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Latest News on the Seizure of British Personnel by Iran; White House Reaction to Pelosi's Planned Trip to Syria; Deadline for Presidential Campaign Fundraising; Controversy Over Sweet Jesus
Aired March 31, 2007 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I heard a lady screaming and by the time I got out to the balcony, she had the baby off the grounds.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: An incredible survival story. A little boy falls nine floors and he's all right.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, look at the indention in the ground.
HOLMES: Oh, goodness.
NGUYEN: Oh my goodness. Look at that.
We're going to tell you more about this story.
Also, from New Orleans to St. Louis, folks are keeping an eye on the skies. We have the very latest on the severe weather outside.
Plus this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "ARAB IDOL")
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the winner is -- Shadha.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: A lot of the talk here might be about Sanjaya, but there is a new idol that's bringing the Iraqi people a brief reprieve from the horrors of war.
You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. And the news is unfolding live on this Saturday, March 31st.
Hello to you all.
I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen.
Welcome to the show. Up top, though, there is a crisis over Iran's capture of 15 British troops. The two countries are starting to talk. And for details, we turn to CNN's Paula Newton, who joins us live in Iraq -- any progress today?
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There is a little bit of a glimmer of hope here, that perhaps with the Persian new year holiday ending in Iran, that Britain is hopeful that perhaps they will be able to speak directly to Iranian officials who have some more control, or at least less confusion, surrounding exactly what it will take to get those British sailors and marines released.
What happened, Betty, was that on Thursday, the Iranian government, representatives of the Iranian government, sent a letter to the British embassy in Teheran. Today, British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said they had responded to that letter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARGARET BECKETT, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: What we want is a way out of it. We want it peacefully and we want it as soon as possible. We would like to be told where our personnel are. We would like to be given access to them. But we want it resolved.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: That was essentially the essence of the response that the British government gave to Teheran. But, of course, they won't discuss the exact details in there.
What is happening is that today so far, Betty, we have not heard another confessional. We have not heard another letter released.
Margaret Beckett believes that is a good sign. She likes to see the fact that on the propaganda war, at least, today, things have been relatively quiet. They're hoping, give it two more days, give it the end of the Persian new year holiday and perhaps they can navigate their way toward some type of diplomatic channel, a could be one, a solid one that they can actually begin to negotiate this release -- Betty.
NGUYEN: So, Paula, because of this holiday, they're not expecting any movement at all?
NEWTON: No. And, you know, even beyond the holiday, several analysts in Teheran and in Britain have thought that it could still take several weeks. But I think what they're looking for is progress all the time.
What we've seen in the last few days has not been progress. In fact, it's been actually going backwards. At first we thought that the only woman soldier -- sailor, pardon me -- being held might be released, Faye Turney. That faded.
And so at this point in time, they're hoping that if they open that channel of communication, at least day by day, inch by inch, they might get a point to -- of releasing these sailors and these marines, if they can come to some kind of resolution directly between Teheran and London.
The problem is right now is that with the confusion surrounding the holiday and the confusion from a lot of different people in Iran making different statements, the British aren't exactly sure who to negotiate with and who has the credibility to actually mandate the release of those sailors and those marines -- Betty.
NGUYEN: CNN's Paula Newton.
We appreciate it.
And tonight on "THIS WEEK AT WAR," is time running out for Iran?
Plus, security in Iraq -- who will bend first on emergency funding for the Iraq War -- the president or Congress?
John Roberts hosts "THIS WEEK AT WAR." That is tonight at 7:00 Eastern.
HOLMES: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in Jerusalem today. She'll be giving an address there tomorrow and also be making a stop in the Palestinian Territories, as well as Beirut. But it's her planned stop in Syria that's blistering the White House.
We want to go live now to CNN's Elaine Quijano, who is live for us at the White House -- Elaine, good morning.
And tell us what's the White House saying about Speaker Pelosi going to Damascus?
None too pleased.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: None too pleased, exactly right.
Good morning to you, T.J.
Well, the White House view on this simply is that others have visited Syria before and it hasn't done any good.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
QUIJANO (voice-over): The White House pushed back hard against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for a planned visit to Syria, a country on the U.S.'s list of state sponsors of terrorism.
DANA PERINO, DEPUTY WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We don't think it's productive to go to Syria and try to -- well, I don't know what she's trying to accomplish.
QUIJANO: Other Democrats have made the trip, including Senator Christopher Dodd, who's running for president, and former presidential candidate Senator John Kerry. And the White House says those visits play right into the hands of Syria's president. PERINO: I know that -- that Assad probably really wants people to come and have a photo opportunity and have tea with him and have discussions about where they are coming from. But we do think it's a really bad idea.
QUIJANO: But foreign policy experts point out Pelosi could use her visit to send the Syrians a harsh message.
MICHAEL O'HANLON, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: You don't use meetings just to be nice and have tea, you use meetings, sometimes, to read people the riot act or explain to them why their behavior needs to change.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
QUIJANO: A senior White House official says Syria already has the message and it hasn't changed its tune.
Meantime, a spokesman for Speaker Pelosi is defending her trip, saying that she's leading a bipartisan delegation, as recommended by the Iraq Study Group -- T.J.
HOLMES: And, Elaine, not that Speaker Pelosi has to have her travel itinerary approved by the Bush administration, but did she give them any kind of a heads up and consult at all with the White House before she left?
QUIJANO: Yes, you know, I talked to a senior White House official about this and this official said that, in fact, people over at the State Department did sit down with her. They briefed her, actually, on the U.S.'s position. They urged her not to go. She insisted on going, they said.
So what they did is they asked her to make very clear the tough message from the U.S. So as the official said, it could be clear that the U.S. was speaking with one voice -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right, Elaine Quijano for us live from the White House.
Thank you so much, Elaine.
NGUYEN: Paying for the Iraq War and a timetable to end it -- the big battle in Washington.
Well, the House and Senate have approved bills funding the war, but both also set dates for troops to come home.
President Bush says he won't stand for Congress watching the calendar and he says lawmakers should be ashamed for loading down the war bill with pork.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Democrats loaded up their bills with billions of dollars in domestic spending completely unrelated to the war, including $3.5 million for visitors to tour the Capitol; $6.4 million for the House of Representatives' salaries and expenses account; and $74 million for secure peanut storage.
I like peanuts as much as the next guy, but I believe the security of our troops should come before the security of our peanut crop.
For all these reasons, that is why I made it clear to the Democrats in Congress I will veto the bill.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Well, Congress now on a two week Easter recess. So a final war funding bill isn't likely until late April at the earliest. The president does indicate troops will feel the effects of the stalled war budget by April 15th.
But a study by the non-partisan Congressional Research Office says there should be enough money to last through most of July.
HOLMES: While all of that debate and back and forth continues, the war and violence continues, as well.
Three car bombings across Iraq today. The toll, 11 dead, more than 50 wounded. This attack in Baghdad's poor Sadr City neighborhood. The blast happened outside a hospital.
Other bombs targeted gas station customers, as well as day laborers.
NGUYEN: Today's attacks cap a bloody week across Iraq. More than 500 dead. An equal number of families now mourning.
Here's CNN's Frederik Pleitgen in Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Her father's kiss can't calm little Fatan (ph). The girl was wounded by shrapnel and just narrowly survived a Thursday bomb attack on a Baghdad market.
Her mother Hiba (ph) was killed. Hiba (ph) was seven months pregnant, a Sunni killed in an attack on a predominantly Shia area.
"I wish I had died and not you. What did your heart tell you when you left your daughter alone?" the grandmother screams.
Hiba's family set up this tent to mourn her death, as security forces at Shalal Market cleared the debris. More than 80 people were killed here when two suicide bombers detonated explosives mounted to their bodies. This attack one of the worst in one of the bloodiest weeks in Iraq so far this year.
Many of the victims in Tal Afar in northwestern Iraq. Two truck bombs there killed over 80 mostly Shia on Tuesday, sparking deadly reprisal attacks against Sunnis.
As sectarian violence threatens to spiral out of control, the Iraqi government is calling on people to unite against al Qaeda. But at a rally in Baghdad, a spokesperson for radical cleric Muqtada al- Sadr blamed the U.S. and the Iraqi government for the upsurge in violence and called on Shia Muslims to resist what he called American occupation.
But even after Hiba's death, members of her family say they still believe in reconciliation.
"We have no sectarian issue. We are all brothers, Sunni and Shia. We all live together in this neighborhood," Hiba's uncle says.
And he adds that he believes the people behind the attack were nothing more than terrorists -- terrorists that nearly killed little Fatan (ph) and left the child without a mother.
Frederick Pleitgen, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
HOLMES: The calm before the storm. Looking now at a live picture of New Orleans. Both cities and much of that region may get drenched later today with rains and thunderstorms heading that way, the same powerful storm system turned several streets into rivers in Oklahoma City.
(VIDEO OF WOMAN IN STORM)
HOLMES: Do not recommend that. One swimmer taking the floods in stride.
Again, we do not recommend that. More than three inches of rain fell across the state. Thousands of people lost power. Also, flooding and power outages reported in Texas. Rains washed out five bridges. Crews rescued several people from flooded vehicles.
The storm also spawned twisters. No injuries, however, have been reported.
NGUYEN: We also don't recommend you driving through water, especially if you do not know how deep it is. A lot of times you can't tell -- Reynolds -- and so you drive upon it thinking oh, I can make it. And then before you know it, you're stuck.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Oh, yes. And water is such a powerful thing. It only takes about 18 inches of water to lift up even a big van and push it downstream.
So you're absolutely right -- it can be a scary thing.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: You want to stay around, Reynolds, because check this out -- a frightful fall for a 5-year-old. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was like crying. Oh my god. Oh my god. That's all I heard.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: It's not just a fall -- one from nine stories up. His incredible survival story, that is up next.
HOLMES: Also, we've been talking March madness. Well, we've got the madness of a different sort, as presidential hopefuls shake the money tree this weekend. We'll have that.
Plus, this...
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: This is sweet Jesus, a life sized, anatomically correct sculpture of Jesus made out of 200 pounds of chocolate.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, it's more like a bittersweet Jesus. We're going to take a look at the controversy surrounding it a little bit later in THE NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, they are finally ready to play some ball, for the first time, though, since a deadly bus crash in Atlanta claimed five teammates. A college baseball team from Ohio State actually returned to the field. It's opening day for the Bluffton University Beavers.
But it came a month late. And the team's spirit, though, was strong.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. JAMES HARDER, PRESIDENT, BLUFFTON UNIVERSITY: For the players, there have been huge mixed emotions, a high level of anticipation. I'm sure that most of them will never play in a game quite like this again in their life.
JOHN BETTS, LOST SON IN CRASH: Take a look at the boy's smile, OK?
That's the way he played baseball, that passionate. There is no question David would have say play on. No question. If we would have had a direct pipeline to him, he would have said play on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: That's what it's all about.
More than 1,000 people watched that game. Bluffton lost, though, its season opener, 10-5. But it doesn't matter.
HOLMES: And police in Highlands County, Florida facing questions over the arrest of a 6-year-old, six.
Local affiliates reporting this story there. They say the kindergartner was handcuffed and taken to jail after allegedly hitting her teacher. I don't know what she hit her with to be hauled off to jail like that. But police say she was also crying uncontrollably. I didn't know that was a crime, either, though, Betty.
NGUYEN: Hey, the handcuffs may have been why she was crying, who knows?
HOLMES: Yes, right.
Now, the girl's mother says she is just shocked about how her child was treated and is considering legal action. The girl is facing one felony count and two misdemeanors.
NGUYEN: Well, listen to this. Two middle school girls facing assault charges. Police say they tried to poison their teacher to get out of class.
And the weapon?
Strawberry lip gloss. The teacher has an allergic reaction to strawberries, so she got sick. But medication was able to stop that reaction. Police say the girls thought about using real strawberries -- boy, they really thought about this -- but worried that that might have killed the teacher.
HOLMES: Man.
NGUYEN: What is going on in schools today?
A Toronto area boy, though, seems to be on the road to recovery this morning.
HOLMES: Now, by all logic, this kid should be dead.
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: Here now, CTV reporter John Musselman to explain.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
JOHN MUSSELMAN, CTV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Paramedics rushed the 5-year-old boy, identified as Young-Jin Kim, to Hamilton McMaster Hospital after he plunged from the ninth floor balcony of this apartment complex.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was like cries -- oh my god. Oh my god. That's all I heard.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I heard a lady screaming and by the time I got out to the balcony, she had the baby off the grounds. MUSSELMAN: Incredibly, the boy survived. He suffered two broken legs.
From this view on a neighbor's balcony, you can see where he landed. There's an imprint in the grass and mud marking the spot. The soft ground likely saved him. Just 20 feet over, there's a concrete parking lot.
The family is from Korea and moved to Hamilton three years ago. The boy's mother picked him up and rushed him to this nearby variety store. She knows the owner, who called 911.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He has opened eyes and then he is a little bit talking, is complained, too, my legs hurt. And so a little bit of bldg from the nose.
MUSSELMAN: It's still not clear what happened. The boy's mother was cleaning the apartment when she noticed her son was missing. When she went out to the balcony and looked down, she saw her son lying on the grass.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
NGUYEN: I just can't get over that shot.
HOLMES: That imprint.
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: That imprint tells the story. My goodness.
NGUYEN: It's amazing that he's still alive.
Well, they were there bringing us the news as they saw it firsthand.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RYAN O'FLANAGAN: Hi. I'm Ryan O'Flanagan (ph).
I was the driver of the completely totaled Saturn over there. We got hit by two Mack trucks and none of us are even hurt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Wow!
Up next, we're going to check back in with our I-Reporters, who sent in this dramatic video.
NGUYEN: And a little bit later, check it out, is it cute or simply cruel?
HOLMES: You know that's cruel Betty. That ain't right.
NGUYEN: The fallout from the Easter promotion gone bad. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WOLF: Look at this.
Take a look at this.
A great (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in Washington, D.C.
You're looking at live pictures from the National Mall, the 41st Annual Smithsonian Kite Festival is underway today. Experts have all kinds of kites on hand. They'll be performing stunts and also demonstrating the very latest in kite flying and kite building techniques.
This comes on the same day as the kickoff of the annual Cherry Blossom Festival.
It looks pretty good out there.
HOLMES: It does look like a good day out there.
The weather is -- whoa, what's going on behind -- what's (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
WOLF: This crazy world.
HOLMES: It's just nuts back here.
A lot of folks send us some of the best pictures, you know, coming from you, the viewers. We didn't take them, not our photographers, even though we've got good photographers here.
WOLF: Absolutely.
HOLMES: Well, some of them come from you folks, who send in your pictures and video on the CNN I-Reports.
WOLF: That's right.
So now we're debuting a brand new feature, the best of I-Reports.
See, what it's going to do is it's going to spotlight one great submission each month.
And this month's winner was sent in by University of Massachusetts student Fred Obing Npofo (ph).
HOLMES: All right.
WOLF: Easy for me to say.
Now, if you happen to see...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIAN O'FLANAGAN: Hi, I'm Brian O'Flanagan. I was the driver of the completely totaled Saturn over there. We got hit by two Mack trucks and none of us are even hurt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
O'FLANAGAN: We were driving home for spring break, the Friday that spring break was supposed to start. It was snowing heavily. I didn't know that this was going to happen. But then it just started snowing. And we were traveling about 30 miles an hour on the Mass. Pike, not an unsafe speed.
So we were on our way home, me and my friends Kevin and Eric. I was driving. And going about 30 miles an hour, as I said, and somehow managed to lose control in my '97 Saturn. And slid into the left middle lane onto the oncoming path of an 18 wheeler.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All I heard was boom!, right?
And I knew that something bad was happening.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi.
I saw this (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and I'm right here with Brian. I'm a U. Mass student. We just got involved in this very terrible accident, but fortunately nobody died.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
O'FLANAGAN: While it was happening, I didn't really think how lucky we were to not be dead yet. And it didn't occur to me until afterward as I looked at the car that we really were very lucky to be alive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at this! This is a -- this is our car right here. This is our...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Man, you're (UNINTELLIGIBLE) drizzle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the front of the car.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
O'FLANAGAN: The front of the car was destroyed and the back of the car was destroyed and even the one seat where no one was sitting was destroyed. But our three seats where we were all sitting are completely intact, which is amazing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it was a miracle and I couldn't imagine that something like that could happen without knowing. And I was so excited. So I was like oh, I have a camera with me, because I always take my very small camera with me anyplace that I go. And this camera...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's real TV. We should put this on real TV.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
O'FLANAGAN: And they wanted to interview us and we decided why not?
We shouldn't even be alive.
Why not do an interview?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, what are you so grateful today for?
O'FLANAGAN: I am grateful I am -- my faith in god has been restored. I cannot wait to get home finally and see my family and all my friends. And I will never take life for granted again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I sent it to CNN I-Report and I didn't even expect that they were going to take it. I was so surprised to see myself on the national television. I'm planning on creating a fussball (ph) group, accident survivors, U. Mass. Chapter, so that people will know how lucky some -- some of us are.
(END VIDEO CLIP) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were seeing each other as humans.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we were.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we were telling good stories.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we were.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are glad we are alive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: And they lived to tell.
Well, if you see something happening in your area, just send us an I-Report.
HOLMES: Yes, you can go to cnn.com and click on I-Report. Or you can type I-Report at cnn.com on your cell phone, share your video or your photos with us, and, yes, we will use them.
NGUYEN: As you see.
Hey, it's called March madness, but it is played nowhere near the basketball court.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Presidential candidates are racing around the country trying to raise huge sums before the deadline.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
NGUYEN: What deadline?
CNN's Bill Schneider explains it all straight ahead in THE NEWSROOM.
JOSHUA LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Cell phones, certain foods, anti-perspirant -- can they really give you cancer?
Hey, everybody, I'm Josh Levs.
We're taking a look at that today, coming up in the CNN reality check. And this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The purpose of Sweet Jesus is for me to portray that iconic image with a taste.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Jesus with taste is his interruption.
But is this chocolate statue of Jesus in bad taste?
We'll take a closer look at this controversy later this hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, take a look at this. It's a different kind of final four. But, yeah, we got March madness and politics as well. The push to fill financial coffers coming up. Welcome back, everybody, to the CNN NEWSROOM, glad you could be here with us. I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: Good morning everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen. Also coming up, a sweet Jesus causes all sorts of problems in New York. Take a look. We really do mean sweet.
A singing competition that brings a very brief reprieve from the horrors of the war in Iraq.
HOLMES: But first, we will start with politics and a busy day on the campaign trail. Senator Barack Obama there, he's attending a town hall meeting beginning next hour at Iowa Western Community College. Also next hour, Rudolph Giuliani gives a speech in Palm Beach County, Florida and then later today, he's going to be meeting with residents of Jupiter, Florida. Senator Hillary Clinton also in Florida today, campaigning in Palm Beach before she heads forward to Miami. And Senator Joseph Biden, he has a stop in Sumpter County, South Carolina to meet with the people there.
Well, a big financial deadline for candidates now just hours away. The first quarter fund raising ends at midnight. Everywhere you look, there's a last-minute mad dash to pull in cash. It has all the last-minute March excitement that can separate the winners from everybody else. CNN's senior political analyst Bill Schneider, a member of the best political team on TV explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's March madness. Basketball? Well that, too.
SHEILA KRUMHOLZ, CENTER FOR RESPONSIVE POLITICS: This is truly the March madness of campaign funding.
SCHNEIDER: Presidential candidates are racing around the country trying to raise huge sums before the deadline.
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I hope you'll send in a contribution and supporter campaign. And please do it by the March 31st deadline.
SCHNEIDER: That's when the first quarter ends and fund-raising totals come out, the campaign's first official scorecard. In the first quarter of 1999, George W. Bush's $7.5 million beat all the expectations. This year, Hillary Clinton hopes to do the same thing. THOMAS MANN, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: This is her opportunity to demonstrate this awesome, formidable political machine's ability to put her ahead of the pack.
SCHNEIDER: Barack Obama's been raising a lot of money online.
KRUMHOLZ: We'll see whether that adds up to enough to topple the big fund-raising.
SCHNEIDER: John Edwards?
KRUMHOLZ: Senator Edwards has to prove that he is of the same level of fundraising as Senators Clinton and Obama.
SCHNEIDER: On the Republican side, John McCain faces the highest expectations.
MANN: John McCain will re-establish himself as the -- at least the fund-raising front-runner.
SCHNEIDER: McCain has been trying to downplay expectations.
SEN. JOHN McCAIN (R) ARIZONA: We have fallen somewhat short. That's probably my fault. We're making adjustments.
SCHNEIDER: Rudy Giuliani.
KRUMHOLZ: We'll see if he can prove a good showing with his first quarter report.
SCHNEIDER: And Mitt Romney?
MANN: He is a formidable fund-raiser and could well challenge McCain.
SCHNEIDER: Campaign spokespersons try to low-ball expectations. Oh, we don't expect to raise very much. We got a late start, yada, yada. Then when the figures came out, they'll say, why, we raised a lot more than we expected. Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Speaking politics, two well-known names are putting cancer back on everybody's talk-about list. Elizabeth Edwards, wife of a presidential candidate John Edwards and White House spokesman Tony Snow. Both are battling cancer for a second time. And that has a lot of people wondering what is going on? For a reality check, we turn now to CNN's Josh Levs. And I think part of those questions, what is going on? Is it antiperspirant? Is it what I'm eating, what I'm drinking? What is causing cancer?
JOSHUA LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's amazing how many myths there are out there about cancer and that's what doctors are trying to work against right now. This is actually the second biggest killer in America right after heart disease. And the doctors, the researchers we've been speaking to say they can't believe how many myths are out there. Things like, what to eat, where to live, whether to use certain products. But they say that if you're able to put the myths aside and focus on a handful of simple facts, you may be saving your own life.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH EDWARDS: -- later this week that I'll meet with my doctor - find out
LEVS (voice-over): It seems to pop up when you least expect it and it is very scary. The American Cancer Society predicts nearly 1.5 million new cases will be diagnosed this year and says cancer is responsible for one in four deaths in the country. In a study, the society also found most Americans believe the risk of getting cancer is increasing. But in reality, the risk has dropped since the early 1990s and fewer people die from it, less than half. Also, most cases are preventable. Lung cancer is the biggest killer and many cases could be avoided by not smoking and avoiding secondhand smoke.
Skin cancer is the most common form. So protect yourself from harmful rays. And another major contributor, obesity because researchers say fat cells produce hormones that can help some cancers grow.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Watch your weight. That's the most important thing you can do if you don't smoke to reduce your risk of cancer.
LEVS: Eat healthy. But what about fears that produce sprayed with pesticides can lead to cancer? There's no proof. In fact, the low concentrations have not been shown to increase cancer risk. Neither has using antiperspirant, another fear. How about cell phones? So far, there's no proven connection. Researchers say instead of fixating on these things, talk to your doctor about what tests you should have, given your age and family history. In the meantime, researchers are looking for answers 36 years after President Nixon signed the national cancer act and declared war on cancer.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's time for a cure.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS: And that's something you hear a lot. People talk about a cure for cancer. But researchers say that actually will probably never be a cure for cancer. The reason is there's so many different kinds of cancer, some of which already have cures that work for the majority of patients. So the goal now Betty is to find more cures that work on more types of cancer to help more people live longer.
NGUYEN: As long as they can find several cures. Any cure is good at this point. Thank you, Josh. Are you at risk of cancer? Chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta shows you how to spot the warning signs. Plus, how safe is the food on your table? A lot of questions. You're going to get the answers on "House Call." That is Sunday morning at 8:30 Eastern.
HOLMES: Also we need to tell you about a holy week battle over a statue of Jesus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You want to bet they would never put up a naked chocolate statue of Muhammed with his genitals exposed during Ramadan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: That just does not sound right. Why? How could chocolate and Jesus stir up such a controversy?
NGUYEN: We're going to tell you and check this out. This is an Easter celebration that got out of hand. We've heard about colorful eggs, but colorful chicks? Find out why police got involved in this strange shipment of baby chicks up next in the NEWSROOM.
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NGUYEN: Take a look, happening right now, severe weather possible today in the middle of the country. Parts of Texas and Oklahoma are seeing widespread flooding. A slow moving storm system though did kick up dozens of tornadoes over the weekend. Some folks actually enjoying the rainfall that came with it, don't know exactly why. These folks are not stuck in all that flooding. Severe storms, though, could pop up a little bit later today.
Let me show you this, though. Iran hinting, again, today, that it may put 15 captured British sailors and Marines on trial. British and Iran have exchanged diplomat notes on this crisis. Britain's foreign secretary says, quote, we are beginning to discuss things. The Britons held by Iran for nine days are accused of trespassing in Iranian waters.
Art can stir debate, we know that, awaken passion, yes and speak to the soul. But a sculpture doing all three.
HOLMES: It's also a tease for your sweet tooth. Here now, national correspondent Gary Tuckman.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCKMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Because of threats they say they've received, an artist and his wife do not want to meet at their home. So instead, we get together at a New York City diner to talk about --
COSIMO CAVALLARO, ARTIST: Sweet Jesus.
TUCKMAN: This is sweet Jesus, a life-sized anatomically correct sculpture of Jesus made out of 200 pounds of chocolate, created by New York artist Cosimo Cavallaro. An art gallery in this New York City hotel scheduled its debut for this Monday.
CAVALLARO: The purpose of sweet Jesus is for me to portray an iconic image with a taste. TUCKMAN: But many, including the New York archdiocese and the Catholic League, say it's scandalous.
KIERA McCAFFREY, CATHOLIC LEAGUE: They are saying we're taking a devout Christian image, the crucified Christ and we are making him into chocolate with genitals exposed. They're digging the knife at Christians on this. To try to pretend otherwise is absurd and they're doing it at our holiest time.
CAVALLARO: Here we have chocolate, which is nothing, no negative connotation to chocolate. And the body of Christ, you know, the figure of Christ. So how two rights make one wrong, that -- I could never imagine.
TUCKMAN: The Catholic League asked for a boycott of the hotel and says the sculpture, also known as chocolate Jesus is hate speech.
McCAFFREY: They surely wouldn't do something similar to Muslims. You want to bet they would never put up a naked chocolate statue of Muhammad with his genitals exposed during Ramadan.
TUCKMAN: There have been many similar controversies. The former mayor of New York and current presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani threatened to withdraw funding from a Brooklyn museum after it featured the virgin Mary with elephant dung.
RUDY GIULIANI: Of course, it's Catholic bashing.
TUCKMAN: Rap singer Kanye West raised hackles by appearing on "Rolling Stone" magazine in this fashion in support of his song, "Jesus Walks." And then there's Madonna. A few months ago, NBC removed footage of Madonna suspended from a giant cross which was to be included on a prime time special. So would this artist create a sculpture called Sweet Muhammad?
CAVALLARO: No.
TUCKMAN: Why?
CAVALLARO: It's not my religion and I have no need to get close to that. This is what I have to do is to get closer to my religion.
TUCKMAN: You're a Christian?
CAVALLARO: I'm a Christian, Catholic.
TUCKMAN: Now the controversy has taken a new twist. The gallery and hotel have backed down. On Friday, the hotel released a statement saying, we have caused the cancellation of the exhibition and wish to affirm the dignity and responsibility of the hotel in all its affairs. The Cavallaros are upset, but not at the gallery.
SARAH CAVALLARO, ARTIST'S WIFE: I feel that they were really scared and they were protecting themselves.
TUCKMAN: As for his sculpture -- Where is chocolate Jesus now?
CAVALLARO: In a reap refrigerated truck looking for a home.
TUCKMAN: Don't be surprised to see sweet Jesus in a different gallery sometime soon. Gary Tuckman, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Here's another sight for you with Easter just days away. The fate of four dozen multicolored chicks is in legal limbo. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals confiscated the birds at the Johnson's Rhode Island post office on Friday.
HOLMES: The owner of the local pet store says he ordered the dyed chicks for his kids from a farm in Texas. The problem here is that Rhode Island law prohibits anyone from possessing dyed poultry, didn't know it was a big enough a problem we needed to have a law. An SPCA spokesman says for now, it's unclear what will happen to the chicks with the -- it's nice. It's kind of decorative.
NGUYEN: They're cute, I guess.
HOLMES: Maybe? OK. Maybe it is cruel.
NGUYEN: Yeah.
Home alone and at risk. A sexual predator in Arizona is targeting teenage girls in single parent households. Now the cops are targeting him. We have that story coming up.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ: And good morning to you everyone. As you well know, it is down to the final four. What we're talking about is college hoops, March madness. I'll be tracking the buzz online next from the dotcom desk, plus this.
HOLMES: "Idol" is crowned in the Middle East. But can this talented singer help bring a war-torn country together? You'll find out just a bit from now.
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HOLMES: We got some new video here we want to show you from Haltom City, Texas. We've been keeping up with the weather situation there in Texas, all kinds of issues with the storm system. This appears to be a couple of rescuers there, maybe trying to help that woman who looks like she's on a cell phone wading through that water but strong wind, some power outages. Some bridges were knocked out in Texas, maybe a tornado or two even hit the area. But as you can see there, this has been the situation in several areas. It's still kind of a dicey weather situation, watches and warnings and stuff, people still keeping an eye on but some of the latest video here. Obviously, rescue, looks like probably last night. Yeah, still a mess there for a lot of folks in Texas.
NGUYEN: In fact, it's been so bad TJ that firefighters have been trying to rescue some of these folks have had to be rescued themselves just because of all the high water out there. Right now though, we want to talk about the NCAA final four. Because it begins today right here in our own backyard next door at the Georgia dome. Atlanta officials expect more than 50,000 extra visitors over the weekend. Security, as you know, is a high priority, more police hitting the street. Traffic expected to be just awful. Well, it normally is. Out of towners though are urged to use public transportation or just walk as much as you can. And of course, the real action is on the court today.
HOLMES: Veronica de la Cruz, you're tracking other stuff happening on line as well.
DE LA CRUZ: I sure am. The atrium downstairs is packed with people. The traffic is really, really bad. All those fans, they started showing up a couple of days ago. We've been seeing the waves of the orange, the blue, the red and gold. I'm wearing my blue today. As you know, it's Florida/Ohio State, Georgetown and UCLA. Log onto to cnn.com for the match up. Returning champ Florida set to play UCLA today. Ohio State will play Georgetown for the other spot. Do you think you know who will come out on top Monday night? We have a poll where you can vote for your pick. Also you can check out this gallery to see some celebrity picks. And you can check out our experts' commentary and read all the predictions on who might just take it all. As you can imagine, final four is a huge deal for the schools involved. Just take a look at their Web sites. Ohio State conveniently linked all of them from its own site. From just that one page, you can find each team's roster, the schedule, stats and much, much more to help you handicap that tournament. And of course you can go ahead and win with your thoughts on how you feel about the final four at weekends@cnn.com. We got some pretty good e-mails earlier today.
NGUYEN: I'm sure you did. How I fell, my team's not in it so I'm rooting for the others.
DE LA CRUZ: Go Bruins.
NGUYEN: Is that who your -
DE LA CRUZ: Exactly, yeah.
NGUYEN: I think Florida may do pretty well. You got a pick?
HOLMES: Yes I do. You all have your say --
NGUYEN: You're not going to say?
HOLMES: I'm not going to say.
NGUYEN: All right. This year's final four is proof the father knows best. Coming up next, five, count them, five players in the battle for the championship have famous athlete dads. We have a live report from our own famous father, that is Larry Smith. He is coming up in the next hour.
HOLMES: Also, need to tell you about a country ravaged by war, well able to, for at least one brief moment, escape the madness. All it took was a song or two.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
And the winner is -- Shada Hassoun.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: That's some excitement right there.
HOLMES: We will tell you about this contest that brought Iraq together. That is next in the NEWSROOM.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT Renovating your home to raise your selling price is serious business. Obtain bids from at least three licensed contractors. Ask for references or, better yet, ask to see some of the contractor's previous work. Make sure your contract has all the details, including start and end dates, material specs and a payment schedule. Put just 10 percent down. Pay 25 percent when plumbing and electrical work are done, 25 percent after cabinets and windows and 25 percent for flooring and painting. Don't hand over the last 15 percent on the final day. It's called retainage. You should keep it for a month just to make sure everything is in good working order. Most importantly, make sure your contractor is properly insured. Otherwise, you could be held accountable. I'm Gerri Willis. That's your tip of the day. For more ideas, strategies and tips to save you money and protect your house, watch "Open House," every Saturday, 9:30 a.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, it seems that a breath-taking beauty with a brilliant voice can do for the Middle East what bombs and bullets cannot, unite Sunni and Shia Muslims from Baghdad to Beirut.
NGUYEN: It's like "American Idol" only better, way better. Our Brent Sadler reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She sings with an enchanting voice of hope for war ravaged Iraq. Twenty six-year-old Shada Hassoun, a Sunni Muslim, who is from Iraq, competing in the finals of a top-rated Middle East talent show called "Star Academy," broadcast from Lebanon. Like contestants in "American Idol," Shada lived and breathed the program during four arduous months. A decades- old song recalling the best of prewar Iraq that shatters popularity soared. Huge numbers of Iraqis tuned into the weekly broadcast. Many viewers bought generators to overcome power shortages and they voted en masse by telephone to ensure she has a chance to triumph.
SHADA HASSOUN: I really want to thank them so much, Iraq, all Iraqi people, for their voting to me, for their love to me because I can feel it.
SADLER: Shada Hassoun has already proved she's a talented and charismatic singer. But it is her Iraqi background that has captured the imagination of many in her homeland where war-weary Iraqis have risen above the vicious sectarian bloodshed to help her win, a nail- biting climax that had Iraqis, both Shiite and Sunni Muslims, on the edge of their studio seats.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is Iraq. Iraq is one nation, is one people. No Sunni, no Shia. And this is such a strong message.
SADLER: But to prevail in this show, it's the voting by viewers that counts. And the winner is -- Shada Hassoun. She is swept up in the studio euphoria. On the streets outside, Shada-mania erupts and from Beirut to Baghdad and here in northern Iraq, they call her name.
HASSOUN: I can feel them, like, really happy and they're smiling, especially in that situation they live in, you know, and that's -- I mean, it was my dream, you know, to make them happy and to make them, like, smiling. And I think I did it.
SADLER: Shada -- it means scent in Arabic -- is overcome with emotion and shares with Iraq a sweet smell of success. Brent Sadler, CNN, Beirut.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: That's a great story.
HOLMES: Well, it is a good story, not like Sanjaya.
NGUYEN: Sanjaya.
HOLMES: Sanjaya.
NGUYEN: You got to watch.
HOLMES: I'm sorry. I will watch now. I'm curious about it.
NGUYEN: Clearly you're not voting.
HOLMES: CNN NEWSROOM continues with Fredricka Whitfield.
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