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Twin Bombings in Baghdad Kill Over 100

Aired October 25, 2009 - 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: Straight ahead this hour, the deadliest attack in Iraq in more than two years. Will the violence grow as elections get closer?

Israeli troops battle Palestinians at the holiest site in Jerusalem. An angry day ends with dozens of arrests and injuries.

And did you buy one of these? A Baby Einstein video? We'll tell you why you may have some money coming.

Hello, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

President Obama says today's massive bombings in Iraq only reveal the hatred and destructive agenda of the bombers. Twin car bombs exploded near government buildings in central Baghdad, killing more than 130 people. It was the deadliest attack in Iraq in more than two years.

CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom is live in Baghdad. So who is believed to be behind these attacks?

MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, no one group has claimed responsibility for these attacks. We know that Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki spoke to President Barack Obama a little earlier in the day. We expressed to President Obama that believe behind these attacks are the same group that were behind attacks that happened on August 19th in Baghdad. He's saying this is al Qaeda in Iraq, with Baathist elements. That's elements from the former regime of Saddam Hussein.

While we don't know who is behind the attacks, we do know that the Iraqi government has been really worried that in the past few weeks the political violence would spike, because the Iraqi election law has not passed. The Iraqi elections were scheduled to happen in mid- January. That has not been sorted out yet. Because that has not been sorted out yet, people are saying there's a lot of political tension. Violence could spike.

And a lot of officials have wondered when it would happen. It seems now that's finally happened.

WHITFIELD: And do bombings like this undermine the Iraqi government in the eyes at least of the citizens there?

JAMJOOM: Absolutely. We spoke to Iraqis today. We went to the scene. They said they're sick and tired of this. They want this kind of senseless violence to end. This is a big blow to Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki. He's been campaigning on the platform of security. He's been saying that with him and his government, Iraqis are secure.

You've seen the U.S. troop withdrawal go according to schedule. You've seen that even be accelerated a bit in the past few months. People have wondered if the Iraqi security forces are up to the task of protecting the country. That was called into question on a big way on August 19th. On that day, other government installations were targeted. Many people were killed and injured.

Today, it was even worse. So there really is a question right now. Today, there were US soldiers out there helping with the forensic investigation, trying to assess the security situation and report back to the Iraqis.

WHITFIELD: Mohammed Jamjoom, thanks so much, in Baghdad. Appreciate that. Let's go now to neighboring Iran, where UN nuclear inspectors are right now. They actually arrived in Tehran today. An Iranian news agency says they've already had a look at what that country's second uranium facility looks like. The disclosure of that facility last month touched off new concerns about Iran's nuclear program, and increased western fears that Iran is trying to develop a nuclear weapon.

Now, anger in the streets of Afghanistan. Riot police fired shots in the air after hundreds of protesters marched from Kabul University to the parliament building. They were riled up by false rumors that U.S. troops had burned a copy of the Koran during an operation earlier this month. U.S. and Afghan authorities deny any such desecration of the Muslim holy book. They accuse the Taliban of spreading the rumor to try to stir up public anger.

Campaigning is now under way in Afghanistan for the November 7th presidential election. It's a runoff. But don't expect a power- sharing deal between President Hamid Karzai and his challenger. Speaking to John King on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION," Abdullah Abdullah said he's been down that road before and it didn't work then.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABDULLAH ABDULLAH, AFGHAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think it's for the United States to make that judgment. But everybody has (INAUDIBLE) of the past eight years. We should have been in a position, eight years down the road, not to call for more troops, but for lesser troops.

We're not there. Why? Because of the failures of the current administration in Afghanistan. Any success for the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan will depend on the credibility of your partner, on the legitimacy of your partner.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Afghan voters aren't just deciding who to vote for. Some are wondering whether to go to the polls at all, after threats from Taliban militants. Meanwhile, more than 7,000 miles away, another major debate is taking place involving the future of the war-torn country. Chris Lawrence explains. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Afghanistan's presidential candidates have a total of just 12 days to campaign. But neither plans to leave Kabul.

ABDUL GHANA WAFA, AFGHAN VOTER: Because 40 percent of Afghanistan is under the Taliban government, it's evident that they won't be able to launch their campaign in all of the country.

LAWRENCE: Taliban leaders have threatened violence against Afghan caught voter for President Hamid Karzai or Dr. Abdullah Abdullah. Quote, "the Mujahideen are fully prepared to disrupt this process. Anyone who participates will be responsible for their own losses."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Taliban warning won't affect us. In the center of the country, we can go to the polling stations. This statement will have negative impact on the provinces.

LAWRENCE: During the first election in August, the Taliban cut off some voters' ink-stained fingers, a symbol that they had voted. Intimidation kept turnout below 10 percent in some areas.

(on camera): As Afghan voters get ready to head to the polls again, the other big decision is back in the United States, where President Obama is deciding whether to send more American troops to add to the roughly 65,000 already here.

(voice-over): After being briefed by General Stanley McChrystal here in Afghanistan, one senator says the U.S. commander needs tens of thousands more troops, not a fraction of that number.

SEN. GEORGE LEMIEUX (R), FLORIDA: General McChrystal makes a very persuasive case. The worst thing, I would think, to me, is to settle somewhere between. The president has said we're not going to take our troops out. And I think that's a good thing. But if we need more troops, we have to make sure that we have enough troops to get the job done.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE: Military officials tell us the Taliban will have less time to plan attacks on the runoff. And securing this election is now the highest priority for U.S. and NATO troops.

Chris Lawrence, CNN, Kabul.

WHITFIELD: To Jerusalem now, where clashes between Israeli riot police and stone-throwing Palestinians is taking place.

Police actually fired stun grenades to disperse hundreds of protesters at the city's holiest shrine. After a five hour standoff, some 200 Palestinians agreed to leave the compound. Eighteen people were arrested. The site is known as the Temple Mount to Jews and to Muslims as Haram al Sharif.

Swine Flu is now a national emergency in this country. What does that really mean? We'll ask an expert.

Also, medical marijuana. Is it going mainstream? We will talk with a patient.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: President Barack Obama's declaration that the Swine Flu is a national emergency is supposed to give more flexibility for how the outbreak is actually handled. So what exactly does that mean? Let's bring in Dr. Manoj Jain. He is an infectious disease specialist in Memphis, Tennessee.

Good to see you, doctor.

DR. MANOJ JAIN, INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST: Good.

WHITFIELD: OK. So, this declaration may not necessarily mean a whole lot to you or me or anybody else who goes to work, goes to school, public places, stores, et cetera, and worry about the transfer of H1N1. But this makes a difference when it comes down to what happens at a hospital, a medical facility, if any of us does actually get H1N1. In what way?

JAIN: Absolutely, Fredricka. It's important to remember that the effects of this national emergency being declared is going to affect more the administration at the hospital. Let me give you an example. About three or four weeks ago, at our hospital in Memphis, the cases of H1N1-related illness, the influenza-like illness, had gone to two or three times the usual level. We could not sustain them in the emergency room.

WHITFIELD: And very earlier in the season. Much earlier than anyone really anticipated.

JAIN: Absolutely. So it was quite concerning. And we had to set up a tent in one of the parking lots. Now after being declared as an emergency, even if we had to set up a site outside or away from the hospital, it would reduce a significant amount of administrative burden, which the hospital would not have to do when the emergency's declared.

WHITFIELD: That's because you're talking about the distance. I guess prior to this declaration, you could have that tent, or some sort of temporary facility set up, so many feet away from the facility. But now, with the declaration, you can bring it in a little bit closer. So it makes it easier for those administering care, right?

JAIN: Well, what it does is it doesn't force the hospital to do many triage administrative things that they have to do. When we transfer patients from one hospital to the other, there are a number of protocols that we have to go through. And in the case of H1N1, and when we're seeing excessive number of cases, bypassing the protocols is really helpful.

WHITFIELD: Let's look at some of those waivers. We've built a screen here so people can see what you're talking about. You talk about establishing alternate care sites. That was the tent facility. Modify patient triage protocols. What are some of those protocols you were talking about that can be modified?

JAIN: For example, when we triage patients, when patients come in and they have a fever and a cough, what we can do is take those patients and put them in a select area of the hospital. Previously, maybe thought we were discriminating against a set up patients. With these new guidelines, we're able to do that in a legal fashion. And we don't have to go through the administrative burdens.

WHITFIELD: And making those modifications of transfers. We talk about transfers from one medical care facility to another?

JAIN: Absolutely. In cases, we have rules such as Emptala (ph) and other rules that require time, which in this case, we would be able to reduce a lot of that burden.

WHITFIELD: So, does it concern you at all that now the administration has said, we're making this declaration, that this is the second step in a two-step process for Health and Human Services Secretary Sebelius? Does it concern you? Or you think this is the right time to do something like this, this early in the season?

JAIN: I think it's the right time. I think it's appropriate. Clinically, on the ground, I don't think it's going to affect our care for the patients. I think we're going to provide the same level of care that we are. In fact, it will reduce the work burden that many of the administrators and the doctors may have to go through.

WHITFIELD: OK. Dr. Jain, thanks so much. I understand -- at least I read, right, your daughter had H1N1. And I think sometimes people think people in the medical industry, they are probably immune to stuff like this. But when it hits home, and hits your daughter, what was that like for you?

JAIN: Sure. I wrote an article in the "Washington Post" about my daughter getting a viral illness. I'm not sure if it was or wasn't H1N1 illness. There are lots of precautions we can take at the house. I talked about things such as social distancing. Even keeping the children in the room and/or letting them watch TV, and stay away from school for a couple of days is good if they're sick.

WHITFIELD: All right. Dr. Jain, thanks so much. Appreciate it. Glad you're daughter is feeling better. Take care.

JAIN: Take care.

WHITFIELD: A break now for some medical marijuana users. The Justice Department says it will not go after medical users or suppliers, if they are in compliance with state laws. Each Saturday afternoon at 4:00 Eastern time, we focus the full hour on one topic. Yesterday, we brought in a panel to discuss the Mellowing on Medical Marijuana.

And among our guests, a patient who says she has no other pain relief options.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Deborah, let me begin with you, because you were a correction officer for eight years. Then, I think, you had a back injury. Is that correct?

DEBORAH POTTLE, MEDICAL MARIJUANA USER: Yes, ma'am. It was at work.

WHITFIELD: It was recommended to you then, medically, that marijuana would be the best thing for you?

POTTLE: Actually, how this all happened is I became allergic to all medications, as far as pain meds. I can no longer take medications. Exactly. I go through such extreme directions with pain medications that I had to look at another option, because I am permanently nerve damaged from someone opening my spine.

I didn't have a choice. It's either that or no meds at all. And, you know, I choose life.

WHITFIELD: We saw the variety of methods you can choose from when it comes to medicinal marijuana. You choose not to smoke it, perhaps because of what you just said, you know, your intolerance to a lot of things. But instead, you take marijuana in edible form. How do you know you're getting the right kind of potency, based on what your doctor had prescribed to you?

POTTLE: Actually, it's got to be a self-adjusted medication. I know this sounds kind of bizarre now out of it. But, you know, a person that is using medications knows exactly where they're headed, or what the response is once they've ingested it. It's their personal responsibility to adjust that medication, to not go over the edge, and not push it that far.

WHITFIELD: So, what does this mean to you, to hear the U.S. attorney general say this week that, at this point forward, there will be no aggressive federal prosecutions of people who are using medicinal marijuana, particularly in those states where it is perfectly legal. Did that bring you some sense of relief? Did it matter to you one way or the other?

POTTLE: I think it takes some pressure off. It really needs to. Most people that use medical marijuana, even in the HIV/AIDS realm, they have enough to worry about. So just trying to keep their food down and keep their life going one day to another is important. And pressure off is pressure off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: We clearly hit a nerve with that topic, Mellowing on Medical Marijuana. Because my blog and Facebook have been flooded in the hundreds with your comments. So we had such an overflow, we wanted to bring you more of those comments today.

This from Greg, saying, "I watched a friend of mine succumb to the addictive use of prescribed narcotics because of an injury early in life. I believe now, as I did then, that the responsible use of medical marijuana would have avoided his addiction."

And this from Kent, saying "I'm a 20-year Marine Army attack helicopter instructor pilot, treating my PTSD and injuries from a helicopter crash. And this year, I was arrested for rolling papers and having enough marijuana for two joints because I refused to sign the ticket here in North Carolina. Now, I'm a criminal, with my mug shot on the county's website. Stop the insanity."

And this from Michael P., "for incurable diseases, if medical marijuana can ease the pain or side-effects of those diseases, then so be it. However, if people are getting medical marijuana cards for back pain, stress, then no," he says.

And this, from Dave S. He says, "I was able to go off my opiates, Oxycontin and antidepressants, with medical pot. And I feel ten-times better."

And from David, "for those doctors who oppose medical use of marijuana, what are they doing to treat nausea in patients undergoing chemotherapy for cancer? As I understand it, they aren't doing very much."

Thanks so much for everybody sending your comments and questions on my Facebook, as well as blog, and helping to get a very full-bodied conversation going on the Mellowing of Medical Marijuana.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: We're going to have interesting chat in our chat room, because I know you bought a Baby Einstein for your kids. So did I. Guess what, people, you might be eligible for a refund if you purchased a Baby Einstein to make your kid smart.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories right now. Twin blasts claim at least 132 lives in Iraq. Two suicide car bombs detonated, one after the other, near the Iraq government buildings in central Baghdad. More than 500 people were wounded. Iraq's prime minister blames the attack, which is the deadliest of the year, on al Qaeda.

A New Jersey janitor is in police custody today. The 64-year-old man is charged with stabbing the Reverend Ed Hinds 32 times. The Roman Catholic priest's body was found in a church Rectory on Friday. Police say Jose Feliciano (ph) killed the priest after the two got in an argument.

And an update now on that unidentified young woman apparently suffering from amnesia in New York. Her family is traveling to New York from Washington State today, after a CNN viewer from Maryland tipped off police about her identity. They haven't released the 18- year-old woman's name.

So what does washing your hands have to do with Baby Einstein videos? For one, both the topics of our chat room.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Are you ready for Halloween? Well, this devoted CNN viewer is. Take a look at this, i-Reporter Alex Pena carved our logo into her Halloween pumpkin, to celebrate her first approved i-Report a couple of days ago. She says it's a great way for student journalists to display their work. I like that.

Are you ready for Halloween?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: So ready.

WHITFIELD: I am too.

(CROSS TALK)

WHITFIELD: We haven't done the pumpkin thing yet. I don't know if we're going to carve it. But I like to at least have the pumpkin, have the decorations. I'm into it.

JERAS: If you don't curve, you can keep them through Thanksgiving. A little tip for you.

WHITFIELD: Exactly. We usually do, until it's like rotten at the bottom. Time to throw it away.

We're now in the chat room. Jacqui Jeras with me here. Let's talk about Baby Einstein. I know you purchased them.

JERAS: I did.

WHITFIELD: I had some too. We didn't purchase them for the purpose of making our kids smart though.

JERAS: Not necessarily. The whole idea behind the thing was these were supposed to be visually stimulating things for your children under the age of two, so for your babies. And they were supposed to help their way of thinking, make them a genius.

WHITFIELD: Yes. There were a lot of organizations that contested the validity of that. So much so, to the point that Walt Disney said, at this point, you know what, we will give you a full refund if you happen to buy Baby Einsteins for those purposes, and felt your children did not turn out to be geniuses.

JERAS: Has to be within the last five years that you made that purchase. Unfortunately, I have a six-year-old.

WHITFIELD: Yes. You know, we're not going to try to get a refund. You know, we didn't allow our child to watch television or look at the videos, anything, until they were two years old.

JERAS: I think the American Association of Pediatrics also says, despite Baby Videos, that you shouldn't do it before the age of two. It actually can be stressful for them.

WHITFIELD: That's right. That's right. We kind of adhere to that, as well. There were other things to do, anyway, besides watch TV.

JERAS: When you're making dinner.

WHITFIELD: You can get the 15.99 --

JERAS: Was it that much?

WHITFIELD: Yes, 15.99 for a refund, for up to four Baby Einstein DVDs, per household, bought between September 2009 and June 2004.

JERAS: I think mine were at a garage sale.

WHITFIELD: OK. Something that we are encouraging our kids to do, and really everybody these days, particularly because of H1N1, is the whole washing hands, sanitizers. With the washing hands, which is a very simple thing to do, there's apparently a lot of slogans, and even people have written songs to try and encourage people about better hygiene.

JERAS: Right. That's what my kids learned. Sing happy birthday is what we were always told.

WHITFIELD: That's good.

JERAS: If you've done it through the whole birthday song, you know that you've washed long enough. Now, here's a new alternative.

WHITFIELD: I know. And this is a Grammy award-winning song writer who actually came up with this clever tune.

(SINGING)

WHITFIELD: Are you compelled to wash your hands now?

JERAS: You have to listen to the rest of the words. You can get this on NPR's website, by the way, if you want to listen to all the lyrics. Some of them are a little on the nasty side.

WHITFIELD: Really? Getting to the nasty part.

(CROSS TALK)

WHITFIELD: You're right. That was nasty. Should I read it? We've given a prelude. It's gooey. It's nasty. You're sitting in class. There's a tickle in your nose. You let out a sneeze. It finally explodes. You look down at your hand. This print is so tiny. It's all covered with that goo. Don't wipe it anywhere. You know what to do. Wash your hands.

JERAS: This is something like 8-year-olds to 10-year-olds are going to love. Like the goo thing.

WHITFIELD: There's a tune I think is actually on one of the PBS channels. My child likes to sing that song. It encourages them to wash their hands before you actually prepare food. It is catchy.

JERAS: I'm just saying.

Where are you supposed to sneeze, right? Everybody knows. Elbow. Not hand.

WHITFIELD: We're practicing good hygiene now. I have a box of tissues for you.

JERAS: I have washed my hands and sanitizer.

WHITFIELD: Thanks, Jacqui Jeras. Always nice to join us in the chat room here.

The health care debate flares up again. So what is the prognosis? We'll talk with Elaine Quijano at the White House in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: OK, we are months into the health care reform debate. And it appears that we're no closer to the major overhaul pushed by President Obama. Or are we? CNN's Elaine Quijano joins us now from the White House. So Elaine where does the debate stand right now? Doesn't it feel like years, I know it is only months?

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I know it does.

WHITFIELD: For this particular debate.

QUIJANO: Yeah. It's very incremental. But I can tell you the very latest, we should say, right off the bat is coming from my colleague Dana Bash on this. She's reporting that the top Democrat in the Senate, Harry Reid, is set to move ahead with plans to introduce a health care bill with a public option, allowing states to opt out. That's according to a senior aide. Now, this is huge.

Because you remember, it wasn't all that long ago Fredricka, that people had all but said that the public option was dead. Well, now, it appears that the public option has come back to life. But this probably is not going to sit well with some conservative Democrats, including Senator Ben Nelson. Listen to what he told our John King on CNN's "State of the Union" today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BEN NELSON, (D) NEBRASKA: Well, I certainly am not excited about a public option where states would opt out. Or a robust, as they call it, government-run insurance plan. I'll look at the one that states could opt in if they make the decision themselves. I'm a Jeffersonian Democrat. I think the states can make decisions on their own, about their own citizens.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Still, a senior aide says that the fact that Nelson didn't flatly rule out the idea gives Senate majority leader Harry Reid, some hope Fredricka that perhaps Senator Nelson can be persuaded. The aide, by the way, says that Senator Reid is going to make a final decision or is set to make a final decision tomorrow on whether to go ahead and move ahead and introduce that health care bill with that public option.

WHITFIELD: That's potentially pretty big there. Another big decision for President Obama in particular, Afghanistan. Will he be sending more U.S. troops or not? Might we expect a decision soon?

QUIJANO: Soon. It's likely when you look at the time frame, it will be a few weeks. As you know, November 7th is when the Afghan runoff elections are set to take place here. It's going to be a critical period here the next two or three weeks. Defense secretary Robert Gates in a call said that the analytical phase of all this is beginning to come to an end. And that over the next two or three weeks or so there's going to be specific options, he says, for President Obama to consider.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you, Elaine Quijano at the White House. Thank you.

Thirteen states right now, allow marijuana to be used for medical purposes. The U.S. Justice Department has just announced last week, however, it won't seek federal charges against medical users and suppliers in those particular states. It was the focus of our 4:00 Eastern hour yesterday in "The Newsroom." On our panel, an Ohio lawmaker who wants medical marijuana legalized in his state.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD (voice over): Representative Yuko, you are hoping that your state might become the 14th state that would say across the board, medical marijuana, OK. Why?

KENNETH YUKO, (D) OHIO STATE HOUSE: A lot of people come to our office and explain to me, that their quality of life would be greatly improved if they had the ability to use a drug that would ease their pain. Ease the nauseous they have in their stomach. Ease the pain of glaucoma. And what we're going to do is look into different ways. Learn from what the preceding states have done. And move forward from there.

WHITFIELD: I don't know if you heard Mr. Von Brooks talking about the concern about regulating the dispensaries. If Ohio were to legalize marijuana, medical marijuana, would there be dispensaries like you see in California. And Mr. Brooks was saying there isn't a really good stringent regulation of dispensaries. We don't really know all the time where it's coming from. A lot of people are breaking the law. Have you thought about how we enforce the safety of these dispensaries if Ohio were to legalize marijuana?

YUKO: Well I have thought about it. And basically what my thoughts are that we would not have dispensary. It would be the recommendation of doctor and probably mail-in order forms.

WHITFIELD: Where would people get it from? Mail-in strictly?

YUKO: More than likely, yes. WHITFIELD: How do you regulate that? Do you worry that someone's supply is -- there's some disparity between one person's supply versus the next patient in your state. And that they're getting different stuff.

YUKO: It's kind of interesting that this week on the news, there was a story about a shipment of Viagra that wasn't actually the real thing. Does that mean we should outlaw Viagra. Might make a lot of men unhappy if we do so. We have law enforcement that will make sure what we do and what we say we're going to do, is abiding by the law. And those that break the law will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: This was a fascinating topic. We got responses from hundreds of you by way of our blogs. And Josh Levs is trying to weave through sort to speak all of it.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Nice. Weave through it. We talked last week that the fact this would be the topic, I told you, there's going to be a team of people that go through these. One of our producers came in this morning and told me that 700 more were waiting between late last night and 5:00 this morning. It's amazing. I have a few of the blog posts that we have for you. Facebook posts, as well. Let's go straight to the graphics.

We pulled up some quotes. Let's start with this one from William, he says, "The more stringent restraints imposed by enforcement, the greater the end cost to the patient. These patients suffer from chronic pain, cancer, AIDS and other serious diseases and disorders."

We do also have this one from Theodore; let's go to that one next. Because I did find someone in the mix who said, "Marijuana is a dangerous drug and should remain outlawed. That's what we get for elected leadership that is soft on drugs. All this under the rubric of medical marijuana."

One more for you here. Let's get this from Christina; this is what a lot of people are saying. She says, "It doesn't make sense. How can it be viewed as medicinal in some state laws, and a terrible drug in others? Legalize it." That's her opinion. There's a zoom on the screen behind me. I will show you a few things here Fred, you know I try to represent what we're getting. 99 percent of people are saying -- the people who are writing us, say they believe it should be legal to have medical marijuana. This is on my twitter page.

Obviously the political prohibition needs to end for the sake of the patients, less government regulations please. That is from Jacob Curtis. I have another one over here. In regards to medical marijuana, I'm glad I live in California. They're coming through more and more. On our blog page, all sorts of people saying stuff like this. This from Adam here. "I can't stand it anymore. Let's get the millions of people in favor of this march up to Capitol Hill and smoke." That's just the kind of things that people happen to be writing us. But let me tell everybody we have a screen here. This is how you should weigh in, no matter where you stand on all this. Let's go to that graphic. CNN.com/josh, Facebook and twitter. Fred you know this is where a lot of people are saying they stand, Joshlevscnn on those pages. We want to hear from the other side, too. Wherever you stand, keep it coming.

WHITFIELD: I know, we find that people have been extremely passionate on this topic. This one on my blog, this from Robert Stein who said, "Marijuana is the only medication which treats my insomnia. Pills are horrible." So it is interesting, people have imparted their personal experiences on a medicinal level. And others are expressing their view on it, in terms of it being lumped up with a lot of other drugs that are illegal.

LEVS: I will say a lot of people -- a lot of people are having a thoughtful discussion, too. Which is what I look for; people are listening to each other and responding to each other. Some of the chemistry of it, too. We link you to the facts, the stories all there at the blog. Check that out.

WHITFIELD: Excellent. Thanks so much, Josh. People are very passionate about that topic. Many people are very passionate about this one, too.

Promoting breast cancer screenings. Actually, there's some experts who are raising doubts about it all. Is screening still a good idea? We'll talk with an expert in breast cancer awareness month.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Updating your top stories now. At least 132 people are dead today after two powerful car bombs exploded near government buildings in central Baghdad. No one is claiming responsibility. But Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki says enemies of the Iraqi people are trying to block parliamentary elections which are scheduled for January.

And they're hoping to have a huge fire out of Puerto Rico oil storage facility contained later today. It started early Friday morning, officials still don't know exactly what caused it, and 1,000 people had to leave their homes.

And Andrew Lloyd Webber is being treated for prostate cancer. A spokeswoman for the 61-year-old composer says the cancer is in its very early stages. And she expects Webber to be back at work full time before the end of the year. Webber has been working on a sequel to his hit musical "Phantom of the Opera."

October is national Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Susan G. Komen for the cure has been fighting to save lives and raise awareness for more than two decades now. Dr. Eric Winer is the group's chief scientific adviser he is with us now from Boston. Good to see you, doctor.

DR. ERIC WINER, SUSAN G. KOMAN FOR THE CURE: Good afternoon. WHITFIELD: So I'm wondering about this campaign in pink. We see it everywhere. Whether it be on blenders, toasters, t-shirts, watches, etc. How much of an impact has this power of pink made when affecting the mortality? When it comes to breast cancer or perhaps even prevention and treatment?

WINER: Well, I think what there no question is of is that all of the pink has raised awareness in breast cancer. Over the past two decades breast cancer has gone from a diagnosis that people hasn't wanted to talk about. To something that people do talk about. Women talk about having breast cancer. And the result is that there's been far more dollars going into breast cancer research over these past two decades than ever before. That is really critical.

WHITFIELD: Has the survival rate changed, too, as a result?

WINER: Well, overtime, the number of women who have died from breast cancer has gradually declined. Now, the population has also grown during this time. And the survival for women with breast cancer has improved. That said, there are still 40,000 women in the U.S. each year who die of breast cancer. There's still 400,000 women around the world who die from breast cancer. There's a lot of work left to be done.

WHITFIELD: What kind of work are you hoping that perhaps whether it be the Susan G. Komen, run for a cure, walk for a cure, whether that campaign might make a difference? Or perhaps there are so many other groups to help campaign for the awareness of breast cancer. What kind of impact are you hoping collectively all these organizations will be able to make?

WINER: All the groups need to work together. There's no question about that. What we've learned over the past decade or so, are that breast cancer isn't one disease. It's a family of diseases. Different women need different types of treatment. In the past, we used to base all our treatment decisions on whether the cancer was big or small. Whether there was lymph node involvement or not. And now, we base many more of our treatment decisions on what I often call the personality of the cancer or the biologic features of the cancer. Whether it's sensitive to female hormones like estrogen and whether it has certain other characteristics. And our treatment needs to become more individualized and more targeted.

WHITFIELD: And if we look at some numbers that we just had up on the screen, which talk about the mortality rate of breast cancer among women in particular. We're talking about a decreased, 3.2 percent per year in women younger than 50 and a decrease of 2.0 percent per year among women 50 and older. Do you want to attribute some of these numbers between 1990 and 2006, to the use of mammograms, it seems like mammograms are reaching more women. There's more efforts to make sure that women, particularly over 40, get these free mammograms in particular. Is mammography still the choice, I guess, technology, being used for the prevention or even early detection?

WINER: Well, let me say that it is hard to tease out how much of the decline in mortality is from screening and how much of it is from better treatment. Although, the best estimates suggest that both factors play a role here. Mammography is not a perfect test. We know that it misses somewhere in the range of 10 to 15 percent of cancers, there are false positives meaning that some mammograms lead to tests that turn out not to be cancer and it can at times find early abnormality, particularly non-invasive cancers that might never bother a woman.

On the other hand, mammograms are the best test we have. They do save lives from breast cancer. Until we have more data about which women can avoid mammograms, most of us believe that women over the age of 40 should strongly consider an annual mammogram and should talk about that with their doctors.

WHITFIELD: Dr Eric Winer thanks so much, director of the breast program for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute as well. Appreciate your time.

WINER: Thanks very much.

WHITFIELD: Well of course the power of pink stretches in so many different ways, as you just heard. But how about Halloween, usually associated with black and orange. Well this year, try orange and pink and black.

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WHITFIELD: All right. Plenty of shades of pink set against a dramatic backdrop today, the pyramids of Egypt breath cancer survivors and their families attended one of the first international breast cancer groups in the Middle East. More than 7,000 people actually showed up as you see there, traditionally breast cancer has been a taboo topic in Egypt in particular but the race is seen as the evidence that the attitude is beginning to change.

Our next guest is raising awareness about breast cancer in his own way, encouraging people to paint their pumpkins a very special color this Halloween, Trever McGhee, with Pinkineers joins me now by phone, so tell me all about how the campaign of decorating or painting your pumpkin pink will help generate money towards research and awareness.

TREVER MCGHEE, PINKNEER ORGANIZER (via telephone): The biggest thing is just getting the color out there. Nowadays, everyone realizes pink leads to breast cancer. This happened to me six months before this. I had to explain to my daughter how I can't save her godmother from breast cancer, and in the process of explaining it to here she's only 3 years old, she looks at me and goes, you can save me, right, daddy? At that moment, my stomach fell out, I looked at her and I realized it is a possibility this disease can actually touch my family. From that moment forward I never want to face that question in real life with her. I started researching and got a poll of the breast cancer three days and I signed up to do every single one of them, 900 miles.

WHITFIELD: My gosh.

MCGHEE: I'm going; I have to do everything I can. In that moment, it was devastating thinking; I know what her godmother is going through, to go, this could happen to my family, anyone's family.

WHITFIELD: With each step of those 900 miles that you're committed to, how are you getting some assurance that your efforts are working?

MCGHEE: As I walk down the streets, I'm meeting incredibly amazing people who are coming out to cheer with their kids, children, walkers. I'm walking 900 miles and you meet some amazing women out there doing 60 miles, they're incredible for the reasons why they're walking. This allows me to keep going.

WHITFIELD: In this time, have you really seen kind of the movement, the power of pink, the breast cancer awareness, have you seen it really evolve in this time that you've invested in the walking and helping to convey the importance of this awareness?

MCGHEE: Absolutely. The gratitude of people when they see me walking by caring a 12 foot sign, you're walking 900 miles, thank you very much, thank you for my family, they've been affected by this so much.

WHITFIELD: Trever McGhee, founder of Pinkineers, fantastic effort. I know a lot of people appreciate the steps that you've been taking and the many walks that you have been doing. I know your daughter appreciates too that you're trying to do what you can to help protect and save her life as well as so many other women across this country. Thanks so much, Trever. Appreciate it.

MCGHEE: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Much more straight ahead right after this.

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WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up in an hour from now during the 6:00 p.m. Eastern hour of the NEWSROOM, Don Lemon will have the very latest on today's deadly car bomb attacks in Baghdad.

And we'll go live in San Diego where they're launching the second Tea Party Express tour.

I'm Fredericka Whitfield in the CNN NEWSROOM.