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For President, Vacation not Exactly Vacation; Protect Yourself From Salmonella-Tainted Eggs; Donors Slow to Respond to Pakistan Flooding; South Carolina Case Highlights Desperate Parents Unable to Cope; How to Battle Bedbugs; Muslim Woman Sues Disney Over Wearing Scarf; Gregory Taylor Freed from Prison
Aired August 21, 2010 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: This hour, the egg recall grows to more than half a billion. More than 1,000 people are sick, and now investigators have zeroed in on a cause. We'll tell you about it.
Freedom of religion versus a workplace dress code -- why Disney isn't the happiest place on earth for one Muslim woman who worked there.
Bedbugs are back, and with a vengeance. And no one is safe, especially children. One family's horror story includes their newborn baby. What you need to know to protect your family this hour.
Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. Thanks for joining us. The nation's massive egg recall has grown to more than half a billion eggs. It's all because of an outbreak of salmonella, the bacteria that has sickened more than a thousand people since last month. The recall centers on two giant egg distributors in Iowa, Hillandale Farms and Wright County Eggs. Their eggs are sold under more than a dozen brand names in more than a dozen states.
And to find out which states are affected and for links to the plant numbers and date codes you need to be able to look out for, make sure you log onto our Web site, CNN.com/health. All the information you need to know there. And coming up in about eight minutes here on CNN, I'm going to talk to a doctor about what you can do to protect yourself and your family.
In the meantime, President Barack Obama and his family are off to Massachusetts, to the coast, vacationing in Martha's Vineyard. It is a beautiful place with plenty of fun things to do, but as Mr. Obama is finding out, vacationing while serving as president rarely means enjoying a lot of time off.
Here's CNN's White House correspondent Dan Lothian.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It may have looked like a vacation -- swimming, bike riding, golf, and ice cream. But by the dictionary's definition, freedom from work, president Obama has never been on holiday.
KENNETH WALSH, "U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT": When a president goes away, he can't really escape the job. Not only does he have briefings and so on, but it's got to be in the back of his mind the sense that something could erupt at any moment.
LOTHIAN: And it does. President Obama's Hawaii Christmas getaway was interrupted almost before it began by the so-called underwear bomber.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're learning more as the night goes on about what the White House is calling an attempted act of terrorism...
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The American people should be assured that we are doing everything in our power to keep you and your family safe and secure during this busy holiday season.
DENIS MCDONOUGH, CHIEF OF STAFF, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: My BlackBerry started to go off quite vigorously. And while I tried to ignore the first couple, I wasn't able to ignore it for long. And so we went right to work on this.
LOTHIAN: Denis McDonough, a top national security adviser traveling with the president, managed the flow of intelligence information, linking Hawaii to the White House Situation Room.
MCDONOUGH: Arranging for the phone calls, making sure that General Jones was in regular touch with the president, John Brennan was in regular touch with the president, to make sure that we're doing everything we can to stop the immediate threat.
LOTHIAN: It isn't always a national crisis. While the first family was on Martha's Vineyard last year, Senator Ted Kennedy died and the White House announced the reappointment of Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke.
ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: If you've been in the pool on -- in either Martha's Vineyard or Hawaii, I think you could attest to the fact that the notion of a presidential vacation is one Sit Room call away from becoming a...
LOTHIAN: Well, from becoming just another day at the White House. Correspondent Ann Compton, who has covered seven presidents for ABC News, has seen her share of disrupted presidential vacations, but none more than while traveling with George Herbert Walker Bush.
ANN COMPTON, ABC NEWS: Saddam Hussein invades Kuwait. President Gorbachev of Russia is subject to a coup and held hostage. Every single time the president got to Kennebunkport, all heck would break loose somewhere around the world.
LOTHIAN: A vacation may mean freedom from work, but rarely for the president.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Dan Lothian joins us now live from Martha's Vineyard. Dan, its's deja vu from a year ago. I was just talking to you from that very location, remember, a year ago. Listen, so how does the president keep in touch when he's...
LOTHIAN: That's right.
LEMON: ... when he's on vacation -- keep up to speed, I should say, while he's working -- or while on vacation in Martha's Vineyard?
LOTHIAN: Right. Well, you know, he gets briefings either on paper. He'll get briefings on the economy, or in person. He's traveling this year with his national security or director of counterterrorism and homeland security John Brennan, who can brief the president on what is going on, any threats that might be ongoing, or if there is, indeed, a crisis. And yesterday, in fact, John Brennan attended the briefing that was held with the deputy press secretary here at our hotel.
So yes, the president travels with a typical traveling staff, which is a pared-down staff from what he has when he's working at the White House, but also has all the other additional personnel who can help him if, indeed, a big crisis does explode.
LEMON: All right. Dan Lothian, tough assignment. Don't work too hard while you're in Martha's Vineyard, OK?
(LAUGHTER)
LOTHIAN: We're working very hard!
LEMON: All right, Dan. Thank you.
You know, after more than seven years and at a cost of more than 4,000 American lives, the U.S. combat mission in Iraq is all but over. A flag ceremony today marked the moment at Camp Virginia in Kuwait. Operation Iraqi Freedom does not officially end until August 31st, but the last full combat convoy has already left Iraq. And by the end of the month, the U.S. force in Iraq is supposed to be down to 50,000 troops serving in non-combat roles.
Disneyland is supposed to be a place of joy, happiness and magic. But one woman says it's also a place of discrimination.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why would I work in the back? Oh, because of the Disney look (ph). And then I said, you know, You just hired me because of my hijabi look, because I look as a Muslim.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Well, now she is suing the park for the right to wear her head scarf.
And the FDA says the massive national egg recall is only going to get bigger. And every day, more brands are being added to that list. So which ones are they, and how can you avoid picking up a bad batch? We're going to tell you about that.
And don't just sit there (INAUDIBLE) be part of the conversation. Make sure you send us a message on Twitter and FaceBook and check out our blog at CNN.com/don. Or you can also check us out on Foursquare.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: As we have been reporting here on CNN, the nation's massive egg recall has grown to more than a half billion eggs. More than a thousand people have been sickened by salmonella, the bacteria that causes extreme stomach discomfort, and in some people even more dangerous problems. The eggs originated in Iowa, the nation's number one egg producer, and they've been distributed in at least 14 states. You can find details on what to look for on CNN.com/health.
And for more on how to protect yourself, right now I'm joined by Dr. Randy Martin with the Piedmont Heart Institute right here in Atlanta. So I went to the supermarket just before...
DR. RANDY MARTIN, PIEDMONT HEART INSTITUTE: You did a good job.
LEMON: Yes. And I Just -- I grabbed -- I said, Did you guys get the recalled eggs? They said, No, we didn't get them, but you know, another place got them. But just looking at it, how do you know that? How do you...
MARTIN: Well, you really don't know, and that's what's so unique about this infection is that, basically, it's the intact eggs that have really been disinfected because the hens' ovaries were infected, so the eggs got infected before the shells were formed. So you don't know. You really don't know.
LEMON: OK, you know, we're making a big deal out of this -- I want to set this down here. We're making a big deal out of it, but how big a deal is this? Because there are thousands of cases every year, right?
MARTIN: Right. Absolutely. I think it's important for the audience to remember that 76 million people get food-borne illnesses every year, probably about 40,000, maybe even as many as 100,000 cases of salmonella food-borne illnesses. So it's relatively common. And eggs is just one of the culprits -- undercooked poultry, water, actually, pets, reptiles, lizards, turtles, those things. So it's relatively common in this country to have salmonella infections.
LEMON: You said but there's one simple solution to most of this if you're -- when you're cooking with eggs or whatever...
MARTIN: Right.
LEMON: ... and your meat and the bacteria (INAUDIBLE)
MARTIN: I mean, you know, the bottom line is that you want to cook your foods properly, and you absolutely want to wash your hands, wash the utensils, those sort of things, and store (ph) them. I mean, eggs are actually -- you know, as a cardiologist, we used to rag on eggs, said, you know, they're really bad for you. Eggs are actually a great source of protein and a lot of the good vitamins. But there are other sources.
So if you're really concerned, have some tofu, other things like that. Refrigerate your eggs. They got to be less than 40 degrees. Store them individually, like you've done, and then cook them. They got to be more than 160 degrees for 10 minutes. And eat them promptly.
LEMON: So these that have been out of the refrigerator for a couple of hours, then I should probably toss. I wouldn't want to go home and cook them.
MARTIN: No, no, no. I think -- I think those -- you know, it's cool in here. I think they'd be OK. I mean, I think it's really important. Most healthy people, even if you get infected in the get the salmonella, you're going to do fine. I mean, you're going to be sick. It's really the young children and the elderly or those that are really debilitated that we worry about. So I think for most of us, you'd be sick for a few days, but we're going to get well.
LEMON: OK, so I you have the symptoms -- what are the symptoms?
MARTIN: Well, you get abdominal cramps, fever, diarrhea, could get vomiting. It's usually three days or so after you've been exposed. Most people, as I said, you just treat it conservatively, keep your fluid intake up.
LEMON: When do you know if you should call a doctor?
MARTIN: If you really get profuse diarrhea, if your children get it, if you're taken care of elderly parents at home, they get it, or if you really start feeling super-dehydrated, I'd definitely call the doctor.
LEMON: Yes. It's important that we're giving people this information. Even though it happens every year, you still need the information to...
MARTIN: I mean, I think so. And I mean, I think this is serious for the egg producers. But I think in the scheme of things, you know, a lot of -- 40,000 cases at least of salmonella infection every year. Less than 30 die. And that's usually the elderly.
LEMON: Thank you, Doctor.
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: ... you did a good job shopping.
LEMON: Yes, you can take the eggs, if you want. Why don't you take them?
MARTIN: You're chicken to eat them, right?
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: You know what I was going to ask you -- when it's in cakes and stuff like that, when you cook it into the foods, rather than just eating an egg, is it still fine?
MARTIN: Great point. You don't want to eat raw eggs, partially cooked -- you know, the "Rocky" drink, any of those things. If it's in commercially prepared things, they're usually pasteurized and they're fine. It's the homemade mayonnaises, the homemade ice creams, those things you got to watch out for. I wouldn't be worried about those eggs.
LEMON: Thank you very much. Go out and buy eggs, right? Just be careful...
MARTIN: Well, I think...
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: Yes, and there are other sources of protein.
LEMON: All right. Thank you, sir.
MARTIN: Thanks, Don.
LEMON: Appreciate it. And be sure you join me tomorrow for more expert advice on this. I'm going to be talking with a doctor. Her name is Dr. Margaret Hamburg. She's a commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, the commissioner of the FDA joining us tomorrow. I'm going to ask her about the egg recall, as well as the safety of seafood in the Gulf of Mexico and other issues when it concerns our food. That's tomorrow night, 7:00 PM Eastern, right here on CNN.
In the meantime, barred from the ballet -- or from the ballot. Excuse me! Barred from the ballot. Why Wyclef Jean's presidential dream may be crushed. That's next. Plus, in Spain, spectators love their bullfights, but this bull loves its spectators. Look at this. We've seen this video. It is amazing. Can you imagine being in that crowd?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Time now to check our top stories on CNN. He can make music, but he can't make a run for Haiti's president. Wyclef Jean learned last night that he is not on the list of approved candidates -- not on the list. Haiti's Electoral Council did not give a reason for rejecting the musician, but Jean says it's because the council did not consider him a resident of the country. 19 presidential candidates were approved, but 15 others were rejected.
In Brazil, one person was killed and four police officers were wounded today in a gunfight over drugs outside a Rio de Janeiro hotel. Police say the gunmen fled into the hotel, where they took 35 people hostage. Ten people were arrested, and the hostages were eventually freed. Police say the man, who was killed, was wanted for dealing drugs. Police searched the hotel for other gunmen but did not find any.
The number of people killed in the worst natural disaster in Pakistan's history is now more than 1,500. Three weeks into the catastrophe, half a million people have tried to escape a second wave of monsoon flood waters today. Health officials say the human toll is expected to get worse as people are forced to wade through unsanitary water. The flooding has left at least four million people in Pakistan homeless. So I want you to picture this. Imagine if every person in Maryland, Minnesota and Missouri were victims of a disaster -- homeless, injured, hungry, or all three. That is the size of Pakistan's devastation now. International aid officials say many people are having a hard time grasping the enormity of Pakistan's flood problems.
To put it into perspective, Nan Buzard from the American Red Cross joins me now. She is senior director of the international response programs. Of course, Nan, any loss of life is significant. But when you look at the numbers, this month's flooding in Pakistan has not been as deadly as other catastrophes, but in terms of survivors impacted, this may be the worst that we have seen in the last five years.
NAN BUZARD, AMERICAN RED CROSS: It's true, Don. The extent of this very extensive flooding is taking, I would say, in some ways, the international community by surprise. This happens with floods a lot. They're not sudden, like an earthquake. And it's been a slow movement, but as you said, almost 20 million people in Pakistan affected by this flood. And it's coming down right through the whole entire breadbasket of Pakistan.
LEMON: Listen, the ongoing concern is that Pakistan has not been receiving enough help. Is that what you're seeing at the Red Cross there? How much are people giving?
BUZARD: Well, I have to say, for disaster responders, we never can get enough and do enough as fast as we want to. Pakistan has definitely gotten off to a slow start internationally and also at the American Red Cross. Internationally, more and more funds are starting to come in. A week ago, I was with the Pakistan general consul (ph) in New York, and the U.S. government committed to $55 million. But now the U.S. government is up to $150 million in relief aid that's been committed.
At the American Red Cross, I have to say the donations have been coming in fairly slowly. There are a lot of disasters around the world, and sometimes it takes people a little while to really -- to gear up. But it is -- it's noticeably less than what we certainly had for Haiti or the tsunami. But again, it doesn't have the kind of intensity and drama, at least initially, that those other disasters did.
LEMON: Yes, well, at least the number of deaths, I mean -- but you have way more people affected in this than you did in some of those other dramas and other disasters. Hey, Nan, knowing how large Pakistan's need is, why do you think people are giving or the government and private entities have not been as generous as before?
BUZARD: I think that these are one of these very kind of a million- dollar question. It's probably a range of issues. There's no question that floods, in and of themselves, rarely have the kind of attention nor receive the kinds of funds that we do in other kinds of disasters. That's true domestically at the American Red Cross. We can have extensive flooding in the Midwest, and the amount of public outpouring is usually less than wildfires on the West Coast or a hurricane in the gulf or in Florida. So floods across the world do not -- don't have that kind of compelling imagery that we get in earthquakes and other kinds of disasters.
I also think Pakistan is far away. There's a political dimension. It's a rural area, so you don't have these big cities that are getting inundated. So I think it's a whole range of issues.
LEMON: Yes, you talked about the hurricane and the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina is next week, and it was one of the worst hurricanes in the United States. But put that disaster in global perspective for us, as compared to the floods in Pakistan.
BUZARD: Well, we're not always keen to really rank disasters because for the individuals and communities and countries that have been affected by them, they're enormous. I think the important thing to remember here is that it is a huge number of people, and while the death toll is low, we don't know where this is going, either in terms of an outbreak of infectious disease or something like cholera, with so much water being infected.
But also what I'm really paying attention to is the migration of people. Are they going to stay in this breadbasket, in this central plateau, or are they going to go to urban areas, which is going to be the tendency that people have lost their assets and their household? That kind of migration is going to potentially have knock-on effects in terms of disasters even a year or two or three later. And that's I think the hard thing to calculate here.
LEMON: Nan Buzard is with the American Red Cross. She's a senior director of international response and program. Thank you very much. We appreciate it.
BUZARD: Thank you, Don.
LEMON: A mother is charged with suffocating her little boys. The murders of these two toddlers is an unspeakable crime, and behind it lies a dilemma facing many families, parents who can't handle caring for their own kids. Just ahead, help for overwhelmed moms and dads on the brink.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: This is just a horrible story we heard about last week. A mother in South Carolina is facing charges she murdered her two toddler sons. Shaquan Dudley (SIC) was not able to go to the funeral of her boys, 2-year-old Devian (ph) and 18-month-old Javan (ph). The child-sized caskets broke the hearts of the 400 people who attended the services Thursday in Orangeburg. The sheriff there says Dudley -- or Duley, excuse me -- shows remorse. He says Duley is poor, jobless and was overwhelmed after her mother had just yelled at her for not taking care of her kids.
She spoke briefly during her arraignment on Wednesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Ms. Duley, how're you doing, ma'am?
SHAQUAN DULEY, CHARGED WITH MURDERING HER CHILDREN: I'm OK, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Ms. Duley, you're being charged, ma'am on arrest warrant M-214092 and also on arrest warrant M-214093, both charging you with the offense of murder, ma'am. You understand that?
DULEY: Yes, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You understand, Ms. Duley, that this is not...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: While Duley's charges are inexcusable -- inexcusable -- the situation highlights a problem that advocates say is only getting worse in this down economy, parents who don't abuse their kids or drugs or (ph) on the brink, desperate and unaware there are options for them.
I want to go now to Cyd Wessel. She joins us from Tampa, Florida, to talk to us about all of this, all of these options. She's the senior director of Healthy Families America, which is a part of Prevent -- a Prevent Child program -- Abuse America program. First, Cyd, what went through your mind when you heard about this mother in South Carolina arrested for allegedly killing her kids?
CYD WESSEL, SR. DIR., HEALTHY FAMILIES AMERICA: Well, obviously, Don, I think I'm like many people, very saddened at the loss of such precious life for these children. But given what I do on a daily basis, I guess I really wasn't surprised. Families today are faced with economic burdens that are unprecedented in our history. And so what we're finding is that states and systems are actually having to target services to families who probably never thought they would need support.
LEMON: Some people are always going to fall through the cracks, but this economy exacerbates this issue and it raises the possibility of more situations like this one.
WESSEL: It certainly does. And I think that, you know, why I'm pleased to be here today is to inform people about the wonderful services that do exist to support families and to be there before it reaches the breaking point. And so you know, I'd like to highlight some of those programs with you right now. And I think one of the things to keep in mind is many people don't know where to turn or who to call in their community. And one of the services provided through Prevent Child Abuse America is our 1-800-children's number. Wherever you are in the United States, that number will be routed within your state so that you have someone there who can support you in finding services you need within your community.
LEMON: So the number...
WESSEL: The other thing...
LEMON: ... is 1-800-CHILDREN? (SIC) WESSEL: Correct.
LEMON: OK. If you need help. And so, listen...
WESSEL: The other thing...
LEMON: ... there are -- there are services. You were going to talk about another thing, but I want to get this right. A mom or a parent can just call if they're having an issue, and they can get help from social services, and their kids can be taken away temporarily and watched by someone at social services?
WESSEL: Well, yes. There are a couple different services, just to clarify. I think there is a misperception that the Department of Child and Family Services is only about taking children away. That simply is not true. In fact, they're committed to family preservation and strongly believe that children do best when they are reared in their home with their biological parents.
And we're, you know, happy to have those services there when we desperately need them, but there are other services. And really, the majority of the services that the Department of Child and Family Services provide are to families in an effort to prevent it from ever getting to the point of needing foster care.
LEMON: OK, here's...
WESSEL: There's another much...
LEMON: But here's what I want to drill down on real quickly, Cyd, because I think what people don't know -- if you're having trouble, if you're feeling desperate in some way or you're not able to take care of your kids, you can call social services -- I want to make this very clear -- and for a few days or a few hours, you can have someone watch your kids or take care of your kids for you until you go seek professional help or until you get a break, so you can get a break from your children?
WESSEL: Well, just to clarify, there are services called "respite care" and to give parents, absolutely, a much-needed break. The unfortunate thing is they aren't available in all communities. Many times, in particular, parents who have special needs children, whether they be medical needs or severe autism or some type of medical condition, those parents definitely need a break.
They can even schedule maybe one day a week where their child is placed in certified child care, whether it be home-based or center- based, and that child care is paid for. The parents do not have to pay. In some cases, there might be a sliding fee scale, but they're certainly affordable services.
And other parents, regardless of special needs with their children, can look to see if respite services are available in their community, where the child would go, typically for a few hours or a day, to a child care provider. LEMON: All right, Cyd Wessel's in Tampa, Florida, where she is a director of Healthy Families America. Thank you so much. We really appreciate your time.
Thank you so much. We appreciate your time.
WESSEL: Great. Thank you.
LEMON: Remember these guys? An Arizona prison escapee and his cousin, slash, fiancee, slash accomplice were captured after being on the run for nearly a month. They probably won't be seeing the outside of a prison any time soon. And we'll hear about a hero as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARMON PARKER, CNN HERO: I have worked all over Kenya. Every community has the same story. Crocodiles and hippos, and loved ones lost.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: How one man is saving lives by bridging gaps, literally. This week's "CNN Hero" when we come right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: More than 60,000 people drown in Africa every year, but this week's "CNN Hero" is saving lives by building bridges that help Kenyans cross rivers, swollen by heavy rains and filled with crocodiles. Every day, Harmon Parker's work connects thousands with life-changing resources and each other.
(CNN HEROES)
LEMON: Time now to check your top stories.
New rules for claims other the gulf oil disaster. The Associated Press says these come straight from Ken Feinberg who is overseeing the process for the government. Getting paid now depends on how close you live to the spill and how much you depend on the gulf's natural resources. And By the fall, anyone claiming long-term loses will probably have to give up the right to sue B.P. and other companies involved.
The private security firm once known as Blackwater has reached a $142 million settlement with the State Department with alleged export violations. The civil settlement applies to 288 violations between 2003 and 2009. It involves the unauthorized export of defense articles and services to what the State Department describes as foreign end users in multiple countries. The company, now known as "Xe", continues to receive government contracts.
Bail is set for $1 million each for an Arizona prison escapee and his accused accomplice. John McCluskey and Casslyn Mae Welch were the targets of a nationwide manhunt for the last three weeks. A tip from a Forest Service staffer led to the pair's arrest. It was late Thursday at a campground in Springerville, Arizona. McCluskey was one of three inmates who escaped July 30th. All have been recaptured.
One year after a massive government bailout, General Motors is taking steps toward a new financial plan.
And the bedbug epidemic. How to battle these pests if they come to a bed near you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: A "Fit Nation" report now featuring some grandfathers who figure you're never too old to play soccer -- at least if you take a few precautions. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a look at their game plan.
(FIT NATION)
LEMON: Thank you, doctor.
Talk about a horror movie. A theater in New York City's Times Square is the latest business to shut down to battle a bedbug infestation.
CNN's Susan Candiotti takes us inside one New York family's battle against the creepy bloodsuckers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At first Rahela Sashedina thought her son made a black pen mark on her newborn's white bassinet.
RAHELA SACHEDINA, QUEENS, NY RESIDENT: Darn, I should do something about this. I went closer and it started moving. I got freaked out.
CANDIOTTI: Who wouldn't be freaked out? Sachedina's husband knew what it was.
SACHEDINA: It's a bedbug. I was like, oh, my lord.
(LAUGHTER)
This can't be happening.
ALI SACHEDINA, QUEENS, NY RESIDENT: They want to know, in fact, you have them. So this is our proof.
CANDIOTTI: The couple said they traced the infestation to the delivery of a brand new mattress from a well-known store. After being treated, the mattress is all wrapped up.
SACHEDINA: This is the bedbug cover. The bedbug cover is like a case for the mattress. It's all sealed.
CANDIOTTI: Mom said she and her baby were bitten.
SACHEDINA: We found blood marks on the sheets.
CANDIOTTI: The Sachedinas' lives haven't been the same since.
ALI SACHEDINA: We spent at least $1500.
CANDIOTTI: The family moved out, an exterminator moved in. And after a month, they are not done cleaning everything. Their drawers and closets practically bare.
SACHEDINA: This was packed. Each hanger was packed with clothes. I like clothes.
(LAUGHTER)
ALI SACHEDINA: We took every piece of fabric and clothing in the entire house and took it downstairs, dried it, folded it, sealed it, and then took them to storage.
CANDIOTTI: Cold kills the critters so look at what's in the freezer.
ALI SACHEDINA: Such as one of my wife's purses, which we can't clean or dry clean or dry.
CANDIOTTI: Neighbors didn't know what to think.
ALI SACHEDINA: They started asking questions like, hey, are you moving out? Is there something going on between you and your wife?
CANDIOTTI: It's hard not to feel stigmatized.
SACHEDINA: We just didn't want to tell anybody because it was -- for me, I felt not dirty but tainted.
CANDIOTTI: Then there is that funny feeling that's hard to shake.
SACHEDINA: I wake up in the middle of the night thinking I have things crawling on me.
CANDIOTTI: A bedbug's parting gift.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Oh, man.
A Muslim employee is suing Disney for the right to wear her head scarf.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IMANE BOUDLAL, MUSLIM DISNEYLAND WORKER: Why would I work in the back? Well, because this is a Disney look. Then I said, you know, you just hired me because of my hijabbie look, because I look like a Muslim.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Is it discrimination or a misunderstanding? My interview with her is straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The battle over the proposed mosque near Ground Zero is just one of the debates over the role of Islam in American society. In California, Imane Boudlal is suing Disneyland because she says the company won't let her wear a Muslim headscarf on the job. She explains why she's putting the company's dress code to the test. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOUDLAL: It's part of my belief and religion. Wearing the scarf is important and it's a requirement. So I knew it was a requirement. Not just me, but everybody knows, as a Muslim woman, or just being the fact they are Muslim. And wasn't ready to wear it. Then I decided to wear my hijab. That's been like a year right now. I just felt I'm ready for it.
LEMON: Yes. Go ahead.
BOUDLAL: Like you go through different stages. Like a year, I was ready to wear it.
LEMON: So personally, you felt that you had grown enough and that you were strong enough to be able to wear the scarf. Is that correct?
BOUDLAL: Exactly.
LEMON: Here's what people will say. You recently got your citizenship.
BOUDLAL: Mm-hmm.
LEMON: After you got it you decided to wear the scarf. People will think, well, you got your citizenship and decided to break the rules after you got your citizenship and after you had been, you know, working there for two years and not wearing the scarf.
BOUDLAL: OK. Well, that's the thing. That's totally wrong because the fact is not that I became American citizen, but that was the reason how I find out I have the right to wear the scarf. Because I was reading the Constitution. Even before I was here, I was a green card holder like as a resident. So basically, I have the same right. Doesn't matter if I'm American or just as a resident in the United States. So I should have the right to wear the scarf. But because -- maybe I should have read the Constitution the fist day I came to JFK Airport. Maybe that was the mistake that I didn't do. I'm glad that after --
LEMON: Well --
BOUDLAL: Go ahead.
LEMON: You said you're glad that after that you have now had the courage to do it. I think I know where you're going to go. The thing is, I understand that. But with your company, when you originally took the job in the contract -- I'm going to read Disney's statement in a minute. It says you had to abide by certain rules and dress a certain way. On most jobs, there is a dress code, even here on CNN. Yours is to be a cast member and dress the part. Do you feel you misrepresented yourself by, all of a sudden, two years into the job, and deciding to change what you wear?
BOUDLAL: I -- no, I did not, totally did not. Because at the same time, if you look at the Disney policy, they're saying that, OK, Disney look and show -- but at the same time, after you read it, they say they can make an exception for religious belief or if you're sick or something or it's harming you. They can make special accommodations if you're sick, then they can come up with something. Basically, this is your belief and this is who I am.
(CROSSTALK)
BOUDLAL -- you can make a request and I did it.
LEMON: Let me read the Disney statement. I'm sorry to cut you off.
"Disney is an entertainment company." This is where the statement starts. "Our theme parks and resorts are the stage. And our costume cast members are part of the show. All cast members in costume roles, regardless of the diverse beliefs, are expected to comply with the dress codes when cast members, regardless of religion, request exceptions to our policies or religious reasons, we work hard to make accommodations."
And they are accommodating you. So what's the issue?
BOUDLAL: How did they accommodate me? What was the reasonable accommodation they came up with?
LEMON: As far as they're concerned, it's a reasonable accommodation you're on paid leave. They're paying you, even though you're not working. And they're trying to figure out how to incorporate you into the company now that you are not abiding, as they see it, by the dress code.
BOUDLAL: I'm not getting paid -- they sent me home. I'm not getting paid for the days that I'm showing up right now.
LEMON: You're not working in other parts of the company. You're not working in another role?
BOUDLAL: I'm not. I'm definitely not. At the same time, I don't think it's hard for Disney to give me accommodation to wear just the scarf.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right, coming up here on CNN, I have to tell you about a crazy piece of video you may have seen this week. If you haven't seen it, you can't see this enough. A bull jumping into the stands. The fans started running for their lives. Wouldn't you? You'll see it all play out next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Gregory Taylor was arrested in 1997 for trying to break into a church kitchen. He was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison under California's Three Strikes Law. But thanks to the work of some Stanford Law students, Taylor is enjoying the first weekend of freedom in 13 years.
CNN Producer Sara Wiseflat (ph) was there as he finally was reunited with his family.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED JUDGE: (INAUDIBLE) the result of drug addiction and homelessness.
GREG TAYLOR, FORMER INMATE: Enjoy the weather, see my family. Spend as much time as possible with them, especially my mom.
LOIS TAYLOR, GREG'S MOTHER: He was standing out. I fell down on my knees and start thanking God and start crying.
SARA WISEFLAT (ph), CNN PRODUCTER: I bet you'll never forget that.
LOIS TAYLOR: I'll never forget it as long as I live.
TAYLOR: I feel really blessed, you know, that my family sticks by me through all this, 13 years.
LOIS TAYLOR: I raised nine sons mostly by myself. At time, it was hard but we made it through. We've always been a close-knitted family. So we get together and enjoy him while -- he's going to be all right because he's going to with his baby brother. and I know he's going to be all right.
MICHAEL TAYLOR, GREG'S BROTHER: She raised us to a certain point where we had to get out of the nest and learn -- learn things the hard way. But she did an excellent job with us.
TAYLOR: How I feel today? Three letters, W-O-W, Wow.
(LAUGHTER)
GREG TAYLOR: The day he got resentenced was my birthday.
UNIDENTIFIED JUDGE: Are there any family members here?
TAYLOR: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED JUDGE: It's OK to congratulate him.
(APPLAUSE)
TAYLOR: I'm going to be working at my brother's business. It's called The Pantry. It serves food and stuff. But I guess -- the homeless.
GREG TAYLOR: I have one of the biggest food banks in the city of Pomona. Every fourth Saturday, we have a big community barbecue where we bag up groceries and we give it to the kids and the families and everything. Back to Greg, that's one of his compassions, to really reach out and help these younger kids.
TAYLOR: It feels really good, you know, to be back out in society and be around my family.
GREG TAYLOR: Everything that happened to us in life, we may look at it that it's a bad thing. But there's good in it. And even with Greg, the situation was terrible but good is it coming out of it.
LOIS TAYLOR: It was just wonderful to hold him, hug him, and kiss him, and crying with him. It was wonderful because I knew I had him back.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Every weekend, we like to bring you interesting news items you might have missed during the week, ones we think you should see more of, like this one. Take a look at this. A bull turns the tables on bullfighting fans in northern Spain. Watch this bull. I can't get enough of this.
(SHOUTING)
LEMON: Unbelievable. The 1100-pound bull easily cleared the barricade and charged through the crowd stands. At least 30 people were reported hurt. Two of them badly enough to be sent to the hospital. Unbelievable. Wow. So workers had to be -- had to kill the bull to end that rampage.
It looks like aggressive dogs are taking a bigger bite out of their owners' budgets. The Insurance Information Institute crunched the numbers and found the average homeowner's insurance payout for a dog bite, $24,000, up nearly 30 percent from 2003. That sounds like a lot of money, doesn't it? The "Insurance Journal" reports because this is because of increased medical costs and larger settlements, judgments, and jury awards the dog bite victims get. If you've had to pay a dog bite claim, your insurance company will increase your premium if you keep the dog. You should know that.
The man convicted of killing NBA legend Michael Jordan's father says, one day, he'll be a free man. Daniel Green and his friend were convicted of the 1993 shooting death of James Jordan. An autopsy showed Jordan had been shot in the chest. The body was found floating in a creek in South Carolina. Green has spent 17 years in prison for the murders. Now he's trying to get his case back in court, saying there are some mistakes and the evidence that was used against him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANIEL GREEN, ACCUSED OF KILLING JAMES JORDAN: I mean, I've been through the -- the whole anger stage, the stage -- I've been through that. I'm not going to go back there. I've made up -- myself, I think it's possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: We're going to dig deeper to this interesting story here. Coming up, at 7:00, we'll take a closer look at the mistakes Green said helped put him behind bars. Could he be a free man soon? That is the question.
Meantime, I'm Don Lemon here at the CNN headquarters in Atlanta. We thank you for joining us. We'll see you at 7:00 p.m. eastern, in one hour.
Right now, it's time for "THE SITUATION ROOM" and Wolf Blitzer.
