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CNN Saturday Morning News
The Life and Career of Monica Goodling; The Latest News About Global Warming; British Troops Tell Their Side; Gonzales Preps; Pet Food Recall Expands
Aired April 07, 2007 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, good morning from the CNN Center here in Atlanta.
It is Saturday, April 7th.
I'm Betty Nguyen.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm T.J. Holmes.
We're still trying to get ourselves together here and get adjusted on a cold morning in Atlanta.
NGUYEN: Whoo.
We're going to tell you about that. I wasn't ready for this.
HOLMES: I wasn't either. But we've only got, apparently, a few days to deal with it and then it's going to be done. But it's cold for now. We will get into weather. We're going to be talking about that a lot this morning.
Also, we're going to be talking about a high risk rescue on the Colorado River. Look at this. We're going to show you more of this dramatic video of the Coast Guard.
NGUYEN: My goodness.
HOLMES: That video is just into us. We're going to share this with you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were blindfolded, our hands were bound, we were forced up against a wall.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: You are also going to hear a lot more from Britain's released captives, compelling details of their two week ordeal in Iran.
HOLMES: Also, feeling the heat -- some frightening moments for passengers on a train as it speeds through a blazing wildfire.
NGUYEN: And pet owners on edge this morning. That list of contaminated pet food products is still growing and we're going to get you up to speed right here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
But first, we want to show you this dramatic rescue. Check this out. Video coming to us out of Texas overnight. Four people in a boat dropped 150 feet over a dam on the Colorado River. Two children among those who fell.
Now, the Coast Guard was able to swoop in and save them, but two people were taken to area hospitals. Their conditions are unknown this morning.
HOLMES: Well, as we say, the calendar says spring for us, but much of the country, the weather is holding onto winter. This is a stretch of Interstate 80 in Pennsylvania, where drivers had to deal with some slippery conditions there. A lot of folks didn't deal with them too well. More than two dozen cars and tractor-trailers slide into each other, shutting down this busy interstate.
No serious injuries reported there. That's some good news. Also, we need to take you to Knoxville, Tennessee for some overnight video here. That's snow, plenty of it, in April, yes. Forecasters say they expect freezing temperatures across the state this Easter weekend.
NGUYEN: So, let's check the weather outside this morning.
We were hearing -- I did not see it -- although I hear, Reynolds, there was snow even in the Atlanta area, just a little bit.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Very little. Yes, just a little tiny spritz of it, but it is kind of -- kind of startling to see if you're out driving about in Atlanta and you happen to see that. It doesn't happen too often this time of year in the deep south.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HOLMES: All right, we've got some video to show you here out of Nashville. A huge apartment fire there. About 40 folks were tossed out into the cold by this rapidly spreading fire. And by the time this was over, 76 units were damaged or destroyed. Fire officials think it may have started as a kitchen fire in one of the units.
We showed you those pictures of the fire, that video. And now we're showing you a live look out of Nashville of that aftermath. You can see those flames are out, but my goodness, that place, certainly a lot of it destroyed. Like we said, at least 76 units. So that's what it looks like this morning. A lot of people trying to put the pieces back together certainly going to be going back to check and see if there's anything they can salvage there.
Also, more video to show you, and some pretty scary video here out of New Mexico.
You see that train down there at the bottom?
NGUYEN: Oh, yes, headed into the fire.
HOLMES: He's going for it.
NGUYEN: Wow!
HOLMES: This is a high speed passenger train racing into a wall of flames. The train operator chose to keep going rather than take the risk of stopping right in the middle of the blaze.
All right, we'll trust his judgment.
NGUYEN: OK.
HOLMES: Well, the passengers say they could actually feel that intense heat...
NGUYEN: Really?
HOLMES: ... as they ran...
NGUYEN: Inside the train?
HOLMES: ... through the fiery gauntlet. But the operator made the call and I guess it all went fine.
NGUYEN: I guess if it was a high speed train, at least they got out of there quickly.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: And it's going to get there on time, that's one thing for sure.
All right, well, remember her, Monica Goodling, now the former counsel to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales?
Well, she abruptly resigned from her post yesterday and Goodling chose to invoke her fifth amendment right against self-incrimination rather than testify before Congress about the firing of eight U.S. attorneys.
Her resignation letter didn't give any details about why she left her job.
So who is Monica Goodling?
Well, CNN's Brian Todd has that.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She's at the center of the U.S. attorney firing scandal, but Monica Goodling, seen here in pictures from a law school reunion, has apparently gone underground.
ALBERTO GONZALES, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm not going to comment on the decision by a -- an employee at the Department to exercise her constitutional rights.
TODD: Goodling's decision to take the fifth has angered the chairman of the Judiciary Committee.
SEN. PATRICK LEAHY (D), VERMONT: If she feels that what she has to tell us would subject her to criminal -- criminal prosecution, well, that raises some really serious questions.
TODD: Goodling's attorney taking the fifth could also be intended to protect her innocence. That's all we hear from Goodling or her attorney. Neither returned our calls.
Who is this woman?
No traces of Goodling at her suburban Virginia home. Neighbors say they don't know her. But a former colleague at the Justice Department tells CNN no one outworked Monica Goodling. That person was part of what's described as a core group of Goodling's close friends. Other current and former Justice Department colleagues describe a woman who was abrupt, who ruffled feathers among U.S. attorneys and others.
But a close friend at Justice says that's because Goodling was unfailingly honest and might have sometimes been too direct.
As for her earlier career, classmates at Messiah College in Pennsylvania describe her as relentlessly hard-working, driven, a loner.
Goodling, seen here in the college yearbook, became editor of that publication by her junior year, at one point writing in a thank you passage to colleagues: "You guys more than anyone felt my anal retentiveness for perfection and quality."
(on camera): From there, it was on to Regent University Law School in Virginia, the first Bush campaigns and then the press office here at the Justice Department. Monica Goodling's upward arc from there, according to colleagues, was meteoric.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
HOLMES: Back home after nearly two weeks in Iranian captivity. For those of you who may have missed this story, it happened yesterday. Some of those British sailors and marines held in Iran met the press to talk about their ordeal, the capture by Iranian forces and the isolation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. FELIX CARMAN, BRITISH ROYAL NAVY: We were blindfolded, our hands were bound, we were forced up against the wall. Throughout our ordeal, we faced constant psychological pressure. Later, we were stripped and then dressed in pajamas. The next few nights were spent in stone cells approximately eight feet by six, sleeping on piles of blankets.
All of us were kept in isolation. We were interrogated most nights and presented with two options. If we admitted that we had strayed, we would be back on a plane to the U.K. pretty soon. If we didn't, we faced up to seven years in prison.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The troops also faced some criticism back home over those televised confessions they made. They explained that and the question of whether they were in Iranian or Iraqi waters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAPT. CHRIS AIR, BRITISH ROYAL MARINES: We knew what we were going to be asked before, because we were interrogated before. And they were asking us to say similar things. And if you listen to the interview I gave, I -- myself and several others -- were very specific in what we said. We never admitted we were in Iranian waters. We were very clear about that.
We just said that there were differences and discrepancies between the charts they'd shown us and the ones that we knew we had correct (ph) and just that a mistake had been made. We didn't say who had made the mistake, but I think everyone knows who.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: They went on to say their navigation systems clearly showed they never strayed into Iranian waters.
Well, also avoiding another incident, U.S. military leaders making sure they don't fall into the same trap as the British.
But what will that take?
A closer look coming up in just about 20 minutes.
NGUYEN: All right, now, though, there has been yet another pet food recall.
HOLMES: Yes.
So exactly how did all this pet food get tainted?
Could it have been a tactic to trick consumers intentionally?
Sit, stay. Good viewer. We've got some answers for you.
NGUYEN: Oh, the e-mails are coming in.
And a heavyweight report on climate change. Scientists forecast disaster -- Josh.
JOSHUA LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Betty.
Yes, you know, we're hearing about famine, flooding, even extinction. And we're being warned that all of those things could come from global warming. But we're wondering is it really within our control to prevent that?
I'm Josh Levs.
I've got that coming up. It will be right here on CNN -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right, thank you, Josh.
We'll see you shortly.
And then a little later, they're calling it a mural of hope. Thousands of displaced residents in Louisiana are flocking to an exhibit on loan from the Vatican.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: The strongest warning yet now to tell you about, about the human causes of global warming and what it can mean for survival. The report from a panel of scientists worldwide, predicts everything from bigger storms to more wildfires to famine.
For what the report holds, we turn to our CNN meteorologist, Rob Marciano.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): February's report from the 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 release 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 COCHAIRMAN: We're no longer arm-waving with models. This might happen, right?
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 or two of sea level rise, we're actually going to see hundreds of millions of what we will call environmental refugees -- people who no longer can live where they had lived for maybe thousands of years.
MARCIANO: The report predicts that where it's wet and hot, insect-borne 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 in the Himalayas, the key water source for hundreds of millions of Asians. And 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 suggested that the polar bear is on its way to extinction, during this century, in 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 VIDEO TAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, there is so much information about global warming out there and more that is coming out, it may be difficult to make sense of it all.
So Josh Levs joins us this morning with a reality check.
And the great thing that I heard there is that they may be able to do something about it, there may be a chance that we can actually help reverse this.
LEVS: That's what we wanted to look into. Yes, exactly. Because, you know, global warming is so huge and obviously it's affected by humans, but there are also forces of nature. So that was the big question, and Rob touched on it there. That's what we want to look into today for you, is this question -- can some of these things really be avoided?
And what leading scientists are saying is when you look at the doomsday scenarios, yes, some of the biggest and scariest events can be avoided.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
LEVS (voice-over): You've heard the pronouncements.
AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is the most dangerous crisis we've ever faced.
LEVS: And the claims that some scientists have proven it's a hoax. SEN. JAMES INHOFE (R), OKLAHOMA: Are they all wrong and you're right?
LEVS: The world is getting warmer. There's really no dispute about that. The vast majority of the world's leading scientists, including 2,500 involved in the U.N. report, say humans are contributing.
But how much of it is really our fault?
That's unclear. There are forces of nature beyond our control. Still, these scientists say we can help, primarily by curtailing greenhouse emissions like carbon dioxide from sources like factories and tailpipes.
The U.S. is the biggest emitter.
DANA PERINO, DEPUTY WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: It is the United States that has had better performance in terms of reducing greenhouse gases, with a stronger, growing economy, than many of the other countries, I think most of the other countries who signed onto the Kyoto agreement.
LEVS: But U.S. greenhouse emissions have gone up. The most recent figures from the Environmental Protection Agency show that in 2004, they jumped 1.7 percent.
The U.N. says some other countries, such as Australia, have increased emissions even more. But Britain and France are among those cutting emissions.
Experts say global warming will keep happening. The goal is to limit it and prepare.
SALVANO BRICENO, STRATEGY FOR DISASTER REDUCTION: It's reducing vulnerability while adapting to extreme hazards.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
LEVS: And so the U.N. is calling on government policy makers all over the world to start doing both of those things.
But you know what else is going to happen next, is that the U.N. this same group of scientists is now going to come up with a report, Betty, that will tell people like you and me, and people -- individuals all over the world -- some things we don't know already that we can do to help avoid these kind of scenarios on our own.
NGUYEN: So we can take part in it.
Just as long as you don't away my hair spray, we're OK.
No, I'm kidding.
LEVS: We'll get your hairspray. Trust me.
NGUYEN: I'll do what it takes, even if it means giving up the hairspray.
Thank you, Josh.
LEVS: Thanks, Betty.
NGUYEN: So, get your coffee brewed and ready for the half hour, because we have a live conversation with one of the leading authors of this report. Wagg live to Austin, Texas -- one of my favorite towns -- to talk with a biology professor who says we still have time to change, but not much.
HOLMES: Every little bit helps, Betty.
Thank you for that help with the hairspray.
Thank you. Thank you.
But we're going to be talking about a big fish here next. Big guy, didn't like the fisherman too much. It attacked the guy.
NGUYEN: Wow!
HOLMES: We'll have this fish tale for you, coming up next.
NGUYEN: And was the toxic substance found in that recent pet food recall deliberately added?
We'll tell you what the FDA is saying.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: You know, a lot of folks have got those big fish stories?
Well, here is one that a guy can actually prove. He's got some scars to prove this one. A Florida man caught a whopper. There he is, that whopper. And he caught him not even trying. It seems a 57- pound king mackerel just jumped into the guy's boat.
Josh Landin (ph) and his friends were actually reeling in a smaller fish when the big one just jumped up, trying to get a free meal. The five foot fish thrashed around, taking several bites out of Landin (ph). Yes, he has those scars to prove it.
As for the fish, it is now crabmeat.
Betty, that's a five foot fish. That fish is taller than you are if you stand it up, actually.
NGUYEN: Would you stop it?
HOLMES: No, I mean...
NGUYEN: That's not true.
Let me just tell you something, OK? I caught a 17-pound salmon one year.
HOLMES: Right. Right.
NGUYEN: How about that?
HOLMES: Right. Sure thing, Betty.
NGUYEN: I was 14 years old.
HOLMES: Sure thing, Betty.
NGUYEN: Don't mess with me.
Anyways, OK, we're going to move on to talk about pet owners, because many of them, T.J. like yourself -- which you should be, but I don't think you are -- are on edge. So many questions now about what is safe to feed your pets. And now there are new concerns about how it all happened.
How did melamine get in the food and was it intentional?
CNN's Joe Johns takes a look.
(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 quickly 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. 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, so we have posted the entire list, including those additions, on our Web site. You can check it out at cnn.com/petfoodrecall. And we want you to look at the ticker running across the bottom of your screen. We're listing all of the affected brands and it will be there throughout the morning.
HOLMES: All right, and some of those pet owners trying to actually put a price on their lost pets.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why are you a part of this lawsuit?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, for the company to feel a little bit of the sting, you know? I mean they've basically poisoned our cats.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Yes, but will the courts see it that way?
We'll have that part of this story later on CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Plus...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Hi.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, you've heard of all kinds of ways to pull out a loose tooth. This viewer showed us his way, with a bow and arrow. We should have a disclaimer up that says please don't try this at home. We're going to have this story for you, coming up, as well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
GERRI WILLIS, PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR (voice-over): OK, so you want to buy a used car. Fire up that computer. Start with Edmunds.com and Kbv.com. That's the old Kelley Blue Book online.
At those sites, you can read up on the cost of ownership, including maintenance. Now, if you're buying used, you'll definitely want to find out a car's history of accidents. So, grab what they call the VIN number from the dashboard. Plug the VIN number into the search engine at Carfax.com. On that site, you can get a complete rundown on the car. The $25 fee is well worth it.
(on camera): I'm Gerri Willis and that's your tip of the day.
For more ideas, strategies and tips to save you money and protect your house, watch "OPEN HOUSE" today, 9:30 a.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right. So is a new climate change report just the tip of a melting iceberg? Some scientists say they were pressured to water down their findings. How much worse are the predictions? We'll explore that. In the meantime we do want to welcome you back to the CNN SATURDAY MORNING show, I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: And I'm T.J. Holmes. So glad you all could be here with us this morning. First, remembering their time in Iran. Some of those 15 freed British sailors and marines meeting the media, talking about being handcuffed and blindfolded, then being used as tools for the media. They also discuss the beginnings of their ordeal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAPT. CHRIS AIR, BRITISH ROYAL MARINES: We are aware that many people have questioned why we allowed ourselves to be taken in the first place and why we allowed ourselves to be shown by the Iranian authorities on television. Let me be absolutely clear. From the outset, it was very apparent that fighting back was simply not an option. Had we chosen to do so, then many of us would not be standing here today, of that I have no doubts. The Iranian navy did not turn up lightly armed. They came with intent, heavy weapons, and very quickly surrounded us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The U.S. military, looking for ways to avoid that same kind of trap. CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The U.S. Navy is urgently reviewing all operations in the Persian Gulf, making sure what happened to the British does not happen to it.
ROBERT GATES, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: We have asked for -- asked the chairman through the commander of Central Command and others to examine our procedures, and make sure that, first of all, that we're playing well within the baselines, just like the British were, and that our sailors are properly protected against any similar kind of activity.
STARR: U.S. Navy officials tell CNN with 20/20 hindsight, there may have been two critical decisions that left the 15 Royal Navy sailors and marines virtually alone, and unprotected. First, HMS Cornwall, with its guns, was too far away to help. The British say there was a reason for that.
LT. FELIX CARMAN, BRITISH ROYAL NAVY: Not only should she not have been closer to us, but she physically could not have been. The water in the area where we were captured was too shallow.
STARR: And the (INAUDIBLE) helicopter overhead had left the scene at some point to return to Cornwall. It came back, only as trouble broke out. That left the young British troops outmanned, and outgunned by the heavily armed Iranians, who rammed their boats, and then captured them.
MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: They were left high and dry in the sense that there was not enough force there to react to what they were presented with.
STARR: The U.S. and its allies vow to continue patrolling the Persian Gulf to protect Iraq's vital offshore oil terminals and watch for illegal activity. But the U.S. Navy's guard is up, way up.
ADM. MICHAEL MULLEN, U.S. CHIEF OF NAVAL OPS: We've got procedures in place which are very much designed to carry out the mission, and protect the sailors who were there. And I would not expect any sailors to be able to be seized by the Iranian navy -- or the Iranian Republican Guard navy.
STARR (on camera): U.S. and Royal Navy officials say they're not at war with Iran, and had no reason to expect a sneak attack. The British troops say, they had to make the difficult decision to surrender, rather than risk a shooting war they felt they couldn't win.
Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Want to tell you about a deadly explosion and chlorine gas attack in Iraq. The suicide truck bomber was carrying chlorine gas cylinders and detonated his explosives at a police checkpoint in Ramadi yesterday. The explosion killed at least 35 people and spilled chlorine gas into the air, 40 more people were injured. Many of the victims were women and children. The U.S. military says insurgents have used chlorine in several attacks.
Well, here's another sign of troop shortages in Iraq. National Guard units in three states are being told they could return to Iraq around the first of the year. The orders would include up to 13,000 troops in Oklahoma, Indiana, and Arkansas. If deployed, it would be the first full-time National Guard combat brigades that were sent back for a second tour.
HOLMES: All right. Betty, airline flights often cancelled because of foul weather.
NGUYEN: Right.
HOLMES: But how about foul language.
NGUYEN: What?
HOLMES: It happened in Las Vegas. I know what you're thinking, a crazy guy just got through partying, got on the plane and start cussing like crazy? No. Passengers in first class overheard a Northwest pilot using some pretty raw language on a cell phone. Well, when a passenger scolded the pilot, he allegedly let loose even more profanities. Police were called in. The pilot yanked off the plane. Flight had to be cancelled. And the feds say they won't take action until Northwest announces whether it will punish the pilot.
NGUYEN: That's interesting.
HOLMES: All right. Well, I've been yanked off many shows because -- no, just kidding.
NGUYEN: Oh, I'm sure you have.
HOLMES: Just kidding. Well, America's City of Brotherly Love now. They lost some of the love. Philadelphia now leading the nation in homicides for this year, 104 people have been killed there since January, which averages out to more than a person a day. Two much larger cities come in at second and third, first 90 homicides so far in Chicago, and in New York, 89.
NGUYEN: Well, want to get you back to that pet food recall. Most people consider their cats and dogs a member of their family. But many grieving pet owners affected by the pet food recall are finding their priceless companion could be considered almost worthless according to the law.
CNN's Keith Oppenheim reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): About three weeks ago, this seemingly healthy big orange cat named Phoenix (ph) suddenly and inexplicably got extremely sick.
DAWN MAJERCZYK, PET OWNER: All his organs were shutting down.
OPPENHEIM: Within days, Phoenix was dead. Then his owner, Dawn Majerczyk, heard about a recall of tainted pet food. She said she soon discovered the pet food that had been pulled from stores was exactly what she had given her cat.
MAJERCZYK: I just kept crying to my husband: I can't believe this. I gave the cat this recalled food.
OPPENHEIM: Now Majerczyk is doing more than grieving. She's suing, taking action against Menu Foods, alleging the manufacturer delayed announcing a massive recall of dog and cat food, despite knowing its products were contaminated.
JAY EDELSON, ATTORNEY: The heart of this case is that people entrusted the safety of their pests to Menu Foods and to other retailers, and that trust was broken.
OPPENHEIM: Chicago attorney Jay Edelson is representing Dawn Majerczyk and about 200 other clients in a class-action suit, all trying to recover damages for their sick or deceased pets.
EDELSON: They want to get to the bottom of this. They do want Menu Foods to have to be held responsible.
OPPENHEIM (on camera): Did you have any idea why Freddy (ph) was getting sick?
BEN DELONG, PET OWNER: No. We had no clue.
OPPENHEIM (voice-over): Ben and Jennifer (ph) Delong are also clients of Edelson. They had three cats. They say two, Rita (ph) and Merv (ph), ate small amounts of tainted cat food and survived. But the third, Freddy (ph), ate more and died of kidney failure last month.
(on camera): Why are you a part of this lawsuit?
DELONG: You know, for the company to feel a little bit of a sting. You know, I mean, they basically poisoned our cats.
OPPENHEIM (voice-over): We tried to contact Menu Foods, but the company has turned down CNN's repeated requests for interviews. (on camera): But we did talk to legal experts, who told us that lawsuits like this are more likely to recover things like vet bills, and less likely to pay for emotional distress. Why? In many states, the law really doesn't make a distinction between, say, this watch or this dog.
Yes, Max (ph).
Legally, they're both property and both worth about what you paid with them.
Sorry.
Still, some pet owners and their lawyers are trying to change that definition.
DELONG: And it's not like, you know, a table that you own and you break the table. You know, are you upset about it? Yes, but you get over it pretty quick, whereas you watch your cat basically die over a period of 12 days, and you're pretty broken up about it.
OPPENHEIM (voice-over): The question is, as the cases about contaminated food build, will the courts continue to see pets as things or as living things that have a greater value?
Keith Oppenheim, CNN, Chicago.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, we have posted the entire list, including those additions, on our Web site. Check it out at cnn.com/petfoodrecall. And want you to look at the bottom of the screen, the ticker running across. Well, we are listing all of the affected brands.
HOLMES: Well, a wake-up call concerning global warming. From bigger storms to widespread hunger. A panel view of experts and scientists worldwide offers dire predictions about the effects of manmade climate change. Some of those experts say the report was even bleaker before it was watered down by politicians and bureaucrats. Camille Parmesan (ph) teaches at Betty's alma mater at the University of Texas and she's one of the leading authors of this report.
First, I can't help but to tell you that your girl over here, Betty, is doing some "hook 'em Horns" when I introduced you, from the University of Texas. But we need to move on to more serious things. Thank you for being here.
CAMILLE PARMESAN, BIOLOGY PROFESSOR, UNIV. OF TEXAS: Thanks for having me.
HOLMES: Any report that comes out like this is going to have critics, but a lot of these critics are some of the actual authors who are upset that some of this language was watered down. Are you bothered, are you upset that the bureaucrats, that the governments jumped in and wanted to change some of the language that the smart guys came up with? PARMESAN: Well, first I want to correct something. I'm an author of last report. I was actually a reviewer on this report.
HOLMES: Yes, ma'am.
PARMESAN: I found I prefer doing primary research to arguing.
HOLMES: OK.
(LAUGHTER)
PARMESAN: There are -- so what happens in (INAUDIBLE) for policymakers is that that's intended to have no jargon in it and just have these bullet conclusions in. And that's what was being argued about this week. So if you go back to the full report, back to the 1,000-some page report that those conclusions are based on, you can get all the gory details, can you actually come up with your own conclusions as to what you believe is happening, because it outlines everything that we know in scientific literature.
So what happened this past week is that the governments can't change the facts. They may like to, but they actually can't do that. But what happened is they did water down the strength of the conclusions for an awful lot of the bullets, that is, the type of work that I'm involved in, which is impacts in natural systems.
HOLMES: Now, do you have a problem with that?
PARMESAN: It's inevitable. Do I have a problem with it? Well, yes, they're weakening what are the actual -- what is the scientific consensus, globally. But, that's what politicians do. I mean, as soon as you're getting into something that the politicians have to agree on, you're going to automatically have something that's more conservative, more watered down, sort of more neutral.
But again, if you look at the actual studies that those conclusions are based on, what you see that, in the scientific literature, we're more than 95 percent sure that climate change has impacted natural systems. And what came out in the report was, oh, we're more than 60 percent sure, which is a lot weaker a statement than is actually in the scientific literature.
HOLMES: Well, of course, that report we know is at 1,500, 1,600 pages. Most people aren't going to go read through that whole thing. And honestly, they're going to look at this 21-page summary that was watered down. So, how much credibility does this report lose? A lot of people were looking at this as the most definitive work we have seen, these entire report. But that summary that is being watered down, which everybody is going to look at, how much credibility does it now lose because it was watered down and had to be changed and negotiated in that language by the governments and the politicians, as you say?
PARMESAN: Well, what I would suggest people do is to focus on the facts that are in that summary, rather than focusing on the interpretation of how sure we are about it. Because the facts themselves are still in there. It's just that, you know, do we have high confidence, medium confidence, it's those confidence levels that got altered more so than anything else.
And so I would advise people, look at the details as much as possible. There is a technical summary that's only 100 pages. And that has quite a lot more detail in it. So if you can't manage the 1,600-page full report, you know, maybe the 100-page technical summary, which again has enough detail in it that you can see what's happening much more clearly with the summary for policy...
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: And ma'am -- and finally, ma'am, and just real quickly, can you tell us all, does this one definitely say that this is our fault? Global warming is us, it is not something natural the Earth is going through, it is our fault, humans?
PARMESAN: Well, that actually came up in the first report that came out in February, the climate scientists said that the warming of the Earth was unequivocal and that we're more than 90 percent sure that it's due to humans. And that's an extremely strong statement -- scientific statement, especially considering that did go through the same government review.
And this report is saying that given that we know the warming is due to humans, we also know that it's impacting wild life, it's impacting human health, it's impacting coastal cities, et cetera.
HOLMES: Camille Parmesan from the University of Texas there out of Austin. Ma'am, thank you so much for taking the time out with us this morning. And it's our fault. Hate to hear that but thank you so much for your time.
PARMESAN: Thank you for talking about it.
HOLMES: All right.
NGUYEN: I guess I really am going to have to give up that hairspray.
HOLMES: You should. The hair is fine. The hair is fine.
NGUYEN: You should see it before the spray, though, OK? That's all I'm saying.
HOLMES: No, they shouldn't, they shouldn't, Betty.
NGUYEN: Exactly, that's the point. All right. Moving right along. They only expected about 100 people a day. But thousands are showing up to see it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MONSEIGNEUR CROSBY KERN, CURATOR: I want them to look at this and feel something beyond the stone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, how broken glass is restoring broken dreams in New Orleans. It's a nice little Easter story we're going to have here for you.
NGUYEN: And Easter does go hand in hand, T.J., with those little bunnies. But, what's a silly rabbit got to do with it anyway? That's a question that our Jeanne Moos is daring to ask.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Check it out, the Old City of Jerusalem is host to a lot of new faces. Thousands of Christian pilgrims rush to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where they attended the annual sacred holy fire ceremony. Crowds this year were larger than in years past. Hundreds of Israeli police were there, too, just to make sure that there was order in the midst of it all.
And many Christians do believe that the Holy Sepulchre Church is the site of Jesus' crucifixion, burial and then resurrection. Easter is the season of hope and renewal and is a message people in New Orleans especially are eager to receive. CNN's Susan Roesgen explains how a unique art exhibit from the Vatican is hoping to 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?
KERN: And I want them to look at this 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: We talk about rebuilding with brick and mortar. And that's true. But who rebuilds the soul of a people? And 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 it would be even better.
ROESGEN: Susan Roesgen, CNN, New Orleans.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. Easter is upon us. We know the bunnies are going to be around and whatnot. But exactly what do bunnies have to do with Easter? Don't you go hipping and hopping out of the room just yet.
NGUYEN: Hipping, huh?
HOLMES: Hipping. It's called hippity-hopping.
NGUYEN: It was a hip-hop?
HOLMES: A-hipping and a-hopping out of the room. Jeanne Moos is going to have answers to that question coming up.
NGUYEN: Oh, T.J., Grandmaster T.J. And you may hope to win more than $1,000 in a slot machine. But under a slot machine? Somebody sure did. We'll show you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Oh, Betty, Betty, Betty. Well, Christmas, of course, has Santa, St. Nick and gift giving. You know, that makes a whole lot more sense maybe than Easter and bunnies. Please explain.
NGUYEN: OK. Pardon us for wondering. What do rabbits have to do with the resurrection? Well, good thing for Jeanne Moos. Because she wondered, too and headed out to Times Square to see if anyone had an answer.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What do these have to do with this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, I wish I could use bad language on CNN because absolutely nothing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's religion and that's propaganda.
MOOS: The question is, what does this have to do with this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Silly rabbit, tricks are for kids.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Silly rabbit, tricks are for kids.
MOOS: How did the bunnies and the resurrection ...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That, I don't know.
MOOS: What does this have to do with this?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know. Maybe there were bunnies around when he came to. Who knows?
MOOS: What do bunnies do a lot of?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hop around.
MOOS: Something else.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eat carrots.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, you know, it's spring. You know what bunnies are doing.
MOOS: What are bunnies doing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are doing a lot of it.
MOOS: The other thing that I is interesting. The bunnies are a symbol of fertility and lust. Hence, the playboys.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sign me up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going home with the bunny.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hence, the expression, doing it like rabbits. I hear you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't believe the naming of it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jesus was hatched from an egg in a manger by a rabbit.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: I don't know if Jesus would approve of the dude standing up naked singing the song.
NGUYEN: No. And do you really turn to the naked cowboy...
HOLMES: For the answers?
NGUYEN: ... as an expert.
HOLMES: You turn to us for the answers, Betty. And the answer is, long before Christ appeared, the rabbit was a pagan symbol of spring renewal, fertility and rebirth.
NGUYEN: Well, Christians later adopted the symbol. But we have no idea the origin of Peeps. You know those little...
HOLMES: I wish those would go away now.
NGUYEN: They're good, to eat that is. We don't want to encourage you though to try this at home. HOLMES: This is terrible.
(VIDEO OF FATHER USING BOW TO PULL OUT DAUGHTER'S BABY TOOTH)
NGUYEN: Oh, my goodness! Oh, I hurt for her. But it worked. She's kind of shocked. Did you see her? Look at her face when it's done. Watch, she goes...
HOLMES: Oh!
NGUYEN: Wow, it's gone. Hey, dad, that worked.
HOLMES: Folks, that's a loose tooth, folks. And that father decided a bow and arrow was the best way to get it out. He tied the end of the string to the tooth, he shot it out, three, two, one, there it goes. The tooth flies out and you know, some people just shouldn't have kids, Betty.
NGUYEN: I love that scream, though. Aaah! That's what I do every morning when my alarm clock goes off.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: Well, folks, we've got an incredible golf shot to tell you about next, from an incredible lady. This woman is 102 years old.
NGUYEN: Can you believe that? And at 8:30, Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a look at whether your brain is wired for faith. Then at 10:00, it is a life or death decision, or is it? For a former morning show anchor who makes a very drastic choice to remove her breast. Rene Syler joins us live to talk about it and why she did it.
HOLMES: CNN's SATURDAY MORNING. You want to give us a scream one time, Betty?
NGUYEN: Aaah!
HOLMES: We will continue here in just a second.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, good morning, everybody.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Betty Nguyen.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm T.J. Holmes.
Glad you could be here with us this morning.
Up first, the line in the water being drawn. Freed British sailors and marines say they never crossed that line and accused Iran of planning their capture.
NGUYEN: Should the feds go to the doghouse for not acting faster on the tainted pet food scare, even as more brands fall under suspicion? The Senate promises hearings. HOLMES: Well, here is something that will certainly wake you up this morning if you're not quite up -- dramatic video of a Coast Guard rescue on the Colorado River.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I said, "Oh my lord, it can't be true. It can't be true." I was so excited.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: It was true, so you can forget Tiger, forget Phil. We have got Elsie, and my money is on her. This 102-year-old golfer has a hole in one. It is true inspiration ahead on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
HOLMES: Just to be golfing at 102 is remarkable.
Up first, though, this crazy weather. Are we going to have a white Easter? We were trying to have a white Christmas, ended up with, what -- it was sunny around Christmas time, wasn't it? But Easter is shaping up for white one for much of the eastern U.S.
Snow and cold to tell you about as you get out of bed this morning. It's a cold one probably wherever you are. Grab those thick robes. Snow is falling as far south as, yes, Atlanta, where we are. The cold weather creating traveling delays for some travelers this Easter weekend.
NGUYEN: Reynolds joins us now with a look of the weather outside.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: Well, airlines flights are often canceled by foul weather, but how about foul language? Yes, it happened in Las Vegas, of all places.
Apparently, passengers in first class overheard a Northwest pilot -- not a passenger, but a pilot using raw language on a cell phone. And when a passenger scolded the pilot, well, he allegedly let loose even more profanities.
Police were even called in, and the pilot yanked off the plane. That flight, unfortunately, had to be canceled. The feds say they won't take action until Northwest announces whether it will punish that pilot.
And want to show you what's happening in Texas -- an amazing rescue. Look at this.
Four people fell 150 feet when their boat went over a dam on to the Colorado River. Among them, two children. Now, the Coast Guard was quick in their rescue, pulling all four out of danger. Two of them were taken to local hospitals. HOLMES: Well, they were bound and blindfolded, denied contact with one another, and pressured to say things that weren't true. Fifteen British service members for the first time now telling their side of the 13-day ordeal in Iran.
CNN's Matthew Chance is in London.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SR. 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-most officer among them categorically denies it.
LT. FELIX CARMAN, BRITISH ROYAL NAVY: Let me make it absolutely clear. Irrespective of what's been said in the past, when we were detained by the IRG, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, 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.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were seized, apparently at this point here, from their maps, from the GPS they've shown us, which is inside 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.
CAPT. CHRIS AIR, BRITISH ROYAL MARINES: I think some of us feared the worst when we were in that situation, hearing weapons being cocked and not having any awareness, being blindfolded and our hands bound.
CHANCE: 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 had strayed, we'd be back on a plane to the U.K. pretty soon. If we didn't, we faced up to seven years in prison.
CHANCE: 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 SAILOR: We had a unpleasant 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)
NGUYEN: In other news, Monica Goodling, now former counsel to attorney General Alberto Gonzales, abruptly resigned from her post yesterday. You may remember, Goodling chose to invoke her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination rather than testify before Congress about the firing of eight U.S. attorneys. Well, her resignation letter didn't give any details about why she left her job.
HOLMES: Meanwhile, her former boss now, Attorney General Gonzales, laying low as he prepares for his day before a Senate committee looking into those firings.
CNN's Brian Todd reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): He's about to face Democratic senators who want to tear him down, and Alberto Gonzales is preparing like it's a heavyweight title fight.
Justice Department officials tell CNN he's staying behind closed doors, canceling a family vacation, and will go through mock grilling sessions, possibly with outside legal advisers.
DAVID WINSTON, GOP CONSULTANT: It's now gotten to the point where the credibility of the attorney general is really coming into play, and he -- and this has all been self-inflicted.
TODD: By conflicting statements, critics say, between Gonzales and his former chief of staff about the firings of eight U.S. attorneys.
ALBERTO GONZALES, ATTORNEY GENERAL: I was not involved in seeing any memos, was not involved in any discussions about what was going on.
KYLE SAMPSON, FMR. GONZALES CHIEF OF STAFF: I don't think the attorney general's statement that he was not involved in any discussions about U.S. attorney removals is accurate.
TODD: Gonzales will have to answer for that to this man, Senate Judiciary chairman Patrick Leahy. In a letter to Gonzales, the Democrat seems to warn him of the pressure he'll face in an April 17th hearing, repeatedly scolding Gonzales for not responding in a timely manner to the committee's inquiries, instructing the attorney general to include in his written testimony "... all the specifics of your role..." in the firings.
Justice officials tell CNN Gonzales has started to reach out to at least a dozen members of Congress to try to smooth the way. The vast majority of them fellow Republicans.
RON BROWNSTEIN, "LOS ANGELES TIMES": So he starts this kind of isolated, even among Republicans, and what he really needs to do, if he is going to keep this job, is to reassure Republicans enough to the extent that they feel comfortable defending the president's decision to keep him on.
TODD (on camera): In fact, several GOP consultants who asked for anonymity because they were speaking about Gonzales's future tell CNN that what he says in these hearings and how it's received will be crucial to his support in Congress. One of them said, "He has a tall order. It has to be a compelling presentation."
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: The pet food shelves getting cleared, while pet owners getting more upset. Is there anything safe to feed your furry family members?
Sit, stay. Good viewer.
NGUYEN: You like saying that. That's so wrong.
HOLMES: A veterinarian is going to give us some answers coming up.
NGUYEN: You're joust going to have to excuse him. He's been let off his leash, apparently.
Well, a former morning show anchor makes a drastic choice to have her breast removed. Rene Syler joins us live to talk about why she did it. That's at 10:00 this morning.
Plus, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is here with more on some health news for women.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Betty, preventative or prophylactic mastectomy can be an option for women for a variety of reasons -- things like a close family history, to genetic mutations. It's a brave choice, that's for sure, and another choice many women may be confused about this week is whether or not to have a mammogram if they're in their 40s. New research says maybe not, while many experts say absolutely.
We're taking e-mails. We're going to clear up any confusion.
All that on "HOUSE CALL" at 8:30.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. We've got new questions, more recalls, and a troubling theory in that pet food fiasco. The FDA's chief vet tells CNN the agency is investigating whether the contamination started with a deliberate attempt to drive up profits.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DR. STEPHEN SUNDLOF, VETERINARY MEDICINE, FDA: Somebody may have added melamine to the wheat gluten in order to increase what appears to be the protein level. Wheat gluten is a high-protein substance, and by trying to artificially inflate the protein level, it could command a higher price. But that's just one theory at this point, and we are not in a position to say whether or not this is our major theory or whether it may be some other.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And, you know, a lot of people have asked why it's been taking so long. Apparently, the melamine is not toxic enough in these small quantities to actually kill an animal, at least according to some scientists. So it deepens the mystery.
So, have you gotten any closer to figuring out what's causing these deaths?
SUNDLOF: Well, we are looking into that. That's true, melamine is not very toxic as a chemical, and so we're wondering why we are seeing the kinds of serious conditions, especially the kidney failure that we're seeing in cats and dogs. So -- but we do know that the wheat gluten that contained the melamine is the -- by far the most probable source of the contamination.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, the FDA may be facing questions of their own. Senate majority whip Dick Durbin says the agency was tragically slow to respond. Senate hearings now planned.
In the meantime, more new products are being added to that recall list, including 20 varieties of dog biscuits from Sunshine Mills. For its part, Menu Foods is expanding its recall to include products made as far back as November.
Well, for pet owners, there is so much confusion, so much concern. We're going to turn now to veterinarian Diane Levitan this morning for the answers.
Thank you so much, ma'am, for being here and helping us try to figure this out. A lot of folks scared, as you know.
Tell us, first, if you just stay away from that long, long list of foods that are being recalled, are you OK? Are you going to be safe there? Or do you think people should be looking at all foods and checking the ingredients on the back and staying away from maybe that wheat gluten?
DR. DIANE LEVITAN, VETERINARIAN: Well, if you want to be absolutely safe, you can check the ingredients and make sure that they don't have wheat gluten. But it is important to check that long list.
And don't forget, it's only one percent. Even though it seems like a lot of foods are affected, it's only one percent of pet foods that have been affected with this toxicity. So, there are still a lot of choices for people out there. HOLMES: And so tell us, what are you seeing as far as numbers now of sick pets? Do we have I guess just the best, I guess, guess or estimate of how many pets are actually sick and how many have actually died? And has this thing really slowed down, we're not seeing as many sick pets anymore?
LEVITAN: I think the good news is that it is slowing down and that we have seen a number of cases in our practice. And if we've seen it, I'm sure it's been seen in lots of practices across the country. But the numbers have diminished, and the presentation of cases that are suspicious is definitely decreasing as well.
HOLMES: Also, how much of this stuff would a pet need to eat to actually get sick? People may be worried, OK, I used to give my cat that, or I gave my cat or dog that food for a while or something. So would a cat or dog have to have been on a steady diet of this stuff for a while, or just one serving of this stuff could be enough to make a cat sick or even -- a cat or dog sick, or even kill a pet?
LEVITAN: You know, it's such an important question, and I don't think we know the answer to that completely. I can tell you anecdotally, based on some cases that we've seen at our practice, one big fat cat in the same household as a small cat, the smaller cat didn't eat as much. The larger cat did eat significantly more. And the larger cat was affected more severely.
Whether or not that can correlate to the rest of the cases in the country, I don't think we can't say that. But I would be suspicious that the more they ate, the more severe the problem would be. But I don't think we have a time frame yet.
HOLMES: OK. And how much time does a pet owner have? Might be concerned that you need to catch it quick enough. How much time do you really have after the pet eats this stuff to get them to a vet and could possibly be all right and be treated?
LEVITAN: Well, the sooner you get to them, the better. But we really don't know that absolutely.
I think the sooner they're there, though, and the sooner after they've been exposed to the food, and as soon as you see any type of clinical symptoms -- or even if you don't see symptoms and you're concerned, take them to a veterinarian. Because a simple blood test really could tell you whether or not you need to be concerned about that toxicity or not.
HOLMES: And you mentioned those clinical symptoms. Recall for us -- or not recall -- but rename those and remind us exactly of what those are and what people should be looking for.
LEVITAN: Yes. Now, the one thing I really want to stress is that even though the symptoms are anorexia, meaning not eating as much as usual, drinking more than usual, lack of appetite, and vomiting is very common, but those are also common symptoms of so many problems. The same as you would find in us. So we really need to be careful in what we're calling the cause of this and really go to your veterinarian. Your vet is going to be your best person to take care of, you know, figuring this out for you.
HOLMES: And finally here, ma'am, the FDA is facing some questions now. Should they be -- did they drop the ball anywhere on this, and do we need to be looking at all pet food and where this stuff comes from and the ingredients put into it?
LEVITAN: You know, that's a really great question, also. The FDA, I think, is doing the very best they can under the circumstances. They're faced with a really big crisis.
They have done, told us exactly what they can and what they know, but I think what we can take from this is that in the future, pet food will probably be safer than human food in the next six months, because they're really going to take a lot of concern and care into what's going into pet food. And I think it could be a plus in the long run for the pet food industry and for pet owners.
HOLMES: Safer than human food. I guess you're not suggesting I start eating that pet food, but...
LEVITAN: I don't know. Some of it's pretty good.
HOLMES: Oh my goodness! All right.
NGUYEN: First-hand knowledge?
HOLMES: Betty's asking if you know this first hand, but you don't have to answer that.
Diane Levitan, veterinarian, thank you so much. Really, a lot of people can use that information you're giving us. So thank you so much for being with us this morning.
LEVITAN: It's a pleasure.
HOLMES: All right.
And, of course, we posted the entire list, including those additions on our Web site, and you can check it out at cnn.com/petfoodrecall. And again, that ticker running across the bottom of the screen, we're listing all of those affected brands there for you.
NGUYEN: And I'm going to be talking to her in the 11:00 hour as well. More on that topic.
But check this out. Just some incredible video of a volcanic eruption. And we're going to tell you where this is.
HOLMES: And CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, he's here now with a preview of some health headlines that are coming your way.
GUPTA: T.J., thanks.
You know, we've got a big show today. New hope for people with migraines.
Plus, we're taking e-mails, trying to clear up all this confusion about mammograms.
And tune in to hear the story of a man put in jail because he's sick. He could be there for years.
And finally, it's Easter weekend, and we're going inside the brain, discovering if humans are hardwired for faith.
All that on "HOUSE CALL" at 8:30.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Looking for exercising equipment on a budget? Make used gear an option.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want to pick a piece of equipment that fits your needs. It always comes back to you as the consumer. Go into the place where you're going to purchase the equipment, let them know your budget.
COSTELLO: Bill Barney owns a Play It Again Sports in Atlanta.
BILL BARNEY, PLAY IT AGAIN SPORTS: We try to tailor cardio equipment and resistance equipment to our customers' needs.
COSTELLO: Something to keep in mind?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A few of the big things I look for is affordability and dependability.
COSTELLO: Here are tips when shopping for used equipment.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Treadmills are extremely popular. So when you're looking at a treadmill, I always tell my clients, don't go overboard. Don't get a commercial piece. You can get a nice, reasonably priced, you know, treadmill.
I love the elliptical. It gives you that full body movement, which I really like about these trainers. The reason I caution a lot of my clients on the Stairmaster is because it is a very intense cardio piece, and it's not something I would recommend that people do every day.
COSTELLO: Get a better focus on your fitness.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Make sure you have the right combination to make the quality of your life even better.
COSTELLO: Carol Costello, CNN. (END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Oh, look at this in the Indian Ocean. All eyes are on the French island of Reunion. The volcano here has burst back to life this week.
It's been spewing rivers of lava, cutting off roads and damaging houses. Check out the video. We don't get to see this stuff every day, really.
So far, good news here, it's a gorgeous site, but no word of injuries here. And that is a very good thing. It's the third time this year the volcano has erupted.
And some really dramatic video out of China here. You might have seen this.
Authorities dealing with a murder suspect armed with a knife, so they fight him with what? Water. He was perched on the window ledge of a hospital when the fire...
NGUYEN: Apparently, it worked.
HOLMES: It worked just fine. The fire department showed up and tried to help quell the situation.
NGUYEN: Yes. It appears they first tried to push the man back into the building with the water jet. Instead, he scrambled out on to the ledge and, well, then got knocked off, eight floors up.
HOLMES: Well, the good thing here, a nice big old cushion down there broke his fall. He was not hurt and was promptly taken into custody.
But hey, that's one way to fight an armed suspect, hit him with some water.
NGUYEN: It truly is.
Well, you know that feeling when you find a few dollars and loose change somewhere in the sofa? It feels like you hit the jackpot. Well, that is how the Sands casino in Atlanta City feels, only much, much better.
HOLMES: Well, the Sands was about to be torn down to make way for a new casino, and while gutting the building, construction workers have found $17,000 in loose change scattered around.
NGUYEN: That's a lot. Cha-ching!
HOLMES: Yes, that's $17,000 in loose change. Loose change.
NGUYEN: Officials say most of the coins fell behind and under slot machines over the past 30 years. So, instead of putting the money in it, why don't you just look underneath or behind the slot machine first? You may hit the jackpot without spending a dime.
HOLMES: You know, we've got new chairs here.
NGUYEN: You think there's anything in here? I'm not seeing anything loose yet.
HOLMES: All right.
NGUYEN: We'll check it out.
HOLMES: We will check it out.
NGUYEN: All right. You know that old adage about, if at first, you don't succeed? Well, listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And we were looking all around, and Elizabeth walked by the cup, and she said, "Here she is, right here in the cup!"
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Right there in the cup. After 80 years of trying, Elsie McLean drives a little white ball into the record books. I assure you, you cannot do what this 102-year-old woman did.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, if you've been watching any of the Masters golf tournament, you know the play has been a little disappointing, maybe.
NGUYEN: It's been cold.
HOLMES: It's been cold, and the pros, maybe that's affecting them, because they're falling a bit short.
NGUYEN: Yes, they are. Hole after hole falling short.
So what we have for you this morning is some really good golf, or the lucky shot that we all wish that we would make.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: This story from Jerry Olenyn of our affiliate KNVN of Chico, California.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JERRY OLENYN, REPORTER, KNVN (voice over): If you live long enough, you'll see and perhaps accomplish just about anything.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Beauty, Elsie! That might...
OLENYN: Elsie McLean is 102 years old. She's played golf since she was in her 20s, and never had she hit a hole-in-one.
ELSIE MCLEAN, 102-YEAR-OLD GOLFER: Well, everybody wants a hole- in-one. And I'd say, why can't I have a hole-in-one? I came within two inches once.
OLENYN: Good things come to those who wait, because on Thursday morning, Elsie became an ace player. In the process, breaking the world record for the oldest person to hit a hole-in-one.
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