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Freed British Military Recount Experience in Iran; New Candidates Could Still Enter 2008 Presidential Race; Pet Food Recall; Dangers of Global Warming
Aired April 07, 2007 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
The news is unfolding live on this Saturday, the seventh day of April.
Hello to you all.
So glad you could be here.
I'm T.J. Holmes.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, everybody.
I'm Betty Nguyen.
Snow in the South?
It is April, folks, but who else is getting the chill but those who are not expecting it?
And it is a big chill. We'll have the details.
HOLMES: Also, plucked from the raging waters of the Colorado River. We'll show you this just crazy video. That's coming up.
NGUYEN: Also, protecting your pet from contaminated food. In 20 minutes, you can hear what one veterinarian thinks you should do.
You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
HOLMES: Well, a lot of us dreaming of a white Christmas didn't get that, so how about dreaming of a white Easter, because you just might get that?
And that applies even if you're well south of the Mason-Dixon line. Unseasonably cold temperatures produce springtime snow in the nation's capital right in the middle of the Cherry Blossom Festival.
Washington certainly not alone, though. Knoxville, Tennessee, we want to take you to now, where forecasters were expecting up to an inch of snow in the East Tennessee mountains. Check that out. Also snow flurries fell as far south as Atlanta. Temperatures in some parts of North Georgia plunged into the 20s, as low as they've been on this date in a century. NGUYEN: Well, April snow is a little more common in the north. Even so, though, well, this picture is worth a thousand words. Check it out -- the boys of summer got a taste of winter in Ohio. Yesterday's ball game between the Cleveland Indians and the Seattle Mariners was called off in the fifth inning, T.J.
HOLMES: In the fifth.
Springtime, is it coming -- well, this is supposed to be springtime. I should be asking you about it coming back, Reynolds, because it should be here already.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It should be here.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: Check this out -- in Houston, a dramatic rescue. The Coast Guard pulled four people to safety after their boat was swept over a 150-foot dam on the Colorado River. Now, among those airlifted from the boat, two boys, ages five and seven. One of the boys and another boater were taken to a hospital and last hour I spoke with Coast Guard Officer Addam Eggers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADDAM EGGERS, U.S. COAST GUARD: It was extremely difficult. By the video, you can see it's extremely difficult to even actually see the boat because of the amount of water coming over the dam. So that poses an immediate threat to, actually, the people on board, too, because if they get swept off that boat, now you're talking a whole another situation and a whole different scenario of danger that comes involved with trying to rescue someone from a moving river.
NGUYEN: Just looking at this video, especially when you see the water just raging there, 150 feet down, are you surprised that they even survived this?
EGGERS: It's -- it's one of those things that we always have amazing survival stories to come along with, you know, some of the tragedies that we have to deal with every single day. So I'm just thankful, especially coming up to a holiday weekend, that, you know, everyone on board was able to be taken off safely.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Recent rains have swollen the Colorado River, making the rescue even more dangerous.
HOLMES: Well, in New Mexico, another dramatic scene to show you. A passenger train rushes headlong into a blazing wildfire. It did this on purpose, too. High winds whipped the flames across brush land and onto the tracks, and the railroad officials say the conductor was aware of the fire, but an emergency stop might have put the train in the middle of those flames, so he made the call to go for it.
The fire burned about 50 acres before it was put out and apparently everybody on the train and the train made it through OK.
NGUYEN: Good news there.
Well, in Nashville, dozens of people are homeless this Easter weekend after a huge fire. The blaze, near Nashville's airport, destroyed 64 apartment units and damaged nearly a dozen others. High winds made it tough for firefighters to get a handle on the fire. One person did suffer smoke inhalation and two firefighters suffered minor injuries.
The cause of that fire? Well, it's still under investigation, but authorities say it may be cooking related.
HOLMES: Five Iraqi police officers killed today in a suicide car bombing at their checkpoint north of Baghdad. Two U.S. soldiers were killed and seven wounded in a bomb blast around the capital.
Now, this comes amid a new coalition offensive in the southern city of Diwaniya. It's called Operation Black Eagle, led by Iraqi soldiers and supported by U.S. troops. The military says the Iraqi forces called in an air strike after residents reported militia members armed with rocket propelled grenades in the area. Three insurgents there were killed and 27 people detained.
New details now on a suicide truck bombing in Ramadi. The truck was packed with chlorine gas cylinders. Ramadi's police chief says the explosion killed at least 35 people and spewed toxic gas into the air. Forty others were injured. Many of the victims were women and children.
NGUYEN: New salvoes this morning in the war over the war. President Bush using his weekly radio address to pressure Democrats to approve $100 billion to fund the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars without attaching a timetable for troop withdrawal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: For our troops, the clock is ticking. If the Democrats continue to insist on making a political statement, they should send me their bill as soon as possible. I will veto it and then Congress can go to work on a good bill that gives the troops the funds they need, without strings and without further delay.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: The Democrats, meantime, are calling on President Bush to compromise. Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean says it is time for Mr. Bush to end what Dean calls his "my way or the highway" rhetoric.
HOLMES: In Afghanistan, NATO-led troops are trying to oust the Taliban from a southern province. A NATO commander says troops with helicopters attacked Taliban strongholds and found weapons and munitions. This the latest in a month-old offensive in Helmand Province involving 5,000 NATO and Afghan troops. NGUYEN: The British sailors held captive in Iran, well, they are talking about their experiences. And they say don't believe everything you heard them say earlier.
HOLMES: Also, can bits of broken glass help inspire a broken city?
Stay here for a special Easter story for New Orleans.
NGUYEN: And, are you still waiting for someone else to jump into the race for president?
HOLMES: No.
NGUYEN: Well...
HOLMES: No more, betty.
NGUYEN: ... some (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
HOLMES: No more.
NGUYEN: ... may be considering whether it is too late to take that plunge.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, it is about quarter past the hour, so here's a quick look at what is happening right now.
Prosecutors have filed negligence charges against the captain of the "Sea Diamond" and five other senior crew members. The cruise ship ran aground and sank off of an island in the Aegean Sea. Two French passengers are still missing.
And folks in the Southeast woke up to an unseasonable sight, and that would be snow. That's right, a spring cold snap produced overnight flurries as far south as Atlanta.
HOLMES: Well, amid heavy criticism, Republican presidential candidate John McCain is retreating now from a controversial claim about security in Iraq.
After a recent visit to one of Baghdad's outdoor markets, Senator McCain claimed that some Baghdad neighborhoods are now safe.
Critics quickly pointed out that McCain was accompanied by armed troops and helicopter gunships. And, as you can see, wearing his flak jacket, in these pictures.
In a "60 Minutes" interview that will air on CBS tomorrow, McCain now says he misspoke.
NGUYEN: With some of the early frontrunners stumbling, other potential candidates are still thinking about getting into the 2008 presidential race. So, is there still time to mount a serious challenge?
Well, CNN's senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, has been looking into that very question.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): Is it too late for a sleeper candidate to get into the presidential race?
The chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party says...
KATON DAWSON, CHAIRMAN, SOUTH CAROLINA REPUBLICAN PARTY: If they're sleeping, they'd better get awake real quick.
SCHNEIDER: It might not be a problem for well known figures like former Senator Fred Thompson.
DAWSON: I've certainly seen a lot of excitement for Senator Thompson.
SCHNEIDER: He's a TV star. No problem with name recognition.
RICH GALEN, MULLINGS.COM: More people will watch Fred Thompson every week on "Law and Order," 20, 25 million if you include all of the versions of it, than will vote in total in the primary season.
SCHNEIDER: Newt Gingrich has name recognition and a following. So does Al Gore, and an Oscar winning movie, to boot.
Is there money out there for a new candidate?
Sure. You can only give $2,300 to a candidate, but you can give to more than one candidate.
GALEN: For most people who are in a position to give $2,300, they can write another check for $2,300.
SCHNEIDER: Right now, only about a third of Republicans and Democrats favor the frontrunners in their parties, Rudy Giuliani and Hillary Clinton. Many polls have shown Al Gore running third among Democrats and Gingrich or Thompson third among Republicans. It looks like voters are open to new choices, especially Republicans. Fifty- seven percent of Republicans want more choices. Fifty-seven percent of Democrats say they're satisfied with the choices they now have.
DAN BALZ, "WASHINGTON POST": The Democrats would like to have the 2008 election held tomorrow, if they could do it.
SCHNEIDER: Are Republicans unhappy because their leading candidates are not conservative enough?
This strategist says that's not it.
GALEN: My sense is that it's not so much an ideological fight as it is an argument over who can win this thing. SCHNEIDER: This time, it may not be about ideological litmus testing in either party. More likely, it'll be about finding a winner.
Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
HOLMES: All right, that high stakes battle between Congress and the Justice Department has apparently claimed another casualty. Monica Goodling has quite her job as counsel to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, effective today.
Goodling gave no reason for her departure, but she recently refused to testify before Congress, which is investigating the administration's decision last year to fire eight U.S. prosecutors.
NGUYEN: Is the pet food scare the result of a conscious choice by some companies to increase their profits?
HOLMES: Also, a little later in the NEWSROOM, the politics of global warming -- how did it affect this week's report on climate change?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, that pet food recall, it seems, has expanded by the day. Each day, we hear more and more. And now, a troubling new question.
HOLMES: And that question is was the chemical that's behind the recall placed in the pet food intentionally?
The latest now from CNN's Joe Johns.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When will it end?
Del Monte Pet Products announcing it is extending its recall to a variety of treats, snacks and beef sticks for dogs. The company called it "a precautionary measure." Another day in what could turn out to be the largest pet food recall in history. And the one thing everyone can agree on is that a chemical called melamine was found in wheat gluten that was used to make the food.
The chemical simply isn't supposed to be there, but it appeared at levels of 6 percent or higher, which would be considered a very large amount if this were a random, in other words, accidental contamination.
All of the companies that bought or sold the gluten deny adding melamine. But one theory FDA investigators are exploring is whether the melamine was introduced intentionally into the wheat gluten.
Why would somebody do that? (on camera): One answer is that this whole thing could have been about money. In other words, to make it look like the wheat gluten had higher levels of protein than it actually did, and therefore could be sold for more money.
(voice-over): That's right, more protein is considered good. So, hypothetically, at least...
DAN WATTS, PH.D. NEW JERSEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY: But you're trying to convince your customer that you have higher quality protein than you actually have.
JOHNS: Dan Watts is a chemist with the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He says melamine is rich in nitrogen. Protein is rich in nitrogen. High levels of nitrogen would make wheat gluten appear to have lots of protein. But the chemical wouldn't actually raise the protein levels at all.
So basically the theory FDA is investigating is that someone could have been trying to run a scam, with no reason to believe any pets would get sick as a result of it.
WATTS: And not necessarily setting out to do anything that was going to be harmful, perhaps setting out to do something that was a commercial fraud.
JOHNS: Until now, no firm research has ever suggested that melamine could be harmful to dogs and cats. And the government is still not certain whether the chemical itself has actually killed or sickened the pets, or if melamine is actually a so-called marker for some other toxic substance.
The research is spotty and there's not even a basic clearinghouse to track all the pets sickened or killed. The FDA has turned to one indicator, though -- the chain of 600 Banfield pet hospitals across the U.S. plugs information into a database every time an owner shows up with a sick pet.
Banfield says it has seen a 30 percent increase in the number of cats diagnosed with acute or chronic kidney failure compared with a normal period. But the hospital group says it's difficult to extrapolate from that how many pets have been sickened or killed.
The FDA says it has received more than 12,000 calls from pet owners about tainted food. But it doesn't break out how many have actually been affected.
DR. KAREN FAUNT, BANFIELD, THE PET HOSPITAL: We will never know the total number of pets that were affected by this. There's just no way.
JOHNS: Like the FDA, Banfield says it is starting to see fewer reports, so the worst for pet owners might be over. But the FDA is just beginning to get to the bottom of why pets all over the country got sick or died from eating contaminated foods.
Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
NGUYEN: All right, whether it's a scam or not, we want to get some expert advice for pet owners.
And for that, we turn now to New York and Dr. Diane Levitan, a veterinarian.
Doctor, the first thing I want to ask you, is it seems like every day there are more types of food added to this recall list.
And that being the case, should pet owners out there be worried about any food because there could be the potential case that that would be added to the list just as well as the other ones have?
DR. DIANE LEVITAN, VETERINARIAN: Of course, everybody is a little concerned. And they should be. But I think if everybody just really checks their labels for wheat gluten products, I think we don't have to really be concerned if it's not in there.
And I think we also have to remember that a very small number of pet foods have been affected overall.
And so check the Web sites, you know, check CNN's Web site. Ask your veterinarian and keep on top of what's being reported.
But I think overall, we're relatively safe and I do see that -- a big decline in the number of cases right now, as well.
NGUYEN: Well, we will talk about those cases in just a second, but I do want to remind our viewers that, as you mentioned, we have a complete list at cnn.com and at the bottom of the screen, you are going to see the exact names of those different types of pet food on that recall list, and we'll be showing that throughout the morning.
But doctor, back to these specific cases, have you treated any of those cases and what are you seeing?
LEVITAN: We have treated several cases in our center on Long Island. And I know of a lot of colleagues who also have treated suspected cases.
The one thing I want everyone to really understand, though, is that the symptoms that we see and the -- and kidney failure is not an uncommon thing and that we can't always attribute it to the food.
So we need to look at those cautiously.
NGUYEN: Now, and we talk about melamine, this being the culprit. But I've spoken with other veterinarians who say that that's not really not what they would view as what's causing these animals to get sick.
LEVITAN: You're right. I don't think we really know exactly what the cause is. We do know that they have found melamine. We do know the common denominator is the wheat gluten. But we don't know specifically what the actual toxin is, because historically, we don't know of melamine to cause these things that they have been causing, the kidney failure.
NGUYEN: All right, and so when these pet owners are watching all of this play out and it continues just to unravel day by day, let me ask you about this.
What kind of symptoms do they need to be looking for, aside from kidney failure?
LEVITAN: Well, kidney failure has symptoms of vomiting, lack of appetite, increased thirst and urination. Again, those are symptoms of lots of other problems. But the second your concerned, you've got to see your family veterinarian. They'll help you square that away right away with a simple blood test.
NGUYEN: Do you think the FDA is doing enough?
We're hearing that the Senate is going to actually hold hearings into this investigation.
Should the FDA have done more or did it step in just in time?
LEVITAN: I think the FDA did the very best they could with what they were given. There's very little information to disseminate, but everybody wants some information.
So as to how quickly they responded, I'm not positive I could tell you that it wasn't quickly enough, but the news has done a great job. Veterinarians have done a great job about telling people what's out there. The FDA's Web site is all inclusive. And I think they're doing the very best with what they can right now.
NGUYEN: And for the pet owner at home who is watching and seeing this long list, it's about, what, 1 percent of the dog food and cat food out there. But yet there's still a lot still on the market that supposedly is safe.
So what should people do? Should they just go with what's not on the list or should they be very cautious and go ahead and boil their own food, make their own food, maybe go organic?
LEVITAN: You know, a lot of people want to go out and make their own food, and for the short-term that may not be a very bad idea.
But long-term, it could really lead to malnutrition and improper nutrition for their pets. So as soon as this all gets squared away, hopefully in the next few weeks, we'll all feel very confident again about pet foods.
But I still think there are lots of very safe pet foods out there. Ask your veterinarian. They'll give you the best advice of what they would recommend for you to use.
NGUYEN: Dr. Diane Levitan, a veterinarian herself. We appreciate your time today.
Thank you.
LEVITAN: My pleasure.
NGUYEN: Well, we have posted the entire pet food recall list on our Web site. You can check it out, cnn.com/petfoodrecall. And, again, we do want to remind you to check the ticker running at the bottom of your screen. We are listing all of the affected brands.
HOLMES: Those British sailors are telling their stories about being held in Iran. The experiences quite different from what the pictures first portrayed.
NGUYEN: And what sets this week's report on global warming apart from those that you have come by before?
We'll show you that.
HOLMES: And you'll find out what the stars of "The Sopranos" are saying about the start of their final season.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM everybody.
So glad you're with us this morning.
I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: You're very chipper today, T.J.
HOLMES: I know. It's a good day.
NGUYEN: Good morning, everybody.
It is a great day.
I'm Betty Nguyen.
Glad to have you with us this morning.
Well, the fight over global warming, it is heating up.
What impact will the latest report have on efforts to change behavior?
HOLMES: And, Tony and the family...
NGUYEN: Tony.
HOLMES: ... getting ready for the final season of "The Sopranos." Find out what the stars are saying about their experiences on this highly publicized and much watched and talked about show.
NGUYEN: But in the meantime, the crisis is over. The war of words, well, that's still going strong.
Now that they're back home, 15 British sailors and marines say they were in Iraqi waters when they were captured by Iran. That's what they said all along, despite what you saw on the television.
Iran, which freed the Britons earlier this week, continues to contend that they were trespassing in Iranian waters.
Now, CNN international correspondent Matthew Chance sorts it all out.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Back on British soil, the sailors and marines captured by Iran are setting the record straight. On Iranian television, they confessed to trespassing. Now, the senior officer among them categorically denies it.
LT. FELIX CARMAN, BRITISH ROYAL NAVY: Let me make absolutely clear, irrespective of what has been said in the past, when we were detained by the IRG, The Iranian Revolutionary Guards, we were inside internationally recognized Iraqi territorial waters.
CHANCE: Throughout nearly two weeks of captivity, the 15 British personnel were paraded on Iranian television. The images and the words were chosen carefully.
CAPT. CHRIS AIR, BRITISH ROYAL MARINES: We were seized at this point here from the maps. On the GPS they have shown us which is inside of Iranian territorial waters.
CHANCE: The group was often shown together eating meals. At one point they were even pictured looking relaxed and playing chess. But the reality was very different. Now free to speak, they say they were blindfolded and stripped.
UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER: I think some of us feared the worst in that situation, hearing weapons being cocked and not having any awareness, being blindfolded and our hands bound.
CHNE: They say there were threats, too and they were given a stark choice.
CARMAN: We were interrogated most nights and presented with two options. If we admitted that we strayed, we would be back on a plane to the UK pretty soon. If we didn't, we faced up to seven years in prison.
There was no mention of mistreatment when Iran's president shook hands with the captives after releasing them. Iranian media have dismissed their latest statements saying British Prime Minister Blair must have put them up to it.
FAYE TURNEY, BRITISH ROYAL NAVY: We had a very pleasant stay and liked the conditions we were in. CHANCE: But at least now it appears things for the British captives in Iran may not have been quite as they seemed. Matthew Chance, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson is leading a bipartisan delegation to North Korea this weekend. They want to bring home the remains of U.S. servicemen killed during the Korean war. Richardson is a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and he went on a mission to North Korea during the Clinton administration. He is also a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination.
NGUYEN: A chilling report this week on global warming. A panel of U.N. experts makes dire predictions about the effects of man-made climate change. And some experts say the report was even bleaker before it was watered down by politicians and bureaucrats. CNN meteorologist Rob Marciano reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): February's report from a United Nations panel on global climate change was just the tip of the iceberg. It concluded that global warming is real. It's getting worse and that human activity is driving it. And a follow up released Friday in Brussels offers new details on the devastating effects climate change will likely bring to bear on humans, animals, and the environment.
MARTIN PARRY, IPCC CO-CHAIRMAN: We're no longer arm waving with models that this may happen. This is what we call empirical information on the ground. We can measure it.
MARCIANO: Perhaps the most troubling finding is that by the end of the century, floods will permanently displace hundreds of millions of people as low-lying coastal areas are swallowed up by rising sea levels.
ROBERT CORELL, CLIMATE SCIENTIST: With a meter are or two of sea level rise, we're likely to see hundreds of millions of what we are calling environmental refugees, people who no longer can live where they have lived for maybe thousands of years.
MARCIANO: The report predicts that where it's wet and hot, insect-born diseases such as malaria will explode. Where it's dry, it's likely to become much drier. And some water supplies will vanish, notably the glaciers and the Himalayas, the key water source for hundreds of millions of Asians. The deserts will expand.
JAMES HANSEN, EARTH SCIENTIST: Already we're beginning to see in the western United States that it is becoming drier and hotter. And if we go down the path of business as usual, we can expect basically permanent drought in the western United States.
MARCIANO: Another grim finding is that the world will see a spike in endangered species with a wave of extinction from coral reefs to polar bears.
CORELL: Our study in the Arctic suggests that polar bear is on its way to extinction during this century in the most likelihood. And the reason for that is that they live on the ice. They get their food off the ice. They snatch the seals through small air holes. And now most of that ice is no longer there and will disappear.
MARCIANO (on-camera): Next month another key section of the report will be released. And it's going to provide some much-needed guidance as to what we humans can do to stop global warming. And even scientists who fear the worst say it's not too late to avoid some of these nightmare scenarios. Rob Marciano, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: We've heard dire warnings about the environment in the past. I spoke with Lester Brown from Earth Policy Institute about what set Friday's report apart from all those others.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LESTER BROWN, EARTH POLICY INSTITUTE: There's a sense of urgency in this report that we haven't been getting before because we're beginning to see more of the effects of climate change. We see it in everything from ice melting to much drier weather in the southwestern United States before. For example, we have a situation in the southwestern United States where we're already using virtually all the water that is available. And, yet, the population is growing. It it's getting drier, apparently and will get even dryer in the future.
HOLMES: Well, you talk about the confidence in the sense of urgency in this report. But another thing this report is being criticized for by a lot of the scientists even is that some of the language was negotiated and some of it toned down, not by the scientists but by the politicians. So doesn't that or how does that, do you think, going to impact and hurt the credibility of this report?
BROWN: Well, I'm sure that's the case. And it -- it doesn't affect the credibility of the report but it does reduce the overall effect of the report. Because if you tone it down, it sounds as though it's not very -- it makes the issue sound not so important. But, in fact, even with a toning down, it's still coming through pretty strongly.
HOLMES: Is it clear to you, certainly there is some debate out there, not clear to everybody, but is it clear to you that global warming, this is our fault? This is humans' fault, still some back and forth. But do you think it's clearly our fault and we need to move on with that assumption?
BROWN: I don't think is any question about that and that's clearly the case within the scientific community. There are more than 1500 scientists that have contributed to the IPCC series of reports that are being released of which this is the most recent. And they're one voice on this. It's outsiders who are trying to find fault with it. But these are the best climate scientists in the world. HOLMES: What about those folks out there who say, you know what, the earth just goes through a process. We don't fully even understand everything sometimes that earth goes through. It's going through another natural cycle. Did you give any credence to that argument?
BROWN: I really don't. It's true that we've had wide fluctuations over long periods of geological time in the past. But what we're looking at now are changes within my adult lifetime, for example and looking at a continuation and an acceleration of these changes in the future. I mean the evidence is pretty clear now. If you look at something like ice melting, for example, which is something that is very measurable, it's quite clear that ice is melting almost everywhere in the world, whether it's the arctic sea or Antarctica or the Himalayan ice sheets and this has all sorts of consequences.
HOLMES: No matter what we talk about, every big argument and debate, decision like this often money is a factor. And a lot of people say that if you make industry make certain cuts, drastic cuts to different standards in emissions and what not, you're going to end up hurting some industry, hurting some consumers, hurting the economy. Should that even be a part of this conversation in your opinion?
BROWN: No question but that we need to make adjustments and people will be affected by those. The only thing that would be worse than that is not making the adjustments and have the whole world in serious trouble facing unmanageable and perhaps climate change spiraling out of control.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Again, that was Lester Brown from the Earth Policy Institute. Not every scientist thinks climate change is a crisis. We'll speak with one of the skeptics in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM. Find out why one atmospheric scientist from the University of Alabama thinks people might, might be overreacting.
NGUYEN: Do want to show you some pictures just coming in to CNN on this Easter weekend. We have a church fire in New Castle, Indiana to show you. This is St. Anne Catholic Church. The fire broke out there according to firefighters on the scene around 8:00 a.m. this morning. But it was under control after 3 1/2 hours. You can imagine the flames that they were battling today. Those firefighters are still working to put out some hot spots. But for the most part, this fire is under control despite the smoke that you see coming out of the chapel. St. Anne's, again, in New Castle, Indiana. We don't know what sparked this fire. But it comes at an unfortunate time for many parishioners as this is Easter weekend.
And on this weekend, can glass mosaics from the Vatican inspire a city in need?
HOLMES: The healing power of broken glass. That's ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) NGUYEN: Happening right now, you can see the smoke still billowing. This is tape coming into CNN of a church fire in New Castle, Indiana, the St. Anne Catholic Church to be exact. Not exactly what they were expecting on Easter weekend. What we do know is that this fire started about 8:00 a.m. Eastern time. It burned for about 3 1/2 hours before firefighters were able to get it under control. But they are still, as can you see, working to put out the hot spots. Again, new video just coming into CNN. The church obviously is heavily damaged because of this. And as soon as we get more word on exactly what caused this fire, we'll bring it you to. So far, no word of any injuries as a result of it.
HOLMES: Also want to tell you about a landmark trip to North Korea that's about to get underway. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson is leading a bipartisan U.S. delegation to the North Korean capital. They're scheduled to arrive in Pyongyang tomorrow. The trip's focus, recovering the remains some of American soldiers killed in the Korean War.
Also, another space tourist heading for the heavens. Software engineer Charles Simonyi is scheduled to blast off afternoon aboard a Russian spacecraft for the international space station. Reports say Simonyi, who developed Microsoft Word paid up to $25 million for the 13-day trip.
NGUYEN: I hope he gets more than just peanuts on that flight.
Easter is the season of hope and renewal. And it is a message people in New Orleans are especially eager to receive. CNN's Susan Roesgen explains how a unique art exhibit from the Vatican is helping restore the soul of the city one tiny chip at a time.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For 500 years Italian artists have labored over tiny bits of broken glass. Like jigsaw puzzle pieces, each shape and color must fit perfectly with the next. It can take one artist working six hours a day six days a week more than six months to finish just one mosaic masterpiece. This is the mosaic studio at the Vatican in Rome where artists restore the ancient mosaics on the ceiling and walls of St. Peter's basilica and that was the only place you'd be able to see them until now.
(on-camera): The Vatican mosaics have never before been exhibited outside of Rome and New Orleans is their one and only stop here in the United States, a city that appreciates fine art now more than ever.
(voice-over): Who could have imagined such fragile beauty in a city that has suffered so much destruction?
MONSIGNOR CROSBY KERN, CURATOR: I want them to look at this and feel something beyond the stone that is on that mosaic.
ROESGEN: The New Orleans Catholic archdiocese asked the Vatican for permission to display the mosaics here two years before hurricane Katrina. Now the mosaics seem to mean more in a city where people are looking for inspiration and hope.
KERN: You talk about rebuilding with brick-and-mortar. That's true. But who rebuilds the soul of a people? I think that's where the museum community comes in. It's a respite from the ugliness that we see. And also, it's an inspiration to capture, perhaps, what we had before but to be even better.
ROESGEN: Susan Roesgen, CNN, New Orleans.
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NGUYEN: And this Easter weekend the challenges, struggles and revolution that came by way of Christianity. CNN presents "After Jesus, the Earliest Christians." That is tonight and tomorrow at 8:00 and 11:00 p.m. Eastern. You don't want to miss it. It is right here on CNN.
HOLMES: And the NEWSROOM continues at the top of the hour. Fredricka is here. It seems like the whole place just lights up when you get here.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Aren't you sweet? That's so nice. Good to see you guys. Happy Saturday and happy Easter weekend.
NGUYEN: That's right.
WHITFIELD: All right, you guys heard about the new global warming report. 2500 scientists say the globe is getting warmer and we are to blame, 2500 scientists. So why then one scientist in Alabama says he takes issue with some of the things in the report. We're going to talk to him live in the noon hour.
Also, imagine this -- you're in the hospital. You get spinal surgery. You come out of the surgery. Everything seems to be fine. You're feeling good, then you have an overnight scare. Your wife is with you. They're in the hospital. But they can't find a doctor to attend to this overnight scare.
NGUYEN: In the hospital?
WHITFIELD: Yeah, it's a physicians' owned hospital.
HOLMES: Can't find a doctor.
WHITFIELD: That's right. So the wife has to spring into action to help carry out life saving procedure and then called 911.
NGUYEN: Inside the hospital?
WHITFIELD: You're in the hospital. The outrage, the tragedy, all of that coming up in the noon Eastern hour.
NGUYEN: Outrage is right.
HOLMES: She called 911 so they can take you to the hospital, right?
NGUYEN: But you're already there.
WHITFIELD: Usually the way it goes.
NGUYEN: Try explaining that to the 911 operator.
HOLMES: Thank you. We'll see you then.
Also, it's become a can't-miss event for a lot of folks. Just ahead, find out why this year's season of "Sopranos" comes with an invitation you just cannot refuse.
NGUYEN: Also, we'll get the latest on the chilly holiday forecast right after this.
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NGUYEN: All right., bada bing, HBO's mob drama "The Sopranos" is being snuffed out this year. You're a big fan.
HOLMES: A huge fan and our Sibila Vargas also a fan first. She reports now on the hit series as it prepares to say arrivederci (ph).
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COURTESY HBO: for a guy like me, high profile guy, dead or in the can.
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They redefined family television. As HBO's long running dramatic series, the "Sopranos" premiers its final episodes starting this Sunday night. It marks the beginning of the end of an era in prime time.
Almost as soon as the "Sopranos" debuted in 1999, the show became a hit with both critics and fans, earning Emmy nominations for outstanding dramatic series and generating previously unheard of ratings for HBO. Series creator David Chase says the success of the "Sopranos" has more than exceeded his expectations.
DAVID CHASE, SERIES CREATOR: It's our goal to be able to do a show where people couldn't guess what was going to happen next, where you wouldn't be ahead of the plot because you've seen it 50 times. I hoped that it turned out that way.
VARGAS: Eight years, dozens of awards and nearly 80 episodes later, the show's cast recently gathered in New York to celebrate and say good-bye. Edie Falco who plays Tony Soprano's long suffering wife Carmela says working on a series was an experience unlike any other.
EDIE FALCO, "CARMELA SOPRANO": This is really hard. I never had a job for 10 years before, any job. And I have grown very attached to these people.
VARGAS: For viewers, the "Sopranos" became appointment television, a Sunday night tradition. AIDA TURTURRO, "JANICE SOPRANO": One of the things is when people say, wow, we all get together with our family and watch it or our friends. And in that way, bringing people together to watch the show, it brings like family together.
VARGAS: The "Sopranos" also brought new attention to HBO which in turn allowed the network to develop other successful original series including "Sex in the City" and Deadwood."
LORRAINE BRACCO, "DR. JENNIFER MELFI": I really hope in my heart and believe in my heart that we raised the bar.
MICHAEL IMPERIOLI, "CHRISTOPHER MOLTISANTI": I think people have become more willing to take risks with programming.
VARGAS: Craig Tomashoff, "TV Guide's" resident expert on all things "Sopranos" agrees.
CRAIG TOMASHOFF, TV GUIDE: The "Sopranos" didn't shy away from language or subject matter. It just made it a little freer I think for all of TV to be a little bolder. (INAUDIBLE) like the perfect example I think of the "Sopranos" legacy. They only have to do 13 episodes in a year. They can really push the boundaries of topics and language and get more attention.
VARGAS: And while fans will certainly be paying attention to the way things end for the "Sopranos," creator David Chase, it remains an unfinished symphony.
CHASE: We're still shooting the last one and we've yet to edit three, four or five of them. So I can't really say that I'm completely satisfied. It's still a work in progress.
VARGAS: Sibila Vargas, CNN, Hollywood.
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NGUYEN: Well, you know what else is a work in progress, the situation with the weather outside. We're turning to our own mob boss, Reynolds Wolf here with the latest.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We're still seeing some scattered snow showers in parts of the great lakes still. In Cleveland, they're trying to get a baseball game, two in fact today but will the snow be in the way? We'll have to keep an eye on that for you.
Also in Michigan, the UP as well as the southern half of the state seeing some scattered snow showers, all lake effect activity. And in the lone star state, Betty's home state, mind you, they're seeing the mix of some thunderstorms, not severe but certainly causing some wet conditions along I-35, Dallas, some sleet and also some snow back in Amarillo and Lubbock. Question is, what can you expect for Easter morning in terms of snow, precipitation or even cold weather? Coming up next hour, we're going to take a big look at your forecast coast to coast. It's all moments away. Let's send it back you guys at the -- not really the news desk.
NGUYEN: The plexiglass desk.
WOLF: That's why I'm over here.
NGUYEN: You are a geek, self professed.
WOLF: Truth hurts, man.
HOLMES: Reynolds --
WOLF: I'm going to go cry over here in the corner.
HOLMES: We'll see you shortly.
NGUYEN: He gets paid big money for that, folks.
HOLMES: There's a lot more ahead on CNN -- no more sulking by Reynolds. We got other stuff to tell you about. You'll hear from a scientist who's skeptical about the conclusions reached in the latest report on global warming.
NGUYEN: And at 1:00, "In the Money" explains why your car may cost more depending on where it's from.
HOLMES: And keeping up (ph) or legal theme, examine the case of a woman who is the victim of a hoax that appeared in a Web site classified ad.
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