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Fires Burn in Greece; DMX's Dogs Seized; Some Progress in Illinois Flooding
Aired August 25, 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: Up next in the NEWSROOM, raging wildfires. More than 40 people have died from this massive fire in Greece and many others are trapped by the flames.
Plus, take a look at this ball of fire in the sky right there. It's a hot air balloon ride that went horribly wrong. The bizarre and tragic story coming up.
Also, a tip for wives who keep quiet during those verbal arguments -- don't. A new study says holding your tongue could shorten your life. Dr. Lloyd joins us live to explain why.
Hello. I'm Fredricka Whitfield and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM. Greece this hour is pleading for help from its neighbors to help the surging forest fires behind a nationwide state of emergency. We just received these pictures showing fires still raging after nightfall. An arrest was announced today in connection with one blaze amid fears of organized arson campaigns. The deadliest fire is blamed for 38 deaths near the southern coastal village of Zaharo. Today, the flames neared Athens. Our story from CNN's Emily Chang.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EMILY CHANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Towering flames continue to marsh fiercely across Greece, fanned by strong winds and scorching summer heat.
Dozens of fires are burning in the suburbs of Athens, threatening to invade the nation's capital. On the Peloponnese peninsula, walls of fire have surrounded villages. Some residents scrambling desperately for a way out.
On Greek TV, the prime minister declared a national state of emergency and suggested arson could be to blame. Overnight the fires swept through this small village southeast of Athens.
This man says he can't find his wife and saw dead bodies along the road he couldn't recognize. This woman says she spent the whole night here alone. It's believed many people burned to death in their cars trying to escape. So far there are more than 40 dead, among them several children, three firefighters and two French tourists.
There are many more unaccounted for as police search the hillside for survivors but instead stumble upon charred remains of those who didn't make it. For two straight days, residents have been calling into Greek TV stations begging for help. The fires moving so quickly, Greek fire services are overstretched. This after more than 3,000 fires so far this summer, Greek's worst fire season in history.
Now the country is relying on international support while new fires continue to erupt leaving a desolate path behind. Emily Chang, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And another big story unfolding right here in its United States, the massive flooding that's being blamed for at least 18 deaths in the upper Midwest.
Flood warnings are posted in six states right now: Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri and Indiana. In northern Illinois, residents are scrambling to sandbag low-lying areas. The rain there has died down, but hundreds of thousands of people who live near swollen creeks and rivers are still at risk.
Homes also underwater in Ohio -- weekend rain could keep waters above flood stage until tomorrow possibly. Unwelcome news to hundreds of evacuated residents who were hoping to return to their homes today. Trees down and power out in southern Michigan as well. The result of a ferocious stormed that rolled through the region yesterday. A tornado touched down in the town of Fenton, destroying several homes and barns there.
Our Jim Acosta is northwest of Chicago in Antioch, Illinois. The area has been hit hard by the flooding where the water is still pretty high, Jim?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It sure is, Fredricka. But people here in Antioch along the Fox River can take heart because there are two bits of good news for residents in this swollen area.
It has just been a nightmare for these residents in the past five days, but today officials with emergency management with the state of Illinois and here in the village of Antioch have told us that this river, this Fox River which went over its banks significantly has reached its crest.
It did that at about 3:00 in the morning. They say this is according to them that this river is going down, that floodwaters are starting to recede.
The other piece of good news is that there was rain in the forecast, half inch to an inch of rain. That seems to have gone away. There was just a slight bit of rain overnight but during the day today, we have seen just about all sunshine and those two bits of good information together combined should aid this situation.
We should see some significant progress over the next 24 to 48 hours. That can't come soon enough for people on the other side of the river. If you look across the Fox River, this mobile home community just sitting precariously on the edge.
We have a different vantage point in this hour. If you look along that line of mobile homes, you can see the back ends of several of those mobile homes actually hanging in the water. Several of those mobile homes are quite elaborate. They have decks and so forth. Those are totally submerged.
So this cresting of this river could not have come soon enough for these residents here because had this river gone up any further, you would have seen these mobile homes becoming houseboats and racing down this Fox River, which is moving at a steady clip.
Now, we have been talking to residents throughout the day. As you see there's this nice wall of sandbags next to me. You might also be able to hear those water pumps churning. They have been going for about eight hours now in the background there. They have been doing the job here and holding some kind of dry ground for residents in these homes here because they have not seen a whole lot of water in their houses.
If we continue to pan over, we'll see one of the neighbors here who we talked to about seven hours ago and that's Jan Todd (ph) there on her front porch there, not looking too concerned I might add. But she is concerned and she was saying to us earlier this morning that she was thinking about raising the white flag and at this point she says she's uncertain.
She's heard the news that this river has crested and that floodwaters are starting to go down. But she's waiting to see it with her own eyes, which is not happening just yet. Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: Well, it looks like she's the sole lucky one while everybody else has water in their yards, she seems to be the only one where you can actually see green grass. All right, well at least you have a safe haven yourself for a moment. All right Jim Acosta, thanks so much.
Let's check in with Jacqui Jeras, who is keeping a close watch on all of this and boy, it's going to be awhile before folks can dry out in the midsection.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: A desperate caller begs 911 to bring everything you've got. Those are the words. Dozens of people jammed emergency lines after the Minneapolis Bridge collapse during the August 1st evening rush hour. Remember that? Yesterday the city released several dozen recordings including this one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
911 DISPATCHER: 911, do you have an emergency or can you hold.
CALLER: Yes, I need everything you got. The whole bridge over the river fell down. There's car all over the place.
911 DISPATCHER: OK, where sir?
CALLER: I want to say 35W over the Mississippi down by the U. There's hundreds of cars. I'm over the river. Bring everything you got.
911 DISPATCHER: OK sir, we're getting them started, OK?
CALLER: Oh, hurry up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Well authorities say about 100 people called within the first two minutes after the bridge fell into the Mississippi River. The collapse killed 13 people.
The treatment of pit bulls could land yet another celebrity in trouble tonight, the story next from Kara Finnstrom.
KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're live in Cave Creek, Arizona where sheriff's deputies are collecting evidence from the home of rapper DMX. The story coming up.
WHITFIELD: Also coming up, more of this unbelievable video of a hot air balloon on fire and there were people inside.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: That's a video of rap star DMX, hip-hop artist and dog owner who has in fact mixed music with images of snarling pit bulls. This is his 1999 music video, "What's My Name?"
Fast forward to today. DMX's fascination with pit bulls is getting the attention of authorities now. Yesterday, sheriffs deputies raided the rapper's Arizona home was seized 12 pit bulls. They say the dogs were kept in inhumane conditions without food and water. DMX was not home at the time and no arrests were made. Our Kara Finnstrom Is covering developments in Cave Creek, Arizona. So what brought authorities to this residence in the first place?
FINNSTROM: Well, they actually got a tip. And this is where that raid took place behind me. This is DMX's home. They got a tip that actually there was some animal neglect going on here. And they came out. Now at this point, they tell us their investigation does not show that there was any dog fighting going on. They say that's very important because that's been a big question out here in this community.
They also say it's not clear at this point whether DMX will actually face any charges. What they did find, what we do know is they found these 12 dogs here which are a mix of pit bull and English mastiff that they say were dehydrated and also poorly fed.
They took those into custody. They also found the bodies of three dogs that were buried in this yard and one of them they say had been burned and they say they found drugs, drug paraphernalia and a number of weapons here, weapons that they're still trying to figure out if they were actually legitimately bought. We spoke with some neighbors, our crews did, and they found that a lot of these neighbors were surprised by all these findings.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you know this guy lived here?
STEPHEN PETITT, NEIGHBOR: Yeah, I did. I was aware of it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Has it been a problem before? A good neighbor?
PETITT: Yeah, he's always been a good neighbor. I've never had a problem with him. I've seen him around riding our and stuff. They have always been courteous to us, good people.
UNIDNETIIFED MALE: So no problem up until this?
PETITT: Never had a problem, no.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FINNSTROM: Well, this is actually a very remote area. You can see that we're about 30, 40 miles from Phoenix. Neighbors here though do tell us that they hadn't seen anyone coming to care for those dogs for the last several months. So again, this investigation continuing in the hope that more answers will be ascertained sometime next week. Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: All right, Kara. Well that's interesting because DMX's lawyer is in fact blaming the caretaker of the dogs. He told us during a conversation that his client, his real name is Earl Simmons wasn't even at home, hasn't even been in Arizona at least two months.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MURRAY RICHMAN, DMX'S ATTORNEY (on phone): Please know that Mr. Simmons, DMX, has been away on tour the past several weeks and he left the property in charge of a caretaker. The caretaker just simply wasn't taking care. And as a result of that, the temperature was 113, 114 in Phoenix and although the dogs were properly fed and watered, he left them out during the day. And where he should have been putting them in the house which is air conditioned during the day. As a result some of the dogs became exhausted. It's quite a strain on the animals.
WHITFIELD: So what's the next step here?
RICHMAN: I have no idea. I have not been contacted by the police. I spoke to them yesterday informing them that if needed, we were available. If they wished to tell me what the facts are, I would be willing to cooperate. They have not spoken to me nor have they returned a phone call.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So Richman says his client was extremely disturbed to hear the animals were not being cared for properly.
Meantime, the NFL has suspended Michael Vick indefinitely and without pay. In a written plea filed yesterday, Vick admits to operating and funding a dog fighting ring on his property in Virginia. He also admits to being involved in the deaths of dogs that didn't perform well in test fights. Drew Griffin has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Michael Vick, who months ago was throwing for touchdowns as the star quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, now has thrown himself before the mercy of a federal court, admitting in court papers to dog fighting.
(VIDEO OF DOG FIGHT)
GRIFFIN: The one count plea, to be entered by Vick in Richmond, Virginia Monday, charges Vick with conspiracy -- a charge that could bring as much as a five year prison term.
Responding to a possible plea deal earlier this week, one of Vick's defense attorneys indicated the agile quarterback couldn't run from his past.
DANIEL MEACHUM, MICHAEL VICK'S ATTORNEY: He's accepting responsibilities for those charges. And he's trying to put the pieces of his life back together and asks that you pray for him and forgive him for any wrongdoings that he may have involved in.
GRIFFIN: Three co-defendants have already pleaded guilty. And all three gave graphic details about how Michael Vick's Virginia property was the headquarters of Bad Newz Kennels, that dogs were raised there to fight, that Vick not only financed the operation, but took part in gambling, and that Michael Vick personally killed under-performing dogs by drowning and electrocution.
(VIDEO OF DOG FIGHT)
GRIFFIN: In his plea agreement today, Vick's lawyers appeared to be trying to minimize the damage, specifically saying while Vick financed the operation, even put up money for purses, he did not bet on the dogs. He did admit, however, to agreeing to the killing of six to eight dogs that did not perform well in so-called testing sessions. The dogs were killed by various methods, including hanging and drowning.
And, the summary states, Vick agrees and stipulates that these dogs all died as a result of the collective efforts of his co-defendants Purnell Peace, Quanis Phillips and himself, Vick.
Neither Vick nor the prosecution had anything to say about the plea deal beyond the court filings.
Once the plea is entered in court Monday, a federal judge will decide whether to accept it and then set a sentencing date. A source familiar with details of the case says prosecutors will ask the judge to send the star quarterback to prison for no less than 18 months.
Drew Griffin, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And again, the NFL has suspended Vick indefinitely and without pay. In announcing the suspension, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell spoke directly to Vick, saying quote "Even if you personally did not place bets as you contend, your actions in funding the betting and your association with illegal gambling both violate the terms of your NFL player contract and expose you to corrupting influences and derogation of one of the most fundamental responsibilities of an NFL player." That from Commissioner Goodell.
And coming up at 4:30, we'll talk to author Darrell Dawsey. He's written a lot about young black men in America and he has thoughts about some young athletes, money and fame.
Well, it was a frightening sight to see. A hot air balloon on fire and crashing to the ground. Up next in the NEWSROOM, an eyewitness account of a tragedy that left a mother and daughter dead.
Also, if you're the quiet lady who stays silent during those husband-wife verbal arguments, well have we got some news for you. Say something already. A new study says the silence could kill you. Plus this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She went from bikini model to.
LAUREN JONES, ANCHORWOMAN: Lauren Jones, anchorwoman.
MOOS: Winking and tugging, always tugging at her skirt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: A local TV station takes a model and puts her on a news set. So did it work? The story coming up right here in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: An absolutely horrible accident in British Columbia in Canada. A pickup truck plowed into a group of people leaving a wedding reception. Six people were killed last night. Investigators say the truck apparently veered out of control near an intersection. The 71-year-old driver of the truck was questioned and released. Another 19 people were injured in that accident.
Also in British Columbia, a hot air balloon disaster. Two people were killed, 11 were hurt after their balloon caught fire shortly before takeoff. The fire caused the balloon to lift off and forced screaming passengers to jump out. Nigel Vonas grabbed a camera, shot video of the fiery scene in South Surrey, British Columbia and told us what he saw.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIGEL VONAS, CNN I-REPORTER: What it looked like to me was that something or somebody was trying to deal with the flames it looked like. And of course I looked down to get my camera and by the time I looked back up, it was absolutely engulfed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was very abrupt, just engulfed in flames and started coming down quickly.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you saw someone?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We saw something either jump off or something come off of the flame.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was heading right for you. We didn't know whether to start running or what, so we just stood there, but we were prepared to run, because it was coming in low over the trees right at the edge of the golf course.
VONAS: In my mind, I was thinking somebody is dying right now, right this minute, right near me, which is a rather scary thought. So you have feelings of excitement, of seeing something you've never seen before, but you also have morbid feelings, and you don't know to what magnitude that death is occurring.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well we talked to a spokesman for the balloon company and he expressed his regrets and says they're trying to determine exactly what caused what he is calling a freak fire.
Michael Vick says never gambled on dog fights, but the NFL says it doesn't matter. A bet is a bet.
Plus, athletes and instant riches. How do you handle all of that? It's a question we posed to our next guest.
Also ladies, if you and your husband have a little spat, a little verbal spat, the advice is don't hold back. Would you believe your life might depend on letting it all out? That's the word from a new study. Dr. Bill Lloyd joins us live to talk all about it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Well it may very well be the worst fire in the history of southern Greece. Authorities say dozens are dead from raging wildfires that have sparked in the past few days. The Greek prime minister speculates that the blazes may have been deliberately set by political extremists.
The water-logged Midwest in this country keeps a watchful eye on swollen creeks and rivers. The threat of rain has diminished but the prospect of additional flooding is real as runoff from a week of heavy rain finds its way into tributaries now -- 18 deaths blamed on the bad weather so far.
And a political storm or at least the talk of. The Democratic National Committee is at odds with its party faithful in Florida, now that the state's presidential primary has been moved up to January. Sunshine State Democrats have 30 days to change the primary back. If not, Florida could lose its delegates to the party convention next summer.
The dog days of summer take on a whole new meaning for Michael Vick. The embattled NFL quarterback is starting to feel the financial bite of a federal dogfighting case. Monday Vick may find out the cost to his freedom when he goes before the judge. The cost to his bank account, well it's already showing. Vick's corporate sponsor, Nike, is among those who have terminated his contract. That just happened on Friday, soon after the NFL suspended him indefinitely without pay. The league action came after Vick partially admitted to some of the charges alleged in the grand jury indictment. Football commissioner Roger Goodell pulled no punches with Vick stating quote, "Even if you personally did not place bets as you contend, your actions in funding the betting and your association with illegal gambling both violate the terms of your NFL player contract and expose you to corrupting influences in derogation of one of the most fundamental responsibilities of an NFL player." Those words from the commissioner of the NFL. So, what does this mean to Vick's football career? Will he have one after he fulfills any possible legal obligations? CNN's sports analyst and sports reporter, sports everything, Larry Smith. You have your finger on the pulse here. I mean, we know what's going to happen legally at least the next step appearing in court but everyone does want to know, even if he does serve one year or whatever this judge if he accepts the plea gives him, does he still stand a chance of playing football?
LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS: I think he can and keep in mind that he's still Michael Vick. It's still the NFL. He still could make somebody a lot of plays after this all is played out. Now I'm not saying he is going to or is not but I think in terms of making this an indefinite suspension, one thing that Roger Goodell has done, is he has given himself some time. He can wait and see what the federal sentence is going to be, how long, if there are some state charges and additional sentence in Virginia, possibly even in North Carolina. That could come down the road at some point. If that's the case, then he can kind of wait and see. Keep in mind that 2007, he's not going to play this year. Probably will still be behind bars next year. That's two years out. He could come back later and if Michael Vick does all of the right things, whatever those things are in Roger Goodell's mind, he could then reinstate him.
WHITFIELD: Really? Because right now as it stands even though he has the $20 million advance or the signing bonus and then it's what, $130 million 10 year deal all the way around. If they have already suspended his playing, what does that mean for his contractual or maybe the Falcons' contractual obligations to him, do they have any? SMITH: Well yeah, the Falcons now, they are clear to cut Michael Vick and many people expect that they will do that. The Falcons also can go after some $20 million in that bonus money that they feel he has not earned because the contract was terminated early and again because of the player conduct clauses in the NFL player policy, they can do that as well. He probably very likely has played his last game with the Atlanta Falcons. Probably even played his last game as a quarterback in the NFL. The Falcons they can go after that money. Nike can also go after their money possibly, they could choose too. Because they had a brand new Michael Vick shoe line ready to roll out. Those shoes are sitting somewhere on a shelf that can't be sold unless they can find a way to put someone else's name on them.
WHITFIELD: I think I recall, it was like the day of or the day before the actual arraignment and the shoe was supposed to be on the market and boom, just like that, it was like snatch them off the shelves. We're not going make them available.
SMITH: I'm anxious to see too how NFL teams handle this in the future in terms of giving out these massive signing bonuses. The reason why that happens is because very quickly when you compute a salary cap computation, you can take that bonus money and prorate it through the length of the contract. That's why it's a 10-year contract. So you don't take that massive hit under the salary cap. The Falcons do get one thing back, they don't have to pay Michael Vick's salary this year. Next year they'll take a salary cap hit but at the same time if they can sue for that money as I understand it, if they sue and win that suit and Michael Vick pays back that bonus money, they get credited that under the salary cap next year. So, the Falcons could be a very big free agent player in the NFL free agent market in 2008.
WHITFIELD: And remember people, it is a business.
SMITH: It is a business.
WHITFIELD: It's all about the bottom line too.
SMITH: It's really -- I know dogfighting and other things too, but the real big issue now with NFL is the gambling issue. That's primary for them. If you read Roger Goodell's comments even before this, that's been their primary thing they have been looking at.
WHITFIELD: All right, Larry Smith, thanks so much for breaking it down. Appreciate it.
When you look at Michael Vick and other young athletes, you have to wonder, are a lot of guys able to handle these huge responsibilities of money and fame given that many of them are very young as well. Someone who has kind of delved into this and studied it quite a bit, Darrell Dawsey, he wrote "Living to Tell about It." He's also written a number of other publications about what it is to be a young man, a young black man in America and particular what it means for a young black athlete who has to try and juggle these responsibilities. Good to see you Darrell.
DARRELL DAWSEY, AUTHOR, "LIVING TO TELL ABOUT IT": Good to be here.
WHITFIELD: All right, so, no one can really explain, you know, Michael Vick's actions except Michael Vick. But given that you have talked to a number of people and really have studied about the harsh reality of what it is to be young, to now try to find balance with your new life, someone who is young and wealthy and then try to balance leaving maybe departing what your old life was, how difficult is that for a number of young athletes?
DAWSEY: It's extremely difficult. I mean, you give somebody a lot of money and then you tell them to go off and find new friends. Well, we all know that it's very difficult to make new friends when you're fabulously wealthy. I mean that's just a problem and of course you know extremely famous. So, that presents a certain social problem for these guys from the beginning. And then you know the circles that they would often be compelled to move in, I mean these are not necessarily composed of people who share the same experiences, who have the same background, who have the same social upbringing, who have the same world view, and so it becomes more and more difficult for these guys to have the sort of expansive circle that we encourage them to bring into their lives. But I do think that they owe it to themselves to try and do what they can to evolve, to do what they can to grow and to take their friends with them whenever possible. I mean I do think that money can create new avenues for you and it can create new vistas and I think we do have to be encouraged as young African American men to explore these things a lot more vigorously than we do a lot of times.
WHITFIELD: So if it is so common that there are challenges and it's understandable how suddenly you're thrust in a lot of big money or fame, if it is so common, then where is the intervention. If not from family members or people who, you know, are close to you, then what about the responsibility that comes from these professional organizations? Don't they too bear some responsibility to help these athletes try to manage their new lives?
DAWSEY: Sure, they do. And I think that to a certain degree many of these sports leagues and sports organizations have taken measures to try and integrate these young men into the world of wealth and responsibility but I think that at the end of the day, for them it's still all about the buck. It's all about your performance. The irony of the Michael Vick allegations for me any way is how in many instances his treatment of the dogs or their treatment of these dogs are parallels in so many ways the way that athletes get treated by professional sports leagues. I mean obviously they're not drowned or electrocuted but they are cut, they are treated as though they just fell off of a meat wagon and they're inspected and they're expected to be the best and they're thrown into these blood sports. And they're expected to commit in some cases their very lives and their livelihoods to try to help their teams perform and to help their teams win. And when they don't do that, they are oftentimes cast aside. And so when you come up in a world like this, I mean for many young African-American men, you know getting up in the morning and going about your day can be akin to a blood sport, just trying to survive the day. So, you know when you have these kinds of pressures on you both before you earn some money and after you make that kind of money, I mean you still have these sort of pressures on you, yeah, it becomes very difficult to try and maintain a certain level --
WHITFIELD: But too, you would think along the way you know Darrell even whether it's among your team members, you would hope that some of your team members might notice something or be able to kind of give you a little advice on, you know what you may want to rethink this activity. Because it could cost you everything. So, you know, it just is difficult I think for a lot of folks to understand.
DAWSEY: I think that they do.
WHITFIELD: How this happens.
DAWSEY: I think there are mentors in the league but you know again, at the end of the day it is about your own willingness to embrace a level of personal responsibility. Even if you don't necessarily embrace the moral values of the point of view of the people who are telling you, you have to do this, then you just do it for that basic bottom line reason. I got to check my wallet. I have to make sure that I'm still able to earn this fabulous living.
WHITFIELD: All right, Darrell Dawsey, thanks so much for your time. I know we're not done with this topic, we'll probably have you back again to talk some more. Appreciate it. And you wrote "Living to Tell about It" and also folks can catch a lot of your writings in other publications as well, including "Essence" magazine. Thanks so much.
DAWSEY: Sure, thanks for having me.
WHITFIELD: So how about this. Thinking about your health in a different way. If you are what they call the quiet wife who says very little during verbal arguments with your husband, well you may want to speak up some because apparently it really could help your health. We'll explain what that means coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: According to the Federal Trade Commission, unauthorized credit card charges were the leading contributor to more than $1.1 billion in reported consumer fraud complaints last year.
ALAN FINKELSTEIN, FOUNDER & DIRECTOR: Today what you're using primarily to log on is a static pass code and that's easily compromised.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But soon consumers could get an added layer of protection. It's called dual factor authentication. Finkelstein's company, Innovative Card Technologies is developing a card that requires the user to press a button on the card to change the temporary pass code before entering the pin number. The pass code is only valid for one time use making it more difficult for fraud to occur.
FINKELSTEIN: It's the only card that has a dynamic pass code built into the card form factor and that enables you to satisfy the dual factor authentication.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The card is being tested by major banks and corporations and may be available to consumers later this year.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you here for couples?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don't you think you and I should discuss something first?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like what? How your 47 average is killing us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Great. Gary, this is couples bowling. Since you and I are no longer a couple because you have chosen not to participate constructively in our relationship, we're now singles. So there's not room for two singles on the team.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Ok then, well Jennifer Anniston and Vince Vaughn in "The Break Up" there, well they apparently are a perfect example of the next story I'm about to tell you about. Apparently for married women keeping quiet for Pete's sake is bad for your health. Listen to this, women who force themselves to stay quiet during those verbal marital spats have a higher risk of death. Dr. Bill Lloyd is with us now to give us an idea of what this means and we're talking about this puts additional strain on your heart or something?
DR. BILL LLOYD, SURGEON: It's remarkable Fredricka. Yeah, you know we're not talking about the silent treatment, when you have an argument and I'm just not going to talk to that other person. This is called self-silencing and it affects wives more often than husbands. And women who choose not to engage their husband that is to say not to confront them and not to continue an argument but rather to button up and bottle it up are at greater risk. They looked at over 3,000 adults Fredricka, men and women and followed them for 10 years. And after 10 years they did several surveys about marital satisfaction and the things that upset them and they found out when looking at their medical records that women who had a record for self-silencing, once again keeping things mum and not confronting the spouse, were nearly four times more likely to die of serious heart disease. And this didn't happen in men at all.
WHITFIELD: This is unbelievable. It seems like we've all heard this before. I mean if something is bothering you, you don't want to pen it up. I mean it's never good for you to just kind of keep things contained and quiet, so, why do we need this new study to remind us of all that? Why have folks forgotten that? LLOYD: Well you think about young couples when they're courting. You're just so open you can't shut up, you talk about everything. When things are going well and when things are difficult. But you get married, all of a sudden there are expectations and behavioral expectations as well. You pay the bills. You take care of mowing the lawn, etcetera. But there are heart buttons in every marriage.
WHITFIELD: Assigned duties.
LLOYD: There are heart buttons Fredricka like finances and questions about intimacy, how do we raise the kids, who is doing the chores and an important question about your spouse's job because so many couples now are dual income families. This can cause lots of turmoil and many women have developed a sense of just keeping it all bottled in and when that happens there will be health problems.
WHITFIELD: All right, so it's still true. Communication that's the key to a good union.
LLOYD: And good health.
WHITFIELD: And good health, yeah. Dr. Bill Lloyd, thanks so much.
LLOYD: We'll talk again soon.
WHITFIELD: All right, we will indeed. All right well straight ahead, NEWSROOM, more of it. Drew Griffin, I have a feeling you don't have a problem speaking your mind and the women in your life ---
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All the women in my life are going to lead long, happy lives.
WHITFIELD: Especially your daughter you were just telling me about. She will speak her mind.
GRIFFIN: No problem there.
WHITFIELD: Very good.
GRIFFIN: Coming up at 5:00, I don't know if you know this but the iPhone, did you know you had to have AT&T service with that.
WHITFIELD: I just learned that, I didn't realize that.
GRIFFIN: I just learned that too, but you had to have AT&T service with that until now. Sweeping across the web is this techno hacker (INAUDIBLE) who is spreading the information about how to usurp the system, do whatever kind of phone system you want. Apple and AT&T are silent on it, but the techno geek isn't silent. We're going to talk to him. Who is he creating this international business scandal?
WHITFIELD: A kid, I bet you it's a teenager.
GRIFFIN: 17 year old kid from Jersey, we're going to have him on. We're going to follow the weather. More on that balloon tragedy. A lot coming up at 5:00.
WHITFIELD: Wow. He might be getting a phone call from Apple or AT&T. Someone may tinker with his phone while you guys are trying to talk. I can see it, they'll be like back at you buddy. All right, thanks a lot Drew.
All right well a popular motto this weekend for all of the powerball states out there, it's all about the Benjamin's. Right Gary?
GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right Fredricka. This place is busy for one reason, because the place up the street ran out of paper to print tickets. More on powerball when CNN Saturday continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: All right, well, mega millions, powerball, pick your lottery. Our Gary Nurenberg is already hoping to be in the money in D.C. Gary are you feeling pretty lucky?
NURENBERG: Hello Fredricka, it has been a busy place here all day long. Three machines cranking it out since this store opened. I just talked to the guy from D.C. lottery, so far today as of 3:00, 375,000 tickets sold. On Thursday, 294, Friday, 586. More than a million powerball tickets in the last three days. It means a lot of money for the 29 states, Virgin Islands and District of Columbia that count on powerball revenues to give taxpayers a break. If someone wins, $300 million is the jackpot. If no one wins Fredricka, the jackpot gets even bigger for the drawing next week. We'll watch it throughout the evening and let you know how it goes.
WHITFIELD: Ok, now I'm hoping no one wins, because that will give me an opportunity to perhaps get some tickets now and maybe stand a chance of winning myself. No?
NURENBERG: What about all of the money I spent?
WHITFIELD: Oh, did you spend some money?
NURENBERG: What about all of the money I spent?
WHITFIELD: Ok true, I'm sorry. Ok, I'm hoping you're the winner. How's that? Thanks a lot, Gary.
All right, you knew it had to happen. A local TV station tries to turn a model into an anchorwoman. What were they thinking?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is on there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It will be on there. There it is.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the reason I'm reading it here is to read it first and I'm not reading from here I'm reading from there?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And she's argumentative at that. Well it's kind of like weird science meets Ron Burgundy. You know the movie. So is she a model anchorwoman? Find out next in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: This just out. After just one episode, the bikini model turned journalist got the boot from "Fox's" new reality series "Anchorwoman." Our Jeanne Moos has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She went from bikini model to winking and tugging, always tugging at her skirt.
LAUREN JONES, "ANCHORWOMAN": Yes I'm hanging up the bikinis and I'm going in a more serious direction.
MOOS: She hung up her bikinis all right and changed into this for her stint at a real TV station.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Which of your favorite anchors is dressed like this?
MOOS: Station management was always telling her --
UNIDENTIIFED MALE: I need you to go home, I need you to change.
MOOS: What do you think this is, nude news? What it was, was a FOX reality series, take a sexy novice and give her a crash course at a real TV station in Tyler, Texas.
JONES: When we get to where we're going, are we going to like run out of the car and act all newsy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
MOOS: Teach her how to read teleprompter.
Not quite as bad as movie character Ron Burgundy.
RON BURGUNDY: What is the name of this network again, espin?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no, ESPN.
BURGUNDY: That's a terrible name.
MOOS: But this was a real station. The FOX reality series "Anchorwoman" brought Lauren Jones here for a month.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's darling, she's personable, she's friendly.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's an idiot.
MOOS: That's one of the station's real anchors.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know deep in your heart (INAUDIBLE) it's great.
MOOS: Say that to the station's general manager and he'll take every other network to task.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well you know he had probably already turned over three or four times watching you all and FOX cover Paris Hilton.
MOOS: And hey, didn't "CNN HEADLINE NEWS" news hire Andrea Thompson, star of "NYPD Blue" as an anchor after she worked only a year at a station in Albuquerque. The "HEADLINE NEWS" gig didn't last long and neither did "Anchorwoman." The show was cancelled after only the first episode because of low ratings.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We like her. She had a great work ethic. She knew how to laugh.
MOOS: Tell that to this guy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He didn't like her. For 30 days he didn't like her.
MOOS: Maybe it was the way they met. And though she sank as an anchorwoman, Hurley says she has as many as 10 other TV offers. Being able to read teleprompter pales next to being able to do this. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: That is pretty funny, you got to admit. All right, from the CNN CENTER in Atlanta, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The next hour of the NEWSROOM starts right now.
GRIFFIN: Girls gone wild rich and famous style, drinking, driving, drugs, the list goes on and on. Even worse, are these Hollywood starlets catching a break from the police?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Scores of people have been killed in more than 150 forest fires that have raged southern Greece.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: Horrific fires coming out of Greece. The ancient world burning, firefighters struggle to get the upper hand in Greece, while villagers struggle through what they're calling hell. And a peaceful scene turns into a fiery tragedy. We have new video coming in on this. A hot air balloon bursting into flames over Canada. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Drew Griffin in for Rick Sanchez tonight.
First, we want to give you the very latest on that horrible crash in Canada, it involves that hot air balloon. We just got some new video in, it's showing what happened in horrifying detail. You can see that new video there on the left of your screen there. Today authorities found the bodies of a mother and daughter who burned to death when that craft caught fire and shot hundreds of feet upward and plunged back down to the ground. Others it turns out were far more fortunate.
And now we've learned that that basket was loaded, it had 13 people inside when the fire broke out during the launch. All but the mother and daughter apparently jumped to safety. Some had to jump from as high as 25 feet. All 11 survivors were injured, some seriously. The cause under investigation. We're going to continue to try to reach survivors. It's in Surrey, British Columbia.
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