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Stock Market Slides; FDA Panel Recommends Against Cough and Cold Medicine For Children Under Age 6

Aired October 19, 2007 - 15:00   ET

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

DAN SIMON, CNN ANCHOR: Twenty years to the day since Black Monday, it is a fairly gray Friday. The stock market slides on fears the economy is faltering. Here's the good news. Wall Street is about to call it a week in just about an hour.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And what do tiny airports in Massachusetts and Alaska have to do with staggering delays in airline travel nationwide? That's what we tried to ask the U.S. senators who are spending your money on some dubious projects. CNN's Drew Griffin keeps them honest this hour.

Hello, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in today for Kyra Phillips, at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

SIMON: And I'm Dan Simon, sitting in for Don Lemon. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

WHITFIELD: Just moments ago, we talked about the FDA advisory panel having some recommendations on cough medicines, particularly for kids over 2, as well as those under 2.

Well, now Judy Fortin has an update that widens the scope of those kids now.

JUDY FORTIN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It sure does.

If you have a child under the age of 6, basically, what this FDA advisory panel is saying is, don't give your children these over-the- counter cough and cold medications. You're looking for medications that have ingredients for decongestants, for instance, antihistamines and antitussives and expectorant. That is usually written right on the label, so you can tell.

The vote which came during the second day of this FDA advisory hearing was 12 in favor, nine against. Again, this is a recommendation. It's not an outright ban on these products. So, the panel voted down a recommendation for the products warnings to be extended from children ages 6 to 12.

So, just to be clear, we're talking about children under the age of 6. This FDA advisory panel is saying do not give these products to your children. They have also voted this afternoon that these products should not be used, again, in children under the age of 6. They want standardized dosing labels right on the packages, so that parents will know if they should give their child a milliliter, for instance, vs. a teaspoon. It can be very confusing when you pick up these packages, especially in the middle of the night.

You're tired. Your child is sick. What do you do? You pull out one of those dosing cups.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

FORTIN: Well, they also want to standardize those as well. That's good news to parents who have them stacking up in their drawers or don't know what to do with them and throw them away as well.

So, these are some of the items they're talking about. The FDA advisory panel also wants more study done on these products. They want actually clinical or study trials done to see what kind of effect these drugs have on children and if they're effective at all, because a lot of people, including those experts during these hearings, have disputed whether or not these drugs actually work.

WHITFIELD: Great.

FORTIN: So, if you're a parent and you have got a kid again under the age of 6, don't give it to them. Over the age of 6, talk to your pediatrician. But for now the panel has not made a ruling on that.

WHITFIELD: And it may have been confusing over the past few weeks, because there's been so much movement. There were voluntary recalls.

FORTIN: That's right.

WHITFIELD: And now we have got these recommendations, but these recommendations don't necessarily mean that these products are banned.

FORTIN: Not at all.

WHITFIELD: It doesn't mean that every store has to remove them from the shelves. It means that parents, consumers have to be smart about adhering to maybe these recommendations, or that of their doctor.

FORTIN: That's right. And talking to the doctors. Now, the recommendation goes on to the full FDA. They can approve it or not approve it. Generally, though, they go along with what the panel recommends.

So yes, you're right. Parents should talk to their pediatricians, and see what they recommend. But for now, under the age of 6, you are probably going to have to go back to some of the mom or grandma cold remedies.

WHITFIELD: The old-fashioned stuff.

FORTIN: That's right.

WHITFIELD: Yes, the stuff that works.

FORTIN: Chicken soup.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Yes. All right. Thanks, Judy.

FORTIN: You're welcome.

SIMON: Illusionist David Copperfield, he finds himself in a real-life mystery. Police in Seattle say a police report was filed over the summer from an alleged female victim who made an accusation against Copperfield, an accusation police are not talking about.

Word of the investigation follows an FBI raid this week at a Las Vegas warehouse owned by Copperfield. Seattle police say the raid stemmed from an alleged incident somewhere in the Bahamas. But they're not saying what that incident was. Copperfield's attorney says he is confident the investigation will end in his client's favor.

CNN's Katharine Barrett joins us on the phone now from Seattle.

And, Katharine, what are you hearing?

KATHARINE BARRETT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Dan, I think it's important to remind people that at this stage this is just an investigation. We don't have a lot of hard facts, because it is exactly that, a process of inquiry.

That said, when I called Seattle police this morning, and said David Copperfield, what they told me was that earlier this summer a Seattle woman had come in, and made a complaint about what they described as an alleged serious incident in the Bahamas, again, the Bahamas obviously not within the jurisdiction of the Seattle police, so they took that complaint as a matter of courtesy.

But they wrote it down and recorded it because of the seriousness of the allegations, and presumably then at some point it was passed up to the FBI. Seattle police now are referring all calls and inquiries to the FBI. They won't say anything more, and I spoke just a while ago to FBI agent Robbi Burrows (ph), the spokeswoman on this case. She said they do not expect to have any public statement on the matter in the near future.

The FBI is not identifying the subject of the investigation. They say it is ongoing. All they will say about the raid in Las Vegas is -- is that they were there investigating a Seattle case, and there may not be more public information until or unless this ends up in a court of law -- Dan.

SIMON: Yes, Katharine, this case just shrouded in secrecy, but one of the more unusual things we learned is that authorities in Las Vegas raided Copperfield's warehouse and they found $2 million in cash. That seems a bit unusual there.

We will continue to follow the story and I know you will call back in if you get some more information.

BARRETT: Absolutely.

SIMON: Thanks, Katherine.

BARRETT: My pleasure.

WHITFIELD: Meantime, some weather news. Towns across Michigan are in shock after deadly overnight storms. Severe weather is blamed for three deaths in that state, and we're just getting in pictures of one of the hardest-hit areas, the town of Williamston. Tornadoes and hail are reported across much of the Michigan state as a line of storms swept through, and a state of emergency was declared in Nappanee, Indiana, where an apparent tornado touch downed there. Several people there were treated for minor injuries.

And CNN viewers are sending us amazing pictures of storm damage in the south and in the Midwest.

I-Reporter James Williamson (ph) Owensboro, Kentucky, sent in photos of his hometown right there. And look at this, a damaged church near downtown. The church's bell tower collapsed while more than 100 people were in another part of the building. And there are no reports of injuries. That's good news.

And this photos shows one of the cars in Owensboro flipped over by the high winds.

SIMON: We have been talking all day about the 20-year anniversary of Black Monday. And now we're seeing some activity on Wall Street today.

Susan Lisovicz, you're there in New York. The Dow taking a bit of a tumble today?

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's for sure. So, there was Black Monday 20 years ago, and I would say it's a bleak Friday.

It's been a tough week all week for the bulls, but certainly culminating today in the losses. Check out the Big Board, the Dow industrials now down at session lows, 283 points. That is a loss of 2 percent. That is the same kind of loss that we're seeing in the Nasdaq and the S&P 500, so, very broad-based, lots of conviction behind this.

We're seeing -- for every stock that goes up, we're seeing five that go down, so a lot of conviction there. Why is that? Well, oil has been at record highs, and that is something that squeezes all of us, consumer spending at a very critical time of the year. We're going into the winter season when we're heating our homes, if the colder weather ever does arrive.

And also spending, that could crimp on our spending. We're also at the beginning of corporate earnings season. There were already -- the expectations were low that this would be the weakest quarter in about five years. And we're seeing disappointments today from some very different types of companies. Wachovia Bank, one of the nation's largest banks, continuing the parade there, saying it got crunched by the losses that we're seeing in the housing market that have extended to loan. And it disappointed investors with what it reported today.

Also Caterpillar now, an industrial company that makes construction equipment, not surprisingly, it's been hurt by the housing market, somewhat offset by strength overseas, but still Cat brought down its numbers for the year.

So, what you're seeing, folks, is a broad-based sell-off. But on this anniversary of Black Monday 20 years ago, a 2 percent loss compared to a 22.6 percent loss doesn't look too bad -- Dan.

SIMON: Yes. You really can't compare the two, but a little bit of a coincidence there. Susan, we will check back in with you. Thanks.

LISOVICZ: You got it.

WHITFIELD: All right, let's talk entertainment and the law. Rapper T.I. had a bond hearing today on his federal weapons arrest here in Atlanta, but the music megastar is still in the slammer, despite a pretty conspicuous show of support from some industry movers and shakers.

Here to tell us all about it, CNN's Rusty Dornin, back from the federal courthouse.

You were in there. I'm not sure if this is a testament to his goodwill, you know, to his character, or what.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, all of that.

WHITFIELD: Quite the turnout.

DORNIN: And even the judge admitted that. It was courtroom drama right there before your eyes.

The defense is building their case to try to say, look, he's an upstanding citizen now. They had three-quarters of the courtroom stand up. They were all members of his family, saying, look, he's got community ties. He's not going anywhere.

But the most amazing thing, I think, was when six record executives, including the chairman and CEO of Warner Music, the chairman and CEO of Atlantic Records...

WHITFIELD: That's pretty big, especially on these kinds of charges.

DORNIN: Yes, exactly, just standing there, saying, look, we believe he's reliable. We think he's a good young man and we're willing to put our money on it. Now, Warner Music was willing to put up a million dollars in a signature bond. And then four of the executives individually said that they would do it. (CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Do they know something about the use of these weapons, that maybe these were going to be props for some video or something?

(CROSSTALK)

DORNIN: They didn't have any comments during the courtroom proceedings.

But they presented this whole thing. Then the defense said, well, look, we also will pay -- T.I. will pay for his own monitoring surveillance. There will be no drugs, no guns, no anything, 24/7, that sort of thing.

The judge took it under consideration. He came back and he said, look, it's not enough. It's not enough, but I recognize this is a gifted young man musically. And he even went as far to say, Mr. Harris, you know, your good fortune for the most part, you know, you have put it towards good things. You have been generous to the community, to the underprivileged, that sort of thing. You have done good things. And he complimented him on and on.

WHITFIELD: That's pretty...

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: ... for a judge in a bond hearing like that.

DORNIN: Very unusual for a federal judge to do that, especially for someone who has been arrested for possession of machine guns. But, in the end, he said, look, on one of the most important days of your life, he did win an award for best C.D. of the year from BET during the Hip Hop Awards -- you ended up being busted for machine gun possession and had other guns in your car.

He said, this is a dichotomy. I'm concerned about this.

So, he's going to have to come up with $2 million cash and prove that this monitoring company is legitimate. And they're going to make sure he didn't leave his house.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: And so the judge says, I'm going to take a little time to mull it all over.

DORNIN: One week. We're going to wait.

WHITFIELD: All right.

(CROSSTALK)

DORNIN: They have to come back in a week, and then he is going to mull it over. WHITFIELD: Yes. All right, we will be checking back with you.

Rusty, thanks.

SIMON: It's been just about a week since his photograph was published worldwide. A suspected pedophile is now under arrest in Thailand. At a news conference in Bangkok, check this out. Police produced the teacher, the suspect, Canadian schoolteacher Christopher Paul Neil. He was captured early this morning north of the Thai capital after a tapped phone call capped that global manhunt.

Neil is initially charged in a single abuse case, but he could face additional charges in Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The break in the case came when German authorities unscrambled the Internet photos that obscured the identity of the man who was seen abusing children -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Well, go ahead and turn on those sprinklers at your own risk, and then pull out your wallet. If you live in north Georgia, you're going to pay -- the truth and consequences of the drought.

SIMON: And more of our breaking news from the FDA, the recommendation every parent needs to hear about kids, cough and cold medicines. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIMON: All right. Let's get back to Betty Nguyen now on that breaking news from the FDA -- Betty.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

We are learning that an FDA advisory committee is recommending that children 6 and younger not take cough and cold medication. Now, earlier, we reported that it was children 2 and under. Well, according to this advisory committee, they are upping that, and they are making it so that children 6 and under shouldn't be using these cold medicines.

That's according to their recommendation. Again, this is just the FDA advisory committee. It still has to go to the full FDA for approval, but this does include a wide range of brands. And when you increase the age limit to children 6 and under, you're talking about a lot of children out there and a lot of different medications on the market.

So, it's going to be interesting to see the implications of this.

Our medical correspondent Judy Fortin is also on the story. And she is going to be bringing more details about it. But again according to an FDA advisory committee, they are recommending that children 6 and under should not use cough and cold medication over the counter. Again, this has to go to the full FDA for approval, but it's an important development today that we wanted to let you know about -- Dan. SIMON: No question about it. We will continue to follow that story. Thanks a lot, Betty.

WHITFIELD: It's 18 minutes after the hour, and here are three of the stories we are working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.

U.S. State Department officials are telling CNN that Pakistani officials believe al Qaeda is connected to yesterday's devastating suicide attack in Pakistan. Two explosions targeted a convoy carrying former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto; 136 people died, but Bhutto survived.

Illusionist David Copperfield is the apparent target of an FBI investigation. Police say the probe is linked to a complaint filed by a woman. But a Copperfield spokesman expressed confidence the probe will -- quote -- "conclude favorably"

And T.I. is expected to remain in jail for at least another week, while the judge considers a request that he be released on bond. The popular rap artist entered a not-guilty plea to weapons charges today.

SIMON: If you ever fly, you know when it comes to commercial air travel in this country, the sky, well, it's definitely not the limit. The limits come from a finite number of airports, airplanes and runways. And, every year, it just seems the delays just get longer and longer. Pushing the limits, reducing delays means spending more money. The question is, where?

The biggest, most congested, most overstretched hub airports? Maybe.

But, "Keeping Them Honest," CNN's Drew Griffin, he found a couple U.S. senators with some different priorities.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For airline passengers, this was the summer of sitting, sitting on the tarmac in Atlanta, where the average flight delay was 43 minutes, in Philadelphia, nearly 50 minutes. And, if you got stuck in Newark, your average sitting time was an hour.

Newark had the worse summer, 12,885 flight delayed in just two months. Flight delays in the U.S. are the worst they have been since they started keeping records. The FAA says weather played a big part,. But, mainly because the skies and airports are so congested, any storm can spread a hurricane of flight delays across the country.

So, what is the Senate doing in its Senate transportation bill to fix the major airports? "Keeping Them Honest," we found the senators from Massachusetts fixing the airports important to them. Senators Ted Kennedy and John Kerry asked for and got $8 million earmarks to replace control towers at their airports, the tiny Nantucket Airport, near the summer home of -- Remember this moment? -- windsurfing John Kerry and the small Barnstable Airport near the famous Kennedy compound in Hyannis. (on camera): Can you make the case for some taxpayer sitting down in Philadelphia or out in California that this airport here in basically in Hyannis Port, in Kennedy's backyard, needs federal money?

QUINCY "DOC" MOSBY, AIRPORT MANAGER, BARNSTABLE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT: Yes. And it does need federal money.

GRIFFIN: Quincy "Doc" Mosby is the airport manager at Barnstable. He says the control tower here is old, has become a safety concern, and needs federal help. So does Nantucket's, he says.

MOSBY: We are a part of the national transportation system. And non-hub airports do play a very vital role in the air travel across the United States.

GRIFFIN: We asked the FAA if the tiny airports at Barnstable and Nantucket were on any priority list. We were told no, because the two largely vacation destinations are simply not vital to air traffic across the United States.

MOSBY: People think, just because, you know, when you mention Nantucket, and you mention Hyannis, and you mention going across to Nantucket to Martha's Vineyard, oh, it's just -- you know, you're creating an airport for rich people. But that's not the case.

GRIFFIN: But we were also told earmarks for Barnstable and Nantucket actually cut down on priority needs elsewhere.

So, "Keeping Them Honest," we went into the Senate office buildings on a hunt for answers. Why is so much money being wasted on low- or no-priority airports? The chair of the Senate's Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Patty Murray, said she would tell us, then abruptly canceled our interview.

Senator Kerry's press secretary told us, we just couldn't make this work with scheduling this week.

That was actually weeks ago. We asked again, and, again, Senator Kerry turned us down.

Our last hope, Senator Ted Kennedy, was totally booked, according to his staff, which is why we were caught off guard when the senator and his two dogs suddenly rounded a corner in the Russell Senate Building. Senate rules say cameras can't change senators inside these hallways, but reporters can.

And I asked why he was wasting federal money on low-priority airports like Barnstable and Nantucket?

SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: There are security issues in terms of both of those airports and very inclement kind of weather. They were on the list. And I think they're -- they're -- they are well -- well-deserved.

GRIFFIN (on camera): What list are they on?

KENNEDY: On the list, on the comprehensive list in terms of improvements.

GRIFFIN: They're certainly not on any kind of priority list.

KENNEDY: No, I'm just telling you, there are -- we are dealing with safety, air transportation safety. And they seemed to be justified. They made a very good case on it. And I'm glad they got it.

GRIFFIN: The airports made a case on it, sir?

(voice-over): Three weeks after this hallway conversation, the senator's office decided to give us a statement, repeating the senator's concern that, "Both towers are more than 40 years old, outdated, and need to be replaced."

The statement made no mention of the list the senator insists the two airports are on.

(on camera): I have got no idea what list the senator is talking about. But, remember, the list they make up in this building, at the Federal Aviation Administration, show no priorities for the Barnstable, Nantucket or Akutan airports. They're just not on the lists.

Akutan Airport? Oh, I forgot to tell you about Alaska's Akutan Airport, out on the Aleutian Islands. You see, even though the Democrats are in charge, airport pork in the Senate flies on both sides of the aisle.

We keep Republicans honest, too -- when we come back.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: We're keeping a close watch on the markets on this 20th anniversary of Black Monday, an alarming dip on the Dow, down 300 points thus far. Our Susan Lisovicz will be coming up shortly to give us the lowdown.

SIMON: So, before the break, we took a look at flight delays, Congress and your money. Democrats, they are not the only ones under scrutiny for questionable airport spending.

Here again, CNN's Drew Griffin, "Keeping Them Honest."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN (voice-over): Alaska Senator Ted Stevens is under federal investigation for allegedly steering federal earmark money, your tax dollars, to business colleagues, friends, and campaign donors, a subject he does not want to discuss.

SEN. TED STEVENS (R), ALASKA: It's a nice day outside.

GRIFFIN: So, you would think he would be careful about what he's now asking for in the Senate. Think again.

The senior senator from Alaska asked for and got $3.5 million of your tax money to build an airport here, Akutan, Alaska, a remote island in the Aleutians, where only a few hundred live year-round. But the island also has one of the world's largest seafood processing plants owned by Seattle-based Trident Seafoods. And, according to congressional records, Trident's owners have been generous donors year after year to Senator Ted Stevens.

The senator said no to an interview with CNN, but did send a statement saying in part, "Because 70 percent of Alaska's communities can be reached year-round only by air, the funding for aviation projects in particular is an absolute necessity."

Notice he doesn't say who the project would benefit, his campaign contributors.

Senator Tom Coburn, Republican of Oklahoma, he doesn't ask for earmarks. He rails against them on the Senate floor, and says the Akutan, Barnstable and Nantucket airport earmarks are not only a waste of your money; they represent the exact opposite of how a U.S. senator should conduct business.

SEN. TOM COBURN (R), OKLAHOMA: Anybody who puts a priority for a local project ahead of the best interests of this country, I believe, is not fulfilling their oath to the office. And that's whether they are Republican or Democrat.

GRIFFIN: With flight delays at their worst in 13 years, there's still a chance that three tiny airports won't get their funding.

But chances are, the way most senators support one another's pet projects, you will probably end up paying for a lot more unnecessary control towers and runways to nowhere, while the crowded, major airport you're stuck in goes begging.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIMON: So, Drew Griffin is here with us on the set.

What a great story, first of all.

I have got to ask you, any possibility that these airports will not get funded?

GRIFFIN: You know, once these earmarks make it into these bills, it's almost like chipping away at cement to get them out. But it can be done.

Senator Hillary Clinton, who is a big name in the Senate, lost an earmark yesterday, a million-dollar earmark, for a Woodstock museum. So, it could happen. But, given the fact that these are powerful senators, I doubt it.

SIMON: Yes. All right.

Thanks so much for being here.

WHITFIELD: Well, for the first time ever, plans for a new coal plant have been rejected solely because of its impact on the environment.

Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with details about that, as well as the big dip on the Dow.

But first, let's begin with the environmental issue.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're talking about green and red. Red arrows...

WHITFIELD: Yes.

LISOVICZ: ...and, of course, green in terms of the environment. We'll start with that, Fred.

The Department of Health and Environment in Kansas is the first government agency in the country to cite carbon dioxide emissions as the reason for rejecting a coal power plant. The new plant would have been an expansion of this power plant in Holcomb, Texas -- Holcomb, Kansas -- let me correct that. The Kansas department says it would have harmed public health and the environment.

Environmental groups, not surprisingly, are claiming victory. But the company applying for the permit, Sunflower Electric, calls the move is capricious and points out that Kansas doesn't even consider carbon dioxide as a pollutant -- Fredericka.

WHITFIELD: Wow!

And Kansas is not exactly considered the heart of the environmental movement.

LISOVICZ: That's right. I mean this decision is something that maybe we haven't heard the end of, because there's plenty of people on Kansas who are upset. On the other hand, let's talk about San Francisco, too. It is a leader in the green movement. And tomorrow, Fred, come on, you want to sing with me, that only Journey song?

WHITFIELD: Uh-oh.

LISOVICZ: (SINGING) When the lights go out in the city...

Oh, come on, Fred.

WHITFIELD: No, you don't want me singing.

LISOVICZ: I can't sing, either.

WHITFIELD: I'm not doing it.

LISOVICZ: But just so everybody...

WHITFIELD: The last time I sang on the area, Don Lemon busted me out and was like don't do that again.

LISOVICZ: I know. I know.

WHITFIELD: So, no, I'm not doing it.

LISOVICZ: Still, I'm embarrassing myself. That's OK.

Well, that's what's going to happen, quite literally, in San Francisco. They won't be embarrassed, they'll just -- the lights will go out. Several major San Francisco landmarks, including the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, will turn off nonessential lights for one hour, from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. To promote energy conservation.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

WHITFIELD: And don't miss the four hour "Planet In Peril" documentary. It premiers October 23rd and 24th. That's next Tuesday and Wednesday. And if you'd like to see clips of CNN's "Planet In Peril" before it begins on the air, just download the "A.C. 360" pod cast. It is the only place that you'll be able to watch. Go to CNN.com/planetinperil to download it right now.

I'm Gerri Willis.

Go green and save money at the same time. You can do both. We'll show you how, coming up in THE NEWSROOM.

SIMON: Well, that's coming up, next.

But before with go to the break, eating organic may be good for the Earth, but will it help you lose weight?

Dr. Sanjay Gupta weighs in.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We all know that organic foods are good for our environment. Grown without the use of conventional pesticides and fertilizers, they keep the balance of the Earth's soil intact.

So is eating organic healthier?

DR. ANDREW WEIL, "EATING WELL FOR OPTIMUM HEALTH": Eating organic is wise on a personal level, because you're reducing your intake of potential harmful compounds.

GUPTA: Now, some scientists say removing chemicals in certain foods can actually help people lose weight. That's because the toxins in non-organic foods are broken down in the liver, which is a key organ in the weight loss process. It's the largest fat burner in the body. If the chemicals aren't in the system, the liver can do a better job of burning fat -- keeping weight down.

But food watchdog groups say it's more than just getting rid of chemicals. It's really up to individuals to change the way they eat altogether. And if organic food helps them, all the better.

MICHAEL JACOBSON, CENTER FOR SCIENCE IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST: To solve this obesity epidemic, people are going to really have to radically switch their diets to much more fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

GUPTA: Experts caution that organic foods are often more expensive than their counterparts because of costlier regulations and smaller harvests. But even getting a few organic items into the diet can cut out dangerous pesticide residue in the body and help the environment at the same time.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIMON: Well, it was not your ordinary military snafu. An Air Force bomber jet somehow took off, flew 1,500 miles and landed without the crew ever knowing that six fully armed and very live nuclear missiles were on board. That was back in August.

The Air Force took action and announced it today.

CNN's senior military correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, you are at the Pentagon.

What are you hearing -- Jamie?

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Dan, it's an absolutely incredible briefing today. You know, this mishap with a nuclear weapon was just something that was not supposed to happen. And, you know, the Pentagon has a policy -- they just don't discuss what's going on with nuclear weapons. This -- we see right now a live picture of the briefing going on. This is Major General Richard Newton, who is explaining exactly what happened. But listen how the briefing started today, with this remarkable statement from the Air Force secretary, Mike Wynn, the senior civilian in charge of the Air Force.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL W. WYNNE, SECRETARY OF AIR FORCE: Normally, it is our policy to neither confirm nor deny as to whether there were nuclear weapons involved. In this particular instance, I'm going to make an exception -- a one time exception. You know that it would not -- we would not be this upset with ourselves nor be striving to restore confidence if this did not involve nuclear weapons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCINTYRE: So this one time exception to the rule of neither confirming nor denying when nuclear weapons are involved in an incident. Now General Newton is outlining what he says were five procedural mistakes and human errors that led to these nuclear weapons being flown from an Air Force B-52 bomber from Minot, North Carolina down to Barksdale.

And basically what happened was the pylon -- which is a device that puts six weapons together -- was not properly prepared for transfer. Nobody checked it. When it got onto the plane, they're supposed to check both wings. They only checked one wing and it had the proper weapons, not the one that had the wrong weapons. And the result was those weapons flew all the way across the country and were not discovered until they got to Barksdale, Louisiana.

The Air Force says it's doing a top to bottom investigation -- an overhaul of all of its procedures. They admit this should never have happened. They say they don't believe it's ever going to happen again, although the Air Force secretary said they will reduce those chances to a minimal chance, because they can't say it will never happen again, because it was never supposed to happen this first time.

As for discipline, we're told that the top commander of the Air Force base in Minot, as well as the commander at Barksdale, will be relieved of command. But the Air Force has not released the names yet.

This is colonel Bruce Emig. He is the commander of the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base. He'll lose his job, we're told by sources, as well as some other Air Force officers. But because those are still working their way through the military justice system, the Air Force didn't make an official announcement of that today -- Dan.

SIMON: Yes, thanks, Jamie.

You get the feeling that the fallout is really going to continue for some time on this.

That's Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon.

Thanks, Jamie.

WHITFIELD: Well, heating costs are expected to go up 33 percent this winter.

But CNN's personal finance editor, Gerri Willis, is standing by in Oceanside, New York with some ways to save on that energy bill -- so, Gerri, what do you have right there?

WILLIS: Well, Fred, I've got to tell you, that's a terrible increase, right, in energy bills?

WHITFIELD: Yes. It's huge.

WILLIS: Fortunately, there's some technology out there to help you. Let me show you some here. This is a water heater, but not like one you've ever seen. Look at this tiny unit. It's about $1,000 -- totally different from what you're used to seeing, the big white cylinder where you heat water all the time and you pay to keep hot water going. This heats water only when you need it. It's called on demand. They super heat the water in these pipes right here and you end up saving some dough. The increased costs with this unit, over a typical unit, hey, it pays for itself in four years -- Fred. WHITFIELD: So how much more, though?

Because that's what, you know, delays some people's purchases for such things that are green.

WILLIS: Well, it is more, obviously, because it takes four years to pay that additional amount off. So it's not like you remake that right away. But let me tell you a little bit about HVAC, too, because that's really important. It's about half of your energy bill. And, as a matter of fact, about 40 percent of that goes right out the window. You can see in this house they've put up double paned windows. And the way these work, Fred, is that there's two panes of glass and gas in between that serves as insulation.

WHITFIELD: Oh, yes.

WILLIS: And helps you keep that hot air in in the winter, the cool air in in the summer. So that's very important.

WHITFIELD: That's especially good in those cold places, right?

That's especially good in colder areas, yes.

WILLIS: Great in the cold places, great in the hot places...

WHITFIELD: Yes?

WILLIS: If you're try to keep the heat out, like in Phoenix or something, you might want them there, as well.

WHITFIELD: Oh.

WILLIS: Here's another thing you might want to think about. Air sealing is critical. You lose air through the little cracks in the windows, the doors...

WHITFIELD: Oh, yes.

WILLIS: ...even recessed lighting. You know how this is. Pretty much you're paying more. It's a real pain, easy to take care of with weather proofing, even insulation.

Let me tell you, though, Fred, listen to this. If you don't make the air sealing improvements, it's like leaving an entire window open all winter long.

WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh.

Wow!

I know what that's like.

All right, so what about all these appliances, big energy saver, you know, type appliances?

They are a lot more expensive. Like we're talking about the upright, you know, washers and driers, etc. And they promise to be more energy efficient.

Are they?

WILLIS: They do. They do.

Let's look at a couple of them. You know, you were saying before how you were concerned about the increased costs.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

WILLIS: Here's one right here. This is a dishwasher, obviously, that has the energy star label. It's more efficient. Another big energy hog here -- the refrigerator. This is an energy star product right here.

Now, the difference in costs -- which is what you're concerned about -- between this and a more conventional appliance -- it takes you about three to five years to pay off. If you want to know for your area, though, exactly how much more you'll pay, you know, how long it would take you to work it off with energy savings, go to energystar.gov. They've got a great calculator there. It will help you really do the math, because I think that's what people want to do out there -- find the perfect improvements for their house that will save the most amount of money.

WHITFIELD: Yes. They want to find out if I'm going to spend so much more money, you know, on something that's energy efficient, really, is it going to make a difference in my month to month bill?

That's what they want to know.

WILLIS: That's right. That's right.

WHITFIELD: All right, Gerri.

Thank you so much.

WILLIS: Thank you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: And, of course, we'll be watching you this weekend. And, you, too -- be sure to catch Gerri on a special going green edition of "OPEN HOUSE". It's all about going green and saving money. That's this Saturday, 9:30 a.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

Check out our "Planet In Peril" investigation beginning Tuesday night, 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

SIMON: He shared a stage with some of the '60s biggest stars. Now, the last remaining member of the rat pack has passed on.

We're going to remember Joey Bishop ahead in THE NEWSROOM.

And we're also keeping an eye on the markets, as the Dow -- it has plunged 300 points in this final hour of the trading week. The news, well, it just keeps coming and we're going to keep bringing it to you. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Just 12 minutes ago before the closing bell and look at that board. The Dow down 356 points. It is plummeting. And it's plummeted about 20 points since the last time we spoke with Susan Lisovicz.

Well, she'll be joining us in a moment to help end the week with us on the closing bell.

We'll check in with her momentarily.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's show time and Sharon Jones is taking center stage at the Apollo Theater in New York. But it wasn't that long ago when she worked under a different set of spot lights -- as a prison guard.

SHARON JONES, SINGER: I was at Rikers. That job was really serious. But once you got inside, you was locked up. And those guys are criminals.

VELSHI: Jones grew up wanting to be a singer. But in her 20s, the record labels told her she didn't have the right look. So she detoured into other jobs. Yet 10 years ago, at the age of 40, she had the right sound for a group of twentysomethings playing old school soul music. They were looking for a singer.

JONES: First thing came out of my mouth, what do these little young white boys know about funk?

And once they started playing, it was like, OK. They know about funk.

VELSHI: And so Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings was born. They've released three albums, toured around the world and provided music to other big name artists, like Amy Winehouse. Those songs got them more attention in the United States. And so now, Sharon finally has the spotlight and the crowd seems to find her look just fine.

(MUSIC)

JONES : To walk on that stage and when I heard that roar from the crowd, the hairs, every goose bump, I just got it. It was such a great feeling.

VELSHI: Ali Velshi, CNN.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIMON: He was the last surviving member of Hollywood's legendary rat pack. Comedian Joey Bishop has died at the age of 89 at his home in Newport Beach, California.

Known for the famous catchphrase "son of a gun," Bishop starred in a TV sitcom and hosted a late night talk show. But he's better known as part of Frank Sinatra's rat pack -- a group of entertainers who performed in Las Vegas and starred in several movies, including the original Oceans 11.

(VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Bye-bye. So one of spots where Sinatra and the rat pack held court is now just a pile of debris. The famous Sands Casino Hotel in Atlantic City came down last night in an implosion. It took less than 20 seconds to bring the building down. A mega casino resort is planned for the site.

SIMON: Time now to check in with CNN's Wolf Blitzer -- Wolf, what have you got?

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Thanks very much, guys.

Coming up at the top of the hour, Republican presidential candidates are trying to woo the religious right.

But are they buying the pitches?

I'll ask the president of the Family Research Council, Tony Perkins, what's going on.

Also, the presidential candidate who's raised the most money reportedly has the help of some of the poorest people in the country. Amid a revealing newspaper report, many are asking this question -- why and how are some dishwashers, waiters and others giving thousands of dollars to Hillary Clinton's campaign?

And the only African-American Democratic presidential candidate is outraged over a comment about blacks he deems to be offensive and dangerous. Barack Obama now calling on a top Justice Department official to be fired. You might not believe what that official said about blacks dying.

That and a lot more coming up in "THE SITUATION ROOM" -- back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Wolf.

We'll be watching.

SIMON: Down more than 300 points.

How is it going to end?

The closing bell and a wrap of all the action on Wall Street. That's straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Let's hurry up and get to that closing bell. The numbers keep dropping and that's not good.

Susan Lisovicz is on Wall Street.

LISOVICZ: Hi, Fred and Dan.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

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