Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Christopher Reeve's Widow Reveals She Has Lung Cancer; Return of Discovery

Aired August 09, 2005 - 10:59   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's take a look at what's happening "Now in the News."
Christopher Reeve's widow reveals that she has lung cancer. Dana Reeve issued a statement this morning in response to an upcoming tabloid article. She says she's currently undergoing treatment and is optimistic about her progress. We'll have much more on her announcement ahead in a live report.

The shuttle Discovery is safely back on Earth. Discovery landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California because of bad weather in Florida. The 14-day mission was the first since the shuttle Columbia tragedy. We'll have live reports on Discovery's return just ahead.

The military today saying a U.S. service member was killed in a firefight in southeastern Afghanistan. It happened in Zabul Province. A joint Afghan-U.S. patrol was attacked by small arms fire and rocket- propelled grenades. The coalition aircraft responded to the attack. The U.S. says at least 16 enemy fighters were killed.

We have a developing story out of the Pentagon. The Army has relieved a four-star general of his command. It is a very rare disciplinary action against such a high-ranking officer.

Army officials will only say that General Kevin P. Byrnes had had been under investigation for "personal conduct." Byrnes was in charge of the U.S. Army training and doctrine command.

Good morning. And welcome back to CNN LIVE TODAY.

Let's check some of the time around the world. 8:00 a.m. at Edwards Air Force Base in California; just after 11:00 a.m. here in Atlanta; and 7:00 p.m. in Baghdad.

From CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Daryn Kagan.

Up first, news on the widow of Christopher Reeve. She reveals that she is battling lung cancer. The announcement this morning from Dana Reeve comes on the heels of ABC news anchor Peter Jennings's death from the same disease. But Reeve says she is hopeful about her prognosis.

Our Deborah Feyerick is in New York City with more on this developing story.

Deb, good morning. DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Well, Dana Reeve has been so much in the public eye, but today she asked for privacy as she battles lung cancer. The 44-year-old mother and actress is being treated, and the prognosis, according to her and her doctors, all of them are optimistic.

It is not clear exactly when she began treatment or how long it will last, but the "National Enquirer" broke the news of her illness yesterday, and that is the reason she put out a statement early this morning. In it she says, "I hope before too long to be sharing news of my good health and recovery. Now more than ever I feel Chris with me as I face this challenge. As always, I look to him as the ultimate example of defying the odds with strength, courage, and hope in the face of life's adversities."

Now, according to a report, Dana Reeve's mom died earlier this year from complications following surgery for ovarian cancer. Reeve, it appears, is not a smoker. She had been taking more and more acting roles and was getting back into singing.

She heads the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation and has been a tireless campaigner for stem cell research. Her husband, the actor Christopher Reeve, most notably made famous for his role in "Superman," died last year, nine years after he fell from a horse and became paralyzed. The couple has a 13-year-old son.

But right now, Dana Reeve, undergoing treatment for lung cancer, hoping that the prognosis is optimistic -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And making her announcement this morning, Deb, on their Web site, saying she was trying to get up ahead of tabloid reports, that she want to make this announcement, and her family did, too, on their own terms.

FEYERICK: Absolutely. She wanted to take control of the story, especially because with the death of Peter Jennings, lung cancer has been so prominent. The fact that she has it obviously completely and totally coincidental. But by putting out this statement, in a way, she was able to ask the public for privacy so she could go through this and go through this on her own terms.

KAGAN: Deborah Feyerick with the information from New York City. Thank you.

Well, in the last hour as this news was breaking, I had a chance to talk with our senior medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, about the announcement from Dana Reeve. Here now, our conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It is a difficult diagnosis, so we don't have a lot of details about Dana Reeve's type of lung cancer, exactly the symptoms that she was having that took her to the physician in the first place, or if she was a smoker. We do talk a lot about the correlation between smoking and lung cancer.

It's one of the most cogent, well-defined relationships in medicine, that if you're a smoker, you have a higher chance of developing lung cancer. But there is a population of people who develop lung cancer that don't smoke and never smoked as well.

But, you know, I'm sort of getting this information, as you are as well, Daryn. A lot of details still missing, but it is a -- it is a frightening diagnosis. Let me just share a couple of the stats with you quickly.

This is for all people with lung cancer. Within the first year, six out of 10 people die from lung cancer. By year two, eight out of 10 people die. And right now, as good as we've gotten as so many things in medicine, within five years, only 15 percent or so of people are still alive after having been given a diagnosis of lung cancer.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And that was my conversation with Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Let's give you some numbers in addition to what Sanjay was talking about, about lung cancer. It does kill more people than any other cancer.

The federal government says 172,000 Americans will be diagnosed this year. And of every 10 lung cancer patients, just one will be alive after five years.

The American Lung Association says lung cancer is the most common form of the disease in the U.S. It accounts for 14 percent of all cancers, and 28 percent of cancer deaths. Almost nine out of 10 deaths from lung cancer can be linked to cigarette smoking.

We're going to talk more about this developing story a little bit later in the newscast. Dr. Len Lichtenfeld with the American Cancer Society will join me right here in our Atlanta studio.

And now some encouraging news. Discovery is home. Those were the words from mission control as the shuttle touched down in California just under three hours ago.

The safe return to Earth topped a 14-day mission marked by tension and triumph. Discovery was forced to land at Edwards Air Force Base because of bad weather at Kennedy Space Center.

Ted Rowlands begins our coverage. He won the lottery, basically, by getting up in the middle of the night and hanging out at Edwards Air Force Base and getting to see the shuttle land.

Hi, Ted.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed. A great experience, and it was a beautiful landing, a beautiful day weather-wise here. And Eileen Collins brought the shuttle down in just picture-perfect form as everybody waited with bated breath, first hearing the sonic booms and then seeing the shuttle land here at Edwards Air Force Base, bringing an end to the two-and-a-half years since the Columbia tragedy. They returned to space, NASA, and triumphed today.

After the crew landed, the shuttle came to a stop. They were inside the shuttle for upwards to an hour as they started the deplaning process. Eventually the crew was able to come out. And they inspected the aircraft, which is done each time the shuttle does make a successful landing. And here is what the commander said after she touched ground.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EILEEN COLLINS, DISCOVERY COMMANDER: We had a fantastic mission. We are so glad to be able to come back and say it was successful. And we resupplied the International Space Station, and we've met the test objectives of the space shuttle program, brought Discovery back in great shape, as you can see behind us.

And the crew was really anxious to walk around and see what the outside looked like, and it looks fantastic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROWLANDS: And the crew is still here at Edwards Air Force Base. They will be here for some time as they are checked out medically and finish their post-flight checkout. Then they will be on the road to reunite with their family members. They will do that in Houston later today -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Ted Rowlands. Thank you.

Well, for Discovery's detour it was a little bit disappointing for family members. They're happy their family members are back safe on Earth, but they were waiting in Florida for the astronauts to return. So that means a cross-country trek to get the shuttle back to Kennedy Space Center.

Our Sean Callebs is in Florida.

Sean, anybody who has ever had to pay for a tow truck will appreciate what it costs to get the shuttle back to Florida.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, exactly. And it has been quite a while since we've actually seen the process of the shuttle being brought back across the country. We'll show you some pictures of what it looks like for those who may have the image purged from their mind, and that's what's going to be happening in the coming days.

It will take about nine to 10 days to get Discovery prepared and then loaded up on the back of a jumbo jet and flown across the country. It will actually take a couple of days to make the trip. And NASA explains exactly what all is entailed in this effort.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MICHAEL LEINBACH, SHUTTLE LAUNCH DIRECTOR: It's around day seven or day eight we'll get out of California. And this time of year it's at least a two-day ferry back because of the weather conditions. We always have a pathfinder aircraft that precedes the shuttle carrier aircraft with the shuttle on back.

They'll find the best route across the country relative to the weather, and then bring Discovery home here to the Kennedy Space Center. So about nine or 10 days Discovery should be back here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLEBS: Nine or 10 days. And a cost of at least $1 million in costs to fly it across the country, and about $3 to $4 million in other costs. We can tell you that NASA has already chartered a jet that's scheduled to take off from Orlando tomorrow.

A hundred and seventy employees at the Kennedy Space Center are going to be making their way across the country to prepare the shuttle to bring it back here to Florida. It's amazing.

A 14-day mission, two-and-a-half years in the making, and NASA has about a nanosecond to bask in the glory before they start focusing on work that they have ahead. At a news conference a short while ago, the NASA administrator was asked repeatedly when they think they can put the next shuttle into orbit. They wouldn't take the bait. Hopefully, they say, this year, but until they get all the problems worked out with the external fuel tank and the foam coming off of that, very difficult to say -- Daryn.

KAGAN: First up, the ultimate piggyback ride in getting the shuttle back across the country. Thank you, Sean.

Iran is in the news today. It is restarting work at a nuclear facility. So what's the world doing about that? We're going to tell you what's happening at an emergency meeting in Vienna. We have a live report with our Walter Rodgers.

And still to come...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It can explode within a cell. So the virus enters a cell, increases its numbers, replicates, and then essentially blows up that cell to release more virus into the environment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Coming up in today's "Daily Dose," how doctors are using smart bombs to target tumors.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAGAN: There's a troublesome turn, new turn in a standoff with Iran over its nuclear program. The United Nations nuclear watchdog agency is holding an emergency session one day after Iran restarted work at a nuclear facility.

Our Senior International Correspondent Walter Rodgers is with us now from Vienna, Austria -- Walter.

WALTER RODGERS, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn.

What we're expecting out of this IAEA meeting here in Vienna is a statement in the next day or two which will plead with the Iranians, asking them to rescind their decision to restart their uranium enrichment program. The great fears, of course, are that while uranium enrichment programs can be used to power electricity power- generating plants, nuclear power plants, the same U235, uranium 235 can also be used to create a nuclear arsenal. And that's what everyone's working to avoid here.

The Iranians have ignored the west's pleas, coming particularly from the European Unions big three, Britain, France and Germany, which had asked them not to restart the program. Now the Russians have asked the Iranians not to restart the program, telling them very bluntly it would be unwise to do that.

Still, this is on a diplomatic track now, less -- more than a confrontational track. And a short while ago, Mohammed ElBaradei, the director general of the IAEA in Vienna, made these remarks, signaling that he's looking for a diplomatic solution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMED ELBARADEI, DIRECTOR GENERAL, IAEA: I would hope that this is simply a hiccup in the process and not a permanent rupture. We have made very good progress in the last couple of years with regard to clarifying Iran's past nuclear activities, and I will report to the board next month again on progress made on this issue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RODGERS: The question now is, how hard will the United States and its principal European allies push for a tough warning to Iran coming out of this International Atomic Energy Agency meeting here? Will it be a tough statement? Can they get a tough statement? And ultimately, will this be referred to the United Nations for sanctions -- possible sanctions against Iraq, or can it be diffused diplomatically?

That's what they're trying to do here -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Well, Walter, why would it be difficult to get a tough statement out of this meeting, given it seems like the Iranians are just thumbing their nose?

RODGERS: Well, that's true. And you do have the big powers lined up against Iran. But you have what you call non-aligning countries with their own embryonic nuclear programs, like Brazil, for example, and like South Africa, who are also on this governor's -- governing board of the IAEA. And they don't want too much of a precedent set because it might affect their plans to develop nuclear energy, or perhaps even nuclear weapons plans in the future.

So it's a very delicate diplomatic minuet here. And even if this went to the United Nations Security Council with a recommendation for sanctions, the Russians signaled today, interestingly enough, they're on the side of those who want the Iranian nuclear program greatly restricted.

We don't know, however, what the Chinese would do. The Chinese have a huge economic program for natural gas sales, for purchases from the Iranians over the next 30 years. And if it did go to the U.N. for sanctions, the Chinese could well veto any request for sanctions -- Daryn.

KAGAN: A lot of factors to consider. Walter Rodgers, live from Vienna. Thank you.

Still to come, typing for terror. I'm going to have a chance to speak with a "Washington Post" reporter who's investigating the rise of radical Web master, fighting guerilla warfare on the Web. That's just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Marc Cohn is out of the hospital today. Cohn was shot in the head during an attempted carjacking in Denver on Sunday. Police say the bullet lodged right above his right temple, but it did not penetrate the skull. Cohn is best known for his 1991 hit "Walking in Memphis." He is married to ABC anchor and correspondent Elizabeth Vargas.

A lot of strange stories out there today.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: The war on terror is going on, on online. Up next, why some of the most dangerous extremists never even have to pick up a gun to threaten America's security.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: We are coming up on the half-hour. Could the most powerful weapon in a terrorist's hands be the enter Internet? I'm Daryn Kagan. That story is ahead in just a moment. But first, here's a look at what's happening "Now in the News."

Shuttle Discovery glided home safely just before sunrise today. The crew had to land in California because of thunderstorms in Florida. The Discovery crew logged more than five million miles and three space-walks in a two-week mission. It was the first shuttle flight since the Columbia disaster. Congresswoman Katherine Harris of Florida officially kicked off her U.S. Senate campaign last hour. Some Republicans are concerned about the fallout from Harris' role in the 2000 presidential recount. She was the Florida's secretary of state at the time, you might remember, and some Democrats accused her of stealing the election for President Bush.

Confessed Ohio highway sniper Charles McCoy Jr. is due in court in two hours for a guilty plea. McCoy's attorney says his client has dropped the insanity defense that he used in his first trial. It ended in a hung jury. McCoy has been diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic and is expected to serve his sentence in a prison mental health wing. One woman died in that sniper spree.

And Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is promising to hold parliamentary elections in January. The vote was originally set for last month, but Abbas delayed that. Abbas is also asking Gaza residents to be calm and avoid celebrations during the Israeli withdrawal from the territory next week.

There were hugs and tears as Ohio honors its 16 fallen Marines. The young men are among some 30 American troops killed in Iraq in the early days of August. It was standing room only at a 30,000-seat convention center on the outskirts of Cleveland. Private funerals for many of the Marines are being held in their hometowns across Ohio this week.

A string of drive-by shootings left 10 police officers dead across Iraq today. Also, a suicide car bomber targeted a U.S. military convoy. One American soldier and three Iraqi civilians were killed.

And in western Iraq, another Marine has been killed in combat operations in the Ramadi area. A U.S. crackdown on insurgents in the region is ongoing.

At the Pentagon, there is big trouble for a four-star Army general. To the Pentagon now, and our correspondent, Barbara Starr -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, the Pentagon taking an extraordinary step against one of the Army's four- star generals. General Kevin Byrnes, the commanding general of the training and doctrine command of the U.S. Army , has been relieved of command, relieved of duty. It's an extraordinary step. No only can really remember the last time this happened to a four-star general.

All the Army is saying is that it was for matter of personal conduct, that yesterday General Byrnes was relieved of duty directly by the Army chief of staff.

Now, we to want clarify one thing we said earlier this morning. The Army is now clarifying that there was an inspector general investigation into whatever this situation is with General Byrnes. It was not, as the Army indicated earlier, a criminal investigation. And inspector general investigation into matters of personal conduct, and now the Army will decide if it is going to take any further action against General Byrnes, but he directly has been relieved of duty. We asked when the last time was this happened to a four-star Army general, and we were told the last anybody could remember was Douglas Macarthur -- Daryn.

KAGAN: On the battlefield, some news about some explosives found in southern Iraq -- Barbara.

STARR: Indeed, Daryn. U.S. officials confirming that within the last two weeks or so, at a border checkpoint between Iran and Iraq, they confiscated, if you will, a truckload of highly sophisticated manufactured weapons, explosive devices, not the improvised explosives that we've seen cause so much damage, as we did here in Haditha, but manufactured explosives, if you will, coming in, and being smuggled in, they say, from Iran. Military intelligence analysts have looked at these explosive devices. They say they are much more sophisticated, lethal and precise than the improvised explosives they've seen. And they are very concerned. They believe that these manufactured weapons bear traces of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. They are not saying that this is tied to the central government in Tehran, but that, perhaps, these were manufactured by elements of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard -- Daryn.

KAGAN Barbara Starr live at the Pentagon.

Barbara, thank you.

Some more information about Iraq later today. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will talk with reporters at 1:15 Eastern. You'll see live coverage right here on CNN.

A new piece of the 9/11 puzzle tops our security watch this hour. "The New York Times" reporting that a military-intelligence unit had four of the Al Qaeda terrorists on its radar in 2000. Among the men, the alleged lead hijacker Mohamed Atta. The paper says officials identified the group as likely members of an Al Qaeda cell in the U.S., but the "Times" says the decision was made not to give the information to the FBI. That's because the four were in the U.S. on valid visas. The 9/11 Commission's report does not include the details reported today by the "Times." The paper's sources include a Republican congressman and a former U.S. intelligence official.

Well, you want to kind of consider the paradox here, Al Qaeda hides in caves, living in crude Flinstone-like lifestyles, and at the same time, members are armed with cell phones and laptops to exploit a 21st innovation, the Internet. By one count, there are 4,500 terrorist sites on the Web.

Susan Glasser covers terrorism for "The Washington Post," and she co-wrote the paper series called "E-Qaeda: The Rise of Radical Webmasters." The final installment is in today's "Post." It is fascinating reading the entire series. Susan Glasser my guest now from Washington D.C.

Susan, good morning.

SUSAN GLASSER, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Thank you so much.

KAGAN: Let's talk about what's happened now, how things have escalated really just in the last year, that you have a real-time war happening on the ground and on the Internet at the same time.

GLASSER: Well, that's exactly right. I think if you look at what Abu Musab Al Zarqawi's group has done in Iraq, what you see is a convergence of the electronic jihad, if you will, and the real war, an absolute explosion there, up to as many as nine communiques a day from Zarqawi's group, up from just one maybe every few days just a year ago.

KAGAN: And you see them posting battles on line, glorifying suicide bombers, and putting them out a monthly magazine?

GLASSER: Well, that's right. The Zarqawi group in Iraq has their own online magazine, "Farwad Al Sanam (ph)." In fact, many of the Al Qaeda affiliates now, it's something that they all have to have. It talks about tactics, religious issues involved in the jihad, recruiting-type pitches, and just generally advice to would-be supporters and recruits.

KAGAN: Just as we're seeing in our own life, the information technology explode, we're seeing it here as well. Before it was videos trying to be distributed. Now they can get around news networks, other situations and just go right to their targeted audience with the Internet.

GLASSER: Well, that's right. I mean, in a way, Osama Bin Laden was a representative of an earlier generation of technology innovators, but remember, he and his chief lieutenant, Zawahiri, just last week, they still send their videos directly to an Arab satellite television, for example. But in Iraq, Zarqawi simply posts his video and his statements directly on the Internet. There are no intermediaries for this information coming from Iraq, unlike the previous generation of Al Qaeda leadership.

KAGAN: So here comes the big question, how do you fight this?

GLASSER: Well, that is the number-one question that people have been asking about the series. And the answer is that the U.S. government does not yet seem to have come up with one consistent point of view on this, but many of the intelligence professionals that we have spoken with believe it's better to monitor the sites, that it's an invaluable source of information in real-time about the enemy, and that when you get in these sort of cat-and-mouse chases on the Internet, you can't shut them off completely from the Internet; all you're doing is making it harder for yourself to find them.

KAGAN: So you have the U.S. military not sure how to fight it, but where is the expertise coming from that Al Qaeda can access it?

GLASSER: Well, I think one of the brilliant things about it is that it doesn't rely on some incredible genius to use these Internet technologies. These are things available to all of us, to you and me if we had the time, and the inclination and the ability to figure it out. What Al Qaeda and its affiliates have been good at doing is simply being early adapters of widely available technology, as opposed to coming up with some brilliant new uses themselves.

KAGAN: Susan Glasser, the series is in "The Washington Post," and anybody can access that online, as they could make good use of that, washingtonpost.com.

Susan, thank you.

GLASSER: Thank you.

KAGAN: Great series.

GLASSER: Appreciate it.

KAGAN: CNN Security Watch keeps you up to date on safety. Stay tuned for day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

The term "smart bomb" usually applies to sophisticated weapons of war. But you're going to meet a man and others like him with cancer who hope it will one day be known as a lifesaver.

Up next, doctors are turning viruses into tumor-busters.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHANNON COOK, CNN.COM CORRESPONDENT: Some say Hollywood isn't what it used to be. At CNN.com, a look at the film industry then and now.

In the '90s, independent films were the next big thing. And now hit movies like "Napoleon Dynamite" are moving indie flicks into the mainstream. And movies have certainly changed since the '40s and '50s, but doting over film stars has not.

See how today's Hollywood heroes and heroines measure up to their predecessors in this gallery. Some might argue that actress Angelina Jolie is fitting quite comfortably into Elizabeth Taylor's femme fatale shoes.

Technology has had a huge impact on today's movie-making. This gallery shows some of the techniques behind films like "The Matrix" and "Toy Story." And industry insiders say cinema audiences are in decline, and that the growth of home theaters doesn't bode well for the future of the box office.

But for those of you who will see movies anywhere, any time, take CNN.com's film personality quiz. We'll tell you what kind of movie buff you are, plus the must see for your type.We're laying out the red carpet for you at CNN.com/hollywood.

From the dot-com desk, I'm Shanon Cook.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Breaking news coming into CNN from Eastern Tennessee. A correctional officer shot at a courthouse in Roane County, Tennessee. That's in the Eastern part of the state, closer to North Carolina.

On the phone with us right now is Scott Stout. He is the public information officer with Roane County. Scott, if can you tell us what happened earlier today.

SCOTT STOUT, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, ROANE CO.: Well, approximately 10:00 this morning, shots were fired in the parking lot of the Roane County Courthouse. Now, what we do know is two of the Morgan County prison officials, guards, they were taking these prisoners from the courthouse when shots were fired, striking one of the guards in the stomach. And at that point, the folks -- the inmates, they ran off at that point.

KAGAN: Do we know who fired the shots?

STOUT: Yes, we have an idea of who shot -- fired the shots. It's a person that was driving a dark blue Explorer, which was later recovered about a half a mile from the courthouse, no one in the vehicle at time. So an ongoing search is being conducted right now.

KAGAN: So did I hear you right? In the -- in confusion after the shooting, some of the inmates were -- or some of the prisoners were able to run off?

STOUT: A couple of them did, yes.

KAGAN: And so is that search still going on for them as well?

STOUT: Absolutely.

KAGAN: So you have two searches going on, one for the suspects that fired the shots originally. And how many prisoners total do you have on the loose at this point?

STOUT: Well, we understand, two.

KAGAN: Two. All right. And what about the status of the correctional officer who was shot?

STOUT: Right now he was flown by helicopter, going to one of the area hospitals, regional hospitals here. And at that point -- that's all we know at this time.

KAGAN: All right. That's Scott Stout, the public information officer, Roane County, Tennessee. A serious situation at a courthouse there. Shots fired, some confusion. You have a correctional officer who had to be air-lifted to a hospital. And two different searches going on, a search for the shooter. Also, some prisoners were able to escape during that confusion. We'll continue to track that situation.

We turn to the fight against cancer. It is the focus of health news this morning. As we have been reporting, the widow of Christopher Reeve, Dana Reeve revealing today she's battling lung cancer. Dana Reeve says she's currently undergoing treatment and she's optimistic about her prognosis.

Joining me now is Dr. Len Lichtenfeld with the American Cancer Society. Doctor, good to see you again.

DR. LEN LICHTENFELD, AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY: Good morning.

KAGAN: We don't know a lot of details. Dana Reeve asking for privacy at this time, understandably. She's got her own personal battle to fight. So we don't know when she was diagnosed or what kind of lung cancer that she has, but when you hear a 44-year-old woman who looks healthy diagnosed with this disease, it's very shocking.

LICHTENFELD: Obviously it is. And our thoughts and our prayers go out to her and her family, and we wish her well with the treatment that she's going to undergo.

KAGAN: This is the second well-known person we're hearing about lung cancer this week. Peter Jennings two days ago losing his battle. He only announced back in April that he had lung cancer.

LICHTENFELD: Well, Mr. Jennings' lung cancer was obviously, as we know now, was advanced at that time. And it's not unusual in people who have advanced lung cancer that their course is very short, such was the case with Mr. Jennings.

KAGAN: What about in general? I know there's different types of lung cancer out there. But the numbers don't appear to be that good in terms of survivorship.

LICHTENFELD: They're not, Dana -- Daryn, I'm sorry. And the reality is there are about 172,000 people diagnosed with lung cancer in this country every year. There are 435,000 people who die of smoking-related illnesses. Of the people diagnose with lung cancer, only one in six has localized disease at the time of the diagnosis, when they have the best chance of having a good response to the treatment.

KAGAN: So most people when they find out they have lung cancer, it's usually spread at that point?

LICHTENFELD: Usually it's spread, and frequently it's because they have some sort of symptoms. Mr. Jennings, as we know, had some cough, he had some hoarseness. We all heard that. And that's not uncommon when we're talking about people who present with lung cancer for the first time.

KAGAN: Again, with Dana Reeve, we don't know what her symptoms are or what type and how advanced her disease is. But the first thing you think about with lung cancer, are they a smoker? Peter Jennings coming out and saying that he had been a smoker for a long time and picked up the habit again after 9/11. Dana Reeve, not known as a smoker. People who don't smoke can still get lung cancer.

LICHTENFELD: People who don't smoke can get lung cancer. It's obviously true. And about 10 percent of the people diagnosed with lung cancer every year are non-smokers. It's also unusual, as is the case with Mrs. Reeve -- she's 44 years old. And that's uncommon, as well.

KAGAN: Right. What about her age and her gender?

LICHTENFELD: Well, her gender -- perhaps a few more men, maybe 90,000 out of that number that I mentioned before, are men. 70,000 some, 75,000 are women. So, more men than women, but women are catching up. Men are decreasing. They got the message before women did that by stopping smoking they can radically decrease their chance of getting lung cancer. And women, unfortunately, the curve is just beginning to flatten out, and we hope that over the next five and ten years, we'll see fewer women with lung cancer, as well.

KAGAN: What about the age of Dana Reeve? Forty-four years old.

LICHTENFELD: The age is unusual. It's -- you know, usually lung cancer begins to show up when people are 50 and older. But there is an incidence of lung cancer, it can occur in people in people in their mid-40s to their late 40s.

KAGAN: Dr. Len Lichtenfeld with the American Cancer Society. Thank you so much for that.

LICHTENFELD: You're welcome.

KAGAN: Again, we don't know a lot about Dana Reeve's particular situation, but we do know that we wish her well. And she's a very brave woman who has faced the battles with her husband's medical challenges, and we wish her the best.

This week, our senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has been giving an inside view of the war on cancer. Today he looks at experimental targeted therapies known as smart bombs, designed to zero in on cancer cells.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Alan, you'll break the glass.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In Judaism, when break the glass, it means no matter what happens in your life, there's some shattering.

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For Alan and Nancy Lusky, life shattered with the diagnosis, brain cancer. Cancer has not been kind nor gentle to Alan Lusky, parts of his brain ripped away. Nobody knew then, but Alan had the deadliest form of brain cancer you can get: malignant glioblastoma, stage 4. He had a year, if he was lucky. To buy time, Alan quickly entered a clinical trial. Out of 13 patients, one lucky survivor.

ALAN LUSKY, DIAGNOSED WITH BRAIN CANCER: Me. GUPTA: Two years ago, Dr. Fred Lang removed some of the cancer, But now he may have found a better way to destroy Alan's tumor. Dr. Lang and Dr. Juan Fueyo have developed a viral therapy, code name Delta 24. It's one of the new generation of targeted therapies, the very latest in man's arsenal against cancer. It's called a smart bomb.

DR. FRED LANG, SURGEON: It was called smart because it could distinguish tumor cells from normal cells. So it wasn't just, you know, something that was going to injure everything. It's a bomb in the sense that it can explode within a cell. So the virus enters the cell, increases its numbers, replicates it, and then essentially blows up that cell to release more virus into the environment.

GUPTA: At least that's what they hope will happen. So far the smart bomb has only been successfully detonated in mice. Alan is willing to give Delta 24 a try.

LUSKY: Once you have cancer, you get rid of it two ways. One, if they find a cure, and two is when you die. Until one of those two things happens, you have cancer.

GUPTA: Alan Lusky prays he's alive to see his daughter get married, and his grandchild born. No one knows if time is on his side.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: You can see more of Dr. Gupta's report as CNN presents "Taming the Beast: Inside the War on Cancer." That is Sunday night at 8:00 Eastern.

For your "Daily Dose" of health news online, log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical stories, special reports and a health library. The address is CNN.com/health.

We're going to check in on weather and business and we're going to do that after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

KAGAN: Let's take a look at other stories making news overseas this morning. Bigtime bank highest in Brazil. Police say thieves dug their way into a nearby house. They broke through a six-foot thick concrete wall. They made off with about $65 million. The robbers create a sophisticated 262-foot long tunnel, complete with electric lights. It's being described as the biggest bank robbery ever in Brazil.

In Finland, torrential rains couldn't keep American sprinter Lauryn Williams from taking the gold. She is fast. The Olympic silver medalist finished first Monday in the women's 100-meter at the world's track-and-field championships. There she goes. She won in just 10.93 seconds, just ahead of Jamaica's Veronica Campbell. To southwestern China, a panda returning to the wild with a parting gift. Chinese researchers outfitted the panda with a GPS tracker, which they'll use to follow the animal. The panda was first seen climbing over city rooftops last month. Residents initially mistook it for a cat burglar. Pandas are one of the world's most endangered species. There's just about 1,600 remaining in western China.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: And that's going to wrap it for me, but the news goes on. I'm Daryn Kagan. CNN International news is up next. Stay tuned for YOUR WORLD TODAY, with Jim Clancy and Zain Verjee. They are with you after a quick break, and I'll see you right back here tomorrow morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com