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Anti-Terror Laws Running Out; Casey Anthony Trial Day Three; Judge Rules Loughner Incompetent; Searching for the Missing; Ratko Mladic Arrested in Serbia; President Obama at G8 Summit
Aired May 26, 2011 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Suzanne. Thank you very much.
Less than four weeks after this nation's greatest victory ever in the war against terror, three separate counterterrorism measures are about to expire because Congress cannot handle the deadlines. Two of the measures are in the the post-9/11 Patriot Act from the intelligence reform and terrorism protection act of 2004 (inaudible). They'll fade into history at midnight, less than 11 hours from now, unless a renewal passes both houses of Congress and is signed by President Obama, who, by the way, is in France.
And what are these critical tools that the director of national intelligence calls them? Well, one is the roving wiretap. That allows investigators to snoop on potential plotters who use more than one phone or phone number or device with a single court order. Also expiring is the power to seize, quote, "all tangible things considered relevant to a national security investigation."
Finally, the lone wolf provision allowing non-U.S. citizens who may be up to no good about who (inaudible) aren't connected with a foreign power or group. The politics now might surprise you. A senate vote is hung up over civil liberties concerns, but Democrats are (inaudible) instead, majority leader, Harry Reid, is complaining about the road blocks raised by Republican freshman and Tea Party champion Rand Paul. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HARRY REID (D), MAJORITY LEADER: Unless the senator from Kentucky stops standing in the way, our law enforcement will no longer be able to use the most critical tools they need to counter terrorist and combat terrorism. If they cannot use these tools, tools that identify and track terror suspects, it could have dire consequences on our national security.
SEN. RAND PAUL (R), KENTUCKY: I am somehow to be told that because I believe a judge should sign a warrant that I'm in favor of terrorists having weapons? The absurdity of it, the insult of it. If one argues that judges should sign warrants before they go into the house of an alleged murder? Are you in favor of murder?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Now Paul wants a series of amendments, one of which would exempt gun records from patriot act investigations. Now here's where things stand, the Senate voted this morning by a huge margin to cut off debate and move to a final vote, but under Senate rules, that can't happen for 30 hours, unless Rand Paul agrees and the deadline, remember, is 11 hours from now. We'll keep you posted on this, of course.
And now to a high-profile murder trial in Florida. There were some tense and heated moments today in the murder trial of Casey Anthony. As the defense questioned a key witness, Casey Anthony's father. The 25-year-old Florida mom is accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter Caylee nearly three years ago. Let's get straight to what's happening right now in court. "People" magazine staff writer, Steve Helling, joins me by phone from Orlando where he has been watching every moment of this case very closely.
Steve, Casey's dad, George Anthony, takes the stand, he is a key witness, we know. The defense earlier this week accused him of sexually assaulting Casey and says that he saw (inaudible) Caylee fall into the pool, but Anthony seemed at times a bit testy and denied a lot of claims made by the defense, so what did we really learn from him on the stand today?
STEVE HELLING, STAFF WRITER, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE: Well, the first thing we learned, which was interesting, was that there's no love lost between George Anthony and Casey's attorney, Jose Baez. They glared at each other the entire time, it was ugly, it was tense.
But we didn't really learn much about what had happened on the day that Caylee died. What we did hear was more about gas cans that Casey allegedly stole. It was just -- it was -- it was fascinating but I don't know that it was all that revealing.
KAYE: Sounds like drama but not a whole lot of information. As you mentioned those gas cans, the lawyers kept pressing George Anthony about a gas can and the smell of Casey's trunk. Let's listen to what he said, and then we'll talk more about that.
HELLING: Sure.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You actually were close enough to smell the trunk of that car, were you not?
GEORGE ANTHONY, FATHER OF CASEY ANTHONY: The only smell that I had was the smell of gas cans that were placed on the ground in front of me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And did you not smell any smell of human decomposition on June 24th of 2008 in the trunk of your daughter's car?
ANTHONY: Did not.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: So Steve, if you would, just help us understand why this is so significant.
HELLING: Well, one thing about the gas cans that is so significant is that they had duct tape on them that is the same brand that they make and from the same batch as the duct tape that was found on Caylee Anthony's body. So you know, that's a very good way to tie whoever was -- had that duct tape and those gas cans to the murder.
But then on top of it all, you know, these gas cans were supposedly stolen from George Anthony's shed during the time that Caylee would have been dead and if she were in her mother's car, there would be a smell of decomposition coming from the trunk.
KAYE: Right, and I know that he also talked about -- or he told police at least that she was not real excited about him going near her trunk to get those gas cans. So, the whole thing is really sort of mind boggling.
We know that Casey's ex-boyfriend Anthony Lazzaro testified again today. Prosecutors and the defense have offered very different portraits of Casey. What did her ex say today that may have been important for jurors to hear?
HELLING: Well, the most important thing is that Casey Anthony was spending all of her time with that ex-boyfriend during the time that Caylee had disappeared. And if you believe the defense's story, just hours after Caylee had drowned in the pool.
And the one thing that the boyfriend Anthony Lazzaro had to say was that there was no indication with Casey that anything was wrong. There was no mourning, there was no crying, there was no -- nothing like that. She seemed happy-go-lucky and she seemed like she was having a good time.
KAYE: And how would you describe her emotion in court today? I mean, in the past few days, she's appeared quite emotional. How was she when her dad was on the stand?
HELLING: Well you know, one thing I noticed is that George Anthony kept trying to look over at his daughter, he kept trying to catch her eye. And if she looked over in her direction, she would look away. And you know, any body language expert could try and figure out what that means, but you know, obviously meeting her father's gaze is very, very uncomfortable for her right now. Other than that, there's really no emotion. She's just -- she's almost catatonic in the way that she's just watching the proceedings happen.
KAYE: All right, Steve Helling from "People" magazine. Steve, appreciate you calling in. Thank you.
HELLING: Thank you.
And we want to remind you, of course, that you can watch special coverage of Casey Anthony's trial all day on our sister network, HLN. You can also count on Nancy Grace to bring you up to speed on all of today's developments, that's tonight at 8:00 Eastern on HLN. Well, it is back to the hospital for Jared Lee Loughner now that a judge has ruled him mentally unfit to stand trial. He's charged in the January mass shooting in Tucson that killed six people and wounded 13 others, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. He will remain in custody until he is stable enough for the trial to go forward, but what does that really mean?
Well, help us understand all of that, we want to bring in attorney and legal analyst, Lisa Bloom. Lisa, thanks for coming on today. For those of us who aren't lawyers, like yourself, explain to us why Loughner cannot go to trial right away.
LISA BLOOM, HOST, COURT TV: Well, simply put, we don't put mentally ill people on trial in the United States. If they're not able to understand the proceedings and they're not able to assist in their defense. And the judge found that both of those were true for Jared Loughner. So, he goes back to a mental health facility for at least another several months where he'll be treated. He may become medicated, he may advance in the treatment where he's at the point where he can assist in his defense and understand the proceedings against him. Then he'll come back to court and perhaps be tried at that point.
KAYE: I mean, you've had a chance to look at, you know, the evidence that has been on the table against him, and then he acted out yesterday quite dramatically in court. Is there a possibility at all here that he could be faking this?
BLOOM: Not really, Randi. I mean, I'd like to say yes, but he has a history and his history is that his mental illness seems to have been getting worse over the years. Also, he denies that he's mentally ill. Usually when people are faking it, you know, they make a big show of their mental illness. It's exactly the opposite situation with Jared Loughner.
KAYE: So, he'll go to what, a prison hospital? And then is it possible that he'll never face a trial? I mean can he stay there indefinitely?
BLOOM: It's possible, it really is possible. He seems to have a pretty advanced case of schizophrenia. However, schizophrenia is treatable and sometimes when people get into the hospital and they get treated, they can advance enough where they can be tried, that happened in the Elizabeth Smart case. It took many years but ultimately, the defendants were tried in that case when they got to the point where they were sufficiently able to stand trial.
KAYE: And so, what does this mean? And a lot of people are probably wondering what this means legally for his victims, I mean will justice be served at all?
BLOOM: You know, it's got to be so frustrating for the victims who are anxious for a trial to hear that he's not able to stand trial, although one victim did say, you don't have to be a psychiatrist to see that this guy is mentally ill. And if you don't -- aren't able to form the mens rea, as we call it in criminal law, the criminal intent, we don't try you in this country. It's not that you just committed the act, you have to have the mental ability to understand what you were doing, to plan it, to have the intention to do what you did.
He appears to be very far from that, at this point, not able to stand trial. And if he did stand trial, he might be found not guilty by reason of insanity. So, he goes back in the mental facility where he will stay potentially indefinitely.
KAYE: All right, Lisa Bloom helping us break that down. Thank you, Lisa.
Next, we'll go live to Joplin, Missouri, where an official list has just been released for those still unaccounted for following Sunday's deadly twister. Will this help erase some of the frustration?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Four days after that devastating tornado tore through Joplin, Missouri, state officials today released an official list of those who remain unaccounted for, 232 names are on that list. They are all individuals who from missing persons reports have been filled out, it includes some people who have died but haven't been positively identified.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDREA SPILLERS, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY: Keeping in mind that on that list, there are individuals that we are working directly with their family members to identify and notify their loved ones that they are deceased. But there are also individuals on that list that we have not accounted for. So, we are asking for your help and the public's help to account for those individuals.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Our Brian Todd was at today's news conference that you just saw there. He joins me live now from Joplin.
Brian, will this help, do you think, some of the frustration that families have been going through? Will it ease some of that?
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It may help, Randi, but we've already noticed a problem with this list, I'm going to point it out to you right now. This involves a family who we've spoken to over the past couple of days. The Hare family, we've interviewed the mother of Lance Hare, a 16-year-old boy who went missing. And he has filed a missing persons report.
You know, we've interviewed her, her father's been on CNN -- I mean his father's been on CNN as well. Her son appears to be on this list, but he may be on it twice. And we literally just got this list and we went over it. So, there may be some problems with the list. I'll show you what we're talking about. He went by the name Lance Hare, it's kind of I guess a nickname. We were told that his given name is Caley (ph) Hare. When you see his name here, the photo journalist, Ahrad (ph), is going to zero in here, you see it, Caley Hare, 1601 Jefferson, age 16.
Well, you flip the page, it appears his name is on here twice but maybe mischaracterized. Caley Lance, 1601 Jefferson, age 16. This is his given name, that apparently is his nickname but it's the same address, same age, he may be on here twice. We've counted this and this and this is 232. This is the official list of missing persons, but there may be problems.
KAYE: I'm curious, Brian, because official -- originally they said there might have been as many as 1,500 people missing, now we're down to 232.
TODD: That's right.
KAYE: How did that happen?
TODD: Well, we asked specifically about that because that 1,500 number's been out there for a couple of days now, and the officials around here have told us on one hand that they want to dial back from that number because it was kind of unclear, and on the other hand, they won't -- they wouldn't really give us a specific number.
What they said today was that they had kind of a higher number because a lot of those were kind of loose reports. Kind of anecdotal reports filed by family and friends, such as, you know, someone calling in and saying, well my uncle usually calls me on Sunday and he didn't call me last Sunday. Things like that. Just kind of loose information that's floating out there. Phone calls and things like that. They had to cross reference all that information. They had to, you know, just check it out in every way, shape or form, match it against the database.
And so they've whittled that down, but they have also released -- this apparently now is a list of people who have been officially reported who they've, you know, contacted the family members, worked with the family members to get the information, the addresses, the ages. And that's what they've come up with. But as we've just shown you, there seems to be at least one problem with this list and a name who's on here twice.
KAYE: Right. And did you learn anything today at the press conference about why so many of these families have been denied access to the morgue to try and find their loved ones?
TODD: Well, they say that it's because they want to be 100 percent accurate. Now there's a big point of contention there because, as we've been reporting, and others have, after the tsunami in Sri Lanka and in south Asia, officials there took pictures of the bodies and they were at least able to show people pictures and there were positive IDs made there. Here they won't even let people go into the morgue where they might have a match, a possible match, and let them identify a body. They say they want to do it forensically, with DNA, fingerprinting, establishing marks on the body that may be familiar and really match it all forensically with the descriptions that the families have given and with the DNA samples that the families have given. That the way they want to do it.
There was a report early on this week that one body was misidentified and mistakenly taken to a funeral home. Now they haven't talk about that and we specifically asked about that, is that why you're doing it this way? And they won't answer that question. But it could be why, you know, there was some chaos and confusion and I guess some real heartbreak over that one report and maybe they've pulled back and they just want to do it purely forensically right now and match data to data and data to description, things like that, Randi. That's really the only answer I can come up with for you there because that's really all they're saying.
KAYE: Yes, sounds like just sad and frustrating times there in Joplin. Brian Todd, appreciate it. Thank you.
In Oklahoma, a father's search for his three-year-old son following a tornado there has come to a tragic end.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANK HAMIL, RYAN HAMIL'S FATHER: And we found my other son this morning, Ryan. He was floating in the water on the west side of the lake. And I just want to thank everybody for helping and being there. And it's a bad deal. I lost both my boys. I was hoping we'd find Ryan today alive. Ryan was my little buddy. Cole was too. And I loved them both. I just want to thank everybody again for helping, all they've done. Thanks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: That's a heartbreaking story there. Officials say Ryan Hamil was separated from his family when the storm hit Tuesday night. His mother, who is pregnant, and five-year-old sister survived, but his 15-month-old brother also died. The father had been out of town.
To find out more how you can help those devastated by the tornadoes, go to cnn.com/impact. Right there you will find all the organizations and many ways that you can help those in need. That, once again, is cnn.com/impact. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: It looks as though we still have a few years before the housing market fully rebounds. This according to a recent report from RealtyTrac. The problem, foreclosures. There is about a three year inventory of foreclosed homes for sale, which is keeps home prices overall pretty low.
Take a look at this graph and you'll see what we're talking about here. Foreclosures represent over half of home sales in Nevada at 53 percent. Arizona and California don't seem to fare much better, both with 45 percent of homes sold being in foreclosure. Overall in the U.S., about 28 percent of all home sales are foreclosures. Great for those looking for a deal, but not something that is helping the market overall.
There is no doubt that the Fortune 500 list of CEOs is full of the best and brightest in business today. So how many women CEOs made the list this year? There are 12 female CEOs on the list, down from 15 last year. So let's take a look at a few who made the cut.
Angela Braly of WellPoint insurance held a variety of titles at the company before being named CEO in 2007. General counsel, chief public affairs officer and even executive vice president. During a rough 2010, WellPoint's earnings jumped 11 percent over 2009. And shareholders were rewarded with a 25 cent quarterly dividend, the first ever.
Kraft CEO Irene Rosenfeld raised a few eyebrows when she pushed ahead with a plan to buy British candy maker Cadbury for $19 billion. A move that wasn't encouraged by one of its more notable shareholders, Warren Buffett. Buffett ended up selling some stock off, but plenty of others bought in and Kraft shares rose almost 16 percent in 2010. Thanks to that move, Kraft now holds the title as the world's largest confectioner. That is pretty sweet.
Ellen Kullman has been the CEO of DuPont for only two years, but has already made some bold moves that could pay off big for the chemical giant in the future. Earlier this year, she led the company in the takeover of Danish enzyme maker Danisco. The $6 billion acquisition will transform DuPont into the leading maker of enzymes and biofuels, as well as the largest food ingredient maker in the world.
For the rest of this list, as well as other great money stories, be sure to check out the all-new cnnmoney.com.
And be sure to join Christine Romans for "Your Bottom Line" each Saturday morning 9:30 Eastern and don't miss "Your Money" with Ali Velshi Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. Eastern and Sundays at 3:00.
Twenty-three minutes past the hour. Let's update our top stories.
Key provisions of The Patriot Act could expire at midnight if Congress doesn't pass a four-year extension. It's caught up in procedural wrangling right now in the Senate and it still has to go before the House if senators manage to pass it. The expiring provisions of the anti-terrorism law deal with roving wiretaps, tracking alleged lone wolf terrorists and allowing authorities to obtain any records they deem relevant to an investigation.
The Supreme Court sides with Arizona on a law punishing businesses that knowingly hire illegal immigrants. In a 5-3 ruling, the justices rejected arguments that the Arizona law steps on traditional federal oversight over immigration. Challenges to a more controversial Arizona law that would give police a greater role in arresting suspected illegal immigrants are working their way through lower courts. A source says former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Khan is now living in a luxury townhouse in New York's trendy Tribeca neighborhood. He's under house arrest awaiting his trial for raping a hotel maid. A real estate listing says the townhouse is nearly 7,000 square feet with rent listed at $60,000 a month. What a deal.
President Obama is comparing notes and talking policy with world leaders in France. So what does this mean for Americans at home? Ed Henry will tell us right after the break. So keep it here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Major news from overseas. Police in Serbia have arrested a man suspected of being the highest ranking war crimes suspect still at large from the Balkan Wars. Senior White House correspondent Ed Henry joins me now from Deauville, France, where President Obama is participating in the G-8 talks.
Ed, first I want to ask you, any reaction from the White House about this big arrest?
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the president just put out a written statement a few minutes ago, in fact, Randi, saying that he's looking forward to Mladic being transferred to The Hague rather quickly so he'll be brought to justice. And he said he thinks this could give the many, many thousands of families who were affected by this genocide at least some measure of justice.
And what's really remarkable is this news came in just as the president was having a bilateral meeting with the Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev, in which we're told President Medvedev congratulated President Obama for killing Osama bin Laden. I mean who would have thought that within the space of, what, about three weeks these two cold-blooded killers would be brought to justice. One captured, one killed. Pretty remarkable.
KAYE: It certainly is. So let us get back to the G-8 talks. Will anything that's actually going to happen there at these talks impact Americans? And, if so, what?
HENRY: Well, you know, the dirty little secret is there's not too much action here. It's often a lot of talk. And what I've learned at these summits is that what happens on the sidelines, instead of what we're seeing in sort of the carefully crafted photo-ops, can often be more important.
I mean, for example, that meeting I mentioned with the Russian president. President Obama had a chance, because at these summits you get a chance to spend some quality time with your counterparts on the sidelines, and he was able to talk to him about Afghanistan. Russia's very helpful in moving equipment, for example, for the Afghan War to help the U.S. Also about Libya. This is the first time the president's been able to get a whole bunch of allies together in one place to talk about what's next there. I mean Colonel Gadhafi has obviously dug in. This is of great interest. When you ask, how does it impact the American people back home? Because President Obama has made clear on this trip that maybe this has taken a bit longer than some people expected and that basically there's going to need to be some patience, not just among the allies here, but among the American people back home, that this may drag on for some time, Randi.
KAYE: So it sounds like there is some work going on, but I do understand there were a couple of funny moments from the internet session today?
HENRY: They have these little breakout sessions and they had one on the internet. This is a big priority of President Sarkozy who's hosting the summit, of course, in France.
And he started -- he had Mark Zuckerberg from Facebook, Eric Schmidt from Google among other here. First funny moment was that White House staff noticed that right behind President Obama where he was sitting at this big table there were a couple of big large fax machines, it looked like maybe they were circa 1988 or something like that. And so the White House staff had them moved out, we're told, because they thought the photo of President Obama talking about the internet with Mark Zuckerburg and others with some old, dated fax machines probably would have been lampooned by Jon Stewart and others.
KAYE: Oh, yes.
HENRY: And secondly, we also captured -- it was funny -- a little conversation that Angela Merkel of Germany was having with Zuckerberg, as well as President Sarkozy where she was going on and on about how apparently she loved "The Social Network," the movie. And she asked President Sarkozy. He seemed to agree. And she apparently didn't realize that not the entire movie was something that Mark Zuckerburg really enjoyed. And not the whole entire story about some of his old roommates, et cetera, his classmates at Harvard. So she asked Zuckerburg whether he enjoyed it and he said, I didn't really enjoy I actually. And she said something about how well, maybe you'll enjoy the next one. I didn't know there was a sequel in the works. Maybe Angela Merkel knows more than we.
KAYE: Yes, maybe she does.
Ed, I'm just curious just because you get all the plum assignments, you know, traveling to the president all over the world, where are you? Because it kind of looks like you're on a racetrack.
HENRY: I am on a racetrack.
KAYE: OK.
HENRY: But there are no horses here. What's the deal? Bottom line is that this is apparently Deauville. It's been known over the years as kind of a playground for the rich and so there's a racetrack here. There are some beaches nearby. But, yes, I want to clear it up. We're not at the track betting on any horses -- KAYE: It certainly looks like you are.
HENRY: Well, we don't have any time. You keep asking me to come back live, Randi. I was going to try to take the segment off today but they said they needed me.
KAYE: Yes. We always need you, Ed Henry.
Thank you. And I'll let you get back to the races now. Place a bet for me.
HENRY: All right. I'll see you later.
KAYE: We'll be right back with much more news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Let's check on the latest developments and some stories that you may have missed.
It is not day three of the Casey Anthony murder trial. The jurors just got back from lunch after hearing from Casey's father, a key witness. The defense argues that George Anthony sexually abused his granddaughter and say Caylee drown in a swimming pool. But prosecutors are arguing he knew nothing about Caylee's death.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On June 24th of 2008 did you believe that your granddaughter was alive and well and being cared for by your daughter?
GEORGE ANTHONY, CASEY'S FATHER: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you have any reason on June 24th to suspect that your granddaughter was either dead or missing?
ANTHONY: No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Casey Anthony's ex-boyfriend briefly returned to the stand again today. When asked how Casey was with Caylee, her daughter, he described Casey as an affectionate mother.
Several key anti-terror measures could expire at midnight if Congress can't pass a four-year extension. It's caught up in procedural wrangling right now in the Senate and still has to go before the house if senators manage to pass it. The expiring provisions deal with roving wiretaps, tracking alleged lone wolf terrorists and allowing authorities to obtain any records they deem relevant to an investigation.
In Joplin, Missouri, authorities just released a list of missing people. The list includes 232 names which will be published on Missouri's Public Safety Department's web site but the list only includes those whose families filled out a missing persons report for. There is a sense of desperation from families trying to find their loved ones. One father cannot stop making calls to his missing son's cell phone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does it ring or --
MIKE HARE, SON LANTZ HARE IS MISSING: It rang for the first day and half and now it goes straight to voice mail. But just in case he gets it, I want him to know that his dad loves him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: The public safety deputy director says some people on the missing list may be dead and officials will work with families to help identify them. The death toll now at 125.
U.S. economic growth remained disappointingly weak the first three months of the year. The latest government data shows the gross domestic product grew 1.8 percent in the first quarter. That's unchanged from the initial report a month ago. Many economists were expecting that number to be revised a little higher. The GDP is the broadest measure of the nation's economic health.
Delivering a blow to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. A Wisconsin judge has struck down the state's controversial law that restricts collective bargaining. The judge ruled that legislators violated the state's open meetings law and failed to provide the public enough notice before passing the measure. The ruling renders the law void but this decision is not the end to the legal fight. The state supreme court is scheduled to hear arguments in June to determine whether it will consider the case.
Many young adults may look healthy but they could be walking around with high blood pressure and not even know it. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta looks at what's behind this increase. That story is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Many young adults may have high blood pressure and they don't even know about it. A new study finds nearly 20 percent of young adults suffer from higher blood pressure. That number is much higher than previously thought.
Our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains why it is vital for young people to improve their health.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Randi, this study is unique. It was the first of its kind, really, to follow 14,000 young people starting when they were teenagers, follow them into early adulthood and found that 20 percent of them had hypertension. Almost half of them had no idea that they had it. That was the real headline here, a concerning one for sure. But, I think, Randi, we're starting to see some of the ramifications of the childhood obesity epidemic. We talk about this all the time. As children are starting to grow up and starting to develop hypertension as a very young age, too young in many ways.
So you also have a period of time here where they go from the activity of adolescents to sort of this period of time where they're slower in terms of their activity, they're starting to make some poorer dietary choices. This is all sort of pre-adulthood. And you're starting to see some of the health consequences of that, as well.
Hypertension specifically, let me tell you what we're talking about here. You're talking about when the blood surges through the blood vessel here you get a surge and you get that increase in pressure, then sort of a relaxation after that. Systolic is the surge, diastolic is the relaxation. Systolic number should be about 120, diastolic 80. And these people, the numbers got up as high as 140/90. Again, systolic over diastolic. I remember saints over demons to keep that straight.
You know, the guidelines suggest people should have their blood pressure checked starting around 18 years old but a lot of people don't do it. It's a simple test a noninvasive test. You just use a blood pressure cuff. But, these are the young invincibles. They often always keep that in mind.
Also, you've got some real specific tips in terms of how to try and address this. You know, we talk about exercise and good diet. Let me focus just in on sodium, for example, which is related to high blood pressure. It's hidden everywhere. You should be getting about 2,000 milligrams a day. This has more than 400 milligrams, so a fifth of your entire day worth in one small glass of tomato juice. Chicken noodle soup, that can have half of your sodium requirements just in one bowl of chicken noodle soup.
And keep in mind, foods that are frozen, that are preserved, they're often preserved with what? Sodium. That's how they have such a long shelf life. But, you can get a full day's requirements of your sodium from one of these frozen dinners. So, you got to keep tabs on this sort of thing.
But again, starting at 18, get the blood pressure checked. It can help reduce the development of this big killer, Randi, heart disease, as you get older.
Back to you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: All right. Thanks, Sanjay.
The accused mastermind of the massacre of 8,000 people, no longer a free man. The dramatic capture of former Bosnia Serb General Radko Mladic right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAYE: He was one of the world's most wanted criminals and on the run for more than 15 years. But no more. The president of Serbia announced today the capture of former Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladic. He commanded Bosnian Serb forces during the Balkan wars in the early 1990s and he's accused of ordering the worst massacre since World War II. Some 8,000 Muslim men and boys slaughtered in the United Nations protective enclave of Srebrenitsa in July of 1995. Mladic's forces shelled Srebrenitsa for five days before he entered the town. Witnesses have said they saw Mladic ordering his soldiers to round up the victims. The Bosnian war ended five months later. Mladic also commanded the three and a half year siege of Sarajevo in 1992, and that was a move taken after the Bosnian majority voted to break away from the former Yugoslavia. Mladic's actions allegedly resulted in the deaths of 10,000 people, including 3,500 children. The international court in the Hague has indicted him for war crimes and genocide.
CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson covered the Balkan war and met Mladic on numerous occasions. And Nic joins us know by phone from Tunisia.
Nic, first tell me your reaction to his capture.
NIC ROBERTSON, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: It's taken a long time. It seemed inevitable that he would be caught up with eventually, particularly as the political (INAUDIBLE) there was a less nationalist reign of government there that wanted to unite or at least be a part of Europe. So, I'm not surprised. It has taken a hugely long time to catch up with him but it seemed inevitable. But, for all the victims in Bosnia today it has to be a day they feel better.
KAYE: And how do you think Mladic managed to evade capture for -- for some 15 years. Did he have help do you think?
ROBERTSON: He certainly did. I remember in about 2006, 2007, we had a tip off that he was living at a house just (INAUDIBLE).
KAYE: All right, we seem to have lost Nic Robertson there. He was trying to bring us a report by phone and we had some technical difficulties. We'll try to get him back and get you a little more information on that as the show goes on. Meanwhile, right now, it's 45 minutes past the hour. Time for a check of our top stories.
There is growing concern that Yemen is on the verge of civil war. In the capitol at least 28 people were killed today in an explosion the government blames on a rebel tribe. More than 50 people were killed overnight in clashes between the antigovernment tribe and security forces. The U.S. has ordered all non-essential diplomats and family members to leave the country. Yemen is a key U.S. ally in the fight against Al Qaeda.
In Pakistan another suicide bombing has killed at least 25 people in the northwestern part of the country. The Pakistan Taliban has claimed responsibility saying it was part of a series of attacks to avenge the killing of Osama bin Laden. A similar suicide bombing yesterday killed several police officers. Also, the government has ordered the U.S. to reduce by half the 200 military trainers now in the country.
And China finally confirming the visit of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. State-run media says he met with Chinese leaders and received Beijing's renewed support. The visit comes as North Korea faces an economic crisis and increasing isolation over its nuclear program. Kim was quoted as saying he wanted to resume nuclear disarmament talks.
Well, bee venom and explosive detection, not two things that you think would normally go together, right? Well, we'll explain how they do go together and how this all works next in today's Big I.
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KAYE: Welcome back. To some, bees are an annoyance or, in some cases, those of you who are allergic, well, it might actually be a threat to your health. But, what if I told you the bee venom that many of us fear can now be used to help detect explosives? It's not quite that simple but here to help us break it all down is Michael Strano, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT. Professor, thank you. This is so fascinating. How did you discover this and how does it actually work?
MICHAEL STRANO, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, MIT: Thank you Randi. We discovered this somewhat by -- by accident. We were -- we're very interested in how molecules absorb to a -- to a special class of nano -- nano material called -- called carbon nanotubes and we discovered in -- there -- there are a series of peptides in bee venom that can actually recognize and bind to an important class of chemicals called -- called nitroaromatics. These are things that comprise common pesticides and also explosives. So, we -- we fond that these -- these peptides will -- will actually bind and change shape in -- in response to -- to these different types of molecules.
When we -- when we take these peptides and we attach them to a -- to a carbon nanotube we make a very special kind of -- kind of sensor. It's a -- it's a fluorescent sensor, almost like a very small tiny flashlight that can turn off and on in response to a particular explosive or pesticide that you're trying to -- you're trying to measure.
KAYE: And what kind of explosives can it detect?
STRANO: So, it can detect -- we -- we're still looking through -- through the enormous library of materials -- it can detect very -- very common ones, TNT and RDX but it can -- it can differentiate molecules that -- that have the -- the groups that -- that seem to be the signature for some common types of explosives so -- so, it's a -- there 's a fairly large library of molecules that you -- that you can measure in this way.
KAYE: So, how does this differ, would you say, from current explosives detection devices?
STRANO: It -- it -- it differs in that this is a -- is a nanometer size transducer and it has a sensitivity for ...
KAYE: What is that exactly?
STRANO: ...well, it's -- it's -- it -- the size of this sensor is -- is about 30,000 times smaller than -- than the thickness of -- of -- of your hair and this is a class of sensors that are -- that are being produced across a scientific field called nanotechnology. And, one of the hallmarks is that you -- we -- we can actually lower the detection limit for this kind of sensor down to single molecules so these are -- these are sensors that can actually detect as few as a single collection or a handful of molecules and -- and so -- so that -- that's going -- going to have wide-ranging impacts on analytical science.
KAYE: And how do you see this being used day to day?
STRANO: Well, what -- what -- what I would like, personally, is -- is that I would like to -- I would like to create very inexpensive, cheap, affordable sensors that can be distributed ubiquitously so -- so you could have in your -- in your smart phone you could have sensors that could give you information about chemicals that are in -- in your environment. We could network that information together and we could learn things collectively. But -- but also, if you're interested, I think empowering citizens to -- to be scientists in -- in and of themselves is a very good -- is a very worthy goal. So, you might be interested in what kind of pesticide residues are on your food, for example.
KAYE: That's -- that's very cool. Professor, thank you so much. I learned a lot of new words with you today. My favorite is the nanometer size transducer. I had to write that one down. Nanometer size transducer. I'm going to look that one up later. But, thank you. I got most of what you said, I think.
STRANO: Ok, thank you very much Randi.
KAYE: Thank you very much for coming on. For more information you can visit our blog at CNN.com/Ali. So, is Sarah Palin getting closer to tossing her hat into the ring? CNN's Mark Preston will read the team leads for us right after the break.
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KAYE: Time now for CNN Political Update. CNN Senior Editor, Mark Preston joins me from Washington. And, Mark, Sarah Palin is giving signs that she might be interested in running for President. I know you're working on a piece on this that explores this subject. So, what do you think?
MARK PRESTON, SENIOR EDITOR, CNN: I am Randi, but, let's start off first, there's something that has just come in that is really probably going to give a lot more credence to the idea that Sarah Palin is, in fact, seriously considering running for President. Our own Peter Hamby is reporting right now that Sarah Palin plans to embark on a nationwide tour. It's called the One Nation Tour. It's going to start this weekend here in Washington, D.C. It's going to come right around the annual pilgrimage of bikers who come here to Washington, D.C., to honor the fallen soldiers and also the Prisoners of War and from there, Randi, we're told that Sarah Palin will be visiting historical sites along the East Coast.
Now, as you said, I am working on a story right now, an analysis piece, looking at whether Sarah Palin is very serious about running for President and what we do know is that she has actually indicated that she's not going to close the door to it from her perch over at FOX News where she is a paid contributor. Sarah Palin says that she still has fire in the belly. We also do know that Sarah Palin is starting to build out a campaign operation which, in the past, has been very small. So, Randi, Sarah Palin, who hasn't really taken too many steps forward that would indicate that she is running for President is, in fact, taking those steps now.
KAYE: I mean, most of the Spring she seemed to have been sort of quiet and watching from the sidelines and now, all of a sudden, boom. But, what do the polls say about a potential Palin run?
PRESTON: Well, she continues to do very well in the national polls including this Gallup poll that just came out this morning that showed that Sarah Palin comes in second place. Now, these polls are early but, if you look at that, she's only two percentage points behind Mitt Romney, who is considered the front-runner. This poll, of course, excludes Mike Huckabee and Mitch Daniels, two candidates that were seen by those in the GOP establishment as well as the social conservative community as very serious candidates and very good candidates.
Though, should Sarah Palin decide to run, she would be reaching out to those social conservative voters to really try to gain their support. Now, here is a potential problem for Sarah Palin and I just got off the phone with Tony Perkins who heads up the Family Research Council here in Washington, D.C., a very powerful organization. He said one of the problems for Sarah Palin is that Michele Bachmann, who is the Minnesota Congresswoman, she is starting to take up a lot of that oxygen that Sarah Palin once owned. Michele Bachmann is very conservative, she is very good on social conservative issues and that could be potentially a problem for Sarah Palin should she decide to run for the Republican nomination. Randi?
KAYE: All right, Mark Preston. Interesting stuff. I look forward to your analysis piece on this. We'll have to check it out. And, your next update from the best local team on television is just an hour away.
