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Radical Iraqi Cleric Returns to Public View; Fit Nation; Americans Hitting the Road Despite High Gas Prices

Aired May 25, 2007 - 15:00   ET

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

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Well, hello, there, everybody. I'm T.J. Holmes, sitting in today for Don Lemon here at the CNN Center in Atlanta.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Kyra Phillips.

Well, what does the war in Iraq have to do with the minimum wage in America?

HOLMES: Yes. And funding the war means hiking the wage, and helping the farmers and the veterans and hurricane victims -- a lot of stuff there.

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

WHITFIELD: But, first, this story we continue to tell you about, very bizarre development out of Phoenix, Arizona -- these pictures coming from our affiliate KNXV.

Well, inside this elementary school, a body was found in some duct work in the cafeteria. And, so, they evacuated the school. It has been on temporary -- on temporary lockdown.

You are looking at some video right now of the school -- school students who were escorted out of the building. It's unclear whether they will close the school altogether, but an investigation clearly is under way as to how this body got there, how long it's been there, and the identity of the body -- again, these affiliate pictures coming from KNXV there out of Phoenix, Arizona.

HOLMES: Well, President Bush expected to put his signature today on the contested, compromised, and still controversial war spending bill, $120 billion, chiefly for the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The president promised a veto if troop exit timetables were included.

He told reporters today, he's pleased at the process.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This effort shows what can happen when people work together. We set a good bill that didn't have timetables or tell the military how to do its job, but also sent a clear signal to the Iraqis that there's expectations here in America, expectations that we expect about how to move forward. I look forward to continuing to work with the prime minister and his government in meeting those expectations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who voted against that bill, hopes it's, nevertheless, a precursor to bringing troops home from Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Yesterday, Congress took a new, small step in the direction of accountability that the Americans have demanded in the war of -- in Iraq. I would have hoped for more, but it does represent a change in direction.

We are going to bring an end to this war, and we have to take the steps necessary to do them. Some of them will be more unifying, in terms of the vote that is there, but all of us have that goal that, at the end of the day, the American people are very wise on this. And their wisdom will be reflected in the actions of Congress in a bipartisan way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: The president is expected to sign that $120 billion spending measure today, privately, no cameras, no fanfare.

Meanwhile, several presidential hopefuls in both parties voted on the war funding bill. Democrat candidates Hillary Clinton, Christopher Dodd and Barack Obama all voted against it in the Senate. Democrat Joe Biden voted for it. He said Congress has an obligation to give troops the support they need.

In that camp, as expected, was Republican Senator John McCain. Today, McCain told CNN the no-votes by Senators Clinton and Obama were -- and we are quoting here -- "the height of irresponsibility."

Well, the troops aren't the only ones who will benefit from this bill. It also includes a minimum wage increase, the first we have seen in a decade, and billions in domestic spending. There's $3 billion for military health care programs, almost $6.5 billion for hurricane relief along the Gulf Coast, $3 billion in drought relief for farmers, $650 million for children's health insurance programs, and another $40 million in recovery aid for the town of Greensburg, Kansas, that town, of course, wiped out by a tornado three weeks ago.

WHITFIELD: He spent the last four months lying low, reportedly in Iran, while U.S. forces in Iraq launched a crackdown. Well, today, the radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr showed up in southern Iraq with some fiery words for his supporters.

CNN's Paula Hancocks reports from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PAUL HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Muqtada al-Sadr is back in the public eye, and his message hasn't changed: America, go home.

In his first public appearance in months, the radical Shiite cleric led Friday prayers at Kufa Mosque near the holy city of Najaf, urging Iraqis to stop fighting each other and unite against what he sees as the common enemy.

MUQTADA AL-SADR, SHIA CLERIC (through translator): From time to time, we hear of clashes between our brothers in the Mahdi army and the brothers in the Iraqi army and police. Pay attention. This is an important point. As far as I know, the occupation is behind this, creating an excuse for it to stay in our beloved Iraq. So, don't give it a reason, please.

HANCOCKS: Sadr is a constant target, the security he travels with testament to the level of risk he takes every time he shows his face. The U.S. military claims he's been hiding in Iran since the Baghdad security crackdown kicked off in February. Sadr's aides say differently, that he's been in Iraq all along, just out of sight.

But the question is, why did al-Sadr reappear now? One suggestion is, he sees a political vacuum forming in Iraq. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is struggling to keep his coalition together. Add to that one of al-Sadr's major rivals, Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, the leader of the Supreme Islamic Council of Iraq, is out of the country, undergoing treatment for cancer in Iran.

Al-Sadr also called for the Iraqi people, and not the government, to decide when the U.S. troops should leave. He knows, from past experience, he has the power to pull hundreds of thousands onto the streets.

(on camera): Or maybe al-Sadr is back to simply remind his Mahdi army who is boss. Much of the recent sectarian violence in Baghdad has been blamed on elements of his militia. But what the U.S. military wants to know is if Muqtada al-Sadr is back to stay or if he will disappear again.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And we're also learning that the leader of Muqtada al-Sadr Mahdi army militia in Basra has been killed. A British military spokesman says Abu Qadir was shot to death by Iraqi special forces trying to arrest him. Abu Qadir was suspected of planting bombs and targeting British troops in southern Iraq.

HOLMES: Well, they took off from Washington with four engines. They ended up with three. And that is a problem.

A plane had to turn around and land at Dulles, after losing an engine in mid-flight. It was on its way to China.

Our Kathleen Koch keeping an eye on this story for us.

And, please, give us the particulars.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, a lot of excitement, a lot of concern, I'm sure, for the 330 passengers on board United Airlines Flight 897 that took off this afternoon from Dulles Airport at about 12:35.

And, at some point after takeoff, according to FAA spokesperson Laura Brown, one of the engines went out. We don't know if it struck a bird. Brown told me that's very rare out around Dulles. We don't know if there was a mechanical problem with the engine.

But, at some point after takeoff, that engine went out. They had to shut it off. And then the plane decided it obviously had to return to Dulles Airport. This flight was on its way to Beijing. This was a 13-plus-hour flight to China. And it had 80,495 pounds of fuel on board.

So, according to a spokesperson for United Airlines, Jeff Kovick, he said the aircraft did have to dump some of the fuel, and then did, finally, after going through that process, which took a while, so, about 1:56 today, it landed safely at Dulles Airport, again, 330 passengers on board, 19 crew members, and Flight 897 very happy to be safely on the ground.

And this was a very large aircraft, 747. And, right now, the airline is trying to, A, find out what happened, and, B, find a way to get these passengers on their way to Beijing.

Right now, United only has one flight a day to Beijing, but Kovick says they are working hard to -- to get the plane on its way.

One interesting tidbit: According to the airports authority for the Washington, D.C., region, there were a couple of small brushfires detected on the runway where Flight 897 took off this afternoon. The fire department at the went, put those brushfires out. They don't yet know if there was any connection to the aircraft. But they're certainly going to be looking into that.

HOLMES: Another interesting detail and tidbit, like you said.

KOCH: Mm-hmm.

HOLMES: You have been bringing us all the details on this story for us this afternoon.

Kathleen Koch, thank you so much.

KOCH: You bet.

WHITFIELD: Well, T.J., still to come: fond memories of a young man too young to die -- a fallen soldier's high school football coach tells us about heart and bravery -- coming up live in the NEWSROOM.

HOLMES: Also: life in the fast lane once again. A major freeway reopens ahead of schedule, but also under a cloud of concerns. We will explain that -- coming up in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The lure of summer trumps the pump for many of us. Millions are filling the tanks with $3 gas and hitting the road this Memorial Day weekend anyway. It's the unofficial start of the summer, and some of the biggest travel holidays of the year. AAA expects roads and airports to be jammed with about 38 million travelers. That's an increase of almost 2 percent over last year.

So, which is better, taking the wing or hitting the road?

CNN consumer reporter Greg Hunter compares the cost of getting from here to there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GREG HUNTER, CNN CONSUMER CORRESPONDENT: It's convenient to drive on vacation. You have your car right there. You have your family right with you. But, with the price of fuel going sky-high, is it really cheaper to drive?

(voice-over): When should you fly vs. drive? One general rule of thumb, if your destination is less than 300 miles, travel experts say it's generally cheaper to drive.

Other considerations:

MARK ORWOLL, MANAGING EDITOR, "TRAVEL AND LEISURE": How many people are traveling with you? If it's just yourself, it might be cheaper to fly. But, if you're traveling with a family of five, that's really going to bump up the cost of flying.

Senior "Travel" editor Mark Orwoll says, before booking anything, spend at least an hour on the computer comparing prices.

ORWOLL: Hotels, cars, cruises.

HUNTER: And check out more than one travel site, such as Kayak.com, AAA, Expedia.com. Flying may be faster, but there may be hefty ticket prices and delays. Driving now means high gas prices, wear and tear on your car, insurance, hotels, and meals.

ORWOLL: Driving can really cost a lot of money. So, you have to really figure out all of those little additional costs to make sure that you can still afford it.

HUNTER: To find out whether driving beats flying, next week, we're driving from Columbus, Ohio; to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. And, like others driving this holiday weekend, we will try to save money where we can.

ORWOLL: Some people will actually make their vacation a few days shorter, just so they don't have to pay as many hotel nights. Instead of eating at a four-star or five-star restaurant, maybe you're going to be eating at -- at a coffee shop. HUNTER (on camera): So, next week, "AMERICAN MORNING" hits the road to do some traveling, do the math, and tell you how to navigate your summer vacation.

Greg Hunter, CNN, Great Neck, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: And still to come here: fond memories of a young man too young to die. A fallen soldier's high school football coach tells us about heart and bravery. That is coming up here live in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Army Private 1st Class Joseph Anzack, this week, his family in California got the worst news possible: Their soldier was not coming home.

The people of Torrance, California, are feeling and showing their pain. They remember Joe Anzack as a quiet kid with a big heart, but somebody you didn't want to tangle with on the football field.

Josh Waybright knows that. He coached Joe at South High School in Torrance.

Coach Waybright, good to see you...

JOSH WAYBRIGHT, FORMER HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL COACH OF KILLED U.S. SOLDIER: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: ... but sorry under such circumstances.

Joe Anzack graduated just a couple of years ago. So, for you and for other students, perhaps, at the school, who remember him, how difficult is this for you?

WAYBRIGHT: It's been an extremely tough day. You know, Joe is not that far removed from South High. It's been two years.

Yesterday was -- was not a day I wish on anyone, to go through what we have all had to go through. Our heart and our prayers and our thoughts, more than anything, go out with the family. And we want them to know that we're there for them, and -- and we're hoping and praying for the best for them and also Joe.

WHITFIELD: This loss has touched you in so many ways. Not only do I understand you have put up a -- sort of like a -- a makeshift memorial there at the high school, but you have also retired his football jersey number of 52.

WAYBRIGHT: Yes. As long as I am there, which -- which I am hoping is a long time, no one will ever wear number 52 again.

We held a prayer vigil yesterday during sixth period with the current football team and some of the seniors from this past season. And it was tough. We dedicated the season to him. This upcoming season will also be dedicated in his memory. We're also looking to do a couple of other things in the memory of Joe.

WHITFIELD: People describe him in so many different ways, that he was always hardworking, a driven competitor as a nose tackle, someone who, in your words, would run through the wall for you.

Tell us more about Joe Anzack.

WAYBRIGHT: He was a football coach's dream.

You know, I think, if you ask any coach in America, they are going to tell you that they look for three things. They look for someone that's loyal, committed, and hardworking. And -- and Joe was all three of those.

Whatever he did, he did to the best of his ability. He was a great teammate, a great friend, and somebody you can count -- you could count on time in and time again.

And I have said it before, and I will say it again. If -- if I was in Iraq, and was patrolling the streets, I would want Joe by my side. He -- he was that type of person.

WHITFIELD: And, apparently, everyone always knew that the Army was his destiny, that this was something that he wanted to do after he graduated from high school.

How did you know that?

WAYBRIGHT: Yes, we had spoken about it before.

And, whenever the Army recruits or Marine recruits were on campus, Joe was always -- you always saw Joe with them. He was just always extremely interested in -- in the armed forces. This is what he wanted to do.

You know, I heard his dad talk about a week ago, and said: "You know, dad, this is what I want to do. I would rather be doing this than bagging groceries somewhere."

So, Joe was doing what he wants -- wanted to do. And -- and that's hard to find in this world. Not too many people are able to do what they want to do. And -- and Joe was fortunate to be one of those.

WHITFIELD: And -- and you and so many others at the school had been keeping close tabs on how he was doing in Iraq. And, when you got the first false alarm that he was missing or had been killed, that alone was very traumatizing, only to find out that he was alive and well, and that this would happen again; only, this time, it would be real.

Tell me what that's been like.

WAYBRIGHT: That was tough.

It was a Sunday night. And I received, I think, five phone calls saying, you know, Joe had -- had died, and turned -- got home, turned on the news, got on the Internet, didn't -- didn't see any reports.

And, so, a big part of me felt, you know, that this is a little weird. If the Army or the Pentagon is not reporting it, you know, I just don't really find this to be true.

And, then, to find out that it was just a rumor, and then, you know, a couple of weeks later, to hear he was actually missing, was devastating. Like I said, it hasn't been easy. And then to, obviously, go through what we're going through now is -- it's tough. It's tough.

Joe was a great kid, great kid.

WHITFIELD: Well, our prayers are with you, coach, and the entire family, extended and immediate family members, of Joseph Anzack. Thanks so much for your time.

WAYBRIGHT: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Well, U.S. soldiers missing in Iraq, could technology help find them? GPS on the battlefield -- that's straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

HOLMES: But, up first here, CNN has accomplished a goal, pretty proud of, reached and surpassed the goal, actually, with the "Fit Nation" challenge to add one million hours to the lives of Americans.

We're actually now at 1,952,032.

I think Dr. Sanjay Gupta is actually counting.

(LAUGHTER)

HOLMES: If you want to add to the number, you can log on to CNN.com/fitnation.

And here now is that chief medical correspondent of ours, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, with some good advice on those nasty trans fats you hear so much about in the news these days.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta with this week's "Fit Nation" Friday tip.

Trans fats have been in the news a lot lately. Restaurants, hotels, even entire cities are banning them. Why all the fuss? Well, these solid manmade fats not only raise your bad cholesterol, but actually lower your good cholesterol.

And the worst part is, they have absolutely no nutritional benefit. They are just added to foods to make them taste better and last longer.

Trans fats are hidden in all types of foods, from baked goods, to spreads like peanut butter and mayo. Many companies are working to get the trans fats out of their foods. But, in the meantime, if you are out food shopping this weekend, check those labels.

Have a fit-tastic weekend. And don't forget to check in at CNN.com/fitnation to join the "Fit Nation" challenge.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN, the most trusted name in news -- now back to the CNN NEWSROOM.

HOLMES: We want to take you back now and get you more information about a body that was found at an elementary school in Phoenix, Sierra Vista Elementary School. You are looking at video of it here.

But the ladder there going up to the roof, that appears to be where the body was found. The body was found in a vent on the roof. But this was this was all discovered around 8:45 this morning, when a mother took her child to drop the child off at the school, and complained of a very foul odor.

She complained. They sent crews to check it out, work crews, to try and investigate and figure out where the smell was coming from. And, sure enough, a body was found.

Now, police are saying that it appears that this is the body of an adult. They are saying that. They are -- certainly haven't identified, but they are saying it appears to be an adult -- certainly, concern there, since this is an elementary school, that there would be some concern about whether or not this was a child.

But the -- the school is saying -- or, rather, police officials are saying this is or does appear at least at this point to be an adult. No other information on who this person may be, how this person may have gotten there, how long the person may have been there, how the person might have died.

None of that right now, but this investigation of a foul odor and discover a body at an elementary school. Sierra Vista Elementary the school -- the students were sent home for the day. Parents told to come pick them up. Just an interesting and certainly scary story. A body found at a school. We'll certainly keep working those details.

WHITFIELD: Meantime, two weeks ago tomorrow, two American soldiers were attacked south of Baghdad and they haven't been seen or heard from since. 25-year-old specialist Alex Jimenez and 19-year-old private Byron Fouty. Thousands of U.S. and Iraqi troops have been working around the clock combing the countryside. Initially, three soldiers were missing but the body of one turned up this week in the Euphrates River. Private Fouty's family is struggling.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GORDON DIBLER, PVT. BYRON FOUTY'S STEPFATHER: After learning of his deployment we anticipated his calls every day. I recall one in March, a conversation we had that Byron said it's a good thing we are here, because we are doing good things. The last time I spoke with him was on his 19th birthday. In that conversation, he was considering requesting an assignment as a medic, knowing that he would be helping people as he saw others doing in Iraq. In closing, I want to thank everyone for all their prayers and their heartfelt support. I can't tell you the anguish that my daughter and my family feels every moment. I can't take a breath without thinking about him. I also want to thank the community for everything they contributed to forming my stepson into the man he is today, and we want him home.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And now, here is a recent photograph of Private Byron Fouty taken in Iraq. Not sure how long ago it was taken. This is Specialist Alex Jimenez now right there on the left-hand side of your screen. Neither man has been seen since May 12th. That's when an insurgent ambush killed four troops in their unit, plus an Iraqi translator.

It's in planes, cars, boats and it helps find missing hikers and even tracks delivery trucks. Global positioning technology. Would GPS work on the battlefield to find the missing troops? CNN's Brian Todd takes a look. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A relentless search for two missing American soldiers in Iraq. Could tracking devices placed on their bodies have helped to find them faster?

MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM CALDWELL, MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-IRAQ: That kind of technology does exist. Obviously, it's not down to fine microchips at this point, but it does exist and is used in this theater by certain forces when they are conducting the specialized-type missions.

TODD: Because of the high risk and sensitivity of those missions, we cannot say what units the troops who carry tracking devices are assigned to, what the equipment looks like or where it's placed on the body. Just about every U.S. military vehicle in Iraq has GPS or another type of electronic tracking device so their commanders can monitor them. It's called blue force tracking. Some law enforcement units back home have experimented with chips that give physical data about officers but don't have tracking signals. U.S. military officials say soldiers and marines in most regular combat units in Iraq, like the missing soldiers division, are not outfitted with tracking devices. One reason? The high cost. Another, the danger involved if a soldier carrying one gets captured.

MAJ. BOB BEVELACQUA, FORMER ARMY GREEN BERET: That provides certain options for the adversary. If he knows that this is a tracker and somebody is going to come back and get this tracker because they think it's associated with a human being, they have the ability to set up an ambush for whatever unit is going to come back and try and find this unit.

TODD (on camera): One option, placing a tracking micro chip under a service member's skin. Former U.S. special operations officers tell us they believe that's being developed. Current military officials won't comment on that. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Well, life in the fast lane as we've been telling you about. Well, it's fast again. A major freeway reopens ahead of schedule and under a cloud of concerns. We will explain in the NEWSROOM coming up.

WHITFIELD: Also later on in the NEWSROOM, "The View" not so Rosie anymore. We'll explain coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, you TV watchers out there. We can hear your disappointment. CNN has confirmed that ABC's "The View" is no more with Rosie O'Donnell. Yes, her last day was supposed to be three weeks from now, June 20th, but she said, you know what, after this latest spat right here, the one you're looking -- the taped one with Elisabeth Hasselbeck, the co-host last Wednesday, she said, you know what, make that my last day. I'm not coming back. So, a statement has come out from ABC daytime television's Brian Fronz who says quote, "We had hoped that Rosie would be with us until the end of her contract three weeks from now, but Rosie has informed us that she would like an early leave, therefore we part ways, thank her for her tremendous contributions to "The View" and wish her well." And also a statement coming from Barbara Walters, the creator of the show and co- executive producer saying, "I brought Rosie to the show. Rosie contributed to one of our most exciting and successful years at "The View." I am most appreciative. Our close and affectionate relationship will not change." So Rosie said she just had to step away from it all and say, you know what? The year or almost a year was good, but it's going to end right now. So there you go. That's the latest news with Rosie O'Donnell leaving "The View."

HOLMES: Is that going to be it? Are we done with it?

WHITFIELD: That's it, I think it's done.

HOLMES: OK, we're finished.

WHITFIELD: Unless you want to see this tape one more time.

HOLMES: I'm good.

WHITFIELD: We can re-rack it.

HOLMES: I'm OK.

WHITFIELD: And you can actually hear sound if you want.

HOLMES: Let's pass.

WHITFIELD: OK.

HOLMES: All right. Might apply for the job, though. Meanwhile, Isaiah Washington ...

WHITFIELD: Oh, really? News flash?

HOLMES: I'm just kidding, just kidding folks, just kidding. We're going to move on to Isaiah Washington. Let him make some headlines for us. He's made some in the past for comments about sexual orientation, but not quite like this. The "Grey's Anatomy" star featured in a public service announcement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ISAIAH WASHINGTON: Words have power. Power to express love, happiness and joy. They also have the power to heal. When you use words that demean a person because of their sexual orientation, race or gender, you send a message of hate, a very powerful message. We all have the power to demand better of one another and ourselves. We have the power to heal and change the world with the words we use.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Well, Washington there agreed to make the PSA after meeting with leaders from two gay advocacy groups back in January and that is when he apologized for anti-gay remarks he had made on two separate occasions.

WHITFIELD: Don Rickles, can't get enough of him. He started making fun of his audiences back in the 1950s and making us all laugh. And guess what? He has not stopped. Now he's written a book called "Rickles." The book, a memoir. He talked about it last night on CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DON RICKLES: The book, I believe, is my voice. And my --

LARRY KING: It is. It was a great read. I got it in (INAUDIBLE), I loved reading it. It was so well done. You are out promoting it. What's it like, I mean your long career, to go out -- what's it like to go out promoting a book?

RICKLES: What do you mean what's it like? You get on a plane, you go out, you say here is the book, you know, you go to different places. You meet a lot of people. Jews, Italians, Iris, black guys, all kinds, Mexicans too. And, you know, you meet all these people.

KING: You enjoy it?

RICKLES: Of course. I read it to myself every night. I lay by the bed and I go, oh, chapter five. Look at all these pictures too. I got pictures -- everybody is dead. I mean think about it. They're all dead. I looked at that one night, I said my God. Larry is the only one alive.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Don Rickles still making us laugh. Be sure to tune in to "LARRY KING LIVE" tonight, he'll be joined by new "American Idol" Jordin Sparks and runner-up Blake Lewis, plus one of the most talked about finalists, Sanjaya. I know, your favorite T.J.

HOLMES: We're not done with him either?

WHITFIELD: You don't want to miss prime time --

HOLMES: Between him and Rosie, my goodness.

WHITFIELD: You get more of it tonight, 9:00 p.m. eastern only on CNN.

Fast and highway repairs are seldom used in the same sentence. Unless, of course, you are in California today. This stretch of freeway just outside of Oakland is now open to traffic and it's open to criticism. Commuters were told the repairs would take weeks, if not months. Instead, it took just 26 days to repair the damage from a fiery crash last month that melted the road's upper deck. Here's what Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger had to say in a news conference just moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, CALIFORNIA: And, yes, every project can come in quick and much quicker than they do. But as you know, there are certain times in those studies that hold up projects and so on. But the fact of the matter is I think this will motivate a lot of people to go and get projects done much quicker because there's no reason why sometimes we have to wait for years for a freeway to be completed or a bridge to be completed or so on.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Engineers say the speedy repairs are sound. But a Berkeley professor is not convince. He was given a grant to study the collapse and questions whether the repairs could withstand a major earthquake.

HOLMES: Want to get you the latest again on a story we're following this afternoon in the NEWSROOM about a plane headed from Washington, D.C., from Dulles Airport. You're seeing it there now, but it was heading from Washington to Beijing, China. It took off and one of the engines had some engine trouble. Ended up with three of their four engines operating. Had to turn around and make a landing back at Dulles. We understand that none of the passengers were ever in danger but the latest update we got from United Airlines, this flight had 330 passengers on board. Again, they went down to three of their four engines. So something went wrong with one of them. It went out. They are replacing that engine this evening. Meanwhile, the customers who thought they were heading to Beijing. This was like a 12, 13, 14-hour flight, they're going to be rebooked for the morning. They're going to be put up in hotels this evening. I'm sure they appreciate that, even though they'd rather be on their way to Beijing. Four pilots on board this plane as well. They did make an announcement telling everybody what was going on, on that plane. But again, the spokesperson for United says none of the passengers were ever in danger. These flights -- these planes, rather, are built to deal with losing one engine. So never any real danger. Sounds very scary and certainly a serious situation. But still, the pilots are trained for this to deal with three engines when one goes out. Bud landed safely, everybody's OK, things are fine and the passengers will get on their way tomorrow.

WHITFIELD: Well, lawmakers, rescue teams and tornado survivors call it a life-saving law. It's also the first of its kind in the country requiring weather radios in every mobile home sold in Indiana. It's named C.J.'s law after a 2-year-old who was among 20 people killed when a tornado flattened this mobile home park in Evansville a year and a half ago. The law takes effect June 30th. So far, there's no penalty for those who don't comply. They are just simply strongly advised to get them.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HOLMES: Check this out ladies, take a look at this picture here. You can't see it from here, but there's a truck in the water. Naturally, it's not supposed to be there. We will tell you what was going on here when the CNN NEWSROOM continues.

WHITFIELD: But first, more time at the golf course. Sounds like a retirement goal. Well, one man is doing just that, but he's not spending a lot of time actually playing. Randi Kaye looks at his life after work.

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RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mike Kenney looks like your typical retiree, spending his days on the golf course trying to improve his game. But typically, he's not there to get lessons from the golf pro. He's there to recruit him.

MIKE KENNEY, CAREER SERVICES CONSULTANT: My job really is almost in two pieces. The first piece is, I work with country clubs, resorts that are in need of a PGA professional. The back half is I work with PGA professionals with their business skills, help them to prepare better cover letters, resumes, negotiate contracts, anything that I can to help them compete effectively for a position.

KAYE: Kenney spent 30 years working at IBM as a sales and human resources exec before retiring from big blue in 1997.

KENNEY: So as I thought about retirement, this is kind of what I get a big kick out of is helping people. Working with the PGA of America in this capacity allows me to work with PGA professionals with their careers and that's very gratifying.

KAYE: Kenney says he has placed over 300 golf pros at courses around the country, including Bill Pantley at suburban Chicago's Glen Flora Country Club.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a good instance where you make a lot of motion -- KENNEY: In a way you can think of it as making a good marriage work. If we can satisfy the needs of the employer, it's good for the PGA professional, it's good for the employer, it's good for the game of golf.

KAYE: But the real question is, has helping golf pros helped his golf score?

KENNEY: Yeah, I would definitely say it's improved. But that may speak to the amount of improvement that was available.

KAYE: Randi Kaye, CNN.

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HOLMES: All right, if you're having monkfish for lunch, put the fork down. Don't eat the fish. Put it down, seriously, the frozen monkfish. The California company is recalling frozen monkfish products in Illinois, California and Hawaii. Two people in the Chicago area got sick after eating it. Company officials say the fish was imported from China and it was labeled monkfish but they believe it may really be puffer fish, which has a poison in it that could be fatal for anyone who eats it. The fish is individually packaged in clear plastic sleeves but the boxes contain no lot numbers. So just don't eat monkfish for now.

WHITFIELD: What's going on with China and products lately?

HOLMES: I don't want to get involved.

WHITFIELD: My goodness, I mean really. Just the past couple of weeks a lot of things, toothpaste, monkfish now, pet food.

HOLMES: Well apparently it doesn't take much. And that's causing some of the most respected scientists around the world to now speak out. They say unborn and newborn babies exposed to chemicals found in everyday items like plastics, cosmetics and pesticides are more likely to develop health problems later on in life. And the threat is greater than first thought. In an unusual move, these environmental experts are urging governments around the world not to wait for scientific certainty but to adopt tougher restrictions right now.

HOLMES: Lighting up at home. Do you allow it inside or do you make your guests take it out back? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly three out of four U.S. homes ban smoking. That is up from 43 percent just a decade ago. Utah leads the nation with nearly nine out of 10 homes saying no smoking, please. Those states large in Mormon population may contribute to that statistic. Kentucky is the last place with just over half sending smokers outside.

WHITFIELD: Now, get a load of this. What is this truck doing? Or what did it do in order to end up there in the water? We'll tell you when the NEWSROOM continues right here on CNN. HOLMES: Yes, oh thank you for the tap there, Fredricka, decided to get my attention because I was off just fascinated by the video of the truck in the water. The closing bell, we're going to have that and a wrap of the action on Wall Street that is straight ahead. And thank you Fredricka for saving me there.

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WHITFIELD: A sudden plunge for an 18-wheeler. A rig ended up in the river this morning after a ramp collapsed at a ship yard in Quincy, Massachusetts. We understand the driver got out OK as the truck sank into the water right there. The U.S. Coast Guard and a building inspector are now investigating.

HOLMES: That is a scary picture, but the driver did make it out.

WHITFIELD: I know.

HOLMES: The closing bell about to ring on Wall Street for us now.

WHITFIELD: That's right, let's check in again with Susan Lisovicz for the last time this hour.

SUSAN LISOVICZ: Hello, T.J. and Fredricka. You know, these are tough times for Detroit. So the folks at GM have come up with an interesting strategy, how to sell more Saturns. When you go to a Saturn dealership you can also test drive a Toyota Camry or a Honda Accord. The folks at Saturn really hoping that the side by side comparisons will actually make the Saturn look pretty good. We assume that the Hondas and the Toyotas actually are working vehicles that they're showing, but it just goes to show the innovative ways they're trying to increase the sales for their new Saturn, the Aura. We'll see how it goes. You can test drive everything right at the same time. In the meantime, we should tell you that this is, of course, fleet week in New York. We have 3,000 representatives from the navy who have been all over New York City for the past week. And they will be bringing --

WHITFIELD: And New York loves that.

LISOVICZ: We do and we love their white uniforms, Fred. It never fails to amaze me.

WHITFIELD: It's a great sight.

LISOVICZ: It is a great sight and they're on the platform ringing the opening bell. Of course the markets will be closed on Monday in honor of all of the great sacrifices from all of our men and women in uniform all over the world. We salute them. We're closing on a high note. It's been a tough week for the Dow, the first down week after seven weeks of gains. There's the closing bell. We're going out on a high note. We'll see you next week. Have a great weekend Fred and T.J.

WHITFIELD: All right same to you as well. Have a very safe weekend, everyone. Now it's time for Wolf Blitzer and "THE SITUATION ROOM."

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