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Times Square Taliban Link; Crews Weigh Options To Plug Leak; Children's Tylenol Recall

Aired May 09, 2010 - 17:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, now to the Times Square bombing suspect. Forget the lone wolf theory. U.S. officials are now linking the Times Square bomb plot to the Pakistani Taliban. The suspect, Faisal Shahzad, is a Pakistani-American who recently spent several months in Pakistan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN BRENNAN, WHITE HOUSE COUNTERTERRORISM ADVISER: It looks like he was working on behalf of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, the TTP, as the Pakistan Taliban. This is a group that is closely allied with al Qaeda. They have been responsible for a number of attacks in Pakistan against Pakistani targets as well as U.S. targets. But this is something that we're taking very seriously. The investigation is ongoing. We are learning more and more every day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: OK. Here's what we know right now. Faisal Shahzad is in custody accused of trying to bomb New York's Times Square last weekend. He allegedly spent five months in Pakistan, returning to the U.S. back in February. U.S. officials say Shahzad has traveled to Pakistan several times in recent years. Shahzad reportedly told U.S. investigators that he was trained in Waziristan, a lawless tribal area where the Pakistani Taliban and al Qaeda both operate. U.S. officials say that Pakistani Taliban is closely united with al Qaeda. So CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is in Karachi, Pakistan. Nic, how good has the cooperation been between Pakistan and the U.S.?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know that there were U.S. investigators here. And we know that they've been working side by side with Pakistani investigators. But the very fact that we're seeing on television here, being aired by the Pakistani channels, the latest statements by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton saying that there will be severe consequences for Pakistan if an attack in the future goes off and the roots of it are found to be here in Pakistan, and quoting her as well as saying that they need more cooperation from Pakistan in this effort against terrorism. They say they're getting good cooperation, but she said she needs to see more.

This is an indication, we understand, of some frustrations in the cooperation and the assistance that's been going on in the investigation so far. And it's really supposed to be a very public reality check to say publicly to the Pakistanis what's being said behind closed doors and privately. Initially when the first indications came that perhaps Shahzad had ties here to Pakistan when he said he'd been trained by the Pakistani Taliban, we heard quite a muted response from U.S. officials. But really this weekend, ratcheting that up. And that is really the best indication that things really could be better with this cooperation, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And talk to me about the link, the working relationship between this Pakistan Taliban and al Qaeda?

ROBERTSON: You know, here in Pakistan, you've gone to this situation on the border with Afghanistan, in the Waziristan area, where you have the Pakistani Taliban and you have al Qaeda. And they sort of have these joint operations together. Both claiming responsibility for that attack on the CIA base in Afghanistan at the end of last year killing seven CIA operatives. So you have that relationship. Feeding into the Pakistani Taliban you have a number of associated jihadist groups, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, south of Pakistan.

Jayshee Mohammed (ph). Now Jayshee Mohammed is coming in for a lot of attention right now because four of their alleged members have been arrested as part of this investigation. One of those guys was the one who allegedly drove Shahzad from here in Karachi right up to where the Pakistani Taliban are in Waziristan and introduced them allegedly to at least one Pakistani Taliban leader.

What you have here in Karachi is, if you will, a nexus of different Taliban-related jihadist elements, they're money gathering, if you will. And he seems to have sort of touched on part of that and fed in or been pushed towards the Pakistani Taliban.

But you can't think of them as being a separate organization. They're all getting this global jihadist world view. That world view being the United States is against Muslims. And it's a message that appears he picked up on and that they trade on. That's how they're bringing recruits in right now.

WHITFIELD: And clearly that means the financing is deep as well. Nic Robertson, thanks so much.

All right. Back in this country now, 3.5 million gallons. That's how much oil officials say has spilled from that broken BP well head in the Gulf of Mexico. And 210,000 gallons are added to that total every day. Balls of tar, some as big as golf balls, are already washing up along the Alabama coastline as you see right there. Crews are trying to catch the crude with nearly 200 miles of boom along with controlled burns and chemical dispersants. At a news conference today, BP officials said they are also getting help from the community.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ED THOMPSON, VESSELF OF OPPORTUNITY: We're recruiting vessels, local vessels, to help us out with the protection of the shoreline and the collection of oil, if necessary. And we want to use the local knowledge and the capabilities that these vessels and owners and crew provide us so that we can do a better job with the cleanup.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, crews are out at sea and they're reviewing several options to plug up that leak. One plan using a submerged four-story dome, well so far that hasn't worked. But other measures are being taken into consideration. Let's turn now to CNN's David Mattingly who is in Venice, Louisiana. So give me an idea what those options are and how confident they are about them.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, that dome is sitting aside right now. The problem they ran into is a crystal called hydrates. What this is like is sort of like an ice crystal that was forming when gas mixes with water down at those high pressures and low temperatures down below. They hadn't anticipated on it filling up the chamber and filling it up with a slushy like material.

This was making the container actually buoyant and clogging it up. So they sat it aside and they're taking a step back to try to figure out how to overcome this problem before they move on to something else. Those something else things that they have waiting in the wings would be to install possibly a new blowout preventer. This was the device that failed causing this disaster in the first place. So they're looking at putting on a new blowout preventer. They're also looking at filling the leaking pipe with solid material.

Now, both of these carry risks that could end up making the leak even worse. So right now they are concentrating on making their first option work. This containment dome that will sit over the largest of the two remaining leaks at the bottom of the ocean. They hope to be able to siphon that oil off to containment vessels on the top and prevent this disaster from getting any bigger while they look for, while they continue to drill, a relief well to eventually cap this off permanently.

WHITFIELD: And, David, how do people know that this has already been rather devastating to some wildlife or at least very dangerous?

MATTINGLY: Yes, it has. In fact, yesterday, last night, we saw a brown pelican being brought in. It was absolutely covered with oil. It was rescued. It was just dripping with oil when they took it out of the container and put it into the carrying vessel. And today there is a slight bit of good news behind this big disaster. That pelican that we saw is now completely cleaned up and ready to be released eventually. In fact, two of the rescued birds that they have taken in here in Louisiana will be released, we're told, tomorrow on the eastern coast of Florida, far away from this oil spill.

WHITFIELD: Wow. That was one lucky bird. And the brown pelican being Louisiana's state bird. We know very important and close at heart to the people there in that state. Nice happy ending, it sounds like, at least for that one bird. David Mattingly, thanks so much from Venice, Louisiana.

All right, still ahead, both the FDA and the makers of children's Tylenol are under fire after that recall of children's medicines. We'll explain why. And Jacqui Jeras is here to tell us which states could get some very dangerous weather later on in the week. We'll be checking in with her momentarily.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Lots of images of destruction coming out of the Tennessee floods still. We're talking about a week ago, those flash floods. But now folks are really starting to assess the damage, Jacqui, and try to clean up and do what they can. But you know what? The floodwaters didn't wipe out this house right now in Nashville you're hopefully about to see. It's kind of hard to see right here.

In fact, it was a mudslides that caused the damage that took place as a result. The home might be unlivable now. The family is a live, they're thankful. And yes, there's a better view right now of exactly what takes place. You know what, if you have flood insurance, that's not going to protect you from a mudslide.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, not necessarily.

WHITFIELD: Clearly a big problem. And a lot of us don't have flood insurance.

JERAS: This is really kind of an unprecedented event. They say this was more like a 1,000-year flood as opposed to even a 100-year flood in areas that have never flooded before ended up having water. So a very sad situation. It's going to take a long, long time. Weather's been good there this week, however.

WHITFIELD: That's good.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: OK, like I said, it is Mother's Day. And get this. It's also the 50th anniversary of the FDA approving the birth control pill. Doctors say it's one of the most important inventions of the last century since it helps women control their own fertility. Most women, American women, that is, say the pill improved their lives and it is still their favorite kind of contraception.

OK. So he looks more like a linebacker, right, than a baker? But with a little help from Betty Crocker, he found his passion and left behind a career in medicine.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A look now at our top stories. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates wants the Pentagon to slash wasteful spending. He wants to save $10 billion a year and shift spending towards the cost of war. In a speech yesterday in Kansas, he said that in our tough economy, the Pentagon might tighten its belt just like everyone else.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: The Department of Defense cannot go to America's elected representatives and ask for increases every year until we have done everything possible to make every dollar count, unless there is real reform in the way the Department of Defense does its business and spends taxpayer dollars.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, yesterday's stunning defeat of Republican Senator Bob Bennett of Utah could signal big changes in the November election. Delegates at Utah's GOP convention voted against the senator, preventing him from seeking a fourth term. Some conservatives criticized Bennett for voting to bail out Wall Street and cosponsoring a bipartisan bill mandating health insurance coverage.

And word out of Washington. President Barack Obama could name his Supreme Court pick within days. It looks like he's focusing on four candidates. The president has personally meet with candidates Elena Kagan, Judge Diane Wood, Judge Merrick Garland and Judge Sidney Thomas.

So we want to update you about a couple of big consumer recalls. Investigators believe they may have found the source of a nationwide e. Coli outbreak involving tainted romaine lettuce -- a farm in Yuma, Arizona. It's made more than a dozen people sick and the Freshway Foods recall affects 23 states. And Johnson and Johnson could be facing some tough questions by lawmakers in the coming weeks as well. Investigators want to know what prompted a recall of children's Tylenol, Motrin, Benadryl and other over the counter medications. They've launched an investigation, the FDA has.

So parents do want to know however if the kids who have taken the recalled medicine in recent days are in any danger. We're going to try to help you with that one, getting some of those questions that you might have answered. Don Mays is a senior director of product safety with "Consumer Reports" in Stamford, Connecticut. Good to see you.

DON MAYS, CONSUMER REPORTS: Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: First of all, help clarify, the Tylenol, the Motrin, the Benadryl, which ones should you be returning or simply throwing out? Are there certain time stamps on them?

MAYS: Well that's right. There are certain brand names and certain flavors of those medications that are being recalled. So you need to go to the Johnson and Johnson McNeil consumer health care Web site. It will give you information. We also have that information on the "Consumer Reports" Web site, where you can find out which products are actually affected. It is children's Tylenol, Motrin, Zyrtec and Benadryl.

WHITFIELD: You know, this is really alarming for any parent of kids. They have one if not all of these, you know, in their cupboard. And these are kind of the mainstays to fend off any kind of little cold or any kind of ache, et cetera.

MAYS: That's exactly right.

WHITFIELD: So how do you comfort so many parents out there who are saying oh my gosh, I think I gave my child any one of these things within the past week? What should they be looking for as to whether their child might be in trouble?

MAYS: Well, I'm actually one of those parents. I actually found the Tylenol and the Motrin in the medicine cabinet for my kids was part of that recall. Interestingly, back in September when the first children's Tylenol recall was announced, I checked those bottles and those bottles were not affected by that recall. So I've been continuing to use those with my children all along. Now I find they've been recalled.

WHITFIELD: Do you feel completely safe about that?

MAYS: There are many parents like myself that are actually angered about that, the fact that the recall wasn't wide enough. That trusted brands like Tylenol and Motrin can no longer be trusted. You know, we're talking about 43 different children's products. The problem here is that McNeil Consumer Health Care didn't respond to 46 consumer complaints saying people found black flakes floating.

WHITFIELD: And over what period of time?

MAYS: Well actually it was over a relatively short period of time. Some of the complaints have come in within the last six months. This launched an FDA inspection of McNeil's Pennsylvania plant. And after the inspection was complete, the recall was announced that night. So there were obvious violations with the quality and the safety of those medications being produced for children.

WHITFIELD: And so now the FDA is investigating, wanted to know, wait a minute, how is it that this company was unaware of these flakes or contaminants in these kind of vital over the counter medications, especially we're talking about over a six-month period. That's a lot of use in a lot of households where children were ingesting things that now we understand they shouldn't have been.

MAYS: That's exactly right. It wasn't just a matter of those flakes being in suspension. There are also issues with the fact that the active ingredients were in excess. The inner ingredients didn't meet their own internal testing specifications. And they also found bacteria in some of the samples. So this is a real concern. And as a result, the FDA has now recommended that people stop using these products completely and use the generic products or the store brands of the Motrin and Tylenol if your child is sick.

WHITFIELD: And that was going to be my next question. So what's the alternative? Because we all turn to these things? All right. Don Mays, thanks so much, senior director of protect safety with the "Consumer Reports" coming to us from Stamford, Connecticut. Appreciate your time.

MAYS: My pleasure.

WHITFIELD: All right, a new and strong warning this week that toxins threaten our health, especially our children's health. Two doctors debate the findings of a recent presidential panel that warns chemicals in our foods and water pose a, quote, "grievous harm."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: OK this is going to make you hungry because his mind was in medical school, but his heart was in the kitchen. Today as part of our "Follow Your Passion" series, you'll meet a would be doctor who has done just that, made transitions to follow his passion. He finds a recipe for success that has been topped with frosting.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHIP BROWN, BIG MAN BAKES: Oh, yeah. This is it. I'm Chip Brown also known as Big Man Bakes. I'm 6'5", 260 and I bake with very delicate hands. Welcome to Big Man Bakes. How are you? That's me. Welcome. First time?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're the guy?

BROWN: I'm the guy. I'm Big Man Bakes. I was not on a trajectory to be a master baker. I was on a trajectory to do medicine. I happened to have a Betty Crocker book. And there was a girl that I was trying to impress. Her birthday came up. And nobody was there. I said I'll be there. Let me read this book, bring over a cake and see what happens. It was a successful venture. That's where it all began.

I got into medical school. I did medical research and then went to UCLA Medical School. But I had always been doing catering on the side. I remember going to a UCLA meeting with the dean. He said what have you been doing in terms of your studying. Studying, but I also was selling cakes on the side. And one of my mentors thought that was a pretty funny answer. One thought it was not the best answer to tell the dean of the medical school.

I was at a party. Basically people were having my cake. Somebody said who made this cake? And they pointed to me across the room. And they said, big man bakes? There the name began. Big man bakes. Here we are.

It's not just a name. It's a real person. So every step in my life has been an important step. My trial and error in terms of running a scientific method is how I learned how to bake. Writing down recipes, trying it, throwing it out, starting it over. It was all from a science background.

So this is what a red velvet should look like. That beautiful, rich crumb. Look at how moist that is. Oh, that's it. It seems that as the economy tanks or is in a downward turn, this becomes one of those affordable luxuries that people don't want to dispense with. Is it the real deal?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the real deal.

BROWN: That's what I love to see. That's why I'm in this business, for that face.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Well Big Man Bakes is in Los Angeles. But who knows? Perhaps in its future, sprinkling cupcakes in other big cities somewhere near you. We'll keep you posted on Chip Brown's growth.

All right. A startling report out this week. It comes from the president's cancer panel. And it warns that all Americans, especially children, are at risk of, quote, "grievous harm from chemicals we use every day." CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta discussed the findings earlier this week with Campbell Brown.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAMPBELL BROWN, CNN HOST: This is pretty big news. You've got this blue-ribbon panel seeming to say that the government has really dropped the ball on regulating chemicals in the food we eat and the water we drink. Walk us through their findings.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, this is some the strongest language I think that we've of heard from this particular panel. They advise the president on all issues related to cancer.

This is the first time they've talked specifically about a link, a potential link between the environment and cancer. And they're really targeting in on some laws that they say are inept, a law called TOSCA, the Toxic Substances Control Act. They say it has really not worked.

Let me give it to you in more perspective. There are about 80,000 chemicals out there right now. Of those 80,000, only 200 have been tested and only five have been either restricted or banned, and that's over a few decades. So, they're not saying they're necessarily dangerous, they're not saying that they're safe. They're saying we simply don't know and that's unacceptable.

But they took it one step further, Campbell -- I think this is what got a lot of people's attention. They're saying, we don't know for sure, but based on all of the existing data out there, we believe that there's widespread possibility that there are a lots of cancer- causing chemicals out there right now that we're being exposed to and we want something done about it. That's what this panel said.

BROWN: And the big concern here -- I mean, it's all a big concern -- but the target focus is children, right? Especially children in utero, meaning pregnant women, ought to be especially careful?

GUPTA: That's right. You know, when it comes to children, there's really three issues. One is, first of all, as little testing as being done on adults, there's been even less on children -- first problem. Second problem is that pound for pound. Even though children weigh less than adults, they take in more air. They take in more water. They take in more food. Again pound for pound.

And finally, children are going to live longer, presumably. So, if the exposures are increasing, they're going to see more exposures. And those exposures are going to accumulate in their bodies.

Campbell, you'll be interested to know I was interested to know as a dad that if you test the umbilical cord of new moms, of babies, you can find 200-plus chemicals in that umbilical cord blood that are currently classified as hazardous.

BROWN: Wow.

GUPTA: It's pretty shocking. You know and I'm always careful as I'm sure you are. I don't want to overstate this because they haven't drawn the cause-and-effect relationship, but 200-plus chemicals before a baby is even born.

BROWN: It's amazing. One article I read said that our babies are being born and the word they used was "pre-polluted," which I thought was incredible. So let me ask, are we going to see because of this, the government step up in a big way? Do you anticipate new regulations to deal with all this stuff?

GUPTA: Well, I think this panel's recommendations are going to make an impact. But you know, the guy who's really been, I think the biggest champion for some time, is Senator Frank Lautenberg. He says this issue is going to be his legacy. He believes that he wants to introduce this thing called the Safe Chemical Act, where basically you have to prove something as safe before you release it. Right now, if you think about chemicals, a lot of them are innocent until proven guilty. You've got to prove something is unsafe and then take it off the market. He wants to reverse that equation, prove it's safe before we can release it. That's sort of what he's trying to adopt and fight for.

BROWN: Well, we'll see what comes of all of this. Sanjay Gupta, Dr. Sanjay Gupta joining us tonight. Sanjay, as always, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

GUPTA: Thank you, Campbell. Anytime, thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, pretty fascinating stuff and alarming. So some in the medical community are hailing this as a watershed moment. But not all agree.

Dr. Elizabeth Whelan is the president of the American Council on Science and Health. She disputes the reports of these findings. She's joining us now from New York. Dr. Jennifer Lowry, a medical toxicologist at Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in Kansas City, Missouri, supports the panel's report. All right. So good to see both of you. Parents may be rather shocked to hear what Dr. Gupta brought up in this report. And that the idea of prepolluted babies, Dr. Lowry, is alarming. What do you see in the patients you examine?

JENNIFER LOWRY, MEDICAL TOXICOLOGIST: Right now, I actually -- babies are born normal. They don't have any indication they've had the exposures before. But what we don't know is what the impact is of having those 200 chemicals or plus or minus that number in patients so that we don't know how they're going to develop, what kind of health effects they're going to have later on in life.

WHITFIELD: So are you convinced, then, when there are some reports, some experts who do say just as we heard Dr. Sanjay Gupta, that there may be something like 200 chemicals in the umbilical cord so that the babies have been predisposed, they have been exposed to all of these pollutants? Do you buy that?

LOWRY: Yeah, I do.

WHITFIELD: Even though you say you haven't seen the evidence --

LOWRY: I haven't seen the evidence -- well, we know that the chemicals are there. The CDC has released a number of different reports that have made that same statement in patient -- in people throughout the United States. They have found numerous chemicals including phthalates, BPA, different pesticides, different metals in us just because that's what we're exposed to on a daily basis. That's not making a leap from a woman who's pregnant, of course that's going to get into the placenta and then obviously into the child. What this report actually states though is we don't know what the effect is going to be on our -- on our children. And we need to do a lot more research to determine what effect it really does have.

WHITFIELD: OK. Dr. Whelan, you've been patient as you've been watching. You're nodding your head no, no, no. What part do you disagree with if not all?

ELIZABETH WHELAN, AMERICAN COUNCIL ON SCIENCE AND HEALTH: Well, everything. I was really shocked by the president's panel on cancer. It completely distorts what we know about the causation of human cancer. There's a science called epidemiology. And epidemiologists actually have studied for years the causes of human cancer. And the report does not even go into them in any depth. Instead it concentrates on the so-called chemicals in our life.

Now, I refer to this as a national problem of hemophobia, the fear of chemicals. It's really more of an emotional, psychiatric problem, which has no basis whatsoever in fact. You say the babies are prepolluted. You can find chemicals in the placenta. You can find anything in anything, in blood, in urine, whatever biomonitoring you do. The fact is the mere finding of this chemical does not mean it has any adverse health effect. I think, as a matter of fact all mainstream --

WHITFIELD: So you're saying just because there may be chemicals, they may not all be bad chemicals, they may not all cause harm. You're not necessarily wanting to dispute that there is chemical exposure, but that not all of it means a detriment to your health.

WHELAN: Life is chemicals. Everything is made of chemicals, Natural or synthetic. This is an absurd kind of argument to make that you fear chemicals. And by the way, I would like to say in reaction to the president's panel, all mainstream public health groups like the American Cancer Society have come out and say, this is terribly distorted. We're pointing people in the wrong direction. We know the causes of human cancer and we shouldn't be distracted by these bogus risks.

WHITFIELD: OK. We're not done talking to you all. I want to talk to you again. In fact, when we come back, I want to read a portion of the panel's finding and get your reaction on that when we come right back. We're going to take a short break for you. We'll resume our conversation with Dr. Whelan and Dr. Lowry.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. We're back with a discussion about the possible links between cancers and toxins in food and water according to some findings from the presidential cancer panel. Back with us now, Dr. Elizabeth Whelan and Dr. Jennifer Lowry. We've been talking about this recent report from the panel which is warning Americans, especially children, about the high risks, according to this panel, from chemicals in food, water and the environment. And two doctors here with completely different views on whether this actually merits such an argument. If there are chemicals that are influencing our health and whether these chemicals just exist and don't influence our health.

So Dr. Whelan and Dr. Lowry, this is a portion of what this presidential panel is saying. The panel urges you most strongly to use the power of your office to remove the carcinogens and other toxins from our food, water and air that needlessly increase health care costs, cripple our productivity and devastate American lives. This is the panel's letter being sent to the president. Dr. Whelan, you were saying it's difficult to know how influential any of these chemicals are. So what do you say about that statement?

WHELAN: Actually, it's not difficult to know. We know that everything is made of chemicals. If you look at natural foods, you'll find that many of them have cancer causing effects. They're natural. They're there. They're in your meals every day. They have no effect whatsoever. You know, I think this is a complete distortion of our intent to try to reduce the total cancer in the United States.

WHITFIELD: I don't know if I can interrupt you. I guess if there's no effect, what's the explanation for the cancer rates? If we're going to focus on cancer and that being one of the things that allegedly is being linked to all these chemicals and toxins, if we're saying chemicals don't have any bearing on our health, and we still don't really know the root of various cancers, how do you definitively defend that? WHELAN: First of all, we do know the root of many cancer. We know that 35 percent of our cancer deaths every year in America are caused by exposure to cigarette smoking. A growing portion of our cancers are related to obesity. Excessive exposure to sunlight, for example, is a very serious problem. Exposure to chemicals, now, there's an exception here. If you are working in an occupational setting where you're exposed to high doses of asbestos, whatever, which is, by the way, very improbable in this day and age, they have caused cancer. But these trace levels of cancer -- of chemicals which are in natural as well as synthetic products is a non-issue.

WHITFIELD: OK Dr. Lowry, based on what you're seeing in patients, particularly young people, what would be your argument to Dr. Whelan here. I saw you grimacing and shaking your head a number of times like no, no, no. What are you in disagreement with?

LOWRY: Well, my disagreement is that we don't know. There are so many different chemicals that we don't have any research on that says one way or the other whether they cause cancer or any health effects. We know that there are a number of different environmental exposures that have caused health effects, lead mercury, a number of different triggers obviously that cause asthma. So the environment plays a huge role in health.

Specifically in regard to cancer, we know that in third world countries, for example, when we bring in our chemicals, either arsenic or even in our own country when they're exposed to benzene for long periods of time and not know about it that they do cause cancer.

Now, we don't know what the small effects, the small amount of environmental chemicals either natural or manufactured have in our body, but that's what the report says. The report says we need to find out what happens with these chemicals, either chemicals by themselves or chemicals actually that are in a mixture. And we don't know what's going on within our bodies when we get exposed to them.

WHITFIELD: All right. Something tells me it's going to take a little time before there's common ground from you two's perspectives on this, too. Dr. Whelan, looks like you had something to say real quick, five seconds or left.

WHELAN: Well I would say that we should pay attention to the known causes of cancer and spend less time focusing on the hypothetical ones because it diverts us from good health.

WHITFIELD: All right. Dr. Elizabeth Whelan, Dr. Jennifer Lowry, thanks to both of you for joining us on what is a very difficult subject and clearly extreme views from all ends, not just involving you two, but many. That's why there is this kind of a panel that has come about. Thanks so much. Appreciate it.

LOWRY: Thank you very having me.

WHELAN: Thank you very much.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well it's definitely rough for a lot of kids with parents deployed overseas, especially at bedtime. So it's a good thing there's a new program helping military parents bridge the miles.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know it's helping me out a lot. Especially knowing the response that's coming from it. Just mentally calming me down. And enabling me to stay focused.

SPC. BRIAN JOHNSON, SOLDIER: Hi. My name's specialist Brian Johnson. I'm coming to you from Baghdad, Iraq. I'd like to give a shout out to my lovely wife, Jody. Jody, I love you. Happy Mother's Day. I'll see you in a few weeks.

CPT. TRACY BUETTNER, SOLDIER: Hi, I'm Captain Tracy Buettner from Shindand, Afghanistan. I wanted to give out a shout out to my sister, Amy Pollack (ph). Happy Mother's Day, I miss you, I love you. Tell Lila her ta ta says hi.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY: There's no way this I could ever fully measure all that my own mommy has done for me. This is my mommy. This woman who tries to take absolutely no credit for who I am, for some reason, she is my rock. She has pulled me up when I've stumbled. She's pulled me back when I've run out of line, talking a little too much. She'll snap me up. She really does push me to be the best woman that I can be. Truly, as a professional and as a mother and as a friend. And she has always, always, always been there for me. And as our family has grown, she's managed to expand her love for all of us. And raising our girls in the White House with my mom, I'm not going to do this. It's a beautiful experience. And the opportunity to have three generations of living in the White House, it's beautiful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: That was Michelle Obama this week paying tribute to her mom and, of course, happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there, especially my mom and my sister, also a mom.

All right, all military families go through this. Mom or dad is deployed overseas and the children are left waiting for that next hug. Our Sandra Endo tells us about a program that helps these families stay connected through the bedtime stories.

SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, the U.S. military is increasing efforts to keep service members and their children at home more connected during months of deployment. They're using creative ways to keep every-day family rituals alive.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ENDO: So, where's your daddy at?

AMARI LUNN, MILITARY CHILD: On a ship.

ENDO: On a ship?

ENDO: Three-year-old Amari Lunn can't wait for daddy to come home.

FAINA LUNN, MARRIED TO U.S. NAVAL OFFICER: I have to explain to him that daddy's working. But he's like, "But when is daddy coming home?"

ENDO: Daddy is Navy Chief Gary Lunn, currently on the USS Dwight Eisenhower, deployed in the North Arabian Sea. Lunn has been deployed for six months; his family eagerly awaits his return.

F. LUNN: Where do you see daddy? Do you see daddy on the TV?

A. LUNN: Yeah.

ENDO: This is Lunn's 9th deployment. But this one is different thanks to a program his kids affectionately call the "Daddy Show." F. LUNN: Press play. Back up so you can see daddy.

ENDO: Through a non-profit program called United Through Reading, deployed service members can choose a book and record videos from their base to read aloud to their children.

CHIEF GARY LUNN, U.S. NAVY: Today, I'm going to read, the book is called "The Ear Book."

A. LUNN: "The Ear Book!"

ENDO: Programs like this one that help keep families connected are becoming increasingly popular in the military. When service members with kids are deployed for long stretches, psychologists say it's the children who feel it the most.

LYNETTE FRAGA, ZERO TO THREE: Some children may withdraw and you have a difficult time talking about their experience. Or some children are very aggressive and you might see them crying a lot or having trouble sleeping.

ENDO: But with these videos, smiles often replace tears, especially for the Lunn family.

ROMELLO LOVINSKY, MILITARY CHILD: It's, like, better because I get to see him and he'll get to talk with me and stuff on the videos.

ENDO: Do you see a difference in your kids?

F. LUNN: Yes, yes. Now, he thinks daddy's around more.

ENDO: It's also a major morale boost for the parent serving far away.

G. LUNN: I know it's helping me out a lot, especially knowing the response that's coming from it. Just mentally, calming me down and enabling me to stay focused at my job. I love you. I love all of you. Mwah!

A. LUNN: Mwah!

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ENDO: With the country engaged in two wars and many service members facing multiple deployments, the military is expanding and promoting programs which help ease the strain on families -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Sandra.

All right, well it's new and different and you don't want to miss it. My new segment "Face-to-Face with Fredricka" starts May 22nd with an interview of that recognizable face, CNN founder, Ted Turner. And of course, we want to hear from you if you've ever wanted to ask Ted Turner a question, this is your chance. Just send your questions and I'll actually pose them to Ted Turner to CNN.com/Fredricka. Or you can find me on Facebook at Fredricka Whitfield CNN. We'll get the questions to him and you know he'll be frank, you know he'll speak his mind, so get those questions in.

All right, stay with the CNN NEWSROOM. At the top of the hour, Jacqui Jeras is tracking some severe weather for the week ahead. And White House officials say they have evidence the suspect in the failed Times Square bombing is linked to the Taliban in Pakistan. A live report from Karachi is straight ahead in the NEWSROOM with Don Lemon.

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