Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Saturday
Protests in Los Angeles Over Proposed Immigration Legislation; Police Say Priest's Wife is to Blame for his Murder; British Hostage Freed in Iraq
Aired March 25, 2006 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Kareen Wynter live in downtown Los Angeles with a powerful protest that's taken over the streets, details coming up.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And then, a preacher is killed. Police say his wife admits to pulling the trigger. The question now, why? Plus, getting tested for cancer... few want to do it but doctors say early detection is key. We'll take a look at the right time to make that call to your doctor coming up.
Hello and welcome to "CNN Live Saturday" I'm Fredricka Whitfield. All of that and more after this check of the headlines.
Seattle police want to know what led to a shooting at a party that left seven people dead. Police say among the dead, a gunman... two other shooting victims were taken to the hospital.
Fighting between police and protesters continued in Belarus. Demonstrators are angry over election results giving a majority to President Alexander Lukashenko. Rally organizers claim police have arrested an opposition leader.
Two African nations come to terms over an exiled leader. A spokesman for Nigeria's government says Liberia can detain its former president Charles Taylor and take him back to Liberia. Taylor was forced out of Liberia in 2003 and he faces international war crimes charges.
Country singer Buck Owens known for his hits such as "Act Naturally," and for hosting the variety show, "Hee Haw" has died. He was also known for bringing California's Bakersfield sound style of music to a wide audience. Owens was 76.
First this hour, the fight for America's borders. Latino immigrants have taken to the streets of Los Angeles. They are demanding a say in the ruckus debate over who can enter the country legally, which jobs they can have, and what should happen to the millions of people who are here in violation of U.S. law. We have their side of the story live from Los Angeles with CNN's Kareen Wynter. Kareen?
WYNTER: Hi Fred. We've actually inched our way closer to city hall here in downtown Los Angeles. That's where there are going to be some officials speaking. Sometime this hour, one of them, the mayor of Los Angeles, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who will be addressing this all important issue when it comes to illegal immigrants. Now I can tell you coming over here, driving here in the SAT truck it was absolutely incredible. The streets were gridlocked. There were people everywhere and even behind me right now we're not even along that path where protesters are headed to city hall and you can still see people coming in all directions. So it gives you an idea of just how many people are out here voicing their concerns. They want to send a message to Washington, they say especially next week when the debate is expected to begin in the senate, the house has already passed a bill, tightening laws involving illegal immigration and so, the senate will be considering its own version. People here say they want to send a message that there should be some sort of amnesty, especially for those already here in the country illegally.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think the people that are citizens wouldn't do the jobs that we do. We don't want to take other people's jobs. We just want to work. We just want to help our families that are suffering in our country and I think that's it. That we all have the rights to be here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everybody here who gets affected by this law, this proposition, who's going to send everybody back to where they come from, I think that's the most racist bill that has ever been made. And it sucks that our government is doing this to us. We had a lot to do to build this country and we deserve to be here.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
WYNTER: I've also seen so many students out here really joining in this fight. Yesterday they staged their own protest, thousands of them in schools all across the area. There were walkouts, students hitting the streets with their signs, their messages, who also wanted to send a message to city leaders as well as Washington. Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Kareen Wynter in Los Angeles. Thank you so much. President Bush said today many immigrant workers are doing the jobs most Americans don't want. Even so, his guest worker plan is rousing opposition from within his own party. With that part of the story from The White House, CNN's Kathleen Koch. Kathleen.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Fredricka. The president is clearly walking a tight rope on this one and it's a very emotional debate, obviously from those protests that we've seen around the country today and in recent days. The president in his radio address today made a pitch for his Guest Worker Program.
He explained that it is -- what it does basically is allow non- citizens to come into the U.S. for a limited period of time. They would have to return eventually to their home countries and while here, they would do jobs that Americans simply don't want to do. The president insisted this was not amnesty. This would not put anyone on a fast track to citizenship and he urged compromise from the senators who start debating immigration reform on Tuesday.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP) GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The coming days, the United States Senate plans to consider proposals on immigration reform. This is an emotional debate. America does not have to choose between being a welcoming society and being a lawful society. We can be both at the same time. As we debate the immigration issue, we must remember, there are hardworking individuals doing jobs that Americans will not do who are contributing to the economic vitality of our country.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
WYNTER: On Capitol Hill, most members of the Senate Judiciary Committee do favor some sort of Guest Worker Program, but that committee has not yet come up with a bill and passed it. So another measure has been drafted and could be introduced to that would among other things make it a felony to be in the United States illegally. It would impose new penalties on employers who hire illegal aliens and it would also invest in erecting fences along a third of the southern U.S. border.
Hill watchers believe that this measure actually stands a better chance of passing than the president's Guest Worker Program. The calculation being that in an election year that Americans are more supportive of getting tough on border security than they are of showing compassion to illegal immigrants. Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And Kathleen, you have to wonder how all of this might impact the president's planned visit to Mexico this week.
WYNTER: Indeed. At the end of next week, he will be flying south to Cancun, Mexico, to have a visit with Mexican president Vicente Fox and this is a very important issue for that. President Fox is in the last year of his presidency there in Mexico. Very much wants to see immigration reform part of his legacy. Mexican government has even been paying for huge ads, spending more than $400,000 on newspaper ads in the U.S. lobbying for the Bush plan. Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Kathleen Koch from The White House. Thank you.
More now from Seattle, where seven people died in an early- morning shooting. Police say early this morning, they found six people dead at this home. And just as an officer approached a gunman at the house, police say the suspect then turned the gun on himself committing suicide. Two people are being treated at a local trauma center. Police say they have a number of potential witnesses to tell them what else happened.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
DEANNA NOLETTE, SEATTLE POLICE DEPARTMENT (on the phone): Apparently there was some kind of a party going on at the house and this gentleman had been at the party. At some point we believe that he left and then returned. Beyond that, we don't know what the relationship was between him and the victims. We have taken about 12 to 15 potential witnesses out of that residence. All of them late teens, early 20s.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Police in Milwaukee say at least one person knows something about two missing boys but is holding back information. They say whoever knows anything needs to come forward quickly. Quadrevion Henny and Purvis Parker went missing a week ago tomorrow. Police have searched the area where the boys were last seen and are focusing now on their neighborhood. Purvis is 11, Quadrevion 12. They went to play basketball and they hadn't returned.
From preacher's wife to murder suspect, Mary Winkler is returning to Tennessee today to face charges in the death of her husband. The 32-year-old mother of three was arrested in Alabama Thursday night. Police say she confessed to planning the crime but they've given no motive. Our Rick Sanchez has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: With his back turned, sitting near his own bed, Minister Matthew Winkler was hit with a shotgun blast that authorities suspect he never saw coming. Shot in the back, murdered, police say, by his own wife.
ROGER RICKMAN, SELMER TENNESSEE POLICE: Mary Winkler has confessed to the murder of her husband, Matthew Winkler, shooting him on March 22nd, 2006, leaving Selmer with their three daughters.
SANCHEZ: Mary Winkler, 32 years old, 5'3", 120 pounds, a preacher's wife, seemed an unlikely suspect. So when church members discovered their minister's body in his parsonage, they called police. And immediately went looking for her, to see if she was okay or possibly break the news to her. However, she was nowhere to be found. So police put out an amber alert. Is it possible she and the girls could have been abducted? Police got the answer to their question, when they received a phone call from authorities in Orange Beach, Alabama, late Thursday night that led them to this conclusion.
JOHN MEHR, TENNESSEE BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION: I would say she is a suspect at this time. Just due to the nature of this, that she's alive and well of course. But she does have the children. She was in the van. So we would consider her a suspect at this time.
SANCHEZ: Translation? She wasn't abducted. She had fled on her own in this van. And it wasn't long afterward that police say she admitted to the shooting under questioning by investigators. But what about the children? Three little girls, ages 1, 6, and 8. Inside the Fourth Street Church of Christ, parishioners prayed, hugged, and wondered what burden those children had been left with. So we asked the detective what so many wanted to know. Do we know what the children saw or didn't see? A lot of people are very concerned about these children.
RICKMAN: To my knowledge the children saw nothing.
SANCHEZ: What's more? RICKMAN: They don't have no idea what has happened to their father.
SANCHEZ: They may soon learn what happened to their father from their grandparents. Minister Winkler's parents will likely take custody of them.
DAN WINKLER, MATTHEW WINKLER'S FATHER: We turn our immediate attention to the remembrance of our son Matthew and the care of three precious children.
SANCHEZ: Rick Sanchez, CNN, Selmer, Tennessee.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: It's been a long trip home, find out what freed hostage Norman Kember had to say after arriving back in Great Britain. Also the first lady shares her thoughts on Iraq with CNN's Larry King. What she had to say later.
And the saw dust is flying in New Orleans. Find out if these New Orleans residents have the right recipe for rebuilding a dream.
All right. Well, home at last. After being held hostage in Iraq for nearly four months, Norman Kember is back on British soil. He arrived in London today with more on the emotional homecoming here's CNN's Paula Hancocks.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Norman Kember is back inside his house now with his family that he hasn't seen for about four months. It was a very emotional reunion and you could see the delight on both Norman Kember's face and his wife Pat Kember's face as they came back to their house here in north London. A little earlier this Saturday, as he got out of the car, he gave his neighbors who had come to the streets to welcome him home, a big wave and a very big cheery smile.
There was a spontaneous round of applause from those neighbors as he said hello to them. And he also, then, went into his front gate. Leaning over the hedge just to greet his next door neighbor and then he was inside of the house. He is not expected to come back out again this Saturday. He just wants to spend time with his family now. He did give a statement, though, to the media. Just as he landed at Heathrow a little earlier this Saturday and he said he wanted to be left alone a bit now, so that he could reflect on what had happened to him.
NORMAN KEMBER, FORMER HOSTAGE/PEACE ACTIVIST: I thank the media for agreeing to share news and reduce the stress on me on this occasion. I now need to reflect on my experience. Was I full hardy or rational and also to enjoy freedom in peace and in quiet.
HANCOCKS: In that statement, he also said that he thought that the media was trying to talk to the wrong person. He said that the world's attention should not be on him. But should be still on the Iraqi people and their plight and all of the problems they have been having both before and after the war.
Also the Kember family did have a thought for Tom Fox's family. That's the American who was a fellow hostage of Norman Kember, but sadly did not make it out of Iraq alive. He was found a couple of weeks ago. His body was found in Baghdad.
Now, Norman Kember says that he wants to be left alone with his family now. It's turned into just an intimate family reunion behind closed doors and behind closed curtains. Paula Hancocks, CNN, north London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: The struggle in Iraq isn't just against insurgents. Away from the bloody streets, there's a political battle going on between Iraqi leaders. So far they have not been able to form a unity government and that's causing deep concern among top American officials. CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson raised the issue with the U.S. ambassador to Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What's the one big issue that they have to compromise on the most? What is the single issue that's holding things up?
ZALMAY KHALILZAD, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ: I think it's -- it'll be composition, names. That's where the rubber will meet the road. Names with jobs, assignments, and that's what's still a glut. Prime Minister, you need someone who's a unifier and is competent to do the job and then key ministers, for the presidency and the speaker ship. I think it'll still take some weeks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And now to the battle in the streets of Iraq. U.S. troops targeted by insurgents every day. First lady Laura Bush talked about the violence in an exclusive interview with CNN's Larry King.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY: It's very difficult to watch on television and see the loss of our soldiers in Iraq. And to get the idea that the Iraqis don't care, that they don't want us there, that it's a sacrifice they don't respect or regard, I do think they do. I think the people in Afghanistan, I know the people of Afghanistan from when I've been there, say don't leave. You know, don't leave us yet. Let us build our democracy. Let us get all of the institutions of democracy into place before you go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: In Afghanistan, there are still no clear answers on the fate of Abdul Rahman, the convert from Islam to Christianity. Afghan President Karzai is said to be searching for a way to free him and today Pope Benedict joined the voices calling for mercy. Rahman is set to go on trial in a few days. He faces a possible death sentence over his conversion.
The fallout from the Belarus election continues. The opposition says the vote was rigged. The incumbent president won a third term. Demonstrators were in the streets for another day clashing with police in Minsk. Rally organizers say an opposition leader and the press secretary of another leader were arrested by authorities.
No deal. Talks to end protests over a controversial job law in France have failed. Student leaders met with the prime minister, but rejected his invitation for more talks. Instead, the students supported union calls for a general strike on Tuesday. The new measure makes it easier for employers to fire young workers.
And we want to show you live pictures right now of downtown Los Angeles, where thousands of people are converging there, all demonstrating against proposed federal immigration laws. Most of those demonstrating today are immigrants.
Well, did a Russian diplomat pass secret information about U.S. military plans to the Iraqis? And does the American Red Cross know if billions in Katrina aid had been going to the right people? We'll have some answers straight ahead.
For months the American Red Cross has been asking you to open your wallets for Katrina victims. Well now the Red Cross and a senate committee are looking into allegations of mismanagement. Here's CNN's gulf coast bureau correspondent Susan Roesgen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In the New Orleans area, the Red Cross says it's still delivering 8,000 meals a day. Volunteer Elaine Mann from Wolverine, Michigan, loves serving people in need. In all the Red Cross says it took in more than $2 billion in hurricane Katrina donations and helped more than 3 million people. But some Red Cross volunteers say the organization has done a lousy job of keeping track of where exactly that help went. This is the 300-page whistle- blower report.
The Red Cross says volunteers complained to an internal hot line that distribution centers lost track of donated items and that managers didn't bother to find out if people who applied for free meals or money were actual hurricane victims. The interim head of the Red Cross, Jack McGuire, says the organization is investigating all the allegations, and he says that $2 million in misspent donations has been recovered and put back into the relief effort.
JACK MCGUIRE, AMERICAN RED CROSS: Donors have given us a lot of money to help people. And if the money is going to things other than helping people, then we need to do something about it.
ROESGEN: McGuire says the Red Cross will turn over any evidence of criminal activity to law enforcement. In the meantime, Elaine Mann says every meal she serves is accounted for. ELAINE MANN, RED CROSS VOLUNTEER: When I pass a meal out this window, I give people a meal, I give them a one little snack pack, and if there's children of course, I give them extra stuff. But other than that, how other vans do it? I don't know. I only know how we feel that's the right way to be done.
ROESGEN: Not only is the Red Cross investigating, so is congress. Senator Charles Grassley, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, which oversees tax-exempt organizations says when the president asks Americans to donate to the Red Cross, the Red Cross better spend that money wisely. Susan Roesgen, CNN, New Orleans.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And can it be true? Snow in Hawaii? Let's check in with CNN meteorologist Bonnie Schneider with a look at your weekend weather.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Fredricka, Hawaiian's say that it's the only place you can go skiing in the morning and then scuba diving in the afternoon I guess in the winter season. So folks that are avid skiers like to hear that snow is coming but unfortunately for Hawaii, a little bit too much in the way of moisture. The flash-flood advisory that was going until Saturday night has now been extended through Monday.
And now there's even a winter storm watch for the big islands at the volcano summit. And that means we're likely to see heavy snow for Mt. Aloha and Mt. Akiah, above 8,000 feet. Mt. Akiah actually means White Mountain in Hawaii and that's the reason why right here in the big island where we're likely to see some snow develop over the next 24 to 48 hours.
Now looking at the big picture for the United States, we're watching for a pretty serious winter storm that's coming onshore and this has already created lots of watches and warnings posted. A combination of snow and also thunderstorms, this watch box indicates a severe thunderstorm watch box for parts of Utah at this hour. And into California we're looking at the potential for some very heavy snow, especially at the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada.
Taking a look at the radar now, it's mostly rain at this point but we are expecting some of that to change over to snow. It's doing that right now in the Reno area. So just be careful if you have to do any sort of travel in that region. Now for the eastern half of the country, it still doesn't feel anything like spring there. We've got raw conditions with actually wintry weather happening. We have a disturbed area of low pressure off the coast. That's triggering a lot of rain and even snow, for places like Cleveland, where the temperature's at 35 degrees. Richmond, Virginia right at 49 so it's just rained there. But it's been a cool rain for New Jersey into Philadelphia and even over parts of Long Island up into New York State as well.
So not the prettiest Saturday that's for sure. But looking at the map, eventually this area of low pressure will push further to the east and we'll start to see things clear out a little bit better for Sunday. But how about the cold temperatures? This is the first Saturday in spring, and much of the nation -- with the exception here of Phoenix, Arizona, where it will be in the 80s -- is feeling the cold. We have high pressure drop down, pull down colder air and it's really made for some pretty cold conditions for this first weekend in spring.
There is warmer air on the way. As you can see here, this high will actually slide to the east. The warmer influence will come in for later in the week. And that will make a difference. Not quiet yet today. Here's the look at high temperatures for what you can expect for the rest of the afternoon. We're looking at them into the 40s in Washington, D.C. only 50 in Atlanta. Watch out for freeze warnings posted tonight in north Georgia. So make sure you protect that tender vegetation if you're trying to do any planting in this cold weather.
And we'll eventually see lows tonight drop down pretty cold. Look at these numbers -- Minneapolis you're in the 20s tonight, 25 degrees for your Saturday night. Heading out in Chicago this evening, bundle up, it'll be 27 degrees. Now for Sunday, as we look ahead to highs for tomorrow, some of the warmer air is already starting to work its way to the east. Highs in Dallas, Houston all in the 70s. This warm air will come to the southeast. So we'll lose those freeze warnings you've been getting in Georgia over the past couple of nights. Fredricka, I know you're happy about that.
WHITFIELD: I am. We're kind of easing into spring, you know, just have to shed off the layers. All right, thanks a lot, Bonnie.
SCHNEIDER: Sure.
WHITFIELD: Rebuilding a dream.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's scary but we're going to make it. And for the first time probably in the last 5 1/2 months, I actually believe we're going to make it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Find out what they're trying to accomplish inside this New Orleans business. And new questions are being raised about security at ports that serve the United States. Once again a contract with a foreign country raising concerns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: The latest developments right now. Live pictures of downtown Los Angeles, where Latinos are marching to protest proposed changes to U.S. immigration laws. President Bush is trying to garner support for his guest worker plan.
Seattle police are investigating a grisly scene where six people were found shot to death. Police say the gunman killed himself when confronted by officers. Police say there was a house party before the shootings.
Tennessee lawmen are returning Mary Winkler from a South Alabama jail to McNairy County Tennessee, this afternoon. Police say the 32- year-old preacher's wife has confessed to killing her husband.
Still missing -- Milwaukee police are appealing for information on these two boys: 12 year old Quadrevion Henning and 11 year old Purvis Parker, who were last seen last Sunday on their way to play basketball.
First, there was a controversy over a Dubai company operating U.S. ports. Now, questions are being raised about a port security deal in the Bahamas involving a Chinese company. Brian Todd has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Should a Chinese company be involved in screening for nuclear material at these docks just 60 miles from Florida?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a chance for it to go haywire.
TODD: At the Freeport Container Port in the Bahamas, containers bound for the U.S. may soon be screened by Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa. The U.S. Department of Energy is finalizing a contract for the Chinese company to operate screening devices that detect nuclear and radioactive material.
The U.S. government would provide the devices which would be mounted on so-called stradlers (ph) driven by workers from Hutchison Whampoa. Some homeland security experts say they are worried about espionage.
CLARK KENT ERVIN, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: The idea that we would give a contract, a no-bid contract, in fact, to a company with ties to China to operate radiation detection equipment at ports, cargo bound for the United States, is very troubling indeed. The issue here is whether those inspections will be done. We have no assurance of that because there's not going to be any, as I understand it, American inspectors stationed on the ground at these Bahamian ports.
TODD: Officials at the Department of Energy and U.S. Customs and Border Protection admit there are no U.S. Customs officials at Freeport yet. But they say they are laying the groundwork for that and they say they'll work closely with their Bahamian counterparts who will monitor the operation.
Other security experts say Hutchison Whampoa has an excellent reputation.
RICHARD FALKENRATH, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: Hutchison Whampoa has on its own begun to do radiation screening of outbound containers sailing to U.S. ports from Hong Kong. They did that before the U.S. government even required them to do it.
TODD: And, U.S. officials say, once the system is in place, 90 percent of all cargo will be screened at Freeport. On the criticism of this being a no-bid contract, U.S. officials tell CNN they had no choice. They needed to install these screening devices at Freeport and Hutchison Whampoa was the operator already in place there.
(on camera): Now, contacted by CNN, a Hutchison Whampoa representative said they have been a global leader in port security, that preventing espionage and terror is as important to the company as it is to U.S. officials. And he stresses the company has no ties to the Chinese government.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Mortar blasts, a hidden bomb and a drive-by shooting left nine Iraqis dead in and around Baghdad today. Police there say a bomb inside of a traffic booth killed four civilians. South of the capital, four more people died in a mortar attack.
And in Western Baghdad, police say a drive-by shooting claimed the life of a Sunni imam. Seven more bodies were found around Baghdad. Today, authorities say all show signs of torture.
Meanwhile, Russia is denying it passed any military information to Saddam Hussein in the opening days of the U.S.-led invasion. A Pentagon report suggests otherwise. CNN's senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Among the thousands of documents examined by military historians, one sent to Saddam Hussein on March 24, 2003, just days into the war, contained intelligence on the U.S. war plans that the Russians' claim came from their sources inside the U.S. Central Command in Doha, Qatar.
BRIG. GEN. ANTHONY CUCOLO, IRAQ PERSPECTIVE PROJECT: There is a document that exists that shows that a Russian ambassador to Iraq passed intelligence to the Iraqi high command.
MCINTYRE: The Iraqi document had details on the secret plans for U.S. troop movements during the initial phase of the invasion and cited the Russians as the source.
The document reads in part, "The United States is convinced that occupying Iraqi cities are impossible, and they have changed their tactic. Now they are planning to spread across the Euphrates River from Basra in the south to Al-Qa'im in the north, avoiding entering the cities."
That's pretty much what happened. But Saddam Hussein didn't heed the intelligence because, the report concludes, he suspected the U.S. advance from Kuwait was merely a diversion. CUCOLO: This particular document we're talking about actually had no impact on a decision. We use it in the Iraqi Perspectives Project study as an example of how a piece of intelligence, plus a battlefield commander describing a situation, were essentially ignored because it was different from what Saddam had said.
MCINTYRE (on camera): The Pentagon says it has no corroboration of the claim by the Russian ambassador that he multiple sources inside CENTCOM. And the authors of the lessons learned report says it was outside their purview to investigate that claim.
The say the document will simply have to stand on its own -- Wolf.
Jamie McIntyre, CNN. The Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: New meaning to spice of life. Straight ahead, we'll look at how hot foods may be healthy for you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Dana Reeve the late widow to actor Christopher Reeve will appear on PBS this coming Wednesday. Reeve taped the introduction to the documentary titled "The New Medicine" three months ago while she was battling lung cancer. The show looks at conventional and holistic medical approaches to treating illnesses. Dana Reeve succumbed to lung cancer nearly three weeks ago.
Cancer strikes fear into the strongest of us. Lots of time early detection can make the difference between life and death. CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): John Laudier does all the right things. He exercises and eats right. But a routine physical when he was 31 didn't lead to a clean bill of health.
JOHN LAUDIER, 31-YEAR-OLD CANCER SURVIVOR: You know you're in trouble when the doctor grabs the chair by the bottom and scoots up and puts his arms between his legs and gives you that look. You're like no, not good. Not good. In that soft voice, he goes, "John, you have cancer."
COHEN: Laudier was diagnosed with testicular cancer. It was at a very early stage and after surgery and radiation, doctors have told him he's going to be fine.
LAUDIER: Catching it that early makes a huge difference. And that's what I try to tell my bud -- I told all my good friends go. Go see a doctor.
COHEN: Many young men think cancer is something only older people get. They don't realize testicular cancer is the most common cancer for men ages 20 to 34. It's also one of the most curable forms of cancer, but only if caught early. Too many times cancer prevention campaigns are aimed at women.
DR. CAROLYN RUNOWICZ, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY: Screening for cancer is really -- in the 30s -- is really aimed at women and, in particular, preventing cervical cancer.
COHEN: Women need to have regular pelvic exams and PAP smears starting in their 20s and do their own monthly breast exams and go to a doctor for breast exams. Starting at age 40, the American Cancer Society recommends annual mammograms.
Dr. Carolyn Runowicz knows all too well how important regular screening is.
RUNOWICZ: I was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was 41. And, interesting, as an oncologist, I thought I walked between the raindrops. I thought I'll never get cancer because this is what I do for a living. I am very careful about my diet, my exercise and it can't possibly happen to me. And, of course, I was incredibly naive.
COHEN: Now in her 50s, this cancer survivor and current president of the American Cancer Society, says everyone her age needs to have screenings for several types of cancer.
At age 50, men need to be screened for prostate cancer and men and women need to have regular cancer screenings for colorectal cancer, the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men and women.
RUNOWICZ: It's actually not so bad. People dread colonoscopy because they've heard all these horror stories. In fact, you're basically under sedation. You don't even really remember having it done.
COHEN (on camera): And, of course, people with a family history of cancer should talk to their doctor about getting these screening tests earlier. And for everyone, finding a tumor at its earliest stage will give you the best chance of survival. Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And now a hot topic, in more ways than one. We're talking spices. You may sprinkle them on your food for a bit of flavor. New research shows there is a pungent, unintended benefit. Those spicy foods may actually protect you against certain cancers. Here to talk about the health of spicing things up, Dr. Bill Lloyd, a surgeon and professor at the University of California, Davis Medical Center.
Hola, that is always are great news for people who like food to be very spicy.
DR. BILL LLOYD, UNIV. OF CAL. DAVIS MEDICAL CENTER: I'm pretty boring when it comes to mealtime. Maybe a little salt. Often a lot of ketchup but now we're finding out jalapenos and other spicy peppers have an added medical benefit.
WHITFIELD: What is it about jalapenos and others?
LLOYD: Well, it's the ingredient, capsaicin. We have heard about food and coffee and wine and benefits for health. These were observational studies. They took 5,000 people and asked them, how many strawberries did you eat? Then they tried to link it whether or not they got cancer.
But now there absolute laboratory proof that the active ingredient in these spicy peppers, the capsaicin. That's the part that gives you the warmth will actually inhibit cancer prostate cancer cells from growing, and in some studies, actually kills the prostate cancer cells.
WHITFIELD: And there is the actual medication, capsaicin, which some people are turning to. Are there certain benefits in a capsaicin or derivatives in a capsaicin versus peppers that are better over the others?
LLOYD: Purified capsaicin is already available already on an over-the-counter product that's used for pain, pain relief. It makes tissues feel warm like a sore elbow or sore back. I'm sure most people have seen the commercials for adhesive pads. They're loaded with capsaicin. They work because they override the pain nerve that would normally tell you your elbow or back hurts or whatever.
Now they're finding out purified capsaicin can also, perhaps, as proven in the laboratory, may have a beneficial effect in either preventing cancer, keeping your PSA levels down, for men with prostate problems and in fact reducing the size of prostate tumors.
WHITFIELD: It looks like a lot of our great-grandmothers and grandmothers were right when they put the chili pepper on side our food, of our dishes, they were thinking in terms. Health or maybe mostly spicing it up in terms of flavor. But the consequence is they were thinking of health.
LLOYD: There's plenty of things. Since the time of Christopher Columbus when he brought the first bag of groceries, he found lots of things that were added to food, like spices. Things like garlic. There's chemicals in garlic that we now play a role in play in prevention of developing Alzheimer's disease.
How about curry. We know a few billion people in Asia that enjoy curry in their food. Same thing, the active chemical, called circumin, has a beneficial effect in preserving brain cells. It acts as an antioxidant. It may also play a role in preventing Alzheimer's disease. So yes, spice it up.
WHITFIELD: Wow, so a lot people though, who wish they could spice it up but their stomach just can't seem it take it. This doesn't work for everybody.
LLOYD: You know what, it's going to be the purified capsaican if we're going back to the peppers, and so the medical-grade capsaicin and that will be develop after animal studies and human volunteers, won't necessarily be like eating a hot habanero pepper, and you may not get that distressed because pure capsaicin is actually odorless.
It provides warmth when on the skin. But inside of your body, it won't give you the stress, as if you were eating a raw jalapeno pepper. So good news indeed.
WHITFIELD: Thank you, Bill Lloyd. I like the idea. Spicing it up. Thanks so much.
Well, Carol Lin is here to carry the momentum here in the next hour or two.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we'll try to keep it spicy, hot, and current. Definitely. We are going to be following up on one the most popular stories on CNN.com, the minister's wife who is now back. She is going to be facing some very serious charges and I'll be interviewing the deacon of the church to see what the response is to these allegations that she killed her husband and ran away with her three daughters.
What happened is the question everybody's asking? 6:00, you know all the demonstrations out in Los Angeles against the president's plan for immigration reform and what's being talked about in Congress. I'm going to be talking with the mayor of Los Angeles who happens to be first Hispanic mayor of Los Angeles to see what he has to say. And also about some comments out there that anybody who's against immigrants coming to this nation, whether he considers them to be racist. Interesting interview coming up at 6:30 actually tonight on CNN.
WHITFIELD: It will be interesting to see that because he's taking centerstage in the rallies today, and he'll have some interesting remarks there.
Thanks very much.
Well, here are some headlines making news across America today. The FBI is helping to investigate two church fires and a vehicle fire in Roswell, New Mexico. The fires popped up yesterday in the same neighborhood west of the city. Damaged to one church is estimated at $2 million.
Authorities in Arizona have issued arrest warrants for a couple rescued from a snow-bound RV in Medford, Oregon. Elbert and Becky Higgenbottom (ph) are both wanted on drug charges in Arizona. They and four family members got stuck on a mountain road March 4th and were found 17 days later.
And a sure sign of Spring, kites are blowing in the wind today on the National Mall in Washington. It's the Smithsonian Kite Festival and awards are given now the dozens of categories including prettiest and funniest kites.
Coming up, find out why Brando would shout Stella if he came across this kitchen in New Orleans. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Another look at downtown Los Angeles where thousands of people are converging there. All demonstrating against proposed federal legislation that applies to immigration.
Stella, a name that's instantly recognized in New Orleans as one of the best restaurants around. Like so many eateries there, Stella closed after Hurricane Katrina hit, but just like so many New Orleanians, Stella refused to gives up. CNN's Sean Callebs reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is the recipe for rebuilding. You would never know it by the controlled chaos but this is Stella. Less than a week before the restaurant's grand reopening.
CHEF SCOTT BOSWELL, OWNER, STELLA RESTAURANT: It's scary. But we're gonna make it. For the first time in probably the last five and a half months, I actually believe we're going to make it.
CALLEBS: Only about half the restaurants in New Orleans have reopened. And while this restaurant in the French Quarter did not flood, it was a chance to make it better.
BOSWELL: The city's still in chaos of rebuilding in construction. So there's so much work and getting people to come to the different work sites.
CALLEBS: Reporter: The ovens, the bar, all the subtleties. According to owner Scott Boswell add up to a million dollars in renovations, changes aided by a $350,000 small business loan. Before that, he had to borrow money to meet payroll.
BOSWELL: Before the storm, I like New Orleans. After storm, I realize how much -- this is my city. How important it is for me to do this.
I wanted it to have personality. It's New Orleans, it's fun. The food is incredible. It's different.
CALLEBS: About 200,000 people have returned to live in New Orleans. But tourism is still anemic. This is no guarantee Stella will fly and million dollar investment will pay off.
BOSWELL: I'm scared. I'm scared to death.
CALLEBS: Tonight the apprehension's all about the grand opening and elaborate menu, one of the Iron Chefs from the popular TV Show. And the first look at new Stella.
BOSWELL: It's been the craziest challenging journey of my life. I didn't think we were going to make it.
CALLEBS: But of course they do. Serenity, candles, and a host of composed eager servers.
In fact the only trouble popping the cork in celebration.
BOSWELL: I knew if I pulled this off, it would be one of the greatest things for all of us.
CALLEBS: And investment for the city that he only hopes can fuel a renaissance. Sean Callebs, CNN, New Orleans.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Congratulations to them and good luck! Still much more ahead on CNN. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Carol Lin is up next with more of CNN LIVE SATURDAY right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: Tens of thousands take over the streets of downtown Los Angeles to fuel a passionate fight on illegal immigration. I'll have the very latest on this fight coming up next in a live report.
LIN: Also, police say she admits gunning down her husband. At this hour, the minister's wife is on the road back to Tennessee. Do police have any idea of a motive? We'll bring it to you. All the details. The latest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He stepped up and did something for the people. That's it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: And now this Mississippi sheriff finds himself in legal limbo for the actions he took in the days following Hurricane Katrina.
Hello, and welcome to CNN LIVE SATURDAY. I'm Carol Lin, and here's what's making news right now.
The immigration debate hit the streets of Los Angeles today with a massive demonstration. What do protesters hope to gain? And what is the White House saying about it? We'll is a live report in just a minute.
Urging potential witnesses to come forward. Milwaukee police are asking for the public's help to find two missing teens. They've received hundreds of tips so far. Eleven year old Purvis Parker and 12 year old Henning have been missing for nearly a week.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
