college last night. What was that all about?

HAMMER: Yes, this wasn't good.

Mel Gibson was at a Southern California college. He was talking about his film "Apocalypto," when Central American studies professor Alicia Estrada asked the director a perfectly reasonable question, in my mind, whether or not he had done his research for the film.

Well, at that time, Gibson got very defensive and dropped the F- word several times. According to the college newspaper, the instructor and a couple of students were escorted out at that time, while the actor did stick around and answered a few more questions.

Gibson's publicist, Alan Nierob, told us a little while ago that -- quote -- "The woman was a heckler who was rude and disruptive enough where the event organizers had to escort her out. The event continued on thereafter as planned" -- end quote.

This, Brianna, just the kind of publicity a star with anger- management issues does not need.

KEILAR: That's right. Hasn't he done something like this before, I think?

(LAUGHTER)

HAMMER: Yes. He probably doesn't want us talking about that either.

KEILAR: All right. And we're always following the Anna Nicole saga.

HAMMER: Yes.

KEILAR: And we're hearing, A.J., that next week could bring some closure to the death of Anna Nicole Smith?

HAMMER: Finally, some. On Monday, we are expecting to learn what caused the untimely death of the former "Playboy" Playmate.

It's been nearly seven weeks since she was found dead in her hotel room in Florida. And a press conference is scheduled on Monday to announce the results of the autopsy. Now, the preliminary examination didn't find any tablets or pills in her stomach. And the full report was delayed, after police uncovered some important evidence.

There is no word yet on exactly what that evidence is, but her death hasn't been considered a homicide. The 39-year-old was laid to rest on March 2, right next to her son, Daniel, who, of course, passed away last September.

Now, coming up tonight on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," we are going to have much more on Anna Nicole's larger-than-life story with Anna Nicole Smith's secret diaries. What was in these things that made somebody pay more than $500,000 to own them? We have got the inside story straight from the man who sold them. That's tonight in the interview you will see only on TV's most provocative entertainment news show. We will see you for "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" at 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on Headline Prime.

Brianna, have a nice weekend.

KEILAR: All right, you, too, A.J. Thank you.

And we are going to also talk to Harvey Levin of TMZ.com coming up here during this hour about Anna Nicole Smith right here in the NEWSROOM -- Don.

LEMON: All right, Brianna.

The legendary escape artist Harry Houdini, well, he took many secrets to his grave. But he may be forced to give at least one of them up -- that story straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: More and more obese patients are turning to gastric bypass surgery to lose weight. But it's risky. It's also expensive, and costing anywhere between $10,000 and $20,000. The procedure is becoming so popular, insurance companies are now stepping in and saying: Wait. Wait a long time.

CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has more in today's "Fit Nation."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Last year, Anne Durand was twice her current size. You see, she was immobilized by an illness that caused her constant pain, and her weight went up to 287 pounds. Why? Because she couldn't exercise. Her doctor suggested she have gastric bypass surgery. For her, the operation was a success.

ANNE DURAND, GASTRIC BYPASS PATIENT: I became mobile again. I became healthy. My auto immune disease went into remission.

GUPTA: The American Society of Bariatric Surgery says more than 177,000 patients had gastric bypass or stomach banding procedures last year. Designed for people who are considers severely obese or suffer from complications due to their weight, the surgery can be expensive, as well as dangerous.

That's two things insurance companies don't like to hear.

SUSAN PISANO, SPOKESPERSON, AMERICA's HEALTH INSURANCE PLANS: What the health care system is trying to do is get people not to think of this as a quick fix, but to look at this surgery thoughtfully.

GUPTA: Tufts Health Plan in Massachusetts is requiring that some obese patients enter a year-long diet and counseling program before undergoing surgery. Their hope is to have patients lose their weight naturally, without an operation.

But some doctors feel the Tufts policy just postpones the inevitable.

DR. FREDERICK FINELLI, WASHINGTON HOSPITAL CENTER: The NIH published this 15 years ago, that only about 5 percent of patients, ones that were morbidly obese, is going to be able to lose weight by willpower alone.

GUPTA: Tufts Health Plan is not the only insurance company making these changes, in order to keep costs under control. But some bariatric surgeons say it's none of the insurance companies business.

DR. SCOTT SHIKORA, TUFTS-NEW ENGLAND MEDICAL CENTER: I think it's unethical for people outside of the clinical arena to make those decisions for us.

GUPTA: Decisions that Anne Durand said she was happy she made without having to wait.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon live at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.

KEILAR: And I'm Brianna Keilar, in for Kyra Phillips. It has been six weeks since Anna Nicole Smith died and we're about to learn what killed her. The medical examiner promises the revelations will be, quote, "significant." We're getting TMZ's take from Harvey Levin. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

The wait is almost over. The Anna Nicole Smith autopsy results are set to be released Monday, more than a month after she died at a Florida hotel. Smith's death led to bitter legal battles over her remains and over paternity of her 6-month-old daughter. Harvey Levin, managing editor of TMZ.com, has been closely following all the twists and turns. He joins us now from Glendale, California.

Hi, there, Harvey.

HARVEY LEVIN, MANAGING EDITOR, TMZ.COM: Hi, Brianna.

KEILAR: So catch us up about what's going on with the autopsy possibilities. What might we be expecting? What are you hearing?

LEVIN: Well, you know, what I'm hearing is it's not what everybody thinks. And that's as much as the medical examiner has really been willing to say. And I think what everybody thinks, at least what we think here is the logical thing is methadone or some kind of a methadone cocktail.

And I am guessing that's not the case because Dr. Perper (ph) has said that the results will be surprising. They will be significant. And if it's what is kind in the public discourse right now, I don't think he would be saying that.

So I think there's some twist to this.

KEILAR: Any speculation on what exactly that might be or it's really sort of vague at this point?

LEVIN: Well, you know, she was taking antibiotics. She was on cold medicine. So that's always a possibility. But, no, I mean, you know, one of the things that I found in this case is that it is stranger than reality. And, you know, to sort of guess in a logical way what went on with Anna Nicole Smith in life or in death, I think, is very risky.

KEILAR: And this paternity issue, let's move on to that. It has been dragging on for so long now. Where does this stand right now?

LEVIN: Well, here's the deal. Larry Birkhead has given a DNA sample, and the baby -- the baby's DNA sample has been taken. It's being evaluated today in Columbus, Ohio. So by the end of this weekend, the results will be in. If Howard K. Stern is appealing this, it will be sealed until the appeal runs its course.

But assuming -- let's just make an assumption here that there's a DNA match with Birkhead and the baby, then Larry Birkhead can go into court and say, look, I know there's a presumption that Howard K. Stern is the father because he's on the birth certificate, but I can now rebut that presumption because there's a DNA match with me.

So then he can go in and challenge it and then the issue is, will Howard K. Stern fight if there's a DNA match with Larry Birkhead?

KEILAR: Well, Harvey, you are an attorney. And so we have to consider, right, Bahamian law. I mean, how does that factor into this? If Larry Birkhead is the biological father, would he really have a chance?

LEVIN: Well, yes, I mean, under Bahamian law, he can rebut the presumption if there's a match in this DNA test. That doesn't mean that the judge will side with Larry Birkhead. It just means he can basically get his day in court.

Bahamian law is a little bit different. I mean, the parties here have -- all three parties have had their backgrounds investigated, their medical histories checked, all sorts of things that wouldn't be done customarily in the United States.

So the law is different. The system is different. The pace is different. And I don't think you can necessarily predict what they are going to do.

KEILAR: All right. And also we just checked that top story, Harvey, last thing on TMZ.com. Zsa Zsa Gabor's husband being swabbed just because he felt like it. So very interesting there. LEVIN: My -- it's really my favorite twist in this. And by the way, we just covered his news conference and we're about to post that on TMZ.com. He's always entertaining.

KEILAR: All right. Certainly is. OK. Harvey Levin, you are also very entertaining. Thank you very much, from TMZ.com.

LEVIN: Sure, Brianna.

LEMON: I'm sure he said some interesting stuff. All right. Thank you for that, Harvey. Playful one, one minute, dangerous the next. Anderson Cooper's extreme encounter with an elephant, next in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Developing story just in on Iran. Joining us now, chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour.

What do you have for us, Christiane.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, a lot of news about Iran of course today. The latest is that the president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was scheduled to come to the U.N. to talk about the country's nuclear program ahead of a vote on possible new sanctions, he is no longer coming to the U.N. in New York.

I am told by the -- Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, that there has been a problem with the visas. That the president's visa was issued through an embassy in Switzerland, in Bern. It got to Iran in time, the president could have come except for the visa, I'm told, for the crew of his official aircraft was not sent in time and did not get issued in time.

And so he's not being able to make it in time to New York for the vote tomorrow. I am told though that the Iranian foreign minister is trying to come and he will come by commercial flight. His visa has been issued.

LEMON: All right, so his entourage so to speak. His was -- because we have reporting all day, his visas were delivered but a part of his entourage not delivered. Does this...

AMANPOUR: Well, it's complicated, you know, there's no American embassy in Iran. So it's not like the visas could be issued in Iran and picked up and put in a passport, no. The visa is issued through the embassy in Bern. The Swiss embassy in Iran is the sort of acting affairs for the United States since there is no -- there are no diplomatic relations.

So usually they pick up their visas in Bern, Switzerland. Now Ahmadinejad's, the president's was issued this morning. It got to him, he could have come, but he needs his crew to fly the airplane.

LEMON: Absolutely. AMANPOUR: The crews' visas, I'm told, were not issued until quarter to 6:00 Swiss time, which made it impossible to get to Iran in a timely fashion and for them to be able to fly to the United States in a timely fashion. So I'm told by the ambassador that the president is not coming. It is not a question of might he come later? He is not coming.

LEMON: Clearly, I think maybe it's not so, but I think he -- was he hoping to have some influence on this vote, on these sanctions by coming here?

AMANPOUR: Well, of course. I mean, everybody wants to put their position forward. And it's not unusual for the principals to talk and to address the Security Council, the United Nations ahead of important votes.

He had requested the opportunity to do that. It had been granted. As host country, the United States has an obligation to facilitate that particular kind of effort. And as I say, he was due to come. He did get his visa, but his crew, I'm told, did not get the visa, the crew to fly the airplane to the United States.

All right. There you have it right here on CNN. Our very own chief international correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, breaking that news for us. Thank you so much for coming in today.

AMANPOUR: Thank you.

KEILAR: He was a U.S. treasury secretary. Now he's giving new life to some of our nation's most poverty-stricken areas. CNN's Ali Velshi with a look at Robert Rubin and his "Life after Work."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALL VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Bronx. Southeast Washington, D.C. The Mississippi Delta. All stark images of poverty and a sharp contrast to the life of a former U.S. treasury secretary. But Robert Rubin made one trip to the Bronx that completely changed his perspective.

ROBERT RUBIN, FMR. TREASURY SECRETARY: It was astounding. Because what I saw in the South Bronx, which in a sense was the arch symbol of urban decay at one point, was block after block after block after block after block of renovated housing that was the beginning of new business activity. It was the creation of a real community.

And so I said, well, how did this happen? And that's when I heard well LISC.

VELSHI: LISC is the Local Initiative Support Corporation. It's a non-profit organization that helps community groups fund projects to redevelop run-down neighborhoods.

RUBIN: I left Treasury in July of 1999. And Michael Rubinger of LISC came to me and said, our chairman is going to step down, we'd like you to be chairman. And that was the first thing that I did. And the reason I did it was I think that these problems of the inner cities and of the distressed rural areas are a critical issue for our country, socially, morally, but also very much economically.

VELSHI: Rubin is still active in the for-profit world. He's a senior adviser for financial giant Citigroup and sits on a few corporate boards. But he says working with LISC is what really drives him.

RUBIN: I think that the best way to get a sense of how important LISC is, is to go on a little tour of project sites. And it really is interesting because what you see very often without pictures of what it looked like before, and then of course we'll see what it looked like after, you get a sense of really how great these accomplishments have been.

VELSHI: Ali Velshi, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: All this week, CNN's Anderson Cooper has been traveling through Asia, telling stories from places in Thailand and Cambodia. At his latest stop, at a rescue center for animals, he came face-to- face with some of the most majestic and victimized creatures in the world. The center gives these animals, victims of an illegal wildlife trade, a second chance. But a fascinating tour turned scary for Anderson and biologist Jeff Corwin.

Just watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): He's only about a year-and-a-half old but already this Asian elephant has seen a lifetime of pain. One of his feet is missing, ripped off, likely trying to escape a poacher's snare. A bloody stump is all that remains. He has found sanctuary here in Cambodia's Phnom Tamao Rescue Center. They call him "Choop (ph)." He arrived some two weeks ago and is still badly malnourished and in great pain.

Conservationists with the Wildlife Alliance are trying to save him but his wounds are serious. He may not survive.

(on camera): Once a week veterinarians here sedate this young elephant, they use this blow gun to shoot a dart into him. It's the only way they can safely treat his wounds.

(voice-over): It takes about 10 minutes for the sedative to take hold.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is he going down?

JEFF CORWIN, WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST: This elephant is a wild creature. She would totally stress out if you try to manhandle it. Plus he is very, very strong. This elephant is weighing in at 500 pounds.

COOPER (on camera): And what you are you doing now? You are peeling the skin off?

CORWIN: Basically just dressing the wound. And they have to do this every week, even if this wound is actually able to heal, the skin is able to overcome it, there are serious issues with the joints, with the shoulder. And, again, this is a young animal. It only weighs about 500 pounds. What is its physical state going to be in three or four years when it's weighing thousands of pounds?

VELSHI: They've just given him a shot to reverse the effects of the sedative. They've bandaged the wound, made sure it's tight so the elephant is not able to just rip off the bandage when he wakes up.

Now this -- because of the shot, he should wake up in about 10 minutes.

(voice-over): By the time Choop comes to, he's clearly scared but some fruit and affection calm him quickly.

A century ago, there were thousands of Asian elephants in this part of the world. Now there are only hundreds. Elephants are social animals. Even those harmed by poachers or treated poorly can remain affectionate, and as we found out, they are curious towards people.

(on camera): They are smelling with it?

CORWIN: Absolutely. He is smelling. They have an incredibly heightened sense of smell. Maybe you think she was, he noticed -- this is called the snap.

(ELEPHANT WRAPS TUSK AROUND ANDERSON COOPER'S NECK)

(LAUGHTER)

CORWIN: All you have to say is uncle.

COOPER: There are dozens of species at Phnom Tanao. All of them victims of the black market animal trade or habitat loss. These tigers were cubs when they were caught by a trafficker who tried to sell them on the black market.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The wildlife trade is hugely cruel. We see the results of it, very, very badly injured animals, animals that have been in snares. We have to deal with that. And it's run by very wealth every rich people. It isn't poor subsistence guys that we're hitting. It's big wealthy traders, and it's a huge, huge traffic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Uh-oh. No, no!

(TIGER URINATES ON UNIDENTIFIED MALE)

COOPER: As you can see, not everything goes as planned when you are working with animals. At the end of the day, we help bathe the elephants in a nearby pond. Despite their traumatic experiences, they are incredibly playful.

CORWIN: Seven-hundred pound (INAUDIBLE).

COOPER (on camera): That was its leg.

(voice-over): But as Jeff himself had warned me, they don't know their own strength. Take a look at what happens, watch Jeff's left arm.

CORWIN: The numbers -- ahh!

(ELEPHANT BITES JEFF CORWIN'S ARM)

COOPER: One of the elephants gets a hold of Jeff's arm with his mouth. It happens so fast, but it could have been much worse.

CORWIN: The elephants despite their good nature, forget how strong they are and play a little rough. My arm got twisted in the air. You can see where his muscle -- his mouth grabbed on to it right there and gave it a good twist. I don't think it's broken. I think it's fine. Maybe a little strained. And now I know what it's like to be a circus peanut going down the gullet of an elephant.

COOPER: Jeff was lucky. He arm is OK. The incident though is a reminder of the difficult position these animals are now in, forced from their natural habitat. They are no longer wild. But they certainly are not tame. They have been operated from what they know and have to learn to survive in an ever-shrinking world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: After that encounter, Jeff Corwin went on to blog about the experience on cnn.com. Corwin writes: "Truth is that elephant is easily 15,000 times stronger than my meager self. And if she had wanted to, she could have done far worse. In the end, this experience is a reminder to me just how powerful these majestic creatures are."

And you can read more of his blog at cnn.com/ac360. And you can watch Anderson Cooper tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern only here on CNN.

LEMON: All right, Brianna. Harry Houdini, his name conjures images of death-defying stunts. The world is still talking about how he managed to escape every single time and how he died at a fit 52. Well, the generally accepted version holds that Houdini succumbed to a ruptured appendix from a punch in the stomach. Others have suggested he was poisoned perhaps by so-called spiritualists he considered frauds. There was no autopsy and Houdini's great nephew says it's time to take a second look at all of this. He's not the only one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSEPH TACOPINA, HOUDINI FAMILY ATTORNEY: The Houdini case is a mystery because the suspicious circumstances surrounding his death, the unanswered questions surrounding his death, and the medical impossibilities attributed to his death have caused this family to want answers. And not only the family of Harry Houdini, but the family of his arch nemesis and someone who we believe to be potentially responsible for Mr. Houdini's death, Margery and Dr. Leroy Crandon.

ANNA THURLOW, CRANDON'S GREAT-GRANDDAUGHTER: I'm humbled by the fact my family provided documents that could shed light on the life of this important figure. I support the use of modern technology to confirm or correct historical fact and I'm committed to any effort that seeks to place in scientific context the assumptions of the past.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Houdini is buried right in this cemetery right there in Queens, New York. Now Monday the family plans to file legal papers to exhume his remains. Top-level forensics investigators are standing by to check all of that out.

Well, it's time now to check in with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

KEILAR: He's standing by in "THE SITUATION ROOM" to tell us what's coming up at the top of the hour.

Hi, Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, guys. Thanks very much.

The house passing a bill with a deadline for U.S. troops to be out of Iraq. And President Bush vowing to veto it. I'll talk about it with decorated Vietnam War veteran, outspoken war critic, Democratic Congressman John Murtha. He's standing by to join us live.

Also, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger puts GOP presidential hopefuls on notice. Find out what he's telling them.

And Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on a crucial new Middle East mission. We'll tell you why there are growing doubts about her chances for success.

Plus, a city official plans a sex change and possibly loses his job in the process. We'll have details of some new developments in the story that's generating a lot of controversy. All that, guys, coming up right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

LEMON: Hey, Wolf, did you enjoy your birthday? You didn't party too much, did you?

BLITZER: I did -- I guested on "LARRY KING LIVE" last night, is that partying?

(LAUGHTER)

KEILAR: Mm-hmm.

LEMON: Yes, that is a party. KEILAR: Rock on, Wolf.

LEMON: All right, Wolf. Thanks a lot.

BLITZER: It goes to show you what kind of life I have.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: We'll be watching at the top of the hour. Thank you much.

KEILAR: And the closing bell and a wrap of all of the action on Wall Street straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

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