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Wild Fires Continue to Scorch Country; Search for Missing Soldiers

Aired May 12, 2007 - 16:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: We have two developing stories this hour, spreading wildfires have forced hundreds of people from their homes, and in Iraq, a search for missing American soldiers. Hello I'm Fredricka Whitfield, you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Happening right now, a massive operation south of Baghdad. A desperate search for two people, maybe three American soldiers. They vanished after a deadly assault on a U.S. patrol in a Sunni insurgent stronghold. Live with the latest now from Baghdad, CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson. Any closer to getting any clues about their whereabouts?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, the very latest that we know is that the eight personnel, seven U.S. soldiers, an Iraqi translator were at what's called a static OP. They were at an observation post, they were stationary when this attack took place. It took place in the early dawn hours. What happened, there was an explosion. It's not clear exactly what events took place on the ground. A nearby military post heard the explosion, tried to radio the troops on the ground, were unable to get through, an unmanned aerial drone surveillance aircraft flew over the scene about 15 minutes later, it saw two burning vehicles below. A quick reaction force was called out, they got to the scene, discovered five bodies. They're not clear if the Iraqi translator among those bodies. They do now know that three people are missing. Either two U.S. soldiers and the Iraqi translator or three U.S. soldiers are missing. A massive hunt is under way and it involves helicopters and other aircraft.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM CALDWELL, U.S. MILITARY SPOKESMAN: Helicopter, unmanned aerial vehicle and fixed wing assets are being used to search in the vicinity. Checkpoints have been established throughout the area, in a concerted effort to focus the search and prevent potential movement of missing soldiers out of that area.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Now this search not only involves aerial reconnaissance but there are also the U.S. military says it's also talking to local leaders to try and find out where the men might have gone, if anything has been heard about the missing soldiers. What they want to do is stop them being moved out of that area. It will help confine the search. But at the moment, they say they will not rest until they know exactly where those soldiers are. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: And so Nic, what's the concern of those search teams about their safety as they conduct these searches?

ROBERTSON: Well, the search is undoubtedly made much harder by nightfall. Night fell here a few hours ago. That means that any teams out on the ground will very likely have to be supported by aerial -- what's described as aerial platforms. That would be surveillance aircraft or helicopters in the air moving around that area. It's very difficult, it's very dangerous, so it will require a lot of coordination. The military say they are putting all their efforts and all their energies into this. But typically in a situation like this, they cannot just pick up another 1,000 soldiers from the center of Baghdad and send them down there 20 miles away. They cannot operate in this fashion. They need to maintain the security at the bases in that area. So there will be a limited number of soldiers that can get involved in those operations, but very likely as the night goes on, there will be a lot of surveillance aircraft and facilities in the air over watching, no doubt as well any special forces teams, any specialists in hostage negotiations, hostage recovery, this type of thing, will be on very close standby, and very close to where this incident took place so they can be deployed absolutely at a moment's notice, if any tiny bit of what's known as real time information can be gleaned on to where the soldiers may be. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right and we'll check with you for any updates. Thank you so much, Nic, in Baghdad.

We talked about the missing soldiers today with retired army general David Grange. He thinks the insurgents might be setting a trap.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIG. GEN. DAVID GRANGE, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: What you have to keep in mind also is that those that did this, whether they killed the three and they just hid the bodies or to react to any kind of reaction we have search and combat rescue, or if they were taken prisoner, if that's the case, or it could be the soldiers are abating, in other words they're on their own hiding somewhere. We don't know that yet. But keep in mind as we talk and we explain this to the American people and the coalition, they're listening, so is the enemy. They're watching to see how we react to this through the media. So they're watching us very closely, if in fact, they're doing this to set up something differently.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: General David Grange speaking to us about the search for the missing Americans in Iraq.

This weekend you can experience a side of war reporting that the camera rarely sees. Join Michael Holmes tonight at 8:00 eastern for CNN's "Special Investigations Unit: Month of Mayhem", it airs again Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. as well as tonight at 8:00 p.m.

Another developing story that's affecting tens of thousands of people across the U.S., wildfires burning out of control. This blaze in Minnesota has scorched 52,000 acres near the Canadian border, more than 130 structures including dozens of homes have been destroyed, and hundreds of people have been evacuated. It's just one of several fires across the country, just look at the map here from California in the west to Florida and Georgia in the east. On California's Catalina Island, more than 700 firefighters have been battling a major blaze there that has forced residents and tourists off the island. We'll have a live report from the scene later on this hour.

But first, that massive wildfire that began in Georgia a week ago now spreading and burning hundreds of thousands of acres in Florida as well. Large parts of Interstate I-10 and I-75 have been shut down and motorists are being told to stay away entirely from one Florida town that is really under the gun, and that would be Lake City. That's where we find our John Zarrella. John, how bad is it?

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Fredricka, a little bit of a break this afternoon. That thick smoke and fog that had been covering this entire area all morning has moved on, lifted out. In fact, all of the fire trucks that were lined up here in the morning hours managed finally early this afternoon to begin moving in to the fire area. In the morning you couldn't see Interstate 10 there behind me. Now you can see it clearly but it is still shut down and remains shut down until this -- these -- the smoke and the fog lifts even more and that the Florida State Patrol gives an all-clear for the traffic to start moving again. And we had the opportunity a while ago, we spent about two hours with the Division of Forestry, we drove about 20 miles out to where some of the fire lines are, and there are pockets of flames that you can see that have raced through areas that, in fact, in one spot it was a tree farm, that had already been cleared, and the flames spread from an adjacent tree stand into that cleared area and began to set the ground on fire and some of the debris on fire and they had built fire breaks in there to try and stop the fire from moving in to that area. We're also able at another point to talk with one of the firefighters who has spent -- just nine months ago got back from a tour in Afghanistan. Now he's pulling 12-hour shifts out on the fire line driving a heavy bulldozer, building fire breaks. His name is Ashley Spillers and we had an opportunity to speak with him briefly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ASHLEY SPILLERS, FIREFIGHTER: It's looking good today. It's settled down a little bit last night. Humidity's came up, and this area that we're working right now is looking pretty good. Hopefully we don't get any wind shifts.

ZARRELL: Is that what everyone is worried about right now? Wind shifts?

SPILLERS: Weather changes. Weather's holding it down right now and just hoping for some rain tomorrow.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

ZARRELLA: We're all hoping for some rain tomorrow, of course, all over the state of Florida, drought conditions are very, very serious, from the north all the way to the south. And as he mentioned, the weather conditions have certainly helped the firefighters here today that the winds laid down and the humidity came up that gave them a good opportunity to get in there and start continuing to build those fire breaks. So necessary to keep the fire from jumping from one stand of pines to the next and then moving closer to populated areas. Right now, very lucky. They've only lost one structure in this major blaze that's now burned over 100,000 acres, just this one blaze alone here in Florida. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right, John Zarrella, thanks so much. Hoping for rain there, but rain without any kind of lightning strikes.

(WEATHER REPORT) WHITFIELD: Remember when Iraqi oil was supposed to pay for that country's reconstruction? Well, now there's a report that billions of dollars worth of Iraqi oil is missing. And mixed emotions at Virginia Tech this weekend as some move on and others are remembered. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: We continue to watch the developments out of Florida, where they're dealing with a pretty aggressive wildfire there, which has meant that parts of I-75 have been closed. It's a real traffic nightmare, in fact, around Lake City. We're continuing to monitor the developments out of the press conference taking place out of Tallahassee. When any more information comes out of it we'll be able to bring that to you. The recommendation is from many of those officials if you are traveling that part of Florida, you need to stick with I-95 and avoid I-75 altogether.

Meantime, Vice President Dick Cheney is on a diplomatic mission today. He's trying to convince skeptical leaders in Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries that the U.S. has a winning strategy for Iraq. Earlier today Cheney was in Abu Dhabi meeting with leaders of the United Arab Emirates. The vice president is urging them to support Iraqi reconciliation. He's also trying to temper Iran's influence in the region. A draft government report is raising new questions about Iraq's oil industry. According to "The New York Times," the report indicates that billions of dollars worth of Iraqi oil is unaccounted for. Some experts think insurgents, corrupt officials and smugglers are skimming hundreds of thousands of barrels a day. Another theory is that Iraq was simply being overstated -- that that country, rather, had overstated its oil production over the years.

Mixed emotions at Virginia Tech today where the joy of graduation is mixed with sorrow after last month's deadly shooting rampage. CNN's Jim Acosta is in Blacksburg, Virginia.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is no ordinary graduation weekend here on the campus of Virginia Tech. While this is a time of celebration for the graduating seniors and their families those folks are also taking time to mourn the fallen classmates and professors who lost their lives, lives that are looming large over this weekend here in Blacksburg, Virginia. Today the individual departments are handing out diplomas to those graduating seniors and even at those ceremonies, those individual ceremonies, they are taking time to remember the fallen. But last night's event was the big event that was the main commencement at the big football stadium here on the campus of Virginia Tech. During that ceremony, the pomp and circumstance was subdued as the university handed out school rings to the families of the slain students and then presented the pictures of those slain students and professors onto the giant screen inside the football stadium as their names were read one by one. The main commencement speaker, Retired General John Abizaid and the university president Charles Steger addressed the crowd of 30,000 people reminding the people there that while they should remember, take time to remember those students and professors who lost their lives here, they should also remember not to let this tragedy define them.

GEN. JOHN ABIZAID, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Your compassion, your steadfastness under pressure, your tremendous support of one another make you a special group, and you make me know our nation is in good hands.

CHARLES STEGER, VIRGINIA TECH PRESIDENT: Revel in the joy of this day. Celebrate your accomplishments. Celebrate all those lives that have touched yours and helping you bring -- come to this point. Reach out and hug these people, if you can. And to all of our students here today, those graduating and those who will be returning, I wish I could reach out and hug each one of you. You are the reason I get out of bed in the morning, you're my passion, the focus of my days and most of my nights. You are the future, and your achievements will be felt around the globe.

ACOSTA: And because of the tragic events on April 16th, security was very tight. It was ramped up for this graduation ceremony. There were long lines as security guards went through bags and kept an eye on the big crowd that was in attendance last night. But in the end, this event went off without a hitch. There was just a little bit of rain, but still plenty of time to remember the fallen here at Virginia Tech. Jim Acosta, CNN, Blacksburg, Virginia.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And across the nation today, a host of celebrities and dignitaries gave graduates advice about following their dreams. Among them, talk show queen Oprah Winfrey and White House spokesman Tony Snow.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: What a deep honor to be here today for me. I think Dr. Gates said it best. You can receive a lot of awards in your life, but there is nothing better -- [ applause ] -- there is nothing better than to be honored by your own. Thank you. Thank you. I'll be calling myself Dr. Winfrey on Monday morning on "The Oprah Show."

TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Think not only of what it means to love but also what it means to be loved. I got a lot of experience in that. Since the news that I have cancer again I've heard from thousands and thousands of people and I have been the subject of untold prayer. I'll tell you right now, you're young, you're bullet- proof, you're invincible. Never underestimate the power of other people's love and prayer. They have incredible power. It's as if I had been carried on the shoulders of an entire army and they had made me weightless.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Well, no doubt our diet affects our health, but who's to blame when we make poor dietary choices? Some say, congress. Find out why, straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Coming up, are you anemic? And is the answer to that question important? Dr. Bill Lloyd has that straight ahead in the NEWSROOM. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Let's get an update now on the fires burning out west. This time it's Catalina Island that's been dealing with fires that have scorched about 4,000 acres. But the good news is, we understand that the main town of Avalon may be out of danger. Let's get an update with Kara Finstrom who is joining us there live now from Catalina Island. Kara?

KARA FINSTROM: Well right behind me you can see a very picturesque view of Avalon. And yes, firefighters say the homes here are out of imminent danger. But we just got back from a drive along with firefighters to right across the hillsides that you see behind me in the picture there very different. We drove past miles and miles of scorched earth. We watched the fire drops continue over there and the flare ups continue. Firefighters tell us now that this blaze is about 41 percent contained and they will be working very hard to make sure that it stays contained and does not creep back towards the homes and the businesses here. Now we are learning more, also, about some problems on the west side of the island. That's one of the areas that's been hardest hit by this. There's a community of about 200 people there, and right now they have no power, no working sewer system and no connection to the internet or to actually their cell phones. So they're completely cut off. We're told that those people will probably be on generators for about two weeks, because of the extensive damage that's been done to the power system here. Also, developing today, lots more people coming home to Avalon and to other areas on this island. We caught up with one of the men who was coming home and pushing along some big boxes, because he was getting ready to help out a friend whose business was completely burned down.

Ok, we thought we had a little bit of sound from him. But essentially, he shares with us that his friend's business has been completely burned down. That's one of actually seven businesses on the island. One home and six other industrial areas that were burned down by the flames. Also we want to let the folks at home know that this island, while we're here and firefighters are here, it's still closed to visitors. Firefighters say that may change on Monday. Reporting live from Avalon, Kara Finstrom for CNN.

WHITFIELD: All right Kara, thanks so much for that live update out of Catalina Island.

Other news across America now -- a church sign outside Raleigh, North Carolina, has stirred some debate about religious tolerance. The minister says it's not a hate sign, but some members of the Islamic community disagree. The sign says the message of Islam is "submit, convert or die." And just about an hour south of that sign, the Navy's Blue Angels are flying again today at Seymour Johnson Air Force base near Goldsboro, North Carolina. It's the first blue angels show since a pilot was killed last month during a show in South Carolina. The navy commander says one of the best ways to get through such tragedies is to keep flying.

Then in Austin, Texas, what goes up just might set a world record. Today, cub scout pack 990 and boy scout troop 990 simultaneously launched 1,000 rockets, model rockets that is. It's an attempt to break the Guinness World Record of 399 set by Nebraska boy scouts nearly two years ago.

Coming up, a rare inside look at how the insurgency has changed in Iraq.

And meet a film director who seems to have a sixth sense for American pop culture.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Half past the hour, here's what's happening right now. Battling wildfires in the north, the southeast and out west. Firefighters seem to be getting the upper hand in the Minnesota and Catalina Island wildfires. But smoke from a huge blaze along the Georgia/Florida state line has shut down parts of I-10 and I-75. In Iraq, U.S. military is furiously searching for three troops missing after a deadly insurgent ambush earlier today. Five soldiers died in that attack.

Few people have witnessed the Iraq war like CNN's Michael Holmes. He's the host of the new CNN "Special Investigations Unit" production called "Month of Mayhem." It airs tonight and tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. and again at 11:00 p.m. eastern. Here now is a preview as Michael sees the insurgency evolve.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL HOLMES, ANCHOR, YOUR WORLD TODAY: You don't know what to expect when you go back in, but at the same time you do. This time going back, snipers, all of a sudden, become a really big issue. Instead of, maybe, looking there, a lot of people are looking up now, looking at windows and rooftops and things like that. The other thing that had changed appreciably was the size and the sophistication of the roadside bombs. The use of the explosively formed projectiles, which are savage, brutal, deadly roadside bombs. These are not like normal bombs. They're what they call sheik charges and they fire out that ball of molten copper, which will cut through a tank armor let alone a humvee. Most people, soldiers and a lot of reporters to we put our names, I have my name and blood type in Arabic and English on my helmet, and I have it also on a piece of tape. The soldiers still do dog tags, the interesting thing with soldiers, a lot of them will wear one dog tag around their neck and you'll see one in the laces of their boots. And the reason for that is, because of the bombs. You can have your head blown off or you could have your leg blown off, and, well, you've got a tag at either end. One of the other problems when I first started going to Baghdad, which was right you know, during the war and at the end of the war, we would walk around the streets, and talk to people and interview people, and go to restaurants and stuff. But now, you can't. That's just the way Baghdad is now. And so, really, the only way we can get contact with local people is to use our own Iraqi staff and they're fantastic and risk their lives for us every day, or you embed with the military.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And I had a chance to sit down and talk to Michael about taking on such a serious and dangerous assignment time and time again and how much Iraq has changed for better and for worse.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, Michael, you've been to Iraq eight times. At what point do you say to yourself you know what, I'm pressing my luck with each assignment?

HOLMES: Well I think it was probably the third or fourth time I went there that we pressed our luck too far, in a way. We got ambushed, of course, and we had two of our own killed and one wounded just south of Baghdad. And I've been back a few times since then. But you're right. In the back of your mind you think every time you go back, your odds of something else happening do grow, but, you know, as a journalist, I just -- I actually feel luck that I get to go and see this story up close. And get to then come back and anchor on CNN International, with a better knowledge of what's going on. And so, I'll go back again, I know I will. You know my kids don't like it and my wife doesn't like it very much either, but they understand it and they understand it's important that the story to be told.

WHITFIELD: Right, and as you're telling that story, oftentimes when we head to dangerous areas like this, in pursuit of the story you're thinking about the story, you're thinking about logistically how you're going to be able to tell this story. It's only when you get back that you, perhaps, assess, wait a minute. What I just did was crazy, or where I was, was crazy. You know? Do you feel like you take that knowledge with you, with each assignment, however?

HOLMES: I think you know, when I go there, I -- when you're actually there, you're obviously well aware of the risks and stuff's happening every day. I mean a lot of stuff doesn't even make it to air, which is partly what this documentary is about, we're showing a lot of the stuff that doesn't get to air, because so much is happening. And yeah, you'll hear bombs every day, but when you're there, I don't know, you feel safer than I know my family is looking at it from a distance. But you know, it's a calculated risk, and it is a risk, safety's you know, a relative term when you're in Baghdad.

WHITFIELD: So in the piece that we just saw, or at least a clip of it, you talk about some of the things that you've noticed have evolved over time, whether it's the sophistication of the IEDs, etcetera. Now what about the point of view of the Iraqis? When you talk with them, have you noticed that their attitude is evolving? Perhaps they are a little bit more reticent to the American presence or they embrace it more? What do you find now?

HOLMES: No, they're more reticent, because they feel that from day one of the invasion, their lives changed for the worse, not the better. What was promised was not delivered, and, you know, these are smart people, most of them, and they hear the president say, Iraq is a base for al Qaeda. And they say, well, they weren't here. Al Qaeda wasn't here until you invaded us. And they say, they hear talk of democracy. And they will say, and I have Iraqis say this to me all the time. Well who are our allies in the Middle East? The Saudis, the Kuwaitis, the Jordanians, the Egyptians. These are not Democratic countries with great human rights records themselves. And they say, what is a democracy in the Middle East? Well, in the Palestinian territories, there was a free and fair election, but you didn't like who won. So you don't recognize the government. So they're very cynical about the U.S. from a political standpoint, and their lives, their day-to-day lives are so hard and so fraught with danger. Tell you one thing just quickly. I made a point every time I met with an Iraqi, which was a lot on this last trip. I went out a lot. I asked whether their kids went to school. We talk about the good new stuff, the reconstruction and things like that. Well, you know a lot of them went to a school that was being rebuilt. And I said well where are the kids, none of them go to school. I must have spoken to 100 Iraqis, it's too unsafe. They don't want to send their kids to school because of the dangers. I must have spoken to 100 Iraqis who said no, my kids do not go to school. I spoke to a U.S. army captain, responsible for reconstruction, I won't mention where because he'll get into trouble, but he said he had $20 million in his pocket that he was authorized to spend in this area, couldn't do it. Couldn't spend the money, because it would be blown up the next day.

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy.

HOLMES: It's sad. I'd love to be the bearer of better news. But at the moment, it's tough, General David Petraeus, smart man, a scholar of counter insurgency and it's doing some very positive things there, but, to me, and a lot of other people who have been there a lot, these are great ideas that should have been done a couple years ago.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And get more of the inside look at "Life in Iraq through the eyes of a Journalist," CNN's Michael Holmes hosts "Month of Mayhem" all new. A CNN "Special Investigations Unit" report airing tonight and tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. eastern right here on CNN. The most trusted name in news.

Coming up, is congress to blame for the bad stuff that you eat? Find out why some say, yes.

Plus, Dr. Bill Lloyd talks about one of the consequences of bad food choices. A blood condition that can lead to much more serious problems.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Georgia Tech Professor Robert Speyer has developed a process to make the military's body armor stronger and also to give it the ability to contour to a soldier's body.

ROBERT SPEYER, PROFESSOR, GEORGIA TECH: Ceramic armor specifically bore carbide is extremely hard but at the same time relatively light at the same time. And the issue with the current armor, while its performance is just outstanding, is that it can only be formed in simple shapes.

LEMON: To understand the problem with the current armor, Speyer built an instrument called the differential dilatometer. This new method acts as a guide in allowing Speyer and his research team to create complicated curved shapes for use in extremity protections such as arms, thighs, legs, shins and helmet liners. There is still some before this product will be available to our troops.

SPEYER: Right now this technology hasn't been fielded. We're still in the prototype stage where we're making complex shaped armor systems for both the army for ballistic evaluation and we're also working with military armor system integrators.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Not eating right can often lead to anemia or some would call it iron-poor blood. Well, apparently what you eat has a lot to do with your health. That's why we've called in Dr. Bill Lloyd to help straighten out how serious a problem this really can be to be anemic. So who becomes anemic Dr. Bill Lloyd and why?

DR. BILL LLOYD, SURGEON: Hi Fredricka, happy mother's day.

WHITFIELD: Thank you very much.

LLOYD: Anemia is a problem with your red cells and it can come in three different ways. Either you don't make enough red cells, you know the cells that carry oxygen in your body. You can't keep them in your body long enough. We call that bleeding, or there's some other medical problem that's destroying the red cells in your body. So depending on which of those categories your anemia is in, there are different treatments that can help. So let's find out who gets anemia. Where probably the biggest group is young, active females. It's not just because of menstruation. Young, physically active females can lose blood for a variety of other reasons, just from physical activity as well and diet has an awful lot to do with it, because we have to remake our complete red cell volume about every six weeks, and that means you've got to keep eating iron in order to make the hemoglobin that goes into those red cells.

WHITFIELD: So that really means to make it very simple for folks, it means eating certain vegetables, maybe very dark, leafy greens, specifically spinach? Everyone knows from Popeye, that's how you get a lot of iron. It's as simple as that, just making sure you're eating the right things?

LLOYD: Well, for healthy people, a diet that's full of iron, like you mentioned spinach, and don't forget red meat is an important way to supplement that iron that you need every day. Your body can't make iron, and your body doesn't do a very good job of storing it. So if your red cell count begins to drop even just by being a healthy person, your body will make an effort to make more and more red cells, but if the iron's not there, you can't do it. And another big population we worry about are folks receiving hemodialysis. Fredricka that's about a half million people and because they have sick kidneys, their kidneys are not producing a very important protein that tells the body, hey I need more red cells. If they don't have healthy kidneys, they can't make the blood and they, too, are often chronically anemic.

WHITFIELD: So how do you know whether you're anemic? You think you're strong, you think you're feeling good. What are some of the things you need to look for to find out, hmm, my iron level is very low?

LLOYD: Most people are unaware that they're having a problem with anemia. They might have trouble trying to stay energetic, they might be feeling tired all the time. They might get into a bad mood. People might tell you, you don't look so good, you look kind of gray. Check with your doctor. A simple blood test will identify very quickly, if you have anemia. And most people they can identify the cause very quickly and there are usually very straightforward treatments. The important thing Fredricka is find the cause of the anemia then we find the treatment to reverse the anemia.

WHITFIELD: So it can be temporary. That's the hope here is that you really can reverse it. Doesn't mean you're anemic for the rest of your life?

LLOYD: That's right. Most of the time it's nutritional in nature and by fortifying your diet, whether it's with an iron supplement or a good old-fashioned diet, full of green leafy vegetables and red meats, over time a matter of weeks, you can get that iron level up to where it belongs. If there's an outstanding medical problem, we work on treating the medical problem and then the anemia will take care of itself.

WHITFIELD: All right, Dr. Bill Lloyd, thanks so much.

LLOYD: We'll talk again soon.

WHITFIELD: And happy mother's day to the mother in your life.

LLOYD: Thank you so very much. WHITFIELD: All right, well you heard Dr. Lloyd say you are what you eat, means you really have to be careful about what you do, intake. Well some people are saying it's not just me, but they want to blame the government on our diets. Is it fair? Here's CNN's Lisa Goddard. She dishes out some food for thought.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LISA GODDARD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What we eat determines how we're shaped. But now experts are questioning what shapes our food choices. Some are pointing here at congress.

MICHAEL POLLAN, AUTHOR, "THE OMNIVORE'S DILEMMA": If you're concerned about what you eat you need to be concerned about the farm bill.

GODDARD: Author Michael Pollan suggested in last month's "New York Times" magazine that what we eat is driven by the federal farm bill. It's enormous. Up for renewal now, farm bill subsidies last year were around $18 billion, according to the USDA. That's mainly for corn, soy and wheat. Some of the subsidies lead to overproduction and therefore lower prices.

POLLAN: With the result that there's tons of cheap sweeteners in the form of high fructose corn syrup.

GODDARD: And that means soda and snack cakes are also cheaper and more tempting.

(on camera): The idea is that high calories here start with overproduction here. But farmers say the issue is really on the other end with processing and what we choose to eat.

JAMIE JAMISON, MARYLAND FARMER: Somewhere we've got to take responsibility ourselves for our own actions.

GODDARD: Jamie Jamison farms 5,000 acres in Maryland. Today his tractors are planting soy. For decades this farm has depended on subsidies to get through the bad years.

JAMISON: This is the corn fodder from last year.

GODDARD: Some lawmakers argue the crops themselves aren't the problem.

SEN. BYRON DORGAN, (D) NORTH DAKOTA: The farmers produce the corn, that's healthy. It's good for you. Someone else puts the fat and the salt in it.

GODDARD: North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan says he's more worried about the survival of small farms like Jamison's which can depend on subsidies.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We look at it as a safety net.

GODDARD: Are farm bill subsidies a lifeline to family farms or as Michael Pollan and others say, do they push empty calories on to our tables? Either way, they are a massive force, dramatically affecting our food supply from the ground up. Lisa Goddard, CNN, Poolesville, Maryland.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, something else to think about. Much more of the NEWSROOM, coming up, this time with Rick Sanchez. Hello.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Here to serve. How are you doing?

WHITFIELD: I'm doing great.

SANCHEZ: Great.

WHITFIELD: Have a lot going on.

SANCHEZ: Boy, I'll tell you, these fires in Florida, you worked in Florida?

WHITFIELD: Yeah.

SANCHEZ: I spent most of my life in Florida.

WHITFIELD: And covered many of those.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, I remember. You know and what's interesting, and a lot of people maybe don't get this is that in Florida, or at least in certain parts of Florida, it's important to have those fires. It's part of the way really nature taking care of itself. It's got to burn the underbrush. That's one thing. What's going on in Florida right now, that's not just nature's way of burning out the underbrush. This is serious, folks. It's an awful lot of fires. They've been having drought conditions for quite a long time. I know my relatives have been calling, my friends from Florida, and my mom and dad have been saying it's crazy down there.

WHITFIELD: And they're in South Florida, right?

SANCHEZ: Yeah, but Lake --

WHITFIELD: And they're seeing and feeling the smoke.

SANCHEZ: Well, you have to remember, because Lake Okeechobee feeds the entire state, it creates the base for the aquifer, so that's where everybody gets their water. So the water table has gone down so much that it's creating conditions like this all the way from Jacksonville through Orlando, through West Palm Beach, through Fort Lauderdale all the way into Miami.

WHITFIELD: It's unbelievable.

SANCHEZ: It's really something to look at. And now we're talking about evacuations and something really bizarre is going on. It's affecting nature. Birds are dying. Just dropping out of the sky. WHITFIELD: Oh, yeah.

SANCHEZ: And we're getting a report in on that too and we're going to bring you that.

WHITFIELD: The smoke is just squeezing a lot of the oxygen out of the air.

SANCHEZ: And they can't fly, they don't even know where they're going.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, yeah.

SANCHEZ: So we've got those pictures too. So we're going to bring you the very latest, fill you up to date on that and of course show you those pictures that we got of those, the way nature is being affected. Birds in specific.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, and it's all over, it's not just Florida that is going to be a focus.

SANCHEZ: Georgia, too.

WHITFIELD: It's amazing, across the map. All right, thanks a lot.

SANCHEZ: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, well coming up, one of America's most visible allies in the war on terror is now coming under attack from within. Find out why. That's straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: It's time to go global now from headlines from around the world. The commander of U.S. forces in the pacific says China is sending a mixed message about their military goals. Communist leaders claimed their goal is peace, but admiral Timothy Keating says China's recent missile test, where they shot a satellite out of low orbit doesn't really send a very peaceful signal.

In Pakistan, political tensions have boiled over into deadly confrontations. Supporters of President Pervez Musharraf clashed with demonstrators who backed the opposition party. At least 33 people have been killed in the city of Karachi and dozens of others have been hurt. The protests began two months ago when Musharraf fired the chief justice.

Russian space officials have a new goal in mind. They're shooting for the moon. One of the country's top space companies wants to send a manned mission to the moon in 2015, but the government has yet to sign off on that project.

And in Brazil, Pope Benedict XVI had a dire warning for drug cartels today. He spoke to a crowd at a drug treatment center, he said that drug dealers will face justice from God for the harm they have caused society. The U.S. State Department says Brazil is the second biggest cocaine market behind the United States.

And you have seen his work on the big screen, but do you know how this a-list director got his start? That is next in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well May is Asian Pacific American Heritage month, a time to honor Asian Americans who have made significant contributions to the nation. Today correspondent Kyung Lah takes a closer look at the life and career of acclaimed movie director M. Night Shyamalan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "The Sixth Sense" was a cultural phenomenon in 1999, earning Oscar nominations for best picture and for its previously not so well known director M. Night Shyamalan. Shyamalan was born in India in 1970 and moved to the Philadelphia area with his family as a child. He was a film buff from an early age. His first feature film, 1992's "Praying with Anger", focused on the cultural issues an American of Indian decent faces upon returning to his family's homeland. Shyamalan's legacy has been built on writing, directing and producing thrillers set in his adoptive home of Pennsylvania. In "The Sixth Sense", "Signs," and his other movies, Shyamalan's customary twist endings have shocked audiences worldwide and left them eagerly awaiting his next film. Honoring the contributions of M. Night Shyamalan during this Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: This coming week, CNN's special series "Uncovering America" takes a close look at Asian Americans, from their influences in pop culture and the arts to cultural differences. That's all next week right here on CNN. And from the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The next hour of the NEWSROOM begins right now with by buddy Rick Sanchez. Rick?

SANCHEZ: All right thanks so much Fred. Next hour we're going to bring you a lot of stories including this, roll the animation. Two developing stories right now. In Iraq, a search for U.S. soldiers in the so-called triangle of death. And also parts of major interstates are closed this hour as the Florida/Georgia wildfires spread. How about now?

And hello again everybody, I'm Rick Sanchez. Flames burning out of control near homes and businesses. A nightmarish scenario and it's playing out right now in northern Florida. A massive wildfire there is threatening several communities. There's a similar scene that's taking place in Minnesota by the way. We want to show you these pictures. This is a blaze near the Canadian border that has scorched 52,000 acres. This is Minnesota, now, not Florida. It's destroyed more than 130 buildings including dozens of homes. Hundreds of people have already been evacuated as a result. Unfortunately, it doesn't stop there. Other wildfires are causing major problems in parts of Georgia, in parts of California. We've got reporters covering this thing from both coasts. CNN's Kara Finstrom is joining us right now, she's in the southern --

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