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Chavez Denounces Bush at U.N.; Thousands to Protest Iranian President in New York; Thai Prime Minister Ousted; Charges Filed in Newborn Kidnapping; Spinach Scares Continues Across Country

Aired September 20, 2006 - 13:00   ET

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

CAROL LIN, HOST: Hello, I'm Carol Lin at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. Kyra Phillips is on assignment.
Anti-American, anti-Bush. Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez calls the U.S. president "the devil" in a fire and brimstone speech at the United Nations.

A missing newborn back in her mother's arms. Her alleged kidnapper in custody, turned in by a member of her own family.

Unidentified objects, otherwise known as space trash. More debris flying by Shuttle Atlantis.

We're working all these stories and more from the CNN NEWSROOM.

A U.N. speech turns into a fiery anti-American rant, and we mean fiery.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HUGO CHAVEZ, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Think that the first people who should read this book are our brothers and sisters in the United States, because their threat is in their own house. The devil is right at home. The devil, the devil himself is right in the house.

And the devil came here yesterday. Yesterday, the devil came here. Right here. Right here. And it smells of sulfur still today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Insulting the president of the United States. That was Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, addressing the U.N. General Assembly. And he was only getting started.

So let's get more from our senior U.N. correspondent, Richard Roth.

Richard, was there any doubt at all that he was talking about President Bush?

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, I don't think so. You know, on Manhattan's East Side, I believe I once read that there are more psychiatrists per square inch than anywhere else in America, and President Chavez of Venezuela said a psychiatrist should be called in to analyze President Bush's remarks yesterday.

Unprecedented, bitter remarks, rambling, lively, refreshing, depending on your viewpoint. The president of Venezuela inside the General Assembly hall, with a major denunciation of President Bush, accusing him of being a liar, a terrorist, drawing applause at many times during his speech. And having this warning to the American leader.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHAVEZ (through translator): I have the feeling, dear world dictator, that you are going to live the rest of your days as a nightmare. Because the rest of us are standing up, all those of us who are rising up against American imperialism who are shouting for equality, for respect, for the sovereignty of nations. Yes, you can call us extremists, but we are rising up against the empire, against the model of domination.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: The United States' representative here at the United Nations, John Bolton, did not personally hear the remarks. The U.S. was represented by one diplomat at a very low level, sitting, taking notes at the American table. But he was asked about Chavez's speech.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN BOLTON, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: We're not going to address that sort of comic strip approach to international affairs. And as I said, the real issue here is he knows he can exercise freedom of speech on that podium, and as I say, he could exercise it in Central Park, too. How about giving the same freedom to the people of Venezuela?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: President Chavez is holding a press conference right now, which appears to be, at the outset, to be a little milder than his remarks inside the hall to the delegates -- Carol.

LIN: Richard, what are the chances that Kofi Annan, the U.S. secretary-general, pulls him aside later and says, "You know, that was really inappropriate"?

ROTH: The chances of that, zero. We did try to get Kofi Annan's comment. He did not want to comment on the speech. He did not hear it. He wasn't in the hall. But again, U.N. leaders are free to -- the speech, he did not hear the Chavez speech this morning. And thus, no one's really going to be commenting from the U.N. on that speech, we believe.

LIN: All right. Richard Roth, at the United Nations, a fascinating morning.

So if you were called the devil, wouldn't you want to respond in public? Let's go to the White House. President Bush wasn't in the room for those speeches. But let's see if Elaine Quijano has anything from the president.

What did he say, Elaine? Anything at all?

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Carol.

Well, no surprise, really, the White House's reaction to Hugo Chavez's comments today. The deputy press secretary, Dana Perino, issuing a one-line statement, saying simply, quote, "It is not worthy of comment."

Pardon the noise, by the way. I think we're hearing Marine One landing on the South Lawn, President Bush returning from New York.

Meantime, though, on Iran, one day after President Bush and the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, avoided a face-to-face chance encounter at the United Nations, Mr. Bush reiterated today to our Wolf Blitzer in an interview earlier today why he thought it would not be helpful to sit down with Iran's president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He knows the options before him. I've made that very clear. Secondly, Wolf, in order for there to be an effective diplomacy, you can't keep changing your word.

At an important moment in these negotiations with the EU-3 and Iran, we made it clear we would come to the table, but we would come to the table only if they verifiably suspended their enrichment program. And the reason that's important, that they verifiably suspend, is because we don't want them to have the technologies necessary to be able to build a nuclear weapon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: President Bush in an interview with our Wolf Blitzer earlier today.

Now President Bush says time is of the essence. And he says that he is concerned Iran is trying to stall and trying to buy time at a time when the United States is essentially looking to the Europeans in the negotiations with Iran.

The president defended the U.S.' policy, saying it was, quote, "smart," to push this issue along -- Carol.

LIN: All right, Elaine Quijano, live at the White House.

Well, in fact, you can hear the entire interview with President Bush that Wolf Blitzer did, big sit-down interview, on "THE SITUATION ROOM", which begins at 4 p.m. Eastern.

In the meantime, getting back to news about the Iranian president. Well, his attacks on the United States and Israel are getting more jeers than cheers, at least outside the United Nations today. Our Aneesh Raman in New York.

Aneesh, the press release said that this was about the missing Israeli soldiers. Now even the U.N. ambassador from the United States was going to be attending. Is that true?

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, he's going to be speaking, John Bolton. We don't know if he's spoken yet. We just saw him walk over there. Tens of thousands of people expected to be here by the organizers, Carol. We'll go behind me. That's where the demonstrations are taking place. This essentially as close as we can get to it.

As you mentioned, in the press release, ahead of this demonstration, it was described as a pro-Israeli demonstration, organized by a consortium of Jewish organizations within the United States.

A big point for them is calling for the release of the Israeli soldiers, the captured soldiers, of course, sparked the war between Israel and Hezbollah. But also, an important part in all this was the arrival to the U.N. of Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who of course, has had very controversial statements about Israel in the past, saying it should be wiped off the map, saying the Holocaust was a myth.

These people demonstrating, understanding Ahmadinejad has the right to be here and speak to the United Nations, but they wanted their voice heard, the voice, they say, of Americans who are fed up with the statements that Iran's president is making, are dissatisfied with him.

So we expect this to go on for a little bit longer. The New York governor will be speaking alongside the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Also, we expect to hear from lawyer Alan Dershowitz, and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel. And so we can see the numbers growing. But we can definitely see a couple of thousand people from here. Organizers have predicted tens of thousands will turn out today, Carol.

LIN: All right. Can't tell quite the number behind you, but I'm wondering, as you got a chance to talk to people, did they have any reaction to the Iranian's president speech last night where he was pretty insulting to the president of the United States, as well?

RAMAN: Yes, among this crowd, the reaction is subdued. The speech wasn't nearly as controversial as some of the statements Iran's president has made before.

The reaction here is simply about the fact that he is here, Iran's president, is seen by the world community, as he's allowed to go and speak to the General Assembly as a legitimate leader, one that, of course, these demonstrators say has extreme views when it comes to Israel.

Yesterday did see a showdown, a diplomatic one, between the U.S. president and his Iranian counterpart. Neither speech really brought an end to the nuclear dispute that those two countries are embroiled in.

The U.S. says it has European countries on its side, is pushing forward to allow dialogue to take its course. But time is running out.

Iran's strategy it seems, Carol, is to keep appeasing those who are concerned the country is trying to get a nuclear weapon, say that they are pursuing a peaceful civilian program, and in doing so, keep people talking and keep sanctions at bay.

So we'll see what happens in the next week or so, whether or not the time runs out on Iran or whether they're able to keep the dialogue going with the Europeans -- Carol.

LIN: All right. Aneesh Raman, good to see you there in New York. Aneesh Raman, live at a protest outside the United Nations.

Now we want to bring you up to speed on one of the big stories from yesterday, that coup attempt in Thailand. When we last heard from the prime minister of Thailand, he insisted he's still in charge. But it sure doesn't look that way. Tanks on the streets of Bangkok, martial law, and a Thai army general on television calling the shots.

CNN's Stan Grant right in the middle of all it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STAN GRANT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On the streets in Bangkok, Thailand, support very much in force for the army, from outside the military headquarters here, where the generals have launched a coup, ousting the prime minister, Thaksin Chinnawat, by taking charge of the country.

The general in charge, General Sonthi, holding a news conference, saying that he is not, in the long-term business of governing. He will hand over, he says, to an interim prime minister in two weeks. Then full democratic elections will be held in a year.

As for the ousted prime minister, Thaksin Chinnawat, he's been accused of corruption and dividing the country. This coup taking place while he was abroad in New York. He's now en route to London. The generals here saying that he is welcome, as a Thai citizen, to return to Thailand, but not, they say, as prime minister.

Stan Grant, CNN, Bangkok, Thailand.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Police, tribal leaders and soldiers, all under attack in the latest wave of violence in Iraq.

A suicide truck bomb exploded today at the entrance of an Iraqi police base in Baghdad, and four officers were killed.

Now, north of the capital, a suicide bomber targeted the house of a tribal leader in Samarra, and a child was among eight killed there. And outside the northern city of Mosul, a car bomb exploded near an Iraqi army base last night. A suicide bomber then blew himself up as a crowd gathered at the scene of the first blast. Twenty-one people were killed.

You know, it is a stunning snapshot of the toll this war is taking on ordinary Iraqis. The United Nations says almost 6,600 were violently killed in July and August alone, most of them in Baghdad. More than 8,000 were wounded.

Now, the U.N. assistance mission in Iraq bases, those numbers on data from Iraq's ministry of health, and the Baghdad morgue.

Well, Saddam Hussein didn't make a good impression on the new chief judge in his genocide trial. He launched a tirade and refused to even sit down, so the judge threw him out of the courtroom. Hussein's lawyer stormed out to protest the firing of the former chief judge, whom the government says was too soft on the defense.

The group Human Rights Watch is also upset about the firing, saying the government showed a lack of respect for judicial independence.

Well, a happy ending to a bizarre kidnapping. A Missouri newborn is back with her family. The woman suspected of stealing her is in custody. The latest from the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: This was a real talker in our editorial meeting this morning.

The former suspect in the JonBenet Ramsey case could soon be out of jail and on probation. A California prosecutor is offering John Mark Karr a deal on old child pornography charges. Now if Karr pleads guilty to two charges of possessing child porn, the D.A.'s office will drop three other charges, credit Karr with time served and get him three years probation, no time served. All right. Karr would also have to register as a sex offender.

No word on whether Karr is going to accept. He remains in jail and is considered a flight risk until then.

Empty arms and burning questions in Indianapolis today, where a third family mourns the death of a newborn after a fatal error at Methodist Hospital. The tiny preemies all died of overdoses of the drug Heparin. That's a blood thinner commonly used to prevent clots in intravenous tubes. Well, it seems a pharmacy technician accidentally put adult doses in the cabinet in the neonatal unit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAM ODLE, METHODIST HOSPITAL PRESIDENT & CEO: There's like a drug cabinet on the unit, and there are different drawers in that drug cabinet. And each drawer has a different drug in it. It's computer operated. So you put in what drug you want, and that drawer opens. And then, when you're done, that drawer closes, so those drugs are kept secure. In this case, in that drawer, the wrong dose of medicine had been put in that drawer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: And to top it off, three other premature infants are still being treated for Heparin overdose. Now Methodist Hospital is offering to pay for counseling and restitution for all six families involved, and it's also requiring at least two nurses to check and validate any doses of Heparin from now on.

Better news for a Missouri family: a stolen newborn is found alive and well. The safe return of baby Abby is the answer to one family's prayers. But it only deepens the nightmare for another.

Ed Lavandera in Union, Missouri, with new developments, following charges just announced, Ed?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Actually, Carol, we've just learned that charges have officially been filed in this case. We're seeing four charges, felony counts, essentially, for Shannon Kay Torrez or Shannon Beck. Essentially what is going on here is that authorities -- Shannon Beck married, so they're trying to figure out exactly which name she's going by officially and legally. If you hear Shannon Beck or Shannon Torrez, essentially we're talking about the same person.

But more importantly, the charges filed against her, two counts of felony armed criminal action. One count of kidnapping, felony charge of a child. And one charge of assault, a felony as well.

So authorities here making those charges official now. In a short while, in a few hours here, 4 p.m. Central Time, prosecutors and authorities here in Union, Missouri, will have another press briefing to outline perhaps a little more specifically what exactly will happen in this case.

We anticipate that the suspect in this case will make her first court appearance -- we haven't heard from her yet -- either tomorrow or Monday.

But all in all, this is a happy ending to what has been a horrible ordeal for this family.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Twelve-day-old Abigale Woods is back with her mother this morning. Doctors say she's in very good health. The family is thanking everyone for their help and their prayers through this ordeal.

SHEILA WOODS, ABBY WOODS' GRANDMOTHER: Just thanks everybody for praying for my granddaughter to come home, and thank God that she did and she's safe.

RUTH BURLAGE, ABBY WOODS' GREAT-GRANDMOTHER: I want to thank everybody that's helped my family and prayed for all of us and all their prayers. It helped. It helped.

LAVANERA: Shannon Beck, the suspect in the kidnapping, is now in custody. She's expected to be in court later this morning. Police say Beck suffered a full-term miscarriage on the same day as the kidnapping and allegedly took baby Abby to pass off as her own.

The ruse was uncovered by Beck's sister-in-law, who noticed a birthmark on the baby's head. It had been covered with makeup. But as soon as that makeup was wiped away, Dorothy Torrez noticed the same mark police had highlighted in their pleas for help.

SHERIFF GARY TOELKE, FRANKLIN COUNTY, MISSOURI: The leads that we had were good leads but it just took one out of the ordinary that helped. Getting the information out, obviously, was extremely important. It worked. And we had a happy outcome because of it.

LAVANDERA: All this played out just a few miles from baby Abby's home, the same home where her mother's throat was slit just five days earlier. But now a happy homecoming.

BURLAGE: My heart just burst open. I'm just so happy and overwhelmed. It's fantastic.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA: So, again, Carol, here, the news -- the new news here at this hour is four felony counts filed against Shannon Beck or Shannon Torrez. So if you're following the story closely, let me repeat that again. You might see in different report, you'll see the name Shannon Torrez or Shannon Beck. Beck is her married name, from what we're being told here by officials in Union, so don't be confused by that. We're talking about the same person.

Four felony counts, one of assault, one of -- two felony armed criminal action and one of kidnapping of a child. So serious charges.

And as I mentioned, as well, a press conference here at 4 p.m. Central Time with the prosecutors and the other authorities who have been working on this case for the last few days, Carol.

LIN: Ed, any doubt that she's not going to plead insanity or something like that, that that's going to be her excuse, her defense?

LAVANDERA: It's really hard to say at this point. You know, authorities, as we've mentioned in our report, authorities will be looking at today. And we know that they're executing a search warrant at her house, looking for more information. This idea that, you know, she was -- had miscarried on Friday, the day of the kidnapping. So perhaps that was what motivated her to do this. That's one of the things authorities say they will be looking into, as part of this.

But we haven't heard from her. We haven't heard from any of the members of Shannon Beck's family. So at this point, it's really hard to say what that -- what that motive is or what she has to say to defend herself.

LIN: You got it. All right, thanks very much, Ed. We'll be looking towards the news conference. Appreciate it.

LAVANDERA: Sure.

LIN: Now, he came, he certainly spoke and he sure criticized. The U.S., the U.N., Israel, none escaped the scorn of Iran's leader. International security analyst Jim Walsh had breakfast with the man himself, and I'm going to talk to him, straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

Also ahead, space trash. Is it a danger to Atlantis? Well, NASA wants to make sure that the shuttle can get home safely. So we're going to take a look also in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: We're less than an hour away from the Federal Reserve's big decision on interest rates.

So Cheryl Casone tracking all this from the New York Stock Exchange with a look at what we can expect.

Cheryl, the conventional wisdom out there says that interest rates won't be raised. What are you hearing?

CHERYL CASONE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'm pretty much hearing the same thing. You know, sometimes there's a lot of drama ahead of these interest rate decision. But this one, not the case today. Pretty much all the analysts are confident that the Fed is going to hold interest rates steady for the second month in a row.

Before last month's pause, if you'll remember, the Fed had raised that key rate 17 straight times. They pushed it from a 48-year low of 1 percent to its current level of 5.25 percent. So it was a really wild couple of years.

Now Ben Bernanke and his company trying to find a balance between that slowing economy and the threat of inflation. It's always a tight-rope dance that they're doing.

Over the last month or so, inflation pressures have been pretty mild. The Fed expected, again, to leave rates unchanged and say that it's on the right path for a soft landing for the economy. If they go ahead and pat themselves on the back, which is what they're doing.

(STOCK REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: A mystery maybe, but not a threat. That's what NASA's saying right now about those strange objects seen floating alongside Atlantis. Well, whatever they are they apparently didn't cause any damage, but you know what, I don't really want to say that because CNN's technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg is actually live at the Kennedy Space Center.

So, Daniel, do they really believe that, and that the shuttle crew can come home safely? DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: That's what they believe at this point, Carol. They've determined the shuttle is safe to come home tomorrow morning. That's after these unidentified mysterious objects were spotted near Shuttle Atlantic over the last couple of days.

Let's start with the first one they spotted early yesterday morning, about 2:45 a.m. Eastern Time. This is a dark-colored object, was spotted nearby. Tough to know how big it is or how far away it is, nothing to compare it to. But the leading candidate at this point, NASA says, is it's possibly this small piece of plastic, about 2 inches by 5 inches, what they're calling "shim." It's basically a spacer in between the tiles on the protective heat shield. It was left there after the launch, and they believe it may have shaken loose after some test-firings the maneuvering jets yesterday. So that's what they believe the first item to be.

Yesterday, several hours after this first one was seen, astronaut Dan Burbank snapped these photos of what they now believe was possibly a plastic bag, or part of a plastic bag, floating nearby. Earlier this morning, Commander Brent Jett also saw what he believed was some shiny debris. In any case, they may never solve the mystery entirely.

But what matters is that none of this debris, according to NASA, impacted or hit the orbiter. They did an extensive inspection process today using the robotic arm that's on the orbiter. It extends out to about a hundred feet. They used a camera and some scanners to get a really good look at the nose cone, the wing-leading edge, to make sure that none of had pierced that protective heat shield, so crucial to the re-entry. Of course you'll remember back in 2003 with Columbia, it was some foam during launch that pierced it and caused it to breakup during re-entry, killing all seven astronauts onboard.

The first attempt for a landing here at Kennedy Space Center is tomorrow morning at 6:21 a.m. Eastern Time. After that, they have another chance on the next orbital go-around at 7:57 a.m. Eastern Time.

And the weather forecast here at Kennedy, Carol, is actually forecast to be good, pretty cooperative. So NASA pretty optimistic they can bring the crew of Shuttle Atlantis, the five men and one woman, back here tomorrow morning.

LIN: So, Daniel, if you were on that crew, would you be nervous?

SIEBERG: You know, I think the crew is actually pretty confident, because they have done such an extensive inspection process. All of this prompted after 2003 with Columbia, a lot of this additional looking. But you know, they talked to the crew about an hour and a half ago, told them they were going to make an attempt tomorrow. They sounded excited and happy to be coming home.

LIN: Can't wait to see what the morning wakeup call music is going to be, Daniel. Be an exciting day for everybody.

Thank you very much, Daniel Sieberg, live at the Kennedy Space Center.

Well, you saw him, he was front and center on the world stage, and he did not hold back. Iran's president lashing out at America, Israel, and even the United Nations itself. U.S. and Israeli delegates skipped his speech at the U.N. last night, but that didn't stop Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRES. MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, IRAN (through translator): Some seek to rule the world relying on weapons and threats, while others live in perpetual insecurity and danger. Some occupy the homeland of others, thousands of kilometers away from their borders, interfere in their affairs, and control their oil and other resources and strategic routes; while others are bombarded daily in their own homes, their children murdered in the streets and alleys of their own country and their homes reduced to rubble.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Ahmadinejad didn't often name names, but his message pretty clear, wouldn't you think? International security analyst Jim Walsh actually got rare access to the Iranian president.

Jim, you were among a small group of scholars who actually met with Ahmadinejad this morning. What kinds of questions did you ask him?

JIM WALSH, INTL. SECURITY ANALYST: Oh, first of all, we had two hours with the president of Iran. It's unusual to get two hours with any head of state, let alone someone who's in the crosshairs of U.S. foreign policy, and we talked about all sorts of things. We talked about Iraq. We talked about Israel, about nuclear weapons, about whether the U.S. is going to attack Iran, about democracy and human rights problems in Iran, about the economy. We talked about all sorts of different things.

LIN: Does he really think that the United States is going to attack Iran?

WALSH: He thinks that the U.S. is not going to attack Iran. That's his firm conviction. He thinks it would be a mistake, obviously, if the U.S. did so. But he did not show any concern whatsoever that that was even a possibility.

LIN: Did he reveal a new position about Israel, the destruction of Israel?

WALSH: I did. I asked him a question about Israel. And I did it because Israel's at the heart of the nuclear debate here. One of the reasons why Americans are concerned about Iran's nuclear program is the fear that they might develop nuclear weapons and then attack Israel. And I asked him about this. And his response was -- I said, do you support a two-state solution? And his response was, I support a referendum. That is to say, he's in support of Palestinians returning, the right of return back to Israeli territory, and as he said, Muslims, Christians and Jew should all vote in an election and decide together what the future will be.

But it's also clear that in that answer, while he's not supporting a two-state solution, he is also taking the use of force, or violence, off the table. He's not arguing for an attack on Israel.

LIN: All right, but at the same time, did he say that Iran was going to go back to the table, discuss the nuclear -- his country's nuclear ambitions candidly, allow U.N. weapons inspectors into his country? Did he make any breaks in news on that?

WALSH: No big news on that. The only news in that area is he doesn't think there needs to be a grand bargain. This is a concept that a lot of foreign policy experts in the United States think is one possible route to resolving this issue. Let's get together and solve all our issues that we have outstanding. He didn't seem interested in that. He says on the nuclear issue, religion forbids us from pursuing nuclear weapons. We don't need nuclear weapons. We were attacked by Iraq with chemical weapons. We didn't need them then; we don't need them now. So that's his position.

LIN: So did anybody follow up and say, OK, why not let inspectors in unfettered, let them look around, let them have monitors in the country?

WALSH: Well, his position was that they're already in the country, that they have cameras. But you're absolutely right, Carol, the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency, does have a set of outstanding issues with Iran, and wants Iran to be more forthcoming. The president says they are forthcoming and they're in favor of transparency, so there's a disconnect there.

LIN: Well, Jim, doesn't it sound like he's full of it on the issue then?

WALSH: You know, I tell you, Carol, I came away with a very different impression than I expected...

LIN: Really?

WALSH: We've all seen the -- you know, the comments and the fiery speeches. He comes across not as a politician, sort of as an idealist in a way. Now idealist can be dangerous, don't get me wrong. But he comes across as a guy interested in ideas and ideal and not very pragmatic. He was asked, shouldn't you care more about Iranian national interests and less about some these brotherhood in peace and some of these other things he talked about in the meeting, and his response was no, you've got to keep an eye on the moon as well as your foot when you're walking, these principles are important. So I come across with a feeling that here's a young guy, relaxed, assertive, and more of an idealist than a pragmatic politician.

LIN: All right, well, I don't know many in the Bush administration who thinks he's much of an idealist. But what did he serve for breakfast?

WALSH: Not much actually. I was a little disappointed. The meeting was great. The comments were great. And there was argument back and forth, especially on the issue of human rights. People said, hey, what's going on here. But the breakfast -- I didn't get that much to eat.

LIN: You know, the No. 1 rule in America, feed the journalists. All right?

WALSH: Feed the journalists.

LIN: Feed the journalists and also feed the scholars.

WALSH: Absolutely. I'm in favor of that.

LIN: I'm so glad to be able to tap into your experience this morning, fascinating.

WALSH: Yes, it was amazing.

LIN: All right, Jim Walsh, appreciate it.

WALSH: Thank you, Carol.

LIN: Tracking an outbreak. The search for the source of E. coli in fresh spinach. Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes us inside the CDC's emergency operation center, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Straight to the newsroom now. Fredricka Whitfield working the breaking news desk on a developing story. What's up, Fred?

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, Carol. Well, perhaps a victory for the previous administration, a defeat for the current one. A federal judge has reinstated a ban on building of roads in untouched sections of national forests.

The Clinton administration had prohibited logging and mining and other developments on about 58.5 million acres of forest land in 38 states and in Puerto Rico. And apparently back in 2005, the Bush administration had replaced that ruling with a voluntary state by state petition process. Well, the judge has since overturned that, and so it goes back to what the previous statement through the Clinton administration had established: no logging, no mining, no development on these lands.

LIN: All right, Fred, thanks very much.

Well, no leaf unturned in this next story. That is the goal for investigators trying to track down the killer bug that's tainting fresh spinach. Nine California spinach farms have been picked over so far but no trace of the E. Coli that's turned up in at least 21 states. The FDA hasn't said whether Colorado is the 22nd state with confirmed cases. There's special concern because this strain of E. coli appears to be more potent than usual. More than half the people who have gotten sick have had to be hospitalized, and at least one person has died. The advice remains, stay away from any fresh spinach. Throw it out.

No reported cases of tainted spinach in Georgia, but Atlanta is the setting for "CSI: E. Coli." The outbreak is on the front burner right now at the Centers for Disease Control. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta got a rare inside look at how the CDC is tracking the killer bug.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): If there's a mission control for handling the E. coli outbreak, this is it. You're getting a unique look at DEOC, the Directors Emergency Operations Center of the CDC.

Over here you can see all sorts of different screens. They are monitoring avian flu. They're monitoring the weather. But right now, front and center, the E. coli outbreak. It is very difficult to figure out exactly from where the E. coli started.

A lot of people ask exactly how does the investigation take place? I want to show you.

We're in some of the back hallways of the CDC. Here, people are actually on the phone calling some of the patients who have become sick with the E. coli infection, asking them about their dietary habits, asking them about their symptoms. In this room over here, they are taking all that information, trying to compile it and figure out where this outbreak stands.

DR. PATRICIA GRIFFIN, CENTS FOR DISEASE CONTROL: We ask people about everything they ate in the week before they got sick because it's important to know for sure what's causing the illnesses.

GUPTA: It sounds like it's impossible, because, I mean, I can't remember what I had for dinner last night. How do figure -- ask people what they've eaten for an entire week? It's very hard.

GRIFFIN: Right. You figure it out by interviewing all the people that you can and asking them detailed questions. And when they can't remember exactly what they ate, you say, "Well, considering your habits, what did you probably eat?"

GUPTA: If someone has eaten spinach over the last week and they are hearing all this coverage and hearing you talk now, what is your message to them?

GRIFFIN: They should relax. If they have spinach in the refrigerator, they should throw it away. And if they do develop diarrhea, they should get that spinach package out of the trash and contact their local health department and see their doctor.

GUPTA: When can I eat spinach again?

GRIFFIN: That's a great question. The more specific that we can get about where the contamination occurred, you know, the better it will be. And that's what we're working towards. But...

GUPTA: But definitely no spinach now?

GRIFFIN: Absolutely not. Please don't eat raw spinach now.

GUPTA: Thank you very much. Appreciate it.

GRIFFIN: Thanks.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: So who's watching the veggies? Well, in light of the spinach scare, it may shock you the government depends on voluntary guidelines for farmers and produce processors to prevent contamination.

CNN's Greg Hunter reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GREG HUNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Gwen Wellborn is one of more than 100 people who recently got sick after eating E. coli-contaminated spinach.

GWEN WELLBORN, E. COLI VICTIM: I said try everything you can. I don't care what it is, just try to save me.

HUNTER: Her lungs are now badly damage and her kidneys shutting down. Wellborn is just one example of why food safety is so critical. The recent spinach outbreak is another in a long line of severe problems involving produce.

In 2003, 650 people got sick and four died from contaminated raw onions served in Chi Chi's, a national restaurant chain. Three years later you may ask is our produce any safer?

CAROLINE SMITH DEWAAL, CTR. FOR SCIENCE IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST: Produce outbreaks are growing in terms of the absolute number of outbreaks occurring each year. Also they're larger than other types of outbreaks, for example, from meat, poultry or seafood.

HUTNER: There are not mandatory safeguards in place to protect people form things like E. coli, just voluntary guidelines from the FDA. Things like farm water must not contain runoff from cattle pastures. Farm workers must use bathrooms and wash their hands. Farm equipment should be kept clean. Sounds like common sense. But should these voluntary guidelines be mandatory? The FDA says commercial buyers already insist on it.

DR. ROBERT BRACKETT, FDA: Many of the buyers of these products already have specifications that they require good agricultural practices and good manufacturing practices, and have that written right into their guidelines. Whether or not the government has required this, in real life, they're expected to have this by the purchasers.

HUNTER: But are voluntary guidelines really enough to protect the public from getting sick?

DEWAAL: The FDA is relying on the produce industry to police itself. They've implemented no mandatory standards. They're relying on voluntary guidance and letters to the industry to control what is a growing public health problem.

HUNTER: Is produce being inspected by the government anywhere in the food chain, from far fields to store shelves? According to consumer advocacy group CSPI, not regularly.

DEWAAL: USDA regulates meat and poultry products. And they have federal inspectors in those plants every single day, but FDA almost never visits a farm, or even the processing plants that produce the fresh lettuce, and the vegetables and spinach that we're consuming every day.

HUNTER: Resources for inspections are a problem, and the FDA agrees there is need for improvement.

BRACKETT: We are doing more. Now, could more be done? Absolutely. And we're insisting that more be done in the future. But what we're trying to do is get a good science-based way -- or exact points -- where these improvements can be made.

Greg Hunter, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: World leaders confront the suffering in Sudan. We go live to Africa for the latest on the crisis. See it here in the NEWSROOM next, and you can watch Paula tonight, as well.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Check out these pictures from our affiliate KTLA. Firefighters in California have two new wildfires to worry about. And this one is near Los Angeles. And it forced authorities to close part of the Angeles Crest Highway, which leads up from the city into the local mountains.

But cooler weather and calmer winds are helping firefighters make progress on a huge blaze that's been burning for more than two weeks. The so-called Days Fire in the Los Padres National Forest is 20 percent contained. CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras watching conditions in that area and your area from the CNN "Weather Center".

Jacqui, they're contending with those dry desert winds that come in about this time of year out there.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right. We had the offshore Santa Ana winds, over the weekend, the early part of the week, and now we've had a strong cold front move through and winds that shifted yet a new direction. So we've seen this thing change three different times.

And that's a real problem certainly for those firefighters as they're trying to fight it this way, and then they're trying to fight it this way. So they've had some running and some backing going on, as they call it, with the fires.

The winds today, not at critical level, but the relative humidity certainly is. We've got a great Google Earth animation. There you can see the L.A. area, there's Santa Clarita. And here's the Days Fire. Notice that I-5 running right through it, this is the active burning area that is going on right now, 97,000 acres, that's 151 square miles. So this is a huge area, only 20 percent contained.

We're very concerned about what's going to be upcoming, too, across southern parts of California and across the Sierras into the weekend. A big wind event, we think is going to be happening by your Saturday. The winds today, very strong with this low pressure storm system, moving across the four corners. Both windy ahead of and behind the front.

So critical fire conditions today across northern parts of Arizona, into Utah, Colorado, into New Mexico, even into the panhandles here of Texas and Oklahoma. The winds age going to be coming out of the northwest here, southwesterly here, and very cold air punching back in behind the system. And in fact, so cold, Carol, we're looking at snow again in the Wasatch today, snow level around 7,000 feet, two to six inches. That's almost enough to get out the snowboards.

LIN: Wow. It's not even officially fall yet.

JERAS: I know. One more day though.

LIN: You're right, it's creeping up on us. Jacqui, thank you.

We're waiting for a big announcement from the Fed. And when the Fed speak, Wall Street listens. And Wall Street is listening very closely right now. The Fed, just moments away from its latest decision on interest rates. You're going to hear it first in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And this prime-time programming note, a CNN prime-time triple exclusive. At 7:00, President Bush goes one on one with our very own Wolf Blitzer. And at 9:00, Former President Bill Clinton shares his vision for global change with Larry. Then at 10:00, Iran's president goes 360 with Anderson Cooper, another CNN exclusive. See them all, CNN, beginning tonight at 7:00 eastern.

Meantime, more from the CNN NEWSROOM, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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