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Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick Ordered to County Jail; Pakistan's President Faces Political Pressures; Laura Bush Visits with Refugees in Myanmar
Aired August 07, 2008 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Detroit's mayor ordered to jail, already in legal hot water, he left town without court permission and a judge says enough is enough.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: A Maryland mayor has his own run-in with the law. Police raid his home, shoot his dogs, all in search of drugs, and it's all a terrible mistake.
LEMON: And also this, the feds call it a massive case of medical fraud. Homeless people recruited to play hospital patients and taxpayers picked up the tab on this. Now, a hospital CEO is under arrest. We have the very latest for you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Hello, everyone, I'm Don Lemon live here at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.
KAYE: And I'm Randi Kaye in for Kyra Phillips.
LEMON: We start this hour of the CNN NEWSROOM with some breaking news, it is about Iraq. U.S. troops possibly able to leave by 2010. Joining us now from the State Department, Zain Verjee, our State Department correspondent with the very latest on this.
Zain, what have you found out?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Don, just moments ago, we learned from two U.S. officials that the U.S. and Iraq are marking progress, close to an agreement on the status of forces on the ground. So that's meaning how long and in what capacity U.S. troops would stay in Iraq.
What we're learning is this. While they are close, there are still some outstanding issues. And the issue, of course, is the time line has not been nailed down. The Iraqis have been floating around the date of 2010, but U.S. officials are telling us that the time line is going to be determined by conditions on the ground. What they're saying too is no deal announcement is imminent either, they're just trying to work through those details.
The other important outstanding issue is the issue of the immunity of U.S. contractors. Now Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke just yesterday to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Iraq, really just trying to work through some of the issues on that.
The U.S. has never said publicly that they would give up the issue of immunity for contractors. But they have conceded to officials that we spoke to, said, yes, that does mean that the U.S. doesn't really have a lot of leverage when it comes to that right now in the situation in Iraq.
But what they're saying is that they are trying to work out the details and they feel fairly confident that they can come to some sort of resolution that's acceptable to both sides.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Our State Department correspondent, Zain Verjee, working her sources on this story. As soon as she gets more information, she'll join us here again in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Thank you very much, Zain.
KAYE: A developing story now from Michigan. A judge has ordered Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to jail for violating the terms of his bond in his perjury case. Kilpatrick's lawyer are appealing the order, but reports indicate it won't be heard until tomorrow, meaning he'll spend at least one night behind bars. The ruling came after Kilpatrick made an unauthorized trip to Canada on city business.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUDGE RONALD GILES, DETROIT DISTRICT COURT: Because you have violated the conditions of bond, the court is, one, revoking your bond, the court is going to order that you -- that all travel be suspended. And two, that you be remanded to the Wayne County Jail for processing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Judge, would you stay the order pending an appeal please?
GILES: Am I going to stay the order?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, please.
GILES: No. No. You have the right to file immediate appeal. But, like I said, if anybody else sitting in that chair, that's exactly what would have happened. What would happen, and I believe that's how I have to proceed.
JIM PARKMAN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: The argument is not -- it's not one of, OK, we didn't do it, or you know, anything like that. I think it's just going toward mitigation or the gravity of the situation. This wasn't a personal trip over there to go to Caesar's Palace and play, no offense to MGM.
But it wasn't to go over there to have a party, it wasn't to go over there and have a night's supper, it was over there real quick during the middle of the day to try to take care of some business that he believes in, whether other people do or not. He believes it was the right thing to do and it was the spur of the moment, he just went.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Kilpatrick and his former chief of staff, Christine Beatty, are charged with perjury, misconduct, and obstruction of justice. They're accused of lying about having an intimate relationship and their roles in the firing of a police official. Both deny the charges.
LEMON: All right. Imagine this, you're the mayor of an affluent conclave. You own a cozy home where you're minding your own business when the cops all of a sudden storm in. Next thing you know, your two dogs are shot dead and you and your mother-in-law are handcuffed and questioned.
It happened last week in Suburban D.C. where police apparently didn't do their homework before sending a SWAT team in for a no-knock drug bust. Here's the mayor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR CHEYE CALVO, BERWYN HEIGHTS, MD: They bound me and forced me to kneel in the corner, my mother-in-law was bound on the kitchen floor.
CHIEF MELVIN HIGH, PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD: This was not about the mayor, not about his home, but the place where drugs had been sent to and the offices had sufficient cause to enter that premise to address a criminal issue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Two men have been arrested in a pot delivery scam apparently unconnected to Mayor Calvo or his family. We will speak with the mayor later on in right here the CNN NEWSROOM.
KAYE: They allegedly used the homeless as pawns and played the taxpayers for suckers. That's what prosecutors are saying in Los Angeles following the arrests of a hospital CEO and the operator of a homeless center. They're accused of recruiting relatively healthy homeless people, admitting them to the hospital, and sending the bills to the government.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROCKY DELGADILLO, L.A. CITY ATTORNEY: We believe the scheme happened over a period of years, thousands of individuals were victimized by these efforts. And we hope today that we have put a stop to those activities.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The investigation continues. Officials believe at least three Southern California hospitals participated in the alleged scam, billing the government millions of dollars for treating bogus patients. There is no comment so far from either of the men who were arrested. We contacted the company that owns two of the hospitals implicated, Pacific Health Corporation, they issued a statement saying: "PHC plans to continue to cooperate with authorities and believes it will be cleared of any illegal actions." No comment yet from the owner of the other hospital.
The phony patient allegations turned up while investigators were looking into related reports of hospitals dumping homeless patients on Skid Row. I've covered this probably patient-dumping for years and filed this report in July last year.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE (voice-over): That's Jose Gonzalez struggling to get out of a cab on L.A.'s Skid Row. He's homeless and the focus of the latest investigation into hospital patient dumping.
(on camera): Do you believe you were dumped on Skid Row?
JOSE GONZALEZ, HOMELESS: I believe I was dumped. I believe I was just discarded.
KAYE (voice-over): Discarded, he says, by Kaiser Permanente Hospital and dumped more than 20 miles away in downtown L.A., curbside, in front of Union Rescue Mission.
GONZALEZ: Why would they send me an hour away? What were they trying to hide?
KAYE: The Mission's surveillance cameras, installed to catch patient dumping, tell his story. Gonzalez spent two weeks at Kaiser being treated for back pain. Then, he says, two Kaiser social workers told him he was being sent to another facility for physical rehabilitation.
The hospital says it couldn't have happened that way, that rehab would have required a doctor's referral.
Gonzalez says they put him in a cab bound for this shelter, not exactly rehab. He says since the shelter couldn't treat his back pain, it turned him away. The shelter says that's true. The cabbie, paid for by the hospital, then brought him here to Union Rescue Mission.
The Mission's Andy Bale says Gonzalez is just one of nearly 100 patients dumped at his front door in the last two years.
(on camera): What are these people doing being released?
ANDY BALES, PRES., UNION RESCUE MISSION: They're not -- that's the big thing. Hospitals will say, well there's nowhere else for them to go for recuperative care. But in most cases we're not talking about recuperative care. We're talking about people who still need hospitalization.
KAYE (voice-over): Kaiser Hospital refused to go on camera, but told us Gonzalez "agreed to those arrangements in writing and we confirmed that he was transported safely."
(on camera): The hospital says that you signed a discharge form, that you knew where you were going. Is that true?
GONZALEZ: I don't recall signing a form. Like I said, I was under medication. I don't recall signing any form.
KAYE (voice-over): We came to Skid Row to investigate one of the fist cases of patient dumping. Today, we're still "Keeping Them Honest."
L.A. city Attorney, Rocky Delgadillo, has already settled one case with Kaiser after this woman was found wandering Skid Row in just her hospital gown. He's now filed civil complaints against two more hospitals.
The most disturbing case? Hollywood Presbyterian's alleged dumping of a paraplegic man last year. He was left in the gutter near Midnight Mission, carrying his belongings in his teeth.
CAPT. ANDREW SMITH, LOS ANGELES POLICE: He was disoriented. He had a colostomy bag which had apparently broken open inside of the van and he was covered in his own human waste. He was paralyzed from the waste down.
KAYE (on camera): They're being treated like trash.
ORLANDO WARD, MIDNIGHT MISSION: Discardable. Discardable. That to me is more than an injustice. It's a crime.
KAYE (voice-over): Hollywood Presbyterian released this statement, saying the man "told the van driver to drop him off at a sidewalk location. She complied. Unfortunately, this was in violation of hospital policy and something we would never condone."
Methodist Hospital, also facing a complaint, told CNN it complies with federal discharge requirements.
DELGADILLO: The victims here might be the perfect victims because they might be suffering from mental dementia, they might have drug or alcohol abuse problems. They don't have a home. They're not the best witnesses if we're trying to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a hospital did something wrong here.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: And since that report first aired, L.A. City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo has settled with the Hollywood Presbyterian and Methodist hospitals. We'll talk with him live in the next hour of NEWSROOM.
LEMON: All right. We're going to get you some breaking news now, this coming us from Arizona. These are live pictures coming from our affiliate KNXV. Here's what we're told, according to the affiliate, at least nine people were killed when this vehicle rolled over on a highway. It is a van. Nine people killed and at least nine people injured. There are some reports as many as 14 people injured in this. It happened this morning, State Route 79 just north of the Tom Mix Memorial Road.
If you're there, you know about that, seven miles south of Florence, Arizona, if you know that part of the country. But, again, this van carrying -- or an SUV, I should say, 1998 SUV carrying a total of 18 people, apparently rolled over on the right side of the road about the milepost 117. Nine people killed, they believe, according to our affiliate in this. All the lanes, north and southbound, were closed. They were using the southbound lanes there temporarily to get the emergency vehicles through there.
But again, at least nine people killed, that's according to our affiliate. We'll try to get you some more information, the latest information on this developing story happening in Arizona just as soon as we can get it here in the NEWSROOM.
KAYE: And, Don, remember the case of the leaky nuclear submarine? The U.S. Navy told the Japanese government last week that the sub had been leaking just trace amounts of radioactive water. Well, it appears now it is worse than first reported. Let's get to our Barbara Starr at the Pentagon for the very latest on this.
Barbara, what can you tell us?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Randi, to bring everyone up to date, it still does involve only trace amounts of radioactive water, but the leaks did go on much longer than the Navy first realized. It has conducted additional testing since then, looked at its records, and now is telling the government of Japan and other governments across Asia that it wasn't just on one occasion earlier this year. But some of this radioactive trace amount of water leaked as far back as 2006.
The government of Japan, understandably, trace amount or not, wants to know all the details about what exactly happened. The Navy says to the best of its knowledge, it now can say it was not just in March of 2008, but it actually dates back to June of 2006 when the USS Houston made port calls in Japan and across Asia, including both Malaysia and Singapore, all of these governments now being informed.
But the Navy is emphasizing that all of its scientific evidence at this point indicates there were trace amounts of radioactivity in the water, very low lever amounts that leaked out of the submarine. It should be clear, however, that the goal is to have, of course, no radioactive leaks -- Randi.
KAYE: All right. Our Barbara Starr for us, live at the Pentagon, thank you.
LEMON: Danger in the line of duty. Eight firefighters and a helicopter pilot are believed to be dead after their chopper went down in a wilderness area. We have the very latest from the scene for you.
KAYE: Ahead of her trip to the Olympic Games in Beijing, first lady Laura Bush gets a firsthand account of how repressive life can be in Myanmar.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Some rough terrain is making it tough on rescuers in Northern California. Eight firefighters and a helicopter pilot are presumed dead after their chopper crashed deep in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Four others were pulled out of the burning wreckage alive. CNN's Dan Simon is near the crash site in Weaverville.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The chopper just picked up a group of firefighters from a clearing in a rugged California forest. It crashed in thick woods about 200 miles northwest of Sacramento, then caught fire.
Other firefighters waiting to be picked up rushed to the scene, 13 people were aboard the chopper, just four were pulled from the wreckage, they're the only survivors. The others are believed to have died in the fire that destroyed the helicopter.
Rescuers say just getting to the crash site was a treacherous area.
SHARON HEYWOOD, FOREST SERVICE SUPERVISOR: This area is very difficult terrain. It is steep, remote, rugged, and very difficult to access.
SIMON: The helicopter that went down is a Sikorsky S-61N chopper, widely used to shuttle crews to and from remote fire lines. Officials from the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff reacted to the news of the crash.
MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: This country owes a great debt to the firefighters and everyone else who was out there protecting us day in and day out. And we hope that this season, which looks to be a tough season, will not cost us anymore brave lives.
SIMON: Dan Simon, CNN, Weaverville, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: And the wildfire they were fighting is one of 11 burning across Northern California. Crews are manning fire lines in five other western states, they include Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana, and also in Wyoming, where cooler temperatures and lighter winds are helping with the fire east of Yellowstone National Park.
We want to switch gears now and talk about storm predictions, and particularly I believe we're talking about hurricanes.
Chad Myers, those new predictions out today. What do you have for us? CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, we always have Dr. Gray's from Colorado State, we also have the official one too, the official one now is an update from where we were back in May and then again in July. Well, now we're in August. They are expecting 14 to 18 named storms. So we're already up past Dolly and now Edouard.
So we're five into those 14 already, seven to 10 hurricanes and three to six major hurricanes. Here's the deal, now we're already -- because of the storms that we've had already this year, we're already 46 percent into a normal year, 46 percent of where we should be by the end of this season has already happened.
So yes, this will be an above normal season just about guaranteed. There's an 85 percent chance -- there's Colorado State, 17, nine, and five. Seventeen percent chance that what we've already seen and what we're going to see still will be an above normal year. We have a lot more storms to come -- storms and also thunderstorms today.
And I just want to touch this for a second because a lot of airplanes are delayed already. This is above -- Boston, New York, Philadelphia, all an hour delayed because of thunderstorms out there. If you're flying today, you might want to take a little bit of extra time because it's going to take you time to get there.
LEMON: Can I get back to the predictions really quickly?
MYERS: Yes.
LEMON: How accurate are they usually when it comes to predicting how many?
MYERS: Sometimes they're great and sometimes they just miss. It's not 50/50. They're better than most because we have these long- term reasons that things can happen. Is it La Nina, El Nino, is the water warmer, is the water colder, are there more storms coming off Africa, is there dust in the air from dust storms in Africa? All of those parameters go into a forecast. So they're pretty good, but not always perfect.
LEMON: But you know you are the weather expert, so we'll rely on you.
MYERS: In my own mind.
LEMON: Chad Myers, thank you very much, we'll get back to you -- Randi..
KAYE: Don, a woman accused of running off with another woman's five children reportedly plans to turn herself in today. Rhonda Tavey has told The Houston Chronicle she first wants to hire a criminal lawyer. Tavey has told reports the children's mother, Erica Alphonse, threatened her. And she disappeared with the children last month for their own safety.
Alphonse denies those allegations. She and her children came to Houston from New Orleans three years ago after Hurricane Katrina. She says she agreed to let Tavey care for the children while she tried to find a job. She left them with Tavey two years ago to go back to New Orleans.
Detective have just left the Orlando, Florida, house where little Caylee Anthony lived with her mother and her grandparents. They took reportedly a large bag of evidence with them. Yesterday they left with four bags. Investigators have been looking at stains found in the mother's car, DNA evidence, they say. The little girl, who turns 3 on Saturday, has not been seen since early June.
Casey Anthony waited five weeks to report her daughter missing. She's now in jail charged with child neglect and lying to police. Her attorney denies she did anything wrong.
LEMON: The first lady in Asia, taking on an activist role, urging the world to stand up to a repressive regime.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: This just into the CNN NEWSROOM. Remember Morgan Freeman had that accident last week in northern Mississippi? Well, according to the hospital there, the Memphis Regional Medical Center, he has been released from the hospital. We knew that he was in good spirits, according to a spokesperson, after the 71-year-old actor broke his upper left arm and suffered several other fractures as well as neck and shoulder injuries on Sunday night.
An accident in Clarksdale, Mississippi, he was in the car, he was driving a car with a female passenger inside. But again, he has been released from the hospital and is said to be in good spirits. If we get anymore information, we'll bring it to you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
KAYE: "ISSUE #1" for automakers these days, survival. The Wall Street Journal reports there may be greater collaboration between Chrysler and Japanese automaker Nissan. They're said to be eyeing a partnership to build mid-sized sedans. Both companies struck a similar deal on pickups and small cars back in April. Chrysler could use the help, the company took a 29 percent hit in sales last month compared to one year ago. While at Nissan, sales were up 9 percent.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
LEMON: Also, new information to the CNN NEWSROOM, we told you about that accident near Florence, Arizona, where nine people were killed. CNN has confirmed that nine people were killed in that accident. And according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, they're saying that the nine people killed were "border crossers," that's a quote according to them, that they were illegals who were crossing the border. Nine people killed in this accident, a 1998 GMC SUV carrying a total -- this is according to our affiliate, of 18 people, rolled over on a road there killing at least nine people. We'll get more information on this, and we'll bring it to you just as soon as we get it. With the Olympics opening ceremony still one day away, we're already seeing some protests in Beijing. What will the athletes do? Our Josh Levs will join us with that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: OK. Live pictures there in Detroit. We know that the mayor was on bond on obstruction of justice and perjury charges, took an unauthorized trip and was ordered jailed. You were looking at a press conference there with the Wayne County sheriff about Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick saying that he would have access to his attorneys and also giving more specifics there in the press conference and taking some questions.
We're still monitoring this press conference to see if any information and news comes out of it. And as soon as it does, we'll bring it to you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM -- Randi.
KAYE: We should learn by the end of the day how long we should learn how long Osama bin Laden's former driver will have to stay in prison. Prosecutors at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, are asking a military jury to give Salim Hamdan from 30 years to life. Defense attorneys recommended a sentence of 45 months or less. Hamdan was convicted yesterday of providing material support to al Qaeda, but he was cleared of terrorism conspiracy charges.
Hamdan addressed the court today in unsworn testimony. He said he was shocked when he learned that al Qaeda was behind the 9/11 attacks and he described his relationship with bin Laden as that of an employer and employee.
LEMON: New political pressures facing the president of Pakistan. The country's ruling coalition says it's going to try to impeach Pervez Musharraf. The Pakistani president has been a key U.S. ally since the 9/11 terror attacks, but he's seen his power decline since giving up control of the army last year. Adding to the intrigue, Pakistan says the prime minister will represent Pakistan at tomorrow's Olympic opening ceremonies. The original plan called for Musharraf to travel to Beijing.
KAYE: First Lady Laura Bush has spoken out before about the repression in Myanmar, and today she did it again while meeting with some of the refugees forced from the country. It happened in Thailand near the border with Myanmar, our Dan Rivers was there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Behind the smiles and music, Meyla (ph) is imbued with a consuming sense of sadness. These are ethnic (INAUDIBLE) refugees who have poured into camps like this in Thailand for 24 years, escaping the brutal military regime of Myanmar formally Burma.
First Lady Laura Bush and daughter Barbara were just a short drive from Myanmar, here to see firsthand the terrible human cost of decades of war, repression, and bloodshed over the border. These people make due here, but most can't leave, effectively prisoners in this sprawling camp.
They're taught English, the hope some day they'll be resettled elsewhere. And special lessons about how Western society works --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
RIVERS: -- what qualifications they'd need for different jobs.
Some make it out. This family has been given their resettlement documents, a paper meaning freedom, a new life to join family in Las Vegas.
LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: Where are you going to go?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: South Carolina.
RIVERS: And this family of five is about to start over in South Carolina. More than 4,000 others have gone before them, but many more are left behind.
(on camera): This is the first time Mrs. Bush has had a chance to see for herself the conditions in these camps. What's striking is not only the desperate poverty here, but the sheer scale. This one is almost like a mini town.
(voice-over): And it's not just one. There are eight other camps nearby with 140,000 people all trying to escape the ruling junta led by this man, General Than Shwe.
He ordered the bloody repression of monks and democracy campaigners last September, and delayed vital international aid after the devastating Cyclone Nargis in May. And he's left democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest for years.
Laura Bush says sanctions are the best way to change that.
L. BUSH: As you know, there are a number of U.S. sanctions directed specifically at General Than Shwe and his cohorts.
RIVERS: Mrs. Bush finished her tour at a clinic which deals with the devastating impact of millions of land mines, a terrible legacy of the past. But the future for many of these refugees is also bleak. A generation who have known nothing but the inside of a refugee camp.
Dan Rivers, CNN, Mae Sot, Thailand.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAY: And this is what it looked like in Tiananmen Square today as Chinese authorities took away some demonstrators. More protests are likely. You're about to see that video. Some people even think some athletes will participate. There you go.
Our Josh Levs is here now with a closer look.
Hi, Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, hey there, Randi.
This is very interesting. We're seeing the protests surrounding the Olympics. Well the big question right now, will the athletes -- they have the eyes of the world on them -- will they take part in protests during the Olympic games? Well, they fall under this -- which I'll just show you from here -- the Olympic Charter. I'm going to show you now a graphic that has a key phrase from the Olympic Charter that rules what they're allowed to do and not do -- quote -- "No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues, or other areas."
Now the next one I'm going to show you is what the International Olympic Committee is saying they will not allow -- "The conduct of participants at all sites, areas and venues includes all actions, reactions, attitudes, or manifestations of any kind by a person or a group of persons, including but not limited to their look, external appearance, clothing, gestures, and written or oral statements."
Last one I'll show you here is that they're also saying that the Chinese government that the athletes fall under, as in all Olympic games, "... such conduct must also, of course, comply with the laws of the host state." In this case we're talking about the Chinese government.
So what this means is, they have these Olympic laws in the charter on them and they also have the Chinese laws. So will they, in the end, take part in protests? They can't at any Olympic venues. If they do, there could be sanctions.
Now I'll tell you, the head of the Olympics has said for months that there are good reasons to follow these rules.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACQUES ROGGE, PRES. INTL. OLYMPIC CMTE.: If we let athletes, or coaches, or officials use the opening or the closing ceremony or the podium ceremony as a way to express these divides, this will be the end of the spirit of the Olympic games.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: But they're also saying that athletes do have freedom of expression when they do interviews in certain places. We're going to keep a close eye on this throughout the Olympics. We'll give you all the latest news right here at our special report each day in the Beijing Olympics at CNN.com -- Randi.
KAYE: You are our ticket to the Olympics.
Thanks, Josh. Appreciate it.
LEMON: Josh being described as a ticket.
KAYE: He likes that. LEMON: He likes that, I'm sure.
Randi, we want to get you back now to that press conference that we've been telling you about with the mayor there -- excuse me, the police chief -- excuse me the sheriff in Wayne County, Sheriff Warren Evans holding a press conference talking about the situation with the mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, being sent back to jail after he was out on bond for obstruction of justice and perjury charges, because he took a trip to Canada and they said it was unauthorized. We want to get to this press conference because there was some concern about why the mayor had to be arrested and will the city's business go on? Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF WARREN EVANS, WAYNE CO., MICHIGAN: .... Going through the booking process now. And he will be put in a restricted area where we keep high profile people. So at this point, I'll --
QUESTION: Have you spoken to the mayor at all, or his lawyers about the conditions of his stay in the Wayne County jail?
EVANS: No, I have not had that discussion. One of the things that's obviously of a concern to us in a number of ways is because at least one of the issues that he's been involved in involves a deputy that clearly we want to make sure we're in a position that the access to the majority of officers and those sorts of things are restricted to some extent because I don't obviously want any allegations or problems that deputies are treating him any differently than anybody else.
That's an inside administrative issue. We'll deal with it. It's certainly not something that's troublesome to us, but it is something we have to think about and look at.
QUESTION: Sheriff, will the mayor allow any visitors tonight?
EVANS: The mayor will have, if they so choose, a visit at one point during the first 24 hours. That's our policy. Obviously, it's got to be somebody that we can approve to come in. Obviously a parent or parents would be able to come in. His attorneys obviously will have access. Those are visits that we don't restrict, obviously. Obviously they have to come at a reasonable time.
But he'll certainly have access to his attorneys. He'll have access to a collect phone, which is in the facility, which he will be able to access once we input the numbers that he can make out, which is again our policy.
QUESTION: Sheriff, given the fact that the mayor was involved in an incident with a Wayne County sheriff's deputy, will his security be involved in monitoring (INAUDIBLE)?
EVANS: No, absolutely not. His security -- they're police officers. When you're in the custody of the Detroit Police Department, you're in the custody of the Detroit Police Department. When you're in the custody of the sheriff, you're in the custody of the sheriff.
No, I mean, he's not going to have any internal security. And trust me, I've been doing this for 35 years, I know how to protect prisoners. So that issue is off the (INAUDIBLE).
QUESTION: Did this take you by surprise, the actions of Judge Giles today?
EVANS: Nothing in the last month has taken me by surprise about anything. We try to think of eventual possibilities. I can't say I expected it, but again, we've had high profile people many times in my career and it's just a part of what you have to do. I just want my people to act professionally.
We clearly follow orders of the courts. We don't dictate who comes to us. But, it's my job to take and hold within the law, those people who are sent to me. I take my job very seriously and I'm going to do it in this case like I would in any other one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right, that's the latest there from Detroit. Wayne County Sheriff Warren Evans, holding a press conference there.
And just moments ago, I just want to say, we got this statement from the mayor's office and he said, Detroit's government will continue to operate as usual as there is an city, a deputy mayor is appointed to oversee city operations in the mayor's absence. And then it goes on to explain other things in detail.
But again, those pictures coming from our affiliate WDIV in Detroit. And we appreciate them sending us that press conference -- Randi.
KAYE: We want to get you Arwa Damon, who's standing by live for us in Baghdad, right now. We've been telling you earlier in the NEWSROOM that U.S. troops may leave Baghdad by 2010.
Arwa, what are you hearing on the ground there?
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Randi, that most certainly is what the Iraqis want.
What we're hearing from (INAUDIBLE), a Shia member of parliament, is that for the last week, the Iraqis have been very close to closing a deal with the United States.
According to him, the deal is that combat troops would leave Iraq by 2010. All remaining forces would be gone by 2011. He also said that it includes the date of June 30, 2009 for all U.S. troops to withdraw from the cities and remain on their bases.
Now that being said, a U.S. official that we spoke to here in Baghdad said that whilst this agreement did include dates, there were also caveats saying that those dates would still continue to be conditioned-based. That is based on security on the ground here in Baghdad. Other U.S. officials have cautioned that whilst a lot of progress is being made, there are still a number of very significant outstanding issues.
One of those being the issue of contractor immunity. There are just about the same number of contractors in Iraq, as there are U.S. soldiers. They are essential to keeping the U.S. mission here in place. Another very significant, outstanding issue is that of detention affinity. The U.S. Military wants to be able to continue to detain Iraqis based on intelligence. The Iraqis want them -- the Americans to only detain individuals after an Iraqi judge has issued a warrant.
This does not work for the U.S. mission here. Because especially when it comes to Black Operations, they often are conducting their raids on intelligence and they have to carry out those raids within the hour at times.
So, still a lot of negotiations to take place but we might just be getting closer -- Randi.
KAYE: So many families watching this news closely. Not only the military families but the contractors' families, as you said.
Arwa Damon, live for us in Baghdad. Thank you.
LEMON: All right. How to have a baby. No, not instructions, just a little advice to help nature along.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. Becoming a mom. It's not as easy as you might think. Especially when a little help from science is required to do it. So, what are steps you can take to help mother nature? That's the topic of this week's Empowered Patient report.
And CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here.
So, I don't have any news, so I don't know.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: OK. All right.
(CROSSTALK)
Well you probably have friends who had trouble conceiving children. I think a lot of us do.
LEMON: And relatives, as well.
COHEN: Right, exactly. And had to go for help.
Well, navigating that fertility maze can truly be daunting. There are so many different procedures, so many clinics, how do you know what to do, or where to go?
So, in this week's Empowered Patient, we have some advice for you. Let's go over some of it now. First of all, don't wait too long to get help. And we'll get to that in a second, what too long means. Also, you can go on the internet to get success rates for clinics in your area. Our article this week includes links where you can find out rates for hospitals and clinics near you. Also, stay healthy. You have to stay healthy in order to conceive a child. That goes for both mom and dad.
So, for more details, you can go to CNN.com/health, the article is up there right now.
LEMON: OK. You said, don't wait too long.
What do you mean too long? Give me a time period here.
COHEN: Right. Part of depends on how old you are and how healthy you are. So let's take a look at age.
If you are over the age of 35 and you've been trying for six months to get pregnant and it's not working, you need to go see a fertility specialist. If you are under age 35 and you've been trying for a year, then it's time to see a fertility specialist.
Now, if you have any kind of problems, if a woman for example, has endometriosis, then, sort of all bets are off and you need to ask your doctor what you need to do.
LEMON: OK. Stay healthy. I think you said that earlier, as well. And that's the case of anything.
COHEN: Right. You should always be healthy, right.
LEMON: OK. What can you do to increase your odds, though, of staying healthy in which ways?
COHEN: Sure. I think a lot of people don't know that there are certain things that will decrease your fertility.
For example, if you drink heavily, man or woman, it's going to decrease your fertility. So, don't do that. Don't smoke. And if you're overweight, lose weight.
And Don, again, I think a lot of people think, oh a mom had better be healthy if she wants to conceive a baby. Well, you know what? Dads staying healthy is important, too. And I actually have a piece of advice just for dads. Get out of the hot tub. Those high temperatures, sperm don't like that.
LEMON: Boxers, too, right? Is that what they -- don't they usually do that in fertility clinics?
COHEN: Sometimes. That's a little less reliable.
But, hot tubs, doctors tell me not a good thing.
LEMON: But this is a little off the topic, well, not really. Because people will say, just relax. Because a lot of people will try to have a baby, try to have a baby, go to fertility treatment, don't have it. Adopt a kid and then all of a sudden they end up having a baby.
COHEN: Right. You certainly hear that.
I ran that by one doctor and you know what he said? He said, it bugs me when people tell women to just relax. Because that makes you more tense and it may not be an issue of relaxation. She may have a specific problem, a physical problem that needs to be addressed. So, he said it bugs him when people say just relax.
LEMON: What's the Web site again?
COHEN: CNN.com/health and the article's right up there now, with lots of links to help you through that infertility maze.
LEMON: Thank you, Elizabeth Cohen. Appreciate that advice.
I'm going to go home and try all that.
COHEN: OK, good.
(CROSSTALK)
KAYE: Expect for the hot tub.
The rat race in New York is one thing. The duck race, well, now that is some serious business. Racing down the East River, all for a good cause.
LEMON: And talk about beating the odds. An endangered (INAUDIBLE) finds fatherhood even after cancer surgery.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: In the dog-eat-dog world of New York, the proverbial rat race. Fierce competition among ducks. They're not just any ducks.
CNN's Richard Roth reports from the banks of the East River.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The ducks were ready to be dumped. I got closer to the starting line. They're off! Thousands of rubber ducks pouring into the water. Each with a financial backer somewhere.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've got five ducks in the race.
ROTH: Five ducks in the race?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. And I'm going to win, actually.
ROTH: The duck race is as competitive as any event of the summer Olympic Games. These ducks, though, are swimming to raise money for the special Olympics to help the disabled with training and care. Tell me what the ducks mean to you.
RONALD WEINTRAUB, SPECIAL OLYMPIAN: The ducks mean it makes money for special Olympics. It makes money for our program.
ROTH: The excitement rivaled the Beijing Olympics. With the currents moving fast, this race is going much quicker than ducks and analysts expected. The ducks capture the spirit of the special Olympics.
NEAL JOHNSON, PRESIDENT, SPECIAL OLYMPICS: There's no doping scandals in special Olympics. No one has any endorsements. They are doing it simply to be athletes.
ROTH: Somewhere in that duck pileup were six golden ducks which could have meant a one million dollar jackpot.
(on camera): Looks like the winner is being coaxed to the finish line here.
(voice-over): But a yellow duck won the race.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I loved it.
ROTH (on camera): Don't you feel any sympathy for all of these losers, 24,000 or so?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not when I have to pick them up.
ROTH (voice-over): Better duck next time.
Richard Roth, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Very cute, Richard Roth.
OK. More tales from the animal kingdom to tell you about. What's your money on? A bear up a tree in St. Augustine? Or an aging dog named Penny. What do you think?
KAYE: Oh, I have to go with the bear there.
LEMON: OK. Well, Penny's owners say the pooch took offense at the unannounced visit and held the intruder at bay.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM QUALLS, DOG OWNER: When the bear comes down the tree, Penny jumped on the bear's back and chewed it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Ha, ha, ha! What a cute kid.
The bear is still on the loose. It's been spotted in the St. Augustine area nine times in the past two weeks. Agricultural officials say it's become dependent on human trash. So, that's what happened there.
KAYE: And now to the other end of the country and a creepy proposition. Millions of army worms lured to Fresno, California, by a field full of alfalfa. Having feasted on that, they're now looking for something else and are invading the neighbors.
Oh! Look at those things!
One of the neighbors says she gets up late at night, slapping imaginary critters off her legs.
LEMON: Look at those things, oh my gosh.
KAYE: That is just disgusting...
LEMON: What would you do? Would you have to move?
KAYE: Yes. Worms are definitely not my thing.
LEMON: Yes.
KAYE: Even army worms.
LEMON: For me, it's snakes.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: OK, look. There's better news from New Zealand, that's why I bring it up. Where Henry -- Henry's a rare 110 year old lizard. He's going to soon be a dad, though, at 110. Beyond age, Henry had to rebound from cancer surgery. Doctors removing a tumor from him, shall we say, private parts, private area.
Prior to the operation, museum curators say Henry wasn't a sexual creator. But, not anymore. He hooked up with Mildred, who is 70 or 80, we're not exactly sure -- haven't seen her birth certificate -- is a relative spring chicken. And the couple's blood now includes 11 fertilized eggs, considered healthy. I said blood -- that's brood, excuse me. Thank you, Scotty, my director.
So, there you go. The next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM -- what do you think of that?
KAYE: I think he looks pretty good for 100. However old he actually is.
LEMON: And she's having a baby at 70 or 80.
KAYE: Yes. Hey, more power to them.
LEMON: Need to take whatever gene that is and implant it in the human.
KAYE: Bring it on. LEMON: Maybe not.
The next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
