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U.S. Military: Bombings Signs of Desperation in Iraq; Parents Outraged Over Needle Sticking Incident in School; Search for Georgia Woman Called Off; Bush Press Conference Loses to Network Programming
Aired April 29, 2005 - 15:00 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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: Pentagon officials, though, say the soldiers involved have been cleared.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CO-HOST: First this hour, a disquieting day in Baghdad. Loud explosions rocked the Iraqi capital again and again this morning as insurgent attacks across the country killed at least 27 people.
It appeared to be a response to the major step forward Iraq took yesterday, when it officially formed its first elected government.
We get the story now from Baghdad from CNN's Ryan Chilcote.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They went off one right after the other, 11 bombs in all before lunch in Baghdad.
This one just as a television crew filmed the aftermath of an earlier bomb just yards away. The camera crew was OK, but one Iraqi civilian was killed and eight Iraqi policemen, believed to be the target, were wounded.
All in all, it was a dizzying display of suicide attacks on Iraq's security forces. Dozens were killed and nearly 100 wounded, many of them civilian bystanders.
Despite appearances, U.S. military says insurgent violence is actually down overall. The attacks, the U.S. military insists, a sign of an increasingly desperate insurgency.
MAJ. GENERAL WILLIAM WEBSTER, COMMANDER, 3RD ARMY INFANTRY DIVISION: Some of these attacks appear to be spectacular and well coordinated but, in fact they're not. These attacks today, although they occurred over the span of about four hours were widely separated and not coordinated very well at all.
CHILCOTE: Iraq's special forces are not intimidated by the attacks. For security reasons, we could not show this recruit's face.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): This is our country. We will not be intimidated. We will fight to the last man.
CHILCOTE: And the U.S. military says recruitment for Iraq's elite troops to face the toughest missions remains steady. (on camera) Despite an ongoing manhunt, their nemesis, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Osama bin Laden's lieutenant in Iraq, remains on the loose. And today, another audiotape, reportedly from him surfaced from him, in it a call to insurgents to keep up their attacks on Iraqi and U.S. forces.
Ryan Chilcote, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Pentagon officials are downplaying a statement on North Korea's nuclear capability. The statement by Vice Admiral Lowell Jacoby, the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, seemed to indicate that North Korea now has the capability of hitting the U.S. with a nuclear weapon, when he was giving testimony before the Senate Armed Services committee.
Officials now say Jacoby was reiterating that North Korea has missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons, but he did not say it has warheads that are small enough to be carried on those missiles.
O'BRIEN: The kids are probably all right, so say health officials, but the parents are panicked, nonetheless, and outraged. All of it understandable. All because an 8-year-old Philadelphia girl brought a needle to school with her, a needle her diabetic mom uses to test her blood sugar. She proceeded to prick 19 other kids. Not funny.
The kids are taking drugs as a precaution. One has supposedly tested positive for HIV.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARTHA ADORNO, PARENT: It's the same needle that they poke on every one of the 14 kids, and one of the kids that was poked is HIV positive.
MIKE GONZALEZ, PARENTS: This is something that is not to be played with. You've got now little kids that are endangered.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Now, officials are dubious about that positive HIV test. That's good news. And they point out that the AIDS risk from needle stick, overall, is very low.
Here's CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: A third grader actually brought this needle from home and subsequently, 19 students got poked. One of the students was revealed to be HIV positive. Unclear whether or not the student actually had the positive test after this poking incidence or was already known to have a positive HIV test. Regardless, though, statistics definitely very much on the students' side. There's never been a case outside a hospital of someone getting an accidental stick and subsequently contracting HIV. Even within hospital settings the number is very, very low, about three in 1,000 likelihood of someone actually having a positive HIV test.
Typically, what happens, it goes down something like this. You develop antibodies to the HIV virus, and that's actually what you're testing for. So what happens, and here's the rub, is that you have to get tested for several months end on end to try and make sure that you don't actually develop any of these antibodies. It is likely these students will have to get tests every month for at least three months to make sure they don't develop the HIV antibodies.
Also, prophylactically, a lot of times medications are simply given. Even though the HIV is not proven to be there, medications are given to try and reduce the likelihood of transmission even further.
The numbers, again, three in 1,000 in health care settings. That's when a significant contamination has occurred, a large syringe full of blood, for example. In this case, we're talking about a very small bore needle.
And then after you give the medications, you reduce the chances by 80 percent, so reducing it to the likelihood of just one in 1,000. Perhaps not even that high.
That's what's going to be done for these children now. Obviously, time will tell, but again, statistics are on their side. We'll certainly keep you posted as those details develop.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well, news across America now.
The treasure two men claim to have found in a Massachusetts back yard may not have been discovered the way they say. Barry Billcliff and Tim Crebase pleaded not guilty today to charges they stole the money from a home that they were doing roofing on. Police say their undoing was talking about it, especially on national television.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF JOSEPH SOLOMON, METHUEN, MASSACHUSETTS, POLICE: From what I'm told, there's a lot of buyers out there that would stock this money up for cash immediately. Had they kept quiet and maybe went to another state or even stayed in our state or just gone over the border to New Hampshire, they probably could have sold the money and nobody would have known, and some collector would be very happy today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The Army says it will not declare a soldier who refused to turn to Iraq for a second tour of duty a conscientious objector. Sergeant Kevin Benjamin said he became opposed to war during the U.S.-led invasion two years ago. He faces a court-martial May 12.
O'BRIEN: One polygraph administered, a reward offered and a search called off in the case of a missing bride-to-be in suburban Atlanta. CNN's Tony Harris bringing us up to date with the very latest from Duluth, Georgia.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TONY HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: An extraordinary afternoon here in Duluth, Georgia, as the investigation into the disappearance of Jennifer Wilbanks continues.
There was a noon press conference to start the afternoon, and during that press conference, we saw an amazing show of unity by both the Wilbanks family and the Mason family. They seem totally together in their support and love for one another.
MIKE SATTERFELD, WILBANKS FAMILY SPOKESMAN: We love Jennifer very much. We would give our life and everything that we own to have her returned.
HARRIS: We also learned in that afternoon press conference with the family that John Mason, Jennifer's fiance, had taken and passed a polygraph examination. An hour later, we learned from the police chief here in Duluth that that privately administered polygraph test meant absolutely nothing to authorities here.
CHIEF RANDY BELCHER, DULUTH, GEORGIA: We have requested that he take a polygraph now through the GBI. He has agreed to take the polygraph, but under certain conditions.
HARRIS: At this point, this all about a negotiation. And as you just heard, the negotiations are at an impasse. The sticking point seems to be a request from John Mason's attorney that the polygraph examination be videotaped. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says flat-out, "No way. That won't happen."
In the meantime, the search, the actual physical search for Jennifer Wilbanks, has been called off until new leads materialize.
Tony Harris, CNN, Duluth, Georgia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Be on the alert. Strong storms with hail, possible tornadoes are again barreling across the southeast. Where are they headed today? Our meteorologist Bob Van Dillen is tracking them from the CNN Weather Center -- Bob.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: Thanks a lot, Bob.
O'BRIEN: It's a dilemma for pet owners who travel.
WHITFIELD: Oh, boy. I've been in this situation before. Trying to decide, should you put your cat or dog in cargo? Will they be safe? Ahead on LIVE FROM making it easier for you to check up on how your airline might be treating your precious cargo.
O'BRIEN: You can go in the sky kennel with the dog. That would be one thing.
WHITFIELD: No thanks.
O'BRIEN: And with millions -- you don't love your dog that much. And with millions of...
WHITFIELD: That's not what I'm saying.
O'BRIEN: ... dollars at stake, two big name auction houses compete for a big sale. And the way they settle this, and we're talking about a $20 million sale, is the stuff of playground legend.
WHITFIELD: I love it.
O'BRIEN: We're going, going, gone on the Rock, Paper, Scissors story ahead on LIVE FROM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Your dirty laundry can be big business. Everyone has to go to the cleaners at some point or another. But one store owner feels like he's caught in the spin cycle. Enter CNN's Ali Velshi and "THE TURNAROUND." Here's a preview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALI VELSHI, HOST, "THE TURNAROUND": This week's "TURNAROUND" found us in Dallas, Texas, where we tried to clean things up for a local dry cleaner, Amin Bata.
AMIN BATA, OWNER, DRY CLEANING BUSINESS: We have faced challenges in the last three years, shrinking demand for our services and increasing strain on overhead expenses.
VELSHI (voice-over): No business likes to air its dirty laundry, but they all face similar problems. Mentor Gary Kusin, CEO of FedEx/Kinko's says problems like Amin's can be cleaned up with some market research.
GARY KUSIN, CEO, FEDEX/KINKO'S: He has so much data. He can figure out how to market, who to market to and what it's worth out of his existing cash register. He's got a lot of tools.
VELSHI: Here's what Gary suggested: survey customers on what they like, dislike and need from your business, analyze who your top customers are and how to reach them. And communicate what sets you apart from your competition.
(on camera) Amin took his mentor's advice, and it was clear that after three days together, he was on the way to cleaning up his act.
I'm Ali Velshi. See you next time on "THE TURNAROUND."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And you can catch the whole program tomorrow morning. "THE TURNAROUND" airs at 11 Eastern, 8 Pacific, right here on CNN.
O'BRIEN: Tough business, huh?
WHITFIELD: Yes, it is.
O'BRIEN: Yes. You know some people in the dry cleaning business?
WHITFIELD: I have a family member who owns a dry cleaning business, just a round the clock biz.
O'BRIEN: Take it to the cleaners.
WHITFIELD: Take it to the cleaners. All right.
O'BRIEN: Some good news for pet owners who fly. They might be able to get the facts about what happens when Fluffy or Fido travel in the cargo hold. And you know, it's important when you get on the plane and you have a dog in the cargo hold, go to the pilot, go to the cockpit, say turn on the heater.
WHITFIELD: I didn't know you can make that request.
O'BRIEN: Yes, you can. Now, he can still ignore it.
WHITFIELD: Right. But at you feel better having made a request.
O'BRIEN: If he's -- you've done your job. And then if he does ignore it, you will be forever not friends.
WHITFIELD: Wow. OK.
O'BRIEN: Well, what else can we do?
WHITFIELD: Quite the dilemma. Kathleen Hays...
O'BRIEN: Kathleen Hays.
WHITFIELD: ... has some suggestions on what we can do.
KATHLEEN HAYS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there is recourse besides turning on the heater belatedly. Now that would be sad for Fluffy or Fido, indeed.
But you know, it's interesting. Until now, airlines didn't even have to report any incidents regarding pet injuries or losses. Good news for animal lovers, though, it's about to change.
Starting this June, airlines will be required to report pet related incidents to the Department of Transportation, and travelers will be able to check out statistics online through the department's air travel consumer report.
The DOT says they've received relatively few complaints about pets so far. But advocates warn that flying could be traumatic for your animals. And they recommend finding a good pet sitter.
(STOCK REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Should we do Rock, Paper, Scissors over who reads this?
WHITFIELD: OK.
O'BRIEN: One, two, three, shoot.
WHITFIELD: Wait!
O'BRIEN: Scissors, right? Two, three, shoot. Scissors cut paper. OK, I win! Leave it to LIVE FROM to keep you fully informed, fully briefed on the multimillion dollar international impact of playground games.
WHITFIELD: It's not Red Rover outsourcing or tariffs on Duck, Duck Goose. It is, we are confident, the highest stakes game of Rock, Paper, Scissors ever played. And I know you don't think I'm kidding.
O'BRIEN: Well, so am I. Let's go.
WHITFIELD: Roll the videotape.
O'BRIEN: Roll the tape.
A Japanese electronics maker couldn't decide on the auction house to handle the sale of a $20 million art collection. Sotheby's or Christies, Christie's or Sotheby's. Equally prestigious, right?
WHITFIELD: So he arranged a deal maker, Rock, Paper, Scissors. One game, winner gets all. One game. Not even that's out of three or something like that?
O'BRIEN: Best of three, best of seven.
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, here he's pretty serious about it. Sounds pretty nutty. But they did it with a bona fide school kids' game and the school kids actually, were the ones who came in to watch. They were judging it.
O'BRIEN: I mean, if you're going to have a judge, you need an 11-year-old, right. So when the smoke cleared -- and here's -- you notice how I did scissors. I've done a little research on this. That's the story. Scissors apparently tend to prevail.
WHITFIELD: Really? O'BRIEN: And I don't know why that is. Christies did scissors. They did that. They did paper. And, well, the smack talking rights until the next competition, which we assume will be freeze tag or a snowball fight between them, and we'll keep you posted on that.
WHITFIELD: All right, well, it's a lot of fun, isn't it?
I don't think they're playing too much Rock, Paper, Scissors out there in L.A. Or at least not during the prime-time presidential news conference, the first of President Bush's second term. It was a pretty big deal. Why not? President Bush had to deal with some competition last night from the likes of Donald Trump. Well, guess who won? And it wasn't Rock, Paper Scissors.
Sibila Vargas in from Los Angeles to give us how the deal went.
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I'll tell you all about that, but can I come to Atlanta to play Rock, Paper, Scissors with you guys?
WHITFIELD: Absolutely.
VARGAS: That's not fair!
WHITFIELD: Come on down.
VARGAS: That's right. Nice to see you.
Well, he may be the president of the United States, but last night George W. Bush was no match for reality TV. With just a couple of questions left to answer in his last minute news conference, three of the four major TV networks switched back to their planned programming.
NBC dropped the president's address for "The Apprentice." CBS went to "Survivor," and FOX opted for Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie's reality hit, "The Simple Life: Interns." Only ABC stayed with the president until the end of the comments.
The reason for the move? Well, last night was not only TV's most profitable night. It was also the first night of May sweeps, the period that determines advertising dollars. And with less than 24 hours to plan, the networks felt the millions in revenue they lost for one hour of prime-time was enough.
Well, getting a reality check of their own, cast members of CBS' "Everybody Loves Raymond" reunited last night to say a final farewell. Ray Romano, Patricia Heaton and the rest of the gang were on hand in Santa Monica, California, for the show's wrap party. The series had an incredible run of nine years. While Ray Romano was sad to say good-bye, he's happy to see that they ended on top.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAY ROMANO, COMEDIAN: So it's weird, but you know, even having this time away from it, I'm still happy that we ended when we did, because we left on a good high note.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VARGAS: The final episode of "Everybody Loves Raymond" airs May 16 on CBS. Fredricka, really nice to see you back.
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much. Good to see you, too. Thanks, Sibila.
O'BRIEN: It is good to have you back.
WHITFIELD: Thanks.
O'BRIEN: All right. Here's a sobering thought for you. A recent study estimates more than half of all marriages will be touched by infidelity. Get this: some experts believe being faithful to one's partner is now the exception rather than the rule.
CNN's Kathy Slobogin reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATHY SLOBOGIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jeff and Heather Love (ph) both knew they were meant to marry, but the night he planned to pop the question in a fancy restaurant...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was so nervous to ask me that he waited until we got to the parking lot.
SLOBOGIN: But after the wedding, the fun and the romance started to fade.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He start getting into this, OK, I'm the responsible man, and he was not quite as romantic, and I had a hard time with that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Work was driving my life at that point in time.
This is Jeff. I've got to catch up on the e-mail.
I would admit freely to anyone that I'm a complete workaholic.
SLOBOGIN: Jeff was traveling 20 days a month, pushing Heather and their marriage to the back burner.
(on camera) Did it ever occur that your wife might meet somebody else?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Never even thought about it. I mean -- really, I mean, I assumed at that point that we were both working for the same goal.
SLOBOGIN (voice-over): But while Jeff was working for the future, Heather was drifting. After only eight months of marriage, she met someone else, at work. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It felt very romantic. He was a very affectionate, very complimentary. He just made me feel very beautiful and very sexy, very smart. He was telling me all the things that I wanted to hear from Jeff.
SLOBOGIN: One night after they successfully landed a client together. Heather and the other man went out for a drink. Jeff was traveling.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I remember him looking at me and saying, "Kiss me." And at first I said no. And then he said it again, and I thought OK. I could just kiss him, and then it just kind of snowballed from there. And the next thing I know he was coming home with me.
SHIRLEY GLASS, INFIDELITY EXPERT: They begin as friendships rather than as somebody eyeing somebody attractive and thinking, "Boy, I'd like to have sex with that person."
SLOBOGIN: Dr. Shirley Glass calls the workplace the new danger zone for affairs. In her clinical practice nearly half the women and 62 percent of the men who were unfaithful met their lover at work.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: That's CNN's Kathy Slobogin reporting there, part of our "CNN PRESENTS" documentary, "INFIDELITY." You can watch the show in its entirety Sunday 8 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.
WHITFIELD: All right. That's going to do it for us here on LIVE FROM. Let's head on up to Washington.
O'BRIEN: Yes. Thanks for dropping by. Judy Woodruff standing by with "INSIDE POLITICS."
Hello, Judy.
JUDY WOODRUFF, HOST, "INSIDE POLITICS": Hi, there, Miles. Thanks to you and Fredricka.
President Bush outlines new ideas for Social Security in what was only the fourth prime-time news conference of his presidency. We'll analyze last night's performance with his chief spokesperson, Nicole Devonish (ph), and with Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer.
Plus, remembering Vietnam. Thirty years ago tomorrow, the last U.S. troops pulled out of Saigon. We'll look back at war and why many say it was the end of American innocence.
"INSIDE POLITICS" begins in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired April 29, 2005 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: Pentagon officials, though, say the soldiers involved have been cleared.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CO-HOST: First this hour, a disquieting day in Baghdad. Loud explosions rocked the Iraqi capital again and again this morning as insurgent attacks across the country killed at least 27 people.
It appeared to be a response to the major step forward Iraq took yesterday, when it officially formed its first elected government.
We get the story now from Baghdad from CNN's Ryan Chilcote.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They went off one right after the other, 11 bombs in all before lunch in Baghdad.
This one just as a television crew filmed the aftermath of an earlier bomb just yards away. The camera crew was OK, but one Iraqi civilian was killed and eight Iraqi policemen, believed to be the target, were wounded.
All in all, it was a dizzying display of suicide attacks on Iraq's security forces. Dozens were killed and nearly 100 wounded, many of them civilian bystanders.
Despite appearances, U.S. military says insurgent violence is actually down overall. The attacks, the U.S. military insists, a sign of an increasingly desperate insurgency.
MAJ. GENERAL WILLIAM WEBSTER, COMMANDER, 3RD ARMY INFANTRY DIVISION: Some of these attacks appear to be spectacular and well coordinated but, in fact they're not. These attacks today, although they occurred over the span of about four hours were widely separated and not coordinated very well at all.
CHILCOTE: Iraq's special forces are not intimidated by the attacks. For security reasons, we could not show this recruit's face.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): This is our country. We will not be intimidated. We will fight to the last man.
CHILCOTE: And the U.S. military says recruitment for Iraq's elite troops to face the toughest missions remains steady. (on camera) Despite an ongoing manhunt, their nemesis, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Osama bin Laden's lieutenant in Iraq, remains on the loose. And today, another audiotape, reportedly from him surfaced from him, in it a call to insurgents to keep up their attacks on Iraqi and U.S. forces.
Ryan Chilcote, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Pentagon officials are downplaying a statement on North Korea's nuclear capability. The statement by Vice Admiral Lowell Jacoby, the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, seemed to indicate that North Korea now has the capability of hitting the U.S. with a nuclear weapon, when he was giving testimony before the Senate Armed Services committee.
Officials now say Jacoby was reiterating that North Korea has missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons, but he did not say it has warheads that are small enough to be carried on those missiles.
O'BRIEN: The kids are probably all right, so say health officials, but the parents are panicked, nonetheless, and outraged. All of it understandable. All because an 8-year-old Philadelphia girl brought a needle to school with her, a needle her diabetic mom uses to test her blood sugar. She proceeded to prick 19 other kids. Not funny.
The kids are taking drugs as a precaution. One has supposedly tested positive for HIV.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARTHA ADORNO, PARENT: It's the same needle that they poke on every one of the 14 kids, and one of the kids that was poked is HIV positive.
MIKE GONZALEZ, PARENTS: This is something that is not to be played with. You've got now little kids that are endangered.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Now, officials are dubious about that positive HIV test. That's good news. And they point out that the AIDS risk from needle stick, overall, is very low.
Here's CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: A third grader actually brought this needle from home and subsequently, 19 students got poked. One of the students was revealed to be HIV positive. Unclear whether or not the student actually had the positive test after this poking incidence or was already known to have a positive HIV test. Regardless, though, statistics definitely very much on the students' side. There's never been a case outside a hospital of someone getting an accidental stick and subsequently contracting HIV. Even within hospital settings the number is very, very low, about three in 1,000 likelihood of someone actually having a positive HIV test.
Typically, what happens, it goes down something like this. You develop antibodies to the HIV virus, and that's actually what you're testing for. So what happens, and here's the rub, is that you have to get tested for several months end on end to try and make sure that you don't actually develop any of these antibodies. It is likely these students will have to get tests every month for at least three months to make sure they don't develop the HIV antibodies.
Also, prophylactically, a lot of times medications are simply given. Even though the HIV is not proven to be there, medications are given to try and reduce the likelihood of transmission even further.
The numbers, again, three in 1,000 in health care settings. That's when a significant contamination has occurred, a large syringe full of blood, for example. In this case, we're talking about a very small bore needle.
And then after you give the medications, you reduce the chances by 80 percent, so reducing it to the likelihood of just one in 1,000. Perhaps not even that high.
That's what's going to be done for these children now. Obviously, time will tell, but again, statistics are on their side. We'll certainly keep you posted as those details develop.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well, news across America now.
The treasure two men claim to have found in a Massachusetts back yard may not have been discovered the way they say. Barry Billcliff and Tim Crebase pleaded not guilty today to charges they stole the money from a home that they were doing roofing on. Police say their undoing was talking about it, especially on national television.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF JOSEPH SOLOMON, METHUEN, MASSACHUSETTS, POLICE: From what I'm told, there's a lot of buyers out there that would stock this money up for cash immediately. Had they kept quiet and maybe went to another state or even stayed in our state or just gone over the border to New Hampshire, they probably could have sold the money and nobody would have known, and some collector would be very happy today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The Army says it will not declare a soldier who refused to turn to Iraq for a second tour of duty a conscientious objector. Sergeant Kevin Benjamin said he became opposed to war during the U.S.-led invasion two years ago. He faces a court-martial May 12.
O'BRIEN: One polygraph administered, a reward offered and a search called off in the case of a missing bride-to-be in suburban Atlanta. CNN's Tony Harris bringing us up to date with the very latest from Duluth, Georgia.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TONY HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: An extraordinary afternoon here in Duluth, Georgia, as the investigation into the disappearance of Jennifer Wilbanks continues.
There was a noon press conference to start the afternoon, and during that press conference, we saw an amazing show of unity by both the Wilbanks family and the Mason family. They seem totally together in their support and love for one another.
MIKE SATTERFELD, WILBANKS FAMILY SPOKESMAN: We love Jennifer very much. We would give our life and everything that we own to have her returned.
HARRIS: We also learned in that afternoon press conference with the family that John Mason, Jennifer's fiance, had taken and passed a polygraph examination. An hour later, we learned from the police chief here in Duluth that that privately administered polygraph test meant absolutely nothing to authorities here.
CHIEF RANDY BELCHER, DULUTH, GEORGIA: We have requested that he take a polygraph now through the GBI. He has agreed to take the polygraph, but under certain conditions.
HARRIS: At this point, this all about a negotiation. And as you just heard, the negotiations are at an impasse. The sticking point seems to be a request from John Mason's attorney that the polygraph examination be videotaped. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says flat-out, "No way. That won't happen."
In the meantime, the search, the actual physical search for Jennifer Wilbanks, has been called off until new leads materialize.
Tony Harris, CNN, Duluth, Georgia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Be on the alert. Strong storms with hail, possible tornadoes are again barreling across the southeast. Where are they headed today? Our meteorologist Bob Van Dillen is tracking them from the CNN Weather Center -- Bob.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: Thanks a lot, Bob.
O'BRIEN: It's a dilemma for pet owners who travel.
WHITFIELD: Oh, boy. I've been in this situation before. Trying to decide, should you put your cat or dog in cargo? Will they be safe? Ahead on LIVE FROM making it easier for you to check up on how your airline might be treating your precious cargo.
O'BRIEN: You can go in the sky kennel with the dog. That would be one thing.
WHITFIELD: No thanks.
O'BRIEN: And with millions -- you don't love your dog that much. And with millions of...
WHITFIELD: That's not what I'm saying.
O'BRIEN: ... dollars at stake, two big name auction houses compete for a big sale. And the way they settle this, and we're talking about a $20 million sale, is the stuff of playground legend.
WHITFIELD: I love it.
O'BRIEN: We're going, going, gone on the Rock, Paper, Scissors story ahead on LIVE FROM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Your dirty laundry can be big business. Everyone has to go to the cleaners at some point or another. But one store owner feels like he's caught in the spin cycle. Enter CNN's Ali Velshi and "THE TURNAROUND." Here's a preview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALI VELSHI, HOST, "THE TURNAROUND": This week's "TURNAROUND" found us in Dallas, Texas, where we tried to clean things up for a local dry cleaner, Amin Bata.
AMIN BATA, OWNER, DRY CLEANING BUSINESS: We have faced challenges in the last three years, shrinking demand for our services and increasing strain on overhead expenses.
VELSHI (voice-over): No business likes to air its dirty laundry, but they all face similar problems. Mentor Gary Kusin, CEO of FedEx/Kinko's says problems like Amin's can be cleaned up with some market research.
GARY KUSIN, CEO, FEDEX/KINKO'S: He has so much data. He can figure out how to market, who to market to and what it's worth out of his existing cash register. He's got a lot of tools.
VELSHI: Here's what Gary suggested: survey customers on what they like, dislike and need from your business, analyze who your top customers are and how to reach them. And communicate what sets you apart from your competition.
(on camera) Amin took his mentor's advice, and it was clear that after three days together, he was on the way to cleaning up his act.
I'm Ali Velshi. See you next time on "THE TURNAROUND."
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WHITFIELD: And you can catch the whole program tomorrow morning. "THE TURNAROUND" airs at 11 Eastern, 8 Pacific, right here on CNN.
O'BRIEN: Tough business, huh?
WHITFIELD: Yes, it is.
O'BRIEN: Yes. You know some people in the dry cleaning business?
WHITFIELD: I have a family member who owns a dry cleaning business, just a round the clock biz.
O'BRIEN: Take it to the cleaners.
WHITFIELD: Take it to the cleaners. All right.
O'BRIEN: Some good news for pet owners who fly. They might be able to get the facts about what happens when Fluffy or Fido travel in the cargo hold. And you know, it's important when you get on the plane and you have a dog in the cargo hold, go to the pilot, go to the cockpit, say turn on the heater.
WHITFIELD: I didn't know you can make that request.
O'BRIEN: Yes, you can. Now, he can still ignore it.
WHITFIELD: Right. But at you feel better having made a request.
O'BRIEN: If he's -- you've done your job. And then if he does ignore it, you will be forever not friends.
WHITFIELD: Wow. OK.
O'BRIEN: Well, what else can we do?
WHITFIELD: Quite the dilemma. Kathleen Hays...
O'BRIEN: Kathleen Hays.
WHITFIELD: ... has some suggestions on what we can do.
KATHLEEN HAYS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there is recourse besides turning on the heater belatedly. Now that would be sad for Fluffy or Fido, indeed.
But you know, it's interesting. Until now, airlines didn't even have to report any incidents regarding pet injuries or losses. Good news for animal lovers, though, it's about to change.
Starting this June, airlines will be required to report pet related incidents to the Department of Transportation, and travelers will be able to check out statistics online through the department's air travel consumer report.
The DOT says they've received relatively few complaints about pets so far. But advocates warn that flying could be traumatic for your animals. And they recommend finding a good pet sitter.
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O'BRIEN: Should we do Rock, Paper, Scissors over who reads this?
WHITFIELD: OK.
O'BRIEN: One, two, three, shoot.
WHITFIELD: Wait!
O'BRIEN: Scissors, right? Two, three, shoot. Scissors cut paper. OK, I win! Leave it to LIVE FROM to keep you fully informed, fully briefed on the multimillion dollar international impact of playground games.
WHITFIELD: It's not Red Rover outsourcing or tariffs on Duck, Duck Goose. It is, we are confident, the highest stakes game of Rock, Paper, Scissors ever played. And I know you don't think I'm kidding.
O'BRIEN: Well, so am I. Let's go.
WHITFIELD: Roll the videotape.
O'BRIEN: Roll the tape.
A Japanese electronics maker couldn't decide on the auction house to handle the sale of a $20 million art collection. Sotheby's or Christies, Christie's or Sotheby's. Equally prestigious, right?
WHITFIELD: So he arranged a deal maker, Rock, Paper, Scissors. One game, winner gets all. One game. Not even that's out of three or something like that?
O'BRIEN: Best of three, best of seven.
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, here he's pretty serious about it. Sounds pretty nutty. But they did it with a bona fide school kids' game and the school kids actually, were the ones who came in to watch. They were judging it.
O'BRIEN: I mean, if you're going to have a judge, you need an 11-year-old, right. So when the smoke cleared -- and here's -- you notice how I did scissors. I've done a little research on this. That's the story. Scissors apparently tend to prevail.
WHITFIELD: Really? O'BRIEN: And I don't know why that is. Christies did scissors. They did that. They did paper. And, well, the smack talking rights until the next competition, which we assume will be freeze tag or a snowball fight between them, and we'll keep you posted on that.
WHITFIELD: All right, well, it's a lot of fun, isn't it?
I don't think they're playing too much Rock, Paper, Scissors out there in L.A. Or at least not during the prime-time presidential news conference, the first of President Bush's second term. It was a pretty big deal. Why not? President Bush had to deal with some competition last night from the likes of Donald Trump. Well, guess who won? And it wasn't Rock, Paper Scissors.
Sibila Vargas in from Los Angeles to give us how the deal went.
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I'll tell you all about that, but can I come to Atlanta to play Rock, Paper, Scissors with you guys?
WHITFIELD: Absolutely.
VARGAS: That's not fair!
WHITFIELD: Come on down.
VARGAS: That's right. Nice to see you.
Well, he may be the president of the United States, but last night George W. Bush was no match for reality TV. With just a couple of questions left to answer in his last minute news conference, three of the four major TV networks switched back to their planned programming.
NBC dropped the president's address for "The Apprentice." CBS went to "Survivor," and FOX opted for Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie's reality hit, "The Simple Life: Interns." Only ABC stayed with the president until the end of the comments.
The reason for the move? Well, last night was not only TV's most profitable night. It was also the first night of May sweeps, the period that determines advertising dollars. And with less than 24 hours to plan, the networks felt the millions in revenue they lost for one hour of prime-time was enough.
Well, getting a reality check of their own, cast members of CBS' "Everybody Loves Raymond" reunited last night to say a final farewell. Ray Romano, Patricia Heaton and the rest of the gang were on hand in Santa Monica, California, for the show's wrap party. The series had an incredible run of nine years. While Ray Romano was sad to say good-bye, he's happy to see that they ended on top.
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RAY ROMANO, COMEDIAN: So it's weird, but you know, even having this time away from it, I'm still happy that we ended when we did, because we left on a good high note.
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VARGAS: The final episode of "Everybody Loves Raymond" airs May 16 on CBS. Fredricka, really nice to see you back.
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much. Good to see you, too. Thanks, Sibila.
O'BRIEN: It is good to have you back.
WHITFIELD: Thanks.
O'BRIEN: All right. Here's a sobering thought for you. A recent study estimates more than half of all marriages will be touched by infidelity. Get this: some experts believe being faithful to one's partner is now the exception rather than the rule.
CNN's Kathy Slobogin reports.
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KATHY SLOBOGIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jeff and Heather Love (ph) both knew they were meant to marry, but the night he planned to pop the question in a fancy restaurant...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was so nervous to ask me that he waited until we got to the parking lot.
SLOBOGIN: But after the wedding, the fun and the romance started to fade.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He start getting into this, OK, I'm the responsible man, and he was not quite as romantic, and I had a hard time with that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Work was driving my life at that point in time.
This is Jeff. I've got to catch up on the e-mail.
I would admit freely to anyone that I'm a complete workaholic.
SLOBOGIN: Jeff was traveling 20 days a month, pushing Heather and their marriage to the back burner.
(on camera) Did it ever occur that your wife might meet somebody else?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Never even thought about it. I mean -- really, I mean, I assumed at that point that we were both working for the same goal.
SLOBOGIN (voice-over): But while Jeff was working for the future, Heather was drifting. After only eight months of marriage, she met someone else, at work. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It felt very romantic. He was a very affectionate, very complimentary. He just made me feel very beautiful and very sexy, very smart. He was telling me all the things that I wanted to hear from Jeff.
SLOBOGIN: One night after they successfully landed a client together. Heather and the other man went out for a drink. Jeff was traveling.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I remember him looking at me and saying, "Kiss me." And at first I said no. And then he said it again, and I thought OK. I could just kiss him, and then it just kind of snowballed from there. And the next thing I know he was coming home with me.
SHIRLEY GLASS, INFIDELITY EXPERT: They begin as friendships rather than as somebody eyeing somebody attractive and thinking, "Boy, I'd like to have sex with that person."
SLOBOGIN: Dr. Shirley Glass calls the workplace the new danger zone for affairs. In her clinical practice nearly half the women and 62 percent of the men who were unfaithful met their lover at work.
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O'BRIEN: That's CNN's Kathy Slobogin reporting there, part of our "CNN PRESENTS" documentary, "INFIDELITY." You can watch the show in its entirety Sunday 8 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.
WHITFIELD: All right. That's going to do it for us here on LIVE FROM. Let's head on up to Washington.
O'BRIEN: Yes. Thanks for dropping by. Judy Woodruff standing by with "INSIDE POLITICS."
Hello, Judy.
JUDY WOODRUFF, HOST, "INSIDE POLITICS": Hi, there, Miles. Thanks to you and Fredricka.
President Bush outlines new ideas for Social Security in what was only the fourth prime-time news conference of his presidency. We'll analyze last night's performance with his chief spokesperson, Nicole Devonish (ph), and with Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer.
Plus, remembering Vietnam. Thirty years ago tomorrow, the last U.S. troops pulled out of Saigon. We'll look back at war and why many say it was the end of American innocence.
"INSIDE POLITICS" begins in just a moment.
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