Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

McCain in Baghdad; Store Rebates; Pet Food Recall

Aired April 01, 2007 - 16:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: New tapes of captive British troops are expected to be released soon. How will this impact efforts to free them?
Yet another pet food warning and recall. When will it end? And what can you feed your pet?

And facing down the store rebate runaround. Find out how to get every penny you deserve. Hello and welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

First this hour, Iranian television is expected to air more purported confessions from British troops captured at sea. Ten days later, Britain still wants to know where the captors are being held and today, it said it's in direct contact with Iran. So far, though, Tehran is not budging. At least not in public.

And as soon as we have received the video and examined it from Iran, we'll be able to bring those images to you. These immunes purportedly of more captives being interviewed in Tehran.

Now from London, here's more from Matthew Chance.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With chants of death to Britain, protesters outside the British embassy in Tehran, held rocks and firecrackers demanding it be shut down as the standoff over 15 British sailors and marines being held by Iran continues, tensions appear to be escalating.

Paraded on television, making confessions possible under duress, the plight of the captives is provoking condemnation from Britain and its allies. From his retreat at Camp David, President Bush has added his voice to calls for the captive's release.

GEORGE W. BUSH, U.S. PRESIDENT: It's serious because -- the British hostages issue is a serious issue because the Iranians took these people out of Iraqi water. And it's inexcusable behavior.

CHANCE: His use of the word "hostage" conjures up memories of America's own crisis with Iran. After the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Dozens of U.S. personnel were held captive for 444 days. There was even a failed rescue attempt. In the current crisis, the hopes are for a diplomatic solution, but a church service in the whole town of the only female, Faye Turney, there were prayers for her safe return. But the Iranian mood shows little sign of softening. Speaking to crowds on Islamic Public Day, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was characteristically hard lined.

"The British occupying forces did trespass in our waters," he said. "Our border guards detained them with skill and bravery but arrogant powers because of their arrogant and selfish spirit are claiming otherwise."

These are the disputed waterways between Iraq and Iran where the British naval patrol was intercepted. British military officials deny they strayed into Iranian waters. European Union nations have been voicing their support for Britain. And as this crisis enters a new week, diplomatic pressure may build for it to end. Matthew Chance, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And as promised now, we're getting those new images of two more British sailors and marines who have been videotaped while being interviewed by members in Tehran. We're just now receiving this tape that's already made the airwaves there in Iran.

Here are some of the images. Unfortunately, we don't have the sound for you right now. But clearly it looks like one of the sailors-slash-marines is there in front of a map. Perhaps trying to indicate to the audience there in the room exactly where their vessel was when they were encountered by and captured by Iranian forces.

This just aired recently, just moments ago on Iranian TV. We're currently translating this video and audio coming from the Iranian state television there and when we get that translation and get a better understanding of who that British armed service member is and exactly what's being said, we'll be able to bring that to you.

Meantime, U.S. troop surge supporting Senator John McCain touched down today in Baghdad. And declared that President Bush's new military strategy is showing results.

After a bloody week across Iraq with more than 500 violent deaths, McCain said the drumbeat of negative news obscures a bigger, more accurate picture. From Baghdad now, CNN's Frederic Pleitgen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Senator McCain was in Baghdad today as part of a Republican congressional delegation to assess the situation on the ground. And McCain backtracked from comments he had made earlier this week here on CNN. Saying that some neighborhoods in Baghdad were safe enough for westerners to stroll through them.

But McCain did say he believes the situation in Iraq is improving and he also says he believes the Baghdad security plan is working.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) AZ: I believe we have a strategy that is making progress and it's not to say that things are well everywhere in Iraq. Far from it. We have a long way to go.

We read every day about suicide bombings and kidnappings, rocket attacks, and other terrible acts. And I'm not saying that mission is accomplished or last throes or a few dead-enders but what we don't read about every day and what is new since the surge began is a lot of the good news.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): McCain and his colleagues visited a market in central Baghdad with General Petraeus and all of them said they were amazed about how well they were received by the Iraqi locals and also how fairly freely they were able to move around.

Now, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, responding to a reporter's question, reiterated his relief that setting a deadline for American troops to move out of Iraq is a mistake.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM, (R) SC: I think you see four people here who believe more now than ever, believe now more than ever, would it be a huge mistake to set a deadline because it is working. There are signs of progress. We're doing now what we should have done three years ago and if you set a deadline now, it will undercut everything positive that's going on.

That's not me saying that. That's every soldier I'm talked to today. That's the Iraqi police commander who said, please stay with us. Things are getting better.

PLEITGEN (on camera): The visit comes after a deadly month here in Iraq. And numbers published by the Iraqi government today say that the civilian death toll here in Iraq is rising. More than 1800 civilians were killed here in Iraq in March. And almost 3,000 were wounded.

Now only today, two truck bombs in the northern city of Mosul killed another two civilians. Frederic Pleitgen, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Back in Washington now, the Bush administration has found itself defending a deeply popular war but now the congressional Democrats have challenging President Bush over funding the effort, the White House is pushing right back. Here's CNN's Bob Franken.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): While President Bush was saying nothing as he returned from Camp David, his designated surrogate was out staying on message, which means, no matter who asks what, make the same point. Witness counselor to the president Dan Bartlett on the Sunday talkies slamming Congress for taking an Easter break after passing an Iraq funding bill unacceptable to the administration.

DAN BARTLETT, WHITE HOUSE COUNSELOR: They go on a two-week break for their Easter recess at a time when our troops need the funding. The president thinks they ought to be here. They should be back in Washington and passing a war supplemental bill it make sure that our troops in harm's way get the funding they need.

FRANKEN: When it comes to staying on message, it gets a lot trickier with members of Congress, particularly the Democrats.

SEN. RICHARD DURBIN, (D) IL: We're going to provide these funds at a timely basis.

SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN, (D) CA: We may have to make some changes in the allocations of funding, but there is sufficient funding until the end of July.

BUSH: Because I will veto it.

FRANKEN: As for the president's veto threat ...

REP. CHARLES RANGEL, (D) NY: We have the American people. No president can ever successfully conduct a war without the support the American people.

FRANKEN: Meanwhile, aspiring president Senator John McCain and fellow Republicans were using the break to head to Iraq. And argue that the American people are not getting a complete picture of the progress on the war.

MCCAIN: I'm not saying that mission is accomplished or last throes or a few dead-enders, but what we don't read about every day and what is new since the surge began is a lot of the good news.

GRAHAM: The president will veto any bill with the deadline, he should.

FRANKEN: Everyone can agree on what happens next.

SEN. JOSEPH BIDEN, (D) DE: You're going to see a little political dance coming up here that relates to a showdown.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN (on camera): And the president is saying that that dance could involve a veto, as we heard. Everybody was making sure as that dance goes on, nobody out there perceives it as a dance as something as deadly serious as the Iraq War.

WHITFIELD: All right. Bob Franken at the White House. Thanks so much for that update.

So how can the Iraq War be won? In an Associated Press interview, former secretary of state Henry Kissinger says a military victory in Iraq is no longer possible. Kissinger, who helped engineer the U.S. withdraw from Vietnam, says the problems in Iraq are much more complex.

He says the faceless nature of the insurgency and the Sunni- Shiite divide make negotiating peace more difficult. Kissinger says the best way forward is to reconcile the differences between the warring sects with help from other countries. And he warns a sudden pullout of U.S. troops could unleash chaos.

The Israeli government says Nancy Pelosi will deliver a message to Syria on its behalf. The speaker of the House addressed the Israeli Knesset today after meeting with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. His spokeswoman says Pelosi has been asked to inform the Syrian government that Israel will, and is willing, to hold peace talks, but only if Syria stops supporting terrorism.

The White House has criticized Pelosi's trip to Syria. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has chimed in too.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWT GINGRICH, FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: A San Francisco liberal sitting down way dictator strikes me as the worst possible negotiating position.

So I wanted to publicly call on her to cancel the trip, stay in the U.S., and allow the government of the United States to deal with dictatorships. Not the politicians.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Gingrich also had some remarks about bilingual education, equating it to what he called the language in living in the ghetto. We'll have two discussions about those remarks over the next two hours. Stay tuned for that.

Yet another warning for pet owners. Straight ahead, we'll let you know the latest products to make the list of recalls. And later, I'll speak with a veterinarian about what you should do for Fifi or Fido. And later, if Congress' call for a U.S. troop pullout from Iraq comes to pass, how would it take place? You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: New video right now we want to share with you. This is one of 15 British sailors and marines who are being held in Iran. This video was just released within the past 10 minutes or so. On this video, you'll see, are there two sailors of the British contingent who have been captured who will be on this videotape.

And we understand, al-Alam TV (ph), which is the state-run official Arabic television station there in Iran there, is the second person there, indicates that these two sailors are showing on this map exactly where their raft, where their marine crafts were when they were apprehended by Iranian authorities and according to this video, there's an admission coming from the sailors that they were indeed in Iranian waters.

The British defense minister says that they are having direct talks right now with Tehran, to try to win the release of these 15 British sailors and marines. More when we get it. Also happening right now, the U.S. military says six U.S. soldiers have been killed in roadside bombings southwest of Baghdad. The attacks appear to be coordinated, a first explosion killed two soldiers, just seconds before midnight Saturday. The four other soldiers were responding to the first attack when they, too, were killed by a roadside bomb.

Police in North Carolina searching for the suspects who shot and killed two police officers. The officers were shot while responding to a disturbance at an East Charlotte apartment complex late last night. They were rushed to the hospital, where they later died. Police are now looking for at least two suspects.

In Atlanta, police are trying to learn the identities of three young men involved in a shooting outside a mall. Three people were wounded in the attempted robbery yesterday afternoon. The mall's security camera video is being reviewed right now. One of those shot was a security guard. Police say the suspects got away in a sport utility vehicle.

Weather, either too much rain or not quite enough today. First to Southern California, where a wildfire is burning east of Los Angeles. People forced from about 200 homes are now being allowed to return. Officials say the 2,000-acre fire has been 50 percent contained.

And an overnight scare for some families near Chicago. High winds ripped the roofs off some apartment buildings in Carol Stream (ph). Nearly 70 apartments had to be evacuated. Some injuries, but none believed to be serious.

And then, there's Oklahoma, where flooding has taken place in some areas. Look at that. Oklahoma City set a new rainfall record for the month of March. This has been perhaps one of the most strangest springs on tap, at least in the weather world. Bonnie Schneider is in the Weather Center. Extremes in all sectors.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: All right, take it slow and have a lot of patience.

Thanks a lot, Bonnie.

America's pet food scare grows even bigger. Del Monte is now voluntarily recalling some of its products in light of the FDA investigation into tainted wheat gluten. The company is pulling several brands of jerky treats, Gravy Train beef sticks, and Pounce meaty morsels from store shelves. For more information on the recall, visit the company's Web site or call the number right here on your screen. For Del Monte.

Well, can't make it to church today, well what about the World Wide Web?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it would be excellent for someone like the elderly or the infirm, who can't go out and see a service, to be able to see their own service online and to be able to have that will be a good treat for them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Going to church online. High-tech and a higher calling, straight ahead in THE NEWSROOM.

Plus, have you ever tried on cash in on one of those heavily- advertised rebates? Well, find out why it isn't always as easy as it sounds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: At the Vatican today, Pope Benedict ushered in Holy Week with the mass celebrating Palm Sunday.

Thousands of worshippers crowded into St. Peter's Square. Pope Benedict urged young people to live pure, innocent lives. Easter Sunday is one week from today. Also this week, Benedict will preside over ceremonies marking the second anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II.

So, what exactly is worship? Many people attend religious services on a regular basis. In fact, many of you probably went to church this morning. But some of you are having church come to you via the Internet. Our T.J. Holmes reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENNIFER PENNEPACKER, EXPECTANT MOTHER: It would be really nice to be able to still get the message and still see what's going on and feel like you're still part of the church even though you're not there.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the World Wide Web of worship, where Web sites like streamingfaith.com bring the church to you. No matter where in the world you are.

RUSSELL PENNEPACKER, FATHER-TO-BE: I think it would be excellent for someone like the elderly or the infirm. Someone who can't usually get out and go see a service to be able to see their own service online and be able to have that would be a good treat for them.

HOLMES: Daily Devotional's pod and audio casts are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome to straight talk.

HOLMES: Some say in today's age of convenience, Web worship makes sense.

REGINALD CROSSLEY, STUDENT, CLARK ATLANTA UNIV.: Nowadays people are very lazy. Especially waking up on Sundays after a long week, a 9:00 to 5:00, Monday through Friday, most likely, many people don't want to get out of bed. So by having this online access, I think that is probably one of the most productive, you know, movements when it comes to religion in general.

HOLMES: But on the flip side ...

BRYAN HORN, FORMER CATHOLIC PRIEST: No, I'm not for that. And the reason I'm not for that is because it doesn't give you a chance to develop community. And that's really what church is all about.

HOLMES: Like it or not, the Internet is providing a new sanctuary for religion seekers. It's a hub of religious worship for millions around the world. And get this, God nearly rivals sex as a topic on Internet. A search for "sex" on Google returns about 412 million hits. While the search for "God" yields 403 million.

Christian, Hindus, Jews, Muslims are all turning to Web sites. Finding online religious life at home or an Internet cafe is supplementing attendance at traditional churches, synagogues and mosques.

REEBA AKRAM, STUDENT, GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY: My mom is like a working mom. She works like all week and she has to take care of the kids and she has to take care of the house. So she doesn't really have time to go to the classes. To have them at churches and stuff or at the mosque where we would do it.

So instead, she goes online and it's just like, at her house and her own like comfort zone, where she doesn't have to dress up. She just sits down, takes her notebook and writes everything down.

And it's like a full-based (ph) class.

HOLMES: So while some aren't singing its praise, online worship for many is a godsend. I'm T.J. Holmes, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: So here are some of the most popular stories right now on cnn.com.

New clues in a 70-year-old mystery. What happened to famed aviator Amelia Earhart? A previously unknown diary of an Associated Press writer has recently been purchased on eBay. And in it, notes of a short-wave distress call beginning with "This is Amelia Earhart."

And highway to distinction, the Associated Press has obtained a copy of a climate change report due out later this week. It maps the effects of global warming degree by degree. It says the number of species going extinct will rise with the temperature.

So is any pet food out there safe? Coming up, I'll speak with a veterinarian about what pet owners can into in the face of multiple food recalls. And if Congress manages to impose a deadline for pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq, just how would that happen?

We'll examine the logistics straight ahead in THE NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: If U.S. troops are ordered to pull out of Iraq, what will it actually take to move them out? A look at the logistics of leaving.

And it's a different kind of jailhouse rock "American Idol" style. You'll hear all about it.

Welcome back to THE NEWSROOM, I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

In Baghdad, making his point, Arizona Senator and Republican presidential candidate John McCain made an unannounced visit to the Iraqi capital today. The trip follows his recent comments about the security situation in Iraq. McCain reiterated today that he does see progress being made, thanks in part to the presence of additional U.S. troops.

The U.S. Congress now on record with a timetable to leave Iraq. But what would it take to get all those troops and equipment out of the country? Here's CNN's Tom Foreman.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Meeting a deadline for withdrawing from Iraq would be a monumental task and the numbers tell the tale, 143,000 U.S. troops are there right now. Soon to be 160,000, and they don't travel light. The military has tens of thousands of airplanes, tanks, helicopters, strikers, and other vehicles. There are an estimated 14,000-armored Humvees in Iraq alone. And all these forces, all of this equipment, are spread all over the country true there are concentrations from the army in Baghdad to the marines out in Anbar Province, but American troops in some number are still everywhere, so how would the military leave all this territory? Analyst say in all likelihood, some of the troops would fly directly out of Baghdad's main airport, but most of them would come out the way they went in, traveling south to Kuwait and then getting on to ships.

The American military, working with Iraqi troops, would establish heavily guarded areas around the exit routes, but it would be perilous. Just as it happened in Vietnam, some military analysts say even if withdrawal is desired, a publicly acknowledged date would permit the enemy to dog the departure and stack up American casualties every step of the way.

MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: I have seen this movie before. I can't think of anything dumber than announcing ahead of time to the enemy what you are going to do. It provides them with the opportunity to basically control the situation.

FOREMAN: It is not clear what will happen to the bases or the endless tons of equipments that will certainly be left behind. Too worn out to be brought back. Even with the deadline, however, the Pentagon suggests leaving Iraq would take not days or weeks, but months. Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Newt Gingrich, well he calls it the language of the ghetto. What is he talking about and what is his intention? I'll get some answers from our senior political analyst Bill Schneider coming up in THE NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: About 25 minutes now before the hour, here's what's happening in the news. The U.S. military says six U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq. The Associated Press says all six died in what appeared to be coordinated roadside bombings around midnight southwest of Baghdad. A first explosion killed two soldiers. Four other soldiers who were responding to the first attack when they too were killed by a roadside bomb.

An already crowded field of White House hopefuls grows with former four-term Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson making his bid for the presidency official today. Thompson says he is optimistic about his chances. Calling himself the reliable conservative. He served as the health and human services secretary for President Bush during his first term in office.

Well, if money talks, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton has plenty to say. CNN's political unit reports the New York Senator already has a whopping $36 million to finance her upcoming run for the White House, $26 million comes from conventional fund-raising, another $10 million remains from her last Senate re- election campaign. And yesterday was the deadline for presidential candidates to disclose their first quarter fund-raising totals to the Federal Election Commission.

So there's a lot of buzz about something Newt Gingrich has said about the Spanish language. The former house speaker and possible presidential hopeful supports making English the nations official language but then went on to equate the Spanish language with a ghetto.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWT GINGRICH, FMR. HOUSE SPEAKER: We should replace bilingual education with immersion in English so people learn the common language of the country and so they learn the language of prosperity, not the language of living in a ghetto.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Gingrich was speaking to the National Federation of Republican Women in Washington. A spokesperson for the Hispanic Education Coalition calls the comments very hateful and points out that, quote, not everyone who speaks Spanish lives in a ghetto.

Former house speaker Gingrich is known for making his astute political moves like leading the Republican takeover in Congress in the 1990s. So when his words spark controversy, many political observers say it's unlikely that he misspoke. CNN's senior political analyst Bill Schneider joins us now to examine the possible motives behind the Gingrich message. Good to see you.

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Good to see you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: So he thinks he's popular when he says this. His intent is not to alienate himself, right?

SCHNEIDER: Well, he does not misspeak. He says everything deliberately. His views on the issues are carefully thought out before he says them. He often intends to be provocative. That's what he was here and he raised an issue, namely his bilingual education. The best towards what most American, Spanish-speaking, and English-speaking acknowledges the goal, which is the children should learn to speak English. Is bilingual education one-way to do that better? But then when he used the language when he described Spanish as the language of living in the ghetto, that is culturally insensitive, it's offensive to many Hispanic Americans and I'm not sure it serves his cause or the cause of his party very well.

WHITFIELD: And we're going to talk to someone a little bit later on in the next hour about how many people are taking offense to the language that he used. Meantime, let's move on with now the Bush administration. When we're hearing now from a top political strategist Matthew Doud who in "The New York Times" today is speaking out against Bush. Saying that he's lost faith in the Bush administration. That's quite different from say, a leading Democrat to utter those same remarks about the Bush administration. What's going on here?

SCHNEIDER: Well, it's a signal that President Bush's base might be getting shaky with the defection of Mr. Dowd who is a chief campaign strategist of Bush's 2004 campaign victory.

WHITFIELD: Yeah.

SCHNEIDER: He joined the Bush team in 1999. He saw President Bush operate as governor of Texas. He saw him as someone who reached across the partisan divide, who was a uniter, not a divider. And he said, quote, the president in office now is not the same. It's not the person I thought. It took him quite some time to reach that conclusion. But you know in politics, they say, your bases are the people who are with you when you're wrong.

WHITFIELD: Oh boy.

SCHNEIDER: A lot of people, possibly including some in the White House, believe Bush is wrong on a lot of issues, including Iraq, like Matthew Doud. But when they start to defect that means the base is getting shaky.

WHITFIELD: Wow, onto presidential '08 politics. And let's talk about John McCain. Are we seeing a new John McCain, particularly last week? That he's now trying to offer more support to the Bush administration's move on the surge in Iraq, and saying that all is well in Iraq. Is this his way of trying to appeal to the conservatives after getting so much criticism that he's just too moderate?

SCHNEIDER: Yeah, well he's had to deal with that criticism. I'm not sure how new this is; he has endorsed the true build-up, President Bush's policy in Iraq although he has been very critical of the war strategy until very recently. He has endorsed this policy. He did say, "We're making progress, although we have a long way to go." Look the Iraqi issue, the success in Iraq is something that he's wrapped around politically, and he's embraced it. His political future depends on what happens in Iraq and he expressed some, what, disappointment, anger, that the press is not reporting the successes in Iraq. Because his political future, in part, because his political future depends on the Iraq policy, turning into a success.

WHITFIELD: All right, Bill Schneider thanks so much for your insight. Always appreciate it.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

WHITFIELD: And of course, we're going to delve a little deeper as promised into the Gingrich issue. Next hour, with Christine Newman- Ortiz, she is the president of the Latino Advocacy Group, Voce de la Frontera. That's next hour here in THE NEWSROOM.

And have you ever bought something because of a rebate? Find out while getting the money is not always so easy.

BONNIE SCHNEDIER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm CNN meteorologist Bonnie Schneider with a look at your allergy report for Sunday. If you live in the southeast, the fact that we have high allergy rating here is no surprise. It's just been impressive as far as the pollen count goes. Here in Atlanta, and also Birmingham and also down into New Orleans. We also a high risk for those of you who suffered from allergies or upper respiratory problems, in southern sections of Missouri and then back up towards areas of New Mexico. But the good news is so far no reports of any oppressive allergies for areas in the northern tier of the country. Temperatures have been cooled and we have also seen some wintry weather there and some rain. That holds true for the New York area and into the northeast and Massachusetts. Some rain showers keeping things at a moderate to low level, at least for now. That is a look at your allergy report for Sunday; I'm meteorologist Bonnie Schneider.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, .COM DESK: It's that time again where we select a few of the best ireport videos that you have sent in. You'll find these ones and much more at CNN.com.

Sergio Cesario sent in this video of fire at a construction site in New York City. He says he was walking nearby when he heard an explosion, grabbed his camera, and began taping. And spring is in the air. Conjuring up images of warmer weather and blooming flowers. But in Branchburg, New Jersey, ireporter Renato Reyes sent a very different image. This is video of son skating on their sleet covered front lawn.

And spring for these monarch butterflies in the mountains of Mexico means migration north to the United States and Canada. Bill Toone captured this video of their amazing journey.

And forget the leaves in pine straw. Eddy Haynes in Tennessee shot this video of a tiny bird steeling fur from this sleepy collie Apollo. The mouse will certainly have a comfortable nest and Apollo doesn't seem to mind the grooming.

You can keep those videos coming and select your favorites at CNN.com/exchange. For the .com desk, I'm Veronica de la Cruz.

WHITFIELD: All right, more pet food scares to talk about. There are more industry-wide manufacturers who are saying it is time to pull certain items off of the shelves. Well hopefully we'll get some answers today as to the best things to start feeding our pets. Dr. Michael Good is back with us again. Veterinarian here in Atlanta, to help us sort it all out, it's getting really confusing. A couple of weeks ago we were just talking about wet canned food and now it's branched out into dry food for our cats and some dogs and now treats. So what can we feed our dog and cats?

DR. MICHAEL GOOD, VETERINARIAN: Well, we first have to understand the dynamics of pet ownership. In one generation in America, we've gone from 75 percent of dogs and cats living outside to 75 percent living inside. So they've come into our homes, they've become part of our families. They sleep in our beds.

WHITFIELD: We want to make sure they're getting the right stuff. And come to find out a lot of our pets aren't getting good stuff and mostly because of this wheat gluten. What is that all about?

GOOD: That seems to be the common denominator. The poison seems to be changing.

WHITFIELD: It's not rat poisoning anymore but it is a fertilizer that may be in it.

GOOD: It is a fertilizer that is causing it. I think they're starting to think that all this wheat gluten is coming from another country. My take and my recommendation to my clients who love their pets is avoid any product, and now I'm including dry food that has wheat gluten in it. Unless it says wheat gluten that's made in the USA, I'm telling my clients to avoid it. Like I told you last week, reading labels is very, very important. A lot of my clients are opted for home remedies. Where at home cooking where you cook from the table.

WHITFIELD: But so many of us have been told, don't feed your dog people food. Food from the table because it could mess up their system if they're not used to that. GOOD: CNN's been telling us for the last four weeks now, there is a real threat out there in big business of making pet food. And I would suggest they contact their veterinarian. We could put them in touch with recipes, home remedies, to help get by. The important thing to remember is that cats are true carnivores and you cannot have a vegetarian diet. There has to be a lot of meat in a cat's diet. A dog is more like us, they can eat vegetables and fruits and whatnot.

But there still should be vitamins and mineral supplementations if people opt to do a home remedy. If you avoid wheat gluten at this time, and I think it's a good idea to avoid all products that have gravy and whatnot. And treat, most dogs are overweight. Take the treats away for a little while.

WHITFIELD: You do agree, it is getting complicated. For example, I was in the pet store last night bringing in food that I had purchased that happened to be one of the recalled foods. Even though it wasn't necessarily in the date, the time stamp that was of grave concern. And I asked them, OK, what can I feed my dog now? There was one product available for dogs that were not on the recall list. So --

GOOD: It is frustrating. Even for veterinarians.

WHITFIELD: That huge variety we had is now being reduced to just a couple of choices.

GOOD: And we were shocked as a profession that, when dry foods started to come into the equation, it was a prescription diet, found in every veterinarian clinic that you feed cats by one of the biggest rep -- you know, companies with the best reputation for making pet foods. So we're just as shocked and dismayed that this thing is escalating into an area that we never thought it would go.

WHITFIELD: So we still need to be paying attention to our pets? Looking at their behaviors.

GOOD: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: Seeing if they're in trouble medically. What are the things that we look for?

GOOD: Stop eating, obviously. Drinking a lot of water is a hallmark sign of kidney failure. Listlessness, vomiting, diarrhea. These are reasons.

WHITFIELD: All of those things.

GOOD: Listlessness.

WHITFIELD: Two or three.

GOOD: But listlessness usually starts. If they're just not playful anymore. The whole beauty of owning a pet is we get out, walk with them, we interact with them. When they're lying in the corner, when they're disinterested, something's going to.

WHITFIELD: They're trying to tell you something.

GOOD: Exactly and veterinarians have the ability to pinpoint these with very simple inexpensive tests for this kidney failure. Because that seems to be the common denominator in all of this, it's affecting the kidneys of dogs and cats.

WHITFIELD: All right, well, if you want anymore information, folks, on the kind of food that you need to avoid or perhaps those that are available that are safe, you need to go to our Website, CNN.com or go to Del Monte's Website, Delmonte.com or you call their number to find out about these treats that have now been added to the recall list. Dr. Michael Good thanks so much.

GOOD: You're welcome.

WHITFIELD: All right, well, those rebates offers in today's Sunday papers, well they can be pretty enticing, right? Well before you buy in on the deal, keep in mind that nearly half the buyers who qualify for rebates don't actually get them. Why? CNN's Gary Nurenberg explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A little rebate exaggeration.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get about $4 million we're going to get. May be $4.5 million. Plus a new car.

NURENBERG: Not likely, and not likely all the consumers lured by those mail-in rebate offers in the newspaper and online will actually collect on the promised reward.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just can't remember the receipt. I can't remember where to mail it. Nothing ever comes together.

NURENBERG: She's not alone. One study found 45 percent of 2006 rebate offers were not redeemed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some rebate offers have hoops that you have to jump through to reduce the odds that you'll actually claim it.

NURENBERG: Those hoops are good business. Every dollar not paid in rebates is a dollar the company gets to keep. All of that red tape causes some customers to just give up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just dropped it because it wasn't worth figuring it out.

NURENBERG: Figuring it out carefully is the key.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If the instructions tell you to fill out the form with your left hand and address the envelope with your right hand, do it. Because one little slip-up can invalidate your claim.

NURENBERG: For retailers, rebates bring both profit and problems.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It has been historically one of the most prolific forms of customer complaints.

NURENBERG: So some big retailers, like Best Buy, are moving away from mail-in rebates and toward immediate rebates in the store or rebates online, that allows customers to track their claim. But don't expect retailers to give up rebates completely.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rebates are perhaps one of the most effective ways to induce individuals, to make decisions, to purchase products, or perhaps to up sell to a more expensive product.

NURENBERG: So expect the rebate runaround to remain.

Gary Nurenberg, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, singing like canaries.

And dancing like rockers. Arizona inmates trying to become the jailhouse idol. The competition heats up in THE NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: So an infamous Arizona sheriff is at it again. This time here's giving inmates a chance to strut their stuff. CNN's Jeanne Moos takes a look at inmate idol.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The production values may not be as great as on the real "American Idol." Instead of dress up, these performers really do wear jailhouse stripes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Looks like nothing's going to change.

MOOS: Instead of going down into the crowd.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So I don't know what I'm doing.

MOOS: The main audience here is stuck behind a fence.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because I've got friends in low places.

MOOS: Low as the Maricopa County Jail in Arizona. This is "Inmate Idol." I.D.LE, and who dreamed it up?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The toughest sheriff in the United States of America.

MOOS: That would that be Sheriff Joe Arpaio. The sheriff was one of the judges along with Alice Cooper. And an Elvis impersonator.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The jailhouse rock with me. MOOS: Now "Inmate Idol" is odd enough but this sheriff is one tough guy. Famous for his tense city where inmates get no TV, no salt no coffee and prisoners have to wear pink underwear because, as the sheriff says, they hate pink.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A hunger as long as to escape.

MOOS: No escapes at this talent contest. Christopher Marsh is in for burglary. Katrina Duhart (ph) is in for forgery.

MOOS: Notice the sheriff didn't join in on the clapping. It's obvious who Simon Cowell of this group is.

SHERIFF JOE APRAIO, MARICOPA COUNTY, ARIZONA: Well, you know, she can dance but I don't think she can sing.

You may go places when you get out of jail.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But you'll never hear me complain. I love to hear you sing beneath the clear blue skies.

MOOS: Not to mention the clear eyes of watchful guards and the winner is --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've got sunshine --

MOOS: Cory brothers in on a probation violation related to theft and assault.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ohh

MOOS: The prize for the winner and his pod mates, pizza, big Mac, milk shake, cake, no recording contract.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On a cloudy day and it's definitely cloudy today, huh? And I got a little sunshine out of it.

MOOS: We'd say put your hands together for Cory Brothers but here someone may snap on the cuffs.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GINGRICH: We should replace bilingual education with immersion in English so people learn the common language of the country so they learn the language of prosperity not the language of living in a ghetto.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: There's quite the reaction from remarks by former house speaker Newt Gingrich. The story next in THE NEWSROOM.

Plus --

Note to convicted sex offenders in one New York County. Keep your bags packed. We'll explain.

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