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Baby Snatched in Missouri; Athletes Shot; Chirac on Iraq

Aired September 18, 2006 - 13:59   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: She's now spent about a third of her life as a kidnapped victim. A 10-day-year old girl snatched from her home and her mom in Missouri.
Now we're getting a glimpse of the woman suspected of snatching her. Police released this composite this morning.

Our Jonathan Freed has the very latest on the developing story out of Union, Missouri.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Police, the FBI, members of the Missouri National Guard and community volunteers are all trying to find any clue to the whereabouts of little Abigale Lynn Woods. The baby was just a week old when her mother was attacked on Friday, and Abby was snatched from her home in rural Lonedell, Missouri, about an hour southwest of St. Louis.

Police say that the mother, 21-year-old Stephanie Ochsenbine, was stabbed with a knife and had her throat slashed by a woman who knocked on her door.

SHERIFF GARY TOELKE, FRANKLIN COUNTY, MISSOURI: She asked to use the phone. And she came in and attempted to make a call, but apparently their long distance service wasn't working. And then I think she asked to use the bathroom, but -- and then at one point she told her she was there to take the child. And that is when there was an altercation inside the house.

FREED: The mother was unconscious for a short while and then managed to walk 300 yards to her nearest neighbor's house for help. The baby's father was at work at the time.

Police issued an Amber Alert. The infant weighs barely six pounds and was wearing a pink dress with a flowered collar. She has a birthmark between her eyes. Family members are pleading for the child's return.

RAYLENE OCHSENBINE, GRANDMOTHER: We just want her to give her to a church so we can get her -- or a hospital so we can get her. Just give her back.

My daughter is torn apart. The whole family is torn apart. It just hurts.

FREED: The suspect is a white female between 30 and 40 years old, about 5'8", and weighs around 200 pounds. She had dark hair pulled under a baseball cap.

Jonathan Freed, CNN, Missouri.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well a quick mind and modern technology a life-saving combination for this 14-year-old South Carolina girl.

Elizabeth Shoaf is back home after being held captive for 10 days in an underground bunker. Police tracked her after she used -- or used her alleged kidnapper's cell phone to text message her mother. An AMBER alert was never posted because police didn't know for sure if indeed she was abducted.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GERALDINE WILLIAMS, AUNT: We knew she didn't run away. We just hoped that, you know, somebody out there would have seen her or something. But the AMBER Alert does need -- there needs to be some kind of change in that law, that, you know, when a child is missing they need to put an alert out there, period.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, suspect Vinson Filyaw is now facing kidnapping and sex crime charges. Police say he dug several bunkers near his home and used them himself to elude arrests on prior charges. Meantime, the local sheriff says AMBER Alert rules should be loosened to cover a case like this, but some say an Amber Alert wouldn't have mattered since Elizabeth was hidden down in a bunker.

Well what does it take to trigger Amber Alerts? All 50 states have them. But federal guidelines are voluntary.

Here's a "Fact Check" on how the system is supposed to work.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): The Amber Alert system was created as a legacy to Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old Texas girl who was kidnapped and murdered in 1996. AMBER stands for America's Missing Broadcast Emergency Response.

Since then, Amber Alert has helped save the lives of more than 200 children nationwide. More than 84 percent of the recoveries have occurred since 2002, when a national Amber Alert coordinator was set up in the Justice Department.

The department has minimum guidelines for Amber Alerts. Law enforcement officials must confirm that an abduction has taken place, that the child is at risk of serious injury or death, and that there is enough detail about the victim and abduction for officials to issue an Amber Alert. And Amber Alert data should be entered immediately in the FBI's National Crime Information Center.

These state guidelines are voluntary. The Amber Alert criteria used by South Carolina are similar to the federal standards. South Carolina officials said an Amber Alert wasn't issued in the case of a teenage girl held in an underground bunker for 10 days because there was no evidence that she left the area. However, that's not a requirement according to both federal and South Carolina guidelines for an Amber Alert to be is issued.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: A pregnant teen from Maine says that she escaped two captors who insisted that she get an abortion. The suspect, her parents, Lola and Nicolas Kampf. The 19-year-old says the parents tied her hands and feet on Friday, dragged her into a car and drove her toward New York, where abortion laws are looser than they are in Maine. The daughter phoned police on a bathroom stop in New Hampshire and hid until help arrived. Today the parents face arraignment on kidnapping charges.

Wanted in Pittsburgh and beyond, the gunman who opened fire on members of Duquesne University's basketball team. Well, one of the players is still in critical condition. The whole campus is on edge.

CNN's Alina Cho has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Police say the five Duquesne basketball players had just left an on-campus dance early Sunday morning around 2:00 a.m. Not long after that, there was apparently a verbal exchange with a man who is not believed to be a student. Shots were fired, and the suspect is still at large.

CHARLES DOUGHERTY, DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT: Other members of the basketball team, other members of our student body performed as a team. In some cases heroically, pulling people out of the line of fire, getting them assistance, rendering first aid, and making sure they got the medical care they needed as quickly as possible.

CHO: The university president says the community is still in shock because the Duquesne campus is known as a safe place.

DOUGHERTY: We're sad because our students have been injured. Other students have witnessed the injuries. Families are concerned. Parents are concerned.

We are a community of faith, and so our first instinct, our first response is prayer for those who have been wounded, prayer for their families.

Alina Cho, CNN, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: So you remember Freedom Fries? U.S.-French relations went famously sour as war in Iraq loomed. French president Jacques Chirac was one of the war's and the Bush administration's biggest critics. More than three years later, Chirac spoke exclusively with CNN's Jim Bittermann about Iraq now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: When CNN interviewed you three years ago, which was just on the eve of the Gulf War, you said that you had advised President Bush that going into the Iraq war would be a mistake. And you said, "If we have to have a war, let there be as few dramas and as little destruction as possible."

Now, three years later, what would your message to President Bush be?

PRES. JACQUES CHIRAC, FRANCE (through translator): There's no point in harping on the past, is there? I mean, today, we endorse, we support what the Iraqi prime minister has said. Namely, that he wishes to get out of the present difficulties.

I'm not sure that he's going to be able to do so, at least for as long as there isn't a clear objective or target known to the Iraqis as far as the withdrawal of foreign troops is concerned.

BITTERMANN: Can France help the United States in Iraq or help the United States get out of Iraq?

CHIRAC (through translator): Well, if the United States and President Bush asks me, indeed. Asks me any question on this topic, well, of course, I will welcome anything he asks. And I will answer him.

BITTERMANN: What would your advice be about Iraq right now? What would you advise him to do?

CHIRAC (through translator): Well, you know, I think now we have to be careful not to let Iraq explode or not to bring about an explosion in Iraq. We have to be very, very careful to ensure that this is something that the prime minister of Iraq wants. That we ensure that cohesion is maintained throughout the country. And we have to give the Iraqis a ray of hope that will enable them to believe that as soon as possible, they will be free and independent, within their country.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, Mr. Chirac says that he has a very good relationship with President Bush. They'll meet at the U.N. General Assembly this week.

America's allies, enemies, and those in between, they'll all be at the United Nations this week. And President Bush is already in New York.

Richard Roth at the U.N. headquarters.

This should be an interesting time, Richard. RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Yes. President Chirac, too, will be dropping in. But the headline here is President Bush tomorrow morning. Then later in the day, separated by, perhaps, seven hours' gap, the president of Iran, Mr. Ahmadinejad.

It's unlikely the two men will meet each other. They were in the same place inside the General Assembly hall last year when President Bush addressed the world leaders.

The president of Sudan may indeed come here. His country drawing intense heat for what's called a genocide in Darfur.

The president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, will be here. He has issued fiery remarks about the United States in the past and there's not expected to be much of a change this year.

A lot of the key work, though, outside of the assembly hall when these leaders meet. President Bush have bilateral discussions with leaders of Malaysia and El Salvador and other countries. That's where some of the real work gets done. And there are important sessions, Kyra, regarding Sudan, Iran, and Iraq, in and out of the U.N.

PHILLIPS: What do you make of this lineup, Richard Roth? You've got the president of the United States, you've got Iran's president, and then you've got Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. I mean, you talk about an interesting power play here, you sort of wonder about the inside messages they'll each be giving kind of to each other.

ROTH: Well, it's a better lineup than what's at Caesar's Palace tonight in Vegas, let me guarantee that. The problem is, as Tony Snow, the White House spokesman, put it, "It's not a steel cage death match wrestling style."

They call it a general debate here, but there's really little debate. And many of the world leaders don't remain in their seats to listen to the other presidents. They leave some minor delegate at the chair, or their foreign minister. And then they hope to talk at a cocktail party or maybe in one-on-one with someone else.

And the list in how these lists are created in interesting. I mean, heads of state go first. They get moved up to the top of every day. They go first.

Brazil is the first country. That's by tradition. When they gathered more than 60 years ago, nobody really said who should go first. Brazil volunteered, and they've always kept that spot. And then the U.S., as the host country, goes second.

That's Tuesday morning, tomorrow, around 11:00 a.m. New York time.

PHILLIPS: What if they did go on tour in Vegas? I'm just wondering, Richard Roth. "Axis of Interesting"? Would that be the name of the tour?

ROTH: Well, maybe "Evil Knievel" would be in there somewhere for President Bush -- access of something else.

PHILLIPS: You can mediate.

Richard Roth, thank you very much.

Well, kudos from one U.S. adversary to another. The president of Iran is praising his Venezuelan counterpart for being "a leader of the struggle against imperialism." Hugo Chavez and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad met in Venezuela as both were preparing to travel to New York for the U.N. General Assembly that Richard was just talking about. Chavez, meanwhile, is keeping up his criticism of President Bush.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRES. HUGO CHAVEZ, VENEZUELA (through translator): Relations with the U.S. are bad, terrible. We would love to improve them.

With Clinton, I had good relations. There was never a lack of respect from either side. We even debated with him, or with the secretary of state, or ambassadors openly about oil, Colombia, drug trafficking, terrorism.

With this guy, we can't even have a conversation. He walks throwing stones and attacks issues from the hip with a machine gun.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Chavez is also accusing the U.S. of trying to "demonize" the Muslim world.

A program note. President Bush will talk one on one with our Wolf Blitzer in "THE SITUATION ROOM". See it Wednesday night at 7:00 Eastern only on CNN.

The trouble with spinach. More warnings go out as more cases of E. coli turn up. We'll hear from someone recovering from an infection straight ahead from the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: By the bag or by the bunch, don't buy spinach. And don't eat it if you see it at the salad bar. Nineteen states are now reporting cases of E. coli linked to fresh spinach. More than 100 people have been sick and one person is known to have died. Now the Food and Drug Administration is warning against all fresh spinach, packaged or not.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ROBERT BRACKETT, FDA: In the produce industry, we find that a processor may purchase their product, whether it be spinach in this case, or lettuce, from many different sources. That is, many different farms. So you have to track down to each one of those farms to find out where they were sourcing. And on the other side, each of the farms may also sell to a variety of different processors, so you have to go back up. So it's a very mixed industry in terms of direct line from the product that you buy in the supermarket to specifically where it came from.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: And at this point, spinach producers are voluntarily recalling their products. The FDA can't seize any products until they figure out the exact source of the contamination.

And we are just getting world out of Chicago -- state public health officials there say that an elderly woman has been hospitalized with kidney problems related to her consumption of tainted spinach. So, as you can see, the news continues to come in here to the NEWSROOM.

Now, spinach, of all things, makes people sick. Let the lawsuits begin, right? An Oregon woman is among the first to reach the courthouse with a claim arising from spinach that almost killed her.

Her story from reporter Stephanie Stricklen of CNN affiliate KGW in Portland.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE STRICKLEN, REPORTER, KGW (voice over): Her lungs still damaged from the E. coli infection that ran rampant through her system. Gwyn Wellborn is speaking out saying tainted spinach made her sick. So sick at one point, her doctors apologized, saying there was nothing more they could do for her failed kidneys. Nothing more they can do at all.

GWYN WELLBORN, SICKENED BY E. COLI: But the doctor was crying when she told me that, so I knew that she was serious. And the first thing I thought of is I have a year-and-a-half-old son.

So the first thing I thought of is, I'm not going to get to see him grow up. So that was probably the hardest thing for me.

That's his first pumpkin patch experience.

STRICKLEN: But it was that very thought that made her fight in a way she never fought before.

WELLBORN: He's just a little guy. And I just said, "Try everything you can. I don't care what it is. Just try to save me."

DR. WILLIAM KEENE, EPIDEMIOLOGIST: With this outbreak so far nationally, a high proportion of people have been hospitalized.

STRICKLEN: William Keene is tracking the outbreak in Oregon. As stores yank all bagged spinach from the shelves, food detectives try to pinpoint which brand of spinach is contaminated, where it came from, anything that can stop the infection spread. And they're racing the clock to get good information to the rest of us. KEENE: In a day or two there may be some very specific information available that will say, if you have this brand, it's fine, it's only this brand or these two or three brands.

STRICKLEN: In the meantime, don't eat any cooked spinach.

WELLBORN: Some little appetizers.

STRICKLEN: For Gwyn, whose meals start with a handful of pills to combat everything from high blood pressure to pain, she has her own suggestions to share.

WELLBORN: I pray that everybody washes everything thoroughly and cook your meat until it's burnt. That would be my suggestion.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And there's safety in numbers. Is there also prosperity? Could two struggling giants of America's auto industry join forces?

What's driving the charter? We'll have more ahead.

Also, we'll continue to update you on the spinach scare and the E. coli that's breaking outbreak. Now getting word that the first confirmed case has affected somebody in the state of Illinois. Twenty states not affected.

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Live pictures now from our affiliate KABC. This is the Los Padres National Forest.

You can see how the fires, the wildfires are affecting southern California right now. This blaze is not far from the Los Angeles- Ventura County line. It started on Labor Day allegedly by somebody that was burning debris.

Then the strong winds yesterday caused the fire to double in size. More than 74,000 acres have now been burned. And despite efforts by more than 2,000 firefighters, that blaze is only about 15 percent contained, we are told. More gusty winds in the forecast tonight.

Reynolds Wolf following the conditions there in southern California.

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: General Motors has been the world's biggest automaker for more than 70 years, but as Cheryl Casone tells us from the New York Stock Exchange, it may not stay king of the hill for very much longer.

(BUSINESS REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Once again, we're watching -- or monitoring, rather, live pictures out of Los Angeles via our affiliate KABC. This is the Los Padres National Forest.

These are the wildfires that just intensified over the weekend, actually started from burning debris. Latest toll, $15 million to fight this fire. Firefighters are battling it. It scorched more than 116,000 square miles of this wilderness along the Los Angeles-Ventura county line. And we're keeping track of the firefight efforts and the fact that it's only 15 percent contained, hoping that will improve, weather helping..

A security scare on Capitol Hill. Despite all the post 9/11 precautions a man with a gun drove his SUV through a barrier. Police chased him down, arrested him, but not before he ran into the Capital Rotunda. Police say the man seemed to be on drugs, mentally distraught.

Police locked the Capitol down for more than an hour, keeping staffers in their offices and everybody else out. Things are back to normal now.

Name a national monument, especially in D.C., New York or San Francisco, and the U.S. Park Police have the monumental job of protecting it. But five years after 9/11, their ranks are at their thinnest in a decade. That has some lawmakers furious.

CNN's Gary Nuremberg investigates.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY NUREMBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Statue of Liberty in New York, Golden Gate Park and the Presidio in San Francisco, the National Monuments in Washington, D.C.

LT. SCOTT FEAR, U.S. PARK SERVICE: We're the most important uniformed federal law enforcement agency in the country.

NUREMBERG: The United States Park Police has about 600 officers, 25 percent less than the National Park Service recommended to Congress in 1999.

TERESA CHAMBERS, FMR. U.S. PARK POLICE CHIEF: It seems to me that we're operating on hope. We've got our fingers crossed and we hope that something bad doesn't happen.

NUREMBERG: Teresa Chambers was fired from her job as park police after she warned of the dangers of understaffing in 2003.

CHAMBERS: I would rather have been candid with the media and the American public and Congress than to wait until I was standing among the rubble of a fallen American icon. NUREMBERG: Other police agencies got bigger after 9/11. The U.S. Capitol Police force, for example, grew by hundreds of officers. So did the FBI. But the Park Police force is now smaller than it was.

DELEGATE ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, (D) DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: They are 30 cops fewer than there were in 9/11. That's a disgrace.

NUREMBERG: Eleanor Holmes Norton represents in Congress the city of Washington.

NORTON: The park police are clearly spread too thin on the Mall.

NUREMBERG: She was particularly upset earlier this summer when tourists on the traditionally safe National Mall suffered a series of criminal attacks, including robbery, assault and rape. Park police played a key role in finding and arresting suspects.

KENNETH WEINSTEIN, U.S. ATTORNEY: I want to just give them credit where the credit is due.

NUREMBERG: Proof, the Park Police says, it can respond quickly.

FEAR: We increased our patrols. And we stopped the crimes from taking place.

NUREMBERG: Additional funding in the 2007 budget should allow the Park Police to train new officers, training that was canceled because of funding shortages this year.

FEAR: We're expecting to hire three to four classes of officers. So, at the end of the year, our numbers will probably be up.

NUREMBERG: So in the meantime...

FEAR: I think our agency has the resources to maintain the security we need.

NUREMBERG: Visitors to the country's national monuments hope that he's right.

Gary Nuremburg, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And CNN is admitted to the most reliable coverage of news that affects your security. Stay tuned to CNN for the latest information, day and night.

Well, we're just getting word, another report of someone being affected with the outbreak strain of e. coli by eating fresh spinach. This now coming from Nebraska. We're being told that the Douglas County Health Department is reporting the first infection associated with the outbreak strain of e. coli related to fresh spinach consumption.

The individual is in the 18 to 64-year-old group, consumed the spinach, became ill, but was never hospitalized, but fully recovered, according to the health director there in Nebraska.

Now just a few minutes ago, we told you about the first confirmed outbreak in Illinois. State public health officials there said an elderly woman had been hospitalized with kidney problems related with her consumption of tainted spinach. We now we can report that 21 states have been affected by this strain of e. coli through fresh spinach.

We ask you to go to CNN.com to follow up on the 21 states and what you need to do to protect yourself. Obviously, at this point in time, not to eat any of those bagged or fresh spinach.

In northern Iraq, a trip to the market turns deadly for 20 people. They were killed when a suicide attacker set off a bomb- filled vest in Tal Afar. The victims were waiting in line for propane gas cylinders at an open-air market. Almost 20 other Iraqis were hurt.

Eighteen years after Anfal, pain and suffering persists. So testifies a former Kurdish rebel about the chemical weapons campaign by then-Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, in which an estimated 181,000 people were killed.

Hussein and six co-defendants could face death by hanging if convicted. A verdict is still pending in an earlier case surrounding the killings of Shiites in Jujale (ph) after a botched assassination attempt. Hussein faces a possible death penalty in that case as well.

The pope says he's sorry, some Muslims say not enough. The story from the NEWSROOM whether we return.

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: With both houses of Congress in play in this year's midterm elections, CNN.com is highlighting key races and issues that could determine which party controls Congress. Click on this map for a state by state race, and what's at stake in the House, Senate, and governors' races.

A recent CNN poll by the Opinion Research Corporation shows that 53 percent of likely voters say they will likely vote for a Democratic candidate this November. Another poll indicates that the majority of Americans are angry about how the country is being run, and they'll likely vote for the challenger rather than the incumbent this year.

The war in Iraq is one of the main issues Americans have when deciding who to vote for in Congress. But the economy is as much an issue with Americans who are concerned about health care costs, low wages and high energy prices.

You can read about other issues playing a role on election day and keep track of key races in your state. You can find it all online at CNN.com/Americavotes. For the ".Com Desk", I'm Veronica de la Cruz.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: He asked forgiveness and he got a fire storm. Pope Benedict burned in effigy in southern Iraq as Muslim anger flares over inflammatory remarks by the leader of the Catholic Church.

There are other acts of protest as well, plus threats of Muslim radicals and indications that Turkey may reassess plans to host the pope in November, his first visit to a Muslim country. Yesterday, the Pope said the Muslim reaction has made him deeply sorry.

Here's what stirred things up to begin with. It's a quote from a Byzantine Emperor.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."

Here's the pope speaking yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE BENEDICT XVI (through translator): I am deeply sorry for the reactions in some countries to a few passages of my address at the University of Regensburg which were considered offensive to the sensibility to Muslims.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: The pope also says that he doesn't agree with the quote in the first place and he says he wants dialogue across the world's face. Still, some are saying he made a big mistake.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IMAM YAHYA HENDI, MUSLIM CHAPLAIN, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: I did not expect it from a very well-known theologian and very smart leader whom I respect, by the way. I did not expect it from someone like him because he knows better. He knows that Mohammed did spread Islam by the sword. He knows that Islam is not a religion of evil. He knows that Islam teaches peace and compassion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Joining me now from New York, our faith and values correspondent Delia Gallagher. We're going to try to put this in all in perspective, right, Delia? In a short period of time. I guess let me ask you, was the pope actually judging a religion or was he just trying to take historical conversation and throw it out there for a sake of discussion with a group of intellectuals?

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN FAITH AND VALUES CORRESPONDENT: I think that certainly, this not his treatise on Islam. I mean, if you look at the entire speech, he's got about two paragraphs in there that mention. One of which is the quote you that took and that mentions Islam and tries to sort of use it as a way of introducing the theme of violence and religion and so on. And says this a modern example even though this is an old text, this is a problem that we still have today.

So I don't think it's the definitive word. He doesn't even answer his own question, you know. It's not the definitive word by Pope Benedict on even that issue, much less entire Muslim religion. So, I think, in fact, it's something that you might see coming out of the Vatican in the next few months, perhaps, is that he will begin to work on a more positive message of what he sees as some of the good things of the Islamic religion.

PHILLIPS: Well and here's what's interesting. Obviously, it's a sensitive time in our world right now with the whole war on terror and how various leaders are looking at Islam and a lot of misinterpretations about the religion obviously.

The pope is looked at by Catholics as the next closest thing to God, right? Then you've got the other part of the population that sees him as, boy, this was a very politically incorrect statement to make. Does the pope even think like that? Does he even worry about being politically correct or incorrect? And go through with advisers on, hmm, will this offend people?

GALLAGHER: He didn't really used to, I think. I think that he aims to arrive at whatever the truth of a situation, as he sees it, and he doesn't think about how it's going to be received by other people.

But keep in mind, Kyra, the pope can be wrong. This is not a sort of infallible pronouncement from the Sea of Peter. Is this a theological argument that the pope was raising really almost as a professor at the university. And I think to be perfect, any Catholic around the world could disagree with what he posits. You know, disagree with what he says. So this is not a kind of final say by either by Pope Benedict or the Vatican or the Catholic Church any position in particular on Islam.

PHILLIPS: So are Catholic leaders hoping that the individuals that feel offended by this would just look at the pope as someone that wasn't trying to stir up anything politically, but someone that is in the mindset of, OK, how would God want me to present this discussion? Or how would God look at this subject matter?

GALLAGHER: Well, look, I mean, this pope is a tough pope. He's hawkish on a lot of things. He's very hard-line and strong-willed and believes that in order to have any kind of real dialogue, all sides have to really know what they stand for and be reasonable about it. So, I mean, he is making some provocative statements in a sense. But I think that they are genuinely surprised and upset by the reaction, and I think that that reaction is -- has taught them that they're going to need to channel that message in a different way.

PHILLIPS: Now, he writes his own speech, correct? And could that change now?

GALLAGHER: I don't think it will change that he will write and read his own speeches because there are very few people that could probably write and think in the same way. But certainly, I think he'll take under advisement what some of his media advisers and other Vatican officials tell him in this regard. He'll take that on board, I should think. PHILLIPS: Bottom line, just taking a look at all this, even going back to political cartoons or whether it's messages from great religious leaders -- this is a very tense in our world whether it comes to this subject matter, isn't it?

GALLAGHER: It is. And I think that is something that at the same time, he was trying to address and ironically got caught up in the very thing he was trying to address. So we'll have to wait in the see in the next few months, it will be interesting to see how the Vatican deals with this because there's a lot at stake. It's a very serious thing that's happening around the world. And you certainly don't want the Vatican of all of places, after John Paul II and all of the work that he put into it, to become the target of disdain.

PHILLIPS: Delia Gallagher, always a pleasure, thank you so much.

GALLAGHER: Thank you, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well straight ahead, entertainment news with A.J. Hammer of "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." Hey, A.J., what's on tap?

A.J. HAMMER, CNN HOST: Hey there Kyra, we have more shocking details around the death of Anna Nicole Smith's son, a country music icon is busted and a Hollywood debutante takes a nasty fall. We've got that and more ahead from the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Another autopsy report on the death of Anna Nicole's son. "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT'S" A.J. Hammer joins me from New York for that and other stories. Hey, A.J.

HAMMER: Hey, Kyra. And yes, a story that continues to unfold with strange new details every single day it seems. New details today on the death of Anna Nicole Smith's son Daniel. With the forensic pathologist hired by the Smith family to conduct a second autopsy, confirming the 20-year-old was indeed taking prescription anti- depressants at the time of his death. Cyril Wecht says that Smith was being treated for depression that began about four-to-six weeks ago, but did not know if the medication if fact played a role in his death.

Now recording to reports, Smith was prescribed a low dosage of medicine for depression that had to do with a girlfriend. The official cause of death will not be known until the results of toxicology test are in. Now those findings are expected in this week, but they're not going to be released to the public until a jury inquest takes place and that will be on October 23rd. Smith, of course, died on September 10th when he was visiting his mom in the Bahamas just three days after the birth of his half sister.

Well, country music icon Willie Nelson was busted today after his tour bus was pulled over in Louisiana. Louisiana state police, who stopped the bus to conduct a commercial vehicle inspection, searched the bus; that after a trooper smelled the strong odor of marijuana wafting about. Approximately one-and-a-half pounds of pot and two- tenths of a pound of psychedelic mushrooms were discovered during the stop. Nelson, along with several other members of his crew, were charged with possession of narcotics. All were issued a misdemeanor citation and released. The driver of the bus was placed out of service.

Well, Lindsay Lohan was in New York last week, for Fashion Week, of course. But an impromptu catwalk landed her in the emergency room. The 20-year-old actress suffered a broken wrist when she fell during a party at Milk Studios in New York City. Lohan's publicist says that the star fractured her wrist in two places after she slipped, while walking in an outdoor area. She was immediately taken to the hospital by her driver.

And in case you happen to be keeping track of all of this, it's Lohan's fifth visit to the E.R. into the past year. An investigation into the accident is actually expected to take place because Lohan has claimed Milk Studios did not take proper measurements to prevent slips on the slick ground. And in case you were wondering -- I'm sure somebody is -- Lohan was, in fact, wearing flat Chanel boots at the time of her fall.

PHILLIPS: Was she on the tour bus with Willie Nelson?

HAMMER: You know, we may have to look into that possible detail as well.

So today, Kyra, of course, the official launch of the fall television series. Many of your old favorites are back. "Will and Grace," of course, is not, but "Will and Grace" star Megan Mullally is hoping you've saved a little room for her on your video recording device. Mullally's new talk is called "The Megan Mullally Show." How appropriate. It debuts today. The Emmy Award-winning actress, who played, of course, Karen Walker on NBC's "Will and Grace" for eight seasons, is the latest celebrity talent to take a crack in the talk show host arena. The hour-long program is going to feature a mix of celebrity and real people guests, music and comedy.

We caught up with the star on the set of her new show, where she told us her goal is to offer something for everyone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MEGAN MULLALLY, ACTRESS, TALK SHOW HOST: I want to bring out the best in people. And I want to kind of, you know, encourage people to explore their creativity. I'm talking about viewers. And I want to also remind people that everybody is special and everybody has a story to tell. That's my -- you know, that's my subtext in the context of fun entertainment. And it's a comedic, fun, entertaining show.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: And, of course, we wish her the best. Kyra, I think everyone has the same reaction whenever they see Megan Mullally being interviewed. They do expect the Karen Walker voice. You kind of expect that high-pitched -- really, voice.

PHILLIPS: I know. I remember the first time I interviewed her, and it was strange. I didn't feel like I was talking to the right person. She's a hoot, though. Boy, she has got a great sense of humor. I bet that show is going to do very well.

HAMMER: Yes. I think it can do well. And think about it, who else has come from sitcoms and had success on talk shows? Ellen, of course, comes to mind. And Tony Danza, before his show was canceled after last season, had some success. I can't really think of any other sitcom stars per se. Plenty of actors, certainly, but no sitcom stars.

PHILLIPS: Right. It takes a unique character. What else is coming up tonight?

HAMMER: Well, coming up on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," too thin to model. You've been hearing about this story, and tonight there are major new developments on the ban from skinny models from the runway. We're going to tell you why even First Lady Laura Bush has something to say about this.

You get complete coverage on TV's most provocative entertainment news program, which, of course, is "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." We will see you at 11:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN Headline Prime -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, A.J.

HAMMER: You got it.

PHILLIPS: Well, it's not your average vacation. Then again, she's not your average traveler.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): She's the first person born in Iran to make it into space, and she's the first female space tourist.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Find out who she is and what she hopes to accomplish for America.

Plus, we're watching a developing story in southern California. Three wildfires keeping firefighters extremely busy. Live pictures now from our affiliate KABC. This fire in the Los Padres National Forest. An update from the scene straight ahead.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: The words "spacecraft emergency" are the last words you'd want to hear aboard the International Space Station. But that was the scene today, briefly, when the three-member crew detected what they first thought was smoke. They pulled an alarm and put on protective gear, but after about 20 minutes, realized they had a chemical spill, not a fire. The stuff spilled is called an irritant, but not life threatening. It was soon cleaned up, and NASA says all is well.

One set of visitors has just left the space station, another will arrive soon. Among them, a civilian adventurer for whom the trip is also a journey into the history books.

CNN's Ryan Chilcote reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A Russian rocket lifts Anousheh Ansari into space on her way toward fulfilling a childhood dream. With a lucky teddy bear bobbing just over her head, the 40-year-old Ansari achieves a pair of firsts. She's the first person born in Iran to make it into space, and she's the first female space tourist.

ANOUSHEH ANSARI, SPACE TOURIST: I believe that my journey will make a good example for everyone, especially young people, and especially women and girls around the world, that dreams can come true even if you are someone from a country where a lot of opportunities may not be provided to you.

CHILCOTE: Ansari grew up in Iran, fled the revolution with her family, ended up in the United States at age 16 unable to speak English. Within five years she taught herself the language and graduated from college. Two decades later, "Fortune" magazine estimated her worth at $180 million.

She and her husband financed their start-up telecommunications company by maxing out their credit cards and sold it for half a billion dollars. This trip is costing her around $20 million.

She got her chance to go to space sooner than expected when a Japanese tourist scheduled to fly this year was forced to drop out for health reasons. The Iranian-American wants to stay out of politics and hopes to demonstrate there is no reason why Americans and Iranians can't get along. On board the station she will wear both the American Iranian flags on her jumpsuit.

ANSARI: I hope that this shows that the people can be separated from the politics. Because, if you look at it, if you look at Iranians interacting with Americans, sometimes inside Iran, sometimes outside Iran, in most cases what I have seen is always a pleasant experience.

CHILCOTE: She'll do experiments on her 11-day journey, take lots of pictures, and, she hopes, become the first space blogger. Most of all, though, she is fulfilling her own dream, born as she gazed at the stars from the balcony of her childhood home in northeastern Iran of going to space.

Ryan Chilcote, CNN, Moscow.

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