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CNN Live Saturday

Parents of Sears Tower Seven Claim Government Setup; New Cancer Thereapy Developed; Researchers Look to Insects to Model Robots

Aired June 24, 2006 -   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: And now back to our top story, seven suspects are in custody charged in an alleged homegrown terror plot. Relatives of two of the men are rushing to their defense. And one mother makes an emotional plea to President Bush. Drew Griffin has more from Miami.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If they were home grown terrorists, they grew up here on this Miami street. Stanley Phanor was born in this house. Liglandson Lemorin moved in across the street with his mom when he was just six. And today, the two mothers, both patient, told us in disbelief there were no terrorists raised on 45th Street.

ELIZENE PHANOR: My son never (inaudible). He never drank. He never smoke. He never had to go to the doss (ph).

GRIFFIN: Elizene Phanor says her son, who is a single man, a construction worker, who did have trouble with the law and went to prison for concealing a weapon. But he's been out of trouble since joining a religious prayer group, a Christian group that devotes itself to the Bible.

PHANOR: My son never did nothing wrong. My son just go to work, after that, every five days he has the money, he just gives it to me.

You see that?

GRIFFIN: Distraught with news her son is being accused of terrorism, she brought us into her home to show us the home improvements that her son did for her, the furniture he bought for her. Even his work clothes and his well worn Bible.

PHANOR: He have this, everything. He had this. (inaudible)

GRIFFIN: Raised Catholic, she says her son would never hurt anyone and would never plot against a country they both love.

PHANOR: President Bush, help me please. Don't think wrong about my son. My son is good from the country.

GRIFFIN: Across the street Lyglenson Lemorin's mother, who barely speaks English, could only say through her daughter-in-law her son is innocent. JULIAN OLIBRICE, LYGLENSON LEMORIN'S MOTHER (through translator): He never been in jail. Never. And they're calling him an illegal immigrant on the TV.

GRIFFIN: So how can their alleged involvement be explained? How can the FBI seem to have so much information that two men from this low income immigrant neighborhood were plotting to blow up buildings? Silvain Plantin is Stanley's Phanor cousin. He says the religious group deeply devoted in studies practiced abstinence from drinking and sex and even curse words. And the group's devotion to self-control may have been taken the wrong way.

SYLVAIN PLANTIN, STANLEY PHANOR'S COUSIN: When the people see that they was doing self-defense things, they thought they were a part of al Qaeda. They have no -- they're from down here. They ain't got no business in al Qaeda.

GRIFFIN: Did they dress in long ...

PLANTIN: They dressed in black Dickey uniforms with the patch of the Star of David. That's why they call it the Seas of David.

GRIFFIN: Plantin, who calls his cousin Sonny, also says one man in the group, the so called leader, was a mystery. No one knew much about him. He suspects neither did his cousin.

You think these guys were brainwashed?

PLANTIN: No, they wasn't brainwashed because Sonny would never do anything to harm anybody.

GRIFFIN: So you think he didn't know about it?

PLANTIN: He didn't know anything about this.

GRIFFIN: Both mothers say they're relying on the legal system to free their sons. But they're worried because they say the same legal system somehow arrested the wrong men. Drew Griffin, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And time to check out some other stories around the world now. Flooding and landslides in Indonesia's Sulaweisi Island. At least 200 people have been killed, 67 others are missing. Officials say more than a hundred homes are destroyed or badly damaged.

Cautious optimism from Iran on the western nuclear plan. Iran's foreign minister says the plan has, quote, positive points, but he says some things are still unclear. The U.S. says it wants a response from Iran in a matter of weeks.

In Australia, they're mourning the death of Harriet the Tortoise. A vet says she suffered an acute heart attack. She was 176, after all. One of the world's oldest living creatures. Harriet lived at the zoo run by television's crocodile hunter Steve Irwin. And staying down under, the media hordes have descended on Sydney for Nicole Kidman's wedding. The Oscar-winning actress will marry country singer Keith Urban tomorrow.

One man changing the world. In 1993, Greg Mortenson almost died while climbing in the Himalayas. But thanks to Pakistani villager villagers, he survived the experience. Morteson promised he'd return to repay their kindness. And he did. Starting a campaign to bring schools to the area. His story is told in "Three Cups of Tea" which he co-wrote with journalist David Rowland (ph). Greg Mortenson joins us now from Salt Lake Vity. Good to see you, Hreg.

GREG MORTENSON, AUTHOR, "THREE CUPS OF TEA": Hi, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Before we get to some of the work that you've been doing in Afghanistan and elsewhere, let's talk about kind of the state of affairs in Afghanistan. We're hearing more and more and seeing more images of a rise or a re-rising of the Taliban. And of schools being dismantled and young girls being discouraged from going to school. How concerned are you that it seems like we're going backwards in that country in terms of what progress may have been made?

MORTENSON: I think there's reason to be concerned, not only because of the insurgency increase but because of the lack of international aid and the Afghan commitment to education. What's funding a lot of the recent insurgency is the proliferation of opium and heroin trafficking. Over 5,000 tons of opium was harvested a couple months ago which will bring in $2.2 billion. And that's funding a lot of the insurgency right now.

WHITFIELD: And immediately after the fall of the Taliban, many people celebrated seeing the images of seeing schools being built, of girls in school. The images we're seeing now, we're starting to see the remnants of car bombing attacks, women still in burkas and many women returning to life under the burka. What do you suppose is happening?

MORTENSON: I think the Taliban and the other al Qaeda more reluctant to attack the international coalition. So they're going after more psychological tactics. And one of them is especially related to girls. There's been 120 mostly girls schools destroyed in Afghanistan last year. The most amazing thing though is that if you go to some of those areas you'll find that kids are still going to the school in the outdoors or the communities are committed to having their kids in school.

WHITFIELD: So let's talk about your work. You have helped to build some of these schools that children, both genders, are able to enjoy. How important was that for you to be able to be involved in such a project?

MORTENSON: I feel it's a great blessing. We have 55 schools, over 24,000 students, mostly girls.

I really think we need to make a commitment to girls' education. It's only one dollar per month per child and there's significant impact of educating girls. Reducing infant mortality, improving the socioeconomic status and increasing the basic quality of health and life itself but it takes about one or two generations.

WHITFIELD: It is difficult to keep it up and running? Because like you said it needs the support of one or two or three generations. That means their immediate families have to embrace the idea.

MORTENSON: Certainly. And I think the most important thing is when the men or boys get educated often they leave the village. They don't come back. But the women, the girls become mothers they stay behind and the value of education is instilled in the communities.

It's not really the communities that we're fighting, but it's some of the despot mullahs. They certainly fear the pen more than they fear the sword. And they're issuing edicts in large swaths of rural area to control illiterate societies. Once you bring in literacy, this disempowers these despot mullahs.

WHITFIELD: What kind of future do you see in your passion being played out to help the people of Afghanistan?

MORTENSON: Well, we're as committed as ever to helping the kids, both boys and especially girls have a chance for education. And I think the main reason is I see we're living more in fear than in hope after 9/11. But I have two children and when I look in the eyes of children over there, I see my own children. And I'm optimistic even in this time that I think -- but it's going to take about one or two decades until we can really stabilize the society and women.

WHITFIELD: And you do this despite the dangers imposed on you?

MORTENSON: Yes. I've also had death threats and hate mail from Americans who say you shouldn't go over there and help Muslim children. So really I think it's ignorance that breeds hatred, whether it's in Afghanistan or here in America.

WHITFIELD: Greg Mortenson joining us from Salt Lake City and a book and his story is called "Three Cups of Tea." thanks so much.

MORTENSON: Thanks, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Concerns in Iraq about women's rights from a pretty high level. A leaked cable from the U.S. ambassador to secretary of state Condoleezza Rice says women working at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad report harassment. In addition, Iraqi women in one neighborhood were ordered to wear more conservative clothing. Others were told not to use cell phones or drive.

Coming up, they're meant to help, but are some inhalers actually dangerous for asthma suffers? We'll hear from a doctor straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: There are 20 million Americans who suffer from asthma, 6 million of them children. Now some new research suggests a popular inhaler treatment could be responsible for 80 percent of all asthma deaths. Let's bring in our Dr. Bill Lloyd for some details. Are we talking about a good number of inhalers that are potentially dangerous for everyone who uses them?

BILL LLOYD, UC-DAVID MEDICAL CENTER: Fredricka, they're powerful medications that we call beta agonists. These are controllers that are supposed to be taken every day whether or not you're having an attack. They take those to keep the airways open. But researchers from Cornell and Stanford have problems with research they've done involving 33,000 people. And they think people taking these long acting inhalers, products like Seravent, Advair and Foradil, we see them on TV all the time, may be at risk for serious complications.

WHITFIELD: Well, what raised the flag? What alarmed researchers to get this study going in first place?

LLOYD: Well, they noticed disturbing numbers of people were taking these medications ended up in the hospital more often. They had more serious asthma attacks. These are medications designed to open the airways. But there's a price. In return for opening the airway they leave the lungs more susceptible to inflammation. And Fredricka, inflammation is the key to asthma.

So if you are asthmatic and are exposed to different allergies, you're going to be more likely to a serious asthma attack that could end up putting you in the hospital and possibly for a small group perhaps increase your risk of dying from your own asthma.

WHITFIELD: Wow. So what's an asthmatic to do given this new information?

LLOYD: Well, millions of people take these medications. So the first thing is check back with your doctor and make sure. Tell me precisely why I need to be on this medication. Of course, no one here at CNN is telling anybody to stop their medications. But check with your doctor. Is this the product I really should be on? Then find out more about how the product works and what to look out for. Know the warning signs of a future asthma attack. And one way to do it, Fredricka, is to have a peak flow meter and to check your measurements several times a day. It will predict days beforehand if you're in trouble of having an asthmatic attack.

WHITFIELD: So what might be some other alternatives that people need to talk to their doctors about?

LLOYD: One alternative, of course, is to switch to traditional medications. Medications that people have been taking for generations. And in that study of 33,000 people, it included many, many people that were taking medications that we use back in the '70s and the '80s. And Fredricka, those products are still on the pharmacists' shelf. All medications has risks and benefits. And there are side effects to everything. But if you and your doctor decide that these beta agonists, these long term inhalers that we're using now are not the safest drug for you, there are other drugs to think about. Get with your doctor and make a smart decision. WHITFIELD: And Dr. Bill, usually we see you from Sacramento on the weekend and this time it's from New York and I understand for a very special occasion, I understand.

LLOYD: Sure is. As soon as we get done here, I'm heading off to Oyster Bay to join my family for an 85th birthday celebration for my mother-in-law and family matriarch, Delia O. Harris (ph). Happy birthday, Nana.

WHITFIELD: Happy birthday, Miss Harris, that's wonderful. All right. Dr. Bill Lloyd, thanks so much and enjoy the festivities later on.

LLOYD: We'll talk again soon.

WHITFIELD: Carol Lin's coming up next with a preview right now.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, our primetime programming is at 6:00 and 10:00. At 6:00 an extraordinary piece of history is being preserved for the public. The private papers of Martin Luther King were supposed to be auctioned off at Sotheby's worth something like $30 million is what they expected.

Consortium of business people here in Atlanta step up to the plate. They raised, I don't know, x number of millions of dollars perhaps. I'm going to be talking with Ambassador Andrew Young who headed up that consortium. And I'm also going to be talking with Martin Luther King Jr.'s son Dexter King who is the head of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center.

WHITFIELD: It will be good to hear from them.

LIN: You bet.

At 10:00, have you ever heard of hoodia?

WHITFIELD: Yes, I have, actually.

LIN: It is an herb that's being advertised as a weight loss product. It is a cactus made in this remote part of Africa in the Kalahari Desert. People are taking it in tablet form to lose weight. You'll see our story at 10:00 tonight. What is this about?

WHITFIELD: Right.

LIN: Is it going to kill you? How dangerous can this be?

WHITFIELD: And it fairly controversial which is why I remember the name which is hoodia believe?

LIN: Yeah. Hoodia believe? Where we're going to try to help you with that at 10:00 tonight.

WHITFIELD: All right. Carol Lin, thanks so much.

LIN: My pleasure. WHITFIELD: Coming up. Time's on their side. Cancer treatment. When the patient really needs it. Not just when the doctor's in. The story ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: They say timing is everything. Medicine that works on the patient's schedule, not the hospital's. It's simple. And life saving, says one woman. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta visited her for AC 360.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two years ago the peaceful life Diane Klenke was accustomed to began to slowly fall apart. It started with mild discomfort in her abdomen. Then ...

DIANE KLENKE, PATIENT: I was doubled over in pain, I was just miserable.

GUPTA: She was rushed to the hospital. And hours later doctors were still poring over her case.

KLENKE: I said tell me what's going on. Well, we see something we want to check out further.

GUPTA: The news was grim. Diane's pancreas and liver had been hijacked by cancer. One tumor was the size of a grapefruit. Doctors told Klanky that not only chemotherapy could help her. She had mere months to live.

(on camera): You're thinking at that time was what? I mean, were you thinking, OK, maybe it's time to get my affairs in order?

KLENKE: I wasn't willing to give up yet. I thought I've got too much to live for. I've got my daughter was pregnant. And I had another daughter just engaged. And I thought, I want to be here.

GUPTA (voice-over): With few options left, she tried something called chronotherapy.

DR. KEITH BLOCK, BLOCK CENTER: Chronotherapy is all about timing. Nine genes are the molecular timekeeper for our entire physiology. Just like flowers open up, you know, when it's light out in the morning and close up at night, we have entire physiological rhythms that are being adjusted through the day and night and through the seasons.

GUPTA: With chronotherapy, patients are quizzed about their habits, sleep patterns, diet, exercise, all things that impact the body's internal clock. Chemo drugs are pumped in on a precise timetable based on that information. Synchronized to the body's internal rhythms. So instead of a daily dose at, say, 10:00 al every day, Diane received chemotherapy while she slept. When her healthy cells were dormant and her cancer cells were active. BLOCK: We can actually time drugs so that they'll diminish a lot of the side effects and at the same time it can also boost the effectiveness of the therapies.

GUPTA: Timing is not just for treating cancer. It can also be used to help diagnose heart disease and stroke. Using our internal clocks as a guide, we know now that stress hormones soar in the morning as does blood pressure in the afternoon. Those fluctuations may explain why heart attacks are so common in the morning and strokes during midday.

Chroneotherapy helps when doctors can time blood pressure readings so they are measured throughout the day instead of just once. Using internal cues, we may one day predict stroke.

EARL BAKKEN, MEDICAL ENGINEER: Someone may have a normal blood pressure when they go in to have it examined in the morning, but may have -- be hypertensive the afternoon but never get measured in the afternoon.

GUPTA: Chronotherapy is used in a handful of medical facilities and is now used to treat depression, sleep disorders and asthma.

(on camera): It seems simple. We're not talking about changing the world here. We're not talking about new therapies, we're not talking about billions of dollars of drug research, we're talking about using a clock. Why isn't everyone using this?

BLOCK: It is not convenient for the doctor to work around the patient's schedule. They really have to change their entire medical center to work around the patient's schedule instead of working really around the medical center's schedule.

GUPTA (voice-over): Timing caused Diane's grapefruit sized tumor to shrink to the size of a kidney bean.

KLENKE: They looked at my liver and said, hey, the liver tumors are gone.

GUPTA (on camera): A lot of people say that's all quackery.

KLENKE: Oh, absolutely not. Absolutely not.

GUPTA: You're living proof that it isn't.

KLENKE: I'm living proof that it isn't.

GUPTA (voice-over): For now, Klenke is relishing her new lease on life and being around for her family. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

WHITFIELD: And Anderson Cooper has more medical stories for you. Catch AC 360 weeknights at 10:00 Eastern, 7:00 Pacific.

Let's check in again with Bonnie Schneider in the weather center. BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Fredricka. We're watching once again for heat. The problem continues in the Southwest where we have an excessive heat advisory. This goes until 11:00 tonight for parts of central California. And a heat warning for a good portion of southern Nevada including the city of Las Vegas. Temperatures are expected to soar well over 111 degrees. Outside right now they certainly are. We're looking at some warm weather. We've got 102 currently in Phoenix with 106 degrees currently in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Well, the heat will soar there, but right now in the Southeast we're watching out for the tropical weather to kind of enhance showers and thunderstorms across Florida right now. This kind of disturbed broad area of low pressure is drifting slowly to the northwest. And it will likely bring some heavy rain to a good portion of the Southeast and even up towards New England as some of this moisture works its way into that region.

Now, for today, Air Force Reserve hurricane hunter aircraft canceled their mission to investigate this. Because as you can see the showers and thunderstorms are pretty widely disorganized. Tomorrow afternoon if things pick up and this looks like something to be more concerned with, they will fly into the region and give us a report.

But right now one of our main concerns from this system is enhanced rainfall for places not necessarily that need the rain. We're seeing airport delays in Logan Airport, airport delays for New York City, most of the rain is south of Boston right now, but it has been teeming with rain across a good portion of Quincy to the south and to the cape and island of Massachusetts. This is bad news for the region because they just don't need the rain.

The flood threat continues for New York, New Jersey, up towards Connecticut, Rhode Island and, yes, Massachusetts. This is a flood watch that will go into effect until Sunday morning. We're expecting between two and five inches of rain. And as you may recall, New England is an area that's been suffering from too much rain. We can use in it the Southeast. But unfortunately it looks like the rain is headed for the Northeast.

And it is likely to come heavy and hard throughout the evening tonight and into early Sunday as well. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right. Good morning. Thanks so much, Bonnie.

From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Ahead, a look at your top stories including the reason Arnold Schwarzenegger says no to the Bush administration. That and more right after this look at swarm robots in our explorers segment.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Mother nature holds many secrets. And James McLurkin is using the swarm project to reveal some of them. JAMES MCLURKIN, MIT GRADUATE STUDENT: The inspiration of swarm comes from nature, ants, bees, termites, all these insects produce very complicated group behaviors.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it is these group behaviors that McLurkin is aiming to imitate. His ultimate goal, to program large numbers of robots to perform tasks that are too complicated and dangerous for humans.

MCLURKIN: Imagine you have 20,000 cockroach size robots they scurry through the pile looking for survivors and signs of life. They send a signal out and they may have to rely that cockroach to cockroach to get a rat-sized structural engineer. That robot will then assess the structural integrity of the building maybe pull it into a database and figure out how to pull the rubble off a survivor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Still to be worked out are technical issues such as power sources for these energy hungry robots.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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