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U.S. Delegation to Visit North Korea; Father of Anna Nicole Smith's Baby Soon to be Revealed?
Aired April 03, 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.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Brianna Keilar, in for Kyra Phillips.
Her husband started acting strangely, and then he vanished. Could it be a case of amnesia?
LEMON: Plus, a secretive nation agrees to allow a brief visit from a U.S. delegation, including Democratic presidential hopeful Bill Richardson. We will have details on a special mission to North Korea.
KEILAR: And a shooting shocks visitors to CNN's headquarters. Now one person is dead. Another is in critical condition. We will have more ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
LEMON: It is the top of the hour.
And we start with that U.S. delegation to North Korea.
Our Elaine Quijano is at the White House with the very latest on this -- Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Don.
It was just a short time ago the White House did announce that, in fact, this bipartisan private U.S. delegation, led by a Democrat, Governor Bill Richardson, as well as a Republican, former Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony Principi, will be visiting North Korea next week, April 8 through 11, to help facilitate the return of U.S. soldiers' remains.
Now, that, of course, has been a longstanding issue. But this development is certainly interesting, for a number of reasons, because Richardson, of course, is running for president. He does have considerable experience in dealing with international issues, including dealing with North Korea. He's a former congressman, a former U.S. ambassador, a former energy secretary.
His visit is coming, though, at a time when the United States has been trying to convince Kim Jong Il to curb his nuclear program. No word, though if, on this visit next week, any other issues will, in fact, be on the table. But, Don, what this could be signalling, perhaps, is that the window, the diplomatic channels might be opening just a little bit more -- again, no indication that any other issues are going to be on the table. But the White House is noting, Don, that the North Koreans invited this private bipartisan delegation -- again, that trip next week, Sunday through Wednesday, April 8 through 11 -- Don.
LEMON: Elaine Quijano, at the White House, thank you so much.
KEILAR: And we're following the latest on a shooting right here at the CNN Center in Atlanta.
As we understand it at this point, one person has died. Witnesses, or, actually, a CNN employee reported seeing a man shoot a woman twice. Witnesses say this happened after an argument. And then we understand that, actually, a member of the Turner security staff then shot the man who had shot the woman.
Now, this happened very close to home, close to the CNN offices here. causing the CNN.com NEWSROOM to actually evacuate at one point. And this happened very close to Pipeline, CNN Pipeline anchor Nicole Lapin's cubicle.
Let's look now at an interview that Richard Lui, another Pipeline anchor, did with Nicole a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD LUI, CNN.COM ANCHOR: Nicole Lapin, who is one of our fellow anchors here at CNN Pipeline, she sits right over here to my left side. This is directly 10 feet away from the door. She was sitting at this seat when this actually happened.
But let me stop talking. Nicole, what did you hear?
NICOLE LAPIN, CNN.COM ANCHOR: I just heard a big bang.
I was sitting at my desk, obviously, doing my work, like all of us here sit. And, right behind us (OFF-MIKE) and turn around here, we just heard a big bang coming once, one big boom. And I thought, you know, maybe it was a car that backfired. Maybe it was scaffolding that fell or something like that.
So, we all got up. And I looked at our colleagues around. And then we heard again, bang, bang, bang. And we smelled the gunpowder. And, so, immediately, you know, I could see somebody running down the escalator. And, obviously, this is glass that was just shattered.
This door, obviously secure. And you need a badge to get in, but who knows that you can shoot through? So, I didn't even know whether to run for my seat or run around here. I'm kind of in the line of fire, you know what I mean? And, so, I just started taking off.
And you could smell it, and you could feel kind of people banging and all of this commotion going on back here. I am still -- my hands are kind of... LUI: No, I completely understand.
(CROSSTALK)
LUI: So, you heard four shots. You were able to smell the gunpowder?
LAPIN: Oh, yes, big time, big time.
LUI: And you were able to see somebody run down the escalators?
(CROSSTALK)
LAPIN: Right. Right.
And, so, you know, how am I going to get out of here, of this little cubby area? This is literally -- my desk is now a crime scene. So...
(CROSSTALK)
LUI: Did you see any of the struggle? We have heard reports, other eyewitnesses saying here from the CNN...
(CROSSTALK)
LAPIN: You know, I really didn't. I really didn't. I just wanted to get the heck out of here.
LUI: Get out of here...
LAPIN: Yes.
LUI: ... to be safe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: So, a lot of the information that we're getting about this shooting comes from CNN employees. It also comes from witnesses, because the way the CNN Center is situated is that there is an atrium, where a hotel is connected to the CNN offices. And also there's a food court and a lot of stores downstairs.
So, let's listen to what some witnesses who saw this all go down. Let's listen to what they had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At that point, we realized it must have been a gunshot that we had heard. And security guards were coming the other way with guns drawn as we were running this way.
So, the kids were pretty shaken up, and it was pretty scary. And it wasn't until we came back in after the fact, and we looked up on the CNN screen that we had learned what had really happened. So, it was... UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How odd was it, in a kind of TV age, to see what you were going through?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, that was the strangest thing, to look up and to see we're in the same place as this is happening.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And it was saying breaking news.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Breaking news.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shots fired.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... CNN building. And we're, like, we're sitting here right now in the same building that's happening.
So, it's really strange. But I was very happy that we were reunited together, because they went outside, and I was still in, because we were separated to get different foods. And it's great to see them, because it was scary. I didn't know what had happened.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you see either the shooter or the victim?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. We just heard the noise. And everybody just ran all different directions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What went through your mind when you heard that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At first, I thought that there was things falling from the building, because the noise, I didn't hear that it was gunshots.
And then somebody just grabbed me and said, you need to go under here into one of the stores, the little place that you eat. And they were all hiding underneath the back. And they said, oh, it's been gunshots. And, so, then I was very worried, because I was separated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: And that's the latest from witnesses, really from tourists who were visiting the CNN Center here in Atlanta when this shooting happened. This happened at about 1:30 p.m. Eastern time. A man shot a woman. A Turner security guard, the people responsible for security of the entire CNN Center, shot the man. At this point, we understand one person is dead. The other person is in extremely critical condition.
And we will bring you the latest on this story as the details continue to develop.
LEMON: Brianna, we go now to Iran, where they look casual, they act casual, but there's nothing casual about their situation.
Fifteen British marines and sailors seen again today in new pictures released by the Iranian News Agency. Iranian forces seized the Brits in the Persian Gulf 12 days ago.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair says the next two days in all of this will be critical.
Let's go straight to CNN's Robin Oakley in London.
And what are the chances of a diplomatic solution in all of this, Robin?
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, less news, Don, is probably good news for those captives. And there's no doubt at all that the tempo has dropped a bit. The two sides are not shouting at each other through the international media anymore.
There's a growing sense of optimism, not that anything is going to happen that fast, but that things are moving in the right direction. First of all, Dr. Ali Larijani, the chairman of the National Security Council in Iran, making softer noises about the captives, saying that Britain's attitude was moving in the right direction. They had no interest in keeping the captives permanently.
That's been matched by gentler words, too, today, from Tony Blair here in Britain.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: All the way through, we have had, if you like, two very clear tracks on this. One is to try and settle this by way of peaceful and calm negotiation to get our people back as quickly as possible. The other is to make it clear that, if that's not possible, then we have to take an increasingly tougher position.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OAKLEY: Diplomats and Middle East experts say that the talks between Britain and Iran are now focusing much more on the technicalities of exactly who was in whose waters and when. And they say there's a much better chance of finding a solution that way that saves face for both sides -- Don.
LEMON: All right, Robin Oakley in London, thank you so much for your report.
KEILAR: Iran's standoff with Britain, Iran's hostility towards the U.S., Iran's connection with Iraq, three complicated and connected relationships.
We talked earlier with our Michael Ware in Baghdad about all of this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There are at least five Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Quds Force officers, still in detention by the U.S.-led coalition here in Iraq. Now, when we say Revolutionary Guard Quds Force, Brianna, think American Green Beret, with a mix of American Delta. I mean, this is among their best of their best, some of their most elite intelligence and covert operatives. And the U.S. has five of them. Originally, America had seven of them, but two were quickly released.
Now, we have seen the release of this second secretary from the Iranian Embassy here in Baghdad. Now, it's long been said by pro- American intelligence agencies in this country that this fellow is one of many in the Iranian Embassy who is really working for the Iranian intelligence apparatus.
Essentially, he's a spy, or he's some kind of agent or operative. Now, what the Iranian Foreign Ministry is saying that it was indeed Iraqis, acting under U.S. supervision, who kidnapped this diplomat in the first place and have now released him.
It's impossible to say if that's true or not, but we do have it from U.S. sources that one of the most likely candidates for making this diplomat disappear in the first place was the U.S.-backed Iraqi National Intelligence Service. This is a very, very murky world, but there's definitely five elite Iranian operatives still in U.S. detention.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: CNN's Michael Ware.
They're not talking directly, but the U.S. is asking Iran for information about a former FBI agent last seen weeks ago on an Iranian resort island.
Let's get the very latest now from CNN's Zain Verjee. She's at the State Department.
Hi, Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Don.
The U.S. is waiting for Iran to respond. The State Department has sent a letter to Iran, via the Swiss government, asking for any kind of information at all on this missing American. Now, our sources are telling us that, when he went missing a few weeks ago, the U.S. government made an informal contact with the Iranians, again, via the Swiss.
The State Department spokesman, Sean McCormack, a short while ago, at the briefing here, said that the U.S. has now made formal contact.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN MCCORMACK, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: We have taken another step now. And that is contacting specifically and directly, via the Swiss, the Iranian government. So, it would be a communication from the United States government to the Iranian government via the Swiss.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VERJEE: U.S. officials say that Iran could take days, if not weeks, to respond to the letter.
The U.S. is insisting that's not he working in any way for the U.S. government. It's really unclear, even, why he was in Iran. Officials say that he was here on this island. It's called Kish Island. And it's off the coast of southern Iran.
Now, the FBI has said and confirmed to CNN that he was a former FBI official. He retired 10 years ago. He was really following organized crime in the United States. And they want to -- to make clear at this point that he was not working in the intelligence community.
And, also, Don, one important point, too: U.S. officials are stressing that there is absolutely no indication, no evidence to suggest that this missing American man is being held by Iranians.
LEMON: Being held by Iranians. Again, some -- about the timing, they may think that it's connected, but they are saying no way it's connected to the British soldiers?
VERJEE: Yes, that's correct. They are saying there's really no link.
And the reason the State Department is giving is -- essentially, is that the American went missing several weeks ago, and the incident with the captive British sailors happened after that.
What the State Department is cautioning, too, though, Don, is saying, look, they are saying, there are a lot of moving parts here. It's really difficult to know exactly what happened. They are extremely sensitive to this case, and they are trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. And it looks, at this stage, unclear. And it will take time before we can get an idea of what happened.
LEMON: All right, Zain Verjee at the State Department, thank you so much for that.
KEILAR: People in Baghdad can stay outside a couple hours longer now and leave their homes an hour earlier in the morning. The government is moving the start of the nightly curfew from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., and ending it at 5:00 a.m., instead of 6:00. That's because of the extra daylight and beefed-up security in the capital.
LEMON: All right, check this one out. It's a bump on the head, major stress at work. Now a Wisconsin man is missing. The strange story is ahead right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
KEILAR: And Maury Povich can wind this stuff up in an hour. So, why the eternity to establish paternity for Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern? We will bring you the latest -- ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
LEMON: Were you rhyming there?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: We are looking at live pictures now out of New Hampshire, where Senator Barack Obama is addressing a crowd there. Of course, we're waiting to find out how much money he has raised in the first quarter of this year for fund-raising. He's being a little coy, hasn't told us about this. But, again, this is him live, speaking with a crowd there in New Hampshire.
LEMON: Yes. And insiders say probably about $20 million. We heard from our Bill Schneider just a little bit earlier. But, officially, he's playing coy.
But here's the thing. They say that, as long as he holds out, Brianna, then he gets a news cycle to himself.
KEILAR: That's right.
LEMON: And, so, they believe that is part of the strategy there, to get the attention on him.
All right. We will move on now and tell you some of things we're working on.
It's 17 past the hour -- a couple of stories we're working on for you right here in the CNN.
A deadly shooting in our own building -- Atlanta police say a man shot a woman in the complex housing CNN headquarters. A security guard then shot the gunman. One person is dead, not clear who. The other is in extremely critical condition. And police say a domestic dispute started all of that.
New Mexico Governor and Democratic presidential hopeful Bill Richardson will soon head to North Korea. He's heading a group that will help bring back the remains of U.S. troops killed in the Korean War.
And under way this hour, a paternity hearing in the Bahamas in the Anna Nicole Smith case -- several men have claimed to be the father of Smith's baby. It's not clear when or whether the hearing will produce answers.
KEILAR: Let's check in with Rob Marciano, who is in the CNN Weather Center.
Last time we checked in with you, Rob, what was it, three tornado warnings you were following?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, three of those. Two have been allowed to expire. That's good news. Still no reports of a tornado on the ground. Good news.
But we still have one tornado warning that is out there, and yet another severe weather watch-box has been posted by the Storms Prediction Center out of Norman, Oklahoma.
All right, we're looking at Indiana, Illinois, and through parts of Missouri, a strong line of thunderstorms. Call this a squall line. And embedded in these squall lines are individual storms that certainly have some damaging weather with them, and a number of reports of hail the size of 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter, and winds gusting 50, 60 miles an hour at times. That's enough to do damage, at least take down tree limbs and knock out some power for sure.
Indianapolis, back through Terre Haute, this is where the line is lining up. It is making slow progress towards the east. We expect that to pick up as we go through the overnight hours.
Here's Saint Louis, some active weather heading through that area, and then this one tornado warning that is still out for part of Dent County right there. This one has not showed a tornado on the ground yet, but, again, looking at the Doppler, they are saying yes -- so a tornado warning out for that area.
So, these watches have piled up now. We just had one issued for parts of Indiana and parts of Ohio. That's out at least through the rest of this afternoon. And now, down to the south, where there's a tremendous amount of heat and humidity built up in the atmosphere, so it's not taking much to trigger some showers and storms around Nashville, Huntsville, and into extreme parts of northwest Georgia. This severe thunderstorm watch is out until I think 8:00 or 9:00 tonight.
So, the area of concern, Brianna, is certainly expanding.
KEILAR: And, Rob, you have been giving people advice, right, to turn on those NOAA radios?
MARCIANO: Always a good thing, if you have got one of those NOAA radios. And, if don't have one, you should go out and buy one eventually. Just turn it on and forget about it, and it will let you know when severe weather heads your way.
KEILAR: It could really mean the difference. Rob Marciano, thanks for that.
MARCIANO: You bet.
KEILAR: Coming up: A bump on the head, major stress at work, but now a Wisconsin man is missing -- the strange story ahead here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: A baby girl may be closer to knowing who her daddy is.
The Bahamian Supreme Court began a hearing last hour in the Anna Nicole Smith paternity case. Three men say they are or might be the father of Smith's daughter, Dannielynn. Her birth certificate lists the late model's partner, Howard K. Stern, as the father, but another Smith boyfriend, Larry Birkhead, insists he is the father. And there are also other candidates
So, whom will the DNA identify?
Well, we're pretty sure it's not Harvey Levin of TMZ.com.
(LAUGHTER)
KEILAR: But, hey, you know, you never really know. Harvey, you are joining us from Glendale, California. We appreciate you being with us, as always.
HARVEY LEVIN, MANAGING EDITOR, TMZ.COM: Hi, Brianna.
(LAUGHTER)
KEILAR: Don Lemon needs to stop laughing. He's out of control.
LEMON: That was a good one, Brianna.
(CROSSTALK)
KEILAR: But, you know, I'm just wondering...
(CROSSTALK)
LEVIN: Why is that so improbable, now that I think about it?
(LAUGHTER)
KEILAR: Well, do you have something to tell us? No.
Hey, you know...
LEVIN: No.
(LAUGHTER)
KEILAR: ... there have been a lot of reports today that we would maybe find out. And we have all been waiting for so long, but TMZ.com reporting that we're not going to find out today, right?
LEVIN: Yes.
Well, I will tell you, there are now some conflicting reports out suggesting that the judge might reveal it. Now we are sold that Dr. Baird, who is the one who performed the DNA test, is not present. And, typically, what would happen is, he would have to authenticate what he did. He's not in the Bahamas right now, and he's not going to be able to make it for a few days.
So, we were told that it can't really happen without him. Larry Birkhead is not in the Bahamas either right now. And I'm told Howard K. Stern isn't at the courthouse.
But there is a report out that the judge might do it. If he does do it, it kind of defies what I have been told, but we will just have to see.
KEILAR: And where is Dr. Baird right now? Where would he be coming from?
LEVIN: I believe he's coming from Columbus, Ohio.
KEILAR: OK.
LEVIN: And I think he's stuck there for a few days.
KEILAR: And that's where they did the DNA test.
Now...
LEVIN: Correct.
KEILAR: ... Howard K. Stern, he has continued to try to block these results from coming out, the release of this testing. Now he's being fined, right? Can -- what can you tell us about that?
LEVIN: Well, basically, the judge -- the judges who heard his appeal yesterday said, look, what you did was frivolous, and we're going to sock you with the attorneys' fees that the other side had to pay in order to fight you on it.
I mean, basically, Stern's lawyer gave up in the middle of the hearing yesterday, realizing it was a goner. And I think, you know, I would not be at all surprised at this point if Stern doesn't mount another challenge. I think that part is kind of over. And it will be interesting to see, in particular, if it's Larry Birkhead's baby, how Howard K. Stern is going to react to it. And I'm not so sure that he will react contentiously.
KEILAR: OK. So, right now, it seems like Howard K. Stern's -- his appeals are just falling on deaf ears. You think that could go on for a little while longer.
Now, if the findings of this DNA test -- obviously, they have got them. Why not just release them? You're an attorney. I know this is Bahamian law. But why not end the suspense?
LEVIN: Well, it's going to happen.
The only issue is, does it happen today or does it happen in a few days, when Dr. Baird is able to make it to court? Again, what I'm told is that Dr. Baird would typically come into court and authenticate, yes, I performed the test. Yes, this is my test result, and explain what he did.
I mean, usually, that's what happens, rather than just kind of like opening the envelope, like it's the Oscars. Although this is the Anna Nicole case, which is more like the Oscars than a courtroom, nonetheless, you would think that somebody would be there to authenticate, you know, some kind of a scientific test.
KEILAR: All right, Harvey, and, real quick, if you were a betting man, who do you think the daddy is?
LEVIN: Larry Birkhead.
KEILAR: All right. All right. well, there you go, from Harvey Levin at TMZ.com.
Thanks for joining us.
LEVIN: See you, Brianna.
KEILAR: Don.
LEMON: All right, a bump on the head, major stress at work -- now a Wisconsin man is missing -- that strange story straight ahead in the CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Hello. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Brianna Keilar, in for Kyra Phillips.
Amnesia is a soap opera staple, but it's also a Wisconsin woman's major fear. Her husband went missing almost two weeks ago, and now she's afraid he can't remember who or where he is.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
LEMON: A developing story we've been following right here in our own backyard, a shooting at the CNN Center.
Let's get straight to our T.J. Holmes in the newsroom.
What do you have for us?
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we want to share with our viewers now some new video we're getting. So often times so many breaking news stories, some of the first people on the scene with just their cell phones. And, in fact, we do have cell phone video that you're seeing here.
This was taken by a CNN contractor, a person who's doing some contract work here. But this is that immediate aftermath. And you can see security officers or Atlanta PD, don't know which exactly these officers are, but with gun drawns on that suspect.
Now, we saw video shot -- that was shot a short time after this that was taken by some of our actual video shooters. But this was some of the -- some video -- some of the first scenes we were able to get video of was from a cell phone. But that's the suspect there on the ground, the suspect who was shot as well.
We do know now that the suspect was shot by a Turner security officer. And again, can't make out exactly who these officers are. Don't know if they are security guards or Atlanta PD. But both -- at least two there have guns drawn on that suspect.
And to remind folks that at least two people here were shot. A man shot a woman during some kind of a domestic dispute, and then that -- that suspect was then shot by security officers. At least one person has died, and another is in critical condition, real bad shape at the local hospital.
We've confirmed that as well. But this is that later video we were telling you about shot by our photographers.
But, yes, you see that scene there. But some of that cell phone video, some of the earlier video, and even closer video. This happened right around the corner, really, from one of our offices, the CNN.com Center which is on that lower level down there.
And again, this is just some of the aftermath of it there. But wanted to bring you some of that latest video that we saw.
Certainly a scary situation, a developing situation here, and details still coming in about exactly what happened here. Again, right literally downstairs from where we are right now here at the CNN Center.
There's that atrium where people are tree free to come and go. And this is the Omni Hotel there straight ahead that you see, and that's where apparently this incident took place over in that area.
But again, just wanted to bring you some of that cell phone video. Again, Don, like we see, so many of these stories, and some of the first reporters on the scene are the folks who are right there who have those video cameras, those cell phone cameras, taking pictures and taking video. So we wanted to bring that to our viewers.
LEMON: Yes, they are the first people on the scene usually nowadays.
T.J., thank you so much for that.
HOLMES: All right.
KEILAR: Let's talk now about a man named Keith Gores. He seems to have fallen off the face of the earth. But there are suspicions and hopes that he may just be in his own little world.
Gores is a 56-year-old investment banker from Wisconsin who has been missing for almost two weeks. His wife thinks he might be suffering from amnesia. And she is joining us now from Milwaukee.
Sara Gores, thank you so much for sitting in with us and taking the time. I know it must be very difficult for you right now.
SARA GORES, HUSBAND IS MISSING: It is, but I appreciate you taking the time to put his picture on the air. I really appreciate that.
KEILAR: So let's talk about what happened here. Your husband went missing on March 22nd. It was a Thursday, and he left for work, but he never made it to work. You said he seemed confused that morning.
What can you tell us about that morning?
GORES: Well, that morning we got up a little earlier than normal. Our dog was sick. And he was just lying around. And he usually leaves for work or gets to work about 7:00, and it was approaching 7:00 and he still hadn't showered.
And so when I asked him about it, he was very confused and said he thought it was Saturday. So he had no idea it was actually Thursday.
So, as soon as he confirmed with me several times that it was indeed Thursday, he hopped in the shower very quickly and went to work. You know, got dressed very quickly, kissed me good-bye and left. And that's the last I have seen of him.
KEILAR: And some other people, right, have reported some other unusual behavior. That he went to an athletic club that morning where he is a member and a friend greeted him but he just looked straight ahead, he didn't really notice. And also, the day before that he went missing he was apparently pacing, right, in the lobby of the bank where he works for an hour? And that obviously seems very bizarre.
Now, some friends -- and also if you can verify this for us -- are pointing to perhaps a head injury that you maybe didn't realize it was so severe at the time?
GORES: right. On February 23rd, he fell on an asphalt sidewalk near our house. And he really hit himself really well.
I was not with him at the time. He came in and said he had seen stars and a white light, but he didn't say -- he didn't know if he had passed out. He did not need stitches and wasn't sick or vomiting, and so we thought, you know, he just has a mild injury, and take two aspirin and he'll be fine. It's only looking back at this and dealing with other co-workers of his that we've all kind of had pieces of a puzzle that we've put together that to us indicate that he was having major confusion the morning he disappeared and may have some sort of brain injury.
KEILAR: And I imagine you have probably spoken with doctors, right, since he's gone missing?
GORES: I have heard from different medical professionals through the police, and they have all -- you know, they said that this can happen. That you can have an injury that manifests itself a few weeks later and can cause, you know, severe confusion.
KEILAR: Now you guys are from the Milwaukee area. His empty car -- your husband's empty car was found at a marina on Lake Michigan, where he's a member of the yacht club there. But his boat is actually still in storage. So this is kind of odd, right? Because the Coast Guard has searched for him, they've found no sign. So where does the search stand at this point?
GORES: Well, we have searched, friends and co-workers and the police have been very actively involved in searching the Milwaukee area. But being that he was so confused, he could be anywhere right now.
My husband is a marathon runner. He completed the New York City marathon in November. He could walk for miles and miles and miles and not even realize it.
And so he may definitely not be in the Milwaukee area any longer. And so that's why we're kind of reaching out to other media just to put his picture out there and just ask people really, if they see someone that looks unusual, confused, he's going to be a little scruffy now. But just take the time to look.
KEILAR: And Sara, we're hoping for the best possible outcome for your husband here. Thanks so much for taking the time. And we hope that putting his picture out there can help you in your search for him.
GORES: Thank you very much.
LEMON: People in Baghdad can stay outside a couple of hours longer and leave their homes an hour earlier in the morning. The government is moving the start of the nightly curfew from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. , and ending it at 5:00 a.m. instead of 600. Now, that's because of the extra daylight and beefed up security in the capital.
Well, every day we tell you about Iraqis killed in terrible ways. We give you numbers and one or two details. But a big detail that's usually missing from the daily casualty reports is the family each victim leaves behind. And every day, for instance, more Iraqi wives become widows, many of whom suddenly face not only loss and grief, but potential starvation.
CNN's Frederik Pleitgen has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): For Naima (ph), working the sewing machine is a challenge. But she needs to master it, she says, so she can find a job and support her family, or face utter poverty.
"Women in this country are housewives. They never go out unless they really have to. I have no education. I was just a housewife," she says.
But Naima (ph) is now a widow. She won't let us show her face out of fear of retribution by insurgents. She says she lost her husband to sectarian violence just a few months ago.
She has eight children to feed, and Iraq has no welfare system. So she's come to Baghdad's widows development and training center to prepare herself for life in the working world.
(on camera): Traditionally in Iraqi society, it's the man who provides the income for the family. So, many of the women who come here have no formal job education. For many of them, this center is their only chance to get the training they need to help them find a job to support their families.
(voice over): The country's Ministry of Women's Affairs estimates up to three million women are now widowed. In many cases, they alone have to rebuild their lives and keep their families together. So the center aims to give them more than just the basic skills.
"Women find a sanctuary here. It changes their psychological situation, their social situation, and their health situation. We also give them a course on social care," explains the center's director.
Funded solely by donations, Ansaf Mohammed (ph) says she hopes some day the center will be able to sell the clothes and blankets to become more self-sufficient. Naima (ph) is committed to not allowing her life to be ruled by sadness since her husband's death. And she hopes this could be the sound of a new future for her and her family.
Frederik Pleitgen, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: A Syrian newspaper calls House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a brave lady on an invaluable mission. The Bush administration disagrees. Pelosi arrived in Damascus today on a visit that President Bush says sends mixed signals to the Syrian government. She's going to meet tomorrow with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, making her the highest-ranking American to meet with the Syrian President in 13 years.
The U.S. accuses Syria of sponsoring terrorists and interfering in Iraq and Lebanon.
LEMON: And Brianna, while never cozy, the American-Syrian relationship hasn't always been ice cold.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON (voice over): Syria has been on the State Department's list of terror-sponsoring nations since the list was created in 1979. Washington has long accused Syria of giving military and financial support to anti-Israel groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.
Syria says it does provide money to these groups but denies providing them with weapons. When former Lebanese prime minister Rafik al-Hariri was assassinated in 2005, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the presence of Syrian forces in Lebanon was at least partly to blame.
President Bush immediately demanded that Syria withdraw its 15,000 troops from Lebanon. While denying any involvement in Hariri's murder, Syrian president Bashir Assad did eventually pull his troops out of Lebanon.
Another very sore point, the war between Israel and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon last year. Both Washington and Israel accuse Syria of arming and funding Hezbollah in the conflict.
As for the war in Iraq, the Bush administration charges that Syria allows insurgents to cross its borders and attack targets in Iraq. Syria denies the allegations.
Surprisingly, there are a few examples of cooperation. Syria joined the U.S.-led coalition in the Persian Gulf War. After 9/11, Syrian President Assad pledged support in the fight against al Qaeda in a letter to President Bush.
One of the key figures in the 9/11 attacks, Mohammed Haydar Zammar, was interrogated in Syria with U.S. knowledge. Last month in Baghdad, U.S. officials sat at the same room with Syrian officials at a regional meeting on finding ways to end the war. American officials said only that Syria did not respond directly to U.S. concerns.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: Let's go to the CNN weather center now and check in with Rob Marciano.
(WEATHER REPORT)
LEMON: And financial or financial abuse? Ahead in the NEWSROOM, college loans that shouldn't get a passing grade.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Some of the nation's most respected universities are learning a painful lesson in student loans. A nationwide probe by New York's attorney general has led to a multimillion-dollar settlement.
CNN's personal finance editor, Gerri Willis, joins us.
Gerri, how many schools are named in this?
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Well, a number. Let me tell you about this.
As many parents already know, loans to college students, it's a very big business. But this $85 billion industry is chock-full of conflicts of interest that has put students at a disadvantage, limiting their lending resources and steering them towards less favorable loans. This according to the New York State Attorney General's Office.
Thousands of students will be reimbursed after an investigation was launched into Citibank's relationship with three dozen colleges and universities. Among them, New York University, Fordham, Syracuse, Long Island University, and other New York State universities. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo says that university officials received favors like fancy vacations in return for exclusively recommending specific lenders to students shopping for private loans. One former student we talked to wasn't even aware there were any other lending options available.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RACHEL SOLOMON, FMR. NYU STUDENT: I was naive and young and excited to go to NYU. And I would, you know, take their word for whatever it was. And if they, you know, suggested Citibank, Citibank it was.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIS: In addition to reimbursing students, the settlement also establishes a code of conduct that bans lenders from giving gifts to schools in exchange for favorable treatment. And while colleges will continue to use preferred lending lists, the college must disclose the criteria and process used to select those preferred lenders.
And finally, college officials won't be able to accept gifts of more than nominal value from lenders.
LEMON: All right. So, Gerri, we know what the problem is. So what do you do if you are a student and you're shopping for a loan today?
WILLIS: Well, students need to know they have choices when it comes to loans. Colleges and universities are required to work with all Department of Education-approved lenders. Make sure you call a number of different lenders and see what kinds of discounts you can get. Go to finaid.com to get a list of the biggest lenders.
LEMON: All right. CNN's Gerri Willis.
Thank you so much for that report. Always enjoy seeing your show.
And we just want to remind you, there's plenty more to this story, and Gerri's putting it all together for you. She'll have a full report tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern on "PAULA ZAHN NOW," right here on CNN.
KEILAR: Well, another day and, unfortunately, another recall on the pet food aisle. What is a confused pet owner to do?
Stick around here in the CNN NEWSROOM and we'll tell you.
LEMON: And forget the snow and wind and thunderstorms around other parts of the country. The nation's capital is in bloom. Isn't it beautiful?
KEILAR: Gorgeous.
LEMON: Chad Myers takes us there straight ahead in the NEWSROOM. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: I know it's hard to believe, but there's another pet food recall. And this one doesn't have anything to do with wheat gluten or melamine. This time it's salmonella. Apparently, Dingo brand chicken jerky treats sold at Target, PetSmart and other stores may endanger cats, dogs and ferrets. Even humans who handle this stuff.
By now, of course, most pet owners aren't sure which products to trust.
CNN consumer reporter Greg Hunter has some answers for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GREG HUNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm at a Petco in Manhattan. They have a whole floor dedicated to dog and cat food. As a matter of fact, they boast one of the biggest selections in the city.
Now, when it comes to this recall, that's made for a lot of work for the folks here. They say they've been working day and night trying to keep the bad stuff off the shelves. And hey, it hasn't been easy for consumers either. Just about the time you think, hey, I can go out and buy my favorite pet food, bam, another recall happens.
So, how can you be empowered to protect your dog or cat no matter what?
Listen up. Here it is.
(voice-over): This is how pet store owner and dog boarder Marcia Habib starts her day, checking the Internet for recalls for both wet and dry pet food. So you got to research this every day.
MARCIA HABIB, OWNER, SUTTON DOG PARLOUR: We have to do it every day. That's the first thing we do every day.
HUNTER: The list on the original recall Web site, menufoods.com. is daunting. There can be dozens of products for each manufacturer on the list. Making things more complicated, there are now at least three more Web sites to check for recalled pet food. Experts like Dr. Ann Hohenhaus of New York's Animal Medical Center still do not know exactly what is poisoning pets in the tainted food.
DR. ANN HOHENHAUS, THE ANIMAL MEDICAL CENTER: I don't think we know what it is. The story is really confusing. So how the rat poison and the melamine both fit into the story is really perplexing and unclear.
HUNTER (on camera): Still a mystery?
HOHENHAUS: Mystery.
HUNTER (voice over): So what should concerned pet parents do? Well, you can check the many Web sites every day for recalled food or when all else fails, you can look for one ingredient that seems to be the string that ties all recalled pet food together.
(on camera): The big headline here for consumers is, if you're worried at all and you don't know if it's on the recall list or not, the main ingredient to look for for a pet owner is...
HOHENHAUS: Wheat gluten.
HUNTER: Number one?
HOHENHAUS: Yes, that's been the -- that's been the offending ingredient that's been common in all of these recalled foods.
HUNTER (voice over): And each and every product is required to list the ingredients.
(on camera): You can check for wheat gluten right here on the ingredient section of your favorite pet food. It's required to be on each and every bag, whether it's dog or cat food.
Now, just because you find wheat gluten doesn't necessarily mean it's tainted, doesn't necessarily mean it's recalled. But according to Dr. Hohenhaus, she says, listen, that's the one strength through this entire recall. If you want to totally protect your pets and not have to worry about checking a Web site every day, just check for wheat gluten and don't feed it to your dog or cat right now.
Greg Hunter, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: If you are a concerned dog or cat owner, get the very latest at cnn.com/petfoodrecall. We've got the complete list of pet foods to avoid. Again, that's cnn.com/petfoodrecall.
LEMON: We want to update our developing story happening here at the CNN Center.
T.J. Holmes has some information for us.
Probably not good info.
LEMON: Yes, it's not good news. We knew that one person had died after the shooting here at the CNN Center that happened a little earlier this afternoon. Well, it appears that the woman who was the initial victim of this shooting is the one who has died, and that word is coming to us from the hospital that has been treating the victims.
Again, two victims here. The first being the woman who was shot by the suspect, and then the suspect who was then shot by a Turner security officer. And it appears now that the woman was the one who, in fact, did die. That confirmed to us by Grady Memorial Hospital, where the two were being treated.
You are seeing video here of the immediate aftermath. That's the suspect on the ground being treat by paramedics after being shot here. And again, this incident was one in fact that appeared to be some kind of domestic dispute over near the Omni Hotel, McCormick & Schmick's restaurant at the Turner souvenir store where this appeared to have happened.
He -- some kind of a dispute. He pulled out a gun, shoots her. A security officer shoots him. But now it appears that the woman, according to hospital officials, is the one who has now died after this incident, Don.
So, just a scary, strange, unfortunate day, and now it appears the woman has died. And one more note for you, Don. It appears from pictures that at least that have been seen -- or were taken here by a CNN employee, that the woman might have been pregnant, or at least she appeared to be pregnant in those -- in those pictures we saw.
So, a sad, sad story, Don. More details to come, I'm sure. That's what we have.
LEMON: Oh, goodness, goodness, T.J. All right. Thank you, sir.
HOLMES: All right.
LEMON: We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
LEMON: The closing bell is about to ring on Wall Street. Susan Lisovicz standing by with a final look at the trading day.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
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