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Past Problems at Egg Supplier; Islamic Center Debate Heats up in NY; Note From Trapped Miners in Chile; Viral Videos; 80-Year-Old Doctor Possible Player in Nationwide Internet Drug Trade; Tropical Storm Danielle May Cause Problems for US
Aired August 22, 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, an issue that's been generating a whole lot of debate for weeks got even more intense today. Opponents and supporters of a planned Islamic center near New York's Ground Zero face off in the streets.
CNN national correspondent, Susan Candiotti, was there and she's joining us live now with what happened -- Susan.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. Well, clearly, it's a controversy with no end in sight, and rain didn't keep either group from expressing their views today. Both sides were kept about a block away from each other and could not see each other. So about 450 people showed up to protest the proposed Islamic center and mosque, saying even two blocks away and around the corner from Ground Zero is too close.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE MEEHAN, MOSQUE PROJECT OPPONENT: If they built it uptown, I'd have no problem with it, believe it or not. I would have no, just not down here. I -- you know, I would have a small problem, but definitely not down here. You know, I -- it's just -- it's just too close to Ground Zero.
SHAWN GILFEATHER, MOSQUE PROJECT OPPONENT: I think the people that are backing it, the people that are funding it, are actually in cahoots with the -- you know, with the terrorists. I don't think they're just they're people practicing religion. I think there's something more.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: Now, organizers of the proposed $100 million center and mosque say they have nothing up their sleeves except promoting better understanding and tolerance. About 250 supporters showed up. Among those who were there, an Army reservist on his way to Iraq, who talked about sending a message to the rest of the world about religious freedom.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LT. COL. CHRIS DZUBEK, PRO-MOSQUE ACTIVIST: ... the -- certainly the right and the ability to do it wherever they would like. And that's what I like about the country is the ability for people who disagree with one another to hash it out without guns.
RUTH MASSIE, PRO-MOSQUE ACTIVIST: It would be giving in to bigotry and intolerance to demand that it be moved. And I think, in the end, it makes us -- it makes us less safe because I think we need to show the world that we are a tolerant, open society.
ALI AKRAM, PRO-MOSQUE ACTIVIST: There are many Muslims who lost Muslim family members at Ground Zero. So when they come to visit Ground Zero as a memorial, they should able to walk two blocks down and pray for their loved ones.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: Now, after the protesters' rally, they marched past Ground Zero. The question now, of course, Fred, is whether talks among both sides will ever materialize.
WHITFIELD: Susan Candiotti, thanks so much, from New York. Appreciate that.
All right, although U.S. military combat troops pulled out of Iraq, plenty of U.S. troops remain in harm's way in that country and in Afghanistan. Today four U.S. troops were killed in Afghanistan. NATO officials say the Americans were killed in three separate incidents. Another American service member died in Iraq and is the first U.S. troop to be killed there since the last U.S. combat brigade left the country on Thursday. The military says the soldier was killed while conducting operations in Iraq's Basra province.
The top U.S. military commander in Iraq told CNN's Candy Crowley that Iran is fueling instability in Iraq by funding and training extremist groups in that country.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GEN. RAY ODIERNO, CMDR., MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE IRAQ: They clearly still fund some Shia extremist groups that operate in Iraq. They train them. They continue to try to improve their capabilities, partially to attack U.S. forces, partially to make sure everybody understands that they can have some impact in the country. They clearly want to see a certain type of government that is formed here.
CANDY CROWLEY, HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": So is that Iran's ambition, do you think in Iraq, to keep it from becoming a functioning democracy?
ODIERNO: I think they don't want to see Iraq turn into a strong democratic country. They would rather see it become a weak governmental institution so they -- they don't -- they don't add nor problems for Iran in the future.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Odierno also told CNN's Candy Crowley he could imagine a scenario where American troops are in Iraq beyond 2011 in some kind of support capacity. Meantime, President Barack Obama on vacation, getting some R&R. But is the president ever really off the job? We'll talk to some of the public who have had a chance to see him in action.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, breaking news from Chile this hour. The country's president says 33 miners trapped underground for more than two weeks are actually alive and they're inside a shelter in the mine. That word came from a note retrieved today by rescuers. Families of the miners celebrated after getting word of that undated note. The miners have been trapped since a cave-in 17 days ago. Authorities say they hope to make contact with them sometime today.
CNN's Francisco Siredey is with us right now on the phone from Santiago. So Francisco, what can you tell us about this incredible development?
FRANCISCO SIREDEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, good afternoon, Fredricka. Dozens of families happy about this really important story that's still unraveling here in the northern part of Chile. It's about 450 miles north of Santiago where the San Jose mine is located, near Copiapo. That's the most important city next to the San Jose mine.
After 17 days of doubts about the whereabouts and the health of these 33 miners, the mining probe that was drilled down to the mine made contact, the first one because on the first day, there was one that failed to make contact with the shelter. Today was the first contact. About 2,250 feet below surface this shelter is located. And when the probe came out, it came out with a piece of paper with a message written on it that said, We are all right, in the shelter, the 33 of us. So that's a confirmation that all the miners are still alive at the San Jose mine.
And it's going to take a lot of work and effort for the authorities to rescue the miners because it's going to be at least a couple of months until they can dig the tunnel to get them out. It's going to be still -- this is the starting point for the rescue of these 33 miners.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh! This is incredible. So Francisco, you're saying in a couple of months, it will take to actually get to the miners? So in the meantime, how do they try to get food to them? How do they continue to keep lines of communication open to these miners for months?
SIREDEY: Well, they have -- they're still alive because they were in the shelter. They had food and water, and they also had light inside this shelter. So that's enough to keep them alive for at least this couple of weeks.
WHITFIELD: Wow.
SIREDEY: Now they're going to get more food and more supplies down by this probe (ph) they have been digging at the San Jose mine. So it's going to be enough to keep them going at the mine. WHITFIELD: That is extraordinary. Francis Siredey, thank you so much for that update on this incredible sign that these 33 miners who have been trapped for two weeks now are still alive, and perhaps they will continue to get nourishment and communication until they can be rescued, which could take months, as you heard Francisco say.
All right, President Obama and the first family -- well, they've been vacationing on Martha's Vineyard, and our White House correspondent, Dan Lothian, is there, as well. And he said there is mixed reaction about the president and the first family being there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When President Obama and the first daughters paid a surprise visit to a Vineyard Haven book shop, the public swarmed to catch a glimpse, and a lucky few, like Brandon Murphy (ph), who happened to be inside got a handshake and an autograph.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was shaking most of the time. It was really cool. I was really nervous, so...
LOTHIAN: The rare public appearance caused a stir and locked up traffic on the island's narrow streets.
NANCY BERMUDA, MARTHA'S VINEYARD RESIDENT: I'm glad he's here. It's good for business. I don't like being stuck in traffic.
LOTHIAN: But her minor displeasure paled in comparison to the backlash caused by this sign at a local hotel that thanks the president for his accomplishments.
SUSAN GOLDSTEIN, MANSION HOUSE OWNER: I was totally shocked. And I -- for that kind of hatred to come in on your computer screen...
LOTHIAN: Susan Goldstein, who owns the Mansion House in Vineyard Haven, says ugly e-mails and blog postings started after a picture of her patriotic sign was posted on line.
GOLDSTEIN: Balled (ph) up together, whether, you know, the comment that was sort of anti-Semitic, anti-black, anti-elitist, anti- everything -- it's hard not to read it and go, Ugh! How did this filth get into my computer screen, on my desk?
LOTHIAN: One posting read, quote, "For a black man, he sure does crave the approval of the richest and the whitest of the rich." One town over, at an Oak Bluffs ice cream shop, most people seem to appreciate this sign welcoming this president. But not everyone.
JENNIFER COMBRA, OWNER, CAROUSEL ICE CREAM FACTORY: One of our workers, Molly (ph), was saying that she was getting different dirty looks, almost, towards the sign.
LOTHIAN: So the sign was moved. Politics aside, business owners say the presidential vacation has one big up side.
ALEX MCCLUSKEY, OWNER, THE LOCKER ROOM: It's good for the island. It's good for the economy? You know, it's -- at least for down here.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right, that was CNN White House correspondent Dan Lothian reporting from Martha's Vineyard.
CNN's Josh Levs -- well, he's picking through some of the best viral videos of the week. Roger Federer...
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I'm going to show you that one!
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: ... he's making the list while he's at the U.S. Open?
LEVS: Well, no, actually. This is a little bit different. But it's certainly one of the reasons everyone's talking about it. I mean, he pulls off this shot -- seriously, you might not believe...
WHITFIELD: Watch out, camera.
LEVS: Whoa!
(LAUGHTER)
LEVS: I'm going to have this ahead in "Viral Rewind," the whole story behind it. Plus, Fred, people dancing on the side of a skyscraper. And a pop star's music is suddenly celestial. And it's all coming up right here...
WHITFIELD: Yay!
LEVS: ... in "Viral Video Rewind."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories right now. Health officials are still trying to pinpoint the source of the salmonella that is responsible for the massive egg recall across the country. More than half a billion eggs have been pulled from stores. The eggs have been distributed in at least 17 states by two producers in Iowa. At least a thousand cases of salmonella have been reported across the country.
And Shirley Sherrod -- remember that name, and remember that woman? Well, she's expected to meet with Agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack this week about a new job offer. Sherrod has -- she was, rather, forced to resign from the Agriculture Department last month after misleading video footage of a speech that she gave was posted on a blogger's Web site. She later received an apology by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This, by the way, will be her first face- to-face meeting with Vilsack since she stepped down.
And if you use credit cards -- and who doesn't these days -- you might be celebrating right now. New credit card rules tied to the Wall Street reform bill are now in place. They're aimed at protecting consumers. Among other things, they block companies from charging more than $25 for late payments in most cases. They also ban charges for not using your card.
We'll have more top stories in 20 minutes.
And the music gets you moving, and then we also have a lot of interesting fancy footwork to showcase...
LEVS: We do!
WHITFIELD: ... in this week's "Viral Videos." Josh Levs here with us now.
LEVS: So good to have you back.
WHITFIELD: Thank you very much.
LEVS: Because you know...
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: ... good stuff!
LEVS: I know! Seriously! And you know what? We did not do a single relaxation video in "Viral Video Rewind" while you were gone.
WHITFIELD: Oh. OK.
LEVS: That's the (INAUDIBLE)
WHITFIELD: So today...
LEVS: That'll be coming up.
(CROSSTALK)
LEVS: We've got to work up to it.
WHITFIELD: OK. Good.
LEVS: All right. So we're starting off with a kind of gymnastics. I showed you a little bit yesterday.
WHITFIELD: Which was hilarious!
LEVS: Most people have never seen anything like this. Let's take a look.
WHITFIELD: I haven't.
LEVS: It's called Indian pole gymnastics. Watch what these kids do.
WHITFIELD: Wow!
LEVS: And then, you know, at first, they're working their way up the pole. It's called "makam (ph)." I think I'm pronouncing it right there. And this is posted by what's called the Sangam (ph) Institute of Martial Arts. WHITFIELD: That is amazing.
LEVS: It's been posted recently, and it's gained millions of views. And they've put up three different ones over the last few -- wow!
WHITFIELD: That's amazing!
(CROSSTALK)
LEVS: ... and that was on purpose.
WHITFIELD: Whoa!
LEVS: It looks like -- I watched it a few times. It looks like he fell, but that's actually part of the routine. The other ones do it, too. And then -- look at that!
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness!
LEVS: The strength -- it's incredible. It's incredible.
WHITFIELD: And there's a stopwatch or something going? Because he's moving.
LEVS: They're -- yes, there...
(CROSSTALK)
LEVS: I believe they are timed. There are several that go up and...
WHITFIELD: Look at that!
LEVS: (INAUDIBLE) the same kind of...
WHITFIELD: I'm seeing a little pole vault, you know, even bars, floor exercise, all in one with the pole.
LEVS: You're right. It's like a mix of acrobatics and -- I don't know, it's a little bit Superman...
WHITFIELD: Absolutely.
LEVS: ... to be able to fly around a pole like that.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LEVS: OK.
WHITFIELD: (INAUDIBLE) strength! Whoa!
LEVS: Now, you might not be actually flying, but you might be on the side of a building like Superman. Take a look here.
(CROSSTALK)
LEVS: Look at these guys. WHITFIELD: Whoa!
LEVS: Dancing...
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LEVS: ... on the side of a building.
WHITFIELD: OK!
LEVS: I've never seen anything like this. This is Project Bandaloo (ph) at the Thanksgiving (ph) Tower in Dallas.
WHITFIELD: (INAUDIBLE) amazing.
LEVS: "The Dallas Observer" put this up on their Web site.
WHITFIELD: That's cool.
LEVS: And apparently, this group makes dynamic -- they say they make dynamic dances that reframe how people perceive their environments and their art form. They perform on buildings and...
WHITFIELD: That's cool.
LEVS: ... towers (INAUDIBLE) walk along the street and boom.
WHITFIELD: Well, you know what? Something like this was taking place when -- in New York City. It had something to do with either Target coming to the Big Apple -- they used a very similar display.
LEVS: Oh, they did?
WHITFIELD: Yes. Yes. I remember seeing something like this. Maybe not as inventive. They did it in a more symmetrical way, and this kind of -- I'm seeing some asymmetry here. But anyway...
LEVS: Wow.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
LEVS: OK, so the next thing is what I showed you before the break...
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LEVS: ... Roger Federer.
WHITFIELD: Yes! Let's see that again.
LEVS: Look at this. You've got to see this because Roger...
WHITFIELD: I would not be standing that close to a man serving even in a studio.
(CROSSTALK)
LEVS: ... Roger Federer.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LEVS: I mean, watch what happens again. (INAUDIBLE)
(LAUGHTER)
LEVS: This is actually part of a video he was taping for Gillette in the U.K. Now, they're not saying if it's real. They won't tell the...
WHITFIELD: Oh!
LEVS: They won't give the whole story behind it.
WHITFIELD: Oh, really?
LEVS: But what they are saying is that he could do it. That's all they're telling us.
WHITFIELD: Roger Federer!
LEVS: And I don't see any trick shots in there.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LEVS: (INAUDIBLE) OK, now, here's something that definitely is real.
WHITFIELD: He looks good in a suit, I must say.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: He does! I've seen some of his other (INAUDIBLE)...
LEVS: He does.
WHITFIELD: ... ads with, like, a watch. I can't remember which watch brand but...
LEVS: Oh, yes?
WHITFIELD: Yes, he looks good in a suit.
LEVS: You know (INAUDIBLE) he's been so gracious. Like, I haven't personally interviewed him...
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LEVS: ... but (ph) CNN...
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LEVS: ... he's been terrific.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LEVS: Yes, great personality.
WHITFIELD: Yes...
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: He's a star (ph).
LEVS: All right, well (INAUDIBLE) "Viral Video" (INAUDIBLE)
(LAUGHTER)
LEVS: All right, now, take a look here. Talk about impressive skills with your hands. Look at this guy, the ambidextrous artist.
WHITFIELD: Oh, wow.
LEVS: Drawing what appears to be in perfect symmetry, with both hands upside-down at the same time.
WHITFIELD: Man!
LEVS: You see that (INAUDIBLE) Celebritiesspoof. This is someone on the street.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness!
LEVS: They caught this video.
WHITFIELD: That's incredible talent.
LEVS: It is incredible (INAUDIBLE)
WHITFIELD: Look at that! That is perfect symmetry (INAUDIBLE)
LEVS: Now you're ready for your relaxation video?
WHITFIELD: OK.
LEVS: OK. I have to set it up right, though.
WHITFIELD: Yes. OK.
LEVS: So in order to set it up right, I have to play you a little piece of a pop tune from Justin Bieber.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: And it's not anything that has to do with that.
LEVS: No, (INAUDIBLE) the chipmunk (ph) thing (INAUDIBLE)
WHITFIELD: Right!
LEVS: So here's a little piece of the pop tune... WHITFIELD: OK.
LEVS: ... from Justin Bieber called "You Smile." Listen to this for a second.
Now, here's what happened. There's a musician out there named Nick Pitzinger (ph) who used this free program on line called (INAUDIBLE) He slowed it down eight times, and here is how it came out. Listen to this next video. No, next video. Next video, after this one. No, next one. Oh, shoot! It's not here! After all that!
WHITFIELD: Oh, no!
LEVS: With the...
WHITFIELD: We'll have to use our imagination.
LEVS: Oh, no! I'm going to have to play it for you separately and post it on line.
WHITFIELD: No!
LEVS: That was your relaxation video (INAUDIBLE) .
WHITFIELD: Oh, darn!
LEVS: Man! OK, I won't say it. But I'll play it...
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: ... was a little relaxing, too.
LEVS: (INAUDIBLE) was kind of relaxing.
WHITFIELD: It was!
LEVS: (INAUDIBLE) what happened was someone stretched it way out. I'm going to get it in next week.
WHITFIELD: You know what? That album cover is making me think a little Ben (ph) Michael Jackson.
LEVS: Well, you know, that's the idea. They're modeling him after the big pop stars. See?
WHITFIELD: OK.
(CROSSTALK)
LEVS: We do have -- we do have the next one, through, right? We have the next video? OK. We have your adorable video of the week.
WHITFIELD: OK.
LEVS: And this was an iReport.
WHITFIELD: Involves an animal or a child.
LEVS: How did you know?
(LAUGHTER)
LEVS: It's always an animal or a child. Take a look here.
WHITFIELD: OK.
LEVS: This is the adorable video of the week.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: I saw a snippet of this earlier! I was, like, Is that mouse taking a bath?
LEVS: Is this a rat? It's a pet rat.
WHITFIELD: It's a rat. OK.
LEVS: It apparently...
(CROSSTALK)
LEVS: ... this pet rat actually takes baths in soap and water.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness! And you know what? It is kind of cute. What can I say?
LEVS: I mean, I think so! Some people hear the word rat, and they run the other way.
WHITFIELD: Yes. Well, this is on video, so I'm not running.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: Had it been right here, I may start running.
(CROSSTALK)
LEVS: ... our iReporters for this...
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness!
LEVS: ... Nick and Anna Berte. I always...
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: ... that rat to do that.
LEVS: You know, but the thing is, if you're going to have a pet who's a rat, he might as well stay clean. Your pet should stay clean.
WHITFIELD: A clean rat.
LEVS: All the links are up for you there, including the slowed-down Justin Bieber. It's all on FaceBook, Joshlevscnn. It's also Twitter, Joshlevscnn. Take a listen. As always, send us your favorite virals, and we will have some of your favorites next week.
WHITFIELD: Oh, good. We always look forward to that. Thanks so much, Josh.
LEVS: Yes.
WHITFIELD: That was fun, to go on that little adventure.
LEVS: I know. I love it.
WHITFIELD: Me, too.
(LAUGHTER)
LEVS: Welcome back, Fred!
WHITFIELD: Thank you!
(CROSSTALK)
LEVS: ... together.
WHITFIELD: I know. It's been a long time.
LEVS: Been a long time.
WHITFIELD: "Viral Videos" and you.
LEVS: All right. See? We're back.
WHITFIELD: All right, thank you.
LEVS: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: All right, powerful, addictive drugs, no prescription needed, just a click away. How the feds say they busted major players in the on-line drug trade.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. The egg recall has a lot of us wondering about the process of how that egg makes it to the the grocery store, and how do we know whether it's safe or not? Just take a look at this story out of KING out of Washington state. Here's Jake Whittenberg.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAKE WHITTENBERG, KING CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Where there's a chicken, there's usually an egg. And that's where you'll find Mara Fazekas. She has a block of about 150 free-range chickens at her home near Monroe. Every day, she collects their eggs, raised organically.
MARA FAZEKAS, EGG PRODUCER: I like to keep their nest boxes really clean. That's important.
WHITTENBERG (voice-over): And perhaps even more important, washing each egg one at a time with extremely hot water.
FAZEKAS: The importance is to keep the eggs as clean as humanly possible. And to avoid any kind of contamination.
WHITTENBERG: Word of the massive egg recall has Fazekas shaking her head.
FAZEKAS: Maybe this will wake up the industry and get them more involved in cleaning things up. Because it needs to happen.
WHITTENBERG: This is the believed source of the salmonella contamination. Wright County Eggs in Galt, Iowa. Investigators are looking at rodent control, water supply, sanitation, and a range of other possibilities of what caused the tainted eggs.
The FDA said the outbreak began just weeks before new government safety rules went into effect, intended to reduce salmonella. One way to get rid of the bacteria. Cook the eggs thoroughly. No soft-boiled eggs, over-easy or runny eggs, at least until the batch of bad ones are off the market and out of refrigerators.
FAZEKAS: Something was lax. Someone made a mistake. Feed that was brought in was not managed well.
WHITTENBERG: For this egg producer, cleanliness is not something to take lightly.
FAZEKAS: It takes work, but it's worth it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: For more information on the egg recall, including packaging numbers, go to cnn.com/health.
The feds are cracking down on pharmacies in Utah and Illinois, saying that they are at the center of an illegal network that sells highly addictive prescription pills online, no questions asked. Our own special investigations unit first followed the online pharmacy trail two years ago. But now, the FBI is finally getting involved. And our Drew Griffin is tracking down the people at the center of this investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE UNIT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He hardly looks the part of an illegal drug dealer. He drives a rundown Mercedes Benz, can barely walk, but according to the FBI, 80-year-old Dr. Robert Morrow could be a major player in a nationwide illegal internet drug trade.
GRIFFIN (on camera): Hi, Doctor?
DR. ROBERT MORROW, SUSPECTED TO BE INVOLVED IN ILLEGAL DRUG TRADE: Yes?
GRIFFIN: Drew Griffin with CNN. How are you?
GRIFFIN (voice-over): A drug ring that, according to government documents, spans from Utah across the US, and overseas. A drug ring that has been operating for years.
GRIFFIN (on camera): We want to find out -- it's been alleged you've been signing internet prescriptions for people who haven't signed --
MORROW: I'm not -- I don't want to talk about it. Get off the property. Get off my property.
GRIFFIN: Can you explain how that happens?
GRIFFIN (voice-over): According to a government investigator, Dr. Morrow's signature appears on thousands and thousands of prescriptions filled this year alone. The government alleges he's paid to write them by the owner of two pharmacies, the Roots Pharmacies, in both Utah and suburban Chicago. And those pharmacies are at the heart of the illegal prescription drug investigation.
According to the FBI, Utah pharmacist Kyle Rootsaert is near the top of the operation. On August 5th, FBI agents served two search warrants on those pharmacies owned by Rootsaert. One served here in suburban Chicago, where agents seized box and boxes of records.
The federal government says illegal prescription drug abuse is staggering. Listen to this. It's now a bigger problem than heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine use combined.
JOHN HORTON, PRESIDENT, LEGITSCRIPT.COM: And these rogue internet pharmacies that say all you have to do is fill out a form, you never have to see the doctor, and we will approve your order immediately and send you addictive medications, are helping fuel that problem in a big way.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): No charges have yet been filed. The FBI isn't commenting. The attorney for Roots Pharmacy owner Kyle Rootsaert tells CNN he hasn't had a chance to talk to his client about the search warrant affidavits.
Keeping them honest, we wanted to know why and how the operation had been allowed to operate for so long. Two years ago, as part of a CNN investigation, I bought Prozac and the addictive muscle relaxer, Soma, online, no questions asked. And I tracked the drugs right back here to Roots Pharmacy in American Fork, Utah.
GRIFFIN (on camera): I want to ask you about selling these drugs over the internet without prescriptions.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): We also confronted Kyle Rootsaert. He ran from our cameras and took off in this brown pickup truck.
GRIFFIN (on camera): Excuse me, Kyle? We'd like to talk to you about the internet drug business you're running out of this pharmacy. GRIFFIN (voice-over): But it now appears Roots is on the run.
GRIFFIN (on camera): This is where we actually confronted the owner of Roots Pharmacy. You can see, just yesterday, we're told, the sign has been taken off this door.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): The state of Utah filed a petition more than a year ago to revoke the pharmacy's license, but a hearing still hasn't been held. Even so, the pharmacy had been operating full blast, filling 200 to 300 prescriptions a day, according to the FBI.
This little second story pharmacy, a half hour south of Salt Lake City, was a major distributor of dangerous prescriptions.
Which brings us back to Dr. Morrow. He also has a history with the state of Utah. He lost his license to dispense controlled drugs from 1999 to 2002 because he was illegally prescribing drugs. He paid a $1,000 fine.
He was part of an operation, experts tell CNN, that was worth close to half a million dollars a month and an untold number of pills. Drew Griffin, CNN, American Fork, Utah.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: A three-year-old girl is being hailed a hero.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT VILLALOVOZ, CAPTAIN, MANTECA CALIFORNIA FIRE DEPARTMENT: Hi, how you doing?
ALESAUNDRA TAFOYA, SAVED HER FATHER: Hey, he's taking a picture of you. Say cheese.
VILLALOVOZ: I've been here over 20 years, that's the first time I've ever had a three-year-old walk up to the fire station.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So precocious. So, she walked right up to the station, and she turned out to be a little bit of a lifesaver.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories right now. Health officials are still trying to pinpoint the source of that salmonella outbreak responsible for the massive egg recall. More than half billion eggs have been pulled from stores. The eggs have been distributed in at least 17 states by two producers in Iowa.
One of the companies under investigation, Hillandale Farms, says in a statement, quote, "We are devastated that our eggs have been implicated in making people sick. We have never had a product recall in our 45-year history, and it flies in the face of our mission to provide wholesome, nutritious food for the American public." "We regret that anyone might have become ill and the concern and disruption this has caused our customers. In cooperation with the FDA, we look forward to diligently examining every phase of our operation and effectively addressing any issues found. We're committed to taking the steps necessary to regain the full confidence of our customer and consumers." That from Hillandale Farms.
A scrap of paper with red lettering on it is giving joy to the families of 33 trapped miners in Chile. It is from the miners who say that they are alive in a shelter. Rescue crews say the note was tied to the end of a probe that was forced into the caved-in section of the mine. The miners have been trapped since August 5th. Authorities say it could take still months to actually rescue them.
The death toll is rising from the devastating monsoon flooding in Pakistan. 1500 people are now confirmed dead. Health officials say survivors are facing a looming nightmare. Nearly one million people are suffering from communicable diseases, and the number is growing. Much of the flooding hit Pakistan's bread basket, so its economy is also taking a hit, which is expected to hamper recovery efforts.
Let's check in with our Jacqui Jeras, because now, we've been talking about this tropical disturbance, now it actually has a name.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes.
WHITFIELD: And we're talking about a tropical storm now, too.
JERAS: Yes, Tropical Storm Danielle, that's the name that we're talking about, and it is in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, so that's some good news, that it's not bothering anybody right now. But it does have the potential to intensify a fair amount over the next couple of days.
This is the area that we're talking about, and it's about 750 miles or so away from the Cape Verde Islands. And you can see, the closest land, which would be the leeward and the windward islands. You can see a nice little increase in the intensity and thunderstorm activity. That purple that just pops up there. And, so, that's what brought the wind speed up to 40 miles per hour. And that's what made this thing a tropical storm instead of a tropical depression. It's based on the maximum wind speed.
Here you can see the forecast track in the cone of uncertainty, keeping it away from land, even down the line. But notice the intensity changes, and this will likely become our second hurricane of the season down the line.
Now, of course, the big question mark over here is, what's going to happen? Could this thing get close to the US? Too soon to say for sure. But many of the models are curving it northward in time. We'll have to see what happens with this area of high pressure and the little weakness in the ridge and whether or not it's going to continue to stay where we think it's going to and progress that thing on up to the north. So make sure you stay tuned to your hurricane headquarters and we'll have updates on the tropics every weathercast that you see in the upcoming week ahead.
Today, what's happening here across the lower 48? Lots of heavy rain across the northeastern quarter. We had a few isolated severe thunderstorms. But not really expecting anything widespread. More than anything, this is going to be a nuisance for you today.
And if you've been trying to travel, I don't have to tell you that. Lots of delays. Look at this, we've got a ground stop at LaGuardia. Delays pushing two hours in Boston as well as JFK. Over two hours at Newark. Philly, about an hour and a half. 1:15 in Teterboro and White Plains, about 45 minutes.
This low is going to linger into tomorrow. So just be aware, if you have more travel plans, we expect more travel news as we head into the work week ahead. Everybody else looking pretty good, especially out west.
WHITEFIELD: OK, good. All right. Some good news, there.
JERAS: Yes.
WHITFIELD: A little sliver of hope. All right, thanks, Jacqui
This weekend in Michigan, a dream come true for classic car lovers. It was the 16th annual Dream Cruise. Check out some of these amazing cars.
Organizers call this the world's largest one-day automotive event. 30,000 rides and 1.5 million people take part in the event. The vintage cars are from several eras, including the '50s, '60s, '70s. And even some from the '20s as you saw earlier. It looked like that Model T, or something like that.
If you've ever wondered whether your children are listening to you, here's a story to put your mind at rest. A toddler's quick reaction helps save her dad's life. And there's no doubt that she actually listened to what mom and dad had actually taught her. More, now, from Jonas Tichenor of our affiliate, KOVR.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALESAUNDRA TAFOYA: That's Flounder. That's Sebastian.
JONAS TICHENOR, KOVR CORRESPONDENT: And this is the very simple world of a three-year-old little girl.
FRANK TAFOYA, ALESAUNDRA'S FATHER: She just talks, talks and talks.
ALESAUNDRA TAFOYA: She's a mermaid. She has a flower on her hair.
TICHENOR: But what she did yesterday was very un-three-year-old-like.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE SPEAKER: I'm very proud of her.
TICHENOR: When her dad, Frank, got some medication confused.
FRANK TAFOYA: I took a mixture of medication that I wasn't supposed to at the time. It's like a bed-time dose, and I guess I collapsed.
TICHENOR: Alesaundra took action, heading out of the house on her own to get help.
FRANK TAFOYA: You show me, because I don't know which way you went.
ALESAUNDRA TAFOYA: I went that way.
FRANK TAFOYA: That way?
TICHENOR: She re-walked the trip today, this time with her dad.
FRANK TAFOYA: This is dangerous, you know that, right?
TICHENOR: Nearly two blocks to Fire Station 243.
VILLALOVOZ: Hi, how you doing?
ALESAUNDRA TAFOYA: Hey, he's taking a picture of you. Say cheese.
VILLALOVOZ: I've been here over 20 years, that's the first time I ever had a three-year-old walk up to the fire station.
TICHENOR: Captain Robert Villalovoz said Alesaundra was focused and said her daddy was frozen and wouldn't wake up.
VILLALOVOZ: She walked us down to the house. And there her dad was, sitting in the living room, needing medical care.
TICHENOR: Doctors say without that care, Frank probably would have died.
FRANK TAFOYA: Thanks to you guys, I'm doing good.
VILLALOVOZ: No, not thanks to me. Thanks to her.
FRANK TAFOYA: Thanks to her, yes.
TICHENOR: So, just how did she know where to go? The family says they pass this fire station daily, pointing it out as a safe place, and that firefighters are her friends.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE SPEAKER: She's been listening. What we've been teaching her, she's been listening, and that's really good.
TICHENOR: The Manteca fire chief says that they intend to hold some kind of ceremony next week to honor Alesaundra Tafoya.
ALESAUNDRA TAFOYA: What's this?
TICHENOR: That's a microphone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well dad says she's very talkative, she talks all the time. That was Jonas Tichenor of our affiliate KOVR. You remember this man. He turned his back on a multimillion-dollar football career to serve his country, but lost his life to friendly fire. Now, a new film is putting Pat Tillman back in the spotlight.
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WHITFIELD: Thousands of US soldiers are heading home from Iraq as the troop drawdown there continues. Heartwarming images of their homecoming are making a huge splash online. CNN's Josh Levs is here to show us.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You're going to love this, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Yes, I know I will.
LEVS: All right, folks. These right here, I'm going on to show you now, these are the images that we all want to see for military families, for troops who have sacrificed so much and put so much on hold. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
LEVS: Let's keep watching this. I'm going to tell you what we're seeing here. We're watching a video from "WelcomeHomeBlog.com," which has pulled together all of these videos of loved ones returning from combat and what it's like when they see their families again, in this case, their pets, and the kind of connections that they rebuild and what those moments are like.
It's the brainchild of a man named Chase Holfelder, who started putting these videos together. And now, families send him their videos to be included on this blog. And he actually recorded the music, which you're hearing in the background. Let's watch this for a second.
(MUSIC)
LEVS: They're all beautiful. All right, come back to me on the screen for just a second.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: This is the website right here. It's WelcomeHomeBlog.com, and he updates it all the time. People keep sending more and more videos. You can see a lot of these videos. And I've pulled out a few clips just to show you. Let's go to this first one here.
This one is a man surprising his wife. In a lot of cases, you see marines or soldiers surprising their loved ones.
The next one I really like is the marine meeting his baby son -- this next video -- for the first time, holds his son. Kisses him.
And some of them are funny. Take a look at this next one. This is a soldier returning from war. war. There's his family waiting, and boom --
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. That's so cute.
LEVS: It's terrific, isn't it?
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LEVS: You see these moments, and they're collected by --
WHITFIELD: I hope he's not hurt down there.
(LAUGHTER)
LEVS: I'm pretty sure he's been through worse. All right. I'll tell you what, let's go out on this last one that I've -- Fred and I both have little kids. We can end on this last video here, which is this man, that's his little kids, unwrap a box, and look what's inside it. It's Daddy.
WHITFIELD: Oh, that's so sweet.
LEVS: Scared at first, but then they're happy. All of this is right up for you anytime, check it out. WelcomeHomeBlog.com. Love it, Fred. Love it.
WHITFIELD: Sure thing. Always a great hit. Nice to see everybody reuniting like that.
LEVS: Beautiful.
WHITFIELD: All right, Josh, thanks for bringing that to us.
LEVS: Thanks, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Well, some call his death a mystery. Others call it a cover-up. A new documentary opening this weekend seeks to shed light on the death of Pat Tillman. Our Brooke Anderson talks to the film's director.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He was known as the military's most famous enlisted man. On the Afghan battlefield, Pat Tillman became the war's most famous casualty.
TOM BROKAW, NBC NEWS ANCHOR: Pat Tillman, who gave up a multimillion- dollar contract in professional football, has been killed.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Now, a new documentary could reignite the controversy over his death. It's directed by Amir Bar-Lev.
AMIR BAR-LEV, DIRECTOR, "THE TILLMAN STORY": Audiences are going to be shocked I was how criminally negligent the killing itself was. And also how kind of baldly, shamelessly, government officials lied about the case until the present day.
ANDERSON (voice-over): A sense of patriotic duty inspired Tillman to leave the NFL and join the army after the attacks of 9/11. He met his death in April 2004 in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan. At first, the military told the country and Tillman's family that he was killed by enemy fighters as he rushed to protect his comrades from an ambush. Those nearest Tillman when he fell seriously doubted that account.
RUSSELL BAER, FORMER ARMY RANGER: I was about 30 feet to the rear of his position. I was 99 percent sure that friendly fire had killed Pat.
ANDERSON (voice-over): General Stanley McChrystal, later promoted by President Obama to command the war in Afghanistan, approved a Silver Star commendation for Tillman, which stressed his death at enemy hands. At the same time, he sent a secret memo alerting then Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and others the incident might well be a case of fratricide, and that embarrassment could result if the word got out.
Tillman's mother told CNN's Larry King the memo points to one conclusion.
MARY TILLMAN, PAT TILLMAN'S MOTHER: This was an orchestrated cover- up.
ANDERSON (voice-over): The film asserts the cover-up didn't end there. It suggests once the truth of the fratricide came out, the top brass scapegoated a lower-ranking general for the earlier misinformation. And it claims Tillman's shooting was never adequately investigated, leaving his parents to wonder if his killing may have been deliberate.
MARY TILLMAN: We feel that there could have been something else that happened to Pat, but we can't prove it. Every bit of evidence has been destroyed.
ANDERSON (voice-over): That possible evidence includes Tillman's body armor and uniform, which were burned, and his wartime diary, which disappeared.
ANDERSON (on camera): General McChrystal, who was relieved by President Obama in June for unrelated reasons, previously apologized for the misleading wording in Tillman's Silver Star commendation, but he has denied taking part in any cover-up. Former Defense Secretary Rumsfeld declined comment on the documentary, but he testified before Congress in 2007 that he did not recall receiving McChrystal's memo about Tillman and friendly fire.
And finally, the army provided a statement to CNN, which reads in part, "The army truly regrets the pain and suffering endured by the Tillman family as a result of this tragic friendly fire accident and the shortfalls in reporting accurate information to them in the days and weeks after Pat's death." It blamed the matter on the failures of a few. Brooke Anderson, CNN, Los Angeles. (END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: I'm Fredricka Whitfield, I'll see you back here next weekend. Don Lemon is coming up next with this interesting story, a 13-year-old pitching phenom with a major league knuckle ball. And on top of that, the pitcher is a girl.
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