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FEMA Trailers Health Issue; Bush Colonoscopy

Aired July 21, 2007 - 11:00   ET

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

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello there, everybody.
And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM on this Saturday, July the 21st.

I'm T.J. Holmes.

SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Susan Roesgen filling in for Betty Nguyen.

Straight ahead this hour, Cheney in charge. The vice president temporarily takes power. We're live at the White House with the latest.

HOLMES: Also, who are the shadow wolves?

We'll show you and how they're going old school, really old school, to catch drug smugglers along the U.S./Mexico border.

Plus, we'll have this.

(VIDEO CLIP OF CHILDREN)

ROESGEN: It's muggle mania. The Harry Potter finale finally reaches bookstores around the globe. And we won't tell you how it ends, here in THE NEWSROOM.

HOLMES: But we are going to begin with this news this morning. President Bush back on the job after a temporary transfer of presidential power. The president was under a kind of conscious sedation during a routine scanning for colon cancer at Camp David.

Vice President Dick Cheney was acting president for about two hours. The White House says doctors found five polyps during the president's exam this morning, but they do say -- and these are their words -- that none appeared worrisome.

ROESGEN: Now, President Bush had his last colon cancer screening about five years ago. And he's had polyps discovered before in screenings in the late 1990s.

So CNN White House correspondent Elaine Quijano joins us now with more on the president's health -- what are they saying, Elaine?

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Susan.

Well, President Bush has, in fact, resumed his presidential duties after temporarily handing them over, as T.J. Said, to Vice President Dick Cheney this morning.

President Bush at Camp David undergoing what doctors have described as a routine colonoscopy. And during the course of that procedure, doctors did find five polyps. White House spokesman Scott Stanzel describing them as small and saying that none of them appeared worrisome to doctors.

Now, how small is small?

Stanzel says all of them less than a centimeter and all five polyps were removed. They are being -- going to be examined microscopically at National Medical Naval Center and the results of those examinations should be available in the next 48 to 72 hours, according to Stanzel.

Now, in the late '90s, as you noted, the president, before his time in Washington, when he was governor of Texas did, in fact, undergo colonoscopies in which there were polyps discovered, as well. Two polyps discovered in 1998, two polyps discovered in 1999, then the colonoscopy in 2002, when he was president.

In '02, doctors gave him a clean bill of health, did not find any polyps at that time, but said as a matter of caution that he should have the procedure done five years from now.

We're at that point. And yesterday, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, Susan and T.J. essentially emphasizing that it would be not be unusual for doctors to find polyps, given the president's age and history.

But we hope to know more in the next 48 to 72 hours when the results of those examinations on those polyps should be available -- back to you.

ROESGEN: OK, Elaine Quijano.

And, again, the president is back on the job.

Thank you -- T.J.

HOLMES: Well, and a colon exam is fan important tool in preventing colon cancer.

And Dr. Roshini Rajapaksa is an assistant professor of medicine at New York University.

I spoke with her earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ROSHINI RAJAPAKSA, GASTROENTEROLOGIST: The reason why the president's getting a colonoscopy and why every American should get a colonoscopy starting at age 50 is to check for colon cancer. And what we do is we look inside the colon, we look for any cancers, but also for colon polyps, which are benign growths that, if we find them, we can remove. But if you leave them in there, they could eventually grow into cancer. So by getting this test, you can be really checked and possibly prevent a colon cancer before it even starts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And, again, that was Dr. Raj of New York University Medical School, who was interviewed earlier today here on CNN.

ROESGEN: And we have conflicting reports right now about two German hostages in Afghanistan. The Germans were kidnapped several days ago, along with five Afghans who working on a dam project. A spokesman for the Afghan Foreign Ministry says one of the hostages has died of a heart attack, but that the other is still alive. And that's different from a statement from a Taliban spokesman, who claimed that the two hostages had be executed.

The German government says it is investigating the report.

HOLMES: Well, this week's steam pipe blast could cost New York businesses a pretty penny. Dozens of corporations and retailers will be shut down next week for the toxic cleanup. The city announced today it's opening up more of the cleanup zone to the public, and that's allowed a few more retailers to get back to business. But, still, one business leader says losses could run into the hundreds of millions.

The aging pipe was insulated with asbestos, making cleanup slow and tedious.

ROESGEN: All along the Gulf Coast, Hurricane Katrina wiped out thousands of homes. But the FEMA trailers that replaced them may be making people sick. FEMA is promising to start testing the air quality in FEMA trailers after a Congressional hearing this week accused FEMA of trying to cover up a potentially toxic situation.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ROESGEN: (voice over): Robert Green says his FEMA trailer is making him sick, literally.

ROBERT GREEN, TRAILER RESIDENT: So to keep from rubbing my eyes, I actually put it in my eyes to wash it out and try not to rub it, because it's an all day thing.

ROESGEN: Itchy eyes is just one of the symptoms of what some say are toxic trailers. EPA testing of FEMA trailers last year found the culprit is the chemical formaldehyde, which can cause serious respiratory problems and even cancer. The tests found formaldehyde levels much higher than federal safety standards allow -- in the trailer cabinets, the furniture, even in the walls.

Worst of all, some of the highest concentrations are found here, in the particle boards that hold up the beds.

More than 200 trailer residents have complained to FEMA about their health concerns. But at this congressional committee hearing, FEMA was accused of not warning trailer residents of the danger because FEMA's lawyers were more worried about the agency's liability than about people's health. REP. HENRY WAXMAN, (D) CALIFORNIA: Your staff, a year-and-a-half ago, said you should be testing the occupied trailers. The testing didn't take place. Your lawyers sent an e-mail saying if you test them, you may take ownership of it.

DAVID PAULISON, FEMA DIRECTOR: We're looking at things in hindsight and not how they were at the time. We are now recognizing, as we have all along, that we do have an issue and we're going to deal with it.

ROESGEN: Now FEMA is promising to start an investigation and to finally warn people like Robert Green of the possible danger he and 76,000 other families still face living in FEMA trailers along the Gulf Coast.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

ROESGEN: Now at that hearing, the committee showed internal e- mails from FEMA lawyers that were advising the field inspectors for FEMA to keep a lid on the complaints that might expose FEMA to liability.

As you heard FEMA Director David Paulison says he didn't listen to the lawyers, but, nevertheless, nearly two years after Hurricane Katrina, this is the first time FEMA is addressing that problem head on.

HOLMES: Well, crews are flying in from Florida today to give Utah firefighters a hand. Flames are reaching across two counties South of Salt Lake City. So far, 23 square miles burned. A motel and campground have been damaged and 18 Boy Scouts and two hikers had to be evacuated. Crews think the fire was sparked by the rim of a flat tire on a moving vehicle.

ROESGEN: So let's find out from Reynolds Wolf now what kind of relief those folks are getting.

(WEATHER REPORT)

ROESGEN: Well, you know, Harry Potter fans are waving their little wallets and making the newest book disappear from book shelves.

Is Harry Potter really turning kids into -- on to reading?

We'll get a reality check.

HOLMES: Also, a big part of the battle for the Oval Office is being fought over the Internet. We'll show you how campaigns are adapting.

ROESGEN: And this woman took on armed jewelry thieves. She's not afraid of anything, apparently. See what happened, when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROESGEN: Taking a look at the presidential race, a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll shows two New Yorkers leading in a key Southern state. Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Rudy Giuliani each lead their respective parties.

CNN's senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, crunches the numbers.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: (voice-over): You don't need to go to Darlington Raceway to find hot competition in South Carolina. In the Democratic race, Hillary Clinton is leading Barack Obama, with John Edwards running third. Clinton and Edwards are closely matched among whites. Two candidates do better with black Democrats -- Clinton...

SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: In the next two hours, I think we will talk about more issues important to the African- American community than the Bush administration has in six-and-a-half years.

SCHNEIDER: ... And Obama.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have more work to do when more young black men languish in prisons than attend colleges and universities across America.

SCHNEIDER: Clinton's strong black support accounts for most of her lead in South Carolina, but she faces serious competition from Obama.

Look who's leading the Republican race in South Carolina -- a former mayor of New York City with moderate views on some social issues. RUDY GIULIANI (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Ultimately, there has to be a right to choose.

SCHNEIDER: South Carolina conservatives have not yet rallied behind a favorite. Giuliani is leading, with Fred Thompson showing strength even though he isn't in the race yet. Conservatives admire Giuliani's record on terrorism and his defiance of liberals in New York.

GEORGE WILL, CONSERVATIVE COLUMNIST: I would say that your next speaker produced the eight most consecutive years of successful conservative governance in the 20th century in America.

SCHNEIDER: One more hot competition. South Carolina's supposed to be a solid red state. But President Bush's current job approval rating is 35 percent. Right now, more South Carolina voters say they would vote for a Democrat than a Republican for president.

(on camera): If South Carolina is up for grabs, you know Republicans have got to be worried.

Bill Schneider, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO TAPE) HOLMES: Well, on Monday, South Carolina will be the site of a milestone in presidential history -- the first CNN/YouTube debate. Democratic candidates will answer questions from the public submitted by video via YouTube.

And CNN chief national correspondent, John King, joins us now from the Citadel.

And what impact -- explain to folks just how crucial South Carolina is and will be overall in this campaign.

JOHN KING, CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: South Carolina can be the gateway to the nomination or it can be the stumbling block to the nomination, T.J.

You will have, in the Democratic race -- our debate Monday night is the Democrats. The Republicans in September. For the Democratic race, you have the Iowa caucuses, the Nevada caucuses. Then you go on to the New Hampshire primary and then you come here to South Carolina.

So assume somebody has put together one, maybe two wins, maybe even three wins at that point. The choice for South Carolina will be to embrace the frontrunner and send him or her on to the nomination or stumble them, knock them back a little bit and have the race prolonged into the very crowded calendar that follows.

And right now, Senator Clinton is ahead here in South Carolina. Our latest poll shows here with a 14-point lead over Senator Obama.

So, six months away from the primary, she is in pretty good shape here. So if you're one of her challengers, you're looking forward to this debate in any circumstances. And because the format is so groundbreaking, revolutionary, even -- the use of the Internet and YouTube -- we will have a fascinating even here in a very high stakes state Monday night.

HOLMES: They're hoping it's going to be fascinating and hope the format lends to that. Of course, we know people have been submitting their questions for the YouTube debate on YouTube.

We're going to listen to a couple of questions here and going to get an idea from you after we hear them about -- how the candidates might answer.

So let's listen to the first one here, which is actually on gay rights.

KING: All right.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT: Hello, candidates.

This is Scott from Tulsa, Oklahoma.

I'm going to be voting in the next election, so I have a question. Not too long ago, many states deprived the gay community of their right to marry who they want to -- unless they turn straight. All of the reasons for why this is justified have a religious or personal bias, meaning that it shouldn't even have been on the ballot. So why aren't there already gay rights?

And when will there be?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: So, a legitimate question. He found kind of a creative way and a different way to deal with it.

So how would the candidates not just deal with that type of question, but also kind of the format?

It's kind of a different kind of -- not just a straightforward answer from a straightforward journalist, if you will.

KING: it -- very -- much more difficult to answer that question when it comes from a gay or lesbian American than if it would come from asking you face to face, essentially, even over the Internet, than it would come from face to face from a journalist wearing a suit in a traditional format.

And this is an interesting issue, because gay rights, in the past, has been an issue that Republicans and some conservatives have used against the Democrats, trying to push them to the liberal fringe, if you will, in conservative states like right here in South Carolina.

Now, of the eight Democratic candidates, only two support gay marriage as a compact. That would be Dennis Kucinich and Alaska Senator Mike Gravel, former Senator Gravel. And they are considered on the fringe of the candidates of the Democrats.

The other candidates say they support civil unions, they support health between -- partnership benefits between gay Americans, but not marriage. It is one of the debating points in the race, much less of a wedge issue than we have seen in campaigns past, but still something that some conservatives will try to use against the Democratic nominee once we get to the general election -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right, John King, always a pleasure.

Enjoy the debate that's coming up.

We'll be checking back in with you plenty from there.

Thank you so much, John.

And, once again, folks, CNN raising the bar on the presidential debates. And, yes, you can take part.

Anderson Cooper hosts the Democratic candidates' debate this Monday night beginning at 7:00 Eastern. It's, yes, the first of its kind even, live and interactive on TV and online, the CNN/YouTube debate. And you can see the Republican candidates do the same thing on Monday, September 17th. Submit your questions now. Just log on to CNN.com/AmericaVotes. CNN -- your political headquarters.

Well, the backlash against Michael Vick is still building.

ROESGEN: How should the NFL respond?

We'll talk to a former pro-football player and see what he says about the Vick controversy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROESGEN: A 13-year veteran NBA referee is accused of betting on games, even on ones THAT he officiated. CBS and ESPN identified the ref as Tim Donaghy. A law enforcement official claims Donaghy has gambling problems and fell into debt with a bookie with links to organized crime. That official says Donaghy will turn himself in as early as next week to face criminal charges.

NBA Commissioner David Stern had this statement. He says: "The individual involved has betrayed the most sacred trust in professional sports."

The NBA is planning a news conference next week.

HOLMES: Well, animal rights protesters outside Nike's corporate headquarters in Oregon.

Look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: Dog fighting makes us sick. Nike needs to drop Vick!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Well, they want the shoe maker to drop its endorsement deal with NFL quarterback Michael Vick.

Nike says it's putting the new Vick shoe on hold, but it says its business relationship with Vick continues while the legal process plays out.

Well, the NFL also facing pressure to suspend Michael Vick. The Falcons quarterback indicted this week in an alleging dog fighting operation.

Well, Joseph Profit is the president of the NFL Alumni Association. He played for the Falcons and the Saints in the early '70s.

He's joining us now here on the set.

Thanks for coming in, today, sir.

And you tell me just how you reacted as a fan of football and as a former player when you heard this. JOSEPH PROFIT, NFL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION: Well, actually, I was very disappointed at the news, just the fact that -- that he could be involved -- Michael could be involved in such an activity. It was very disappointing to me as a former player and as a fan.

HOLMES: Who is this hurting most, do you think?

Of course, Michael Vick is going to take a serious hit.

But the NFL, how bad are they being hurt?

The fans, how are they being hurt?

And the -- not, specifically, the Michael Vick fans?

PROFIT: Well, the Michael Vick fans, I think, are disappointed at just the connotation of being involved in such an activity. The NFL itself is not involved. It's a legal issue. And I would think that the league would certainly be concerned about the activity of all the players, especially current guys right now.

HOLMES: It's an issue with their reputation as well, the NFL?

PROFIT: The reputation of -- yes, well, to some extent. But the reputation of the NFL speaks for itself.

HOLMES: Yes.

PROFIT: We have guys that are -- that have been out there for a lot of years doing a lot of positive things back for the community.

HOLMES: What happens, though, with these young players?

And I know you've set up -- have helped set up an educational, I guess, program, if you will, to help some of these young players make the transition to the NFL.

But what happens to guys when you hear, of all things, dog fighting?

I mean anybody -- who would -- anybody -- who would want to get involved with that?

What happens to somebody to make you -- why would you even do that and take a chance like that at all?

PROFIT: Well, dog fighting, I understand, is pretty big in certain states, even here in Georgia. But for a professional to be involved, of that stature, if that's the case --

HOLMES: If that's the case --

PROFIT: -- it's not -- it's unprecedented. But we try to work with guys that are in the league to help them deal with the transition from success in football to significance in the public market outside of football. The program is called PRIDE -- Professional Results In Daily Efforts. And what we try to instill in the guys is that you've got to be professional every day. You have to rededicate yourself as to what you're doing outside of football. So it's very important to us that the young guys understand that we do have a support system similar to what happens with politicians when they become like congressmen -- they go and they have training and teach them and show them how they should conduct themselves when they become a congressman or another elected official.

We're trying to do a similar situation with our ballplayers, that once you come out of football, how you should conduct yourself outside of football and the business and into the community.

HOLMES: What should Michael Vick do, do you think, right now?

Should he take the year off?

Some people are talking about he should sit out, take paid leave and deal with his legal issues right now and not be a distraction for his team.

What should he do?

PROFIT: Well, actually, I certainly can't speak for Michael. But I will say this, that at this point, there's no need to even think about not pursuing your livelihood. I mean all of us out in the public, when accusations are made to that degree, we can't just throw in the towel. So I don't have any direct contact as to how he should conduct himself. But I would think that on the surface, it's very, very premature.

HOLMES: All right.

Dr. Profit, really, that program, PRIDE, certainly it seems like something that could be used and should be used in these young fellows. Like you say, that's key. They forget sometimes, you've got a job to do. You are a professional and you need to behave that way, just like you're in an office, anywhere else.

PROFIT: Absolutely. And professional sports, we've done a tremendous job bringing this country together over the years. Sports has been that one catalyst to -- to make it happen. All the things that all the guys that are doing, through all our charities, are very good and shouldn't be offset by this alleged activity.

HOLMES: All right, Dr. Joseph Profit.

Sir, thank you so much for coming in.

PROFIT: Yes, sir.

Thank you for having me.

HOLMES: All right -- Susan. ROESGEN: Well, the big debate in baseball, as well, today. Still two to go for Barry Bonds. The Giants slugger could not break Hank Aaron's home run record with five at bats against Milwaukee last night.

Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig plans to attend the games at Miller Park all weekend, though. But, you know, Bonds has been dogged by steroid allegations and he insists that he's never tested positive. But some of the fans don't believe it -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right. Well, tracking those who smuggle -- the case for the shadow wolves. Their story is ahead right here in THE NEWSROOM.

ROESGEN: And what are readers saying about the new Harry Potter book?

We'll have the latest on Potter mania.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Now, a quick look at what's happening now.

President Bush has resumed his duties after briefly transferring his powers to Vice President Cheney this morning. The president had a colon exam at Camp David. The White House says doctors found five small polyps, but none appeared worrisome.

Also there are conflicting reports from Afghanistan about the fate of two German hostages. A purported Taliban spokesman claims both hostages were killed but the Afghan Foreign Ministry says one hostage died of a heart attack and the other is still alive.

ROESGEN: Now, along the Mexican border an elite squad of Native Americans uses ancestral tracking skills to catch smugglers. Kara Finnstrom has the story of the Shadow Wolves.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... the village of Sales (ph), Arizona, about 60 miles west of Tucson, Arizona.

KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The front line in the war on drug and immigrant smuggling. Sloan Satepauhoodle is a member of an elite customs unit of Native americans, the Shadow Wolves.

SLOAN SATEPAUHOODLE, SHADOW WOLVES: Yes, we have the night vision, yes, you have the sensors. But it's not going to show you a footprint. That's when it comes down to the person having to get out and look and see what's there.

FINNSTROM: And it's what the Shadow Wolves see that leads them to major drug busts. At least 60,000 pounds of illegal drugs every year. Their patrol, the Tohono O'odom Reservation, an area the size of Connecticut. (on camera): Just a few miles to the south of us is Mexico. We're here in the U.S. in what could either be a smugglers' paradise or smugglers' hell. A smugglers' paradise because of all this open space that smugglers have to sneak into the country. A smugglers' hell because in these extreme conditions, they can die out here.

(voice-over): The smugglers fighting dehydration and trying to hide always leave clues.

SATEPAUHOODLE: This one in the Pedialute.

FINNSTROM: Clues like fresh condensation on blistering bottles.

SATEPAUHOODLE: What caught my eye was this, right here, it's a shoe print.

FINNSTROM: Now Satepauhoodle is on a trail.

SATEPAUHOODLE: Those fine lines defined. If it was older, it would have been wiped out.

FINNSTROM: She's one of 14 Shadow Wolves tracking smugglers on Native American lands. To join their ranks, you must be from a federally recognized tribe. Their strength, ancestral hunting techniques.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These Native Americans bring skills they have honed for generations with the dedication that they're protecting their tribal lands.

SATEPAUHOODLE: You have to go out and look for the deer, you have to go hunt the buffalo, you have to go where they are. And once we feel like we find something, we call in the rest of the pack.

FINNSTROM: The smugglers counter the Shadow Wolves' technique with tricks of their own, carpet walking, strapping carpet to shoes to wipe away prints or strapping camouflage on stolen SUVs filled with drugs. The Shadow Wolves just look harder.

SATEPAUHOODLE: It would be great if we saw like a little bit of fiber ...

FINNSTROM: Satepauhoodle searches for threads from backpacks used to carry drug loads.

SATEPAUHOODLE: Now, this is good, too, because the toe digs are deep. So if you're carrying something heavy, you're going to leave a toe.

FINNSTROM: To catch the world's craftiest smugglers, the smartest weapon yet may be time-honored methods, used one step at a time. Kara Finnstrom for CNN, Southern Arizona.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROESGEN: The customs agents tell us that those Shadow Wolves have been so successful that there are request to use them to help guard the Canadian border. Shadow Wolves skills are also being adopted for the war on terror, they are teaching to police with numerous foreign governments hoping to hunt down potential smugglers of weapons of mass destruction.

HOLMES: All right. Check out this scene. My goodness. People in Wales are trying to stay dry this weekend and it ain't happening right there. Hundreds of people have been rescued from cars and homes after they were trapped by flooding. Some motorists had to spend last night on the M-5 motorway. Rain still a-coming. It is going to be lingering much next week due to a storm system that has stalled over the British Isles.

ROESGEN: Reynolds, we've been talking about this flooding there for weeks.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah. It's been a huge issue for them. They're going to get a little break today especially farther to the north in Scotland for the British Open, they're expecting skies to be mostly cloudy to partly cloudy, highs in the mid 50s but as we get into Sunday and Monday, the rain moves right back in. So a little bit of a breather but then it's rain biz one more time.

(WEATHER REPORT)

ROESGEN: No kidding. Sometimes it is hard to ...

WOLF: You don't have low 80s in New York during the summertime. Got to enjoy it while you can.

ROESGEN: OK. Thanks, Reynolds.

HOLMES: All right. Thanks, Reynolds. Are more kids taking up reading because of the popularity of Harry Potter? We'll get into that with a reality check. That is just ahead. Don't go anywhere.

(GREEN HOUSE - JUNK MAIL)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

HOLMES: We want to show you this just awesome picture out of Uxbridge, Massachusetts, an unbelievable blaze happening there. An eight-alarm fire, this is being called, in Uxbridge, Massachusetts at a sprawling mill. Happened about 4:00 in the morning, so it has been going quite some time. But we see firefighters attacking this thing from all sides at all angles. We don't have an idea what started it just yet. We can tell you that there are no injuries so far being reported but you can see flames coming out of this mill and you also see pretty significant damage and smoke heading is into the air in a major way there. We are getting these pictures from WHDH, our affiliate here. So we're at the mercy of this camera angle.

But we were hoping to get a wider shot to give you a better perspective what we're looking at. This is called the Bernat Mill Complex again in Uxbridge, downtown Uxbridge, which apparently houses a lot of businesses at this mill. There you go. That gives you a better perspective of this fire. But a huge blaze at this mill.

Again this complex, the Bernat Mill Complex has wood shops and art galleries and small businesses in it apparently. But this gives you a better idea of this picture and what we're looking at. You can see this is pretty much in the heart of the area. A lot around this downtown area where this complex is. So we're keeping an eye on this. Again, no injuries right now reported. Certainly, if it broke out about 4:00 this morning, maybe nobody was milling about at this complex, at this mill. So maybe no one was in there. But still no idea right now and no word on exactly what started this fire, but you can see streams of water being shot in there by firefighters.

On the right side of your screen there we see one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight different streams of water going into this building trying to get this fire out that has lost at least a significant part of its roof. Don't know how much might be salvaged in this fire, but we're keeping an eye on this fire. A significant blaze happening in Uxbridge in Central Massachusetts. We have an eye on it for you.

ROESGEN: And now the global story that's making people happy. It's happening from London to Louisville to Los Angeles. Harry Potter books magically disappearing from store shelves today. "The Deathly Hallows," the final word on the young wizard from author J.K. Rowling. So muggles, non wizards, all over the world are curling up today to find out what happens with Hermione and Ron and of course Harry Potter himself in their last year at Hogwarts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm the most excited girl in the world. I've been waiting for this all -- like since the last book came out. This is the happiest day of my life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROESGEN: Three hundred twenty five million Harry Potter books have been sold since the series first started back in 1998, but the movies have taken in more than a billion dollars in the United States alone. Only James Bond and "Star Wars" movies have been bigger money- makers.

HOLMES: If you haven't picked up your copy of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," then you're just way behind the curve. You're not one of the cool kids like me who has got his hands on a volume already. Probably don't have an iPhone yet either, do you?

Well, the final volume in the Harry Potter series went on sale at the witching hour, midnight and fans of the boy wizard began making the books disappear, of course just like the magic. Well, has Harry Potter, though -- he's an established hit with the young readers. But really, are more people interested in reading other things? Everybody wants to read Harry Potter, sure. Josh Levs here, Mr. Reality himself. But in reality, are people reading other stuff because of this stuff?

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, are you -- you finished this last night, right?

HOLMES: No, I got to that page right there.

LEVS: I know you were lining up last night. That's the question. Are they reading other stuff because there's a lot of people out there concerned about kids reading in general. Actually, it turns out there's a brand new federal study that's coming out really soon that has some important information in it. So the short version here, are kids reading more due to Harry Potter? Not so much.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEVS (voice-over): It's always been a big part of the buzz about Harry Potter. Millions of kids excited not just about movies, but about books. There's a widespread belief that ...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Harry Potter has really made kids read.

LEVS: But are kids who grew up on Harry Potter really reading more than the generations before them? A landmark federal study due this fall says no. The National Endowment for the Arts has said it has found a drop in pleasure reading among adolescents. In fact, the report finds the decline has continued at the same rate since before Harry Potter books existed.

The biggest reasons include video games, TV and the Internet. But wait a second, the Internet, that's reading, right? The federal study found even when you include reading online, the overall figures are still dropping.

Still, many parents believe Harry Potter has worked some magic in getting their kids to read.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fantastic, Ginny (ph).

LEVS: It's possible the decline in adolescent reading would be even bigger were it not for the boy wizard. A survey commissioned by Scholastic, Harry Potter's U.S. publisher, found 51 percent of kids who read Harry Potter said that afterward they started reading for fun in general. Eighty-nine percent of parents said the books helped their kids enjoy reading more. The National Endowment for the Arts says it's too bad there aren't more Harry Potter style book crazes for young readers, but these things just don't happen often.

JENNIFER BROWN, CHILDREN'S BOOK EDITOR: I really can't think of another series that has generated this kind of excitement. Possibly Charles Dickens did when he read from his serials when he was publishing his book.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEVS (on camera): For that we're looking back at the 1800s. It might not be another 150 years before there's another book giant bonanza and a lot of authors are trying to create the next one. But in the meantime, educators trying to figure out what are other things that they might be able to do to inspire kids to take an interest in reading.

HOLMES: I'm trying to get to the last page. Get this worked out.

LEVS: Can't trust him around books.

HOLMES: Thank you, Josh.

ROESGEN: You know, Harry Potter is all over the Web, too. Veronica de la Cruz of the dotcom desk is here with that.

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN.COM CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, as you know, the ending in the latest Harry Potter story given away before the book even hit store shelves. I promise you, we're not going to spoil it for you. Instead, we're going to share some of that Potter mania. Here are a couple of I-Reports we received, this one from Harry Potter himself. I'm just kidding. This is Colin Mueller (ph) from State College, Pennsylvania. The 12-year-old was first in line at the local Barnes & Noble and obviously dressed up for the occasion. This I-Report was taken by Tom Donohue.

And another I-Report to show you from Bridget Banesch, this is the host of the Grand Hallows Ball as she tempts the crowd with a copy of the final installment as they wait in line for their own. Bridget took this picture at a Borders in California. She said there were hundreds of people there and they were all dressed up as well.

And this I-Report from Wendi Munson in Ohio who says they got the first Potter book at the book story that they visited. These are their two children and they attended a party beforehand. It was thrown in the mall where the books were being sold. Her children stayed up all night and read the books but she's not sure if they finished them.

At cnn.com, we've been asking you if you plan on reading the new Harry Potter book. The results of our Quick Vote show only 29 percent have said yes, 71 percent are saying no. And more than 75,000 of you have voted so far. You can cast your vote by logging on to cnn.com and send us your I-report at ireport@cnn.com. I'm Veronica De la Cruz from the dotcom desk. I'll send it back to you.

ROESGEN: Coming up next hour live, reading wizards from around the globe review the final and what may be the bloodiest volume in the Harry Potter series.

HOLMES: Also, we've got this to show you. A store owner who's fighting back.

ROESGEN: Look at this. She doesn't take it. Find out what happened when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

HOLMES: Taking you back to this scene, this mess, this huge fire we're keeping an eye on in Uxbridge, Massachusetts, this is a sprawling fire, really a massive fire happening at a mill complex in downtown Uxbridge, this is Central Massachusetts. You can get an idea what is going on by this picture, just smoke going all over the place, all into the air on this huge, huge fire.

This is an eight-alarm fire that the firefighters describe as now. They have really about two dozen communities and different firefighters that have responded to this. No injuries right now have been reported. This apparently broke out around 4:00 in the morning. So hopefully, no one was there at the time of the fire when it did get started. But this complex has small businesses in it. Wood shops, art galleries, various things in it. But firefighters are up against it right now. We've seen several streams of fire - excuse me, water being shot at the fire from all angles. But you can tell the roof has collapsed certainly in several spots, maybe on the whole complex in itself.

We're keeping an eye on this story. Again key here, no injuries being reported at this Bernat Mill Complex where this fire is going right now in downtown Uxbridge in Central Massachusetts. We're on it.

ROESGEN: Now, a woman who was fed up in phoenix. A jewelry store owner facing an armed robber. She didn't just give it up and put up her hands. She put up her fists. Here's CNN's Anderson Cooper.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How are you?

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Tuesday, July 17th, business as use at Gaston Jewelers in Phoenix. But not for long.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody on the ground. Get on the ground.

COOPER: Criminals posing as customers pull out guns and confront an owner refusing to give in.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You get out of here right now, young man.

COOPER: Even as one of the suspects fires a bullet just inches away from her the 5'2" woman continues to fight. Another surveillance camera captures the encounter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get out of here right now young man. You leave.

COOPER: As you see, three employees obey the orders and get on the ground. But the woman, who only wants to be identified as Carol, battles back.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are you guys doing?

COOPER: Sounding more like an impatient schoolmarm than the victim of a violent crime.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, come on. Open the safe. Come on. Open the safe. Get on the ground.

COOPER: Incredibly, even after almost getting shot, Carol follows them out of the store. We showed this tape to a former NYPD detective.

GIL ALBA, FORMER NYPD DETECTIVE: She owned the store. Probably her life savings is in there and she's not giving it up to any two punks that come in, even with gun. However, you put the other people in danger. You put the other employees in danger. She's forcing these guys to take action. They have the guns and those guns were loaded. Therefore, give them what they want, let them get out as fast as they want.

COOPER: In 2005 more than 900 people were murdered in the U.S. during the course of a robbery.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is wrong with you guys?

COOPER: While police look for the robbers we wanted to know what drove Carol to turn on the attackers?

CAROL, JEWELRY STORE OWNER: I'm not that big of a person but whenever I see something like that, I don't think about my life. I was just livid that they would do this to me.

COOPER: And if this should happen in the future she says she'll be armed and ready.

CAROL: If I would have pulled a gun on them, somebody probably would have been dead. And I don't really want to kill anybody but whenever my life is at stake or my employees' or customers' lives are at stake, you bet, I would fire.

COOPER: Anderson Cooper, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROESGEN: A tough cookie.

NEWSROOM continues at the top of the hour with Melissa Long who is filling in for Fredricka Whitfield.

HOLMES: Good morning to you, Melissa.

MELISSA LONG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good to see you as well.

We're going to talk about a sport coming up, it's a fascinating sport really growing in popularity around the U.S. It's called mixed martial arts. You may have heard of it referred to as ultimate fighting. You can see it's kind of a combination sport. Boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, judo, jujitsu. It's brutal, almost banned but apparently now it's booming. We're going to take a closer look at why. Also ... (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do you, my presidential hopefuls brothers and sister Hillary plan on promoting an expanding civil rights so poor brother Anderson Cooper here doesn't have to do all the work by himself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LONG: Thank you so much for helping Anderson Cooper by sending in YouTube questions for a debate coming up. The Democratic debate first and the Republicans in September. Some of the questions kind of debatable all by themselves. We have the cream of the oddball crop coming up next hour for you.

ROESGEN: Those are great. Even if the candidates never answer THEM.

LONG: You're speechless. You're never speechless.

HOLMES: Now, the lady singing, I saw that earlier. That was funny. That was a good one.

Next we're going to be talking doughnuts. Probably why I was kind of quiet, we're moving on to doughnuts.

ROESGEN: Homer hits the big screen tonight.

(TIP OF THE DAY)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROESGEN: A TV cartoon family makes the jump to the big screen today and it's a very big deal in Springfield, Vermont. Springfield will host the premier of the "Simpsons Movie." Ten thousand fans may show up even though the theater has only 200 seats.

HOLMES: Because this is in Springfield, Vermont and it beat out 13 other Springfields across the country for the right to host the premiere. The TV Simpsons have always lived in a town named Springfield but up until now the show's creators never said which one, so Vermont it is.

ROESGEN: Now we know.

HOLMES: Now the CNN NEWSROOM continues with Melissa Long.

LONG: Hey. Thank you so much. Have a great day.

ROESGEN: You, too.

LONG: Straight ahead this hour on CNN, it is brutal, it was almost banned but now it is booming. We're going to take a closer look at violent new sport of mixed martial arts.

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