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Positive Steps in Pakistan; Building a Border Fence; What is a Veteran?
Aired November 10, 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: The tension remains but there's some movement on the political front. A movement President Bush calls "positive steps."
We will take a trip to the border. A volunteer group promised to build a fence. So what happened to the plans and the donation? We are "keeping them honest."
And trying to answer what should be a simple question. What is a veteran?
It looks like pressure on Pakistan just may be paying off. At this hour, the White House is praising Islamabad's promise to end the state of emergency within the next month. Opposition leader Benazir Bhutto has been allowed to leave her home, which troops had barricaded on Friday. And CNN's Dan Rivers reports that CNN and the BBC have been allowed to return to the airwaves. Political arrests do continue, however, and scuffling broke out in Peshawar between Pakistani troops and groups of Islamic radicals. The more moderate opposition is walking a fine line. Is trying to keep the heat on the military without totally burning its bridges with General Pervez Musharraf. From Islamabad now, here is CNN's Zain Verjee.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: We spoke to Benazir Bhutto today and we asked her what's her next move? She said that she's planning a protest, a march on November 13th from Lahor to the capital city Islamabad. And what she wants to do is essentially have a sit-in at the parliament until the demands that she's making of General Musharraf are met. Today, she was out and about. She was at the party headquarters meeting with leaders of civil societies in Pakistan. She met with journalists. She also tried to go and meet the ousted chief justice Iftikhar Chaudry but when she tried to do that, she was turned away. In our interview, she said that she does want to see the chief justice reinstated, which is significant, because she has not made such an explicit comment. We also ask if she had any direct contact with General Musharraf. Here's how she responded.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BENAZIR BHUTTO: I have not spoken to him since we decided to part ways for these public protests. But before we parted ways, I did speak to him. I did say that the election should be directly on the --
VERJEE: This was when? Did you speak directly on the phone? BHUTTO: It was 30 days ago, not recently. Not recently, not since we have decided as a party not to have any more contact. But the public mode is against any contact with General Musharraf.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE: I asked whether she was playing a double game, on the one hand calling for mass protests and demonstrations on the street, and on the other hand leaving the door open for negotiations to share power with General Musharraf. She responded to that by saying that what she's doing is only playing a middle game. She says that she has a different responsibility and that was to bring democracy to Pakistan and she wasn't going to take an extreme position. Zain Verjee, CNN, Islamabad.
WHITFIELD: Ever so gently, the Bush administration is prodding its crucial ally in the war on terror. President Bush today was quick to praise General Musharraf for talking about returning to democracy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, U.S. PRESIDENT: He has declared that he will take off his uniform, and he has declared there will be elections, which are positive steps. We also believe that suspension of the emergency decree will make it easier for the democracy to flourish.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And Mr. Bush is spending time at his ranch in Texas, where he's hosting German chancellor, Angela Merkel.
Well, in South America now, opposition parties are gearing up again against Venezuelan's strong man Hugo Chavez. Students led a protest in Caracas today urging the to feed of a referendum that could further expand presidential powers. Previous threats to Chavez have fizzled but this one coincides with a challenge mounted by the former Venezuelan military chief.
And it's the kind of showstopper not welcome on Broadway. The stage hands are on strike and for now, many shows can't go on. CNN's Jim Acosta is in New York with the very latest, where it looks like the crowd of protesters has thickened over the past few hours.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right and it's just about dusk out here on Broadway. The lights are about to go out on about 28 different shows here in the Great White Way. Behind me is one of them, "The Grinch that Stole Christmas," and the picketers are pretty much the only show in town right now for this show and many other productions. They have been out here since about 10:00 this morning, and they are vowing to keep striking until they get what they want out of this labor dispute between the station hands and owners of these various theaters. The owners are essentially left with only one show they can put on at this hour and that is a news conference that they are now holding or should be holding over this hour to essentially explain their position in all of this. They are saying that they would like to limit the number of stagehands that they have working behind the scenes at these shows. They say that a lot of hours go by where the stagehands aren't doing a whole heck of a lot of work and they would like to cut down on costs. As you mentioned, this is a showstopper and it could not come as a worse time. This is coming just weeks before the very busy holiday season when this industry which makes about a billion dollars a year draws hordes of theater goers from across the country. We were out here earlier this morning and saw bus loads of families with little kids getting off coming here to see "The Grinch," expecting to see one of their favorite story book characters come to life only to find out that the show has been cancelled.
WHITFIELD: And Jim, at the root of all of this, what are the demands that are being made or what are the suggested changes that the writers are supposed to agree to?
ACOSTA: Well, there's really no agreement, I should say, right now between the theater owners and the stagehands. They have been at this for months. We were almost out here a couple of weeks ago when there was talk of a strike coming. And the sides went back to the bargaining table. Since then, they have just not been able to hammer out an agreement. So this could go on for some time. The last time we had a strike out here on Broadway was four years ago, when the musicians walked out, when they tried to bring in piped-in music, they tried to bring in digital music, essentially, which would have eliminated a lot of musicians' jobs and the musicians walked out for four days. It's unclear as to how long this will last but this is not welcome news to all of those theater goers.
WHITFIELD: Not at all.
ACOSTA: Who are coming here from all over the country. The theater owners say they will be refunding these tickets, offering exchanges, that sort of thing. But as we have been saying all day today, that does not make up for airline tickets, the hotels. Everything else that you're supposed to pay to come here.
WHITFIELD: This is going to cost a lot of people a lot the longer this plays out. Jim Acosta, thank you so much, from New York.
ACOSTA: You bet.
WHITFIELD: Well, that's just one of the strikes. Here's another one. The other entertainment labor strike go on. The television and movie writers' work stoppage has entered its sixth day and there's very little, if any, movement from either side trying to climb middle ground. The strike is having a trickle-down effect upon support workers such as hair designers, set designers and caterers.
And we all know that Senator John McCain is known for being direct. In fact his bus is even called the straight talk express. But just wait until you hear what mama McCain had to say.
And what nasty toxins might be in your body? Bet you didn't know that you have some. There are ways to find out. That's straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Straight talk may be just fine on John McCain's campaign bus, the Straight Talk Express, but the presidential candidate obviously prefer his own mother's take. Well, let's just say a more diplomatic approach on the campaign trail. During a televised interview, McCain's 95-year-old mom took a swipe at one of his republican rivals. Roberta McCain criticized Mitt Romney's Mormon faith and linked Mormons to the scandal surrounding the Salt Lake City Olympics. Words that make McCain visibly uncomfortable. Take look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTA MCCAIN: As far a this Salt Lake City thing, he's a Mormon and the Mormons of Salt Lake City had caused that scandal and to clean that up, there's not even again, it's not a subject.
JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The views of my mother are not necessarily views of mine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And mom standing her ground. McCain later told the "Associate Press" that his mother misspoke. He says Romney's religion should not play a role in people's decisions.
Well, the man who tried to assassinate Alabama Governor George Wallace is speaking out about his future outside of prison. Arthur Bremer was released from a Maryland prison after serving 35 years of his 53-year sentence. He left at dawn avoiding the media. He told his parole officers "I'm just a man in prison. I don't want to be a public figure." Bremer opened fire on Wallace in Maryland during the governor's presidential run in 1972. The attack was caught on tape. Here's a look at a WTN News report covering the day's dramatic events.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Dodging the bustling welfare issues as key note of his campaign, Alabama's George Wallace hits the trail, making his pitch mostly to white, blue collar workers, he scores impressively in the primaries, notching a major victory in Michigan.
GEORGE WALLACE, ALABAMA GOVERNOR: And pays taxes and holds the country together hasn't been ignored except on Election Day.
REPORTER: But lurking in his path is a 21-year-old busboy named Arthur Bremer. Needing approval from behind dark glasses, Bremer applauds enthusiastically as Wallace addresses a rally in Silver Spring, Maryland. Then as the governor of Alabama moves out to press fresh with his followers, a hand pokes a gun through the crowd. [ screaming ]
REPORTER: Wallace survives the assassination attempt but his wounds leave his paralyzed, forcing the end of his active campaign.
(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: Wow, pretty remarkable reflection there. Three other people were also hit and injured. Bremer's diary, found after his conviction, he indicates that he shot Wallace to get attention. And that he did.
An American literary giant whose personal life was just as colorful as those found on the pages of his books has died. Norman Mailer died of kidney failure earlier today in New York. He was 84. Mailer was a frequent guest on CNN's "Larry King Live." And here's an excerpt from a 1991 appearance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NORMAN MAILER: You know, I told them I would like to give them a page, like a page in one of the letter's column, and they agreed. So I can't really talk about it unfortunately because it's going to come out on the 17th.
LARRY KING: This was the John Simon review?
MAILER: Yes.
KING: Now, when you get as famous as Norman Mailer is, has written so many books and all the awards you've got, your place in history is firmly etched. Does a critique still bother you?
MAILER: No, I have gotten bad reviews. I have gotten, from my point of view, murderous reviews. I got a review once from the "New York Times," a book review for "Ancient Evenings" which I spent 11 years working on. The review said that the first 200 pages are terrific and then somewhere around 200, a disaster occurs and the book is dreadful thereafter.
KING: That doesn't bother you?
MAILER: No, that didn't bother me but didn't bother me personally. I didn't feel that the reviewer had an edge, put it that way. I thought the reviewer simply had that reaction and that was, from my point of view, wholly unfortunate.
KING: That's fair game?
MAILER: That's fair game. You got a good review. You got a bad review, you don't complain.
KING: Simon you felt was personal?
MALER: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: That was an interview with Norman Mailer in 1991 with our Larry King. And Larry King is actually on the phone with us now. So many people who are mourning the passing of Mr. Mailer early this morning. You among them, Larry. So, as you reflect on the kind of relationship that you formed with him, both I guess on screen and off, what do you recall about him?
LARRY KING, CNN, ANCHOR (on the phone): Oh, Fredricka, first, first and foremost thing is he's a great writer.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
KING: He was an incredible writer. And "Naked and the Dead" was his first book. He was an electrical engineering graduate of Harvard, which a lot of people don't know. That book changed the course of novels, it changed the way cursing is written in books. Norman took an unusual approach. Then he had a succession of hits. He wrote books that were not fiction. He wrote "Armies of the Night" about a march on Washington. He covered fistfights. He had fistfights. He was a character beyond characters. He was never dull. And despite all the adventures that he had in his life, he lived a long life, you would have bet Norman Mailer would not have made it to 60 based on some of his early carryings on because he lived a tumultuous life.
WHITFIELD: Yes, he really did. I mean, he had a very, I guess a very busy life, too. Yes, he was the writer and in so many are you know remembering these books that he has written but he did so many other things too. I mean, he got involved in film and even journalism. And he really became a celebrity, didn't he? Did it ever go to his head?
KING: Absolutely. No, I don't think it ever went to his head. I think that quote there where he said the reviews, bad reviews, didn't bother him, I think he was, I think he hit a point where he was above it. Right. He was a major celebrity. But he had an etched understanding of people. He told me once why he liked John Kennedy. Because John Kennedy met Mailer and said to him, "I loved your book, Dear Park." "Dear Park" was the book he wrote after "Naked and the Dead." "Naked and the Dead," what a book, what a book. Kennedy was smart enough to praise the writer's second book and as he said every writer second book is his favorite.
WHITFIED: Oh, wow. And so was he, did he feel comfortable being this person that, you know, folks admired his work but at the same time they were so mesmerized by his life, you know, his private life, his six wives and nine children and as you mentioned the boxing foray. I mean, he knew a lot of boxers and had a good relationship with a lot of boxers including Muhammad Ali.
KING: He did.
WHITFIELD: Was he able to manage that really well?
KING: I think he did. You know, he took his hits well. He gave as good as he got. You can't say that Norman Mailer ever backed off from a fight. I think the most tragic thing that happened in his life, and sadly I forget the name of the person now, but he helped get a guy out of prison. I forget the name of the person. The person was in for life. And Norman Mailer led a campaign with the warden in the state of New York. The prisoner was at Attica that he had become a new man. The prisoner was a writer and had a published book. And Norman Mailer because of his writing ability carried on the fight for this guy. The guy got out and stabbed someone.
WHITFIELD: Oh, wow.
KING: And I am sure that the archives will remember the name of the writer. But I don't think Mailer could ever live that one down. We're going to miss him. I guess he was still writing at his death.
WHITFIELD: Oh, that's remarkable. Larry King, thank you so much for helping us to remember and understand the man of Norman Mailer, who died this morning at the age of 94.
KING: Thanks, Fredricka. Dull he wasn't.
WHITFIELD: There you got it.
KING: Thanks.
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much.
And of course, you want to join Larry tonight at 9:00 p.m. Eastern at "Larry King Live." His guest tonight is Duane "Dog" Chapman, the TV bounty hunter whose racial slurs have landed him in the doghouse. And then at 10:00 p.m., Dr. Phil's reacts to the dog's racial slugs. That's two hours of "Larry King" tonight, 9:00 and 10:00 Eastern.
Well, you remember the minutemen's civil defense corps securing the U.S.-Mexican border. Well, whatever happened to their dream of a fence dividing the country?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOUDREAU: How much of your life you have dedicated to this cause?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 110%.
BOUDREAU: And make sacrifices to build a sturdy barrier to keep illegal border crossers out of the U.S., at least that's what they thought.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And we're "keeping them honest." straight ahead. You're watching CNN, your most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHTIFIELD: Patriots rushing to the border. The self-dubbed minutemen civil defense corps making big promises and asking for millions in donations to help secure the country's southern frontier. Well, now questions about where the money is going. "Keeping them honest," we send CNN investigative correspondent Abbie Boudreau to look for answers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Friends, the solution is so simple.
ABBIE BOUDREAU, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: It was a reaction to the horror of 9/11.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If elected officials will not lead, it is up to the citizens.
BOUDREAU: A way for people to really do something to make America safe.
Secure our borders and enforce our laws.
BOUDREAU: It was as if 9/11 had somehow unleashed a growing frustration.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here we were grandparents and we were willing to go down and do something about the border and our government wouldn't do.
reporter: For many it's a noble calling and Chris Simcox, the president of the minutemen civil defense corps, a worthy leader.
SIMCOX: If anyone wanted to attack America...
BOUDREAU: Using the media...
SIMCOX: The American people are fed up with this charade.
The greatest threat to our national security is the border with Mexico.
BOUDREAU: United, they would contribute and raise hundreds of thousands of dollars.
How much of your life you have dedicated to this cause?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 110%.
BOUDREAU: And make sacrifices to build a sturdy barrier to keep illegal border crossers out of the U.S., at least that's what they thought. Today the barrier is little more than an invisible fence to nowhere. And there are growing questions about Chris Simcox.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Asking those questions, he was terminated from the organization.
BOUDREAU: And what's happened to all of the minutemen money?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We needed equipment and we were not getting equipment. So, to this day, we still don't know how much minuteman civil defense corps has raised. We don't have a clue.
BOUDREAU: Chris Simcox called these allegations a "witch-hunt" and refused repeated requests from CNN for an interview. As for the plan for the massive fence, that part of the story is only more curious.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And we are back at the Mexican border in a moment with part two of Abbie Boudreau's special investigation.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: So, let's get back to Abbie Boudreau's investigation into the minutemen civil dense corps and that ambitious plan of theirs to build the fence along the border.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOUDREAU: In the spring a year ago, Chris Simcox, the leader of the minutemen civil defense corps was facing growing agitation from members of his group.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What happened to all of the money? Why don't we have more gear?
BOUDREAU: And that's why Simcox own lieutenants were stunned on Memorial Day. It was ground breaking on the Arizona border.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But all at once, we are going to build a fence, even if the government doesn't do it. And we all looked at each other, what?
BOUDREAU: Not just any fence. Something like the barrier Israel erected to keep Palestinians from crossing from the west bank. Posted on the minutemen website, it was described as 14 feet high, equipped with security cameras and sensors, topped with razor wire and flanked by ditches to stop vehicles. 2,000 miles of state of the art fencing, wanting to raise $55 million. One man actually mortgaged his home, donating more than $100,000.
"Keeping them honest," we went looking for the fence. We did find the fence the federal government is building but where was that 14-foot-high minutemen fence?
If you look really, really closely you will see part of the minutemen fence down there. But in order to get a true understanding of the minutemen fence, you have to go down to the ground.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the minuteman fence right here. And it's a five-strand barbed wire fence.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It wasn't until they actually started the ceremony that it became clear, this was going to be a cow fence.
BOUDREAU: In fact, the rancher who owns the land, John Ladd, is more than happy the minutemen built him a fence to keep in his cattle and keep out Mexican cows. And while there are some tall poles, there is no Israeli-style barrier. So this isn't real fencing material, this is just...
JOHN LADD: No, this is electrical conduit.
BOUDREAU: So then why bring the poles?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Show and tell. Sham.
BOUDREAU (voice-over): These former state and national Minuteman leaders say the groundbreaking was a ploy by Simcox to raise even more money.
But when they questioned Simcox about how donations were being spent, they say he fired them. Simcox now says that he never promised to build a high-tech security fence on Ladd's ranch. And he insists the barbed-wire fence really does protect the country.
(on camera): And does this fence stop people from crossing the border?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not a bit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This area is great for illegal activity.
BOUDREAU (voice-over): Another border rancher, Richard Hodges (ph), agreed to allow Simcox to build nearly a mile of that Israeli- style fence on his land.
(on camera): What do you think the purpose of this fence is?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, absolutely to stop people, yes, absolutely.
BOUDREAU (voice-over): But that was 10 months ago. Today, here's what we found on Hodges' ranch -- very little. No razor wire, no trenches, none of the promised fancy facial-recognition cameras.
In fact, the company Simcox cited in his news release tells CNN, it has no deal to provide cameras and hasn't even heard from the Minutemen in 18 months.
(on camera): Is that what donors thought they were donating their money towards?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
BOUDREAU (voice-over): So, what happened to all the donated money? Well, it's hard to tell.
Simcox posted his group's most recent tax filing and an independent audit on the Minuteman Web site. In the audit, the largest expense listed by far is professional services, no further details given.
CNN asked Chris Simcox for responses to all the allegations made by these former insiders. Simcox told us that these allegations and CNN's investigation are, quote, "part of a smear campaign." He declined multiple interview requests.
Paul Newman, the board supervisor of Cochise County, Arizona, says Simcox's fence was a pipe dream from the beginning. After all, the border is a patchwork of public and private land. And a fence- builder could never get permission to cross all of it.
PAUL NEWMAN, BOARD SUPERVISOR, COCHISE COUNTY, ARIZONA: In actuality, for people who are still giving him money, they should know that that money is not going to building a fence. BOUDREAU: Just last month, in an e-mail, Simcox asked for even more donations, this time boasting of this new communications tower. But the tower owner told CNN, the e-mail is a lie. The Minutemen aren't using the tower, he says. And he only let the Minutemen put this small antenna on the roof of the shack next door.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Wow. All right, well, this is another wow for you.
A march celebrating a night of terror leads to a day of violence in the Czech Republic. It started when neo-Nazis tried to march on Prague's Jewish quarters to mark the 69th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Nazi ransacking of Jewish homes and synagogues. But the marchers were confronted by a group of self-proclaimed anti- fascists and clashes broke out. Dozens of people were detained around the capital, including a group of suspected neo-Nazis who attacked police with cobblestone.
Back to this country. Let's talk a little weather. It's kind of a mixed bag. We are seeing snow in some parts and, apparently, Jacqui Jeras in the Weather Center, there's rain on the way too.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: All right, where here's something to think about. Just how many toxins do you think are flowing through your body right now? Well there's a test that can help you find out. Anderson Cooper first told us about it in a CNN special report "Planet in Peril."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): All of us are products of our environment: what we eat, what we drink, the air we breathe. All of it shows up inside us, and doctors don't like what they're finding in adults, and especially in kids.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's 18 months old. He's been on the planet for 18 months, and he's loaded with a chemical I have never even heard of.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Checking for internal toxins with a body burden test straight ahead. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: So lots of parents feel like their kids' development is on fast forward. Well, it turns out, it actually might be happening. Lots of little girls are really growing up sooner than they used to. Judy Fortin has more in our "Health for Her" series.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JUDY FORTIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For most parents, their little girls grow up way too fast. Well, now they might have the statistics to back up that claim. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, girls are hitting puberty earlier, showing signs as early as eight years of age. And also getting their periods earlier, down from an age of almost 15 in the late 1800s, to today's average of about 12. The big question is why?
DR. SUJATHA REDDY, GYNECOLOGIST: There are a lot of reasons that people propose for it. I'm not sure we will ever have the exact answer, but part of it may be environmental toxins. It may be that girls and women are heavier now, the body weight is actually greater than it was before and that can affect hormone production.
FORTIN: While this trend could just be part of our species' natural evolution, it may also raise some health concerns for women later in life.
REDDY: We do know the longer someone has menstrual cycles, it does increase their risk for some kinds of cancer. The more estrogen you have exposed to your body, perhaps it increases the risk of breast cancer, possibly uterine cancer.
FORTIN: Understanding what's happening to their bodies will go a long way to helping girls tackle this fast track and possibly confusing rate to becoming a woman. Judy Fortin, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: On another medical front, do you think your body is toxic? Dr. Bill is in the house in one minute to tell us how we can find out. Hi, Dr. Bill.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: All of us are products of our environment. What we eat, what we drink, the air we breathe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: CNN's Anderson Cooper has been taking a close look at environmental issues facing the earth's well being. It's a series of special reports called "Planet in Peril." And one thing you may be interested in is the about body burden test. It's a way to determine your exposure and your kids' exposure to environmental chemicals. Here's an excerpt of one family's pretty frightening story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER (voice-over): Rowan and Mikaela Holland are some of the first children to sound the alarm.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In the beginning, I wasn't worried at all. I was fascinated.
COOPER: Three years ago when this video was taken, the entire Holland family decided to get body burden testing for a story in the "Oakland Tribune". Their son Rowan was just 18-months-old. At the time he was the youngest child in America to ever be tested for chemical exposure. Mikaela was just 5-years-old.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought that would be really interesting. To see, you know, if Mom and Dad are high in something, would the kids be high in it too?
COOPER: Their chemical exposure levels were high; but then they got the kids' results, and they were shocked. Rowan and Mikaela's levels of chemical exposure were two, three and four times that of their parents.
Phthalates, also called plasticizers, found in plastic bottles, personal care products and medical devices. For PCBs -- they were used in electrical insulators and refrigerators and microwave ovens and banned in the late 1970s.
But one number stood out. Rowan's level of PBDEs, a class of flame retardants found in everything from foam cushions to rugs to mattresses to casings of electronics. They were nearly seven times the levels of his mom and dad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He has two to three -- or at the time of testing -- had two to three times the level of flame retardant in his body that's been found to cause thyroid dysfunction in lab rats.
COOPER: PBDEs are neurotoxins. They throw off normal brain function in lab animals. So could they be doing the same to children or adults? The answer is we don't know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The federal government had never even received any studies looking at the effects of this chemical on human health because the federal government does not require chemical manufacturers to submit this type of data before bringing the chemical to market.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Wow. Pretty sobering stuff. I bet you want to know what kind of chemicals might be found in your body if you were to take a body burden test. Our Dr. Bill Lloyd is joining us now. He's in New Orleans today. Good to see you. Boy, this is --
DR. BILL LLOYD, NEUROLOGIST: Hi, Fredricka. WHITFIELD: This is kind of scary stuff, knowing it was just that easy. Even Anderson Cooper took a body burden test and he tested positive for that pesticide banned years ago. Should we all be getting this test?
LLOYD: Well it's just one sample of blood and urine and they can analyze over 300,000 substances. Now in Anderson's report, which was very balanced, it mentioned that the numbers were higher in children and that's not unexpected because pound for pound, children consume more oxygen, more food and more water and their bodies are developing. They haven't yet fully learned all of the way to metabolize these substances.
WHITFIELD: Alarmed, you're saying?
LLOYD: I'm not necessarily alarmed. When you do a test for 300 different substances, you're going to collect a lot of data but it may not be information. Fredricka, when I went to medical school, we were always taught, don't order a test if you don't know what you're going to do with that information.
Does that mean should we just ignore the issue about toxins? No, not at all. In fact over the last 1o years, last 25 years, the amounts of lead in bodies, human bodies measured over 25 years down significantly. Cadmium and PCBs and other substances where they have tested for single substances, those numbers are down. Now with the ability of the body burden test, yes, we can collect lots more information but what do we do with it?
WHITFIELD: Right, because you don't know where to find them if you do test positive. We will look now at the screen, you don't know what the source of those contaminants are, right? So now you don't know how to adjust your life.
LLOYD: You're right. A test is merely a snapshot. For example, if you have seafood the day before the body burden test, it's going to inaccurately show an elevated level of arsenic. You have not consumed arsenic, but there's other metabolites that's in healthy fish that will give, as you said, a false positive number. So there are all kinds of dietary restrictions. If you're thinking about this test, make sure you go to a laboratory that has referenced standardized numbers.
WHITFIELD: Not a do it at home.
LLOYD: Don't do it at home and don't ever go to lab that sells you a treatment for whatever problem you're testing for. Stay away.
WHITFIELD: Good point. Dr. Bill Lloyd, we can always count on you for sound advice. Thank you. Have a great weekend.
LLOYD: We will talk again soon.
WHITFIELD: All right, Tony Harris is straight ahead with a preview of what's to come in the NEWSROOM. Also, you have sound advice every now and again. Any today?
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, sometimes. I'm just wondering listening to that segment, what about an immune system? Does that still work? Can we still talk about the immune system? Anywho - hi Fred, good to see you.
WHITFIELD: Yes, good to see you, too.
HARRIS: I keep hearing this rumor that we're going to talk to our senior political analyst Bill Schneider. I hear that's he's on the big CNN bus, the Election Express.
WHITFIELD: He's on a roll.
HARRIS: There he is. Bill, where are you?
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: We are two miles up in the air in Vale Pass, Colorado. We got snow, we got mountains, we got candidates and we got our covered wagon and like the pioneers, we are headed for Vegas.
WHITFIELD: Wow. Do you have skis too? Because Vale Pass, come on.
SCHNEIDER: Not quite yet.
HARRIS: Well Bill, we'll talk to you next hour and we also have an interesting hat, don't we on Bill Schneider.
WHITFIELD: I like it, I like it.. He's dressed for the weather. I always love that.
HARRIS: Yes, he is. And then Fred, what are we paying now, saying close to $3 a gallon for gas now at the pumps?
WHITFIELD: At least.
HARRIS: At least.
WHITFIELD: I'm seeing like $3.09 on average out there.
HARRIS: Are you really?
WHITFIELD: I could be wrong, just driving around.
HARRIS: Well Josh Levs Is going to help us understand, really break down what it is we are getting here. Who get what's in that $3- plus?
WHITFIELD: Where is all that money going?
HARRIS: Where does the money go? For example, we are talking about state and federal taxes. What portion comes out of that? We are also talking about what portion of that price goes to the oil companies, the refineries. Josh is going to break all of that down for us in the 5:00 hour.
WHITFIELD: It's going to make us mad, isn't it?
HARRIS: It probably is, yeah.
WHITFIELD: OK, thanks a lot, Tony, we'll have watching.
All right, well not only are we tracking your gas dollars, but we're also keeping track of the Bush administration. Next, is the president keeping all of his promises when it comes to energy?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Have you filled up your gas tank lately? $50, $60 and counting.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I can't even look. I put the credit card in and go like this.
WHITFIELD: And more than $3 a gallon in most places. People want to know, where is all of the money going once you put the gas in the tank? Josh Levs has been digging, trying to find out.
LEVS: Yes, we got our eyes on everything today. We have been looking at that, we've also been looking at the political scene. What we want to show you right now is what President Bush has been talking about, you hear him talk very often about the addiction to oil. But what has he done? Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS (voice-over): With gas prices soaring, the president often says he's trying to solve energy woes.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: For too long, our nation has been dependent on foreign oil.
LEVS: Has he helped relieve that addiction? During his years in office, America's gasoline consumption has continued its climb from 8.6 million barrels a day to 9.2 million barrels. That's 385 million gallons every day. And the percentage of foreign oil has jumped. This is striking, given what he said in 2000 when he was running for office, attacking the Clinton administration.
BUSH: Today we import 56 percent of our oil. In 20 years on our current path, that figure could be as high as two-thirds.
LEVS: Guess what? Under his presidency, it's that high now. The U.S. imports two-thirds of its oil, and critics point out that while he often talks about --
BUSH: Renewable sources of energy.
LEVS: His funding requests for renewable energy programs have actually stayed the same at about $1.2 billion each year.
Last year the president introduced new programs called the American Competitiveness Initiative and the Advanced Energy Initiative aimed in part at steering drivers away from gasoline.
The White House Office of Management and Budget says the president has increased research funding and developed international partnerships to accelerate research and the use of clean energy technology.
Still, when it comes to breaking this addiction, even the president isn't promising much concrete success by the time he leaves office.
BUSH: This bill and the work we've done in reducing gasoline usage in the United States by 20 percent in the next 10 years.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS: And of course, by then, it is going to be a new administration, maybe even two more administrations by the time that even happens. So obviously when it comes to his legacy, we are not seeing that, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Yeah. And none of us can run away from the need for energy and being consumers of. So it's all of our problems, right?
LEVS: Literally affects every American, you got it, every one.
WHITFIELD: We will be delving in a little bit deeper about energy, gas, oil. All of that stuff tomorrow, 10:30 p.m. Well you too, tonight at 7:00.
LEVS: Go with her, folks.
WHITFIELD: 5:00 for you and then tomorrow, Frank says, no, we will be joining Tony Harris to talk a lot more about energy and oil. I confused everybody, right?
LEVS: Just go to CNN.com. The whole list is there.
WHITFIELD: Just never turn your channel. Just stay with us and you won't miss it. All right, Josh.
LEVS: See you later.
WHITFIELD: All right well teenagers not typically known for their gratitude. Stop laughing. But these teens are not --
LEVS: Coming up, take a look at veterans in a unique way.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: So tomorrow is Veterans Day and parades and memorials are planned across the country, but for a group of Maryland teenagers, the day is also an opportunity to highlight what they have been doing all year long, honoring vets by ensuring their sacrifices are never forgotten. Here now is CNN's Gary Nurenberg.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Korean War gave its veterans their memories and in Washington now, their memorial. But, still, some worry if younger generations know what the war was about and what veterans did.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the Korean War was just sort of forgot about over the time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How does it feel to be a veteran? Who is a veteran? What is a veteran? A lot of our students don't even know what veterans are, who veterans are.
NURENBERG: They know. These Korean War veterans have enlisted again, this time for duty at Maryland's Urbana High School where teacher Colleen Bernard (ph) runs a veterans' club for students.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We lose 1,000 to 1,500 World War II veterans a day and when they are gone, their history is gone, so it's important for us to preserve that.
NURENBERG: The club holds veterans' programs, sends cards to vets in the hospitals, sends gifts to those like Major Kevin White, who are currently serving in Iraq.
TAMRA WHITE, HUSBAND IN IRAQ: It might not seem like a lot but it means so much to us.
NURENBERG: Major White's family wants to express its thanks in person.
WHITE: It just really touches home to see that you all care enough about the soldiers.
NURENBERG: For some kids in the club, it hits home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I joined it because some of my relatives have served in the forces and I just want to know -- like I want to release my pride.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are now starting our Vietnam War portion.
NURENBERG: As Veterans Day approaches, the Urbana kids studied at the American Veteran Center in Washington, but it is the interaction with vets that seems to have the biggest impact.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I enjoy seeing people happy and seeing veterans feel like people do care, because I definitely do and I know all of the other kids in the club do.
NURENBERG: Which is simply what the club is all about. Gary Nurenberg, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right from the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The next hour of the NEWSROOM with Tony Harris starts right now.
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