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Canada's Concerns; Over Four Million Americans Unemployed; New DNA Testing May Help Heart Patients; Iranian Sharian Law

Aired February 19, 2009 - 09:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: He'll raise in Canada.

Spurn suitors kiss-off is an acid attack that can seek payback and receive a literal eye-for-eye judgment.

Plus the toss seen around the world. Now the shoe-thrower has his say in court.

It is Thursday, February 19th, I'm Fredricka Whitfield in for Heidi Collins, and you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

President Barack Obama, at this moment, embarks on his first foreign travels of his presidency. The trip just across the border into Canada. The topics, Afghanistan, the economy trade. Canada warmly embraces the new president but is on edge over some of his policies.

Are the world's biggest trading partners on a collision course?

The president's visit will last a mere seven hours. But the issues involved will ripple for years. Let's take a closer look.

CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is at the White House.

So what can we expect the president to actually accomplish in just six or seven hours?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, obviously, we're going to be watching the body language, the expressions between these two leaders. It's the first time that they're actually meeting face-to-face. It was President Bush that had a warm relationship with Prime Minister Stephen Harper. We'll see how President Obama does.

He's certainly very popular in Canada. National polls showing about 82 percent approval rating for President Obama there. But, clearly, the one issue -- the main issue is going to be the economy for both of them. They are the leaders of the world's largest trading partners.

And one of the things that we talk about here is how are the big auto giants doing when you talk about Chrysler and GM, obviously, getting billions of dollars from this government.

Well, they face the same situation in Canada. They have plants in Ontario. They have been trying to prove that they are solvent so they can get some $3 billion plus from the Canadian government. There are also some issues when it comes to that $787 billion economic stimulus package.

Fred, there's a clause in there that says it's a buy American provisions, which says that some of those projects using federal dollars have to use U.S. steel, U.S. iron. That is something that Canada and Stephen Harper is a bit concerned about.

What will that mean for trading between these two partners? President Obama has tried to reassure the Canadians and others that this is not a protectionist environment, that he doesn't want to spark a free trade war, and that there is at least some legislation, a trade relation between these two that actually guarantees that that's not going to be abated, that's not going to stop.

And as we know, it is called NAFTA. It is that trade agreement that the president, when he was a candidate, said he was going to renegotiate. He has definitely softened his position now saying we need to keep those channels open with Canada -- Fred?

WHITFIELD: Right. Hence, North American Free Trade Agreement. All right, let's talk about the Afghanistan war, because also a bone of contention or at least an issue these two leaders want to grapple with.

MALVEAUX: Absolutely. Prime Minister Harper has said by 2011, he wants to see Canadian troops out of Afghanistan. There are about 2,800 that are there. President Obama just announced, as you know, days ago, that he's sending more U.S. troops to Afghanistan. He's asking for more help from NATO allies, including Canada, but he did say in an interview, Fred, with Canadian television station, he's not going to ask Harper to change his mind, at least not now.

He says he's got until 2011, perhaps things will get better in Afghanistan, and it will be more of a sense that those Canadian troops will stay but he's not going to press him on that issue. This really is kind of a first meeting, seven hours total, a chance for these two to sit down and really see if they're comfortable with one another before they get into all the nitty-gritty -- Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much. Suzanne Malveaux at the White House. Appreciate it.

Well, Canada -- this afternoon, President Obama and the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will hold a joint news conference and we'll carry that live. That's to get under way 2:45 Eastern, 11:45 Pacific. Meantime, Canada is the usual first foreign stop for a new U.S. president.

And while the Canadians are excited about seeing President Obama, the government has some concerns about the new administration.

Here now is CNN's Zain Verjee.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Canada is crazy about Barack Obama. He enjoys an 81 percent approval rating north of the border. Now Canadians are mixing up special presidential treats.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have my own little style of my own punch so I give it a little Obama flavor.

VERJEE: The capital Ottawa is buzzing ahead of President Obama's visit.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People are so excited about Obama coming here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's exciting to have him. It's kind of like a Kennedy situation.

VERJEE: Canada is a traditional first stop for a new U.S. president, but behind the scenes, there are some tough issues. Afghanistan. Canada wants to stop fighting the Taliban.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Canada has been performing a role since it got in there in late 2001. Now it wants to withdrawal from the combat role, still stay in Afghanistan but work on the redevelopment side.

VERJEE: Meanwhile, President Obama is increasing U.S. troops there and calling for allies to step up.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My hope is that, in conversations that I have with Prime Minister Harper, that he and I end up seeing the importance of a comprehensive strategy.

VERJEE: Another sticking point, Canadian oil extracted from the sands in Alberta. The Obama administration's concern at the environmental damage.

OBAMA: What we know is that oil sands create a big -- creates a big carbon footprint.

VERJEE: Also making Canadians nervous the "Buy America" clause in the stimulus package.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of concern in Canada that's going to cut Canadian firms out especially in the steel area.

VERJEE: Canada is the U.S.' largest trading partner. The Canadian government says more than seven million American jobs directly depend on trade with Canada and Canadian officials say Ottawa will oppose any protectionist moves by the U.S. but for many Canadians, Mr. Obama can do no wrong.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everything he touches is going to be golden. So hopefully that includes such in Canada.

VERJEE (on camera): There are many more issues between the U.S. and Canada. One senior Canadian official says that what's important on this trip is to get the relationship off to a solid start because that will create the basis for future discussions.

Zain Verjee, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And CNN's Dan Lothian is traveling with the president. He'll have live reports from Ottawa beginning next hour.

All right, new numbers on how many Americans are now living without a paycheck. The numbers are not good. And we've heard so often lately the news is worse than expected.

Well, CNN business correspondent Stephanie Elam is in New York with the details - Stephanie.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fred. Yes, we're taking a look at these numbers. We've got jobless claims coming in. 627,000 -- now that is an unchanged number and it remains at a 26-year high.

Still, the number of people who are on unemployment for one week or more, that number at a record 4,987,000 there. And economists were looking for a bit of a decline here so a big jumping number there. This is the highest number on record since records started being kept in 1967.

I also want to take a quick look, Fred, at our wholesale numbers. Taking a look at PPI, which is the Producer Price Index. And for January, that number coming in .8 percent, so up 8/10 of a percent during the month. That was higher than expected. In December, the number was actually down 1.9 percent. This does end five months of declines that we have seen in this number.

Now if you take a look at core producer price index, the core numbers there, that would actually be things that strip out volatile food and energy prices. So just taking wholesale prices without those volatile numbers, it was actually on the upside by .4 percent, a tad more than expected in December. It was on the upside by .2 percent.

So moving up there slightly, but I don't think too many people are worried about inflation at this point but just taking our eyes and keeping an eye on it, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Stephanie. Appreciate it.

All right, well, guess what? They have a deal in California, apparently. Another overnight session producing results. This morning the bulk of the budget measures passed in the state Senate just moments ago. Democratic leaders made several concessions to get the final votes which didn't sit well with some members.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GLORIA ROMERO (D), CALIFORNIA STATE SENATE: I rise reluctantly to ask you to lift the call on file item -- whatever the hell it is because we got it at, what, 4:30 in the morning? I will cast a vote to put this over to the other House and I know there are many there as well who feels this is a disgusting process.

This is not good government. This is not political reform. This is old-fashioned special interests.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, meantime, Governor Schwarzenegger was preparing to shut down hundreds of state projects if a deal was not made today. We'll have a live report from Los Angeles next hour.

All right, you name it. Heavy rains, swirling winds, hail the size of baseballs? That's how it was across the state of Georgia late yesterday and well into the night. Only now are we getting a good look at the damage from the storms that killed at least one person.

A number of funnel clouds were spotted. In fact, the National Weather Service reports several tornadoes actually touched down. One was tracked across South Georgia into the Florida panhandle and just east of Atlanta, huge hail and wind gusts of 75 to 80 miles an hour caused the most damage.

Frightening to say the very least.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: All right, ensuring patient safety. Doctors may start following a new protocol in an attempt to eliminate potentially deadly mistakes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

WHITFIELD: All right, could doctors require you to take a genetic test before they scribble out your next prescription? A group of researchers say that testing your DNA just may be a life-saving measure to dole out the right dose for a heart medication.

CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us now.

So, Sanjay, this sounds very high tech and technical, very future is now.

(LAUGHTER)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. But, you know, it's interesting. If you think about the way that doctors prescribe medication it does seem sort of archaic in the sense that we use a one-size-fits-all approach for every medication for lots of different people out there.

So this idea that you could somehow individualize medicine and individualize these prescriptions, it's an idea that's starting to catch on, specifically using genetic testing to figure out the best doses of medications.

Now one of the medications that they're testing out there is a medication known as warfarin, Coumadin. It's a blood thinner. It is very, very commonly prescribed, about 30 million prescriptions every year, so this is something that they decided to do contest. Now this is a medication that's typically given to reduce the chance of heart attacks and strokes.

So if you give this particular medication and you get the dose wrong, for example, you don't have enough blood-thinning, you could I crease the likelihood someone is going to have a heart attack or stroke. That's obviously a problem. The flipside of that, if you give too much of the medication, the dose is too high, sometimes you could get a hemorrhage in the brain.

This is a CAT scan of the brain. This white area over here, that's a hemorrhage. I did an operation like this just a few days ago, Fred. They actually do a little bonnie removal here and take out this blood clot but this is sometimes what can happen if too much of this particular medication is given.

So with that in mind, doctors wanted to figure out how to best sort of adjust the dose. They studied 5,000 people. They used genetic markers and it was very -- very successful. They were able to get the dose much more accurate, much more effective for those patients in those 5,000 people.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Sanjay. Appreciate it.

We're getting some new images in right now. The president getting ready to depart on his way to his first across-the-border foreign trip as president. There with Marine One and soon to leave the air force base there and make his way to Ottawa.

Of course, our Dan Lothian is traveling with the president. He's going to be joining us. He's actually already in Canada but he'll be joining us momentarily as well and we'll keep you posted on the planned meetings in what will only be a seven-hour meeting between the leaders of Canada and the United States.

All right, insult or assault? The now infamous shoe thrower in court this morning telling his side of the story. We're live in Baghdad.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, new images right now. There you saw moments ago, the live picture of Marine One, now you see President Obama getting off Marine One in these taped images here walking on the tarmac there at Andrews Air Force Base, soon to be making his way to the jetway or the stairway to Air Force One.

Clearly, a -- kind of a dreary day there in the Washington, D.C. area. But he's walking there to Air Force One and you'll see him take a nice little brisk morning jog up the steps. He is on his way to his first across the border, first foreign trip to Canada. He'll be in Ottawa today and the subject of discussions, everything from Afghanistan to trade to the economy.

And now live images right there of the jetway moving away from Air Force One for a very soon departure, leaving Andrews Air Force Base right outside the Washington, D.C. area, and on his way, the president there, on his way to Ottawa, Canada.

All right, on trial for throwing his shoes. You remember the video, right? An Iraqi journalist tossing the shoes at President Bush, speaking out in court today about why he did it.

CNN's Arwa Damon joins us live this morning from Baghdad. Arwa?

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. Well, this was Muntadhar's first appearance since that infamous incident, his first public appearance. And as he was walking into the courtroom where cameras were not allowed, he appeared to be in high spirits. He was wearing an olive green suit, black shoes. He was smiling, waving. He was greeted with cheers and a female relative draped an Iraqi flag around his neck.

In court, he testified that as he was sitting in that press conference on December 14th listening to then President Bush talking about his accomplishments in Iraq, al-Zaidi said that the only accomplishment that he could see was the blood of more than a million Iraqi martyrs and that is what prompted him to take the actions that we saw him take.

He said he was very much provoked by the manner whereby which President Bush was speaking. Al-Zaidi has repeatedly been known for his reporting on the orphans and the widows of Iraq and the act of throwing a shoe here, very much viewed across the Arab world as being one of the greatest insults.

He is facing charges of assaulting a head of state while on an official visit to Iraq. His defense now saying that they want all of the charges to be dropped, that they don't apply to al-Zaidi's case, because his intent was not to harm former President Bush but merely to humiliate him.

The court has adjourned and sessions are expected to resume on March 12th, while the court asks the Iraqi prime minister's office to clarify the reasons, the nature of then President Bush's visit to Iraq, whether or not it was official. That could actually impact the charges, as well as the sentence.

WHITFIELD: Interesting, Arwa. So we're seeing, you know, a different al Zaidi, aren't we, because, initially, he was unapologetic and then for a moment, apologetic and, now it seems as though he is trying to expound a little bit on intent and justify that he wasn't trying to actually harm this head of state.

DAMON: Right. And he is saying that he wasn't trying to harm him. He did even go so far during his testimony so say, look, if I had the opportunity to inflict further harm on President Bush, to kill him, I would not do that. What he really wanted to do, he was saying was at least in a small fraction, a small manner, restore some of Iraq's dignity.

He wanted to humiliate former President Bush. Remember, al- Zaidi, according to his friends and family, spent the better part of his reporting career focusing on the plight of widows and orphans, especially in the Shia slum of Sadr City where it was a scene of heavy fighting between the Mehdi militia loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, and U.S. and Iraqi force that was very heavily bombarded. The civilian casualties there very high in the spring of last year.

He very much felt that in taking these actions and hurling his shoes at then President Bush, he was making a statement for all of the innocent lives that were lost here in Iraq -- Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right, Arwa Damon, thanks so much, from Baghdad. Appreciate it.

All right, it was a rejected suitor's final good-bye. An acid attack. Now a woman seeks punishment through the courts. An eye for an eye. A story you won't forget.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Running out of time. Helpless dolphins trapped in the ice, breaking through for a few desperate breaths. Calls for help being ignored. Next hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, the Federal Reserve issued a dire outlook for the economy yesterday afternoon saying unemployment is likely to keep rising and, today, we have a new report showing just how many people are signing up for jobless benefits.

Susan Lisovicz is at New York Stock Exchange with the numbers and a preview of the trading day. And as for unemployment it seems like it's a consistent hovering around that 600,000 mark.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. 627,000, that's a very high number for one week. It is unchanged, though, from the previous week, Fred. In the meantime, we're gearing for a higher open, gearing up for a higher open. The past couple of days, stocks have been hovering near their lows of the bear market, so this is kind of a relief rally perhaps that we're waiting for.

Those numbers that you were talking about, Fred, came out an hour ago. Report showing the number of people continuing to draw unemployment benefits, jumping to a new record high for the fourth week in a row. This is continuation of benefits. Just under five million people.

Meanwhile, new unemployment claims held steady last week. Anything above 400,000 is considered real high. This comes just a day after the Fed said unemployment could hit 8.8 percent this year and the economy is likely to contract for the full year. Those are much worse than the Fed projected late last year. If there's any silver lining is that policymakers expect solid gross by 2011.

Walt Disney is the latest company to announce layoffs although the magic kingdom is not saying how many. And Hewlett-Packard, the world's top computer selling, cut its earnings outlook for the year after revenue last quarter missed expectations.

HP and many other tech companies are getting hit by a big cutback in corporate spending, not only because companies are cautious about spending, but, of course, there's also the lack of credit, which is tight, and so that is something that is affecting many companies. HP shares are down 4 percent right at the open and, overall, we're seeing a little of life in the bulls.

We also got another report an hour ago, Fred, on inflation at the wholesale level. This is something we haven't been focusing on lately. It actually surged last month because of higher energy prices. That's something that has been creeping higher. We've really taken a big swing with energy prices. We are going in the opposite direction now. There were fears of deflation and the investors shrugged that off. And we have a little bit of bounce in the first minute of trading. Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much Susan. We appreciate it. We'll check back with you. Maybe next time, you can bring us something uplifting.

For nine million Americans in danger of losing their homes, the president's foreclosure prevention plan spells relief but the feeling among many other homeowners is outrage.

Here now is CNN's Candy Crowley.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: We found Jim Mulvey, a New Jersey homeowner, at one of the three jobs he works to support his family and pay his mortgage on time. And he is unhappy with the president's plan.

JIM MULVEY, GILLETTE, NEW JERSEY: It is very frustrating to see when you know that you're doing things the right way, that other people that might be certainly capable of doing things the right way themselves, are not doing it.

CROWLEY: In a letter to the president, republican leaders John Boehner and Eric Kantor said they look forward to working with him. Then asked six questions designed as much to make a point as get answers. Including what does the plan do for the 90 percent of mortgage holders not in default and will federal aid go to banks who gave out mortgages they shouldn't have? The president clearly understands the political and practical dynamic here. His rollout of the mortgage rescue plan included a section on who he will not save.

OBAMA: It will not help dishonest lenders who acted irresponsibly distorting the facts. Distorting the facts and dismissing the fine print at the expense of buyers who didn't know better. And it will not reward folks who bought homes they knew from the beginning they would never be able to afford.

CROWLEY: Since the details of eligibility will not be released for two weeks, it remains unclear how the program will weed out the irresponsible and the dishonest, those who played the system and lost. But the president hopes people will see this package as assistance for individuals that will help everyone.

OBAMA: It will prevent the worst consequences of this crisis from wrecking even greater havoc on the economy.

CROWLEY: There are times when Jim Mulvey does worry about what's ahead, whether the havoc will pull him under, but even if, he believes he can pull himself out.

MULVEY: I'm not alone, working a couple of jobs. A lot people are doing so, but much prefer if I'm able, I'd much prefer that than to be getting a handout.

CROWLEY: The census bureau says 75 million Americans own homes. This plan will help up to nine million.

Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: U.S. secretary of state Hillary Clinton arrived in South Korea about an hour ago on the third leg of her Asia tour. The visit to Seoul comes amid escalating tensions between North and South Korea. And on her flight from Indonesia, Clinton said the Obama administration is concerned that North Korea may soon face a succession crisis to replace Dictator Kim Jong-Il. There are reports that Kim suffered a stroke last year.

And in this country, Kansas may be looking for a new governor. Two senior officials with the Obama administration tell CNN the Governor Kathleen Sebelius is a leading contender for the cabinet post, that of secretary of health and human services. Other candidates, though, are said to be still very much in the mix. Whoever is chosen will have to shepherd the president's health care reform plan through congress.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: He wanted her hand in marriage. When she said no, he took her eyes instead. An Iranian woman blinded and disfigured from an acid attack fights for justice so that no one will have to suffer like she did.

Her story contains some pretty graphic images which you might find disturbing.

Here now is CNN's Reza Sayah.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Amenah Bahrami says her big brown eyes used to be the envy of her friends. But this is what a jilted suitor did to Amenah's eyes when he threw acid in her face.

AMENAH BAHRAMI (through translator): I was just yelling, I'm burning, I'm burning, for god sake, somebody help me.

SAYAH: The attack has made headlines in Iran, because Amenah, now 31, is demanding an eye for an eye.

BAHRAMI (through translator): People like him should be made to feel my suffering.

SAYAH: In accordance with Islamic law, Amenah wants to blind Majid Movehedi the man who blinded her.

The two met in college in 2002. First came his unwanted advances, says Amenah, then came the threats.

BAHRAMI (through translator): He called me every day and harassed me. He told me he would kill me. He said, you have to say yes.

SAYAH (on camera): This corner that you're looking at right now, that's where her jilted suitor, Majid, used to hide. And a couple days before this incident, she said, look, I don't want to marry you.

(voice-over): But Majid wouldn't take no for an answer. November, 2004, as Amenah walked home from work, the threats turned to violence. This is Amenah's first visit back to the scene of the attack in Tehran.

(on camera): She says she went up a little bit, and then she sensed someone was right behind her.

(voice-over): The moment she looked back, she says, Majid attacked. What felt like fire on her face was acid searing through her skin.

(on camera): So these are the clothes that Amenah was wearing that day, and her mother has just kept them. This is the coat that she was wearing, and just look at it. It is just absolutely shredded. And you can - I can right now smell the acid. Yes. I mean, I have trouble breathing.

(voice-over): Attack victims in Iran often get what is known as blood money from the culprit, a monetary fine in lieu of harsh punishment. With no insurance and mounting medical bills, Amenah could have used the cash, but said no.

BAHRAMI (through translator): I don't want to blind Majid for revenge. I'm doing this to keep this from ever happening to someone else.

SAYAH: Amenah's demand has outraged human rights activists. Usually they support victims of acid attacks, but on Internet blogs, they criticized her. Her determination to blind her attacker is as barbaric as the crime, they write.

Late last year, a court in Tehran handed down the sentence acid in each of his eyes is his sentence. He has appealed the decision, but this month, the court ruled the sentence stands.

Today, Amenah is remarkably self-sufficient, but challenges remain. She says she can't afford to pay for her medical care, so she's turned to the Internet to ask for help. She's lost her big brown eyes, but her smile is still there. Determined, she says, to get justice.

BAHRAMI (through translator): If I don't do this, and there is another acid attack, I will never forgive myself for as long as I live.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAYAH: Amenah's lawyer says the sentence will be carried out within the next few weeks. The attacker Majid will be taken in and put out with general anesthesia and acid will be placed in his eyes. The lawyer says the only way this will not happen is if Amenah changes her mind, all of a sudden says I don't want to go through with this, but, Fredericka Amenah is telling us that's not going to happen.

WHITFIELD: Yes, it doesn't sound like she'll want to change her mind since she wants to send a message so that this doesn't happen to anybody else. Will she be one to help administer that acid into her attacker's eyes?

SAYAH: She has told us that she is willing to do that, but based on our understanding, that's not going to happen.

What is important to clarify, Fredericka, this is rare. Acid attacks are rare in Iran, especially Tehran. And exercising your right for an eye for an eye is rare. It's in Sharia law but in those same laws it's promoted that you forgive.

Most of the time, families of the victims and the culprit go into court, they work out a deal for a fine and prison time and that's it. But in this case, Amenah is convinced if there is enough publicity surrounding this case, fewer victims will be victims of acid attacks. Fredericka?

WHITFIELD: Oh, my God. That is incredible, it really is. And you're right, very difficult to watch, but she is so courageous to tell her story and to reveal herself.

Now I wonder, in your piece, you talk about it's difficult for her to receive any kind of public assistance. She turned down any kind of financial help, she's turning to the web, but how difficult has it been for her to now live her life as a blind person, someone who needs someone's assistance all the time?

SAYAH: It's very difficult, Fredericka. She's lost her sight. She was a very bright student. She studied electronics, she had a very good job and, all of a sudden, everything changed. Initially, former president helped her out with about $50,000, she had more than a dozen surgeries in Spain.

But she's got a long road ahead. She's got a lot more surgeries ahead. Not only on her eyes, but her disfigured face. She has a lot of plastic surgery so she is using the internet to try to raise some money.

WHITFIELD: What an incredible story. All right, Reza Sayah, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

Don't wait to watch your heart health. The three risk factors that could lead to problems at an early age.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: This is pretty extraordinary. A medical first that spans three states and 12 lives. Surgeons in Baltimore, St. Louis and Oklahoma City teamed up to provide kidney transplants to six people who needed them. The kidneys came from friends or relatives.

But here is the domino part of this equation: each donor had been found incompatible with their loved ones so they, in turn, donated their kidney to one of the other patients in this group. All 12 people are doing just fine today.

Heart health isn't just a concern for older people. Even people in their 30s should be aware of three factors that can lead to art heart attacks. Here now is CNN's Judy Fortin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JUDY FORTIN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jeff Schaeffer had a heart attack at 39.

JEFF SCHAEFFER, HEART PATIENT: My triglyceride level was about 530. And my cholesterol, at time of heart attack, was 312.

FORTIN: Very high.

SCHAEFFER: Very high.

FORTIN: Carrie Vincent had hers at 31.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They told me I had 90 percent blockage to my left side.

FORTIN: Although most young people think of heart disease as a problem for the elderly, heart specialists say that's not true. In fact, statistics show 5 percent of those having heart attacks in the U.S. are under the age of 40. Cardiologists blame it on stressful lives, fast food and smoking.

DR. MANDEEP MEHRA, UNIV. OF MARYLAND MEDICAL CTR.: Particularly the 30s are a time where we feel invulnerable about our heart health and we don't pay attention to the heart as much. But the risk factors for heart disease begin to emerge around that time. FORTIN: Best thing to do at an early age? Start knowing your numbers. Like your blood pressure reading. Know the difference between LDL and HDL, the bad and good cholesterol. And pay attention to triglycerides, those are the fats in your blood that could cause blockages. Doctors are finding a high triglyceride number is a precursor to poor heart health.

MEHRA: Our cholesterol levels start to rise in response to our dietary habits, blood sugars start to creep up, then people don't become overtly diabetic but they start to exhibit those signs if they are prone to diabetes.

FORTIN: If you smoke, try to quit. One study showed smokers aged 35 to 39 had five times the risk for heart attacks than nonsmokers at the same age. And know your family heart history. If a parent died early from heart disease, start working with your doctor. Also watch what you eat. Stay away from lots of saturated fats and salt. Prepare meals rich in fruits, vegetables and fiber and add omega 3 fatty acids found in fish.

MEHRA: Consumed fish oils which have been shown to really improve heart health and decrease the incidence of sudden death, as well as legumes and nuts.

FORTIN: Keep that healthy diet as you age because it's all about the waist line. As you get older, your metabolism rate naturally slows down. That can lead to weight gain. Excess weight can raise blood pressure and stress our circulation system. And exercise, exercise, exercise! Research shows that even 30 minutes a day can improve your cardiovascular fitness. Judy Fortin, CNN, Atlanta.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. More Latino faces in federal court. A new study shows Hispanics make up the largest number of criminal offenders sentenced. Most were likely to be non citizens and almost half of the crimes were immigration-related. The study attributed the change in part to a crackdown on illegal immigration. Let's talk more about this with John Amaya, he's the founder of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund. Good to see you John. So, if this is likely a result of a crackdown on immigration laws, what is it about this that most troubles you, or worries you?

JOHN AMAYA, ATTORNEY: Well, thanks for having me on. And just for a bit of clarification, I'm not the founder. The organization has been around for 41 years. I'm just an attorney.

WHITFIELD: OK, thank you.

AMAYA: But having said that, I think what's really troubling is that the report really highlights two fundamental things. One, how broken our immigration system is. When we're talking about 72 percent of the increase in Hispanic offenders are attributed to non citizens. And number two, the thing that it really highlights is how misdirected and misguided federal enforcement has been over the years when we're focusing our energies on the least-dangerous offenders in the country, and disregarding public corruption, white collar crime, weapons crime.

WHITFIELD: But isn't this a facet of a commitment, whether it be from the last administration, or what many are hoping to hear, you know, President Obama be real clear on where he is on immigration? We heard during the last administration great debate about strengthening immigration laws, and cracking down on such. Do you believe this is a remnant of the last administration and we're seeing kind of a delayed response of that promise to crack down on immigration?

AMAYA: Well, I think it's very clear that it's -- what we're seeing is attributable to the last administration. The fugitive operation teams that were funded, starting in 2003, at $9 million by FY '08, they were funded at over $200 million. And the quotas were increased for these strategic teams to arrest undocumented immigrants at 125 per year, and that quota went up for these agents to 1,000 per year. So it's very clear that this is completely and directly attributed to this so-called deportation-only process, and policies that were embraced by the Bush administration.

WHITFIELD: But if there is a net divide to crack down or to make arrests, to identify illegal residents or people who are illegal in this country, and once they are identified, and then there is a system in place in which to prosecute them, what is the problem with that?

AMAYA: Well, I think the problem, number one, is that we're talking about the immigration system. Not a criminal justice system. And the two should be completely separate and apart from each other. Right now, we criminalize an entire system which people come in here to this country --

WHITFIELD: But isn't immigration a federal -- a federal issue?

AMAYA: Immigration is a federal issue. But being here in the United States unlawfully is a civil violation, not a criminal violation. Yet they're processed as if they were criminal detainees, and that's completely --

WHITFIELD: And your preference would be from this point forward what?

AMAYA: Our preference would be that you first of all change the culture in the Department of Homeland Security. And that has to come from the top down. And we believe the Obama administration understands that you cannot criminalize people for committing a civil violation. We don't incarcerate people just for committing a traffic violation. We certainly shouldn't be incarcerating people just for being here impermissibly.

WHITFIELD: OK, John Amaya, thanks so much, appreciate it. We're out of time, but appreciate your input.

AMAYA: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Struggling to survive. Dolphins looking for food, instead trapped by instant ice with no help on the way.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Trapped under the ice. People unable to help, as a small school of dolphins fights for life.

CBC's Melanie Maggi reports.

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MELANIE MAGGI, CBC REPORTER (voice-over): Trapped and desperate for a way out. For three days now, as many as five white-beaked dolphins have been stuck in this small hole in the ice, a hole that is shrinking by the hour.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The ice is pushing closer to the dolphins' starvation.

MAGGI: On shore, residents of the tiny town watch and worry.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's more heart-wrenching at nighttime when you hear them cry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Those dolphins here last night, they were all crying. You could hear the screams coming. They were trying to break the ice, just to survive and there were out here empty handed.

MAGGI: It's believed the dolphins chased fish into the harbor, while they fed, a storm blew in, pushing ice from the open ocean, trapping them. People want a coast guard ice-breaker to free the dolphins.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. This came from a smaller dolphin also.

MAGGI: A move this whale rescue specialist says could do more harm than good.

WAYNE LEDWELL, WHALE RELEASE AND STRANDING GROUP: Push big chunks of ice ahead of them, and it could crush animals.

MAGGI: Officials say they're monitoring the situation. This expert says the weather that trapped them just might free them.

CLINT WRIGHT, VANCOUVER AQUARIUM: Basically, ice is coming on shore, it looks like, and so they're trapped in there, and let's see what the weather conditions bring to see if that starts breaking up.

MAGGI: The forecast calls for temperatures to rise in the next 48 hours and winds to change direction. And that may be enough to give the dolphins a way to freedom.

Melanie Maggi, CBC News, St. Johns.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)