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FDA Finds Plastic Chemical in Recalled Pet Food; President Bush Visits Walter Reed Army Medical Center; Fit Nation

Aired March 30, 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. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Betty Nguyen.

Wet food, dry food, is anything safe to feed your pet these days? Well, you have questions. And this hour, we are going to get you some answers. The veterinarian to the stars, Dr. Jeffrey Werber, joins us live to answer your e-mails.

LEMON: And the threat builds in Texas. We have got our eye on a storm system that's already brought tornado warnings, and only seems to be getting worse.

You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

It is the top of the hour -- a developing story, heavy rain and the chance of even more tornadoes, Texas under the gun today. And Oklahoma could be, too.

Rob Marciano on top of it all in the Severe Weather Center -- Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Don, as we mentioned, the severe weather warnings are beginning to expand to the east and the north.

We have got three tornado watches out now. These are in effect, the lower two, until 6:00 Central Time. And the northern one is in effect until 8:00. And that includes Oklahoma City. You can see how the radar is lighting up here -- a piece of energy, really energetic piece of it, coming through the atmosphere out of the Southwest and getting itself into the Dallas area.

All right. Here's Fort Worth. We have been watching this cell down around Palo Pinto and Parker counties. Now it's up through Wise County, getting closer to Denton. These are the people that are affected by this particular cell.

And it has got some heavy rain, had some gusty winds, even enough rain to cause some flooding.

I want to show you something. By the way, about 11,000 people affected by this storm, and our worry, as we go through the afternoon, is more and more people will be affected, because it's going to shift a little bit more towards more heavily populated areas. All right, going to show you something. This is -- had a guy here a couple of days ago selling some software. It's called GRX, GRLevelX, which we may have to buy this stuff, because this is that cell turned on its side, sliced through it. This is a three- dimensional look at this particular cell. This is the northern part, the eastern flank of the cell.

And it shows you what's going on actually up in the cloud, 30,000 feet, 20,000 feet, 10,000 feet. Most of the action from this cell is now lowering a little bit. So, it looks like, from the last scan that we had, that this may very well be weakening just a little bit. We had a big piece of purple right here, which indicated that a hail core was beginning to form or collapse. And now it looks like things are beginning to weaken.

So, really cool tools that we are starting to get here in the CNN Weather Center; that's for sure.

All right, back to this area of concern. Oklahoma, now out of Norman, Oklahoma, we are starting to get. We got a couple of severe thunderstorm warnings out. So, it is expanding to the north; it's is expanding to the south. We have had a couple severe thunderstorm warnings out in Austin.

But even though we have the watches out for possible tornadoes throughout the afternoon, as of right now -- and it's been quiet really for about the last 45 minutes -- there are no tornado warnings out, meaning one either indicated by the radar or seen on the ground. So, that's certainly good news, at least for now.

But we will watch it as we go through time -- Don.

LEMON: Yes. And anything we can do, Rob, to help folks prepare, right?

MARCIANO: You bet.

LEMON: All right, thank you, sir.

MARCIANO: OK.

NGUYEN: We want to get straight to the breaking news desk and Fredricka Whitfield with developments on a fire, I understand, in Queens, New York.

Is that correct?

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A very big fire, in fact.

Let's take a look at the pictures that are coming in. It's a fire that's concentrated on a townhouse there in Queens on Lakewood Avenue. But the concern right now -- and it's difficult to see because of the billowing smoke -- and that gives you an idea of just how significant and big this fire is right now. The concern is that this townhouse fire may bleed right on over into another connecting unit and threaten some of the other townhouses nearby.

We don't understand there to be any reported injuries. That's some good news. But -- and you can see the rooftops right there. It's difficult to see whether -- that looks as though it's three units that we're seeing now, but it is difficult to see kind of the lines of demarcation there.

But it appears as though the blaze that has engulfed one of the united, the threat is very real to the neighboring units of these row of townhouses there on Lakewood Avenue there in Queens.

About 138 firefighters are on the scene right now, trying to get some control of this blaze. Unclear right now. It's just too early to know exactly how this blaze got started -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Just those pictures, though, you can see definitely a lot of work to do.

Thank you, Fred. We appreciate it.

Well, you probably have it in your kitchen, but you wouldn't feed it to your dog. Melamine, a chemical used to make plastics, has turned up in FDA testing of recalled pet food.

Mary Snow joins us now live from New York with more on this story.

And, Mary, the FDA offered more information today. But did the agency ease public concerns about feeding food to your pet, like what kinds of food should you feed to them now?

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Betty, the FDA did give out more information, but it also raised a lot more questions. And there's a lot of confusion out there.

And what the FDA is saying, as you mentioned, and melamine, this chemical that was found in the tainted food, and federal officials say it's been traced to wheat gluten, which is an ingredient used in pet food and also human foods. But it's -- it's really focusing now on pet food.

And, initially, it was thought that it was only contained in wet pet foods. And that's the kind that has been recalled. It was almost more than two weeks now. But now there are questions about whether some dry pet food may be affected.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. STEPHEN F. SUNDLOF, DIRECTOR, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION CENTER FOR VETERINARY MEDICINE: We believe there is one company that we are aware of that may have gotten a shipment of that wheat gluten. This is a company that does produce dry food. We are working with that company. We have notified them. We are trying to determine at this time whether or not they did use that particular product in the manufacture of a dry dog food.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNOW: Now, the FDA did not name the company it was talking about, but it did say that there are inspectors at a plant today trying to figure out whether or not the wheat gluten that was tainted was used in this dry pet food.

Now, in terms of the numbers of pets that were affected, the FDA also says that it really doesn't have firm numbers. We have heard that at least 16 cats and dogs were killed because of this tainted pet food. The FDA said it's received over 8,000 complaints that it's investigating, but it really can't pinpoint just how many pets were affected.

NGUYEN: Well, here's another source of confusion. Just so that we're clear about it, earlier, wasn't it thought that rat poison is what tainted the food?

SNOW: Exactly. Investigators in New York state said that they found traces of rat poison in the tainted food. The FDA says it cannot confirm that.

So, that is another mystery about what exactly was wrong with this pet food.

NGUYEN: And another thing, too, is, wheat gluten, as we talk about this melamine, also found in foods that humans consume.

SNOW: Yes. And the FDA is saying at this point it is not 100 percent certain, so it cannot rule out the risk that it could be in human food. But it says, at this point, there's no indication that it is in human food, but it can't write it off completely.

NGUYEN: All right, Mary Snow in New York, thank you for that, Mary.

And we, of course, are taking your questions on the pet food recall here in the NEWSROOM. In the 3:00 hour, Eastern, veterinary doctor Dr. Jeffrey Werber will joining us to answer some of those questions. So, be sure to send them in. Here's the address -- it's on your screen -- CNNNEWSROOM@CNN.com.

LEMON: Six weeks after a scandal erupted over conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, President Bush is vowing to fix the problems plaguing the flagship military health care facility.

Now, Mr. Bush visited patients and providers this afternoon, amid accusations that his administration failed those wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq.

With more on the president's visit, CNN's Brianna Keilar at the White House.

Hi, Brianna.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Don.

And some of those veterans and soldiers that President Bush visited with at Walter Reed today had been moved from that infamous Building 18. That was that outpatient building that had particularly a lot of problems, including mold infestation, signs of rodents, and the like.

And, when he addressed the medical personnel a short time ago, President Bush was very adamant about saying this -- you know, the medical care at Walter Reed is excellent, and that the failures were administrative and bureaucratic ones.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I met some of the soldiers who had been housed in building 18. I was disturbed by their accounts of what went wrong.

It is not right to have someone volunteer to wear our uniform and not get the best possible care. I apologize for what they went through. And we're going to fix the problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: President Bush spent part of his afternoon in the physical therapy unit. He met with some amputees.

And one in particular showed him how his new prosthesis is working, his new arm. He, of course, has visited Walter Reed many times, but it's normally kept pretty quiet. And we, the media, don't really get to cover his visits, because the White House says they don't want to make a spectacle of it.

That's how today was different. This time, the media was able to follow the president on limited segments of his visits at Walter Reed. And that's where you are getting the rare opportunity to see some of this video today, to see some of these visits with these soldiers and veterans who have been wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan -- Don.

LEMON: All right, Brianna Keilar, at the White House, thank you so much for that.

NGUYEN: Well, despite stinging testimony by a former aide, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales says he has no plans to resign. Gonzales' former chief of staff testified yesterday before a Senate committee that Gonzales was deeply involved in the controversial decision to fire eight U.S. attorneys.

Well, today, Gonzales insisted that he merely signed off on the dismissals and doesn't remember being involved in advanced deliberations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALBERTO GONZALES, ATTORNEY GENERAL: At the end of the day, I know what I did, and I know that the motivations for the decisions that I made were not based upon improper reasons. But I think it's important for the American people to be satisfied as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: The White House says President Bush still has confidence in Gonzales, who is scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 17.

LEMON: Three babies, all from the same mother, abandoned in the same California neighborhood, heartbreaking mystery -- straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

NGUYEN: And a hankering for a junior bacon cheeseburger lands a Florida man in jail? At the top of the police department's dumb crook list.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SERGEANT WARREN HARDISON, NORTH MIAMI BEACH POLICE DEPARTMENT: This would probably be, on my top-10 list, I'm going to put him at number one right now. And that's about a 25-year list. And this was something you don't see very often.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

NGUYEN: OK. So, you definitely have to see this story, the craving that may actually solve a crime -- ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(LAUGHTER)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Want to get you another picture of what is happening in Queens, New York. Just look at the smoke coming from this fire. It's at the Lakewood Avenue in Queens. It's dealing with, I believe, a townhome there.

And the worry was that it would spread from one townhome to another -- again, four buildings on fire in the South Jamaica section of Queens. Firefighters say one civilian actually has been injured -- this according to the Associated Press. But there's no word on the severity of that person's injuries.

Of course, they are working on this, trying to stop it just as quickly as possible. And we will stay on top of it for you.

LEMON: All right, another story we told you about earlier, this one developing. It's in Maine, specifically Auburn, Maine.

A woman was found shot to death in a driveway today, and then police surrounded the area. The tactical team there surrounded the home and also closed off the street. The gunman -- this happened earlier today, and the gunman is still holed up inside of the home there. Now, here is the new information. Police say that they believe the shooter and the victim knew each other. And the victim's body, sadly, because they blocked off the area, and because there was a situation where he was holed up in the home, the body, sadly, Betty, had to stay there, and laid there just in the driveway, until authorities can get to it.

Not sure if it's been moved yet, but, again, officers were telling people to stay in their home...

NGUYEN: Right.

LEMON: ... because they weren't sure if this guy was going to come out and start shooting. But they believe that this gunman is holed up in his home, still, with a gun. One woman is dead. And they believe they knew each other -- this happening in Auburn, Maine.

We will keep you updated on that one.

NGUYEN: And we do want to let you know that it is, what, about 3:15 Eastern right now. And we are working on several stories, including these three.

Iran has released a new video showing three of its British captives. Iran is holding 15 British soldiers and marines accused of sailing in Iranian waters.

A suspect in the attack on the USS Cole says he was tortured into confessing. His claim comes to light in a Pentagon transcript of a hearing at Guantanamo Bay.

And there is new information about the pet food recall. Government test results are in. Now there is no indication of rat poison, but scientists did find a chemical used to make plastics.

LEMON: And Chicago's top cop is playing defense.

Police Superintendent Phil Cline, well, he was on CNN today to deny his department has protected brutal officers. This surveillance video shows an off-duty police officer kicking and punching a female bartender who refused to serve him more alcohol. It happened in February, but the officer wasn't arrested until last week.

Speaking with CNN's Soledad O'Brien, Cline said investigators tried to arrest the police officer earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "AMERICAN MORNING")

PHIL CLINE, CHICAGO POLICE SUPERINTENDENT: Two days after the incident, we showed the tape to the state's attorney office. That night, internal affairs investigators went to arrest him, and he had checked himself into a hospital.

We were unable to arrest him until he came out of the hospital. And he was arrested on March 14. And he's charged. we have stripped him of his police powers, and we're moving to fire him. SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It was...

CLINE: And we were outraged and...

O'BRIEN: I'm sorry. Go ahead, sir.

CLINE: And I was embarrassed by that video. I said we were outraged and I was embarrassed by that video.

O'BRIEN: Yes. And other people everywhere, frankly, were outraged by that videotape, as well.

You know, it's a brutal attack. And then we hear about, at his hearing, some police officers almost seemed to harass the news media that was covering it. They ticketed their cars. Their blocked their shots. And they couldn't get what we call the perp walk going by.

Such a brutal attack, why would people want to defend this guy?

CLINE: Well, there, again, I -- the captain that was in charge of the station that day, I have moved to demote him. I was not pleased at all with the actions of the officers on that day.

O'BRIEN: Is this a case of a couple of bad apples, or do you think, in fact, that it goes deeper than that, that you have officers, a large number of them, who are out of control in your department?

CLINE: Well, I mean, there's 13,600 police officers. And like any other profession in the United States, there's problems with alcohol abuse. We have one of the -- the best employee assistance programs in the country. And, if officers don't take advantage of that, and it leads to what happened in the Abbate incident or the incident in the other bar, then, we're going to take the appropriate action against them, including arresting them, if it's appropriate.

But this is -- out of 13,600 officers who are out there every day putting their life on the line for the citizens of Chicago, we can't be distracted by these two incidents. They're two isolated incidents.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, Cline says his department is also reviewing another video that hasn't been released to the public yet. That one is said to show six off-duty officers attacking four businessmen at a bar last December.

And remember these two young women seen in the bank video giggling during a holdup, the so-called Barbie bandits? Well, they are still in a metro Atlanta jail, still trying to make bond. And, as for their alleged heist, more details today showing it was anything but well-planned.

Detective Brad McIntyre (ph) has testified the 18- and 19-year- old women first went to the wrong bank. That's right. They first went to the wrong bank...

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: ... and had to call the teller who is accused of helping them for the directions to the right bank.

NGUYEN: All right.

If you think that's crazy, listen to this one. A second helping, shall we, was a big mistake for this robbery suspect in North Miami Beach.

(LAUGHTER)

NGUYEN: Police say Gene Bellany (ph) returned -- returned -- to a Wendy's four days after he robbed it.

(LAUGHTER)

NGUYEN: Now, on the second visit, he ordered -- ordered three junior bacon cheeseburgers, and then actually argued with the cashier about his change. That cashier then recognized a tattoo on Bellany's (ph) cheek.

And police, nonetheless, were simply amazed.

(LAUGHTER)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARDISON: This would probably be, on my top-10 list, I'm going to put him at number one right now. And that's about a 25-year list. And this was something you don't see very often.

That's almost like almost going to the police station and saying, hey, I did it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Bellany (ph) is jailed today without bond on robbery charges.

That's all you can do, Don, just smile.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: That's all. Not going to say anything.

Well, Will Rogers slept here. Zsa Zsa Gabor slapped a cop here, but why is Beverly Hills making news now?

Stick around. The NEWSROOM knows all.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, did you know that surging demand for ethanol is actually turning many cornfields into a field of dreams.

Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with the details on this.

Hey there, Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Betty.

But no baseball diamonds will be sacrificed as a result, so...

(LAUGHTER)

LISOVICZ: For all you baseball fans out there. 2007 will be the strongest corn-planting year since World War II. Automakers and the Bush administration are placing big bets on ethanol, and so are farmers.

The government says U.S. farmers are set to plant more than 90 million acres of corn this year. That's up 15 percent from last year alone. And, while farmers in Illinois, North Dakota and Minnesota will plant record-breaking corn crops for their states, it's not just happening in the Midwest. Louisiana farmers are doubling the amount of acreage devoted to corn as well.

Farmers are looking for a windfall from corn, with a bushel now fetching nearly four bucks. That's double the price two years ago. But that is still a lot better than $66 a barrel for oil, which is what we're seeing today -- Betty.

NGUYEN: So, are we going to see some higher food prices?

LISOVICZ: Probably, Betty.

(LAUGHTER)

LISOVICZ: The USDA says high corn prices are pushing up feed costs, because that's what cows eat and steer. And, so, beef and poultry could cost more.

And dairy -- economists say the price of milk could jump, too. They say the average price of whole milk could rise 9 percent, or as much as 30 cents a gallon, to $3.35. And those extra acres devoted to corn come at the expense of soybeans, which are used in all sorts of oils and margarines. So, we could see some price jumps in the grocery store.

On Wall Street, well, we're seeing a little bit of -- of jumps here on prices. A spending report spurred some buying early on. But now concerns about trade tensions with China are limiting those gains.

There is one standout gainer today. Shares of Dendreon have nearly tripled in price today, on trading volume of more than 83 million shares -- an advisory panel to the FDA recommending approval of Dendreon's prostate cancer drug.

Take a look at what's happening on the Big Board -- not much on this final trading day of the week in the final hour of the trading day -- of the trading hour of the day, rather, I should say. The Dow industrials are up 11 points. The Nasdaq is up just three. I will be back in 30 minutes for the closing bell -- Betty and Don...

NGUYEN: Yes.

LISOVICZ: ... back to you.

NGUYEN: We will see if they close on a positive note.

Thank you, Susan.

LISOVICZ: You're welcome.

NGUYEN: Well, a new study says the barrage of commercials targeting your kids has a direct effect on their health.

Chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has more in our "Fit Nation" report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VICKY RIDEOUT, VICE PRESIDENT & DIRECTOR OF THE PROGRAM FOR THE STUDY OF ENTERTAINMENT MEDIA AND HEALTH, KAISER FAMILY FOUNDATION: ... and the number-one network for African-Americans.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's Vicky Rideout's job to keep an eye on advertising that effect our health, especially children. And she's not happy with what she's seeing.

RIDEOUT: Kids of all ages in this country are exposed to what, I think, by anybody's standards, would be a large amount of food advertising on television every day, thousands of ads a year.

GUPTA: Rideout is a vice president with the Kaiser Family Foundation. This week, the foundation released its largest study ever on TV food advertising for kids.

Of the thousands of ads studied, 34 percent were for candy and snacks, 28 percent for cereal, and 10 percent for fast food.

Get this: Not one advertised fruits or vegetables.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, AD)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All laziness is suspended until further notice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUPTA: And only 15 percent of the ads showed children in some type of physical activity.

RIDEOUT: I guess I would say that's -- that's a relatively small proportion of the ads that include physical activity now.

GUPTA: And the issue isn't even new. In a report by the Institute of Medicine back in 2005, research showed that there was a direct connection between food ads for kids and childhood obesity. The report recommended advertising companies push healthier products and show physical activity in their ads. So far, change has been slow.

MICHAEL MCGINNIS, SENIOR SCHOLAR, INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE: Oh, I think companies are clearly getting it. I think they're not sure what to do yet. But there's no question that they're concerned, as they should be, about the public concern over the increase in childhood obesity.

GUPTA: Corporations are generally motivated by profit. And fatty snacks tend to be popular. PepsiCo, which owns Pepsi, Frito-Lay and Tropicana, is trying to market more healthy, yet tasty items.

NANCY GREEN, PEPSICO: All of the products that we advertised were baked, that were advertised to children. So, it's looking at our healthier products.

GUPTA: The Kaiser Family Foundation hopes to impress on advertisers that the childhood obesity problem is not going away until real changes are made.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen. Commercial pet food, hundreds of dogs and cats may have been sickened by it. Countless pet owners wonder whether any of it is really safe now. Veterinarian Dr. Jeffrey Werber is here to answer your questions through your e-mails. Send them in. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

LEMON: We'll have more on the pet story in just a few minutes. But first, a small town with a terrible mystery. Orosi, California, near Fresno, three newborns have turned up abandoned in the past two years. All had the same mother.

CNN's Dan Simon went there to bring us this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A casket carrying a newborn baby, she was abandoned at birth. When the baby was discovered here in the small town of Orosi, California, last December, people who live here were stunned. Not just because she was dumped but because it was the third time in two years a baby had been abandoned here, all in the same neighborhood.

(on camera): What makes this story even more astounding is that all three babies were found within 100 yards of one another. The first one found on a bench in front of that yellow house, the second one found in the bed of a pickup truck underneath that tree over there, and the third one found in the bed of a pickup truck in the driveway of that corner house.

MARELY PENA, OROSI RESIDENT: If you are going to leave them here, at least leave them at the doorstep and ring the doorbell, do something. Break my window, I don't care just as long as I know she's there. A window is replaceable, a life isn't.

SIMON: The first two babies found here, a boy and a girl, survived and were taken to the hospital and released to county care. They'll soon have a chance to be adopted. The third baby was found dead.

PENA: And the truck was actually sitting right here.

SIMON: Marely Pena discovered the infant naked, covered only by a hooded sweatshirt.

PENA: It kind of looked like a doll, it did. But after we -- I kind of touched her head, and that's when I knew, OK, this is not a doll, this is a real baby.

SIMON: That baby and the two others still had their umbilical cords attached. But there was even more they had in common.

(on camera): The babies were all Hispanic in appearance and of course they were all abandoned in the same neighborhood. So acting on a hunch, authorities conducted a DNA test. The results showed all three babies had the same biological mother. That means the same woman gave birth to three babies in less than three years. DNA testing uncovered the same father for two of the babies as well.

(voice-over): Investigators have yet to develop leads for either parents. This week the Orosi community buried the baby girl in a small cemetery. The tiny casket and burial plot, all donated. It was a way of saying, we know you didn't have a real family, but we still care.

The baby was also given a name, Angelita de Orosi, which in Spanish means "Orosi's Little Angel."

Dan Simon, CNN, Orosi, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Well, it has been a record week for violence in Iraq. Suicide bombings and revenge killings in Baghdad and several other cities claimed more than 400 lives since Tuesday. That is, by far, the most since the U.S. crackdown began in mid-February.

CNN's Frederik Pleitgen is in Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Almost 400 people are left dead after one of the deadliest weeks Iraq has seen all of this year. Now one of the deadliest attacks in that string happened yesterday evening at a crowded market in northeastern Baghdad, the Shalal market in a predominantly Shia neighborhood, 80 people were killed there as two suicide bombers set off their deadly explosives right in the middle of when that market was really very, very crowded.

Now Friday, of course, is a day of rest for Muslims. And so on the Thursday evening, many people were in that market and those people were very easy targets for those suicide bombers. And we have seen horrific images from that market. Mothers killed. Their babies having somehow survived. The very, very horrific images from that market.

Now one of the things that we have also been seeing in these past couple of weeks of course is the Baghdad security plan where American and Iraqi forces are trying to restore order to Baghdad. And one of the effects that plan seems to be having, it seems to be dragging some of the violence that was going on within Baghdad to the outer edges of Baghdad and also into other cities.

And one of the things that we have seen this week is we have seen a lot of attacks in cities in the perimeter of Baghdad, but also in other cities. One of those cities being the city of Tal Afar, northeast of Baghdad -- about 50 miles northeast of Baghdad where two truck bombers exploded their loads also in a market and killed over 80 people there, too.

Now that sparked reprisal attacks -- deadly reprisal attacks where Shia gunmen went on a rampage in the middle of the night, killing anybody they could find. In the end, 75 people were killed in that incident.

Frederik Pleitgen, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Flags are flying at half-staff in Alaska today for a "Fallen Hero." The wife of 31-year-old Christopher Brevard says his children were his life. The Army sergeant was the father of two daughters, 9-year-old Emily and 7-year-old Jessica. He was killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad on March 16th. Hundreds of people turned out for Sergeant Brevard's funeral yesterday at Alaska's Fort Richardson. His wife Amber says Brevard was a fun-loving man, an outdoorsman who rebuilt two Volkswagen Beetles. Members of an honor guard fired a 21-gun salute. Brevard was assigned to the 4th Airborne Brigade combat team.

So far 25 soldiers from that brigade have been killed since deployment to Iraq last October. In all, 3,246 U.S. military men and women have died in Iraq since the war began.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Here's a big question for you. What is in your pet food? The list appears to be growing. The FDA says it found a chemical used to make plastics in samples of pet food made and recalled by Menu Foods of Canada.

Now the toxin also was found in the urine and kidneys of dead cats. But experts say it hasn't been proven to be the cause of any sickness or deaths.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. STEPHEN SUNDLOF, DIR., FDA CTR. FOR VETERINARY MED.: The association between melamine in the kidneys and urine of cats that died, and the melamine that was in the food they consumed is undeniable.

Additionally, melamine is an ingredient that should not be in pet food at any level. However, I want to make it very clear at this point that we are not fully yet certain that melamine is the causative of agent of illness and death in pets.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Melamine was found in the imported wheat gluten used in wet forms of cat and dog food. And the FDA says it may have been used by another manufacturer of dry pet food but it won't say which one. So what does all of this mean for you and your pet. Well, for some answers, we go to the veterinarian to the stars, Dr. Jeffrey Werber, who joins us from Los Angeles.

Thanks for being with us, today.

DR. JEFFREY WERBER, "VETERINARIAN TO THE STARS": I'm glad to be here. Hopefully we can clear up a few things today.

NGUYEN: I sure hope so. One of the big questions today is this melamine. Why was it in the food? And I guess more importantly, what could it do when ingested?

WERBER: Well, interestingly, melamine is a plastic. It's rather inert. It is often used diagnostically as a marker. So we don't know -- it doesn't belong in food and I have to agree with Dr. -- the doctor for the FDA, the veterinary medicine -- but it probably isn't causing the concern or the deaths from the kidney problems that we are seeing.

NGUYEN: Really. So you think it is something else?

WERBER: So there are two questions here. Yes, why is it there? We don't know. But what is causing the problem? Think about it. With the thousands and thousands of pets that have been exposed to foods from the Menu Foods, from this wheat gluten, we would expect way more deaths or sick animals than we're seeing.

From my small sampling, from veterinarians that I speak with, we are seeing in the dozens of dying animals, maybe hundreds, maybe even if there were 500. But that's a small sampling. The question is, how many older animals do we see on a regular basis sick or dying from kidney failure? It is the number one killer of old cats, for example. NGUYEN: You've brought up something that is really important here, because if you don't believe melamine is what's killing these animals, it leads us to the next question. This melamine, according to the FDA, was found in a certain type of dry pet food, which they won't say which kind. So is this a big concern for people out there who feed their animals dry pet food?

WERBER: I -- we're trying to avoid the panic situation. At this point I think it's important to, obviously, check. If they can trace where this wheat gluten is going, what manufacturers are buying and using this particular batch of wheat gluten, the same batch that was found in Menu Foods, obviously, we need to avoid these foods.

These companies are very large companies, very good reputations. Many of them owned by larger companies. They are actually subsidiaries of some very major, major industrial companies, food companies, product companies. Their exposure would be too great to not share with the public.

What, if in fact, they have used this wheat gluten in the manufacture of their foods? So I think it would be very wise to go online, every one of these food companies has a toll-free number. Every one has a Web site. Ask if they are concerned. Are their foods, foods that are being manufactured with this wheat gluten?

Obviously, until we know more, I would also recommend avoiding any canned foods from Menu until we learn some more about what may be going on. But what's interesting is a few days ago it was the aminopterin, the potential rat poison, which by the way, is -- also was used in the '50s and '60s to treat cancer in people, to treat leukemia. It is a known, accepted food additive in many countries of the world. Yet it was...

NGUYEN: Well, let me get to some of the e-mail questions. Because I want to get this out here. A lot of people have a lot of concerns. You answered the first one from Mrs. Ng (ph), dealing with the dry dog food and you said you need to contact the company.

But Elvira writes: "My dog has been eating Iams canned food since he was a puppy. If I take my dog to the vet for a check-up, exactly what is in the blood analysis and in the urine analysis that needs to be checked for contamination?"

WERBER: There would be nothing that we are going to see in the analysis specific for the contamination, however we'll be looking for signs, evidence, enzyme elevations indicating kidney problems. These would be the B-U-N, blood, urea, nitrogen. These would be creatinine and phosphorus.

And in the urine, we're looking for usually low specific gravity because cats and dogs starting to suffer from kidney problems will tend to drink more water. And with that, their urine would become more dilute. Many of them may shed protein in the urine as well. So there are certain indicators that we as veterinarians have to start determining whether or not kidneys are an issue and if anything needs to be done. I in my practice have tested dozens and dozens of pets and we have fortunately not found problems.

NGUYEN: All right. Carol wants to know, Doctor: "Can you tell us what we're supposed to feed our dogs and cats if we choose not to buy canned and dry food? Would cooked foods that we prepare provide all of the proper nutrients?

WERBER: Well, Carol, the thing here is short term, there shouldn't be a problem if you stick with basic food groups. There is a Web site you can find called Balance IT that can help you develop a home-cooked diet for your pet that is balanced. If you are going to feed home-cooked diets, however, I do recommend finding a good multivitamin mineral supplement.

Certainly anything you are going to do like this, please, please check with your veterinarian and kind of develop something with your veterinarian.

NGUYEN: All right. Andrea wants to know, she says: "I am concerned because I fed my cats some of the recalled food two months ago, prior to the recall. And so far, none of them have shown any symptoms of illness. But I'm wondering at what point should I feel that they are in the clear?"

WERBER: Andrea, I would say there is -- you probably are in the clear. If what we're seeing is that if these animals have been eating this tainted food, we're going to start seeing symptoms certainly within one to two weeks and maybe I would watch them carefully for three or four weeks afterwards.

If we have already been beyond that, if it has been a few months ago, you most likely are in the clear. Again, I'd recommend avoiding those foods until we learn more.

NGUYEN: All right. Dr. Jeffrey Werber, sorting out some of the questions that many people have concerning this pet food recall. We appreciate your time.

WERBER: Thank you very much.

LEMON: Getting older in the workplace can be difficult for anyone faced with being replaced by someone younger and likely with a lower salary. This is true in the entertainment industry.

CNN's Randi Kaye brings you the story of one former actress who has taken on a much different role to combat this issue.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From Broadway to Hollywood, the entertainment industry celebrates youth, especially when it comes to its female performers. Outside of Meryl Streep or Judi Dench, there are thousands of other women who suddenly have to struggle to find work once they reach a certain age. CAROL HARRIS-MANNES, FORMER ACTRESS SOCIAL WORKER: Women in the industry, especially after they hit their 40s, are not welcomed. They start to get less work, and many women say, well, the same thing that I said. Now what am I going to do with the rest of my life?

KAYE: Carol Harris-Mannes knows their pain because she was once there herself.

HARRIS-MANNES: I did everything I wanted to do, theater, film, TV, a lot of commercials. And then one day around '95 it was like my fire went out.

KAYE: So Harris-Mannes decided to go back to school at age 57 and earn a Masters in social work. That's when she received a callback from her former profession, this time offering a much different role: social worker at the Actors' Fund, a support service for entertainment workers.

HARRIS-MANNES: It was the perfect place for me because I understand the population so well, and luckily enough, after I graduated, a job opened up here and so I've been here ever since.

KAYE: Harris-Mannes runs a support group focusing on career development for older women in the entertainment field.

HARRIS-MANNES: Thanks for catching me and helping me to land safely.

KAYE: Another important part of her work is helping entertainment workers who face serious health issues.

HARRIS-MANNES: I feel a sense of accomplishment when a woman comes in who was just diagnosed with breast cancer and she has no insurance and she doesn't know how she's going to get treated, and to find her someplace to go where she can get treated and successfully recover, that to me is tremendously satisfying.

KAYE: Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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NGUYEN: Take a look at this bittersweet debut for Bluffton University's baseball team. Players will take the field this afternoon in black jerseys, not their usual purple and white, in honor of five teammates who died earlier this month. The Ohio team was headed to a tournament in Florida when their charter bus went off a highway overpass in Atlanta. The driver, his wife also died in that crash.

LEMON: Well, Beverly Hills has a new mayor. But his swearing in this week was more than festive, it was historic.

CNN's Asia Namdar explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you know who Jimmy Delshad is?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, he's the mayor or something?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So you have heard of him?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I'm reading.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh...

(LAUGHTER)

ASIEH NAMDAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You may not know his name or his face, but you will soon. Jimmy Delshad is making history becoming the first Iranian-born mayor of an American city. And what a city. Beverly Hills, California, one of the wealthiest communities on Earth, home to a host of Hollywood stars.

So how did this 66-year-old Jewish immigrant from Iran become an American mayor? By what Americans like to call the American way.

MAYOR JIMMY DELSHAD, BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA: By hard work. By dedication. And by loving America, to wanting to give back as much as they have given us. And America has been great to us. So that's my way of giving back.

NAMDAR: Born in the Iranian city of Shiraz, Delshad came to the United States 49 years ago to attend school. He became a computer entrepreneur, went into local politics in the Los Angeles area. Before becoming vice mayor of Beverly Hills a few years ago.

And this week, he fulfilled a life-long dream, becoming the mayor of that city. The city has earned the nickname "Tehrangeles" for the large influx of Iranians who fled there after the 1979 revolution.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was for the Persian community, I think, something that was a big honor for them. It was a milestone.

NAMDAR: Delshad has never gone back to Iran and like much of the West, does not have a good opinion of its current president.

DELSHAD: don't think Ahmadinejad speaks for the people of Iran.

NAMDAR: Proud of his Iranian and Jewish heritage, he had a brief but blunt response to Ahmadinejad's claim that the holocaust is a myth.

DELSHAD: It's such a ridiculous comment that it's not even worth commenting.

NAMDAR: Delshad joins countless native Iranians who are living their own American dream, thriving in business, science and the arts, and now for the first time, the upper levels of U.S. politics. Asieh Namdar, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: The American dream at play.

LEMON: Yes, absolutely. Asieh Namdar, thank you so much for that report.

Time to check in with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

NGUYEN: Yes, he's standing by in "THE SITUATION ROOM" to tell us what's coming up at the top of the hour.

Hey there, Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, guys, thanks very much. President Bush visits Walter Reed Army Medical Center and apologizes for the poor conditions in some facilities. Will veterans accept his apology? I'll ask former Democratic Senator and longtime Walter Reed patient Max Cleland.

Also, the White House sharply criticizes the house speaker, Nancy Pelosi. She's going to Syria. A trip that a presidential spokeswoman is calling a really bad idea. Pelosi is in Israel right now. We're working to get her reaction.

And new polls showing one Democratic presidential candidate surging. And on the Republican side, a former favorite falling. We'll show you who is up, who is down and why. All that coming up, guys, right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

LEMON: Hey, Wolf, I've got to ask you a question. I heard that if Karl Rove didn't play along the other night that you were the next one. Did you have your rap ready?

NGUYEN: MC Blitzer.

BLITZER: I was so worried, because I saw -- Karl Rove was sitting at our table. And he was walking right toward me. And I said, oh, my God. Fortunately, he went to Karl Rove and everyone at the table said, go Karl, go Karl. And he got up and went. I was really nervous.

NGUYEN: You're off the hook.

LEMON: He was good, but I would much rather have seen you.

NGUYEN: Oh yes.

LEMON: Wolf would be rapping it all to you.

BLITZER: That would not have been pretty.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: Thanks, Wolf. We'll be watching. Have a great weekend.

BLITZER: Thank you.

NGUYEN: The closing bell and a wrap of the action on Wall Street is straight ahead.

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