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Protests in Syria; U.S. State Department Targets Tattoos; Joe Paterno's Legacy; Cuban Cholera Outbreak
Aired July 13, 2012 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: This developing story out of Washington, this concerns an alleged effort to export to Iran certain items related to uranium enrichment and possibly nuclear weapons development.
With us now from Washington, CNN's Suzanne Kelly.
Tell us what you know.
SUZANNE KELLY, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL PRODUCER: Yes, Fredricka, this is just kind of coming in to us right now and it's really fascinating when you look at how these networks that take nuclear material from the U.S. and then provide it overseas.
Two men have been indicted. Parviz Khaki was a citizen of Iran, and another man, Zongcheng Yi, who is a resident of China, they are being accused of trying to obtain and then illegally export these U.S. materials to Iran. And they're used to construct, operate and maintain gas centrifuges, which are used, of course, to enrich uranium.
Now, the indictment, there are some fascinating things here. First of all, a statement when this was released by Lisa Monaco, she's the assistant attorney general for national security. Iranian procurement networks continue to target U.S. and Western companies for technology acquisition by using fraud front companies and middlemen in nations around the globe.
So essentially the citizens, people who are doing things like this are setting up fake companies, trying to buy materials from the U.S., and then slip them into Iran. And obviously with Iran's nuclear programs right now, you can see the concerns with that.
One other thing that was really interesting that came out in this are some of the details about some of the accusations against these men in particular. The indictment, I'm going to read to it you one more time here because it's so fascinating, one of these men sought to obtain radioactive materials from the U.S. by sending an e-mail to an undercover agent who is basically asking him to purchase these radioactive source materials and test materials for a U.S. company.
They're then being shipped through companies in the Philippines. And obviously the intent was to get them into Iran. We will have to watch this very carefully. It's fascinating to see how these companies are set up around the world, for really the mere movement of materials like this.
WHITFIELD: Keep us posted on more developments. Suzanne Kelly, thanks so much in Washington.
They admit to failing their school, but they're not resigning over it. The Penn State Board of Trustees is meeting right now one day after hearing the results of a scathing independent report on the Jerry Sandusky scandal.
Chairwoman Karen Peetz opened the meeting with comments nearly identical to those she made yesterday after the report came out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAREN PEETZ, CHAIR, PENN STATE UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES: The board as the group that has paramount accountability for overseeing and ensuring the proper functioning and governance of the university, accepts full responsibility for each of the failures that occurred.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Investigators led by former FBI Director Louis Freeh are highly critical of the board in the record, saying -- quote -- "The board also failed to do in its duties to oversee the president and senior university officials in 1998 and 2001 by not inquiring about important university matters and by not creating an environment where senior university officials felt accountable" -- end quote.
The trustees say they take full accountability for those failings and they promise to act on the 119 recommendations on the Freeh report but none planned to step down thus far. The Louis Freeh appeared to show that former Penn State head coach Joe Paterno knew much more than he was letting on.
Now some are calling for the university to remove this statue from the campus, including some of his own friends like former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden. We will ask coach Bowden about that when he joins us in the half-hour.
We have got a lot more coming up this hour. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD (voice-over): Predawn crowds tired of the violence and tired of the deceit by the Syrian government, this one day after another massacre reportedly kills more than 220 people.
Proud of his family, his heritage. One man's ink is stopping him from getting a visa -- why the State Department is targeting tattoos.
And a dentist reportedly reusing needless and syringes exposing people to hepatitis C and HIV.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: You go to a doctor to get better, right? Well, some 8,000 people in Colorado could have HIV, hepatitis B or C because of their doctor.
State health officials just sent them letters, the patients, telling them about Dr. Stephen Stein, seen here in his video from his Web site. They say the oral surgeon and dentist had reused syringes and needless for medication injections on his patients. Now Colorado's Public Health Department is advising its patients to get tested for HIV and other illnesses.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BONNIE WING, PATIENT: It's devastating. I mean, it's devastating. And I feel for all the other people that are in my shoes right now of, what do I do?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And the investigation continues into whether the doctor may have been putting his patients at risk for years.
Joining me by phone is the executive director and chief medical officer of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Dr. Chris Urbina.
Thanks so much for joining us.
So, Dr. Urbina, to be clear, you know of no one who has been infected by the doctor's practice of reusing these syringes, infected with hepatitis B or C and HIV?
DR. CHRIS URBINA, COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH: That is correct.
Thank you for the invitation to speak with you today.
WHITFIELD: How is it that you learned that this doctor was allegedly reusing this type of equipment?
URBINA: Because we were collaborating with other state agencies, the Department of Regulatory Affairs, which is an agency that is another state agency that regulates physicians and dentists like this, let us know that they have concerns about unsafe practices.
And that's when our investigative team went out and interviewed patients -- not patients -- excuse me -- providers and staff to find out what unsafe practices were actually done. And that's when we found out that those unsafe practices existed.
And our investigation continued over the next couple of weeks and that's when we discovered that at least 8,000 patients in these two practices may have been exposed and then we probably are aware of other folks, but because of the incomplete records that we did or did not have, we cast a broad net by putting out a media alert so that we can get information out to people so that if they had been in contact with this practice, they can get tested and further information, early diagnosis and treatment if necessary.
WHITFIELD: So if indeed Dr. Stein was doing this, why?
URBINA: I don't know the answer to that question.
My job as the director of public health here at the state of Colorado is to try to give people information about potential risks. We think people had potential risk and exposed in this practice and it's our responsibility to inform the public to get appropriate testing and treatment.
WHITFIELD: Has there been a significant delay in when the Department of Health learned about this back in April and why the letters are just now being sent out?
URBINA: Thank you for asking that question.
Question, there was no delay, we respond to this immediately. But before we're able to put out accurate information, and investigate, we have to actually talk to folks, we have to figure out -- identify patients, identify the practices, get all of our questions answered so that we can, if any patient, or if a concern, we can answer all their questions.
And we also wanted to get a system in place so that local public health providers and other folks could be informed so that when we release this information, everybody has the same information, is on the same page and everybody's aligned to get the most accurate information and appropriate testing and treatment.
WHITFIELD: And while this investigation is ongoing, what about Dr. Stein? Is Dr. Stein still practicing?
URBINA: You know, he is actually in a cessation of practice dealing with the Colorado State Board of Dental Examiners at DORA, and it's their responsibility. We're working obviously collaboratively with them. They're responsible for his practice. Our job is to try to protect the public's health.
WHITFIELD: Dr. Chris Urbina, thank you so much for your time. Appreciate it.
URBINA: Thank you for the call.
WHITFIELD: And now this. It is being called one of the worst days in Syrian violence since the protests began more 16 months ago, more than 200 people killed in a massacre yesterday. A live report from Abu Dhabi straight ahead.
But, first, economic hardships in the U.S. have students concerned about the future of their college financial aid.
(FINANCIAL UPDATE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: Heavy rain in Southeast Texas is causing flooding that's closing freeways and trapping people in their homes and cars. Downtown Houston is getting pretty hammered there. Three inches of rain fell in three hours just today alone. Some streets are closed by high water and flooding is causing problems on some major freeways there.
The city is under a flash flood warning and the mayor is asking anyone who doesn't have to travel to stay put, stay inside.
(WEATHER UPDATE)
WHITFIELD: President Obama is campaigning today in one of the Southern states that he actually won back in 2008.
Here's the president in Virginia Beach, Virginia. A short time later, he reminded a friendly audience that he led the effort to rescue the U.S. auto industry.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When some said let's let Detroit go bankrupt, we said we're going to bet on American workers and American industry.
And now GM is back on top, and Ford and Chrysler are selling cars because we believed in that American promise.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The president has a full afternoon in Virginia. He will be campaigning later in Hampton and then this evening in Roanoke.
Condoleezza Rice for vice president? The Drudge Report says Mitt Romney has narrowed his candidates. And Rice is near the top of the list. She also led the list of candidates favored by Republicans in an April poll. But Rice recently told CBS it's not going to happen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I'm saying there is no way that I will do this, because it's really not me. I know my strengths. And Governor Romney needs to find someone who wants to run with him. There are many people who will do it very, very well, and I will support the ticket.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And a quick programming note: Our Jim Acosta sits down with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, talking about the other vice presidential picks perhaps, Bain Capital, and when he will release his tax records. Watch "THE SITUATION ROOM" starting at the top of the hour. All right, proud of his family, his heritage, one man's ink is stopping him from getting a visa -- why the U.S. State Department is targeting tattoos.
And just a quick note for those of you heading out the door. You can continue watching CNN from your mobile phone or if you're heading to work, you can also watch CNN live right from your desktop. Just go to CNN.com/TV.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back.
Another massacre in Syria and a record one-day toll in 16 months of fighting, and should a tattoo count against receiving a U.S. visa? Also, a close encounter with a 12-foot shark. It's time to play "Reporter Roulette."
First up, CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom on new allegations of yet another government massacre in Syria.
MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, opposition activists saying yesterday was the deadliest single day since the uprising began in Syria 16 months ago.
They say that security forces and tanks surrounded the town of Tremseh in Hama province, that they shelled the town for several hours. After the shelling was done, they say the security forces, tanks and pro- regime militias entered the town and started slaughtering families that were trying to flee indiscriminately.
Now, we're seeing a lot of amateur video, disturbing amateur video coming out today. We must warn the viewers it is very graphic and the content is very disturbing. One video purports to show people around bodies in various states of distress inside this room. Another video purports to show a mass grave site, as dozens of bodies are being buried, all victims of this alleged massacre.
The Syrian security forces are saying that this was because of armed terrorists and because of clashes between security forces and armed terrorists. And they're saying only 50 people killed in that town.
The opposition in Syria very angry about this, very angry also with the U.N. observer mission and Kofi Annan. They say that they have failed to stop the violence in Syria.
Here's more of what the chairman of the main opposition group, the Syrian National Council, had to say about this today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABDULBASET SIEDA, CHAIRMAN, SYRIAN NATIONAL COUNCIL (through translator): This massacre falls under the action planned by the regime to break the will of the Syrian people and to force them to accept the reality as it is. These massacres target the country to force it into a horrendous sectarian war. As for the Annan plan, it proves day by day its failure and truly it's a thing of the past.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JAMJOOM: The U.N. observer mission has said that they would like to go to that site. They're willing to do so to investigate further, but they can't do so until the violence ceases -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Mohammed Jamjoom, thank you so much.
All right, tattoos are holding up some immigrants from getting a green card.
Next on "Reporter Roulette," Rafael Romo.
So, U.S. officials are dying people entry because they have ink. Tell us why.
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: It's not just that they have tattoos, Fredricka.
It's the fact that these tattoos represent criminal organizations or gangs of their affiliation. We're talking about a very specific case of a man who used to live in San Antonio. He is married to an American citizen. He has three American children, goes back to Mexico to apply for permanent residency.
And during the interview, officials notice that they have a tattoo of what is called holy death. This tattoo is significant because it represents the patron saint of the criminal underworld in Mexico. And based on that, he was denied his citizenship.
Now, it's not the only case that we know of in the last year or so. There are about four other cases. And also immigration attorneys are telling us that there may be many more, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: So, Rafael, while the images that we're looking at, those are tattoos on portions of the body that can easily be concealed. How did they get wind of the tattoos that may imply gang activity on the others? Where were there, on their face or neck are somewhere difficult to conceal?
ROMO: Not necessarily.
In this particular case, they started asking questions and they started asking him, OK, show us what you have. And they soon realized that some of these tattoos are indeed affiliated with gangs. But what his attorney is saying is that it doesn't have anything to do with his past. My client has not committed any crime. He just likes tattoos as an artistic expression, and it doesn't have anything to do with anything that he might have done.
WHITFIELD: All right, Rafael Romo, thank you so much.
All right, on to Australia now. It's known for its deadly creatures, from spiders to snakes to sharks. And we have got this incredible video of a couple of guys with their close deep-sea encounter. Next on "Reporter Roulette," our own Amy La Porte from down under right now. She's right above water with us.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: This is creepy.
AMY LA PORTE, CNN WRITER/PRODUCER: This is amazing.
And I cannot tell you how many times I have been asked by an American what it's like to come from a country where you have got these deadly predators lurking around every corner.
My usually response would be, she will be right, mate. But I have got to tell you, I saw this video, I had chills running up and down my spine. Take a look at this.
WHITFIELD: OK.
Oh, boy.
LA PORTE: Yes. Incredible.
WHITFIELD: This big old great white. Oh, my goodness. And so this diver or snorkeler or fisherman...
(CROSSTALK)
LA PORTE: These guys were actually deep-sea spearfishing.
But it's not what they were doing. It's where they were doing it. This is just crazy to me. This area off the coast of West Australia...
WHITFIELD: They know better.
LA PORTE: I know.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LA PORTE: This place is synonymous with these great white sharks.
In fact, there have been more people mauled to death and killed since the end of last year in this body of water that you're seeing right now by one of these beasts. I mean, it's just incredible that they were even there.
WHITFIELD: So they really are daredevils. They just conveniently have a camera on them, too. They have got their spear. It seems as though they were looking, were they not, for a close encounter like this?
(CROSSTALK)
LA PORTE: They have -- that spear that they have is actually a fishing spear. So, let me tell you, if that shark decided to come at them, they really had no hope, armed with a fishing spear, a fishing knife. This was a 12-foot shark. They actually can consider themselves lucky in a number of ways. There have been sightings of 20-foot sharks in this water.
I have got this great still here I want to show you of just how far away -- check that out -- how far they were away, 150 feet from safety.
WHITFIELD: No outswimming that great white.
LA PORTE: They knew they had to stay there, they had to fight it off, and they did manage to fight it off. They poked and prodded it until it decided to go and get a meal elsewhere.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. They're nuts. Can I say that?
LA PORTE: Yes, you can.
WHITFIELD: I'm actually going to talk with one of those fishermen tomorrow.
LA PORTE: That's amazing.
WHITFIELD: And I think I have to ask him, is he nuts? What were they doing? What were they thinking?
LA PORTE: Absolutely
And I guess my advice to any Americans thinking about heading down under, stick to the shark-patrolled beaches. Let's just keep it safe, guys.
WHITFIELD: Stay on land, stay in shallow water, all that good stuff.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Amy La Porte, thanks so much. I appreciate that.
LA PORTE: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right, let's move on now. As Joe Paterno's legacy diminishes over the Sandusky sex scandal, former coaching rival Bobby Bowden weighs in on the fallout over his image next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Joe Paterno wasn't the man everyone thought he was, according to Penn State's own internal investigation.
Once assured a place among the all-time greats in college football history, Paterno now leaves behind a much darker legacy. E-mails appear to show that he knew about a 1998 investigation into whether his assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky, abused a boy in a locker room shower, but he didn't admit that when he testified before a grand jury last year.
I want to bring in someone who was a friend of Joe Paterno's, a rival, and a college football legend in his own right, former Florida State University coach, Bobby Bowden, on the phone with us.
Good to talk with you again. Coach, last time you and I spoke it was shortly after the death of Joe Paterno and you talked about his legacy and I wonder now after this Louis Freeh report if this colors your image of the legacy of Joe Paterno differently?
BOBBY BOWDEN, FORMER HEAD FOOTBALL COACH, FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY: You know, this is kind of like a nightmare. It's kind of unbelievable, what's happened.
And, again, it reminds me of a nightmare. I keep wanting to wake up and say all this did not happen because it is so unlike Joe Paterno, what I know about Joe Paterno, a man that we have all looked up to. Even though I'm just a few years younger than him, I was a great admirer and a follower of him and I just can't picture what happened here, you know?
But evidently from that report, the four, most important guys in it didn't report it when they could have and allowed this molester to molest 10 or 11 more boys for the next 10, 11 years, when he could have been shut off immediately by reporting this.
WHITFIELD: So this report claims that not only did Paterno know about some of the details of this allegation, but that he helped cover it up, that he was complicit. They even used the word in this report as being an "enabler."
As you try to come to grips with these details, what would be the best explanation that you could see behind these actions by Joe Paterno? What was it that was at stake? What may have been measured in his view as to why he would allegedly do these things, to cover-up, to be an enabler?
BOWDEN: You know, I can nearly -- nearly cannot hear you. Can you speak up a little bit?
WHITFIELD: Why in your view would you believe that this report would spell out that Joe Paterno was an enabler, that he was complicit, that he knew of this? What might have been at stake, in your view, for Joe Paterno, that he would not reveal these kinds of details, take it further?
BOWDEN: The only thing I know is what the report said. I mean, why -- you know what? Many times in my coaching career at Florida State and West Virginia and wherever I've coached, some kind of event would come up that was shocking, maybe a kid getting arrested, maybe cheating, maybe something that you're so ashamed of, oh, I hope nobody hears about this, you know.
And it goes through your mind, oh, gosh I wish I could keep this thing quiet and then, but you can't. You know, you can't. And evidently that's just -- I'm just basing this on the report because I'm not a judge.
But on the -- that this thing came up. You had a university with an impeccable image, academically and character-wise. You had a coach the same way. And they knew this was going to kill them if it got out, you know it?
And, so, therefore, they covered it up. Now, that's my reaction from hearing that report. I don't -- you know, I don't know everything that's gone on, but that's what it sounds like.
WHITFIELD: So, you know, when you look back at some of the punishments imposed by the NCAA, SMU was penalized for some unscrupulous activity involving recruitment. Your program was stripped of 12 wins for academic misconduct.
What do you think, in your view, the NCAA should be doing as it pertains to Penn State. There have been some discussions about the so-called death penalty, which is the ultimate punishment of closing down an athletic program or football program that would be under such scrutiny. What do you think is appropriate here?
BOWDEN: You know, I don't think they're going to get the death penalty from the NCAA. And I say that because SMU got it about 40 or 50 years ago. Since that time, it kind of seems like the NCAA has felt like we're not going to do that anymore. Because they've had opportunities and they hadn't. You know?
So, now, would they do that here? I don't think they would. You know, they're liable to do anything, but I don't think they would. I hate to see them get the death penalty, to be honest with you, because the boys that are there today, they didn't do it. The coaches that are there today, they didn't do it. You know? It was somebody else.
And so I just wonder if the NCAA is going to take a role in this thing. You know, their big gripe was, do you have institutional control and it definitely was lacking here, as you can tell.
And then their other gripe is, well, did you gain an advantage from it? You know?
WHITFIELD: If the NSAA ...
BOWDEN: And so (INAUDIBLE) they're going to get involved. Now, what they'll do, I do not know. I know they took 12 "dadgum" games away from me for some cheating scandal here that I had no involvement whatsoever on it. In fact, we reported it. We self-reported it.
NCAA didn't find out. We called them and said this is what happened, you know, so anyway, that's what they did to me. I don't know how involved they'll get in this thing. They might try to pass it off as a criminal case and it's not in their jurisdiction.
WHITFIELD: So, in your view, if the NCAA were to do nothing, is that just as damaging if not more so than to impose what would be the strictest or harshest penalty for a athletic program or a football program such as Penn State like the death penalty? BOWDEN: Well, the death penalty, you know, it's not going to change anything. Those kids that were molested were molested. It's not going to change anything. I know as far as -- you know, I just don't know what they're going to do.
WHITFIELD: If the NCAA does nothing, is that damaging? If the NCAA does nothing, is that damaging in your view?
BOWDEN: Yes, and that makes me think, yes, they will do something, you know. Like I say, I don't know their answers. I can't speak for them, but just the question you asked right there makes me think they will do something.
WHITFIELD: Coach Bobby Bowden, thanks so much for your time. Always good to talk with you. Appreciate it.
BOWDEN: Hey, see you later, gal.
WHITFIELD: All right, still criminal charges pending in the Penn State case, Jerry Sandusky child abuse scandal. Sunny Hostin is "On the Case."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Lawyers planning to sue Penn State University over the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal have been handed what amounts to a pretty big gift by Penn State. It is that internal report that says school officials at the highest level knew Sandusky was a predator and then covered it up.
CNN legal analyst Sunny Hostin is in New York. So, Sunny, let's talk about the pending civil and criminal aspects of this and let's talk about those lawsuits and how that report, that Louis Freeh reports actually helps them, particularly as it pertains to the criminal cases. Might we see that there could be some more criminal charges imposed?
SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: You know, the Pennsylvania attorney general's office has made it very clear that this is an ongoing investigation, that this is an ongoing grand jury investigation and they won't commit as to whether or not these findings in the Freeh report could lead to additional charges.
We already know that Curley and Schultz are pending criminal charges, pending criminal trial. They have been charged with failure to report as well as perjury.
Joe Paterno, of course, he is no longer with us, but Graham Spanier, the president of Penn State, was implicated in this Freeh report as having knowledge of what happened in 1998, those sex abuse allegations against Jerry Sandusky, as well as part of the decision-making team in 2001, that team, that pyramid of power that decided not to report these allegations.
So, I suspect that it is quite possible that criminal charges are being considered for at least President -- ex-President Spanier. WHITFIELD: So going down that road, we can expect, you know, potential charges, indictments, grand jury, et cetera, but now let's talk about the civil cases which in many cases are settled out of court. What's the potential here?
HOSTIN: My guess is that because of the Freeh report, I mean, this is a resource manual for defense attorneys, for civil litigators. It is a road map to a lawsuit.
So, there's no question that there are going to be numerous lawsuits filed against Penn State. Those cases will never see a courtroom. Those cases will be settled. The only question, Fredericka, is how much will Penn State pay to the victims of Jerry Sandusky and Penn State.
WHITFIELD: Are you looking at something that could be unfolding within a matter of weeks, months, or does this take years?
HOSTIN: You know, it takes years when it goes to trial. But, again, I just cannot see that happening here. This is something that should be settled rather quickly. It's something that Penn State has indicated it wants to put behind the school. And, so, I suspect within the next year, we will see many of these lawsuits settled.
WHITFIELD: All right, Sunny Hostin, thanks so much for joining us. Appreciate that. Always good to see you.
All right, cholera, a dangerous disease that is making a comeback, devastating one Cuban town. A CNN exclusive from inside the hospital, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Cuba is dealing with a deadly outbreak of cholera, the first outbreak of the disease there in more than a century. CNN's Patrick Ottman is the only journalist allowed to go inside the hospital at the epicenter of this crisis.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK OTTMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At this hospital in the Cuban town on Manzanillo, three patients arrive complaining of stomach ailments, but doctors here are on the lookout for something far more deadly, a rare outbreak of cholera.
(INAUDIBLE) shows some of the symptoms.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): This morning, I was waiting for the bus and I threw up twice, so I came running here.
OTTMAN: So far, "El Evento," as it's called here has claimed at least three lives and sickened over 110 people with cholera, doctors say. Many more people suffer from cases of severe diarrhea.
For the first time, the Cuban government allowed cameras inside the hospitals at the epicenter of the outbreak and for doctors to tell their stories to CNN.
DR. JULIO CESAR FONSECA, HOSPITAL DIRECTOR (through translator): The first day, five patients came and then eight. That's not normal, that five people would come with the same symptoms.
The most critical days were when there were 30 to 32 patients that arrived in a single day.
OTTMAN: Cholera is a water-borne disease that is usually not fatal, if treated. It was believed to have been eradicated in Cuba, but Cuban doctors say a hot and wet summer here has set the stage for cholera's return.
Unusually heavy rainfall flooded these people's farmlands and contaminated their wells. That's how the first outbreak of cholera in Cuba in over a century began.
To halt cholera's spread here, the government has closed contaminated wells and is trucking in drinking water, shuttered food stands that could spread the illness, temporarily banned fishing and swimming in waters that may be contaminated.
Dr. Manuel Santin Pena treated patients with cholera in Haiti and is part of a Cuban medical mission there. He says doctors here are gaining the upper hand on Cuba's much smaller cholera outbreak.
DR. MANUEL SANTIN PENA, CUBAN NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF EPIDEMIOLOGY (through translator): The number of cases is evidently dropping. That doesn't make us confident so much as make us intensify all of our preventive measures so that in the next few weeks we can stop the outbreak.
OTTMAN: An outbreak that (INAUDIBLE) hopes she can avoid. After speaking to us, she was admitted to the hospital. Cholera tests could take seven to ten days to come back, a nerve-racking wait as Cuba again battles a killer disease.
Patrick Ottman, CNN, Manzanillo, Cuba.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: It is the nation's largest bank and a stock that could be in your 401(k). Now, we're learning just how much JPMorgan lost in a bunch of risky trades.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A new twist today in a story we brought you Wednesday. The son of one of the richest men in the world has been arrested on suspicion of murder in the mysterious death of his wealthy American wife.
News of Hans Rausing's arrest came today during a preliminary inquiry into the death of Eva Rausing. Her body was found earlier this week in the couple's pricey home in London. She has been battling drug addiction and her husband, Hans, was picked up by police on Monday on suspicion of drug possession. Friends have been concerned that drug use may have played a role in Eva's death.
Hans Rausing is heir to a milk-packaging fortune. Eva Rausing's autopsy was inconclusive and authorities are waiting for more test results to determine the cause of death.
And we're just a few minutes away from the top of the hour and that means Wolf Blitzer and "The Situation Room." So, Wolf, big interview today?
WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Big interview. Our own Jim Acosta's going to have a chance to speak with Mitt Romney today, an important day to speak to the Republican presidential candidate.
That interview will air in its entirety at exactly 6:00 p.m. Eastern in our brand new, 6:00 p.m. Eastern hour of "The Situation Room, so I just want our viewers to know two hours from now the interview with Mitt Romney and Jim Acosta airs in "The Situation Room."
Lots of news happening though today, as you know. Syria -- a big, big story, what's going on in Syria right now. Professor (INAUDIBLE) will be joining us in our 5:00 p.m. Eastern hour. Fran Townsend is here, as well, our national security contributor. We're going to talk about Syria.
Also talk about these arrests, the U.S. Justice Department making some important arrests now, two individuals allegedly involved in trying to smuggle sophisticated nuclear-related material to Iran.
So, lots of political news, national security news. All the stuff, we do well here in "The Situation Room," Fred, coming up right at the top of the hour.
WHITFIELD: Of course. All right, lots coming our way. All right, thanks so much. Wolf Blitzer, we'll see you at the top of the hour.
All right, another day, another online security breach, this time 450,000 yahoo! Users have had their passwords compromised by hackers. Gmail, Hotmail and AOL addresses were also caught up in this, but the password thieves didn't cause a whole lot of damage, instead posting a warning on their website for Yahoo! Beef up your security.
Some online security experts claim your e-mail addresses and passwords are completely unsecure. Yahoo! responded with this statement saying, quote, "We are taking immediate action, changing the passwords of the effected Yahoo! users and notify the companies whose users' accounts may have been compromised," end quote.
But no word on them on any changes to prevent this from happening again. Now, you can find out if your e-mail is one of those affected by putting your addresses into this website on the screen right now.
All right, losses for JPMorgan Chase's failed trading strategy are almost triple what we first told you, hitting almost $6 billion so far and bank CEO Jamie Dimon says they could go higher. But that hasn't stopped Chase from raking in profits.
Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange. So, Alison, exactly how much has JPMorgan Chase lost so far? And how much worse can it get?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: OK, it's what you said. $5.8 billion for the first six months of this year and, yes, it could get worse. Jamie Dimon saying it could grow by another $1.7 billion.
You know what? It's not surprising. These are very complex trades that it seems like even the bank itself was having a hard time deciphering these trades. And it takes time to unwind them.
Still, even with these trading losses, Fredricka, JPMorgan still made $5 billion in the second quarter, actually beating expectations by quite a bit, and made $9.9 billion so far this year, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And so the bank did turn a healthy profit in the second quarter. What are investors saying? How are they reacting?
KOSIK: They're reacting very positively today. Shares of JPMorgan Chase up more than 5.5 percent. It's the biggest gainer by a long shot on the Dow right now. We have about four minutes to go before the closing bell.
One analyst says the way the market sees it there's this feeling that the worst is behind them. Something else making investors happy, Dimon said that these trades that are still in this bundled portfolio may actually still be able to make the company money.
Plus, outside of this trading disaster, some of the most important divisions that are at JPMorgan, like investment and retail banking, they did very well in the second quarter.
And there's also been a lot of demand for the bank's loans. So JPMorgan had a pretty darn good second quarter.
Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: All right, very good. Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange. Thanks so much for that.
All right, catch him if you can. This guy doing over 180 miles an hour, weaving through traffic, all while filming himself. Now, police in British Columbia are trying to track him down. They think they know who this guy is, 25-year-old Randy George Scott of Victoria.
This video has gone viral with a million hits on YouTube. Scott is facing charges that could have him braking, being locked up for five years.
It's called the red light for a reason. Look at this car, speeding through right there, red light in Roselle Park, New Jersey, slamming into another car, spinning around then taking down a light pole, as you saw right there. You're going to see it again. Thankfully, the driver made it out OK. Police released this video as a way to remind drivers that stopping at a red light is a matter of life and death.
Stopping the drug war, well, it's hard, thanks in part to the hundreds of small tunnels that are hand-dug under the U.S./Mexican border. Well, now, our cameras take you inside one passageway that is being called the most sophisticated.
Here's CNN's Casey Wian.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the way agents first discovered this tunnel a few days ago under this giant container of water.
Over here, you can still see 55-gallon drums that contain the dirt that was dug out of this tunnel stretching 240 yards across the U.S./Mexico border.
DOUGLAS COLEMAN, DEA SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: This is the most sophisticated one I've ever seen in Arizona.
WIAN: And what makes it that?
COLEMAN: Because of the way that it's designed. Most of the tunnels we have in Arizona, those are just digging through dirt to get into the sewer system, using the sewer system and then punching out again.
This one, I mean, when you look down that hole, you are going to see it is completely 4 X 6, all the way, plywood all the way around it, rebar in there, reinforced.
WIAN: The tunnel is so narrow and so deep, CNN photo journalist John Torigoe and his camera needed to descend separately.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Clear the shaft.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Clear the shaft.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
WIAN: Each with the help of a harness.
JOHN TORIGOE, CNN PHOTOJOURNALIST: It gets even smaller?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, it gets a little smaller where we'll actually have to crawl, if you were to go a whole lot further.
TORIGOE: There's actually no dirt in here. It's very clean and there's light. There's electricity. And there's a fan, even.
WIAN: U.S. authorities have found 156 cross-border tunnels since the early 1990s. Lately, they've become more ...
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right, that was Casey Wian reporting. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. I'll see you tomorrow, beginning noon Eastern time.
Right now, time for "THE SITUATION ROOM" and Wolf Blitzer.
