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President Bush Standing Firm in His Support for Alberto Gonzalez and Not Having Aides Testify Under Oath; Pentagon Investigating the Death of Pat Tillman; Iran Arrested British Marines; Rat Poison in Pet Food; Talking About Sex in Church; There's a New Miss USA from Tennessee

Aired March 24, 2007 - 11:00   ET

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

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well good morning and welcome. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM where the news is unfolding live on this Saturday, March 24th. I'm Betty Nguyen.
T.J. HOLMES: And I'm T.J. Holmes. Three years after Pat Tillman's death from friendly fire, the Pentagon now reporting -- they're going to place blame for what happened after he died.

NGUYEN: This is the aftermath of tornadoes in the west. Take a look at it. What is in store today, we're going to get you the latest on that. And --

HOLMES: Poisoned pet food, investigators know what killed dogs and cats. But a big mystery still remains. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

NGUYEN: All right, first up today, the attorney general may be contradicting, well, the attorney general. Newly released documents detail an hour-long November meeting about the fired prosecutors. And yes, Alberto Gonzales was there.

Square that with Gonzalez's statement last week, quote, "I was not involved in any discussions" and a justice spokeswoman sees no inconsistency, rather, she says, Gonzalez was stressing that he was not involved in the details of the firings.

Well, President Bush standing firm today on his take it or leave it offer in the fired prosecutor's probe. His top aides can talk about the case but he won't let them testify under oath.

To the White House now and our correspondent, Elaine Quijano to help sort all of this out. Elaine, what did the president have to say about the Justice Department controversy?

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning to you Betty. President Bush says he regrets that the dismissals of those U.S. attorneys has turned into what he calls a public spectacle.

At the same time though, Betty, he's showing no signs of backing away from his embattled attorney general, Alberto Gonzales. The president today in his weekly radio address said that he strongly supports Gonzalez's decision to replace those attorneys. The president also had a message for Democratic lawmakers who are threatening to subpoena top Bush aides including Karl Rove to find out more about the White House's role in the firings.

The president essentially said that Democrats should back off and accept the White House's offer to make those aides available for interviews, instead of having them formally testify under oath as Democrats want.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Members of Congress now face a choice, whether they will waste time and provoke an unnecessary confrontation or whether they will join us in working to do the people's business.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, the bottom line President Bush thinks his offer amounts to what he calls a reasonable way forward, but Democrats continue to insist they don't think much of the offer at all and they can't understand why the administration will not allow transcripts, a written record, of any interviews with White House aides to be -- to take place.

Now the administration is insisting, though, that that would create a court like atmosphere, to have transcripts, Betty. And that is something that they are adamantly opposed to -- Betty.

NGUYEN: All right, well on another subject, what did the president have to say about yesterday's house vote on Iraq?

QUIJANO: Well, he essentially blasted Democrats for a second day in a row, essentially repeating what he said yesterday in the diplomatic reception room and that is he thinks that the Democrats' continued push for a legislation, for a war-spending bill that attaches a troop withdrawal deadline will hurt the troops.

How? Well, the president said today in his radio address he thinks that it will delay vital resources for the U.S. military. As the legislation winds its way on Capitol Hill and possibly eventually to his desk, president saying, again, that he will veto any legislation that attaches restrictions on funding for U.S. troops.

NGUYEN: All right, CNN's Elaine Quijano at the White House for us today. Elaine, as always, we thank you.

HOLMES: A friendly fire death on the battlefield. Now, three years later, major fallout at the Pentagon. Defense officials tells the Associated Press that nine army officers will be held accountable for missteps after the death of Army Ranger Pat Tillman in Afghanistan. Up to four generals are part of that group.

The army -- actually, forgive us there, on that but former football star is this Pat Tillman, he's played for the Arizona Cardinals, a former safety there. But he was killed in an enemy ambush, that at least what the family was originally told. However, he was accidentally killed by some fellow troops.

Now, about 30 minutes from now, CNN's Jamie McIntyre will take us inside that Tillman incident.

NGUYEN: A diplomatic crisis to tell you about. It is unfolding this hour in the Persian Gulf. Britain and Iran are exchanging angry words over the seizure of 15 British sailors and marines. Iranian forces seized them on a waterway along Iran's border with Iraq and now they are being held in Tehran.

Let's get the latest with CNN's Aneesh Raman who is in the Iranian capital. Aneesh, this happened in 2004 as well. So what can we learn from this?

VOICE OF ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, in 2004 in this same area where this incident happened yesterday, eight British military personnel were seized by Iran. They were held at that time for about three days, during which they were broadcast on Iranian television blindfolded at the time.

Then as Iran is saying now, it said that the British military personnel had crossed into Iranian waters. Then as now, the British military is saying they were in Iraqi waters. So if we look to the past as any predicter, we expect this to be a days, not week-long process. But again, we simply do not know.

The information we got this morning to update the story is that, as you mentioned, the 15 British military personnel have been moved to Tehran. A top Iranian military official says they have confessed to entering illegally into Iranian waters. Iran is calling that an act of "blatant aggression." We haven't gotten any more information on that confession.

We do understand as well, among the 15, there is one female British military officer. Meantime in Britain, the government there is trying to defend (ph) for the past day to get the secure and safe release of their military personnel.

We understand at CNN they're putting pressure on regional governments to try and get Iran to do that and they are standing firm that their British military personnel were in fact in Iraqi and not Iranian waters.

So again, we're waiting for more information from the Iranians. The British military personnel are in Tehran, but no word on how long they will be held -- Betty.

NGUYEN: All right, Aneesh, as we wait though, I want to ask you about this. What is the latest on Iran's efforts to address the U.N. Security Council today?

RAMAN: Yes, all last week, we were talking about the desire of Iran President Ahmadinejad to come to New York and address the U.N. Security Council ahead of the vote we expect to take place around 3:00 p.m. today.

Well yesterday, the president basically informed the country that he would not go, he cannot go to New York. His rationale is that while he got his Visa from the U.S. early Friday, the crew for his presidential plane did not get their Visas in time. That information was coming from Iran's U.N. Ambassador.

Meantime, U.S. officials have said they issued all but one of the 70-plus Visas Iran had requested and in terms of the U.S. understanding, in time for Iran and its president to get to the U.N Security Council. Iran is disputing that and instead we understand is sending its foreign minister on a commercial flight to try and address the Security Council today, Betty.

NGUYEN: All right, Aneesh Raman in Tehran today for us. Thank you for that, Aneesh.

HOLMES: Pushing peace in the Middle East. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice now in Egypt for talks on reviving the stall that is really (ph) Palestinian peace process. She's meeting with foreign ministers from Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. On tap tomorrow, talks with Egyptian President Mubarak. Rice's Mid-East tour also includes meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

Republicans accused Democrats of wasting time on the soldiers' dime. Democrats say they're only doing what voters hired them to do. Here now, CNN's National Correspondent John Roberts.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It took a week of arm-twisting and some outright vote buying. But House Democrats managed to squeak out the 218 votes they needed for a measure to bring U.S. troops home from Iraq by September of 2008.

REP. NANCY PELOSI, (D) HOUSE SPEAKER: It voted, no, to giving a blank check to an open-ended commitment to war without end to the president of the United States. And, yes, to begin the end of the war and the redeployment of our troops.

ROBERTS: In the end though, it was just so much posturing. Even if the bill makes it out of Congress, which is unlikely, the president has promised to veto it.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Today's action in the house does only one thing, it delays the delivery of vital resources for our troops.

ROBERTS: The measure doesn't actually cut funding for the troops. But unless the president signs it, he won't get the money he needs to fight the war. Democrats can drive him crazy without actually touching the purse strings. And for this Democratic ally, that shows a certain lack of political courage.

JOE LIEBERMAN, (D-CT) SENATOR: This is a time for acting in a way that's responsible. If you really want to stop the war, cut the funding, it does make you accountable for what happens thereafter. But you've done something as a matter of principle.

ROBERTS: What's also drawing fire is the way Democrats got the votes. The bill says Tom Shats (ph) of Citizens Against Government Waste is stuffed with pork -- $21 billion worth.

(on camera): What kind of bacon are we talking about?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's mostly in agriculture. We've got spinach, we've got the milk income loss contract program. And we've got peanut storage costs.

ROBERTS (voice-over): Granted, some projects may have merit, like $6 billion in Katrina disaster relief. But look at this. $25 million to spinach growers to cover losses from the E coli outbreak. Seventy-four million to store peanuts. Or how about 252 million for a milk program. It would create a surplus of milk that another government program would buy.

That gem came right from David Obey, chairman of the house appropriations committee. What does any of it have to do with Iraq? Why, nothing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a lot of politics, it's a lot of vote- buying. But it's business as usual, only more expensive.

ROBERTS: Next week, it's the Senate's turn to take up the spending bill. Another timetable and more pork to suck up votes. Didn't Democrats say they were the party of change?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They said fiscal discipline. So maybe they really wanted to spend $40 billion and they only spent $20 billion. But we won't know that.

ROBERTS: John Roberts, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: And a programming note here, tonight, "This Week at War," investigate what's working in Iraq and what's not working in Iraq. CNN's John Roberts hosts at 7:00 p.m. Eastern and only right here on CNN. The most trusted name in news.

NGUYEN: Researchers say they have found the cause of that recent pet food scare, but will this development help your dog or cat?

HOLMES: Also, sermon on sex. Would you go to church where the talk on Sunday is about your sex life?

NGUYEN: Just had to put it that way.

Well, take a look at this. is true hospital drama. Shows you how real doctors save lives and their own "Grady's Anatomy."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Happening right now, Iran says 15 British sailors and marines have confessed that they were captured in Iranian waters. Now, Britain says its forces were carrying out routine inspections when the Iranians, quote, "escorted the troops into Iranian territorial waters." London is said to be working with Mideast capitals to get the troops back.

HOLMES: Stormy weather moving in to the Texas panhandle today. Towns along the Mexico border slammed by an unlucky 13 tornadoes over a five-hour period. One person says they were coming in one after another after another after another. A dozen people were hurt, some critically. The twisters left behind ripped-up buildings, including two dozen mobile homes and campers in the town of Logan. Other homes had roofs and siding ripped off.

NGUYEN: Well, and it's not over. In fact, those storms are heading east I believe, Bonnie Schneider joins us with a look at that.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: All right, Bonnie, we appreciate it.

Want to tell you about this now, pet food recall. They know the culprit was rat poison. But the big question today: how did it get in the dog and cat rations. And was it accidental or intentional?

Here's CNN's Stan Nurenberger.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STAN NURENBERGER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): More than a dozen dead animals later in exactly one week after the announcement of a massive pet food recall, one possible culprit revealed.

PATRICK HOOKER, NY STATE AGRICULTURE COMM.: A collaborative effort between the New York state animal health diagnostics center and Cornell University and the New York state food laboratory identified aminopterin, which is a toxic chemical.

NURENBERGER: A chemical found in rat poison. Researchers say high levels of it was found in samples of recalled cat food handed over to them by manufacturer Menu Foods.

Food made by the company is believed to have killed at least 16 cats and dogs. Many of them suffering from kidney failure. One of the victims was this dog, Princess, a bull mastiff that died suddenly after eating IAMS brand "slick bites." More than 95 brands of cuts- and-gravy style dog and cat food yanked off store shelves. Pet owners have filed lawsuits.

SANDY BOBB, SUING MENU FOODS: Sick to my stomach that how a company like that could -- where is that quality control? How does something like this happen?

NURENBERGER: A question Menu Foods says it is determined to answer.

PAUL K. HENDERSON, PRESIDENT, MENU FOODS: How did this substance get into our products? At this stage, we don't know. Our immediate next steps will be to begin testing all of the suspect raw materials with the goal of quickly identifying the means through which this substance entered our supply chain. NURENBERGER: Stan Nurenberger, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Well, ahead at noon Eastern, a veterinarian will answer your questions about the pet food recall. Send your questions now to weekends@cnn.com because our Web site will also link you to a complete list of recalled pet products.

HOLMES: Food detectives think they've solved the mystery. They're pretty sure E. coli that contaminated spinach last fall came from a ranch in California's San Benito County. The owner leases adjacent land to an organic spinach grower. Pigs apparently cut through the spinach fields and caused that contamination. It's the first time experts used DNA to trace a bacterial contamination. They remember three people died and more than 200 got sick from that tainted spinach.

NGUYEN: Well, are they luring people in a lurid way?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've heard a couple of people who have used the phrase bait and switch. I don't think we're doing that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: But are they selling sex in church?

HOLMES: Also, he, right there, that he wants to be a she. Should that cost him or cost her a job? We'll look into that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: It's final. He's fired. Commissioners in Largo, Florida gave the city manager his walking papers today. That's Steve Stanton there, he's losing his job after it was revealed that he's planning a sex change operation. The commission insists Stanton was let go because of his job performance. He was suspended with pay last month until today's final ruling. Stanton hasn't decided whether he'll sue. He has decided he'll be Susan in August.

NGUYEN: Well, they've decided to pack the pews for sermons on, of all things, sex. A Florida preacher's message carries in R-ratings in fact.

CNN's Ted Rollins reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TED ROLLINS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sex gets people's attention. Mycrappysexlife.com which this billboard in Florida certainly did.

MATT KELLER, PASTOR, NEXT LEVEL CHURCH: We were going for a shock and awe factor and we certainly got that. ROLLINS: The shock was that the billboard, which some people thought was vulgar, came from a church.

KELLER: Part three of this series we're calling my great sex life.

ROLLINS: Part of a marketing campaign promoting a series of sermons on sex.

KELLER: God created sex that God is for sex.

ROLLINS: Thirty-one-year-old pastor Matt Keller runs the non- denominational Next Level church in Ft. Myers. Before this service, a warning to parents was posted that the material may not be suitable for children.

KELLER: So the question is not am I going to have sexual desire in my life, the question is, what am I going to do about it?

ROLLINS: Keller's message while delivered with a hip, conversational passionate style is pretty much by the book. He preaches that sex is for single people to avoid and married men and women to enjoy.

His wife Sarah was at his side for this service about sex in marriage.

SARAH KELLER, WIFE OF MATT KELLER: And I think that culture wants us to buy into that lie that sex is a duty, especially once you get into marriage. It's just kind of like, I guess he needs it, so here I am.

M. KELLER: God created sex. Why not at least tell people what he has to say about it.

ROLLINS: Keller says since starting the sex series, church membership has grown about 30 percent. And it's a growing trend, especially among evangelicals.

Kurt Fredrickson is the director of pastoral ministry at the Fuller Theological Seminary in California.

KURT FREDRICKSON, FULLER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY: To hit those issues head on in a church context I think is really helpful.

ROLLINS: Church members we talked to say they like the idea of bringing an issue like sex out in the open in church.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think in today's society it's not talked about enough.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're looking forward to hear some things and how to open up our communication and improve our sex life.

ROLLINS: But not everyone is thrilled. Because of complaints, Keller says the billboard campaign refused to allow the sex slogan for a second month so now it's just the church's name.

FREDRICKSON: My issue was that the billboard had this sense of luridness and deception. Trying to draw people someplace and when it got drawn to a church, I think people would feel cheated or duped.

KELLER: We've heard a couple of people who have used the phrase bait and switch. I don't think we're doing that. It's not about us trying to grow our church. It's not about us trying to build this big thing. It's about us building people, we're in the people-building business.

ROLLINS: Randy Newton says the billboard campaign caught his attention and now he says he's hooked.

RANDY NEWTON, LURED TO CHURCH: It's really in your face and it's a for real topic. Everybody deals with it. And for it to actually happen in the church and from the pastor actually stepping up to say, this is what we're going to say about it as a church, is a really bold statement.

KELLER: God has given us the ability to have a great sex life in our marriages.

ROLLINS: Everyone agrees that sex sells, but Matt Keller thinks he can use it to fill people's hearts while also filling his seats.

Ted Rollins, CNN, Ft. Myers, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: They're all so passionate about that.

HOLMES: All right, well, Betty, we've got something else to talk about here now. New fall out, reporting (ph) the death of Pat Tillman, that death of his in Afghanistan. We're taking more of an in depth look at the events leading up to his death, that's just ahead.

NGUYEN: And what are viewers, folks like you at home watching, saying about animal deaths linked to pet food. We're going to take a look, that's ahead right here in the CNN NEWSROOMS.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM everybody. I'm T.J. Holmes.

NGUYEN: Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen. We're glad to have you with us today. Ahead, we'll see what you're saying about those recent pet-related animal deaths.

HOLMES: And in a bit later, will the new Miss USA make it through her reign without controversy?

NGUYEN: After what happened to the last one -- she's a beauty though. First up, though, President Bush called it "political theater." Congressional Democrats say it was long overdue. And yesterday the House passed a war spending bill by the thinnest of margins. It calls for U.S. combat troops to be out of Iraq by the end of August 2008. The bill is unlikely to pass the Senate. And if it does, the president says he will veto it.

HOLMES: As we've been telling you, there is some new fallout this morning in the death of Pat Tillman, the football star-turned Army Ranger who was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan. The Associated Press says a report by the Pentagon will recommend that nine officers be held accountable for mistakes in the aftermath of Tillman's death, including up to four generals.

More now from CNN's Jamie McIntyre.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At his memorial service, Pat Tillman was remembered as an inspiration to thousands of Americans. California's first lady Maria Shriver was among those supporting the family, recalling how much Tillman gave up to fight for his country in Afghanistan.

MARIA SHRIVER, CALIFORNIA'S FIRST LADY: Pat had it all, intelligence, move star good looks, a loving wife, athletic prowess, fame, a lucrative and promising career. Who among us could walk away from riches and a job we love.

MCINTYRE: But Pat Tillman did just that. The former safety for the Arizona Cardinals gave up a multimillion dollar pro football deal the day after 9/11 to enlist as an elite Army Ranger. Tillman explained his decision in a rare interview just before he went into the Army.

PAT TILLMAN, KILLED BY FRIENDLY FIRE: My great grandfather was at Pearl Harbor and a lot of my family has given up -- you know, has gone and fought in wars, and I really haven't done a damn thing as far as laying myself on the line like that. So I have a great deal of respect for those that have.

MCINTYRE: But Tillman's devotion to duty, honor, country, would end with his death in a desolate section of Afghanistan. It would be 26 days after the memorial service, more than a month after his death, before the Army would publicly acknowledge what the Rangers who were with him in combat new almost right away. Tillman's death was from friendly fire. He was hit in the head by three bullets fired by American soldiers who say they mistook him for the enemy.

(on camera): Much, but not all of the story of what went wrong that April day in 2004 can be found in thousands of Army documents obtained by CNN.

(voice-over): Tillman's platoon was on a mission in eastern Afghanistan along the Pakistan border. His platoon was trying to flush out enemy Taliban or al Qaeda fighters. CNN took these Army topographic maps of the location where Pat Tillman was killed and independently created the first detailed television animation of what happened to Tillman and the Army Rangers that day.

The platoon's problems began with a broken down Humvee, which has to be towed by a local truck and was slowing the platoon. The platoon was split into two groups by orders of a commander at a base far away, according to Army documents. The split was ordered over the objections of the platoon leader. There was a concern back at the base that the broken Humvee was causing unacceptable delays to the mission.

CNN military analyst, retired Brigadier General David Grange has commanded Rangers himself and also lost a soldier to friendly fire.

BRIG. GEN. DAVID GRANGE, U.S. ARMY (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Here you had the senior guy on the ground saying, I don't want to split my force. Someone that's not there on the ground but in a radio and attached operations center saying, split it, do you take the word of the guy on the ground or not? Usually the guy on the ground knows what's going on.

MCINTYRE: Corporal Tillman was with the first group that pressed on, moving safely through a deep canyon and arriving at a small village. The second group with the Humvee in tow, included Tillman's younger brother Kevin who also enlisted with Pat after September 11th. That second convoy led by the truck towing the broken Humvee followed a different route but found the terrain too rugged. So they backtracked and followed the first group deep into the narrow canyon.

Though they were just a half hour, the first group was unaware the second group was coming up behind them. In the canyon, the second group was ambushed from above by enemy fighters.

GRANGE: There was confusion in the force. People were scared. Very restrictive terrain. Sun is going down, a lot of shadows. So the light is not dark enough to use night vision goggles but it's in between.

MCINTYRE: To add to the confusion, in the deep canyon, the two groups lost radio contact. But Pat Tillman's group heard the gunfire back in the canyon and turned back to help. Tillman, as described in his Silver Star citation, showed great courage under fire in leading a small rankled (ph) team, including an Afghan soldier, to the top of the ridge to engage the enemy.

Down below, a Humvee armed with a .50 caliber machine gun and four soldiers with other weapons, pulled out from behind the truck and broken Humvee. As they emerged from the canyon, the soldiers in the vehicle were firing with an abandon that one Army investigator would later say demonstrated gross negligence.

The soldiers would later say they thought the enemy was all around them. As they fired in all directions, they began hitting U.S. troops. Down in the village, the platoon leader was hit in the face and another soldier shot in the leg. From Tillman's position up on the ridge came anguished cries of alarm. First, the friendly Afghan soldier was shot and killed by the soldiers in the Ranger vehicle. The soldiers standing alongside Tillman described what he witnessed in a sworn statement.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A vehicle with a .50 cal rolled into our sight and started to unload on top of us. Tillman and I were yelling, stop, stop, friendlies, friendlies, cease-fire! But they couldn't hear us.

MCINTYRE: According to another sworn statement obtained by CNN, the driver of the Humvee was initially confused when we saw the Afghan soldier with Tillman on the ridge. Then realized others in his Humvee were firing on fellow Rangers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I yelled twice, we have friendlies on top! The crew must have not heard me because my vehicle opened fire on them. I screamed no. And then yelled repeatedly several times to cease-fire. No one heard me.

MCINTYRE: Tillman threw a smoke grenade to signal they were Rangers. And for a few moments it appeared to work.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We thought the battle was over so we were relieved, getting up, stretching out, and talking with one another, when I heard some rounds coming from the vehicle. They started firing again. That's when I hit the deck and started praying.

MCINTYRE: The soldier hit the deck when the vehicle fired on them again. That's when the soldier says Tillman was hit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know this because I could hear the pain in his voice as he called out, cease fire, friendlies! I'm Pat (expletive deleted) Tillman, dammit! He said this over and over again until he stopped.

MCINTYRE: Moments later, a sound caught the attention of the soldier next to Tillman.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I heard what sounded like water pouring down. I then looked over to see a river of blood coming down from where he was. I had blood all over my shoulder from him. And when I looked at him, I saw his head was gone.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Well, the Army plans to release that report on Monday.

NGUYEN: Coming up, find out what your fellow pet owners are saying about pet food recall.

HOLMES: Also, last night, we've got a new Miss USA. Did you see it? That's her there on the left, as you can tell by the reaction. We'll look at a look how this pageant is trying to overcome what has been just a controversial year.

NGUYEN: Yes, it has.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Happening right now, Britain and Iran locked in the angry war words over the seizure of 15 British sailors and marines. Reports say the British troops are now being held in Tehran. Britain denies Iran's claims though that the troops were in Iranian waters when they were captured. And London is demanding their release.

HOLMES: Well, we have been asking you all morning, will this pet food recall, this big one we've been talking about, is that going to change the way you feed your pets?

NGUYEN: Veronica De La Cruz joins us now from the .com Desk with some of your thoughts. And I imagine a lot of people are really serious about this. Because we're talking about at least, what, 16 animals who have died?

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. At least 16, and 95 different brand that have recalled, Betty. But first of all, I wanted to say, I've received lots of e-mails from people wondering where you can get the list of all the pet foods involved in the recall. You can find that list at cnn.com. And like I mentioned, 95 different brands have been affected. And so far Menu Foods has confirmed the deaths of 15 cats and one dog.

Though combing through various blogs all morning, there are those that that number is actually much higher. Now some of the symptoms that you may want to look out for, has your dog or cat lost its appetite? Is your pet always tired, vomiting or frequently urinating?

To get more information on this recall, you can call the number listed on your screen, we're going to bring that up for you. It is 866-895-2708. And again, there is more information online at cnn.com.

Now we've been asking you this question all morning, will the pet food recall affect the way you feed your pets? You can e-mail us at weekends@cnn.com. And here's how some of you responded in the last hour.

Kevin Walsh is saying: "I've never understood why people feed their pets, I trust my animals to know what they want to eat, when they want to eat it. I just always keep the bowl full of dry food. I switched the flavors around a bit so they don't get bored, and I let them make eating decisions on their own. Wet food is disgusting. Why people feed their animals like children is beyond me."

And this e-mail from John in Toronto who says: "There was a time when pets were fed with the scraps from the table, and this practice still exists in many countries. Maybe this is the better, or at least the safer way to go."

And lastly, from Debbie in Brooklyn who says: "I saw my 2-year- old Collie throwing up last week and immediately changed the food before this recall began. I'm now making her chicken and rice food mixes. We love our pets like our children. How could Menu Foods not be more cautious?"

Now, again, for more recall information, you can call 866-895- 2708 and keep sending your thoughts to us here at weekends@cnn.com -- Betty, T.J.

NGUYEN: I'm just glad that you read that e-mail correctly and not the way that it was written on the screen. Love your pets like your children, operative word children, not chicken. Anyway...

(LAUGHTER)

NGUYEN: ... next we're going to tell you about -- thank you, Veronica, life as a resident inside a big city hospital as CNN explores "Grady's Anatomy."

HOLMES: Also communities in the Southwest recovering from a series of tornados. We'll check the weather outlook for today, that's ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: All right. Picture this, long hours, constant stress, life and death responsibilities, everyday realities, for medical residents working in hospitals all across the country. It is something CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta knows a lot about. When he's not here in the NEWSROOM, Sanjay is often in the operating room at Grady Memorial Hospital here in Atlanta as an attending physician training residents. And this weekend he takes us behind the scenes at "Grady's Anatomy."

Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sampson, how are you doing? Living the dream.

I know every Monday I've got my time. I have my O.R., and it's all ready for me to go.

I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta. I'm an attending of neurosurgery at Grady Memorial Hospital. My job is to perform operations, take care of patients. But simultaneously and I think in some ways equally importantly to train residents.

Let's prep and drape. Suction. Incision.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When an attending neurosurgeon hands you the scalpel, you're almost more excited than nervous.

My name is Lou Timiallen (ph), I'm a fifth-year neurosurgery resident at Grady Memorial Hospital.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Apprehension will happen when I'm doing petical (ph) screw right next to the spinal cord. I don't know if that apprehension will ever go away. GUPTA: Good God, Lou, he's really busted up.

I'm glad to hear that Lou was nervous. I'm nervous, I think everybody should be nervous.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're losing too much blood.

GUPTA: I think if you're not nervous, you might be a little too cocky and I think that that's the biggest enemy of all.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This patient was in a deer stand 15 to 20 feet up in the air and it must have given way.

GUPTA: You sort of get a sense of all of these bones look pretty nice and all of a sudden this bone is just gone, crushed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are bracing ourselves for Pandora's box that we open every time we go into surgery.

GUPTA: Bring the floor machine that way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We try and position everything perfectly. We try and study all the films perfectly.

It doesn't give me the soft and fuzzy feeling.

We can't control what variations of anatomy may be.

Give me another weapon. I'll try this one again.

GUPTA: A lot of times, no one even has to say a word in that operating room. I know exactly what's going through their minds. I know what Lou is feeling at any given moment without him saying a word, I know exactly what's going through his head because I was there.

GUPTA: So we're not going to put any screws in the port (ph) five, right, Lou?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I'm trying to expose (ph) three right now.

As a young neurosurgeon, you want to say, OK, what would I do if I didn't have a net. But I can tell you, it's nice to have a net because Sanjay will tell you how many jams he has gotten me out of.

GUPTA: The goal is to get him immobilized, get him up to a wheelchair. He's not going to walk again. He's a paraplegic. But we want to get him to a wheelchair and we want to make sure that he continues to have the use of his arms.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is going to work, Sanjay.

That case could not have gone any better. That was -- that's what we show up to work for.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: "Grady's Anatomy," a CNN Special Investigation Unit special, it premieres tonight at 8:00 Eastern only on CNN.

HOLMES: Got to see that. Also got to see Fredricka Whitfield coming up in just a little bit here at noon. Hello.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Good to see you all. Hello.

NGUYEN: Hello.

WHITFIELD: Happy Saturday. All right. I don't know if you guys have pets...

NGUYEN: He does.

WHITFIELD: You do? OK. Dog or cat?

HOLMES: Got two cats running around the house.

WHITFIELD: OK. So you are probably worried, just like I am and everybody else who is a pet owner, about their pets. And this whole food scare, Menu Foods, the recall, should you be taking the food back, exchanging it for something else with another post date, what sort of signs do you look for to know whether your animal is suffering from any kind of kidney failure? There is still a lots of questions, it's still a very confusing issue dealing with Menu Foods. We're going to be joined later on in the noon hour by a veterinarian who's going to help clarify all of that for us.

And of course you have heard about what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas?

HOLMES: That's what they say.

WHITFIELD: That's what they say.

NGUYEN: Unfortunately sometimes it doesn't.

WHITFIELD: That's right. Sometimes it gets out. Well, intentionally, the leading Democratic presidential candidates are there in Vegas and they do want the message to get out, their points of view on U.S. health care, what to do about the American health care system. They're talking about it, converging in Las Vegas. We'll talk about all of that coming up in the Noon Eastern hour.

NGUYEN: Very interesting topics.

HOLMES: We will see you shortly.

WHITFIELD: OK. It's a deal.

NGUYEN: Thank you, Fred.

HOLMES: Thank you, Fredricka.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: All right. Here's a question, has Donald Trump's beauty pageant overcome a year of controversy?

HOLMES: We shall see. We will have the latest on this year's winner, that young lady right there. That's just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The first runner-up is Rhode Island! Miss USA 2007 is Tennessee!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: And there she is. In case you missed it, a new Miss USA is wearing the tiara this morning. Rachel Smith, Miss Tennessee, an aspiring journalist. She won out over 50 other contestants last night in Los Angeles and she has T.J.'s thumbs-up on this one.

HOLMES: Well, I'm just following the story.

NGUYEN: Oh, is that what it is? OK.

HOLMES: As any good journalist should. Now the pageant, of course, marks the end of the tumultuous reign of Tara Conner. She nearly lost her crown and she ended up in rehab, you might remember.

NGUYEN: Yes, she follows in the footsteps of a long line of beauty queens behaving, shall we say, badly.

Here's CNN's Brooke Anderson.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Miss USA 2007 is Tennessee!

BROOK ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the beginning of a new chapter for both 21-year-old Rachel Smith from Clarksville, Tennessee, as well as for the contest organizers who have crowned her.

DONALD TRUMP, PAGEANT CO-OWNER: This has been a very difficult time for the Miss USA Pageant.

ANDERSON: Smith is stepping into some, well, very publicized shoes.

TARA CONNER, MISS USA 2006: We all have personal demons that we have to face at some point.

ANDERSON: Tattoos, body piercings, all-night partying and admitted underage drinking and cocaine use, last year's winner, Tara Conner, offered pageant organizers a different kind of beauty queen until she got caught.

CONNER: I want to apologize to my family if I've put any disgrace upon you.

ANDERSON: Nine months into her reign, a tearful Conner received a very public slap on the wrist from pageant owner Donald Trump who promptly sent her to rehab but let her keep her title.

CONNER: I loved it. I was like the grade A rehab student, it was sweet.

ANDERSON: Having a less than sweet time was Miss Nevada, Katie Rees, she was stripped of her crown after several topless and compromising photos surfaced on the Internet.

KATIE REES, FORMER MISS NEVADA USA: So many of us just don't realize how our actions, even one night of poor judgment, can affect the rest of our lives.

ANDERSON: Then there was Miss New Jersey, Ashley Harder, who resigned after violating pageant rules by becoming pregnant. While Mothers Against Drunk Driving publicly severed ties with Miss Teen USA, Katie Blair, for alleged underage drinking while partying with Conner.

CONNER: It was crazy, because when I got out, there was all of this controversy and not only my own but everyone else's, and I was thinking, jeez-louise, what's going on?

ANDERSON (on camera): Racked with all the scandalous twists and turns usually save for a daytime soap opera, pageant organizers this year are hoping for a year a little less controversial.

PAULA SHUGART, PAGEANT PRESIDENT: I'm looking forward to a calmer year, probably.

CONNER: I want to see what the new girl has to offer to this title. I think it is going to be great.

TRUMP: The only advice I can do is just really tell them that it's not going to be easy, you really become a major public figure and everybody's watching every step. So just be very careful.

ANDERSON (voice-over): Brooke Anderson, CNN, Hollywood.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And congratulations to the new Miss USA. CNN NEWSROOM continues with Fredricka Whitfield. You want to tune in to Fred's interview with the vet that she talked about.

HOLMES: Yes. He'll answer your questions about the pet food recall. So send your questions now to weekends@cnn.com. Our Web site also can link you to a complete list of the recalled pet products.

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