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American Morning

Sailors' Saga; Pet Food Recall; FBI Agent Killed; Student Loan Scandal; President's Preacher

Aired April 06, 2007 - 06:00   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Armed and dangerous. A manhunt right now for a suspected bank robber. An FBI agent is dead. Possibly shot by a fellow agent.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Rescue at sea. Hundreds of passengers scramble off of a sinking cruise ship, including many teenagers from North Carolina.

O'BRIEN: The pet food recall expands again. Now biscuits and chews added to the list. We'll ask the FDA, was profit put ahead of safety.

Live from Washington, Jerusalem, England and New York on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Good morning to you. It's Friday, April 6th. I'm Miles O'Brien.

CHETRY: And I'm Kiran Chetry, in for Soledad. Thanks so much for joining us today.

O'BRIEN: We begin in New Jersey this morning where there is an intense manhunt underway. The FBI agents leading the search for a fugitive after one of their own died in a tragic shootout. Agent Barry Lee Bush was part of an FBI team that cornered three armed men suspected of planning to rob a bank yesterday in Readington, New Jersey. That's about 50 miles west of New York City. Shots rang out. Agent Bush was hit. But this morning, the FBI believes the suspects never fired a round and that Bush was accidentally killed by a fellow agent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PEDRO RUIZ, FBI SPECIAL AGENT, NEWARK: The shot that killed Special Agent Bush may be the result of an accidental discharge from a weapon of an FBI arrest team member.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: So the search is on now for Francisco Herrera-Genao. He is considered armed and dangerous, of course. The other two suspects were arrested. We'll have a live report from the manhunt scene in a few minutes.

Kiran.

CHETRY: A father and daughter are still missing this morning after a cruise ship slammed into rocks off of the Greek island of Santorini. Sixteen hundred people raced off the ship as it was listing and taking on water. Life boats brought them to shore. Most of the passengers on board were American, including dozens from high schools in North Carolina. That ship sank within hours. Right now they are still searching for a 45-year-old man from France and his 16- year-old daughter. They're missing. In a few minutes, we're going to speak with a woman who was on-board that sinking ship.

O'BRIEN: Home sweet home. This morning, those 15 British sailors and marines are back with their families after their two-week ordeal in Iran. And this morning, we'll be hearing from some of them as they speak with reporters in just a couple of hours. Paula Hancocks is joining us live now from Barnstable, England.

Paula, what are we hearing now about what they went through?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, at this point, what we're being told by the MOD officials is that they had have a good night's sleep. They had a meal last night finally with their family and their loved ones. This morning, they're back to being debriefed. Extensive debriefing, as you can imagine. The British military wants to know exactly what happened when they were in captivity. Also, an investigation is being launched into how they were captured in the first place.

We also know that this morning they're undergoing a physical check to make sure that everything is in order. And then in around four hour's time, we'll have a press conference and hopefully be able to speak to those who want to speak to the media on a more personal basis, as well. So the questions we want answered, obviously, those televised confessions, were they coerced, were they in Iranian waters or were they in Iraqi waters.

And also, and even though they said while in Iran, being held in captivity, that they were being well treated, there have been suggestions since they've got back to the U.K. that some of them could be held in solitary confinement. So these are all the questions that, obviously, the British military is asking right now and we will be asking at about 10:00 a.m. Eastern.

Miles.

O'BRIEN: Paula Hancocks, thank you very much.

It looks like thousands of National Guard troops are about to get orders to head back to Iraq. A senior Defense Department official says several National Guard brigades are expected to be sent to Iraq starting around the first of the year. A brigade is about 3,500 troops. That means more than 10,000 National Guard troops could be headed over. According to that official, Defense Secretary Robert Gates is expected to sign off on it soon.

Kiran.

CHETRY: Well, former First Lady Betty Ford said to be doing well this morning after some surgery. Mrs. Ford's office, though, is not revealing what kind of surgery she had. It took place earlier this week. She's recovering at the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California. Mrs. Ford turns 89 on Sunday.

And this morning we know exactly how peanut butter got contaminated with salmonella last year. ConAgra Foods is saying that moisture got into its plant in Georgia from a leaky roof and sprinkler system. That moisture then helped the salmonella bacteria grow and it then got into the peanut butter. More than 400 people were sickened. ConAgra is redesigning the plant, it says, and improving safety procedures.

And more salmonella in foods for pets this morning too. The FDA recalling American Bully (ph) puppy and dog chews. There is a recall of potentially contaminated dog biscuits made by Sunshine Mills of Alabama as well. Wheat gluten is again the chief suspect. It's a thickening agent. The FDA thinks it may contain melamine. A chemical that in large amounts can be toxic to dogs and cats. It's still, though, a mystery of how this melamine got into the wheat gluten and whether or not it was actually enough to cause the deaths of these cats and dogs. CNN's Joe Johns looks at one theory.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): The investigation took a new turn when the FDA told CNN it is looking into whether there could have been a profit motive for deliberately introducing melamine into the wheat gluten. In other words, it may not have been an accident and may have been about money.

That's right. Until now, the assumption has been that this was an accidental contamination, because melamine is used in plastics and pesticides and has no business in pet food. However, the chemical could potentially be used to raise protein levels in the gluten, which could increase the price or make it easier to sell.

DR. STEPHEN SUNDLOF, FDA: That's one of the theories that we have. In fact, that's one of the ones that we are pursuing because, as you indicated, adding something that would increase the protein content of the wheat gluten would make it more valuable. So that's a distinct possibility.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHETRY: All the companies involved have denied adding melamine to the wheat gluten. The Senate is planning to hold some hearings next week on the pet food recall and the FDA's handling of it.

Also, coming up at 8:15 Eastern, we're going to hear more from Dr. Stephen Sundlof of the FDA. He's gong to come on the show to talk to us about why it's taking so long to find out exactly what's wrong with the pet food.

O'BRIEN: Christians all around the world are marking the most solemn day on their religious calendar. It is Good Friday where the faithful pause to remember the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Live pictures now from Jerusalem and the Via Dolorosa, the way of the sorrows. Christians walking the path Christ took as he carried the cross to his death. Later this hour, we will check in with Atika Shubert, who is there, as well. You won't want to miss the conclusion to her series, "The Truth About Jesus."

This morning in Brussels, the ink is just now drying on another landmark report that ratchets up the worry on global warming. The United Nation's report comes from 2,500 of the world's top scientists. Among its findings, melting glaciers could force a billion people to grapple with water shortages in coming years. And if temperatures rise as expected, one-third of all species could face extension. The report says we are already feeling the impact of climate change.

CHETRY: And speaking of warm and cold, the calendar is saying it's spring. It sure doesn't feel like it, though, especially in parts of the Midwest and the Northeast today. Take a look at this scene. That's Michigan, where some areas got more than a foot of snow. That foot of snow shattered records. In New Hampshire, the storm tied up traffic and knocked out power to about 180,000 homes. This wintry weather is expected to last into the weekend. We're going to get a full weather report from Rob Marciano coming up in just a few minutes.

Also head, more on that manhunt in New Jersey for a suspected bank robber. Was an FBI agent killed by one his own? We're going to get a live report on that just ahead.

Also, (INAUDIBLE) on kickbacks. A lot of parents and students are wondering today whether or not they can trust colleges who hand out financial aid.

And remember the Hatfields. Could a rare disease have been responsible for their legendary feud with the McCoys?

Well, you're watching AMERICAN MORNING. It's the most news in the morning here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING.

We want to take you live right now to the manhunt going on for a suspected bank robber. An FBI agent was killed trying to arrest a suspect and he may have been shot by a fellow agent. Tony Caputo is with our affiliate New 12 New Jersey. He's at the PNC Bank in Readington, New Jersey, where all of this went down.

Hi, Tony.

TONY CAPUTO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now, Kiran, good morning.

This was an intense two-week investigation by the FBI here in New Jersey. They were looking into a series of bank robberies in this central New Jersey area. And basically, two of the three suspects were caught, but that one suspect, as you mentioned, they are still looking for this morning. But when it was all said and done yesterday, 52-year-old Special Agent Barry Lee Bush was shot and killed.

Now this was part of the investigation yesterday here in Hunterdon County. A manhunt. Choppers were in the air. Portions of Route 22 were shut down as well. Again, the special agent at that time was shot and killed.

Now, it's believed that the man they're looking for, 22-year-old Francisco Herrera-Genao, is from the New Brunswick area. That's a couple of counties away, in Middlesex County. The two men who were caught are from New Brunswick, 28-year-old Wilfredo Berrios and 21- year-old Michael Cruz, both again from that New Brunswick area, charged with attempted armed robbery.

Now a special agent with the FBI did tell the media last night that no shorts were fired from any of the suspects. Of course, it was friendly fire, if you will, in this case. So certainly accidental, but a real tragedy out here in central New Jersey.

So we'll certainly keep you up to date as they continue their search today for this young man. We'll give you his description quickly. 22-year-old Francisco Herrera-Genao. He's about 6 feet tall, weighs about 200 pounds. The FBI does consider him to be armed and dangerous. Folks in this part of the country are being asked if they perhaps spot him to call the FBI offices in Newark or just touch base with a local police department because you can bet all departments here in New Jersey are looking for him, as well.

That's the latest from here. Kiran, we'll send it back to you.

CHETRY: And, Tony, they think he was able to escape into this wooded area with horse farms in the area, but they had 300, at least, officers surrounding him. Do they think they have him boxed in at least?

CAPUTO: At least that they're hoping so at this point. But that's what's interesting. And a lot of folks around the country may not realize what you just said. They think about New Jersey, they think of the turnpike and all those other things that you might see on a "Sopranos" episode.

But in this case, we're out in central Jersey, a little closer to Pennsylvania. Farmland, wooded areas all around this bank. Route 22 is the one road that runs through this area. So, yes, you would think that he had to get through that wooded area or something to get out of this particular part of New Jersey. Perhaps making his way back to where he's from or believed to be from, that New Brunswick area.

That's why you saw some of that video from last night. Police searching that city. But, again, that's a couple of counties away. How he got there or how he's still out on the loose at this point, that's what FBI agents are trying to figure out.

So again, we'll keep you up to date.

CHETRY: Tony Caputo live for us in Readington today. Thanks. O'BRIEN: Let's go back to that cruise ship that slammed into the rocks off the Greek island of Santorini. Sixteen hundred people raced off the ship as it was listing and taking on water, life boats taking them to shore in some cases. Jennifer Falk of North Carolina was aboard the ship. She joins us now on the line from Athens.

Jennifer, good to have you with us. Describe what happened from where you were.

Jennifer, are you there?

All right. Jennifer Falk, if you can hear me, say hello.

All right. We'll try to get communication established with Jennifer and get her back on the program in just a little bit.

It's about quarter past the hour. Rob Marciano is at the CNN Weather Center. He's watching the weather for us this morning.

Good morning, Rob.

(WEATHER REPORT)

CHETRY: Three major university under fire this morning. Deans and officials accused of steering students toward certain lenders and possibly getting kickbacks in return. That investigation could involve up to 100 colleges nationwide. AMERICAN MORNING's Chris Lawrence has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): An investigation into kickbacks in the college loan industry is spreading to campuses across the country. The University of Southern California has placed its financial aid director of paid leave while it investigates accusations from the New York Attorney General. In a letter to the school, he says there's evidence Cathy Thomas took shares of Student Loan Xpress in exchange for placing it on the University's coveted list of preferred lenders. "Student may have been left with the false impression the company was preferred because it was best for students, when in reality, the company was selected because of its stock grants to Ms. Thomas."

The attorney general says Thomas sold 1,500 shares for a little more than $14,000. Roughly $10 a share. They don't say how much she bought them for. But another administrator under investigation in New York allegedly bought his for just $1 a share.

We asked Student Loan Xpress for an explanation. Its parent company says it's looking into it but didn't own the lender until after these transactions occurred. Five other lenders are under investigation.

ANDREW CUOMO, NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL: Some of the practices are illegal. The investigation is ongoing and we will prosecute these cases. LAWRENCE: At USC, tuition, fees, room and board add up to 50,000 a year. For some families, impossible to afford without loans. So like a lot of schools, USC recommends certain lenders.

CLAY ELLIOT, USC STUDENT: Of course you're going to trust what the university tells you and you'd like to think you're getting the best bank.

LAWRENCE: Some financial aid officers say the problems been exaggerated and families can still count on that fabric of trust between school and student.

Chris Lawrence, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHETRY: Well now the investigation is expanding beyond the universities. A financial aid official at the Department of Education is now accused of selling stock in a lending company that he was assigned to oversee.

Miles.

O'BRIEN: Well, it may have started over a pig or over the Civil War, but a rare disease might very well have helped escalate the feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys. Take a look at the Hatfield clan in 1897. A little family portrait there. Well armed, they were. They famously feuded with the McCoys for years. Now researchers think a rare disease found in McCoy decedents may be why. It causes high blood pressure, racing hearts and to much adrenalin. And those fight or flight hormones, apparently the McCoys often chose to fight. Descendants of the Hatfield and McCoys signed an official truce, you may recall, in 2003. Bygones are bygones, I guess.

Kiran.

CHETRY: How about that.

Well, coming up, he preaches to the president, but do they always see eye to eye? We're going to pay a special visit to a church in the shadow of the White House.

You're watching AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: This Easter weekend, as many Christian attend services around the country, we thought that we'd pay a special visit to a special church. It's in walking distance from the White House. AMERICAN MORNING's faith and values correspondent, Delia Gallagher, visited the preacher who often speaks to presidents, including our current president.

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

CHETRY: Good morning. GALLAGHER: You know, I think a lot of people don't even know that there is a church directly across from the White House and that presidents have worshiped there for some 200 years. And the current president also attends regularly. But if you think you know what sort of sermon he's hearing, think again.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REV. LUIS LEON, RECTOR, ST. JOHN'S CHURCH: The small, beautiful thing. That's what I am called to do.

GALLAGHER, (voice over): Much is made of the president's connections to evangelical conservatives. But the man of cloth who often has his ear is a Cuban immigrant who doesn't always agree with Mr. Bush on big issues.

LEON: I wish they would lift the American embargo because it would remove an excuse for why the system doesn't work. And I think it would be beneficial to the people in Cuba also.

GALLAGHER: Does the president know you think that?

LEON: Yes.

GALLAGHER: You've told him?

LEON: I've told him.

GALLAGHER: What does he say?

LEON: He disagrees with me.

GALLAGHER: For about 13 years, Reverend Luis Leon has been the rector at St. Johns Episcopal Church. The unofficial church of the president sits across Lafayette Park from the White House.

But you wouldn't hesitate to raise a question about our involvement in Iraq, even if the president was in the audience?

LEON: Correct. And I'm in support of same-sex unions. He's heard my position on that.

GALLAGHER: Mr. Bush attends regularly. And ever president since 1816 has come here, at least on occasion. They sit in the president's pew.

LEON: The story is that James Madison wanted to be treated as a regular member of the perish, and so he didn't want the front pew.

GALLAGHER: And they used cushioned kneelers, embroidered with the president's names.

So when he comes to services here, he might be kneeling on Jimmy Carter's kneeler?

LEON: Jimmy Carter's kneeler or his own father's kneeler. Reverend Leon says he usually knows the Friday before if the president will be attending on a Sunday, but he never changes his prepared sermons.

LEON: I figured he would like to hear what everybody else in the congregation is going to hear.

GALLAGHER: But some things he does change.

LEON: I have two shirts here when I know the president's going to come because I get so nervous I've got to change shirts after the 7:45 service.

GALLAGHER: Really?

LEON: So I get that nervous about it.

GALLAGHER: Still?

LEON: Yes. Yes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GALLAGHER: And the revered says that Mr. Bush does always tell him if he disagrees with something he said in his sermon. But the president must not mind. He did asked Leon to give the invocation at his January 2005 inaugural.

CHETRY: Well, talk about the pressure. He's ready to change shirts. And what about security for the other parishioners that want to come worship there?

GALLAGHER: Well, it's kind of interesting. The security, of course, is fairly heavy. But the reverend says, you know, he learns on a Friday if the president is coming to a Sunday and he comes to the early morning mass. But people sometimes know and so security is there and the president has to leave before the others. But otherwise, he goes to communion with the rest of them in the line. He shakes hands with them at the time of peace. So they do get a chance to meet him.

CHETRY: Wow. That is so neat. Thanks for bringing us a little piece of trivia we wouldn't have known about.

GALLAGHER: You're welcome.

CHETRY: Delia Gallagher, thanks a lot.

Miles.

O'BRIEN: The poster child for the sub-prime mortgage meltdown getting a little bit of a bailout.

Ali Velshi, good morning to you. It's about 25 minutes past the hour.

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. This is New Century Financial. We've talked about this company a lot. It was the company at the center of the sub-prime mortgage crisis. It declared bankruptcy on Monday, fired about 3,200 employees. More than half of its workforce.

Now announcing that it has secured about $150 million in financing from another bank. It gets a little complicated. The idea is this allows it to pay those employees it's laying off and its other employees, allows it to pay some creditors and stay in business long enough to kind of sell parts of its businesses off. It's no longer going to be in the mortgage originating business, but it's got some other parts of its business it can sell off so that the whole economic piece doesn't come apart. So a little bit longer for New Century Financial.

O'BRIEN: It's not really a rescue. This is just to stop the hemmoraging.

VELSHI: It's not a rescue. It keeps it going and is seeing if they can get back on track.

Now I don't usual make predictions about the market, but I can today because I know exactly what markets are going to do.

O'BRIEN: Nothing.

VELSHI: Nothing. They're all closed. The major U.S. markets, at least. The stock markets are closed for Easter. It's been a good week, though. It's in a shortened week. Trading was light yesterday. But between the release of the hostages -- the British sailors in Iran, the fact that oil prices are a little lower, a pretty good report on housing. We've got all three indicies closing higher. The Dow had its eighth straight win, 1.7 percent for the week higher. The Nasdaq, 2.1 percent for the week. And the S&P 500 1.6 percent for the week. And that will be it till Monday.

I'll be back in a little bit to talk about this extra, this new bid for Chrysler.

O'BRIEN: Yes, that's a big one.

VELSHI: Yes.

O'BRIEN: Kerkorian loves crisis. He just can't get enough.

VELSHI: He likes cars. He certainly likes cars.

O'BRIEN: He likes cars. It will be interesting.

All right, thank you, Ali.

VELSHI: OK.

O'BRIEN: The top stories of the morning are coming up next.

The manhunt going on right now for a suspected bank robber in New Jersey. A troubling question this morning, was an FBI agent killed by his own man?

And we'll show you why your kitchen stove could be an accident waiting to happen, as you see there.

And we're live in Jerusalem at the stations of the cross. Our series, "The Truth About Jesus" continues. Was this really the path that Jesus walked to his death?

You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Welcome back, Friday, April 6th.

I'm Miles O'Brien.

CHETRY: And I'm Kiran Chetry, in for Soledad.

O'BRIEN: We're watching a developing story this morning, a manhunt for a suspected bank robber heavily armed. And the FBI now says one of their agents was killed by another agent during the chaos of the arrest.

CHETRY: We also have a warning for you, right in your kitchen. A hot stove can easily tip over. Did you see that? Well, some say it only takes about a 50 cent bracket to help prevent it, but chances are, you don't have it.

We'll show it to you.

Also on this Good Friday, live pictures from Jerusalem. They're walking the Stations of the Cross, where believers say Jesus carried the cross to his crucifixion, but not all scholars are convinced that these are the real steps Jesus took.

Our Atika Shubert is there for the conclusion in the Holy Land, searching for "The Truth About Jesus".

O'BRIEN: We begin in New Jersey. The FBI leading the search for a fugitive right now after one of their own died in a tragic shootout.

Here's CNN's Randi Kaye.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was at this New Jersey bank; 52-year-old FBI agent Barry Lee Bush was shot dead. That much, we know. What we don't know is who killed him.

Special Agent Bush and his team were investigating a string of bank robberies in central New Jersey, when they met three suspects head on. A confrontation followed. Late tonight, the FBI says Bush may have been killed by his own man, when another agent's weapon accidentally discharged.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hear the...

KAYE: This was not a chance meeting. The agents were camped out across the street from the PNC Bank in Readington, New Jersey, about an hour west of Manhattan.

Josh Bavosa was inside the bank, when he heard gunshots outside.

JOSH BAVOSA, EYEWITNESS: There was never a bank robbery. There were gunshots outside the bank, on the bank property, but the bank was never robbed itself. Special Agent Bush was medevaced to Newark's University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The FBI will not say if the suspects ever fired their weapons. But Wilfredo Berrios and Michael Cruz were grabbed on the spot, handcuffed, guarded by state police in bulletproof vests, then loaded into separate unmarked cars.

Francisco Herrera-Genao, the third guy, escaped into the woods, police say wearing a sweatshirt, one shoe and carrying a weapon.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a person who we feel is extremely dangerous.

KAYE (on camera): Dangerous, police say, and possibly very experienced. In the last two months, armed men have robbed at least 10 banks in central New Jersey, one of the most recent in North Brunswick, about half-an-hour from where this FBI shooting occurred. The FBI says the men involved in this shooting, may be responsible for four of those robberies.

(voice-over): By early afternoon, more than 100 state and local authorities were involved in a manhunt, SWAT teams, helicopters, bloodhounds. They searched woods, mobile home parks, even a golf course.

Herrera-Genao's second shoe was discovered, but nothing more. Police blocked roads and highways, heavily armed, knowing Herrera- Genao could turn up anywhere.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It gets your blood pressure up. And it gets you -- it's a lot of traffic and it's a lot of nerves. I mean, the locals are all mad, because they can't get in, can't get out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's closed down here, ma'am. You're going to have to go around.

KAYE: Residents were warned to stay home, schools and businesses locked down.

Justin McGlynn (ph), whose grandparents own the garden store where the FBI agents were parked, was out making a delivery during the shootout.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I talked to everybody. Everybody's safe. They're inside, doors locked. I guess the cops are watching them, too. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How are they handling all this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think they're just shaken up right now.

KAYE: Shaken, no matter who pulled the trigger.

Randi Kaye, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: And the search is on for Francisco Herrera-Genao right now. He is considered armed and dangerous.

If you see him, call the police or the FBI in Newark, New Jersey.

CHETRY: Vice President Dick Cheney with some strong words this morning for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her trip to Syria. Pelosi is back -- is on her way back from a Mideast tour. In Syria, she told President Bashar al-Assad that Israel was ready for peace talks. Later, though, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert issued a clarification, saying Israel's policy towards Syria has not changed.

Vice President Cheney called her on it on Rush Limbaugh's radio show.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

RICHARD CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm obviously disappointed. I think it is, in fact, bad behavior on her part. I wish she hadn't done it, but she is the speaker of the House, and fortunately, I think the various parties involved recognize she doesn't speak for the United States in those circumstances.

She doesn't represent the administration. The president is the one who conducts foreign policy, not the speaker of the House.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

CHETRY: Speaker Pelosi is insisting she got it right. She says that she made it clear Syria has to stop supporting terror before peace talks.

O'BRIEN: The firestorm over contaminated pet food that has killed at least 16 pets, probably many more, is growing. An Alabama manufacturer of dog biscuits was added to the recall list yesterday after its biscuits were found to be contaminated with potentially toxic wheat gluten from China.

The Senate next week will hold hearings into the Food & Drug Administration's handling of the recall. And the federal food inspectors are checking to see if a toxic chemical might have been deliberately introduced into the wheat gluten to possibly boost protein levels.

All this as pet owners deal with their pain.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just kept crying to my husband, "I can't believe this. I gave the cat this recalled food.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's not one day that doesn't go by where I don't sit here and tell him that I miss him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I couldn't eat. I felt sick to my stomach. And I just -- I don't know if I'll ever be over this. You know? It's like a parent losing a child.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's been hell. We haven't slept good most days, and I actually missed some work because I just couldn't concentrate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You watch your cat basically die over a period of 12 days, and you're pretty broken up about it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I made the mistake of pouring the little packets on top of her kibbles, thinking that -- just to get her some food. And then -- and not knowing at the time that there was any issue with the food.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: We'll talk with the Food & Drug administration's chief veterinarian at 8:00 Eastern Time. He is heading the FDA investigation into the contaminated pet food -- Kiran.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: All right. Well, you certainly don't want that happening in your home. And there is a danger lurking in millions of kitchens -- stoves tipping over and sometimes causing serious injury. Stopping them, though, is actually pretty cheap and simple.

AMERICAN MORNING'S Greg Hunter is at a New York appliance store with details for us.

Good morning, Greg.

GREG HUNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning.

I'm at Gringer Appliance in the Lower East Side here in New York City, and this is an anti-tip bracket. Everybody agrees that brackets like this should be installed in your stove. What you do is you bolt this down, and your stove slides in, and it keeps your stove from tipping over.

So, why has this bracket been blocked (ph) off, according to one consumer advocate, in 15 to 20 million homes in America? And what do you need to do to keep your family safe?

Take a look. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTER (voice over): That's how fast your stove can become a hazard, because of the absence of this simple little bracket that's supposed to be installed on the back of all electric and gas ranges. It's an easy to install device that bolts down to your floor or wall. You then slide your stove legs into it to prevent it from tipping over.

Robin Wilson, a home renovation expert, explains anti-tip brackets are also cheap.

(on camera): How much do you think this is worth, a dollar?

ROBIN WILSON, ROBIN WILSON HOME: This is worth less than a dollar. I would say 50 cents. And it's a safety measure that's priceless for your family.

HUNTER (voice over): Manufacturers and the government recommend all stoves be bolted down, but it's not mandatory. The consumer advocates at Public Citizen say that's why so many brackets are left off, leaving stoves prone to tip over.

JOAN CLAYBROOK, DIRECTOR, PUBLIC CITIZEN: I'm here today to talk about killer stoves.

HUNTER: Joan Claybrook held a new conference to appeal to manufacturers, retailers and the government to fix the problem that she says has been going on for over 25 years.

CLAYBROOK: We don't know the full extent of it because a lot of people don't report it. But we know that there have been at least 26 deaths and almost 100 injuries.

HUNTER: Like this bad burn in 1995 with a one-and-a-half-year- old little boy. His mother says her son's skin was literally burned off his legs from a boiling pot of chicken soup.

(on camera): So imagine a couple of hot pots on your stove at home, and no anti-tip device installed in back to keep this from tipping over. Watch how little pressure it takes to bring it all down.

(voice over): The mother of the burned child called into the news conference to describe her son's horrific ordeal.

STEPHANIE HAMBLIN, MOTHER OF BURNED CHILD: It was the most horrific thing you could ever imagine your child going through, watching your child going through, seeing the painful procedures that they have to go through in the hospital.

HUNTER: Her boy is almost 15 now and still faces more skin grafts.

CLAYBROOK: Most homeowners who purchase the ranges don't know that the units are not secure, and are unaware that the brackets are necessary.

HUNTER: We asked the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers for comment. They told us, "Manufacturers provide with every new range an effective and reliable anti-tip device that can be easily installed. It is up to the installer and the consumer to act."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTER: Here is a couple of different anti-tip brackets. And, you know, a lot of installers charge $125 to install it. Some people don't realize how important it is. And so, therefore, they just say, oh, I don't need it, I don't want it.

Other installers when they deliver your stove do it out of practice and they don't charge you anything for it. And if you want to find out if you have one of these or not, a simple way to do this is to just take a look at your stove, put the door down and gently push or pull so you don't bust your door. And if it comes up an inch, you don't have one. These things hold the stove flat to the floor.

Back to you guys.

CHETRY: Wow. That is very good to know. And like you said, it's a cheap, quick fix if you -- if you can do it yourself.

All right, Greg. Thanks so much.

HUNTER: I can hear -- I can hear you're going to go home and check yours.

CHETRY: Yes, I am going to try that, actually. Thanks.

HUNTER: I did, too.

O'BRIEN: Just make sure you do it with the oven off.

CHETRY: Right.

O'BRIEN: All right.

The spring thaw has turned into a spring freeze just like that.

(WEATHER REPORT)

CHETRY: Welcome back.

All this week, we've been looking for "The Truth About Jesus," and we've been live in the Holy Land. We went to the Garden of Gethsemane, where it's believed that Jesus was betrayed by Judas. Also, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which sits on the land where Jesus is said to have been crucified and buried.

Now, part of Jesus' path marked today on Good Friday, the Stations of the Cross. There are 14 points along the way of sorrows. It's a route in Jerusalem where it's believed that Jesus was condemned to carry a cross, was crucified, died and was buried. Christians from around the world are in Jerusalem today to walk that very same path.

CNN's Atika Shubert is along the path of the Way of Sorrows now.

And Atika, how many people have you seen? We can see them passing in front of you now that have been coming all day long today.

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They have been coming all day long. We've already seen thousands of people come. Another group is coming just now. And what you see behind me is actually just regular traffic in the Old City.

So, as you can imagine, it's getting completely jammed. But this is the way that many Christians believed Jesus walked to his crucifixion.

Groups like this have been coming every day now -- I mean, every hour now to reenact his death, as they believe took place on his way to his crucifixion. They stopped along the way at the Stations of the Cross, and those are events that they believe took place during his final hours.

But even though so many Christian pilgrims come and do this every hour today, historians and archaeologists say that this is probably not the exact route that he took, because the streets have changed over the centuries. And biblical scholars also say that those Stations of the Cross were probably more of a church invention to spread the gospels that were only put into the Jerusalem hundreds of years after the death of Jesus. But clearly, it is still a very emotional and spiritual journey for many of these Christian pilgrims who come here -- Kiran.

CHETRY: How long does it take for most of the people to follow the Stations of the Cross?

SHUBERT: Well, normally, on a clearer day, it would take you perhaps half an hour stopping at the various stations. But today, because the streets are so crowded, it's likely to take well over an hour.

CHETRY: CNN's Atika Shubert along that way today on this Good Friday.

Thank you.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Quite a David and Goliath story this morning when a would-be robber picked a fight with the wrong woman on a Rhode Island street. Lillian Hlywka faced her six foot 205-pound attacker with the help of adrenaline and a lot of guts. Now the (INAUDIBLE) grandma relives her ordeal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LILLIAN HLYWKA, VICTIM: I seen him, and I said, "What do you want?" I said, "There's nothing in it." If I could have reached him, I would have given him a good kick. I was shaking like a son of a gun.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Now that suspected robber is behind bars. Lillian wasn't hurt, and her husband Mike says she's a good woman -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: She's tough. Don't mess with Lillian.

CHETRY: That's right.

O'BRIEN: Chrysler gets an offer in the billions from a maverick financier.

It's three minutes before the top of the hour. Ali Velshi "Minding Your Business".

Mr. Kerkorian loves cars.

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Loves cars. He's 90 years old, but he keeps bidding for these car companies.

Kirk Kerkorian has made now what is believed to be the fourth bid for Chrysler. DaimlerChrysler, on Tuesday, confirmed what we all knew, that it's in talks to sell its U.S. division to Chrysler, sort of admitting the failure of this thing after -- after all these years.

O'BRIEN: By the way, he looks great there.

VELSHI: He's going to be 90 years old this year.

O'BRIEN: Is that recent tape? Is that recent tape?

VELSHI: That's a good question.

O'BRIEN: Yes. All right. He still looks good.

VELSHI: But he's going to be 90.

Now look, he bid $4.5 billion for Chrysler. Now, some of the other bids are believed to be a little higher. But remember, last year, he got out of his stake in GM.

He wanted GM to merge with Nissan and Renault. He bought up to 10 percent of the stock in GM and then sold that. He claims he lost almost $9 million on that. Back in 1998, Kerkorian was also the largest shareholder in Chrysler back then, before the merger with Daimler.

So, these are the other people who are said to be bidding on this -- Blackstone Group, which is thought to be bidding almost $4.7 billion; Cerberus Capital Management -- these are both private equity groups -- Magna International, which is a publicly traded Canadian auto parts manufacturer, which is sort of in every part of the industry; and Tracinda Corporation, which is - which is Kirk Kerkorian's operation.

Interesting. Four serious bids for Chrysler. Some estimates say it could be over $5 billion.

And the thing for shareholders out there is that the stock is as high as it's been since about 1999, and it's lifted GM stock along with it. There's hope in the auto industry.

O'BRIEN: It's interesting. It's interesting how much interest there is...

VELSHI: Right.

O'BRIEN: ... given all we heard about...

(CROSSTALK)

VELSHI: So, there might be a deal coming soon with Chrysler.

O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you, Ali.

VELSHI: OK.

O'BRIEN: Let's go to Rob Marciano and take a quick look at the weather before the top of the hour.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: On to dangerous. A manhunt right now for a suspected bank robber. An FBI agent is dead, possibly shot by a fellow agent.

CHETRY: Rescue at sea. Hundreds of passengers scramble off a sinking cruise ship, including teenagers from North Carolina.

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