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Iraq Scientist Steps Forward with Information; "Finding Nemo" Sparks Clown Fish Craze
Aired June 29, 2003 - 17:00 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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to NEXT@CNN. Coming up this hour, as the world continues to wonder whether weapons of mass destruction will ever found in Iraq, one Iraqi scientist goes public.
teenager comes up with a new weapon in the war against mosquitoes. We'll show you how it works.
And some unforeseen consequences from the movie "Finding Nemo." Kids are liberating their pet fish by flushing them.
But first, during all the long years of U.N. inspections during the 1990s, Iraqi scientists suspected of building weapons of mass destruction time and again denied all knowledge. Now that Saddam Hussein's regime is over, these same people may be ready to tell what they know, but one Iraqi scientist says fear is still a factor.
Here's CNN's Mike Boettcher.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE BOETTCHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is why Mahdi Obeidi, one of Saddam Hussein's top nuclear scientists, went public.
MAHDI OBEIDI, IRAQI NUCLEAR SCIENTIST: I was eating breakfast with my wife and I had heard some very loud noise outside and the noise started to grow -- to grow even more and then we were really scared. We thought somebody was coming to kill us.
BOETTCHER: It was the third of June and it was the U.S. Army, not there to kill, but searching for Obeidi.
ZAID OBEIDI, SON: They used something I don't know. But something big. Huge. They broke in this door. Many of the soldiers came here.
BOETTCHER: The family was terrified.
Z. OBEIDI: With a loud voice, you know, "Go, go, go, go!"
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go, go, go, go!
BOETTCHER: The scene the family describes was similar to other raids witnessed by CNN, as the army searched for evidence of weapons of mass destruction. But the problem? Obeidi was already cooperating with the U.S. government, the CIA.
M. OBEIDI: Because only two days earlier I had given a whole complete program to the Americans of the centrifuge program. And I've shown my full cooperation with them.
BOETTCHER: He had dug up his rose Bushes in his yard and turned over what he had hidden there: plans and parts for making a gas centrifuge, a key component in making the fuel for a nuclear bomb.
Obeidi says he was promised protection by the CIA, but now he felt endangered. His handlers, he says, seem to be reneging. And with the raid on his house, he feared he was not only a target for Saddam loyalists for giving up Iraq's secrets, but inexplicably also now a target of the U.S. Military.
But fortunately for Obeidi he was able to reach the one American he really knew, David Albright, a former weapons inspector whom he had met -- and lied to -- many times during U.N. inspections in the 1990s. Albright had originally facilitated Obeidi's contact with the U.S. government, but it had not been easy.
DAVID ALBRIGHT, FORMER WEAPONS INSPECTOR: I think what happened, unfortunately, is that there is no policy in the U.S. government to allow these scientists to come to the United States. There is no plea bargain policy. And I think there were people in the bureaucracy here who just didn't want to make a deal.
So he was trapped and I really what I think led he and I to think that this situation had reached a dead end and that his best choice was to go public.
BOETTCHER: And Obeidi contacted CNN.
Just two days after U.S. officials learned he had contacted us, Obeidi and his family were whisked out of Iraq by the CIA. That U.S. Army raid, the CIA now admits, was a mistake.
DAVID KAY, CIA CHIEF WEAPONS INSPECTOR: Like I say, there are many units operating in Baghdad right now and it was a genuine case of lack of full coordination.
BOETTCHER: And, the CIA says, the breakdown in communications was a misunderstanding.
Wednesday we met Obeidi in a location we promised not to identify, where he told us he hoped lessons could be learned from his attempt to cooperate. Other Iraqi scientists, he said, were closely watching his fate.
M. OBEIDI: Well, I think the soft touch approach is the best approach.
BOETTCHER: On Thursday, that message resonated at the White House. ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN: Well, we're hopeful that this example will lead to other Iraqi scientists stepping forward with that information.
BOETTCHER: So far few have come forward. Until now they told CNN they are unsure of the U.S. policy, wondering if they would be welcomed or treated as criminals or left vulnerable to reprisals by remnants of the Saddam regime.
For example, one scientist we interviewed denied having anything to do with weapons programs and said he wasn't afraid. But as CNN producer Maria Fleet left his home, this note was secretly passed to her by his daughter.
"He is afraid of telling the truth because of the dangerous situation Saddam put us in. Please help us and make sure of our safety and if you could make it possible to leave Iraq forever."
BOETTCHER: Obeidi says he told the truth and he is now safely out of Iraq after he finally felt he could dig up those top secret papers and parts he'd stashed a dozen years ago under that rose Bush.
(on camera) So in the future, doctor, if you walked by a house that has a rose Bush in front, you're going to have a smile on your face.
M. OBEIDI: Yes, I would.
BOETTCHER (voice-over): Mike Boettcher, CNN the Middle East.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: For the record, CENTCOM issued the following statement: "Mr. Mahdi Obeidi's detainment was unfortunate, and we're working with other agencies in Iraq to avoid this happening in the future. Central Command appreciates Mr. Obeidi's cooperation with the U.S. government and the coalition." That statement coming from CENTCOM.
Mr. Obeidi is just one of many scientists who may have information about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. His story suggests the U.S. may not be doing all it can to bring these people on board.
Joining us now to talk more abut that is Jim Walsh with the Belford (ph) Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Good to see you, Jim.
JIM WALSH, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: Good to see you, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. It looks like a lot of these scientists, at least those that the U.S. may have access to, they're not talking. Does the U.S. have no leverage whatsoever in which to try to get some information out of them and, in exchange, perhaps, give them some safety?
WALSH: Absolutely. I think there's a lot that could be done, but we're not doing it right now. I think part of it is that the Pentagon started this process right after the victory, saying, "We know best' we're going to handle it ourselves. We're not going to let the U.N. in. We're not going to let the other international inspectors in. We're going to do it."
And what they said to themselves is, "We're going to look for this like it's a treasure hunt. We're going to go and dig up stuff that's buried in the sand and that's how you find weapons of mass destruction. It's like a treasure hunt."
Well, that turns out to be not true at all. It's much more a matter of historical detective work. You've got to talk to scientists; you have to look at the documents. But they went off searching in the sand and they left the documents, they got looted, and they haven't been talking to the scientists.
We need to get inspectors with experience in there. We need to interview the scientists and follow the paper trail.
WHITFIELD: Well, when you talk to these scientists isn't part of the problem the U.S. has to win the confidence of these scientists? Because as you saw in Mike Boettcher's piece, not only are they afraid of Saddam loyalists, but there's also some reluctance to trust the U.S. government.
WALSH: Absolutely. And I think the scientists indicated the importance of having the soft touch. That's absolutely right. We want those guys to come to us. They have the goods, they have the information, they can tell us where the bones are buried. But they're not going to come to us if they think we're going to throw them in jail or if they think that we're going to expose them to attack by Saddam loyalists or if we're going to come and bash the doors down on their house.
This last episode was, as the Pentagon said, unfortunate, but I think it's emblematic. They're not coordinated and they're not recruiting. We should be recruiting these guys, making them feel secure and that should be job one. We shouldn't be starting this process three months after having won a victory in Iraq.
WHITFIELD: And you don't see how, if there are weapons of mass destruction, they could be found without the cooperation from any of these scientists?
WALSH: Job one is the scientists and the documents. Iraq is too big to look in the sand for any possible weapon. And we know that things were moved around.
The scientists who built and managed the program, they know where we need to go and where the documents are. So even if you don't have a weapon, if you have an interview that says "we engaged in these activities" or you have a document that showed you engaged in those activities, that's as good as a smoking gun. But unfortunately, because we didn't protect the nuclear facilities -- we're going to do it all ourselves -- they were looted, we've lost a lot of the documentation. We have to win the confidence of the scientists and we can't do that by threatening them.
WHITFIELD: All right. Jim Walsh, thank you very much. Always good to see you. Appreciate it.
WALSH: Good to see you. Thank you, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Much more coming up on NEXT@CNN, including a pet fish craze. In the wake of the movie "Finding Nemo," there's a downside. Some fish are being flushed to a watery grave. We'll explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Well, once again pop culture has prompted a run on pet stores. The wildly popular Disney film "Finding Nemo" is making the brilliant orange, white and black clown fish a hot item.
Sean Callebs has more on the latest have to have it animal, and why some say it might not be the best choice for a pet.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the Minotto children, Nemo had them at hello. Four-year-old Austin and big sis Madeline (ph), who turns 7 soon, had to have a little Nemo of their own after falling in love with the movie.
KATHRYN MINOTTO, MOTHER: The neat thing about these fish, they live a long time. They'll live 10 years, I think, is what someone told me. And then that connected with the movie was just that much better.
ALBERT BROOKS, VOICE OF MARLIN: And I know funny, I'm a clown fish.
CALLEBS: Actually, biologists say a fish like Nemo kept in captivity can live to be 30.
Matt Olson owns and operates Marine Fish near Atlanta, and knew the film would spawn interest.
MATT OLSON, MARINE FISH, ATLANTA: We actually haven't had, I think, a single customer ask how much they are. They just don't care. They just want them.
CALLEBS: Olson says they aren't cheap. The clown fish sell north of $20 each.
(on camera) A simple salt water tank set up can cost about $200.
In the movie a diver who captures the tropical fish and plucked Nemo from his ocean home play the heavy. But these clown fish didn't come from the deep blue. (voice-over) Rather from here, a greenhouse in Fort Pierce (ph), Florida, run by Kevin Gaines.
KEVIN GAINES, OCEANS, REEFS & AQUARIUMS: Each one of those that you see there, has a pair of eyes, is a baby clown fish that's going to be hatching off in the next 24 hours.
CALLEBS: And these predominantly orange beauties are turning to gold for companies like Oceans, Reefs and Aquariums.
GAINES: This was already our most popular fish before Nemo, so now it's an even more popular fish. We're waiting for "Nemo II."
CALLEBS: Not everyone is embracing this craze. The animal rights group PETA says the fish are expensive and difficult to care for and says, quoting here, "fish purchased on a whim as a result of this movie will be discarded as soon as the initial charms wear off."
But people like Olson aren't buying that. He says with simple daily attention the fish can brighten homes and brighten smiles.
Sean Callebs, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Many families do realize that a long-term commitment must be made when a pet joins the household, but for others, when the excitement wears off, the fish get flushed, the Dalmatian gets euthanized and the Chihuahua goes to the shelter.
Joining us from our Washington bureau is Stephanie Shain, director of Companion Animal Outreach at the Humane Society of the United States.
Good to see you.
STEPHANIE SHANE, COMPANION ANIMAL OUTREACH, HUMANE SOCIETY: Hi, thank you.
WHITFIELD: Well, too often we see the kids go to these movies or families go to these movies, and say in the case of the Dalmatians,"101 Dalmatians," "102 Dalmatians," people go out and buy these Dalmatians and realize, "Oh, my gosh, it's a huge responsibility."
So what role or what responsibility do the producers of these kinds of films, do you think, need to have?
SHAIN: Well, you know, we understand that they're there to make movies and we really wish that they would just take the opportunity that they have, which is such a huge opportunity, to do 15 or 30 seconds of education at the beginning of the movie. Something that says, this is a commitment, these are not animals for everyone.
WHITFIELD: And most of these producers and film companies have been asked that and said, "No way." They don't do it. But in the case of "Finding Nemo" Disney did come out after the fact and they have responded this way, with this statement saying, "owning a pet fish is a major responsibility that requires daily care and constant attention."
But this isn't attached to the movie. So is it your concern that they really need to be at the beginning or the end of the movie or nothing?
SHAIN: Well, I think it's a step in the right direction for Disney. And certainly, we would hope that in the future when they make more animal films that they do have something right there at the movie. Because I saw the movie and you're the first, you know, you saying that's the first time I heard that statement. So they missed me, anyway.
So we hope that -- you know, we're glad they did this, but we hope in the future they will try to do it more directly associated with the movie.
WHITFIELD: Let's talk about some of the movies that, perhaps, you know, we've seen a fallout of people going out to buy these animals that they see in the movies: "101 Dalmatians," "102 Dalmatians." That's one that I explained.
The big fallout there was that Dalmatians really are a very aggressive breed and can be tough to train. So many people went out and bought Dalmatians and ended up having to euthanize them or turned them into the pound or turned them in or give them away.
SHAIN: Right, and you know, Dalmatians are great dogs for the right family, but they are very intelligent, very energetic and they take a lot of just time every single day exercising them. And a lot of people that really doesn't work in their daily life.
So we try to get people to think through the process and where you're going to be in ten years because the dog is still going to be there.
And we didn't just see it with "101 Dalmatians." Basically, every time an animal, a specific breed of animal is highlighted in a major media, we see that the animals end up suffering for it because everybody wants to have that animal in their home. They're not thinking about...
WHITFIELD: Go ahead.
SHAIN: They don't think about, maybe, "What I can do?" What we had hoped for "Nemo" was that -- what a great opportunity for parents and children to get involved in saving the coral reef.
WHITFIELD: Except, perhaps, in the case of "Legally Blonde 2." I understand that many people are applauding the use of the Chihuahua in that movie, and that perhaps, it does send a really smart message about use of pets in testing cosmetics, et cetera.
SHAIN: Right. It's a pretty unique film that they have such a strong, you know, pro-animal message of trying to have a little bit of activism infused in the movie.
WHITFIELD: All right, Stephanie Shain, thanks very much, of the Human Society. We appreciate it.
SHAIN: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Well, coming up, robots that creep crawl and jump and perhaps save lives.
Also ahead, a high school student comes up with a new nontoxic weapon in the fight against mosquitoes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Well, taking a look at some NEXT news headlines.
Friday was the first day to sign up for the national do not call list and the response was overwhelming. Those who got on the list are protected from most telemarketers calls.
You can register online at donotcall.gov or by calling the phone number on your screen right there. Phone registration only works west of the Mississippi right now. It will go nationwide in a couple of weeks.
The Federal Trade Commission, which runs the list, says more than 700,000 people registered on Friday and the brisk pace continued yesterday.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday that it's OK for Congress to force public libraries to use filtering software to protect children from seeing online porn.
The ruling upheld the Children's Internet Protection Act, which a lower court struck down last year. The majority opinion said the law does not infringe on free speech.
These strange-looking robots might some day save your life. A research center funded by the Japanese government has unveiled several robots designed to help victims of disasters like earthquakes.
The robots can crawl, fly or even jump over rubble to find survivors. Most are equipped with short-wave cameras and centers.
Researchers are also planning to build robots that can dig through rubble and carry survivors to safety.
An Australian inventor has come up with a gun that fires a million rounds per minute. It's called Metal Storm and it uses electronics to control the blast of projectiles, which can shred a target or throw up a defensive wall against an incoming missile.
Inventor Mike O'Dwyer is getting funding from the Australian and U.S. military for his weapons research.
What began as a high school science fair experiment could turn out to be a next generation mosquito killer. Inventor Michael Nyberg has received a patent for the device, which uses ultrasonic waves to kill mosquitoes before they hatch.
Kathleen Hays explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATHLEEN HAYS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Michael Nyberg isn't scavenging for lost treasures, he's killing mosquitoes before they even get a chance to hatch. Michael and his father, Herbert, have discovered machines that kill mosquito larva with sound waves.
(on camera) How does this work? What happens to these little larva when you zap them with this thing?
MICHAEL NYBERG, TEEN INVENTOR: Well, when you put the frequencies into the water, their air bladders, which they need to breathe, will vibrate and they vibrate so much that they'll explode and almost suffocate the mosquito larvae.
HAYS: Michael came up with the idea two years ago as a science fair project. In 2001 he got a patent on his idea and the family founded their tiny company, New Mountain Innovation, the English translation for their last name, Nyberg.
For Michael, finding a way to kill mosquitoes is about much more than winning prizes.
NYBERG: I just wanted to put it to a practical use. And everyone had heard about this West Nile scare and it got a lot of press, so I just thought it would be a good idea.
HAYS: Fast forward to the summer of 2003, one of the rainiest in the Northeast on record.
DR. JOSHUA LIPSMAN, HEALTH COMMISSIONER: All of this water that's fallen is going to be collected in small amounts and in large amounts and then there's the possibility that the mosquitoes can breed there.
HAYS: Ironically, the long, late wet spring has pushed the height of mosquito season further into the summer and fears of West Nile virus linger, especially after last year, when the virus reached 43 states, killing 284 people.
The Nybergs have sold 40 of their devices to towns and city as far north as Canada.
HERBERT NYBERG, MICHAEL'S FATHER: This is one tool among many that the applicators will have and this does have more significance in areas which are residential, where you can't spray or people don't want you to spray.
HAYS: The Nybergs realize convincing people to abandon pesticides for sonic waves may be a tough sell. H. NYBERG: It's such a paradigm shift in the patrol of mosquitoes that it will take awhile for some people to accept it and there's a tremendous amount of development that needs to be done.
Usually when they see the mosquito larva die within one or two minutes, they get convinced.
HAYS: Herbert's plan is to keep developing their company while Michael goes off to college and welcome him back when he graduates.
Kathleen Hays, CNN, Old Vine, Connecticut.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Earlier we were telling you about "Finding Nemo" and the phenomenon that's resulted from that. Well, later on NEXT@CNN will have a different kind of Nemo. You'll also find this Nemo in the ocean, but it's a lot bigger and has an astronaut inside. We'll explain.
Also ahead, does President Bush make the grade? A prominent conservation group has issues about the commander in chief and his environmental record.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: NEXT@CNN continues after a check of the news headlines at this hour.
(NEWSBREAK)
WHITFIELD: The nation's highest official gets low marks on the environment, according to the League of Conservation Voters, which issued its 2003 presidential report card this week.
But with ad campaigns being launched by the NRDC, the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters, Bush supporters say the report is just partisan politics at work.
Here to discuss the issue are Deb Callahan, president of the League of Conservation Voters, and Charlene Coon, senior policy analyst with the Heritage Foundation.
And ladies, thanks for joining us.
DEB CALLAHAN, LEAGUE OF CONSERVATION VOTERS: Good evening.
WHITFIELD: Ms. Callahan, let me begin with you. Why such a low mark? An "F" for the "W"?
CALLAHAN: Well, I think in short because the administration earned an "F." The last time we graded this Bush administration on the environment, they got a "D minus," and unfortunately the record just keeps getting worse and worse and worse across the board.
WHITFIELD: So what in particular? CALLAHAN: Across the board we're seeing the Clean Air Act weakened, proposals to roll back those clean air standards. Proposals to roll back the Clean Water Act. In the area of toxic waste cleanup, proposing to shift the burden from the corporate polluters to actually taxpayers in this country to clean up corporate toxic wastes and on and on and on.
So really what we found was very, very little to applaud in this record and we felt our only opportunity to really make a statement was to give this administration an "F."
WHITFIELD: So Ms. Coon, you say quite the contrary. In fact, water and air quality had improved. What problems do you have with this report card?
CHARLENE COON, HERITAGE FOUNDATION: Well, I think it's an interesting piece of fiction, although, it's not particularly good.
I do give them credit for putting together an effective fund- raising gimmick.
The facts are that the air is cleaner, the water is cleaner and our environment is greener than it was 30 years ago. Those are the facts. They just cannot handle the facts that you have a Republican president who has -- is making a good record on the environment.
WHITFIELD: Ms. Callahan, you want to respond to that?
CALLAHAN: You know, this administration doesn't get the credit for those 30 years and in fact, the odd thing is if the EPA administrator Christine Whitman said the environment's gotten cleaner over the last 33 years and it's true, then why is this Bush administration trying to radically change our environmental laws so they don't work as well as they have been?
It's not true. The environment is not going to become cleaner under the Bush administration's proposals and, so if we find what's working is working, why the heck do we want to break the system?
WHITFIELD: So Ms. Callahan, you also have criticisms for Mr. Bush's environmental politics when it comes to the international community, as well, don't you? Specifically like what?
CALLAHAN: Well, certainly, I think climate change, global warming is one of the most serious environmental issues facing the world and this country these day.
And the United States is by far the greatest emitter of those gases that cause global warming. We have sure seen some awful weather and you've got to scratch your head over why we're having that.
This administration has patently reversed the direction and the course that this country was taking in terms of leadership. And so we want to see some further progress in being a leader in addressing climate change. The administration doesn't want to do that.
WHITFIELD: So Ms. Coon, you're shaking your head, no, you don't agree with this one. Is this truly politics here?
COON: I think it's a mixture of politics and fund-raising. In fact, I think it's probably a bit more of fund-raising than it is politics.
But to be perfectly honest, I mean, the facts speak for themselves. We've got pollution, air pollution is down 25 percent. Ninety-four percent of the people in the United States have access to clean water. Toxic releases are down by half of what they were 15 years ago.
CALLAHAN: And the Bush administration doesn't get the credit for that.
COON: Nobody said that they would, but you alleged, and it is an allegation, that the Bush administration is going to roll back environmental provisions. In fact, quite the opposite is true. The Bush administration has the most aggressive reduction plan for pollutants for power plants.
CALLAHAN: Mrs. Coon...
WHITFIELD: Well, let me interject. An example, however, of rolling back progress, though, might be the drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. I mean, the Bush administration has made it very clear that they are a proponent of that, are they not?
COON: Well, I think the other side is absolutely wrong on that.
If we go to ANWR and we increase our oil and gas exploration, we will enhance our energy security.
And, in fact, the Clinton administration in 1999 came out with a report on oil and gas exploration and technology and said that they are not mutually exclusive, that because of advancements in technology, we can get our resources safer, more environmentally and get more of those resources. That came from the Clinton administration.
WHITFIELD: And Ms. Callahan, except for, you know, provoking a pretty good discussion here do you believe the Bush administration will pay attention to this report card? Does it really matter?
CALLAHAN: Oh, it matters. As a matter of fact, we have already gotten a lot of push-back, a lot of indication. The administration is having a hard time addressing the substance of what we said in the report card, so instead, they're attacking the messenger by saying, "This is a political document, it's a fund-raising strategy."
Not true. It's not a secret. The environmental community thinks that this is the worst anti-environmental administration in the history of this country. We stand by our report. In fact, when the public learns the fact I think they'll probably agree that we think that there's a real problem with this administration's approach on the environment.
COON: But the facts do not, they belie your allegation.
CALLAHAN: but the facts show that the lies...
COON: But the fact is that the air is cleaner...
CALLAHAN: But not because of the Bush administration.
COON: ... cleaner than it was 30 years ago.
CALLAHAN: You're mixing history and the future.
COON: No.
WHITFIELD: All right.
COON: You use that argument every time there's a Republican administration that this is going to be the worst thing that could happen to the environment. And the facts speak for themselves over the last 25 to 30 years that we have improved our air quality and under Republican administrations, as well.
CALLAHAN: We gave President Bush the first a lot of credit.
WHITFIELD: All right. Charlene Coon and Deb Callahan, thanks very much. We, of course, are out of time. We didn't think that we'd get the two of you to agree, but thanks very much for bringing both of your sides to this issue.
CALLAHAN: Thank you so much.
COON: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Thanks for your time.
Coming up on NEXT, an astronaut reverses direction to explore the deep blue sea.
Also ahead, we'll show you some newly discovered species from the ocean floor.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Well, checking some NEXT news headlines for this Sunday.
Scientists have discovered at least 100 previously unknown species in the unexplored waters off Australia's east coast. Using new mapping techniques, researchers were able to drop nets on extinct volcanoes called sea mounts deep beneath the surface. They hauled up new types of sharks and rays a variety of invertebrates.
Researchers say this is just the tip of the iceberg. Some amazing-looking stuff. They explored 14 sea mounts and there are 30,000 of them worldwide.
The right whale is getting some unprecedented protection. Canada is changing the shipping lanes in the Bay of Fundy to prevent collisions between whales and ships. It's said to be the first time an international shipping route has been altered to protect an endangered species.
Only about 350 North Atlantic right whales exist and up to two- thirds of them gather in the bay's feeding grounds each summer.
NASA is trying to determine whether it will be able to launch the Mars rover Opportunity tomorrow night. Concern over winds forced NASA to postpone last night's scheduled launch and a problem with rocket insulation has delayed tonight's laugh attempt.
Another rover, named Spirit, was launched June 10. The launch of Opportunity must happen by July 15. After that, the earth is too far into its orbit around the sun for the rocket to make it to Mars for both of them to be there by January.
NASA has named a panel to investigate why an experimental aircraft crashed into the pacific on Thursday. The Helios prototype was an unmanned solar powered flying wing. It was flying at about 3,000 feet on Thursday, going 21 miles an hour when it broke up and crashed, according to NASA.
Some pieces of the $15 million aircraft have been recovered. A team of scientists and engineers will try to figure out what went wrong.
Biochemist Peggy Whitson has some incredible ups and downs on the job. As an astronaut, she spent six months aboard the international space station, orbiting more than 200 miles above Earth.
Well, right now she's more than 60 feet below the ocean off Key Largo as a commander of the NEEMO V Project.
Kyra Phillips talked with Whitson and the rest of the crew of the underwater laboratory known as Aquarius.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Peggy, we thought we were just going to have the chance to interview you, but you're surrounded by your entire crew. This is awesome. Why don't you introduce to us each person there and tell us exactly what you guys are doing?
PEGGY WHITSON, BIOCHEMIST: OK. Well, I'll start here and let each crew member introduce themselves.
CLAY ANDERSON, ASTRONAUT: My name is Clay Anderson and I'm an astronaut from the class of 1998.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm Anna Vaughn (ph) and I'm a researcher at Johnson Space Center and I'm responsible for the science experiments that are being conducted on this mission.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Garrett Richmond (ph) and also an astronaut class of 1998. RYAN SNOW, AQUARIUS TECHNICIAN: I'm Ryan Snow. I'm one of the habitat technicians here, and I work for Aquarius and help keep everything running down here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm James Townseck (ph). I'm also a habitat technician here and work for U.S. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) based here in (UNINTELLIGIBLE) center.
WHITSON: This Aquarius habitat provides us a really unique environment. It's about 21 feet long and it's similar to one module of the international space station, one of the six. And so it's a pretty confined environment.
We also are very similar in being in space because we can't just return to the surface any time we want. We have to go through a 17- hour decompression.
PHILLIPS: So Peggy, do you guys get on each other's nerves? How do you handle living together in such tight quarters?
WHITSON: It is pretty tight quarters but I'm really lucky. I've got a really great crew, all these guys work together really well. And the key is always communication.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Once in awhile we do act up. Once in awhile we do act up but so far Peggy hasn't made any of us walk the plank. We're very happy.
PHILLIPS: I can't imagine walking the plank, that would be pretty scary.
Do you guys ever get a chance to go out and explore in the water there, or do you have to stay inside?
WHITSON: No, actually, we go out on daily dives, simulating doing spacewalks on a daily basis, you know, like we would either from the space shuttle or space station or maybe on a future Mars mission, where we go out and do daily excursions.
We do some testing of hardware and we've also just recently been working on some coral science experiments where we're gathering and collecting data for experts up on topside, who can analyze our videos and the numbers that we write down for them.
WHITFIELD: Wow.
So Clay, when you guys are finished and you have to come back up -- I know that takes, like, 18 hours, right? How do you avoid the bends or the decompression sickness?
ANDERSON: Well, the whole idea is that we're saturated with oxygen in our blood right now, so once you make that 24-hour point you can be down here indefinitely. And at the end of our 14-day mission, we'll go through a 17-hour decompression period where they'll change the Aquarius habitat essentially into a decompression chamber. They'll put us at the correct pressure that we need to get back to the surface, so to speak. And they'll repressurize the habitat one more time and we'll put on some minimal scuba gear and head to the surface.
PHILLIPS: Wow. You can imagine, we received a number of e- mails. We're not going to have a chance to get all of them. But here's one Peggy, that was actually directed to you.
Taylor in Newport News, Virginia wants to know, "When you are going toward space does the pressure against your body feel as though you were going deeper in a pool/ocean?"
WHITSON: Actually it's probably a little more similar to being in a very fast car. It pushes you back into your seat when you're launching on the space vehicle. And the G-forces end up going through your body like you were riding in a car and accelerating very quickly.
PHILLIPS: Wow. Well, I can just imagine the big difference here, that there's certainly a lot more alien life forms floating around down there and swimming around than up in space, Peggy, yes?
WHITSON: Most definitely. We've been -- some of the folks yesterday got to see a hammerhead shark, which kind of opened some eyes pretty wide. And we've seen some interesting eagle rays, spotted eagle rays, stingrays, an incredible number and array of fish and different types of coral and sea life. Amazing.
PHILLIPS: Well, it's absolutely amazing what you and your crew are doing. We thank you so much. Coming to us live from down under is the NEEMO Project, NASA's extreme environment mission operation, designed to simulate space conditions on the ocean floor. Amazing stuff. Thanks so much, you guys.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And that was taped earlier in the week.
Don't go away because coming up on NEXT@CNN, if you think the poor can't afford cell phones and mobile messaging, you haven't been to the Philippines. That story's coming up next. Stay with us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID KIRKPATRICK, "FORTUNE" EDITOR: The online world is becoming the broadband world. Before long, there will be no Internet access that is not broadband, because the more we do on the Internet, the more demands we're going to put on the pipes to carry large amounts of digital data to us rapidly.
I think we're just starting to see a significant reduction in prices for broadband Internet access. You know, $35 for a month for a home is sort of the low end of the price spectrum now. I think that will probably go down further.
One of the great new opportunities that the Internet is offering us is to communicate in a variety of ways less expensively.
I think the most dramatic change that we're likely to see over time is people making phone calls on the Internet. Quite a few people do this already, it's quite popular in a number of companies now to use what's called voice over IP Internet protocol. Voice over IP, I think, will eventually become one of the major ways that we make phone conversations and maybe will become the only way over time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Well, this may come as a surprise, but the Philippines have been called the text messaging capital of the world. Even some of the country's poorest residents are busy thumbing messages on their cell phones.
As Kristie Lou Stout reports, cheaper mobile phones are bringing messaging to the masses.
KRISTIE LOU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): All thumbs is a high praise, at least in these parts. In the Philippines, mobile messaging is not a novelty, but a way of life. Even for those living in Manila's slums.
MICHELLE ESTEBAN, MOBILE SUBSCRIBER (through translator): It's really wonderful. It's really cheap and we can afford it, even if we don't have much money. And though we're poor, we can still afford it. With just 30 pesos you can call and you can send text messages.
STOUT: Thirty pesos, or about 56 cents, the price to send 30 text messages or make up to six minutes worth of phone calls, a rock- bottom rate thanks to a corporate price war.
The Philippines' two top carriers have slashed prices to reach a wider mobile market. Globe Telecom has introduced cheap phone cards retailing for about $2 apiece. But rival Smart Communications has issued an even cheaper card for under $1, an aggressive drive to reach lower income consumers.
DAN IBARRA, SMART TELECOMMUNICATIONS: I should be able to come out with the right product and the right concepts and the right service, by which they can sustain.
STOUT: Smart's marketing strategy is to tap small community stores to sell their products. Frederick Ighkras recruits retailers for Smart's buddy load service.
FREDERICK IGHKRAS, MOBILE AIRTIME SALESMAN (through translator): The small community stores that I sell to told me they're earning really well from this cheap airtime scheme, unlike selling soda, where you need capital for a refrigerator and electricity, this you just need a mobile phone and you're in business.
STOUT: Aside from cheap airtime, mobile handsets are also falling in price. Second-hand phones on display in Manila's shopping malls retail for as low as $20. Even cheaper phones are on the market, phones cobbled out of the parts of cast away models.
But cut-rate deals won't put a mobile in every hand, a text message at two cents a pop is pricey in the Philippines, where 40 percent of the population lives on less than $1 a day.
Kristie Lu Stout, for CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well, that's all we have time for right now. But before we go, here's a peek at what's coming up next week.
How would you like to go dancing at the cantina from the "Star Wars" movie? We'll explain how you can get your groove on in a galaxy far, far away.
That story and much more coming up next week; hope you'll be joining us.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Nemo" Sparks Clown Fish Craze>
Aired June 29, 2003 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to NEXT@CNN. Coming up this hour, as the world continues to wonder whether weapons of mass destruction will ever found in Iraq, one Iraqi scientist goes public.
teenager comes up with a new weapon in the war against mosquitoes. We'll show you how it works.
And some unforeseen consequences from the movie "Finding Nemo." Kids are liberating their pet fish by flushing them.
But first, during all the long years of U.N. inspections during the 1990s, Iraqi scientists suspected of building weapons of mass destruction time and again denied all knowledge. Now that Saddam Hussein's regime is over, these same people may be ready to tell what they know, but one Iraqi scientist says fear is still a factor.
Here's CNN's Mike Boettcher.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE BOETTCHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is why Mahdi Obeidi, one of Saddam Hussein's top nuclear scientists, went public.
MAHDI OBEIDI, IRAQI NUCLEAR SCIENTIST: I was eating breakfast with my wife and I had heard some very loud noise outside and the noise started to grow -- to grow even more and then we were really scared. We thought somebody was coming to kill us.
BOETTCHER: It was the third of June and it was the U.S. Army, not there to kill, but searching for Obeidi.
ZAID OBEIDI, SON: They used something I don't know. But something big. Huge. They broke in this door. Many of the soldiers came here.
BOETTCHER: The family was terrified.
Z. OBEIDI: With a loud voice, you know, "Go, go, go, go!"
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go, go, go, go!
BOETTCHER: The scene the family describes was similar to other raids witnessed by CNN, as the army searched for evidence of weapons of mass destruction. But the problem? Obeidi was already cooperating with the U.S. government, the CIA.
M. OBEIDI: Because only two days earlier I had given a whole complete program to the Americans of the centrifuge program. And I've shown my full cooperation with them.
BOETTCHER: He had dug up his rose Bushes in his yard and turned over what he had hidden there: plans and parts for making a gas centrifuge, a key component in making the fuel for a nuclear bomb.
Obeidi says he was promised protection by the CIA, but now he felt endangered. His handlers, he says, seem to be reneging. And with the raid on his house, he feared he was not only a target for Saddam loyalists for giving up Iraq's secrets, but inexplicably also now a target of the U.S. Military.
But fortunately for Obeidi he was able to reach the one American he really knew, David Albright, a former weapons inspector whom he had met -- and lied to -- many times during U.N. inspections in the 1990s. Albright had originally facilitated Obeidi's contact with the U.S. government, but it had not been easy.
DAVID ALBRIGHT, FORMER WEAPONS INSPECTOR: I think what happened, unfortunately, is that there is no policy in the U.S. government to allow these scientists to come to the United States. There is no plea bargain policy. And I think there were people in the bureaucracy here who just didn't want to make a deal.
So he was trapped and I really what I think led he and I to think that this situation had reached a dead end and that his best choice was to go public.
BOETTCHER: And Obeidi contacted CNN.
Just two days after U.S. officials learned he had contacted us, Obeidi and his family were whisked out of Iraq by the CIA. That U.S. Army raid, the CIA now admits, was a mistake.
DAVID KAY, CIA CHIEF WEAPONS INSPECTOR: Like I say, there are many units operating in Baghdad right now and it was a genuine case of lack of full coordination.
BOETTCHER: And, the CIA says, the breakdown in communications was a misunderstanding.
Wednesday we met Obeidi in a location we promised not to identify, where he told us he hoped lessons could be learned from his attempt to cooperate. Other Iraqi scientists, he said, were closely watching his fate.
M. OBEIDI: Well, I think the soft touch approach is the best approach.
BOETTCHER: On Thursday, that message resonated at the White House. ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN: Well, we're hopeful that this example will lead to other Iraqi scientists stepping forward with that information.
BOETTCHER: So far few have come forward. Until now they told CNN they are unsure of the U.S. policy, wondering if they would be welcomed or treated as criminals or left vulnerable to reprisals by remnants of the Saddam regime.
For example, one scientist we interviewed denied having anything to do with weapons programs and said he wasn't afraid. But as CNN producer Maria Fleet left his home, this note was secretly passed to her by his daughter.
"He is afraid of telling the truth because of the dangerous situation Saddam put us in. Please help us and make sure of our safety and if you could make it possible to leave Iraq forever."
BOETTCHER: Obeidi says he told the truth and he is now safely out of Iraq after he finally felt he could dig up those top secret papers and parts he'd stashed a dozen years ago under that rose Bush.
(on camera) So in the future, doctor, if you walked by a house that has a rose Bush in front, you're going to have a smile on your face.
M. OBEIDI: Yes, I would.
BOETTCHER (voice-over): Mike Boettcher, CNN the Middle East.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: For the record, CENTCOM issued the following statement: "Mr. Mahdi Obeidi's detainment was unfortunate, and we're working with other agencies in Iraq to avoid this happening in the future. Central Command appreciates Mr. Obeidi's cooperation with the U.S. government and the coalition." That statement coming from CENTCOM.
Mr. Obeidi is just one of many scientists who may have information about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. His story suggests the U.S. may not be doing all it can to bring these people on board.
Joining us now to talk more abut that is Jim Walsh with the Belford (ph) Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Good to see you, Jim.
JIM WALSH, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: Good to see you, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. It looks like a lot of these scientists, at least those that the U.S. may have access to, they're not talking. Does the U.S. have no leverage whatsoever in which to try to get some information out of them and, in exchange, perhaps, give them some safety?
WALSH: Absolutely. I think there's a lot that could be done, but we're not doing it right now. I think part of it is that the Pentagon started this process right after the victory, saying, "We know best' we're going to handle it ourselves. We're not going to let the U.N. in. We're not going to let the other international inspectors in. We're going to do it."
And what they said to themselves is, "We're going to look for this like it's a treasure hunt. We're going to go and dig up stuff that's buried in the sand and that's how you find weapons of mass destruction. It's like a treasure hunt."
Well, that turns out to be not true at all. It's much more a matter of historical detective work. You've got to talk to scientists; you have to look at the documents. But they went off searching in the sand and they left the documents, they got looted, and they haven't been talking to the scientists.
We need to get inspectors with experience in there. We need to interview the scientists and follow the paper trail.
WHITFIELD: Well, when you talk to these scientists isn't part of the problem the U.S. has to win the confidence of these scientists? Because as you saw in Mike Boettcher's piece, not only are they afraid of Saddam loyalists, but there's also some reluctance to trust the U.S. government.
WALSH: Absolutely. And I think the scientists indicated the importance of having the soft touch. That's absolutely right. We want those guys to come to us. They have the goods, they have the information, they can tell us where the bones are buried. But they're not going to come to us if they think we're going to throw them in jail or if they think that we're going to expose them to attack by Saddam loyalists or if we're going to come and bash the doors down on their house.
This last episode was, as the Pentagon said, unfortunate, but I think it's emblematic. They're not coordinated and they're not recruiting. We should be recruiting these guys, making them feel secure and that should be job one. We shouldn't be starting this process three months after having won a victory in Iraq.
WHITFIELD: And you don't see how, if there are weapons of mass destruction, they could be found without the cooperation from any of these scientists?
WALSH: Job one is the scientists and the documents. Iraq is too big to look in the sand for any possible weapon. And we know that things were moved around.
The scientists who built and managed the program, they know where we need to go and where the documents are. So even if you don't have a weapon, if you have an interview that says "we engaged in these activities" or you have a document that showed you engaged in those activities, that's as good as a smoking gun. But unfortunately, because we didn't protect the nuclear facilities -- we're going to do it all ourselves -- they were looted, we've lost a lot of the documentation. We have to win the confidence of the scientists and we can't do that by threatening them.
WHITFIELD: All right. Jim Walsh, thank you very much. Always good to see you. Appreciate it.
WALSH: Good to see you. Thank you, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Much more coming up on NEXT@CNN, including a pet fish craze. In the wake of the movie "Finding Nemo," there's a downside. Some fish are being flushed to a watery grave. We'll explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Well, once again pop culture has prompted a run on pet stores. The wildly popular Disney film "Finding Nemo" is making the brilliant orange, white and black clown fish a hot item.
Sean Callebs has more on the latest have to have it animal, and why some say it might not be the best choice for a pet.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the Minotto children, Nemo had them at hello. Four-year-old Austin and big sis Madeline (ph), who turns 7 soon, had to have a little Nemo of their own after falling in love with the movie.
KATHRYN MINOTTO, MOTHER: The neat thing about these fish, they live a long time. They'll live 10 years, I think, is what someone told me. And then that connected with the movie was just that much better.
ALBERT BROOKS, VOICE OF MARLIN: And I know funny, I'm a clown fish.
CALLEBS: Actually, biologists say a fish like Nemo kept in captivity can live to be 30.
Matt Olson owns and operates Marine Fish near Atlanta, and knew the film would spawn interest.
MATT OLSON, MARINE FISH, ATLANTA: We actually haven't had, I think, a single customer ask how much they are. They just don't care. They just want them.
CALLEBS: Olson says they aren't cheap. The clown fish sell north of $20 each.
(on camera) A simple salt water tank set up can cost about $200.
In the movie a diver who captures the tropical fish and plucked Nemo from his ocean home play the heavy. But these clown fish didn't come from the deep blue. (voice-over) Rather from here, a greenhouse in Fort Pierce (ph), Florida, run by Kevin Gaines.
KEVIN GAINES, OCEANS, REEFS & AQUARIUMS: Each one of those that you see there, has a pair of eyes, is a baby clown fish that's going to be hatching off in the next 24 hours.
CALLEBS: And these predominantly orange beauties are turning to gold for companies like Oceans, Reefs and Aquariums.
GAINES: This was already our most popular fish before Nemo, so now it's an even more popular fish. We're waiting for "Nemo II."
CALLEBS: Not everyone is embracing this craze. The animal rights group PETA says the fish are expensive and difficult to care for and says, quoting here, "fish purchased on a whim as a result of this movie will be discarded as soon as the initial charms wear off."
But people like Olson aren't buying that. He says with simple daily attention the fish can brighten homes and brighten smiles.
Sean Callebs, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Many families do realize that a long-term commitment must be made when a pet joins the household, but for others, when the excitement wears off, the fish get flushed, the Dalmatian gets euthanized and the Chihuahua goes to the shelter.
Joining us from our Washington bureau is Stephanie Shain, director of Companion Animal Outreach at the Humane Society of the United States.
Good to see you.
STEPHANIE SHANE, COMPANION ANIMAL OUTREACH, HUMANE SOCIETY: Hi, thank you.
WHITFIELD: Well, too often we see the kids go to these movies or families go to these movies, and say in the case of the Dalmatians,"101 Dalmatians," "102 Dalmatians," people go out and buy these Dalmatians and realize, "Oh, my gosh, it's a huge responsibility."
So what role or what responsibility do the producers of these kinds of films, do you think, need to have?
SHAIN: Well, you know, we understand that they're there to make movies and we really wish that they would just take the opportunity that they have, which is such a huge opportunity, to do 15 or 30 seconds of education at the beginning of the movie. Something that says, this is a commitment, these are not animals for everyone.
WHITFIELD: And most of these producers and film companies have been asked that and said, "No way." They don't do it. But in the case of "Finding Nemo" Disney did come out after the fact and they have responded this way, with this statement saying, "owning a pet fish is a major responsibility that requires daily care and constant attention."
But this isn't attached to the movie. So is it your concern that they really need to be at the beginning or the end of the movie or nothing?
SHAIN: Well, I think it's a step in the right direction for Disney. And certainly, we would hope that in the future when they make more animal films that they do have something right there at the movie. Because I saw the movie and you're the first, you know, you saying that's the first time I heard that statement. So they missed me, anyway.
So we hope that -- you know, we're glad they did this, but we hope in the future they will try to do it more directly associated with the movie.
WHITFIELD: Let's talk about some of the movies that, perhaps, you know, we've seen a fallout of people going out to buy these animals that they see in the movies: "101 Dalmatians," "102 Dalmatians." That's one that I explained.
The big fallout there was that Dalmatians really are a very aggressive breed and can be tough to train. So many people went out and bought Dalmatians and ended up having to euthanize them or turned them into the pound or turned them in or give them away.
SHAIN: Right, and you know, Dalmatians are great dogs for the right family, but they are very intelligent, very energetic and they take a lot of just time every single day exercising them. And a lot of people that really doesn't work in their daily life.
So we try to get people to think through the process and where you're going to be in ten years because the dog is still going to be there.
And we didn't just see it with "101 Dalmatians." Basically, every time an animal, a specific breed of animal is highlighted in a major media, we see that the animals end up suffering for it because everybody wants to have that animal in their home. They're not thinking about...
WHITFIELD: Go ahead.
SHAIN: They don't think about, maybe, "What I can do?" What we had hoped for "Nemo" was that -- what a great opportunity for parents and children to get involved in saving the coral reef.
WHITFIELD: Except, perhaps, in the case of "Legally Blonde 2." I understand that many people are applauding the use of the Chihuahua in that movie, and that perhaps, it does send a really smart message about use of pets in testing cosmetics, et cetera.
SHAIN: Right. It's a pretty unique film that they have such a strong, you know, pro-animal message of trying to have a little bit of activism infused in the movie.
WHITFIELD: All right, Stephanie Shain, thanks very much, of the Human Society. We appreciate it.
SHAIN: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Well, coming up, robots that creep crawl and jump and perhaps save lives.
Also ahead, a high school student comes up with a new nontoxic weapon in the fight against mosquitoes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Well, taking a look at some NEXT news headlines.
Friday was the first day to sign up for the national do not call list and the response was overwhelming. Those who got on the list are protected from most telemarketers calls.
You can register online at donotcall.gov or by calling the phone number on your screen right there. Phone registration only works west of the Mississippi right now. It will go nationwide in a couple of weeks.
The Federal Trade Commission, which runs the list, says more than 700,000 people registered on Friday and the brisk pace continued yesterday.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday that it's OK for Congress to force public libraries to use filtering software to protect children from seeing online porn.
The ruling upheld the Children's Internet Protection Act, which a lower court struck down last year. The majority opinion said the law does not infringe on free speech.
These strange-looking robots might some day save your life. A research center funded by the Japanese government has unveiled several robots designed to help victims of disasters like earthquakes.
The robots can crawl, fly or even jump over rubble to find survivors. Most are equipped with short-wave cameras and centers.
Researchers are also planning to build robots that can dig through rubble and carry survivors to safety.
An Australian inventor has come up with a gun that fires a million rounds per minute. It's called Metal Storm and it uses electronics to control the blast of projectiles, which can shred a target or throw up a defensive wall against an incoming missile.
Inventor Mike O'Dwyer is getting funding from the Australian and U.S. military for his weapons research.
What began as a high school science fair experiment could turn out to be a next generation mosquito killer. Inventor Michael Nyberg has received a patent for the device, which uses ultrasonic waves to kill mosquitoes before they hatch.
Kathleen Hays explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATHLEEN HAYS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Michael Nyberg isn't scavenging for lost treasures, he's killing mosquitoes before they even get a chance to hatch. Michael and his father, Herbert, have discovered machines that kill mosquito larva with sound waves.
(on camera) How does this work? What happens to these little larva when you zap them with this thing?
MICHAEL NYBERG, TEEN INVENTOR: Well, when you put the frequencies into the water, their air bladders, which they need to breathe, will vibrate and they vibrate so much that they'll explode and almost suffocate the mosquito larvae.
HAYS: Michael came up with the idea two years ago as a science fair project. In 2001 he got a patent on his idea and the family founded their tiny company, New Mountain Innovation, the English translation for their last name, Nyberg.
For Michael, finding a way to kill mosquitoes is about much more than winning prizes.
NYBERG: I just wanted to put it to a practical use. And everyone had heard about this West Nile scare and it got a lot of press, so I just thought it would be a good idea.
HAYS: Fast forward to the summer of 2003, one of the rainiest in the Northeast on record.
DR. JOSHUA LIPSMAN, HEALTH COMMISSIONER: All of this water that's fallen is going to be collected in small amounts and in large amounts and then there's the possibility that the mosquitoes can breed there.
HAYS: Ironically, the long, late wet spring has pushed the height of mosquito season further into the summer and fears of West Nile virus linger, especially after last year, when the virus reached 43 states, killing 284 people.
The Nybergs have sold 40 of their devices to towns and city as far north as Canada.
HERBERT NYBERG, MICHAEL'S FATHER: This is one tool among many that the applicators will have and this does have more significance in areas which are residential, where you can't spray or people don't want you to spray.
HAYS: The Nybergs realize convincing people to abandon pesticides for sonic waves may be a tough sell. H. NYBERG: It's such a paradigm shift in the patrol of mosquitoes that it will take awhile for some people to accept it and there's a tremendous amount of development that needs to be done.
Usually when they see the mosquito larva die within one or two minutes, they get convinced.
HAYS: Herbert's plan is to keep developing their company while Michael goes off to college and welcome him back when he graduates.
Kathleen Hays, CNN, Old Vine, Connecticut.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Earlier we were telling you about "Finding Nemo" and the phenomenon that's resulted from that. Well, later on NEXT@CNN will have a different kind of Nemo. You'll also find this Nemo in the ocean, but it's a lot bigger and has an astronaut inside. We'll explain.
Also ahead, does President Bush make the grade? A prominent conservation group has issues about the commander in chief and his environmental record.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: NEXT@CNN continues after a check of the news headlines at this hour.
(NEWSBREAK)
WHITFIELD: The nation's highest official gets low marks on the environment, according to the League of Conservation Voters, which issued its 2003 presidential report card this week.
But with ad campaigns being launched by the NRDC, the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters, Bush supporters say the report is just partisan politics at work.
Here to discuss the issue are Deb Callahan, president of the League of Conservation Voters, and Charlene Coon, senior policy analyst with the Heritage Foundation.
And ladies, thanks for joining us.
DEB CALLAHAN, LEAGUE OF CONSERVATION VOTERS: Good evening.
WHITFIELD: Ms. Callahan, let me begin with you. Why such a low mark? An "F" for the "W"?
CALLAHAN: Well, I think in short because the administration earned an "F." The last time we graded this Bush administration on the environment, they got a "D minus," and unfortunately the record just keeps getting worse and worse and worse across the board.
WHITFIELD: So what in particular? CALLAHAN: Across the board we're seeing the Clean Air Act weakened, proposals to roll back those clean air standards. Proposals to roll back the Clean Water Act. In the area of toxic waste cleanup, proposing to shift the burden from the corporate polluters to actually taxpayers in this country to clean up corporate toxic wastes and on and on and on.
So really what we found was very, very little to applaud in this record and we felt our only opportunity to really make a statement was to give this administration an "F."
WHITFIELD: So Ms. Coon, you say quite the contrary. In fact, water and air quality had improved. What problems do you have with this report card?
CHARLENE COON, HERITAGE FOUNDATION: Well, I think it's an interesting piece of fiction, although, it's not particularly good.
I do give them credit for putting together an effective fund- raising gimmick.
The facts are that the air is cleaner, the water is cleaner and our environment is greener than it was 30 years ago. Those are the facts. They just cannot handle the facts that you have a Republican president who has -- is making a good record on the environment.
WHITFIELD: Ms. Callahan, you want to respond to that?
CALLAHAN: You know, this administration doesn't get the credit for those 30 years and in fact, the odd thing is if the EPA administrator Christine Whitman said the environment's gotten cleaner over the last 33 years and it's true, then why is this Bush administration trying to radically change our environmental laws so they don't work as well as they have been?
It's not true. The environment is not going to become cleaner under the Bush administration's proposals and, so if we find what's working is working, why the heck do we want to break the system?
WHITFIELD: So Ms. Callahan, you also have criticisms for Mr. Bush's environmental politics when it comes to the international community, as well, don't you? Specifically like what?
CALLAHAN: Well, certainly, I think climate change, global warming is one of the most serious environmental issues facing the world and this country these day.
And the United States is by far the greatest emitter of those gases that cause global warming. We have sure seen some awful weather and you've got to scratch your head over why we're having that.
This administration has patently reversed the direction and the course that this country was taking in terms of leadership. And so we want to see some further progress in being a leader in addressing climate change. The administration doesn't want to do that.
WHITFIELD: So Ms. Coon, you're shaking your head, no, you don't agree with this one. Is this truly politics here?
COON: I think it's a mixture of politics and fund-raising. In fact, I think it's probably a bit more of fund-raising than it is politics.
But to be perfectly honest, I mean, the facts speak for themselves. We've got pollution, air pollution is down 25 percent. Ninety-four percent of the people in the United States have access to clean water. Toxic releases are down by half of what they were 15 years ago.
CALLAHAN: And the Bush administration doesn't get the credit for that.
COON: Nobody said that they would, but you alleged, and it is an allegation, that the Bush administration is going to roll back environmental provisions. In fact, quite the opposite is true. The Bush administration has the most aggressive reduction plan for pollutants for power plants.
CALLAHAN: Mrs. Coon...
WHITFIELD: Well, let me interject. An example, however, of rolling back progress, though, might be the drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. I mean, the Bush administration has made it very clear that they are a proponent of that, are they not?
COON: Well, I think the other side is absolutely wrong on that.
If we go to ANWR and we increase our oil and gas exploration, we will enhance our energy security.
And, in fact, the Clinton administration in 1999 came out with a report on oil and gas exploration and technology and said that they are not mutually exclusive, that because of advancements in technology, we can get our resources safer, more environmentally and get more of those resources. That came from the Clinton administration.
WHITFIELD: And Ms. Callahan, except for, you know, provoking a pretty good discussion here do you believe the Bush administration will pay attention to this report card? Does it really matter?
CALLAHAN: Oh, it matters. As a matter of fact, we have already gotten a lot of push-back, a lot of indication. The administration is having a hard time addressing the substance of what we said in the report card, so instead, they're attacking the messenger by saying, "This is a political document, it's a fund-raising strategy."
Not true. It's not a secret. The environmental community thinks that this is the worst anti-environmental administration in the history of this country. We stand by our report. In fact, when the public learns the fact I think they'll probably agree that we think that there's a real problem with this administration's approach on the environment.
COON: But the facts do not, they belie your allegation.
CALLAHAN: but the facts show that the lies...
COON: But the fact is that the air is cleaner...
CALLAHAN: But not because of the Bush administration.
COON: ... cleaner than it was 30 years ago.
CALLAHAN: You're mixing history and the future.
COON: No.
WHITFIELD: All right.
COON: You use that argument every time there's a Republican administration that this is going to be the worst thing that could happen to the environment. And the facts speak for themselves over the last 25 to 30 years that we have improved our air quality and under Republican administrations, as well.
CALLAHAN: We gave President Bush the first a lot of credit.
WHITFIELD: All right. Charlene Coon and Deb Callahan, thanks very much. We, of course, are out of time. We didn't think that we'd get the two of you to agree, but thanks very much for bringing both of your sides to this issue.
CALLAHAN: Thank you so much.
COON: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Thanks for your time.
Coming up on NEXT, an astronaut reverses direction to explore the deep blue sea.
Also ahead, we'll show you some newly discovered species from the ocean floor.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Well, checking some NEXT news headlines for this Sunday.
Scientists have discovered at least 100 previously unknown species in the unexplored waters off Australia's east coast. Using new mapping techniques, researchers were able to drop nets on extinct volcanoes called sea mounts deep beneath the surface. They hauled up new types of sharks and rays a variety of invertebrates.
Researchers say this is just the tip of the iceberg. Some amazing-looking stuff. They explored 14 sea mounts and there are 30,000 of them worldwide.
The right whale is getting some unprecedented protection. Canada is changing the shipping lanes in the Bay of Fundy to prevent collisions between whales and ships. It's said to be the first time an international shipping route has been altered to protect an endangered species.
Only about 350 North Atlantic right whales exist and up to two- thirds of them gather in the bay's feeding grounds each summer.
NASA is trying to determine whether it will be able to launch the Mars rover Opportunity tomorrow night. Concern over winds forced NASA to postpone last night's scheduled launch and a problem with rocket insulation has delayed tonight's laugh attempt.
Another rover, named Spirit, was launched June 10. The launch of Opportunity must happen by July 15. After that, the earth is too far into its orbit around the sun for the rocket to make it to Mars for both of them to be there by January.
NASA has named a panel to investigate why an experimental aircraft crashed into the pacific on Thursday. The Helios prototype was an unmanned solar powered flying wing. It was flying at about 3,000 feet on Thursday, going 21 miles an hour when it broke up and crashed, according to NASA.
Some pieces of the $15 million aircraft have been recovered. A team of scientists and engineers will try to figure out what went wrong.
Biochemist Peggy Whitson has some incredible ups and downs on the job. As an astronaut, she spent six months aboard the international space station, orbiting more than 200 miles above Earth.
Well, right now she's more than 60 feet below the ocean off Key Largo as a commander of the NEEMO V Project.
Kyra Phillips talked with Whitson and the rest of the crew of the underwater laboratory known as Aquarius.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Peggy, we thought we were just going to have the chance to interview you, but you're surrounded by your entire crew. This is awesome. Why don't you introduce to us each person there and tell us exactly what you guys are doing?
PEGGY WHITSON, BIOCHEMIST: OK. Well, I'll start here and let each crew member introduce themselves.
CLAY ANDERSON, ASTRONAUT: My name is Clay Anderson and I'm an astronaut from the class of 1998.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm Anna Vaughn (ph) and I'm a researcher at Johnson Space Center and I'm responsible for the science experiments that are being conducted on this mission.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Garrett Richmond (ph) and also an astronaut class of 1998. RYAN SNOW, AQUARIUS TECHNICIAN: I'm Ryan Snow. I'm one of the habitat technicians here, and I work for Aquarius and help keep everything running down here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm James Townseck (ph). I'm also a habitat technician here and work for U.S. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) based here in (UNINTELLIGIBLE) center.
WHITSON: This Aquarius habitat provides us a really unique environment. It's about 21 feet long and it's similar to one module of the international space station, one of the six. And so it's a pretty confined environment.
We also are very similar in being in space because we can't just return to the surface any time we want. We have to go through a 17- hour decompression.
PHILLIPS: So Peggy, do you guys get on each other's nerves? How do you handle living together in such tight quarters?
WHITSON: It is pretty tight quarters but I'm really lucky. I've got a really great crew, all these guys work together really well. And the key is always communication.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Once in awhile we do act up. Once in awhile we do act up but so far Peggy hasn't made any of us walk the plank. We're very happy.
PHILLIPS: I can't imagine walking the plank, that would be pretty scary.
Do you guys ever get a chance to go out and explore in the water there, or do you have to stay inside?
WHITSON: No, actually, we go out on daily dives, simulating doing spacewalks on a daily basis, you know, like we would either from the space shuttle or space station or maybe on a future Mars mission, where we go out and do daily excursions.
We do some testing of hardware and we've also just recently been working on some coral science experiments where we're gathering and collecting data for experts up on topside, who can analyze our videos and the numbers that we write down for them.
WHITFIELD: Wow.
So Clay, when you guys are finished and you have to come back up -- I know that takes, like, 18 hours, right? How do you avoid the bends or the decompression sickness?
ANDERSON: Well, the whole idea is that we're saturated with oxygen in our blood right now, so once you make that 24-hour point you can be down here indefinitely. And at the end of our 14-day mission, we'll go through a 17-hour decompression period where they'll change the Aquarius habitat essentially into a decompression chamber. They'll put us at the correct pressure that we need to get back to the surface, so to speak. And they'll repressurize the habitat one more time and we'll put on some minimal scuba gear and head to the surface.
PHILLIPS: Wow. You can imagine, we received a number of e- mails. We're not going to have a chance to get all of them. But here's one Peggy, that was actually directed to you.
Taylor in Newport News, Virginia wants to know, "When you are going toward space does the pressure against your body feel as though you were going deeper in a pool/ocean?"
WHITSON: Actually it's probably a little more similar to being in a very fast car. It pushes you back into your seat when you're launching on the space vehicle. And the G-forces end up going through your body like you were riding in a car and accelerating very quickly.
PHILLIPS: Wow. Well, I can just imagine the big difference here, that there's certainly a lot more alien life forms floating around down there and swimming around than up in space, Peggy, yes?
WHITSON: Most definitely. We've been -- some of the folks yesterday got to see a hammerhead shark, which kind of opened some eyes pretty wide. And we've seen some interesting eagle rays, spotted eagle rays, stingrays, an incredible number and array of fish and different types of coral and sea life. Amazing.
PHILLIPS: Well, it's absolutely amazing what you and your crew are doing. We thank you so much. Coming to us live from down under is the NEEMO Project, NASA's extreme environment mission operation, designed to simulate space conditions on the ocean floor. Amazing stuff. Thanks so much, you guys.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And that was taped earlier in the week.
Don't go away because coming up on NEXT@CNN, if you think the poor can't afford cell phones and mobile messaging, you haven't been to the Philippines. That story's coming up next. Stay with us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID KIRKPATRICK, "FORTUNE" EDITOR: The online world is becoming the broadband world. Before long, there will be no Internet access that is not broadband, because the more we do on the Internet, the more demands we're going to put on the pipes to carry large amounts of digital data to us rapidly.
I think we're just starting to see a significant reduction in prices for broadband Internet access. You know, $35 for a month for a home is sort of the low end of the price spectrum now. I think that will probably go down further.
One of the great new opportunities that the Internet is offering us is to communicate in a variety of ways less expensively.
I think the most dramatic change that we're likely to see over time is people making phone calls on the Internet. Quite a few people do this already, it's quite popular in a number of companies now to use what's called voice over IP Internet protocol. Voice over IP, I think, will eventually become one of the major ways that we make phone conversations and maybe will become the only way over time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Well, this may come as a surprise, but the Philippines have been called the text messaging capital of the world. Even some of the country's poorest residents are busy thumbing messages on their cell phones.
As Kristie Lou Stout reports, cheaper mobile phones are bringing messaging to the masses.
KRISTIE LOU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): All thumbs is a high praise, at least in these parts. In the Philippines, mobile messaging is not a novelty, but a way of life. Even for those living in Manila's slums.
MICHELLE ESTEBAN, MOBILE SUBSCRIBER (through translator): It's really wonderful. It's really cheap and we can afford it, even if we don't have much money. And though we're poor, we can still afford it. With just 30 pesos you can call and you can send text messages.
STOUT: Thirty pesos, or about 56 cents, the price to send 30 text messages or make up to six minutes worth of phone calls, a rock- bottom rate thanks to a corporate price war.
The Philippines' two top carriers have slashed prices to reach a wider mobile market. Globe Telecom has introduced cheap phone cards retailing for about $2 apiece. But rival Smart Communications has issued an even cheaper card for under $1, an aggressive drive to reach lower income consumers.
DAN IBARRA, SMART TELECOMMUNICATIONS: I should be able to come out with the right product and the right concepts and the right service, by which they can sustain.
STOUT: Smart's marketing strategy is to tap small community stores to sell their products. Frederick Ighkras recruits retailers for Smart's buddy load service.
FREDERICK IGHKRAS, MOBILE AIRTIME SALESMAN (through translator): The small community stores that I sell to told me they're earning really well from this cheap airtime scheme, unlike selling soda, where you need capital for a refrigerator and electricity, this you just need a mobile phone and you're in business.
STOUT: Aside from cheap airtime, mobile handsets are also falling in price. Second-hand phones on display in Manila's shopping malls retail for as low as $20. Even cheaper phones are on the market, phones cobbled out of the parts of cast away models.
But cut-rate deals won't put a mobile in every hand, a text message at two cents a pop is pricey in the Philippines, where 40 percent of the population lives on less than $1 a day.
Kristie Lu Stout, for CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well, that's all we have time for right now. But before we go, here's a peek at what's coming up next week.
How would you like to go dancing at the cantina from the "Star Wars" movie? We'll explain how you can get your groove on in a galaxy far, far away.
That story and much more coming up next week; hope you'll be joining us.
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