Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

An Accused Child Molester In Jail And Waiting For a Court Date; Political Bickering; FDA Says It Needs More Money Even as Officials Pay Big Bonuses

Aired October 16, 2007 - 09:00   ET

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

RYAN PATRICIO, RUBIK'S CUBE MASTER: Done.
KIRAN CHETRY: All right. Twenty-five seconds on the nose! There he was! Rubik's Cube champion Ryan Patricio, congratulations!

By the way, he won $700 for his effort. He says he's going to buy a new Xbox 360. He's 18-years-old after all.

Congratulations, by the way. And, thanks for joining us today, here on AMERICAN MORNING.

"CNN NEWSROOM" with Heidi Collins, starts right now.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN NEWSROOM ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

I'm Heidi Collins.

Watch events come to the NEWSROOM live on Tuesday morning, October 16th.

Here's what's on the rundown. Nevada police catch up with accused child molester, Chester Stiles. The evidence against him, a child sexually assaulted on video.

Congress waiting into the racially charged "Jena 6" case today. Should nooses be a federal hate crime? I'll ask one congresswoman.

And parts of Texas swamped again by high water. The forecast in the NEWSROOM.

New this morning: I'm sick of running, he says. Those words from a man suspected of raping a little girl and videotaping it. Chester Stiles behind bars this morning.

CNN's Chris Lawrence is outside the Las Vegas jail now with the very latest.

Chris, good morning to you. Tell us how police found Stiles.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Off a routine traffic stop, Heidi. He was driving in a car without a license plate, and then when the officers pulled him over, he initially handed them a driver's license that had a picture that just didn't match.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OFC. MIKE DYE, HENDERSON NEVADA POLICE: We didn't believe his story or who he was. He finally told us, "Hey, I'm Chester Stiles. I'm the guy you're looking for." And at that time, he said, "I'm sick of running."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAWRENCE: All of this comes back to a 4-year-old videotape that was found in the desert and it shows a little girl being raped. One of the detectives who's seen the tape says it was one of the most horrible things he has ever seen.

Initially, police didn't know who the girl was, who the man was, and whether the girl was even still in danger today. As it turns out, she's now 7 years old, living with her mother, who had no idea this assault had even taken place. It apparently happened while the mom was at work and while she had left the daughter, the little girl in the care of a baby-sitter.

Now, one of the questions that police are going to have in the next few days and weeks is was she the only one? They admit they don't know right now if there could be more victims out there. But we do know that Stiles was already wanted on State and Federal warrants for allegedly groping a 6-year-old girl about four years ago. And there was another allegation that went back even further to 2001, where a little girl may have been assaulted. The detectives are going to go back and take another look at that allegation as well -- Heidi.

COLLINS: I'm sure they have their hard work laid out before them, no question about that. I do wonder, though, Chris, how's the little girl on the tape? How is she doing?

LAWRENCE: Well, she's been seen by several medical experts and what we've heard from a family representative is, by all indications, it doesn't seem like she remembers anything that happened to her, which is, you know, it's a blessing.

COLLINS: That's a blessing, yes. No question.

All right. Thanks so much, Chris Lawrence for us this morning from Las Vegas.

Meanwhile, hunting for a serial pedophile suspect, the International Police Organization, Interpol, finally identified this man. They are not releasing the name, but the associated press says he is 32-year-old Christopher Paul Neil. He's a Canadian. He is suspected of having sex with at least 12 young boys. The picture is posted on the Internet. His face was digitally altered but Interpol was able to reverse the effect to get an accurate picture. Police say he works as an English teacher in South Korea, but is now believed to be somewhere in Thailand.

Trouble in Texas. Wind and rain pound the northern part of the state, causing flooding and damage. A driver was killed, when his car slid into a big rig on a wet road in Denton. A number of other accidents also blamed on the storm. A group of golfers in Garland had to be rescued, when a creek suddenly spilled over. A reprieve today, but more bad weather could be headed to the region tomorrow.

And rivers on the rise across Iowa. Heavy weekend rains causing flooding in Iowa. More than four inches pounded some areas. The biggest problems are in the western and central parts of the state. Montgomery County has been declared a disaster area. No word of anyone was hurt during the flooding, but more storms could roll in tomorrow.

Rob Marciano is on top of all of that for us. We keep on saying, boy, if we could just have some of that rain in the southeast, you know?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Not the way it works, though. It would be nice, wouldn't it, if we could pick the places we needed the rain and deliver it?

The green highlighted counties across north Texas, still some flood warnings out for some of the rivers there. McKinney, Texas, near Plano (INAUDIBLE) rain from that storm. And then Iowa, those pictures coming out of Iowa and also eastern parts of Nebraska and Western Missouri also some flood warnings out.

That storm has pushed off to the east now. This is the radar where it's raining right now over the last hour into Fort Wayne, Indiana through Grand Rapids and heading towards Detroit. But it's kind of losing its punch. A lot of the energy is heading up into Canada. So it's not pushing due east and getting that moisture down, across the southeast and unwinding itself, hitting the brakes and skidding up to Canada.

One front, two fronts now hitting the Pacific Northwest. Looks like they're going to get together over the Rocky Mountains and then organize themselves, tap some moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. And this is the bad weather that Heidi was talking about -- tornadoes and large hail -- a good bet, starting late tomorrow and then lasting as this system slowly moves off to the east, Wednesday night -- into Thursday as well.

Quick shot of Cleveland, Ohio. You'll see potentially some rainfall today. Shouldn't be a whole lot, but the potential for it being involved in the severe weather outbreak definitely as you head towards Thursday.

Thanks very much. Our affiliate out there, WOIO. Cleveland Indians taking on the Sox tonight. They went ahead last night at 2-1. Let's see if they can pull it to 3-1 and then we will watch the system as it develops.

You know secondary storm system, Heidi, you talk about severe weather in the spring.

COLLINS: Yes. MARCIANO: We get it in the fall as well. It's typically not as widespread, not as strong, but we do get damaging and sometimes deadly tornadoes, so we'll watch this system as it develops.

COLLINS: Absolutely. Bright red, behind you there.

MARCIANO: Yes.

COLLINS: All right, let us know if anything happens. Rob, thank you.

MARCIANO: You bet.

COLLINS: And when weather does become the news, count on CNN to bring it to you first. If you see severe weather happening in your area, send us an I-Report. Go to cnn.com and click on I-Report, or type ireport@cnn.com into your cell phone. Make sure you're safe, first, but then share your photos or video with us that way.

Back in class. In Cleveland, Ohio this morning, the high school where 14-year-old Asa Coon went on a shooting rampage last week, it is open again. Four people were wounded before the young gunman took his own life last Wednesday. Today, students and teachers were cheered as they entered the Success Tech Academy. Big security changes there, though. An armed security guard is on duty this morning and students now have to walk through metal detectors.

New developments this morning in the so-called "Jena 6" case. Next hour, our House Panel will look into whether federal intervention is needed.

You may recall, the case involved six black teenagers in a small town of Jena, Louisiana, accused in the beating of a white student. The incident a happened after nooses were hung from a tree, at a school.

At today's hearing, the reverend Al Sharpton is expected to call on Congress to expand hate crime laws to deal with racial issues, like those in Jena. So should the Federal Government step in?

Representative Sheila Jackson Lee will be one of the lawmakers listening to testimony this morning. She sits on the House Judiciary Committee.

Thanks for being with us, representative. Tell me...

REP. SHEILA JACKSON LEE, (D) TEXAS: Good morning, Heidi.

COLLINS: How should the Federal Government get involved?

LEE: Heidi, this year is the 50th anniversary of the Little Rock Nine. That was an incident that required a enormous amount of action by the U.S. Federal Government. Maybe not equal to what may be required in "Jena 6," but there is no doubt that the Federal Government has a responsibility to engage in preventing hate crimes and really, school violence. And that is the combination of issues that we will be looking at the House Judiciary Committee, and I am very pleased that the chairman of that judiciary committee, John Conyers, the new chairman, recognizes the responsibility, moral responsibility that the Federal Government has.

Frankly, I think many of us are disappointed in the lack of action that occurred in this very difficult time as relates to the Federal Government and the Civil Rights Division.

COLLINS: So, are you talking about lack of action, prior to the ultimate event, this fight that took place?

LEE: Absolutely. There was such a list of actions that warranted intervention. The hanging of the nooses now has become the new symbol of the burning cross. There is no doubt that a noose is intimidating, it's been used in the work place. Many of us are looking at legislation to particularly focus on the hanging noose. Then there were a series of fights between black and white students after...

COLLINS: Right. But let's back up for just one moment.

What should have happened at that initial onset of the hanging of the nooses at the very beginning of all of this? What should have taken place? What should have happened to the students?

LEE: Well, I think, clearly, there should have been a greater sense of urgency by the school district and local authorities. If that did not occur, that is the purpose of a U.S. Attorney. They are located in our communities to be sensitive to not only criminal actions, but violations of civil rights. At that point, I think, there should have been some notice by the Federal Government that something was awry.

You know, we also have a Community Relations Department, here in Washington, that all of our U.S. Attorneys can call upon. They can dispatch a Community Relations Officer into an area and ask for reconciliation meetings to occur. None of that happened. And so it intensified. Fights came about. Guns were drawn in stores against black youth. It was clearly a question of intervention, particularly in the south, particularly in Jena, Louisiana that I understand has not had a very perfect history on racial interaction and racial relationships.

COLLINS: There's quite a list of...

LEE: I think we failed.

COLLINS: There's quite a list of people who will be testifying today in this hearing. Al Sharpton, Professor Charles Ogletree from Harvard. Donald Washington is the U.S. attorney we've been talking about from the western district of Louisiana.

Does anyone testifying today have any firsthand knowledge of exactly what took place at Jena from the onset of all of this? I mean, will there be students who will be coming to talk a little bit about what they witnessed? LEE: Well, Heidi, this is a beginning, but will tell you that the Civil Rights Community, Reverend Al Sharpton, Martin Luther King III and the Reverend Jesse Jackson, the NAACP -- they were all almost firsthand viewers, because the family members called them. Many of us have been in Jena, Louisiana. The Congressional Black Caucus has been working extensively on this...

COLLINS: Right. This should to be fair. They were not there. The family members were not there either.

LEE: They were not.

(CROSSTALK)

COLLINS: Or any of the students will be coming.

LEE: We -- this is the beginning and we will have a pastor from Jena, Louisiana that certainly will be as close to it as many of the students were. This is the beginning. We wanted to get the Federal officials and other leaders first, but this is the beginning, I believe, of an ongoing inquiry into what happened in Jena, Louisiana, but more particularly, why did it happen and why there was not an effective, from my perspective, intervention on behalf of the Federal Government? We are the protectors of civil rights...

COLLINS: All right.

LEE: ... what happened in this case?

COLLINS: Well, the hearing is taking place today and we will be watching that as well.

Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, thanks so much for your time.

LEE: Thank you for having me.

COLLINS: Well, onto the next story now. Britney Spears booked. The singer surrendered to Los Angeles Police last night. She's charged in a hit-and-run accident. Paparazzi caught Spears hitting another car in a parking lot in August. She is charged in the fender bender and facing charges of driving without a license now. Spears was fingerprinted and photographed before leaving the police station.

Turkey ponders its next move against Kurdish rebels in Iraq. Is it crisis brewing? We'll go live to Baghdad, coming up.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN MIDDLE EAST CORRESPONDENT: I'm Aneesh Raman, live in Cairo.

The Russian president in Iraq today, voicing support for the country's nuclear program. That story, coming up.

COLLINS: Gas station shootout caught on tape. One of the shooters running for mayor, but not running from gunfire.

And, this one didn't get away. Fishing party goes after grouper, comes back with 844-pound shark. Just catching it was one battle all in itself. The whole war, coming your way in just a few minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Heidi Collins.

Imported food problem. The FDA says it needs more money even as officials pay big bonuses. We're "Keeping Them Honest."

And, landlords joining the INS? Should landlords check immigration status? Questions and controversy ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Iran's nuclear plans and a message from Russia. President Vladimir Putin says Tehran must be allowed to go ahead with what he calls peaceful nuclear activities.

Our Middle East Correspondent Aneesh Raman is joining us now from Cairo with more on the story.

Aneesh, why is the Russian leader backing Iran so strongly?

RAMAN: Hey, Heidi.

Well, we've been talking about it for a couple of weeks now. It seems right now Vladimir Putin is intent as much as he can to distance himself from the U.S. and the Bush administration. He did that again today, exerting his own regional influence in Iran on a historic trip, Heidi, the first time a Kremlin leader has gone there since 1943.

In Tehran, Putin not only warned the world against attacking Iran over its nuclear program but also endorsed Iran's right to have peaceful civilian nuclear energy. Here is what Putin had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translator): When it comes to nuclear issue, for example, you know, that Iranians are cooperating with Russian nuclear agencies. And the main objective is a peaceful objective. And as the Iranian president said in the final declaration, all the member states of the Caspian Sea region have expressed their support for the nonproliferation treaty.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAMAN: Now, why is this so important? Russia is a veto member on the U.N. Security Council. It's been over a year of nuclear defiance of Iran, a third round of sanctions could be in the offing, but now the chances seem slim. Russia's (INAUDIBLE), Heidi, said Iran -- that there's no concrete evidence Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapon and has a billion-dollar contract to build Iran's first nuclear power plant. So, images are not welcome in Washington. And President Putin and President Ahmadinejad walking side-by-side in ways that will raise some eyebrows back in Washington as well, from Putin -- Heidi.

COLLINS: We has heard and reported a little bit yesterday, Aneesh, about the possible assassination attempt on Putin. But we know that he is, obviously, there anyway. Quite a bit of security, I imagine?

RAMAN: Yes, heavy security. As you mentioned, Kremlin security source, over the weekend, saying there was a potential assassination attempt waiting, it seems, for Mr. Putin, involving suicide bombers. Iran, from the start, denied anything like that was in the works as far as it was aware. But President Putin did delay his arrival a few hours. Iranian media report he's brought an armored vehicle for him just for this summit, so clearly, security incredibly high at that site -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Understandably so.

All right. CNN's Aneesh Raman joining us live from Cairo this morning.

Aneesh, thank you.

From red carpet walk to perk walk, rapper T.I., staying in jail for a while. Police say they busted him with a stash of illegal guns. A look at what they found.

And, downtown Denver's taken over by baseball fans? A first of its kind celebration riding a rocky mountain high, baseball's biggest stage.

ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: And, take a look at this.

I'm Ali Velshi, "Minding Your Business" in New York.

86.13, that's where oil settled last night and right now it's higher than that. I'll have more on the marked board $90 a barrel when we come back in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Champagne corks popping all over Denver. The Colorado Rockies are going to the World Series for the first time in team history. They did it with a monumental hot streak 21 games in -- 21 wins, that is, in 22 games -- pretty happy about it, as you can see -- including last night's final win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Rockies will face either the Cleveland Indians or the Boston Red Sox in the World Series.

Well, oil prices keep on surging higher and higher and they're now hovering around $88 a barrel in early morning trading. Any relief in sight -- that's what we want to know?

Ali Velshi is here "Minding Your Business."

We were so happy for the Rockies there and everybody was smiling and clapping -- and then oil prices.

VELSHI: And I'm -- and I'm here to break at all down for you. COLLINS: You're the bad guy.

VELSHI: Heidi, this barrel next to me, which I usually bring out when there is a new record, shows you $86.13 is where oil settled yesterday. Now, the "settle" is kind of a funny term because oil just keeps on trading all the time, and overnight it surged to within just cents of $88 a barrel. It's pulled back a little bit to $86 and change, but look at the chart over -- over the last year about where oil has gone.

Right now, you're not looking at gas prices that are as high. They're $2.76. A national average for a gallon of gas, but at some point, that starts to -- that gap starts to close. So, you can imagine, if oil keeps on doing this, we're going to see upward pressure on gasoline.

But even if you don't, Heidi, the fact is this is heating oil. If you live in the northeast, this is the cost of shipping of all the trucking for all of the goods that we send to the stores that we buy things from, you know, shipments. Everything you can think of, somehow, has a connection to energy prices. So, whether or not you drive or heat your home with oil, this kind of stuff should start to worry you a little bit how much money you're going to have through the end of the year.

COLLINS: Yes. Well, it definitely does, especially when you see it right in front of you...

VELSHI: Yes.

COLLINS: ... with those numbers plastered on your barrel there.

What about the Fed and all the interest rates? We have been talking so much about -- we wondered if they're going to cut them again...

VELSHI: Yes.

COLLINS: ... and so far, things have looked pretty good. But really there's a warning out there from one Bernanke?

VELSHI: Yes. Well, this is -- you know, it's the two things that you worry about taking money directly out of your pocket, right -- what you pay for energy and what you pay in your housing, in your debts, on a monthly basis? Ben Bernanke made a speech last night. Obviously, all eyes are on him, because on October 31st is the next Fed meeting. Will they cut...

(CROSSTALK)

COLLINS: Has to be on Halloween, doesn't it?

VELSHI: Has to be on Halloween. That's the next one. Will they cut rates again? Well, Bernanke said a couple of interesting things. One thing he said is that it's not the Fed's business to insulate people from bad investment decisions. Listen to it in his words. (CROSSTALK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN BERNANKE, FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN: Although the Federal Reserve can seek to provide a more stable economic background that will benefit both investors and non-investors, the truth is that it can hardly insulate investors from risk, even if it wished to do so. Developments over the past few months reinforce this point. Those who made bad investment decisions lost money.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELSHI: And, so, you know, he is saying that you still have to be careful, but we'll probably come out of this mess a little better than we went into it. Why, Heidi? Because people got burned, and when you got burned, you -- you learn to be a little more cautious the next time around.

The one piece of good news, Heidi, is that Bernanke did suggest, that this housing slump that we're in, might start to see some relief by next spring, which is a little earlier than some people have forecast. Some say it's going to go all the way through 2008 -- maybe even into 2009.

COLLINS: Oh, who knows?

VELSHI: Yes.

COLLINS: Really.

(CROSSTALK)

VELSHI: I give a lot of long-term news.

COLLINS: Yes. Yes, thanks for that. And we were long-term people.

Hey, you're going to be joining us again in the long-term, a little bit later in the show. What are you going to be talking about?

VELSHI: I had a sit-down with Bill Gates about what it's going to be like to work in the future and he came up with some surprises, so I'll share them with you a little later.

COLLINS: Interesting. All right. Very good. We look forward to that.

Ali, thank you.

VELSHI: Thanks, Heidi.

COLLINS: Is this the face of a monster? A man suspected of raping a child on videotape is under arrest finally.

And political fight. The GOP presidential hopefuls at odds with each other? A closer look at the battle lines ahead in the NEWSROOM.

And taking medicine's supposed to help you feel better, but people who suffer from one vastly under-diagnosed illness could end up feeling worse. We'll find out why --and who is at risk.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Good morning once again, everybody. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Heidi Collins. Tony Harris is off today.

Let's go ahead and get a look at the big board there. The live opening of the bell this Tuesday. Well, get a look at the numbers in a moment. Usually it takes us a second. Yesterday, though, I'm sure you were watching. You were interested in the market at all because it was down about 108 points. Down below the 14,000 mark. Now resting at 13095 at the close. NASDAQ was down a little less than -- it looks like 26 points or so. So we're going to talk more about this with Susan Lisovicz. And as you've already heard oil prices may be the heart of some of this and still even more about the mortgage crisis. We'll talk about that in a moment.

But meanwhile, among our top stories this hour. Police say, he raped a little girl and videotaped it. Today, he is in a Las Vegas jail. Chester Stiles was arrested last night during a routine traffic stop. He surrendered without incident, despite fears that he could be armed and dangerous. Stiles was pulled over for not having a license plate. Police say he confessed his identity after officers said his driver's license looked suspicious.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE DYE, HENDERSON, NEVADA POLICE: When officers -- me and officer guy were questioning him, because we didn't believe his story or who he was. He finally told us, "Hey, I'm Chester Stiles. I'm the guy you're looking for, and at that time he said, "I'm sick of running."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Stiles has been wanted for about two weeks and that is when police identified him on the videotape. The little girl being assaulted was 3 years old at the time. Police say, she is now 7, is doing fine, and has no memory of being molested. Police say the girl's mother was completely unaware of the attack.

Border on the brink of crisis. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al- Maliki dispatching a high level delegation to diffuse rising tensions with Turkey. He met with his crisis group this morning. Iraq's vice president already in Ankura for urgent talks. Yesterday, Turkey's government asked its parliament for permission to go into northern Iraq. Turkey looking to put down a rebellion by Kurdish separatists. The U.S. has urged Turkey not to send in troops and to try to resolve the crisis diplomatically. Turning now to the weather picture. Rob Marciano is standing by to give us the very latest throughout the country. Right now, we are looking at the Gulf.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: October is Celiac Disease Awareness Month. You might actually be saying, what disease awareness month? If you are someone who doesn't feel very well after eating or suffers from a host of gastrointestinal discomforts, if you know what I mean, you could have celiac disease and just not know it. Someone who has the disease and the spokesperson for the nonprofit National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, it's my job to help explain.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: For most people, going out to dinner is a fun experience. Great food, laughs and a break from the kitchen. But people who suffer from celiac disease have a lot more to think about when venturing away from their kitchens. They have to be sure they don't accidentally consume a protein called "gluten." It is toxic to their systems and can make them very sick. Gluten is found in wheat, barley, and rye. That usually means everything from bread, pasta, fried foods, many sauces, and deserts are immediately off limits. In fact, for some celiac sufferers, even a crumb of bread can do the same harm as a whole loaf.

Severe diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloating, headaches, irritability, and fatigue are just some of the symptoms. Some sufferers of this genetic autoimmune disease say they get a bit of gluten in their systems and they are bed-ridden for days. If a person is unaware they have the disease and they continue to eat food with gluten, the body will not absorb nutrients in the food. That leads to malnutrition and other complications like cancer, thyroid disease, osteoporosis, infertility, pregnancy complications, depression and other autoimmune diseases.

Celiac disease affects approximately 3 million Americans, but according to the national foundation for celiac awareness, only 100,000 people know they have it. That means 97 percent of celiac sufferers are undiagnosed. All it takes is a simple blood test. A positive result means take the gluten out of your diet and you will likely feel like a brand new person.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: But how do you take the gluten out of your diet? I wanted to give you an idea of what the disease is, but because of these questions there are many complications to think about once the diagnosis is made.

Joining us today is Robert Mangione. He is the Dean of St. John's University College of Pharmacy. Well, good morning to you, Robert. So you can take the gluten out of your diet as we heard in the piece, and bread, pasta, beer and many other things. But even taking medication can be an issue.

ROBERT MANGIONE, DEAN OF ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF PHARMACY: Yes, Heidi. Hi, good morning. Permit me to thank you for the tremendous work that you're doing.

COLLINS: Thanks a lot.

MANGIONE: You're absolutely correct. The food allergen labeling and consumer protection act of 2004 has helped many celiac patients to obtain safe foods but unfortunately drugs are not included in that legislation at the present time and more work needs to be done.

COLLINS: Well, explain that for a moment. Because most people would think, once they have an understanding of the disease and perhaps they get a diagnosis, they say, well, gosh, you know, a pill is only this big and I'm sure it will be fine.

MANGIONE: Well, it's a point well-taken. But of course, we have to think about both prescription and nonprescription drugs and often, we must look beyond the active ingredient. As we know, there are a number of inactive ingredients in tablets and capsules that are used as binders (INAUDIBLE), and those can contain gluten. That presents a risk to the patient. Now, what is the threshold or the lowest dose of gluten that could precipitate or cause an adverse effect? That is somewhat debated but clearly 100 milligrams can cause an adverse response and perhaps as low as 30 milligrams can be problematic.

COLLINS: Wow, I mean, that's like a speck -- an absolute speck inside of a pill. Let's talk about kids for a minute because a lot of people associate this disease with children. Children are certainly the kids who are at school or at day cares or around other children. We call them Petri dishes for illnesses sometimes. When parents have children with autoimmune diseases like celiac, I think that they worry about them getting sicker than just the common cold and rush to that medicine cabinet to try and ward off anything, at first glance.

MANGIONE: Well, as it turns out, Heidi, patients like me with celiac disease. This autoimmune disorder, do not have a suppressed immune system. Our immune system works just fine. So it would not be likely, in my opinion, my understanding, that a child would be -- a child with celiac disease would be at greater risk for various infectious diseases than a child without celiac disease, but we do have to recognize that all individuals with celiac disease, do get other ailments and they will require medication therapy and where I think we're at greatest risk is when we purchase nonprescription drugs without consulting with an appropriate healthcare provider.

COLLINS: Well, when you talk about these inactive ingredients real quickly, why can't it just be gluten-free so that everyone can take it? I mean, we're talking about approximately 3 million people who have this disease. Are there certain inactive ingredients you call binders that must be used for any specific reason?

MANGIONE: Yes, you're absolutely correct. When we look at a tablet, there was much more than the active ingredient in that tablet. When you read the label, this would be for a nonprescription, as well as prescription drugs, you'll find that they're might listings for things called starch. Well, that starch could be from corn, it could be from potato but it also could contain wheat. So that will be the content question. We'll also have to think about contamination and contact with wheat or gluten-containing products and what may happen is that the drug could be manufactured on a line that previously had manufactured a gluten-containing product and through contact and contamination that may present the problem.

Well, I certainly appreciate your perspective today very much. I know that it's sometimes frightening to go to the hospital or the doctor's office and be prescribed medications that really just not know what's in it when you have a serious allergy. So, we appreciate you time a lot. Robert Mangione, thanks so much.

MANGIONE: Thank you.

COLLINS: Imported food problems, the FDA says it needs more money even as officials pay big bonuses. We're keeping them honest.

And bullets fly outside a South Carolina gas station.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a bunch of shots just been fired here. There was a black guy running around and somebody is the hell out of him

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: A gunman picks a fight with a wrong guy, an off-duty police officer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Quickly, for more information about celiac disease, its symptoms and treatments, you can logon to the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness Web site at www.celiaccentral.org.

Political bickering. Republicans face off against each other. More now from CNN Chief National Correspondent, John King. Part of the best political team on television.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: On Rudy Giuliani's home turf, the latest sell of a Republican race turning testy.

FRED THOMPSON, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Some people think, seemingly, that we need to defeat the Democrats next year by becoming more like them.

KING: Former Senator Fred Thompson didn't name names. Yet, there was no doubt the target was Giuliani, the pro-abortion rights, pro-gay rights, former New York City mayor.

RUDY GIULIANI, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I suggest that it's not time for philosophical flexibility in terms of our principles. But is a sure far away of making sure we don't win.

I promise to keep America safe and secure.

KING: Giuliani prefers to emphasize terrorism and leadership over social issues with the luxury of being ahead in most national polls and votes Ronald Reagan when asked about the mounting attacks.

GIULIANI: He used to have 11th commandment. It was thou shall not attack another Fellow Republican, so I'm going to try to follow that commandment as much as I can.

KING: Staying above the fray, won't be easy.

TUCKER ESKEW, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: We're going into a real scrap. There's a pretty fluid electrolyte on the Republican side as we try to determine who we're going to be, so get your game on.

KING: Mitt Romney started the latest dustup late Friday in Nevada.

MITT ROMNEY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The conservatives in this state have heard me time and again, recognize that I do speak for the, if you will, the Republican Party.

KING: Romney's target was Giuliani. But it was Senator John McCain who took issue.

JOHN MCCAIN, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My record of 24 years as a conservative Republican, with a voting record to back it up of consistency on a variety of issues, states speaks for itself.

KING: McCain went on to note Romney voted for Democrat Paul Tsongas in the 1992 Democratic Presidential Primary and that same year, gave money to Democratic Congressman Dick Swett of New Hampshire.

MCCAIN: We also should examine the people's records as to whether they are, quote, "The Republicans or not."

KING: The GOP race is wide open, in part, because none of the leading candidates get perfect grades from conservatives. Romney, once favored abortion rights. Giuliani as mayor supported taxpayer financed abortions and marched in gay rights parades. McCain and Thompson opposed a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage saying states should make such decisions and in the past to put balance budgets ahead of bigger tax cuts.

ESKEW: Republicans are a party in transition. We're entering the post-Bush era. So what are we doing? We're helping reconfigure what is Republican. What it means to be a real Republican. We'll actually have an answer to that question when we have a candidate.

KING: Picking that candidate begins in Iowa in just 80 days, which is why the race is getting more pointed and more personal.

John King, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: If you want the most up to the minute political news, cnnpolitics.com is your one-stop shop. Get behind the scenes details from CNN's best political team on television and see why it's the Internet's premier destination for political news. Go to cnnpolitics.com.

Still ahead when Mercedes merge. Police book Britney Spears for this parking lot scrape. Now, will the judge throw the book at her?

And police bust the California cockfighting ring.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC SAKACH, HUMANE SOCIETY IN THE U.S.: And it'll just be a bloody, blurry blur of feathers with the birds striking furiously at each other.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The cruelty ends, but what happens to the birds? You'll find out in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: The largest cockfighting bust in U.S. history. That's how San Diego authorities are describing a weekend crackdown on a brutal gambling sport.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAKACH: And it'll just be a bloody, blurry blur of feathers with the birds striking furiously at each other.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The sting netted an astounding 5,000 birds. Almost all of them were housed in a compound near the Mexican border. About 80 percent of the birds were euthanized. Police lack 50 people for misdemeanor citations. Another 50 suspects are being sought.

An off-duty officer and mayoral candidate shows he is tough on crime. His personal life, too. Jenny Fisher of affiliate WCBD reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENNY FISHER, AFFILIATE WCBD: It looks like a seen straight out of a movie, but instead of an actor, you're seeing off-duty police officer and mayoral candidate Omar Brown in a shootout at the El Cheapo gas station.

911 OPERATOR: Charleston, 911.

FREDDY ROBINSON, CALLER: Yes, ma'am. This is (INAUDIBLE) Freddy Robinson. I'm at Dorchester road across from the bus station at the El Cheapo. There is a bunch of shots just been fired here. There was a black guy running around and somebody's shooting the hell out of him.

FISHER: At least, six people called 911 to describe this scene.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Holy [bleep], I thought he was going to shoot me. I was behind the truck.

FISHER: This gas station surveillance video played a crucial role in the solicitor's investigation.

SCARLETT WILSON, SOUTH CAROLINA'S CASTLE DOCTRINE: I have found that Officer Brown acted reasonably and that he acted lawfully.

FISHER: Scarlett Wilson said South Carolina's Castles Doctrine justifies Officer Brown's actions.

WILSON: A person is not required to wait until his assailant gets the drop on him.

FISHER: That's what Wilson says. Antonio Rivers who use the hearing green tried to do. Watch closely as Officer Brown reaches around him to grab his items on the counter and then walks to his car near the door. It's this encounter which we're playing in slow motion for you that officials say started the shooting.

WILSON: That is so ridiculous and I think most of us had in our minds, you know, a shoulder-to-shoulder bump that can be kind of aggressive. You can barely see any sort of contact.

FISCHER: Now, watch as Rivers leaves the counter and rushes to his car.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He is armed in his hands as he walks.

FISCHER: The solicitor says Rivers went to his car to get a gun and then walked to Brown's car with his right hand hidden behind his back. That's when Brown got out of his car and started firing.

QUESTION: How many gunshots did you hear?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How many shots? At least seven or eight.

FISHER: These shots according to the solicitor that saved Officer Brown's life.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Rivers attorney disagrees with the solicitor's decision and thinks Brown should be prosecuted. Officer Brown is on leave from his police work, recovering from a gunshot wound to the thigh and working on his mayoral campaign.

Nevada police arrest a suspected child molester. At first, they didn't recognize Chester Stiles.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POLICE OFFICER: He finally told us, "Hey, I'm Chester Stiles. I'm the guy you're looking for. And at that time he said, "I'm sick of running."

(END VIDEO CLIP) COLLINS: Police call his crime despicable, videotaping the sexual assault of a 3-year-old. What happens next? We're tracking the story.

And Bill Gates' next dream closer to becoming reality. The Microsoft founder sharing his vision of the future.

Plus, imported food problems. The FDA says it needs more money even as officials pay big bonuses. We're keeping them honest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: You already know how to catch us here from Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. until noon. But we also record this snappy little thing after the show called podcast. There are several stories in there that we do not broadcast during our regular three-hour program. A lot of fun stuff, too. So go ahead and check it out. It is available 24/7 cnnpodcast.com. Just download it into your iPod and take a listen.

Big bonuses at the Food and Drug Administration with all the recent food safety problems. Is this how your tax dollars should be spent?

CNN's Lisa Sylvester is keeping them honest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Food and Drug Administration has been failing to keep dangerous food imports out of the United States. According to Congressional lawmakers. Despite the law marks, FDA top officials have awarded themselves generous bonuses.

CHRIS WALDROP, CONSUMER FEDERATION OF AMERICA: There's a lot of those bonuses are going to the top officials and it's not really going to the people that are on the ground, hat are doing the work every single day protecting the American public.

SYLVESTER: According to Congressional records, FDA annual retention bonuses ballooned from $2.7 million in 2002 to more than $8 million in 2006. One employee alone, Margaret Glavine, the Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs received a cash bonus of more than $48,000 in 2005. And then another cash bonus topping $44,000 in 2006. This is in addition to her annual salary of more than $150,000 a year. Glavine did not return CNN's call for comment. The hefty cash bonuses have been handed out as the FDA has been strapped for cash, with an imported food inspection rate of less than 1 percent.

WENONAH HAUTER, FOOD AND WATER WATCH: Now, I think that people would be pretty shocked to know that this is how their taxpayer dollars are being spent. We need more inspection. We need more testing. And the agency says that they don't have the money to do this, but, yet, they have the money to do bonuses.

SYLVESTER: The agency has requested more funding in next year's budget but during a hearing last week, Representative Bart Stupak who chairs the subcommittee that oversees the FDA demanded accountability.

DAVID ACHESON, FDA DIRECTOR OF FOOD SAFETY: We've made requests through the 2008 budget process for an increase in ...

BART STUPAK, REPRESENTATIVE: How much was that increase?

ACHESON: I think it was about $10 million or thereabouts.

STUPAK: And what was the $10 million can be targeted for? Hopefully not bonuses.

SYLVESTER: The FDA justifies the bonuses saying it must compete for the private sector. A spokeswoman tells CNN quote "They could make a lot more money in the private sector...one of the ways to recruit and retain them offer them is to offer them bonuses."

Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee have asked the Inspector General of the Department Of Health and Human Services to investigate the bonuses handed out. Senator Byron Dorgan has asked for the Government Accountability Office to conduct a similar review. Lisa Sylvester, CNN Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Good morning, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. Stay informed all day, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. Here's what's on the rundown.

An accused child molester in jail and waiting for a court date. Police say Chester Stiles videotaped himself raping a 3-year-old child.

Congress, this hour, live pictures now stepping into the racially charge Jena Six investigation. Should offense have symbols like nooses be a federal hate crime?

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com