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Live From...
Najaf Standoff; Animal Victims of Hurricane Charley; Fighting Obesity in Louisiana
Aired August 19, 2004 - 12:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Final warning: A rebel cleric's forces facing the threat of a major U.S.-Iraqi attack if they don't give up the fight. We're live from Najaf.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The fact that the president won't denounce what they're up to tells you everything that you need to know. He wants them to do his dirty work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Direct attack: the war of words over candidate Kerry's war record.
PHILLIPS: Homeless after a hurricane: in-depth with the vets caring for the pets left stranded by a storm.
WHITFIELD: Fat-fighting experiment could mean your employer will pay for surgery to help make you skinnier.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Fredricka Whitfield in for Miles O'Brien.
PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. It's Thursday, August 19th. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.
We begin this hour with a final call in Baghdad and what may be a last stand in Najaf. Twenty four hours after Shiite firebrand Muqtada al-Sadr appeared to accede to Iraqi leaders' demands to stand down, his city is a war zone, and the Iraqi government is warning that things will only get worse unless al-Sadr personally, publicly chooses peace.
CNN's Matthew Chance is live via videophone from the scene of this still violent standoff. Describe it for us, Matthew.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, fierce fighting on the streets of Najaf, and in the last few minutes, we've heard a ferocious artillery barrage that launched from this camp on the outskirts of Najaf into the city itself.
It seems there is very fierce fighting, indeed, in several areas of the city. The U.S. military describing this as just the kind of clashes that we've been witnessing over the past several weeks here. But certainly, they seem more significant from the vantage point that we have.
It does seem that there are a number of units involved in clashes with the Mehdi Army, loyal, of course, to the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr -- many of them holed up in the Imam Ali mosque in the center of Najaf.
Now, U.S. military officials are denying that this is the start of that much-anticipated offensive against the Imam Ali shrine, although they're saying that subject to political approval, these operations could develop in that direction.
I want to stress, though, that that political approval for an assault on the mosque has not yet been given. If it does, the Iraqi government says it will be Iraqi troops that are involved in leading that charge, not U.S. forces -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Yesterday, there was talk about foreign fighters joining in on this fight under Muqtada al-Sadr. What do you know about this talk of Iran sending in forces in addition to other foreign fighters, Matthew?
CHANCE: Well, certainly, that's been the sort of intelligence that the Iraqi interim government say that they have -- a group of 25, what they describe as, foreign fighters inside the Imam Ali mosque that have wired the place with explosives, and they're threatening to destroy it if it's attacked.
Now, I've spoken to U.S. military intelligence officials as well here in Najaf. They say they're also aware of those rumors, aware of that intelligence, so they haven't actually seen any evidence themselves. They're not ruling it out. It is a possibility, but again, that's not something they've confirmed themselves, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Matthew Chance, thank you so much.
I'm being told right now we are getting in some exclusive pictures inside that mosque where that fighting is taking place in Najaf. As soon as we have those ready to go, we'll bring them to you live, and we'll bring Matthew Chance back to talk about the fighting that's ongoing right now -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Well, U.S. troops are heavily engaged in the al-Sadr standoff, though their exact role is unclear in an all-out offensive.
CNN's Barbara Starr is following developments from her post at the Pentagon -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Fredricka. Well, if this military offensive develops in the next hours or days, it is going to be a very tough piece of business for both Iraqi and U.S. troops in Najaf. The geography will be very difficult.
Najaf, of course, an ancient city, alleyways -- and of course, we have all seen the pictures now of extensive sniper activity by the insurgents in that city. The mosque is surrounded, essentially, by two layers of security and military services: the Iraqi security services and, of course, the United States military, Army and U.S. Marines with heavy weapons, armor, very, very heavily armed.
So, if the offensive develops and the Iraqi and U.S. forces decide to move finally against the Mehdi Militia, they will be facing a formidable situation in terms not of the firepower that the Mehdi has, but their advantage of being able to move up and down these ancient alleyways, to be inside the shrine and fire from there, for the sniper activity that has emerged over the last couple of days.
It will be very, very difficult fighting. The goal will be, of course, to dislodge the Mehdi Militia, to get them out of that holy shrine, but to do it without damaging the shrine and, hopefully, the U.S. believes, without actually entering the shrine. That would be a very sensitive religious situation for U.S. military forces.
This could develop, some officials say, into the classic urban warfare scenario that the U.S. had been so vary of more than a year and a half ago, if you will, when it first went to war against Iraq and was contemplating entering Baghdad. It didn't develop at that time. It may be developing in Najaf -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: But Barbara, what's interesting here is while the U.S. is taking all these precautions on the ground, U.S. airplanes are being used in some air offensive around the mosque right now, isn't that right?
STARR: Well, there have been some air missions, if you will. What has been described to us a couple of days ago, for example, was munitions dropped from the air from U.S. warplanes against a building inside the cemetery, the large, sprawling cemetery adjacent to the holy shrine. There were fighters holed up in that building; they were using it as a position to fire against U.S. forces.
U.S. forces taking the action against that building in the cemetery to defend themselves. But officials here are very concerned about all of that and very frustrated. As one official said, "We don't go attacking cemeteries." But they will maintain, they say, the right to self-defense for U.S military forces. If attacked, they will defend themselves.
They certainly hope, at the very highest levels we've been told, they hope not to have to enter the mosque, that this is turning out to be very tough territory. They do want, of course, the Iraqi security forces to take the lead. All indications are, however, at the end of the day, if an offensive happens, the U.S. military will be significantly involved.
WHITFIELD: All right, Barbara Starr at the Pentagon, thanks so much.
Well, in Boston today, a shot across the bow in the swift boat controversy that threatens to make waves for John Kerry, the Democratic presidential hopeful. He's accusing President Bush of endorsing -- by not denouncing ads that accuse Kerry of lying to win two of his medals.
In a speech to the International Association of Firefighters, Kerry borrowed one of his opponents phrases to lay down a challenge.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KERRY: The president keeps telling people he would never question my service to our country. Instead, he watches as a Republican-funded attack group does just that. Well, if he wants to have a debate about our service in Vietnam, here is my answer: bring it on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And adding fuel to this fire are the military records of one of Kerry's most forceful critics. The Washington Post says, "The records undercut the critic and support Kerry's version of some disputed events." We'll have much more on all of this in our second hour of LIVE FROM -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, exclusive pictures from Najaf inside the mosque where that violent standoff continues. We'll take you there in just moments.
Also, dealing with the devastation of a hurricane. It's not just a problem for people. Details on a medical mission to thousands of pets coping with the injury and trauma of Charley's fury.
Taking it in stride, a dog that proves two legs can work just as well as four. We're walking that one around the block later on LIVE FROM.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Michael Holmes in Athens. I'll be bringing you the story of the American gymnast who won gold after crashing into the judges' table. Also, we're going to give Kyra a little lesson in Greek mythology when it comes to marathon. We'll look at Olympic games, electronic security, and also, Kyra's favorite subject, the Iraqi football team. How did they do?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Many days of hard work ahead in southwest Florida as the folks there continue to sweep up after Hurricane Charley. The lights are still off for thousands.
However, Sanibel Island residents know now what their properties look like after surveying some damage yesterday. Experts figure $7.4 billion in damage to insured properties alone, and state agricultural officials put the loss to Florida's citrus crop at $150 million.
Many of those displaced, however, by Charley, have four legs, wet whiskers, and a major case of confusion. Tampa/St. Pete animal shelters are overflowing with rescued animals. New York's North Shore Animal League is taking two vans of cats back to their Long Island adoption facility and maybe coming back for even more. Meanwhile, the University of Florida in Gainesville has dispatched a triage team to staff a veterinary hospital on wheels. Dr. Jennifer Maners joins us on the telephone from Wauchula, Florida to tell us more about their mission of mercy for the stranded animals.
And Dr. Maners, what kinds of injuries are you seeing in these pets?
DR. JENNIFER MANERS, VETERINARIAN: Well, we're seeing an awful lot of heat stroke and dehydration, and then, just what you would expect -- animals that have experienced bodily trauma, and those are what are coming into the center right now.
Right now, we're actually at the Barto (ph) Agricultural Center. Our group, which is the Code 3 Associates and the University of Florida veterinary staff, we are about to leave this area and we are heading down to another region that is in desperate need of our help.
WHITFIELD: And so, for a lot of these animals that are physically injured, many of them are probably already exhibiting some sorts of signs of mental trauma. How do you treat that?
MANERS: Well, with animals, some of them, it's best if you simply leave them alone. That's when they do best. Others just the attention that they need. We are not the only animal care staff down here. There's a huge number of volunteers, and they are providing more of the emotional needs for the animals down here.
So, at this center, they're being well cared for.
WHITFIELD: In so many cases, people are wondering how is it that so many animals got separated from their owners. I know one of the stories is that many owners weren't allowed to take their pets into shelters for humans, and so they had to leave their pets at home.
Is that what makes up about the majority of these stranded pets?
MANERS: I can't tell you that that makes up the majority of them. Certainly, the animals that we're seeing have been separated from their families. I can tell you that we've had quite a few animals reunited with their owners already here. So that does make up a large portion of them. Some of them were just very unfortunate.
I hear that the local humane shelter was badly damaged, so we have a lot of animals that actually were displaced from a humane shelter.
WHITFIELD: What about larger animals, farm animals, horses? We've seen a lot of pictures of them.
MANERS: Yeah, and the area we're getting ready to move to, we've been told, has more of the large animals there that are in need of medical attention. At this facility, very few large animals have come to this facility. I should mention that the agriculture center that we're at is pretty much on the outermost fringe of the worst of the damage. So where we will be going a little later today is deeper into the damage, and I think we're going to be seeing a lot more of the large animals at that time.
WHITFIELD: Dr. Jennifer Maners, thanks so much for joining us, and good luck to you in your continued travels to help rescue some of these abandoned pets -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Other news across America now. Talk about an unwelcome wakeup call. The lid blew around 4:00 a.m. on this Duke- powered natural gas storage facility in Moss Bluff, Texas -- minus the music there. No injuries reported, but houses within a one-mile radius around the site were ordered evacuated. A spokesperson says that fire poses no threat to the public.
Now, if you've ever whistled the theme to "The Magnificent Seven," well, you know the work of Albert Bernstein. He scored dozens of films in a career that spanned seven decades, earning an Oscar, an Emmy, and plenty of other recognition along the way. Bernstein died yesterday at his California home at the age of 82.
And a little something for all of you out there with teenage daughters. A Columbia University survey shows teenage girls who date boys two or more years older are much likely to abuse drugs or alcohol. The good news: The survey also shows the majority of teens welcome their parents guidance on these issues.
WHITFIELD: Well, sans the music, getting help to fight the battle of the bulge.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMIE SANDERS: I always thought I couldn't get in control of it. And after so long, so many years, I can't, I can't do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: An experimental approach that could make weight loss surgery more affordable. That's straight ahead. A song inspired by war gives soldiers the inspiration to be safe and get home. We'll talk with the songwriter and a serviceman who got the musical message.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: And now, some food for thought for your lunchtime. Would it be cheaper for states to pay for fat reduction surgery for their overweight residents, or pony up to cover the hefty long term medical costs of obesity?
CNN's medical correspondent Liz Cohen says Louisiana is putting that question to the test.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jimmie Sanders is morbidly obese. On that, everyone agrees. SANDERS: I hate this side of me. I hate that I let myself get where I'm at today.
COHEN: But here's the debate. Should Sanders try to lose wait by diet and exercise, something she's failed at so far, or should she go ahead and have gastric bypass surgery, which would cost about $30,000?
SANDERS: All right.
Travel office?
COHEN: So, Sanders's employer, the State of Louisiana, is trying an experiment. They're giving free gastric bypass surgery to 40 employees, including Sanders.
After five years, the state will figure which costs more, the surgery or the medical costs of being obese: the illnesses, the disability, the loss days of work.
DR. LOUIS MARTIN, LSU HEALTH SCIENCES CTR.: Our whole goal is to, you know, have the number of medicines you get go down dramatically. So most of the time 50 percent of the pills you've taken in the past you won't take any more.
COHEN: For Sanders, who needs to lose about 100 pounds, the decision was pretty easy, even though the surgery can be risky. One study has found that two percent of the patients die within 30 days of the surgery.
SANDERS: You could probably look in the dictionary under "diet" and my picture would be in there somewhere, I assume.
COHEN: She takes medicine for high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and her doctor told her if she doesn't lose weight, he'll have to put her on medicine for diabetes, too.
And even those she's seen four relatives die of the disease, she still can't lose the weight.
SANDERS: I always thought I could get in control of it. And after so long, so many years, I can't. I can't do it.
COHEN: That, of course, is the point of the surgery: to force her to lose weight by making her stomach smaller.
Gastric bypass has a good track record for helping people lose weight and keep it off. Whether it helps a state in the midst of an obesity epidemic save money is something they hope to figure out.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COHEN: Now, Jimmie is scheduled to have that surgery today -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: And Elizabeth, in the private sector, how is this surgery treated?
COHEN: Oftentimes, surgery actually does pay for it. I was sort of surprised. Private insurance often does pay for it. They won't pay for diet pills; they usually won't pay to visit a nutritional counselor. But they will pay for this surgery, often.
WHITFIELD: All right, Elizabeth Cohen, thanks so much.
COHEN: Thanks.
PHILLIPS: Well, here's somebody with absolutely no fat on the backside. Yes, folks, just about anybody can grab Brad Pitt's backside now. A fun new feeling in the wax museum. Celebrity couple, first from the UK, when we go around the world next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: News around the world now. A powerful typhoon unleashes its fury across South Korea and Japan. That storm roared ashore in South Korea, killing at least three people and prompting thousands of folks to evacuate. The typhoon is on track to hit northern Japan tomorrow. Already, nine people have been killed there from flash flooding and landslides.
Mission accomplished -- a Navy team returns to Virginia with the remains of five American aviators killed during the cold war. Twelve aviators were searching for Russian submarines when they died in a plane crash in Greenland 42 years ago. The mission was launched to recover the remains after years of requests from family and friends.
From flesh, to wax, to silicone -- after 200 years, Madame Tussaud's in London is breaking with tradition. The museum, known for its life-sized celebrity wax figures, has unveiled a silicone model of Brad Pitt. Well, his fans will be happy to hear that silicone gives the figure a more lifelike feel.
WHITFIELD: They look very lifelike -- kind of creepy there. Well, fewer flights will soon be landing at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, but that's supposed to be a good thing...
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
PHILLIPS: Rhonda, thanks so much. These pictures just coming in now from Najaf. We're going to go live to the area where our producer on the ground, and just outside of Najaf, actually got this videotape. The question now: Will rebel cleric Muqtada al-Sadr choose peace? Right now, no, as you can see. The silent -- or the standoff, rather, continues outside the mosque. And within, exclusive pictures straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired August 19, 2004 - 12:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Final warning: A rebel cleric's forces facing the threat of a major U.S.-Iraqi attack if they don't give up the fight. We're live from Najaf.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The fact that the president won't denounce what they're up to tells you everything that you need to know. He wants them to do his dirty work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Direct attack: the war of words over candidate Kerry's war record.
PHILLIPS: Homeless after a hurricane: in-depth with the vets caring for the pets left stranded by a storm.
WHITFIELD: Fat-fighting experiment could mean your employer will pay for surgery to help make you skinnier.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Fredricka Whitfield in for Miles O'Brien.
PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. It's Thursday, August 19th. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.
We begin this hour with a final call in Baghdad and what may be a last stand in Najaf. Twenty four hours after Shiite firebrand Muqtada al-Sadr appeared to accede to Iraqi leaders' demands to stand down, his city is a war zone, and the Iraqi government is warning that things will only get worse unless al-Sadr personally, publicly chooses peace.
CNN's Matthew Chance is live via videophone from the scene of this still violent standoff. Describe it for us, Matthew.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, fierce fighting on the streets of Najaf, and in the last few minutes, we've heard a ferocious artillery barrage that launched from this camp on the outskirts of Najaf into the city itself.
It seems there is very fierce fighting, indeed, in several areas of the city. The U.S. military describing this as just the kind of clashes that we've been witnessing over the past several weeks here. But certainly, they seem more significant from the vantage point that we have.
It does seem that there are a number of units involved in clashes with the Mehdi Army, loyal, of course, to the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr -- many of them holed up in the Imam Ali mosque in the center of Najaf.
Now, U.S. military officials are denying that this is the start of that much-anticipated offensive against the Imam Ali shrine, although they're saying that subject to political approval, these operations could develop in that direction.
I want to stress, though, that that political approval for an assault on the mosque has not yet been given. If it does, the Iraqi government says it will be Iraqi troops that are involved in leading that charge, not U.S. forces -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Yesterday, there was talk about foreign fighters joining in on this fight under Muqtada al-Sadr. What do you know about this talk of Iran sending in forces in addition to other foreign fighters, Matthew?
CHANCE: Well, certainly, that's been the sort of intelligence that the Iraqi interim government say that they have -- a group of 25, what they describe as, foreign fighters inside the Imam Ali mosque that have wired the place with explosives, and they're threatening to destroy it if it's attacked.
Now, I've spoken to U.S. military intelligence officials as well here in Najaf. They say they're also aware of those rumors, aware of that intelligence, so they haven't actually seen any evidence themselves. They're not ruling it out. It is a possibility, but again, that's not something they've confirmed themselves, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Matthew Chance, thank you so much.
I'm being told right now we are getting in some exclusive pictures inside that mosque where that fighting is taking place in Najaf. As soon as we have those ready to go, we'll bring them to you live, and we'll bring Matthew Chance back to talk about the fighting that's ongoing right now -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Well, U.S. troops are heavily engaged in the al-Sadr standoff, though their exact role is unclear in an all-out offensive.
CNN's Barbara Starr is following developments from her post at the Pentagon -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Fredricka. Well, if this military offensive develops in the next hours or days, it is going to be a very tough piece of business for both Iraqi and U.S. troops in Najaf. The geography will be very difficult.
Najaf, of course, an ancient city, alleyways -- and of course, we have all seen the pictures now of extensive sniper activity by the insurgents in that city. The mosque is surrounded, essentially, by two layers of security and military services: the Iraqi security services and, of course, the United States military, Army and U.S. Marines with heavy weapons, armor, very, very heavily armed.
So, if the offensive develops and the Iraqi and U.S. forces decide to move finally against the Mehdi Militia, they will be facing a formidable situation in terms not of the firepower that the Mehdi has, but their advantage of being able to move up and down these ancient alleyways, to be inside the shrine and fire from there, for the sniper activity that has emerged over the last couple of days.
It will be very, very difficult fighting. The goal will be, of course, to dislodge the Mehdi Militia, to get them out of that holy shrine, but to do it without damaging the shrine and, hopefully, the U.S. believes, without actually entering the shrine. That would be a very sensitive religious situation for U.S. military forces.
This could develop, some officials say, into the classic urban warfare scenario that the U.S. had been so vary of more than a year and a half ago, if you will, when it first went to war against Iraq and was contemplating entering Baghdad. It didn't develop at that time. It may be developing in Najaf -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: But Barbara, what's interesting here is while the U.S. is taking all these precautions on the ground, U.S. airplanes are being used in some air offensive around the mosque right now, isn't that right?
STARR: Well, there have been some air missions, if you will. What has been described to us a couple of days ago, for example, was munitions dropped from the air from U.S. warplanes against a building inside the cemetery, the large, sprawling cemetery adjacent to the holy shrine. There were fighters holed up in that building; they were using it as a position to fire against U.S. forces.
U.S. forces taking the action against that building in the cemetery to defend themselves. But officials here are very concerned about all of that and very frustrated. As one official said, "We don't go attacking cemeteries." But they will maintain, they say, the right to self-defense for U.S military forces. If attacked, they will defend themselves.
They certainly hope, at the very highest levels we've been told, they hope not to have to enter the mosque, that this is turning out to be very tough territory. They do want, of course, the Iraqi security forces to take the lead. All indications are, however, at the end of the day, if an offensive happens, the U.S. military will be significantly involved.
WHITFIELD: All right, Barbara Starr at the Pentagon, thanks so much.
Well, in Boston today, a shot across the bow in the swift boat controversy that threatens to make waves for John Kerry, the Democratic presidential hopeful. He's accusing President Bush of endorsing -- by not denouncing ads that accuse Kerry of lying to win two of his medals.
In a speech to the International Association of Firefighters, Kerry borrowed one of his opponents phrases to lay down a challenge.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KERRY: The president keeps telling people he would never question my service to our country. Instead, he watches as a Republican-funded attack group does just that. Well, if he wants to have a debate about our service in Vietnam, here is my answer: bring it on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And adding fuel to this fire are the military records of one of Kerry's most forceful critics. The Washington Post says, "The records undercut the critic and support Kerry's version of some disputed events." We'll have much more on all of this in our second hour of LIVE FROM -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, exclusive pictures from Najaf inside the mosque where that violent standoff continues. We'll take you there in just moments.
Also, dealing with the devastation of a hurricane. It's not just a problem for people. Details on a medical mission to thousands of pets coping with the injury and trauma of Charley's fury.
Taking it in stride, a dog that proves two legs can work just as well as four. We're walking that one around the block later on LIVE FROM.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Michael Holmes in Athens. I'll be bringing you the story of the American gymnast who won gold after crashing into the judges' table. Also, we're going to give Kyra a little lesson in Greek mythology when it comes to marathon. We'll look at Olympic games, electronic security, and also, Kyra's favorite subject, the Iraqi football team. How did they do?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Many days of hard work ahead in southwest Florida as the folks there continue to sweep up after Hurricane Charley. The lights are still off for thousands.
However, Sanibel Island residents know now what their properties look like after surveying some damage yesterday. Experts figure $7.4 billion in damage to insured properties alone, and state agricultural officials put the loss to Florida's citrus crop at $150 million.
Many of those displaced, however, by Charley, have four legs, wet whiskers, and a major case of confusion. Tampa/St. Pete animal shelters are overflowing with rescued animals. New York's North Shore Animal League is taking two vans of cats back to their Long Island adoption facility and maybe coming back for even more. Meanwhile, the University of Florida in Gainesville has dispatched a triage team to staff a veterinary hospital on wheels. Dr. Jennifer Maners joins us on the telephone from Wauchula, Florida to tell us more about their mission of mercy for the stranded animals.
And Dr. Maners, what kinds of injuries are you seeing in these pets?
DR. JENNIFER MANERS, VETERINARIAN: Well, we're seeing an awful lot of heat stroke and dehydration, and then, just what you would expect -- animals that have experienced bodily trauma, and those are what are coming into the center right now.
Right now, we're actually at the Barto (ph) Agricultural Center. Our group, which is the Code 3 Associates and the University of Florida veterinary staff, we are about to leave this area and we are heading down to another region that is in desperate need of our help.
WHITFIELD: And so, for a lot of these animals that are physically injured, many of them are probably already exhibiting some sorts of signs of mental trauma. How do you treat that?
MANERS: Well, with animals, some of them, it's best if you simply leave them alone. That's when they do best. Others just the attention that they need. We are not the only animal care staff down here. There's a huge number of volunteers, and they are providing more of the emotional needs for the animals down here.
So, at this center, they're being well cared for.
WHITFIELD: In so many cases, people are wondering how is it that so many animals got separated from their owners. I know one of the stories is that many owners weren't allowed to take their pets into shelters for humans, and so they had to leave their pets at home.
Is that what makes up about the majority of these stranded pets?
MANERS: I can't tell you that that makes up the majority of them. Certainly, the animals that we're seeing have been separated from their families. I can tell you that we've had quite a few animals reunited with their owners already here. So that does make up a large portion of them. Some of them were just very unfortunate.
I hear that the local humane shelter was badly damaged, so we have a lot of animals that actually were displaced from a humane shelter.
WHITFIELD: What about larger animals, farm animals, horses? We've seen a lot of pictures of them.
MANERS: Yeah, and the area we're getting ready to move to, we've been told, has more of the large animals there that are in need of medical attention. At this facility, very few large animals have come to this facility. I should mention that the agriculture center that we're at is pretty much on the outermost fringe of the worst of the damage. So where we will be going a little later today is deeper into the damage, and I think we're going to be seeing a lot more of the large animals at that time.
WHITFIELD: Dr. Jennifer Maners, thanks so much for joining us, and good luck to you in your continued travels to help rescue some of these abandoned pets -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Other news across America now. Talk about an unwelcome wakeup call. The lid blew around 4:00 a.m. on this Duke- powered natural gas storage facility in Moss Bluff, Texas -- minus the music there. No injuries reported, but houses within a one-mile radius around the site were ordered evacuated. A spokesperson says that fire poses no threat to the public.
Now, if you've ever whistled the theme to "The Magnificent Seven," well, you know the work of Albert Bernstein. He scored dozens of films in a career that spanned seven decades, earning an Oscar, an Emmy, and plenty of other recognition along the way. Bernstein died yesterday at his California home at the age of 82.
And a little something for all of you out there with teenage daughters. A Columbia University survey shows teenage girls who date boys two or more years older are much likely to abuse drugs or alcohol. The good news: The survey also shows the majority of teens welcome their parents guidance on these issues.
WHITFIELD: Well, sans the music, getting help to fight the battle of the bulge.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMIE SANDERS: I always thought I couldn't get in control of it. And after so long, so many years, I can't, I can't do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: An experimental approach that could make weight loss surgery more affordable. That's straight ahead. A song inspired by war gives soldiers the inspiration to be safe and get home. We'll talk with the songwriter and a serviceman who got the musical message.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: And now, some food for thought for your lunchtime. Would it be cheaper for states to pay for fat reduction surgery for their overweight residents, or pony up to cover the hefty long term medical costs of obesity?
CNN's medical correspondent Liz Cohen says Louisiana is putting that question to the test.
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ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jimmie Sanders is morbidly obese. On that, everyone agrees. SANDERS: I hate this side of me. I hate that I let myself get where I'm at today.
COHEN: But here's the debate. Should Sanders try to lose wait by diet and exercise, something she's failed at so far, or should she go ahead and have gastric bypass surgery, which would cost about $30,000?
SANDERS: All right.
Travel office?
COHEN: So, Sanders's employer, the State of Louisiana, is trying an experiment. They're giving free gastric bypass surgery to 40 employees, including Sanders.
After five years, the state will figure which costs more, the surgery or the medical costs of being obese: the illnesses, the disability, the loss days of work.
DR. LOUIS MARTIN, LSU HEALTH SCIENCES CTR.: Our whole goal is to, you know, have the number of medicines you get go down dramatically. So most of the time 50 percent of the pills you've taken in the past you won't take any more.
COHEN: For Sanders, who needs to lose about 100 pounds, the decision was pretty easy, even though the surgery can be risky. One study has found that two percent of the patients die within 30 days of the surgery.
SANDERS: You could probably look in the dictionary under "diet" and my picture would be in there somewhere, I assume.
COHEN: She takes medicine for high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and her doctor told her if she doesn't lose weight, he'll have to put her on medicine for diabetes, too.
And even those she's seen four relatives die of the disease, she still can't lose the weight.
SANDERS: I always thought I could get in control of it. And after so long, so many years, I can't. I can't do it.
COHEN: That, of course, is the point of the surgery: to force her to lose weight by making her stomach smaller.
Gastric bypass has a good track record for helping people lose weight and keep it off. Whether it helps a state in the midst of an obesity epidemic save money is something they hope to figure out.
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COHEN: Now, Jimmie is scheduled to have that surgery today -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: And Elizabeth, in the private sector, how is this surgery treated?
COHEN: Oftentimes, surgery actually does pay for it. I was sort of surprised. Private insurance often does pay for it. They won't pay for diet pills; they usually won't pay to visit a nutritional counselor. But they will pay for this surgery, often.
WHITFIELD: All right, Elizabeth Cohen, thanks so much.
COHEN: Thanks.
PHILLIPS: Well, here's somebody with absolutely no fat on the backside. Yes, folks, just about anybody can grab Brad Pitt's backside now. A fun new feeling in the wax museum. Celebrity couple, first from the UK, when we go around the world next.
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PHILLIPS: News around the world now. A powerful typhoon unleashes its fury across South Korea and Japan. That storm roared ashore in South Korea, killing at least three people and prompting thousands of folks to evacuate. The typhoon is on track to hit northern Japan tomorrow. Already, nine people have been killed there from flash flooding and landslides.
Mission accomplished -- a Navy team returns to Virginia with the remains of five American aviators killed during the cold war. Twelve aviators were searching for Russian submarines when they died in a plane crash in Greenland 42 years ago. The mission was launched to recover the remains after years of requests from family and friends.
From flesh, to wax, to silicone -- after 200 years, Madame Tussaud's in London is breaking with tradition. The museum, known for its life-sized celebrity wax figures, has unveiled a silicone model of Brad Pitt. Well, his fans will be happy to hear that silicone gives the figure a more lifelike feel.
WHITFIELD: They look very lifelike -- kind of creepy there. Well, fewer flights will soon be landing at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, but that's supposed to be a good thing...
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PHILLIPS: Rhonda, thanks so much. These pictures just coming in now from Najaf. We're going to go live to the area where our producer on the ground, and just outside of Najaf, actually got this videotape. The question now: Will rebel cleric Muqtada al-Sadr choose peace? Right now, no, as you can see. The silent -- or the standoff, rather, continues outside the mosque. And within, exclusive pictures straight ahead.
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