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Resignation Watch for Senator Craig; Princes Lead Tribute to Mother Princess Diana

Aired August 31, 2007 - 13:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Months after his arrest in the men's room, Idaho Senator Larry Craig maintains business as usual. All that ended this week, and so may Craig's career. This may be the day.
Ten years ago today, Princess Diana died. Her sons lead a tribute to their guardian, friend and protector. In Prince Harry's words, "the best mother in the world." Our Richard Quest was there.

Hello everyone, I'm Kyra Phillips at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. Don Lemon is off. And you're live in CNN NEWSROOM.

Time may be running out for Idaho Senator Larry Craig. Republican sources tell CNN there are indications that Craig is preparing to resign possibly as soon as today. The sources say Craig's recent guilty plea to charges related to an airport sex sting may be too much for him to overcome.

Craig was arrested in a restroom by Minneapolis Airport Police and in an audio recording made minutes later, Craig denied soliciting sex from a plainclothes cop.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

SEN. LARRY CRAIG (R), IDAHO: I don't -- I am not gay. I don't do these kinds of things.

SGT. DAVE KARSNIA, MINNEAPOLIS AIRPORT POLICE: It doesn't matter. I don't care about sexual preference or anything like that. Here's your stuff back, sir. I don't care about sexual preference.

CRAIG: I know you don't. You're out to enforce the law.

KARSNIA: Right.

CRAIG: But you shouldn't be out to entrap people, either.

KARSNIA: This isn't entrapment.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Let's head straight to Boise, Idaho, where we find CNN congressional correspondent Dana Bash -- Dana.

DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, that is right. We understand that -- as we have seen, the pressure is certainly mounting on Senator Larry Craig. And as you indicated, all sources from here in Idaho and back in Washington say that all indicators point to the fact that it does look like Senator Larry Craig may be preparing to resign.

You know, we heard this morning about the fact that the Republican National Committee yesterday was poised to make an extraordinary move, and that was to actually issue a statement -- a public statement calling on their own senator to resign.

We are told that they have decided not to do that in part, because they got indications from here in Idaho, from people close to Senator Craig that perhaps that was already in the works, but also because they were told that that would likely backfire. Why?

Because Senator Craig certainly has, as I said, been feeling the pressure. Just two days ago, his own leadership stripped him of his top posts on key committees. And what we're told from a source familiar with these conversations is that Senator Craig needed some breathing room and that the last thing that he needed, at least yesterday, was any kind of really big push from Washington, from the RNC, from the White House, that this is a decision that he has to make.

Because the bottom line, he has, of course, been representing this state of Idaho for a quarter century. He has been in public service since he was 28 years old. This is not an easy decision for him to make.

And he has talked to people here in Idaho, Kyra. They describe him as somebody who is quite defiant. So this is a time, in talking to the governor, in talking to other people, that he is clearly taking his time. He is talking to his family. We have not heard anything yet from Senator Craig's office today, specifically about plans for any kind of statement.

But as we have been told, that it is very likely that we could hear from the senator relatively soon, perhaps, as I said, as early as today.

PHILLIPS: And, Dana, what about a replacement? There are a number of names being tossed about. What are you hearing from your sources?

BASH: Well, that, of course, would be up to the governor, Governor Butch Otter. I actually spoke to him about this yesterday. He insists that he is not even quietly making any preparation for any kind of replacement. But it would be up to him to do it.

He actually said that he is already getting calls from people who might want the job. But we do know from talking to people here in Idaho, in Republican circles, sort of who the leading contenders will be. And they are, first of all, the current lieutenant governor, Jim Risch. He actually was governor for a short time.

Also Congressman Mike Simpson, he is currently a congressman, there are only four members of Congress here. So he is a leading contender. Also a Republican here by the name of Larry LaRocco. And a name that some of our viewers might be familiar with. He has been in politics for a long, long time, the interior secretary, Dirk Kempthorne. His name is also sort of out there.

He was senator before. He was governor. He has been in politics for a long time and is very well-respected. But we'll see what happens, the governor's office insists, Kyra, that they are not really seriously looking at anything until and if they hear officially from Senator Craig.

PHILLIPS: All right. Dana Bash, live from Boise, Idaho. Thanks so much. We'll be waiting. And as you may have heard President Bush announce just minutes ago, his press secretary, Tony Snow, will be leaving that post in two weeks. Snow is being treated for colon cancer, but had previous said he was planning to step down anyway for financial reasons. His last day at the White House will be September 14th.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Tony Snow informed me he's leaving, and I sadly accept his desire to leave the White House, and he'll do on September 14th. It has been a joy to watch him spar with you. He's smart, he's capable, he's witty, he is able to talk about issues in a way that the American people can understand.

And I don't know what he's going to do, I'm not sure he does yet either. But whatever it is, it's going to be two things. One, he'll battle cancer and win. And, secondly, he'll be a solid contributor to society.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Snow will be replaced by his deputy, Dana Perino.

Well, another prominent White House figure is leaving today, Karl Rove. As President Bush's long-time political adviser, Rove has been controversial, to say the least. He is widely credited with masterminding Mr. Bush's rise to the presidency. But Democrats accuse him of injecting politics where it doesn't belong. Rove announced his departure plans earlier this month.

An in-flight fright for four members of the U.S. Congress aboard a military plane over Baghdad. They dodged a bullet late last night. And that's basically an understatement. An Air Force C-130 came under rocket fire after taking off from Baghdad. And seated in the back, senators Richard Shelby, Mel Martinez, James Inhofe, and Representative Bud Cramer. The flight crew took evasive action, deployed flares, and flew on to Jordan safely. VIPs were shaken up, but acknowledge it's something military men and women face all the time in Iraq.

Well, the commander-in-chief and his top generals huddle up this hour to talk about, what else, Iraq. Let's get straight to the Pentagon, our Barbara Starr for a preview -- Barbara. BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, President Bush expected here at the Pentagon actually within moments, he'll arrive and go to "The Tank," that secure conference room actually just down the hall, about a two-minute walk from our CNN offices here in the Pentagon.

In that room will be the entire Joint Chiefs of Staff, the head of the Army, the Air Force, the Navy, the Marine Corps, as well as and chairman of the joint chiefs. They'll tell the president that things are going well for now.

One of the topics on the table besides Iraq is the overall state of the health of the force. How are troops doing? What is their morale? How do they feel about the 15-month tour of duty in Iraq. How are military families doing? Is everybody getting the training and equipment that they need?

By all accounts, the chiefs will say yes, for now, but they're going to tell the president that the troops are exhausted and that they do need to come home. This 15-month tour of duty cannot go on forever, they need to come home, relax, and begin to train for whatever next problems may well come down the road.

That's one of the number one concerns of the chiefs, that the troops are focused on Iraq, but if something was to break out in another area, they need relaxed, trained, ready troops for whatever else could happen -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Barbara Starr will follow his visit. Thanks so much.

Well, professional wrestlers falling victim to steroid testing. Now 10 have been suspended. With the story from Stamford, Connecticut, CNN's Jim Acosta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: World Wrestling Entertainment, also known as the WWE, announced this round of suspension yesterday, saying that they base these suspensions on information it received from the Albany, New York, District Attorney's Office. That office is apparently investigating allegations of steroid use in professional wrestling and where these professional wrestlers are going about obtaining steroids.

And while CNN cannot independently verify the name of those wrestlers, what we can tell you is that there are published reports out there that say that these wrestlers did obtain -- or at least allegedly obtained these steroids through a Florida-based pharmacy called Signature.

And that pharmacy is also the pharmacy accused of providing steroids to Chris Benoit. He is the professional wrestler who killed his wife, son, and himself, in the Atlanta suburbs back in late June. And because of the black eye that professional wrestling received from that case, it decided to get tough on steroids. And that brought about these suspensions.

But in the meantime, the WWE has released a statement about these suspensions, basically warning its wrestlers that it's going to get tough and start outing its professional wrestlers who use steroids, and starting to name names is what the organization is saying.

Here is the statement. They say: "It has been WWE's practice not to release the names of those who have been suspended, but notice has been sent to all WWE performers that names of anyone who is suspended under the wellness policy," that's the drug testing policy of the WWE, "as of November 1st will be made public."

So basically saying that they will name names. Now on top of what the WWE is doing about in its own midst, vowing to clean house, Congress is also vowing to have hearings on this.

And coming up in September there are hearings scheduled on Capitol Hill. It won't quite be a Capitol Hill smackdown, but lawmakers say they are quite concerned about what they are hearing as far as what's going on in professional wrestling in terms of steroids use.

And they are vowing to crack down on this type of substance abuse in the same way that they promise to go after steroids in professional baseball.

Jim Acosta, CNN, Stamford, Connecticut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, now to Lansing, Michigan, where police say they have caught a suspected serial killer who has allegedly killed five women since last month. Two were killed just this week. Another woman survived an attack on Tuesday after a dog chased that man away. The suspect's name has not been released. He could be charged later today. Police are looking to see whether he is also connected to a series of assaults in 2003.

Well, it is no longer in stores, but could tainted beef still lurk in your freezer? We're going to have details on a recall you need to know about before you fire up your grill this holiday weekend.

And, wait, we have a fire chance to fire up the grill over Labor Day? Well, Chad Myers has the holiday forecast for us.

And CNN's Richard Quest, live in London with more on remembering Diana.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello. Prince Harry tells the world: "Diana was our guardian, our friend and our protector." What else happened at the memorial service? Is there anyone going to find out? You'll find out in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, it's 1:14 Eastern time right now. Here are some of the stories we are working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.

There is growing speculation Senator Larry Craig will resign, possibly today. The Idaho Republican has been fighting for his political life after pleading guilty to disorderly conduct in an airport men's room sex sting.

And White press secretary Tony Snow will leave that job two weeks from today. Snow has been battling cancer. But he recently said he would be leaving anyway for financial reasons

And gay marriage may get a higher profile in the presidential race. With the Iowa Caucuses just months away, a judge has overturned the state's ban on same-sex marriages.

Well, 10 years ago today came the shocking news, Diana Princess of Wales was dead. What followed was an outpouring of grief, the likes which the world has rarely seen. Since then, we have watched her two boys grow up and they are not the only ones who have changed. CNN's Richard Quest joins us now live from London where a lot of people are remembering the princess today.

And you had you a chance to cover stories about her, Richard, a number of times. What do you remember about her?

QUEST: Oh, the thing that you remember about Diana Princess of Wales is the sheer presence that she had. Now, look, I don't know to this day whether it's because you knew she was Diana, or she actually had something that was magical, but if she walked into the room, the room came to a stop, to a standstill. It was quiet.

And yet she would then have the ability and the art to put people at ease. I saw her several times, many times covering various stories, and it was always the same way. She had this extraordinary ability, Kyra, to put people at ease. And what was interesting is, as she matured into the role of princess of Wales, what you might call just a general nice person actually grew into a compassion and that's what it was about Diana.

PHILLIPS: And, Richard, you even sent me an e-mail. Because I asked you about the time that you had spent being in the same place that she was. You never had a chance to have a one-on-one with her, but you were definitely affected by her. And you did say that to me.

You said she matured from simply being a goodwill person to a compassionate do-gooder. Tell me what you mean by that?

QUEST: Yes. Well, what I mean is, as she got more experienced, after her divorce, as she took on her role in her own right, we stopped just seeing the something-must-be-done plaintive cry that you always see with do-gooders, and you started to see a sophisticated way of going about her business.

The landmine visits, the touching of those suffering from leprosy, the very, very careful and calculating decision to go and make AIDS -- and to make it clear that HIV and AIDS was not a stigma with which other people need to be afraid of. This was Diana moving into an area where she knew she could make a difference.

Now, Kyra, you talk about the memories and days like today, I mean, I could ask you in a minute, where were you when you heard she died? We all remember. But I do remember very clearly that I decided -- I was elsewhere on assignment the night before the funeral, I flew back to London and I slept on the streets less than a quarter of a mile of where I am standing now, just under a mile.

I saw Charles, William, and Harry walk behind the coffin on that fateful day. And what I remember particularly is those young princes, Kyra. Today I saw grown men. Today I saw, in their 20s, they were determined that the legacy of Diana will be the "people's princess."

PHILLIPS: And, Richard, she was somebody that stayed quiet for so long. She was a very private, quiet, shy young woman. And I think it took a lot for her to come forward after that divorce and talk about things like her eating disorder, the fact that her husband was cheating on her. She talked a lot about how she was treated so cruelly by the royal family. And she really opened up the doors for the world to see the royal family in a different way.

QUEST: She did. And there is this extraordinary dichotomy of Diana. On the one hand, the compassion, on the one hand, the ability to do good. But you know, she ain't -- and forgive me speaking so of the dead, but she was no saint. She had a Machiavellian streak within her that could twist the circumstances that would get a coterie around her of people to do her bidding.

In the end that has to be overlooked because ultimately the good that she did in opening up previously unspoken subjects, subjects that were absolutely taboo, the likes of which people wanted nothing to do with, Diana was the one who basically said that's the cause for me. I'm an outsider, that's the cause for me.

PHILLIPS: Our Richard Quest, live from London. Richard, always great to talk to you.

Straight ahead, it's organic, it's lean, and you shouldn't eat it. Another beef recall. Straight ahead, from CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Let's go straight to the NEWSROOM. T.J. Holmes working the details on a developing story.

Hey, T.J.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there, Kyra. A story here on this -- top Democratic fundraiser has been in the news the past couple of days, Norman Hsu is the name. He has made several contributions over the years equaling really about $250,000, just the past couple of years to Hillary Clinton, to Barack Obama, several candidates. Well, he has turned himself in on a grand theft charge stemming back to 1991. He has been wanted on 1991 on this charge.

He plead no contest back then, but he did not show up for sentencing at that time. He was facing about three years in prison, but he never showed up. However, since then he has been living a fairly public life, has been a top Democratic fundraiser. He has given some $23,000 to the Hillary Clinton campaign.

That money now, she says she'll turn that money over to charity. And several other Democratic candidates who have received money from Norman Hsu are going to do the same, hand the money he gave them -- they're going to hand it over to charity. But he has now turned himself in to a court out in California stemming from that charge back in 1991 in which he plead no contest, but then did not show up for sentencing.

So a warrant has been issued for him, really, since 1992, the early '90s he has been wanted out there because he didn't show up. But he still has been living in New York, a pretty public life. And that has been his argument, that he did not know, that he did not wrap up all of his legal dealings back then. And he certainly would not have been living this public life had he known. He's pretty easy to find. But he has turned himself, now being held on a $2 million bond.

Norman Hsu, a top Democratic fundraiser -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. T.J., thanks.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Well, a 5-year-old gets a head start on his chosen career.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to be a race car driver when I grow up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Do you understand what he said? He actually takes the wheel of his (sic) mother's car, yes, her (sic) mom is in the car. Now mom's in jail. We'll explain what's going on, straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Want to get straight to Susan Candiotti, working a story out of Florida. You may remember those two students -- Egyptian students in the inner city of south Florida, they were arrested with some explosives in their car. Susan, sort of bizarre they thought they were fireworks at first, it was just a routine traffic stop. It end up being explosives. Right?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they were pulled over for speeding. That's how it first happened, in a town called Goose Creek, South Carolina. Sheriff's deputy pulled them over and they were looking at what this was all about. Now, just a little while ago we've learned that in the middle district of Florida, that's the Tampa area, a grand jury has indicted these two University of South Florida students on two counts.

These two people have been indicted with these charges that are transporting explosives in interstate commerce without permits, and also for distributing this information about building and using an explosive device. That's the language that we're hearing, but more information, we're still trying to gather at this time.

One of the two men is accused of teaching and demonstrating the use it says, of an explosive and destructive device, quote "with the intent that the information be used for -- which could constitute a federal crime of violence." Now, these two people, who are students at the University of South Florida are identified as Ahmed Abdellatif Sherif Mohamed he is the civil engineering student and teaching assistant at the University of South Florida.

Along with Youseef Samir Megahed, he is a civil engineering student. Now, both if they are found guilty of these crimes could face up to 20 years in prison on one charge. The other count up to 10 years in prison. So again, it started off as being pulled over at first they thought they were fireworks, but frankly, there has been an investigation as to whether there was any kind of terrorism nexus.

So far we stress, apparently they found none. The investigation is continuing. But, that's all we have at this time, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Susan Candiotti. Appreciate it.

Senator Larry Craig's attempt to explain his guilty plea and the sex sting arrest that prompted it hasn't convinced his fellow Republicans, and he soon may be out of a job. Republican sources tell CNN that Craig may resign his Senate seat as possibly as soon as today.

Police meanwhile have released an audio recording made minutes after Craig's June arrest at the Minneapolis airport. Included is a combative exchange between the Senator and the arresting officer.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

KARSNIA: I am trained in this and I know what I am doing. And I saw you put your hand under there and you're going to sit there and ...

CRAIG: I admit I put my hand down.

KARSNIA: You put your hand and rubbed it on the bottom of the stall with your left hand.

CRAIG: No. Wait a moment.

KARSNIA: And I -- I'm not dumb, you can say I don't recall.

CRAIG: If I had turned sideways, that was the only way I could get my left hand over there.

KARSNIA: It's not that hard for me to reach. (INAUDIBLE) it's not that hard. I see it happen everyday out here now.

CRAIG: (INAUDIBLE) you do. All right.

KARSNIA: I just -- I just -- I guess -- I guess I'm going to say I'm just disappointed in you sir. I'm just really am. I expect this from the guy that we get out of the hood. I mean, people vote for you.

CRAIG: Yes, they do on a regular basis.

KARSNIA: Unbelievable, unbelievable.

CRAIG: And, I'm a respectable person and I don't do these kinds of ...

KARSNIA: And (INAUDIBLE) respect right now though.

CRAIG: But I didn't use my left hand.

KARSNIA: I thought ...

CRAIG: I reached down with my right hand like this to pick up a piece of paper.

KARSNIA: Was your gold ring on your right hand at anytime today?

CRAIG: Of course not, try to get it off -- look at it.

KARSNIA: OK. Then it was your left hand, I saw it with my own eyes.

CRAIG: All right, you saw something that didn't happen.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, even though he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct, Craig insists that he did nothing wrong. He calls the plea a mistake. So, what happens if Larry Craig resigns from the Senate? The state's Republican Governor, Butch Cutter would appointment a replacement to finish out the rest of Craig's term.

The seat would then be up for grabs in the 2008 election but likely remain in the Republican hands. In 2004, Idaho gave President Bush 68 percent of the vote.

Well we're hearing from you about Senator Larry Craig's arrest in the sex sting. Elaine writes, " As usual, we rally to condemn like a pack of animals or Salem witch-hunters. I don't believe that anything Craig did can be characterized as "lewd." In listening to the tapes, I believe he was intimidated by the policeman into confessing.

Another he email that we received from you says Typical Hypocrites, "Just another example of the Republican party continuing to be hypocrites. ... He's supposed to be a smart man, at least your lawyer. He plead guilty and should be treated as a sex offender and removed from office."

And Sam emailed us and wrote, "His career might be over but after listening to the tape, the guy didn't do anything. His mistake was trying to keep it secret. He should have put his case in front of the jury." If you'd like your opinion to be read or heard, just log on to CNN.com and sound off.

Now the effort to get to the six trapped miners in Utah. For more than three weeks now, scores of people have worked around the clock, three men have given their lives and nothing has worked. A seventh hole drilled into the mine found a shaft filled with debris, water and mud, so officials scrapped plans to lower in a high-tech camera.

There was talk of dropping the camera into a hole drilled before, but officials acknowledge everything at this point say long shot.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICH KULCZEWSKI, MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMIN.: We haven't given up, but we're running out of possibilities. We were all looking forward to hopefully getting a place that we could -- could get good pictures, we could put the robot -- robotic camera down there, we thought it was a good choice of location.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Crandall Canyon disaster is the subject of a federal probe. It was announced yesterday by Labor Secretary Elaine Cho.

Well, urgent appeals for help relief workers along Peru's southern coast some rural villages are still waiting for something, anything, two weeks after a massive earthquake struck Pisco. Survivors are huddling in shelters made of cardboard right now. No latrines, no drinking water, no, place to bathe. The United Nations estimates another $37 million are needed to get tents, blankets, food, and medicine.

Tragedy on the tracks near Rio de Janeiro. At least eight people are dead after a speeding train packed with commuters slammed into a nearly empty train that was changing tracks. More than 80 other people were hurt in yesterday's evening rush hour crash. The railway company has ordered an investigation.

Military families know the risks, but that's little comfort when the worst actually happens. For a California family it's happened twice, two sons killed in Iraq. CNN's Thelma Gutierrez has their story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was a solemn homecoming for a hometown hero. 21-year-old Army Corporal Nathan Hubbard was just one month away from finishing his tour in Iraq.

VOICE OF JEFF HUBBARD, FATHER OF NATHAN HUBBARD: The focus of our most recent conversations with him was getting home.

GUTIERREZ: For parents Jeff and Peggy Hubbard, the grief is unimaginable.

HUBBARD: I want everybody to remember and celebrate Nate in their own way, and the way they want.

GUTIERREZ: Less than three years ago, they buried another son, Marine Lance Corporal Jared Hubbard, killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb.

HUBBARD; They have a lot of similarities, but they're each actual terrible instances that you deal with the best that you can as you go forward.

GUTIERREZ: Six months after Jared was killed, Nathan and Jason decided to enlist in the Army to honor their brother.

SPEC. JASON HUBBARD, NATHAN'S BROTHER: Part of it for us was a healing process, because both of us talked a lot about being able to walk in the shoes of Jared, see what he experienced the last few years of his life.

GUTIERREZ: Nathan and Jason served together in the same platoon. Last week, a Black Hawk carrying Nathan and 13 other soldiers crashed in northern Iraq, killing all on board. Jason was in a separate helicopter and was among the first on the scene.

J. HUBBARD: They also had to remove as many of the men as we could out of helicopter, and I couldn't participate in that. I knew Nathan was in there. At one point they did carry Nathan by me, and that's when I -- the reality, complete reality and complete understanding of the situation came to me, and I began dealing with that.

GUTIERREZ: Jason says the Army will not allow him to return to war. As for Nathan, he will be eulogized at the same church where Jared's funeral was held.

HUBBARD: We want him honored, and remembered, and celebrated. He was a great, great young man. Wonderful young man.

GUTIERREZ: He will be laid to rest here, right beside his brother. Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Clovis, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Corporal Nathan's Hubbard's funeral will be held today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: The sell-by dates have expired and 20 tons of recalled beef is no longer in grocery stores, but some could be in your freezer. Nine people have confirmed cases of E. coli so far, and with the holiday weekend up -- coming up on us rather, all those cook-outs, no one should take the risk lightly. CNN Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen here with more. Spinach is back, now it's beef.

ELIZABETH COHEN, MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I know.

PHILLIPS: Not good.

COHEN: And this isn't just plain old E. coli. This is E. coli 0157-h7. It is big and bad, it can shut down your kidneys, it can kill you, and at least nine people in the northwest have become ill and some of them ate the beef and then got other people in their house sick who hadn't even eaten the beef. So this is definitely something that you want to try to avoid.

Let's take a look at what has made people sick. Something called "Northwest Finest" natural ground beef, the USDA and State Departments of Health have said get rid of it. Look for seven percent fat and you'll see a UPC code that's up there for that particular product, and then there's also something called "Northwest Finest" organic ground beef that's 10 percent fat and it has no UPC code. So, if you go into your freezer and you see these, you should definitely get rid of them.

Now, Kyra mentioned that this isn't actually really a recall because this was supposed to be out of the stores anyhow. It had an August 11th sell-by date. So what they're saying is it's more of an advisory, an alert. If it's in your freezer, get rid of it.

PHILLIPS: All right, E. coli poisoning has been around for a long time, obviously though. Has the meat industry gotten any better at just trying to prevent it?

COHEN: Actually, the experts we talked to said yes, that actually they have gotten better, and that E. coli infection rates have indeed gone down. And that's because the industry is using things like steam pasturization, organic acid washes, and not everyone's using them, but that a lot of plants are, and that has brought those infection rates down.

Now, of course, critics say they really ought to be doing more, that there's some technology that not everyone's using, but it has gotten better.

PHILLIPS: All right, for all of the people having big barbecues this weekend, what's your advice on preventing food poisoning?

COHEN: You definitely need to do something because you never know what's in the beef that you buy. I mean, you're not going to smell it or taste it, you never know what's in there, so you need to cook ground beef thoroughly. This is not something you want to be eating medium rare.

Now, keep raw and cooked foods separate. In other words, if you have raw meat on a platter, don't also go putting salad on that platter. Not a good idea. Wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw foods and cook beef thoroughly. Again, you do not want a medium rare hamburger, it's not cooked thoroughly, stick a thermometer in your burger, look for 160 degrees.

PHILLIPS: All right, are you barbecuing?

COHEN: I don't know. Depends how hungry I am.

PHILLIPS: That's right, you might go for the chicken.

COHEN: That's right.

PHILLIPS: All right, thanks, Elizabeth.

COHEN: Thanks.

PHILLIPS: Well, more bags of fresh spinach, we mentioned that also, are being recalled. Metz Fresh decided to issue the warning on its own after salmonella turned up during routine testing at a California processsing plant. About 8,000 bags (ph) have possibly contaminted spinach have already been shipped to stores and restaurants, this includes 10 and 16-ounce bags, as well as 4 pound plus cartons. Look for the Metz Fresh label and the tracking codes that you see right there on your screen. If have you any questions, you can contact Metz Fresh at 831-386-1018.

Wet and cool today for many of us. Chad Myers, what about the Labor Day weekend? My guess is you'll be looking at the spinach, the meat, and the temps.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I'm not sure, I mean, I don't even know what to eat anymore. You know, really -- if it's not the tomato out of my garden, I'm not even sure what I'm supposed to eat anymore.

PHILLIPS: Just popcorn. Pop some popcorn, that's the safest bet.

MYERS: At least it's hot, exactly, there you go.

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Well, here's the good news. She realized she was in no condition to drive, but here's the bad news. She thought her five- year-old was a reasonable alternative. We're going to tell you all about it straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Five-year-old designated driver? Well, police say an Indiana woman downed a vodka and percocet cocktail, then let her little boy drive. We get the story from Jennifer Carmack of CNN affiliate WRTV in Indianapolis.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENNIFER CARMACK, WRTV REPORTER (voice-over): Five-year-old Westin Schnobrich (ph) is getting ready to start school, but says he already knows what he wants to be when he's older. WESTIN SCHNOBRICH: I want to be a race car driver when I grow up.

CARMACK: Saturday night, he tried that out behind the wheel of this car, with his three-year-old brother in the back seat, and his mother, 24-year-old Holly Schnobrich (ph), in the passenger seat.

(on camera): Were you driving the car?

SCHNOBRICH: Yes.

CARMACK (voice-over): It all started when Wendy Barrett watched this car speed around the corner and come to a screeching halt in front of her home.

WENDY BARRETT, WITNESS: So I approached the car, and the windows came down and there is a toddler on his knees controlling the steering wheel.

CARMACK: Barrett says she also saw the boys' mother in the car incoherent and visibly impaired.

BARRETT: And I asked her, ma'am, are you OK? What's going on, do you need some help? Is this your toddler, he's driving your car? And she admitted to, yes, but he's a good driver.

CARMACK: Neighbors got Westin and his three-year-old brother Colton (ph) out of the car, then took the keys until police arrived.

PAT HARRINGTON, TIPPECANOE CO., INDIANA PROSECUTOR: He did tell my officer that he had a difficult time operating the vehicle because he could not reach the pedals.

CARMACK: According to the affidavit, Schnobrich says she had taken percocet and vodka.

HARRINGTON: The mother informed the officers she took a percocet not for pain control or management to an injury, but she took it when the children acted up.

BARRETT: And she was just so impaired and out of it that she didn't think anything was wrong.

CARMACK: Now, the 24-year-old is behind bars facing neglect and public intoxication charges.

SCHNOBRICH: Mommy went to jail.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was very scary when we thought about that. But it happened, because neither of them were restrained, I mean they were both just crawling around in the car.

CARMACK: The boys are with their grandfather.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At this point, she's staying in jail, we're not bailing her out. We can't. (END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And just last week, the mother pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated in an earlier case.

Well, straight ahead, millionaire dreams can come true. Could it happen to you? A lot of eyes on the Mega Millions prize. We've got a wealth of information straight ahead from the NEWSROOM.

And talk about the golden years, a New York couple hits the jackpot for the second time in less than a decade. Details on their latest haul later in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, lottery lines are sure to be long again today. The pot for mega millions drawing is a whopping $330 million. That's the second largest in Mega Millions' history. The chance of winning that, by the way, is 1 in 176 million. But a single winner who takes the lump sum will get more than $194 million. Mega Millions is played in 12 states: California, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.

Well, talk about luck. A couple in New York has won the state's lottery not once, but twice. Can you believe it? Well, Eugene and Adelynn (ph) Angelo just won a $5 million jackpot. Eleven years ago, they won a $10 million prize that they split with three other winners.

So, how does someone get so lucky? CNN's Tony Harris asked the couple this morning in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: So Gene, you -- you buy the tickets, correct?

EUGENE ANGELO, TWO-TIME LOTTERY WINNER: Well, no, my son buys them for me. Every Saturday, he puts in for both days.

HARRIS: How much -- how much is ...

E. ANGELO: But I have the numbers.

HARRIS: But you had the numbers. All right, now we get it.

E. ANGELO: Yes, I had the numbers.

HARRIS: Now, we get to the rub of it all. All right, what's the code, what's the secret? Come on, twice in 11 years?

E. ANGELO: I just -- I keep on playing the same numbers. I got lucky twice.

HARRIS: Is that really the secret? You just play the same numbers over and over again and you've just gotten lucky?

E. ANGELO: For 40 years, I've been playing the same numbers, except when they added numbers, then I had to change a few.

HARRIS: So what was your ...

E. ANGELO: The original was ...

HARRIS: What was your reaction, Gene, once you realized you had won again and that your take from the state over 11 years was somewhere around, what -- seven, $7 million dollars?

ADELYNN ANGELO, TWO-TIME LOTTERY WINNER: Yes, what was your reaction? What was your reaction?

E. ANGELO: Good (ph), I just -- I sat there and I watched television.

(LAUGHTER)

HARRIS: That's it?

A. ANGELO: Look at the TV, please.

E. ANGELO: I'm not the excitable type.

HARRIS: Oh, so OK, so what has been the reaction in your neighborhood, among your friends. I understand you took a little bit of time to let this soak in, to sort things out with the lottery people before you started to let folks now.

A. ANGELO: Yes, yes.

E. ANGELO: Well, I -- I don't know. My wife was -- is more excitable. She wanted to tell everybody. But I calmed her down.

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